Treatment regimens for acute radiation syndrome have been improved over the past years. The application of appropriate therapy relies on rapid and high-throughput tests ideally conducted in the first 3 d after a radiation exposure event. We have examined the utility of blood cell counts (BCCs) 3 d post irradiation to predict clinical outcome for hematologic acute radiation syndrome (HARS). The BCCs and HARS severity information originated from data available in the System-for-Evaluation-and-Archiving-of-Radiation Accidents-based-on-Case-Histories (SEARCH). We found an almost complete discrimination of unexposed (HARS score H0) vs. irradiated individuals during model development and validation (negative predictive value > 94%) when using BCC data for all 3 d. We also found that BCC data increased the correct prediction of exposed individuals from day 1 to day 3. We developed spreadsheets to calculate the likelihood of correct diagnoses of the worried-well, requirement of hospitalization (HARS 2-4), or development of severe hematopoietic syndrome (HARS 3-4). In two table-top exercises, we found the spreadsheets were confusing and cumbersome, so we converted the spreadsheets into a smartphone application, named the H-module App, designed for ease of use, wider dissemination, and accommodation of co-morbidities in the HARS severity prediction algorithm.

Mathematical optimisation of technological forming processes requires expensive simulations to evaluate objective function and constraint values as well as their derivative and Hessian informations. Therefore numerical linearisation methods like the finite difference method or the BFGS‐update are necessary. In this work the effects of these approximation techniques are studied. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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A method for the virtual process design of combined quasi-static and electromagnetic forming processes based on a thorough process simulation is developed. Its flexibility is demonstrated by means of an identification problem for process parameters yielding a minimum bottom edge radius in round cup forming. Particularly, an optimum double exponential current pulse is identified. This class of pulses is parameterized as an example for pulses with mono-directed current employed to reduce the wear of the tool coil.

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