Hochschule Ulm

This study assesses the practical implications of ChatGPT's ability to identify hotspots by comparing its performance to Geographical Information System (GIS) software in detecting CO2 sources and sinks observed by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) satellite. ChatGPT exhibited performance comparable to ArcGIS in both z-score statistics and spatial distribution patterns of XCO2 hot and cold spots. The results generated by ChatGPT showed a strong correlation with ArcGIS-generated hotspots, demonstrating a z-score correlation coefficient of R²=0.82 and a cosine similarity score of 0.90. As multimodal artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in earth monitoring, ChatGPT is expected to be a valuable tool for identifying CO2 emission patterns, particularly for users who lack specialized GIS expertise. These findings establish a significant benchmark for ChatGPT's potential in this field, offering a novel approach to identifying area-wide spatial patterns of CO2 emissions compared to conventional GIS software.

Abstract This study examines the effectiveness of a microintervention targeting the alignment between employees' preferred and enacted boundaries separating work and nonwork roles (i.e., boundary fit). Drawing on boundary fit theory and the action regulation at the work–family interface model, we developed a self‐guided boundary fit microintervention incorporating education, goal‐setting, and self‐reflection components. Based on a randomized controlled trial, we compared an experimental group with two control groups. We assessed changes in perceived boundary fit, work–nonwork balance satisfaction, and subjective well‐being across three waves—pre‐intervention (T1), post‐intervention (T2), and follow‐up (T3)—with two‐week intervals between assessments (NT1–T2 = 90; NT1–T2–T3 = 75). Participants in the experimental group exhibited greater increases in these outcomes than both control groups. Mediation analyses revealed that increases in perceived boundary fit mediated the intervention's effects on work–nonwork balance satisfaction and subjective well‐being. Although the findings' generalizability may be constrained by the sample—comprising predominantly women and participants without caregiving responsibilities—the study contributes to the boundary management literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of a time‐efficient intervention and illuminating its underlying mechanisms.

Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs) offer many applications in the fields of digital, analog and neuromorphic circuits [1]. OECTs have similar structures to an organic field effect transistor except the channel organic semiconductor is replaced with an Organic Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductor (OMIEC) and the dielectric between the channel and the gate is replaced with an electrolyte. A potential at the gate makes OECTs capable to simultaneously regulate electronic and ionic charge carriers due to the ionic injection from the electrolyte into the OMIEC channel and the proceeding dedoping-doping process [2]. The TCAD simulation of OECTs is important as it enables an understanding of the physics behind the device and allows for the precise modeling and optimization of their performance for advanced electronic applications [3], [4]. For OECTs to be widely used in the circuits of their various applications, a reliable compact model needs to be applied. Most of the current models [5] only consider electrostatic processes and do not capture the faradaic current that arises due to the electrochemical redox reaction. Furthermore, this approach does not allow for an accurate quantitative analysis of the important figures of merit of OECT operation, nor for qualitative description of the OECTs IV curves, such as the peculiar S-shaped transfer curve [6]. Others, such as the work by Cucchi et al. [6] apply purely thermodynamic analysis and neglect the semiconductor nature of the OMIEC (the non-faradaic current). A recent work by Darbandy et al. [7] uses a mixture of these two approaches.In this work, we extend on Darbandy’s work to develop a more accurate model that covers all regions of operation. The above threshold regime is modeled based on the electrochemical reaction that takes place in the channel region between the ionic charge carriers of the electrolyte and the organic channel material. Since this method alone does not account for the ON/OFF ratio and the subthreshold slope, an equation previously developed as a charge-based model of an n-type OTFT [8], [9] was used for the subthreshold regime. We obtained an expression for the subthreshold current by integrating the charge density assuming a diffusive transport. The above and subthreshold equations were then interpolated using a hyperbolic tangent function. We used direct methods to extract the threshold voltage, the subthreshold slope and the hole mobility from the experimental measurements. For the hole mobility, the Poole-Frenkel mobility model was used based on the data extracted. Electrochemical electrode coupling, an ionic capacitive coupling between the electrodes that leads to threshold voltage roll-off in the transfer curve and the loss of current saturation in the output curve with increasing drain-source voltage has also been integrated into the model.The developed physics-based DC compact model, valid for all regions of operation from subthreshold to above threshold, was verified with good agreements on experimental measurements of OECTs fabricated at TU Dresden. The fabricated OECT had a channel length of 100µm, a channel width of 100µm and a gate distance (the distance from the gate to the channel) of 30µm. The benchmark OMIEC poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) was utilized for the channel material and a solid-state electrolyte based on the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4]) was used.

This paper presents a 16-channel sensor ASIC for a biomedical implant for the monitoring of pancreatic beta-cell activity and the detection of the fraction of plateau phase (FOPP). The aim is to better understand type 2 diabetes mellitus with the goal of developing new therapies. To achieve this, the ASIC presents a unique solution by combining low-power and long-term monitoring with high-precision measurement of the electrical activity of the beta-cells. In the direct readout mode, the entire signal is captured using the on-chip 10-bit analog-to-digital converter. In the FOPP mode, a simple yet effective detection scheme using signal comparators is presented. The chip was designed and fabricated in the XFAB XH035 CMOS technology. Experimental results validate the concept and show good operation for all 16 channels over a range of frequencies between 1 Hz to 1 kHz.

The coordination behavior of 2‐(2‐pyridin‐2‐ylmethylamino)acetic acid (HL1) and 4‐(2‐pyridin‐2‐ylmethylamino)benzoic acid (HL2) toward PtII and PtIV is investigated. While the corresponding carboxylato complexes are obtained with HL1 (N,N,O coordination of L1−, elimination of HCl; 1a and 1b), only N,N coordination of HL2 which still features the carboxylic acid group is observed (2a and 2b). Thus, complexes 2a and 2b would be suitable for subsequent conjugation to biomolecules using the free COOH group. On heating in air, the ligand in 2a is oxidized (formal elimination of dihydrogen) to give the imine complex 3a, which could also be obtained directly from the corresponding ligand HL3 ((Z)‐4‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethyleneamino)benzoic acid). The obtained complexes are characterized by 1H, 13C{1H} NMR and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and, in the case of complexes 1a, 1b, and 3a, also by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. In addition, quantum chemical calculations are carried out to gain deeper insights into the molecular structures and properties of both the complexes and their precursor ligands. A comparative study showed that the theoretical calculations are in good agreement with the experimental findings. This combined experimental and theoretical approach facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the coordination behavior and structural features of the investigated complexes.

Based on the importance of agents for professional footballers and the simultaneous risk of them acting against the footballer’s interests (opportunistic behaviour), the overarching focus of this article is on how footballers perceive, prevent and handle opportunistic behaviour of their agents. The empirical analysis is based on data from an interview study (n = 10) with selected German football players of the 3 Liga. All interviews were evaluated using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. The results show that (1) problems are heterogeneous, and (2) players did not take any specific measures for an intended selection of their agent. (3) During co-operation, hardly any measures were taken to control the agent. (4) The predominant reaction to the recognition of opportunistic behaviour by agent was to terminate the cooperation. Support for information and awareness-raising campaigns by associations and players’ unions as well as licensing regulations to improve the quality of the consultancy market are advisable.

Complex spontaneous brain dynamics mirror the large number of interactions taking place among regions, supporting higher functions. Such complexity is manifested in the interregional dependencies among signals derived from different brain areas, as observed utilising neuroimaging techniques, like magnetoencephalography. The dynamics of this data produce numerous subsets of active regions at any moment as they evolve. Notably, converging evidence shows that these states can be understood in terms of transient coordinated events that spread across the brain over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Those can be used as a proxy of the 'effectiveness' of the dynamics, as they become stereotyped or disorganised in neurological diseases. However, given the high-dimensional nature of the data, representing them has been challenging thus far. Dimensionality reduction techniques are typically deployed to describe complex interdependencies and improve their interpretability. However, many dimensionality reduction techniques lose information about the sequence of configurations that took place. Here, we leverage a newly described algorithm, potential of heat-diffusion for affinity-based transition embedding (PHATE), specifically designed to preserve the dynamics of the system in the low-dimensional embedding space. We analysed source-reconstructed resting-state magnetoencephalography from 18 healthy subjects to represent the dynamics of the configuration in low-dimensional space. After reduction with PHATE, unsupervised clustering via K-means is applied to identify distinct clusters. The topography of the states is described, and the dynamics are represented as a transition matrix. All the results have been checked against null models, providing a parsimonious account of the large-scale, fast, aperiodic dynamics during resting-state. The study applies the PHATE algorithm to source-reconstructed magnetoencephalography (MEG) data, reducing dimensionality while preserving large-scale neural dynamics. Results reveal distinct configurations, or 'states', of brain activity, identified via unsupervised clustering. Their transitions are characterised by a transition matrix. This method offers a simplified yet rich view of complex brain interactions, opening new perspectives on large-scale brain dynamics in health and disease.

ABSTRACT Youth mental health, especially engagement and burnout, has become a growing concern, raising questions about the phenomena’s long-term stability and impact. Taking a resource-based perspective, we investigate stable and time-variant components of engagement and burnout in a sample of N = 768 Finnish late adolescents and young adults during the transition from education to work at four timepoints over a ten-year timeframe between ages 18 and 28. Random intercept cross-lagged analyses were performed to examine whether (1) engagement and burnout show stable, trait-like components over time, (2) whether time-specific deviations from individuals’ typical levels in engagement and burnout follow gain or loss cycles, and (3) whether cross-lagged effects between time-specific deviations of engagement and burnout can be identified. Results show stable components of both engagement and burnout, pointing to a dispositional context-independent part of the phenomena. Analyses of lagged carry-over effects show a loss cycle of burnout across timepoints but no gain spiral of engagement. Analyses of cross-lagged effects show that within-person increases in burnout are followed by within-person decreases in engagement but not vice versa, suggesting an erosion of engagement due to increased burnout but no improvement of burnout due to increased engagement.

BackgroundA negative body image can have an impact on developing and maintaining obesity. Using virtual reality (VR) to conduct cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an innovative approach to treat people with obesity. This multicenter non-randomized pilot study examined the feasibility and the effect on eating behavior and body perception of a newly developed VR system to conduct body image exercises.MethodsParticipants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m2 without severe mental diseases attended three study visits in an interval of one to four weeks to receive virtual (VR intervention) or traditional (non-VR intervention) body image exercises. Data on anthropometrics, eating behavior (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, DEBQ), body perception (Body Shape Questionnaire, BSQ; Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, MAIA), and satisfaction (standardized interview and questionnaire) were collected.ResultsIn total, 66 participants (VR intervention: 31, non-VR intervention: 35) were included. The majority was female (52/66, 78.8 %), the mean age was 45.0 ± 12.8 years, and the mean BMI was 36.8 ± 4.3 kg/m2. Both intervention groups showed non-significant body weight reduction (VR intervention: 1.7 ± 3.3 %, non-VR intervention: 0.9 ± 3.0 %) and showed no statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.35). Scores of DEBQ, BSQ, and MAIA showed over time no statistically significant changes neither between the two groups nor within the groups (all p ≥ 0.05). The overall satisfaction of the VR group with the two virtual body image exercises was high (4.1 ± 0.8 on a 5-point Likert scale).ConclusionsThe intervention with the developed VR system was feasible and the virtual and traditional body image exercises resulted in statistically non-significant weight loss. It seems that single focus on body image is not successful in improving eating behavior and body perception in people with obesity. Long-term human intervention studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to examine the efficacy of integrating this kind of VR system into standard obesity therapy.Trial registrationThis study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (Registration number: DRKS00027906, Date of registration: 8th February 2022).