Root Dynamics of Crop Plants in a High Carbon Dioxide World: Effects of Elevated Versus Ambient Carbon Dioxide Levels and No-Till Versus Conventional Agricultural Management

Due to the continuing increases is atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and its potential effect on food sources, there is an interest in evaluating the effect of elevated CO2 concentration versus ambient CO2 concentration in agricultural crop plants although more studies have focused on the aboveground portions of plants rather than the roots. Additionally, the conservation agricultural method, no-till, has been widely suggested as a possible method of increasing soil organic carbon and increasing soil moisture in a hotter world. This research involves two major agricultural plants, Sorghum bicolor (sorghum), and Glycine max (soybean) grown under four conditions including conventional till elevated, conventional till ambient, no-till elevated, and no-till ambient. These plants, along with three rotating cover crops, were grown in open top chambers (OTCs) at the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory at Auburn, Alabama as part of a series of related studies. The cover crops were not used during conventional tillage and were grown under no-till elevated and no-till ambient conditions. The first part of the study involved comparing root growth response to the treatments of the important agricultural plants, sorghum and soybean. There was a trend toward greater standing root crop with sorghum using no-till cropping methods. There was a significantly greater average root length of sorghum in deeper soil and a trend toward elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration being associated with increased average root length of sorghum. For soybean, there was a significant effect of no-till on average root diameter. The second area of focus involved comparing the three legumes in the study at no-till elevated CO2 concentration at 720 µmol mol- and no-till ambient CO2 concentrations at 365 µmol mol-1conditions. This included soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L), and scarlet clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.). There was a species difference, as postulated previously, with sunn hemp having a significant growth response to elevated CO2 concentration while there was less increased root growth from the other two legumes. Additionally, both sunn hemp and soybean had increased root growth in deeper soil (17 – 34 cm) which clover did not. The third portion of the study involved a comparison of a C3 cover crop grass, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), with a C4 grass (Sorghum bicolor L.), at no-till ambient and no-till elevated conditions. In this case, both members of family Poaceae had root growth response to elevated CO2 concentration, which although not identical, did not support earlier indications of C3 plants having an advantage in elevated CO2 concentration

The Red Blood Cell as a Novel Regulator of Human B-cell Activation

Acknowledgements We thank Dr Helen Connaris and Professor Garry Taylor from the University of St Andrews for providing recombinant neuraminidase and Professor Claudia Mauri and Dr Madhvi Menon from Imperial College London for their advice on B‐cell phenotypes. The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding for this project from the Cancer Research Aberdeen North‐East Scotland (CRANES), and from the Wellcome Trust, UK (grant 094847). Data are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effectiveness Of A Multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Management Program In A Local Pain Center

Objectives: There has been increased recognition of multidisciplinary approach for managing chronic pain. There is a high incidence of co-morbid depression and anxiety as well as functional disability impacting activities of daily living with chronic pain diagnoses. In the current study, we assessed the effectiveness of an affordable Living Life Well Pain Rehabilitation Program (LLWPRP), developed in a local outpatient chronic pain clinic. Methods: Retrospective data analysis using data collected from May 2012 - May 2015 with total of 86 patients was performed. The LLWPRP is a 12-week program with biweekly meetings. It involves a combination of education about pain, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness training, mild exercise, peer support and family involvement. Participants completed a pre and post questionnaire with standardized measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), risk of opioid misuse (SOAPP), pain acceptance (CPAQ), treatment outcome (S-TOPS) and disability (Oswestry), as well as functional testing. Results: Participants showed a statistically significant improvement in all physical functionality tests used; significant reduction in PHQ-9, GAD-7, SOAPP); and significant improvements in willingness to engage in activities and pain acceptance-understanding. These improvements were independent from gender, age and types of pain. Conclusion: Despite limitations, our study demonstrated the effectiveness of the LLWPRP and further supports the notion of managing chronic pain using a multidisciplinary approach

Resource utilization among informal caregiver of lung cancer patients undergoing treatment

The objective of this study is to explore patient and caregiver factors that shape the use of available resources to support caregiving for lung cancer patients undergoing treatment. A mixed-method study was conducted at one regional cancer centre within the Province of Ontario, Canada, using concurrent triangulation design. Adult patients with lung cancer (n=46) and their caregivers (n=42) (37 patient-caregiver dyads) were invited to complete a one-time study survey. Informal caregivers (n=20) also participated in a one-time semi-structured interview. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation were used to examine patterns of resource utilization and associations among study variables. Content analysis was conducted to analyse data from interviews. Informal caregivers demonstrated low overall resource utilization. Education materials and homecare support were the most frequently used but perceived as minimally helpful. Homecare support was associated with negative overall experience. Least used resources included paid help, caregiver support groups and volunteer drivers but volunteer drivers were associated with less caregiver burden. Qualitative analysis revealed three themes (1) emotional labour of caregiving and respite from known contacts, (2) perception of formal resources as inappropriate for non-medical needs and (3) financial needs and role conflicts remain to be overcome. Informal caregivers are most likely to turn to known existing social networks for support as a result of accessibility and convenience, which are central to addressing most caregiver needs except for financial needs and role conflict. Future research should aim to remove barriers to resource utilization and strengthen existing support and resources. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

The impact of an internet-based self-management intervention (HeLP-Diabetes) on the psychological well-being of adults with type 2 diabetes:a mixed method cohort study

This mixed-method study assessed the impact of an internet-based, self-management intervention (“HeLP-Diabetes”) on the psychological well-being of adults with type 2 diabetes. Nineteen participants were recruited from 3 general practices. Data were collected at baseline and at 6 weeks follow-up. Access to HeLP-Diabetes was associated with a significant decrease in participants’ diabetes-related distress (Z=2.04, p=0.04, and d=0.28). No significant differences were found in emotional distress or self-efficacy. The qualitative data found that participants reported improvements including increased self-efficacy and support, better management of low mood, greater diabetes awareness, and taking the condition more seriously. Participants also reported making improvements to their eating habits, exercise routine, and medical management. Some negative experiences associated with using the intervention were mentioned including feelings of guilt for not using the intervention as suggested or not making any behavioral changes, as well as technical and navigational frustrations with the intervention. Internet-based self-management interventions may have the potential to decrease diabetes-related distress in people with type 2 diabetes. The qualitative data also suggests internet interventions can positively impact both psychological and behavioural outcomes of adults with type 2 diabetes

Don’t turn your back on the symptoms of psychosis : the results of a proof-of-principle, quasi-experimental intervention to reduce duration of untreated psychosis

Background No evidence based approach to reduce duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has been effective in the UK. Existing interventions have many components and have been difficult to replicate. The majority of DUP in Birmingham, UK is accounted for by delays within mental health services (MHS) followed by help-seeking delay and, we hypothesise, these require explicit targeting. This study examined the feasibility and impact of an intervention to reduce DUP, targeting help-seeking and MHSs delays. Methods A dual-component intervention, comprising a direct care pathway, for 16-25 year olds, and a community psychosis awareness campaign, using our youth-friendly website as the central hub, was implemented, targeting the primary sources of care pathway delays experienced by those with long DUP. Evaluation, using a quasi-experimental, design compared DUP of cases in two areas of the city receiving early detection vs detection as usual, controlling for baseline DUP in each area. Results DUP in the intervention area was reduced from a median 71 days (mean 285) to 39 days (mean 104) following the intervention, with no change in the control area. Relative risk for the reduction in DUP was 0.74 (95 % CI 0.35 to 0.89; p = .004). Delays in MHSs and help-seeking were also reduced. Conclusions Our targeted approach appears to be successful in reducing DUP and could provide a generalizable methodology applicable in a variety of healthcare contexts with differing sources of delay. More research is needed, however, to establish whether our approach is truly effective

Scaling beta-lactam antimicrobial pharmacokinetics from early life to old age

AIMS Beta-lactam dose optimization in critical care is a current priority. We aimed to review the pharmacokinetics (PK) of three commonly used beta-lactams (amoxicillin ± clavulanate, piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem) to compare PK parameters reported in critically and noncritically ill neonates, children and adults, and to investigate whether allometric and maturation scaling principles could be applied to describe changes in PK parameters through life. METHODS A systematic review of PK studies of the three drugs was undertaken using MEDLINE and EMBASE. PK parameters and summary statistics were extracted and scaled using allometric principles to 70 kg individual for comparison. Pooled data were used to model clearance maturation and decline using a sigmoidal (Hill) function. RESULTS A total of 130 papers were identified. Age ranged from 29 weeks to 82 years and weight from 0.9-200 kg. PK parameters from critically ill populations were reported with wider confidence intervals than those in healthy volunteers, indicating greater PK variability in critical illness. The standard allometric size and sigmoidal maturation model adequately described increasing clearance in neonates, and a sigmoidal model was also used to describe decline in older age. Adult weight-adjusted clearance was achieved at approximately 2 years postmenstrual age. Changes in volume of distribution were well described by the standard allometric model, although amoxicillin data suggested a relatively higher volume of distribution in neonates. CONCLUSIONS Critical illness is associated with greater PK variability than in healthy volunteers. The maturation models presented will be useful for optimizing beta-lactam dosing, although a prospective, age-inclusive study is warranted for external validation

Reflections on equality, diversity and gender at the end of a media studies headship

This article reflects, from a feminist perspective, on a five-year period as Head of a School of Media. It considers the position of media studies within the new academic capitalism, and the re-masculinisation of the university that this has produced. It considers strategies employed by the field to stake its own claim to that masculinisation, in particular the embrace of ‘the digital’. Finally it describes the challenges this posed for the author, and tactics employed in dealing with them