How well does camelina tolerate root zone salinity?

Non-Peer ReviewedCrops of CS15 camelina and InVigor 9590 canola grown in saline rooting media were evaluated for plant emergence, height growth, grain yield, and oil production. The experiment utilized Canada’s Salinity Tolerance Testing Facility featuring a controlled environment simulating field conditions. Test plants were grown in sand tanks flushed four times daily with hydroponic solutions consisting of nutrients and salts dominated by sulphate anions targeting electrical conductivity (ECsol) treatments of 1.4 (nutrients only), 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, and 28 dS m−1. A comparison of the mid-salinity tolerance indices for the two crops indicated that the camelina registered about half of that for the canola. This difference narrowed for the salinity at the slight and severe ends of the total range

Biodiesel fuel quality of canola feedstock grown on saline land

Non-Peer ReviewedVegetable oil from canola-grade feedstock ranks among the best in the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME or biodiesel). FAME produced from canola-quality oilseed grown on salt-affected lands offer new opportunities for increased production and counter fuel-versus-food concerns provided the biodiesel product meets quality standards. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has set the North American fuel quality standards (D6751) for 100% biodiesel (B100) to be blended with petrodiesel fuel. Canola-quality feedstock yield oil low in free fatty acids, acids which are not bonded to parent oil molecules. These free acids may negatively affect diesel engine components, especially at biodiesel oil blends greater than 20%. Also, solid and dissolved impurities, alkali/alkaline earth metals, and oxidation stability are of concern to fuel injection equipment manufacturers. Ultimately, purity, composition, and biodiesel utility depend on the quality of the feedstock supplied. Processing can improve purity, but not composition. Contaminants in biodiesel fuel may include water, sediment, S, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, carbon residue, and various other constituents in its sulphated ash. Canterra 1818 canola feedstock grown on negligibly, slightly, moderately, and severely salinized soil were crushed and tested for biodiesel fuel quality. All samples yielded biofuel within the ASTM International specifications except for free glycerol in the negligibly-saline sample

Neuroanatomical and neuropsychological correlates of resting-state EEG diagnostic features in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Background: In the search for accurate, low cost biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias, quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) may offer a solution. In a recent multisite study by Cognision, patients with AD were assessed using the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative protocol, plus EEG assessment. The primary objective of the current analysis, was to examine the relationships between a resting-state (rs)EEG feature set (that best discriminated AD patients from controls) and neuroanatomical measures. The second objective was to identify the rsEEG measures that reflected disease staging. Method: Eighty-nine patients with mild AD (MMSE 21-26) were evaluated using a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment battery, 5 minute eyes-open rsEEG, and structural MRI. Correlations (Spearman’s) were assessed between the 35 rsEEG features (that most accurately discriminated the AD patients), neuroanatomical measures (derived using Freesurfer), and neuropsychological test results. Result: Cortical Thickness (CT) measures within the left posterior cingulate and right precuneus were related to alpha features. Beta features were associated with regions including the right entorhinal cortex, middle temporal, supramarginal, lingual, and paracentral cortex, in addition to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and precuneus, bilaterally. Gamma features correlated with regions that included the right ACC and fronto-parietal cortex. Delta features were linked to the left fronto-parietal and right entorhinal cortex. Theta features were associated with the left ACC and visual cortex. In relation to disease staging – Clinical Dementia Rating scores were correlated with gamma features at frontal electrode sites, and with power over frequency bands, delta to beta, at Fz. Alpha features were associated with hippocampal volume (bilaterally), whereas some delta and theta features were linked to left hippocampal volume. Conclusion: These preliminary correlation analyses highlight multiple brain regions that appear to underpin the rsEEG abnormalities that occur due to AD. Given the rich data offered by both rsEEG and by structural MRI, future studies could investigate the combined potential for these techniques to classify the dementias

B-->pi and B-->K transitions in standard and quenched chiral perturbation theory

We study the effects of chiral logs on the heavy-->light pseudoscalar meson transition form factors by using standard and quenched chiral perturbation theory combined with the static heavy quark limit. The resulting expressions are used to indicate the size of uncertainties due to the use of the quenched approximation in the current lattice studies. They may also be used to assess the size of systematic uncertainties induced by missing chiral log terms in extrapolating toward the physical pion mass. We also provide the coefficient multiplying the quenched chiral log, which may be useful if the quenched lattice studies are performed with very light mesons.Comment: 33 pages, 8 PostScript figures, version to appear in PR

Renormalization of the Lattice HQET Isgur-Wise Function

We compute the perturbative renormalization factors required to match to the continuum Isgur-Wise function, calculated using lattice Heavy Quark Effective Theory. The velocity, mass, wavefunction and current renormalizations are calculated for both the forward difference and backward difference actions for a variety of velocities. Subtleties are clarified regarding tadpole improvement, regulating divergences, and variations of techniques used in these renormalizations.Comment: 28 pages, 0 figures, LaTeX. Final version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D. (Minor changes.

Towards a Model-Independent Analysis of Rare BB Decays

Motivated by the experimental accessibility of rare $B$ decays in the ongoing and planned experiments, we propose to undertake a model-independent analysis of the inclusive decay rates and distributions in the processes \bgamaxs~ and \Bsell ~($B=B^\pm$ or $B^0_d$). We show how measurements of the decay rates and distributions in these processes would allow us to extract the magnitude and sign of the dominant Wilson coefficients of the magnetic moment operator \mb \bar{s}_L \sigma_{\mu \nu} b_R F^{\mu \nu } and the four-fermion operators $(\bar{s}_L \gamma_\mu b_L)(\bar{\ell} \gamma^{\mu} \ell)$ and $(\bar{s}_L \gamma_\mu b_L)(\bar{\ell} \gamma^{\mu}\gamma^5 \ell)$. Non-standard-model effects could thus manifest themselves at low energy in rare $B$ decays through the Wilson coefficient having values distinctly different from their standard-model counterparts. We illustrate this possibility using the examples of the two-doublet Higgs models and the minimal supersymmetric models. The dilepton invariant mass spectrum and the forward-backward asymmetry of $\ell^+$ in the centre-of-mass system of the dilepton pair in the decay \Bsell ~are also worked out for the standard model and some representative solutions for the other two models.Comment: LaTeX, 36 pages, 11 figures appended after \end{document} as uu-encoded and compressed .eps files, uses epsf, CERN-TH.7346/9

Exact Theorems Concerning CP and CPT Violations in C=-1 Entangled State of Pseudoscalar Neutral Mesons

Neutral pseudoscalar mesons in an entangled or Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen state are routinely produced in phi and B factories. Based on the peculiar properties of an entangled state, we present some general exact theorems about parameters characterizing CP and CPT violations, by using various asymmetries defined for the correlated decays of the two entangled mesons, which are rigorously calculated.Comment: 10 pages, published versio

2022 ESC guidelines for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: developed by the task force for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) endorsed by the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (A

Cardiolog