Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
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Online branding strategies of family SME wineries: a Hungarian-German comparative study
Get PDFPurpose: Both Hungary and Germany belong to the old-world wine-producing countries and have long winemaking traditions. This paper aims at exploring and comparing online branding strategies of family SME (small and medium sized enterprises) wineries at Lake Balaton (Hungary) and Lake Constance (Germany), as two wine regions with similar geographic characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper, based on a total sample of 37 family wineries, 15 at Lake Balaton and 22 at Lake Constance, investigates the differences in brand identity on the website, brand image in social media and online communication channels deployed in both wine regions. The study applies a qualitative methodology using MaxQDA software for conducting content analysis of texts in websites and social media. Descriptive statistics and t-test were conducted to compare the usage of different communication channels and determine statistical significance.
Findings: At Lake Balaton, the vineyard, the winery and the family, while at Lake Constance, the lake itself and the grape are highlighted regarding family winery brand identity. The customer-based brand image of Hungarian family wineries emphasizes wine, food and service, with the predominant use of Facebook. In the German family wineries, the focus of brand identity is on wine, friendliness and taste and includes more extensive usage of websites.
Originality/value: The paper deploys a novel methodology, both in terms of tools used as well as geographic focus to uncover online branding patterns of family wineries, thereby providing implications for wine and tourism industries at lake regions. It compares the share of selected most-used words in the overall text in websites and in social media, and presents the key findings from this innovative approach
Keine Beitragspflicht von Krankenhausträgern für Medizinstudierende im praktischen Jahr
No full textLSG Sachsen-Anhalt, Urteil vom 22.04.2021, L 6 U 145/1
A Combination of Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells With PD-1 Blockade and ALK Inhibitor Showed Substantial Intrinsic Variability Across Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines
No full textBackground: Cancer heterogeneity poses a serious challenge concerning the toxicity and adverse effects of therapeutic inhibitors, especially when it comes to combinatorial therapies that involve multiple targeted inhibitors. In particular, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a number of studies have reported synergistic effects of drug combinations in the preclinical models, while they were only partially successful in the clinical setup, suggesting those alternative clinical strategies (with genetic background and immune response) should be considered. Herein, we investigated the antitumor effect
of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells in combination with ALK and PD-1 inhibitors in vitro on genetically variable NSCLC cell lines.
Methods: We co-cultured the three genetically different NSCLC cell lines NCI-H2228 (EML4-ALK), A549 (KRAS mutation), and HCC-78 (ROS1 rearrangement) with and without nivolumab (PD-1 inhibitor) and crizotinib (ALK inhibitor). Additionally, we profiled the variability of surface expression multiple immune checkpoints, the concentration of absolute dead cells, intracellular granzyme B on CIK cells using flow cytometry as well as RT-qPCR. ELISA and Western blot were performed to verify the activation of CIK cells.
Results: Our analysis showed that (a) nivolumab significantly weakened PD-1 surface expression on CIK cells without impacting other immune checkpoints or PD-1 mRNA expression, (b) this combination strategy showed an effective response on cell viability, IFN-g production, and intracellular release of granzyme B in CD3+ CD56+ CIK cells, but solely in NCI-H2228, (c) the intrinsic expression of Fas ligand (FasL) as a T-cell activation marker in CIK cells was upregulated by this additive effect, and (d) nivolumab induced Foxp3 expression in CD4+CD25+ subpopulation of CIK cells significantly increased. Taken together, we could show that CIK cells in combination with crizotinib and nivolumab can enhance the anti-tumor immune response through FasL activation, leading to increased IFN-g and granzyme B, but only in NCI-H2228 cells with EML4-ALK rearrangement. Therefore, we hypothesize that CIK therapy may be a potential alternative in NSCLC patients harboring EML4-ALK rearrangement, in addition, we support the idea that combination therapies offer significant potential when they are optimized on a patient-by-patient basis
Volkswirtschaftlicher Nutzen von Rehabilitationsmaßnahmen: Berechnung des Return on Investment auf Basis differenzieller Effekte
No full textOperating an ozone-evolving PEM electrolyser in tap water: A case study of water and ion transport
No full textWhile PEM water electrolysis could be a favourable technique for in situ sanitization with ozone, its application is mainly limited to the use of ultrapure water to achieve a sufficient long-time stability. As additional charge carriers influence the occurring transport phenomena, we investigated the impact of different feed water qualities on the performance of a PEM tap water electrolyser for ozone evolution. The permeation of water and the four most abundant cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) is characterised during stand-by and powered operation at different charge densities to quantify underlying transport mechanisms. Water transport is shown to linearly increase with the applied current (95 ± 2 mmol A−1 h−1) and occurs decoupled from ion permeation. A limitation of ion permeation is given by the transfer of ions in water to the anode/PEM interface. The unstabilized operation of a PEM electrolyser in tap water leads to a pH gradient which promotes the formation of magnesium and calcium carbonates and hydroxides on the cathode surface. The introduction of a novel auxiliary cathode in the anolytic compartment has shown to suppress ion permeation by close to 20%
Kinderschutz in Unterkünften für geflüchtete Menschen
Get PDFIn Unterkünften für geflüchtete Menschen lebt ein hoher Anteil Kinder in einem Umfeld, das häufig für Erwachsene geschaffen wurde und/oder von diesen dominiert wird. Die Beschaffenheit, die Struktur und das Zusammenleben vor Ort bestimmen daher wesentlich die Lebenswelten von Kindern. Dabei haben Kinder besondere Rechte und Bedarfe. Der Schutz von Kindern und ein förderliches Umfeld für eine gute Entwicklung sind wesentliche Aspekte, die durch internationale Abkommen, wie die UN-Kinderrechtskonvention verbrieft sind und umgesetzt werden müssen. Zwar sind die Bundesländer im nationalen gesetzlichen Rahmen dazu verpflichtet, den Schutz von Kindern in Unterkünften für geflüchtete Menschen zu gewährleisten, die Umsetzung ist jedoch oft nicht verbindlich geregelt. Die vorliegende Analyse diskutiert kinderrechtliche Aspekte für den Schutz von Kindern in Unterkünften für geflüchtete Menschen, zudem wirft sie einen Blick auf Aktivitäten und Maßnahmen der Bundesinitiative Schutz von geflüchteten Menschen in Flüchtlingsunterkünften initiiert durch das Bundesministerium für Familien, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ) und dem Kinderhilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen (UNICEF) und gibt Einblick in die neueste Sekundärliteratur zum Kinderschutz in Sammelunterkünften. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, aufzuzeigen, welche Aspekte den Schutz von Kindern begünstigen und wo die Herausforderungen liegen
Design and Evaluation of a GPU Streaming Framework for Visualizing Time-Varying AMR Data
No full textWe describe a systematic approach for rendering time-varying simulation data produced by exa-scale simulations, using GPU workstations. The data sets we focus on use adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) to overcome memory bandwidth limitations by representing interesting regions in space with high detail. Particularly, our focus is on data sets where the AMR hierarchy is fixed and does not change over time. Our study is motivated by the NASA Exajet, a large computational fluid dynamics simulation of a civilian cargo aircraft that consists of 423 simulation time steps, each storing 2.5 GB of data per scalar field, amounting to a total of 4 TB. We present strategies for rendering this time series data set with smooth animation and at interactive rates using current generation GPUs. We start with an unoptimized baseline and step by step extend that to support fast streaming updates. Our approach demonstrates how to push current visualization workstations and modern visualization APIs to their limits to achieve interactive visualization of exa-scale time series data sets
Emotions are associated with the genesis of visually induced motion sickness in virtual reality
No full textVisually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is a well-known side effect of virtual reality (VR) immersion, with symptoms including nausea, disorientation, and oculomotor discomfort. Previous studies have shown that pleasant music, odor, and taste can mitigate VIMS symptomatology, but the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. We predicted that positive emotions influence the VIMS-reducing effects. To investigate this, we conducted an experimental study with 68 subjects divided into two groups. The groups were exposed to either positive or neutral emotions before and during the VIMS-provoking stimulus. Otherwise, they performed exactly the same task of estimating the time-to-contact while confronted with a VIMS-provoking moving starfield stimulation. Emotions were induced by means of pre-tested videos and with International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images embedded in the starfield simulation. We monitored emotion induction before, during, and after the simulation, using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) valence and arousal scales. VIMS was assessed before and after exposure using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and during simulation using the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS) and FMS-D for dizziness symptoms. VIMS symptomatology did not differ between groups, but valence and arousal were correlated with perceived VIMS symptoms. For instance, reported positive valence prior to VR exposure was found to be related to milder VIMS symptoms and, conversely, experienced symptoms during simulation were negatively related to subjects’ valence. This study sheds light on the complex and potentially bidirectional relationship of VIMS and emotions and provides starting points for further research on the use of positive emotions to prevent VIMS
Reshaping the Binding Pocket of the Neurotransmitter:Solute Symporter (NSS) Family Transporter SLC6A14 (ATB0,+) Selectively Reduces Access for Cationic Amino Acids and Derivatives
No full textSLC6A14 (ATB0,+) is unique among SLC proteins in its ability to transport 18 of the 20 proteinogenic (dipolar and cationic) amino acids and naturally occurring and synthetic analogues (including anti-viral prodrugs and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors). SLC6A14 mediates amino acid uptake in multiple cell types where increased expression is associated with pathophysiological conditions including some cancers. Here, we investigated how a key position within the core LeuT-fold structure of SLC6A14 influences substrate specificity. Homology modelling and sequence analysis identified the transmembrane domain 3 residue V128 as equivalent to a position known to influence substrate specificity in distantly related SLC36 and SLC38 amino acid transporters. SLC6A14, with and without V128 mutations, was heterologously expressed and function determined by radiotracer solute uptake and electrophysiological measurement of transporter-associated current. Substituting the amino acid residue occupying the SLC6A14 128 position modified the binding pocket environment and selectively disrupted transport of cationic (but not dipolar) amino acids and related NOS inhibitors. By understanding the molecular basis of amino acid transporter substrate specificity we can improve knowledge of how this multi-functional transporter can be targeted and how the LeuT-fold facilitates such diversity in function among the SLC6 family and other SLC amino acid transporters
