272 research outputs found

    Assessing soil P fractions changes with long-term phosphorus fertilization related to crop yield of soybean and maize

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    Long-term P Fertiliser application increases soil phosphorus (P) labile fractions, which can be associated with crop P uptake and grain yield and are useful to improve fertilizer recommendations. Research aims were to evaluate in long-term experiments with different P Fertiliser application in a Mollisol and a Vertisol: (a) the changes of soil P fractions and (b) the relationship between soil P fractions with long-term P Fertiliser application, with accumulated apparent P budget, grain P, total P uptake, soybean (Glycine max L.Merr.) and maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield. Soil P fractions were measured after 1 and 9 year since the beginning of the long-term experiments. Experiments included an initial Fertiliser application rate of 200 kg P ha−1 and annual P Fertiliser application rate of 36 kg P ha−1. Bray1-P, total, organic, and inorganic P in fine (53 μm) (CF) soil fractions, and in NaHCO3 extract were measured. Initial P Fertiliser application increased inorganic and total P fractions. However, Bray1-P, total P in NaHCO3 extract and in the CF were the fractions that most increased with continuous long-term P Fertiliser application in both sites. In the Mollisol, maize grain yield was unrelated to long-term P Fertiliser application. In the Vertisol, total P in NaHCO3 extract, and total and organic P in the CF were more closely related to soybean grain yield than Bray1-P. We proposed soil P indices of labile inorganic and organic P that showed close relationships with soybean grain yield and may be useful to improve the diagnosis of P soil fertility.Fil: Appelhans, Stefania Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barbagelata, Pedro Aníbal. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Producción Vegetal; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Melchiori, Ricardo José Miguel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Entre Ríos. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Gutiérrez Boem, Flavio Hernán. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícola y Uso de la Tierra. Cátedra de Fertilidad y Fertilizantes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; Argentin

    Whey protein supplement adulteration with rice flour quantification: A simple method using ATR-FT-MIR and iPLS

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    In this work, a method using ATR-FT-MIR and iPLS was developed to quantify whey protein supplement adulteration with rice flour. The original vanilla flavor commercial whey protein samples were adulterated with commercial rice flour with concentrations between 11.49% to 29.14% (w/w). After the adulteration, the ATR-FT-MIR spectra were obtained with no additional preparation procedure. The iPLS model analysis was performed using RStudio software with the mdatools package. The RMSEC was 1.26, the R2= 0.954 and the cross-validation error (RMSECV) was 3.31. The prediction error (RMSEP) for the validation set was equal 3.48 and the validation R2 was 0.610. These parameters, associated with the fact that the method does not require sample preparation, demonstrate the procedure viability as a tool to quantify adulterations of whey protein with rice flour

    Performance Of A Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Exposed To The WANF Neutrino Beam

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    We present the results of the first exposure of a Liquid Argon TPC to a multi-GeV neutrino beam. The data have been collected with a 50 liters ICARUS-like chamber located between the CHORUS and NOMAD experiments at the CERN West Area Neutrino Facility (WANF). We discuss both the instrumental performance of the detector and its capability to identify and reconstruct low multiplicity neutrino interactions.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Submitted for publication to Physical Review

    Biomass burning fuel consumption rates: a field measurement database

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    Landscape fires show large variability in the amount of biomass or fuel consumed per unit area burned. Fuel consumption (FC) depends on the biomass available to burn and the fraction of the biomass that is actually combusted, and can be combined with estimates of area burned to assess emissions. While burned area can be detected from space and estimates are becoming more reliable due to improved algorithms and sensors, FC is usually modeled or taken selectively from the literature. We compiled the peerreviewed literature on FC for various biomes and fuel categories to understand FC and its variability better, and to provide a database that can be used to constrain biogeochemical models with fire modules. We compiled in total 77 studies covering 11 biomes including savanna (15 studies, average FC of 4.6 t DM (dry matter) ha 1 with a standard deviation of 2.2),tropical forest (n = 19, FC = 126 +/- 77),temperate forest (n = 12, FC = 58 +/- 72),boreal forest (n = 16, FC = 35 +/- 24),pasture (n = 4, FC = 28 +/- 9.3),shifting cultivation (n = 2, FC = 23, with a range of 4.0-43),crop residue (n = 4, FC = 6.5 +/- 9.0),chaparral (n = 3, FC = 27 +/- 19),tropical peatland (n = 4, FC = 314 +/- 196),boreal peatland (n = 2, FC = 42 [42-43]),and tundra (n = 1, FC = 40). Within biomes the regional variability in the number of measurements was sometimes large, with e. g. only three measurement locations in boreal Russia and 35 sites in North America. Substantial regional differences in FC were found within the defined biomes: for example, FC of temperate pine forests in the USA was 37% lower than Australian forests dominated by eucalypt trees. Besides showing the differences between biomes, FC estimates were also grouped into different fuel classes. Our results highlight the large variability in FC, not only between biomes but also within biomes and fuel classes. This implies that substantial uncertainties are associated with using biome-averaged values to represent FC for whole biomes. Comparing the compiled FC values with co-located Global Fire Emissions Database version 3 (GFED3) FC indicates that modeling studies that aim to represent variability in FC also within biomes, still require improvements as they have difficulty in representing the dynamics governing FC

    Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (Pnh) : Brain Mri Ischemic Lesions in Neurologically Asymtomatic Patients

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    This study investigated for the first time brain ischemic involvement in 19 consecutive neurologically asymptomatic PNH patients by non-enhanced cerebral MRI, and by intracranial arterial and venous angio-MRI. Eleven cases (58%, 7 aged 5 mm, and 5 cases a score >4 by the age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale. Compared with age and sex-matched controls (1:2 ratio), patients showed an increased frequency of periventricular WM vascular degeneration (32% versus 5.2%, p = 0.04) and of severe lesions (ARWMC scale score >4) (26% versus 2.6%, p = 0.05), and a higher overall ARWMC scale score (3.5 \uc2\ub1 1.07 versus 2.0 \uc2\ub1 0.8, mean \uc2\ub1 SD, p < 0.0001). Notably, vascular abnormalities suspected for prior partial venous thrombosis, were observed in PNH cases only. MRI lesions were not related to blood counts, hemolytic markers, clone size, disease duration, and therapy with eculizumab. Neurological examination was unremarkable in all patients but one (Parkinson disease). Psychiatric assessment revealed a case of generalized anxiety disorder, 1 bipolar disorder type 2, and 1 adjustment disorder. In conclusion, brain MRI may be useful at diagnosis and during the course of the disease to explore subclinical neurological involvement

    T cell subpopulations in lymph nodes may not be predictive of patient outcome in colorectal cancer

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The immune response has been proposed to be an important factor in determining patient outcome in colorectal cancer (CRC). Previous studies have concentrated on characterizing T cell populations in the primary tumour where T cells with regulatory effect (Foxp3+ Tregs) have been identified as both enhancing and diminishing anti-tumour immune responses. No previous studies have characterized the T cell response in the regional lymph nodes in CRC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemistry was used to analyse CD4, CD8 or Foxp3+ T cell populations in the regional lymph nodes of patients with stage II CRC (n = 31), with (n = 13) or without (n = 18) cancer recurrence after 5 years of follow up, to determine if the priming environment for anti-tumour immunity was associated with clinical outcome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The proportions of CD4, CD8 or Foxp3+ cells in the lymph nodes varied widely between and within patients, and there was no association between T cell populations and cancer recurrence or other clinicopathological characteristics.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data indicate that frequency of these T cell subsets in lymph nodes may not be a useful tool for predicting patient outcome.</p

    Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

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    Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR &lt; 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction &gt; 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR &lt; 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR &gt; 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening

    High Abundance Proteins Depletion vs Low Abundance Proteins Enrichment: Comparison of Methods to Reduce the Plasma Proteome Complexity

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    BACKGROUND: To date, the complexity of the plasma proteome exceeds the analytical capacity of conventional approaches to isolate lower abundance proteins that may prove to be informative biomarkers. Only complex multistep separation strategies have been able to detect a substantial number of low abundance proteins (<100 ng/ml). The first step of these protocols is generally the depletion of high abundance proteins by the use of immunoaffinity columns or, alternatively, the enrichment of by the use of solid phase hexapeptides ligand libraries. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we present a direct comparison of these two approaches. Following either approach, the plasma sample was further fractionated by SCX chromatography and analyzed by RP-LC-MS/MS with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer. The depletion of the 20 most abundant plasma proteins allowed the identification of about 25% more proteins than those detectable following low abundance proteins enrichment. The two datasets are partially overlapping and the identified proteins belong to the same order of magnitude in terms of plasma concentration. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results show that the two approaches give complementary results. However, the enrichment of low abundance proteins has the great advantage of obtaining much larger amount of material that can be used for further fractionations and analyses and emerges also as a cheaper and technically simpler approach. Collectively, these data indicate that the enrichment approach seems more suitable as the first stage of a complex multi-step fractionation protocol
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