Replicability of nitrogen recommendations from ramped calibration strips in winter wheat

Ramped calibration strips have been suggested as a way for grain producers to determine nitrogen needs more accurately. The strips use incrementally increasing levels of nitrogen and enable producers to conduct an experiment in each field to determine nitrogen needs. This study determines whether predictions from the program Ramp Analyzer 1.2 are replicable in Oklahoma hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Predictions are derived from 36 individual strips from on-farm experiments—two pairs of adjacent strips at each of nine winter wheat fields in Canadian County, OK. The two pairs of strips within each field were between 120 and 155 m apart. Each strip was analyzed three times during the 2006–2007 growing season. Nitrogen recommendations from Ramp Analyzer 1.2 are not correlated even for strips that were placed side by side, and recommendations from strips in the same field show no more homogeneity than randomly selected strips throughout the county. The results indicate that ramped calibration strips are unlikely to produce accurate nitrogen requirement predictions at any spatial scale, whether at the county level or for subsections of a single field. In contrast, a procedure that uses only measures from the plot with no nitrogen and the plot with the highest level of nitrogen applied does show replicability. Thus, improvements in the ramped calibration strip technology are needed if it is to become viable.Fertilizer; Nitrogen; Precision agriculture; Ramped calibration strip; Winter wheat

Establishment and characterization of single and triple‐agent resistant osteosarcoma cell lines

Two human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG-63 and HOS-143B) are developed into drug-resistant models using a short-term drug exposure and recovery in drug-free media. Cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate are used as single agents and in triple combination. The highest level of resistance to cisplatin is observed in MG-63/CISR8, doxorubicin in HOS-143B/DOXR8, and methotrexate in HOS-143B/MTXR8. The MG-63/TRIR8 and HOS-143B/TRIR8 tripleresistance models show lower levels of resistance to combination treatment and are not resistant to the drugs individually. Apoptosis assays suggest that the resistance in MG-63/TRIR8 isfrom cisplatin and methotrexate and not doxorubicin. In contrast, the resistance in HOS-143B/TRIR8 is from doxorubicin and methotrexate instead of cisplatin. Upregulation of P-glycoprotein is seen in all resistant models except those developed with single-agent methotrexate. However, P-glycoprotein is not causing resistance in all cell lines as the inhibitor elacridar only reverses the resistance of doxorubicin on MG-63/ DOXR8 and HOS-143B/TRIR8. The migration of the MG-63 resistant models is significantly increased, their invasion rate tends to increase, and RT-PCR shows a switch from epithelial to mesenchymal gene signaling. In contrast, a significant decrease in migration is seen in HOS-143B resistant models with their invasion rate tending to decrease and a switch from mesenchymal to epithelial gene signaling

Searching for physics beyond the Standard Model through the dipole interaction

The magnetic dipole interaction played a central role in the development of QED, and continued in that role for the Standard Model. The muon anomalous magnetic moment has served as a benchmark for models of new physics, and the present experimental value is larger than the standard-model value by more than three standard deviations. The electric dipole moment (EDM) violates parity ({$P$}) and time-reversal ({$T$}) symmetries, and in the context of the $CPT$ theorem, the combination of charge conjugation and parity ($CP$). Since a new source of {$CP$} violation outside of that observed in the $K$ and $B$ meson systems is needed to help explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe, searches for EDMs are being carried out worldwide on a number of systems. The standard-model value of the EDM is immeasurably small, so any evidence for an EDM would signify the observation of new physics. Unique opportunities exist for EDM searches using polarized proton, deuteron or muon beams in storage rings. This talk will provide an overview of the theory of dipole moments, and the relevant experiments. The connection to the transition dipole moment that could produce lepton flavor violating interactions such as $\mu^+ \rightarrow e^+ \gamma$ is also mentioned.Comment: Invited Plenary talk at the 19th International Spin Physics Symposium, Juelic

Investigating the Effect of Stratospheric Radiation on Seed Germination and Growth

Three seed types: bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), corn (Zea mays) and radish (Raphanus sativus) were flown in a high altitude weather balloon into the mid-stratosphere to investigate the effects of high altitude radiation on germination success and seedling growth. After recovering and planting the seeds, the bean seeds showed lower germination success with exposure to high altitude radiation, and consequently stunted seedling growth. Cord and radish seeds experienced a statistically significant positive effect on germination success form radiation exposure compared to control seeds, but negative effect on seedling growth. Overall, the field experiments presented here support laboratory studies that show radiation exposure on vegetable seeds has a mixed effect on the germination success and negative effect on seedling growth on investigated seed types

Pre-pregnancy predictors of hypertension in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in north Queensland, Australia; a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Compared to other Australian women, Indigenous women are frequently at greater risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We examined pre-pregnancy factors that may predict hypertension in pregnancy in a cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in north Queensland. METHODS Data on a cohort of 1009 Indigenous women of childbearing age (15–44 years) who participated in a 1998–2000 health screening program in north Queensland were combined with 1998–2008 Queensland hospitalisations data using probabilistic data linkage. Data on the women in the cohort who were hospitalised for birth (n = 220) were further combined with Queensland perinatal data which identified those diagnosed with hypertension in pregnancy. RESULTS Of 220 women who gave birth, 22 had hypertension in the pregnancy after their health check. The mean age of women with and without hypertension was similar (23.7 years and 23.9 years respectively) however Aboriginal women were more affected compared to Torres Strait Islanders. Pre-pregnancy adiposity and elevated blood pressure at the health screening program were predictors of a pregnancy affected by hypertension. After adjusting for age and ethnicity, each 1 cm increase in waist circumference showed a 4% increased risk for hypertension in pregnancy (PR 1.04; 95% CI; 1.02-1.06); each 1 point increase in BMI showed a 9% adjusted increase in risk (1.09; 1.04-1.14). For each 1 mmHg increase in baseline systolic blood pressure there was an age and ethnicity adjusted 6% increase in risk and each 1 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure showed a 7% increase in risk (1.06; 1.03-1.09 and 1.07; 1.03-1.11 respectively). Among those free of diabetes at baseline, the presence of the metabolic syndrome (International Diabetes Federation criteria) predicted over a three-fold increase in age-ethnicity-adjusted risk (3.5; 1.50-8.17). CONCLUSIONS Pre-pregnancy adiposity and features of the metabolic syndrome among these young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women track strongly to increased risk of hypertension in pregnancy with associated risks to the health of babies.Sandra K Campbell, John Lynch, Adrian Esterman and Robyn McDermot

Effect of gaseous and solid simulated jet plumes on an 040A space shuttle launch configuration at m=1.6 to 2.2

The effect of plume-induced flow separation and aspiration effects due to operation of both orbiter and the solid rocket motors on a 0.019-scale model of the launch configuration of the Space Shuttle Vehicle is determined. Longitudinal and lateral-directional stability data were obtained at Mach numbers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.2 with and without the engines operating. The plumes exiting from the engines were simulated by a cold-gas jet supplied by an auxiliary 200-atm air supply system and solid-body plume simulators. The aerodynamic effects produced by these two simulation procedures are compared. The parameters most significantly affected by the jet plumes are pitching moment, elevon control effectiveness, axial force, and orbiter wing loads. The solid rocket motor (SRM) plumes have the largest effect on the aerodynamic characteristics. The effect of the orbiter plumes in combination with the SRM plumes is also significant. Variations in the nozzle design parameters and configuration changes can reduce the jet plume-induced aerodynamic effects

Body odor quality predicts behavioral attractiveness in humans

Growing effort is being made to understand how different attractive physical traits co-vary within individuals, partly because this might indicate an underlying index of genetic quality. In humans, attention has focused on potential markers of quality such as facial attractiveness, axillary odor quality, the second-to-fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio and body mass index (BMI). Here we extend this approach to include visually-assessed kinesic cues (nonverbal behavior linked to movement) which are statistically independent of structural physical traits. The utility of such kinesic cues in mate assessment is controversial, particularly during everyday conversational contexts, as they could be unreliable and susceptible to deception. However, we show here that the attractiveness of nonverbal behavior, in 20 male participants, is predicted by perceived quality of their axillary body odor. This finding indicates covariation between two desirable traits in different sensory modalities. Depending on two different rating contexts (either a simple attractiveness rating or a rating for long-term partners by 10 female raters not using hormonal contraception), we also found significant relationships between perceived attractiveness of nonverbal behavior and BMI, and between axillary odor ratings and 2D:4D ratio. Axillary odor pleasantness was the single attribute that consistently predicted attractiveness of nonverbal behavior. Our results demonstrate that nonverbal kinesic cues could reliably reveal mate quality, at least in males, and could corroborate and contribute to mate assessment based on other physical traits

Polarization Observables for Two-Pion Production off the Nucleon

We develop polarization observables for the processes $\gamma N\to\pi\pi N$ and $\pi N\to\pi\pi N$, using both a helicity and hybrid helicity-transversity basis. Such observables are crucial if processes that produce final states consisting of a spin-1/2 baryon and two pseudoscalar mesons are to be fully exploited for baryon spectroscopy. We derive relationships among the observables, as well as inequalities that they must satisfy. We also discuss the observables that must be measured in `complete' experiments, and briefly examine the prospects for measurement of some of these observables in the near future.Comment: 20 pages, using revtex

Magneto-Acoustic Wave Oscillations in Solar Spicules

Some observations suggest that solar spicules show small amplitude and high frequency oscillations of magneto-acoustic waves, which arise from photospheric granular forcing. We apply the method of MHD seismology to determine the period of kink waves. For this purposes, the oscillations of a magnetic cylinder embedded in a field-free environment is investigated. Finally, diagnostic diagrams displaying the oscillatory period in terms of some equilibrium parameters are provided to allow a comparison between theoretical results and those coming from observations.Comment: 10 pages, 4 fig