Danube University Krems

About: Danube University Krems is a education organization based out in Krems, Niederösterreich, Austria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Stroke & Population. The organization has 498 authors who have published 1572 publications receiving 68797 citations.

Poststroke Fatigue A Hint, But No Definite Word on Therapy Yet

Abstract: See related article, p 1046. The diagnosis of chronic fatigue is largely based on exclusion of other conditions, shows frequent comorbidities, has no known neuropathological basis, and no confirmed single etiology, pathogenesis or established treatment. It is not easily accepted by patients and caregivers alike, and probably the most effective remedy up to now has been to find patients with similar conditions to share experiences. Chronic fatigue is an accepted medical term, especially when presenting in chronic multiple sclerosis or other mostly postviral conditions. In these patients, cognitive behavior therapy and graded exercise therapy have recently been shown to moderately improve outcome.1 In stroke patients, however, fatigue has not been clearly defined, and interventions tested in these populations have only been based on very small numbers. In one review, poststroke fatigue has been described as “a feeling of early exhaustion developing during mental activity with weariness, lack of energy, and aversion to effort.”2 However, the most striking feature of chronic fatigue is that it is always present. It does not go away …

Improving profinet IRT frame packing using ethernet control characters

Abstract: Profinet IRT makes use of dynamic frame packing (DFP) in order to support very short cycle times. The applied packing order is highly dependent on the network topology, and thus the scheduling must be recalculated offline every time the network structure is changed. This study presents a proposal for an automatic packing mechanism (APM) that is based on subframes with delimiters using control characters. As a consequence the subframe positions can be recognized by each device, which makes a scheduling dispensable. Furthermore, APM achieves better performance than DFP, especially in star or tree topology. The paper also presents experimental validation results.

Reducing the burden of stroke: Opportunities and mechanisms.

Abstract: Stroke, as a devastating disease of huge and increasing medical and socio-economic significance, can be called a disease of the 21st century. Almost unheard of as a public health problem before the 19th century and the first three quarters of the 20th century, it is now the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide. From 2005 onwards (Figure 1), stroke prevalence has been increasing exponentially and we now have over 104 million people in the world living with stroke aftermath. The resulting disability-adjusted life-years lost have already reached 132 million, which is more than that from lung, breast, cervical, colon/rectum, stomach, and liver cancers combined. If the current trend continues, by 2030 we will have over 154 million stroke survivors and almost 10 million people dying from stroke every year. Moreover, with over 60% of stroke burden occurring in people younger than 70 years, stroke is no longer a disease of the elderly, and we are witnessing an ominous trend towards increasing stroke incidence and mortality rates in young adults and children in many countries. This clearly indicates that the currently used primary stroke prevention strategies are either not sufficiently effective or not used widely enough, or both. Of particular concern is the shift of public health efforts from implementation of proven effective populationwide preventative strategies to high absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk strategies observed in several high-income countries. It was estimated that those high CVD strategies can at best only reduce the CVD incidence by about 11%, while there is overwhelming evidence from large randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses that just screening of the population for high absolute CVD risk, even when associated with some counseling, is not effective. There is also evidence of the low value of routinely available stroke prevention educational materials, such as books, brochures, leaflets, and websites. It is imperative that primary stroke prevention should be based on both population-wide and individual preventative strategies, with priority given to the reduction of exposure to CVD risk factors for the whole population across the life course. The focus of preventative interventions should be on the reduction of blood pressure level in the whole population, control of elevated blood pressure on the individual level, as well as improving behavioral and lifestyle risk factors profile on both individual and population levels, including reduction of exposure to tobacco use, unhealthy diet (excessive salt and sugar intake, lack of fruits and vegetables), physical inactivity, and the harmful use of alcohol. To be effective, primary stroke prevention strategies at the individual level should be provided for all people at risk regardless of the level of stroke or CVD risk; it needs to be motivational, engaging (interactive), simple to use and understand, widely available across the globe, free of charge, specific for the individual concerned, and based on valid (ideally, culturally specific) information (including internationally recognized guidelines on primary stroke and CVD prevention). To date, the only tool that meets all these requirements is the validated Stroke Riskometer app developed and owned by the Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), translated into 15 languages (>90% of the world population) and endorsed by the World Stroke Organization, World Federation of Neurology, World Heart Federation, and European Stroke Organisation. Widely recognized as a new paradigm in primary stroke prevention (so-called ‘‘motivational population-wide stroke prevention strategy’’), the app can be downloaded for free to a smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet from Apple Store or Google Play. Figure 1. Age-standardized stroke prevalence per 100,000 people.

Clearing the existing fog over the smart sustainable city concept: highlighting the importance of governance

Abstract: Population grow and rapid urbanization generate several consequences such as congestion, air, water and urban pollution, health issues, social inequality, natural resource shortage, among others. These challenges added to the technological development and digitalization of governments motivated new urbanization models relying on the use of technologies, which we can call digital city, intelligent city, eco city, sustainable city, and smart city. Besides, in 2015 the United Nations (UN) Member States published the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to balance the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, increasing the attention to sustainable ways of urban development. This context contributed to the emergence of the Smart Sustainable City (SSC) concept, which can be seen as a strategic response to overcome the urbanization challenges with the help of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). However, there is still uncertainty over the Smart Sustainable City concept and its main characteristics. In addition, limited attention has been given to smart governance aspects, which is recognized as crucial for sustainable development. Thus, this research aims to contextualize the emergence of the SSC concept, identify its characteristics, and to offer a Smart Sustainable City conceptual framework considering the main aspects of a SSC and highlighting the governance dimension. In order to do so, a literature review was performed. The contributions of this research are twofold: (i) strengthening the scientific discussion on smart sustainable city governance, providing its definition; and (ii) suggesting a conceptual model that illustrates a SSC including the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic and environmental), urban infrastructure connecting the SSC elements, and the governance dimension, aiming to guide and provide a balance between the other SSC dimensions.

MEMS Micro-Wire Magnetic Field Detection Method at CERN

Abstract: This paper reports a novel construction of a micromachined MEMS magnetometer characterized by static magnetic fields of CERN’s reference dipole with a custom made capacitive read-out. The magnetic flux density is characterized via the vibration modes of the MEMS structure, which are sensed capacitively. The device consists of a single-crystal silicon clamped-free plate (cantilever) carrying a thin conductor. The cantilever and the thin film metal electrodes are separated by a small gap, forming a vibrating plate capacitor. Movements of the cantilever are read out conveniently by electronic circuits. A static magnetic field generates a force density acting on the conductor that alternates according to the frequency of the current. When the electrical current is known, the deflection amplitude of the cantilever is a measure of the component of the magnetic flux density that points perpendicular to the current. The highest vibration amplitudes are expected, in the vicinity of resonance frequencies of the micromachined structure. At ambient pressure, the prototype sensor has a measured resonance frequency of 3.8 kHz for the fundamental mode and 20 kHz for the first antisymmetric mode. In experiments, the magnetic flux of the dipole has been characterized between 0.1 and 1 T, with a relative uncertainty of $3\times 10^{-4}$ .