The antiferromagnetic phase of the Floquet-driven Hubbard model

A saddle point plus fluctuations analysis of the periodically driven half-filled two-dimensional Hubbard model is performed. For drive frequencies below the equilibrium gap, we find discontinuous transitions to time-dependent solutions. A highly excited, generically non-thermal distribution of magnons occurs even for drive frequencies far above the gap. Above a critical drive amplitude, the low-energy magnon distribution diverges as the frequency tends to zero and antiferromagnetism is destroyed, revealing the generic importance of collective mode excitations arising from a non-equilibrium drive

Using Foreign Virtual Patients With Medical Students in Germany: Are Cultural Differences Evident and Do They Impede Learning?

Learning with virtual patients (VPs) is considered useful in medical education for fostering clinical reasoning. As the authoring of VPs is highly demanding, an international exchange of cases might be desirable. However, cultural differences in foreign VPs might hamper learning success

Using Foreign Virtual Patients With Medical Students in Germany: Are Cultural Differences Evident and Do They Impede Learning?

Background: Learning with virtual patients (VPs) is considered useful in medical education for fostering clinical reasoning. As the authoring of VPs is highly demanding, an international exchange of cases might be desirable. However, cultural differences in foreign VPs might hamper learning success. Objective: We investigated the need for support for using VPs from the United States at a German university, with respect to language and cultural differences. Our goal was to better understand potential implementation barriers of a intercultural VP exchange. Methods: Two VPs were presented to 30 German medical students featuring a cultural background different from German standards with respect to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, ethical aspects, role models, and language (as identified by a cultural adaptation framework). Participants were assigned to two groups: 14 students were advised to complete the cases without further instructions (basic group), and 16 students received written explanatory supplemental information specifically with regard to cultural differences (supplement group). Using a 6-point scale (6=strongly agree), we analyzed the results of an integrated assessment of learning success as well as an evaluation of cases by the students on usefulness for learning and potential issues regarding the language and cultural background. Results: The German students found it motivating to work with cases written in English (6-point scale, 4.5 points). The clinical relevance of the VPs was clearly recognized (6 points), and the foreign language was considered a minor problem in this context (3 points). The results of the integrated learning assessment were similar in both groups (basic 53% [SD 4] vs supplement 52% [ SD 4] correct answers, P=.32). However, students using the supplemental material more readily realized culturally different diagnostic and therapeutic strategies (basic 4 vs supplement 5 points, P=.39) and were less affirmative when asked about the transferability of cases to a German context (basic 5 vs supplement 3 points, P=.048). Conclusions: German students found English VPs to be highly clinically relevant, and they rated language problems much lower than they rated motivation to work on cases in English. This should encourage the intercultural exchange of VPs. The provision of supplemental explanatory material facilitates the recognition of cultural differences and might help prevent unexpected learning effects

Reglering av utrymningshissar

All over the world there are more and more buildings being constructed and more people are moving into cities. For cities to cope with this urbanization, constructors and city planners look for different solutions than just building wider. One solution is constructing taller and taller buildings. Although tall buildings are a smart solution, they create some new problems with safety and security. How to evacuate large crowds from a tall building fast is one problem and it is not easily solved. One option available to facilitate the evacuation is an evacuation elevator.This work has been done to see if there is a demand and a need for new regulations for evacuation elevators in Sweden. To obtain this, the previous rules and standards for different elevators have been clarified. A survey has been made and efforts carried out to, as far as possible, to try to include people who actively work with elevators in different ways and that all the respondents who take the survey in some way deal with elevator security questions. The questionnaire was then coupled with the base from the previous rules used to obtain a result.The results show that there are arguments both ways. The author's view is that it weighs over to the evacuation elevator should obtain their own standard or equivalent to more easily be implemented and become a part of evacuation safety. Especially for people with disabilities the evacuation elevator can become an essential component, but also for the other residents. For residents of high-rise buildings, evacuation elevators have been shown to increase the evacuation speed by up to 25%. Today there is sufficient technology and understanding to dare and try to use evacuation elevators. They have to some extent already begun to and been approved in, for example Victoria Tower in Kista.The survey also showed that it there a lot of technicalities that needs to run smoothly for the evacuation elevator to work and there are some problems in this category. Therefore, the author suggests that there should be more full trials and tests so that the industry can become more confident about how people will act in an emergency, where evacuation elevators is an available option.To early grab regulations around evacuation elevator will eventually make it safer and easier to implement, so that designers do not have to prove its value each time it is used. Both in the literature in the survey, it seems that, emergency elevators will be something to look for in the future.Validerat; 20140130 (global_studentproject_submitter

Using Foreign Virtual Patients With Medical Students in Germany: Are Cultural Differences Evident and Do They Impede Learning?

Background: Learning with virtual patients (VPs) is considered useful in medical education for fostering clinical reasoning. As the authoring of VPs is highly demanding, an international exchange of cases might be desirable. However, cultural differences in foreign VPs might hamper learning success. Objective: We investigated the need for support for using VPs from the United States at a German university, with respect to language and cultural differences. Our goal was to better understand potential implementation barriers of a intercultural VP exchange. Methods: Two VPs were presented to 30 German medical students featuring a cultural background different from German standards with respect to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, ethical aspects, role models, and language (as identified by a cultural adaptation framework). Participants were assigned to two groups: 14 students were advised to complete the cases without further instructions (basic group), and 16 students received written explanatory supplemental information specifically with regard to cultural differences (supplement group). Using a 6-point scale (6=strongly agree), we analyzed the results of an integrated assessment of learning success as well as an evaluation of cases by the students on usefulness for learning and potential issues regarding the language and cultural background. Results: The German students found it motivating to work with cases written in English (6-point scale, 4.5 points). The clinical relevance of the VPs was clearly recognized (6 points), and the foreign language was considered a minor problem in this context (3 points). The results of the integrated learning assessment were similar in both groups (basic 53% [SD 4] vs supplement 52% [ SD 4] correct answers, P=.32). However, students using the supplemental material more readily realized culturally different diagnostic and therapeutic strategies (basic 4 vs supplement 5 points, P=.39) and were less affirmative when asked about the transferability of cases to a German context (basic 5 vs supplement 3 points, P=.048). Conclusions: German students found English VPs to be highly clinically relevant, and they rated language problems much lower than they rated motivation to work on cases in English. This should encourage the intercultural exchange of VPs. The provision of supplemental explanatory material facilitates the recognition of cultural differences and might help prevent unexpected learning effects

Risk factors for a delay in medical education: Results of an online survey among four German medical schools

<p><b>Background:</b> Delayed study progress in medical school is a challenging issue for the tax paying community, the faculty and the medical students themselves. Reasons for a delay might be different from known risk factors for academic difficulties.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> An online survey regarding delays in the study progress and including a personality test (BFI-10) was presented to medical students from four German medical schools after completion of their 3rd year of study.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Of 617 students, 51.2% reported a mean delay of 2.1 ± 1.5 semesters. Frequent risk factors were secondary employment (69.5%, odds ratio (OR) 1.7, <i>p</i> = 0.004), female gender (69.8%, OR 1.6, <i>p</i> = 0.007), work or study abroad (35.9%, OR 1.5, <i>p</i> = 0.02), a late graduation (5.9%, OR 2.4, <i>p</i> = 0.02), as well as support through scholarship or mentoring (19.9%, OR 1.8, <i>p</i> = 0.004). “Working on doctoral thesis” (11.3%, OR 1.9, <i>p</i> = 0.03) and structural curricular issues (36.6%, OR 0.9, <i>p</i> = 0.7) were frequently identified as obstacles. “Support by friends/family” was considered helpful by 24.1% (OR 1.4, <i>p</i> = 0.09), as well as a high intrinsic motivation (19.1%, OR 0.5, <i>p</i> = 0.01). In the BFI-10, students with study delay were more prone to openness and agreeableness.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Risk factors for delay are not identical to those for academic difficulties. To decrease the risk for delays, firm curricular structures should be identified and alleviated. Intrinsic motivation is a strong impetus of study progress and additionally might be strengthened by curricular changes.</p