Impact of fine sediment and nutrient input on the hyporheic functionality:: A case study in Northern Mongolia

The hyporheic interstitial was recognized as an integral zone within the aquatic ecosystem bearing important functions for both adjacent compartments, surface and ground water, about 50 years ago. Since then, rather disciplinary works gained knowledge on the organismic community of this ecotone, its spatial extent, the role of distinct parameters such as hydrology and morphology, temporal characteristics, process dynamics, the role for stream or groundwater quality and restoration measures. However, a systematic study on the risks to the hyporheic functions was missing to date. This thesis combined existing methods in order to gather an integrated set of information allowing for the assessment of the ecotonal status. This approach was applied to investigate the functional behavior towards stressors like increasing nutrient and fine sediment input into a rather pristine environment. An interdisciplinary risk assessment and the establishment of adapted measures was called for as land-use scenarios for the studied catchment area indicated progressive onland erosion. Therefore firstly, an integrated monitoring scheme was drawn up and conducted at three sites along a river that underlay a stressor gradient such as mentioned before. Secondly, the data sets were analysed in order to evaluate the status of the hyporheic funtions at the riffles. Thirdly, a coupled surface-subsurface modelling approach was set up to further study the impact of the stressors on the ecotonal integrity. And fourthly, an interdisciplinary consideration combined with studies on the catchments sediment budget and the rivers ecological status was applied to identify measures for the restoration and protection of the aquatic ecosystem. The analysis of the data gathered with the help of the established monitoring scheme revealed that elevated nutrient or fine sediment input lead to biological or physical clogging, respectively, with consequences for the hyporheic zone functions. The surface - ground water connectivity was either lowered in summer months, when biofilm growth was highest, or permanently, as fine sediment particles infiltrated into the interstices of the riverbed sediment. Scouring did not seem to take place as high amounts of fine particles were found in the matrix after discharge events of snowmelt and summer precipitation. With respect to the biogeochemical regulation function, biofilm material appeared to provide an autochthonous carbon source boosting microbial substance turnover. The sediment underneath the physical clogged layer was cut off from carbon and oxygen rich surface water and thus was not reactive. However, the enhanced surface area provided by the fine sediment within the topmost sediment layer seemed to support microbial processing. The inclusion of the results of a study concerning the ecological status at the investigated reaches lead to the deduction that biological clogging at the present degree was not affecting habitat quality. Whereas the physical clogging had tremendeous and lasting effects on the macroinvertebrate community which carries to the conclusion that sediment management within the studied catchment is of uttermost importance. A scenario analysis reflecting distinct clogging degrees and types with a calibrated model of a studied riffle within a pristine reach proved the observed loss of hydrologic connectivity due to physical and biological clogging. Further, a treshold of oxygen consumption rates above which the reproduction of salmonid fish would be unsuccessful was identified for the settings of the middle reaches. In summer month with low discharge it seemed to be likely that this treshold might be reached. Following, a dynamic discharge may be decisive to protect the ecotonal integrity. The integration with the outcome of an investigation regarding the sediment sources within the catchment allowed for two suggestions. On the one hand, river bank restoration and protection within the middle reaches need to be prioritised, and on the other hand, the conservation of the natural vegetation at the steep slopes within the mountaineous areas need to be undertaken in order to secure the pristine aquatic environment of this area. Hyporheic zone research of the last decade was driven by testing hypotheses on the functional significance of distinct spatial and temporal configurations in the field and by new modelling approaches. However, data on the quantification of the ecological impact of clogging processes were lacking. The thesis contributed to the systemic understanding of the hyporheic zone being affected by physical and biological clogging and new field data within a degrading pristine environment were generated, accessible for further hyporheic research. The interdisciplinarity enabled comprehensive statements for the usage of an Integrated Water Resources Management plan

Observing repetitive finger movements modulates response times of auditorily cued finger movements

Our motor and perceptual representations of actions seem to be intimately linked and the human mirror neuron system (MNS) has been proposed as the mediator. In two experiments, we presented biological or non-biological movement stimuli that were either congruent or incongruent to a required response prompted by a tone. When the tone occurred with the onset of the last movement in a series, i.e., it was perceived during the movement presentation, congruent biological stimuli resulted in faster reaction times than congruent non-biological stimuli. The opposite was observed for incongruent stimuli. When the tone was presented after visual movement stimulation, however, no such interaction was present. This implies that biological movement stimuli only affect motor behaviour during visual processing but not thereafter. These data suggest that the MNS is an “online” system; longstanding repetitive visual stimulation (Experiment 1) has no benefit in comparison to only one or two repetitions (Experiment 2)

Digitalisierung und Wandel der Beschäftigung (DIWABE) : eine Datengrundlage für die interdisziplinäre Sozialpolitikforschung, Datenreport und Forschungspotenzial

Die Digitalisierung der Arbeitsprozesse schreitet immer weiter voran. Im Produktionsbereich finden sich zunehmend über das Internet der Dinge vernetzte Wertschöpfungsketten in Form von Smart Factories und cyber-physischen Systemen. Im Dienstleistungsbereich werden wiederum verstärkt Analysetools mit Big Data, Cloud Computing Systeme, Shop-Systeme oder Online-Märkte eingesetzt

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin

Spatial Organization and Molecular Correlation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Using Deep Learning on Pathology Images

Beyond sample curation and basic pathologic characterization, the digitized H&E-stained images of TCGA samples remain underutilized. To highlight this resource, we present mappings of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) based on H&E images from 13 TCGA tumor types. These TIL maps are derived through computational staining using a convolutional neural network trained to classify patches of images. Affinity propagation revealed local spatial structure in TIL patterns and correlation with overall survival. TIL map structural patterns were grouped using standard histopathological parameters. These patterns are enriched in particular T cell subpopulations derived from molecular measures. TIL densities and spatial structure were differentially enriched among tumor types, immune subtypes, and tumor molecular subtypes, implying that spatial infiltrate state could reflect particular tumor cell aberration states. Obtaining spatial lymphocytic patterns linked to the rich genomic characterization of TCGA samples demonstrates one use for the TCGA image archives with insights into the tumor-immune microenvironment

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study accounting for gene-psychosocial factor interactions identifies novel loci for blood pressure traits

Psychological and social factors are known to influence blood pressure (BP) and risk of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. To identify novel BP loci, we carried out genome-wide association meta-analyses of systolic, diastolic, pulse, and mean arterial BP, taking into account the interaction effects of genetic variants with three psychosocial factors: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and social support. Analyses were performed using a two-stage design in a sample of up to 128,894 adults from five ancestry groups. In the combined meta-analyses of stages 1 and 2, we identified 59 loci (p value < 5e−8), including nine novel BP loci. The novel associations were observed mostly with pulse pressure, with fewer observed with mean arterial pressure. Five novel loci were identified in African ancestry, and all but one showed patterns of interaction with at least one psychosocial factor. Functional annotation of the novel loci supports a major role for genes implicated in the immune response (PLCL2), synaptic function and neurotransmission (LIN7A and PFIA2), as well as genes previously implicated in neuropsychiatric or stress-related disorders (FSTL5 and CHODL). These findings underscore the importance of considering psychological and social factors in gene discovery for BP, especially in non-European populations