@article{MeyerWituckaWallBecheretal.2012,
  author    = {Meyer, Rhonda C. and Witucka-Wall, Hanna and Becher, Martina and Blacha, Anna Maria and Boudichevskaia, Anastassia and D{\"o}rmann, Peter and Fiehn, Oliver and Friedel, Svetlana and von Korff, Maria and Lisec, Jan and Melzer, Michael and Repsilber, Dirk and Schmidt, Renate and Scholz, Matthias and Selbig, Joachim and Willmitzer, Lothar and Altmann, Thomas},
  title     = {Heterosis manifestation during early Arabidopsis seedling development is characterized by intermediate gene expression and enhanced metabolic activity in the hybrids},
  series = {The plant journal},
  volume    = {71},
  journal   = {The plant journal},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0960-7412},
  doi       = {10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.05021.x},
  pages     = {669 -- 683},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Heterosis-associated cellular and molecular processes were analyzed in seeds and seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Col-0 and C24 and their heterotic hybrids. Microscopic examination revealed no advantages in terms of hybrid mature embryo organ sizes or cell numbers. Increased cotyledon sizes were detectable 4 days after sowing. Growth heterosis results from elevated cell sizes and numbers, and is well established at 10 days after sowing. The relative growth rates of hybrid seedlings were most enhanced between 3 and 4 days after sowing. Global metabolite profiling and targeted fatty acid analysis revealed maternal inheritance patterns for a large proportion of metabolites in the very early stages. During developmental progression, the distribution shifts to dominant, intermediate and heterotic patterns, with most changes occurring between 4 and 6 days after sowing. The highest incidence of heterotic patterns coincides with establishment of size differences at 4 days after sowing. In contrast, overall transcript patterns at 4, 6 and 10 days after sowing are characterized by intermediate to dominant patterns, with parental transcript levels showing the largest differences. Overall, the results suggest that, during early developmental stages, intermediate gene expression and higher metabolic activity in the hybrids compared to the parents lead to better resource efficiency, and therefore enhanced performance in the hybrids.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{McCarthyStoyanovRychkovetal.2012,
  author    = {McCarthy, Denis N. and Stoyanov, Hristiyan and Rychkov, Dmitry and Ragusch, Huelya and Melzer, Michael and Kofod, Guggi},
  title     = {Increased permittivity nanocomposite dielectrics by controlled interfacial interactions},
  series = {Composites science and technology},
  volume    = {72},
  journal   = {Composites science and technology},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0266-3538},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.compscitech.2012.01.026},
  pages     = {731 -- 736},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {The use of nanoparticles in polymer composite dielectrics has promised great improvements, but useful results have been elusive. Here, the importance of the interfacial interactions between the nanoparticles and the polymer matrix are investigated in TiO2 nanocomposites for dielectric materials using surface functionalisation. The interface is observed to dominate the nanocomposite properties and leads to a threefold increase in permittivity at volume fractions as low as 10\%. Surface functionalisation of the filler nanoparticles with silanes allows control of this interface, avoiding significant degradation of the other important material properties, particularly electrical breakdown strength, and resulting in a material that is demonstrated successfully as an active material in a dielectric elastomer actuator application with increased work output compared to the pure polymer. Although further permittivity increases are observed when the interface regions have formed a percolation network, the other material properties deteriorate. The observation of percolation behaviour allows the interface thickness to be estimated.},
  language  = {en}
}