Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an increasing cause of morbidity and its severity is graded based on clinical manifestation. To investigate the influence of the different stages on myopathy of ischemic muscle we analysed severity-dependent effects of mitochondrial respiration in PAD. Eighteen patients with severe PAD, defined as chronic limb-threatening ischemia, 47 patients with intermittent claudication (IC) and 22 non-ischemic controls were analysed. High-resolution respirometry (HRR) was performed on muscle biopsies of gastrocnemius and vastus lateralis muscle of patients in different PAD stages to investigate different respiratory states. Results from HRR are given as median and interquartile range and were normalized to citrate synthase activity (CSA), a marker for mitochondrial content. In order to account for inter-individual differences between patients and controls, we calculated the ratio of O-2-flux in gastrocnemius muscle over vastus muscle ('GV ratio'). CSA of the gastrocnemius muscle as a proxy for mitochondrial content was significantly lower in critical ischemia compared to controls. Mitochondrial respiration normalized to CSA was higher in IC compared to controls. Likewise, the GV ratio was significantly higher in IC compared to control. Mitochondrial respiration and CSA of PAD patients showed stage-dependent modifications with greater changes in the mild PAD stage group (IC).

The magnitude and understanding of the Kingdom Fungi are expanding with the application of DNA-based molecular approaches. Non-Dikarya fungi (sometimes referred to as 'basal fungi', 'early divergent fungi' or 'lower fungi'), a large group of fungi that are included in 16 different phyla, comprise approximately 5000 species to date. This paper compiles all existing information on the families of the non-Dikarya fungal phyla. Two phylogenomic analyses are provided separately to show the relationships of the phyla of non-Dikarya and families of Mucoromycota, respectively. A phylogenetic tree based on partial 45S or partial 28S sequences is provided to show the placements of families in Glomeromycota. We provide the descriptions of each family and its type genus, including an illustration of the type species or a well-established other genus in the family. All the genera included in the family are listed with their type species. Bulbosporaceae fam. nov. is introduced to accommodate Bulbospora in Gigasporales (Glomeromycetes, Glomeromycota). Densosporales Tedersoo, Densosporaceae Desiro et al., and Jimgerdemanniaceae Tedersoo are validated. Taxa in Rozellomycota (including Microsporidia) and Aphelidiomycota are currently accepted as groups of fungi. Still, most species names require further revision following the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Caudosporina Y.S. Tokarev & I.V. Issi nom. nov. and Mesnilivella Frolova & Nassonova nom. nov. are provided to accommodate Caudospora J. Weiser (nom. illegit.) and Mesnilia Frolova et al. 2023 (nom. illegit.), respectively. Taxa introduced based on eDNA (by Tedersoo et al. 2024) are listed separately, as currently these taxa are treated as invalid. Fossil non-Dikarya taxa are also provided separately.

We present the characterisation of the TOI-6041 system, a bright (V = 9.84 ± 0.03) G7-type star hosting at least two planets. The inner planet, TOI-6041 b, is a warm Neptune with a radius of 4.55−0.17+0.18 R⊕, initially identified as a single-transit event in TESS photometry. Subsequent observations with TESS and CHEOPS revealed additional transits, enabling the determination of its 26.04945−0.00034+0.00033 orbital period and the detection of significant transit-timing variations (TTVs), exhibiting a peak-to-peak amplitude of about 1 hour. Radial-velocity (RV) measurements obtained with the APF spectrographs allowed us to place a 3σ upper mass limit of 28.9 M⊕ on TOI-6041 b. In addition, the RV data reveal a second companion, TOI-6041 c, on an 88 d orbit, with a minimum mass of 0.25 MJup. A preliminary TTV analysis suggested that the observed variations could be caused by gravitational perturbations from planet c; however, reproducing the observed amplitudes requires a relatively high eccentricity of about 0.3 for that planet. Our dynamical stability analysis indicates that such a configuration is dynamically viable and places a 1σ upper limit on the mass of TOI-6041 c at 0.8 MJup. An alternative is the presence of a third, low-mass planet located between planets b and c, or on an inner orbit relative to planet b – particularly near a mean-motion resonance with planet b – which could account for the observed variations. These findings remain tentative, and further RV and photometric observations are essential in to better constrain the mass of planet b and to refine the TTV modeling, thereby improving our understanding of the system’s dynamical architecture.

The JPL rover Perseverance's investigations of Jezero crater's floor reveal that the ultramafic Séítah formation and the overlying mafic Máaz formation are deformed into a broad, low-amplitude structural dome. Mastcam-Z stereo images processed into digital outcrop models, together with RIMFAX ground-penetrating radar profiles, were used to reconstruct the three-dimensional stratal geometry of both units along a SW–NE transect across a southern domain of the dome called south Séítah. Measurements from 3-D reconstructions show a progression from sub-horizontal layers in the central parts of the dome to dips <20° away from the dome on its flanks, with Máaz and underlying Séítah layers dipping concordantly. RIMFAX profiles and imaging around the dome confirm that limb dips are continuous into the subsurface and form a flat-crested composite quaquaversal fold structure. Séítah rocks in the fold core are up to 17 m higher than adjacent Máaz lava flows, despite stratigraphically underlying them, a relationship attributed to structural uplift. Fold geometry, wavelength (∼1 km), and amplitude (∼30–50 m), match models of forced folding produced by inflation of shallow igneous intrusions. The most likely cause is the emplacement of a sill or laccolith beneath the crater floor, generating elastic bending of the overlying layers. This intrusion-driven uplift explains Séítah's elevated position, constrains the deformation history of Jezero's crater floor units post-emplacement of the Séítah and Máaz formations, and supports a significant role for shallow magmatic intrusion in shaping intracrustal structures on Mars.

Scope: Secretion of the gut hormones glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are induced by nutrients reaching the lower small intestine which regulate insulin and glucagon release, inhibit appetite, and may improve beta-cell regeneration. The aim is to test the effect of a slowly digested isomaltulose (ISO) compared to the rapidly digested saccharose (SAC) as a snack given 1 h before a standardized mixed meal test (MMT) on GLP-1, PYY, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), and metabolic responses in participants with or without type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods and results: Fifteen healthy volunteers and 15 patients with T2DM consumed either 50 g ISO or SAC 1 h preload of MMT on nonconsecutive days. Clinical parameters and incretin hormones are measured throughout the whole course of MMT. Administration of 50 g ISO as compared to SAC induced a significant increase in GLP-1, GIP, and PYY responses over 2 h after intake of a typical lunch in healthy controls. Patients with T2DM showed reduced overall responses of GLP-1 and delayed insulin release compared to controls while ISO significantly enhanced the GIP and almost tripled the PYY response compared to SAC. Conclusion: A snack containing ISO markedly enhances the release of the metabolically advantageous gut hormones PYY and GLP-1 and enhances GIP release in response to a subsequent complex meal.

Background Suicidal ideation and self-injurious behaviors (SISIB) in children and adolescents are a major concern in clinical practice. Yet, little is known about the prevalence rates of SISIB in outpatient clinics and its response to routine psychotherapy. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the prevalence of SISIB and the changes in SISIB in a heterogeneous clinical outpatient sample of children and adolescents undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy in Germany. Methods The sample consists of N = 5730 child and adolescent outpatients, 54.05% female, mean age = 12.16 years (SD = 3.51). As metrics of SISIB, two items (Item 18 on self-injurious behavior and Item 91 on suicidal ideation) of the Youth Self Report (YSR/11–18R) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6–18R) as caregiver report were used. Results Pretreatment, suicidal ideation was reported by 33.45% of patients and 15.39% of caregivers. Self-injurious behavior was reported pretreatment by 35.35% of patients and 20.16% of caregivers. Posttreatment, suicidal ideation was reported by 11.32% of patients and 5.25% of caregivers. Self-injurious behavior was reported posttreatment by 19.00% of patients and 9.43% of caregivers. Conclusion SISIB are very common in children and adolescents in outpatient settings. Prevalence rates are higher in self-reports than in caregiver reports, indicating the importance of assessing SISIB in children and adolescents themselves. After routine-care psychotherapy, a substantial proportion of patients report an amelioration of SISIB. These results indicate the importance of monitoring SISIB during treatment and of therapists being aware of risk assessment techniques and psychotherapy interventions targeting SISIB.

Studies concerned with how local states govern the urban poor have long focused on the state's attempts to control, criminalise and exclude individuals from public spaces. Researchers recently shifted this focus; they increasingly engage with organisations and front-line practices relating to care. Underlying these analyses is the question of how urban governance rubs off on front-line work and conditions for the urban poor. In their research, scholars rarely study through which organisational mechanisms front-line workers and clients encounter each other. This article addresses 112 calls issued for unhoused individuals by third parties in Urgencity, a city in Germany. It sheds light on institutional and everyday logics that regularly bring third parties, emergency care front-line workers and marginalised clients into contact. These calls often blur boundaries of illness and poverty and care and control and result in clients' circulation in emergency care: an urban impasse for front-line workers.

Hexahydroquinoline (HHQ) is a widely recognized scaffold that has garnered considerable attention owing to its diverse pharmacological properties. The structure of HHQ includes a 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) ring, which serves as the pharmacophore for the predominant class of drugs known as calcium channel blockers. DHPs are frequently utilized in the management of cardiovascular diseases and also show potential for pain management. Since all DHPs on the market possess ester functionality, we aimed to employ bioisosteric replacement to observe if their amide-containing counterparts would still block calcium channels. Therefore, we synthesized new HHQs with ester or amide functionality (EM1-EM15) and investigated their effects on L-(Cav1.2) and T-(Cav3.2)-type calcium channels using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Although the amide derivatives were somewhat less effective than their ester counterparts, they still blocked calcium channels to a significant degree. Retesting EM4 enantiomers on two types of calcium channels demonstrated that the (R)-isomer was more responsible for the blocking activity in both cases. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that (R)-EM4 and (R)-EM6 adopt binding modes in Cav1.2 similar to amlodipine, while showing favorable stability. Docking studies in Cav3.2 suggested that EM compounds bind within the Ⅲ-Ⅳ fenestration, a reported non-selective DHP binding site. Furthermore, amide derivatives were found to be more metabolically stable based on the in vitro experiments conducted on rat microsomes. Overall, our study reveals HHQ with an amide group as a promising new scaffold for developing future calcium channel blockers for treating cardiovascular and pain conditions.

Introduction/Aims: The performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosing suspected idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) remains controversial. Furthermore, the role of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) sequences is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a non-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (NE-MRI) protocol compared to a CE-MRI protocol in adult patients with confirmed IIM. Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled patients with suspected IIM who underwent MRI of the upper thigh between 2008 and 2020. The protocol consisted of a T1-weighted (T1w) sequence, a turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) sequence and a contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequence (CE-T1w). After randomly stratifying patients into a group with only the T1w and TIRM sequences available and another group with additional availability of CE-T1w, three blinded readers assessed the presence of IIM based on characteristic imaging features. Confirmation of the diagnosis was determined based on the 2017 ACR/EULAR criteria. Results: Of the 80 patients (mean age 49.0 +/- 21.1 years; 42 female, 38 male) included, 54 (67.5%) had a positive diagnosis of IIM. Cumulated sensitivity and specificity for MRI to detect IIM was 87.1% and 83.3% in the NE-MRI group versus 87.0% and 63.0% in the CE-MRI group. The group differences for sensitivity and specificity were non-significant for each of the three readers, respectively (p >= .081). Discussion: NE-MRI detects suspected IIM with high diagnostic accuracy and performs equivalently to CE-MRI. Therefore, it may be appropriate to omit the use of contrast agents in MRI scans performed for suspected IIM.

Context. The aim of the European Space Agency’s PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO) mission is to detect planets orbiting around dwarfs and subgiant stars with spectral type F5 or later, including M dwarfs. The PLATO Input Catalogue (PIC) contains all PLATO targets available for observation by the PLATO nominal science. The latest version, PIC2.1.0.1, focuses on the Southern PLATO field, named LOPS2, selected as the first long observation field, and includes the P4 sample, one of the four target samples outlined in the Science Requirement Document. P4 includes the M dwarfs with magnitudes brighter than V=16 located within LOPS2.

Aims. A characterisation of the M dwarfs in the PIC is essential for assessing their potentiality to host exoplanets, and eventually for estimating the hosted planet(s) properties. The purpose of this paper is to describe how we selected the P4 M dwarf targets, and obtained their fundamental parameters and properties.

Methods. Measuring stellar parameters is a challenging task. Interferometry provides direct estimates of radii, whereas alternative approaches relying on theoretical assumptions are still affected by significant uncertainties. In this work, we introduce the P4 sample and detail the methodologies, all based on photometric criteria, adopted for the measurement of their stellar parameters.

Results. Based on a statistical analysis of the P4 sample, we assess both the photometric and volume completeness, and classify the stellar populations according to their Galactic spatial-velocity components. The adopted stellar parameters are validated by comparison with independent methods from the literature used to estimate stellar radii.

Conclusions. We conclude that the P4 sample is compliant with the PLATO science requirements. Being magnitude limited, its volume completeness decreases going towards distances larger than 30 pc, where late-type targets are progressively less covered. The observed large spread in the colour-magnitude diagram is likely due to the combination of several effects such as metallicity, age, binarity, and activity. The strategy we adopted for deriving stellar parameters provides results consistent with those obtained in the literature with different and independent methods.

The critical zone (CZ), extending from the vegetation canopy to the base of weathered material or depth of groundwater, hosts coupled hydrologic, geochemical, and biological interactions that regulate soil health, water resources, and ecosystem sustainability. The subsurface CZ can extend tens to hundreds of metres below the surface and is largely inaccessible, except in happenstance exposures from quarries or road cuts through mountain hillsides. Drilling and subsequent borehole sampling, monitoring, and imaging reveal the importance of the deep subsurface for CZ evolution and function. However, drilling can be labour-intensive, requires expensive, specialised equipment, and can only be done where the equipment can be deployed, limiting the number and placement of boreholes. Despite these challenges, drilling provides invaluable insights into deep CZ processes. To empower the next generation of CZ scientists to employ drilling and downhole techniques, this review synthesises emerging research objectives and methods commonly used during CZ drilling campaigns over the last 30 years. We focus on three CZ research themes: (1) physical and chemical weathering, (2) water storage and partitioning, and (3) solute, microbial, and gas dynamics. For each theme, we evaluate drilling techniques, sampling strategies, downhole logging approaches, long-term monitoring, and analytical methods that collectively enable diverse hypothesis-testing. We conclude by providing a vision for the future of drilling within the CZ, with a focus on novel drilling techniques aimed at recovering saprolitic material as well as borehole designs that can monitor and sample the vadose zone. Additionally, we emphasise that near-surface geophysics and data-model integration efforts are needed to expand borehole observations to the landscape scales necessary to advance CZ science and inform ecosystem and water resource management.

In the South Caucasus, located north of the Fertile Crescent and between Black and Caspian Seas, the Neolithic way of life emerged relatively late, around 6000 BCE (8000 cal BP). This delay, compared with regions such as Anatolia or the Kopet Dag, has long been discussed by archaeologists and generally attributed to geographical or technical constraints. Climate has also been considered a key factor, particularly the 8.2 ka event, which is often linked to the spread of farming and herding from the Fertile Crescent into neighbouring regions. This event is believed to have triggered a transition from hunter-gathering to agropastoralism. However, its direct impact on the South Caucasus remains debated. Recent palaeoenvironmental studies indicate that the region underwent a major ecological transformation around 8200 cal BP, coinciding with the Early–Middle Holocene Transition. This period was characterised by increased precipitation. As a result, vegetation expanded, particularly grasslands dominated by Poaceae, which provided favourable conditions for livestock grazing and fodder production. Unlike the abrupt 8.2 ka event, this longer-term shift significantly reshaped the environment of the South Caucasus. This review argues that it was not the short-term climatic anomaly but rather the sustained increase in precipitation during the Early–Middle Holocene Transition that created the conditions necessary for the emergence of the Caucasian Neolithic. The expansion of vegetation and natural resources provided an ecological basis for the gradual adoption of agriculture and herding, ultimately leading to the development of an agropastoral system in the region.

Diese Studie befasst sich mit dem Zukunftsdenken und der zeitlichen Verortung von Akteur*innen in Protestbewegungen, die als Reaktion auf gegenwärtige Phänomene entstanden sind, die als Krisen wahrgenommen werden. Mithilfe einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse werden journalistische Interviews mit Akteuren der Bauernproteste, die 2023/24 in Deutschland stattfanden, sowie mit Akteuren der deutschen Klimabewegung ausgewertet. Die Forschungsfrage ist, wie diese Gruppen angesichts der wahrgenommenen Gegenwarts-Krise über die Zukunft denken und welche Handlungsoptionen sie daraus ableiten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Zukunftsvorstellungen stark von den spezifischen Erfahrungen und Erwartungen der jeweiligen Gruppe abhängen, wobei Klimaaktivist*innen eine eher dystopische Zukunftsvision haben und Landwirt*innen eine eher pragmatische. Daraus werden Schlussfolgerungen für die Didaktik der Geschichte gezogen, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Entwicklung eines pluralistischen Zukunftsverständnisses.

Non-native invasive species pose an escalating threat to Brazil’s rich biodiversity and ecosystem services, yet their management remains limited to fragmented efforts, underfunded research, and a lack of institutional coordination. This paper outlines pivotal steps to advance invasion science in Brazil through an integrated framework that bridges science, policy, and society. Invasive species are still often promoted for economic or aesthetic reasons, and conflicting interests and insufficient scientific integration hinder their regulation. We highlight five strategic areas for action: (1) establishing targeted funding lines for invasive species research and management, aligned with One Biosecurity principles; (2) creating a national center for invasion science to coordinate efforts and promote innovation; (3) enhancing open data sharing and integrating Brazil’s databases with international platforms to strengthen surveillance networks; (4) incorporating invasion science into academic and technical curricula to build a skilled and responsive workforce; and (5) integrating biosecurity into broader policy agendas following One Biosecurity principles. We recommend an alignment of local and national biosecurity efforts with regional and global surveillance systems, particularly at transboundary ecosystems vulnerable to new introductions. Drawing on international best practices and local case studies, this framework provides a roadmap to make biosecurity a national priority in Brazil. By fostering collaboration among researchers, managers, educators, and policymakers, Brazil can develop a more resilient and evidence-based response to biological invasions, protecting not only biodiversity but also the socioeconomic and cultural foundations that depend on healthy ecosystems.

Subsociality and wood-eating or xylophagy are understood as key drivers in the evolution of eusociality in Blattodea (cockroaches and termites), two features observed in the cockroach genus Cryptocercus, the sister group of all termites. We analyze two high-quality genomes from this genus, C. punctulatus from North America and C. meridianus from Southeast Asia, to explore the evolutionary transitions to xylophagy and subsociality within Blattodea. Our analyses reveal evidence of relaxed selection in both Cryptocercus and termites, indicating that a reduction in effective population size may have occurred in their subsocial ancestors. These findings challenge the expected positive correlation between dN/dS ratios and social complexity, as Cryptocercus exhibits elevated dN/dS values that may exceed those of eusocial termites. Additionally, we infer a reduction in the number of Ionotropic Receptors and a change from uni- to bimodal methylation signatures in protein coding genes in a common ancestor of Cryptocercus and termites, mechanisms previously thought to have evolved with the emergence of eusociality in termites. Future studies incorporating additional genomic data from diverse blattodean species can further build on these findings and provide deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms driving transitions to xylophagy and eusociality.

At a time when the rule of law is being reshaped and, in certain respects, even severely distorted, this volume examines the ways in which literature both legitimises the principles underlying the present rule of law and anticipates assumptions that take shape before new ideas are publicly felt or articulated within legal discourse. Literary acts of agency thus contribute to a reconfi guration of the legal sphere, advancing arguments through an aesthetic form that remains closely connected to broader social and cultural practices. Rather than approaching literature merely as a vehicle of ruling ideology or as a moral signpost for future legal developments, this volume considers how literary texts negotiate the interval between the rule of law as an ideal and how it is enacted in practice.

Einleitung:

Die vorliegende Handreichung für den Schulunterricht bietet Lehrkräften und ihren Schüler*innen eine künstlerische und bewegungsorientierte Herangehensweise an den Lernbereich „Wasser“. Sie dient als kreative Ergänzung zur Vermittlung von Lehrplaninhalten und eröffnet den Schüler*innen innovative, körperorientierte Lern- und Lösungsansätze für nachhaltige Praktiken. Sie beinhaltet eine Sammlung mit A n r e g u n g e n , Anleitungen und Methoden für Übungen im tanz- und bewegungsbasierten Schulunterricht – auch in anschaulicher Videoform. Die Sammlung eignet sich für alle Fächer und unterstützt durch ihren Bewegungsansatz die Lernprozesse der Kinder aktiv und motivierend. Sie fördert nicht nur die Wahrnehmungs- und Ausdrucksfähigkeit der Kinder, sondern ermöglicht es ihnen, die zunächst kognitiv vermittelten Lerninhalte aus einer forschend-spielerischen Perspektive neu zu erleben und selbst zu gestalten.

Given the scarcity of seismometers in marine environments, traditional seismology has limited effectiveness in oceanic regions. Submarine Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) systems offer a promising alternative for seismic monitoring in these areas. However, the existing machine learning model trained on land-based DAS data does not perform well with submarine DAS due to differences in noise characteristics, deployment conditions and environmental factors. This study presents a machine learning approach tailored specifically to submarine DAS data to enable automated seismic event detection and P- and S-wave identification. Leveraging DeepLab v3, a neural network architecture optimized for semantic segmentation, we developed a specialized model to handle the unique challenges of submarine DAS data. Our model was trained and validated on a data set comprising nearly 57 million manually and semi-automatically labelled seismic records from multiple globally distributed submarine sites, providing a robust basis for accurate seismic detection. The model adapts to a variety of deployment scenarios and can process DAS data from cables with different lengths, configurations and channel spacings, making it versatile for various ocean environments. We thus provide an adaptable and efficient tool for automated earthquake analysis of DAS data, which has the potential to enhance real-time earthquake monitoring and tsunami early warning in submarine environments.

The Permian–Triassic environmental crisis triggered fundamental changes in marine ecosystems, culminating in the most severe biodiversity crisis of the Phanerozoic. Yet, the environmental and geochemical conditions governing the crisis and ecosystem recovery remain debated. The sedimentary succession at Lusitaniadalen, Svalbard, deposited in the Permo–Triassic Boreal Realm, offers insights into mid-paleolatitudinal, shallow marine ecosystem responses. In a multiproxy study combining lipid biomarker and geochemical data, we reconstruct environmental conditions and microbial ecosystem dynamics across the Permian–Triassic environmental crisis. Generally low enrichments of the redox-sensitive trace elements Re, V, U, and Mo, predominantly negative Ce anomalies, and a pristane/phytane ratio >1 suggest mainly oxic conditions in the investigated interval. However, while transient dysoxic to anoxic episodes recorded across the extinction horizon support that deoxygenation contributed to the severity of the mass extinction at this Boreal site, the earlier occurrence of similar episodes of deoxygenation in the late Permian challenges the hypothesis of global anoxia as the sole extinction driver across paleolatitudes. Lipid biomarkers reveal a post-extinction increase in abundance of long-chain n-alkanes derived from terrestrial plants due to increased terrigenous discharge into shallow marine settings across this interval. Pristane and phytane, lipid biomarkers predominantly derived from chlorophyll, reveal a pronounced regional increase in primary productivity following the environmental crisis. The composition of the lipid biomarker inventory recorded in early Griesbachian strata is distinct from the pre-crisis composition, and did not recover towards the pre-crisis state within the studied interval.