Recent advances in microscopy imaging and image analysis motivate more and more institutes worldwide to establish dedicated core‐facilities for bioimage analysis. To maximise the benefits research groups at these institutes gain from their core‐facilities, they should be established to fit well into their respective environment. In this article, we introduce common collaborator requests and corresponding potential services core‐facilities can offer. We also discuss potential competing interests between the targeted missions and implementations of services to guide decision makers and core‐facility founders to circumvent common pitfalls.

Raphid diatoms are one of the few eukaryotes capable of gliding motility, which is remarkably fast and allows for quasi-instantaneous directional reversals. Besides other mechanistic models, it has been suggested that an actomyosin system provides the force for diatom gliding. However, in vivo data on the dynamics of actin and myosin in diatoms are lacking. In this study, we demonstrate that the raphe-associated actin bundles required for diatom movement do not exhibit a directional turnover of subunits and thus their dynamics do not contribute directly to force generation. By phylogenomic analysis, we identified four raphid diatom-specific myosins in Craspedostauros australis (CaMyo51A-D) and investigated their in vivo localization and dynamics through GFP-tagging. Only CaMyo51B-D but not CaMyo51A exhibited coordinated movement during gliding, consistent with a role in force generation. The characterization of raphid diatom-specific myosins lays the foundation for unraveling the molecular mechanisms that underlie the gliding motility of diatoms.

Introduction: As proton therapy becomes increasingly well established, there is a need for high-quality clinically relevant in vivo data to gain better insight into the radiobiological effects of proton irradiation on both healthy and tumor tissue. This requires the development of easily applicable setups that allow for efficient, fractionated, image-guided proton irradiation of small animals, the most widely used pre-clinical model. Material and methods: Here, a method is proposed to perform dual-energy proton radiography for inline positioning verification and treatment planning. Dual-energy proton radiography exploits the differential enhancement of object features in two successively measured two-dimensional (2D) dose distributions at two different proton energies. The two raw images show structures that are dominated by energy absorption (absorption mode) or scattering (scattering mode) of protons in the object, respectively. Data post-processing allowed for the separation of both signal contributions in the respective images. The images were evaluated regarding recognizable object details and feasibility of rigid registration to acquired planar X-ray scans. Results: Robust, automated rigid registration of proton radiography and planar X-ray images in scattering mode could be reliably achieved with the animal bedding unit used as registration landmark. Distinguishable external and internal features of the imaged mouse included the outer body contour, the skull with substructures, the lung, abdominal structures and the hind legs. Image analysis based on the combined information of both imaging modes allowed image enhancement and calculation of 2D water-equivalent path length (WEPL) maps of the object along the beam direction. Discussion: Fractionated irradiation of exposed target volumes (e.g., subcutaneous tumor model or brain) can be realized with the suggested method being used for daily positioning and range determination. Robust registration of X-ray and proton radiography images allows for the irradiation of tumor entities that require conventional computed tomography (CT)-based planning, such as orthotopic lung or brain tumors, similar to conventional patient treatment.

Preclinical imaging and irradiation yields valuable insights into clinically relevant research topics. While complementary imaging methods such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) can be combined within single devices, this is technically demanding and cost-intensive. Similarly, bedding and setup solutions are often specific to certain devices and research questions. We present a bedding platform for mice that is compatible with various preclinical imaging modalities (combined PET/MRI, cone beam CT) and irradiation with photons and protons. It consists of a 3D-printed bedding unit (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS) holding the animal and features an inhalation anesthesia mask, jaw fixation, ear pins, and immobilization for the hind leg. It can be embedded on mounting adaptors for multi-modal imaging and into a transport box (polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA) for experiments outside dedicated animal facilities while maintaining the animal’s hygiene status. A vital support unit provides heating, inhalation anesthesia, and a respiration monitor. We dosimetrically evaluated used materials in order to assess their interaction with incident irradiation. Proof-of-concept multi-modal imaging protocols were used on phantoms and mice. The measured attenuation of the bedding unit for 40/60/80/200 kV X-rays was less than 3%. The measured stopping-power-ratio of ABS was 0.951, the combined water-equivalent thickness of bedding unit and transport box was 4.2 mm for proton energies of 150 MeV and 200 MeV. Proof-of-concept imaging showed no loss of image quality. Imaging data of individual mice from different imaging modalities could be aligned rigidly. The presented bed aims to provide a platform for experiments related to both multi-modal imaging and irradiation, thus offering the possibility for image-guided irradiation which relies on precise imaging and positioning. The usage as a self-contained, stand-alone unit outside dedicated animal facilities represents an advantage over setups designed for specific devices.

The purpose of this work was to provide a feasible and easy to apply phantom-based quality assurance (QA) procedure for superficial hyperthermia (SHT) applicators by means of infrared (IR) thermography. The VarioCAM hr head (InfraTec, Dresden, Germany) was used to investigate the SA-812, the SA-510 and the SA-308 applicators (all: Pyrexar Medical, Salt Lake City, UT, USA). Probe referencing and thermal equilibrium procedures were applied to determine the emissivity of the muscle-equivalent agar phantom. Firstly, the disturbing potential of thermal conduction on the temperature distribution inside the phantom was analyzed through measurements after various heating times (5–50 min). Next, the influence of the temperature of the water bolus between the SA-812 applicator and the phantom's surface was evaluated by varying its temperature. The results are presented in terms of characteristic values (extremal temperatures, percentiles and effective field sizes (EFS)) and temperature-area-histograms (TAH). Lastly, spiral antenna applicators were compared by the introduced characteristics. The emissivity of the used phantom was found to be ε = 0.91 ± 0.03, the results of both methods coincided. The influence of thermal conduction with regard to heating time was smaller than expected; the EFS of the SA-812 applicator had a size of (68.6 ± 6.7) cm², averaged group variances were ±3.0 cm². The TAHs show that the influence of the water bolus is mostly limited to depths of <3 cm, yet it can greatly enhance or reduce heat generation in this regime: at a depth of 1 cm, measured maximal temperature rises were 14.5 °C for T _Bolus = 30 °C and 8.6 °C for T _Bolus = 21 °C, respectively. The EFS was increased, too. The three spiral antenna applicators generated similar heat distributions. Generally, the procedure proved to yield informative insights into applicator characteristics, thus making the application of an IR camera a very useful tool in SHT technical QA.