@article{GerthKlassertDolketal.2016, author = {Gerth, Sabrina and Klassert, Annegret and Dolk, Thomas and Fliesser, Michael and Fischer, Martin H. and Nottbusch, Guido and Festman, Julia}, title = {Is Handwriting Performance Affected by the Writing Surface?}, series = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {7}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01308}, pages = {18}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Due to their multifunctionality, tablets offer tremendous advantages for research on handwriting dynamics or for interactive use of learning apps in schools. Further, the widespread use of tablet computers has had a great impact on handwriting in the current generation. But, is it advisable to teach how to write and to assess handwriting in pre- and primary schoolchildren on tablets rather than on paper? Since handwriting is not automatized before the age of 10 years, children's handwriting movements require graphomotor and visual feedback as well as permanent control of movement execution during handwriting. Modifications in writing conditions, for instance the smoother writing surface of a tablet, might influence handwriting performance in general and in particular those of non-automatized beginning writers. In order to investigate how handwriting performance is affected by a difference in friction of the writing surface, we recruited three groups with varying levels of handwriting automaticity: 25 preschoolers, 27 second graders, and 25 adults. We administered three tasks measuring graphomotor abilities, visuomotor abilities, and handwriting performance (only second graders and adults). We evaluated two aspects of handwriting performance: the handwriting quality with a visual score and the handwriting dynamics using online handwriting measures [e.g., writing duration, writing velocity, strokes and number of inversions in velocity (NIV)]. In particular, NIVs which describe the number of velocity peaks during handwriting are directly related to the level of handwriting automaticity. In general, we found differences between writing on paper compared to the tablet. These differences were partly task-dependent. The comparison between tablet and paper revealed a faster writing velocity for all groups and all tasks on the tablet which indicates that all participants—even the experienced writers—were influenced by the lower friction of the tablet surface. Our results for the group-comparison show advancing levels in handwriting automaticity from preschoolers to second graders to adults, which confirms that our method depicts handwriting performance in groups with varying degrees of handwriting automaticity. We conclude that the smoother tablet surface requires additional control of handwriting movements and therefore might present an additional challenge for learners of handwriting.}, language = {en} } @misc{GerthKlassertDolketal.2016, author = {Gerth, Sabrina and Klassert, Annegret and Dolk, Thomas and Fliesser, Michael and Fischer, Martin H. and Nottbusch, Guido and Festman, Julia}, title = {Is Handwriting Performance Affected by the Writing Surface?}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-100384}, pages = {18}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Due to their multifunctionality, tablets offer tremendous advantages for research on handwriting dynamics or for interactive use of learning apps in schools. Further, the widespread use of tablet computers has had a great impact on handwriting in the current generation. But, is it advisable to teach how to write and to assess handwriting in pre- and primary schoolchildren on tablets rather than on paper? Since handwriting is not automatized before the age of 10 years, children's handwriting movements require graphomotor and visual feedback as well as permanent control of movement execution during handwriting. Modifications in writing conditions, for instance the smoother writing surface of a tablet, might influence handwriting performance in general and in particular those of non-automatized beginning writers. In order to investigate how handwriting performance is affected by a difference in friction of the writing surface, we recruited three groups with varying levels of handwriting automaticity: 25 preschoolers, 27 second graders, and 25 adults. We administered three tasks measuring graphomotor abilities, visuomotor abilities, and handwriting performance (only second graders and adults). We evaluated two aspects of handwriting performance: the handwriting quality with a visual score and the handwriting dynamics using online handwriting measures [e.g., writing duration, writing velocity, strokes and number of inversions in velocity (NIV)]. In particular, NIVs which describe the number of velocity peaks during handwriting are directly related to the level of handwriting automaticity. In general, we found differences between writing on paper compared to the tablet. These differences were partly task-dependent. The comparison between tablet and paper revealed a faster writing velocity for all groups and all tasks on the tablet which indicates that all participants—even the experienced writers—were influenced by the lower friction of the tablet surface. Our results for the group-comparison show advancing levels in handwriting automaticity from preschoolers to second graders to adults, which confirms that our method depicts handwriting performance in groups with varying degrees of handwriting automaticity. We conclude that the smoother tablet surface requires additional control of handwriting movements and therefore might present an additional challenge for learners of handwriting.}, language = {en} } @article{FischerSchmidtStrauchetal.2013, author = {Fischer, Sabrina and Schmidt, Johannes and Strauch, Peter and Thomas, Arne}, title = {An anionic microporous polymer network prepared by the polymerization of weakly coordinating anions}, series = {Angewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition}, volume = {52}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition}, number = {46}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1433-7851}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201303045}, pages = {12174 -- 12178}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @article{GerthKlassertDolketal.2016, author = {Gerth, Sabrina and Klassert, Annegret and Dolk, Thomas and Fliesser, Michael and Fischer, Martin H. and Nottbusch, Guido and Festman, Julia}, title = {Is Handwriting Performance Affected by the Writing Surface? Comparing Tablet vs. Paper}, series = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {7}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01308}, pages = {18}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @article{GerthDolkKlassertetal.2016, author = {Gerth, Sabrina and Dolk, Thomas and Klassert, Annegret and Fliesser, Michael and Fischer, Martin H. and Nottbusch, Guido and Festman, Julia}, title = {Adapting to the surface: A comparison of handwriting measures when writing on a tablet computer and on paper}, series = {Human movement science : a journal devoted to pure and applied research on human movement}, volume = {48}, journal = {Human movement science : a journal devoted to pure and applied research on human movement}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0167-9457}, doi = {10.1016/j.humov.2016.04.006}, pages = {62 -- 73}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Our study addresses the following research questions: Are there differences between handwriting movements on paper and on a tablet computer? Can experienced writers, such as most adults, adapt their graphomotor execution during writing to a rather unfamiliar surface for instance a tablet computer? We examined the handwriting performance of adults in three tasks with different complexity: (a) graphomotor abilities, (b) visuomotor abilities and (c) handwriting. Each participant performed each task twice, once on paper and once on a tablet computer with a pen. We tested 25 participants by measuring their writing duration, in air time, number of pen lifts, writing velocity and number of inversions in velocity. The data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects modeling with repeated measures. Our results reveal differences between writing on paper and on a tablet computer which were partly task-dependent. Our findings also show that participants were able to adapt their graphomotor execution to the smoother surface of the tablet computer during the tasks. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{FischerMayerSchollImholtetal.2018, author = {Fischer, Stefan and Mayer-Scholl, Anne and Imholt, Christian and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Heuser, Elisa and Schmidt, Sabrina and Reil, Daniela and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Jacob, Jens and N{\"o}ckler, Karsten and Ulrich, Rainer G.}, title = {Leptospira genomospecies and sequence type prevalence in small mammal populations in Germany}, series = {Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases}, volume = {18}, journal = {Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases}, number = {4}, publisher = {Liebert}, address = {New Rochelle}, issn = {1530-3667}, doi = {10.1089/vbz.2017.2140}, pages = {188 -- 199}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Leptospirosis is a worldwide emerging infectious disease caused by zoonotic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Numerous mammals, including domestic and companion animals, can be infected by Leptospira spp., but rodents and other small mammals are considered the main reservoir. The annual number of recorded human leptospirosis cases in Germany (2001-2016) was 25-166. Field fever outbreaks in strawberry pickers, due to infection with Leptospira kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa, were reported in 2007 and 2014. To identify the most commonly occurring Leptospira genomospecies, sequence types (STs), and their small mammal host specificity, a monitoring study was performed during 2010-2014 in four federal states of Germany. Initial screening of kidney tissues of 3,950 animals by PCR targeting the lipl32 gene revealed 435 rodents of 6 species and 89 shrews of three species positive for leptospiral DNA. PCR-based analyses resulted in the identification of the genomospecies L. kirschneri (62.7\%), Leptospira interrogans (28.3\%), and Leptospira borgpetersenii (9.0\%), which are represented by four, one, and two STs, respectively. The average Leptospira prevalence was highest (approximate to 30\%) in common voles (Microtus arvalis) and field voles (Microtus agrestis). Both species were exclusively infected with L. kirschneri. In contrast, in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), DNA of all three genomospecies was detected, and in common shrews (Sorex araneus) DNA of L. kirschneri and L. borgpetersenii was identified. The association between individual infection status and demographic factors varied between species; infection status was always positively correlated to body weight. In conclusion, the study confirmed a broad geographical distribution of Leptospira in small mammals and suggested an important public health relevance of common and field voles as reservoirs of L. kirschneri. Furthermore, the investigations identified seasonal, habitat-related, as well as individual influences on Leptospira prevalence in small mammals that might impact public health.}, language = {en} } @article{SchmidtReilJeskeetal.2021, author = {Schmidt, Sabrina and Reil, Daniela and Jeske, Kathrin and Drewes, Stephan and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Fischer, Stefan and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Labutin, Anton and Heckel, Gerald and Jacob, Jens and Ulrich, Rainer G. and Imholt, Christian}, title = {Spatial and temporal dynamics and molecular evolution of Tula orthohantavirus in German vole populations}, series = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, volume = {13}, journal = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v13061132}, pages = {17}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is a rodent-borne hantavirus with broad geographical distribution in Europe. Its major reservoir is the common vole (Microtus arvalis), but TULV has also been detected in closely related vole species. Given the large distributional range and high amplitude population dynamics of common voles, this host-pathogen complex presents an ideal system to study the complex mechanisms of pathogen transmission in a wild rodent reservoir. We investigated the dynamics of TULV prevalence and the subsequent potential effects on the molecular evolution of TULV in common voles of the Central evolutionary lineage. Rodents were trapped for three years in four regions of Germany and samples were analyzed for the presence of TULV-reactive antibodies and TULV RNA with subsequent sequence determination. The results show that individual (sex) and population-level factors (abundance) of hosts were significant predictors of local TULV dynamics. At the large geographic scale, different phylogenetic TULV clades and an overall isolation-by-distance pattern in virus sequences were detected, while at the small scale (<4 km) this depended on the study area. In combination with an overall delayed density dependence, our results highlight that frequent, localized bottleneck events for the common vole and TULV do occur and can be offset by local recolonization dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{FischerSpierlingHeuseretal.2018, author = {Fischer, Stefan and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Heuser, Elisa and Kling, Christopher and Schmidt, Sabrina and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Reil, Daniela and Imholt, Christian and Jacob, Jens and Ulrich, Rainer G. and Essbauer, Sandra}, title = {High prevalence of Rickettsia helvetica in wild small mammal populations in Germany}, series = {Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases}, volume = {9}, journal = {Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases}, number = {3}, publisher = {Elsevier GMBH}, address = {M{\"u}nchen}, issn = {1877-959X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.01.009}, pages = {500 -- 505}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Since the beginning of the 21st century, spotted fever rickettsioses are known as emerging diseases worldwide. Rickettsiae are obligately intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. The ecology of Rickettsia species has not been investigated in detail, but small mammals are considered to play a role as reservoirs. Aim of this study was to monitor rickettsiae in wild small mammals over a period of five years in four federal states of Germany. Initial screening of ear pinna tissues of 3939 animals by Pan-Rick real-time PCR targeting the citrate synthase (gltA) gene revealed 296 rodents of seven species and 19 shrews of two species positive for rickettsial DNA. Outer membrane protein gene (ompB, ompAIV) PCRs based typing resulted in the identification of three species: Rickettsia helvetica (90.9\%) was found as the dominantly occurring species in the four investigated federal states, but Rickettsia felis (7.8\%) and Rickettsia raoultii (1.3\%) were also detected. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in rodents of the genus Apodemus was found to be higher (approximately 14\%) than in all other rodent and shrew species at all investigated sites. General linear mixed model analyses indicated that heavier (older) individuals of yellow-necked mice and male common voles seem to contain more often rickettsial DNA than younger ones. Furthermore, rodents generally collected in forests in summer and autumn more often carried rickettsial DNA. In conclusion, this study indicated a high prevalence of R. helvetica in small mammal populations and suggests an age-dependent increase of the DNA prevalence in some of the species and in animals originating from forest habitats. The finding of R. helvetica and R. felis DNA in multiple small mammal species may indicate frequent trans-species transmission by feeding of vectors on different species. Further investigations should target the reason for the discrepancy between the high rickettsial DNA prevalence in rodents and the so far almost absence of clinical apparent human infections.}, language = {en} }