Soil sampling made easier

A new rotary blade soil sampler has taken the hard work out of collecting soil samples from Western Australia\u27s hard-setting soils to test for soil phosphorus levels . Conceived and developed by Department of Agriculture technical officer Mike Baker, it should enable soil testing to be more widely adopted. Fortunately, the soil calibration tests that were developed using pogo samples can also be used for the new sampler

Seed phosphorus : its effect on plant production

The amount of phosphorus in the seed of annual crop and pasture species influences production of plants grown from that seed. It appears the more phosphorus there is in the seed, the better the potential yield irrespective of whether fertilizer phosphorus is applied to the soil or not. This article discusses the influence of phosphorus concentration in the seed of annual crop and pasture species on subsequent production. It also explains the difference between phosphorus concentration and phosphorus content in the see

The ethnic density effect in psychosis: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Background: An 'ethnic' or 'group' density effect in psychosis has been observed, whereby the risk of psychosis in minority group individuals is inversely related to neighbourhood-level proportions of others belonging to the same group. However, there is conflicting evidence over whether this effect differs between minority groups and limited investigation into other moderators. Aims: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the group density effect in psychosis and examine moderators. Method: Four databases were systematically searched. A narrative review was conducted and a three-level meta-analysis was performed. The potential moderating effect of crudely and specifically defined minority groups was assessed. Country, time, area size and whether studies used clinical or non-clinical outcomes were also tested as moderators. Results: Thirty-two studies were included in the narrative review and ten in the meta-analysis. A 10 percentage-point decrease in own-group density was associated with a 20% increase in psychosis risk (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.09-1.32, P < 0.001). This was moderated by crudely defined minority groups (F-6,F-68 = 6.86, P < 0.001), with the strongest associations observed in Black populations, followed by a White Other sample. Greater heterogeneity was observed when specific minority groups were assessed (F-25,F-49 = 7.26, P < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the first review to provide meta-analytic evidence that the risk of psychosis posed by lower own-group density varies across minority groups, with the strongest associations observed in Black individuals. Heterogeneity in effect sizes may reflect distinctive social experiences of specific minority groups. Potential mechanisms are discussed, along with the implications of findings and suggestions for future research

Use of Omics Data in Fracture Prediction; a Scoping and Systematic Review in Horses and Humans

Despite many recent advances in imaging and epidemiological data analysis, musculoskeletal injuries continue to be a welfare issue in racehorses. Peptide biomarker studies have failed to consistently predict bone injury. Molecular profiling studies provide an opportunity to study equine musculoskeletal disease. A systematic review of the literature was performed using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines to assess the use of miRNA profiling studies in equine and human musculoskeletal injuries. Data were extracted from 40 papers between 2008 and 2020. Three miRNA studies profiling equine musculoskeletal disease were identified, none of which related to equine stress fractures. Eleven papers studied miRNA profiles in osteoporotic human patients with fractures, but differentially expressed miRNAs were not consistent between studies. MicroRNA target prediction programmes also produced conflicting results between studies. Exercise affected miRNA profiles in both horse and human studies (e.g., miR-21 was upregulated by endurance exercise and miR-125b was downregulated by exercise). MicroRNA profiling studies in horses continue to emerge, but as yet, no miRNA profile can reliably predict the occurrence of fractures. It is very important that future studies are well designed to mitigate the effects of variation in sample size, exercise and normalisation methods

Conventional versus highly cross-linked polyethylene in primary total knee replacement : a comparison of revision rates using data from the National Joint Registry for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland

There is evidence to support the use of highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. However, the benefits for those undergoing total knee arthroplasty are uncertain, with conflicting reports based on previous cohort analyses. The purpose of the present study was to compare the revision rates following primary total knee arthroplasty with use of HXLPE as compared with conventional polyethylene (CPE) using data from the National Joint Registry (NJR) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We performed a retrospective analysis of primary total knee arthroplasties recorded in the NJR from 2003 to 2014. Cobalt-chromium (CoCr)-CPE and CoCr-HXLPE bearing surfaces were compared using all-cause revision, aseptic revision, and septic revision as end points. Survival analyses were conducted using rates per 100 years observed, Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, and Cox regression hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, body mass index (BMI), lead surgeon grade, and implant constraint. Secondary analyses compared the most commonly used HXLPEs (Zimmer Prolong, DePuy XLK, and Stryker X3) against CPE for the 3 most common total knee arthroplasty systems (NexGen, PFC Sigma, and Triathlon). In the present study of 550,658 total knee arthroplasties, the unadjusted aseptic revision rates were significantly lower following procedures performed with CPE (n = 513,744) as compared with those performed with HXLPE total knee replacements (n = 36,914) (0.29 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.28 to 0.30] compared to 0.38 [95% CI, 0.35 to 0.42], p 35 kg/m, the "second-generation" Stryker X3 HXLPE demonstrated significantly better survival than its respective CPE, with CPE having an HR of 2.6 (95% CI, 1.2 to 5.9) (p = 0.02). Alternative bearings are marketed as having improved wear properties over traditional CoCr-CPE. This registry-based analysis demonstrated no overall survival benefit of HXLPE after a maximum duration of follow-up of 12 years. Because of their increased cost, the routine use of HXLPE bearings may not be justified. However, they may have a role in specific "higher demand" groups such as patients 35 kg/m. Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete list of levels of evidence

Police chiefs and elected officials: communicating to establish effective working relationships

Discusses the need for police chiefs and elected officials to communication in order to facilitate understanding and cooperation

A Tailor Made Approach for the Beneficiation of Phosphate Rock

Tenova Bateman Technologies (TBT), part of Tenova Mining & Minerals is known as a provider of advanced process technologies in solvent extraction, phosphate beneficiation and fertilizer production. TBT has participated in a number of phosphate projects and offers a comprehensive range of phosphate treatment technologies: from beneficiation to the production of purified phosphoric acid and downstream salts. The beneficiation of phosphate rock can often be simplified and made more economic by taking into account the distribution of P2O5 and impurities as a function of their deportment between the size fractions resulting from mined and comminuted sedimentary phosphates. A number of case studies developed by TBT are presented in the current paper. For each project, the particular properties of the feedstock were taken into account as the beneficiation process was being developed

Grand County Agriculture Profile

This publication includes a report that gives agricultural facts and statistics pertaining to Grand County

Understanding and Mitigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

First Sergeant Spock, in Afghanistan during his fourth deployment after 9/11, recalls a mission from June 2007 in Iraq. Improvised explosive devises (IEDs) had become the unsuspecting killer in his area, and his infantry platoon was on a mission to capture a key insurgent responsible for emplacing them. They had killed one of his soldiers and wounded eighteen other comrades. It was so likely that his platoon was going to hit an lED during the mission that his commander assigned a route clearance team (ReI) to his platoon. The RCf gave Spock some comfort, but it quickly faded when he received word that an RCf vehicle had broken down. His platoon faced the dilemma of having to wait for mechanics to fix the vehicle and jeopardize the mission or to move on and run the risk of hitting an lED exploSion. Spock describes how he knew that his decision might cost him his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers, but he knew the mission was too important to delay. If anyone was going to take the additional risk, it was going to be him, so with his heart racing, he looked at his driver with as much confidence as he could muster and said, Take the lead. We are going to the objective. Spock recalls that his driver didn\u27t show the slightest doubt or fear in his face. Without hesitation, his driver stepped on the gas and their vehicle raced to the objective, first in the order of movement. Fortunately, Spock\u27s platoon captured its target, without injury, which greatly reduced the number of IEDs for the remainder of the deployment

Selectively lockable knee brace

A knee brace for aiding in rehabilitation of damaged leg muscles includes upper and lower housings, normally pivotable, one relative to the other about the knee joint axis of a patient. The upper housing is attachable to the thigh of the patient above the knee joint, while the lower housing is secured to a stirrup which extends downwardly along the patient's leg and is attached to the patient's shoe. An actuation rod is carried within the lower housing and is coupled to a cable. The upper and lower housings carry cooperative clutch/brake elements which normally are disengaged to permit relative movement between the upper and lower housings. When the cable is extended, the clutch/brake elements engage and lock the housings together. A heel strike mechanism fastened to the stirrup and the heel of the shoe is connected to the cable to selectively extend the cable and lock the brace in substantially any position when the patient places weight on the heel