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Problem-, resources- and goals-oriented (PRoGO) approach in psychiatry: illustrated by the case of Ludwig II of Bavaria [Editorial]
No full textOn electronegativities of the rare-earth elements based on relative valence electron binding energies
No full textLet's do the swarm flight again: unleashing the potential of PROTEASE 2.0 for drone formation flight
No full textDrone formation flights, exemplified by performances such as the Intel Drone Shows, demonstrate the advancements and capabilities of current technology. This work revisits the concept of self-organization through swarm behavior for this goal, presenting PROTEASE 2.0 as an advanced approach in this domain. The proposed method facilitates parametrizable swarm behavior at a high level of abstraction. Building upon its predecessor, PROTEASE, it enables the generation of emergent effects through a single, generalized implementation, wherein only the parameters governing individual swarm members need to be adjusted. Leveraging swarm behavior for formation flight offers distinct advantages, including enhanced scalability, robustness, and flexibility. Unlike centrally coordinated approaches, swarm-based methods support the emergence of complex and dynamic formations. Notable formations include parallel swarms interacting with one another, single swarms utilizing multiple reference points to achieve novel flight patterns, and hierarchical swarm structures that further extend the range of possible configurations of swarm behavior. This paper introduces fundamental swarm behaviors that can be realized within the PROTEASE 2.0 framework in detail and explores their composition into more complex formations. The primary focus is the experimental and empirical evaluation of these concepts in simulated environments, including their stabilization properties when facing disturbances. In combination with previous successful pre-evaluations involving real drones it provides a strong foundation for future real-world applications of PROTEASE 2.0
Tuning of Jahn-Teller distortions via sterically enforced lattice enlargement of Cu(ta)2-type coordination polymers
No full textThe control of Jahn-Teller distortions in copper-based coordination polymers is crucial for tuning their magnetic and structural properties. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of two novel Cu(II)-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Cu(mta)2 and Cu(cta)2, derived from modified triazole ligands. By introducing steric bulk through methyl and cyclopentyl substituents, we systematically investigate the effect of lattice enlargement on local coordination environments and magnetic behaviour.
Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that Cu(mta)2 exhibits static Jahn-Teller distortions similar to those observed in Cu(ta)2, whereas Cu(cta)2 crystallizes in an undistorted, near-ideal cubic structure. Magnetic susceptibility and electron spin resonance measurements show strong antiferromagnetic interactions and temperature-dependent g-factor anisotropy for Cu(ta)2 and Cu(mta)2, while Cu(cta)2 displays nearly isotropic magnetic behavior and only dynamically JT distortions without a cooperative phase transition.
These results demonstrate that steric ligand design offers a powerful strategy to modulate the interplay between lattice structure and magnetic anisotropy. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the suppression of cooperative static Jahn-Teller distortions and open pathways for the targeted design of multifunctional MOFs with tailored structural and magnetic properties
Convective storms alter bioaerosol populations through cold pools and precipitation
No full textMeteorology can alter bioaerosol properties, potentially enhancing their impact on public health and cloud microphysics. The BioAerosols and Convective Storms (BACS) study was conducted over May–June 2022 and 2023 in Northern Colorado and examines how convective storm processes such as precipitation and cold pools affect bioaerosol concentrations and properties, including pollen, fungal spores and bacterial endotoxin. The two seasons were vastly different climatologically, with drought-like conditions and greater endotoxin concentrations during 2022 and near record rainfall with higher fungal spore concentrations during 2023. Online (fluorescence) and offline (chemical tracer) measurements were used to characterize bioaerosols, alongside collocated measurements of ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Precipitation events generally increased supermicron fluorescent particle concentrations which consisted primarily of fungal spores, as determined from fungal spore counts, chemical tracers, and fluorescent particle types. Storm-generated cold pools had more varied impacts on bioaerosols, sometimes causing depletion and other times enrichment, with peak fluorescent particle concentrations correlating significantly with cold pool strength (rs = 0.79, p < 0.05, n = 12), indicating that stronger cold pools produce greater increases in local bioaerosol concentrations. Biological INP concentrations in air active at warmer than −15 °C from 1–10 µm in size were enhanced by roughly one order of magnitude in samples collected during convective storms compared to pre-rain samples. Contributions of fungal spores to the enhanced INPs were supported by a significant correlation between large (2.5–10 µm) heat-labile INP concentrations active at −15 °C with mannitol, a fungal spore tracer (r = 0.91, n = 8, p < 0.01). This study found convective storms can greatly increase boundary-layer concentrations of fungal spores and warm-temperature biological INPs, leading to high exposure risks for sensitized populations and the potential for bioaerosols to influence cloud processes
Unveiling hidden messages: a metaphoric mapping of malaria e-advertisement in selected YouTube videos
No full textHeavy adolescent drinking makes the adult brain more vulnerable to ethanol by permanently altering the age-dependent interplay between alcohol, GIRK channels and activin
No full textAdolescent binge drinking is a risk behavior associated with the development of neuropsychiatric disorders later in life, but the pathophysiological mechanisms rendering the adolescent brain vulnerable to the long-term consequences of heavy alcohol consumption are only partially understood. Here, we used a mouse model of adolescent binge drinking and focussed on G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels which are a molecular target of both ethanol and the pluripotent growth and differentiation factor activin A. In whole-cell recordings from dentate gyrus granule cells in brain slices from alcohol-naive mice, we found a striking reversal of the effect of activin A on ethanol-evoked GIRK current as the mice matured: Whereas activin A reduced the ethanol response in cells from adult mice, the already lower ethanol threshold in cells from young mice was brought down even further by activin A. In cells from adult mice with binge drinking-like experience in their youth, the reversal of the activin effect on ethanol-evoked GIRK current with maturation was abrogated, thereby perpetuating the adolescent phenotype of activin-boosted ethanol sensitivity into adulthood. Underscoring the translational significance of an aberrantly enhanced GIRK current response to ethanol, the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen, which is used as an “off-label” prescription against alcohol use disorders, suppressed the permanently enhanced GIRK response to ethanol after heavy adolescent drinking
