A Model to Describe Transport Properties in Bi2Sr2(CazPr1−z)Cu2O8+yBi_2Sr_2(Ca_zPr_{1-z})Cu_2O_{8+y}

A pseudo-spin model is proposed, as a means to describe some transport properties (resistivity and Hall mobility) in $Bi_2Sr_2(Ca_zPr_{1-z})Cu_2O_{8+y}$. Our model is based in a double-well potential where tunneling in a given site and interaction between different lattice sites are allowed only through the excited states. Doping of the pure system by the addition of $Pr$ increases the ratio between the activation energy and the tunneling constant. The model Hamiltonian displays some features which are present in the hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics. Its dynamics is treated in the random phase approximation and the characteristic frequency (time) is used in a Drude formula in order to obtain some transport properties of the system, namely the electric resistivity and the Hall mobility. The quantities calculated in this work are compared with the experimental data of B. Beschoten, S. Sadewasser, G. G\"{u}ntherodt and C. Quitmann [Phys. Rev. Lett.77, 1837(1996)].Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Designing an Automated Vehicle: Strategies for Handling Tasks of a Previously Required Accompanying Person

When using a conventional passenger car, several groups of people are reliant on the assistance of an accompanying person, for example when getting in and out of the car. For the independent use of an automatically driving vehicle by those groups, the absence of a previously required accompanying person needs to be compensated. During the design process of an autonomous family vehicle, we found that a low-barrier vehicle design can only partly contribute to the compensation for the absence of a required human companion. In this paper, we present four strategies we identified for handling the tasks of a previously required accompanying individual. The presented top-down approach supports developers in identifying unresolved problems, in finding, structuring, and selecting solutions as well as in uncovering upcoming problems at an early stage in the development of novel concepts for driverless vehicles. As an example, we consider the hypothetical exit of persons in need of assistance. The application of the four strategies in this example demonstrates the far-reaching impact of consistently considering users in need of support in the development of automated vehicles

Samsungs raumgestalterische Tätigkeit in Seoul. Eine Zustandsanalyse des Quartiers im Bereich der Unternehmenszentrale von Samsung

Die Samsung Group ist das größte koreanische Chaebol, welches auch das Bauunternehmen Samsung C&T Engineering Construction Group, zu dem u.a. Raemian gehört, mit einschließt (Andolfo 2018, S. 59). Da es starke Verflechtungen zwischen den Chaebols und der südkoreanischen Politik gibt, erscheint es naheliegend, dass Samsung nun nicht nur als Unternehmen auftritt, sondern auch als aktiver Akteur in der Raumgestaltung. Zu vermuten ist, dass das Unternehmen dabei eigene Interessen verfolgt. Für eine Untersuchung dieser Thematik steht der Bereich nahe der Unternehmenszentrale von Samsung, die sogenannte Samsung Town, in Seoul im Fokus. Welche Aussagen lassen sich über den Zustand dieses Quartiers im Hinblick auf die raumgestalterischen Tätigkeiten Samsungs treffen? Diese Fragestellung wird mit Hilfe einer systematischen Beobachtung beantwortet. Als theoretische Grundlage dient die Quartiersforschung, wobei die Nachbarschaftsforschung und das Konzept der Urban Governance als Zugang zum Quartier genutzt werden. Über die verwendete Theorie wird im Folgenden ein Überblick gegeben, ebenso über die verwendete Methode und das genaue Vorgehen. Im Anschluss werden die empirischen Forschungsergebnisse dargelegt und eine Diskussion eingeleitet

Elastin is heterogeneously cross-linked

Elastin is an essential vertebrate protein responsible for the elasticity of force-bearing tissues such as those of the lungs, blood vessels, and skin. One of the key features required for the exceptional properties of this durable biopolymer is the extensive covalent cross-linking between domains of its monomer molecule tropoelastin. To date, elastin's exact molecular assembly and mechanical properties are poorly understood. Here, using bovine elastin, we investigated the different types of cross-links in mature elastin to gain insight into its structure. We purified and proteolytically cleaved elastin from a single tissue sample into soluble cross-linked and noncross-linked peptides that we studied by high-resolution MS. This analysis enabled the elucidation of cross-links and other elastin modifications. We found that the lysine residues within the tropoelastin sequence were simultaneously unmodified and involved in various types of cross-links with different other domains. The Lys-Pro domains were almost exclusively linked via lysinonorleucine, whereas Lys-Ala domains were found to be cross-linked via lysinonorleucine, allysine aldol, and desmosine. Unexpectedly, we identified a high number of intramolecular cross-links between lysine residues in close proximity. In summary, we show on the molecular level that elastin formation involves random cross-linking of tropoelastin monomers resulting in an unordered network, an unexpected finding compared with previous assumptions of an overall beaded structure

The C4EB study—Transvamix (10% THC / 5% CBD) to treat chronic pain in epidermolysis bullosa:A protocol for an explorative randomized, placebo controlled, and double blind intervention crossover study

Patients with the genetic blistering skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB) report severe pain as a consequence of skin and mucous membrane lesions including blisters, wounds, and scars. Adequate symptom alleviation is not often achieved using conventional pharmacologic interventions. Finding novel approaches to pain care in EB is imperative to improve the quality of life of patients living with EB. There are several anecdotal reports on the use of cannabinoid-based medicines (CBMs) by EB patients to reduce the burden of symptoms. However, controlled clinical investigations assessing these reported effects are lacking. As the pain quality “unpleasantness” delineates EB pain, we hypothesize the modulation of affective pain processing in the brain by way of intervention with CBMs comprising the cannabinoids Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol—objectified by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The C4EB study is an investigator-initiated, single-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover trial. Adult patients with the diagnosis epidermolysis bullosa, reporting chronic pain will be eligible to participate. Following baseline measurements, participants will be randomized to receive the sublingually administered interventions placebo and Transvamix(®) in forward or reversed orders, each for two weeks and separated by a washout. The primary outcome is the difference in numeric rating scale pain scores between grouped interventions, using affective descriptors within the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2. Secondary outcomes include pain self-efficacy, concomitant analgesic medication-use and adverse events. Additionally, fMRI will be employed to assess brain connectivity related to neuroanatomic pain circuits at baseline, placebo and Transvamix(®) interventions. The study was approved by the ethical committee at the University Medical Center of Groningen in the Netherlands. Results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration number: Netherlands Trial Register: NL9347 (Acronym: C4EB)

Identifying Epidermolysis Bullosa Patient Needs and Perceived Treatment Benefits:An Explorative Study Using the Patient Benefit Index

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a genetic blistering skin condition for which no cure exists. Symptom alleviation and quality of life are therefore central to EB care. This study aimed to gain insight into EB patient needs and benefits from current clinical care. Two questionnaires were administered cross-sectionally to adult EB patients at the Dutch expertise centre for blistering diseases. Patient needs and benefits were analyzed using the patient benefit index survey (PBI-S). Ancillary data were compiled pertaining to self-reported EB severity, pain and pruritus, as well as current and previous treatments. In total, 104 participants were included (response rate 69.8%). Sixty-eight participants comprised the analyzed cohort (n = 36 omitted from analysis). The needs given the highest importance were to get better skin quickly (64.7%) and to be healed of all skin alterations (61.8%). A positive correlation between pain and EB severity and the importance of most needs was observed. Minimal clinically important differences within the PBI-S, relating to reported benefits from clinical care, were reported by 60.3% of the cohort. This study highlights a discrepancy between patient needs and feasible treatment outcomes. Utilizing the PBI-S in conjunction with well-established multidisciplinary care may catalyze the process of tailoring treatments to the needs of individual patients

Criteria for bioreactor comparison and operation standardisation during process development for mammalian cell culture

Platas Barradas O, Jandt U, Da Minh Phan L, et al. Criteria for bioreactor comparison and operation standardisation during process development for mammalian cell culture. BMC Proceedings. 2011;5(8)

Impactos na vida acadêmica pela pandemia da COVID-19 em estudantes de enfermagem de uma universidade particular do Rio de Janeiro

The research aims to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic life of nursing students at a private university in Rio de Janeiro. The methodological approach was qualitative, with the participation of 23 nursing students from the 6th to the 10th period. Data collection was carried out at the educational institution through an open questionnaire, from September to November 2022, with ethics opinion No. 5,558,461, which generated the thematic unit: Impacts on academic life due to the COVID pandemic -19 in nursing students at a private university in Rio de Janeiro and was divided into categories. Category 1: Characteristics of the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to academic life; category 2: Academic performance during the pandemic; Category 3: Seeking psychological help during the semesters during the COVID-19 pandemic; Category 4: The academic today after going through the pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021; and Category 5: The positive and negative points generated by the COVID-19 pandemic in academic life. It is concluded that the pandemic affected nursing students at different levels, but in the face of all the adversities, students found ways to face them and move towards academic training.A pesquisa tem como objetivo de analisar os impactos da pandemia da COVID-19 na vida acadêmica dos estudantes de enfermagem de uma universidade particular do Rio de Janeiro. A abordagem metodológica foi qualitativa onde participaram 23 acadêmicos de Enfermagem do 6º ao 10º período. A coleta de dados foi realizada na instituição de ensino através de um questionário aberto, no período de setembro a novembro de 2022, com o parecer de ética n° 5.558.461, que gerou a unidade temática: Impactos na vida acadêmica pela pandemia da COVID-19 em estudantes de enfermagem de uma universidade particular do Rio de Janeiro e foi dividida em categorias. Categoria 1: Características das dificuldades que a pandemia da COVID-19 trouxe para a vida acadêmica; categoria 2: O desempenho acadêmico durante a pandemia; Categoria 3: A procura de ajuda psicológica durante os semestres no período da pandemia da COVID-19; Categoria 4: O acadêmico hoje após ter passado pela pandemia nos anos de 2020 e 2021; e Categoria 5: Os pontos positivos e negativos gerados pela pandemia da COVID-19 na vida acadêmica. Conclui-se que, a pandemia afetou em diversos níveis os estudantes de enfermagem, mas diante de todas as adversidades os alunos encontraram maneiras de enfrentá-las e de seguir rumo à formação acadêmica

Wellbeing at Work — Emotional Impact on Workers Using a Worker Guidance System Designed for Positive User Experience

Wellbeing at work can be achieved through different strategies; designing for a positive user experience (UX) is one way. However, the relationship between wellbeing and professionally used technology is rather unexplored, especially in work areas that are far from desktop work such as worker guidance systems (WGSs) used in assembly processes. In this paper, we first described a qualitative evaluation (using the valence method) of a prototype WGS designed for a positive UX. The evaluation showed that it elicited far more positive than negative feelings. Based on the results, we improved and redesigned the prototype. We then implemented it in a realistic setting and quantitatively compared it with an established WGS. It was shown that the prototype elicited more positive feelings than the established system, whereas there were no differences in the number of negative markers. Thus, one can assume that the improvement of UX in the redesigned system was due to the positive UX design concepts. However, there were no significant differences in the mood questionnaires. The paper showed that positive experiences at work can be achieved when the design of professional technology is focused on a positive UX. Long-term studies should further investigate whether these experiences lead to a generally elevated mood