@article{ChatterjeeChaelTiedeetal.2023, author = {Chatterjee, Koushik and Chael, Andrew and Tiede, Paul and Mizuno, Yosuke and Emami, Razieh and Fromm, Christian and Ricarte, Angelo and Blackburn, Lindy and Roelofs, Freek and Johnson, Michael D. and Doeleman, Sheperd S. and Arras, Philipp and Fuentes, Antonio and Knollm{\"u}ller, Jakob and Kosogorov, Nikita and Lindahl, Greg and M{\"u}ller, Hendrik and Patel, Nimesh and Raymond, Alexander and Traianou, Efthalia and Vega, Justin}, title = {Accretion flow morphology in numerical simulations of black holes from the ngEHT model library: the impact of radiation physics}, series = {Galaxies}, volume = {11}, journal = {Galaxies}, number = {2}, issn = {2075-4434}, doi = {10.3390/galaxies11020038}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304084}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In the past few years, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has provided the first-ever event horizon-scale images of the supermassive black holes (BHs) M87* and Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). The next-generation EHT project is an extension of the EHT array that promises larger angular resolution and higher sensitivity to the dim, extended flux around the central ring-like structure, possibly connecting the accretion flow and the jet. The ngEHT Analysis Challenges aim to understand the science extractability from synthetic images and movies to inform the ngEHT array design and analysis algorithm development. In this work, we compare the accretion flow structure and dynamics in numerical fluid simulations that specifically target M87* and Sgr A*, and were used to construct the source models in the challenge set. We consider (1) a steady-state axisymmetric radiatively inefficient accretion flow model with a time-dependent shearing hotspot, (2) two time-dependent single fluid general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations from the H-AMR code, (3) a two-temperature GRMHD simulation from the BHAC code, and (4) a two-temperature radiative GRMHD simulation from the KORAL code. We find that the different models exhibit remarkably similar temporal and spatial properties, except for the electron temperature, since radiative losses substantially cool down electrons near the BH and the jet sheath, signaling the importance of radiative cooling even for slowly accreting BHs such as M87*. We restrict ourselves to standard torus accretion flows, and leave larger explorations of alternate accretion models to future work.}, language = {en} } @incollection{Chakraborty2023, author = {Chakraborty, Adreeta}, title = {Political and Cultural Negotiations with Feminism in India: A Perspective}, series = {Global Cultural Studies? Engaged Scholarship between National and Transnational Frames}, booktitle = {Global Cultural Studies? Engaged Scholarship between National and Transnational Frames}, editor = {Jetter, Tobias}, publisher = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, address = {W{\"u}rzburg}, doi = {10.25972/WUP-978-3-95826-207-2-51}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-305866}, publisher = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, pages = {51-58}, year = {2023}, abstract = {No abstract available.}, subject = {Kulturwissenschaften}, language = {en} } @article{CerezoEchevarriaKehlBeitzingeretal.2023, author = {Cerezo-Echevarria, Argi{\~n}e and Kehl, Alexandra and Beitzinger, Christoph and M{\"u}ller, Tobias and Klopfleisch, Robert and Aupperle-Lellbach, Heike}, title = {Evaluating the histologic grade of digital squamous cell carcinomas in dogs and copy number variation of KIT Ligand — a correlation study}, series = {Veterinary Sciences}, volume = {10}, journal = {Veterinary Sciences}, number = {2}, issn = {2306-7381}, doi = {10.3390/vetsci10020088}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304824}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Dark-haired dogs are predisposed to the development of digital squamous cell carcinoma (DSCC). This may potentially suggest an underlying genetic predisposition not yet completely elucidated. Some authors have suggested a potential correlation between the number of copies KIT Ligand (KITLG) and the predisposition of dogs to DSCC, containing a higher number of copies in those affected by the neoplasm. In this study, the aim was to evaluate a potential correlation between the number of copies of the KITLG and the histological grade of malignancy in dogs with DSCC. For this, 72 paraffin-embedded DSCCs with paired whole blood samples of 70 different dogs were included and grouped according to their haircoat color as follow: Group 0/unknown haircoat color (n = 11); Group 1.a/black non-Schnauzers (n = 15); group 1.b/black Schnauzers (n = 33); group 1.c/black and tan dogs (n = 7); group 2/tan animals (n = 4). The DSCCs were histologically graded. Additionally, KITLG Copy Number Variation (CNV) was determined by ddPCR. A significant correlation was observed between KITLG copy number and the histological grade and score value. This finding may suggest a possible factor for the development of canine DSCC, thus potentially having an impact on personalized veterinary oncological strategies and breeding programs.}, language = {en} } @article{CataldiRaschigGutmannetal.2023, author = {Cataldi, Eleonora and Raschig, Martina and Gutmann, Marcus and Geppert, Patrick T. and Ruopp, Matthias and Schock, Marvin and Gerwe, Hubert and Bertermann, R{\"u}diger and Meinel, Lorenz and Finze, Maik and Nowak-Kr{\´o}l, Agnieszka and Decker, Michael and L{\"u}hmann, Tessa}, title = {Amber Light Control of Peptide Secondary Structure by a Perfluoroaromatic Azobenzene Photoswitch}, series = {ChemBioChem}, volume = {24}, journal = {ChemBioChem}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1002/cbic.202200570}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312480}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The incorporation of photoswitches into the molecular structure of peptides and proteins enables their dynamic photocontrol in complex biological systems. Here, a perfluorinated azobenzene derivative triggered by amber light was site-specifically conjugated to cysteines in a helical peptide by perfluoroarylation chemistry. In response to the photoisomerization (trans→cis) of the conjugated azobenzene with amber light, the secondary structure of the peptide was modulated from a disorganized into an amphiphilic helical structure.}, language = {en} } @article{CaliskanDangwalDandekar2023, author = {Caliskan, Aylin and Dangwal, Seema and Dandekar, Thomas}, title = {Metadata integrity in bioinformatics: bridging the gap between data and knowledge}, series = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, volume = {21}, journal = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, issn = {2001-0370}, doi = {10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.006}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349990}, pages = {4895-4913}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In the fast-evolving landscape of biomedical research, the emergence of big data has presented researchers with extraordinary opportunities to explore biological complexities. In biomedical research, big data imply also a big responsibility. This is not only due to genomics data being sensitive information but also due to genomics data being shared and re-analysed among the scientific community. This saves valuable resources and can even help to find new insights in silico. To fully use these opportunities, detailed and correct metadata are imperative. This includes not only the availability of metadata but also their correctness. Metadata integrity serves as a fundamental determinant of research credibility, supporting the reliability and reproducibility of data-driven findings. Ensuring metadata availability, curation, and accuracy are therefore essential for bioinformatic research. Not only must metadata be readily available, but they must also be meticulously curated and ideally error-free. Motivated by an accidental discovery of a critical metadata error in patient data published in two high-impact journals, we aim to raise awareness for the need of correct, complete, and curated metadata. We describe how the metadata error was found, addressed, and present examples for metadata-related challenges in omics research, along with supporting measures, including tools for checking metadata and software to facilitate various steps from data analysis to published research. Highlights • Data awareness and data integrity underpins the trustworthiness of results and subsequent further analysis. • Big data and bioinformatics enable efficient resource use by repurposing publicly available RNA-Sequencing data. • Manual checks of data quality and integrity are insufficient due to the overwhelming volume and rapidly growing data. • Automation and artificial intelligence provide cost-effective and efficient solutions for data integrity and quality checks. • FAIR data management, various software solutions and analysis tools assist metadata maintenance.}, language = {en} } @article{CaliskanCaliskanRasbachetal.2023, author = {Caliskan, Aylin and Caliskan, Deniz and Rasbach, Lauritz and Yu, Weimeng and Dandekar, Thomas and Breitenbach, Tim}, title = {Optimized cell type signatures revealed from single-cell data by combining principal feature analysis, mutual information, and machine learning}, series = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, volume = {21}, journal = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, issn = {2001-0370}, doi = {10.1016/j.csbj.2023.06.002}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349989}, pages = {3293-3314}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Machine learning techniques are excellent to analyze expression data from single cells. These techniques impact all fields ranging from cell annotation and clustering to signature identification. The presented framework evaluates gene selection sets how far they optimally separate defined phenotypes or cell groups. This innovation overcomes the present limitation to objectively and correctly identify a small gene set of high information content regarding separating phenotypes for which corresponding code scripts are provided. The small but meaningful subset of the original genes (or feature space) facilitates human interpretability of the differences of the phenotypes including those found by machine learning results and may even turn correlations between genes and phenotypes into a causal explanation. For the feature selection task, the principal feature analysis is utilized which reduces redundant information while selecting genes that carry the information for separating the phenotypes. In this context, the presented framework shows explainability of unsupervised learning as it reveals cell-type specific signatures. Apart from a Seurat preprocessing tool and the PFA script, the pipeline uses mutual information to balance accuracy and size of the gene set if desired. A validation part to evaluate the gene selection for their information content regarding the separation of the phenotypes is provided as well, binary and multiclass classification of 3 or 4 groups are studied. Results from different single-cell data are presented. In each, only about ten out of more than 30000 genes are identified as carrying the relevant information. The code is provided in a GitHub repository at https://github.com/AC-PHD/Seurat_PFA_pipeline.}, language = {en} } @article{BuergerSchoenfeldScheineretal.2023, author = {B{\"u}rger, Arne and Schoenfeld, Cornelia von and Scheiner, Christin and Seidel, Alexandra and Wasserscheid, Antonia and Gad, Doreya and Kittel-Schneider, Sarah and Romanos, Marcel and Reiter, Andrea M. F.}, title = {Universal prevention for non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents is scarce - A systematic review}, series = {Frontiers in Psychiatry}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1130610}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357490}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) during adolescence is a high-risk marker for the development and persistence of mental health problems and has been recognized as a significant public health problem. Whereas targeted prevention has indeed shown to be effective in reducing NSSI and improve mental health problems, access to such programs is limited. By face validity, universal prevention of NSSI seems an ideal starting point for a stepped-care model to circumvent a lack of resources in the medical care system. However, it is yet unclear how effective such approaches are. Here, we provide a summary of existing work on universal prevention of NSSI in adolescents younger than 21 years based on a systematic literature search. We found that only seven studies are available. None of the programs evaluated was found to be effective in reducing the incidence or frequency of NSSI. After providing a comprehensive summary of the existing work, we evaluate the fact that existing work primarily focusses on selected/targeted prevention and on psychoeducational methods. We derive implications for future directions in the field of universal prevention of NSSI.}, language = {en} } @techreport{BoeschStielerLydonetal.2023, author = {B{\"o}sch, Carolin and Stieler, Malena and Lydon, Salomon and Hesse, Martin and Ali, Hassan and Finzel, Matthias and Faraz Ali, Syed and Salian, Yash and Alnoor, Hiba and John, Jeena and Lakkad, Harsh and Bhosale, Devraj and Jafarian, Timon and Parvathi, Uma and Ezzatpoor, Narges and Datar, Tanuja}, title = {Venus Research Station}, issn = {2747-9374}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32869}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328695}, pages = {232}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Because of the extreme conditions in the atmosphere, Venus has been less explored than for example Mars. Only a few probes have been able to survive on the surface for very short periods in the past and have sent data. The atmosphere is also far from being fully explored. It could even be that building blocks of life can be found in more moderate layers of the planet's atmosphere. It can therefore be assumed that the planet Venus will increasingly become a focus of exploration. One way to collect significantly more data in situ is to build and operate an atmospheric research station over an extended period of time. This could carry out measurements at different positions and at different times and thus significantly expand our knowledge of the planet. In this work, the design of a Venus Research Station floating within the Venusian atmosphere is presented, which is complemented by the design of deployable atmospheric Scouts. The design of these components is done on a conceptual basis.}, subject = {Venus}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Boehm2023, author = {B{\"o}hm, Christoph}, title = {Thermal Stability of the Polyesters PCL and PLGA during Melt Electrowriting}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-30613}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-306139}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The focus of this thesis was to investigate how PCL and PLGA react to the heat exposure that comes with the MEW process over a defined timespan. To assess the thermal stability of PCL during MEW over 25 d, an automated collection of fibers has been used to determine the CTS on each day of heating for three different temperatures. PCL is exceptionally stable over 25 d at 75 °C, whereas for 85 °C and 95 °C a slight upward trend during the last 10 d could be observed, which is an indication for thermal degradation. Same trend could be observed for diameter of fibers produced at a fixed collector speed. For all temperatures, CTS during the first 5 d decreased due to inhomogeneities of the melt. Physical analysis of the fibers by XRD and mechanical testing showed no significant changes. To investigate the chemical details of the thermal durability, PCL was artificially aged over 25 d at 75 °C, 85 °C and 95 °C. Data from GPC analysis and rheology revealed that PCL is degrading steadily at all three temperatures. Combined with GC-MS analysis, two different mechanisms for degradation could be observed: random chain scission and unzipping. Additional GPC experiment using a mixture of PCL and a fluorescence labelled PCL showed that PCL was undergoing ester interchange reactions, which could explain its thermal stability. PLGA was established successfully as material for MEW. GPC results revealed that PLGA degraded heavily in the one-hour preheating period. To reduce the processing temperature, ATEC was blended with PLGA in three mixtures. This slowed down degradation and a processing window of 6 h could be established. Mechanical testing with fibers produced with PLGA and all three blends was performed. PLGA was very brittle, whereas the blends showed an elastic behavior. This could be explained by ester interchange reactions that formed a loosely crosslinked network with ATEC.}, subject = {Degradation}, language = {en} } @article{BoeckMaurusGerhardHartmannetal.2023, author = {B{\"o}ck, Julia and Maurus, Katja and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Br{\"a}ndlein, Stephanie and Kurz, Katrin S. and Ott, German and Anagnostopoulos, Ioannis and Rosenwald, Andreas and Zam{\`o}, Alberto}, title = {Targeted panel sequencing in the routine diagnosis of mature T- and NK-cell lymphomas}, series = {Frontiers in Oncology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in Oncology}, issn = {2234-943X}, doi = {10.3389/fonc.2023.1231601}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326478}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Diagnosing any of the more than 30 types of T-cell lymphomas is considered a challenging task for many pathologists and currently requires morphological expertise as well as the integration of clinical data, immunophenotype, flow cytometry and clonality analyses. Even considering all available information, some margin of doubt might remain using the current diagnostic procedures. In recent times, the genetic landscape of most T-cell lymphomas has been elucidated, showing a number of diagnostically relevant mutations. In addition, recent data indicate that some of these genetic alterations might bear prognostic and predictive value. Extensive genetic analyses, such as whole exome or large panel sequencing are still expensive and time consuming, therefore limiting their application in routine diagnostic. We therefore devoted our effort to develop a lean approach for genetic analysis of T-cell lymphomas, focusing on maximum efficiency rather than exhaustively covering all possible targets. Here we report the results generated with our small amplicon-based panel that could be used routinely on paraffin-embedded and even decalcified samples, on a single sample basis in parallel with other NGS-panels used in our routine diagnostic lab, in a relatively short time and with limited costs. We tested 128 available samples from two German reference centers as part of our routine work up (among which 116 T-cell lymphomas), which is the largest routine diagnostic series reported to date. Our results showed that this assay had a very high rate of technical success (97\%) and could detect mutations in the majority (79\%) of tested T-cell lymphoma samples.}, language = {en} } @article{BuchmannBaumannMengetal.2023, author = {Buchmann, J. and Baumann, N. and Meng, K. and Semrau, J. and Kuhl, J. and Pfeifer, K. and Vogel, H. and Faller, H.}, title = {Volitional Action Control and Depression in Chronic Pain: Does Action versus State Orientation Moderate the Relations of Pain-Related Cognitions to Depression?}, series = {Current Psychology}, volume = {42}, journal = {Current Psychology}, issn = {1046-1310}, doi = {10.1007/s12144-021-01914-1}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-308508}, pages = {7591-7608}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In this study, we examined the conditional indirect and direct relations of pain-related cognitions to depression. Subjective helplessness was included as presumably mediating the relations of catastrophizing and thought suppression to depression due to motivational deficits. In addition, moderating effects of dispositional action versus state orientation were analyzed, whereby state orientation indicates volitional deficits in coping with distress. The study was based on self-report data from 536 patients with chronic non-specific low back pain at the beginning of inpatient rehabilitation. Moderated mediation analyses were performed. The indirect catastrophizing- and thought suppression-depression relations were (partially) mediated by subjective helplessness; and moderated by failure-related action versus state orientation. Moreover, action versus state orientation moderated the direct relation of thought suppression to depression. Results suggest that catastrophizing, thought suppression, and subjective helplessness do not lead to depression unless associated with self-regulatory inability (i.e., state orientation). In contrast, action-oriented patients more effectively self-regulate pain-related emotions, disengage from rumination, and distract from pain and thus better avoid the debilitating effects of negative pain-related cognitions on depression. Future research and treatment may more strongly focus on the role of motivational and volitional deficits underlying learned helplessness and depression in chronic pain.}, language = {en} } @article{BucheltBloetheKuenzeretal.2023, author = {Buchelt, Sebastian and Bl{\"o}the, Jan Henrik and Kuenzer, Claudia and Schmitt, Andreas and Ullmann, Tobias and Philipp, Marius and Kneisel, Christof}, title = {Deciphering small-scale seasonal surface dynamics of rock glaciers in the Central European Alps using DInSAR time series}, series = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {15}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, number = {12}, issn = {2072-4292}, doi = {10.3390/rs15122982}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362939}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The Essential Climate Variable (ECV) Permafrost is currently undergoing strong changes due to rising ground and air temperatures. Surface movement, forming characteristic landforms such as rock glaciers, is one key indicator for mountain permafrost. Monitoring this movement can indicate ongoing changes in permafrost; therefore, rock glacier velocity (RGV) has recently been added as an ECV product. Despite the increased understanding of rock glacier dynamics in recent years, most observations are either limited in terms of the spatial coverage or temporal resolution. According to recent studies, Sentinel-1 (C-band) Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) has potential for monitoring RGVs at high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, the suitability of DInSAR for the detection of heterogeneous small-scale spatial patterns of rock glacier velocities was never at the center of these studies. We address this shortcoming by generating and analyzing Sentinel-1 DInSAR time series over five years to detect small-scale displacement patterns of five high alpine permafrost environments located in the Central European Alps on a weekly basis at a range of a few millimeters. Our approach is based on a semi-automated procedure using open-source programs (SNAP, pyrate) and provides East-West displacement and elevation change with a ground sampling distance of 5 m. Comparison with annual movement derived from orthophotos and unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV) data shows that DInSAR covers about one third of the total movement, which represents the proportion of the year suited for DInSAR, and shows good spatial agreement (Pearson R: 0.42-0.74, RMSE: 4.7-11.6 cm/a) except for areas with phase unwrapping errors. Moreover, the DInSAR time series unveils spatio-temporal variations and distinct seasonal movement dynamics related to different drivers and processes as well as internal structures. Combining our approach with in situ observations could help to achieve a more holistic understanding of rock glacier dynamics and to assess the future evolution of permafrost under changing climatic conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{BruennertSeupelGoyaletal.2023, author = {Br{\"u}nnert, Daniela and Seupel, Raina and Goyal, Pankaj and Bach, Matthias and Schraud, Heike and Kirner, Stefanie and K{\"o}ster, Eva and Feineis, Doris and Bargou, Ralf C. and Schlosser, Andreas and Bringmann, Gerhard and Chatterjee, Manik}, title = {Ancistrocladinium A induces apoptosis in proteasome inhibitor-resistant multiple myeloma cells: a promising therapeutic agent candidate}, series = {Pharmaceuticals}, volume = {16}, journal = {Pharmaceuticals}, number = {8}, issn = {1424-8247}, doi = {10.3390/ph16081181}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362887}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The N,C-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid ancistrocladinium A belongs to a novel class of natural products with potent antiprotozoal activity. Its effects on tumor cells, however, have not yet been explored. We demonstrate the antitumor activity of ancistrocladinium A in multiple myeloma (MM), a yet incurable blood cancer that represents a model disease for adaptation to proteotoxic stress. Viability assays showed a potent apoptosis-inducing effect of ancistrocladinium A in MM cell lines, including those with proteasome inhibitor (PI) resistance, and in primary MM cells, but not in non-malignant blood cells. Concomitant treatment with the PI carfilzomib or the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat strongly enhanced the ancistrocladinium A-induced apoptosis. Mass spectrometry with biotinylated ancistrocladinium A revealed significant enrichment of RNA-splicing-associated proteins. Affected RNA-splicing-associated pathways included genes involved in proteotoxic stress response, such as PSMB5-associated genes and the heat shock proteins HSP90 and HSP70. Furthermore, we found strong induction of ATF4 and the ATM/H2AX pathway, both of which are critically involved in the integrated cellular response following proteotoxic and oxidative stress. Taken together, our data indicate that ancistrocladinium A targets cellular stress regulation in MM and improves the therapeutic response to PIs or overcomes PI resistance, and thus may represent a promising potential therapeutic agent.}, language = {en} } @article{BruecknerRitschelJimenez‐Hallaetal.2023, author = {Br{\"u}ckner, Tobias and Ritschel, Benedikt and Jim{\´e}nez-Halla, J. Oscar C. and Fantuzzi, Felipe and Duwe, Dario and Markl, Christian and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Dietz, Maximilian and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {Metal-Free Intermolecular C-H Borylation of N-Heterocycles at B-B Multiple Bonds}, series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, volume = {62}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1002/anie.202213284}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312385}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Carbene-stabilized diborynes of the form LBBL (L=N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene (CAAC)) induce rapid, high yielding, intermolecular ortho-C-H borylation at N-heterocycles at room temperature. A simple pyridyldiborene is formed when an NHC-stabilized diboryne is combined with pyridine, while a CAAC-stabilized diboryne leads to activation of two pyridine molecules to give a tricyclic alkylideneborane, which can be forced to undergo a further H-shift resulting in a zwitterionic, doubly benzo-fused 1,3,2,5-diazadiborinine by heating. Use of the extended N-heteroaromatic quinoline leads to a borylmethyleneborane under mild conditions via an unprecedented boron-carbon exchange process.}, language = {en} } @article{BraeuerBurchardtMunkeltBleieretal.2023, author = {Br{\"a}uer-Burchardt, Christian and Munkelt, Christoph and Bleier, Michael and Heinze, Matthias and Gebhart, Ingo and K{\"u}hmstedt, Peter and Notni, Gunther}, title = {Underwater 3D scanning system for cultural heritage documentation}, series = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {15}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, number = {7}, issn = {2072-4292}, doi = {10.3390/rs15071864}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311116}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Three-dimensional capturing of underwater archeological sites or sunken shipwrecks can support important documentation purposes. In this study, a novel 3D scanning system based on structured illumination is introduced, which supports cultural heritage documentation and measurement tasks in underwater environments. The newly developed system consists of two monochrome measurement cameras, a projection unit that produces aperiodic sinusoidal fringe patterns, two flashlights, a color camera, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and an electronic control box. The opportunities and limitations of the measurement principles of the 3D scanning system are discussed and compared to other 3D recording methods such as laser scanning, ultrasound, and photogrammetry, in the context of underwater applications. Some possible operational scenarios concerning cultural heritage documentation are introduced and discussed. A report on application activities in water basins and offshore environments including measurement examples and results of the accuracy measurements is given. The study shows that the new 3D scanning system can be used for both the topographic documentation of underwater sites and to generate detailed true-scale 3D models including the texture and color information of objects that must remain under water.}, language = {en} } @article{BrustNaglerShoyamaetal.2023, author = {Brust, Felix and Nagler, Oliver and Shoyama, Kazutaka and Stolte, Matthias and W{\"u}rthner, Frank}, title = {Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Silandiol-Bay-Bridged Perylene Bisimides}, series = {Advanced Optical Materials}, volume = {11}, journal = {Advanced Optical Materials}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1002/adom.202202676}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312599}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Perylene bisimides (PBIs) are among the best fluorophores but have to be enwrapped for optoelectronic applications by large and heavy substituents to prevent their ππ-stacking, which is known to accelerate non-radiative decay processes in the solid state. Here, light-weight di-tert-butylsilyl groups are introduced to bridge 1,12-dihydroxy and 1,6,7,12-tetrahydroxy PBIs to afford sublimable dyes for vacuum-processed optoelectronic devices. For both new compounds, this substitution provides a twisted and shielded perylene π-core whose, via OSiObridges, rigid structure affords well-resolved absorption and emission spectra with strong fluorescence in solution, as well as in the solid state. The usefulness of these dyes for vacuum-processed optoelectronic devices is demonstrated in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that show monomer-like emission spectra and high maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) values of up to 3.1\% for the doubly silicon-bridged PBI.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Brown2023, author = {Brown, Helena Charlotte}, title = {Investigating the role of the platelet receptor C-type lectin-like receptor 2 in models of thrombosis}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-29310}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-293108}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Platelets have a key physiological role in haemostasis however, inappropriate thrombus formation can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Although, such diseases are common worldwide there are comparatively few anti-platelet drugs, and these are associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Platelets also have roles in thrombo-inflammation, immuno-thrombosis and cancer, in part via C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) and its ligand podoplanin. Although CLEC-2 contributes to these diseases in mice, as well as to thrombus stability, it is unclear whether CLEC-2 has similar roles in humans, particularly as human CLEC-2 (hCLEC-2) cannot be investigated experimentally in vivo. To investigate hCLEC-2 in vivo, we generated a humanised CLEC-2 mouse (hCLEC-2KI) model, as well as a novel monoclonal antibody, HEL1, that binds to a different site than an existing antibody, AYP1. Using these antibodies, we have provided proof of principle for the use of hCLEC-2KI mice to test potential therapeutics targeting hCLEC-2, and shown for the first time that hCLEC-2 can be immunodepleted, with little effect on haemostasis. However, our results have also suggested that there are species differences in the role of CLEC-2 in arterial thrombosis. We further confirmed this using human blood where blocking CLEC-2 ligand binding had no effect on thrombosis, whereas we confirmed a minor role for mouse CLEC-2 in thrombus stability. We also investigated the effect of blocking CLEC-2 signalling using the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor PRN473 on CLEC-2 mediated immuno-thrombosis in a Salmonella typhimurium infection model. However, no effect on thrombosis was observed suggesting that CLEC-2 signalling is not involved. Overall, our results suggest that there may be differences in the role of human and mouse CLEC-2, at least in arterial thrombosis, which could limit the potential of CLEC-2 as an anti-thrombotic target. However, it appears that the interaction between CLEC-2 and podoplanin is conserved and therefore CLEC-2 could still be a therapeutic target in immuno-thrombosis, thrombo-inflammation and cancer. Furthermore, any potential human specific therapeutics could be investigated in vivo using hCLEC-2KI mice.}, subject = {Thrombozyt}, language = {en} } @techreport{BrischKasslerVestinetal.2023, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Brisch, Fabian and Kassler, Andreas and Vestin, Jonathan and Pieska, Marcus and Amend, Markus}, title = {Accelerating Transport Layer Multipath Packet Scheduling for 5G-ATSSS}, series = {KuVS Fachgespr{\"a}ch - W{\"u}rzburg Workshop on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Next-Generation Communication Networks 2023 (WueWoWAS'23)}, journal = {KuVS Fachgespr{\"a}ch - W{\"u}rzburg Workshop on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Next-Generation Communication Networks 2023 (WueWoWAS'23)}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32205}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322052}, pages = {4}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Utilizing multiple access networks such as 5G, 4G, and Wi-Fi simultaneously can lead to increased robustness, resiliency, and capacity for mobile users. However, transparently implementing packet distribution over multiple paths within the core of the network faces multiple challenges including scalability to a large number of customers, low latency, and high-capacity packet processing requirements. In this paper, we offload congestion-aware multipath packet scheduling to a smartNIC. However, such hardware acceleration faces multiple challenges due to programming language and platform limitations. We implement different multipath schedulers in P4 with different complexity in order to cope with dynamically changing path capacities. Using testbed measurements, we show that our CMon scheduler, which monitors path congestion in the data plane and dynamically adjusts scheduling weights for the different paths based on path state information, can process more than 3.5 Mpps packets 25 μs latency.}, language = {en} } @article{BreunFlockFeldheimetal.2023, author = {Breun, Maria and Flock, Katharina and Feldheim, Jonas and Nattmann, Anja and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Herrmann, Pia and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and L{\"o}hr, Mario and Hagemann, Carsten and Stein, Ulrike}, title = {Metastasis associated in colorectal cancer 1 (MACC1) mRNA expression is enhanced in sporadic vestibular schwannoma and correlates to deafness}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {16}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers15164089}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362543}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Vestibular schwannoma (VS) are benign cranial nerve sheath tumors of the vestibulocochlear nerve. Their incidence is mostly sporadic, but they can also be associated with NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2), a hereditary tumor syndrome. Metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is known to contribute to angiogenesis, cell growth, invasiveness, cell motility and metastasis of solid malignant cancers. In addition, MACC1 may be associated with nonsyndromic hearing impairment. Therefore, we evaluated whether MACC1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of VS. Sporadic VS, recurrent sporadic VS, NF2-associated VS, recurrent NF2-associated VS and healthy vestibular nerves were analyzed for MACC1 mRNA and protein expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. MACC1 expression levels were correlated with the patients' clinical course and symptoms. MACC1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in sporadic VS compared to NF2-associated VS (p \< 0.001). The latter expressed similar MACC1 concentrations as healthy vestibular nerves. Recurrent tumors resembled the MACC1 expression of the primary tumors. MACC1 mRNA expression was significantly correlated with deafness in sporadic VS patients (p = 0.034). Therefore, MACC1 might be a new molecular marker involved in VS pathogenesis.}, language = {en} } @article{BrennerGeigerSchlegeletal.2023, author = {Brenner, Daniela and Geiger, Nina and Schlegel, Jan and Diesendorf, Viktoria and Kersting, Louise and Fink, Julian and Stelz, Linda and Schneider-Schaulies, Sibylle and Sauer, Markus and Bodem, Jochen and Seibel, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {Azido-ceramides, a tool to analyse SARS-CoV-2 replication and inhibition — SARS-CoV-2 is inhibited by ceramides}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {24}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {8}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms24087281}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313581}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Recently, we have shown that C6-ceramides efficiently suppress viral replication by trapping the virus in lysosomes. Here, we use antiviral assays to evaluate a synthetic ceramide derivative α-NH2-ω-N3-C6-ceramide (AKS461) and to confirm the biological activity of C6-ceramides inhibiting SARS-CoV-2. Click-labeling with a fluorophore demonstrated that AKS461 accumulates in lysosomes. Previously, it has been shown that suppression of SARS-CoV-2 replication can be cell-type specific. Thus, AKS461 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Huh-7, Vero, and Calu-3 cells up to 2.5 orders of magnitude. The results were confirmed by CoronaFISH, indicating that AKS461 acts comparable to the unmodified C6-ceramide. Thus, AKS461 serves as a tool to study ceramide-associated cellular and viral pathways, such as SARS-CoV-2 infections, and it helped to identify lysosomes as the central organelle of C6-ceramides to inhibit viral replication.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Breil2023, author = {Breil, Christina}, title = {Look at me and I will feel you: eye contact and social understandig}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-27802}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-278021}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {One of the features that defines humans as extraordinarily social beings is their striking susceptibility to the gaze of others. The research reported in this dissertation was undertaken to advance our understanding of the role of gaze cues in low-level attentional and higher-order cognitive processes. In particular, effects of gaze were examined with regard to three aspects of human cognition: (1) social attention, (2) social interaction and (3) social understanding. Chapter 1 consists of three manuscripts that investigate the boundary conditions of attention capture by direct gaze and how gaze direction is integrated with facial context information. Manuscript 1 and 2 suggest two necessary requirements for attention capture by direct gaze: a meaningful holistic facial context and sharp foveal vision, respectively. Manuscript 3 shows approach/avoidance-congruency effects between gaze direction and emotion expression on attention. Chapter 2 of this dissertation explores the role of gaze in more naturalistic social scenarios. Manuscript 4 demonstrates that gaze behavior during a conversation shapes our perception of another person. Manuscript 5 builds on these findings by showing that these perceptions define our willingness to act in a prosocial way towards our interaction partner. Finally, chapter 3 adopts a broader perspective on social cognition research with a special focus on methodological aspects. Manuscript 6 is a review highlighting the significance of methodological aspects in social cognition research and stressing the importance of sophisticated decisions on task and stimulus materials. Manuscript 7 introduces a new instrument for the assessment of social understanding in adolescents. Initial application in a young sample group indicates that an understanding of another person's mental states is a capacity that is still developing throughout adolescence. Both manuscripts of this final chapter include eye tracking data that suggest a relationship between gaze behavior and social understanding, a finding that further emphasizes the complex and multifaceted nature of social cognition. I conclude from the findings of this dissertation that research can benefit from adopting a broad view in terms of methodological as well as temporal aspects in order to capture human social cognition in its entirety.}, subject = {Blick}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bozkaya2023, author = {Bozkaya, Beg{\"u}m}, title = {Influence of Carbon Additives on the Electrochemical Performance of Modern Lead-Acid Batteries}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-31917}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319174}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In the first part of this thesis, a validation of both short-term and long-term DCA tests on 2 V laboratory cells is focussed. The aim is to improve the laboratory cell level measurement technology for dynamic charge acceptance regarding the investigation of carbon additives. To address this issue, it is crucial to apply carbon additives generating a remarkable difference in charge acceptance. For this purpose, five different carbon additives providing a variation in the specific external surface were included as additives in the negative plates of 2 V lead-acid cells. Both short-term (charge acceptance test 2 from SBA and DCA from EN) and long-term (Run-in DCA from Ford) DCA tests were executed on the lead-acid cells. Further understanding of the mechanism was studied by applying electrochemical methods like cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The second part of this thesis aims to understand the impact of carbon surface functional groups on the electrochemical activity of the negative electrodes as well as the DCA of 2 V lead-acid cells. In order to address this topic, commercially available activated carbon was modified by different chemical treatments to incorporate specific surface functional groups in the carbon structure. A series of activated carbons having a broad range of pH was prepared, which were used as additives in the negative electrodes. The corresponding lead-acid cells were subjected to cyclic voltammetry and DCA test according to EN. Further, the physical and chemical properties of the functionalized carbon additives were intensively analyzed to establish a structure-property relationship with a focus on DCA.}, subject = {Bleiakkumulator}, language = {en} } @techreport{BofingerHaas2023, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bofinger, Peter and Haas, Thomas}, title = {R-Star: A new approach to estimate the polar star of monetary policy}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32739}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-327394}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The necessary adjustments to prominent measures of the neutral rate of interest following the COVID pandemic sparked a wide-ranging debate on the measurement and usefulness of r-star. Due to high uncertainty about relevant determinants, trend patterns and the correct estimation method, we propose in this paper a simple alternative approach derived from a standard macro model. Starting from a loss function, neutral periods can be determined in which a neutral real interest rate is observable. Using these values, a medium-term trend for a neutral interest rate can be determined. An application to the USA shows that our simple calculation of a neutral interest rate delivers comparable results to existing studies. A Taylor rule based on our neutral interest rate also does a fairly good job of explaining US monetary policy over the past 60 years.}, subject = {Zins}, language = {en} } @techreport{BofingerGeissendoerferHaasetal.2023, author = {Bofinger, Peter and Geißend{\"o}rfer, Lisa and Haas, Thomas and Mayer, Fabian}, title = {Credit as an Instrument for Growth: A Monetary Explanation of the Chinese Growth Story}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32880}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328804}, pages = {148}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This study describes the Chinese growth model over the past 40 years. We show that China's growth model, with its dominant role of the banking system and "the banker", is a perfect illustration of the necessity and power of Schumpeter's "monetary analysis". This approach has allowed us to elaborate theoretically and empirically the uniqueness of the Chinese model. In our empirical analysis, we use a new dataset of Chinese provincial data to analyze the impact of the financial system, especially banks, on Chinese economic development. We also empirically assess the role of the financial system in Chinese industrial policy and provide case studies of the effects of industrial policy in specific sectors. Finally, we also discuss macroeconomic dimensions of the Chinese growth process and lessons that can be drawn from the Chinese experience for other countries.}, subject = {Industriepolitik}, language = {en} } @article{BoeckelKarstenGoepeletal.2023, author = {Boeckel, Hannah and Karsten, Christian M. and G{\"o}pel, Wolfgang and Herting, Egbert and Rupp, Jan and H{\"a}rtel, Christoph and Hartz, Annika}, title = {Increased expression of anaphylatoxin C5a-receptor-1 in neutrophils and natural killer cells of preterm infants}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {24}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {12}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms241210321}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-321196}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Preterm infants are susceptible to infection and their defense against pathogens relies largely on innate immunity. The role of the complement system for the immunological vulnerability of preterm infants is less understood. Anaphylatoxin C5a and its receptors C5aR1 and -2 are known to be involved in sepsis pathogenesis, with C5aR1 mainly exerting pro-inflammatory effects. Our explorative study aimed to determine age-dependent changes in the expression of C5aR1 and C5aR2 in neonatal immune cell subsets. Via flow cytometry, we analyzed the expression pattern of C5a receptors on immune cells isolated from peripheral blood of preterm infants (n = 32) compared to those of their mothers (n = 25). Term infants and healthy adults served as controls. Preterm infants had a higher intracellular expression of C5aR1 on neutrophils than control individuals. We also found a higher expression of C5aR1 on NK cells, particularly on the cytotoxic CD56\(^{dim}\) subset and the CD56\(^-\) subset. Immune phenotyping of other leukocyte subpopulations revealed no gestational-age-related differences for the expression of and C5aR2. Elevated expression of C5aR1 on neutrophils and NK cells in preterm infants may contribute to the phenomenon of "immunoparalysis" caused by complement activation or to sustained hyper-inflammatory states. Further functional analyses are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bleier2023, author = {Bleier, Michael}, title = {Underwater Laser Scanning - Refractive Calibration, Self-calibration and Mapping for 3D Reconstruction}, isbn = {978-3-945459-45-4}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32269}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322693}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {There is great interest in affordable, precise and reliable metrology underwater: Archaeologists want to document artifacts in situ with high detail. In marine research, biologists require the tools to monitor coral growth and geologists need recordings to model sediment transport. Furthermore, for offshore construction projects, maintenance and inspection millimeter-accurate measurements of defects and offshore structures are essential. While the process of digitizing individual objects and complete sites on land is well understood and standard methods, such as Structure from Motion or terrestrial laser scanning, are regularly applied, precise underwater surveying with high resolution is still a complex and difficult task. Applying optical scanning techniques in water is challenging due to reduced visibility caused by turbidity and light absorption. However, optical underwater scanners provide significant advantages in terms of achievable resolution and accuracy compared to acoustic systems. This thesis proposes an underwater laser scanning system and the algorithms for creating dense and accurate 3D scans in water. It is based on laser triangulation and the main optical components are an underwater camera and a cross-line laser projector. The prototype is configured with a motorized yaw axis for capturing scans from a tripod. Alternatively, it is mounted to a moving platform for mobile mapping. The main focus lies on the refractive calibration of the underwater camera and laser projector, the image processing and 3D reconstruction. For highest accuracy, the refraction at the individual media interfaces must be taken into account. This is addressed by an optimization-based calibration framework using a physical-geometric camera model derived from an analytical formulation of a ray-tracing projection model. In addition to scanning underwater structures, this work presents the 3D acquisition of semi-submerged structures and the correction of refraction effects. As in-situ calibration in water is complex and time-consuming, the challenge of transferring an in-air scanner calibration to water without re-calibration is investigated, as well as self-calibration techniques for structured light. The system was successfully deployed in various configurations for both static scanning and mobile mapping. An evaluation of the calibration and 3D reconstruction using reference objects and a comparison of free-form surfaces in clear water demonstrate the high accuracy potential in the range of one millimeter to less than one centimeter, depending on the measurement distance. Mobile underwater mapping and motion compensation based on visual-inertial odometry is demonstrated using a new optical underwater scanner based on fringe projection. Continuous registration of individual scans allows the acquisition of 3D models from an underwater vehicle. RGB images captured in parallel are used to create 3D point clouds of underwater scenes in full color. 3D maps are useful to the operator during the remote control of underwater vehicles and provide the building blocks to enable offshore inspection and surveying tasks. The advancing automation of the measurement technology will allow non-experts to use it, significantly reduce acquisition time and increase accuracy, making underwater metrology more cost-effective.}, subject = {Selbstkalibrierung}, language = {en} } @article{BinderLangePozzietal.2023, author = {Binder, Tobias and Lange, Florian and Pozzi, Nicol{\`o} and Musacchio, Thomas and Daniels, Christine and Odorfer, Thorsten and Fricke, Patrick and Matthies, Cordula and Volkmann, Jens and Capetian, Philipp}, title = {Feasibility of local field potential-guided programming for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: a comparison with clinical and neuro-imaging guided approaches in a randomized, controlled pilot trial}, series = {Brain Stimulation}, volume = {16}, journal = {Brain Stimulation}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1016/j.brs.2023.08.017}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350280}, pages = {1243-1251}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Highlights • Beta-Guided programming is an innovative approach that may streamline the programming process for PD patients with STN DBS. • While preliminary findings from our study suggest that Beta Titration may potentially mitigate STN overstimulation and enhance symptom control, • Our results demonstrate that beta-guided programming significantly reduces programming time, suggesting it could be efficiently integrated into routine clinical practice using a commercially available patient programmer. Background Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Clinical outcomes after DBS can be limited by poor programming, which remains a clinically driven, lengthy and iterative process. Electrophysiological recordings in PD patients undergoing STN-DBS have shown an association between STN spectral power in the beta frequency band (beta power) and the severity of clinical symptoms. New commercially-available DBS devices now enable the recording of STN beta oscillations in chronically-implanted PD patients, thereby allowing investigation into the use of beta power as a biomarker for DBS programming. Objective To determine the potential advantages of beta-guided DBS programming over clinically and image-guided programming in terms of clinical efficacy and programming time. Methods We conducted a randomized, blinded, three-arm, crossover clinical trial in eight Parkinson's patients with STN-DBS who were evaluated three months after DBS surgery. We compared clinical efficacy and time required for each DBS programming paradigm, as well as DBS parameters and total energy delivered between the three strategies (beta-, clinically- and image-guided). Results All three programming methods showed similar clinical efficacy, but the time needed for programming was significantly shorter for beta- and image-guided programming compared to clinically-guided programming (p < 0.001). Conclusion Beta-guided programming may be a useful and more efficient approach to DBS programming in Parkinson's patients with STN-DBS. It takes significantly less time to program than traditional clinically-based programming, while providing similar symptom control. In addition, it is readily available within the clinical DBS programmer, making it a valuable tool for improving current clinical practice.}, language = {en} } @article{BernuthVaterFuchsetal.2023, author = {Bernuth, Silvia and Vater, Adrian and Fuchs, Konrad F. and Meffert, Rainer H. and Jakubietz, Rafael G.}, title = {Perfusion changes in perforator-based propeller flaps}, series = {Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery Open}, volume = {8}, journal = {Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery Open}, number = {1}, issn = {2377-0813}, doi = {10.1055/a-2086-4988}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350491}, pages = {e45-e50}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background  To cover soft tissue defects, the perforator-based propeller flap offers the option to rotate healthy tissue into complex wounds. By rotating the flap, the perforator is torqued. As a result, perfusion changes are possible. Methods  A retrospective data analysis of patients was done, who received a propeller flap to cover soft tissue defects of the lower extremity as well as a peri- and postoperative perfusion monitoring with a laser-Doppler-spectrophotometry system. Additionally, patient-specific data were collected. Results  Seven patients were identified. Four patients experienced early complications, two epidermolysis of the distal flap areas, three wound healing disorders, and one partial flap necrosis. Intraoperative perfusion monitoring showed a decline of blood flow after incision of the flap, especially at distal flap site. In case of complications, there were prolonged blood flow declines up to the first postoperative day. Conclusion  Torqueing the perforator by rotating the flap can cause an impairment in inflow and outflow. If the impairment is prolonged, perfusion-associated complications are possible. The identification of a viable perforator is particularly important. In addition, a conservative postoperative mobilization is necessary to compensate for the impaired and adapting outflow.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{BergmannBorges2023, author = {Bergmann Borges, Alyssa}, title = {The endo-lysosomal system of \(Trypanosoma\) \(brucei\): insights from a protist cell model}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32924}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-329248}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Most of the studies in cell biology primarily focus on models from the opisthokont group of eukaryotes. However, opisthokonts do not encompass the full diversity of eukaryotes. Thus, it is necessary to broaden the research focus to other organisms to gain a comprehensive understanding of basic cellular processes shared across the tree of life. In this sense, Trypanosoma brucei, a unicellular eukaryote, emerges as a viable alternative. The collaborative efforts in genome sequencing and protein tagging over the past two decades have significantly expanded our knowledge on this organism and have provided valuable tools to facilitate a more detailed analysis of this parasite. Nevertheless, numerous questions still remain. The survival of T. brucei within the mammalian host is intricately linked to the endo-lysosomal system, which plays a critical role in surface glycoprotein recycling, antibody clearance, and plasma membrane homeostasis. However, the dynamics of the duplication of the endo-lysosomal system during T. brucei proliferation and its potential relationship with plasma membrane growth remain poorly understood. Thus, as the primary objective, this thesis explores the endo-lysosomal system of T. brucei in the context of the cell cycle, providing insights on cell surface growth, endosome duplication, and clathrin recruitment. In addition, the study revisits ferritin endocytosis to provide quantitative data on the involvement of TbRab proteins (TbRab5A, TbRab7, and TbRab11) and the different endosomal subpopulations (early, late, and recycling endosomes, respectively) in the transport of this fluid-phase marker. Notably, while these subpopulations function as distinct compartments, different TbRabs can be found within the same region or structure, suggesting a potential physical connection between the endosomal subpopulations. The potential physical connection of endosomes is further explored within the context of the cell cycle and, finally, the duplication and morphological plasticity of the lysosome are also investigated. Overall, these findings provide insights into the dynamics of plasma membrane growth and the coordinated duplication of the endo-lysosomal system during T. brucei proliferation. The early duplication of endosomes suggests their potential involvement in plasma membrane growth, while the late duplication of the lysosome indicates a reduced role in this process. The recruitment of clathrin and TbRab GTPases to the site of endosome formation supports the assumption that the newly formed endosomal system is active during cell division and, consequently, indicates its potential role in plasma membrane homeostasis. Furthermore, considering the vast diversity within the Trypanosoma genus, which includes ~500 described species, the macroevolution of the group was investigated using the combined information of the 18S rRNA gene sequence and structure. The sequence-structure analysis of T. brucei and other 42 trypanosome species was conducted in the context of the diversity of Trypanosomatida, the order in which trypanosomes are placed. An additional analysis focused on Trypanosoma highlighted key aspects of the group's macroevolution. To explore these aspects further, additional trypanosome species were included, and the changes in the Trypanosoma tree topology were analyzed. The sequence-structure phylogeny confirmed the independent evolutionary history of the human pathogens T. brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi, while also providing insights into the evolution of the Aquatic clade, paraphyly of groups, and species classification into subgenera.}, subject = {Endocytose}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Berger2023, author = {Berger, Constantin}, title = {Influence of the pancreatic extracellular matrix on pancreatic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and establishment of 3D organ models}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-24126}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-241268}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Der Diabetes mellitus bezeichnet eine bislang unheilbare, metabolische Erkrankung, die mit schwerwiegenden Folgeerkrankungen einhergeht. Unter den potentiellen Strategien zur Heilung von Diabetes mellitus stellt die in vitro Generierung adulter β-Zellen des endokrinen Pankreas aus humanen induziert pluripotenten Stammzellen (hiPS) einen vielversprechenden Ansatz dar. Zwar erm{\"o}glichen bisherige Protokolle die Herstellung von Zellen mit einem β-Zell-{\"a}hnlichen Charakter, jedoch zeigen diese eine zun{\"a}chst eingeschr{\"a}nkte Funktion, die sich erst im Verlauf einer vollst{\"a}ndigen, durch Transplantation induzierten, Reifung der Zellen, normalisiert. Vorangegangene Studien zeigen, dass sich die Extrazellularmatrix (EZM) von Geweben positiv auf das {\"U}berleben und die Funktion adulter, isolierter Langerhans-Inseln des Pankreas auswirkt. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt sich die Frage, ob Einfl{\"u}sse der organspezifischen EZM die finale Reifung in vitro hergestellter β-Zellen herbeif{\"u}hren k{\"o}nnen. Um diese Hypothese zu testen, wurde im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie die Wirkung der pankreatischen EZM auf die in vitro Differenzierung von hiPS zu endokrinen Zellen des Pankreas untersucht sowie die Eignung der pankreatischen EZM zur Etablierung eines Organmodells des endokrinen Pankreas erprobt. Hierzu wurde zun{\"a}chst eine pankreasspezifische EZM-Tr{\"a}gerstruktur (PanMa) durch Dezellularisierung von Pankreaten des Schweins mittels Natriumdesoxycholat hergestellt. Die generierte PanMa wurde anhand (immun-) histologischer F{\"a}rbungen, Rasterelektronen-mikroskopie, Feststellung des DNA-Gehalts sowie durch Versuche zur Perfusion und Wiederbesiedelung mit Endothelzellen eingehend charakterisiert. Zudem wurde auf Basis der ermittelten Daten ein Bewertungssystem (PancScore) zur standardisierten Herstellung der PanMa entwickelt. Als N{\"a}chstes wurde untersucht, ob die PanMa {\"u}ber gewebespezifische EZM-Merkmale verf{\"u}gt. Zu diesem Zweck wurden biophysikalische und strukturelle Eigenschaften wie Festigkeit, Porosit{\"a}t und Hygroskopie mittels rheologischer Messungen sowie Versuchen zur Teilchendiffusion und zum Wasserbindungsverhalten bestimmt und mit azellul{\"a}ren EZMs des D{\"u}nndarms (SISser) und der Lunge (LungMa) verglichen. Nach der eingehenden Analyse der PanMa wurde deren Effekt auf die Eigenschaften von Stammzellen sowie auf fr{\"u}he Stadien der Stammzellentwicklung untersucht. Hierzu wurde die PanMa als Tr{\"a}gerstruktur w{\"a}hrend der Erhaltung sowie der spontanen Differenzierung von hiPS verwendet und der Einfluss der PanMa anhand von Genexpressionsanalysen und immunhistochemischer F{\"a}rbungen analysiert. In einem n{\"a}chsten Schritt wurde die Wirkung der PanMa auf die Differenzierung von hiPS zu endokrinen Zellen des Pankreas untersucht. Hierf{\"u}r wurde die PanMa zum einen in fl{\"u}ssiger Form als Mediumzusatz sowie als solide Tr{\"a}gerstruktur w{\"a}hrend der Differenzierung von hiPS zu hormonexprimierenden Zellen (Rezania et al. 2012; Rezania et al. 2014) oder maturierenden β-Zellen verwendet (Rezania et al. 2014). Der Effekt der PanMa wurde anhand von Genexpressions-analysen, immunhistochemischer F{\"a}rbungen und Analysen zur Glukose-abh{\"a}ngigen Insulinsekretion untersucht. In einem letzten Teil der Studie wurde die Eignung der PanMa zur verl{\"a}ngerten Kultivierung von hiPS-abgeleiteten endokrinen Zellen des Pankreas im Hinblick auf die Etablierung eines Organmodells des endokrinen Pankreas getestet. Hierzu wurde die PanMa zu einem Hydrogel weiterverarbeitet, welches zur Einkapselung und Kultivierung von hiPS-abgeleiteten hormonexprimierenden Zellen eingesetzt wurde. Um die Auswirkungen der Hydrogel-Kultur nachzuvollziehen, wurden die kultivierten Zellen mittels Genexpression, immun-histochemischer F{\"a}rbungen und Analysen zur Glukose-abh{\"a}ngigen Insulinsekretion untersucht. Mittels Dezellularisierung porziner Pankreaten konnte eine zellfreie, pankreasspezifische EZM-Tr{\"a}gerstruktur mit geringen Restbest{\"a}nden an DNA sowie einer weitgehend erhaltenen Mikro- und Ultrastruktur mit typischen EZM-Komponenten wie Kollagen I, III und IV hergestellt werden. Im Rahmen der Besiedelung arterieller Gef{\"a}ße mit humanen Endothelzellen wurde die Zellkompatibilit{\"a}t der hergestellten PanMa sowie eine weitgehende Unversehrtheit der Gef{\"a}ßstrukturen nachgewiesen. Verglichen zu SISser und LungMa zeichnete sich die PanMa als eine relativ weiche, stark wasserbindende, faserbasierte Struktur aus. Weiterhin konnten Hinweise f{\"u}r einen Effekt der PanMa auf den Stammzellcharakter und die fr{\"u}he Entwicklung von hiPS beobachtet werden. Hierbei f{\"u}hrte die Erhaltung von hiPS auf der PanMa zu einer leicht ver{\"a}nderten Expression von Genen des Kernpluripotenznetzwerks sowie zu einem reduziertem NANOG-Proteinsignal. Einhergehend mit diesen Beobachtungen zeigten hiPS w{\"a}hrend spontaner Differenzierung auf der PanMa eine verst{\"a}rkte endodermale Entwicklung. Im Verlauf der pankreatischen Differenzierung f{\"u}hrte die Kultivierung auf der PanMa zu einer signifikant verringerten Expression von Glukagon und Somatostatin, w{\"a}hrend die Expression von Insulin unver{\"a}ndert blieb, was auf eine Verminderung endokriner α- und δ-Zellen hinweist. Diese Ver{\"a}nderung {\"a}ußerte sich jedoch nicht in einer verbesserten Glukose-abh{\"a}ngigen Insulinsekretion der generierten hormonexprimierenden Zellen. Unter Anwendung der PanMa als Hydrogel konnten hormonexprimierenden Zellen {\"u}ber einen verl{\"a}ngerten Zeitraum kultiviert werden. Nach 21 Tagen in Kultur zeigten die eingekapselten hormonexprimierenden Zellen eine unver{\"a}ndert hohe Viabilit{\"a}t, wiesen allerdings bereits eine erste ver{\"a}nderte Zellanordnung sowie eine leicht verminderte Glukose-abh{\"a}ngige Insulinsekretion auf. Zusammengefasst konnte in dieser Studie ein biologischer Effekt gewebespezifischer EZM-Merkmale auf die Differenzierung von hiPS nachgewiesen werden. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus weisen die Daten auf eine relevante Funktion der EZM im Rahmen der endokrinen Spezifizierung von hiPS w{\"a}hrend der pankreatischen Differenzierung hin. Diese Beobachtungen verdeutlichen die eminente Rolle der EZM in der Herstellung von funktionalen hiPS-abgeleiteten Zellen und pl{\"a}dieren f{\"u}r eine st{\"a}rkere Einbindung organspezifischer EZMs im Bereich des Tissue Engineering und der klinischen Translation in der Regenerativen Medizin.}, subject = {Bauchspeicheldr{\"u}se}, language = {en} } @article{BergauerAkbasBraunetal.2023, author = {Bergauer, Lisa and Akbas, Samira and Braun, Julia and Ganter, Michael T. and Meybohm, Patrick and Hottenrott, Sebastian and Zacharowski, Kai and Raimann, Florian J. and Rivas, Eva and L{\´o}pez-Baamonde, Manuel and Spahn, Donat R. and Noethiger, Christoph B. and Tscholl, David W. and Roche, Tadzio R.}, title = {Visual Blood, visualisation of blood gas analysis in virtual reality, leads to more correct diagnoses: a computer-based, multicentre, simulation study}, series = {Bioengineering}, volume = {10}, journal = {Bioengineering}, number = {3}, issn = {2306-5354}, doi = {10.3390/bioengineering10030340}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-310979}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Interpreting blood gas analysis results can be challenging for the clinician, especially in stressful situations under time pressure. To foster fast and correct interpretation of blood gas results, we developed Visual Blood. This computer-based, multicentre, noninferiority study compared Visual Blood and conventional arterial blood gas (ABG) printouts. We presented six scenarios to anaesthesiologists, once with Visual Blood and once with the conventional ABG printout. The primary outcome was ABG parameter perception. The secondary outcomes included correct clinical diagnoses, perceived diagnostic confidence, and perceived workload. To analyse the results, we used mixed models and matched odds ratios. Analysing 300 within-subject cases, we showed noninferiority of Visual Blood compared to ABG printouts concerning the rate of correctly perceived ABG parameters (rate ratio, 0.96; 95\% CI, 0.92-1.00; p = 0.06). Additionally, the study revealed two times higher odds of making the correct clinical diagnosis using Visual Blood (OR, 2.16; 95\% CI, 1.42-3.29; p < 0.001) than using ABG printouts. There was no or, respectively, weak evidence for a difference in diagnostic confidence (OR, 0.84; 95\% CI, 0.58-1.21; p = 0.34) and perceived workload (Coefficient, 2.44; 95\% CI, -0.09-4.98; p = 0.06). This study showed that participants did not perceive the ABG parameters better, but using Visual Blood resulted in more correct clinical diagnoses than using conventional ABG printouts. This suggests that Visual Blood allows for a higher level of situation awareness beyond individual parameters' perception. However, the study also highlighted the limitations of today's virtual reality headsets and Visual Blood.}, language = {en} } @article{BeningGenserKelleretal.2023, author = {Bening, C. and Genser, B. and Keller, D. and M{\"u}ller-Altrock, S. and Radakovic, D. and Penov, K. and Hassan, M. and Aleksic, I. and Leyh, R. and Madrahimov, N.}, title = {Impact of estradiol, testosterone and their ratio on left and right auricular myofilament function in male and female patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting}, series = {BMC Cardiovascular Disorders}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC Cardiovascular Disorders}, doi = {10.1186/s12872-023-03582-4}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357368}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background The impact of sex hormones on right and left auricular contractile apparatus function is largely unknown. We evaluated the impact of sex hormones on left and right heart contractility at the level of myocardial filaments harvested from left and right auricles during elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Methods 150 patients (132 male; 18 female) were enrolled. Preoperative testosterone and estradiol levels were measured with Immunoassay. Calcium induced force measurements were performed with left- and right auricular myofilaments in a skinned fiber model. Correlation analysis was used for comparison of force values and levels of sex hormones and their ratio. Results Low testosterone was associated with higher top force values in right-sided myofilaments but not in left-sided myofilaments for both sexes (p = 0.000 in males, p = 0.001 in females). Low estradiol levels were associated with higher top force values in right-sided myofilaments (p 0.000) in females and only borderline significantly associated with higher top force values in males (p 0.056). In females, low estradiol levels correlated with higher top force values in left sided myofilaments (p 0.000). In males, higher Estradiol/Testosterone ratio (E/T ratio) was only associated with higher top force values from right auricular myofilaments (p 0.04) In contrast, in females higher E/T ratio was associated with lower right auricular myofilament top force values (p 0.03) and higher top force values in left-sided myofilaments (p 0.000). Conclusions This study shows that patients' comorbidities influence left and right sided contractility and may blur results concerning influence of sex hormones if not eliminated. A sex hormone dependent influence is obvious with different effects on the left and right ventricle. The E/T ratio and its impact on myofilament top force showed divergent results between genders, and may partially explain gender differences in patients with cardiovascular disease.}, language = {en} } @article{BencurovaAkashDobsonetal.2023, author = {Bencurova, Elena and Akash, Aman and Dobson, Renwick C.J. and Dandekar, Thomas}, title = {DNA storage-from natural biology to synthetic biology}, series = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, volume = {21}, journal = {Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal}, issn = {2001-0370}, doi = {10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.045}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349971}, pages = {1227-1235}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Natural DNA storage allows cellular differentiation, evolution, the growth of our children and controls all our ecosystems. Here, we discuss the fundamental aspects of DNA storage and recent advances in this field, with special emphasis on natural processes and solutions that can be exploited. We point out new ways of efficient DNA and nucleotide storage that are inspired by nature. Within a few years DNA-based information storage may become an attractive and natural complementation to current electronic data storage systems. We discuss rapid and directed access (e.g. DNA elements such as promotors, enhancers), regulatory signals and modulation (e.g. lncRNA) as well as integrated high-density storage and processing modules (e.g. chromosomal territories). There is pragmatic DNA storage for use in biotechnology and human genetics. We examine DNA storage as an approach for synthetic biology (e.g. light-controlled nucleotide processing enzymes). The natural polymers of DNA and RNA offer much for direct storage operations (read-in, read-out, access control). The inbuilt parallelism (many molecules at many places working at the same time) is important for fast processing of information. Using biology concepts from chromosomal storage, nucleic acid processing as well as polymer material sciences such as electronical effects in enzymes, graphene, nanocellulose up to DNA macram{\´e} , DNA wires and DNA-based aptamer field effect transistors will open up new applications gradually replacing classical information storage methods in ever more areas over time (decades).}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{BenKraiem2023, author = {Ben-Kraiem, Adel}, title = {Temporal characterization of the blood nerve barrier and specialized pro resolving mediators as therapeutic targets in neuropathy}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32079}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320797}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Abstract Neuropathic pain affects 6.9 to 10\% of the general population, arises from lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system and is still challenging to treat. Indeed, current treatments efficacy are relatively low and present strong side effects. To that extent, identifying new targets and developing new treatment strategies constitute a priority. The blood nerve barrier consists of the endoneurial micro-blood vessels and the perineurium sealed by tight junctions constituted of tight junction proteins such claudin-5 and claudin-1. As the functional blood nerve barrier allows nerve tissue protection from external elements and maintains homeostasis, a destabilization or a disruption leads to infiltration of immunocytes promoting neuroinflammation and increased inflammatory mediators that can sensitize nociceptors and enhance pain. Thus resealing the blood nerve barrier in case of neuropathic pain could be a possible treatment strategy. Specialised proresolving mediators such lipoxin A4 and resolvin D1 are small lipids that bind to receptors such the formylpeptide recptor 2 (FPR2) and resolve inflammation. Specially resolvin D1 as anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Thus using resolvin D1 or eventually other specialized proresolving mediators in neuropathic pain could reseal the blood nerve barrier and resolve neuropathic pain. The present work aimed to characterize the blood nerve barrier in a preclinical model of diabetic polyneuropathy and nerve injury (chronic constriction injury) and to identify specialized proresolving mediators that seal the blood nerve barrier and thereby alleviate neuropathic pain. In diabetic polyneuropathy, the blood nerve barrier is permeable only to small molecules, which is due to the loss of claudin-1 in the perineurium and a reduced number of blood vessel- associated macrophages. Interestingly, blood nerve barrier permeability did not occur until four to eight weeks after diabetes induction, whereas mechanical hyperalgesia was measurable as early as two weeks. This suggests a pain-maintaining rather than a pain-triggering role of the blood nerve barrier. In case of chronic constriction injury, a resolution process of both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia occurs between three to six weeks after injury. Here, the blood nerve barrier is permeable to both small and large molecules from the beginning. The pain recovery process occurs primarily in parallel with the sealing of the endoneurial barrier to large molecules such as fibrinogen from the plasma and its degradation. Perineurium is still permeable nine weeks after injury. Metabolomic analyses show that especially precursors of Resolvin D1 as well as its receptor FPR2, are upregulated at the beginning of pain resolution. Application of resolvin D1 loaded nanoparticles or agonists of FPR2 at the injury site before the onset of pain resolution accelerates the process and fibrinogen is no longer detectable in the endoneurium. Depending on the nerve damage, the blood nerve barrier is affected to varying degrees. Direct mechanical trauma and the accompanying inflammation lead to a more pronounced and long-lasting permeability - independent hyperalgesia. Possibly permeability, at least for small molecules, is important for prolonged reparative processes. In the nerve, permeability of capillaries in particular depends not only on tight junctions but also on other cells: in addition to macrophages, pericytes could also have a sealing effect. Endoneurial fibrinogen triggers pain; the exact mechanism remains to be investigated. Resolvin-containing nanoparticles were particularly effective and could be used locally as they contain endogenous substances in non- toxic particles.}, language = {en} } @article{BellutBieberKraftetal.2023, author = {Bellut, Maximilian and Bieber, Michael and Kraft, Peter and Weber, Alexander N. R. and Stoll, Guido and Schuhmann, Michael K.}, title = {Delayed NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition ameliorates subacute stroke progression in mice}, series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation}, volume = {20}, journal = {Journal of Neuroinflammation}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1186/s12974-022-02674-w}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300599}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Ischemic stroke immediately evokes a strong neuro-inflammatory response within the vascular compartment, which contributes to primary infarct development under vessel occlusion as well as further infarct growth despite recanalization, referred to as ischemia/reperfusion injury. Later, in the subacute phase of stroke (beyond day 1 after recanalization), further inflammatory processes within the brain parenchyma follow. Whether this second wave of parenchymal inflammation contributes to an additional/secondary increase in infarct volumes and bears the potential to be pharmacologically targeted remains elusive. We addressed the role of the NLR-family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the subacute phase of ischemic stroke. Methods Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in C57Bl/6 mice by a 30-min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Animals were treated with the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 therapeutically 24 h after or prophylactically before tMCAO. Stroke outcome, including infarct size and functional deficits as well as the local inflammatory response, was assessed on day 7 after tMCAO. Results Infarct sizes on day 7 after tMCAO decreased about 35\% after delayed and about 60\% after prophylactic NLRP3 inhibition compared to vehicle. Functionally, pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 mitigated the local inflammatory response in the ischemic brain as indicated by reduction of infiltrating immune cells and reactive astrogliosis. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the NLRP3 inflammasome continues to drive neuroinflammation within the subacute stroke phase. NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition leads to a better long-term outcome—even when administered with a delay of 1 day after stroke induction, indicating ongoing inflammation-driven infarct progression. These findings may pave the way for eagerly awaited delayed treatment options in ischemic stroke.}, language = {en} } @article{BellingerWehrmannRohdeetal.2023, author = {Bellinger, Daniel and Wehrmann, Kristin and Rohde, Anna and Schuppert, Maria and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Flohr-Jost, Michael and Gall, Dominik and Pauli, Paul and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and Herrmann, Martin J. and Erhardt-Lehmann, Angelika}, title = {The application of virtual reality exposure versus relaxation training in music performance anxiety: a randomized controlled study}, series = {BMC Psychiatry}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC Psychiatry}, doi = {10.1186/s12888-023-05040-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357833}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Performance anxiety is the most frequently reported anxiety disorder among professional musicians. Typical symptoms are - on a physical level - the consequences of an increase in sympathetic tone with cardiac stress, such as acceleration of heartbeat, increase in blood pressure, increased respiratory rate and tremor up to nausea or flush reactions. These symptoms can cause emotional distress, a reduced musical and artistical performance up to an impaired functioning. While anxiety disorders are preferably treated using cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure, this approach is rather difficult for treating music performance anxiety since the presence of a public or professional jury is required and not easily available. The use of virtual reality (VR) could therefore display an alternative. So far, no therapy studies on music performance anxiety applying virtual reality exposure therapy have investigated the therapy outcome including cardiovascular changes as outcome parameters. Methods This mono-center, prospective, randomized and controlled clinical trial has a pre-post design with a follow-up period of 6 months. 46 professional and semi-professional musicians will be recruited and allocated randomly to an VR exposure group or a control group receiving progressive muscle relaxation training. Both groups will be treated over 4 single sessions. Music performance anxiety will be diagnosed based on a clinical interview using ICD-10 and DSM-5 criteria for specific phobia or social anxiety. A behavioral assessment test is conducted three times (pre, post, follow-up) in VR through an audition in a concert hall. Primary outcomes are the changes in music performance anxiety measured by the German B{\"u}hnenangstfragebogen and the cardiovascular reactivity reflected by heart rate variability (HRV). Secondary outcomes are changes in blood pressure, stress parameters such as cortisol in the blood and saliva, neuropeptides, and DNA-methylation. Discussion The trial investigates the effect of VR exposure in musicians with performance anxiety compared to a relaxation technique on anxiety symptoms and corresponding cardiovascular parameters. We expect a reduction of anxiety but also a consecutive improvement of HRV with cardiovascular protective effects. Trial registration This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov. (ClinicalTrials.gov Number: NCT05735860)}, language = {en} } @article{BellKleinRieseretal.2023, author = {Bell, Alexandra and Klein, Doris and Rieser, Jakob and Kraus, Tanja and Thiel, Michael and Dech, Stefan}, title = {Scientific evidence from space — a review of spaceborne remote sensing applications at the science-policy interface}, series = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {15}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, number = {4}, issn = {2072-4292}, doi = {10.3390/rs15040940}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-303925}, year = {2023}, abstract = {On a daily basis, political decisions are made, often with their full extent of impact being unclear. Not seldom, the decisions and policy measures implemented result in direct or indirect unintended negative impacts, such as on the natural environment, which can vary in time, space, nature, and severity. To achieve a more sustainable world with equitable societies requires fundamental rethinking of our policymaking. It calls for informed decision making and a monitoring of political impact for which evidence-based knowledge is necessary. The most powerful tool to derive objective and systematic spatial information and, thus, add to transparent decisions is remote sensing (RS). This review analyses how spaceborne RS is used by the scientific community to provide evidence for the policymaking process. We reviewed 194 scientific publications from 2015 to 2020 and analysed them based on general insights (e.g., study area) and RS application-related information (e.g., RS data and products). Further, we classified the studies according to their degree of science-policy integration by determining their engagement with the political field and their potential contribution towards four stages of the policy cycle: problem identification/knowledge building, policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy monitoring and evaluation. Except for four studies, we found that studies had not directly involved or informed the policy field or policymaking process. Most studies contributed to the stage problem identification/knowledge building, followed by ex post policy impact assessment. To strengthen the use of RS for policy-relevant studies, the concept of the policy cycle is used to showcase opportunities of RS application for the policymaking process. Topics gaining importance and future requirements of RS at the science-policy interface are identified. If tackled, RS can be a powerful complement to provide policy-relevant evidence to shed light on the impact of political decisions and thus help promote sustainable development from the core.}, language = {en} } @article{BeierlePryssAizawa2023, author = {Beierle, Felix and Pryss, R{\"u}diger and Aizawa, Akiko}, title = {Sentiments about mental health on Twitter — before and during the COVID-19 pandemic}, series = {Healthcare}, volume = {11}, journal = {Healthcare}, number = {21}, issn = {2227-9032}, doi = {10.3390/healthcare11212893}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-355192}, year = {2023}, abstract = {During the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel coronavirus had an impact not only on public health but also on the mental health of the population. Public sentiment on mental health and depression is often captured only in small, survey-based studies, while work based on Twitter data often only looks at the period during the pandemic and does not make comparisons with the pre-pandemic situation. We collected tweets that included the hashtags \#MentalHealth and \#Depression from before and during the pandemic (8.5 months each). We used LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) for topic modeling and LIWC, VADER, and NRC for sentiment analysis. We used three machine-learning classifiers to seek evidence regarding an automatically detectable change in tweets before vs. during the pandemic: (1) based on TF-IDF values, (2) based on the values from the sentiment libraries, (3) based on tweet content (deep-learning BERT classifier). Topic modeling revealed that Twitter users who explicitly used the hashtags \#Depression and especially \#MentalHealth did so to raise awareness. We observed an overall positive sentiment, and in tough times such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, tweets with \#MentalHealth were often associated with gratitude. Among the three classification approaches, the BERT classifier showed the best performance, with an accuracy of 81\% for \#MentalHealth and 79\% for \#Depression. Although the data may have come from users familiar with mental health, these findings can help gauge public sentiment on the topic. The combination of (1) sentiment analysis, (2) topic modeling, and (3) tweet classification with machine learning proved useful in gaining comprehensive insight into public sentiment and could be applied to other data sources and topics.}, language = {en} } @article{BeetzKrauselJundi2023, author = {Beetz, M. Jerome and Kraus, Christian and el Jundi, Basil}, title = {Neural representation of goal direction in the monarch butterfly brain}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-41526-w}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-358073}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Neural processing of a desired moving direction requires the continuous comparison between the current heading and the goal direction. While the neural basis underlying the current heading is well-studied, the coding of the goal direction remains unclear in insects. Here, we used tetrode recordings in tethered flying monarch butterflies to unravel how a goal direction is represented in the insect brain. While recording, the butterflies maintained robust goal directions relative to a virtual sun. By resetting their goal directions, we found neurons whose spatial tuning was tightly linked to the goal directions. Importantly, their tuning was unaffected when the butterflies changed their heading after compass perturbations, showing that these neurons specifically encode the goal direction. Overall, we here discovered invertebrate goal-direction neurons that share functional similarities to goal-direction cells reported in mammals. Our results give insights into the evolutionarily conserved principles of goal-directed spatial orientation in animals.}, language = {en} } @article{BayerPruckner2023, author = {Bayer, Daniel and Pruckner, Marco}, title = {A digital twin of a local energy system based on real smart meter data}, series = {Energy Informatics}, volume = {6}, journal = {Energy Informatics}, doi = {10.1186/s42162-023-00263-6}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357456}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The steadily increasing usage of smart meters generates a valuable amount of high-resolution data about the individual energy consumption and production of local energy systems. Private households install more and more photovoltaic systems, battery storage and big consumers like heat pumps. Thus, our vision is to augment these collected smart meter time series of a complete system (e.g., a city, town or complex institutions like airports) with simulatively added previously named components. We, therefore, propose a novel digital twin of such an energy system based solely on a complete set of smart meter data including additional building data. Based on the additional geospatial data, the twin is intended to represent the addition of the abovementioned components as realistically as possible. Outputs of the twin can be used as a decision support for either system operators where to strengthen the system or for individual households where and how to install photovoltaic systems and batteries. Meanwhile, the first local energy system operators had such smart meter data of almost all residential consumers for several years. We acquire those of an exemplary operator and discuss a case study presenting some features of our digital twin and highlighting the value of the combination of smart meter and geospatial data.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Baumgaertner2023, author = {Baumg{\"a}rtner, Kiana Jasmin}, title = {Spectroscopic Investigation of the Transient Interplay at Hybrid Molecule-Substrate Interfaces after Photoexcitation: Ultrafast Electronic and Atomic Rearrangements}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-33053}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-330531}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This thesis is aimed at establishing modalities of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-PES) conducted at a free-electron laser (FEL) source and at a high harmonic generation (HHG) source for imaging the motion of atoms, charge and energy at photoexcited hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces. Transfer of charge and energy across interfaces lies at the heart of surface science and device physics and involves a complex interplay between the motion of electrons and atoms. At hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces involving planar molecules, such as pentacene and copper(II)-phthalocyanine (CuPc), atomic motions in out-of-plane direction are particularly apparent. Such hybrid interfaces are of importance to, e.g., next-generation functional devices, smart catalytic surfaces and molecular machines. In this work, two hybrid interfaces - pentacene atop Ag(110) and copper(II)-phthalocyanine (CuPc) atop titanium disulfide (1T-TiSe2) - are characterized by means of modalities of tr-PES. The experiments were conducted at a HHG source and at the FEL source FLASH at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (Hamburg, Germany). Both sources provide photon pulses with temporal widths of ∼ 100 fs and thus allow for resolving the non-equilibrium dynamics at hybrid interfaces involving both electronic and atomic motion on their intrinsic time scales. While the photon energy at this HHG source is limited to the UV-range, photon energies can be tuned from the UV-range to the soft x-ray-range at FLASH. With this increased energy range, not only macroscopic electronic information can be accessed from the sample's valence and conduction states, but also site-specific structural and chemical information encoded in the core-level signatures becomes accessible. Here, the combined information from the valence band and core-level dynamics is obtained by performing time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) in the UV-range and subsequently performing time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-XPS) and time-resolved photoelectron diffraction (tr-XPD) in the soft x-ray regime in the same experimental setup. The sample's bandstructure in energy-momentum space and time is captured by a time-of-flight momentum microscope with femtosecond temporal and sub-{\AA}ngstr{\"o}m spatial resolutions. In the investigated systems, out-of-equilibrium dynamics are traced that are connected to the transfer of charge and energy across the hybrid interfaces. While energetic shifts and complementary population dynamics are observed for molecular and substrate states, the shapes of involved molecular orbitals change in energy-momentum space on a subpicosecond time scale. In combination with theory support, these changes are attributed to iiiatomic reorganizations at the interface and transient molecular structures are reconstructed with sub-{\AA}ngstr{\"o}m precision. Unique to the material combination of CuPc/TiSe2, a structural rearrangement on the macroscopic scale is traced simultaneously: ∼ 60 \% of the molecules undergo a concerted, unidirectional in-plane rotation. This surprising observation and its origin are detailed in this thesis and connected to a particularly efficient charge transfer across the CuPc/TiSe2 interface, resulting in a charging of ∼ 45 \% of CuPc molecules.}, subject = {ARPES}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Baumann2023, author = {Baumann, Juliane}, title = {Studies on the influence of mutations in the Myh9 gene on platelet function}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-28795}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-287953}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The platelet cytoskeleton ensures normal size and discoid shape under resting conditions and undergoes immediate reorganization in response to changes in the extracellular environment through integrin-based adhesion sites, resulting in actomyosin-mediated contractile forces. Mutations in the contractile protein non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIA display, among others, macrothrombocytopenia and a mild to moderate bleeding tendency in human patients. It is insufficiently understood which factors contribute to the hemostatic defect found in MYH9-related disease patients. Therefore, a better understanding of the underlying biophysical mechanisms in thrombus formation and stabilization is warranted. This thesis demonstrates that an amino acid exchange at the positions 702, 1424 and 1841 in the heavy chain of the contractile protein non-muscle myosin IIA, caused by heterozygous point mutations in the gene, resulted in macrothrombocytopenia and increased bleeding in mice, reflecting the clinical hallmark of the MYH9-related disease in human patients. Basic characterization of biological functions of Myh9 mutant platelets revealed overall normal surface glycoprotein expression and agonist-induced activation when compared to wildtype platelets. However, myosin light chain phosphorylation after thrombin-activation was reduced in mutant platelets, resulting in less contractile forces and a defect in clot retraction. Altered biophysical characteristics with lower adhesion and interaction forces of Myh9 mutant platelets led to reduced thrombus formation and stability. Platelets from patients with the respective mutations recapitulated the findings obtained with murine platelets, such as impaired thrombus formation and stiffness. Besides biological and biophysical characterization of mutant platelets from mice and men, treatment options were investigated to prevent increased bleeding caused by reduced platelet forces. The antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid was applied to stabilize less compact thrombi, which are presumably more vulnerable to fibrinolysis. The hemostatic function in Myh9 mutant mice was improved by interfering with the fibrinolytic system. These results show the beneficial effect of fibrin stabilization to reduce bleeding in MYH9-related disease.}, subject = {Thrombozyt}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bauernfeind2023, author = {Bauernfeind, Maximilian Josef Xaver}, title = {Epitaxy and Spectroscopy of Two-Dimensional Adatom Systems: the Elemental Topological Insulator Indenene on SiC}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-31166}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311662}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators are a new class of materials with properties that are promising for potential future applications in quantum computers. For example, stanene represents a possible candidate for a topological insulator made of Sn atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. However, it has a relatively fragile low-energy spectrum and sensitive topology. Therefore, to experimentally realize stanene in the topologically non-trivial phase, a suitable substrate that accommodates stanene without compromising these topological properties must be found. A heterostructure consisting of a SiC substrate with a buffer layer of adsorbed group-III elements constitutes a possible solution for this problem. In this work, 2D adatom systems of Al and In were grown epitaxially on SiC(0001) and then investigated structurally and spectroscopically by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoelectron spectroscopy. Al films in the high coverage regime \( (\Theta_{ML}\approx2\) ML\( ) \) exhibit unusually large, triangular- and rectangular-shaped surface unit cells. Here, the low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern is brought into accordance with the surface topography derived from STM. Another Al reconstruction, the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Al phase, exhibits a striped surface corrugation, which could be the result of the strain imprinted by the overlayer-substrate lattice mismatch. It is suggested that Al atoms in different surface areas can occupy hexagonal close-packed and face-centered cubic lattice sites, respectively, which in turn lead to close-packed transition regions forming the stripe-like corrugations. On the basis of the well-known herringbone reconstruction from Au(111), a first structural model is proposed, which fits well to the structural data from STM. Ultimately, however, thermal treatments of the sample could not generate lower coverage phases, i.e. in particular, a buffer layer structure. Strong metallic signatures are found for In high coverage films \( (\Theta_{ML}\approx3\) to \(2\) ML\() \) by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES), which form a \( (7\times7) \), \( (6\times4\sqrt{3}) \), and \( (4\sqrt{3}\times4\sqrt{3}) \) surface reconstruction. In all these In phases electrons follow the nearly-free electron model. Similar to the Al films, thermal treatments could not obtain the buffer layer system. Surprisingly, in the course of this investigation a triangular In lattice featuring a \( (1\times1) \) periodicity is observed to host massive Dirac-like bands at \( K/K^{\prime} \) in ARPES. Based on this strong electronic similarity with graphene at the Brillouin zone boundary, this new structure is referred to as \textit{indenene}. An extensive theoretical analysis uncovers the emergence of an electronic honeycomb network based on triangularly arranged In \textit{p} orbitals. Due to strong atomic spin-orbit coupling and a comparably small substrate-induced in-plane inversion symmetry breaking this material system is rendered topologically non-trivial. In indenene, the topology is intimately linked to a bulk observable, i.e., the energy-dependent charge accumulation sequence within the surface unit cell, which is experimentally exploited in STS to confirm the non-trivial topological character. The band gap at \( K/K^{\prime} \), a signature of massive Dirac fermions, is estimated by ARPES to approximately 125 meV. Further investigations by X-ray standing wave, STM, and LEED confirm the structural properties of indenene. Thus, this thesis presents the growth and characterization of the novel quantum spin Hall insulator material indenene.}, subject = {Dreiecksgitter}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bauer2023, author = {Bauer, Christian}, title = {Towards ecological and efficient electrochemical energy storage in supercapacitors and sodium ion batteries using onion-like carbon}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-31795}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-317956}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In this thesis, the usage of onion-like carbon (OLC) for energy storage applications was researched regarding sustainability, performance and processability. This work targets to increase the scientific understanding regarding the role of OLC in electrodes and to facilitate a large-scale production, which is the foundation for commercial application. Research was devoted to increase the knowledge in the particular field, to yield synergistic approaches and a shared value regarding sustainability and performance.}, subject = {Elektrochemie}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bauer2023, author = {Bauer, Carsten}, title = {Learning Curve Effects in Hospitals as Highly Specialized Expert Organizations}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32871}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328717}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The collection at hand is concerned with learning curve effects in hospitals as highly specialized expert organizations and comprises four papers, each focusing on a different aspect of the topic. Three papers are concerned with surgeons, and one is concerned with the staff of the emergency room in a conservative treatment. The preface compactly addresses the steadily increasing health care costs and economic pressure, the hospital landscape in Germany as well as its development. Furthermore, the DRG lump-sum compensation and the characteristics of the health sector, which is strongly regulated by the state and in which ethical aspects must be omnipresent, are outlined. Besides, the benefit of knowing about learning curve effects in order to cut costs and to keep quality stable or even improve it, is addressed. The first paper of the collection investigates the learning effects in a hospital which has specialized on endoprosthetics (total hip and knee replacement). Doing so, the specialized as well as the non-specialized interventions are studied. Costs are not investigated directly, but cost indicators. The indicator of costs in the short term are operating room times. The one of medium- to long-term costs is quality. It is operationalized by complications in the post-anesthesia care unit. The study estimates regression models (OLS and logit). The results indicate that the specialization comes along with advantages due to learning effects in terms of shorter operating room times and lower complication rates in endoprosthetic interventions. For the non-specialized interventions, the results are the same. There are no possibly negative effects of specialization on non-specialized surgeries, but advantageous spillover effects. Altogether, the specialization can be regarded as reasonable, as it cuts costs of all surgeries in the short, medium, and long term. The authors are Carsten Bauer, Nele M{\"o}bs, Oliver Unger, Andrea Szczesny, and Christian Ernst. In the second paper surgeons' learning curves effects in a teamwork vs. an individual work setting are in the focus of interest. Thus, the study combines learning curve effects with teamwork in health care, an issue increasingly discussed in recent literature. The investigated interventions are tonsillectomies (surgical excision of the palatine tonsils), a standard intervention. The indicator of costs in the short and medium to long term are again operating room times and complications as a proxy for quality respectively. Complications are secondary bleedings, which usually occur a few days after surgery. The study estimates regression models (OLS and logit). The results show that operating room times decrease with increasing surgeon's experience. Surgeons who also operate in teams learn faster than the ones always operating on their own. Thus, operating room times are shorter for surgeons who also take part in team interventions. As a special feature, the data set contains the costs per case. This enables assuring that the assumed cost indicators are valid. The findings recommend team surgeries especially for resident physicians. The authors are Carsten Bauer, Oliver Unger, and Martin Holderried. The third paper is dedicated to stapes surgery, a therapy for conductive hearing loss caused by otosclerosis (overflow bone growth). It is conceptually simple, but technically difficult. Therefore, it is regarded as the optimum to study learning curve effects in surgery. The paper seeks a comprehensive investigation. Thus, operating room times are employed as short-term cost indicator and quality as the medium to long term one. To measure quality, the postoperative difference between air and bone conduction threshold as well as a combination of this difference and the absence of complications. This paper also estimates different regression models (OLS and logit). Besides investigating the effects on department level, the study also considers the individual level, this means operating room times and quality are investigated for individual surgeons. This improves the comparison of learning curves, as the surgeons worked under widely identical conditions. It becomes apparent that the operating room times initially decrease with increasing experience. The marginal effect of additional experience gets smaller until the direction of the effect changes and the operating room times increase with increasing experience, probably caused by the allocation of difficult cases to the most experienced surgeons. Regarding quality, no learning curve effects are observed. The authors are Carsten Bauer, Johannes Taeger, and Kristen Rak. The fourth paper is a systematic literature review on learning effects in the treatment of ischemic strokes. In case of stroke, every minute counts. Therefore, there is the inherent need to reduce the time from symptom onset to treatment. The article is concerned with the reduction of the time from arrival at the hospital to thrombolysis treatment, the so-called "door-to-needle time". In the literature, there are studies on learning in a broader sense caused by a quality improvement program as well as learning in a narrower sense, in which learning curve effects are evaluated. Besides, studies on the time differences between low-volume and high-volume hospitals are considered, as the differences are probably the result of learning and economies of scale. Virtually all the 165 evaluated articles report improvements regarding the time to treatment. Furthermore, the clinical results substantiate the common association of shorter times from arrival to treatment with improved clinical outcomes. The review additionally discusses the economic implications of the results. The author is Carsten Bauer. The preface brings forward that after the measurement of learning curve effects, further efforts are necessary for using them in order to increase efficiency, as the issue does not admit of easy, standardized solutions. Furthermore, the postface emphasizes the importance of multiperspectivity in research for the patient outcome, the health care system, and society.}, subject = {Lernkurve}, language = {en} } @article{BasslerKnoblichGerhardHartmannetal.2023, author = {Bassler, Miriam C. and Knoblich, Mona and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Mukherjee, Ashutosh and Youssef, Almoatazbellah and Hagen, Rudolf and Haug, Lukas and Goncalves, Miguel and Scherzad, Agmal and St{\"o}th, Manuel and Ostertag, Edwin and Steinke, Maria and Brecht, Marc and Hackenberg, Stephan and Meyer, Till Jasper}, title = {Differentiation of salivary gland and salivary gland tumor tissue via Raman imaging combined with multivariate data analysis}, series = {Diagnostics}, volume = {14}, journal = {Diagnostics}, number = {1}, issn = {2075-4418}, doi = {10.3390/diagnostics14010092}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-355558}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a relevant, highly diverse subgroup of head and neck tumors whose entity determination can be difficult. Confocal Raman imaging in combination with multivariate data analysis may possibly support their correct classification. For the analysis of the translational potential of Raman imaging in SGT determination, a multi-stage evaluation process is necessary. By measuring a sample set of Warthin tumor, pleomorphic adenoma and non-tumor salivary gland tissue, Raman data were obtained and a thorough Raman band analysis was performed. This evaluation revealed highly overlapping Raman patterns with only minor spectral differences. Consequently, a principal component analysis (PCA) was calculated and further combined with a discriminant analysis (DA) to enable the best possible distinction. The PCA-DA model was characterized by accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity and precision values above 90\% and validated by predicting model-unknown Raman spectra, of which 93\% were classified correctly. Thus, we state our PCA-DA to be suitable for parotid tumor and non-salivary salivary gland tissue discrimination and prediction. For evaluation of the translational potential, further validation steps are necessary.}, language = {en} } @article{BartholdJurkutatGoetzetal.2023, author = {Barthold, Martina and Jurkutat, Anne and Goetz, Regina and Schubring, Lucia and Spiegler, Juliane and Fries, Ann-Sophie and Kiesel, Lucia and Klepper, Joerg}, title = {Timing of ketogenic dietary therapy (KDT) introduction and its impact on cognitive profiles in children with Glut1-DS — a preliminary study}, series = {Children}, volume = {10}, journal = {Children}, number = {4}, issn = {2227-9067}, doi = {10.3390/children10040681}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313569}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The aim of this research was to characterize cognitive abilities in patients with Glut1-Deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS) following ketogenic diet therapy (KDT). Methods: The cognitive profiles of eight children were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV). The effect of ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) on individual subareas of intelligence was analyzed considering the potential influence of speech motor impairments. Results: Patients with Glut1DS showed a wide range of cognitive performance levels. Some participants showed statistically and clinically significant discrepancies between individual subdomains of intelligence. Both variables, KDT initiation as well as duration, had a positive effect on the overall IQ score. Significant correlations were partially found between the time of KDT initiation and the level of IQ scores, depending on the presence of expressive language test demands of the respective subtests of the WISC-IV. Accordingly, the participants benefited les in the linguistic cognitive domain. The discrepancies in cognitive performance profiles of patients with Glut1DS can be attributed to the possibility of a negative distortion of the results due to the influence of speech motor impairments. Conclusions: The individual access skills of test persons should be more strongly considered in test procedures for the assessment of intelligence to reduce the negative influence of motor deficits on test performance. Specific characterization and systematization of the speech disorder are indispensable for determining the severity of speech motor impairment in Glut1DS. Therefore, a stronger focus on dysarthria during diagnosis and therapy is necessary.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Banik2023, author = {Banik, Amitayus}, title = {Two Approaches to the Baryon Asymmetry of the Universe}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32046}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320468}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Explaining the baryon asymmetry of the Universe has been a long-standing problem of particle physics, with the consensus being that new physics is required as the Standard Model (SM) cannot resolve this issue. Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) scenarios would need to incorporate new sources of \(CP\) violation and either introduce new departures from thermal equilibrium or modify the existing electroweak phase transition. In this thesis, we explore two approaches to baryogenesis, i.e. the generation of this asymmetry. In the first approach, we study the two-particle irreducible (2PI) formalism as a means to investigate non-equilibrium phenomena. After arriving at the renormalised equations of motions (EOMs) to describe the dynamics of a phase transition, we discuss the techniques required to obtain the various counterterms in an on-shell scheme. To this end, we consider three truncations up to two-loop order of the 2PI effective action: the Hartree approximation, the scalar sunset approximation and the fermionic sunset approximation. We then reconsider the renormalisation procedure in an \(\overline{\text{MS}}\) scheme to evaluate the 2PI effective potential for the aforementioned truncations. In the Hartree and the scalar sunset approximations, we obtain analytic expressions for the various counterterms and subsequently calculate the effective potential by piecing together the finite contributions. For the fermionic sunset approximation, we obtain similar equations for the counterterms in terms of divergent parts of loop integrals. However, these integrals cannot be expressed in an analytic form, making it impossible to evaluate the 2PI effective potential with the fermionic contribution. Our main results are thus related to the renormalisation programme in the 2PI formalism: \( (i) \)the procedure to obtain the renormalised EOMs, now including fermions, which serve as the starting point for the transport equations for electroweak baryogenesis and \( (ii) \) the method to obtain the 2PI effective potential in a transparent manner. In the second approach, we study baryogenesis via leptogenesis. Here, an asymmetry in the lepton sector is generated, which is then converted into the baryon asymmetry via the sphaleron process in the SM. We proceed to consider an extension of the SM along the lines of a scotogenic framework. The newly introduced particles are charged odd under a \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) symmetry, and masses for the SM neutrinos are generated radiatively. The \(\mathbb{Z}_2\) symmetry results in the lightest BSM particle being stable, allowing for a suitable dark matter (DM) candidate. Furthermore, the newly introduced heavy Majorana fermionic singlets provide the necessary sources of \(CP\) violation through their Yukawa interactions and their out-of-equilibrium decays produce a lepton asymmetry. This model is constrained from a wide range of observables, such as consistency with neutrino oscillation data, limits on branching ratios of charged lepton flavour violating decays, electroweak observables and obtaining the observed DM relic density. We study leptogenesis in this model in light of the results of a Markov chain Monte Carlo scan, implemented in consideration of the aforementioned constraints. Successful leptogenesis in this model, to account for the baryon asymmetry, then severely constrains the available parameter space.}, subject = {Baryonenasymmetrie}, language = {en} } @article{BalonovKurlbaumKoschkeretal.2023, author = {Balonov, Ilja and Kurlbaum, Max and Koschker, Ann-Cathrin and Stier, Christine and Fassnacht, Martin and Dischinger, Ulrich}, title = {Changes in plasma metabolomic profile following bariatric surgery, lifestyle intervention or diet restriction — insights from human and rat studies}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {24}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {3}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms24032354}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304462}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Although bariatric surgery is known to change the metabolome, it is unclear if this is specific for the intervention or a consequence of the induced bodyweight loss. As the weight loss after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) can hardly be mimicked with an evenly effective diet in humans, translational research efforts might be helpful. A group of 188 plasma metabolites of 46 patients from the randomized controlled W{\"u}rzburg Adipositas Study (WAS) and from RYGB-treated rats (n = 6) as well as body-weight-matched controls (n = 7) were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. WAS participants were randomized into intensive lifestyle modification (LS, n = 24) or RYGB (OP, n = 22). In patients in the WAS cohort, only bariatric surgery achieved a sustained weight loss (BMI -34.3\% (OP) vs. -1.2\% (LS), p ≤ 0.01). An explicit shift in the metabolomic profile was found in 57 metabolites in the human cohort and in 62 metabolites in the rodent model. Significantly higher levels of sphingolipids and lecithins were detected in both surgical groups but not in the conservatively treated human and animal groups. RYGB leads to a characteristic metabolomic profile, which differs distinctly from that following non-surgical intervention. Analysis of the human and rat data revealed that RYGB induces specific changes in the metabolome independent of weight loss.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Badr2023, author = {Badr, Mohammad Mamdouh Abdelwareth Mohammad}, title = {Targeting Regulatory T Cells by CD28 Superagonistic Antibodies Mitigates Neurodegeneration in the A53T-alpha-Synuclein Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-28954}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-289544}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease with still no cure available. The prominent feature of PD is the loss of dopaminergic neurons at the Substantia nigra (SN). Genetic and environmental insults affecting the SNCA gene encoding the alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) protein result into an aberrant form of the protein with higher propensity towards oligomerization becoming part of insoluble inclusions called Lewy Bodies (LB). LB impart cytotoxicity leading to neurodegeneration, activate resident microglia and escape to the periphery where they get captured by dendritic cells and presented to na{\"i}ve T cells. Proliferating effector T lymphocytes invade the brain releasing proinflammatory cytokines and performing a cytotoxic effect on neurons. In this study, we examine the hypothesis that the expansion of regulatory T cells (Treg) could exert an anti-inflammatory effect that averts neurodegeneration in the AAV1/2-A53T-alpha-Syn mouse model for PD. Mice brains were transfected by a unilateral stereotaxic injection at the SN region with a chimeric Adeno-Associated Viral vector of serotypes 1 and 2 (AAV1/2) carrying the A53T-mutated human SNCA gene encoding the readily aggregating aberrant alpha-Syn (AAV1/2-A53T-alpha-Syn). One week after injection, mice were treated with the CD28 superagonistic antibody (CD28SA), known to significantly expand the Treg population. Mice were then analyzed by behavioral analysis using the Rotarod performance test and the Cylinder test. The impact of CD28SA on the immune system was examined by flow cytometry. The integrity of the nigrostriatal system was assessed by stereological quantification of Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-stained dopaminergic neurons in SN and optical density measurements of TH-stained striatum. The mechanism of action of CD28SA was analyzed by treating PD mice alternatively with a Treg adoptive transfer, while CD28SA effect on levels of neurotrophic factors was quantified by ELISA. We observed an expansion of Treg by FACS analyses three days after CD28SA treatment, demonstrating target engagement. CD28SA treatment of AAV1/2-A53T-alpha-Syn mice provided neuroprotection evident through elevated numbers of dopaminergic neurons in the SN and higher optical density of TH-staining in the striatum, in CD28SA-treated mice compared to PBS-treated control mice, and that was reflected in an enhanced performance in behavioral studies. Additionally, brain infiltration of proinflammatory activated T lymphocytes (CD4+CD69+ and CD8+CD69+ cells), that were obvious in PBS-treated AAV1/2-A53T-alpha-Syn control mice, was augmented in PD mice receiving CD28SA. The alternative treatment with Treg adoptive transfer did replicate the beneficial effects of CD28SA indicating that Treg expansion is the main effector mechanism by which it exerts its neuroprotective effect. CD28SA treatment of PD mice led to an increase of GDNF and BDNF in some brain structures that was not observed in untreated mice. We conclude that in the AAV1/2-A53T-alpha-Syn PD mouse model, CD28SA suppresses proinflammation, reverses behavioral deficits and is neuroprotective on SN dopaminergic cells.}, subject = {Parkinson-Krankheit}, language = {en} }