Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg

About: Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg is a education organization based out in Halle, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Liquid crystal. The organization has 20232 authors who have published 38773 publications receiving 965004 citations. The organization is also known as: MLU & University of Wittenberg.

Building essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) of species distribution and abundance at a global scale.

Abstract: Much biodiversity data is collected worldwide, but it remains challenging to assemble the scattered knowledge for assessing biodiversity status and trends. The concept of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) was introduced to structure biodiversity monitoring globally, and to harmonize and standardize biodiversity data from disparate sources to capture a minimum set of critical variables required to study, report and manage biodiversity change. Here, we assess the challenges of a 'Big Data' approach to building global EBV data products across taxa and spatiotemporal scales, focusing on species distribution and abundance. The majority of currently available data on species distributions derives from incidentally reported observations or from surveys where presence-only or presence-absence data are sampled repeatedly with standardized protocols. Most abundance data come from opportunistic population counts or from population time series using standardized protocols (e.g. repeated surveys of the same population from single or multiple sites). Enormous complexity exists in integrating these heterogeneous, multi-source data sets across space, time, taxa and different sampling methods. Integration of such data into global EBV data products requires correcting biases introduced by imperfect detection and varying sampling effort, dealing with different spatial resolution and extents, harmonizing measurement units from different data sources or sampling methods, applying statistical tools and models for spatial inter- or extrapolation, and quantifying sources of uncertainty and errors in data and models. To support the development of EBVs by the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), we identify 11 key workflow steps that will operationalize the process of building EBV data products within and across research infrastructures worldwide. These workflow steps take multiple sequential activities into account, including identification and aggregation of various raw data sources, data quality control, taxonomic name matching and statistical modelling of integrated data. We illustrate these steps with concrete examples from existing citizen science and professional monitoring projects, including eBird, the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring network, the Living Planet Index and the Baltic Sea zooplankton monitoring. The identified workflow steps are applicable to both terrestrial and aquatic systems and a broad range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. They depend on clear, findable and accessible metadata, and we provide an overview of current data and metadata standards. Several challenges remain to be solved for building global EBV data products: (i) developing tools and models for combining heterogeneous, multi-source data sets and filling data gaps in geographic, temporal and taxonomic coverage, (ii) integrating emerging methods and technologies for data collection such as citizen science, sensor networks, DNA-based techniques and satellite remote sensing, (iii) solving major technical issues related to data product structure, data storage, execution of workflows and the production process/cycle as well as approaching technical interoperability among research infrastructures, (iv) allowing semantic interoperability by developing and adopting standards and tools for capturing consistent data and metadata, and (v) ensuring legal interoperability by endorsing open data or data that are free from restrictions on use, modification and sharing. Addressing these challenges is critical for biodiversity research and for assessing progress towards conservation policy targets and sustainable development goals.

The antibiotic ADEP reprogrammes ClpP, switching it from a regulated to an uncontrolled protease

Abstract: A novel class of antibiotic acyldepsipeptides (designated ADEPs) exerts its unique antibacterial activity by targeting the peptidase caseinolytic protease P (ClpP). ClpP forms proteolytic complexes with heat shock proteins (Hsp100) that select and process substrate proteins for ClpP-mediated degradation. Here, we analyse the molecular mechanism of ADEP action and demonstrate that ADEPs abrogate ClpP interaction with cooperating Hsp100 adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases). Consequently, ADEP treated bacteria are affected in ClpP-dependent general and regulatory proteolysis. At the same time, ADEPs also activate ClpP by converting it from a tightly regulated peptidase, which can only degrade short peptides, into a proteolytic machinery that recognizes and degrades unfolded polypeptides. In vivo nascent polypeptide chains represent the putative primary target of ADEP-activated ClpP, providing a rationale for the antibacterial activity of the ADEPs. Thus, ADEPs cause a complete functional reprogramming of the Clp–protease complex.

The biology of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae): Gaps in our knowledge of an invasive species

Abstract: Small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, are honeybee parasites native to Africa, where they are a minor pest only. In contrast, the beetles can be harmful parasites of European honeybee subspecies. Resistance of African subspecies to infestations is probably due to quantitative differences in a series of behaviours such as absconding, aggression, removal of parasite eggs and larvae and social encapsulation. The beetles use counter-resistance tactics such as defence posture, dropping, hiding, escape, egg laying in small gaps and trophallactic mimicry. Small hive beetles are efficient in long-range transportation (US: 1996, Australia: 2002) and can establish populations in temperate regions due to their overwintering capacity in honeybee clusters. Host shifts to other bee species may also occur. Thus, small hive beetles have the potential to become a global threat to apiculture and wild bee populations. However, our knowledge of the small hive beetle is still limited, creating demand for more research in all areas of its biology.

ISA, ISSAM, EAU, EAA and ASA recommendations: investigation, treatment and monitoring of late-onset hypogonadism in males

Abstract: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute, Torrance, CA, USA, Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany, Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany, Department of Urology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA, Department of Endocrinology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Department of Endocrinology, Academish Ziekenhuis, Gent, Belgium, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Sart-Tilman, Liege, Belgium, Faculty of Life Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Centre for Applied Urological Research, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, Division of Geriatric Medicine, St. Louis University and GRECC, St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, USA, Department of Urology, Erasme Hospital, University Clinics Brussels, Brussels, Belgium, Department of Urology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA, Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospitals, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany, and Department of Endocrinology, University of Manchester, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK

Edge states in topological magnon insulators

Abstract: For magnons, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction accounts for spin-orbit interaction and causes a nontrivial topology that allows for topological magnon insulators. In this theoretical investigation we present the bulk-boundary correspondence for magnonic kagome lattices by studying the edge magnons calculated by a Green function renormalization technique. Our analysis explains the sign of the transverse thermal conductivity of the magnon Hall effect in terms of topological edge modes and their propagation direction. The hybridization of topologically trivial with nontrivial edge modes enlarges the period in reciprocal space of the latter, which is explained by the topology of the involved modes.