Gutenberg Open Science (Univ. Mainz)
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(Un)dressed : how AI reinforces regressive gender politics
Get PDFOriginally designed for visual effects, deepfake technology is now widely misused for disinformation and digital harassment, particularly targeting women and marginalized groups. Cases like the Almendralejo incident highlight the serious harm of non-consensual intimate deepfakes, despite emerging legal measures such as the EU directive and Australia’s deepfake ban. However, meaningful change demands more than just regulation—it requires confronting the societal power dynamics that allow AI to be weaponized for exploitation
Legacy of the GDR : regional disparities in childhood maltreatment in post-unification Germany
Get PDFBackground
Previous research has identified growing up in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) as a protective factor against childhood abuse and neglect compared to growing up in the former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). This study investigates whether these differences persist among individuals born after German reunification, providing a novel focus on the post-unification generation and the possible transgenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment in Germany.
Method
The prevalence of self-reported abusive and neglected childhood experiences among 17- to 31-year-olds, stratified by gender and socio-political context (East/West), was examined using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Data of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KIGGS-study) between 2014 and 2017 was used. Logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of covariates such as age, subjective social status, and education on childhood trauma experiences.
Results
Altogether, 18.6% (East = 15.8%/ West = 19.0%) of the N = 5,982 participants reported at least one type of maltreatment. The prevalence of at least moderate abuse was found to be 6.8% (East = 5.8%/West = 7.0%) for emotional, 3.7% (East = 2.4%/West = 3.9%) for physical, and 3.3% (East = 1.9%/West = 3.6%) for sexual abuse, and a prevalence of 9.2% (East = 8.5%/West = 9.3%) for emotional and 8.7% (East = 7.4%/West = 8.9%) for physical neglect. Individuals residing in eastern German regions reported significant lower prevalence rates for sexual and physical abuse, as well as overall maltreatment.
Conclusion
Significant regional disparities in childhood maltreatment were observed among individuals raised in post-unification Germany, suggesting the persistence of sociopolitical influences from the former GDR as a protective factor. These findings underscore the importance of understanding transgenerational transmission factors of childhood maltreatment, such as parenting behaviors within differing sociopolitical contexts. The results have important implications for child welfare policies, emphasizing the need to address regional disparities and to incorporate historical and sociopolitical factors into future research and intervention strategies
Earplug use during sleep and its association with cardiovascular disease : results from a large sample of the general population
Get PDFIntroduction:
Environmental factors contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathogenesis. Noise annoyance is linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and earplug use may mitigate noise-related health effects. This study examines associations between earplug use, noise annoyance, and CVD in a general population sample.
Methods:
Cross-sectional data from 15,010 participants (35–74 years, 2007–2012) in the German Gutenberg Health Study were analyzed. Noise annoyance from various sources and earplug use during sleep were self-reported. Prevalent CVD (atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, chronic heart failure, peripheral artery disease, or venous thromboembolism) was determined through self-report or medical records. Logistic regression analyses with sequential adjustments evaluated associations.
Results:
Among 14,675 participants with earplug data, 713 (4.9%) reported use. Earplug users were more likely younger women with lower cardiovascular risk profiles but higher noise annoyance (90.3% vs. 78.8%). Logistic regression revealed consistent positive associations between earplug use and prevalent CVD across various noise sources, persisting after adjustments for covariates. For example, the odds ratio for earplug use and prevalent CVD, adjusted for neighborhood noise annoyance and other factors, was 1.91 (95% CI 1.39–2.59). No interaction between earplug use and noise annoyance was found.
Conclusions:
This study provides valuable insights into the relationships between earplug use, noise annoyance, and CVD. Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing noise-related cardiovascular risks and emphasize the complex dynamics of these factors in cardiovascular health
Before (e)valuating : student testing in History and Engineering
Get PDFUniversity examinations categorise students according to their individual achievements determined by teaching staff. This procedure serves the elicitation and certification of student knowledge and thus reproduces academic hierarchies. Drawing on empirical evidence from ethnographic fieldwork in Engineering and History departments, this article investigates the processes involved in designing and administering higher education examinations. It analyses the reciprocal relationship between lectures and examinations, the standardisation of lecture content through exam questions, and the use of administrative documents as examination infrastructure. The university examination is conceptualised as a distributed activity, involving various university units, each with its own specific logic, yet whose functions converge and overlap within teaching staff. The article argues that the growing significance of examinations, driven by national and global higher education reforms, is reshaping academic teaching practices in profound ways
The Th-acetate chemical equilibria : is it really that simple?
Get PDFThe Th/acetate chemical system is truly unique. While it was generally accepted that complexes with one to five acetate ligands are formed, in this work, the formation of hydrolyzed thorium acetate species has been discovered, leading to the redefinition and revisiting of this system. Using the coupling between capillary electrophoresis and ICP-MS, the first four Th-AcO constants have been re-evaluated. Under the experimental conditions, [Th(AcO)5]− was not observed. Instead, [Th(OH)(AcO)i]3–i(i = 3,4) species were detected. In CE-ICP-MS, kinetically stable species are studied by evaluating the peak areas, while labile species are studied through variations in electrophoretic mobility. For Th, both types of complexes have been observed simultaneously. Based on the variations in the peak area, we were able to determine the first Th4+ hydrolysis constant (log*K0 = −2.7 ± 0.2), in agreement with the value recommended by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) (log*K0 = −2.5 ± 0.5). Variations in electrophoretic mobility enabled us to determine the constants βi (i = 1 – 4) of [Th(AcO)i]4–i complexes at two ionic strengths (0.1 and 0.3 M NaClO4) and to extrapolate them with other data found in literature to zero ionic strength using the specific ion interaction theory (SIT). By combining the constants for the hydrolysis and the binary Th-AcO complexes, the formation constants for the [Th(OH)(AcO)i]3–i (i = 1 – 4) species were calculated
Operative versus Konservative Behandlung intrasellärer Prozesse – Vergleich der Behandlungsregime mit Blick auf die Lebensqualität und psychologische Belastung
Get PDF67 Seiten ; Diagramme, Illustratione
ROS1 expression correlates with inguinal lymph node affection in vulvar cancer patients : a retrospective study
Get PDFPurpose:
Systemic treatment options for vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) are limited. ROS1, a tyrosine kinase implicated, for example, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), has recently shown responsiveness to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This study investigated immunohistochemical ROS1 expression in VSCC to explore its potential as a future therapeutic target in this rare malignancy.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, 48 patients with VSCC undergoing vulvectomy were included. Clinicopathological data were collected in a standardized manner. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess ROS1 expression on an ordinal scale from 0 (absent staining) to 3 (> 50% of neoplastic cells demonstrated cytoplasmatic staining); levels 0 and 1 were considered negative, while 2 and 3 were rated as positive. After differences and correlations with clinicopathological parameters were evaluated between positive and negative tumors, we fitted logistic regression and survival models to assess the association of ROS1 with inguinal lymph node involvement and overall survival. Statistical analysis was conducted using GraphPad and Jamovi.
Results:
ROS1 IHC levels were associated with lymph node involvement [odds ratio (OR) 2.396, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.034–5.555, logistic regression, p = 0.042]. ROS1 positive tumors demonstrated no difference in overall survival compared with negative ones [hazards ratio (HR) 0.837, 95% CI 0.283–2.479, log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test, p = 0.738].
Conclusion:
ROS1 expression was associated with inguinal lymph node involvement but not overall survival among VSCC patients. Further studies are required to elucidate the role of ROS1 in VSCC therapeutics
Aberrant expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 13 (ADAMTS13) in pancreatic cancer leads to dichotomic functions
No full textPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers characterized by highly invasive growth into the surrounding peripancreatic fat tissue, where tumor cells can directly interact with adipocytes. Due to poor response to the currently available (radio)chemotherapies, there is an urgent need for advanced therapy concepts. The present study shows that ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 13), a key factor in blood coagulation, is significantly overexpressed in human PDAC. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that ADAMTS13 expression is associated with prolonged survival and negatively correlated with vascular density. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate its partial induction by leptin. Mechanistically, CRISPR/Cas-mediated ADAMTS13 knockout in PDAC cells resulted in reduced migration and invasion. In an avian xenograft tumor model, ADAMTS13 loss led to increased vascularization, decreased vascular length, and diminished tumor growth, accompanied by reduced expression of multiple key angiogenic and angioplastic factors. Furthermore, loss of ADAMTS13 was associated with decreased expression of mesenchymal markers. In conclusion, we identified an aberrant expression and alternative function of ADAMTS13 in PDAC linked to tumor progression, plasticity, and angiogenesis, partly induced by the peripancreatic fat tissue, making this metalloproteinase an interesting target for personalized therapies
General self-efficacy in East and West Germany : a comparison of two German representative cohorts in 2014 and 2022
No full textObjectives:
Empirical evidence increasingly highlights the importance of general self-efficacy (GEF) in preventing disease and promoting quality of life. While it is already known that GEF varies with socio-demographic factors, health variables and personality traits, little is known about the influence of socio-political context. The objective of the study was to examine and compare GEF between 2014 and 2022 in East and West Germany and to test differences regarding sex.
Study design
In 2014 (N = 2506) and 2022 (N = 2508), two large representative cohorts from the German general population were surveyed about their GEF using the General Self-Efficacy Short Scale (ASKU).
Methods:
A three-way ANCOVA were calculated to test the effect of region of residence, survey date, and sex controlling for age on GEF in a combined sample (N = 5014).
Results:
There was a significant decrease in GEF between 2014 and 2022. Women reported lower GEF than men. A statistically significant interaction was found between survey date and sex and between survey date, region of residence and sex on GEF. Almost the same patterns were observed for the ability to solve difficult and complex tasks well, with the exception, that men in East Germany reported an increase in the ability to solve difficult and complex tasks well from 2014 to 2022. The ability to solve most problems independently and to solve challenging and complex tasks well was mainly influenced by education and household income, rather than by the date of the survey, the region of residence or sex.
Conclusion:
Although regional differences in GEF were minimal, more pronounced variations emerged across sex and socioeconomic groups. These patterns likely stem from historical socio-political legacies and structural inequalities, potentially amplified by the impact of COVID-19 restrictions
Protease-activated receptor 4 deficiency increases mortality, intracranial bleeding, and blood-brain barrier impairment following traumatic brain injury in mice
No full textBackground:
Protease-activated receptors (PARs), comprising PAR1 to PAR4, play a critical role in hemostasis and are considered potential therapeutic targets. Clinical trials have evaluated the safety and dosage of PAR4 antagonists, and a pathogenic role of PAR4 has been demonstrated in animal models of coagulopathies, including hemorrhagic brain injury. However, there is a lack of studies regarding the acute effects of PAR4 deficiency (PAR4-/-) following experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Objectives:
To determine the role of PAR4 in cerebral hemostasis after TBI.
Methods:
Adult male PAR4-/- and genetically background-matched wild-type C57BL/6 mice (BL6; N = 22 each) were subjected to the controlled cortical impact model of TBI. We analyzed physiological and neurological parameters as well as (immuno-)histology and gene expression.
Results:
PAR4-/- mice exhibited increased mortality and body weight loss within 24 hours after TBI compared with BL6 mice. TBI-induced neurological deficits were similar between PAR4-/- and BL6 mice. Notably, PAR4-/- mice exhibited subdural hematoma, increased intracerebral hemorrhage, and blood-brain barrier leakage compared with BL6 mice. Severely impaired hemostasis was not associated with significant changes in brain lesion size or in the inflammatory activation of microglia and astrocytes in surviving mice.
Conclusion:
Our results demonstrate a crucial role for PAR4 in cerebral hemostasis following experimental TBI in mice and suggest that particular caution is warranted in the therapeutic management of PAR4-targeted treatment of coagulopathies