Standing low‐field MRI of the equine proximal metacarpal/metatarsal region is considered useful for diagnosing primary bone pathology and makes a positive contribution to case management: A prospective survey study

High‐field MRI of the proximal metacarpal/metatarsal region has been associated with great diagnostic potential and clinical reports of standing low‐field MRI of the forelimb suggest the same. To better understand diagnostic outcomes with standing low‐field MRI of the proximal suspensory region, a prospective survey study was conducted and users of a widely available system questioned on their experience, operating procedures, and interpretation of standing low‐field MRI findings. Response data included scores on a modified Likert scale from which weighted ratings were calculated for statistical analyses. Depending on the question, responses were obtained from 17 to 29 of the 38 invited facilities. Users indicated that standing low‐field MRI was most frequently performed in the face of equivocal diagnostic findings; compared to Sports horses, general purpose riding horses were thought less likely to have detectable abnormalities and standing low‐field MRI was rated most useful for the detection of primary bone pathology in the proximal metacarpal region. Standing low‐field MRI signal change involving both the suspensory ligament and adjacent bone concurrently was rated most relevant and abnormalities solely affecting the muscle/adipose tissue bundles least relevant for diagnosing suspensory ligament injury. Transverse scans and in decreasing order T1‐weighted gradient echo, short‐tau inversion recovery FSE, T2*‐weighted gradient echo, and T2‐weighted FSE sequences were most frequently acquired and judged most useful by the majority of users experienced in imaging of the target area. This survey supports the relevant impact of standing low‐field MRI on clinical case management, particularly in the context of imaging the proximal metacarpal region.     

Economically targeting conservation practices to optimize conservation and net revenue using precision agriculture tools

Precision Agriculture - Federal conservation programs can target conservation assistance to the most vulnerable lands by stimulating the adoption of innovative technology including precision...     

Suitable transfection methods for single particle tracing in plant suspension cells

Background

Besides classical utilization of wood and paper, lignocellulosic biomass has become increasingly important with regard to biorefinery, biofuel production and novel biomaterials. For these new applications the macromolecular assembly of cell walls is of utmost importance and therefore further insights into the arrangement of the molecules on the nanolevel have to be gained. Cell wall recalcitrance against enzymatic degradation is one of the key issues, since an efficient degradation of lignocellulosic plant material is probably the most crucial step in plant conversion to energy. A limiting factor for in-depth analysis is that high resolution characterization techniques provide structural but hardly chemical information (e.g. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)), while chemical characterization leads to a disassembly of the cell wall components or does not reach the required nanoscale resolution (Fourier Tranform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman Spectroscopy).

Results

Here we use for the first time Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (SNOM in reflection mode) on secondary plant cell walls and reveal a segmented circumferential nanostructure. This pattern in the 100 nm range was found in the secondary cell walls of a softwood (spruce), a hardwood (beech) and a grass (bamboo) and is thus concluded to be consistent among various plant species. As the nanostructural pattern is not visible in classical AFM height and phase images it is proven that the contrast is not due to changes in surfaces topography, but due to differences in the molecular structure.

Conclusions

Comparative analysis of model substances of casted cellulose nanocrystals and spin coated lignin indicate, that the SNOM signal is clearly influenced by changes in lignin distribution or composition. Therefore and based on the known interaction of lignin and visible light (e.g. fluorescence and resonance effects), we assume the elucidated nanoscale structure to reflect variations in lignification within the secondary cell wall.     

Multiple introductions of serotype O foot-and-mouth disease viruses into East Asia in 2010–2011

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious and genetically variable virus. Sporadic introductions of this virus into FMD-free countries may cause outbreaks with devastating consequences. In 2010 and 2011, incursions of the FMDV O/SEA/Mya-98 strain, normally restricted to countries in mainland Southeast Asia, caused extensive outbreaks across East Asia. In this study, 12 full genome FMDV sequences for representative samples collected from the People’s Republic of China (PR China) including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and The Russian Federation were generated and compared with additional contemporary sequences from viruses within this lineage. These complete genomes were 8119 to 8193 nucleotides in length and differed at 1181 sites, sharing a nucleotide identity ≥ 91.0% and an amino acid identity ≥ 96.6%. An unexpected deletion of 70 nucleotides within the 5′-untranslated region which resulted in a shorter predicted RNA stem-loop for the S-fragment was revealed in two sequences from PR China and Hong Kong SAR and five additional related samples from the region. Statistical parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis provide evidence that these outbreaks in East Asia were generated by two independent introductions of the O/SEA/Mya-98 lineage sometime between August 2008 and March 2010. The rapid emergence of these viruses from Southeast Asia highlights the importance of adopting approaches to closely monitor the spread of this lineage that now poses a threat to livestock industries in other regions.     

Human CHN1 mutations hyperactivate alpha2-chimaerin and cause Duane's retraction syndrome

Duane's retraction syndrome (DRS) is a complex congenital eye movement disorder caused by aberrant innervation of the extraocular muscles by axons of brainstem motor neurons. Studying families with a variant form of the disorder (DURS2-DRS), we have identified causative heterozygous missense mutations in CHN1, a gene on chromosome 2q31 that encodes alpha2-chimaerin, a Rac guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (RacGAP) signaling protein previously implicated in the pathfinding of corticospinal axons in mice. We found that these are gain-of-function mutations that increase alpha2-chimaerin RacGAP activity in vitro. Several of the mutations appeared to enhance alpha2-chimaerin translocation to the cell membrane or enhance its ability to self-associate. Expression of mutant alpha2-chimaerin constructs in chick embryos resulted in failure of oculomotor axons to innervate their target extraocular muscles. We conclude that alpha2-chimaerin has a critical developmental function in ocular motor axon pathfinding.     

Dissecting temporal and spatial control of cytokinesis with a myosin II Inhibitor

Completion of cell division during cytokinesis requires temporally and spatially regulated communication from the microtubule cytoskeleton to the actin cytoskeleton and the cell membrane. We identified a specific inhibitor of nonmuscle myosin II, blebbistatin, that inhibited contraction of the cleavage furrow without disrupting mitosis or contractile ring assembly. Using blebbistatin and other drugs, we showed that exit from the cytokinetic phase of the cell cycle depends on ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Continuous signals from microtubules are required to maintain the position of the cleavage furrow, and these signals control the localization of myosin II independently of other furrow components.     

Integrating fishing and conservation in a risk framework: A stochastic population model to guide the proactive management of a threatened freshwater crayfish

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Total gas pressure and oxygen and nitrogen saturation in warmwater ponds aerated with airlift pumps

Gas bubble disease and improper inflation of swim bladders in larval striped bass Morone saxatilis have been recently related in laboratory studies to very low levels of gas supersaturation. In other species, kills resulting from gas supersaturation have been reported in natural waters as large as Galveston Bay. We monitored warmwater ponds during spring to determine the extent of naturally occurring gas supersaturation and compared these levels with levels of gas saturation in ponds equipped with airlift pumps. Total gas pressure averaged 110% in the morning at the surface of non-aerated ponds and in the afternoon in ponds with airlift pumps. At other times of the day total gas pressure averaged 106–107% at the surface and bottom, morning and afternoon, in both aerated and non-aerated ponds. No evidence of gas bubble disease was found in 15-day-old striped bass fry cultured for 42 days in either aerated or non-aerated ponds.