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Musical creativity and flow in extended realities
No full textThrough recent technological advancements, Extended Reality (XR) technologies, encompassing Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality, have become increasingly practical for creative and productive work. This became especially apparent when big tech companies started marketing campaigns that focused on creativity and productivity in XR, marking a significant shift away from the heavily gaming-oriented marketing of early VR days. One target group that has historically been slow to adapt to new technologies is musicians, many of whom still seek vintage tones and gear that was invented decades ago. This thesis dares to connect these two seemingly incompatible worlds, musical creativity and XR, by reporting on various empirical studies that evaluate prototypical XR applications developed in close collaboration with musicians. By researching how musicians perceive and use these XR applications, we gathered various findings on whether, when, and how XR can be beneficial for musicians during creative processes. This includes creative use cases such as music production, sound design, and improvisation with remote musicians in XR. Of particular interest during our studies were the questions of how virtual or physical environments can influence creativity, how XR-based musical tools can and should be designed, and how co-creativity can benefit from XR technologies. Furthermore, we investigated the crucial role of the psychological state of flow in musical creativity, which, similar to XR technologies, can significantly alter the way musicians perceive their subjective realities, causing them to disconnect with or even forget their surroundings. Besides empirical findings, we contribute theoretical tools that can help XR designers and researchers to think of creativity in XR, including musical creativity, in a structured manner. This includes a model for the creative process, a model for the creative context of use, the precise definition of 'XR Applications for Musical Creativity (XAMCs)' and their parts, and a typology that can help to classify these applications and identify unexplored potential in the field. Through this research, we aim to lay the groundwork for future studies in this field, which holds tremendous potential for innovative ideas and applications that utilize both real and virtual elements to support musicians while being creative
Sarcopenia and recurrence risk in high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a nonlinear modeling approach
No full textSarcopenia and altered body composition are established prognostic markers in several malignancies, but their relevance in non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) remains unclear. This study evaluated associations between body composition indices—body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and psoas muscle index (PMI)—and recurrence risk in high-risk NMIBC patients treated with intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG).
Body composition was assessed on computed tomography at primary diagnosis. Sarcopenia was defined using published sex-specific cut-offs. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier estimates, Cox regression with linear and spline terms, and a gradient boosted machine (GBM) model.
A total of 118 patients (median age 71 years; 78% male) were included. Tumor stages were pTa (40%), pT1 (54%), and primary carcinoma in situ (CIS) in 6%. During a mean follow-up of 32 months, 30 patients (25.4%) developed recurrence. Median BMI was 26 kg/m². SMI and PMI were higher in men and declined with age, whereas BMI remained stable. Sarcopenia prevalence varied widely across definitions (6–66%) with low-to-moderate concordance (Cohen’s κ: 0–0.58). No sarcopenia definition independently predicted recurrence. In the GBM model, BCG maintenance, tumor stage, CIS, age, BMI, SMI, and PMI were important predictors. Spline Cox models demonstrated nonlinear U-shaped associations between BMI, SMI, PMI, and recurrence risk, with increased risk at both low and high values.
Body composition shows nonlinear associations with recurrence in high-risk NMIBC. Both low and excessive body and muscle mass may adversely affect disease control. The heterogeneity and limited prognostic value of current sarcopenia definitions highlight the need for standardized, multiparametric, and nonlinear risk modeling approaches
On the origin of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in STO/Co/X (X = Pd, Pt) sputtered films
No full textMapping the spatiotemporal nexus of soil moisture and salinity in semi-arid croplands for sustainable agriculture
No full textPrognostic impact of weight loss during radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer: a systematic review
No full textBackground
Malnutrition and weight loss (WL) are frequent in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) during radiotherapy (RT), affecting treatment tolerance and outcomes. Nutritional interventions aim to minimize WL and support therapy completion, yet the prognostic value of WL during RT remains unclear.
Aims/Objectives
To systematically evaluate the prognostic impact of WL before, during and after RT in patients with HNC.
Methods/Methodology
This systematic review included studies from 2012 involving adult patients treated with definitive or postoperative RT for HNC, studies were eligible if WL/body mass index (BMI) change was analysed versus survival outcomes (overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS)/cancer-specific survival, disease-free survival (DFS)). A structured PubMed and Cochrane search was conducted and results were synthesized narratively.
Results/Findings
Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Pretreatment WL > 10% consistently predicted inferior OS and disease-specific survival (DSS). WL during RT varied widely between studies: most reported no association with OS, whereas single studies reported worse DSS with critical WL, worse OS with ΔBMI >1 kg/m2, or an apparent survival advantage with greater WL. Posttreatment WL ≥ 10% was associated with reduced DFS. Comparability was limited by heterogeneous WL definitions, timing and treatment techniques.
Conclusion
Pretreatment WL is a strong negative prognostic factor in HNC, whereas evidence for WL during or after RT remains inconsistent. Standardized WL assessment and structured nutritional support should be integrated into routine RT care. Future prospective studies using harmonized definitions are needed to clarify prognostic relevance and guide evidence-based nutrition management
Assistierter Suizid in den Medien – eine narrative Übersicht
No full textDie mediale Darstellung assistierter Suizide und deren Auswirkungen auf die Rezipierenden sind bislang nur unzureichend untersucht worden. Dieser Artikel bietet einen ersten Überblick über internationale Forschungsarbeiten zu Nachrichtenbeiträgen, Filmen, Fernsehsendungen und sozialen Medien, die sich mit diesem Thema befassen. In der Fachliteratur dominieren qualitative Inhaltsanalysen, während empirische Studien zu den Auswirkungen von Darstellungen assistierten Suizids weitgehend fehlen. Die mediale Auseinandersetzung mit der Thematik bewegt sich im Spannungsfeld zwischen individueller Selbstbestimmung, gesellschaftlicher Verantwortung und möglicher normativer Einflussnahme durch öffentliche Kommunikation. Trotz medienethischer Richtlinien wird das Thema häufig emotionalisiert und anhand individueller Fälle dargestellt, die oftmals eine Befürwortung der Suizidassistenz nahelegen. Teilweise wird dadurch vermittelt, dass ein Leben mit Leiden nicht lebenswert sei. Außerdem werden Alternativen zur Suizidassistenz – wie eine umfassende Palliativversorgung – nur selten thematisiert. Es gibt Hinweise, dass Medienberichte Nachahmungseffekte auslösen können. Aufgrund der begrenzten Anzahl an Forschungsarbeiten und methodischer Unzulänglichkeiten ist es derzeit nicht möglich, weitreichende Schlussfolgerungen zu ziehen. Insbesondere im Hinblick auf potenzielle Medienwirkungen gewinnt die gründliche Untersuchung der medialen Berichterstattung und Inszenierung von assistiertem Suizid jedoch eine erhebliche gesellschaftliche Relevanz
Monitoring einer Melanommetastase unter lokaler Immuntherapie mittels Line-field konfokaler optischer Kohärenztomografie
No full text
CarMem: enhancing long-term memory in LLM voice assistants through category-bounding
No full textIn today’s assistant landscape, personalisation enhances interactions, fosters long-term relationships, and deepens engagement. However, many systems struggle with retaining user preferences, leading to repetitive user requests and disengagement. Furthermore, the unregulated and opaque extraction of user preferences in industry applications raises significant concerns about privacy and trust, especially in regions with stringent regulations like Europe. In response to these challenges, we propose a long-term memory system for voice assistants, structured around predefined categories. This approach leverages Large Language Models to efficiently extract, store, and retrieve preferences within these categories, ensuring both personalisation and transparency. We also introduce a synthetic multi-turn, multi-session conversation dataset (CarMem), grounded in real industry data, tailored to an in-car voice assistant setting. Benchmarked on the dataset, our system achieves an F1-score of .78 to .95 in preference extraction, depending on category granularity. Our maintenance strategy reduces redundant preferences by 95% and contradictory ones by 92%, while the accuracy of optimal retrieval is at .87. Collectively, the results demonstrate the system’s suitability for industrial applications