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Heteromeric HSFA2/HSFA3 complexes drive transcriptional memory after heat stress in Arabidopsis
(2021)
Adaptive plasticity in stress responses is a key element of plant survival strategies. For instance, moderate heat stress (HS) primes a plant to acquire thermotolerance, which allows subsequent survival of more severe HS conditions. Acquired thermotolerance is actively maintained over several days (HS memory) and involves the sustained induction of memory-related genes. Here we show that FORGETTER3/ HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A3 (FGT3/HSFA3) is specifically required for physiological HS memory and maintaining high memory-gene expression during the days following a HS exposure. HSFA3 mediates HS memory by direct transcriptional activation of memory-related genes after return to normal growth temperatures. HSFA3 binds HSFA2, and in vivo both proteins form heteromeric complexes with additional HSFs. Our results indicate that only complexes containing both HSFA2 and HSFA3 efficiently promote transcriptional memory by positively influencing histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) hyper-methylation. In summary, our work defines the major HSF complex controlling transcriptional memory and elucidates the in vivo dynamics of HSF complexes during somatic stress memory. Moderate heat stress primes plants to acquire tolerance to subsequent, more severe heat stress. Here the authors show that the HSFA3 transcription factor forms a heteromeric complex with HSFA2 to sustain activated transcription of genes required for acquired thermotolerance by promoting H3K4 hyper-methylation.
The transversal hypergraph problem asks to enumerate the minimal hitting sets of a hypergraph. If the solutions have bounded size, Eiter and Gottlob [SICOMP'95] gave an algorithm running in output-polynomial time, but whose space requirement also scales with the output. We improve this to polynomial delay and space. Central to our approach is the extension problem, deciding for a set X of vertices whether it is contained in any minimal hitting set. We show that this is one of the first natural problems to be W[3]-complete. We give an algorithm for the extension problem running in time O(m(vertical bar X vertical bar+1) n) and prove a SETH-lower bound showing that this is close to optimal. We apply our enumeration method to the discovery problem of minimal unique column combinations from data profiling. Our empirical evaluation suggests that the algorithm outperforms its worst-case guarantees on hypergraphs stemming from real-world databases.
The Devonian Las Chacras-Potrerillos batholith comprises six nested monzonitic to granitic intrusions with metaluminous to weakly peraluminous composition and a Sr-Nd isotopic signature indicating a dominantly juvenile mantle-derived source. The chemically most evolved units in the southern batholith contain a large number of intra-granitic, pod-shaped tourmaline-bearing pegmatites. This study uses in situ chemical and boron isotopic analyses of tourmaline from nine of these pegmatites to discuss their relationship to the respective host intrusions and the implications of their B-isotope composition for the source and evolution of the magmas. The tourmalines reveal a diversity in element composition (e.g., FeO, MgO, TiO2, CaO, MnO, F) which distinguishes individual pegmatites from one another. However, all have a narrow 5 11 B range of -13.7 to -10.5%0 (n = 100) which indicates a relatively uniform magmatic system and similar temperature conditions during tourmaline crystallization. The average delta(11) B value of -11.7%0 is typical for S-type granites and is within the range reported for peraluminous granites. pegmatites, and metamorphic units of the Ordovician basement into which the Las Chacras-Potrerillos batholith intruded. The B-isotope evidence argues for a crustal boron source like that of the Ordovician basement, in contrast to the metaluminous to weakly peraluminous composition and juvenile initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios of the Las Chacras-Potrerillos batholith magmas. We propose that the boron was not derived from the magma source region but was incorporated from dehydration melting of elastic metasedimentary rocks higher up in the crustal column.
The Altiplano-Puna Plateau holds several shallow lakes, which are very sensitive to climate changes. This work is focused on a high-altitude lake system called Lagunas de Vilama (LVS), located in a complex climatic transition area with scarcity of continuous and homogeneous instrumental records. The objective of this study is to determine the regional spatial-temporal variability of precipitation and evaluate the seasonal and interannual lake responses. We use a lake-surfaces record derived from Landsat images to investigate links with regional precipitations and different climatic forcings. The results reveal that austral summer and autumn precipitations control the variability of the annual lake-surfaces. Also, we found intra-annual and interannual lags in the lake responses to precipitations, and identified several wet and dry stages. Our results show negative trends in precipitations and lake-surfaces, whose were strengthened by a shift to a warm phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation in the 1990s. The El Nino Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and Southern Annular Mode also exert a strong influence in the region. This study demonstrates that the variability of LVS lakes is strongly related to the South American Monsoon System dynamics and large-scale climate fordngs from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This work provides novel indices which demonstrated to be good indicators of regional hydroclimatological variability for this region of South America.
The Arnoldi process can be applied to inexpensively approximate matrix functions of the form f (A)v and matrix functionals of the form v*(f (A))*g(A)v, where A is a large square non-Hermitian matrix, v is a vector, and the superscript * denotes transposition and complex conjugation. Here f and g are analytic functions that are defined in suitable regions in the complex plane. This paper reviews available approximation methods and describes new ones that provide higher accuracy for essentially the same computational effort by exploiting available, but generally not used, moment information. Numerical experiments show that in some cases the modifications of the Arnoldi decompositions proposed can improve the accuracy of v*(f (A))*g(A)v about as much as performing an additional step of the Arnoldi process.
Background and aims:
The objective of the present work was to determine to what extent sleep quality may mediate the association between chronodisruption (CD) and metabolic syndrome (MS), and between CD and body composition (BC).
Methodology:
Cross-sectional study which included 300 adult health workers, 150 of whom were night shift workers and thereby exposed to CD. Diagnosis of MS was made based on Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Body mass index (BMI), fat mass percentage, and visceral fat percentage were measured as indicators of body composition (BC). Data were analyzed using logistic, linear regression and structural equation models.
Results:
The odds of health workers exposed to CD to suffer MS was 22.13 (IC95 8.68-66.07) when the model was adjusted for age, gender, physical activity and energy consumption. CD was also significantly associated with an increase in fat mass and visceral fat percentages, but not to BMI. Surprisingly, there was not enough evidence supporting the hypothesis that sleep quality contributes to the association between CD and MS or between CD and BC.
Conclusions:
Sleep quality does not mediate the negative effects of CD on MS nor on BC.
Based on suggested interactions of potential tipping elements in the Earth's climate and in ecological systems, tipping cascades as possible dynamics are increasingly discussed and studied. The activation of such tipping cascades would impose a considerable risk for human societies and biosphere integrity. However, there are ambiguities in the description of tipping cascades within the literature so far. Here we illustrate how different patterns of multiple tipping dynamics emerge from a very simple coupling of two previously studied idealized tipping elements. In particular, we distinguish between a two phase cascade, a domino cascade and a joint cascade. A mitigation of an unfolding two phase cascade may be possible and common early warning indicators are sensitive to upcoming critical transitions to a certain degree. In contrast, a domino cascade may hardly be stopped once initiated and critical slowing down-based indicators fail to indicate tipping of the following element. These different potentials for intervention and anticipation across the distinct patterns of multiple tipping dynamics should be seen as a call to be more precise in future analyses of cascading dynamics arising from tipping element interactions in the Earth system.
The synthesis and the crystal structure of the double cluster compound [Nb6Cl14(MeCN)(4)][Nb6Cl14(pyz)(4)]middot6CH(3)CN are described. The synthesis is based on a partial ligand exchange reaction, which proceeds upon dissolving [Nb6Cl14(pyz)(4)]middot2CH(2)Cl(2) in acetonitrile. The compound is built up of two discrete neutral cluster units, which consist of octahedra of Nb-6 atoms coordinated by 12 edge-bridging chlorido and two terminal chlorido ligands, and four acetonitrile ligands on one and four pyrazine ligands on the other cluster unit. Co-crystallized acetonitrile molecules are also present. The single-crystal structure determination has revealed a cluster arrangement in which the [Nb6Cl14(pyz)(4)] units are connected by (halogen) lone-pair-(pyrazine) pi interactions. These lead to chains of [Nb6Cl14(pyz)(4)] clusters. These chains are further connected to cluster layers by (nitrile-halogen) dipole-dipole interactions, in which the [Nb6Cl14(MeCN)(4)] and co-crystallized MeCN molecules are also involved. These cluster layers are arranged parallel to the crystallographic {011} plane.
Purpose UK guidelines recommend dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) should not exceed 10% total energy (%TE) for cardiovascular disease prevention, with benefits observed when SFAs are replaced with unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a dietary exchange model using commercially available foods to replace SFAs with UFAs. Methods Healthy men (n = 109, age 48, SD 11 year) recruited to the Reading, Imperial, Surrey, Saturated fat Cholesterol Intervention-1 (RISSCI-1) study (ClinicalTrials.Gov n degrees NCT03270527) followed two sequential 4-week isoenergetic moderate-fat (34%TE) diets: high-SFA (18%TE SFAs, 16%TE UFAs) and low-SFA (10%TE SFAs, 24%TE UFAs). Dietary intakes were assessed using 4-day weighed diet diaries. Nutrient intakes were analysed using paired t-tests, fasting plasma phospholipid fatty acid (PL-FA) profiles and dietary patterns were analysed using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analyses. Results Participants exchanged 10.2%TE (SD 4.1) SFAs for 9.7%TE (SD 3.9) UFAs between the high and low-SFA diets, reaching target intakes with minimal effect on other nutrients or energy intakes. Analyses of dietary patterns confirmed successful incorporation of recommended foods from commercially available sources (e.g. dairy products, snacks, oils, and fats), without affecting participants' overall dietary intakes. Analyses of plasma PL-FAs indicated good compliance to the dietary intervention and foods of varying SFA content. Conclusions RISSCI-1 dietary exchange model successfully replaced dietary SFAs with UFAs in free-living healthy men using commercially available foods, and without altering their dietary patterns. Further intervention studies are required to confirm utility and feasibility of such food-based dietary fat replacement models at a population level.
This paper studies cosmic-ray (CR) transport in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. CR transport is strongly dependent on the properties of the magnetic turbulence.
We perform test particle simulations to study the interactions of CR with both total MHD turbulence and decomposed MHD modes.
The spatial diffusion coefficients and the pitch angle scattering diffusion coefficients are calculated from the test particle trajectories in turbulence.
Our results confirm that the fast modes dominate the CR propagation, whereas Alfven and slow modes are much less efficient and have shown similar pitch-angle scattering rates.
We investigate the cross field transport on large and small scales. On large/global scales, normal diffusion is observed and the diffusion coefficient is suppressed by M-A(zeta) compared to the parallel diffusion coefficients, with zeta closer to 4 in Alfven modes than that in total turbulence, as theoretically expected.
For the CR transport on scales smaller than the turbulence injection scale, both the local and global magnetic reference frames are adopted. Superdiffusion is observed on such small scales in all the cases. Particularly, CR transport in Alfven modes show clear Richardson diffusion in the local reference frame. The diffusion transitions smoothly from the Richardson's one with index 1.5 to normal diffusion as the particle mean free path decreases from lambda(parallel to) >> L to lambda(parallel to) << L, where L is the injection/coherence length of turbulence.
Our results have broad applications to CRs in various astrophysical environments.
Active matter broadly covers the dynamics of self-propelled particles.
While the onset of collective behavior in homogenous active systems is relatively well understood, the effect of inhomogeneities such as obstacles and traps lacks overall clarity.
Here, we study how interacting, self-propelled particles become trapped and released from a trap.
We have found that captured particles aggregate into an orbiting condensate with a crystalline structure. As more particles are added, the trapped condensates escape as a whole.
Our results shed light on the effects of confinement and quenched disorder in active matter.
„Zur rechten Zeit“ ist ein flüssig geschriebenes, gut lesbares und an ein breites Publikum gerichtetes Sachbuch. Es will die Geschichte der Bundesrepublik „unter dem Eindruck der gegenwärtigen rechten Konjunktur anders denn als gängige Erfolgsgeschichte“ (S. 10) erzählen. Die Autorinnen und Autoren sind nicht bestrebt, das Erfolgsnarrativ radikal zu dekonstruieren und damit den Forschungsertrag der Zeitgeschichtsschreibung zu ignorieren, wohl aber rekonstruieren sie Abschattungen und Brüche, die zeigen, dass der Prozess weniger geradlinig war als häufig angenommen – und dass seine Ergebnisse nicht irreversibel sind.
Quantification of reaction fluxes of metabolic networks can help us understand how the integration of different metabolic pathways determines cellular functions. Yet, intracellular fluxes cannot be measured directly but are estimated with metabolic flux analysis (MFA), which relies on the patterns of isotope labeling of metabolites in the network. The application of MFA also requires a stoichiometric model with atom mappings that are currently not available for the majority of large-scale metabolic network models, particularly of plants. While automated approaches such as the Reaction Decoder Toolkit (RDT) can produce atom mappings for individual reactions, tracing the flow of individual atoms of the entire reactions across a metabolic model remains challenging. Here we establish an automated workflow to obtain reliable atom mappings for large-scale metabolic models by refining the outcome of RDT, and apply the workflow to metabolic models of Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate the accuracy of RDT through a comparative analysis with atom mappings from a large database of biochemical reactions, MetaCyc. We further show the utility of our automated workflow by simulating N-15 isotope enrichment and identifying nitrogen (N)-containing metabolites which show enrichment patterns that are informative for flux estimation in future N-15-MFA studies of A. thaliana. The automated workflow established in this study can be readily expanded to other species for which metabolic models have been established and the resulting atom mappings will facilitate MFA and graph-theoretic structural analyses with large-scale metabolic networks.
Tacitus' Wonders
(2022)
This volume approaches the broad topic of wonder in the works of Tacitus, encompassing paradox, the marvellous and the admirable. Recent scholarship on these themes in Roman literature has tended to focus on poetic genres, with comparatively little attention paid to historiography: Tacitus, whose own judgments on what is worthy of note have often differed in interesting ways from the preoccupations of his readers, is a fascinating focal point for this complementary perspective.
Scholarship on Tacitus has to date remained largely marked by a divide between the search for veracity – as validated by modern historiographical standards – and literary approaches, and as a result wonders have either been ignored as unfit for an account of history or have been deprived of their force by being interpreted as valid only within the text. While the modern ideal of historiographical objectivity tends to result in striving for consistent heuristic and methodological frameworks, works as varied as Tacitus' Histories, Annals and opera minora can hardly be prefaced with a statement of methodology broad enough to escape misrepresenting their diversity. In our age of specialization a streamlined methodological framework is a virtue, but it should not be assumed that Tacitus had similar priorities, and indeed the Histories and Annals deserve to be approached with openness towards the variety of perspectives that a tradition as rich as Latin historiographical prose can include within its scope. This collection proposes ways to reconcile the divide between history and historiography by exploring contestable moments in the text that challenge readers to judge and interpret for themselves, with individual chapters drawing on a range of interpretive approaches that mirror the wealth of authorial and reader-specific responses in play.
Long- and short-term monitoring of a dam in response to seasonal changes and ground motion loading
(2021)
An experimental multi-parameter structural monitoring system has been installed on the Kurpsai dam, western Kyrgyz Republic. This system consists of equipment for seismic and strain measurements for making longer- (days, weeks, months) and shorter- (minutes, hours) term observations, dealing with, for example seasonal (longer) effects or the response of the dam to ground motion from noise or seismic events. Fibre-optic strain sensors allow the seasonal and daily opening and closing of the spaces between the dam's segments to be tracked. For the seismic data, both amplitude (in terms of using differences in amplitudes in the Fourier spectra for mapping the modes of vibration of the dam) and their time-frequency distribution for a set of small to moderate seismic events are investigated and the corresponding phase variabilities (in terms of lagged coherency) are evaluated. Even for moderate levels of seismic-induced ground motion, some influence on the structural response can be detected, which then sees the dam quickly return to its original state. A seasonal component was identified in the strain measurements, while levels of noise arising from the operation of the dam's generators and associated water flow have been provisionally identified.
Lost in Germania
(2021)
Tacitus’ Germania is notable for its absences: lacking a preface and programmatic statements, and being the only ethnographic monograph to have survived from Greco-Roman antiquity, readers have often leapt to fill in its perceived blanks. This chapter aims at redressing the effects of overdetermined readings by interpreting the text’s absences as significant in their own right.
Centroid moment tensor (CMT) parameters can be estimated from seismic waveforms. Since these data indirectly observe the deformation process, CMTs are inferred as solutions to inverse problems which are generally underdetermined and require significant assumptions, including assumptions about data noise. Broadly speaking, we consider noise to include both theory and measurement errors, where theory errors are due to assumptions in the inverse problem and measurement errors are caused by the measurement process. While data errors are routinely included in parameter estimation for full CMTs, less attention has been paid to theory errors related to velocity-model uncertainties and how these affect the resulting moment-tensor (MT) uncertainties. Therefore, rigorous uncertainty quantification for CMTs may require theory-error estimation which becomes a problem of specifying noise models. Various noise models have been proposed, and these rely on several assumptions. All approaches quantify theory errors by estimating the covariance matrix of data residuals. However, this estimation can be based on explicit modelling, empirical estimation and/or ignore or include covariances. We quantitatively compare several approaches by presenting parameter and uncertainty estimates in nonlinear full CMT estimation for several simulated data sets and regional field data of the M-1 4.4, 2015 June 13 Fox Creek, Canada, event. While our main focus is at regional distances, the tested approaches are general and implemented for arbitrary source model choice. These include known or unknown centroid locations, full MTs, deviatoric MTs and double-couple MTs. We demonstrate that velocity-model uncertainties can profoundly affect parameter estimation and that their inclusion leads to more realistic parameter uncertainty quantification. However, not all approaches perform equally well. Including theory errors by estimating non-stationary (non-Toeplitz) error covariance matrices via iterative schemes during Monte Carlo sampling performs best and is computationally most efficient. In general, including velocity-model uncertainties is most important in cases where velocity structure is poorly known.
Successful conservation efforts have led to recent increases of large mammals such as European bison Bison bonasus, moose Alces alces and grey wolf Canis lupus and their return to former habitats in central Europe.
While embraced by some, the recovery of these species is a controversial topic and holds potential for human-wildlife conflicts.
Involving the public has been suggested to be an effective method for monitoring wildlife and mitigating associated conflicts.
To assess two interrelated prerequisites for engaging people in Citizen Science (CS)-knowledge of returning species and respondents' readiness to participate in CS activities for monitoring and managing these species-we conducted a survey (questionnaire) in two wildlife parks located in different states of Germany.
Based on 472 complete questionnaires, we developed generalized linear models to understand how sociodemographic variables and exposure to the species affected visitors' knowledge of each species, and to investigate if sociodemographic variables and knowledge influenced the likelihood of visitors to participate in CS activities.
Almost all visitors were aware of the returning wolf population, while knowledge and awareness about bison and moose were significantly lower.
Knowledge of the two herbivores differed geographically (higher knowledge of moose in the north-eastern state), possibly indicating a positive association between exposure to the species and knowledge.
However, models generally performed poorly in predicting knowledge about wildlife, suggesting that such specific knowledge is insufficiently explained by sociodemographic variables. Our model, which explained stated willingness in CS indicated that younger participants and those with higher knowledge scores in the survey were more willing to engage in CS activities.
Overall, our analyses highlight how exposure to large mammals, knowledge about wildlife and human demographics are interrelated-insights that are helpful for effectively recruiting citizen scientists for wildlife conservation.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
This study investigates the use of pulse stretching (skew-sized) inverters for monitoring the variation of count rate and linear energy transfer (LET) of energetic particles. The basic particle detector is a cascade of two pulse stretching inverters, and the required sensing area is obtained by connecting up to 12 two-inverter cells in parallel and employing the required number of parallel arrays. The incident particles are detected as single-event transients (SETs), whereby the SET count rate denotes the particle count rate, while the SET pulsewidth distribution depicts the LET variations. The advantage of the proposed solution is the possibility to sense the LET variations using fully digital processing logic. SPICE simulations conducted on IHP's 130-nm CMOS technology have shown that the SET pulsewidth varies by approximately 550 ps over the LET range from 1 to 100 MeV center dot cm(2) center dot mg(-1). The proposed detector is intended for triggering the fault-tolerant mechanisms within a self-adaptive multiprocessing system employed in space. It can be implemented as a standalone detector or integrated in the same chip with the target system.
Fatty acids are widely used to study trophic interactions in food web assemblages. Generally, it is assumed that there is a very small modification of fatty acids from one trophic step to another, making them suitable as trophic biomarkers. However, recent literature provides evidence that many fishes possess genes encoding enzymes with a role in bioconversion, thus the capability for bioconversion might be more widespread than previously assumed. Nonetheless, empirical evidence for biosynthesis occurring in natural populations remains scarce. In this study, we investigated different feeding types of perch (Perca fluviatilis) that are specialized on specific resources with different levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), and analyzed the change between HUFA proportions in perch muscle tissue compared to their resources. Perch showed matching levels to their resources for EPA, but ARA and especially DHA were accumulated. Compound-specific stable isotope analyses helped us to identify the origin of HUFA carbon. Our results suggest that perch obtain a substantial amount of DHA via bioconversion when feeding on DHA-poor benthic resources. Thus, our data indicate the capability of bioconversion of HUFAs in a natural freshwater fish population.
Circular economy
(2021)
In a circular economy, the use of recycled resources in production is a key performance indicator for management. Yet, academic studies are still unable to inform managers on appropriate recycling and pricing policies. We develop an optimal control model integrating a firm's recycling rate, which can use both virgin and recycled resources in the production process. Our model accounts for recycling influence both at the supply- and demandsides. The positive effect of a firm's use of recycled resources diminishes over time but may increase through investments. Using general formulations for demand and cost, we analytically examine joint dynamic pricing and recycling investment policies in order to determine their optimal interplay over time. We provide numerical experiments to assess the existence of a steady-state and to calculate sensitivity analyses with respect to various model parameters. The analysis shows how to dynamically adapt jointly optimized controls to reach sustainability in the production process. Our results pave the way to sounder sustainable practices for firms operating within a circular economy.
Cirrus is the only cloud type capable of inducing daytime cooling or heating at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and the sign of its radiative effect highly depends on its optical depth. However, the investigation of its geometrical and optical properties over the Arctic is limited. In this work the long-term properties of cirrus clouds are explored for the first time over an Arctic site (Ny-Alesund, Svalbard) using lidar and radiosonde measurements from 2011 to 2020. The optical properties were quality assured, taking into account the effects of specular reflections and multiple-scattering. Cirrus clouds were generally associated with colder and calmer wind conditions compared to the 2011-2020 climatology. However, the dependence of cirrus properties on temperature and wind speed was not strong. Even though the seasonal cycle was not pronounced, the winter-time cirrus appeared under lower temperatures and stronger wind conditions. Moreover, in winter, geometrically- and optically-thicker cirrus were found and their ice particles tended to be more spherical. The majority of cirrus was associated with westerly flow and westerly cirrus tended to be geometrically-thicker. Overall, optically-thinner layers tended to comprise smaller and less spherical ice crystals, most likely due to reduced water vapor deposition on the particle surface. Compared to lower latitudes, the cirrus layers over Ny-Alesund were more absorbing in the visible spectral region and they consisted of more spherical ice particles.
MALDI-TOF-MS-based identification of monoclonal murine Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within one hour
(2022)
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many virus-binding monoclonal antibodies have been developed for clinical and diagnostic purposes. This underlines the importance of antibodies as universal bioanalytical reagents. However, little attention is given to the reproducibility crisis that scientific studies are still facing to date. In a recent study, not even half of all research antibodies mentioned in publications could be identified at all. This should spark more efforts in the search for practical solutions for the traceability of antibodies. For this purpose, we used 35 monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to demonstrate how sequence-independent antibody identification can be achieved by simple means applied to the protein. First, we examined the intact and light chain masses of the antibodies relative to the reference material NIST-mAb 8671. Already half of the antibodies could be identified based solely on these two parameters. In addition, we developed two complementary peptide mass fingerprinting methods with MALDI-TOF-MS that can be performed in 60 min and had a combined sequence coverage of over 80%. One method is based on the partial acidic hydrolysis of the protein by 5 mM of sulfuric acid at 99 degrees C. Furthermore, we established a fast way for a tryptic digest without an alkylation step. We were able to show that the distinction of clones is possible simply by a brief visual comparison of the mass spectra. In this work, two clones originating from the same immunization gave the same fingerprints. Later, a hybridoma sequencing confirmed the sequence identity of these sister clones. In order to automate the spectral comparison for larger libraries of antibodies, we developed the online software ABID 2.0. This open-source software determines the number of matching peptides in the fingerprint spectra. We propose that publications and other documents critically relying on monoclonal antibodies with unknown amino acid sequences should include at least one antibody fingerprint. By fingerprinting an antibody in question, its identity can be confirmed by comparison with a library spectrum at any time and context.
Both climate change and land use regimes affect the viability of populations, but they are often studied separately. Moreover, population viability analyses (PVAs) often ignore the effects of large environmental gradients and use temporal resolutions that are too coarse to take into account that different stages of a population's life cycle may be affected differently by climate change. Here, we present the High-resolution Large Environmental Gradient (HiLEG) model and apply it in a PVA with daily resolution based on daily climate projections for Northwest Germany. We used the large marsh grasshopper (LMG) as the target species and investigated (1) the effects of climate change on the viability and spatial distribution of the species, (2) the influence of the timing of grassland mowing on the species and (3) the interaction between the effects of climate change and grassland mowing. The stageand cohort-based model was run for the spatially differentiated environmental conditions temperature and soil moisture across the whole study region. We implemented three climate change scenarios and analyzed the population dynamics for four consecutive 20-year periods. Climate change alone would lead to an expansion of the regions suitable for the LMG, as warming accelerates development and due to reduced drought stress. However, in combination with land use, the timing of mowing was crucial, as this disturbance causes a high mortality rate in the aboveground life stages. Assuming the same date of mowing throughout the region, the impact on viability varied greatly between regions due to the different climate conditions. The regional negative effects of the mowing date can be divided into five phases: (1) In early spring, the populations were largely unaffected in all the regions; (2) between late spring and early summer, they were severely affected only in warm regions; (3) in summer, all the populations were severely affected so that they could hardly survive; (4) between late summer and early autumn, they were severely affected in cold regions; and (5) in autumn, the populations were equally affected across all regions. The duration and start of each phase differed slightly depending on the climate change scenario and simulation period, but overall, they showed the same pattern. Our model can be used to identify regions of concern and devise management recommendations. The model can be adapted to the life cycle of different target species, climate projections and disturbance regimes. We show with our adaption of the HiLEG model that high-resolution PVAs and applications on large environmental gradients can be reconciled to develop conservation strategies capable of dealing with multiple stressors.
Supergenes are nonrecombining genomic regions ensuring the coinheritance of multiple, coadapted genes. Despite the importance of supergenes in adaptation, little is known on how they originate. A classic example of supergene is the S locus controlling heterostyly, a floral heteromorphism occurring in 28 angiosperm families. In Primula, heterostyly is characterized by the cooccurrence of two complementary, self-incompatible floral morphs and is controlled by five genes clustered in the hemizygous, ca. 300-kb S locus. Here, we present the first chromosome-scale genome assembly of any heterostylous species, that of Primula veris (cowslip). By leveraging the high contiguity of the P. veris assembly and comparative genomic analyses, we demonstrated that the S-locus evolved via multiple, asynchronous gene duplications and independent gene translocations. Furthermore, we discovered a new whole-genome duplication in Ericales that is specific to the Primula lineage. We also propose a mechanism for the origin of S-locus hemizygosity via nonhomologous recombination involving the newly discovered two pairs of CFB genes flanking the S locus. Finally, we detected only weak signatures of degeneration in the S locus, as predicted for hemizygous supergenes. The present study provides a useful resource for future research addressing key questions on the evolution of supergenes in general and the S locus in particular: How do supergenes arise? What is the role of genome architecture in the evolution of complex adaptations? Is the molecular architecture of heterostyly supergenes across angiosperms similar to that of Primula?
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.
Ancient genome provides insights into the history of Eurasian lynx in Iberia and Western Europe
(2022)
The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is one of the most widely distributed felids in the world. However, most of its populations started to decline a few millennia ago. Historical declines have been especially severe in Europe, and particularly in Western Europe, from where the species disappeared in the last few centuries. Here, we analyze the genome of an Eurasian lynx inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula 2500 ya, to gain insights into the phylogeographic position and genetic status of this extinct population. Also, we contextualize previous ancient data in the light of new phylogeographic studies of the species. Our results suggest that the Iberian population is part of an extinct European lineage closely related to the current Carpathian-Baltic lineages. Also, this sample holds the lowest diversity reported for the species so far, and similar to that of the highly endangered Iberian lynx. A combination of historical factors, such as a founder effect while colonizing the peninsula, together with intensified human impacts during the Holocene in the Cantabrian strip, could have led to a genetic impoverishment of the population and precipitated its extinction. Mitogenomic lineages distribution in space and time support the long-term coexistence of several lineages of Eurasian lynx in Western Europe with fluctuating ranges. While mitochondrial sequences related to the lineages currently found in Balkans and Caucasus were predominant during the Pleistocene, those more closely related to the lineage currently distributed in Central Europe prevailed during the Holocene. The use of ancient genomics has proven to be a useful tool to understand the biogeographic pattern of the Eurasian lynx in the past.
The water vapor-induced swelling, as well as subsequent phase-transition kinetics, of thin films of a diblock copolymer (DBC) loaded with different amounts of the salt NaBr, is investigated in situ. In dilute aqueous solution, the DBC features an orthogonally thermoresponsive behavior. It consists of a zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine) block, namely, poly(4-(N-(3'-methacrylamidopropyl)-N, N-dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate) (PSBP), showing an upper critical solution temperature, and a nonionic block, namely, poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM), exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature. The swelling kinetics in D2O vapor at 15 degrees C and the phase transition kinetics upon heating the swollen film to 60 degrees C and cooling back to 15 degrees C are followed with simultaneous time-of-flight neutron reflectometry and spectral reflectance measurements. These are complemented by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The collapse temperature of PNIPMAM and the swelling temperature of PSBP are found at lower temperatures than in aqueous solution, which is attributed to the high polymer concentration in the thin-film geometry. Upon inclusion of sub-stoichiometric amounts (relative to the monomer units) of NaBr in the films, the water incorporation is significantly increased. This increase is mainly attributed to a salting-in effect on the zwitterionic PSBP block. Whereas the addition of NaBr notably shifts the swelling temperature of PSBP to lower temperatures, the collapse temperature of PNIPMAM remains unaffected by the presence of salt in the films.
Complex networks are abundant in nature and many share an important structural property: they contain a few nodes that are abnormally highly connected (hubs). Some of these hubs are called influencers because they couple strongly to the network and play fundamental dynamical and structural roles. Strikingly, despite the abundance of networks with influencers, little is known about their response to stochastic forcing. Here, for oscillatory dynamics on influencer networks, we show that subjecting influencers to an optimal intensity of noise can result in enhanced network synchronization. This new network dynamical effect, which we call coherence resonance in influencer networks, emerges from a synergy between network structure and stochasticity and is highly nonlinear, vanishing when the noise is too weak or too strong. Our results reveal that the influencer backbone can sharply increase the dynamical response in complex systems of coupled oscillators. Influencer networks include a small set of highly-connected nodes and can reach synchrony only via strong node interaction. Tonjes et al. show that introducing an optimal amount of noise enhances synchronization of such networks, which may be relevant for neuroscience or opinion dynamics applications.
The mean free path of ionizing photons, lambda(mfp), is a key factor in the photoionization of the intergalactic medium (IGM). At z greater than or similar to 5, however, lambda(mfp) may be short enough that measurements towards QSOs are biased by the QSO proximity effect. We present new direct measurements of lambda(mfp) that address this bias and extend up to z similar to 6 for the first time. Our measurements at z similar to 5 are based on data from the Giant Gemini GMOS survey and new Keck LRIS observations of low-luminosity QSOs. At z similar to 6 we use QSO spectra from Keck ESI and VLT X-Shooter. We measure lambda(mfp) = 9.09(-1.28)(+1.62) proper Mpc and 0.75(-0.45)(+0.65) proper Mpc (68 percent confidence) at z = 5.1 and 6.0, respectively. The results at z = 5.1 are consistent with existing measurements, suggesting that bias from the proximity effect is minor at this redshift. At z = 6.0, however, we find that neglecting the proximity effect biases the result high by a factor of two or more. Our measurement at z = 6.0 falls well below extrapolations from lower redshifts, indicating rapid evolution in lambda(mfp) over 5 < z < 6. This evolution disfavours models in which reionization ended early enough that the IGM had time to fully relax hydrodynamically by z = 6, but is qualitatively consistent with models wherein reionization completed at z = 6 or even significantly later. Our mean free path results are most consistent with late reionization models wherein the IGM is still 20 percent neutral at z = 6, although our measurement at z = 6.0 is even lower than these models prefer.
The successful Austrian pop-musician Andreas Gabalier has devoted several of his songs to his Styrian homeland. Gabalier's work and performance has often been per-ceived as nationalist. When analyzing some of his lyrics, an astonishing observation can be made: Most references to the »homeland« are backward-looking. This article argues that the remarkable lack of a national »future« in Gabalier's work is charac-teristic for contemporary nationalist manifestations, not only in popular culture, but also in ideologies and politics. The article introduces a new typology of nationalist movements. With regard to the character of the related nation-state, three types are discussed: »constructive nationalism« whereby the nationalist movement strives for a future sovereign nation state; »maintaining nationalism« wherein a nation state already exists; and »reconstructive nationalism« where nationalists believe that the nation state has lost its independence, sovereignty, and freedom in the course of globalization and hope for a reconstruction. However, these types are defined here as »ideal types« in a Weberian sense and will hardly be found in their »pure« forms in history or social reality.
Ice-rich permafrost has been subject to abrupt thaw and thermokarst formation in the past and is vulnerable to current global warming. The ice-rich permafrost domain includes Yedoma sediments that have never thawed since deposition during the late Pleistocene and Alas sediments that were formed by previous thermokarst processes during the Lateglacial and Holocene warming. Permafrost thaw unlocks organic carbon (OC) and minerals from these deposits and exposes OC to mineralization. A portion of the OC can be associated with iron (Fe), a redox-sensitive element acting as a trap for OC. Post-depositional thaw processes may have induced changes in redox conditions in these deposits and thereby affected Fe distribution and interactions between OC and Fe, with knock-on effects on the role that Fe plays in mediating present day OC mineralization. To test this hypothesis, we measured Fe concentrations and proportion of Fe oxides and Fe complexed with OC in unthawed Yedoma and previously thawed Alas deposits. Total Fe concentrations were determined on 1,292 sediment samples from the Yedoma domain using portable X-ray fluorescence; these concentrations were corrected for trueness using a calibration based on a subset of 144 samples measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after alkaline fusion (R (2) = 0.95). The total Fe concentration is stable with depth in Yedoma deposits, but we observe a depletion or accumulation of total Fe in Alas deposits, which experienced previous thaw and/or flooding events. Selective Fe extractions targeting reactive forms of Fe on unthawed and previously thawed deposits highlight that about 25% of the total Fe is present as reactive species, either as crystalline or amorphous oxides, or complexed with OC, with no significant difference in proportions of reactive Fe between Yedoma and Alas deposits. These results suggest that redox driven processes during past thermokarst formation impact the present-day distribution of total Fe, and thereby the total amount of reactive Fe in Alas versus Yedoma deposits. This study highlights that ongoing thermokarst lake formation and drainage dynamics in the Arctic influences reactive Fe distribution and thereby interactions between Fe and OC, OC mineralization rates, and greenhouse gas emissions.
How biased are our models?
(2021)
Geophysical process simulations play a crucial role in the understanding of the subsurface. This understanding is required to provide, for instance, clean energy sources such as geothermal energy. However, the calibration and validation of the physical models heavily rely on state measurements such as temperature. In this work, we demonstrate that focusing analyses purely on measurements introduces a high bias. This is illustrated through global sensitivity studies. The extensive exploration of the parameter space becomes feasible through the construction of suitable surrogate models via the reduced basis method, where the bias is found to result from very unequal data distribution. We propose schemes to compensate for parts of this bias. However, the bias cannot be entirely compensated. Therefore, we demonstrate the consequences of this bias with the example of a model calibration.
Urban air pollution is a substantial threat to human health. Traffic emissions remain a large contributor to air pollution in urban areas. The mobility restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic provided a large-scale real-world experiment that allows for the evaluation of changes in traffic emissions and the corresponding changes in air quality. Here we use observational data, as well as modelling, to analyse changes in nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter resulting from the COVID-19 restrictions at the height of the lockdown period in Spring of 2020. Accounting for the influence of meteorology on air quality, we found that reduction of ca. 30-50 % in traffic counts, dominated by changes in passenger cars, corresponded to reductions in median observed nitrogen dioxide concentrations of ca. 40 % (traffic and urban background locations) and a ca. 22 % increase in ozone (urban background locations) during weekdays. Lesser reductions in nitrogen dioxide concentrations were observed at urban background stations at weekends, and no change in ozone was observed. The modelled reductions in median nitrogen dioxide at urban background locations were smaller than the observed reductions and the change was not significant. The model results showed no significant change in ozone on weekdays or weekends. The lack of a simulated weekday/weekend effect is consistent with previous work suggesting that NOx emissions from traffic could be significantly underestimated in European cities by models. These results indicate the potential for improvements in air quality due to policies for reducing traffic, along with the scale of reductions that would be needed to result in meaningful changes in air quality if a transition to sustainable mobility is to be seriously considered. They also confirm once more the highly relevant role of traffic for air quality in urban areas.
The understanding of bidimensional materials dynamics and its electrolyte interface equilibrium, such as graphene oxide (GO), is critical for the development of a capacitive biosensing platform. The interfacial capacitance (C-i) of graphene-based materials may be tuned by experimental conditions such as pH optimization and cation size playing key roles at the enhancement of their capacitive properties allowing their application as novel capacitive biosensors. Here we reported a systematic study of C-i of multilayer GO films in different aqueous electrolytes employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the application in a capacitive detection system. We demonstrated that the presence of ionizable oxygen-containing functional groups within multilayer GO film favors the interactions and the accumulation of cations in the structure of the electrodes enhancing the GO C-i in aqueous solutions, where at pH 7.0 (the best condition) the C-i was 340 mu F mg(-1) at -0.01 V vs Ag/AgCl. We also established that the hydrated cation radius affects the mobility and interaction with GO functional groups and it plays a critical role in the Ci, as demonstrated in the presence of different cations Na+=640 mu F mg(-1), Li+=575 mu F mg(-1) and TMA(+)=477 mu F mg(-1). As a proof-of-concept, the capacitive behaviour of GO was explored as biosensing platform for standard streptavidin-biotin systems. For this system, the C-i varied linearly with the log of the concentration of the targeting analyte in the range from 10 pg mL(-1) to 100 ng mL(-1), showing the promising applicability of capacitive GO based sensors for label-free biosensing.
Design thinking is a well-established practical and educational approach to fostering high-level creativity and innovation, which has been refined since the 1950s with the participation of experts like Joy Paul Guilford and Abraham Maslow. Through real-world projects, trainees learn to optimize their creative outcomes by developing and practicing creative cognition and metacognition. This paper provides a holistic perspective on creativity, enabling the formulation of a comprehensive theoretical framework of creative metacognition. It focuses on the design thinking approach to creativity and explores the role of metacognition in four areas of creativity expertise: Products, Processes, People, and Places. The analysis includes task-outcome relationships (product metacognition), the monitoring of strategy effectiveness (process metacognition), an understanding of individual or group strengths and weaknesses (people metacognition), and an examination of the mutual impact between environments and creativity (place metacognition). It also reviews measures taken in design thinking education, including a distribution of cognition and metacognition, to support students in their development of creative mastery. On these grounds, we propose extended methods for measuring creative metacognition with the goal of enhancing comprehensive assessments of the phenomenon. Proposed methodological advancements include accuracy sub-scales, experimental tasks where examinees explore problem and solution spaces, combinations of naturalistic observations with capability testing, as well as physiological assessments as indirect measures of creative metacognition.
Case report
(2023)
The increasing prevalence of Long COVID is an imminent public health disaster, and established approaches have not provided adequate diagnostics or treatments. Recently, anesthetic blockade of the stellate ganglion was reported to improve Long COVID symptoms in a small case series, purportedly by "rebooting" the autonomic nervous system. Here, we present a novel diagnostic approach based on the Adaptive Force (AF), and report sustained positive outcome for one severely affected Long COVID patient using individualized pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) at the area C7/T1. AF reflects the capacity of the neuromuscular system to adapt adequately to external forces in an isometric holding manner. In case, maximal isometric AF (AFiso(max)) is exceeded, the muscle merges into eccentric muscle action. Thereby, the force usually increases further until maximal AF (AFmax) is reached. In case adaptation is optimal, AFiso(max) is similar to 99-100% of AFmax. This holding capacity (AFiso(max)) was found to be vulnerable to disruption by unpleasant stimulus and, hence, was regarded as functional parameter. AF was assessed by an objectified manual muscle test using a handheld device. Prior to treatment, AFiso(max) was considerably lower than AFmax for hip flexors (62 N = similar to 28% AFmax) and elbow flexors (71 N = similar to 44% AFmax); i.e., maximal holding capacity was significantly reduced, indicating dysfunctional motor control. We tested PEMF at C7/T1, identified a frequency that improved neuromuscular function, and applied it for similar to 15 min. Immediately post-treatment, AFiso(max) increased to similar to 210 N (similar to 100% AFmax) at hip and 184 N (similar to 100% AFmax) at elbow. Subjective Long COVID symptoms resolved the following day. At 4 weeks post-treatment, maximal holding capacity was still on a similarly high level as for immediately post-treatment (similar to 100% AFmax) and patient was symptom-free. At 6 months the patient's Long COVID symptoms have not returned. This case report suggests (1) AF could be a promising diagnostic for post-infectious illness, (2) AF can be used to test effective treatments for post-infectious illness, and (3) individualized PEMF may resolve post-infectious symptoms.
This systematic review investigated how successful children/adolescents with poor literacy skills learn a foreign language compared with their peers with typical literacy skills. Moreover, we explored whether specific characteristics related to participants, foreign language instruction, and assessment moderated scores on foreign language tests in this population. Overall, 16 studies with a total of 968 participants (poor reader/spellers:n = 404; control participants:n = 564) met eligibility criteria. Only studies focusing on English as a foreign language were available. Available data allowed for meta-analyses on 10 different measures of foreign language attainment. In addition to standard mean differences (SMDs), we computed natural logarithms of the ratio of coefficients of variation (CVRs) to capture individual variability between participant groups. Significant between-study heterogeneity, which could not be explained by moderator analyses, limited the interpretation of results. Although children/adolescents with poor literacy skills on average showed lower scores on foreign language phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and reading comprehension measures, their performance varied significantly more than that of control participants. Thus, it remains unclear to what extent group differences between the foreign language scores of children/adolescents with poor and typical literacy skills are representative of individual poor readers/spellers. Taken together, our results indicate that foreign language skills in children/adolescents with poor literacy skills are highly variable. We discuss the limitations of past research that can guide future steps toward a better understanding of individual differences in foreign language attainment of children/adolescents with poor literacy skills.
Alcohol intoxication is known to affect many aspects of human behavior and cognition; one of such affected systems is articulation during speech production. Although much research has revealed that alcohol negatively impacts pronunciation in a first language (L1), there is only initial evidence suggesting a potential beneficial effect of inebriation on articulation in a non-native language (L2). The aim of this study was thus to compare the effect of alcohol consumption on pronunciation in an L1 and an L2. Participants who had ingested different amounts of alcohol provided speech samples in their L1 (Dutch) and L2 (English), and native speakers of each language subsequently rated the pronunciation of these samples on their intelligibility (for the L1) and accent nativelikeness (for the L2). These data were analyzed with generalized additive mixed modeling. Participants' blood alcohol concentration indeed negatively affected pronunciation in L1, but it produced no significant effect on the L2 accent ratings. The expected negative impact of alcohol on L1 articulation can be explained by reduction in fine motor control. We present two hypotheses to account for the absence of any effects of intoxication on L2 pronunciation: (1) there may be a reduction in L1 interference on L2 speech due to decreased motor control or (2) alcohol may produce a differential effect on each of the two linguistic subsystems.
Alcohol intoxication is known to affect many aspects of human behavior and cognition; one of such affected systems is articulation during speech production. Although much research has revealed that alcohol negatively impacts pronunciation in a first language (L1), there is only initial evidence suggesting a potential beneficial effect of inebriation on articulation in a non-native language (L2). The aim of this study was thus to compare the effect of alcohol consumption on pronunciation in an L1 and an L2. Participants who had ingested different amounts of alcohol provided speech samples in their L1 (Dutch) and L2 (English), and native speakers of each language subsequently rated the pronunciation of these samples on their intelligibility (for the L1) and accent nativelikeness (for the L2). These data were analyzed with generalized additive mixed modeling. Participants' blood alcohol concentration indeed negatively affected pronunciation in L1, but it produced no significant effect on the L2 accent ratings. The expected negative impact of alcohol on L1 articulation can be explained by reduction in fine motor control. We present two hypotheses to account for the absence of any effects of intoxication on L2 pronunciation: (1) there may be a reduction in L1 interference on L2 speech due to decreased motor control or (2) alcohol may produce a differential effect on each of the two linguistic subsystems.
Objective:
Depression and coronary heart disease (CHD) are highly comorbid conditions. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in cardiovascular processes. Depressed patients typically show decreased BDNF concentrations. We analysed the relationship between BDNF and depression in a sample of patients with CHD and additionally distinguished between cognitive-affective and somatic depression symptoms. We also investigated whether BDNF was associated with somatic comorbidity burden, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF).
Methods:
The following variables were assessed for 225 hospitalised patients with CHD: BDNF concentrations, depression [Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)], somatic comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), CHF, ACS, platelet count, smoking status and antidepressant treatment.
Results:
Regression models revealed that BDNF was not associated with severity of depression. Although depressed patients (PHQ-9 score >7) had significantly lower BDNF concentrations compared to non-depressed patients (p = 0.04), this was not statistically significant after controlling for confounders (p = 0.15). Cognitive-affective symptoms and somatic comorbidity burden each closely missed a statistically significant association with BDNF concentrations (p = 0.08, p = 0.06, respectively). BDNF was reduced in patients with CHF (p = 0.02). There was no covariate-adjusted, significant association between BDNF and ACS.
Conclusion:
Serum BDNF concentrations are associated with cardiovascular dysfunction. Somatic comorbidities should be considered when investigating the relationship between depression and BDNF.
Objective:
Depression and coronary heart disease (CHD) are highly comorbid conditions. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in cardiovascular processes. Depressed patients typically show decreased BDNF concentrations. We analysed the relationship between BDNF and depression in a sample of patients with CHD and additionally distinguished between cognitive-affective and somatic depression symptoms. We also investigated whether BDNF was associated with somatic comorbidity burden, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF).
Methods:
The following variables were assessed for 225 hospitalised patients with CHD: BDNF concentrations, depression [Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)], somatic comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), CHF, ACS, platelet count, smoking status and antidepressant treatment.
Results:
Regression models revealed that BDNF was not associated with severity of depression. Although depressed patients (PHQ-9 score >7) had significantly lower BDNF concentrations compared to non-depressed patients (p = 0.04), this was not statistically significant after controlling for confounders (p = 0.15). Cognitive-affective symptoms and somatic comorbidity burden each closely missed a statistically significant association with BDNF concentrations (p = 0.08, p = 0.06, respectively). BDNF was reduced in patients with CHF (p = 0.02). There was no covariate-adjusted, significant association between BDNF and ACS.
Conclusion:
Serum BDNF concentrations are associated with cardiovascular dysfunction. Somatic comorbidities should be considered when investigating the relationship between depression and BDNF.
Der vorliegende Beitrag informiert über 14 deutschsprachige Programme zur Prävention und Intervention bei Hatespeech unter Kindern und Jugendlichen (Jahrgangsstufen 5–12). Inhalte und Durchführungsmodalitäten der Programme sowie Ergebnisse einer kriteriengeleiteten Qualitätseinschätzung anhand von fünf Kriterien werden im Hinblick auf deren Anwendung in der schulischen Praxis beschrieben und erörtert. Der Überblick über Schwerpunkte, Stärken und Entwicklungspotentiale schulbezogener Hatespeech-Programme ermöglicht Leser*innen eine informierte Entscheidung über den Einsatz der Programme in der Schule sowie in der offenen Kinder- und Jugendarbeit.
Der vorliegende Beitrag informiert über 14 deutschsprachige Programme zur Prävention und Intervention bei Hatespeech unter Kindern und Jugendlichen (Jahrgangsstufen 5–12). Inhalte und Durchführungsmodalitäten der Programme sowie Ergebnisse einer kriteriengeleiteten Qualitätseinschätzung anhand von fünf Kriterien werden im Hinblick auf deren Anwendung in der schulischen Praxis beschrieben und erörtert. Der Überblick über Schwerpunkte, Stärken und Entwicklungspotentiale schulbezogener Hatespeech-Programme ermöglicht Leser*innen eine informierte Entscheidung über den Einsatz der Programme in der Schule sowie in der offenen Kinder- und Jugendarbeit.
In this study, we investigated effects of morphological processing on handwriting production in beginning writers of German. Children from Grades 3 and 4 were asked to copy words from a computer screen onto a pen tablet, while we recorded their handwriting with high spatiotemporal resolution. Words involved a syllable-congruent visual disruption (e.g., "Golfer"), a morpheme-congruent visual disruption (e.g., "Golfer"), or had no disruption (e.g., "Golfer"). We analyzed productions in terms of Writing Onset Duration and Letter Duration at the onset of the second syllable ("f" in "Gol.fer") and the onset of the suffix ("e" in "Golf_er"). Results showed that durations were longer at word-writing onset only for words with a morpheme-congruent visual disruption. Also, letter durations were longer at the onset of the second syllable (i.e., "-fer") and shorter at the onset of the suffix (i.e., "-er") only for words with a syllable-congruent visual disruption. We interpret these findings within extant theories of handwriting production and offer an explanation for the observed effects before and during trajectory formation.
Während zur Geschichte des Strafrechts in der alten Bundesrepublik bislang lediglich überblicksartige Gesamtdarstellungen und Monographien zu einzelnen Deliktsbereichen existierten, nimmt dieser Band einige prägnante Facetten des Besonderen Teils detailreich in den Blick und setzt damit das Projekt fort, das die Herausgeber 2020 mit dem bereits erschienenen Band zum Allgemeinen Teil begonnen haben. Auch hier interessieren die einzelnen Teilbereiche weniger dogmengeschichtlich als in ihrer Interaktion mit der Strafrechtswissenschaft, -praxis, -politik und gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen. Die individuellen Zugänge, die die Autorinnen und Autoren hierzu gesucht haben, sollen in ihrer methodischen Vielfalt durchaus als Experiment verstanden werden.
Background
Building on the Realistic Accuracy Model, this paper explores whether it is easier for teachers to assess the achievement of some students than others. Accordingly, we suggest that certain individual characteristics of students, such as extraversion, academic self-efficacy, and conscientiousness, may guide teachers' evaluations of student achievement, resulting in more appropriate judgements and a stronger alignment of assigned grades with students' actual achievement level (as measured using standardized tests).
Aims
We examine whether extraversion, academic self-efficacy, and conscientiousness moderate the relations between teacher-assigned grades and students' standardized test scores in mathematics.
Sample
This study uses a representative sample of N = 5,919 seventh-grade students in Germany (48.8% girls; mean age: M = 12.5, SD = 0.62) who participated in a national, large-scale assessment focusing on students' academic development.
Methods
We specified structural equation models to examine the inter-relations of teacher-assigned grades with students' standardized test scores in mathematics, Big Five personality traits, and academic self-efficacy, while controlling for students' socioeconomic status, gender, and age.
Results
The correlation between teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores in mathematics was r = .40. Teacher-assigned grades more closely related to standardized test scores when students reported higher levels of conscientiousness (beta = .05, p = .002). Students' extraversion and academic self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between teacher-assigned grades and standardized test scores.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that students' conscientiousness is a personality trait that seems to be important when it comes to how closely mathematics teachers align their grades to standardized test scores.
With the surging reliance on videoconferencing tools, users may find themselves staring at their reflections for hours a day. We refer to this phenomenon as self-referential information (SRI) consumption and examine its consequences and the mechanism behind them. Building on self-awareness research and the strength model of self-control, we argue that SRI consumption heightens the state of self-awareness and thereby depletes participants’ mental resources, eventually undermining virtual meeting (VM) outcomes. Our findings from a European employee sample revealed contrary effects of SRI consumption across speaker vs listener roles. Engagement with self-view is positively associated with self-awareness, which, in turn, is negatively related to satisfaction with VM process, perceived productivity, and enjoyment. Looking at the self while listening to others exhibits adverse direct and indirect (via self-awareness) effects on VM outcomes. However, looking at the self when speaking exhibits positive direct effects on satisfaction with VM process and enjoyment.
Background
Simple water-swallowing screening tools are not predictive of aspiration and dysphagia in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of a multi-texture screening tool, the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) to identify aspiration and dysphagia/penetration in PD patients compared to flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).
Methods
Swallowing function was evaluated in 51 PD participants in clinical 'on-medication' state with the GUSS and a FEES examination according to standardized protocols. Inter-rater reliability and convergent validity were determined and GUSS- and FEES-based diet recommendations were compared.
Key Results
Inter-rater reliability of GUSS ratings was high (r(s) = 0.8; p < 0.001). Aspiration was identified by the GUSS with a sensitivity of 50%, and specificity of 51.35% (PPV 28%, NPV 73%, LR+ 1.03, LR- 0.97), dysphagia/penetration was identified with 72.97% sensitivity and 35.71% specificity (PPV 75%, NPV 33.33%, LR+ 1.14, LR- 0.76). Agreement between GUSS- and FEES-based diet recommendations was low (r(s) = 0.12, p = 0.42) with consistent NPO (Nil per Os) allocation by GUSS and FEES in only one participant.
Conclusions and Inferences
The multi-texture screening tool GUSS in its current form, although applicable with good inter-rater reliability, does not detect aspiration in PD patients with acceptable accuracy. Modifications of the GUSS parameters "coughing," "voice change" and "delayed swallowing" might enhance validity. The GUSS' diet recommendations overestimate the need for oral intake restriction in PD patients and should be verified by instrumental swallowing examination.
Raub mit Luftpumpe
(2023)
Strafbares Heldentum?
(2022)
Heldentum ist kein Straftatbestand. Dennoch kann ein Verhalten, das man ethisch als „heldenhaft“ bewerten würde, straftatbestandsmäßig sein. Leonidas und seine Mitstreiter waren Helden, obwohl sie vorsätzlich viele Perser getötet haben. Strafbar allerdings ist solches Heldentum nicht, sofern es gerechtfertigt oder wenigstens entschuldigt ist. Eine Tat, die nicht gerechtfertigt oder entschuldigt ist, würde man wahrscheinlich auch nicht „heldenhaft“ nennen. Diese Auszeichnung verdienen vor allem Menschen, die ohne Rücksicht auf eigene Sicherheit viel riskieren, sich selbst in Gefahr begeben oder sogar darin „umkommen“, weil sie jemanden, der in Gefahr ist, retten wollen. Dass ein zusätzliches Risiko einer solchen Aktion die Begründung eigener Strafbarkeit sein könnte, überrascht vielleicht. Jedoch besteht das Risiko des Bestraftwerdens, wenn das Strafrecht falsch angewendet wird. Abstrakt gibt es dieses Risiko immer. Strafrechtsanwendende sind nicht unfehlbar, Strafgesetzgebende auch nicht. Aber das Risiko ist verringerbar. Wo der Gesetzgeber keine oder ausfüllungsbedürftige Normen geschaffen hat, sollte die Strafrechtslehre falschen Strafentscheidungen entgegenwirken, indem sie den Gerichten klare Handlungsanweisungen gibt. Die richtige konkrete Einzelfallentscheidung muss sich idealerweise abstrakt bereits in den strafrechtlichen Regeln abzeichnen. Der Held in spe sollte schon anhand des Gesetzes und seiner Erläuterungen durch die wissenschaftliche Literatur erkennen können, wo seine mutige Selbstaufopferung de lege lata in strafbaren Aktionismus umzuschlagen droht. Das kann ihm gegenwärtig noch nicht garantiert werden. Denn bei den Themen, die Gegenstand dieser Abhandlung sind, existiert noch erheblicher Normsetzungs- und Normerläuterungsbedarf.
Der Fall thematisiert klassische und neuartige Probleme der Rechtfertigungsdogmatik im Strafrecht. Neben dem Fehlen eines subjektiven Rechtfertigungselements sind Probleme des § 32 StGB zu bewältigen, die darauf beruhen, dass (scheinbar) weder auf der Seite des Angreifers noch auf der Seite des Angegriffenen ein Mensch unmittelbar am Konflikt beteiligt ist.
Rspr. und Strafrechtswissenschaft tun sich schwer mit der Behandlung von Taten, deren Akteure als „Lebensmittelerpresser“ bezeichnet werden. Das hat der Fall gezeigt, über den der 1. Strafsenat des BGH am BGH 5.6.2019 nach Revision des Angekl. gegen die Verurteilung durch das LG Ravensburg entschieden hat. Sowohl das Gericht als auch die Kommentatoren der BGH-Entscheidung beschäftigen sich ausführlich mit den Problemen des Rücktritts vom Versuch (§ STGB § 24 StGB). Die Tatbestandsmerkmale der (versuchten) qualifizierten räuberischen Erpressung werden hingegen fast gänzlich außer Acht gelassen. Bei genauerem Hinsehen erkennt man, dass schon die Erfüllung des Grundtatbestandes „versuchte Erpressung“ (§§ STGB § 253, STGB § 22 StGB) zweifelhaft ist und einer nicht ganz unkomplizierten Begründung bedarf. Erst recht problematisch sind sodann sämtliche Qualifikationsstufen, also §§ STGB § 255, STGB § 250 und STGB § 251 StGB. Der BGH und die Literatur – so hat es den Anschein − erachten dies als weitgehend unproblematisch. Am Beispiel des Friedrichshafener Falles soll aufgezeigt werden, was gegen eine Strafbarkeit des Täters aus §§ STGB § 253, STGB § 255, STGB § 250, STGB § 251, STGB § 22 StGB sprechen könnte und wie sich die Bedenken – teilweise − überwinden lassen.
We conduct a laboratory experiment to study how locus of control operates through people's preferences and beliefs to influence their decisions. Using the principal-agent setting of the delegation game, we test four key channels that conceptually link locus of control to decision-making: (i) preference for agency; (ii) optimism and (iii) confidence regarding the return to effort; and (iv) illusion of control. Knowing the return and cost of stated effort, principals either retain or delegate the right to make an investment decision that generates payoffs for themselves and their agents. Extending the game to the context in which the return to stated effort is unknown allows us to explicitly study the relationship between locus of control and beliefs about the return to effort. We find that internal locus of control is linked to the preference for agency, an effect that is driven by women. We find no evidence that locus of control influences optimism and confidence about the return to stated effort, or that it operates through an illusion of control.
We use the prolonged Greek crisis as a case study to understand how a lasting economic shock affects the innovation strategies of firms in economies with moderate innovation activities. Adopting the 3-stage CDM model, we explore the link between R&D, innovation, and productivity for different size groups of Greek manufacturing firms during the prolonged crisis. At the first stage, we find that the continuation of the crisis is harmful for the R&D engagement of smaller firms while it increased the willingness for R&D activities among the larger ones. At the second stage, among smaller firms the knowledge production remains unaffected by R&D investments, while among larger firms the R&D decision is positively correlated with the probability of producing innovation, albeit the relationship is weakened as the crisis continues. At the third stage, innovation output benefits only larger firms in terms of labor productivity, while the innovation-productivity nexus is insignificant for smaller firms during the lasting crisis.
Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) tasks examine the influence of Pavlovian stimuli on ongoing instrumental behaviour. Previous studies reported associations between a strong PIT effect, high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder. This study investigated whether susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control is linked to risky alcohol use in a community sample of 18-year-old male adults. Participants (N = 191) were instructed to 'collect good shells' and 'leave bad shells' during the presentation of appetitive (monetary reward), aversive (monetary loss) or neutral Pavlovian stimuli. We compared instrumental error rates (ER) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain responses between the congruent and incongruent conditions, as well as among high-risk and low-risk drinking groups. On average, individuals showed a substantial PIT effect, that is, increased ER when Pavlovian cues and instrumental stimuli were in conflict compared with congruent trials. Neural PIT correlates were found in the ventral striatum and the dorsomedial and lateral prefrontal cortices (lPFC). Importantly, high-risk drinking was associated with a stronger behavioural PIT effect, a decreased lPFC response and an increased neural response in the ventral striatum on the trend level. Moreover, high-risk drinkers showed weaker connectivity from the ventral striatum to the lPFC during incongruent trials. Our study links interference during PIT to drinking behaviour in healthy, young adults. High-risk drinkers showed higher susceptibility to Pavlovian cues, especially when they conflicted with instrumental behaviour, indicating lower interference control abilities. Increased activity in the ventral striatum (bottom-up), decreased lPFC response (top-down), and their altered interplay may contribute to poor interference control in the high-risk drinkers.
Paid parental leave schemes have been shown to increase women’s employment rates but to decrease their wages in case of extended leave duration. In view of these potential trade-offs, many countries are discussing the optimal design of parental leave policies. We analyze the impact of a major parental leave reform on mothers’ long-term earnings. The 2007 German parental leave reform replaced a means-tested benefit with a more generous earnings-related benefit that is granted for a shorter period of time. Additionally, a ”daddy quota” of two months was introduced. To identify the causal effect of this policy mix on long-run earnings of mothers, we use a difference-in-differences approach that compares labor market outcomes of mothers who gave birth just before and right after the reform and nets out seasonal effects by including the year before. Using administrative social security data, we confirm previous findings and show that the average duration of employment interruptions increased for mothers with high pre-birth earnings. Nevertheless, we find a positive long-run effect on earnings for mothers in this group. This effect cannot be explained by changes in the selection of working mothers, working hours or changes in employer stability. Descriptive evidence suggests that the stronger involvement of fathers, incentivized by the ”daddy months”, could have facilitated mothers’ re-entry into the labor market and thereby increased earnings. For mothers with low pre-birth earnings, however, we do not find beneficial long-run effects of this parental leave reform.
Gender stereotypes influence subjective beliefs about the world, and this is reflected in our use of language. But do gender biases in language transparently reflect subjective beliefs? Or is the process of translating thought to language itself biased? During the 2016 United States (N = 24,863) and 2017 United Kingdom (N = 2,609) electoral campaigns, we compared participants' beliefs about the gender of the next head of government with their use and interpretation of pronouns referring to the next head of government. In the United States, even when the female candidate was expected to win, she pronouns were rarely produced and induced substantial comprehension disruption. In the United Kingdom, where the incumbent female candidate was heavily favored, she pronouns were preferred in production but yielded no comprehension advantage. These and other findings suggest that the language system itself is a source of implicit biases above and beyond previously known biases, such as those measured by the Implicit Association Test.
Gender stereotypes influence subjective beliefs about the world, and this is reflected in our use of language. But do gender biases in language transparently reflect subjective beliefs? Or is the process of translating thought to language itself biased? During the 2016 United States (N = 24,863) and 2017 United Kingdom (N = 2,609) electoral campaigns, we compared participants' beliefs about the gender of the next head of government with their use and interpretation of pronouns referring to the next head of government. In the United States, even when the female candidate was expected to win, she pronouns were rarely produced and induced substantial comprehension disruption. In the United Kingdom, where the incumbent female candidate was heavily favored, she pronouns were preferred in production but yielded no comprehension advantage. These and other findings suggest that the language system itself is a source of implicit biases above and beyond previously known biases, such as those measured by the Implicit Association Test.
Aim
Although research and clinical definitions of psychotherapeutic competence have been proposed, less is known about the layperson perspective. The aim was to explore the views of individuals with different levels of psychotherapy experience regarding what-in their views-constitutes a competent therapist.
Method
In an online survey, 375 persons (64% female, mean age 33.24 years) with no experience, with professional experience, or with personal pre-experience with psychotherapy participated. To provide low-threshold questions, we first presented two qualitative items (i.e. "In your opinion, what makes a good/competent psychotherapist?"; "How do you recognize that a psychotherapist is not competent?") and analysed them using inductive content analysis techniques (Mayring, 2014). Then, we gave participants a 16-item questionnaire including items from previous surveys and from the literature and analysed them descriptively.
Results
Work-relatedprinciples, professionalism, personalitycharacteristics, caringcommunication, empathy and understandingwere important categories of competence. Concerning the quantitative questions, most participants agreed with items indicating that a therapist should be open, listen well, show empathy and behave responsibly.
Conclusion
Investigating layperson perspectives suggested that effective and professional interpersonal behaviour of therapists plays a central role in the public's perception of psychotherapy.
Schema modes (ormodes) are a key concept in the theory underlying schema therapy. Modes have rarely been related to established models of personality traits. The present study thus investigates the associations between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and 14 modes, and tests a global TEI-mode factors-general psychological distress mediation model. The study draws on self-report data from 173 inpatients from a German clinic for psychosomatic medicine. Global TEI correlated positively with both healthy modes (happy child and healthy adult) and negatively with 10 maladaptive modes. When modes were regressed on the four TEI factors, six (emotionality), five (well-being), four (sociability), and four (self-control) significant partial effects on 10 modes emerged. In the parallel mediation model, the mode factors internalization and compulsivity fully mediated the global TEI-general psychological distress link. Implications of the results for the integration of modes with traits in general and with TEI in particular as well as implications of low TEI as a transdiagnostic feature of personality malfunctioning are discussed.
Sexual aggression is a problem among college students worldwide, and a growing body of research has identified variables associated with an increased risk of victimization and perpetration. Among these, sexuality-related cognitions, such as sexual scripts, sexual self-esteem, perceived realism of pornography, and acceptance of sexual coercion, play a major role. The current experimental study aimed to show that these cognitive risk factors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration are amenable to change, which is a critical condition for evidence-based intervention efforts. College students in Germany (N = 324) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a treatment group designed to change participants' sexual scripts for consensual sex with regard to the role of alcohol consumption, casual sex, and ambiguous communication of sexual intentions as risk factors for sexual aggression (EG1), a treatment group designed to promote sexual self-esteem, challenge the perceived realism of pornography, and reduce the acceptance of sexual coercion (EG2), and a non-treatment control group (CG). Baseline (T1), post-experimental (T2), and follow-up (T3) measures were taken across an eight-week period. Sexual scripts contained fewer risk factors for sexual aggression in EG1 than in EG2 and CG at T3. Sexual self-esteem was enhanced in EG2 at T2 relative to the other two groups. Acceptance of sexual coercion was lower in EG2 than in EG1 and CG at T2 and T3. No effect was found for perceived realism of pornography. The findings are discussed in terms of targeting cognitive risk factors as a basis for intervention programs.
Real options are widely applied in strategic and operational decision-making, allowing for managerial flexibility in uncertaincontexts. Increased scholarly interest has led to an extensive but fragmented research landscape. We aim to measure andsystematize the research field quantitatively. To achieve this goal, we conduct bibliometric performance analyses and bibliographiccoupling analyses with an in-depth content review. The results of the performance analyses show an increasing interest in realoptions since the beginning of the 2000s and identify the most influential journals and authors. The science mappings reveal sixand seven research clusters over the last two decades. Based on an in-depth analysis of their themes, we develop a researchframework comprising antecedents, application areas, internal and external contingencies, and uncertainty resolution throughreal option valuation or reasoning. We identify several gaps in that framework, which we propose to tackle in future research.
Due to their ability to capture attention, emotional stimuli tend to benefit from enhanced perceptual processing, which can be helpful when such stimuli are task-relevant but hindering when they are task-irrelevant. Altered emotion-attention interactions have been associated with symptoms of affective disturbances, and emerging research focuses on improving emotion-attention interactions to prevent or treat affective disorders. In line with the Human Affectome Project's emphasis on linguistic components, we also analyzed the language used to describe attention-related aspects of emotion, and highlighted terms related to domains such as conscious awareness, motivational effects of attention, social attention, and emotion regulation. These terms were discussed within a broader review of available evidence regarding the neural correlates of (1) Emotion-Attention Interactions in Perception, (2) Emotion-Attention Interactions in Learning and Memory, (3) Individual Differences in Emotion-Attention Interactions, and (4) Training and Interventions to Optimize Emotion-Attention Interactions. This comprehensive approach enabled an integrative overview of the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of emotion-attention interactions at multiple levels of analysis, and identification of emerging directions for future investigations.
Due to their ability to capture attention, emotional stimuli tend to benefit from enhanced perceptual processing, which can be helpful when such stimuli are task-relevant but hindering when they are task-irrelevant. Altered emotion-attention interactions have been associated with symptoms of affective disturbances, and emerging research focuses on improving emotion-attention interactions to prevent or treat affective disorders. In line with the Human Affectome Project's emphasis on linguistic components, we also analyzed the language used to describe attention-related aspects of emotion, and highlighted terms related to domains such as conscious awareness, motivational effects of attention, social attention, and emotion regulation. These terms were discussed within a broader review of available evidence regarding the neural correlates of (1) Emotion-Attention Interactions in Perception, (2) Emotion-Attention Interactions in Learning and Memory, (3) Individual Differences in Emotion-Attention Interactions, and (4) Training and Interventions to Optimize Emotion-Attention Interactions. This comprehensive approach enabled an integrative overview of the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of emotion-attention interactions at multiple levels of analysis, and identification of emerging directions for future investigations.
In contrast to the common conception that the interfacial energy-level alignment is affixed once the interface is formed, we demonstrate that heterojunctions between organic semiconductors and metal-halide perovskites exhibit huge energy-level realignment during photoexcitation. Importantly, the photoinduced level shifts occur in the organic component, including the first molecular layer in direct contact with the perovskite. This is caused by charge-carrier accumulation within the organic semiconductor under illumination and the weak electronic coupling between the junction components.
This study is trying to understand the pre-eruptive magma storage and crystallization conditions of the Middle Miocene aged, silica-saturated trachytic rocks of the Afyon Volcanic Complex (AVC) in Western Anatolia, Turkey. Those rocks can be divided by their high K2O, K2O/Na2O ratio and Mg# into two groups, namely the intermediate-potassic (IPG) and the ultrapotassic (UPG). Here we are comparing calculated pressure (P) - temperature (T) conditions derived from geothermobarometric calculations of natural samples with results of high-pressure, high-temperature phase equilibria experiments. IPG samples are richer in silica (57-64 wt% SiO2), whereas UPG samples show intermediate SiO2 contents of 56-58 wt%. UPG are having high K2O contents ((>)9 wt %), K2O/Na2O ratios ((>)10 wt%) and Mg# values (75-77). IPG phenocrysts comprise plagioclase + biotite + amphibole + clinopyroxene +/- orthopyroxene +/- sanidine +/- phlogopite and oxides, while UPG mineralogical assemblage consists of amphibole + phlogopite + clinopyroxene + olivine + sanidine and oxides. IPG and UPG are enriched in Large-Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE), and both have negative anomalies in Nb, Sr, Zr and Ti elements. Additionally, IPG shows positive anomalies in Pb. Both IPG and UPG display enrichment in Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE), while IPG shows a more significant negative anomaly in Eu when compared to UPG. Plagioclase fractionation may play a role in magma generation. In IPG samples Ni and Cr values range between (3.3-18.8 ppm) and (2.6-27.8 ppm), respectively; whereas UPG samples have (119.1-120.7 ppm) Ni and (212.1-219.9 ppm) Cr. Dy/Yb ratios of IPG and UPG are higher than 2 and may indicate that garnet was present in the source. Geothermobarometric calculations for natural IPG clinopyroxene-melt pairs imply higher PT conditions (Dogan-Kulahci et al., 2015), while in this study high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) phase equilibria experiments recreated the natural mineral assemblage at 2-4 kbar, 6-9 km and c. 900 degrees C. New plagioclase-melt calculations have confirmed lower mean magma storage temperatures, which are closer to the experimental results but still slightly elevated. Thus, trace element results of the natural rocks and experimental data may imply that a deep garnet-bearing magma source mixed with shallower magmas (IPG) was feeding the volcanic eruption.
We traced diatom composition and diversity through time using diatom-derived sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from eastern continental slope sediments off Kamchatka (North Pacific) by applying a short, diatom-specific marker on 63 samples in a DNA metabarcoding approach. The sequences were assigned to diatoms that are common in the area and characteristic of cold water. SedaDNA allowed us to observe shifts of potential lineages from species of the genus Chaetoceros that can be related to different climatic phases, suggesting that pre-adapted ecotypes might have played a role in the long-term success of species in areas of changing environmental conditions. These sedaDNA results complement our understanding of the long-term history of diatom assemblages and their general relationship to environmental conditions of the past. Sea-ice diatoms (Pauliella taeniata [Grunow] Round & Basson, Attheya septentrionalis [ostrup] R. M. Crawford and Nitzschia frigida [Grunow]) detected during the late glacial and Younger Dryas are in agreement with previous sea-ice reconstructions. A positive correlation between pennate diatom richness and the sea-ice proxy IP25 suggests that sea ice fosters pennate diatom richness, whereas a negative correlation with June insolation and temperature points to unfavorable conditions during the Holocene. A sharp increase in proportions of freshwater diatoms at similar to 11.1 cal kyr BP implies the influence of terrestrial runoff and coincides with the loss of 42% of diatom sequence variants. We assume that reduced salinity at this time stabilized vertical stratification which limited the replenishment of nutrients in the euphotic zone.
Prior research suggests that teachers with higher levels of empathy are more willing to intervene in bullying among students. However, these findings are based on hypothetical bullying situations and teachers' self-reports. In this study with 2,071 German students and their 556 teachers, we analysed reactions to hypothetical relational bullying situations as well as retrospectively reported bullying situations both from the teachers' as well as the students' perspectives. Results showed that teachers with higher levels of empathy reported stronger intentions to intervene in hypothetical relational bullying situations but were not more likely to intervene in retrospectively reported bullying situations. From the students' perspective, teachers' empathy was neither connected to the teachers' intention to intervene nor to the likelihood of intervention in the retrospectively reported situations. These different results could be taken as an opportunity to investigate whether existing findings could be influenced by methodological aspects such as teachers' self-reports. Implications for future research are discussed.
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.
Many animals form aggregations with individuals of the same species (single-species aggregations, SSA). Less frequently, individuals may also aggregate with individuals of other species (mixed-species aggregations, MSA). Although the benefits and costs of SSA have been intensively studied, the same is not true for MSA. Here, we first review the cases of MSA in harvestmen, an arachnid order in which the records of MSA are more frequent than other arthropod orders. We then propose several benefits and costs of MSA in harvestmen, and contrast them with those of SSA. Second, using field-gathered data we describe gregariousness in seven species of Prionostemma harvestmen from Costa Rica. These species form MSA, but individuals are also found solitarily or in SSA. We tested one possible benefit and one possible cost of gregariousness in Prionostemma harvestmen. Regarding the benefit, we hypothesized that individuals missing legs would be more exposed to predation than eight-legged individuals and thus they should be found preferentially in aggregations, where they would be more protected from predators. Our data, however, do not support this hypothesis. Regarding the cost, we hypothesized that gregariousness increases the chances of parasitism. We found no support for this hypothesis either because both mite prevalence and infestation intensity did not differ between solitary or aggregated individuals. Additionally, the type of aggregation (SSA or MSA) was not associated with the benefit or the cost we explored. This lack of effect may be explained by the fluid membership of the aggregations, as we found high turnover over time in the number of individuals and species composition of the aggregations. In conclusion, we hope our review and empirical data stimulate further studies on MSA, which remains one of the most elusive forms of group living in animals.
The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal relationship between problematic online gaming and subjective health complaints and depressive symptoms, and the moderation of console-gaming aggression (i.e. verbal aggression, camping, trolling) in this relationship. Participants were 202 adolescents (86% boys; M age = 12.99 years) in the 7(th) or 8(th) grade who played first-person shooter games. They completed questionnaires on problematic online gaming, console-gaming aggression, subjective health complaints, and depressive symptoms. Six months later (Time 2), they completed questionnaires on subjective health complaints and depressive symptoms again. Findings revealed that problematic online gaming and console-gaming aggression were positive predictors of Time 2 subjective health complaints and depressive symptoms, while controlling for Time 1 levels and gender. Moderating effects were found as well, indicating that high levels of console-gaming aggression increased the positive relationship between problematic online gaming and depressive symptoms. These effects were also replicated for verbal aggression, problematic online gaming, and subjective health complaints. These findings suggest the importance of considering the implications of console-gaming aggression and problematic online gaming for the physical and mental health of adolescents.
IMPACT SUMMARY
Prior State of Knowledge. Problematic online gaming and aggressive behaviors are linked to negative outcomes, including depression and subjective health complaints. Longitudinal research further supports this connection for depression, but not for subjective health complaints or various types of aggression via console games.
Novel Contributions. Few studies have focused on various types of aggression and the longitudinal associations among problematic online gaming, depression, and subjective health complaints, while controlling for previous levels of depression and subjective health complaints. The present research addresses these gaps.
Practical Implications. Findings of the present research has implications for clinicians and researchers concerned with identifying adolescents who might be at risk for negative outcomes.
Hidden semi-Markov models generalise hidden Markov models by explicitly modelling the time spent in a given state, the so-called dwell time, using some distribution defined on the natural numbers. While the (shifted) Poisson and negative binomial distribution provide natural choices for such distributions, in practice, parametric distributions can lack the flexibility to adequately model the dwell times. To overcome this problem, a penalised maximum likelihood approach is proposed that allows for a flexible and data-driven estimation of the dwell-time distributions without the need to make any distributional assumption. This approach is suitable for direct modelling purposes or as an exploratory tool to investigate the latent state dynamics. The feasibility and potential of the suggested approach is illustrated in a simulation study and by modelling muskox movements in northeast Greenland using GPS tracking data. The proposed method is implemented in the R-package PHSMM which is available on CRAN.
Predicting entrepreneurial development based on individual and business-related characteristics is a key objective of entrepreneurship research. In this context, we investigate whether the motives of becoming an entrepreneur influence the subsequent entrepreneurial development. In our analysis, we examine a broad range of business outcomes including survival and income, as well as job creation, and expansion and innovation activities for up to 40 months after business formation. Using the self-determination theory as conceptual background, we aggregate the start-up motives into a continuous motivational index. We show – based on a unique dataset of German start-ups from unemployment and non-unemployment – that the later business performance is better, the higher they score on this index. Effects are particularly strong for growth-oriented outcomes like innovation and expansion activities. In a next step, we examine three underlying motivational categories that we term opportunity, career ambition, and necessity. We show that individuals driven by opportunity motives perform better in terms of innovation and business expansion activities, while career ambition is positively associated with survival, income, and the probability of hiring employees. All effects are robust to the inclusion of a large battery of covariates that are proven to be important determinants of entrepreneurial performance.
Seed dispersal plays an important role in population dynamics in agricultural ecosystems, but the effects of surrounding vegetation height on seed dispersal and population connectivity on the landscape scale have rarely been studied. Understanding the effects of surrounding vegetation height on seed dispersal will provide important information for land-use management in agricultural landscapes to prevent the spread of undesired weeds or enhance functional connectivity. We used two model species, Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia, growing in small natural ponds known as kettle holes, in an agricultural landscape to evaluate the effects of surrounding vegetation height on wind dispersal and population connectivity between kettle holes. Seed dispersal distance and the probability of long-distance dispersal (LDD) were simulated with the mechanistic WALD model under three scenarios of "low", "dynamic" and "high" surrounding vegetation height. Connectivity between the origin and target kettle holes was quantified with a connectivity index adapted from Hanski and Thomas (1994). Our results show that mean seed dispersal distance decreases with the height of surrounding matrix vegetation, but the probability of long-distance dispersal (LDD) increases with vegetation height. This indicates an important vegetation-based trade-off between mean dispersal distance and LDD, which has an impact on connectivity. Matrix vegetation height has a negative effect on mean seed dispersal distance but a positive effect on the probability of LDD. This positive effect and its impact on connectivity provide novel insights into landscape level (meta-)population and community dynamics - a change in matrix vegetation height by land-use or climatic changes could strongly affect the spread and connectivity of wind-dispersed plants. The opposite effect of vegetation height on mean seed dispersal distance and the probability of LDD should therefore be considered in management and analyses of future land-use and climate change effects.
Ranking local climate policy
(2021)
Climate mitigation and climate adaptation are crucial tasks for urban areas and can involve synergies as well as trade-offs. However, few studies have examined how mitigation and adaptation efforts relate to each other in a large number of differently sized cities, and therefore we know little about whether forerunners in mitigation are also leading in adaptation or if cities tend to focus on just one policy field. This article develops an internationally applicable approach to rank cities on climate policy that incorporates multiple indicators related to (1) local commitments on mitigation and adaptation, (2) urban mitigation and adaptation plans and (3) climate adaptation and mitigation ambitions. We apply this method to rank 104 differently sized German cities and identify six clusters: climate policy leaders, climate adaptation leaders, climate mitigation leaders, climate policy followers, climate policy latecomers and climate policy laggards. The article seeks explanations for particular cities' positions and shows that coping with climate change in a balanced way on a high level depends on structural factors, in particular city size, the pathways of local climate policies since the 1990s and funding programmes for both climate mitigation and adaptation.
Die Beschaffung von Leistungen zur medizinischen Rehabilitation wurde durch den neuen § 15 SGB VI zum 1. Juli 2023 grundlegend reformiert. Seither gilt ein mehrstufiges System aus Zulassung der Rehabilitationskliniken, Belegungsvertrag, Belegungsentscheidung und Vergütung. Sämtliche Beschaffungsstufen werden von der DRV Bund durch verbindliche Entscheidungen gesteuert.
Dieses neue Beschaffungssystem verstößt gegen das Wettbewerbsrecht der Europäischen Union und ist deshalb unwirksam. Das Unionsrecht (Art. 106 Abs. 1 AEUV), aber auch das nationale Kartellrecht (§ 19 Abs. 2 Nr. 1 GWB) und das Verfassungsrecht (Art. 12 Abs. 1 GG) verlangen eine Trennung von hoheitlichen Befugnissen und unternehmerischen Funktionen der Rentenversicherungsträger. Anderenfalls ist die gebotene Gleichbehandlung (Nichtdiskriminierung) der Rehabilitationskliniken freigemeinnütziger und privater Träger mit den Rehabilitationskliniken der Rentenversicherungsträger bei der Erbringung von Leistungen zur medizinischen Rehabilitation nicht gewährleistet.
Dieses Trennungsprinzip ist verletzt. Denn die Rentenversicherungsträger nehmen hoheitliche Zulassungs-, Belegungs- und Vergütungsaufgaben wahr und sind gleichzeitig unternehmerisch mit eigenen Rehabilitationseinrichtungen auf dem Markt der Erbringung von Leistungen zur medizinischen Rehabilitation tätig. Freigemeinnützige und private Rehabilitationskliniken werden auf allen Stufen der Beschaffung gegenüber den Kliniken der Rentenversicherungsträger diskriminiert. Das gilt insbesondere für die Belegungsentscheidungen der Rentenversicherungsträger, weil hierdurch systematisch eigene Kliniken gegenüber freigemeinnützigen und privaten Kliniken begünstigt werden.
Objective:
Following a life course perspective, this study examines the link between partnership trajectories and three dimensions of psychological well-being: psychological health, overall sense of self-worth and quality of life.
Background:
Assuming that life outcomes are the result of prior decisions, experiences and events, partnership histories can be seen as a resource for psychological well-being. Furthermore, advantages or disadvantages from living with or without a partner should accumulate over time. While previous cross-sectional research has mainly focused on the influence of partnership status or a status change on well-being, prior longitudinal studies could not control for reverse causality of well-being and partnership trajectories. This research addresses the question of how different patterns of partnership biographies are related to a person's well-being in middle adulthood. Selection effects of pre-trajectory well-being as well as current life conditions are also taken into account.
Method:
Using data from the German LifE Study, the partnership trajectories between ages of 16 and 45 are classified by sequence and cluster analysis. OLS regression is then used to examine the link between types of partnership trajectories and depression, self-esteem and overall life satisfaction at age 45.
Results:
For women, well-being declined when experiencing unstable non-cohabitational union trajectories or divorce followed by unpartnered post-marital trajectories. Men suffered most from being long-term single. The results could not be explained by selection effects of pre-trajectory well-being.
Conclusion:
While women seem to 'recover' from most of the negative effects of unstable partnership trajectories through a new partnership, for men it was shown that being mainly unpartnered has long-lasting effects on their psychological well-being.
Carbon nitride semiconductors: properties and application as photocatalysts in organic synthesis
(2023)
Graphitic carbon nitrides (g-CNs) are represented by melon-type g-CN, poly(heptazine imides) (PHIs), triazine-based g-CN and poly(triazine imide) with intercalated LiCl (PTI/Li+Cl‒). These materials are composed of sp2-hybridized carbon and nitrogen atoms; C:N ratio is close to 3:4; the building unit is 1,3,5-triazine or tri-s-triazine; the building units are interconnected covalently via sp2-hybridized nitrogen atoms or NH-moieties; the layers are assembled into a stack via weak van der Waals forces as in graphite. Due to medium band gap (~2.7 eV) g-CNs, such as melon-type g-CN and PHIs, are excited by photons with wavelength ≤ 460 nm. Since 2009 g-CNs have been actively studied as photocatalysts in evolution of hydrogen and oxygen – two half-reactions of full water splitting, by employing corresponding sacrificial agents. At the same time application of g-CNs as photocatalysts in organic synthesis has been remaining limited to few reactions only. Cumulative Habilitation summarizes research work conducted by the group ‘Innovative Heterogeneous Photocatalysis’ between 2017-2023 in the field of carbon nitride organic photocatalysis, which is led by Dr. Oleksandr Savatieiev.
g-CN photocatalysts activate molecules, i.e. generate their more reactive open-shell intermediates, via three modes: i) Photoinduced electron transfer (PET); ii) Excited state proton-coupled electron transfer (ES-PCET) or direct hydrogen atom transfer (dHAT); iii) Energy transfer (EnT). The scope of reactions that proceed via oxidative PET, i.e. one-electron oxidation of a substrate to the corresponding radical cation, are represented by synthesis of sulfonylchlorides from S-acetylthiophenols. The scope of reactions that proceed via reductive PET, i.e. one-electron reduction of a substrate to the corresponding radical anion, are represented by synthesis of γ,γ-dichloroketones from the enones and chloroform.
Due to abundance of sp2-hybridized nitrogen atoms in the structure of g-CN materials, they are able to cleave X-H bonds in organic molecules and store temporary hydrogen atom. ES-PCET or dHAT mode of organic molecules activation to the corresponding radicals is implemented for substrates featuring relatively acidic X-H bonds and those that are characterized by low bond dissociation energy, such as C-H bond next to the heteroelements. On the other hand, reductively quenched g-CN carrying hydrogen atom reduces a carbonyl compound to the ketyl radical via PCET that is thermodynamically more favorable pathway compared to the electron transfer. The scope of these reactions is represented by cyclodimerization of α,β-unsaturated ketones to cyclopentanoles.
g-CN excited state demonstrates complex dynamics with the initial formation of singlet excited state, which upon intersystem crossing produces triplet excited state that is characterized by the lifetime > 2 μs. Due to long lifetime, g-CN activate organic molecules via EnT. For example, g-CN sensitizes singlet oxygen, which is the key intermediate in the dehydrogenation of aldoximes to nitrileoxides. The transient nitrileoxide undergoes [3+2]-cycloaddition to nitriles and gives oxadiazoles-1,2,4.
PET, ES-PCET and EnT are fundamental phenomena that are applied beyond organic photocatalysis. Hybrid composite is formed by combining conductive polymers, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) with potassium poly(heptazine imide) (K-PHI). Upon PET, K-PHI modulated population of polarons and therefore conductivity of PEDOT:PSS. The initial state of PEDOT:PSS is recovered upon material exposure to O2. K-PHI:PEDOT:PSS may be applied in O2 sensing.
In the presence of electron donors, such as tertiary amines and alcohols, and irradiation with light, K-PHI undergoes photocharging – the g-CN material accumulates electrons and charge-compensating cations. Such photocharged state is stable under anaerobic conditions for weeks, but at the same time it is a strong reductant. This feature allows decoupling in time light harvesting and energy storage in the form of electron-proton couples from utilization in organic synthesis. The photocharged state of K-PHI reduces nitrobenzene to aniline, and enables dimerization of α,β-unsaturated ketones to hexadienones in dark.
This eye-tracking study establishes basic benchmarks of eye movements during reading in heritage language (HL) by Russian-speaking adults and adolescents of high (n = 21) and low proficiency (n = 27). Heritage speakers (HSs) read sentences in Cyrillic, and their eye movements were compared to those of Russian monolingual skilled adult readers, 8-year-old children and L2 learners. Reading patterns of HSs revealed longer mean fixation durations, lower skipping probabilities, and higher regressive saccade rates than in monolingual adults. High-proficient HSs were more similar to monolingual children, while low-proficient HSs performed on par with L2 learners. Low-proficient HSs differed from high-proficient HSs in exhibiting lower skipping probabilities, higher fixation counts, and larger frequency effects. Taken together, our findings are consistent with the weaker links account of bilingual language processing as well as the divergent attainment theory of HL.
Deutsche Bürger
(2021)
This study examined the effect of 6 weeks of progressed and nonprogressed volume-based overload plyometric training (PT) on components of physical fitness and body composition measures in young male basketball players, compared with an active control group. Subjects were randomly assigned to a progressed PT (PPT, n = 7; age = 14.6 +/- 1.1 years), a non-PPT (NPPT, n = 8, age = 13.8 +/- 2.0 years), or a control group (CG, n = 7, age = 14.0 +/- 2.0 years). Before and after training, body composition measures (muscle mass and fat mass), countermovement jump with arms (CMJA) and countermovement jump without arms (CMJ), horizontal bilateral (HCMJ) and unilateral jump with right leg (RJ) and left leg (LJ), 20-cm drop jump (DJ20), sprint speed (10 m sprint), and change of direction speed (CODS [i.e., T-test]) were tested. Significant effects of time were observed for muscle and fat mass, all jump measures, and CODS (all p < 0.01; d = 0.37-0.83). Significant training group x time interactions were observed for all jump measures (all p < 0.05; d = 0.24-0.41). Post hoc analyses revealed significant pre-post performance improvements for the PPT (RJ and LJ: increment 18.6%, d = 0.8 and increment 22.7%, d = 0.9, respectively; HCMJ: increment 16.4%, d = 0.8; CMJ: increment 22.4%, d = 0.7; CMJA: increment 23.3%, d = 0.7; and DJ20: increment 39.7%, d = 1.1) and for the NPPT group (LJ: increment 14.1%, d = 0.4; DJ20: increment 32.9%, d = 0.8) with greater changes after PPT compared with NPPT for all jump measures (all p < 0.05; d = 0.21-0.81). The training efficiency was greater (p < 0.05; d = 0.22) after PPT (0.015% per jump) compared with NPPT (0.0053% per-jump). The PPT induced larger performance improvements on measures of physical fitness as compared to NPPT. Therefore, in-season progressive volume-based overload PT in young male basketball players is recommended.
Volatile supply and sales markets, coupled with increasing product individualization and complex production processes, present significant challenges for manufacturing companies. These must navigate and adapt to ever-shifting external and internal factors while ensuring robustness against process variabilities and unforeseen events. This has a pronounced impact on production control, which serves as the operational intersection between production planning and the shop- floor resources, and necessitates the capability to manage intricate process interdependencies effectively. Considering the increasing dynamics and product diversification, alongside the need to maintain constant production performances, the implementation of innovative control strategies becomes crucial.
In recent years, the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies and machine learning methods has gained prominence in addressing emerging challenges in production applications. Within this context, this cumulative thesis analyzes deep learning based production systems based on five publications. Particular attention is paid to the applications of deep reinforcement learning, aiming to explore its potential in dynamic control contexts. Analysis reveal that deep reinforcement learning excels in various applications, especially in dynamic production control tasks. Its efficacy can be attributed to its interactive learning and real-time operational model. However, despite its evident utility, there are notable structural, organizational, and algorithmic gaps in the prevailing research. A predominant portion of deep reinforcement learning based approaches is limited to specific job shop scenarios and often overlooks the potential synergies in combined resources. Furthermore, it highlights the rare implementation of multi-agent systems and semi-heterarchical systems in practical settings. A notable gap remains in the integration of deep reinforcement learning into a hyper-heuristic.
To bridge these research gaps, this thesis introduces a deep reinforcement learning based hyper- heuristic for the control of modular production systems, developed in accordance with the design science research methodology. Implemented within a semi-heterarchical multi-agent framework, this approach achieves a threefold reduction in control and optimisation complexity while ensuring high scalability, adaptability, and robustness of the system. In comparative benchmarks, this control methodology outperforms rule-based heuristics, reducing throughput times and tardiness, and effectively incorporates customer and order-centric metrics. The control artifact facilitates a rapid scenario generation, motivating for further research efforts and bridging the gap to real-world applications. The overarching goal is to foster a synergy between theoretical insights and practical solutions, thereby enriching scientific discourse and addressing current industrial challenges.
Vorwort
(2021)
Do stereotypes strike twice?
(2019)
Stereotypes influence teachers' perception of and behaviour towards students, thus shaping students' learning opportunities. The present study investigated how 315 Australian pre-service teachers' stereotypes about giftedness and gender are related to their perception of students' intellectual ability, adjustment, and social-emotional ability, using an experimental vignette approach and controlling for social desirability in pre-service teachers' responses. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that pre-service teachers associated giftedness with higher intellectual ability, but with less adjustment compared to average-ability students. Furthermore, pre-service teachers perceived male students as less socially and emotionally competent and less adjusted than female students. Additionally, pre-service teachers seemed to perceive female average-ability students' adjustment as most favourable compared to male average-ability students and gifted students. Findings point to discrepancies between actual characteristics of gifted female and male students and stereotypes in teachers' beliefs. Consequences of stereotyping and implications for teacher education are discussed.
Do stereotypes strike twice?
(2019)
Stereotypes influence teachers' perception of and behaviour towards students, thus shaping students' learning opportunities. The present study investigated how 315 Australian pre-service teachers' stereotypes about giftedness and gender are related to their perception of students' intellectual ability, adjustment, and social-emotional ability, using an experimental vignette approach and controlling for social desirability in pre-service teachers' responses. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that pre-service teachers associated giftedness with higher intellectual ability, but with less adjustment compared to average-ability students. Furthermore, pre-service teachers perceived male students as less socially and emotionally competent and less adjusted than female students. Additionally, pre-service teachers seemed to perceive female average-ability students' adjustment as most favourable compared to male average-ability students and gifted students. Findings point to discrepancies between actual characteristics of gifted female and male students and stereotypes in teachers' beliefs. Consequences of stereotyping and implications for teacher education are discussed.
Making sense of the world
(2020)
For human infants, the first years after birth are a period of intense exploration-getting to understand their own competencies in interaction with a complex physical and social environment. In contemporary neuroscience, the predictive-processing framework has been proposed as a general working principle of the human brain, the optimization of predictions about the consequences of one's own actions, and sensory inputs from the environment. However, the predictive-processing framework has rarely been applied to infancy research. We argue that a predictive-processing framework may provide a unifying perspective on several phenomena of infant development and learning that may seem unrelated at first sight. These phenomena include statistical learning principles, infants' motor and proprioceptive learning, and infants' basic understanding of their physical and social environment. We discuss how a predictive-processing perspective can advance the understanding of infants' early learning processes in theory, research, and application.
Making sense of the world
(2020)
For human infants, the first years after birth are a period of intense exploration-getting to understand their own competencies in interaction with a complex physical and social environment. In contemporary neuroscience, the predictive-processing framework has been proposed as a general working principle of the human brain, the optimization of predictions about the consequences of one's own actions, and sensory inputs from the environment. However, the predictive-processing framework has rarely been applied to infancy research. We argue that a predictive-processing framework may provide a unifying perspective on several phenomena of infant development and learning that may seem unrelated at first sight. These phenomena include statistical learning principles, infants' motor and proprioceptive learning, and infants' basic understanding of their physical and social environment. We discuss how a predictive-processing perspective can advance the understanding of infants' early learning processes in theory, research, and application.
We are glad to introduce the Second Journal Club of Volume Five, Second Issue. This edition is focused on relevant studies published in the last few years in the field of resistance training, chosen by our Editorial Board members and their colleagues. We hope to stimulate your curiosity in this field and to share with you the passion for the sport, seen also from the scientific point of view. The Editorial Board members wish you an inspiring lecture.
We are glad to introduce the Second Journal Club of Volume Five, Second Issue. This edition is focused on relevant studies published in the last few years in the field of resistance training, chosen by our Editorial Board members and their colleagues. We hope to stimulate your curiosity in this field and to share with you the passion for the sport, seen also from the scientific point of view. The Editorial Board members wish you an inspiring lecture.
Brandenburg ist das einzige ostdeutsche Bundesland, in dem die SPD seit 1990 durchgängig die Regierung führt. Dennoch hat Brandenburg den höchsten Anteil rechts motivierter Gewalttaten – und immer wieder feiern hier rechte Parteien bemerkenswerte Erfolge. In vier von sieben Legislaturperioden bildeten sie sogar Fraktionen im Landtag. Renommierte Fachleute aus Politik- und Sozialwissenschaften analysieren in diesem Band die politische Kultur des Bundeslands und die Landschaft der Rechtaußenparteien in den Jahren 1990 bis 2020 und stellen dabei Kontinuitäten wie Brüche heraus. Gegenstand der Betrachtung sind neonazistische Kleinparteien, nicht mehr bestehende Parteien wie die DVU, frühe populistische Experimente wie die Schill-Partei, aber auch die jüngste Rechtsaußenpartei, die AfD, die zugleich auch die bisher erfolgreichste ist. Biographische Informationen Gideon Botsch, Prof. Dr. phil., geboren 1970, ist Politikwissenschaftler und leitet die Emil Julius Gumbel Forschungsstelle Antisemitismus und Rechtsextremismus an der Universität Potsdam. Seit 2018 ist er Außerplanmäßiger Professor an der Universität Potsdam. Christoph Schulze, Dr., geboren 1979, studierte Publizistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft und Soziologie in Berlin. Er ist am Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum Potsdam in der Rechtsextremismusforschung tätig.
The Kohat fold and thrust belt in Pakistan shows a significantly different structural style due to the structural evolution on the double décollement compared to the rest of the Subhimalaya. In order to better understand the spatio-temporal structural evolution of the Kohat fold and thrust belt, we combine balanced cross sections with apatite (U?Th-Sm)/He (AHe) and apatite fission track (AFT) dating. The AHe and AFT ages appear to be totally reset, allowing us to date exhumation above structural ramps. The results suggest that deformation began on the frontal Surghar thrust at-15 Ma, predating or coeval with the development of the Main Boundary thrust at-12 Ma. Deformation propagated southward from the Main Boundary thrust on double de?collements between 10 Ma and 2 Ma, resulting in a disharmonic structural style inside the Kohat fold and thrust belt. Thermal modeling of the thermochronologic data suggest that samples inside Kohat fold and thrust belt experienced cooling due to formation of the duplexes; this deformation facilitated tectonic thickening of the wedge and erosion of the Miocene to Pliocene foreland strata. The spatial distribution of AHe and AFT ages in combination with the structural forward model suggest that, in the Kohat fold and thrust belt, the wedge deformed in-sequence as a supercritical wedge (-15-12 Ma), then readjusted by out-sequence deformation (-12-0 Ma) within the Kohat fold and thrust belt into a sub-critical wedge.
Antisemitismus
(2023)
Ist Antisemitismus ein Rassismus, der sich gegen Jüdinnen und Juden richtet? Nein, er ist ein eigenständiges Phänomen, zu dessen Besonderheiten gehört, dass er häufig mit einem System der Weltverschwörung verknüpft wird. Doch es gibt rassistischen Antisemitismus. Auch die Shoah basierte auf einer rassistischen Einteilung von Menschen.
CrashNet
(2021)
Destructive car crash tests are an elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive necessity of the automotive development process. Today, finite element method (FEM) simulations are used to reduce costs by simulating car crashes computationally. We propose CrashNet, an encoder-decoder deep neural network architecture that reduces costs further and models specific outcomes of car crashes very accurately. We achieve this by formulating car crash events as time series prediction enriched with a set of scalar features. Traditional sequence-to-sequence models are usually composed of convolutional neural network (CNN) and CNN transpose layers. We propose to concatenate those with an MLP capable of learning how to inject the given scalars into the output time series. In addition, we replace the CNN transpose with 2D CNN transpose layers in order to force the model to process the hidden state of the set of scalars as one time series. The proposed CrashNet model can be trained efficiently and is able to process scalars and time series as input in order to infer the results of crash tests. CrashNet produces results faster and at a lower cost compared to destructive tests and FEM simulations. Moreover, it represents a novel approach in the car safety management domain.
Online hate speech has become a widespread problem in the daily life of adolescents. Despite growing societal and academic interest in this online risk, not much is known about the relationship between online hate speech victimization (OHSV) and adolescents' mental well-being.
In addition, potential factors influencing the magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between OHSV and depressive symptoms and the buffering effects of resilience in this relationship. The sample consists of 1,632 adolescents (49.1% girls) between 12 and 18 years old (M-age = 13.83, SDage = 1.23), recruited from nine schools across Spain.
Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHSV, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Regression analyses revealed that OHSV was positively linked to depressive symptoms.
In addition, victims of online hate speech were less likely to report depressive symptoms when they reported average or high levels of resilience (i.e., social competence, personal competence, structured style, social resources, and family cohesion) compared with those with low levels of resilience.
Our findings highlight the need for the development of intervention programs and the relevance of focusing on internal and external developmental assets to mitigate negative outcomes for victims of online hate speech.
Deciphering chemical mediators regulating specialized metabolism in a symbiotic cyanobacterium
(2022)
Genomes of cyanobacteria feature a variety of cryptic biosynthetic pathways for complex natural products, but the peculiarities limiting the discovery and exploitation of the metabolic dark matter are not well understood. Here we describe the discovery of two cell density-dependent chemical mediators, nostoclide and nostovalerolactone, in the symbiotic model strain Nostoc punctiforme, and demonstrate their pronounced impact on the regulation of specialized metabolism. Through transcriptional, bioinformatic and labeling studies we assigned two adjacent biosynthetic gene clusters to the biosynthesis of the two polyketide mediators. Our findings provide insight into the orchestration of specialized metabolite production and give lessons for the genomic mining and high-titer production of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds.