TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Reichetzeder, Christoph A1 - Prehn, Cornelia A1 - Yin, Liang-Hong A1 - Yun, Chen A1 - Zeng, Shufei A1 - Chu, Chang A1 - Adamski, Jerzy A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Cord blood Lysophosphatidylcholine 16:1 is positively associated with birth weight JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology N2 - Background/Aims: Impaired birth outcomes, like low birth weight, have consistently been associated with increased disease susceptibility to hypertension in later life. Alterations in the maternal or fetal metabolism might impact on fetal growth and influence birth outcomes. Discerning associations between the maternal and fetal metabolome and surrogate parameters of fetal growth could give new insight into the complex relationship between intrauterine conditions, birth outcomes, and later life disease susceptibility. Methods: Using flow injection tandem mass spectrometry, targeted metabolomics was performed in serum samples obtained from 226 mother/child pairs at delivery. Associations between neonatal birth weight and concentrations of 163 maternal and fetal metabolites were analyzed. Results: After FDR adjustment using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) 14:0, 16:1, and 18:1 were strongly positively correlated with birth weight. In a stepwise linear regression model corrected for established confounding factors of birth weight, LPC 16: 1 showed the strongest independent association with birth weight (CI: 93.63 - 168.94; P = 6.94x10(-11)). The association with birth weight was stronger than classical confounding factors such as offspring sex (CI: - 258.81- -61.32; P = 0.002) and maternal smoking during pregnancy (CI: -298.74 - -29.51; P = 0.017). Conclusions: After correction for multiple testing and adjustment for potential confounders, LPC 16:1 showed a very strong and independent association with birth weight. The underlying molecular mechanisms linking fetal LPCs with birth weight need to be addressed in future studies. (c) 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel KW - Metabolomics KW - Lysophosphatidylcholine KW - Birth Weight KW - DOHaD KW - Hypertension KW - Type 2 Diabetes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000487118 SN - 1015-8987 SN - 1421-9778 VL - 45 IS - 2 SP - 614 EP - 624 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Guang A1 - Li, Pei-zhi A1 - Zhang, Shi-yao A1 - Zhong, Shan A1 - Chu, Chang A1 - Zeng, Shufei A1 - Yan, Yu A1 - Cheng, Xin A1 - Chuai, Manli A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Yang, Xuesong T1 - Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) Induced Angiogenesis During Chicken Embryogenesis is Abolished by Combined ETA/ETB Receptor Blockade JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology N2 - Background/Aims: Angiogenesis plays a key role during embryonic development. The vascular endothelin (ET) system is involved in the regulation of angiogenesis. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) could induce angiogenesis. The effects of ET blockers on baseline and LPS-stimulated angiogenesis during embryonic development remain unknown so far. Methods: The blood vessel density (BVD) of chorioallantoic membranes (CAMs), which were treated with saline (control), LPS, and/or BQ123 and the ETB blocker BQ788, were quantified and analyzed using an IPP 6.0 image analysis program. Moreover, the expressions of ET-1, ET-2, ET3, ET receptor A (ETRA), ET receptor B (ETRB) and VEGFR2 mRNA during embryogenesis were analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results: All components of the ET system are detectable during chicken embryogenesis. LPS increased angiogenesis substantially. This process was completely blocked by the treatment of a combination of the ETA receptor blockers-BQ123 and the ETB receptor blocker BQ788. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in ETRA, ETRB, and VEGFR2 gene expression. However, the baseline angiogenesis was not affected by combined ETA/ETB receptor blockade. Conclusion: During chicken embryogenesis, the LPS-stimulated angiogenesis, but not baseline angiogenesis, is sensitive to combined ETA/ETB receptor blockade. KW - Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) KW - Angiogenesis KW - Chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) KW - Endothelin (ET) Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000492547 SN - 1015-8987 SN - 1421-9778 VL - 48 IS - 5 SP - 2084 EP - 2090 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seyrich, Maximilian A1 - Alirezaeizanjani, Zahra A1 - Beta, Carsten A1 - Stark, Holger T1 - Statistical parameter inference of bacterial swimming strategies JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - We provide a detailed stochastic description of the swimming motion of an E. coli bacterium in two dimension, where we resolve tumble events in time. For this purpose, we set up two Langevin equations for the orientation angle and speed dynamics. Calculating moments, distribution and autocorrelation functions from both Langevin equations and matching them to the same quantities determined from data recorded in experiments, we infer the swimming parameters of E. coli. They are the tumble rate lambda, the tumble time r(-1), the swimming speed v(0), the strength of speed fluctuations sigma, the relative height of speed jumps eta, the thermal value for the rotational diffusion coefficient D-0, and the enhanced rotational diffusivity during tumbling D-T. Conditioning the observables on the swimming direction relative to the gradient of a chemoattractant, we infer the chemotaxis strategies of E. coli. We confirm the classical strategy of a lower tumble rate for swimming up the gradient but also a smaller mean tumble angle (angle bias). The latter is realized by shorter tumbles as well as a slower diffusive reorientation. We also find that speed fluctuations are increased by about 30% when swimming up the gradient compared to the reversed direction. KW - E.coli KW - run and tumble KW - chemotaxis KW - stochastic processes KW - bacterial swimming strategies KW - parameter inference Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aae72c SN - 1367-2630 VL - 20 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goswami, Bedartha A1 - Boers, Niklas A1 - Rheinwalt, Aljoscha A1 - Marwan, Norbert A1 - Heitzig, Jobst A1 - Breitenbach, Sebastian Franz Martin A1 - Kurths, Jürgen T1 - Abrupt transitions in time series with uncertainties JF - Nature Communications N2 - Identifying abrupt transitions is a key question in various disciplines. Existing transition detection methods, however, do not rigorously account for time series uncertainties, often neglecting them altogether or assuming them to be independent and qualitatively similar. Here, we introduce a novel approach suited to handle uncertainties by representing the time series as a time-ordered sequence of probability density functions. We show how to detect abrupt transitions in such a sequence using the community structure of networks representing probabilities of recurrence. Using our approach, we detect transitions in global stock indices related to well-known periods of politico-economic volatility. We further uncover transitions in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation which coincide with periods of phase locking with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Finally, we provide for the first time an ‘uncertainty-aware’ framework which validates the hypothesis that ice-rafting events in the North Atlantic during the Holocene were synchronous with a weakened Asian summer monsoon. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02456-6 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bizic-Ionescu, Mina A1 - Ionescu, Danny A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Organic Particles: Heterogeneous Hubs for Microbial Interactions in Aquatic Ecosystems JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - The dynamics and activities of microbes colonizing organic particles (hereafter particles) greatly determine the efficiency of the aquatic carbon pump. Current understanding is that particle composition, structure and surface properties, determined mostly by the forming organisms and organic matter, dictate initial microbial colonization and the subsequent rapid succession events taking place as organic matter lability and nutrient content change with microbial degradation. We applied a transcriptomic approach to assess the role of stochastic events on initial microbial colonization of particles. Furthermore, we asked whether gene expression corroborates rapid changes in carbon-quality. Commonly used size fractionated filtration averages thousands of particles of different sizes, sources, and ages. To overcome this drawback, we used replicate samples consisting each of 3–4 particles of identical source and age and further evaluated the consequences of averaging 10–1000s of particles. Using flow-through rolling tanks we conducted long-term experiments at near in situ conditions minimizing the biasing effects of closed incubation approaches often referred to as “the bottle-effect.” In our open flow-through rolling tank system, however, active microbial communities were highly heterogeneous despite an identical particle source, suggesting random initial colonization. Contrasting previous reports using closed incubation systems, expression of carbon utilization genes didn’t change after 1 week of incubation. Consequently, we suggest that in nature, changes in particle-associated community related to carbon availability are much slower (days to weeks) due to constant supply of labile, easily degradable organic matter. Initial, random particle colonization seems to be subsequently altered by multiple organismic interactions shaping microbial community interactions and functional dynamics. Comparative analysis of thousands particles pooled togethers as well as pooled samples suggests that mechanistic studies of microbial dynamics should be done on single particles. The observed microbial heterogeneity and inter-organismic interactions may have important implications for evolution and biogeochemistry in aquatic systems. KW - particle-associated bacteria KW - microbial communities KW - inter- and intra-species interactions KW - antagonism KW - phage KW - transcriptome Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02569 SN - 1664-302X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Garcia, Sarahi L. A1 - Buck, Moritz A1 - Hamilton, Joshua J. A1 - Wurzbacher, Christian A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - McMahon, Katherine D. A1 - Eiler, Alexander T1 - Model communities hint at promiscuous metabolic linkages between ubiquitous free-living freshwater bacteria JF - mSphere N2 - Genome streamlining is frequently observed in free-living aquatic microorganisms and results in physiological dependencies between microorganisms. However, we know little about the specificity of these microbial associations. In order to examine the specificity and extent of these associations, we established mixed cultures from three different freshwater environments and analyzed the cooccurrence of organisms using a metagenomic time series. Free-living microorganisms with streamlined genomes lacking multiple biosynthetic pathways showed no clear recurring pattern in their interaction partners. Free-living freshwater bacteria form promiscuous cooperative associations. This notion contrasts with the well-documented high specificities of interaction partners in host-associated bacteria. Considering all data together, we suggest that highly abundant free-living bacterial lineages are functionally versatile in their interactions despite their distinct streamlining tendencies at the single-cell level. This metabolic versatility facilitates interactions with a variable set of community members. KW - community KW - interactions KW - metagenomics KW - microbial ecology KW - mixed cultures KW - promiscuous Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00202-18 SN - 2379-5042 VL - 3 IS - 3 PB - American Society for Microbiology CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Balint, Miklos A1 - Marton, Orsolya A1 - Schatz, Marlene A1 - Düring, Rolf-Alexander A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Proper experimental design requires randomization/balancing of molecular ecology experiments JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Properly designed (randomized and/or balanced) experiments are standard in ecological research. Molecular methods are increasingly used in ecology, but studies generally do not report the detailed design of sample processing in the laboratory. This may strongly influence the interpretability of results if the laboratory procedures do not account for the confounding effects of unexpected laboratory events. We demonstrate this with a simple experiment where unexpected differences in laboratory processing of samples would have biased results if randomization in DNA extraction and PCR steps do not provide safeguards. We emphasize the need for proper experimental design and reporting of the laboratory phase of molecular ecology research to ensure the reliability and interpretability of results. KW - batch effect KW - bias KW - DNA extraction KW - environmental DNA KW - laboratory practice KW - lake community KW - metabarcoding KW - nondemonic intrusions KW - PCR KW - sediment Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3687 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 1786 EP - 1793 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göritz, Anna A1 - Berger, Stella A. A1 - Gege, Peter A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Nejstgaard, Jens C. A1 - Riedel, Sebastian A1 - Röttgers, Rüdiger A1 - Utschig, Christian T1 - Retrieval of water constituents from hyperspectral in-situ measurements under variable cloud cover BT - a case study at Lake Stechlin (Germany) JF - Remote sensing / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) N2 - Remote sensing and field spectroscopy of natural waters is typically performed under clear skies, low wind speeds and low solar zenith angles. Such measurements can also be made, in principle, under clouds and mixed skies using airborne or in-situ measurements; however, variable illumination conditions pose a challenge to data analysis. In the present case study, we evaluated the inversion of hyperspectral in-situ measurements for water constituent retrieval acquired under variable cloud cover. First, we studied the retrieval of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption from in-water irradiance measurements. Then, we evaluated the errors in the retrievals of the concentration of total suspended matter (TSM), Chl-a and the absorption coefficient of CDOM from above-water reflectance measurements due to highly variable reflections at the water surface. In order to approximate cloud reflections, we extended a recent three-component surface reflectance model for cloudless atmospheres by a constant offset and compared different surface reflectance correction procedures. Our findings suggest that in-water irradiance measurements may be used for the analysis of absorbing compounds even under highly variable weather conditions. The extended surface reflectance model proved to contribute to the analysis of above-water reflectance measurements with respect to Chl-a and TSM. Results indicate the potential of this approach for all-weather monitoring. KW - remote sensing KW - inland water KW - hyperspectral measurements KW - in-situ KW - cloud KW - surface reflection KW - inversion KW - bio-optical modeling Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10020181 SN - 2072-4292 VL - 10 IS - 2 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Chen, Pan A1 - Bornhorst, Julia A1 - Neely, M. Diana A1 - Avila, Daiana Silva T1 - Mechanisms and Disease Pathogenesis Underlying Metal-Induced Oxidative Stress T2 - Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7612172 SN - 1942-0900 SN - 1942-0994 PB - Hindawi CY - London ER - TY - THES A1 - Massué, Cyriac ED - Proeller, Isabella ED - Silvia von, Steinsdorff ED - Sommermann, Karl-Peter ED - Capitant, David ED - Larat, Fabrice T1 - Valoriser les synergies franco-allemandes dans l’innovation au service de la transition énergétique. Les leçons du Programme Inter Carnot Fraunhofer (PICF) T2 - MEGA-Schriftenreihe N2 - Face à l’urgence environnementale, l’innovation dans le domaine des nouvelles technologies de l’énergie (NTE) constitue un défi primordial. Les NTE constituent un marché concurrentiel en plein expansion, où s’affrontent dès à présent les acteurs de l’innovation internationale. La R&D énergétique représente donc pour l’Europe un défi multiple : Il s’agit de développer les technologies qui nous permettrons de réduire nos émissions de gaz à effet de serre et nos dépendances énergétiques. L’innovation produite devra également garantir la place de l’industrie européenne à la pointe du marché des NTE dans un contexte hautement compétitif. La collaboration franco-allemande en matière de R&D énergétique recèle ici un potentiel d’innovation disruptive particulièrement important, grâce à des paysages de R&D fortement complémentaires. Les programmes bilatéraux constituent un outil prometteur pour la valorisation des synergies inexploitées. En permettant la mise en place de partenariats franco-allemands restreints, autour de thématiques précises, ils constituent en effet un outil complémentaire aux programmes européens. Le Programme Inter Carnot-Fraunhofer (PICF) constitue un exemple abouti de programme bilatéral ayant permis la concrétisation de collaborations mutuellement bénéfiques dans le domaine des NTE, grâce à la mise au point d’une procédure harmonisée. Néanmoins, l’analyse du PICF montre également que les programmes bilatéraux franco-allemands devront prévoir la possibilité de financements-relai afin de pérenniser les échanges. Dans le contexte particulier des NTE, une extension aux projets de démonstration ainsi qu’un ciblage des sujets porteurs sur la base d’un comité consultatif scientifique indépendant paraissent indispensables. Ces efforts franco-allemands pourront servir de modèle à l’innovation de rupture basée sur la valorisation des synergies intra-européennes. N2 - Im Kontext steigender Umweltbelastungen stellen Innovationen auf dem Gebiet der Energietechnologien eine zentrale Herausforderung dar. Dieser rapide wachsende Markt ist schon heute der Schauplatz eines erbitterten internationalen Wettbewerbs. Somit stellt die Energieforschung für Europa eine mehrfache Herausforderung dar: Die entwickelten Technologien sollen dabei helfen unsere Treibhausgasemissionen zu verringern und gleichzeitig unsere Abhängigkeiten beschränken. Zudem soll die produzierte Innovation dazu beitragen, den Industriestandort Europa als Spitzenreiter auf dem weltweit umkämpften Markt der Energietechnologien zu positionieren. Dank der sich stark ergänzenden nationalen Forschungslandschaften, birgt die deutsch-französische Energieforschungskooperation ein besonders hohes Potenzial. Bilaterale Forschungsprogramme sind ein vielversprechendes Werkzeug um ungenutzte Synergien zu fördern. Indem gezielt deutsch-französische Partnerschaften um bestimmte Fragestellungen angesprochen werden, vervollständigen bilaterale Programme die europäischen Förderwerkzeuge. Das Programm Inter Carnot Fraunhofer (PICF) ist ein ausgereiftes Beispiel eines solchen Programms. Dank harmonisierter Prozeduren, konnten gegenseitig vorteilhafte Kooperationsprojekte im Energiebereich verwirklicht werden. Die Untersuchung des PICF zeigt allerdings auch, dass bilaterale Förderprogramme die Möglichkeit einer Anschlussfinanzierung beinhalten müssen, um die angegangene Zusammenarbeit zu erhalten und zur Vollendung zu bringen. Im Kontext der Energieforschung sollten ebenfalls Demonstrationsprojekte in die Zielgruppe der bilateralen Förderprogramme aufgenommen werden. Ausschreibungen sollten thematisch eingegrenzt werden, fußend auf den Empfehlungen eines unabhängigen wissenschaftlichen Gremiums. Die deutsch-französischen Bestrebungen werden als Beispiel dafür dienen, wie innereuropäische Synergien zu bahnbrechender Innovation geführt werden können. N2 - In the context of increasing environmental concerns, innovation in the field of energy technologies represents a central bottleneck. This rapidly growing market is already the scene of fierce international competition. Energy research therefore represents a multiple challenge for Europe: The technologies developed should help reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time limiting our dependencies. In addition, the innovation produced should help positioning industrial Europe as a frontrunner in the globally competitive energy technology market. Thanks to the highly complementary national research landscapes, the Franco-German energy research cooperation has particularly high potential. Bilateral research programs are a promising tool for promoting untapped synergies. By addressing bilateral Franco-German partnerships on specific issues, bilateral programs complete the European funding tools. The Inter Carnot Fraunhofer (PICF) program is a mature example of such a program. Thanks to harmonized procedures, mutually beneficial cooperation projects in the energy sector could be realized. The PICF investigation also shows, however, that bilateral funding programs must include the possibility of follow-up funding in order to maintain the cooperation and bring it to completion. In the context of energy research, demonstration projects should also be included in the target group of the bilateral funding programs. Calls for proposals should be thematically limited based on the recommendations of an independent scientific body. Franco-German endeavors could then serve as a model of how intra-European synergies can be transformed into groundbreaking innovation. T3 - MEGA-Schriftenreihe - 4 KW - transition énergétique KW - franco-allemand KW - synergies KW - Energiewende KW - deutsch-französisch KW - Synergien KW - energy revolution KW - franco-german KW - synergies Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-491892 SN - 2701-391X IS - 4 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Atsawawaranunt, Kamolphat A1 - Comas-Bru, Laia A1 - Mozhdehi, Sahar Amirnezhad A1 - Deininger, Michael A1 - Harrison, Sandy P. A1 - Baker, Andy A1 - Boyd, Meighan A1 - Kaushal, Nikita A1 - Ahmad, Syed Masood A1 - Brahim, Yassine Ait A1 - Arienzo, Monica A1 - Bajo, Petra A1 - Braun, Kerstin A1 - Burstyn, Yuval A1 - Chawchai, Sakonvan A1 - Duan, Wuhui A1 - Hatvani, Istvan Gabor A1 - Hu, Jun A1 - Kern, Zoltan A1 - Labuhn, Inga A1 - Lachniet, Matthew A1 - Lechleitner, Franziska A. A1 - Lorrey, Andrew A1 - Perez-Mejias, Carlos A1 - Pickering, Robyn A1 - Scroxton, Nick A1 - Atkinson, Tim A1 - Ayalon, Avner A1 - Baldini, James A1 - Bar-Matthews, Miriam A1 - Pablo Bernal, Juan A1 - Breitenbach, Sebastian Franz Martin A1 - Boch, Ronny A1 - Borsato, Andrea A1 - Cai, Yanjun A1 - Carolin, Stacy A1 - Cheng, Hai A1 - Columbu, Andrea A1 - Couchoud, Isabelle A1 - Cruz, Francisco A1 - Demeny, Attila A1 - Dominguez-Villar, David A1 - Dragusin, Virgil A1 - Drysdale, Russell A1 - Ersek, Vasile A1 - Finne, Martin A1 - Fleitmann, Dominik A1 - Fohlmeister, Jens Bernd A1 - Frappier, Amy A1 - Genty, Dominique A1 - Holzkamper, Steffen A1 - Hopley, Philip A1 - Kathayat, Gayatri A1 - Keenan-Jones, Duncan A1 - Koltai, Gabriella A1 - Luetscher, Marc A1 - Li, Ting-Yong A1 - Lone, Mahjoor Ahmad A1 - Markowska, Monika A1 - Mattey, Dave A1 - McDermott, Frank A1 - Moreno, Ana A1 - Moseley, Gina A1 - Nehme, Carole A1 - Novello, Valdir F. A1 - Psomiadis, David A1 - Rehfeld, Kira A1 - Ruan, Jiaoyang A1 - Sekhon, Natasha A1 - Sha, Lijuan A1 - Sholz, Denis A1 - Shopov, Yavor A1 - Smith, Andrew A1 - Strikis, Nicolas A1 - Treble, Pauline A1 - Unal-Imer, Ezgi A1 - Vaks, Anton A1 - Vansteenberge, Stef A1 - Veiga-Pires, Cristina A1 - Voarintsoa, Ny Riavo A1 - Wang, Xianfeng A1 - Wong, Corinne A1 - Wortham, Barbara A1 - Wurtzel, Jennifer A1 - Zong, Baoyun T1 - The SISAL database BT - a global resource to document oxygen and carbon isotope records from speleothems JF - Earth System Science Data N2 - Stable isotope records from speleothems provide information on past climate changes, most particularly information that can be used to reconstruct past changes in precipitation and atmospheric circulation. These records are increasingly being used to provide "out-of-sample" evaluations of isotope-enabled climate models. SISAL (Speleothem Isotope Synthesis and Analysis) is an international working group of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) project. The working group aims to provide a comprehensive compilation of speleothem isotope records for climate reconstruction and model evaluation. The SISAL database contains data for individual speleothems, grouped by cave system. Stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon (delta O-18, delta C-13) measurements are referenced by distance from the top or bottom of the speleothem. Additional tables provide information on dating, including information on the dates used to construct the original age model and sufficient information to assess the quality of each data set and to erect a standardized chronology across different speleothems. The metadata table provides location information, information on the full range of measurements carried out on each speleothem and information on the cave system that is relevant to the interpretation of the records, as well as citations for both publications and archived data. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1687-2018 SN - 1866-3508 SN - 1866-3516 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 1687 EP - 1713 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mahata, Khadak Singh A1 - Rupakheti, Maheswar A1 - Panday, Arnico Kumar A1 - Bhardwaj, Piyush A1 - Naja, Manish A1 - Singh, Ashish A1 - Mues, Andrea A1 - Cristofanelli, Paolo A1 - Pudasainee, Deepak A1 - Bonasoni, Paolo A1 - Lawrence, Mark T1 - Observation and analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of surface ozone and carbon monoxide at multiple sites in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal JF - Atmosheric chemistry and physics N2 - It was lower during the monsoon due to rainfall, which reduces open burning activities within the valley and in the surrounding regions and thus reduces sources of CO. The meteorology of the valley also played a key role in determining the CO mixing ratios. The wind is calm and easterly in the shallow mixing layer, with a mixing layer height (MLH) of about 250 m, during the night and early morning. The MLH slowly increases after sunrise and decreases in the afternoon. As a result, the westerly wind becomes active and reduces the mixing ratio during the daytime. Furthermore, there was evidence of an increase in the O-3 mixing ratios in the Kathmandu Valley as a result of emissions in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region, particularly from biomass burning including agroresidue burning. A top-down estimate of the CO emission flux was made by using the CO mixing ratio and mixing layer height measured at Bode. The estimated annual CO flux at Bode was 4.9 mu g M-2 s(-1), which is 2-14 times higher than that in widely used emission inventory databases (EDGAR HTAP, REAS and INTEX-B). This difference in CO flux between Bode and other emission databases likely arises from large uncertainties in both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to estimating the emission flux. The O-3 mixing ratio was found to be highest during the premonsoon season at all sites, while the timing of the seasonal minimum varied across the sites. The daily maximum 8 h average O-3 exceeded the WHO recommended guideline of 50 ppb on more days at the hilltop station of Nagarkot (159 out of 357 days) than at the urban valley bottom sites of Paknajol (132 out of 354 days) and Bode (102 out of 353 days), presumably due to the influence of free-tropospheric air at the high-altitude site (as also indicated by Putero et al., 2015, for the Paknajol site in the Kathmandu Valley) as well as to titration of O-3 by fresh NOx emissions near the urban sites. More than 78 % of the exceedance days were during the premonsoon period at all sites. The high O-3 mixing ratio observed during the premonsoon period is of a concern for human health and ecosystems, including agroecosystems in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14113-2018 SN - 1680-7316 SN - 1680-7324 VL - 18 IS - 19 SP - 14113 EP - 14132 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lawrence, Mark A1 - Schäfer, Stefan A1 - Muri, Helene A1 - Scott, Vivian A1 - Oschlies, Andreas A1 - Vaughan, Naomi E. A1 - Boucher, Olivier A1 - Schmidt, Hauke A1 - Haywood, Jim A1 - Scheffran, Jürgen T1 - Evaluating climate geoengineering proposals in the context of the Paris Agreement temperature goals JF - Nature Communications N2 - Current mitigation efforts and existing future commitments are inadequate to accomplish the Paris Agreement temperature goals. In light of this, research and debate are intensifying on the possibilities of additionally employing proposed climate geoengineering technologies, either through atmospheric carbon dioxide removal or farther-reaching interventions altering the Earth’s radiative energy budget. Although research indicates that several techniques may eventually have the physical potential to contribute to limiting climate change, all are in early stages of development, involve substantial uncertainties and risks, and raise ethical and governance dilemmas. Based on present knowledge, climate geoengineering techniques cannot be relied on to significantly contribute to meeting the Paris Agreement temperature goals. KW - Atmospheric chemistry KW - Atmospheric dynamics KW - Atmospheric science KW - Climate change KW - Environmental impact Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05938-3 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - El-Ashker, Said A1 - Chaabene, Helmi A1 - Negra, Yassine A1 - Prieske, Olaf A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Cardio-Respiratory Endurance Responses Following a Simulated 3 x 3 Minutes Amateur Boxing Contest in Elite Level Boxers JF - Sports N2 - This study aimed at examining physiological responses (i.e., oxygen uptake [VO2] and heart rate [HR]) to a semi-contact 3 x 3-min format, amateur boxing combat simulation in elite level male boxers. Eleven boxers aged 21.4 +/- 2.1 years (body height 173.4 +/- 3.7, body mass 74.9 +/- 8.6 kg, body fat 12.1 +/- 1.9, training experience 5.7 +/- 1.3 years) volunteered to participate in this study. They performed a maximal graded aerobic test on a motor-driven treadmill to determine maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), oxygen uptake (VO2AT) and heart rate (HRAT) at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal heart rate (HRmax). Additionally, VO2 and peak HR (HRpeak) were recorded following each boxing round. Results showed no significant differences between VO2max values derived from the treadmill running test and VO2 outcomes of the simulated boxing contest (p > 0.05, d = 0.02 to 0.39). However, HRmax and HRpeak recorded from the treadmill running test and the simulated amateur boxing contest, respectively, displayed significant differences regardless of the boxing round (p < 0.01, d = 1.60 to 3.00). In terms of VO2 outcomes during the simulated contest, no significant between-round differences were observed (p = 0.19, d = 0.17 to 0.73). Irrespective of the boxing round, the recorded VO2 was >90% of the VO2max. Likewise, HRpeak observed across the three boxing rounds were >= 90% of the HRmax. In summary, the simulated 3 x 3-min amateur boxing contest is highly demanding from a physiological standpoint. Thus, coaches are advised to systematically monitor internal training load for instance through rating of perceived exertion to optimize training-related adaptations and to prevent boxers from overreaching and/or overtraining. KW - aerobic metabolism KW - physiological strain KW - striking combat sports KW - elite athletes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6040119 SN - 2075-4663 VL - 6 IS - 4 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Environmental Change-Dependent Inherited Epigenetic Response JF - GENES N2 - Epigenetic modifications are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. Research on epigenetic responses to environmental changes in wild mammals has been widely neglected, as well as studies that compare responses to changes in different environmental factors. Here, we focused on the transmission of DNA methylation changes to naive male offspring after paternal exposure to either diet (~40% less protein) or temperature increase (10 °C increased temperature). Because both experiments focused on the liver as the main metabolic and thermoregulation organ, we were able to decipher if epigenetic changes differed in response to different environmental changes. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) revealed differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in annotated genomic regions in sons sired before (control) and after the fathers’ treatments. We detected both a highly specific epigenetic response dependent on the environmental factor that had changed that was reflected in genes involved in specific metabolic pathways, and a more general response to changes in outer stimuli reflected by epigenetic modifications in a small subset of genes shared between both responses. Our results indicated that fathers prepared their offspring for specific environmental changes by paternally inherited epigenetic modifications, suggesting a strong paternal contribution to adaptive processes. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation KW - RRBS Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10010004 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 10 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Förster, Saskia A1 - Brosinsky, Arlena A1 - Sommerer, Erik A1 - Lopez-Tarazonl, Jose Andres A1 - Güntner, Andreas A1 - Batalla, Ramon J. A1 - Bronstert, Axel T1 - Water and sediment fluxes in Mediterranean mountainous regions BT - comprehensive dataset for hydro-sedimentological analyses and modelling in a mesoscale catchment (River Isabena, NE Spain) JF - Earth System Science Data N2 - A comprehensive hydro-sedimentological dataset for the Isabena catchment, northeastern (NE) Spain, for the period 2010-2018 is presented to analyse water and sediment fluxes in a Mediterranean mesoscale catchment. The dataset includes rainfall data from 12 rain gauges distributed within the study area complemented by meteorological data of 12 official meteo-stations. It comprises discharge data derived from water stage measurements as well as suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) at six gauging stations of the River Isabena and its sub-catchments. Soil spectroscopic data from 351 suspended sediment samples and 152 soil samples were collected to characterize sediment source regions and sediment properties via fingerprinting analyses. The Isabena catchment (445 km(2)) is located in the southern central Pyrenees ranging from 450 m to 2720 m a.s.l.; together with a pronounced topography, this leads to distinct temperature and precipitation gradients. The River Isabena shows marked discharge variations and high sediment yields causing severe siltation problems in the downstream Barasona Reservoir. The main sediment source is badland areas located on Eocene marls that are well connected to the river network. The dataset features a comprehensive set of variables in a high spatial and temporal resolution suitable for the advanced process understanding of water and sediment fluxes, their origin and connectivity and sediment budgeting and for the evaluation and further development of hydro-sedimentological models in Mediterranean mesoscale mountainous catchments. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1063-2018 SN - 1866-3508 SN - 1866-3516 VL - 10 IS - 2 SP - 1063 EP - 1075 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Galbete, Cecilia A1 - Kröger, Janine A1 - Jannasch, Franziska A1 - Iqbal, Khalid A1 - Schwingshackl, Lukas A1 - Schwedhelm, Carolina A1 - Weikert, Cornelia A1 - Boeing, Heiner A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd T1 - Nordic diet, Mediterranean diet, and the risk of chronic diseases BT - the EPIC-Potsdam study JF - BMC Medicine N2 - Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been acknowledged as a healthy diet. However, its relation with risk of major chronic diseases in non-Mediterranean countries is inconclusive. The Nordic diet is proposed as an alternative across Northern Europe, although its associations with the risk of chronic diseases remain controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between the Nordic diet and the MedDiet with the risk of chronic disease (type 2 diabetes (T2D), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and cancer) in the EPIC-Potsdam cohort. Methods: The EPIC-Potsdam cohort recruited 27,548 participants between 1994 and 1998. After exclusion of prevalent cases, we evaluated baseline adherence to a score reflecting the Nordic diet and two MedDiet scores (tMDS, reflecting the traditional MedDiet score, and the MedPyr score, reflecting the MedDiet Pyramid). Cox regression models were applied to examine the association between the diet scores and the incidence of major chronic diseases. Results: During a follow-up of 10.6 years, 1376 cases of T2D, 312 of MI, 321 of stroke, and 1618 of cancer were identified. The Nordic diet showed a statistically non-significant inverse association with incidence of MI in the overall population and of stroke in men. Adherence to the MedDiet was associated with lower incidence of T2D (HR per 1 SD 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.98 for the tMDS score and 0.92, 0.87-0.97 for the MedPyr score). In women, the MedPyr score was also inversely associated with MI. No association was observed for any of the scores with cancer. Conclusions: In the EPIC-Potsdam cohort, the Nordic diet showed a possible beneficial effect on MI in the overall population and for stroke in men, while both scores reflecting the MedDiet conferred lower risk of T2D in the overall population and of MI in women. KW - Mediterranean diet KW - Nordic diet KW - regional diets KW - chronic diseases KW - diabetes KW - myocardial infarction KW - stroke KW - cancer KW - EPIC-Potsdam study KW - longitudinal analysis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-1082-y SN - 1741-7015 VL - 16 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - John, Cathleen A1 - Grune, Jana A1 - Ott, Christiane A1 - Nowotny, Kerstin A1 - Deubel, Stefanie A1 - Kühne, Arne A1 - Schubert, Carola A1 - Kintscher, Ulrich A1 - Regitz-Zagrosek, Vera A1 - Grune, Tilman T1 - Sex Differences in Cardiac Mitochondria in the New Zealand Obese Mouse JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology N2 - Background: Obesity is a risk factor for diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disorders. Diabetes itself contributes to cardiac damage. Thus, studying cardiovascular events and establishing therapeutic intervention in the period of type T2DM onset and manifestation are of highest importance. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to impaired cardiac function. Methods: An adequate animal model for studying pathophysiology of T2DM is the New Zealand Obese (NZO) mouse. These mice were maintained on a high-fat diet (HFD) without carbohydrates for 13 weeks followed by 4 week HFD with carbohydrates. NZO mice developed severe obesity and only male mice developed manifest T2DM. We determined cardiac phenotypes and mitochondrial function as well as cardiomyocyte signaling in this model. Results: The development of an obese phenotype and T2DM in male mice was accompanied by an impaired systolic function as judged by echocardiography and MyH6/7 expression. Moreover, the mitochondrial function only in male NZO hearts was significantly reduced and ERK1/2 and AMPK protein levels were altered. Conclusions: This is the first report demonstrating that the cardiac phenotype in male diabetic NZO mice is associated with impaired cardiac energy function and signaling events. KW - NZO KW - heart KW - obesity KW - mitochondrial function KW - echocardiography KW - systolic function Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00732 SN - 1664-2392 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martins, Renata F. A1 - Schmidt, Anke A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Wilting, Andreas A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Historical biogeography of Rusa unicolor and R-timorensis BT - Historical biogeography of Rusa unicolor and R. timorensis JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - In this study we compared the phylogeographic patterns of two Rusa species, Rusa unicolor and Rusa timorensis, in order to understand what drove and maintained differentiation between these two geographically and genetically close species and investigated the route of introduction of individuals to the islands outside of the Sunda Shelf. We analyzed full mitogenomes from 56 archival samples from the distribution areas of the two species and 18 microsatellite loci in a subset of 16 individuals to generate the phylogeographic patterns of both species. Bayesian inference with fossil calibration was used to estimate the age of each species and major divergence events. Our results indicated that the split between the two species took place during the Pleistocene, similar to 1.8Mya, possibly driven by adaptations of R. timorensis to the drier climate found on Java compared to the other islands of Sundaland. Although both markers identified two well-differentiated clades, there was a largely discrepant pattern between mitochondrial and nuclear markers. While nDNA separated the individuals into the two species, largely in agreement with their museum label, mtDNA revealed that all R. timorensis sampled to the east of the Sunda shelf carried haplotypes from R. unicolor and one Rusa unicolor from South Sumatra carried a R. timorensis haplotype. Our results show that hybridization occurred between these two sister species in Sundaland during the Late Pleistocene and resulted in human-mediated introduction of hybrid descendants in all islands outside Sundaland. KW - Cervidae KW - human introduction KW - hybridization KW - Phylogeography KW - Sundaland Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3754 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 1465 EP - 1479 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ambarli, Hüseyin A1 - Mengüllüoğlu, Deniz A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Förster, Daniel W. T1 - Hotel AMANO Grand Central of brown bears in southwest Asia JF - PeerJ N2 - Genetic studies of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) have so far focused on populations from Europe and North America, although the largest distribution area of brown bears is in Asia. In this study, we reveal population genetic parameters for the brown bear population inhabiting the Grand Kackar Mountains (GKM) in the north east of Turkey, western Lesser Caucasus. Using both hair (N = 147) and tissue samples (N = 7) collected between 2008 and 2014, we found substantial levels of genetic variation (10 microsatellite loci). Bear samples (hair) taken from rubbing trees worked better for genotyping than those from power poles, regardless of the year collected. Genotyping also revealed that bears moved between habitat patches, despite ongoing massive habitat alterations and the creation of large water reservoirs. This population has the potential to serve as a genetic reserve for future reintroduction in the Middle East. Due to the importance of the GKM population for on-going and future conservation actions, the impacts of habitat alterations in the region ought to be minimized; e.g., by establishing green bridges or corridors over reservoirs and major roads to maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow among populations in the Lesser Caucasus. KW - Ursus arctos KW - Microsatellite KW - Conservation KW - Anatolia KW - Isolation KW - Source population KW - Noninvasive sampling KW - Rubbing tree KW - Turkey Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5660 SN - 2167-8359 VL - 6 PB - PeerJ Inc. CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Jeschek, Marie A1 - Schrapers, Katharina T. A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Chung, Tzu Hung A1 - Ruebensam, Kathrin A1 - Yasar, Sermin A1 - Schneemann, Markus A1 - Ortmann, Sylvia A1 - Jewgenow, Katarina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Diet changes alter paternally inherited epigenetic pattern in male Wild guinea pigs JF - Environmental Epigenetics N2 - Epigenetic modifications, of which DNA methylation is the most stable, are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. The paternal contribution to adaptive processes in the offspring might be crucial, but has been widely neglected in comparison to the maternal one. To address the paternal impact on the offspring’s adaptability to changes in diet composition, we investigated if low protein diet (LPD) in F0 males caused epigenetic alterations in their subsequently sired sons. We therefore fed F0 male Wild guinea pigs with a diet lowered in protein content (LPD) and investigated DNA methylation in sons sired before and after their father’s LPD treatment in both, liver and testis tissues. Our results point to a ‘heritable epigenetic response’ of the sons to the fathers’ dietary change. Because we detected methylation changes also in the testis tissue, they are likely to be transmitted to the F2 generation. Gene-network analyses of differentially methylated genes in liver identified main metabolic pathways indicating a metabolic reprogramming (‘metabolic shift’). Epigenetic mechanisms, allowing an immediate and inherited adaptation may thus be important for the survival of species in the context of a persistently changing environment, such as climate change. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvy011 SN - 2058-5888 VL - 4 IS - 2 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ritter, Christoph A1 - Ángeles Burgos, María A1 - Böckmann, Christine A1 - Mateos, David A1 - Lisok, Justyna A1 - Markowicz, Krzysztof M. A1 - Moroni, Beatrice A1 - Cappelletti, David A1 - Udisti, Roberto A1 - Maturilli, Marion A1 - Neuber, Roland T1 - Microphysical properties and radiative impact of an intense biomass burning aerosol event measured over Ny-angstrom lesund, Spitsbergen in July 2015 JF - Tellus - Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology N2 - In this work, an evaluation of an intense biomass burning event observed over Ny-angstrom lesund (Spitsbergen, European Arctic) in July 2015 is presented. Data from the multi-wavelengths Raman-lidar KARL, a sun photometer and radiosonde measurements are used to derive some microphysical properties of the biomass burning aerosol as size distribution, refractive index and single scattering albedo at different relative humidities. Predominantly particles in the accumulation mode have been found with a bi-modal distribution and dominance of the smaller mode. Above 80% relative humidity, hygroscopic growth in terms of an increase of particle diameter and a slight decrease of the index of refraction (real and imaginary part) has been found. Values of the single scattering albedo around 0.9 both at 355nm and 532nm indicate some absorption by the aerosol. Values of the lidar ratio are around 26sr for 355nm and around 50sr for 532nm, almost independent of the relative humidity. Further, data from the photometer and surface radiation values from the local baseline surface radiation network (BSRN) have been applied to derive the radiative impact of the biomass burning event purely from observational data by comparison with a clear background day. We found a strong cooling for the visible radiation and a slight warming in the infra-red. The net aerosol forcing, derived by comparison with a clear background day purely from observational data, obtained a value of -95 W/m(2) per unit AOD500. KW - aerosol KW - lidar KW - retrieval of aerosol properties KW - radiative forcing KW - Arctic aerosol Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2018.1539618 SN - 1600-0889 VL - 70 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Coch, Caroline A1 - Lamoureux, Scott F. A1 - Knoblauch, Christian A1 - Eischeid, Isabell A1 - Fritz, Michael A1 - Obu, Jaroslav A1 - Lantuit, Hugues T1 - Summer rainfall dissolved organic carbon, solute, and sediment fluxes in a small Arctic coastal catchment on Herschel Island (Yukon Territory, Canada) JF - Artic science N2 - Coastal ecosystems in the Arctic are affected by climate change. As summer rainfall frequency and intensity are projected to increase in the future, more organic matter, nutrients and sediment could bemobilized and transported into the coastal nearshore zones. However, knowledge of current processes and future changes is limited. We investigated streamflow dynamics and the impacts of summer rainfall on lateral fluxes in a small coastal catchment on Herschel Island in the western Canadian Arctic. For the summer monitoring periods of 2014-2016, mean dissolved organic matter flux over 17 days amounted to 82.7 +/- 30.7 kg km(-2) and mean total dissolved solids flux to 5252 +/- 1224 kg km(-2). Flux of suspended sediment was 7245 kg km(-2) in 2015, and 369 kg km(-2) in 2016. We found that 2.0% of suspended sediment was composed of particulate organic carbon. Data and hysteresis analysis suggest a limited supply of sediments; their interannual variability is most likely caused by short-lived localized disturbances. In contrast, our results imply that dissolved organic carbon is widely available throughout the catchment and exhibits positive linear relationship with runoff. We hypothesize that increased projected rainfall in the future will result in a similar increase of dissolved organic carbon fluxes. KW - permafrost KW - hydrology KW - lateral fluxes KW - hysteresis KW - climate change Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0010 SN - 2368-7460 VL - 4 IS - 4 SP - 750 EP - 780 PB - Canadian science publishing CY - Ottawa ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cuadrat, Rafael R. C. A1 - Ionescu, Danny A1 - Davila, Alberto M. R. A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Recovering genomics clusters of secondary metabolites from lakes using genome-resolved metagenomics JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - Metagenomic approaches became increasingly popular in the past decades due to decreasing costs of DNA sequencing and bioinformatics development. So far, however, the recovery of long genes coding for secondary metabolites still represents a big challenge. Often, the quality of metagenome assemblies is poor, especially in environments with a high microbial diversity where sequence coverage is low and complexity of natural communities high. Recently, new and improved algorithms for binning environmental reads and contigs have been developed to overcome such limitations. Some of these algorithms use a similarity detection approach to classify the obtained reads into taxonomical units and to assemble draft genomes. This approach, however, is quite limited since it can classify exclusively sequences similar to those available (and well classified) in the databases. In this work, we used draft genomes from Lake Stechlin, north-eastern Germany, recovered by MetaBat, an efficient binning tool that integrates empirical probabilistic distances of genome abundance, and tetranucleotide frequency for accurate metagenome binning. These genomes were screened for secondary metabolism genes, such as polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS), using the Anti-SMASH and NAPDOS workflows. With this approach we were able to identify 243 secondary metabolite clusters from 121 genomes recovered from our lake samples. A total of 18 NRPS, 19 PKS, and 3 hybrid PKS/NRPS clusters were found. In addition, it was possible to predict the partial structure of several secondary metabolite clusters allowing for taxonomical classifications and phylogenetic inferences. Our approach revealed a high potential to recover and study secondary metabolites genes from any aquatic ecosystem. KW - metagenomics 2.0 KW - PKS KW - NRPS KW - freshwater KW - environmental genomics Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00251 SN - 1664-302X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinrich, Ingo A1 - Balanzategui, Daniel A1 - Bens, Oliver A1 - Blasch, Gerald A1 - Blume, Theresa A1 - Boettcher, Falk A1 - Borg, Erik A1 - Brademann, Brian A1 - Brauer, Achim A1 - Conrad, Christopher A1 - Dietze, Elisabeth A1 - Dräger, Nadine A1 - Fiener, Peter A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Güntner, Andreas A1 - Heine, Iris A1 - Helle, Gerhard A1 - Herbrich, Marcus A1 - Harfenmeister, Katharina A1 - Heussner, Karl-Uwe A1 - Hohmann, Christian A1 - Itzerott, Sibylle A1 - Jurasinski, Gerald A1 - Kaiser, Knut A1 - Kappler, Christoph A1 - Koebsch, Franziska A1 - Liebner, Susanne A1 - Lischeid, Gunnar A1 - Merz, Bruno A1 - Missling, Klaus Dieter A1 - Morgner, Markus A1 - Pinkerneil, Sylvia A1 - Plessen, Birgit A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Ruhtz, Thomas A1 - Sachs, Torsten A1 - Sommer, Michael A1 - Spengler, Daniel A1 - Stender, Vivien A1 - Stüve, Peter A1 - Wilken, Florian T1 - Interdisciplinary Geo-ecological Research across Time Scales in the Northeast German Lowland Observatory (TERENO-NE) JF - Vadose zone journal N2 - The Northeast German Lowland Observatory (TERENO-NE) was established to investigate the regional impact of climate and land use change. TERENO-NE focuses on the Northeast German lowlands, for which a high vulnerability has been determined due to increasing temperatures and decreasing amounts of precipitation projected for the coming decades. To facilitate in-depth evaluations of the effects of climate and land use changes and to separate the effects of natural and anthropogenic drivers in the region, six sites were chosen for comprehensive monitoring. In addition, at selected sites, geoarchives were used to substantially extend the instrumental records back in time. It is this combination of diverse disciplines working across different time scales that makes the observatory TERENO-NE a unique observation platform. We provide information about the general characteristics of the observatory and its six monitoring sites and present examples of interdisciplinary research activities at some of these sites. We also illustrate how monitoring improves process understanding, how remote sensing techniques are fine-tuned by the most comprehensive ground-truthing site DEMMIN, how soil erosion dynamics have evolved, how greenhouse gas monitoring of rewetted peatlands can reveal unexpected mechanisms, and how proxy data provides a long-term perspective of current ongoing changes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.06.0116 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 17 IS - 1 PB - Soil Science Society of America CY - Madison ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Metin, Ayse Duha A1 - Nguyen Viet Dung, A1 - Schröter, Kai A1 - Guse, Björn A1 - Apel, Heiko A1 - Kreibich, Heidi A1 - Vorogushyn, Sergiy A1 - Merz, Bruno T1 - How do changes along the risk chain affect flood risk? JF - Natural hazards and earth system sciences N2 - Flood risk is impacted by a range of physical and socio-economic processes. Hence, the quantification of flood risk ideally considers the complete flood risk chain, from atmospheric processes through catchment and river system processes to damage mechanisms in the affected areas. Although it is generally accepted that a multitude of changes along the risk chain can occur and impact flood risk, there is a lack of knowledge of how and to what extent changes in influencing factors propagate through the chain and finally affect flood risk. To fill this gap, we present a comprehensive sensitivity analysis which considers changes in all risk components, i.e. changes in climate, catchment, river system, land use, assets, and vulnerability. The application of this framework to the mesoscale Mulde catchment in Germany shows that flood risk can vary dramatically as a consequence of plausible change scenarios. It further reveals that components that have not received much attention, such as changes in dike systems or in vulnerability, may outweigh changes in often investigated components, such as climate. Although the specific results are conditional on the case study area and the selected assumptions, they emphasize the need for a broader consideration of potential drivers of change in a comprehensive way. Hence, our approach contributes to a better understanding of how the different risk components influence the overall flood risk. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-3089-2018 SN - 1561-8633 SN - 1684-9981 VL - 18 IS - 11 SP - 3089 EP - 3108 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Duy, Nguyen Le A1 - Heidbüchel, Ingo A1 - Meyer, Hanno A1 - Merz, Bruno A1 - Apel, Heiko T1 - What controls the stable isotope composition of precipitation in the Mekong Delta? BT - a model-based statistical approach JF - Hydrology and earth system sciences : HESS N2 - This study analyzes the influence of local and regional climatic factors on the stable isotopic composition of rainfall in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) as part of the Asian monsoon region. It is based on 1.5 years of weekly rainfall samples. In the first step, the isotopic composition of the samples is analyzed by local meteoric water lines (LMWLs) and single-factor linear correlations. Additionally, the contribution of several regional and local factors is quantified by multiple linear regression (MLR) of all possible factor combinations and by relative importance analysis. This approach is novel for the interpretation of isotopic records and enables an objective quantification of the explained variance in isotopic records for individual factors. In this study, the local factors are extracted from local climate records, while the regional factors are derived from atmospheric backward trajectories of water particles. The regional factors, i.e., precipitation, temperature, relative humidity and the length of backward trajectories, are combined with equivalent local climatic parameters to explain the response variables delta O-18, delta H-2, and d-excess of precipitation at the station of measurement. The results indicate that (i) MLR can better explain the isotopic variation in precipitation (R-2 = 0.8) compared to single-factor linear regression (R-2 = 0.3); (ii) the isotopic variation in precipitation is controlled dominantly by regional moisture regimes (similar to 70 %) compared to local climatic conditions (similar to 30 %); (iii) the most important climatic parameter during the rainy season is the precipitation amount along the trajectories of air mass movement; (iv) the influence of local precipitation amount and temperature is not sig-nificant during the rainy season, unlike the regional precipitation amount effect; (v) secondary fractionation processes (e.g., sub-cloud evaporation) can be identified through the d-excess and take place mainly in the dry season, either locally for delta O-18 and delta H-2, or along the air mass trajectories for d-excess. The analysis shows that regional and local factors vary in importance over the seasons and that the source regions and transport pathways, and particularly the climatic conditions along the pathways, have a large influence on the isotopic composition of rainfall. Although the general results have been reported qualitatively in previous studies (proving the validity of the approach), the proposed method provides quantitative estimates of the controlling factors, both for the whole data set and for distinct seasons. Therefore, it is argued that the approach constitutes an advancement in the statistical analysis of isotopic records in rainfall that can supplement or precede more complex studies utilizing atmospheric models. Due to its relative simplicity, the method can be easily transferred to other regions, or extended with other factors. The results illustrate that the interpretation of the isotopic composition of precipitation as a recorder of local climatic conditions, as for example performed for paleorecords of water isotopes, may not be adequate in the southern part of the Indochinese Peninsula, and likely neither in other regions affected by monsoon processes. However, the presented approach could open a pathway towards better and seasonally differentiated reconstruction of paleoclimates based on isotopic records. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1239-2018 SN - 1027-5606 SN - 1607-7938 VL - 22 IS - 2 SP - 1239 EP - 1262 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöpa, Anne A1 - Chao, Wei-An A1 - Lipovsky, Bradley P. A1 - Hovius, Niels A1 - White, Robert S. A1 - Green, Robert G. A1 - Turowski, Jens M. T1 - Dynamics of the Askja caldera July 2014 landslide, Iceland, from seismic signal analysis BT - precursor, motion and aftermath JF - Earth surface dynamics N2 - Landslide hazard motivates the need for a deeper understanding of the events that occur before, during, and after catastrophic slope failures. Due to the destructive nature of such events, in situ observation is often difficult or impossible. Here, we use data from a network of 58 seismic stations to characterise a large landslide at the Askja caldera, Iceland, on 21 July 2014. High data quality and extensive network coverage allow us to analyse both long- and short-period signals associated with the landslide, and thereby obtain information about its triggering, initiation, timing, and propagation. At long periods, a landslide force history inversion shows that the Askja landslide was a single, large event starting at the SE corner of the caldera lake at 23:24:05 UTC and propagating to the NW in the following 2 min The bulk sliding mass was 7-16 x 10(10) kg, equivalent to a collapsed volume of 35-80 x 10(6) m(3). The sliding mass was displaced downslope by 1260 +/- 250 m. At short periods, a seismic tremor was observed for 30 min before the landslide. The tremor is approximately harmonic with a fundamental frequency of 2.3 Hz and shows time-dependent changes of its frequency content. We attribute the seismic tremor to stick-slip motion along the landslide failure plane. Accelerating motion leading up to the catastrophic slope failure culminated in an aseismic quiescent period for 2 min before the landslide. We propose that precursory seismic signals may be useful in landslide early-warning systems. The 8 h after the main landslide failure are characterised by smaller slope failures originating from the destabilised caldera wall decaying in frequency and magnitude. We introduce the term "afterslides" for this subsequent, declining slope activity after a large landslide. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-467-2018 SN - 2196-6311 SN - 2196-632X VL - 6 IS - 2 SP - 467 EP - 485 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wojcik, Robin A1 - Donhauser, Johanna A1 - Frey, Beat W. A1 - Holm, Stine A1 - Holland, Alexandra A1 - Anesio, Alexandre M. A1 - Pearce, David A. A1 - Malard, Lucie A1 - Wagner, Dirk A1 - Benning, Liane G. T1 - Linkages between geochemistry and microbiology in a proglacial terrain in the High Arctic JF - Annals of glaciology N2 - Proglacial environments are ideal for studying the development of soils through the changes of rocks exposed by glacier retreat to weathering and microbial processes. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents as well as soil pH and soil elemental compositions are thought to be dominant factors structuring the bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities in the early stages of soil ecosystem formation. However, the functional linkages between C and N contents, soil composition and microbial community structures remain poorly understood. Here, we describe a multivariate analysis of geochemical properties and associated microbial community structures between a moraine and a glaciofluvial outwash in the proglacial area of a High Arctic glacier (Longyearbreen, Svalbard). Our results reveal distinct differences in developmental stages and heterogeneity between the moraine and the glaciofluvial outwash. We observed significant relationships between C and N contents, delta C-13(org) and delta N-15 isotopic ratios, weathering and microbial abundance and community structures. We suggest that the observed differences in microbial and geochemical parameters between the moraine and the glaciofluvial outwash are primarily a result of geomorphological variations of the proglacial terrain. KW - biogeochemistry KW - glacial geomorphology KW - glacier chemistry KW - microbiology KW - processes and landforms of glacial erosion Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2019.1 SN - 0260-3055 SN - 1727-5644 VL - 59 IS - 77 SP - 95 EP - 110 PB - Cambridge Univ. Press CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Genderjahn, Steffi A1 - Alawi, Mashal A1 - Mangelsdorf, Kai A1 - Horn, Fabian A1 - Wagner, Dirk T1 - Desiccation- and saline-solerant bacteria and archaea in kalahari an sediments JF - Frontiers in microbiology N2 - More than 41% of the Earth’s land area is covered by permanent or seasonally arid dryland ecosystems. Global development and human activity have led to an increase in aridity, resulting in ecosystem degradation and desertification around the world. The objective of the present work was to investigate and compare the microbial community structure and geochemical characteristics of two geographically distinct saline pan sediments in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. Our data suggest that these microbial communities have been shaped by geochemical drivers, including water content, salinity, and the supply of organic matter. Using Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing, this study provides new insights into the diversity of bacteria and archaea in semi-arid, saline, and low-carbon environments. Many of the observed taxa are halophilic and adapted to water-limiting conditions. The analysis reveals a high relative abundance of halophilic archaea (primarily Halobacteria), and the bacterial diversity is marked by an abundance of Gemmatimonadetes and spore-forming Firmicutes. In the deeper, anoxic layers, candidate division MSBL1, and acetogenic bacteria (Acetothermia) are abundant. Together, the taxonomic information and geochemical data suggest that acetogenesis could be a prevalent form of metabolism in the deep layers of a saline pan. KW - saline pan KW - Kalahari KW - Halobacteria KW - Gemmatimonadetes KW - Firmicutes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02082 SN - 1664-302X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jongejans, Loeka Laura A1 - Strauss, Jens A1 - Lenz, Josefine A1 - Peterse, Francien A1 - Mangelsdorf, Kai A1 - Fuchs, Matthias A1 - Grosse, Guido T1 - Organic matter characteristics in yedoma and thermokarst deposits on Baldwin Peninsula, west Alaska JF - Biogeosciences N2 - As Arctic warming continues and permafrost thaws, more soil and sedimentary organic matter (OM) will be decomposed in northern high latitudes. Still, uncertainties remain in the quality of the OM and the size of the organic carbon (OC) pools stored in different deposit types of permafrost landscapes. This study presents OM data from deep permafrost and lake deposits on the Baldwin Peninsula which is located in the southern portion of the continuous permafrost zone in west Alaska. Sediment samples from yedoma and drained thermokarst lake basin (DTLB) deposits as well as thermokarst lake sediments were analyzed for cryostratigraphical and biogeochemical parameters and their lipid biomarker composition to identify the below-ground OC pool size and OM quality of ice-rich permafrost on the Baldwin Peninsula. We provide the first detailed characterization of yedoma deposits on Baldwin Peninsula. We show that three-quarters of soil OC in the frozen deposits of the study region (total of 68 Mt) is stored in DTLB deposits (52 Mt) and one-quarter in the frozen yedoma deposits (16 Mt). The lake sediments contain a relatively small OC pool (4 Mt), but have the highest volumetric OC content (93 kgm(-3)) compared to the DTLB (35 kgm(-3)) and yedoma deposits (8 kgm(-3)), largely due to differences in the ground ice content. The biomarker analysis indicates that the OM in both yedoma and DTLB deposits is mainly of terrestrial origin. Nevertheless, the relatively high carbon preference index of plant leaf waxes in combination with a lack of a degradation trend with depth in the yedoma deposits indi-cates that OM stored in yedoma is less degraded than that stored in DTLB deposits. This suggests that OM in yedoma has a higher potential for decomposition upon thaw, despite the relatively small size of this pool. These findings show that the use of lipid biomarker analysis is valuable in the assessment of the potential future greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost, especially because this area, close to the discontinuous permafrost boundary, is projected to thaw substantially within the 21st century. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6033-2018 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 15 IS - 20 SP - 6033 EP - 6048 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Abreu e Lima, Francisco Anastacio A1 - Willmitzer, Lothar A1 - Nikoloski, Zoran T1 - Classification-driven framework to predict maize hybrid field performance from metabolic profiles of young parental roots JF - PLoS one N2 - Maize (Zea mays L.) is a staple food whose production relies on seed stocks that largely comprise hybrid varieties. Therefore, knowledge about the molecular determinants of hybrid performance (HP) in the field can be used to devise better performing hybrids to address the demands for sustainable increase in yield. Here, we propose and test a classification-driven framework that uses metabolic profiles from in vitro grown young roots of parental lines from the Dent x Flint maize heterotic pattern to predict field HP. We identify parental analytes that best predict the metabolic inheritance patterns in 328 hybrids. We then demonstrate that these analytes are also predictive of field HP (0.64 >= r >= 0.79) and discriminate hybrids of good performance (accuracy of 87.50%). Therefore, our approach provides a cost-effective solution for hybrid selection programs. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196038 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 4 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jing, Miao A1 - Hesse, Falk A1 - Kumar, Rohini A1 - Wang, Wenqing A1 - Fischer, Thomas A1 - Walther, Marc A1 - Zink, Matthias A1 - Zech, Alraune A1 - Samaniego, Luis A1 - Kolditz, Olaf A1 - Attinger, Sabine T1 - Improved regional-scale groundwater representation by the coupling of the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM v5.7) to the groundwater model OpenGeoSys (OGS) JF - Geoscientific model development : an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union N2 - Most large-scale hydrologic models fall short in reproducing groundwater head dynamics and simulating transport process due to their oversimplified representation of groundwater flow. In this study, we aim to extend the applicability of the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM v5.7) to subsurface hydrology by coupling it with the porous media simulator OpenGeoSys (OGS). The two models are one-way coupled through model interfaces GIS2FEM and RIV2FEM, by which the grid-based fluxes of groundwater recharge and the river-groundwater exchange generated by mHM are converted to fixed-flux boundary conditions of the groundwater model OGS. Specifically, the grid-based vertical reservoirs in mHM are completely preserved for the estimation of land-surface fluxes, while OGS acts as a plug-in to the original mHM modeling framework for groundwater flow and transport modeling. The applicability of the coupled model (mHM-OGS v1.0) is evaluated by a case study in the central European mesoscale river basin - Nagelstedt. Different time steps, i.e., daily in mHM and monthly in OGS, are used to account for fast surface flow and slow groundwater flow. Model calibration is conducted following a two-step procedure using discharge for mHM and long-term mean of groundwater head measurements for OGS. Based on the model summary statistics, namely the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), and the interquartile range error (QRE), the coupled model is able to satisfactorily represent the dynamics of discharge and groundwater heads at several locations across the study basin. Our exemplary calculations show that the one-way coupled model can take advantage of the spatially explicit modeling capabilities of surface and groundwater hydrologic models and provide an adequate representation of the spatiotemporal behaviors of groundwater storage and heads, thus making it a valuable tool for addressing water resources and management problems. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1989-2018 SN - 1991-959X SN - 1991-9603 VL - 11 IS - 5 SP - 1989 EP - 2007 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwahn, Kevin A1 - Nikoloski, Zoran T1 - Data reduction approaches for dissecting transcriptional effects on metabolism JF - Frontiers in plant science N2 - The availability of high-throughput data from transcriptomics and metabolomics technologies provides the opportunity to characterize the transcriptional effects on metabolism. Here we propose and evaluate two computational approaches rooted in data reduction techniques to identify and categorize transcriptional effects on metabolism by combining data on gene expression and metabolite levels. The approaches determine the partial correlation between two metabolite data profiles upon control of given principal components extracted from transcriptomics data profiles. Therefore, they allow us to investigate both data types with all features simultaneously without doing preselection of genes. The proposed approaches allow us to categorize the relation between pairs of metabolites as being under transcriptional or post-transcriptional regulation. The resulting classification is compared to existing literature and accumulated evidence about regulatory mechanism of reactions and pathways in the cases of Escherichia coil, Saccharomycies cerevisiae, and Arabidopsis thaliana. KW - E. coil KW - S. cerevisiae KW - A. thaliana KW - partial correlation KW - principal component analysis KW - metabolomics KW - data reduction KW - regulation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00538 SN - 1664-462X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Küken, Anika A1 - Sommer, Frederik A1 - Yaneva-Roder, Liliya A1 - Mackinder, Luke C. M. A1 - Hoehne, Melanie A1 - Geimer, Stefan A1 - Jonikas, Martin C. A1 - Schroda, Michael A1 - Stitt, Mark A1 - Nikoloski, Zoran A1 - Mettler-Altmann, Tabea T1 - Effects of microcompartmentation on flux distribution and metabolic pools in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts JF - eLife N2 - Cells and organelles are not homogeneous but include microcompartments that alter the spatiotemporal characteristics of cellular processes. The effects of microcompartmentation on metabolic pathways are however difficult to study experimentally. The pyrenoid is a microcompartment that is essential for a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) that improves the photosynthetic performance of eukaryotic algae. Using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we obtained experimental data on photosynthesis, metabolites, and proteins in CCM-induced and CCM-suppressed cells. We then employed a computational strategy to estimate how fluxes through the Calvin-Benson cycle are compartmented between the pyrenoid and the stroma. Our model predicts that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), the substrate of Rubisco, and 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA), its product, diffuse in and out of the pyrenoid, respectively, with higher fluxes in CCM-induced cells. It also indicates that there is no major diffusional barrier to metabolic flux between the pyrenoid and stroma. Our computational approach represents a stepping stone to understanding microcompartmentalized CCM in other organisms. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.37960 SN - 2050-084X VL - 7 PB - eLife Sciences Publications CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheunemann, Michael A1 - Brady, Siobhan M. A1 - Nikoloski, Zoran T1 - Integration of large-scale data for extraction of integrated Arabidopsis root cell-type specific models JF - Scientific reports N2 - Plant organs consist of multiple cell types that do not operate in isolation, but communicate with each other to maintain proper functions. Here, we extract models specific to three developmental stages of eight root cell types or tissue layers in Arabidopsis thaliana based on a state-of-the-art constraint-based modeling approach with all publicly available transcriptomics and metabolomics data from this system to date. We integrate these models into a multi-cell root model which we investigate with respect to network structure, distribution of fluxes, and concordance to transcriptomics and proteomics data. From a methodological point, we show that the coupling of tissue-specific models in a multi-tissue model yields a higher specificity of the interconnected models with respect to network structure and flux distributions. We use the extracted models to predict and investigate the flux of the growth hormone indole-3-actetate and its antagonist, trans-Zeatin, through the root. While some of predictions are in line with experimental evidence, constraints other than those coming from the metabolic level may be necessary to replicate the flow of indole-3-actetate from other simulation studies. Therefore, our work provides the means for data-driven multi-tissue metabolic model extraction of other Arabidopsis organs in the constraint-based modeling framework. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26232-8 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 8 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Polom, Ulrich A1 - Alrshdan, Hussam A1 - Al-Halbouni, Djamil A1 - Holohan, Eoghan P. A1 - Dahm, Torsten A1 - Sawarieh, Ali A1 - Atallah, Mohamad Y. A1 - Krawczyk, Charlotte M. T1 - Shear wave reflection seismic yields subsurface dissolution and subrosion patterns BT - application to the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkhole site, Dead Sea, Jordan JF - Solid earth N2 - Near-surface geophysical imaging of alluvial fan settings is a challenging task but crucial for understating geological processes in such settings. The alluvial fan of Ghor Al-Haditha at the southeast shore of the Dead Sea is strongly affected by localized subsidence and destructive sinkhole collapses, with a significantly increasing sinkhole formation rate since ca. 1983. A similar increase is observed also on the western shore of the Dead Sea, in correlation with an ongoing decline in the Dead Sea level. Since different structural models of the upper 50 m of the alluvial fan and varying hypothetical sinkhole processes have been suggested for the Ghor Al-Haditha area in the past, this study aimed to clarify the subsurface characteristics responsible for sinkhole development. For this purpose, high-frequency shear wave reflection vibratory seismic surveys were carried out in the Ghor Al-Haditha area along several crossing and parallel profiles with a total length of 1.8 and 2.1 km in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The sedimentary architecture of the alluvial fan at Ghor Al-Haditha is resolved down to a depth of nearly 200 m at a high resolution and is calibrated with the stratigraphic profiles of two boreholes located inside the survey area. The most surprising result of the survey is the absence of evidence of a thick (>2-10 m) compacted salt layer formerly suggested to lie at ca. 35-40 m depth. Instead, seismic reflection amplitudes and velocities image with good continuity a complex interlocking of alluvial fan deposits and lacustrine sediments of the Dead Sea between 0 and 200 m depth. Furthermore, the underground section of areas affected by sinkholes is characterized by highly scattering wave fields and reduced seismic interval velocities. We propose that the Dead Sea mud layers, which comprise distributed inclusions or lenses of evaporitic chloride, sulfate, and carbonate minerals as well as clay silicates, become increasingly exposed to unsaturated water as the sea level declines and are consequently destabilized and mobilized by both dissolution and physical erosion in the subsurface. This new interpretation of the underlying cause of sinkhole development is supported by surface observations in nearby channel systems. Overall, this study shows that shear wave seismic reflection technique is a promising method for enhanced near-surface imaging in such challenging alluvial fan settings. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1079-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 5 SP - 1079 EP - 1098 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reinhardt, Julia A1 - Liersch, Stefan A1 - Abdeladhim, Mohamed Arbi A1 - Diallo, Mori A1 - Dickens, Chris A1 - Fournet, Samuel A1 - Hattermann, Fred A1 - Kabaseke, Clovis A1 - Muhumuza, Moses A1 - Mul, Marloes L. A1 - Pilz, Tobias A1 - Otto, Ilona M. A1 - Walz, Ariane T1 - Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management BT - evidence from four case studies in Africa JF - Ecology and society : a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability N2 - Scenarios have become a key tool for supporting sustainability research on regional and global change. In this study we evaluate four regional scenario assessments: first, to explore a number of research challenges related to sustainability science and, second, to contribute to sustainability research in the specific case studies. The four case studies used commonly applied scenario approaches that are (i) a story and simulation approach with stakeholder participation in the Oum Zessar watershed, Tunisia, (ii) a participatory scenario exploration in the Rwenzori region, Uganda, (iii) a model-based prepolicy study in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali, and (iv) a model coupling-based scenario analysis in upper Thukela basin, South Africa. The scenario assessments are evaluated against a set of known challenges in sustainability science, with each challenge represented by two indicators, complemented by a survey carried out on the perception of the scenario assessments within the case study regions. The results show that all types of scenario assessments address many sustainability challenges, but that the more complex ones based on story and simulation and model coupling are the most comprehensive. The study highlights the need to investigate abrupt system changes as well as governmental and political factors as important sources of uncertainty. For an in-depth analysis of these issues, the use of qualitative approaches and an active engagement of local stakeholders are suggested. Studying ecological thresholds for the regional scale is recommended to support research on regional sustainability. The evaluation of the scenario processes and outcomes by local researchers indicates the most transparent scenario assessments as the most useful. Focused, straightforward, yet iterative scenario assessments can be very relevant by contributing information to selected sustainability problems. KW - Africa KW - global and regional change KW - integrated assessments KW - participatory research KW - sustainability science Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09728-230105 SN - 1708-3087 VL - 23 IS - 1 PB - Resilience Alliance CY - Wolfville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwingshackl, Lukas A1 - Ruzanska, Ulrike Alexandra A1 - Anton, Verena A1 - Wallroth, Raphael A1 - Ohla, Kathrin A1 - Knueppel, Sven A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd A1 - Pischon, Tobias A1 - Deutschbein, Johannes A1 - Schenk, Liane A1 - Warschburger, Petra A1 - Harttig, Ulrich A1 - Boeing, Heiner A1 - Bergmann, Manuela M. T1 - The NutriAct Family Study: a web-based prospective study on the epidemiological, psychological and sociological basis of food choice JF - BMC public health N2 - Background: Most studies on food choice have been focussing on the individual level but familial aspects may also play an important role. This paper reports of a novel study that will focus on the familial aspects of the formation of food choice among men and women aged 50-70 years by recruiting spouses and siblings (NutriAct Family Study; NFS). Discussion: Until August 4th 2017, 4783 EPIC-Participants were contacted by mail of which 446 persons recruited 2 to 5 family members (including themselves) resulting in 1032 participants, of whom 82% had started answering or already completed the questionnaires. Of the 4337 remaining EPIC-participants who had been contacted, 1040 (24%) did not respond at all, and 3297 (76%) responded but declined, in 51% of the cases because of the request to recruit at least 2 family members in the respective age range. The developed recruitment procedures and web-based methods of data collection are capable to generate the required study population including the data on individual and inter-personal determinants which will be linkable to food choice. The information on familial links among the study participants will show the role of familial traits in midlife for the adoption of food choices supporting healthy aging. KW - NutriAct family study KW - Study protocol KW - Food choice KW - Determinants Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5814-x SN - 1471-2458 VL - 18 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shprits, Yuri Y. A1 - Menietti, J. D. A1 - Drozdov, Alexander A1 - Horne, Richard B. A1 - Woodfield, Emma E. A1 - Groene, J. B. A1 - de Soria-Santacruz, M. A1 - Averkamp, T. F. A1 - Garrett, H. A1 - Paranicas, C. A1 - Gurnett, Don A. T1 - Strong whistler mode waves observed in the vicinity of Jupiter’s moons JF - Nature Communications N2 - Understanding of wave environments is critical for the understanding of how particles are accelerated and lost in space. This study shows that in the vicinity of Europa and Ganymede, that respectively have induced and internal magnetic fields, chorus wave power is significantly increased. The observed enhancements are persistent and exceed median values of wave activity by up to 6 orders of magnitude for Ganymede. Produced waves may have a pronounced effect on the acceleration and loss of particles in the Jovian magnetosphere and other astrophysical objects. The generated waves are capable of significantly modifying the energetic particle environment, accelerating particles to very high energies, or producing depletions in phase space density. Observations of Jupiter’s magnetosphere provide a unique opportunity to observe how objects with an internal magnetic field can interact with particles trapped in magnetic fields of larger scale objects. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05431-x SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike A1 - Gorodnichev, Ruslan A1 - Wetterich, Sebastian T1 - The sensitivity of diatom taxa from Yakutian lakes (north-eastern Siberia) to electrical conductivity and other environmental variables JF - Polar research : a Norwegian journal of Polar research N2 - Relative abundances of 157 diatom taxa from Yakutian lake surface-sediments were investigated for their potential to indicate certain environmental conditions. Data from 206 sites from Arctic, sub-Arctic and boreal environments were included. Redundancy analyses were performed to assess the explanatory power of mean July temperature (T-July), conductivity, pH, dissolved silica concentration, phosphate concentration, lake depth and vegetation type on diatom species composition. Boosted regression tree analyses were performed to infer the most relevant environmental variables for abundances of individual taxa and weighted average regression was applied to infer their respective optimum and tolerance. Electrical conductivity was best indicated by diatom taxa. In contrast, only few taxa were indicative of Si and water depth. Few taxa were related to specific pH values. Although T-July, explained the highest proportion of variance in the diatom spectra and was, after conductivity, the second-most selected splitting variable, we a priori decided not to present indicator taxa because of the poorly understood relationship between diatom occurrences and T-July. In total, 92 diatom taxa were reliable indicators of a certain vegetation type or a combination of several types. The high numbers of indicative species for open vegetation sites and for forested sites suggest that the principal turnover is the transition from forest-tundra to northern taiga. Overall, our results reveal that preference ranges of diatom taxa for environmental variables are mostly broad, and the use of indicator taxa for the purposes of environmental reconstruction or environmental monitoring is therefore restricted to marked rather than subtle environmental transitions. KW - Temperature KW - pH KW - dissolved silica concentration KW - Arctic KW - diatom indicator species Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2018.1485625 SN - 0800-0395 SN - 1751-8369 VL - 37 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - GEN A1 - Jeglinski-Mende, Melinda A. A1 - Shaki, Samuel A1 - Fischer, Martin H. T1 - Rezension zu: Varma, Sashank ; Schwartz, Daniel L.: The mental representation of integers : an abstract-to-concrete shift in the understanding of mathematical concepts. - Cognition. - 121 (2011), 3. - S. 363 - 385 T2 - Frontiers in psychology KW - cognitive development KW - mental number line KW - negative numbers KW - embodied cognition KW - abstract concepts Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00209 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dvornikov, Yury A1 - Leibman, Marina A1 - Heim, Birgit A1 - Bartsch, Annett A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike A1 - Skorospekhova, Tatiana A1 - Fedorova, Irina A1 - Khomutov, Artem A1 - Widhalm, Barbara A1 - Gubarkov, Anatoly A1 - Rößler, Sebastian T1 - Terrestrial CDOM in lakes of Yamal Peninsula BT - Connection to lake and lake catchment properties JF - Remote Sensing N2 - In this study, we analyze interactions in lake and lake catchment systems of a continuous permafrost area. We assessed colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption at 440 nm (a(440)(CDOM)) and absorption slope (S300-500) in lakes using field sampling and optical remote sensing data for an area of 350 km(2) in Central Yamal, Siberia. Applying a CDOM algorithm (ratio of green and red band reflectance) for two high spatial resolution multispectral GeoEye-1 and Worldview-2 satellite images, we were able to extrapolate the a()(CDOM) data from 18 lakes sampled in the field to 356 lakes in the study area (model R-2 = 0.79). Values of a(440)(CDOM) in 356 lakes varied from 0.48 to 8.35 m(-1) with a median of 1.43 m(-1). This a()(CDOM) dataset was used to relate lake CDOM to 17 lake and lake catchment parameters derived from optical and radar remote sensing data and from digital elevation model analysis in order to establish the parameters controlling CDOM in lakes on the Yamal Peninsula. Regression tree model and boosted regression tree analysis showed that the activity of cryogenic processes (thermocirques) in the lake shores and lake water level were the two most important controls, explaining 48.4% and 28.4% of lake CDOM, respectively (R-2 = 0.61). Activation of thermocirques led to a large input of terrestrial organic matter and sediments from catchments and thawed permafrost to lakes (n = 15, mean a(440)(CDOM) = 5.3 m(-1)). Large lakes on the floodplain with a connection to Mordy-Yakha River received more CDOM (n = 7, mean a(440)(CDOM) = 3.8 m(-1)) compared to lakes located on higher terraces. KW - CDOM KW - lakes KW - lake catchments KW - permafrost KW - Yamal KW - remote sensing data Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10020167 SN - 2072-4292 VL - 10 IS - 2 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kurpiers, Jona A1 - Ferron, Thomas A1 - Roland, Steffen A1 - Jakoby, Marius A1 - Thiede, Tobias A1 - Jaiser, Frank A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Janietz, Silvia A1 - Collins, Brian A. A1 - Howard, Ian A. A1 - Neher, Dieter T1 - Probing the pathways of free charge generation in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells JF - Nature Communications N2 - The fact that organic solar cells perform efficiently despite the low dielectric constant of most photoactive blends initiated a long-standing debate regarding the dominant pathways of free charge formation. Here, we address this issue through the accurate measurement of the activation energy for free charge photogeneration over a wide range of photon energy, using the method of time-delayed collection field. For our prototypical low bandgap polymer:fullerene blends, we find that neither the temperature nor the field dependence of free charge generation depend on the excitation energy, ruling out an appreciable contribution to free charge generation though hot carrier pathways. On the other hand, activation energies are on the order of the room temperature thermal energy for all studied blends. We conclude that charge generation in such devices proceeds through thermalized charge transfer states, and that thermal energy is sufficient to separate most of these states into free charges. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04386-3 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Al-Halbouni, Djamil A1 - Holohan, Eoghan P. A1 - Taheri, Abbas A1 - Schöpfer, Martin P. J. A1 - Emam, Sacha A1 - Dahm, Torsten T1 - Geomechanical modelling of sinkhole development using distinct elements BT - model verification for a single void space and application to the Dead Sea area JF - Solid earth N2 - Mechanical and/or chemical removal of material from the subsurface may generate large subsurface cavities, the destabilisation of which can lead to ground collapse and the formation of sinkholes. Numerical simulation of the interaction of cavity growth, host material deformation and overburden collapse is desirable to better understand the sinkhole hazard but is a challenging task due to the involved high strains and material discontinuities. Here, we present 2-D distinct element method numerical simulations of cavity growth and sinkhole development. Firstly, we simulate cavity formation by quasi-static, stepwise removal of material in a single growing zone of an arbitrary geometry and depth. We benchmark this approach against analytical and boundary element method models of a deep void space in a linear elastic material. Secondly, we explore the effects of properties of different uniform materials on cavity stability and sinkhole development. We perform simulated biaxial tests to calibrate macroscopic geotechnical parameters of three model materials representative of those in which sinkholes develop at the Dead Sea shoreline: mud, alluvium and salt. We show that weak materials do not support large cavities, leading to gradual sagging or suffusion-style subsidence. Strong materials support quasi-stable to stable cavities, the overburdens of which may fail suddenly in a caprock or bedrock collapse style. Thirdly, we examine the consequences of layered arrangements of weak and strong materials. We find that these are more susceptible to sinkhole collapse than uniform materials not only due to a lower integrated strength of the overburden but also due to an inhibition of stabilising stress arching. Finally, we compare our model sinkhole geometries to observations at the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkhole site in Jordan. Sinkhole depth / diameter ratios of 0.15 in mud, 0.37 in alluvium and 0.33 in salt are reproduced successfully in the calibrated model materials. The model results suggest that the observed distribution of sinkhole depth / diameter values in each material type may partly reflect sinkhole growth trends. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1341-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 6 SP - 1341 EP - 1373 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Woodfield, Emma E. A1 - Horne, Richard B. A1 - Glauert, S. A. A1 - Menietti, J. D. A1 - Shprits, Yuri Y. A1 - Kurth, William S. T1 - Formation of electron radiation belts at Saturn by Z-mode wave acceleration JF - Nature Communications N2 - At Saturn electrons are trapped in the planet’s magnetic field and accelerated to relativistic energies to form the radiation belts, but how this dramatic increase in electron energy occurs is still unknown. Until now the mechanism of radial diffusion has been assumed but we show here that in-situ acceleration through wave particle interactions, which initial studies dismissed as ineffectual at Saturn, is in fact a vital part of the energetic particle dynamics there. We present evidence from numerical simulations based on Cassini spacecraft data that a particular plasma wave, known as Z-mode, accelerates electrons to MeV energies inside 4 RS (1 RS = 60,330 km) through a Doppler shifted cyclotron resonant interaction. Our results show that the Z-mode waves observed are not oblique as previously assumed and are much better accelerators than O-mode waves, resulting in an electron energy spectrum that closely approaches observed values without any transport effects included. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07549-4 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 9 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Granacher, Urs A1 - Puta, Christian A1 - Gabriel, Holger H. W. A1 - Behm, David George A1 - Arampatzis, Adamantios T1 - Neuromuscular Training and Adaptations in Youth Athletes T2 - Frontiers in physiology KW - strength training KW - plyometric training KW - physical fitness KW - injury prevention KW - athletic performance Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01264 SN - 1664-042X VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Zacharias, Steffen A1 - Womack, Gary A1 - Köhli, Markus A1 - Desilets, Darin A1 - Oswald, Sascha A1 - Bumberger, Jan A1 - Mollenhauer, Hannes A1 - Kögler, Simon A1 - Remmler, Paul A1 - Kasner, Mandy A1 - Denk, Astrid A1 - Dietrich, Peter T1 - Intercomparison of cosmic-ray neutron sensors and water balance monitoring in an urban environment JF - Geoscientific instrumentation, methods and data systems N2 - Sensor-to-sensor variability is a source of error common to all geoscientific instruments that needs to be assessed before comparative and applied research can be performed with multiple sensors. Consistency among sensor systems is especially critical when subtle features of the surrounding terrain are to be identified. Cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNSs) are a recent technology used to monitor hectometre-scale environmental water storages, for which a rigorous comparison study of numerous co-located sensors has not yet been performed. In this work, nine stationary CRNS probes of type "CRS1000" were installed in relative proximity on a grass patch surrounded by trees, buildings, and sealed areas. While the dynamics of the neutron count rates were found to be similar, offsets of a few percent from the absolute average neutron count rates were found. Technical adjustments of the individual detection parameters brought all instruments into good agreement. Furthermore, we found a critical integration time of 6 h above which all sensors showed consistent dynamics in the data and their RMSE fell below 1% of gravimetric water content. The residual differences between the nine signals indicated local effects of the complex urban terrain on the scale of several metres. Mobile CRNS measurements and spatial simulations with the URANOS neutron transport code in the surrounding area (25 ha) have revealed substantial sub-footprint heterogeneity to which CRNS detectors are sensitive despite their large averaging volume. The sealed and constantly dry structures in the footprint furthermore damped the dynamics of the CRNS-derived soil moisture. We developed strategies to correct for the sealed-area effect based on theoretical insights about the spatial sensitivity of the sensor. This procedure not only led to reliable soil moisture estimation during dry-out periods, it further revealed a strong signal of intercepted water that emerged over the sealed surfaces during rain events. The presented arrangement offered a unique opportunity to demonstrate the CRNS performance in complex terrain, and the results indicated great potential for further applications in urban climate research. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-83-2018 SN - 2193-0856 SN - 2193-0864 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - 83 EP - 99 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Jean A1 - Gemignani, Lorenzo A1 - van der Beek, Pieter A. T1 - Extracting information on the spatial variability in erosion rate stored in detrital cooling age distributions in river sands JF - Earth surface dynamics N2 - One of the main purposes of detrital thermochronology is to provide constraints on the regional-scale exhumation rate and its spatial variability in actively eroding mountain ranges. Procedures that use cooling age distributions coupled with hypsometry and thermal models have been developed in order to extract quantitative estimates of erosion rate and its spatial distribution, assuming steady state between tectonic uplift and erosion. This hypothesis precludes the use of these procedures to assess the likely transient response of mountain belts to changes in tectonic or climatic forcing. Other methods are based on an a priori knowledge of the in situ distribution of ages to interpret the detrital age distributions. In this paper, we describe a simple method that, using the observed detrital mineral age distributions collected along a river, allows us to extract information about the relative distribution of erosion rates in an eroding catchment without relying on a steady-state assumption, the value of thermal parameters or an a priori knowledge of in situ age distributions. The model is based on a relatively low number of parameters describing lithological variability among the various sub-catchments and their sizes and only uses the raw ages. The method we propose is tested against synthetic age distributions to demonstrate its accuracy and the optimum conditions for it use. In order to illustrate the method, we invert age distributions collected along the main trunk of the Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra river system in the eastern Himalaya. From the inversion of the cooling age distributions we predict present-day erosion rates of the catchments along the Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra river system, as well as some of its tributaries. We show that detrital age distributions contain dual information about present-day erosion rate, i. e., from the predicted distribution of surface ages within each catchment and from the relative contribution of any given catchment to the river distribution. The method additionally allows comparing modern erosion rates to long-term exhumation rates. We provide a simple implementation of the method in Python code within a Jupyter Notebook that includes the data used in this paper for illustration purposes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-257-2018 SN - 2196-6311 SN - 2196-632X VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 257 EP - 270 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ermakova, Tatiana A1 - Fabian, Benjamin A1 - Bender, Benedict A1 - Klimek, Kerstin T1 - Web Tracking BT - a literature review on the state of research T2 - Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 51) N2 - Web tracking seems to become ubiquitous in online business and leads to increased privacy concerns of users. This paper provides an overview over the current state of the art of web-tracking research, aiming to reveal the relevance and methodologies of this research area and creates a foundation for future work. In particular, this study addresses the following research questions: What methods are followed? What results have been achieved so far? What are potential future research areas? For these goals, a structured literature review based upon an established methodological framework is conducted. The identified articles are investigated with respect to the applied research methodologies and the aspects of web tracking they emphasize. KW - Information Security and Privacy KW - literature review KW - privacy KW - web-tracking Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2018.596 SN - 2572-6862 SP - 4732 EP - 4741 PB - HICSS Conference Office University of Hawaii at Manoa CY - Maile Way ER -