Contribution of Chlorophyll Fluorescence to the Apparent Reflectance of Vegetation

Current strategies for monitoring the physiologic status of terrestrial vegetation rely on remote sensing reflectance (R) measurements, whi ch provide estimates of relative vegetation vigor based primarily on chlorophyll content. Vegetation chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) offers a non-destructive alternative and a more direct approach for diagnosis of vegetation stress before a significant reduction in chlorophyll content has occurred. Thus, monitoring of vegetation vigor based on CF may allow earlier stress detection and more accurate carbon sequestra tion estimates, than is possible using R data alone. However, the observed apparent vegetation reflectance (Ra) in reality includes contrib utions from both the reflected and fluoresced radiation. The aim of t his study is to determine the relative R and CF fractions contributing to Ra from the vegetation in the red to near-infrared region of the spectrum. The practical objectives of the study are to: 1) evaluate t he relationship between CF and R at the foliar level for corn, soybean, maple; and 2) for corn, determine if the relationship established f or healthy (optimal N) vegetation changes under N defiiency. To obtai n generally applicable results, experimental measurements were conducted on unrelated crop and tree species (maple, soybean and corn), unde r controlled conditions and a gradient of inorganic N fertilization l evels. Optical R spectra and actively induced CF emissions were obtained on the same foliar samples, in conjunction with measurements of p hotosynthetic function, pigment levels, and C and N content. The comm on spectral trends or similarities were examined. On average, 10-20% of apparent R at 685 nm was actually due to CF. The spectral trends in steady and maximum F varied significantly, with Fs (especially red) showing higher ability for species and treatment separation. The relative contribution of ChF to R varied significantly among species, with maple emitting much higher F amounts, as compared to corn and soybea n. Fs individual red and far-red bands and their ratio exhibited consistent species separations. For corn, the relative CF fraction increased in concert with the nutrient stress levels from 7% for severely nutrient deficient plants. F685s provide d optimal treatment separation. This study confirms the trends in F68 5sE740s associated with N deficiency and vegetation stress, established usmg single narrow band excitation

Remote sensing of forest damage in the Czech Republic using hyperspectral methods

The current study assesses the potential of hyperspectral data for monitoring the initial stages of damage in Norway spruce forests characterized by subtle changes in foliar chlorophyll and chemistry. Both field and airborne high spectral resolution reflectance measurements were obtained for selected study sites in the Krusne hory, Czech Republic. High spectral resolution airborne canopy data and field foliar samples were acquired simultaneously in August 1998 for a total of 51 study sites within the Krusne hory. The sites were selected to represent a full range of damage conditions in even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) stands located between 820--920m elevation. Reflectance, foliar pigments, nitrogen and chemical constituents were determined for first-, second- and third-year needles. A strong correlation to damage was established for the foliar chemistry. A significant increase in polar compounds (such as tannins, sugars and starch) and a reduced needle lignification occurs with increasing damage. Foliar chemical constituents appear to be effective indicators of long-term environmental conditions. The strong relationship between damage level and polar compounds suggests high potential for use of these constituents as bio-indicators of stress. Both field and airborne high spectral resolution data separate the initial forest damage classes. Based on field reflectance measurements for third-year needles, derivative indices from the red edge region were most strongly correlated to damage level, followed by indices ratioing damage-sensitive and damage-insensitive bands and a parameter describing the fit of an Inverted Gaussian curve. Red/red edge spectral data from the Airborne Solid State Array Spectrometer (ASAS) had the highest potential for separation of initial levels of damage, which corresponds with the region suggested as most sensitive to damage as seen in conducting the field reflectance measurements. Both optical and derivative indices incorporating reflectance from the red edge region present the most potential as indicators of initial damage in both leaf and canopy spectra

Arctic Tundra Vegetation Functional Types Based on Photosynthetic Physiology and Optical Properties

Non-vascular plants (lichens and mosses) are significant components of tundra landscapes and may respond to climate change differently from vascular plants affecting ecosystem carbon balance. Remote sensing provides critical tools for monitoring plant cover types, as optical signals provide a way to scale from plot measurements to regional estimates of biophysical properties, for which spatial-temporal patterns may be analyzed. Gas exchange measurements were collected for pure patches of key vegetation functional types (lichens, mosses, and vascular plants) in sedge tundra at Barrow, AK. These functional types were found to have three significantly different values of light use efficiency (LUE) with values of 0.013 plus or minus 0.0002, 0.0018 plus or minus 0.0002, and 0.0012 plus or minus 0.0001 mol C mol (exp -1) absorbed quanta for vascular plants, mosses and lichens, respectively. Discriminant analysis of the spectra reflectance of these patches identified five spectral bands that separated each of these vegetation functional types as well as nongreen material (bare soil, standing water, and dead leaves). These results were tested along a 100 m transect where midsummer spectral reflectance and vegetation coverage were measured at one meter intervals. Along the transect, area-averaged canopy LUE estimated from coverage fractions of the three functional types varied widely, even over short distances. The patch-level statistical discriminant functions applied to in situ hyperspectral reflectance data collected along the transect successfully unmixed cover fractions of the vegetation functional types. The unmixing functions, developed from the transect data, were applied to 30 m spatial resolution Earth Observing-1 Hyperion imaging spectrometer data to examine variability in distribution of the vegetation functional types for an area near Barrow, AK. Spatial variability of LUE was derived from the observed functional type distributions. Across this landscape, a fivefold variation in tundra LUE was observed. LUE calculated from the functional type cover fractions was also correlated to a spectral vegetation index developed to detect vegetation chlorophyll content. The concurrence of these alternate methods suggest that hyperspectral remote sensing can distinguish functionally distinct vegetation types and can be used to develop regional estimates of photosynthetic LUE in tundra landscapes

All-optical control of cardiac excitation: Combined high-resolution optogenetic actuation and optical mapping.

Cardiac tissue is an excitable system that can support complex spatiotemporal dynamics, including instabilities (arrhythmias) with lethal consequences. While over the last two decades optical mapping of excitation (voltage and calcium dynamics) has facilitated the detailed characterization of such arrhythmia events, until recently, no precise tools existed to actively interrogate cardiac dynamics in space and time. In this work, we discuss the combined use of new methods for space‐ and time‐resolved optogenetic actuation and simultaneous fast, high resolution optical imaging of cardiac excitation waves. First, the mechanisms, limitations and unique features of optically induced responses in cardiomyocytes are outlined. These include the ability to bidirectionally control the membrane potential using depolarizing and hyperpolarizing opsins; the ability to induce prolonged sustained voltage changes; and the ability to control refractoriness and the shape of the cardiac action potential. At the syncytial tissue level, we discuss optogenetically enabled experimentation on cell–cell coupling, alteration of conduction properties and termination of propagating waves by light. Specific attention is given to space‐ and time‐resolved application of optical stimulation using dynamic light patterns to perturb ongoing activation and to probe electrophysiological properties at desired tissue locations. The combined use of optical methods to perturb and to observe the system can offer new tools for precise feedback control of cardiac electrical activity, not available previously with pharmacological and electrical stimulation. These new experimental tools for all‐optical electrophysiology allow for a level of precise manipulation and quantification of cardiac dynamics comparable in robustness to the computational setting, and can provide new insights into pacemaking, arrhythmogenesis and suppression or cardioversion

Approche interprétative à l interaction entre culture et langage : « La culture devient ainsi un « tool-kit », une boîte à outils qui sert de support pour donner sens à la réalité, la langue étant l outil le plus important. » (Bruner 2015 cité par Britt-Mari Barth : 5)

Kieli on ihmisten tapa rakentaa todellisuutta. Inhimillinen kieli on tavattoman monimuotoinen ja kykeneväinen ilmaisemaan paljon laajempia kokonaisuuksia kuin eläinten viestintäjärjestelmät. Kielen kehitys on yhtäältä sidoksissa yksilön kognitiivisten, affektiivisten, psykomotoristen ja sosiaalisten kykyjen kehitykseen ja toisaalta kulttuurisiin seikkoihin. Tutkimuksessani analysoin lapsen kielen kehitykseen yhtenä tekijänä vaikuttavien lorujen ja laulujen merkitystä kielellisen hahmottamisen kannalta. Kielen omaksumista on tutkittu paljon, mutta lapsille osoitettuja ja lasten käyttämien leikkimielisten kieliaineistojen tutkimus on jäänyt taka-alalle mekanistisempien oppimismekanismien analyysin tieltä. Perustan tutkimukseni metodologisen aineksen osalta ennen kaikkea psykolingvistiseen tutkimukseen (Piaget, Vygotski, Bruner, jne.), joka on viime vuosina painottanut lapsen ensimmäisten ikävuosien merkitystä kielelliselle kehitykselle. Perimmäisenä pyrkimyksenä on etsiä vastausta siihen, miten kielellinen ilmaisu kuvaa yhteiskunnan asennetta pienimpiä jäseniään kohtaan. On selvää, että yhtenä keskeisenä elementtinä lapsen kielen kehityksessä on suhde vanhempiin/hoitajiin ja heidän kanssaan muotoutuva interaktiivinen kommunikaatio. Tutkielmani korpus koostuu kansanperinteen piiriin kuuluvista teksteistä neljällä eri kielellä (ranska, espanja, suomi, bulgaria). Lorut, leikit, laulut, pirileikit, jne., ovat kehittäneet lapsen kykyä mieltää itsensä osaksi yhteisöä ja sen kulttuuriperintöä ja siten edesauttaneet myös kielellistä kehitystä. Merkittävä osa lapsuuden ajan kognitiivisista prosesseista ovat tukena myöhemmille päämäärään tähtääville toiminnoille. Korpukseni 31 tekstistä 7 on ranskan-, 9 suomen-, 8 espanjan ja 7 bulgariankielisiä. Kaikissa näissä teksteissä, kielestä riippumatta, on yhteisiä elementtejä kuten esimerkiksi toistoa, luettelointia, loppusointuja, assonansseja ja alkusointuja. Niiden perimmäisenä tarkoituksena on mnemoteknisiä keinoja käyttäen opettaa lapsi hahmottamaan ympäröivää yhteiskuntaa ja itseään sen osana. Olen kiinnittänyt erityistä huomiota ns. sormileikkeihin, joissa usein yhdistyvät leikki, loru ja laulu. Yhteisten piirteiden rinnalla on myös tekstejä toisistaan erottavia elementtejä. Analysoimistani teksteistä voi havaita mm., että suomalaisissa lastenloruissa on usein pelottavia piirteitä, kun taas ranskalaisia ja espanjalaisia loruja leimaa tietty kepeys. Mitä puhtaasti kielellisiin seikkoihin tulee, niin ranskan- ja espanjankieliset tekstit erottuvat muista kompleksisemman syntaksinsa kautta, kun taas suomalaisia tekstejä leimaa monimuotoinen äännemaailma. Bulgarialaisten tekstien silmiinpistävä ominaisuus taas on niiden leikkimielisyys. Korpuksen teksteissä havaittavat erot kuvaavat todennäköisesti hyvinkin merkittäviä eroja kunkin kulttuurin ominaispiirteiden välillä. Lapset oppivat oman kulttuurinsa erityispiirteet kielen kautta, minkä vuoksi lorut, laulut ja leikit valmistavat lapsia toimimaan oman kulttuurinsa perusperiaatteiden mukaan. On selvää, että tutkimukseni ei laajuudeltaan ole riittävä laajojen yleistyksien tekemistä varten. Analyysini osoittaa kuitenkin suppeudestaan huolimatta, että kielelliset ja kulttuuriset erot ovat keskeisessä asemassa lapsen kehittyessä yhteisönsä jäseneksi. Ne valottavat myös kiinnostavasti kulttuurisia erikoispiirteitä ja sitä, mitä kussakin yhteisössä pidetään arvokkaana. Uusia tutkimusmahdollisuuksia tällä saralla on huomattavan paljon

Mangrove microniches determine the structural and functional diversity of enriched petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading consortia

In this study, the combination of culture enrichments and molecular tools was used to identify bacterial guilds, plasmids and functional genes potentially important in the process of petroleum hydrocarbon (PH) decontamination in mangrove microniches (rhizospheres and bulk sediment). In addition, we aimed to recover PH-degrading consortia (PHDC) for future use in remediation strategies. The PHDC were enriched with petroleum from rhizosphere and bulk sediment samples taken from a mangrove chronically polluted with oil hydrocarbons. Southern blot hybridization (SBH) assays of PCR amplicons from environmental DNA before enrichments resulted in weak positive signals for the functional gene types targeted, suggesting that PH-degrading genotypes and plasmids were in low abundance in the rhizosphere and bulk sediments. However, after enrichment, these genes were detected and strong microniche-dependent differences in the abundance and composition of hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial populations, plasmids (IncP-1 alpha, IncP-1 beta, IncP-7 and IncP-9) and functional genes (naphthalene, extradiol and intradiol dioxygenases) were revealed by in-depth molecular analyses [PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and hybridization (SBH and microarray)]. Our results suggest that, despite the low abundance of PH-degrading genes and plasmids in the environmental samples, the original bacterial composition of the mangrove microniches determined the structural and functional diversity of the PHDC enriched.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [SM59/4-1, 4-2]; FAPERJ-Brazil; European Commission [003998, 211684]; Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung; CONICET (Argentina)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Specificity traits consistent with legume-rhizobia coevolution displayed by Ensifer meliloti rhizosphere colonization

Rhizobia are α‐ and ß‐proteobacteria that associate with legumes in symbiosis to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The chemical communication between roots and rhizobia begins in the rhizosphere. Using signature‐tagged‐Tn5 mutagenesis (STM) we performed a genome‐wide screening for Ensifer meliloti genes that participate in colonizing the rhizospheres of alfalfa and other legumes. The analysis of ca. 6,000 mutants indicated that genes relevant for rhizosphere colonization account for nearly 2% of the rhizobial genome and that most (ca. 80%) are chromosomally located, pointing to the relevance and ancestral origin of the bacterial ability to colonize plant roots. The identified genes were related to metabolic functions, transcription, signal transduction, and motility/chemotaxis among other categories; with several ORFs of yet‐unknown function. Most remarkably, we identified a subset of genes that impacted more severely the colonization of the roots of alfalfa than of pea. Further analyses using other plant species revealed that such early differential phenotype could be extended to other members of the Trifoliae tribe (Trigonella, Trifolium), but not the Fabeae and Phaseoleae tribes. The results suggest that consolidation of E. meliloti into its current symbiotic state should have occurred in a rhizobacterium that had already been adapted to rhizospheres of the Trifoliae tribe.Fil: Salas, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Lozano, Mauricio Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: López, José Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Draghi, Walter Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Serrania, Javier. Universitat Phillips; AlemaniaFil: Torres Tejerizo, Gonzalo Arturo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Albicoro, Francisco Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Nilsson, Juliet Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Pistorio, Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: del Papa, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Parisi, Gustavo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Becker, Anke. Universitat Phillips; AlemaniaFil: Lagares, Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentin

Opto-SICM framework combines optogenetics with scanning ion conductance microscopy for probing cell-to-cell contacts

We present a novel framework, Opto-SICM, for studies of cellular interactions in live cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. The approach combines scanning ion conductance microscopy, SICM, and cell-type-specific optogenetic interrogation. Light-excitable cardiac fibroblasts (FB) and myofibroblasts (myoFB) were plated together with non-modified cardiomyocytes (CM) and then paced with periodic illumination. Opto-SICM reveals the extent of FB/myoFB-CM cell-cell contacts and the dynamic changes over time not visible by optical microscopy. FB-CM pairs have lower gap junctional expression of connexin-43 and higher contact dynamism compared to myoFB-CM pairs. The responsiveness of CM to pacing via FB/myoFB depends on the dynamics of the contact but not on the area. The non-responding pairs have higher net cell-cell movement at the contact. These findings are relevant to cardiac disease states, where adverse remodeling leads to abnormal electrical excitation of CM. The Opto-SICM framework can be deployed to offer new insights on cellular and subcellular interactions in various cell types, in real-time

Sex-dependent transcription of cardiac electrophysiology and links to acetylation modifiers based on the GTEx database

Development of safer drugs based on epigenetic modifiers, e.g., histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), requires better understanding of their effects on cardiac electrophysiology. Using RNAseq data from the genotype-tissue-expression database (GTEx), we created models that link the abundance of acetylation enzymes (HDAC/SIRT/HATs), and the gene expression of ion channels (IC) via select cardiac transcription factors (TFs) in male and female adult human hearts (left ventricle, LV). Gene expression data (transcripts per million, TPM) from GTEx donors (21–70 y.o.) were filtered, normalized and transformed to Euclidian space to allow quantitative comparisons in 84 female and 158 male LVs. Sex-specific partial least-square (PLS) regression models, linking gene expression data for HDAC/SIRT/HATs to TFs and to ICs gene expression, revealed tight co-regulation of cardiac ion channels by HDAC/SIRT/HATs, with stronger clustering in the male LV. Co-regulation of genes encoding excitatory and inhibitory processes in cardiac tissue by the acetylation modifiers may help explain their predominantly net-neutral effects on cardiac electrophysiology. ATP1A1, encoding for the Na/K pump, represented an outlier—with orthogonal regulation by the acetylation modifiers to most of the ICs. The HDAC/SIRT/HAT effects were mediated by strong (+) TF regulators of ICs, e.g., MEF2A and TBX5, in both sexes. Furthermore, for male hearts, PLS models revealed a stronger (+/-) mediatory role on ICs for NKX25 and TGF1B/KLF4, respectively, while RUNX1 exhibited larger (-) TF effects on ICs in females. Male-trained PLS models of HDAC/SIRT/HAT effects on ICs underestimated the effects on some ICs in females. Insights from the GTEx dataset about the co-expression and transcriptional co-regulation of acetylation-modifying enzymes, transcription factors and key cardiac ion channels in a sex-specific manner can help inform safer drug design