@article{MeyerRaberEbertetal.2015, author = {Meyer, S. and Raber, G. and Ebert, Franziska and Leffers, L. and M{\"u}ller, Sandra Marie and Taleshi, M. S. and Francesconi, Kevin A. and Schwerdtle, Tanja}, title = {In vitro toxicological characterisation of arsenic-containing fatty acids and three of their metabolites}, series = {Toxicology research}, volume = {5}, journal = {Toxicology research}, number = {4}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {2045-4538}, doi = {10.1039/c5tx00122f}, pages = {1289 -- 1296}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Arsenic-containing fatty acids are a group of fat-soluble arsenic species (arsenolipids) which are present in marine fish and other seafood. Recently, it has been shown that arsenic-containing hydrocarbons, another group of arsenolipids, exert toxicity in similar concentrations comparable to arsenite although the toxic modes of action differ. Hence, a risk assessment of arsenolipids is urgently needed. In this study the cellular toxicity of a saturated (AsFA 362) and an unsaturated (AsFA 388) arsenic-containing fatty acid and three of their proposed metabolites (DMAV, DMAPr and thio-DMAPr) were investigated in human liver cells (HepG2). Even though both arsenic-containing fatty acids were less toxic as compared to arsenic-containing hydrocarbons and arsenite, significant effects were observable at μM concentrations. DMAV causes effects in a similar concentration range and it could be seen that it is metabolised to its highly toxic thio analogue thio-DMAV in HepG2 cells. Nevertheless, DMAPr and thio-DMAPr did not exert any cytotoxicity. In summary, our data indicate that risks to human health related to the presence of arsenic-containing fatty acids in marine food cannot be excluded. This stresses the need for a full in vitro and in vivo toxicological characterisation of these arsenolipids.}, language = {en} } @article{ManningGossnerBossdorfetal.2015, author = {Manning, Pete and Gossner, Martin M. and Bossdorf, Oliver and Allan, Eric and Zhang, Yuan-Ye and Prati, Daniel and Bl{\"u}thgen, Nico and Boch, Steffen and B{\"o}hm, Stefan and B{\"o}rschig, Carmen and H{\"o}lzel, Norbert and Jung, Kirsten and Klaus, Valentin H. and Klein, Alexandra Maria and Kleinebecker, Till and Krauss, Jochen and Lange, Markus and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Pasalic, Esther and Socher, Stephanie A. and Tschapka, Marco and T{\"u}rke, Manfred and Weiner, Christiane and Werner, Michael and Gockel, Sonja and Hemp, Andreas and Renner, Swen C. and Wells, Konstans and Buscot, Francois and Kalko, Elisabeth K. V. and Linsenmair, Karl Eduard and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Fischer, Markus}, title = {Grassland management intensification weakens the associations among the diversities of multiple plant and animal taxa}, series = {Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, volume = {96}, journal = {Ecology : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0012-9658}, doi = {10.1890/14-1307.1}, pages = {1492 -- 1501}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Land-use intensification is a key driver of biodiversity change. However, little is known about how it alters relationships between the diversities of different taxonomic groups, which are often correlated due to shared environmental drivers and trophic interactions. Using data from 150 grassland sites, we examined how land-use intensification (increased fertilization, higher livestock densities, and increased mowing frequency) altered correlations between the species richness of 15 plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate taxa. We found that 54\% of pairwise correlations between taxonomic groups were significant and positive among all grasslands, while only one was negative. Higher land-use intensity substantially weakened these correlations(35\% decrease in rand 43\% fewer significant pairwise correlations at high intensity), a pattern which may emerge as a result of biodiversity declines and the breakdown of specialized relationships in these conditions. Nevertheless, some groups (Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera) were consistently correlated with multidiversity, an aggregate measure of total biodiversity comprised of the standardized diversities of multiple taxa, at both high and lowland-use intensity. The form of intensification was also important; increased fertilization and mowing frequency typically weakened plant-plant and plant-primary consumer correlations, whereas grazing intensification did not. This may reflect decreased habitat heterogeneity under mowing and fertilization and increased habitat heterogeneity under grazing. While these results urge caution in using certain taxonomic groups to monitor impacts of agricultural management on biodiversity, they also suggest that the diversities of some groups are reasonably robust indicators of total biodiversity across a range of conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{MarcusBochDurkaetal.2015, author = {Marcus, Tamar and Boch, Steffen and Durka, Walter and Fischer, Markus and Gossner, Martin M. and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Sch{\"o}ning, Ingo and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Drees, Claudia and Assmann, Thorsten}, title = {Living in Heterogeneous Woodlands - Are Habitat Continuity or Quality Drivers of Genetic Variability in a Flightless Ground Beetle?}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {12}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0144217}, pages = {18}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Although genetic diversity is one of the key components of biodiversity, its drivers are still not fully understood. While it is known that genetic diversity is affected both by environmental parameters as well as habitat history, these factors are not often tested together. Therefore, we analyzed 14 microsatellite loci in Abax parallelepipedus, a flightless, forest dwelling ground beetle, from 88 plots in two study regions in Germany. We modeled the effects of historical and environmental variables on allelic richness, and found for one of the regions, the Schorfheide-Chorin, a significant effect of the depth of the litter layer, which is a main component of habitat quality, and of the sampling effort, which serves as an inverse proxy for local population size. For the other region, the Schwabische Alb, none of the potential drivers showed a significant effect on allelic richness. We conclude that the genetic diversity in our study species is being driven by current local population sizes via environmental variables and not by historical processes in the studied regions. This is also supported by lack of genetic differentiation between local populations sampled from ancient and from recent woodlands. We suggest that the potential effects of former fragmentation and recolonization processes have been mitigated by the large and stable local populations of Abax parallelepipedus in combination with the proximity of the ancient and recent woodlands in the studied landscapes.}, language = {en} } @article{AartsAndersonAndersonetal.2015, author = {Aarts, Alexander A. and Anderson, Joanna E. and Anderson, Christopher J. and Attridge, Peter R. and Attwood, Angela and Axt, Jordan and Babel, Molly and Bahnik, Stepan and Baranski, Erica and Barnett-Cowan, Michael and Bartmess, Elizabeth and Beer, Jennifer and Bell, Raoul and Bentley, Heather and Beyan, Leah and Binion, Grace and Borsboom, Denny and Bosch, Annick and Bosco, Frank A. and Bowman, Sara D. and Brandt, Mark J. and Braswell, Erin and Brohmer, Hilmar and Brown, Benjamin T. and Brown, Kristina and Bruening, Jovita and Calhoun-Sauls, Ann and Callahan, Shannon P. and Chagnon, Elizabeth and Chandler, Jesse and Chartier, Christopher R. and Cheung, Felix and Christopherson, Cody D. and Cillessen, Linda and Clay, Russ and Cleary, Hayley and Cloud, Mark D. and Cohn, Michael and Cohoon, Johanna and Columbus, Simon and Cordes, Andreas and Costantini, Giulio and Alvarez, Leslie D. Cramblet and Cremata, Ed and Crusius, Jan and DeCoster, Jamie and DeGaetano, Michelle A. and Della Penna, Nicolas and den Bezemer, Bobby and Deserno, Marie K. and Devitt, Olivia and Dewitte, Laura and Dobolyi, David G. and Dodson, Geneva T. and Donnellan, M. Brent and Donohue, Ryan and Dore, Rebecca A. and Dorrough, Angela and Dreber, Anna and Dugas, Michelle and Dunn, Elizabeth W. and Easey, Kayleigh and Eboigbe, Sylvia and Eggleston, Casey and Embley, Jo and Epskamp, Sacha and Errington, Timothy M. and Estel, Vivien and Farach, Frank J. and Feather, Jenelle and Fedor, Anna and Fernandez-Castilla, Belen and Fiedler, Susann and Field, James G. and Fitneva, Stanka A. and Flagan, Taru and Forest, Amanda L. and Forsell, Eskil and Foster, Joshua D. and Frank, Michael C. and Frazier, Rebecca S. and Fuchs, Heather and Gable, Philip and Galak, Jeff and Galliani, Elisa Maria and Gampa, Anup and Garcia, Sara and Gazarian, Douglas and Gilbert, Elizabeth and Giner-Sorolla, Roger and Gl{\"o}ckner, Andreas and G{\"o}llner, Lars and Goh, Jin X. and Goldberg, Rebecca and Goodbourn, Patrick T. and Gordon-McKeon, Shauna and Gorges, Bryan and Gorges, Jessie and Goss, Justin and Graham, Jesse and Grange, James A. and Gray, Jeremy and Hartgerink, Chris and Hartshorne, Joshua and Hasselman, Fred and Hayes, Timothy and Heikensten, Emma and Henninger, Felix and Hodsoll, John and Holubar, Taylor and Hoogendoorn, Gea and Humphries, Denise J. and Hung, Cathy O. -Y. and Immelman, Nathali and Irsik, Vanessa C. and Jahn, Georg and Jaekel, Frank and Jekel, Marc and Johannesson, Magnus and Johnson, Larissa G. and Johnson, David J. and Johnson, Kate M. and Johnston, William J. and Jonas, Kai and Joy-Gaba, Jennifer A. and Kappes, Heather Barry and Kelso, Kim and Kidwell, Mallory C. and Kim, Seung Kyung and Kirkhart, Matthew and Kleinberg, Bennett and Knezevic, Goran and Kolorz, Franziska Maria and Kossakowski, Jolanda J. and Krause, Robert Wilhelm and Krijnen, Job and Kuhlmann, Tim and Kunkels, Yoram K. and Kyc, Megan M. and Lai, Calvin K. and Laique, Aamir and Lakens, Daniel and Lane, Kristin A. and Lassetter, Bethany and Lazarevic, Ljiljana B. and LeBel, Etienne P. and Lee, Key Jung and Lee, Minha and Lemm, Kristi and Levitan, Carmel A. and Lewis, Melissa and Lin, Lin and Lin, Stephanie and Lippold, Matthias and Loureiro, Darren and Luteijn, Ilse and Mackinnon, Sean and Mainard, Heather N. and Marigold, Denise C. and Martin, Daniel P. and Martinez, Tylar and Masicampo, E. J. and Matacotta, Josh and Mathur, Maya and May, Michael and Mechin, Nicole and Mehta, Pranjal and Meixner, Johannes and Melinger, Alissa and Miller, Jeremy K. and Miller, Mallorie and Moore, Katherine and M{\"o}schl, Marcus and Motyl, Matt and M{\"u}ller, Stephanie M. and Munafo, Marcus and Neijenhuijs, Koen I. and Nervi, Taylor and Nicolas, Gandalf and Nilsonne, Gustav and Nosek, Brian A. and Nuijten, Michele B. and Olsson, Catherine and Osborne, Colleen and Ostkamp, Lutz and Pavel, Misha and Penton-Voak, Ian S. and Perna, Olivia and Pernet, Cyril and Perugini, Marco and Pipitone, R. Nathan and Pitts, Michael and Plessow, Franziska and Prenoveau, Jason M. and Rahal, Rima-Maria and Ratliff, Kate A. and Reinhard, David and Renkewitz, Frank and Ricker, Ashley A. and Rigney, Anastasia and Rivers, Andrew M. and Roebke, Mark and Rutchick, Abraham M. and Ryan, Robert S. and Sahin, Onur and Saide, Anondah and Sandstrom, Gillian M. and Santos, David and Saxe, Rebecca and Schlegelmilch, Rene and Schmidt, Kathleen and Scholz, Sabine and Seibel, Larissa and Selterman, Dylan Faulkner and Shaki, Samuel and Simpson, William B. and Sinclair, H. Colleen and Skorinko, Jeanine L. M. and Slowik, Agnieszka and Snyder, Joel S. and Soderberg, Courtney and Sonnleitner, Carina and Spencer, Nick and Spies, Jeffrey R. and Steegen, Sara and Stieger, Stefan and Strohminger, Nina and Sullivan, Gavin B. and Talhelm, Thomas and Tapia, Megan and te Dorsthorst, Anniek and Thomae, Manuela and Thomas, Sarah L. and Tio, Pia and Traets, Frits and Tsang, Steve and Tuerlinckx, Francis and Turchan, Paul and Valasek, Milan and Van Aert, Robbie and van Assen, Marcel and van Bork, Riet and van de Ven, Mathijs and van den Bergh, Don and van der Hulst, Marije and van Dooren, Roel and van Doorn, Johnny and van Renswoude, Daan R. and van Rijn, Hedderik and Vanpaemel, Wolf and Echeverria, Alejandro Vasquez and Vazquez, Melissa and Velez, Natalia and Vermue, Marieke and Verschoor, Mark and Vianello, Michelangelo and Voracek, Martin and Vuu, Gina and Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan and Weerdmeester, Joanneke and Welsh, Ashlee and Westgate, Erin C. and Wissink, Joeri and Wood, Michael and Woods, Andy and Wright, Emily and Wu, Sining and Zeelenberg, Marcel and Zuni, Kellylynn}, title = {Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science}, series = {Science}, volume = {349}, journal = {Science}, number = {6251}, publisher = {American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science}, address = {Washington}, organization = {Open Sci Collaboration}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aac4716}, pages = {8}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Reproducibility is a defining feature of science, but the extent to which it characterizes current research is unknown. We conducted replications of 100 experimental and correlational studies published in three psychology journals using high-powered designs and original materials when available. Replication effects were half the magnitude of original effects, representing a substantial decline. Ninety-seven percent of original studies had statistically significant results. Thirty-six percent of replications had statistically significant results; 47\% of original effect sizes were in the 95\% confidence interval of the replication effect size; 39\% of effects were subjectively rated to have replicated the original result; and if no bias in original results is assumed, combining original and replication results left 68\% with statistically significant effects. Correlational tests suggest that replication success was better predicted by the strength of original evidence than by characteristics of the original and replication teams.}, language = {en} } @article{EngqvistSchmitzGertzmannetal.2015, author = {Engqvist, Martin K. M. and Schmitz, Jessica and Gertzmann, Anke and Florian, Alexandra and Jaspert, Nils and Arif, Muhammad and Balazadeh, Salma and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Maurino, Veronica G.}, title = {GLYCOLATE OXIDASE3, a Glycolate Oxidase Homolog of Yeast L-Lactate Cytochrome c Oxidoreductase, Supports L-Lactate Oxidation in Roots of Arabidopsis}, series = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, volume = {169}, journal = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists}, address = {Rockville}, issn = {0032-0889}, doi = {10.1104/pp.15.01003}, pages = {1042 -- 1061}, year = {2015}, abstract = {In roots of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), L-lactate is generated by the reduction of pyruvate via L-lactate dehydrogenase, but this enzyme does not efficiently catalyze the reverse reaction. Here, we identify the Arabidopsis glycolate oxidase (GOX) paralogs GOX1, GOX2, and GOX3 as putative L-lactate-metabolizing enzymes based on their homology to CYB2, the L-lactate cytochrome c oxidoreductase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that GOX3 uses L-lactate with a similar efficiency to glycolate; in contrast, the photorespiratory isoforms GOX1 and GOX2, which share similar enzymatic properties, use glycolate with much higher efficiencies than L-lactate. The key factor making GOX3 more efficient with L-lactate than GOX1 and GOX2 is a 5- to 10-fold lower Km for the substrate. Consequently, only GOX3 can efficiently metabolize L-lactate at low intracellular concentrations. Isotope tracer experiments as well as substrate toxicity tests using GOX3 loss-of-function and overexpressor plants indicate that L-lactate is metabolized in vivo by GOX3. Moreover, GOX3 rescues the lethal growth phenotype of a yeast strain lacking CYB2, which cannot grow on L-lactate as a sole carbon source. GOX3 is predominantly present in roots and mature to aging leaves but is largely absent from young photosynthetic leaves, indicating that it plays a role predominantly in heterotrophic rather than autotrophic tissues, at least under standard growth conditions. In roots of plants grown under normoxic conditions, loss of function of GOX3 induces metabolic rearrangements that mirror wild-type responses under hypoxia. Thus, we identified GOX3 as the enzyme that metabolizes L-lactate to pyruvate in vivo and hypothesize that it may ensure the sustainment of low levels of L-lactate after its formation under normoxia.}, language = {en} } @misc{BeninaRibeiroGechevetal.2015, author = {Benina, Maria and Ribeiro, Dimas Mendes and Gechev, Tsanko S. and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Schippers, Jos H. M.}, title = {A cell type-specific view on the translation of mRNAs from ROS-responsive genes upon paraquat treatment of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves}, series = {Plant, cell \& environment : cell physiology, whole-plant physiology, community physiology}, volume = {38}, journal = {Plant, cell \& environment : cell physiology, whole-plant physiology, community physiology}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0140-7791}, doi = {10.1111/pce.12355}, pages = {349 -- 363}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Oxidative stress causes dramatic changes in the expression levels of many genes. The formation of a functional protein through successful mRNA translation is central to a coordinated cellular response. To what extent the response towards reactive oxygen species (ROS) is regulated at the translational level is poorly understood. Here we analysed leaf- and tissue-specific translatomes using a set of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing a FLAG-tagged ribosomal protein to immunopurify polysome-bound mRNAs before and after oxidative stress. We determined transcript levels of 171 ROS-responsive genes upon paraquat treatment, which causes formation of superoxide radicals, at the whole-organ level. Furthermore, the translation of mRNAs was determined for five cell types: mesophyll, bundle sheath, phloem companion, epidermal and guard cells. Mesophyll and bundle sheath cells showed the strongest response to paraquat treatment. Interestingly, several ROS-responsive transcription factors displayed cell type-specific translation patterns, while others were translated in all cell types. In part, cell type-specific translation could be explained by the length of the 5-untranslated region (5-UTR) and the presence of upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Our analysis reveals insights into the translational regulation of ROS-responsive genes, which is important to understanding cell-specific responses and functions during oxidative stress. The study illustrates the response of different Arabidopsis thaliana leaf cells and tissues to oxidative stress at the translational level, an aspect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) biology that has been little studied in the past. Our data reveal insights into how translational regulation of ROS-responsive genes is fine-tuned at the cellular level, a phenomenon contributing to the integrated physiological response of leaves to stresses involving changes in ROS levels.}, language = {en} } @article{WangTohgeIvakovetal.2015, author = {Wang, Ting and Tohge, Takayuki and Ivakov, Alexander and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Mutwil, Marek and Schippers, Jos H. M. and Persson, Staffan}, title = {Salt-Related MYB1 Coordinates Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis and Signaling during Salt Stress in Arabidopsis}, series = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, volume = {169}, journal = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists}, address = {Rockville}, issn = {0032-0889}, doi = {10.1104/pp.15.00962}, pages = {1027 -- +}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Abiotic stresses, such as salinity, cause global yield loss of all major crop plants. Factors and mechanisms that can aid in plant breeding for salt stress tolerance are therefore of great importance for food and feed production. Here, we identified a MYB-like transcription factor, Salt-Related MYB1 (SRM1), that negatively affects Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seed germination under saline conditions by regulating the levels of the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Accordingly, several ABA biosynthesis and signaling genes act directly downstream of SRM1, including SALT TOLERANT1/NINE-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE3, RESPONSIVE TO DESICCATION26, and Arabidopsis NAC DOMAIN CONTAINING PROTEIN19. Furthermore, SRM1 impacts vegetative growth and leaf shape. We show that SRM1 is an important transcriptional regulator that directly targets ABA biosynthesis and signaling-related genes and therefore may be regarded as an important regulator of ABA-mediated salt stress tolerance.}, language = {en} } @article{AdelsbergerBivigouKoumbaMiasnikovaetal.2015, author = {Adelsberger, Joseph and Bivigou Koumba, Achille Mayelle and Miasnikova, Anna and Busch, Peter and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter and Papadakis, Christine M.}, title = {Polystyrene-block-poly (methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene triblock copolymers in aqueous solution-a SANS study of the temperature-induced switching behavior}, series = {Colloid and polymer science : official journal of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft}, volume = {293}, journal = {Colloid and polymer science : official journal of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft}, number = {5}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0303-402X}, doi = {10.1007/s00396-015-3535-6}, pages = {1515 -- 1523}, year = {2015}, abstract = {A concentrated solution of a symmetric triblock copolymer with a thermoresponsive poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate) (PMDEGA) middle block and short hydrophobic, fully deuterated polystyrene end blocks is investigated in D2O where it undergoes a lower critical solution temperature-type phase transition at ca. 36 A degrees C. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) in a wide temperature range (15-50 A degrees C) is used to characterize the size and inner structure of the micelles as well as the correlation between the micelles and the formation of aggregates by the micelles above the cloud point (CP). A model featuring spherical core-shell micelles, which are correlated by a hard-sphere potential or a sticky hard-sphere potential together with a Guinier form factor describing aggregates formed by the micelles above the CP, fits the SANS curves well in the entire temperature range. The thickness of the thermoresponsive micellar PMDEGA shell as well as the hard-sphere radius increase slightly already below the cloud point. Whereas the thickness of the thermoresponsive micellar shell hardly shrinks when heating through the CP and up to 50 A degrees C, the hard-sphere radius decreases within 3.5 K at the CP. The volume fraction decreases already significantly below the CP, which may be at the origin of the previously observed gel-sol transition far below the CP (Miasnikova et al., Langmuir 28: 4479-4490, 2012). Above the CP, small, and at higher temperatures, large aggregates are formed by the micelles.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhongMetwalliRawolleetal.2015, author = {Zhong, Qi and Metwalli, Ezzeldin and Rawolle, Monika and Kaune, Gunar and Bivigou Koumba, Achille Mayelle and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and Papadakis, Christine M. and Cubitt, Robert and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Peter}, title = {Rehydration of Thermoresponsive Poly(monomethoxydiethylene glycol acrylate) Films Probed in Situ by Real-Time Neutron Reflectivity}, series = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, volume = {48}, journal = {Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society}, number = {11}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0024-9297}, doi = {10.1021/acs.macromol.5b00645}, pages = {3604 -- 3612}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The rehydration of thermoresponsive poly(monomethoxydiethylene glycol acrylate) (PMDEGA) films exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type demixing phase transition in aqueous environments, induced by a decrease in temperature, is investigated in situ with real-time neutron reflectivity. Two different starting conditions (collapsed versus partially swollen chain conformation) are compared. In one experiment, the temperature is reduced from above the demixing temperature to well below the demixing temperature. In a second experiment, the starting temperature is below the demixing temperature, but within the transition regime, and reduced to the same final temperature. In both cases, the observed rehydration process can be divided into three stages: first condensation of water from the surrounding atmosphere, then absorption of water by the PMDEGA film and evaporation of excess water, and finally, rearrangement of the PMDEGA chains. The final rehydrated film is thicker and contains more absorbed water as compared with the initially swollen film at the same temperature well below the demixing temperature.}, language = {en} } @article{AichLierschVetteretal.2015, author = {Aich, Valentin and Liersch, Stefan and Vetter, Tobias and Andersson, Jafet C. M. and M{\"u}ller, Eva Nora and Hattermann, Fred}, title = {Climate or Land Use?}, series = {Water}, volume = {7}, journal = {Water}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w7062796}, pages = {2796 -- 2820}, year = {2015}, abstract = {This study intends to contribute to the ongoing discussion on whether land use and land cover changes (LULC) or climate trends have the major influence on the observed increase of flood magnitudes in the Sahel. A simulation-based approach is used for attributing the observed trends to the postulated drivers. For this purpose, the ecohydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model) with a new, dynamic LULC module was set up for the Sahelian part of the Niger River until Niamey, including the main tributaries Sirba and Goroul. The model was driven with observed, reanalyzed climate and LULC data for the years 1950-2009. In order to quantify the shares of influence, one simulation was carried out with constant land cover as of 1950, and one including LULC. As quantitative measure, the gradients of the simulated trends were compared to the observed trend. The modeling studies showed that for the Sirba River only the simulation which included LULC was able to reproduce the observed trend. The simulation without LULC showed a positive trend for flood magnitudes, but underestimated the trend significantly. For the Goroul River and the local flood of the Niger River at Niamey, the simulations were only partly able to reproduce the observed trend. In conclusion, the new LULC module enabled some first quantitative insights into the relative influence of LULC and climatic changes. For the Sirba catchment, the results imply that LULC and climatic changes contribute in roughly equal shares to the observed increase in flooding. For the other parts of the subcatchment, the results are less clear but show, that climatic changes and LULC are drivers for the flood increase; however their shares cannot be quantified. Based on these modeling results, we argue for a two-pillar adaptation strategy to reduce current and future flood risk: Flood mitigation for reducing LULC-induced flood increase, and flood adaptation for a general reduction of flood vulnerability.}, language = {en} }