Phase transition kinetics of superionic HO ice phases revealed by Megahertz X-ray free-electron laser-heating experiments.

HO transforms to two forms of superionic (SI) ice at high pressures and temperatures, which contain highly mobile protons within a solid oxygen sublattice. Yet the stability field of both phases remains debated. Here, we present the results of an ultrafast X-ray heating study utilizing MHz pulse trains produced by the European X-ray Free Electron Laser to create high temperature states of HO, which were probed using X-ray diffraction during dynamic cooling.

Ultrafast Yttrium Hydride Chemistry at High Pressures via Non-equilibrium States Induced by an X-ray Free Electron Laser.

Controlling the formation and stoichiometric content of the desired phases of materials has become of central interest for a variety of fields. The possibility of accessing metastable states by initiating reactions by X-ray-triggered mechanisms over ultrashort time scales has been enabled by the development of X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). Utilizing the exceptionally high-brilliance X-ray pulses from the EuXFEL, we report the synthesis of a previously unobserved yttrium hydride under high pressure, along with nonstoichiometric changes in hydrogen content as probed at a repetition rate of 4.

Cylindrical compression of thin wires by irradiation with a Joule-class short-pulse laser.

Equation of state measurements at Jovian or stellar conditions are currently conducted by dynamic shock compression driven by multi-kilojoule multi-beam nanosecond-duration lasers. These experiments require precise design of the target and specific tailoring of the spatial and temporal laser profiles to reach the highest pressures. At the same time, the studies are limited by the low repetition rate of the lasers.

In Vitro Anti-inflammatory Effects of Larch Turpentine, Turpentine Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, and Their Mixture as Contained in a Marketed Ointment.

An ointment containing larch turpentine, turpentine oil, and eucalyptus oil has been used for almost a century for the symptomatic treatment of mild, localized, purulent inflammations of the skin. Its clinical efficacy in the treatment of skin infections has been shown in clinical trials, but the mode of action of the active ingredients on inflammation is not known. We studied the anti-inflammatory properties of the active ingredients of the ointment and their mixture in a human monocyte cell model, in which the cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and incubated with the test substances.

[Integration of Inventory Data from Cohort and Registry Studies into an Existing Research Network: National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON)].

In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, many local collections of clinical data on patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were initiated in Germany. As part of the National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) of the University Medicine Network, the "Integration Core" was established to design the legal, technical and organisational requirements for the integration of inventory data into ongoing prospective data collections and to test the feasibility of the newly developed solutions using use cases (UCs). Detailed study documents of the data collections were obtained.

Definitions and symptoms of the post-COVID syndrome: an updated systematic umbrella review.

Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) describes a persistent complex of symptoms following a COVID-19 episode, lasting at least 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the specific criteria used for its definition. It is often associated with moderate to severe impairments of daily life and represents a major burden for many people worldwide. However, especially during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, therapeutic and diagnostic uncertainties were prominent due to the novelty of the disease and non-specific definitions that overlooked functional deficits and lacked objective assessment.

A precise performance-based reimbursement model for the multi-centre NAPKON cohorts - development and evaluation.

Fair allocation of funding in multi-centre clinical studies is challenging. Models commonly used in Germany - the case fees ("fixed-rate model", FRM) and up-front staffing and consumables ("up-front allocation model", UFAM) lack transparency and fail to suitably accommodate variations in centre performance. We developed a performance-based reimbursement model (PBRM) with automated calculation of conducted activities and applied it to the cohorts of the National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) within the Network of University Medicine (NUM).

Definition of the Post-COVID syndrome using a symptom-based Post-COVID score in a prospective, multi-center, cross-sectoral cohort of the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON).

Purpose: The objective examination of the Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) remains difficult due to heterogeneous definitions and clinical phenotypes. The aim of the study was to verify the functionality and correlates of a recently developed PCS score.

Methods: The PCS score was applied to the prospective, multi-center cross-sectoral cohort (in- and outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection) of the "National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON, Germany)".

Depression and fatigue six months post-COVID-19 disease are associated with overlapping symptom constellations: A prospective, multi-center, population-based cohort study.

Background: Depression and fatigue are commonly observed sequelae following viral diseases such as COVID-19. Identifying symptom constellations that differentially classify post-COVID depression and fatigue may be helpful to individualize treatment strategies. Here, we investigated whether self-reported post-COVID depression and post-COVID fatigue are associated with the same or different symptom constellations.

Citizen neuroscience: Wearable technology and open software to study the human brain in its natural habitat.

Citizen science allows the public to participate in various stages of scientific research, including study design, data acquisition, and data analysis. Citizen science has a long history in several fields of the natural sciences, and with recent developments in wearable technology, neuroscience has also become more accessible to citizen scientists. This development was largely driven by the influx of minimal sensing systems in the consumer market, allowing more do-it-yourself (DIY) and quantified-self (QS) investigations of the human brain.

An Analysis of CMAQ Gas Phase Dry Deposition over North America Through Grid-Scale and Land-Use Specific Diagnostics in the Context of AQMEII4.

The fourth phase of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII4) is conducting a diagnostic intercomparison and evaluation of deposition simulated by regional-scale air quality models over North America and Europe. In this study, we analyze annual AQMEII4 simulations performed with the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) version 5.3.

A Systematic Review of Predictor Composition, Outcomes, Risk of Bias, and Validation of COVID-19 Prognostic Scores.

Background: Numerous prognostic scores have been published to support risk stratification for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We performed a systematic review to identify the scores for confirmed or clinically assumed COVID-19 cases. An in-depth assessment and risk of bias (ROB) analysis (Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool [PROBAST]) was conducted for scores fulfilling predefined criteria ([I] area under the curve [AUC)] ≥ 0.

Ethical and coordinative challenges in setting up a national cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), global researchers were confronted with major challenges. The German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) was launched in fall 2020 to effectively leverage resources and bundle research activities in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We analyzed the setup phase of NAPKON as an example for multicenter studies in Germany, highlighting challenges and optimization potential in connecting 59 university and nonuniversity study sites.

Damage threshold of LiF crystal irradiated by femtosecond hard XFEL pulse sequence.

Here we demonstrate the results of investigating the damage threshold of a LiF crystal after irradiating it with a sequence of coherent femtosecond pulses using the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL). The laser fluxes on the crystal surface varied in the range ∼ 0.015-13 kJ/cm per pulse when irradiated with a sequence of 1-100 pulses (t ∼ 20 fs, E = 9 keV).

Web-Based Video Education to Improve Uptake of Influenza Vaccination and Other Preventive Health Recommendations in Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Randomized Controlled Trial of Project PREVENT.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of infections, bone fractures, and skin cancers.

Objective: We developed preventive health videos using a patient-centered approach and tested their impact on preventive health uptake.

Methods: Five animated videos explaining preventive health recommendations in IBD were iteratively developed with patient-centered focus groups and interviews.

Sensitivity of northeastern US surface ozone predictions to the representation of atmospheric chemistry in the Community Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Multiphase Mechanism (CRACMMv1.0).

Chemical mechanisms describe how emissions of gases and particles evolve in the atmosphere and are used within chemical transport models to evaluate past, current, and future air quality. Thus, a chemical mechanism must provide robust and accurate predictions of air pollutants if it is to be considered for use by regulatory bodies. In this work, we provide an initial evaluation of the Community Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Multiphase Mechanism (CRACMMv1.

A MHz X-ray diffraction set-up for dynamic compression experiments in the diamond anvil cell.

An experimental platform for dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) research has been developed at the High Energy Density (HED) Instrument at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL). Advantage was taken of the high repetition rate of the European XFEL (up to 4.5 MHz) to collect pulse-resolved MHz X-ray diffraction data from samples as they are dynamically compressed at intermediate strain rates (≤10 s), where up to 352 diffraction images can be collected from a single pulse train.

A von Hámos spectrometer for diamond anvil cell experiments at the High Energy Density Instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser.

A von Hámos spectrometer has been implemented in the vacuum interaction chamber 1 of the High Energy Density instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. This setup is dedicated, but not necessarily limited, to X-ray spectroscopy measurements of samples exposed to static compression using a diamond anvil cell. Si and Ge analyser crystals with different orientations are available for this setup, covering the hard X-ray energy regime with a sub-eV energy resolution.

2002-2017 anthropogenic emissions data for air quality modeling over the United States.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has developed a set of annual North American emissions data for multiple air pollutants across 18 broad source categories for 2002 through 2017. The sixteen new annual emissions inventories were developed using consistent input data and methods across all years. When a consistent method or tool was not available for a source category, emissions were estimated by scaling data from the EPA's 2017 National Emissions Inventory with scaling factors based on activity data and/or emissions control information.

Use and effectiveness of remdesivir for the treatment of patients with covid-19 using data from the Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients (LEOSS): a multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: The use of remdesivir (RDV) as the first drug approved for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. Based on the Lean European Open Survey on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected patients (LEOSS), we aim to contribute timing-focused complementary real-world insights to its evaluation.

Methods: SARS-CoV-2 infected patients between January 2020 and December 2021 treated with RDV were matched 1:1 to controls considering sociodemographics, comorbidities and clinical status.

Direct LiF imaging diagnostics on refractive X-ray focusing at the EuXFEL High Energy Density instrument.

The application of fluorescent crystal media in wide-range X-ray detectors provides an opportunity to directly image the spatial distribution of ultra-intense X-ray beams including investigation of the focal spot of free-electron lasers. Here the capabilities of the micro- and nano-focusing X-ray refractive optics available at the High Energy Density instrument of the European XFEL are reported, as measured in situ by means of a LiF fluorescent detector placed into and around the beam caustic. The intensity distribution of the beam focused down to several hundred nanometers was imaged at 9 keV photon energy.

[Post COVID - Just a matter of definition?].

The prevalence of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) has not yet been conclusively clarified. The existing definitions primarily reflect temporal aspects, but disregard functional deficits as well as the objectification of symptoms. This leads to diagnostic as well as therapeutic ambiguities.

The German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON): rationale, study design and baseline characteristics.

The German government initiated the Network University Medicine (NUM) in early 2020 to improve national research activities on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. To this end, 36 German Academic Medical Centers started to collaborate on 13 projects, with the largest being the National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON). The NAPKON's goal is creating the most comprehensive Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cohort in Germany.

A Large Naturalistic Study on the BRACHA: Confirmation of the Predictive Validity.

Aggression is a major challenge on child/adolescent inpatient psychiatric units. A screening instrument to accurately identify risk is urgently needed. To determine the predictive validity of the Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA).