Cypripedium subtropicum embryo development and cytokinin requirements for asymbiotic germination.

Background: Cypripedium subtropicum is a unique, endangered lady's slipper orchid with evergreen leaves on non-dormant shoots that is native to southwestern China. This study documents the major developmental events in C. subtropicum seed development from fertilization to seed maturity, determines the optimum period for seed collection, and examines the cytokinin requirements for asymbiotic germination and protocorm survival.

Nitrogen form and mycorrhizal inoculation amount and timing affect flavonol biosynthesis in onion (Allium cepa L.).

Mycorrhizal symbiosis is known to be the most prevalent form of fungal symbiosis with plants. Although some studies focus on the importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis for enhanced flavonoids in the host plants, a comprehensive understanding of the relationship still is lacking. Therefore, we studied the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation of onions (Allium cepa L.

Molecular phylogeny of Cypripedium (Orchidaceae: Cypripedioideae) inferred from multiple nuclear and chloroplast regions.

A molecular analysis was performed on 56 taxa in the orchid genus Cypripedium using nrDNA ITS and five chloroplast regions (trnH-psbA, atpI-atpH, trnS-trnfM, trnL-F spacer, and the trnL intron). The genus Cypripedium was confirmed as monophyletic. Our data provided strong support for monophyletic grouping of eight infrageneric sections (Subtropica, Obtusipetala, Trigonopedia, Sinopedilum, Bifolia, Flabelinervia, Arietinum, and Cypripedium) defined in earlier taxonomic treatments, and paraphyletic grouping of two sections (Irapeana and Retinervi).

Similarity-based motion tracking of cells in microscopic images.

Live-cell assays are used to study the dynamic functional cellular processes in high-content screening of drug discovery processes. The large amount of image data created during the screening requires automatic image-analysis procedures that can describe these dynamic processes. One class of tasks in this application is the tracking of cells and the description of the events and the changes in the cell characteristics so that the desired information can be extracted from it based on data-mining and knowledge-discovery methods.

Foodborne outbreak of hepatitis A, November 2007-January 2008, Austria.

An outbreak of hepatitis A affecting 21 residents of an Austrian city occurred from the end of November 2007 until mid-January 2008. A case series investigation suggested the consumption of food purchased from supermarket X as the common link. A food handler employed in the delicatessen department of that supermarket had been serologically diagnosed with hepatitis A on 28th November 2007.