Optimization of Optical Follow-up Strategies Based on Covariance Analysis

An in-depth study, using simulations and covariance analysis, is performed to identify the optimal sequence of observations to obtain the most accurate orbit propagation. The accuracy of the results of an orbit determination/ improvement process depends on: tracklet length, number of observations, type of orbit, astrometric error, time interval between tracklets and observation geometry. The latter depends on the position of the object along its orbit and the location of the observing station. This covariance analysis aims to optimize the observation strategy taking into account the influence of the orbit shape, of the relative object-observer geometry and the interval between observations.

A Genetic Algorithm to associate optical measurements and estimate orbits of geocentric objects

Cataloging geocentric objects can be put in the framework of Multiple Target Tracking (MTT). Current work tends to focus on the S = 2 MTT problem because of its favorable computational complexity of O(n²). The MTT problem becomes NP-hard for a dimension of S˃3. The challenge is to find an approximation to the solution within a reasonable computation time. To effciently approximate this solution a Genetic Algorithm is used. The algorithm is applied to a simulated test case. These results represent the first steps towards a method that can treat the S˃3 problem effciently and with minimal manual intervention.

Geschichte unter der Schere politischer Zensur. Amtliche Aktensammlungen im internationalen Vergleich

Zala focuses his account on the edition of the "Documents on German Foreign Policy" - documents that the US army, at the end of the Second World War, uncovered hidden in Thuringia. They were confidential documents from the archives of the German Foreign Office that had been evacuated. After the war, the United States commenced to publish these documents. Especially the documents on German relations with the Soviet Union and the discovery of the top secret additional protocol to the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of 1939 - dividing Poland up between both states - made them an excellent tool in the Cold War. Zala shows how these documents were used politically, but also what kind of controversies went on because of them in diplomatic channels.

Internet-based self-help for schizophrenia – risks and chances

Purpose: Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder which is accompanied by an enormous individual and societal burden. Despite established efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia, its dissemination into routine mental health care remains poor. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy in a self-help format helps to narrow the treatment gap in many mental disorders. Are Internet-based self-help programs, which are based on the principles of CBT, also feasible and viable for patients with schizophrenia? Methods: Mental health professionals (target N=50) as well as individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (target N=50) reported their opinion regarding potential chances and risks of Internet-based self-help for schizophrenia in an online survey. Results: The preliminary data analysis of n=30 health professionals revealed a general acceptance of Internet-based programs for schizophrenia (53% acceptable, 47% acceptable after empirical evaluation) and specific contraindications (e.g., severe psychotic symptoms; 73%). People with schizophrenia highlighted the attractiveness of self-help interventions due to a wish for empowerment and for opportunities to strengthen self-efficacy. Conclusions: Risks, limitations and chances of Internet-based programs for patients with schizophrenia will be discussed.

Effects of a Transdiagnostic Internet Intervention («velibra») for Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help treatment (ICBT) for anxiety disorders has shown promising results in several trials, but there is yet a lack of studies of ICBT in „real world” primary care settings. In this randomized controlled trial we recruited participants through general practitioners. The aim of the study was to examine whether treatment-as-usual (TAU) in primary care settings plus ICBT is superior to TAU alone in reducing anxiety symptoms and other outcome measures among individuals meeting diagnostic criteria of a least one of three anxiety disorders (social anxiety disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder). 150 adults fulfilling diagnostic criteria for a least one of the anxiety disorders according to a diagnostic interview are randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: TAU plus ICBT versus TAU. Randomization is stratified by primary disorder, medication (yes/no) and concurrent psychotherapy. ICBT consists of a transdiagnostic and tailored Internet-based self-help program for several anxiety disorders which also includes cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I). Primary outcomes are symptoms of disorder-specific anxiety measures and diagnostic status after the intervention (9 weeks). Secondary outcomes include primary outcomes at 3-month follow-up and secondary measures such as general symptomatology, depression, quality of life, adherence to ICBT and satisfaction with ICBT. The study is currently being completed. Primary results along with results for specific subgroups (e.g. primary diagnosis, concurrent medication and/or psychotherapy) will be presented and discussed.

A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved? Internet-based group therapy versus individual therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: Social anxiety disorder is one of the most researched conditions in the field of Internet-based self-help. Various studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral treatments can be efficacious to reduce social phobic symptoms. Most of the interventions tested include some form of support, whereas the efficacy of a web-based group format has yet to be investigated. The present study aims at investigating the possible added value of therapist-guided group support in an Internet-based guided self-help treatment for SAD. Methods: A total of 150 adults with a diagnosis of SAD are randomly assigned to either a wait-list control group or one of two active treatment conditions. Participants in the two active conditions use the same Internet-based self-help program, either with individual guidance by a therapist or with the support of a therapist-guided group of 6 individuals. In the group condition, participants communicate with each other via an integrated, protected discussion forum. The primary outcome variables are symptoms of SAD and diagnostic status immediately after the intervention (12 weeks) and at 6-month follow-up. Secondary endpoints are general symptomatology, depression, quality of life and adherence to treatment. Furthermore, process variables such as group processes and the working alliance are studied. Results: Results are currently being analyzed. Results at post-treatment will be presented and discussed. Potential moderating and mediating variables of treatment success will be addressed. Conclusion: The results of this study should indicate whether therapist-guided group support could enhance the efficacy of an internet based self-help treatment for SAD. This novel treatment format, if shown efficacious, could represent a cost-effective option and could be further modified to treat other conditions.

All Alone, Without Money, No Language--Just Yiddish": An Immigrant's Letters from Missouri to Galicia

In June 1891, Shimshon Gerye, a Jewish immigrant from Galicia (a region that now falls across the border of Ukraine and Poland) living in Sedalia, Missouri, received a letter from a cousin back home. The content of the letter was probably rather mundane (a request to send money, inquiries about health), but its timing was somewhat unusual: in the thirty-five years that Shimshon had been living in America, this was apparently the first he had heard from his family in Europe. What survives of the ensuing correspondence, written in Yiddish and spanning a one-year period, provides an interesting view of the situation of the immigrant and the pressures of assimilation, as well as the Yiddish language in America at the end of the nineteenth century.

Every Woman`s Desire. Featuring the Song "When Es Fehlt Uns A Mame`s Gebet". As Sung in "Yede Frau`s Ferlang"

D. Meyerowitz

Analyses of lake La Thuile sediment core

Lake La Thuile, in the Northern French Prealps (874 m a.s.l.), provides an 18 m long sedimentary sequence spanning the entire Lateglacial/Holocene period. The high resolution multi-proxy (sedimentological, palynological, geochemical) analysis of the uppermost 6.2 meters reveals the Holocene dynamics of erosion in the catchment in response to landscape modifications. The mountain belt is at relevant altitude to study past human activities and the watershed is sufficiently disconnected from large valleys to capture a local sedimentary signal. From 12,000 to 10,000 cal. BP (10 to 8 ka cal. BC), the onset of hardwood species triggered a drop in erosion following the Lateglacial/Holocene transition. From 10,000 to 4500 cal. BP (8 to 2.5 ka cal. BC), the forest became denser and favored slope stabilization while erosion processes were very weak. A first erosive phase was initiated at ca . 4500 cal. BP without evidence of human presence in the catchment. Then, the forest declined at approximately 3000 cal. BP, suggesting the first human influence on the landscape. Two other erosive phases are related to anthropic activities: approximately 2500 cal. BP (550 cal. BC) during the Roman period and after 1600 cal. BP (350 cal. AD) with a substantial accentuation in the Middle Ages. In contrast, the lower erosion produced during the Little Ice Age, when climate deteriorations are generally considered to result in an increased erosion signal in this region, suggests that anthropic activities dominated the erosive processes and completely masked the natural effects of climate on erosion in the late Holocene.