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.