EC85-198 Nebraska Poisonous Range Plants

Extension Circular 85-198: Nebraska Poisonous Range Plants. This circular helps people identify plants that grow in Nebraska that may be poisonous

EC85-198 Nebraska Poisonous Range Plants

Extension Circular 85-198: Nebraska Poisonous Range Plants. This circular helps people identify plants that grow in Nebraska that may be poisonous

Waste management in Zabrze: Pathways to a More Sustainable System

Zabrze is a medium size town of 200 000 inhabitants in the region of Upper Silesia, Poland. The development of the town was originally based on the exploitation of heavy industries. In the past few years Zabrze has, however, moved towards more service and tourism oriented industries. As part of this journey, the city of Zabrze sees the need to improve its existing waste management system. This report provides possible pathways to reduce municipal solid waste and help Zabrze on its path to become a more sustainable city. In Poland, it is at present not clear who is responsible for municipal waste unlike in Sweden where responsibility lies in the hand of municipalities. Additionally, environmental awareness and understanding for recycling in the Polish population is very low. As a result, the existing system faces many challenges such as extensive illegal dumping, poor waste separation, mixed waste containing hazardous material, inefficient collection, poor waste collection coverage, loopholes, lack of enforcement and fraudulent waste reporting. Other issues are the lack of funding for infrastructural improvements and for educational and informational campaigns. The city also faces the challenge that many factors such as the introduction of a new waste law, EU fines and targets, producer responsibility and deposit systems need to be approached on a national level. The looming change in waste law which will hand-over responsibility of municipal waste to municipalities is a particular challenge for the city of Zabrze. The uncertainty on the timeframe and implementation leads to insecurity on how to finance and adapt the waste management system. Another challenge is the weak collaboration within the region of Upper Silesia not allowing for strong regional solutions and lobbying on a national level. On the positive side, waste management can comprise potentials for the city, especially with regards to funding for waste management projects and educational campaigns from the EU. Additionally, investments from private companies for biogas production and recycling could become an interesting business case in the future. Through this project, experiences from Sweden and particularly the city of Lund as well as the city of Pszczyna in Poland were used and applied to Zabrze. Concrete starting points for improvements include a more proactive approach to waste management, clear decisions on treatment methods and the need for a concrete action plan and schedule. Main recommendations are to strengthen educational activities and raise awareness to prevent and reduce waste. It is crucial that Zabrze chooses a path which leads to a holistic solution in the region, not relying on one specific solution such as incineration. Most importantly the report shows that change towards a sound waste management system takes time, education, good planning and long-term future vision

Flight Tunnel Responses of Female Grape Berry Moth ( Paralobesia viteana ) to Host Plants

Semiochemicals play important roles in mate and host recognition of herbivorous insects, such as moths, and flight tunnels have been an effective tool in the identification of these bioactive compounds. However, more work has been carried out on pheromones than on host plant cues, and few examples exist where flight tunnel evaluations of host cues have resulted in a lure that is attractive under field conditions. Our goal was to determine whether the flight tunnel could be used to evaluate the response of a specialist moth, grape berry moth (GBM), to its host plant (grapevines), by incorporating ecological and physiological aspects of GBM biology. We found grape shoot tips and mature leaves were more attractive to female GBM than unripe and ripe berries or flowers. Under optimized flight tunnel conditions, approximately 80% of tested females flew upwind and closely approached or landed on the most preferred target. Mating status, wind speed, the time of day, and the presence/absence of patterns that resemble grape tissues on the top of the flight tunnel all significantly affected the responses of female GBM. Consideration of these factors in flight tunnel assays will aid in the development of a synthetic lure that can be used to monitor female moths in the fiel

Characterization of Microbial Communities in Subsurface Nuclear Blast Cavities of the Nevada Test Site

This U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Remediation Sciences Project (ERSP) was designed to test fundamental hypotheses concerning the existence and nature of indigenous microbial populations of Nevada Test Site subsurface nuclear test/detonation cavities. Now called Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR), this program’s Exploratory Research (ER) element, which funded this research, is designed to support high risk, high potential reward projects. Here, five cavities (GASCON, CHANCELLOR, NASH, ALEMAN, and ALMENDRO) and one tunnel (U12N) were sampled using bailers or pumps. Molecular and cultivation-based techniques revealed bacterial signatures at five sites (CHANCELLOR may be lifeless). SSU rRNA gene libraries contained diverse and divergent microbial sequences affiliated with known metal- and sulfur-cycling microorganisms, organic compound degraders, microorganisms from deep mines, and bacteria involved in selenate reduction and arsenite oxidation. Close relatives of Desulforudis audaxviator, a microorganism thought to subsist in the terrestrial deep subsurface on H2 and SO42- produced by radiochemical reactions, was detected in the tunnel waters. NTS-specific media formulations were used to culture and quantify nitrate-, sulfate-, iron-reducing, fermentative, and methanogenic microorganisms. Given that redox manipulations mediated by microorganisms can impact the mobility of DOE contaminants, our results should have implications for management strategies at this and other DOE sites

Fast Photoswitchable Molecular Prosthetics Control Neuronal Activity in the Cochlea

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya, Fundaluce and "la Caixa" foundations (ID 100010434, agreement LCF/PR/HR19/52160010)Artificial control of neuronal activity enables the study of neural circuits and restoration of neural functions. Direct, rapid, and sustained photocontrol of intact neurons could overcome the limitations of established electrical stimulation such as poor selectivity. We have developed fast photoswitchable ligands of glutamate receptors (GluRs) to enable neuronal control in the auditory system. The new photoswitchable ligands induced photocurrents in untransfected neurons upon covalently tethering to endogenous GluRs and activating them reversibly with visible light pulses of a few milliseconds. As a proof of concept of these molecular prostheses, we applied them to the ultrafast synapses of auditory neurons of the cochlea that encode sound and provide auditory input to the brain. This drug-based method afforded the optical stimulation of auditory neurons of adult gerbils at hundreds of hertz without genetic manipulation that would be required for their optogenetic control. This indicates that the new photoswitchable ligands are also applicable to the spatiotemporal control of fast spiking interneurons in the brain

Economic impact of alternative grain transportation systems : a northwest Missouri case study

Cover title.Digitized 2007 AES MoU

Rapid 5 lb Weight Gain Is Not Associated with Readmission in Patients with Heart Failure

Aims Heart failure (HF) patients are taught to identify a rapid 5 lb body‐weight gain for early detection of cardiac decompensation. Few data support this common advice. The study aim was to determine whether a 5 lb weight gain in 1 week and signs and symptoms of HF increased risk for unplanned physician or emergency department (ED) visits or hospital admission in rural HF patients. Methods and results This was a secondary analysis of a randomized trial. Patients tracked body weight and HF symptoms using diaries. We included patients adherent to daily diaries \u3e 50% over 24 months (N = 119). Mean age was 69 ± 11 years; 77% (65) were male, and 67% completed diaries. A weight gain of 5 lb over 7 days was associated with a greater risk for ED visits but not hospital admission [hazard ratio (HR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.08; P \u3c 0.0001 vs. HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.88, 1.16; P = 0.79]. Increased dyspnoea over 7 days was associated with a greater risk of ED visits and hospital admissions (HR 9.64, 95% CI 3.68, 25.22; P \u3c 0.0001 vs. HR 5.89, 95% CI 1.73, 20.04; P = 0.01). Higher diary adherence was associated with older age, non‐sedentary behaviour, lower depression, and HF knowledge. Conclusions Heart failure patients are counselled to observe for body‐weight gain. Our data do not support that a 5 lb weight gain was associated with hospital admission. Dyspnoea was a better predictor of ED visits and hospital admissions. Daily tracking of dyspnoea symptoms may be an important adjunct to daily weight to prevent hospitalization