Report on a review of ACIAR-funded projects on Rhizobium during 1983–2004

Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Co-inoculation effects of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum sp. on competitive nodulation and rhizosphere eubacterial community structures of soybean under rhizobia-established soil conditions

Bradyrhizobial inoculants used for soybean seed inoculation to maximize the benefit of N2-fixation should include bradyrhizobial strain with high N2-fixation rates and ability to compete with the indigenous rhizobial populations. In this study, co-inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Azospirillum sp. with either of Bradyrhizobium japonicum CB 1809 or USDA 110 increased shoot and root dry weight of soybean over non-inoculated control under pot condition with no indigenous soybean nodulating bradyrhizobia. Moreover, competition for nodulation and the effects on rhizosphere soil eubacterial community structures by using single or co-inoculation of B. japonicum and Azospirillum sp. under rhizobia-established Myanmar and Thailand soils were investigated. By inoculation of gus-marked USDA 110 singly or its co-inoculation gave 93.21 to 94.75% and 74.21 to 100% in nodule occupancy, and 23.50 to 41.95% and 50.37 to 73.24% promotion in biomass dry weight over non-inoculated control in Myanmar and Thailand soil samples, respectively. Each of all the tested inoculum levels, that is 106, 107 and 108 cfu/ml of Azospirillum sp. enhanced nodulation in combination with USDA 110 with a corresponding increase in 73.8, 62.25 and 95.34%; and 51.52, 62.38 and 79.46% over non-inoculated control, respectively in Myanmar and Thailand soil, respectively. In addition, soybean rhizosphere soil eubacterial community structures were not shifted by bacterial inoculation. Therefore, Azospirillum sp. could be used in co-inoculant production with B. japonicum for soybean.Keywords: Bradyrhizobium, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), soybean, co-inoculation, competition, rhizosphere eubacterial community structureAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(20), pp. 2850-286

Documenting Local History: Using the Library of Congress Site, Primary Sources, and Community Resources for Teaching Social Studies

In the 2011 academic school year, a central Illinois jr. high school and a private university initiated a partnership to create a local history research project. Through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Project at the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, teachers and professors collaborated to identify information for research and design the inquiry’s final product for the project. Through the guidance of their teachers, seventh and eighth grade students accessed the Library of Congress resources and town primary sources for research. Historical inquiry included the identification of the town’s origination and important events that occurred through the years of 1830 to 2012. They gathered data, developed interview questions and interviewed local residents. The students analyzed auditory and visual primary sources to identify the growth of the town through the years and created a video documentary. The documentary continues to be used each year for the teaching and learning of Social Studies

A retrospective cohort pilot study to evaluate a triage tool for use in a pandemic

Abstract Introduction The objective of this pilot study was to assess the usability of the draft Ontario triage protocol, to estimate its potential impact on patient outcomes, and ability to increase resource availability based on a retrospective cohort of critically ill patients cared for during a non-pandemic period. Methods Triage officers applied the protocol prospectively to 2 retrospective cohorts of patients admitted to 2 academic medical/surgical ICUs during an 8 week period of peak occupancy. Each patient was assigned a treatment priority (red -- 'highest', yellow -- 'intermediate', green -- 'discharge to ward', or blue/black -- 'expectant') by the triage officers at 3 separate time points (at the time of admission to the ICU, 48, and 120 hours post admission). Results Overall, triage officers were either confident or very confident in 68.4% of their scores; arbitration was required in 54.9% of cases. Application of the triage protocol would potentially decrease the number of required ventilator days by 49.3% (568 days) and decrease the total ICU days by 52.6% (895 days). On the triage protocol at ICU admission the survival rate in the red (93.7%) and yellow (62.5%) categories were significantly higher then that of the blue category (24.6%) with associated P values of < 0.0001 and 0.0003 respectively. Further, the survival rate of the red group was significantly higher than the overall survival rate of 70.9% observed in the cohort (P < 0.0001). At 48 and 120 hours, survival rates in the blue group increased but remained lower then the red or yellow groups. Conclusions Refinement of the triage protocol and implementation is required prior to future study, including improved training of triage officers, and protocol modification to minimize the exclusion from critical care of patients who may in fact benefit. However, our results suggest that the triage protocol can help to direct resources to patients who are most likely to benefit, and help to decrease the demands on critical care resources, thereby making available more resources to treat other critically ill patients

Nutrient management in rainfed lowland rice farming systems of Myanmar

This research was undertaken to determine the key factors affecting grain yields and profitability of rainfed (monsoon) lowland rice in a township area of the Ayeyarwady delta in the north of the Yangon Division, Myanmar. The production of monsoon rice provides the farming family's basic food supply as well as cash income. Higher domestic production of rice in conjunction with increased rice exports could also stimulate economic growth and poverty reduction at the national scale. In addition to quantifying the bio-physical aspects of the monsoon rice production systems in the study area, particularly the key issue of soil fertility management, this research also sought to document and analyse the perceptions of farmers about their farming and the socio-economic pressures they face. Such knowledge may help with the planning of agricultural and regional development programs by government, international aid donors, civil society and businesses

Study protocol: The Improving Care of Acute Lung Injury Patients (ICAP) study

INTRODUCTION: The short-term mortality benefit of lower tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) has been demonstrated in a large, multi-center randomized trial. However, the impact of LTVV and other critical care therapies on the longer-term outcomes of ALI/ARDS survivors remains uncertain. The Improving Care of ALI Patients (ICAP) study is a multi-site, prospective cohort study that aims to evaluate the longer-term outcomes of ALI/ARDS survivors with a particular focus on the effect of LTVV and other critical care therapies. METHODS: Consecutive mechanically ventilated ALI/ARDS patients from 11 intensive care units (ICUs) at four hospitals in the city of Baltimore, MD, USA, will be enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Exposures (patient-based, clinical management, and ICU organizational) will be comprehensively collected both at baseline and throughout patients' ICU stay. Outcomes, including mortality, organ impairment, functional status, and quality of life, will be assessed with the use of standardized surveys and testing at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after ALI/ARDS diagnosis. A multi-faceted retention strategy will be used to minimize participant loss to follow-up. RESULTS: On the basis of the historical incidence of ALI/ARDS at the study sites, we expect to enroll 520 patients over two years. This projected sample size is more than double that of any published study of long-term outcomes in ALI/ARDS survivors, providing 86% power to detect a relative mortality hazard of 0.70 in patients receiving higher versus lower exposure to LTVV. The projected sample size also provides sufficient power to evaluate the association between a variety of other exposure and outcome variables, including quality of life. CONCLUSION: The ICAP study is a novel, prospective cohort study that will build on previous critical care research to improve our understanding of the longer-term impact of ALI/ARDS, LTVV and other aspects of critical care management. Given the paucity of information about the impact of interventions on long-term outcomes for survivors of critical illness, this study can provide important information to inform clinical practice

Enhancing rehabilitation of mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit: A quality improvement project

Purpose: Prolonged periods of mechanical ventilation are associated with significant physical and psychosocial adverse effects. Despite increasing evidence supporting early rehabilitation strategies, uptake and delivery of such interventions in Europe have been variable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an early and enhanced rehabilitation program for mechanically ventilated patients in a large tertiary referral, mixed-population intensive care unit (ICU). Method: A new supportive rehabilitation team was created within the ICU in April 2012, with a focus on promoting early and enhanced rehabilitation for patients at high risk for prolonged ICU and hospital stays. Baseline data on all patients invasively ventilated for at least 5 days in the previous 12 months (n = 290) were compared with all patients ventilated for at least 5 days in the 12 months after the introduction of the rehabilitation team (n = 292). The main outcome measures were mobility level at ICU discharge (assessed via the Manchester Mobility Score), mean ICU, and post-ICU length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, and in-hospital mortality. Results: The introduction of the ICU rehabilitation team was associated with a significant increase in mobility at ICU discharge, and this was associated with a significant reduction in ICU LOS (16.9 vs 14.4 days, P = .007), ventilator days (11.7 vs 9.3 days, P &lt; .05), total hospital LOS (35.3 vs 30.1 days, P &lt; .001), and in-hospital mortality (39% vs 28%, P &lt; .05). Conclusion: A quality improvement strategy to promote early and enhanced rehabilitation within this European ICU improved levels of mobility at critical care discharge, and this was associated with reduced ICU and hospital LOS and reduced days of mechanical ventilation

TCTEX1D2 mutations underlie Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy with impaired retrograde intraflagellar transport

Tiina Paunio on työryhmän UK10K jäsen.The analysis of individuals with ciliary chondrodysplasias can shed light on sensitive mechanisms controlling ciliogenesis and cell signalling that are essential to embryonic development and survival. Here we identify TCTEX1D2 mutations causing Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy with partially penetrant inheritance. Loss of TCTEX1D2 impairs retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT) in humans and the protist Chlamydomonas, accompanied by destabilization of the retrograde IFT dynein motor. We thus define TCTEX1D2 as an integral component of the evolutionarily conserved retrograde IFT machinery. In complex with several IFT dynein light chains, it is required for correct vertebrate skeletal formation but may be functionally redundant under certain conditions.Peer reviewe