On the assessment of the ability of measurements, nowcasts, and forecasts to track changes.

Background: Measurements, nowcasts, or forecasts ideally should correctly reflect changes in the values of interest. In this article, we focus on how to assess the ability of measurements, nowcasts, or forecasts to correctly predict the direction of changes in values - which we refer to as the ability to track changes (ATC).

Methods: We review and develop visual techniques and quantitative measures to assess ATC.

Leveraging the potential of the German operating room benchmarking initiative for planning: A ready-to-use surgical process data set.

We present a freely available data set of surgical case mixes and surgery process duration distributions based on processed data from the German Operating Room Benchmarking initiative. This initiative collects surgical process data from over 320 German, Austrian, and Swiss hospitals. The data exhibits high levels of quantity, quality, standardization, and multi-dimensionality, making it especially valuable for operating room planning in Operations Research.

A matheuristic for customized multi-level multi-criteria university timetabling.

Course timetables are the organizational foundation of a university's educational program. While students and lecturers perceive timetable quality individually according to their preferences, there are also collective criteria derived normatively such as balanced workloads or idle time avoidance. A recent challenge and opportunity in curriculum-based timetabling consists of customizing timetables with respect to individual student preferences and with respect to integrating online courses as part of modern course programs or in reaction to flexibility requirements as posed in pandemic situations.

An econometric model for intraday electricity trading.

This paper develops an econometric price model with fundamental impacts for intraday electricity markets of 15-min contracts. A unique dataset of intradaily updated forecasts of renewable power generation is analysed. We use a threshold regression model to examine how 15-min intraday trading depends on the slope of the merit order curve.

Correction to: IMPROVEjob - Participatory intervention to improve job satisfaction of general practice teams: a model for structural and behavioural prevention in small and medium-sized enterprises - a study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

IMPROVEjob - Participatory intervention to improve job satisfaction of general practice teams: a model for structural and behavioural prevention in small and medium-sized enterprises - a study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Perceived high chronic stress is twice as prevalent among German general practitioners (GPs) and non-physician medical staff compared to the general population. The reasons are multi-factorial and include patient, practice, healthcare system and societal factors, such as multi-morbidity, the diversity of populations and innovations in medical care. Also, practice-related factors, like stressful patient-staff interactions, poor process management of waiting times and lack of leadership, play a role.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation activity worldwide in 2012 and a SWOT analysis of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group including the global survey.

Data on 68 146 hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs) (53% autologous and 47% allogeneic) gathered by 1566 teams from 77 countries and reported through their regional transplant organizations were analyzed by main indication, donor type and stem cell source for the year 2012. With transplant rates ranging from 0.1 to 1001 per 10 million inhabitants, more HSCTs were registered from unrelated 16 433 donors than related 15 493 donors.

Economics and Outcome After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a lifesaving expensive medical procedure. Hence, more transplants are performed in more affluent countries. The impact of economic factors on patient outcome is less defined.

One million haemopoietic stem-cell transplants: a retrospective observational study.

Background: The transplantation of cells, tissues, and organs has been recognised by WHO as an important medical task for its member states; however, information about how to best organise transplantation is scarce. We aimed to document the activity worldwide from the beginning of transplantation and search for region adapted indications and associations between transplant rates and macroeconomics.

Methods: Between Jan 1, 2006, and Dec 31, 2014, the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation collected data for the evolution of haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) activity and volunteer donors in the 194 WHO member states.

Improving Hospital-wide Patient Scheduling Decisions by Clinical Pathway Mining.

Recent research has highlighted the need for solving hospital-wide patient scheduling problems. Inpatient scheduling, patient activities have to be scheduled on scarce hospital resources such that temporal relations between activities (e.g.

Minimal cut sets in a metabolic network are elementary modes in a dual network.

Motivation: Elementary modes (EMs) and minimal cut sets (MCSs) provide important techniques for metabolic network modeling. Whereas EMs describe minimal subnetworks that can function in steady state, MCSs are sets of reactions whose removal will disable certain network functions. Effective algorithms were developed for EM computation while calculation of MCSs is typically addressed by indirect methods requiring the computation of EMs as initial step.