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- Antagonistic interactions (1)
- Barbatula barbatula (1)
- Cottus gobio (1)
- Faxonius limosus (1)
- Grayscale (1)
- Problematic smartphone use (1)
- Smartphone addiction (1)
- Suffering (1)
- Types of smartphone use (1)
- X-ray computer tomography (XRT) (1)
Counts of SARS-CoV-2-related deaths have been key numbers for justifying severe political, social and economical measures imposed by authorities world-wide. A particular focus thereby was the concomitant excess mortality (EM), i.e. fatalities above the expected all-cause mortality (AM). Recent studies, inter alia by the WHO, estimated the SARS-CoV-2-related EM in Germany between 2020 and 2021 as high as 200 000. In this study, we attempt to scrutinize these numbers by putting them into the context of German AM since the year 2000. We propose two straightforward, age-cohort-dependent models to estimate German AM for the ‘Corona pandemic’ years, as well as the corresponding flu seasons, out of historic data. For Germany, we find overall negative EM of about −18 500 persons for the year 2020, and a minor positive EM of about 7000 for 2021, unveiling that officially reported EM counts are an exaggeration. In 2022, the EM count is about 41 200. Further, based on NAA-test-positive related death counts, we are able to estimate how many Germans have died due to rather than with CoViD-19; an analysis not provided by the appropriate authority, the RKI. Through 2020 and 2021 combined, our due estimate is at no more than 59 500. Varying NAA test strategies heavily obscured SARS-CoV-2-related EM, particularly within the second year of the proclaimed pandemic. We compensated changes in test strategies by assuming that age-cohort-specific NAA-conditional mortality rates during the first pandemic year reflected SARS-CoV-2-characteristic constants.
X-ray computer tomography (XRT) is a three-dimensional, nondestructive, and thus reproducible examination method that allows for the investigation of internal and external structures of objects. Due to its characteristics, the XRT technique has increasingly established itself as an alternative examination method and is also applied in the field of mineral processing. Within this work, XRT is used to investigate the influence of hydrochloric acid leaching of iron-rich bauxites on grain composition. Acid leaching is a promising method for the beneficiation of iron-rich bauxites for refractories. Many studies have already established that leaching with hydrochloric acid can reduce the Fe₂O₃ content in bauxites. However, apart from the influence of the leaching process on the composition of the bauxites, aspects such as the influence of the acid on the exact grain constitution or the porosity behavior have rarely been considered so far. To address these open questions, XRT analysis was used to examine and characterize various bauxites. By comparing identical grains before and after leaching, it was observed that in gibbsite bauxites the acid penetration is deeper, and the volume decreases significantly. In diasporic and boehmitic bauxites, clear leaching edges can be seen in which the iron content has been reduced.
Potential impacts of invasive crayfish on native
benthic fish: shelter use and agonistic behaviour
(2023)
Spinycheek crayfish (Faxonius limosus) and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) are successful North American invasive crayfish species distributed throughout Europe. Both species compete with native benthic fish for shelter. In a laboratory approach, we assessed competition for shelter and antagonistic interactions between these invasive crayfish species and the native benthic fish species, stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) and bullhead (Cottus gobio). This allows for studying the potential impacts of invasive crayfish on native benthic fish. Spinycheek crayfish and signal crayfish were able to gain control of the shelter and could successfully displace both benthic fish species. For stone loach, the presence of crayfish significantly decreased their shelter use and caused several behavioural changes such as reduced activity and increased hiding behaviour outside the shelter. Although the shelter use by bullheads was not reduced, they displayed similar behavioural changes, if less intense. Invasive crayfish species showed remarkable combative interactions against both species of benthic fishes, evidenced by the high number of aggressive interactions, especially concerning stone loach. Our results highlight the pronounced dominance of invasive crayfish over benthic fish in terms of shelter competition and aggressive interactions under laboratory conditions, which consequently might promote the latter’s exposure to predation.
Increasingly, problematic smartphone use behavior (PSU) and excessive consumption are reported. In this study, an experiment was developed to investigate the influence of screen coloration using the grayscale setting on smartphone usage time in repeated measurements. We also investigated how individuals perceived suffering correlates with smartphone usage time and PSU, and whether differences exist by smartphone usage type (social, process, habitual). 240 subjects completed a questionnaire about smartphone usage time, PSU, perceived suffering, and smartphone usage types. Afterward, their smartphones were switched to grayscale setting for at least 24h, and thereafter 92 of these participants completed the second questionnaire. Analyses showed that grayscale setting decreases usage time and that there is a positive correlation between PSU, smartphone usage duration, and perceived suffering. The types of use (process and habitual) influence one’s perceived suffering. Thus, it shows that individuals are aware of their PSU and suffer from it. Using grayscale setting is effective in reducing smartphone use time.