Denitrification and availability of carbon and nitrogen in a well-drained pasture soil amended with particulate organic carbon

A well-drained soil in N-fertilized dairy pasture was amended with particulate organic carbon (POC), either sawdust or coarse woody mulch, and sampled every 4 wk for a year to test the hypothesis that the addition of POC would increase denitrification activity by increasing the number of microsites where denitrification occurred. Overall mean denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA), on a gravimetric basis, was 100% greater for the woody mulch treatment and 50% greater for the sawdust treatment compared with controls, indicating the denitrifying potential of the soil was enhanced. Despite differences in DEA, no difference in denitrification rate, as measured by the acetylene block technique, was detected among treatments, with an average annual N loss of ∼22 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ Soil water content overall was driving denitrification in this well-drained soil as regression of the natural log of volumetric soil water content (VWC) against denitrification rate was highly significant (r ² = 0.74, P < 0.001). Addition of the amendments, however, had significant effects on the availability of both C and N. An additional 20 to 40 kg N ha⁻¹ was stored in POC-amended treatments as a result of increases in the microbial biomass. Basal respiration, as a measure of available C, was 400% greater than controls in the sawdust treatment and 250% greater than controls in the mulch. Net N mineralization, however, was significantly lower in the sawdust treatment, resulting in significantly lower nitrate N levels than in the control. We attribute the lack of measured response in denitrification rate to the high temporal variability in denitrification and suggest that diffusion of nitrate may ultimately have limited denitrification in the amended treatments. Our data indicate that manipulation of denitrification by addition of POC may be possible, particularly when nitrate levels are high, but quantifying differences in the rate of denitrification is difficult because of the temporal nature of the process (particularly the complex interaction of N availability and soil water content)

Variation in Coastal Macroinvertebrate Species Diversity on Intertidal Boulders in Trinidad, California.

Coastal environments of Humboldt County provide an optimal habitat for a diversity of macroinvertebrates. This study’s focus is to determine the differences in diversity of coastal macroinvertebrate (CM) species on intertidal boulders. Eleven CM species were visually counted within a one-square-meter quadrat along two height strata of five intertidal boulders. Based upon the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, diversity was measured between the CM species in the lower region (0-1 meter from base of boulder) and the upper region (1-2 meters from base of boulder). The resulting data showed the lower regions of the boulders had a higher average diversity rating, as compared to the upper boulder regions

Perceptions of Physicians and Patients on How Mediated Electronic Health Records Affect Their Communication During Medical Encounters

Little is known concerning the effects of the mediated electronic health record (MEHR) on physician-patient communication, thereby making it difficult to provide patient-centered care. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine and understand the perceptions of physicians and patients regarding how MEHR affects their communication during medical encounters in the outpatient setting. Data were collected from five physicians and five patients who provided email responses to open-ended questions. Driven by the media richness theory, a content analysis was performed to analyze the responses. Findings revealed that screen gazing, heavy keyboarding, and positioning of the computer monitor affect physician-patient communication during medical encounters. Recommendations include physicians’ training to enable them to understand how they can improve their communication with patients when using MEHR. Additionally, the computer monitor should be positioned in a manner that allows physicians to maintain eye contact with patients and enables patients to see the contents of the screen. The findings may contribute to social change by improving communication between physicians and patients, thereby enhancing quality of care

Support for Relatives Bereaved by Psychiatric Patient Suicide: National Confidential Inquiry Into Suicide and Homicide Findings

OBJECTIVES: International suicide prevention strategies recommend providing support to families bereaved by suicide. The study objectives were to measure the proportion of cases in which psychiatric professionals contact next of kin after a patient’s suicide and to investigate whether specific, potentially stigmatizing patient characteristics influence whether the family is contacted. METHODS: Annual survey data from England and Wales (2003–2012) were used to identify 11,572 suicide cases among psychiatric patients. Multivariate regression analysis was used to describe the association between specific covariates (chosen on the basis of clinical judgment and the published literature) and the probability that psychiatric staff would contact bereaved relatives of the deceased. RESULTS: Relatives were not contacted after the death in 33% of cases. Contrary to the hypothesis, a violent method of suicide was independently associated with greater likelihood of contact with relatives (adjusted odds ratio=1.67). Four patient factors (forensic history, unemployment, and primary diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependence or misuse) were independently associated with less likelihood of contact with relatives. Patients’ race-ethnicity and recent alcohol or drug misuse were not associated with contact with relatives. CONCLUSIONS: Four stigmatizing patient-related factors reduced the likelihood of contacting next of kin after patient suicide, suggesting inequitable access to support after a potentially traumatic bereavement. Given the association of suicide bereavement with suicide attempt, and the possibility of relatives’ shared risk factors for suicide, British psychiatric services should provide more support to relatives after patient suicide

Genome-wide analysis of acute low salinity tolerance in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica and potential of genomic selection for trait improvement

As the global demand for seafood increases, research into the genetic basis of traits that can increase aquaculture production is critical. The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is an important aquaculture species along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, but increases in heavy rainfall events expose oysters to acute low salinity conditions, which negatively impact production. Low salinity survival is known to be a moderately heritable trait, but the genetic architecture underlying this trait is still poorly understood. In this study, we used ddRAD sequencing to generate genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for four F2 families to investigate the genomic regions associated with survival in extreme low salinity (\u3c3). SNP data were also used to assess the feasibility of genomic selection (GS) for improving this trait. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and combined linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed significant QTL on eastern oyster chromosomes 1 and 7 underlying both survival and day to death in a 36-day experimental challenge. Significant QTL were located in genes related to DNA/RNA function and repair, ion binding and membrane transport, and general response to stress. GS was investigated using Bayesian linear regression models and prediction accuracies ranged from 0.48 to 0.57. Genomic prediction accuracies were largest using the BayesB prior and prediction accuracies did not substantially decrease when SNPs located within the QTL region on Chr1 were removed, suggesting that this trait is controlled by many genes of small effect. Our results suggest that GS will likely be a viable option for improvement of survival in extreme low salinity

Yogurt consumption : influence of body mass index and dietary restraint - cross-sectional analysis of the INFOGENE study

Background: Factors such as dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods could possibly guide consumer towards yogurts with a smaller milk fat percentage (% MF). However, a growing body of evidence has linked high-fat dairy food intakes with a lower prevalence of obesity thus showing divergences with the actual dietary guidelines. Aim: The objective of the present study was to determine whether dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods moderated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the preference for fatfree, low-fat or high-fat yogurts. Methods: A 91-items food frequency questionnaire was administered to 664 subjects from the INFOGENE study. Yogurt consumption was evaluated based on their fat content. Restrained eating and the avoidance for fattening foods were valuated using the threefactor eating questionnaire. Results: An interaction was observed between BMI and the dietary restraint status (p = 0.02). Positive correlations were observed between the score of dietary restraint, the score of the avoidance for fattening foods and fat-free yogurt consumption, independently of the BMI status. When groups were stratified according to the median of the score for the avoidance for fattening foods, lean individuals with the highest scores consumed less fat-free yogurt than overweight/obese individuals with the highest scores and more high-fat yogurt. Moreover, when groups were stratified according to the dietary restraint score allowing the dichotomization of restrained and unrestrained eaters, unrestrained and lean individuals consumed significantly more high-fat yogurts (in daily servings) than restrained and lean individuals and overweight/ obese individuals. Conclusion: Preferences and consumption of a particular type of yogurt with different % MF may vary depending on behavioral factors such as dietary restraint and the avoidance for fattening foods

The chemical ecology of Harmonia axyridis

peer reviewedIn the recent SI of BioControl and resultant book from this working group (Roy et al., 2012), we contributed a review paper on the chemical ecology of the invasive aphidophagous ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Sloggett et al., 2011). This paper focused on both the pure and applied aspects of this subject, including sections on: (1) chemical defence; (2) foods, feeding and reproduction; (3) H. axyridis chemistry, humans and human activity, and (4) future research perspective

First report of fatty acid-derived alkaloids produced by species of the ladybird genus Scymnus (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera)

ABSTRACT: Species in the genus Scymnus Kugelann are common, but there is little information available on their defence compounds. Pupae are covered with setae on tips of which there are small droplets of liquid. This study explored the patterns of the distribution of the droplets and the influence of diet on their production in five species of Scymnus. GC-MS analyses were used to determine the chemical identity of droplets. All these species produced droplets, but the patterns in the distributions varied among species. Preliminary data indicates a de novo synthesis of the droplet compounds by these ladybirds. The results of the GC-MS analyses suggest that Scymnus spp. produce azamacrolides, which are fatty acid-derived alkaloids.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio