Publications by authors named "Merkel M"

Athermal (i.e., zero-temperature) underconstrained systems are typically floppy, but they can be rigidified by the application of external strain, which is theoretically well understood.

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Clarifying the underlying mechanisms that govern ordering transitions in condensed matter systems is crucial for comprehending emergent properties and phenomena. While transitions are often classified as electronically driven or lattice-driven, we present a departure from this conventional picture in the case of the double perovskite BaMgReO. Leveraging resonant and non-resonant elastic x-ray scattering techniques, we unveil the simultaneous ordering of structural distortions and charge quadrupoles at a critical temperature of T ~ 33 K.

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There is a body of evidence that ultrafine particles (UFP, those with diameters ≤ 100 nm) might have significant impacts on health. Accordingly, identifying sources of UFP is essential to develop abatement policies. This study focuses on urban Europe, and aims at identifying sources and quantifying their contributions to particle number size distribution (PNSD) using receptor modelling (Positive Matrix Factorization, PMF), and evaluating long-term trends of these source contributions using the non-parametric Theil-Sen's method.

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Background: Wild-type and hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTRwt and ATTRv amyloidosis, respectively) are progressive, fatal diseases with a broad range of clinical presentations and multisystem effects. Despite having a higher prevalence, ATTRwt amyloidosis is less well characterized due to its non-hereditary nature, and its relatively poorer disease awareness delays diagnosis. Understanding of its natural history has evolved in recent years, but this is largely based on physician-collected data rather than patients' reports of their own experiences.

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Pathogenic variants in the leucine zipper-like transcriptional regulator 1 gene () have been identified in schwannomatosis and Noonan syndrome. Here, we expand the phenotype spectrum of variants. We identified four loss-of-function heterozygous variants in five children with multiple café au lait macules and one adult with multiple café au lait macules and axillar freckling, by applying gene panel analysis in four families.

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The structures of metal oxide surfaces and inherent defects are vital for a variety of applications in materials science and chemistry. While scanning probe microscopy can reveal atomic-scale details, elemental discrimination usually requires indirect assumptions and extensive theoretical modeling. Here, atomic force microscopy with O-terminated copper tips on a variety of sample systems demonstrates not only a clear and universal chemical contrast but also immediate access to the atomic configuration of defects.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) is a rare and progressing condition that causes various health issues, and this study looks at patients switching from tafamidis to patisiran treatment.
  • The research involved reviewing medical records of 24 patients who switched treatments, focusing on demographic data, reasons for the switch, and health outcomes over time.
  • Results showed that patients initially worsened on tafamidis but experienced slower disease progression and potential improvement after switching to patisiran, indicating the importance of timely treatment changes.
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New particle formation (NPF) is a major source of atmospheric aerosol particles, including cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), by number globally. Previous research has highlighted that NPF is less frequent but more intense at roadsides compared to urban background. Here, we closely examine NPF at both background and roadside sites in urban Central Europe.

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This paper presents a comprehensive approach aimed at developing a coupled process-structure simulation that integrates anisotropic and elastoplastic material behavior for plastic components manufactured through Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. The simulation incorporates material orientation considerations, linking the process simulation with structural simulation. Subsequently, stress and strain values from the simulations are compared with the test results.

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Cells can adapt their active contractile properties to switch between dynamical migratory states and static homeostasis. Collective tissue surface tension, generated among others by the cortical contractility of single cells, can keep cell clusters compact, while a more bipolar, anisotropic contractility is predominantly used by mesenchymal cells to pull themselves into the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigate how these two contractility modes relate to cancer cell escape into the ECM.

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Topological insulators (TI) hold significant potential for various electronic and optoelectronic devices that rely on the Dirac surface state (DSS), including spintronic and thermoelectric devices, as well as terahertz detectors. The behavior of electrons within the DSS plays a pivotal role in the performance of such devices. It is expected that DSS appear on a surface of three dimensional(3D) TI by mechanical exfoliation.

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Physical activity can activate extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis and influence the size and mechanical properties of tendon. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether different training histories of horses would influence the synthesis of collagen and other matrix proteins and alter the mechanical properties of tendon. Samples from superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) from horses that were either (a) currently race trained (n = 5), (b) previously race trained (n = 5) or (c) untrained (n = 4) were analysed for matrix protein abundance (mass spectrometry), collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, ECM gene expression and mechanical properties.

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Background: Plantar fasciitis is a painful tendinous condition (tendinopathy) with a high prevalence in athletes. While a healthy tendon has limited blood flow, ultrasound has indicated elevated blood flow in tendinopathy, but it is unknown if this is related to a de facto increase in the tendon vasculature. Likewise, an accumulation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is observed in tendinopathy, but its relationship to clinical pain is unknown.

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In Germany, physicians qualify for emergency medicine by combining a specialty medical training-e.g. internal medicine-with advanced training in emergency medicine according to the statutes of the State Chambers of Physicians largely based upon the Guideline Regulations on Specialty Training of the German Medical Association.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists found out that cells that form body organs talk to cells that make blood vessels to create a special network.
  • They discovered a new type of blood vessel cell called the L-Tip cell that helps in making veins, and it needs help from other cells and specific signals from the body.
  • Understanding how these cells work together could help us learn more about how blood networks are formed in different parts of the body.
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Ultrafine particles (UFP, those with diameters ≤ 100 nm), have been reported to potentially penetrate deeply into the respiratory system, translocate through the alveoli, and affect various organs, potentially correlating with increased mortality. The aim of this study is to assess long-term trends (5-11 years) in mostly urban UFP concentrations based on measurements of particle number size distributions (PNSD). Additionally, concentrations of other pollutants and meteorological variables were evaluated to support the interpretations.

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Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has rarely been used to obtain population-level data due to either a lack of taxonomic resolution for the molecular method used, limitations in the reference material or inefficient methods. Here, we present the potential of multiplexing different PCR primers to retrieve population-level genetic data from sedaDNA samples. Vaccinium uliginosum (Ericaceae) is a widespread species with a circumpolar distribution and three lineages in present-day populations.

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We have integrated dermal dendritic cell surrogates originally generated from the cell line THP-1 as central mediators of the immune reaction in a human full-thickness skin model. Accordingly, sensitizer treatment of THP-1-derived CD14, CD11c immature dendritic cells (iDCs) resulted in the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in the presence of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) (2.6-fold) as well as in degradation of the inhibitor protein kappa B alpha (IκBα) upon incubation with NiSO (1.

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Controlled actuation of superparamagnetic beads (SPBs) within a microfluidic environment using tailored dynamic magnetic field landscapes (MFLs) is a potent approach for the realization of point-of-care diagnostics within Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems. Making use of an engineered magnetic domain pattern as the MFL source, a functional LOC-element with combined magnetophoretic "funnel", concentrator, and "valve" functions for micron-sized SPBs is presented. A parallel-stripe domain pattern design with periodically decreasing/increasing stripe lengths is fabricated in a topographically flat continuous exchange biased (EB) thin film system by ion bombardment induced magnetic patterning (IBMP).

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Ferroptosis is a form of oxidative cell death that is characterized by enhanced lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial impairment. The enzymes acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) play an essential role in the biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-containing phospholipids, thereby providing the substrates for lipid peroxidation and promoting ferroptosis. To examine the impact of mitochondria in ACSL4/LPCAT2-driven ferroptosis, HEK293T cells overexpressing ACSL4 and LPCAT2 (OE) or empty vector controls (LV) were exposed to 1S, 3R-RSL3 (RSL3) for induction of ferroptosis.

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In recent years, clinical scientific data on LDL cholesterol and atherosclerosis has led to lowering of LDL-C targets and the expansion of the indication for lipid drug therapy to larger populations or patients. The calculators SCORE2 and SCORE-OP were newly developed to calculate the cardiovascular risk in primary prevention. When assessing the cardiovascular risk of patients, in addition to e.

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This study aims to picture the phenomenology of urban ambient total lung deposited surface area (LDSA) (including head/throat (HA), tracheobronchial (TB), and alveolar (ALV) regions) based on multiple path particle dosimetry (MPPD) model during 2017-2019 period collected from urban background (UB, n = 15), traffic (TR, n = 6), suburban background (SUB, n = 4), and regional background (RB, n = 1) monitoring sites in Europe (25) and USA (1). Briefly, the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of the deposition of LDSA, including diel, weekly, and seasonal patterns, were analyzed. Then, the relationship between LDSA and other air quality metrics at each monitoring site was investigated.

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