The evolving needs of customers and stakeholders necessitate the collaboration of diverse system elements within a cyber-physical, socio-technical network. Socio-technical systems are characterized by numerous complex interdependencies as well as by endogenous and exogenous influences. A key issue that developers must address is the mitigation of data and information uncertainties. The authors introduce an approach that operationalizes Design Thinking as a supporting sufficient condition within the context of designing system models in the realm of Model-Based Systems Engineering.

Empirical studies show that adaptations of existing agile methods are necessary for developing physical products creating obstacles and challenges. This paper aggregates the gathered findings from several cross-sectional industry surveys and establishes a relationship between the extent of utilization of individual agile elements based on Scrum and the need to adapt these elements in applying agile procedural models. The emphasis of examination resides in the purpose perspective of agile elements with the aim of facilitating context-specific adaptations more effectively.

Large transition-metal contents add desirable physical properties, such as redox reactivity, magnetism, and electric or ionic conductivity to micas and make them interesting for a variety of materials-science applications. A Mn- and F-rich tainiolite mica, , was synthesized by a high-temperature melt-synthesis technique. Subsequent annealing for 10 days led to a single-phase and coarsegrained material. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies were performed and characteristic geometric parameters were compared to the analogous ferrous compound, synthetic Fe-rich tainiolite, . Both tainiolite structures are outside the compositional stability limits for the 2:1 layer structure, and incorporating the relatively large cation Mn2+ requires significant structural adjustments in both the octahedral and tetrahedral sheets. As expected, increasing the ionic radius of the octahedral cation from 0.78 Å (VIFe2+) to 0.83 Å (VIMn2+) reduces the octahedral flattening angle from <Ψ> = 57.05° to <Ψ> = 56.4°, the smallest value ever observed for a tetrasilicic mica. However, even this small <Ψ> value is insufficient to match the lateral sizes of the tetrahedral and octahedral sheets and, in addition, unusual structural adjustments in the tetrahedral sheet are required. The average tetrahedral bond length <T-O> is much greater (1.643 Å) than the average value observed for tetrasilicic micas (1.607 Å,) and a significant difference between the <T-O>apical (1.605 Å) and the <T-O>basal bond lengths (1.656 Å) and an enlarged basal flattening angle (τbas = 106.29°) are noted. These parameters indicate: (1) that the 2:1 layer might be more flexible than previously thought, to allow matching of the lateral dimensions of the tetrahedral and octahedral sheets; and (2) that many other compositions that appear interesting from a materials-science point of view might be accessible.

An important open problem is how values are compared to make simple choices. A natural hypothesis is that the brain carries out the computations associated with the value comparisons in a manner consistent with the Drift Diffusion Model (DDM), since this model has been able to account for a large amount of data in other domains. We investigated the ability of four different versions of the DDM to explain the data in a real binary food choice task under conditions of high and low time pressure. We found that a seven-parameter version of the DDM can account for the choice and reaction time data with high-accuracy, in both the high and low time pressure conditions. The changes associated with the introduction of time pressure could be traced to changes in two key model parameters: the barrier height and the noise in the slope of the drift process.

Vehicle doors have barely changed in recent decades, and nor has the car. Since autonomous driving will lead to changes in vehicles and how they are used, their doors will also have to be rethought. In the project UNICARagil, researchers from several universities in Germany design and build four prototypes of driverless and autonomous vehicles, which are developed based on a new and modular architecture. As part of this, we developed a concept including a prototype of an automated door system. In this paper, we present our concept development process adapted for door systems of autonomous vehicles. Based on the vehicle concept development process, it should help researchers and engineers to select and design new door concepts in an early phase. At the end, by means of an example, we present the prototype of our door concept as well as a boarding user study we carried out. This study helps evaluate and improve the boarding comfort of future door concepts.

Smartphone technology has the potential to facilitate dietary assessment in epidemiological studies. Measurement error might be reduced by real time recording being more feasible with mobile methods. Our aim was to develop NutriDiary, a smartphone app for conducting three-day weighed dietary records. It provides a digital version of the established pen-and-paper method in the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study, an open cohort study from infancy to adulthood. NutriDiary was developed as a text-based app including brand specific recording of food products. Usability of the beta version of NutriDiary was evaluated in the DONALD study. Participants or their parents were offered to test the app for the annual dietary record and were asked to fill in an app-integrated evaluation questionnaire. Usability was assessed by the System Usability Scale (SUS) and in-app behavior recordings. In the beta version of NutriDiary, a consumed food item is selected using a free-text search from the integrated in-house database LEBTAB. To ease the process of recording, NutriDiary offers some usability features such as a recipe editor, an integrated help mode and a photo function for collecting information on branded food products. In total, 32 mostly female participants (69%) used the app with 21 subjects recording their own dietary intake and 11 subjects conducting a record for their child. However, a relatively large proportion of DONALD participants also refused using the app because they preferred the traditional pen-and-paper method as being easier. Among participants of the feasibility study, subjective usability of NutriDiary was “good” but considerable differences in individual ratings were observed (median SUS = 80, IQR = 23.75, minimum = 45). Although 38% of participants reported technical issues, 88% stated they would use the app again. Technical problems included issues related to setting the time, editing of entered food items and the photo function. In-app behavior recordings showed that the help mode and recipe function were well-used (72% and 63%, respectively). Feedback from the study staff revealed that the post-processing of the dietary data obtained with NutriDiary was still time-consuming. Overall, the beta version of the NutriDiary app was well-received by most participants. Some aspects for improvement such as a barcode scanning function and extension of the database were identified. Moreover, NutriDiary will be further optimized by implementing an automated recipe simulation function.

Secondary metabolites of herbs and spices are widely used as an alternative strategy in the therapy of various diseases. The polyphenols naringenin, quercetin and curcumin have been characterised as anti-diabetic agents. Conversely, in vitro, naringenin and quercetin are described to inhibit phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), an enzyme that is essential for the neuronal control of whole body glucose homoeostasis. Using both in vitro and in vivo experiments, we tested whether the inhibitory effect on PI3K occurs in neurons and if it might affect whole body glucose homoeostasis. Quercetin was found to inhibit basal and insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473), a downstream target of PI3K, in HT-22 cells, whereas naringenin and curcumin had no effect. In Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) naringenin and quercetin (10 mg/kg administered orally) diminished insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) in the arcuate nucleus, indicating a reduction in hypothalamic PI3K activity. In agreement with this finding, glucose tolerance in naringenin-treated hamsters (oral) and mice (oral and intracerebroventricular) was reduced compared with controls. Dietary quercetin also impaired glucose tolerance, whereas curcumin was ineffective. Circulating levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein were not affected by the polyphenols. Oral quercetin reduced the respiratory quotient, suggesting that glucose utilisation was impaired after treatment. These data demonstrate that low doses of naringenin and quercetin acutely and potently impair glucose homoeostasis. This effect may be mediated by inhibition of hypothalamic PI3K signalling. Whether chronic impairments in glucose homoeostasis occur after long-term application remains to be identified.

It has been shown that treatment of rats with clofibrate, a synthetic agonist of PPARα, increases mRNA concentration of organic cation transporters (OCTN)-1 and -2 and concentration of carnitine in the liver. Since oxidised fats have been demonstrated in rats to activate hepatic PPARα, we tested the hypothesis that they also up regulate OCTN. Eighteen rats were orally administered either sunflower-seed oil (control group) or an oxidised fat prepared by heating sunflower-seed oil, for 6 d. Rats administered the oxidised fat had higher mRNA concentrations of typical PPARα target genes such as acyl-CoA oxidase, cytochrome P450 4A1 and carnitine palmitoyltransferases-1A and -2 in liver and small intestine than control rats (P < 0·05). Furthermore, rats treated with oxidised fat had higher hepatic mRNA concentrations of OCTN1 (1·5-fold) and OCTN2 (3·1-fold), a higher carnitine concentration in the liver and lower carnitine concentrations in plasma, gastrocnemius and heart muscle than control rats (P < 0·05). Moreover, rats administered oxidised fat had a higher mRNA concentration of OCTN2 in small intestine (2·4-fold; P < 0·05) than control rats. In conclusion, the present study shows that an oxidised fat causes an up regulation of OCTN in the liver and small intestine. An increased hepatic carnitine concentration in rats treated with the oxidised fat is probably at least in part due to an increased uptake of carnitine into the liver which in turn leads to reduced plasma and muscle carnitine concentrations. The present study supports the hypothesis that nutrients acting as PPARα agonists influence whole-body carnitine homeostasis.