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The world heritage object Nebra Sky Disc is one of the best investigated archaeological objects. The origin of the raw materials it is made of is well known. However, its manufacturing process was not completely clear. Investigations were made in order to clarify the steps of manufacturing from the initial casting to the finished disc using the latest metallographic techniques. Therefore, a small piece from the outer part of the disc was investigated and compared with a replica. Both were prepared regarding the metallographic procedure. Microstructural analysis was made by optical microscopy on a colour etched surface, EDS and electron backscatter diffraction. For the investigation of mechanical properties microhardness measurements were made. It could be found that the Nebra Sky Disc was manufactured from a flat cast followed by hot forging process. During the forging process the disc was heated and forged for approximately 10 times.

Monitoring rumination activity is considered a useful indicator for the early detection of diseases and metabolic disorders. Accelerometer-based sensor systems provide health alerts based on individual thresholds of rumination times in dairy cows. Detailed knowledge of the relationship between sensor-based rumination times and rumen physiology would help detect conspicuous animals and evaluate the treatment’s success. This study aimed to investigate the association between sensor-based health alerts and rumen fluid characteristics in Holstein-Friesian cows at different stages of lactation. Rumen fluid was collected via a stomach tube from 63 pairs of cows with and without health alerts (ALRT vs NALRT). Pairs were matched based on the day of lactation, the number of lactations, and health criteria. Rumen fluid was collected during and after health alerts. The parameters of color, odor, consistency, pH, redox potential, sedimentation flotation time, and the number of protozoa were examined. Results showed differences between both groups in odor, rumen pH, sedimentation flotation time, and protozoan count at the first rumen fluid collection. Within the groups, greater variations in rumen fluid parameters were found for ALRT cows compared to NALRT cows. The interaction between health alert and stage of lactation did not affect the rumen fluid parameters.

Establishing fresh cow monitoring procedures is considered beneficial for cow health, welfare, and productivity. However, they are time consuming and require the cows to be locked up, which restricts their natural behavior. In this study, different fresh cow monitoring procedures were evaluated. Two experiments were conducted to determine: (1) the duration of various examinations and treatments; (2) the time cows remain locked up in headlocks; and (3) the proportion of examination and treatment times relative to the total headlock time. In advance, standard operating procedures were established. Three veterinarians conducted the examinations and treatments based on changes in milk yield, clinical symptoms, and alarms by an accelerometer system. The headlock time was evaluated for three workflow strategies, which differed in the order of examinations and treatments. To determine the duration, cameras were installed, and the video footage was analyzed. The examinations lasted between 1 and 227 s, and the cows were locked up in headlocks between 0.01 and 1.76 h. The lock-up times differed significantly among the three strategies, as well as the proportion. This study provides information that can be used as a basis for the development of time-efficient strategies, and to minimize the impact on cows’ time budgets.

ObjectiveCharacteristic features of Parkinson's disease (PD) are asymmetric parkinsonian motor signs, hyposmia and substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity on transcranial ultrasound. However, each of these features has limited diagnostic value as they may be present, albeit less frequently, in other parkinsonian disorders. Here, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of combined assessment of these three features are evaluated.Methods632 patients with parkinsonism (PD, vascular parkinsonism, atypical parkinsonian syndromes, essential tremor and major depressive disorder with motor slowing) were assessed on the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale for motor asymmetry (right–left score difference ≥2), the 12 item Sniffin' Sticks test (SS-12) and transcranial ultrasound. The derivation (validation) cohort consisted of 517 (115) subjects (193 (35) women; age 65.4±9.6 (62.3±10.3) years) of whom 385 (68) had PD and 132 (47) non-PD parkinsonism; another 21 (6) subjects were not included due to missing transcranial insonability. Of the validation cohort, all patients had a disease duration ≤2 years and observers were blind to diagnoses.ResultsThe optimum cut-off values for discrimination of PD were SS-12 score <8 (hyposmia) and SN echogenic size ≥0.24 cm2 (SN hyperechogenicity). Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values for the diagnosis of PD were as follows, for the derivation cohort: motor asymmetry 88%, 54% and 85%; hyposmia 75%, 70% and 88%; SN hyperechogenicity 90%, 63% and 88%; two features present 96%, 72% and 91%; three features present 57%, 94% and 97%; and for the validation cohort: two features present 91%, 77% and 85%; three features present 49%, 98% and 97%.ConclusionThe combined assessment of motor asymmetry, hyposmia and SN hyperechogenicity improves diagnostic specificity and allows early diagnosis of PD.

Background Specialized neurons in the diencephalon detect blood hypernatremia in dehydrated animals. These neurons are connected with the pituitary gland, subsequently producing antidiuretic hormone to reabsorb water from urine in the kidneys, and to the forebrain to generate thirst and trigger drinking behavior. Case presentation This is the first case report describing clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and necropsy results of a Belted Galloway heifer with severe clinical signs of dehydration and hypernatremia, but concurrent adipsia and isosthenuria. Due to insufficient recovery with symptomatic treatment, owners elected euthanasia. Postmortem MRI and necropsy revealed a complex forebrain malformation: mild abnormal gyrification of the forebrain cortex, lobar holoprosencephaly, and corpus callosum hypoplasia. The affected brain structures are well known to be involved in osmoregulation and generation of thirst in dogs, humans and rodents. Conclusions Complex forebrain malformation can be involved in the pathogenesis of hypernatremia and adipsia in bovines.

It is not unusual that archaeological finds come under renewed scrutiny. This is actually an important part in the progress of scientific research. All the more so when important and ground-breaking discoveries are involved, like the Nebra Sky Disc, which is listed among the UNESCO “Memory of the World”. However, in most cases a new assessment is based on new data or insights. None of this is presented in a recently published article by Gebhard and Krause (2020). Instead, their argument is based on early published and unpublished material, which is used and cited selectively and ignores a substantial number of subsequent publications. Since the Nebra Sky Disc is a unique find that was not recovered during a controlled excavation, it can neither be dated by traditional typological methods nor prima facie by its appearance. Moreover, there is no scientific method yet available to date copper alloys exactly, so that the date suggested in the original publication was established by reconstructing the find context and by analysing the accompanying finds that are typologically and radiocarbon dated to around 1600 BC. The find location on the Mittelberg was excavated in great detail and a number of scientific analyses confirmed the testimony of the looters in a court trial that the Sky Disc had been buried there together with the accompanying finds. These analyses also disproved an earlier claim that the Sky Disc was a modern fake. This allegation is not repeated by Gebhard and Krause (2020) but they do use similar arguments for their claim that the Sky Disc was not found together with the hoard and may not even have been on the Mittelberg near Nebra. By contrast, they assert that the Sky Disc should be typologically dated to the Iron Age. It can be shown that their arguments are based on a distortion of the evidence derived both in the court trial and by scientific analyses. They combine their proposal with a superficial typological discussion of the image displayed on the Sky Disc. As this overview demonstrates, through interdisciplinary studies it is possible to determine the origin and composition of the Nebra hoard with the greatest possible certainty. This determination was based on results from sediment attachments, the chemical concentrations of gold and copper in the geological subsoil of the findspot, astronomical references, as well as an analysis of the traces left by the looters, police investigations, and a comprehensive confession by the offenders, which has confirmed the independently obtained archaeological and scientific observations. Es ist nicht ungewöhnlich, dass archäologische Funde einer erneuten Prüfung unterzogen werden; dies ist eigentlich ein wichtiger Teil im Fortschritt der wissenschaftlichen Forschung. Umso mehr gilt das, wenn es sich um wichtige und bahnbrechende Entdeckungen handelt, wie die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra, die in das UNESCO-Welt-dokumentenerbe („Memory of the World“) aufgenommen wurde. In den meisten Fällen beruht eine neue Beurteilung jedoch auf neuen Daten oder Erkenntnissen. Nichts davon findet sich in einem kürzlich veröffentlichten Artikel von Gebhard und Krause (2020). Stattdessen stützt sich ihre Argumentation auf früh veröffentlichtes und unveröffentlichtes Material, das selektiv verwendet und zitiert wird und eine beträchtliche Anzahl von Folgepublikationen ignoriert. Da es sich bei der Himmelsscheibe von Nebra um einen einzigartigen Fund handelt, der nicht bei einer kontrollierten Ausgrabung geborgen wurde, kann sie weder mit traditionellen typologischen Methoden noch prima facie nach ihrem Aussehen datiert werden. Zudem gibt es noch keine wissenschaftliche Methode zur exakten Datierung von Kupferlegierungen, so dass die in der Originalpublikation vorgeschlagene Datierung durch die Rekonstruktion des Fundkontextes und durch die Analyse der Beifunde, die typologisch und radiokohlenstoffdatiert um 1600 v. Chr. liegen, ermittelt wurde. Der Fundort auf dem Mittelberg wurde sehr detailliert ausgegraben und eine Reihe von wissenschaftlichen Analysen bestätigten die Aussage der Raubgräber in einem Gerichtsverfahren, dass die Himmelsscheibe dort zusammen mit den Begleitfunden vergraben lag. Diese Analysen widerlegten auch eine frühere Behauptung, dass die Himmelsscheibe eine moderne Fälschung sei. Diese Behauptung wird von Gebhard und Krause (2020) zwar nicht wiederholt, aber sie verwenden ähnliche Argumente für ihre Behauptung, dass die Himmelsscheibe nicht zusammen mit dem Hort und vielleicht nicht einmal auf dem Mittelberg bei Nebra gefunden wurde. Stattdessen behaupten sie, dass die Himmelsscheibe typologisch in die Eisenzeit datiert werden sollte. Es lässt sich zeigen, dass ihre Argumente auf einer Verzerrung der sowohl im Gerichtsverfahren als auch durch wissenschaftliche Analysen gewonnenen Beweise beruhen. Sie verbinden ihren Vorschlag mit einer oberflächlichen typologischen Diskussion des auf der Himmelsscheibe dargestellten Bildes. Wie dieser Überblick zeigt, ist es durch interdisziplinäre Studien möglich, Herkunft und Zusammensetzung des Nebra-Horts mit größtmöglicher Sicherheit zu bestimmen. Diese Bestimmung basiert auf den Ergebnissen von Sedimentanhaftungen, den chemischen Konzentrationen von Gold und Kupfer im geologischen Untergrund der Fundstelle, astronomischen Referenzen sowie einer Analyse der von den Raubgräbern hinterlassenen Spuren, polizeilichen Ermittlungen und einem umfassenden Geständnis der Täter, das die unabhängig gewonnenen archäologischen und wissenschaftlichen Beobachtungen bestätigt hat.

The detection of Parkinson’s disease (PD) at stages earlier than current diagnostic criteria allow for may increase the efficacy of disease-modifying therapies. Here we studied the relationship between retrospectively reported prodromal non-motor and motor features of PD, their pre-diagnostic presentation to physicians, and the extrapolated potential of an earlier diagnosis of PD considering early diagnostic markers detected at presence. One hundred and fifteen PD patients (41 women; age 63.2 ± 8.6 years) underwent a structured face-to-face interview on 22 prediagnostic symptoms. Present olfactory function, motor symptoms, and substantia nigra hyperechogenicity (SN-h) were assessed using standardized tools. Most frequently self-perceived symptoms in the early and very early prediagnostic phase (>2, >7 years prior to diagnosis) were hyposmia (23, 10 %), musculoskeletal pain (21, 9 %), and depression/anxiety (14, 11 %). In the late prediagnostic phase (≤2 years) mild motor signs, especially asymmetric bradykinesia and rest tremor, increasingly dominated the self-perception. In the prediagnostic phase, 99 % of patients consulted a physician because of motor symptoms but only 36 % with non-motor symptoms, mostly pain (20 %), depression/anxiety (9 %), constipation, bladder urgency, insomnia, REM sleep behaviour disorder, sexual dysfunction, and malignant melanoma (each, <6 %). Assuming the potential detectability of present hyposmia, asymmetric motor slowing and SN-h, a triad highly specific for PD, as early as 5 years prior to diagnosis, up to 84 (73 %) patients could have been identified in the prediagnostic phase using their or their physicians’ awareness of early symptoms. We conclude that educating the general population and physicians on the importance of distinct prodromal features and applying symptom-specific diagnostic programs can improve the early detection of PD.

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at 24h is a strong predictor of long-term independence after mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation strokes. Its predictive value in patients with M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA-M2) occlusions, however, remains unclear. This study compares NIHSS scores at admission and 24h and early neurological improvement (ENI) definitions to predict functional outcomes at 90d for M2 occlusions. Patients with isolated MCA-M2 occlusions from the German Stroke Registry (06/2015–12/2021) were analyzed. NIHSS at admission, 24h and ENI definitions were compared for predicting excellent and good outcome, defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1 and 0-2. Factors impairing predictive power were identified based on multivariable logistic regression. Among 1,268 patients, 24h NIHSS showed the highest predictive accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 [95% Confidence Interval: 0.83-0.87] for both good and excellent outcomes. Optimal NIHSS thresholds were ≤8 for good and ≤7 for excellent outcomes. Advanced age, higher pre-stroke mRS, diabetes, and higher procedure passes significantly reduced prognostic accuracy. NIHSS at 24h, with thresholds of ≤8 and ≤7, is the best surrogate for predicting good and excellent functional outcomes in MCA-M2 occlusion patients. Prognostic value diminishes with advanced age, pre-stroke disability, and comorbidities such as diabetes.

In recent technology nodes, reliability is increasingly considered a part of the standard design flow to be taken into account at all levels of embedded systems design. While traditional fault simulation techniques based on low-level models at gate- and register transfer-level offer high accuracy, they are too inefficient to properly cope with the complexity of modern embedded systems. Moreover, they do not allow for early exploration of design alternatives when a detailed model of the whole system is not yet available, which is highly required to increase the efficiency and quality of the design flow. Multi-level models that combine the simulation efficiency of high abstraction models with the accuracy of low-level models are therefore essential to efficiently evaluate the impact of physical defects on the system. This paper proposes a methodology to efficiently implement concurrent multi-level fault simulation across gate- and transaction-level models in an integrated simulation environment. It leverages state-of-the-art techniques for efficient fault simulation of structural faults together with transaction-level modeling. This combination of different models allows to accurately evaluate the impact of faults on the entire hardware/software system while keeping the computational effort low. Moreover, since only selected portions of the system require low-level models, early exploration of different design alternatives is efficiently supported. Experimental results obtained from three case studies are presented to demonstrate the high accuracy of the proposed method when compared with a standard gate/RT mixed-level approach and the strong improvement of simulation time which is reduced by four orders of magnitude in average.