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Educational research often refers to the subjective values assigned to aspects of education. Theoretical frameworks from the related disciplines of psychology and sociology applied to the context of education aim to better describe why some students are more motivated in school than others to understand differences in academic outcomes. In the current study, we followed an interdisciplinary approach that aimed to integrate psychological views regarding domain-specific value beliefs (i.e., intrinsic, attainment, utility, cost) and sociological views regarding domain-general values of education (i.e., stimulation, comfort, status, behavioral confirmation) and to investigate how they relate to academic success in upper secondary education. In a sample of 3,775 upper secondary school students in Germany, we found evidence that combining the two perspectives had incremental effects when predicting domain-specific achievement and GPA. We discuss how integrating interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives could foster communication between scientific disciplines and benefit future research in the field of motivation.

Abstract Background Online forums play a crucial role for cancer patients seeking nutrition-related information and support. This study investigated the most common nutrition-related questions and concerns among members of the Women’s Self-Help Association Against Cancer, focusing on emotional, physical, and practical aspects of dietary changes in cancer patients. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative content analysis of 5314 forum responses. The themes identified included common questions, patient contributions, physician involvement, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the discussions. Results In total, 2246 posts across 22 threads were analyzed, spanning 3867 days and receiving 654,100 visits. Key topics included 41 themes and 356 questions, with common inquiries like “Has your diet changed since your diagnosis?” (45 responses) and “Is sugar allowed in your diet?” (29 responses). There were 4958 contributions, with 558 evidence-based responses (e.g., recommending balanced diets) and 200 non-evidence-based responses (e.g., fasting, cancer-specific diets). Concerns regarding sugar (188 responses), dairy (121 responses), and emotional stress (187 responses) were common. Despite evidence-based recommendations from healthcare professionals supporting balanced diets, members frequently encounter non-evidence-based advice on fasting- and cancer-specific diets, leading to significant emotional and nutritional challenges. Additionally, Members emphasized the need to balance the enjoyment of food with dietary restrictions. Conclusion The forum is a valuable resource for sharing experiences and advice; however, non-evidence-based content underscores the need for moderation and expert input. Collaboration between medical professionals and moderators can improve content reliability, enabling informed dietary decisions for cancer patients.

Abstract Although rare diseases (RDs) affect over 260 million individuals worldwide, low data quality and scarcity challenge effective care and research. This work aims to harmonise the Common Data Set by European Rare Disease Registry Infrastructure, Health Level 7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Base Resources, and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health Phenopacket Schema into a novel rare disease common data model (RD-CDM), laying the foundation for developing international RD-CDMs aligned with these data standards. We developed a modular-based GitHub repository and documentation to account for flexibility, extensions and further development. Recommendations on the model’s cardinalities are given, inviting further refinement and international collaboration. An ontology-based approach was selected to find a common denominator between the semantic and syntactic data standards. Our RD-CDM version 2.0.0 comprises 78 data elements, extending the ERDRI-CDS by 62 elements with previous versions implemented in four German university hospitals capturing real world data for development and evaluation. We identified three categories for evaluation: Medical Data Granularity, Clinical Reasoning and Medical Relevance, and Interoperability and Harmonisation.

Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) are a novel approach that is being intensively investigated in 3D scene reconstruction and similar fields to overcome challenges of conventional methods. In this paper, we address the problem of estimating missing camera poses in a six degrees of freedom setting, pushing the capabilities of NeRFs to address scenarios where only the primary camera’s pose is known. Specifically, we focus on dual-camera setups with this constraint. Our core contribution is a novel pose correction model that operates alongside an unmodified NeRF model, for which we have chosen Nerfacto in the Nerfstudio framework. The pose correction model learns the necessary relative translation and rotation adjustments for the secondary camera solely through the NeRF loss. This allows us to integrate our correction model directly into the Nerfacto training pipeline without altering the core functionality. Through extensive experiments on different camera configurations in a synthetic scene, we rigorously evaluate our model’s performance across diverse scenarios, pushing it to its limits. Our findings reveal that our model can effectively learn pose correction parameters within a constrained range, with increased sensitivity to larger translations and particular challenges in rotation corrections. This research highlights the potential of NeRFs for machine learning-driven 3D reconstruction on dual- and multi-camera platforms, expanding the applicability of NeRFs to more complex, real-world setups despite the inherent challenges.

Drained peatlands need to be rewetted to reduce carbon emissions. To realise this, sustainable land-use alternatives must be implemented after rewetting. Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) can aid in monitoring crop growth and spatial heterogeneity in vegetation patterns, and hence contribute to improved management. We monitored Typha latifolia (‘Typha’) biomass for an 8.5 ha rewetted paludiculture site in north-east Germany using structural (digital surface model, DSM) and multispectral data (5 spectral bands and normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI) obtained by drone surveys in July, August and September 2021. We used in-situ harvests of Typha from 1 m2 square plots as training data. Biomass for validation plots was predicted from field measurements for the respective observation dates. The DSM’s and NDVI’s spatial resolution (2.76 cm) were resampled to 1 m and original values aggregated into different spatial metrics (i.e., percentiles of pixel height and NDVI values). Different regression models were separately tested for the different August DSM and NDVI metrics as explanatory variables from August data. A normalised Typha fraction cover mask from the multispectral data was used to exclude non-target species. To test the model for different phenological stages, we then applied the best performing model of August to July and September. The models were compared to non-destructive biomass predictions from linear relationships between field measurements. The combination of DSM or NDVI metrics with the Typha mask captured the heterogeneity of Typha biomass well (R2 = 0.65–0.71). Biomass overprediction for present non-target species was successfully excluded. DSM models outperformed NDVI models for dense Typha stands due to saturation of the NDVI at 500 g m-2 biomass. We were able to show biomass accumulation from July to August of up to 200 g m-2. The September model had the lowest performance (R2 = 0.6), due to a weakened height-biomass relation. Further, our model underestimated flower biomass. As single UAS surveys offer both structural and spectral information, UAS data will contribute to precise biomass and vegetation monitoring at high spatial resolution in upcoming rewetting efforts.

Abstract Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs), a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed orally and extraorally, elicit signaling in response to a large set of tastants. Among 25 functional TAS2Rs encoded in the human genome, TAS2R14 is the most promiscuous, and responds to hundreds of chemically diverse ligands. Here we present the cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the human TAS2R14 in complex with its signaling partner gustducin, and bound to flufenamic acid (FFA), a clinically approved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The structure reveals an unusual binding mode, where two copies of FFA are bound at distinct pockets: one at the canonical receptor site within the trans-membrane bundle, and the other in the intracellular facet, bridging the receptor with gustducin. Together with a pocket-specific BRET-based ligand binding assay, these results illuminate bitter taste signaling and provide tools for a site-targeted compound design.

Abstract Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) using endobronchial valves (EBV) is a treatment option for a subset of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suffering from emphysema and hyperinflation. In this pilot study, we aimed to determine the presence of bacterial biofilm infections on EBV and investigate their involvement in lack of clinical benefits, worsening symptomatology, and increased exacerbations that lead to the decision to remove EBVs. We analyzed ten COPD patients with ELVR who underwent EBV removal. Clinical data were compared to the microbiological findings from conventional EBV culture. In addition, EBV were analyzed by FISHseq, a combination of Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with PCR and sequencing, for visualization and identification of microorganisms and biofilms. All ten patients presented with clinical symptoms, including pneumonia and recurrent exacerbations. Microbiological cultures from EBV detected several microorganisms in all ten patients. FISHseq showed either mixed or monospecies colonization on the EBV, including oropharyngeal bacterial flora, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus spp., and Fusobacterium sp. On 5/10 EBV, FISHseq visualized biofilms, on 1/10 microbial microcolonies, on 3/10 single microorganisms, and on 1/10 no microorganisms. The results of the study demonstrate the presence of biofilms on EBV for the first time and its potential involvement in increased exacerbations and clinical worsening in patients with ELVR. However, further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of biofilm formation on EBV and appropriate treatment options to avoid infections in patients with ELVR.

Abstract The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is commonly used as an indicator of mid-body fat distribution and is often used to answer health-related questions. It has also been suggested that a woman’s WHR can signal her reproductive fitness. This notion is supported by evidence indicating a relation between WHR and a woman’s physical attractiveness. However, it was also acknowledged that the actual fitness cue is the curviness of a woman’s body. While curviness is easy to perceive, it is difficult to quantify. Therefore, the WHR is often considered as a simple measure of body curviness. However, the WHR and curviness are not uniquely related. After replicating results of a pioneering study in this area, we therefore tested whether the WHR or curviness better predicts a woman’s physical attractiveness. As stimuli, we used simple line drawings of women’s bodies, differing in their curviness and width. The results demonstrate that curviness is a better predictor, even though we used a relatively simple curvature-based measure of curviness. This outcome indicates that the WHR is a poor measure of a woman’s body curviness and underscores the need for a more accurate measure of curviness when assessing the physical attractiveness of a woman’s body.

Abstract Background With a growing global population, the generation of plastic waste and the depletion of fossil resources are major concerns that need to be addressed by developing sustainable and efficient plastic recycling methods. Biocatalytic recycling is emerging as a promising ecological alternative to conventional processes, particularly in the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, cost-effective production of the involved biocatalyst is essential for the transition of enzymatic PET recycling to a widely used industrial technology. Extracellular enzyme production using established organisms such as Escherichia coli or Corynebacterium glutamicum offers a promising way to reduce downstream processing costs. Results In this study, we compared extracellular recombinant protein production by classical secretion in C. glutamicum and by membrane leakage in E. coli. A superior extracellular release of the cutinase ICCGDAQI was observed with E. coli in batch and fed-batch processes on a litre-scale. This phenomenon in E. coli, in the absence of a signal peptide, might be associated with membrane-destabilizing catalytic properties of the expressed cutinase. Optimisations regarding induction, expression temperature and duration as well as carbon source significantly enhanced extracellular cutinase activity. In particular, in fed-batch cultivation of E. coli at 30 °C with lactose as carbon source and inducer, a remarkable extracellular activity (137 U mL−1) and cutinase titre (660 mg L−1) were achieved after 48 h. Literature values obtained with other secretory organisms, such as Bacillus subtilis or Komagataella phaffii were clearly outperformed. The extracellular ICCGDAQI produced showed high efficacy in the hydrolysis of PET textile fibres, either chromatographically purified or unpurified as culture supernatant. In less than 18 h, 10 g L−1 substrate was hydrolysed using supernatant containing 3 mg cutinase ICCGDAQI at 70 °C, pH 9 with terephthalic acid yields of up to 97.8%. Conclusion Extracellular production can reduce the cost of recombinant proteins by simplifying downstream processing. In the case of the PET-hydrolysing cutinase ICCGDAQI, it was even possible to avoid chromatographic purification and still achieve efficient PET hydrolysis. With such production approaches and their further optimisation, enzymatic recycling of PET can contribute to a more efficient and environmentally friendly solution to the industrial recycling of plastics in the future.

Abstract Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants and toddlers. Since natural infections do not induce persistent immunity, there is the need of vaccines providing long-term protection. Here, we evaluated a new adenoviral vector (rAd) vaccine based on the rare serotype rAd19a and compared the immunogenicity and efficacy to the highly immunogenic rAd5. Given as an intranasal boost in DNA primed mice, both vectors encoding the F protein provided efficient protection against a subsequent RSV infection. However, intramuscular immunization with rAd19a vectors provoked vaccine-enhanced disease after RSV infection compared to non-vaccinated animals. While mucosal IgA antibodies and tissue-resident memory T-cells in intranasally vaccinated mice rapidly control RSV replication, a strong anamnestic systemic T-cell response in absence of local immunity might be the reason for immune-mediated enhanced disease. Our study highlighted the potential benefits of developing effective mucosal against respiratory pathogens.

Empirical evidence suggests children's socio-emotional skills--an important determinant of school achievement--vary according to socioeconomic family background. This study assesses the degree to which differences in socio-emotional skills contribute to the achievement gap between socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged children. We used data on 74 countries from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment, which contains an extensive set of psychological measures, including growth mindset, self-efficacy, and work mastery. We developed three conceptual scenarios to analyze the role of socio-emotional skills in learning inequality: simple accumulation, multiplicative accumulation, and compensatory accumulation. Our findings are in line with the simple accumulation scenario: Socioeconomically advantaged children have somewhat higher levels of socio-emotional skills than their disadvantaged peers, but the effect of these skills on academic performance is largely similar in both groups. Using a counterfactual decomposition method, we show that the measured socio-emotional skills explain no more than 8.8 percent of the socioeconomic achievement gap. Based on these findings, we argue that initiatives to promote social and emotional learning are unlikely to substantially reduce educational inequality.