Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

About: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is a education organization based out in Uppsala, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 13510 authors who have published 35241 publications receiving 1414458 citations. The organization is also known as: Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet & SLU.

Reconsideration of the term ‘vitrification’ as used in micropropagation

Abstract: The term vitrification is currently used to describe two types of processes related to tissue-cultured plant material. The first is used to describe organs and tissues having an abnormal morphological appearance and physiological function. The second is used to describe the transition from liquid to solid state, i.e. the formation of ice during low temperature storage of in vitro cultured cells, tissues and organs. Use of the same term to define two greatly different processes in the same research area can only lead to confusion, especially for key words. Thus it is appropriate to reconsider the usage of vitrification in the first sense mentioned above. It is recommended that the term vitrification should no longer be used to indicate plant material with an abnormal morphological appearance and physiological function, and should be substituted by the term ‘hyperhydricity’.

Species identification of individual trees by combining high resolution LiDAR data with multi-spectral images

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to identify useful predictive factors for tree species identification of individual trees and to compare classifications based on a combination of LiDAR data and multi-spectral images with classification by the use of each individual data source. Crown segments derived from LiDAR data were mapped to multi-spectral images for extraction of spectral data within individual tree crowns. Several features, related to height distribution of laser returns in the canopy, canopy shape, proportion of different types of laser returns, and intensity of laser returns, were derived from LiDAR data. Data from a test site in southern Sweden were used (lat. 58°30' N, long. 13°40' E). The forest consisted of Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and deciduous trees. Classification into these three tree species groups was validated for 1711 trees that had been detected in LiDAR data within 14 field plots (sizes of 20×50 m2 or 80×80 m2). The LiDAR data were acquired by the TopEye MkII system (50 LiDAR measurements per m2) and the multi-spectral images were taken by the Zeiss/Intergraph Digital Mapping Camera. The overall classification accuracy was 96% when both data sources were combined.

A Factor XIIa Inhibitory Antibody Provides Thromboprotection in Extracorporeal Circulation Without Increasing Bleeding Risk

Abstract: Currently used anticoagulants prevent thrombosis but increase bleeding. We show an anticoagulation therapy without bleeding risk based on a plasma protease factor XII function-neutralizing antibody. We screened for antibodies against activated factor XII (FXIIa) using phage display and demonstrated that recombinant fully human antibody 3F7 binds into the FXIIa enzymatic pocket. 3F7 interfered with FXIIa-mediated coagulation, abolished thrombus formation under flow, and blocked experimental thrombosis in mice and rabbits. We adapted an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cardiopulmonary bypass system used for infant therapy to analyze clinical applicability of 3F7 in rabbits. 3F7 provided thromboprotection as efficiently as heparin, and both drugs prevented fibrin deposition and thrombosis within the extracorporeal circuit. Unlike heparin, 3F7 treatment did not impair the hemostatic capacity and did not increase bleeding from wounds. These data establish that targeting of FXIIa is a safe mode of thromboprotection in bypass systems, and provide a clinically relevant anticoagulation strategy that is not complicated by excess bleeding.

Control of Drought Stress in Wheat Using Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria

Abstract: Abiotic stress conditions are the main limiting factors for crop cultivation around the world. In the present study we aimed to improve wheat growth under drought stress conditions through priming with beneficial bacteria considered as plant-growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). Two bacterial strains, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 5113 and Azospirillum brasilense NO40, were used to prime the wheat cv. Sids1. To generate drought stress for 12-day-old seedlings, water was withheld for 4, 5, or 7 days while growth and survival were recorded. Furthermore, several stress markers were examined by molecular and biochemical assays to study the role of priming on different stress tolerance mechanisms. Priming significantly alleviated the deleterious effect of drought stress on wheat. Drought resulted in the upregulation of some stress-related genes (APX1, SAMS1, and HSP17.8) in the leaves and increased activity of enzymes involved in the plant ascorbate–glutathione redox cycle. Bacteria-treated plants showed attenuated transcript levels suggesting improved homeostatic mechanisms due to priming. The present study reports on the ability of certain PGPB to attenuate several stress consequences in plants which strongly supports the potential of such an approach to control drought stress in wheat.