Seedling root system adaptation to water availability during maize domestication and global expansion.

The maize root system has been reshaped by indirect selection during global adaptation to new agricultural environments. In this study, we characterized the root systems of more than 9,000 global maize accessions and its wild relatives, defining the geographical signature and genomic basis of variation in seminal root number. We demonstrate that seminal root number has increased during maize domestication followed by a decrease in response to limited water availability in locally adapted varieties.

Setup and characterisation according to NEMA NU 4 of thePET scanner, a PET system dedicated for plant sciences.

ThePET system is a plant dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanner consisting of fully digital photo multipliers with lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate crystals and located inside a custom climate chamber. Here, we present the setup ofPET, its data processing and image reconstruction together with its performance.The performance characterization follows the national electrical manufacturers association (NEMA) standard for small animal PET systems with a number of adoptions due to the vertical oriented bore of a PET for plant sciences.

RANKL Impairs the TLR4 Pathway by Increasing TRAF6 and RANK Interaction in Macrophages.

High serum levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) are found in patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes, sepsis, or septic shock and are associated with a high mortality rate in stroke. The primary known function of OPG is to bind to the receptor activator of NF-B ligand (RANKL), and by doing so, it inhibits the binding between RANKL and its receptor (RANK). TLR4 signaling in macrophages involves TRAF6 recruitment and contributes to low-grade chronic inflammation in adipose tissue.

In Vivo Imaging and Quantification of Carbon Tracer Dynamics in Nodulated Root Systems of Pea Plants.

Legumes associate with root colonizing rhizobia that provide fixed nitrogen to its plant host in exchange for recently fixed carbon. There is a lack of understanding of how individual plants modulate carbon allocation to a nodulated root system as a dynamic response to abiotic stimuli. One reason is that most approaches are based on destructive sampling, making quantification of localised carbon allocation dynamics in the root system difficult.

RANKL induces beige adipocyte differentiation in preadipocytes.

The receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) (RANK), its ligand (RANKL), and the decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG) are a triad of proteins that regulate bone metabolism, and serum OPG is considered a biomarker for cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes; however, the implications of OPG in adipose tissue metabolism remains elusive. In this study, we investigate RANK-RANKL-OPG signaling in white adipose tissue browning. Histological analysis of osteoprotegerin knockout (OPG-/-) mice showed subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) browning, resistance for high-fat diet-induced weight gain, and preserved glucose metabolism compared with wild-type (WT) mice.

Cobalt-dependent inhibition of nitrite oxidation in Nitrobacter winogradskyi.

Nitrobacter winogradskyi is an abundant, intensively studied autotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacterium, which is frequently used as a model strain in the two-step nitrification of ammonia (NH) to nitrate (NO) via nitrite (NO), either in activated sludge, agricultural field studies or more recently in artificial microbial consortia for organic hydroponics. We observed a hitherto unknown cobalt ion-dependent inhibition of cell growth and NO oxidation activity of N. winogradskyi in a mineral medium, which strongly depended on accompanying Ca and Mg concentrations.

Non-invasive imaging of plant roots in different soils using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Background: Root systems are highly plastic and adapt according to their soil environment. Studying the particular influence of soils on root development necessitates the adaptation and evaluation of imaging methods for multiple substrates. Non-invasive 3D root images in soil can be obtained using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Kemp Elimination Catalyzed by Naturally Occurring Aldoxime Dehydratases.

Recently, the Kemp elimination reaction has been extensively studied in computational enzyme design of new catalysts, as no natural enzyme has evolved to catalyze this reaction. In contrast to in silico enzyme design, we were interested in searching for Kemp eliminase activity in natural enzymes with catalytic promiscuity. Based on similarities of substrate structures and reaction mechanisms, we assumed that the active sites of naturally abundant aldoxime dehydratases have the potential to catalyze the non-natural Kemp elimination reaction.

Quantitative 3D Analysis of Plant Roots Growing in Soil Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Precise measurements of root system architecture traits are an important requirement for plant phenotyping. Most of the current methods for analyzing root growth require either artificial growing conditions (e.g.

Comparison of anchorage reinforcement with temporary anchorage devices or a Herbst appliance during lingual orthodontic protraction of mandibular molars without maxillary counterbalance extraction.

Background: Orthodontic protraction of mandibular molars without maxillary counterbalance extraction in cases of aplasia or extraction requires stable anchorage. Reinforcement may be achieved by using either temporary anchorage devices (TAD) or a fixed, functional appliance. The objective was to compare the clinical effectiveness of both methods by testing the null-hypothesis of no significant difference in velocity of space closure (in mm/month) between them.

Magnetic resonance imaging of sugar beet taproots in soil reveals growth reduction and morphological changes during foliar Cercospora beticola infestation.

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) infection can cause severe yield loss in sugar beet. Introduction of Cercospora-resistant varieties in breeding programmes is important for plant protection to reduce both fungicide applications and the risk of the development of fungal resistance. However, in vivo monitoring of the sugar-containing taproots at early stages of foliar symptoms and the characterization of the temporal development of disease progression has proven difficult.

Direct comparison of MRI and X-ray CT technologies for 3D imaging of root systems in soil: potential and challenges for root trait quantification.

Background: Roots are vital to plants for soil exploration and uptake of water and nutrients. Root performance is critical for growth and yield of plants, in particular when resources are limited. Since roots develop in strong interaction with the soil matrix, tools are required that can visualize and quantify root growth in opaque soil at best in 3D.

Belowground plant development measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): exploiting the potential for non-invasive trait quantification using sugar beet as a proxy.

Both structural and functional properties of belowground plant organs are critical for the development and yield of plants but, compared to the shoot, much more difficult to observe due to soil opacity. Many processes concerning the belowground plant performance are not fully understood, in particular spatial and temporal dynamics and their interrelation with environmental factors. We used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive method to evaluate which traits can be measured when a complex plant organ is monitored in-vivo while growing in the soil.

The impact of neurochemical mediators on antidepressant effectiveness.

Despite marked differences in the psychobiological profiles of depressed patients, clinical research has not supported selection of antidepressant (AD) medications based on neurochemistry. Prescribers have been advised to start all patients on the same class of ADs and then switch or combine them until benefit is achieved. New research may transform this practice.

Non-invasive approaches for phenotyping of enhanced performance traits in bean.

Plant phenotyping is an emerging discipline in plant biology. Quantitative measurements of functional and structural traits help to better understand gene-environment interactions and support breeding for improved resource use efficiency of important crops such as bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Comparative study of application accuracy of two frameless neuronavigation systems: experimental error assessment quantifying registration methods and clinically influencing factors.

This study aimed at comparing the accuracy of two commercial neuronavigation systems. Error assessment and quantification of clinical factors and surface registration, often resulting in decreased accuracy, were intended. Active (Stryker Navigation) and passive (VectorVision Sky, BrainLAB) neuronavigation systems were tested with an anthropomorphic phantom with a deformable layer, simulating skin and soft tissue.

[Biomedical engineering supports surgical planning and interventions].

Fundamental changes were achieved with the introduction of minimally invasive surgery. In this context, innovations in microtechnology played a significant role in the deployment of new tools. Developments for further integration are still ongoing.

Contrasting dynamics of water and mineral nutrients in stems shown by stable isotope tracers and cryo-SIMS.

Lateral exchange of water and nutrients between xylem and surrounding tissues helps to de-couple uptake from utilization in all parts of a plant. We studied the dynamics of these exchanges, using stable isotope tracers for water (H(2)(18)O), magnesium ((26)Mg), potassium ((41)K) and calcium ((44)Ca) delivered via a cut stem for various periods to the transpiration stream of bean shoots (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Fardenlosa Shiny).

Tracing cationic nutrients from xylem into stem tissue of French bean by stable isotope tracers and cryo-secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Fluxes of mineral nutrients in the xylem are strongly influenced by interactions with the surrounding stem tissues and are probably regulated by them. Toward a mechanistic understanding of these interactions, we applied stable isotope tracers of magnesium, potassium, and calcium continuously to the transpiration stream of cut bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) shoots to study their radial exchange at the cell and tissue level with stem tissues between pith and phloem. For isotope localization, we combined sample preparation with secondary ion mass spectrometry in a completely cryogenic workflow.

Imaging nutrient distributions in plant tissue using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy.

A new approach to trace the transport routes of macronutrients in plants at the level of cells and tissues and to measure their elemental distributions was developed for investigating the dynamics and structure-function relationships of transport processes. Stem samples from Phaseolus vulgaris were used as a test system. Shock freezing and cryo-preparation were combined in a cryogenic chain with cryo-time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (cryo-ToF-SIMS) for element and isotope-specific imaging.

A flexible registration framework for multimodal image data.

This paper describes a registration framework based on the insight segmentation and registration toolkit (ITK) which can be used for matching multimodal image data. Different target groups with individual needs and precognition are addressed. The framework offers tools for supporting different matching tasks in a clinical environment.

Pre- and intraoperative processing and integration of various anatomical and functional data in neurosurgery.

A software system is presented, capable of integrating various information sources for neurosurgical procedures. These include anatomical data such as a standard 3D DICOM image stacks, atlas data, as well as functional information (e.g.

Intraoperative MRI for interventional neurosurgical procedures and tumor resection control in children.

Introduction: Despite the introduction of neuronavigational systems, radical tumor removal is still problematic in many neurosurgical procedures. Thus, direct intraoperative imaging for tumor resection control was implemented with an intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (ioMRI) scanner installed in the operating room. Whereas most procedures with ioMRI were carried out in adults, we summarize 7 years of experience using ioMRI in children for interventional neurosurgical procedures or for tumor resection control.