Different but also alike? lngroup-outgroup phenomena among cyclists and e-scooter riders.

Against the background of an increasing number of cyclists sharing the infrastructure with an also rising number of e-scooter riders in Germany, the question of considerate coexistence among both modes of transportation, especially on shared infrastructure (on- or off-road) arises. In various contexts (e.g. work, education), studies have shown that social identity has an impact on how members of an ingroup ('us') and outgroup (''them') are perceived. These studies are based on social identity theory, which postulates members of the ingroup are more likely to be favored and members of the outgroup are more likely discriminated and stereotyped. This ingroup favorism or outgroup discrimination can refer to attitudes, cognition, and behavior. Initial research in the traffic context by, on which the present study builds, suggests that social identity also plays a role in traffic. Apart from that, research on social identity in traffic is scarce. The aim of the study is to determine whether the role as cyclist or e-scooter rider in traffic can serve as social identity, and subsequently whether ingroup-outgroup phenomena, such as ingroup favorism and effects of outgroup discrimination can be observed. [from Introduction

Perceived cycling safety during Corona times - Results of a longitudinal study in Germany

With the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and the restrictions put in place to prevent an uncontrolled spread of the virus, the circumstances for daily activities changed. A remarkable shift in the modal split distribution was observed. Cycling was seen as a reliable and resilient option in pandemic times as it allowed social distancing and poses a low risk of contagion. There are detailed studies on the effect of the pandemic on cycling traffic all over the globe which used different data sources, like app data. counters or surveys [1] [2]. Apart from the citizens' behavioral responses to the corona pandemic, the municipalities also put up interventions that were meant to support a shift to cycling-based movements in cities. The question to discuss is what changes will be permanent and which changed circumstances, e.g. increased subjective safety, lead to a long-term change of mobility patterns. The changes in mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic bad different impacts on road traffic collisions and road deaths in different countries. While there was a reduction of both indicators in 32 out of 36 countries in April 2020 compared to April 2019, there was an increase in the other four countries [3]. Others also found a reduction of traffic fatalities in 23 out of 24 countries in 2020 compared to a baseline of the previous years (2017-2019), the only exception being Switzerland [4]. The subjective well-being has also changed differently for the different transport modes throughout the pandemic. For example, in April 2020, 9% of respondents said they would feel more comfortable or much more comfortable if they used or would use a bicycle compared to pre-pandemic times; in summer and autumn 2020, this figure was 11 %, in spring 2021, it was 13%. In autumn 2021, 15% of respondents said they would feel more comfortable or much more comfortable if they used or would use a bicycle than before the spread of the coronavirus [ 5]. [From: Introduction

Contributions to the 10th International Cycling Safety Conference 2022 (ICSC2022)

This publication contains all contributions (extended abstracts) to the 10th International Cycling Safety Conference, which was held in Dresden, Germany, Nov. 08-10, 2022

lmportance of safety and road surface for route choice when riding shared e-scooters vs. bicycles

The rise of micromobility, most notably electric standing scooters (e-scooters), has resulted in new challenges for traffic planning and road safety. One such issue is the fact that in most European countries, e-scooter users are obliged to ride their vehicle on cycling infrastructure and thereby share this infrastructure with bicyclists. This increases the use of and, subsequently, demand for bicycle lanes, which is an obvious challenge for transport planning. However, for adequate planning and construction of cycling infrastructure, information on route choice behavior of bicyclists and e-scooter users and its influencing factors is necessary. While research on bicyclists' route choice is well advanced, research on e-scooter riders is still in its infancy. For bicyclists, the presence of bicycle facilities, traffic volume, and travel time are among others particularly important for route choice. However, the question arises whether this also applies to e-scooter riders as vehicle dynamics are different and riders are, at least for now, less skilled due to lack of training and exposition. In order to fill this research gap, we aimed to analyze the determinants for route choice of e-scooter users in comparison to bicyclists in a field study. [from Introduction

Plasma-derived reactive species shape a differentiation profile in human monocytes

Background: Monocyte-derived macrophages are key regulators and producers of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Pre-clinical and clinical studies suggest that cold physical plasma may be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory conditions via the release of ROS/RNS. However, it is unknown how plasma treatment affects monocytes and their differentiation profile. Methods: Naïve or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-pulsed THP-1 monocytes were exposed to cold physical plasma. The cells were analyzed regarding their metabolic activity as well as flow cytometry (analysis of viability, oxidation, surface marker expression and cytokine secretion) and high content imaging (quantitative analysis of morphology. Results: The plasma treatment affected THP-1 metabolisms, viability, and morphology. Furthermore, a significant modulation CD55, CD69, CD271 surface-expression and increase of inflammatory IL1β, IL6, IL8, and MCP1 secretion was observed upon plasma treatment. Distinct phenotypical changes in THP-1 cells arguing for a differentiation profile were validated in primary monocytes from donor blood. As a functional outcome, plasma-treated monocytes decreased the viability of co-cultured melanoma cells to a greater extent than their non-treated counterparts. Conclusions: Our results suggest plasma-derived ROS/RNS shaped a differentiation profile in human monocytes as evidenced by their increased inflammatory profile (surface marker and cytokines) as well as functional outcome (tumor toxicity). © 2019 by the authors

Impact of Segmented Magnetization on the Flagellar Propulsion of Sperm-Templated Microrobots

Technical design features for improving the way a passive elastic filament produces propulsive thrust can be understood by analyzing the deformation of sperm‐templated microrobots with segmented magnetization. Magnetic nanoparticles are electrostatically self‐assembled on bovine sperm cells with nonuniform surface charge, producing different categories of sperm‐templated microrobots. Depending on the amount and location of the nanoparticles on each cellular segment, magnetoelastic and viscous forces determine the wave pattern of each category during flagellar motion. Passively propagating waves are induced along the length of these microrobots using external rotating magnetic fields and the resultant wave patterns are measured. The response of the microrobots to the external field reveals distinct flow fields, propulsive thrust, and frequency responses during flagellar propulsion. This work allows predictions for optimizing the design and propulsion of flexible magnetic microrobots with segmented magnetization

Response to responsible research assessment I and II from the perspective of the DGPs working group on open science in clinical psychology

We comment on the papers by Schönbrodt et al. (2022) and Gärtner et al. (2022) on responsible research assessment from the perspective of clinical psychology and psychotherapy research. Schönbrodt et al. (2022) propose four principles to guide hiring and promotion in psychology: (1) In addition to publications in scientific journals, data sets and the development of research software should be considered. (2) Quantitative metrics can be useful, but they should be valid and applied responsibly. (3) Methodological rigor, research impact, and work quantity should be considered as three separate dimensions for evaluating research contributions. (4) The quality of work should be prioritized over the number of citations or the quantity of research output. From the perspective of clinical psychology, we endorse the initiative to update current practice by establishing a matrix for comprehensive, transparent and fair evaluation criteria. In the following, we will both comment on and complement these criteria from a clinical-psychological perspective