TY - JOUR A1 - Dellepiane, Sergio A1 - Vaid, Akhil A1 - Jaladanki, Suraj K. A1 - Coca, Steven A1 - Fayad, Zahi A. A1 - Charney, Alexander W. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - He, John Cijiang A1 - Glicksberg, Benjamin S. A1 - Chan, Lili A1 - Nadkarni, Girish T1 - Acute kidney injury in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York City BT - Temporal Trends From March 2020 to April 2021 JF - Kidney medicine Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xkme.2021.06.008 SN - 2590-0595 VL - 3 IS - 5 SP - 877 EP - 879 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Datta, Suparno A1 - Sachs, Jan Philipp A1 - Freitas da Cruz, Harry A1 - Martensen, Tom A1 - Bode, Philipp A1 - Morassi Sasso, Ariane A1 - Glicksberg, Benjamin S. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin T1 - FIBER BT - enabling flexible retrieval of electronic health records data for clinical predictive modeling JF - JAMIA open N2 - Objectives: The development of clinical predictive models hinges upon the availability of comprehensive clinical data. Tapping into such resources requires considerable effort from clinicians, data scientists, and engineers. Specifically, these efforts are focused on data extraction and preprocessing steps required prior to modeling, including complex database queries. A handful of software libraries exist that can reduce this complexity by building upon data standards. However, a gap remains concerning electronic health records (EHRs) stored in star schema clinical data warehouses, an approach often adopted in practice. In this article, we introduce the FlexIBle EHR Retrieval (FIBER) tool: a Python library built on top of a star schema (i2b2) clinical data warehouse that enables flexible generation of modeling-ready cohorts as data frames. Materials and Methods: FIBER was developed on top of a large-scale star schema EHR database which contains data from 8 million patients and over 120 million encounters. To illustrate FIBER's capabilities, we present its application by building a heart surgery patient cohort with subsequent prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) with various machine learning models. Results: Using FIBER, we were able to build the heart surgery cohort (n = 12 061), identify the patients that developed AKI (n = 1005), and automatically extract relevant features (n = 774). Finally, we trained machine learning models that achieved area under the curve values of up to 0.77 for this exemplary use case. Conclusion: FIBER is an open-source Python library developed for extracting information from star schema clinical data warehouses and reduces time-to-modeling, helping to streamline the clinical modeling process. KW - databases KW - factual KW - electronic health records KW - information storage and KW - retrieval KW - workflow KW - software/instrumentation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooab048 SN - 2574-2531 VL - 4 IS - 3 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cope, Justin L. A1 - Baukmann, Hannes A. A1 - Klinger, Jörn E. A1 - Ravarani, Charles N. J. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Konigorski, Stefan A1 - Schmidt, Marco F. T1 - Interaction-based feature selection algorithm outperforms polygenic risk score in predicting Parkinson’s Disease status JF - Frontiers in genetics N2 - Polygenic risk scores (PRS) aggregating results from genome-wide association studies are the state of the art in the prediction of susceptibility to complex traits or diseases, yet their predictive performance is limited for various reasons, not least of which is their failure to incorporate the effects of gene-gene interactions. Novel machine learning algorithms that use large amounts of data promise to find gene-gene interactions in order to build models with better predictive performance than PRS. Here, we present a data preprocessing step by using data-mining of contextual information to reduce the number of features, enabling machine learning algorithms to identify gene-gene interactions. We applied our approach to the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) dataset, an observational clinical study of 471 genotyped subjects (368 cases and 152 controls). With an AUC of 0.85 (95% CI = [0.72; 0.96]), the interaction-based prediction model outperforms the PRS (AUC of 0.58 (95% CI = [0.42; 0.81])). Furthermore, feature importance analysis of the model provided insights into the mechanism of Parkinson's disease. For instance, the model revealed an interaction of previously described drug target candidate genes TMEM175 and GAPDHP25. These results demonstrate that interaction-based machine learning models can improve genetic prediction models and might provide an answer to the missing heritability problem. KW - epistasis KW - machine learning KW - feature selection KW - parkinson's disease KW - PPMI (parkinson's progression markers initiative) Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.744557 SN - 1664-8021 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zenner, Alexander M. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Konigorski, Stefan T1 - StudyMe BT - a new mobile app for user-centric N-of-1 trials JF - Trials N2 - N-of-1 trials are multi-crossover self-experiments that allow individuals to systematically evaluate the effect of interventions on their personal health goals. Although several tools for N-of-1 trials exist, there is a gap in supporting non-experts in conducting their own user-centric trials. In this study, we present StudyMe, an open-source mobile application that is freely available from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=health.studyu.me and offers users flexibility and guidance in configuring every component of their trials. We also present research that informed the development of StudyMe, focusing on trial creation. Through an initial survey with 272 participants, we learned that individuals are interested in a variety of personal health aspects and have unique ideas on how to improve them. In an iterative, user-centered development process with intermediate user tests, we developed StudyMe that features an educational part to communicate N-of-1 trial concepts. A final empirical evaluation of StudyMe showed that all participants were able to create their own trials successfully using StudyMe and the app achieved a very good usability rating. Our findings suggest that StudyMe provides a significant step towards enabling individuals to apply a systematic science-oriented approach to personalize health-related interventions and behavior modifications in their everyday lives. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06893-7 SN - 1745-6215 VL - 23 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lewkowicz, Daniel A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Siegel, Martin T1 - Economic evaluation of digital therapeutic care apps for unsupervised treatment of low back pain BT - Monte Carlo Simulation JF - JMIR mhealth and uhealth N2 - Background: Digital therapeutic care (DTC) programs are unsupervised app-based treatments that provide video exercises and educational material to patients with nonspecific low back pain during episodes of pain and functional disability. German statutory health insurance can reimburse DTC programs since 2019, but evidence on efficacy and reasonable pricing remains scarce. This paper presents a probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) to evaluate the efficacy and cost-utility of a DTC app against treatment as usual (TAU) in Germany. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a PSA in the form of a Monte Carlo simulation based on the deterministic base case analysis to account for model assumptions and parameter uncertainty. We also intend to explore to what extent the results in this probabilistic analysis differ from the results in the base case analysis and to what extent a shortage of outcome data concerning quality-of-life (QoL) metrics impacts the overall results. Methods: The PSA builds upon a state-transition Markov chain with a 4-week cycle length over a model time horizon of 3 years from a recently published deterministic cost-utility analysis. A Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations and a cohort size of 10,000 was employed to evaluate the cost-utility from a societal perspective. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were derived from Veterans RAND 6-Dimension (VR-6D) and Short-Form 6-Dimension (SF-6D) single utility scores. Finally, we also simulated reducing the price for a 3-month app prescription to analyze at which price threshold DTC would result in being the dominant strategy over TAU in Germany. Results: The Monte Carlo simulation yielded on average a euro135.97 (a currency exchange rate of EUR euro1=US $1.069 is applicable) incremental cost and 0.004 incremental QALYs per person and year for the unsupervised DTC app strategy compared to in-person physiotherapy in Germany. The corresponding incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) amounts to an additional euro34,315.19 per additional QALY. DTC yielded more QALYs in 54.96% of the iterations. DTC dominates TAU in 24.04% of the iterations for QALYs. Reducing the app price in the simulation from currently euro239.96 to euro164.61 for a 3-month prescription could yield a negative ICUR and thus make DTC the dominant strategy, even though the estimated probability of DTC being more effective than TAU is only 54.96%. Conclusions: Decision-makers should be cautious when considering the reimbursement of DTC apps since no significant treatment effect was found, and the probability of cost-effectiveness remains below 60% even for an infinite willingness-to-pay threshold. More app-based studies involving the utilization of QoL outcome parameters are urgently needed to account for the low and limited precision of the available QoL input parameters, which are crucial to making profound recommendations concerning the cost-utility of novel apps. KW - cost-utility analysis KW - cost KW - probabilistic sensitivity analysis KW - Monte Carlo simulation KW - low back pain KW - pain KW - economic KW - cost-effectiveness KW - Markov model KW - digital therapy KW - digital health app KW - mHealth KW - mobile health KW - health app KW - mobile app KW - orthopedic KW - QUALY KW - DALY KW - quality-adjusted life years KW - disability-adjusted life years KW - time horizon KW - veteran KW - statistics Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2196/44585 SN - 2291-5222 VL - 11 PB - JMIR Publications CY - Toronto ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Konigorski, Stefan A1 - Wernicke, Sarah A1 - Slosarek, Tamara A1 - Zenner, Alexander M. A1 - Strelow, Nils A1 - Ruether, Darius F. A1 - Henschel, Florian A1 - Manaswini, Manisha A1 - Pottbäcker, Fabian A1 - Edelman, Jonathan A. A1 - Owoyele, Babajide A1 - Danieletto, Matteo A1 - Golden, Eddye A1 - Zweig, Micol A1 - Nadkarni, Girish N. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin T1 - StudyU: a platform for designing and conducting innovative digital N-of-1 trials JF - Journal of medical internet research N2 - N-of-1 trials are the gold standard study design to evaluate individual treatment effects and derive personalized treatment strategies. Digital tools have the potential to initiate a new era of N-of-1 trials in terms of scale and scope, but fully functional platforms are not yet available. Here, we present the open source StudyU platform, which includes the StudyU Designer and StudyU app. With the StudyU Designer, scientists are given a collaborative web application to digitally specify, publish, and conduct N-of-1 trials. The StudyU app is a smartphone app with innovative user-centric elements for participants to partake in trials published through the StudyU Designer to assess the effects of different interventions on their health. Thereby, the StudyU platform allows clinicians and researchers worldwide to easily design and conduct digital N-of-1 trials in a safe manner. We envision that StudyU can change the landscape of personalized treatments both for patients and healthy individuals, democratize and personalize evidence generation for self-optimization and medicine, and can be integrated in clinical practice. KW - digital interventions KW - N-of-1 trial KW - SCED KW - single-case experimental design KW - web application KW - mobile application KW - app KW - digital health Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2196/35884 SN - 1439-4456 SN - 1438-8871 VL - 24 IS - 7 PB - Healthcare World CY - Richmond, Va. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Barbolini, Natasha A1 - Woutersen, Amber A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Silvestro, Daniele A1 - Tardif-Becquet, Delphine A1 - Coster, Pauline M. C. A1 - Meijer, Niels A1 - Chang, Cun A1 - Zhang, Hou-Xi A1 - Licht, Alexis A1 - Rydin, Catarina A1 - Koutsodendris, Andreas A1 - Han, Fang A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Liu, Xiang-Jun A1 - Zhang, Y. A1 - Donnadieu, Yannick A1 - Fluteau, Frederic A1 - Ladant, Jean-Baptiste A1 - Le Hir, Guillaume A1 - Hoorn, M. Carina T1 - Cenozoic evolution of the steppe-desert biome in Central Asia JF - Science Advances N2 - The origins and development of the arid and highly seasonal steppe-desert biome in Central Asia, the largest of its kind in the world, remain largely unconstrained by existing records. It is unclear how Cenozoic climatic, geological, and biological forces, acting at diverse spatial and temporal scales, shaped Central Asian ecosystems through time. Our synthesis shows that the Central Asian steppe-desert has existed since at least Eocene times but experienced no less than two regime shifts, one at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition and one in the mid-Miocene. These shifts separated three successive "stable states," each characterized by unique floral and faunal structures. Past responses to disturbance in the Asian steppe-desert imply that modern ecosystems are unlikely to recover their present structures and diversity if forced into a new regime. This is of concern for Asian steppes today, which are being modified for human use and lost to desertification at unprecedented rates. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb8227 SN - 2375-2548 VL - 6 IS - 41 PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Woutersen, Amber A1 - Jardine, Phillip E. A1 - Giovanni Bogota-Angel, Raul A1 - Zhang, Hong-Xiang A1 - Silvestro, Daniele A1 - Antonelli, Alexandre A1 - Gogna, Elena A1 - Erkens, Roy H. J. A1 - Gosling, William D. A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Hoorn, Carina T1 - A novel approach to study the morphology and chemistry of pollen in a phylogenetic context, applied to the halophytic taxon Nitraria L.(Nitrariaceae) JF - PeerJ N2 - Nitraria is a halophytic taxon (i.e., adapted to saline environments) that belongs to the plant family Nitrariaceae and is distributed from the Mediterranean, across Asia into the south-eastern tip of Australia. This taxon is thought to have originated in Asia during the Paleogene (66-23 Ma), alongside the proto-Paratethys epicontinental sea. The evolutionary history of Nitraria might hold important clues on the links between climatic and biotic evolution but limited taxonomic documentation of this taxon has thus far hindered this line of research. Here we investigate if the pollen morphology and the chemical composition of the pollen wall are informative of the evolutionary history of Nitraria and could explain if origination along the proto-Paratethys and dispersal to the Tibetan Plateau was simultaneous or a secondary process. To answer these questions, we applied a novel approach consisting of a combination of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), to determine the chemical composition of the pollen wall, and pollen morphological analyses using Light Microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). We analysed our data using ordinations (principal components analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling), and directly mapped it on the Nitrariaceae phylogeny to produce a phylomorphospace and a phylochemospace. Our LM, SEM and FTIR analyses show clear morphological and chemical differences between the sister groups Peganum and Nitraria. Differences in the morphological and chemical characteristics of highland species (Nitraria schoberi, N. sphaerocarpa, N. sibirica and N. tangutorum) and lowland species (Nitraria billardierei and N. retusa) are very subtle, with phylogenetic history appearing to be a more important control on Nitraria pollen than local environmental conditions. Our approach shows a compelling consistency between the chemical and morphological characteristics of the eight studied Nitrariaceae species, and these traits are in agreement with the phylogenetic tree. Taken together, this demonstrates how novel methods for studying fossil pollen can facilitate the evolutionary investigation of living and extinct taxa, and the environments they represent. KW - FTIR KW - LM KW - SEM KW - Paratethys KW - Tibet KW - Sporopollenin KW - Mediterranean KW - Steppe-desert KW - Australia KW - Palynology Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5055 SN - 2167-8359 VL - 6 PB - PeerJ Inc. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vaid, Akhil A1 - Somani, Sulaiman A1 - Russak, Adam J. A1 - De Freitas, Jessica K. A1 - Chaudhry, Fayzan F. A1 - Paranjpe, Ishan A1 - Johnson, Kipp W. A1 - Lee, Samuel J. A1 - Miotto, Riccardo A1 - Richter, Felix A1 - Zhao, Shan A1 - Beckmann, Noam D. A1 - Naik, Nidhi A1 - Kia, Arash A1 - Timsina, Prem A1 - Lala, Anuradha A1 - Paranjpe, Manish A1 - Golden, Eddye A1 - Danieletto, Matteo A1 - Singh, Manbir A1 - Meyer, Dara A1 - O'Reilly, Paul F. A1 - Huckins, Laura A1 - Kovatch, Patricia A1 - Finkelstein, Joseph A1 - Freeman, Robert M. A1 - Argulian, Edgar A1 - Kasarskis, Andrew A1 - Percha, Bethany A1 - Aberg, Judith A. A1 - Bagiella, Emilia A1 - Horowitz, Carol R. A1 - Murphy, Barbara A1 - Nestler, Eric J. A1 - Schadt, Eric E. A1 - Cho, Judy H. A1 - Cordon-Cardo, Carlos A1 - Fuster, Valentin A1 - Charney, Dennis S. A1 - Reich, David L. A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Levin, Matthew A. A1 - Narula, Jagat A1 - Fayad, Zahi A. A1 - Just, Allan C. A1 - Charney, Alexander W. A1 - Nadkarni, Girish N. A1 - Glicksberg, Benjamin S. T1 - Machine learning to predict mortality and critical events in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 in New York City: model development and validation JF - Journal of medical internet research : international scientific journal for medical research, information and communication on the internet ; JMIR N2 - Background: COVID-19 has infected millions of people worldwide and is responsible for several hundred thousand fatalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated thoughtful resource allocation and early identification of high-risk patients. However, effective methods to meet these needs are lacking. Objective: The aims of this study were to analyze the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City; to develop machine learning models for making predictions about the hospital course of the patients over clinically meaningful time horizons based on patient characteristics at admission; and to assess the performance of these models at multiple hospitals and time points. Methods: We used Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and baseline comparator models to predict in-hospital mortality and critical events at time windows of 3, 5, 7, and 10 days from admission. Our study population included harmonized EHR data from five hospitals in New York City for 4098 COVID-19-positive patients admitted from March 15 to May 22, 2020. The models were first trained on patients from a single hospital (n=1514) before or on May 1, externally validated on patients from four other hospitals (n=2201) before or on May 1, and prospectively validated on all patients after May 1 (n=383). Finally, we established model interpretability to identify and rank variables that drive model predictions. Results: Upon cross-validation, the XGBoost classifier outperformed baseline models, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for mortality of 0.89 at 3 days, 0.85 at 5 and 7 days, and 0.84 at 10 days. XGBoost also performed well for critical event prediction, with an AUC-ROC of 0.80 at 3 days, 0.79 at 5 days, 0.80 at 7 days, and 0.81 at 10 days. In external validation, XGBoost achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.88 at 3 days, 0.86 at 5 days, 0.86 at 7 days, and 0.84 at 10 days for mortality prediction. Similarly, the unimputed XGBoost model achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.78 at 3 days, 0.79 at 5 days, 0.80 at 7 days, and 0.81 at 10 days. Trends in performance on prospective validation sets were similar. At 7 days, acute kidney injury on admission, elevated LDH, tachypnea, and hyperglycemia were the strongest drivers of critical event prediction, while higher age, anion gap, and C-reactive protein were the strongest drivers of mortality prediction. Conclusions: We externally and prospectively trained and validated machine learning models for mortality and critical events for patients with COVID-19 at different time horizons. These models identified at-risk patients and uncovered underlying relationships that predicted outcomes. KW - machine learning KW - COVID-19 KW - electronic health record KW - TRIPOD KW - clinical KW - informatics KW - prediction KW - mortality KW - EHR KW - cohort KW - hospital KW - performance Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2196/24018 SN - 1439-4456 SN - 1438-8871 VL - 22 IS - 11 PB - Healthcare World CY - Richmond, Va. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Döll, Stefanie A1 - Djalali Farahani-Kofoet, Roxana A1 - Zrenner, Rita A1 - Henze, Andrea A1 - Witzel, Katja T1 - Tissue-specific signatures of metabolites and proteins in asparagus roots and exudates JF - Horticulture research N2 - Comprehensive untargeted and targeted analysis of root exudate composition has advanced our understanding of rhizosphere processes. However, little is known about exudate spatial distribution and regulation. We studied the specific metabolite signatures of asparagus root exudates, root outer (epidermis and exodermis), and root inner tissues (cortex and vasculature). The greatest differences were found between exudates and root tissues. In total, 263 non-redundant metabolites were identified as significantly differentially abundant between the three root fractions, with the majority being enriched in the root exudate and/or outer tissue and annotated as 'lipids and lipid-like molecules' or 'phenylpropanoids and polyketides'. Spatial distribution was verified for three selected compounds using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry imaging. Tissue-specific proteome analysis related root tissue-specific metabolite distributions and rhizodeposition with underlying biosynthetic pathways and transport mechanisms. The proteomes of root outer and inner tissues were spatially very distinct, in agreement with the fundamental differences between their functions and structures. According to KEGG pathway analysis, the outer tissue proteome was characterized by a high abundance of proteins related to 'lipid metabolism', 'biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites' and 'transport and catabolism', reflecting its main functions of providing a hydrophobic barrier, secreting secondary metabolites, and mediating water and nutrient uptake. Proteins more abundant in the inner tissue related to 'transcription', 'translation' and 'folding, sorting and degradation', in accord with the high activity of cortical and vasculature cell layers in growth- and development-related processes. In summary, asparagus root fractions accumulate specific metabolites. This expands our knowledge of tissue-specific plant cell function. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-021-00510-5 SN - 2052-7276 SN - 2662-6810 VL - 8 IS - 1 PB - Nanjing Agricultural Univ. CY - Nanjing ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kapidzic, Sanja A1 - Frey, Felix A1 - Neuberger, Christoph A1 - Stieglitz, Stefan A1 - Mirbabaie, Milad T1 - Crisis communication on Twitter BT - differences between user types in top tweets about the 2015 “refugee crisis” in Germany JF - International journal of communication N2 - The study explores differences between three user types in the top tweets about the 2015 “refugee crisis” in Germany and presents the results of a quantitative content analysis. All tweets with the keyword “Flüchtlinge” posted for a monthlong period following September 13, 2015, the day Germany decided to implement border controls, were collected (N = 763,752). The top 2,495 tweets according to number of retweets were selected for analysis. Differences between news media, public and private actor tweets in topics, tweet characteristics such as tone and opinion expression, links, and specific sentiments toward refugees were analyzed. We found strong differences between the tweets. Public actor tweets were the main source of positive sentiment toward refugees and the main information source on refugee support. News media tweets mostly reflected traditional journalistic norms of impartiality and objectivity, whereas private actor tweets were more diverse in sentiments toward refugees. KW - refugee crisis 2015 KW - Germany KW - social media KW - Twitter KW - user types Y1 - 2023 UR - https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18172/4022 SN - 1932-8036 VL - 17 SP - 735 EP - 754 PB - The Annenberg Center for Communication CY - Los Angeles, Calif. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Toumoulin, Agathe A1 - Tardif-Becquet, Delphine A1 - Donnadieu, Yannick A1 - Licht, Alexis A1 - Ladant, Jean-Baptiste A1 - Kunzmann, Lutz A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume T1 - Evolution of continental temperature seasonality from the Eocene greenhouse to the Oligocene icehouse BT - a model-data comparison JF - Climate of the past : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union N2 - At the junction of greenhouse and icehouse climate states, the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) is a key moment in Cenozoic climate history. While it is associated with severe extinctions and biodiversity turnovers on land, the role of terrestrial climate evolution remains poorly resolved, especially the associated changes in seasonality. Some paleobotanical and geochemical continental records in parts of the Northern Hemisphere suggest the EOT is associated with a marked cooling in winter, leading to the development of more pronounced seasons (i.e., an increase in the mean annual range of temperature, MATR). However, the MATR increase has been barely studied by climate models and large uncertainties remain on its origin, geographical extent and impact. In order to better understand and describe temperature seasonality changes between the middle Eocene and the early Oligocene, we use the Earth system model IPSL-CM5A2 and a set of simulations reconstructing the EOT through three major climate forcings: pCO(2) decrease (1120, 840 and 560 ppm), the Antarctic ice-sheet (AIS) formation and the associated sea-level decrease. Our simulations suggest that pCO(2) lowering alone is not sufficient to explain the seasonality evolution described by the data through the EOT but rather that the combined effects of pCO(2) , AIS formation and increased continentality provide the best data-model agreement.pCO(2) decrease induces a zonal pattern with alternating increasing and decreasing seasonality bands particularly strong in the northern high latitudes (up to 8 degrees C MATR increase) due to sea-ice and surface albedo feedback. Conversely, the onset of the AIS is responsible for a more constant surface albedo yearly, which leads to a strong decrease in seasonality in the southern midlatitudes to high latitudes (> 40 degrees S). Finally, continental areas that emerged due to the sea-level lowering cause the largest increase in seasonality and explain most of the global heterogeneity in MATR changes (1MATR) patterns. The Delta MATR patterns we reconstruct are generally consistent with the variability of the EOT biotic crisis intensity across the Northern Hemisphere and provide insights on their underlying mechanisms. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-341-2022 SN - 1814-9324 SN - 1814-9332 VL - 18 IS - 2 SP - 341 EP - 362 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tardif-Becquet, Delphine A1 - Fluteau, Frédéric A1 - Donnadieu, Yannick A1 - Le Hir, Guillaume A1 - Ladant, Jean-Baptiste A1 - Sepulchre, Pierre A1 - Licht, Alexis A1 - Poblete, Fernando A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume T1 - The origin of Asian monsoons BT - a modelling perspective JF - Climate of the Past N2 - The Cenozoic inception and development of the Asian monsoons remain unclear and have generated much debate, as several hypotheses regarding circulation patterns at work in Asia during the Eocene have been proposed in the few last decades. These include (a) the existence of modern-like monsoons since the early Eocene; (b) that of a weak South Asian monsoon (SAM) and little to no East Asian monsoon (EAM); or (c) a prevalence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrations, also referred to as Indonesian-Australian monsoon (I-AM). As SAM and EAM are supposed to have been triggered or enhanced primarily by Asian palaeogeographic changes, their possible inception in the very dynamic Eocene palaeogeographic context remains an open question, both in the modelling and field-based communities. We investigate here Eocene Asian climate conditions using the IPSL-CM5A2 (Sepulchre et al., 2019) earth system model and revised palaeogeographies. Our Eocene climate simulation yields atmospheric circulation patterns in Asia substantially different from modern conditions. A large high-pressure area is simulated over the Tethys ocean, which generates intense low tropospheric winds blowing southward along the western flank of the proto-Himalayan-Tibetan plateau (HTP) system. This low-level wind system blocks, to latitudes lower than 10 degrees N, the migration of humid and warm air masses coming from the Indian Ocean. This strongly contrasts with the modern SAM, during which equatorial air masses reach a latitude of 20-25 degrees N over India and southeastern China. Another specific feature of our Eocene simulation is the widespread subsidence taking place over northern India in the midtroposphere (around 5000 m), preventing deep convective updraught that would transport water vapour up to the condensation level. Both processes lead to the onset of a broad arid region located over northern India and over the HTP. More humid regions of high seasonality in precipitation encircle this arid area, due to the prevalence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrations (or Indonesian-Australian monsoon, I-AM) rather than monsoons. Although the existence of this central arid region may partly result from the specifics of our simulation (model dependence and palaeogeographic uncertainties) and has yet to be confirmed by proxy records, most of the observational evidence for Eocene monsoons are located in the highly seasonal transition zone between the arid area and the more humid surroundings. We thus suggest that a zonal arid climate prevailed over Asia before the initiation of monsoons that most likely occurred following Eocene palaeogeographic changes. Our results also show that precipitation seasonality should be used with caution to infer the presence of a monsoonal circulation and that the collection of new data in this arid area is of paramount importance to allow the debate to move forward. KW - earth system model KW - early eocene KW - tibetan plateau KW - climate-change KW - oligocene climate KW - summer monsoon KW - global monsoon KW - ice sheet KW - part 1 KW - China Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-847-2020 SN - 1814-9332 SN - 1814-9324 VL - 16 IS - 3 SP - 847 EP - 865 PB - Copernicus Publications CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - König, Johanna A1 - Block, Andrea A1 - Becker, Mathias A1 - Fenske, Kristin A1 - Hertel, Johannes A1 - Van der Auwera, Sandra A1 - Zymara, Kathleen A1 - Voelzke, Henry A1 - Freyberger, Harald Jürgen A1 - Grabe, Hans Joergen T1 - Assessment of subjective emotional valence and long-lasting impact of life events BT - development and psychometrics of the Stralsund Life Event List (SEL) JF - BMC Psychiatry N2 - Background: Life events (LEs) are associated with future physical and mental health. They are crucial for understanding the pathways to mental disorders as well as the interactions with biological parameters. However, deeper insight is needed into the complex interplay between the type of LE, its subjective evaluation and accompanying factors such as social support. The "Stralsund Life Event List" (SEL) was developed to facilitate this research. Methods: The SEL is a standardized interview that assesses the time of occurrence and frequency of 81 LEs, their subjective emotional valence, the perceived social support during the LE experience and the impact of past LEs on present life. Data from 2265 subjects from the general population-based cohort study "Study of Health in Pomerania" (SHIP) were analysed. Based on the mean emotional valence ratings of the whole sample, LEs were categorized as "positive" or "negative". For verification, the SEL was related to lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD; Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview), childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), resilience (Resilience Scale) and subjective health (SF-12 Health Survey). Conclusions: The SEL is a valid instrument that enables the analysis of the number and frequency of LEs, their emotional valence, perceived social support and current impact on life on a global score and on an individual item level. Thus, we can recommend its use in research settings that require the assessment and analysis of the relationship between the occurrence and subjective evaluation of LEs as well as the complex balance between distressing and stabilizing life experiences. KW - Positive life events KW - Negative life events KW - General population KW - Emotional valence KW - Depressive disorder Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1649-3 SN - 1471-244X VL - 18 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herrmann, Matthias L. A1 - Boden, Cindy A1 - Maurer, Christoph A1 - Kentischer, Felix A1 - Mennig, Eva A1 - Wagner, Sören A1 - Conzelmann, Lars O. A1 - Förstner, Bernd R. A1 - Rapp, Michael A. A1 - von Arnim, Christine A. F. A1 - Denkinger, Michael A1 - Eschweiler, Gerhard W. A1 - Thomas, Christine T1 - Anticholinergic drug exposure increases the risk of delirium in older patients undergoing elective surgery JF - Frontiers in medicine N2 - IntroductionPostoperative delirium (POD) is a common and serious adverse event of surgery in older people. Because of its great impact on patients' safety and quality of life, identification of modifiable risk factors could be useful. Although preoperative medication intake is assumed to be an important modifiable risk factor, the impact of anticholinergic drugs on the occurrence of POD seems underestimated in elective surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative anticholinergic burden and POD. We hypothesized that a high preoperative anticholinergic burden is an independent, potentially modifiable predisposing and precipitating factor of POD in older people. MethodsBetween November 2017 and April 2019, 1,470 patients of 70 years and older undergoing elective orthopedic, general, cardiac, or vascular surgery were recruited in the randomized, prospective, multicenter PAWEL trial. Anticholinergic burden of a sub-cohort of 899 patients, who did not receive a multimodal intervention for preventing POD, was assessed by two different tools at hospital admission: The established Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS) and the recently developed Anticholinergic Burden Score (ABS). POD was detected by confusion assessment method (CAM) and a validated post discharge medical record review. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between anticholinergic burden and POD. ResultsPOD was observed in 210 of 899 patients (23.4%). Both ARS and ABS were independently associated with POD. The association persisted after adjustment for relevant confounding factors such as age, sex, comorbidities, preoperative cognitive and physical status, number of prescribed drugs, surgery time, type of surgery and anesthesia, usage of heart-lung-machine, and treatment in intensive care unit. If a patient was taking one of the 56 drugs listed in the ABS, risk for POD was 2.7-fold higher (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.55-4.94) and 1.5-fold higher per additional point on the ARS (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.15-2.02). ConclusionPreoperative anticholinergic drug exposure measured by ARS or ABS was independently associated with POD in older patients undergoing elective surgery. Therefore, identification, discontinuation or substitution of anticholinergic medication prior to surgery may be a promising approach to reduce the risk of POD in older patients. KW - delirium KW - acute encephalopathy KW - surgery KW - anticholinergic KW - geriatric KW - postoperative Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.871229 SN - 2296-858X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jara-Muñoz, Julius A1 - Melnick, Daniel A1 - Li, Shaoyang A1 - Socquet, Anne A1 - Cortés-Aranda, Joaquín A1 - Brill, Dominik A1 - Strecker, Manfred R. T1 - The cryptic seismic potential of the Pichilemu blind fault in Chile revealed by off-fault geomorphology JF - Nature communications N2 - The first step towards assessing hazards in seismically active regions involves mapping capable faults and estimating their recurrence times. While the mapping of active faults is commonly based on distinct geologic and geomorphic features evident at the surface, mapping blind seismogenic faults is complicated by the absence of on-fault diagnostic features. Here we investigated the Pichilemu Fault in coastal Chile, unknown until it generated a Mw 7.0 earthquake in 2010. The lack of evident surface faulting suggests activity along a partly-hidden blind fault. We used off-fault deformed marine terraces to estimate a fault-slip rate of 0.52 +/- 0.04 m/ka, which, when integrated with satellite geodesy suggests a 2.12 +/- 0.2 ka recurrence time for Mw similar to 7.0 normal-faulting earthquakes. We propose that extension in the Pichilemu region is associated with stress changes during megathrust earthquakes and accommodated by sporadic slip during upper-plate earthquakes, which has implications for assessing the seismic potential of cryptic faults along convergent margins and elsewhere. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30754-1 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Nature Research CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haugk, Charlotte A1 - Jongejans, Loeka L. A1 - Mangelsdorf, Kai A1 - Fuchs, Matthias A1 - Ogneva, Olga A1 - Palmtag, Juri A1 - Mollenhauer, Gesine A1 - Mann, Paul J. A1 - Overduin, P. Paul A1 - Grosse, Guido A1 - Sanders, Tina A1 - Tuerena, Robyn E. A1 - Schirrmeister, Lutz A1 - Wetterich, Sebastian A1 - Kizyakov, Alexander A1 - Karger, Cornelia A1 - Strauss, Jens T1 - Organic matter characteristics of a rapidly eroding permafrost cliff in NE Siberia (Lena Delta, Laptev Sea region) JF - Biogeosciences N2 - Organic carbon (OC) stored in Arctic permafrost represents one of Earth's largest and most vulnerable terrestrial carbon pools. Amplified climate warming across the Arctic results in widespread permafrost thaw. Permafrost deposits exposed at river cliffs and coasts are particularly susceptible to thawing processes. Accelerating erosion of terrestrial permafrost along shorelines leads to increased transfer of organic matter (OM) to nearshore waters. However, the amount of terrestrial permafrost carbon and nitrogen as well as the OM quality in these deposits is still poorly quantified. We define the OM quality as the intrinsic potential for further transformation, decomposition and mineralisation. Here, we characterise the sources and the quality of OM supplied to the Lena River at a rapidly eroding permafrost river shoreline cliff in the eastern part of the delta (Sobo-Sise Island). Our multi-proxy approach captures bulk elemental, molecu- lar geochemical and carbon isotopic analyses of Late Pleistocene Yedoma permafrost and Holocene cover deposits, discontinuously spanning the last similar to 52 kyr. We showed that the ancient permafrost exposed in the Sobo-Sise cliff has a high organic carbon content (mean of about 5 wt %). The oldest sediments stem from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 interstadial deposits (dated to 52 to 28 cal ka BP) and are overlaid by last glacial MIS 2 (dated to 28 to 15 cal ka BP) and Holocene MIS 1 (dated to 7-0 cal ka BP) deposits. The relatively high average chain length (ACL) index of n-alkanes along the cliff profile indicates a predominant contribution of vascular plants to the OM composition. The elevated ratio of isoand anteiso-branched fatty acids (FAs) relative to mid- and long-chain (C >= 20) n-FAs in the interstadial MIS 3 and the interglacial MIS 1 deposits suggests stronger microbial activity and consequently higher input of bacterial biomass during these climatically warmer periods. The overall high carbon preference index (CPI) and higher plant fatty acid (HPFA) values as well as high C/N ratios point to a good quality of the preserved OM and thus to a high potential of the OM for decomposition upon thaw. A decrease in HPFA values downwards along the profile probably indicates stronger OM decomposition in the oldest (MIS 3) deposits of the cliff. The characterisation of OM from eroding permafrost leads to a better assessment of the greenhouse gas potential of the OC released into river and nearshore waters in the future. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 19 IS - 7 SP - 2079 EP - 2094 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Voglimacci-Stephanopoli, Joëlle A1 - Wendleder, Anna A1 - Lantuit, Hugues A1 - Langlois, Alexandre A1 - Stettner, Samuel A1 - Schmitt, Andreas A1 - Dedieu, Jean-Pierre A1 - Roth, Achim A1 - Royer, Alain T1 - Potential of X-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar co-polar phase difference for arctic snow depth estimation JF - Cryosphere N2 - Changes in snowpack associated with climatic warming has drastic impacts on surface energy balance in the cryosphere. Yet, traditional monitoring techniques, such as punctual measurements in the field, do not cover the full snowpack spatial and temporal variability, which hampers efforts to upscale measurements to the global scale. This variability is one of the primary constraints in model development. In terms of spatial resolution, active microwaves (synthetic aperture radar - SAR) can address the issue and outperform methods based on passive microwaves. Thus, high-spatial-resolution monitoring of snow depth (SD) would allow for better parameterization of local processes that drive the spatial variability of snow. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of the TerraSAR-X (TSX) SAR sensor and the wave co-polar phase difference (CPD) method for characterizing snow cover at high spatial resolution. Consequently, we first (1) investigate SD and depth hoar fraction (DHF) variability between different vegetation classes in the Ice Creek catchment (Qikiqtaruk/Herschel Island, Yukon, Canada) using in situ measurements collected over the course of a field campaign in 2019; (2) evaluate linkages between snow characteristics and CPD distribution over the 2019 dataset; and (3) determine CPD seasonality considering meteorological data over the 2015-2019 period. SD could be extracted using the CPD when certain conditions are met. A high incidence angle (>30 circle) with a high topographic wetness index (TWI) (>7.0) showed correlation between SD and CPD (R2 up to 0.72). Further, future work should address a threshold of sensitivity to TWI and incidence angle to map snow depth in such environments and assess the potential of using interpolation tools to fill in gaps in SD information on drier vegetation types. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2163-2022 SN - 1994-0416 SN - 1994-0424 VL - 16 IS - 6 SP - 2163 EP - 2181 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zech, Philipp A1 - Schuch, Felipe A1 - Pérez Chaparro, Camilo Germán Alberto A1 - Kangas, Maria A1 - Rapp, Michael A. A1 - Heissel, Andreas T1 - Exercise, Comorbidities, and Health-Related Quality of Life in People Living with HIV BT - The HIBES Cohort Study JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health N2 - (1) Background: People with HIV (PWH) may perform more than one type of exercise cumulatively. The objective of this study is to investigate recreational exercise and its association with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and comorbidities in relation to potential covariates. (2) Methods: The HIBES study (HIV-Begleiterkrankungen-Sport) is a cross-sectional study for people with HIV. The differences between non-exercisers versus exercisers (cumulated vs. single type of exercises) were investigated using regression models based on 454 participants. (3) Results: Exercisers showed a higher HRQOL score compared to non-exercisers (Wilcox r = 0.2 to 0.239). Psychological disorders were identified as the main covariate. Participants performing exercise cumulatively showed higher scores in duration, frequency, and intensity when compared to participants performing only one type of exercise. The mental health summary score was higher for the cumulated and single type of exercise if a psychological disorder existed. Duration and intensity were associated with an increase of HRQOL, whilst a stronger association between psychological disorders and exercise variables were evident. Exercise duration (minutes) showed a significant effect on QOL (standardized beta = 0.1) and for participants with psychological disorders (standardized beta = 0.3), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Psychological disorders and other covariates have a prominent effect on HRQOL and its association with exercise. For PWH with a psychological disorder, a stronger relationship between HRQOL with exercise duration and intensity emerged. However, differentiation of high-HRQOL individuals warrants further investigation by considering additional factors. KW - HIV KW - exercise intensity KW - quality of life KW - comorbidity Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145138 SN - 1660-4601 SN - 1661-7827 VL - 17 IS - 14 PB - MDPI AG CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Deeken, Friederike A1 - Reichert, Markus A1 - Zech, Hilmar A1 - Wenzel, Julia A1 - Wedemeyer, Friederike A1 - Aguilera, Alvaro A1 - Aslan, Acelya A1 - Bach, Patrick A1 - Bahr, Nadja Samia A1 - Ebrahimi, Claudia A1 - Fischbach, Pascale Christine A1 - Ganz, Marvin A1 - Garbusow, Maria A1 - Großkopf, Charlotte M. A1 - Heigert, Marie A1 - Hentschel, Angela A1 - Karl, Damian A1 - Pelz, Patricia A1 - Pinger, Mathieu A1 - Riemerschmid, Carlotta A1 - Rosenthal, Annika A1 - Steffen, Johannes A1 - Strehle, Jens A1 - Weiss,, Franziska A1 - Wieder, Gesine A1 - Wieland, Alfred A1 - Zaiser, Judith A1 - Zimmermann, Sina A1 - Walter, Henrik A1 - Lenz, Bernd A1 - Deserno, Lorenz A1 - Smolka, Michael N. A1 - Liu, Shuyan A1 - Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich Walter A1 - Heinz, Andreas A1 - Rapp, Michael A. T1 - Patterns of Alcohol Consumption Among Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns in Germany JF - JAMA Network Open N2 - Importance Alcohol consumption (AC) leads to death and disability worldwide. Ongoing discussions on potential negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on AC need to be informed by real-world evidence. Objective To examine whether lockdown measures are associated with AC and consumption-related temporal and psychological within-person mechanisms. Design, Setting, and Participants This quantitative, intensive, longitudinal cohort study recruited 1743 participants from 3 sites from February 20, 2020, to February 28, 2021. Data were provided before and within the second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: before lockdown (October 2 to November 1, 2020); light lockdown (November 2 to December 15, 2020); and hard lockdown (December 16, 2020, to February 28, 2021). Main Outcomes and Measures Daily ratings of AC (main outcome) captured during 3 lockdown phases (main variable) and temporal (weekends and holidays) and psychological (social isolation and drinking intention) correlates. Results Of the 1743 screened participants, 189 (119 [63.0%] male; median [IQR] age, 37 [27.5-52.0] years) with at least 2 alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) yet without the need for medically supervised alcohol withdrawal were included. These individuals provided 14 694 smartphone ratings from October 2020 through February 2021. Multilevel modeling revealed significantly higher AC (grams of alcohol per day) on weekend days vs weekdays (β = 11.39; 95% CI, 10.00-12.77; P < .001). Alcohol consumption was above the overall average on Christmas (β = 26.82; 95% CI, 21.87-31.77; P < .001) and New Year’s Eve (β = 66.88; 95% CI, 59.22-74.54; P < .001). During the hard lockdown, perceived social isolation was significantly higher (β = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.06-0.15; P < .001), but AC was significantly lower (β = −5.45; 95% CI, −8.00 to −2.90; P = .001). Independent of lockdown, intention to drink less alcohol was associated with lower AC (β = −11.10; 95% CI, −13.63 to −8.58; P < .001). Notably, differences in AC between weekend and weekdays decreased both during the hard lockdown (β = −6.14; 95% CI, −9.96 to −2.31; P = .002) and in participants with severe AUD (β = −6.26; 95% CI, −10.18 to −2.34; P = .002). Conclusions and Relevance This 5-month cohort study found no immediate negative associations of lockdown measures with overall AC. Rather, weekend-weekday and holiday AC patterns exceeded lockdown effects. Differences in AC between weekend days and weekdays evinced that weekend drinking cycles decreased as a function of AUD severity and lockdown measures, indicating a potential mechanism of losing and regaining control. This finding suggests that temporal patterns and drinking intention constitute promising targets for prevention and intervention, even in high-risk individuals. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24641 SN - 2574-3805 VL - 5 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - JAMA Network / American Medical Association CY - Chicago, Illinois, USA ET - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brahms, Markus A1 - Heinzel, Stephan A1 - Rapp, Michael A. A1 - Mückstein, Marie A1 - Hortobágyi, Tibor A1 - Stelzel, Christine A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - The acute effects of mental fatigue on balance performance in healthy young and older adults – A systematic review and meta-analysis JF - Acta Psychologica N2 - Cognitive resources contribute to balance control. There is evidence that mental fatigue reduces cognitive resources and impairs balance performance, particularly in older adults and when balance tasks are complex, for example when trying to walk or stand while concurrently performing a secondary cognitive task. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science and Google Scholar to identify eligible studies and performed a random effects meta-analysis to quantify the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on balance performance in healthy adults. Subgroup analyses were computed for age (healthy young vs. healthy older adults) and balance task complexity (balance tasks with high complexity vs. balance tasks with low complexity) to examine the moderating effects of these factors on fatigue-mediated balance performance. We identified 7 eligible studies with 9 study groups and 206 participants. Analysis revealed that performing a prolonged cognitive task had a small but significant effect (SMDwm = −0.38) on subsequent balance performance in healthy young and older adults. However, age- and task-related differences in balance responses to fatigue could not be confirmed statistically. Overall, aggregation of the available literature indicates that mental fatigue generally reduces balance in healthy adults. However, interactions between cognitive resource reduction, aging and balance task complexity remain elusive. KW - Cognitive fatigue KW - Exertion KW - Tiredness KW - Postural control KW - Gait KW - Sway Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103540 SN - 1873-6297 VL - 225 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Clausen, Sünje A1 - Brünker, Felix A1 - Stieglitz, Stefan T1 - Towards responsible augmentation BT - identifying characteristics of AI-based technology with ethical implications for knowledge workers T2 - ACIS 2023 proceedings N2 - Artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies can increasingly perform knowledge work tasks, such as medical diagnosis. Thereby, it is expected that humans will not be replaced by AI but work closely with AI-based technology (“augmentation”). Augmentation has ethical implications for humans (e.g., impact on autonomy, opportunities to flourish through work), thus, developers and managers of AI-based technology have a responsibility to anticipate and mitigate risks to human workers. However, doing so can be difficult as AI encompasses a wide range of technologies, some of which enable fundamentally new forms of interaction. In this research-in-progress paper, we propose the development of a taxonomy to categorize unique characteristics of AI-based technology that influence the interaction and have ethical implications for human workers. The completed taxonomy will support researchers in forming cumulative knowledge on the ethical implications of augmentation and assist practitioners in the ethical design and management of AI-based technology in knowledge work. KW - artificial intelligence KW - augmentation KW - taxonomy KW - human-AI interaction KW - ethics Y1 - 2023 UR - https://aisel.aisnet.org/acis2023/123/ PB - Australasian Association for Information Systems CY - Wellington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Agthe, Maria A1 - Kayser, Daniela Niesta A1 - Schwarz, Sascha A1 - Maner, Jon K. T1 - Antecedents of the red-romance effect BT - men's attractiveness and women's fertility JF - PLOS ONE / Public Library of Science N2 - The color red has been implicated in a variety of social processes, including those involving mating. While previous research suggests that women sometimes wear red strategically to increase their attractiveness, the replicability of this literature has been questioned. The current research is a reasonably powered conceptual replication designed to strengthen this literature by testing whether women are more inclined to display the color red 1) during fertile (as compared with less fertile) days of the menstrual cycle, and 2) when expecting to interact with an attractive man (as compared with a less attractive man and with a control condition). Analyses controlled for a number of theoretically relevant covariates (relationship status, age, the current weather). Only the latter hypothesis received mixed support (mainly among women on hormonal birth control), whereas results concerning the former hypothesis did not reach significance. Women (N = 281) displayed more red when expecting to interact with an attractive man; findings did not support the prediction that women would increase their display of red on fertile days of the cycle. Findings thus suggested only mixed replicability for the link between the color red and psychological processes involving romantic attraction. They also illustrate the importance of further investigating the boundary conditions of color effects on everyday social processes. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284035 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 18 IS - 4 PB - PLOS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmicker, Marlen A1 - Frühling, Insa A1 - Menze, Inga A1 - Glanz, Wenzel A1 - Müller, Patrick A1 - Noesselt, Toemme A1 - Müller, Notger Germar T1 - The potential role of gustatory function as an early diagnostic marker for the risk of alzheimer's disease in subjective cognitive decline JF - Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports : JADR N2 - Background: Patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) report memory deterioration and are at an increased risk of converting to Alzheimer's disease (AD) although psychophysical testing does not reveal any cognitive deficit. Objective: Here, gustatory function is investigated as a potential predictor for an increased risk of progressive cognitive decline indicating higher AD risk in SCD. Methods: Measures of smell and taste perception as well as neuropsychological data were assessed in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD): Subgroups with an increased likelihood of the progression to preclinical AD (SCD+) and those with a lower likelihood (SCD-) were compared to healthy controls (HC), patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD patients. The Sniffin' Sticks test contained 12 items with different qualities and taste was measured with 32 taste stripes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour) of different concentration. Results: Only taste was able to distinguish between HC/SCD- and SCD+ patients. Conclusion: This study provides a first hint of taste as a more sensitive marker than smell for detecting preclinical AD in SCD. Longitudinal observation of cognition and pathology are necessary to further evaluate taste perception as a predictor of pathological objective decline in cognition. KW - Alzheimer's disease KW - dementia KW - diagnostic marker KW - early diagnosis KW - subjective cognitive decline KW - taste Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/ADR220092 SN - 2542-4823 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - 249 EP - 262 PB - IOS Press CY - Clifton, VA ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xiong, Yingquan A1 - Delic, Denis A1 - Zeng, Shufei A1 - Chen, Xin A1 - Chu, Chang A1 - Hasan, Ahmed A. A1 - Krämer, Bernhard K. A1 - Klein, Thomas A1 - Yin, Lianghong A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Regulation of SARS CoV-2 host factors in the kidney and heart in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy-effects of salt, ARB, DPP4 inhibitor and SGLT2 blocker JF - BMC nephrology N2 - Background Host factors such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the transmembrane protease, serine-subtype-2 (TMPRSS2) are important factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical and pre-clinical studies demonstrated that RAAS-blocking agents can be safely used during a SARS-CoV-2 infection but it is unknown if DPP-4 inhibitors or SGLT2-blockers may promote COVID-19 by increasing the host viral entry enzymes ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Methods We investigated telmisartan, linagliptin and empagliflozin induced effects on renal and cardiac expression of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and key enzymes involved in RAAS (REN, AGTR2, AGT) under high-salt conditions in a non-diabetic experimental 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) model. In the present study, the gene expression of Ace2, Tmprss2, Ren, Agtr2 and Agt was assessed with qRT-PCR and the protein expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 with immunohistochemistry in the following experimental groups: Sham + normal diet (ND) + placebo (PBO); 5/6Nx + ND + PBO; 5/6Nx + high salt-diet (HSD) + PBO; 5/6Nx + HSD + telmisartan; 5/6Nx + HSD + linagliptin; 5/6Nx + HSD + empagliflozin. Results In the kidney, the expression of Ace2 was not altered on mRNA level under disease and treatment conditions. The renal TMPRSS2 levels (mRNA and protein) were not affected, whereas the cardiac level was significantly increased in 5/6Nx rats. Intriguingly, the elevated TMPRSS2 protein expression in the heart was significantly normalized after treatment with telmisartan, linagliptin and empagliflozin. Conclusions Our study indicated that there is no upregulation regarding host factors potentially promoting SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into host cells when the SGLT2-blocker empagliflozin, telmisartan and the DPP4-inhibitor blocker linagliptin are used. The results obtained in a preclinical, experimental non-diabetic kidney failure model need confirmation in ongoing interventional clinical trials. KW - SARS CoV-2 host factors KW - 5/6 nephrectomy KW - High-salt diet KW - ARB KW - DPP4 inhibitor KW - SGLT2 blocker Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-022-02747-1 SN - 1471-2369 VL - 23 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heistermann, Maik A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Scheiffele, Lena A1 - Petrova, Katya Dimitrova A1 - Budach, Christian A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Trost, Benjamin A1 - Rasche, Daniel A1 - Güntner, Andreas A1 - Doepper, Veronika A1 - Förster, Michael A1 - Köhli, Markus A1 - Angermann, Lisa A1 - Antonoglou, Nikolaos A1 - Zude, Manuela A1 - Oswald, Sascha T1 - Three years of soil moisture observations by a dense cosmic-ray neutron sensing cluster at an agricultural research site in north-east Germany JF - Earth system science data : ESSD N2 - Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) allows for the estimation of root-zone soil water content (SWC) at the scale of several hectares. In this paper, we present the data recorded by a dense CRNS network operated from 2019 to 2022 at an agricultural research site in Marquardt, Germany - the first multi-year CRNS cluster. Consisting, at its core, of eight permanently installed CRNS sensors, the cluster was supplemented by a wealth of complementary measurements: data from seven additional temporary CRNS sensors, partly co-located with the permanent ones; 27 SWC profiles (mostly permanent); two groundwater observation wells; meteorological records; and Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R). Complementary to these continuous measurements, numerous campaign-based activities provided data by mobile CRNS roving, hyperspectral im-agery via UASs, intensive manual sampling of soil properties (SWC, bulk density, organic matter, texture, soil hydraulic properties), and observations of biomass and snow (cover, depth, and density). The unique temporal coverage of 3 years entails a broad spectrum of hydro-meteorological conditions, including exceptional drought periods and extreme rainfall but also episodes of snow coverage, as well as a dedicated irrigation experiment. Apart from serving to advance CRNS-related retrieval methods, this data set is expected to be useful for vari-ous disciplines, for example, soil and groundwater hydrology, agriculture, or remote sensing. Hence, we show exemplary features of the data set in order to highlight the potential for such subsequent studies. The data are available at doi.org/10.23728/b2share.551095325d74431881185fba1eb09c95 (Heistermann et al., 2022b). Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3243-2023 SN - 1866-3508 SN - 1866-3516 VL - 15 IS - 7 SP - 3243 EP - 3262 PB - Copernics Publications CY - Katlenburg-Lindau ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shams, Boshra A1 - Wang, Ziqian A1 - Roine, Timo A1 - Aydogan, Dogu Baran A1 - Vajkoczy, Peter A1 - Lippert, Christoph A1 - Picht, Thomas A1 - Fekonja, Lucius Samo T1 - Machine learning-based prediction of motor status in glioma patients using diffusion MRI metrics along the corticospinal tract JF - Brain communications N2 - Shams et al. report that glioma patients' motor status is predicted accurately by diffusion MRI metrics along the corticospinal tract based on support vector machine method, reaching an overall accuracy of 77%. They show that these metrics are more effective than demographic and clinical variables. Along tract statistics enables white matter characterization using various diffusion MRI metrics. These diffusion models reveal detailed insights into white matter microstructural changes with development, pathology and function. Here, we aim at assessing the clinical utility of diffusion MRI metrics along the corticospinal tract, investigating whether motor glioma patients can be classified with respect to their motor status. We retrospectively included 116 brain tumour patients suffering from either left or right supratentorial, unilateral World Health Organization Grades II, III and IV gliomas with a mean age of 53.51 +/- 16.32 years. Around 37% of patients presented with preoperative motor function deficits according to the Medical Research Council scale. At group level comparison, the highest non-overlapping diffusion MRI differences were detected in the superior portion of the tracts' profiles. Fractional anisotropy and fibre density decrease, apparent diffusion coefficient axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity increase. To predict motor deficits, we developed a method based on a support vector machine using histogram-based features of diffusion MRI tract profiles (e.g. mean, standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness), following a recursive feature elimination method. Our model achieved high performance (74% sensitivity, 75% specificity, 74% overall accuracy and 77% area under the curve). We found that apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity contributed more than other features to the model. Incorporating the patient demographics and clinical features such as age, tumour World Health Organization grade, tumour location, gender and resting motor threshold did not affect the model's performance, revealing that these features were not as effective as microstructural measures. These results shed light on the potential patterns of tumour-related microstructural white matter changes in the prediction of functional deficits. KW - machine learning KW - support vector machine KW - tractography KW - diffusion MRI; KW - corticospinal tract Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac141 SN - 2632-1297 VL - 4 IS - 3 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Carvalho Souza, Alyson Matheus A1 - Barrocas, Roberta A1 - Fischer, Martin H. A1 - Arnaud, Emanuel A1 - Moeller, Korbinian A1 - Rennó-Costa, César T1 - Combining virtual reality and tactile stimulation to investigate embodied finger-based numerical representations JF - Frontiers in psychology / Frontiers Research Foundation N2 - Finger-based representation of numbers is a high-level cognitive strategy to assist numerical and arithmetic processing in children and adults. It is unclear whether this paradigm builds on simple perceptual features or comprises several attributes through embodiment. Here we describe the development and initial testing of an experimental setup to study embodiment during a finger-based numerical task using Virtual Reality (VR) and a low-cost tactile stimulator that is easy to build. Using VR allows us to create new ways to study finger-based numerical representation using a virtual hand that can be manipulated in ways our hand cannot, such as decoupling tactile and visual stimuli. The goal is to present a new methodology that can allow researchers to study embodiment through this new approach, maybe shedding new light on the cognitive strategy behind the finger-based representation of numbers. In this case, a critical methodological requirement is delivering precisely targeted sensory stimuli to specific effectors while simultaneously recording their behavior and engaging the participant in a simulated experience. We tested the device's capability by stimulating users in different experimental configurations. Results indicate that our device delivers reliable tactile stimulation to all fingers of a participant's hand without losing motion tracking quality during an ongoing task. This is reflected by an accuracy of over 95% in participants detecting stimulation of a single finger or multiple fingers in sequential stimulation as indicated by experiments with sixteen participants. We discuss possible application scenarios, explain how to apply our methodology to study the embodiment of finger-based numerical representations and other high-level cognitive functions, and discuss potential further developments of the device based on the data obtained in our testing. KW - virtual reality KW - numerical cognition KW - finger counting KW - embodied cognition KW - cognitive science KW - virtual environment Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119561 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 14 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stübler, Sabine A1 - Kloft, Charlotte A1 - Huisinga, Wilhelm T1 - Cell-level systems biology model to study inflammatory bowel diseases and their treatment options JF - CPT: pharmacometrics & systems pharmacology N2 - To help understand the complex and therapeutically challenging inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), we developed a systems biology model of the intestinal immune system that is able to describe main aspects of IBD and different treatment modalities thereof. The model, including key cell types and processes of the mucosal immune response, compiles a large amount of isolated experimental findings from literature into a larger context and allows for simulations of different inflammation scenarios based on the underlying data and assumptions. In the context of a large and diverse virtual IBD population, we characterized the patients based on their phenotype (in contrast to healthy individuals, they developed persistent inflammation after a trigger event) rather than on a priori assumptions on parameter differences to a healthy individual. This allowed to reproduce the enormous diversity of predispositions known to lead to IBD. Analyzing different treatment effects, the model provides insight into characteristics of individual drug therapy. We illustrate for anti-TNF-alpha therapy, how the model can be used (i) to decide for alternative treatments with best prospects in the case of nonresponse, and (ii) to identify promising combination therapies with other available treatment options. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/psp4.12932 SN - 2163-8306 VL - 12 IS - 5 SP - 690 EP - 705 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kaya, Mustafa Yücel A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Frieling, Joost A1 - Fioroni, Chiara A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Altıner, Sevinç Özkan A1 - Vardar, Ezgi A1 - Tanyas, Hakan A1 - Mamtimin, Mehmut A1 - Zhaojie, Guo T1 - The Eurasian epicontinental sea was an important carbon sink during the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum JF - Communications earth and environment N2 - The Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (ca. 56 million years ago) offers a primary analogue for future global warming and carbon cycle recovery. Yet, where and how massive carbon emissions were mitigated during this climate warming event remains largely unknown. Here we show that organic carbon burial in the vast epicontinental seaways that extended over Eurasia provided a major carbon sink during the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. We coupled new and existing stratigraphic analyses to a detailed paleogeographic framework and using spatiotemporal interpolation calculated ca. 720–1300 Gt organic carbon excess burial, focused in the eastern parts of the Eurasian epicontinental seaways. A much larger amount (2160–3900 Gt C, and when accounting for the increase in inundated shelf area 7400–10300 Gt C) could have been sequestered in similar environments globally. With the disappearance of most epicontinental seas since the Oligocene-Miocene, an effective negative carbon cycle feedback also disappeared making the modern carbon cycle critically dependent on the slower silicate weathering feedback. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00451-4 SN - 2662-4435 VL - 3 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van Soest, Heleen L. A1 - Aleluia Reis, Lara A1 - Baptista, Luiz Bernardo A1 - Bertram, Christoph A1 - Després, Jacques A1 - Drouet, Laurent A1 - den Elzen, Michel A1 - Fragkos, Panagiotis A1 - Fricko, Oliver A1 - Fujimori, Shinichiro A1 - Grant, Neil A1 - Harmsen, Mathijs A1 - Iyer, Gokul A1 - Keramidas, Kimon A1 - Köberle, Alexandre C. A1 - Kriegler, Elmar A1 - Malik, Aman A1 - Mittal, Shivika A1 - Oshiro, Ken A1 - Riahi, Keywan A1 - Roelfsema, Mark A1 - van Ruijven, Bas A1 - Schaeffer, Roberto A1 - Silva Herran, Diego A1 - Tavoni, Massimo A1 - Ünlü, Gamze A1 - Vandyck, Toon A1 - van Vuuren, Detlef P. T1 - Global roll-out of comprehensive policy measures may aid in bridging emissions gap JF - Nature communications N2 - Closing the emissions gap between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the global emissions levels needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate goals will require a comprehensive package of policy measures. National and sectoral policies can help fill the gap, but success stories in one country cannot be automatically replicated in other countries. They need to be adapted to the local context. Here, we develop a new Bridge scenario based on nationally relevant, short-term measures informed by interactions with country experts. These good practice policies are rolled out globally between now and 2030 and combined with carbon pricing thereafter. We implement this scenario with an ensemble of global integrated assessment models. We show that the Bridge scenario closes two-thirds of the emissions gap between NDC and 2 °C scenarios by 2030 and enables a pathway in line with the 2 °C goal when combined with the necessary long-term changes, i.e. more comprehensive pricing measures after 2030. The Bridge scenario leads to a scale-up of renewable energy (reaching 52%–88% of global electricity supply by 2050), electrification of end-uses, efficiency improvements in energy demand sectors, and enhanced afforestation and reforestation. Our analysis suggests that early action via good-practice policies is less costly than a delay in global climate cooperation. KW - climate-change mitigation KW - climate-change policy Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26595-z VL - 12 IS - 1 PB - Nature Publishing Group UK CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ye, Fangyuan A1 - Zhang, Shuo A1 - Warby, Jonathan A1 - Wu, Jiawei A1 - Gutierrez-Partida, Emilio A1 - Lang, Felix A1 - Shah, Sahil A1 - Saglamkaya, Elifnaz A1 - Sun, Bowen A1 - Zu, Fengshuo A1 - Shoai, Safa A1 - Wang, Haifeng A1 - Stiller, Burkhard A1 - Neher, Dieter A1 - Zhu, Wei-Hong A1 - Stolterfoht, Martin A1 - Wu, Yongzhen T1 - Overcoming C₆₀-induced interfacial recombination in inverted perovskite solar cells by electron-transporting carborane JF - Nature Communications N2 - Inverted perovskite solar cells still suffer from significant non-radiative recombination losses at the perovskite surface and across the perovskite/C₆₀ interface, limiting the future development of perovskite-based single- and multi-junction photovoltaics. Therefore, more effective inter- or transport layers are urgently required. To tackle these recombination losses, we introduce ortho-carborane as an interlayer material that has a spherical molecular structure and a three-dimensional aromaticity. Based on a variety of experimental techniques, we show that ortho-carborane decorated with phenylamino groups effectively passivates the perovskite surface and essentially eliminates the non-radiative recombination loss across the perovskite/C₆₀ interface with high thermal stability. We further demonstrate the potential of carborane as an electron transport material, facilitating electron extraction while blocking holes from the interface. The resulting inverted perovskite solar cells deliver a power conversion efficiency of over 23% with a low non-radiative voltage loss of 110 mV, and retain >97% of the initial efficiency after 400 h of maximum power point tracking. Overall, the designed carborane based interlayer simultaneously enables passivation, electron-transport and hole-blocking and paves the way toward more efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34203-x SN - 2041-1723 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehrig, Lukas A1 - Wagner, Ann-Christin A1 - Wolter, Heike A1 - Correll, Christoph U. A1 - Geisel, Olga A1 - Konigorski, Stefan T1 - FASDetect as a machine learning-based screening app for FASD in youth with ADHD JF - npj Digital Medicine N2 - Fetal alcohol-spectrum disorder (FASD) is underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we develop a screening tool for FASD in youth with ADHD symptoms. To develop the prediction model, medical record data from a German University outpatient unit are assessed including 275 patients aged 0-19 years old with FASD with or without ADHD and 170 patients with ADHD without FASD aged 0-19 years old. We train 6 machine learning models based on 13 selected variables and evaluate their performance. Random forest models yield the best prediction models with a cross-validated AUC of 0.92 (95% confidence interval [0.84, 0.99]). Follow-up analyses indicate that a random forest model with 6 variables - body length and head circumference at birth, IQ, socially intrusive behaviour, poor memory and sleep disturbance - yields equivalent predictive accuracy. We implement the prediction model in a web-based app called FASDetect - a user-friendly, clinically scalable FASD risk calculator that is freely available at https://fasdetect.dhc-lab.hpi.de. KW - Medical research KW - Psychiatric disorders Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00864-1 SN - 2398-6352 VL - 6 IS - 1 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited CY - Basingstoke ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Slosarek, Tamara A1 - Ibing, Susanne A1 - Schormair, Barbara A1 - Heyne, Henrike A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Andlauer, Till A1 - Schurmann, Claudia T1 - Implementation and evaluation of personal genetic testing as part of genomics analysis courses in German universities JF - BMC Medical Genomics N2 - Purpose Due to the increasing application of genome analysis and interpretation in medical disciplines, professionals require adequate education. Here, we present the implementation of personal genotyping as an educational tool in two genomics courses targeting Digital Health students at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and medical students at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Methods We compared and evaluated the courses and the students ' perceptions on the course setup using questionnaires. Results During the course, students changed their attitudes towards genotyping (HPI: 79% [15 of 19], TUM: 47% [25 of 53]). Predominantly, students became more critical of personal genotyping (HPI: 73% [11 of 15], TUM: 72% [18 of 25]) and most students stated that genetic analyses should not be allowed without genetic counseling (HPI: 79% [15 of 19], TUM: 70% [37 of 53]). Students found the personal genotyping component useful (HPI: 89% [17 of 19], TUM: 92% [49 of 53]) and recommended its inclusion in future courses (HPI: 95% [18 of 19], TUM: 98% [52 of 53]). Conclusion Students perceived the personal genotyping component as valuable in the described genomics courses. The implementation described here can serve as an example for future courses in Europe. KW - Genomics education KW - Personal genotyping KW - Personalized medicine Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-023-01503-0 SN - 1755-8794 VL - 16 IS - 1 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Rieskamp, Jonas A1 - Mirbabaie, Milad A1 - Hofeditz, Lennart A1 - Vischedyk, Justin T1 - Conversational agents and their influence on the well-being of cliniciansclinicians T2 - ACIS 2023 proceedings N2 - An increasing number of clinicians (i.e., nurses and physicians) suffer from mental health-related issues like depression and burnout. These, in turn, stress communication, collaboration, and decision- making—areas in which Conversational Agents (CAs) have shown to be useful. Thus, in this work, we followed a mixed-method approach and systematically analysed the literature on factors affecting the well-being of clinicians and CAs’ potential to improve said well-being by relieving support in communication, collaboration, and decision-making in hospitals. In this respect, we are guided by Brigham et al. (2018)’s model of factors influencing well-being. Based on an initial number of 840 articles, we further analysed 52 papers in more detail and identified the influences of CAs’ fields of application on external and individual factors affecting clinicians’ well-being. As our second method, we will conduct interviews with clinicians and experts on CAs to verify and extend these influencing factors. KW - conversational agents KW - well-being KW - mental health KW - hospitals KW - clinicians Y1 - 2023 UR - https://aisel.aisnet.org/acis2023/66 PB - Australasian Association for Information Systems CY - Wellington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Numberger, Daniela A1 - Ganzert, Lars A1 - Zoccarato, Luca A1 - Mühldorfer, Kristin A1 - Sauer, Sascha A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Greenwood, Alex D. T1 - Characterization of bacterial communities in wastewater with enhanced taxonomic resolution by full-length 16S rRNA sequencing JF - Scientific reports N2 - Wastewater treatment is crucial to environmental hygiene in urban environments. However, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) collect chemicals, organic matter, and microorganisms including pathogens and multi-resistant bacteria from various sources which may be potentially released into the environment via WWTP effluent. To better understand microbial dynamics in WWTPs, we characterized and compared the bacterial community of the inflow and effluent of a WWTP in Berlin, Germany using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, which allowed for species level determination in many cases and generally resolved bacterial taxa. Significantly distinct bacterial communities were identified in the wastewater inflow and effluent samples. Dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) varied both temporally and spatially. Disease associated bacterial groups were efficiently reduced in their relative abundance from the effluent by the WWTP treatment process, except for Legionella and Leptospira species which demonstrated an increase in relative proportion from inflow to effluent. This indicates that WWTPs, while effective against enteric bacteria, may enrich and release other potentially pathogenic bacteria into the environment. The taxonomic resolution of full-length 16S rRNA genes allows for improved characterization of potential pathogenic taxa and other harmful bacteria which is required to reliably assess health risk. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46015-z SN - 2045-2322 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kupfer, Thomas A1 - Bauer, Evan B. A1 - van Roestel, Jan A1 - Bellm, Eric C. A1 - Bildsten, Lars A1 - Fuller, Jim A1 - Prince, Thomas A. A1 - Heber, Ulrich A1 - Geier, Stephan A1 - Green, Matthew J. A1 - Kulkarni, Shrinivas R. A1 - Bloemen, Steven A1 - Laher, Russ R. A1 - Rusholme, Ben A1 - Schneider, David T1 - Discovery of a Double-detonation Thermonuclear Supernova Progenitor JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - We present the discovery of a new double-detonation progenitor system consisting of a hot subdwarf B (sdB) binary with a white dwarf companion with a P (orb) = 76.34179(2) minutes orbital period. Spectroscopic observations are consistent with an sdB star during helium core burning residing on the extreme horizontal branch. Chimera light curves are dominated by ellipsoidal deformation of the sdB star and a weak eclipse of the companion white dwarf. Combining spectroscopic and light curve fits, we find a low-mass sdB star, M (sdB) = 0.383 +/- 0.028 M (circle dot) with a massive white dwarf companion, M (WD) = 0.725 +/- 0.026 M (circle dot). From the eclipses we find a blackbody temperature for the white dwarf of 26,800 K resulting in a cooling age of approximate to 25 Myr whereas our MESA model predicts an sdB age of approximate to 170 Myr. We conclude that the sdB formed first through stable mass transfer followed by a common envelope which led to the formation of the white dwarf companion approximate to 25 Myr ago. Using the MESA stellar evolutionary code we find that the sdB star will start mass transfer in approximate to 6 Myr and in approximate to 60 Myr the white dwarf will reach a total mass of 0.92 M (circle dot) with a thick helium layer of 0.17 M (circle dot). This will lead to a detonation that will likely destroy the white dwarf in a peculiar thermonuclear supernova. PTF1 J2238+7430 is only the second confirmed candidate for a double-detonation thermonuclear supernova. Using both systems we estimate that at least approximate to 1% of white dwarf thermonuclear supernovae originate from sdB+WD binaries with thick helium layers, consistent with the small number of observed peculiar thermonuclear explosions. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac48f1 SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 925 IS - 2 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Palmer, Matthew D. A1 - Gregory, Jonathan A1 - Bagge, Meike A1 - Calvert, Daley A1 - Hagedoorn, Jan Marius A1 - Howard, Tom A1 - Klemann, Volker A1 - Lowe, Jason A. A1 - Roberts, Chris A1 - Slangen, Aimee B. A. A1 - Spada, Giorgio T1 - Exploring the drivers of global and local sea‐level change over the 21st century and beyond JF - Earth's future N2 - We present a new set of global and local sea‐level projections at example tide gauge locations under the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 emissions scenarios. Compared to the CMIP5‐based sea‐level projections presented in IPCC AR5, we introduce a number of methodological innovations, including (i) more comprehensive treatment of uncertainties, (ii) direct traceability between global and local projections, and (iii) exploratory extended projections to 2300 based on emulation of individual CMIP5 models. Combining the projections with observed tide gauge records, we explore the contribution to total variance that arises from sea‐level variability, different emissions scenarios, and model uncertainty. For the period out to 2300 we further breakdown the model uncertainty by sea‐level component and consider the dependence on geographic location, time horizon, and emissions scenario. Our analysis highlights the importance of local variability for sea‐level change in the coming decades and the potential value of annual‐to‐decadal predictions of local sea‐level change. Projections to 2300 show a substantial degree of committed sea‐level rise under all emissions scenarios considered and highlight the reduced future risk associated with RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 compared to RCP8.5. Tide gauge locations can show large ( > 50%) departures from the global average, in some cases even reversing the sign of the change. While uncertainty in projections of the future Antarctic ice dynamic response tends to dominate post‐2100, we see substantial differences in the breakdown of model variance as a function of location, time scale, and emissions scenario. KW - climate change KW - CMIP5 models KW - RCP scenarios KW - sea-level projections KW - tide gauge observations Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EF001413 SN - 2328-4277 VL - 8 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 25 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Garbulowski, Mateusz A1 - Smolinska, Karolina A1 - Çabuk, Uğur A1 - Yones, Sara A. A1 - Celli, Ludovica A1 - Yaz, Esma Nur A1 - Barrenas, Fredrik A1 - Diamanti, Klev A1 - Wadelius, Claes A1 - Komorowski, Jan T1 - Machine learning-based analysis of glioma grades reveals co-enrichment JF - Cancers N2 - Simple Summary Gliomas are heterogenous types of cancer, therefore the therapy should be personalized and targeted toward specific pathways. We developed a methodology that corrected strong batch effects from The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets and estimated glioma grade-specific co-enrichment mechanisms using machine learning. Our findings created hypotheses for annotations, e.g., pathways, that should be considered as therapeutic targets. Gliomas develop and grow in the brain and central nervous system. Examining glioma grading processes is valuable for improving therapeutic challenges. One of the most extensive repositories storing transcriptomics data for gliomas is The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). However, such big cohorts should be processed with caution and evaluated thoroughly as they can contain batch and other effects. Furthermore, biological mechanisms of cancer contain interactions among biomarkers. Thus, we applied an interpretable machine learning approach to discover such relationships. This type of transparent learning provides not only good predictability, but also reveals co-predictive mechanisms among features. In this study, we corrected the strong and confounded batch effect in the TCGA glioma data. We further used the corrected datasets to perform comprehensive machine learning analysis applied on single-sample gene set enrichment scores using collections from the Molecular Signature Database. Furthermore, using rule-based classifiers, we displayed networks of co-enrichment related to glioma grades. Moreover, we validated our results using the external glioma cohorts. We believe that utilizing corrected glioma cohorts from TCGA may improve the application and validation of any future studies. Finally, the co-enrichment and survival analysis provided detailed explanations for glioma progression and consequently, it should support the targeted treatment. KW - glioma KW - machine learning KW - batch effect KW - TCGA KW - co-enrichment KW - rough sets Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14041014 SN - 2072-6694 VL - 14 IS - 4 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ilicic, Doris A1 - Woodhouse, Jason Nicholas A1 - Karsten, Ulf A1 - Zimmermann, Jonas A1 - Wichard, Thomas A1 - Quartino, Maria Liliana A1 - Campana, Gabriela Laura A1 - Livenets, Alexandra A1 - Van den Wyngaert, Silke A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Antarctic Glacial Meltwater Impacts the Diversity of Fungal Parasites Associated With Benthic Diatoms in Shallow Coastal Zones JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Aquatic ecosystems are frequently overlooked as fungal habitats, although there is increasing evidence that their diversity and ecological importance are greater than previously considered. Aquatic fungi are critical and abundant components of nutrient cycling and food web dynamics, e.g., exerting top-down control on phytoplankton communities and forming symbioses with many marine microorganisms. However, their relevance for microphytobenthic communities is almost unexplored. In the light of global warming, polar regions face extreme changes in abiotic factors with a severe impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to describe, for the first time, fungal diversity in Antarctic benthic habitats along the salinity gradient and to determine the co-occurrence of fungal parasites with their algal hosts, which were dominated by benthic diatoms. Our results reveal that Ascomycota and Chytridiomycota are the most abundant fungal taxa in these habitats. We show that also in Antarctic waters, salinity has a major impact on shaping not just fungal but rather the whole eukaryotic community composition, with a diversity of aquatic fungi increasing as salinity decreases. Moreover, we determined correlations between putative fungal parasites and potential benthic diatom hosts, highlighting the need for further systematic analysis of fungal diversity along with studies on taxonomy and ecological roles of Chytridiomycota. KW - Antarctica KW - aquatic fungi KW - Chytridiomycota KW - phytoplankton host KW - salinity gradient KW - Illumina amplicon sequencing KW - Carlini Station Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.805694 SN - 1664-302X IS - 13 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Numberger, Daniela A1 - Dreier, Carola A1 - Vullioud, Colin A1 - Gabriel, Guelsah A1 - Greenwood, Alex D. A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Correction: Recovery of influenza A viruses from lake water and sediments by experimental inoculation (vol 14, e0216880, 2019) T2 - PLoS one Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218882 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 14 IS - 6 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nwosu, Ebuka Canisius A1 - Roeser, Patricia Angelika A1 - Yang, Sizhong A1 - Ganzert, Lars A1 - Dellwig, Olaf A1 - Pinkerneil, Sylvia A1 - Brauer, Achim A1 - Dittmann, Elke A1 - Wagner, Dirk A1 - Liebner, Susanne T1 - From water into sediment-tracing freshwater cyanobacteria via DNA analyses JF - Microorganisms : open access journal N2 - Sedimentary ancient DNA-based studies have been used to probe centuries of climate and environmental changes and how they affected cyanobacterial assemblages in temperate lakes. Due to cyanobacteria containing potential bloom-forming and toxin-producing taxa, their approximate reconstruction from sediments is crucial, especially in lakes lacking long-term monitoring data. To extend the resolution of sediment record interpretation, we used high-throughput sequencing, amplicon sequence variant (ASV) analysis, and quantitative PCR to compare pelagic cyanobacterial composition to that in sediment traps (collected monthly) and surface sediments in Lake Tiefer See. Cyanobacterial composition, species richness, and evenness was not significantly different among the pelagic depths, sediment traps and surface sediments (p > 0.05), indicating that the cyanobacteria in the sediments reflected the cyanobacterial assemblage in the water column. However, total cyanobacterial abundances (qPCR) decreased from the metalimnion down the water column. The aggregate-forming (Aphanizomenon) and colony-forming taxa (Snowella) showed pronounced sedimentation. In contrast, Planktothrix was only very poorly represented in sediment traps (meta- and hypolimnion) and surface sediments, despite its highest relative abundance at the thermocline (10 m water depth) during periods of lake stratification (May-October). We conclude that this skewed representation in taxonomic abundances reflects taphonomic processes, which should be considered in future DNA-based paleolimnological investigations. KW - Aphanizomenon KW - Planktothrix KW - Snowella KW - cyanobacteria sedimentation KW - lake monitoring KW - sedimentary ancient DNA KW - sediment traps KW - environmental reconstruction Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9081778 SN - 2076-2607 VL - 9 IS - 8 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nwosu, Ebuka Canisius A1 - Roeser, Patricia Angelika A1 - Yang, Sizhong A1 - Pinkerneil, Sylvia A1 - Ganzert, Lars A1 - Dittmann, Elke A1 - Brauer, Achim A1 - Wagner, Dirk A1 - Liebner, Susanne T1 - Species-level spatio-temporal dynamics of cyanobacteria in a hard-water temperate lake in the Southern Baltics JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Cyanobacteria are important primary producers in temperate freshwater ecosystems. However, studies on the seasonal and spatial distribution of cyanobacteria in deep lakes based on high-throughput DNA sequencing are still rare. In this study, we combined monthly water sampling and monitoring in 2019, amplicon sequence variants analysis (ASVs; a proxy for different species) and quantitative PCR targeting overall cyanobacteria abundance to describe the seasonal and spatial dynamics of cyanobacteria in the deep hard-water oligo-mesotrophic Lake Tiefer See, NE Germany. We observed significant seasonal variation in the cyanobacterial community composition (p < 0.05) in the epi- and metalimnion layers, but not in the hypolimnion. In winter-when the water column is mixed-picocyanobacteria (Synechococcus and Cyanobium) were dominant. With the onset of stratification in late spring, we observed potential niche specialization and coexistence among the cyanobacteria taxa driven mainly by light and nutrient dynamics. Specifically, ASVs assigned to picocyanobacteria and the genus Planktothrix were the main contributors to the formation of deep chlorophyll maxima along a light gradient. While Synechococcus and different Cyanobium ASVs were abundant in the epilimnion up to the base of the euphotic zone from spring to fall, Planktothrix mainly occurred in the metalimnetic layer below the euphotic zone where also overall cyanobacteria abundance was highest in summer. Our data revealed two potentially psychrotolerant (cold-adapted) Cyanobium species that appear to cope well under conditions of lower hypolimnetic water temperature and light as well as increasing sediment-released phosphate in the deeper waters in summer. The potential cold-adapted Cyanobium species were also dominant throughout the water column in fall and winter. Furthermore, Snowella and Microcystis-related ASVs were abundant in the water column during the onset of fall turnover. Altogether, these findings suggest previously unascertained and considerable spatiotemporal changes in the community of cyanobacteria on the species level especially within the genus Cyanobium in deep hard-water temperate lakes. KW - Cyanobium KW - picocyanobacteria diversity KW - amplicon sequencing KW - lake monitoring KW - ecological succession KW - lake stratification KW - psychrotolerant Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.761259 SN - 1664-302X VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zoccarato, Luca A1 - Sher, Daniel A1 - Miki, Takeshi A1 - Segre, Daniel A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - A comparative whole-genome approach identifies bacterial traits for marine microbial interactions JF - Communications biology N2 - Luca Zoccarato, Daniel Sher et al. leverage publicly available bacterial genomes from marine and other environments to examine traits underlying microbial interactions. Their results provide a valuable resource to investigate clusters of functional and linked traits to better understand marine bacteria community assembly and dynamics. Microbial interactions shape the structure and function of microbial communities with profound consequences for biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem health. Yet, most interaction mechanisms are studied only in model systems and their prevalence is unknown. To systematically explore the functional and interaction potential of sequenced marine bacteria, we developed a trait-based approach, and applied it to 473 complete genomes (248 genera), representing a substantial fraction of marine microbial communities. We identified genome functional clusters (GFCs) which group bacterial taxa with common ecology and life history. Most GFCs revealed unique combinations of interaction traits, including the production of siderophores (10% of genomes), phytohormones (3-8%) and different B vitamins (57-70%). Specific GFCs, comprising Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, displayed more interaction traits than expected by chance, and are thus predicted to preferentially interact synergistically and/or antagonistically with bacteria and phytoplankton. Linked trait clusters (LTCs) identify traits that may have evolved to act together (e.g., secretion systems, nitrogen metabolism regulation and B vitamin transporters), providing testable hypotheses for complex mechanisms of microbial interactions. Our approach translates multidimensional genomic information into an atlas of marine bacteria and their putative functions, relevant for understanding the fundamental rules that govern community assembly and dynamics. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03184-4 SN - 2399-3642 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Köhler, Raphael H. A1 - Handorf, Dörthe A1 - Jaiser, Ralf A1 - Dethloff, Klaus A1 - Zängl, Günther A1 - Majewski, Detlev A1 - Rex, Markus T1 - Improved circulation in the Northern hemisphere by adjusting gravity wave drag parameterizations in seasonal experiments with ICON-NWP JF - Earth and Space Science : ESS N2 - The stratosphere is one of the main potential sources for subseasonal to seasonal predictability in midlatitudes in winter. The ability of an atmospheric model to realistically simulate the stratospheric dynamics is essential in order to move forward in the field of seasonal predictions in midlatitudes. Earlier studies with the ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic atmospheric model (ICON) point out that stratospheric westerlies in ICON are underestimated. This is the first extensive study on the evaluation of Northern Hemisphere stratospheric winter circulation with ICON in numerical weather prediction (NWP) mode. Seasonal experiments with the default setup are able to reproduce the basic climatology of the stratospheric polar vortex. However, westerlies are too weak and major stratospheric warmings too frequent in ICON. Both a reduction of the nonorographic, and a reduction of the orographic gravity wave and wake drag lead to a strengthening of the stratospheric vortex and a bias reduction, in particular in January. However, the effect of the nonorographic gravity wave drag scheme on the stratosphere is stronger. Stratosphere-troposphere coupling is intensified and more realistic due to a reduced gravity wave drag. Furthermore, an adjustment of the subgrid-scale orographic drag parameterization leads to a significant error reduction in the mean sea level pressure. As a result of these findings, we present our current suggested improved setup for seasonal experiments with ICON-NWP.
Plain Language Summary Although seasonal forecasts for midlatitudes have the potential to be highly beneficial to the public sector, they are still characterized by a large amount of uncertainty. Exact simulations of the circulation in the stratosphere can help to improve tropospheric predictability on seasonal time scales. For this reason, we investigate how well the new German atmospheric model is able to simulate the stratospheric circulation. The model reproduces the basic behavior of the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric polar vortex, but the westerly circulation in winter is underestimated. The stratospheric circulation is influenced by gravity waves that exert drag on the flow. These processes are only partly physically represented in the model, but are very important and are hence parameterized. By adjusting the parameterizations for the gravity wave drag, the stratospheric polar vortex is strengthened, thereby yielding a more realistic stratospheric circulation. In addition, the altered parameterizations improve the simulated surface pressure pattern. Based upon this, we present our current suggested improved model setup for seasonal experiments. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EA001676 SN - 2333-5084 VL - 8 IS - 3 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Malden, Mass. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hartmann, Stefanie A1 - Hasenkamp, Natascha A1 - Mayer, Jens A1 - Michaux, Johan A1 - Morand, Serge A1 - Mazzoni, Camila J. A1 - Roca, Alfred L. A1 - Greenwood, Alex D. T1 - Endogenous murine leukemia retroviral variation across wild European and inbred strains of house mouse JF - BMC genomics N2 - Background: Endogenous murine leukemia retroviruses (MLVs) are high copy number proviral elements difficult to comprehensively characterize using standard low throughput sequencing approaches. However, high throughput approaches generate data that is challenging to process, interpret and present. Results: Next generation sequencing (NGS) data was generated for MLVs from two wild caught Mus musculus domesticus (from mainland France and Corsica) and for inbred laboratory mouse strains C3H, LP/J and SJL. Sequence reads were grouped using a novel sequence clustering approach as applied to retroviral sequences. A Markov cluster algorithm was employed, and the sequence reads were queried for matches to specific xenotropic (Xmv), polytropic (Pmv) and modified polytropic (Mpmv) viral reference sequences. Conclusions: Various MLV subtypes were more widespread than expected among the mice, which may be due to the higher coverage of NGS, or to the presence of similar sequence across many different proviral loci. The results did not correlate with variation in the major MLV receptor Xpr1, which can restrict exogenous MLVs, suggesting that endogenous MLV distribution may reflect gene flow more than past resistance to infection. KW - Murine leukemia virus KW - Endogenous retrovirus KW - Xpr1 KW - XMRV KW - Genomic evolution KW - Markov cluster algorithm Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-015-1766-z SN - 1471-2164 VL - 16 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Romanowsky, Erik A1 - Handorf, Dörthe A1 - Jaiser, Ralf A1 - Wohltmann, Ingo A1 - Dorn, Wolfgang A1 - Ukita, Jinro A1 - Cohen, Judah A1 - Dethloff, Klaus A1 - Rex, Markus T1 - The role of stratospheric ozone for Arctic-midlatitude linkages JF - Scientific reports N2 - Arctic warming was more pronounced than warming in midlatitudes in the last decades making this region a hotspot of climate change. Associated with this, a rapid decline of sea-ice extent and a decrease of its thickness has been observed. Sea-ice retreat allows for an increased transport of heat and momentum from the ocean up to the tropo- and stratosphere by enhanced upward propagation of planetary-scale atmospheric waves. In the upper atmosphere, these waves deposit the momentum transported, disturbing the stratospheric polar vortex, which can lead to a breakdown of this circulation with the potential to also significantly impact the troposphere in mid- to late-winter and early spring. Therefore, an accurate representation of stratospheric processes in climate models is necessary to improve the understanding of the impact of retreating sea ice on the atmospheric circulation. By modeling the atmospheric response to a prescribed decline in Arctic sea ice, we show that including interactive stratospheric ozone chemistry in atmospheric model calculations leads to an improvement in tropo-stratospheric interactions compared to simulations without interactive chemistry. This suggests that stratospheric ozone chemistry is important for the understanding of sea ice related impacts on atmospheric dynamics. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43823-1 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Numberger, Daniela A1 - Dreier, Carole A1 - Vullioud, Colin A1 - Gabriel, Gülsah A1 - Greenwood, Alex D. A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Recovery of influenza a viruses from lake water and sediments by experimental inoculation JF - PLoS one N2 - Influenza A viruses (IAV) are zoonotic pathogens relevant to human, domestic animal and wildlife health. Many avian IAVs are transmitted among waterfowl via a faecal-oral-route. Therefore, environmental water where waterfowl congregate may play an important role in the ecology and epidemiology of avian IAV. Water and sediment may sustain and transmit virus among individuals or species. It is unclear at what concentrations waterborne viruses are infectious or remain detectable. To address this, we performed lake water and sediment dilution experiments with varying concentrations or infectious doses of four IAV strains from seal, turkey, duck and gull. To test for infectivity of the IAV strains in a concentration dependent manner, we applied cultivation to specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells. IAV recovery was more effective from embryonated chicken eggs than MDCK cells for freshwater lake dilutions, whereas, MDCK cells were more effective for viral recovery from sediment samples. Low infectious dose (1 PFU/200 mu L) was sufficient in most cases to detect and recover IAV from lake water dilutions. Sediment required higher initial infectious doses (>= 100 PFU/200 mu L). Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216880 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 14 IS - 5 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gisch, Ulrike Alexandra A1 - Robert, Margaux A1 - Berlin, Noemi A1 - Nebout, Antoine A1 - Etile, Fabrice A1 - Teyssier, Sabrina A1 - Andreeva, Valentina A. A1 - Hercberg, Serge A1 - Touvier, Mathilde A1 - Peneau, Sandrine T1 - Mastery is associated with weight status, food intake, snacking, and eating disorder symptoms in the NutriNet-Sante cohort study JF - Frontiers in Nutrition N2 - Mastery is a psychological resource that is defined as the extent to which individuals perceive having control over important circumstances of their lives. Although mastery has been associated with various physical and psychological health outcomes, studies assessing its relationship with weight status and dietary behavior are lacking. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between mastery and weight status, food intake, snacking, and eating disorder (ED) symptoms in the NutriNet-Sante cohort study. Mastery was measured with the Pearlin Mastery Scale (PMS) in 32,588 adults (77.45% female), the mean age was 50.04 (14.53) years. Height and weight were self-reported. Overall diet quality and food group consumption were evaluated with >= 3 self-reported 24-h dietary records (range: 3-27). Snacking was assessed with an ad-hoc question. ED symptoms were assessed with the Sick-Control-One-Fat-Food Questionnaire (SCOFF). Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between mastery and weight status, food intake, snacking, and ED symptoms, controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Females with a higher level of mastery were less likely to be underweight (OR: 0.88; 95%CI: 0.84, 0.93), overweight [OR: 0.94 (0.91, 0.97)], or obese [class I: OR: 0.86 (0.82, 0.90); class II: OR: 0.76 (0.71, 0.82); class III: OR: 0.77 (0.69, 0.86)]. Males with a higher level of mastery were less likely to be obese [class III: OR: 0.75 (0.57, 0.99)]. Mastery was associated with better diet quality overall, a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, seafood, wholegrain foods, legumes, non-salted oleaginous fruits, and alcoholic beverages and with a lower consumption of meat and poultry, dairy products, sugary and fatty products, milk-based desserts, and sweetened beverages. Mastery was also associated with lower snacking frequency [OR: 0.89 (0.86, 0.91)] and less ED symptoms [OR: 0.73 (0.71, 0.75)]. As mastery was associated with favorable dietary behavior and weight status, targeting mastery might be a promising approach in promoting healthy behaviors. KW - mastery KW - locus of control KW - weight status KW - diet quality KW - food group consumption KW - snacking KW - eating disorder symptoms KW - large population Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.871669 SN - 2296-861X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Marx, Julian A1 - Brünker, Felix A1 - Mirbabaie, Milad A1 - Stieglitz, Stefan ED - Bui, Tung X. T1 - Digital activism on social media BT - the role of brand ambassadors and corporate reputation management T2 - Proceedings of the 57th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences N2 - Social media constitute an important arena for public debates and steady interchange of issues relevant to society. To boost their reputation, commercial organizations also engage in political, social, or environmental debates on social media. To engage in this type of digital activism, organizations increasingly utilize the social media profiles of executive employees and other brand ambassadors. However, the relationship between brand ambassadors’ digital activism and corporate reputation is only vaguely understood. The results of a qualitative inquiry suggest that digital activism via brand ambassadors can be risky (e.g., creating additional surface for firestorms, financial loss) and rewarding (e.g., emitting authenticity, employing ‘megaphones’ for industry change) at the same time. The paper informs both scholarship and practitioners about strategic trade-offs that need to be considered when employing brand ambassadors for digital activism. KW - the bright and dark side of social media in the marginalized contexts KW - brand ambassadors KW - digital activism KW - reputation management KW - social media Y1 - 2024 UR - https://hdl.handle.net/10125/107250 SN - 978-0-99813-317-1 SP - 7205 EP - 7214 PB - Department of IT Management Shidler College of Business University of Hawaii CY - Honolulu, HI ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mirbabaie, Milad A1 - Rieskamp, Jonas A1 - Hofeditz, Lennart A1 - Stieglitz, Stefan ED - Bui, Tung X. T1 - Breaking down barriers BT - how conversational agents facilitate open science and data sharing T2 - Proceedings of the 57th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences N2 - Many researchers hesitate to provide full access to their datasets due to a lack of knowledge about research data management (RDM) tools and perceived fears, such as losing the value of one's own data. Existing tools and approaches often do not take into account these fears and missing knowledge. In this study, we examined how conversational agents (CAs) can provide a natural way of guidance through RDM processes and nudge researchers towards more data sharing. This work offers an online experiment in which researchers interacted with a CA on a self-developed RDM platform and a survey on participants’ data sharing behavior. Our findings indicate that the presence of a guiding and enlightening CA on an RDM platform has a constructive influence on both the intention to share data and the actual behavior of data sharing. Notably, individual factors do not appear to impede or hinder this effect. KW - open science practices in information systems research KW - conversational agents KW - data sharing KW - digital nudging KW - open science KW - research data management Y1 - 2024 UR - https://hdl.handle.net/10125/106457 SN - 978-0-99813-317-1 SP - 672 EP - 681 PB - Department of IT Management Shidler College of Business University of Hawaii CY - Honolulu, HI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Schmidt, Sabrina A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jacob, Jens T1 - Puumala hantavirus infections in bank vole populations BT - host and virus dynamics in Central Europe JF - BMC ecology N2 - Background In Europe, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are widely distributed and can transmit Puumala virus (PUUV) to humans, which causes a mild to moderate form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, called nephropathia epidemica. Uncovering the link between host and virus dynamics can help to prevent human PUUV infections in the future. Bank voles were live trapped three times a year in 2010–2013 in three woodland plots in each of four regions in Germany. Bank vole population density was estimated and blood samples collected to detect PUUV specific antibodies. Results We demonstrated that fluctuation of PUUV seroprevalence is dependent not only on multi-annual but also on seasonal dynamics of rodent host abundance. Moreover, PUUV infection might affect host fitness, because seropositive individuals survived better from spring to summer than uninfected bank voles. Individual space use was independent of PUUV infections. Conclusions Our study provides robust estimations of relevant patterns and processes of the dynamics of PUUV and its rodent host in Central Europe, which are highly important for the future development of predictive models for human hantavirus infection risk KW - Myodes glareolus KW - Population dynamics KW - Puumala virus seroprevalence KW - Space use KW - Survival Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-017-0118-z SN - 1472-6785 VL - 17 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Witzel, Katja A1 - Abu Risha, Marua A1 - Albers, Philip A1 - Börnke, Frederik A1 - Hanschen, Franziska S. T1 - Identification and Characterization of Three Epithiospecifier Protein Isoforms in Brassica oleracea JF - Frontiers in plant science N2 - Glucosinolates present in Brassicaceae play a major role in herbivory defense. Upon tissue disruption, glucosinolates come into contact with myrosinase, which initiates their breakdown to biologically active compounds. Among these, the formation of epithionitriles is triggered by the presence of epithiospecifier protein (ESP) and a terminal double bond in the glucosinolate side chain. One ESP gene is characterized in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (AtESP; At1g54040.2). However, Brassica species underwent genome triplication since their divergence from the Arabidopsis lineage. This indicates the presence of multiple ESP isoforms in Brassica crops that are currently poorly characterized. We identified three B. oleracea ESPs, specifically BoESP1 (LOC106296341), BoESP2 (LOC106306810), and BoESP3 (LOC106325105) based on in silico genome analysis. Transcript and protein abundance were assessed in shoots and roots of four B. oleracea vegetables, namely broccoli, kohlrabi, white, and red cabbage, because these genotypes showed a differential pattern for the formation of glucosinolate hydrolysis products as well for their ESP activity. BoESP1 and BoESP2 were expressed mainly in shoots, while BoESP3 was abundant in roots. Biochemical characterization of heterologous expressed BoESP isoforms revealed different substrate specificities towards seven glucosinolates: all isoforms showed epithiospecifier activity on alkenyl glucosinolates, but not on non-alkenyl glucosinolates. The pH-value differently affected BoESP activity: while BoESP1 and BoESP2 activities were optimal at pH 6-7, BoESP3 activity remained relatively stable from pH 4 to 7. In order test their potential for the in vivo modification of glucosinolate breakdown, the three isoforms were expressed in A. thaliana Hi-0, which lacks AtESP expression, and analyzed for the effect on their respective hydrolysis products. The BoESPs altered the hydrolysis of allyl glucosinolate in the A. thaliana transformants to release 1-cyano-2,3-epithiopropane and reduced formation of the corresponding 3-butenenitrile and allyl isothiocyanate. Plants expressing BoESP2 showed the highest percentage of released epithionitriles. Given these results, we propose a model for isoform-specific roles of B. oleracea ESPs in glucosinolate breakdown. KW - epithionitrile KW - expression profile KW - functional complementation KW - glucosinolate hydrolysis KW - nitrile KW - specifier proteins KW - tissue specificity Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01552 SN - 1664-462X VL - 10 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grum, Marcus A1 - Hiessl, Werner A1 - Maresch, Karl A1 - Gronau, Norbert T1 - Design of a neuronal training modeling language BT - exemplified with the AI-based dynamic GUI adaption JF - AIS-Transactions on enterprise systems N2 - As the complexity of learning task requirements, computer infrastruc- tures and knowledge acquisition for artificial neuronal networks (ANN) is in- creasing, it is challenging to talk about ANN without creating misunderstandings. An efficient, transparent and failure-free design of learning tasks by models is not supported by any tool at all. For this purpose, particular the consideration of data, information and knowledge on the base of an integration with knowledge- intensive business process models and a process-oriented knowledge manage- ment are attractive. With the aim of making the design of learning tasks express- ible by models, this paper proposes a graphical modeling language called Neu- ronal Training Modeling Language (NTML), which allows the repetitive use of learning designs. An example ANN project of AI-based dynamic GUI adaptation exemplifies its use as a first demonstration. KW - AI and business informatics KW - development of AI-based systems KW - AI-based decision support system KW - cooperative AI (human-in-the-loop) KW - process-oriented knowledge acquisition KW - modeling language Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.aes-journal.com/index.php/ais-tes/article/view/20/18 U6 - https://doi.org/10.30844/aistes.v5i1.20 SN - 1867-7134 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - GITO-Publ., Verl. für Industrielle Informationstechnik und Organisation CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Licht, Alexis A1 - Kelson, Julia A1 - Bergel, Shelly J. A1 - Schauer, Andrew J. A1 - Petersen, Sierra Victoria A1 - Capirala, Ashika A1 - Huntington, Katharine W. A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Win, Zaw A1 - Aung, Day Wa T1 - Dynamics of pedogenic carbonate growth in the tropical domain of Myanmar JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - Pedogenic carbonate is widespread at mid latitudes where warm and dry conditions favor soil carbonate growth from spring to fall. The mechanisms and timing of pedogenic carbonate formation are more ambiguous in the tropical domain, where long periods of soil water saturation and high soil respiration enhance calcite dissolution. This paper provides stable carbon, oxygen and clumped isotope values from Quaternary and Miocene pedogenic carbonates in the tropical domain of Myanmar, in areas characterized by warm (>18°C) winters and annual rainfall up to 1,700 mm. We show that carbonate growth in Myanmar is delayed to the driest and coldest months of the year by sustained monsoonal rainfall from mid spring to late fall. The range of isotopic variability in Quaternary pedogenic carbonates can be solely explained by temporal changes of carbonate growth within the dry season, from winter to early spring. We propose that high soil moisture year-round in the tropical domain narrows carbonate growth to the driest months and makes it particularly sensitive to the seasonal distribution of rainfall. This sensitivity is also enabled by high winter temperatures, allowing carbonate growth to occur outside the warmest months of the year. This high sensitivity is expected to be more prominent in the geological record during times with higher temperatures and greater expansion of the tropical realm. Clumped isotope temperatures, δ13C and δ18O values of tropical pedogenic carbonates are impacted by changes of both rainfall seasonality and surface temperatures; this sensitivity can potentially be used to track past tropical rainfall distribution. KW - clumped isotopes KW - pedogenic carbonate KW - monsoon Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009929 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 23 IS - 7 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wilhelmi, Ilka A1 - Neumann, Alexander A1 - Jähnert, Markus A1 - Ouni, Meriem A1 - Schürmann, Annette T1 - Enriched alternative splicing in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice JF - International journal of molecular sciences N2 - Dysfunctional islets of Langerhans are a hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We hypothesize that differences in islet gene expression alternative splicing which can contribute to altered protein function also participate in islet dysfunction. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data from islets of obese diabetes-resistant and diabetes-susceptible mice were analyzed for alternative splicing and its putative genetic and epigenetic modulators. We focused on the expression levels of chromatin modifiers and SNPs in regulatory sequences. We identified alternative splicing events in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice amongst others in genes linked to insulin secretion, endocytosis or ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathways. The expression pattern of 54 histones and chromatin modifiers, which may modulate splicing, were markedly downregulated in islets of diabetic animals. Furthermore, diabetes-susceptible mice carry SNPs in RNA-binding protein motifs and in splice sites potentially responsible for alternative splicing events. They also exhibit a larger exon skipping rate, e.g., in the diabetes gene Abcc8, which might affect protein function. Expression of the neuronal splicing factor Srrm4 which mediates inclusion of microexons in mRNA transcripts was markedly lower in islets of diabetes-prone compared to diabetes-resistant mice, correlating with a preferential skipping of SRRM4 target exons. The repression of Srrm4 expression is presumably mediated via a higher expression of miR-326-3p and miR-3547-3p in islets of diabetic mice. Thus, our study suggests that an altered splicing pattern in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice may contribute to an elevated T2D risk. KW - alternative splicing KW - epigenetic KW - MicroRNA KW - RNAseq KW - diabetes KW - beta-cell KW - failure Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168597 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 22 IS - 16 PB - Molecular Diversity Preservation International CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gorin, Vladislav A. A1 - Scherz, Mark D. A1 - Korost, Dmitry V. A1 - Poyarkov, Nikolay A. T1 - Consequences of parallel miniaturisation in Microhylinae (Anura, Microhylidae), with the description of a new genus of diminutive South East Asian frogs JF - Zoosystematics and evolution : Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin N2 - The genus Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 includes 52 species and is one of the most diverse genera of the family Microhylidae, being the most species-rich taxon of the Asian subfamily Microhylinae. The recent, rapid description of numerous new species of Microhyla with complex phylogenetic relationships has made the taxonomy of the group especially challenging. Several recent phylogenetic studies suggested paraphyly of Microhyla with respect to Glyphoglossus Gunther, 1869, and revealed three major phylogenetic lineages of mid-Eocene origin within this assemblage. However, comprehensive works assessing morphological variation among and within these lineages are absent. In the present study we investigate the generic taxonomy of Microhyla-Glyphoglossus assemblage based on a new phylogeny including 57 species, comparative morphological analysis of skeletons from cleared-and-stained specimens for 23 species, and detailed descriptions of generalized osteology based on volume-rendered micro-CT scans for five speciesal-together representing all major lineages within the group. The results confirm three highly divergent and well-supported clades that correspond with external and osteological morphological characteristics, as well as respective geographic distribution. Accordingly, acknowledging ancient divergence between these lineages and their significant morphological differentiation, we propose to consider these three lineages as distinct genera: Microhyla sensu stricto, Glyphoglossus, and a newly described genus, Nanohyla gen. nov. KW - Amphibians KW - integrative taxonomy KW - narrow-mouthed frogs KW - micro-computed tomography KW - Nanohyla gen. nov KW - osteology KW - sexual dimorphism KW - taxonomic revision Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.97.57968 SN - 1860-0743 SN - 1435-1935 VL - 97 IS - 1 SP - 21 EP - 54 PB - Pensoft Publishers CY - Sofia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arntz, Fabian A1 - Mkaouer, Bessem A1 - Markov, Adrian A1 - Schoenfeld, Brad A1 - Moran, Jason A1 - Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo A1 - Behrens, Martin A1 - Baumert, Philipp A1 - Erskine, Robert M. A1 - Hauser, Lukas A1 - Chaabene, Helmi T1 - Effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy in healthy individuals BT - a systematic review with multilevel meta-analysis JF - Frontiers in Physiology N2 - Objective: To examine the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy in healthy individuals. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to September 2021. Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The main overall finding (44 effect sizes across 15 clusters median = 2, range = 1–15 effects per cluster) indicated that plyometric jump training had small to moderate effects [standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.47 (95% CIs = 0.23–0.71); p < 0.001] on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Subgroup analyses for training experience revealed trivial to large effects in non-athletes [SMD = 0.55 (95% CIs = 0.18–0.93); p = 0.007] and trivial to moderate effects in athletes [SMD = 0.33 (95% CIs = 0.16–0.51); p = 0.001]. Regarding muscle groups, results showed moderate effects for the knee extensors [SMD = 0.72 (95% CIs = 0.66–0.78), p < 0.001] and equivocal effects for the plantar flexors [SMD = 0.65 (95% CIs = −0.25–1.55); p = 0.143]. As to the assessment methods of skeletal muscle hypertrophy, findings indicated trivial to small effects for prediction equations [SMD = 0.29 (95% CIs = 0.16–0.42); p < 0.001] and moderate-to-large effects for ultrasound imaging [SMD = 0.74 (95% CIs = 0.59–0.89); p < 0.001]. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the weekly session frequency moderates the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with a higher weekly session frequency inducing larger hypertrophic gains [β = 0.3233 (95% CIs = 0.2041–0.4425); p < 0.001]. We found no clear evidence that age, sex, total training period, single session duration, or the number of jumps per week moderate the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy [β = −0.0133 to 0.0433 (95% CIs = −0.0387 to 0.1215); p = 0.101–0.751]. Conclusion: Plyometric jump training can induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy, regardless of age and sex. There is evidence for relatively larger effects in non-athletes compared with athletes. Further, the weekly session frequency seems to moderate the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, whereby more frequent weekly plyometric jump training sessions elicit larger hypertrophic adaptations. KW - muscle tissue KW - muscle strength KW - stretch shortening cycle exercise KW - muscle growth KW - human physical conditioning KW - youth sports KW - aged Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.888464 SN - 1664-042X VL - 13 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Frontiers CY - Lausanne, Schweiz ET - 888464 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Agarwal, Saloni A1 - Hamidizadeh, Mojdeh A1 - Bier, Frank Fabian T1 - Detection of reverse transcriptase LAMP-amplified nucleic acid from oropharyngeal viral swab samples using biotinylated DNA probes through a lateral flow assay JF - Biosensors : open access journal N2 - This study focuses on three key aspects: (a) crude throat swab samples in a viral transport medium (VTM) as templates for RT-LAMP reactions; (b) a biotinylated DNA probe with enhanced specificity for LFA readouts; and (c) a digital semi-quantification of LFA readouts. Throat swab samples from SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients were used in their crude (no cleaning or pre-treatment) forms for the RT-LAMP reaction. The samples were heat-inactivated but not treated for any kind of nucleic acid extraction or purification. The RT-LAMP (20 min processing time) product was read out by an LFA approach using two labels: FITC and biotin. FITC was enzymatically incorporated into the RT-LAMP amplicon with the LF-LAMP primer, and biotin was introduced using biotinylated DNA probes, specifically for the amplicon region after RT-LAMP amplification. This assay setup with biotinylated DNA probe-based LFA readouts of the RT-LAMP amplicon was 98.11% sensitive and 96.15% specific. The LFA result was further analysed by a smartphone-based IVD device, wherein the T-line intensity was recorded. The LFA T-line intensity was then correlated with the qRT-PCR Ct value of the positive swab samples. A digital semi-quantification of RT-LAMP-LFA was reported with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.702. The overall RT-LAMP-LFA assay time was recorded to be 35 min with a LoD of three RNA copies/µL (Ct-33). With these three advancements, the nucleic acid testing-point of care technique (NAT-POCT) is exemplified as a versatile biosensor platform with great potential and applicability for the detection of pathogens without the need for sample storage, transportation, or pre-processing. KW - RT-LAMP KW - LFA KW - NAAT-LFA KW - semi-quantitative KW - surveillance-based diagnostics Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13110988 SN - 2079-6374 VL - 13 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wittenbecher, Clemens A1 - Cuadrat, Rafael A1 - Johnston, Luke A1 - Eichelmann, Fabian A1 - Jäger, Susanne A1 - Kuxhaus, Olga A1 - Prada, Marcela A1 - Del Greco, Fabiola M. A1 - Hicks, Andrew A. A1 - Hoffman, Per A1 - Krumsiek, Jan A1 - Hu, Frank B. A1 - Schulze, Matthias B. T1 - Dihydroceramide- and ceramide-profiling provides insights into human cardiometabolic disease etiology JF - Nature communications N2 - Metabolic alterations precede cardiometabolic disease onset. Here we present ceramide- and dihydroceramide-profiling data from a nested case-cohort (type 2 diabetes [T2D, n = 775]; cardiovascular disease [CVD, n = 551]; random subcohort [n = 1137]) in the prospective EPIC-Potsdam study. We apply the novel NetCoupler-algorithm to link a data-driven (dihydro)ceramide network to T2D and CVD risk. Controlling for confounding by other (dihydro)ceramides, ceramides C18:0 and C22:0 and dihydroceramides C20:0 and C22:2 are associated with higher and ceramide C20:0 and dihydroceramide C26:1 with lower T2D risk. Ceramide C16:0 and dihydroceramide C22:2 are associated with higher CVD risk. Genome-wide association studies and Mendelian randomization analyses support a role of ceramide C22:0 in T2D etiology. Our results also suggest that (dh)ceramides partly mediate the putative adverse effect of high red meat consumption and benefits of coffee consumption on T2D risk. Thus, (dihydro)ceramides may play a critical role in linking genetic predisposition and dietary habits to cardiometabolic disease risk. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28496-1 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 13 PB - Nature Research CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - DeFelipe, Irene A1 - Alcalde, Juan A1 - Baykiev, Eldar A1 - Bernal, Isabel A1 - Boonma, Kittiphon A1 - Carbonell, Ramon A1 - Flude, Stephanie A1 - Folch, Arnau A1 - Fullea, Javier A1 - García-Castellanos, Daniel A1 - Geyer, Adelina A1 - Giralt, Santiago A1 - Hernández, Armand A1 - Jiménez-Munt, Ivone A1 - Kumar, Ajay A1 - Llorens, Maria-Gema A1 - Martí, Joan A1 - Molina, Cecilia A1 - Olivar-Castaño, Andrés A1 - Parnell, Andrew A1 - Schimmel, Martin A1 - Torné, Montserrat A1 - Ventosa, Sergi T1 - Towards a digital twin of the Earth system: Geo-Soft-CoRe, a geoscientific software & code repository JF - Frontiers in earth science N2 - The immense advances in computer power achieved in the last decades have had a significant impact in Earth science, providing valuable research outputs that allow the simulation of complex natural processes and systems, and generating improved forecasts. The development and implementation of innovative geoscientific software is currently evolving towards a sustainable and efficient development by integrating models of different aspects of the Earth system. This will set the foundation for a future digital twin of the Earth. The codification and update of this software require great effort from research groups and therefore, it needs to be preserved for its reuse by future generations of geoscientists. Here, we report on Geo-Soft-CoRe, a Geoscientific Software & Code Repository, hosted at the archive DIGITAL.CSIC. This is an open source, multidisciplinary and multiscale collection of software and code developed to analyze different aspects of the Earth system, encompassing tools to: 1) analyze climate variability; 2) assess hazards, and 3) characterize the structure and dynamics of the solid Earth. Due to the broad range of applications of these software packages, this collection is useful not only for basic research in Earth science, but also for applied research and educational purposes, reducing the gap between the geosciences and the society. By providing each software and code with a permanent identifier (DOI), we ensure its self-sustainability and accomplish the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. Therefore, we aim for a more transparent science, transferring knowledge in an easier way to the geoscience community, and encouraging an integrated use of computational infrastructure. KW - digital twin KW - software KW - code KW - global change KW - hazards KW - solid earth Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.828005 SN - 2296-6463 VL - 10 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Groh, Jannis A1 - Diamantopoulos, Efstathios A1 - Duan, Xiaohong A1 - Ewert, Frank A1 - Heinlein, Florian A1 - Herbst, Michael A1 - Holbak, Maja A1 - Kamali, Bahareh A1 - Kersebaum, Kurt-Christian A1 - Kuhnert, Matthias A1 - Nendel, Claas A1 - Priesack, Eckart A1 - Steidl, Jörg A1 - Sommer, Michael A1 - Pütz, Thomas A1 - Vanderborght, Jan A1 - Vereecken, Harry A1 - Wallor, Evelyn A1 - Weber, Tobias K. D. A1 - Wegehenkel, Martin A1 - Weihermüller, Lutz A1 - Gerke, Horst H. T1 - Same soil, different climate: Crop model intercomparison on translocated lysimeters JF - Vadose zone journal N2 - Crop model intercomparison studies have mostly focused on the assessment of predictive capabilities for crop development using weather and basic soil data from the same location. Still challenging is the model performance when considering complex interrelations between soil and crop dynamics under a changing climate. The objective of this study was to test the agronomic crop and environmental flux-related performance of a set of crop models. The aim was to predict weighing lysimeter-based crop (i.e., agronomic) and water-related flux or state data (i.e., environmental) obtained for the same soil monoliths that were taken from their original environment and translocated to regions with different climatic conditions, after model calibration at the original site. Eleven models were deployed in the study. The lysimeter data (2014-2018) were from the Dedelow (Dd), Bad Lauchstadt (BL), and Selhausen (Se) sites of the TERENO (TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories) SOILCan network. Soil monoliths from Dd were transferred to the drier and warmer BL site and the wetter and warmer Se site, which allowed a comparison of similar soil and crop under varying climatic conditions. The model parameters were calibrated using an identical set of crop- and soil-related data from Dd. Environmental fluxes and crop growth of Dd soil were predicted for conditions at BL and Se sites using the calibrated models. The comparison of predicted and measured data of Dd lysimeters at BL and Se revealed differences among models. At site BL, the crop models predicted agronomic and environmental components similarly well. Model performance values indicate that the environmental components at site Se were better predicted than agronomic ones. The multi-model mean was for most observations the better predictor compared with those of individual models. For Se site conditions, crop models failed to predict site-specific crop development indicating that climatic conditions (i.e., heat stress) were outside the range of variation in the data sets considered for model calibration. For improving predictive ability of crop models (i.e., productivity and fluxes), more attention should be paid to soil-related data (i.e., water fluxes and system states) when simulating soil-crop-climate interrelations in changing climatic conditions. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20202 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 21 IS - 4 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühne, Katharina A1 - Herbold, Erika A1 - Bendel, Oliver A1 - Zhou, Yuefang A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - “Ick bin een Berlina” BT - dialect proficiency impacts a robot’s trustworthiness and competence evaluation JF - Frontiers in robotics and AI N2 - Background: Robots are increasingly used as interaction partners with humans. Social robots are designed to follow expected behavioral norms when engaging with humans and are available with different voices and even accents. Some studies suggest that people prefer robots to speak in the user’s dialect, while others indicate a preference for different dialects. Methods: Our study examined the impact of the Berlin dialect on perceived trustworthiness and competence of a robot. One hundred and twenty German native speakers (Mage = 32 years, SD = 12 years) watched an online video featuring a NAO robot speaking either in the Berlin dialect or standard German and assessed its trustworthiness and competence. Results: We found a positive relationship between participants’ self-reported Berlin dialect proficiency and trustworthiness in the dialect-speaking robot. Only when controlled for demographic factors, there was a positive association between participants’ dialect proficiency, dialect performance and their assessment of robot’s competence for the standard German-speaking robot. Participants’ age, gender, length of residency in Berlin, and device used to respond also influenced assessments. Finally, the robot’s competence positively predicted its trustworthiness. Discussion: Our results inform the design of social robots and emphasize the importance of device control in online experiments. KW - competence KW - dialect KW - human-robot interaction KW - robot voice KW - social robot KW - trust Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1241519 SN - 2296-9144 VL - 10 PB - Frontiers Media S.A. CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Petrov, Polina A1 - Singer, Leo P. A1 - Coughlin, Michael W. A1 - Kumar, Vishwesh A1 - Almualla, Mouza A1 - Anand, Shreya A1 - Bulla, Mattia A1 - Dietrich, Tim A1 - Foucart, Francois A1 - Guessoum, Nidhal T1 - Data-driven expectations for electromagnetic counterpart searches based on LIGO/Virgo public alerts JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics; part 1 N2 - Searches for electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational-wave signals have redoubled since the first detection in 2017 of a binary neutron star merger with a gamma-ray burst, optical/infrared kilonova, and panchromatic afterglow. Yet, one LIGO/Virgo observing run later, there has not yet been a second, secure identification of an electromagnetic counterpart. This is not surprising given that the localization uncertainties of events in LIGO and Virgo's third observing run, O3, were much larger than predicted. We explain this by showing that improvements in data analysis that now allow LIGO/Virgo to detect weaker and hence more poorly localized events have increased the overall number of detections, of which well-localized, gold-plated events make up a smaller proportion overall. We present simulations of the next two LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observing runs, O4 and O5, that are grounded in the statistics of O3 public alerts. To illustrate the significant impact that the updated predictions can have, we study the follow-up strategy for the Zwicky Transient Facility. Realistic and timely forecasting of gravitational-wave localization accuracy is paramount given the large commitments of telescope time and the need to prioritize which events are followed up. We include a data release of our simulated localizations as a public proposal planning resource for astronomers. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac366d SN - 1538-4357 VL - 924 IS - 2 PB - Institute of Physics Publ. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Döbbeling-Hildebrandt, Niklas A1 - Miersch, Klaas A1 - Khanna, Tarun M. A1 - Bachelet, Marion A1 - Bruns, Stephan B. A1 - Callaghan, Max A1 - Edenhofer, Ottmar A1 - Flachsland, Christian A1 - Forster, Piers M. A1 - Kalkuhl, Matthias A1 - Koch, Nicolas A1 - Lamb, William F. A1 - Ohlendorf, Nils A1 - Steckel, Jan Christoph A1 - Minx, Jan C. T1 - Systematic review and meta-analysis of ex-post evaluations on the effectiveness of carbon pricing JF - Nature communications N2 - Today, more than 70 carbon pricing schemes have been implemented around the globe, but their contributions to emissions reductions remains a subject of heated debate in science and policy. Here we assess the effectiveness of carbon pricing in reducing emissions using a rigorous, machine-learning assisted systematic review and meta-analysis. Based on 483 effect sizes extracted from 80 causal ex-post evaluations across 21 carbon pricing schemes, we find that introducing a carbon price has yielded immediate and substantial emission reductions for at least 17 of these policies, despite the low level of prices in most instances. Statistically significant emissions reductions range between –5% to –21% across the schemes (–4% to –15% after correcting for publication bias). Our study highlights critical evidence gaps with regard to dozens of unevaluated carbon pricing schemes and the price elasticity of emissions reductions. More rigorous synthesis of carbon pricing and other climate policies is required across a range of outcomes to advance our understanding of “what works” and accelerate learning on climate solutions in science and policy. KW - carbon and energy KW - climate-change mitigation KW - climate-change policy KW - economics Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48512-w SN - 2041-1723 VL - 15 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tchewonpi Sagu, Sorel A1 - Landgräber, Eva A1 - Henkel, Ina M. A1 - Huschek, Gerd A1 - Homann, Thomas A1 - Bußler, Sara A1 - Schlüter, Oliver A1 - Rawel, Harshadrai Manilal T1 - Effect of cereal α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors on developmental characteristics and abundance of digestive enzymes of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.) JF - Insects : open access journal N2 - The objective of this work was to investigate the potential effect of cereal α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) on growth parameters and selective digestive enzymes of Tenebrio molitor L. larvae. The approach consisted of feeding the larvae with wheat, sorghum and rice meals containing different levels and composition of α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors. The developmental and biochemical characteristics of the larvae were assessed over feeding periods of 5 h, 5 days and 10 days, and the relative abundance of α-amylase and selected proteases in larvae were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Overall, weight gains ranged from 21% to 42% after five days of feeding. The larval death rate significantly increased in all groups after 10 days of feeding (p < 0.05), whereas the pupation rate was about 25% among larvae fed with rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Siyazan/Esperya wheat meals, and only 8% and 14% among those fed with Damougari and S35 sorghum meals. As determined using the Lowry method, the protein contents of the sodium phosphate extracts ranged from 7.80 ± 0.09 to 9.42 ± 0.19 mg/mL and those of the ammonium bicarbonate/urea reached 19.78 ± 0.16 to 37.47 ± 1.38 mg/mL. The total protein contents of the larvae according to the Kjeldahl method ranged from 44.0 and 49.9 g/100 g. The relative abundance of α-amylase, CLIP domain-containing serine protease, modular serine protease zymogen and C1 family cathepsin significantly decreased in the larvae, whereas dipeptidylpeptidase I and chymotrypsin increased within the first hours after feeding (p < 0.05). Trypsin content was found to be constant independently of time or feed material. Finally, based on the results we obtained, it was difficult to substantively draw conclusions on the likely effects of meal ATI composition on larval developmental characteristics, but their effects on the digestive enzyme expression remain relevant. KW - growth behavior KW - Tenebrio molitor larvae KW - feeding KW - cereal meals KW - α-amylase KW - digestive enzymes quantification KW - LC-MS/MS KW - trypsin inhibitors Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12050454 SN - 2075-4450 VL - 12 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulte, Luise A1 - Meucci, Stefano A1 - Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R. A1 - Heitkam, Tony A1 - Schmidt, Nicola A1 - von Hippel, Barbara A1 - Andreev, Andrei A. A1 - Diekmann, Bernhard A1 - Biskaborn, Boris A1 - Wagner, Bernd A1 - Melles, Martin A1 - Pestryakova, Lyudmila A. A1 - Alsos, Inger G. A1 - Clarke, Charlotte A1 - Krutovsky, Konstantin A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike T1 - Larix species range dynamics in Siberia since the Last Glacial captured from sedimentary ancient DNA JF - Communications biology N2 - Climate change is expected to cause major shifts in boreal forests which are in vast areas of Siberia dominated by two species of the deciduous needle tree larch (Larix). The species differ markedly in their ecosystem functions, thus shifts in their respective ranges are of global relevance. However, drivers of species distribution are not well understood, in part because paleoecological data at species level are lacking. This study tracks Larix species distribution in time and space using target enrichment on sedimentary ancient DNA extracts from eight lakes across Siberia. We discovered that Larix sibirica, presently dominating in western Siberia, likely migrated to its northern distribution area only in the Holocene at around 10,000 years before present (ka BP), and had a much wider eastern distribution around 33 ka BP. Samples dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (around 21 ka BP), consistently show genotypes of L. gmelinii. Our results suggest climate as a strong determinant of species distribution in Larix and provide temporal and spatial data for species projection in a changing climate. Using ancient sedimentary DNA from up to 50 kya, dramatic distributional shifts are documented in two dominant boreal larch species, likely guided by environmental changes suggesting climate as a strong determinant of species distribution. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03455-0 SN - 2399-3642 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Riemann, Lasse A1 - Rahav, Eyal A1 - Passow, Uta A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - de Beer, Dirk A1 - Klawonn, Isabell A1 - Eichner, Meri A1 - Benavides, Mar A1 - Bar-Zeev, Edo T1 - Planktonic aggregates as hotspots for heterotrophic diazotrophy: the plot thickens JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Biological dinitrogen (N-2) fixation is performed solely by specialized bacteria and archaea termed diazotrophs, introducing new reactive nitrogen into aquatic environments. Conventionally, phototrophic cyanobacteria are considered the major diazotrophs in aquatic environments. However, accumulating evidence indicates that diverse non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) inhabit a wide range of aquatic ecosystems, including temperate and polar latitudes, coastal environments and the deep ocean. NCDs are thus suspected to impact global nitrogen cycling decisively, yet their ecological and quantitative importance remain unknown. Here we review recent molecular and biogeochemical evidence demonstrating that pelagic NCDs inhabit and thrive especially on aggregates in diverse aquatic ecosystems. Aggregates are characterized by reduced-oxygen microzones, high C:N ratio (above Redfield) and high availability of labile carbon as compared to the ambient water. We argue that planktonic aggregates are important loci for energetically-expensive N-2 fixation by NCDs and propose a conceptual framework for aggregate-associated N-2 fixation. Future studies on aggregate-associated diazotrophy, using novel methodological approaches, are encouraged to address the ecological relevance of NCDs for nitrogen cycling in aquatic environments. KW - aggregates KW - nitrogen fixation KW - heterotrophic bacteria KW - marine KW - aquatic KW - NCDs Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.875050 SN - 1664-302X VL - 13 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lupien, Rachel L. A1 - Russell, James M. A1 - Pearson, Emma J. A1 - Castaneda, Isla S. A1 - Asrat, Asfawossen A1 - Förster, Verena A1 - Lamb, Henry F. A1 - Roberts, Helen M. A1 - Schäbitz, Frank A1 - Trauth, Martin H. A1 - Beck, Catherine C. A1 - Feibel, Craig S. A1 - Cohen, Andrew S. T1 - Orbital controls on eastern African hydroclimate in the Pleistocene JF - Scientific reports N2 - Understanding eastern African paleoclimate is critical for contextualizing early human evolution, adaptation, and dispersal, yet Pleistocene climate of this region and its governing mechanisms remain poorly understood due to the lack of long, orbitally-resolved, terrestrial paleoclimate records. Here we present leaf wax hydrogen isotope records of rainfall from paleolake sediment cores from key time windows that resolve long-term trends, variations, and high-latitude effects on tropical African precipitation. Eastern African rainfall was dominantly controlled by variations in low-latitude summer insolation during most of the early and middle Pleistocene, with little evidence that glacial-interglacial cycles impacted rainfall until the late Pleistocene. We observe the influence of high-latitude-driven climate processes emerging from the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5) to the present, an interval when glacial-interglacial cycles were strong and insolation forcing was weak. Our results demonstrate a variable response of eastern African rainfall to low-latitude insolation forcing and high-latitude-driven climate change, likely related to the relative strengths of these forcings through time and a threshold in monsoon sensitivity. We observe little difference in mean rainfall between the early, middle, and late Pleistocene, which suggests that orbitally-driven climate variations likely played a more significant role than gradual change in the relationship between early humans and their environment. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06826-z SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 IS - 1 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Essen, Anna A1 - Stern, Ariel Dora A1 - Haase, Christoffer Bjerre A1 - Car, Josip A1 - Greaves, Felix A1 - Paparova, Dragana A1 - Vandeput, Steven A1 - Wehrens, Rik A1 - Bates, David W. T1 - Health app policy BT - international comparison of nine countries' approaches JF - npj digital medicine N2 - An abundant and growing supply of digital health applications (apps) exists in the commercial tech-sector, which can be bewildering for clinicians, patients, and payers. A growing challenge for the health care system is therefore to facilitate the identification of safe and effective apps for health care practitioners and patients to generate the most health benefit as well as guide payer coverage decisions. Nearly all developed countries are attempting to define policy frameworks to improve decision-making, patient care, and health outcomes in this context. This study compares the national policy approaches currently in development/use for health apps in nine countries. We used secondary data, combined with a detailed review of policy and regulatory documents, and interviews with key individuals and experts in the field of digital health policy to collect data about implemented and planned policies and initiatives. We found that most approaches aim for centralized pipelines for health app approvals, although some countries are adding decentralized elements. While the countries studied are taking diverse paths, there is nevertheless broad, international convergence in terms of requirements in the areas of transparency, health content, interoperability, and privacy and security. The sheer number of apps on the market in most countries represents a challenge for clinicians and patients. Our analyses of the relevant policies identified challenges in areas such as reimbursement, safety, and privacy and suggest that more regulatory work is needed in the areas of operationalization, implementation and international transferability of approvals. Cross-national efforts are needed around regulation and for countries to realize the benefits of these technologies. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-022-00573-1 SN - 2398-6352 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited CY - Basingstoke ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esmaeilishirazifard, Elham A1 - Usher, Louise A1 - Trim, Carol A1 - Denise, Hubert A1 - Sangal, Vartul A1 - Tyson, Gregory H. A1 - Barlow, Axel A1 - Redway, Keith F. A1 - Taylor, John D. A1 - Kremyda-Vlachou, Myrto A1 - Davies, Sam A1 - Loftus, Teresa D. A1 - Lock, Mikaella M. G. A1 - Wright, Kstir A1 - Dalby, Andrew A1 - Snyder, Lori A. S. A1 - Wuster, Wolfgang A1 - Trim, Steve A1 - Moschos, Sterghios A. T1 - Bacterial adaptation to venom in snakes and arachnida JF - Microbiology spectrum N2 - Notwithstanding their 3 to 5% mortality, the 2.7 million envenomation-related injuries occurring annually-predominantly across Africa, Asia, and Latin America-are also major causes of morbidity. Venom toxin-damaged tissue will develop infections in some 75% of envenomation victims, with E. faecalis being a common culprit of disease; however, such infections are generally considered to be independent of envenomation. Animal venoms are considered sterile sources of antimicrobial compounds with strong membrane-disrupting activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, venomous bite wound infections are common in developing nations. Investigating the envenomation organ and venom microbiota of five snake and two spider species, we observed venom community structures that depend on the host venomous animal species and evidenced recovery of viable microorganisms from black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) and Indian ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria regalis) venoms. Among the bacterial isolates recovered from N. nigricollis, we identified two venom-resistant, novel sequence types of Enterococcus faecalis whose genomes feature 16 virulence genes, indicating infectious potential, and 45 additional genes, nearly half of which improve bacterial membrane integrity. Our findings challenge the dogma of venom sterility and indicate an increased primary infection risk in the clinical management of venomous animal bite wounds. IMPORTANCE Notwithstanding their 3 to 5% mortality, the 2.7 million envenomation-related injuries occurring annually-predominantly across Africa, Asia, and Latin America-are also major causes of morbidity. Venom toxin-damaged tissue will develop infections in some 75% of envenomation victims, with E. faecalis being a common culprit of disease; however, such infections are generally considered to be independent of envenomation. Here, we provide evidence on venom microbiota across snakes and arachnida and report on the convergent evolution mechanisms that can facilitate adaptation to black-necked cobra venom in two independent E. faecalis strains, easily misidentified by biochemical diagnostics. Therefore, since inoculation with viable and virulence gene-harboring bacteria can occur during envenomation, acute infection risk management following envenomation is warranted, particularly for immunocompromised and malnourished victims in resource-limited settings. These results shed light on how bacteria evolve for survival in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and how venomous bites must be also treated for infections. KW - drug resistance evolution KW - extremophiles KW - genome analysis KW - microbiome KW - multidrug resistance KW - venom Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02408-21 SN - 2165-0497 VL - 10 IS - 3 PB - American Society for Microbiology CY - Birmingham, Ala. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kelley, Kristin A1 - Hipp, Lena A1 - Protsch, Paula T1 - Organizational commitments to equality change how people view women’s and men’s professional success JF - Scientific reports N2 - To address women’s underrepresentation in high-status positions, many organizations have committed to gender equality. But is women’s professional success viewed less positively when organizations commit to women’s advancement? Do equality commitments have positive effects on evaluations of successful men? We fielded a survey experiment with a national probability sample in Germany (N = 3229) that varied employees’ gender and their organization’s commitment to equality. Respondents read about a recently promoted employee and rated how decisive of a role they thought intelligence and effort played in getting the employee promoted from 1 “Not at all decisive” to 7 “Very decisive” and the fairness of the promotion from 1 “Very unfair” to 7 “Very fair.” When organizations committed to women’s advancement rather than uniform performance standards, people believed intelligence and effort were less decisive in women’s promotions, but that intelligence was more decisive in men’s promotions. People viewed women’s promotions as least fair and men’s as most fair in organizations committed to women’s advancement. However, women’s promotions were still viewed more positively than men’s in all conditions and on all outcomes, suggesting people believed that organizations had double standards for success that required women to be smarter and work harder to be promoted, especially in organizations that did not make equality commitments. KW - human behaviour KW - psychology Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56829-1 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 14 IS - 1 PB - Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Bilgen, Isa T1 - Our dignity in your hands T2 - Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional Y1 - 2024 UR - https://verfassungsblog.de/our-dignity-in-your-hands/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.17176/20240204-004255-0 SN - 2366-7044 PB - Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional CY - Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Verch, Ronald A1 - Stoll, Josefine A1 - Hadzic, Miralem A1 - Quarmby, Andrew James A1 - Völler, Heinz T1 - Whole-Body EMS Superimposed Walking and Nordic Walking on a Treadmill—Determination of Exercise Intensity to Conventional Exercise JF - Frontiers in physiology / Frontiers Research Foundation N2 - Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is an increasingly popular training method and has become the focus of research in recent years. New EMS devices offer a wide range of mobile applications for whole-body EMS (WB-EMS) training, e.g., the intensification of dynamic low-intensity endurance exercises through WB-EMS. The present study aimed to determine the differences in exercise intensity between WB-EMS-superimposed and conventional walking (EMS-CW), and CON and WB-EMS-superimposed Nordic walking (WB-EMS-NW) during a treadmill test. Eleven participants (52.0 ± years; 85.9 ± 7.4 kg, 182 ± 6 cm, BMI 25.9 ± 2.2 kg/m2) performed a 10 min treadmill test at a given velocity (6.5 km/h) in four different test situations, walking (W) and Nordic walking (NW) in both conventional and WB-EMS superimposed. Oxygen uptake in absolute (VO2) and relative to body weight (rel. VO2), lactate, and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before and after the test. WB-EMS intensity was adjusted individually according to the feedback of the participant. The descriptive statistics were given in mean ± SD. For the statistical analyses, one-factorial ANOVA for repeated measures and two-factorial ANOVA [factors include EMS, W/NW, and factor combination (EMS*W/NW)] were performed (α = 0.05). Significant effects were found for EMS and W/NW factors for the outcome variables VO2 (EMS: p = 0.006, r = 0.736; W/NW: p < 0.001, r = 0.870), relative VO2 (EMS: p < 0.001, r = 0.850; W/NW: p < 0.001, r = 0.937), and lactate (EMS: p = 0.003, r = 0.771; w/NW: p = 0.003, r = 0.764) and both the factors produced higher results. However, the difference in VO2 and relative VO2 is within the range of biological variability of ± 12%. The factor combination EMS*W/NW is statistically non-significant for all three variables. WB-EMS resulted in the higher RPE values (p = 0.035, r = 0.613), RPE differences for W/NW and EMS*W/NW were not significant. The current study results indicate that WB-EMS influences the parameters of exercise intensity. The impact on exercise intensity and the clinical relevance of WB-EMS-superimposed walking (WB-EMS-W) exercise is questionable because of the marginal differences in the outcome variables. KW - electrical muscle stimulation KW - walking KW - Nordic walking KW - treadmill KW - exercise intensity Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.715417 SN - 1664-042X VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne, Schweiz ER - TY - GEN A1 - Moreno-Romero, Jordi A1 - Probst, Aline V. A1 - Trindade, Inês A1 - Kalyanikrishna, A1 - Engelhorn, Julia A1 - Farrona, Sara T1 - Looking At the Past and Heading to the Future BT - Meeting Summary of the 6th European Workshop on Plant Chromatin 2019 in Cologne, Germany T2 - Frontiers in Plant Science N2 - In June 2019, more than a hundred plant researchers met in Cologne, Germany, for the 6th European Workshop on Plant Chromatin (EWPC). This conference brought together a highly dynamic community of researchers with the common aim to understand how chromatin organization controls gene expression, development, and plant responses to the environment. New evidence showing how epigenetic states are set, perpetuated, and inherited were presented, and novel data related to the three-dimensional organization of chromatin within the nucleus were discussed. At the level of the nucleosome, its composition by different histone variants and their specialized histone deposition complexes were addressed as well as the mechanisms involved in histone post-translational modifications and their role in gene expression. The keynote lecture on plant DNA methylation by Julie Law (SALK Institute) and the tribute session to Lars Hennig, honoring the memory of one of the founders of the EWPC who contributed to promote the plant chromatin and epigenetic field in Europe, added a very special note to this gathering. In this perspective article we summarize some of the most outstanding data and advances on plant chromatin research presented at this workshop. KW - EWPC2019 KW - chromatin KW - epigenetics KW - transcription KW - nucleus Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01795 SN - 1664-462X VL - 10 IS - 1795 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Grohmann, Nils-Hendrik T1 - How to avoid politicised monitoring? BT - treaty-design suggestions for a business and human rights framework convention T2 - Völkerrechtsblog : Der Blog des Arbeitskreis junger Völkerrechtswissenschaftler*innen Y1 - 2022 UR - https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/de/how-to-avoid-politicised-monitoring/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.17176/20220623-153108-0 SN - 2510-2567 PB - M. Riegner c/o Humboldt-Univ CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pang, Peter Tsun Ho A1 - Dietrich, Tim A1 - Tews, Ingo A1 - Van Den Broeck, Chris T1 - Parameter estimation for strong phase transitions in supranuclear matter using gravitational-wave astronomy JF - Physical review research N2 - At supranuclear densities, explored in the core of neutron stars, a strong phase transition from hadronic matter to more exotic forms of matter might be present. To test this hypothesis, binary neutron-star mergers offer a unique possibility to probe matter at densities that we cannot create in any existing terrestrial experiment. In this work, we show that, if present, strong phase transitions can have a measurable imprint on the binary neutron-star coalescence and the emitted gravitational-wave signal. We construct a new parametrization of the supranuclear equation of state that allows us to test for the existence of a strong phase transition and extract its characteristic properties purely from the gravitational-wave signal of the inspiraling neutron stars. We test our approach using a Bayesian inference study simulating 600 signals with three different equations of state and find that for current gravitational-wave detector networks already 12 events might be sufficient to verify the presence of a strong phase transition. Finally, we use our methodology to analyze GW170817 and GW190425 but do not find any indication that a strong phase transition is present at densities probed during the inspiral. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.033514 SN - 2643-1564 VL - 2 IS - 3 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bosch, Sina A1 - De Cesare, Ilaria A1 - Demske, Ulrike A1 - Felser, Claudia T1 - Word-order variation and coherence in German infinitival complementation JF - The journal of comparative Germanic linguistics N2 - This study provides a synthesis of corpus-based and experimental investigations of word-order preferences in German infinitival complementation. We carried out a systematic analysis of present-day German corpora to establish frequency distributions of different word-order options: extraposition, intraposition, and 'third construction'. We then examined, firstly, whether and to what extent corpus frequencies and processing economy constraints can predict the acceptability of these three word-order variants, and whether subject raising and subject control verbs form clearly distinguishable subclasses of infinitive-embedding verbs in terms of their word-order behaviour. Secondly, our study looks into the issue of coherence by comparing acceptability ratings for monoclausal coherent and biclausal incoherent construals of intraposed infinitives, and by examining whether a biclausal incoherent analysis gives rise to local and/or global processing difficulty. Taken together, our results revealed that (i) whilst the extraposition pattern consistently wins out over all other word-order variants for control verbs, neither frequency nor processing-based approaches to word-order variation can account for the acceptability of low-frequency variants, (ii) there is considerable verb-specific variation regarding word-order preferences both between and within the two sets of raising and control verbs under investigation, and (iii) although monoclausal coherent intraposition is rated above biclausal incoherent intraposition, the latter is not any more difficult to process than the former. Our findings indicate that frequency of occurrence and processing-related constraints interact with idiosyncratic lexical properties of individual verbs in determining German speakers' structural preferences. KW - Syntactic variation KW - German KW - Infinitives KW - Corpus linguistics KW - Acceptability judgements KW - Self-paced reading Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10828-023-09140-8 SN - 1572-8552 VL - 26 IS - 1 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bulla, Mattia A1 - Coughlin, Michael W. A1 - Dhawan, Suhail A1 - Dietrich, Tim T1 - Multi-messenger constraints on the Hubble constant through combination of gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts and kilonovae from neutron star mergers JF - Universe : open access journal N2 - The simultaneous detection of gravitational waves and light from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 led to independent measurements of distance and redshift, providing a direct estimate of the Hubble constant H-0 that does not rely on a cosmic distance ladder, nor assumes a specific cosmological model. By using gravitational waves as "standard sirens", this approach holds promise to arbitrate the existing tension between the H-0 value inferred from the cosmic microwave background and those obtained from local measurements. However, the known degeneracy in the gravitational-wave analysis between distance and inclination of the source led to a H-0 value from GW170817 that was not precise enough to resolve the existing tension. In this review, we summarize recent works exploiting the viewing-angle dependence of the electromagnetic signal, namely the associated short gamma-ray burst and kilonova, to constrain the system inclination and improve on H-0. We outline the key ingredients of the different methods, summarize the results obtained in the aftermath of GW170817 and discuss the possible systematics introduced by each of these methods. KW - gravitational waves KW - stars: neutron KW - stars: binaries KW - cosmology: cosmological parameters KW - cosmology: distance scale KW - cosmology: cosmic background radiation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8050289 SN - 2218-1997 VL - 8 IS - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - BOOK ED - Kazepov, Yuri ED - Verwiebe, Roland T1 - Vienna BT - Still a just city? T3 - Built environment city studies N2 - This book explores and debates the urban transformations that have taken place in Vienna over the past 30 years and their consequences in policy fields such as labour and housing, political and social participation and the environment. Historically, European cities have been characterised by a strong association between social cohesion, quality of life, economic ambition and a robust State. Vienna is an excellent example for that. In more recent years, however, cities were pressured to change policy principles and mechanisms in the context of demographic shifts, post-industrial transformations and welfare recalibration which have led to worsened social conditions in many cities. Each chapter in this volume discusses Vienna's responses to these pressures in key policy arenas, looking at outcomes from the context-specific local arrangements. Against a theoretical framework debating the European city as a model of inclusion and social justice, authors explore the local capacity to innovate urban policies and to address new social risks, while paying attention to potential trade-offs. The book questions and assesses the city's resilience using time series and an institutional analysis of four key dimensions that characterise the European city model within the context of post-industrial transition: redistribution, recognition, representation and sustainability. It offers a multiscalar perspective of urban governance through labour, housing, participatory and environmental policies, bringing together different levels and public policy types. KW - Built Environment KW - Environment and Sustainability KW - Geography KW - Social Sciences KW - Urban Studies Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-0-367-68011-4 SN - 978-1-003133-82-7 SN - 978-0-367-68013-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003133827 PB - Routledge CY - London ER -