Water Footprint Differences of Producing Cultivars of Selected Crops in New Zealand

Water footprint (WF) is a measure of the amount of water used to produce goods and services. It is a very important concept on indicating how much water can be consumed to complete a process of growing or processing a product at a particular location. However, paucity of water footprint information in countries facing increased competition for water resources between industries limits market access and profit optimization. Water footprint differences of producing selected cultivars of potato, oca and pumpkin squash were determined under irrigation and rain-fed regimes. All crop husbandry practices were followed in potato, oca (3.3 plants m−2) and pumpkin squash (2.2 plants m−2). Water footprint was determined as the ratio of volume of evapotranspiration for irrigated and rain-fed crops plus grey water to total yield. The consumptive water use for the rain-fed crop was 75, 65 and 69% of the irrigated oca, potato and pumpkin squash, respectively, with high water consumption in heritage cultivars. The water footprint was low in pumpkin squash and highest in oca, while potato cultivars were intermediate. Irrigation reduced water footprint especially in crops more responsive to irrigation. Farmers should focus on improving the harvest index and irrigation to reduce water footprint

Effects of alternative forages on nitrate leaching under intensive sheep grazing

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Single-Item Measurement of Suicidal Behaviors: Validity and Consequences of Misclassification

Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although research has made strides in better defining suicidal behaviors, there has been less focus on accurate measurement. Currently, the widespread use of self-report, single-item questions to assess suicide ideation, plans and attempts may contribute to measurement problems and misclassification. We examined the validity of single-item measurement and the potential for statistical errors. Over 1,500 participants completed an online survey containing single-item questions regarding a history of suicidal behaviors, followed by questions with more precise language, multiple response options and narrative responses to examine the validity of single-item questions. We also conducted simulations to test whether common statistical tests are robust against the degree of misclassification produced by the use of single-items. We found that 11.3% of participants that endorsed a single-item suicide attempt measure engaged in behavior that would not meet the standard definition of a suicide attempt. Similarly, 8.8% of those who endorsed a single-item measure of suicide ideation endorsed thoughts that would not meet standard definitions of suicide ideation. Statistical simulations revealed that this level of misclassification substantially decreases statistical power and increases the likelihood of false conclusions from statistical tests. Providing a wider range of response options for each item reduced the misclassification rate by approximately half. Overall, the use of single-item, self-report questions to assess the presence of suicidal behaviors leads to misclassification, increasing the likelihood of statistical decision errors. Improving the measurement of suicidal behaviors is critical to increase understanding and prevention of suicide

Polycomb-mediated repression of EphrinA5 promotes growth and invasion of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive intrinsic brain tumour in adults. Integrated transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses of glioblastoma initiating cells (GIC) in a mouse model uncovered a novel epigenetic regulation of EfnA5. In this model, Bmi1 enhances H3K27me3 at the EfnA5 locus and reinforces repression of selected target genes in a cellular context-dependent fashion. EfnA5 mediates Bmi1-dependent proliferation and invasion in vitro and tumour formation in an allograft model. Importantly, we show that this novel Polycomb feed-forward loop is also active in human GIC and we provide pre-clinical evidence of druggability of the EFNA5 signalling pathway in GBM xenografts overexpressing Bmi1

Incorporating the geometry of dispersal and migration to understand spatial patterns of species distributions

Dispersal and migration can be important drivers of species distributions. Because the paths followed by individuals of many species are curvilinear, spatial statistical models based on rectilinear coordinates systems would fail to predict population connectivity or the ecological consequences of migration or species invasions. I propose that we view migration/dispersal as if organisms were moving along curvilinear geometrical objects called smooth manifolds. In that view, the curvilinear pathways become the ‘shortest realised paths’ arising from the necessity to minimise mortality risks and energy costs. One can then define curvilinear coordinate systems on such manifolds. I describe a procedure to incorporate manifolds and define appropriate coordinate systems, with focus on trajectories (1D manifolds), as parts of mechanistic ecological models. I show how a statistical method, known as ‘manifold learning’, enables one to define the manifold and the appropriate coordinate systems needed to calculate population connectivity or study the effects of migrations (e.g. in aquatic invertebrates, fish, insects and birds). This approach may help in the design of networks of protected areas, in studying the consequences of invasion, range expansions, or transfer of parasites/diseases. Overall, a geometrical view to animal movement gives a novel perspective to the understanding of the ecological role of dispersal and migration

Chaos in an Exact Relativistic 3-body Self-Gravitating System

We consider the problem of three body motion for a relativistic one-dimensional self-gravitating system. After describing the canonical decomposition of the action, we find an exact expression for the 3-body Hamiltonian, implicitly determined in terms of the four coordinate and momentum degrees of freedom in the system. Non-relativistically these degrees of freedom can be rewritten in terms of a single particle moving in a two-dimensional hexagonal well. We find the exact relativistic generalization of this potential, along with its post-Newtonian approximation. We then specialize to the equal mass case and numerically solve the equations of motion that follow from the Hamiltonian. Working in hexagonal-well coordinates, we obtaining orbits in both the hexagonal and 3-body representations of the system, and plot the Poincare sections as a function of the relativistic energy parameter $\eta$. We find two broad categories of periodic and quasi-periodic motions that we refer to as the annulus and pretzel patterns, as well as a set of chaotic motions that appear in the region of phase-space between these two types. Despite the high degree of non-linearity in the relativistic system, we find that the the global structure of its phase space remains qualitatively the same as its non-relativisitic counterpart for all values of $\eta$ that we could study. However the relativistic system has a weaker symmetry and so its Poincare section develops an asymmetric distortion that increases with increasing $\eta$. For the post-Newtonian system we find that it experiences a KAM breakdown for $\eta \simeq 0.26$: above which the near integrable regions degenerate into chaos.Comment: latex, 65 pages, 36 figures, high-resolution figures available upon reques

Nuclei, Superheavy Nuclei and Hypermatter in a chiral SU(3)-Modell

A model based on chiral SU(3)-symmetry in nonlinear realisation is used for the investigation of nuclei, superheavy nuclei, hypernuclei and multistrange nuclear objects (so called MEMOs). The model works very well in the case of nuclei and hypernuclei with one Lambda-particle and rules out MEMOs. Basic observables which are known for nuclei and hypernuclei are reproduced satisfactorily. The model predicts Z=120 and N=172, 184 and 198 as the next shell closures in the region of superheavy nuclei. The calculations have been performed in self-consistent relativistic mean field approximation assuming spherical symmetry. The parameters were adapted to known nuclei.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figure

High-Rate Solid-Liquid Separation Coupled With Nitrogen and Phosphorous Treatment of Swine Manure: Effect on Ammonia Emission

A new treatment system was developed to meet multiple environmental performance standards including to substantially reduce ammonia emissions. It was tested full-scale for 2-years in a 5,145-head finishing swine farm with two anaerobic lagoons. The system combined high-rate solid-liquid separation with nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes. Both vertical radial plum mapping (VRPM) and floating static chamber techniques were used to measure NH3 emission fluxes from anaerobic storage lagoons and the total farm-level NH3 emission rates. The VRPM used an open-path tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDL) and the flux chamber used a photoacoustic gas analyzer to accurately measure NH3 concentration. After the treatment system started, one of the two lagoons became inactive without receiving anymore flushed manure. The ammonia emission flux from the other lagoon with the treated effluent decreased from 43.9 to 6.8 kg-N ha−1 d−1 1.5 years after implementation of the new treatment system. The NH3 emission flux from the inactive lagoon also decreased similarly because the already stored old manure of the lagoon prior to inactivation was diluted with rainfalls and lost some NH3 via volatilization. The total farm-level NH3 emission rates decreased from 1.72 g s−1 to below detection level of the VRPM technique. Using the minimum detection level of the TDL with R2 > 90% (i.e., 8.1 8.1 μL L−1-m), the total farm-level NH3 emission rates in the second year were less than 0.04–0.15 g s−1. These results suggested that the impact of the new treatment system on NH3 emission reduction was equivalent to closing conventional swine lagoons while actively growing 5,145 pigs with minimal ammonia emissions from the farm

Microglia promote glioblastoma via mTOR-mediated immunosuppression of the tumour microenvironment

Tumour-associated microglia/macrophages (TAM) are the most numerous non-neoplastic populations in the tumour microenvironment in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common malignant brain tumour in adulthood. The mTOR pathway, an important regulator of cell survival/proliferation, is upregulated in GBM, but little is known about the potential role of this pathway in TAM. Here, we show that GBM-initiating cells induce mTOR signalling in the microglia but not bone marrow-derived macrophages in both in vitro and in vivo GBM mouse models. mTOR-dependent regulation of STAT3 and NF-jB activity promotes an immunosuppressive microglial phenotype. This hinders effector T-cell infiltration, proliferation and immune reactivity, thereby contributing to tumour immune evasion and promoting tumour growth in mouse models. The translational value of our results is demonstrated in whole transcriptome datasets of human GBM and in a novel in vitro model, whereby expandedpotential stem cells (EPSC)-derived microglia-like cells are conditioned by syngeneic patient-derived GBM-initiating cells. These results raise the possibility that microglia could be the primary target of mTOR inhibition, rather than the intrinsic tumour cells in GB

Bilijarna funkcija u radnika profesionalno izloženih aluminijskoj prašini i dimu

This study investigated billiary secretory function in workers occupationally exposed to aluminium dust and fumes. It included a group of 34 male workers aged (44.1±7.8) years and exposed up to 4.6 mg m-3 of aluminium dust and fumes in workplace air for (21.6±2.5) years, and a group of 30 unexposed control male workers. Serum and urine aluminium levels were measured in both groups before and after chelating treatment with 1 g deferoxamine by intramuscular injection. Billiary function was assessed by measuring gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, 5-nucleotidase, cholesterol and its fractions, total and indirect bilirubin, and bile acids. We then analysed the relationship between Al exposure and billiary function. In the exposed group mean serum aluminium was significantly higher [(4.91±3.86) µg L-1] than in controls. The same was true for urine Al before [(1.57±1.93) µg L-1] and after deferoxamine [(11.51±14.97) µg L-1]. Total and indirect bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were significantly higher in the exposed than in control workers, and they correlated with urine Al after the chelating treatment. Our findings suggest that chronic occupational exposure to aluminium dust and fumes leads to a significant body retention of aluminium. The impaired biliary secretion in the exposed workers manifested itself in subclinical signs of cholestasis.Eksperimentalna istraživanja na životinjama pokazuju da kronična izloženost aluminiju može izazvati smanjen prijenos organskih aniona preko žučnih kanalića, što ima za posljedicu poremećaje sekrecije žuči i kolestazu. Učinci kronične izloženosti aluminiju na bilijarnu funkciju u ljudi do sada nisu istraživani. Procjenjivali smo učinke na bilijarnu funkciju radnika koji su profesionalno izloženi prašini i dimu aluminija. U izloženoj skupini bila su 34 muškarca, životne dobi (44,1±7,8) godina koji su tijekom (21,6±2,5) godina bili izloženi razini do 4,6 mg m-3 prašine i dima aluminija. Kontrolna skupina sastojala se od 30 neizloženih radnika. Vrijednosti aluminija određene su u serumu i mokraći u obje skupine prije i nakon davanja kelatirajućeg spoja (deferoksamin u dozi od 1 g im.). Za procjenu bilijarne funkcije rabljeni su ovi pokazatelji: γ-glutamil transpeptidaza, alkalna fosfataza, 5-nukleozidaza, kolesterol, ukupni i indirektni bilirubin te žučne kiseline. Analizirana je korelacija između izloženosti aluminiju i bilijarne funkcije. Srednja vrijednost Al u serumu izloženih radnika [(4,91±3,86) µg L-1], kao i koncentracije Al u mokraći prije [(1,57±1,93) µg L-1] i nakon primjene kelatirajućeg spoja [(11,5±15,0) µg L-1] bile su statistički značajno više u odnosu na vrijednosti u kontrolnih ispitanika. Vrijednosti ukupnog i indirektnoog bilirubina te alkalne fosfataze bile su statistički značajno više u izloženih radnika i pozitivno su korelirale s ukupnim Al izlučenim mokraćom nakon primjene kelatora. Može se zaključiti da kronična profesionalna izloženost prašini i dimu aluminija dovodi do tjelesnog opterećenja aluminijem i poremećaja bilijarne funkcije, što se odražava supkliničkim znakovima kolestaze