The 100 most recently published documents
In this work, the surface reactions of the homemade explosive triacetone triperoxide on tungsten oxide (WO3) sensor surfaces are studied to obtain detailed information about the chemical reactions taking place. Semiconductor gas sensors based on WO3 nanopowders are therefore produced and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. To analyze the reaction mechanisms at the sensor surface, the sensor is monitored online under operation conditions using Raman spectroscopy, which allows to identify the temperature-dependent sensor reactions. By combining information from the Raman spectra with data on the changing resistivity of the underlying semiconductor, it is possible to establish a correlation between the adsorbed gas species and the physical properties of the WO3 layer. In the results, it is indicated that a Lewis acid–base reaction is the most likely mechanism for the increase in resistance observed at temperatures below 150 °C. In the results, at higher temperatures, the assumption of a radical mechanism that causes a decrease in resistance is supported.
DT-13 attenuates inflammation by inhibiting NLRP3-inflammasome related genes in RAW264.7 macrophages
(2024)
Plant derived saponins or other glycosides are widely used for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-viral properties in therapeutic medicine. In this study, we focus on understanding the function of the less known steroidal saponin from the roots of Liriope muscari L. H. Bailey – saponin C (also known as DT-13) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages in comparison to the well-known saponin ginsenoside Rk1 and anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone. We proved that DT-13 reduces LPS-induced inflammation by inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) production, interleukin-6 (IL-6) release, cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene expression, and nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) translocation into the nucleus. It also inhibits the inflammasome component NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) regulating the inflammasome activation. This was supported by the significant inhibition of caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression and release. This study demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effect of saponins on LPS-stimulated macrophages. For the first time, an in vitro study shows the attenuating effect of DT-13 on NLRP3-inflammasome activation. In comparison to the existing anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, and triterpenoid saponin Rk1, DT-13 more efficiently inhibits inflammation in the applied cell culture model. Therefore, DT-13 may serve as a lead compound for the development of new more effective anti-inflammatory drugs with minimised side effects.
INTRODUCTION: The cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) data on mid- to long-term myocardial damage due to COVID-19 infections in elite athletes are scarce. Therefore, this study investigated the mid -to long-term consequences of myocardial involvement after a COVID-19 infection in elite athletes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 27 athletes at the German Olympic Centre North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)/Rhineland with a confirmed previous COVID-19 infection between January 2020 and October 2021. The athletes were part of an ongoing observational COVID-19 study at the Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine Cologne at the German Sport University (DSHS).Nine healthy non-athletes with no prior COVID-19 illness served as controls. CMR was performed within a mean of 182 days (standard deviation [SD] 99) of the initial positive test result.
RESULTS: CMR did not reveal any signs of acute myocarditis (according to the current Lake Louise criteria) or myocardial damage in any of the 26 elite athletes with previous COVID-19 infection. Of these athletes, 92% experienced a symptomatic course, and 54% reported symptoms lasting for more than 4 weeks. One male athlete was excluded from the analysis because CMR revealed an arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Athletes had significantly enlarged left and right ventricle volumes and increased left ventricular myocardial mass in comparison to the healthy control group (LVEDVi 103.4 vs 91.1 ml/m2, p = 0.031; RVEDVi 104.1 vs 86.6 ml/m2, p = 0.007; LVMi 59.0 vs 46.2 g/m2, p = 0.002). Only two cases of elevated high-sensitivity-Troponin were documented; in one, the participant had previously engaged in high-intensity training, and in the other, CMR revealed a diagnosis of an arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the risk for mid- to long-term myocardial damage is very low to negligible in elite athletes. Our results do not allow conclusions to be drawn regarding myocardial injury in the acute phase of infection nor about possible long-term myocardial effects in the general population.
Verbraucherpolitik
(2023)
The European General Data Protection Regulation requires the implementation of Technical and Organizational Measures (TOMs) to reduce the risk of illegitimate processing of personal data. For these measures to be effective, they must be applied correctly by employees who process personal data under the authority of their organization. However, even data processing employees often have limited knowledge of data protection policies and regulations, which increases the likelihood of misconduct and privacy breaches. To lower the likelihood of unintentional privacy breaches, TOMs must be developed with employees’ needs, capabilities, and usability requirements in mind. To reduce implementation costs and help organizations and IT engineers with the implementation, privacy patterns have proven to be effective for this purpose. In this chapter, we introduce the privacy pattern Data Cart, which specifically helps to develop TOMs for data processing employees. Based on a user-centered design approach with employees from two public organizations in Germany, we present a concept that illustrates how Privacy by Design can be effectively implemented. Organizations, IT engineers, and researchers will gain insight on how to improve the usability of privacy-compliant tools for managing personal data.
Users should always play a central role in the development of (software) solutions. The human-centered design (HCD) process in the ISO 9241-210 standard proposes a procedure for systematically involving users. However, due to its abstraction level, the HCD process provides little guidance for how it should be implemented in practice. In this chapter, we propose three concrete practical methods that enable the reader to develop usable security and privacy (USP) solutions using the HCD process. This chapter equips the reader with the procedural knowledge and recommendations to: (1) derive mental models with regard to security and privacy, (2) analyze USP needs and privacy-related requirements, and (3) collect user characteristics on privacy and structure them by user group profiles and into privacy personas. Together, these approaches help to design measures for a user-friendly implementation of security and privacy measures based on a firm understanding of the key stakeholders.
Zweite Ordnung über die Änderung der Grundordnung der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg vom 18.06.2015
(2019)
Erste Ordnung über die Änderung der Grundordnung der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg vom 18.10.2018
(2018)
Fachbereichsordnung für den Fachbereich Informatik der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg vom 02.03.2017
(2017)
Richtlinie zur Gewährung eines Promotionsstipendiums der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg vom 27.09.2016
(2017)