Digitization workflows for flat sheets and packets of plants, algae, and fungi

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141708/1/aps31500065.pd

Crop Updates 2000 - Lupins

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors: 1.1999 Lupin Highlights, Bill O’Neill, LUPIN PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT LUPIN ANTHRACNOSE 2. Anthracnose – 1999/2000, Geoff Thomas and Mark Sweetingham, Agriculture Western Australia LUPIN BREEDING AND AGRONOMY 3. The genetic control of mildly restricted branching in narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus augustifolius L), Kedar Adhikari1,3, Nick Galwey1,3 and Miles Dracup2,3 1Plant Sciences, University of Western Australia 2Agriculture Western Australia 3Cooperative Research Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia 4. Genotype x time of sowing interaction in lupins – Mingenew, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 5. Genotype x time of sowing interaction in lupins – Wongan Hills, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 6. Genetic variation in lupin tolerance to Brown Leaf Spot, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 7. Yellow lupin management in Western Australia, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia APHIDS AND VIRUS CONTROL 8. Forecasting aphid and virus risk in lupins, Debbie Thackray, Jenny Hawkes and Roger Jones, Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture and Agriculture Western Australia 9. When should lupin crops be sprayed for aphids to achieve maximum yield response? Françoise Berlandier, Agriculture Western Australia 10. Yield limiting potential of the new, non-necrotic strain of bean yellow mosaic virus in narrow-leafed lupin, Roger Jones, Yvonne Cheng and Lisa Smith, Crop Improvement Institute, Agriculture Western Australia, and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture LUPIN NUTRITION 11. Increasing the value of a rotation by applying lime, Chris Gazey and Michael O’Connell, Agriculture Western Australia HERBICIDE TOLERANCE AND WEED CONTROL 12. Herbicide damage does not mean lower yield in Lupins, Peter Carlton, Trials Coordinator, Elders Limited 13. Effect of herbicides Tordonä 75D and Lontrelä, used for eradication of Skeleton Weed, on production of Lupins in following seasons, John R. Peirce and Brad J. Rayner, Agriculture Western Australia 14. Herbicide tolerance of lupins, Terry Piper, Agriculture Western Australia 15. Tanjil lupins will tolerate metribuzin under the right conditions, Peter Newman, Agronomist Elders Limited and Cameron Weeks, Mingenew/Irwin Group LUPIN ESTABLISHMENT 16. A new seed pressing system for ryegrass suppression and healthy lupin establishment, Mohammad Amjad and Glen Riethmuller,Agriculture Western Australia 17. Banded surfactant for better lupin yield on non-wetting sand, Dr Paul Blackwell, Agriculture Western Australia DROUGHT TOLERANCE 18. Drought tolerance of lupin genotypes in Western Australia, Jairo A. Palta1,2,, Neil C. Turner1,2, Robert J. French2,3 ,1CSIRO Plant Industry, Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research, 2Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 3Agriculture Western Australia, 19. Stem carbohydrate in lupins: a possible buffer to maintain seed growth under adverse conditions, Bob French1, Tim Setter2, Jairo Palta3 , 1Agriculture Western Australia, and CLIMA, 2Agriculture Western Australia, 3CSIRO, Floreat Park, and CLIM

Crop Updates 2010 - Farming Systems

This session covers twenty papers from different authors: Pests and Disease 1. Preserving phosphine for use in Grain Storage Industry, Christopher R Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food Farming Systems Research 2. Demonstrating the benefits of grazing canola in Western Australia, Jonathan England, Stephen Gherardi and Mohammad Amjad, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Buloke barley yield when pasture-cropped across subtropical perennial pastures, David Ferris, Department of Agriculture and Food, Phil Ward and Roger Lawes, CSIRO 4. Is pasture cropping viable in WA? Grower perceptions and EverCrop initiatives to evaluate, David Ferris, Tim Wiley, Perry Dolling, Department of Agriculture and Food, Philip Barrett-Lennard, Evergreen farming 5. Best-bet management for dual-purpose canola, John Kirkegaard, Susan Sprague, Hugh Dove and Walter Kelman, CSIRO, Canberra, Peter Hamblin, Agritech Research, Young, NSW 6. Pasture in cropping systems – with and without sheep, Brad Nutt and Angelo Loi, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Can technology substitute for a lupin break? Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. Canola row spacing with and without long term stubble retention on a sandy clay loam at Merredin, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Impact of stubble retention on water balance and crop yield, Phil Ward1, Ken Flower2,3, Neil Cordingley2 and Shayne Micin1, 1CSIRO, Wembley, Western Australia, 2Western Australian No-Till Farmers Association, 3University of Western Australia Analysis and Modelling 10. Using POAMA rainfall forecasts for crop management in South-West WA, Senthold Asseng1, Peter McIntosh2,3, Mike Pook2,3, James Risbey2,3, Guomin Wang3, Oscar Alves3, Ian Foster4, Imma Farre4 and Nirav Khimashia1, 1CSIRO Plant Industry, Perth, 2CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, 3Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR), A partnership between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, Melbourne, 4Department of Agriculture and Food 11. Adaption to changing climates and variability – results of the Agribusiness Changing Climates regional workshop, Anderson W3, Beard D3, Blake J3, Grieve R1, Lang M3, Lemon J3, McTaggart R3, Gray D3, Price M2 and Stephens D3, 1Roderick Grieve Farm Management Consultants, 2Coffey International P/L, 3Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Farmers’ management of seasonal variability and climate change in WA, DA Beard, DM Gray, P Carmody, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Is there a value in having a frost forecast for wheat in South-West WA? Imma Farre1, Senthold Asseng2, Ian Foster1 and Doug Abrecht3, 1Department of Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Floreat, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, Perth 3Department of Agriculture and Food, Centre for Cropping Systems 14. Does buying rainfall pay? Greg Kirk, Planfarm Agricultural Consultants 15. Which region in the WA wheatbelt makes best use of rainfall? Peter Rowe, Bankwest Agribusiness 16. POAMA – the Predictive Ocean-Atmosphere Model for Australia, Guomin Wang and Oscar Alves, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR), A partnership between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, Melbourne 17. Exploring the link between water use efficiency and farm profitability, Cameron Weeks, Planfarm and Peter Tozer, PRT Consulting Precision Agriculture 18. A plethora of paddock information is available – how does it stack up? Derk Bakker, Department of Agriculture and Food 18. Variable rate prescription mapping for lime inputs based on electromagnetic surveying and deep soil testing, Frank D’Emden, Quenten Knight and Luke Marquis, Precision Agronomics, Australia 19. Trial design and analysis using precision agriculture and farmer’s equipment, Roger Lawes, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Floreat 20. Farmer perspectives of precision agriculture in Western Australia: Issues and the way forward, Dr Roger Mandel, Curtin Universit

Crop Updates 2000 - Weeds

This session covers thirty six papers from different authors: INTRODUCTION, Vanessa Stewart Agriculture Western Australia INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT Effect of seeding density, row spacing and Trifluralin on the competitive ability of Annual Ryegrass in a minimum tillage system, David Minkey, Abul Hashem, Glen Riethmuller and Martin Harries, Agriculture Western Australia High wheat seeding rates coupled with narrow row spacing increases yield and suppresses grass, Peter Newman1 and Cameron Weeks2,1Agronomist, Elders Limited 2Mingenew/Irwin Group Resistant ryegrass management in a wheat – lupin rotation, Abul Hashem, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Aik Cheam, David Bowran and Terry Piper, Agriculture Western Australia Integrated weed management – Will it work with my rotation? Alexandra Wallace, Agriculture Western Australia Long term herbicide resistance trial – Mingenew, Peter Newman Elders, Cameron Weeks Mingenew-Irwin Group Is two years enough? Bill Roy, Agricultural Consulting and Research Services The fate of ryegrass seed when sheep graze chaff cart heaps, Keith L. Devenish1 and Lisa J. Leaver2 1 Agriculture Western Australia, 2Curtin University of Technology, Muresk Institute of Agriculture Can blanket wiping and crop topping prevent seed set of resistant wild radish and mustard? StAbul Hashem, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vanessa Stewart, Brad Rayner and Mike Collins, Agriculture Western Australia The value of green manuring in the integrated management of ryegrass, Marta Monjardino1,2, David Pannell2, Stephen Powles1 ,1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, 2Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia Some ways of increasing wheat competitiveness against ryegrass,, Mike Collins Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia WEED BIOLOGY Understanding and driving weed seed banks to very low levels, Sally Peltzer, Agriculture Western Australi HERBICIDE RESISTANCE Cross resistance of chlorsulfuron-resistant wild radish to imidazolinones, Abul Hashem, Harmohinder Dhammu and David Bowran, Agriculture Western Australia Investigation of suspected triazine resistant ryegrass populations for cross-resistance and multiple resistance to herbicides, Michael Walsh, Charles Boyle and Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia Genetics and fitness of glyphosate resistant ryegrass, S. Powles1, P. Neve1, D. Lorraine-Colwill2, C. Preston2 ,1WAHRI, University of Western Australia 2 CRC Weed Management Systems, University of Adelaide Managing herbicide resistance – the effect of local extinction of resistance genes, Art Diggle1, Paul B. Neve2, Stephen B. Powles2 ,1Agriculture Western Australia, 2WAHRI, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia The double knock - the best strategy for conserving glyphosate susceptibility? Paul B. Neve1, Art Diggle2, Stephen B. Powles1,1WAHRI, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 2Agriculture Western Australia Wild radish had evolved resistance to triazines, Abul Hashem, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, David Bowran and Aik Cheam, Agriculture Western Australia Ryegrass resistance in Western Australia – where and how much? Rick Llewellyn and Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia Wild radish herbicide resistance survey, Michael Walsh, Ryan Duane and Stephen Powles, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia Knockdown resistance in the Western Australian wheatbelt – a proposed survey, Paul B. Neve1, Abul Hashem2, Stephen B. Powles1,1Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia, 2Agriculture Western Australia Diflufenican resistant wild radish, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, David Bowran, David Nicholson and Abul Hashem, Agriculture Western Australi Multiple resistance to triazines and diflufenican further complicates wild radish control, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, David Bowran, David Nicholson and Abul Hashem, Agriculture Western Australia HERBICIDE TOLERANCE 25. Herbicide tolerance of lupins, Terry Piper, Weed Science Group, Agriculture Western Australia 26. Tanjil lupins will tolerate metribuzin under the right conditions, Peter Newman, Agronomist Elders Limited and Cameron Weeks, Mingenew/Irwin Group 27. Herbicide damage does not mean lower yield in Lupins, Peter Carlton, Trials Coordinator, Elders Limited 28. Herbicide tolerance of new pea varieties, Dr Terry Piper, Agriculture Western Australia 29. Herbicide tolerance of (waterlogged) wheat, Dr Terry Piper, Agriculture Western Australia 30. Wheat tolerance trials – Mingenew 1999, Peter Newman1, Cameron Weeks2 and Stewart Smith3,1Elders, Mingenew, 2Mingenew-Irwin Group,3Agriculture Western Australia ISSUES OF TRIFLURALIN USE 31. Trifluralin works better on ryegrass when no-tilling into thick wheat stubbles as granules, or mixed with limesand, Bill Crabtree, WANTFA Scientific Officer 32. Increasing trifluralin rate did not compensate for delaying incorporation, Bill Crabtree, WANTFA Scientific Officer 33. Poor emergence survey, 1999, Terry Piper, Weed Science Group, Agriculture Western Australia HERBICIDES – ISSUES AND OPTIONS 34. AFFINITY 400DF – A new herbicide with a new mode of action (Group G) for Broadleaf Weed Control in Cereals, Gordon Cumming, Technical Officer, Crop Care Australasia 35 Herbicide screening for Marshmallow, David Minkey1 and David Cameron2,1Agriculture Western Australia, 2Elders Ltd, Merredin 36. The control of Capeweed in Clearfield Production System for Canola, Mike Jackson and Scott Paton, Cyanamid Agriculture Pty Ltd 37.Effect of herbicides Tordonä 75D and Lontrelä,used for eradication of Skeleton Weed, on production of Lupins I the following seasons, John R. Peirce and Brad J. Rayner, Agriculture Western Australia INDUSTRY PROTECTION 38. Graingaurd – Opportunities for agribusiness to help protect the West Australian grains industry, Greg Shea, Executive Officer, GrainGuard Agriculture Western Australi

Digitization Workflows for Flat Sheets and Packets of Plants, Algae, and Fungi

Effective workflows are essential components in the digitization of biodiversity specimen collections. To date, no comprehensive, community-vetted workflows have been published for digitizing flat sheets and packets of plants, algae, and fungi, even though latest estimates suggest that only 33% of herbarium specimens have been digitally transcribed, 54% of herbaria use a specimen database, and 24% are imaging specimens. In 2012, iDigBio, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) coordinating center and national resource for the digitization of public, nonfederal U.S. collections, launched several working groups to address this deficiency. Here, we report the development of 14 workflow modules with 7–36 tasks each. These workflows represent the combined work of approximately 35 curators, directors, and collections managers representing more than 30 herbaria, including 15 NSF-supported plant-related Thematic Collections Networks and collaboratives. The workflows are provided for download as Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word files. Customization of these workflows for specific institutional implementation is encouraged

Crop Updates 2007 - Farming Systems

This session covers forty papers from different authors: 1. Quality Assurance and industry stewardship, David Jeffries, Better Farm IQ Manager, Cooperative Bulk Handling 2. Sothis: Trifolium dasyurum (Eastern Star clover), A. Loi, B.J. Nutt and C.K. Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Poor performing patches of the paddock – to ameliorate or live with low yield? Yvette Oliver1, Michael Robertson1, Bill Bowden2, Kit Leake3and Ashley Bonser3, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems1, Department of Food and Agriculture2, Kellerberrin Farmer3 4. What evidence is there that PA can pay? Michael Robertson, CSIRO Floreat, Ian Maling, SilverFox Solutions and Bindi Isbister, Department of Agriculture and Food 5.The journey is great, but does PA pay? Garren Knell, ConsultAg; Alison Slade, Department of Agriculture and Food, CFIG 6. 2007 Seasonal outlook, David Stephens and Michael Meuleners, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Towards building farmer capacity to better manage climate risk, David Beard and Nicolyn Short, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. A NAR farmers view of his farming system in 2015, Rob Grima, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Biofuels opportunities in Australia, Ingrid Richardson, Food and Agribusiness Research, Rabobank 10. The groundwater depth on the hydrological benefits of lucerne and the subsequent recharge values, Ruhi Ferdowsian1and Geoff Bee2; 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Landholder, Laurinya, Jerramungup 11. Subsoil constraints to crop production in the high rainfall zone of Western Australia, Daniel Evans1, Bob Gilkes1, Senthold Asseng2and Jim Dixon3; 1University of Western Australia, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, 3Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Prospects for lucerne in the WA wheatbelt, Michael Robertson, CSIRO Floreat, Felicity Byrne and Mike Ewing, CRC for Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity, Dennis van Gool, Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Nitrous oxide emissions from a cropped soil in the Western Australian grainbelt, Louise Barton1, Ralf Kiese2, David Gatter3, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl2, Renee Buck1, Christoph Hinz1and Daniel Murphy1,1School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 2Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 3The Department of Agriculture and Food 14. Managing seasonal risk is an important part of farm management but is highly complex and therefore needs a ‘horses for courses’ approach, Cameron Weeks, Planfarm / Mingenew-Irwin Group, Dr Michael Robertson, Dr Yvette Oliver, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems and Dr Meredith Fairbanks, Department of Agriculture and Food 15. Novel use application of clopyralid in lupins, John Peirce, and Brad Rayner Department of Agriculture and Food 16. Long season wheat on the South Coast – Feed and grain in a dry year – a 2006 case study, Sandy White, Department of Agriculture and Food 17. Wheat yield response to potassium and the residual value of PKS fertiliser drilled at different depths, Paul Damon1, Bill Bowden2, Qifu Ma1 and Zed Rengel1; Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia1, Department of Agriculture and Food2 18. Saltbush as a sponge for summer rain, Ed Barrett-Lennard and Meir Altman, Department of Agriculture and Food and CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity 19. Building strong working relationships between grower groups and their industry partners, Tracey M. Gianatti, Grower Group Alliance 20. To graze or not to graze – the question of tactical grazing of cereal crops, Lindsay Bell and Michael Robertson, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems 21. Can legume pastures and sheep replace lupins? Ben Webb and Caroline Peek, Department of Agriculture and Food 22. EverGraze – livestock and perennial pasture performance during a drought year, Paul Sanford, Department of Agriculture and Food, and CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity 23. Crop survival in challenging times, Paul Blackwell1, Glen Riethmuller1, Darshan Sharma1and Mike Collins21Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Okura Plantations, Kirikiri New Zealand 24. Soil health constraints to production potential – a precision guided project, Frank D’Emden, and David Hall, Department of Agriculture and Food 25. A review of pest and disease occurrence in 2006, Mangano, G.P. and Severtson, D.L., Department of Agriculture and Food 26. e-weed – an information resource on seasonal weed management issues, Vanessa Stewart and Julie Roche, Department of Agriculture and Food 27. Review of Pesticide Legislation and Policies in Western Australia, Peter Rutherford, BSc (Agric.), Pesticide Legislation Review, Office of the Chief Medical Adviser, WA Department of Health 28. Future wheat yields in the West Australian wheatbelt, Imma Farré and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food, Stephen Charles, CSIRO Land and Water 29. Organic matter in WA arable soils: What’s active and what’s not, Frances Hoyle, Department of Agriculture and Food, Australia and Daniel Murphy, UWA 30. Soil quality indicators in Western Australian farming systems, D.V. Murphy1, N. Milton1, M. Osman1, F.C. Hoyle2, L.K Abbott1, W.R. Cookson1and S. Darmawanto1; 1UWA, 2Department of Agriculture and Food 31. Impact of stubble on input efficiencies, Geoff Anderson, formerly employed by Department of Agriculture and Food 32. Mixed farming vs All crop – true profit, not just gross margins, Rob Sands and David McCarthy, FARMANCO Management Consultants, Western Australia 33. Evaluation of Local Farmer Group Network – group leaders’ surveys 2005 and 2006, Paul Carmody, Local Farmer Group Network, Network Coordinator, UWA 34. Seeding rate and nitrogen application and timing effects in wheat, J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 35. Foliar fungicide application and disease control in barley, J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 36. Brown manuring effects on a following wheat crop in the central wheatbelt, , J. Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery and A. Roe, ConsultAg, Northam 37. Management of annual pastures in mixed farming systems – transition from a dry season, Dr Clinton Revell and Dr Phil Nichols; Department of Agriculture and Food 38. The value of new annual pastures in mixed farm businesses of the wheatbelt, Dr Clinton Revell1, Mr Andrew Bathgate2and Dr Phil Nichols1; 1Department of Agriculture and Food, 2Farming Systems Analysis Service, Albany 39. The influence of winter SOI and Indian Ocean SST on WA winter rainfall, Meredith Fairbanks and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture and Food 40. Market outlook – Grains, Anne Wilkins, Market Analyst, Grains, Department of Agriculture and Foo

T Cells Are Essential for Bacterial Clearance, and Gamma Interferon, Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha, and B Cells Are Crucial for Disease Development in Coxiella burnetii Infection in Mice▿

Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q fever, has two phase variants. Phase I has a complete lipopolysaccharide (LPS), is highly virulent, and causes Q fever in humans and pathology in experimental animals. Phase II lacks an LPS O side chain, is avirulent, and does not grow well in immunocompetent animals. To understand the pathogenicity of Q fever, we investigated the roles of immune components in animals infected with Nine Mile phase I (NM I) or Nine Mile phase II (NM II) bacteria. Immunodeficient mice, including SCID mice (deficient in T and B cells), SCIDbg mice (deficient in T, B, and NK cells), nude mice (deficient in T cells), muMT mice (deficient in B cells), bg mice (deficient in NK cells), mice deficient in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α−/− mice), and mice deficient in gamma interferon (IFN-γ−/− mice), were compared for their responses to infection. SCID, SCIDbg, nude, and IFN-γ−/− mice showed high susceptibility to NM I, and TNF-α−/− mice showed modest susceptibility. Disease caused by NM I in SCID, SCIDbg, and nude mice progressed slowly, while disease in IFN-γ−/− and TNF-α−/− mice advanced rapidly. B- and NK-cell deficiencies did not enhance clinical disease development or alter bacterial clearance but did increase the severity of histopathological changes, particularly in the absence of B cells. Mice infected with NM II showed no apparent clinical disease, but T-cell-deficient mice had histopathological changes. These results suggest that T cells are critical for clearance of C. burnetii, either NM I or NM II, that IFN-γ and TNF-α are essential for the early control of infection, and that B cells are important for the prevention of tissue damage

Effect of gallium maltolate on a model of chronic, infected equine distal limb wounds.

Distal limb wounds are common injuries sustained by horses and their healing is fraught with complications due to equine anatomy, prevalence of infection, and challenges associated with wound management. Gallium is a semi-metallic element that has been shown to possess antimicrobial properties and aid in wound healing in various preclinical models. The effects of Gallium have not been studied in equine wound healing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare healing rates between gallium-treated and untreated wounds of equine distal limbs and to demonstrate the antimicrobial effects of gallium on wounds inoculated with S. aureus. Using an established model of equine wound healing we demonstrated beneficial effects of 0.5% topical gallium maltolate on equine wound healing. Specifically we documented reduced healing times, reduced bioburden, and reduced formation of exuberant granulation tissue in wounds treated with gallium maltolate as compared with untreated wounds. Gallium appeared to exert its beneficial effects via its well-described antimicrobial actions as well as by altering the expression of specific genes known to be involved in wound healing of horses and other animals. Specifically, gallium maltolate appeared to increase expression of transforming growth factor-β in both infected and un-infected wounds. Further work is needed to document the effects of gallium on naturally occurring equine wounds and to compare the effects of gallium with other wound treatment options. These data, however, suggest that gallium may be an attractive and novel means of improving equine distal limb wound healing

Space Environmental Factor Impacts upon Murine Colon Microbiota and Mucosal Homeostasis

<div><p>Astronaut intestinal health may be impacted by microgravity, radiation, and diet. The aim of this study was to characterize how high and low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, microgravity, and elevated dietary iron affect colon microbiota (determined by 16S rDNA pyrosequencing) and colon function. Three independent experiments were conducted to achieve these goals: 1) fractionated low LET γ radiation (¹³⁷Cs, 3 Gy, RAD), high Fe diet (IRON) (650 mg/kg diet), and a combination of low LET γ radiation and high Fe diet (IRON+RAD) in male Sprague-Dawley rats; 2) high LET ³⁸Si particle exposure (0.050 Gy), 1/6 G partial weight bearing (PWB), and a combination of high LET³⁸Si particle exposure and PWB in female BalbC/ByJ mice; and 3) 13 d spaceflight in female C57BL/6 mice. Low LET radiation, IRON and spaceflight increased <i>Bacteroidetes</i> and decreased <i>Firmicutes</i>. RAD and IRON+RAD increased <i>Lactobacillales</i> and lowered <i>Clostridiales</i> compared to the control (CON) and IRON treatments. Low LET radiation, IRON, and spaceflight did not significantly affect diversity or richness, or elevate pathogenic genera. Spaceflight increased <i>Clostridiales</i> and decreased <i>Lactobacillales</i>, and similar trends were observed in the experiment using a ground-based model of microgravity, suggesting altered gravity may affect colonic microbiota. Although we noted no differences in colon epithelial injury or inflammation, spaceflight elevated TGFβ gene expression. Microbiota and mucosal characterization in these models is a first step in understanding the impact of the space environment on intestinal health.</p></div