TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mrochen, Daniel M.
A1  - Schulz, Daniel
A1  - Fischer, Stefan
A1  - Jeske, Kathrin
A1  - El Gohary, Heba
A1  - Reil, Daniela
A1  - Imholt, Christian
A1  - Truebe, Patricia
A1  - Suchomel, Josef
A1  - Tricaud, Emilie
A1  - Jacob, Jens
A1  - Heroldova, Marta
A1  - Bröker, Barbara M.
A1  - Strommenger, Birgit
A1  - Walther, Birgit
A1  - Ulrich, Rainer G.
A1  - Holtfreter, Silva
T1  - Wild rodents and shrews are natural hosts of Staphylococcus aureus
JF  - International Journal of Medical Microbiology
N2  - Laboratory mice are the most commonly used animal model for Staphylococcus aureus infection studies. We have previously shown that laboratory mice from global vendors are frequently colonized with S. aureus. Laboratory mice originate from wild house mice. Hence, we investigated whether wild rodents, including house mice, as well as shrews are naturally colonized with S. aureus and whether S. aureus adapts to the wild animal host. 295 animals of ten different species were caught in different locations over four years (2012-2015) in Germany, France and the Czech Republic. 45 animals were positive for S. aureus (15.3%). Three animals were co-colonized with two different isolates, resulting in 48 S. aureus isolates in total. Positive animals were found in Germany and the Czech Republic in each studied year. The S. aureus isolates belonged to ten different spa types, which grouped into six lineages (clonal complex (CC) 49, CC88, CC130, CC1956, sequence type (ST) 890, ST3033). CC49 isolates were most abundant (17/48, 35.4%), followed by CC1956 (14/48, 29.2%) and ST890 (9/48, 18.8%). The wild animal isolates lacked certain properties that are common among human isolates, e.g., a phage-encoded immune evasion cluster, superantigen genes on mobile genetic elements and antibiotic resistance genes, which suggests long-term adaptation to the wild animal host. One CC130 isolate contained the mecC gene, implying wild rodents might be both reservoir and vector for methicillin-resistant. In conclusion, we demonstrated that wild rodents and shrews are naturally colonized with S. aureus, and that those S. aureus isolates show signs of host adaptation.
KW  - Staphylococcus aureus
KW  - Colonization
KW  - Wild mice
KW  - Host adaptation
KW  - Immune evasion cluster
KW  - mecC
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.09.014
SN  - 1438-4221
SN  - 1618-0607
VL  - 308
IS  - 6
SP  - 590
EP  - 597
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Jena
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Meier, Johann Georg
A1  - Stumpe, Joachim
A1  - Fischer, Birgit
A1  - Thieme, Cathrin
A1  - Fischer, Thomas M.
A1  - Kremer, Friedrich
A1  - Öge, Tanja
A1  - Zentel, Rudolf
T1  - Optical suppression of Ferroelectricity in polysiloxane copolymers with chiral an potochromic side groups
Y1  - 1998
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Seifert, Birgit
A1  - Fischer, Markus
T1  - Experimental establishment of a declining dry-grassland flagship species in relation to seed origin and target environment
N2  - Supporting species persistence may involve (re)connecting suitable habitats. However, for many declining species habitat suitability and drivers of establishment are poorly known. We addressed this experimentally for a declining flagship species of dry grasslands in Germany, Armeria maritima subsp. elongata. In three regions, we sowed seeds from each of eight source populations back to their origin and to eight apparently suitable, but currently unoccupied, habitats close to the source populations. Overall, seeds germinated and seedlings established equally well in occupied and potential sites indicating that suitable habitats are available, but lack seed input. Germination and establishment varied among sowing sites. Moreover, seeds from populations of lower current connectivity established less well in new sites, and establishment was more variable among seeds from smaller than from larger populations, possibly reflecting genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation. Further, establishment across different new environments differed between seeds from different populations. As this was neither related to a home-away contrast nor to geographic or environmental distance between sites it could not clearly be attributed to local adaptation. To promote long-term persistence within this dry-grassland meta-population context we suggest increasing the density of suitable habitats and supporting dispersal connecting multiple sites, e.g. by promoting sheep transhumance, to increase current populations and their connectivity, and to colonise suitable habitats with material from different sources. We suggest that sowing experiments with characteristic species, including multiple source populations and multiple recipient sites, should be used regularly to inform connecting efforts in plant conservation.
Y1  - 2010
UR  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00063207
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.02.028
SN  - 0006-3207
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Koenig, Julian
A1  - Abler, Birgit
A1  - Agartz, Ingrid
A1  - akerstedt, Torbjorn
A1  - Andreassen, Ole A.
A1  - Anthony, Mia
A1  - Baer, Karl-Juergen
A1  - Bertsch, Katja
A1  - Brown, Rebecca C.
A1  - Brunner, Romuald
A1  - Carnevali, Luca
A1  - Critchley, Hugo D.
A1  - Cullen, Kathryn R.
A1  - de Geus, Eco J. C.
A1  - de la Cruz, Feliberto
A1  - Dziobek, Isabel
A1  - Ferger, Marc D.
A1  - Fischer, Hakan
A1  - Flor, Herta
A1  - Gaebler, Michael
A1  - Gianaros, Peter J.
A1  - Giummarra, Melita J.
A1  - Greening, Steven G.
A1  - Guendelman, Simon
A1  - Heathers, James A. J.
A1  - Herpertz, Sabine C.
A1  - Hu, Mandy X.
A1  - Jentschke, Sebastian
A1  - Kaess, Michael
A1  - Kaufmann, Tobias
A1  - Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie
A1  - Koelsch, Stefan
A1  - Krauch, Marlene
A1  - Kumral, Deniz
A1  - Lamers, Femke
A1  - Lee, Tae-Ho
A1  - Lekander, Mats
A1  - Lin, Feng
A1  - Lotze, Martin
A1  - Makovac, Elena
A1  - Mancini, Matteo
A1  - Mancke, Falk
A1  - Mansson, Kristoffer N. T.
A1  - Manuck, Stephen B.
A1  - Mather, Mara
A1  - Meeten, Frances
A1  - Min, Jungwon
A1  - Mueller, Bryon
A1  - Muench, Vera
A1  - Nees, Frauke
A1  - Nga, Lin
A1  - Nilsonne, Gustav
A1  - Ordonez Acuna, Daniela
A1  - Osnes, Berge
A1  - Ottaviani, Cristina
A1  - Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.
A1  - Ponzio, Allison
A1  - Poudel, Govinda R.
A1  - Reinelt, Janis
A1  - Ren, Ping
A1  - Sakaki, Michiko
A1  - Schumann, Andy
A1  - Sorensen, Lin
A1  - Specht, Karsten
A1  - Straub, Joana
A1  - Tamm, Sandra
A1  - Thai, Michelle
A1  - Thayer, Julian F.
A1  - Ubani, Benjamin
A1  - van Der Mee, Denise J.
A1  - van Velzen, Laura S.
A1  - Ventura-Bort, Carlos
A1  - Villringer, Arno
A1  - Watson, David R.
A1  - Wei, Luqing
A1  - Wendt, Julia
A1  - Schreiner, Melinda Westlund
A1  - Westlye, Lars T.
A1  - Weymar, Mathias
A1  - Winkelmann, Tobias
A1  - Wu, Guo-Rong
A1  - Yoo, Hyun Joo
A1  - Quintana, Daniel S.
T1  - Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan
BT  - a cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis
JF  - Psychophysiology : journal of the Society for Psychophysiological Research
N2  - Understanding the association between autonomic nervous system [ANS] function and brain morphology across the lifespan provides important insights into neurovisceral mechanisms underlying health and disease. Resting-state ANS activity, indexed by measures of heart rate [HR] and its variability [HRV] has been associated with brain morphology, particularly cortical thickness [CT]. While findings have been mixed regarding the anatomical distribution and direction of the associations, these inconsistencies may be due to sex and age differences in HR/HRV and CT. Previous studies have been limited by small sample sizes, which impede the assessment of sex differences and aging effects on the association between ANS function and CT. To overcome these limitations, 20 groups worldwide contributed data collected under similar protocols of CT assessment and HR/HRV recording to be pooled in a mega-analysis (N = 1,218 (50.5% female), mean age 36.7 years (range: 12-87)). Findings suggest a decline in HRV as well as CT with increasing age. CT, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex, explained additional variance in HRV, beyond the effects of aging. This pattern of results may suggest that the decline in HRV with increasing age is related to a decline in orbitofrontal CT. These effects were independent of sex and specific to HRV; with no significant association between CT and HR. Greater CT across the adult lifespan may be vital for the maintenance of healthy cardiac regulation via the ANS-or greater cardiac vagal activity as indirectly reflected in HRV may slow brain atrophy. Findings reveal an important association between CT and cardiac parasympathetic activity with implications for healthy aging and longevity that should be studied further in longitudinal research.
KW  - aging
KW  - autonomic nervous system
KW  - cortical thickness
KW  - heart rate
KW  - heart
KW  - rate variability
KW  - sex
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13688
SN  - 0048-5772
SN  - 1469-8986
VL  - 58
IS  - 7
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Knudsen, Birgit
A1  - Fischer, Martin H.
A1  - Aschersleben, Gisa
T1  - Development of spatial preferences for counting and picture naming
JF  - Psychological research : an international journal of perception, attention, memory, and action
N2  - The direction of object enumeration reflects children's enculturation but previous work on the development of such spatial preferences has been inconsistent. Therefore, we documented directional preferences in finger counting, object counting, and picture naming for children (4 groups from 3 to 6 years, N = 104) and adults (N = 56). We found a right-side preference for finger counting in 3- to 6-year-olds and a left-side preference for counting objects and naming pictures by 6 years of age. Children were consistent in their special preferences when comparing object counting and picture naming, but not in other task pairings. Finally, spatial preferences were not related to cardinality comprehension. These results, together with other recent work, suggest a gradual development of spatial-numerical associations from early non-directional mappings into culturally constrained directional mappings.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-014-0623-z
SN  - 0340-0727
SN  - 1430-2772
VL  - 79
IS  - 6
SP  - 939
EP  - 949
PB  - Springer
CY  - Heidelberg
ER  -