Open Access

This is a case report about a 12-year old boy with a spastic hemiplegia receiving therapy via VR glasses. The researchers try to demonstrate that the use of VR glasses showing 3-dimensional video sequences can stimulate the affected side of the brain comparable to mirror therapy. Therefore, the researchers videotaped ambidextrous 3-dimensional video sequences (actions) in an ego-perspective. An EMG pattern analysis demonstrate a tone influencing effect of the VR-glasses on this boy`s spastic upper limb. These first results lead to a greater RCT in this field.

Neuromorphic computing mimics computational principles of the brain in silico and motivates research into event-based vision and spiking neural networks (SNNs). Event cameras (ECs) exclusively capture local intensity changes and offer superior power consumption, response latencies, and dynamic ranges. SNNs replicate biological neuronal dynamics and have demonstrated potential as alternatives to conventional artificial neural networks (ANNs), such as in reducing energy expenditure and inference time in visual classification. Nevertheless, these novel paradigms remain scarcely explored outside the domain of aerial robots. To investigate the utility of brain-inspired sensing and data processing, we developed a neuromorphic approach to obstacle avoidance on a camera-equipped manipulator. Our approach adapts high-level trajectory plans with reactive maneuvers by processing emulated event data in a convolutional SNN, decoding neural activations into avoidance motions, and adjusting plans using a dynamic motion primitive. We conducted experiments with a Kinova Gen3 arm performing simple reaching tasks that involve obstacles in sets of distinct task scenarios and in comparison to a non-adaptive baseline. Our neuromorphic approach facilitated reliable avoidance of imminent collisions in simulated and real-world experiments, where the baseline consistently failed. Trajectory adaptations had low impacts on safety and predictability criteria. Among the notable SNN properties were the correlation of computations with the magnitude of perceived motions and a robustness to different event emulation methods. Tests with a DAVIS346 EC showed similar performance, validating our experimental event emulation. Our results motivate incorporating SNN learning, utilizing neuromorphic processors, and further exploring the potential of neuromorphic methods.

Protein kinases (PKs) are involved in many intracellular signal transduction pathways through phosphorylation cascades and have become intensely investigated pharmaceutical targets over the past two decades. Inhibition of PKs using small-molecular inhibitors is a premier strategy for the treatment of diseases in different therapeutic areas that are caused by uncontrolled PK-mediated phosphorylation and aberrant signaling. Most PK inhibitors (PKIs) are directed against the ATP cofactor binding site that is largely conserved across the human kinome comprising 518 wild-type PKs (and many mutant forms). Hence, these PKIs often have varying degrees of multi-PK activity (promiscuity) that is also influenced by factors such as single-site mutations in the cofactor binding region, compound binding kinetics, and residence times. The promiscuity of PKIs is often-but not always-critically important for therapeutic efficacy through polypharmacology. Various in vitro and in vivo studies have also indicated that PKIs have the potential of interacting with additional targets other than PKs, and different secondary cellular targets of individual PKIs have been identified on a case-by-case basis. Given the strong interest in PKs as drug targets, a wealth of PKIs from medicinal chemistry and their activity data from many assays and biological screens have become publicly available over the years. On the basis of these data, for the first time, we conducted a systematic search for non-PK targets of PKIs across the human kinome. Starting from a pool of more than 155,000 curated human PKIs, our large-scale analysis confirmed secondary targets from diverse protein classes for 447 PKIs on the basis of high-confidence activity data. These PKIs were active against 390 human PKs, covering all kinase groups of the kinome and 210 non-PK targets, which included other popular pharmaceutical targets as well as currently unclassified proteins. The target distribution and promiscuity of the 447 PKIs were determined, and different interaction profiles with PK and non-PK targets were identified. As a part of our study, the collection of PKIs with activity against non-PK targets and the associated information are made freely available.

Background: The global rate of Caesarean section (CS) is 21.1 % (2021) and is rising worldwide. CS presents the third highest cumulative incidence for surgical site infections. Maternal infections around the time of childbirth account for 1 out of 10 maternal deaths worldwide. Therefore, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) during CS is common standard of care and part of numerous recommendations from expert bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and different national gynecological professional associations. According to these, first and second generation cephalosporins like cefuroxime are the agents of choice for this indication. In fact, the use of PAP significantly reduces maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Whereas the side effect of this measure on the microbiome of the newborn has been the subject of repeated clinical studies, data on specific and especially long-term effects on the gut microbiome of the mothers are still lacking. MAMA is the first study to specifically and systematically investigate this question.

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in osmoregulation in tetrapod vertebrates and is a candidate receptor for salt taste sensation. There are four ENaC subunits (alpha, beta, gamma, & delta) which form alpha beta gamma or delta beta gamma-ENaCs. While alpha beta gamma-ENaC is a maintenance protein controlling sodium and potassium homeostasis, delta beta gamma-ENaC might represent a stress protein monitoring high sodium concentrations. The delta-subunit emerged with water-to-land transition of tetrapod vertebrate ancestors. We investigated the evolutionary path of ENaC-coding genes in Cetartiodactyla, a group comprising even-toed ungulates and the cetaceans (whales/dolphins) which transitioned from terrestrial to marine environments in the Eocene. The genes SCNN1A (alpha-ENaC), SCNN1B (beta-ENaC) and SCNN1G (gamma-ENaC) are intact in all 22 investigated cetartiodactylan families. While SCNN1D (delta-ENaC) is intact in terrestrial Artiodactyla, it is a pseudogene in 12 cetacean families. A fusion of SCNN1D exons 11 and 12 under preservation of the open reading frame was observed in the Antilopinae, representing a new feature of this clade. Transcripts of SCNN1A, SCNN1B and SCNN1G were present in kidney and lung tissues of Bottlenose dolphins, highlighting alpha beta gamma-ENaC's role as a maintenance protein. Consistent with SCNN1D loss, Bottlenose dolphins and Beluga whales did not show behavioural differences to stimuli with or without sodium in seawater-equivalent concentrations. These data suggest a function of delta-ENaC as a sodium sensing protein which might have become obsolete in cetaceans after the migration to high-salinity marine environments. Consistently, there is reduced selection pressure or pseudogenisation of SCNN1D in other marine mammals, including sirenians, pinnipeds and sea otter.

The lysosomal cation channel TMEM175 is crucial for maintaining lysosomal function and pH homeostasis, and its aberrant function is linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD). While TMEM175 activity was first interpreted in the context of its potassium (K+) selective conductance, subsequent studies revealed also a substantial permeability to protons (H+). Here we dissect the complex changes in TMEM175 conductance and current reversal voltages in response to pH jumps on the luminal side of the channel protein. In whole-cell patch clamp experiments with plasma membrane redistributed TMEM175 we show that a pH jump from symmetrical pH 7.4 to pH 4.7 on the luminal side triggers a continuous rise in inward and outward current, concomitant with a transient positive excursion of the reversal voltage (Erev). The peak Erev shift remains almost 100 mV below the estimated equilibrium voltage for protons and shows little sensitivity to the K+ gradient. The data are consistent with a scenario in which a TMEM175 mediated proton flux elicits a fast collapse of the pH gradient. In MD simulations we identify the luminal H57 as titratable partner for the formation of intra- and inter-subunit salt bridges with D279 and E282 for stabilizing the channel open state. This presumed gating function is confirmed by mutational studies and lysosomal patch-clamp experiments in which a H57Y mutant exhibits a reduced pH dependency of activation. Our findings contribute to a better comprehension of TMEM175’s complex electrophysiological properties and foster understanding of TMEM175 as a pharmacological target for neurodegenerative disease therapy.

Since the introducing of the new German packaging law 'VerpackG2' in January 2023, food service operators in Germany selling takeout food have been mandated to provide reusable packaging alternatives to single-use plastic food containers. This change in legislation has led to the emergence of various reusable consumer packaging systems in the German market. Reusable packaging systems have the potential to significantly reduce the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging. However, for these systems to succeed and achieve their desired positive environmental impact, a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior toward these systems is needed. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework to identify the factors influencing consumers' intentions to use a reusable packaging system for takeaway food in the German food service industry. An online survey was developed, and 153 valid responses were collected from consumers in Germany. Structural equation modeling revealed that in this study, consumers' personal moral norms, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control directly influence consumers' intentions to use the reusable packaging system. The results also show that context, motivation, and personal moral norms are positively related to consumers' attitudes, and context significantly positively affects consumers' perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, the study's results indicate that despite the high frequency of takeaway food orders in Germany, consumers' use of reusable packaging systems for takeaway food still needs to be improved.

To estimate the sensitivity of soils to naturally and anthropogenic induced acidification we measured Acid Neutralizing Capacities (ANC) of typical soils in West Germany. Measured values of ANC are strongly dependent on the procedure employed. We conducted three kinds of experiments to distinguish between 1. Short-Term Acid Neutralizing Capacity (STANC) due to exchange processes and dissolution of easily weatherable non-silicate minerals, on the scale of days to years, 2. Medium-Term Acid Neutralizing Capacity (MTANC) due to dissolution of easily weatherable silicate minerals, on the scale of decades and 3. Long-Term Acid Neutralizing Capacity (LTANC) considering the buffer capacity of stable minerals, on the scale of centuries. The experiments have been applied on soil profiles at forest and agricultural sites with soil parent material ranging from Holocene sediments, Pleistocene loess, and Devonian sedimentary rock (greywacke/shale). Calculated acid neutralizing capacities ranged from 12.9meq kg-1 to 747meq kg-1 (STANC) depending on target pH, 580meq kg-1 to 3680meq kg-1 (MTANC) and 2841meq kg-1 to 12233meq kg-1 (LTANC). Only 11% to 19% of the MT- and LTANC can be explained by a release of basic cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na) and Mn. Thus, the remaining buffer capacity is associated with Al and Fe. These elements do not buffer protons until pH <4.8 (Al) and <3 (Fe), respectively. Because of the beginning Al-toxicity below pH 4.8 only the basic cation fraction of MTANC and LTANC should be taken into consideration when assessing soils in terms of acidification endangerment.

Text-to-Image-Transformer synthetisieren auf Grundlage ungefilterter Bilddatenbanken und neuronaler Netzwerke (GANs) Bilder. Das Open Access Modell DALL E Mini markiert einen Höhepunkt der Aufmerksamkeit für KI-Anwendungen (vgl. O'Meara/Murphy 2023). Diese Popularität wurde von kritischen Diskussionen begleitet: So schrieben Journalistinnen für Vice und Futurism „The AI That Draws What You Type Is Very Racist, Shocking No One" (vgl. Rose 2022) und „The AI Image Generator Is Spitting Out Some Awfully Racist Stuff“ (vgl. Al-Sibai 2022). Studien zu generativer KI und Social Bias von Cheong et al. (2023) und Naik/Nushi (2023) stellen eine Genderstereotypisierung bei Berufsbildern fest, sowie eine überwiegende Darstellung weiß-konstruierter Subjekte. Auch die Entwickelnden von DALL E Mini gestehen eine Synthese von Vorurteilen gegen Minderheiten ein (vgl. Dayma et al. 2022). Die Unterrepräsentation von Frauen in MINT-Berufen (vgl. Anger et al. 2021: 30ff.) wird unter anderem durch die Selbstidentifikation und Eigenwahrnehmung der MINT-Kompetenz beeinflusst (vgl. Dodiya et al. 2022; Keil/Orth 2023: 31). Bildtransformer als Artefakte heteropatriarchaler Hegemonie könnten so die Technikferne unterrepräsentierter Gruppen als „Kreislauf derPropagierung von Vorurteilen zwischen Gesellschaft, KI und Nutzenden" (Vlasceanu/Amodio 2022: 1) verstärken. Zudem erfahren auch People of Color immer wieder Diskriminierung durch Technologie, die sie nicht mitbedenkt oder überwacht (Automated Anti-Blackness, vgl. Nkonde 2019: 31). Die vorgeschlagene Arbeit untersucht, wie DALL E Mini zur Reproduktion von Darstellungsdefiziten in MINT-Berufen beiträgt. Über 200 DALL E Mini Bilder zu MINT-Berufen wurden in Bezug auf Genderattribution und People of Color Anteil kodiert. Anschließend wurden Ergebnisse mit repräsentativen Zahlen von Belegschaften aus US-amerikanischen Labor Statistics verglichen. Die Geschlechtszuordnung von KI-synthetisierten Subjekten sollte bei der Kodierung nur durch eine Fremdzuweisung geschehen, die auf Performance-/Diskursmächten basiert; das Individuum ist hier ein Phantasma. Der gender-konforme Ausdruck und das endogeschlechtliche Körperverständnis wird zu einer Attribution herangezogen. Die Benennung der Darstellung von Ausdruck und Körper bei KI-Bildern könnte mit Bezug auf Judith Butler als eine zyklische Gewalt des Dialogs interpretiert werden, die jene Geschehnisse hervorbringt, die sie versucht zu regeln und einzuengen (vgl. Butler 1995: 22). Da die rituelle Geschlechtszuschreibung erst erschafft, was sie versucht zu deklarieren, werden Subjekte bei der Kodierung von Gender mit dem Suffix „-konstruiert“ bezeichnet. Dies soll die Prägung einer Zuweisung durch eine kulturelle Matrix mit dem inhärent konstruierten Duktus von KI-Bildern verknüpfen. Hierdurch differenziert sich die Arbeit von der Kodierung bestehender Studien. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine starke Tendenz zur Unterrepräsentation von Frauen und People of Color in generierten Bildern. So zeigen dreizehn von zwanzig MINT-Berufe keine weiblich konstruierten Personen, und sechzehn von zwanzig keine Subjekte, die als People of Color kodiert werden konnten. Somit findet eine doppelte Verzerrung durch Bilddatenbanken und generative KI statt, ihre prädiktive Natur (GANs, CLIP) führt zu einer Progredienz des Status Quo. Selbst Promptengineering mit ethischer Intervention (guidance) wie „female computer scientist" führt zu Darstellungen von Wissenschaftlerinnen mit Laborkittel und Schutzbrille vor einem PC, nicht Informatikerinnen. Die vorgeschlagene Arbeit möchte verdeutlichen, dass Text-to-Image-Generatoren bei unkritischer Anwendung zur Verstärkung bestehender sozialer Ungleichheiten beitragen können und einen Impuls zur Diskussion über den Einsatz generativer KI geben.

A novel multidimensional index modulation-based differential chaos shift keying (DCSK) technique, designated as Joint Subcarrier Time Reference Index Modulation-aided Differential Chaos Shift Keying (JSTRIM-DCSK), is proposed for efficient data transmission in chaotic communication systems. The JSTRIM-DCSK system integrates subcarrier, time slot, and reference signal indexing to transmit information and offers two variants: JSTRIM-DCSK-I and JSTRIM-DCSK-II. The data is organized into L subblocks, each containing Ns subcarrier index bits ps and Nt time slot index bits pt , reference index bits pr , and modulated bits pm . The subcarrier and time slot index bits jointly select an active or inactive subcarrier time slot combination from a total of Ns ⋅ Nt possibilities, categorizing the system as either JSTRIM-DCSK-I (active) or JSTRIM-DCSK-II (inactive). The reference indexed bits select a single chaotic reference signal from Nr orthogonal chaotic vectors generated using the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process. The modulated bits are transmitted using a DCSK modulation scheme. Analytical expressions for the bit error rate (BER) performance of the JSTRIM-DCSK system are derived under both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and multipath Rayleigh fading channel (MRFC) conditions. Furthermore, the potential for energy savings, bandwidth efficiency, and system complexity of the JSTRIM-DCSK system are thoroughly analyzed and compared with those of the existing techniques. The simulation results validate the analytical expressions and demonstrate the potential of JSTRIM-DCSK to achieve high data rates, efficient energy savings, and a competitive BER performance.