Field pennycress management in upstate Missouri

Field pennycress has the potential to serve as a cover and oilseed crop. A seed oil content of 25 to 36 percent has created interest in pennycress domestication. This research evaluated management strategies for growing field pennycress. The most desirable seeding date and method for field pennycress was broadcast overseeding pennycress at the R5-R6 reproductive stage of corn. There is no interaction between corn residual herbicides evaluated and field pennycress establishment. Soybean following field pennycress had similar or increased yields compared to soybean where there was no pennycress. Harness, Zidua, and Dual II Magnum at half of the labeled rate provided some crop safety to field pennycress while controlling some winter annual and early germinating summer annual weeds. Similarly, Sencor at one fourth and Spartan at half of the labeled amount provided control of some winter and early summer annual weeds while maintaining suitable field pennycress crop safety. When used as a harvest aid, Gramoxone, Reglone, Sharpen, Liberty, Spartan, and Valor controlled field pennycress and weeds that were present when applied 4 days before harvest as desiccants. A tank mixture of Liberty with Sharpen also had good control of all species within three days after application in 2017. No negative effects of harvest aid treatments on pennycress germination were found. Tillage and residue removal both increased field pennycress yield. Prescribed burning of wheat residue before planting or tillage increased yield in this one-year experiment. Residue and tillage management will be important in future field pennycress research. This research has identified potential seeding date, pre- and postemergence herbicide safety to field pennycress as well as desiccant effectiveness before harvest, and tillage and residue management of field pennycress planted following wheat. Further research is needed to determine the best management strategies for growing field pennycress commercially with improved cultivars as an oilseed crop in the future

The comparative value of feline virology research: can findings from the feline lentiviral vaccine be translated to humans?

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus of domestic cats that shares several similarities with its human counterpart, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Their analogies include genomic organization, lymphocyte tropism, viral persistence and induction of immunodeficiency. FIV is the only lentivirus for which a commercial vaccine is registered for prevention in either human or veterinary medicine. This provides a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of protection induced by lentivirus vaccines at the population level and might contribute to the development of efficacious HIV vaccines. As well as having comparative value for vaccine studies, FIV research has shed some light on the relationship between lentiviral tropism and pathogenesis. Recent studies in our laboratory demonstrated that the interaction between FIV and its primary receptor changes as disease progresses, reminiscent of the receptor switch observed as disease progresses in HIV infected individuals. Here we summarise findings illustrating that, in addition to its veterinary significance, FIV has comparative value, providing a useful model to explore lentivirus–host interactions and to examine potential immune correlates of protection against HIV infection

Tidal flat deposits of the Lower Proterozoic Campbell Group along the southwestern margin of the Kaapvaal Craton, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Lower Proterozoic stromatolites and associated clastic carbonate deposits of the Campbell Group, from the southern margin (Prieska area) of the Kaapvaal Craton, northern Cape Province, are described. Contrary to previous interpretations (Beukes, 1978; 1980a) shallow subtidal to supratidal facies are recognised and discussed in regional context. An alternative model for the facies development of the Campbell Group is proposed

Ozone in the Pacific tropical troposphere from ozonesonde observations

Ozone vertical profile measurements obtained from ozonesondes flown at Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and the Galapagos are used to characterize ozone in the troposphere over the tropical Pacific. There is a significant seasonal variation at each of these sites. At sites in both the eastern and western Pacific, ozone mixing ratios are greatest at almost all levels in the troposphere during the September‐November season and smallest during March‐May. The vertical profile has a relative maximum at all of the sites in the midtroposphere throughout the year (the largest amounts are usually found near the tropopause). This maximum is particularly pronounced during the September‐November season. On average, throughout the troposphere, the Galapagos has larger ozone amounts than the western Pacific sites. A trajectory climatology is used to identify the major flow regimes that are associated with the characteristic ozone behavior at various altitudes and seasons. The enhanced ozone seen in the midtroposphere during September‐November is associated with flow from the continents. In the western Pacific this flow is usually from southern Africa (although 10‐day trajectories do not always reach the continent) but also may come from Australia and Indonesia. In the Galapagos the ozone peak in the midtroposphere is seen in flow from the South American continent and particularly from northern Brazil. High ozone concentrations within potential source regions and flow characteristics associated with the ozone mixing ratio peaks seen in both the western and eastern Pacific suggest that these enhanced ozone mixing ratios result from biomass burning. In the upper troposphere, low ozone amounts are seen with flow that originates in the convective western Pacific

Executive functioning in children with autism and Tourette syndrome

The main aims of this study were to investigate if children with high-functioning autism (HFA) and children with Tourette syndrome (TS) can be differentiated in their executive functioning (EF) profile compared to normal controls (NCs) and compared to each other and to investigate whether children with HFA or children with TS and a comorbid group of children with both disorders are distinct conditions in terms of EF. Four groups of children participated in this study: HFA, TS, comorbid HFA + TS, and a NC group. All children were in the age range of 6 to 13 years. The groups were compared on five major domains of EF: inhibition, visual working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency. Children with HFA scored lower than NC children on all the EFs measured. Children with TS and NC children showed the same EF profile. The HFA group scored lower than the TS group for inhibition of a prepotent response and cognitive flexibility. Children with HFA performed poorer than children with comorbid HFA + TS on all functions, with the exception of inhibiting an ongoing response, interference control, and verbal fluency. Children with TS and children with comorbid HFA + TS could not be differentiated from one another in terms of EF. This study indicates that EF deficits are highly characteristic of children with HFA in comparison to children with TS and NC. The results suggest that for the comparison between HFA and TS groups, it is important to take into account comorbidity. A reevaluation of the EF hypothesis in children with TS is suggested. Copyright © 2005 Cambridge University Press

The Impact of a Spatial Intervention Program on Students’ Spatial Reasoning and Mathematics Performance

There is increasing evidence for the impact of spatial training on mathematics performance in early years of education, however little research has focused on secondary school environments, which are traditionally more discipline driven. In the present study, a large-scale classroom-based intervention saw the introduction of twelve hours of spatial training instead of standard mathematics instruction across a ten-week term with grade eight students. The intervention program was delivered by classroom teachers within the Experience-Language-Pictorial-Symbolic-Application (ELPSA) pedagogical framework (Lowrie &amp; Patahuddin, 2015). Differences in spatial and mathematics performance after the intervention, assessed by Hierarchical Linear Modeling, indicated that the intervention group (thirty-two classes) improved on spatial reasoning and mathematics achievement significantly more than a business-as-usual control group (eight classes). Improvement was found across geometry and measurement and number and algebra content for the intervention group, relative to the control group. This study provides evidence for an effective implementation of spatial learning with impact on mathematics performance, led by classroom teachers in a secondary school context.</p

Lobos CO2 Pipeline Health Impact Assessment

Building a carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline through Torrance County, New Mexico, has the potential tocompromise safety, threaten water supplies and quality, and disrupt the special places, culture and historical connection to the land that unite the county's diverse communities. This Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Kinder Morgan's proposed Lobos CO2 Pipeline finds that the project offers few if any benefits to the health, well being and economy of the county

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Induced Angioedema (ACEI-AE): Emergency Department Treatments

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Induced Angioedema (ACEI-AE) is the acute swelling of the upper airway in patients who are currently or were formerly taking Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs) for control of primary hypertension. Though emergency department presenting signs and symptoms have overlap with angioedema associated with anaphylaxis, there are key differences, including the absence of urticaria or hypotension and history of ACEI use, that can guide clinicians in identifying the underlying cause of the angioedema and initiate appropriate treatment. Due to its differing pathophysiology, ACEI-AE must be treated uniquely with Tranexamic Acid (TXA) and Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) to reverse airway swelling and avoid necessity for intubation. Other mediations explored but deemed ineffective or of questionable effectiveness in the treatment of ACEI-AE include antihistamines, epinephrine, systemic glucocorticoids, Icatibant, Ecallantide, and C1-Esterase Inhibitors