TY - JOUR A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Weil, M. A1 - Cherstvy, A. G. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Electrical monitoring of polyelectrolyte multilayer formation by means of capacitive field-effect devices JF - Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry N2 - The semiconductor field-effect platform represents a powerful tool for detecting the adsorption and binding of charged macromolecules with direct electrical readout. In this work, a capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) field-effect sensor consisting of an Al-p-Si-SiO2 structure has been applied for real-time in situ electrical monitoring of the layer-by-layer formation of polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayers (PEM). The PEMs were deposited directly onto the SiO2 surface without any precursor layer or drying procedures. Anionic poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) and cationic weak polyelectrolyte poly(allylamine hydrochloride) have been chosen as a model system. The effect of the ionic strength of the solution, polyelectrolyte concentration, number and polarity of the PE layers on the characteristics of the PEM-modified EIS sensors have been studied by means of capacitance–voltage and constant-capacitance methods. In addition, the thickness, surface morphology, roughness and wettabilityof the PE mono- and multilayers have been characterised by ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy and water contact-angle methods, respectively. To explain potential oscillations on the gate surface and signal behaviour of the capacitive field-effect EIS sensor modified with a PEM, a simplified electrostatic model that takes into account the reduced electrostatic screening of PE charges by mobile ions within the PEM has been proposed and discussed. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00216-013-6951-9 SN - 1432-1130 ; 1618-2642 VL - 405 IS - 20 SP - 6425 EP - 6436 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Frederik A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Frequency behaviour of light-addressable potentiometric sensors JF - Physica Status Solidi (A) N2 - Light-addressable potentiometric sensors (LAPS) are semiconductor-based potentiometric sensors, with the advantage to detect the concentration of a chemical species in a liquid solution above the sensor surface in a spatially resolved manner. The addressing is achieved by a modulated and focused light source illuminating the semiconductor and generating a concentration-depending photocurrent. This work introduces a LAPS set-up that is able to monitor the electrical impedance in addition to the photocurrent. The impedance spectra of a LAPS structure, with and without illumination, as well as the frequency behaviour of the LAPS measurement are investigated. The measurements are supported by electrical equivalent circuits to explain the impedance and the LAPS-frequency behaviour. The work investigates the influence of different parameters on the frequency behaviour of the LAPS. Furthermore, the phase shift of the photocurrent, the influence of the surface potential as well as the changes of the sensor impedance will be discussed. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201200929 SN - 1521-396X ; 0031-8965 VL - 210 IS - 5 SP - 884 EP - 891 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Itabashi, Akinori A1 - Kosaka, Naoki A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - High-speed chemical imaging system based on front-side-illuminated LAPS JF - Sensors and actuators B: Chemical N2 - The chemical imaging sensor is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor that can visualize the spatial distribution of specific ions on the sensing surface. The conventional chemical imaging system based on the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS), however, required a long time to obtain a chemical image, due to the slow mechanical scan of a single light beam. For high-speed imaging, a plurality of light beams modulated at different frequencies can be employed to measure the ion concentrations simultaneously at different locations on the sensor plate by frequency division multiplex (FDM). However, the conventional measurement geometry of back-side illumination limited the bandwidth of the modulation frequency required for FDM measurement, because of the low-pass filtering characteristics of carrier diffusion in the Si substrate. In this study, a high-speed chemical imaging system based on front-side-illuminated LAPS was developed, which achieved high-speed spatiotemporal recording of pH change at a rate of 70 frames per second. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2013.03.016 SN - 1873-3077 VL - 182 SP - 315 EP - 321 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linden, A. A1 - Fischöder, M. A1 - Laack, Walter van A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - Einschränkung von Taluskippung und -vorschub durch Sprunggelenkorthesen nach fibularer Bandruptur JF - OUP Zeitschrift für die orthopädische und unfallchirurgische Praxis N2 - Die fibulare Bandruptur zählt zu einer der am häufigsten auftretenden Verletzungen des Bewegungsapparats. In den meisten Fällen wird heute die konservativ frühfunktionelle Therapie mit Sprunggelenkorthesen allgemein bevorzugt. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie wurden 14 verschiedene Sprunggelenkorthesen im Hinblick auf ihre Einschränkung von Taluskippung und Talusvorschub untersucht. Zur Simulation einer fibularen Bandruptur wurde ein Unterschenkelmodell aus Holz mit Fußteil, mit angelegten Orthesen in einen Scheuba-Halteapparat eingespannt und mit 150 N seitlich sowie anterior-posterior belastet. Anhand der erstellten "gehaltenen" Röntgenaufnahmen konnten Taluskippung und Talusvorschub jeder einzelnen Orthese eindeutig bestimmt werden. Die meisten Orthesen erreichten zufriedenstellende Ergebnisse. Es stellte sich heraus, dass vor allem eine eng anliegende, im Gelenkbereich anatomisch angepasste Form vorteilhaft zu sein scheint. N2 - The ankle sprain is actually one of the most common injuries. Nowadays the conservative pre-functional therapy with ankle braces is generally preferred. In the present study 14 different ankle braces were tested with regard to their ability to constrict the talar tilt and anterior drawer displacement. As part of the tests a wooden model of a foot was used in order to simulate an ankle sprain. This model was clamped in a Scheuba-device with different ankle braces and a force of 150 N was applied to it. The stress radiographs showed different talar tilts and anterior drawers of each brace. Most ankle braces achieved a satisfying result. It has become obvious that a tight fitting and an anatomically designed shape seem to be favourable. T2 - Constraint of talar tilt and anterior drawer by different ankle braces after the rupture of fibular ligaments KW - Sprunggelenkorthesen KW - fibulare Bandruptur KW - Distorsion des oberen Sprunggelenks KW - ankle sprain KW - rupture of the fibular ligament KW - ankle braces Y1 - 2013 SN - 2193-5785 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3238/oup.2013.0306-0309 VL - 2 IS - 6 SP - 306 EP - 309 PB - Deutscher Ärzte-Verl. CY - Köln ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Zang, Werner T1 - Vollautomatische Messung rheologischer Parameter roter Blutzellen JF - Biomedizinische Technik / Biomedical Engineering Y1 - 1990 SN - 0013-5585 VL - 35 IS - S3 SP - 94 EP - 96 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feucht, Nikolaus A1 - Schönbach, Etienne Michael A1 - Lanzl, Ines A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lohmann, Chris Patrick A1 - Maier, Mathias T1 - Changes in the foveal microstructure after intravitreal bevacizumab application in patients with retinal vascular disease JF - Clinical Ophthalmology Y1 - 2013 SN - 1177-5483 VL - 7 SP - 173 EP - 178 PB - Dove Medical Press CY - Auckland, New Zealand ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Murgan, Ilina A1 - Beyer, Sonja A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Weber, Lutz A1 - Bechtold-Dalla Pozza, Susanne A1 - Dalla Pozza, Robert A1 - Wegner, Aharon A1 - Sitnikova, Diana A1 - Stock, Konrad A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph A1 - Baumann, M. T1 - Arterial and Retinal Vascular Changes in Hypertensive and Prehypertensive Adolescents JF - American Journal of Hypertension Y1 - 2013 SN - 1941-7225 VL - 26 IS - 3 SP - 400 EP - 408 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Hanssen, Henner A1 - Eberhardt, Karla A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph A1 - Halle, Martin A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Baumann, M. T1 - Retinal pulse wave velocity in young male normotensive and mildly hypertensive subjects JF - Microcirculation Y1 - 2013 SN - 1549-8719 N1 - Accepted Article (Accepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in future.) PB - Wiley CY - Malden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reisert, Steffen A1 - Schneider, Benno A1 - Geissler, Hanno A1 - Gompel, Matthias van A1 - Wagner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Multi-sensor chip for the investigation of different types of metal oxides for the detection of H2O2 in the ppm range JF - physica status solidi (a) N2 - In this work, a multi-sensor chip for the investigation of the sensing properties of different types of metal oxides towards hydrogen peroxide in the ppm range is presented. The fabrication process and physical characterization of the multi-sensor chip are described. Pure SnO2 and WO3 as well as Pd- and Pt-doped SnO2 films are characterized in terms of their sensitivity to H2O2. The sensing films have been prepared by drop-coating of water-dispensed nano-powders. A physical characterization, including scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of the deposited metal-oxide films, was done. From the measurements in hydrogen peroxide atmosphere, it could be shown, that all of the tested metal oxide films are suitable for the detection of H2O2 in the ppm range. The highest sensitivity and reproducibility was achieved using Pt-doped SnO2. Calibration plot of a SnO2, WO3, Pt-, and Pd-doped SnO2 gas sensor for H2O2 concentrations in the ppm range. Y1 - 2013 SN - 1862-6319 VL - 210 IS - 5 SP - 898 EP - 904 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hennemann, Jörg A1 - Kohl, Claus-Dieter A1 - Reisert, Steffen A1 - Kirchner, Patrick A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Copper oxide nanofibres for detection of hydrogen peroxide vapour at high concentrations JF - physica status solidi (a) N2 - We present a sensor concept based on copper(II)oxide (CuO) nanofibres for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vapour in the percent per volume (% v/v) range. The fibres were produced by using the electrospinning technique. To avoid water condensation in the pores, the fibres were initially modified by an exposure to H2S to get an enclosed surface. By a thermal treatment at 350 °C the fibres were oxidised back to CuO. Thereby, the visible pores disappear which was verified by SEM analysis. The fibres show a decrease of resistance with increasing H2O2 concentration which is due to the fact that hydrogen peroxide is an oxidising gas and CuO a p-type semiconductor. The sensor shows a change of resistance within the minute range to the exposure until the maximum concentration of 6.9% v/v H2O2. At operating temperatures below 450 °C the corresponding sensor response to a concentration of 4.1% v/v increases. The sensor shows a good reproducibility of the signal at different measurements. CuO seems to be a suitable candidate for the detection of H2O2 vapour at high concentrations. Resistance behaviour of the sensor under exposure to H2O2 vapours between 2.3 and 6.9% v/v at an operating temperature of 450 °C. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201200775 SN - 1862-6319 VL - 210 IS - 5 SP - 859 EP - 863 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nomdedeu, Mar Monsonis A1 - Willen, Christine A1 - Schieffer, Andre A1 - Arndt, Hartmut T1 - Temperature-dependent ranges of coexistence in a model of a two-prey-one-predator microbial food web JF - Marine Biology N2 - The objective of our study was to analyze the effects of temperature on the population dynamics of a three-species food web consisting of two prey bacteria (Pedobacter sp. and Acinetobacter johnsonii) and a protozoan predator (Tetrahymena pyriformis) as model organisms. We assessed the effects of temperature on the growth rates of all three species with the objective of developing a model with four differential equations based on the experimental data. The following hypotheses were tested at a theoretical level: Firstly, temperature changes can affect the dynamic behavior of a system by temperature-dependent parameters and interactions and secondly, food web response to temperature cannot be derived from the single species temperature response. The main outcome of the study is that temperature changes affect the parameter range where coexistence is possible within all three species. This has significant consequences on our ideas regarding the evaluation of effects of global warming. Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1966-x SN - 1432-1793 VL - 159 IS - 11 SP - 2423 EP - 2430 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinzel, Alexander A1 - Schäfer, Ralf A1 - Müller, Hans-Wilhelm A1 - Schieffer, Andre A1 - Ingenhag, Ariane A1 - Northoff, Georg A1 - Franz, Matthias A1 - Hautzel, Hubertus T1 - Differential modulation of valence and arousal in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals JF - Neuroreport N2 - High-alexithymic individuals are characterized by an impaired ability to identify and communicate emotions whereas low-alexithymic individuals have a wide-ranging ability to deal with emotions. This study examined the hypothesis that valence and arousal modifications of emotional stimuli differentially modulate cortical regions in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals. To this end, 28 high-alexithymic and 25 low-alexithymic individuals were investigated with event-related fMRI using visual emotional stimuli. We found differential neural activations in the dorsal anterior cingulate, the insula and the amygdala. We suggest that these differences may account for the impaired ability of high-alexithymic individuals to appropriately handle emotional stimuli. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WNR.0b013e32833f38e0 SN - 1473-558X VL - 21 IS - 15 SP - 998 EP - 1002 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinzel, Alexander A1 - Schäfer, Ralf A1 - Müller, Hans-Wilhelm A1 - Schieffer, Andre A1 - Ingenhag, Ariane A1 - Eickhoff, Simon B. A1 - Northoff, Georg A1 - Franz, Matthias A1 - Hautzel, Hubertus T1 - Increased Activation of the Supragenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex during Visual Emotional Processing in Male Subjects with High Degrees of Alexithymia: An Event-Related fMRI Study JF - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics N2 - Background: One of the most prominent neurobiological models of alexithymia assumes an altered function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as the crucial neural correlate of alexithymia. So far functional imaging studies have yielded inconclusive results. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in healthy alexithymics and nonalexithymics in an event-related fMRI study. Methods: Thirty high- and 30 low-alexithymic right-handed male subjects (selected by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20) were investigated with event-related fMRI using a picture viewing paradigm. The stimuli consisted of happy, fearful and neutral facial expressions (Ekman-Friesen) as well as positive, negative and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Results: Contrasting the high-alexithymic with the low-alexithymic group we observed increased activation of the supragenual ACC for different emotional valences as well as for different emotional stimuli. Moreover, there was a positive correlation of the ACC with the individual TAS-20 scores but no correlations with the individual Beck Depression Inventory scores. Additionally, there was no difference in activity of the amygdala. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the supragenual ACC is constantly activated more strongly in alexithymic subjects and that this activation is related to the symptoms of alexithymia and not to associated symptoms such as depression. Therefore, our findings support the hypothesis of an altered function of the ACC in alexithymia. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000320121 SN - 0033-3190 VL - 79 IS - 6 SP - 363 EP - 370 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kirchner, Patrick A1 - Oberländer, Jan A1 - Suso, Henri-Pierre A1 - Rysstad, Gunnar A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Towards a wireless sensor system for real-time H2O2 monitoring in aseptic food processes JF - Physica status solidi (a) N2 - A wireless sensor system based on the industrial ZigBee standard for low-rate wireless networking was developed that enables real-time monitoring of gaseous H2O2 during the package sterilization in aseptic food processes. The sensor system consists of a remote unit connected to a calorimetric gas sensor, which was already established in former works, and an external base unit connected to a laptop computer. The remote unit was built up by an XBee radio frequency (RF) module for data communication and a programmable system-on-chip controller to read out the sensor signal and process the sensor data, whereas the base unit is a second XBee RF module. For the rapid H2O2 detection on various locations inside the package that has to be sterilized, a novel read-out strategy of the calorimetric gas sensor was established, wherein the sensor response is measured within the short sterilization time and correlated with the present H2O2 concentration. In an exemplary measurement application in an aseptic filling machinery, the suitability of the new, wireless sensor system was demonstrated, wherein the influence of the gas velocity on the H2O2 distribution inside a package was determined and verified with microbiological tests. KW - calorimetric gas sensor;hydrogen peroxide;wireless sensor system Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201200920 SN - 1862-6319 VL - 210 IS - 5 SP - 877 EP - 883 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Parl, C. A1 - Larue, H. A1 - Streun, M. A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - Double-side-readout technique for SiPM-matrices JF - 2010 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record (NSS/MIC) N2 - In our case the double-side-method is used to minimize the complexity of a matrix-readout. Here the number of channels is reduced to 2√N̅. It is also possible to benefit from the method in a single pixel readout system. One signal can be used to measure position and energy of the event, the other one can be applied to a fast trigger-circuit at the same time. In a next step we will investigate timing behavior and electrical crosstalk of the circuit. Y1 - 2011 SN - 1095-7863 SP - 1486 EP - 1487 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herzog, Hans A1 - Pietrzyk, Uwe A1 - Shah, N. Jon A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - The current state, challenges and perspectives of MR-PET JF - Neuroimage N2 - Following the success of PET/CT during the last decade and the recent increasing proliferation of SPECT/CT, another hybrid imaging instrument has been gaining more and more interest: MR-PET. First combined, simultaneous PET and MR studies carried out in small animals demonstrated the feasibility of the new approach. Concurrently, some prototypes of an MR-PET scanner for simultaneous human brain studies have been built, their performance is being tested and preliminary applications have already been shown. Through this pioneering work, it has become clear that advances in the detector design are necessary for further optimization. Recently, the different issues related to the present state and future prospects of MR-PET were presented and discussed during an international 2-day workshop at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, held after, and in conjunction with, the 2008 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference in Dresden, Germany on October 27–28, 2008. The topics ranged from small animal MR-PET imaging to human MR-BrainPET imaging, new detector developments, challenges/opportunities for ultra-high field MR-PET imaging and considerations of possible future research and clinical applications. This report presents a critical summary of the contributions made to the workshop. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.036 SN - 1053-8119 VL - 49 IS - 3 SP - 2072 EP - 2082 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beer, S. A1 - Streun, M. A1 - Hombach, T. A1 - Buehler, J. A1 - Jahnke, S. A1 - Khodaverdi, M. A1 - Larue, H. A1 - Minwuyelet, S. A1 - Parl, C. A1 - Roeb, G. A1 - Schurr, U. A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - Design and initial performance of PlanTIS: a high-resolution positron emission tomograph for plants JF - Physics in Medicine and Biology N2 - Positron emitters such as 11C, 13N and 18F and their labelled compounds are widely used in clinical diagnosis and animal studies, but can also be used to study metabolic and physiological functions in plants dynamically and in vivo. A very particular tracer molecule is 11CO2 since it can be applied to a leaf as a gas. We have developed a Plant Tomographic Imaging System (PlanTIS), a high-resolution PET scanner for plant studies. Detectors, front-end electronics and data acquisition architecture of the scanner are based on the ClearPET™ system. The detectors consist of LSO and LuYAP crystals in phoswich configuration which are coupled to position-sensitive photomultiplier tubes. Signals are continuously sampled by free running ADCs, and data are stored in a list mode format. The detectors are arranged in a horizontal plane to allow the plants to be measured in the natural upright position. Two groups of four detector modules stand face-to-face and rotate around the field-of-view. This special system geometry requires dedicated image reconstruction and normalization procedures. We present the initial performance of the detector system and first phantom and plant measurements. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0031-9155/55/3/006 SN - 1361-6560 VL - 55 IS - 3 SP - 635 EP - 646 PB - IOP CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Streun, M. A1 - Larue, H. A1 - Parl, C. A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - A compact PET detector readout using charge-to-time conversion JF - 2009 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record (NSS/MIC) N2 - The readout of gamma detectors is considerably simplified when the event intensity is encoded as a pulse width (Pulse Width Modulation, PWM). Time-to-Digital-Converters (TDC) replace the conventional ADCs and multiple TDCs can be realized easily in one PLD chip (Programmable Logic Device). The output of a PWM stage is only one digital signal per channel which is well suited for transport so that further processing can be performed apart from the detector. This is particularly interesting for large systems with high channel density (e.g. high resolution scanners). In this work we present a circuit with a linear transfer function that requires a minimum of components by performing the PWM already in the preamp stage. This allows a very compact and also cost-efficient implementation of the front-end electronics. Y1 - 2009 SN - 1082-3654 SP - 1868 EP - 1870 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wedrowski, M. A1 - Bruyndonckx, P. A1 - Tavernier, S. A1 - Zhi, L. A1 - Dang, J. A1 - Mendes, P. R. A1 - Perez, J. M. A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - Robustness of neural networks algorithm for gamma detection in monolithic block detector, positron emission tomography JF - 2009 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record (NSS/MIC) N2 - The monolithic scintillator block approach for gamma detection in the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) avoids estimating Depth of Interaction (DOI), reduces dead zones in detector and diminishes costs of detector production. Neural Networks (NN) are very efficient to determine the entrance point of a gamma incident on a scintillator block. This paper presents results on the robustness of the spatial resolution as a function of the random fraction in the data, temperature and HV fluctuations. This is important when implementing the method in a real scanner. Measurements were done with two Hamamatsu S8550 APD arrays, glued on a 20 × 20 × 10 mm3 monolithic LSO crystal block. Y1 - 2009 SN - 1082-3654 SP - 2625 EP - 2628 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jahnke, Siegfried A1 - Menzel, Marion I. A1 - Dusschoten, Dagmar van A1 - Roeb, Gerhard W. A1 - Bühler, Jonas A1 - Minwuyelet, Senay A1 - Blümler, Peter A1 - Temperton, Vicky M. A1 - Hombach, Thomas A1 - Streun, Matthias A1 - Beer, Simone A1 - Khodaverdi, Maryam A1 - Ziemons, Karl A1 - Coenen, Heinz H. A1 - Schurr, Ulrich T1 - Combined MRI–PET dissects dynamic changes in plant structures and functions JF - The Plant Journal N2 - Unravelling the factors determining the allocation of carbon to various plant organs is one of the great challenges of modern plant biology. Studying allocation under close to natural conditions requires non-invasive methods, which are now becoming available for measuring plants on a par with those developed for humans. By combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), we investigated three contrasting root/shoot systems growing in sand or soil, with respect to their structures, transport routes and the translocation dynamics of recently fixed photoassimilates labelled with the short-lived radioactive carbon isotope 11C. Storage organs of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) and radish plants (Raphanus sativus) were assessed using MRI, providing images of the internal structures of the organs with high spatial resolution, and while species-specific transport sectoralities, properties of assimilate allocation and unloading characteristics were measured using PET. Growth and carbon allocation within complex root systems were monitored in maize plants (Zea mays), and the results may be used to identify factors affecting root growth in natural substrates or in competition with roots of other plants. MRI–PET co-registration opens the door for non-invasive analysis of plant structures and transport processes that may change in response to genomic, developmental or environmental challenges. It is our aim to make the methods applicable for quantitative analyses of plant traits in phenotyping as well as in understanding the dynamics of key processes that are essential to plant performance. Y1 - 2009 SN - 1365-313X VL - 59 IS - 4 SP - 634 EP - 644 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER -