Use of digital healthcare solutions for care delivery during a pandemic-chances and (cyber) risks referring to the example of the COVID-19 pandemic

During pandemics, regular service provisioning processes in medical care may be disrupted. Digital health promises many opportunities for service provisioning during a pandemic. However, a broad penetration of medical processes with information technology also has drawbacks. Within this work, the authors use the COVID-19 pandemic to analyze the chances and the risks that may come with using digital health solutions for medical care during a pandemic. Therefore, a multi-methods approach is used. First we use a systematic literature review for reviewing the state of the art of digital health applications in healthcare. Furthermore, the usage of digital health applications is mapped to the different processes in care delivery. Here we provide an exemplary process model of oncological care delivery. The analysis shows that including digital health solutions may be helpful for care delivery in most processes of medical care provisioning. However, research on digital health solutions focuses strongly on some few processes and specific disciplines while other processes and medical disciplines are underrepresented in literature. Last, we highlight the necessity of a comprehensive risk-related debate around the effects that come with the use of digital healthcare solutions

Motivation-based Attacker Modelling for Cyber Risk Management: A Quantitative Content Analysis and a Natural Experiment

Cyber-attacks have a tremendous impact on worldwide economic performance. Hence, it is vitally important to implement effective risk management for different cyber-attacks, which calls for profound attacker models. However, cyber risk modelling based on attacker models seems to be restricted to overly simplified models. This hinders the understanding of cyber risks and represents a heavy burden for efficient cyber risk management. This work aims to forward scientific research in this field by employing a multi-method approach based on a quantitative content analysis of scientific literature and a natural experiment. Our work gives evidence for the oversimplified modelling of attacker motivational patterns. The quantitative content analysis gives evidence for a broad and established misunderstanding of attackers as being illicitly malicious. The results of the natural ex- periment substantiate the findings of the content analysis. We thereby contribute to the improvement of attacker modelling, which can be considered a necessary prerequisite for effective cyber risk management

Performance evaluation of an automated and continuous antibody purification process in a side-by-side comparability study

Continuous manufacturing (CM) introduces the benefits of cost efficiency, reliability and scalability for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. Higher flexibility, smaller facility footprints and cost of goods benefits are advantages of this production mode. It offers high flexibility in regard of demand changes from clinical to launch and for volatile market dynamics. In combination with disposable equipment, faster time-to-market and closed processing seems feasible. Bayer´s unique CM platform consists of a series of downstream processing (DSP) unit operations through which the drug substance moves continuously and all unit operations happen more or less in parallel at the same time. The technology offers the potential to make Quality by Design (QbD) a reality (with continuously monitored process parameters and real-time feedback process control to maintain quality-indicating parameters within limits at all times, multi-variate data analysis). Individual unit operations are intelligently integrated and critical process parameters are monitored and controlled in real-time. Conditioning modules allow immediate corrective actions to be executed in an automated fashion to maintain the entire process in a state of control with low batch-to-batch variability. In addition, online sampling and testing functions provide early warning of potential excursions. By reduced manual interference this will also lead to reduction of operator errors and according deviations. Manufacturing facilities will be significantly less capital-intensive (e.g. by simpler layout) than large, traditional batch facilities as disposable technology and aseptic connections offer superior protection against bioburden ingress and other forms of contamination. The presentation also intends to illustrate comparability of CM versus batch processing in a side-by-side approach covering process information, real time analysis as well as quality data from intermediates and final drug substance of an antibody product. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Noise Characterization and Emulation for Low-Voltage Power Line Channels between 150 kHz and 10 MHz

Characterization and emulation of power line noise have attracted interest since long, in both narrowband and broadband applications. Based on existing models, this paper presents a systematic approach to extract and parameterize each subtype of low-voltage (LV) power line noise between 150 kHz and 10 MHz. Based on the characterization, a FPGA-based emulator is proposed to emulate power line noise scenarios flexibly. A LV power line noise measuring platform is also presented with sample measurements and their emulation

Structure turnover times of grassland soils under different moisture regimes

Soil structure is a dynamic property of soils, which refers to temporal changes in the spatial arrangement of pores, organic matter, and minerals. Its turnover, i.e. the irreversible redistribution of soil constituents, determines essential soil functions including carbon storage. Structure turnover times and its response to biotic versus abiotic drivers have never been quantified directly under natural conditions. We used a novel combination of structure labelling with inert garnet particles and X-ray Computed Tomography to determine structure turnover times of two grassland topsoils with either access or exclusion of roots and fauna > 30 mu m. Both, abiotic and biotic factors developed soil structure at a site-specific rate towards a dynamic equilibrium, at which bulk properties remain constant because creation and destruction of structural properties are in balance. Its turnover, however, was mainly determined by macrofaunal activity which varied with environmental conditions. Under dry conditions less favorable for bioturbation, the extrapolated structure turnover time was 33 +/- 3 years, while being 16 +/- 1 years under moist conditions. Previous studies on organic matter turnover determined in the vicinity of the experimental site showed similar turnover times for particulate organic matter. The similar turnover times suggest that the accessibility of particulate organic matter to decomposers is closely linked to structure turnover, thus highlighting the intimate nexus between structure evolution and carbon persistence in soil

Zur Kenntnis der Azulene, III. Eine Einfache Synthese Substituierter Azulene

Aus Pyryliumsalzen (I) und Cyclopentadien-Metallverbindungen (II) lassen sich in einfacher Weise eine Reihe substituierter Azulene in guten Ausbeuten darstellen