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Abstract This editorial introduces a special issue of Large-Scale Assessments in Education (LSAE) that addresses key challenges in analyzing longitudinal data from large-scale studies. These challenges include ensuring fair measurement across time, developing common metrics, and correcting for measurement errors. The special issue highlights recent methodological innovations, particularly for studies like the National Education Panel Study (NEPS), providing approaches for improving the accuracy and robustness of longitudinal educational research. The papers in this issue present advances in methods for estimating trends, incorporating background information, and analyzing longitudinal relationships between constructs. Innovative approaches such as Bayesian modeling for borrowing historical information, continuous-time models for capturing developmental trends, and plausible value estimation provide practical solutions for researchers working with complex longitudinal data. In addition, the issue presents new software tools that facilitate the implementation of these advanced methodologies. Together, these papers contribute to both the theory and practice of educational assessment and provide valuable insights for those working with longitudinal data in national and international panel studies.

Abstract On September 26th, 2022, the detonations at the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 resulted in some of the largest non-natural releases of methane known. The distribution of methane in the surrounding seawater and the possible effects were not apparent. To trace the pathways of methane we recorded CH4 concentrations and the isotopic signal (δ13C-CH4) in seawater, and air. A week post-explosion, we detected methane concentrations up to 4 orders of magnitude above the natural Baltic Sea background. The released fossil methane created a distinct plume with δ13C-CH4 ratios differing from natural background values. The strong water stratification preserved the distribution pattern initiated by the explosion, shown by the laterally strong concentration gradient within the plume. Our analysis encompasses three stages of the explosion's impact; the initial sea-air methane release, measurements taken during our research expedition one week later, and a third stage triggered by the shift from summer to winter conditions as an outlook on how winter mixing and microbial activity will influence the plume.

Objetivo: Descrever o impacto no número de doações de sangue e na sua segurança, causado pelo desastre climático ocorrido no Rio Grande do Sul em maio de 2024, em um banco de sangue de referência em Porto Alegre, RS. Materiais e métodos: Obteve-se dados relacionados ao período imediatamente anterior (abril/2024) e durante (maio/2024) o maior desastre climático do Rio Grande do Sul e correlacionou-se com dados de períodos anteriores a fim de observar se houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas. Resultados: Durante os meses de abril e maio de 2024 houve 1600 e 1233 doações de sangue, respectivamente, com uma média de 61 e 49 doações por dia. A redução no número de doações em maio corresponde a 22,9% quando comparado com o mês de abril, com diferença estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,0001). Também houve diferenças em números de doação quando comparado aos meses de maio de anos anteriores, com uma redução de 9,0% em 2023 e 22,9% em 2022. Quanto às primeiras doações, houve 740 candidatos à primeira doação, destes 698 foram aprovados (94,3%), 41 tiveram recusa temporária (5,5%) e 1 recusa definitiva (0,1%). No mês de maio houve 688 candidatos à primeira doação, dos quais 628 foram aprovados (91,3%), 58 foram recusados temporariamente (8,4%) e 2 definitivamente (0,3%). Ao total, no mês de abril as primeiras doações somaram 38,0% e em maio somaram 43,2%, enquanto os doadores de repetição contabilizaram respectivamente 61,9% e 56,7%. Sobre a segurança do sangue, das 1600 doações do mês de abril, 49 tiveram sorologia não negativa (3,06%). Entre os não negativos, a maioria ocorreu nos testes de Sífilis (25), seguido por HBC (6). No mês de maio, das 1233 doações, 30 tiveram sorologia não negativa (2,4%) sendo que o teste mais detectado foi novamente o de Sífilis (11), também seguido por HBC (6). Não foi constatado diferença estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,06). Discussão: O desastre climático no Rio Grande do Sul causou grandes problemas, entre eles a dificuldade dos doadores de acessar o banco de sangue. Frente a isso, para manter os estoques, foi preciso entrar em contato com doadores de repetição já conhecidos. Isto fez com que o número de doadores de repetição fosse maior do que o número de doadores de primeira doação, contrastando com os mesmos meses de anos anteriores ao desastre, onde mais de 70% do total de doações eram de primeiras doações. Além disso, o alto número de sorologias não negativas para sífilis pode ser associado ao uso de mais de um método de análise para pesquisa. Conclusão: É possível concluir que desastres causam impactos significativos no número de doadores de sangue. Em desastres que dificultem o deslocamento, como o observado em Porto Alegre, haverá uma queda na taxa de doações. Em posse da informação de que é possível prever o comportamento dos doadores frente a diferentes tipos de desastres, torna-se necessária a criação de planos de ação prévios em resposta aos impactos gerados por desastres.

Introdução: A Doença Hemolítica Perinatal (DHPN) é caracterizada pela destruição das hemácias do feto ou recém nascido por anticorpos maternos que são produzidos a partir de um estímulo em uma gestação, aborto ou transfusão anterior. Relato de caso: Gestante, 30 anos, (G4C2A1), ABO/Rh(D) A Negativo, atendida em outro serviço, com histórico de pesquisa de anticorpos irregulares (PAI) negativa em julho de 2023 e positiva em setembro de 2023 com título de 16, sem identificação de anticorpo. Encaminhada ao nosso serviço em 27/10/2023, idade gestacional 33+1 semanas, pesquisa de anticorpos irregulares positiva, teste de antiglobulina direto negativo e autocontrole negativo. Na identificação de anticorpos irregulares com painel de hemácias de 11 células da Bio-Rad, foi verificada a presença de aloanticorpos anti-D e anti-C. Foi realizada a titulação dos anticorpos na metodologia tubo com hemácias R2R2 e r'r, sendo que o título de anti-D foi 128 e do anti-C foi 1. Foi então realizada a pesquisa de anti-G, através das técnicas de adsorção e eluição, com hemácias selecionadas, e foi detectada presença de anti-D e anti-G. Em 20/11/2023, idade gestacional 36+4 semanas, gestante interna para realização do parto, foi realizada nova titulação do anticorpo anti-D e foi verificado aumento do título para 512. Em 21/11/2023 foi recebida solicitação de exsanguíneotransfusão para o recém nascido, por doença hemolítica perinatal, com os seguintes resultados de exames: hemoglobina de 13,2 g/dL, hematócrito de 41,1%, bilirrubina total de 6,4 mg/dL, bilirrubina direta de 0,3 mg/dL e bilirrubina indireta de 6,1 mg/dL. Foram realizados os testes pré-transfusionais do RN na metodologia gel centrifugação, ABO/Rh(D) B Negativo, pesquisa de anticorpos irregulares positiva e teste de antiglobulina direto (TAD) poliespecífico positivo (4+). Foi realizada eluição ácida, no eluato foi identificado anticorpo anti-D e foi excluída a presença de anticorpos anti-B. Então, foi realizado o tratamento das hemácias com difosfato de cloroquina com o intuito de dissociar os anticorpos maternos ligados às hemácias do RN e repetir a tipagem Rh(D), que resultou positivo (3+) na metodologia gel centrifugação, confirmando o fenômeno de bloqueio dos sítios antigênicos de Rh(D) pelos anticorpos maternos. Discussão e conclusão: Destacamos a importância do acesso às informações clínicas do paciente para garantir resultados precisos, pois, se nesse caso houvesse apenas solicitação de exame de tipagem sanguínea ABO/Rh(D), o resultado seria liberado erroneamente como B Rh(D) negativo. A presença de alto título de anti-D materno e o TAD fortemente positivo no RN indicava a sensibilização das hemácias, mas o resultado de Rh(D) negativo no RN estava em desacordo com estes resultados. Nesses casos, sugere-se investigar o fenômeno de bloqueio de antígeno Rh(D) para garantir a interpretação correta dos resultados e a segurança no atendimento.

Introdução: Como há muito tempo previsto em nossa legislação hemoterápica, a atual Portaria da Consolidação nº5, no Anexo 8 do Anexo IV - Controle de Qualidade de Reagentes de Sorologia, prevê que antes de colocarmos um conjunto diagnóstico em uso em nossa rotina sorológica, devemos garantir, entre outros, 100% de sensibilidade. Pensar em sensibilidade remete, imediatamente à capacidade de detectar, numa menor janela de tempo, a menor quantidade possível de um agente infeccioso (e suas variantes). Contudo, o excesso de analitos num teste pode tornar-se um grande problema negligenciado neste contexto. No meio sorológico hemoterápico, muito se fala em pró-zona para os testes de VDRL, mas é quase inexistente o mesmo raciocínio para os outros testes imunológicos onde, a zona de equivalência para antígenos e anticorpos e o limite máximo suportado de analitos a serem detectados devem, obrigatoriamente, ser considerados. Nas bulas dos testes sorológicos podemos encontrar estimativas do mínimo de anticorpos (ou antígenos) que podemos detectar, mas nenhuma menção sobre a estimativa de “capacidade máxima”de analitos no teste. Ou da variabilidade genotípica que abrange. Objetivo: Trazer um relato de caso de pró-zona, para um teste de anti- HCV, identificado em no Serviço de Hemoterapia do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. Descrição: Doador de sangue com resultado no teste de ECLIA (Roche) para anti-HCV com índice = 20,25 e NAT em single com CT = 21,21. Considerando que o índice encontrado na Roche parecia muito baixo para um CT que indicava uma carga viral alta, pensamos, imediatamente, que poderíamos estar lidando com um efeito pró-zona no teste de triagem (esperaríamos índices de anticorpos superiores a 100,0 na Roche). Procedemos, então, aos testes da diluição seriada da amostra do doador, com os seguintes resultados na Roche: 1/10 = 76,90; 1/50 = 102,1; 1/100 = 166,2; 1/200 = 242,7; 1/300 = 222,8; 1/400 = 196,5; 1/500 = 176,5; 1/1000 = 119,5 e 1/2000 = 64,82. Para fins comparativos, solicitamos o teste de anti-HCV de algumas destas alíquotas no kit da Abbott, obtendo um índice = 20,10 na amostra original e nas diluições: 1/10 = 22,13; 1/50 = 19,43; 1/200 = 10,84; 1/300 = 10,17; 1/400 = 8,81; 1/500 = 7,18. Discussão e conclusão: O teste das diluições seriadas na Roche indicou um claro efeito pró-zona, com índices crescentes de positividade até a diluição 1/200 seguido de índices decrescentes, até a diluição de 1/2000. Na Abbott, não podemos atribuir a ocorrência de um efeito pró-zona nesta amostra, embora possa haver uma discretíssima, mas não definitiva, sugestão do mesmo. Este rápido estudo alerta para a necessidade de avaliarmos, já na validação dos nossos kits, além da sensibilidade para a quantidade mínima de analitos (e sua diversidade de genomas), procurarmos estimar o máximo de analitos que ele pode revelar. Especialmente porque o aumento da sensibilidade para quantidades cada vez menores com variabilidade genotípica mais abrangente, tende a comprometer a identificação de quantidades maiores destes analitos. Isto, enquanto os fabricantes dos kits não trazem dados referentes ao efeito pró-zona. Para minimizar a ocorrência do efeito pró-zona, devemos evitar sobrecarga de analitos no teste, como a pesquisa combinada de ag e ac se possuímos NAT para o mesmo parâmetro. Devemos conhecer e, sempre educar nossos doadores, alunos e colaboradores sobre as limitações dos testes laboratoriais e da importância de dados epidemiológicos fidedignos.

Objetivos: Determinar qual(is) marca(s) e apresentação(ões) de produto está(ão) em conformidade quanto ao pH para o uso em testes imunohematológicos de acordo com a legislação brasileira. Material e métodos: Foram testadas amostras de diferentes marcas, lotes e apresentações de solução fisiológica 0,9% disponíveis na nossa instituição. A verificação do pH foi realizada em microprocessador automatizado marca Quimis(R), de acordo com as orientações do fornecedor e após a calibração diária do equipamento. Os fornecedores testados foram: Fresenius, Baxter, Farmax, Rioquímica, Linfar, Farmace, BBraun e Farmarin, identificados pelas letras “A”a “H”, e as apresentações de 100 mL ou 1000 mL. Resultados: Foram realizadas no total 57 medições, sendo 43 na apresentação de 100 mL e 14 de 1L. A média dos valores de pH foi de 5,66, variando de 4,64 a 6,75. Foram encontradas, no total, 11 medições conformes, o que equivale a 20,37%. 2/11 (18,18%) na apresentação de 1000mL e 10/43 (23,25%) na de 100mL. Dentre os fornecedores, o que obteve mais resultados conformes foi o da marca “G”, com 10 verificações conformes em 12 (83,33%), os demais fornecedores obtiveram os resultados: marca “H”- 3/21 (38,10%); marca “B”- 2/14 (14,29%); marca “C”- 1/8 (12,50 %). Nenhuma medição conforme foi encontrada nas amostras dos fornecedores “A”(0/2), “D”(0/2), “E”(0/1), “F”(0/1). Discussão: A Portaria da Consolidação n°5 orienta quanto aos parâmetros de qualidade dos insumos utilizados nos Serviço de Hemoterapia, incluindo os diluentes dos testes imunohematológicos. A faixa de pH adequada para soluções fisiológicas 0,9% é de 6 a 8. A utilização de insumos fora da faixa de pH pode causar alterações nos testes imunohematológicos, tanto em diluições quanto lavagens de hemácias. A dificuldade de se obter reagentes adequados pode comprometer o atendimento e a qualidade dos resultados. A qualificação dos insumos através da verificação dos parâmetros de qualidade conforme legislação deve ser realizada antes da inserção dos mesmos na rotina, e fornecedores que não atendam essas condições não devem ser aprovados. Se isso não for possível, outras opções de insumos devem ser consideradas, como o uso de soluções tamponadas. Conclusão: Dentre as marcas testadas fica evidenciado que o pH está abaixo do que determina a legislação (Portaria de Consolidação nº5 de 28 de setembro de 2017). Entretanto é importante salientar que os parâmetros obtidos estão em conformidade com o que define a Farmacopéia brasileira e ANVISA/MS - Instrução Normativa - IN N°9, de 1°de Agosto de 2016. Visto que o uso de soluções tamponadas aumenta o custo de forma a inviabilizar a utilização, fica o questionamento de qual conduta a ser tomada pelos Serviços de Hemoterapia.

Im Zuge der zunehmenden Durchdringung von Lebenswelten mit digitalen Artefakten veränderte sich das Verhältnis zwischen Menschen und Medien sukzessive und befindet sich weiterhin in einem Transformationsprozess. Virtuelle Lebenswelten sind dabei nicht als Gegenwelten zu begreifen, sondern als unsere Alltagswelten, in denen das Virtuelle bereits ein legitimer Bestandteil geworden ist (vgl. Rieger et al. 2021). Bezogen auf das konkrete Phänomen Ernährungspraktiken haben wir mithilfe eines systematischen Reviews einschlägige Forschungsliteratur gesichtet, um Phänomene zu identifizieren, anhand derer sich dieser Transformationsprozess exemplarisch analysieren lässt. Im Beitrag konzentrieren wir uns auf virtuelle Influencer:innen in sozialen Medien und geben einen Einblick in das Material, bevor wir die Erkenntnisse theoretisch rahmen und einordnen. Abschliessend formulieren wir Implikationen für zukünftige medienpädagogische Forschungsfelder.

Activity measurement of the primary circuit water of fission reactors is one method that can provide early detection of a damaged fuel assembly in the reactor core. This is an important aspect in the safe operation of the reactor and for radiation protection of staff. Radionuclides in the primary circuit water are produced by the activation of stable nuclides and the fission of fissile nuclides, mainly the isotope 235U. In the LVR-15 research reactor, measurement of the activity of the primary circuit water has been regularly undertaken since 1996. A water sample is taken from the primary circuit every week and the activities are measured four days later using gamma spectrometry. The results of these long-term measurements from 1996 to 2022 are presented. The activity time dependences of the individual radionuclides are discussed in relation to fuel assembly damage and for events connected to contamination of the water by objects inserted into the primary circuit during experiments carried out near the reactor core.

Fungal pathogens deploy a set of molecules (proteins, specialized metabolites, and sRNAs), so-called effectors, to aid the infection process. In comparison to other plant pathogens, smut fungi have small genomes and secretomes of 20 Mb and around 500 proteins, respectively. Previous comparative genomic studies have shown that many secreted effector proteins without known domains, i.e., novel, are conserved only in the Ustilaginaceae family. By analyzing the secretomes of 11 species within Ustilaginaceae, we identified 53 core homologous groups commonly present in this lineage. By collecting existing mutants and generating additional ones, we gathered 44 Ustilago maydis strains lacking single core effectors as well as 9 strains containing multiple deletions of core effector gene families. Pathogenicity assays revealed that 20 of these 53 mutant strains were affected in virulence. Among the 33 mutants that had no obvious phenotypic changes, 13 carried additional, sequence-divergent, structurally similar paralogs. We report a virulence contribution of seven previously uncharacterized single core effectors and of one effector family. Our results help to prioritize effectors for understanding U. maydis virulence and provide genetic resources for further characterization. [Graphic: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Background: The relationship between trauma-related negative cognitions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms has been studied frequently. Several studies found a mediating effect of trauma-related negative cognitions on symptom reduction in studies on different psychotherapeutic treatments, however, this relationship has never been studied in imagery rescripting (ImRs) or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).Objective: To analyse the role of trauma-related negative cognitions in the treatment of PTSD due to childhood trauma with EMDR and ImRs.Method: N = 155 patients with PTSD due to childhood trauma aged between 18 and 65 (M = 38.54) participated in a randomized clinical trial and were treated with either EMDR or ImRs in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands between October 2014 and June 2019. We analysed the relationship between PTSD symptoms (Clinician-administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, CAPS-5 and Impact of Event Scale revised; IES-R, completed twice for index trauma and for all other traumas) and trauma-related negative cognitions (Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, PTCI) using Granger Causality analyses with linear mixed models on person-centered variables. Assessments were conducted pre-treatment, post-treatment (12 sessions in 6 weeks), eight weeks post-treatment, and one year after the pre-treatment assessment.Results: Changes in negative cognitions (PTCI) preceded changes in PTSD symptoms (unidirectional) as measured by the CAPS and the IES-R for index trauma. For the IES-R related to all other traumas, a unidirectional relationship was found in which changes in PTSD symptoms preceded changes in negative cognitions. No moderating effect of treatment was found. On the level of PTCI subscales only changes in cognitions about oneself preceeded changes in PTSD symptoms.Conclusions: The results support the idea of a general role of trauma-related negative cognitions in the treatment of PTSD. The analyses should be replicated with a higher frequency of assessments.

The field of transportation has undergone changes due to the advancements in technology and the pressing need for mobility solutions. As cities worldwide struggle with the challenges posed by population growth and environmental sustainability, it becomes imperative to introduce adaptive transportation options. The increasing traffic congestion in areas and concerns regarding air quality and carbon emissions emphasize the importance of finding sustainable solutions. In this regard we present the ''On demand shared use bike sharing system (OSABS)'' as an eco-friendly on-demand mobility alternative that has the potential to revolutionize transportation from its core. Self-driving bikes provide a solution by reducing traffic congestion and promoting sustainable modes of transport. Customers can easily reserve a bike through their smartphones and it comes directly to their location within the given time. The user will ride it manually and release it after usage. The bike then drives autonomously to the next destination. This service allows an environment-friendly door-to-door mobility solution.This scientific paper focuses on examining the viability of autonomous cargo bike-sharing as a solution for urban transportation. A simulation model has been built to reproduce the OSABS operation using a case study for the city of Magdeburg. Through a set of experiments with different demand scenarios, we analysed and discussed the profitability and feasibility of this new service. These findings would be valuable, in the conversation about the future of transportation through providing important insights into how autonomous bike-sharing systems could be effectively implemented.

Abstract Rydberg excitons (analogues of Rydberg atoms in condensed matter systems) are highly excited bound electron-hole states with large Bohr radii. The interaction between them as well as exciton coupling to light may lead to strong optical nonlinearity, with applications in sensing and quantum information processing. Here, we achieve strong effective photon–photon interactions (Kerr-like optical nonlinearity) via the Rydberg blockade phenomenon and the hybridisation of excitons and photons forming polaritons in a Cu2O-filled microresonator. Under pulsed resonant excitation polariton resonance frequencies are renormalised due to the reduction of the photon-exciton coupling with increasing exciton density. Theoretical analysis shows that the Rydberg blockade plays a major role in the experimentally observed scaling of the polariton nonlinearity coefficient as ∝ n 4.4±1.8 for principal quantum numbers up to n = 7. Such high principal quantum numbers studied in a polariton system for the first time are essential for realisation of high Rydberg optical nonlinearities, which paves the way towards quantum optical applications and fundamental studies of strongly correlated photonic (polaritonic) states in a solid state system.

Introduction: Non-adherence to recommended secondary preventive anticoagulation in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common phenomenon, although the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has simplified anticoagulation management for physicians as well as for patients. Methods: We examined the adherence of secondary preventive anticoagulation in AF patients after re-integration in their social environment 6–12 weeks after stroke unit and rehabilitation clinic treatment and analyzed for predictors for adherence and non-adherence. We conducted a telephone survey in consecutive patients treated between January 2013 and December 2021 at our institutional stroke unit with an acute cerebrovascular ischemic event, and we analyzed discharge letters of rehabilitation clinics of those patients not anticoagulated at follow-up. All patients had known or newly diagnosed AF, and in all, we had recommended secondary preventive anticoagulation. Results: Follow-up information about anticoagulant intake could be obtained in 1,348 of 1,685 patients (80.0%) treated within the study period. Anticoagulation rate was 91.5%, with 83.6% of patients receiving DOACs and 7.9% receiving vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Adherence to recommended anticoagulation was associated with intake of the recommended anticoagulant already at discharge (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 18.357; confidence interval [CI], 9.637–34.969), recommendation of a specific DOAC and dose (in contrast to “DOAC” as drug category) (adjusted OR, 2.971; CI, 1.173–7.255), a lower modified Rankin Scale at discharge (per point; adjusted OR, 0.813; CI, 0.663–0.996), younger age (per year; OR, 0.951; CI, 0.926–0.976), and the absence of peripheral vascular disease (adjusted OR, 0.359; CI, 0.173–0.746). In patients already anticoagulated at discharge, adherence was 98.5%, irrespective of a patient’s age, functional deficit at discharge, and peripheral vascular disease. Avoidable obstacles for non-adherence in patients not on anticoagulants at stroke unit discharge were (1) non-implementation of recommended anticoagulation by rehabilitation physicians predominantly in patients with moderate-severe or severe stroke disability (2.1%), (2) delegation of anticoagulation start from rehabilitation physicians to general practitioners/resident radiologists (1.3%), and (3) rejection of recommended anticoagulation because of patients’ severe stroke disability (0.5%). Non-avoidable obstacles were contraindications to anticoagulation (2.1%) and patients’ refusal (0.7%). Conclusions: Commencing drug administration already during stroke unit hospitalization and providing an explanation for the selection of the recommended anticoagulant in discharge letters ensures high adherence at patients’ re-integration in their social environment after acute stroke treatment. If drug administration cannot be commenced before discharge, education of rehabilitation physicians by stroke physicians and the involvement of stroke physicians into the post-stroke decision process might hinder avoidable obstacles.

A substantial body of research exists on the use of remote sensing in urban contexts. However, only a limited number of studies have contributed to our understanding of the socioeconomic conditions of different urban areas. This research aims to demonstrate the potential of very high-resolution images and geospatial data by examining the interrelations between socioeconomic data retrieved from household surveys in the city of Kigali and spatial data on urban morphology retrieved by satellite imagery. As the surveys yielded large amounts of data of varying levels of measurement (categorical and numeric), we present different methods of statistical correlation, data mining, and machine learning to highlight socioeconomic patterns within the spatial data. The results demonstrate a significant correlation between the share of different building types, building density, average building heights, and distances to public infrastructure with a range of surveyed data, including building properties, household members, financial resources, and overall lifestyle habits. This highlights the potential of remote sensing and geospatial data to provide valuable insights into the socioeconomic conditions of urban areas. It also underscores the importance of using advanced statistical methods, data mining, and machine learning to enhance our understanding of urban morphology and its socioeconomic implications. However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of such approaches, including the lack of information on ownership, potential for false inference and the direction of causation, which require further investigation.

Understanding the future evolution of permafrost requires a better understanding of its climatological past. This requires permafrost models to efficiently simulate the thermal dynamics of permafrost over the past centuries to millennia, taking into account highly uncertain soil and snow properties. In this study, we present a computationally efficient numerical permafrost model which satisfactorily reproduces the current ground temperatures and active layer thicknesses of permafrost in the Arctic and their trends over recent centuries. The performed simulations provide insights into the evolution of permafrost since the 18th century and show that permafrost on the North American continent is subject to early degradation, while permafrost on the Eurasian continent is relatively stable over the investigated 300-year period. Permafrost warming since industrialization has occurred primarily in three “hotspot” regions in northeastern Canada, northern Alaska, and, to a lesser extent, western Siberia. We find that the extent of areas with a high probability (p3 m>0.9) of near-surface permafrost (i.e., 3 m of permafrost within the upper 10 m of the subsurface) has declined substantially since the early 19th century, with loss accelerating during the last 50 years. Our simulations further indicate that short-term climate cooling due to large volcanic eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere in some cases favors permafrost aggradation within the uppermost 10 m of the ground, but the effect only lasts for a relatively short period of a few decades. Despite some limitations, e.g., with respect to the representation of vegetation, the presented model shows great potential for further investigation of the climatological past of permafrost, especially in conjunction with paleoclimate modeling.

Abstract Improving the quantum coherence of solid-state systems is a decisive factor in realizing solid-state quantum technologies. The key to optimize quantum coherence lies in reducing the detrimental influence of noise sources such as spin noise and charge noise. Here we demonstrate that we can utilize highly-excited Rydberg excitons to neutralize charged impurities in the semiconductor Cuprous Oxide - an effect we call purification. Purification reduces detrimental electrical stray fields drastically. We observe that the absorption of the purified crystal increases by up to 25% and that the purification effect is long-lived and may persist for hundreds of microseconds or even longer. We investigate the interaction between Rydberg excitons and impurities and find that it is long-ranged and based on charge-induced dipole interactions. Using a time-resolved pump-probe technique, we can discriminate purification from Rydberg blockade, which has been a long-standing goal in excitonic Rydberg systems.

Background/Objectives: The Trypanosoma cruzi infection promotes an intense inflammatory process that affects several tissues. The cholinergic system may exert a regulatory immune response and control the inflammatory process. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effect of free and nanoencapsulated benznidazole in acute T. cruzi infection to assess hematological, biochemical, and oxidative status triggered by the cholinergic system. Methods: For this, fifty female Swiss mice were distributed in eight groups, i.e., uninfected and infected animals under four treatment protocols: untreated (control—CT); vehicle treatment (Eudragit L 100—EL-100); benznidazole treatment (BNZ); and nanoencapsulated benznidazole treatment (NBNZ). After eight treatment days, the animals were euthanized for sample collection. Results: The peak of parasitemia was at day 7 p.i., and the BNZ and NBNZ controlled and reduced the parasite rate but showed no efficacy in terms of total elimination of parasites analyzed by RT-PCR in both infected groups. The infection promotes significant anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia, which the BNZ improves. There was an increase in AChE activity during infection, leading to a pro-inflammatory response and an increase in M1 and M2 mACh receptors in the BNZ group, showing that the treatment interacted with the cholinergic pathway. In addition, a pro-oxidative response was characterized in the infection and mainly in the infected BNZ and NBNZ groups. The histopathological analysis showed significative splenomegaly and inflammatory infiltrate in the heart, liver, and spleen. Conclusions: The administration of the BNZ or NBNZ reverses hematological, hepatic, and renal alterations through cholinergic signaling and stimulates a pro-inflammatory response during acute T. cruzi infection.

Current fertilizer recommendations often neglect nutrient cycling across crop rotations. This study aimed to assess the decay rate and nutrient (N, P, K) release patterns of sorghum, black oat, and corn residues (omitido) in an integrated crop–livestock system. The experiment used factorial treatments based on two sward heights (high and low) and two nitrogen fertilization levels (N-pasture at 200 kg N ha−1 and N-corn at 0 kg N ha−1). Litter bags were collected at various intervals from each crop to measure nutrient release patterns and decomposition rates. The results showed that pasture height and nitrogen fertilization significantly influenced decomposition and nutrient release, affecting the subsequent grain crop phase. Potassium was released rapidly and in high amounts. Nitrogen fertilization during the pasture phase prevented nitrogen and phosphorus immobilization in black oat residue and reduced immobilization in corn residue. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for nutrient cycling and decomposition rates in fertilization strategies to enhance the sustainability of integrated crop–livestock systems.

In this contribution, we investigate the formation and dissociation of boron–hydrogen (BH) pairs in crystalline silicon under thermal equilibrium conditions. Our samples span doping concentrations of nearly two orders of magnitude and are passivated with a layer stack consisting of thin aluminum oxide and hydrogen-rich silicon nitride (Al 2 O 3 /SiN x :H). This layer stack acts as a hydrogen source during a following rapid thermal annealing. We characterize the samples using low-temperature Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and four-point-probe resistivity measurements. Our findings show that the proportion of hydrogen atoms initially bound to boron (BH pairs) rises with increasing boron concentration. Upon isothermal dark annealing at (163 ± 2) °C, hydrogen present in molecular form, H 2 , dissociates at a rate directly proportional to the concentration of boron atoms, ∝ [ B − ], leading to the formation of BH pairs. With prolonged annealing, an unknown hydrogen complex is formed at a rate that is inversely proportional to the square of the boron concentration, ∝ 1/[B − ] 2 , resulting in the disappearance of BH pairs. Based on experimental observations, we derive a kinetic model in which we describe the formation of the unknown complex through neutral hydrogen H 0 binding to a sink. Additionally, we investigate the temperature dependence of the reaction rates and find that the H 2 dissociation process has an activation energy of (1.11 ± 0.05) eV, which is in close agreement with theoretical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]