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Tape storage is still a cost effective way to keep large amounts of data over a long period of time and it is expected that this will continue in the future. The GridKa tape environment is a complex system of many hardware components and software layers. Configuring this system for optimal performance for all use cases is a non-trivial task and requires a lot of experience. We present the current status of the GridKa tape environment, report on recent upgrades and improvements and plans to further develop and enhance the system, especially with regard to the future requirements of the HEP experiments and their large data centers. The short-term planning mainly includes the transition from TSM to HPSS as the backend and the effects on the connection of dCache and xrootd. Recent changes of the vendor situation of certain tape technologies require a precise analysis of the impact and eventual adaptation of the mid-term planning, in particular with respect to scalability challenge that comes with HL-LHC on the horizon.

Emergency department staff are often affected by incidents of violence. The aim of the study was to generate data on the frequency of violence by patients and accompanying relatives and the correlation between experienced aggression, a possible risk of burnout and a high sense of stress. Additionally, the buffering effect of good preventive preparation of care staff by the facility on aggressive visitors and patients was examined. In this cross-sectional study, members of the German Society for Interdisciplinary Emergency and Acute Medicine were surveyed. The investigation of risk factors, particularly experiences of verbal and physical violence, as well as exhaustion and stress, was carried out using ordinal regression models. A total of 349 staff from German emergency departments took part in the survey, 87% of whom had experienced physical violence by patients and 64% by relatives. 97% had been confronted with verbal violence by patients and 94% by relatives. Violence by relatives had a negative effect on perceived stress. High resilience or effective preparation of employees for potential attacks was shown to have a protective effect with regard to the burnout risk and perceived stress. Therefore, management staff play a major role in preventing violence and its impact on employees.

Purpose A primary enabling feature of near-infrared fluorescent proteins (FPs) and fluorescent probes is the ability to visualize deeper in tissues than in the visible. The purpose of this work is to find which is the optimal visualization method that can exploit the advantages of this novel class of FPs in full-scale pre-clinical molecular imaging studies. Procedures Nude mice were stereotactically implanted with near-infrared FP expressing glioma cells to from brain tumors. The feasibility and performance metrics of FPs were compared between planar epi-illumination and trans-illumination fluorescence imaging, as well as to hybrid Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (FMT) system combined with X-ray CT and Multispectral Optoacoustic (or Photoacoustic) Tomography (MSOT). Results It is shown that deep-seated glioma brain tumors are possible to visualize both with fluorescence and optoacoustic imaging. Fluorescence imaging is straightforward and has good sensitivity; however, it lacks resolution. FMT-XCT can provide an improved rough resolution of ∼1 mm in deep tissue, while MSOT achieves 0.1 mm resolution in deep tissue and has comparable sensitivity. Conclusions We show imaging capacity that can shift the visualization paradigm in biological discovery. The results are relevant not only to reporter gene imaging, but stand as cross-platform comparison for all methods imaging near infrared fluorescent contrast agents.

We reported earlier the delivery of antiangiogenic single chain antibodies by using oncolytic vaccinia virus strains to enhance their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we provide evidence that gene-evoked production of melanin can be used as a therapeutic and diagnostic mediator, as exemplified by insertion of only one or two genes into the genome of an oncolytic vaccinia virus strain. We found that produced melanin is an excellent reporter for optical imaging without addition of substrate. Melanin production also facilitated deep tissue optoacoustic imaging as well as MRI. In addition, melanin was shown to be a suitable target for laser-induced thermotherapy and enhanced oncolytic viral therapy. In conclusion, melanin as a mediator for thermotherapy and reporter for different imaging modalities may soon become a versatile alternative to replace fluorescent proteins also in other biological systems. After ongoing extensive preclinical studies, melanin overproducing oncolytic virus strains might be used in clinical trials in patients with cancer.

Microscopes are used in virtually every biological and medical laboratory. Previous cultivation-based studies have suggested that direct contact with microscope eyepieces increases the risk of eye infections. To obtain a deeper insight into the microbiota on oculars, we analysed 10 recently used university microscopes. Their left oculars were used for a cultivation-based approach, while the right oculars served for massive gene sequencing. After cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, the oculars were re-sampled and analysed again. All oculars were found to be contaminated with bacteria, with a maximum load of 1.7 × 103 CFU cm−2. MALDI Biotyping revealed mainly Cutibacterium (68%), Staphylococcus (14%) and Brevibacterium (10%), with the most abundant species being Cutibacterium acnes (13%) and Staphylococcus capitis (6%). Cleaning reduced the microbial load by up to 2 log scales. Within 10 uncleaned and 5 cleaned samples, 1480 ASVs were assigned to 10 phyla and 262 genera. The dominant genera before cleaning were Cutibacterium (78%), Paracoccus (13%), Pseudomonas (2%) and Acinetobacter (1%). The bacteriota composition on the cleaned oculars was similar; however, it probably largely represented dead bacteria. In summary, used oculars were significantly contaminated with skin and environmental bacteria, including potential pathogens. Regular cleaning is highly recommended to prevent eye and skin infections.

Myelination, the ensheathment of axons by membranes of highly specialized glial cells, has been a crucial innovation during early vertebrate evolution. It enables high nerve signal conduction velocities, while maintaining nervous system size and energy requirements at moderate levels. Consequently, myelination has been conserved in all extant gnathostome vertebrates. In a genomewide mRNA expression screen, we identified several novel neural crest and myelin-specific transcripts in the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Here, we describe the characterization of two proteins, Zwilling-A and -B (ZwiA and ZwiB), which are exclusively expressed in myelinating glia of teleosts. They are structurally homologous and are translated from a common, bicistronic transcript. No similarities to sequences or domains of other proteins were detected. Analysis of phylogeny, genomic organization, and genomic syntenies suggests that the zwi gene has appeared soon after the teleost-specific genome duplication event and evolved under conservative selective pressure. We hypothesize that ZwiA and ZwiB serve important physiological functions in teleost myelin. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Background: The technique of lymphoscintigraphy may allow a more selective approach to the management of clinically negative neck nodes among patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma. Patients and methods: A group of 97 patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma had preoperative lymphoscintigraphy using intradermal injections of technetium 99m antimony trisulfide colloid to identify sentinel nodes. Fifty-one patients were eligible for clinical analysis after initial definitive treatment by wide excision only (n = 11), wide excision and elective dissection of the neck (n = 19) or axilla (n = 1), or wide excision and a sentinel node biopsy procedure (n = 20). Results: Sentinel nodes were identified in 95 of 97 lymphoscintigrams, and 85% of patients had multiple sentinel nodes. In 21 patients (22%), sentinel nodes were identified outside the parotid region and the 5 main neck levels, mostly in postauricular nodes (n = 13). Lymphoscintigrams were discordant with clinical predictions in 33 patients (34%). Lymph nodes were positive in 4 elective dissections and 4 sentinel node biopsies. Among 16 patients evaluable after wide excision and a negative sentinel node biopsy, 4 patients subsequently developed metastatic nodes; however, confident identification of all nodes marked as sentinel nodes on lymphoscintigraphy was not achieved at the original biopsy procedure in 3 of these patients. Conclusions: Lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel node biopsy are more difficult to perform in the head and neck than in other parts of the body. The reliability of sentinel node biopsy based on lymphoscintigraphy may be improved by identifying and marking all nodes that are considered to receive direct lymphatic drainage from the primary melanoma, and by use of a gamma probe intraoperatively.

We reported earlier the delivery of antiangiogenic single chain antibodies by using oncolytic vaccinia virus strains to enhance their therapeutic efficacy. Here, we provide evidence that gene-evoked production of melanin can be used as a therapeutic and diagnostic mediator, as exemplified by insertion of only one or two genes into the genome of an oncolytic vaccinia virus strain. We found that produced melanin is an excellent reporter for optical imaging without addition of substrate. Melanin production also facilitated deep tissue optoacoustic imaging as well as MRI. In addition, melanin was shown to be a suitable target for laser-induced thermotherapy and enhanced oncolytic viral therapy. In conclusion, melanin as a mediator for thermotherapy and reporter for different imaging modalities may soon become a versatile alternative to replace fluorescent proteins also in other biological systems. After ongoing extensive preclinical studies, melanin overproducing oncolytic virus strains might be used in clinical trials in patients with cancer.

I was standing alone pretending to be interested in a painting of what was either a mutilated seagull or a used tampon when the question came, spoken in a gentleman's club voice.