1998 EASTERN ONTARIO ICE STORM MAPLE PRODUCERS' SURVEY: SUMMARY AND RESULTS

In August, 1999, a telephone survey of maple producers in eastern Ontario was conducted in order to gather information on the changes in their operations since the 1998 ice storm. This paper presents the findings of the survey. The results will be used in a larger study to examine the economic impact of the ice storm on maple producers in this region.Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Hypopnea in pediatric patients with obesity hypertension

Obesity is associated with the development of hypertension but it is still not clear why hypertension is not observed in all obese patients. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children. OSAS has been linked to the development of hypertension in adults and children. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that OSAS is one of the reasons that some obese children are hypertensive and some are not. The overnight polysomnography records of 90 patients (aged 4.2–18.8 years) were reviewed. BMI score [body mass index (BMI)/95th percentile BMI for age, sex, and race] was used to express the degree of obesity. The severity of systolic hypertension and diastolic hypertension were expressed as SBP score (systolic BP/the 95th percentile systolic BP for age, sex, and height) and DBP score (diastolic BP/the 95th percentile diastolic BP for age, sex, and height), respectively. OSAS was defined as more than one episodes of apnea per hour (AI) or an O 2 saturation associated with obstructive apnea of less than 90%. There were 56 obese patients; 42 were hypertensive and 40 patients were diagnosed with OSAS. The incidence of hypertension (68% vs. 30%) and obesity (75% vs. 52%) was higher in OSAS patients than those without OSAS. Compared with the non-obese patients, obese patients had a higher incidence of hypertension or OSAS, a higher BMI score , SBP score , DBP score , AI, hypopnea index (HI), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). In obese patients, both SBP score and DBP score correlated positively with BMI score , arousal index, and HI. DBP score also correlated positively with AHI. Multiple regression analysis showed that HI and BMI score were significant independent predictors of SBP score or DBP score . Obese and hypertensive patients had a higher HI, AHI, and incidence of OSAS (64% vs. 29%) than the obese and normotensive patients. In conclusion, HI had a significant correlation with the degree of hypertension in obese patients, which could not be attributed to the degree of obesity. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that OSAS is one of the reasons why some obese children are hypertensive and some are not.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47825/1/467_2004_Article_1513.pd

Boolean analysis identifies CD38 as a biomarker of aggressive localized prostate cancer.

The introduction of serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing nearly 30 years ago has been associated with a significant shift towards localized disease and decreased deaths due to prostate cancer. Recognition that PSA testing has caused over diagnosis and over treatment of prostate cancer has generated considerable controversy over its value, and has spurred efforts to identify prognostic biomarkers to distinguish patients who need treatment from those that can be observed. Recent studies show that cancer is heterogeneous and forms a hierarchy of tumor cell populations. We developed a method of identifying prostate cancer differentiation states related to androgen signaling using Boolean logic. Using gene expression data, we identified two markers, CD38 and ARG2, that group prostate cancer into three differentiation states. Cancers with CD38-, ARG2- expression patterns, corresponding to an undifferentiated state, had significantly lower 10-year recurrence-free survival compared to the most differentiated group (CD38+ARG2+). We carried out immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for these two markers in a single institution (Stanford; n = 234) and multi-institution (Canary; n = 1326) cohorts. IHC staining for CD38 and ARG2 in the Stanford cohort demonstrated that combined expression of CD38 and ARG2 was prognostic. In the Canary cohort, low CD38 protein expression by IHC was significantly associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS), seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), extra-capsular extension (ECE) in univariable analysis. In multivariable analysis, ARG2 and CD38 IHC staining results were not independently associated with RFS, overall survival, or disease-specific survival after adjusting for other factors including SVI, ECE, Gleason score, pre-operative PSA, and surgical margins

Genome sequencing and population genomic analyses provide insights into the adaptive landscape of silver birch

Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a pioneer boreal tree that can be induced to flower within 1 year. Its rapid life cycle, small (440-Mb) genome, and advanced germplasm resources make birch an attractive model for forest biotechnology. We assembled and chromosomally anchored the nuclear genome of an inbred B. pendula individual. Gene duplicates from the paleohexaploid event were enriched for transcriptional regulation, whereas tandem duplicates were overrepresented by environmental responses. Population resequencing of 80 individuals showed effective population size crashes at major points of climatic upheaval. Selective sweeps were enriched among polyploid duplicates encoding key developmental and physiological triggering functions, suggesting that local adaptation has tuned the timing of and cross-talk between fundamental plant processes. Variation around the tightly-linked light response genes PHYC and FRS10 correlated with latitude and longitude and temperature, and with precipitation for PHYC. Similar associations characterized the growth-promoting cytokinin response regulator ARR1, and the wood development genes KAK and MED5A.Peer reviewe

Australian tree species selection in China

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), through collaborative projects with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, and the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), has been involved in tree species selection trials in southern China since 1984. The trials were aimed at identifying fast-growing species of Eucalyptus, Acacia and Casuarina. The Chinese have been planting Australian tree species for more than 100 years, but before the ACIAR project there had been little progress in determining which species and provenances would be best for the local climate and soils. This paper presents an assessment of the economic impact of research undertaken under two ACIAR-supported projects. Adoption of some new introductions has been much greater and sooner than previously anticipated. Using a 5% discount rate, base-case benefit estimates suggest the future stream of economic gains to China have a net present value of $A122.3 million in 1996 dollars. The internal rate of return is 35$3.8 million ($1996). This indicates that substantive net economic benefits from the research have begun to flow

Australian tree species selection in China

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), through collaborative projects with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, and the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), has been involved in tree species selection trials in southern China since 1984. The trials were aimed at identifying fast-growing species of Eucalyptus, Acacia and Casuarina. The Chinese have been planting Australian tree species for more than 100 years, but before the ACIAR project there had been little progress in determining which species and provenances would be best for the local climate and soils. This paper presents an assessment of the economic impact of research undertaken under two ACIAR-supported projects. Adoption of some new introductions has been much greater and sooner than previously anticipated. Using a 5% discount rate, base-case benefit estimates suggest the future stream of economic gains to China have a net present value of $A122.3 million in 1996 dollars. The internal rate of return is 35$3.8 million ($1996). This indicates that substantive net economic benefits from the research have begun to flow.China, Australia, CSIRO, tree, Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Acacia, plantation, forestry, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Development, Production Economics,