Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes a severe respiratory disease in humans. The MERS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein mediates viral entry into target cells. For this, MERS-CoV S engages the host cell protein dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4, CD26) and the interface between MERS-CoV S and DPP4 has been resolved on the atomic level. Here, we asked whether naturally-occurring polymorphisms in DPP4, that alter amino acid residues required for MERS-CoV S binding, influence cellular entry...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are essential immune effectors of multicellular organisms. Bacteria can evolve resistance to AMPs. Surprisingly, when used to challenge the insect Tenebrio molitor, Staphylococcus aureus resistant to an abundant beetle AMP (tenecin 1) and also pleiotropically to phagocytosis did not increase host mortality or bacterial load compared to infections with wild-type S. aureus. A possible explanation is that antimicrobial resistance is costly due to collaterally increased sensitivity of AMP-resistant strains to other immune...

During June and July of 2017, wild bees were collected using color traps (blue, yellow and white pans) in small water bodies called kettle holes embedded in agricultural landscapes in the north of Germany. After all wild bees were identified to species level, from a subset of samples we measured the Intertegular distance ITD (distance between the wings) as body size and searched for functional traits regarding sociality (solitary, eusocial, parasitic) nesting type (below- or...

Data from manuscript " Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Fluoxetine in a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Mouse Model" by Péricat David et al.

The dynamical behavior of social systems can be described by agent-based models. One famous and important model for the description of voting behavior is the so-called (extended) voter model where agents decide between various options based on different rules. A key factor is the interaction network, that is what information the agents obtain and how they interact with each other. This data set provides simulation data to analyze the influence of the interaction network. A...

This repository contains all code to reproduce the analysis in Koch et al. 2022 "Livestock management promotes bush encroachment in savanna systems by altering plant-herbivore feedback". We use a set of coupled differential equations to describe competition between shrubs and grasses, as well as plant biomass consumption via grazing and browsing. Grazers were assumed to receive a certain level of care from farmers, so that grazer densities emerge dynamically from the combined effect of vegetation...

Background: A significant proportion of trauma survivors experience an additional critical life event in the aftermath. These renewed experiences of traumatic and stressful life events may lead to an increase in trauma-related mental health symptoms. Method: In a longitudinal study, the effects of renewed experiences of a trauma or stressful life event were examined. For this purpose, refugees seeking asylum in Germany were assessed for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS), anxiety,...

1. Maintaining the resilience and functionality of savannas is key to sustaining the ecosystem services they provide. This maintenance is largely dependent on the resilience of savannas to stressors, such as prolonged droughts. The resilience to drought is largely determined by the interaction of herbivores and the functional composition of vegetation. So far, our understanding and ability to predict the response of savannas to drought under different types of rangeland use and as a function...

Morphometrics are fundamental for statistical analyses of fossils, particularly because soft parts or DNA are rarely preserved and thus hard parts such as shells are commonly the only source of information. Geometric morphometrics i.e. landmark analysis has been successfully established but exhibits a couple of shortcomings. On the one hand landmarking is rather subjective and on the other hand the application at the level of micro-sculpture is difficult. With the aid of high-resolution 3D scanning...

Vegetation surveys were carried out in four different study areas in the Sakha Republic, Russia: in the mountainous region of the Verkhoyansk Range within the Oymyakonsky and Tomponsky District (Event EN21-201 - EN21-219), and in three lowland regions of Central Yakutia within the Churapchinsky, Tattinsky and the Megino-Kangalassky District (Event EN21220 - EN21264). The study area is located within the boreal forest biome that is underlain by permafrost soils. The aim was to record the...