Pt-40%Rh Versus Pt-6%Rh Thermocouples: An emf-Temperature Reference Function for the Temperature Range 0 °C to 1769 °C

The paper describes the metrological characterization of the highly stable Pt-40%Rh/Pt-6%Rh thermocouples to determine their reference function in the temperature range between 0 °C and 1769 °C. The preparation of the Pt-40%Rh/Pt-6%Rh thermocouples is described, as well as the measurement procedures and the measurement results of comparison and fixed point measurements for the determination of the reference function with low uncertainties.

OptiDose: Computing the Individualized Optimal Drug Dosing Regimen Using Optimal Control

Providing the optimal dosing strategy of a drug for an individual patient is an important task in pharmaceutical sciences and daily clinical application. We developed and validated an optimal dosing algorithm (OptiDose) that computes the optimal individualized dosing regimen for pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic models in substantially different scenarios with various routes of administration by solving an optimal control problem. The aim is to compute a control that brings the underlying system as closely as possible to a desired reference function by minimizing a cost functional. In pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modeling, the controls are the administered doses and the reference function can be the disease progression. Drug administration at certain time points provides a finite number of discrete controls, the drug doses, determining the drug concentration and its effect on the disease progression. Consequently, rewriting the cost functional gives a finite-dimensional optimal control problem depending only on the doses. Adjoint techniques allow to compute the gradient of the cost functional efficiently. This admits to solve the optimal control problem with robust algorithms such as quasi-Newton methods from finite-dimensional optimization. OptiDose is applied to three relevant but substantially different pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic examples.

Spiciness theory revisited, with new views on neutral density, orthogonality, and passiveness

This paper clarifies the theoretical basis for constructing spiciness variables optimal for characterising ocean water masses. Three essential ingredients are identified: (1) a material density variable γ that is as neutral as feasible, (2) a material state function ξ independent of γ but otherwise arbitrary, and (3) an empirically determined reference function ξr(γ) of γ representing the imagined behaviour of ξ in a notional spiceless ocean. Ingredient (1) is required because contrary to what is often assumed, it is not the properties imposed on ξ (such as orthogonality) that determine its dynamical inertness but the degree of neutrality of γ. The first key result is that it is the anomaly ξ′=ξ-ξr(γ), rather than ξ, that is the variable most suited for characterising ocean water masses, as originally proposed by McDougall and Giles (1987). The second key result is that oceanic sections of normalised ξ′ appear to be relatively insensitive to the choice of ξ, as first suggested by Jackett and McDougall (1985), based on the comparison of very different choices of ξ. It is also argued that the orthogonality of ∇ξ′ to ∇γ in physical space is more germane to spiciness theory than orthogonality in thermohaline space, although how to use it to constrain the choices of ξ and ξr(γ) remains to be fully elucidated. The results are important for they unify the various ways in which spiciness has been defined and used in the literature. They also provide a rigorous theoretical basis justifying the pursuit of a globally defined material density variable maximising neutrality. To illustrate the latter point, this paper proposes a new implementation of the author's recently developed thermodynamic neutral density and explains how to adapt existing definitions of spiciness and spicity to work with it.

The Enlightenment of Yan Jun’s Thought of “Following One’s Heart without Exceeding the Rules” to Social Corruption

Yan Jun is an outstanding representative of The Taizhou School. His thought of “Following One’s Heart without Exceeding the Rules” has an important reference function for modern society. It can regulate people’s behavior and reduce social corruption. Yan Jun’s Thought of “Following One’s Heart without Exceeding the Rules” is conducive to the construction of a harmonious society.

Epidemiological situation, laboratory capacity and preparedness for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Europe, 2019

To update information on the epidemiological situation and national capacity for detection, surveillance and containment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) in Europe, we performed a survey in 37 countries. Nine countries reported regional or inter-regional spread and seven an endemic situation. Laboratories with a reference function, surveillance systems, and a national containment plan for CRAb existed in 30, 23 and eight countries, respectively. A pan-European molecular survey would provide in-depth understanding of the CRAb epidemiology.