Dynamical properties of the composed Logistic-Gauss map.

This study focuses on the analysis of a unique composition between two well-established models, known as the Logistic-Gauss map. The investigation cohesively transitions to an exploration of parameter space, essential for unraveling the complexity of dissipative mappings and understanding the intricate relationships between periodic structures and chaotic regions. By manipulating control parameters, our approach reveals intriguing patterns, with findings enriched by extreme orbits, trajectories that connect local maximum and minimum values of one-dimensional maps.

Extreme fractal dimension at periodicity cascades in parameter spaces.

In the parameter spaces of nonlinear dynamical systems, we investigate the boundaries between periodicity and chaos and unveil the existence of fractal sets characterized by a singular fractal dimension that deviates greatly from the fractal sets in their vicinity. This extreme fractal dimension stands out from the typical value previously considered universal for these parameter boundaries. We show that such singular fractal sets dwell along parameter curves, called extreme curves, that intersect periodicity cascades at their centers of stability across all scales of parameter spaces.

Stability of immunohaematological reagents used for blood typing of recipients in the tube technique.

Background And Objectives: The storage temperature of immunohaematological reagents generally ranges from 2 to 8°C, and they should be utilised at room temperature. This study aimed to analyse the stability of immunohaematological reagents used in ABO and RhD typing.

Methods: The evaluation encompassed the potency, specificity, and integrity of anti-A, anti-B, anti-D, RhD control sera, and A and B red blood cells (RBC) reagents after long (8 h) and short (4 h) daily periods of exposure to room temperature (20-24°C), 5 days a week for 4 weeks.

Follow-up SARS-CoV-2 serological study of a health care worker cohort following COVID-19 booster vaccination.

Background: Studies have shown that Omicron breakthrough infections can occur at higher SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels compared to previous variants. Estimating the magnitude of immunological protection induced from COVID-19 vaccination and previous infection remains important due to varying local pandemic dynamics and types of vaccination programmes, particularly among at-risk populations such as health care workers (HCWs). We analysed a follow-up SARS-CoV-2 serological survey of HCWs at a tertiary COVID-19 referral hospital in Germany following the onset of the Omicron variant.

Mapping and assessing natural soundscape quality: An indicator-based model for landscape planning.

Natural soundscape quality (NSQ) has been recognized as an essential cultural ecosystem service that contributes significantly to human health and well-being. It also stands as an indispensable component of environmental quality, especially for landscape aesthetic quality. However, an assessment tool for NSQ in landscape planning and environmental impact assessments is still absent.

Store-Operated Calcium Entry Increases Nuclear Calcium in Adult Rat Atrial and Ventricular Cardiomyocytes.

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in cardiomyocytes may be involved in cardiac remodeling, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We hypothesized that SOCE may increase nuclear calcium, which alters gene expression via calcium/calmodulin-dependent enzyme signaling, and elucidated the underlying cellular mechanisms. An experimental protocol was established in isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes to elicit SOCE by re-addition of calcium following complete depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium and to quantify SOCE in relation to the electrically stimulated calcium transient (CaT) measured in the same cell before SR depletion.

Characterization of the pathogenic α-Synuclein Variant V15A in Parkinson´s disease.

Despite being a major component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, pathogenic variants in the gene encoding alpha-Synuclein (α-Syn) are rare. To date, only four missense variants in the SNCA gene, encoding α-Syn have unequivocally been shown to be disease-causing. We here describe a Parkinson´s disease patient with early cognitive decline carrying an as yet not fully characterized variant in SNCA (NM_001146055: c.

Activator-blocker model of transcriptional regulation by pioneer-like factors.

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in the development of flies, fish, frogs and mammals depends on pioneer-like transcription factors (TFs). Those TFs create open chromatin regions, promote histone acetylation on enhancers, and activate transcription. Here, we use the panel of single, double and triple mutants for zebrafish genome activators Pou5f3, Sox19b and Nanog, multi-omics and mathematical modeling to investigate the combinatorial mechanisms of genome activation.

e-Babylab: An open-source browser-based tool for unmoderated online developmental studies.

The COVID-19 pandemic massively changed the context and feasibility of developmental research. This new reality, as well as considerations about sample diversity and naturalistic settings for developmental research, highlights the need for solutions for online studies. In this article, we present e-Babylab, an open-source browser-based tool for unmoderated online studies targeted for young children and babies.

A rotating white dwarf shows different compositions on its opposite faces.

White dwarfs, the extremely dense remnants left behind by most stars after their death, are characterized by a mass comparable to that of the Sun compressed into the size of an Earth-like planet. In the resulting strong gravity, heavy elements sink towards the centre and the upper layer of the atmosphere contains only the lightest element present, usually hydrogen or helium. Several mechanisms compete with gravitational settling to change a white dwarf's surface composition as it cools, and the fraction of white dwarfs with helium atmospheres is known to increase by a factor of about 2.

Infants' biased individuation of in-group members.

Adults tend to construe members of their group as "unique individuals" more than members of other groups. This study investigated whether infants exhibit this tendency, even in regard to unfamiliar arbitrary groups. Ninety-six White 1-year-olds were assigned to an Ingroup, Outgroup, or No-Group condition, based on whether or not they shared two preferences (food and shirt color) with women appearing on video sequences.

Application of the Slater criteria to localize invariant tori in Hamiltonian mappings.

We investigate the localization of invariant spanning curves for a family of two-dimensional area-preserving mappings described by the dynamical variables I and θ by using Slater's criterion. The Slater theorem says there are three different return times for an irrational translation over a circle in a given interval. The returning time, which measures the number of iterations a map needs to return to a given periodic or quasi periodic region, has three responses along an invariant spanning curve.

Controlling an Unprecedented Outbreak with Vancomycin-Resistant in Germany, October 2015 to November 2019.

Hospital outbreaks with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) pose a serious health threat and a challenge to infection prevention and control (IPC). We herein report on a VRE outbreak of unprecedented extent in Southern Germany (October 2015-November 2019). We used descriptive epidemiology and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for a detailed outbreak investigation.

[Strategies for the rational use of antibiotics in the outpatient sector-results of a workshop with key stakeholders in the healthcare system].

In November 2021, the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) organized the one-day virtual workshop "Rational antibiotic use in the outpatient sector - potential and opportunities for change" with scientific support from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The aim was to collect strategies for promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics in the outpatient sector. With 114 participants, important stakeholders of the healthcare system were represented.

Broadening the Biocatalytic Toolbox-Screening and Expression of New Unspecific Peroxygenases.

Unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) catalyze the selective transfer of single oxygen atoms from peroxides to a broad range of substrates such as un-activated hydrocarbons. Since specific oxyfunctionalizations are among the most-desired reactions in synthetic chemistry, UPOs are of high industrial interest. To broaden the number of available enzymes, computational and experimental methods were combined in this study.

Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 seroepidemiological investigation among healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital in Germany.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 cases in Germany increased in early March 2020. By April 2020, cases among health care workers (HCW) were detected across departments at a tertiary care hospital in Berlin, prompting a longitudinal investigation to assess HCW SARS-CoV-2 serostatus with an improved testing strategy and associated risk factors.

Methods: In May/June and December 2020, HCWs voluntarily provided blood for serology and nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) samples for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and completed a questionnaire.

Uptake and effectiveness of a self-guided mobile app platform for college student mental health.

Background: College students endorse high rates of mental health problems. While many colleges offer on-campus services, many students who could benefit from mental health services do not receive care. Indeed, nearly half of students who screen positive for depression, for example, do not receive treatment.

Comparing technology acceptance of K-12 teachers with and without prior experience of learning management systems: A Covid-19 pandemic study.

Covid-19 pandemic has caused a massive transformation in K-12 settings towards online education. It is important to explore the factors that facilitate online teaching technology adoption of teachers during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to compare Learning Management System (LMS) acceptance of Finnish K-12 teachers who have been using a specific LMS as part of their regular teaching before the Covid-19 pandemic (experienced group) and teachers who started using it for emergency remote teaching during the pandemic (inexperienced group).

Collisions in a gas-rich white dwarf planetary debris disc.

WD 0145+234 is a white dwarf that is accreting metals from a circumstellar disc of planetary material. It has exhibited a substantial and sustained increase in 3-5 [Formula: see text]m flux since 2018. Follow-up photometry reveals that emission from the disc had begun to decrease by late 2019.

Positive selection of IgG over IgM B cells in the germinal center reaction.

Positive selection of high-affinity B cells within germinal centers (GCs) drives affinity maturation of antibody responses. Here, we examined the mechanism underlying the parallel transition from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to IgG. Early GCs contained mostly unswitched IgM B cells; IgG B cells subsequently increased in frequency, dominating GC responses 14-21 days after antigen challenge.

NanoClick: A High Throughput, Target-Agnostic Peptide Cell Permeability Assay.

Macrocyclic peptides open new opportunities to target intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that are often considered nondruggable by traditional small molecules. However, engineering sufficient membrane permeability into these molecules is a central challenge for identifying clinical candidates. Currently, there is a lack of high-throughput assays to assess peptide permeability, which limits our capacity to engineer this property into macrocyclic peptides for advancement through drug discovery pipelines.

Risk Factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Homeless Shelters in Chicago, Illinois-March-May, 2020.

Background: People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but little is known about specific risk factors for infection within homeless shelters.

Methods: We performed widespread severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction testing and collected risk factor information at all homeless shelters in Chicago with at least 1 reported case of COVID-19 (n = 21). Multivariable, mixed-effects log-binomial models were built to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for SARS-CoV-2 infection for both individual- and facility-level risk factors.

BAFFR controls early memory B cell responses but is dispensable for germinal center function.

The TNF superfamily ligand BAFF maintains the survival of naive B cells by signaling through its surface receptor, BAFFR. Activated B cells maintain expression of BAFFR after they differentiate into germinal center (GC) or memory B cells (MBCs). However, the functions of BAFFR in these antigen-experienced B cell populations remain unclear.