TY - JOUR A1 - Nitze, Ingmar A1 - Grosse, Guido A1 - Jones, Benjamin M. A1 - Romanovsky, Vladimir E. A1 - Boike, Julia T1 - Remote sensing quantifies widespread abundance of permafrost region disturbances across the Arctic and Subarctic JF - Nature Communications N2 - Local observations indicate that climate change and shifting disturbance regimes are causing permafrost degradation. However, the occurrence and distribution of permafrost region disturbances (PRDs) remain poorly resolved across the Arctic and Subarctic. Here we quantify the abundance and distribution of three primary PRDs using time-series analysis of 30-m resolution Landsat imagery from 1999 to 2014. Our dataset spans four continental-scale transects in North America and Eurasia, covering similar to 10% of the permafrost region. Lake area loss (-1.45%) dominated the study domain with enhanced losses occurring at the boundary between discontinuous and continuous permafrost regions. Fires were the most extensive PRD across boreal regions (6.59%), but in tundra regions (0.63%) limited to Alaska. Retrogressive thaw slumps were abundant but highly localized (< 10(-5)%). Our analysis synergizes the global-scale importance of PRDs. The findings highlight the need to include PRDs in next-generation land surface models to project the permafrost carbon feedback. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07663-3 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fritz, Michael Andre A1 - Rosa, Stefanie A1 - Sicard, Adrien T1 - Mechanisms Underlying the Environmentally Induced Plasticity of Leaf Morphology JF - Frontiers in genetics N2 - The primary function of leaves is to provide an interface between plants and their environment for gas exchange, light exposure and thermoregulation. Leaves have, therefore a central contribution to plant fitness by allowing an efficient absorption of sunlight energy through photosynthesis to ensure an optimal growth. Their final geometry will result from a balance between the need to maximize energy uptake while minimizing the damage caused by environmental stresses. This intimate relationship between leaf and its surroundings has led to an enormous diversification in leaf forms. Leaf shape varies between species, populations, individuals or even within identical genotypes when those are subjected to different environmental conditions. For instance, the extent of leaf margin dissection has, for long, been found to inversely correlate with the mean annual temperature, such that Paleobotanists have used models based on leaf shape to predict the paleoclimate from fossil flora. Leaf growth is not only dependent on temperature but is also regulated by many other environmental factors such as light quality and intensity or ambient humidity. This raises the question of how the different signals can be integrated at the molecular level and converted into clear developmental decisions. Several recent studies have started to shed the light on the molecular mechanisms that connect the environmental sensing with organ-growth and patterning. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the influence of different environmental signals on leaf size and shape, their integration as well as their importance for plant adaptation. KW - plants KW - leaf morphology KW - environment KW - developmental plasticity KW - gene regulatory networks KW - sensory system KW - gene responsiveness Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2018.00478 SN - 1664-8021 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Walther, Sophia A1 - Guanter, Luis A1 - Heim, Birgit A1 - Jung, Martin A1 - Duveiller, Gregory A1 - Wolanin, Aleksandra A1 - Sachs, Torsten T1 - Assessing the dynamics of vegetation productivity in circumpolar regions with different satellite indicators of greenness and photosynthesis JF - Biogeosciences N2 - High-latitude treeless ecosystems represent spatially highly heterogeneous landscapes with small net carbon fluxes and a short growing season. Reliable observations and process understanding are critical for projections of the carbon balance of the climate-sensitive tundra. Space-borne remote sensing is the only tool to obtain spatially continuous and temporally resolved information on vegetation greenness and activity in remote circumpolar areas. However, confounding effects from persistent clouds, low sun elevation angles, numerous lakes, widespread surface inundation, and the sparseness of the vegetation render it highly challenging. Here, we conduct an extensive analysis of the timing of peak vegetation productivity as shown by satellite observations of complementary indicators of plant greenness and photosynthesis. We choose to focus on productivity during the peak of the growing season, as it importantly affects the total annual carbon uptake. The suite of indicators are as follows: (1) MODIS-based vegetation indices (VIs) as proxies for the fraction of incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) that is absorbed (fPAR), (2) VIs combined with estimates of PAR as a proxy of the total absorbed radiation (APAR), (3) sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) serving as a proxy for photosynthesis, (4) vegetation optical depth (VOD), indicative of total water content and (5) empirically upscaled modelled gross primary productivity (GPP). Averaged over the pan-Arctic we find a clear order of the annual peak as APAR <= GPP < SIF < VIs/VOD. SIF as an indicator of photosynthesis is maximised around the time of highest annual temperatures. The modelled GPP peaks at a similar time to APAR. The time lag of the annual peak between APAR and instantaneous SIF fluxes indicates that the SIF data do contain information on light-use efficiency of tundra vegetation, but further detailed studies are necessary to verify this. Delayed peak greenness compared to peak photosynthesis is consistently found across years and land-cover classes. A particularly late peak of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) in regions with very small seasonality in greenness and a high amount of lakes probably originates from artefacts. Given the very short growing season in circumpolar areas, the average time difference in maximum annual photosynthetic activity and greenness or growth of 3 to 25 days (depending on the data sets chosen) is important and needs to be considered when using satellite observations as drivers in vegetation models. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6221-2018 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 15 IS - 20 SP - 6221 EP - 6256 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schaal, Frederik A1 - Rutloh, Michael A1 - Weidenfeld, Susanne A1 - Stumpe, Joachim A1 - Michler, Peter A1 - Pruss, Christof A1 - Osten, Wolfgang T1 - Optically addressed modulator for tunable spatial polarization control JF - Optics express : the international electronic journal of optics N2 - We present an optically addressed non-pixelated spatial light modulator. The system is based on reversible photoalignment of a LC cell using a red light sensitive novel azobenzene photoalignment layer. It is an electrode-free device that manipulates the liquid crystal orientation and consequently the polarization via light without artifacts caused by electrodes. The capability to miniaturize the spatial light modulator allows the integration into a microscope objective. This includes a miniaturized 200 channel optical addressing system based on a VCSEL array and hybrid refractive-diffractive beam shapers. As an application example, the utilization as a microscope objective integrated analog phase contrast modulator is shown. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.26.028119 SN - 1094-4087 VL - 26 IS - 21 SP - 28119 EP - 28130 PB - Optical Society of America CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmälzlin, Elmar Gerd A1 - Moralejo, Benito A1 - Gersonde, Ingo A1 - Schleusener, Johannes A1 - Darvin, Maxim E. A1 - Thiede, Gisela A1 - Roth, Martin M. T1 - Nonscanning large-area Raman imaging for ex vivo/in vivo skin cancer discrimination JF - Journal of biomedical optics N2 - Imaging Raman spectroscopy can be used to identify cancerous tissue. Traditionally, a step-by-step scanning of the sample is applied to generate a Raman image, which, however, is too slow for routine examination of patients. By transferring the technique of integral field spectroscopy (IFS) from astronomy to Raman imaging, it becomes possible to record entire Raman images quickly within a single exposure, without the need for a tedious scanning procedure. An IFS-based Raman imaging setup is presented, which is capable of measuring skin ex vivo or in vivo. It is demonstrated how Raman images of healthy and cancerous skin biopsies were recorded and analyzed. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - cancer diagnosis KW - Raman imaging KW - multichannel KW - astronomy KW - epidermis KW - dermis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.23.10.105001 SN - 1083-3668 SN - 1560-2281 VL - 23 IS - 10 PB - SPIE CY - Bellingham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mann, Michael E. A1 - Rahmstorf, Stefan A1 - Kornhuber, Kai A1 - Steinman, Byron A. A1 - Miller, Sonya K. A1 - Petri, Stefan A1 - Coumou, Dim T1 - Projected changes in persistent extreme summer weather events BT - The role of quasi-resonant amplification JF - Science Advances N2 - Persistent episodes of extreme weather in the Northern Hemisphere summer have been associated with high-amplitude quasi-stationary atmospheric Rossby waves, with zonal wave numbers 6 to 8 resulting from the phenomenon of quasi-resonant amplification (QRA). A fingerprint for the occurrence of QRA can be defined in terms of the zonally averaged surface temperature field. Examining state-of-the-art [Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5)] climate model projections, we find that QRA events are likely to increase by similar to 50% this century under business-as-usual carbon emissions, but there is considerable variation among climate models. Some predict a near tripling of QRA events by the end of the century, while others predict a potential decrease. Models with amplified Arctic warming yield the most pronounced increase in QRA events. The projections are strongly dependent on assumptions regarding the nature of changes in radiative forcing associated with anthropogenic aerosols over the next century. One implication of our findings is that a reduction in midlatitude aerosol loading could actually lead to Arctic de-amplification this century, ameliorating potential increases in persistent extreme weather events. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat3272 SN - 2375-2548 VL - 4 IS - 10 PB - American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard T1 - The enigma of sphingolipids in health and disease T2 - International journal of molecular sciences Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19103126 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 19 IS - 10 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ambarli, Hüseyin A1 - Mengüllüoğlu, Deniz A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Förster, Daniel W. T1 - Hotel AMANO Grand Central of brown bears in southwest Asia JF - PeerJ N2 - Genetic studies of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) have so far focused on populations from Europe and North America, although the largest distribution area of brown bears is in Asia. In this study, we reveal population genetic parameters for the brown bear population inhabiting the Grand Kackar Mountains (GKM) in the north east of Turkey, western Lesser Caucasus. Using both hair (N = 147) and tissue samples (N = 7) collected between 2008 and 2014, we found substantial levels of genetic variation (10 microsatellite loci). Bear samples (hair) taken from rubbing trees worked better for genotyping than those from power poles, regardless of the year collected. Genotyping also revealed that bears moved between habitat patches, despite ongoing massive habitat alterations and the creation of large water reservoirs. This population has the potential to serve as a genetic reserve for future reintroduction in the Middle East. Due to the importance of the GKM population for on-going and future conservation actions, the impacts of habitat alterations in the region ought to be minimized; e.g., by establishing green bridges or corridors over reservoirs and major roads to maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow among populations in the Lesser Caucasus. KW - Ursus arctos KW - Microsatellite KW - Conservation KW - Anatolia KW - Isolation KW - Source population KW - Noninvasive sampling KW - Rubbing tree KW - Turkey Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5660 SN - 2167-8359 VL - 6 PB - PeerJ Inc. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Polom, Ulrich A1 - Alrshdan, Hussam A1 - Al-Halbouni, Djamil A1 - Holohan, Eoghan P. A1 - Dahm, Torsten A1 - Sawarieh, Ali A1 - Atallah, Mohamad Y. A1 - Krawczyk, Charlotte M. T1 - Shear wave reflection seismic yields subsurface dissolution and subrosion patterns BT - application to the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkhole site, Dead Sea, Jordan JF - Solid earth N2 - Near-surface geophysical imaging of alluvial fan settings is a challenging task but crucial for understating geological processes in such settings. The alluvial fan of Ghor Al-Haditha at the southeast shore of the Dead Sea is strongly affected by localized subsidence and destructive sinkhole collapses, with a significantly increasing sinkhole formation rate since ca. 1983. A similar increase is observed also on the western shore of the Dead Sea, in correlation with an ongoing decline in the Dead Sea level. Since different structural models of the upper 50 m of the alluvial fan and varying hypothetical sinkhole processes have been suggested for the Ghor Al-Haditha area in the past, this study aimed to clarify the subsurface characteristics responsible for sinkhole development. For this purpose, high-frequency shear wave reflection vibratory seismic surveys were carried out in the Ghor Al-Haditha area along several crossing and parallel profiles with a total length of 1.8 and 2.1 km in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The sedimentary architecture of the alluvial fan at Ghor Al-Haditha is resolved down to a depth of nearly 200 m at a high resolution and is calibrated with the stratigraphic profiles of two boreholes located inside the survey area. The most surprising result of the survey is the absence of evidence of a thick (>2-10 m) compacted salt layer formerly suggested to lie at ca. 35-40 m depth. Instead, seismic reflection amplitudes and velocities image with good continuity a complex interlocking of alluvial fan deposits and lacustrine sediments of the Dead Sea between 0 and 200 m depth. Furthermore, the underground section of areas affected by sinkholes is characterized by highly scattering wave fields and reduced seismic interval velocities. We propose that the Dead Sea mud layers, which comprise distributed inclusions or lenses of evaporitic chloride, sulfate, and carbonate minerals as well as clay silicates, become increasingly exposed to unsaturated water as the sea level declines and are consequently destabilized and mobilized by both dissolution and physical erosion in the subsurface. This new interpretation of the underlying cause of sinkhole development is supported by surface observations in nearby channel systems. Overall, this study shows that shear wave seismic reflection technique is a promising method for enhanced near-surface imaging in such challenging alluvial fan settings. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1079-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 5 SP - 1079 EP - 1098 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mainka, Stefan A1 - Wissel, Jörg A1 - Völler, Heinz A1 - Evers, Stefan T1 - The Use of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation to Optimize Treadmill Training for Stroke Patients BT - a randomized controlled trial JF - Frontiers in Neurology N2 - The use of functional music in gait training termed rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) and treadmill training (TT) have both been shown to be effective in stroke patients (SP). The combination of RAS and treadmill training (RAS-TT) has not been clinically evaluated to date. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of RAS-TT on functional gait in SR The protocol followed the design of an explorative study with a rater-blinded three arm prospective randomized controlled parallel group design. Forty-five independently walking SP with a hemiparesis of the lower limb or an unsafe and asymmetrical walking pattern were recruited. RAS-TT was carried out over 4 weeks with TT and neurodevelopmental treatment based on Bobath approach (NDT) serving as control interventions. For RAS-TT functional music was adjusted individually while walking on the treadmill. Pre and post-assessments consisted of the fast gait speed test (FGS), a gait analysis with the locometre (LOC), 3 min walking time test (3MWT), and an instrumental evaluation of balance (IEB). Raters were blinded to group assignments. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed with affiliated measures from pre-assessment and time between stroke and start of study as covariates. Thirty-five participants (mean age 63.6 +/- 8.6 years, mean time between stroke and start of study 42.1 +/- 23.7 days) completed the study (11 RAS-TT, 13 TT, 11 NDT). Significant group differences occurred in the FGS for adjusted post-measures in gait velocity [F-(2,F- (34)) = 3.864, p = 0.032; partial eta(2) = 0.205] and cadence [F-(2,F- 34) = 7.656, p = 0.002; partial eta(2) = 0.338]. Group contrasts showed significantly higher values for RAS-TT. Stride length results did not vary between the groups. LOC, 3MWT, and IEB did not indicate group differences. One patient was withdrawn from TT because of pain in one arm. The study provides first evidence for a higher efficacy of RAS-TT in comparison to the standard approaches TT and NDT in restoring functional gait in SP. The results support the implementation of functional music in neurological gait rehabilitation and its use in combination with treadmill training. KW - stroke rehabilitation KW - exercise movement techniques KW - music therapy KW - music KW - gait Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00755 SN - 1664-2295 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pauly, Maren A1 - Helle, Gerhard A1 - Miramont, Cecile A1 - Buentgen, Ulf A1 - Treydte, Kerstin A1 - Reinig, Frederick A1 - Guibal, Frederic A1 - Sivan, Olivier A1 - Heinrich, Ingo A1 - Riedel, Frank A1 - Kromer, Bernd A1 - Balanzategui, Daniel A1 - Wacker, Lukas A1 - Sookdeo, Adam A1 - Brauer, Achim T1 - Subfossil trees suggest enhanced Mediterranean hydroclimate variability at the onset of the Younger Dryas JF - Scientific reports N2 - Nearly 13,000 years ago, the warming trend into the Holocene was sharply interrupted by a reversal to near glacial conditions. Climatic causes and ecological consequences of the Younger Dryas (YD) have been extensively studied, however proxy archives from the Mediterranean basin capturing this period are scarce and do not provide annual resolution. Here, we report a hydroclimatic reconstruction from stable isotopes (delta O-18, delta C-13) in subfossil pines from southern France. Growing before and during the transition period into the YD (12 900-12 600 cal BP), the trees provide an annually resolved, continuous sequence of atmospheric change. Isotopic signature of tree sourcewater (delta O-18(sw)) and estimates of relative air humidity were reconstructed as a proxy for variations in air mass origin and precipitation regime. We find a distinct increase in inter-annual variability of sourcewater isotopes (delta O-18(sw)), with three major downturn phases of increasing magnitude beginning at 12 740 cal BP. The observed variation most likely results from an amplified intensity of North Atlantic (low delta O-18(sw)) versus Mediterranean (high delta O-18(sw)) precipitation. This marked pattern of climate variability is not seen in records from higher latitudes and is likely a consequence of atmospheric circulation oscillations at the margin of the southward moving polar front. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32251-2 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Möser, Christin A1 - Lorenz, Jessica S. A1 - Sajfutdinow, Martin A1 - Smith, David M. T1 - Pinpointed Stimulation of EphA2 Receptors via DNA-Templated Oligovalence JF - International journal of molecular sciences N2 - DNA nanostructures enable the attachment of functional molecules to nearly any unique location on their underlying structure. Due to their single-base-pair structural resolution, several ligands can be spatially arranged and closely controlled according to the geometry of their desired target, resulting in optimized binding and/or signaling interactions. Here, the efficacy of SWL, an ephrin-mimicking peptide that binds specifically to EphrinA2 (EphA2) receptors, increased by presenting up to three of these peptides on small DNA nanostructures in an oligovalent manner. Ephrin signaling pathways play crucial roles in tumor development and progression. Moreover, Eph receptors are potential targets in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Here, the quantitative impact of SWL valency on binding, phosphorylation (key player for activation) and phenotype regulation in EphA2-expressing prostate cancer cells was demonstrated. EphA2 phosphorylation was significantly increased by DNA trimers carrying three SWL peptides compared to monovalent SWL. In comparison to one of EphA2’s natural ligands ephrin-A1, which is known to bind promiscuously to multiple receptors, pinpointed targeting of EphA2 by oligovalent DNA-SWL constructs showed enhanced cell retraction. Overall, we show that DNA scaffolds can increase the potency of weak signaling peptides through oligovalent presentation and serve as potential tools for examination of complex signaling pathways. KW - DNA nanostructure KW - ephrin KW - EphA2 KW - SWL KW - PC-3 cells KW - multivalence Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19113482 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 19 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwanhold, Nadine A1 - Iobbi-Nivol, Chantal A1 - Lehmann, Angelika A1 - Leimkühler, Silke T1 - Same but different BT - Comparison of two system-specific molecular chaperones for the maturation of formate dehydrogenases JF - PLoS one N2 - The maturation of bacterial molybdoenzymes is a complex process leading to the insertion of the bulky bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (bis-MGD) cofactor into the apoenzyme. Most molybdoenzymes were shown to contain a specific chaperone for the insertion of the bis-MGD cofactor. Formate dehydrogenases (FDH) together with their molecular chaperone partner seem to display an exception to this specificity rule, since the chaperone FdhD has been proven to be involved in the maturation of all three FDH enzymes present in Escherichia colt. Multiple roles have been suggested for FdhD-like chaperones in the past, including the involvement in a sulfur transfer reaction from the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS to bis-MGD by the action of two cysteine residues present in a conserved CXXC motif of the chaperones. However, in this study we show by phylogenetic analyses that the CXXC motif is not conserved among FdhD-like chaperones. We compared in detail the FdhD-like homologues from Rhodobacter capsulatus and E. colt and show that their roles in the maturation of FDH enzymes from different subgroups can be exchanged. We reveal that bis-MGDbinding is a common characteristic of FdhD-like proteins and that the cofactor is bound with a sulfido-ligand at the molybdenum atom to the chaperone. Generally, we reveal that the cysteine residues in the motif CXXC of the chaperone are not essential for the production of active FDH enzymes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201935 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 11 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Siddiqui, Tarique Adnan A1 - Maute, Astrid A1 - Pedatella, Nick A1 - Yamazaki, Yosuke A1 - Lühr, Hermann A1 - Stolle, Claudia T1 - On the variability of the semidiurnal solar and lunar tides of the equatorial electrojet during sudden stratospheric warmings JF - Annales geophysicae N2 - The variabilities of the semidiurnal solar and lunar tides of the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) are investigated during the 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2013 major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events in this study. For this purpose, ground-magnetometer recordings at the equatorial observatories in Huancayo and Fuquene are utilized. Results show a major enhancement in the amplitude of the EEJ semidiurnal lunar tide in each of the four warming events. The EEJ semidiurnal solar tidal amplitude shows an amplification prior to the onset of warmings, a reduction during the deceleration of the zonal mean zonal wind at 60 degrees N and 10 hPa, and a second enhancement a few days after the peak reversal of the zonal mean zonal wind during all four SSWs. Results also reveal that the amplitude of the EEJ semidiurnal lunar tide becomes comparable or even greater than the amplitude of the EEJ semidiurnal solar tide during all these warming events. The present study also compares the EEJ semidiurnal solar and lunar tidal changes with the variability of the migrating semidiurnal solar (SW2) and lunar (M2) tides in neutral temperature and zonal wind obtained from numerical simulations at E-region heights. A better agreement between the enhancements of the EEJ semidiurnal lunar tide and the M2 tide is found in comparison with the enhancements of the EEJ semidiurnal solar tide and the SW2 tide in both the neutral temperature and zonal wind at the E-region altitudes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-1545-2018 SN - 0992-7689 SN - 1432-0576 VL - 36 IS - 6 SP - 1545 EP - 1562 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Al-Halbouni, Djamil A1 - Holohan, Eoghan P. A1 - Taheri, Abbas A1 - Schöpfer, Martin P. J. A1 - Emam, Sacha A1 - Dahm, Torsten T1 - Geomechanical modelling of sinkhole development using distinct elements BT - model verification for a single void space and application to the Dead Sea area JF - Solid earth N2 - Mechanical and/or chemical removal of material from the subsurface may generate large subsurface cavities, the destabilisation of which can lead to ground collapse and the formation of sinkholes. Numerical simulation of the interaction of cavity growth, host material deformation and overburden collapse is desirable to better understand the sinkhole hazard but is a challenging task due to the involved high strains and material discontinuities. Here, we present 2-D distinct element method numerical simulations of cavity growth and sinkhole development. Firstly, we simulate cavity formation by quasi-static, stepwise removal of material in a single growing zone of an arbitrary geometry and depth. We benchmark this approach against analytical and boundary element method models of a deep void space in a linear elastic material. Secondly, we explore the effects of properties of different uniform materials on cavity stability and sinkhole development. We perform simulated biaxial tests to calibrate macroscopic geotechnical parameters of three model materials representative of those in which sinkholes develop at the Dead Sea shoreline: mud, alluvium and salt. We show that weak materials do not support large cavities, leading to gradual sagging or suffusion-style subsidence. Strong materials support quasi-stable to stable cavities, the overburdens of which may fail suddenly in a caprock or bedrock collapse style. Thirdly, we examine the consequences of layered arrangements of weak and strong materials. We find that these are more susceptible to sinkhole collapse than uniform materials not only due to a lower integrated strength of the overburden but also due to an inhibition of stabilising stress arching. Finally, we compare our model sinkhole geometries to observations at the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkhole site in Jordan. Sinkhole depth / diameter ratios of 0.15 in mud, 0.37 in alluvium and 0.33 in salt are reproduced successfully in the calibrated model materials. The model results suggest that the observed distribution of sinkhole depth / diameter values in each material type may partly reflect sinkhole growth trends. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1341-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 6 SP - 1341 EP - 1373 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Warditz, Vladislava Maria T1 - Русское имянаречение Нового времени BT - социально-культурные и политико� идеологические механизмы антропонимических сдвигов BT - Socio-cultural and political ideological mechanisms of anthroponymic shifts JF - Voprosy onomastiki N2 - The author stems from the premise that modern anthroponymy effectively incorporates data from related fields of knowledge, primarily those of cultural and political history, thus getting enlarged through interdisciplinary research. An integrated approach allows one to deduce the extra-linguistic mechanisms which lay behind anthroponymic changes. In the same vein, the present paper focuses on the dynamics within the Russian anthroponymic paradigm caused by the changing vectors of political, ideological, cultural, and religious identity in the historical perspective of the New Time (1700-1920s). The study aims to establish the connection between specific trends in naming and the precedent names, events, and texts of political, cultural, and religious life. The mechanisms of anthroponymic shifts are illustrated by the cases of individual names becoming socially significant in a particular historical context. Using interdisciplinary methods of cultural anthropology, the study builds on textual sources, primarily name indexes to the collections of works by outstanding cultural figures and scholars, and biographical dictionaries. Some examples of pragmatic naming strategies in works of art (literature, opera, cinema) are also provided. Preliminary findings reveal some major trends in the Russian anthroponymic system of the New Age such as Europeization vs. Russification, modernization vs. archaization, as well as their synthesis. These tendencies remain key up to the present day and can be traced and characteristically defined within a set (or corpus) of names relating to the particular epoch, in terms of their frequency and the parameters of the sociolinguistic distribution. The diachronic perspective of the study also supports the sociolinguistic observation that the newly introduced names, which are currently in use, have a pronounced social resonance, which is getting neutralized as their frequency increases. Further development of the topic implies, among other things, statistical verification of preliminary findings. T2 - Russian Name-Giving of the New Time KW - Russian name giving KW - causes of anthroponymic shifts KW - Europeization KW - archaization KW - New Time KW - cultural paradigm KW - identity Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2019.16.2.018 SN - 1994-2400 SN - 1994-2451 VL - 16 IS - 2 SP - 129 EP - 144 PB - Uralʹskij federalʹnyj universitet CY - Ekaterinenburg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kruse, Julia A1 - Kummer, Volker A1 - Shivas, Roger G. A1 - Thines, Marco T1 - The first smut fungus, Thecaphora anthemidis sp nov (Glomosporiaceae), described from Anthemis (Asteraceae) JF - MycoKeys N2 - There are 63 known species of Thecaphora (Glomosporiaceae, Ustilaginomycotina), a third of which occur on Asteraceae. These smut fungi produce yellowish-brown to reddish-brown masses of spore balls in specific, mostly regenerative, plant organs. A species of Thecaphora was collected in the flower heads of Anthemis chia (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) on Rhodes Island, Greece, in 2015 and 2017, which represents the first smut record of a smut fungus on a host plant species in this tribe. Based on its distinctive morphology, host species and genetic divergence, this species is described as Thecaphora anthemidis sp. nov. Molecular barcodes of the ITS region are provided for this and several other species of Thecaphora. A phylogenetic and morphological comparison to closely related species showed that Th. anthemidis differed from other species of Thecaphora. Thecaphora anthemidis produced loose spore balls in the flower heads and peduncles of Anthemis chia unlike other flower-infecting species. KW - Glomosporiaceae KW - host specificity KW - internal transcribed spacer KW - molecular phylogenetics KW - smut fungi Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.41.28454 SN - 1314-4057 SN - 1314-4049 IS - 41 SP - 39 EP - 50 PB - Pensoft Publ. CY - Sofia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manzoni, Stefano A1 - Capek, Petr A1 - Porada, Philipp A1 - Thurner, Martin A1 - Winterdahl, Mattias A1 - Beer, Christian A1 - Bruchert, Volker A1 - Frouz, Jan A1 - Herrmann, Anke M. A1 - Lindahl, Bjorn D. A1 - Lyon, Steve W. A1 - Šantrůčková, Hana A1 - Vico, Giulia A1 - Way, Danielle T1 - Reviews and syntheses BT - Carbon use efficiency from organisms to ecosystems - definitions, theories, and empirical evidence JF - Biogeosciences N2 - The cycling of carbon (C) between the Earth surface and the atmosphere is controlled by biological and abiotic processes that regulate C storage in biogeochemical compartments and release to the atmosphere. This partitioning is quantified using various forms of C-use efficiency (CUE) - the ratio of C remaining in a system to C entering that system. Biological CUE is the fraction of C taken up allocated to biosynthesis. In soils and sediments, C storage depends also on abiotic processes, so the term C-storage efficiency (CSE) can be used. Here we first review and reconcile CUE and CSE definitions proposed for autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms and communities, food webs, whole ecosystems and watersheds, and soils and sediments using a common mathematical framework. Second, we identify general CUE patterns; for example, the actual CUE increases with improving growth conditions, and apparent CUE decreases with increasing turnover. We then synthesize > 5000CUE estimates showing that CUE decreases with increasing biological and ecological organization - from uni-cellular to multicellular organisms and from individuals to ecosystems. We conclude that CUE is an emergent property of coupled biological-abiotic systems, and it should be regarded as a flexible and scale-dependent index of the capacity of a given system to effectively retain C. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5929-2018 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 15 IS - 19 SP - 5929 EP - 5949 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Risbey, James S. A1 - Lewandowsky, Stephan A1 - Cowtan, Kevin A1 - Oreskes, Naomi A1 - Rahmstorf, Stefan A1 - Jokimäki, Ari A1 - Foster, Grant T1 - A fluctuation in surface temperature in historical context BT - reassessment and retrospective on the evidence JF - Environmental research letters N2 - This work reviews the literature on an alleged global warming 'pause' in global mean surface temperature (GMST) to determine how it has been defined, what time intervals are used to characterise it, what data are used to measure it, and what methods used to assess it. We test for 'pauses', both in the normally understood meaning of the term to mean no warming trend, as well as for a 'pause' defined as a substantially slower trend in GMST. The tests are carried out with the historical versions of GMST that existed for each pause-interval tested, and with current versions of each of the GMST datasets. The tests are conducted following the common (but questionable) practice of breaking the linear fit at the start of the trend interval ('broken' trends), and also with trends that are continuous with the data bordering the trend interval. We also compare results when appropriate allowance is made for the selection bias problem. The results show that there is little or no statistical evidence for a lack of trend or slower trend in GMST using either the historical data or the current data. The perception that there was a 'pause' in GMST was bolstered by earlier biases in the data in combination with incomplete statistical testing. KW - climate variability KW - climate trends KW - temperature fluctuation KW - pause hiatus Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaf342 SN - 1748-9326 VL - 13 IS - 12 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Uber, Magdalena A1 - Vandervaere, Jean-Pierre A1 - Zin, Isabella A1 - Braud, Isabelle A1 - Heistermann, Maik A1 - Legout, Cedric A1 - Molinie, Gilles A1 - Nord, Guillaume T1 - How does initial soil moisture influence the hydrological response? A case study from southern France JF - Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS N2 - The phi(ev) is calculated from high-resolution discharge and precipitation data for several rain events with a cumulative precipitation P-cum ranging from less than 5mm to more than 80 mm. Because of the high uncertainty of phi(ev) associated with the hydrograph separation method, phi(ev) is calculated with several methods, including graphical methods, digital filters and a tracer-based method. The results indicate that the hydrological response depends on (theta) over bar (ini): during dry conditions phi(ev) is consistently below 0.1, even for events with high and intense precipitation. Above a threshold of (theta) over bar (ini) = 34 vol % phi(ev) can reach values up to 0.99 but there is a high scatter. Some variability can be explained with a weak correlation of phi(ev) with P-cum and rain intensity, but a considerable part of the variability remains unexplained. It is concluded that threshold-based methods can be helpful to prevent overestimation of the hydrological response during dry catchment conditions. The impact of soil moisture on the hydrological response during wet catchment conditions, however, is still insufficiently understood and cannot be generalized based on the present results. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6127-2018 SN - 1027-5606 SN - 1607-7938 VL - 22 IS - 12 SP - 6127 EP - 6146 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Knudsen, Erlend Moster A1 - Heinold, Bernd A1 - Dahlke, Sandro A1 - Bozem, Heiko A1 - Crewell, Susanne A1 - Gorodetskaya, Irina V. A1 - Heygster, Georg A1 - Kunkel, Daniel A1 - Maturilli, Marion A1 - Mech, Mario A1 - Viceto, Carolina A1 - Rinke, Annette A1 - Schmithusen, Holger A1 - Ehrlich, Andre A1 - Macke, Andreas A1 - Lüpkes, Christof A1 - Wendisch, Manfred T1 - Meteorological conditions during the ACLOUD/PASCAL field campaign near Svalbard in early summer 2017 JF - Atmospheric chemistry and physics N2 - The two concerted field campaigns, Arctic CLoud Observations Using airborne measurements during polar Day (ACLOUD) and the Physical feedbacks of Arctic planetary boundary level Sea ice, Cloud and AerosoL (PASCAL), took place near Svalbard from 23 May to 26 June 2017. They were focused on studying Arctic mixed-phase clouds and involved observations from two airplanes (ACLOUD), an icebreaker (PASCAL) and a tethered balloon, as well as ground-based stations. Here, we present the synoptic development during the 35-day period of the campaigns, using near-surface and upper-air meteorological observations, as well as operational satellite, analysis, and reanalysis data. Over the campaign period, short-term synoptic variability was substantial, dominating over the seasonal cycle. During the first campaign week, cold and dry Arctic air from the north persisted, with a distinct but seasonally unusual cold air outbreak. Cloudy conditions with mostly low-level clouds prevailed. The subsequent 2 weeks were characterized by warm and moist maritime air from the south and east, which included two events of warm air advection. These synoptical disturbances caused lower cloud cover fractions and higher-reaching cloud systems. In the final 2 weeks, adiabatically warmed air from the west dominated, with cloud properties strongly varying within the range of the two other periods. Results presented here provide synoptic information needed to analyze and interpret data of upcoming studies from ACLOUD/PASCAL, while also offering unprecedented measurements in a sparsely observed region. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17995-2018 SN - 1680-7316 SN - 1680-7324 VL - 18 IS - 24 SP - 17995 EP - 18022 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dörfler, Thomas T1 - Die Sanktionsausschüsse zwischen Macht und Regeln T1 - Sanctions Committees Caught between Power and Rules JF - Vereinte Nationen : Zeitschrift für die Vereinten Nationen und ihre Sonderorganisationen N2 - Sanktionen sind ein wichtiges Instrument des UN-Sicherheitsrats zur Erhaltung des Weltfriedens. Viele zentrale Entscheidungen, wie etwa die Listung und Entlistung terrorverdächtiger Personen, werden fernab der Öffentlichkeit in Sanktionsausschüssen getroffen. Die Einsetzung dieser Ausschüsse hat die Entscheidungsdynamiken im Rat erheblich verändert. N2 - Sanctions are an important instrument of the United Nations Security Council to maintain international peace and security. The Council, however, transfers many decisions, such as the listing and delisting of individuals suspected of supporting terrorism, to its subsidiary sanctions committees, mostly beyond public scrutiny. The article explores, how the creation of sanctions committees has changed decision-making dynamics, how committee members can be committed to rules and what this might imply for Germany’s future role on the Council. KW - Al-Qaida KW - Iran KW - Sanktionen KW - Sicherheitsrat KW - Sudan KW - UN Security Council KW - Terrorismus KW - sanctions committee Y1 - 2018 SN - 0042-384X SN - 2366-6773 VL - 66 IS - 2 SP - 62 EP - 66 PB - BWV CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Otto, Nils A1 - Marelja, Zvonimir A1 - Schoofs, Andreas A1 - Kranenburg, Holger A1 - Bittern, Jonas A1 - Yildirim, Kerem A1 - Berh, Dimitri A1 - Bethke, Maria A1 - Thomas, Silke A1 - Rode, Sandra A1 - Risse, Benjamin A1 - Jiang, Xiaoyi A1 - Pankratz, Michael A1 - Leimkühler, Silke A1 - Klämbt, Christian T1 - The sulfite oxidase Shopper controls neuronal activity by regulating glutamate homeostasis in Drosophila ensheathing glia JF - Nature Communications N2 - Specialized glial subtypes provide support to developing and functioning neural networks. Astrocytes modulate information processing by neurotransmitter recycling and release of neuromodulatory substances, whereas ensheathing glial cells have not been associated with neuromodulatory functions yet. To decipher a possible role of ensheathing glia in neuronal information processing, we screened for glial genes required in the Drosophila central nervous system for normal locomotor behavior. Shopper encodes a mitochondrial sulfite oxidase that is specifically required in ensheathing glia to regulate head bending and peristalsis. shopper mutants show elevated sulfite levels affecting the glutamate homeostasis which then act on neuronal network function. Interestingly, human patients lacking the Shopper homolog SUOX develop neurological symptoms, including seizures. Given an enhanced expression of SUOX by oligodendrocytes, our findings might indicate that in both invertebrates and vertebrates more than one glial cell type may be involved in modulating neuronal activity. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05645-z SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krstic, Jelena A1 - Reinisch, Isabel A1 - Schupp, Michael A1 - Schulz, Tim Julius A1 - Prokesch, Andreas T1 - p53 functions in adipose tissue metabolism and homeostasis JF - International journal of molecular sciences N2 - As a tumor suppressor and the most frequently mutated gene in cancer, p53 is among the best-described molecules in medical research. As cancer is in most cases an age-related disease, it seems paradoxical that p53 is so strongly conserved from early multicellular organisms to humans. A function not directly related to tumor suppression, such as the regulation of metabolism in nontransformed cells, could explain this selective pressure. While this role of p53 in cellular metabolism is gradually emerging, it is imperative to dissect the tissue-and cell-specific actions of p53 and its downstream signaling pathways. In this review, we focus on studies reporting p53's impact on adipocyte development, function, and maintenance, as well as the causes and consequences of altered p53 levels in white and brown adipose tissue (AT) with respect to systemic energy homeostasis. While whole body p53 knockout mice gain less weight and fat mass under a high-fat diet owing to increased energy expenditure, modifying p53 expression specifically in adipocytes yields more refined insights: (1) p53 is a negative regulator of in vitro adipogenesis; (2) p53 levels in white AT are increased in diet-induced and genetic obesity mouse models and in obese humans; (3) functionally, elevated p53 in white AT increases senescence and chronic inflammation, aggravating systemic insulin resistance; (4) p53 is not required for normal development of brown AT; and (5) when p53 is activated in brown AT in mice fed a high-fat diet, it increases brown AT temperature and brown AT marker gene expression, thereby contributing to reduced fat mass accumulation. In addition, p53 is increasingly being recognized as crucial player in nutrient sensing pathways. Hence, despite existence of contradictory findings and a varying density of evidence, several functions of p53 in adipocytes and ATs have been emerging, positioning p53 as an essential regulatory hub in ATs. Future studies need to make use of more sophisticated in vivo model systems and should identify an AT-specific set of p53 target genes and downstream pathways upon different (nutrient) challenges to identify novel therapeutic targets to curb metabolic diseases KW - p53 KW - adipose tissue KW - metabolic syndrome KW - obesity KW - adipogenesis KW - insulin resistance Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19092622 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 19 IS - 9 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulze, Sven A1 - Wehrhold, Michel A1 - Hille, Carsten T1 - Femtosecond-Pulsed laser written and etched fiber bragg gratings for fiber-optical biosensing JF - Sensors N2 - We present the development of a label-free, highly sensitive fiber-optical biosensor for online detection and quantification of biomolecules. Here, the advantages of etched fiber Bragg gratings (eFBG) were used, since they induce a narrowband Bragg wavelength peak in the reflection operation mode. The gratings were fabricated point-by-point via a nonlinear absorption process of a highly focused femtosecond-pulsed laser, without the need of prior coating removal or specific fiber doping. The sensitivity of the Bragg wavelength peak to the surrounding refractive index (SRI), as needed for biochemical sensing, was realized by fiber cladding removal using hydrofluoric acid etching. For evaluation of biosensing capabilities, eFBG fibers were biofunctionalized with a single-stranded DNA aptamer specific for binding the C-reactive protein (CRP). Thus, the CRP-sensitive eFBG fiber-optical biosensor showed a very low limit of detection of 0.82 pg/L, with a dynamic range of CRP detection from approximately 0.8 pg/L to 1.2 mu g/L. The biosensor showed a high specificity to CRP even in the presence of interfering substances. These results suggest that the proposed biosensor is capable for quantification of CRP from trace amounts of clinical samples. In addition, the adaption of this eFBG fiber-optical biosensor for detection of other relevant analytes can be easily realized. KW - fiber Bragg gratings KW - ultra-fast laser inscription KW - fiber etching KW - nanostructure fabrication KW - fiber-optical sensors KW - aptamers KW - C-reactive protein KW - biomarker Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s18092844 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 18 IS - 9 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Biterova, Ekaterina A1 - Esmaeeli Moghaddam Tabalvandani, Mariam A1 - Alanen, Heli I. A1 - Saaranen, Mirva A1 - Ruddock, Lloyd W. T1 - Structures of Angptl3 and Angptl4, modulators of triglyceride levels and coronary artery disease JF - Scientific reports N2 - Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of death globally and is linked to a number of risk factors including serum low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides and lipoprotein(a). Recently two proteins, angiopoietin-like protein 3 and 4, have emerged from genetic studies as being factors that significantly modulate plasma triglyceride levels and coronary artery disease. The exact function and mechanism of action of both proteins remains to be elucidated, however, mutations in these proteins results in up to 34% reduction in coronary artery disease and inhibition of function results in reduced plasma triglyceride levels. Here we report the crystal structures of the fibrinogen-like domains of both proteins. These structures offer new insights into the reported loss of function mutations, the mechanisms of action of the proteins and open up the possibility for the rational design of low molecular weight inhibitors for intervention in coronary artery disease. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25237-7 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xiong, Chao A1 - Stolle, Claudia A1 - Park, Jaeheung T1 - Climatology of GPS signal loss observed by Swarm satellites JF - Annales geophysicae N2 - By using 3-year global positioning system (GPS) measurements from December 2013 to November 2016, we provide in this study a detailed survey on the climatology of the GPS signal loss of Swarm onboard receivers. Our results show that the GPS signal losses prefer to occur at both low latitudes between +/- 5 and +/- 20 degrees magnetic latitude (MLAT) and high latitudes above 60 degrees MLAT in both hemispheres. These events at all latitudes are observed mainly during equinoxes and December solstice months, while totally absent during June solstice months. At low latitudes the GPS signal losses are caused by the equatorial plasma irregularities shortly after sunset, and at high latitude they are also highly related to the large density gradients associated with ionospheric irregularities. Additionally, the high-latitude events are more often observed in the Southern Hemisphere, occurring mainly at the cusp region and along nightside auroral latitudes. The signal losses mainly happen for those GPS rays with elevation angles less than 20 degrees, and more commonly occur when the line of sight between GPS and Swarm satellites is aligned with the shell structure of plasma irregularities. Our results also confirm that the capability of the Swarm receiver has been improved after the bandwidth of the phase-locked loop (PLL) widened, but the updates cannot radically avoid the interruption in tracking GPS satellites caused by the ionospheric plasma irregularities. Additionally, after the PLL bandwidth increased larger than 0.5 Hz, some unexpected signal losses are observed even at middle latitudes, which are not related to the ionospheric plasma irregularities. Our results suggest that rather than 1.0 Hz, a PLL bandwidth of 0.5 Hz is a more suitable value for the Swarm receiver. KW - Ionosphere KW - equatorial ionosphere KW - ionospheric irregularities KW - radio science KW - radio wave propagation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-679-2018 SN - 0992-7689 SN - 1432-0576 VL - 36 IS - 2 SP - 679 EP - 693 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Zuber, Isabelle A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (= negative math priming effect). We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task. KW - developmental dyscalculia KW - mathematics KW - affective priming KW - calculation KW - arithmetic KW - anxiety KW - gender KW - children Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00263 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - König, Johanna A1 - Block, Andrea A1 - Becker, Mathias A1 - Fenske, Kristin A1 - Hertel, Johannes A1 - Van der Auwera, Sandra A1 - Zymara, Kathleen A1 - Voelzke, Henry A1 - Freyberger, Harald Juergen A1 - Grabe, Hans Joergen T1 - Assessment of subjective emotional valence and long-lasting impact of life events BT - development and psychometrics of the Stralsund Life Event List (SEL) JF - BMC Psychiatry N2 - Background: Life events (LEs) are associated with future physical and mental health. They are crucial for understanding the pathways to mental disorders as well as the interactions with biological parameters. However, deeper insight is needed into the complex interplay between the type of LE, its subjective evaluation and accompanying factors such as social support. The "Stralsund Life Event List" (SEL) was developed to facilitate this research. Methods: The SEL is a standardized interview that assesses the time of occurrence and frequency of 81 LEs, their subjective emotional valence, the perceived social support during the LE experience and the impact of past LEs on present life. Data from 2265 subjects from the general population-based cohort study "Study of Health in Pomerania" (SHIP) were analysed. Based on the mean emotional valence ratings of the whole sample, LEs were categorized as "positive" or "negative". For verification, the SEL was related to lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD; Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview), childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), resilience (Resilience Scale) and subjective health (SF-12 Health Survey). Conclusions: The SEL is a valid instrument that enables the analysis of the number and frequency of LEs, their emotional valence, perceived social support and current impact on life on a global score and on an individual item level. Thus, we can recommend its use in research settings that require the assessment and analysis of the relationship between the occurrence and subjective evaluation of LEs as well as the complex balance between distressing and stabilizing life experiences. KW - Positive life events KW - Negative life events KW - General population KW - Emotional valence KW - Depressive disorder Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1649-3 SN - 1471-244X VL - 18 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dunsing, Valentin A1 - Luckner, Madlen A1 - Zuehlke, Boris A1 - Petazzi, Roberto Arturo A1 - Herrmann, Andreas A1 - Chiantia, Salvatore T1 - Optimal fluorescent protein tags for quantifying protein oligomerization in living cells JF - Scientific reports N2 - Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy has become a popular toolbox for non-disruptive analysis of molecular interactions in living cells. The quantification of protein oligomerization in the native cellular environment is highly relevant for a detailed understanding of complex biological processes. An important parameter in this context is the molecular brightness, which serves as a direct measure of oligomerization and can be easily extracted from temporal or spatial fluorescence fluctuations. However, fluorescent proteins (FPs) typically used in such studies suffer from complex photophysical transitions and limited maturation, inducing non-fluorescent states. Here, we show how these processes strongly affect molecular brightness measurements. We perform a systematic characterization of non-fluorescent states for commonly used FPs and provide a simple guideline for accurate, unbiased oligomerization measurements in living cells. Further, we focus on novel red FPs and demonstrate that mCherry2, an mCherry variant, possesses superior properties with regards to precise quantification of oligomerization. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28858-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zwickel, Theresa A1 - Kahl, Sandra M. A1 - Rychlik, Michael A1 - Müller, Marina E. H. T1 - Chemotaxonomy of Mycotoxigenic Small-Spored Alternaria Fungi BT - Do Multitoxin Mixtures Act as an Indicator for Species Differentiation? JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Necrotrophic as well as saprophytic small-spored Altemaria (A.) species are annually responsible for major losses of agricultural products, such as cereal crops, associated with the contamination of food and feedstuff with potential health-endangering Altemaria toxins. Knowledge of the metabolic capabilities of different species-groups to form mycotoxins is of importance for a reliable risk assessment. 93 Altemaria strains belonging to the four species groups Alternaria tenuissima, A. arborescens, A. altemata, and A. infectoria were isolated from winter wheat kernels harvested from fields in Germany and Russia and incubated under equal conditions. Chemical analysis by means of an HPLC-MS/MS multi-Alternaria-toxin-method showed that 95% of all strains were able to form at least one of the targeted 17 non-host specific Altemaria toxins. Simultaneous production of up to 15 (modified) Altemaria toxins by members of the A. tenuissima, A. arborescens, A. altemata species-groups and up to seven toxins by A. infectoria strains was demonstrated. Overall tenuazonic acid was the most extensively formed mycotoxin followed by alternariol and alternariol mono methylether, whereas altertoxin I was the most frequently detected toxin. Sulfoconjugated modifications of alternariol, alternariol mono methylether, altenuisol and altenuene were frequently determined. Unknown perylene quinone derivatives were additionally detected. Strains of the species-group A. infectoria could be segregated from strains of the other three species-groups due to significantly lower toxin levels and the specific production of infectopyrone. Apart from infectopyrone, alterperylenol was also frequently produced by 95% of the A. infectoria strains. Neither by the concentration nor by the composition of the targeted Altemaria toxins a differentiation between the species-groups A. altemata, A. tenuissima and A. arborescens was possible. KW - small-spored Alternaria fungi KW - Alternaria species-groups KW - Alternaria mycotoxins KW - chemotaxonomy KW - secondary metabolite profiling KW - LC-MS/MS KW - wheat KW - perylene quinone derivatives Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01368 SN - 1664-302X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heger, Tina A1 - Nikles, Gabriele A1 - Jacobs, Brooke S. T1 - Differentiation in native as well as introduced ranges BT - germination reflects mean and variance in cover of surrounding vegetation JF - AoB PLANTS N2 - Germination, a crucial phase in the life cycle of a plant, can be significantly influenced by competition and facilitation. The aim of this study was to test whether differences in cover of surrounding vegetation can lead to population differentiation in germination behaviour of an annual grassland species, and if so, whether such a differentiation can be found in the native as well as in the introduced range. We used maternal progeny of Erodium cicutarium previously propagated under uniform conditions that had been collected in multiple populations in the native and two introduced ranges, in populations representing extremes in terms of mean and variability of the cover of surrounding vegetation. In the first experiment, we tested the effect of germination temperature and mean cover at the source site on germination, and found interlinked effects of these factors. In seeds from one of the introduced ranges (California), we found indication for a 2-fold dormancy, hindering germination at high temperatures even if physical dormancy was broken and water was available. This behaviour was less strong in high cover populations, indicating cross-generational facilitating effects of dense vegetation. In the second experiment, we tested whether spatial variation in cover of surrounding vegetation has an effect on the proportion of dormant seeds. Contrary to our expectations, we found that across source regions, high variance in cover was associated with higher proportions of seeds germinating directly after storage. In all three regions, germination seemed to match the local environment in terms of climate and vegetation cover. We suggest that this is due to a combined effect of introduction of preadapted genotypes and local evolutionary processes. KW - Bet-hedging KW - competition KW - eco-evolutionary experience KW - facilitation KW - genetic adaptation KW - physical and physiological dormancy KW - preadaptation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/ply009 SN - 2041-2851 VL - 10 IS - 1 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hesse, Julia A1 - Klier, Dennis Tobias A1 - Sgarzi, Massimo A1 - Nsubuga, Anne A1 - Bauer, Christoph A1 - Grenzer, Joerg A1 - Hübner, Rene A1 - Wislicenus, Marcus A1 - Joshi, Tanmaya A1 - Kumke, Michael Uwe A1 - Stephan, Holger T1 - Rapid Synthesis of Sub-10nm Hexagonal NaYF4-Based Upconverting Nanoparticles using Therminol((R))66 JF - ChemistryOpen : including thesis treasury N2 - We report a simple one-pot method for the rapid preparation of sub-10nm pure hexagonal (-phase) NaYF4-based upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs). Using Therminol((R))66 as a co-solvent, monodisperse UCNPs could be obtained in unusually short reaction times. By varying the reaction time and reaction temperature, it was possible to control precisely the particle size and crystalline phase of the UCNPs. The upconversion (UC) luminescence properties of the nanocrystals were tuned by varying the concentrations of the dopants (Nd3+ and Yb3+ sensitizer ions and Er3+ activator ions). The size and phase-purity of the as-synthesized core and core-shell nanocrystals were assessed by using complementary transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and small-angle X-ray scattering studies. In-depth photophysical evaluation of the UCNPs was pursued by using steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. An enhancement in the UC intensity was observed if the nanocrystals, doped with optimized concentrations of lanthanide sensitizer/activator ions, were further coated with an inert/active shell. This was attributed to the suppression of surface-related luminescence quenching effects. KW - core-shell materials KW - lanthanides KW - nanostructures KW - photoluminescence KW - upconversion Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/open.201700186 SN - 2191-1363 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - 159 EP - 168 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Käch, Heidi A1 - Mathe-Hubert, Hugo A1 - Dennis, Alice B. A1 - Vorburger, Christoph T1 - Rapid evolution of symbiont-mediated resistance compromises biological control of aphids by parasitoids JF - Evolutionary applications N2 - There is growing interest in biological control as a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to control pest insects. Aphids are among the most detrimental agricultural pests worldwide, and parasitoid wasps are frequently employed for their control. The use of asexual parasitoids may improve the effectiveness of biological control because only females kill hosts and because asexual populations have a higher growth rate than sexuals. However, asexuals may have a reduced capacity to track evolutionary change in their host populations. We used a factorial experiment to compare the ability of sexual and asexual populations of the parasitoid Lysiphlebus fabarum to control caged populations of black bean aphids (Aphis fabae) of high and low clonal diversity. The aphids came from a natural population, and one-third of the aphid clones harbored Hamiltonella defensa, a heritable bacterial endosymbiont that increases resistance to parasitoids. We followed aphid and parasitoid population dynamics for 3months but found no evidence that the reproductive mode of parasitoids affected their effectiveness as biocontrol agents, independent of host clonal diversity. Parasitoids failed to control aphids in most cases, because their introduction resulted in strong selection for clones protected by H.defensa. The increasingly resistant aphid populations escaped control by parasitoids, and we even observed parasitoid extinctions in many cages. The rapid evolution of symbiont-conferred resistance in turn imposed selection on parasitoids. In cages where asexual parasitoids persisted until the end of the experiment, they became dominated by a single genotype able to overcome the protection provided by H.defensa. Thus, there was evidence for parasitoid counteradaptation, but it was generally too slow for parasitoids to regain control over aphid populations. It appears that when pest aphids possess defensive symbionts, the presence of parasitoid genotypes able to overcome symbiont-conferred resistance is more important for biocontrol success than their reproductive mode. KW - aphids KW - Aphis fabae KW - biological control KW - defensive symbiosis KW - Hamiltonella defensa KW - Lysiphlebus fabarum KW - parasitoid KW - resistance Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12532 SN - 1752-4571 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 220 EP - 230 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shi, Jun A1 - Joshi, Jasmin Radha A1 - Tielboerger, Katja A1 - Verhoeven, Koen J. F. A1 - Macel, Mirka T1 - Costs and benefits of admixture between foreign genotypes and local populations in the field JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Admixture is the hybridization between populations within one species. It can increase plant fitness and population viability by alleviating inbreeding depression and increasing genetic diversity. However, populations are often adapted to their local environments and admixture with distant populations could break down local adaptation by diluting the locally adapted genomes. Thus, admixed genotypes might be selected against and be outcompeted by locally adapted genotypes in the local environments. To investigate the costs and benefits of admixture, we compared the performance of admixed and within-population F1 and F2 generations of the European plant Lythrum salicaria in a reciprocal transplant experiment at three European field sites over a 2-year period. Despite strong differences between site and plant populations for most of the measured traits, including herbivory, we found limited evidence for local adaptation. The effects of admixture depended on experimental site and plant population, and were positive for some traits. Plant growth and fruit production of some populations increased in admixed offspring and this was strongest with larger parental distances. These effects were only detected in two of our three sites. Our results show that, in the absence of local adaptation, admixture may boost plant performance, and that this is particularly apparent in stressful environments. We suggest that admixture between foreign and local genotypes can potentially be considered in nature conservation to restore populations and/or increase population viability, especially in small inbred or maladapted populations. KW - heterosis KW - inbreeding depression KW - local adaptation KW - Lythrum salicaria KW - outbreeding depression Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3946 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 7 SP - 3675 EP - 3684 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Jean A1 - Gemignani, Lorenzo A1 - van der Beek, Peter T1 - Extracting information on the spatial variability in erosion rate stored in detrital cooling age distributions in river sands JF - Earth surface dynamics N2 - One of the main purposes of detrital thermochronology is to provide constraints on the regional-scale exhumation rate and its spatial variability in actively eroding mountain ranges. Procedures that use cooling age distributions coupled with hypsometry and thermal models have been developed in order to extract quantitative estimates of erosion rate and its spatial distribution, assuming steady state between tectonic uplift and erosion. This hypothesis precludes the use of these procedures to assess the likely transient response of mountain belts to changes in tectonic or climatic forcing. Other methods are based on an a priori knowledge of the in situ distribution of ages to interpret the detrital age distributions. In this paper, we describe a simple method that, using the observed detrital mineral age distributions collected along a river, allows us to extract information about the relative distribution of erosion rates in an eroding catchment without relying on a steady-state assumption, the value of thermal parameters or an a priori knowledge of in situ age distributions. The model is based on a relatively low number of parameters describing lithological variability among the various sub-catchments and their sizes and only uses the raw ages. The method we propose is tested against synthetic age distributions to demonstrate its accuracy and the optimum conditions for it use. In order to illustrate the method, we invert age distributions collected along the main trunk of the Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra river system in the eastern Himalaya. From the inversion of the cooling age distributions we predict present-day erosion rates of the catchments along the Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra river system, as well as some of its tributaries. We show that detrital age distributions contain dual information about present-day erosion rate, i. e., from the predicted distribution of surface ages within each catchment and from the relative contribution of any given catchment to the river distribution. The method additionally allows comparing modern erosion rates to long-term exhumation rates. We provide a simple implementation of the method in Python code within a Jupyter Notebook that includes the data used in this paper for illustration purposes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-257-2018 SN - 2196-6311 SN - 2196-632X VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 257 EP - 270 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - GEN A1 - Frank, Mario A1 - Kreitz, Christoph T1 - A theorem prover for scientific and educational purposes T2 - Electronic proceedings in theoretical computer science N2 - We present a prototype of an integrated reasoning environment for educational purposes. The presented tool is a fragment of a proof assistant and automated theorem prover. We describe the existing and planned functionality of the theorem prover and especially the functionality of the educational fragment. This currently supports working with terms of the untyped lambda calculus and addresses both undergraduate students and researchers. We show how the tool can be used to support the students' understanding of functional programming and discuss general problems related to the process of building theorem proving software that aims at supporting both research and education. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4204/EPTCS.267.4 SN - 2075-2180 IS - 267 SP - 59 EP - 69 PB - Open Publishing Association CY - Sydney ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Totz, Sonja Juliana A1 - Eliseev, Alexey V. A1 - Petri, Stefan A1 - Flechsig, Michael A1 - Caesar, Levke A1 - Petoukhov, Vladimir A1 - Coumou, Dim T1 - The dynamical core of the Aeolus 1.0 statistical-dynamical atmosphere model BT - validation and parameter optimization JF - Geoscientific model development : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union N2 - Here, we present novel equations for the large-scale zonal-mean wind as well as those for planetary waves. Together with synoptic parameterization (as presented by Coumou et al., 2011), these form the mathematical description of the dynamical core of Aeolus 1.0. The regions of high azonal wind velocities (planetary waves) are accurately captured for all validation experiments. The zonal-mean zonal wind and the integrated lower troposphere mass flux show good results in particular in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the model tends to produce too-weak zonal-mean zonal winds and a too-narrow Hadley circulation. We discuss possible reasons for these model biases as well as planned future model improvements and applications. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-665-2018 SN - 1991-959X SN - 1991-9603 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 665 EP - 679 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vater, Aline A1 - Moritz, Steffen A1 - Roepke, Stefan T1 - Does a narcissism epidemic exist in modern western societies? BT - Comparing narcissism and self-esteem in East and West Germany JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Narcissism scores are higher in individualistic cultures compared with more collectivistic cultures. However, the impact of sociocultural factors on narcissism and self-esteem has not been well described. Germany was formerly divided into two different social systems, each with distinct economic, political and national cultures, and was reunified in 1989/90. Between 1949 and 1989/90, West Germany had an individualistic culture, whereas East Germany had a more collectivistic culture. The German reunification provides an exceptional opportunity to investigate the impact of sociocultural and generational differences on narcissism and self-esteem. In this study, we used an anonymous online survey to assess grandiose narcissism with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) to assess grandiose and vulnerable aspects of narcissism, and self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) in 1,025 German individuals. Data were analyzed according to age and place of birth. Our results showed that grandiose narcissism was higher and self-esteem was lower in individuals who grew up in former West Germany compared with former East Germany. Further analyses indicated no significant differences in grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism or self-esteem in individuals that entered school after the German reunification (≤ 5 years of age in 1989). In the middle age cohort (6–18 years of age in 1989), significant differences in vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism and self-esteem were observed. In the oldest age cohort (> 19 years of age in 1989), significant differences were only found in one of the two scales assessing grandiose narcissism (NPI). Our data provides empirical evidence that sociocultural factors are associated with differences in narcissism and self-esteem. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188287 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Public Library of Science CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolf, Isabell Ann-Cathrin A1 - Gilles, Maria A1 - Peus, Verena A1 - Scharnholz, Barbara A1 - Seibert, Julia A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Krumm, Bertram A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Deuschle, Michael A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Impact of prenatal stress on mother-infant dyadic behavior during the still-face paradigm JF - Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation : the official journal of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA.BPD) and Dachverband Dialektisch Behaviorale Therapie (DDBT) N2 - Background: Mother-infant interaction provides important training for the infant’s ability to cope with stress and the development of resilience. Prenatal stress (PS) and its impact on the offspring’s development have long been a focus of stress research, with studies highlighting both harmful and beneficial effects. The aim of the current study was to examine the possible influence of both psychological stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity during pregnancy with mother-child dyadic behavior following stress exposure. Methods: The behavior of 164 mother-infant dyads during the still-face situation was filmed at six months postpartum and coded into three dyadic patterns: 1) both positive, 2) infant protesting-mother positive, and 3) infant protesting-mother negative. PS exposure was assessed prenatally according to psychological measures (i.e., psychopathological, perceived and psychosocial PS; n = 164) and HPA axis activity measures (maternal salivary cortisol, i.e., cortisol decline and area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg); n = 134). Results: Mother-infant dyads in both the high- and low-stress groups showed decreasing positive and increasing negative dyadic behavior in the reunion episode, which is associated with the well-known “still-face” and “carry-over” effect. Furthermore, mother-infant dyads with higher psychosocial PS exhibited significantly more positive dyadic behavior than the low psychosocial PS group in the first play episode, but not in the reunion episode. Similarly, mother-infant dyads with high HPA axis activity (i.e. high AUCg) but steeper diurnal cortisol decline (i.e. cortisol decline) displayed significantly less negative behavior in the reunion episode than dyads with low HPA axis activity. No significant results were found for psychopathological stress and perceived stress. Conclusions: The results suggest a beneficial effect of higher psychosocial PS and higher prenatal maternal HPA axis activity in late gestation, which is in line with “stress inoculation” theories. KW - Prenatal stress KW - Face-to-face still-face paradigm KW - Resilience KW - Psychosocial stress KW - Cortisol Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-018-0078-8 SN - 2051-6673 VL - 5 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martins, Renata F. A1 - Schmidt, Anke A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Wilting, Andreas A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Historical biogeography of Rusa unicolor and R-timorensis BT - Historical biogeography of Rusa unicolor and R. timorensis JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - In this study we compared the phylogeographic patterns of two Rusa species, Rusa unicolor and Rusa timorensis, in order to understand what drove and maintained differentiation between these two geographically and genetically close species and investigated the route of introduction of individuals to the islands outside of the Sunda Shelf. We analyzed full mitogenomes from 56 archival samples from the distribution areas of the two species and 18 microsatellite loci in a subset of 16 individuals to generate the phylogeographic patterns of both species. Bayesian inference with fossil calibration was used to estimate the age of each species and major divergence events. Our results indicated that the split between the two species took place during the Pleistocene, similar to 1.8Mya, possibly driven by adaptations of R. timorensis to the drier climate found on Java compared to the other islands of Sundaland. Although both markers identified two well-differentiated clades, there was a largely discrepant pattern between mitochondrial and nuclear markers. While nDNA separated the individuals into the two species, largely in agreement with their museum label, mtDNA revealed that all R. timorensis sampled to the east of the Sunda shelf carried haplotypes from R. unicolor and one Rusa unicolor from South Sumatra carried a R. timorensis haplotype. Our results show that hybridization occurred between these two sister species in Sundaland during the Late Pleistocene and resulted in human-mediated introduction of hybrid descendants in all islands outside Sundaland. KW - Cervidae KW - human introduction KW - hybridization KW - Phylogeography KW - Sundaland Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3754 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 1465 EP - 1479 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bukowski, Alexandra R. A1 - Schittko, Conrad A1 - Petermann, Jana S. T1 - The strength of negative plant-soil feedback increases from the intraspecific to the interspecific and the functional group level JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - One of the processes that may play a key role in plant species coexistence and ecosystem functioning is plant-soil feedback, the effect of plants on associated soil communities and the resulting feedback on plant performance. Plant-soil feedback at the interspecific level (comparing growth on own soil with growth on soil from different species) has been studied extensively, while plant-soil feedback at the intraspecific level (comparing growth on own soil with growth on soil from different accessions within a species) has only recently gained attention. Very few studies have investigated the direction and strength of feedback among different taxonomic levels, and initial results have been inconclusive, discussing phylogeny, and morphology as possible determinants. To test our hypotheses that the strength of negative feedback on plant performance increases with increasing taxonomic level and that this relationship is explained by morphological similarities, we conducted a greenhouse experiment using species assigned to three taxonomic levels (intraspecific, interspecific, and functional group level). We measured certain fitness-related aboveground traits and used them along literature-derived traits to determine the influence of morphological similarities on the strength and direction of the feedback. We found that the average strength of negative feedback increased from the intraspecific over the interspecific to the functional group level. However, individual accessions and species differed in the direction and strength of the feedback. None of our results could be explained by morphological dissimilarities or individual traits. Synthesis. Our results indicate that negative plant-soil feedback is stronger if the involved plants belong to more distantly related species. We conclude that the taxonomic level is an important factor in the maintenance of plant coexistence with plant-soil feedback as a potential stabilizing mechanism and should be addressed explicitly in coexistence research, while the traits considered here seem to play a minor role. KW - Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 KW - home-away effect KW - intraspecific diversity KW - morphological similarities KW - dissimilarities of plants KW - plant-soil (belowground) interactions KW - species coexistence KW - taxonomic levels KW - trait measurements Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3755 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 4 SP - 2280 EP - 2289 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Küçükgöze, Gökhan A1 - Leimkühler, Silke T1 - Direct comparison of the four aldehyde oxidase enzymes present in mouse gives insight into their substrate specificities JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Mammalian aldehyde oxidases (AOXs) are molybdo-flavoenzymes which are present in many tissues in various mammalian species, including humans and rodents. Different species contain a different number of AOX isoforms. In particular, the reasons why mammals other than humans express a multiplicity of tissue-specific AOX enzymes is unknown. In mouse, the isoforms mAOX1, mAOX3, mAOX4 and mAOX2 are present. We previously established a codon-optimized heterologous expression systems for the mAOX1-4 isoforms in Escherichia coli that gives yield to sufficient amounts of active protein for kinetic characterizations and sets the basis in this study for site-directed mutagenesis and structure-function studies. A direct and simultaneous comparison of the enzymatic properties and characteristics of the four enzymes on a larger number of substrates has never been performed. Here, thirty different structurally related aromatic, aliphatic and N-heterocyclic compounds were used as substrates, and the kinetic parameters of all four mAOX enzymes were directly compared. The results show that especially mAOX4 displays a higher substrate selectivity, while no major differences between mAOX1, mAOX2 and mAOX3 were identified. Generally, mAOX1 was the enzyme with the highest catalytic turnover for most substrates. To understand the factors that contribute to the substrate specificity of mAOX4, site-directed mutagenesis was applied to substitute amino acids in the substrate-binding funnel by the ones present in mAOX1, mAOX3, and mAOX2. An increase in activity was obtained by the amino acid exchange M1088V in the active site identified to be specific for mAOX4, to the amino acid identified in mAOX3. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191819 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Public Library of Science CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lara, Mark J. A1 - Nitze, Ingmar A1 - Grosse, Guido A1 - Martin, Philip A1 - McGuire, A. David T1 - Reduced arctic tundra productivity linked with landform and climate change interactions JF - Scientific reports N2 - Arctic tundra ecosystems have experienced unprecedented change associated with climate warming over recent decades. Across the Pan-Arctic, vegetation productivity and surface greenness have trended positively over the period of satellite observation. However, since 2011 these trends have slowed considerably, showing signs of browning in many regions. It is unclear what factors are driving this change and which regions/landforms will be most sensitive to future browning. Here we provide evidence linking decadal patterns in arctic greening and browning with regional climate change and local permafrost-driven landscape heterogeneity. We analyzed the spatial variability of decadal-scale trends in surface greenness across the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska (similar to 60,000 km(2)) using the Landsat archive (1999-2014), in combination with novel 30 m classifications of polygonal tundra and regional watersheds, finding landscape heterogeneity and regional climate change to be the most important factors controlling historical greenness trends. Browning was linked to increased temperature and precipitation, with the exception of young landforms (developed following lake drainage), which will likely continue to green. Spatiotemporal model forecasting suggests carbon uptake potential to be reduced in response to warmer and/or wetter climatic conditions, potentially increasing the net loss of carbon to the atmosphere, at a greater degree than previously expected. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20692-8 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dai, Xiaolin A1 - Mate, Diana M. A1 - Glebe, Ulrich A1 - Garakani, Tayebeh Mirzaei A1 - Körner, Andrea A1 - Schwaneberg, Ulrich A1 - Böker, Alexander T1 - Sortase-mediated ligation of purely artificial building blocks JF - Polymers N2 - Sortase A (SrtA) from Staphylococcus aureus has been often used for ligating a protein with other natural or synthetic compounds in recent years. Here we show that SrtA-mediated ligation (SML) is universally applicable for the linkage of two purely artificial building blocks. Silica nanoparticles (NPs), poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) are chosen as synthetic building blocks. As a proof of concept, NP-polymer, NP-NP, and polymer-polymer structures are formed by SrtA catalysis. Therefore, the building blocks are equipped with the recognition sequence needed for SrtA reaction-the conserved peptide LPETG-and a pentaglycine motif. The successful formation of the reaction products is shown by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The sortase catalyzed linkage of artificial building blocks sets the stage for the development of a new approach to link synthetic structures in cases where their synthesis by established chemical methods is complicated. KW - sortase-mediated ligation KW - enzymes KW - block copolymers KW - nanoparticles Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10020151 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 10 IS - 2 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krapf, Diego A1 - Marinari, Enzo A1 - Metzler, Ralf A1 - Oshanin, Gleb A1 - Xu, Xinran A1 - Squarcini, Alessio T1 - Power spectral density of a single Brownian trajectory BT - what one can and cannot learn from it JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - The power spectral density (PSD) of any time-dependent stochastic processX (t) is ameaningful feature of its spectral content. In its text-book definition, the PSD is the Fourier transform of the covariance function of X-t over an infinitely large observation timeT, that is, it is defined as an ensemble-averaged property taken in the limitT -> infinity. Alegitimate question is what information on the PSD can be reliably obtained from single-trajectory experiments, if one goes beyond the standard definition and analyzes the PSD of a single trajectory recorded for a finite observation timeT. In quest for this answer, for a d-dimensional Brownian motion (BM) we calculate the probability density function of a single-trajectory PSD for arbitrary frequency f, finite observation time T and arbitrary number k of projections of the trajectory on different axes. We show analytically that the scaling exponent for the frequency-dependence of the PSD specific to an ensemble of BM trajectories can be already obtained from a single trajectory, while the numerical amplitude in the relation between the ensemble-averaged and single-trajectory PSDs is afluctuating property which varies from realization to realization. The distribution of this amplitude is calculated exactly and is discussed in detail. Our results are confirmed by numerical simulations and single-particle tracking experiments, with remarkably good agreement. In addition we consider a truncated Wiener representation of BM, and the case of a discrete-time lattice random walk. We highlight some differences in the behavior of a single-trajectory PSD for BM and for the two latter situations. The framework developed herein will allow for meaningful physical analysis of experimental stochastic trajectories. KW - power spectral density KW - single-trajectory analysis KW - probability density function KW - exact results Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aaa67c SN - 1367-2630 VL - 20 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goodwin, Guillaume C. H. A1 - Mudd, Simon M. A1 - Clubb, Fiona J. T1 - Unsupervised detection of salt marsh platforms BT - a topographic method JF - Earth surface dynamics N2 - Salt marshes filter pollutants, protect coastlines against storm surges, and sequester carbon, yet are under threat from sea level rise and anthropogenic modification. The sustained existence of the salt marsh ecosystem depends on the topographic evolution of marsh platforms. Quantifying marsh platform topography is vital for improving the management of these valuable landscapes. The determination of platform boundaries currently relies on supervised classification methods requiring near-infrared data to detect vegetation, or demands labour-intensive field surveys and digitisation. We propose a novel, unsupervised method to reproducibly isolate salt marsh scarps and platforms from a digital elevation model (DEM), referred to as Topographic Identification of Platforms (TIP). Field observations and numerical models show that salt marshes mature into subhorizontal platforms delineated by subvertical scarps. Based on this premise, we identify scarps as lines of local maxima on a slope raster, then fill landmasses from the scarps upward, thus isolating mature marsh platforms. We test the TIP method using lidar-derived DEMs from six salt marshes in England with varying tidal ranges and geometries, for which topographic platforms were manually isolated from tidal flats. Agreement between manual and unsupervised classification exceeds 94% for DEM resolutions of 1 m, with all but one site maintaining an accuracy superior to 90% for resolutions up to 3 m. For resolutions of 1 m, platforms detected with the TIP method are comparable in surface area to digitised platforms and have similar elevation distributions. We also find that our method allows for the accurate detection of local block failures as small as 3 times the DEM resolution. Detailed inspection reveals that although tidal creeks were digitised as part of the marsh platform, unsupervised classification categorises them as part of the tidal flat, causing an increase in false negatives and overall platform perimeter. This suggests our method may benefit from combination with existing creek detection algorithms. Fallen blocks and high tidal flat portions, associated with potential pioneer zones, can also lead to differences between our method and supervised mapping. Although pioneer zones prove difficult to classify using a topographic method, we suggest that these transition areas should be considered when analysing erosion and accretion processes, particularly in the case of incipient marsh platforms. Ultimately, we have shown that unsupervised classification of marsh platforms from high-resolution topography is possible and sufficient to monitor and analyse topographic evolution. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-239-2018 SN - 2196-6311 SN - 2196-632X VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 239 EP - 255 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bridwell, David A. A1 - Cavanagh, James F. A1 - Collins, Anne G. E. A1 - Nunez, Michael D. A1 - Srinivasan, Ramesh A1 - Stober, Sebastian A1 - Calhoun, Vince D. T1 - Moving Beyond ERP Components BT - a selective review of approaches to integrate EEG and behavior JF - Frontiers in human neuroscienc N2 - Relationships between neuroimaging measures and behavior provide important clues about brain function and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. While electroencephalography (EEG) provides a portable, low cost measure of brain dynamics, it has been somewhat underrepresented in the emerging field of model-based inference. We seek to address this gap in this article by highlighting the utility of linking EEG and behavior, with an emphasis on approaches for EEG analysis that move beyond focusing on peaks or "components" derived from averaging EEG responses across trials and subjects (generating the event-related potential, ERP). First, we review methods for deriving features from EEG in order to enhance the signal within single-trials. These methods include filtering based on user-defined features (i.e., frequency decomposition, time-frequency decomposition), filtering based on data-driven properties (i.e., blind source separation, BSS), and generating more abstract representations of data (e.g., using deep learning). We then review cognitive models which extract latent variables from experimental tasks, including the drift diffusion model (DDM) and reinforcement learning (RL) approaches. Next, we discuss ways to access associations among these measures, including statistical models, data-driven joint models and cognitive joint modeling using hierarchical Bayesian models (HBMs). We think that these methodological tools are likely to contribute to theoretical advancements, and will help inform our understandings of brain dynamics that contribute to moment-to-moment cognitive function. KW - EEG KW - ERP KW - blind source separation KW - partial least squares KW - canonical correlations analysis KW - representational similarity analysis KW - deep learning KW - hierarchical Bayesian model Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00106 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 12 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Roder, Phillip A1 - Hille, Carsten T1 - Local tissue manipulation via a force- and pressure-controlled AFM micropipette for analysis of cellular processes JF - Scientific reports N2 - Local manipulation of complex tissues at the single-cell level is challenging and requires excellent sealing between the specimen and the micromanipulation device. Here, biological applications for a recently developed loading technique for a force-and pressure-controlled fluidic force microscope micropipette are described. This technique allows for the exact positioning and precise spatiotemporal control of liquid delivery. The feasibility of a local loading technique for tissue applications was investigated using two fluorescent dyes, with which local loading behaviour could be optically visualised. Thus, homogeneous intracellular distribution of CellTracker Red and accumulation of SYTO 9 Green within nuclei was realised in single cells of a tissue preparation. Subsequently, physiological micromanipulation experiments were performed. Salivary gland tissue was pre-incubated with the Ca2+-sensitive dye OGB-1. An intracellular Ca2+ rise was then initiated at the single-cell level by applying dopamine via micropipette. When pre-incubating tissue with the nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive dye DAF-FM, NO release and intercellular NO diffusion was observed after local application of the NO donor SNP. Finally, local micromanipulation of a well-defined area along irregularly shaped cell surfaces of complex biosystems was shown for the first time for the fluidic force microscope micropipette. Thus, this technique is a promising tool for the investigation of the spatiotemporal effects of locally applied substances in complex tissues. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24255-9 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goychuk, Igor T1 - Sensing magnetic fields with magnetosensitive ion channels JF - Sensors N2 - Magnetic nanoparticles are met across many biological species ranging from magnetosensitive bacteria, fishes, bees, bats, rats, birds, to humans. They can be both of biogenetic origin and due to environmental contamination, being either in paramagnetic or ferromagnetic state. The energy of such naturally occurring single-domain magnetic nanoparticles can reach up to 10-20 room k(B)T in the magnetic field of the Earth, which naturally led to supposition that they can serve as sensory elements in various animals. This work explores within a stochastic modeling framework a fascinating hypothesis of magnetosensitive ion channels with magnetic nanoparticles serving as sensory elements, especially, how realistic it is given a highly dissipative viscoelastic interior of living cells and typical sizes of nanoparticles possibly involved. KW - magnetic nanoparticles KW - ion channels KW - viscoelastic effects and anomalous diffusion KW - non-exponential statistics KW - influence of weak magnetic fields on living systems Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s18030728 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 18 IS - 3 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard T1 - Divergent role of sphingosine 1-phosphate in liver health and disease JF - International journal of molecular sciences N2 - Two decades ago, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) was discovered as a novel bioactive molecule that regulates a variety of cellular functions. The plethora of S1P-mediated effects is due to the fact that the sphingolipid not only modulates intracellular functions but also acts as a ligand of G protein-coupled receptors after secretion into the extracellular environment. In the plasma, S1P is found in high concentrations, modulating immune cell trafficking and vascular endothelial integrity. The liver is engaged in modulating the plasma S1P content, as it produces apolipoprotein M, which is a chaperone for the S1P transport. Moreover, the liver plays a substantial role in glucose and lipid homeostasis. A dysfunction of glucose and lipid metabolism is connected with the development of liver diseases such as hepatic insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or liver fibrosis. Recent studies indicate that S1P is involved in liver pathophysiology and contributes to the development of liver diseases. In this review, the current state of knowledge about S1P and its signaling in the liver is summarized with a specific focus on the dysregulation of S1P signaling in obesity-mediated liver diseases. Thus, the modulation of S1P signaling can be considered as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatic diseases. KW - sphingolipids KW - sphingosine kinase KW - fibrosis KW - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease KW - insulin resistance KW - liver fibrosis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19030722 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 19 IS - 3 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fuchs, Matthias A1 - Grosse, Guido A1 - Strauss, Jens A1 - Günther, Frank A1 - Grigoriev, Mikhail N. A1 - Maximov, Georgy M. A1 - Hugelius, Gustaf T1 - Carbon and nitrogen pools in thermokarst-affected permafrost landscapes in Arctic Siberia JF - Biogeosciences N2 - Ice-rich yedoma-dominated landscapes store considerable amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and are vulnerable to degradation under climate warming. We investigate the C and N pools in two thermokarst-affected yedoma landscapes - on Sobo-Sise Island and on Bykovsky Peninsula in the north of eastern Siberia. Soil cores up to 3m depth were collected along geomorphic gradients and analysed for organic C and N contents. A high vertical sampling density in the profiles allowed the calculation of C and N stocks for short soil column intervals and enhanced understanding of within-core parameter variability. Profile-level C and N stocks were scaled to the landscape level based on landform classifications from 5 m resolution, multispectral RapidEye satellite imagery. Mean landscape C and N storage in the first metre of soil for Sobo-Sise Island is estimated to be 20.2 kg C m(-2) and 1.8 kg N m(-2) and for Bykovsky Peninsula 25.9 kg C m(-2) and 2.2 kg N m(-2). Radiocarbon dating demonstrates the Holocene age of thermokarst basin deposits but also suggests the presence of thick Holoceneage cover layers which can reach up to 2 m on top of intact yedoma landforms. Reconstructed sedimentation rates of 0.10-0.57 mm yr(-1) suggest sustained mineral soil accumulation across all investigated landforms. Both yedoma and thermokarst landforms are characterized by limited accumulation of organic soil layers (peat). We further estimate that an active layer deepening of about 100 cm will increase organic C availability in a seasonally thawed state in the two study areas by similar to 5.8 Tg (13.2 kg C m(-2)). Our study demonstrates the importance of increasing the number of C and N storage inventories in ice-rich yedoma and thermokarst environments in order to account for high variability of permafrost and thermokarst environments in pan-permafrost soil C and N pool estimates. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-953-2018 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 953 EP - 971 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sauermann, Antje A1 - Höhle, Barbara T1 - Word order in German child language and child-directed speech BT - a corpus analysis on the ordering of double objects in the German middlefield JF - Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics N2 - We report two corpus analyses to examine the impact of animacy, definiteness, givenness and type of referring expression on the ordering of double objects in the spontaneous speech of German-speaking two- to four-year-old children and the child-directed speech of their mothers. The first corpus analysis revealed that definiteness, givenness and type of referring expression influenced word order variation in child language and child-directed speech when the type of referring expression distinguished between pronouns and lexical noun phrases. These results correspond to previous child language studies in English (e.g., de Marneffe et al. 2012). Extending the scope of previous studies, our second corpus analysis examined the role of different pronoun types on word order. It revealed that word order in child language and child-directed speech was predictable from the types of pronouns used. Different types of pronouns were associated with different sentence positions but also showed a strong correlation to givenness and definiteness. Yet, the distinction between pronoun types diminished the effects of givenness so that givenness had an independent impact on word order only in child-directed speech but not in child language. Our results support a multi-factorial approach to word order in German. Moreover, they underline the strong impact of the type of referring expression on word order and suggest that it plays a crucial role in the acquisition of the factors influencing word order variation. KW - German KW - word order KW - corpus study KW - language acquisition KW - information structure KW - referring expression Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.281 SN - 2397-1835 VL - 3 IS - 1 PB - Ubiquity Press LTD CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Taffarello, Denise A1 - Srinivasan, Raghavan A1 - Samprogna Mohor, Guilherme A1 - Bittencourt Guimaraes, Joao Luis A1 - Calijuri, Maria do Carmo A1 - Mendiondo, Eduardo Mario T1 - Modeling freshwater quality scenarios with ecosystem-based adaptation in the headwaters of the Cantareira system, Brazil JF - Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS N2 - Although hydrologic models provide hypothesis testing of complex dynamics occurring at catchments, fresh-water quality modeling is still incipient at many subtropical headwaters. In Brazil, a few modeling studies assess freshwater nutrients, limiting policies on hydrologic ecosystem services. This paper aims to compare freshwater quality scenarios under different land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, one of them related to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), in Brazilian headwaters. Using the spatially semi-distributed Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, nitrate, total phosphorous (TP) and sediment were modeled in catchments ranging from 7.2 to 1037 km(2). These head-waters were eligible areas of the Brazilian payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects in the Cantareira water supply system, which had supplied water to 9 million people in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region (SPMR). We considered SWAT modeling of three LULC scenarios: (i) recent past scenario (S1), with historical LULC in 1990; (ii) current land-use scenario (S2), with LULC for the period 2010-2015 with field validation; and (iii) future land-use scenario with PES (S2 + EbA). This latter scenario proposed forest cover restoration through EbA following the river basin plan by 2035. These three LULC scenarios were tested with a selected record of rainfall and evapotranspiration observed in 2006-2014, with the occurrence of extreme droughts. To assess hydrologic services, we proposed the hydrologic service index (HSI), as a new composite metric comparing water pollution levels (WPL) for reference catchments, related to the grey water footprint (greyWF) and water yield. On the one hand, water quality simulations allowed for the regionalization of greyWF at spatial scales under LULC scenarios. According to the critical threshold, HSI identified areas as less or more sustainable catchments. On the other hand, conservation practices simulated through the S2 + EbA scenario envisaged not only additional and viable best management practices (BMP), but also preventive decision-making at the headwaters of water supply systems. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4699-2018 SN - 1027-5606 SN - 1607-7938 VL - 22 IS - 9 SP - 4699 EP - 4723 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heidler, Maria-Dorothea A1 - Salzwedel, Annett A1 - Jöbges, Michael A1 - Lück, Olaf A1 - Dohle, Christian A1 - Seifert, Michael A1 - von Helden, Andrea A1 - Hollweg, Wibke A1 - Völler, Heinz T1 - Decannulation of tracheotomized patients after long-term mechanical ventilation - results of a prospective multicentric study in German neurological early rehabilitation hospitals JF - BMC Anesthesiology N2 - Background: In the course of neurological early rehabilitation, decannulation is attempted in tracheotomized patients after weaning due to its considerable prognostic significance. We aimed to identify predictors of a successful tracheostomy decannulation. Methods: From 09/2014 to 03/2016, 831 tracheotomized and weaned patients (65.4 +/- 12.9 years, 68% male) were included consecutively in a prospective multicentric observation study. At admission, sociodemographic and clinical data (e.g. relevant neurological and internistic diseases, duration of mechanical ventilation, tracheotomy technique, and nutrition) as well as functional assessments (Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index, Bogenhausener Dysphagia Score) were collected. Complications and the success of the decannulation procedure were documented at discharge. Results: Four hundred seventy patients (57%) were decannulated. The probability of decannulation was significantly negatively associated with increasing age (OR 0.68 per SD = 12.9 years, p < 0.001), prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation (OR 0.57 per 33.2 days, p < 0.001) and complications. An oral diet (OR 3.80; p < 0.001) and a higher alertness at admission (OR 3.07 per 7.18 CRS-R points; p < 0.001) were positively associated. Conclusions: This study identified practically measurable predictors of decannulation, which in the future can be used for a decannulation prognosis and supply optimization at admission in the neurological early rehabilitation clinic. KW - Mechanical ventilation KW - Tracheostomy KW - Decannulation KW - Prognosis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12871-018-0527-3 SN - 1471-2253 VL - 18 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Senczuk, Gabriele A1 - Havenstein, Katja A1 - Milana, Valentina A1 - Ripa, Chiara A1 - De Simone, Emanuela A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph A1 - Castiglia, Riccardo T1 - Spotlight on islands BT - on the origin and diversification of an ancient lineage of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus in the western Pontine Islands JF - Scientific reports N2 - Groups of proximate continental islands may conceal more tangled phylogeographic patterns than oceanic archipelagos as a consequence of repeated sea level changes, which allow populations to experience gene flow during periods of low sea level stands and isolation by vicariant mechanisms during periods of high sea level stands. Here, we describe for the first time an ancient and diverging lineage of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus from the western Pontine Islands. We used nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences of 156 individuals with the aim of unraveling their phylogenetic position, while microsatellite loci were used to test several a priori insular biogeographic models of migration with empirical data. Our results suggest that the western Pontine populations colonized the islands early during their Pliocene volcanic formation, while populations from the eastern Pontine Islands seem to have been introduced recently. The inter-island genetic makeup indicates an important role of historical migration, probably due to glacial land bridges connecting islands followed by a recent vicariant mechanism of isolation. Moreover, the most supported migration model predicted higher gene flow among islands which are geographically arranged in parallel. Considering the threatened status of small insular endemic populations, we suggest this new evolutionarily independent unit be given priority in conservation efforts. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-33326-w SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Jeschek, Marie A1 - Schrapers, Katharina T. A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Chung, Tzu Hung A1 - Ruebensam, Kathrin A1 - Yasar, Sermin A1 - Schneemann, Markus A1 - Ortmann, Sylvia A1 - Jewgenow, Katarina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Diet changes alter paternally inherited epigenetic pattern in male Wild guinea pigs JF - Environmental Epigenetics N2 - Epigenetic modifications, of which DNA methylation is the most stable, are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. The paternal contribution to adaptive processes in the offspring might be crucial, but has been widely neglected in comparison to the maternal one. To address the paternal impact on the offspring’s adaptability to changes in diet composition, we investigated if low protein diet (LPD) in F0 males caused epigenetic alterations in their subsequently sired sons. We therefore fed F0 male Wild guinea pigs with a diet lowered in protein content (LPD) and investigated DNA methylation in sons sired before and after their father’s LPD treatment in both, liver and testis tissues. Our results point to a ‘heritable epigenetic response’ of the sons to the fathers’ dietary change. Because we detected methylation changes also in the testis tissue, they are likely to be transmitted to the F2 generation. Gene-network analyses of differentially methylated genes in liver identified main metabolic pathways indicating a metabolic reprogramming (‘metabolic shift’). Epigenetic mechanisms, allowing an immediate and inherited adaptation may thus be important for the survival of species in the context of a persistently changing environment, such as climate change. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvy011 SN - 2058-5888 VL - 4 IS - 2 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Environmental Change-Dependent Inherited Epigenetic Response JF - GENES N2 - Epigenetic modifications are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. Research on epigenetic responses to environmental changes in wild mammals has been widely neglected, as well as studies that compare responses to changes in different environmental factors. Here, we focused on the transmission of DNA methylation changes to naive male offspring after paternal exposure to either diet (~40% less protein) or temperature increase (10 °C increased temperature). Because both experiments focused on the liver as the main metabolic and thermoregulation organ, we were able to decipher if epigenetic changes differed in response to different environmental changes. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) revealed differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in annotated genomic regions in sons sired before (control) and after the fathers’ treatments. We detected both a highly specific epigenetic response dependent on the environmental factor that had changed that was reflected in genes involved in specific metabolic pathways, and a more general response to changes in outer stimuli reflected by epigenetic modifications in a small subset of genes shared between both responses. Our results indicated that fathers prepared their offspring for specific environmental changes by paternally inherited epigenetic modifications, suggesting a strong paternal contribution to adaptive processes. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation KW - RRBS Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10010004 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 10 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mota, Simon A1 - Leckelt, Marius A1 - Geukes, Katharina A1 - Nestler, Steffen A1 - Humberg, Sarah A1 - Schröder-Abe, Michela A1 - Schmukle, Stefan C. A1 - Back, Mitja D. T1 - A comprehensive examination of narcissists’ self-perceived and actual socioemotional cognition ability JF - Collabra: Psychology N2 - Narcissists are assumed to lack the motivation and ability to share and understand the mental states of others. Prior empirical research, however, has yielded inconclusive findings and has differed with respect to the specific aspects of narcissism and socioemotional cognition that have been examined. Here, we propose a differentiated facet approach that can be applied across research traditions and that distinguishes between facets of narcissism (agentic vs. antagonistic) on the one hand, and facets of socioemotional cognition ability (SECA; self-perceived vs. actual) on the other. Using five nonclinical samples in two studies (total N = 602), we investigated the effect of facets of grandiose narcissism on aspects of socioemotional cognition across measures of affective and cognitive empathy, Theory of Mind, and emotional intelligence, while also controlling for general reasoning ability. Across both studies, agentic facets of narcissism were found to be positively related to perceived SECA, whereas antagonistic facets of narcissism were found to be negatively related to perceived SECA. However, both narcissism facets were negatively related to actual SECA. Exploratory condition-based regression analyses further showed that agentic narcissists had a higher directed discrepancy between perceived and actual SECA: They self-enhanced their socio-emotional capacities. Implications of these results for the multifaceted theoretical understanding of the narcissism-SECA link are discussed. KW - narcissism KW - socioemotional cognition KW - self-perceived ability KW - actual ability KW - empathy KW - emotional intelligence KW - self-enhancement Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.174 SN - 2474-7394 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - University of California Press CY - Oakland ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vidal-Garcia, Marta A1 - Bandara, Lashi A1 - Keogh, J. Scott T1 - ShapeRotator BT - an R tool for standardized rigid rotations of articulated three-dimensional structures with application for geometric morphometrics JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - The quantification of complex morphological patterns typically involves comprehensive shape and size analyses, usually obtained by gathering morphological data from all the structures that capture the phenotypic diversity of an organism or object. Articulated structures are a critical component of overall phenotypic diversity, but data gathered from these structures are difficult to incorporate into modern analyses because of the complexities associated with jointly quantifying 3D shape in multiple structures. While there are existing methods for analyzing shape variation in articulated structures in two-dimensional (2D) space, these methods do not work in 3D, a rapidly growing area of capability and research. Here, we describe a simple geometric rigid rotation approach that removes the effect of random translation and rotation, enabling the morphological analysis of 3D articulated structures. Our method is based on Cartesian coordinates in 3D space, so it can be applied to any morphometric problem that also uses 3D coordinates (e.g., spherical harmonics). We demonstrate the method by applying it to a landmark-based dataset for analyzing shape variation using geometric morphometrics. We have developed an R tool (ShapeRotator) so that the method can be easily implemented in the commonly used R package geomorph and MorphoJ software. This method will be a valuable tool for 3D morphological analyses in articulated structures by allowing an exhaustive examination of shape and size diversity. KW - articulation KW - morphology KW - motion correction KW - multi-modular morphology Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4018 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 9 SP - 4669 EP - 4675 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tutu, Anthony Osei A1 - Steinberger, Bernhard A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Rogozhina, Irina A1 - Popov, Anton A. T1 - Effects of upper mantle heterogeneities on the lithospheric stress field and dynamic topography JF - Solid earth N2 - The orientation and tectonic regime of the observed crustal/lithospheric stress field contribute to our knowledge of different deformation processes occurring within the Earth's crust and lithosphere. In this study, we analyze the influence of the thermal and density structure of the upper mantle on the lithospheric stress field and topography. We use a 3-D lithosphere–asthenosphere numerical model with power-law rheology, coupled to a spectral mantle flow code at 300 km depth. Our results are validated against the World Stress Map 2016 (WSM2016) and the observation-based residual topography. We derive the upper mantle thermal structure from either a heat flow model combined with a seafloor age model (TM1) or a global S-wave velocity model (TM2). We show that lateral density heterogeneities in the upper 300 km have a limited influence on the modeled horizontal stress field as opposed to the resulting dynamic topography that appears more sensitive to such heterogeneities. The modeled stress field directions, using only the mantle heterogeneities below 300 km, are not perturbed much when the effects of lithosphere and crust above 300 km are added. In contrast, modeled stress magnitudes and dynamic topography are to a greater extent controlled by the upper mantle density structure. After correction for the chemical depletion of continents, the TM2 model leads to a much better fit with the observed residual topography giving a good correlation of 0.51 in continents, but this correction leads to no significant improvement of the fit between the WSM2016 and the resulting lithosphere stresses. In continental regions with abundant heat flow data, TM1 results in relatively small angular misfits. For example, in western Europe the misfit between the modeled and observation-based stress is 18.3°. Our findings emphasize that the relative contributions coming from shallow and deep mantle dynamic forces are quite different for the lithospheric stress field and dynamic topography. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-649-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 3 SP - 649 EP - 668 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pitzen, Valentin A1 - Askarzada, Sophie A1 - Gräf, Ralph A1 - Meyer, Irene T1 - CDK5RAP2 Is an Essential Scaffolding Protein of the Corona of the Dictyostelium Centrosome JF - Cells N2 - Dictyostelium centrosomes consist of a nucleus-associated cylindrical, three-layered core structure surrounded by a corona consisting of microtubule-nucleation complexes embedded in a scaffold of large coiled-coil proteins. One of them is the conserved CDK5RAP2 protein. Here we focus on the role of Dictyostelium CDK5RAP2 for maintenance of centrosome integrity, its interaction partners and its dynamic behavior during interphase and mitosis. GFP-CDK5RAP2 is present at the centrosome during the entire cell cycle except from a short period during prophase, correlating with the normal dissociation of the corona at this stage. RNAi depletion of CDK5RAP2 results in complete disorganization of centrosomes and microtubules suggesting that CDK5RAP2 is required for organization of the corona and its association to the core structure. This is in line with the observation that overexpressed GFP-CDK5RAP2 elicited supernumerary cytosolic MTOCs. The phenotype of CDK5RAP2 depletion was very reminiscent of that observed upon depletion of CP148, another scaffolding protein of the corona. BioID interaction assays revealed an interaction of CDK5RAP2 not only with the corona markers CP148, gamma-tubulin, and CP248, but also with the core components Cep192, CP75, and CP91. Furthermore, protein localization studies in both depletion strains revealed that CP148 and CDK5RAP2 cooperate in corona organization. KW - centrosome KW - centriole KW - Dictyostelium KW - microtubules KW - mitosis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/cells7040032 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 7 IS - 4 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gräf, Ralph T1 - Comparative Biology of Centrosomal Structures in Eukaryotes T2 - Cells N2 - The centrosome is not only the largest and most sophisticated protein complex within a eukaryotic cell, in the light of evolution, it is also one of its most ancient organelles. This special issue of "Cells" features representatives of three main, structurally divergent centrosome types, i.e., centriole-containing centrosomes, yeast spindle pole bodies (SPBs), and amoebozoan nucleus-associated bodies (NABs). Here, I discuss their evolution and their key-functions in microtubule organization, mitosis, and cytokinesis. Furthermore, I provide a brief history of centrosome research and highlight recently emerged topics, such as the role of centrioles in ciliogenesis, the relationship of centrosomes and centriolar satellites, the integration of centrosomal structures into the nuclear envelope and the involvement of centrosomal components in non-centrosomal microtubule organization. KW - centrosome KW - centriole KW - cilium KW - basal body KW - spindle pole body KW - SPB KW - nucleus-associated body KW - NAB KW - microtubules Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/cells7110202 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 7 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krasotkina, Anna A1 - Götz, Antonia A1 - Höhle, Barbara A1 - Schwarzer, Gudrun T1 - Perceptual narrowing in speech and face recognition BT - Evidence for intra-individual cross-domain relations JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - During the first year of life, infants undergo perceptual narrowing in the domains of speech and face perception. This is typically characterized by improvements in infants' abilities in discriminating among stimuli of familiar types, such as native speech tones and same-race faces. Simultaneously, infants begin to decline in their ability to discriminate among stimuli of types with which they have little experience, such as nonnative tones and other-race faces. The similarity in time-frames during which perceptual narrowing seems to occur in the domains of speech and face perception has led some researchers to hypothesize that the perceptual narrowing in these domains could be driven by shared domain-general processes. To explore this hypothesis, we tested 53 Caucasian 9-month-old infants from monolingual German households on their ability to discriminate among non-native Cantonese speech tones, as well among same-race German faces and other-race Chinese faces. We tested the infants using an infant-controlled habituation-dishabituation paradigm, with infants' preferences for looking at novel stimuli versus the habituated stimuli (dishabituation scores) acting as indicators of discrimination ability. As expected for their age, infants were able to discriminate between same-race faces, but not between other-race faces or non-native speech tones. Most interestingly, we found that infants' dishabituation scores for the non-native speech tones and other-race faces showed significant positive correlations, while the dishabituation scores for non-native speech tones and same-race faces did not. These results therefore support the hypothesis that shared domain-general mechanisms may drive perceptual narrowing in the domains of speech and face perception. KW - perceptual narrowing KW - perceptual reorganization KW - other-race effect KW - face perception KW - speech perception KW - habituation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01711 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Galbete, Cecilia A1 - Kröger, Janine A1 - Jannasch, Franziska A1 - Iqbal, Khalid A1 - Schwingshackl, Lukas A1 - Schwedhelm, Carolina A1 - Weikert, Cornelia A1 - Boeing, Heiner A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd T1 - Nordic diet, Mediterranean diet, and the risk of chronic diseases BT - the EPIC-Potsdam study JF - BMC Medicine N2 - Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been acknowledged as a healthy diet. However, its relation with risk of major chronic diseases in non-Mediterranean countries is inconclusive. The Nordic diet is proposed as an alternative across Northern Europe, although its associations with the risk of chronic diseases remain controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between the Nordic diet and the MedDiet with the risk of chronic disease (type 2 diabetes (T2D), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and cancer) in the EPIC-Potsdam cohort. Methods: The EPIC-Potsdam cohort recruited 27,548 participants between 1994 and 1998. After exclusion of prevalent cases, we evaluated baseline adherence to a score reflecting the Nordic diet and two MedDiet scores (tMDS, reflecting the traditional MedDiet score, and the MedPyr score, reflecting the MedDiet Pyramid). Cox regression models were applied to examine the association between the diet scores and the incidence of major chronic diseases. Results: During a follow-up of 10.6 years, 1376 cases of T2D, 312 of MI, 321 of stroke, and 1618 of cancer were identified. The Nordic diet showed a statistically non-significant inverse association with incidence of MI in the overall population and of stroke in men. Adherence to the MedDiet was associated with lower incidence of T2D (HR per 1 SD 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.98 for the tMDS score and 0.92, 0.87-0.97 for the MedPyr score). In women, the MedPyr score was also inversely associated with MI. No association was observed for any of the scores with cancer. Conclusions: In the EPIC-Potsdam cohort, the Nordic diet showed a possible beneficial effect on MI in the overall population and for stroke in men, while both scores reflecting the MedDiet conferred lower risk of T2D in the overall population and of MI in women. KW - Mediterranean diet KW - Nordic diet KW - regional diets KW - chronic diseases KW - diabetes KW - myocardial infarction KW - stroke KW - cancer KW - EPIC-Potsdam study KW - longitudinal analysis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-1082-y SN - 1741-7015 VL - 16 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van Velzen, Ellen A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - Reversed predator-prey cycles are driven by the amplitude of prey oscillations JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Ecoevolutionary feedbacks in predator-prey systems have been shown to qualitatively alter predator-prey dynamics. As a striking example, defense-offense coevolution can reverse predator-prey cycles, so predator peaks precede prey peaks rather than vice versa. However, this has only rarely been shown in either model studies or empirical systems. Here, we investigate whether this rarity is a fundamental feature of reversed cycles by exploring under which conditions they should be found. For this, we first identify potential conditions and parameter ranges most likely to result in reversed cycles by developing a new measure, the effective prey biomass, which combines prey biomass with prey and predator traits, and represents the prey biomass as perceived by the predator. We show that predator dynamics always follow the dynamics of the effective prey biomass with a classic 1/4-phase lag. From this key insight, it follows that in reversed cycles (i.e., -lag), the dynamics of the actual and the effective prey biomass must be in antiphase with each other, that is, the effective prey biomass must be highest when actual prey biomass is lowest, and vice versa. Based on this, we predict that reversed cycles should be found mainly when oscillations in actual prey biomass are small and thus have limited impact on the dynamics of the effective prey biomass, which are mainly driven by trait changes. We then confirm this prediction using numerical simulations of a coevolutionary predator-prey system, varying the amplitude of the oscillations in prey biomass: Reversed cycles are consistently associated with regions of parameter space leading to small-amplitude prey oscillations, offering a specific and highly testable prediction for conditions under which reversed cycles should occur in natural systems. KW - coevolution KW - ecoevolutionary dynamics KW - predator-prey dynamics KW - top-down control Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4184 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 12 SP - 6317 EP - 6329 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schönemann, Eric A1 - Laschewsky, Andre A1 - Rosenhahn, Axel T1 - Exploring the long-term hydrolytic behavior of zwitterionic polymethacrylates and polymethacrylamides JF - Polymers N2 - The hydrolytic stability of polymers to be used for coatings in aqueous environments, for example, to confer anti-fouling properties, is crucial. However, long-term exposure studies on such polymers are virtually missing. In this context, we synthesized a set of nine polymers that are typically used for low-fouling coatings, comprising the well-established poly(oligoethylene glycol methylether methacrylate), poly(3-(N-2-methacryloylethyl-N,N-dimethyl) ammoniopropanesulfonate) (sulfobetaine methacrylate), and poly(3-(N-3-methacryamidopropyl-N,N-dimethyl)ammoniopropanesulfonate) (sulfobetaine methacrylamide) as well as a series of hitherto rarely studied polysulfabetaines, which had been suggested to be particularly hydrolysis-stable. Hydrolysis resistance upon extended storage in aqueous solution is followed by H-1 NMR at ambient temperature in various pH regimes. Whereas the monomers suffered slow (in PBS) to very fast hydrolysis (in 1 M NaOH), the polymers, including the polymethacrylates, proved to be highly stable. No degradation of the carboxyl ester or amide was observed after one year in PBS, 1 M HCl, or in sodium carbonate buffer of pH 10. This demonstrates their basic suitability for anti-fouling applications. Poly(sulfobetaine methacrylamide) proved even to be stable for one year in 1 M NaOH without any signs of degradation. The stability is ascribed to a steric shielding effect. The hemisulfate group in the polysulfabetaines, however, was found to be partially labile. KW - polyzwitterions KW - stability KW - polymer degradation KW - hydrolysis KW - polysulfobetaine KW - polysulfabetaine KW - anti-fouling materials Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10060639 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 10 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehrlich, Elias A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - Not attackable or not crackable BT - How pre- and post-attack defenses with different competition costs affect prey coexistence and population dynamics JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - It is well-known that prey species often face trade-offs between defense against predation and competitiveness, enabling predator-mediated coexistence. However, we lack an understanding of how the large variety of different defense traits with different competition costs affects coexistence and population dynamics. Our study focusses on two general defense mechanisms, that is, pre-attack (e.g., camouflage) and post-attack defenses (e.g., weaponry) that act at different phases of the predator—prey interaction. We consider a food web model with one predator, two prey types and one resource. One prey type is undefended, while the other one is pre- or post-attack defended paying costs either by a higher half-saturation constant for resource uptake or a lower maximum growth rate. We show that post-attack defenses promote prey coexistence and stabilize the population dynamics more strongly than pre-attack defenses by interfering with the predator's functional response: Because the predator spends time handling “noncrackable” prey, the undefended prey is indirectly facilitated. A high half-saturation constant as defense costs promotes coexistence more and stabilizes the dynamics less than a low maximum growth rate. The former imposes high costs at low resource concentrations but allows for temporally high growth rates at predator-induced resource peaks preventing the extinction of the defended prey. We evaluate the effects of the different defense mechanisms and costs on coexistence under different enrichment levels in order to vary the importance of bottom-up and top-down control of the prey community. KW - coexistence KW - competition-defense trade-off KW - defense against predation KW - functional response KW - indirect facilitation KW - predator-prey cycles Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4145 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 13 SP - 6625 EP - 6637 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poltrock, Silvana A1 - Chen, Hui A1 - Kwok, Celia A1 - Cheung, Hintat A1 - Nazzi, Thierry T1 - Adult learning of novel words in a non-native language BT - Consonants, Vowels, and Tones JF - Frontiers in psychology KW - word learning KW - minimal pairs KW - non-native speech perception KW - tones KW - adults Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01211 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kewenig, Viktor A1 - Zhou, Yuefang A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Commentary: Robots as intentional agents BT - Using neuroscientific methods to make robots appear more social T2 - Frontiers in psychology KW - intentionality KW - social robots KW - verbal reports KW - humanoid KW - turing test Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01131 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Georgiev, Vasil N. A1 - Grafmüller, Andrea A1 - Bléger, David A1 - Hecht, Stefan A1 - Kunstmann, Sonja A1 - Barbirz, Stefanie A1 - Lipowsky, Reinhard A1 - Dimova, Rumiana T1 - Area increase and budding in giant vesicles triggered by light BT - behind the scene JF - Advanced science N2 - Biomembranes are constantly remodeled and in cells, these processes are controlled and modulated by an assortment of membrane proteins. Here, it is shown that such remodeling can also be induced by photoresponsive molecules. The morphological control of giant vesicles in the presence of a water-soluble ortho-tetrafluoroazobenzene photoswitch (F-azo) is demonstrated and it is shown that the shape transformations are based on an increase in membrane area and generation of spontaneous curvature. The vesicles exhibit budding and the buds can be retracted by using light of a different wavelength. In the presence of F-azo, the membrane area can increase by more than 5% as assessed from vesicle electrodeformation. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism and the partitioning of F-azo in the membrane, molecular dynamics simulations are employed. Comparison with theoretically calculated shapes reveals that the budded shapes are governed by curvature elasticity, that the spontaneous curvature can be decomposed into a local and a nonlocal contribution, and that the local spontaneous curvature is about 1/(2.5 mu m). The results show that exo- and endocytotic events can be controlled by light and that these photoinduced processes provide an attractive method to change membrane area and morphology. KW - azobenzene KW - lipid membranes KW - molecular dynamics KW - photoswitch KW - vesicles Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201800432 SN - 2198-3844 VL - 5 IS - 8 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Clahsen, Harald A1 - Paulmann, Silke A1 - Budd, Mary-Jane A1 - Barry, Christopher T1 - Morphological encoding beyond slots and fillers BT - an ERP study of comparative formation in English JF - PLoS one N2 - One important organizational property of morphology is competition. Different means of expression are in conflict with each other for encoding the same grammatical function. In the current study, we examined the nature of this control mechanism by testing the formation of comparative adjectives in English during language production. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during cued silent production, the first study of this kind for comparative adjective formation. We specifically examined the ERP correlates of producing synthetic relative to analytic comparatives, e.g. angriervs. more angry. A frontal, bilaterally distributed, enhanced negative-going waveform for analytic comparatives (vis-a-vis synthetic ones) emerged approximately 300ms after the (silent) production cue. We argue that this ERP effect reflects a control mechanism that constrains grammatically-based computational processes (viz. more comparative formation). We also address the possibility that this particular ERP effect may belong to a family of previously observed negativities reflecting cognitive control monitoring, rather than morphological encoding processes per se. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199897 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 7 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - GEN A1 - Lazuras, Lambros A1 - Barkoukis, Vassilis A1 - Loukovitis, Andreas A1 - Brand, Ralf A1 - Hudson, Andy A1 - Mallia, Luca A1 - Michaelides, Michalis A1 - Muzi, Milena A1 - Petroczi, Andrea A1 - Zelli, Arnaldo T1 - Corrigendum: "I Want It All, and I Want It Now": Lifetime Prevalence and Reasons for Using and Abstaining from Controlled Performance and Appearance Enhancing Substances (PAES) among Young Exercisers and Amateur Athletes in Five European Countries (Frontiers in psychology. - 8 (2017), 717.) T2 - Frontiers in psychology KW - doping KW - behavioral reasoning KW - exercise KW - fitness KW - recreational sport KW - young adults Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01162 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Woutersen, Amber A1 - Jardine, Phillip E. A1 - Giovanni Bogota-Angel, Raul A1 - Zhang, Hong-Xiang A1 - Silvestro, Daniele A1 - Antonelli, Alexandre A1 - Gogna, Elena A1 - Erkens, Roy H. J. A1 - Gosling, William D. A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Hoorn, Carina T1 - A novel approach to study the morphology and chemistry of pollen in a phylogenetic context, applied to the halophytic taxon Nitraria L.(Nitrariaceae) JF - PeerJ N2 - Nitraria is a halophytic taxon (i.e., adapted to saline environments) that belongs to the plant family Nitrariaceae and is distributed from the Mediterranean, across Asia into the south-eastern tip of Australia. This taxon is thought to have originated in Asia during the Paleogene (66-23 Ma), alongside the proto-Paratethys epicontinental sea. The evolutionary history of Nitraria might hold important clues on the links between climatic and biotic evolution but limited taxonomic documentation of this taxon has thus far hindered this line of research. Here we investigate if the pollen morphology and the chemical composition of the pollen wall are informative of the evolutionary history of Nitraria and could explain if origination along the proto-Paratethys and dispersal to the Tibetan Plateau was simultaneous or a secondary process. To answer these questions, we applied a novel approach consisting of a combination of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), to determine the chemical composition of the pollen wall, and pollen morphological analyses using Light Microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). We analysed our data using ordinations (principal components analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling), and directly mapped it on the Nitrariaceae phylogeny to produce a phylomorphospace and a phylochemospace. Our LM, SEM and FTIR analyses show clear morphological and chemical differences between the sister groups Peganum and Nitraria. Differences in the morphological and chemical characteristics of highland species (Nitraria schoberi, N. sphaerocarpa, N. sibirica and N. tangutorum) and lowland species (Nitraria billardierei and N. retusa) are very subtle, with phylogenetic history appearing to be a more important control on Nitraria pollen than local environmental conditions. Our approach shows a compelling consistency between the chemical and morphological characteristics of the eight studied Nitrariaceae species, and these traits are in agreement with the phylogenetic tree. Taken together, this demonstrates how novel methods for studying fossil pollen can facilitate the evolutionary investigation of living and extinct taxa, and the environments they represent. KW - FTIR KW - LM KW - SEM KW - Paratethys KW - Tibet KW - Sporopollenin KW - Mediterranean KW - Steppe-desert KW - Australia KW - Palynology Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5055 SN - 2167-8359 VL - 6 PB - PeerJ Inc. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Filipovic, Vilim A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Filipovic, Lana A1 - Sommer, Michael T1 - Quantifying subsurface lateral flow along sloping horizon boundaries in soil profiles of a hummocky ground moraine JF - Vadose zone journal N2 - Subsurface lateral flow in hillslope soils depends on lower permeability or texture-contrasting soil horizons. In the arable hummocky soil landscape, erosion processes caused glacial till appearance closer to the soil surface at upslope positions. The objective of this work was to quantify the potential for subsurface lateral flow depending on the erosion-affected spatial hydropedological complexity. The eroded Haplic Luvisol profile was studied due to the presence of a relatively dense C horizon that varied in depth, thickness, and sloping angle. A two-dimensional numerical modeling and sensitivity analysis for the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-s) of the C horizon and the depth to C horizon (i.e., soil solum thickness) was performed for rainstorms in 2011 and 2012 using HYDRUS-2D. A K-s value of <2.5 cm d(-1) for the C horizon was required for lateral flow initiation. Lateral flow was (i) increasing with decreasing solum thickness, indicating an erosion-induced feedback on subsurface lateral flow, and (ii) dependent on the soil moisture regime prior to rainstorms. The effect of lateral flow on the movement of a conservative tracer was simulated in the form of a "virtual experiment". Simulation scenarios revealed only a relatively small lateral shift of the tracer plume caused by a local decoupling of water (already lateral) from subsequent tracer movement (still vertical). Longer term simulations suggested that, for the present conditions, lateral flow was limited mostly to occasional summer storm events. Even without considering preferential flow contribution to lateral flow, highly complex hydropedologic interactions are present in erosion-affected heterogeneous soil profiles. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.05.0106 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 17 IS - 1 PB - Soil Science Society of America CY - Madison ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Totz, Sonja Juliana A1 - Löber, Jakob A1 - Totz, Jan Frederik A1 - Engel, Harald T1 - Control of transversal instabilities in reaction-diffusion systems JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - In two-dimensional reaction-diffusion systems, local curvature perturbations on traveling waves are typically damped out and vanish. However, if the inhibitor diffuses much faster than the activator, transversal instabilities can arise, leading from flat to folded, spatio-temporally modulated waves and to spreading spiral turbulence. Here, we propose a scheme to induce or inhibit these instabilities via a spatio-temporal feedback loop. In a piecewise-linear version of the FitzHugh-Nagumo model, transversal instabilities and spiral turbulence in the uncontrolled system are shown to be suppressed in the presence of control, thereby stabilizing plane wave propagation. Conversely, in numerical simulations with the modified Oregonator model for the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, which does not exhibit transversal instabilities on its own, we demonstrate the feasibility of inducing transversal instabilities and study the emerging wave patterns in a well-controlled manner. KW - traveling waves KW - control KW - transversal instabilities Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aabce5 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 20 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kwanbunjan, Karunee A1 - Panprathip, Pornpimol A1 - Phosat, Chanchira A1 - Chumpathat, Noppanath A1 - Wechjakwen, Naruemon A1 - Puduang, Somchai A1 - Auyyuenyong, Ratchada A1 - Henkel, Ina A1 - Schweigert, Florian J. T1 - Association of retinol binding protein 4 and transthyretin with triglyceride levels and insulin resistance in rural thais with high type 2 diabetes risk JF - BMC Endocrine Disorders N2 - Background: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), a protein secreted by adipocytes and bound in plasma to transthyretin (TTR), has been associated with obesity, the early phase of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationship between RBP4, TTR, triglyceride (TG) and type 2 diabetes risk in rural Thailand. Results: RBP4 and TTR levels, as well as homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values, were significantly elevated among subjects with high triglyceride levels (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, respectively). Triglyceride levels correlated with RBP4 (r = 0.34, p < 0.001) and TTR (r= 0.26, p < 0.01) levels, as well as HOMA-IR values (r= 0.16, p < 0.05). After adjustment for age and gender, the risk of hypertriglyceridemia was 3.7 times greater (95% Cl =1.42 -9.73, p = 0.008) in the highest RBP4 tertile as compared to the lowest tertile. Similarly, the highest TTR and HOMA-IR tertiles had greater risk of hypertriglyceridemia at 3.5 (95% Cl = 1.30-9.20, p = 0.01) and 3.6 (95% CI = 1.33- 9.58, p = 0.01) times higher than the respective lowest tertiles. The correlation between TTR and blood glucose was statistically significant (r 0.18, p < 0.05), but not found this relationship in RBP4. Conclusions: The associations of RBP4 and TTR with hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance may have important implications for the risk of heart disease and stroke. KW - RBP4 KW - TTR KW - HOMA-IR KW - Hypertriglyceridemia KW - Type 2 diabetes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-018-0254-2 SN - 1472-6823 VL - 18 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Casado, Mathieu A1 - Landais, Amaelle A1 - Picard, Ghislain A1 - Münch, Thomas A1 - Laepple, Thomas A1 - Stenni, Barbara A1 - Dreossi, Giuliano A1 - Ekaykin, Alexey A1 - Arnaud, Laurent A1 - Genthon, Christophe A1 - Touzeau, Alexandra A1 - Masson-Delmotte, Valerie A1 - Jouzel, Jean T1 - Archival processes of the water stable isotope signal in East Antarctic ice cores JF - The Cryosphere : TC ; an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union N2 - The oldest ice core records are obtained from the East Antarctic Plateau. Water isotopes are key proxies to reconstructing past climatic conditions over the ice sheet and at the evaporation source. The accuracy of climate reconstructions depends on knowledge of all processes affecting water vapour, precipitation and snow isotopic compositions. Fractionation processes are well understood and can be integrated in trajectory-based Rayleigh distillation and isotope-enabled climate models. However, a quantitative understanding of processes potentially altering snow isotopic composition after deposition is still missing. In low-accumulation sites, such as those found in East Antarctica, these poorly constrained processes are likely to play a significant role and limit the interpretability of an ice core's isotopic composition. By combining observations of isotopic composition in vapour, precipitation, surface snow and buried snow from Dome C, a deep ice core site on the East Antarctic Plateau, we found indications of a seasonal impact of metamorphism on the surface snow isotopic signal when compared to the initial precipitation. Particularly in summer, exchanges of water molecules between vapour and snow are driven by the diurnal sublimation-condensation cycles. Overall, we observe in between precipitation events modification of the surface snow isotopic composition. Using high-resolution water isotopic composition profiles from snow pits at five Antarctic sites with different accumulation rates, we identified common patterns which cannot be attributed to the seasonal variability of precipitation. These differences in the precipitation, surface snow and buried snow isotopic composition provide evidence of post-deposition processes affecting ice core records in low-accumulation areas. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1745-2018 SN - 1994-0416 SN - 1994-0424 VL - 12 IS - 5 SP - 1745 EP - 1766 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hodgkins, Suzanne B. A1 - Richardson, Curtis J. A1 - Dommain, Rene A1 - Wang, Hongjun A1 - Glaser, Paul H. A1 - Verbeke, Brittany A1 - Winkler, B. Rose A1 - Cobb, Alexander R. A1 - Rich, Virginia I. A1 - Missilmani, Malak A1 - Flanagan, Neal A1 - Ho, Mengchi A1 - Hoyt, Alison M. A1 - Harvey, Charles F. A1 - Vining, S. Rose A1 - Hough, Moira A. A1 - Moore, Tim R. A1 - Richard, Pierre J. H. A1 - De la Cruz, Florentino B. A1 - Toufaily, Joumana A1 - Hamdan, Rasha A1 - Cooper, William T. A1 - Chanton, Jeffrey P. T1 - Tropical peatland carbon storage linked to global latitudinal trends in peat recalcitrance JF - Nature Communications N2 - Peatlands represent large terrestrial carbon banks. Given that most peat accumulates in boreal regions, where low temperatures and water saturation preserve organic matter, the existence of peat in (sub)tropical regions remains enigmatic. Here we examined peat and plant chemistry across a latitudinal transect from the Arctic to the tropics. Near-surface low-latitude peat has lower carbohydrate and greater aromatic content than near-surface high-latitude peat, creating a reduced oxidation state and resulting recalcitrance. This recalcitrance allows peat to persist in the (sub)tropics despite warm temperatures. Because we observed similar declines in carbohydrate content with depth in high-latitude peat, our data explain recent field-scale deep peat warming experiments in which catotelm (deeper) peat remained stable despite temperature increases up to 9 degrees C. We suggest that high-latitude deep peat reservoirs may be stabilized in the face of climate change by their ultimately lower carbohydrate and higher aromatic composition, similar to tropical peats. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06050-2 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ronasi, Golnoush A1 - Fischer, Martin H. A1 - Zimmermann, Malte T1 - Language and Arithmetic BT - a failure to find cross cognitive domain semantic priming between exception phrases and subtraction or addition JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - We examined cross-domain semantic priming effects between arithmetic and language. We paired subtractions with their linguistic equivalent, exception phrases (EPs) with positive quantifiers (e.g., "everybody except John") while pairing additions with their own linguistic equivalent, EPs with negative quantifiers (e.g., "nobody except John"; Moltmann, 1995). We hypothesized that EPs with positive quantifiers prime subtractions and inhibit additions while EPs with negative quantifiers prime additions and inhibit subtractions. Furthermore, we expected similar priming and inhibition effects from arithmetic into semantics. Our design allowed for a bidirectional analysis by using one trial's target as the prime for the next trial. Two experiments failed to show significant priming effects in either direction. Implications and possible shortcomings are explored in the general discussion. KW - cross-domain priming KW - language KW - arithmetic KW - information integration KW - cognitive module Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01524 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Postolica, Roxana A1 - Iorga, Magdalena A1 - Savin, Mihaela A1 - Azoicai, Doina A1 - Enea, Violeta T1 - The utility of Leventhal’s model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of familial cancer BT - a literature review JF - Archives of Medical Science N2 - Introduction: We aim to highlight the utility of this model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of family cancer, presenting the scientific literature that used Leventhal’s model as the theoretical framework of approach. Material and methods: A systematic search was performed in six databases (EBSCO, ScienceDirect, PubMed Central, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) with empirical studies published between 2006 and 2015 in English with regard to the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSMR) and familial/hereditary cancer. The key words used were: illness representations, common sense model, self regulatory model, familial/hereditary/genetic cancer, genetic cancer counseling. The selection of studies followed the PRISMA-P guidelines (Moher et al., 2009; Shamseer et al., 2015), which suggest a three-stage procedure. Results: Individuals create their own cognitive and emotional representation of the disease when their health is threatened, being influenced by the presence of a family history of cancer, causing them to adopt or not a salutogenetic behavior. Disease representations, particularly the cognitive ones, can be predictors of responses to health threats that determine different health behaviors. Age, family history of cancer, and worrying about the disease are factors associated with undergoing screening. No consensus has been reached as to which factors act as predictors of compliance with cancer screening programs. Conclusions: This model can generate interventions that are conceptually clear as well as useful in regulating the individuals’ behaviors by reducing the risk of developing the disease and by managing as favorably as possible health and/or disease. KW - representation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2016.63149 SN - 1734-1922 SN - 1896-9151 VL - 14 IS - 5 SP - 1144 EP - 1154 PB - Termedia publishing house LTD CY - Poznan ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cestnik, Rok A1 - Rosenblum, Michael T1 - Inferring the phase response curve from observation of a continuously perturbed oscillator JF - Scientific reports N2 - Phase response curves are important for analysis and modeling of oscillatory dynamics in various applications, particularly in neuroscience. Standard experimental technique for determining them requires isolation of the system and application of a specifically designed input. However, isolation is not always feasible and we are compelled to observe the system in its natural environment under free-running conditions. To that end we propose an approach relying only on passive observations of the system and its input. We illustrate it with simulation results of an oscillator driven by a stochastic force. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32069-y SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gianelli, Claudia A1 - Gentilucci, Maurizio T1 - Editorial: Reaching to Grasp Cognition: Analyzing Motor Behavior to Investigate Social Interactions T2 - Frontiers in psychology KW - kinematics KW - social cognition KW - action observation KW - imitation KW - joint action KW - complementary actions KW - cooperation and competition KW - embodied cognition Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01236 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehr, Christian A1 - Dannowski, Ralf A1 - Kalettka, Thomas A1 - Merz, Christoph A1 - Schröder, Boris A1 - Steidl, Jörg A1 - Lischeid, Gunnar T1 - Detecting dominant changes in irregularly sampled multivariate water quality data sets JF - Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS N2 - Time series of groundwater and stream water quality often exhibit substantial temporal and spatial variability, whereas typical existing monitoring data sets, e.g. from environmental agencies, are usually characterized by relatively low sampling frequency and irregular sampling in space and/or time. This complicates the differentiation between anthropogenic influence and natural variability as well as the detection of changes in water quality which indicate changes in single drivers. We suggest the new term "dominant changes" for changes in multivariate water quality data which concern (1) multiple variables, (2) multiple sites and (3) long-term patterns and present an exploratory framework for the detection of such dominant changes in data sets with irregular sampling in space and time. Firstly, a non-linear dimension-reduction technique was used to summarize the dominant spatiotemporal dynamics in the multivariate water quality data set in a few components. Those were used to derive hypotheses on the dominant drivers influencing water quality. Secondly, different sampling sites were compared with respect to median component values. Thirdly, time series of the components at single sites were analysed for long-term patterns. We tested the approach with a joint stream water and groundwater data set quality consisting of 1572 samples, each comprising sixteen variables, sampled with a spatially and temporally irregular sampling scheme at 29 sites in northeast Germany from 1998 to 2009. The first four components were interpreted as (1) an agriculturally induced enhancement of the natural background level of solute concentration, (2) a redox sequence from reducing conditions in deep groundwater to post-oxic conditions in shallow groundwater and oxic conditions in stream water, (3) a mixing ratio of deep and shallow groundwater to the streamflow and (4) sporadic events of slurry application in the agricultural practice. Dominant changes were observed for the first two components. The changing intensity of the first component was interpreted as response to the temporal variability of the thickness of the unsaturated zone. A steady increase in the second component at most stream water sites pointed towards progressing depletion of the denitrification capacity of the deep aquifer. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4401-2018 SN - 1027-5606 SN - 1607-7938 VL - 22 IS - 8 SP - 4401 EP - 4424 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krupkova, Olga A1 - Sadowska, Aleksandra A1 - Kameda, Takuya A1 - Hitzl, Wolfgang A1 - Hausmann, Oliver Nic A1 - Klasen, Jürgen A1 - Wuertz-Kozak, Karin T1 - p38 MaPK Facilitates crosstalk Between endoplasmic reticulum stress and IL-6 release in the intervertebral Disc JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Degenerative disc disease is associated with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the intervertebral disc (IVD). However, it is not completely clear how inflammation arises in the IVD and which cellular compartments are involved in this process. Recently, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has emerged as a possible modulator of inflammation in age-related disorders. In addition, ER stress has been associated with the microenvironment of degenerated IVDs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of ER stress on inflammatory responses in degenerated human IVDs and associated molecular mechanisms. Gene expression of ER stress marker GRP78 and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha was analyzed in human surgical IVD samples (n = 51, Pfirrmann grade 2-5). The expression of GRP78 positively correlated with the degeneration grade in lumbar IVDs and IL-6, but not with IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha. Another set of human surgical IVD samples (n = 25) was used to prepare primary cell cultures. ER stress inducer thapsigargin (Tg, 100 and 500 nM) activated gene and protein expression of IL-6 and induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. Both inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB203580 (10 mu M) and knockdown of ER stress effector CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) reduced gene and protein expression of IL-6 in Tg-treated cells. Furthermore, the effects of an inflammatory microenvironment on ER stress were tested. TNF-alpha (5 and 10 ng/mL) did not activate ER stress, while IL-1 beta (5 and 10 ng/mL) activated gene and protein expression of GRP78, but did not influence [Ca2+](i) flux and expression of CHOP, indicating that pro-inflammatory cytokines alone may not induce ER stress in vivo. This study showed that IL-6 release in the IVD can be initiated following ER stress and that ER stress mediates IL-6 release through p38 MAPK and CHOP. Therapeutic targeting of ER stress response may reduce the consequences of the harsh microenvironment in degenerated IVD. KW - intervertebral disc KW - inflammation KW - endoplasmic reticulum stress KW - p38 MAPK KW - CHOP KW - GADD153 KW - GRP78 KW - IL-6 Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01706 SN - 1664-3224 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Münch, Thomas A1 - Laepple, Thomas T1 - What climate signal is contained in decadal- to centennial-scale isotope variations from Antarctic ice cores? JF - Climate of the past : CP N2 - Ice-core-based records of isotopic composition are a proxy for past temperatures and can thus provide information on polar climate variability over a large range of timescales. However, individual isotope records are affected by a multitude of processes that may mask the true temperature variability. The relative magnitude of climate and non-climate contributions is expected to vary as a function of timescale, and thus it is crucial to determine those temporal scales on which the actual signal dominates the noise. At present, there are no reliable estimates of this timescale dependence of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we present a simple method that applies spectral analyses to stable-isotope data from multiple cores to estimate the SNR, and the signal and noise variability, as a function of timescale. The method builds on separating the contributions from a common signal and from local variations and includes a correction for the effects of diffusion and time uncertainty. We apply our approach to firn-core arrays from Dronning Maud Land (DML) in East Antarctica and from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). For DML and decadal to multi-centennial timescales, we find an increase in the SNR by nearly 1 order of magnitude (similar to 0.2 at decadal and similar to 1.0 at multi-centennial scales). The estimated spectrum of climate variability also shows increasing variability towards longer timescales, contrary to what is traditionally inferred from single records in this region. In contrast, the inferred variability spectrum for WAIS stays close to constant over decadal to centennial timescales, and the results even suggest a decrease in SNR over this range of timescales. We speculate that these differences between DML and WAIS are related to differences in the spatial and temporal scales of the isotope signal, highlighting the potentially more homogeneous atmospheric conditions on the Antarctic Plateau in contrast to the marine-influenced conditions on WAIS. In general, our approach provides a methodological basis for separating local proxy variability from coherent climate variations, which is applicable to a large set of palaeoclimate records. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-2053-2018 SN - 1814-9324 SN - 1814-9332 VL - 14 IS - 12 SP - 2053 EP - 2070 PB - Copernicus Gesellschaft mbH CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Graf, Lukas A1 - Moreno-de-las-Heras, Mariano A1 - Ruiz, Maurici A1 - Calsamiglia, Aleix A1 - García-Comendador, Julián A1 - Fortesa, Josep A1 - López-Tarazón, José A. A1 - Estrany, Joan T1 - Accuracy assessment of digital terrain model dataset sources for hydrogeomorphological modelling in small mediterranean catchments JF - Remote sensing N2 - Digital terrain models (DTMs) are a fundamental source of information in Earth sciences. DTM-based studies, however, can contain remarkable biases if limitations and inaccuracies in these models are disregarded. In this work, four freely available datasets, including Shuttle Radar Topography Mission C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SRTM C-SAR V3 DEM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Map (ASTER GDEM V2), and two nationwide airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived DTMs (at 5-m and 1-m spatial resolution, respectively) were analysed in three geomorphologically contrasting, small (3–5 km2) catchments located in Mediterranean landscapes under intensive human influence (Mallorca Island, Spain). Vertical accuracy as well as the influence of each dataset’s characteristics on hydrological and geomorphological modelling applicability were assessed by using ground-truth data, classic geometric and morphometric parameters, and a recently proposed index of sediment connectivity. Overall vertical accuracy—expressed as the root mean squared error (RMSE) and normalised median deviation (NMAD)—revealed the highest accuracy for the 1-m (RMSE = 1.55 m; NMAD = 0.44 m) and 5-m LiDAR DTMs (RMSE = 1.73 m; NMAD = 0.84 m). Vertical accuracy of the SRTM data was lower (RMSE = 6.98 m; NMAD = 5.27 m), but considerably higher than for the ASTER data (RMSE = 16.10 m; NMAD = 11.23 m). All datasets were affected by systematic distortions. Propagation of these errors and coarse horizontal resolution caused negative impacts on flow routing, stream network, and catchment delineation, and to a lower extent, on the distribution of slope values. These limitations should be carefully considered when applying DTMs for catchment hydrogeomorphological modelling. KW - digital terrain models KW - DTM vertical accuracy KW - DTM comparison KW - hydrogeomorphological modelling KW - Mediterranean catchments Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10122014 SN - 2072-4292 VL - 10 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Williams, Simon E. A1 - Müller, R. Dietmar T1 - Oblique rifting: the rule, not the exception JF - Solid earth N2 - Movements of tectonic plates often induce oblique deformation at divergent plate boundaries. This is in striking contrast with traditional conceptual models of rifting and rifted margin formation, which often assume 2-D deformation where the rift velocity is oriented perpendicular to the plate boundary. Here we quantify the validity of this assumption by analysing the kinematics of major continent-scale rift systems in a global plate tectonic reconstruction from the onset of Pangea breakup until the present day. We evaluate rift obliquity by joint examination of relative extension velocity and local rift trend using the script-based plate reconstruction software pyGPlates. Our results show that the global mean rift obliquity since 230 Ma amounts to 34 degrees with a standard deviation of 24 degrees, using the convention that the angle of obliquity is spanned by extension direction and rift trend normal. We find that more than similar to 70 % of all rift segments exceeded an obliquity of 20 degrees demonstrating that oblique rifting should be considered the rule, not the exception. In many cases, rift obliquity and extension velocity increase during rift evolution (e.g. Australia-Antarctica, Gulf of California, South Atlantic, India-Antarctica), which suggests an underlying geodynamic correlation via obliquity-dependent rift strength. Oblique rifting produces 3-D stress and strain fields that cannot be accounted for in simplified 2-D plane strain analysis. We therefore highlight the importance of 3-D approaches in modelling, surveying, and interpretation of most rift segments on Earth where oblique rifting is the dominant mode of deformation. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1187-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 5 SP - 1187 EP - 1206 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Randall, Matthew J. A1 - Jüngel, Astrid A1 - Rimann, Markus A1 - Wuertz-Kozak, Karin T1 - Advances in the biofabrication of 3D Skin in vitro BT - healthy and pathological models JF - Frontiers in Bioengineeringand Biotechnology N2 - The relevance for in vitro three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture of skin has been present for almost a century. From using skin biopsies in organ culture, to vascularized organotypic full-thickness reconstructed human skin equivalents, in vitro tissue regeneration of 3D skin has reached a golden era. However, the reconstruction of 3D skin still has room to grow and develop. The need for reproducible methodology, physiological structures and tissue architecture, and perfusable vasculature are only recently becoming a reality, though the addition of more complex structures such as glands and tactile corpuscles require advanced technologies. In this review, we will discuss the current methodology for biofabrication of 3D skin models and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the existing systems as well as emphasize how new techniques can aid in the production of a truly physiologically relevant skin construct for preclinical innovation. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00154 SN - 2296-4185 VL - 6 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skinner, Christopher J. A1 - Coulthard, Tom J. A1 - Schwanghart, Wolfgang A1 - Van De Wiel, Marco J. A1 - Hancock, Greg T1 - Global sensitivity analysis of parameter uncertainty in landscape evolution models JF - Geoscientific model development : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union N2 - The evaluation and verification of landscape evolution models (LEMs) has long been limited by a lack of suitable observational data and statistical measures which can fully capture the complexity of landscape changes. This lack of data limits the use of objective function based evaluation prolific in other modelling fields, and restricts the application of sensitivity analyses in the models and the consequent assessment of model uncertainties. To overcome this deficiency, a novel model function approach has been developed, with each model function representing an aspect of model behaviour, which allows for the application of sensitivity analyses. The model function approach is used to assess the relative sensitivity of the CAESAR-Lisflood LEM to a set of model parameters by applying the Morris method sensitivity analysis for two contrasting catchments. The test revealed that the model was most sensitive to the choice of the sediment transport formula for both catchments, and that each parameter influenced model behaviours differently, with model functions relating to internal geomorphic changes responding in a different way to those relating to the sediment yields from the catchment outlet. The model functions proved useful for providing a way of evaluating the sensitivity of LEMs in the absence of data and methods for an objective function approach. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4873-2018 SN - 1991-959X SN - 1991-9603 VL - 11 IS - 12 SP - 4873 EP - 4888 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Coesfeld, Jacqueline A1 - Anderson, Sharolyn J. A1 - Baugh, Kimberly A1 - Elvidge, Christopher D. A1 - Schernthanner, Harald A1 - Kyba, Christopher C. M. T1 - Variation of Individual Location Radiance in VIIRS DNB Monthly Composite Images JF - Remote sensing N2 - With the growing size and use of night light time series from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band (DNB), it is important to understand the stability of the dataset. All satellites observe differences in pixel values during repeat observations. In the case of night light data, these changes can be due to both environmental effects and changes in light emission. Here we examine the stability of individual locations of particular large scale light sources (e.g., airports and prisons) in the monthly composites of DNB data from April 2012 to September 2017. The radiances for individual pixels of most large light emitters are approximately normally distributed, with a standard deviation of typically 15-20% of the mean. Greenhouses and flares, however, are not stable sources. We observe geospatial autocorrelation in the monthly variations for nearby sites, while the correlation for sites separated by large distances is small. This suggests that local factors contribute most to the variation in the pixel radiances and furthermore that averaging radiances over large areas will reduce the total variation. A better understanding of the causes of temporal variation would improve the sensitivity of DNB to lighting changes. KW - artificial light at night KW - light pollution KW - night lights KW - VIIRS DNB Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10121964 SN - 2072-4292 VL - 10 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schultze, Christiane A1 - Schmidt, Bernd T1 - Ring-closing-metathesis-based synthesis of annellated coumarins from 8-allylcoumarins JF - Beilstein journal of organic chemistry N2 - 8-Allylcoumarins are conveniently accessible through a microwave-promoted tandem Claisen rearrangement/Wittig olefination/cyclization sequence. They serve as a versatile platform for the annellation of five- to seven-membered rings using ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM). Furano-, pyrano-, oxepino- and azepinocoumarins were synthesized from the same set of precursors using Ru-catalyzed double bond isomerizations and RCM in a defined order. One class of products, pyrano[2,3-f]chromene-2,8-diones, were inaccessible through direct RCM of an acrylate, but became available from the analogous allyl ether via an assisted tandem catalytic RCM/allylic oxidation sequence. KW - coumarins KW - heterocycles KW - isomerization KW - olefin metathesis KW - ruthenium Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.14.278 SN - 1860-5397 VL - 14 SP - 2991 EP - 2998 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt, Main ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Martin H. A1 - Shaki, Samuel T1 - Repeating Numbers Reduces Results: Violations of the Identity Axiom in Mental Arithmetic JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Even simple mental arithmetic is fraught with cognitive biases. For example, adding repeated numbers (so-called tie problems, e.g., 2 + 2) not only has a speed and accuracy advantage over adding different numbers (e.g., 1 + 3) but may also lead to under-representation of the result relative to a standard value (Charras et al., 2012, 2014). Does the tie advantage merely reflect easier encoding or retrieval compared to non-ties, or also a distorted result representation? To answer this question, 47 healthy adults performed two tasks, both of which indicated under-representation of tie results: In a result-to-position pointing task (Experiment 1) we measured the spatial mapping of numbers and found a left-bias for tie compared to non-tie problems. In a result-to-line-length production task (Experiment 2) we measured the underlying magnitude representation directly and obtained shorter lines for tie-compared to non-tie problems. These observations suggest that the processing benefit of tie problems comes at the cost of representational reduction of result meaning. This conclusion is discussed in the context of a recent model of arithmetic heuristics and biases. KW - AHAB KW - cognitive bias KW - mental arithmetic KW - numerical cognition KW - operational momentum KW - SNARC KW - tie problems Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02453 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Marrucci, Monica A1 - Zeilinger, Gerold A1 - Ribolini, Adriano A1 - Schwanghart, Wolfgang T1 - Origin of Knickpoints in an Alpine Context Subject to Different Perturbing Factors, Stura Valley, Maritime Alps (North-Western Italy) JF - Geosciences N2 - Natural catchments are likely to show the existence of knickpoints in their river networks. The origin and genesis of the knickpoints can be manifold, considering that the present morphology is the result of the interactions of different factors such as tectonic movements, quaternary glaciations, river captures, variable lithology, and base-level changes. We analyzed the longitudinal profiles of the river channels in the Stura di Demonte Valley (Maritime Alps) to identify the knickpoints of such an alpine setting and to characterize their origins. The distribution and the geometry of stream profiles were used to identify the possible causes of the changes in stream gradients and to define zones with genetically linked knickpoints. Knickpoints are key geomorphological features for reconstructing the evolution of fluvial dissected basins, when the different perturbing factors affecting the ideally graded fluvial system have been detected. This study shows that even in a regionally small area, perturbations of river profiles are caused by multiple factors. Thus, attributing (automatically)-extracted knickpoints solely to one factor, can potentially lead to incomplete interpretations of catchment evolution. KW - knickpoint KW - river longitudinal profile KW - Maritime Alps Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8120443 SN - 2076-3263 VL - 8 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bormann, Helge A1 - de Brito, Mariana Madruga A1 - Charchousi, Despoina A1 - Chatzistratis, Dimitris A1 - David, Amrei A1 - Grosser, Paula Farina A1 - Kebschull, Jenny A1 - Konis, Alexandros A1 - Koutalakis, Paschalis A1 - Korali, Alkistis A1 - Krauzig, Naomi A1 - Meier, Jessica A1 - Meliadou, Varvara A1 - Meinhardt, Markus A1 - Munnelly, Kieran A1 - Stephan, Christiane A1 - de Vos, Leon Frederik A1 - Dietrich, Jörg A1 - Tzoraki, Ourania T1 - Impact of Hydrological Modellers’ Decisions and Attitude on the Performance of a Calibrated Conceptual Catchment Model BT - Results from a ‘Modelling Contest’ JF - Hydrology N2 - In this study, 17 hydrologists with different experience in hydrological modelling applied the same conceptual catchment model (HBV) to a Greek catchment, using identical data and model code. Calibration was performed manually. Subsequently, the modellers were asked for their experience, their calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed the exercise. The exercise revealed that there is considerable modellers’ uncertainty even among the experienced modellers. It seemed to be equally important whether the modellers followed a good calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed modelling. The exercise confirmed previous studies about the benefit of model ensembles: Different combinations of the simulation results (median, mean) outperformed the individual model simulations, while filtering the simulations even improved the quality of the model ensembles. Modellers’ experience, decisions, and attitude, therefore, have an impact on the hydrological model application and should be considered as part of hydrological modelling uncertainty. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology5040064 SN - 2306-5338 VL - 5 IS - 4 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Puppe, Daniel A1 - Wanner, Manfred A1 - Sommer, Michael T1 - Data on euglyphid testate amoeba densities, corresponding protozoic silicon pools, and selected soil parameters of initial and forested biogeosystems JF - Data in brief N2 - The dataset in the present article provides information on protozoic silicon (Si) pools represented by euglyphid testate amoebae (TA) in soils of initial and forested biogeosystems. Protozoic Si pools were calculated from densities of euglyphid TA shells and corresponding Si contents. The article also includes data on potential annual biosilicification rates of euglyphid TA at the examined sites. Furthermore, data on selected soil parameters (e.g., readily-available Si, soil pH) and site characteristics (e.g., soil groups, climate data) can be found. The data might be interesting for researchers focusing on biological processes in Si cycling in general and euglyphid TA and corresponding protozoic Si pools in particular. KW - Silicon cycling KW - Biogenic silica KW - Terrestrial biogeosystems KW - Biosilicification KW - Euglyphida Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.10.164 SN - 2352-3409 VL - 21 SP - 1697 EP - 1703 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Reichetzeder, Christoph A1 - Prehn, Cornelia A1 - von Websky, Karoline A1 - Slowinski, Torsten A1 - Chen, You-Peng A1 - Yin, Liang-Hong A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard A1 - Yang, Xue-Song A1 - Adamski, Jerzy A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Fetal serum metabolites are independently associated with Gestational diabetes mellitus JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology N2 - Background/Aims: Gestational diabetes (GDM) might be associated with alterations in the metabolomic profile of affected mothers and their offspring. Until now, there is a paucity of studies that investigated both, the maternal and the fetal serum metabolome in the setting of GDM. Mounting evidence suggests that the fetus is not just passively affected by gestational disease but might play an active role in it. Metabolomic studies performed in maternal blood and fetal cord blood could help to better discern distinct fetal from maternal disease interactions. Methods: At the time of birth, serum samples from mothers and newborns (cord blood samples) were collected and screened for 163 metabolites utilizing tandem mass spectrometry. The cohort consisted of 412 mother/child pairs, including 31 cases of maternal GDM. Results: An initial non-adjusted analysis showed that eight metabolites in the maternal blood and 54 metabolites in the cord blood were associated with GDM. After Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) procedure and adjustment for confounding factors for GDM, fetal phosphatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C 32:1 and proline still showed an independent association with GDM. Conclusions: This study found metabolites in cord blood which were associated with GDM, even after adjustment for established risk factors of GDM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating an independent association between fetal serum metabolites and maternal GDM. Our findings might suggest a potential effect of the fetal metabolome on maternal GDM. (c) 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel KW - Gestational diabetes KW - Metabolomics KW - Phosphatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C 32:1 KW - Proline Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000487119 SN - 1015-8987 SN - 1421-9778 VL - 45 IS - 2 SP - 625 EP - 638 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lukan, Tjaša A1 - Machens, Fabian A1 - Coll, Anna A1 - Baebler, Špela A1 - Messerschmidt, Katrin A1 - Gruden, Kristina T1 - Plant X-tender BT - an extension of the AssemblX system for the assembly and expression of multigene constructs in plants JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Cloning multiple DNA fragments for delivery of several genes of interest into the plant genome is one of the main technological challenges in plant synthetic biology. Despite several modular assembly methods developed in recent years, the plant biotechnology community has not widely adopted them yet, probably due to the lack of appropriate vectors and software tools. Here we present Plant X-tender, an extension of the highly efficient, scar-free and sequence-independent multigene assembly strategy AssemblX, based on overlap-depended cloning methods and rare-cutting restriction enzymes. Plant X-tender consists of a set of plant expression vectors and the protocols for most efficient cloning into the novel vector set needed for plant expression and thus introduces advantages of AssemblX into plant synthetic biology. The novel vector set covers different backbones and selection markers to allow full design flexibility. We have included ccdB counterselection, thereby allowing the transfer of multigene constructs into the novel vector set in a straightforward and highly efficient way. Vectors are available as empty backbones and are fully flexible regarding the orientation of expression cassettes and addition of linkers between them, if required. We optimised the assembly and subcloning protocol by testing different scar-less assembly approaches: the noncommercial SLiCE and TAR methods and the commercial Gibson assembly and NEBuilder HiFi DNA assembly kits. Plant X-tender was applicable even in combination with low efficient homemade chemically competent or electrocompetent Escherichia coli. We have further validated the developed procedure for plant protein expression by cloning two cassettes into the newly developed vectors and subsequently transferred them to Nicotiana benthamiana in a transient expression setup. Thereby we show that multigene constructs can be delivered into plant cells in a streamlined and highly efficient way. Our results will support faster introduction of synthetic biology into plant science. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190526 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Public Library of Science CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ayzel, Georgy A1 - Izhitskiy, Alexander ED - Xu, Z Peng T1 - Coupling physically based and data-driven models for assessing freshwater inflow into the Small Aral Sea T2 - Innovative Water Resources Management in a Changing Environment – Understanding and Balancing Interactions between Humankind and Nature N2 - The Aral Sea desiccation and related changes in hydroclimatic conditions on a regional level is a hot topic for past decades. The key problem of scientific research projects devoted to an investigation of modern Aral Sea basin hydrological regime is its discontinuous nature - the only limited amount of papers takes into account the complex runoff formation system entirely. Addressing this challenge we have developed a continuous prediction system for assessing freshwater inflow into the Small Aral Sea based on coupling stack of hydrological and data-driven models. Results show a good prediction skill and approve the possibility to develop a valuable water assessment tool which utilizes the power of classical physically based and modern machine learning models both for territories with complex water management system and strong water-related data scarcity. The source code and data of the proposed system is available on a Github page (https://github.com/SMASHIproject/IWRM2018). Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-379-151-2018 SN - 2199-899X VL - 379 SP - 151 EP - 158 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Giulbudagian, Michael A1 - Yealland, Guy A1 - Hönzke, S. A1 - Edlich, A. A1 - Geisendörfer, Birte A1 - Kleuser, Burkhard A1 - Hedtrich, Sarah A1 - Calderon, Marcelo T1 - Breaking the Barrier BT - potent anti-inflammatory activity following efficient topical delivery of etanercept using thermoresponsive nanogels JF - Theranostics N2 - Topical administration permits targeted, sustained delivery of therapeutics to human skin. Delivery to the skin, however, is typically limited to lipophilic molecules with molecular weight of < 500 Da, capable of crossing the stratum corneum. Nevertheless, there are indications protein delivery may be possible in barrier deficient skin, a condition found in several inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, using novel nanocarrier systems. Methods: Water in water thermo-nanoprecipitation; dynamic light scattering; zeta potential measurement; nanoparticle tracking analysis; atomic force microscopy; cryogenic transmission electron microscopy; UV absorption; centrifugal separation membranes; bicinchoninic acid assay; circular dichroism; TNF alpha binding ELISA; inflammatory skin equivalent construction; human skin biopsies; immunohistochemistry; fluorescence microscopy; western blot; monocyte derived Langerhans cells; ELISA Results: Here, we report the novel synthesis of thermoresponsive nanogels (tNG) and the stable encapsulation of the anti-TNFa fusion protein etanercept (ETR) (similar to 150 kDa) without alteration to its structure, as well as temperature triggered release from the tNGs. Novel tNG synthesis without the use of organic solvents was conducted, permitting in situ encapsulation of protein during assembly, something that holds great promise for easy manufacture and storage. Topical application of ETR loaded tNGs to inflammatory skin equivalents or tape striped human skin resulted in efficient ETR delivery throughout the SC and into the viable epidermis that correlated with clear anti-inflammatory effects. Notably, effective ETR delivery depended on temperature triggered release following topical application. Conclusion: Together these results indicate tNGs hold promise as a biocompatible and easy to manufacture vehicle for stable protein encapsulation and topical delivery into barrier-deficient skin. KW - thermoresponsive-nanogel KW - topical KW - anti-inflammatory therapy KW - etanercept KW - skin equivalents Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.21668 SN - 1838-7640 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - 450 EP - 463 PB - Ivyspring International Publisher CY - Lake haven ER -