INTER‐ AND INTRAFRACTION MOTION FOR STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY IN DOGS AND CATS USING A MODIFIED BRAINLAB FRAMELESS STEREOTACTIC MASK SYSTEM

Precise and accurate patient positioning is necessary when doing stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to ensure adequate dosing to the tumor and sparing of normal tissues. This prospective cross‐sectional study aimed to assess feasibility of a commercially available modified frameless SRS positioning system for use in veterinary radiotherapy patients with brain tumors. Fifty‐one dogs and 12 cats were enrolled. Baseline and verification CT images were acquired. The verification CT images from 32 dogs and five cats had sufficient images for fusion to baseline CT images. A rigid box‐based fusion was performed to determine interfraction motion. Forty‐eight dogs and 11 cats were assessed for intrafraction motion by cine CT. Seventy percent of dogs and 60% of cats had interfraction 3D vector translational shifts >1 mm, with mean values of 1.9 mm in dogs, and 1.8 mm in cats. In dogs muscle wasting was weakly correlated with translational shifts. The maximum angular interfraction motion observed was 6.3° (roll), 3.5° (pitch), and 3.3° (yaw). There was no correlation between angular interfraction motion and weight, brachycephaly, or muscle wasting. Fifty‐seven percent of dogs and 50% of cats had respiration‐related intrafraction motion. Of these, 4.5% of dogs and 10% of cats had intrafraction motion >1 mm. This study demonstrates the modified Brainlab system is feasible for SRS in dogs and cats. The smaller cranial size and difference in anatomy increases setup uncertainty in some animals beyond limits usually accepted in SRS. Image‐guided positioning is recommended to achieve clinically acceptable setup accuracy (<1 mm) for SRS.     

Refined pipe theory for mechanistic modeling of wood development

We present a mechanistic model of wood tissue development in response to changes in competition, management and climate. The model is based on a refinement of the pipe theory, where the constant ratio between sapwood and leaf area (pipe theory) is replaced by a ratio between pipe conductivity and leaf area. Simulated pipe conductivity changes with age, stand density and climate in response to changes in allocation or pipe radius, or both. The central equation of the model, which calculates the ratio of carbon (C) allocated to leaves and pipes, can be parameterized to describe the contrasting stem conductivity behavior of different tree species: from constant stem conductivity (functional homeostasis hypothesis) to height-related reduction in stem conductivity with age (hydraulic limitation hypothesis). The model simulates the daily growth of pipes (vessels or tracheids), fibers and parenchyma as well as vessel size and simulates the wood density profile and the earlywood to latewood ratio from these data. Initial runs indicate the model yields realistic seasonal changes in pipe radius (decreasing pipe radius from spring to autumn) and wood density, as well as realistic differences associated with the competitive status of trees (denser wood in suppressed trees).     

Wasserhaushalt,Stoffeintrag, Stoffaustrag und biologische Studien im Naturpark Schönbuch bei Tübingen

Ohne Zusammenfassung (Prof. Agerer seit 1982 am Institut für Systematische Botanik, München). (Weilimdorf) (zuvor t?tig bei der FVA Stuttgart, siehe oben) (Hohenheim)     

Investigation of Interspecies Interactions within Marine Micromonosporaceae Using an Improved Co-Culture Approach

With respect to bacterial natural products, a significant outcome of the genomic era was that the biosynthetic potential in many microorganisms surpassed the number of compounds isolated under standard laboratory growth conditions, particularly among certain members in the phylum Actinobacteria. Our group, as well as others, investigated interspecies interactions, via co-culture, as a technique to coax bacteria to produce novel natural products. While co-culture provides new opportunities, challenges exist and questions surrounding these methods remain unanswered. In marine bacteria, for example, how prevalent are interspecies interactions and how commonly do interactions result in novel natural products? In an attempt to begin to answer basic questions surrounding co-culture of marine microorganisms, we have tested both antibiotic activity-based and LC/MS-based methods to evaluate Micromonosporaceae secondary metabolite production in co-culture. Overall, our investigation of 65 Micromonosporaceae led to the identification of 12 Micromonosporaceae across three genera that produced unique metabolites in co-culture. Our results suggest that interspecies interactions were prevalent between marine Micromonosporaceae and marine mycolic acid-containing bacteria. Furthermore, our approach highlights a sensitive and rapid method for investigating interspecies interactions in search of novel antibiotics, secondary metabolites, and genes.     

Evaluation of three types of structured floating plastic media in moving bed biofilters for total ammonia nitrogen removal in a low salinity hatchery recirculating aquaculture system

Three different commercially available structural plastic media were evaluated in triplicate in moving bed biofilters under low salinity (11–12 ppt) warm water culture conditions and two different feed loading rates. The culture system consisted of nine separate modules that include a double drain fish culture tank paired to a moving bed biofilter. The biofilters were filled with 0.11 m³ of one of three different types of floating plastic structured media. The three types of media evaluated were K1 kaldnes media, MB3 media, and AMB media. Volumetric total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal rates (g TAN removed/m³ media-day), TAN removal efficiency, and biofilm kinetic constants, K_i (h⁻¹) were determined for the three media types at two different daily feed load rates of 3.5 and 8.2 kg feed/m³ media. The feed provided was a 4.8 mm slow sinking marine grower diet pellet (45% protein, 17% fat). Average (±standard deviation, SD) volumetric TAN removal rates (VTR) at the lower feed load for the three media types were 92.2 ± 26.3, 86.1 ± 27.5, and 82.5 ± 25.9 for the MB3, AMB, and K1 kaldnes media, respectively. At the higher feed load the average VTR for the three media types was 186.4 ± 53.7, 172.9 ± 47.8, and 139.9 ± 38.9 for the MB3, AMB, and K1 kaldnes media, respectively. Influent TAN concentrations varied by the feed load rate and ranged from 0.55 to 0.93 mg/L and 0.83 to 1.87 mg/L for the low and higher feed loads, respectively. The percent TAN removal rates for the MB3 media was the highest of the three media types at both the low and high feed load rates averaging 12.3% and 14.4%, respectively. The MB3 media was selected for use in the moving bed biofilters because of the greater VTR and removal efficiency results for use in the 0.11 m³ moving bed biofilters of the hatchery recirculating aquaculture system.     

Effects of D-genome chromosomes on crossability of hexaploid triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) with maize

With the aim of producing polyhaploids of hexaploid triticale, 20 genotypes from a CIMMYT breeding programme and eight D-genome chromosome substitution lines of ‘Rhino’ were crossed with maize. In crosses between 20 triticale genotypes and maize, 15 lines produced embryos. Frequencies of embryo formation ranged from 0.0 to 5.4%, with an average of 1.1%. From a total of 200 pollinated spikes, 62 plants were regenerated. Most regenerated plants were polyhaploids with 21 chromosomes, and few aneuhaploids with 22 chromosomes were found. In crosses of triticale substitution lines with maize, all the lines produced embryos, while ‘Rhino’ produced no embryos at all. Higher frequencies of embryo formation were obtained in substitution lines with chromosomes 2D and 4D. These results suggest that D-genome chromosomes in a triticale genetic background have the effect of increasing the frequency of polyhaploid production in triticale x maize crosses.     

Arsenic Contamination and Dispersion in the Engenho Inlet,Sepetiba Bay,SE, Brazil

Arsenic distribution and dispersion in sediments of the EngenhoInlet and the Sepetiba Bay were investigated in order to evaluate the extent of the contamination caused by a metallurgical plant installed in the Sepetiba Bay watershed. The ore used in the smelting process, the soil around the plant, and ore waste collected inside the plant were also analyzed for As. Very high As concentrations in the stronglyand weakly bound fractions (up to 63 000 and 52 700 μgg^-1, respectively) were found in the ore waste. The soilsalso contained high concentrations of both the strongly andweakly bound fractions (748 and 636 μg g^-1, repectively), although the ore itself contained lower levelsof the two fractions (63 and 13 μg g^-1, respectively).The sediments of the Engenho Inlet had a high degree of contamination (up to 347 μg g^-1) decreasing toward Sepetiba Bay where the lowest concentrations were found (up to 50 μg g^-1). Altough lower concentrations were found in the Sepetiba Bay sediments, they are 5 times higher than the world average. The results showed that there is an As transport from the Engenho Inlet to the Sepetiba Bay. These results suggests that the bay's fish and mollusk stock my be contaminated. This contamination may adversely affect the health of the local population, whose main protein supply is seafood.