scholarly journals Towards More Realistic Leaf Shapes in Functional-Structural Plant Models

Symmetry ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Schmidt ◽  
Katrin Kahlen

Fluctuating asymmetry in plant leaves is a widely used measure in geometric morphometrics for assessing random deviations from perfect symmetry. In this study, we considered the concept of fluctuating asymmetry to improve the prototype leaf shape of the functional-structural plant model L-Cucumber. The overall objective was to provide a realistic geometric representation of the leaves for the light sensitive plant reactions in the virtual plant model. Based on three-dimensional data from several hundred in situ digitized cucumber leaves comparisons of model leaves and measurements were conducted. Robust Bayesian comparison of groups was used to assess statistical differences between leaf halves while respecting fluctuating asymmetries. Results indicated almost no directional asymmetry in leaves comparing different distances from the prototype while detecting systematic deviations shared by both halves. This information was successfully included in an improved leaf prototype and implemented in the virtual plant model L-Cucumber. Comparative virtual plant simulations revealed a slight improvement in plant internode development against experimental data using the novel leaf shape. Further studies can now focus on analyses of stress on the 3D-deformation of the leaf and the development of a dynamic leaf shape model.

Author(s):  
P. M. Parés- Casanova ◽  
J. F. Vélez- García

Bilateral asymmetry is defined as a deviation of a whole organism or a part of it from a perfect symmetry, and different categories can be recognized. One is the fluctuating asymmetry, defined as the random developmental variation of a trait (or character) that is expected to be perfectly symmetrical on average, and the other one is directional asymmetry, which occurs when one of the sides shows stronger morphological structures or marks than the other. The aim of this study was to determine the kind of scapula asymmetry in Saguinus scapulae. On lateral surface of each right and left scapula, a set of 5 landmarks and 3 curves with semi-landmarks along the margins, on a sample of 16 pairs from different Saguinus species, were considered. Asymmetries (fluctuating and directional) on size and shape of the scapulae were analysed by means of geometric morphometric methods. Directional asymmetry was not detected, demonstrating no side scapular shape bias. The absence of significant directional asymmetry may indicate a similar contralateral pattern of employment of the shoulder, at least for one-arm vertical suspension, as it needs stronger forces than those for terrestrial locomotion and thus would cause more asymmetry in case side loadings were different. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation on the symmetrical/asymmetrical nature of scapulae in Saguinus. Our findings increase knowledge and understanding of humeral joint and arboreal locomotion in primates.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawei Wang ◽  
Yifei Chen

In agriculture, information about the spatial distribution of plant growth is valuable for applications. Quantitative study of the characteristics of plants plays an important role in the plants’ growth and development research, and non-destructive measurement of the height of plants based on machine vision technology is one of the difficulties. We propose a methodology for three-dimensional reconstruction under growing plants by Kinect v2.0 and explored the measure growth parameters based on three-dimensional (3D) point cloud in this paper. The strategy includes three steps—firstly, preprocessing 3D point cloud data, completing the 3D plant registration through point cloud outlier filtering and surface smooth method; secondly, using the locally convex connected patches method to segment the leaves and stem from the plant model; extracting the feature boundary points from the leaf point cloud, and using the contour extraction algorithm to get the feature boundary lines; finally, calculating the length, width of the leaf by Euclidean distance, and the area of the leaf by surface integral method, measuring the height of plant using the vertical distance technology. The results show that the automatic extraction scheme of plant information is effective and the measurement accuracy meets the need of measurement standard. The established 3D plant model is the key to study the whole plant information, which reduces the inaccuracy of occlusion to the description of leaf shape and conducive to the study of the real plant growth status.


2007 ◽  
Vol 176 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochem B. Evers ◽  
Jan Vos ◽  
Michaël Chelle ◽  
Bruno Andrieu ◽  
Christian Fournier ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 58 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Pitzschke ◽  
Christian Näther ◽  
Wolfgang Bensch

Treatment of germanium dioxide with a 33% aqueous solution of 1,2-diaminopropane (DAP) under solvothermal conditions leads to the formation of colourless octahedral crystals of the novel germanate (1,2-DAPH2)2Ge9(OH)4O18 · 2 H2O. The compound crystallises in the orthorhombic space group Pbca, a = 14.4155(10), b = 12.9384(9), c = 14.5417(8) Å,V =2712.2 (3) Å3; Z =4. The structure consists of an anionic [Ge9(OH)4O18]4− framework with isolated [1,2-DAPH2]2+ cations and water molecules in the channels of the structure. The primary building units of the anionic framework are GeO4 tetrahedra, GeO5 trigonal bipyramids, and GeO6 octahedra. The asymmetric unit consists of two GeO5 units sharing a common edge to form a Ge2O8 unit. This Ge2O8 unit is corner-linked to two GeO4 tetrahedra, and finally one GeO4 tetrahedron is connected to a GeO6 octahedron by cornersharing. The connectivity yields a chain-like Ge5O19 fragment as a secondary building unit (SBU). The chain fragments are interconnected with each other forming the three-dimensional framework. Three types of channels with diameters ranging from 5.98 to 8.025 Å intersect the three-dimensional germanate network. Upon heating the compound decomposes in three steps starting at about 125˚C losing the water and the 1,2-diaminopropane molecules.In situ X-ray diffraction experiments show that the water molecules are removed retaining the integrity of the skeleton of the material. The removal of H2O is accompanied with an anisotropic shrinkage of the structure. The original lattice parameters were obtained after the uptake of water.


Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1657
Author(s):  
Claudia Dolci ◽  
Fadil Elamin ◽  
Annalisa Cappella ◽  
Luisa Barni ◽  
Daniele M. Gibelli ◽  
...  

The evaluation of the symmetry of orbital and ear soft tissues is important for aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. However, little information is available for these facial regions, especially in children. We analyzed the orbital and auricular symmetry in 418 Italian and 206 Sudanese subadult males divided into three age groups (8–11, 12–15, and 16–19 years old). Orbital and auricular height and width were measured for calculating fluctuating and directional asymmetry indices. Differences in asymmetry indices according to ethnicity and age group were assessed through the two-way ANOVA test (p < 0.01), while differences in the prevalence of right or left asymmetry according to ethnicity were assessed through the chi-square test. On average, directional asymmetry indices ranged from −2.1% to 1.1%, while fluctuating asymmetry indices ranged between 2.9% and 5.4%, corresponding to a small effect size and to 1.06–2.34 mm actual dimensions. Sudanese subjects showed a greater asymmetry for all the indices except for the fluctuating asymmetry of orbital height (p < 0.01). The directional asymmetry of auricular width increased with age. A prevalent right-side asymmetry was found for all the orbital indices (p < 0.001) in both populations, although significantly more prevalent in Sudanese individuals (over 83% for both measures), while auricular measures showed a prevalent left asymmetry exclusively in the Sudanese but with lower percentages. Aside from the limited effect size, the results proved the ethnic variability of asymmetry of orbital and auricle regions in children and suggest the need to collect more population data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Kirchengast

Abstract Asymmetry of bilateral anatomical structures is widely found in nature. Fluctuating asymmetry, i.e. mostly tiny random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral structures, is mainly interpreted within the framework of developmental instability. This interpretation is mainly due to the fact, that higher fluctuating asymmetry is often found in association with various pathological conditions but also from increased stress during somatic development. Directional asymmetry, in contrast, describes a distinct pattern of bilateral variation in a group of individuals, characterized by the tendency to find the larger side mainly at the same side for all individuals. This kind of asymmetry is mostly caused by behavioral lateralization. Somatic stress during development affect not only asymmetry patterns, it is has also an adverse effect on somatic growth. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis, that increased asymmetry is associated with decreased body height as well as postcranial length and robustness dimensions. The association patterns between fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry and parameters of somatic growth and robustness are analyzed among 236 !Kung San and 248 Kavango people of Namibia between the ages of 18 and 65 years. Fluctuating asymmetry was determined by ear length and ear breadth. Directional asymmetry was determined by hand length and hand breadth dimensions. Fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry correlated significantly negatively with body height and length dimensions, the correlations however, were weak. The results are interpreted as a corroboration of the theory that developmental stress may increase fluctuating asymmetry but on the other hand may decrease body size.


Author(s):  
J. P. Revel

Movement of individual cells or of cell sheets and complex patterns of folding play a prominent role in the early developmental stages of the embryo. Our understanding of these processes is based on three- dimensional reconstructions laboriously prepared from serial sections, and from autoradiographic and other studies. Many concepts have also evolved from extrapolation of investigations of cell movement carried out in vitro. The scanning electron microscope now allows us to examine some of these events in situ. It is possible to prepare dissections of embryos and even of tissues of adult animals which reveal existing relationships between various structures more readily than used to be possible vithout an SEM.


Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.


Author(s):  
S. Naka ◽  
R. Penelle ◽  
R. Valle

The in situ experimentation technique in HVEM seems to be particularly suitable to clarify the processes involved in recrystallization. The material under investigation was unidirectionally cold-rolled titanium of commercial purity. The problem was approached in two different ways. The three-dimensional analysis of textures was used to describe the texture evolution during the primary recrystallization. Observations of bulk-annealed specimens or thin foils annealed in the microscope were also made in order to provide information concerning the mechanisms involved in the formation of new grains. In contrast to the already published work on titanium, this investigation takes into consideration different values of the cold-work ratio, the temperature and the annealing time.Two different models are commonly used to explain the recrystallization textures i.e. the selective grain growth model (Beck) or the oriented nucleation model (Burgers). The three-dimensional analysis of both the rolling and recrystallization textures was performed to identify the mechanismsl involved in the recrystallization of titanium.


Author(s):  
W.F. Marshall ◽  
A.F. Dernburg ◽  
B. Harmon ◽  
J.W. Sedat

Interactions between chromatin and nuclear envelope (NE) have been implicated in chromatin condensation, gene regulation, nuclear reassembly, and organization of chromosomes within the nucleus. To further investigate the physiological role played by such interactions, it will be necessary to determine which loci specifically interact with the nuclear envelope. This will not only facilitate identification of the molecular determinants of this interaction, but will also allow manipulation of the pattern of chromatin-NE interactions to probe possible functions. We have developed a microscopic approach to detect and map chromatin-NE interactions inside intact cells.Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is used to localize specific chromosomal regions within the nucleus of Drosophila embryos and anti-lamin immunofluorescence is used to detect the nuclear envelope. Widefield deconvolution microscopy is then used to obtain a three-dimensional image of the sample (Fig. 1). The nuclear surface is represented by a surface-harmonic expansion (Fig 2). A statistical test for association of the FISH spot with the surface is then performed.


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