[Contract Conditions for GPs in Training while Working in Ambulatory Care]

BACKGROUND

In Germany, the situation of GPs in training has received growing attention. Central funding of GPs in training who are working in ambulatory care has been increased up to 3 500 Euros/month. However, the contract conditions of GPs in training who are working in ambulatory care have been unknown as yet.

METHODS

An online survey was undertaken. We recruited GPs in training by snowball sampling making use of national and local organisations of GPs and GPs in training. Our questionnaire consisted of questions concerning sociodemographic variables, gross wage, working hours, holidays and free days for educational purposes. Data were analysed by descriptive statistical methods.

RESULTS

152 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. 127 were full time GPs in training. The median of gross wage was 3 500 Euros/month, the mean gross wage was 3 878 Euros/month. The gross wage per hour was lower than that for GPs in training who are working in hospitals. Especially part time GPs in training had a lower gross wage per hour. One third of the GPs in training had no free days for educational purposes. More than half of the GPs in training had a weekly meeting with their supervisor, however, more than one third of GPs in training had no or only irregular meetings with their supervisor.

CONCLUSIONS

In Germany, GPs in training earn in ambulatory care less than in hospital care. They do not have sufficient free days for educational purposes and often there is a lack of supervision. This seems to indicate that GPs in training are mainly considered as cheap coworkers instead of trainees.

High-Energy Electron and Proton Irradiation of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Heterojunction Solar Cells

We investigate radiation-induced defects in high-efficiency Cu(In,Ga)Se2/CdS/ZnO heterojunction solar cells after 1-MeV electron and 4-MeV proton irradiation. We use electron and proton fluences of more than 1018 cm−2 and up to 1014 cm−2, respectively. The irradiation experiments performed at three independent electron irradiation facilities consistently prove the superior radiation resistance of these Cu(In,Ga)Se2 devices compared to other types of solar cells. The reduction of the solar cell efficiency in all experiments is predominantly caused by a loss ΔVOC of the open circuit voltage VOC. An analytical model describes ΔVOC in terms of radiation-induced defects enhancing recombination in the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorber material. From our model we extract the defect introduction rates for recombination centers in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 for the respective particles and energies. Isochronal annealing steps fully recover VOC of the irradiated Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Exposure to temperatures of approx. 400 K are sufficient to restore the initial VOC within less than 5 %, even after excessive irradiation. The annealing process displays an activation energy of EA = 1.1 eV. Admittance spectroscopy directly reveals the generation and the annealing of radiation-induced defects.

Device Analysis of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Heterojunction Solar Cells - Some Open Questions

The paper discusses the electronic properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se2–based heterojunction solar cells with a special focus on questions which at present are not satisfactorily understood. First, we discuss an apparent quantitative contradiction between measured concentrations of recombination centers in the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorber material and the actual recombination rate in the solar cells. We propose, as a possible explanation for that observation, that the defect concentration in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 is spatially inhomogeneous with a systematic increase towards the heterojunction interface. Second, we address the issue of electronic metastabilities in ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 heterojunctions and, especially, in devices that use alternative buffer materials instead of CdS. Starting from a brief review of the experimentally observed types of metastabilities, we demonstrate by thermally stimulated capacitance measurements that a specific type of metastability that severely limits the performance of solar cells with non-CdS buffers is present also in high-efficiency standard devices though it has virtually no influence on the output parameters in the latter case. A possible explanation of this type of metastability points to a metastable defect reaction localized in the close to surface region of Cu(In,Ga)Se2. At the moment we cannot propose conclusive models for both open questions. However, we can localize the answers to both problems in the close-to-surface region of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorber.

On the use of problem-specific candidate generators for the hybrid optimization of multi-objective production engineering problems

In the field of production engineering, various complex multi-objective problems are known. In this paper we focus on the design of mold temperature control systems, the reconstruction of digitized surfaces, and the optimization of NC paths for the five-axis milling process. For all these applications, efficient problem-specific algorithms exist that only consider a subset of the desirable objectives. In contrast, modern multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are able to cope with many conflicting objectives, but they require a long runtime due to their general applicability. Therefore, we propose hybrid algorithms for the three applications mentioned. In each case, the problem-specific algorithms are used to determine promising initial solutions for the multi-objective evolutionary approach, whose variation concepts are used to generate diversity in the objective space. We show that the combination of these techniques provides great benefits. Since the final solution is chosen by a decision maker based on this Pareto front approximation, appropriate visualizations of the high-dimensional solutions are presented.

Reduction of the vibration of the hand-arm system by optimization of rotary hammer drills

When operating a hand-held vibrating power tool, for example impact drills and rotary hammers, high vibration loads are introduced into the hand-arm system of the operator. In the long run these mechanical vibrations can lead to health problems of the hand-arm system. Hammer drilling tools for treatment of mineral materials are offered with many different designs of the cutting edge in the diameter range between 16 mm and 50 mm. In this research project the influences of the cutting edge design of drilling tools on the vibration characteristics of rotary hammers are investigated. The vibration exposure of the hand-arm system due to the tool and the volume of chip production are regarded. The gauge being a combination of the weighted acceleration and the drilling capacity. Based on the current spectrum of drillings tools neutral test have been developed to examine geometrical parameters. Both sets of drilling tools have been subjected to the same test programme. The analysis of the results led to the definition of the characteristics of an optimized rotary hammer drilling tool. Lists of criterions have been developed for the different groups of tools. Using these it is possible to create drilling tools optimized for vibration exposure. This was demonstrated by prototype drilling tools. The comparison of the results showed, that the averaged volume of chip production could be significantly improved by modifying the design of the drilling tools retaining the weighted acceleration. The comparison also showed that the total vibration severity parameter decreased.