Background In patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accuracy of [18F]FDG-PET/CT for pretherapeutic lymph node (LN) staging is limited by false positive findings. Our aim was to evaluate machine learning with routinely obtainable variables to improve accuracy over standard visual image assessment.

Methods Monocentric retrospective analysis of pretherapeutic [18F]FDG-PET/CT in 491 consecutive patients with NSCLC using an analog PET/CT scanner (training + test cohort, n = 385) or digital scanner (validation, n = 106). Forty clinical variables, tumor characteristics, and image variables (e.g., primary tumor and LN SUVmax and size) were collected. Different combinations of machine learning methods for feature selection and classification of N0/1 vs. N2/3 disease were compared. Ten-fold nested cross-validation was used to derive the mean area under the ROC curve of the ten test folds (“test AUC”) and AUC in the validation cohort. Reference standard was the final N stage from interdisciplinary consensus (histological results for N2/3 LNs in 96%).

Results N2/3 disease was present in 190 patients (39%; training + test, 37%; validation, 46%; p = 0.09). A gradient boosting classifier (GBM) with 10 features was selected as the final model based on test AUC of 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.94). Validation AUC was 0.94 (0.89–0.98). At a target sensitivity of approx. 90%, test/validation accuracy of the GBM was 0.78/0.87. This was significantly higher than the accuracy based on “mediastinal LN uptake > mediastinum” (0.7/0.75; each p < 0.05) or combined PET/CT criteria (PET positive and/or LN short axis diameter > 10 mm; 0.68/0.75; each p < 0.001). Harmonization of PET images between the two scanners affected SUVmax and visual assessment of the LNs but did not diminish the AUC of the GBM.

Conclusions A machine learning model based on routinely available variables from [18F]FDG-PET/CT improved accuracy in mediastinal LN staging compared to established visual assessment criteria. A web application implementing this model was made available.

Background: Providing adequate living conditions for forcibly displaced people represents a significant challenge for host countries such as Germany. This study explores refugee mental health’s reciprocal, dynamic relationship with post-migration living conditions and social support.

Methods: The study sample included 325 Arabic- or Farsi-speaking asylum seekers and refugees residing in Germany since 2014 and seeking mental health treatment. Associations between reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression and the subjective quality of living conditions and perceived social support were analyzed using a two-level approach including multiple linear regression and network analyses.

Results: Post-migration quality of living conditions and perceived social support were significantly associated with negative mental health outcomes on both levels. In the network, both post-migration factors were negatively connected with overlapping symptoms of psychiatric disorders, representing potential target symptoms for psychological treatment.

Conclusion: Post-migration quality of living conditions and social support are important factors for refugee mental health and should be targeted by various actors fostering mental well-being and integration.

Glycoprotein 90K, encoded by the interferon-stimulated gene LGALS3BP, displays broad antiviral activity. It reduces HIV-1 infectivity by interfering with Env maturation and virion incorporation, and increases survival of Influenza A virus-infected mice via antiviral innate immune signaling. Its antiviral potential in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the expression of 90K/LGALS3BP in 44 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at multiple levels. We quantified 90K protein concentrations in serum and PBMCs as well as LGALS3BP mRNA levels. Complementary, we analyzed two single cell RNA-sequencing datasets for expression of LGALS3BP in respiratory specimens and PBMCs from COVID-19 patients. Finally, we analyzed the potential of 90K to interfere with SARS-CoV-2 infection of HEK293T/ACE2, Calu-3 and Caco-2 cells using authentic virus. 90K protein serum concentrations were significantly elevated in COVID-19 patients compared to uninfected sex- and age-matched controls. Furthermore, PBMC-associated concentrations of 90K protein were overall reduced by SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo, suggesting enhanced secretion into the extracellular space. Mining of published PBMC scRNA-seq datasets uncovered monocyte-specific induction of LGALS3BP mRNA expression in COVID-19 patients. In functional assays, neither 90K overexpression in susceptible cell lines nor exogenous addition of purified 90K consistently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data suggests that 90K/LGALS3BP contributes to the global type I IFN response during SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo without displaying detectable antiviral properties in vitro.

Significance

Understanding the structural organization of biological tissues is critical for studying their function and response to physiological and pathological conditions. In vivo imaging techniques, such as multiphoton microscopy, enable high-resolution visualization of tissue architecture. However, automated orientation analysis remains challenging due to imaging noise, complexity, and reliance on manual annotations, which are time-consuming and subjective.

Aim

We present a Radon transform–based algorithm for robust, annotation-free structural orientation analysis across multimodal imaging datasets, aiming to improve objectivity and efficiency without introducing preprocessing artifacts.

Approach

The algorithm employs a patch-based Radon transform approach to detect oriented structures in noisy images. By analyzing projection peaks in Radon space, it enhances small structures’ visibility while minimizing noise and artifact influence. The method was evaluated using synthetic and in vivo datasets, comparing its performance with human annotations.

Results

The algorithm achieved strong agreement with human annotations, with detection accuracy exceeding 88% across different imaging modalities. Variability among trained raters emphasized the benefits of an objective, mathematically driven approach.

Conclusions

The proposed method provides a robust and adaptable solution for structural orientation analysis in biological images. Its ability to quantify tissue component orientation without preprocessing artifacts makes it valuable for high-resolution, dynamic studies in tissue architecture and biomechanics.

Low-code/no-code platforms are powerful tools that enable “citizen developers”employees with little or no IT background—to quickly create digital solutions. The success of citizen development requires addressing challenges like security, compliance and organizational change. Drawing on insights from 24 companies that have embarked on citizen-driven low-code/no-code journeys, we propose a framework for crafting a citizen development strategy, which includes making critical design choices, and provide recommendations to guide organizations in leveraging these platforms and empowering citizen developers to unleash their ingenuity and creativity.

Extreme Wettersituationen führen immer wieder zu einem abrupten Anstieg eingehender Notrufe in Leitstellen der Feuerwehren. Datenbasierte Vorhersagemodelle für wetterbedingte Feuerwehreinsätze könnten dem Führungspersonal in der Leitstelle dabei helfen, präventive Maßnahmen besser zu planen und umzusetzen. Für die Entwicklung solcher Modelle ist wichtig, die relevante Wettergefahren und deren Auswirkungen auf das Einsatzgeschehen zu kennen. Deshalb wurde eine ereignisbasierte Analyse wetterbedingter Feuerwehreinsätze im Zuständigkeitsgebiet der Leitstelle Bamberg-Forchheim durchgeführt. Diese Analyse liefert wertvolle Einblicke in die Häufigkeit und Eigenschaften von Ereignissen mit erhöhtem Einsatzaufkommen. Gewittersituationen stehen im Zusammenhang mit 54% der analysierten Ereignisse und führen oft zu einer hohen Einsatzzahl auf kleiner Fläche innerhalb kurzer Zeit. Im Vergleich dazu verursachen großflächige Stürme und Starkregen insgesamt ähnlich viele Einsätze, diese verteilen sich jedoch auf größere Flächen und längere Zeiträume. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse wird im nächsten Schritt die Entwicklung von Modellen zur Einsatzvorhersage durchgeführt.

Extreme Wettersituationen führen immer wieder zu einem abrupten Anstieg eingehender Notrufe in Leitstellen der Feuerwehren. Datenbasierte Vorhersagemodelle für wetterbedingte Feuerwehreinsätze könnten dem Führungspersonal in der Leitstelle dabei helfen, präventive Maßnahmen besser zu planen und umzusetzen. Für die Entwicklung solcher Modelle ist wichtig, die relevante Wettergefahren und deren Auswirkungen auf das Einsatzgeschehen zu kennen. Deshalb wurde eine ereignisbasierte Analyse wetterbedingter Feuerwehreinsätze im Zuständigkeitsgebiet der Leitstelle Allgäu durchgeführt. Diese Analyse liefert wertvolle Einblicke in die Häufigkeit und Eigenschaften von Ereignissen mit erhöhtem Einsatzaufkommen. Z.B. stehen Gewittersituationen im Zusammenhang mit 26% der analysierten Ereignisse und führen oft zu einer hohen stündlichen Einsatzzahl innerhalb kurzer Zeit. Im Vergleich dazu verteilen sich Einsätze bei großflächige Stürme und Starkregen auf längere Zeiträume. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse wird im nächsten Schritt die Entwicklung von Modellen zur Einsatzvorhersage durchgeführt.

Extreme Wettersituationen führen immer wieder zu einem abrupten Anstieg eingehender Notrufe in Leitstellen der Feuerwehren. Datenbasierte Vorhersagemodelle für wetterbedingte Feuerwehreinsätze könnten dem Führungspersonal in der Leitstelle dabei helfen, präventive Maßnahmen besser zu planen und umzusetzen. Für die Entwicklung solcher Modelle ist wichtig, die relevante Wettergefahren und deren Auswirkungen auf das Einsatzgeschehen zu kennen. Deshalb wurde eine ereignisbasierte Analyse wetterbedingter Feuerwehreinsätze im Zuständigkeitsgebiet der Leitstelle Ansbach durchgeführt. Diese Analyse liefert wertvolle Einblicke in die Häufigkeit und Eigenschaften von Ereignissen mit erhöhtem Einsatzaufkommen. Gewittersituationen stehen im Zusammenhang mit 53% der analysierten Ereignisse und führen oft zu einer hohen stündlichen Einsatzzahl auf kleiner Fläche innerhalb kurzer Zeit. Im Vergleich dazu verursachen großflächige Stürme und Starkregen insgesamt ähnlich viele Einsätze, diese verteilen sich jedoch auf größere Flächen und längere Zeiträume. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse wird im nächsten Schritt die Entwicklung von Modellen zur Einsatzvorhersage durchgeführt.

Extreme Wettersituationen führen immer wieder zu einem abrupten Anstieg eingehender Notrufe in Leitstellen der Feuerwehren. Datenbasierte Vorhersagemodelle für wetterbedingte Feuerwehreinsätze könnten dem Führungspersonal in der Leitstelle dabei helfen, präventive Maßnahmen besser zu planen und umzusetzen. Für die Entwicklung solcher Modelle ist wichtig, die relevante Wettergefahren und deren Auswirkungen auf das Einsatzgeschehen zu kennen. Deshalb wurde eine ereignisbasierte Analyse wetterbedingter Feuerwehreinsätze im Zuständigkeitsgebiet der Leitstelle Nürnberg durchgeführt. Diese Analyse liefert wertvolle Einblicke in die Häufigkeit und Eigenschaften von Ereignissen mit erhöhtem Einsatzaufkommen. Gewittersituationen stehen im Zusammenhang mit 62% der analysierten Ereignisse und führen oft zu einer hohen Einsatzzahl auf kleiner Fläche innerhalb kurzer Zeit. Im Vergleich dazu verursachen großflächige Stürme und Starkregen insgesamt ähnlich viele Einsätze, diese verteilen sich jedoch auf größere Flächen und längere Zeiträume. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse wird im nächsten Schritt die Entwicklung von Modellen zur Einsatzvorhersage durchgeführt.

Addressing unpaid care and domestic labor is an essential gender-based need for feminist scholarship, as its unequal distribution is one of the main factors behind gender inequality. This study examines the United Nations (UN) discourse on unpaid care and domestic labor through a Foucauldian governmentality framework, analyzing policy documents since 2010. It investigates how international strategies address gender-based needs to recognize unpaid care and domestic labor and whether they contribute to transforming the gendered division of labor. Employing Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, the research assesses the rationalities, technologies and power effects embedded in UN policies. The findings reveal that the UN primarily focuses on the reduction, quantification, and economic valorization of unpaid care labor, reinforcing economic rationalities that ultimately fail to challenge the structural subordination of reproductive labor. The technocratic governance depoliticizes gender interests, prioritizing paid labor as an empowerment strategy while neglecting broader feminist demands for structural transformation. The study further argues that the feminist literature on gender needs and the political economy of reproductive labor constructs unpaid care and domestic labor as a burden, contributing to its commodification and devaluation. The right to selfdetermined time is discussed as an alternative framework for conceptualizing gender-based needs.

Over the last decade, Russia’s political regime has become increasingly anti-Western in its rhetoric and ideational foundations. At the same time, Russian social sciences, and particularly economics, have pursued the path of internationalization, declaring the goal of becoming part of the global academic community. How can one reconcile these two contradictory trends? The article offers an in-depth investigation of the evolution of the internationalization of economics in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The authors argue that internationalization is a complex phenomenon, with some of its aspects being problematic for the anti-Western regime, with others being acceptable or even beneficial. In particular, they focus on the tension between two goals of internationalization: dissemination of Western ideas and concepts in the domestic community (i.e. the role of translators and public intellectuals) and participation in the international exchange of ideas (i.e. publication in English-language scholarly journals). In the 2010s, Putin’s regime promoted the second goal at the expense of the first, which was potentially more problematic from the point of view of the regime’s logic. The authors also highlight the importance of economics as source of policy advice, even for an anti-Western regime like Putin’s.

Halogenated specialized metabolites show high chemical diversity and exhibit a range of biological activities. A targeted screening of a cyanobacteria extract library for halogenated specialized metabolites using HPLC-HRMS combined with MassQL and Haloseeker indicated that several of the extracts contained halogenated compounds, among them an extract of Tolypothrix sp. PCC9009. This freshwater cyanobacterium has been known since the early 1980s for producing the chlorinated specialized metabolite cyanobacterin, containing a γ-lactone core structure with a hydroxy group that is essential for its herbicidal activity against cyanobacteria and green algae. Mass-spectrometry-based molecular networking was employed to explore the chemical space of natural cyanobacterin analogues. This analysis led to the identification of 15 previously unknown compounds structurally related to cyanobacterin, most of which are related to anhydrocyanobacterin, including a dimer formed by [2 + 2] photocycloaddition. Two further analogues, previously reported following heterologous expression of the cyanobacterin biosynthetic gene cluster in E. coli as the nonchlorinated precyanobacterin I and II, were now isolated from the natural cyanobacterin producer. Cytotoxicity assays of cyanobacterin, anhydrocyanobacterin and one further isolated analogue showed only modest activity of the compounds against HCT116 cells.

In Russia, positive attitudes toward a free market economy and competition are firmly associated with the “Western” intellectual imports the country experienced in the 1990s. Anti-Western intellectuals and politicians typically embrace an anti-market stance calling for an economy with greater level of governmental interventions. There is a highly prominent exception to this logic: Putin himself appears to have a positive attitude toward free markets—in particular, free and unconstrained competition. This attitude does not seem to have changed even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This article reviews Putin‘s rhetoric with respect to markets, competition, and economic freedom and offers several explanations for it. In addition to the more conventional story of the “authoritarian capitalism” logic, it offers a further explanation: the reinterpretation of markets in line with a “Darwinian” point of view where markets are perceived not as spaces of freedom but as spaces of hierarchy and power.

The coordination of perfluorinated alcohols toward an osmium(VI) nitrido center is described. Herein, [NBu4][OsNCl4] is reacted with hexafluoroacetone hydrate (HFA), perfluoropinacol (PFP), or pentafluorophenol (C6F5OH) in the presence of Ag2O to obtain the stable complexes [NBu4][Os(N)(O2C(CF3)2)2] (1), [NBu4][Os(N)(O2C2(CF3)4)2] (2), [NBu4][Os(N)(OC6F5)4] (3), and [NBu4][Os(N)(Cl)2(O2C(CF3)2)] (4) in overall good yields. These complexes represent rare examples of Os(VI) nitrido complexes that carry four O-donor ligands, as no examples have been reported for perfluorinated alcoholates so far. Complexes 1 and 4 extend the coordination chemistry of the otherwise underrepresented O2C(CF3)2 ligand. The latter offers the potential for further functionalization of the osmium(VI) nitrido complex through substitution of the remaining chloride ligands. The compounds are fully characterized, and the crystal structures of compounds 1, 2, and 3 are analyzed.

Twenty-seven pyridine N-oxides (PyNOs) are investigated to evaluate the gelation of their silver(I) trifluoroacetate (AgTFA) complexes across eight solvents. Gelation occurs selectively with PyNOs featuring electron-donating groups, while those with electron-withdrawing or mixed groups do not form gels. A combination of two different PyNOs, one with an electron-donating group and the second with an electron-withdrawing group, form a gel, suggesting that gel-forming PyNO-AgTFA can override the non-gelling tendency of PyNOs comprising electron-withdrawing groups. Pyridine-AgTFA complexes lacking the N–O group fail to gel, underscoring the crucial role of the N–O functionality and its coordination with silver(I) in facilitating gelation. The resulting PyNO-AgTFA gels demonstrate remarkable mechanical strengths, enabling the fabrication of free-standing and load-bearing gel shapes, such as rods and horseshoes, with sizes up to several centimeters. The analysis of 65 X-ray crystal structures reveals that PyNO-AgTFA complexes manifest four distinct structural motifs, even when crystallized under different solvents and ligand-to-metal ratios, demonstrating a strong preference for a specific set of silver(I) complexes. X-ray crystallography and powder X-ray diffraction studies predict gel structures without single crystals. Density functional theory calculations of recurring non-covalent interactions in the crystal structures show interaction energies ranging from −1 to −92 kJ mol−1.

In this article, we propose a series of latent trait models for the responses and the response times on low stakes tests where some test takers respond preliminary without making full effort to solve the items. The models consider individual differences in capability and persistence. Core of the models is a race between the solution process and a process of disengagement that interrupts the solution process. The different processes are modeled with the linear ballistic accumulator model. Within this general framework, we develop different model variants that differ in the number of accumulators and the way the response is generated when the solution process is interrupted. We distinguish no guessing, random guessing and informed guessing where the guessing probability depends on the status of the solution process. We conduct simulation studies on parameter recovery and on trait estimation. The simulation study suggests that parameter values and traits can be recovered well under certain conditions. Finally, we apply the model variants to empirical data.

The general historiography of Israel is still shaped by the assumption that Zionism was “anti-urban,” despite the country’s early de facto urbanization and comprehensive scholarship contradicting this claim. Addressing these tensions, this article revisits the Zionist intellectual and settlement history in the pre-state period. To many Zionists, I argue, the city symbolized Western-style modernization and development. Their attitudes toward it were, therefore, more ambivalent and indeed synthetic: “Rurban” settlement designs provided a compromise between Euro-modernity and a “return to the East.” In this light, the Yishuv/Israel’s eventual “turn to the city” must also be understood in the context of a growing commitment to European civilization.

Chiral plasmonic nanostructures enable exceptionally high dissymmetry factors (g-factors) compared to chiral molecules and present unparalleled opportunities in light manipulation, polarization-sensitive photochemistry, and chiral sensing. Here polarization-dependent plasmonic chemistry on chiral gold nanocubes (AuNCs) is presented, leveraging the high sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The AuNCs exhibit strong optical activity and localized surface plasmon resonances acting as highly efficient nanoscale light antennae. Employing the hot electron-induced dehalogenation of 8-Bromoadenine as a model reaction, it is demonstrated that circularly polarized light induces asymmetric reaction rates due to circular dichroism (CD) in hot electron generation efficiency. Astonishingly, the photochemical g-factor, quantified by the differential reaction rate coefficients under left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light, surpasses its optical counterpart and can be further enhanced by laser intensity. Remarkably, multilayer assemblies of AuNCs exhibit a reversal in photochemical CD, which is tuneable via laser power and enables further g-factor enhancement. Comprehensive electromagnetic simulations of extinction spectra and hot electron generation maps corroborate the profound impact of particle arrangement on the optical g-factor and the g-factor for hot-electron generation. This work demonstrates a systematic approach to enhance the photochemical chiroptical response of chiral AuNCs, paving the way for extraordinary control over chemical reactions with light.

Herein, [NEt3Me]2[PdCl4] is reported as a highly active catalyst for the mercury-free hydrochlorination of acetylene to vinyl chloride, resulting from the combination of the bichloride-based ionic liquid [NEt3Me][Cl(HCl)n] with PdCl2. Replacing gaseous HCl with the bichloride shifts the reaction in the liquid phase increasing the process safety by pressure reduction and achieves a turnover frequency of TOF = 110 molVCM h−1 molPdCl2−1 matching the productivity of state-of-the-art heterogeneous systems. Additionally, [NEt3Me]2[PdCl4] shows remarkable long-term stability and can be re-used over ten reaction cycles (200 h in total) without any problems due to its resistance to reduction by acetylene and coking as revealed by kinetic, theoretical, and spectroscopic investigations. Finally, initial catalytic studies demonstrate promising outcomes for applications of the bichloride-based ionic liquids with other noble metals, like platinum, if disproportionation phenomena, as observed for gold, do not occur.