Evaluating Winter Malting Barley Grain Yield with Fractional Green Canopy Cover

Because of growth in the craft brewing industry, farmers in the eastern United States are planting winter malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to meet demands for locally sourced grain. However, given that barley is a relatively new crop in this region, basic agronomic information relating to stand assessment is needed. This is particularly relevant in this region, as climatic variability from extreme temperature fluctuations during the winter and spring can reduce a barley stand, creating the need for farmers to estimate grain yield potential. The objective of the research was to evaluate the relationship between spring stem counts, fractional green canopy cover (FGCC), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and barley grain yield. Trials were established at five site-years in Ohio, where seeding rate treatments of 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 million seeds acre−1 were used to simulate a range of poor to excellent plant stands. All barley stand assessment methods were conducted in the spring at the Feekes 5 growth stage. Stem counts were correlated with FGCC and NDVI measurements (r = .76 and .74, respectively). Stem counts (R2 = .67) and FGCC (R2 = .65) measurements accounted for the greatest variability in barley grain yield. Specifically, FGCC ≤5% corresponded to yield between 27 and 39 bu acre−1, whereas 5 to 10% corresponded to yield between 60 and 89 bu acre−1. Fractional green canopy cover should be considered as a stand and yield assessment tool, as it reduces labor compared with stem counting techniques

Contribution of finite element analyses to crack-like flaw assessments in a gas pipeline

Peer reviewedPostprin

Onecut-dependent Nkx6.2 transcription factor expression is required for proper formation and activity of spinal locomotor circuits.

In the developing spinal cord, Onecut transcription factors control the diversification of motor neurons into distinct neuronal subsets by ensuring the maintenance of Isl1 expression during differentiation. However, other genes downstream of the Onecut proteins and involved in motor neuron diversification have remained unidentified. In the present study, we generated conditional mutant embryos carrying specific inactivation of Onecut genes in the developing motor neurons, performed RNA-sequencing to identify factors downstream of Onecut proteins in this neuron population, and employed additional transgenic mouse models to assess the role of one specific Onecut-downstream target, the transcription factor Nkx6.2. Nkx6.2 expression was up-regulated in Onecut-deficient motor neurons, but strongly downregulated in Onecut-deficient V2a interneurons, indicating an opposite regulation of Nkx6.2 by Onecut factors in distinct spinal neuron populations. Nkx6.2-null embryos, neonates and adult mice exhibited alterations of locomotor pattern and spinal locomotor network activity, likely resulting from defective survival of a subset of limb-innervating motor neurons and abnormal migration of V2a interneurons. Taken together, our results indicate that Nkx6.2 regulates the development of spinal neuronal populations and the formation of the spinal locomotor circuits downstream of the Onecut transcription factors

Mild/moderate haemophilia A: new insights into molecular mechanisms and inhibitor development

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72987/1/j.1365-2516.2008.01730.x.pd

Low phospholipid associated cholelithiasis: association with mutation in the MDR3/ABCB4 gene

Low phospholipid-associated cholelithiasis (LPAC) is characterized by the association of ABCB4 mutations and low biliary phospholipid concentration with symptomatic and recurring cholelithiasis. This syndrome is infrequent and corresponds to a peculiar small subgroup of patients with symptomatic gallstone disease. The patients with the LPAC syndrome present typically with the following main features: age less than 40 years at onset of symptoms, recurrence of biliary symptoms after cholecystectomy, intrahepatic hyperechoic foci or sludge or microlithiasis along the biliary tree. Defect in ABCB4 function causes the production of bile with low phospholipid content, increased lithogenicity and high detergent properties leading to bile duct luminal membrane injuries and resulting in cholestasis with increased serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity. Intrahepatic gallstones may be evidenced by ultrasonography (US), computing tomography (CT) abdominal scan or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, intrahepatic hyperechogenic foci along the biliary tree may be evidenced by US, and hepatic bile composition (phospholipids) may be determined by duodenoscopy. In all cases where the ABCB4 genotyping confirms the diagnosis of LPAC syndrome in young adults, long-term curative or prophylactic therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) should be initiated early to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of the syndrome and its complications. Cholecystectomy is indicated in the case of symptomatic gallstones. Biliary drainage or partial hepatectomy may be indicated in the case of symptomatic intrahepatic bile duct dilatations filled with gallstones. Patients with end-stage liver disease may be candidates for liver transplantation

Isobaric and Isochoric Heat Capacities of Imidazolium-Based and Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Liquids as Function of Temperature: Modeling of Isobaric Heat Capacity

International audienceThe isobaric and isochoric heat capacities of seven 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imides, two 1-alkyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imides, and two bis(1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium) tetrathiocyanatocobaltates were determined at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range from 293.15 to 323.15 K. The isobaric heat capacities were determined by means of differential scanning calorimetry, whereas isochoric heat capacities were determined along with isothermal compressibilities indirectly by means of the acoustic method from the speed of sound and density measurements. Based on the experimental data, as expected, the isobaric heat capacity increases linearly with increasing alkyl chain length in the cation of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imides and no odd and even carbon number effect is observed. After critical comparison of the obtained data with the available literature data, the most reliable values are recommended. It has been also shown that, although the COSMOthermX calculations underestimated the isobaric heat capacity values whatever the temperature and the ionic liquid structure, the approach used during this work may be applied to estimate physical properties of non-single-charged ions as well. Additionally, based on the speeds of sound the thermal conductivities were calculated using a modified Bridgman relation

Boron difluorides with formazanate ligands:redox-switchable fluorescent dyes with large stokes shifts

The synthesis of a series of (formazanate)boron difluorides and their 1-electron reduction products is described. The neutral compounds are fluorescent with large Stokes shifts. DFT calculations suggest that a large structural reorganization accompanies photoexictation and accounts for the large Stokes shift. Reduction of the neutral boron difluorides occurs at the ligand and generates the corresponding radical anions. These complexes are non-fluorescent, allowing switching of the emission by changing the ligand oxidation state

Spectroscopy with random and displaced random ensembles

Due to the time reversal invariance of the angular momentum operator J^2, the average energies and variances at fixed J for random two-body Hamiltonians exhibit odd-even-J staggering, that may be especially strong for J=0. It is shown that upon ensemble averaging over random runs, this behaviour is reflected in the yrast states. Displaced (attractive) random ensembles lead to rotational spectra with strongly enhanced BE2 transitions for a certain class of model spaces. It is explained how to generalize these results to other forms of collectivity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Making Sense of Family Deaths in Urban Senegal: Diversities, Contexts, and Comparisons

Despite calls for cross-cultural research, Minority world perspectives still dominate death and bereavement studies, emphasizing individualized emotions and neglecting contextual diversities. In research concerned with contemporary African societies, on the other hand, death and loss are generally subsumed within concerns about AIDS or poverty, with little attention paid to the emotional and personal significance of a death. Here, we draw on interactionist sociology to present major themes from a qualitative study of family deaths in urban Senegal, theoretically framed through the duality of meanings-in-context. Such themes included family and community as support and motivation; religious beliefs and practices as frameworks for solace and (regulatory) meaning; and material circumstances as these are intrinsically bound up with emotions. Although we identify the experience of (embodied, emotional) pain as a common response across Minority and Majority worlds, we also explore significant divergencies, varying according to localized contexts and broader power dynamics

Delays in Leniency Application: Is There Really a Race to the Enforcer's Door?

This paper studies cartels’ strategic behavior in delaying leniency applications, a take-up decision that has been ignored in the previous literature. Using European Commission decisions issued over a 16-year span, we show, contrary to common beliefs and the existing literature, that conspirators often apply for leniency long after a cartel collapses. We estimate hazard and probit models to study the determinants of leniency-application delays. Statistical tests find that delays are symmetrically affected by antitrust policies and macroeconomic fluctuations. Our results shed light on the design of enforcement programs against cartels and other forms of conspiracy