Diversity, specificity and evolutionary history of marine invertebrate symbioses and functions of the sulfur-oxidizing symbionts

Many marine invertebrates have established symbioses with chemosynthetic bacteria that metabolize reduced sulfur compounds and provide nutrition to their host. Two key questions in the field of symbiosis are: (1) How specific and evolutionarily stable are these symbioses? Chapters II, III and IV of this thesis contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of this question by investigating the diversity, specificity and evolutionary history of three sulfur-oxidizing symbioses: deep-sea vestimentiferan tubeworm endosymbioses, shallow water gutless phallodriline oligochaete endo- and stilbonematine nematode ectosymbioses. The studies emphasize the power of molecular analyses to uncover hidden symbiont diversity and highlight the remarkably stable and specific stilbonematine ectosymbioses. (2) What are the benefits for the symbiotic partners? Chapter V strengthens the hypothesis of stilbonematine ectosymbionts' nutritional role for their host and the genomic study in Chapter VI discusses potential additional functions of the ectosymbionts for their nematode host

'Sozialismus ist aktive Soziologie.': Religion, Politik und Gesellschaft im Leben und Werk von Robert Hertz

Im Zentrum der Arbeit steht die Verbindung von Politik und Wissenschaft im Leben des Durkheimschülers Robert Hertz (1881-1915). Beide Themenfelder werden in ihrer Genese und ihren theoretischen Grundzügen rekonstruiert, wobei großer Wert auf die Verortung seiner Überlegungen sowohl im zeitgenössischen kulturellen und politischen Kontext als auch im durkheimianischen Denken gelegt wird. Angelegt als Intellektuellenbiografie beleuchtet die Arbeit den Einfluss von Hertz' sozialistischer Haltung einerseits und Durkheims straffer organisatorischer und fachlicher Führung der 'Année sociologique' andererseits auf Hertz’ wissenschaftliche Themenwahl. Dabei werden sowohl alle Rezensionen von Robert Hertz als auch seine wissenschaftlichen Aufsätze ('Contribution à une étude sur la représentation collective de la mort', 'La prééminence de la main droite, étude sur la polarité religieuse', 'Saint Besse, étude d'un culte alpestre', 'Le péché et l’expiation dans les sociétés primitives') ebenso wie sein politisches Schrifttum und umfangreiche Korrespondenzen ausgewertet.:Inhalt A Einleitung..........................................................................................................13 1 Forschungsgegenstand....................................................................................13 2 Begriffe und Methoden......................................................................................27 2.1 Intellektuelle...................................................................................................27 2.2 Lebenswege...................................................................................................31 2.3 Sozialstrukturen.............................................................................................36 2.4 Generationen.................................................................................................37 B 1881–1901: Aufwachsen im Zeichen des Republikanismus..............................39 1 Die ersten Jahrzehnte der Dritten Republik.......................................................39 1.1 Politische Leitlinien.........................................................................................39 1.2 Dreyfus‐Affäre und Antisemitismus................................................................54 1.3 Feinde der Republik.......................................................................................68 1.4 Lebenswelten.................................................................................................77 2 Bürgerliche Heimat............................................................................................83 3 „Auch die Wissenschaft ist schließlich gut …“...................................................88 4 Politisches Ich zwischen Individualismus, Kollektivismus und Sozialismus.........91 5 Zusammenfassung..........................................................................................107 C 1901–1907: Entwicklung zum Durkheimien....................................................113 1 Die Belle Epoque der Dritten Republik...................................................... .....113 1.1 Festigung der Republik und des Republikanismus.......................................113 1.2 Kampf um die wissenschaftliche Vorherrschaft.............................................116 2 Aufbruch aus dem Elternhaus.........................................................................124 3 Studium und berufliche Entscheidungen.........................................................134 3.1 Im Kreis der künftigen Elite: Philosophiestudium an der ENS.......................134 3.2 Wissenschaftler oder Lehrer: London und Douai.........................................146 4 In der „Feste des Sozialismus“........................................................................159 5 Zusammenfassung..........................................................................................169 D 1907–1914: „Geordnet und ruhig“ – Intellektuelles Leben in Paris.................175 1 Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm in der Dritten Republik.............................................175 2 Eine eigene Familie.........................................................................................179 3 „Wilde“ am anderen Ende der Welt und in Europa..........................................183 3.1 Rezensionen (1907–1914): Durkheimianische Orthodoxie, Mana, Sündenvorstellungen.........................................................................................191 3.2 Kollektive Todesvorstellungen (1907): Übergänge, Ambivalenz des Sakralen, Verausgabung....................................................................... 3.2.1 Entstehung des Textes..............................................................................214 3.2.2 Zusammenfassung des Textes..................................................................219 3.2.3 Theoretische Implikationen.......................................................................226 3.2.4 Kritik und Rezeption..................................................................................238 3.3 Vorherrschaft der rechten Hand (1909): Religiöse Polarität und Variabilität von Werten....................................................................... 3.3.1 Entstehung des Textes.............................................................................241 3.3.2 Zusammenfassung des Textes..................................................................242 3.3.3 Theoretische Implikationen.......................................................................248 3.3.4 Kritik und Rezeption..................................................................................256 3.4 Saint Besse (1913): Verausgabung, rituelle Einhegung von Gewalt, prähistorische Religion.......................................................................................259 3.4.1 Entstehung des Textes..............................................................................259 3.4.2 Zusammenfassung des Textes..................................................................262 3.4.3 Theoretische Implikationen.......................................................................271 3.4.4 Kritik und Rezeption..................................................................................282 3.5 Sünde und Sühne (1922): Transgression, Isolation und Reintegration........288 3.5.1 Entstehung des Textes..............................................................................288 3.5.2 Zusammenfassung des Textes..................................................................293 3.5.3 Theoretische Implikationen.......................................................................303 3.5.4 Kritik und Rezeption..................................................................................309 4 Für einen zeitgemäßen Sozialismus................................................................310 4.1 Sozialismus der Durkheimiens......................................................................310 4.2 Politisches Wirken von Robert Hertz............................................................328 4.2.1 Groupe d’études socialistes und Cahiers du Socialiste.............................335 4.2.2 Pädagogisches Engagement....................................................................359 5 Zusammenfassung..........................................................................................363 E 1914/15: Im Großen Krieg für eine erneuerte Nation......................................374 1 Der Kriegsbeginn in der Dritten Republik........................................................374 2 Ziviles Leben im Krieg.....................................................................................382 3 Robert Hertz an der Front: Soldat, Ethnograf, Patriot.....................................391 3.1 Soldatenleben..............................................................................................391 3.2 Soziologe und Ethnograf..............................................................................399 3.3 Patriotismus und Opferbereitschaft..............................................................402 4 Zusammenfassung..........................................................................................416 F Konklusion......................................................................................................422 Anhang..............................................................................................................443 1 Abkürzungsverzeichnis...................................................................................443 2 Quellenverzeichnis..........................................................................................443 2.1 Archivalien im Fonds Robert Hertz...............................................................443 2.2 Arbeiten von Robert Hertz............................................................................448 2.2.1 Wissenschaftliche Artikel...........................................................................448 2.2.2 Posthume Veröffentlichungen...................................................................448 2.2.3 Übersetzungen..........................................................................................448 2.2.4 Rezensionen.............................................................................................449 2.2.5 Politische Schriften....................................................................................451 2.2.6 Vorträge....................................................................................................451 2.3 Cahiers du Socialiste...................................................................................452 2.4 Editierte Korrespondenz...............................................................................453 2.5 Weitere gedruckte Quellen..........................................................................453 3 Sekundärliteratur.............................................................................................459 4 Bestandsverzeichnis der Privatbibliothek von Robert Hertz im LAS.................477 5 Verzeichnis der von Robert Hertz aus der Bibliothek der ENS entliehenen Literatur.............................................................................. 6 Übersicht über biografische, politische und kulturelle Ereignisse im Leben von Robert Hertz.................................................................... 7 Familienübersichten........................................................................................533 8 Übersicht der Vorträge in der Groupe d’Etudes Socialistes............................535 9 Mitgliederverzeichnis der Groupe d’Etudes Socialistes...................................537 10 Personenverzeichnis.....................................................................................54

The biocontrol agent Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae - Monitoring its environmental fate and impact on indigenous fungal communities in the rhizosphere of maize

The fungal biocontrol agent (BCA) Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae (Fos) has proven to be effective in the suppression of the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which causes substantial yield losses in cereals in Sub-Saharan Africa. A prerequisite for widespread implementation of the biocontrol technology is the official registration of the BCA Fos by country authorities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The FAO and OECD institutions established international registration regulations to ensure the environmental safety of microbial BCAs. The present thesis aimed on assessing the potential of the BCA Fos to meet these registration requirements and was, therefore, based on the following two major objectives: (1) A specific DNA-based monitoring tool for Fos was developed which allows following its population kinetics in soils as driven by contrasting environmental impacts, such as soil type, plant growth stage and seasonality. (2) Risk assessment studies were conducted to assess potential side effects of Fos inoculation on non-target soil microorganisms.Der pilzliche Biokontrollagent (BKA) Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae Stamm Foxy-2 stellt eine wirksame Kontrollmöglichkeit gegen das parasitäre Unkraut Striga hermonthica dar, welches beachtliche Getreideverluste in Sub-Sahara Afrika verursacht. Voraussetzung für den großflächigen Einsatz dieser biologischen Unkrautkontrolle ist die offizielle Registrierung des BKA Foxy-2 durch Länderbehörden in Sub-Sahara Afrika. Die FAO und OECD entwickelten internationale Regularien für die Registrierung von mikrobiellen BKA um die Umweltverträglichkeit dieser biologischen Pestizide zu gewährleisten. Die Hauptziele der vorliegenden Dissertation basierten deshalb auf den Anforderungen dieser internationalen Regularien: (1) Eine spezifische Detektionsmethode wurde entwickelt, durch die der BKA in inokulierten Umgebungen identifiziert und quantifiziert werden kann. (2) Risikoanalysen wurden durchgeführt um nachteilige Effekte auf nicht-Ziel Organismen durch die Inokulation mit dem BKA auszuschließen

A domain ontology for the non-coding RNA field

Identification of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has been significantly enhanced due to the rapid advancement in sequencing technologies. On the other hand, semantic annotation of ncRNA data lag behind their identification, and there is a great need to effectively integrate discovery from relevant communities. To this end, the Non-Coding RNA Ontology (NCRO) is being developed to provide a precisely defined ncRNA controlled vocabulary, which can fill a specific and highly needed niche in unification of ncRNA biology

The Non-Coding RNA Ontology : a comprehensive resource for the unification of non-coding RNA biology

In recent years, sequencing technologies have enabled the identification of a wide range of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Unfortunately, annotation and integration of ncRNA data has lagged behind their identification. Given the large quantity of information being obtained in this area, there emerges an urgent need to integrate what is being discovered by a broad range of relevant communities. To this end, the Non-Coding RNA Ontology (NCRO) is being developed to provide a systematically structured and precisely defined controlled vocabulary for the domain of ncRNAs, thereby facilitating the discovery, curation, analysis, exchange, and reasoning of data about structures of ncRNAs, their molecular and cellular functions, and their impacts upon phenotypes. The goal of NCRO is to serve as a common resource for annotations of diverse research in a way that will significantly enhance integrative and comparative analysis of the myriad resources currently housed in disparate sources. It is our belief that the NCRO ontology can perform an important role in the comprehensive unification of ncRNA biology and, indeed, fill a critical gap in both the Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) Library and the National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO) BioPortal. Our initial focus is on the ontological representation of small regulatory ncRNAs, which we see as the first step in providing a resource for the annotation of data about all forms of ncRNAs. The NCRO ontology is free and open to all users

Imaging markers of disability in aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G seropositive neuromyelitis optica: a graph theory study

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders lack imaging biomarkers associated with disease course and supporting prognosis. This complex and heterogeneous set of disorders affects many regions of the central nervous system, including the spinal cord and visual pathway. Here, we use graph theory-based multimodal network analysis to investigate hypothesis-free mixed networks and associations between clinical disease with neuroimaging markers in 40 aquaporin-4-immunoglobulin G antibody seropositive patients (age = 48.16 ± 14.3 years, female:male = 36:4) and 31 healthy controls (age = 45.92 ± 13.3 years, female:male = 24:7). Magnetic resonance imaging measures included total brain and deep grey matter volumes, cortical thickness and spinal cord atrophy. Optical coherence tomography measures of the retina and clinical measures comprised of clinical attack types and expanded disability status scale were also utilized. For multimodal network analysis, all measures were introduced as nodes and tested for directed connectivity from clinical attack types and disease duration to systematic imaging and clinical disability measures. Analysis of variance, with group interactions, gave weights and significance for each nodal association (hyperedges). Connectivity matrices from 80% and 95% F-distribution networks were analyzed and revealed the number of combined attack types and disease duration as the most connected nodes, directly affecting changes in several regions of the central nervous system. Subsequent multivariable regression models, including interaction effects with clinical parameters, identified associations between decreased nucleus accumbens (β = −0.85, P = 0.021) and caudate nucleus (β = −0.61, P = 0.011) volumes with higher combined attack type count and longer disease duration, respectively. We also confirmed previously reported associations between spinal cord atrophy with increased number of clinical myelitis attacks. Age was the most important factor associated with normalized brain volume, pallidum volume, cortical thickness and the expanded disability status scale score. The identified imaging biomarker candidates warrant further investigation in larger-scale studies. Graph theory-based multimodal networks allow for connectivity and interaction analysis, where this method may be applied in other complex heterogeneous disease investigations with different outcome measures

The development of non-coding RNA ontology

Identification of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has been significantly improved over the past decade. On the other hand, semantic annotation of ncRNA data is facing critical challenges due to the lack of a comprehensive ontology to serve as common data elements and data exchange standards in the field. We developed the Non-Coding RNA Ontology (NCRO) to handle this situation. By providing a formally defined ncRNA controlled vocabulary, the NCRO aims to fill a specific and highly needed niche in semantic annotation of large amounts of ncRNA biological and clinical data

Race, class, gender and music - Kann Musik machen im Bandkontext zur Dekonstruktion von Differenzlinien beitragen?

Die Arbeit von Judith Günther, Agnes Obenhuber, Tobias Schmid und Jan Zimmermann beschäftigt sich mit einem Projekt aus dem Bereich der Jugendkulturarbeit und seinem Umgang mit verschiedenen sozialen Differenzlinien – mit Blick auf die Nutzer_innen als auch die Perspektive der Pädagog_innen. Das Material wurde erhoben mit der Methode des leitfadengestützten Interviews, ergänzt um Dokumentenanalyse und teilnehmende Beobachtung

Do alpine skiers and snowboarders wear protective equipment more often after an accident?

Questions under study/principles: Analysis of changes in the behaviour of wearing protective equipment by alpine skiers and snowboarders after injury, performed at a level I trauma centre in Switzerland. Methods: We present a study, using a standardised questionnaire, assessing behaviour on ski slopes by adult patients admitted between Oct 2007 and April 2008. Patients were re-interviewed after the 2008/2009 season. McNemar tests were used to analyse differences in protective clothing wearing rates between the two seasons. Multiple logistic regression with age, gender and injury severity score (ISS) as predictors, was used to compare findings in those who started wearing protective equipment and those who did not. Results: A total of 104/132 patients from the 2007/2008 season were questioned about wearing protective equipment in 2008/2009. 20 patients could not be reassessed (7 declined, 13 had abandoned winter sports). A total of 84 patients were reassessed (61 alpine skiers and 23 snowboarders). The median age of participants was 39 years and 70.2% were male. Helmet and back protector wearing rates increased from 40.5% to 78.6% (p <0.001) and from 14.3% to 23.8% (p = 0.021), respectively. Snowboarders more than doubled their helmet wearing rate (39.1% to 82.6%, p = 0.002). Skiers showed a trend towards doubling their back protector wearing rate (6.6% to 14.8%, p = 0.063). Younger skiers started wearing back protectors more often than older skiers. Conclusions: Sustained injury might provide skiers and snowboards with a potent trigger to change their attitude towards the use of protective equipment. The psychological processes influencing the use of protective equipment require further investigation