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Analysis of high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage system performances with heterogeneous permeability distribution, insights from a case study in Burgwedel, Germany
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347 Federal Ministry of Education and Research Bonn Offic
How the discrepancy between expectation and outcome influences expectation change in relation to depressive symptoms – Results from four experimental studies
No full textData Quality Insights from the World’s Largest Geochemical Rock Database
No full textThe GEOROC database (Geochemistry of Rocks of the Oceans and Continents) was born in 1999 at the Max Planck Institute in Mainz (Germany) under the leadership of A. W. Hofmann and B. Sarbas. For 25 years, GEOROC has served the geochemical community and now has more than 685000+ data sets for whole rock, glass and mineral analyses. Since 2021 the database has been curated and further developed as part of the DIGIS project from its new home at the University of Göttingen, and now also offers a data repository service.
In the era of AI, chatbots and scraping algorithms, geochemical data can be scraped from the internet into un-curated piles and fed to generalized data analysis models. In this context, the greatest strength of our well-curated expert reviewed data products that can give users the necessary critical metadata to scrutinize analytical data and their quality for tracing geochemical transport processes on global to micron scales. In this talk, we dive deep into the lessons we have learned and the tools we are developing using GEOROC as a case study: Where do errors occur during compositional data publication, how we can identify the type and source of errors ? Quality control of long-tail analytical data is of general concern and our approaches may be applicable to other fields of Earth System Science as well
Agroforestry as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: Evidence from Ghana’s Cocoa Sector
No full textClimate change is intensifying extreme weather events such as droughts and extreme temperatures, threatening agricultural systems. In sub-Saharan Africa, where most farmers rely on rainfed agriculture, the impacts are particularly severe. Agroforestry practices have the potential to provide a viable climate change adaptation strategy for many farmers. The ecological and economic benefits of agroforestry systems have been well studied, yet the extent to which agroforestry can enhance resilience towards adverse weather events at the household level, such as drought, remains largely unknown. Using a two-wave panel data set of 365 cocoa producing households and publicly available satellite climate data, we investigate whether the effect of drought differs between agroforestry adopters and non-adopters. We find that on average, agroforestry adopters are less severely affected by reduced rainfall. However, when disaggregating between regions that differ in climatic suitability, we find that this effect holds only in regions that are climatically suitable for cocoa production. In contrast, we do not find any significant effects in less suitable regions, where farmers are more prone to drought stress. Our findings suggest that agroforestry can serve as a climate adaptation strategy, though future research is needed to better understand under what conditions its benefits can be realised best.Keywords: Agroforestry, Cocoa, Climate-smart agriculture, Climate change adaptation, GhanaJEL: O13, Q01, Q54, Q56, Q5
Modelling of past, current and future distribution of suitable habitat for Menelik’s bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus meneliki Neumann, 1902) in the Ethiopian highlands
No full textAbstract Background Wildlife species adapted to the Afro-alpine highlands are vulnerable to loss of habitat due to global warming accompanying potential upward shifts and elevational range contractions of their preferred habitats. Understanding the trends in the shift of suitable habitats of endemic taxa is key to planning the conservation and management of species. Therefore, this study aimed to model the distribution of Menelik’s bushbuck, a spiral-horned antelope endemic to Ethiopian highlands across the past (Last Glacial Maximum, and Mid-Holocene), present, and future. Methods We performed the ensemble modelling implemented in the “sdm” R package using 6 modelling techniques (MaxEnt, Generalized Linear Model, Generalized Additive Model, Random Forest, Boosted Regression Tree, and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines). We combined 248 occurrence points of Menelik’s bushbuck with 12 climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic variables. We selected these variables from originally 24 variables using the VIF step procedure to avoid highly correlated predictor variables for the final model run. Results The performance of the ensemble model was excellent having AUC = 0.97 and TSS = 0.88 values. Bio6 (minimum temperature of the coldest month) contributed most to the distribution of Menelik’s bushbuck followed by bio12 (annual precipitation) and elevation. The model projection estimated the suitable habitat of Menelik’s bushbuck steadily decreases with increasing representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios and projection years. The current suitable habitat of this species is estimated to be 25,546 km2 whereas the Mid-Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum potential habitats was about 60,282.24 km2 and 33,652 km2 respectively. The magnitude of the loss of suitable habitats of Menelik’s bushbuck will be highest in 2050 and 2070 under RCP 8.5 climate scenarios showing the loss in the currently suitable habitats of this species is over 95.1% and 99.8% respectively. Conclusion Melelik’s bushbuck has lost suitable habitat since the LGM and the loss will be greatest in the future due to climate change and land use change. The sharp decline of the suitable habitat will greatly threaten the future survival of the species. Our modelling can assist in identifying potential refuge areas for the species to assist in its preservation
Hypertension and diabetes screening uptake in adults aged 40–70 in Indonesia: a knowledge, attitudes, and practices study
No full textAbstract Background Diabetes and hypertension are major global health crises, yet Indonesia is lagging behind in achieving care outcomes compared to other middle-income countries. We examined barriers to screening uptake, a key care entry point, in 40–70-year-old adults in Aceh, Indonesia. Methods We assessed individual-level data on diabetes and hypertension screenings in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar in 2019. Using two-stage random sampling, we collected survey data on 2080 adults that are indicated for, but had not undergone diabetes screening as per World Health Organization’s Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Intervention guidelines. Using this, we adjusted the data for complex survey design to describe (1) the share of respondents with screening indication and presence of risk factors; (2) disease-related knowledge, attitude, and practices, as well as (3) estimate associations of screening with socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes using multivariable linear and logistic regression. Results We found that while respondents were aware of diabetes and hypertension, a majority lacked knowledge about leading risk factors, the conditions’ potentially asymptomatic nature, and screening needs. About 41% of respondents never had any blood pressure or glucose check, the primary reason reported being not feeling ill. Blood glucose checks were rarely conducted. We found rural location and lower education to be associated with lower disease-related knowledge, and lower wealth with lower knowledge and screening uptake. Conclusions Barriers to screening uptake in Aceh, Indonesia, include misconceptions around hypertension and diabetes, provider-specific challenges especially around the provision of glucose testing, and socioeconomic gradients
The Effect of Swiss Free Trade Agreements on Agricultural Trade
No full textAs a country highly dependent on imports, Switzerland has many free trade agreements (FTAs) that liberalise trade barriers. We assess how these agreements affect Swiss agricultural imports at different margins of trade adjustment. We estimate reduced-form gravity models using agricultural trade data for 202 partner countries from 2004 to 2022. We find that Swiss FTAs increase agricultural import values by 8.75%, decrease import prices by 3%, increase the probability of imports by 2% and reduce market exit rates by 1%. These effects are heterogeneous across products, sectors, and agreements. Regarding import values and quantities, the positive effects of FTAs are mainly observed for raw products (including vegetables, fruits and nuts, coffee, tea, and spices). However, the estimated effects are negative for processed products. Regarding import prices the effects are positive whenever they are statistically significant. We also find that the number of competing agreements a Swiss trade partner is exposed to only marginally affects Swiss imports. We extend our analysis to agricultural exports and find that FTAs increase Swiss export values by 47%, quantities by 53% and prices by 3% but do not affect export probabilities or export market exit rates. Thus, although Swiss FTAs generally boost trade on average, policymaking should consider the heterogeneities of the estimated FTA effects regarding products, agreements, and time when using FTA estimates for counterfactual analysis and negotiations
FOXG1 Syndrome
No full textClinical characteristics: FOXG1 syndrome is characterized by moderate-to-profound developmental delay and intellectual disability, postnatal growth deficiency, congenital or postnatal microcephaly, hyperkinetic/dyskinetic movement disorder, hypotonia, neurobehavioral/psychiatric manifestations (motor stereotypies, impairment of social interaction, abnormal sleep patterns, unexplained episodes of crying, restlessness, and bruxism), feeding difficulties with poor weight gain, strabismus, seizures, spasticity, gastroesophageal reflux, and aspiration. Some individuals have cortical visual impairment, kyphosis, scoliosis, and/or abnormal breathing. Characteristic neuroimaging findings include corpus callosum anomalies (especially a marked, filiform thinning of the rostrum of the corpus callosum), a simplified gyral pattern, and hyperplasia of the fornices.
Diagnosis: The diagnosis of FOXG1 syndrome is established in a proband with clinical and/or characteristic neuroimaging findings and a heterozygous pathogenic variant in FOXG1 identified by molecular genetic testing.
Management: Treatment of manifestations: Developmental and educational support; consideration of anti-dyskinetic pharmacotherapy; treatment for seizures by an experienced neurologist; treatment of spasticity per orthopedist; physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, and occupational therapy to help avoid contractures and falls; anti-spasmodic pharmacotherapy; feeding therapy with gastrostomy tube placement as needed; standard treatment of gastroesophageal reflux; treatment for refractive errors and strabismus per ophthalmologist; standard treatments for scoliosis; social work and family support.
Surveillance: At each visit, monitor developmental progress, educational needs, seizures, changes in tone, movement disorders, growth, nutritional status, and safety of oral intake; behavioral assessment for irritability and sleep issues; assess for evidence of gastroesophageal reflux, aspiration, and/or respiratory insufficiency; physical medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy assessment for mobility and self-help skills; monitor for strabismus and need for low vision services per treating ophthalmologist; assess family needs.
Genetic counseling: FOXG1 syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder typically caused by a de novo pathogenic variant. Risk to future pregnancies is presumed to be low as the proband most likely has a de novo FOXG1 pathogenic variant. There is, however, a recurrence risk to sibs based on the possibility of parental germline mosaicism. Given this risk, prenatal and preimplantation genetic testing may be considered
Instantaneous Normal Modes of Yukawa Liquids
No full textABSTRACT The instantaneous normal mode (INM) approach, which extends the normal mode description of collective excitations in solids to liquids, is applied to strongly coupled, three‐dimensional Yukawa liquids. Based on data from Langevin dynamics simulations, we compute the instantaneous normal modes across a wide range of coupling and screening parameters. Yukawa liquids at weak to moderate screening exhibit a pronounced maximum in the INM density of states, which disappears as the coupling decreases or screening becomes stronger. The fraction of unstable modes displays a quasi‐universal behavior, which can be described to a large extent by an effective coupling strength. The relation of the INM approach to the quasi‐localized charge approximation (QLCA) is explored in some detail. In particular, the QLCA dispersion relation can be recovered explicitly from an appropriately weighted mode spectrum
Functional thalamocortical innervation of VIP- and SST-expressing GABAergic interneurons in mouse barrel cortex
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 German Research Foundatio