The Link Between the Business Process Management Capabilities and the Benefits Created by Robotic Process Automation in an Organisation

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as organisations are increasingly confronted with unclear and complex business environments, digital technologies are being used to acquire and maintain dynamism, innovation, responsiveness to changing societal needs, and agility, which are essential in this time of changes. In the current competitive environment, organising the performance of an organisation solely on the basis of functions and assignments is no longer appropriate. There is a growing interest in the concept of the process-oriented organisation (Szelagowski, & Berniak-Woźny 2020) and a growing focus on the digitalisation of operations and business processes (Kirchmer 2017; Siderska 2020). This article aims to define the link between the essential aspects of the Business Process Management capabilities and the benefit generated by Robotic Process Automation based on theoretical insights

Lake Warming and Microbial Food Web Dynamics in Spring: A Focus on Ciliates

Lakes worldwide are increasingly affected by global warming, with profound impacts on their physical, chemical and biological properties. Over the past decades, rising air temperatures have increased the thermal budgets of temperate lakes, with the surface water warming faster than deeper layers. This imbalance in water density has intensified thermal stratification and reduced winter mixing, leading to a shortening of nutrient availability for primary producers and their top predators, such as ciliates. Ciliates play a critical role in the spring microbial food web as trophic link between primary producers and the metazooplankton. During winter 2021, however, gradually warming of deep water in Lake Zurich facilitated renewed complete water turnover, resulting in an unexpected nutrient pulse to the epilimnion after years of nutrient scarcity. In my PhD thesis, I investigated the causes and consequences of these reoccurring deep mixing events by comparing years with differing mixing scenarios. My focus was set on the cascading effects of changes in spring phytoplankton blooms and their impact on ciliates, which are key consumers of primary producers. Additionally, I tested and refined novel methodological approaches to accelerate the quantification processes of ciliates and also of rotifers. The evaluation of five high-frequency spring sampling campaigns revealed that the effects of lake warming in deep, stratifying lakes are more complex and less unidirectional than previously assumed. While the increase in nutrient availability in Lake Zurich had a pronounced impact on phototrophic organisms, its effects on heterotrophic components of the microbial food web were recognizable but more subdued. Only the otherwise frequently occurring cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens couldn’t benefit from the nutrient pulse. Unlike diatoms and cryptophytes, P. rubescens was hampered by the prolonged turbulent phase and the delayed establishment of a stable metalimnion, which is crucial for its proliferation. Moreover, success of ciliates also varied among species, with small, early spring r-strategists benefiting most from the increase in phytoplankton. Despite the different response of ciliates to an increased prey availability, they displayed a remarkably high resilience in terms of their morphotype composition. Furthermore, a core assemblage remained highly consistent in their seasonality during spring, even under different mixing regimes. In all years, a transition from early to late spring ciliate assemblages could be observed. This shift was influenced by both, bottom-up factors of declining algal prey availability, and top-down pressures, including increase in metazooplankton predation and competition. The seasonal dynamics of ciliates were characterized by rapid fluctuations in their abundance, requiring at least weekly sampling to accurately capture their succession during the spring bloom in Lake Zurich. However, analyzing these high-resolution datasets is time-intensive and highlights the need for novel, more efficient approaches that remain comparable to traditional morphology-based methods, such as quantitative protargol staining (QPS). A promising approach is the adaptation of catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) for ciliate detection. This method combines molecular identification with 2 microscopic quantification. Successful tests on cultures and lake water samples demonstrated that CARD-FISH allows for the study of closely related species and small ciliates which are often overlooked microscopically. It also allows the investigation of ciliates with cryptic diversity, such as Balanion planctonicum. Previous underestimations of numbers of B. planctonicum via CARD-FISH compared to QPS counts highlighted the genetic complexity of this species. To date, four distinct haplotypes of B. planctonicum have been identified, differing significantly in their rDNA operon without shared polymorphisms and exhibiting minor but detectable morphological differences. These findings suggest that B. planctonicum represents a cryptic diversity of distinct haplotypes rather than merely reflecting the genetic variability within a single ciliate species. Another tool to increase the amount of processed samples is the image flow cytometer FlowCam. It uses continuous sample flow and microscopic image recognition to identify and quantify particles. It enables the monitoring of ciliate cultures without damaging their cells and has been already successfully applied in experimental studies. However, its resolution at 10x and 20x magnification limits its capability to reliably identify ciliates in lake water samples, and an accurate species determination is feasible only for ciliates larger than 50 μm. As the air temperature continues to rise, further increase in the water temperature of Lake Zurich can be expected. My thesis will increase our understanding of the effects of lake warming on the microbial food web, with a particular focus on ciliates. It also provides the technical basis to expedite the quantification process, enabling detailed studies of the dynamics of planktonic ciliates and facilitating the investigation of their haplotypes at high spatial and temporal resolution

Nuclear Physics for Cultural Heritage

Nuclear physics applications in medicine and energy are well known and widely reported. Less well known are the many important nuclear and related techniques used for the study, characterization, assessment and preservation of cultural heritage. There has been enormous progress in this field in recent years and the current review aims to provide the public with a popular and accessible account of this work. The Nuclear Physics Division of the EPS represents scientists from all branches of nuclear physics across Europe. One of its aims is the dissemination of knowledge about nuclear physics and its applications. This review is led by Division board member Anna Macková, Head of the Tandetron Laboratory at the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the review committee includes four other members of the nuclear physics board interested in this area: Faiçal Azaiez, Johan Nyberg, Eli Piasetzky and Douglas MacGregor. To create a truly authoritative account, the Scientific Editors have invited contributions from leading experts across Europe, and this publication is the combined result of their work. The review is extensively illustrated with important discoveries and examples from archaeology, pre-history, history, geography, culture, religion and curation, which underline the breadth and importance of this field. The large number of groups and laboratories working in the study and preservation of cultural heritage across Europe indicate the enormous effort and importance attached by society to this activity

Influence of land use on abundance, function and spatial distribution of N-cycling microorganisms in grassland soils

This thesis focuses on the influence of land use on the abundance, function and spatial distribution of N-cycling microorganisms in grassland soils, but also on soil biogeochemical properties, as well as on enzyme activities involved in the carbon-, nitrogen-, and phosphorous cycle. The objective of this thesis was tackled in three studies. All study sites that were investigated as part of this thesis were preselected and assigned according to study region and land use within the framework of the Exploratories for Functional Biodiversity Research The Biodiversity Exploratories of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft priority program 1374. The first study addressed the question whether land-use intensity influences soil biogeochemical properties, as well as the abundance and spatial distributions of ammonia-oxidizing and denitrifying microorganisms in grasslands of the Schwäbische Alb. To this end, a geostatistical approach on replicated grassland sites (10 m × 10 m), belonging to either unfertilized pastures (n = 3) or fertilized mown meadows (n = 3), representing low and high land-use intensity, was applied. Results of this study revealed that land-use intensity changed spatial patterns of both soil biogeochemical properties and N-cycling microorganisms at the plot scale. For soil biogeochemical properties, spatial heterogeneity decreased with higher land-use intensity, but increased for ammonia oxidizers and nirS-type denitrifiers. This suggests that other factors, both biotic and abiotic than those measured, are driving the spatial distribution of these microorganisms at the plot scale. Furterhmore, the geostatistical analysis indicated spatial coexistence for ammonia oxidizers (amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea and amoA ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) and nitrate reducers (napA and narG), but niche partitioning between nirK- and nirS-type denitrifiers. The second study aimed at whether land-use intensity contributes to spatial variation in microbial abundance and function in grassland ecosystems of the Schwäbische Alb assigned to either low (unfertilized pastures, n = 3), intermediate (fertilized mown pastures, n = 3), or high (fertilized mown meadows, n = 3) land-use intensity. Plot-scale (10 m × 10 m) spatial heterogeneity and autocorrelation of soil biogeochemical properties, microbial biomass and enzymes involved in C, N, and P cycle were investigated using a geostatistical approach. Geostatistics revealed spatial autocorrelations (p-Range) of chemical soil properties within the maximum sampling distance of the investigated plots, while greater variations of p-Ranges of soil microbiological properties indicated spatial heterogeneity at multiple scales. An expected decrease in small-scale spatial heterogeneity in high land-use intensity could not be confirmed for microbiological soil properties. Finding smaller spatial autocorrelations for most of the investigated properties indicated increased habitat heterogeneity at smaller scales under high land-use intensity. In the third study, the effects of warming and drought on the abundance of denitrifier marker genes, the potential denitrification activity and the N2O emission potential from grassland ecosystems located in the Schwäbische Alb, the Hainich, and the Schorfheide region were investigated. Land use was defined individually for each grassland site by a land-use index that integrated mowing, grazing and fertilization at the sites over the last three years before sampling of the soil. It was tested if the microbial community response to warming and drought depended on more static site properties (soil organic carbon, water holding capacity, pH) in interaction with land use, the study region and the climate change treatment. It was further tested to which extent the N2O emission potential was influenced by more dynamic properties, e.g. the actual water content, the availability of organic carbon and nitrate, or the size of the denitrifier community. Warming effects in enhanced the potential denitrification of denitrifying microorganisms. While differences among the study regions were mainly related to soil chemical and physical properties, the land-use index was a stronger driver for potential denitrification, and grasslands with higher land use also had greater potentials for N2O emissions. The total bacterial community did not respond to experimental treatments, displaying resilience to minor and short-term effects of climate change. In contrast, the denitrifier community tended to be influenced by the experimental treatments and particularly the nosZ abundance was influenced by drought. The results indicate that warming and drought affected the denitrifying communities and the potential denitrification, but these effects are overruled by study region and site-specific land-use index. This thesis gives novel insights into the performance of N-cycling microorganisms in grassland ecosystems. The spatial distribution of soil biogeochemical properties is strongly dependent on land-use intensity, as in return is the spatial distribution of nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms and the ecosystem services they perform. Yet, future work will be necessary to fully understand the interrelating factors and seasonal variability, which influence the ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services that are provided by N-cycling soil microorganisms at multiple scales.Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Einfluss von Landnutzungsintensität von Grünländern auf die Abundanz, Funktion und räumliche Verteilung von Stickstoff umsetzenden Bodenmikroorganismen, sowie dem Einfluss der Nutzungsintensität auf biogeochemische Bodeneigenschaften und Enzymaktivitäten des C-, N- und P-Kreislaufs. Die Fragestellung dieser Arbeit wurde in drei Studien bearbeitet, die im Rahmen des DFG Schwerpunktprogrammes 1374 Biodiversitäts-Exploratorien durchgeführt wurden. Die erste Studie sollte klären, wie sich die Landnutzungsintensität auf biogeochemische Bodeneigenschaften, Abundanz und räumliche Verteilung von Nitrifizierern und Denitrifizierern in Grünländern der Schwäbischen Alb auswirkt. Dafür wurde auf Grünländern (10 m × 10 m) mit replizierten Nutzungsintensitäten (ungedüngte Weiden, n = 3; gedüngte Mähwiesen, n = 3) ein geostatistischer Ansatz angewandt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Landnutzungsintensität die räumliche Verteilung der biogeochemischen Bodeneigenschaften und die der Stickstoff umsetzenden Mikroorganismen auf der Plot-Ebene beeinflusste: Die räumliche Heterogenität nahm für die untersuchten Bodenparameter mit zunehmender Landnutzungsintensität ab. Im Gegensatz dazu konnte eine Zunahme der räumlichen Heterogenität für Ammoniak oxidierende Mikroorganismen und nirS-Denitrifizierer bei steigender Landnutzungsintensität gezeigt werden. Diese Ergebnisse indizieren, dass auf der Plot-Skala andere abiotisch / biotisch Faktoren als jene, die in der Studie erfasst wurden, die räumliche Verteilung dieser Mikroorganismen bedingen. Weiterhin wurde gezeigt, dass Nitrifizierer (amoA AOA und amoA AOB) und Nitrat-Reduzierer (napA und narG) koexistieren, während nirK- und nirS-Denitrifizierer unterschiedliche ökologische Nischen besetzen. Die zweite Studie thematisierte den Einfluss von Landnutzungsintensität auf die räumliche Variabilität mikrobieller Abundanz und Funktion in Grünlandböden der Schwäbischen Alb. Die Landnutzung war 3 Stufen zugeordnet: niedrig (ungedüngte Weiden, n = 3), mittel (gedüngte Mähweiden, n = 3) und hoch (gedüngte Mähwiesen, n = 3). Ein geostatistischer Ansatz erlaubte es, auf der Plot-Ebene (10 m × 10 m) die räumliche Heterogenität von biogeochemische Bodeneigenschaften, mikrobieller Biomasse und von Enzymen des C-, N-, und P-Kreislaufes zu untersuchen. Die geostatistische Analyse der chemischen Bodeneigenschaften ergab räumliche Autokorrelationen (p-Range), die innerhalb der maximalen Beprobungsdistanz lagen. Eine größere Variation der p-Ranges für mikrobiologische Bodenparameter indizierte räumliche Heterogenität auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen. Die erwartete Abnahme kleinskaliger räumlicher Heterogenität mikrobieller Parameter konnte nicht bestätigt werden da für die meisten Kenngrößen eine geringere räumliche Autokorrelation bei hoher Landnutzungsintensität gefunden wurde. Dies lässt den Schluss zu, dass bei hoher Landnutzungsintensität eine erhöhte, kleinskalige Habitat-Heterogenität vorliegt. In der dritten Studie wurde untersucht, wie sich Bodenerwärmung im Frühjahr und Dürre im Sommer auf die Abundanz denitrifizierender Bakterien sowie das N2O-Emissionspotenzial in drei Grünlandökosystemen auswirken. Das Studiendesign wurde in replizierten Grünlandflächen unterschiedlicher Landnutzung und unterschiedlicher geographischer Herkunft umgesetzt (Schwäbische Alb, Hainich und Schorfheide). Die Landnutzung war für jedes Grünland durch einen individuellen Landnutzungsindex definiert der Mahd, Beweidung und Düngung während der letzten drei Jahre vor der Probennahme berücksichtigte. Es wurde untersucht, ob die von Erwärmung und Dürre induzierten Effekte von statischen Standorteigenschaften (z.B. organischer Kohlenstoffgehalt, Wasserhaltekapazität oder pH-Wert) in Zusammenhang mit der Landnutzung abhängen, und in wie weit die potentielle Denitrifikation von dynamischen Standorteigenschaften (z.B. aktueller Bodenwassergehalt, organischer Kohlenstoff, Nitrat) und der Abundanz der Denitrifizierer selbst beeinflusst ist. Erwärmung steigerte die Aktivität der Denitrifizierer und führte zu erhöhter potentieller Denitrifikation. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Untersuchungsgebieten wurden hauptsächlich durch bodenchemisch-physikalische Eigenschaften erklärt. Der Landnutzungsindex war ein starker bestimmender Faktor für die potentielle Denitrifikation und Flächen mit einem höheren Flächennutzungsindex zeigten ein erhöhtes Potential für N2O-Emissionen. Während die mikrobielle Gemeinschaft (16S rRNA Abundanz) das Potential hatte Effekte der experimentellen Erwärmung und Dürre aufzufangen, zeigten die Denitrifizierer und hier insbesondere nosZ-Denitrifizierer eine Reaktion auf das Dürreexperiment. Insgesamt zeigten Grünländer mit hohem Landnutzungsindex ein größeres Potential zu erhöhten N2O-Emissionen als Flächen mit niedrigerem Nutzungsindex, und die Ausprägung der Effekte auf die denitrifizierenden Mikroorganismen waren hauptsächlich von der Untersuchungsregion und dem Landnutzungsindex abhängig. Diese Arbeit erweitert die Kenntnisse über die Funktion und Rolle Stickstoff umsetzender Mikroorganismen in Grünland-Ökosystemen. Die räumliche Verteilung von biogeochemischen Bodenparametern wird von der Landnutzungsintensität beeinflusst und wirkt sich auf die räumliche Verteilung der Nitrifizierer und Denitrifizierer sowie deren Ökosystemleistungen aus. Um die vielfältigen Ökosystemfunktionen, die von Stickstoff umsetzenden Bodenmikroorganismen bewältigt werden auf allen Ebenen zu verstehen, sind jedoch weitere Untersuchungen notwendig, um beispielsweise die zeitliche Variabilität dieser Funktionen besser zu verstehen

Latent nucleophiles in organic synthesis: advancing the concept towards synthetic applications

The most common problem in enantioselective Lewis base catalyzed reactions is the typically narrow scope for the nucleophilic reaction partner. It was hypothesized that this problem can be addressed using latent nucleophiles, derivatives of otherwise nucleophilic molecules which are not nucleophilic themselves but can be activated to participate in the reaction as a nucleophile. If activation of a latent nucleophile is dependent on the activation of electrophilic reaction partner, activated nucleophile is produced only when activated electrophile is already present in the reaction mixture and the fast reaction between the two activated species outcompetes other reaction pathways. This improves reaction efficiency, selectivity and, most importantly, expands the scope of Lewis base catalyzed reactions. This concept was applied to Lewis base catalyzed allylic substitutions with focus on otherwise problematic N- and C-nucleophiles such as pyrroles, indoles, carbazoles, amides, carbamates, ketones, alcohols, difluoromethylphosphonates and quinaldines

From single species to the community level: Exploring under-researched avenues in protist ecology and protist-prokaryote interactions

Two case studies of under-researched fields in protist-prokaryote interactions are analysed: 1. Bacteria adapted to carbon-starvation are shown to present species-specific patterns in their vulnerability to a protist grazer, including strong resistance. 2. Protist communities in Baltic Sea pelagic redoxclines are shown to present a characteristic structuring. Protist bacterivory is the main prokaryotic mortality factor until hydrogen sulphide begins to rise and can control the growth of a chemolithoautotrophic bacterial key-player, proving the ecological relevance of protists in these zones