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This study examines whether perceived speaker changes in instructional videos covary with the perceptioin of event boundaries. Perceived speaker changes and event boundaries are measured by keystroke while viewing a film material.

Digital contactless payments have replaced physical banknotes in many aspects of our daily lives. Similarly to banknotes, they are easy to use, unique, tamper-resistant and untraceable, but additionally have to withstand attackers and data breaches in the digital world. Current technology substitutes customers' sensitive data by randomized tokens, and secures the uniqueness of each digital purchase with a cryptographic function, called a cryptogram. However, computationally powerful attacks violate the security of these functions. Quantum technology, on the other hand, has the unique potential to guarantee payment protection even in the presence of infinite computational power. Here, we show how quantum light can secure daily digital payments in a practical manner by generating inherently unforgeable quantum-cryptograms. We implement the full scheme over an urban optical fiber link, and show its robustness to noise and loss-dependent attacks. Unlike previously proposed quantum-security protocols, our solution does not depend on challenging long-term quantum storage or a network of trusted agents and authenticated channels. The envisioned scenario is practical with near-term technology and has the potential to herald a new era of real-world, quantum-enabled security., Data and supplementary material will be made openly available upon publication

The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed many hospitals to their capacity limits. Therefore, a triage of patients has been discussed controversially primarily through an ethical perspective. The term triage contains many aspects such as urgency of treatment, severity of the disease and pre-existing conditions, access to critical care, or the classification of patients regarding subsequent clinical pathways starting from the emergency department. The determination of the pathways is important not only for patient care, but also for capacity planning in hospitals. We examine the performance of a human-made triage algorithm for clinical pathways which is considered a guideline for emergency departments in Germany based on a large multicenter dataset with over 4,000 European Covid-19 patients from the LEOSS registry. We find an accuracy of 28 percent and approximately 15 percent sensitivity for the ward class. The results serve as a benchmark for our extensions including an additional category of palliative care as a new label, analytics, AI, XAI, and interactive techniques. We find significant potential of analytics and AI in Covid-19 triage regarding accuracy, sensitivity, and other performance metrics whilst our interactive human-AI algorithm shows superior performance with approximately 73 percent accuracy and up to 76 percent sensitivity. The results are independent of the data preparation process regarding the imputation of missing values or grouping of comorbidities. In addition, we find that the consideration of an additional label palliative care does not improve the results.

The interference of non-classical states of light enables quantum-enhanced applications reaching from metrology to computation. Most commonly, the polarisation or spatial location of single photons are used as addressable degrees-of-freedom for turning these applications into praxis. However, the scale-up for the processing of a large number of photons of such architectures is very resource demanding due to the rapidily increasing number of components, such as optical elements, photon sources and detectors. Here we demonstrate a resource-efficient architecture for multi-photon processing based on time-bin encoding in a single spatial mode. We employ an efficient quantum dot single-photon source, and a fast programmable time-bin interferometer, to observe the interference of up to 8 photons in 16 modes, all recorded only with one detector--thus considerably reducing the physical overhead previously needed for achieving equivalent tasks. Our results can form the basis for a future universal photonics quantum processor operating in a single spatial mode., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

We present observations of modulation of higher frequency waves by lower frequency waves such as ULF waves in the Earth’s magnetosphere, including the radiation belts, plasma sheet boundary layer, and magnetotail, as well as in the solar wind. This cross-scale coupling links the vastly different ion and electron temporal and spatial scales, and can have dramatic effects on wave-particle interactions, the formation and depletion of Earth’s radiation belts, and the mechanisms that control the heat flux in the solar wind.We have recently developed a new automated technique to identify modulations in the RBSP data using the filterbank data products, and found the modulation is considerably more common than previously understood. Similar modulations were observed in MMS measurements in the radiation belts and elsewhere in the magnetosphere, as well as PSP measurements in the solar wind. We will run the algorithm for the entire RBSP and PSP datasets to catalog the modulated events. We are developing an MMS analog to the RBSP filterbank data to detect additional events. This database of modulated events and characteristics of the waves and plasma environment will allow us to determine the prevalence of this process and under which conditions it can occur.We will also perform event studies investigating the details of the distribution functions, composition, and wave properties, as well as ray tracing studies, to quantify the effects of the modulation on particle dynamics. Lastly, we will conduct comparative studies between events at Earth and those observed in the solar wind by PSP., The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023)

Aims Patients with cardiac disease are considered high risk for poor outcomes following hospitalization with COVID-19. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate heterogeneity in associations between various heart disease subtypes and in-hospital mortality. Methods and results We used data from the CAPACITY-COVID registry and LEOSS study. Multivariable Poisson regression models were fitted to assess the association between different types of pre-existing heart disease and in-hospital mortality. A total of 16 511 patients with COVID-19 were included (21.1% aged 66–75 years; 40.2% female) and 31.5% had a history of heart disease. Patients with heart disease were older, predominantly male, and often had other comorbid conditions when compared with those without. Mortality was higher in patients with cardiac disease (29.7%; n = 1545 vs. 15.9%; n = 1797). However, following multivariable adjustment, this difference was not significant [adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.15; P = 0.12 (corrected for multiple testing)]. Associations with in-hospital mortality by heart disease subtypes differed considerably, with the strongest association for heart failure (aRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10–1.30; P Conclusion Considerable heterogeneity exists in the strength of association between heart disease subtypes and in-hospital mortality. Of all patients with heart disease, those with heart failure are at greatest risk of death when hospitalized with COVID-19. Serious cardiac complications are rare during hospitalization.

Der Beitrag leistet einen Einblick in die praktische Arbeit einer verhaltenstherapeutischen Praxis. Die Verbindung zwischen Strategischer Jugendlichentherapie (SJT) und der Methode Feeling Seen ist primär, ein passendes Beziehungsangebot an Jugendliche und die Eltern zu gestalten, um eine Weiterentwicklung zu ermöglichen (dies ist die zentrale »therapeutische Metaaufgabe«). Die Entwicklungsphase, in der die Jugendlichen sich befinden, stellt für alle TherapeutInnen eine große Herausforderung dar. Wenn es uns als TherapeutIn gelingt, den Jugendlichen das Gefühl zu vermitteln, in Anwesenheit der Eltern, verstanden zu sein, dann sind die Jugendlichen eher bereit, Machtkämpfe aufzugeben, und Eltern sind bereit, empathischer zu (re-)agieren. Wir werden verschiedene Techniken und besondere Themen der Methode Feeling Seen erläutern und die praktische Arbeit am Anfang einer SJT mit Feeling Seen anhand von zwei Fallbeispielen verdeutlichen.

Für die Erfassung einer modernen Controlling-Funktion werden aktuelle Veränderungen von Geschäftsmodellen diskutiert. Daraus leiten sich neue Schwerpunkte in den Tätigkeiten und Kompetenzen von Controllern ab. Neben Business Analytics steht das Controlling von Geschäftsmodellinnovationen aufgrund des dynamischen Umfelds zunehmend im Vordergrund.

This study investigates the acceptance of social robots by higher education students in the social sciences. Pepper, a humanoid social robot from SoftBank Robotics, provided a sample of its capabilities during a first semester, large-scale, university course, ?Introduction to academic writing.?From this course, 462 freshmen participated in our survey. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) acts as the conceptual framework, and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) as the method for data analysis. The four perceived characteristics?trustworthiness, adaptiveness, social presence and appearance?all predict the intention to use the robot for learning purposes; anxiety regarding making mistakes in handling the robot and about privacy issues are not significant predictors. An importance-performance map analysis indicated adaptiveness as the robot?s most important characteristic for predicting student behavioural intention. Overall, however, the study shows that students do not have the intention to rely on social robots for learning purposes at the current level of state-of-the-art technology: behavioural intention reaches only 36.6% of the theoretical maximum.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infection of the respiratory tract that emerged in late 20191,2. Initial outbreaks in China involved 13.8% of cases with severe courses, and 6.1% of cases with critical courses3. This severe presentation may result from the virus using a virus receptor that is expressed predominantly in the lung2,4; the same receptor tropism is thought to have determined the pathogenicity—but also aided in the control—of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 20035. However, there are reports of cases of COVID-19 in which the patient shows mild upper respiratory tract symptoms, which suggests the potential for pre- or oligosymptomatic transmission6–8. There is an urgent need for information on virus replication, immunity and infectivity in specific sites of the body. Here we report a detailed virological analysis of nine cases of COVID-19 that provides proof of active virus replication in tissues of the upper respiratory tract. Pharyngeal virus shedding was very high during the first week of symptoms, with a peak at 7.11 × 108 RNA copies per throat swab on day 4. Infectious virus was readily isolated from samples derived from the throat or lung, but not from stool samples—in spite of high concentrations of virus RNA. Blood and urine samples never yielded virus. Active replication in the throat was confirmed by the presence of viral replicative RNA intermediates in the throat samples. We consistently detected sequence-distinct virus populations in throat and lung samples from one patient, proving independent replication. The shedding of viral RNA from sputum outlasted the end of symptoms. Seroconversion occurred after 7 days in 50% of patients (and by day 14 in all patients), but was not followed by a rapid decline in viral load. COVID-19 can present as a mild illness of the upper respiratory tract. The confirmation of active virus replication in the upper respiratory tract has implications for the containment of COVID-19. Detailed virological analysis of nine cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides proof of active replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in tissues of the upper respiratory tract.

Computational thinking (CT) is an important 21st-century skill. This paper aims at more useful CT assessment. Available evaluation instruments are reviewed; two generally accepted CT evaluation tools are selected for a comprehensive CT assessment: the CTt, a performance test, and the CTS, a self-assessment instrument. The sample comprises 202 high school students from German-speaking Switzerland. Concerning the CTt, Rasch-scalability is demonstrated. Utilizing the approach of the PISA studies, proficiency levels are formed that comprise tasks with specific characteristics that students are systematically able to master. This could help teachers to offer individual support to their students. In terms of the CTS, the original version is refined using confirmatory factor and measurement-invariance analysis. A latent profile analysis yielded four profiles, two of which are of particular interest. One profile comprises students with, on the one hand, moderate to high creative thinking ability, cooperativity, and critical thinking skills and, on the other hand, low algorithmic thinking ability. The second remarkable profile consists of students with particularly low cooperativity. Based on these strength and weakness profiles, teachers could offer support tailored to student needs.

Photons are a natural resource in quantum information, and the last decade showed significant progress in high-quality single photon generation and detection. Furthermore, photonic qubits are easy to manipulate and do not require particularly strongly sealed environments, making them an appealing platform for quantum computing. With the one-way model, the vision of a universal and large-scale quantum computer based on photonics becomes feasible. In one-way computing, the input state is not an initial product state, but a so-called cluster state. A series of measurements on the cluster state's individual qubits and their temporal order, together with a feed-forward procedure, determine the quantum circuit to be executed. We propose a pipeline to convert a QASM circuit into a graph representation named measurement-graph (m-graph), that can be directly translated to hardware instructions on an optical one-way quantum computer. In addition, we optimize the graph using ZX-Calculus before evaluating the execution on an experimental discrete variable photonic platform., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures

Die digitale Transformation hat weitreichende Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaft und die Gesellschaft. Davon sind auch der Bildungssektor und damit die Lehrpersonen betroffen. Der vorliegende Beitrag präsentiert ein Rahmenkonzept digitaler Kompetenzen von Lehrpersonen; es orientiert sich am Konzept der professionellen Kompetenz (Baumert & Kunter, 2006) und erweitert dieses. Damit wird insbesondere deutlich, dass es nicht nur um Kompetenzen im Umgang mit dem Digitalen geht, sondern auch um Kompetenzen für das Gestalten des Digitalen sowohl auf Unterrichts- als auch auf Schulebene. Auf Basis einer Stichprobe von 215 Lehrpersonen an neun kaufmännischen Schulen der Deutschschweiz werden Ergebnisse zur Ausprägung wichtiger Kompetenzfacetten präsentiert und Implikationen für die Lehrpersonenbildung diskutiert.

Compound casting is a process in which a single component is made from two metallic materials, such as aluminum and steel. Solid-liquid bimetallic compounds can be produced by suitable process control. This technology can reduce the number of joining processes, and the specific properties of the respective metal component can be used for specifically designed product properties, for example, where lightweight and high strength are needed. This paper presents an experimental methodology for producing a purely material-bonded bimetallic joint from cast aluminum and zinc-coated sheet steel in 3D sand casting using an inductive heating system. The process-related temperature characterisation in the compound zone is described using a heating test rig and temperature measurements. It shows that inductive preheating can only produce a material bond between the aluminum casting and the coated steel sheet. Shear tensile tests showed strengths between 15 MPa and 22 MPa. Laser surface pre-treatment using laser ablation cutting on the coated steel sheet was carried out to investigate the benefit of possible microform-locking. The results show a strength-reducing influence on the tensile shear tests. Micrographs showed the formation of Al4.5FeSi and Al7Fe2Si, as well as the formation of other undefined intermetallic phases. The thickness of the compound zone is 10 µm.

The genus Orbivirus includes a variety of pathogenic viruses that are transmitted by biting midges, mosquitoes and ticks. Some of the economically most relevant orbiviruses are endemic to Namibia, like the livestock-pathogenic Bluetongue and African horse sickness viruses. Here, we assessed the diversity of orbiviruses circulating in the Zambezi region of north-eastern Namibia. A total of 10 250 biting midges and 10 206 mosquitoes were collected and screened for orbivirus infections. We identified Palyam virus (PALV) in a pool of biting midges (Culicoides sp.) sampled in the Wuparo Conservancy and three strains of Corriparta virus (CORV) in Culex sp. mosquitoes sampled in Mudumu National Park and the Mashi Conservancy. This is, to our knowledge, the first detection of PALV and CORV in Namibia. Both viruses infect vertebrates but only PALV has been reported to cause disease. PALV can cause foetal malformations and abortions in ruminants. Furthermore, a novel orbivirus, related to Kammavanpettai virus from India and Umatilla virus from North America, was discovered in biting midges (Culicoides sp.) originating from Mudumu National Park and tentatively named Mudumu virus (MUMUV). Complete genomes of PALV, CORV and MUMUV were sequenced and genetically characterized. The Namibian CORV strain showed 24.3 % nucleotide divergence in its subcore shell gene to CORV strains from Australia, indicating that African CORV variants vary widely from their Australian relatives. CORV was isolated in cell culture and replicated to high titres in mosquito and duck cells. No growth was found in rodent and primate cells. The data presented here show that diverse orbiviruses are endemic to the Zambezi region. Further studies are needed to assess their effects on wildlife and livestock.

In Europe the Single European Sky air traffic management master plan foresees the introduction of several modern digital data links for aeronautical communications. The candidate for long-range continental communications is LDACS. LDACS is a cellular, ground-based digital communications system for flight guidance and communications related to safety and regularity of flight. Hence, the aeronautical standards for cybersecurity of the link layer and the network layer apply. In previous works, threat- and risk analyses of LDACS were conducted, a draft for an LDACS cybersecurity architecture was introduced, algorithms proposed, and the security of the Station-to-Station (STS)-based Mutual Authentication and Key Establishment (MAKE) procedure of LDACS formally verified. However, options for cipher-suites and certificate management for LDACS are still missing. This paper proposes a cell-attachment procedure, which establishes a secure LDACS communication channel between an aircraft and corresponding ground-station upon cell-entry of the aircraft, that addresses these shortcomings. It introduces a full cell-attachment protocol including ciphersuites and certificate revocation for LDACS.

Mit der zweiten Welle der Digitalisierung werden Personalentwickler neu herausgefordert. Smart Machines konnen bereits heute viele anspruchsvolle Verrichtungen ausfuhren und sie werden kontinuierlich besser. Die damit verbundenen Veranderungen werden zu oft unter dem Aspekt der Substitution von Arbeitskraften diskutiert und zu wenig unter dem Aspekt der Augmentation, d. h., im Hinblick auf das Zusammenwirken von Menschen und „intelligenten“ Maschinen „Hand in Hand“. Eine Diskussion zu den Folgen dieser Veranderungen findet haufig nicht statt, weil eine Verunsicherung der Belegschaft befurchtet wird. Das Konzept der Augmentationsstrategien bietet hier Orientierung und erleichtert die Diskussion – weil es aufzeigt, dass man diesen Veranderungen nicht hilflos ausgeliefert ist, sondern dass verschiedene Strategien fur die Weiterentwicklung moglich sind. Augmentation und Augmentationsstrategien sind ein geeigneter Orientierungsrahmen, um die Aufgaben fur Personalentwickler zu strukturieren. Auf Augmentation ausgerichtete Personalentwicklung erfordert einen Gesamtprozess, der verschiedene Arbeitsstrange integriert: die Analyse von Veranderung bei Prozessen, bei Aufgabenzuschnitten und bei Kompetenzerfordernissen; die Gestaltung von Entwicklungsangeboten; begleitendes Veranderungsmanagement und Entwicklungsbegleitung; und schliesslich die Erfolgsbestimmung und Wirkungsuberprufung. Bei all diesen Strangen ist eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit den jeweiligen Fachabteilungen erforderlich. Die Umsetzung dieses Gesamtprozesses erfordert geeignete Arbeitsinstrumente. Beispielsweise zur Standortbestimmung von Beschaftigtengruppen, zur Analyse sich verandernder Aufgaben-Anforderungssysteme, oder zur Augmentations-orientierten Entwicklungsplanung. Es braucht aber auch Personalentwickler, die sich (1) mit fortgeschrittener Digitalisierung auskennen und die (2) Programme fur die verschiedenen Augmentationsstrategien entwickeln und glaubwurdig umsetzen konnen – nicht zuletzt auch dadurch, dass sie diese Strategien in ihrem eigenen Arbeitsfeld selbst leben.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have received much attention in higher education; however, evidence about MOOCs at the K-12 level is scarce. To shed light on the phenomenon, we use the i-MOOC that aims at fostering upper secondary level students’ information literacy. The i-MOOC is a blended MOOC developed and refined in a design research process; it meets established criteria for high-quality MOOCs. In 2020, 1032 upper secondary level students in Germanspeaking Switzerland took the i-MOOC; the sample comprises N = 167 students who voluntarily filled in a questionnaire. The students are mainly from high schools and vocational schools. Learning effects are captured with a performance test. Information literacy gains are significant and medium in size: d = 0.75. The technology acceptance of students is evaluated using the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2). Student technology acceptance of K-12 MOOCs is primarily driven by hedonic motivation, i.e., perceived fun and entertainment. However, this type of motivation negatively predicts learning gains. Implications for teachers and educational decision makers are discussed.

Background and purpose During acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection, neurological signs, symptoms and complications occur. We aimed to assess their clinical relevance by evaluating real‐world data from a multinational registry. Methods We analyzed COVID‐19 patients from 127 centers, diagnosed between January 2020 and February 2021, and registered in the European multinational LEOSS (Lean European Open Survey on SARS‐Infected Patients) registry. The effects of prior neurological diseases and the effect of neurological symptoms on outcome were studied using multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 6537 COVID‐19 patients (97.7% PCR‐confirmed) were analyzed, of whom 92.1% were hospitalized and 14.7% died. Commonly, excessive tiredness (28.0%), headache (18.5%), nausea/emesis (16.6%), muscular weakness (17.0%), impaired sense of smell (9.0%) and taste (12.8%), and delirium (6.7%) were reported. In patients with a complicated or critical disease course (53%) the most frequent neurological complications were ischemic stroke (1.0%) and intracerebral bleeding (ICB; 2.2%). ICB peaked in the critical disease phase (5%) and was associated with the administration of anticoagulation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Excessive tiredness (odds ratio [OR] 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–1.68) and prior neurodegenerative diseases (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.07–1.63) were associated with an increased risk of an unfavorable outcome. Prior cerebrovascular and neuroimmunological diseases were not associated with an unfavorable short‐term outcome of COVID‐19. Conclusion Our data on mostly hospitalized COVID‐19 patients show that excessive tiredness or prior neurodegenerative disease at first presentation increase the risk of an unfavorable short‐term outcome. ICB in critical COVID‐19 was associated with therapeutic interventions, such as anticoagulation and ECMO, and thus may be an indirect complication of a life‐threatening systemic viral infection., We retrospectively analyzed data from 6537 predominantly hospitalized COVID‐19 patients registered in the European multinational Lean European Open Survey on SARS‐Infected Patients (LEOSS) registry between January 2020 and February 2021. Common neurological symptoms were excessive tiredness (28.0%), headache (18.5%), nausea/emesis (16.6%), muscular weakness (17.0%), impaired sense of smell (9.0%) and taste (12.8%), and delirium (6.7%). Most frequent neurological complications were ischemic stroke (1.0%) and intracerebral bleeding (2.2%) in patients with a complicated or critical disease course. Excessive tiredness (odds ratio [OR] 1.42) and prior neurodegenerative disease (OR 1.32) were associated with an increased risk of an unfavorable outcome.

AimsPatients with cardiac disease are considered high risk for poor outcomes following hospitalization with COVID-19. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate heterogeneity in associations between various heart disease subtypes and in-hospital mortality.Method and resultsWe used data from the CAPACITY-COVID registry and LEOSS study. Multivariable Poisson regression models were fitted to assess the association between different types of pre-existent heart disease and in-hospital mortality. 16,511 patients with COVID-19 were included (21.1% aged 66 – 75 years; 40.2% female) and 31.5% had a history of heart disease. Patients with heart disease were older, predominantly male and often had other comorbid conditions when compared to those without. Mortality was higher in patients with cardiac disease (29.7%; n=1545 versus 15.9%; n=1797). However, following multivariable adjustment this difference was not significant (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 1.08 [95% CI 1.02 – 1.15; p-value 0.12 (corrected for multiple testing)]). Associations with in-hospital mortality by heart disease subtypes differed considerably, with the strongest association for heart failure aRR (1.19 [1.10 – 1.30]; p-value ConclusionConsiderable heterogeneity exists in the strength of association between heart disease subtypes and in-hospital mortality. Of all patients with heart disease, those with heart failure are at greatest risk of death when hospitalized with COVID-19. Serious cardiac complications are rare.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as the infectious agent causing the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with dramatic consequences for global human health and economics. Previously, we reached clinical evaluation with our vector vaccine based on vaccinia virus MVA against the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which causes an infection in humans similar to SARS and COVID-19. Here, we describe the construction and preclinical characterization of a recombinant MVA expressing full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (MVA-SARS-2-S). Genetic stability and growth characteristics of MVA-SARS-2-S, plus its robust synthesis of S antigen, make it a suitable candidate vaccine for industrial scale production. Vaccinated mice produced S antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and serum antibodies binding to S glycoprotein that neutralized SARS-CoV-2. Prime-boost vaccination with MVA-SARS-2-S protected mice sensitized with a human ACE2-expressing adenovirus from SARS-CoV-2 infection. MVA-SARS-2-S is currently being investigated in a phase I clinical trial as aspirant for developing a safe and efficacious vaccine against COVID-19.Significance StatementThe highly attenuated vaccinia virus MVA is licensed as smallpox vaccine, and as vector it is a component of the approved Adenovirus-MVA-based prime-boost vaccine against Ebola virus disease. Here we provide results from testing the COVID-19 candidate vaccine MVA-SARS-2-S, a poxvirus-based vector vaccine that proceeded to clinical evaluation. When administered by intramuscular inoculation, MVA-SARS-2-S expresses and safely delivers the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, inducing balanced SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular and humoral immunity, and protective efficacy in vaccinated mice. Substantial clinical experience has already been gained with MVA vectors using homologous and heterologous prime-boost applications, including the immunization of children and immunocompromised individuals. Thus, MVA-SARS-2-S represents an important resource for developing further optimized COVID-19 vaccines.

Research on the learning organization has, so far, failed to appreciate the relevance of two intertwined loci of learning in organizations: (1) advanced digital systems (“smart machines”) and their ever-growing capacity for carrying out tasks and (2) collaboration of employees with these smart machines (hybrid activities and augmentation). In the context of digital transformation, hybrid activities (where humans complement smart machines and smart machines boost human capacities) become an important driver for organizational performance. We discuss fusion skills (as a prerequisite for successful hybrid activities) and augmentation strategies (developmental strategies by humans related to smart machines in the workplace) as key concepts for HRD professionals and their effort to contribute to the move toward a learning organization. Fusion skills refer to, for example, training smart machines for performance and acceptance; algorithmic testing, editing, and output interpretation; and managing the operations and performance of smart machines. Augmentation strategies can be differentiated into step in, step up, step aside, step forward, and step narrow. We provide results from empirical research among HRD professionals in German-speaking countries on their stance toward these augmentation strategies, and we conclude that HRD professionals need to (1) understand smart machines, fusion skills, and augmentation strategies as well as their implications at a personal level, (2) establish effective practices at the level of the HRD function that are oriented to fusion skills and augmentation strategies, and in this way (3) contribute to the move toward a learning organization.

The application of quantum algorithms on some problems in NP promises a significant reduction of time complexity. This work uses Grover’s Algorithm, designed to search an unstructured database with quadratic speedup, to find valid a solution for an instance of the on-call operator scheduling problem at the German Space Operation Center. We explore new approaches in encoding the problem and construct the Grover oracle automatically from the given constraints and independent of the problem size. Our solution is not designed for currently available quantum chips but aims to scale with their growth in the next years.

Purpose The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has stressed health systems worldwide. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) seem to be more prone to a severe course of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to comorbidities and an altered immune system. The study’s aim was to identify factors predicting mortality among SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with CKD. Methods We analyzed 2817 SARS-CoV-2-infected patients enrolled in the Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and identified 426 patients with pre-existing CKD. Group comparisons were performed via Chi-squared test. Using univariate and multivariable logistic regression, predictive factors for mortality were identified. Results Comparative analyses to patients without CKD revealed a higher mortality (140/426, 32.9% versus 354/2391, 14.8%). Higher age could be confirmed as a demographic predictor for mortality in CKD patients (> 85 years compared to 15–65 years, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.49, 95% CI 1.27–33.20, p = 0.025). We further identified markedly elevated lactate dehydrogenase (> 2 × upper limit of normal, aOR 23.21, 95% CI 3.66–147.11, p p = 0.002), anemia (Hb p = 0.024), and C-reactive protein (≥ 30 mg/l, aOR 3.44, 95% CI 1.13–10.45, p = 0.029) as predictors, while renal replacement therapy was not related to mortality (aOR 1.15, 95% CI 0.68–1.93, p = 0.611). Conclusion The identified predictors include routinely measured and universally available parameters. Their assessment might facilitate risk stratification in this highly vulnerable cohort as early as at initial medical evaluation for SARS-CoV-2.

Soziale Roboter konnten als Tutoren, Lehrassistenten oder Lernpartner in Zukunft ein integraler Bestandteil der Bildungsinfrastruktur sein. Viele Aufgaben im Bereich des Lehrens und Lernens konnen sie bereits heute ubernehmen und noch viele weitere werden sie in Zukunft ubernehmen konnen. Lernende sowie Arbeitnehmende werden heute immer mehr durch smarte Maschinen unterstutzt. Das Lernen mit sozialen Robotern kann die menschlichen Fahigkeiten erweitern, individualisiertes und kollaboratives Lernen ermoglichen sowie die Motivation und das Selbstvertrauen der Lernenden steigern. Neben der technischen Entwicklung sind dafur auch didaktische Ansatze und Konzepte zum Design der Lernszenarien grundlegend. Der Beitrag beleuchtet den Stand der Forschung und gibt einen konzeptionellen Uberblick zum Einsatz sozialer Roboter im Bildungsbereich.

In education, smart machines (e.g., chatbots or social robots) have the potential to support teachers in the classroom in order to improve the quality of teaching. From a teacher's point of view, smart machines also pose a challenge because the presence of smart machines in the classroom questions traditional teacher and student roles. This paper presents a theoretical basis for the use of smart machines in education. It describes the relative strengths of teachers and smart machines and presents them in a framework, which makes a proposal for an augmented task sharing. In light of human augmentation, the framework proposes ways in which teachers can position themselves with regard to smart machines in a complementary and mutually reinforcing way. It also has implications for knowledge that is necessary for teachers to play an active role in the digital transformation.

Smart machines (e.g., chatbots, social robots) are increasingly able to perform cognitive tasks and become more compatible with us. What are the implications of this new situation for the competency requirements in the 21st century? This paper evaluates the underlying paradigm shift with relation to smart machines in education. It discusses the potentials and current limitations of smart machines in education in order to eliminate prejudices and to contribute to a more comprehensive picture of the technological advances. In light of human augmentation, the paper further proposes a possible learning framework that includes the human-smart machine relationship as a normative orientation for new competency requirements.

Flaviviruses include a great diversity of mosquito-borne arboviruses with epidemic potential and high global disease burden. Several flaviviruses are circulating in southern Africa affecting humans and livestock, among them West Nile virus (WNV) and Wesselsbron virus. Despite their high relevance, no arbovirus surveillance study has been conducted for more than 35 years in Namibia. In this study we assessed the diversity of flaviviruses circulating in mosquitoes in the densely populated, semi-tropical Zambezi region of north-eastern Namibia. In total, 10,206 mosquitoes were sampled in Bwabwata and Mudumu national parks and Mashi and Wuparo conservancies and screened for flavivirus infections. A high infection rate with insect-specific flaviviruses was found with 241 strains of two previously known and seven putative novel insect-specific flaviviruses. In addition, we identified ten strains of WNV in the main vector Cx. univittatus sampled in the Mashi conservancy. Surprisingly, the strains fell into two different clades of lineage 2, 2b and 2d. Further, three strains of Bagaza Virus (BAGV) were found in Cx. univittatus mosquitoes originating from Mudumu national park. Assessment of BAGV growth in different cell lines showed high replication rates in mosquito and duck cells and about 100,000fold lower replication in human, primate and rodent cells. We demonstrate a wide genetic diversity of flaviviruses is circulating in mosquitoes in the Zambezi region. Importantly, WNV and BAGV can cause outbreaks including severe disease and mortality in humans and birds, respectively. Future studies should focus on WNV and BAGV geographic distribution, as well as on their potential health impacts in and the associated social and economic implications for southern Africa., Author summary Mosquitoes serve as vectors for the transmission of infectious diseases. Some of the most important mosquito-borne arboviruses belong to the genus Flavivirus, which can induce severe disease in humans and livestock. Surveillance of vector populations provide information on circulating arboviruses and may help to identify local outbreaks. Here we sampled mosquitoes over three wet seasons in the densely populated, semi-tropical Zambezi region of north-eastern Namibia and tested them for infections with flaviviruses. We observed simultaneous circulation of two different West Nile virus clades in the main vector species Cx. univittatus. Humans infected with West Nile virus can develop flu-like symptoms or in rare cases meningoencephalitis. Further, we detected Bagaza virus in Cx. univittatus from another locality and season. Bagaza virus infects birds leading to high mortality rates and may also infect humans. Our data suggest that both viruses are endemic in the Zambezi region and may affect human health and well-being in Namibia.