Convection often initiates in proximity to cold fronts during the warm season, but how various processes favour convective initiation at different regions relative to the front is still not well-understood. By combining automatic front detection methods and a convective-cell tracking and detection dataset, the environments and availability of different lifting mechanisms are analysed. Our results indicate that pre-surface-frontal cells form in the environments with the highest surface dew points and convective available potential energy (CAPE). Behind the surface front, cells form in environments with lower CAPE and surface dew points, though they are still significantly higher than regions without cells. Mid-level relative humidity discriminates particularly well between post-frontal cell locations and regions without cells. Pre-surface-frontal cells form in environments with the strongest synoptic-scale lifting at 700 hPa and also with the strongest convective inhibition. We also observe the importance of post-frontal synoptic-scale lifting, particularly at 500 hPa. Observational sunshine duration data indicate less sunshine before cell initiation compared to regions without cells in most front-relative regions, which highlights that solar heating may not be responsible for the majority of cold-frontal cell initiation. The results in this study are an important step towards a deeper understanding of the drivers of cold-frontal convection at different regions relative to the front.

Following Audre Lorde, this paper reflects on how to decolonize the ethnographic endeavor, arguing that every ethnographic inquiry should begin with a critical evaluation of our own class consciousness in relation to our field, and focusing on how class consciousness is inscribed onto our own bodies no less than onto the bodies of our interlocutors. Shopping malls are epitomes of neoliberal capitalism, serving as spaces where middle classes converge under one roof. Particularly in a neo-colonial context like Mexico’s, malls tease questions of class in a distinctive manner by utilizing the body as advertising platform. This paper argues that my position as white uppermiddle- class (cis)woman from the global north was not only the primary tool that facilitated this research but a tool that significantly influenced its direction and focus. Simultaneously, it raised broader questions concerning intersectional inequalities under neoliberal capitalism and underscores our ethical responsibilities as ethnographers.

During the late-stage of continental rifting, lower crustal rocks can be exhumed to the Earth's surface. Such exposure has been identified especially in rifts that developed within former orogens. These rifts exploited zones of lithospheric weakness created during previous mountain-building events. Here we investigate whether lower crustal exhumation during rifting could result directly from structural inheritance of prior orogeny. To this aim we use Wilson-Cycle numerical models where we impose a prior shortening and subsequent extension. Our models incorporate the effects of thermal and structural inheritance as well as surface processes. We find that the erosion of mountain belts thins the upper crust, reducing the upper-to-lower crustal ratio prior to rifting. This process facilitates the exhumation of lower crustal material during extension, exposing them at the Earth's surface along the footwall of normal faults. We suggest a new conceptual model to explain lower crustal exhumation observed at rifted margins worldwide.

Confinement is a prominent phenomenon in condensed-matter and high-energy physics that has recently become the focus of quantum-simulation experiments of lattice gauge theories (LGTs). As such, a theoretical understanding of the effect of confinement on LGT dynamics is not only of fundamental importance but also can lend itself to upcoming experiments. Here we show how confinement in a Z2 LGT can be locally avoided by proximity to a resonance between the fermion mass and the electric field strength. Furthermore, we show that this local deconfinement can become global for certain initial conditions, where information transport occurs over the entire chain. In addition, we show how this can lead to strong quantum many-body scarring starting in different initial states. Our findings provide deeper insights into the nature of confinement in Z2 LGTs and can be tested on current and near-term quantum devices.

Aims. We present a model for the distribution of dust ejected by asteroids and comets. Our model incorporates the effects of solar gravity and radiation pressure. In specific cases it can also account for additional forces and the re-impacts of ejected dust onto the source body.

Methods. The number density of dust at a given point in space was computed as the sum of contributions from a set of point sources placed along a given trajectory, ejecting dust in a temporal sequence that approximates the motion of the source body. The dust ejection from each source was modeled using continuous distributions of the dynamical parameters the dust grains have at ejection. We developed three methods to solve for the dust number density from a single point source that differ in complexity and applicability.

Results. We applied the model to investigate the dust environment of the near-Earth asteroid Phaethon, and estimated the number of dust grains that will be observed by the dust detector on the flyby of the forthcoming DESTINY+ mission by JAXA. Additionally, as an illustrative example, we reconstructed an image of comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) to demonstrate the details of working with the model. The implementation of our model, verified with a comparison to independent software, is freely available as a Fortran-95 package, DUDI-heliocentric.

The complex global energy transition profoundly impacts China, the world's largest energy consumer. However, the existing body of literature often overlooks the distinct long-term mechanisms and differentiated shock impacts of this transition on national energy security. This paper addresses this by analyzing two key transition aspects—fossil fuel phase-out and renewable energy development—differentiating supply-side and demand-side shocks. We empirically investigate their medium- and long-term impacts on China using vector autoregressive (VAR) models and impulse response analysis. Key findings include: (1) Supply-side renewable development and fossil withdrawal show opposing initial security impacts; their combined positive effect persists for approximately a decade. (2) Global renewable development enhances market stability and system resilience (∼7 %) but increases crude oil market risks. (3) Renewable energy's positive impact is similar for consumption metrics and demand shocks; fossil withdrawal's suppressive effect is stronger on supply. (4) Solar and biomass significantly boost sustainability metrics (8 % improvement); wind energy's positive effects are particularly long-lasting (∼15 years), underscoring its long-term strategic importance.

The interparticle Coulombic decay (ICD) is a nonradiative decay process, in which energy released by an electron’s transition within one species leads to the ionization of a neighboring species. Over the years, research has focused on ICD in quantum dots (QDs), whose size-dependent excitation makes them suitable to tailor ICD properties. This work introduces a more highly excited state in the relaxing QD, aiming to allow for several ICD pathways and to clarify their competition by energy and selection rules. As an unexpected result, it was found that the otherwise directive energetic ICD conditions alone are insufficient to predict behavior in an ICD setting with competing pathways. In general, the pathway with the higher-energy transition is found to be slower and, moreover, allowed due to the breaking of symmetry selection rules in the QD array. It could, hence, be used in time-resolved measurements of the electron dynamics in self-assembled QDs, where the state preparation via charging from a reservoir is straightforward.

Simulating the dynamics of complex quantum systems is a central application of quantum devices. Here we propose leveraging the power of measurements to simulate short-time quantum dynamics of physically prepared quantum states in classical postprocessing using a truncated Taylor series approach. While limited to short simulation times, our hybrid quantum-classical method is equipped with rigorous error bounds. It is extendable to estimate low-order Taylor approximations of smooth time-dependent functions of tractable linear combinations of measurable operators. These insights can be made use of in the context of Hamiltonian learning and device verification, short-time imaginary-time evolution, or the application of intractable operations to subuniversal quantum simulators in classical postprocessing.

This study investigates the relationship between lidar-measured intensive optical properties of Saharan dust and simulated hematite content, using data collected during the Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaign (JATAC) in 2021 and 2022. Measurements were taken in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cabo Verde. The study aims to determine how changes in hematite content influence the intensive optical properties of dust particles, particularly in the ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrum. Given the well-documented impact of hematite on the absorption properties of dust, especially in the UV–Vis range, our hypothesis is that these effects will be detectable in lidar measurements. Specifically, this study focuses on the lidar ratio, particle depolarization ratio, and backscatter- and extinction-related Ångström exponents at 355 and 532 nm wavelengths. By analyzing dust plume cases separately regarding their size differences, the strongest positive correlation was identified between the backscatter-related Ångström exponent and hematite fraction ( R2=0.63). These findings contribute to improving the representation of dust in atmospheric models, which often overlook the variability in mineralogical composition in their dust descriptions, and refining calculations of its direct radiative effect.

The repurposing potential of Efavirenz (EFV), a clinically established non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, was comprehensively evaluated for its in vitro antibacterial effect either alone or in combination with other antibacterial agents on several Gram-positive clinical strains showing different antibiotic resistance profiles. The binding potential assessed by an in silico study included Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and WalK membrane kinase. Despite the relatively high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) limiting the use of EFV as a single antibacterial agent, it exhibits significant synergistic activity at sub-MIC levels when paired with various antibiotics against Enterococcus species and Staphylococcus aureus. EFV showed restored sensitivity of β-lactams against Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). It increased the effectiveness of antibiotics tested against Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). It also helped to overcome the intrinsic resistance barrier for several antibiotics in Enterococcus spp. In silico binding studies aligned remarkably with experimental antimicrobial testing results and highlighted the potential of EFV to direct the engagement of PBPs with moderate to strong binding affinities (pKa 5.2–6.1). The dual-site PBP2 binding mechanism emerged as a novel inhibition strategy, potentially circumventing resistance mutations. Special attention should be paid to WalK binding predictions (pKa = 4.94), referring to the potential of EFV to interfere with essential regulatory pathways controlling cell wall metabolism and virulence factor expression. These findings, in general, suggest the possibility of EFV as a promising lead for the development of new antibacterial agents.

In Western countries, a shift to a diet rich in proteins from diverse sources could aid the transition to more sustainable patterns of protein consumption and production, contributing to meet the future demand for protein from the growing population. The successful integration of alternative proteins into diets hinges, however, on consumer acceptance. Despite a plethora of acceptance studies on alternative proteins, comparative insights remain limited. To improve the fragmented understanding of the drivers and barriers of alternative protein acceptance, this study examines consumer willingness in Germany to buy food products containing proteins from three sources—algae, crickets and jellyfish—using the same methodological approach. The findings indicate that environmental consciousness strengthens the willingness to buy products based on all three protein sources while neophobia weakens it. In contrast, past meat consumption habits contribute positively to the acceptance of animal-origin alternative proteins, like crickets and jellyfish, but negatively to the acceptance of algae. The acceptance is also influenced by demographic factors. It is argued that strategies targeting these factors can enhance the acceptance of alternative protein sources such as algae, crickets and jellyfish. However, it is important to tailor the strategies to the determinants that influence the willingness to buy products from a particular protein source.

Flight is part of the natural behaviours of most bird species, and as a consequence, flight restraint in zoos, even for those species that are primarily ground-dwelling, encounters increasing animal welfare concerns. While previous studies on greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) have found no significant effects of flight restraint on welfare, scientific data on other species remains limited. This study investigated the welfare implications of flight restraint in white storks (Ciconia ciconia) by assessing feather corticosterone concentrations (CORTf) alongside behavioural observations. We compared CORTf values of deflighted zoo birds (n = 53) and hand-reared abandoned nestlings (n = 11) from eleven different zoos in Germany and storks in rehabilitation. These birds were wild individuals, found injured, and therefore provided an opportunity to collect feather samples (n = 70). In line with the 3R principle proposed by Russell and Burch, we employed a recently validated, less invasive feather sampling method that involves cutting feathers close to the skin. We hypothesised that CORTf would differ significantly between the wild, airworthy storks and the deflighted individuals under human care. However, we found no significant difference in CORTf regarding the ability to fly, nor did the method of flight restraint show a significant influence on CORTf. Housing facilities with significant site-specific variations emerged as the predominant factor influencing feather corticosterone concentrations. These results suggest that flight restraint does not have a noticeable direct impact on the corticosterone levels of white storks, and the behavioural observations support the reliability of these findings. This study enhances our understanding of the effects of deflighting procedures on the welfare of white storks in zoos.

Plasma amino acid (PAA) concentration in horses vary according to the exercise type. This study evaluated the changes in PAA levels and the associated metabolites, urea and ammonia, following short-duration, high-intensity cross-country exercise in eventing horses. Twenty eventing horses participated in 55 rides at 14 international competitions (2* to 4* levels) across five venues in Germany and Poland. Blood samples were collected at four timepoints: before exercise (TP0), at 10 min (TP1), and at 30 min (TP2) post-exercise, as well as in the morning on the day after the competition (TP3). A total of 23 different PAAs and two metabolites (ammonia and urea) were analyzed. PAA concentration difference over time was assessed by a mixed ANOVA. Significant fluctuations were observed in 18/25 parameters. For 21/23 PAAs, levels increased at TP1 and/or TP2, while cysteine concentrations decreased. Concentrations returned to pre-competition levels for 21/23 PAAs by TP3. Proline levels remained elevated (p = 0.002), while those of glycine significantly decreased (p = 0.027) at TP3. Plasma ammonia and urea levels increased at TP1, TP2 and TP3. This study provides foundations for supplementation strategies and can inform future works exploring PAAs’ role in performance and training adaptation in eventing horses and their potential as performance-related biomarkers.

Pulmonary hypertension worsens outcome in left heart disease. Stiffening of the pulmonary artery may drive this pathology by increasing right ventricular dysfunction and lung vascular remodeling. Here we show increased stiffness of pulmonary arteries from patients with left heart disease that correlates with impaired pulmonary hemodynamics. Extracellular matrix remodeling in the pulmonary arterial wall, manifested by dysregulated genes implicated in elastin degradation, precedes the onset of pulmonary hypertension. The resulting degradation of elastic fibers is paralleled by an accumulation of fibrillar collagens. Pentagalloyl glucose preserves arterial elastic fibers from elastolysis, reduces inflammation and collagen accumulation, improves pulmonary artery biomechanics, and normalizes right ventricular and pulmonary hemodynamics in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease. Thus, targeting extracellular matrix remodeling may present a therapeutic approach for pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease.

Background Parametric mapping sequences in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allow for non-invasive myocardial tissue characterization. However quantitative myocardial mapping is still limited by the need for local reference values. Confounders, such as field strength, vendors and sequences, make intersite comparisons challenging. This exploratory study aims to assess whether multi-site studies that control confounding factors provide first insights whether parametric mapping values are within pre-defined tolerance ranges across scanners and sites. Methods A cohort of 20 healthy travelling volunteers was prospectively scanned at three sites with a 3 T scanner from the same vendor using the same scanning protocol and acquisition scheme. A Modified Look-Locker inversion recovery sequence (MOLLI) for T1 and a fast low-angle shot sequence (FLASH) for T2 were used. At one site a scan-rescan was performed to assess the intra-scanner reproducibility. All acquired T1- and T2-mappings were analyzed in a core laboratory using the same post-processing approach and software. Results After exclusion of one volunteer due to an accidentally diagnosed cardiac disease, T1- and T2-maps of 19 volunteers showed no significant differences between the 3 T sites (mean & PLUSMN; SD [95% confidence interval] for global T1 in ms: site I: 1207 & PLUSMN; 32 [1192-1222]; site II: 1207 & PLUSMN; 40 [1184-1225]; site III: 1219 & PLUSMN; 26 [1207-1232]; p = 0.067; for global T2 in ms: site I: 40 & PLUSMN; 2 [39-41]; site II: 40 & PLUSMN; 1 [39-41]; site III 39 & PLUSMN; 2 [39-41]; p = 0.543). Conclusion Parametric mapping results displayed initial hints at a sufficient similarity between sites when confounders, such as field strength, vendor diversity, acquisition schemes and post-processing analysis are harmonized. This finding needs to be confirmed in a powered clinical trial.Trial registration ISRCTN14627679 (retrospectively registered)

Background Disruption of glucocorticoid (GC) signaling in osteoblasts results in a marked attenuation of acute antibody-induced arthritis. The role of endogenous GCs in chronic inflammatory arthritis is however not fully understood. Here, we investigated the impact of endogenous GC signaling in osteoblasts on inflammation and bone integrity under chronic inflammatory arthritis by inactivating osteoblastic GC signaling in a long-term K/BxN serum transfer-induced induced arthritis (STIA) model. Methods Intracellular GC signaling in osteoblasts was disrupted by transgenic (tg) overexpression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11ss-HSD2). Inflammatory arthritis was induced in 5-week-old male tg mice and their wild type (WT) littermates by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of K/BxN serum while controls (CTRLs) received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). In a first cohort, K/BxN STIA was allowed to abate until the endpoint of 42 days (STIA). To mimic rheumatic flares, a second cohort was additionally injected on days 14 and 28 with K/BxN serum (STIA (boost)). Arthritis severity was assessed daily by clinical scoring and ankle size measurements. Ankle joints were assessed histopathologically. Systemic effects of inflammation on long bone metabolism were analyzed in proximal tibiae by micro-computed tomography (& mu;CT) and histomorphometry. Results Acute arthritis developed in both tg and WT mice (STIA and STIA (boost)) and peaked around day 8. While WT STIA and tg STIA mice showed a steady decline of inflammation until day 42, WT STIA (boost) and tg STIA (boost) mice exhibited an arthritic phenotype over a period of 42 days. Clinical arthritis severity did not differ significantly between WT and tg mice, neither in the STIA nor in the STIA (boost) cohorts. Correspondingly, histological indices of inflammation, cartilage damage, and bone erosion showed no significant difference between WT and tg mice on day 42. Histomorphometry revealed an increased bone turnover in tg CTRL and tg STIA (boost) compared to WT CTRL and WT STIA (boost) animals, respectively. Conclusions In contrast to the previously reported modulating effects of endogenous GC signaling in osteoblasts during acute K/BxN STIA, this effect seems to perish during the chronic inflammatory and resolution phase. These findings indicate that endogenous GC signaling in osteoblasts may mainly be relevant during acute and subacute inflammatory processes.

Background In breast cancer patients body image (BI) is a crucial aspect of quality of life (QoL). This study examined the postoperative impact of different surgical approaches on long-term BI analyzing real-world data to guide pre- and postoperative patient care and preserve QoL. Methods EORTC QLQ-BR23 BI scores were collected electronically in 325 breast cancer patients within routine clinical care for a duration of 41.5 months (11/17/2016 - 4/30/2020) at predefined time points preoperatively and repeatedly up to two years after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) (n = 212), mastectomy alone (M) (n = 27) or mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (MIBR) (n = 86). Higher scores indicated better BI. A linear mixed regression model was used to analyze the impact of BCS, M and MIBR, as well as non-surgical therapies on BI at treatment initiation and over time. Results BI scores deteriorated by 5 points (95%-confidence interval (CI) -8.94 to -1.57, p & AP;0.005) immediately after BCS, by 7 points (95%-CI -12.13 to -1.80, p & AP;0.008) after MIBR and by 19 points (95%-CI -27.34 to -10.34, p < 0.001) after M. The change over time after BCS (+ 0.10 points per week, 95%-CI -0.17 to 0.38), MIBR (-0.07 points per week, 95%-CI -0.35 to 0.20) and M (+ 0.14 points per week, 95%-CI -0.19 to 0.48) were not statistically significant (each p > 0.05). At treatment initiation chemotherapy was associated with a 22-point decline (95%-CI -25.39 to -17.87, p < 0.001) in BI score, while radiotherapy was associated with a 5-point increase (95%-CI 1.74 to 9.02, p & AP;0.004). However, over time chemotherapy was associated with a score recovery (+ 0.28 points per week, 95%-CI 0.19 to 0.37, p < 0.001), whereas for radiotherapy a trend towards BI deterioration was observed (-0.11 points per week, 95%-CI -0.23 to 0.02, p & AP;0.101). Conclusions Breast cancer surgery negatively affects BI. BCS and MIBR presumably harm BI less than M in the early postoperative period. Our data suggests BI to be deteriorating in the long term after MIBR while improving after BCS or M. Radiotherapy seems to have an additional negative long-term impact on BI. These findings should be confirmed in further studies to enable evidence-based patient information as part of preoperative shared decision-making and postoperative patient care.

The secondary use of health data is associated with enormous opportunities to improve healthcare efficiency and the creation of novel data-driven value propositions. Information Systems research has recognized this potential and focuses on that topic from various perspectives, such as data-driven value creation through health analytics or data platform ecosystems to facilitate data sharing. However, with emerging regulatory initiatives, such as the European Health Data Space, rules for the secondary use are changing, with implications for researchers, innovators, and healthcare organizations. The outcomes of data value creation efforts are mainly dependent on available data, with the assurance of high data quality remaining a challenge. To discuss how value can be created from the secondary use of health data, what challenges may arise, and how they can be addressed, a workshop on this topic was organized in November 2023, in which 19 academic researchers and 18 practitioners from 27 organizations participated. This workshop report highlights the challenges of and potential solutions for the secondary use of health data. While current Information Systems research often focuses on utilizing Electronic Health Records, the field could be enriched by understanding the secondary use of health data on an individual, organizational, and societal level.

The altered posterior question-mark incision for decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) was proposed to reduce the risk of intraoperative injury of the superficial temporal artery (STA) and demonstrated a reduced rate of wound-healing disorders after cranioplasty. However, decompression size during DHC is essential and it remains unclear if the new incision type allows for an equally effective decompression. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficacy of the altered posterior question-mark incision for craniectomy size and decompression of the temporal base and assessed intraoperative complications compared to a modified standard reversed question-mark incision. The authors retrospectively identified 69 patients who underwent DHC from 2019 to 2022. Decompression and preservation of the STA was assessed on postoperative CT scans and CT or MR angiography. Forty-two patients underwent DHC with the standard reversed and 27 patients with the altered posterior question-mark incision. The distance of the margin of the craniectomy to the temporal base was 6.9 mm in the modified standard reversed and 7.2 mm in the altered posterior question-mark group (p = 0.77). There was no difference between the craniectomy sizes of 158.8 mm and 158.2 mm, respectively (p = 0.45), and there was no difference in the rate of accidental opening of the mastoid air cells. In both groups, no transverse/sigmoid sinus was injured. Twenty-four out of 42 patients in the modified standard and 22/27 patients in the altered posterior question-mark group had a postoperative angiography, and the STA was preserved in all cases in both groups. Twelve (29%) and 5 (19%) patients underwent revision due to wound-healing disorders after DHC, respectively (p = 0.34). There was no difference in duration of surgery. Thus, the altered posterior question-mark incision demonstrated technically equivalent and allows for an equally effective craniectomy size and decompression of the temporal base without increasing risks of intraoperative complications. Previously described reduction in wound-healing complications and cranioplasty failures needs to be confirmed in prospective studies to demonstrate the superiority of the altered posterior question-mark incision.