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Background: Recent research on boredom suggests that it can emerge in situations characterized by over- and under-challenge. In learning contexts, this implies that high boredom may be experienced both by low- and high-achieving students. Aims: This research aimed to explore the existence and prevalence of boredom due to being over- and under-challenged in mathematics, for which empirical evidence is lacking. Sample: We employed a sample of 1.407 students (fifth to ninth graders) from all three secondary school tracks (lower, middle and upper) in Bavaria (Germany). Methods: Boredom was assessed via self-report and achievement via a standardized mathematics test. We used latent profile analysis to identify groups characterized by different levels of boredom and achievement, and we additionally examined gender and school track as group membership predictors. Results: Results revealed four distinct groups, of which two showed considerably high boredom. One was coupled with low achievement on the test (i.e. 'over-challenged group', 13% of the total sample), and one was coupled with high achievement (i.e. 'under-challenged group', 21%). Furthermore, we found a low boredom and high achievement (i.e. 'well-off group', 27%) and a relatively low boredom low achievement group (i.e. 'indifferent group', 39%). Girls were overrepresented in the over-challenged group, and students from the upper school track were underrepresented in the under-challenged group. Conclusion: Our research emphasizes the need to openly discuss and further investigate boredom due to being over- and under-challenged.

A key control on the magnitude of coastal eutrophication is the degree to which currents quickly transport nitrogen derived from human sources away from the coast to the open ocean before eutrophication develops. In the Southern California Bight (SCB), an upwelling-dominated eastern boundary current ecosystem, anthropogenic nitrogen inputs increase algal productivity and cause subsurface acidification and oxygen (O 2 ) loss along the coast. However, the extent of anthropogenic influence on eutrophication beyond the coastal band, and the physical transport mechanisms and biogeochemical processes responsible for these effects are still poorly understood. Here, we use a submesoscale-resolving numerical model to document the detailed biogeochemical mass balance of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen, their physical transport, and effects on offshore habitats. Despite management of terrestrial nutrients that has occurred in the region over the last 20 years, coastal eutrophication continues to persist. The input of anthropogenic nutrients promote an increase in productivity, remineralization and respiration offshore, with recurrent O 2 loss and pH decline in a region located 30-90 km from the mainland. During 2013 to 2017, the spatially averaged 5-year loss rate across the Bight was 1.3 mmol m -3 O 2 , with some locations losing on average up to 14.2 mmol m -3 O 2 . The magnitude of loss is greater than model uncertainty assessed from data-model comparisons and from quantification of intrinsic variability. This phenomenon persists for 4 to 6 months of the year over an area of 278,40 km 2 ( ∼ 30% of SCB area). These recurrent features of acidification and oxygen loss are associated with cross-shore transport of nutrients by eddies and plankton biomass and their accumulation and retention within persistent eddies offshore within the SCB.

This study examined how adolescents' emotions in mathematics develop over time. Growth curve modeling was applied to longitudinal data collected annually from 2002 to 2006 (Grades 5-9; N = 3425 German adolescents; M[subscript age] = 11.7, 15.6 years at the first and last waves, respectively; 50.0% female). Results indicated that enjoyment and pride decreased over time (Glass's [delta]s = -0.86, -0.71). In contrast, negative emotions exhibited more complex patterns: Anger, boredom, and hopelessness increased ([delta]s = 0.52, 0.79, 0.26), shame decreased ([delta] = -0.12), and anxiety remained stable ([delta] = 0.00). These change trajectories of emotions were associated with change trajectories of perceived control, intrinsic value, achievement value, and achievement in mathematics. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Research on faculty emotions is scarce, despite their evident relevance for faculty well-being, higher education quality, and student outcomes. The present studies aimed to investigate six discrete emotions (enjoyment, pride, boredom, anxiety, anger, frustration) faculty may experience during grading. Study 1 compared faculty emotions for grading with emotions for research and teaching (US sample, N = 1226). Mean comparisons showed that grading generally elicited less positive and more negative emotions than research and teaching. Study 2 further examined faculty emotions for grading through the lens of control-value theory, by identifying emotion-specific appraisal patterns in two countries (US, n = 244 and Germany, n = 201). Multiple linear regressions revealed that the most consistent predictor for grading emotions across both samples was cost, in terms of the extent to which faculty perceived grading as a thankless task that kept them away from more meaningful tasks. Our findings further point to the important role of faculty-student relationships and faculty members' confidence in their grading ability for eliciting grading emotions. This study extends existing research on emotions in higher education by considering grading as a relevant emotion-inducing task, and by applying control-value theory to a new context in two countries, thereby contributing to the question of this theory's generalizability. Practical implications of our findings entail that universities should aim to improve the circumstances of grading and equip their faculty with the means to handle their grading duties well, to optimize their somewhat worrisome emotional experiences in this context.

Research and national surveys show that deficiencies in elementary science teaching preparation are frustratingly persistent. Understanding positive and negative emotions as they relate to planning and teaching science is relevant for both the well-being of teachers and the quality of their teaching. There needs to be more empirical evidence on how teachers feel about teaching science and how these feelings impact their teaching, partially because research on scales for assessing science-specific emotions has lagged the efforts in other fields. This article presents a pilot study in developing the Science Teaching Emotions Scales (Sci-TES) to address this issue. Sci-TES is based on the Teacher Emotions Scales (TES) and consists of four-item scales for three emotions considered most relevant in teaching: enjoyment, anger, and anxiety. Using data collected from 185 elementary teacher candidates, we tested the Sci-TES for internal validity. The scales proved generally reliable, and confirmatory factor analysis supported internal validity by showing that the three-factor model (enjoyment, anger, and anxiety) was superior to single-factor and two-factor models. As such, the Sci-TES shows promise as a tool to be used in science content or methods courses for teacher candidates.

To successfully conserve and restore agrobiodiversity, it is essential to understand the impact of multiple drivers and interlinkages across multiple taxa that occur above, across, and below the soil interface. Based on data from six agricultural landscapes in Central Germany, with 16 sampling plots per landscape, we used structural equation models to disentangle the impacts of climate, land-use, and soil factors on the diversity of multiple taxonomic groups. We expected belowground communities (soil bacteria and fungi) to be more driven by soil variables, mobile aboveground groups (wild bees, ground beetles) to be more driven by climate and land use, and vascular plants, that have an above- and belowground component, to respond to a combination of all factors.According to our expectations, climate and land-use variables had an important role in shaping aboveground and plant communities. In contrast to our expectations, soil characteristics were of lesser importance for belowground organisms. Moreover, climatic factors had a strong impact on the soil microbiome, but this effect was indirect, modulated by soil pH. We also found indications for cascading effects of environmental factors via interlinkages within and among the above- and belowground communities. Our results highlight the importance of direct and indirect effects of multiple drivers on the diversity of multiple taxonomic groups and support recent calls for a multifunctional approach for sustainable landscape management and nature restoration, suggesting to focus on the promotion of semi-natural habitats but also considering the climatic context.

Although microhymenoptera are highly abundant in all terrestrial ecosystems, they are overlooked in most of insect monitoring studies due to their small-size and demanding identification linked with lack of taxonomic experts. Until now, it is unclear to what extent microhymenoptera are affected by insect decline, as there is a huge knowledge gap on their abundance. To fill this knowledge gap, we used Malaise trap samples from three study sites of a complete vegetation period (March to November) of an ongoing insect monitoring study in south-western Germany (i) to study the relationship of insect total biomass, and abundance and diversity of microhymenoptera, and (ii) to assess the phenology of microhymenoptera families. Our results show that microhymenoptera abundance and diversity are positively correlated with total insect biomass, indicating that insect biomass is a valuable proxy for insect abundancy trends even for small-sized insects. In total, we counted 90,452 specimens from 26 families belonging to 10 superfamilies of Hymenoptera. Microhymenoptera numbers peaked twice during the year, first between June and July and second between July and August. Interestingly, egg-parasitoids, such as Scelionidae, Mymaridae and Trichogrammatidae had a slightly shifted second activity period in August and September. Our data provides a baseline for the occurrence of microhymenoptera in meadow ecosystems in south-western Germany and underlines the potential of mass samples to study microhymenoptera in the context of insect decline.

Within the scope of the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC), the ADVANCE project – Advanced metadata standards for biodiversity survey and monitoring data: supporting of research and conservation – aimed at supporting rich metadata generation with interoperable metadata standards and semantic artefacts that facilitate data access, integration and reuse across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms. HMC's mission is to facilitate the discovery, access, machine-readability, and reuse of research data across and beyond the Helmholtz Association.We revised, adapted and expanded existing metadata schemas, vocabularies and thesauri to build a FAIR metadata schema and a metadata entry form built on it for users to provide their metadata instances focused on biodiversity monitoring data. The schema is FAIR because it is both machine-interpretable and follows domain-relevant community standards. This report provides a general overview of the project results and instructions on how to access, re-use and complete the metadata form.

The emotion of boredom has sparked considerable interest in research on teaching and learning, but boredom during tests and exams has not yet been examined. Based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, we hypothesized that students may experience significant levels of boredom during testing ("test boredom"; Hypothesis 1) and that test boredom may be significantly related to theoretically hypothesized antecedents (control and value appraisals; Hypothesis 2) and outcomes (performance; Hypothesis 3). We further hypothesized that test boredom was more detrimental when students felt overchallenged during the test than when they felt underchallenged ("abundance hypothesis"; Hypothesis 4). We tested these hypotheses in two studies (Study 1: N = 208 eighth graders; 54% female; Study 2: N = 1,612 fifth to 10th graders, 47% female) using both trait and state measures of test boredom in mathematics and their proposed antecedents and outcomes. In support of Hypothesis 1, participants reported statistically significant levels of boredom during tests. Furthermore, the relations of test boredom with its control and value antecedents (i.e., being over- or underchallenged, facets of value) were in line with our assumptions (Hypothesis 2). In support of Hypothesis 3, test boredom was significantly negatively related to academic achievement (grades). In line with Hypothesis 4, test scores were negatively related to boredom due to being overchallenged but unrelated, or even positively related, to boredom due to being underchallenged. Directions for future research on test boredom as well as practical implications are outlined.

Abstract Background Approximately 30,000 people are affected by severe injuries in Germany each year. Continuous progress in prehospital and hospital care has significantly reduced the mortality of polytrauma patients. With increasing survival rates, the functional outcome, health-related quality (hrQoL) of life and ability to work are now gaining importance. Aim of the study is, the presentation of the response behavior of seriously injured patients on the one hand and the examination of the factors influencing the quality of life and ability to work 12 months after major trauma on the other hand. Building on these initial results, a standard outcome tool shall be integrated in the established TraumaRegister DGU® in the future. Methods In 2018, patients [Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 16; age:18–75 years] underwent multicenter one-year posttraumatic follow-up in six study hospitals. In addition to assessing hrQoL by using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), five additional questions (treatment satisfaction; ability to work; trauma-related medical treatment; relevant physical disability, hrQoL as compared with the prior to injury status) were applied. Results Of the 1,162 patients contacted, 594 responded and were included in the analysis. The post-injury hrQoL does not show statistically significant differences between the sexes. Regarding age, however, the younger the patient at injury, the better the SF-12 physical sum score. Furthermore, the physically perceived quality of life decreases statistically significantly in relation to the severity of the trauma as measured by the ISS, whereas the mentally perceived quality of life shows no differences in terms of injury severity. A large proportion of severely injured patients were very satisfied (42.2%) or satisfied (39.9%) with the treatment outcome. It should be emphasized that patients with a high injury severity (ISS > 50) were on average more often very satisfied with the treatment outcome (46.7%). A total of 429 patients provided information on their ability to work 12 months post-injury. Here, 194 (45.2%) patients had a full employment, and 58 (13.5%) patients were had a restricted employment. Conclusion The present results show the importance of a structured assessment of the postinjury hrQoL and the ability to work after polytrauma. Further studies on the detection of influenceable risk factors on hrQoL and ability to work in the intersectoral course of treatment should follow to enable the best possible outcome of polytrauma survivors.

The Research Data Management Organiser (RDMO) supports researchers in the creation of data management plans (DMPs). The open source software has established itself widely across Germany as the standard DMP tool. For its broader adoption, integration with other services for research data management is key. In this paper we reflect on the potential of RDMO on this issue, we explain its adaptiveness by design, its plugin architecture, and report on the first RDMO Hackathon organized in Darmstadt in Aug 2023 which focussed on the integration of RDMO via plugins. We present three extensions and plugins developed during the hackathon: 1.) a JSON-editor for RDMO data transfer and mapping, 2.) an RO-crate export plugin, 3.) a sensor database option set plugin.

OBJECTIVES:. Anemia has been associated with an increased risk of both cardiac arrest and stroke, frequent complications of COVID-19. The effect of hemoglobin level at ICU admission on a composite outcome of cardiac arrest or stroke in an international cohort of COVID-19 patients was investigated. DESIGN:. Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected database. SETTING:. A registry of COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs at over 370 international sites was reviewed for patients diagnosed with cardiac arrest or stroke up to 30 days after ICU admission. Anemia was defined as: normal (hemoglobin ≥ 12.0 g/dL for women, ≥ 13.5 g/dL for men), mild (hemoglobin 10.0–11.9 g/dL for women, 10.0–13.4 g/dL for men), moderate (hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 and < 10.0 g/dL for women and men), and severe (hemoglobin < 8.0 g/dL for women and men). PATIENTS:. Patients older than 18 years with acute COVID-19 infection in the ICU. INTERVENTIONS:. None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. Of 6926 patients (median age = 59 yr, male = 65%), 760 patients (11.0%) experienced stroke (2.0%) and/or cardiac arrest (9.4%). Cardiac arrest or stroke was more common in patients with low hemoglobin, occurring in 12.8% of patients with normal hemoglobin, 13.3% of patients with mild anemia, and 16.7% of patients with moderate/severe anemia. Time to stroke or cardiac arrest by anemia status was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression with death as a competing risk. Covariates selected through clinical knowledge were age, sex, comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiac or neurologic conditions), pandemic era, country income, mechanical ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Moderate/severe anemia was associated with a higher risk of cardiac arrest or stroke (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.05–1.67). CONCLUSIONS:. In an international registry of ICU patients with COVID-19, moderate/severe anemia was associated with increased hazard of cardiac arrest or stroke.

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on glucosyl hesperidin (GH) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF, which is produced from hesperidin and dextrin by enzymatic reactions, is a powder consisting mainly of monoglucosyl hesperidin (MGH) and unreacted hesperidin (flavonoid), which account in total for up to 92.8% (on dry basis) of the product. The applicant proposed to use the NF in specific drinks and food supplements leading to a maximum intake of up to 364 mg per day for adults. The target population is the general population, except for food supplements for which the proposed target population is children from 1 year onwards and adults. Taking into consideration the composition of the NF and the proposed uses, the consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous. There are no concerns regarding genotoxicity of the NF. Based on a 90‐day oral toxicity study conducted with the NF, the Panel considers the NOAEL at the mid‐dose group, i.e. ~ 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day. By applying an uncertainty factor of 200, the resulting intake providing sufficient margin of exposure for humans would be 5 mg/kg bw per day. The available human intervention studies did not report clinically relevant changes in haematological or clinical chemistry parameters following the administration of GH/MGH at supplemental doses of up to 3 g/day for 12 weeks. Overall, the Panel considers that the margin of exposure (~ 200) between the intake of the NF at the proposed uses and use levels and the NOAEL from the 90‐day study is sufficient. The Panel concludes that the NF, glucosyl hesperidin, is safe for the target population at the proposed uses and use levels.

Not available.

Abstract A second autologous stem‐cell transplantation (ASCT2) is considered for relapsed multiple myeloma (RMM) patients showing prolonged response after a first ASCT. However, given breakthrough treatments like anti‐CD38 and immunotherapy, its role remains debated. We conducted a real‐life study in 10 French centers (1996–2017) involving 267 RMM patients receiving ASCT2. The median age was 61 years, with 49% females. Most patients received melphalan 200 mg/m² before ASCT2, with low early mortality (1%). Very good partial response or better (VGPR+) rate post ASCT2 was 78%. Post ASCT2, 48% received consolidation therapy and 40% maintenance therapy. Median event‐free survival (EFS) after ASCT2 was 2.6 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3–2.8), and 2‐year EFS estimate was 63% (95% CI: 57–70). Median overall survival (OS) was 8.1 years (95% CI: 5.9–NA), and 2‐year OS estimate was 92% (95% CI: 88–95). Multivariate analysis revealed that VGPR+ status and maintenance therapy post ASCT2 were associated with better EFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.6; 95% CI: 0.3–0.9, p = 0.012 and HR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3–0.6, p

Abstract The objective of the present study was to investigate the frequency of oral leukoplakia and oral erythroplakia among young patients from three Brazilian reference centers in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. A retrospective study was carried out from 2011 to 2021 on 861 patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia and oral erythroplakia. Demographic and clinicopathological data were evaluated. Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the association among sex, age, anatomical location, and histopathological diagnosis. A total of 83 (9.64%) cases involved young patients (aged 0.05). Oral leukoplakia and oral erythroplakia are uncommon diseases in young patients. In this population, oral leukoplakia shows a slight predilection for women aged between 30 and 39 years.

Summary: Background: Statin intolerance is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Symptoms and patients’ characteristics are incompletely known. We aimed to analyse the health-related quality of life (QOL) associated with statin intolerance. Methods: The Statin Intolerance Registry (SIR) is an observational, prospective, multicentre study that included 1111 patients, with intolerance to at least two different statins, between 2021 and 2023 in Germany. SIR baseline data were compared to individuals with and without statin therapy of the population-based LIFE-Adult Study (n = 9983). Findings: The mean age in SIR was 66.1 years (standard deviation (SD) 9.9). The cohort was characterized by a higher proportion of women compared to patients on statins in LIFE-Adult (57.7% vs. 38.2%). SIR patients had impaired QOL (mean EQ VAS score of 64.9 (SD 18.1)) as measured by EuroQol (EQ-5D-5L)), which further deteriorated with age. Muscle symptoms were frequent (95.8%) and were associated with severe pain in 43.2% and intake of pain medication in 32.3% of statin intolerant patients. 10.3% had a diagnosis of depression. Women reported more pronounced symptoms than men. A data-driven k-means analysis, based on variables predicting severity of pain while on statin therapy, identified five clusters of SIR patients. The clusters differed in sex, prevalence of depression, QOL, comorbidities, and expectations to tolerate statin therapy. Interpretation: Statin intolerance is associated with impaired QOL. Women are more frequently and severely affected. The identified clusters may help to identify patients at risk and to develop individualized strategies to improve patient trajectories and outcomes. Funding: Leipzig University, research grants from Daiichi Sankyo, Novartis, and Amgen to Leipzig University.

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on Acheta (A.) domesticus powder as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The main components of the NF are protein, fat and dietary fibre (chitin). The Panel notes that the concentration of contaminants in the NF depends on the occurrence levels of these substances in the insect feed. The Panel further notes that there are no safety concerns regarding the stability of the NF if the NF complies with the proposed specification limits during its entire shelf‐life. The NF has a high protein content, although the true protein content is overestimated when using the nitrogen‐to‐protein conversion factor of 6.25 due to the presence of non‐protein nitrogen from chitin. The applicant proposed to use the NF as food ingredient in a number of food products. The target population proposed by the applicant is the general population. Considering the composition of the NF and the proposed conditions of use, the consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous. The panel notes that no safety concerns arise from the toxicological information of A. domesticus. The panel considers that the consumption of the NF might trigger primary sensitisation to A. domesticus proteins and may cause allergic reactions in subjects allergic to crustaceans, mites and molluscs. Additionally, allergens from the feed may end up in the NF. The panel concludes that the NF is safe under the proposed uses and use levels.

Cerebral white matter hyperintensities on MRI are markers of cerebral small vessel disease, a major risk factor for dementia and stroke. Despite the successful identification of multiple genetic variants associated with this highly heritable condition, its genetic architecture remains incompletely understood. More specifically, the role of DNA methylation has received little attention. We investigated the association between white matter hyperintensity burden and DNA methylation in blood at ∼450 000 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites in 9732 middle-aged to older adults from 14 community-based studies. Single CpG and region-based association analyses were carried out. Functional annotation and integrative cross-omics analyses were performed to identify novel genes underlying the relationship between DNA methylation and white matter hyperintensities. We identified 12 single CpG and 46 region-based DNA methylation associations with white matter hyperintensity burden. Our top discovery single CpG, cg24202936 (P = 7.6 × 10-8), was associated with F2 expression in blood (P = 6.4 × 10-5) and co-localized with FOLH1 expression in brain (posterior probability = 0.75). Our top differentially methylated regions were in PRMT1 and in CCDC144NL-AS1, which were also represented in single CpG associations (cg17417856 and cg06809326, respectively). Through Mendelian randomization analyses cg06809326 was putatively associated with white matter hyperintensity burden (P = 0.03) and expression of CCDC144NL-AS1 possibly mediated this association. Differentially methylated region analysis, joint epigenetic association analysis and multi-omics co-localization analysis consistently identified a role of DNA methylation near SH3PXD2A, a locus previously identified in genome-wide association studies of white matter hyperintensities. Gene set enrichment analyses revealed functions of the identified DNA methylation loci in the blood-brain barrier and in the immune response. Integrative cross-omics analysis identified 19 key regulatory genes in two networks related to extracellular matrix organization, and lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. A drug-repositioning analysis indicated antihyperlipidaemic agents, more specifically peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha, as possible target drugs for white matter hyperintensities. Our epigenome-wide association study and integrative cross-omics analyses implicate novel genes influencing white matter hyperintensity burden, which converged on pathways related to the immune response and to a compromised blood-brain barrier possibly due to disrupted cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. The results also suggest that antihyperlipidaemic therapy may contribute to lowering risk for white matter hyperintensities possibly through protection against blood-brain barrier disruption.

In assessing the sense of agency (SoA) in the field, researchers are often confronted with the limitations of conventional methods (e.g., retrospectivity, task-disruption). Generally, facial analysis offers a promising possibility to overcome these obstacles by directly collecting objective data in real-time and without any need for contact. This paper examines the applicability of face tracking for SoA assessment by investigating whether facial expressions can be used to derive information about the extent to which users feel in control in interactions with technical systems. In a laboratory experiment (N = 27) based on the dot control task, we manipulated SoA via task difficulty and explored the effects on facial expression patterns. Three action units in the region of the mouth were observed to be characteristic facial indicators of SoA. These findings support the suitability of facial expressions for SoA evaluation as well as the potential of face tracking for monitoring SoA in various practical fields of application (e.g., automated driving).