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Mechanische Kreislaufunterstützung bei kardiogenem Schock: Risikoevaluation und Strategieoptimierung
No full textDer kardiogene Schock ist trotz moderner Therapieverfahren, wie mechanischer Kreislaufunterstützung, weiterhin mit einer hohen Mortalität assoziiert. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, strukturierte Konzepte zur Risikostratifizierung, Therapieallokation und Behandlungsoptimierung zu evaluieren und deren Einfluss auf das klinische Outcome zu untersuchen.
Zunächst konnte die SCAI-Klassifikation in einer großen herzchirurgischen Kohorte als valides Instrument zur prognostischen Einschätzung bestätigt werden und bildete die Grundlage für die Implementierung einer ätiologieunabhängigen, standardisierten Behandlungsstrategie. Nach Einführung einer überarbeiteten Standard Operating Procedure mit klar definierten Allokationskriterien für den Einsatz temporärer mechanischer Kreislaufunterstützungsverfahren zeigte sich eine signifikante Verbesserung der Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit.
Über die initiale Therapieentscheidung hinaus adressiert diese Arbeit die Bedeutung der Behandlungsphase unter mechanischer Kreislaufunterstützung, einschließlich der Rolle inflammatorischer Prozesse sowie therapieassoziierter Komplikationen. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass Komplikationen einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf das Outcome haben und dass strukturierte technische und klinische Behandlungskonzepte zur Risikoreduktion beitragen.
Zusammenfassend unterstreicht diese Arbeit, dass die Prognose des kardiogenen Schocks nicht allein von der Wahl des Unterstützungssystems abhängt, sondern entscheidend durch standardisierte Behandlungspfade mit strukturierter Patientenselektion, optimierter Therapieführung und konsequentem Komplikationsmanagement geprägt wird
Sex, care and the working body: ambiguities of the gendered racialisation as ‘Eastern European’
No full textThe concept ‘cultural racism’ is influential in scholarship on East–West mobilities in Europe. Balibar coined this term by observing that an essentialisation of ‘cultural difference’ has replaced the ‘biologist focus’ of historical racism. A neat separation between the role of ‘biology’ in history and of ‘culture’ in the present, however, insufficiently grasps how both feature within repertoires of racialisation. Here, we examine this for the racialisation as ‘Eastern European’ in Germany – including by looking at its histories, contemporary trajectories and material effects. Drawing on qualitative research, we trace how ‘Eastern Europeanness’ is produced in two employment sites – elder care and sex work – in which women from Europe's East often work. We find that shifting attributions of bodily and valued-based difference or proximity are mobilised in imaginaries of ‘Eastern Europeans’ in these sectors. These ambiguities constitute a key continuity in the gendered racialisation as ‘Eastern European’, which sustains the extraction of cheap social reproductive labour over generations. This racialisation also has material effects: working in these professions takes a toll on the worker’s physical and mental health. On this basis, we propose a research agenda that thinks racialisation not only from its dichotomies but also from its ambiguities
Hippocampal-prefrontal connectivity relates to inter-individual differences and training gains in distinguishing similar memories
No full textMnemonic discrimination (MD) is the ability to distinguish current experiences from similar memories. Research on the brain correlates of MD has focused on how regional neural responses are linked to MD. Here we go beyond this approach to investigate inter-regional functional connectivity patterns related to MD, its inter-individual variability and training-related improvement. Based on prior work we focused on medial temporal lobe (MTL), prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual regions. We used fMRI to determine how connectivity patterns between these regions are related to MD before and after 2-weeks of web-based cognitive training. We found MD-related connectivity involving MTL-PFC-visual areas. Hippocampal-PFC connectivity was negatively associated with inter-individual variability in MD performance across two tasks. Hippocampal-PFC connectivity decrease was also linked to inter-individual variability in post-training MD improvement. Additionally, training led to increased connectivity from the lateral occipital cortex to the occipital pole area. Our results point to a hippocampal-PFC connectivity pattern that is a reliable marker of MD performance. This pattern is further related to MD training gains providing strong evidence for its role in distinguishing similar memories. Overall, we show that hippocampal-PFC connectivity constitutes a neural resource for MD that enables training-related improvement and may be targeted to enhance cognition
A 7T fMRI dataset of synthetic images for out-of-distribution modeling of vision
No full textLarge-scale visual neural datasets such as the Natural Scenes Dataset (NSD) are enabling models of the brain with performances beyond what was possible just a decade ago. However, because the stimuli of these datasets typically live within a common naturalistic visual distribution, they make it challenging to implement out-of-distribution (OOD) generalization tests crucial for the development of robust brain models. Here, we address this by releasing NSD-synthetic, a dataset of 7T fMRI responses from the same eight NSD participants for 284 synthetic images. We show that NSD-synthetic’s fMRI responses reliably encode stimulus-related information and are OOD with respect to NSD; that OOD generalization tests on NSD-synthetic reveal differences between brain models that are not detected in-distribution; and that the degree of OOD (quantified as the test data distance from the training data) is predictive of the magnitude of model failures. Together, NSD-synthetic enables OOD generalization tests that facilitate the development of more robust models of visual processing
Unveiling aging mechanisms of electrolytes in commercial end-of-life lithium-ion batteries
No full textIn this study, 77 end-of-life (EOL) commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) of various formats were systematically analyzed to investigate electrolyte degradation and the influence of pristine electrolyte compositions on aging behavior. Comprehensive chemical characterization was conducted using targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry (MS), employing LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and high-resolution MS (HRMS). This integrated approach enabled the identification of confirmed pristine components and complex degradation products. The results show that rechargeable pouch and cylindrical cells often deviate from conventional model systems, containing mixed lithium salt anions, ionic liquids (ILs), and high concentrations of triflates, triflimides, and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI). These function as solvents, salts, or safety-enhancing additives. Specific IL degradation products were identified, and hypotheses formulated on previously unreported pathways. Furthermore, a novel series of oligomerization products of propylene carbonate (PC) was detected. In contrast, non-rechargeable coin cells revealed widespread use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their original electrolytes. Based on ex situ analyses, hypothetical PFAS degradation mechanisms are proposed here for the first time. The absence of carbonate oligomers and lithium salt-derived products, alongside the presence of standard carbonates, indicates lithium counterion coordination as a key factor in Lewis acid-catalyzed degradation. This study offers valuable insights into real-world battery aging
Scaling tests of Benford's law
No full textThe Benford law is used worldwide to detect non-conformance or data fraud in numerical data. In its weak form, it says that the first non-zero digit of a data item from a universe is not uniformly distributed, but logarithmically distributed. In particular, the first non-zero digit is One, with a probability of approximately 0.3.
In the present paper, we suggest a new class of tests, the Ones Scaling tests, which are motivated by the scale-invariance property of Benford's law. Various scaling factors are chosen, and then the probability is tested that the product of the original observation with the scaling factors has the first significant digit One. Two distance measures of empirical and Benford probabilities are considered: the Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances. All our tests are illustrated by real and simulated data and are compared by competitive statistical tests.
The analysis of specifically selected and designed simulated manipulations shows that this class of tests is a useful alternative for detecting special data fraud
Sensor-based analysis of behaviour time budgets in young warmblood stallions entering initial preparation for licensing
No full textActivity sensors provide an objective means to track movement and allow for automatic recognition of behavioural patterns. This study validates the use of sensor-based analysis for assessing daily patterns and behavioural differences related to housing system, age, and season at the onset of preparation for licensing of young warmblood stallions. Warmblood stallions (n = 29), aged 2 years (born between March and June), were categorised based on their housing system: indoor group housing (T1-group: n = 9) or individual stables (n = 20). The individually stabled horses were further divided by month at the onset of preparation for licensing (T1-Ind: June (n = 10) vs. T2-Ind: October (n = 10)), resulting in three cohorts of comparable size. Each stallion wore an activity sensor on a collar for 24 coherent hours per week during the first three months of the preparation period (T1: June-August; T2: October-December). Behavioural analysis was conducted using a deep neural network trained to classify distinct individual activities, including eating, resting and active behaviours. The time budgets of these activities per horse were compared between the cohorts. All the horses in the study displayed appropriate time budgets for each behavioural category, spending approximately 50 % of the day eating, followed by 30–38 % resting and 14–18 % being active, which is consistent with typical species patterns. Group-housed stallions presented more active behaviour within the indoor housing system (χ² (4) = 17.1, P < 0.01), likely due to greater space and social interactions. Stallions in group housing also displayed stronger correlations with synchronous eating (χ² (2) = 77.5, P < 0.001), resting (χ² (2) = 68.8, P < 0.001), and active (χ² (2) = 63.8, P < 0.001) behaviours, reflecting improved social cohesion. In contrast, individually stabled horses were more active in the paddock (χ² (4) = 44.6, P < 0.001), and covered greater distances, possibly compensating for reduced movement opportunities and limited social contact in the stable. Stallions trained in summer (T1) expressed more eating (χ² (4) = 25.6, P < 0.001) and less resting (χ² (4) = 28.7, P < 0.001) behaviours compared to winter (T2), likely due to seasonal factors such as daylight duration. In conclusion, housing systems had subtle effects on the expression of activity time budgets. Group housing was associated with greater behavioural synchrony and increased voluntary movement. A shorter daylight duration led to reduced eating and increased resting behaviour. Limitations of this study include the absence of recorded social behaviours, and a fourth cohort of group-housed stallions entering the preparation period in October. Sensor-based activity monitoring has proven to be an effective method for objectively quantifying behavioural time budgets, providing a valuable basis for future studies linking behaviour and welfare indicators
Beyond poverty, tungiasis is associated with family characteristics and parenting behavior: a case control study in Kenya
No full textBackground
Tungiasis is a neglected tropical skin disease caused by the sand flea Tunga penetrans . Female fleas burrow into the skin, typically of the feet, producing inflammation, pain, and itching. Although poverty is a major risk factor, not all households or children in the lowest economic bracket are affected, and boys appear disproportionately infected. This study investigated environmental and behavioral characteristics of households and children to explain these variations.
Methods
A total of 3,871 pupils (equal numbers of boys and girls) aged 8–14 years from 44 primary schools in Kwale and Siaya counties, Kenya, were examined for tungiasis. In each school, infected and uninfected pupils were randomly selected for household observations and caregiver interviews. Overall, 273 cases and 548 controls were enrolled, from whom 198 infected and 199 uninfected pupils were selected for in-depth interviews. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to identify risk factors at individual and household levels. Separate models were run for Kwale and Siaya due to contextual differences, and for boys and girls to explore sex-specific determinants.
Results
At household level, tungiasis was associated with higher odds in Muslim households in Kwale (aOR 2.44, 95% CI 1.28–4.62) and traditionist households in Siaya (aOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.06–4.86) compared to Christian households. Additional risk factors included having a male caregiver (Kwale: aOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.02–5.23), a child with disabilities (Siaya: aOR 7.19, 95% CI 1.64–31.65), and lack of caregiver involvement in schoolwork (Siaya: aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.13–3.19). For girls, infection odds were higher if parents rarely attended school meetings (aOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.00–4.44) or when mothers were frequently absent (aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.07–5.64). Caregiver stress scores were positively associated with infection risk across sexes (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00–1.06).
Conclusion
This study identifies novel risk factors for tungiasis beyond poverty, including caregiver characteristics, psychosocial stress, and parenting practices. Effective control interventions should integrate psychosocial support for caregivers and promote positive parenting alongside traditional One Health prevention and treatment strategies
Drivers of plant invasions and their scale-dependency in grasslands
No full textConservation and management policies for plant invasions often rely on coarse-scale data, while plant diversity effects on ecosystem functions and services are primarily driven by species interactions at small spatial scales. Yet, most evidence on invasion drivers at fine scales is limited to a single grain size, leaving uncertainty about their scale-dependency. Understanding such scale-dependency is essential for predicting and managing invasions effectively.
We sampled plant communities across grassland habitats in Ukraine to assess how native species richness, environmental factors, and anthropogenic disturbances influence community invasion level – the proportions of all alien species, and separately for invasive species (fast-spreading aliens at advanced stages of invasion), archaeophytes (introduced before 1500 CE) and neophytes (post-1500 CE aliens). By analysing these groups across six fine-grain areas (0.001–100 m2), we tested for scale-dependent effects.
Native species richness was the strongest driver of invasions, showing negative effects that weakened with increasing scale. Alien species were dominated by archaeophytes and occurred most in dry grasslands, and least in fringe, alpine, and mesic types, driven by climatic and disturbance gradients. A range of abiotic and anthropogenic drivers, including precipitation, temperature, disturbance, land use and urbanization also influenced invasion levels, but their importance varied with scale. Notably, the scale-dependency of invasion drivers differed among archaeophytes, neophytes, and invasive species.
Our results highlight the importance of separating alien groups and considering multiple spatial grains to avoid overlooking key drivers of invasion. Focusing on scale- and group-specific factors can enhance the ecological relevance and efficiency of conservation and management strategies targeting plant invasions
A Robust Heparin-Mimicking Polyglycerol-Based Coating for Blood-Contacting Devices with Long-Term Hemocompatibility and Preliminary Anti-Inflammatory Properties
No full textBlood-contacting medical devices play a crucial role in clinical interventions, but their susceptibility to thrombosis and inflammation poses serious risks to treatment outcomes and patient safety. This study presents a novel coating that combines dendritic polyglycerol amine (dPGA), dendritic polyglycerol aldehyde (dPG-CHO), and linear polyglycerol sulfate (lPGS) using a layer-by-layer self-assembly method (LBL) on a polystyrene surface. The immobilization of dendritic polyglycerol enhances surface coverage, enabling the incorporation of a higher density of heparin-mimicking lPGS, while the covalent bonding ensures the coating's long-term stability. Compared to the pristine substrate, the coating significantly reduced platelet adhesion and activation. Notably, its hemocompatibility effects persist even after 30 days. Furthermore, co-incubation experiments with RAW264.7 macrophages confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of the polyglycerol-based coating. These results demonstrate that this heparin-mimetic coating effectively improves the hemocompatibility of polystyrene and has the potential to be applied to other blood-contacting materials