Phosphor im Grünland – Antrieb der Leguminosen, aber Bremse der Phytodiversität?

In our study we investigated the effect of soil phosphorus (P) status on legume occurrence and on phytodiversity of organically managed permanent grassland sites. Therefore, we realized screenings on 2 m x 2 m plots with a clear spatial differentiation between the functional groups ‘legumes’ and ‘non-legumes’ on five mown pasture sites under organic management in north-eastern Germany. We found no significant difference between the phosphorus content of aboveground biomass of legumes and the associated non-legume group. However, we detected a significant difference between the soil PDL contents of these two groups with lower contents in soils of the legume patches whereas the different P fractions and thus different P availability on the mineral site could not explain the occurrence of legumes. Contrary to reports by many ecologists, we could not confirm a clear relationship between soil phosphorus and species number

Lattice relaxation around arsenic and selenium in CdTe

We have investigated the lattice relaxation around impurity atoms at the anion sublattice in CdTe, such as As acting as acceptor and Se which is isovalent to Te, with fluorescence detected EXAFS. We experimentally verify the lattice relaxation with a bond length being reduced by 8% around the As atom as inferred indirectly from ab-initio calculations of the electric field gradient in comparison with the measured value in a PAC experiment (S. Lany et al., Phys. Rev. B 62, R2259 (2000)). In the case of the isovalent impurity atom Se, the bond length is similarly reduced as determined experimentally by EXAFS and by model calculations with the density functional theory implemented in the WIEN97 program. In contrast to this inward relaxation, preliminary calculations for Br in CdTe, the next element in the series As, Se, and Br, which acts as donor at the Te sublattice, indicate an increase in bond length, an interesting prediction waiting for experimental verification

Experimental verification of calculated lattice relaxations around impurities in CdTe

We have measured the lattice distortion around As acceptor and Br donor in CdTe with fluorescence detected X ray absorption spectroscopy. We could experimentally verify the lattice relaxation with a bond length reduction of 8 around the As atom as inferred indirectly from ab initio calculations of the electric field gradient performed with the WIEN97 package in comparison with the measured value in a Perturbed Angular Correlation experiment as recently reported. We have complemented our own calculations of relaxation with WIEN97 with calculations using the FHI96md pseudo potential program which allows the use of larger super cell sizes. Encouraged by the good agreement between experiment and model calculation for As in CdTe as well as similarly for the isovalent Se in CdTe, we extended our investigation to Br in CdTe, where the electric field gradient has also been measured, and could not only verify the derived lattice expansion around Br with our EXAFS analysis but additionally observe fractions of Br in the A center as well as in a DX center configuratio

Human gene copy number spectra analysis in congenital heart malformations

The clinical significance of copy number variants (CNVs) in congenital heart disease (CHD) continues to be a challenge. Although CNVs including genes can confer disease risk, relationships between gene dosage and phenotype are still being defined. Our goal was to perform a quantitative analysis of CNVs involving 100 well-defined CHD risk genes identified through previously published human association studies in subjects with anatomically defined cardiac malformations. A novel analytical approach permitting CNV gene frequency “spectra” to be computed over prespecified regions to determine phenotype-gene dosage relationships was employed. CNVs in subjects with CHD (n = 945), subphenotyped into 40 groups and verified in accordance with the European Paediatric Cardiac Code, were compared with two control groups, a disease-free cohort (n = 2,026) and a population with coronary artery disease (n = 880). Gains (≥200 kb) and losses (≥100 kb) were determined over 100 CHD risk genes and compared using a Barnard exact test. Six subphenotypes showed significant enrichment (P ≤ 0.05), including aortic stenosis (valvar), atrioventricular canal (partial), atrioventricular septal defect with tetralogy of Fallot, subaortic stenosis, tetralogy of Fallot, and truncus arteriosus. Furthermore, CNV gene frequency spectra were enriched (P ≤ 0.05) for losses at: FKBP6, ELN, GTF2IRD1, GATA4, CRKL, TBX1, ATRX, GPC3, BCOR, ZIC3, FLNA and MID1; and gains at: PRKAB2, FMO5, CHD1L, BCL9, ACP6, GJA5, HRAS, GATA6 and RUNX1. Of CHD subjects, 14% had causal chromosomal abnormalities, and 4.3% had likely causal (significantly enriched), large, rare CNVs. CNV frequency spectra combined with precision phenotyping may lead to increased molecular understanding of etiologic pathways

Impact of \u3cem\u3eMYH6\u3c/em\u3e Variants in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a clinically and anatomically severe form of congenital heart disease (CHD). Although prior studies suggest that HLHS has a complex genetic inheritance, its etiology remains largely unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize a risk gene in HLHS and its effect on HLHS etiology and outcome. We performed next-generation sequencing on a multigenerational family with a high prevalence of CHD/HLHS, identifying a rare variant in the α-myosin heavy chain (MYH6) gene. A case-control study of 190 unrelated HLHS subjects was then performed and compared with the 1000 Genomes Project. Damaging MYH6 variants, including novel, missense, in-frame deletion, premature stop, de novo, and compound heterozygous variants, were significantly enriched in HLHS cases (P \u3c 1 × 10−5). Clinical outcomes analysis showed reduced transplant-free survival in HLHS subjects with damaging MYH6 variants (P \u3c 1 × 10−2). Transcriptome and protein expression analyses with cardiac tissue revealed differential expression of cardiac contractility genes, notably upregulation of the β-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) gene in subjects with MYH6 variants (P \u3c 1 × 10−3). We subsequently used patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model HLHS in vitro. Early stages of in vitro cardiomyogenesis in iPSCs derived from two unrelated HLHS families mimicked the increased expression of MYH7 observed in vivo (P \u3c 1 × 10−2), while revealing defective cardiomyogenic differentiation. Rare, damaging variants in MYH6 are enriched in HLHS, affect molecular expression of contractility genes, and are predictive of poor outcome. These findings indicate that the etiology of MYH6-associated HLHS can be informed using iPSCs and suggest utility in future clinical applications

Survey of electronic properties and local structures around Fe in selected multinary chalcogenides

Paper presents detailed studies of local and electronic structure around Fe in Cd0.97Fe0.03Te, Cd0.98Fe0.02Te0.97Se0.03 and Cd0.99Fe0.01Te0.91S0.09 multinary chalcogenides by means of X ray absorption fine structure XAFS , X ray magnetic circular dichroism XMCD and electron paramagnetic resonance EPR measurements. In addition, electronic consequences of Fe incorporation into CdTe semiconductor host were studied by means of first principles calculations. In order to improve accuracy of the calculated total energies, the band gaps and the band edge positions, special attention is paid to the treatment of exchange correlation interaction and the description of highly localized Fe 3d states. Also, the Bader theory of the topological properties of the electron charge density is used to access details of the nature, strength and distribution of the next nearest neighbour bonds. Local and electronic structure around Fe in Cd0.97Fe0.03Te and Cd0.98Fe0.02Te0.97Se0.03 systems have been found to exhibit similar characteristics, since the first coordination sphere around Fe comprises four Te atoms located at approximately the same distance. In Cd0.99Fe0.01Te0.91S0.09 system, however, local bimodal distribution of distances has been revealed, with one Fe Te bond replaced with much shorter Fe S bond, resulting in much stronger crystal field. Along with the crystal field effect, the spin orbit interaction has proven to play decisive role in determining the nature of Fe doped CdTe systems. While the systems with higher Fe concentrations 25 at. are intrinsic insulators, in systems with only 3.125 at. Fe one spin channel contributes to the density of states at the Fermi level, which makes them suitable for spin selective electronic transport application

Towards a variational principle for motivated vehicle motion

We deal with the problem of deriving the microscopic equations governing the individual car motion based on the assumptions about the strategy of driver behavior. We suppose the driver behavior to be a result of a certain compromise between the will to move at a speed that is comfortable for him under the surrounding external conditions, comprising the physical state of the road, the weather conditions, etc., and the necessity to keep a safe headway distance between the cars in front of him. Such a strategy implies that a driver can compare the possible ways of his further motion and so choose the best one. To describe the driver preferences we introduce the priority functional whose extremals specify the driver choice. For simplicity we consider a single-lane road. In this case solving the corresponding equations for the extremals we find the relationship between the current acceleration, velocity and position of the car. As a special case we get a certain generalization of the optimal velocity model similar to the "intelligent driver model" proposed by Treiber and Helbing.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX

Higher Twist Distribution Amplitudes of the Nucleon in QCD

We present the first systematic study of higher-twist light-cone distribution amplitudes of the nucleon in QCD. We find that the valence three-quark state is described at small transverse separations by eight independent distribution amplitudes. One of them is leading twist-3, three distributions are twist-4 and twist-5, respectively, and one is twist-6. A complete set of distribution amplitudes is constructed, which satisfies equations of motion and constraints that follow from conformal expansion. Nonperturbative input parameters are estimated from QCD sum rules.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures, eqn in (3.19) corrected, table 3 accordingly changed, some typos fixe

Virtual unfolding of folded papyri

The historical importance of ancient manuscripts is unique since they provide information about the heritage of ancient cultures. Often texts are hidden in rolled or folded documents. Due to recent improvements in sensitivity and resolution, spectacular disclosures of rolled hidden texts were possible by X-ray tomography. However, revealing text on folded manuscripts is even more challenging. Manual unfolding is often too risky in view of the fragile condition of fragments, as it can lead to the total loss of the document. X-ray tomography allows for virtual unfolding and enables non-destructive access to hidden texts. We have recently demonstrated the procedure and tested unfolding algorithms on a mockup sample. Here, we present results on unfolding ancient papyrus packages from the papyrus collection of the Musée du Louvre, among them objects folded along approximately orthogonal folding lines. In one of the packages, the first identification of a word was achieved, the Coptic word for “Lord”

Suppressive Effects on the Immune Response and Protective Immunity to a JEV DNA Vaccine by Co-administration of a GM-CSF-Expressing Plasmid in Mice

As a potential cytokine adjuvant of DNA vaccines, granulocyte-macrophage colony–stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has received considerable attention due to its essential role in the recruitment of antigen-presenting cells, differentiation and maturation of dendritic cells. However, in our recent study of a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) DNA vaccine, co-inoculation of a GM-CSF plasmid dramatically suppressed the specific IgG response and resulted in decreased protection against JEV challenge. It is known that GM-CSF has been used in clinic to treat neutropenia for repopulating myeloid cells, and as an adjuvant in vaccine studies; it has shown various effects on the immune response. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the suppressive effects on the immune response to a JEV DNA vaccine by the co-administration of the GM-CSF-expressing plasmid and clarified the underlying mechanisms of the suppression in mice. Our results demonstrated that co-immunization with GM-CSF caused a substantial dampening of the vaccine-induced antibody responses. The suppressive effect was dose- and timing-dependent and likely related to the immunogenicity of the antigen. The suppression was associated with the induction of immature dendritic cells and the expansion of regulatory T cells but not myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Collectively, our findings not only provide valuable information for the application of GM-CSF in clinic and using as a vaccine adjuvant but also offer further insight into the understanding of the complex roles of GM-CSF