@article{ApriyantoCompartFettke2023, author = {Apriyanto, Ardha and Compart, Julia and Fettke, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Transcriptomic analysis of mesocarp tissue during fruit development of the oil palm revealed specific isozymes related to starch metabolism that control oil yield}, series = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-462X}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2023.1220237}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) produces a large amount of oil from the fruit. However, increasing the oil production in this fruit is still challenging. A recent study has shown that starch metabolism is essential for oil synthesis in fruit-producing species. Therefore, the transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq was performed to observe gene expression alteration related to starch metabolism genes throughout the maturity stages of oil palm fruit with different oil yields. Gene expression profiles were examined with three different oil yields group (low, medium, and high) at six fruit development phases (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 22 weeks after pollination). We successfully identified and analyzed differentially expressed genes in oil palm mesocarps during development. The results showed that the transcriptome profile for each developmental phase was unique. Sucrose flux to the mesocarp tissue, rapid starch turnover, and high glycolytic activity have been identified as critical factors for oil production in oil palms. For starch metabolism and the glycolytic pathway, we identified specific gene expressions of enzyme isoforms (isozymes) that correlated with oil production, which may determine the oil content. This study provides valuable information for creating new high-oil-yielding palm varieties via breeding programs or genome editing approaches.}, language = {en} } @article{CompartSinghFettkeetal.2023, author = {Compart, Julia and Singh, Aakanksha and Fettke, J{\"o}rg and Apriyanto, Ardha}, title = {Customizing starch properties}, series = {Polymers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Polymers}, number = {16}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4360}, doi = {10.3390/polym15163491}, pages = {20}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Starch has been a convenient, economically important polymer with substantial applications in the food and processing industry. However, native starches present restricted applications, which hinder their industrial usage. Therefore, modification of starch is carried out to augment the positive characteristics and eliminate the limitations of the native starches. Modifications of starch can result in generating novel polymers with numerous functional and value-added properties that suit the needs of the industry. Here, we summarize the possible starch modifications in planta and outside the plant system (physical, chemical, and enzymatic) and their corresponding applications. In addition, this review will highlight the implications of each starch property adjustment.}, language = {en} } @article{BerryDammhahnBlaum2023, author = {Berry, Paul E. and Dammhahn, Melanie and Blaum, Niels}, title = {Keeping cool on hot days}, series = {Frontiers in ecology and evolution}, volume = {11}, journal = {Frontiers in ecology and evolution}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2023.1172303}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Long-lived organisms are likely to respond to a rapidly changing climate with behavioral flexibility. Animals inhabiting the arid parts of southern Africa face a particularly rapid rise in temperature which in combination with food and water scarcity places substantial constraints on the ability of animals to tolerate heat. We investigated how three species of African antelope-springbok Antidorcas marsupialis, kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros and eland T. oryx-differing in body size, habitat preference and movement ecology, change their activity in response to extreme heat in an arid savanna. Serving as a proxy for activity, dynamic body acceleration data recorded every five minutes were analyzed for seven to eight individuals per species for the three hottest months of the year. Activity responses to heat during the hottest time of day (the afternoons) were investigated and diel activity patterns were compared between hot and cool days. Springbok, which prefer open habitat, are highly mobile and the smallest of the species studied, showed the greatest decrease in activity with rising temperature. Furthermore, springbok showed reduced mean activity over the 24 h cycle on hot days compared to cool days. Large-bodied eland seemed less affected by afternoon heat than springbok. While eland also reduced diurnal activity on hot days compared to cool days, they compensated for this by increasing nocturnal activity, possibly because their predation risk is lower. Kudu, which are comparatively sedentary and typically occupy shady habitat, seemed least affected during the hottest time of day and showed no appreciable difference in diel activity patterns between hot and cool days. The interplay between habitat preference, body size, movement patterns, and other factors seems complex and even sub-lethal levels of heat stress have been shown to impact an animal's long-term survival and reproduction. Thus, differing heat tolerances among species could result in a shift in the composition of African herbivore communities as temperatures continue to rise, with significant implications for economically important wildlife-based land use and conservation.}, language = {en} } @article{StieglerPahlGuillenetal.2023, author = {Stiegler, Jonas and Pahl, Janice and Guillen, Rafael Arce and Ullmann, Wiebke and Blaum, Niels}, title = {The heat is on}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {11}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2023.1193861}, pages = {10}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Climate conditions severely impact the activity and, consequently, the fitness of wildlife species across the globe. Wildlife can respond to new climatic conditions, but the pace of human-induced change limits opportunities for adaptation or migration. Thus, how these changes affect behavior, movement patterns, and activity levels remains unclear. In this study, we investigate how extreme weather conditions affect the activity of European hares (Lepus europaeus) during their peak reproduction period. When hares must additionally invest energy in mating, prevailing against competitors, or lactating, we investigated their sensitivities to rising temperatures, wind speed, and humidity. To quantify their activity, we used the overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) calculated from tri-axial acceleration measurements of 33 GPS-collared hares. Our analysis revealed that temperature, humidity, and wind speed are important in explaining changes in activity, with a strong response for high temperatures above 25 \& DEG;C and the highest change in activity during temperature extremes of over 35 \& DEG;C during their inactive period. Further, we found a non-linear relationship between temperature and activity and an interaction of activity changes between day and night. Activity increased at higher temperatures during the inactive period (day) and decreased during the active period (night). This decrease was strongest during hot tropical nights. At a stage of life when mammals such as hares must substantially invest in reproduction, the sensitivity of females to extreme temperatures was particularly pronounced. Similarly, both sexes increased their activity at high humidity levels during the day and low wind speeds, irrespective of the time of day, while the effect of humidity was stronger for males. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding the complex relationships between extreme weather conditions and mammal behavior, critical for conservation and management. With ongoing climate change, extreme weather events such as heat waves and heavy rainfall are predicted to occur more often and last longer. These events will directly impact the fitness of hares and other wildlife species and hence the population dynamics of already declining populations across Europe.}, language = {en} } @article{CohenHershcovitchTarazetal.2023, author = {Cohen, Sarel and Hershcovitch, Moshik and Taraz, Martin and Kissig, Otto and Issac, Davis and Wood, Andrew and Waddington, Daniel and Chin, Peter and Friedrich, Tobias}, title = {Improved and optimized drug repurposing for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {18}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {3}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0266572}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The active global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused more than 426 million cases and 5.8 million deaths worldwide. The development of completely new drugs for such a novel disease is a challenging, time intensive process. Despite researchers around the world working on this task, no effective treatments have been developed yet. This emphasizes the importance of drug repurposing, where treatments are found among existing drugs that are meant for different diseases. A common approach to this is based on knowledge graphs, that condense relationships between entities like drugs, diseases and genes. Graph neural networks (GNNs) can then be used for the task at hand by predicting links in such knowledge graphs. Expanding on state-of-the-art GNN research, Doshi et al. recently developed the Dr-COVID model. We further extend their work using additional output interpretation strategies. The best aggregation strategy derives a top-100 ranking of 8,070 candidate drugs, 32 of which are currently being tested in COVID-19-related clinical trials. Moreover, we present an alternative application for the model, the generation of additional candidates based on a given pre-selection of drug candidates using collaborative filtering. In addition, we improved the implementation of the Dr-COVID model by significantly shortening the inference and pre-processing time by exploiting data-parallelism. As drug repurposing is a task that requires high computation and memory resources, we further accelerate the post-processing phase using a new emerging hardware-we propose a new approach to leverage the use of high-capacity Non-Volatile Memory for aggregate drug ranking.}, language = {en} } @article{KappattanavarHeckerMoontahaetal.2023, author = {Kappattanavar, Arpita Mallikarjuna and Hecker, Pascal and Moontaha, Sidratul and Steckhan, Nico and Arnrich, Bert}, title = {Food choices after cognitive load}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {23}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {14}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s23146597}, pages = {22}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Psychology and nutritional science research has highlighted the impact of negative emotions and cognitive load on calorie consumption behaviour using subjective questionnaires. Isolated studies in other domains objectively assess cognitive load without considering its effects on eating behaviour. This study aims to explore the potential for developing an integrated eating behaviour assistant system that incorporates cognitive load factors. Two experimental sessions were conducted using custom-developed experimentation software to induce different stimuli. During these sessions, we collected 30 h of physiological, food consumption, and affective states questionnaires data to automatically detect cognitive load and analyse its effect on food choice. Utilising grid search optimisation and leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, a support vector machine model achieved a mean classification accuracy of 85.12\% for the two cognitive load tasks using eight relevant features. Statistical analysis was performed on calorie consumption and questionnaire data. Furthermore, 75\% of the subjects with higher negative affect significantly increased consumption of specific foods after high-cognitive-load tasks. These findings offer insights into the intricate relationship between cognitive load, affective states, and food choice, paving the way for an eating behaviour assistant system to manage food choices during cognitive load. Future research should enhance system capabilities and explore real-world applications.}, language = {en} } @article{GarrelsKhodabakhshRenardetal.2023, author = {Garrels, Tim and Khodabakhsh, Athar and Renard, Bernhard Y. and Baum, Katharina}, title = {LazyFox: fast and parallelized overlapping community detection in large graphs}, series = {PEERJ Computer Science}, volume = {9}, journal = {PEERJ Computer Science}, publisher = {PeerJ Inc.}, address = {London}, issn = {2376-5992}, doi = {10.7717/peerj-cs.1291}, pages = {30}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The detection of communities in graph datasets provides insight about a graph's underlying structure and is an important tool for various domains such as social sciences, marketing, traffic forecast, and drug discovery. While most existing algorithms provide fast approaches for community detection, their results usually contain strictly separated communities. However, most datasets would semantically allow for or even require overlapping communities that can only be determined at much higher computational cost. We build on an efficient algorithm, FOX, that detects such overlapping communities. FOX measures the closeness of a node to a community by approximating the count of triangles which that node forms with that community. We propose LAZYFOX, a multi-threaded adaptation of the FOX algorithm, which provides even faster detection without an impact on community quality. This allows for the analyses of significantly larger and more complex datasets. LAZYFOX enables overlapping community detection on complex graph datasets with millions of nodes and billions of edges in days instead of weeks. As part of this work, LAZYFOX's implementation was published and is available as a tool under an MIT licence at https://github.com/TimGarrels/LazyFox.}, language = {en} } @article{GaertnerSchneiderArnrichetal.2023, author = {G{\"a}rtner, Thomas and Schneider, Juliana and Arnrich, Bert and Konigorski, Stefan}, title = {Comparison of Bayesian Networks, G-estimation and linear models to estimate causal treatment effects in aggregated N-of-1 trials with carry-over effects}, series = {BMC Medical Research Methodology}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC Medical Research Methodology}, number = {1}, publisher = {BMC}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2288}, doi = {10.1186/s12874-023-02012-5}, pages = {12}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background The aggregation of a series of N-of-1 trials presents an innovative and efficient study design, as an alternative to traditional randomized clinical trials. Challenges for the statistical analysis arise when there is carry-over or complex dependencies of the treatment effect of interest. Methods In this study, we evaluate and compare methods for the analysis of aggregated N-of-1 trials in different scenarios with carry-over and complex dependencies of treatment effects on covariates. For this, we simulate data of a series of N-of-1 trials for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain based on assumed causal relationships parameterized by directed acyclic graphs. In addition to existing statistical methods such as regression models, Bayesian Networks, and G-estimation, we introduce a carry-over adjusted parametric model (COAPM). Results The results show that all evaluated existing models have a good performance when there is no carry-over and no treatment dependence. When there is carry-over, COAPM yields unbiased and more efficient estimates while all other methods show some bias in the estimation. When there is known treatment dependence, all approaches that are capable to model it yield unbiased estimates. Finally, the efficiency of all methods decreases slightly when there are missing values, and the bias in the estimates can also increase. Conclusions This study presents a systematic evaluation of existing and novel approaches for the statistical analysis of a series of N-of-1 trials. We derive practical recommendations which methods may be best in which scenarios.}, language = {en} } @article{MoontahaSchumannArnrich2023, author = {Moontaha, Sidratul and Schumann, Franziska Elisabeth Friederike and Arnrich, Bert}, title = {Online learning for wearable EEG-Based emotion classification}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {23}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {5}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s23052387}, pages = {23}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Giving emotional intelligence to machines can facilitate the early detection and prediction of mental diseases and symptoms. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based emotion recognition is widely applied because it measures electrical correlates directly from the brain rather than indirect measurement of other physiological responses initiated by the brain. Therefore, we used non-invasive and portable EEG sensors to develop a real-time emotion classification pipeline. The pipeline trains different binary classifiers for Valence and Arousal dimensions from an incoming EEG data stream achieving a 23.9\% (Arousal) and 25.8\% (Valence) higher F1-Score on the state-of-art AMIGOS dataset than previous work. Afterward, the pipeline was applied to the curated dataset from 15 participants using two consumer-grade EEG devices while watching 16 short emotional videos in a controlled environment. Mean F1-Scores of 87\% (Arousal) and 82\% (Valence) were achieved for an immediate label setting. Additionally, the pipeline proved to be fast enough to achieve predictions in real-time in a live scenario with delayed labels while continuously being updated. The significant discrepancy from the readily available labels on the classification scores leads to future work to include more data. Thereafter, the pipeline is ready to be used for real-time applications of emotion classification.}, language = {en} } @article{BraunGemignanivanderBeek2018, author = {Braun, Jean and Gemignani, Lorenzo and van der Beek, Pieter A.}, title = {Extracting information on the spatial variability in erosion rate stored in detrital cooling age distributions in river sands}, series = {Earth surface dynamics}, volume = {6}, journal = {Earth surface dynamics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {2196-6311}, doi = {10.5194/esurf-6-257-2018}, pages = {257 -- 270}, year = {2018}, abstract = {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.}, language = {en} } @article{AriagnoLeBouteillervanderBeeketal.2022, author = {Ariagno, Coline and Le Bouteiller, Caroline and van der Beek, Pieter A. and Klotz, S{\´e}bastien}, title = {Sediment export in marly badland catchments modulated by frost-cracking intensity, Draix-Bl{\´e}one Critical Zone Observatory, SE France}, series = {Earth surface dynamics : ESURF ; an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, volume = {10}, journal = {Earth surface dynamics : ESURF ; an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, number = {1}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {2196-6311}, doi = {10.5194/esurf-10-81-2022}, pages = {81 -- 96}, year = {2022}, abstract = {At the interface between the lithosphere and the atmosphere, the critical zone records the complex interactions between erosion, climate, geologic substrate, and life and can be directly monitored. Long data records (30 consecutive years for sediment yields) collected in the sparsely vegetated, steep, and small marly badland catchments of the Draix-Bleone Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), SE France, allow analyzing potential climatic controls on regolith dynamics and sediment export. Although widely accepted as a first-order control, rainfall variability does not fully explain the observed interannual variability in sediment export. Previous studies in this area have suggested that frost-weathering processes could drive regolith production and potentially modulate the observed pattern of sediment export. Here, we define sediment export anomalies as the residuals from a predictive model with annual rainfall intensity above a threshold as the control. We then use continuous soil temperature data recorded at different locations over multiple years to highlight the role of different frost-weathering processes (i.e., ice segregation versus volumetric expansion) in regolith production. Several proxies for different frost-weathering processes have been calculated from these data and compared to the sediment export anomalies, with careful consideration of field data quality. Our results suggest that frost-cracking intensity (linked to ice segregation) can explain about half (47 \%-64 \%) of the sediment export anomalies. In contrast, the number of freeze-thaw cycles (linked to volumetric expansion) has only a minor impact on catchment sediment response. The time spent below 0 degrees C also correlates well with the sediment export anomalies and requires fewer field data to be calculated than the frost-cracking intensity. Thus, frost-weathering processes modulate sediment export by controlling regolith production in these catchments and should be taken into account when building predictive models of sediment export from these badlands under a changing climate.}, language = {en} } @article{PeterWenderingSchlickeiseretal.2022, author = {Peter, Lena and Wendering, D{\´e}sir{\´e}e Jacqueline and Schlickeiser, Stephan and Hoffmann, Henrike and Noster, Rebecca and Wagner, Dimitrios Laurin and Zarrinrad, Ghazaleh and M{\"u}nch, Sandra and Picht, Samira and Schulenberg, Sarah and Moradian, Hanieh and Mashreghi, Mir-Farzin and Klein, Oliver and Gossen, Manfred and Roch, Toralf and Babel, Nina and Reinke, Petra and Volk, Hans-Dieter and Amini, Leila and Schmueck-Henneresse, Michael}, title = {Tacrolimus-resistant SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell products to prevent and treat severe COVID-19 in immunosuppressed patients}, series = {Molecular therapy methods and clinical development}, volume = {25}, journal = {Molecular therapy methods and clinical development}, publisher = {Cell Press}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {2329-0501}, doi = {10.1016/j.omtm.2022.02.012}, pages = {52 -- 73}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients receive therapeutic immunosuppression that compromises their immune response to infections and vaccines. For this reason, SOT patients have a high risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and an increased risk of death from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, the efficiency of immunotherapies and vaccines is reduced due to the constant immunosuppression in this patient group. Here, we propose adoptive transfer of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells made resistant to a common immunosuppressant, tacrolimus, for optimized performance in the immunosuppressed patient. Using a ribonucleoprotein approach of CRISPR-Cas9 technology, we have generated tacrolimus-resistant SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell products from convalescent donors and demonstrate their specificity and function through characterizations at the single-cell level, including flow cytometry, single-cell RNA (scRNA) Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes (CITE), and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing analyses. Based on the promising results, we aim for clinical validation of this approach in transplant recipients. Additionally, we propose a combinatory approach with tacrolimus, to prevent an overshooting immune response manifested as bystander T cell activation in the setting of severe COVID-19 immunopathology, and tacrolimus-resistant SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell products, allowing for efficient clearance of viral infection. Our strategy has the potential to prevent severe COVID-19 courses in SOT or autoimmunity settings and to prevent immunopathology while providing viral clearance in severe non-transplant COVID-19 cases.}, language = {en} } @article{BarcenaAslamPozdniakovaetal.2022, author = {Barcena, Maria Luisa and Aslam, Muhammad and Pozdniakova, Sofya and Norman, Kristina and Ladilov, Yury}, title = {Cardiovascular inflammaging: mechanisms and translational aspects}, series = {Cells}, volume = {11}, journal = {Cells}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4409}, doi = {10.3390/cells11061010}, pages = {15}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Aging is one of the major non-reversible risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and it is a key cause of multimorbidity, disability, and frailty (decreased physical activity, fatigue, and weight loss). The underlying cellular mechanisms are complex and consist of multifactorial processes, such as telomere shortening, chronic low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of senescent cells, and reduced autophagy. In this review, we focused on the molecular mechanisms and translational aspects of cardiovascular aging-related inflammation, i.e., inflammaging.}, language = {en} } @article{FuchsPalmtagJuhlsetal.2022, author = {Fuchs, Matthias and Palmtag, Juri and Juhls, Bennet and Overduin, Pier Paul and Grosse, Guido and Abdelwahab, Ahmed and Bedington, Michael and Sanders, Tina and Ogneva, Olga and Fedorova, Irina and Zimov, Nikita S. and Mann, Paul J. and Strauss, Jens}, title = {High-resolution bathymetry models for the Lena Delta and Kolyma Gulf coastal zones}, series = {Earth system science data}, volume = {14}, journal = {Earth system science data}, number = {5}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1866-3508}, doi = {10.5194/essd-14-2279-2022}, pages = {2279 -- 2301}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Arctic river deltas and deltaic near-shore zones represent important land-ocean transition zones influencing sediment dynamics and nutrient fluxes from permafrost-affected terrestrial ecosystems into the coastal Arctic Ocean. To accurately model fluvial carbon and freshwater export from rapidly changing river catchments as well as assess impacts of future change on the Arctic shelf and coastal ecosystems, we need to understand the sea floor characteristics and topographic variety of the coastal zones. To date, digital bathymetrical data from the poorly accessible, shallow, and large areas of the eastern Siberian Arctic shelves are sparse. We have digitized bathymetrical information for nearly 75 000 locations from large-scale (1 V 25000-1 V 500000) current and historical nautical maps of the Lena Delta and the Kolyma Gulf region in northeastern Siberia. We present the first detailed and seamless digital models of coastal zone bathymetry for both delta and gulf regions in 50 and 200m spatial resolution. We validated the resulting bathymetry layers using a combination of our own water depth measurements and a collection of available depth measurements, which showed a strong correlation (r>0.9). Our bathymetrical models will serve as an input for a high-resolution coupled hydrodynamic-ecosystem model to better quantify fluvial and coastal carbon fluxes to the Arctic Ocean, but they may be useful for a range of other studies related to Arctic delta and near-shore dynamics such as modeling of submarine permafrost, near-shore sea ice, or shelf sediment transport. The new digital high-resolution bathymetry products are available on the PANGAEA data set repository for the Lena Delta (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.934045; Fuchs et al., 2021a) and Kolyma Gulf region (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.934049; Fuchs et al., 2021b), respectively. Likewise, the depth validation data are available on PANGAEA as well (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933187; Fuchs et al., 2021c).}, language = {en} } @misc{CescaStichGrigolietal.2022, author = {Cesca, Simone and Stich, Daniel and Grigoli, Francesco and Vuan, Alessandro and L{\´o}pez-Comino, Jos{\´e} {\´A}ngel and Niemz, Peter and Blanch, Estefan{\´i}a and Dahm, Torsten and Ellsworth, William L.}, title = {Reply to: Multiple induced seismicity mechanisms at Castor underground gas storage illustrate the need for thorough monitoring}, series = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, journal = {Nature communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Research}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-30904-5}, pages = {4}, year = {2022}, language = {en} } @article{AbdelilahSeyfriedIruelaArispePenningeretal.2022, author = {Abdelilah-Seyfried, Salim and Iruela-Arispe, M. Luisa and Penninger, Josef M. and Tournier-Lasserve, Elisabeth and Vikkula, Miikka and Cleaver, Ondine}, title = {Recalibrating vascular malformations and mechanotransduction by pharmacological intervention}, series = {Journal of clinical investigation}, volume = {132}, journal = {Journal of clinical investigation}, number = {8}, publisher = {American Society for Clinical Investigation}, address = {Ann Arbor}, issn = {0021-9738}, doi = {10.1172/JCI160227}, pages = {4}, year = {2022}, language = {en} } @article{LiShenZhangetal.2022, author = {Li, Jian and Shen, Jinhua and Zhang, Xiaoli and Peng, Yangqin and Zhang, Qin and Hu, Liang and Reichetzeder, Christoph and Zeng, Suimin and Li, Jing and Tian, Mei and Gong, Fei and Lin, Ge and Hocher, Berthold}, title = {Risk factors associated with preterm birth after IVF/ICSI}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Research}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-022-12149-w}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) is associated with an increased risk of preterm (33rd-37th gestational week) and early preterm birth (20th-32nd gestational week). The underlying general and procedure related risk factors are not well understood so far. 4328 infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI were entered into this study. The study population was divided into three groups: (a) early preterm birth group (n = 66), (b) preterm birth group (n = 675) and (c) full-term birth group (n = 3653). Odds for preterm birth were calculated by stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. We identified seven independent risk factors for preterm birth and four independent risk factors for early preterm birth. Older (> 39) or younger (< 25) maternal age (OR: 1.504, 95\% CI 1.108-2.042, P = 0.009; OR: 2.125, 95\% CI 1.049-4.304, P = 0.036, respectively), multiple pregnancy (OR: 9.780, 95\% CI 8.014-11.935, P < 0.001; OR: 8.588, 95\% CI 4.866-15.157, P < 0.001, respectively), placenta previa (OR: 14.954, 95\% CI 8.053-27.767, P < 0.001; OR: 16.479, 95\% CI 4.381-61.976, P < 0.001, respectively), and embryo reduction (OR: 3.547, 95\% CI 1.736-7.249, P = 0.001; OR: 7.145, 95\% CI 1.990-25.663, P = 0.003, respectively) were associated with preterm birth and early preterm birth, whereas gestational hypertension (OR: 2.494, 95\% CI 1.770-3.514, P < 0.001), elevated triglycerides (OR: 1.120, 95\% CI 1.011-1.240, P = 0.030) and shorter activated partial thromboplastin time (OR: 0.967, 95\% CI 0.949-0.985, P < 0.001) were associated only with preterm birth. In conclusion, preterm and early preterm birth risk factors in patients undergoing assisted IVF/ICSI are in general similar to those in natural pregnancy. The lack of some associations in the early preterm group was most likely due to the lower number of early preterm birth cases. Only embryo reduction represents an IVF/ICSI specific risk factor.}, language = {en} } @article{XuGiannettiSugiyamaetal.2022, author = {Xu, Huizhen and Giannetti, Alessandro and Sugiyama, Yuki and Zheng, Wenna and Schneider, Ren{\´e} and Watanabe, Yoichiro and Oda, Yoshihisa and Persson, Staffan}, title = {Secondary cell wall patterning-connecting the dots, pits and helices}, series = {Open biology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Open biology}, number = {5}, publisher = {Royal Society}, address = {London}, issn = {2046-2441}, doi = {10.1098/rsob.210208}, pages = {18}, year = {2022}, abstract = {All plant cells are encased in primary cell walls that determine plant morphology, but also protect the cells against the environment. Certain cells also produce a secondary wall that supports mechanically demanding processes, such as maintaining plant body stature and water transport inside plants. Both these walls are primarily composed of polysaccharides that are arranged in certain patterns to support cell functions. A key requisite for patterned cell walls is the arrangement of cortical microtubules that may direct the delivery of wall polymers and/or cell wall producing enzymes to certain plasma membrane locations. Microtubules also steer the synthesis of cellulose-the load-bearing structure in cell walls-at the plasma membrane. The organization and behaviour of the microtubule array are thus of fundamental importance to cell wall patterns. These aspects are controlled by the coordinated effort of small GTPases that probably coordinate a Turing's reaction-diffusion mechanism to drive microtubule patterns. Here, we give an overview on how wall patterns form in the water-transporting xylem vessels of plants. We discuss systems that have been used to dissect mechanisms that underpin the xylem wall patterns, emphasizing the VND6 and VND7 inducible systems, and outline challenges that lay ahead in this field.}, language = {en} } @article{WalchSinghSoreideetal.2022, author = {Walch, Daniela M. R. and Singh, Rakesh K. and Soreide, Janne E. and Lantuit, Hugues and Poste, Amanda}, title = {Spatio-temporal variability of suspended particulate matter in a high-arctic estuary (Adventfjorden, Svalbard) using sentinel-2 time-series}, series = {Remote sensing}, volume = {14}, journal = {Remote sensing}, number = {13}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2072-4292}, doi = {10.3390/rs14133123}, pages = {22}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Arctic coasts, which feature land-ocean transport of freshwater, sediments, and other terrestrial material, are impacted by climate change, including increased temperatures, melting glaciers, changes in precipitation and runoff. These trends are assumed to affect productivity in fjordic estuaries. However, the spatial extent and temporal variation of the freshwater-driven darkening of fjords remain unresolved. The present study illustrates the spatio-temporal variability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Adventfjorden estuary, Svalbard, using in-situ field campaigns and ocean colour remote sensing (OCRS) via high-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery. To compute SPM concentration (C-SPMsat), a semi-analytical algorithm was regionally calibrated using local in-situ data, which improved the accuracy of satellite-derived SPM concentration by similar to 20\% (MRD). Analysis of SPM concentration for two consecutive years (2019, 2020) revealed strong seasonality of SPM in Adventfjorden. Highest estimated SPM concentrations and river plume extent (\% of fjord with C-SPMsat > 30 mg L-1) occurred during June, July, and August. Concurrently, we observed a strong relationship between river plume extent and average air temperature over the 24 h prior to the observation (R-2 = 0.69). Considering predicted changes to environmental conditions in the Arctic region, this study highlights the importance of the rapidly changing environmental parameters and the significance of remote sensing in analysing fluxes in light attenuating particles, especially in the coastal Arctic Ocean.}, language = {en} } @article{KaaSternemannAppeletal.2022, author = {Kaa, Johannes M. and Sternemann, Christian and Appel, Karen and Cerantola, Valerio and Preston, Thomas R. and Albers, Christian and Elbers, Mirko and Libon, Lelia and Makita, Mikako and Pelka, Alexander and Petitgirard, Sylvain and Pl{\"u}ckthun, Christian and Roddatis, Vladimir and Sahle, Christoph J. and Spiekermann, Georg and Schmidt, Christian and Schreiber, Anja and Sakrowski, Robin and Tolan, Metin and Wilke, Max and Zastrau, Ulf and Konopkova, Zuzana}, title = {Structural and electron spin state changes in an x-ray heated iron carbonate system at the Earth's lower mantle pressures}, series = {Physical review research}, volume = {4}, journal = {Physical review research}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, address = {College Park}, issn = {2643-1564}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033042}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The determination of the spin state of iron-bearing compounds at high pressure and temperature is crucial for our understanding of chemical and physical properties of the deep Earth. Studies on the relationship between the coordination of iron and its electronic spin structure in iron-bearing oxides, silicates, carbonates, iron alloys, and other minerals found in the Earth's mantle and core are scarce because of the technical challenges to simultaneously probe the sample at high pressures and temperatures. We used the unique properties of a pulsed and highly brilliant x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) beam at the High Energy Density (HED) instrument of the European XFEL to x-ray heat and probe samples contained in a diamond anvil cell. We heated and probed with the same x-ray pulse train and simultaneously measured x-ray emission and x-ray diffraction of an FeCO3 sample at a pressure of 51 GPa with up to melting temperatures. We collected spin state sensitive Fe K beta(1,3) fluorescence spectra and detected the sample's structural changes via diffraction, observing the inverse volume collapse across the spin transition. During x-ray heating, the carbonate transforms into orthorhombic Fe4C3O12 and iron oxides. Incipient melting was also observed. This approach to collect information about the electronic state and structural changes from samples contained in a diamond anvil cell at melting temperatures and above will considerably improve our understanding of the structure and dynamics of planetary and exoplanetary interiors.}, language = {en} } @article{KumarHesseRaoetal.2020, author = {Kumar, Rohini and Hesse, Fabienne and Rao, P. Srinivasa and Musolff, Andreas and Jawitz, James and Sarrazin, Francois and Samaniego, Luis and Fleckenstein, Jan H. and Rakovec, Oldrich and Thober, S. and Attinger, Sabine}, title = {Strong hydroclimatic controls on vulnerability to subsurface nitrate contamination across Europe}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {11}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group UK}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-19955-8}, pages = {1 -- 10}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Subsurface contamination due to excessive nutrient surpluses is a persistent and widespread problem in agricultural areas across Europe. The vulnerability of a particular location to pollution from reactive solutes, such as nitrate, is determined by the interplay between hydrologic transport and biogeochemical transformations. Current studies on the controls of subsurface vulnerability do not consider the transient behaviour of transport dynamics in the root zone. Here, using state-of-the-art hydrologic simulations driven by observed hydroclimatic forcing, we demonstrate the strong spatiotemporal heterogeneity of hydrologic transport dynamics and reveal that these dynamics are primarily controlled by the hydroclimatic gradient of the aridity index across Europe. Contrasting the space-time dynamics of transport times with reactive timescales of denitrification in soil indicate that similar to 75\% of the cultivated areas across Europe are potentially vulnerable to nitrate leaching for at least onethird of the year. We find that neglecting the transient nature of transport and reaction timescale results in a great underestimation of the extent of vulnerable regions by almost 50\%. Therefore, future vulnerability and risk assessment studies must account for the transient behaviour of transport and biogeochemical transformation processes.}, language = {en} } @article{AgneNaylorPreicketal.2022, author = {Agne, Stefanie and Naylor, Gavin J. P. and Preick, Michaela and Yang, Lei and Thiel, Ralf and Weigmann, Simon and Paijmans, Johanna L. A. and Barlow, Axel and Hofreiter, Michael and Straube, Nicolas}, title = {Taxonomic identification of two poorly known lantern shark species based on mitochondrial DNA from wet-collection paratypes}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2022.910009}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Etmopteridae (lantern sharks) is the most species-rich family of sharks, comprising more than 50 species. Many species are described from few individuals, and re-collection of specimens is often hindered by the remoteness of their sampling sites. For taxonomic studies, comparative morphological analysis of type specimens housed in natural history collections has been the main source of evidence. In contrast, DNA sequence information has rarely been used. Most lantern shark collection specimens, including the types, were formalin fixed before long-term storage in ethanol solutions. The DNA damage caused by both fixation and preservation of specimens has excluded these specimens from DNA sequence-based phylogenetic analyses so far. However, recent advances in the field of ancient DNA have allowed recovery of wet-collection specimen DNA sequence data. Here we analyse archival mitochondrial DNA sequences, obtained using ancient DNA approaches, of two wet-collection lantern shark paratype specimens, namely Etmopterus litvinovi and E. pycnolepis, for which the type series represent the only known individuals. Target capture of mitochondrial markers from single-stranded DNA libraries allows for phylogenetic placement of both species. Our results suggest synonymy of E. benchleyi with E. litvinovi but support the species status of E. pycnolepis. This revised taxonomy is helpful for future conservation and management efforts, as our results indicate a larger distribution range of E. litvinovi. This study further demonstrates the importance of wet-collection type specimens as genetic resource for taxonomic research.}, language = {en} } @article{HofmanHaywardHeimetal.2019, author = {Hofman, Maarten P. G. and Hayward, M. W. and Heim, M. and Marchand, P. and Rolandsen, C. M. and Mattisson, Jenny and Urbano, F. and Heurich, M. and Mysterud, A. and Melzheimer, J. and Morellet, N. and Voigt, Ulrich and Allen, B. L. and Gehr, Benedikt and Rouco Zufiaurre, Carlos and Ullmann, Wiebke and Holand, O. and Jorgensen, n H. and Steinheim, G. and Cagnacci, F. and Kroeschel, M. and Kaczensky, P. and Buuveibaatar, B. and Payne, J. C. and Palmegiani, I and Jerina, K. and Kjellander, P. and Johansson, O. and LaPoint, S. and Bayrakcismith, R. and Linnell, J. D. C. and Zaccaroni, M. and Jorge, M. L. S. and Oshima, J. E. F. and Songhurst, A. and Fischer, C. and Mc Bride, R. T. and Thompson, J. J. and Streif, S. and Sandfort, R. and Bonenfant, Christophe and Drouilly, M. and Klapproth, M. and Zinner, Dietmar and Yarnell, Richard and Stronza, A. and Wilmott, L. and Meisingset, E. and Thaker, Maria and Vanak, A. T. and Nicoloso, S. and Graeber, R. and Said, S. and Boudreau, M. R. and Devlin, A. and Hoogesteijn, R. and May-Junior, J. A. and Nifong, J. C. and Odden, J. and Quigley, H. B. and Tortato, F. and Parker, D. M. and Caso, A. and Perrine, J. and Tellaeche, C. and Zieba, F. and Zwijacz-Kozica, T. and Appel, C. L. and Axsom, I and Bean, W. T. and Cristescu, B. and Periquet, S. and Teichman, K. J. and Karpanty, S. and Licoppe, A. and Menges, V and Black, K. and Scheppers, Thomas L. and Schai-Braun, S. C. and Azevedo, F. C. and Lemos, F. G. and Payne, A. and Swanepoel, L. H. and Weckworth, B. and Berger, A. and Bertassoni, Alessandra and McCulloch, G. and Sustr, P. and Athreya, V and Bockmuhl, D. and Casaer, J. and Ekori, A. and Melovski, D. and Richard-Hansen, C. and van de Vyver, D. and Reyna-Hurtado, R. and Robardet, E. and Selva, N. and Sergiel, A. and Farhadinia, M. S. and Sunde, P. and Portas, R. and Ambarli, H{\"u}seyin and Berzins, R. and Kappeler, P. M. and Mann, G. K. and Pyritz, L. and Bissett, C. and Grant, T. and Steinmetz, R. and Swedell, Larissa and Welch, R. J. and Armenteras, D. and Bidder, O. R. and Gonzalez, T. M. and Rosenblatt, A. and Kachel, S. and Balkenhol, N.}, title = {Right on track?}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {14}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {5}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0216223}, pages = {26}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental factors that determine the success and failure of satellite tracking devices across species and habitats. Here, we assess the relative influence of such factors on the ability of satellite telemetry units to provide the expected amount and quality of data by analyzing data from over 3,000 devices deployed on 62 terrestrial species in 167 projects worldwide. We evaluate the success rate in obtaining GPS fixes as well as in transferring these fixes to the user and we evaluate failure rates. Average fix success and data transfer rates were high and were generally better predicted by species and unit characteristics, while environmental characteristics influenced the variability of performance. However, 48\% of the unit deployments ended prematurely, half of them due to technical failure. Nonetheless, this study shows that the performance of satellite telemetry applications has shown improvements over time, and based on our findings, we provide further recommendations for both users and manufacturers.}, language = {en} } @article{SzatmariBelasriHeydenreichetal.2019, author = {Szatmari, Istvan and Belasri, Khadija and Heydenreich, Matthias and Koch, Andreas and Kleinpeter, Erich and Fulop, Ferenc}, title = {Ortho-Quinone methide driven synthesis of new O,N- or N,N-Heterocycles}, series = {ChemistryOpen : including thesis treasury}, volume = {8}, journal = {ChemistryOpen : including thesis treasury}, number = {7}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {2191-1363}, doi = {10.1002/open.201900150}, pages = {961 -- 971}, year = {2019}, abstract = {To synthesize functionalized Mannich bases that can serve two different types of ortho-quinone methide (o-QM) intermediates, 2-naphthol and 6-hydroxyquinoline were reacted with salicylic aldehyde in the presence of morpholine. The Mannich bases that can form o-QM and aza-o-QM were also synthesized by mixing 2-naphthol, 2-nitrobenzaldehyde, and morpholine followed by reduction of the nitro group. The highly functionalized aminonaphthol derivatives were then tested in [4+2] cycloaddition with different cyclic imines. The reaction proved to be both regio- and diastereoselective. In all cases, only one reaction product was obtained. Detailed structural analyses of the new polyheterocycles as well as conformational studies including DFT modelling were performed. The relative stability of o-QMs/aza-o-QM were also calculated, and the regioselectivity of the reactions could be explained only when the cycloaddition started from aminodiol 4. It was summarized that starting from diaminonaphthol 25, the regioselectivity of the reaction is driven by the higher nucleophilicity of the amino group compared with the hydroxy group. 12H-benzo[a]xanthen-12-one (11), formed via o-QM formation, was isolated as a side product. The proton NMR spectrum of 11 proved to be very unique from NMR point of view. The reason for the extreme low-field position of proton H-1 could be accounted for by theoretical calculation of structure and spatial magnetic properties of the compound in combination of ring current effects of the aromatic moieties and steric compression within the heavily hindered H(1)-C(1)-C(12b)-C(12a)-C(12)=O structural fragment.}, language = {en} } @article{MayerUllmannSundeetal.2018, author = {Mayer, Martin and Ullmann, Wiebke and Sunde, Peter and Fischer, Christina and Blaum, Niels}, title = {Habitat selection by the European hare in arable landscapes}, series = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {8}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, number = {23}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.4613}, pages = {11619 -- 11633}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Agricultural land-use practices have intensified over the last decades, leading to population declines of various farmland species, including the European hare (Lepus europaeus). In many European countries, arable fields dominate agricultural landscapes. Compared to pastures, arable land is highly variable, resulting in a large spatial variation of food and cover for wildlife over the course of the year, which potentially affects habitat selection by hares. Here, we investigated within-home-range habitat selection by hares in arable areas in Denmark and Germany to identify habitat requirements for their conservation. We hypothesized that hare habitat selection would depend on local habitat structure, that is, vegetation height, but also on agricultural field size, vegetation type, and proximity to field edges. Active hares generally selected for short vegetation (1-25 cm) and avoided higher vegetation and bare ground, especially when fields were comparatively larger. Vegetation >50 cm potentially restricts hares from entering parts of their home range and does not provide good forage, the latter also being the case on bare ground. The vegetation type was important for habitat selection by inactive hares, with fabaceae, fallow, and maize being selected for, potentially providing both cover and forage. Our results indicate that patches of shorter vegetation could improve the forage quality and habitat accessibility for hares, especially in areas with large monocultures. Thus, policymakers should aim to increase areas with short vegetation throughout the year. Further, permanent set-asides, like fallow and wildflower areas, would provide year-round cover for inactive hares. Finally, the reduction in field sizes would increase the density of field margins, and farming different crop types within small areas could improve the habitat for hares and other farmland species.}, language = {en} } @article{IrobBlaumBaldaufetal.2022, author = {Irob, Katja and Blaum, Niels and Baldauf, Selina and Kerger, Leon and Strohbach, Ben and Kanduvarisa, Angelina and Lohmann, Dirk and Tietjen, Britta}, title = {Browsing herbivores improve the state and functioning of savannas}, series = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {12}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.8715}, pages = {19}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Changing climatic conditions and unsustainable land use are major threats to savannas worldwide. Historically, many African savannas were used intensively for livestock grazing, which contributed to widespread patterns of bush encroachment across savanna systems. To reverse bush encroachment, it has been proposed to change the cattle-dominated land use to one dominated by comparatively specialized browsers and usually native herbivores. However, the consequences for ecosystem properties and processes remain largely unclear. We used the ecohydrological, spatially explicit model EcoHyD to assess the impacts of two contrasting, herbivore land-use strategies on a Namibian savanna: grazer- versus browser-dominated herbivore communities. We varied the densities of grazers and browsers and determined the resulting composition and diversity of the plant community, total vegetation cover, soil moisture, and water use by plants. Our results showed that plant types that are less palatable to herbivores were best adapted to grazing or browsing animals in all simulated densities. Also, plant types that had a competitive advantage under limited water availability were among the dominant ones irrespective of land-use scenario. Overall, the results were in line with our expectations: under high grazer densities, we found heavy bush encroachment and the loss of the perennial grass matrix. Importantly, regardless of the density of browsers, grass cover and plant functional diversity were significantly higher in browsing scenarios. Browsing herbivores increased grass cover, and the higher total cover in turn improved water uptake by plants overall. We concluded that, in contrast to grazing-dominated land-use strategies, land-use strategies dominated by browsing herbivores, even at high herbivore densities, sustain diverse vegetation communities with high cover of perennial grasses, resulting in lower erosion risk and bolstering ecosystem services.}, language = {en} } @article{KuerschnerSchererRadchuketal.2021, author = {K{\"u}rschner, Tobias and Scherer, C{\´e}dric and Radchuk, Viktoriia and Blaum, Niels and Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie}, title = {Movement can mediate temporal mismatches between resource availability and biological events in host-pathogen interactions}, series = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {11}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, number = {10}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2045-7758}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.7478}, pages = {5728 -- 5741}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Global change is shifting the timing of biological events, leading to temporal mismatches between biological events and resource availability. These temporal mismatches can threaten species' populations. Importantly, temporal mismatches not only exert strong pressures on the population dynamics of the focal species, but can also lead to substantial changes in pairwise species interactions such as host-pathogen systems. We adapted an established individual-based model of host-pathogen dynamics. The model describes a viral agent in a social host, while accounting for the host's explicit movement decisions. We aimed to investigate how temporal mismatches between seasonal resource availability and host life-history events affect host-pathogen coexistence, that is, disease persistence. Seasonal resource fluctuations only increased coexistence probability when in synchrony with the hosts' biological events. However, a temporal mismatch reduced host-pathogen coexistence, but only marginally. In tandem with an increasing temporal mismatch, our model showed a shift in the spatial distribution of infected hosts. It shifted from an even distribution under synchronous conditions toward the formation of disease hotspots, when host life history and resource availability mismatched completely. The spatial restriction of infected hosts to small hotspots in the landscape initially suggested a lower coexistence probability due to the critical loss of susceptible host individuals within those hotspots. However, the surrounding landscape facilitated demographic rescue through habitat-dependent movement. Our work demonstrates that the negative effects of temporal mismatches between host resource availability and host life history on host-pathogen coexistence can be reduced through the formation of temporary disease hotspots and host movement decisions, with implications for disease management under disturbances and global change.}, language = {en} } @article{Kollodzeiski2019, author = {Kollodzeiski, Ulrike}, title = {Religion(en) im Mittelalter und der Fr{\"u}hen Neuzeit}, series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r junge Religionswissenschaft}, volume = {13}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r junge Religionswissenschaft}, number = {2018}, publisher = {Univ., Seminar f{\"u}r Religionswiss.}, address = {Hannover}, issn = {1862-5886}, doi = {10.4000/zjr.1071}, pages = {1 -- 16}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Wer Religion im mittelalterlichen und fr{\"u}hneuzeitlichen Europa untersuchen will, ist mit {\"a}hnlichen Schwierigkeiten konfrontiert wie bei der Anwendung des Begriffs in außereurop{\"a}ischen Kontexten. Die Menschen damals verf{\"u}gten allenfalls {\"u}ber vergleichbare, nicht aber identische Konzepte. In meinem Artikel werde ich drei dieser m{\"o}glichen {\"a}quivalenten Religionskonzepte vorstellen und auf ihre Anschlussf{\"a}higkeit diskutieren: fides, lex und natio. Um diese Begriffe besser einordnen zu k{\"o}nnen, wird es zun{\"a}chst darum gehen, einige grunds{\"a}tzliche Unterschiede der Rolle von Religion im sp{\"a}ten Mittelalter und der Fr{\"u}hen Neuzeit im Gegensatz zur Moderne in den Blick zu nehmen.}, language = {de} } @article{WitzelAbuRishaAlbersetal.2019, author = {Witzel, Katja and Abu Risha, Marua and Albers, Philip and B{\"o}rnke, Frederik and Hanschen, Franziska S.}, title = {Identification and Characterization of Three Epithiospecifier Protein Isoforms in Brassica oleracea}, series = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-462X}, doi = {10.3389/fpls.2019.01552}, pages = {14}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Glucosinolates present in Brassicaceae play a major role in herbivory defense. Upon tissue disruption, glucosinolates come into contact with myrosinase, which initiates their breakdown to biologically active compounds. Among these, the formation of epithionitriles is triggered by the presence of epithiospecifier protein (ESP) and a terminal double bond in the glucosinolate side chain. One ESP gene is characterized in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (AtESP; At1g54040.2). However, Brassica species underwent genome triplication since their divergence from the Arabidopsis lineage. This indicates the presence of multiple ESP isoforms in Brassica crops that are currently poorly characterized. We identified three B. oleracea ESPs, specifically BoESP1 (LOC106296341), BoESP2 (LOC106306810), and BoESP3 (LOC106325105) based on in silico genome analysis. Transcript and protein abundance were assessed in shoots and roots of four B. oleracea vegetables, namely broccoli, kohlrabi, white, and red cabbage, because these genotypes showed a differential pattern for the formation of glucosinolate hydrolysis products as well for their ESP activity. BoESP1 and BoESP2 were expressed mainly in shoots, while BoESP3 was abundant in roots. Biochemical characterization of heterologous expressed BoESP isoforms revealed different substrate specificities towards seven glucosinolates: all isoforms showed epithiospecifier activity on alkenyl glucosinolates, but not on non-alkenyl glucosinolates. The pH-value differently affected BoESP activity: while BoESP1 and BoESP2 activities were optimal at pH 6-7, BoESP3 activity remained relatively stable from pH 4 to 7. In order test their potential for the in vivo modification of glucosinolate breakdown, the three isoforms were expressed in A. thaliana Hi-0, which lacks AtESP expression, and analyzed for the effect on their respective hydrolysis products. The BoESPs altered the hydrolysis of allyl glucosinolate in the A. thaliana transformants to release 1-cyano-2,3-epithiopropane and reduced formation of the corresponding 3-butenenitrile and allyl isothiocyanate. Plants expressing BoESP2 showed the highest percentage of released epithionitriles. Given these results, we propose a model for isoform-specific roles of B. oleracea ESPs in glucosinolate breakdown.}, language = {en} } @article{LichtKelsonBergeletal.2022, author = {Licht, Alexis and Kelson, Julia and Bergel, Shelly J. and Schauer, Andrew J. and Petersen, Sierra Victoria and Capirala, Ashika and Huntington, Katharine W. and Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume and Win, Zaw and Aung, Day Wa}, title = {Dynamics of pedogenic carbonate growth in the tropical domain of Myanmar}, series = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, volume = {23}, journal = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, number = {7}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1525-2027}, doi = {10.1029/2021GC009929}, pages = {15}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Pedogenic carbonate is widespread at mid latitudes where warm and dry conditions favor soil carbonate growth from spring to fall. The mechanisms and timing of pedogenic carbonate formation are more ambiguous in the tropical domain, where long periods of soil water saturation and high soil respiration enhance calcite dissolution. This paper provides stable carbon, oxygen and clumped isotope values from Quaternary and Miocene pedogenic carbonates in the tropical domain of Myanmar, in areas characterized by warm (>18°C) winters and annual rainfall up to 1,700 mm. We show that carbonate growth in Myanmar is delayed to the driest and coldest months of the year by sustained monsoonal rainfall from mid spring to late fall. The range of isotopic variability in Quaternary pedogenic carbonates can be solely explained by temporal changes of carbonate growth within the dry season, from winter to early spring. We propose that high soil moisture year-round in the tropical domain narrows carbonate growth to the driest months and makes it particularly sensitive to the seasonal distribution of rainfall. This sensitivity is also enabled by high winter temperatures, allowing carbonate growth to occur outside the warmest months of the year. This high sensitivity is expected to be more prominent in the geological record during times with higher temperatures and greater expansion of the tropical realm. Clumped isotope temperatures, δ13C and δ18O values of tropical pedogenic carbonates are impacted by changes of both rainfall seasonality and surface temperatures; this sensitivity can potentially be used to track past tropical rainfall distribution.}, language = {en} } @article{WilhelmiNeumannJaehnertetal.2021, author = {Wilhelmi, Ilka and Neumann, Alexander and J{\"a}hnert, Markus and Ouni, Meriem and Sch{\"u}rmann, Annette}, title = {Enriched alternative splicing in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice}, series = {International journal of molecular sciences}, volume = {22}, journal = {International journal of molecular sciences}, number = {16}, publisher = {Molecular Diversity Preservation International}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms22168597}, pages = {16}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Dysfunctional islets of Langerhans are a hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We hypothesize that differences in islet gene expression alternative splicing which can contribute to altered protein function also participate in islet dysfunction. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data from islets of obese diabetes-resistant and diabetes-susceptible mice were analyzed for alternative splicing and its putative genetic and epigenetic modulators. We focused on the expression levels of chromatin modifiers and SNPs in regulatory sequences. We identified alternative splicing events in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice amongst others in genes linked to insulin secretion, endocytosis or ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathways. The expression pattern of 54 histones and chromatin modifiers, which may modulate splicing, were markedly downregulated in islets of diabetic animals. Furthermore, diabetes-susceptible mice carry SNPs in RNA-binding protein motifs and in splice sites potentially responsible for alternative splicing events. They also exhibit a larger exon skipping rate, e.g., in the diabetes gene Abcc8, which might affect protein function. Expression of the neuronal splicing factor Srrm4 which mediates inclusion of microexons in mRNA transcripts was markedly lower in islets of diabetes-prone compared to diabetes-resistant mice, correlating with a preferential skipping of SRRM4 target exons. The repression of Srrm4 expression is presumably mediated via a higher expression of miR-326-3p and miR-3547-3p in islets of diabetic mice. Thus, our study suggests that an altered splicing pattern in islets of diabetes-susceptible mice may contribute to an elevated T2D risk.}, language = {en} } @article{GorinScherzKorostetal.2021, author = {Gorin, Vladislav A. and Scherz, Mark D. and Korost, Dmitry V. and Poyarkov, Nikolay A.}, title = {Consequences of parallel miniaturisation in Microhylinae (Anura, Microhylidae), with the description of a new genus of diminutive South East Asian frogs}, series = {Zoosystematics and evolution : Mitteilungen aus dem Museum f{\"u}r Naturkunde in Berlin}, volume = {97}, journal = {Zoosystematics and evolution : Mitteilungen aus dem Museum f{\"u}r Naturkunde in Berlin}, number = {1}, publisher = {Pensoft Publishers}, address = {Sofia}, issn = {1860-0743}, doi = {10.3897/zse.97.57968}, pages = {21 -- 54}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The genus Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 includes 52 species and is one of the most diverse genera of the family Microhylidae, being the most species-rich taxon of the Asian subfamily Microhylinae. The recent, rapid description of numerous new species of Microhyla with complex phylogenetic relationships has made the taxonomy of the group especially challenging. Several recent phylogenetic studies suggested paraphyly of Microhyla with respect to Glyphoglossus Gunther, 1869, and revealed three major phylogenetic lineages of mid-Eocene origin within this assemblage. However, comprehensive works assessing morphological variation among and within these lineages are absent. In the present study we investigate the generic taxonomy of Microhyla-Glyphoglossus assemblage based on a new phylogeny including 57 species, comparative morphological analysis of skeletons from cleared-and-stained specimens for 23 species, and detailed descriptions of generalized osteology based on volume-rendered micro-CT scans for five speciesal-together representing all major lineages within the group. The results confirm three highly divergent and well-supported clades that correspond with external and osteological morphological characteristics, as well as respective geographic distribution. Accordingly, acknowledging ancient divergence between these lineages and their significant morphological differentiation, we propose to consider these three lineages as distinct genera: Microhyla sensu stricto, Glyphoglossus, and a newly described genus, Nanohyla gen. nov.}, language = {en} } @article{ArntzMkaouerMarkovetal.2022, author = {Arntz, Fabian and Mkaouer, Bessem and Markov, Adrian and Schoenfeld, Brad and Moran, Jason and Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo and Behrens, Martin and Baumert, Philipp and Erskine, Robert M. and Hauser, Lukas and Chaabene, Helmi}, title = {Effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy in healthy individuals}, series = {Frontiers in Physiology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in Physiology}, edition = {888464}, publisher = {Frontiers}, address = {Lausanne, Schweiz}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2022.888464}, pages = {1 -- 17}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Objective: To examine the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy in healthy individuals. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to September 2021. Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The main overall finding (44 effect sizes across 15 clusters median = 2, range = 1-15 effects per cluster) indicated that plyometric jump training had small to moderate effects [standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.47 (95\% CIs = 0.23-0.71); p < 0.001] on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Subgroup analyses for training experience revealed trivial to large effects in non-athletes [SMD = 0.55 (95\% CIs = 0.18-0.93); p = 0.007] and trivial to moderate effects in athletes [SMD = 0.33 (95\% CIs = 0.16-0.51); p = 0.001]. Regarding muscle groups, results showed moderate effects for the knee extensors [SMD = 0.72 (95\% CIs = 0.66-0.78), p < 0.001] and equivocal effects for the plantar flexors [SMD = 0.65 (95\% CIs = -0.25-1.55); p = 0.143]. As to the assessment methods of skeletal muscle hypertrophy, findings indicated trivial to small effects for prediction equations [SMD = 0.29 (95\% CIs = 0.16-0.42); p < 0.001] and moderate-to-large effects for ultrasound imaging [SMD = 0.74 (95\% CIs = 0.59-0.89); p < 0.001]. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the weekly session frequency moderates the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with a higher weekly session frequency inducing larger hypertrophic gains [β = 0.3233 (95\% CIs = 0.2041-0.4425); p < 0.001]. We found no clear evidence that age, sex, total training period, single session duration, or the number of jumps per week moderate the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy [β = -0.0133 to 0.0433 (95\% CIs = -0.0387 to 0.1215); p = 0.101-0.751]. Conclusion: Plyometric jump training can induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy, regardless of age and sex. There is evidence for relatively larger effects in non-athletes compared with athletes. Further, the weekly session frequency seems to moderate the effect of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, whereby more frequent weekly plyometric jump training sessions elicit larger hypertrophic adaptations.}, language = {en} } @article{AgarwalHamidizadehBier2023, author = {Agarwal, Saloni and Hamidizadeh, Mojdeh and Bier, Frank Fabian}, title = {Detection of reverse transcriptase LAMP-amplified nucleic acid from oropharyngeal viral swab samples using biotinylated DNA probes through a lateral flow assay}, series = {Biosensors : open access journal}, volume = {13}, journal = {Biosensors : open access journal}, number = {11}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2079-6374}, doi = {10.3390/bios13110988}, pages = {15}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This study focuses on three key aspects: (a) crude throat swab samples in a viral transport medium (VTM) as templates for RT-LAMP reactions; (b) a biotinylated DNA probe with enhanced specificity for LFA readouts; and (c) a digital semi-quantification of LFA readouts. Throat swab samples from SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients were used in their crude (no cleaning or pre-treatment) forms for the RT-LAMP reaction. The samples were heat-inactivated but not treated for any kind of nucleic acid extraction or purification. The RT-LAMP (20 min processing time) product was read out by an LFA approach using two labels: FITC and biotin. FITC was enzymatically incorporated into the RT-LAMP amplicon with the LF-LAMP primer, and biotin was introduced using biotinylated DNA probes, specifically for the amplicon region after RT-LAMP amplification. This assay setup with biotinylated DNA probe-based LFA readouts of the RT-LAMP amplicon was 98.11\% sensitive and 96.15\% specific. The LFA result was further analysed by a smartphone-based IVD device, wherein the T-line intensity was recorded. The LFA T-line intensity was then correlated with the qRT-PCR Ct value of the positive swab samples. A digital semi-quantification of RT-LAMP-LFA was reported with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.702. The overall RT-LAMP-LFA assay time was recorded to be 35 min with a LoD of three RNA copies/µL (Ct-33). With these three advancements, the nucleic acid testing-point of care technique (NAT-POCT) is exemplified as a versatile biosensor platform with great potential and applicability for the detection of pathogens without the need for sample storage, transportation, or pre-processing.}, language = {en} } @article{WittenbecherCuadratJohnstonetal.2022, author = {Wittenbecher, Clemens and Cuadrat, Rafael and Johnston, Luke and Eichelmann, Fabian and J{\"a}ger, Susanne and Kuxhaus, Olga and Prada, Marcela and Del Greco, Fabiola M. and Hicks, Andrew A. and Hoffman, Per and Krumsiek, Jan and Hu, Frank B. and Schulze, Matthias B.}, title = {Dihydroceramide- and ceramide-profiling provides insights into human cardiometabolic disease etiology}, series = {Nature communications}, volume = {13}, journal = {Nature communications}, publisher = {Nature Research}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-28496-1}, pages = {13}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Metabolic alterations precede cardiometabolic disease onset. Here we present ceramide- and dihydroceramide-profiling data from a nested case-cohort (type 2 diabetes [T2D, n = 775]; cardiovascular disease [CVD, n = 551]; random subcohort [n = 1137]) in the prospective EPIC-Potsdam study. We apply the novel NetCoupler-algorithm to link a data-driven (dihydro)ceramide network to T2D and CVD risk. Controlling for confounding by other (dihydro)ceramides, ceramides C18:0 and C22:0 and dihydroceramides C20:0 and C22:2 are associated with higher and ceramide C20:0 and dihydroceramide C26:1 with lower T2D risk. Ceramide C16:0 and dihydroceramide C22:2 are associated with higher CVD risk. Genome-wide association studies and Mendelian randomization analyses support a role of ceramide C22:0 in T2D etiology. Our results also suggest that (dh)ceramides partly mediate the putative adverse effect of high red meat consumption and benefits of coffee consumption on T2D risk. Thus, (dihydro)ceramides may play a critical role in linking genetic predisposition and dietary habits to cardiometabolic disease risk.}, language = {en} } @article{DeFelipeAlcaldeBaykievetal.2022, author = {DeFelipe, Irene and Alcalde, Juan and Baykiev, Eldar and Bernal, Isabel and Boonma, Kittiphon and Carbonell, Ramon and Flude, Stephanie and Folch, Arnau and Fullea, Javier and Garc{\´i}a-Castellanos, Daniel and Geyer, Adelina and Giralt, Santiago and Hern{\´a}ndez, Armand and Jim{\´e}nez-Munt, Ivone and Kumar, Ajay and Llorens, Maria-Gema and Mart{\´i}, Joan and Molina, Cecilia and Olivar-Casta{\~n}o, Andr{\´e}s and Parnell, Andrew and Schimmel, Martin and Torn{\´e}, Montserrat and Ventosa, Sergi}, title = {Towards a digital twin of the Earth system: Geo-Soft-CoRe, a geoscientific software \& code repository}, series = {Frontiers in earth science}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in earth science}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-6463}, doi = {10.3389/feart.2022.828005}, pages = {20}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The immense advances in computer power achieved in the last decades have had a significant impact in Earth science, providing valuable research outputs that allow the simulation of complex natural processes and systems, and generating improved forecasts. The development and implementation of innovative geoscientific software is currently evolving towards a sustainable and efficient development by integrating models of different aspects of the Earth system. This will set the foundation for a future digital twin of the Earth. The codification and update of this software require great effort from research groups and therefore, it needs to be preserved for its reuse by future generations of geoscientists. Here, we report on Geo-Soft-CoRe, a Geoscientific Software \& Code Repository, hosted at the archive DIGITAL.CSIC. This is an open source, multidisciplinary and multiscale collection of software and code developed to analyze different aspects of the Earth system, encompassing tools to: 1) analyze climate variability; 2) assess hazards, and 3) characterize the structure and dynamics of the solid Earth. Due to the broad range of applications of these software packages, this collection is useful not only for basic research in Earth science, but also for applied research and educational purposes, reducing the gap between the geosciences and the society. By providing each software and code with a permanent identifier (DOI), we ensure its self-sustainability and accomplish the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. Therefore, we aim for a more transparent science, transferring knowledge in an easier way to the geoscience community, and encouraging an integrated use of computational infrastructure.}, language = {en} } @article{GrohDiamantopoulosDuanetal.2022, author = {Groh, Jannis and Diamantopoulos, Efstathios and Duan, Xiaohong and Ewert, Frank and Heinlein, Florian and Herbst, Michael and Holbak, Maja and Kamali, Bahareh and Kersebaum, Kurt-Christian and Kuhnert, Matthias and Nendel, Claas and Priesack, Eckart and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Sommer, Michael and P{\"u}tz, Thomas and Vanderborght, Jan and Vereecken, Harry and Wallor, Evelyn and Weber, Tobias K. D. and Wegehenkel, Martin and Weiherm{\"u}ller, Lutz and Gerke, Horst H.}, title = {Same soil, different climate: Crop model intercomparison on translocated lysimeters}, series = {Vadose zone journal}, volume = {21}, journal = {Vadose zone journal}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1539-1663}, doi = {10.1002/vzj2.20202}, pages = {25}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Crop model intercomparison studies have mostly focused on the assessment of predictive capabilities for crop development using weather and basic soil data from the same location. Still challenging is the model performance when considering complex interrelations between soil and crop dynamics under a changing climate. The objective of this study was to test the agronomic crop and environmental flux-related performance of a set of crop models. The aim was to predict weighing lysimeter-based crop (i.e., agronomic) and water-related flux or state data (i.e., environmental) obtained for the same soil monoliths that were taken from their original environment and translocated to regions with different climatic conditions, after model calibration at the original site. Eleven models were deployed in the study. The lysimeter data (2014-2018) were from the Dedelow (Dd), Bad Lauchstadt (BL), and Selhausen (Se) sites of the TERENO (TERrestrial ENvironmental Observatories) SOILCan network. Soil monoliths from Dd were transferred to the drier and warmer BL site and the wetter and warmer Se site, which allowed a comparison of similar soil and crop under varying climatic conditions. The model parameters were calibrated using an identical set of crop- and soil-related data from Dd. Environmental fluxes and crop growth of Dd soil were predicted for conditions at BL and Se sites using the calibrated models. The comparison of predicted and measured data of Dd lysimeters at BL and Se revealed differences among models. At site BL, the crop models predicted agronomic and environmental components similarly well. Model performance values indicate that the environmental components at site Se were better predicted than agronomic ones. The multi-model mean was for most observations the better predictor compared with those of individual models. For Se site conditions, crop models failed to predict site-specific crop development indicating that climatic conditions (i.e., heat stress) were outside the range of variation in the data sets considered for model calibration. For improving predictive ability of crop models (i.e., productivity and fluxes), more attention should be paid to soil-related data (i.e., water fluxes and system states) when simulating soil-crop-climate interrelations in changing climatic conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{KuehneHerboldBendeletal.2024, author = {K{\"u}hne, Katharina and Herbold, Erika and Bendel, Oliver and Zhou, Yuefang and Fischer, Martin H.}, title = {"Ick bin een Berlina"}, series = {Frontiers in robotics and AI}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in robotics and AI}, publisher = {Frontiers Media S.A.}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-9144}, doi = {10.3389/frobt.2023.1241519}, pages = {15}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Background: Robots are increasingly used as interaction partners with humans. Social robots are designed to follow expected behavioral norms when engaging with humans and are available with different voices and even accents. Some studies suggest that people prefer robots to speak in the user's dialect, while others indicate a preference for different dialects. Methods: Our study examined the impact of the Berlin dialect on perceived trustworthiness and competence of a robot. One hundred and twenty German native speakers (Mage = 32 years, SD = 12 years) watched an online video featuring a NAO robot speaking either in the Berlin dialect or standard German and assessed its trustworthiness and competence. Results: We found a positive relationship between participants' self-reported Berlin dialect proficiency and trustworthiness in the dialect-speaking robot. Only when controlled for demographic factors, there was a positive association between participants' dialect proficiency, dialect performance and their assessment of robot's competence for the standard German-speaking robot. Participants' age, gender, length of residency in Berlin, and device used to respond also influenced assessments. Finally, the robot's competence positively predicted its trustworthiness. Discussion: Our results inform the design of social robots and emphasize the importance of device control in online experiments.}, language = {en} } @article{PetrovSingerCoughlinetal.2022, author = {Petrov, Polina and Singer, Leo P. and Coughlin, Michael W. and Kumar, Vishwesh and Almualla, Mouza and Anand, Shreya and Bulla, Mattia and Dietrich, Tim and Foucart, Francois and Guessoum, Nidhal}, title = {Data-driven expectations for electromagnetic counterpart searches based on LIGO/Virgo public alerts}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics; part 1}, volume = {924}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics; part 1}, number = {2}, publisher = {Institute of Physics Publ.}, address = {London}, issn = {1538-4357}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ac366d}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Searches for electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational-wave signals have redoubled since the first detection in 2017 of a binary neutron star merger with a gamma-ray burst, optical/infrared kilonova, and panchromatic afterglow. Yet, one LIGO/Virgo observing run later, there has not yet been a second, secure identification of an electromagnetic counterpart. This is not surprising given that the localization uncertainties of events in LIGO and Virgo's third observing run, O3, were much larger than predicted. We explain this by showing that improvements in data analysis that now allow LIGO/Virgo to detect weaker and hence more poorly localized events have increased the overall number of detections, of which well-localized, gold-plated events make up a smaller proportion overall. We present simulations of the next two LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observing runs, O4 and O5, that are grounded in the statistics of O3 public alerts. To illustrate the significant impact that the updated predictions can have, we study the follow-up strategy for the Zwicky Transient Facility. Realistic and timely forecasting of gravitational-wave localization accuracy is paramount given the large commitments of telescope time and the need to prioritize which events are followed up. We include a data release of our simulated localizations as a public proposal planning resource for astronomers.}, language = {en} } @article{DoebbelingHildebrandtMierschKhannaetal.2024, author = {D{\"o}bbeling-Hildebrandt, Niklas and Miersch, Klaas and Khanna, Tarun M. and Bachelet, Marion and Bruns, Stephan B. and Callaghan, Max and Edenhofer, Ottmar and Flachsland, Christian and Forster, Piers M. and Kalkuhl, Matthias and Koch, Nicolas and Lamb, William F. and Ohlendorf, Nils and Steckel, Jan Christoph and Minx, Jan C.}, title = {Systematic review and meta-analysis of ex-post evaluations on the effectiveness of carbon pricing}, series = {Nature communications}, volume = {15}, journal = {Nature communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-48512-w}, pages = {12}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Today, more than 70 carbon pricing schemes have been implemented around the globe, but their contributions to emissions reductions remains a subject of heated debate in science and policy. Here we assess the effectiveness of carbon pricing in reducing emissions using a rigorous, machine-learning assisted systematic review and meta-analysis. Based on 483 effect sizes extracted from 80 causal ex-post evaluations across 21 carbon pricing schemes, we find that introducing a carbon price has yielded immediate and substantial emission reductions for at least 17 of these policies, despite the low level of prices in most instances. Statistically significant emissions reductions range between -5\% to -21\% across the schemes (-4\% to -15\% after correcting for publication bias). Our study highlights critical evidence gaps with regard to dozens of unevaluated carbon pricing schemes and the price elasticity of emissions reductions. More rigorous synthesis of carbon pricing and other climate policies is required across a range of outcomes to advance our understanding of "what works" and accelerate learning on climate solutions in science and policy.}, language = {en} } @article{TchewonpiSaguLandgraeberHenkeletal.2021, author = {Tchewonpi Sagu, Sorel and Landgr{\"a}ber, Eva and Henkel, Ina M. and Huschek, Gerd and Homann, Thomas and Bußler, Sara and Schl{\"u}ter, Oliver and Rawel, Harshadrai Manilal}, title = {Effect of cereal α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors on developmental characteristics and abundance of digestive enzymes of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.)}, series = {Insects : open access journal}, volume = {12}, journal = {Insects : open access journal}, number = {5}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2075-4450}, doi = {10.3390/insects12050454}, pages = {16}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The objective of this work was to investigate the potential effect of cereal α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) on growth parameters and selective digestive enzymes of Tenebrio molitor L. larvae. The approach consisted of feeding the larvae with wheat, sorghum and rice meals containing different levels and composition of α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors. The developmental and biochemical characteristics of the larvae were assessed over feeding periods of 5 h, 5 days and 10 days, and the relative abundance of α-amylase and selected proteases in larvae were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Overall, weight gains ranged from 21\% to 42\% after five days of feeding. The larval death rate significantly increased in all groups after 10 days of feeding (p < 0.05), whereas the pupation rate was about 25\% among larvae fed with rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Siyazan/Esperya wheat meals, and only 8\% and 14\% among those fed with Damougari and S35 sorghum meals. As determined using the Lowry method, the protein contents of the sodium phosphate extracts ranged from 7.80 ± 0.09 to 9.42 ± 0.19 mg/mL and those of the ammonium bicarbonate/urea reached 19.78 ± 0.16 to 37.47 ± 1.38 mg/mL. The total protein contents of the larvae according to the Kjeldahl method ranged from 44.0 and 49.9 g/100 g. The relative abundance of α-amylase, CLIP domain-containing serine protease, modular serine protease zymogen and C1 family cathepsin significantly decreased in the larvae, whereas dipeptidylpeptidase I and chymotrypsin increased within the first hours after feeding (p < 0.05). Trypsin content was found to be constant independently of time or feed material. Finally, based on the results we obtained, it was difficult to substantively draw conclusions on the likely effects of meal ATI composition on larval developmental characteristics, but their effects on the digestive enzyme expression remain relevant.}, language = {en} } @article{SchulteMeucciStoofLeichsenringetal.2022, author = {Schulte, Luise and Meucci, Stefano and Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R. and Heitkam, Tony and Schmidt, Nicola and von Hippel, Barbara and Andreev, Andrei A. and Diekmann, Bernhard and Biskaborn, Boris and Wagner, Bernd and Melles, Martin and Pestryakova, Lyudmila A. and Alsos, Inger G. and Clarke, Charlotte and Krutovsky, Konstantin and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Larix species range dynamics in Siberia since the Last Glacial captured from sedimentary ancient DNA}, series = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, journal = {Communications biology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2399-3642}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-022-03455-0}, pages = {11}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Climate change is expected to cause major shifts in boreal forests which are in vast areas of Siberia dominated by two species of the deciduous needle tree larch (Larix). The species differ markedly in their ecosystem functions, thus shifts in their respective ranges are of global relevance. However, drivers of species distribution are not well understood, in part because paleoecological data at species level are lacking. This study tracks Larix species distribution in time and space using target enrichment on sedimentary ancient DNA extracts from eight lakes across Siberia. We discovered that Larix sibirica, presently dominating in western Siberia, likely migrated to its northern distribution area only in the Holocene at around 10,000 years before present (ka BP), and had a much wider eastern distribution around 33 ka BP. Samples dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (around 21 ka BP), consistently show genotypes of L. gmelinii. Our results suggest climate as a strong determinant of species distribution in Larix and provide temporal and spatial data for species projection in a changing climate. Using ancient sedimentary DNA from up to 50 kya, dramatic distributional shifts are documented in two dominant boreal larch species, likely guided by environmental changes suggesting climate as a strong determinant of species distribution.}, language = {en} } @article{JoziNajafabadiHaberlandRybergetal.2021, author = {Jozi Najafabadi, Azam and Haberland, Christian and Ryberg, Trond and Verwater, Vincent F. and Breton, Eline le and Handy, Mark R. and Weber, Michael}, title = {Relocation of earthquakes in the southern and eastern Alps (Austria, Italy) recorded by the dense, temporary SWATH-D network using a Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion}, series = {Solid earth : SE ; an interaktive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, volume = {12}, journal = {Solid earth : SE ; an interaktive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, number = {5}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, organization = {AlpArray Working Grp, AlpArray SWATH-D Working Grp}, issn = {1869-9529}, doi = {10.5194/se-12-1087-2021}, pages = {1087 -- 1109}, year = {2021}, abstract = {In this study, we analyzed a large seismological dataset from temporary and permanent networks in the southern and eastern Alps to establish high-precision hypocenters and 1-D V-P and V-P/V-S models. The waveform data of a subset of local earthquakes with magnitudes in the range of 1-4.2 M-L were recorded by the dense, temporary SWATH-D network and selected stations of the AlpArray network between September 2017 and the end of 2018. The first arrival times of P and S waves of earthquakes are determined by a semi-automatic procedure. We applied a Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion method to simultaneously calculate robust hypocenters, a 1-D velocity model, and station corrections without prior assumptions, such as initial velocity models or earthquake locations. A further advantage of this method is the derivation of the model parameter uncertainties and noise levels of the data. The precision estimates of the localization procedure is checked by inverting a synthetic travel time dataset from a complex 3-D velocity model and by using the real stations and earthquakes geometry. The location accuracy is further investigated by a quarry blast test. The average uncertainties of the locations of the earthquakes are below 500m in their epicenter and similar to 1.7 km in depth. The earthquake distribution reveals seismicity in the upper crust (0-20 km), which is characterized by pronounced clusters along the Alpine frontal thrust, e.g., the Friuli-Venetia (FV) region, the Giudicarie-Lessini (GL) and Schio-Vicenza domains, the Austroalpine nappes, and the Inntal area. Some seismicity also occurs along the Periadriatic Fault. The general pattern of seismicity reflects head-on convergence of the Adriatic indenter with the Alpine orogenic crust. The seismicity in the FV and GL regions is deeper than the modeled frontal thrusts, which we interpret as indication for southward propagation of the southern Alpine deformation front (blind thrusts).}, language = {en} } @article{MenzeMuellerZaehleetal.2023, author = {Menze, Inga and M{\"u}ller, Notger Germar and Z{\"a}hle, Tino and Schmicker, Marlen}, title = {Individual response to transcranial direct current stimulation as a function of working memory capacity and electrode montage}, series = {Frontiers in human neuroscience}, volume = {17}, journal = {Frontiers in human neuroscience}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1662-5161}, doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2023.1134632}, pages = {14}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Introduction Attempts to improve cognitive abilities via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have led to ambiguous results, likely due to the method's susceptibility to methodological and inter-individual factors. Conventional tDCS, i.e., using an active electrode over brain areas associated with the targeted cognitive function and a supposedly passive reference, neglects stimulation effects on entire neural networks. Methods We investigated the advantage of frontoparietal network stimulation (right prefrontal anode, left posterior parietal cathode) against conventional and sham tDCS in modulating working memory (WM) capacity dependent transfer effects of a single-session distractor inhibition (DIIN) training. Since previous results did not clarify whether electrode montage drives this individual transfer, we here compared conventional to frontoparietal and sham tDCS and reanalyzed data of 124 young, healthy participants in a more robust way using linear mixed effect modeling. Results The interaction of electrode montage and WM capacity resulted in systematic differences in transfer effects. While higher performance gains were observed with increasing WM capacity in the frontoparietal stimulation group, low WM capacity individuals benefited more in the sham condition. The conventional stimulation group showed subtle performance gains independent of WM capacity. Discussion Our results confirm our previous findings of WM capacity dependent transfer effects on WM by a single-session DIIN training combined with tDCS and additionally highlight the pivotal role of the specific electrode montage. WM capacity dependent differences in frontoparietal network recruitment, especially regarding the parietal involvement, are assumed to underlie this observation.}, language = {en} } @article{MenzeMuellerMuelleretal.2022, author = {Menze, Inga and M{\"u}ller, Patrick and M{\"u}ller, Notger Germar and Schmicker, Marlen}, title = {Age-related cognitive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and associated mental health changes in Germans}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature portfolio}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-022-11283-9}, pages = {16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Restrictive means to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have not only imposed broad challenges on mental health but might also affect cognitive health. Here we asked how restriction-related changes influence cognitive performance and how age, perceived loneliness, depressiveness and affectedness by restrictions contribute to these effects. 51 Germans completed three assessments of an online based study during the first lockdown in Germany (April 2020), a month later, and during the beginning of the second lockdown (November 2020). Participants completed nine online cognitive tasks of the MyBrainTraining and online questionnaires about their perceived strain and impact on lifestyle factors by the situation (affectedness), perceived loneliness, depressiveness as well as subjective cognitive performance. The results suggested a possible negative impact of depressiveness and affectedness on objective cognitive performance within the course of the lockdown. The younger the participants, the more pronounced these effects were. Loneliness and depressiveness moreover contributed to a worse evaluation of subjective cognition. In addition, especially younger individuals reported increased distress. As important educational and social input has partly been scarce during this pandemic and mental health problems have increased, future research should also assess cognitive long-term consequences.}, language = {en} } @article{ZielhoferSchmidtReicheetal.2022, author = {Zielhofer, Christoph and Schmidt, Johannes and Reiche, Niklas and Tautenhahn, Marie and Ballasus, Helen and Burkart, Michael and Linst{\"a}dter, Anja and Dietze, Elisabeth and Kaiser, Knut and Mehler, Natascha}, title = {The lower Havel River Region (Brandenburg, Germany)}, series = {Water}, volume = {14}, journal = {Water}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w14030480}, pages = {23}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Instrumental data show that the groundwater and lake levels in Northeast Germany have decreased over the past decades, and this process has accelerated over the past few years. In addition to global warming, the direct influence of humans on the local water balance is suspected to be the cause. Since the instrumental data usually go back only a few decades, little is known about the multidecadal to centennial-scale trend, which also takes long-term climate variation and the long-term influence by humans on the water balance into account. This study aims to quantitatively reconstruct the surface water areas in the Lower Havel Inner Delta and of adjacent Lake Gulpe in Brandenburg. The analysis includes the calculation of surface water areas from historical and modern maps from 1797 to 2020. The major finding is that surface water areas have decreased by approximately 30\% since the pre-industrial period, with the decline being continuous. Our data show that the comprehensive measures in Lower Havel hydro-engineering correspond with groundwater lowering that started before recent global warming. Further, large-scale melioration measures with increasing water demands in the upstream wetlands beginning from the 1960s to the 1980s may have amplified the decline in downstream surface water areas.}, language = {en} } @article{RingEisenmannKandiletal.2022, author = {Ring, Raphaela M. and Eisenmann, Clemens and Kandil, Farid and Steckhan, Nico and Demmrich, Sarah and Klatte, Caroline and Kessler, Christian S. and Jeitler, Michael and Boschmann, Michael and Michalsen, Andreas and Blakeslee, Sarah B. and St{\"o}ckigt, Barbara and Stritter, Wiebke and Koppold-Liebscher, Daniela A.}, title = {Mental and behavioural responses to Bah{\´a}'{\´i} fasting: Looking behind the scenes of a religiously motivated intermittent fast using a mixed methods approach}, series = {Nutrients}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nutrients}, number = {5}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2072-6643}, doi = {10.3390/nu14051038}, pages = {23}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background/Objective: Historically, fasting has been practiced not only for medical but also for religious reasons. Baha'is follow an annual religious intermittent dry fast of 19 days. We inquired into motivation behind and subjective health impacts of Baha'i fasting. Methods: A convergent parallel mixed methods design was embedded in a clinical single arm observational study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted before (n = 7), during (n = 8), and after fasting (n = 8). Three months after the fasting period, two focus group interviews were conducted (n = 5/n = 3). A total of 146 Baha'i volunteers answered an online survey at five time points before, during, and after fasting. Results: Fasting was found to play a central role for the religiosity of interviewees, implying changes in daily structures, spending time alone, engaging in religious practices, and experiencing social belonging. Results show an increase in mindfulness and well-being, which were accompanied by behavioural changes and experiences of self-efficacy and inner freedom. Survey scores point to an increase in mindfulness and well-being during fasting, while stress, anxiety, and fatigue decreased. Mindfulness remained elevated even three months after the fast. Conclusion: Baha'i fasting seems to enhance participants' mindfulness and well-being, lowering stress levels and reducing fatigue. Some of these effects lasted more than three months after fasting.}, language = {en} } @article{MkaouerAmaraBouguezzietal.2023, author = {Mkaouer, Bessem and Amara, Samiha and Bouguezzi, Raja and Ben Abderrahmen, Abderraouf and Chaabene, Helmi}, title = {Validity of a new sport-specific endurance test in artistic gymnastics}, series = {Frontiers in sports and active living}, volume = {5}, journal = {Frontiers in sports and active living}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2624-9367}, doi = {10.3389/fspor.2023.1159807}, pages = {8}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Introduction General and particularly sport-specific testing is an integral aspect of performance optimization in artistic gymnastics. In artistic gymnastics, however, only non-specific field tests have been used to assess endurance performance (e.g., Multistage Shuttle Run Test; Cooper's Test). Methods This study aimed to examine the validity of a new sport-specific endurance test in artistic gymnastics. Fourteen elite-level gymnasts (i.e., eight males and six females) participated in this study. The newly developed artistic gymnastics-specific endurance test (AGSET) was conducted on two different occasions seven days apart to determine its reliability. To assess the concurrent validity of AGSET, participants performed the multistage shuttle run test (MSRT). Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were directly assessed using a portable gas analyzer system during both protocols. Additionally, the total time maintained (TTM) during the AGSET, maximum heart rate (HRmax), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), and blood lactate concentration (BLa) during the two protocols were collected. Results The main findings indicated that all variables derived from the AGSET (i.e., VO2max, MAS, HRmax, BLa, and RER) displayed very good relative (all intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC] > 0.90) and absolute (all typical errors of measurement [TEM] < 5\%) reliability. Further, results showed that the ability of the AGSET to detect small changes in VO2max, MAS, BLa, and RER was good (smallest worthwhile change [SWC0.2] > TEM), except HRmax (SWC0.2 < TEM). Additionally, results showed a nearly perfect association between the VO2max values derived from the AGSET and MSRT (r = 0.985; coefficient of determination [R-2] = 97\%) with no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). The mean (bias) +/- 95\% limits of agreement between the two protocols were 0.28 +/- 0.55 mlminkg-1. Discussion AGSET seems to present very good reliability and concurrent validity for assessing endurance performance in elite artistic gymnastics. In addition, the newly developed protocol presents a good ability to detect small changes in performance.}, language = {en} } @article{KamaliJahanbakhshiDogaruetal.2022, author = {Kamali, Bahareh and Jahanbakhshi, Farshid and Dogaru, Diana and Dietrich, J{\"o}rg and Nendel, Claas and AghaKouchak, Amir}, title = {Probabilistic modeling of crop-yield loss risk under drought: a spatial showcase for sub-Saharan Africa}, series = {Environmental research letters}, volume = {17}, journal = {Environmental research letters}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publishing}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {1748-9326}, doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/ac4ec1}, pages = {15}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Assessing the risk of yield loss in African drought-affected regions is key to identify feasible solutions for stable crop production. Recent studies have demonstrated that Copula-based probabilistic methods are well suited for such assessment owing to reasonably inferring important properties in terms of exceedance probability and joint dependence of different characterization. However, insufficient attention has been given to quantifying the probability of yield loss and determining the contribution of climatic factors. This study applies the Copula theory to describe the dependence between drought and crop yield anomalies for rainfed maize, millet, and sorghum crops in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The environmental policy integrated climate model, calibrated with Food and Agriculture Organization country-level yield data, was used to simulate yields across SSA (1980-2012). The results showed that the severity of yield loss due to drought had a higher magnitude than the severity of drought itself. Sensitivity analysis to identify factors contributing to drought and high-temperature stresses for all crops showed that the amount of precipitation during vegetation and grain filling was the main driver of crop yield loss, and the effect of temperature was stronger for sorghum than for maize and millet. The results demonstrate the added value of probabilistic methods for drought-impact assessment. For future studies, we recommend looking into factors influencing drought and high-temperature stresses as individual/concurrent climatic extremes.}, language = {en} } @article{GeirhosDomhardtLunkenheimeretal.2022, author = {Geirhos, Agnes and Domhardt, Matthias and Lunkenheimer, Frederike and Temming, Svenja and Holl, Reinhard and Minden, Kirsten and Warschburger, Petra and Meissner, Thomas and Mueller-Stierlin, Annabel S. and Baumeister, Harald}, title = {Feasibility and potential efficacy of a guided internet- and mobile-based CBT for adolescents and young adults with chronic medical conditions and comorbid depression or anxiety symptoms (youthCOACH(CD)): a randomized controlled pilot trial}, series = {BMC pediatrics}, volume = {22}, journal = {BMC pediatrics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2431}, doi = {10.1186/s12887-022-03134-3}, pages = {15}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with a chronic medical condition show an increased risk for developing mental comorbidities compared to their healthy peers. Internet- and mobile-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) might be a low-threshold treatment to support affected AYA. In this randomized controlled pilot trial, the feasibility and potential efficacy of youthCOACH(CD), an iCBT targeting symptoms of anxiety and depression in AYA with chronic medical conditions, was evaluated. Methods: A total of 30 AYA (M-age 16.13; SD= 2.34; 73\% female), aged 12-21 years either suffering from cystic fibrosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis or type 1 diabetes, were randomly assigned to either a guided version of the iCBT youthCOACH(CD) (IC, n=15) or to a waitlist control group (CG, n=15), receiving an unguided version of the iCBT six months post-randomization. Participants of the IG and the CG were assessed before (t0), twelve weeks after (t1) and six months after (t2) randomization. Primary outcome was the feasibility of the iCBT. Different parameters of feasibility e.g. acceptance, client satisfaction or potential side effects were evaluated. First indications of the possible efficacy with regard to the primary efficacy outcome, the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale, and further outcome variables were evaluated using linear regression models, adjusting for baseline values. Results: Regarding feasibility, intervention completion was 60\%; intervention satisfaction (M = 25.42, SD = 5.85) and perceived therapeutic alliance (M = 2.83, SD = 1.25) were moderate and comparable to other iCBTs. No patterns emerged regarding subjective and objective negative side effects due to participation in youthCOACH(CD). Estimates of potential efficacy showed between group differences, with a potential medium-term benefit of youthCOACH(CD) (beta = -0.55, 95\%Cl: -1.17; 0.07), but probably not short-term (beta = 0.20, 95\%Cl: -0.47; 0.88). Conclusions: Our results point to the feasibility of youthCOACH(CD) and the implementation of a future definitive randomized controlled trial addressing its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Due to the small sample size, conclusions are premature, however, further strategies to foster treatment adherence should be considered.}, language = {en} } @article{WiemkerBunovaNeufeldetal.2022, author = {Wiemker, Veronika and Bunova, Anna and Neufeld, Maria and Gornyi, Boris and Yurasova, Elena and Konigorski, Stefan and Kalinina, Anna and Kontsevaya, Anna and Ferreira-Borges, Carina and Probst, Charlotte}, title = {Pilot study to evaluate usability and acceptability of the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' in Russian primary healthcare}, series = {Digital health}, volume = {8}, journal = {Digital health}, publisher = {Sage Publications}, address = {London}, issn = {2055-2076}, doi = {10.1177/20552076211074491}, pages = {11}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background and aims: Accurate and user-friendly assessment tools quantifying alcohol consumption are a prerequisite to effective prevention and treatment programmes, including Screening and Brief Intervention. Digital tools offer new potential in this field. We developed the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' (AAA-Tool), a mobile app providing an interactive version of the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) that facilitates the description of individual alcohol consumption via culturally informed animation features. This pilot study evaluated the Russia-specific version of the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool with regard to (1) its usability and acceptability in a primary healthcare setting, (2) the plausibility of its alcohol consumption assessment results and (3) the adequacy of its Russia-specific vessel and beverage selection. Methods: Convenience samples of 55 patients (47\% female) and 15 healthcare practitioners (80\% female) in 2 Russian primary healthcare facilities self-administered the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool and rated their experience on the Mobile Application Rating Scale - User Version. Usage data was automatically collected during app usage, and additional feedback on regional content was elicited in semi-structured interviews. Results: On average, patients completed the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool in 6:38 min (SD = 2.49, range = 3.00-17.16). User satisfaction was good, with all subscale Mobile Application Rating Scale - User Version scores averaging >3 out of 5 points. A majority of patients (53\%) and practitioners (93\%) would recommend the tool to 'many people' or 'everyone'. Assessed alcohol consumption was plausible, with a low number (14\%) of logically impossible entries. Most patients reported the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool to reflect all vessels (78\%) and all beverages (71\%) they typically used. Conclusion: High acceptability ratings by patients and healthcare practitioners, acceptable completion time, plausible alcohol usage assessment results and perceived adequacy of region-specific content underline the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool's potential to provide a novel approach to alcohol assessment in primary healthcare. After its validation, the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool might contribute to reducing alcohol-related harm by facilitating Screening and Brief Intervention implementation in Russia and beyond.}, language = {en} } @article{HoangGryzikHoppeetal.2022, author = {Hoang, Yen and Gryzik, Stefanie and Hoppe, Ines and Rybak, Alexander and Sch{\"a}dlich, Martin and Kadner, Isabelle and Walther, Dirk and Vera, Julio and Radbruch, Andreas and Groth, Detlef and Baumgart, Sabine and Baumgrass, Ria}, title = {PRI: Re-analysis of a public mass cytometry dataset reveals patterns of effective tumor treatments}, series = {Frontiers in immunology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in immunology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-3224}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2022.849329}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Recently, mass cytometry has enabled quantification of up to 50 parameters for millions of cells per sample. It remains a challenge to analyze such high-dimensional data to exploit the richness of the inherent information, even though many valuable new analysis tools have already been developed. We propose a novel algorithm "pattern recognition of immune cells (PRI)" to tackle these high-dimensional protein combinations in the data. PRI is a tool for the analysis and visualization of cytometry data based on a three or more-parametric binning approach, feature engineering of bin properties of multivariate cell data, and a pseudo-multiparametric visualization. Using a publicly available mass cytometry dataset, we proved that reproducible feature engineering and intuitive understanding of the generated bin plots are helpful hallmarks for re-analysis with PRI. In the CD4(+)T cell population analyzed, PRI revealed two bin-plot patterns (CD90/CD44/CD86 and CD90/CD44/CD27) and 20 bin plot features for threshold-independent classification of mice concerning ineffective and effective tumor treatment. In addition, PRI mapped cell subsets regarding co-expression of the proliferation marker Ki67 with two major transcription factors and further delineated a specific Th1 cell subset. All these results demonstrate the added insights that can be obtained using the non-cluster-based tool PRI for re-analyses of high-dimensional cytometric data.}, language = {en} } @article{WeberPutaLesinskietal.2018, author = {Weber, Stephanie and Puta, Christian and Lesinski, Melanie and Gabriel, Brunhild and Steidten, Thomas and B{\"a}r, Karl-J{\"u}rgen and Herbsleb, Marco and Granacher, Urs and Gabriel, Holger H. W.}, title = {Symptoms of anxiety and depression in young athletes using the hospital anxiety and depression scale}, series = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {9}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2018.00182}, pages = {12}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Elite young athletes have to cope with multiple psychological demands such as training volume, mental and physical fatigue, spatial separation of family and friends or time management problems may lead to reduced mental and physical recovery. While normative data regarding symptoms of anxiety and depression for the general population is available (Hinz and Brahler, 2011), hardly any information exists for adolescents in general and young athletes in particular. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess overall symptoms of anxiety and depression in young athletes as well as possible sex differences. The survey was carried out within the scope of the study "Resistance Training in Young Athletes" (KINGS-Study). Between August 2015 and September 2016, 326 young athletes aged (mean +/- SD) 14.3 +/- 1.6 years completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD Scale). Regarding the analysis of age on the anxiety and depression subscales, age groups were classified as follows: late childhood (12-14 years) and late adolescence (15-18 years). The participating young athletes were recruited from Olympic weight lifting, handball, judo, track and field athletics, boxing, soccer, gymnastics, ice speed skating, volleyball, and rowing. Anxiety and depression scores were (mean +/- SD) 4.3 +/- 3.0 and 2.8 +/- 2.9, respectively. In the subscale anxiety, 22 cases (6.7\%) showed subclinical scores and 11 cases (3.4\%) showed clinical relevant score values. When analyzing the depression subscale, 31 cases (9.5\%) showed subclinical score values and 12 cases (3.7\%) showed clinically important values. No significant differences were found between male and female athletes (p >= 0.05). No statistically significant differences in the HADS scores were found between male athletes of late childhood and late adolescents (p >= 0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing questionnaire based indicators of symptoms of anxiety and depression in young athletes. Our data implies the need for sports medical as well as sports psychiatric support for young athletes. In addition, our results demonstrated that the chronological classification concerning age did not influence HAD Scale outcomes. Future research should focus on sports medical and sports psychiatric interventional approaches with the goal to prevent anxiety and depression as well as teaching coping strategies to young athletes.}, language = {en} } @article{WarschburgerKamrathLanzingeretal.2023, author = {Warschburger, Petra and Kamrath, Clemens and Lanzinger, Stefanie and Sengler, Claudia and Wiegand, Susanna and G{\"o}ldel, Julia Marlen and Weihrauch-Bl{\"u}her, Susann and Holl, Reinhard and Minden, Kirsten}, title = {A prospective analysis of the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being and health care among children with a chronic condition and their families}, series = {BMC pediatrics}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC pediatrics}, number = {1}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2431}, doi = {10.1186/s12887-023-03912-7}, pages = {15}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background There is consistent evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with an increased psychosocial burden on children and adolescents and their parents. Relatively little is known about its particular impact on high-risk groups with chronic physical health conditions (CCs). Therefore, the primary aim of the study is to analyze the multiple impacts on health care and psychosocial well-being on these children and adolescents and their parents. Methods We will implement a two-stage approach. In the first step, parents and their underage children from three German patient registries for diabetes, obesity, and rheumatic diseases, are invited to fill out short questionnaires including questions about corona-specific stressors, the health care situation, and psychosocial well-being. In the next step, a more comprehensive, in-depth online survey is carried out in a smaller subsample. Discussion The study will provide insights into the multiple longer-term stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic in families with a child with a CC. The simultaneous consideration of medical and psycho-social endpoints will help to gain a deeper understanding of the complex interactions affecting family functioning, psychological well-being, and health care delivery.}, language = {en} } @article{ChengDennisOsuohaetal.2023, author = {Cheng, Feng and Dennis, Alice B. and Osuoha, Josephine Ijeoma and Canitz, Julia and Kirschbaum, Frank and Tiedemann, Ralph}, title = {A new genome assembly of an African weakly electric fish (Campylomormyrus compressirostris, Mormyridae) indicates rapid gene family evolution in Osteoglossomorpha}, series = {BMC genomics}, volume = {24}, journal = {BMC genomics}, number = {1}, publisher = {BMC}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2164}, doi = {10.1186/s12864-023-09196-6}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Teleost fishes comprise more than half of the vertebrate species. Within teleosts, most phylogenies consider the split between Osteoglossomorpha and Euteleosteomorpha/Otomorpha as basal, preceded only by the derivation of the most primitive group of teleosts, the Elopomorpha. While Osteoglossomorpha are generally species poor, the taxon contains the African weakly electric fish (Mormyroidei), which have radiated into numerous species. Within the mormyrids, the genus Campylomormyrus is mostly endemic to the Congo Basin. Campylomormyrus serves as a model to understand mechanisms of adaptive radiation and ecological speciation, especially with regard to its highly diverse species-specific electric organ discharges (EOD). Currently, there are few well-annotated genomes available for electric fish in general and mormyrids in particular. Our study aims at producing a high-quality genome assembly and to use this to examine genome evolution in relation to other teleosts. This will facilitate further understanding of the evolution of the osteoglossomorpha fish in general and of electric fish in particular. Results A high-quality weakly electric fish (C. compressirostris) genome was produced from a single individual with a genome size of 862 Mb, consisting of 1,497 contigs with an N50 of 1,399 kb and a GC-content of 43.69\%. Gene predictions identified 34,492 protein-coding genes, which is a higher number than in the two other available Osteoglossomorpha genomes of Paramormyrops kingsleyae and Scleropages formosus. A Computational Analysis of gene Family Evolution (CAFE5) comparing 33 teleost fish genomes suggests an overall faster gene family turnover rate in Osteoglossomorpha than in Otomorpha and Euteleosteomorpha. Moreover, the ratios of expanded/contracted gene family numbers in Osteoglossomorpha are significantly higher than in the other two taxa, except for species that had undergone an additional genome duplication (Cyprinus carpio and Oncorhynchus mykiss). As potassium channel proteins are hypothesized to play a key role in EOD diversity among species, we put a special focus on them, and manually curated 16 Kv1 genes. We identified a tandem duplication in the KCNA7a gene in the genome of C. compressirostris. Conclusions We present the fourth genome of an electric fish and the third well-annotated genome for Osteoglossomorpha, enabling us to compare gene family evolution among major teleost lineages. Osteoglossomorpha appear to exhibit rapid gene family evolution, with more gene family expansions than contractions. The curated Kv1 gene family showed seven gene clusters, which is more than in other analyzed fish genomes outside Osteoglossomorpha. The KCNA7a, encoding for a potassium channel central for EOD production and modulation, is tandemly duplicated which may related to the diverse EOD observed among Campylomormyrus species.}, language = {en} } @article{CescaSuganRudzinskietal.2022, author = {Cesca, Simone and Sugan, Monica and Rudzinski, Lukasz and Vajedian, Sanaz and Niemz, Peter and Plank, Simon and Petersen, Gesa and Deng, Zhiguo and Rivalta, Eleonora and Vuan, Alessandro and Linares, Milton Percy Plasencia and Heimann, Sebastian and Dahm, Torsten}, title = {Massive earthquake swarm driven by magmatic intrusion at the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica}, series = {Communications earth and environment}, volume = {3}, journal = {Communications earth and environment}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2662-4435}, doi = {10.1038/s43247-022-00418-5}, pages = {11}, year = {2022}, abstract = {An earthquake swarm affected the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, a unique rift basin in transition from intra-arc rifting to ocean spreading. The swarm, counting similar to 85,000 volcano-tectonic earthquakes since August 2020, is located close to the Orca submarine volcano, previously considered inactive. Simultaneously, geodetic data reported up to similar to 11 cm north-westward displacement over King George Island. We use a broad variety of geophysical data and methods to reveal the complex migration of seismicity, accompanying the intrusion of 0.26-0.56 km(3) of magma. Strike-slip earthquakes mark the intrusion at depth, while shallower normal faulting the similar to 20 km long lateral growth of a dike. Seismicity abruptly decreased after a Mw 6.0 earthquake, suggesting the magmatic dike lost pressure with the slipping of a large fault. A seafloor eruption is likely, but not confirmed by sea surface temperature anomalies. The unrest documents episodic magmatic intrusion in the Bransfield Strait, providing unique insights into active continental rifting.}, language = {en} } @article{FehrPiccininniKurthetal.2023, author = {Fehr, Jana and Piccininni, Marco and Kurth, Tobias and Konigorski, Stefan}, title = {Assessing the transportability of clinical prediction models for cognitive impairment using causal models}, series = {BMC medical research methodology}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC medical research methodology}, number = {1}, publisher = {BMC}, address = {London}, issn = {1471-2288}, doi = {10.1186/s12874-023-02003-6}, pages = {14}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Machine learning models promise to support diagnostic predictions, but may not perform well in new settings. Selecting the best model for a new setting without available data is challenging. We aimed to investigate the transportability by calibration and discrimination of prediction models for cognitive impairment in simulated external settings with different distributions of demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods We mapped and quantified relationships between variables associated with cognitive impairment using causal graphs, structural equation models, and data from the ADNI study. These estimates were then used to generate datasets and evaluate prediction models with different sets of predictors. We measured transportability to external settings under guided interventions on age, APOE \& epsilon;4, and tau-protein, using performance differences between internal and external settings measured by calibration metrics and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Results Calibration differences indicated that models predicting with causes of the outcome were more transportable than those predicting with consequences. AUC differences indicated inconsistent trends of transportability between the different external settings. Models predicting with consequences tended to show higher AUC in the external settings compared to internal settings, while models predicting with parents or all variables showed similar AUC. Conclusions We demonstrated with a practical prediction task example that predicting with causes of the outcome results in better transportability compared to anti-causal predictions when considering calibration differences. We conclude that calibration performance is crucial when assessing model transportability to external settings.}, language = {en} } @article{LupienRussellPearsonetal.2022, author = {Lupien, Rachel L. and Russell, James M. and Pearson, Emma J. and Castaneda, Isla S. and Asrat, Asfawossen and F{\"o}rster, Verena and Lamb, Henry F. and Roberts, Helen M. and Sch{\"a}bitz, Frank and Trauth, Martin H. and Beck, Catherine C. and Feibel, Craig S. and Cohen, Andrew S.}, title = {Orbital controls on eastern African hydroclimate in the Pleistocene}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-022-06826-z}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Understanding eastern African paleoclimate is critical for contextualizing early human evolution, adaptation, and dispersal, yet Pleistocene climate of this region and its governing mechanisms remain poorly understood due to the lack of long, orbitally-resolved, terrestrial paleoclimate records. Here we present leaf wax hydrogen isotope records of rainfall from paleolake sediment cores from key time windows that resolve long-term trends, variations, and high-latitude effects on tropical African precipitation. Eastern African rainfall was dominantly controlled by variations in low-latitude summer insolation during most of the early and middle Pleistocene, with little evidence that glacial-interglacial cycles impacted rainfall until the late Pleistocene. We observe the influence of high-latitude-driven climate processes emerging from the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5) to the present, an interval when glacial-interglacial cycles were strong and insolation forcing was weak. Our results demonstrate a variable response of eastern African rainfall to low-latitude insolation forcing and high-latitude-driven climate change, likely related to the relative strengths of these forcings through time and a threshold in monsoon sensitivity. We observe little difference in mean rainfall between the early, middle, and late Pleistocene, which suggests that orbitally-driven climate variations likely played a more significant role than gradual change in the relationship between early humans and their environment.}, language = {en} } @article{EssenSternHaaseetal.2022, author = {Essen, Anna and Stern, Ariel Dora and Haase, Christoffer Bjerre and Car, Josip and Greaves, Felix and Paparova, Dragana and Vandeput, Steven and Wehrens, Rik and Bates, David W.}, title = {Health app policy}, series = {npj digital medicine}, volume = {5}, journal = {npj digital medicine}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited}, address = {Basingstoke}, issn = {2398-6352}, doi = {10.1038/s41746-022-00573-1}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {An abundant and growing supply of digital health applications (apps) exists in the commercial tech-sector, which can be bewildering for clinicians, patients, and payers. A growing challenge for the health care system is therefore to facilitate the identification of safe and effective apps for health care practitioners and patients to generate the most health benefit as well as guide payer coverage decisions. Nearly all developed countries are attempting to define policy frameworks to improve decision-making, patient care, and health outcomes in this context. This study compares the national policy approaches currently in development/use for health apps in nine countries. We used secondary data, combined with a detailed review of policy and regulatory documents, and interviews with key individuals and experts in the field of digital health policy to collect data about implemented and planned policies and initiatives. We found that most approaches aim for centralized pipelines for health app approvals, although some countries are adding decentralized elements. While the countries studied are taking diverse paths, there is nevertheless broad, international convergence in terms of requirements in the areas of transparency, health content, interoperability, and privacy and security. The sheer number of apps on the market in most countries represents a challenge for clinicians and patients. Our analyses of the relevant policies identified challenges in areas such as reimbursement, safety, and privacy and suggest that more regulatory work is needed in the areas of operationalization, implementation and international transferability of approvals. Cross-national efforts are needed around regulation and for countries to realize the benefits of these technologies.}, language = {en} } @article{EsmaeilishirazifardUsherTrimetal.2022, author = {Esmaeilishirazifard, Elham and Usher, Louise and Trim, Carol and Denise, Hubert and Sangal, Vartul and Tyson, Gregory H. and Barlow, Axel and Redway, Keith F. and Taylor, John D. and Kremyda-Vlachou, Myrto and Davies, Sam and Loftus, Teresa D. and Lock, Mikaella M. G. and Wright, Kstir and Dalby, Andrew and Snyder, Lori A. S. and Wuster, Wolfgang and Trim, Steve and Moschos, Sterghios A.}, title = {Bacterial adaptation to venom in snakes and arachnida}, series = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {10}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Society for Microbiology}, address = {Birmingham, Ala.}, issn = {2165-0497}, doi = {10.1128/spectrum.02408-21}, pages = {16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Notwithstanding their 3 to 5\% mortality, the 2.7 million envenomation-related injuries occurring annually-predominantly across Africa, Asia, and Latin America-are also major causes of morbidity. Venom toxin-damaged tissue will develop infections in some 75\% of envenomation victims, with E. faecalis being a common culprit of disease; however, such infections are generally considered to be independent of envenomation. Animal venoms are considered sterile sources of antimicrobial compounds with strong membrane-disrupting activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, venomous bite wound infections are common in developing nations. Investigating the envenomation organ and venom microbiota of five snake and two spider species, we observed venom community structures that depend on the host venomous animal species and evidenced recovery of viable microorganisms from black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) and Indian ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria regalis) venoms. Among the bacterial isolates recovered from N. nigricollis, we identified two venom-resistant, novel sequence types of Enterococcus faecalis whose genomes feature 16 virulence genes, indicating infectious potential, and 45 additional genes, nearly half of which improve bacterial membrane integrity. Our findings challenge the dogma of venom sterility and indicate an increased primary infection risk in the clinical management of venomous animal bite wounds. IMPORTANCE Notwithstanding their 3 to 5\% mortality, the 2.7 million envenomation-related injuries occurring annually-predominantly across Africa, Asia, and Latin America-are also major causes of morbidity. Venom toxin-damaged tissue will develop infections in some 75\% of envenomation victims, with E. faecalis being a common culprit of disease; however, such infections are generally considered to be independent of envenomation. Here, we provide evidence on venom microbiota across snakes and arachnida and report on the convergent evolution mechanisms that can facilitate adaptation to black-necked cobra venom in two independent E. faecalis strains, easily misidentified by biochemical diagnostics. Therefore, since inoculation with viable and virulence gene-harboring bacteria can occur during envenomation, acute infection risk management following envenomation is warranted, particularly for immunocompromised and malnourished victims in resource-limited settings. These results shed light on how bacteria evolve for survival in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and how venomous bites must be also treated for infections.}, language = {en} } @article{KelleyHippProtsch2024, author = {Kelley, Kristin and Hipp, Lena and Protsch, Paula}, title = {Organizational commitments to equality change how people view women's and men's professional success}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-56829-1}, pages = {10}, year = {2024}, abstract = {To address women's underrepresentation in high-status positions, many organizations have committed to gender equality. But is women's professional success viewed less positively when organizations commit to women's advancement? Do equality commitments have positive effects on evaluations of successful men? We fielded a survey experiment with a national probability sample in Germany (N = 3229) that varied employees' gender and their organization's commitment to equality. Respondents read about a recently promoted employee and rated how decisive of a role they thought intelligence and effort played in getting the employee promoted from 1 "Not at all decisive" to 7 "Very decisive" and the fairness of the promotion from 1 "Very unfair" to 7 "Very fair." When organizations committed to women's advancement rather than uniform performance standards, people believed intelligence and effort were less decisive in women's promotions, but that intelligence was more decisive in men's promotions. People viewed women's promotions as least fair and men's as most fair in organizations committed to women's advancement. However, women's promotions were still viewed more positively than men's in all conditions and on all outcomes, suggesting people believed that organizations had double standards for success that required women to be smarter and work harder to be promoted, especially in organizations that did not make equality commitments.}, language = {en} } @article{VencesKoehlerCrottinietal.2022, author = {Vences, Miguel and K{\"o}hler, J{\"o}rn and Crottini, Angelica and Hofreiter, Michael and Hutter, Carl R. and du Preez, Louis and Preick, Michaela and Rakotoarison, Andolalao and Rancilhac, Lo{\"i}s and Raselimanana, Achille P. and Rosa, Gon{\c{c}}alo M. and Scherz, Mark D. and Glaw, Frank}, title = {An integrative taxonomic revision and redefinition of Gephyromantis (Laurentomantis) malagasius based on archival DNA analysis reveals four new mantellid frog species from Madagascar}, series = {Vertebrate zoology}, volume = {72}, journal = {Vertebrate zoology}, publisher = {Senckenberg Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Naturforschung}, address = {Frankfurt am Main}, issn = {1864-5755}, doi = {10.3897/vz.72.e78830}, pages = {271 -- 309}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The subgenus Laurentomantis in the genus Gephyromantis contains some of the least known amphibian species of Madagascar. The six currently valid nominal species are rainforest frogs known from few individuals, hampering a full understanding of the species diversity of the clade. We assembled data on specimens collected during field surveys over the past 30 years and integrated analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded genes of 88 individuals, a comprehensive bioacoustic analysis, and morphological comparisons to delimit a minimum of nine species-level lineages in the subgenus. To clarify the identity of the species Gephyromantis malagasius, we applied a target-enrichment approach to a sample of the 110 year old holotype of Microphryne malagasia Methuen and Hewitt, 1913 to assign this specimen to a lineage based on a mitochondrial DNA barcode. The holotype clustered unambiguously with specimens previously named G. ventrimaculatus. Consequently we propose to consider Trachymantis malagasia ventrimaculatus Angel, 1935 as a junior synonym of Gephyromantis malagasius. Due to this redefinition of G. malagasius, no scientific name is available for any of the four deep lineages of frogs previously subsumed under this name, all characterized by red color ventrally on the hindlimbs. These are here formally named as Gephyromantis fiharimpe sp. nov., G. matsilo sp. nov., G. oelkrugi sp. nov., and G. portonae sp. nov. The new species are distinguishable from each other by genetic divergences of >4\% uncorrected pairwise distance in a fragment of the 16S rRNA marker and a combination of morphological and bioacoustic characters. Gephyromantis fiharimpe and G. matsilo occur, respectively, at mid-elevations and lower elevations along a wide stretch of Madagascar's eastern rainforest band, while G. oelkrugi and G. portonae appear to be more range-restricted in parts of Madagascar's North East and Northern Central East regions. Open taxonomic questions surround G. horridus, to which we here assign specimens from Montagne d'Ambre and the type locality Nosy Be; and G. ranjomavo, which contains genetically divergent populations from Marojejy, Tsaratanana, and Ampotsidy.}, language = {en} } @misc{CaesarRahmstorfFeulner2021, author = {Caesar, Levke and Rahmstorf, Stefan and Feulner, Georg}, title = {Reply to comment on 'On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming'}, series = {Environmental research letters}, volume = {16}, journal = {Environmental research letters}, number = {3}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {1748-9326}, doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/abc776}, pages = {5}, year = {2021}, abstract = {In their comment on our paper (Caesar et al 2020 Environ. Res. Lett. 15 024003), Chen and Tung (hereafter C\&T) argue that our analysis, showing that over the last decades Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) strength and global mean surface temperature (GMST) were positively correlated, is incorrect. Their claim is mainly based on two arguments, neither of which is justified: first, C\&T claim that our analysis is based on 'established evidence' that was only true for preindustrial conditions-this is not the case. Using data from the modern period (1947-2012), we show that the established understanding (i.e. deep-water formation in the North Atlantic cools the deep ocean and warms the surface) is correct, but our analysis is not based on this fact. Secondly, C\&T claim that our results are based on a statistical analysis of only one cycle of data which was furthermore incorrectly detrended. This, too, is not true. Our conclusion that a weaker AMOC delays the current surface warming rather than enhances it, is based on several independent lines of evidence. The data we show to support this covers more than one cycle and the detrending (which was performed to avoid spurious correlations due to a common trend) does not affect our conclusion: the correlation between AMOC strength and GMST is positive. We do not claim that this is strong evidence that the two time series are in phase, but rather that this means that the two time series are not anti-correlated.}, language = {en} } @misc{Lemke2022, author = {Lemke, Tristan}, title = {{\"U}bergewinnsteuer durch die Hintert{\"u}r}, series = {Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional}, journal = {Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional}, publisher = {Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2366-7044}, doi = {10.17176/20220909-230727-0}, pages = {5}, year = {2022}, language = {de} } @article{KupferBauervanRoesteletal.2022, author = {Kupfer, Thomas and Bauer, Evan B. and van Roestel, Jan and Bellm, Eric C. and Bildsten, Lars and Fuller, Jim and Prince, Thomas A. and Heber, Ulrich and Geier, Stephan and Green, Matthew J. and Kulkarni, Shrinivas R. and Bloemen, Steven and Laher, Russ R. and Rusholme, Ben and Schneider, David}, title = {Discovery of a Double-detonation Thermonuclear Supernova Progenitor}, series = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, volume = {925}, journal = {The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters}, number = {2}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {2041-8205}, doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/ac48f1}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {We present the discovery of a new double-detonation progenitor system consisting of a hot subdwarf B (sdB) binary with a white dwarf companion with a P (orb) = 76.34179(2) minutes orbital period. Spectroscopic observations are consistent with an sdB star during helium core burning residing on the extreme horizontal branch. Chimera light curves are dominated by ellipsoidal deformation of the sdB star and a weak eclipse of the companion white dwarf. Combining spectroscopic and light curve fits, we find a low-mass sdB star, M (sdB) = 0.383 +/- 0.028 M (circle dot) with a massive white dwarf companion, M (WD) = 0.725 +/- 0.026 M (circle dot). From the eclipses we find a blackbody temperature for the white dwarf of 26,800 K resulting in a cooling age of approximate to 25 Myr whereas our MESA model predicts an sdB age of approximate to 170 Myr. We conclude that the sdB formed first through stable mass transfer followed by a common envelope which led to the formation of the white dwarf companion approximate to 25 Myr ago. Using the MESA stellar evolutionary code we find that the sdB star will start mass transfer in approximate to 6 Myr and in approximate to 60 Myr the white dwarf will reach a total mass of 0.92 M (circle dot) with a thick helium layer of 0.17 M (circle dot). This will lead to a detonation that will likely destroy the white dwarf in a peculiar thermonuclear supernova. PTF1 J2238+7430 is only the second confirmed candidate for a double-detonation thermonuclear supernova. Using both systems we estimate that at least approximate to 1\% of white dwarf thermonuclear supernovae originate from sdB+WD binaries with thick helium layers, consistent with the small number of observed peculiar thermonuclear explosions.}, language = {en} } @article{PalmerGregoryBaggeetal.2020, author = {Palmer, Matthew D. and Gregory, Jonathan and Bagge, Meike and Calvert, Daley and Hagedoorn, Jan Marius and Howard, Tom and Klemann, Volker and Lowe, Jason A. and Roberts, Chris and Slangen, Aimee B. A. and Spada, Giorgio}, title = {Exploring the drivers of global and local sea-level change over the 21st century and beyond}, series = {Earth's future}, volume = {8}, journal = {Earth's future}, number = {9}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2328-4277}, doi = {10.1029/2019EF001413}, pages = {1 -- 25}, year = {2020}, abstract = {We present a new set of global and local sea-level projections at example tide gauge locations under the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 emissions scenarios. Compared to the CMIP5-based sea-level projections presented in IPCC AR5, we introduce a number of methodological innovations, including (i) more comprehensive treatment of uncertainties, (ii) direct traceability between global and local projections, and (iii) exploratory extended projections to 2300 based on emulation of individual CMIP5 models. Combining the projections with observed tide gauge records, we explore the contribution to total variance that arises from sea-level variability, different emissions scenarios, and model uncertainty. For the period out to 2300 we further breakdown the model uncertainty by sea-level component and consider the dependence on geographic location, time horizon, and emissions scenario. Our analysis highlights the importance of local variability for sea-level change in the coming decades and the potential value of annual-to-decadal predictions of local sea-level change. Projections to 2300 show a substantial degree of committed sea-level rise under all emissions scenarios considered and highlight the reduced future risk associated with RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 compared to RCP8.5. Tide gauge locations can show large ( > 50\%) departures from the global average, in some cases even reversing the sign of the change. While uncertainty in projections of the future Antarctic ice dynamic response tends to dominate post-2100, we see substantial differences in the breakdown of model variance as a function of location, time scale, and emissions scenario.}, language = {en} } @article{GarbulowskiSmolinskaCabuketal.2022, author = {Garbulowski, Mateusz and Smolinska, Karolina and {\c{C}}abuk, Uğur and Yones, Sara A. and Celli, Ludovica and Yaz, Esma Nur and Barrenas, Fredrik and Diamanti, Klev and Wadelius, Claes and Komorowski, Jan}, title = {Machine learning-based analysis of glioma grades reveals co-enrichment}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {14}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {4}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers14041014}, pages = {19}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Simple Summary Gliomas are heterogenous types of cancer, therefore the therapy should be personalized and targeted toward specific pathways. We developed a methodology that corrected strong batch effects from The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets and estimated glioma grade-specific co-enrichment mechanisms using machine learning. Our findings created hypotheses for annotations, e.g., pathways, that should be considered as therapeutic targets. Gliomas develop and grow in the brain and central nervous system. Examining glioma grading processes is valuable for improving therapeutic challenges. One of the most extensive repositories storing transcriptomics data for gliomas is The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). However, such big cohorts should be processed with caution and evaluated thoroughly as they can contain batch and other effects. Furthermore, biological mechanisms of cancer contain interactions among biomarkers. Thus, we applied an interpretable machine learning approach to discover such relationships. This type of transparent learning provides not only good predictability, but also reveals co-predictive mechanisms among features. In this study, we corrected the strong and confounded batch effect in the TCGA glioma data. We further used the corrected datasets to perform comprehensive machine learning analysis applied on single-sample gene set enrichment scores using collections from the Molecular Signature Database. Furthermore, using rule-based classifiers, we displayed networks of co-enrichment related to glioma grades. Moreover, we validated our results using the external glioma cohorts. We believe that utilizing corrected glioma cohorts from TCGA may improve the application and validation of any future studies. Finally, the co-enrichment and survival analysis provided detailed explanations for glioma progression and consequently, it should support the targeted treatment.}, language = {en} } @article{NwosuRoeserYangetal.2021, author = {Nwosu, Ebuka Canisius and Roeser, Patricia Angelika and Yang, Sizhong and Ganzert, Lars and Dellwig, Olaf and Pinkerneil, Sylvia and Brauer, Achim and Dittmann, Elke and Wagner, Dirk and Liebner, Susanne}, title = {From water into sediment-tracing freshwater cyanobacteria via DNA analyses}, series = {Microorganisms : open access journal}, volume = {9}, journal = {Microorganisms : open access journal}, number = {8}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2076-2607}, doi = {10.3390/microorganisms9081778}, pages = {20}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Sedimentary ancient DNA-based studies have been used to probe centuries of climate and environmental changes and how they affected cyanobacterial assemblages in temperate lakes. Due to cyanobacteria containing potential bloom-forming and toxin-producing taxa, their approximate reconstruction from sediments is crucial, especially in lakes lacking long-term monitoring data. To extend the resolution of sediment record interpretation, we used high-throughput sequencing, amplicon sequence variant (ASV) analysis, and quantitative PCR to compare pelagic cyanobacterial composition to that in sediment traps (collected monthly) and surface sediments in Lake Tiefer See. Cyanobacterial composition, species richness, and evenness was not significantly different among the pelagic depths, sediment traps and surface sediments (p > 0.05), indicating that the cyanobacteria in the sediments reflected the cyanobacterial assemblage in the water column. However, total cyanobacterial abundances (qPCR) decreased from the metalimnion down the water column. The aggregate-forming (Aphanizomenon) and colony-forming taxa (Snowella) showed pronounced sedimentation. In contrast, Planktothrix was only very poorly represented in sediment traps (meta- and hypolimnion) and surface sediments, despite its highest relative abundance at the thermocline (10 m water depth) during periods of lake stratification (May-October). We conclude that this skewed representation in taxonomic abundances reflects taphonomic processes, which should be considered in future DNA-based paleolimnological investigations.}, language = {en} } @article{NwosuRoeserYangetal.2021, author = {Nwosu, Ebuka Canisius and Roeser, Patricia Angelika and Yang, Sizhong and Pinkerneil, Sylvia and Ganzert, Lars and Dittmann, Elke and Brauer, Achim and Wagner, Dirk and Liebner, Susanne}, title = {Species-level spatio-temporal dynamics of cyanobacteria in a hard-water temperate lake in the Southern Baltics}, series = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-302X}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2021.761259}, pages = {17}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Cyanobacteria are important primary producers in temperate freshwater ecosystems. However, studies on the seasonal and spatial distribution of cyanobacteria in deep lakes based on high-throughput DNA sequencing are still rare. In this study, we combined monthly water sampling and monitoring in 2019, amplicon sequence variants analysis (ASVs; a proxy for different species) and quantitative PCR targeting overall cyanobacteria abundance to describe the seasonal and spatial dynamics of cyanobacteria in the deep hard-water oligo-mesotrophic Lake Tiefer See, NE Germany. We observed significant seasonal variation in the cyanobacterial community composition (p < 0.05) in the epi- and metalimnion layers, but not in the hypolimnion. In winter-when the water column is mixed-picocyanobacteria (Synechococcus and Cyanobium) were dominant. With the onset of stratification in late spring, we observed potential niche specialization and coexistence among the cyanobacteria taxa driven mainly by light and nutrient dynamics. Specifically, ASVs assigned to picocyanobacteria and the genus Planktothrix were the main contributors to the formation of deep chlorophyll maxima along a light gradient. While Synechococcus and different Cyanobium ASVs were abundant in the epilimnion up to the base of the euphotic zone from spring to fall, Planktothrix mainly occurred in the metalimnetic layer below the euphotic zone where also overall cyanobacteria abundance was highest in summer. Our data revealed two potentially psychrotolerant (cold-adapted) Cyanobium species that appear to cope well under conditions of lower hypolimnetic water temperature and light as well as increasing sediment-released phosphate in the deeper waters in summer. The potential cold-adapted Cyanobium species were also dominant throughout the water column in fall and winter. Furthermore, Snowella and Microcystis-related ASVs were abundant in the water column during the onset of fall turnover. Altogether, these findings suggest previously unascertained and considerable spatiotemporal changes in the community of cyanobacteria on the species level especially within the genus Cyanobium in deep hard-water temperate lakes.}, language = {en} } @article{KoehlerHandorfJaiseretal.2021, author = {K{\"o}hler, Raphael H. and Handorf, D{\"o}rthe and Jaiser, Ralf and Dethloff, Klaus and Z{\"a}ngl, G{\"u}nther and Majewski, Detlev and Rex, Markus}, title = {Improved circulation in the Northern hemisphere by adjusting gravity wave drag parameterizations in seasonal experiments with ICON-NWP}, series = {Earth and Space Science : ESS}, volume = {8}, journal = {Earth and Space Science : ESS}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Malden, Mass.}, issn = {2333-5084}, doi = {10.1029/2021EA001676}, pages = {15}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The stratosphere is one of the main potential sources for subseasonal to seasonal predictability in midlatitudes in winter. The ability of an atmospheric model to realistically simulate the stratospheric dynamics is essential in order to move forward in the field of seasonal predictions in midlatitudes. Earlier studies with the ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic atmospheric model (ICON) point out that stratospheric westerlies in ICON are underestimated. This is the first extensive study on the evaluation of Northern Hemisphere stratospheric winter circulation with ICON in numerical weather prediction (NWP) mode. Seasonal experiments with the default setup are able to reproduce the basic climatology of the stratospheric polar vortex. However, westerlies are too weak and major stratospheric warmings too frequent in ICON. Both a reduction of the nonorographic, and a reduction of the orographic gravity wave and wake drag lead to a strengthening of the stratospheric vortex and a bias reduction, in particular in January. However, the effect of the nonorographic gravity wave drag scheme on the stratosphere is stronger. Stratosphere-troposphere coupling is intensified and more realistic due to a reduced gravity wave drag. Furthermore, an adjustment of the subgrid-scale orographic drag parameterization leads to a significant error reduction in the mean sea level pressure. As a result of these findings, we present our current suggested improved setup for seasonal experiments with ICON-NWP.
Plain Language Summary Although seasonal forecasts for midlatitudes have the potential to be highly beneficial to the public sector, they are still characterized by a large amount of uncertainty. Exact simulations of the circulation in the stratosphere can help to improve tropospheric predictability on seasonal time scales. For this reason, we investigate how well the new German atmospheric model is able to simulate the stratospheric circulation. The model reproduces the basic behavior of the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric polar vortex, but the westerly circulation in winter is underestimated. The stratospheric circulation is influenced by gravity waves that exert drag on the flow. These processes are only partly physically represented in the model, but are very important and are hence parameterized. By adjusting the parameterizations for the gravity wave drag, the stratospheric polar vortex is strengthened, thereby yielding a more realistic stratospheric circulation. In addition, the altered parameterizations improve the simulated surface pressure pattern. Based upon this, we present our current suggested improved model setup for seasonal experiments.}, language = {en} } @article{RomanowskyHandorfJaiseretal.2019, author = {Romanowsky, Erik and Handorf, D{\"o}rthe and Jaiser, Ralf and Wohltmann, Ingo and Dorn, Wolfgang and Ukita, Jinro and Cohen, Judah and Dethloff, Klaus and Rex, Markus}, title = {The role of stratospheric ozone for Arctic-midlatitude linkages}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-43823-1}, pages = {7}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Arctic warming was more pronounced than warming in midlatitudes in the last decades making this region a hotspot of climate change. Associated with this, a rapid decline of sea-ice extent and a decrease of its thickness has been observed. Sea-ice retreat allows for an increased transport of heat and momentum from the ocean up to the tropo- and stratosphere by enhanced upward propagation of planetary-scale atmospheric waves. In the upper atmosphere, these waves deposit the momentum transported, disturbing the stratospheric polar vortex, which can lead to a breakdown of this circulation with the potential to also significantly impact the troposphere in mid- to late-winter and early spring. Therefore, an accurate representation of stratospheric processes in climate models is necessary to improve the understanding of the impact of retreating sea ice on the atmospheric circulation. By modeling the atmospheric response to a prescribed decline in Arctic sea ice, we show that including interactive stratospheric ozone chemistry in atmospheric model calculations leads to an improvement in tropo-stratospheric interactions compared to simulations without interactive chemistry. This suggests that stratospheric ozone chemistry is important for the understanding of sea ice related impacts on atmospheric dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{CrawfordKaramatLehotaietal.2020, author = {Crawford, Tim and Karamat, Fazeelat and Lehotai, N{\´o}ra and Rentoft, Matilda and Blomberg, Jeanette and Strand, {\AA}sa and Bj{\"o}rklund, Stefan}, title = {Specific functions for mediator complex subunits from different modules in the transcriptional response of arabidopsis thaliana to abiotic stress}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-020-61758-w}, pages = {1 -- 18}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Adverse environmental conditions are detrimental to plant growth and development. Acclimation to abiotic stress conditions involves activation of signaling pathways which often results in changes in gene expression via networks of transcription factors (TFs). Mediator is a highly conserved co-regulator complex and an essential component of the transcriptional machinery in eukaryotes. Some Mediator subunits have been implicated in stress-responsive signaling pathways; however, much remains unknown regarding the role of plant Mediator in abiotic stress responses. Here, we use RNA-seq to analyze the transcriptional response of Arabidopsis thaliana to heat, cold and salt stress conditions. We identify a set of common abiotic stress regulons and describe the sequential and combinatorial nature of TFs involved in their transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, we identify stress-specific roles for the Mediator subunits MED9, MED16, MED18 and CDK8, and putative TFs connecting them to different stress signaling pathways. Our data also indicate different modes of action for subunits or modules of Mediator at the same gene loci, including a co-repressor function for MED16 prior to stress. These results illuminate a poorly understood but important player in the transcriptional response of plants to abiotic stress and identify target genes and mechanisms as a prelude to further biochemical characterization.}, language = {en} } @article{PotenteLeveilleBourretYousefietal.2022, author = {Potente, Giacomo and L{\´e}veill{\´e}-Bourret, {\´E}tienne and Yousefi, Narjes and Choudhury, Rimjhim Roy and Keller, Barbara and Diop, Seydina Issa and Duijsings, Dani{\"e}l and Pirovano, Walter and Lenhard, Michael and Sz{\"o}v{\´e}nyi, P{\´e}ter and Conti, Elena}, title = {Comparative genomics elucidates the origin of a supergene controlling floral heteromorphism}, series = {Molecular biology and evolution : MBE}, volume = {39}, journal = {Molecular biology and evolution : MBE}, number = {2}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0737-4038}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msac035}, pages = {16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Supergenes are nonrecombining genomic regions ensuring the coinheritance of multiple, coadapted genes. Despite the importance of supergenes in adaptation, little is known on how they originate. A classic example of supergene is the S locus controlling heterostyly, a floral heteromorphism occurring in 28 angiosperm families. In Primula, heterostyly is characterized by the cooccurrence of two complementary, self-incompatible floral morphs and is controlled by five genes clustered in the hemizygous, ca. 300-kb S locus. Here, we present the first chromosome-scale genome assembly of any heterostylous species, that of Primula veris (cowslip). By leveraging the high contiguity of the P. veris assembly and comparative genomic analyses, we demonstrated that the S-locus evolved via multiple, asynchronous gene duplications and independent gene translocations. Furthermore, we discovered a new whole-genome duplication in Ericales that is specific to the Primula lineage. We also propose a mechanism for the origin of S-locus hemizygosity via nonhomologous recombination involving the newly discovered two pairs of CFB genes flanking the S locus. Finally, we detected only weak signatures of degeneration in the S locus, as predicted for hemizygous supergenes. The present study provides a useful resource for future research addressing key questions on the evolution of supergenes in general and the S locus in particular: How do supergenes arise? What is the role of genome architecture in the evolution of complex adaptations? Is the molecular architecture of heterostyly supergenes across angiosperms similar to that of Primula?}, language = {en} } @article{TranBuiKappeletal.2020, author = {Tran, Quan Hong and Bui, Ngoc Hong and Kappel, Christian and Dau, Nga Thi Ngoc and Nguyen, Loan Thi and Tran, Thuy Thi and Khanh, Tran Dang and Trung, Khuat Huu and Lenhard, Michael and Vi, Son Lang}, title = {Mapping-by-sequencing via MutMap identifies a mutation in ZmCLE7 underlying fasciation in a newly developed EMS mutant population in an elite tropical maize inbred}, series = {Genes}, volume = {11}, journal = {Genes}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4425}, doi = {10.3390/genes11030281}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Induced point mutations are important genetic resources for their ability to create hypo- and hypermorphic alleles that are useful for understanding gene functions and breeding. However, such mutant populations have only been developed for a few temperate maize varieties, mainly B73 and W22, yet no tropical maize inbred lines have been mutagenized and made available to the public to date. We developed a novel Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS) induced mutation resource in maize comprising 2050 independent M2 mutant families in the elite tropical maize inbred ML10. By phenotypic screening, we showed that this population is of comparable quality with other mutagenized populations in maize. To illustrate the usefulness of this population for gene discovery, we performed rapid mapping-by-sequencing to clone a fasciated-ear mutant and identify a causal promoter deletion in ZmCLE7 (CLE7). Our mapping procedure does not require crossing to an unrelated parent, thus is suitable for mapping subtle traits and ones affected by heterosis. This first EMS population in tropical maize is expected to be very useful for the maize research community. Also, the EMS mutagenesis and rapid mapping-by-sequencing pipeline described here illustrate the power of performing forward genetics in diverse maize germplasms of choice, which can lead to novel gene discovery due to divergent genetic backgrounds.}, language = {en} } @article{KappelIllingHuuetal.2020, author = {Kappel, Christian and Illing, Nicola and Huu, Cuong Nguyen and Barger, Nichole N. and Cramer, Michael D. and Lenhard, Michael and Midgley, Jeremy J.}, title = {Fairy circles in Namibia are assembled from genetically distinct grasses}, series = {Communications biology}, volume = {3}, journal = {Communications biology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2399-3642}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-020-01431-0}, pages = {8}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Fairy circles are striking regularly sized and spaced, bare circles surrounded by Stipagrostis grasses that occur over thousands of square kilometres in Namibia. The mechanisms explaining their origin, shape, persistence and regularity remain controversial. One hypothesis for the formation of vegetation rings is based on the centrifugal expansion of a single individual grass plant, via clonal growth and die-back in the centre. Clonality could explain FC origin, shape and long-term persistence as well as their regularity, if one clone competes with adjacent clones. Here, we show that for virtually all tested fairy circles the periphery is not exclusively made up of genetically identical grasses, but these peripheral grasses belong to more than one unrelated genet. These results do not support a clonal explanation for fairy circles. Lack of clonality implies that a biological reason for their origin, shape and regularity must emerge from competition between near neighbor individuals within each fairy circle. Such lack of clonality also suggests a mismatch between longevity of fairy circles versus their constituent plants. Furthermore, our findings of lack of clonality have implications for some models of spatial patterning of fairy circles that are based on self-organization. Christian Kappel et al. examine the genetic composition of fairy circles, regular circular patterns of grasses in the Namib Desert, using ddRAD-seq. They find that these grasses are made up of multiple unrelated genets rather than genetically identical grasses, suggesting non-clonality.}, language = {en} } @article{ChromikKirstenHerdicketal.2022, author = {Chromik, Jonas and Kirsten, Kristina and Herdick, Arne and Kappattanavar, Arpita Mallikarjuna and Arnrich, Bert}, title = {SensorHub}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {22}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {1}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s22010408}, pages = {18}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Observational studies are an important tool for determining whether the findings from controlled experiments can be transferred into scenarios that are closer to subjects' real-life circumstances. A rigorous approach to observational studies involves collecting data from different sensors to comprehensively capture the situation of the subject. However, this leads to technical difficulties especially if the sensors are from different manufacturers, as multiple data collection tools have to run simultaneously. We present SensorHub, a system that can collect data from various wearable devices from different manufacturers, such as inertial measurement units, portable electrocardiographs, portable electroencephalographs, portable photoplethysmographs, and sensors for electrodermal activity. Additionally, our tool offers the possibility to include ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) in studies. Hence, SensorHub enables multimodal sensor data collection under real-world conditions and allows direct user feedback to be collected through questionnaires, enabling studies at home. In a first study with 11 participants, we successfully used SensorHub to record multiple signals with different devices and collected additional information with the help of EMAs. In addition, we evaluated SensorHub's technical capabilities in several trials with up to 21 participants recording simultaneously using multiple sensors with sampling frequencies as high as 1000 Hz. We could show that although there is a theoretical limitation to the transmissible data rate, in practice this limitation is not an issue and data loss is rare. We conclude that with modern communication protocols and with the increasingly powerful smartphones and wearables, a system like our SensorHub establishes an interoperability framework to adequately combine consumer-grade sensing hardware which enables observational studies in real life.}, language = {en} } @article{WelkeSperberBergmannetal.2022, author = {Welke, Robert-William and Sperber, Hannah Sabeth and Bergmann, Ronny and Koikkarah, Amit and Menke, Laura and Sieben, Christian and Kr{\"u}ger, Detlev H. and Chiantia, Salvatore and Herrmann, Andreas and Schwarzer, Roland}, title = {Characterization of hantavirus N protein intracellular dynamics and localization}, series = {Viruses}, volume = {14}, journal = {Viruses}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v14030457}, pages = {14}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Hantaviruses are enveloped viruses that possess a tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA genome. The viral S-segment encodes the multifunctional nucleocapsid protein (N), which is involved in genome packaging, intracellular protein transport, immunoregulation, and several other crucial processes during hantavirus infection. In this study, we generated fluorescently tagged N protein constructs derived from Puumalavirus (PUUV), the dominant hantavirus species in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe. We comprehensively characterized this protein in the rodent cell line CHO-K1, monitoring the dynamics of N protein complex formation and investigating co-localization with host proteins as well as the viral glycoproteins Gc and Gn. We observed formation of large, fibrillar PUUV N protein aggregates, rapidly coalescing from early punctate and spike-like assemblies. Moreover, we found significant spatial correlation of N with vimentin, actin, and P-bodies but not with microtubules. N constructs also co-localized with Gn and Gc albeit not as strongly as the glycoproteins associated with each other. Finally, we assessed oligomerization of N constructs, observing efficient and concentration-dependent multimerization, with complexes comprising more than 10 individual proteins.}, language = {en} } @article{TeichFuehnerBaehretal.2023, author = {Teich, Paula and F{\"u}hner, Thea Heidi and Baehr, Florian and Puta, Christian and Granacher, Urs and Kliegl, Reinhold}, title = {Covid pandemic effects on the physical fitness of primary school children}, series = {Sports Medicine - Open}, volume = {9}, journal = {Sports Medicine - Open}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {2198-9761}, doi = {10.1186/s40798-023-00624-1}, pages = {19}, year = {2023}, abstract = {BackgroundIn spring of 2020, the Sars-CoV-2 incidence rate increased rapidly in Germany and around the world. Throughout the next 2 years, schools were temporarily closed and social distancing measures were put in place to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Did these social restrictions and temporary school lockdowns affect children's physical fitness? The EMOTIKON project annually tests the physical fitness of all third-graders in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. The tests assess cardiorespiratory endurance (6-min-run test), coordination (star-run test), speed (20-m sprint test), lower (powerLOW, standing long jump test), and upper (powerUP, ball-push test) limbs muscle power, and static balance (one-legged stance test with eyes closed). A total of 125,893 children were tested in the falls from 2016 to 2022. Primary analyses focused on 98,510 keyage third-graders (i.e., school enrollment according to the legal key date, aged 8 to 9 years) from 515 schools. Secondary analyses included 27,383 older-than-keyage third-graders (i.e., OTK, delayed school enrollment or repetition of a grade, aged 9 to 10 years), who have been shown to exhibit lower physical fitness than expected for their age. Linear mixed models fitted pre-pandemic quadratic secular trends, and took into account differences between children and schools.ResultsThird-graders exhibited lower cardiorespiratory endurance, coordination, speed and powerUP in the Covid pandemic cohorts (2020-2022) compared to the pre-pandemic cohorts (2016-2019). Children's powerLOW and static balance were higher in the pandemic cohorts compared to the pre-pandemic cohorts. From 2020 to 2021, coordination, powerLOW and powerUP further declined. Evidence for some post-pandemic physical fitness catch-up was restricted to powerUP. Cohen's |ds| for comparisons of the pandemic cohorts 2020-2022 with pre-pandemic cohorts 2016-2019 ranged from 0.02 for powerLOW to 0.15 for coordination. Within the pandemic cohorts, keyage children exhibited developmental losses ranging from approximately 1 month for speed to 5 months for cardiorespiratory endurance. For powerLOW and static balance, the positive pandemic effects translate to developmental gains of 1 and 7 months, respectively. Pre-pandemic secular trends may account for some of the observed differences between pandemic and pre-pandemic cohorts, especially in powerLOW, powerUP and static balance. The pandemic further increased developmental delays of OTK children in cardiorespiratory endurance, powerUP and balance.ConclusionsThe Covid-19 pandemic was associated with declines in several physical fitness components in German third-graders. Pandemic effects are still visible in 2022. Health-related interventions should specifically target those physical fitness components that were negatively affected by the pandemic (cardiorespiratory endurance, coordination, speed).}, language = {en} } @article{MichirevKuehneLindemannetal.2023, author = {Michirev, Alexej and K{\"u}hne, Katharina and Lindemann, Oliver and Fischer, Martin H. and Raab, Markus}, title = {How to not induce SNAs}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {18}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {6}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0288038}, pages = {23}, year = {2023}, abstract = {People respond faster to smaller numbers in their left space and to larger numbers in their right space. Here we argue that movements in space contribute to the formation of spatial-numerical associations (SNAs). We studied the impact of continuous isometric forces along the horizontal or vertical cardinal axes on SNAs while participants performed random number production and arithmetic verification tasks. Our results suggest that such isometric directional force do not suffice to induce SNAs.}, language = {en} } @article{Borysek2022, author = {Bor{\´y}sek, Martin}, title = {In search of Ovidian hebrew}, series = {Acta Universitatis Carolinae : AUC}, journal = {Acta Universitatis Carolinae : AUC}, number = {4}, publisher = {Karolinum Press}, address = {Prag}, issn = {0567-8269}, doi = {10.14712/24646830.2022.11}, pages = {29 -- 56}, year = {2022}, abstract = {This paper focuses on the first substantial translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses into modern Hebrew, whose author was Yehoshua Friedman (1885-1934). The first part of the paper sets Friedman into the context of modern Hebrew classical philology and explores the character of his verse. The core of the text consists of three case studies of selected excerpts from Ovid's story of Apollo and Daphne (Met. I, 456-465; 481-482; 545-552). Based on detailed linguistic and stylistic analysis of these texts, I argue that Friedman did not simply adopt a pre-existing linguistic register, but rather created an original Ovidian idiom that helped to win him lasting significance in the history of Hebrew translations from classical languages.}, language = {en} } @article{RosinLaiMouldetal.2022, author = {Rosin, Paul L. and Lai, Yu-Kun and Mould, David and Yi, Ran and Berger, Itamar and Doyle, Lars and Lee, Seungyong and Li, Chuan and Liu, Yong-Jin and Semmo, Amir and Shamir, Ariel and Son, Minjung and Winnem{\"o}ller, Holger}, title = {NPRportrait 1.0: A three-level benchmark for non-photorealistic rendering of portraits}, series = {Computational visual media}, volume = {8}, journal = {Computational visual media}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2096-0433}, doi = {10.1007/s41095-021-0255-3}, pages = {445 -- 465}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Recently, there has been an upsurge of activity in image-based non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), and in particular portrait image stylisation, due to the advent of neural style transfer (NST). However, the state of performance evaluation in this field is poor, especially compared to the norms in the computer vision and machine learning communities. Unfortunately, the task of evaluating image stylisation is thus far not well defined, since it involves subjective, perceptual, and aesthetic aspects. To make progress towards a solution, this paper proposes a new structured, three-level, benchmark dataset for the evaluation of stylised portrait images. Rigorous criteria were used for its construction, and its consistency was validated by user studies. Moreover, a new methodology has been developed for evaluating portrait stylisation algorithms, which makes use of the different benchmark levels as well as annotations provided by user studies regarding the characteristics of the faces. We perform evaluation for a wide variety of image stylisation methods (both portrait-specific and general purpose, and also both traditional NPR approaches and NST) using the new benchmark dataset.}, language = {en} } @article{CordobaTongBurgosetal.2023, author = {C{\´o}rdoba, Sandra Correa and Tong, Hao and Burgos, Asdrubal and Zhu, Feng and Alseekh, Saleh and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {Identification of gene function based on models capturing natural variability of Arabidopsis thaliana lipid metabolism}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-40644-9}, pages = {12}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The use of automated tools to reconstruct lipid metabolic pathways is not warranted in plants. Here, the authors construct Plant Lipid Module for Arabidopsis rosette using constraint-based modeling, demonstrate its integration in other plant metabolic models, and use it to dissect the genetic architecture of lipid metabolism. Lipids play fundamental roles in regulating agronomically important traits. Advances in plant lipid metabolism have until recently largely been based on reductionist approaches, although modulation of its components can have system-wide effects. However, existing models of plant lipid metabolism provide lumped representations, hindering detailed study of component modulation. Here, we present the Plant Lipid Module (PLM) which provides a mechanistic description of lipid metabolism in the Arabidopsis thaliana rosette. We demonstrate that the PLM can be readily integrated in models of A. thaliana Col-0 metabolism, yielding accurate predictions (83\%) of single lethal knock-outs and 75\% concordance between measured transcript and predicted flux changes under extended darkness. Genome-wide associations with fluxes obtained by integrating the PLM in diel condition- and accession-specific models identify up to 65 candidate genes modulating A. thaliana lipid metabolism. Using mutant lines, we validate up to 40\% of the candidates, paving the way for identification of metabolic gene function based on models capturing natural variability in metabolism.}, language = {en} } @article{TomowskiLozadaGobilardJeltschetal.2023, author = {Tomowski, Maxi and Lozada-Gobilard, Sissi Donna and Jeltsch, Florian and Tiedemann, Ralph}, title = {Recruitment and migration patterns reveal a key role for seed banks in the meta-population dynamics of an aquatic plant}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-37974-5}, pages = {16}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Progressive habitat fragmentation threatens plant species with narrow habitat requirements. While local environmental conditions define population growth rates and recruitment success at the patch level, dispersal is critical for population viability at the landscape scale. Identifying the dynamics of plant meta-populations is often confounded by the uncertainty about soil-stored population compartments. We combined a landscape-scale assessment of an amphibious plant's population structure with measurements of dispersal complexity in time to track dispersal and putative shifts in functional connectivity. Using 13 microsatellite markers, we analyzed the genetic structure of extant Oenanthe aquatica populations and their soil seed banks in a kettle hole system to uncover hidden connectivity among populations in time and space. Considerable spatial genetic structure and isolation-by-distance suggest limited gene flow between sites. Spatial isolation and patch size showed minor effects on genetic diversity. Genetic similarity found among extant populations and their seed banks suggests increased local recruitment, despite some evidence of migration and recent colonization. Results indicate stepping-stone dispersal across adjacent populations. Among permanent and ephemeral demes the resulting meta-population demography could be determined by source-sink dynamics. Overall, these spatiotemporal connectivity patterns support mainland-island dynamics in our system, highlighting the importance of persistent seed banks as enduring sources of genetic diversity.}, language = {en} } @article{ArendZimmerXuetal.2023, author = {Arend, Marius and Zimmer, David and Xu, Rudan and Sommer, Frederik and M{\"u}hlhaus, Timo and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {Proteomics and constraint-based modelling reveal enzyme kinetic properties of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii on a genome scale}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-40498-1}, pages = {9}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Metabolic engineering of microalgae offers a promising solution for sustainable biofuel production, and rational design of engineering strategies can be improved by employing metabolic models that integrate enzyme turnover numbers. However, the coverage of turnover numbers for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a model eukaryotic microalga accessible to metabolic engineering, is 17-fold smaller compared to the heterotrophic cell factory Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we generate quantitative protein abundance data of Chlamydomonas covering 2337 to 3708 proteins in various growth conditions to estimate in vivo maximum apparent turnover numbers. Using constrained-based modeling we provide proxies for in vivo turnover numbers of 568 reactions, representing a 10-fold increase over the in vitro data for Chlamydomonas. Integration of the in vivo estimates instead of in vitro values in a metabolic model of Chlamydomonas improved the accuracy of enzyme usage predictions. Our results help in extending the knowledge on uncharacterized enzymes and improve biotechnological applications of Chlamydomonas.}, language = {en} } @misc{BaslerFernieNikoloski2018, author = {Basler, Georg and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {Advances in metabolic flux analysis toward genome-scale profiling of higher organisms}, series = {Bioscience reports : communications and reviews in molecular and cellular biology}, volume = {38}, journal = {Bioscience reports : communications and reviews in molecular and cellular biology}, publisher = {Portland Press (London)}, address = {London}, issn = {0144-8463}, doi = {10.1042/BSR20170224}, pages = {11}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Methodological and technological advances have recently paved the way for metabolic flux profiling in higher organisms, like plants. However, in comparison with omics technologies, flux profiling has yet to provide comprehensive differential flux maps at a genome-scale and in different cell types, tissues, and organs. Here we highlight the recent advances in technologies to gather metabolic labeling patterns and flux profiling approaches. We provide an opinion of how recent local flux profiling approaches can be used in conjunction with the constraint-based modeling framework to arrive at genome-scale flux maps. In addition, we point at approaches which use metabolomics data without introduction of label to predict either non-steady state fluxes in a time-series experiment or flux changes in different experimental scenarios. The combination of these developments allows an experimentally feasible approach for flux-based large-scale systems biology studies.}, language = {en} } @article{PandeyYuOmranianetal.2019, author = {Pandey, Prashant K. and Yu, Jing and Omranian, Nooshin and Alseekh, Saleh and Vaid, Neha and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Nikoloski, Zoran and Laitinen, Roosa A. E.}, title = {Plasticity in metabolism underpins local responses to nitrogen in Arabidopsis thaliana populations}, series = {Plant Direct}, volume = {3}, journal = {Plant Direct}, number = {11}, publisher = {John Wiley \& sonst LTD}, address = {Chichester}, issn = {2475-4455}, doi = {10.1002/pld3.186}, pages = {6}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Nitrogen (N) is central for plant growth, and metabolic plasticity can provide a strategy to respond to changing N availability. We showed that two local A. thaliana populations exhibited differential plasticity in the compounds of photorespiratory and starch degradation pathways in response to three N conditions. Association of metabolite levels with growth-related and fitness traits indicated that controlled plasticity in these pathways could contribute to local adaptation and play a role in plant evolution.}, language = {en} } @misc{MiklashevskyKulkovaMichirevetal.2021, author = {Miklashevsky, Alex and Kulkova, Elena and Michirev, Alexej and Jeglinski-Mende, Melinda A. and Bertonatti, Matias}, title = {Book review on: Raab, Markus: Judgment, decision-making, and embodied choices. - London ; San Diego ; Cambridge, MA ; Oxford: Academic Press, 2020. - xv, 155 pages. - ISBN: 978-0-12-823523-2}, series = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2021.665728}, pages = {2}, year = {2021}, language = {en} } @article{SchmidtReilJeskeetal.2021, author = {Schmidt, Sabrina and Reil, Daniela and Jeske, Kathrin and Drewes, Stephan and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Fischer, Stefan and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Labutin, Anton and Heckel, Gerald and Jacob, Jens and Ulrich, Rainer G. and Imholt, Christian}, title = {Spatial and temporal dynamics and molecular evolution of Tula orthohantavirus in German vole populations}, series = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, volume = {13}, journal = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v13061132}, pages = {17}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is a rodent-borne hantavirus with broad geographical distribution in Europe. Its major reservoir is the common vole (Microtus arvalis), but TULV has also been detected in closely related vole species. Given the large distributional range and high amplitude population dynamics of common voles, this host-pathogen complex presents an ideal system to study the complex mechanisms of pathogen transmission in a wild rodent reservoir. We investigated the dynamics of TULV prevalence and the subsequent potential effects on the molecular evolution of TULV in common voles of the Central evolutionary lineage. Rodents were trapped for three years in four regions of Germany and samples were analyzed for the presence of TULV-reactive antibodies and TULV RNA with subsequent sequence determination. The results show that individual (sex) and population-level factors (abundance) of hosts were significant predictors of local TULV dynamics. At the large geographic scale, different phylogenetic TULV clades and an overall isolation-by-distance pattern in virus sequences were detected, while at the small scale (<4 km) this depended on the study area. In combination with an overall delayed density dependence, our results highlight that frequent, localized bottleneck events for the common vole and TULV do occur and can be offset by local recolonization dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{JaiserAkperovTimazhevetal.2023, author = {Jaiser, Ralf and Akperov, Mirseid and Timazhev, A. and Romanowsky, Erik and Handorf, D{\"o}rthe and Mokhov, I. I.}, title = {Linkages between arctic and mid-latitude weather and climate}, series = {Meteorologische Zeitschrift}, volume = {32}, journal = {Meteorologische Zeitschrift}, number = {3}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0941-2948}, doi = {10.1127/metz/2023/1154}, pages = {173 -- 194}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The study addresses the question, if observed changes in terms of Arctic-midlatitude linkages during winter are driven by Arctic Sea ice decline alone or if the increase of global sea surface temperatures plays an additional role. We compare atmosphere-only model experiments with ECHAM6 to ERA-Interim Reanalysis data. The model sensitivity experiment is implemented as a set of four combinations of sea ice and sea surface temperature boundary conditions. Atmospheric circulation regimes are determined and evaluated in terms of their cyclone and blocking characteristics and changes in frequency during winter. As a prerequisite, ECHAM6 reproduces general features of circulation regimes very well. Tropospheric changes induced by the change of boundary conditions are revealed and further impacts on the large-scale circulation up into the stratosphere are investigated. In early winter, the observed increase of atmospheric blocking in the region between Scandinavia and the Urals are primarily related to the changes in sea surface temperatures. During late winter, we f nd a weakened polar stratospheric vortex in the reanalysis that further impacts the troposphere. In the model sensitivity study a climatologically weakened polar vortex occurs only if sea ice is reduced and sea surface temperatures are increased together. This response is delayed compared to the reanalysis. The tropospheric response during late winter is inconclusive in the model, which is potentially related to the weak and delayed response in the stratosphere. The model experiments do not reproduce the connection between early and late winter as interpreted from the reanalysis. Potentially explaining this mismatch, we identify a discrepancy of ECHAM6 to reproduce the weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex through blocking induced upward propagation of planetary waves.}, language = {en} } @article{MayerLeverPicconietal.2022, author = {Mayer, Dennis and Lever, Fabiano and Picconi, David and Metje, Jan and Ališauskas, Skirmantas and Calegari, Francesca and D{\"u}sterer, Stefan and Ehlert, Christopher and Feifel, Raimund and Niebuhr, Mario and Manschwetus, Bastian and Kuhlmann, Marion and Mazza, Tommaso and Robinson, Matthew Scott and Squibb, Richard James and Trabattoni, Andrea and Wallner, M{\aa}ns and Saalfrank, Peter and Wolf, Thomas J. A. and G{\"u}hr, Markus}, title = {Following excited-state chemical shifts in molecular ultrafast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {13}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-021-27908-y}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The conversion of photon energy into other energetic forms in molecules is accompanied by charge moving on ultrafast timescales. We directly observe the charge motion at a specific site in an electronically excited molecule using time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-XPS). We extend the concept of static chemical shift from conventional XPS by the excited-state chemical shift (ESCS), which is connected to the charge in the framework of a potential model. This allows us to invert TR-XPS spectra to the dynamic charge at a specific atom. We demonstrate the power of TR-XPS by using sulphur 2p-core-electron-emission probing to study the UV-excited dynamics of 2-thiouracil. The method allows us to discover that a major part of the population relaxes to the molecular ground state within 220-250 fs. In addition, a 250-fs oscillation, visible in the kinetic energy of the TR-XPS, reveals a coherent exchange of population among electronic states.}, language = {en} } @article{VehLuetzowKharlamovaetal.2022, author = {Veh, Georg and L{\"u}tzow, Natalie and Kharlamova, Varvara and Petrakov, Dmitry and Hugonnet, Romain and Korup, Oliver}, title = {Trends, Breaks, and Biases in the Frequency of Reported Glacier Lake Outburst Floods}, series = {Earth's Future}, volume = {10}, journal = {Earth's Future}, edition = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken, New Jersey}, issn = {2328-4277}, doi = {10.1029/2021EF002426}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Thousands of glacier lakes have been forming behind natural dams in high mountains following glacier retreat since the early 20th century. Some of these lakes abruptly released pulses of water and sediment with disastrous downstream consequences. Yet it remains unclear whether the reported rise of these glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) has been fueled by a warming atmosphere and enhanced meltwater production, or simply a growing research effort. Here we estimate trends and biases in GLOF reporting based on the largest global catalog of 1,997 dated glacier-related floods in six major mountain ranges from 1901 to 2017. We find that the positive trend in the number of reported GLOFs has decayed distinctly after a break in the 1970s, coinciding with independently detected trend changes in annual air temperatures and in the annual number of field-based glacier surveys (a proxy of scientific reporting). We observe that GLOF reports and glacier surveys decelerated, while temperature rise accelerated in the past five decades. Enhanced warming alone can thus hardly explain the annual number of reported GLOFs, suggesting that temperature-driven glacier lake formation, growth, and failure are weakly coupled, or that outbursts have been overlooked. Indeed, our analysis emphasizes a distinct geographic and temporal bias in GLOF reporting, and we project that between two to four out of five GLOFs on average might have gone unnoticed in the early to mid-20th century. We recommend that such biases should be considered, or better corrected for, when attributing the frequency of reported GLOFs to atmospheric warming.}, language = {en} } @article{BouamraZouhalRateletal.2022, author = {Bouamra, Marwa and Zouhal, Hassane and Ratel, S{\´e}bastien and Makhlouf, Issam and Bezrati, Ikram and Chtara, Moktar and Behm, David George and Granacher, Urs and Chaouachi, Anis}, title = {Concurrent Training Promotes Greater Gains on Body Composition and Components of Physical Fitness Than Single-Mode Training (Endurance or Resistance) in Youth With Obesity}, series = {Frontiers in Physiology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in Physiology}, publisher = {Frontiers}, address = {Lausanne, Schweiz}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2022.869063}, pages = {1 -- 16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The prevalence of obesity in the pediatric population has become a major public health issue. Indeed, the dramatic increase of this epidemic causes multiple and harmful consequences, Physical activity, particularly physical exercise, remains to be the cornerstone of interventions against childhood obesity. Given the conflicting findings with reference to the relevant literature addressing the effects of exercise on adiposity and physical fitness outcomes in obese children and adolescents, the effect of duration-matched concurrent training (CT) [50\% resistance (RT) and 50\% high-intensity-interval-training (HIIT)] on body composition and physical fitness in obese youth remains to be elucidated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 9-weeks of CT compared to RT or HIIT alone, on body composition and selected physical fitness components in healthy sedentary obese youth. Out of 73 participants, only 37; [14 males and 23 females; age 13.4 ± 0.9 years; body-mass-index (BMI): 31.2 ± 4.8 kg·m-2] were eligible and randomized into three groups: HIIT (n = 12): 3-4 sets×12 runs at 80-110\% peak velocity, with 10-s passive recovery between bouts; RT (n = 12): 6 exercises; 3-4 sets × 10 repetition maximum (RM) and CT (n = 13): 50\% serial completion of RT and HIIT. CT promoted significant greater gains compared to HIIT and RT on body composition (p < 0.01, d = large), 6-min-walking test distance (6 MWT-distance) and on 6 MWT-VO2max (p < 0.03, d = large). In addition, CT showed substantially greater improvements than HIIT in the medicine ball throw test (20.2 vs. 13.6\%, p < 0.04, d = large). On the other hand, RT exhibited significantly greater gains in relative hand grip strength (p < 0.03, d = large) and CMJ (p < 0.01, d = large) than HIIT and CT. CT promoted greater benefits for fat, body mass loss and cardiorespiratory fitness than HIIT or RT modalities. This study provides important information for practitioners and therapists on the application of effective exercise regimes with obese youth to induce significant and beneficial body composition changes. The applied CT program and the respective programming parameters in terms of exercise intensity and volume can be used by practitioners as an effective exercise treatment to fight the pandemic overweight and obesity in youth.}, language = {en} } @article{HeistermannBogenaFranckeetal.2022, author = {Heistermann, Maik and Bogena, Heye and Francke, Till and G{\"u}ntner, Andreas and Jakobi, Jannis and Rasche, Daniel and Schr{\"o}n, Martin and D{\"o}pper, Veronika and Fersch, Benjamin and Groh, Jannis and Patil, Amol and P{\"u}tz, Thomas and Reich, Marvin and Zacharias, Steffen and Zengerle, Carmen and Oswald, Sascha}, title = {Soil moisture observation in a forested headwater catchment: combining a dense cosmic-ray neutron sensor network with roving and hydrogravimetry at the TERENO site W{\"u}stebach}, series = {Earth system science data : ESSD}, volume = {14}, journal = {Earth system science data : ESSD}, number = {5}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, issn = {1866-3516}, doi = {10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022}, pages = {2501 -- 2519}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has become an effective method to measure soil moisture at a horizontal scale of hundreds of metres and a depth of decimetres. Recent studies proposed operating CRNS in a network with overlapping footprints in order to cover root-zone water dynamics at the small catchment scale and, at the same time, to represent spatial heterogeneity. In a joint field campaign from September to November 2020 (JFC-2020), five German research institutions deployed 15 CRNS sensors in the 0.4 km2 W{\"u}stebach catchment (Eifel mountains, Germany). The catchment is dominantly forested (but includes a substantial fraction of open vegetation) and features a topographically distinct catchment boundary. In addition to the dense CRNS coverage, the campaign featured a unique combination of additional instruments and techniques: hydro-gravimetry (to detect water storage dynamics also below the root zone); ground-based and, for the first time, airborne CRNS roving; an extensive wireless soil sensor network, supplemented by manual measurements; and six weighable lysimeters. Together with comprehensive data from the long-term local research infrastructure, the published data set (available at https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.756ca0485800474e9dc7f5949c63b872; Heistermann et al., 2022) will be a valuable asset in various research contexts: to advance the retrieval of landscape water storage from CRNS, wireless soil sensor networks, or hydrogravimetry; to identify scale-specific combinations of sensors and methods to represent soil moisture variability; to improve the understanding and simulation of land-atmosphere exchange as well as hydrological and hydrogeological processes at the hillslope and the catchment scale; and to support the retrieval of soil water content from airborne and spaceborne remote sensing platforms.}, language = {en} } @article{BereswillGatzMillerSuetal.2023, author = {Bereswill, Sarah and Gatz-Miller, Hannah and Su, Danyang and T{\"o}tzke, Christian and Kardjilov, Nikolay and Oswald, Sascha and Mayer, Klaus Ulrich}, title = {Coupling non-invasive imaging and reactive transport modeling to investigate water and oxygen dynamics in the root zone}, series = {Vadose zone journal}, volume = {22}, journal = {Vadose zone journal}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1539-1663}, doi = {10.1002/vzj2.20268}, pages = {19}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Oxygen (O-2) availability in soils is vital for plant growth and productivity. The transport and consumption of O-2 in the root zone is closely linked to soil moisture content, the spatial distribution of roots, as well as structure and heterogeneity of the surrounding soil. In this study, we measure three-dimensional root system architecture and the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture (\& theta;) and O-2 concentrations in the root zone of maize (Zea mays) via non-invasive imaging, and then construct and parameterize a reactive transport model based on the experimental data. The combination of three non-invasive imaging methods allowed for a direct comparison of simulation results with observations at high spatial and temporal resolution. In three different modeling scenarios, we investigated how the results obtained for different levels of conceptual complexity in the model were able to match measured \& theta; and O-2 concentration patterns. We found that the modeling scenario that considers heterogeneous soil structure and spatial variability of hydraulic parameters (permeability, porosity, and van Genuchten \& alpha; and n), better reproduced the measured \& theta; and O-2 patterns relative to a simple model with a homogenous soil domain. The results from our combined imaging and modeling analysis reveal that experimental O-2 and water dynamics can be reproduced quantitatively in a reactive transport model, and that O-2 and water dynamics are best characterized when conditions unique to the specific system beyond the distribution of roots, such as soil structure and its effect on water saturation and macroscopic gas transport pathways, are considered.}, language = {en} } @article{TabatabaeiAlseekhShahidetal.2022, author = {Tabatabaei, Iman and Alseekh, Saleh and Shahid, Mohammad and Leniak, Ewa and Wagner, Mateusz and Mahmoudi, Henda and Thushar, Sumitha and Fernie, Alisdair R. and Murphy, Kevin M. and Schm{\"o}ckel, Sandra M. and Tester, Mark and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Skirycz, Aleksandra and Balazadeh, Salma}, title = {The diversity of quinoa morphological traits and seed metabolic composition}, series = {Scientific data}, volume = {9}, journal = {Scientific data}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Research}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2052-4463}, doi = {10.1038/s41597-022-01399-y}, pages = {7}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is an herbaceous annual crop of the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). It is increasingly cultivated for its nutritious grains, which are rich in protein and essential amino acids, lipids, and minerals. Quinoa exhibits a high tolerance towards various abiotic stresses including drought and salinity, which supports its agricultural cultivation under climate change conditions. The use of quinoa grains is compromised by anti-nutritional saponins, a terpenoid class of secondary metabolites deposited in the seed coat; their removal before consumption requires extensive washing, an economically and environmentally unfavorable process; or their accumulation can be reduced through breeding. In this study, we analyzed the seed metabolomes, including amino acids, fatty acids, and saponins, from 471 quinoa cultivars, including two related species, by liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry. Additionally, we determined a large number of agronomic traits including biomass, flowering time, and seed yield. The results revealed considerable diversity between genotypes and provide a knowledge base for future breeding or genome editing of quinoa.}, language = {en} } @article{MatternReppertZeuschneretal.2023, author = {Mattern, Maximilian and Reppert, Alexander von and Zeuschner, Steffen Peer and Herzog, Marc and Pudell, Jan-Etienne and Bargheer, Matias}, title = {Concepts and use cases for picosecond ultrasonics with x-rays}, series = {Photoacoustics}, volume = {31}, journal = {Photoacoustics}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2213-5979}, doi = {10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100503}, pages = {22}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This review discusses picosecond ultrasonics experiments using ultrashort hard x-ray probe pulses to extract the transient strain response of laser-excited nanoscopic structures from Bragg-peak shifts. This method provides direct, layer-specific, and quantitative information on the picosecond strain response for structures down to few-nm thickness. We model the transient strain using the elastic wave equation and express the driving stress using Gruneisen parameters stating that the laser-induced stress is proportional to energy density changes in the microscopic subsystems of the solid, i.e., electrons, phonons and spins. The laser-driven strain response can thus serve as an ultrafast proxy for local energy-density and temperature changes, but we emphasize the importance of the nanoscale morphology for an accurate interpretation due to the Poisson effect. The presented experimental use cases encompass ultrathin and opaque metal-heterostructures, continuous and granular nanolayers as well as negative thermal expansion materials, that each pose a challenge to established all-optical techniques.}, language = {en} } @article{LeongRaffeinerSpintietal.2022, author = {Leong, Jia Xuan and Raffeiner, Margot and Spinti, Daniela and Langin, Gautier and Franz-Wachtel, Mirita and Guzman, Andrew R. and Kim, Jung-Gun and Pandey, Pooja and Minina, Alyona E. and Macek, Boris and Hafren, Anders and Bozkurt, Tolga O. and Mudgett, Mary Beth and B{\"o}rnke, Frederik and Hofius, Daniel and Uestuen, Suayib}, title = {A bacterial effector counteracts host autophagy by promoting degradation of an autophagy component}, series = {The EMBO journal}, volume = {41}, journal = {The EMBO journal}, number = {13}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1460-2075}, doi = {10.15252/embj.2021110352}, pages = {17}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Beyond its role in cellular homeostasis, autophagy plays anti- and promicrobial roles in host-microbe interactions, both in animals and plants. One prominent role of antimicrobial autophagy is to degrade intracellular pathogens or microbial molecules, in a process termed xenophagy. Consequently, microbes evolved mechanisms to hijack or modulate autophagy to escape elimination. Although well-described in animals, the extent to which xenophagy contributes to plant-bacteria interactions remains unknown. Here, we provide evidence that Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) suppresses host autophagy by utilizing type-III effector XopL. XopL interacts with and degrades the autophagy component SH3P2 via its E3 ligase activity to promote infection. Intriguingly, XopL is targeted for degradation by defense-related selective autophagy mediated by NBR1/Joka2, revealing a complex antagonistic interplay between XopL and the host autophagy machinery. Our results implicate plant antimicrobial autophagy in the depletion of a bacterial virulence factor and unravel an unprecedented pathogen strategy to counteract defense-related autophagy in plant-bacteria interactions.}, language = {en} } @article{VilkAghionAvgaretal.2022, author = {Vilk, Ohad and Aghion, Erez and Avgar, Tal and Beta, Carsten and Nagel, Oliver and Sabri, Adal and Sarfati, Raphael and Schwartz, Daniel K. and Weiß, Matthias and Krapf, Diego and Nathan, Ran and Metzler, Ralf and Assaf, Michael}, title = {Unravelling the origins of anomalous diffusion}, series = {Physical review research / American Physical Society}, volume = {4}, journal = {Physical review research / American Physical Society}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, address = {College Park, MD}, issn = {2643-1564}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.033055}, pages = {16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Anomalous diffusion or, more generally, anomalous transport, with nonlinear dependence of the mean-squared displacement on the measurement time, is ubiquitous in nature. It has been observed in processes ranging from microscopic movement of molecules to macroscopic, large-scale paths of migrating birds. Using data from multiple empirical systems, spanning 12 orders of magnitude in length and 8 orders of magnitude in time, we employ a method to detect the individual underlying origins of anomalous diffusion and transport in the data. This method decomposes anomalous transport into three primary effects: long-range correlations ("Joseph effect"), fat-tailed probability density of increments ("Noah effect"), and nonstationarity ("Moses effect"). We show that such a decomposition of real-life data allows us to infer nontrivial behavioral predictions and to resolve open questions in the fields of single-particle tracking in living cells and movement ecology.}, language = {en} } @misc{PaoliMoroLorenzettietal.2020, author = {Paoli, Antonio and Moro, Tatiana and Lorenzetti, Silvio and Seiler, Jan and L{\"u}thy, Fabian and Gross, Micah and Roggio, Federico and Chaabene, Helmi and Musumeci, Giuseppe}, title = {The "Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology" Journal Club Series}, series = {Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology}, volume = {5}, journal = {Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology}, number = {2}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2411-5142}, doi = {10.3390/jfmk5020025}, pages = {1 -- 9}, year = {2020}, abstract = {We are glad to introduce the Second Journal Club of Volume Five, Second Issue. This edition is focused on relevant studies published in the last few years in the field of resistance training, chosen by our Editorial Board members and their colleagues. We hope to stimulate your curiosity in this field and to share with you the passion for the sport, seen also from the scientific point of view. The Editorial Board members wish you an inspiring lecture.}, language = {en} } @misc{Lemke2021, author = {Lemke, Tristan}, title = {Keine Reform f{\"u}r die Zukunft}, series = {Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional}, journal = {Verfassungsblog : on matters constitutional}, publisher = {Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2366-7044}, doi = {10.17176/20210130-222740-0}, pages = {4}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Am 1. Januar 2021 trat die j{\"u}ngste Reform des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes (EEG) in Kraft. Sie f{\"u}hrte mit der finanziellen Beteiligung der Gemeinden an den Ertr{\"a}gen der Windenergie klammheimlich eine verfassungswidrige Abgabe ein: Durch das Zusammenspiel des neuen \S 36k EEG 2021 mit der altbekannten EEG-Umlage fließt eine bei den Strom-Endverbrauchern erhobene Abgabe in die kommunalen Haushalte. Das kann auf keine Gesetzgebungskompetenz gest{\"u}tzt werden. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus f{\"u}hrt die Deckelung der EEG-Umlage in den Jahren 2021 und 2022 in Verbindung mit \S 36k EEG 2021 dazu, dass in verfassungswidriger Weise Bundesmittel den Gemeinden zur freien Verf{\"u}gung gestellt werden.}, language = {de} }