Long-term associations between ambient air pollution and self-perceived health status: Results from the population-based KORA-Fit study.

Background: Little is known about the association between air pollution and self-perceived health (including both health-related quality of life [HRQoL] and self-rated health [SRH]). The aim of this study was therefore to explore whether long-term air pollution exposure is associated with worse self-perceived health, as measured by different tools.

Methods: We used a land-use regression model to determine the annual average levels of particulate matter with a diameter <10 μm (PM), coarse particles (PM), fine particles (PM), fine particle absorbances (PM), particle number concentration (PNC), ozone (O), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and nitrogen oxide (NO) for geocoded residential addresses (2014-2015).

Preprocessing choices for P3 analyses with mobile EEG: A systematic literature review and interactive exploration.

Preprocessing is necessary to extract meaningful results from electroencephalography (EEG) data. With many possible preprocessing choices, their impact on outcomes is fundamental. While previous studies have explored the effects of preprocessing on stationary EEG data, this research delves into mobile EEG, where complex processing is necessary to address motion artifacts.

Migratory movements of bats are shaped by barrier effects, sex-biased timing and the adaptive use of winds.

Background: Migratory bats perform seasonal movements between their summer and winter areas. When crossing ecological barriers, like the open sea, they are exposed to an increased mortality risk due to energetically demanding long-distance flights and unexpected inclement weather events. How such barriers affect bat migratory movements is still poorly known.

Analysis of systemic serum vancomycin levels following intraarticular application in primary total joint arthroplasty.

Introduction: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication following primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA). PJI accounts for 15-25% of revision surgeries, therefore it is associated with PJI is associated with substantial patient morbidity and mortality as well as increased healthcare expenditures due to complex treatment strategies. Recently, intraoperative local application of vancomycin powder is increasingly being used in primary total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) as an additive strategy for PJI prevention.

In and beyond the Griffiths phase: A large-deviation study of the magnetic susceptibility of the two-dimensional bond-diluted Ising model.

The Griffiths phase in systems with quenched disorder occurs below the ordering transition of the pure system down to the ordering transition of the actual disordered system. While it does not exhibit long-range order, large fluctuations in the disorder degrees of freedom result in exponentially rare, long-range ordered states and hence the occurrence of broad distributions in response functions. Inside the Griffiths phase of the two-dimensional bond-diluted Ising model the distribution of the magnetic susceptibility is expected to have such a broad, exponential tail.

Carbonized Apples and Quinces Stillage for Electromagnetic Shielding.

Electromagnetic waves (EMWs) have become an integral part of our daily lives, but they are causing a new form of environmental pollution, manifesting as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency signal leakage. As a result, the demand for innovative, eco-friendly materials capable of blocking EMWs has escalated in the past decade, underscoring the significance of our research. In the realm of modern science, the creation of new materials must consider the starting materials, production costs, energy usage, and the potential for air, water, and soil pollution.

Synthesis, characterization and functionalization of titanium κ amidinato complexes from carbodiimides.

A series of titanium amidinato complexes were synthesized by stoichiometric insertion reactions of carbodiimides into bis(π-η:σ-η-pentafulvene)titanium complexes. NMR studies and single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed κ coordination of the former carbodiimides to the metal center. DFT calculations were performed, confirming the clear preference for a single nitrogen atom coordinating to the metal center with a high energy transition state for the formation of a chelating heteroallyl ligand.

Provision of hospice and palliative care and implementation of advance care planning for residents in German nursing homes - a cross-sectional study.

Background: Demographic changes are leading to a rise in the demand for care services, with nursing homes (NHs) playing an increasingly important role in end-of-life care. Evidence suggests that NH residents at the end of life significantly benefit from hospice and palliative care and the implementation of advance care planning (ACP). In 2018, Germany passed a law to promote the implementation of ACP in NHs and to enable the refinancing of ACP services by the statutory health insurance funds.

Profiling trace organic chemical biotransformation genes, enzymes and associated bacteria in microbial model communities.

Microbial biotransformation of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs) is an essential process in wastewater treatment to eliminate environmental pollution. Understanding TOrC biotransformation mechanisms, especially at their original concentrations, is important to optimize treatment performance, whereas our current knowledge is limited. Here, we investigated the biotransformation of seven TOrCs by 24 model communities.

A Survey on Hearing Health of Musicians in Professional and Amateur Orchestras.

Hearing health, a cornerstone for musical performance and appreciation, often stands at odds with the unique acoustical challenges that musicians face. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, this survey-based study presents an in-depth examination of self-rated hearing health and its contributing factors in 370 professional and 401 amateur musicians recruited from German-speaking orchestras. To probe the nuanced differences between these groups, a balanced subsample of 200 professionals and 200 amateurs was curated, matched based on age, gender, and instrument family.

Cataglyphis ants have a polarity-sensitive magnetic compass.

Spatial orientation based on the geomagnetic field (GMF) is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom, predominantly observed in long-distance migrating birds, sea turtles, lobsters, and Lepidoptera. Although magnetoreception has been studied intensively, the mechanism remains elusive. A crucial question for a mechanistic understanding of magnetoreception is whether animals rely on inclination or polarity-based magnetic information.

Testing the Ce Limit of Mass Bias Correction Using Nd/Nd as Normalizing Ratio in Radiogenic Neodymium Isotope Analysis by MC-ICP-MS.

Rationale: Neodymium isotopes are a powerful geochemical tool that has widely been used in terrestrial and extraterrestrial studies. Modern multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (MC-ICP-MS) allow fast, accurate, and precise analysis of the radiogenic Nd isotope ratio Nd/Nd. These analyses comprise relatively high instrumental mass bias that is typically corrected for using the stable Nd/Nd of 0.

Association of anaesthesia-directed sedation with unplanned discharge to a nursing home following non-ambulatory interventional radiology and endoscopic procedures: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Interventional radiology procedures and endoscopies are performed commonly worldwide, often necessitating pharmacological sedation to optimise patient comfort. It is unclear to what extent non-anaesthetists should provide procedural sedation.

Methods: We studied adult patients who previously lived independently and underwent a non-ambulatory interventional radiology or gastroenterology procedure under anaesthetist-directed or non-anaesthetist-directed sedation at a large healthcare network.

Synthesis of Optically Active Spirocycles by a Sequence of Decarboxylative Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation and Heck Reaction.

Optically active spirocycles were prepared in a sequence of two palladium-catalyzed reactions. In the first step, racemic α-(-iodophenyl)-β-oxo allyl esters were submitted to the palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction, furnishing the α-allylated products with a quaternary stereocenter with good yields and enantioselectivities. Subsequently, these intermediate products were converted in a Heck reaction yielding the spirocyclic structures as a mixture of - and -cyclic regioisomers.

Development and verification of non-supervised smartphone-based methods for assessing pure-tone thresholds and loudness perception.

Objective: The benefit of using smartphones for hearing tests in a non-supervised, rapid, and contactless way has drawn a lot of interest, especially if supra-threshold measures are assessed that go beyond audiogram-based measures alone. It is unclear, nevertheless, how well these measures compare to more supervised and regulated manual audiometric assessments. The aim of this study is to validate such smartphone-based methods against standardised laboratory assessments.

The first interneuron of the mouse visual system is tailored to the natural environment through morphology and electrical coupling.

The topographic complexity of the mouse retina has long been underestimated. However, functional gradients exist, which reflect the non-uniform statistics of the visual environment. Horizontal cells are the first visual interneurons that shape the receptive fields of down-stream neurons.

Parenthood status and plasma oxytocin levels predict specific emotion perception abilities.

Superior recognition of positive emotional facial expressions compared to negative expressions is well established. However, it is unclear whether this superiority effect differs between non-parents and parents, for whom emotion perception (EP) is an indispensable skill. Although EP has been shown to be modulated by the neuropeptide oxytocin, a central factor in the development of parental care, very little research has addressed the relationship between EP skills, the transition to parenthood, and plasma oxytocin levels.

[Feasibility study and analyses of the service records for advance care planning (ACP according to sect. 132g SGB V) in nursing homes - Results of the 'Gut-Leben' project].

Background: With the entry into force of sect. 132g of the Social Code Book [SGB] V in 2018, nursing homes and homes for persons with disabilities providing integration support in Germany can get reimbursed by the statutory health insurance funds for advance care planning (ACP) services. The aim of this feasibility study was to evaluate the number of service records to be submitted, examine the containing information about the consultation process, and assess their potential for research.

[Alternative care concepts for low-acuity emergency medical service missions in the German ambulance service: Descriptive results of an online survey].

Introduction: In Germany, the number of emergency missions has been rising for several years. At the same time, it can be observed that the amount of missions involving emergency physicians is decreasing, while the number of outpatient treatments without transport is increasing. To cope with this situation, different alternative care concepts have been developed as complementary resources throughout Germany.

Chromosome-level genome assemblies and genetic maps reveal heterochiasmy and macrosynteny in endangered Atlantic Acropora.

Background: Over their evolutionary history, corals have adapted to sea level rise and increasing ocean temperatures, however, it is unclear how quickly they may respond to rapid change. Genome structure and genetic diversity contained within may highlight their adaptive potential.

Results: We present chromosome-scale genome assemblies and linkage maps of the critically endangered Atlantic acroporids, Acropora palmata and A.

How Does Inattention Influence the Robustness and Efficiency of Adaptive Procedures in the Context of Psychoacoustic Assessments via Smartphone?

Inattention plays a critical role in the accuracy of threshold measurements, e.g., when using mobile devices.

Hearing health literacy among professional and amateur musicians.

Musicians create sound that is enjoyable to themselves and their audience, but this same sound also threatens their hearing health due to high sound pressure levels generated by their own and their fellow musicians' instruments. Here we seek to identify musicians' hearing health awareness in relation to their coping strategies. 370 professional and 401 amateur musicians in total responded to a questionnaire on hearing health, which included quantitative elements and open-ended questions.