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Q fever endocarditis of the tricuspid valve transmitted in an urban setting with no livestock exposure: Case report
No full textBackground: Coxiella burnetii is a bacterium with extreme tenacity and contagiousness that is mainly transmitted by inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Nevertheless, a transmission by ticks is under discussion. We report a case of Q fever in an urban environment and far away from sheep breeding that caused a rare right-sided endocarditis. Case presentation: A 55-year-old man who was in good health before the event developed a C. burnetii -endocarditis of the tricuspid valve. He had no contact with sheep and no recent travel in a rural or even endemic area. The infection originated in a strictly urban environment, and the patient’s occupation as a cemetery gardener in Berlin, coupled with the close temporal and local exposure to wild boar, made a transmission by these animals a plausible hypothesis. The infection was confirmed by the German Reference Laboratory, and the patient recovered completely after treatment with doxycycline and hydrochlorquine. Conclusions: The specialities of this case report are the right-sided endocarditis and the transmission of C. burnetii in a metropolitan area without sheep contact. We think that this case should serve to increase awareness of the potential for Q fever infection even in non-rural areas.Peer Reviewe
Controlled-environment agriculture for an urbanised world? A comparative analysis of the innovation systems in London, Nairobi and Singapore
No full textMultiple crises and challenges in the food sector are driving a rising need for innovative food production methods that could provide a growing urban population with high-quality, sustainable and healthy food while strengthening the resilience of food systems. Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) in urban areas has been proposed as one possible pathway to address these demands. Despite its various potential benefits, CEA is still in a conceptual or experimental stage and there has been less research that focuses on the specificities of urban areas where it could be implemented. Using the Urban Food Production Innovation System (UFoPrInS) concept, this paper analyses the urban contexts and enabling and impeding factors for implementing CEA in three contrasting locations: London, Nairobi and Singapore. Based on document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews, our findings show that Singapore is a favourable location because public policies support the implementation of CEA to reduce food import dependency and enhance the resilience of food supply. In London, high food import dependency is increasingly seen as problematic, but the implementation of CEA has been hampered by other policy priorities. In Nairobi, where over half of the population lives in informal settlements without adequate food, water and sanitation, CEA is unlikely to make an economically efficient contribution to food security. We conclude that the implementation of CEA might be suitable in locations with ample capital and knowledge, stable political, social, and infrastructure conditions, and limited space, where value can be linked to hospitality and tourism, supported by positive pricing for resource savings.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschunghttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (1034)Peer Reviewe
Determination of calcium, iron, and selenium in human serum by isotope dilution analysis using nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure plasma mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS)
No full textIn this study, we demonstrate the applicability of nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) for Ca, Fe, and Se quantification in human serum using isotope dilution (ID) analysis. The matrix tolerance of MICAP-MS in Na matrix was investigated, revealing that high Na levels can suppress the signal intensity. This suppression is likely due to the plasma loading and the space charge effect. Moreover, 40 Ca and 44 Ca isotopic fractionation was noted at elevated Na concentration. Nine certified serum samples were analyzed using both external calibration and ID analysis. Overestimation of Cr, Zn, As, and Se was found in the results of external calibration, which might result from C-induced polyatomic interference and signal enhancement, respectively. Further investigations performed with methanol showed a similar enhancement effect for Zn, As, and Se, potentially supporting this assumption. The mass concentrations determined with ID analysis show metrological compatibility with the reference values, indicating that MICAP-MS combined with ID analysis can be a promising method for precise Ca, Fe, and Se determination. Moreover, this combination reduces the influence of matrix effects, broadening the applicability of MICAP-MS for samples with complex matrixes.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -Prüfunghttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100009553Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) (4232)Peer Reviewe
Unveiling the Multidimensional Nature of the Intention–Behavior Gap
No full textAbstract: The intention-behavior gap (IBG) is a central challenge in health psychology, with significant implications for behavior change and health promotion. Prevailing approaches to IBG assessment involve quantifying it as either the proportion of unexplained variance in behavior attributable to intention or the ratio of unsuccessful intenders to all intenders. While these concepts provide insight into IBG variation at the between-person level, the major part of the variation of intentions and behaviors is at the within-person level. This paper addresses these limitations by introducing a novel framework, in which the IBG is mathematically conceptualized as a multidimensional difference between an individual’s behavioral intention and the individual’s subsequent observed behavior. Key tenets of this framework include: (1) Recognizing the dynamic nature of intentions as a fundamental driver of IBG, with the timing of intention measurement playing a crucial role in predicting behavior. (2) Highlighting the importance of within-person factors and contextual intricacies in influencing the translation of intentions into behavior. (3) Emphasizing the need for intensive longitudinal data with frequent measurements within individuals to capture the dynamic intention-behavior relation in daily life. This framework also highlights implications for study designs, theory, and interventions in health psychology and offers promising avenues for reducing the IBG and improving health behavior outcomes.Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Open access publication enabled by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.Peer Reviewe
Molecular detection of trypanosomes of the Trypanosoma livingstonei species group in diverse bat species in Central Cameroon
No full textBats are hosts for diverse Trypanosoma species, including trypanosomes of the Trypanosoma cruzi clade. This clade is believed to have originated in Africa and diversified in many lineages worldwide. In several geographical areas, including Cameroon, no data about trypanosomes of bats has been collected yet. In this study, we investigated the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of trypanosomes of different bat species in the central region of Cameroon. Trypanosome infections were detected in six bat species of four bat families, namely Hipposideridae, Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, and Vespertilionidae, with an overall prevalence of 29% and the highest infection rate in hipposiderid bat species . All trypanosomes were identified as belonging to the Trypanosoma livingstonei species group with one clade that might represent an additional subspecies of T. livingstonei . Understanding the prevalence, distribution, and host range of parasites of this group contributes to our overall knowledge of the diversity and host specificity of trypanosome species that phylogenetically group at the base of the T. cruzi clade.Peer Reviewe
Synthesis and phase purity of the negative thermal expansion material ZrV2O7†
No full textSynthesis of pure, homogeneous, and reproducible materials is key for the comprehensive understanding, design, and tailoring of material properties. In this study, we focus on the synthesis of ZrV2O7, a material known for its negative thermal expansion properties. We investigate the influence of solid-state and wet chemistry synthesis methods on the purity and homogeneity of ZrV2O7 samples. Our findings indicate that different synthesis methods significantly impact the material's characteristics. The solid-state reaction provided high-purity material through extended milling time and repeated calcination cycles, while the sol–gel reaction enabled a “near-atomic” level of mixing, and therefore, homogenous phase-pure ZrV2O7. We confirmed purity via X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, highlighting differences between phase-pure and multiphase ceramics. These analytical techniques allowed us to distinguish subtle differences in the structure of the material. Based on ab initio simulated phonon data, we were able to interpret the Raman spectra and visualise Raman active atom vibrations. We show that phase purity enables the unbiased characterisation of material properties such as negative thermal expansion.Helmholtz Association 10.13039/501100009318Gauss Centre for Supercomputing 10.13039/501100022273Leibniz-Rechenzentrum 10.13039/501100019692Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -Prüfung 10.13039/100009553Peer Reviewe
Universal Basic Income and Autonomous Work Motivation: Influences on Trajectories of Mental Health in Employees
No full textThe study contributes to research on Universal Basic Income (UBI) by examining mental health trajectories in working individuals who received a monthly UBI payment of €1,000 for the duration of one year. We assessed data from 357 recipients of additional income provided by a crowdfunding association in Germany. Participants reported their life satisfaction, well-being, work motivation, and needs satisfaction at up to three semi-annual measurement occasions, the first of which was scheduled at the onset of UBI payments. Specifically, we focused on the effects of autonomous work motivation as (a) a predictor of change in life satisfaction and well-being and (b) a mediator between needs satisfaction at work and mental health. We conducted Latent Growth Curve Models (LGCM) and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM). Results of the LGCM indicated growth in life satisfaction and well-being during UBI payment. Autonomous motivation was a robust, positive predictor of initial levels of life satisfaction and well-being, both as time-invariant covariate (TIC) and time-varying covariate (TVC). Moreover, low initial autonomous motivation was associated with greater increase of life satisfaction and well-being. Using a RI-CLPM, we found strong support for the mediating effect of autonomous motivation. Furthermore, gender and income were significant predictors of initial life satisfaction and well-being in most of our models. Women and low-income earners tended to report lower levels of life satisfaction and well-being. The results are discussed focusing on the role of autonomous motivation for psychological health in the context of UBI and occupational health promotion more generally.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena (3327)Peer Reviewe
Specifications of standards in systems and synthetic biology: status, developments, and tools in 2024
No full textPeer Reviewe
Summary characteristics for multivariate function‐valued spatial point process attributes
No full textPrompted by modern technologies in data acquisition, the statistical analysis of spatially distributed function‐valued quantities has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In particular, combinations of functional variables and spatial point processes yield a highly challenging instance of such modern spatial data applications. Indeed, the analysis of spatial random point configurations, where the point attributes themselves are functions rather than scalar‐valued quantities, is just in its infancy, and extensions to function‐valued quantities still remain limited. In this view, we extend current existing first‐ and second‐order summary characteristics for real‐valued point attributes to the case where, in addition to every spatial point location, a set of distinct function‐valued quantities are available. Providing a flexible treatment of more complex point process scenarios, we build a framework to consider points with multivariate function‐valued marks, and develop sets of different cross‐function (cross‐type and also multi‐function cross‐type) versions of summary characteristics that allow for the analysis of highly demanding modern spatial point process scenarios. We consider estimators of the theoretical tools and analyse their behaviour through a simulation study and two real data applications.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Peer Reviewe
AI-guided few-shot inverse design of HDP-mimicking polymers against drug-resistant bacteria
No full textHost defense peptide (HDP)-mimicking polymers are promising therapeutic alternatives to antibiotics and have large-scale untapped potential. Artificial intelligence (AI) exhibits promising performance on large-scale chemical-content design, however, existing AI methods face difficulties on scarcity data in each family of HDP-mimicking polymers (105), and multi-constraints on properties and structures when exploring high-dimensional polymer space. Herein, we develop a universal AI-guided few-shot inverse design framework by designing multi-modal representations to enrich polymer information for predictions and creating a graph grammar distillation for chemical space restriction to improve the efficiency of multi-constrained polymer generation with reinforcement learning. Exampled with HDP-mimicking β-amino acid polymers, we successfully simulate predictions of over 105 polymers and identify 83 optimal polymers. Furthermore, we synthesize an optimal polymer DM0.8iPen0.2 and find that this polymer exhibits broad-spectrum and potent antibacterial activity against multiple clinically isolated antibiotic-resistant pathogens, validating the effectiveness of AI-guided design strategy.National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)501100001809National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)501100001809Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)501100001659National Key Research and Development Progrman of China (2022YFC2303100) Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (222202417006) Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism (Shanghai Municipal Education Commission) Programme of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (the 111 Project) under Grant B17017 and Shanghai AI Lab.Peer Reviewe