to a noteworthy increase of the lifetime risk for bladder and rectal cancer induction compared to that of unexposed people irrespective of the patient’s age at the time of treatment and the applied fractionation scheme. The cancer risk data presented in this study may be taken into account by radiation oncologists and medical physicists in the selection of the optimal radiation therapy plan. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND The plant growth regulator gibberellic acid (GA3 ) is often used to obtain enlarged table grape berries and induce seedlessness in them. However, the effects of GA3 on rachis elongation and bunch compactness have seldom been reported in wine grape production. We assessed the effects of GA3 spraying on wine grape inflorescences and bunches and their practical implications for viticulture in Jiaodong Peninsula, China. RESULTS Various GA3 concentrations were sprayed on field-grown Vitis vinifera L. ‘Cabernet Franc’ (CF) and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ (CS) grapevines before anthesis in Jiaodong Peninsula, China, in 2015 and 2016. Inflorescence length during berry development was measured and flavonoids and aroma compounds in the fruit were detected by HPLC-MS and GC-MS, respectively. For both cultivars, 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L GA3 caused significant elongation of the rachis, whereas there was no significant effect on inflorescence growth and berry seed number. Anthocyanin, flavonol, and flavan-3-ol levels in mature berries were not significantly influenced by GA3 spraying, while C13 -norisoprenoids were modified. CONCLUSION 50-100 mg/L GA3 application prior to grapevine anthesis caused elongation of inflorescences and bunches and eased cluster compactness in CF and CS, while no negative effects were observed on the yield and seed number. The contents and compositions of flavonoids and most aroma compounds were not influenced, except that the norisoprenoids were increased by 50 mg/L GA3 applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Selleckchem MMAF This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.KEY POINTS Delivering transcranial magnetic brain stimulation over the motor cortex during motor imagination leads to enhanced motor output, which is selective for the muscles primarily involved in the imagined movement. ABSTRACT Several paired stimulation paradigms are known to induce plasticity in the motor cortex, reflected by changes in motor evoked potential (MEP) following the paired stimulation. Motor imagery (MI) is capable of activating the motor system and affecting cortical excitability. We hypothesized that it might be possible to use MI in conjunction with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce plasticity in the human motor system. TMS was delivered to the motor cortex of healthy human subjects, and baseline MEPs recorded from forearm flexor, forearm extensor and intrinsic hand muscles. Subjects were then asked to imagine either wrist flexion or extension movements during TMS delivery (n = 90 trials). Immediately after this intervention, MEP measurement was repeated. Control protocols tested the impact of imagination or TMS alone. Flexion imagination with TMS increased MEPs in flexors and an intrinsic hand muscle. Extensor imagination with TMS increased MEPs in extensor muscles only. The control paradigms did not produce significant changes. We conclude that delivering TMS during MI is capable of inducing plastic changes in the motor system. This new protocol may find utility to enhance functional rehabilitation after brain injury. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Norway spruce is a conifer storing large amounts of terpenoids in resin ducts of various tissues. Parts of the terpenoids stored in needles can be emitted together with de novo synthesized terpenoids. Since previous studies provided hints on xylem transported terpenoids as a third emission source, we tested if terpenoids are transported in xylem sap of Norway spruce. We further aimed at understanding if they might contribute to terpenoid emission from needles. We determined terpenoid content and composition in xylem sap, needles, bark, wood and roots of field grown trees, as well as terpenoid emissions from needles. We found considerable amounts of terpenoids-mainly oxygenated compounds-in xylem sap. The terpenoid concentration in xylem sap was relatively low compared with the content in other tissues, where terpenoids are stored in resin ducts. Importantly, the terpenoid composition in the xylem sap greatly differed from the composition in wood, bark or roots, suggesting that an internal transport of terpenoids takes place at the sites of xylem loading. Four terpenoids were identified in xylem sap and emissions, but not within needle tissue, suggesting that these compounds are likely derived from xylem sap. Our work gives hints that plant internal transport of terpenoids exists within conifers; studies on their functions should be a focus of future research. © 2020 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Hydraulic testing for aquifer characterization at contaminated sites often includes tests of short duration and of different types, such as slug tests and pumping tests, conducted at different phases of investigation. Tests conducted on a well cluster installed in a single aquifer can be combined in aggregate inverse analysis using an analytical model for groundwater flow near a test well. A genetic algorithm performs parallel search of the parameter space and provides starting parameter values for a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the parameter distribution. This sequence of inverse methods avoids guessing of the initial parameter vector and the often encountered difficult convergence of gradient-based methods and estimates the parameter covariance matrix from a distribution rather than from a single point in the parameter space. Combination of different tests improves the resolution of the estimated aquifer properties and allows an assessment of the uniformity of the aquifer. Estimated parameter correlations and standard deviations are used as relative metrics to distinguish well resolved and poorly resolved parameters.