scholarly journals New frontiers in the three-dimensional visualization of plant structure and function

2016 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Brodersen ◽  
A. B. Roddy
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian N Bailey ◽  
Eric R Kent

Abstract While functional–structural plant models (FSPMs) have been proposed as a tool for better analysing and predicting interactions between plant structure and function, it is still unclear as to what spatial resolution is required to adequately resolve such interactions. Shadows cast by neighbouring leaves in a plant canopy create extremely large spatial gradients in absorbed radiation at the sub-leaf scale, which are usually not fully resolved in ‘leaf-resolving’ plant models. This failure to resolve sharp radiative gradients can propagate to other dependent biophysical models, and result in dramatic overprediction of whole-plant and -canopy fluxes with errors significantly higher than that of a statistical ‘big leaf’ or turbid medium model. Under-resolving radiative gradients creates a diffusive effect in the probability distribution of absorbed radiation, and smears out the effect of canopy structure, effectively undermining the original goal of a leaf-resolving model. Errors in whole-canopy fluxes of photosynthesis increased approximately linearly with increasing LAI, projected area fraction G, and decreased logarithmically as the fraction of incoming diffuse radiation was increased. When only one discrete element per leaf was used, errors in whole-canopy net CO2 flux could be in excess of 100 %. Errors due to sub-leaf resolution decreased exponentially as the number of elements per leaf was increased. These results prompt closer consideration of the impact of sub-leaf resolution on model errors, which is likely to prompt an increase in resolution relative to current common practice.


Author(s):  
Peter Sterling

The synaptic connections in cat retina that link photoreceptors to ganglion cells have been analyzed quantitatively. Our approach has been to prepare serial, ultrathin sections and photograph en montage at low magnification (˜2000X) in the electron microscope. Six series, 100-300 sections long, have been prepared over the last decade. They derive from different cats but always from the same region of retina, about one degree from the center of the visual axis. The material has been analyzed by reconstructing adjacent neurons in each array and then identifying systematically the synaptic connections between arrays. Most reconstructions were done manually by tracing the outlines of processes in successive sections onto acetate sheets aligned on a cartoonist's jig. The tracings were then digitized, stacked by computer, and printed with the hidden lines removed. The results have provided rather than the usual one-dimensional account of pathways, a three-dimensional account of circuits. From this has emerged insight into the functional architecture.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. e0171355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshni Bhattacharya ◽  
Peter W. Rose ◽  
Stephen K. Burley ◽  
Andreas Prlić

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 135-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-U. Kreft ◽  
J. W. Wimpenny

We have simulated a nitrifying biofilm with one ammonia and one nitrite oxidising species in order to elucidate the effect of various extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production scenarios on biofilm structure and function. The individual-based model (IbM) BacSim simulates diffusion of all substrates on a two-dimensional lattice. Each bacterium is individually simulated as a sphere of given size in a continuous, three-dimensional space. EPS production kinetics was described by a growth rate dependent and an independent term (Luedeking-Piret equation). The structure of the biofilm was dramatically influenced by EPS production or capsule formation. EPS production decreased growth of producers and stimulated growth of non-producers because of the energy cost involved. For the same reason, EPS accumulation can fall as its rate of production increases. The patchiness and roughness of the biofilm decreased and the porosity increased due to EPS production. EPS density was maximal in the middle of the vertical profile. Introduction of binding forces between like cells increased clustering.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 6332-6339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte M. A. Linde ◽  
Susanna Grundström ◽  
Erik Nordling ◽  
Essam Refai ◽  
Patrick J. Brennan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Granulysin and NK-lysin are homologous bactericidal proteins with a moderate residue identity (35%), both of which have antimycobacterial activity. Short loop peptides derived from the antimycobacterial domains of granulysin, NK-lysin, and a putative chicken NK-lysin were examined and shown to have comparable antimycobacterial but variable Escherichia coli activities. The known structure of the NK-lysin loop peptide was used to predict the structure of the equivalent peptides of granulysin and chicken NK-lysin by homology modeling. The last two adopted a secondary structure almost identical to that of NK-lysin. All three peptides form very similar three-dimensional (3-D) architectures in which the important basic residues assume the same positions in space. The basic residues in granulysin are arginine, while those in NK-lysin and chicken NK-lysin are a mixture of arginine and lysine. We altered the ratio of arginine to lysine in the granulysin fragment to examine the importance of basic residues for antimycobacterial activity. The alteration of the amino acids reduced the activity against E. coli to a larger extent than that against Mycobacterium smegmatis. In granulysin, the arginines in the loop structure are not crucial for antimycobacterial activity but are important for cytotoxicity. We suggest that the antibacterial domains of the related proteins granulysin, NK-lysin, and chicken NK-lysin have conserved their 3-D structure and their function against mycobacteria.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.E. Naas ◽  
A.K. MacKenzie ◽  
B. Dalhus ◽  
V.G.H. Eijsink ◽  
P.B. Pope

Abstract Previous gene-centric analysis of a cow rumen metagenome revealed the first potentially cellulolytic polysaccharide utilization locus, of which the main catalytic enzyme (AC2aCel5A) was identified as a glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 endo-cellulase. Here we present the 1.8 Å three-dimensional structure of AC2aCel5A and characterization of its enzymatic activities. The enzyme possesses the archetypical (β/α)8-barrel found throughout the GH5 family and contains the two strictly conserved catalytic glutamates located at the C-terminal ends of β-strands 4 and 7. The enzyme is active on insoluble cellulose and acts exclusively on linear β-(1,4)-linked glucans. Co-crystallization of a catalytically inactive mutant with substrate yielded a 2.4 Å structure showing cellotriose bound in the −3 to −1 subsites. Additional electron density was observed between Trp178 and Trp254, two residues that form a hydrophobic “clamp”, potentially interacting with sugars at the +1 and +2 subsites. The enzyme’s active-site cleft was narrower compared to the closest structural relatives, which in contrast to AC2aCel5A, are also active on xylans, mannans and/or xyloglucans. Interestingly, the structure and function of this enzyme seem adapted to less-substituted substrates such as cellulose, presumably due to the insufficient space to accommodate the side-chains of branched glucans in the active-site cleft.


Author(s):  
Madeleine Keehner ◽  
Peter Khooshabeh ◽  
Mary Hegarty

This chapter examines human factors associated with using interactive three-dimensional (3D) visualizations. Virtual representations of anatomical structure and function, often with sophisticated user control capabilities, are growing in popularity in medicine for education, training, and simulation. This chapter reviews the cognitive science literature and introduces issues such as theoretical ideas related to using interactive visualizations, different types and levels of interactivity, effects of different kinds of control interfaces, and potential cognitive benefits of these tools. The authors raise the question of whether all individuals are equally capable of using 3D visualizations effectively, focusing particularly on two variables: (1) individual differences in spatial abilities, and (2) individual differences in interactive behavior. The chapter draws together findings from the authors’ own studies and from the wider literature, exploring recent insights into how individual differences among users can impact the effectiveness of different types of external visualizations for different kinds of tasks. The chapter offers recommendations for design, such as providing transparent affordances to support users’ meta-cognitive understanding, and employing personalization to complement the capabilities of different individuals. Finally, the authors suggest future directions and approaches for research, including the use of methodology such as needs analysis and contextual enquiry to better understand the cognitive processes and capacities of different kinds of users.


Amino Acids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (10-12) ◽  
pp. 1409-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Grassi ◽  
Chiara Cabrele

Abstract Peptides and proteins are preponderantly emerging in the drug market, as shown by the increasing number of biopharmaceutics already approved or under development. Biomolecules like recombinant monoclonal antibodies have high therapeutic efficacy and offer a valuable alternative to small-molecule drugs. However, due to their complex three-dimensional structure and the presence of many functional groups, the occurrence of spontaneous conformational and chemical changes is much higher for peptides and proteins than for small molecules. The characterization of biotherapeutics with modern and sophisticated analytical methods has revealed the presence of contaminants that mainly arise from oxidation- and elimination-prone amino-acid side chains. This review focuses on protein chemical modifications that may take place during storage due to (1) oxidation (methionine, cysteine, histidine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine), (2) intra- and inter-residue cyclization (aspartic and glutamic acid, asparagine, glutamine, N-terminal dipeptidyl motifs), and (3) β-elimination (serine, threonine, cysteine, cystine) reactions. It also includes some examples of the impact of such modifications on protein structure and function.


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