Trade-off between wheat yield and drainage under current and climate change conditions in northeast Germany

In the temperate climate of northeast Germany, a trade-off exists between water use in agricultural crop production and groundwater recharge which is important for urban water supply, irrigation, forestry and peat protection. The APSIM-Nwheat model was used to analyze the impact of climate change scenarios on deep drainage (DD), the water loss below the maximum root zone as the main source of groundwater recharge, and wheat production for two main soil types. A linear and a nonlinear climate scenario were used in this study: The linear scenario for 2001–2050 was based on a simple linearly modified historical climate record from 1951 to 2000. The nonlinear scenario used the same 1951–2000 historical climate record but combined it nonlinearly with a Global Circulation Model climate scenario for 2001–2050. Simulation results showed different distributions of deep drainage and grain yield with the linear and nonlinear scenarios, but no difference in the 50-year averages. Hence, a linear manipulation of climate records can be as effective for climate change impact studies on deep drainage and grain yield as nonlinearly manipulated climate data, if long-term average changes are of main interest. The simulation results indicated that a trade-off between deep drainage and grain yields can be potentially controlled through N management. However, such control mechanism was more effective under current climate conditions than under future climate and on a better water-holding silt soil compared to a poorer water-holding loamy sand. It is suggested that areas with poor water-holding soils should be managed extensively for groundwater recharge harvesting while better water-holding soils should be used for high input grain production.     

Die Bestimmung der effektiven Kationenaustauschkapazität von Gesteinen

The determination of the effective cation exchange capacity of rocks The extractable cations (1 N NH₄Cl) of broken, mortared, and ground rocks (Sandstone, Clay schist, Diabase, Alkali-Olivinbasalt) were determined using vibration extraction and percolation. These methods were evaluated by re-exchange experiments. In addition mineralogical components, specific surface and effective porosity of the rocks were determined. Al-silicates which are cation exchangers like Illite and Zeolite minerals were found in these rocks. Mortaring and grinding increased the specific surface and the exchange capacity of the rocks which have a low porosity (Clay schist and Basalt). For example, the CEC of broken Clay schist was 27 μmol_c g^?1 and increased to ≈ 40 μmol_c g^?1 after mortaring. The CEC of the rocks with a high porosity (Diabase and Sandstone) did not depend on the particle size. Therefore we assume, that inner parts of the broken rocks were reached by extraction. The CEC amounts to ≈ 50–80% of the sum of the cations, which could be extracted with NH₄Cl. This difference is probably due to the dissolution of salts. Mortaring and grinding increased the amount of cations derived from dissolving of salts. The results show, that rocks are of signficance not only for silicate weathering, but also for the cation exchange.     

Speciation in the parthenogenetic oribatid mite genus Tectocepheus (Acari, Oribatida) as indicated by molecular phylogeny

Despite the lack of universal concepts for species and speciation, both sexual and asexual organisms are expected to diversify into discrete genotypic and morphological clusters. Species-rich clusters of parthenogenetic oribatid mites likely evolved in the absence of sexual reproduction. We used nucleotide sequences of the large and small rDNA genes (18S and 28S) and the coding genes for heat shock protein 82 (hsp82) and elongation factor-1 alpha (ef-1α) for phylogenetic analyses of three morphotypes of the parthenogenetic oribatid mite genus Tectocepheus. DNA sequence divergences of the different morphotypes were similar to those of sexual species in other organisms. Maximum likelihood analyses of single genes and combined data sets were largely congruent in reconstructing the phylogeny of the Tectocepheus species. The results suggest that the different morphotypes of Tectocepheus indeed evolved in the absence of sexual reproduction, and that Tectocepheus minor, Tectocepheus velatus and Tectocepheus sarekensis are best considered distinct species. Further, the results suggest that 18S rDNA, hsp82 and ef-1α are powerful markers for resolving phylogenetic relationships of oribatid mites. Saturation plots indicated that the D3-region of 28S is much more saturated than all other examined genes. This indicates that the D3-region is unsuitable for resolving ancient splits in oribatid mites.     

Quantifying the information content of lattice images

Quantitative information may be extracted from local areas of images that consist of one or more types of unit cell. Fourier-space analysis, real-space intensity analysis, and real-space vector pattern recognition are discussed. The pattern recognition approach efficiently exploits the available information by representing the intensity distribution within each unit cell of the image as a multidimensional vector. Thus, the amount and the effect of noise present are determined, statistically significant features are identified, and quantitative comparisons are made with model images. In the case of chemical lattice images, the position of a vector can be directly related to the atomic composition of the unit cell it represents, allowing quantitative chemical mapping of materials at near-atomic sensitivity and resolution. More generally, the vector approach allows the efficient and quantitative extraction of information from images, which consist of mosaics of unit cells.     

Direct observation of internal spin structure of magnetic vortex cores

Thin film nanoscale elements with a curling magnetic structure (vortex) are a promising candidate for future nonvolatile data storage devices. Their properties are strongly influenced by the spin structure in the vortex core. We have used spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy on nanoscale iron islands to probe for the first time the internal spin structure of magnetic vortex cores. Using tips coated with a layer of antiferromagnetic chromium, we obtained images of the curling in-plane magnetization around and of the out-of-plane magnetization inside the core region. The experimental data are compared with micromagnetic simulations. The results confirm theoretical predictions that the size and the shape of the vortex core as well as its magnetic field dependence are governed by only two material parameters, the exchange stiffness and the saturation magnetization that determines the stray field energy.     

Current-induced magnetization switching with a spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope

Switching the magnetization of a magnetic bit by injection of a spin-polarized current offers the possibility for the development of innovative high-density data storage technologies. We show how individual superparamagnetic iron nanoislands with typical sizes of 100 atoms can be addressed and locally switched using a magnetic scanning probe tip, thus demonstrating current-induced magnetization reversal across a vacuum barrier combined with the ultimate resolution of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. Our technique allows us to separate and quantify three fundamental contributions involved in magnetization switching (i.e., current-induced spin torque, heating the island by the tunneling current, and Oersted field effects), thereby providing an improved understanding of the switching mechanism.     

Design and chemical synthesis of a homogeneous polymer-modified erythropoiesis protein

We report the design and total chemical synthesis of "synthetic erythropoiesis protein" (SEP), a 51-kilodalton protein-polymer construct consisting of a 166-amino-acid polypeptide chain and two covalently attached, branched, and monodisperse polymer moieties that are negatively charged. The ability to control the chemistry allowed us to synthesize a macromolecule of precisely defined covalent structure. SEP was homogeneous as shown by high-resolution analytical techniques, with a mass of 50,825 +/-10 daltons by electrospray mass spectrometry, and with a pI of 5.0. In cell and animal assays for erythropoiesis, SEP displayed potent biological activity and had significantly prolonged duration of action in vivo. These chemical methods are a powerful tool in the rational design of protein constructs with potential therapeutic applications.     

Real-space imaging of two-dimensional antiferromagnetism on the atomic scale

A two-dimensional antiferromagnetic structure within a pseudomorphic monolayer film of chemically identical manganese atoms on tungsten(110) was observed with atomic resolution by spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy at 16 kelvin. A magnetic superstructure changes the translational symmetry of the surface lattice with respect to the chemical unit cell. It is shown, with the aid of first-principles calculations, that as a result of this, spin-polarized tunneling electrons give rise to an image corresponding to the magnetic superstructure and not to the chemical unit cell. These investigations demonstrate a powerful technique for the understanding of complicated magnetic configurations of nanomagnets and thin films engineered from ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials used for magnetoelectronics.     

Bacterial community structure in lake sediments of microcosms contaminated with nonylphenol

The impact of nonylphenol, an estrogenic degradation product of alkylphenol polyethoxylates, on the bacterial community structure in contaminated sediments of aquatic microcosms was investigated over a period of 20 weeks using a 16S rDNA-based molecular phylogenetic approach. All microcosms showeda strong seasonal fluctuation of the dominant as well as the active bacterial microflora independent of their degree of contamination with nonylphenol. These changes were correlated with the dynamic of the total organic carbon content (TOC), ranging from 4–39 g/kg sediment dry weight and the redox potential in the sediment. Even at the highest observed nonylphenol concentration (3.4 mg/kg sediment dry weight) the bacterial community structure was mostly unchanged.