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Combined effects of fine-scale intensity and spatial extent of exposure to outdoor recreation shape wildlife responses and tolerance to human activity
No full textOutdoor recreational activities and nature-based tourism are rapidly expanding, both in intensity and space. Even non-consumptive activities can have adverse effects by altering animal behaviour and physiology, but wildlife can also develop behavioural tolerance to humans and adjust to human activities. However, few general patterns have emerged, likely due to incomplete knowledge of the factors that modulate wildlife responses. For example, it remains unclear how fine-scale intensity and spatial extent of exposure to outdoor recreational activities influence disturbance effects on wildlife. Here, we investigated how the combined effects of current on-site visitor numbers, the extent of areas used by humans, such as around picnic areas, within animal's home ranges and the proximity of animals' activity centres to main recreational infrastructure, such as main hiking trails, affect behavioural and physiological responses to outdoor activity. We used Alpine marmots Marmota marmota in Stelvio National Park (central Italian Alps) as a case study. Marmots occupying territories with low human area use and with activity centres located farther from the main hiking trail in the study area increased anti-predator behaviours and decreased foraging during higher visitor presence. In contrast, marmots from territories with higher area use and/or activity centres closer to the main trail were more tolerant. Stress levels assessed through faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) mirrored this pattern, but high uncertainty around FCMs estimates suggests cautious interpretation. This case study demonstrates that wildlife responsiveness to outdoor activity can depend on multiple interacting factors, highlighting the importance of context-specific impact assessment and targeted mitigation strategies
International cooperation under the human right to science in light of new developments in international law – human rights-based technology transfer in the field of bioprospecting and artificial intelligence?
No full textFully personalized contrast injection optimized for weight and tube voltage in low-dose high-pitch coronary CT angiography
No full textBackgroundTo evaluate the performance of a fully individualized, weight- and tube voltage–tailored contrast media injection protocol (MINDS-CAD) for high-pitch coronary CT angiography (CCTA).MethodsThis IRB-approved, single-center study included 112 patients undergoing clinically indicated CCTA using third-generation dual-source CT. Fifty-six patients were scanned with the MINDS-CAD protocol, which adapts contrast delivery rate (DR, range: 1.7–9.7 mL/s) and contrast volume (CV, range: 23–97 mL) based on body weight and automatic tube voltage selection, creating 56 pairs of CV and DR and uses high-pitch scanning. Fifty-six matched controls underwent CCTA with an institutional standard protocol (retrospective spiral scan, CV, range: 50–80 mL; DR, range: 3.2–5.0 mL/s). Objective image quality was assessed via coronary artery attenuation (HU) in proximal and distal segments. Subjective image quality was graded on a four-point scale (4: excellent), and multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of coronary attenuation. Dose-length-product (DLP) was compared between cohorts.ResultsGroups were matched for age, BMI, and heart rate (all p > 0.05); over 60 % were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Coronary attenuation was higher with MINDS-CAD (391.1 ± 88.1 HU vs. 305.6 ± 103.1 HU, p Most importantly, MINDS-CAD achieved superior image quality in a matched cohort while considerably lowering radiation dose (90 ± 50 mG•cm vs 576 ± 386 mG•cm, p ConclusionA fully individualized, weight- and tube voltage–tailored contrast protocol achieved more consistent coronary attenuation and superior image quality. These results, demonstrated in a predominantly obese cohort, highlight the robustness of the protocol and provide a framework for reliable low-dose, high-pitch CCTA across challenging patient populations
Disentangling competition for light from remaining competition aspects in European beech forests
No full textEuropean beech forests face increasing environmental stress and anthropogenic demands, necessitating an understanding of tree growth and forest ecosystem dynamics to ensure future productivity and stability. Key to this is the disentangling of tree competition for light and edaphic resources to identify growth-limiting factors under different conditions. In this study, we aimed to disentangle the impact of light availability and further aspects of competition on the radial growth of 943 European beech trees across six research sites in Southwest Germany. Using a novel approach combining Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Radiative Transfer Modelling, we conducted a detailed, spatially explicit assessment of potential annual light availability per individual tree, shaped by complex local structures. We compared the predictive importance of light availability on tree growth against common competition indices by contrasting their predictions of basal area increment measurements using Generalized Additive Models. This offered the unique possibility to investigate shifts in importance of competition aspects across annual drought intensities. We observed a positive influence of light availability on general growth levels of European beech (R2 = 0.67), with a saturation effect at higher light levels. The spatially modelled light availability outperformed a common shading-focussed index (R2 = 0.47) in describing general growth levels but was explaining less variability than a competition index incorporating both edaphic and light competition (R2 = 0.72). As expected, the light availability gained relative predictive importance compared to remaining competition for water and nutrients under more humid conditions. Overall, the proposed spatial assessment proved useful to disentangle the competition for light from remaining competition, offering valuable insights for studying, understanding, and modelling competition dynamics
Including nonrandomized evidence in living systematic reviews: lessons learned from the COVID-NMA initiative
No full textA novel SadP-scFv UCHT1 lectibody activates T cells and mediates lysis of Burkitt's lymphoma cells
No full textHolistic analysis for mismatch losses in photovoltaic modules: assessing the impact of inhomogeneity from operational conditions and degradation mechanisms on power and yield
No full textThis study investigates mismatch losses in PV modules, analyzing the impact of operational conditions and degradation mechanisms on power generation across different module designs: full-cell, half-cell, string-shingled, and matrix-shingled. A bottom-up multi-physics model assesses inhomogeneities like partial shading, temperature inhomogeneity, soiling, encapsulation aging, and bypass diode failure. Module design related analysis reveals that parallel connections within modules minimize current mismatch losses, enhancing power under partial shading. Furthermore, modules exhibit a temperature profile with maximum temperatures at the center and minimum at the corners, impacting power differently based on the module's internal geometry, cell size, and electrical layout. Degradation analysis reveals significant power reduction due to soiling width and orientation, with encapsulation aging causing a 2% power loss after 3000 h. Findings indicate that partial shading and bypass diode failure can reduce full-cell module power to zero under vertical shading; half-cell and shingled modules retain varying power under horizontal and diagonal shading. Matrix-shingled modules perform best under partial shading due to additional lateral current paths. Yield analysis shows a 1.7-kWh annual yield increase for the matrix-shingled module, attributed to changes in cell-specific irradiance and temperature from its unique design, compared to a 0.5-kWh increase for the full-cell module. It was observed that shingled modules have a 1.6% higher specific yield under accumulating soiling along the long edge, which drops to 0.4% when considering module cleaning. For soiling along the short edge, results show that full-cell modules exhibit the highest specific yield. Furthermore, findings indicate that portrait mounting reduces annual yield by about 5% for shingled modules, compared to 3% for full-cell and half-cell modules, with landscape mounting having a lower negative impact on yield. Overall, this research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of various PV module designs under different degradation and inhomogeneity scenarios, advancing the development of more efficient modules and enhancing accurate energy yield predictions, thus significantly contributing to the sustainability of solar energy
Anti-inflammatory properties of Boswellia frereana Birdw., Boswellia neglecta S.Moore, Boswellia rivae Engl., Boswellia sacra Flück., Boswellia serrata Roxb., Commiphora confusa Vollesen, Commiphora kataf (Forssk.) Engl. and Commiphora myrrha (T.Nees) Engl. extracts in viral and chronic respiratory inflammation
No full textEuropean pilot interlaboratory comparison study on mpox virus whole genome sequencing
No full textObjectivesSince 2022, distinct Mpox virus (MPXV) clades have been spreading across different geographic regions, causing a challenging epidemiological situation. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) proved to be instrumental for patient management and global public health. We report a pilot interlaboratory comparison study for MPXV WGS.MethodsWe distributed noninfectious DNA samples, including the main MPXV clades I and II, to eight European laboratories. We included one cowpox (CPXV) sample as a specificity control. Participants were free to choose their WGS pipeline of choice to mimic a real-world scenario and were asked to report on the sequencing pipeline used, average genome coverage, and MPXV species, clade, and subclade assignments.ResultsSeven of the eight invited laboratories reported results back. All participants largely identified the MPXV clades and reported high-quality genomes with minimal variations, specifically for MPXV clade IIb 2022 outbreak strains. However, reconstructed genomes showed high variability for nonclade IIb MPXV strains. The CPXV sample was correctly identified by three laboratories.ConclusionsAlthough results for MPXV clade IIb 2022 outbreak strains are reassuring, the inclusion of MPXV clade I and IIa strains highlights pitfalls for targeted sequencing approaches and subsequent bioinformatic analyses. Our findings underscore the need for standardized external quality assessment studies
Impact of surgical margins on recurrence after resection of atypical lipomatous tumors : a single-center retrospective analysis
No full textBackgroundAtypical lipomatous tumors (also known as well-differentiated liposarcoma) are locally aggressive, low-malignant soft tissue tumors composed of mature adipocytes and stromal cells with nuclear atypia. Although these tumors do not metastasize, they exhibit a significant risk for local recurrence and potential for dedifferentiation into high-grade liposarcomas. Despite consensus that complete surgical excision is the gold standard, the impact of positive margins remains unclear. This study evaluated the role of surgical margins in atypical lipomatous tumor recurrence.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who underwent marginal resection of atypical lipomatous tumors between 2005 and 2025 at a single center. Demographic data, tumor characteristics, surgical treatment, pathology reports, recurrence rates, and risk of dedifferentiation were analyzed. Recurrence-free survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and factors associated with recurrence were evaluated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsFifty-four patients were included in the study. The median follow-up period was 24.5 months (range 6–172 months). Complete (R0) resection was achieved in 32 patients, whereas 22 patients had microscopically positive margins (R1). Local recurrence occurred in 11 patients (20.4%) with a median time to recurrence of 31.8 months (range 11–65.7 months). Recurrence occurred in 18.8% of R0 and 22.7% of R1 resections, with no significant difference in recurrence-free survival (P = .42). No cases of distant metastasis were observed. Dedifferentiation to grade 2 liposarcoma occurred in 2 patients (3.7%).ConclusionMarginal resection of atypical lipomatous tumors offers an acceptable local recurrence rate while allowing the preservation of critical structures and function. Regular postoperative surveillance enables early identification of tumor recurrence and potential dedifferentiation