Effect of Fire Intensity and Depth of Burn on Lowbush Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, and Velvet Leaf Blueberry, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Production in Eastern Ontario

The effects of prescribed fire intensity and depth of burn were investigated on Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and Velvet Leaf Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) stem density, blueberry production and the number of blueberries/stem in a clear-cut Jack Pine, Pinus banksiana, ecosystem of eastern Ontario. Blueberry production and stem density were significantly (P < 0.001) increased by low intensity prescribed fires of 597 and 1268 kW/m. In contrast, prescribed fires of medium and high intensities did not affect blueberry production and stem density. The number of blueberries/stem was not affected (P = 0.056) by prescribed burning, two years after treatment. Pearson's multiple correlation analysis showed that blueberry production (R: -0.683, P < 0.01), stem density (R: 0.733, P < 0.01) and the number of blueberries/stem (R: 0.803, P < 0.01) correlated with depth of burn. As well, blueberry production (R: 0.507, P < 0.05) and stem density (R: -0.504, P < 0.05) correlated with fire intensity. Depth of burn was a better predictor of berry production and stem density than fire intensity. These results suggest that only low intensity fires with little penetrating effect in the ground should be used to manage blueberry crops

Transferrin as a source of iron for Campylobacter rectus

Background and Objective: Campylobacter rectus is considered as one of the bacterial species of etiological importance in periodontitis. Iron-containing proteins such as transferrin are found in periodontal sites and may serve as a source of iron for periodontopathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of C. rectus to assimilate transferrin-bound iron to support its growth. Design: Growth studies were performed in broth media pretreated with an iron-chelating resin and supplemented with various iron sources. The uptake of iron by C. rectus was monitored using 55Fe-transferrin. Transferrin-binding activity was assessed using a microplate assay while the degradation of transferrin and iron removal was evaluated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A colorimetric assay was used to determine ferric reductase activity. Results: Holotransferrin (iron-saturated form) but not apotransferrin (iron-free form) was found to support growth of C. rectus in an iron-restricted culture medium. Incubation of holotransferrin with cells of C. rectus resulted in removal of iron from the protein. A time dependent intracellular uptake of iron by C. rectus cells from 55Fe-transferrin was demonstrated. This uptake was significantly increased when bacteria were grown under an iron-limiting condition. Cells of C. rectus did not show transferrin-binding activity or proteolytic activity toward transferrin. However, a surface-associated ferric reductase activity was demonstrated. Conclusion: To survive and multiply in periodontal sites, periodontopathogens must possess efficient iron-scavenging mechanisms. In this study, we showed the capacity of C. rectus to assimilate iron from transferrin to support its growth. The uptake of iron appears to be dependent on a ferric reductive pathway

Effect of Fire Intensity and Depth of Burn on Lowbush Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, and Velvet Leaf Blueberry, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Production in Eastern Ontario

The effects of prescribed fire intensity and depth of burn were investigated on Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and Velvet Leaf Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) stem density, blueberry production and the number of blueberries/stem in a clear-cut Jack Pine, Pinus banksiana, ecosystem of eastern Ontario. Blueberry production and stem density were significantly (P < 0.001) increased by low intensity prescribed fires of 597 and 1268 kW/m. In contrast, prescribed fires of medium and high intensities did not affect blueberry production and stem density. The number of blueberries/stem was not affected (P = 0.056) by prescribed burning, two years after treatment. Pearson's multiple correlation analysis showed that blueberry production (R: -0.683, P < 0.01), stem density (R: 0.733, P < 0.01) and the number of blueberries/stem (R: 0.803, P < 0.01) correlated with depth of burn. As well, blueberry production (R: 0.507, P < 0.05) and stem density (R: -0.504, P < 0.05) correlated with fire intensity. Depth of burn was a better predictor of berry production and stem density than fire intensity. These results suggest that only low intensity fires with little penetrating effect in the ground should be used to manage blueberry crops

West African equatorial ionospheric parameters climatology based on Ouagadougou ionosonde station data from June 1966 to February 1998

This study is the first which gives the climatology of West African equatorial ionosphere by using Ouagadougou station through three solar cycles. It has permitted to show the complete morphology of ionosphere parameters by analyzing yearly variation, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity, seasonal evolution and diurnal development. This work shows that almost all ionospheric parameters have 11-year solar cycle evolution. Seasonal variation shows that only &lt;I&gt;fo&lt;/I&gt;F2 exhibits annual, winter and semiannual anomaly. &lt;I&gt;fo&lt;/I&gt;F2 seasonal variation has permitted us to identify and characterize solar events effects on F2 layer in this area. In fact (1) during quiet geomagnetic condition &lt;I&gt;fo&lt;/I&gt;F2 presents winter and semiannual anomalies asymmetric peaks in March/April and October. (2) The absence of winter anomaly and the presence of equinoctial peaks are the most visible effects of fluctuating activity in &lt;I&gt;fo&lt;/I&gt;F2 seasonal time profiles. (3) Solar wind shock activity does not modify the profile of &lt;I&gt;fo&lt;/I&gt;F2 but increases ionization. (4) The absence of asymmetry peaks, the location of the peaks in March and October and the increase of ionization characterize recurrent storm activity. F1 layers shows increasing trend from cycle 20 to cycle 21. Moreover, E layer parameters seasonal variations exhibit complex structure. It seems impossible to detect fluctuating activity effect in E layer parameters seasonal variations but shock activity and wind stream activity act to decrease E layer ionization. It can be seen from Es layer parameters seasonal variations that wind stream activity effect is fairly independent of solar cycle. E and Es layers critical frequencies and virtual heights diurnal variations let us see the effects of the greenhouse gases in these layers

Parent-to-parent advice: What can we learn by listening to parents of deaf children

Parent-to-parent support is an important component of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. In this study, we asked parents of DHH children what advice they would give to new parents in their situation. Seventy-one hearing parents of DDH children living in Canada, Switzerland, France, and Belgium participated in interviews that included the following question: “What advice you would give to parents who just learned that their child is deaf?”. We performed a thematic analysis and developed three overarching themes, revolving around the importance of trust, the need for reassurance, and finally, the quest for help. The findings allow to better understand how parental expertise can be used to improve early intervention services for DHH children

New ground ice maps for Canada using a paleogeographic modelling approach

Ground ice melt caused by climate-induced permafrost degradation may trigger significant ecological change, damage infrastructure, and alter biogeochemical cycles. The fundamental ground ice mapping for Canada is now &gt;20 years old and does not include significant new insights gained from recent field- and remote-sensing-based studies. New modelling incorporating paleogeography is presented in this paper to depict the distribution of three ground ice types (relict ice, segregated ice, and wedge ice) in northern Canada. The modelling uses an expert-system approach in a geographic information system (GIS), founded in conceptual principles gained from empirically based research, to predict ground ice abundance in near-surface permafrost. Datasets of surficial geology, deglaciation, paleovegetation, glacial lake and marine limits, and modern permafrost distribution allow representations in the models of paleoclimatic shifts, tree line migration, marine and glacial lake inundation, and terrestrial emergence, and their effect on ground ice abundance. The model outputs are generally consistent with field observations, indicating abundant relict ice in the western Arctic, where it has remained preserved since deglaciation in thick glacigenic sediments in continuous permafrost. Segregated ice is widely distributed in fine-grained deposits, occurring in the highest abundance in glacial lake and marine sediments. The modelled abundance of wedge ice largely reflects the exposure time of terrain to low air temperatures in tundra environments following deglaciation or marine/glacial lake inundation and is thus highest in the western Arctic. Holocene environmental changes result in reduced ice abundance where the tree line advanced during warmer periods. Published observations of thaw slumps and massive ice exposures, segregated ice and associated landforms, and ice wedges allow a favourable preliminary assessment of the models, and the results are generally comparable with the previous ground ice mapping for Canada. However, the model outputs are more spatially explicit and better reflect observed ground ice conditions in many regions. Synthetic modelling products that incorporated the previous ground ice information may therefore include inaccuracies. The presented modelling approach is a significant advance in permafrost mapping, but additional field observations and volumetric ice estimates from more areas in Canada are required to improve calibration and validation of small-scale ground ice modelling. The ground ice maps from this paper are available in the supplement in GeoTIFF format.</p

Feed-back on the development of a small scale Contact Erosion Test in the laboratory (characteristic size ~ 30 cm)

To determine the hydraulic load requested to initiate contact erosion process, tests are performed with an apparatus called the “Contact Erosion Test”. This device originally results from research carried out by Grenoble University, Électricité de France and Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, at the scale of ~60 cm. It has been adapted to a smaller scale in geophyConsult laboratory to conduct tests on samples extracted from core drilling. The instrumentation was improved to enable a better control of the hydraulic loading and avoid biases. The test protocol was modified, especially to better constrain the soil density at the interface. From the first series of test, we drew conclusions on the test repeatability and on the influence of parameters of the soil state. Discrepancies with previous results obtained at the scale of ~60 cm were identified. Therefore, a new erosion test campaign was planned to confirm and determine the reasons for these differences

Congenital syndactyly in cattle: four novel mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 gene (LRP4)

BACKGROUND: Isolated syndactyly in cattle, also known as mulefoot, is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait with variable penetrance in different cattle breeds. Recently, two independent mutations in the bovine LRP4 gene have been reported as the primary cause of syndactyly in the Holstein and Angus cattle breeds. RESULTS: We confirmed the previously described LRP4 exon 33 two nucleotide substitution in most of the affected Holstein calves and revealed additional evidence for allelic heterogeneity by the identification of four new LRP4 non-synonymous point mutations co-segregating in Holstein, German Simmental and Simmental-Charolais families. CONCLUSION: We confirmed a significant role of LRP4 mutations in the pathogenesis of congenital syndactyly in cattle. The newly detected missense mutations in the LRP4 gene represent independent mutations affecting different conserved protein domains. However, the four newly described LRP4 mutations do still not explain all analyzed cases of syndactyly

The Canadian Dementia Imaging Protocol: Harmonization validity for morphometry measurements

© 2019 The Authors The harmonized Canadian Dementia Imaging Protocol (CDIP) has been developed to suit the needs of a number of co-occurring Canadian studies collecting data on brain changes across adulthood and neurodegeneration. In this study, we verify the impact of CDIP parameters compliance on total brain volume variance using 86 scans of the same individual acquired on various scanners. Data included planned data collection acquired within the Consortium pour l\u27identification précoce de la maladie Alzheimer - Québec (CIMA-Q) and Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) studies, as well as opportunistic data collection from various protocols. For images acquired from Philips scanners, lower variance in brain volumes were observed when the stated CDIP resolution was set. For images acquired from GE scanners, lower variance in brain volumes were noticed when TE/TR values were within 5% of the CDIP protocol, compared to values farther from that criteria. Together, these results suggest that a harmonized protocol like the CDIP may help to reduce neuromorphometric measurement variability in multi-centric studies

Has education lost sight of children?

The reflections presented in this chapter are informed by clinical and personal experiences of school education in the UK. There are many challenges for children and young people in the modern education system and for the professionals who support them. In the UK, there are significant gaps between the highly selective education provided to those who pay privately for it and to the majority of those educated in the state-funded system. Though literacy rates have improved around the world, many children, particularly boys, do not finish their education for reasons such as boredom, behavioural difficulties or because education does not ‘pay’. Violence, bullying, and sexual harassment are issues faced by many children in schools and there are disturbing trends of excluding children who present with behavioural problems at school whose origins are not explored. Excluded children are then educated with other children who may also have multiple problems which often just make the situation worse. The experience of clinicians suggests that school-related mental health problems are increasing in severity. Are mental health services dealing with the consequences of an education system that is not meeting children’s needs? An education system that is testing- and performance-based may not be serving many children well if it is driving important decisions about them at increasingly younger ages. Labelling of children and setting them on educational career paths can occur well before they reach secondary schools, limiting potential very early on in their developmental trajectory. Furthermore, the emphasis at school on testing may come at the expense of creativity and other forms of intelligence, which are also valuable and important. Meanwhile the employment marketplace requires people with widely different skills, with an emphasis on innovation, creativity, and problem solving. Is education losing sight of the children it is educating