Seasonal changes of whole root system conductance by a drought-tolerant grape root system

The role of root systems in drought tolerance is a subject of very limited information compared with above-ground responses. Adjustments to the ability of roots to supply water relative to shoot transpiration demand is proposed as a major means for woody perennial plants to tolerate drought, and is often expressed as changes in the ratios of leaf to root area (AL:AR). Seasonal root proliferation in a directed manner could increase the water supply function of roots independent of total root area (AR) and represents a mechanism whereby water supply to demand could be increased. To address this issue, seasonal root proliferation, stomatal conductance (gs) and whole root system hydraulic conductance (kr) were investigated for a drought-tolerant grape root system (Vitis berlandieri×V. rupestris cv. 1103P) and a non-drought-tolerant root system (Vitis riparia×V. rupestris cv. 101-14Mgt), upon which had been grafted the same drought-sensitive clone of Vitis vinifera cv. Merlot. Leaf water potentials (ψL) for Merlot grafted onto the 1103P root system (–0.91±0.02 MPa) were +0.15 MPa higher than Merlot on 101-14Mgt (–1.06±0.03 MPa) during spring, but dropped by approximately –0.4 MPa from spring to autumn, and were significantly lower by –0.15 MPa (–1.43±0.02 MPa) than for Merlot on 101-14Mgt (at –1.28±0.02 MPa). Surprisingly, gs of Merlot on the drought-tolerant root system (1103P) was less down-regulated and canopies maintained evaporative fluxes ranging from 35–20 mmol vine−1 s−1 during the diurnal peak from spring to autumn, respectively, three times greater than those measured for Merlot on the drought-sensitive rootstock 101-14Mgt. The drought-tolerant root system grew more roots at depth during the warm summer dry period, and the whole root system conductance (kr) increased from 0.004 to 0.009 kg MPa−1 s−1 during that same time period. The changes in kr could not be explained by xylem anatomy or conductivity changes of individual root segments. Thus, the manner in which drought tolerance was conveyed to the drought-sensitive clone appeared to arise from deep root proliferation during the hottest and driest part of the season, rather than through changes in xylem structure, xylem density or stomatal regulation. This information can be useful to growers on a site-specific basis in selecting rootstocks for grape clonal material (scions) grafted to them.

Detailed 3D seismic imaging of a fault zone beneath Lake Geneva, Switzerland

An efficient high-resolution (HR) three-dimensional (3D) seismic reflection system for small-scale targets in lacustrine settings was developed. In Lake Geneva, near the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, the offshore extension of a complex fault zone well mapped on land was chosen for testing our system. A preliminary two-dimensional seismic survey indicated structures that include a thin (<40 m) layer of subhorizontal Quaternary sediments that unconformably overlie south-east-dipping Tertiary Molasse beds and a major fault zone (Paudeze Fault Zone) that separates Plateau and Subalpine Molasse (SM) units. A 3D survey was conducted over this test site using a newly developed three-streamer system. It provided high-quality data with a penetration to depths of 300 m below the water bottom of non-aliased signal for dips up to 30degrees and with a maximum vertical resolution of 1.1 m. The data were subjected to a conventional 3D processing sequence that included post-stack time migration. Tests with 3D pre-stack depth migration showed that such techniques can be applied to HR seismic surveys. Delineation of several horizons and fault surfaces reveals the potential for small-scale geologic and tectonic interpretation in three dimensions. Five major seismic facies and their detailed 3D geometries can be distinguished. Three fault surfaces and the top of a molasse surface were mapped in 3D. Analysis of the geometry of these surfaces and their relative orientation suggests that pre-existing structures within the Plateau Molasse (PM) unit influenced later faulting between the Plateau and SM. In particular, a change in strike of the PM bed dip may indicate a fold formed by a regional stress regime, the orientation of which was different from the one responsible for the creation of the Paudeze Fault Zone. This structure might have later influenced the local stress regime and caused the curved shape of the Paudeze Fault in our surveyed area.

Estimating arterial blood gases with the EABC® System (“Earlobe Arterialized Blood Collector”) in critically ill patients. A validation study.

The Earlobe Arterialized Blood Collector® is a minimally invasive system able to perform arterialized capillary blood gas analysis from the earlobe (EL). A prospective validation study was performed in 55 critical ill patients. Sampling failure rate was high (53.6%). Risk factors were age > 65 years, diabetes, vasoactive drug therapy and noradrenaline (NA) doses above 0.22 μg / kg / min. Multivariate analysis showed age > 65 years was the only factor independently associated with failure. Concordance analysis with arterial blood gases and Bland-Altman agreement evaluation were insufficient for validating the new system for all gasometrical variables.

131I/123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) scintigraphy: procedure guidelines for tumour imaging.

The aim of this document is to provide general information about mIBG scintigraphy in cancer patients. The guidelines describe the mIBG scintigraphy protocol currently used in clinical routine, but do not include all existing procedures for neuroendocrine tumours. The guidelines should therefore not be taken as exclusive of other nuclear medicine modalities that can be used to obtain comparable results. It is important to remember that the resources and facilities available for patient care may vary from one country to another and from one medical institution to another. The present guidelines have been prepared for nuclear medicine physicians and intend to offer assistance in optimizing the diagnostic information that can currently be obtained from mIBG scintigraphy. The corresponding guidelines of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) and the Dosimetry, Therapy and Paediatric Committee of the EANM have been taken into consideration, and partially integrated into this text. The same has been done with the most relevant literature on this topic, and the final result has been discussed within a group of distinguished experts.

Unraveling the complex metabolic nature of astrocytes.

Since the initial description of astrocytes by neuroanatomists of the nineteenth century, a critical metabolic role for these cells has been suggested in the central nervous system. Nonetheless, it took several technological and conceptual advances over many years before we could start to understand how they fulfill such a role. One of the important and early recognized metabolic function of astrocytes concerns the reuptake and recycling of the neurotransmitter glutamate. But the description of this initial property will be followed by several others including an implication in the supply of energetic substrates to neurons. Indeed, despite the fact that like most eukaryotic non-proliferative cells, astrocytes rely on oxidative metabolism for energy production, they exhibit a prominent aerobic glycolysis capacity. Moreover, this unusual metabolic feature was found to be modulated by glutamatergic activity constituting the initial step of the neurometabolic coupling mechanism. Several approaches, including biochemical measurements in cultured cells, genetic screening, dynamic cell imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mathematical modeling, have provided further insights into the intrinsic characteristics giving rise to these key features of astrocytes. This review will provide an account of the different results obtained over several decades that contributed to unravel the complex metabolic nature of astrocytes that make this cell type unique.

Adequació de la infraestructura de l'Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova per a la implantació de S.A.P. (System Application & Products)

En aquesta memòria s'explica com, per la implantació de SAP en l'Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova s'ha de realitzar una adequació tant de xarxa, com de parc d'ordinadors i impressores, instal·lació d'un nou cpd. Es fa un anàlisi previ de la situació i s'expliqen quins canvis es fan i perquè.

Creatine, central nervous system and creatine deficiency syndromes

It was long thought that most of brain creatine was of peripheral origin. However, recentworks have demonstrated that creatine crosses blood-brain barrier only with poor efficiency, and thatCNS must ensure parts of its creatine needs by its own creatine synthesis pathway, thank to the brainexpression of AGAT and GAMT (creatine synthesis) and SLC6A8 (creatine transporter). This newunderstanding of creatine metabolism and transport in CNS allows a better comprehension of creatinedeficiency syndromes, which are due to deficiencies in AGAT, GAMT and SLC6A8 and mainly affectthe brain of patients who show severe neurodevelopmental delay and present neurological symptomsin early infancy.

Direct and indirect subsidies in markets with system goods in the presence of externalities. Preliminary version

This paper derives a model of markets with system goods and two technological standards. An established standard incurs lower unit production costs but causes a negative externality. The paper derives the conditions for policy intervention and compares the effect of direct and indirect cost-reducing subsidies in two markets with system goods in the presence of externalities. If consumers are committed to the technology by purchasing one of the components, direct subsidies are preferable. For a medium-low cost difference between technological standards and a low externality cost it is optimal to provide a direct subsidy only to the first technology adopter. As the higher the externality cost raises, the more technology adopters should be provided with direct subsidies. This effect is robust in all extensions. In the absence of consumers commitment to a technological standard indirect and direct subsidies are both desirable. In this case, the subsidy to the first adopter is lower then the subsidy to the second adopter. Moreover, for the low cost difference between technological standards and low externality cost the fi rst fi rm chooses a superior standard without policy intervention. Finally, a perfect compatibility between components based on different technological standards enhances an advantage of indirect subsidies for medium-high externality cost and cost difference between technological standards. Journal of Economic Literature Classi fication Numbers: C72, D21, D40, H23, L13, L22, L51, O25, O33, O38. Keywords: Technological standards; complementary products; externalities; cost-reducing subsidies; compatibility.

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with liver metastases from uveal melanoma: results from a pilot study.

PURPOSE: F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and MRI are used for detecting liver metastases from uveal melanoma. The introduction of new treatment options in clinical trials might benefit from early response assessment. Here, we determine the value of FDG-PET/CT with respect to MRI at diagnosis and its potential for monitoring therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients with biopsy-proven liver metastases of uveal melanoma enrolled in a randomized phase III trial (NCT00110123) underwent both FDG-PET coupled with unenhanced CT and gadolinium-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced liver MRI within 4 weeks. FDG-PET and MRI were evaluated blindly and then compared using the ratio of lesion to normal liver parenchyma PET-derived standardized uptake value (SUV). The influence of lesion size and response to chemotherapy were studied. RESULTS: Overall, 108 liver lesions were seen: 34 (31%) on both modalities (1-18 lesions/patient), four (4%) by PET/CT only, and 70 (65%) by MRI only. SUV correlated with MRI lesion size (r=0.81, P<0.0001). PET/CT detected 26 of 33 (79%) MRI lesions of more than or equal to 1.2 cm, whereas it detected only eight of 71 (11%) lesions of less than 1.2 cm (P<0.0001). MRI lesions without PET correspondence were small (0.6±0.2 vs. 2.1±1.1 cm, P<0.0001). During follow-up (six patients, 30 lesions), the ratio lesion-to-normal-liver SUV diminished in size-stable lesions (1.90±0.64-1.46±0.50, P<0.0001), whereas it increased in enlarging lesions (1.56±0.40-1.99±0.56, P=0.032). CONCLUSION: MRI outweighs PET/CT for detecting small liver metastases. However, PET/CT detected at least one liver metastasis per patient and changes in FDG uptake not related to size change, suggesting a role in assessing early therapy response.

Understanding the two-component sensing System of virulent bacteria

Report for the scientific sojourn carried out at the l’ Institute for Computational Molecular Science of the Temple University, United States, from 2010 to 2012. Two-component systems (TCS) are used by pathogenic bacteria to sense the environment within a host and activate mechanisms related to virulence and antimicrobial resistance. A prototypical example is the PhoQ/PhoP system, which is the major regulator of virulence in Salmonella. Hence, PhoQ is an attractive target for the design of new antibiotics against foodborne diseases. Inhibition of the PhoQ-mediated bacterial virulence does not result in growth inhibition, presenting less selective pressure for the generation of antibiotic resistance. Moreover, PhoQ is a histidine kinase (HK) and it is absent in animals. Nevertheless, the design of satisfactory HK inhibitors has been proven to be a challenge. To compete with the intracellular ATP concentrations, the affinity of a HK inhibidor must be in the micromolar-nanomolar range, whereas the current lead compounds have at best millimolar affinities. Moreover, the drug selectivity depends on the conformation of a highly variable loop, referred to as the “ATP-lid, which is difficult to study by X-Ray crystallography due to its flexibility. I have investigated the binding of different HK inhibitors to PhoQ. In particular, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations have been combined with enhanced sampling techniques in order to provide structural and dynamic information of the conformation of the ATP-lid. Transient interactions between these drugs and the ATP-lid have been identified and the free energy of the different binding modes has been estimated. The results obtained pinpoint the importance of protein flexibility in the HK-inhibitor binding, and constitute a first step in developing more potent and selective drugs. The computational resources of the hosting institution as well as the experience of the members of the group in drug binding and free energy methods have been crucial to carry out this work.

CAV2 vector gene transfer into central nervious System

Estudi realitzat a partir d’una estada al Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, França, entre 2010 i 2012. En aquest projecte s’ha avaluat les avantatges dels vectors adenovirals canins tipus 2 (CAV2) com a vectors de transferència gènica al sistema nerviós central (SNC) en un model primat no-humà i en un model caní del síndrome de Sly (mucopolisacaridosis tipus 7, MPS VII), malaltia monogènica que cursa amb neurodegeneració. En una primera part del projecte s’ha avaluat la biodistribució, l’eficàcia i la durada de l’expressió del transgen en un model primat no humà, (Microcebus murinus). Com ha vector s’ha utilitzat un CAV2 de primera generació que expressa la proteïna verda fluorescent (CAVGFP). Els resultats aportats en aquesta memòria demostren que en primats no humans, com en d’altres espècies testades anteriorment per l’equip de l’EJ Kremer, la injecció intracerebral de CAV2 resulta en una extensa transducció del SNC, siguent les neurones i els precursors neuronals les cèl•lules preferencialment transduïdes. Els vectors canins, servint-se de vesícules intracel•lulars són transportats, majoritàriament, des de les sinapsis cap al soma neuronal, aquest transport intracel•lular permet una extensa transducció del SNC a partir d’una única injecció intracerebral dels vectors virals. En una segona part d’aquest projecte s’ha avaluat l’ús terapèutic dels CAV2. S’ha injectat un vector helper-dependent que expressa el gen la b-glucuronidasa i el gen de la proteïna verda fluorescent (HD-RIGIE), en el SNC del model caní del síndrome de Sly (MPS VII). La biodistribució i la eficàcia terapèutica han estat avaluades. Els nivells d’activitat enzimàtica en animals malalts injectats amb el vector terapèutic va arribar a valors similars als dels animals no afectes. A més a més s’ha observat una reducció en la quantitat dels GAGs acumulats en les cèl•lules dels animals malalts tractats amb el vector terapèutic, demostrant la potencialitat terapèutica dels CAV2 per a malalties que afecten al SNC. Els resultats aportats en aquest treball ens permeten dir que els CAV2 són unes bones eines terapèutiques per al tractament de malalties que afecten al SNC.

Mophological analysis of the human vasculature from medical imaging. Application to cerebral and coranary arteries

In this project, we have investigated new ways of modelling and analysis of human vasculature from Medical images. The research was divided in two main areas: cerebral vasculature analysis and coronary arteries modeling. Regarding cerebral vasculature analysis, we have studed cerebral aneurysms, internal carotid and the Circle of Willis (CoW). Aneurysms are abnormal vessel enlargements that can rupture causing important cerebral damages or death. The understanding of this pathology, together with its virtual treatment, and image diagnosis and prognosis, includes identification and detailed measurement of the aneurysms. In this context, we have proposed two automatic aneurysm isolation method, to separate the abnormal part of the vessel from the healthy part, to homogenize and speed-up the processing pipeline usually employed to study this pathology, [Cardenes2011TMI, arrabide2011MedPhys]. The results obtained from both methods have been also compared and validatied in [Cardenes2012MBEC]. A second important task here the analysis of the internal carotid [Bogunovic2011Media] and the automatic labelling of the CoW, Bogunovic2011MICCAI, Bogunovic2012TMI]. The second area of research covers the study of coronary arteries, specially coronary bifurcations because there is where the formation of atherosclerotic plaque is more common, and where the intervention is more challenging. Therefore, we proposed a novel modelling method from Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) images, combined with Conventional Coronary Angiography (CCA), to obtain realistic vascular models of coronary bifurcations, presented in [Cardenes2011MICCAI], and fully validated including phantom experiments in [Cardene2013MedPhys]. The realistic models obtained from this method are being used to simulate stenting procedures, and to investigate the hemodynamic variables in coronary bifurcations in the works submitted in [Morlachi2012, Chiastra2012]. Additionally, another preliminary work has been done to reconstruct the coronary tree from rotational angiography, and published in [Cardenes2012ISBI].