TY - JOUR A1 - Yang, Peng-Fei A1 - Kriechbaumer, Andreas A1 - Albracht, Kirsten A1 - Sanno, Maximilian A1 - Ganse, Bergita A1 - Koy, Timmo A1 - Shang, Peng A1 - brüggemann, Gert-Peter A1 - Müller, Lars Peter A1 - Rittweger, Jörn T1 - A novel optical approach for assessing in vivo bone segment deformation and its application in muscle-bone relationship studies in humans JF - Journal of Orthopaedic Translation Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jot.2014.07.078 SN - 2214-0328 SN - 2214-031X VL - 2 IS - 4 SP - 238 EP - 238 PB - Elsevier CY - Singapore ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Winckler, Silvia A1 - Krueger, Rolf A1 - Schnitzler, Thomas A1 - Zang, Werner A1 - Fischer, Rainer A1 - Biselli, Manfred T1 - A sensitive monitoring system for mammalian cell cultivation processes: a PAT approach JF - Bioprocess and biosystems engineering N2 - Biopharmaceuticals such as antibodies are produced in cultivated mammalian cells, which must be monitored to comply with good manufacturing practice. We, therefore, developed a fully automated system comprising a specific exhaust gas analyzer, inline analytics and a corresponding algorithm to precisely determine the oxygen uptake rate, carbon dioxide evolution rate, carbon dioxide transfer rate, transfer quotient and respiratory quotient without interrupting the ongoing cultivation, in order to assess its reproducibility. The system was verified using chemical simulation experiments and was able to measure the respiratory activity of hybridoma cells and DG44 cells (derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells) with satisfactory results at a minimum viable cell density of ~2.0 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹. The system was suitable for both batch and fed-batch cultivations in bubble-aerated and membrane-aerated reactors, with and without the control of pH and dissolved oxygen. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00449-013-1062-8 SN - 1615-7591 (Print) 1615-7605 (Online) VL - 37 IS - 5 SP - 901 EP - 912 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Akimbekov, N.Sh. A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - O´Heras, C. A1 - Tastambek, K.T. A1 - Savitskaya, I.S. A1 - Ualyeva, P.S. A1 - Mansurov, Z.A. A1 - Zhubanova, A.A. T1 - Adsorption of bacterial lipopolysaccharides on carbonized rice husks obtained in the batch experiments JF - Experimental Biology N2 - The scope of this study is the measurement of endotoxin adsorption rate for carbonized rice husk. It showed good adsorption properties for LPS. During the batch experiments, several techniques were used and optimized for improving the material’s adsorption behavior. Also, with the results obtained it was possible to differentiate the materials according to their adsorption capacity and kinetic characteristics. KW - surface modification KW - adsorption KW - carbonized rice husk KW - lipopolysaccharide Y1 - 2014 SN - 1563-0218 N1 - Original in russischer Sprache VL - 60 IS - 1/2 SP - 144 EP - 148 PB - Al-Farabi Kazakh National University CY - Almaty ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Moseley, Fiona A1 - Halamek, Jan A1 - Kramer, Friederike A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Katz, Evgeny T1 - An enzyme-based reversible CNOT logic gate realized in a flow system JF - Analyst N2 - An enzyme system organized in a flow device was used to mimic a reversible Controlled NOT (CNOT) gate with two input and two output signals. Reversible conversion of NAD⁺ and NADH cofactors was used to perform a XOR logic operation, while biocatalytic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate resulted in an Identity operation working in parallel. The first biomolecular realization of a CNOT gate is promising for integration into complex biomolecular networks and future biosensor/biomedical applications. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4AN00133H SN - 1364-5528 (E-Journal) ; 0003-2654 (Print) VL - 139 IS - 8 SP - 1839 EP - 1842 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Ren-Qi A1 - Druckenmüller, Katharina A1 - Elbers, Gereon A1 - Guenther, Klaus A1 - Croué, Jean-Philippe T1 - Analysis of aquatic-phase natural organic matter by optimized LDI-MS method JF - Journal of mass spectrometry N2 - The composition and physiochemical properties of aquatic-phase natural organic matter (NOM) are most important problems for both environmental studies and water industry. Laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry facilitated successful examinations of NOM, as humic and fulvic acids in NOM are readily ionized by the nitrogen laser. In this study, hydrophobic NOMs (HPO NOMs) from river, reservoir and waste water were characterized by this technique. The effect of analytical variables like concentration, solvent composition and laser energy was investigated. The exact masses of small molecular NOM moieties in the range of 200–1200 m/z were determined in reflectron mode. In addition, spectra of post-source-decay experiments in this range showed that some compounds from different natural NOMs had the same fragmental ions. In the large mass range of 1200–15 000 Da, macromolecules and their aggregates were found in HPO NOMs from natural waters. Highly humic HPO exhibited mass peaks larger than 8000 Da. On the other hand, the waste water and reservoir water mainly had relatively smaller molecules of about 2000 Da. The LDI-MS measurements indicated that highly humic river waters were able to form large aggregates and membrane foulants, while the HPO NOMs from waste water and reservoir water were unlikely to form large aggregates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jms.3321 SN - 1096-9888 VL - 49 IS - 2 SP - 154 EP - 160 PB - Wiley CY - Bognor Regis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dikta, Gerhard T1 - Asymptotically efficient estimation under semi-parametric random censorship models JF - Journal of multivariate analysis N2 - We study the estimation of some linear functionals which are based on an unknown lifetime distribution. The observations are assumed to be generated under the semi-parametric random censorship model (SRCM), that is, a random censorship model where the conditional expectation of the censoring indicator given the observation belongs to a parametric family. Under this setup a semi-parametric estimator of the survival function was introduced by the author. If the parametric model assumption is correct, it is known that the estimated functional which is based on this semi-parametric estimator is asymptotically at least as efficient as the corresponding one which rests on the nonparametric Kaplan–Meier estimator. In this paper we show that the estimated functional which is based on this semi-parametric estimator is asymptotically efficient with respect to the class of all regular estimators under this semi-parametric model. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmva.2013.10.002 SN - 1095-7243 (E-Journal); 0047-259X (Print) VL - 124 SP - 10 EP - 24 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Handtke, Stefan A1 - Schroeter, Rebecca A1 - Jürgen, Britta A1 - Methling, Karen A1 - Schlüter, Rabea A1 - Albrecht, Dirk A1 - Hijum, Sacha A. F. T. van A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Lalk, Michael A1 - Schweder, Thomas A1 - Hecker, Michael A1 - Voigt, Birgit T1 - Bacillus pumilus reveals a remarkably high resistance to hydrogen peroxide provoked oxidative stress JF - PLOS one N2 - Bacillus pumilus is characterized by a higher oxidative stress resistance than other comparable industrially relevant Bacilli such as B. subtilis or B. licheniformis. In this study the response of B. pumilus to oxidative stress was investigated during a treatment with high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide at the proteome, transcriptome and metabolome level. Genes/proteins belonging to regulons, which are known to have important functions in the oxidative stress response of other organisms, were found to be upregulated, such as the Fur, Spx, SOS or CtsR regulon. Strikingly, parts of the fundamental PerR regulon responding to peroxide stress in B. subtilis are not encoded in the B. pumilus genome. Thus, B. pumilus misses the catalase KatA, the DNA-protection protein MrgA or the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase AhpCF. Data of this study suggests that the catalase KatX2 takes over the function of the missing KatA in the oxidative stress response of B. pumilus. The genome-wide expression analysis revealed an induction of bacillithiol (Cys-GlcN-malate, BSH) relevant genes. An analysis of the intracellular metabolites detected high intracellular levels of this protective metabolite, which indicates the importance of bacillithiol in the peroxide stress resistance of B. pumilus. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085625 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 1 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Chaudhuri, S. A1 - Zander, W. A1 - Schubert, J. A1 - Begoyan, V. K. A1 - Buniatyan, V. V. A1 - Wagner, P. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Capacitively coupled electrolyte-conductivity sensor based on high-k material of barium strontium titanate JF - Sensors and actuators. B: Chemical Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2014.02.103 SN - 1873-3077 (E-Journal); 0925-4005 (Print) IS - 198 SP - 102 EP - 109 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Handtke, Stefan A1 - Volland, Sonja A1 - Methling, Karen A1 - Albrecht, Dirk A1 - Becher, Dörte A1 - Nehls, Jenny A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Lalk, Michael A1 - Liesegang, Heiko A1 - Voigt, Birgit A1 - Daniel, Rolf A1 - Hecker, Michael T1 - Cell physiology of the biotechnological relevant bacterium Bacillus pumilus - An omics-based approach JF - Journal of Biotechnology N2 - Members of the species Bacillus pumilus get more and more in focus of the biotechnological industry as potential new production strains. Based on exoproteome analysis, B. pumilus strain Jo2, possessing a high secretion capability, was chosen for an omics-based investigation. The proteome and metabolome of B. pumilus cells growing either in minimal or complex medium was analyzed. In total, 1542 proteins were identified in growing B. pumilus cells, among them 1182 cytosolic proteins, 297 membrane and lipoproteins and 63 secreted proteins. This accounts for about 43% of the 3616 proteins encoded in the B. pumilus Jo2 genome sequence. By using GC–MS, IP-LC/MS and H NMR methods numerous metabolites were analyzed and assigned to reconstructed metabolic pathways. In the genome sequence a functional secretion system including the components of the Sec- and Tat-secretion machinery was found. Analysis of the exoproteome revealed secretion of about 70 proteins with predicted secretion signals. In addition, selected production-relevant genome features such as restriction modification systems and NRPS clusters of B. pumilus Jo2 are discussed. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.08.028 SN - 1873-4863 (E-Journal); 0168-1656 (Print) IS - 192(A) SP - 204 EP - 214 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haag, S. A1 - Zontar, D. A1 - Schleupen, Josef A1 - Müller, T. A1 - Brecher, C. T1 - Chain of refined perception in self-optimizing assembly of micro-optical systems JF - Journal of sensors and sensor systems N2 - Today, the assembly of laser systems requires a large share of manual operations due to its complexity regarding the optimal alignment of optics. Although the feasibility of automated alignment of laser optics has been shown in research labs, the development effort for the automation of assembly does not meet economic requirements – especially for low-volume laser production. This paper presents a model-based and sensor-integrated assembly execution approach for flexible assembly cells consisting of a macro-positioner covering a large workspace and a compact micromanipulator with camera attached to the positioner. In order to make full use of available models from computer-aided design (CAD) and optical simulation, sensor systems at different levels of accuracy are used for matching perceived information with model data. This approach is named "chain of refined perception", and it allows for automated planning of complex assembly tasks along all major phases of assembly such as collision-free path planning, part feeding, and active and passive alignment. The focus of the paper is put on the in-process image-based metrology and information extraction used for identifying and calibrating local coordinate systems as well as the exploitation of that information for a part feeding process for micro-optics. Results will be presented regarding the processes of automated calibration of the robot camera as well as the local coordinate systems of part feeding area and robot base. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/jsss-3-87-2014 SN - 2194-878X VL - 3 IS - 1 SP - 87 EP - 95 PB - Copernicus Publ. CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holtrup, S. A1 - Sadeghfam, Arash A1 - Heuermann, Holger A1 - Awakowicz, P. T1 - Characterization and optimization technique for microwave-driven high-intensity discharge lamps using hot S-parameters JF - IEEE transactions on microwave theories and techniques N2 - High-intensity discharge lamps can be driven by radio-frequency signals in the ISM frequency band at 2.45 GHz, using a matching network to transform the impedance of the plasma to the source impedance. To achieve an optimal operating condition, a good characterization of the lamp in terms of radio frequency equivalent circuits under operating conditions is necessary, enabling the design of an efficient matching network. This paper presents the characterization technique for such lamps and presents the design of the required matching network. For the characterization, a high-intensity discharge lamp was driven by a monofrequent large signal at 2.45 GHz, whereas a frequency sweep over 300 MHz was performed across this signal to measure so-called small-signal hot S-parameters using a vector network analyzer. These parameters are then used as an equivalent load in a circuit simulator to design an appropriate matching network. Using the measured data as a black-box model in the simulation results in a quick and efficient method to simulate and design efficient matching networks in spite of the complex plasma behavior. Furthermore, photometric analysis of high-intensity discharge lamps are carried out, comparing microwave operation to conventional operation. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2014.2342652 SN - 0018-9480 VL - 62 IS - 10 SP - 2471 EP - 2480 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Reisert, Steffen A1 - Schubert, J. A1 - Zander, W. A1 - Begoyan, V. K. A1 - Buniatyan, V. V. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Chemical sensors based on a high-k perovskite oxide of barium strontium titanate JF - Procedia Engineering N2 - High-k perovskite oxide of barium strontium titanate (BST) represents a very attractive multi-functional transducer material for the development of (bio-)chemical sensors for liquids. In this work, BST films have been applied as a sensitive transducer material for a label-free detection of adsorbed charged macromolecules (positively charged polyelectrolytes) and concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor as well as protection insulator layer for a contactless electrolyte-conductivity sensor. The experimental results of characterization of individual sensors are presented. Special emphasis is devoted towards the development of a capacitively-coupled contactless electrolyte-conductivity sensor. KW - barium strontium titanate KW - high-k material KW - contactless conductivity sensor KW - multi-functional material KW - hydrogen peroxide Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.258 SN - 1877-7058 N1 - EUROSENSORS 2014 ; European Conference on Solid-State Transducers <28, 2014> VL - 87 SP - 28 EP - 31 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheer, Nico A1 - Mclaughlin, Lesley A. A1 - Rode, Anja A1 - MacLeod, Alastair Kenneth A1 - Henderson, Colin J. A1 - Wolf, Roland C. T1 - Deletion of thirty murine cytochrome P450 genes results in viable mice with compromised drug metabolism JF - Drug Metabolism and Disposition N2 - In humans, 75% of all drugs are metabolized by the cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase system. Enzymes encoded by the CYP2C, CYP2D, and CYP3A gene clusters account for ∼80% of this activity. There are profound species differences in the multiplicity of cytochrome P450 enzymes, and the use of mouse models to predict pathways of drug metabolism is further complicated by overlapping substrate specificity between enzymes from different gene families. To establish the role of the hepatic and extrahepatic P450 system in drug and foreign chemical disposition, drug efficacy, and toxicity, we created a unique mouse model in which 30 cytochrome P450 genes from the Cyp2c, Cyp2d, and Cyp3a gene clusters have been deleted. Remarkably, despite a wide range of putative important endogenous functions, Cyp2c/2d/3a KO mice were viable and fertile, demonstrating that these genes have evolved primarily as detoxification enzymes. Although there was no overt phenotype, detailed examination showed Cyp2c/2d/3a KO mice had a smaller body size (15%) and larger livers (20%). Changes in hepatic morphology and a decreased blood glucose (30%) were also noted. A five-drug cocktail of cytochrome P450 isozyme probe substrates were used to evaluate changes in drug pharmacokinetics; marked changes were observed in either the pharmacokinetics or metabolites formed from Cyp2c, Cyp2d, and Cyp3a substrates, whereas the metabolism of the Cyp1a substrate caffeine was unchanged. Thus, Cyp2c/2d/3a KO mice provide a powerful model to study the in vivo role of the P450 system in drug metabolism and efficacy, as well as in chemical toxicity. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1124/dmd.114.057885 SN - 1521-009X VL - 42 IS - 6 SP - 1022 EP - 1030 PB - ASPET CY - Bethesda, Md. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Almajhdi, Fahad N. A1 - Senger, Tilo A1 - Amer, Haitham M. A1 - Gissmann, Lutz A1 - Öhlschläger, Peter T1 - Design of a highly effective therapeutic HPV16 E6/E7-specific DNA vaccine: optimization by different ways of sequence rearrangements (Shuffling) JF - PLOS one N2 - Persistent infection with the high-risk Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) is the causative event for the development of cervical cancer and other malignant tumors of the anogenital tract and of the head and neck. Despite many attempts to develop therapeutic vaccines no candidate has entered late clinical trials. An interesting approach is a DNA based vaccine encompassing the nucleotide sequence of the E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins. Because both proteins are consistently expressed in HPV infected cells they represent excellent targets for immune therapy. Here we report the development of 8 DNA vaccine candidates consisting of differently rearranged HPV-16 E6 and E7 sequences within one molecule providing all naturally occurring epitopes but supposedly lacking transforming activity. The HPV sequences were fused to the J-domain and the SV40 enhancer in order to increase immune responses. We demonstrate that one out of the 8 vaccine candidates induces very strong cellular E6- and E7- specific cellular immune responses in mice and, as shown in regression experiments, efficiently controls growth of HPV 16 positive syngeneic tumors. This data demonstrates the potential of this vaccine candidate to control persistent HPV 16 infection that may lead to malignant disease. It also suggests that different sequence rearrangements influence the immunogenecity by an as yet unknown mechanism. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113461 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 11 IS - 9 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oberländer, Jan A1 - Kirchner, Patrick A1 - Boyen, Hans-Gerd A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Detection of hydrogen peroxide vapor by use of manganese(IV) oxide as catalyst for calorimetric gas sensors JF - Physica status solidi A: Applications and materials science N2 - In this work, the catalyst manganese(IV) oxide (MnO2), of calorimetric gas sensors (to monitor the sterilization agent vaporized hydrogen peroxide) has been investigated in more detail. Chemical analyses by means of X-ray-induced photoelectron spectroscopy have been performed to unravel the surface chemistry prior and after exposure to hydrogen peroxide vapor at elevated temperature, as applied in the sterilization processes of beverage cartons. The surface characterization reveals a change in oxidation states of the metal oxide catalyst after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, a cleaning effect of the catalyst, which itself is attached to the sensor surface by means of a polymer interlayer, could be observed. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330359 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1372 EP - 1376 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Küppers, Tobias A1 - Steffen, Victoria A1 - Hellmuth, Hendrik A1 - O'Connell, Timothy A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Wiechert, Wolfgang T1 - Developing a new production host from a blueprint: Bacillus pumilus as an industrial enzyme producer JF - Microbial cell factories Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2859-13-46 SN - 1475-2859 (E-Journal) VL - 13 SP - Article No. 46 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Guo, Yuanyuan A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Device simulation of the light-addressable potentiometric sensor for the investigation of the spatial resolution JF - Sensors and actuators B: Chemical N2 - As a semiconductor-based electrochemical sensor, the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) can realize two dimensional visualization of (bio-)chemical reactions at the sensor surface addressed by localized illumination. Thanks to this imaging capability, various applications in biochemical and biomedical fields are expected, for which the spatial resolution is critically significant. In this study, therefore, the spatial resolution of the LAPS was investigated in detail based on the device simulation. By calculating the spatiotemporal change of the distributions of electrons and holes inside the semiconductor layer in response to a modulated illumination, the photocurrent response as well as the spatial resolution was obtained as a function of various parameters such as the thickness of the Si substrate, the doping concentration, the wavelength and the intensity of illumination. The simulation results verified that both thinning the semiconductor substrate and increasing the doping concentration could improve the spatial resolution, which were in good agreement with known experimental results and theoretical analysis. More importantly, new findings of interests were also obtained. As for the dependence on the wavelength of illumination, it was found that the known dependence was not always the case. When the Si substrate was thick, a longer wavelength resulted in a higher spatial resolution which was known by experiments. When the Si substrate was thin, however, a longer wavelength of light resulted in a lower spatial resolution. This finding was explained as an effect of raised concentration of carriers, which reduced the thickness of the space charge region. The device simulation was found to be helpful to understand the relationship between the spatial resolution and device parameters, to understand the physics behind it, and to optimize the device structure and measurement conditions for realizing higher performance of chemical imaging systems. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2014.08.016 SN - 1873-3077 (E-Journal); 0925-4005 (Print) VL - 204 SP - 659 EP - 665 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Guo, Yuanyuan A1 - Seki, Kosuke A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Device simulation of the light-addressable potentiometric sensor with a novel photoexcitation method for a higher spatial resolution JF - Procedia Engineering N2 - A novel photoexcitation method for the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) realized a higher spatial resolution of chemical imaging. In this method, a modulated light probe, which generates the alternating photocurrent signal, is surrounded by a ring of constant light, which suppresses the lateral diffusion of photocarriers by enhancing recombination. A device simulation verified that a higher spatial resolution could be obtained by adjusting the gap between the modulated and constant light. It was also found that a higher intensity and a longer wavelength of constant light was more effective. However, there exists a tradeoff between the spatial resolution and the amplitude of the photocurrent, and thus, the signal-to-noise ratio. A tilted incidence of constant light was applied, which could achieve even higher resolution with a smaller loss of photocurrent. KW - Light-addressable Potentiometric Sensor KW - novel photoexcitation method KW - tilted constant illumination KW - spatial resolution Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.369 SN - 1877-7058 N1 - EUROSENSORS 2014 ; European Conference on Solid-State Transducers <28, 2014> VL - 87 SP - 456 EP - 459 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernecker, Andreas T1 - Divided Government and the Adoption of Economic Reforms JF - CESifo DICE Report - Journal for Institutional Comparison Y1 - 2014 SN - 1612-0663 VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 47 EP - 52 PB - Ifo Institute for Economic Research CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernecker, Andreas T1 - Do politicians shirk when reelection is certain? Evidence from the German parliament JF - European Journal of Political Economy N2 - Does stiffer electoral competition reduce political shirking? For a micro-analysis of this question, I construct a new data set spanning the years 2005 to 2012 covering biographical and political information about German Members of Parliament (MPs), including their attendance rates in voting sessions. For the parliament elected in 2009, I show that indeed opposition party MPs who expect to face a close race in their district show significantly and relevantly lower absence rates in parliament beforehand. MPs of governing parties seem not to react significantly to electoral competition. These results are confirmed by an analysis of the parliament elected in 2005, by several robustness checks, and also by employing an instrumental variable strategy exploiting convenient peculiarities of the German electoral system. The study also shows how MPs elected via party lists react to different levels of electoral competition. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2014.07.001 SN - 0176-2680 VL - 36 SP - 55 EP - 70 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -