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This contribution reviews different forms of resistance against the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). While backlash is rare, various forms of pushback are more common than accounts of the CJEU's apparent success suggest. It is not uncommon that national policy-makers, administrations and the judiciary fail to comply with individual rulings. Moreover, Member State authorities have developed multiple strategies to limit the practical effect of controversial lines of CJEU case-law. The availability of ‘work-arounds’ that national authorities can live with shields the CJEU against significant backlash. At the same time, the multiple processes of pushback in the Member States lead to an outcome of considerable heterogeneity.

Both European Union law and the European Convention on Human Rights offer an opportunity structure for a broad array of interests to pursue their objectives through strategic litigation. The spectrum of rights that litigants can claim is sufficiently broad that no consensus has emerged on the general consequences of such litigation. While much research has emphasized European law as a resource for civil society groups, EU law in particular has also been identified as a boon for businesses who challenge cornerstones of coordinated capitalism. This paper sets out to provide a better empirical basis for a normative evaluation of the consequences of strategic litigation in European law by asking who engages in it and who does not. It draws on data from a large-scale survey among interest groups in eight European countries. While results show significant differences in country-level litigation rates, the focus of this analysis is on the impact of group characteristics on the choice of litigation as a strategy. The findings confirm that litigation requires specific resources but highlight that groups with a prior interest in European affairs and those with antagonistic relations to national authorities are the most likely to turn to strategic litigation based in European law.

Sodium metal is often considered as an anode material to improve the energy‐density of sodium metal batteries (SMB) respectively sodium ion‐based batteries (SIB). However, the active Na metal anode is a particular challenge. To formulate a suitable electrolyte has therefore been a key issue to stabilize sodium metal anodes. Here we report additive strategies by using the additives sodium difluoro(oxalato) borate (NaDFOB) or/and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) in the baseline electrolyte solution of 1 M NaPF6 in ethylene carbonate/propylene carbonate to overcome these issues. For the SMB with sodium anode and carbon‐coated Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) cathode, a stable cell cycling up to 600 cycles (capacity retention about 96±3 %) was reached by using only 1–2 wt. % NaDFOB, compared to only less than 75 cycles of the baseline electrolyte. Sodium plating/stripping tests, voltammetry measurements, impedance analysis as well as cell tests were performed in order to reveal the electrochemical characteristics of the electrolytes including additive effects. The optimal SIB cell performance in cells containing hard carbon and NVP was achieved by using 2 wt.‐% NaDFOB. NaDFOB electrolyte can be considered as a beneficial additive for Na metal cell and its application could be also extended for full SIBs. Improve of NaDFOB additivated electrolytes in case of sodium ion based half cells compared to FEC‐containing electrolytes. Baseline electrolyte is NaPF6 in EC/PC for all different formulations. Since the electrolyte containing NaDFOB significantly improves the half‐cells and does not impair the full cells (unlike FEC, for example), this additive can be considered as a standard additive.

Mitochondria are essential organelles with multiple functions, especially in energy metabolism. Recently, an increasing number of data has highlighted the role of mitochondria for cellular differentiation processes. Metabolic differences between stem cells and mature derivatives require an adaptation of mitochondrial function during differentiation. In this study we investigated alterations of the mitochondrial phenotype of human mesenchymal stem cells undergoing adipogenic differentiation. Maturation of adipocytes is accompanied by mitochondrial biogenesis and an increase of oxidative metabolism. Adaptation of the mt phenotype during differentiation is reflected by changes in the distribution of the mitochondrial network as well as marked alterations of gene expression and organization of the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS). Distinct differences in the supramolecular organization forms of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) were detected using 2D blue native (BN)-PAGE analysis. Most remarkably we observed a significant increase in the abundance of OXPHOS supercomplexes in mitochondria, emphasizing the change of the mitochondrial phenotype during adipogenic differentiation.

Cell surface proteins are major targets of biomedical research due to their utility as cellular markers and their extracellular accessibility for pharmacological intervention. However, information about the cell surface protein repertoire (the surfaceome) of individual cells is only sparsely available. Here, we applied the Cell Surface Capture (CSC) technology to 41 human and 31 mouse cell types to generate a mass-spectrometry derived Cell Surface Protein Atlas (CSPA) providing cellular surfaceome snapshots at high resolution. The CSPA is presented in form of an easy-to-navigate interactive database, a downloadable data matrix and with tools for targeted surfaceome rediscovery (http://wlab.ethz.ch/cspa). The cellular surfaceome snapshots of different cell types, including cancer cells, resulted in a combined dataset of 1492 human and 1296 mouse cell surface glycoproteins, providing experimental evidence for their cell surface expression on different cell types, including 136 G-protein coupled receptors and 75 membrane receptor tyrosine-protein kinases. Integrated analysis of the CSPA reveals that the concerted biological function of individual cell types is mainly guided by quantitative rather than qualitative surfaceome differences. The CSPA will be useful for the evaluation of drug targets, for the improved classification of cell types and for a better understanding of the surfaceome and its concerted biological functions in complex signaling microenvironments.

Nucleoprotein complexes play an integral role in genome organization of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Apart from their role in locally structuring and compacting DNA, several complexes are known to influence global organization by mediating long-range anchored chromosomal loop formation leading to spatial segregation of large sections of DNA. Such megabase-range interactions are ubiquitous in eukaryotes, but have not been demonstrated in prokaryotes. Here, using a genome-wide sedimentation-based approach, we found that a transcription factor, Rok, forms large nucleoprotein complexes in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis . Using chromosome conformation capture and live-imaging of DNA loci, we show that these complexes robustly interact with each other over large distances. Importantly, these Rok-dependent long-range interactions lead to anchored chromosomal loop formation, thereby spatially isolating large sections of DNA, as previously observed for insulator proteins in eukaryotes. Hi-C and live-imaging data show that nucleoprotein complexes containing the transcription factor Rok interact over long distances in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis . Rok-dependent interactions contribute to anchored chromosomal loop formation.

Despite multiple ethical issues and little evidence of their efficacy, compulsory admission and treatment are still common psychiatric practice. Therefore, we aimed to assess potential differences in treatment and outcome between voluntarily and compulsorily admitted patients. We extracted clinical data from inpatients treated in an academic hospital in Zurich, Switzerland between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019. Observation time started upon the first admission and ended after a one-year follow-up after the last discharge. Several sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) scores, were retrospectively obtained. We then identified risk factors of compulsory admission using logistic regression in order to perform a widely balanced propensity score matching. Altogether, we compared 4,570 compulsorily and 4,570 voluntarily admitted propensity score-matched patients. Multiple differences between these groups concerning received treatment, coercive measures, clinical parameters, and service use outcomes were detected. Upon discharge, compulsorily admitted patients reached a similar HoNOS sum score in a significantly shorter duration of treatment. They were more often admitted for crisis interventions, were prescribed less pharmacologic treatment, and received fewer therapies. During the follow-up, voluntarily admitted patients were readmitted more often, while the time to readmission did not differ. Under narrowly set circumstances, compulsory admissions might be helpful to avert and relieve exacerbations of severe psychiatric disorders.

This work investigates the stability of electrolyte systems used in sodium-ion-based batteries. The electrolytes consist of a 1:1 (v:v) mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC), a sodium-conducting salt (either NaPF6 or NaTFSI), and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), respectively, sodium difluoro(oxalato) borate (NaDFOB), as additives. Through systematic evaluation using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we analyze the formation of degradation products under different conditions including variations in temperature, vial material, and the presence or absence of sodium metal. Our results reveal the significant influence of the conductive salt’s source on degradation. Furthermore, we observe that FEC’s stability is affected by the storage temperature, vial material, and presence of sodium metal, suggesting its active involvement in the degradation process. Additionally, our results highlight the role of NaDFOB as an additive in mitigating degradation. The study provides crucial insights into the complex network of degradation reactions occurring within the electrolyte, thus informing strategies for improved electrolyte systems in sodium-based batteries. Since the production, material selection and storage of electrolytes are often insufficiently described, we provide here an insight into the different behavior of electrolytes for Na-ion batteries.

Background The length of stay (LoS) in psychiatric facilities is a critical metric for healthcare planning and resource allocation. While previous research has established that LoS distributions are typically right-skewed across medical specialties, detailed characterizations of these distributions within psychiatric settings remain limited, particularly regarding variations across diagnostic categories. Methods We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 17,687 psychiatric hospitalizations at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich between 2013 and 2020. Using both linear and logarithmic visualizations, we examined LoS distribution patterns across diagnostic groups based on ICD-10 classifications. Results Following identified distribution patterns, patients could be categorized into short-stay (1–10 days) and long-stay (11–200 days) groups for comparative analysis. LoS distribution demonstrated a bimodal pattern when visualized on a logarithmic scale, with distinct peaks representing short-term crisis interventions and longer therapeutic hospitalizations. This bimodal distribution was particularly evident in anxiety and stress-related disorders and major depressive disorder. Diagnostic categories differed significantly in their LoS-distribution patterns, with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, organic mental disorders, and bipolar disorders more frequently requiring extended hospitalizations. Long-stay patients exhibited higher admission HoNOS scores (median 20 vs. 18) and were significantly older (median 49 vs. 39 years) than short-stay patients. Conclusions Our findings reveal that psychiatric hospitalization durations follow a bimodal rather than simply right-skewed distribution, suggesting two distinct patient populations requiring fundamentally different treatment approaches. This pattern varies systematically across diagnostic categories but transcends diagnostic boundaries, indicating that factors beyond primary diagnosis influence treatment duration. These results support the development of differentiated care structures addressing both acute crisis intervention and extended therapeutic needs within psychiatric care systems.

Knowledge about capacity losses related to the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) is still limited. One major challenge in SIBs is that the solubility of SEI species in liquid electrolytes is comparatively higher than the corresponding species formed in Li‐ion batteries. This study sheds new light on the associated capacity losses due to initial SEI formation, SEI dissolution and subsequent SEI reformation, charge leakage via SEI and subsequent SEI growth, and diffusion‐controlled sodium trapping in electrode particles. By using a variety of electrochemical cycling protocols, synchrotron‐based X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC‐MS), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) spectroscopy, capacity losses due to changes in the SEI layer during different open circuit pause times are investigated in nine different electrolyte solutions. It is shown that the amount of capacity lost depends on the interplay between the electrolyte chemistry and the thickness and stability of the SEI layer. The highest capacity loss is measured in NaPF6 in ethylene carboante mixed with diethylene carbonate electrolyte (i.e., 5 µAh h−1/2pause or 2.78 mAh g·h−1/2pause) while the lowest value is found in NaTFSI in ethylene carbonate mixed with dimethoxyethance electrolyte (i.e., 1.3 µAh h−1/2pause or 0.72 mAh g·h−1/2pause). A detailed quantification of different aging mechanisms related to electrolyte solution and negative electrode is presented in this study. The dissolution of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), diffusion‐controlled ion trapping, continuous SEI dissolution and reformation, and chemical desodiation and SEI growth in sodium‐ion batteries are discussed here using a variety of analytical tools.