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This article provides an overview of Anja Jauernig's book on Kant's critical idealism, specifically focusing on his ontological doctrine of two layers of reality. Jauernig argues that Kant believes our mind cannot actively generate the data necessary for representing appearances and instead relies on receiving sensations from things in themselves. The author highlights that empirical objects depend on our cognitive abilities and possess genuine empirical reality. Jauernig proposes two conditions for the existence of empirical objects: they must adhere to Kant's formal conditions of objecthood and be grounded in things in themselves. The article also raises concerns about the accessibility of empirical reality, suggesting that Kant's perspective may lead to skepticism. The text delves into Jauernig's argument regarding the existence and persistence of empirical objects in relation to transcendental reality, discussing the epistemic and ontological gaps between transcendental regularities and phenomenal regularities, as well as the reliability of inferring the existence of external objects based on internal mental states. The author also questions the concept of a "properly direct" grounding relationship and proposes that the formal conditions of experience may be the sole determinant of genuine experience and empirical reality. Overall, the article explores the skeptical concerns and limitations of Jauernig's argument. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTARCTFiscal policy allocation is not purely determined by the labour-capital conflict, but increasingly around cross-class housing coalitions. Although rising house prices are conventionally understood as drivers of fiscal austerity, this view has been challenged. Alternatively, governments may use fiscal policies to support house price growth to meet the primary economic interests of homeowners and compensate non-homeowners through the welfare system. Using an econometric analysis of 19 advanced economies between 1980 and 2018, we show house prices have positive effects on taxation revenue as well as fiscal spending on public investment, welfare and education. A second multi-level analysis provides a political explanation of this observed outcome by demonstrating parties respond to rising house prices by proposing more welfare and public investment spending in their manifestos. Conterminously rising house prices and rents also lead to greater welfare spending, suggesting governments use fiscal policy to protect those excluded from homeownership from labour market risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature's diversity offers an abundance of promising solutions for novel bioinspired functional materials and systems. In particular, single‐celled organisms exhibit solutions and material properties that are realized at the nano‐ and micro‐scales. Ciliates are ubiquitous unicellular eukaryotes that are well‐adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. They have developed a large variety of interesting and highly specialized characteristics with unique properties and design. In this review, the background of selected ciliate characteristics is highlighted with respect to material properties and structure‐function relationships. Hierarchically complex mineralized structures, highly efficient sensors for movement and protection, shape‐memory structures, as well as survival and detoxification strategies are to be emphasized. Proposed future bioinspired applications of these properties of ciliates expand the possibilities to more sustainable materials and development processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric pollution is a major concern due to its well-documented and detrimental impacts on human health, with millions of excess deaths attributed to it annually. Particulate matter (PM), comprising airborne pollutants in the form of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, has been particularly concerning. Historically, research has focused on PM with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μ m (PM10) and 2.5 μ m (PM2.5), referred to as coarse and fine particulate matter, respectively. The long term exposure to both classes of PM have been shown to impact human health, being linked to a range of respiratory and cardiovascular complications. Recently, attention has been drawn to the lower end of the size distribution, specifically ultrafine particles (UFPs), with an aerodynamic diameter less than 100 nm (PM0.1). UFPs can deeply penetrate the respiratory system, reach the bloodstream, and have been increasingly associated with chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease. Accurate mapping of UFP concentrations at high spatial resolution is crucial considering strong gradients near the sources. However, due to the relatively recent focus on this class of PM, there is a scarcity of long-term measurements, particularly on the global scale. In this study, we employed a machine learning methodology to produce the first global maps of UFP concentrations at high spatial resolution (1 km) by leveraging limited ground station measurements worldwide. We trained an XGBoost model to predict annual UFP concentrations for a decade (2010–2019) and utilized the conformal prediction framework to provide reliable prediction intervals. This approach makes local-to-global UFP data available to support assessments of the health implications associated with long-term exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the significance of Indigenous research and co-stewardship of wildlife, particularly in the United States and Canada. It acknowledges the vast amount of land managed by Indigenous groups, which holds valuable natural resources. The article emphasizes the value of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in wildlife management and conservation, when combined with Western science. It introduces a special issue on Indigenous research and co-stewardship facilitated by The Wildlife Society and the Journal of Wildlife Management, highlighting the integration of IK and Western Science. The text also discusses challenges in publishing IK, including issues of Indigenous data sovereignty and the need for privacy. It emphasizes the importance of building trust and respecting Indigenous culture and perspectives when establishing relationships with Indigenous groups. The authors raise questions about the publication process for IK, including citation methods and authorship considerations, and stress the need for flexibility and collaboration to incorporate IK into scientific journals. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Although patients with shoulder complaints are frequently referred to physiotherapy, putative predictive factors for outcomes are still unclear. In this regard, only a limited amount of scientific data for patients with subacromial pain syndrome exist, with inconsistent results. An improved knowledge about the ability of baseline variables to predict outcomes could help patients make informed treatment decisions, prevent them from receiving ineffective treatments, and minimize the risk of developing chronic pain. Aim: The aims of this secondary longitudinal analysis are threefold: First, to investigate baseline differences between patients with and without successful long-term outcomes following physiotherapy. Second, to compare the predictive ability of two sets of putative predictive variables on outcomes, one based on the literature and one based on the data of the original trial. Third, to explore the contribution of short-term follow-up data to predictive models. Methods: Differences between responders and nonresponders were calculated. The predictive ability of variables defined through literature and of variables based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) from the original trial dataset on the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and the Patients' Global Impression of Change at the one-year follow-up were analyzed. To test the robustness of the results, different statistical models were used. To investigate the contribution of follow-up data to prediction, short-term data were included in the analyses. Results: A sample of 87 patients with subacromial pain syndrome was analyzed. 77% (n = 67) of these participants were classified as responders. Higher expectations and short-term change scores were positive, and higher fear avoidance beliefs, greater baseline disability and pain levels were negative predictors of long-term outcomes in patients with subacromial pain syndrome. Conclusions: Although our results are in line with previous research and support the use of clinical factors for prediction, our findings suggest that psychological factors, especially patient expectations and fear avoidance beliefs, also contribute to long-term outcomes and should therefore be considered in the clinical context and further research. However, the hypotheses and recommendations generated from our results need to be confirmed in further studies due to their explorative nature. Trial registration: The original trial was registered at Current Controlled Trials under the trial registration number ISRCTN86900354 on March 17, 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: Translocation of individuals with dementia to a nursing home can be very stressful because of cohabitation with fellow residents and dependence on care staff, resulting in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).Undiagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be a contributing factor to BPSD and are less often recognized later in life.The detection of ASD in old age lags behind due to insufficient knowledge and alertness among health care professionals.Recognizing ASD not only leads to more understanding and acceptance but can also contribute to better (non‐pharmacological) treatment of BPSD and guidance of nursing home residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many decision-making tasks are characterized by a combination of diagnostic and non-diagnostic information, yet models of responding and confidence almost exclusively focus on the contribution of diagnostic information (e.g., evidence associated with stimulus discriminability), largely ignoring the contribution of non-diagnostic information. An exception is Baranski and Petrusic's Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 24(3), 929-945, (1998) doubt-scaling model, which predicts a negative relationship between non-diagnostic information and confidence, and between non-diagnostic information and accuracy. In two perceptual-choice tasks, we tested the effects of manipulating non-diagnostic information on confidence, accuracy and response time (RT). In Experiment 1, participants viewed a dynamic grid consisting of flashing blue, orange and white pixels and indicated whether the stimulus was predominantly blue or orange (using a response scale ranging from low-confidence blue to high-confidence orange), with the white pixels constituting non-diagnostic information. Increasing non-diagnostic information reduced both confidence and accuracy, generally slowed RTs, and led to an increase in the speed of errors. Experiment 2 replicated these results for a decision-only task, providing further support for the doubt-scaling model of confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous angiosarcoma is a rare type of sarcoma with poor prognosis. Meningioma is the most frequent benign intracranial tumor. Despite the fact that meningiomas are mostly benign, bone and skin can be infiltrated. We report the rare case of an angiosarcoma on top of a meningioma with hyperostosis at exactly the same location mimicking a transosseous growth of a meningioma. An 84-year-old man presented with progressive swelling and ulcerous lesion of the forehead. The patient underwent surgery in an interdisciplinary setting together with a plastic surgeon, including resection of the intracranial tumor and infiltrated bone and skin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only reported case of a meningioma and angiosarcoma in direct neighborhood. A preoperative biopsy of the skin tumor would have led initially to the correct diagnosis of an angiosarcoma and would have allowed a better planning of the operation and extent of resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is evident that father engagement in parenting contributes to child well-being, and fatherhood programs effectively enhance father engagement and employment outcomes. However, program effectiveness can be compromised if participating fathers drop out. This study investigates factors associated with program engagement (i.e., initiating treatment) and completion (i.e., attending 75% or more sessions) with a sample of primarily African American fathers recruited from a community-based organization in the United States (n = 691). The analysis showed that nearly one-third (31%) of enrolled fathers did not attend any program session, and just over half (55%) of those who attended at least one session completed the program. Being older was associated with program engagement, while having a high school diploma and being ordered by the court to pay child support were associated with program completion. Fathers expressed several barriers to program participation, including programmatic and institutional issues (Rules and Staff, Fit Misaligned with Needs), as well as scheduling and external factors (Job-Related Conflict, Logistic Issues, Challenging Life Events). These findings highlight the importance of identifying participant motivation, addressing life challenges, and implementing strengths-based practices in fatherhood programs to make fathers feel seen, welcomed, and supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Shoot‐level emissions of aerobically produced methane (CH4) may be an overlooked source of tree‐derived CH4, but insufficient understanding of the interactions between their environmental and physiological drivers still prevents the reliable upscaling of canopy CH4 fluxes.We utilised a novel automated chamber system to continuously measure CH4 fluxes from the shoots of Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) saplings under drought to investigate how canopy CH4 fluxes respond to the drought‐induced alterations in their physiological processes and to isolate the shoot‐level production of CH4 from soil‐derived transport and photosynthesis.We found that aerobic CH4 emissions are not affected by the drought‐induced stress, changes in physiological processes, or decrease in photosynthesis. Instead, these emissions vary on short temporal scales with environmental drivers such as temperature, suggesting that they result from abiotic degradation of plant compounds.Our study shows that aerobic CH4 emissions from foliage are distinct from photosynthesis‐related processes. Thus, instead of photosynthesis rates, it is more reliable to construct regional and global estimates for the aerobic CH4 emission based on regional differences in foliage biomass and climate, also accounting for short‐term variations of weather variables such as air temperature and solar radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary capitalist societies use different institutions to manage economic risks. While different public welfare state and financial institutions (banks, capital markets) have been studied across coordinated and liberal market economies, the different worlds of private insurance institutions have been understudied. Building on new insurance data sets (1880–2017), we find that countries with a Maritime (USA, GBR, CAN) in contrast to the more backward Alpine (AUT, DEU, CHE) insurance tradition developed bigger life and nonlife insurance earlier, with less state-associated and reinsurance enterprises, but riskier investments steered toward financial markets. We argue that the larger and more "Maritime" the insurance sector, the more it made welfare states liberal and securities markets large. Insurance is thus a hidden factor for countries' varieties of capitalism and worlds of welfare. The recent convergence on the Maritime model, however, implies that the riskier and risk-individualizing type of private insurance has added to privatization and securitization trends everywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system that impacts physical and mental health. Low GABA levels have been documented in several diseases, including multiple sclerosis and depression, and studies suggest that GABA could improve disease outcomes in those conditions. Probiotic bacteria naturally produce GABA and have been engineered to enhance its synthesis. Strains engineered thus far use inducible expression systems that require the addition of exogenous molecules, which complicates their development as therapeutics. This study aimed to overcome this challenge by engineering Lactococcus lactis with a constitutive GABA synthesis gene cassette. GABA synthesizing and transport genes (gadB and gadC) were cloned onto plasmids downstream of constitutive L. lactis promoters [P2, P5, shortened P8 (P8s)] of different strengths and transformed into L. lactis. Fold increase in gadCB expression conferred by these promoters (P2, P5, and P8s) was 322, 422, and 627, respectively, compared to the unmodified strain (P  = 0.0325, P8s). GABA synthesis in the highest gadCB expressing strain, L. lactis -P8s-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), was dependent on media supplementation with glutamic acid and significantly higher than the unmodified strain (P  < 0.0001, 125 mM, 200 mM glutamic acid). Lactococcus lactis -P8s-GAD is poised for therapeutic testing in animal models of low-GABA-associated disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure remains a leading cause of mortality. Therapeutic intervention for heart failure would benefit from targeted delivery to the damaged heart tissue. Here, we applied in vivo peptide phage display coupled with high-throughput Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and identified peptides specifically targeting damaged cardiac tissue. We established a bioinformatics pipeline for the identification of cardiac targeting peptides. Hit peptides demonstrated preferential uptake by human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and immortalized mouse HL1 cardiomyocytes, without substantial uptake in human liver HepG2 cells. These novel peptides hold promise for use in targeted drug delivery and regenerative strategies and open new avenues in cardiovascular research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

East-Central Europe is often perceived in the literature discussing housing as an area unified by its common state-socialist legacy. Based on data covering developments in housing tenure and housing policy in the past 140 years in seven East-Central European countries, we trace the long history of a division between a northern (Germany, Poland and Czechia) and southern (Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and partially Slovakia) group of countries in terms of their support for and share of housing in collective (cooperative and nonprofit rental) versus private ownership. We find that the initially less urbanized and industrialized southern group started out with a weak cooperative tradition, focused state support on home ownership under state socialism and privatized more radically post-1990. The paper argues that differences between the two groups, persisting despite the number of transformative changes affecting the region, are rooted in different housing policy choices made by (predecessor) states before and following World War I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) is more common among adults in correctional settings than in the general population. No standard exists for SMI screening across correctional settings; SMI therefore often goes undetected in these facilities. Placing individuals with unidentified SMI who are incarcerated in general population cells increases their risk for self-harming behaviors, suicide, and for being victims or perpetrators of exploitation and violence. Methods: This article describes a quantitative, descriptive study conducted to evaluate the use of the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) tool to screen for possible SMI among individuals in a jail setting. Results: A total of 89 individuals who were incarcerated in one jail setting were screened either with the facility's internally developed standard medical questionnaire (SMQ) or with the BJMHS. Findings showed that 28% screened positive for possible SMI using the BJMHS as compared with only 3% using the SMQ. Conclusion: The BJMHS flagged a higher number of possible instances of SMI than the jail's SMQ, potentially signifying its screening superiority. Identification of SMI leads to better care for individuals who are incarcerated, and it increases safety for the individual with SMI, the greater jail population, and jail staff. Findings from this study were shared with system leadership, which has replaced other screening tools with the BJMHS in at least 250 correctional facilities throughout the US. Serious mental illness (SMI) is more common among adults in correctional settings than in the general population. No standard exists for SMI screening across correctional settings; SMI therefore often goes undetected in these facilities. This article describes a quantitative, descriptive study conducted to evaluate the use of the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) tool to screen for possible SMI among individuals in a jail setting as compared with the facility's internally developed standard medical questionnaire (SMQ). Findings showed that more participants screened positive for possible SMI with the BJMHS than with the SMQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point mutations in the α‐synuclein coding gene may lead to the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is often accompanied by other psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and drug use disorders, which typically emerge in adulthood. Some of these point mutations, such as SNCA and A30T, have been linked to behavioral effects that are not commonly associated with PD, especially regarding alcohol consumption patterns. In this study, we investigated whether the familial PD point mutation A53T is associated with changes in alcohol consumption behavior and emotional states at ages not yet characterized by α‐synuclein accumulation. The affective and alcohol‐drinking phenotypes remained unaltered in female PDGF‐hA53T‐synuclein‐transgenic (A53T) mice during both early and late adulthood. Brain region‐specific activation of ceramide‐producing enzymes, acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), and neutral sphingomyelinase (NSM), known for their neuroprotective properties, was observed during early adulthood but not in late adulthood. In males, the A53T mutation was linked to a reduction in alcohol consumption in both early and late adulthood. However, male A53T mice displayed increased anxiety‐ and depression‐like behaviors during both early and late adulthood. Enhanced ASM activity in the dorsal mesencephalon and ventral hippocampus may potentially contribute to these adverse behavioral effects of the mutation in males during late adulthood. In summary, the A53T gene mutation was associated with diverse changes in emotional states and alcohol consumption behavior long before the onset of PD, and these effects varied by sex. These alterations in behavior may be linked to changes in brain ceramide metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical velocity distribution in the atmosphere is asymmetric with stronger upward than downward motion. This asymmetry is important for the distribution of precipitation and its extremes and for an effective static stability that has been used to represent the effects of latent heating on extratropical eddies. Idealized GCM simulations show that the asymmetry increases as the climate warms, but current moist dynamical theories based around small-amplitude modes greatly overestimate the increase in asymmetry with warming found in the simulations. Here, we first analyze the changes in asymmetry with warming using numerical inversions of a moist quasigeostrophic omega equation applied to output from the idealized GCM. The inversions show that increases in the asymmetry with warming in the GCM simulations are primarily related to decreases in moist static stability on the left-hand side of the moist omega equation, whereas the dynamical forcing on the right-hand side of the omega equation is unskewed and contributes little to the asymmetry of the vertical velocity distribution. By contrast, increases in asymmetry with warming for small-amplitude modes are related to changes in both moist static stability and dynamical forcing leading to enhanced asymmetry in warm climates. We distill these insights into a toy model of the moist omega equation that is solved for a given moist static stability and wavenumber of the dynamical forcing. In comparison to modal theory, the toy model better reproduces the slow increase of the asymmetry with climate warming in the idealized GCM simulations and over the seasonal cycle from winter to summer in reanalysis. Significance Statement: Upward velocities are stronger than downward velocities in the atmosphere, and this asymmetry is important for the distribution of precipitation because precipitation is linked to upward motion. An important and open question is what sets this asymmetry and how much it increases as the climate warms. Past work has shown that current theories greatly overestimate the increase in asymmetry with warming in idealized simulations. In this work, we develop a more complete theory and show that it is able to better reproduce the slow increase of the asymmetry with warming that is found over the seasonal cycle from winter to summer and in idealized simulations of warming climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of short sleep duration is rising and is linked to chronic comorbidities, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). Sleep extension interventions in adults with MetS comorbidities and short sleep duration are limited and vary widely in terms of approach and duration. Objectives: This pilot study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of a personalized 12-week systematic sleep time extension intervention on post-intervention sleep outcomes in middle-aged adults at risk forMetSwith actigraphy-estimated short sleep duration. Methods: A single-arm, 12-week, 12-session systematic sleep time extension intervention was delivered weekly via videoconferencing. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using retention rates and mean sleep diary completions. Sleep was estimated for 14 consecutive days prior to and immediately following the 12-week intervention using wrist actigraphy. Daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Paired sample t-tests modeled changes in study outcomes. Results: Study participants (N = 41) had a mean age of 52 years and were mostly female and White; 86% attended >80% of sessions, and mean sleep diary completion was 6.7 diaries/week. Significant improvements in sleep from pre- to post-intervention included increased total sleep time, earlier sleep onsets, more regular sleep onsets, a higher sleep regularity index, and reduced daytime sleepiness. Extending sleep, as well as improving sleep timing and regularity in middle-aged adults with actigraphy-estimated short sleep duration and at risk for MetS, is feasible and acceptable. Discussion: Behavioral sleep characteristics may be modifiable and present a novel behavioral paradigm for mitigating MetS risk. This pilot study provides a proof of concept for the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a systematic sleep time extension for middle-aged adults at risk for MetS with actigraphy-estimated short sleep duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents efficient data structures for the implementation of matrix-free finite element methods on block-structured, hybrid tetrahedral grids. It provides a complete categorization of all geometric sub-objects that emerge from the regular refinement of the unstructured, tetrahedral coarse grid and describes efficient iteration patterns and analytical linearization functions for the mapping of coefficients to memory addresses. This foundation enables the implementation of fast, extreme-scalable, matrix-free, iterative solvers, and in particular geometric multigrid methods by design. Their application to the variable-coefficient Stokes system subject to an enriched Galerkin discretization and to the curl-curl problem discretized with Nédélec edge elements showcases the flexibility of the implementation. Finally, the solution of a curl-curl problem with $ 1.6\cdot 10^{11} $ 1.6 ⋅ 10 11 (more than one hundred billion) unknowns on more than 32,000 processes with a matrix-free full multigrid solver demonstrates its extreme-scalability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane emissions from plant foliage may play an important role in the global methane cycle, but their size and the underlying source processes remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify methane fluxes from the shoots of Scots pine trees, a dominant tree species in boreal forests, to identify source processes and environmental drivers, and we evaluate whether these fluxes can be constrained at the ecosystem-level by eddy covariance flux measurements. We show that shoot-level measurements conducted in forest, garden, or greenhouse settings; on mature trees and saplings; manually and with an automated CO2-, temperature-, and water-controlled chamber system; and with multiple methane analyzers all resulted in comparable daytime fluxes (0.144 ± 0.019 to 0.375 ± 0.074 nmol CH4 g-1 foliar d.w. h-1). We further find that these emissions exhibit a pronounced diurnal cycle that closely follows photosynthetically active radiation and is further modulated by temperature. These diurnal patterns indicate that methane production is associated with diurnal cycle of sunlight, indicating that this production is either a byproduct of photosynthesis-associated biochemical reactions (e.g., the methionine cycle) or produced through nonenzymatic photochemical reactions in plant biomass. Moreover, we identified a light-dependent component in stand-level methane fluxes, which showed order-of-magnitude agreement with shoot-level measurements (0.968 ± 0.031 nmol CH4 g-1 h-1) and which provides an upper limit for shoot methane emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (re-)introduction of tenancy regulation in the form of rent controls, tenant protection or supply rationing is back on the agenda of policymakers in light of rent inflation in many global cities. While rent controls promise short-term relief, economists point to their negative long-run effects on new construction. This study presents new long-run data on both rent regulation and housing construction for 16 developed countries (1910–2016) and finds that more restrictive rental market legislation generally has a negative impact on both new housing construction and residential investment. This is especially true for strict rent controls and housing rationing measures in the post-1960 period. Tenancy security can on average also dampen construction activity. The negative effect is overall less significant and strong in magnitude than expected and may have been offset by exemptions for new construction, by compensating social housing construction and by a flight of new construction into the owner-occupied sector. Still, on average, rent controls came at the cost of less construction activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential cross section for the quasi-free photoproduction reaction γ n → K 0 Σ 0 was measured at BGOOD at ELSA from threshold to a centre-of-mass energy of 2400 MeV . Close to threshold the results are consistent with existing data and are in agreement with partial wave analysis solutions over the full measured energy range, with a large coupling to the Δ (1900) 1 / 2 - evident. This is the first dataset covering the K ∗ threshold region, where there are model predictions of dynamically generated vector meson-baryon resonance contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Social media can facilitate self-disclosure of a stigmatized identity. This mixed-methods study explores self-disclosure by people with dementia on social media, comparing patterns and purpose of use by those aged 65 and above versus those aged under 65. Of 143 internet-using respondents of an online survey, 77 (aged between 44 and 88 years) were users of social media. Facebook was the most commonly used platform (95%), followed by Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. People with dementia aged under 65 used more platforms and used social media more frequently than older counterparts [χ 2 = 5.58, p = .031]. Content analysis of open-ended questions, validated and extended through qualitative interview data, showed younger users shared dementia-related information for purposes of advocacy and awareness whereas older users prioritized the dementia journey. Social media gives people with dementia a voice to share their experiences, raise awareness, and support themselves and other individuals affected by the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-A) provides employees with mental illnesses or subclinical symptoms a short-term and low-threshold access to psychotherapeutic care. However, practical experience shows that the utilisation rate seems low compared to expected demand. Therefore, this study aimed to identify determinants of utilisation by exploring associations between sociodemographic characteristics, psychological well-being, stigma-related barriers and psychosocial safety climate and the intention to seek PT-A. Methods: Within a cross-sectional study, 658 participants were recruited via various social media channels in Germany. Participants answered an online questionnaire on potential determinants of (1) intention to seek PT-A in general and of intention to seek PT-A to specifically discuss (2) occupational burden and (3) private burden. Multiple ordinal regression analyses were conducted for the whole study sample and for the subgroups of participants screened positive and negative for current depression. Results: Lower stigma-related barriers were associated with higher general intention to seek PT-A among all study groups. Lower psychological well-being was associated with higher general intention to seek PT-A and with higher intention to seek PT-A to discuss occupational and private burden, but only so in the subgroup of employees who were screened negative for current depression. Treatment experience was associated with higher intention to seek PT-A for occupational burden among participants screened negative but not among participants screened positive for current depression. No associations were found between age, gender, education or psychosocial safety climate and any variable of intention to seek PT-A. Conclusion: Those results give an overview on potential determinants for the intention to seek PT-A, but future research with longitudinal designs is needed to confirm that those factors also determine actual utilisation of PT-A. Based on the results, practical implications might include antistigma campaigns and promotion of PT-A adapted to the aims of the consultation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die Verhaltensbiologie ist ein wichtiger Inhalt im Biologieunterricht. Das zielgerichtete, forschende Beobachten bereitet den Schüler/-innen jedoch häufg Schwierigkeiten und sollte vor allem praktisch eingeübt werden. Das Schülerlabor KILab bietet dafür eine innovative Möglichkeit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2013, heater-cooler unit (HCU) associated Mycobacterium chimaera infections linked to a global outbreak have been described. These infections were characterised by high morbidity and mortality due to delayed diagnosis, as well as challenges in antimycobacterial and surgical therapy. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcome of published cases of HCU-associated M. chimaera infections. We searched PubMed and the Web of Science until 15 June 2022 for case reports, case series, and cohort studies, without language restriction, on patients with M. chimaera infection and a prior history of cardiac surgery. In this systematic review of case reports, no risk of bias assessment could be performed. Clinical, microbiological, and radiological features were recorded. Logistic regression and time-to-event analyses were performed to identify the potential factors associated with better survival. One hundred eighty patients from 54 publications were included. Most patients underwent surgical aortic valve (67.0%; 118/176 of patients with available data) or combined aortic valve and root replacement (15.3%; 27/176). The median period between the time point of surgery and the first symptoms was 17 months (interquartile range 13–26 months). The overall case fatality rate was 45.5% (80/176), with a median survival of 24 months after the initiation of antimycobacterial therapy or diagnosis. A reoperation (including the removal or exchange of foreign material) was associated with better survival in multivariate logistic regression (OR 0.32 for lethal events; 95% CI 0.12–0.79; p 0.015) and in time-to-event analysis (p 0.0094). This systematic review and meta-analysis confirm the high overall mortality of HCU -associated disseminated M. chimaera infections after cardiac surgery. A reoperation seems to be associated with better survival. Physicians have to stay aware of this infection, as patients might still be present today due to the long latency period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel computational framework for the simulation of rigid spherical Janus particle suspensions in Stokes flow. For a wide array of Janus particle types, we show long-range interactions may be resolved using fast, spectrally accurate boundary integral methods. We incorporate this to our rigid body Stokes platform, which resolves hydrodynamic interactions and contact. Our approach features the use of spherical harmonic expansions for spectrally accurate integral operator evaluation, complementarity-based collision resolution, and optimal O (n) scaling with the number of particles when accelerated via fast summation techniques. We demonstrate the versatility of our simulation platform through three test cases involving Janus particle systems prominent in applications: amphiphilic, bipolar electric and phoretic particles. For each test case, we formulate Janus particle interactions in boundary integral form and use our framework to demonstrate examples of self-assembly and complex collective behavior characteristic of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterocellular nature of the heart has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. In addition to cardiomyocytes as the prototypical cell type of the heart, non-myocytes such as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, or immune cells are coming more into focus. The rise of single-cell sequencing technologies enables identification of ever more subtle differences and has reignited the question of what defines a cell's identity. Here we provide an overview of the major cardiac cell types, describe their roles in homeostasis, and outline recent findings on non-canonical functions that may be of relevance for cardiology. We highlight modes of biochemical and biophysical interactions between different cardiac cell types and discuss the potential implications of the heterocellular nature of the heart for basic research and therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild honeybees (Apis mellifera) are considered extinct in most parts of Europe. The likely causes of their decline include increased parasite burden, lack of high-quality nesting sites and associated depredation pressure, and food scarcity. In Germany, feral honeybees still colonize managed forests, but their survival rate is too low to maintain viable populations. Based on colony observations collected during a monitoring study, data on parasite prevalence, experiments on nest depredation, and analyses of land cover maps, we explored whether parasite pressure, depredation or expected landscape-level food availability explain feral colony winter mortality. Considering the colony-level occurrence of 18 microparasites in the previous summer, colonies that died did not have a higher parasite burden than colonies that survived. Camera traps installed at cavity trees revealed that four woodpecker species, great tits, and pine martens act as nest depredators. In a depredator exclusion experiment, the winter survival rate of colonies in cavities with protected entrances was 50% higher than that of colonies with unmanipulated entrances. Landscapes surrounding surviving colonies contained on average 6.4 percentage points more cropland than landscapes surrounding dying colonies, with cropland being known to disproportionately provide forage for bees in our study system. We conclude that the lack of spacious but well-protected nesting cavities and the shortage of food are currently more important than parasites in limiting populations of wild-living honeybees in German forests. Increasing the density and diversity of large tree cavities and promoting bee forage plants in forests will probably promote wild-living honeybees despite parasite pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity and inclusivity in STEM research has become a larger topic of discussion in recent years; however, researchers and scientists with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses are often missing from these conversations. Further, while field research is a major research component for some STEM disciplines, it is unclear what accessibility barriers or accommodations exist across the field sciences. Field research can sometimes involve harsh environments, topography, and weather that present challenges to those with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. A large and coinciding obstacle standing in the way of field research accessibility is the ableism present across science and academia, resulting in and from a lack of prioritization of attention and funding from universities and institutions. Biological field stations have been shown to be valuable not only as infrastructure for field-based research, but also as providing resources toward the scientific education of students and scientific outreach initiatives for the general public. As such, biological field stations are perfectly positioned to reduce barriers in research inclusion and accessibility for students and scientists with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. The current work presents the results of a survey meant to inventory the presence or absence of accessible infrastructure across field stations, with responses spanning six countries and 24 US states. Our results highlight a number of accessibility deficits in areas such as accessible entrances, kitchens, and bathrooms. Our results suggest that (1) biological field stations have significant variability in accessibility with significant deficits, especially in non-public-facing buildings used primarily by staff and researchers, and (2) field stations would benefit from an increase in federal funding opportunities to expedite their progress toward compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. We propose potential solutions to field work infrastructure spanning a range of financial costs, with emphasis on the point that efforts toward accessibility do not require an "all-or-nothing" approach, and that any step toward accessibility will make field stations more inclusive. Additionally, we further suggest that federal funding sources, such as the NSF and NIH, as well as university leadership, should consider broadening diversity initiatives to promote the continuation of, and increased accessibility of, university-affiliated field stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis whole-genome data to determine drug resistance profiles more quickly and reliably than traditional phenotypic resistance testing. It discusses the challenges of tuberculosis, especially the rise of drug-resistant cases, and emphasizes the importance of genomic sequencing for identifying and characterizing resistance mutations. The article also introduces the MTBseq software program for automated analysis.

To better understand the nexus between structure and photophysics in metallo-DNA assemblies, the parallel-stranded duplex formed by the all-cytosine oligonucleotide, dC20, and silver nitrate was studied by circular dichroism (CD), femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, and time-dependent-density functional theory calculations. Silver(I) ions mediate Cytosine–Cytosine (CC) base pairs by coordinating to the N3 atoms of two cytosines. Although these silver(I) mediated CC base pairs resemble the proton-mediated CC base pairs found in i-motif DNA at first glance, a comparison of experimental and calculated CD spectra reveals that silver ion-mediated i-motif structures do not form. Instead, the parallel-stranded duplex formed between dC20 and silver ions is proposed to contain consecutive silver-mediated base pairs with high propeller twist-like ones seen in a recent crystal structure of an emissive, DNA-templated silver cluster. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements with broadband probing from the near UV to the near IR reveal an unusually long-lived (>10 ns) excited state in the dC20 silver ion complex that is not seen in dC20 in single-stranded or i-motif forms. This state is also absent in a concentrated solution of cytosine–silver ion complexes that are thought to assemble into planar ribbons or sheets that lack stacked silver(I) mediated CC base pairs. The large propeller twist angle present in metal-mediated base pairs may promote the formation of long-lived charged separated or triplet states in this metallo-DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most frequent motor neuron disease. Besides a timely diagnosis, precise knowledge of the clinical manifestations and differential diagnoses is essential. While most patients develop the disease at an older age, hereditary causes play a more frequent role in the juvenile forms. Objective: What is the current state of ALS diagnostics, which new treatment options exist? Material and method: Literature search using Pubmed.gov. Results: The main focus is on an individualized symptomatic treatment as no curative treatment approaches exist. However, new insights into the genetic and pathophysiological principles of the different forms of ALS open the way for future disease-modifying treatment options. Conclusion: In cases of a clinical suspicion of ALS molecular genetic diagnostics should be considered, particularly in juvenile and young adult patients, to exclude differential diagnoses and to enable patients access to new treatment approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanaged forest is considered as native habitat of the Western honeybee Apis mellifera and is assumed to provide important pollen and nectar sources. However, resource supply might be spatially and temporally restricted in managed forests and landscape‐scale studies in European forest regions are currently lacking.Capitalizing on a unique communication behaviour, the waggle dance, we investigated honeybee foraging in a deciduous forest region in southern Germany. We analysed 2022 waggle dances performed by bees of 12 colonies placed in the centre of landscapes with varying degree of forest cover (50%–99% at a 2‐km radius) from March to August 2019, thereby identifying foraging distances and habitat preferences over almost an entire foraging season. By connecting dance information with colony weight recordings, we assessed the role of landscape composition and the contribution of different habitat types to colony weight gain.Foraging distances generally increased with the amount of forest in the surrounding landscape pointing to inferior food resources in the forest. Yet, this effect strongly depended on the season and was more pronounced for pollen than for nectar foraging. Even though colonies in forest‐dominated landscapes had to fly further, colony weight was not significantly affected by forest cover.Compared to expectations based on the proportions of different habitats, colonies foraged more frequently in grassland and cropland than in deciduous and coniferous forests, with late summer being an especially difficult period for pollen foraging in forests. During a phase of colony weight gain in early summer, the use of forests for nectar/honeydew foraging was close to the expectation, highlighting forests as an important complementary source of carbohydrates during short periods of the year.Policy implication. The ecological and economic value of managed forest as habitat for honeybees could be significantly increased by the continuous provision of floral resources, especially for pollen foraging. Therefore, we recommend diversifying forest stands with insect‐pollinated trees, permitting secondary successions in forest gaps, and at larger scales, creating forest landscapes with high habitat diversity. This will not only help native, wild‐living honeybees and beekeepers' colonies residing in forest areas but will also foster social bees in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private rental markets have become increasingly important since the Global Financial Crisis 2008–2009 and rent controls are back on the political agenda. Yet, they have received less attention from housing scholars than homeownership and public housing. This paper presents new data on the development of private tenancy legislation based on a content-coding of rent control, protection of tenants from eviction, and rental housing rationing laws across more than 15 countries and 100 years. This long-run perspective allows for inquiring about the dynamic effects of rent control on the rise of homeownership as the dominant tenure during the twentieth century. We find that both rent regulation and rationing measures were followed by increases of homeownership and decreases of private rentals. We suggest that homeownership was not just produced by generous subsidies or the homeownership dream, but also through the push-effect of regulation crowding out rental units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-run U-shaped patterns of economic inequality are standardly explained by basic economic trends (Piketty's r > g), taxation policies or 'great levellers' such as catastrophes. This article argues that housing policy, and particularly rent control, is a neglected explanatory factor in understanding macro inequality. We hypothesize that rent control could decrease overall housing wealth, lower incomes of generally richer landlords and increase disposable incomes of generally poorer tenants. Using original long-run data for up to 16 countries (1900–2016), we show that rent controls lowered wealth-to-income ratios, top income shares, Gini coefficients, rents and rental expenditure. Overall, rent controls need to be strict in order to have tangible effects, and only the stricter historical rent controls did significantly reduce inequalities. The study argues that housing policies should generally receive more attention in understanding economic inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ciliates are abundant unicellular organisms capable of resisting high concentrations of metal ions in the environment caused by various anthropogenic activities. Understanding the cellular pathways involved in resistance to and detoxification of elements is required to predict the impact of ciliates on environmental element cycles. Here, we investigated the so far unknown process of tolerance, cellular uptake and bioaccumulation of the emerging rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) in the common ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. Gd treatment results in the intracellular formation and excretion of biogenic Gd-containing particles. This cellular process effectively removes dissolved Gd from the organic growth medium by 53.37% within 72 h. Based on light and electron microscopic observations, we postulate a detoxification pathway: Cells take up toxic Gd3+ ions from the medium by endocytosis, process them into stable Gd-containing particles within food vacuoles, and exocytose them. Stable biogenic particles can be isolated, which are relatively homogeneous and have a diameter of about 3 µm. They consist of the elements Gd, C, O, P, Na, Mg, K, and Ca. These findings broaden the view of metal ion accumulation by protists and are of relevance to understand environmental elemental cycles and may inspire approaches for metal recovery or bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulsivity is a multidimensional, cross-diagnostic behavioural construct that has been described in various psychiatric disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome (TS). Different interpretations of results in the past have raised the question of heightened impulsivity as an explanatory model for self-described impulsive behaviour, especially in OCD. Our study included 16 patients with OCD, 14 patients with TS, and 28 healthy control subjects (HC). Self-assessed impulsivity was examined by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the behavioural test used was the immediate and delayed memory task (IMT/DMT). Significantly heightened self-assessed impulsivity of the patient collective compared to HC could be observed in in only one dimension: lack of attention (χ2 (2) = 24.910, p < 0.001). Post-hoc tests were performed using Bonferroni adjusted alpha levels of 0.0167 per test (0.05/3) and revealed significantly higher scores in patients with OCD (M = 19.57, SD = 2.82), z = 4.292, p < 0.001 as with TS (M = 19.38, SD = 3.62), z = 3.832, p < 0.001 compared to HC (M = 13.78, SD = 3.18). In patients with OCD, correlations between the dimension of obsessive thoughts with a lack of attention in the form of first-order factor cognitive instability could be shown (n = 14, p = 0.024, rs = 0.599) while in patients with TS, tic symptomatology correlated significantly with second-order factor attentional impulsivity (n = 12, p = 0.027, rs = 0.635). In behavioural testing, no significant group differences could be observed either in impulsive behaviour (IMT: χ2 (2) = 4.709, p = 0.824; DMT: χ2 (2) = 0.126, p = 0.939) or in sustained attention (IMT: χ2 (2) = 0.388, p = 0.095; DMT: χ2 (2) = 0.663, p = 0.718). Heightened impulsivity as an explanatory model for the observed lack of attention, especially in patients with OCD, should be questioned and interpretation biases considered in the future. The necessity of a multidimensional approach to the research of impulsivity is underscored by our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eumelanin is a ubiquitous biological pigment that rapidly and efficiently deactivates excited states created by UV or visible radiation. Paradoxically, photoirradiation of eumelanin also generates radicals and harmful reactive oxygen species, but the relationship between these pathways and excited‐state deactivation is uncertain. Here, greatly expanding the excitation tuning range (225–620 nm) and probing window (400–1500 nm) in femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy of the synthetic eumelanin, DOPA melanin, enables the detection of photogenerated radials with ultrafast time resolution for the first time. Despite its heterogeneous nature, the transient absorption signals can be modeled by two spectral components assigned to solvated electrons and photogenerated radicals. Radical absorbance measured several nanoseconds after excitation increases exponentially with increasing photon energy, matching the trend in radical yields measured in electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments. Spectral modeling of the transient signals reveals two radical generation mechanisms: (1) photoionization by UV light; and (2) photoinduced charge transfer among eumelanin chromophores by UVA and visible wavelengths capable of reaching the pigment in skin. Concurrent ultrafast relaxation and radical generation underlie the ability of eumelanin to be both photoprotective and photodamaging, and the branching between these pathways likely depends on the wavelength of the absorbed light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been debate about whether addition of an irrelevant distractor option to an otherwise binary decision influences which of the two choices is taken. We show that disparate views on this question are reconciled if distractors exert two opposing but not mutually exclusive effects. Each effect predominates in a different part of decision space: (1) a positive distractor effect predicts high-value distractors improve decision-making; (2) a negative distractor effect, of the type associated with divisive normalisation models, entails decreased accuracy with increased distractor values. Here, we demonstrate both distractor effects coexist in human decision making but in different parts of a decision space defined by the choice values. We show disruption of the medial intraparietal area (MIP) by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) increases positive distractor effects at the expense of negative distractor effects. Furthermore, individuals with larger MIP volumes are also less susceptible to the disruption induced by TMS. These findings also demonstrate a causal link between MIP and the impact of distractors on decision-making via divisive normalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Common mental disorders affect a significant proportion of the population worldwide at any given time. Psychotherapeutic consultation at work offers employees with mental distress short-term and low-threshold access to psychotherapeutic treatment. However, this offer is only accepted by one to two percent of the employees to whom it is offered. Taking into account employees ' preferences regarding organisational aspects might increase the use of psychotherapeutic consultation at work. This study therefore aimed to identify preferences on organisational aspects of psychotherapeutic consultation at work among employees of diverse occupational areas, company sizes, supervisor functions and job requirement levels. Methods: A total of 755 employees were recruited via advertisements on social media (Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn). Participants rated on a 5-point Likert scale their agreement to different implementation options of psychotherapeutic consultation at work: type (in-person/video/telephone), location (on/outside company premises), time (within/outside working hours), scope (diagnostic/diagnostic + treatment) and purpose (private/occupational). Additionally, the maximum accepted distance to the location of consultation was assessed. Various analyses of variances (ANOVA) were conducted to determine differences in agreement to implementation options within each organisational aspect and to analyse differences between occupational areas, company sizes, requirement levels and between employees with and without supervisor function. Results: Participants indicated a preference for in-person psychotherapeutic consultation that takes places outside company premises and outside working hours. Furthermore, they preferred offers including diagnostic and treatment sessions compared to offers including diagnostic sessions only. Even though participants agreed that consultation should be offered for all purposes, agreement for occupational issues was stronger than for private issues. For some implementation options, the level of agreement varied according to occupational field, company size, supervisor function and level of requirement. However, these differences did not affect the key findings mentioned above. Conclusion: Those findings give practical indications on the organisational design of psychotherapeutic consultation at work. The results suggest that in-person consultation outside company premises and working hours combining diagnostic and treatment sessions will be accepted by employees regardless of their occupational area, company size, supervisor function and requirement level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) functions are controlled by the enteric nervous system (ENS) in vertebrates, but data on snakes are scarce, as most studies were done in mammals. However, the feeding of many snakes, including Crotalus atrox, is in strong contrast with mammals, as it consumes an immense, intact prey that is forwarded, stored, and processed by the GI tract. We performed immunohistochemistry in different regions of the GI tract to assess the neuronal density and to quantify cholinergic, nitrergic, and VIPergic enteric neurons. We recorded motility patterns and determined the role of different neurotransmitters in the control of motility. Neuroimaging experiments complemented motility findings. Results: A well-developed ganglionated myenteric plexus (MP) was found in the oesophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines. In the submucous plexus (SMP) most neurons were scattered individually without forming ganglia. The lowest number of neurons was present in the SMP of the proximal colon, while the highest was in the MP of the oesophagus. The total number of neurons in the ENS was estimated to be approx. 1.5 million. In all regions of the SMP except for the oesophagus more nitric oxide synthase+ than choline-acetyltransferase (ChAT)+ neurons were counted, while in the MP ChAT+ neurons dominated. In the SMP most nerve cells were VIP+, contrary to the MP, where numerous VIP+ nerve fibers but hardly any VIP+ neuronal cell bodies were seen. Regular contractions were observed in muscle strips from the distal stomach, but not from the proximal stomach or the colon. We identified acetylcholine as the main excitatory and nitric oxide as the main inhibitory neurotransmitter. Furthermore, 5-HT and dopamine stimulated, while VIP and the ß-receptor-agonist isoproterenol inhibited motility. ATP had only a minor inhibitory effect. Nerve-evoked contractile responses were sodium-dependent, insensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX), but sensitive to lidocaine, supported by neuroimaging experiments. Conclusions: The structure of the ENS, and patterns of gastric and colonic contractile activity of Crotalus atrox are strikingly different from mammalian models. However, the main excitatory and inhibitory pathways appear to be conserved. Future studies have to explore how the observed differences are an adaptation to the particular feeding strategy of the snake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The role of exercise in preventing osteoporotic fractures is vague, and further recommendations for optimized exercise protocols are very rare. In the present work, we provided positive evidence for exercise effects on the number of osteoporotic fractures in adults, albeit without observing any significant relevance of intensity progression or study duration. Introduction : Osteoporotic fractures are a major challenge confronting our aging society. Exercise might be an efficient agent for reducing osteoporotic fractures in older adults, but the most promising exercise protocol for that purpose has yet to be identified. The present meta-analysis thus aimed to identify important predictors of the exercise effect on osteoporotic fractures in adults. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of six literature databases according to the PRISMA guideline that included controlled exercise studies and reported the number of low-trauma major osteoporotic fractures separately for exercise (EG) and control (CG) groups. Primary study outcome was incidence ratio (IR) for major osteoporotic fractures. Sub-analyses were conducted for progression of intensity (yes vs. no) during the trial and the study duration (≤ 12 months vs. > 12 months). Results: In summary, 11 studies with a pooled number of 9715 participant-years in the EG and 9592 in the CG were included. The mixed-effects conditional Poisson regression revealed positive exercise effects on major osteoporotic fractures (RR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.54–0.94, p =.006). Although studies with intensity progression were more favorable, our subgroup analysis did not determine significant differences for diverging intensity progression (p =.133) or study duration (p =.883). Heterogeneity among the trials of the subgroups (I2 ≤ 0–7.1%) was negligible. Conclusion: The present systematic review and meta-analysis provided significant evidence for the favorable effect of exercise on major osteoporotic fractures. However, diverging study and exercise characteristics along with the close interaction of exercise parameters prevented the derivation of reliable recommendations for exercise protocols for fracture reductions. PROSPERO ID: CRD42021250467. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between vegetarianism and depression is still unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between a meatless diet and the presence of depressive episodes among adults.Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed with baseline data from the ELSA-Brasil cohort, which included 14,216 Brazilians aged 35 to 74 years. A meatless diet was defined from in a validated food frequency questionnaire. The Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R) instrument was used to assess depressive episodes. The association between meatless diet and presence of depressive episodes was expressed as a prevalence ratio (PR), determined by Poisson regression adjusted for potentially confounding and/or mediating variables: sociodemographic parameters, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, several clinical variables, self-assessed health status, body mass index, micronutrient intake, protein, food processing level, daily energy intake, and changes in diet in the preceding 6 months.Results: We found a positive association between the prevalence of depressive episodes and a meatless diet. Meat non-consumers experienced approximately twice the frequency of depressive episodes of meat consumers, PRs ranging from 2.05 (95%CI 1.00-4.18) in the crude model to 2.37 (95%CI 1.24-4.51) in the fully adjusted model.Limitations: The cross-sectional design precluded the investigation of causal relationships.Conclusions: Depressive episodes are more prevalent in individuals who do not eat meat, independently of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Nutrient deficiencies do not explain this association. The nature of the association remains unclear, and longitudinal data are needed to clarify causal relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore rights of nature (RoN) as an emerging rights-based environmental governance that intends to reframe nature from property to an entity with a right to exist unharmed. Its proponents claim this is a paradigm shift that reworks the imbalanced human–nature hierarchy. We interrogate this claim using data collected from more than 60 U.S. communities where RoN ordinances have been implemented. Our analysis identifies three reoccurring themes within the U.S. settler colonial context, including a coconstitution of rights for nature alongside a community's right to a healthy environment, the emphasis of self-governance and individual community empowerment, and the overwhelming Whiteness of settler communities that implement RoN laws. We put these themes into conversation with critical race scholarship, which evaluates the racialized impacts of a liberal legal system of rights to examine how within the U.S. settler colonial context RoN mobilizes Western White liberal conceptions of legal rights to address our current environmental crises. In analyzing these themes through the lens of critical race scholarship, we contend that rights-based environmental governance in the form of RoN laws appears to reinforce many of the entrenched social-legal-environmental relations that characterize White liberalism recast through a language that claims universal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney dysplasia is one of the most frequent causes of chronic kidney failure in children. While dysplasia is a histological diagnosis, the term 'kidney dysplasia' is frequently used in daily clinical life without histopathological confirmation. Clinical parameters of kidney dysplasia have not been clearly defined, leading to imprecise communication amongst healthcare professionals and patients. This lack of consensus hampers precise disease understanding and the development of specific therapies. Based on a structured literature search, we here suggest a common basis for clinical, imaging, genetic, pathological and basic science aspects of non-obstructive kidney dysplasia associated with functional kidney impairment. We propose to accept hallmark sonographic findings as surrogate parameters defining a clinical diagnosis of dysplastic kidneys. We suggest differentiated clinical follow-up plans for children with kidney dysplasia and summarize established monogenic causes for non-obstructive kidney dysplasia. Finally, we point out and discuss research gaps in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have been marked by the rise of populism, the emergence of New Labour and decline of social democratic parties. The dominant explanation for these trends is a shift in cultural attitudes but leaves open where such a sudden shift comes from. Advancing recent cross‐sectional work on the political economy of housing, this paper suggests that slow‐moving underlying processes as materialized in the expansion of homeownership can help explain the observable cultural shift and recent macrotrends. Taking a longitudinal micro‐perspective of individuals' housing and political trajectories in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom since the 1980s, we find that the transition into homeownership has made voting for social democrats and populists more likely. The influence never comes as a shock but extends over decade‐long anticipation and socialization intervals. Rather than strengthening traditional conservative parties, expanding homeownership, we argue, has contributed to the gradual embourgeoisement of the left. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]