@article{WitzelGoetzeEbenhoeh2010, author = {Witzel, Franziska and Goetze, Jan and Ebenhoeh, Oliver}, title = {Slow deactivation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase elucidated by mathematical models}, issn = {1742-464X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.07541.x}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is the key enzyme of the Calvin cycle, catalyzing the fixation of inorganic carbon dioxide to organic sugars. Unlike most enzymes, RuBisCO is extremely slow, substrate unspecific, and catalyzes undesired side-reactions, which are considered to be responsible for the slow deactivation observed in vitro, a phenomenon known as fallover. Despite the fact that amino acid sequences and the 3D structures of RuBisCO from a variety of species are known, the precise molecular mechanisms for the various side reactions are still unclear. In the present study, we investigate the kinetic properties of RuBisCO using mathematical models. Initially, we formulate a minimal model that quantitatively reflects the kinetic behavior of RuBisCOs from different organisms. By relating rate parameters for single molecular steps to experimentally determined K-m and V-max values, we can examine mechanistic differences among species. The minimal model further demonstrates that two inhibitor producing side reactions are sufficient to describe experimentally determined fallover kinetics. To explain the observed kinetics of the limited capacity of RuBisCO to accept xylulose 1,5-bisphosphate as substrate, the inclusion of other side reactions is necessary. Our model results suggest a yet undescribed alternative enolization mechanism that is supported by the molecular structure. Taken together, the presented models serve as a theoretical framework to explain a wide range of observed kinetic properties of RuBisCOs derived from a variety of species. Thus, we can support hypotheses about molecular mechanisms and can systematically compare enzymes from different origins.}, language = {en} } @article{WischerhoffBadiLutzetal.2010, author = {Wischerhoff, Erik and Badi, Nezha and Lutz, Jean-Francois and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Smart bioactive surfaces}, issn = {1744-683X}, doi = {10.1039/B913594d}, year = {2010}, abstract = {The purpose of this highlight is to define the emerging field of bioactive surfaces. In recent years, various types of synthetic materials capable of "communicating'' with biological objects such as nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, viruses, bacteria or living cells have been described in the literature. This novel area of research certainly goes beyond the traditional field of smart materials and includes different types of sophisticated interactions with biological entities, such as reversible adhesion, conformational control, biologically-triggered release and selective permeation. These novel materials may be 2D planar surfaces as well as colloidal objects or 3D scaffolds. Overall, they show great promise for numerous applications in biosciences and biotechnology. For instance, practical applications of bioactive surfaces in the fields of bioseparation, cell engineering, biochips and stem-cell differentiation are briefly discussed herein.}, language = {en} } @article{WinterWinterFernandesGuimaraesetal.2010, author = {Winter, Silvia Maria Giuliatti and Winter, Othon Cabo and Fernandes Guimar{\~a}es, Ana Helena and Silva, Maria Rita}, title = {Exploring S-type orbits in the Pluto-Charon binary system}, issn = {0035-8711}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16302.x}, year = {2010}, abstract = {This work generates, through a sample of numerical simulations of the restricted three-body problem, diagrams of semimajor axis and eccentricity which defines stable and unstable zones for particles in S-type orbits around Pluto and Charon. Since we consider initial conditions with 0 <= e <= 0.99, we found several new stable regions. We also identified the nature of each one of these newly found stable regions. They are all associated to families of periodic orbits derived from the planar circular restricted three-body problem. We have shown that a possible eccentricity of the Pluto-Charon system slightly reduces, but does not destroy, any of the stable regions.}, language = {en} } @article{WilkeO'BrienGerdesetal.2010, author = {Wilke, Franziska Daniela Helena and O'Brien, Patrick J. and Gerdes, Axel and Timmerman, Martin Jan and Sudo, Masafumi and Khan, M. Ahmed}, title = {The multistage exhumation history of the Kaghan Valley UHP series, NW Himalaya, Pakistan from U-Pb and Ar-40/Ar- 39 ages}, issn = {0935-1221}, doi = {10.1127/0935-1221/2010/0022-2051}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Amphibole and mica Ar-40/Ar-39 ages as well as zircon, rutile and titanite U-Pb geochronology of eclogites and associated host rocks from the Higher Himalayan Crystalline Nappes (Indian Plate) in the Upper Kaghan Valley, Pakistan allow distinction of a multistage exhumation history. An Eocene age for peak-pressure metamorphism has been obtained by phengite Ar-40/Ar-39 (47.3 +/- 0.3 Ma) and zircon U-Pb (47.3 +/- 0.4 and 47.4 +/- 0.3 Ma) ages from cover and basement gneisses. A very short-lived metamorphic peak and rapid cooling is documented by an amphibole Ar-40/Ar-39 age of 46.6 +/- 0.5 Ma and a rutile U-Pb age of 44.1 +/- 1.3 Ma from eclogites. Phengite and biotite ages from cover and basement sequences metamorphosed during the Himalayan orogeny are 34.5 +/- 0.2 to 28.1 +/- 0.2 Ma whereas youngest biotites, yielding 23.6 +/- 0.1 and 21.7 +/- 0.2 Ma, probably reflect argon partial resetting. The amphibole age, together with those derived from phengite and zircon demonstrate a rate of initial exhumation of 86-143 mm/a i.e. an extremely rapid transport of the Indian Plate continental crust from ultra-high pressure (UHP) conditions back to crustal levels (47-46 Ma for transport from 140 to 40 km depth). Subsequent exhumation (46-41 Ma, 40-35 km) slowed to about 1 mm/a at the base of the continental crust but increased again later towards slightly higher exhumation rates of ca. 2 mm/a (41-34 Ma, 35- 20 km). This indicates a change from buoyancy-driven exhumation at mantle depths to compression forces related to continent-continent collision and accompanied crustal folding, thrusting and stacking that finally exposed the former deeply-buried rocks.}, language = {en} } @article{KleinpeterHolzberger2006, author = {Kleinpeter, Erich and Holzberger, Anja}, title = {Structure, intramolecular flexibility, and complexation of aza crown ethers to anions H2PO4- and HSO4- in nonprotic solvents}, series = {Tetrahedron}, volume = {62}, journal = {Tetrahedron}, number = {43}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0040-4020}, doi = {10.1016/j.tet.2006.07.074}, pages = {10237 -- 10247}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Both the structure and intramolecular flexibility of a series of aza crown ethers were studied by experimental NMR and theoretical molecular modeling. The stoichiometries of complexation to the anions H2PO4- and resulting complex stabilities were determined by experimental NMR (1H, 31P) titration and, in addition, the structure and mobility changes of the aza crown ethers upon complexation were also examined.}, language = {en} } @article{KetmaierGiustiCaccone2006, author = {Ketmaier, Valerio and Giusti, Folco and Caccone, Adalgisa}, title = {Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the land snail genus Solatopupa (Pulmonata) in the peri- Tyrrhenian area}, issn = {1055-7903}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.008}, year = {2006}, abstract = {The land snail genus Solatopupa consists of six species and has a peri-Tyrrhenian distribution; most of the species have a very narrow range and all of them except one (Solatopupa cianensis, which inhabits porphyritic rocks) are strictly bound to calcareous substrates. One species (Solatopupa gidoni) is limited to Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba Island. Because the potential for dispersal of these snails is low, the insular range of this species has been traditionally related to the Oligocenic detachment of the Sardinia-Corsica microplate from the Iberian plate and its subsequent rotation towards the Italian peninsula. In this Study, we used sequences of three mitochondrial and one nuclear gene to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus. Our phylogenetic results are consistent with the genetic relationships found using allozymes, but contrast with the phylogenetic hypotheses based on karyology and morphology. Molecular clock estimates indicate that the main cladogenetic events in the genus occurred between the middle Miocene and the middle-late Pliocene. Patterns of phylogenetic relationships and geological considerations suggest that the cladogenesis of the genus can be explained by vicariant (tectonic) processes. Our datings do not support a causal relation between the split of S. guidoni from its continental sister taxon and the initial phases of the detachment of the Corsica-Sardinia microplate from the mainland. On the contrary, time estimates coincide with the very last phase of detachment of the microplate (from 5 to 3 Myrs ago). Overall, our molecular clock estimates are in good agreement with the latest geological views on the tectonic evolution of the peri-Tyrrhenian area.}, language = {en} } @article{KappeMenzelOstermeyer2006, author = {Kappe, Philip and Menzel, Ralf and Ostermeyer, Martin}, title = {Analysis of the temporal and spectral output properties of a mode-locked and Q-switched laser oscillator with a nonlinear mirror based on stimulated Brillouin scattering}, issn = {1050-2947}, doi = {10.1103/Physreva.74.013809}, year = {2006}, abstract = {The emission dynamics of a mode-locked laser oscillator with a nonlinear mirror based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has been investigated with regard to its spectrum and to its intensity distribution. The investigation was carried out experimentally as well as by numerical simulations. The laser yields trains of pulses with measured durations of 410 ps and energies of the single pulse of up to 2 mJ. Two theoretical models describing the complex emission dynamics of a mode-locked SBS-laser oscillator are introduced. The first model consists of spectrally resolved laser rate equations and thus describes the mode locking in the frequency domain by the superposition of the longitudinal resonator modes. The SBS-Q-switch is incorporated by a phenomenological description of the time dependent SBS reflectivity. Numerical simulations based on this model yield the evolution of a few 100 longitudinal laser modes and the corresponding intensity distribution during the course of a Q-switch pulse with 10-ps resolution. The influences of the different components on the spectrum and thus on the pulse duration will be discussed. The second model describes all occurring dynamics in the time domain providing easy access to the study of misalignment on the output dynamics. Results of numerical simulations of both models and measurement results are compared}, language = {en} } @article{JuergensenKonstantinidis2006, author = {J{\"u}rgensen, Helmut and Konstantinidis, Stavros}, title = {(Near-)inverses of sequences}, issn = {0020-7160}, doi = {10.1080/00207160500537801}, year = {2006}, abstract = {We introduce the notion of a near-inverse of a non-decreasing sequence of positive integers; near-inverses are intended to assume the role of inverses in cases when the latter cannot exist. We prove that the near-inverse of such a sequence is unique; moreover, the relation of being near-inverses of each other is symmetric, i.e. if sequence g is the near-inverse of sequence f, then f is the near-inverse of g. There is a connection, by approximations, between near- inverses of sequences and inverses of continuous strictly increasing real-valued functions which can be exploited to derive simple expressions for near-inverses}, language = {en} } @article{Jessel2006, author = {Jessel, Beate}, title = {Elements, characteristics and character : information functions of landscapes in terms of indicators}, issn = {1470-160X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2005.08.009}, year = {2006}, abstract = {When monitoring landscape changes, the visual landscape should also be considered. This pertains to the information function of ecosystems and landscapes that refers to environmental structure and its function for satisfying needs. These needs of human perception include a certain equipment of landscape with stimuli, spatial orientation, as well as aesthetical-emotional needs. However, previous approaches of environment monitoring and registration of landscape changes exclusively focus on the ecosystem; aesthetic and structural characteristics are evalu-ated, if at all, only via easily quantifiable variables in a data oriented manner that illustrates the diversity of individual landscape elements without theoretically grounding them based on general hypotheses and a theoretical concept. Based on results from perception research and information theory, therefore, a method for registering the visual landscape on different complexity levels was developed. This includes: Elements (i.e. "element level"), that is the description of the different types of land use and structure elements within a landscape unit. Furthermore, under these elements a variety of manifestations are also subsumed such as small spatial dimensional relations, as well as individual synesthetic perceptions (noise, smells);}, language = {en} } @article{Ishihara2009, author = {Ishihara, Shinichiro}, title = {Interpreting the CCD prosodically}, issn = {0301-4428}, doi = {10.1515/Thli.2009.017}, year = {2009}, language = {en} }