68034 research outputs found
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Embedding Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions: A Review of Practices and Challenges
No full textHigher education institutions (HEIs) contribute to society and the planet by producing future implementers of sustainability, addressing the climate crisis, and promoting nature-positive actions through research. Despite their positive contributions, given the total number of HEIs globally, and the scale at which they operate, their environmental footprint negatively impacts the environment. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) alone were insufficient to integrate sustainability in HEIs without initiatives by universities and non-profits since the 1970s. An analysis of the past and current state of sustainability integration in HEIs reveals a disparity in sustainability reporting and rankings between the Global North and Global South. Furthermore, the number of universities participating in sustainability reporting and rankings is significantly low. Sustainability in HEIs must extend beyond curriculum and research, requiring standardized reporting frameworks, adequate budgets for enforcing sustainability, better impact assessment metrics, and support for the Global South
Green-light Cerium Photocatalysis enabled by Pyridine N-oxide Ligands
No full textWe report pyridine N-oxides as neutral ligands in cerium photocatalysis. By using those neutral ligands, photoactive Ce(IV)-species are generated, that show an extensive bathochromic shift compared to previously employed cerium-based complexes. This allows the effective utilization of green light in the redox-neutral CH-hydrazination of small molecules under very mild photocatalytic conditions
Data archive of "Coherent suppression of high harmonics in Dirac materials"
No full textDataset with plot data of the preprint "Coherent suppression of high harmonics in Dirac materials
Ego depletion and its role regarding the attitudes and behavior toward sustainable food consumption
Get PDFObjectives: The study’s main goal was to investigate the effect of ego depletion
on explicit and implicit attitudes and behavior toward sustainable food
consumption in the context of dual-process models describing sustainable
behavior.
Methods: 171 student participants completed an explicit rating and an affective
priming task, respectively, at pre- and post-intervention, namely a six-minute
transcription task to induce ego depletion. They then conducted a decisionmaking
task (sustainable vs. less-sustainable chocolate bar) to test sustainable
behavior during ego depletion.
Results: Contrary to our hypotheses, explicit attitudes toward sustainable
nutrition remained stable across conditions, showing no significant decline
in the depletion group. Unexpectedly, implicit attitudes toward sustainable
vegetarian nutrition became more negative over time, irrespective of the
experimental condition. In the decision-making task, participants’ behavior was
primarily predicted by their explicit attitudes post-intervention, rather than their
implicit attitudes or ego depletion state.
Conclusion: These findings challenge the assumption that ego depletion
weakens explicit attitudes toward sustainable behavior, particularly vegetarian
nutrition. Instead, explicit attitudes appear to be stable and the predominant
predictor of sustainable food choices
The Influence of Sedimentation on the Composition of the Lipoaspirate and the Effects on Further Mechanical Processing
Get PDFManual processing of lipoaspirate can enhance stem cell concentration, thereby improving the take rate, which still represents a major challenge in autologous fat transfer. However, since the preparation consists of many manual steps that are difficult to standardize, we investigated the influence of residual tumescent solution on the macroscopic and microscopic outcome of the mechanically processed lipoaspirate. Additionally, we investigated whether sedimentation followed by vacuum filtration of the aqueous phase could accelerate processing by replacing the initial centrifugation step. Samples with more than 5% remaining aqueous phase show no clearly defined oil phase, preventing any volume reduction. In contrast, all centrifuged samples produced a clear oil phase. The remaining tissue, as confirmed by both histology and viability assays, was superior to nanofat. Although sedimentation and filtration in the LipoCollector did not sufficiently separate enough aqueous phase from the lipoaspirate, tissue viability was significantly higher compared to our control container. Our findings indicate that centrifugation remains essential for effective aqueous phase separation and further mechanical processing, while the automatic filtration may enhance processing efficiency. These results indicate that further work is needed to simplify mechanical processing, as the outcome can be significantly influenced by parameters such as tumescent impurities
Adipose Tissue-Derived Therapies for Osteoarthritis: Multifaceted Mechanisms and Clinical Prospects
Get PDFOsteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that significantly impacts quality of life and poses a growing economic burden. Adipose tissue-derived therapies, including both cell-based and cell-free products, have shown promising potential in promoting cartilage repair, modulating inflammation, and improving joint function. Recent studies and clinical trials have demonstrated their regenerative effects, highlighting their feasibility as a novel treatment approach for OA. This review summarises the therapeutic mechanisms and latest advancements in adipose tissue-derived therapies, providing insights into their clinical applications and future prospects
Hydrogen-Bond-Assisted Chalcogen Transfer between Phosphine Selenides and Arsine Oxides
Get PDFThe Brønsted acid catalysis is widely regarded as one of the most effective methods for activating inert substrates and enabling unique reactivity. In this work, we introduce the first example of H-bond-assisted chalcogen exchange between arsine oxides and phosphine selenides under mild conditions, providing a powerful approach to the synthesis of arsine selenides. The reaction proceeds successfully in both protic and aprotic solvents and is accelerated by the presence of any nonaqueous acid. This newly discovered reaction is tested for various arsine oxides R3AsO (R = Ph, Et, nBu, iPr) and phosphine selenides R3PSe (R = Ph, Me, Et, tBu) and overall demonstrates high conversion, although the use of reagents with bulky substituents significantly hinders its efficiency. The reaction mechanism involves the formation of a four-membered cyclic transition state, which requires overcoming steric and electrostatic repulsion, as well as significant distortion of the reagents’ tetrahedral geometry. Hydrogen bonding with the As═O fragment helps to reduce electrostatic repulsion between the P═Se and As═O groups, making the formation of the cyclic intermediate more favorable
Model-driven Digital Twins for AECO
No full textDigital Twins (DTs) are becoming central to the architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) domain, enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and life cycle encompassing optimization of building operations through unified virtual representations of physical assets. However, practical deployment remains challenging due to fragmented data sources, domain-specific engineering workflows, and the absence of standardized integration frameworks. To address these issues, we present a model-driven framework for scalable DT deployment, grounded in Building Information Modeling (BIM). Our approach automates the extraction of domain semantics and the generation of runtime interfaces, thereby reducing manual effort and enhancing maintainability. The framework integrates Eclipse Hono and Ditto for real-time data exchange and leverages Unreal Engine for rich, interactive visualization. It also features standardized extension points to enable modular, service-oriented DT platforms. We demonstrate the practical application of our approach in a Living Lab case study and evaluate the entanglement of the resulting DT using the Overall Digital Twin Entanglement (ODTE) metric, underscoring its interoperability and architectural soundness
Long-term follow-up of sternoclavicular joint injuries with functional outcome analysis from a single-center study
No full textPurpose
Sternoclavicular (SC) joint injuries are uncommon, limiting comprehensive insights into their clinical management. This study analyzes long-term outcomes, preferred diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and variations in treatment approaches and subsequent results.
Methods
A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on traumatic SC joint injuries treated at a Level-1 Trauma Center between January 2004 and October 2016. Chronic, degenerative, tumor-related cases, incomplete records, and incorrectly coded ICD-10 diagnoses were excluded. Ethical approval was obtained. Patient data on demographics, injury details, diagnostics, and therapeutic interventions were collected. Functional outcomes were assessed using ASES and QuickDASH scores.
Results
Seventeen SC joint injuries were included (14 Allmann type III and 3 Allmann types I–II). Functional outcome data were available for 13 patients (76% response rate) with a mean follow-up of 6.5 ± 4.4 years. Non-surgical approaches were effective for Allmann type I–II injuries. Anterior dislocations yielded good functional outcomes with both conservative and surgical treatment. Posterior dislocations were successfully managed with closed reduction or surgery, resulting in favorable long-term function.
Conclusion
This study, one of the largest long-term follow-ups of SC joint injuries, confirms the rarity of these injuries but demonstrates promising functional outcomes with timely diagnosis and appropriate management
Mental and physical health in persons receiving inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation treatment for post-COVID condition
No full textBackground
Post-COVID condition is most commonly associated with physical symptoms such as dyspnea on exertion, difficulty in concentration, fatigue, and frailty but meta-analyses also document high rates of mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Methods and findings
In the current study, 140 persons (66% female) receiving inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation treatment for post-COVID condition for an average of 27 days (SD = 11) completed self-report measures on mental and physical health at admission and discharge. At admission, 54%, 36%, 36%, and 14% screened positively for somatoform syndrome, generalized anxiety, depression, and PTSD, respectively. Higher pulmonary functioning related to higher self-reported physical functioning (but not to measures of mental health) at admission. Several self-reported indicators for mental and physical health improved from admission to discharge.
Conclusions
The current study corroborates findings about the high mental and physical burden of post-COVID condition. However, both mental and physical symptoms show partial improvement during a specialized inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation treatment