Genome-wide mapping of genetic determinants influencing DNA methylation and gene expression in human hippocampus

Emerging evidence emphasizes the strong impact of regulatory genomic elements in neurodevelopmental processes and the complex pathways of brain disorders. The present genome-wide quantitative trait loci analyses explore the cis-regulatory effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on DNA methylation (meQTL) and gene expression (eQTL) in 110 human hippocampal biopsies. We identify cis-meQTLs at 14,118 CpG methylation sites and cis-eQTLs for 302 3'-mRNA transcripts of 288 genes. Hippocampal cis-meQTL-CpGs are enriched in flanking regions of active promoters, CpG island shores, binding sites of the transcription factor CTCF and brain eQTLs. Cis-acting SNPs of hippocampal meQTLs and eQTLs significantly overlap schizophrenia-associated SNPs. Correlations of CpG methylation and RNA expression are found for 34 genes. Our comprehensive maps of cis-acting hippocampal meQTLs and eQTLs provide a link between disease-associated SNPs and the regulatory genome that will improve the functional interpretation of non-coding genetic variants in the molecular genetic dissection of brain disorders

Direct limits for scalar field dark matter from a gravitational-wave detector

The nature of dark matter remains unknown to date, although several candidate particles are being considered in a dynamically changing research landscape1. Scalar field dark matter is a prominent option that is being explored with precision instruments, such as atomic clocks and optical cavities2–8. Here we describe a direct search for scalar field dark matter using a gravitational-wave detector, which operates beyond the quantum shot-noise limit. We set new upper limits on the coupling constants of scalar field dark matter as a function of its mass, by excluding the presence of signals that would be produced through the direct coupling of this dark matter to the beam splitter of the GEO600 interferometer. These constraints improve on bounds from previous direct searches by more than six orders of magnitude and are, in some cases, more stringent than limits obtained in tests of the equivalence principle by up to four orders of magnitude. Our work demonstrates that scalar field dark matter can be investigated or constrained with direct searches using gravitational-wave detectors and highlights the potential of quantum-enhanced interferometry for dark matter detection. © 2021, The Author(s)

Direct limits for scalar field dark matter from a gravitational-wave detector

The nature of dark matter remains unknown to date; several candidate particles are being considered in a dynamically changing research landscape. Scalar field dark matter is a prominent option that is being explored with precision instruments, such as atomic clocks and optical cavities. Here we report on the first direct search for scalar field dark matter utilising a gravitational-wave detector, which operates beyond the quantum shot-noise limit. We set new upper limits for the coupling constants of scalar field dark matter as a function of its mass, by excluding the presence of signals that would be produced through the direct coupling of this dark matter to the beamsplitter of the GEO$\,$600 interferometer. The new constraints improve upon bounds from previous direct searches by more than six orders of magnitude, and are in some cases more stringent than limits obtained in tests of the equivalence principle by up to four orders of magnitude. Our work demonstrates that scalar field dark matter can be probed or constrained with direct searches using gravitational-wave detectors, and highlights the potential of quantum-enhanced interferometry for dark matter detection

Assistance system for the site-specific use of herbicides

Die teilflächenspezifische Applikation von Herbiziden zur Unkrautbekämpfung ist ein Ansatz, mit dem eine Reduktion und Spezifikation angewendeter Pflanzenschutzmittel und somit eine umweltschonendere und nachhaltigere Agrarproduktion möglich wird. Im Rahmen des BLE-Projektes "Entwicklung und Praxistest eines Direkteinspeisungssystems ohne Verzögerungszeiten zur Teilflächenapplikation von Pflanzenschutzmitteln" konnte erstmals eine technisch ausgereifte Direkteinspeisungsfeldspritze genutzt werden, mit dieser die bislang bekannten Probleme der Direkteinspeisung gelöst wurden. Um mit dieser Technik jedoch eine tatsächliche Teilflächenapplikation unter Praxisbedingungen umzusetzen, bedarf es der zusätzlichen Entwicklung einer Systemumgebung, welche eine Vielzahl von satelliten-, sensor- und geodatengestützten Informationen über Schnittstellen integrieren kann und mit dessen Hilfe Teilflächen innerhalb der gesamten Applikationsfläche für unterschiedliche Applikationsmaßnahmen identifiziert und näher charakterisiert werden können. Zielsetzung ist die Entwicklung eines Assistenzsystems basierend auf der Direkteinspeisung zur orts- und zeitabhängigen teilflächenspezifischen Applikation von Pflanzenschutzmitteln. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen eine wirtschaftliche Kosteneinsparung und eine umweltschonendere Herbizideinsatz durch teilflächenspezifische Applikation.The site-specific application of herbicides for weed control is an approach that enables the reduction and specification of pesticides and thus a more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural production. Within the scope of the BLE project "Development and practical test of a direct feed system without delay times for partial area application of crop protection agents", a technically mature direct feed field sprayer could be used for the first time, which solved the previously known problems of direct injection. However, in order to implement an actual partial area application under practical conditions with this technology, it is necessary to additionally develop a system environment which can integrate a large number of satellite-, sensor- and geodata-supported information via interfaces and with the help of which partial areas within the entire application area can be identified and characterised in more detail for different application measures. The aim is to develop an assistance system based on direct feeding for the location- and time-dependent sub-area-specific application of pesticides