Iodine Biofortification of Apples and Pears in an Orchard Using Foliar Sprays of Different Composition

Many people across the world suffer from iodine (I) deficiency and related diseases. The I content in plant-based foods is particularly low, but can be enhanced by agronomic biofortification. Therefore, in this study two field experiments were conducted under orchard conditions to assess the potential of I biofortification of apples and pears by foliar fertilization. Fruit trees were sprayed at various times during the growing season with solutions containing I in different concentrations and forms. In addition, tests were carried out to establish whether the effect of I sprays can be improved by co-application of potassium nitrate (KNO3) and sodium selenate (Na2SeO4). Iodine accumulation in apple and pear fruits was dose-dependent, with a stronger response to potassium iodide (KI) than potassium iodate (KIO3). In freshly harvested apple and pear fruits, 51% and 75% of the biofortified iodine was localized in the fruit peel, respectively. The remaining I was translocated into the fruit flesh, with a maximum of 3% reaching the core. Washing apples and pears with running deionized water reduced their I content by 14%. To achieve the targeted accumulation level of 50-100 μg I per 100 g fresh mass in washed and unpeeled fruits, foliar fertilization of 1.5 kg I per hectare and meter canopy height was required when KIO3 was applied. The addition of KNO3 and Na2SeO4 to I-containing spray solutions did not affect the I content in fruits. However, the application of KNO3 increased the total soluble solids content of the fruits by up to 1.0 °Brix compared to the control, and Na2SeO4 in the spray solution increased the fruit selenium (Se) content. Iodine sprays caused leaf necrosis, but without affecting the development and marketing quality of the fruits. Even after three months of cold storage, no adverse effects of I fertilization on general fruit characteristics were observed, however, I content of apples decreased by 20%

CSI 2264: Simultaneous optical and infrared light curves of young disk-bearing stars in NGC 2264 with CoRoT and Spitzer-- evidence for multiple origins of variability

Anne Marie Cody, et al, 'CSI 2264: SIMULTANEOUS OPTICAL AND INFRARED LIGHT CURVES OF YOUNG DISK-BEARING STARS IN NGC 2264 WITH CoRoT and SPITZER—EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE ORIGINS OF VARIABILITY', The Astronomical Journal, 147:82 (47pp), 2014 April doi:10.1088/0004-6256/147/4/82 © 2014. The American Astronomical Society.We present the Coordinated Synoptic Investigation of NGC 2264, a continuous 30-day multi-wavelength photometric monitoring campaign on more than 1000 young cluster members using 16 telescopes. The unprecedented combination of multi-wavelength, high-precision, high-cadence, and long-duration data opens a new window into the time domain behavior of young stellar objects. Here we provide an overview of the observations, focusing on results from Spitzer and CoRoT. The highlight of this work is detailed analysis of 162 classical T Tauri stars for which we can probe optical and mid-infrared flux variations to 1% amplitudes and sub-hour timescales. We present a morphological variability census and then use metrics of periodicity, stochasticity, and symmetry to statistically separate the light curves into seven distinct classes, which we suggest represent different physical processes and geometric effects. We provide distributions of the characteristic timescales and amplitudes, and assess the fractional representation within each class. The largest category (>20%) are optical "dippers" having discrete fading events lasting ~1-5 days. The degree of correlation between the optical and infrared light curves is positive but weak; notably, the independently assigned optical and infrared morphology classes tend to be different for the same object. Assessment of flux variation behavior with respect to (circum)stellar properties reveals correlations of variability parameters with H$\alpha$ emission and with effective temperature. Overall, our results point to multiple origins of young star variability, including circumstellar obscuration events, hot spots on the star and/or disk, accretion bursts, and rapid structural changes in the inner disk.Peer reviewe

Fate and bioaccessibility of iodine in food prepared from agronomically biofortified wheat and rice and impact of cofertilization with zinc and selenium

Enrichment of food crops with iodine is an option to alleviate dietary deficiencies. Therefore, foliar iodine fertilizer was applied on wheat and rice, in the presence and absence of the other micronutrients zinc and selenium. This treatment increased the concentration of iodine, as well as zinc and selenium, in the staple grains. Subsequently, potential iodine losses during preparation of foodstuffs with the enriched grains were studied. Oven-heating did not affect the iodine content in bread. Extraction of bran from flour lowered the iodine in white bread compared to wholegrain bread, but it was still markedly higher compared to the control. During subsequent in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, a higher percentage of iodine was released from foods based on extracted flour (82-92%) compared to wholegrain foods (50-76%). The foliar fertilization of wheat was found to be adequate to alleviate iodine deficiency in a population with a moderate to high intake of bread

Data Stewards an den TU9-Universitäten – Bestandsaufnahme, Handlungsfelder und Kooperationspotenzial

Mit der Entwicklung des neuen Berufsfeldes Data Steward zeichnet sich in den letzten Jahren eine vielversprechende Möglichkeit ab, die häufig reklamierte Lücke zwischen zentralen, meist generischen Services für das Forschungsdatenmanagement (FDM) und den zum Teil sehr speziellen Anforderungen der einzelnen Forschungsdisziplinen zu schließen. Die Entwicklung hin zu eigenen Data Steward-Stellen ist bisher an den TU9-Universitäten vor allem in großangelegten (Verbund-)Projekten zu beobachten. Um eine Zerfaserung und Parallelstrukturen zu vermeiden, ist eine institutionelle FDM-Gesamtstrategie wichtig, die die zentralen FDM-Teams mit den fachspezifischen Data Stewards verbindet. Anhand von Praxisbeispielen aus den TU9-Universitäten werden in diesem Beitrag Handlungsfelder für Technische Universitäten im Bereich der Data Stewards identifiziert und Potenziale für eine kooperative Herangehensweise aufgezeig

Data Stewards an den TU9-Universitäten – Bestandsaufnahme, Handlungsfelder und Kooperationspotenzial

Mit der Entwicklung des neuen Berufsfeldes Data Steward zeichnet sich in den letzten Jahren eine vielversprechende Möglichkeit ab, die häufig reklamierte Lücke zwischen zentralen, meist generischen Services für das Forschungsdatenmanagement (FDM) und den zum Teil sehr speziellen Anforderungen der einzelnen Forschungsdisziplinen zu schließen. Die Entwicklung hin zu eigenen Data Steward-Stellen ist bisher an den TU9-Universitäten vor allem in großangelegten (Verbund-)Projekten zu beobachten. Um eine Zerfaserung und Parallelstrukturen zu vermeiden, ist eine institutionelle FDM-Gesamtstrategie wichtig, die die zentralen FDM-Teams mit den fachspezifischen Data Stewards verbindet. Anhand von Praxisbeispielen aus den TU9-Universitäten werden in diesem Beitrag Handlungsfelder für Technische Universitäten im Bereich der Data Stewards identifiziert und Potenziale für eine kooperative Herangehensweise aufgezeig

Initial presenting manifestations in 16,486 patients with inborn errors of immunity include infections and noninfectious manifestations

Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are rare diseases, which makes diagnosis a challenge. A better description of the initial presenting manifestations should improve awareness and avoid diagnostic delay. Although increased infection susceptibility is a well-known initial IEI manifestation, less is known about the frequency of other presenting manifestations. Objective: We sought to analyze age-related initial presenting manifestations of IEI including different IEI disease cohorts. Methods: We analyzed data on 16,486 patients of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies Registry. Patients with autoinflammatory diseases were excluded because of the limited number registered. Results: Overall, 68% of patients initially presented with infections only, 9% with immune dysregulation only, and 9% with a combination of both. Syndromic features were the presenting feature in 12%, 4% had laboratory abnormalities only, 1.5% were diagnosed because of family history only, and 0.8% presented with malignancy. Two-third of patients with IEI presented before the age of 6 years, but a quarter of patients developed initial symptoms only as adults. Immune dysregulation was most frequently recognized as an initial IEI manifestation between age 6 and 25 years, with male predominance until age 10 years, shifting to female predominance after age 40 years. Infections were most prevalent as a first manifestation in patients presenting after age 30 years. Conclusions: An exclusive focus on infection-centered warning signs would have missed around 25% of patients with IEI who initially present with other manifestations. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2021;148:1332-41.