[Interface Communication and Information Transfer in Medical Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Qualitative Expert Interviews]. / Schnittstellenkommunikation und Informationstransfer in der medizinischen Versorgung von Menschen mit intellektueller Entwicklungsstörung: Qualitative Expert*innen-Interviews.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences, barriers, and solutions in communication during the provision of care for people with intellectual developmental disabilities in Germany. As there are approximately 350,000 people living with intellectual or developmental disabilities in Germany, who rely on assistance when communicating with healthcare providers, this study was conducted to examine the communication challenges and potential solutions in this population. The analysis especially focused on the potentials of digital applications facilitating information transfer. METHODS: Thirteen expert interviews were conducted using a structured interview guide with caregivers and medical providers to people with intellectual developmental disabilities. The interviews were analyzed using an inductive and deductive content analysis approach, according to Meuser and Nagel. RESULTS: The results revealed that the provision of care for people with intellectual developmental disabilities was characterized by time constraints and uncertainty when caregivers lack experience in caring for this population. Additionally, information transfer increased in complexity due to an overload of individual information provided by caregivers verbally or paper-based as well due to the passive role of patients who were usually not actively involved in the communication process. With regard to the potential for integrating digital applications for information transfer, a controversy between opportunity and risk emerged. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that there is a need to implement training programs for professionals to enable them to offer improved health care for people with intellectual developmental disabilities. It is essential that caregivers are given sufficient time to communicate with patients, and that digital applications are utilized to support information transfer. Moreover, other research shows that digital applications offer new possibilities to communicate with people with intellectual developmental disabilities, such as the use of simplified or pictorial language. By addressing these communication challenges, healthcare professionals may be able to provide more effective and efficient care to this population. However, this requires further research, which addresses the controversial results regarding digital applications outlined in this paper.

Surface Modification of Kraft Lignin by Mechanochemical Processing with Sodium Percarbonate.

In this article, we present a novel one-pot mechanochemical reaction for the surface activation of lignin. The process involves environmentally friendly oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, depolymerization of fractions with high molecular mass, and introduction of new carbonyl functions into the lignin backbone. Kraft lignin was ground with sodium percarbonate and sodium hydroxide in a ball mill at different time intervals. Analyses by infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) showed significant improvements. After only 5 min of reaction, there was a 47% reduction in mass-average molecular weight and an increase in carboxyl functionalities. Chemical activation resulted in an approximately 2.8-fold increase in water adsorption. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided further insight into the correlations between IR spectra and SAXS parameters.

Graphene-on-gold surface plasmon resonance sensors resilient to high-temperature annealing.

Gold films coated with a graphene sheet are being widely used as sensors for the detection of label-free binding interactions using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). During the preparation of such sensors, it is often essential to subject the sensor chips to a high-temperature treatment in order to ensure a clean graphene surface. However, sensor chips used currently, which often use chromium as an adhesion promoter, cannot be subjected to temperatures above 250 °C, because under such conditions, chromium is found to reorganize and diffuse to the surface, where it is easily oxidized, impairing the quality of SPR spectra. Here we present an optimized preparation strategy involving a three-cycle tempering coupled with chromium (oxide) etching, which allows the graphene-coated SPR chips to be annealed up to 500 °C with little deterioration of the surface morphology. In addition, the treatment delivers a surface that shows a clear enhancement in spectral response together with a good refractive index sensitivity. We demonstrate the applicability of our sensors by studying the kinetics of avidin-biotin binding at different pH repeatedly on the same chip. The possibility to anneal can be exploited to recover the original surface after sensing trials, which allowed us to reuse the sensor for at least six cycles of biomolecule adsorption.

From Nanoparticle Heteroclusters to Filament Networks by Self-Assembly at the Water-Oil Interface of Reverse Microemulsions.

Surface self-assembly of spherical nanoparticles of sizes below 10 nm into hierarchical heterostructures is under arising development despite the inherent difficulties of obtaining complex ordering patterns on a larger scale. Due to template-mediated interactions between oil-dispersible superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and polyethylenimine-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au(PEI)NPs) at the water-oil interface of microemulsions, complex nanostructured films can be formed. Characterization of the reverse microemulsion phase by UV-vis absorption revealed the formation of heteroclusters from Winsor type II phases (WPII) using Aerosol-OT (AOT) as the surfactant. SAXS measurements verify the mechanism of initial nanoparticle clustering in defined dimensions. XPS suggested an influence of AOT at the MNP surface. Further, cryo-SEM and TEM visualization demonstrated the elongation of the reverse microemulsions into cylindrical, wormlike structures, which subsequently build up larger nanoparticle superstructure arrangements. Such WPII phases are thus proven to be a new form of soft template, mediating the self-assembly of different nanoparticles in hierarchical network-like filaments over a substrate during solvent evaporation.