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- ItemBiomaterial based strategies to reconstruct the nigrostriatal pathway in organotypic slice co-cultures(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Ucar, Buket; Kajtez, Janko; Foidl, Bettina M.; Eigel, Dimitri; Werner, Carsten; Long, Katherine R.; Emnéus, Jenny; Bizeau, Joëlle; Lomora, Mihai; Pandit, Abhay; Newland, Ben; Humpel, ChristianProtection or repair of the nigrostriatal pathway represents a principal disease-modifying therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease (PD). Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) holds great therapeutic potential for PD, but its efficacious delivery remains difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of different biomaterials (hydrogels, microspheres, cryogels and microcontact printed surfaces) for reconstructing the nigrostriatal pathway in organotypic co-culture of ventral mesencephalon and dorsal striatum. The biomaterials (either alone or loaded with GDNF) were locally applied onto the brain co-slices and fiber growth between the co-slices was evaluated after three weeks in culture based on staining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Collagen hydrogels loaded with GDNF slightly promoted the TH+ nerve fiber growth towards the dorsal striatum, while GDNF loaded microspheres embedded within the hydrogels did not provide an improvement. Cryogels alone or loaded with GDNF also enhanced TH+ fiber growth. Lines of GDNF immobilized onto the membrane inserts via microcontact printing also significantly improved TH+ fiber growth. In conclusion, this study shows that various biomaterials and tissue engineering techniques can be employed to regenerate the nigrostriatal pathway in organotypic brain slices. This comparison of techniques highlights the relative merits of different technologies that researchers can use/develop for neuronal regeneration strategies. © 2020
- ItemTowards hybrid one-pot/one-electrode Pd-NPs-based nanoreactors for modular biocatalysis(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Koch, M.; Apushkinskaya, N.; Zolotukhina, E.V.; Silina, Y.E.Here, fundamental aspects affecting template-assisted engineering of oxidase-associated peroxide oxidation co-catalysis of the modeled microanalytical system based on the hybrid palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) with tailored functional properties were studied. By an accurate tuning and validation of the experimental setup, a modular Pd-NPs-doped one-pot/one-electrode amperometric nanobiosensor for advanced multiplex analyte detection was constructed. The specific operational conditions (electrochemical read-out mode, pH, regeneration procedure) of the modular one-pot/one-electrode nanobiosensor allowed a reliable sensing of L-lactate (with linear dynamic range, LDR = 500 µM – 2 mM, R2 = 0.977), D-glucose (with LDR = 200 µM – 50 mM, R2 = 0.987), hydrogen peroxide (with LDR = 20 µM – 100 mM, R2 = 0.998) and glutaraldehyde (with LDR = 1 – 100 mM, R2 = 0.971). In addition, mechanistic aspects influencing the performance of Pd-NPs-doped one-pot/one-electrode for multiplex analyte sensing were studied in detail. The designed one-pot/one-electrode amperometric nanobiosensor showed a thin layer electrochemical behavior that greatly enhanced electron transfer between the functional hybrid layer and the electrode. Finally, a specific regeneration procedure of the hybrid one-pot/one-electrode and algorithm towards its usage for modular biocatalysis were developed. The reported strategy can readily be considered as a guideline towards the fabrication of commercialized nanobiosensors with tailored properties for advanced modular biocatalysis.
- ItemRhodium-catalyzed borylative carbon monoxide reduction to gem-diborylmethane(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Xua, Jian-Xing; Wu, Fu-Peng; Wu, Xiao-FengHerein, we developed a rhodium-catalyzed reduction of CO with bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2) under atmospheric pressure of CO with silane as the hydride source, gem-diborylmethane [H2C(Bpin)2] as a versatile and fundamental C1 compound can be formed. Notably, this is the first example on transition metal-catalyzed borylation of CO. © 2020 The Author(s)
- ItemOSL-dating of the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition in loess from China, Europe and North America, and evidence for accretionary pedogenesis(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Constantin, D.; Mason, J.A.; Veres, D.; Hambach, U.; Panaiotu, C.; Zeeden, C.; Zhou, L.; Marković, S.B.; Gerasimenko, N.; Avram, A.; Tecsa, V.; Groza-Sacaciu, S.M.; del Valle Villalonga, L.; Begy, R.; Timar-Gabor, A.Loess deposits intercalated by paleosols are detailed terrestrial archives of Quaternary climate variability providing information on the global dust cycle and landscape dynamics. Their paleoclimatic significance is often explored by quantifying their mineral magnetic properties due to their sensitivity to local/regional hydroclimate variability. Detailed chronological assessment of such regional proxy records around the climatic transitions allow a better understanding of how regional records react to major global climatic transitions such as the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition. Logs of high-resolution magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence were used as paleoclimatic proxies to define the environmental transition from the last glacial loess to the current interglacial soil as reflected in nine loess-paleosol sequences across the northern hemisphere, from the Chinese Loess Plateau, the southeastern European loess belt and the central Great Plains, USA. The onset of increase in magnetic susceptibility above typical loess values was used to assess the onset of, and developments during, the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition. High-resolution luminescence dating was applied on multiple grain-sizes (4–11 μm, 63–90 μm, 90–125 μm) of quartz extracts from the same sample in order to investigate the timing of Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition in the investigated sites. The magnetic susceptibility signal shows a smooth and gradual increase for the majority of the sites from the typical low loess values to the interglacial ones. The initiation of this increase, interpreted as recording the initiation of the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition at each site, was dated to 14–17.5 ka or even earlier. Our chronological results highlight the need of combining paleoclimatic proxies (magnetic susceptibility) with absolute dating when investigating the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition as reflected by the evolution of this proxy in order to avoid chronostratigraphic misinterpretations in loess-paleosol records caused by simple pattern correlation. The detailed luminescence chronologies evidence the continuity of eolian mineral dust accumulation regardless of glacial or interglacial global climatic regimes. Coupled with magnetic susceptibility records this indicates that dust sedimentation and pedogenesis act simultaneously and result in a non-negligible accretional component in the formation of Holocene soils in loess regions across the Northern Hemisphere. The luminescence ages allowed the modeling of accumulation rates for the Holocene soil which are similar for European, Chinese and U.S.A. loess sites investigated and vary from 2 cm ka−1 to 9 cm ka−1. While accretional pedogenesis has often been implicitly or explicitly assumed in paleoclimatic interpretation of loess-paleosol sequences, especially in the Chinese Loess Plateau, our luminescence data add direct evidence for ongoing sedimentation as interglacial soils formed.
- ItemLoess landscapes of Europe – Mapping, geomorphology, and zonal differentiation(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Lehmkuhl, F.; Nett, J.J.; Pötter, S.; Schulte, P.; Sprafke, T.; Jary, Z.; Antoine, P.; Wacha, L.; Wolf, D.; Zerboni, A.; Hošek, J.; Marković, S.B.; Obreht, I.; Sümegi, P.; Veres, D.; Zeeden, C.; Boemke, B.; Schaubert, V.; Viehweger, J.; Hambach, U.Paleoenvironmental reconstructions on a (supra-)regional scale have gained attention in Quaternary sciences during the last decades. In terrestrial realms, loess deposits and especially intercalations of loess and buried soils, so called loess-paleosol sequences (LPS) are important archives to unravel the terrestrial response to e.g. climatic fluctuations and reconstruct paleoenvironments during the Pleistocene. The analysis of LPS requires the knowledge of several key factors, such as the distribution of the aeolian sediments, their location relative to (potential) source areas, the climate conditions that led to their emplacement and the topography of the sink area. These factors strongly influence the sedimentological and paleoenvironmental characteristics of LPS and show broad variations throughout Europe, leading to a distinct distribution pattern throughout the continent. We present a new map of the distribution of aeolian sediments (mainly loess) and major potential source areas for Europe. The map was compiled combining geodata of different mapping approaches. Most of the used geodata stems from accurate national maps of 27 different countries. Problematic aspects such as different nomenclatures across administrative borders were carefully investigated and revised. The result is a seamless map, which comprises pedological, geological, and geomorphological data and can be used for paleoenvironmental and archeological studies and other applications. We use the resulting map and data from key geomorphological cross-sections to discuss the various influences of geomorphology and paleoenvironment on the deposition and preservation of Late Pleistocene loess throughout Europe. We divided the loess areas into 6 main loess domains and 17 subdomains to understand and explain the factors controlling their distribution and characteristics. For the subdivision we used the following criteria: (1) influence of silt production areas, (2) affiliation to subcatchments, as rivers are very important regional silt transport agents, (3) occurrence of past periglacial activity with characteristic overprinting of the deposits. Additionally, the sediment distribution is combined with elevation data, to investigate the loess distribution statistically as well as visually. Throughout Europe, the variations, and differences of the loess domains are the results of a complex interplay of changing paleoenvironmental conditions and related geomorphologic processes, controlling dust sources, transport, accumulation, preservation, pedogenesis, alongside erosional and reworking events. Climatic, paleoclimatic, and pedoclimatic gradients are on the continental scale an additional important factor, since there are e.g. latitudinal differences of permafrost and periglacial processes, an increase in continentality from west to east and in aridity from northwest to southeast and south, strongly affecting regional sedimentary and geomorphic dynamics. We propose three main depositional regimes for loess formation in Europe: (1.) periglacial and tundra loess formation with periglacial processes and permafrost in the high latitude and mountainous regions; (2.) steppe and desert margin loess formation in the (semi-)arid regions; and (3.) loess and soil formation in temperate and subtropical regions. Loess deposits of (1.) and (2.) show coarser, sandier particle distributions towards the glacial and desert regions. In the humid areas (3.) forest vegetation limited dust production and accumulation, therefore, there is an increase in finer grain sizes due to an increase in weathering.
- ItemGlobal and country-level data of the biodiversity footprints of 175 crops and pasture(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Beyer, Robert; Manica, AndreaThe destruction of natural habitat for cropland and pasture represents a major threat to global biodiversity. Despite widespread societal concern about biodiversity loss associated with food production, consumer access to quantitative estimates of the impact of crop production on the world's species has been very limited compared to assessments of other environmental variables such as greenhouse gas emissions or water use. Here, we present a consistent dataset of the biodiversity footprints of pasture and 175 crops at the global and national level. The data were generated by combining maps of the global distribution of agricultural areas in the year 2000 with spatially explicit estimates of the biodiversity loss associated with the conversion of natural habitat to farmland. Estimates were derived for three common alternative measures of biodiversity - species richness, threatened species richness, and range rarity - of the world's mammals, birds, and amphibians. Our dataset provides important quantitative information for food consumers and policy makers, allowing them to take evidence-based decisions to reduce the biodiversity footprint of global food production.
- ItemPhenotyping in the era of genomics: MaTrics—a digital character matrix to document mammalian phenotypic traits(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Stefen, Clara; Wagner, Franziska; Asztalos, Marika; Giere, Peter; Grobe, Peter; Hiller, Michael; Hofmann, Rebecca; Jähde, Maria; Lächele, Ulla; Lehmann, Thomas; Ortmann, Sylvia; Peters, Benjamin; Ruf, Irina; Schiffmann, Christian; Thier, Nadja; Unterhitzenberger, Gabriele; Vogt, Lars; Rudolf, Matthias; Wehner, Peggy; Stuckas, HeikoA new and uniquely structured matrix of mammalian phenotypes, MaTrics (Mammalian Traits for Comparative Genomics) in a digital form is presented. By focussing on mammalian species for which genome assemblies are available, MaTrics provides an interface between mammalogy and comparative genomics. MaTrics was developed within a project aimed to find genetic causes of phenotypic traits of mammals using Forward Genomics. This approach requires genomes and comprehensive and recorded information on homologous phenotypes that are coded as discrete categories in a matrix. MaTrics is an evolving online resource providing information on phenotypic traits in numeric code; traits are coded either as absent/present or with several states as multistate. The state record for each species is linked to at least one reference (e.g., literature, photographs, histological sections, CT scans, or museum specimens) and so MaTrics contributes to digitalization of museum collections. Currently, MaTrics covers 147 mammalian species and includes 231 characters related to structure, morphology, physiology, ecology, and ethology and available in a machine actionable NEXUS-format*. Filling MaTrics revealed substantial knowledge gaps, highlighting the need for phenotyping efforts. Studies based on selected data from MaTrics and using Forward Genomics identified associations between genes and certain phenotypes ranging from lifestyles (e.g., aquatic) to dietary specializations (e.g., herbivory, carnivory). These findings motivate the expansion of phenotyping in MaTrics by filling research gaps and by adding taxa and traits. Only databases like MaTrics will provide machine actionable information on phenotypic traits, an important limitation to genomics. MaTrics is available within the data repository Morph·D·Base (www.morphdbase.de).
- ItemOn the Complexity of Attacking Elliptic Curve Based Authentication Chips(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Kabin, Ievgen; Dyka, Zoya; Klann, Dan; Schaeffner, Jan; Langendoerfer, PeterIn this paper we discuss the difficulties of mounting successful attacks against crypto implementations if essential information is missing. We start with a detailed description of our attack against our own design, to highlight which information is needed to increase the success of an attack, i.e. we use it as a blueprint to the following attack against commercially available crypto chips. We would like to stress that our attack against our own design is very similar to what happens during certification e.g. according to the Common Criteria Standard as in those cases the manufacturer needs to provide detailed information. If attacking commercial designs without signing NDAs, we were forced to intensively search the Internet for information about the designs. We were able to reveal information on the processing sequence during the authentication process even as detailed as identifying the clock cycles in which the individual key bits are processed. But we could not reveal the private keys used by the attacked commercial authentication chips 100% correctly. Moreover, as we did not knew the used keys we could not evaluate the success of our attack. To summarize, the effort of such an attack is significantly higher than the one of attacking a well-known implementation.
- ItemAn extended hybrid input-output model applied to fossil- and bio-based plastics(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Jander, WiebkeMatrix augmentation method is developed further and described transparently for enabling more specific input-output analyses of bio- vs. fossil-based sectors. A number of economic and environmental effects of substitution can be estimated, compared, and managed. While the model was applied for the first time to the German plastics industry, it can be well integrated into existing bioeconomy monitorings to represent substitution in sectors and countries. • Original matrix augmentation method is described in much detail for the first time considering available data for bio- and fossil-based industries. • Particular attention is paid to balancing cost and benefit in model building so that indicators can be integrated in a continuous monitoring of the bioeconomy. Hence, industry data is prefered to process data whenever possible. • Input structures of bio-based imports are considered in single-region input-output analysis.
- ItemIntegrative programming for simulation of packaging headspace and shelf life of fresh produce(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, 2021) Jalali, Ali; Linke, Manfred; Geyer, Martin; Mahajan, PramodFresh horticultural products are exposed to different environmental conditions from farm to fork. Barrier properties of packaging and physiological behaviour of produce, namely respiration and transpiration can affect headspace conditions surrounding produce and consequently remaining shelf life. Packaging material also plays a role in heat and mass transfer, such as thermal conduction and permeation of O2, CO2 and water vapour. All of these behaviours are integrated together in the form of ordinary differential equations and solved using numerical methods in MATLAB. • The simulation program is useful for designing the size and number of perforations to achieve equilibrium modified atmosphere alone or in combination with packaging material having a higher water transmission rate or active moisture absorber. • The simulation program is also useful for predicting the shelf life of fresh produce under the actual supply chain conditions. • The simulation program provides a flexible system to input predefined supply chain conditions and the properties of fresh produce and packaging material, thus, minimizing the costly and time consuming experimental procedures for selecting the optimum packaging material for fresh produce.
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