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Aufsatz
Improving acid-stressed anaerobic digestion processes with biochar towards a combined biomass and carbon management system
(2024-03-06)
Interest in biochar as an additive to enhance anaerobic digestion (AD) has grown in the context of biomass cascading use and the 2050 net-zero goal. However, few studies have investigated the effects of biochar on AD from a biochar production perspective, including biomass feedstocks and pyrolysis temperatures. To valorise biomass and better understand the mechanisms and environmental implications of using biochar in AD, this study investigated the effects of distinct biochar types on AD under acid stress-induced ...
Aufsatz
The Internal Structure of the Velvet Worm Projectile Slime: A Small-Angle Scattering Study
(2023-02-24)
For prey capture and defense, velvet worms eject an adhesive slime which has been established as a model system for recyclable complex liquids. Triggered by mechanical agitation, the liquid bio-adhesive rapidly transitions into solid fibers. In order to understand this mechanoresponsive behavior, here, the nanostructural organization of slime components are studied using small-angle scattering with neutrons and X-rays. The scattering intensities are successfully described with a three-component model accounting for ...
Aufsatz
Human‑elephant conflict in the Sri Lankan dry zone: investigating social and geographical drivers through field‑based methods
(2023-07-02)
Human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka has escalated over the recent years, with, on average, 300 elephant deaths annually and human casualties of around 90 per year. Employing field-based qualitative methods, this contribution identifies causes and contexts of human-elephant conflict in those parts of the Sri Lankan dry zone most severely affected. We have used field observations as well as semi-structured interviews with experts and affected villagers as primary data collection techniques. The findings show ...
Aufsatz
Relevance of organic vs. inorganic nitrogen in intra- and interspecific competition of seven central European tree species
(2023-06-23)
Key message: When competing for nitrogen with other tree species, organic N is more important than inorganic N for most species. //
Abstract: Competition for nitrogen (N) in the rhizosphere is a key process regulating a seedling´s chances for growth and survival. However, only few studies have investigated this at the individual species´ level when using a community approach. In this study, ¹⁵N incubation experiments were conducted to quantify inorganic (i.e. ammonium and nitrate) and organic (i.e. glutamine-N and ...
Aufsatz
Prioritizing strategies for wheat biofortification: Inspiration from underutilized species
(2023-10-05)
The relationship between malnutrition and climate change is still poorly understood but a comprehensive knowledge of their interactions is needed to address the global public health agenda. Limited studies have been conducted to propose robust and economic-friendly strategies to augment the food basket with underutilized species and biofortify the staples for nutritional security. Sea-buckthorn is a known “superfood” rich in vitamin C and iron content. It is found naturally in northern hemispherical temperate Eurasia ...
Aufsatz
Biodistricts as a tool to revitalize rural territories and communities: insights from the biodistrict Cilento
(2023-11-03)
The necessity and urgency of the food systems transformation is no longer questionable, and the transformation pathways are inevitably reappearing as a subject of academic and public debate. In search of sustainable food production strategies as part of a broader transformation, organic food systems are called for as one of the solutions to achieve environmentally friendly and just food systems. In this context, the role of biodistricts has been recently emphasized at the EU level. The authors of the manuscript argue ...
Aufsatz
A multiscale approach reveals elaborate circulatory system and intermittent heartbeat in velvet worms (Onychophora)
(2023-04-28)
An antagonistic hemolymph-muscular system is essential for soft-bodied invertebrates. Many ecdysozoans (molting animals) possess neither a heart nor a vascular or circulatory system, whereas most arthropods exhibit a well-developed circulatory system. How did this system evolve and how was it subsequently modified in panarthropod lineages? As the closest relatives of arthropods and tardigrades, onychophorans (velvet worms) represent a key group for addressing this question. We therefore analyzed the entire circulatory ...
Aufsatz
An updated world checklist of velvet worms (Onychophora) with notes on nomenclature and status of names
(2023-11-16)
More than a decade has passed since the publication of the only world checklist available for Onychophora. During this period, numerous nomenclatural acts and taxonomic changes have been suggested within the group and a wealth of novel data has been published on many taxa. Herein, the up-to-date taxonomic scenario within Onychophora is presented, with appraisal of name status. This checklist covers both extant (Peripatidae and Peripatopsidae) and fossil taxa, and each species is accompanied by information on synonyms, ...
Aufsatz
Soil respiration under different N fertilization and irrigation regimes in Bengaluru, S-India
(2023-09-15)
Rapid urbanization in many countries of the Global South has led to intensification of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) whose effects on the soils’ physical, chemical, and microbial properties have been hardly studied. We therefore investigated the effects of different intensity levels, exemplified by three rates of mineral nitrogen (N) addition and irrigation on CO₂ emissions in typical crops during the wet (Kharif) and dry (Rabi) season on a Nitisol in Bengaluru, S-India. Respiration data were collected from ...
Aufsatz
DPH1 Gene Mutations Identify a Candidate SAM Pocket in Radical Enzyme Dph1 Dph2 for Diphthamide Synthesis on EF2
(2023-11-16)
In eukaryotes, the Dph1•Dph2 dimer is a non-canonical radical SAM enzyme. Using iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters, it cleaves the cosubstrate S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) to form a 3-amino-3-carboxy-propyl (ACP) radical for the synthesis of diphthamide. The latter decorates a histidine residue on elongation factor 2 (EF2) conserved from archaea to yeast and humans and is important for accurate mRNA translation and protein synthesis. Guided by evidence from archaeal orthologues, we searched for a putative SAM-binding pocket ...