Browse Articles

Life satisfaction effects of national identity, global identity, and their interactions

Abstract Expansive social identifications—including with one’s nation and the world—have been increasingly linked to psychological well-being. However, research has yet to examine how these effects interact. Although national and global identification are often assumed to be in conflict, it remains unclear whether strongly holding both diminishes or enhances overall well-being. We investigate this gap using Waves 5 and 6 of the World Values Survey (WVS; N  = 100,650, across developing and developed countries). First, we replicated prior findings via mixed models, finding that national citizenship and national pride (capturing national identity), as well as world citizenship (capturing global identity) each robustly predicted life satisfaction. We then tested interactions and estimated life satisfaction across different combinations of predictor strengths. Despite a negative interaction between national pride and world citizenship, those high on both still reported the highest life satisfaction. Our findings suggest that the joint effects on well-being of national and global identifications, despite their seemingly competing natures, remain additive. We point to the need for future research on the underlying psychological mechanisms and behavioral consequences of these joint identifications.

Real-world analysis of immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy and response predictors in patients treated at the CCCMunichLMU outpatient clinic

Abstract Prediction of response to checkpoint inhibition (ICI) and immune related adverse events (irAEs) remain a challenge in the immunotherapy of solid tumors. To better understand the real-world clinical courses under ICI and identify possible predictive markers for response and irAEs, we retrospectively collected and analysed data from our interdisciplinary CCCMunich LMU outpatient clinic. We analysed the clinical course, standard laboratory parameters and staging results of 342 patients who received ICI therapy in the interdisciplinary outpatient clinic of the CCCMunich LMU between January 2015 and November 2020. Initial response to ICI was defined as complete response, partial response, stable disease or mixed response with treatment continuation in the second radiologic staging after start of therapy. Median age of the included patients was 67 years (25–89). More male patients received ICI on our outpatient ward than female patients (67.8% vs. 32.2%). The most common entities were urothelial carcinoma (21.3%) and bronchial carcinoma (19.6%), followed by renal cell carcinoma (18.7%), and head and neck tumors (10.8%). 24.6% of patients were initial responders. Patients who did not respond to ICI therapy had lower leukocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte, and neutrophil counts before treatment start compared to initial responders. The consolidation of these laboratory parameters into a score could not accurately predict initial response or progression-free survival (PFS). IrAEs occurred in approximately one-third of all included patients. The main side effects in patients expierencing irAEs were thyroiditis (20.5%), pneumonitis (16.4%), hepatitis (15.8%), and dermatological side effects (11.0%). Patients experiencing irAEs had a significantly longer PFS than patients without irAEs. Side effects were more frequent and severe in patients treated with combined ICI. Autoimmune disorders were not associated with more frequent occurrence of irAEs. This retrospective analysis illustrates the real-world use of ICI in clinical practice. With only 24.6% of patients responding to ICI, the clinical need for predictive markers is obvious and standard laboratory parameters such as white blood cell counts may become part of a comprehensive score to predict response and adverse events.

Rational Crystal Contact Engineering for Programmable Self‐Assembled Protein Architectures

Abstract Ordered protein‐based assemblies are increasingly desirable for materials science, but the design of new materials remains challenging and requires considerable effort. Crystal lattice contact modulation enables rapid rational design of an assortment of structurally diverse constructs with crystalline order. Targeted disruption of crystal contacts and directional growth pre‐biasing allows for restricting crystal lattice growth in selected directions, resulting in lower‐dimension assemblies with parent crystal structural features. Two‐dimensional crystals, one‐dimensional fibres, flexible ribbons, and single‐walled nanotubes based on tetratricopeptide repeat proteins were constructed from reengineered 3D crystal lattices. The large library of available crystal structures provides an abundance of engineering targets, promising to make crystal contact engineering a rapid and attractive approach for the design of ordered supramolecular protein assemblies.

Time-domain optimization based NMPC path tracking control for underground LHD

Sulfide silver autometallography to differentiate the ultrastructural localization of iron-carbohydrate complexes inside macrophages

Abstract Iron is an essential element for numerous physiological processes in the human body, and maintaining proper iron homeostasis is critical for health. Iron imbalance can lead to conditions like iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Intravenous (IV) iron drugs, including iron-carbohydrate complexes such as iron sucrose (IS) and ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), are commonly used in the treatment of IDA. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the uptake and intracellular fate of these complexes remain poorly understood despite over seven decades of clinical use. This study introduces a novel application of sulfide silver autometallography (ssAMG) to track iron inside macrophages treated with two widely used intravenous iron products, IS and FCM. Using this technique, the ultrastructural localization of iron in macrophages was visualized in comparison to ferric ion (Fe 3+ ). ssAMG improved the visualization of IS and FCM, revealed as crystalline, cluster-like particles, i.e. silver precipitates, localized inside intracellular vesicles. Interestingly, for both iron-carbohydrate complexes, the silver precipitates were observed exclusively inside the cells and not on the cell surface as seen for ferric ion. These results suggest that IS and FCM are not internalized by macrophages as ferric iron bound to transferrin and provide new insights into the cellular processing of iron-carbohydrate complexes to advance the understanding of iron homeostasis.

Association of bioelectrical impedance phase angle with exercise tolerance in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Structural characteristics of the slurry-filled receptive zone in longwall goaf filled with gangue slurry

Magnetically active MOF-based adsorbent for efficient diclofenac sodium adsorption

Effect of information motivation behavioral skills model based dietary patterns on carotid atherosclerosis in elderly hypertensive patients

Valence‐Modulated Na ₄ Fe ₃ (PO ₄ ) ₂ (P ₂ O ₇ ) Cathode Tuned by Orbital‐Delocalization for Extreme‐Temperature Sodium Storage

Abstract Iron‐based polyanionic Na 4 Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (P 2 O 7 ) (NFPP) is recognized as a promising cathode for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) with its cost‐effectiveness and stable framework. However, its commercialization is seriously hindered by sluggish Na + kinetics, and insufficient capacity utilization. Herein, an orbital‐delocalization assisted valence modulated strategy is proposed to address these challenges. The lattice is stabilized by high‐valence Mo 6+ through robust Mo─O bonds, simultaneously reducing Na + diffusion barriers and activating the inert Na2 sites, while electron delocalization is effectively promoted by its partially filled 3d orbitals to enhance electronic conductivity. Concurrently, additional charge compensation is also provided by Mo 4+ via a reversible Mo 4+ /Mo 6+ redox couple, enabling complete Na + extraction/insertion and suppression of structure distortion. A record‐high discharge capacity of 130.74 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C is delivered by the optimized Na 4 Fe 2.91 Mo 0.09 (PO 4 ) 2 (P 2 O 7 ) cathode, with 87.23% capacity retained after 10 000 cycles at 50 C, along with stable operation from −40 to 60 °C. A universal paradigm for high‐performance polyanionic cathodes is established by this synergistic reinforcement approach, advancing durable and high‐power SIBs.

Mouse pulmonary pathological characteristics induced by Asian-mineral dust transported with Coniothyrium fuckelii at a high altitude of 2,000 meters

GameSense: hierarchical spatio-temporal transformer for basketball player tracking and tactical performance analysis

Abstract The analysis of basketball gameplay through multi-object tracking and action recognition is pivotal for enhancing player performance, tactical planning, and audience engagement. However, existing methods often suffer from limitations, including reliance on bounding box annotations, insufficient handling of occlusions, and a lack of holistic scene understanding. These limitations hinder the scalability and robustness of traditional approaches, particularly in dynamic and complex sports environments. To address these challenges, we propose a comprehensive framework combining the Basketball Player Tracking Network (BPTN) and the Basketball Player Analytics Network (BPAN). The BPTN employs hierarchical temporal memory and transformer-based architecture to ensure precise player tracking, robust identity association, and seamless handling of occlusions. The BPAN leverages multi-scale vision transformers and hierarchical temporal processing for accurate classification of basketball-specific maneuvers. The framework introduces novel modules, including a candidate region module for efficient player detection, a Long-Term Context Buffer for maintaining player identities, and an action proposal module that captures spatio-temporal encodings for effective maneuver recognition. Our approach eliminates the dependency on bounding box annotations during inference and incorporates contextual scene-level features, significantly improving scalability and performance. On the SportsMOT dataset, BPTN achieves tracking performance with HOTA of 81.6, AssA of 75.0, and a reduction in identity switches. Similarly, BPAN outperforms existing action recognition models on the Basketball-51 dataset, achieving an accuracy of 92.76%, precision of 92.06%, recall of 91.75%, and an F1-score of 91.74%. These results underscore the robustness and applicability of the proposed framework in capturing complex player dynamics and gameplay scenarios, paving the way for advanced sports analytics solutions.

Impact of meningoencephalitis and sepsis on delirium and subsequent neurological impairment in pediatric patients: a prospective proof-of-concept biomarker and EEG study

Abstract To assess the incidence and severity of delirium and subsequent neurological impairment in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients with meningoencephalitis (ME) and sepsis. Prospective study enrolling PICU patients with sepsis or meningoencephalitis (ME) and healthy controls. Daily delirium assessment, repeated electroencephalography, blood sampling at days 1, 3, 5 and lumbar puncture, if clinically indicated, for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling were performed. Biomarkers of inflammation (CRP, PCT, IL-6), endothelial activation (NT-proCNP), neurodegeneration (NSE, tau), neuroaxonal damage (NfL, NfH, UCHL-1) and glial injury (GFAP, S100B) were measured. Neurological status was assessed using the Functional Status Scale (FSS), the pediatric overall performance category (POPC) and the pediatric cerebral performance scale (PCPC) before admission and after three months. Twenty-four PICU patients (ME n  = 9, sepsis n  = 15) and eleven controls were enrolled. The delirium incidence was not statistically higher in patients with sepsis (60%, n  = 9/15) compared to ME (33%, n  = 3/9, p  = 0.105). Children with delirium ( n  = 12) had a higher FSS (10.0 [9.8, 12.0] vs. 7.5 [7.0, 9.0], p  = 0.009) at day 1 than children without delirium ( n  = 12), without significant differences in blood and CSF biomarker levels. Patients with ME presented higher levels of blood NfL compared to sepsis patients at day 3 (16.8 [12.9, 77.5] vs. 10.7 [8.6, 12.2] pg/ml, p  = 0.011) and day 5 (16.2 [6.8, 170.4] vs. 12.0 [7.9, 14.3] pg/ml, p  = 0.005). Routine EEG results did not differ between the groups, but quantitative EEG parameters representing encephalopathy correlated with biomarkers of brain injury. FSS, POPC and PCPC after three months were identical between in all patients. Independent from the origin of inflammatory stimulation by sepsis or ME delirium is associated with transient neurological dysfunction in PICU patients, without neurological impairment after three months, as confirmed by biomarker levels.

Synergistic design of gadolinium-doped polyaniline/MWCNT hybrid nanocomposites for high-performance supercapacitors

Dual‐Compatible Polarity‐switched Small Molecules Enable Auxiliary Charge Generation and Transport Pathways in Organic Solar Cells

Abstract The commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs) is limited by bottlenecks including relatively high voltage loss, insufficient donor–acceptor interfacial charge generation, and morphological instability. Traditional approaches of interfacial regulation usually struggle with unmatching energetic landscape and/or molecular compatibility. In this study, two small molecules, L8‐CT and L8‐2CT are designed and synthesized by end‐group substitution of the star nonfullerene acceptor L8‐BO, gradually switching it from electron acceptor to electron donor. Moreover, L8‐2CT with full end‐group substitution exhibits exceptional compatibility/miscibility with both donor (PM6) and acceptor (L8‐BO) in the ternary blend. The tight molecular packing between L8‐2CT and L8‐BO also reduces exciton diffusion time by an order of magnitude compared to PM6:L8‐BO. The introduction of L8‐2CT significantly enhances the donor–acceptor molecular percolation at the interface so that enabling auxiliary charge generation and transport pathways, thereby boosting the interfacial charge generation efficiency and morphology stability. Therefore, the PM6:L8‐BO:L8‐2CT ternary device achieves a remarkable efficiency of 20.33%, with simultaneously enhanced photostability. This achievement fundamentally challenges the traditional design paradigms for third components in ternary OSCs.

A prospective comparison of early versus late 18F-FAPI−04 PET/CT imaging for breast cancer diagnosis

Design and performance evaluation of a MWPMSM for distributed floating photovoltaic system

A self-supervised learning method for detection of retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease

Inhibition of free radicals and inflammation on RAW264.7 macrophage cell line by Arthrospira platensis extract

Carbonothioate‐Triggered Cascade Cyclization Enables High‐Specificity Fluorescence Imaging of Hydrogen Polysulfides

Abstract Hydrogen polysulfides (H 2 S n ; n > 1) are critical redox signaling molecules. While the biological functions of H 2 S n have received much attention, their exact action mechanisms are still poorly understood due to the lack of reliable detection methods. In this context, fluorescent probes for H 2 S n are emerging as powerful chemical tools to aid in unraveling its contributions to biology. Currently, most available H 2 S n probes are prone to interference from biothiols or hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S). To address this challenge, herein, we report a unique carbonothioate‐based trigger utilizing a cascade cyclization reaction for specific detection of H 2 S n . Using this strategy, eight new fluorescent probes ( CTP 1–8 ) were prepared and evaluated. Among them, CTP‐8 not only enables highly sensitive and selective detection of H 2 S n but also allows visualization of H 2 S n fluctuations in living cells and mice. Significantly, we demonstrate for the first time the fluorescence imaging of endogenous H 2 S n dynamics in insulin‐resistant cells and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice. Besides, this carbonothioate‐based trigger could also be potentially utilized in other fluorescent dye scaffolds that possess an optically tunable phenolic hydroxyl group. This work provides a useful approach for further investigations of H 2 S n biology as well as future probe development.