University of Münster

Due to the rapidly increasing demand for electric vehicles, the need for battery cells is also increasing considerably. However, the production of battery cells requires enormous amounts of energy, which is expensive and produces greenhouse gas emissions. Here, by combining data from literature and from own research, we analyse how much energy lithium-ion battery (LIB) and post lithium-ion battery (PLIB) cell production requires on cell and macro-economic levels, currently and in the future (until 2040). On the cell level, we find that PLIB cells require less energy than LIB cells per produced cell energy. On the macro-economic level, we find that the energy consumption for the global production of LIB and PLIB cells will be 130,000 GWh if no measures are taken. Yet, it is possible to optimize future production and save up to 66% of this energy demand.

Metal tin‐(II)‐borates are rarely studied mainly due to the susceptibility of either oxidation into tin(IV) or disproportionation into elemental tin(0) and tin(IV). We report mullite‐type SnAlBO 4 and SnGaBO 4 ceramics produced by conventional solid‐state synthesis in sealed quartz tubes at low pressure of 10 –7 MPa. Both compounds are isostructural to PbAlBO 4 as confirmed by Rietveld refinements of powder X‐ray data. The crystal structures are highly influenced by the stereochemical activity of the 5s ² lone electron pair of the Sn ²⁺ cation measured by the Wang‐Liebau eccentricity parameter. To further consolidate the structural features ¹¹⁹ Sn Mössbauer, solid state NMR, Raman, IR and UV/Vis spectroscopic measurements are performed. The ¹¹⁹ Sn Mössbauer isomer shifts and the quadrupole splitting values confirm the SnO 4 coordination and Sn(II) valence states. Solid state ¹¹ B, ²⁷ Al and ¹¹⁹ Sn NMR spectra provided insights into the local crystal‐chemical environment. The vibrational properties are discussed from group theoretical analysis to mode assignments. SnAlBO 4 and SnGaBO 4 , respectively, possess an electronic band gap of 3.73(9) and 3.21(4) eV calculated from the diffuse reflectance UV/Vis spectra. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Zusammenfassung Die rheumatoide Arthritis (RA) ist eine chronische, entzündliche, systemische Autoimmunerkrankung, die chronisch progredient verläuft und zu schweren strukturellen Schäden und Funktionseinschränkungen führen kann. Ihre Pathogenese ist komplex und nicht abschließend verstanden. Neben genetischen, scheinen vor allem Umweltfaktoren eine wichtige Rolle zu spielen. Der Darm bildet die „innere Grenze“ zur Umwelt und kommt mit vielen Umweltfaktoren in Kontakt. Daher rückt der Darm in den letzten Jahren und mit ihm das Mikrobiom zunehmend (wieder) in den Fokus der Wissenschaft. Immer mehr evidente Befunde zeigen, dass die Mikrobiom-Darm-Gelenk-Achse eine wichtige Rolle bei der RA darstellt. Mikrobielle Dysbiose sowie eine intakte Darmbarriere („leaky gut“) und daraus resultierende bakterielle Translokation stellen potentielle Faktoren in der RA-Pathogenese dar. Hier fassen wir die derzeit bekannte Rolle der intestinalen Mikrobiota für Entstehung und Verlauf der RA zusammen. Wir betrachten dabei die neuesten Erkenntnisse auf dem Gebiet der Mikrobiomforschung und beschreiben den Zusammenhang zwischen intestinaler Dysbiose, intakte Barrierefunktion, bakterielle Translokation, adaptive Immunantwort sowie einen möglichen diätetischen Therapieansatz.

Background Graft-versus-host disease following liver transplantation is a serious and usually fatal complication. Data identifying the risk factors and specifying the diagnosis and treatment options of the disease are scarce and contentious. Moreover, recommendations for therapeutic approaches are similarly sparse. Methods A systematic review of the literature from 1988 to 2020 on graft-versus-host disease following liver transplantation was performed using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases. Medical subject headings, such as graft-versus-host disease and GvHD were used in combination with solid organ transplant, transplantation, or liver transplant. Following duplicate removal, 9298 articles were screened for suitability. A total of 238 full-text articles were analyzed for eligibility, resulting in 130 eligible articles for meta-analysis. Two hundred twenty-five patients developing graft-versus-host disease following liver transplantation reported herein were mainly published in case reports and case series. Results Graft-versus-host disease occurred with an incidence of 1.2%. 85% developed following deceased donor liver transplant and 15% following living-related donor liver transplantation. The median follow-up period following liver transplantation was 84 days (interquartile range, 45–180). The median time from liver transplantation to graft-versus-host disease onset was 30 days (interquartile range, 21–42). The main clinical features included skin rash (59%), fever (43%), diarrhea (36%), and pancytopenia (30%). The overall mortality rate was 71%. Neither univariate (HR = 0.999; 95% CI, 0.493–2.023; p = 1.0) nor multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between adaptation of immunosuppression and survival probability (HR = 1.475; 95% CI, 0.659–3.303; p = 0.3). Conclusions This systematic review suggests that an increase in immunosuppressive regimen does not yield any survival benefit in patients suffering from graft-versus-host disease following liver transplantation.

Introduction/Background High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, partially due to its spread through the peritoneal cavity. Neutrophils are involved in cancer progression by neutrophil extracellular traps formation (NETosis). NETosis has been proposed as a pre-requisite for the establishment of omental metastases in early stages HGSOC. However, its role in advanced stages remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to characterize a NETosis biomarker profile in biofluids from patients with advanced HGSOC. Methodology Five biomarkers of NETosis were quantified in plasma and paired peritoneal fluid (PF) samples of 45 patients and 40 control women: cell-free DNA (cfDNA), nucleosomes, citrullinated histone 3 (citH3), calprotectin and myeloperoxidase with specific kits. DNaseI activity was measured with the single radial enzyme-diffusion assay. A NETosis score was created to consider the joint behavior of NETosis biomarkers levels in PF. Results Compared to control women, HGSOC patients presented a higher concentration of cfDNA, citH3 and calprotectin in plasma, and of all NETosis biomarkers in PF (figure 1). DNaseI was not responsible for the cfDNA increase. These biomarkers showed a strong ability to differentiate both groups, mainly in PF. Interestingly, neoadjuvant treatment (NT) seemed to reduce NETosis biomarkers mainly systemically (plasma) compared to the tumor environment (PF). Our NETosis score allowed to clearly differentiate HGSOC from control women employing a cut-off value of 23% (NETosis score >23 corresponds to HGSOC patients). Conclusion NETosis biomarkers are present in the tumor environment of advanced HGSOC patients, which might contribute to the progression of HGSOC in advanced stages. Plasma cfDNA and calprotectin could represent low-invasive surrogate biomarkers for HGSOC. NT modifies NETosis biomarkers mainly at the systemic level, but its effect is rather limited in the tumor environment. We have developed a NETosis score that allows the discrimination of HGSOC patients from controls. • Download figure • Open in new tab • Download powerpoint Abstract #375 Figure 1 NETosis biomarkers in peritoneal fluid (PF) and plasma samples of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) (n=35 and n=45, respectively) and control women (n=21 and n=40, respectively). (A) cell-free DNA (cfDNA). (B) Nucleosomes. (C) citrullinated histone 3 (citH3). (D) Calprotectin. (E) Myeloperoxidase (MPO). AU, arbitrary units. *** p<0.001; * p<0.05; Mann-Whitney U test. Disclosures This research was funded by the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional’ (PI20/00075, PI22/01872) and the ‘Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital General Universitario de Valencia’ (FIHGUV Awards 2021). S. T.-P. is supported by pre-doctoral a grant from the ‘Junta Asociada Provincial de Valencia de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC)’; J. O. is supported by post-doctoral a grant from the ‘Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’; B. A. M.-C. is supported by a post-doctoral grant from the ‘Sociedad Española de Trombosis y Hemostasia (Prime SETH), R. H. is supported by a pre-doctoral grant from the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ (FI21/00171); E. G.-C. and I. A.-C. are supported by pre-doctoral grants from the ‘Generalitat Valenciana’ (ACIF/2020/216 and ACIF/2021/192, respectively). A. H.-P. is supported by a post-doctoral Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant (No. 101064216).

Detrital geochronology employing the widely‐used zircon U‐Pb proxy is biased towards igneous events and metamorphic anataxis; additionally, zircon is highly refractory and frequently polycyclic. Garnet, a rock‐forming and thus commonly‐occuring mineral, is predominantly metamorphic and much less refractory. Here, we report in‐situ U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf ages from detrital garnet hosted in ancient and modern sediments of the European Alps. Both geochronometers are biased towards the most recent garnet‐crystallising metamorphic event in the source area, with fewer inherited ages. This likely reflects efficient removal of inherited garnet during diagenesis and metamorphism, and is in contrast to detrital zircon, apatite, and rutile U‐Pb data which largely record pre‐Alpine ages. Neither the U‐Pb nor Lu‐Hf system in garnet exhibits a relationship between age recovery and composition. However, the Lu‐Hf system in garnet yields significantly better age recovery than the U‐Pb system. Estimated initial ²³⁸ U/ ²⁰⁶ Pb c values at the time of crystallization are near unity for the garnet analysed in this study, suggesting that garnet does not significantly partition U from Pb during crystallization, at least for the generally almandine‐rich garnets analysed in this study. Hence, Lu‐Hf geochronology of detrital garnet offers an effective method to detect and date the most recent phase of mid‐grade metamorphism in sub‐anatectic source areas, in which detrital zircon U‐Pb analysis may be of less utility.

Background Kinetic modelling of dynamic PET typically requires knowledge of the arterial radiotracer concentration (arterial input function, AIF). Its accurate determination is very difficult in mice. AIF measurements in an extracorporeal shunt can be performed; however, this introduces catheter dispersion. We propose a framework for extracorporeal dispersion correction and validated it by comparison to invasively determined intracorporeal AIFs using implanted microprobes. Results The response of an extracorporeal radiation detector to radioactivity boxcar functions, characterised by a convolution-based dispersion model, gave best fits using double-gamma variate and single-gamma variate kernels compared to mono-exponential kernels for the investigated range of flow rates. Parametric deconvolution with the optimal kernels was performed on 9 mice that were injected with a bolus of 39 ± 25 MBq [¹⁸F]F-PSMA-1007 after application of an extracorporeal circulation for three different flow rates in order to correct for dispersion. Comparison with synchronous implantation of microprobes for invasive aortic AIF recordings showed favourable correspondence, with no significant difference in terms of area-under-curve after 300 s and 5000 s. One-tissue and two-tissue compartment model simulations were performed to investigate differences in kinetic parameters between intra- and extracorporeally measured AIFs. Results of the modelling study revealed kinetic parameters close to the chosen simulated values in all compartment models. Conclusion The high correspondence of simultaneously intra- and extracorporeally determined AIFs and resulting model parameters establishes a feasible framework for extracorporeal dispersion correction. This should allow more precise and accurate kinetic modelling in small animal experiments.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Die geltende Leitlinie für kinderonkologische Patienten mit febriler Granulozytopenie (FN) von 2016 empfiehlt eine Time-to-Antibiotics (TTA)<60 min. Methode Kritische Analyse verfügbarer Studien und Metaanalysen, Diskussion der Konsequenzen in der Arbeitsgruppe Fieber bei Granulozytopenie der Fachgesellschaften für pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie und pädiatrische Infektiologie. Ergebnisse Die verfügbaren Studien können keinen klinisch signifikanten Vorteil einer TTA<60 min für alle kinderonkologischen Patienten mit FN darstellen. Studien, die einen solchen Zusammenhang nahelegen, sind mit einem Triage Bias und anderen methodischen Limitationen behaftet und nutzen unterschiedliche TTA Definitionen. Hingegen ist eine TTA<60 min elementarer Bestandteil des Einstunden-Maßnahme-Bündels bei septischem Schock oder Sepsis mit Organdysfunktion. Zusammenfassung Wenn alle kinderonkologischen Patienten mit neu aufgetretenem Fieber zeitnah durch gut ausgebildetes und trainiertes Fachpersonal eine strukturierte Anamnese und körperliche Untersuchung (inkl. Vitalzeichen) erhalten und unter der Voraussetzung, dass lokal eine Sepsis Triage und Management Bündel etabliert und implementiert wurde, ist eine TTA<3 h bei kinderonkologischen Patienten mit FN angemessen.

Athletes have again started to take a visible stance on various political and social issues, which has stirred fierce controversies. Existing research has a strong US bias, and, to extend the range of research, we conducted a German survey on the perceived legitimacy of athletes’ political activism. The evidence suggests that the US debate cannot simply be transferred to other political and cultural contexts. The German respondents did not generally disapprove of athletes employing sporting venues as political stages. However, they are primarily willing to accept political activism in cases where the claims made are congruent with their political beliefs and with hegemonic political values. The perceived legitimacy of more controversial forms of athletes’ political activism depends on political ideology, political activism and political tolerance. For international sport governing bodies, the results indicate a dilemma: western audiences approve of athletes’ political activism, which is congruent with their own political values, but seem unwilling to accept activism making other claims.

The saponin β\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta$$\end{document}-aescin is well known for its self-aggregation above the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and its interaction with model membranes made of zwitterionic phospholipids including the formation of mixed bicelle systems. In this study, we investigate the interaction of β\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta$$\end{document}-aescin with small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) made of the negatively charged lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DOPG). The study is conducted at a pH value at which aescin is negatively charged as well, and mixtures up to an aescin content of 50 mol% (equivalent to a molecular ratio of 1:1) were investigated, so that the cmc of aescin is exceeded by far. Analysis of the system by scattering and NMR methods was performed with respect to two reference systems made of the bare components: DOPG SUVs and aescin micelles. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) was used to determine molecular correlation distances for both kinds of molecules, and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) revealed a structural picture of the system, which was further confirmed by diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR). Contrary to the expected solubilization of the DOPG membrane, most probably none- or only weakly-interacting, separated DOPG SUVs and aescin micelles were found. The study additionally highlights the importance of using independent methods to characterize a rather complex colloidal system in order to obtain a complete picture of the structures formed.

To explore the importance of death and the dead to the study of religious conversion, this article adopts an ethnographic and comparative approach to the lives and deaths of two male Muslim converts in the southwest Indian state of Kerala. Paying attention to the treatment of their dead bodies, which were donated and cremated, contrary to their wishes for an Islamic funeral, and the problematization of their proper names, it is argued that death is the point at which selves are made/remade. Death provides the opportunity for the dead, their kin, friends, and state institutions to make claims about religious identities and familial relations. I conclude that these multiple and often contradictory stances converted the dead into religiously indeterminate figures, though their belonging to their kin was successfully established.

Research on the relation between hormones and unethical behaviors and tendencies has provided mixed results, hindering the understanding of the potential biological regulation of unethical behaviors and tendencies. We conducted an exploratory, longitudinal study ( N = 257 women) allowing to estimate relations between, on the one hand, steroid hormones (testosterone, cortisol, estradiol, and progesterone) and conception probability and, on the other hand, a broad variety of measures related to unethicality (self-reported personality variables, cheating in committed relationships, self-serving economic dishonesty in a behavioral task, namely, the mind game). Contrary to theoretical assumptions of and results from some previous studies, we find no consistent relation between hormones and unethical behavior or tendencies in the majority of analyses. Yet, some small, exploratory associations emerged that call for (preregistered) replications, before more firm conclusions can be made.