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In computer-mediated communication, small graphical icons (emojis) can be used to compensate for the lack of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions or hand gestures. Accordingly, literature suggests that the use of emojis may also be subject to social norms—similar to nonverbal behavior in face-to-face interactions. However, actual empirical investigations into this assumption remain lacking. To remedy this research gap, I explored whether traditional norms of appropriate emotional intensity and reciprocity also apply to emoji usage. A first online experiment (N = 188) revealed that excessive emoji use in a first-contact scenario leads to diminished interpersonal outcomes, corresponding to the drawbacks of overly intense nonverbal displays in natural interactions. Proceeding to a different communicative stage, Experiment 2 (N = 242) explored nonverbal reciprocity with acquainted interaction partners. Inviting participants to reply to fictitious text messages (at varying levels of interpersonal intimacy), it was observed that stimulus messages containing more emojis also evoke stronger emoji use in return—indicating that principles of nonverbal attunement are in full effect during text-based online interactions.

Meal-concurrent media use has been linked to several problematic outcomes, including higher caloric intake and an increased risk for obesity. Nevertheless, the sociocultural and dispositional predictors of using media while eating are not yet well-understood, including potential cross-cultural differences. Inspired by the recent emergence of a new food-related media phenomenon called “mukbang”—digital eating broadcasts that have become immensely popular throughout East and Southeast Asia—we inquire 296 participants from two cultures (Germany and South Korea) about their meal-concurrent media use. Our results suggest that South Koreans tend to use media more frequently during meals than Germans, especially for social purposes. Meanwhile, younger age only predicts meal-concurrent media use in the German sample. Apart from that, however, many other examined predictors (e.g., gender, living situation, body-esteem, the Big Five) remain statistically insignificant, indicating notable universality for the behavior in question. In the second part of our study, we then put special focus on the emerging mukbang trend and conduct a theory-driven exploration of its gratifications. Doing so, we find that participants' parasocial and social experiences during eating broadcasts significantly predict their enjoyment of the genre.

Faced with the ongoing diversification and commercial success of highly immersive media technologies (e.g., VR headsets), both content producers and scientific scholars have become highly invested in understanding the psychological consequences of experiencing media in these new and lifelike ways. While many studies underscore positive effects of high media immersivity—such as increased enjoyment or persuasive success—others warn about the intense cognitive load that technologies such as VR might put on their users. In a laboratory experiment with N = 121 participants, we compare the cognitive load experienced while watching a 360° video on a laptop screen or via an immersive VR head-mounted display. Furthermore, we scrutinize two prominent explanations for the additional cognitive load in immersive media settings, i.e., the role of spatial presence and cybersickness. As expected, the VR condition results in higher cognitive load, spatial presence, and cybersickness than the 2D condition. However, by means of a parallel mediation model, we observe that only cybersickness emerges as a meaningful mediator of participants’ strained cognitive capacity; spatial presence, on the other hand, remains statistically irrelevant in this regard. We discuss our findings considering implications for media producers and future research.

Pain is a frequent problem faced by emergency medical services (EMS) in pre-hospital settings. This large observational study aims to assess the prevalence of sufficiently provided analgesia and to analyze the efficacy of different analgesics. Moreover, we evaluated if quality of analgesia changed with an emergency physician on scene or depended on paramedics' gender.This is a retrospective analysis of all pre-hospital medical charts from adults and adolescents treated by the municipal EMS SchutzRettung Zürich over a period of 4 years from 2013 to 2016. Inclusion criteria were age ≥16 years, initial GCS 13, NACA score ≥I and ≤V, an initial numeric rating scale (NRS) ≥ I and a documented NRS at hospital admission. 20,978 out of 142,484 missions fulfilled the inclusion criteria and therefore underwent further investigation. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses were applied.Initial NRS on scene was on average 5.2 ± 3.0. Mean NRS reduction after treatment was 2.2 ± 2.5 leading to a NRS at hospital admission of 3.0 ± 1.9. This resulted in sufficient analgesia for 77% of included patients. Among analgesics, the highest odds ratio for sufficient analgesia was observed for ketamine (OR 4.7, 95%CI 2.2-10.4, p 0.001) followed by fentanyl (OR 1.4, 95%CI 1.1-1.7, p = 0.004). Female paramedics provided better analgesia (OR 1.2, 95%CI 1.1-1.2; p 0.001). Patient's sex had no influence on analgesia. In patients with a NACA score 2, the presence of an emergency physician on scene improved the quality of analgesia significantly.Pre-hospital analgesia is mostly adequate, especially when done with ketamine or fentanyl. Female paramedics provided better analgesia and in selected patients, an emergency physician on scene improved quality of analgesia in critical patients.

The harassment of researchers working in the social sciences—not rarely an organized effort targeting members of marginalized groups—is most alarming. Its implications reach from severe personal consequences to the risk of scientific self-censorship. We invite readers to engage in a much-needed discourse about this worrisome phenomenon.

BACKGROUND: Approximately every third surgical patient is anemic. The most common form, iron deficiency anemia, results from persisting iron-deficient erythropoiesis (IDE). Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) is a promising parameter for diagnosing IDE, hitherto requiring blood drawing and laboratory workup. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Noninvasive ZnPP (ZnPP-NI) measurements are compared to ZnPP reference determination of the ZnPP/heme ratio by high-performance liquid chromatography (ZnPP-HPLC) and the analytical performance in detecting IDE is evaluated against traditional iron status parameters (ferritin, transferrin saturation [TSAT], soluble transferrin receptor-ferritin index [sTfR-F], soluble transferrin receptor [sTfR]), likewise measured in blood. The study was conducted at the University Hospitals of Frankfurt and Zurich. RESULTS: Limits of agreement between ZnPP-NI and ZnPP-HPLC measurements for 584 cardiac and noncardiac surgical patients equaled 19.7 μmol/mol heme (95% confidence interval, 18.0-21.3; acceptance criteria, 23.2 μmol/mol heme; absolute bias, 0 μmol/mol heme). Analytical performance for detecting IDE (inferred from area under the curve receiver operating characteristics) of parameters measured in blood was: ZnPP-HPLC (0.95), sTfR (0.92), sTfR-F (0.89), TSAT (0.87), and ferritin (0.67). Noninvasively measured ZnPP-NI yielded results of 0.90. CONCLUSION: ZnPP-NI appears well suited for an initial IDE screening, informing on the state of erythropoiesis at the point of care without blood drawing and laboratory analysis. Comparison with a multiparameter IDE test revealed that ZnPP-NI values of 40 μmol/mol heme or less allows exclusion of IDE, whereas for 65 μmol/mol heme or greater, IDE is very likely if other causes of increased values are excluded. In these cases (77% of our patients) ZnPP-NI may suffice for a diagnosis, while values in between require analyses of additional iron status parameters.

BACKGROUND This study investigates the impact of preoperative calculated rivaroxaban (RXA) plasma concentration on perioperative red blood cell (RBC) loss. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS In this retrospective single-center study, we identified patients with RXA intake according to a preoperative determination of RXA levels within 96 hours before surgery. RXA plasma concentration at the beginning of surgery was then calculated from the last RXA intake using a single-compartment pharmacokinetic model with four categories of RXA concentration (≤20, 21-50, 51-100, and >100 μg/L). Patients were classified into surgery with high (≥500 mL) or low (

As artificial intelligence advances towards unprecedented levels of competence, people's acceptance of autonomous technology has become a hot topic among psychology and HCI scholars. Previous studies suggest that threat perceptions—regarding observers' immediate physical safety (proximal) as well as their more abstract concepts of human uniqueness (distal)—impede the positive reception of self-controlled digital systems. Developing a Model of Autonomous Technology Threat, we propose both of these threat forms as common antecedents of users' general threat experience, which ultimately predicts reduced technology acceptance. In a laboratory study, 125 participants were invited to interact with a virtual reality agent, assuming it to be the embodiment of a fully autonomous personality assessment system. In a path analysis, we found correlational support for the proposed model, as both situational control and human uniqueness attitudes predicted threat experience, which in turn connected to stronger aversion against the presented system. Other potential state and trait influences are discussed.

Smartphone use while walking (i.e., being a smartphone zombie) has become a prevalent phenomenon in many cities worldwide. Previous research shows that many pedestrians choose to interact with their phones as they walk around in cities, despite being aware that their behavior might be dangerous. To investigate potential reasons for the prevalence of distracted walking, the current study explores the construct Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a potential antecedent of pedestrians' smartphone use while walking. Hierarchical OLS and logistic regression analyses show that FoMO predicts distracted walking, the tendency to engage in virtual social interactions while walking, and dangerous traffic incidents—irrespective of participants’ age and gender. Virtual communication might serve as a compensation for real-world company, thus sidelining the need to traverse safely.

Humanoid robots (i.e., robots with a human-like body) are projected to be mass marketed in the future in several fields of application. Today, however, user evaluations of humanoid robots are often based on mediated depictions rather than actual observations or interactions with a robot, which holds true not least for scientific user studies. People can be confronted with robots in various modes of presentation, among them (1) 2D videos, (2) 3D, i.e., stereoscopic videos, (3) immersive Virtual Reality (VR), or (4) live on site. A systematic investigation into how such differential modes of presentation influence user perceptions of a robot is still lacking. Thus, the current study systematically compares the effects of different presentation modes with varying immersive potential on user evaluations of a humanoid service robot. Participants (N = 120) observed an interaction between a humanoid service robot and an actor either on 2D or 3D video, via a virtual reality headset (VR) or live. We found support for the expected effect of the presentation mode on perceived immediacy. Effects regarding the degree of human likeness that was attributed to the robot were mixed. The presentation mode had no influence on evaluations in terms of eeriness, likability, and purchase intentions. Implications for empirical research on humanoid robots and practice are discussed.

Social networking sites such as Instagram provide users with numerous social comparison cues, potentially leading to envy and lower self-esteem. We conducted two experiments, examining whether such negative consequences could be mitigated by brief cognitive interventions. In Experiment 1 (N = 391), we reminded users of the unrealistic nature of most Instagram posts in a 2 (intervention: disclaimer vs. control) × 2 (Instagram profile: upward vs. downward comparison standard) between-subjects design. Positive and negative affect, envy, self-esteem, and well-being served as dependent variables. Experiment 2 (N = 184) explored whether slightly longer cognitive interventions (“cognitive bias” vs. “growth mindset” vs. control) could improve participants’ experience of upward comparisons, shielding them against envy or the loss of self-esteem. Both experiments included social comparison orientation (SCO) as a potential moderator. Results show that eliciting upward comparisons indeed evoked more envy, with SCO moderating the effect. We further observed indirect effects of the shown Instagram profiles on positive affect, envy, self-esteem, and well-being via participants’ social comparison experience. Concerning the cognitive interventions, however, we report that neither an authoritative disclaimer, nor educating users about cognitive biases or mindsets significantly reduced the negative consequences of social comparisons.

Postpartum hemorrhage is the major cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Retained placenta accounts for nearly 20% of severe cases. We investigated the influence of the time factor and retained placenta etiology on postpartum hemorrhage dynamics.Our retrospective study analyzed a single-center cohort of 296 women with retained placenta. Blood loss was measured using a validated and accurate technique based on calibrated blood collection bags, backed by the post- vs pre-partum decrease in hemoglobin. We evaluated the relationship between these two blood loss parameters and the duration of the third stage of labor using Spearman rank correlation, followed by subgroup analysis stratified by third stage duration and retained placenta etiology.Correlation analysis revealed no association between third stage duration and measured blood loss or decrease in hemoglobin. A shorter third stage ( 60 min) was associated with significantly increased uterine atony (p = 0.001) and need for blood transfusion (p = 0.006). Uterine atony was significantly associated with greater decrease in hemoglobin (p 0.001), higher measured blood loss (p 0.001), postpartum hemorrhage (p = 0.048), and need for blood transfusion (p 0.001).Postpartum blood loss does not correlate with third stage duration in women with retained placenta. Our results suggest that there is neither a safe time window preceding postpartum hemorrhage, nor justification for an early cut-off for manual removal of the placenta. The prompt detection of uterine atony and immediate prerequisites for manual removal of the placenta are key factors in the management of postpartum hemorrhage.

Background Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has been well investigated in patients undergoing coronary angiography, but not in trauma patients. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and to investigate independent risk factors for the development of CIN. Methods Between 2008 and 2014, all pre-hospital intubated major trauma patients with documented serum creatinine levels (SCr) undergoing a contrast-enhanced whole-body CT at admission were retrospectively analyzed. CIN was defined as a relative increase in SCr > 25% over the baseline value or an absolute SCr increase of > 44 µmol/l within 72 h. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify significant risk factors. A p value of p value of 0.01–0.049 suggested evidence. Results Of 284 analyzed patients, 41 (14%) met the criteria for CIN. There is suggestive evidence that age and lactate level influenced the development of CIN. Six patients (15%) had hemodialysis in the CIN-group and eight (3.3%) in the group without CIN. Complication and mortality rate was higher in patients with CIN (71% vs. 56% and 32% vs. 23%, respectively). CIN was not an independent risk factor for complications or mortality while controlling for age, gender, injury severity score, and lactate level. The length of stay was not affected by CIN. Conclusion CIN occurs frequently in trauma patients, but is not an independent risk factor for complications or mortality. Therefore, contrast enhanced whole-body CT can safely be performed in trauma patients.

In recent years, China and Germany have become invaluable partners in business, politics, and science. However, psychological research indicates that the countries’ large-scale affinity does not tr...

Fueled by tragic incidents worldwide, many studies have investigated dispositional factors that lead to virtual abuse and cyberbullying. In contrast to this, less extreme forms of uncivil online behavior have received only little attention. The current paper strives to overcome this research gap by focusing on uncivil commenting intentions in public Facebook discussions. We presented controversial online comments to a convenient student sample of 256 Facebook users asking them to consider their likely response on several scales ranging from a functional to an uncivil style of reasoning. Users' intended commenting was then linked to several personality traits (Big Five, Dark Triad, sensation seeking, and impulsivity) and their Facebook intensity. Analyses revealed openness, agreeableness, and experience seeking as negative predictors of participants' intention to comment uncivilly, whereas attentional impulsivity, boredom susceptibility as well as intense Facebook use emerged as positive predictors. No connections were found for the Dark Triad. Possible explanations for these effects are discussed.

Zusammenfassung. Das Patient Blood Management ist ein multidisziplinäres Behandlungskonzept, das vorrangig die Behandlung von Anämie und Eisenmangel, die Minimierung von Blutverlusten und die Erhöhung der Anämietoleranz beinhaltet. Die Anwendung des Patient Blood Management Konzeptes ist nicht nur für die perioperative Phase, sondern für alle Bereiche der Medizin indiziert, die sich mit der Behandlung mit Blut und Blutprodukten auseinandersetzen. Eine Vielzahl von Studien mit bis zu 605’000 Patienten haben die Sicherheit und Effektivität dieses Konzepts geprüft. Dabei konnten Fremdbluttransfusionen reduziert, finanzielle Ressourcen geschont und klinische, patientenbezogene Outcomeparameter, inklusive Morbidität und Mortalität, verbessert werden. Patient Blood Management ist daher zu einem Standard der Patientenversorgung geworden.

Bei den Installationsarbeiten der Grundungspfahle des Offshore-Windparks (OWP) Amrumbank West kam zur Rammschallminderung neben dem einfachen und doppelten Grosen Blasenschleier das neu entwickelte Schallminderungssystem Hydro Sound Damper (HSD) zum Einsatz. Zur Untersuchung der Schallwellenausbreitung und der Wirksamkeit verschiedener Schallminderungssysteme wurden durch das Institut fur Grundbau und Bodenmechanik der Technischen Universitat Braunschweig (IGB-TUBS) umfangreiche Offshore-Messkampagnen durchgefuhrt. Eine dichte Matrix aus Hydrophonen in verschiedenen Wassertiefen und einer Reihe von Geophonen auf dem Meeresboden in Entfernungen zwischen 25 m und 1.500 m vom Pfahl wurde wahrend der Rammarbeiten mit verschiedenen Kombinationen von Schallminderungssystemen eingesetzt. Zudem wurde der Pfahl selbst mit Dehnungs- und Beschleunigungssensoren instrumentiert. Aufbauend auf diesen Messungen wird die Wellenausbreitung im System Pfahl, Wasser und Boden untersucht, sowie die Wirkung der Schallminderungssysteme in verschiedenen Abstanden zum Pfahl und uber den bei Rammarbeiten masgeblichen Frequenzbereich bestimmt. Die Wirksamkeit der eingesetzten Schallminderungssysteme in verschiedenen Frequenzbereichen konnte bestimmt werden. Aus der gemeinsamen Betrachtung von Hydroschallmessungen mit Messungen am Pfahl bzw. am Boden konnte die Schallabstrahlung des Pfahls und des Bodens in das Wasser gezeigt werden.