Von optischer 3D-Messtechnik zu lichtfeldbasierter Bildakquisition und -verarbeitung

Eine Beschreibung einer 3D-Szene mittels Lichtfeldern führt nicht nur zu einer umfassenden Theorie ALLER möglichen optischen 3D-Aufnahmesysteme, sondern ermöglicht auch neue Ansätze, die auch die Schätzung der optischen Eigenschaften der Oberflächen integrieren. Weiterhin werden damit die Grenzen bisheriger optischer Messtechniken gesprengt. Am Beispiel von drei aktuellen Forschungsarbeiten aus dem HCI wird das Potenzial dieser Techniken aufgezeigt: a) die Bestimmung von Tiefenkarten und Bildaufnahme mit erweiterter Tiefenschärfe mittels hyperchromatischer Bildaufnahme, b) die Gewinnung von Tiefenkarten mittels plenoptischer Kameras nicht durch Korrespondenzanalyse, sondern durch Orientierungsanalyse im Lichtfeldes und c) Stereomessungen an spekular reflektierenden Oberflächen mittels aktiver Beleuchtung

Der Standard EMVA 1288 zur Charakterisierung von Kameras und Bildsensoren – von 2D- zu 3D-Kameras

In diesem Beitrag werden kurz die Grundprinzipien des Standards EMVA 1288 beschrieben: offen, nicht einschränkend, modellbasiert und Kamera als Komponente. Wenige Parameter sind notwendig, um flexibel und applikationsspezifisch eine optimale Kameraauswahl zu treffen. Dies wird an vergleichenden Beispielen illustriert. Weiterhin werden verfügbare Testgeräte vorgestellt und am Ende kurz dargestellt, wie der Standard auf 3D-Kamerasysteme erweitert werden könnte

Advancing soybean adaptation to Central European growth conditions with novel breeding tools

According to the European Soy Monitor 2018 (European Soy Monitor, 2018), there is a wide discrepancy in the EU between market demands and general sustainability aims regarding soybean products. Europe needs to take action, if it wants to maintain its protein demands and at the same time requests a reduction in the destruction of globally important tropical and subtropical ecosystems. One step towards more sustainable soybean products lies in the increase of domestic production which has the potential to decrease soybean imports from areas of unsustainable cultivation. An augmented EU production of soybeans can be achieved for example by increasing the yield potential of soybeans in areas where successful cultivation already takes place or by expanding the cultivation area to more northern parts of Central Europe. Breeding for new, improved and adapted soybean cultivars that meet those terms, is a key activity towards that aim. This dissertation elucidates three different ways how the adaptation of soybeans to the climatic and photoperiodic conditions of Central Europe can be assisted and even accelerated: 1) By using off-season climate-controlled LED chambers to enable a speed breeding single seed descent approach. A 10 h light regime, rich in blue and deprived of far-red light emission is capable to significantly reduce and synchronise the generation time of soybeans. It was possible to shorten the life cycle for a panel of 8 soybean cultivars from different maturity groups to 77 days. This allows several generations of soybeans to be grown within one year. For the short day crops rice and amaranth on the other hand, different light quality parameters were favoured. In those crops mean flowering time was accelerated when far-red light was included in the light protocol. This underlines the importance of a crop-specific light regime in order to realise the full potential of LED-based speed breeding single seed descent. 2) By including experiments in climate-control chambers in combination with molecular tools (i.e. genomic prediction) to advance cold tolerance in soybeans. This quantitatively inherited key trait is necessary to adapt soybeans to colder regions and consequently extend growing areas of this crop to higher latitudes in Europe. In the biparental soybean population Merlin × Sigalia (103 recombinant inbred lines) three QTL for cold tolerance during pod onset were found on chromosomes 7, 11 and 13. The relatively small proportion of genotypic variance for this trait explained by these QTL underlines the quantitative nature of cold tolerance. Genomic prediction was shown to be a promising approach to select for cold stress tolerance. Scenarios with different test set sizes and prediction models were evaluated. In scenarios with smaller test set sizes prediction accuracies increased if known and confirmed QTL were included in the prediction model. 3) By incorporating citizen science into the breeding process. The citizen science project 1000 Gärten from 2016 approached this topic. Phenotypic data from soybean cultivars and breeding lines were collected by citizen scientists in 2492 gardens throughout Germany which generated a unique dataset. Among many other results this study was able to show that in 2016 and within the early maturity segment of soybeans the factor temperature influenced flowering and maturity to a higher degree than photoperiod although day length differed by over an hour between the north and the south of Germany during the time of flowering. It was shown that this admittedly challenging tool can realise a significant impact not only regarding the possibility of a highly multi-environmental screening of breeding material but also by connecting plant breeding, agriculture and potential future costumers in order to raise awareness and acceptance of a crop in larger parts of the society - a factor that may not be highlighted enough when a new crop is introduced to our agriculture. These approaches should not be seen as an alternative to classical plant breeding, but rather considered as valuable additional tools that can contribute to conventional breeding of soybeans, as well as other crops. If applied, the presented tools may assist plant breeding to pave Europes way towards a greener and more sustainable future that is urgently needed.Laut Zahlen des European Soy Monitor 2018 (European Soy Monitor, 2018) gibt es in der EU bei Sojaprodukten eine große Diskrepanz zwischen Produktion und den selbstgesteckten Nachhaltigkeitszielen bei der Produktion. Europa hat folglich zu handeln, wenn es seinen Proteinbedarf aufrechterhalten will und gleichzeitig die Zerstörung global wichtiger tropischer und subtropischer Ökosysteme anprangert. Ein Schritt in Richtung nachhaltigerer Sojaprodukte liegt in der Steigerung der innereuropäischen Produktion. Das hat das Potenzial die Sojaimporte aus nicht nachhaltigen Produktionsgebieten zu verringern. Eine erhöhte Sojabohnenproduktion in der EU kann erreicht werden, indem beispielsweise das Ertragspotenzial von Sojabohnen in Gebieten erhöht wird, in denen bereits ein erfolgreicher Anbau stattfindet, oder indem Anbaugebiete auf nördlichere Teile Zentraleuropas ausgedehnt werden. Die Züchtung neuer, verbesserter und angepasster Sojasorten, die diese Bedingungen erfüllen, ist ein Schlüsselelement, dieses Ziel zu erreichen. In dieser Dissertation werden drei verschiedene Möglichkeiten aufgeführt, welche die Adaptation von Sojabohnen an die klimatischen und photoperiodischen Bedingungen Zentraleuropas unterstützen und sogar beschleunigen können: 1) Durch die Verwendung einer klimatisierten off-season LED-Kammer, um einen speed breeding Ansatz für Einzelsamenramsch zu ermöglichen. Ein 10-stündiges Lichtregime, welches reich an blauem Licht ist und kaum Emissionen im fernroten Spektralbereich aufweist, kann die Generationszeit von Sojapflanzen erheblich verkürzen und synchronisieren. Es war möglich, den Lebenszyklus von acht ausgewählten Sojabohnensorten unterschiedlicher Reifegruppen auf 77 Tage zu reduzieren. Dadurch können mehrere Generationen Sojabohnen innerhalb eines Jahres wachsen. Die Kurztagpflanzen Reis und Amaranth bevorzugten jedoch andere Lichtqualitäten. Bei diesen Kulturarten wurde die mittlere Zeit bis zur Blüte beschleunigt, wenn fernrotes Licht in das Lichtprotokoll integriert wurde. Dieser Fund hebt die Bedeutung kulturartspezifischer Lichtregime hervor, um das volle Leistungsvermögen eines LED-basierten speed breeding Ansatzes zu nutzen. 2) Durch Einbeziehung von Experimenten in Klimakammern in Kombination mit molekularen Werkzeugen (z.B. genomic prediction), um die Kältetoleranz von Soja zu verbessern. Dieses quantitativ vererbte Schlüsselmerkmal ist notwendig, um Sojabohnen an kältere Gebiete anzupassen und folglich das Wachstum dieser Kultur in nördlichen Breiten Europas zu fördern. In der biparentalen Sojabohnenpopulation Merlin × Sigalia (103 rekombinante Inzuchtlinien) konnten drei QTL auf den Chromosomen 7, 11 und 13 für Kältetoleranz zur Zeit des Hülsenansatzes gefunden werden. Der relativ kleine Anteil der erklärten genotypischen Varianz dieser drei QTL an dem Merkmal unterstreicht die genetisch quantitative Beschaffenheit von Kältetoleranz. Genomic prediction wurde als erfolgsversprechender Ansatz eingeschätzt, um auf Kältestresstoleranz zu selektieren. Szenarien mit unterschiedlich großen Testsets und Vorhersagemodellen wurden bewertet. Die Vorhersagegenauigkeit konnte in den Szenarien mit kleineren Testsetgrößen erhöht werden, indem bekannte und bestätigte QTL dem Vorhersagemodell hinzugefügt werden konnten. 3) durch die Einbeziehung von Bürgerwissenschaft (Citizen Science) in den Züchtungsprozess. Das 2016 gestartete Bürgerwissenschaftsprojekt 1000 Gärten nahm sich dieses Themas an. Dabei wurden phänotypische Daten von Sojasorten und Sojazuchtlinien von Bürgerwissenschaftlern in 2492 Gärten aus ganz Deutschland erfasst und gesammelt, welche zu einem einzigartigen Datensatz zusammenflossen. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass dieses zugegebenermaßen herausfordernde Werkzeug hinsichtlich der Möglichkeit eines Screenings von Zuchtmaterial an vielen Standorten einen signifikanten Einfluss erzielen kann. Unter anderem konnte in dieser Studie gezeigt werden, dass im Jahr 2016 und innerhalb des frühen Reifegruppesegments bei Sojabohnen der Faktor Temperatur ausschlaggebender auf das Blüh- und Reifeverhalten war als die Photoperiode. Und das obwohl die Tageslänge zwischen Nord- und Süddeutschland zur Zeit der Blüte mehr als eine Stunde Unterschied aufweist. Zusätzlich konnte durch die Verbindung von Pflanzenzüchtung, Landwirtschaft und potenziellen zukünftigen Kunden das Bewusstsein und die Akzeptanz für Soja als Kulturart in einem größeren Teil der Gesellschaft erhöht werden - ein Umstand, welcher möglicherweise nicht genügend Beachtung findet, wenn eine neuartige Kulturart in unsere Landwirtschaft eingeführt wird. Diese Ansätze sollten nicht als Alternative zur klassischen Pflanzenzüchtung verstanden werden, sondern als wertvolle zusätzliche Instrumente, die zur konventionellen Züchtung von Sojabohnen, aber auch anderer Kulturen beitragen können. Im Bereich der Pflanzenzüchtung kann die Anwendung ebendieser hier vorgestellten Instrumente dazu beitragen, Europas Weg in eine grünere und nachhaltigere Zukunft zu ebnen, die dringend benötigt wird

Early ADMET profiling of anti-inflammatory alkaloids using validated LC-MS/MS methods

Natural products provide an important and unique source of new lead compounds for drug discovery. Approximately 50% of all new chemical entities are inspired by nature. In the search of novel anti-inflammatory compounds in the ancient medicinal plant Isatis tinctoria, tryptanthrin, indirubin, and (E,Z)-3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)indolin-2-one (indolinone) were identified as pharmacologically active constituents. They inhibit, at low µM to nM concentrations, cyclo-oxygenase-2  (COX-2), 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) catalyzed leukotriene synthesis, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK), glycogensynthase kinase-3b (GSK), and mast cell degranulation. While the molecular modes of action of these alkaloids are not yet fully understood, their unique pharmacological profiles, structural drug-like properties, and low cytotoxicity render these molecules promising anti-inflammatory leads. To further evaluate the potential of these alkaloids as novel anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic leads, an assessment of their ADMET properties was warranted. For exact quantification of the compounds, LC-MS/MS methods were developed and validated according to current regulatory guidelines. To get a first prognostic picture for the in vivo performance of our compounds, a pilot PK study was performed in male Sprague Dawley rats after intravenous administration at a concentration of 2 mg/kg b.w.. Tryptanthrin and indirubin showed a half-life (t1/2) of around 40 min, while indolinone was quickly eliminated (t1/2 = 4 min). As most of the drugs are preferentially administered orally, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) represents the major site of drug absorption. Human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2 cells) serve as the method of choice to predict human drug absorption across the intestinal wall in vitro. To study the permeability of the three compounds across the epithelial monolayer, the alkaloids were screened at concentrations of 5-10 µM in the Caco-2 assay. As efflux transporters can greatly impact the in vivo absorption and, thus, the bioavailability of a drug candidate, the compounds were tested for possible P-glycoprotein (P-gp) interaction. Therefore, the alkaloids were co-incubated with the P-gp inhibitor verapamil (50 µM). Active efflux was assessed by calculating the efflux ratio (ER) from bidirectional assays. Due to high lipophilicity of indirubin, the compound precipitated in the transporter buffer and was thus excluded for further investigations in aqueous solutions. Tryptanthrin displayed a high permeability (Papp > 32.0 x 10-6 cm/s) across the cell monolayer. The efflux ratio below 2 (< 1.12) and the unchanged Papp values in presence of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor verapamil indicated that tryptanthrin was not involved in P-gp mediated efflux. In the Caco-2 assay, the recovery of indolinone was low, pointing to possibly extensive phase II metabolism. Further investigation by a high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) system revealed the formation of two sulfate and two glucuronide conjugates for indolinone. Another well-known biological barrier in the human body is the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To evaluate the BBB permeation potential of tryptanthrin and indolinone, the compounds were tested in three cell-based human and animal BBB models. Data obtained with the human and animal BBB models showed good correlation and were indicative of a high BBB permeation potential of tryptanthrin and indolinone. Furthermore, active-mediated efflux was evaluated by calculating the ER from bidirectional assays. The ERs below 2 suggested that both compounds were not involved in active-mediated efflux. Besides P-gp, another critical anti-target in drug development is the human ether-a-go-go (hERG) potassium channel. In the late 1990s, an increasing number of non-cardiovascular drugs have been withdrawn from the market due to cardiotoxic side-effects linked to hERG blocking. Since then, regulatory agencies insist on acquiring experimental hERG data of drug candidates before moving into clinical trials. Possible cardiotoxic liability of the compounds was assessed in vitro, by measurement of an inhibitory effect on hERG tail currents in stably transfected HEK 293 cells using the patch-clamp technique. Slight hERG inhibition was found for tryptanthrin (IC50 of 22 µM) and indolinone (IC50 of 25 µM). Data obtained from the in vitro assays were corroborated by in silico predictions. For tryptanthrin and indolinone, all criteria for high human oral absorption and passive BBB penetration were met. In addition, the slight hERG inhibition found for tryptanthrin and indolinone in vitro could be confirmed by in silico predictions

A novel method for spatio-temporal analysis of flows within the water-side viscous boundary layer

A novel measurement technique is developed for 3D reconstruction of Eulerian velocity vector fields and Lagrangian trajectories at water-side viscous boundary layers in wavy free surfaces. The presented approach makes use of spatiotemporal image processing algorithms. The method is applied to a falling film with a known velocity profile

An image processing analysis of skin textures

Colour and coarseness of skin are visually different. When image processing is involved in the skin analysis, it is important to quantitatively evaluate such differences using texture features. In this paper, we discuss a texture analysis and measurements based on a statistical approach to the pattern recognition. Grain size and anisotropy are evaluated with proper diagrams. The possibility to determine the presence of pattern defects is also discussed

Remote Sensing Analyses of Neotectonic Active Regions in East-Kamchatka

The tectonic history of the Kamchatka Peninsula is dominated by continuous accumulation and amalgamation of terranes with different origins, which were delivered by convergence between the Pacific plate and in former times, the Kula plate against Eurasia (Freitag, 2002). The Kronotsky and Cape Kamchatka Peninsulas show that the collision of terranes and the resulting tectonics are still important for major parts of East-Kamchatka. While the collision of the Kronotsky Peninsula is sorely influenced by the convergence of the Pacific plate, the Cape Kamchatka Peninsula is affected by the collision of the Aleutian Arc with Kamchatka, what gives the opportunity to compare two different processes that resulted in the amalgamation of terranes to Kamchatka.conferenc

First air–sea gas exchange laboratory study at hurricane wind speeds

In a pilot study conducted in October and November 2011, air–sea gas transfer velocities of the two sparingly soluble trace gases hexafluorobenzene and 1,4-difluorobenzene were measured in the unique High-Speed Wind-Wave Tank at Kyoto University, Japan. This air–sea interaction facility is capable of producing hurricane strength wind speeds of up to u10=67 m s−1. This constitutes the first lab study of gas transfer at such high wind speeds. The measured transfer velocities k600 spanned two orders of magnitude, lying between 11 cm h−1 and 1180 cm h−1 with the latter being the highest ever measured wind induced gas transfer velocity. The measured gas transfer velocities are in agreement with the only available dataset at hurricane wind speeds (McNeil and D'Asaro, 2007). The disproportionately large increase of the transfer velocities found at highest wind speeds indicates a new regime of air–sea gas transfer, which is characterized by strong wave breaking, enhanced turbulence and bubble cloud entrainment. It was found that tracers spanning a wide range of solubilities and diffusivities are needed to separate the effects of enhanced surface area and turbulence due to breaking waves from the effects of bubble and spray mediated gas transfer