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This contribution takes up and discusses topology as a relational approach to better understand and empirically trace policy mobilities in federal education systems. While topology echoes other relational approaches in its simultaneous focus on ongoing change and the "making" of stabilized forms (e.g., policy scales), it also brings attention to facets of policy mobility research that other approaches have, at least so far, considered to a much lesser extent. Such facets include the systematic integration of a "temporal dimension" (e.g., rhythms of scale- or policy-making) as well as the consideration of "digital/data space-times." Equally, topology reminds us that policy itself is increasingly becoming "topological"--that is to say, policy-making is increasingly ruled by movement spaces, logics of connectedness, and capacities for change, instead of formal authority, position, or transmission. Integrating these different dimensions into a heuristic framework, we illuminate what we see differently when applying a topological lens to policy mobility analysis in federal education systems, using the example of German education policies since the 2000s, particularly transformations induced by the ongoing pandemic, as a case study.

IntroductionNijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by microcephaly, immunodeficiency, and impaired DNA repair. NBS is most prevalent among Slavic populations, including Ukraine. Our study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence, diagnosis, clinical data, immunological parameters, and treatment of NBS patients in Ukraine.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review that included 84 NBS patients from different regions of Ukraine who were diagnosed in 1999-2023. Data from the Ukrainian Registry of NBS and information from treating physicians, obtained using a developed questionnaire, were utilized for analysis.ResultsAmong 84 NBS patients, 55 (65.5%) were alive, 25 (29.8%) deceased, and 4 were lost to follow-up. The median age of patients was 11 years, ranging from 1 to 34 years. Most patients originate from western regions of Ukraine (57.8%), although in recent years, there has been an increase in diagnoses from central and southeastern regions, expanding our knowledge of NBS prevalence. The number of diagnosed patients per year averaged 3.4 and increased from 2.7 to 4.8 in recent years. The median age of NBS diagnosis was 4.0 years (range 0.1-16) in 1999-2007 and decreased to 2.7 in the past 6 years. Delayed physical development was observed in the majority of children up to the age of ten years. All children experienced infections, and 41.3% of them had recurrent infections. Severe infections were the cause of death in 12%. The second most common clinical manifestation of NBS was malignancies (37.5%), with the prevalence of lymphomas (63.3%). Malignancies have been the most common cause of death in NBS patients (72% of cases). Decreased levels of CD4+ and CD19+ were observed in 89.6%, followed by a reduction of CD3+ (81.8%) and CD8+ (62.5%). The level of NK cells was elevated at 62.5%. IgG concentration was decreased in 72.9%, and IgA - in 56.3%. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy was administered to 58.7% of patients. Regular immunoglobulin replacement therapy has helped reduce the frequency and severity of severe respiratory tract infections.ConclusionImprovements in diagnosis, including prenatal screening, newborn screening, monitoring, and expanding treatment options, will lead to better outcomes for NBS patients.

Abstract Linear gratings polarizers provide remarkable potential to customize the polarization properties and tailor device functionality via dimensional tuning of configurations. Here, we extensively investigate the polarization properties of single- and double-layer linear grating, mainly focusing on self-aligned bilayer linear grating (SABLG), serving as a wire grid polarizer in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) region. Computational analyses revealed the polarization properties of SABLG, highlighting enhancement in TM transmission and reduction in TE transmission compared to single-layer linear gratings (SLG) due to optical cavity effects. As a result, the extinction ratio is enhanced by approximately 2724-fold in wavelength 3–6 μm. Furthermore, integrating the specially designed SABLG with an MWIR InAs/GaSb Type-II Superlattice (T2SL) photodetector yields a significantly enhanced spectral responsivity. The TM-spectral responsivity of SABLG is enhanced by around twofold than the bare device. The simulation methodology and analytical analysis presented herein provide a versatile route for designing optimized polarimetric structures integrated into infrared imaging devices, offering superior capabilities to resolve linear polarization signatures.

Лімфома - це група неопластичних захворювань, що характеризуються клональною проліферацією лімфоїдних клітин, яке проявляється відповіддю різних стадій диференціації нормальних В-лімфоцитів, рідше Т-лімфоцитів або природних кілерів. Етіологія більшості лімфом не відома. Одним із доказових причинно-наслідкових факторів є вірусні інфекції та імунодефіцитні стани. Мета - на підставі даних клінічного випадку привернути увагу лікарів не імунологів до особливостей виявлення первинних імунодефіцитів (ПІД) та проблеми їхньої пізньої діагностики. Клінічний випадок. Наведено клінічне спостереження тяжкого не диференційованого генетично ПІД. Виділено скринінгові ознаки ПІД у вигляді рецидивного інфекційного синдрому дихальних шляхів та частого тривалого застосування антибактеріальних препаратів, які мають насторожити лікарів щодо клініко-імунологічних маркерів первинного імунодефіциту. Наявність у хлопчика лімфоми Беркіта також не виключає можливості прояву імунодефіцитного стану, як вторинного на тлі медикаментозного лікування лімфоми, так і первинного, який може проявитись у пубертатному віці. Загальний варіабельний імунодефіцит є одним із тих ПІД, які «стартують» із лімфоми Беркіта. Висновки. Проблема низького виявлення ймовірного ПІД у дітей в Україні є актуальною. Лікарі первинної ланки є першими, які мають змогу частково вирішити цю проблему, дослідивши інфекційний анамнез та лабораторні скринінгові аналізи. Існує неповна обізнаність суміжних медичних спеціальностей щодо ознак ПІД при лімфопроліферативному синдромі в дітей. Цей клінічний випадок показує ознаки ПІД у ранньому віці. Низьке виявлення також пов’язане із задовільною спроможністю і якістю та/або відсутністю імунологічних лабораторних обстежень, особливо в державних закладах. Дослідження виконано відповідно до принципів Гельсінської декларації. На проведення досліджень отримано інформовану згоду батьків дитини. Автори заявляють про відсутність конфлікту інтересів.

Goldwater and Gentner (2015) showed that the sensitivity for causal structures can be promoted with an intervention combining explication of causal models and guided structural alignment of situations from disparate fields with the same underlying causal model. We extended this intervention with inference questions and combined it with a subsequent complex problem-solving (CPS) task, in order to investigate whether enhanced sensitivity for causal structures results in better performance in CPS. This study (N = 108) compares the CPS performance indicators knowledge acquisition and knowledge application among three experimental groups (intervention, intervention extended with inference questions, control group) and reveals the following results: 1) The effectiveness of the intervention in increasing the sensitivity for causal structures was replicated. 2) Sensitivity for causal structures and CPS performance indicators were significantly positively correlated. 3) There is no direct effect of the intervention on CPS performance, but an indirect-only effect via enhanced sensitivity.

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3)-based heterostructures have attracted considerable attention owing to their interesting anisotropic properties and expected higher thermoelectric performance. Therefore, exploring the nature of the carrier dynamics in these heterostructures has been an important subject in the design and optimization of advanced materials. In the present study, hot carrier injection and its subsequent spatiotemporal behavior in a multilayered crystalline Bi2Te3–Tellurium (Te) eutectic composite were studied using a laser terahertz (THz) emission microscopy (LTEM). The THz emission electric fields at the Bi2Te3–Te interface were polarized perpendicular to the interface. The polarities of these waveforms reveal the direction of the electric field between the Bi2Te3 and Te regions, indicating the carrier types of these components and the p–n junction formed at the interface. In addition, in the Te region, a strong THz emission with an electric field polarized parallel to the interface was observed. This unique THz emission can be qualitatively explained through hot photocarrier anisotropic transport by considering the effective mass of electrons and holes. LTEM clarified the local carrier dynamics in the microstructures and revealed the potential distribution and anisotropic transport properties. These findings contribute to the exploration of eutectic heterostructures as new functional materials and provide new avenues for cutting-edge thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices.

The ability to recognize key causal models across situations is associated with expertise. The acquisition of schema-governed category knowledge of key causal models may underlie this ability. In an experimental study (n = 183), we investigated the effects of promoting the construction of schema-governed categories and how an enhanced ability to recognize the key causal models relates to performance in complex problem-solving tasks that are based on the key causal models. In a 2 × 2 design, we tested the effects of an adapted version of an intervention designed to build abstract mental representations of the key causal models and a tutorial designed to convey conceptual understanding of the key causal models and procedural knowledge. Participants who were enabled to recognize the underlying key causal models across situations as a result of the intervention and the tutorial (i.e., causal sorters) outperformed non-causal sorters in the subsequent complex problem-solving task. Causal sorters outperformed the control group, except for the subtask knowledge application in the experimental group that did not receive the tutorial and, hence, did not have the opportunity to elaborate their conceptual understanding of the key causal models. The findings highlight that being able to categorize novel situations according to their underlying key causal model alone is insufficient for enhancing the transfer of the according concept. Instead, for successful application, conceptual and procedural knowledge also seem to be necessary. By using a complex problem-solving task as the dependent variable for transfer, we extended the scope of the results to dynamic tasks that reflect some of the typical challenges of the 21st century.

According to previous research, in contemporary western societies health is seen as an increasingly non-political issue. Rather than being at the centre of collective decision-making and democratic politics, health is regarded as resting on individual responsibility. In this study we focus on, and explore an important and challenging socio-scientific issue through the concepts of politicization and the depoliticization. We address the question of health education in schools as well as the question of citizenship and democracy, which adds to research on scientific literacy and socio-scientific issues. The study consists of two parts: firstly, we analyse whether health--more precisely stress--is portrayed as a political or non-political issue in textbooks for secondary school; secondly, and informed by the results from our analysis, we dissect and problematise what kind of citizenship that is constructed in textbooks. From a theoretical framework of politics, the article explores how citizenship emerges. Our findings show that health, and more precisely stress, is depoliticized in the textbooks. Firstly, stress is regarded as an individual--not public or governmental--concern. Secondly, stress is depoliticized in a more rigorous manner by making its political dimensions invisible. A consequence is a displacement of stress, e.g., in school, from the democratic arena to the individual citizen. As an implication we recommend an education that emphasize a political and democratic perspective on health as a complement to the individual perspective.

For precisely produced polymer gears with a fast turnaround, reliable and easy inspection is crucial. The research project includes determining geometrical parameters and proposes a new parameter, which includes the absolute deviation of the gear from the designed model. The new parameter can be used to determine the shrinkage of the polymer gears and is used as feedback to the design process through augmented reality aided inspection. The inspection process begins with acquiring an optical scan, which captures the geometry of the whole gear. It includes a comparison to the CAD model. Using model-based definition, the measures and tolerances from the design phase are transferred to the inspection through STEP AP 242. During the inspection, the gear is evaluated if it is in accordance with the prescribed tolerances. The results are used as feedback to the design process through augmented reality, which enables a clear presentation of the results on the actual object. The presentation gives a direction where big shrinkage occurs and shows how much the mould design needs to be changed. The results include the colour map of the deviation, standard geometrical parameters, the shrinkage parameter, and the measure/tolerance check.

Most psychological studies on the balance between stability and flexibility in decision making restrict their experiments to simplistic scenarios. These restrictions likely affect the decision process, and it is unclear which findings can be transferred to more naturalistic decision contexts. Therefore, the present study used a scenario that is inspired by the problem structure found in a particular domain: Adapt/Exchange decisions in modular chemical plants. In this setting, we investigated two findings from the decision making literature: whether participants refrain from a thorough comparison of options and whether they perseverate on previous choices. Forty-eight participants made Adapt/Exchange decisions and subsequently implemented them in specific parameter settings. Between four blocks of trials with sequential trial orders, we varied sequence direction (i.e., whether the costs of Adapt gradually increased or decreased) and sequence type (i.e., whether gradual changes were only present in the option ratio or also in absolute costs). We analyzed the percentage of Exchange choices, option switches, decision times, and parameter settings. The results suggest that instead of comparing options, participants used a satisficing strategy, checking whether Adapt was good enough and only considering Exchange if it was not. The direction of sequence effects was opposite to the predicted choice perseveration: In sequences initially favoring Adapt, participants started exploring the Exchange option early on, while in sequences initially demanding Exchange, they preferred Adapt as soon as it became possible. The results raise questions about the application of psychological theories to complex decisions between qualitatively different options.

Daniel Neureiter,1,2 Eckhard Klieser,1,2 Bettina Neumayer,1,2 Paul Winkelmann,1,2 Romana Urbas,1,2 Tobias Kiesslich3,4 1Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg, Austria; 2Cancer Cluster Salzburg, Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg, Austria; 3Department of Internal Medicine I, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg, Austria; 4Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, AustriaCorrespondence: Daniel NeureiterInstitute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg, AustriaTel +43 (0)5 7255 29027Fax +43 (0)5 7255 29099Email d.neureiter@salk.atPurpose: New technologies like gamification are continuously integrated into medical education during the last years. However, the benefit and implementation of such gaming platforms are not clearly studied. This analysis assesses the feasibility of Kahoot! regarding simplicity and low-cost performance as a learning/teaching tool for medical education in (histo-)pathology.Materials and Methods: In this feasibility pilot study, we developed 36 modules for different benign and malignant tumors, covering four major topics: gastrointestinal tract, dermatology, urogenital tract, and hematology. Each module included histomorphological text-based questions for education of 2nd-year medical students. The online gaming-platform Kahoot! was anonymously implemented before and after “classical” medical education which included discussions of histological slides for each tumor entity using Microsoft PowerPoint-based presentations in combination with microscopical demonstrations. Participating students were invited to a seven-questions evaluation about the online educational approach.Results: Overall, 23 of 51 students of the study class completed the pre- and the post-evaluation of Kahoot! in one or more organ systems. The percentage of correct answers increased from the initial mean/median of 47.2/45% to 77.2/76.3%. Simultaneously, the time for answering questions decreased by roughly 50% (from mean/median time of 9.1/8.3 seconds to 5.1/4.3 seconds) from pre- to post-assessment. The results were independent of gender; however, there were scoring differences between the different organ systems. Students positively evaluated the routine implementation of the gaming-platform Kahoot! within medical education.Conclusion: Kahoot! is as a simple, direct, and low-cost application in medical teaching improving learning outcomes of pathomorphological topics with high acceptance by students. Kahoot!-based evaluations should be also performed in more advanced topics in the field of histopathology.Keywords: education assessment, medical education, online-tools, Kahoot!, pathology

Abstract This article discusses the socioscientific issue of obesity in relation to citizenship and democratic politics. It is structured in three parts: a) a theoretical part that elaborates on health as an individual and/or societal problem and the concepts of politics, democracy and citizenship; b) an empirical part on how responsibility for obesity is treated in Swedish teaching materials for science and health education; and c) a discussion where the empirical results are analyzed in relation to the theoretical framework used and the implications for future health education with regard to individual responsibility, citizenship and democracy are addressed. The analysis of the teaching materials reveals a strong focus on the individual’s responsibility for obesity, formulated through explicit prescriptions and recommendations on how to think and act in everyday life. The implication is that the individual is made into the key actor in solving the problem of obesity. This predominantly individual perspective on solutions is problematic since a strictly individual perspective obscures the political dimension of obesity. Furthermore, the individualization and depoliticization of obesity in teaching materials contribute to and reinforces an ongoing erosion of citizenship and democracy.

The authors demonstrate the ability to create an ultrafast hyperbolic momentum state using metallic InAsSb alloys embedded within dielectric GaSb and explore the possibility of transient modification of metamaterials to control the optical properties of photon emission. Properly engineered quantum well structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and Si-doped in order to convert the InAsSb layers from dielectric to metallic at infrared frequencies. The carrier excitation scheme of the engineered hyperbolic stacks was investigated in a variety of excitation levels using pump–probe measurements. The photo-excited carriers in the structure with a metal fraction of ∼0.5 showed a polarization dependent reflectivity change, which indicates a transient hyperbolic metamaterial state in the heterostructure induced by the pump laser.

Knowing the reflection, transmission, and absorption properties of the yarns from which the woven fabric is made, prediction of a fabric’s UV-protective properties is simple. Using the geometrical properties of monofilament yarns and fabrics, which were determined optically, and following the cover factor theory, we have determined the areas of fabrics covered with no yarns, only one yarn, and two yarns. From a special selected set of high-module polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monofilament materials (e.g., fabrics), we have elaborated a method for determining the reflection, transmission, and absorption of yarns. By first defining the differently covered areas of fabrics, we were able to use them in a mathematical model for calculating and predicting the UV-protective properties of the fabrics. The calculated and measured values of the UV-protective properties of the selected test fabrics were highly correlated, with a correlation coefficient >0.98.

In the material extrusion of the thermoplastic filaments, known as Fused Deposition Modelling, usually, pure thermoplastic polymers are used. Recently, the focus of the research is given to the development of new biocomposite thermoplastic materials. In our research, 3D printable biocomposite filaments, made with the addition of 50 wt.% of cardboard dust to the HDPE and PLA polymer matrix were studied. The influence of the added cardboard dust on structural, morphological and mechanical properties of the 3D printable biocomposite filaments was investigated. With the addition of the corrugated cardboard dust into the HDPE and PLA polymer matrix the changes in density, uniformity, chemical structure and transition temperatures of the samples were detected. The addition of the cardboard dust into the HDPE polymer matrix lead to low tenacity, toughness, deformability resulting in brittleness of the 3D printable biocomposite filament, whereas the addition of the cardboard dust into the PLA polymer matrix lowered tensile properties, but didn’t affected bending toughness and has even improved compression strength of the 3D printable filament.

Injection moulding is currently the most widely employed production method for polymer gears. Current standardised gear metrology methods, which are based on metal gear inspection procedures, do not provide the key information regarding the geometric stability of injection moulded gears and are insufficient for a thorough gear inspection. The study developed novel areal quality parameters, along with a so-called moulding runout quality parameter, with a focus on the injection moulding method. The developed parameters were validated on twenty-nine gear samples, produced in the same moulding tool using various processing parameters. The gears were measured using a high-precision structured-light 3D scanner. The influence of injection moulding process parameters on the introduced novel quality parameters was investigated. The developed moulding runout quality parameter proved to be effective in evaluating the shrinkage that can occur in the injection moulding process. The novel moulding runout parameter returned an average value of −21.8 μm in comparison to 29.4 μm exhibited by the standard parameter on all the gears, where the negative value points directly to mould shrinkages. The rate of cooling was determined to be the most influential factor for the shrinkage of the gear. The developed areal parameters demonstrated to be advantageous in characterising the deviations on the teeth more comprehensively.

BackgroundSrc inhibitors sensitise melanoma cells to chemotherapy in preclinical models. The combination of dasatinib and dacarbazine was tested in a phase I trial in melanoma.MethodsPatients had ECOG performance status 0-2 and normal organ function. Dacarbazine was administered on day 1 and dasatinib on day 2 through 19 of each 21-day cycle. Both were escalated from 50 mg b.i.d. of dasatinib and 800 mg m(-2) of dacarbazine. Available pre-treatment biopsies were sequenced for BRAF, NRAS, and C-Kit mutations.ResultsDose-limiting toxicity was reached at dasatinib 70 mg b.i.d./dacarbazine 1000 mg m(-2), and was predominantly haematological. In 29 patients receiving dasatinib 70 mg b.i.d., the objective response rate (ORR) was 13.8%, the clinical benefit rate (ORR+SD) was 72.4%, the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was 20.7%, and the 12-month overall survival (OS) was 34.5%. Two out of three patients who were wild type for BRAF, NRAS, and c-KIT mutations had confirmed partial responses, and one had a minor response.ConclusionThe recommended phase II dose is dasatinib 70 mg b.i.d with dacarbazine 800 mg m(-2). PFS and OS data for dasatinib at 70 mg b.i.d. with dacarbazine compared favourably with historical controls. Preliminary data support evaluating tumour mutation status further as a biomarker of response.

PurposeHigh-dose pegylated interferon α-2b (peginterferon α-2b) significantly decreased disease recurrence in patients with resected stage III melanoma in a clinical study. We investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of high-dose peginterferon α-2b in patients with high-risk melanoma.MethodsFor PK analysis, 32 patients received peginterferon α-2b 6 μg/(kg week) subcutaneously for 8 weeks (induction) then 3 μg/(kg week) for 4 weeks (maintenance). PK profiles were determined at weeks 1, 8, and 12. Exposure-response relationships between peginterferon α-2b and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level were also studied.ResultsPeginterferon α-2b was well-absorbed following SC administration, with a median T (max) of 24 h. Mean half-life estimates ranged from 43 to 51 h. The accumulation factor was 1.69 after induction therapy. PK parameters showed moderate interpatient variability. PK profiles were described by a one-compartmental model with first-order absorption and first-order elimination. Toxicity was profiled and was acceptable; observed side effects were similar to those previously described. Dose reduction produced proportional decreases in exposure and predictable effects on ANC in an Imax model; however, a PK/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship between peginterferon α-2b and ALT could not be established with high precision.ConclusionsPeginterferon α-2b was well-absorbed and sustained exposure to peginterferon α-2b was achieved with the doses tested. These data confirm and extend previous PK observations of peginterferon α-2b in melanoma and solid tumors. Our PK/PD model of exposure and ANC effect provides useful information for prediction of peginterferon α-2b-related hematologic toxicity.

BackgroundSagopilone is a novel fully synthetic epothilone with promising preclinical activity and a favourable toxicity profile in phase I testing.MethodsA phase II pharmacokinetic and efficacy trial was conducted in patients with metastatic melanoma. Patients had measurable disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2, adequate haematological, and organ function, with up to 2 previous chemotherapy and any previous immunotherapy regimens. Sagopilone, 16 mg m⁻², was administered intravenously over 3 h every 21 days until progression or unacceptable toxicity.ResultsThirty-five patients were treated. Sagopilone showed multi-exponential kinetics with a mean terminal half-life of 64 h and a volume of distribution of 4361 l m⁻² indicating extensive tissue/tubulin binding. Only grade 2 or lower toxicity was observed: these included sensory neuropathy (66%), leukopenia (46%), fatigue (34%), and neutropenia (31%). The objective response rate was 11.4% (one confirmed complete response, two confirmed partial responses, and one unconfirmed partial response). Stable disease for at least 12 weeks was seen in an additional eight patients (clinical benefit rate 36.4%).ConclusionSagopilone was well tolerated with mild haematological toxicity and sensory neuropathy. Unlike other epothilones, it shows activity against melanoma even in pretreated patients. Further clinical testing is warranted.

Light in biological media is known as freely diffusing because interference is negligible. Here, the authors demonstrate Anderson localization of light from quasi-two-dimensional nanostructures in silk fibres.