Estimating the Impacts of Storage Dry Matter Losses on Switchgrass Production

This poster estimates dry matter losses as a function of harvest method, storage treatment, and time in storage. We then calculate the cost to store switchgrass bales under alternate harvest method and storage treatment scenarios; and determine the breakeven harvest method and storage treatment as a function of biomass price and time in storage.Biomass, bioenergy crops, function form, sustainable systems, Farm Management, Production Economics, Q10, Q42,

Economics of the Variable Rate Technology Investment Decision for Agricultural Sprayers

Producers lack information about the profitability of variable rate technology (VRT) for agricultural sprayers. An economic framework was developed to evaluate the returns required to pay for VRT investments. Payback variables included input savings, yield gains, and reduced application costs. We illustrate the framework with two example investment scenarios.capital budgeting, decision aid, farm management, precision agriculture, map-based, sensor-based, site-specific management, variable rate technology, Farm Management, Q10, Q16,

Is Switchgrass Yield Response to Nitrogen Fertilizer Dynamic? Implications for Profitability and Sustainability at the Farm Level

Revised version of the paper submitted 2/11/2010Biomass, Energy Crops, Sequential Inputs, West Tennessee, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Switchgrass Production in Marginal Environments: A Comparative Economic Analysis across Four West Tennessee Landscapes

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been identified as a model feedstock for the emerging biofuels industry. Its selection was based, in part, upon the observation that switchgrass can produce high yields in marginal production environments. This trait may become particularly valuable in coming years, as renewable fuel mandates begin to take effect and concerns over the food-versus-fuel debate increase. Relatively little research information exists about how management practices and production costs vary across different production environments. The objectives of this research were (a) to compare switchgrass yields as influenced by seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization rates in low-, intermediate-, and high-yielding switchgrass production environments, (b) to determine the economically optimal seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization rate for each environment, and (c) to calculate per-ton production costs. Experimental yield data from four locations were utilized for this study. Plots were seeded in 2004 with treatments of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 lbs/acre. Nitrogen was applied in subsequent intervals at 0, 60, 120 and 180 lbs/acre. For an expected stand lifespan of 10 years, production costs ranged from $45 per ton in a well drained level upland environment ideal for the production of row crops to$70 per ton in a marginal, poorly drained flood plain in which the switchgrass stand was slow to establish and which demonstrated lower overall yields.Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade,

The cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor possessed at least 56 homeoboxes: evidence from the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis

BACKGROUND: Homeodomain transcription factors are key components in the developmental toolkits of animals. While this gene superclass predates the evolutionary split between animals, plants, and fungi, many homeobox genes appear unique to animals. The origin of particular homeobox genes may, therefore, be associated with the evolution of particular animal traits. Here we report the first near-complete set of homeodomains from a basal (diploblastic) animal. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analyses were performed on 130 homeodomains from the sequenced genome of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis along with 228 homeodomains from human and 97 homeodomains from Drosophila. The Nematostella homeodomains appear to be distributed among established homeodomain classes in the following fashion: 72 ANTP class; one HNF class; four LIM class; five POU class; 33 PRD class; five SINE class; and six TALE class. For four of the Nematostella homeodomains, there is disagreement between neighbor-joining and Bayesian trees regarding their class membership. A putative Nematostella CUT class gene is also identified. CONCLUSION: The homeodomain superclass underwent extensive radiations prior to the evolutionary split between Cnidaria and Bilateria. Fifty-six homeodomain families found in human and/or fruit fly are also found in Nematostella, though seventeen families shared by human and fly appear absent in Nematostella. Homeodomain loss is also apparent in the bilaterian taxa: eight homeodomain families shared by Drosophila and Nematostella appear absent from human (CG13424, EMXLX, HOMEOBRAIN, MSXLX, NK7, REPO, ROUGH, and UNC4), and six homeodomain families shared by human and Nematostella appear absent from fruit fly (ALX, DMBX, DUX, HNF, POU1, and VAX)

Rotational Studies of Late-Type Stars. VII. M34 (NGC 1039) and the Evolution of Angular Momentum and Activity in Young Solar-Type Stars

We analyze Keck Hires observations of rotation in F, G, and K dwarf members of the open cluster M34 (NGC 1039), which is 250 Myr old, and we compare them to the Pleiades, Hyades, and NGC 6475. The upper bound to rotation seen in M34 is about a factor of two lower than for the 100 Myr-old Pleiades, but most M34 stars are well below this upper bound, and it is the overall convergence in rotation rates that is most striking. A few K dwarfs in M34 are still rapid rotators, suggesting that they have undergone core-envelope decoupling, followed by replenishment of surface angular momentum from an internal reservoir. Our comparison of rotation in these clusters indicates that the time scale for the coupling of the envelope to the core must be close to 100 Myr if decoupling does, in fact, occur.Comment: 16 pages + 1 table + 5 figure

Blood-based microRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common and associated with significant mortality. Current screening methods for CRC lack patient compliance. microRNAs (miRNAs), identified in body fluids, are negative regulators of gene expression and are dysregulated in many cancers, including CRC. This paper summarises studies identifying blood-based miRNAs dysregulated in CRC compared with healthy controls in an attempt to evaluate their use as a screening tool for the diagnosis of CRC. Methods: A search of electronic databases (PubMed and EMBASE) and grey literature was performed between January 2002 and April 2016. Studies reporting plasma or serum miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC compared with healthy controls were selected. Patient demographics, type of patient sample (serum or plasma), method of miRNA detection, type of normalisation, and the number of significantly dysregulated miRNAs identified were recorded. Statistical evaluation of dysregulated miRNAs using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) was performed. Results: Thirty-four studies investigating plasma or serum miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC were included. A total of 31 miRNAs were found to be either upregulated (n=17) or downregulated (n=14) in CRC cases as compared with controls. Fourteen studies identified panels of ⩾2 dysregulated miRNAs. The highest AUC, 0.943, was identified using a panel of 4 miRNAs with 83.3% sensitivity and 93.1% specificity. Meta-analysis of studies identifying a single dysregulated miRNA in CRC cases compared with controls was performed. Overall sensitivity and specificity of 28 individual miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC were 76% (95% CI 72%–80%) and 76% (95% CI 72%–80%), respectively, indicating good discriminative ability of miRNAs as biomarkers for CRC. These data did not change with sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Blood-based miRNAs distinguish patients with CRC from healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity comparable to other common and invasive currently used screening methods for CRC. In future, miRNAs may be used as a relatively non-invasive blood-based marker for detection of CRC

Unconditional care in academic emergency departments

Recent news stories have explicitly stated that patients with symptoms of COVID-19 were "turned away" from emergency departments. This commentary addresses these serious allegations, with an attempt to provide the perspective of academic emergency departments (EDs) around the Nation. The overarching point we wish to make is that academic EDs never deny emergency care to any person

The effects of changes in the order of verbal labels and numerical values on children's scores on attitude and rating scales

Research with adults has shown that variations in verbal labels and numerical scale values on rating scales can affect the responses given. However, few studies have been conducted with children. The study aimed to examine potential differences in children’s responses to Likert-type rating scales according to their anchor points and scale direction, and to see whether or not such differences were stable over time. 130 British children, aged 9 to 11, completed six sets of Likert-type rating scales, presented in four different ways varying the position of positive labels and numerical values. The results showed, both initially and 8-12 weeks later, that presenting a positive label or a high score on the left of a scale led to significantly higher mean scores than did the other variations. These findings indicate that different arrangements of rating scales can produce different results which has clear implications for the administration of scales with children