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Early educators are the best spokespeople about the conditions under which they work and what they need in order to thrive. Policy leaders have much to gain by actively engaging educators in identifying workable solutions to the child care crisis. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) believes that educators have the right to exercise power in their profession and should be able to organize and participate in the public discourse, free from interference. Through CSCCE's work and engagement with early educators over the past 23 years, they have learned that early educators need: (1) the conditions to engage in good preparation; (2) access to ongoing learning; (3) safe and supportive working environments; and (4) appropriate compensation, including a livable wage and benefits. CSCCE developed the solutions detailed in the "Early Educator Engagement and Empowerment (E4) Toolkit" based on the experiences early educators have shared and the research CSCCE has conducted. They created this toolkit to support early educators in their advocacy, power building, and engagement with stakeholders.

This thesis focuses on the redox-active ligand effect on electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. Precatalytic intermediates are identified using spectro-electrochemical studies in conjunction with quantum chemical calculations. We show how the various protonation sites of the redox-active ligand influence the activities of HER intermediates and how modifications to the ligand backbone may enhance the HER activity., Diese Arbeit untersucht den redoxaktiven Ligandeneffekt auf die elektrokatalytische Wasserstoffentwicklungsreaktion (HER). Dabei werden mithilfe von spektroelektrochemischen Methoden und quantenchemischen Berechnungen präkatalytische Zwischenprodukte identifiziert. Es wird gezeigt, welchen Einfluss die Protonierung verschiedener Positionen des redoxaktiven Liganden auf die Aktivität der HER-Zwischenprodukte hat als auch wie Modifikationen der Ligandenstruktur die HER-Aktivität steigern können.

A major theme of igneous petrology involves linking geochemical processes with rock textural development. Of significant importance to this theme is developing an understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the geochemical trends that have been observed in rocks for decades. On Earth, melting occurs through plate tectonics at subduction zones, divergent plate boundaries, or by mantle upwelling from plume activity. On bodies without plate tectonics, melting is likely a result of concentrated heating through the decay of extinct radionuclides, accretionary heating, and/or impact melting. In each of these environments, magmas are geochemically differentiated into evolved melts and mafic/ultramafic residue. This process is driven by assimilation and fractional crystallization, which are primarily driven by melt-crystal interactions. The geochemical and petrologic implications of assimilation and fractional crystallization have been known for decades, though uncertainty persists on the textural implications of these processes.The primary goal of this dissertation is to link geochemical and textural measurements of igneous rocks to understand their development in igneous processes. The major chapters of this dissertation focus on the dynamics of arc cumulate/residue removal, the crystal-melt differentiation mechanisms on extraterrestrial planetesimals, and the processes involved in the emplacement and differentiation of an upper crustal mafic magma. In each of these chapters, I use electron backscatter diffraction to constrain rock textural characteristic and then expand on these data with geochemical measurements and modelling. In this dissertation, Chapter 2 shows that deep arc cumulate/residual rocks have very complex rock fabrics, the deepest rocks are dynamically recrystallized through lithospheric removal while the shallower rocks are relatively pristine. Chapter 3 investigates the crystal orientations and trace element distributions in olivine comprising ultramafi

After World War II, several psychiatrists in the USA began treating schizophrenic patients psychoanalytically. Various methods were applied. However, all approaches were based on the assumption that people with schizophrenia had suffered severe trauma in their early childhood. The therapy was intended to give the patients some of the love and care they had previously missed, and heal them in this way. In the early 1950s, the Psychiatric University Hospital of Zurich was likely the first state hospital in Europe to apply and study analytical psychotherapy for psychoses. Although clinical psychiatry was usually suspicious of, if not radically opposed to, the psychotherapy of schizophrenia, these trials attracted wide international interest. By pursuing a cultural-historical praxeological approach, the contribution examines the psychotherapeutic attempt and its consequences in Zurich and beyond. Based on medical records, further internal clinic documents, correspondence and contemporary specialist articles, it identifies the patterns of perception, interpretation and action in the analysed context. The focus is on the interaction processes between the new method and the relations among various groups of actors, the clinical setting as well as institutional routines. Analytic psychotherapy resulted, so the argument goes, in a fundamental, largely unintended, change in psychiatric practices, which was driven by many other factors that influenced each other.

WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, saw first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-deg field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable ‘mini’ integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366–959 nm at R ∼ 5000, or two shorter ranges at R ∼ 20 000. After summarizing the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organization, science drivers, and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy’s origins by completing Gaia’s phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for ∼3 million stars and detailed abundances for ∼1.5 million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey ∼0.4 million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects, and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey ∼400 neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionized gas in z < 0.5 cluster galaxies; (vi) survey stellar populations and kinematics in ∼25 000 field galaxies at 0.3 ≲ z ≲ 0.7; (vii) study the cosmic evolution of accretion and star formation using >1 million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; and (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at z > 2. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.

Constant pH molecular dynamics (MD) is a powerful technique that allows the protonation state of residues to change dynamically, thereby enabling the study of pH dependence in a manner that has not been possible before. Recently, a constant pH implementation was incorporated into the GROMACS MD package. Although this implementation provides good accuracy and performance, manual modification and the preparation of simulation input files are required, which can be complicated, tedious, and prone to errors. To simplify and automate the setup process, we present phbuilder, a tool that automatically prepares constant pH MD simulations for GROMACS by modifying the input structure and topology as well as generating the necessary parameter files. phbuilder can prepare constant pH simulations from both initial structures and existing simulation systems, and it also provides functionality for performing titrations and single-site parametrizations of new titratable group types. The tool is freely available at www.gitlab.com/gromacs-constantph. We anticipate that phbuilder will make constant pH simulations easier to set up, thereby making them more accessible to the GROMACS user community., QC 20240305

BackgroundThe aim of this multicentre prospective observational study was to identify the incidence, patient characteristics, diagnostic pathway, management and outcome of acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI).MethodsAll adult patients with clinical suspicion of AMI admitted or transferred to 32 participating hospitals from 06.06.2022 to 05.04.2023 were included. Participants who were subsequently shown not to have AMI or had localized intestinal gangrene due to strangulating bowel obstruction had only baseline and outcome data collected.ResultsAMI occurred in 0.038% of adult admissions in participating acute care hospitals worldwide. From a total of 705 included patients, 418 patients had confirmed AMI. In 69% AMI was the primary reason for admission, while in 31% AMI occurred after having been admitted with another diagnosis. Median time from onset of symptoms to hospital admission in patients admitted due to AMI was 24 h (interquartile range 9-48h) and time from admission to diagnosis was 6h (1-12 h). Occlusive arterial AMI was diagnosed in 231 (55.3%), venous in 73 (17.5%), non-occlusive (NOMI) in 55 (13.2%), other type in 11 (2.6%) and the subtype could not be classified in 48 (11.5%) patients. Surgery was the initial management in 242 (58%) patients, of which 59 (24.4%) underwent revascularization. Endovascular revascularization alone was carried out in 54 (13%), conservative treatment in 76 (18%) and palliative care in 46 (11%) patients. From patients with occlusive arterial AMI, revascularization was undertaken in 104 (45%), with 40 (38%) of them in one site admitting selected patients. Overall in-hospital and 90-day mortality of AMI was 49% and 53.3%, respectively, and among subtypes was lowest for venous AMI (13.7% and 16.4%) and highest for NOMI (72.7% and 74.5%). There was a high variability between participating sites for most variables studied.ConclusionsThe overall incidence of AMI and AMI subtypes varies worldwide, and case ascertainment is challenging. P

Dysfunctional extracellular matrices (ECM) contribute to aging and disease. Repairing dysfunctional ECM could potentially prevent age-related pathologies. Interventions promoting longevity also impact ECM gene expression. However, the role of ECM composition changes in healthy aging remains unclear. Here we perform proteomics and in-vivo monitoring to systematically investigate ECM composition (matreotype) during aging in C. elegans revealing three distinct collagen dynamics. Longevity interventions slow age-related collagen stiffening and prolong the expression of collagens that are turned over. These prolonged collagen dynamics are mediated by a mechanical feedback loop of hemidesmosome-containing structures that span from the exoskeletal ECM through the hypodermis, basement membrane ECM, to the muscles, coupling mechanical forces to adjust ECM gene expression and longevity via the transcriptional co-activator YAP-1 across tissues. Our results provide in-vivo evidence that coordinated ECM remodeling through mechanotransduction is required and sufficient to promote longevity, offering potential avenues for interventions targeting ECM dynamics.

SnO₂ ist das am häufigsten verwendete Material für Metalloxid-Gassensoren, aber ein detailliertes Verständnis der Funktionsweise steht trotz der Relevanz noch immer aus. Um mechanistische Einblicke in SnO₂-Gassensoren unter Arbeitsbedingungen zu erhalten, haben wir einen operando-Zugang entwickelt, der UV-Vis-, Raman- und FT-IR-Spektroskopie kombiniert, und es erstmals erlaubt, die Sensorantwort mit der Sauerstoffleerstellen-Konzentration im Metalloxid, der Art der Adsorbate und der Gasphasenzusammensetzung zu verknüpfen. Wir zeigen anhand der Ethanol-Gassensorik, dass der Sensorwiderstand direkt mit der Anzahl an Sauerstoffleerstellen an der Oberfläche und der Art der Oberflächenspezies, insbesondere der Acetat- und Hydroxyspezies, korreliert ist. Unsere operando-Ergebnisse erlauben eine Beurteilung der in der Literatur vorgeschlagenen Modelle hinsichtlich der Arbeitsweise von Gassensoren. Aufgrund ihres fundamentalen Charakters sind sie auch für andere Metalloxid-Gassensoren von unmittelbarer Relevanz.

Archaeological systematics, together with spatial and chronological information, are commonly used to infer cultural evolutionary dynamics in the past. For the study of the Palaeolithic, and particularly the European Final Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic, proposed changes in material culture are often interpreted as reflecting historical processes, migration, or cultural adaptation to climate change and resource availability. Yet, cultural taxonomic practice is known to be variable across research history and academic traditions, and few large-scale replicable analyses across such traditions have been undertaken. Drawing on recent developments in computational archaeology, we here present a data-driven assessment of the existing Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy in Europe. Our dataset consists of a large expert-sourced compendium of key sites, lithic toolkit composition, blade and bladelet production technology, as well as lithic armatures. The dataset comprises 16 regions and 86 individually named archaeological taxa (‘cultures’), covering the period between ca. 15,000 and 11,000 years ago (cal BP). Using these data, we use geometric morphometric and multivariate statistical techniques to explore to what extent the dynamics observed in different lithic data domains (toolkits, technologies, armature shapes) correspond to each other and to the culture-historical relations of taxonomic units implied by traditional naming practice. Our analyses support the widespread conception that some dimensions of material culture became more diverse towards the end of the Pleistocene and the very beginning of the Holocene. At the same time, cultural taxonomic unit coherence and efficacy appear variable, leading us to explore potential biases introduced by regional research traditions, inter-analyst variation, and the role of disjunct macroevolutionary processes. In discussing the implications of these findings for narratives of cultural change and diver

Peroxidases are enzymes that reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidize organic substances in living cells. The textile industry, wastewater treatment plants, immunological laboratories, and diagnostic laboratories have extensively used horseradish peroxidase for their oxidating needs. This research aims to provide a tool for identifying potentially useful sources of peroxidases in addition to specifically pinpointing a novel peroxygenase in jalapeño seeds. By using two widely accepted peroxidase assays, the guaiacol assay and the fluorophenol assay, fruits of the genus Cucurbita and roots or leaves of the family Brassicaceae were seen to have high peroxidase activity. Additionally, novel peroxygenase activity was discovered in jalapeño seeds. As a result, an informative library of peroxidases was created.

Cyanobacteria are promising oxygenic phototrophs for the production of various compounds. For their (photo)biotechnological exploitation, molecular tools are required, such as, for the introduction and expression of heterologous genes, or the modulation of enzyme activities or entire pathways. Concepts and strategies for the development of photosynthetic biomanufacturing technologies based on cyanobacteria have been extensively reviewed, as well as certain specialized aspects of their genetic manipulation. However, options for metabolic engineering of specific cyanobacterial cells are still less developed than those for other bacteria of biotechnological relevance. In addition to the standard genetic toolbox for “classical” metabolic engineering, we emphasize certain aspects, including recently developed vector systems for the extrachromosomal maintenance of genes and approaches based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) interference. We highlight the development of custom molecular tools for specific strains or products, discuss the emerging use of small regulatory proteins that appear promising for advanced metabolic engineering approaches to promote specific product formation, and provide an overview of suitable online resources. Furthermore, we discuss the current trends in this field and indicate their potential, such as using suitable product sensors that enable systematic screening, and optimization approaches.

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) wird immer leistungsfähiger und KI-basierte Systeme werden zunehmend zur Automatisierung einer steigenden Anzahl von Arbeitstätigkeiten eingesetzt. Kurz- bis mittelfristig führt dies zu Veränderungen von Jobs. Langfristig könnte dies zu strukturellen Arbeitsmarktveränderungen führen, die gesellschaftliche Anpassungen einschließlich der Transformation des bestehenden Wohlfahrtssystems erfordern würden. Beides birgt Potenzial für tiefgreifende psychologische Implikationen für Beschäftigte. Psychologische Forschung, die sich mit den Auswirkungen KI-bedingter Automation befasst, ist jedoch rar. Ziel der Dissertation war es daher, zu einer psychologischen Perspektive auf das Thema beizutragen und die psychologischen Implikationen KI-bedingter Automation für Beschäftigte zu untersuchen. Die Dissertation umfasst drei Projekte. Der Fokus in Projekt 1 und 2 lag auf den kurz- bis mittelfristigen Auswirkungen KI-bedingter Automation. In Projekt 1 wurden fünf Interviewstudien mit Expert*innen und Beschäftigten aus dem Gesundheits- und Finanzdienstleistungssektor (N=91) durchgeführt, um Anwendungsfelder von KI-bedingter Automation, damit verbundene Chancen und Risiken sowie Auswirkungen auf die Tätigkeiten sowie das Erleben und Verhalten von Beschäftigten zu untersuchen. In Projekt 2 wurde ein Fragebogen entwickelt, um die Relevanz ausgewählter psychologischer Konstrukte im Kontext KI-bedingte Automation zu untersuchen. Die Fragebogenentwicklung war in drei Phasen unterteilt und beinhaltete zwei Vorstudien (N=1293). Der Fokus von Projekt 3 lag auf den langfristigen Auswirkungen KI-bedingter Automation und untersuchte das bedingungslose Grundeinkommen (BGE), eine mögliche und grundlegende Veränderung in der Organisation unseres Wohlfahrtssystems. Auf Basis einer repräsentativen Stichprobe der deutschen Erwerbsbevölkerung (N=1986) wurden sozio-demografische und psychologische Prädiktoren für die Akzeptanz eines BGE untersucht., The capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) are expanding rapidly, and AI-based systems are increasingly used to automate a growing number of job tasks. In the short- to medium-term, jobs are changing as a result. In the long term, this development may also lead to structural changes in the labor market, requiring societal adaptation including the transformation of the existing welfare system. Both carry great potential for far-reaching psychological implications for employees. However, psychological research dedicated to the impact of AI-driven automation is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to contribute to a psychological perspective on the topic and investigate the psychological implications of AI-driven automation for employees. The dissertation comprises three projects. Projects 1 and 2 focused on the short- to medium-term impact of AI-driven automation, exploring how jobs are changing and the related psychological implications for employees. In Project 1, five interview studies with experts and employees from the healthcare and financial services sectors (N=91) were conducted to explore application fields of AI-driven automation, associated opportunities and threats, its impact on employees’ job tasks, and employees’ experience and behavior in response to these changes. In Project 2, a questionnaire was developed to investigate the relevance of selected psychological concepts in the context of AI-driven automation. The questionnaire development was divided into three phases and included two preliminary studies (N=1,293). Project 3 focused on the long-term impact of AI-driven automation, investigating a universal basic income (UBI), one possible and fundamental shift in the organization of our welfare system. Using a representative sample of the German working population (N=1,986), socio-demographic and psychological predictors of UBI acceptance were investigated.

Diese kumulative Dissertation umfasst zwei Veröffentlichungen zu drei Bereichen der Emotionskommunikation. Ziel war es, zu untersuchen, ob OP-Masken die Emotionswahrnehmung, die Affiliation und die emotionale Mimikry (d.h. die automatische, aber zielabhängige Imitation des emotionalen Ausdrucks von Interaktionspartner:innen) reduzieren. In zwei Online-Experimenten (Studie 1: N=200, britische Stichprobe; Studie 2: N=235, deutsche Stichprobe) wurden subjektive Bewertungen und die emotionale Mimikry als Reaktion auf maskierte und unmaskierte Gesichter untersucht. Die wahrgenommene Emotionsintensität und die Genauigkeit der Emotionserkennung dienten als Indikatoren für die Emotionswahrnehmung. Die wahrgenommene zwischenmenschliche Nähe diente als Indikator für die Affiliation. Die emotionale Mimikry wurde mit Hilfe einer Gesichtsaktivitätserkennungstechnologie gemessen. In der ersten Studie sahen erwachsene Proband:innen erwachsene Zielpersonen, die Freude und Trauer ausdrückten, eingebettet in Innen- und Außenszenen. In der zweiten Studie sahen erwachsene Proband:innen Erwachsene und Kinder, die Freude, Trauer oder Ärger ausdrückten. Die Freudemimikry wurde durch Masken reduziert, insbesondere wenn die Zielpersonen Kinder waren. Im Gegensatz dazu war die Trauermimikry bei Kindergesichtern stärker und wurde, wie auch die Ärgermimikry, durch Masken nicht beeinträchtigt. Wir konnten auch zeigen, dass durch Gesichtsmasken verringerte Freudewahrnehmung und Nähe mit einer verringerten Freudemimikry verbunden waren. Die Studien zeigen somit, wie erwartet wurde, eine maskenbedingte Verringerung der Emotionswahrnehmung, der Affiliation, und der emotionalen Mimikry. Insgesamt trägt die vorliegende Arbeit zu unserem Verständnis der sozio-affektiven Auswirkungen der partiellen Gesichtsverdeckung bei und stützt die Theorie der emotionalen Mimikry im sozialen Kontext von Hess und Fischer, nach der Emotionswahrnehmung und Affiliation die emotionale Mimikry beeinflussen., This cumulative doctoral dissertation encompasses two publications on three domains of emotion communication. The goal of the dissertation was to assess if surgical face masks reduce emotion perception, affiliation, and emotional mimicry (i.e., automatic but goal-dependent imitation of an interaction partner's emotional display). We conducted two online experiments (Study 1: N=200, U.K. sample; Study 2: N=235, German sample) that assessed subjective ratings and emotional mimicry in response to masked and unmasked faces. Perceived emotion intensity and emotion recognition accuracy served as indicators of emotion perception. Perceived interpersonal closeness (via the Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale) served as an indicator of affiliation. Emotional mimicry was measured using facial activity recognition technology. We also took into account socio-spatial context effects. In the first study, adult perceivers saw adult targets who expressed happiness and sadness embedded into indoor and outdoor scenes. In the second study, adult perceivers saw adult and child targets who expressed happiness, sadness, and anger. We found that happiness mimicry was reduced by masks, particularly when expressers were children. In contrast, sadness mimicry was stronger for children and, like anger mimicry, unaffected by masks. We also found that reduced emotion perception and closeness due to masks were associated with reduced happiness mimicry. The studies support evidence from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for mask-related reductions of emotion perception and affiliation. Moreover, the studies provide unprecedented evidence on reductions of emotional mimicry in response to masked faces and child targets. Overall, the present work contributes to our understanding of the socio-affective effects of partial face occlusion and supports emotional mimicry in social context theory by Hess and Fischer, according to which emotion perception and affiliation influence emotional mimicry.

PURPOSE: T2-weighted DANTE-SPACE (Delay Alternating with Nutation for Tailored Excitation - Sampling Perfection with Application optimized Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution) sequences facilitate non-invasive intracranial vessel wall imaging at 7T through simultaneous suppression of blood and CSF. However, the achieved vessel wall delineation depends closely on the selected sequence parameters, and little information is available about the performance of the sequence using more widely available 3T MRI. Therefore, in this paper a comprehensive DANTE-SPACE simulation framework is used for the optimization and quantitative comparison of T2-weighted DANTE-SPACE at both 7T and 3T.METHODS: Simulations are used to propose optimized sequence parameters at both 3T and 7T. At 7T, an additional protocol which uses a parallel transmission (pTx) shim during the DANTE preparation for improved suppression of inflowing blood is also proposed. Data at both field strengths using optimized and literature protocols are acquired and quantitatively compared in six healthy volunteers.RESULTS: At 7T, more vessel wall signal can be retained while still achieving sufficient CSF suppression by using fewer DANTE pulses than described in previous implementations. The use of a pTx shim during DANTE at 7T provides a modest further improvement to the inner vessel wall delineation. At 3T, aggressive DANTE preparation is required to achieve CSF suppression, resulting in reduced vessel wall signal. As a result, the achievable vessel wall definition at 3T is around half that of 7T.CONCLUSION: Simulation-based optimization of DANTE parameters facilitates improved T2-weighted DANTE-SPACE contrasts at 7T. The improved vessel definition of T2-weighted DANTE-SPACE at 7T makes DANTE preparation more suitable for T2-weighted VWI at 7T than at 3T.

PURPOSE: To acquire accurate volumetric multi-channel B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps in under 14 s whole-brain or 23 heartbeats whole-heart for parallel transmit (pTx) applications at 7 T.THEORY AND METHODS: We evaluate the combination of three recently proposed techniques. The acquisition of multi-channel transmit array B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps is accelerated using transmit low rank (TxLR) with absolute B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ mapping (Sandwich) acquired in a B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ time-interleaved acquisition of modes (B1TIAMO) fashion. Simulations using synthetic body images derived from Sim4Life were used to test the achievable acceleration for small scan matrices of 24 × 24. Next, we evaluated the method by retrospectively undersampling a fully sampled B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ library of nine subjects in the brain. Finally, Cartesian undersampled phantom and in vivo images were acquired in both the brain of three subjects (8Tx/32 receive [Rx]) and the heart of another three subjects (8Tx/8Rx) at 7 T.RESULTS: Simulation and in vivo results show that volumetric multi-channel B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps can be acquired using acceleration factors of 4 in the body, reducing the acquisition time to within 23 heartbeats, which was previously not possible. In silico heart simulations demonstrated a RMS error to the fully sampled native resolution ground truth of 4.2° when combined in first-order circularly polarized mode (mean flip angle 66°) at an acceleration factor of 4. The 14 s 3D B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ maps acquired in the brain have a RMS error of 1.9° to the fully sampled (mean flip angle 86°).CONCLUSION: The proposed method is demonstrated as a fast pTx calibration technique in the brain and a promising method for pTx calibration in the body.

The IUPAC Subcommittee on Polymer Education has been pursuing the development of a compact syllabus covering the essential topics required for a tertiary education in polymer science, with numerical and short answer exercises addressing each topic. The primary goal of the document is to provide a framework for a complete course made freely available worldwide so that any educator can implement a professionally-curated course in polymer science for their students without needing expensive textbooks or reliable internet access. An important secondary goal is to popularize the use of approved IUPAC terminology in polymer science by using it consistently throughout the document and providing references to IUPAC source documents. Professor Melissa Chin Han Chan was an active and enthusiastic participant in the project who played a significant role in its design and implementation. The late Professor Richard ‘Dick’ Jones also had a keen interest in the project and had a great influence on its direction and structure. This brief note is dedicated to these two illustrious polymer scientists.

Mesoporous silicas, such as SBA-15, with their high and inert surface area, constitute promising support materials for catalytic applications. However, loading the active phase onto porous materials to give high dispersion and even distribution is still a great challenge. In the presence of the template P123, ceria crystal growth can be controlled by nanoconfinement effects. We have applied in situ Raman, DRIFT, and DR UV-vis spectroscopies to elucidate the mechanism of template-assisted synthesis of ceria/SBA-15 catalysts for NH₃-SCR applications. The co-decomposition of P123 and cerium precursor shows a catalytic interaction, resulting in a change of ceria nucleation and growth behavior during the calcination process. Based on this knowledge, we have developed an improved catalyst synthesis by combining the nanoconfinement effects of P123 and the use of an inert atmosphere, resulting in an improved ceria dispersion on SBA-15 and superior NH₃-SCR performance. Our results highlight the significance of the calcination process for defining catalyst properties and the use of in situ spectroscopy for rational synthesis of supported catalysts.

Iron molybdate catalysts are applied in the industrial FormOx process to produce formaldehyde by oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of methanol. Only few studies are available about the applicability of iron molybdate catalysts for the ODH of ethanol to produce acetaldehyde. Herein, an iron molybdate synthesized by co-precipitation (p) and an iron molybdate prepared by a ball-milling solid-state synthesis (bm) are applied as ethanol ODH catalysts. Both materials show attractive acetaldehyde selectivites of >90 % (280 °C: p-Fe₂(MoO₄)₃: YAcH=90.3 %; bm-Fe₂(MoO4)₃: YAcH=60.4 %) and a stable performance. The bulk composition and crystal structure could be confirmed by various characterization techniques and is maintained during ethanol ODH. XPS reveals an enrichment of Mo on the catalyst surface which is slightly decreasing after the catalytic tests. This observation could be a first sign of long-term deactivation like known from methanol ODH. Comparing the performance of both materials, p-Fe₂(MoO₄)₃ shows higher activity and aldehyde selectivity. We propose the higher Mo/Fe surface ratio and the lower acidity to be the reasons for these differences.

Because ceria (CeO2) is a key ingredient in the formulation of many catalysts, its catalytic roles have received a great amount of attention from experiment and theory. Its primary function is to enhance the oxidation activity of catalysts, which is largely governed by the low activation barrier for creating lattice O vacancies. Such an important characteristic of ceria has been exploited in CO oxidation, methane partial oxidation, volatile organic compound oxidation, and the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction and in the context of automotive applications. A great challenge of such heterogeneously catalyzed processes remains the unambiguous identification of active sites. In oxidation reactions, closing the catalytic cycle requires ceria reoxidation by gas-phase oxygen, which includes oxygen adsorption and activation. While the general mechanistic framework of such processes is accepted, only very recently has an atomic-level understanding of oxygen activation on ceria powders been achieved by combined experimental and theoretical studies using in situ multiwavelength Raman spectroscopy and DFT. Recent studies have revealed that the adsorption and activation of gas-phase oxygen on ceria is strongly facet-dependent and involves different superoxide/peroxide species, which can now be unambiguously assigned to ceria surface sites using the combined Raman and DFT approach. Our results demonstrate that, as a result of oxygen dissociation, vacant ceria lattice sites are healed, highlighting the close relationship of surface processes with lattice oxygen dynamics, which is also of technical relevance in the context of oxygen storage-release applications. A recent DFT interpretation of Raman spectra of polycrystalline ceria enables us to take account of all (sub)surface and bulk vibrational features observed in the experimental spectra and has revealed new findings of great relevance for a mechanistic understanding of ceria-based catalysts. These include the identification of s

For the combined surface and bulk characterization of functional powder materials, we report on the direct coupling of Raman spectroscopy with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) within one setup, avoiding the influence of different sample states and measurement environments. Our approach is based on the Raman integration into the XPS analysis chamber, employing a long-range camera objective connected to a portable 532 nm Raman spectrometer. For optimization of the measurement geometry, a (400) single crystal (SC), chemical vaper deposition (CVD)-grown diamond was employed. The applicability of the combined XPS-Raman spectroscopy approach was first validated by measurements on powder V₂O₅, used as a commercial standard, and then demonstrated on lithium ion battery materials, that is, LiₓV₂O₅ lithium pentoxides. The transferability to other XPS systems is strongly facilitated by the long-range Raman-spectroscopic approach, which allowed for Raman analysis over a distance of 320 mm for the CVD-grown (400) single crystal diamond and 285 mm for LiₓV₂O₅. Our results demonstrate the inexpensive and straightforward implementation of coupled XPS-Raman spectroscopy for combined surface/bulk analysis.

Carbon surface oxides have been demonstrated to be crucial for high performing carbon materials in various applications. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy represents a powerful time-resolved method to study the surfaces of functional materials under process conditions. Due to the severe overlap of the contributions of individual surface groups in combination with compared to organic molecules shifted absorption maxima meaningful analysis remains challenging. Especially due to the unknown maxima, deconvolution of the superimposed bands is strongly hindered. In this study, we developed a procedure based on hydrolysis, thermal annealing or a combination thereof, which allows to disentangle carbonyl absorption maxima of carboxylic acids, anhydrides and lactones on carbon surfaces. In order to verify the proposed transformations, thorough characterization by temperature programmed desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, potentiometric titration and Boehm titration was carried out. Applying this procedure for a polymer derived reference material, the carbonyl absorption maximum could be deduced, which are positioned for lactones at 1771 cm⁻¹, for carboxylic acids between 1753 cm⁻¹ and 1760 cm⁻¹, and for carboxylic anhydrides at 1792 cm⁻¹ and 1852 cm⁻¹. This allowed deconvolution of the carbonyl band, paving the way for in situ time-resolved analyses.

Polycarbonate etched ion-track membranes with about 30 µm long and 50 nm wide cylindrical channels were conformally coated with SiO₂ by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The process was performed at 50 °C to avoid thermal damage to the polymer membrane. Analysis of the coated membranes by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveals a homogeneous, conformal layer of SiO₂ in the channels at a deposition rate of 1.7–1.8 Å per ALD cycle. Characterization by infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the stoichiometric composition of the SiO₂ films. Detailed XPS analysis reveals that the mechanism of SiO₂ formation is based on subsurface crystal growth. By dissolving the polymer, the silica nanotubes are released from the ion-track membrane. The thickness of the tube wall is well controlled by the ALD process. Because the track-etched channels exhibited diameters in the range of nanometres and lengths in the range of micrometres, cylindrical tubes with an aspect ratio as large as 3000 have been produced.

In the following communication, we report an easy-to-assemble Swagelok-like setup for high-temperature electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with good reproducibility based on robust 1.4114 steel 10M screws joined by non-conductive ceramics-Al₂O₃. We analyze the sample materials for electrochemical merits (activation energy, charge-carrier density and flatband potential) of well-known standards such as yttria-stabilized zirconia with 8 mol.% Y₂O₃ (8YSZ), CeO₂ and In₂O₃. The material‘s data are compared with literature data performed on a standard impedance analyzer within a casual high-temperature commercial cells. The symmetrical cell consists of insulating material (Al₂O₃ screw) and two steel contacts, connected by PtRh wires of thermal resistance tolerating temperatures of 2300 °C. Our high-temperature electrochemical setup is able to withstand temperatures up to 1100 °C and can be easily and mildly cleaned for repetitive usage. In addition, we present a methodology for generation of a high-temperature sintered 8YSZ ceramics and evaluate them with our setup. We analyze the internal resistances within the setup and propose a simplified option for introduction of various gas atmospheres into the sample‘s interior, as well as evaluate the utilization of tube furnace for simplicity. We perform equivalent circuit fitting and present an easy to implement approach for reliable high-temperature electrochemistry.

Using operando Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as transient IR spectroscopy, low-loaded Cu/CeO₂(111) catalysts were investigated with respect to their redox behavior and the importance of adsorbates for the reverse water–gas shift (rWGS) reaction. Here it is shown that of two possible mechanisms the redox mechanism is predominant over an associative one.

SnO₂ is the most widely used metal oxide gas-sensing material but a detailed understanding of its functioning is still lacking despite its relevance for applications. To gain new mechanistic insight into SnO₂ gas sensors under working conditions, we have developed an operando approach based on combined UV/Vis, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy, allowing us for the first time to relate the sensor response to the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the metal oxide, the nature of the adsorbates, and the gas-phase composition. We demonstrate with the example of ethanol gas sensing that the sensor resistance is directly correlated with the number of surface oxygen vacancies and the presence of surface species, in particular, acetate and hydroxy groups. Our operando results enable an assessment of mechanistic models proposed in the literature to explain gas sensor operation. Owing to their fundamental nature, our findings are of direct relevance also for other metal oxide gas sensors.

The use of atmospheric or locally emitted carbon dioxide (CO₂) as raw material for the production of chemicals and fuels represents an important strategy for reducing the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and the dependence on fossil fuels. Heterogeneously catalyzed processes enable the activation and transformation of CO₂, for example, via CO₂ hydrogenation, via reforming of CO₂ or by using CO₂ as an oxidizing agent in selective oxidation reactions. The rational design of better catalysts requires a fundamental understanding of the underlying reaction mechanism and the catalyst’s mode of operation. To this end, the development and application of new experimental approaches is urgently needed, providing a detailed analysis of the respective catalyst and its structural dynamics, ultimately enabling the identification of reaction intermediates and active sites. To be of relevance, catalysts need to be monitored in situ under real working conditions, preferably combined with a simultaneous detection of activity, which is known as operando analysis (see Fig. 1).

Artificial intelligence (AI) is about to bring fundamental changes in our society and economy, touching on how organizations make decisions, deliver services, and evaluate opportunities. Given the breadth of their potential reach across companies of different sizes and in different industries, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of MIT even speak of AI as “the most important general-purpose technology of our era” (Brynjolfsson and McAfee 2017, p. 2). Today, AI applications in most of the cases are based upon machine learning algorithms, whereby supervised learning, in particular, has become established in practice.

Vampyrellid amoebae are predatory protists, which consume a variety of eukaryotic prey and inhabit freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Although they have been known for almost 150 years, much of their diversity lacks an in‐depth characterization. To date, environmental sequencing data hint at several uncharacterized lineages, to which no phenotype is associated. Furthermore, there are numerous historically described species without any molecular information. This study reports on two new vampyrellid strains from moorlands, which extract the protoplasts of Closterium species (Zygnematophyceae). Our data on morphology, prey range specificity and feeding strategy reveal that the studied vampyrellids are very similar to the historically described Vampyrella closterii. However, phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the two strains do not belong to the genus Vampyrella and, instead, form a distinct clade in the family Leptophryidae. Hence, we introduce a new genus of algivorous protoplast extractors, Pseudovampyrella gen. nov., with the species P. closterii (= V. closterii) and P. minor. Our findings indicate that the genetic diversity of morphologically described vampyrellid species might be hugely underrated.

In this work we elucidate the main steps of the CO oxidation mechanism over Au/CeO₂(111), clarifying the course of CO adsorption at a broad variety of surface sites as well as of transmutations of one CO species into another. By combining transient spectroscopy with DFT calculations we provide new evidence that the active centers for CO conversion are single gold atoms. To gain insight into the reaction mechanism, we employ Modulation Excitation (ME) DRIFT spectroscopy in combination with the mathematical tool of Phase Sensitive Detection to identify the active species and perform DFT calculations to facilitate the assignments of the observed bands. The transient nature of the ME-DRIFTS method allows us to sort the observed species temporally, providing further mechanistic insight. Our study highlights the potential of combined transient spectroscopy and theoretical calculations (DFT) to clarify the role of adsorbates observed and to elucidate the reaction mechanism of CO oxidation over supported gold and other noble-metal catalysts.

AIM: The 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation provides recommendations to guide clinicians in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 12, 2022, to November 3, 2022, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline. Additional relevant studies, published through November 2022, during the guideline writing process, were also considered by the writing committee and added to the evidence tables, where appropriate. STRUCTURE: Atrial fibrillation is the most sustained common arrhythmia, and its incidence and prevalence are increasing in the United States and globally. Recommendations from the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and the 2019 AHA/ACC/HRS Focused Update of the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation have been updated with new evidence to guide clinicians. In addition, new recommendations addressing atrial fibrillation and thromboembolic risk assessment, anticoagulation, left atrial appendage occlusion, atrial fibrillation catheter or surgical ablation, and risk factor modification and atrial fibrillation prevention have been developed.

The Hydra nervous system is the paradigm of a simple nerve net. Nerve cells in Hydra, as in many cnidarian polyps, are organized in a nerve net extending throughout the body column. This nerve net is required for control of spontaneous behavior: elimination of nerve cells leads to polyps that do not move and are incapable of capturing and ingesting prey (Campbell, 1976). We have re-examined the structure of the Hydra nerve net by immunostaining fixed polyps with a novel antibody that stains all nerve cells in Hydra. Confocal imaging shows that there are two distinct nerve nets, one in the ectoderm and one in the endoderm, with the unexpected absence of nerve cells in the endoderm of the tentacles. The nerve nets in the ectoderm and endoderm do not contact each other. High-resolution TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and serial block face SEM (scanning electron microscopy) show that the nerve nets consist of bundles of parallel overlapping neurites. Results from transgenic lines show that neurite bundles include different neural circuits and hence that neurites in bundles require circuit-specific recognition. Nerve cell-specific innexins indicate that gap junctions can provide this specificity. The occurrence of bundles of neurites supports a model for continuous growth and differentiation of the nerve net by lateral addition of new nerve cells to the existing net. This model was confirmed by tracking newly differentiated nerve cells.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction secondary to spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) can be traumatic and potentially trigger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a large, multicenter, registry-based cohort, we documented prevalence of lifetime and past-month SCAD-induced PTSD, as well as related treatment seeking, and examined a range of health-relevant correlates of SCAD-induced PTSD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with SCAD were enrolled in the iSCAD (International SCAD) Registry. At baseline, site investigators completed medical report forms, and patients reported demographics, medical/SCAD history, psychosocial factors (including SCAD-induced PTSD symptoms), health behaviors, and health status via online questionnaires. Of 1156 registry patients, 859 patients (93.9% women; mean age, 52.3 years) completed questionnaires querying SCAD-induced PTSD. Nearly 35% (n=298) of patients met diagnostic criteria for probable SCAD-induced PTSD in their lifetime, and 6.4% (n=55) met criteria for probable past-month PTSD. Of 811 patients ever reporting any SCAD-induced PTSD symptoms, 34.8% indicated seeking treatment for this distress. However, 46.0% of the 298 patients with lifetime probable SCAD-induced PTSD diagnoses reported never receiving trauma-related treatment. Younger age at first SCAD, fewer years since SCAD, being single, unemployed status, more lifetime trauma, and history of anxiety were associated with greater past-month PTSD symptom severity in multivariable regression models. Greater past-month SCAD-induced PTSD symptoms were associated with greater past-week sleep disturbance and worse past-month disease-specific health status when adjusting for various risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of SCAD-induced PTSD symptoms, efforts to support screening for these symptoms and connecting patients experiencing distress with empirically supported treatments are critical next steps. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique

Data curators play an important role in assessing data quality and take actions that may ultimately lead to better, more valuable data products. This study explores the curation practices of data curators working within US-based data repositories. We performed a survey in January 2021 to benchmark the levels of curation performed by repositories and assess the perceived value and impact of curation on the data sharing process. Our analysis included 95 responses from 59 unique data repositories. Respondents primarily were professionals working within repositories and examined curation performed within a repository setting. A majority 72.6% of respondents reported that data-level curation was performed by their repository and around half reported their repository took steps to ensure interoperability and reproducibility of their repositorys datasets. Curation actions most frequently reported include checking for duplicate files, reviewing documentation, reviewing metadata, minting persistent identifiers, and checking for corrupt/broken files. The most value-add curation action across generalist, institutional, and disciplinary repository respondents was related to reviewing and enhancing documentation. Respondents reported high perceived impact of curation by their repositories on specific data sharing outcomes including usability, findability, understandability, and accessibility of deposited datasets; respondents associated with disciplinary repositories tended to perceive higher impact on most outcomes. Most survey participants strongly agreed that data curation by the repository adds value to the data sharing process and that it outweighs the effort and cost. We found some differences between institutional and disciplinary repositories, both in the reported frequency of specific curation actions as well as the perceived impact of data curation. Interestingly, we also found variation in the perceptions of those working within the same repository regarding the level

OBJECTIVE: To develop a predictive model for thiamine responsive disorders (TRDs) among infants and young children hospitalized with signs or symptoms suggestive of thiamine deficiency disorders (TDDs) based on response to therapeutic thiamine in a high-risk setting. STUDY DESIGN: Children aged 21 days to <18 months hospitalized with signs or symptoms suggestive of TDD in northern Lao Peoples Democratic Republic were treated with parenteral thiamine (100 mg daily) for ≥3 days in addition to routine care. Physical examinations and recovery assessments were conducted frequently for 72 hours after thiamine was initiated. Individual case reports were independently reviewed by three pediatricians who assigned a TRD status (TRD or non-TRD), which served as the dependent variable in logistic regression models to identify predictors of TRD. Model performance was quantified by empirical area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: A total of 449 children (median [Q1, Q3] 2.9 [1.7, 5.7] months old; 70.3% exclusively/predominantly breastfed) were enrolled; 60.8% had a TRD. Among 52 candidate variables, those most predictive of TRD were exclusive/predominant breastfeeding, hoarse voice/loss of voice, cyanosis, no eye contact, and no diarrhea in the previous 2 weeks. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% CI) was 0.82 (0.78, 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the majority of children with signs or symptoms of TDD responded favorably to thiamine. While five specific features were predictive of TRD, the high prevalence of TRD suggests that thiamine should be administered to all infants and children presenting with any signs or symptoms consistent with TDD in similar high-risk settings. The usefulness of the predictive model in other contexts warrants further exploration and refinement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03626337.

This paper focuses on the implications of a commutative formulation that integrates branch‐cutting cosmology, the Wheeler–DeWitt equation, and Hořava–Lifshitz quantum gravity. Building on a mini‐superspace structure, we explore the impact of an inflaton‐type scalar field on the wave function of the Universe. Specifically analyzing the dynamical solutions of branch‐cut gravity within a mini‐superspace framework, we emphasize the scalar field's influence on the evolution of the evolution of the wave function of the Universe. Our research unveils a helix‐like function that characterizes a topologically foliated spacetime structure. The starting point is the Hořava–Lifshitz action, which depends on the scalar curvature of the branched Universe and its derivatives, with running coupling constants denoted as . The corresponding wave equations are derived and are resolved. The commutative quantum gravity approach preserves the diffeomorphism property of General Relativity, maintaining compatibility with the Arnowitt–Deser–Misner formalism. Additionally, we delve into a mini‐superspace of variables, incorporating scalar‐inflaton fields and exploring inflationary models, particularly chaotic and nonchaotic scenarios. We obtained solutions for the wave equations without recurring to numerical approximations.

"Just Accepted" papers have undergone full peer review and have been accepted for publication in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. This article will undergo copyediting, layout, and proof review before it is published in its final version. Please note that during production of the final copyedited article, errors may be discovered which could affect the content. The University of California San Francisco Adult Longitudinal Post-Treatment Diffuse Glioma (UCSF-ALPTDG) MRI dataset is a publicly available annotated dataset featuring multimodal brain MRIs from 298 patients with diffuse gliomas taken at two consecutive follow-ups (596 scans total), with corresponding clinical history and expert voxelwise annotations. ©RSNA, 2024.

This article presents a general reduced order model (ROM) framework for addressing fluid dynamics problems involving time-dependent geometric parametrisations. The framework integrates Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Empirical Cubature Method (ECM) hyper-reduction techniques to effectively approximate incompressible computational fluid dynamics simulations. To demonstrate the applicability of this framework, we investigate the behavior of a planar contraction-expansion channel geometry exhibiting bifurcating solutions known as the Coanda effect. By introducing time-dependent deformations to the channel geometry, we observe hysteresis phenomena in the solution. The paper provides a detailed formulation of the framework, including the stabilised finite elements full order model (FOM) and ROM, with a particular focus on the considerations related to geometric parametrisation. Subsequently, we present the results obtained from the simulations, analysing the solution behavior in a phase space for the fluid velocity at a probe point, considered as the Quantity of Interest (QoI). Through qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the ROMs and hyper-reduced order models (HROMs), we demonstrate their ability to accurately reproduce the complete solution field and the QoI. While HROMs offer significant computational speedup, enabling efficient simulations, they do exhibit some errors, particularly for testing trajectories. However, their value lies in applications where the detection of the Coanda effect holds paramount importance, even if the selected bifurcation branch is incorrect. Alternatively, for more precise results, HROMs with lower speedups can be employed., The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (CEX2018-000797-S)”. This project has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 955558. The JU receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Norway. This publication is part of the R&D project PCI2021-121944, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”. J.R. Bravo acknowledges the financial support of both the Bank Santander, and the Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya through the FI-SDUR 2020 scholarship. J.A Hernández also thanks the support of “MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER una manera de hacer Europa (PID2021-122518OB-I00)., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large-scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization factors of plant-derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy-to-degrade components accumulate during early-stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass-loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early-stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

Peer Reviewed