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Introduction: Nursing-home residents are among the highest risk group in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. At the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the majority of all deaths from or with SARS-CoV-2 occurred in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), so that maximum protective measures were mandated for these facilities. This study analyzed the impact of the new virus variants and the vaccination campaign on disease severity and mortality among nursing home residents and staff through 2022 as a basis for determining which protective measures remain necessary and appropriate. Methods: In five homes in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with a total capacity for 705 residents, all cases occurring in the facility among residents and staff were recorded and documented (date of birth and diagnosis, hospitalization and death, vaccination status) and were descriptively analyzed with SPSS.Results: By 31st August 2022, 496 residents tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 93 in 2020, 136 in 2021, and 267 in 2022; 14 residents presented with a second SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2022, having previously experienced an infection in 2020 or 2021. The percentage of hospitalizations decreased from 24.7% (2020) and 17.6% (2021) to 7.5% (2022), and the percentage of deaths decreased from 20.4% and 19.1% to 1.5%. In 2021, 61.8% of those infected were vaccinated (at least 2x); in 2022, 86.2% of residents had been vaccinated twice, 84% of whom had already had a booster vaccination. Hospitalization and death rates were significantly higher among the unvaccinated than the vaccinated throughout all years (unvaccinated 21.5% and 18.0%; vaccinated 9.8% and 5.5%; KW test p=0.000). However, this difference was no longer significant under the prevalence of the Omicron variant in 2022 (unvaccinated 8.3% and 0%; p=0.561; vaccinated 7.4% and 1.7%; p=0.604). From 2020 to 2022, 400 employees were documented as infected, with 25 having second infections in 2022. Only one employee showed a second infection in 2021 following the first, Einleitung: Altenpflegeheimbewohner zählen zu der höchsten Risikogruppe in der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie. Zu Beginn der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie traten die Mehrzahl aller Todesfälle an oder mit SARS-CoV-2 in Altenpflegeheimen (APHs) auf, weshalb für die Einrichtungen maximale Schutzmaßnahmen verfügt wurden. Die Auswirkungen der neuen Virus-Varianten und der Impfkampagne auf die Krankheitsschwere und Sterberate bei Altenpflegeheimbewohnern bis 2022 wird untersucht - als Grundlage für die Frage, welche Schutzmaßnahmen weiterhin erforderlich und angemessen sind. Methode: In fünf Heimen in Frankfurt am Main mit insgesamt 705 Bewohnerplätzen wurden alle in der Einrichtung auftretenden Fälle sowohl bei Bewohnern als auch bei Mitarbeitern erfasst und dokumentiert (Geburts- und Diagnosedatum, Hospitalisierung und Tod, Impfstatus) und mit SPSS deskriptiv ausgewertet.Ergebnisse: Bis August 2022 wurden 496 Bewohner positiv auf SARS-CoV-2 getestet, 93 im Jahr 2020, 136 im Jahr 2021 und 267 im Jahr 2022. 14 Bewohner wiesen im Jahr 2022 eine zweite SARS-CoV-2-Infektion auf, nachdem sie bereits 2020 oder 2021 eine Infektion durchgemacht hatten. Der Anteil der Hospitalisierungen nahm von 24,7% (2020) über 17,6% (2021) auf 7,5% (2022) ab, der Anteil der Todesfälle von 20,4% über 19,1% auf 1,5%. Im Jahr 2021 waren 61,8% der Infizierten geimpft (mindestens 2x), im Jahr 2022 waren 86,2% der Bewohner geimpft, 84% davon bereits "geboostert". Die Hospitalisierungs- und Todesrate war bei den Ungeimpften in der Gesamtbetrachtung signifikant höher als bei den Geimpften (Ungeimpfte 21,5% und 18,0%; Geimpfte 9,8% und 5,5%; KW Test p=0,000), allerdings war dieser Unterschied unter dem Vorherrschen der Omikron-Variante im Jahr 2022 nicht mehr signifikant (Ungeimpfte 8,3% und 0%; p=0,561; Geimpfte 7,4% und 1,7%; p=0,604). Von 2020 bis 2022 wurden 400 Mitarbeiter als infiziert dokumentiert, 25 Mitarbeiter wiesen eine Zweitinfektion im Jahr 2022 auf. Nur bei einem Mitarbeiter war die zweite Infektion bereits

Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) allows for the estimation of root-zone soil water content (SWC) at the scale of several hectares. In this paper, we present the data recorded by a dense CRNS network operated from 2019 to 2022 at an agricultural research site in Marquardt, Germany – the first multi-year CRNS cluster. Consisting, at its core, of eight permanently installed CRNS sensors, the cluster was supplemented by a wealth of complementary measurements: data from seven additional temporary CRNS sensors, partly co-located with the permanent ones; 27 SWC profiles (mostly permanent); two groundwater observation wells; meteorological records; and Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R). Complementary to these continuous measurements, numerous campaign-based activities provided data by mobile CRNS roving, hyperspectral imagery via UASs, intensive manual sampling of soil properties (SWC, bulk density, organic matter, texture, soil hydraulic properties), and observations of biomass and snow (cover, depth, and density). The unique temporal coverage of 3 years entails a broad spectrum of hydro-meteorological conditions, including exceptional drought periods and extreme rainfall but also episodes of snow coverage, as well as a dedicated irrigation experiment. Apart from serving to advance CRNS-related retrieval methods, this data set is expected to be useful for various disciplines, for example, soil and groundwater hydrology, agriculture, or remote sensing. Hence, we show exemplary features of the data set in order to highlight the potential for such subsequent studies.

Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) allows for the estimation of root-zone soil water content (SWC) at the scale of several hectares. In this paper, we present the data recorded by a dense CRNS network operated from 2019 to 2022 at an agricultural research site in Marquardt, Germany – the first multi-year CRNS cluster. Consisting, at its core, of eight permanently installed CRNS sensors, the cluster was supplemented by a wealth of complementary measurements: data from seven additional temporary CRNS sensors, partly co-located with the permanent ones; 27 SWC profiles (mostly permanent); two groundwater observation wells; meteorological records; and Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R). Complementary to these continuous measurements, numerous campaign-based activities provided data by mobile CRNS roving, hyperspectral imagery via UASs, intensive manual sampling of soil properties (SWC, bulk density, organic matter, texture, soil hydraulic properties), and observations of biomass and snow (cover, depth, and density). The unique temporal coverage of 3 years entails a broad spectrum of hydro-meteorological conditions, including exceptional drought periods and extreme rainfall but also episodes of snow coverage, as well as a dedicated irrigation experiment. Apart from serving to advance CRNS-related retrieval methods, this data set is expected to be useful for various disciplines, for example, soil and groundwater hydrology, agriculture, or remote sensing. Hence, we show exemplary features of the data set in order to highlight the potential for such subsequent studies.

Repeat expansions are responsible for over 40 monogenic disorders, and undoubtedly more pathogenic repeat expansions remain to be discovered. Existing methods for detecting repeat expansions in short-read sequencing data require predefined repeat catalogs. Recent discoveries emphasize the need for methods that do not require pre-specified candidate repeats. To address this need, we introduce ExpansionHunter Denovo, an efficient catalog-free method for genome-wide repeat expansion detection. Analysis of real and simulated data shows that our method can identify large expansions of 41 out of 44 pathogenic repeats, including nine recently reported non-reference repeat expansions not discoverable via existing methods.