34711 research outputs found
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Agrivoltaics can reduce political polarization and local opposition to solar energy on land
Full text linkAs solar energy deployment on land intensifies, political polarization and local opposition increasingly challenge its social acceptance. We propose that agrivoltaics – a dual land-use technology that combines solar power generation with agricultural production – can help bridge ideological divides and reduce local opposition by minimizing land-use conflicts and offering additional benefits to rural communities. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a pre-registered, field-embedded experiment with a representative sample of 2,132 Swiss residents just prior to a national renewable energy referendum in June 2024. The study combined a personalized geolocated information treatment – highlighting the realistic local potential for agrivoltaics deployment – with a conjoint experiment varying key technology and project design attributes. We find that agrivoltaics garners broad public support across ideological groups and reduces local opposition, especially when projects are well integrated into agricultural landscapes, do not significantly reduce agricultural yields, and are locally owned. These findings underscore the importance of technology and project design in addressing local and right-leaning opposition to land-based solar energy
Advancing women’s performance in fitness and sports : an exploratory field study on hormonal monitoring and menstrual cycle-tailored training strategies
Full text linkBackground: Extensive research confirms that hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle significantly influence female athletic performance, with profound implications for public health, including promoting equitable access to sports and enhancing women’s overall physical and mental well-being. Numerous scientifically validated methods are available to monitor hormonal status and menstrual cycle phases. However, our prior investigations revealed that these insights are rarely applied in practice due to the complexity and invasiveness of existing methods. This study examines the effects of hormonal fluctuations on elite female basketball players. It assesses practical, non-invasive, cost-effective, and field-applicable methods for hormonal monitoring, with a focus on cervical mucus analysis for estrogen crystallization. The goal is to optimize training, promote equity in women’s sports, and support public health strategies for female empowerment through sustained physical activity, addressing the limitations of male-centric training models.
Materials and Methods: This exploratory field study employed a multifaceted approach, beginning with a comprehensive meta-analysis via literature searches on PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar to evaluate hormonal impacts on physical performance, supplemented by an expert survey of 20 sports scientists and coaches using Kendall’s concordance coefficient for reliability and an experimental phase involving 25 elite female Ukrainian basketball players assessed over three months through daily performance tests (e.g., sprints, jumps, agility drills, and shooting) integrated into six weekly training sessions, with cycle phases tracked via questionnaires, basal body temperature, and the fern leaf method for estrogen levels.
Results: Performance peaked during the postmenstrual and post-ovulatory phases (e.g., a 7.5% increase in sprint time and a 5.1% improvement in running jump). It declined in the premenstrual phase (e.g., a 2.3% decrease in acceleration). The estrogen crystallization test using cervical mucus provided preliminary insights into hormonal status but was less precise than laboratory-based methods, such as LC-MS/MS, which remain impractical for routine use due to cost and complexity. The fern test and basal body temperature showed limited precision due to external factors.
Conclusions: There is a critical need to develop simple, non-invasive, field-applicable devices for accurate, real-time hormonal monitoring. This will bridge the gap between research and practice, enhancing training personalization, equity in women’s fitness and sports, and public health outcomes by increasing female participation in physical activities, reducing gender-based health disparities, and fostering inclusive wellness programs
The evolution of tourism, hospitality, and service management
No full textTourism, hospitality, and service management are dynamic industries shaped by globalization, technology, evolving consumer expectations, and sustainability. As key drivers of economic growth and cultural exchange, they continuously adapt to broader societal shifts. This section examines contemporary challenges, trends, and innovations in these industries through interdisciplinary perspectives, including business studies, psychology, sustainability, marketing, and economics. It offers theoretical insights and practical implications, bridging academic inquiry with industry practice
Facility and real estate management
No full textThe convergence facility and real estate management is propelled by macroeconomic trends, emphasizing cost savings and strategic use of facility management to reduce operating costs, financing, and investments. Legal requirements and sustainability regulations, particularly in the European Union, further drive the merging of these disciplines, addressing the significant environmental impact of the real estate and construction sector. Traditional distinctions between institutional real estate management, corporate real estate management, and facility management blur as sustainability and macroeconomic shifts reshape these fields. Property owners now require understanding in architecture, workplace management, facility management, and civil engineering, particularly in industries like life sciences. Facility management׳s multidisciplinary approach, influenced by urbanization and economic understanding, plays a pivotal role in the efficiency, productivity, and well-being of societies. Overcoming disagreements in literature regarding the relationship between facility and real estate management is crucial. Professionals in real estate and facility management face challenges necessitating a holistic infrastructure management approach, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Future specialists must possess transdisciplinary knowledge in real estate, workplace and facility management, financing, economics, digital transformation, sustainability, and leadership to address complex tasks, including the sustainability transformation of existing buildings
Tumor mutational burden predicts neoantigen profiles and immunotherapy response in microsatellite stable tumors across different cancer types
Full text linkIntroduction: Immunotherapy has shown positive response in many patients with microsatellite instable (MSI-H) tumors, but its effectiveness in microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors remains limited. We hypothesize that tumor mutational burden (TMB) can help identify a biologically distinct subset of MSS tumors that can benefit from immunotherapy.
Methods: We analyzed the molecular characteristics, including mutational landscape, mutational signatures, immune cell profiles and neoantigen load of MSS tumors with high TMB using data from colorectal cancer datasets (TCGA-COAD and TCGA-READ). After that, we extended these findings across other cancer types with MSI classification, further supporting the potential of using TMB as a biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response in MSS tumors.
Results: Our results show that MSS tumors with TMB greater than 50 mutations per megabase have POLE gene mutations, which lead to hypermutation. These hypermutated tumors show immune cell signatures that are more similar to MSI-H tumors, rather than MSS tumors with low TMB. We also found that MSS tumors with high TMB have a substantially higher number of neoantigens compared to low-TMB MSS tumors, suggesting they may respond better to immunotherapy, including a high proportion of predicted high-affinity neoantigens.
Discussion: These findings support the clinical relevance of TMB as a biomarker for neoantigen prediction and immunotherapy-relevant features in MSS tumors
Calculation of GNSS differential code biases via ionospheric delay interpolation
Full text linkIn this study, the station bias of a stationary Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station located on the rooftop of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) building was calculated and analyzed. Using a Septentrio mosaic-X5 development board receiver, data was collected over a four-week period in early 2024. The analysis focused on calculating station biases for GPS L1-L5 and Galileo E1-E5a frequency combinations. GNSS signals experience frequency-dependent ionospheric delays, which must be accounted for when calculating station biases. Since station biases and ionospheric delays are indistinguishable in the measurements, the ionospheric delay must first be calculated to isolate the station bias. To achieve this, a methodology based on pseudorange differences was applied, leveraging surrounding International GNSS Service (IGS) stations to interpolate ionospheric delays and isolate the station-dependent bias term. To validate the methodology, station biases of the IGS station in Hügelheim, Germany (BRMG) were computed and compared with corresponding values taken out of published Differential Code Bias (DCB) product files. A comparison of the mean, standard deviation and range between the 2.5% and 97.5% quantiles showed high levels of commonality in variance and statistical distribution, as confirmed by Levene tests.
For the ZHAW station, calculated biases were compared to BRMG and three other IGS stations. While biases for station BRMG and the station in Padova, Italy (PADO) were statistically similar, stations Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany (OBE4) and Zimmerwald, Switzerland (ZIM2) showed greater variability. Despite the uncertainties in comparing the self-calculated station bias to the published DCBs, the statistical similarity with IGS stations like BRMG and PADO indicate a robust methodology. Therefore, the results for ZHAW can be considered as reliable values. The analysis of ZHAW station biases revealed mean values of 1.95 m for GPS and 1.51 m for Galileo, calculated over the whole evaluation period. These values can be used as station bias corrections for a limited period, assuming relative stability over time. However, to ensure long-term accuracy, future work should focus on extending the observation period to assess potential seasonal variations. If significant variations are observed, seasonal station bias values could serve as an intermediate solution, providing more precise corrections without requiring daily computations
Transforming higher education : driving innovation in higher education through digital transformation?
Full text linkLeLa and other digitalisation projects in higher education didactics aim to achieve a range of educational innovation outcomes by enhancing digital skills. In this article, we explore how this digital transformation initiative in higher education relates to organisational innovation more broadly. This raises an important question: How can such projects foster organisational change that results in meaningful and sustainable innovation? To address this, we offer insights from an organisational change perspective, focusing on how the LeLa project could extend its impact beyond its initial conclusion and achieve wider influence. We argue that the inherent complexity of the processes involved necessitates a context-specific, multi-level approach – distinguishing between different levels such as didactic and organisational
Sofort-Gewohnheiten : wie kollektive Wenn-Dann Pläne die Zielerreichung im Team unterstützen
No full textConstruction of a SuperSpectrum for rapid identification of opportunistic human pathogens belonging to the genus Phytobacter using whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS
No full textBackground: Members of the genus Phytobacter, part of the Enterobacteriaceae, represent an emerging clinical threat. Standard identification methodologies often fail to accurately identify members of this genus because they are absent from current clinical databases. Molecular techniques are thus pivotal for differentiating Phytobacter from similar genera such as Pantoea, Kluyvera, and Kosakonia. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) provides a rapid, reliable, and cost-effective method for identification.
Methods: A Phytobacter-specific SuperSpectrum was constructed from 18 well-characterized isolates using standardized culture conditions, protein extraction, and triplicate MALDI-TOF MS acquisition. Only conserved, high-quality peaks were retained in the final model. Its performance was evaluated using 282 retrospective isolates and 23 prospective Phytobacter-suspect isolates. All Phytobacter identifications, along with 154 non-Phytobacter identifications, were benchmarked against API 20E biochemical testing, VITEK-2 automated identification, MALDI-TOF MS current database for in vitro diagnostic analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).
Results: Spectral clustering showed consistent separation of Phytobacter at the genus level. Integration of the new SuperSpectrum into the MALDI-TOF MS SARAMIS database enabled accurate identification, leading to the identification of two retrospective Phytobacter out of 282 Enterobacterales isolates. Finally, prospective testing of 23 contemporary isolates suspected to belong to Phytobacter confirmed their identification against the new reference spectra, achieving 100% concordance with WGS identification, demonstrating the reliability of the updated database for genus-level identification.
Conclusion: Phytobacter identification by MALDI-TOF MS provides a rapid alternative method for molecular identification of this emerging pathogen
The 12-month prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of intimate partner violence in Germany : findings from a representative population survey
No full textIntimate partner violence (IPV) and its consequences are recognized as a serious global issue. Regular monitoring of prevalence rates and associated factors is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention efforts and to identify vulnerable populations. However, representative and up-to-date data on the 12-month prevalence of IPV and its sociodemographic correlates in Germany remain rare. This study provides such estimates using survey data on sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported physical and sexual IPV victimization from a randomly selected representative sample of the German population aged 16 years and older. Prevalence rates were analyzed descriptively, and associations with sociodemographic characteristics were examined using multiple linear regression analysis. Among the N = 1,522 individuals who were currently in a relationship or had been in one within the past year, 7.8% reported physical IPV victimization (60% were female victims) and 3.7% reported sexual IPV victimization (81% were female victims). For both types of IPV, prevalence rates differed significantly by sex. Physical and sexual IPV were moderately correlated (r = .46, p < .001). Physical IPV victimization was more likely among unemployed, unmarried, and lower-income individuals. Sexual IPV was more prevalent among women, individuals with at least one minor child, those who were unemployed, and those who were not married. Current unemployment showed the strongest association with both forms of IPV. These findings underscore the continued public-health relevance of IPV in Germany, highlighting the importance of sustained monitoring and the need to consider sociodemographic indicators when planning resources and designing inclusive support services