TY - JOUR A1 - Tian, Fang A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Schluetz, Frank T1 - What drives the recent intensified vegetation degradation in Mongolia - Climate change or human activity? JF - The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change N2 - This study examines the course and driving forces of recent vegetation change in the Mongolian steppe. A sediment core covering the last 55years from a small closed-basin lake in central Mongolia was analyzed for its multi-proxy record at annual resolution. Pollen analysis shows that highest abundances of planted Poaceae and highest vegetation diversity occurred during 1977-1992, reflecting agricultural development in the lake area. A decrease in diversity and an increase in Artemisia abundance after 1992 indicate enhanced vegetation degradation in recent times, most probably because of overgrazing and farmland abandonment. Human impact is the main factor for the vegetation degradation within the past decades as revealed by a series of redundancy analyses, while climate change and soil erosion play subordinate roles. High Pediastrum (a green algae) influx, high atomic total organic carbon/total nitrogen (TOC/TN) ratios, abundant coarse detrital grains, and the decrease of C-13(org) and N-15 since about 1977 but particularly after 1992 indicate that abundant terrestrial organic matter and nutrients were transported into the lake and caused lake eutrophication, presumably because of intensified land use. Thus, we infer that the transition to a market economy in Mongolia since the early 1990s not only caused dramatic vegetation degradation but also affected the lake ecosystem through anthropogenic changes in the catchment area. KW - central Mongolia KW - grain size KW - human impact KW - lake eutrophication KW - pollen KW - vegetation degradation Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683614540958 SN - 0959-6836 SN - 1477-0911 VL - 24 IS - 10 SP - 1206 EP - 1215 PB - Sage Publ. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dunker, Susanne A1 - Boyd, Matthew A1 - Durka, Walter A1 - Erler, Silvio A1 - Harpole, W. Stanley A1 - Henning, Silvia A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike A1 - Hornick, Thomas A1 - Knight, Tiffany A1 - Lips, Stefan A1 - Mäder, Patrick A1 - Švara, Elena Motivans A1 - Mozarowski, Steven A1 - Rakosy, Demetra A1 - Römermann, Christine A1 - Schmitt-Jansen, Mechthild A1 - Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen A1 - Stratmann, Frank A1 - Treudler, Regina A1 - Virtanen, Risto A1 - Wendt-Potthoff, Katrin A1 - Wilhelm, Christian T1 - The potential of multispectral imaging flow cytometry for environmental monitoring JF - Cytometry part A N2 - Environmental monitoring involves the quantification of microscopic cells and particles such as algae, plant cells, pollen, or fungal spores. Traditional methods using conventional microscopy require expert knowledge, are time-intensive and not well-suited for automated high throughput. Multispectral imaging flow cytometry (MIFC) allows measurement of up to 5000 particles per second from a fluid suspension and can simultaneously capture up to 12 images of every single particle for brightfield and different spectral ranges, with up to 60x magnification. The high throughput of MIFC has high potential for increasing the amount and accuracy of environmental monitoring, such as for plant-pollinator interactions, fossil samples, air, water or food quality that currently rely on manual microscopic methods. Automated recognition of particles and cells is also possible, when MIFC is combined with deep-learning computational techniques. Furthermore, various fluorescence dyes can be used to stain specific parts of the cell to highlight physiological and chemical features including: vitality of pollen or algae, allergen content of individual pollen, surface chemical composition (carbohydrate coating) of cells, DNA- or enzyme-activity staining. Here, we outline the great potential for MIFC in environmental research for a variety of research fields and focal organisms. In addition, we provide best practice recommendations. KW - environmental monitoring KW - imaging flow cytometry KW - plant traits Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.24658 SN - 1552-4922 SN - 1552-4930 VL - 101 IS - 9 SP - 782 EP - 799 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Annemarie A1 - Claus, Inga A1 - Ahring, Sigrid A1 - Gruber, Doreen A1 - Haghikia, Aiden A1 - Frank, Ulrike A1 - Dziewas, Rainer A1 - Ebersbach, Georg A1 - Gandor, Florin A1 - Warnecke, Tobias T1 - Endoscopic characteristics of dysphagia in multiple system atrophy JF - Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society N2 - Background Dysphagia is a major clinical concern in multiple system atrophy (MSA). A detailed evaluation of its major endoscopic features compared with Parkinson's disease (PD) is lacking. Objective This study systematically assessed dysphagia in MSA compared with PD and correlated subjective dysphagia to objective endoscopic findings. Methods Fifty-seven patients with MSA (median, 64 [interquartile range (IQR): 59-71] years; 35 women) underwent flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing using a specific MSA-flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing task protocol. Findings were compared with an age-matched cohort of 57 patients with PD (median, 67 [interquartile range: 60-73] years; 28 women). In a subcohort, subjective dysphagia was assessed using the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire and correlated to endoscopy findings. Results Patients with MSA predominantly showed symptoms suggestive of oral-phase disturbance (premature spillage, 75.4%, piecemeal deglutition, 75.4%). Pharyngeal-phase symptoms occurred less often (pharyngeal residues, 50.9%; penetration/aspiration, 28.1%). In contrast, pharyngeal symptoms were the most common finding in PD (pharyngeal residues, 47.4%). Oral symptoms occurred less frequently in PD (premature spillage, 15.8%, P < 0.001; piecemeal deglutition, 1.8%, P < 0.01). Patients with MSA had a greater risk for oral-phase disturbances with increased disease severity (P < 0.05; odds ratio, 3.15). Patients with MSA showed a significantly higher intraindividual interswallow variability compared with PD. When correlating Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire scores with endoscopy results, its cutoff, validated for PD, was not sensitive enough to identify patients with MSA with dysphagia. We developed a subscore for identifying dysphagia in MSA and calculated a new cutoff (sensitivity 85%, specificity 100%). Conclusions In contrast with patients with PD, patients with dysphagic MSA more frequently present with oral-phase symptoms and a significantly higher intraindividual interswallow variability. A novel Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire MSA subscore may be a valuable tool to identify patients with MSA with early oropharyngeal dysphagia. KW - multiple system atrophy KW - dysphagia KW - FEES KW - Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire KW - SDQ Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.28854 SN - 0885-3185 SN - 1531-8257 VL - 37 IS - 3 SP - 535 EP - 544 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -