Nitrogen uptake by winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) depending on fertilizer application

The influence of the injection of nitrogen fertilizers with the CULTAN system (Controlled Uptake Long Term Ammonium Nutrition) on nitrogen uptake by winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was observed at small-plot field experiments under conditions of the Czech Republic (central Europe) during 2007–2013. The CULTAN system consisting in the injection of all the nitrogen in one dose was compared with conventional broadcast surface fertilization which is carried out in three partial nitrogen doses. The total nitrogen dosage was 150 kg N.ha−1. If the CULTAN fertilization was carried out at the beginning of tillering of winter wheat (BBCH 22) instead of at the end of tillering (BBCH 29), the CULTAN-treated winter wheat did not suffer from nitrogen deficiency at the BBCH 45 (boot stage) and BBCH 51 (beginning of heading) growth stages. Nitrogen utilization efficiency and biomass production efficiency were significantly higher with the CULTAN treatment compared to the conventional fertilization whereas nitrogen uptake efficiency tended toward lower values with the CULTAN treatment. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), post-heading nitrogen uptake, the contribution of nitrogen translocation to the total nitrogen in grain, the partial factor productivity of nitrogen as well as grain yield were not significantly influenced by the CULTAN system. Prolonged nitrogen uptake from the soil with the CULTAN treatment resulting in delayed plant senescence was not confirmed. Neither an application of sulphur-containing fertilizer nor the increased dosage of nitrogen (200 kg N.ha−1) positively affected the studied parameters

Insights into the expanding phenotypic spectrum of inherited disorders of biogenic amines

Inherited disorders of neurotransmitter metabolism are rare neurodevelopmental diseases presenting with movement disorders and global developmental delay. This study presents the results of the first standardized deep phenotyping approach and describes the clinical and biochemical presentation at disease onset as well as diagnostic approaches of 275 patients from the registry of the International Working Group on Neurotransmitter related Disorders. The results reveal an increased rate of prematurity, a high risk for being small for gestational age and for congenital microcephaly in some disorders. Age at diagnosis and the diagnostic delay are influenced by the diagnostic methods applied and by disease-specific symptoms. The timepoint of investigation was also a significant factor: delay to diagnosis has decreased in recent years, possibly due to novel diagnostic approaches or raised awareness. Although each disorder has a specific biochemical pattern, we observed confounding exceptions to the rule. The data provide comprehensive insights into the phenotypic spectrum of neurotransmitter disorders

Assessment of intellectual impairment, health-related quality of life, and behavioral phenotype in patients with neurotransmitter related disorders: data from the iNTD registry

Inherited disorders of neurotransmitter metabolism are a group of rare diseases, which are caused by impaired synthesis, transport or degradation of neurotransmitters or co-factors and result in various degrees of delayed or impaired psychomotor development. To assess the effect of neurotransmitter deficiencies on intelligence, quality of life, and behavior, the data of 148 patients in the registry of the International Working Group on Neurotransmitter Related Disorders (iNTD) was evaluated using results from standardized age-adjusted tests and questionnaires. Patients with a primary disorder of monoamine metabolism had lower IQ scores (mean IQ 58, range 40-100) within the range of cognitive impairment (<70) compared to patients with a BH4 deficiency (mean IQ 84, range 40-129). Short attention span and distractibility were most frequently mentioned by parents, while patients reported most frequently anxiety and distractibility when asked for behavioral traits. In individuals with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, self-stimulatory behaviors were commonly reported by parents, whereas in patients with dopamine transporter (DAT) deficiency, DNAJC12 deficiency, and monoamine oxidase A deficiency, self-injurious or mutilating behaviors have commonly been observed. Phobic fears were increased in patients with 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase deficiency while individuals with sepiapterin reductase deficiency frequently experienced communication and sleep difficulties. Patients with BH4 deficiencies achieved significantly higher quality of life as compared to other groups. This analysis of the iNTD registry data highlights: a) difference in IQ and subdomains of quality of life between BH4 deficiencies and primary neurotransmitter-related disorders, and b) previously underreported behavioral traits

Simulation of propeller effect in wind tunnel

Significance of the influence of operating propellers on aircraft aerodynamic characteristics is well-known. Wind tunnel testing of an aeroplane model with operating propellers is a complex task regarding the required similarity of the full-scale and the model case. Matching sufficient similarity in axial and rotational velocities in the propeller slipstream is the primordial condition for the global aerodynamic similarity of the wind tunnel testing. An example of the model power units with related devices is presented. Examples of the wind tunnel testing results illustrate the extent of propeller influence on aerodynamic characteristics of a generic aircraft