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"Langer, G."
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Stable Carbon Isotope Signature of Methane Released From Phytoplankton
2023
Aquatic ecosystems play an important role in global methane cycling and many field studies have reported methane supersaturation in the oxic surface mixed layer (SML) of the ocean and in the epilimnion of lakes. The origin of methane formed under oxic condition is hotly debated and several pathways have recently been offered to explain the “methane paradox.” In this context, stable isotope measurements have been applied to constrain methane sources in supersaturated oxygenated waters. Here we present stable carbon isotope signatures for six widespread marine phytoplankton species, three haptophyte algae and three cyanobacteria, incubated under laboratory conditions. The observed isotopic patterns implicate that methane formed by phytoplankton might be clearly distinguished from methane produced by methanogenic archaea. Comparing results from phytoplankton experiments with isotopic data from field measurements, suggests that algal and cyanobacterial populations may contribute substantially to methane formation observed in the SML of oceans and lakes. Plain Language Summary Methane plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and physics as it contributes to global warming and to the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere. Knowing the sources and sinks of methane in the environment is a prerequisite for understanding the global atmospheric methane cycle but also to better predict future climate change. Measurements of the stable carbon isotope composition of carbon—the ratio between the heavy and light stable isotope of carbon—help to identify methane sources in the environment and to distinguish them from other formation processes. We identified the carbon isotope fingerprint of methane released from phytoplankton including algal and cyanobacterial species. The observed isotope signature improves our understanding of methane cycling in the surface layers of aquatic environments helping us to better estimate methane emissions to the atmosphere. Key Points Stable carbon isotope values of methane emitted from six phytoplankton cultures incubated in the laboratory Isotope fractionation between methane source signature and biomass of widespread algal and cyanobacterial species Isotopic patterns of methane released by phytoplankton may be clearly distinguished from methane formed by methanogenic archaea
Journal Article
A new model for biomineralization and trace-element signatures of Foraminifera tests
2013
The Mg/Ca ratio of Foraminifera calcium carbonate tests is used as proxy for seawater temperature and widely applied to reconstruct global paleo-climatic changes. However, the mechanisms involved in the carbonate biomineralization process are poorly understood. The current paradigm holds that calcium ions for the test are supplied primarily by endocytosis of seawater. Here, we combine confocal-laser scanning-microscopy observations of a membrane-impermeable fluorescent marker in the extant benthic species Ammonia aomoriensis with dynamic 44 Ca-labeling and NanoSIMS isotopic imaging of its test. We infer that Ca for the test in A. aomoriensis is supplied primarily via trans-membrane transport, but that a small component of passively transported (e.g., by endocytosis) seawater to the site of calcification plays a key role in defining the trace-element composition of the test. Our model accounts for the full range of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca observed for benthic Foraminifera tests and predicts the effect of changing seawater Mg/Ca ratio. This places foram-based paleoclimatology into a strong conceptual framework.
Journal Article
Self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure
2006
It's all done with mirrors
Cooling of mechanical resonators is the focus of much research effort because of possible applications in ultra-high precision measurements such as gravitational wave detection. It is also of fundamental interest as using this technique it may be possible to observe a transition between classical and quantum behaviour of a mechanical system. Three groups report advances in this area. Gigan
et al
. and Arcizet
et al
. used radiation pressure to freeze out thermal vibrations of tiny mechanical microresonators, or micromirrors. In the right conditions, the mirrors cool from room temperature to about 10 K without outside influence. Once the technique is refined it should be possible to achieve further cooling and to observe the quantum ground state of a micromirror experimentally. In the third paper, Dustin Kleckner and Dirk Bouwmeester use optical feedback to cool a micromirror to sub-kelvin temperatures.
Experiments where a tiny mirror, a mechanical microresonator, within an optical cavity undergoes 'self-cooling' is detailed. Under the right, finely tuned conditions, the thermal vibration of the mirror freezes out without outside influence. It cools down by a factor of 30, from room temperature to about 10 kelvin.
Cooling of mechanical resonators is currently a popular topic in many fields of physics including ultra-high precision measurements
1
, detection of gravitational waves
2
,
3
and the study of the transition between classical and quantum behaviour of a mechanical system
4
,
5
,
6
. Here we report the observation of self-cooling of a micromirror by radiation pressure inside a high-finesse optical cavity. In essence, changes in intensity in a detuned cavity, as caused by the thermal vibration of the mirror, provide the mechanism for entropy flow from the mirror’s oscillatory motion to the low-entropy cavity field
2
. The crucial coupling between radiation and mechanical motion was made possible by producing free-standing micromirrors of low mass (
m
≈ 400 ng), high reflectance (more than 99.6%) and high mechanical quality (
Q
≈ 10,000). We observe cooling of the mechanical oscillator by a factor of more than 30; that is, from room temperature to below 10 K. In addition to purely photothermal effects
7
we identify radiation pressure as a relevant mechanism responsible for the cooling. In contrast with earlier experiments, our technique does not need any active feedback
8
,
9
,
10
. We expect that improvements of our method will permit cooling ratios beyond 1,000 and will thus possibly enable cooling all the way down to the quantum mechanical ground state of the micromirror.
Journal Article
Beliefs in Right Hemisphere Syndromes: From Denial to Distortion
2025
Striking belief distortions may accompany various disorders of awareness that are predominantly associated with right hemispheric cerebral dysfunction. Distortions may range on a continuum of pathological severity, from the unawareness of paralysis in anosognosia for hemiplegia, to a more startling disturbance in denial of paralysis where belief may starkly conflict with reality. The patients’ beliefs about their limitations typically represent attempts to make sense of limitations or to impart meaning to incongruous facts. These beliefs are often couched in recollections from past memories or previous experience, and are hard to modify even given new information. Various explanations of unawareness have been suggested, including sensory, cognitive, monitoring and feedback operations, feedforward mechanisms, disconnection theories, and hemispheric asymmetry hypotheses, along with psychological denial, to account for the curious lack of awareness in anosognosia and other awareness disorders. This paper addresses these varying explanations of the puzzling beliefs regarding hemiparesis in anosognosia. Furthermore, using the multi-dimensional nature of unawareness in anosognosia as a model, some startling belief distortions in other right-hemisphere associated clinical syndromes are also explored. Other neurobehavioral disturbances, though perhaps less common, reflect marked psychopathological distortions. Startling disorders of belief are notable in somatic illusions, non-recognition or delusional misattribution of limb ownership (asomatognosia, somatoparaphrenia), or delusional identity (Capgras syndrome) and misidentification phenomena. Difficulty in updating beliefs as a source of unawareness in anosognosia and other awareness disorders has been proposed. Processes of belief development are considered to be patterns of thought, memories, and experience, which coalesce in a sense of the bodily and personal self. A common consequence of such disorders seems to be an altered representation of the self, self-parts, or the external world. Astonishing nonveridical beliefs about the body, about space, or about the self, continue to invite exploration and to stimulate fascination.
Journal Article
Adhesion forces measured at the level of a terminal plate of the fly's seta
2004
The attachment pads of fly legs are covered with setae, each ending in small terminal plates coated with secretory fluid. A cluster of these terminal plates contacting a substrate surface generates strong attractive forces that hold the insect on smooth surfaces. Previous research assumed that cohesive forces and molecular adhesion were involved in the fly attachment mechanism. The main elements that contribute to the overall attachment force, however, remained unknown. Multiple local force-volume measurements were performed on individual terminal plates by using atomic force microscopy. It was shown that the geometry of a single terminal plate had a higher border and considerably lower centre. Local adhesion was approximately twice as strong in the centre of the plate as on its border. Adhesion of fly footprints on a glass surface, recorded within 20 min after preparation, was similar to adhesion in the centre of a single attachment pad. Adhesion strongly decreased with decreasing volume of footprint fluid, indicating that the layer of pad secretion covering the terminal plates is crucial for the generation of a strong attractive force. Our data provide the first direct evidence that, in addition to Van der Waals and Coulomb forces, attractive capillary forces, mediated by pad secretion, are a critical factor in the fly's attachment mechanism.
Journal Article
Unexpected silicon localization in calcium carbonate exoskeleton of cultured and fossil coccolithophores
2023
Coccolithophores, marine calcifying phytoplankton, are important primary producers impacting the global carbon cycle at different timescales. Their biomineral structures, the calcite containing coccoliths, are among the most elaborate hard parts of any organism. Understanding the morphogenesis of coccoliths is not only relevant in the context of coccolithophore eco-physiology but will also inform biomineralization and crystal design research more generally. The recent discovery of a silicon (Si) requirement for crystal shaping in some coccolithophores has opened up a new avenue of biomineralization research. In order to develop a mechanistic understanding of the role of Si, the presence and localization of this chemical element in coccoliths needs to be known. Here, we document for the first time the uneven Si distribution in
Helicosphaera carteri
coccoliths through three synchrotron-based techniques employing X-ray Fluorescence and Infrared Spectromicroscopy. The enrichment of Si in specific areas of the coccoliths point to a targeted role of this element in the coccolith formation. Our findings mark a key step in biomineralization research because it opens the door for a detailed mechanistic understanding of the role Si plays in shaping coccolith crystals.
Journal Article
Different response of bacteria, archaea and fungi to process parameters in nine full‐scale anaerobic digesters
by
Gabris, Christina
,
Langer, Susanne G.
,
Einfalt, Daniel
in
Alternative energy sources
,
Ammonium
,
Anaerobic digestion
2019
Summary Biogas production is a biotechnological process realized by complex bacterial, archaeal and likely fungal communities. Their composition was assessed in nine full‐scale biogas plants with distinctly differing feedstock input and process parameters. This study investigated the actually active microbial community members by using a comprehensive sequencing approach based on ribosomal 16S and 28S rRNA fragments. The prevailing taxonomical units of each respective community were subsequently linked to process parameters. Ribosomal rRNA of bacteria, archaea and fungi, respectively, showed different compositions with respect to process parameters and supplied feedstocks: (i) bacterial communities were affected by the key factors temperature and ammonium concentration; (ii) composition of archaea was mainly related to process temperature; and (iii) relative abundance of fungi was linked to feedstocks supplied to the digesters. Anaerobic digesters with a high methane yield showed remarkably similar bacterial communities regarding identified taxonomic families. Although archaeal communities differed strongly on genus level from each other, the respective digesters still showed high methane yields. Functional redundancy of the archaeal communities may explain this effect. 28S rRNA sequences of fungi in all nine full‐scale anaerobic digesters were primarily classified as facultative anaerobic Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Since the presence of ribosomal 28S rRNA indicates that fungi may be active in the biogas digesters, further research should be carried out to examine to which extent they are important players in anaerobic digestion processes. In our study we investigated active bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities (based on 16S and 28S RNA gene transcripts) in nine full‐scale anaerobic digesters. Ribosomal rRNA of bacteria, archaea and fungi, respectively, showed different compositions with respect to process parameters and supplied feedstocks: (i) bacterial communities were affected by the key factors temperature and ammonium concentration; (ii) composition of archaea was mainly related to process temperature; and (iii) relative abundance of fungi was linked to feedstocks supplied to the digesters.
Journal Article
Functional connectivity in distributed cortical networks associated with semantic processing in healthy older adults
by
O’Neal, Alexandria G.
,
Cohen, Ronald A.
,
Langer, Kailey G.
in
aging
,
default mode network (DMN)
,
dorsal attention network (DAN)
2025
While word knowledge is typically well-preserved in aging, declines in executive control often observed in older adults may impact access and application of this knowledge. Evidence suggests aging is associated with declines in specialization and efficiency of pre-defined cortical networks, potentially corresponding with cognitive changes. Building upon our previous findings that delineate task-relevant semantic network activation, this study investigates connectivity patterns in additional higher-order cortical networks during a semantic association task in cognitively healthy older adults.
A total of 33 older adults (61% women, 94% White, aged 70.03 ± 11.28, 16.36 ± 2.62 years of education) completed task-based functional MRI involving semantic (abstract and concrete) and phonemic (rhyming) decisions. Networks included cingulo-operculate (CON), frontal-parietal control (FPCN), default mode (DMN), dorsal attention (DAN), and a semantic network. Association between block and intra-network connectivity was assessed. If block effects were found, ROI-ROI analysis was conducted. Additionally, inter-network correlations to age were examined, along with inter-network connectivity based on task demand.
Age was not associated with intra-network connectivity. Semantic network connectivity increased during semantic blocks relative to rhyme. DAN and DMN connectivity increased during rhyme relative to semantic blocks, especially for abstract words. Connectivity within other networks did not differ as a function of task demands. Inter-network connectivity strength was stronger for FPCN with DAN during the rhyme blocks, and weaker during the rhyme blocks for FPCN with DMN and DMN with DAN. Older age was associated with greater inter-network connectivity for DMN with both FPCN and CON. The semantic network evidenced less intra-network connectivity during the rhyme task compared with all other networks, and greater intra-network connectivity during abstract semantic decisions compared with DAN and DMN.
Despite trends of decreased functional specialization in aging, and prior evidence within this cohort of broad task-related activation and connectivity bilaterally, semantic task relevance remained uniquely localized to left hemisphere semantic network hubs. Increased coherence within DAN and DMN during rhyme blocks may reflect novelty of the rhyming task, underscoring flexible network recruitment for demanding tasks in healthy aging. Findings contribute to our understanding of underlying neural mechanisms involved in semantic processing in cognitive aging.
Journal Article
Effect of ocean acidification on the benthic foraminifera Ammonia sp. is caused by a decrease in carbonate ion concentration
2013
About 30% of the anthropogenically released CO2 is taken up by the oceans; such uptake causes surface ocean pH to decrease and is commonly referred to as ocean acidification (OA). Foraminifera are one of the most abundant groups of marine calcifiers, estimated to precipitate ca. 50 % of biogenic calcium carbonate in the open oceans. We have compiled the state of the art literature on OA effects on foraminifera, because the majority of OA research on this group was published within the last three years. Disparate responses of this important group of marine calcifiers to OA were reported, highlighting the importance of a process-based understanding of OA effects on foraminifera. We cultured the benthic foraminifer Ammonia sp. under a range of carbonate chemistry manipulation treatments to identify the parameter of the carbonate system causing the observed effects. This parameter identification is the first step towards a process-based understanding. We argue that [CO32−] is the parameter affecting foraminiferal size-normalized weights (SNWs) and growth rates. Based on the presented data, we can confirm the strong potential of Ammonia sp. foraminiferal SNW as a [CO32−] proxy.
Journal Article
Ethics of artificial intelligence in radiology: summary of the joint European and North American multisociety statement
2019
This is a condensed summary of an international multisociety statement on ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology produced by the ACR, European Society of Radiology, RSNA, Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine, European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics, Canadian Association of Radiologists, and American Association of Physicists in Medicine.AI has great potential to increase efficiency and accuracy throughout radiology, but also carries inherent pitfalls and biases. Widespread use of AI-based intelligent and autonomous systems in radiology can increase the risk of systemic errors with high consequence, and highlights complex ethical and societal issues. Currently, there is little experience using AI for patient care in diverse clinical settings. Extensive research is needed to understand how to best deploy AI in clinical practice.This statement highlights our consensus that ethical use of AI in radiology should promote well-being, minimize harm, and ensure that the benefits and harms are distributed among stakeholders in a just manner. We believe AI should respect human rights and freedoms, including dignity and privacy. It should be designed for maximum transparency and dependability. Ultimate responsibility and accountability for AI remains with its human designers and operators for the foreseeable future.The radiology community should start now to develop codes of ethics and practice for AI which promote any use that helps patients and the common good and should block use of radiology data and algorithms for financial gain without those two attributes.
Journal Article