Cellular adhesion and contractility are essential for cell movement. In this study, we investigated the effects of actin stabilization on adhesion properties, contractility, and cell migration. For this, we used the recently synthesized actin stabilizer miuraenamide A (MiuA), which has been discussed as a more reliable alternative to the otherwise commonly used actin stabilizer jasplakinolide. We investigated the number and size of focal adhesions in RPE-1 cells and used single-cell force spectroscopy to evaluate the adhesion properties of those cells after MiuA treatment. We showed that MiuA increases the number of focal adhesions while decreasing their size and reduces adhesion energy and force. Additionally, we investigated its effects on the contractility of RPE-1 cells by measuring their contractile energy using pattern-based contractility screening (PaCS). We found no significant change in contractility after MiuA treatment. Finally, we confined RPE-1 cells in PDMS microchannels and analyzed their migration after treatment with MiuA, showing that neither their speed nor their persistence is affected by MiuA. To check that these effects are not specific to RPE-1 cells, we also analyzed the effects of MiuA treatment in MEF cells and neutrophils. Both MEF cells and neutrophils showed the same results as the RPE-1 cells. Our measurements indicate that, although altering focal adhesions significantly reduces adhesion, it does not impact cell contractility. This finding also clarifies why amoeboid migration, which operates independently of adhesion, remains unaffected. Additionally, it explains the previously observed reduction in mesenchymal migration, which relies on adhesion-based mechanisms.

High-renewables grids are planned in min but judged in milliseconds; credible studies must therefore resolve both horizons within a single model. Current adequacy tools bypass fast frequency dynamics, while detailed simulators lack multi-hour optimization, leaving investors without a unified basis for sizing storage, shifting demand, or upgrading transfers. We present a two-layer Hierarchical Model Predictive Control framework that links 15-min scheduling with 1-s corrective action and apply it to Germany’s four TSO zones under a stringent zero-exchange stress test derived from the NEP 2045 baseline. Batteries, vehicle-to-grid, pumped hydro and power-to-gas technologies are captured through aggregators; a decentralized optimizer pre-positions them, while a fast layer refines setpoints as forecasts drift; all are subject to inter-zonal transfer limits. Year-long simulations hold frequency within ±2 mHz for 99.9% of hours and below ±10 mHz during the worst multi-day renewable lull. Batteries absorb sub-second transients, electrolyzers smooth surpluses, and hydrogen turbines bridge week-long deficits — none of which violate transfer constraints. Because the algebraic core is modular, analysts can insert new asset classes or policy rules with minimal code change, enabling policy-relevant scenario studies from storage mandates to capacity-upgrade plans. The work elevates predictive control from plant-scale demonstrations to system-level planning practice. It unifies adequacy sizing and dynamic-performance evaluation in a single optimization loop, delivering an open, scalable blueprint for high-renewables assessments. The framework is readily portable to other interconnected grids, supporting analyses of storage obligations, hydrogen roll-outs and islanding strategies.

Background: Backpacks are essential in the daily lives of children. Carrying a heavy backpack affects trunk posture during standing. It remains unclear, whether this effect is also observed during gait. Research question: How do different backpack weights affect trunk kinematics during walking in children? Methods: Sixteen children stood and walked on a 5 m walkway with a custom load-carrying-system simulating unloaded and loaded backpacks (10 %;20 %;30 % of body mass (BM). A marker-based 3D motion analysis system captured whole-body kinematics (Rizzoli model). During walking, the primary outcomes were the maximum ranges of motion (RoM;[°]) of thoracic and lumbar trunk segmental angles in three planes. During standing, the average angles over 5 s were measured in three planes. Secondary measures included stride length, stride time, and velocity during walking. The children's own backpacks' weights were measured and expressed as a percentage of body mass. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated-measures ANOVA (α=0.05) and Tukey-Kramer post hoc test. Results: The average weight of the children’s own backpack was 15.4 ± 7.4 %BM. For the experimental conditions, the average weights added to the load-carrying system were 3.3 ± 0.8 kg (10 %BM), 6.5 ± 1.7 kg (20 %BM), and 9.8 ± 2.5 kg (30 %BM). During standing, the average trunk flexion angles (sagittal plane) of the lumbar trunk segment significantly increased with increased backpack weight (p = 0.002). During walking, no changes in sagittal plane RoM but significant decreases in lumbar and thoracic transversal and frontal plane RoM (p < 0.001), stride length (p = 0.047) and velocity (p = 0.041) were observed with additional weight. No significant differences were observed for stride time between the conditions. Significance: Added backpack weight led to a more flexed trunk posture during standing and reduced transversal and frontal plane trunk movement, stride length, and gait velocity during walking. These adjustments likely compensate for the dorsally displaced center of mass and minimize energy expenditure by reducing trunk-backpack-angular momentum during walking.

Blue and green spaces in cities provide essential ecosystem services to their inhabitants, including recreational and experiential opportunities. Their importance became further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic as urbanites sought to relieve some of the associated pressure. However, urban ecosystems are threatened by degradation and pollution, but also by other activities, including recreation. In this context, protected areas face the challenge of balancing visitor interests with conservation objectives, particularly in peri-urban areas. Social media provides an opportunity to analyse human activities in such areas. This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns in Instagram photos at three case study sites in Vienna, Lainzer Tiergarten, Lobau, and Nussberg with different protection statuses between 2018 and 2022. Automated content labeling using Google's Cloud Vision API and subsequent classification identified 19 clusters from 54,751 downloaded photos. Seasonal variations were observed, such as the prevalence of Plant and Insect photos in spring and summer, and Landscape content in autumn and winter. The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with and contributed to an increase in user activity, but seasonal trends were unaffected. Site-specific patterns also emerged, with Panoramas dominating in Nussberg, the Riverscape characterizing Lobau, and Woodlands dominating in Lainzer Tiergarten. Our findings demonstrate that automated social media photo content analysis can capture spatial and temporal variations in visitor behavior and landscape preferences, providing valuable insights for targeted visitor management and the establishment of conservation strategies in peri-urban ecosystems. Integrating these analyses with other methods, such as surveys or mobile phone tracking, can provide a more comprehensive understanding of human-environment interactions.

In acute stroke patients, arithmetic fact retrieval deficits have been observed due to disrupted white matter connections within a left-hemispheric network centered around the angular gyrus and middle temporal gyrus (Smaczny et al., 2023). However, it remains unclear which specific structural disconnections also hinder successful remediation in the chronic stage of stroke. In this study, 92 patients were examined to determine which impairments continue to affect multiplication performance even in the chronic phase after a first-time unilateral left-hemispheric stroke. Our results revealed a strong association between impaired multiplication performance and the disconnection of left long-term memory (para)hippocampal areas from left frontal and right parietal regions. Thus, unlike previous findings in the acute stroke phase, our results in the chronic phase emphasize the importance of (para)hippocampal regions for successful multiplication performance. We suggest that the affected areas and connections in chronic patients with persistent multiplication problems not only indicate areas that are crucial for the relearning of arithmetic facts, but also those crucial for the learning of arithmetic facts in general. More generally, we suggest that the acquisition of arithmetic facts depends on structural integrity of a network centered around the left (para)hippocampus, while the retrieval of consolidated arithmetic facts from memory relies on the integrity of a left-hemispheric network involving angular gyrus and middle temporal gyrus.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the bacterial species capable of forming multilayered biofilms on implants. Such biofilms formed on implanted medical devices often require the removal of the implant in order to avoid sepsis or, in the worst case, even the death of the patient. To address the problem of unwanted S. aureus biofilm formation, its first step, i.e., adhesion, must be understood and prevented. Thus, the development of adhesion-reducing surface coatings for implant materials is of utmost importance. In this work, we used single-cell force spectroscopy to analyze the adhesion of the biofilm-forming S. aureus strain SA113 on naive and protein-coated silicon surfaces (SiO2). In addition to the wild type, we used the SA113 ΔdltA knockout mutant to further investigate the effect of d-alanylation of lipoteichoic acids of the cell wall. In order to examine how the surface charge affects adhesion, we coated silanized SiO2 surfaces with amphiphilic class II hydrophobins. The naturally occurring hydrophobin HFBI was used as well as the HFBI variant D40Q/D43N, which is less negatively charged at physiological pH due to the exchange of two acidic aspartate residues. These two types of hydrophobin-coated surfaces resemble each other in roughness and wettability but differ only in charge. By measurement of the forces with which each S. aureus strain binds to hydrophobin-coated surfaces, we show that the adhesion of S. aureus at surfaces can be influenced by the charges exposed by the target surfaces. Therefore, in addition to hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions between the cell and the hydrophilic surface govern adhesion on these surfaces. Moreover, we found that for both HFBI coatings, the adhesion strength of S. aureus is reduced by nearly a factor of 30 compared to silanized SiO2 surfaces. Therefore, hydrophobin coatings are of great interest for further use in the field of biomedical surface coating.

1. Camera traps can generate huge amounts of images, and thus reliable methods for their automated processing are in high demand: in particular to find those images or image sequences that actually include animals. Automatically filtering out images that are empty or contain humans can be challenging, as images can be taken in different landscapes, habitats and light. Weather and seasonal conditions can vary greatly. Most of the images can be empty, because cameras using passive infrared sensors (PIR) trigger easily due to moving vegetation or rapidly varying shadows and sunny spots. Animals in images are often hiding behind vegetation, and camera traps will see them from previously unseen angles. Therefore, conventional animal image detection methods based on deep learning need huge training sets to achieve good accuracy. 2. We present a novel background removal approach based on movement masked images computed using sequences of images. Our deep vision classifier uses these movement images for classification instead of the original images. Additionally, we apply a deep active learning (active learning for deep models) for collecting training samples to reduce the number of annotations required from the user. 3. Our method performed well in singling out image sequences that actually include animals, thus filtering out the majority of images that were empty or contained humans. Most importantly, the method performed well also for backgrounds and animal species not seen in the training data. Active learning brought good separation between classes already with small training sets, without the need for laborious large-scale pre-annotation. 4. We present a reliable and efficient method for filtering out empty image sequences and sequences containing humans. This greatly facilitates camera trapping research by enabling researchers to restrict the task of animal classification to only those image sequences that actually contain animals.

The food industry is currently undergoing a profound transformation. Growing demands for sustainable production; heightened expectations of safety, quality, and quantity; and the urgent need for greater efficiency call for innovative solutions (see, for example, and the references therein). The transformation of the food system is supported and simultaneously demanded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and related initiatives such as the Global Panel. An important task in this regard is assigned to production, processing and analysis. This Special Issue on New Methods in Food Processing and Analysis brings together research that highlights how new technologies can help shape the future of food, addressing some of these demands. The articles in this collection present advances that, in part, go beyond incremental improvements. They showcase novel processing technologies, ranging from ultrasound to pulsed electric fields as pretreatment for innovative extraction processes and drying to ethanol pickling. At the same time, state-of-the-art analytical tools, such as laser-induced breakdown and fluorescence spectroscopy (combined with machine learning) for olive oil authentication and real-time-monitoring of dough mixing, open new avenues for controlling and optimizing food production. What unites these diverse approaches is their relevance to current challenges being faced. Ensuring sustainability, maintaining authenticity, and safeguarding traceability in complex supply chains are not merely technical issues—they are a concern of public trust and global food security. The contributions to this Special Issue therefore not only expand the scientific frontier but also provide practical strategies for industry and policy.

Locally extinct since the 1960s, the anadromous allis shad (Alosa alosa) was reintroduced into the Rhine system through a restocking programme beginning in 2007. The population is now showing positive signs of recovery, with natural reproduction occurring for several years and a decreasing proportion of stocked fish. These findings suggest the future establishment of a self-sustaining population. Our study aimed to identify the spawning sites in the Rhine system. We conducted a tank experiment and kept shad larvae in water from four sub-catchments of the Rhine system. We analysed trace substance concentrations in water samples and the microchemical composition of otoliths from reared larvae. Using a random forest model, we were able to correctly attribute the larvae to the sub-catchment where they were raised based on elemental/ratio (Sr/Ca) and strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr). From the 66 allis shad caught in the Rhine system between 2017 and 2020, seven individuals (11%) were identified as being stocked. Of the 59 remaining individuals that came from natural reproduction, 37 were attributed to the Rhine, 7 to the Neckar and 4 to the Lippe sub-catchments with high certainty. We also observed allis shads dispersed in adjacent catchment areas and a homing behaviour. A total of 27% of the adults (n = 9) and 8% of the juveniles (n = 2) were assigned to any of the four sub-catchments included in our model, suggesting the need to expand the model and include additional sub-catchments to cover all spawning sites in the Rhine system and adjacent catchments.

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is prevalent and a multimodal therapy is indicated, including psychological treatment. Effective conventional treatments involve psychoeducation and mindfulness-based body scans, while virtual reality offers superior but temporary pain relief. Augmented Reality (AR), which combines conventional and virtual methods, is a novel therapeutic strategy. Methods: We investigated the viability and acceptability of an AR intervention for CLBP by incorporating psychoeducation and mindfulness-based body scan techniques. 40 participants in two studies with a one-arm design underwent an educational AR intervention (Study I, n1 = 18) and an enhanced version with an additional body scan (Study II, n2 = 22). The studies focused on evaluating technical feasibility and multiple facets of user experience. Results: The results demonstrated high feasibility with low dropout rates (Study I: 10%, Study II: 0%). User experience ratings ranged from “Above Average” to “Excellent,” with the advanced intervention receiving higher ratings. While Study I showed no significant changes in affect pre- vs. post-intervention, Study II exhibited a significant reduction in negative affect and improved valence. Qualitative analysis provided insights into technical requirements and user perceptions. Discussion: The AR prototype emerges as a promising psychoeducational tool for CLBP, aligning with current treatment guidelines and providing a basis for future controlled clinical trials. Limitations include the absence of a high-pain intervention group, as Study I reported a pain intensity of M = 1.05 and Study II reported M = 1.77 (Range: 0–10). Further research such as clinical trials with control groups is required to validate the efficacy of the piloted approach. The AR-based psychoeducation and mindfulness body scan intervention for CLBP demonstrated technical feasibility and a good user experience.

This work explores the combination of direct numerical simulations (DNSs) and experimental approaches for studying technical emulsification processes. Although emulsions have long been used in a variety of industries and many important research papers have been published over the years, quantifying and predicting the dispersion of droplets in another liquid remains challenging because of the complex multiphase nature and microscopic droplet scales. This study focuses on water-in-gasoline emulsions, which have the potential to improve efficiency and reduce emissions in combustion-based power generation. Experimental data from two different emulsion injection systems are complemented with DNS to gain insight into emulsification and the resulting droplet size distribution. In situ shadow imaging is used to acquire the experimental droplet size distributions, whereas DNS is performed via the geometric volume of fluid (VoF) method with the open-source code PARIS. The results indicate consistent agreement between the experimental and simulation results. Additionally, a corresponding trend of increasing droplet size is observed as the volume fraction of the dispersed phase increases. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of various probability density functions for modeling droplet size distributions (DSDs) reveals that the gamma distribution is the most appropriate. Overall, this work demonstrates that DNS can be successfully combined with experiments to increase the understanding of emulsification processes.

This article discusses ethics in times of pandemic crisis (COVID-19) taking into consideration the sustainability paradigm. Two related ethical approaches are discussed and contrasted. On the one hand, the relational embodied ethics of the commons is discussed in the background of the pandemic of COVID-19. On the other hand, "lifeboat ethics" is interpreted in considering the pandemic situation. The main goal of the article is to compare the two ethical approaches as a way of dealing with our shared predicament in times of a pandemic, a state of exception, and based on that, to additionally derive conclusions about their application in further crises in the Anthropocene, whereby the primacy of sustainability is presumed.

This paper analyzes some of the assumptions in which the varied use of technologies to confront the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and protect people's health has impacted on the fundamental right to the protection of personal data; to do so, it starts from the premise that the use of these technologies cannot mean an affectation to the referred fundamental right, much less an indiscriminate treatment of such data without any minimum control whatsoever.

Covid-19 outbreak had a huge impact on the economy worldwide as businesses had to close or cease their activities due to the lockdown regulations. The “luckiest” firms were able to operate but under restricted conditions. In order to avoid what certain authors called “bankruptcy epidemic” European countries took economic and fiscal measures to help companies compensate their financial losses. In addition to Government Grants, emergency legislations have been adopted with the aim to adapt insolvency and restructuring procedures to the sanitary situation and specific rules relating to company Law have also been implemented. This paper deals with the measures taken by the state of Luxembourg and gives a brief overview of the legal amendments

The following collection of manuscripts emerged from an international and interdisciplinary Virtual Exchange that took place during Covid-19 Pandemic in March/April 2021 organised by Prof. Milena Valeva and Prof. Kathrin Nitschmann. Covid 19 had -and still has in parts of the world- led to severe restrictions of fundamental liberties worldwide and thus enhanced debates on ethics and human rights. This debate appeared as a common denominator connecting citizens in countries all over the world. One of the concrete consequences for students was certainly the reduction of mobility, not only in the sense of not being allowed to visit the university but also in canceling planned international exchanges. In this context, the virtual exchange offered a chance not only to overcome the still lasting restrictions on mobility but also to exchange daily life experiences of students in Covid-times, merging into restrictions and/or violation of human rights in a legal and ethical dimension. Students from Peru, Israel and Bulgaria participated in the virtual exchange, which was supported by the International Teaching Award of Trier University of Applied Sciences, within the frame of of a summer school and had the opportunity to work synchronously and asynchronously in international and interdisciplinary teams on the topic COVID-19 - ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND HUMAN RIGHTS - EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS. Colleagues from Cape Town, Peru, Spain and Israel supported the event by their professional presentations. This special issue and at the same time first issue of the JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVES is a collection of the manuscripts of the speakers, which at the same time reflects the diversity of the topics discussed and the international perspectives. Since this is a compilation of manuscripts, the authors were responsible for the scientific formulation of the texts. Content: Letlhokwa George Mpedi: Freedom of trade, occupation and profession in times of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa Larissa Glidja-Yao: Impact of COVID-19 on company & insolvency law: An overview of Luxemburgish responses Kathrin Nitschmann: On the development of compulsory vaccation in Germany in the interplay between general health protection and individual self-determination - a never-ending story? Diego Zegarra Valdivia: The use of technological tools in the fight against COVID-19 & its implications on the fundamental right to the protection of personal data - an approach José Joaquín Fernández Alles: Human rights in the new pact on migration on [and] asylum of European Union: An open society or closed society Milena Valeva & Yotam Lurie: Spinning ethical plates in times of pandemic and sustainability

Following arguments about feasibility of implementing and application of the Rights of Nature, this article is based on the exposition of elements of an economic nature in opposition to the (confirming) proclaimed position, adding a new point of view in relation to the different perspectives. Therefore, the perspectives proposed here will be divided into three argumentative nuclei: the inability to maintain the actual environmental programs as a competitive economy, custom of all these projects to the members of the European Union and the energy crisis, linked to the failure to agree on new plans for energy supplies across.

It's necessary to recognize nature rights in the European Union in order to guarantee an effective protection of natural entities and the common good. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 1,677 species out of 15,060 European species assessed are threatened with extinction (European Parliament, 2020). Currently, there are many dangers to ecosystems and biodiversity in Europe, such as climate change, urbanization and leisure activities, the pollution of air, water and soil as a consequence from agriculture, illegal killing and hunting, invasive species, and forestry activities (European Environment Agency, 2020). In attention to these issues, we – as a society – need to find an effective way to protect nature. This essay will demonstrate how the recognition of the rights of nature is a valuable tool for achieving effective protection of ecosystems in European countries.

The current global scenario is marked by conflicts, inequalities, and geopolitical tensions, which have created a growing sense of global insecurity, combined with the stagnation of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the worsening of the climate emergency. This situation presents outcomes completely opposed to the promise of a better future, with greater prosperity and peace, which technological and scientific advances were supposed to bring to both people and the planet. These outcomes also demonstrate that we are wasting the opportunity to use technology, science, and global interconnectedness to achieve the aforementioned improvements (United Nations, 2024, Dec 22nd). The global community needs to find real solutions capable of changing the course we are setting for the future of the planet and humanity. In this regard, during the Summit of the Future, held in September 2024, world leaders made a series of commitments to sustainable development, financing for development, peace, international security, science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation, youth, future generations, and the transformation of global governance, establishing the “Pact for the Future” and its annexes: the “Global Digital Compact” and the “Declaration on Future Generations”, which aim to create international mechanisms to respond to current and future challenges and opportunities, striving for more security, justice, sustainability, and prosperity (United Nations, 2024, Sep). In face to this scenario, environmental protection has become one of the greatest challenges for the global community. To address this, we need to mobilize all the means and resources available across various fields of knowledge. Among the tools available for environmental protection, ecological awareness and the transformative power of legal systems stand out, as well as the influences these instruments can have on each other in a mutual and continuous manner.

Conclusion: Law is, and will ever be, a human (a societal) construct. As such, its instruments will always, tably, require human mediation. Given the seemly unstoppable acceleration of the ecological crisis, it is plausible that innovative proposals start to challenge the human-nature dualism enshrined in Law. Nevertheless, in doing so, some proposals risk fetishizing concepts, being merely performative without demonstrating real capacity to challenge the dualistic structure of the legal order. In fact, rights are a markedly humanistic juridical figure; therefore, transplanting them to non-human subjects generates a series of dogmatic problems, while reproducing the same individualistic worldview. The RoN are congenitally divisive and reductionist, forcing an unnatural enclosure of ecological systems in contained units and putting them in competition with other (human) rights. This is precisely what should be avoided if we take the present predicament seriously. The focus of an authentically transformative legal theory should not be to extend the legal realm to colonize nature. On the contrary, the focus should be on integrating ecological dynamics into the legal order. Instead of giving rights to nature, we should be attributing humans stringent obligations towards nature. If the goal is to affect human behavior, which is the source of the immense devastation unraveling, then the reasonable way forward is to act on human behavior. It is the Law that must “ecologize”, not the other way around.

The debate on whether nature should have its own rights has been carried out for decades, ever since the concept was introduced by Stone (1972). The intention has remained the same: protect natural entities within our anthropocentric world by using our own weapons. Although preserving the environment has become an even more urgent matter with the progressing loss in biodiversity, at the same time, legal instruments for its protection have evolved as well. This raises the question of the necessity of Rights of Nature. Were all those legal tools enforced in an effective and timely manner, would our environment be sufficiently protected from human interferences? The current legal system, especially in European countries, is based on an anthropocentric view of the world. This grants natural entities protection only in their relation and worth to humans. Acknowledging nature’s inherent value might be a new innovative idea within western societies. However, it is a concept that has been practiced by indigenous peoples for a long time. Their ecocentric worldview has been eradicated from international and national law by colonialists (Guzmán, 2019). By introducing Rights of Nature in Europe, this ecocentric approach would be included in a legal system that is still based in a society in which anthropocentric views are deeply rooted. Despite the growing awareness of human effects on nature and the necessity to protect the planet as well as prevent further climate change, granting natural entities intrinsic rights would require a paradigm shift not only in European law systems but also in western societies (Peppoloni, 2024). Since rapid action is vital for preserving our environment, it is questionable whether enough time remains for such a fundamental transition. Using and enhancing existing tools within the current system might be more effective. Therefore, the following article will show legal instruments already in place. As they are partly still lacking in their execution, room for improvement will be demonstrated, which would finally enable them to together provide sufficient protection for European nature. Namely, these tools include the Precautionary Principle, Human Rights, Nature Conservation laws and the possibility of litigation on behalf of the environment. These assessments will be made from a European point of view. It should be noted that analysing legal tools within other parts of the world rooted in different cultures might lead to divergent results.

[AI generated:] This paper examines the development of arguments in favor of recognizing the rights of nature, particularly in the context of recent global social demonstrations supporting this paradigm shift. Despite the initial advantages associated with adopting this position, various theoretical and practical obstacles emerged during the argument compilation process. To ensure a clear and convincing argumentation, the position was divided into four key points. First, the legal possibility of this recognition is discussed from various philosophical theories. Next, the central role of NGOs and other environmental groups is highlighted. The third argument considers the practical perspective of judicial representation and general principles of law. Finally, an economic argument is presented that brings together the main concerns of many states in support of this paradigm shift. The arguments were developed with consideration of the key criticisms from the opposition, aiming not only to counter these questions but primarily to strengthen the position.

During the last decades, several actions have been carried out to try to reduce and even stop the repercussions of climate change, such as the creation of politics, laws, treaties and diverse mechanisms of action to ensure the care and protection of nature, however, such measures have not been enough to reduce the diverse types of impacts that the planetary ecosystem suffers. Throughout this section, the integration of the ecocentric vision in the Law will be developed, with the main objective of recognizing the inherent rights of nature in Europe. This will be achieved through the use of existing legal and juridical figures, with special emphasis on Latin American latitudes, with the purpose of incorporating this modern advance of law in the European normative framework.

This chapter illustrates the interconnections between indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights, and environmental protection, highlighting their potential to reinforce each other within the context of the RoN. Through the case study of the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017, the discussion examines the implementation of RoN in Aotearoa, New Zealand, its alignment with Māori legal and spiritual traditions, and the broader implications for the country’s environmental policy, justice frameworks, and decolonization efforts.

This report summarizes the arguments presented by Prof. Dr. Milena Valeva during the second panel discussion, which was held in preparation for the planned simulated parliamentary debate of the students. The experts, Prof. Dr. Alexandra Aragão and Prof. Dr. Milena Valeva, shared their insights from the fields of political theory, environmental ethics, and human rights on the topic of Democracy, Rights of Nature (RoN) and social norm dynamics. The basis for Valeva’s arguments was provided by the central claim of Aragão to emphasize the role of Environmental Pragmatism, which rejects the notion that effective environmental action requires a radical transformation of human value systems or adherence to one ultimate ethical principle. Instead, it promotes open-ended inquiry and adaptive democratic decision-making to navigate complex, real-world ecological challenges. The Paris Agreement, which employs a bottom-up and iterative approach, favoring flexible “pledge and review” systems, is celebrated as an embodiment of pragmatic climate diplomacy that fosters ambition through mutual accountability and continuous reassessment. To further deliberate on this central claim, Valeva elaborated on the following two central questions, which refer to her paper titled “From Human Dignity and Human Rights to Sustainability within the Context of Democracy," published in Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Interplay between Human Rights and Sustainability (Special Issue 2/2024). * What are the limits of liberal democracy in dealing with sustainability and RoN? * What is the potential of republican democracy for executing sustainability and RoN?

This issue presents the contributions of the participants of the international DAAD Blended Mobility Project “Giving nature its own rights - ethical and legal perspectives and the influence on the realization of selected SDGs” which took place in wintersemester 2025 at Trier University of Applied Science, Environmental Campus Birkenfeld (UCB) under the guidance of Prof. Valeva and Prof. Nitschmann and in collaboration with the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and the University of Coimbra supported by Prof. Zegarra (PUCP) and Prof. Aragão (University of Coimbra). The DAAD funded project used the concept of global education to strengthen students' democratic competences and social participation and integrates intercultural dimensions into teaching. Its content is in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and is linked to the curricular content of the studies “Non-Profit Management”, “Environmental Economics and Environmental Law” and “Sustainable Business and Technology” at the UCB. As part of the project, students and professors from Peru and Portugal visited the UCB for a workshop week in the winter semester 2024/25. Understanding and methods for interpreting the global agenda of the UN regarding the SDGs were developed within the framework of this ESD project. Students worked together in teams virtually and in person under the guidance of experts to critically evaluate existing anthropocentric systems and their imbalances and to develop strategies for overcoming the challenges of an ecocentered approach for the law and the system in general (institutions, companies, civil society). Ahead of the mobility phase and the technical content on the SDGs and diverse Rights of Nature (RoN) perspectives, language and culture were key themes in the two virtual kick-off events. This approach made it possible to raise transcultural and ecological awareness and thus paves the way for interdisciplinary knowledge building in teams. The intense mobility week started off with creating international mixed teams which were the work groups for the whole week. Input was given by experts within moderated panel discussions referring to different perspectives such as ethics and society and law and culture. The project focused on the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park as a natural entity and local example, serving as a starting point for case studies from selected countries to provide a broad basis for interpreting SDGs 13, 14, 15, and 16. Students were introduced to the biodiversity of the park by an expert ranger and used it as an experience-oriented and stimulating place to experience the intelligence of nature. To perform a well-prepared simulated parliament debate, four internationally composed teams were defined, whereby a particular real case study in the area of RoN was assigned to two teams. The preparation of the debate included the assignment of the debate’s roles to the team’s members and clarification of the functions of the given roles. The material preparation included research for and discussion about the relevant information, and the training of the argumentation scenarios. They prepared themselves or two possible scenarios: confirmation of the launching of RoN or rejection of it. The two case studies were defined as follows: 1. Grant legal rights to the Maranon River, demanding its protection as a rights-bearing entity, now! 2. Grant the status of a subject of rights to the little fox “Run Run”, now! The debate concept allowed the students to transfer their theoretic knowledge in practical skills and thus contributes to the learning outcome of defending democratic values by contributing actively in democratic processes. With the idea to perpetuate the outcome of the project this issue publishes the student works related to the final debate and is completed by professors’ perspectives. Content: CHAPTER 1 – Theoretical Impulses and Panel Discussions within the DAAD Rights of Nature Project 2024 (Report) Alexandra Aragão: Foundations for a theory of radical legal eco-innovation: the paradigm of Rights of Nature Milena Valeva: Panel Discussion on Democracy, Rights of Nature and Social Norm Dynamics Kathrin Nitschmann: Researching the problem: Would an Rights of Nature Concept be THE solution? Nina Giordano: The Te Awa Tupua Act: How Nature’s Legal Standing Strengthens Indigenous and Human Rights CHAPTER 2 – Part I – Case Study: Granting legal rights to the Maranon River as a rights-bearing entity Lynette Annau: Granting Rights to Naturals Objects: The Future of Environmental Protection or Cultural Mismatch? Jesus Bernal: Anthropocentrism – an Obstacle to the Protection of Nature Malika Arstan: Economic Advantages of Granting the Rights of Nature Claudia Rocio Crespo Chavez: Is Europe Ready to Embrace the Recognition of Nature’s Rights? CHAPTER 2 – Part II – Case Study: Granting legal rights to the Maranon River as a rights-bearing entity Ana Murhiel Diaz Aguilar: Going to the Court doesn’t ensure that the environment will be protected Lilly Roth: Legal Instruments to Protect the Environment outside of Rights of Nature Tobias Becker: Public Support and Challenges in Recognizing the Rights of Nature: A European Perspective Maria J. Paixão: Legal Fetishism in Times of Polycrisis CHAPTER 3 – Part I – Case Study: Granting a Status of a Subject of Rights to the Peruvian Little Fox “Run Run” Jamie Moser: The Case of Run Run and the Emergence of a Nature – Centered Legal Framework José Heleno P. Vanzeler: Ecological Awareness and the Power of Law in Realizing the Rights of Nature Roya Qazen: From the Rights of Man to the Social Contract for Geoethics toward the Rights of Nature Amanda Erin Regalado Romero: Foundations for the recognition of the Rights of Nature in the European Union CHAPTER 3 – Part II – Case Study: Granting a Status of a Subject of Rights to the Peruvian Little Fox “Run Run” Ronald Sebastián Yaipén Polo: The Rights of Nature: The Answer to a Poorly Framed Debate Maria Eduarda Terra e Zeitune: Economic Challenges and the Rights of Nature: A Conflict Between Sustainable Growth and Environmental Conservation Yannick Wagner: Culture matters – Why the Rights of Nature don't fit the European Union

Through jewelry, I aim to raise awareness of psychosomatic disorders conditions many silently endure. Jewelry, as a personal and tangible medium, interacts directly with the body, making it a powerful channel for expressing inner emotional wounds in a visible and intimate form. Inspired by psychologists such as Gabor Maté, Alice Miller, and Joyce McDougall who emphasize the deep connection between emotional experiences and the body my work seeks to spark honest and meaningful conversations about mental health and also drawing on the theories of Tilmann Habermas and Donald Winnicott, I explore how objects can embody vulnerability rooted in childhood. Jewelry, like a childhood doll, can act as a transitional object, worn close to the body, symbolizing connection, memory, and emotional support. Jewelry is more than physical adornment. It holds psychological and emotional weight, reflecting our inner states. Jewelry, in particular, shows how adornment can mirror mental and emotional realities. These objects are not only wearable but also speak on behalf of important issues such as mental health, making them both intimate and socially resonant. According to my research about psychosomatic problems, repressed emotions from childhood remain stored within the body. A child who feels hurt, ignored, or abandoned may find those realities too overwhelming to face, and in response, constructs a fantasy world to emotionally survive. To represent this imagined world, I create jewelry with playful, illusory, and childlike forms. However, their rough, organic textures made from bio-based materials hint at the hidden pain beneath the surface. These works expose how childhood coping mechanisms quietly persist into adulthood. To express the lingering impact of unresolved childhood experiences, I use incomplete forms and contrasting elements to evoke fragility. For me, incompleteness symbolizes wounds that never fully heal, continuing to shape our emotional lives. In some pieces, I incorporate heavy stones to represent the burden of unresolved psychological struggles and the weight of pressure that cannot easily be escaped. These works illustrate the emotional labor of confronting our past and emphasize the importance of selfawareness and healing. In my practice, I developed my bio-based materials with tactile textures sometimes harsh, raspy, and even unsettling that gradually evolved into a durable and waterproof form suitable for wearing on the body. These materials, along with irregular shapes and tension-filled contrasts in size, color, and form, visually express anxiety, inner conflict, and emotional pressure. Inspired by red AIDS ribbon, a small, simple symbol that raised global awareness, reduced stigma, and sparked compassion. It was powerful precisely because it had no author, no profit motive it was universal. Inspired by this concept, I created a series of simple brooches priced at 10 euros each, with the intention of producing many more. They are symbols of resilience and hope, designed to be accessible and to start conversations. Changing society is a big idea, but real change begins with individuals. If just one person is moved or transformed by wearing or encountering one of these pieces, then the work has succeeded. My goal is that each piece serves empathy, mindfulness, dialogue and creat awareness.

For smooth surfaces, chemical composition can be readily analyzed using various spectroscopic techniques, a prominent example is X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), where the relative proportions of the elements are mainly determined by the intensity ratio of the element-specific photoelectrons. However, this analysis becomes more complex for nanorough surfaces like black silicon (b-Si) due to the geometry's steep slopes, which mimic local variations in emission angles. In this study, this effect is explicitly quantified through an integral geometric analysis using Minkowski tensors, correlating XPS chemical data with topographical information from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). This approach yields reliable estimates of layer thicknesses for nanorough surfaces. For b-Si, it is found that the oxide layer is ≈50%–80% thicker than the native oxide layer on a standard Si wafer. This study underscores the significant impact of nanoscale geometries on chemical property analysis.

Background and aim: Clinical prediction rules (CPRs) are mathematical tools that are intended to guide clinicians in clinical decision making or predict a future outcome, but they seem rather unknown, under-utilized, or avoided by clinicians. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of CPRs in low-back pain (LBP) among physiotherapists. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 45 consenting specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapists from three public-funded teaching hospitals in Nigeria was carried out. An adapted validated questionnaire on facilitators and barriers to CPRs utilization, and a socio-demographic proforma were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Respondents were mostly males (71.1%), married (64.4%) and first-degree holders (55.6%). Twenty-eight (62.2%) of the respondents had above-average knowledge of CPRs in LBP. Rates for positive attitude towards, and utilization of CPRs were 37.8% and 15.6%. Knowledge and attitude about CPRs in LBP were not significantly influenced by socio-demographic factors (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant association between the utilization of CPRs and years of experience (χ2 = 10.339 p = 0.016). Conclusion: Most Nigerian physiotherapists had above-average knowledge, but a negative attitude and low utilization of CPRs in LBP. Clinicians’ years of clinical experience influence the usage of CPR. There is a need to incorporate training in CPRs into undergraduate and continuous professional development programmes.

Widespread insect losses are a critical global problem. Mitigating this problem requires identifying the principal drivers across different taxa and determining which insects are covered by protected areas. However, doing so is hindered by missing information on most species owing to extremely high insect diversity and difficulties in morphological identification. To address this knowledge gap, we used one of the most comprehensive insect DNA metabarcoding data sets assembled (encompassing 31,846 flying insect species) in which data were collected from a network of 75 Malaise traps distributed across Germany. Collection sites encompass gradients of land cover, weather, and climate, along with differences in site protection status, which allowed us to gain broader insights into how insects respond to these factors. We examined changes in total insect biomass, species richness, temporal turnover, and shifts in the composition of taxa, key functional groups (pollinators, threatened species, and invasive species), and feeding traits. Lower insect biomass generally equated to lower richness of all insects and higher temporal turnover, suggesting that biomass loss translates to biodiversity loss and less stable communities. Spatial variability in insect biomass and composition was primarily driven by land cover, rather than weather or climate change. As vegetation and land-cover heterogeneity increased, insect biomass increased by 50% in 2019 and 56% in 2020 and total species richness by 58% and 33%, respectively. Similarly, areas with low-vegetation habitats exhibited the highest richness of key taxa, including pollinators and threatened species, and the widest variety of feeding traits. However, these habitats tended to be less protected despite their higher diversity. Our results highlight the value of heterogeneous low vegetation for promoting overall insect biomass and diversity and that better protection of insects requires improved protection and management of unforested areas, where many biodiversity hotspots and key taxa occur.

(1) Objective: This study aims to lay a foundation for noncontact intensive care monitoring of premature babies. (2) Methods: Arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured using a monochrome camera and time-division multiplex controlled lighting at three different wavelengths (660 nm, 810 nm and 940 nm) on a piglet model. (3) Results: Using this camera system and our newly designed algorithm for further analysis, the detection of a heartbeat and the calculation of oxygen saturation were evaluated. In motionless individuals, heartbeat and respiration were separated clearly during light breathing and with only minor intervention. In this case, the mean difference between noncontact and contact saturation measurements was 0.7% (RMSE = 3.8%, MAE = 2.93%). (4) Conclusions: The new sensor was proven effective under ideal animal experimental conditions. The results allow a systematic improvement for the further development of contactless vital sign monitoring systems. The results presented here are a major step towards the development of an incubator with noncontact sensor systems for use in the neonatal intensive care unit.

In the sense of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global efforts to create a sustainable society will not be sufficiently successful under the current geopolitical and socio-economic trends. For this reason, recent sustainability research has increasingly focused on systemic coherence, the subject of cognition, and psychological and epistemological aspects. With regard to the sustainability discourse, this article proposes a perspective based on systems theory's findings in its enactivist interpretation. It understands this as a joint process of sense-making that must be actively maintained on an ongoing basis. Scientific knowledge and human experience are not described as mutually exclusive and informing spheres but as part of the world of experience actively spanned by the organism in its self-execution, which inherently involves ambiguities and complexity reductions that leave the subject and object undetermined. Such an understanding of systemic thinking should help to prevent the process of sustainable development itself from being called into question when some goals are inevitably missed.

The paper aims to review FinTechs' landscape in the context of their impact on countries' sustainable development reflected by SDG goals. The systematic literature review (SLR) applied the PRISMA methodology. It proved the worldwide systematically increasing scientific interest in surveying FinTechs and their contribution to SDGs' achievement. This trend has not yet been observed in Europe. Only a few papers directly refer to the relationship between FinTechs' and SDGs' achievement in European countries. Most of the research is qualitative. The topics range from conceptual framework to specific accomplishments of FinTech projects undertaken mainly by governments. They mostly refer to poverty alleviation through financial inclusion. The results of the systematic review of scientific research have shed light on the existing academic literature embracing both FinTech and SDGs issues, explored emerging trends in current research, and identified the main areas for further investigation.

Increasing evidence for insect biodiversity decline requires an identification of the causes but also an improved understanding of the limitations of the various underlying sampling methods. Trap comparisons foster comparability of larger-scale biodiversity studies by providing a deeper understanding of the variations in species abundances and trait compositions due to variations in trap characteristics. In our study, we compared five Malaise trap types on their catchability of butterfly species and noctuid moths and examined for the butterflies how this can be related to traits. We showed marked differences in species and trait occurrence in the samples of the different trap types which seemed to be influenced by roof colour (white, black) and trap shape (Townes trap: high, wide roof, Bartak trap: low, narrow roof). We found most butterfly species and most butterfly biomass in the white-roofed Townes trap. All butterfly traits were represented with most individuals in this trap. Compared with its black counterpart, it showed increased catches for pale butterflies and forest species. We found that dark-roofed traps captured fewer butterfly species and had a lower butterfly biomass. Townes traps captured more butterflies with larger wingspans, egg-laying locations higher above ground, and tree feeding behaviour compared to Bartak traps. Depending on the season and habitat, the differences in species capture may affect overall insect biomass.

Microbiologically Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) is a technology for improving soil characteristics, especially strength, that has been gaining increasing interest in literature during the last few years. Although a lot of influencing factors on the result of MICP are known, particle size and shape of the particles remain poorly understood. While destructive measuring of compressive strength or calcium carbonate content are important for the characterization of samples these methods give no insight into the internal structures and pore networks of the samples. X-ray microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) is a technique that is used to characterize the internals of rocks and to a certain degree MICP-treated soils. However, the impact of filtering and image processing of micro-CT Data depending on the type of MICP sample is poorly described in the literature. In this study, single fractions of local quarry were treated with MICP through the ureolytic microorganism Sporosarcina pasteurii to investigate the influence of particle size distribution on calcium carbonate content, unconfined compressive strength and the reduction of water permeability. Additionally, micro-CT was conducted to obtain insights into the resulting pore system. The impact of the Gauss filter und Non-local means filter on the resulting images and data on the pore network are discussed. The results show that particle size has a significant impact on the result of all tested parameters of biosandstone with lower particle size leading to higher strength and generally higher calcium carbonate content. Micro-CT data showed that the technology is feasible to gain valuable insights into the internal structures of biosandstone but the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio remain challenging, especially for samples with particle sizes smaller than 125 µm.

Introduction: The Evidence-Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale measures health professionals’ self-efficacy associated with evidence-based practice activities. The scale has been cross-culturally translated into German together with physical therapists. To support its use in German-speaking countries, the measurement properties of the scale need to be determined. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to assess the measurement properties of the German EPIC scale. In a preparatory step, we aimed to evaluate the comprehensibility of the scale among German-speaking occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and nurses. Methods: First, semi-structured cognitive interviews were used to evaluate the comprehensibility of the EPIC scale. Second, a longitudinal online survey with repeated measures (baseline and retest survey) was conducted. The target group included physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and nurses from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Reliability, responsiveness, and validity were evaluated using internal consistency, test-retest reliability, standard error of measurement, known-groups method, exploratory factor analysis and the minimal detectable change, respectively. Results: Comprehensibility of the German EPIC scale was confirmed by eleven health care professionals (four occupational therapists, two speech and language therapists, five nurses). The baseline and the retest surveys were completed by 708 and 222 participants, respectively. The measure demonstrated an internal consistency of .930, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for test-retest reliability of .936 (95% CI: .917 to .951). The standard error of measurement was 4.92, and the minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level was 6.02. All hypotheses in the known-groups method were confirmed, and construct validity was acceptable. Factor analysis revealed two main factors affecting the results of the scale. Conclusion: The findings provide evidence that supports the use of the German EPIC scale among health professionals. For instance, it can be used to evaluate self-efficacy during EBP training.

Mitigating ongoing losses of insects and their key functions (e.g. pollination) requires tracking large-scale and long-term community changes. However, doing so has been hindered by the high diversity of insect species that requires prohibitively high investments of time, funding and taxonomic expertise when addressed with conventional tools. Here, we show that these concerns can be addressed through a comprehensive, scalable and cost-efficient DNA metabarcoding workflow. We use 1815 samples from 75 Malaise traps across Germany from 2019 and 2020 to demonstrate how metabarcoding can be incorporated into large-scale insect monitoring networks for less than 50 € per sample, including supplies, labour and maintenance. We validated the detected species using two publicly available databases (GBOL and GBIF) and the judgement of taxonomic experts. With an average of 1.4 M sequence reads per sample we uncovered 10,803 validated insect species, of which 83.9% were represented by a single Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU). We estimated another 21,043 plausible species, which we argue either lack a reference barcode or are undescribed. The total of 31,846 species is similar to the number of insect species known for Germany (~35,500). Because Malaise traps capture only a subset of insects, our approach identified many species likely unknown from Germany or new to science. Our reproducible workflow (~80% OTU-similarity among years) provides a blueprint for large-scale biodiversity monitoring of insects and other biodiversity components in near real time.

Does the legal eradication of illicit crops in Colombia negatively impact the human rights of rural social groups living in the surrounding areas? Furthermore, can political and legal experiences of Germany contribute to this discussion? If you find these questions compelling, please keep reading. Through a set of papers, this section addresses the intricate relationship between human rights and the various policies that Colombian governments have implemented over the last few decades to eradicate illicit crops, in particular the coca plant.

The following article is intended to provide an initial overview about the relationship between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2015, as well as their Universal Human Rights of 1948, and catholic healthcare in the United States of America. The aim is to show why Catholicism in the US, despite its constitutional secularity, still has a major influence on ensuring adequate health care for all citizens and where religious influence conflicts with the basic principles of the SDGs and the UN's Universal Human Rights. This is done using the example of catholic hospitals and the role of Catholicism in the field of public health.

Already more than 50 years ago, against the backdrop of the "earth science" findings of the time, voices could be heard in the legal literature expressing concern about the planet's carrying capacity, calling for consistent political rethinking and action and explicitly questioning consumer behavior and the ongoing pursuit of economic growth. The realization that the limits of environmental resources must be respected, and that growth must be shaped effectively within this framework has therefore been omnipresent not only since the "Our Common Future" report by the "World Commission on Environment and Development", or "Brundtland Commission" for short, in 1987 (United Nations General Assembly, 1987). Nevertheless, the current planetary status quo shows that the era of environmentally friendly economic development has by no means been effectively ushered in since then; on the contrary, implementation deficits or a lack of effectiveness of environmental protection measures against the excessive use of ecological resources are to be deplored. The demand for an ecological transformation of society is one of the most urgent on the political agenda and continues then as now, albeit partly with new terminology, at the level of jurisprudence: Currently, it is discussions about intertemporal freedom rights, nature's own rights and the greening of law that dominate the picture. However, the demand for ecologically oriented protection of fundamental rights is not new: the idea of protecting nature from excessive human behavior - also with a view to the generations of tomorrow and their chances of realizing a life in freedom in the future - is reflected not least in the precautionary principle, which is internationally recognized as a legal principle. Its ecological potential will be briefly explored below, culminating in an overview of constitutional tendencies towards an ecologically oriented protection of fundamental rights from a German perspective. This overview at the same time serves as an introduction for selected legal, ethical and social aspects of case studies in Latin America done by students in the context of a Human Rights interdisciplinary seminar in Wintersemester 2023/2024.

In 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a guideline for the protection of human rights. Not legally binding, the declaration represents an ideal that must be promoted by those who are committed to it. Among other amendments adopted since 1948, in 1998 the General Assembly passed a declaration seeking to strengthen the responsibility and right to protect human rights. "Stressing that all members of the international community shall fulfill, jointly and separately, their solemn obligation to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all" (UN General Assembly, 1998,) this declaration is one of the central starting points of this paper. The Universal human rights formed the basis for many subsequent international treaties and agreements, one of the most recent being the 2030 Agenda with the SDGs. The legal situation of these agreements differs greatly in terms of their binding nature and enforceability. These issues will be examined in more detail in the following parts of this publication series. However, it should be noted here that successful implementation of the written goals requires voluntary debate and implementation. In today's multicultural, international context, some countries have significantly higher financial as well as social capital to fulfill these responsibilities. Based on the assumption that many of the existing liberal democracies fulfill these criteria of higher capacities, which will be discussed again in the course of the data analysis, this paper attempts to answer the question of what special responsibilities but also what opportunities are offered in this particular position. To begin with, the current data situation will be examined in more detail. The focus here is on the international comparison of various reference values that are relevant to the issue at hand. First, we will take a brief look at the Human Rights Index (HRI), as processed by Our World in Data, what characteristics it has in international comparison and what questions and challenges can be derived from it. We will then take a look at the 2023 Sustainable Development Report (SDR). Here, again, we will try to recognize certain patterns in the international comparison. In a second step, we will link the progress of the individual countries with the respective income level, as already shown in the SDR. In addition, we include the Democracy Index, published by The Enonomist, in our data analysis. In the final step, we use all the data to build an overall picture that allows us to see the progress of global development in our area of interest and the associated challenges. In the following step, the results of this data analysis will be combined with further research findings and the question of the responsibility of liberal democracies in an international context. The challenges but also opportunities and possible benefits of promoting human rights and SDGs will be examined in more detail. Before concluding, we will try to generalize our findings to paint a picture of the inherent resilience of human rights and SDGs.

This paper delves into the human right to an adequate standard of living, a fundamental principle articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The specific context under examination is the livelihood of artisanal Peruvian fishermen. The inquiry centers on understanding the prevailing standard of living for these individuals and exploring avenues for its optimization in harmony with both the environment and legal frameworks. In particular, this paper aims to identify and propose solutions for enhancing the living standards and working conditions of artisanal Peruvian fishermen, aligning with the principles of human rights, environmental sustainability, and legal compliance.

In the article, Cara-Maxine Heyd examines the complex relationship between USA war on drug policies and their impact on human rights for Colombia. It reflects on today’s relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) as a framework for identifying and defining human rights. The article briefly addresses the use of glyphosate against coca plantations and the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. It presents data on the historical growth of coca plantations and describes the affected social groups and regions, including peasant communities and deforested areas. She examines how various strategies to control coca cultivation, including aerial spraying with glyphosate, have impacted human rights, particularly the right to adequate living conditions. The use of glyphosate has affected over 100 thousand hectares, impacting numerous social groups, including landless peasants, indigenous peoples, and displaced communities by the internal conflict. The negative effects extend beyond health and livelihood, exacerbated by the illegality and social stigma associated with coca cultivation, which complicates institutional responses. Subsequently, the author explores how several human rights are impacted by eradication schemes related to coca cultivation. For the right to work, peasant growers, as the initial link in the cocaine value chain, face significant challenges. Government plans should focus on creating alternative job opportunities and supporting transitions to other products, including setting minimum wages and providing basic access to institutional benefits. Similarly, the right to food is compromised as new generations of peasants, born during the coca boom, have neglected traditional farming practices, leading to a loss of traditional agricultural practices and techniques agricultural. For the right to health and human dignity, glyphosate use exacerbates health issues and impacts non-coca crops, affecting food sovereignty and security. The author notes that glyphosate, classified as “possibly carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization, has been controversially used due to political rather than scientific evidence, which could trigger a humanitarian crisis. Lastly, the right to cultural life is affected by the marginalization of traditional coca use, which holds significant traditional and spiritual value in the Andean region. Traditional practices must be aligned to modern policies. This article also discusses the German constitutional right to a minimum subsistence level, which is consistent with human dignity. She explains the rationality behind this assimilation and provides context, also demonstrating how doctrine development and research conducted in different geographies can enhance the rights’ scope of protection. Therefore, coca peasants should be acknowledged as victims? The author response to this question from the decent standard of living perspective, offering an interesting approach to this communities’ situation. The author’s literature review and institutional sources detail the ambiguous legal status of coca globally and critique the reward-based system. She left several open windows to continue the investigation about where this situation is taking Colombia and the International community.

When we want to understand why the laws of nature and nature itself are currently in such bad condition, we need to look at our way of seeing the world. When we want to stop the rapid deforestation, climate change, mass extinction, and other catastrophic impacts we have on our environment, we need to figure out at what time and why they started. There are fundamental differences between an anthropocentric worldview, where humans are above all other species, and an animist worldview, where humans are a part of nature. Due to people acting accordingly to their perception of the world, we need to understand why these perceptions differentiate so much and why people from the imperial core, respectively, the exploiting countries, think in a hierarchical pattern. Our disconnectedness from nature has reached a shocking extent. People living in big cities see nothing but concrete and cars; the plants they have in their homes are made out of plastic; and the only time they see animals is when they go to a zoo, where they are crammed in little enclosures and alienated from their natural habitat. Children growing up these days spend more time watching ads on TV or social media than they spend in nature. No wonder that many people know more brands than tree species, despite the fact that just one of those two keeps them alive. It is high time to question this development and to ask ourselves how we ended up here. Interestingly, there are still elements of a human-nature relationship visible in our modern capitalist society. Some people see their dog or cat as part of the family and talk to them; others care for plants as well as they do for their own children. And even in movies, a world is a portrait where the birds talk to the people and plants are alive. Therefore, the idea of nature being alive rather than just some material resource still prevails in our subconscious and in our fantasy to this day. The first part of this paper portrays our current perspective on nature and how it developed. From Plato’s Allegory of the Cave to the scientific revolution initiated by Francis Bacon and the dualism founded by Descartes, many theories influenced our perception of the world. The term Anthropocene is widespread, but it is rarely discussed or narrowed down when used. It will be discussed and elaborated on how the rise of capitalism is related to the accelerating exploitation of nature. The second part is about defining animism, the initial view of humans as a part of nature, which is still prevalent in indigenous culture. Cartesian dualism will be challenged, and other philosophical theories will be examined. The concept and theory of ecological feminism are going to be introduced, and the underlying analyses will be conducted in the context of animism. Our perception of nature will be debunked, and strong advocacy will be made for a more sustainable human-nature relationship.

According to the overarching theme "Should something happen somewhere else that we don't want to have here?", this research paper deals with the extended question "How does the 2007 free trade agreement between Colombia and the USA affect the situation in Colombia?". Focusing on the aspect of coca cultivation this paper is framed by the question of projecting the situation in Colombia onto the situation in Germany. Universal human rights are the unifying force between Colombia in Latin America and Germany in Central Europe. Through the United Nations Declaration, these rights have universal validity regardless of national or ethnic affiliation. These rights apply to all countries of the world, including Colombia. The situation of the population regarding the economic and ethical components is illuminated on the basis of coca cultivation. Starting with the topic of coca cultivation, the challenges and interests by groups of people involved are described. The Colombian economy is then examined in order to classify the importance of this topic. The topic of the "free market" is a very relevant one, particularly regarding the economic component and can be supported by free trade agreements. This means that the domestic economy is not only restricted to its own sales market without regulation but is also largely extended to other partner countries. In terms of market liberalization, this would also be relevant for coca distribution. Thus, opening to other markets at the direct level is an export opportunity, but also at the indirect level. Exports can also be expanded via third countries. However, national governments are also responsible for this process. Therefore, this paper also explains the role of Colombian politics in coca cultivation, as it has a significant role in the cultivation and trade of the coca plant as well as in external economic relations. Furthermore, the paper attempts to construct a possible solution to improve the living situation of the people in Colombia. The factors of the economy, politics, foreign policy and the relationships between the individual actors are considered in order to arrive at a solution that is as balanced as possible, taking into account the norms of human rights.

The following collection of manuscripts emerged from an international and interdisciplinary Virtual Exchange that took place during Covid-19 Pandemic in March/April 2021 organised by Prof. Milena Valeva and Prof. Kathrin Nitschmann. Covid 19 had -and still has in parts of the world- led to severe restrictions of fundamental liberties worldwide and thus enhanced debates on ethics and human rights. This debate appeared as a common denominator connecting citizens in countries all over the world. One of the concrete consequences for students was certainly the reduction of mobility, not only in the sense of not being allowed to visit the university but also in canceling planned international exchanges. In this context, the virtual exchange offered a chance not only to overcome the still lasting restrictions on mobility but also to exchange daily life experiences of students in Covid-times, merging into restrictions and/or violation of human rights in a legal and ethical dimension. Students from Peru, Israel and Bulgaria participated in the virtual exchange, which was supported by the International Teaching Award of Trier University of Applied Sciences, within the frame of of a summer school and had the opportunity to work synchronously and asynchronously in international and interdisciplinary teams on the topic COVID-19 - ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND HUMAN RIGHTS - EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS. Colleagues from Cape Town, Peru, Spain and Israel supported the event by their professional presentations. This special issue and at the same time first issue of the JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVES is a collection of the manuscripts of the speakers, which at the same time reflects the diversity of the topics discussed and the international perspectives. Since this is a compilation of manuscripts, the authors were responsible for the scientific formulation of the texts. Content: Letlhokwa George Mpedi: Freedom of trade, occupation and profession in times of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa Larissa Glidja-Yao: Impact of COVID-19 on company & insolvency law: An overview of Luxemburgish responses Kathrin Nitschmann: On the development of compulsory vaccation in Germany in the interplay between general health protection and individual self-determination - a never-ending story? Diego Zegarra Valdivia: The use of technological tools in the fight against COVID-19 & its implications on the fundamental right to the protection of personal data - an approach José Joaquín Fernández Alles: Human rights in the new pact on migration on [and] asylum of European Union: An open society or closed society Milena Valeva & Yotam Lurie: Spinning ethical plates in times of pandemic and sustainability

Deep learning-based image registration (DLIR) has been widely developed, but it remains challenging in perceiving small and large deformations. Besides, the effectiveness of the DLIR methods was also rarely validated on the downstream tasks. In the study, a multi-scale complexity-aware registration network (MSCAReg-Net) was proposed by devising a complexity-aware technique to facilitate DLIR under a single-resolution framework. Specifically, the complexity-aware technique devised a multi-scale complexity-aware module (MSCA-Module) to perceive deformations with distinct complexities, and employed a feature calibration module (FC-Module) and a feature aggregation module (FA-Module) to facilitate the MSCA-Module by generating more distinguishable deformation features. Experimental results demonstrated the superiority of the proposed MSCAReg-Net over the existing methods in terms of registration accuracy. Besides, other than the indices of Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and percentage of voxels with non-positive Jacobian determinant (|J(phi)|=<0), a comprehensive evaluation of the registration performance was performed by applying this method on a downstream task of multi-atlas hippocampus segmentation (MAHS). Experimental results demonstrated that this method contributed to a better hippocampus segmentation over other DLIR methods, and a comparable segmentation performance with the leading SyN method. The comprehensive assessment including DSC, |J(phi)|=<0, and the downstream application on MAHS demonstrated the advances of this method.

Small area estimation methods have become a widely used tool to provide accurate estimates for regional indicators such as poverty measures. Recent research has provided evidence that spatial modelling still can improve the precision of regional and local estimates. In this paper, we provide an intrinsic spatial autocorrelation model and prove the propriety of the posterior under a flat prior. Further, we show using the SAIPE poverty data that the gain in efficiency using a spatial model can be essentially important in the presence of a lack of strong auxiliary variables.

The Saarschleife geotope (SE-Germany) represents one of the most prominent geotopes of the SaarLorLux region and is known far beyond the borders of the Greater Region. Surprisingly, there is no visual representation of the relief history and genesis of this river meander, which is unique for Central Europe - as is common at places with comparable outstanding phenomena, such as e.g. the Rocher Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (France) or some national parks in the U.S. (e.g. Grand Canyon). The Saarschleife geotope therefore was choosen as a pilot object for the envisaged analysis of the landscape genesis but also regarding the 3D mapping and visualization. The visualisation presents the relief history and geological evolution of the last 300 million years in selected geological epochs, which are of fundamental importance for the understanding of today's geomorphological relief conditions, and is compiled into a summarized chronology.

In December 2022, members of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to guide international biodiversity conservation efforts until 2030 in order to be able to live ‘in harmony with nature’ by 2050. This framework addresses the implementation gap left after the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which were the previous global instrument for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation between 2010 and 2020. The aim of this editorial is to draw attention to the GBF targets that are most relevant to our readership, with two objectives: First, to suggest how Ecosystems and People may be a venue for emerging research insights in support of the GBF. Second, to highlight examples of recent research in Ecosystems and People that can contribute to enrich, or even challenge, the evidence and development of the GBF Targets.

1. Woody riparian vegetation (WRV) benefits benthic macroinvertebrates in running waters. However, while some functions are provided by WRV irrespective of surrounding and catchment land use, others are context-specific. In recent large-scale studies, effects of WRV on macroinvertebrates were therefore small compared to catchment land use, raising the question about the relevance of WRV for restoration. 2. Model-based recursive partitioning was used to identify context-dependent effects of WRV on the macroinvertebrates' ecological status in small (catchment area 10–100 km2) lowland (n = 361) and mountain (n = 748) streams. WRV cover was quantified from orthophotos along the near (500 m) and far (5000 m) upstream river network and used to predict the site's ecological status. Agricultural, urban and woodland cover at the local and catchment scales along with hydromorphology were considered as partitioning variables. 3. In rural agricultural landscapes, the effect of WRV on the ecological status was large, indicating that establishing near-upstream WRV can improve the ecological status by as much as two of the five classes according to the EU Water Framework Directive. 4. Even in urban landscapes, effects of far-upstream WRV were large if catchments had a moderate share of agricultural land use in addition. The beneficial effects of WRV were only limited in purely urban catchments or in a multiple stressor context. 5. Synthesis and applications. While woody riparian vegetation (WRV) can even improve the ecological status in urban settings, it is especially relevant for river management in rural agricultural catchments, where developing WRV potentially are effective measures to achieve good ecological status.