97 research outputs found
CD7-deleted hematopoietic stem cells can restore immunity after CAR T cell therapy
Targeting T cell malignancies with universal CD7-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (UCART7) can lead to profound immune deficiency due to loss of normal T and NK cells. While a small population of endogenous CD7- T cells exists, these cells are unlikely to be able to repopulate the entire immune repertoire after UCART7 treatment, as they are limited in number and proliferative capacity. To rescue T and NK cells after UCART7, we created hematopoietic stem cells genetically deleted for CD7 (CD7-KO HSCs). CD7-KO HSCs were able to engraft immunodeficient mice and differentiate into T and NK cells lacking CD7 expression. CD7-KO T and NK cells could perform effector functions as robustly as control T and NK cells. Furthermore, CD7-KO T cells were phenotypically and functionally distinct from endogenous CD7- T cells, indicating that CD7-KO T cells can supplement immune functions lacking in CD7- T cells. Mice engrafted with CD7-KO HSCs maintained T and NK cell numbers after UCART7 treatment, while these were significantly decreased in control mice. These studies support the development of CD7-KO HSCs to augment host immunity in patients with T cell malignancies after UCART7 treatment
Prediction of storm transfers and annual loads with data-based mechanistic models using high-frequency data
Excess nutrients in surface waters, such as phosphorus (P) from agriculture, result in poor water quality, with adverse effects on ecological health and costs for remediation. However, understanding and prediction of P transfers in catchments have been limited by inadequate data and over-parameterised models with high uncertainty. We show that, with high temporal resolution data, we are able to identify simple dynamic models that capture the P load dynamics in three contrasting agricultural catchments in the UK. For a flashy catchment, a linear, second-order (two pathways) model for discharge gave high simulation efficiencies for short-term storm sequences and was useful in highlighting uncertainties in out-of-bank flows. A model with nonlinear rainfall input was appropriate for predicting seasonal or annual cumulative P loads where antecedent conditions affected the catchment response. For second-order models, the time constant for the fast pathway varied between 2 and 15 h for all three catchments and for both discharge and P, confirming that high temporal resolution data are necessary to capture the dynamic responses in small catchments (10–50 km2/. The models led to a better understanding of the dominant nutrient transfer modes, which will be helpful in determining phosphorus transfers following changes in precipitation patterns in the future
The TOMCAT global chemical transport model v1.6: description of chemical mechanism and model evaluation
This paper documents the tropospheric chemical mechanism scheme used in the TOMCAT 3-D chemical transport model. The current scheme includes a more detailed representation of hydrocarbon chemistry than previously included in the model, with the inclusion of the emission and oxidation of ethene, propene, butane, toluene and monoterpenes. The model is evaluated against a range of surface, balloon, aircraft and satellite measurements. The model is generally able to capture the main spatial and seasonal features of high and low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and reactive nitrogen. However, model biases are found in some species, some of which are common to chemistry models and some that are specific to TOMCAT and warrant further investigation. The most notable of these biases are (1) a negative bias in Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter and spring CO and a positive bias in Southern Hemisphere (SH) CO throughout the year, (2) a positive bias in NH O3 in summer and a negative bias at high latitudes during SH winter and (3) a negative bias in NH winter C2 and C3 alkanes and alkenes. TOMCAT global mean tropospheric hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations are higher than estimates inferred from observations of methyl chloroform but similar to, or lower than, multi-model mean concentrations reported in recent model intercomparison studies. TOMCAT shows peak OH concentrations in the tropical lower troposphere, unlike other models which show peak concentrations in the tropical upper troposphere. This is likely to affect the lifetime and transport of important trace gases and warrants further investigation
Heterogeneity of discontinuous carbon fibre composites: damage initiation captured by Digital Image Correlation
This paper aims to identify architectural features which lead to damage initiation and failure in discontinuous carbon fibre composites formed from randomly orientated bundles. A novel multi-camera digital image correlation system was used to simultaneously view strain fields from opposing surfaces of coupons, in order to map progression of failure.
The highest strain concentrations were found to occur when the ends of fibre bundles aligned in the direction of loading coincided with underlying transverse bundles. The failure plane was observed to grow between a number of strain concentrations at critical features, coalescing sites of damage to create the final fracture surface. Although potential failure sites can be detected at low global strains in the form of strain concentrations, the strain field observed at low applied loads cannot be extrapolated to reliably predict final failure
Determining the effect of drying time on phosphorus solubilization from three agricultural soils under climate change scenarios
Climate projections for the future indicate that the United Kingdom will experience hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters, bringing longer dry periods followed by rewetting. This will result in changes in phosphorus (P) mobilization patterns that will influence the transfer of P from land to water. We tested the hypothesis that changes in the future patterns of drying–rewetting will affect the amount of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) solubilized from soil. Estimations of dry period characteristics (duration and temperature) under current and predicted climate were determined using data from the UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) Weather Generator tool. Three soils (sieved 25°C are predicted in some places and dry periods of 30 to 90 d extremes are predicted. Combining the frequency of projected dry periods with the SRP concentration in leachate suggests that this may result overall in increased mobilization of P; however, critical breakpoints of 6.9 to 14.5 d dry occur wherein up to 28% more SRP can be solubilized following a rapid rewetting event. The precise cause of this increase could not be identified and warrants further investigation as the process is not currently included in P transfer models
Produtos de hidratação em argamassas geopolimĂ©ricas Ă base de argila da TunĂsia para reparação de estruturas de concreto
A reparação de estruturas degradadas de concreto representa uma oportunidade para a indústria da construção
mas tambĂ©m um desafio para a comunidade cientĂfica. O desenvolvimento de novas argamassas de reparação
constitui por isso uma importante área de investigação. Os geopolĂmeros sĂŁo ligantes inovadores alternativos
ao cimento Portland pelo que as argamassas Ă base destes materiais, geopolĂmĂ©ricas, apresentam algumas
potencialidades no campo da reparação das estruturas de concreto.
O presente artigo apresenta resultados de uma investigação sobre o desenvolvimento de argamassas
geopolimĂ©ricas Ă base de uma argila da TunĂsia sujeita a tratamento tĂ©rmico. É incluĂda uma análise da argila
e tambĂ©m dos produtos de hidratação da argamassa os quais apresentam fases geopolimĂ©ricas tĂpicas
Geochemical detection of carbon dioxide in dilute aquifers
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carbon storage in deep saline reservoirs has the potential to lower the amount of CO<sub>2 </sub>emitted to the atmosphere and to mitigate global warming. Leakage back to the atmosphere through abandoned wells and along faults would reduce the efficiency of carbon storage, possibly leading to health and ecological hazards at the ground surface, and possibly impacting water quality of near-surface dilute aquifers. We use static equilibrium and reactive transport simulations to test the hypothesis that perturbations in water chemistry associated with a CO<sub>2 </sub>gas leak into dilute groundwater are important measures for the potential release of CO<sub>2 </sub>to the atmosphere. Simulation parameters are constrained by groundwater chemistry, flow, and lithology from the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains aquifer is used to represent a typical sedimentary aquifer overlying a deep CO<sub>2 </sub>storage reservoir. Specifically, we address the relationships between CO<sub>2 </sub>flux, groundwater flow, detection time and distance. The CO<sub>2 </sub>flux ranges from 10<sup>3 </sup>to 2 × 10<sup>6 </sup>t/yr (0.63 to 1250 t/m<sup>2</sup>/yr) to assess chemical perturbations resulting from relatively small leaks that may compromise long-term storage, water quality, and surface ecology, and larger leaks characteristic of short-term well failure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For the scenarios we studied, our simulations show pH and carbonate chemistry are good indicators for leakage of stored CO<sub>2 </sub>into an overlying aquifer because elevated CO<sub>2 </sub>yields a more acid pH than the ambient groundwater. CO<sub>2 </sub>leakage into a dilute groundwater creates a slightly acid plume that can be detected at some distance from the leak source due to groundwater flow and CO<sub>2 </sub>buoyancy. pH breakthrough curves demonstrate that CO<sub>2 </sub>leaks can be easily detected for CO<sub>2 </sub>flux ≥ 10<sup>4 </sup>t/yr within a 15-month time period at a monitoring well screened within a permeable layer 500 m downstream from the vertical gas trace. At lower flux rates, the CO<sub>2 </sub>dissolves in the aqueous phase in the lower most permeable unit and does not reach the monitoring well. Sustained pumping in a developed aquifer mixes the CO<sub>2</sub>-affected water with the ambient water and enhances pH signal for small leaks (10<sup>3 </sup>t/yr) and reduces pH signal for larger leaks (≥ 10<sup>4</sup>t/yr).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ability to detect CO<sub>2 </sub>leakage from a storage reservoir to overlying dilute groundwater is dependent on CO<sub>2 </sub>solubility, leak flux, CO<sub>2 </sub>buoyancy, and groundwater flow. Our simulations show that the most likely places to detect CO<sub>2 </sub>are at the base of the confining layer near the water table where CO<sub>2 </sub>gas accumulates and is transported laterally in all directions, and downstream of the vertical gas trace where groundwater flow is great enough to transport dissolved CO<sub>2 </sub>laterally. Our simulations show that CO<sub>2 </sub>may not rise high enough in the aquifer to be detected because aqueous solubility and lateral groundwater transport within the lower aquifer unit exceeds gas pressure build-up and buoyancy needed to drive the CO<sub>2 </sub>gas upwards.</p
Crop Updates 2006 - Weeds
This session covers thirty seven papers from different authors:
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, Alexandra Douglas, CONVENOR – WEEDS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
SPRAY TECHNOLOGY
2. Meeting the variable application goals with new application technology, Thomas M. Wolf, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research Centre
3. Spray nozzles for grass weed control, Harm van Rees, BCG (Birchip Cropping Group)
4. Boom sprayer setups – achieving coarse droplets with different operating parameters, Bill Gordon, Bill Gordon Consulting
5. Complying with product label requirements, Bill Gordon, Bill Gordon Consulting
6. IWM a proven performer over 5 years in 33 focus paddocks, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture
7. Crop topping of wild radish in lupins and barley, how long is a piece of string? Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture
8. Determining the right timing to maximise seed set control of wild radish, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture
9. Why weed wiping varies in success rates in broadacre crops? Aik Cheam1, Katherine Hollaway2, Siew Lee1, Brad Rayner1 and John Peirce1,1Department of Agriculture, 2Department of Primary Industries, Victoria
10. Are WA growers successfully managing herbicide resistant annual ryegrass? Rick Llewellynabc, Frank D’Emdena, Mechelle Owenb and Stephen Powlesb aCRC Australian Weed Management, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia; bWA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia. cCurrent address: CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
11. Do herbicide resistant wild radish populations look different? Michael Walsh, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia
12. Can glyphosate and paraquat annual ryegrass reduce crop topping efficacy? Emma Glasfurd, Michael Walsh and Kathryn Steadman, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia
13. Tetraploid ryegrass for WA. Productive pasture phase AND defeating herbicide resistant ryegrass, Stephen Powlesa, David Ferrisab and Bevan Addisonc, aWA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia; bDepartment of Agriculture, and cElders Limited
14. Long-term management impact on seedbank of wild radish with multiple resistance to diflufenican and triazines, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, Dave Nicholson and Ruben Vargas, Department of Agriculture
15. East-west crop row orientation improves wheat and barley yields, Dr Shahab Pathan, Dr Abul Hashem, Nerys Wilkins and Catherine Borger3, Department of Agriculture, 3WAHRI, The University ofWestern Australia
16. Competitiveness of different lupin cultivars with wild radish, Dr Shahab Pathan, Dr Bob French and Dr Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture
17. Managing herbicide resistant weeds through farming systems, Kari-Lee Falconer, Martin Harries and Chris Matthews, Department of Agriculture
18. Lupins tolerate in-row herbicides well, Peter Newman and Martin Harries, Department of Agriculture
19. Summer weeds can reduce wheat grain yield and protein, Dr Abul Hashem1, Dr Shahab Pathan1 and Vikki Osten3, 1Department Agriculture, 3Senior Agronomist, CRC for Australian Weed Management, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
20. Diuron post-emergent in lupins, the full story, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture
21. Double incorporation of trifluralin, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture
22. Herbicide tolerance of narrow leafed and yellow lupins, Harmohinder Dhammu, David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture
23. MIG narrow leaf lupin herbicide tolerance trial, Richard Quinlan, Planfarm Pty Ltd, Trials Coordinator MIG; Debbie Allen, Research Agronomist – MIG
24. Herbicide tolerance of new albus lupins, Harmohinder Dhammu, David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture
25. Field pea x herbicide tolerance, Mark Seymour and Harmohinder Dhammu, Research Officers, and Pam Burgess, Department of Agriculture
26. Faba bean variety x herbicide tolerance, Mark Seymour and Harmohinder Dhammu, Research Officers, and Pam Burgess, Department of Agriculture
27. Herbicide tolerance of new Kabili chickpeas, Harmohinder Dhammu, Owen Coppen and Chris Roberts, Department of Agriculture
28. Timing of phenoxys application in EAG Eagle Rock, Harmohinder Dhammu, David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture
29. Herbicide tolerance of new wheat varieties, Harmohinder Dhammu, David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture
30. Lathyrus sativus x herbicide tolerance, Mark Seymour, Department of Agriculture
31. Tolerance of annual pasture species to herbicides and mixtures containing diuron, Christiaan Valentine and David Ferris, Department of Agriculture
32. The impact of herbicides on pasture legume species – a summary of scientific trial results across 8 years, Christiaan Valentine and David Ferris, Department of Agriculture
33. The impact of spraytopping on pasture legume seed set, Christiaan Valentine and David Ferris, Department of Agriculture
34. Ascochyta interaction with Broadstrike in chickpeas, H.S. Dhammu1, A.K. Basandrai2,3, W.J. MacLeod1, 3 and C. Roberts1, 1Department of Agriculture, 2CSKHPAU, Dhaulakuan, Sirmour (HP), India and 3CLIMA
35. Best management practices for atrazine in broadacre crops, John Moore, Department of Agriculture, Neil Rothnie, Chemistry Centre of WA, Russell Speed, Department of Agriculture, John Simons, Department of Agriculture, and Ted Spadek, Chemistry Centre of WA
36. Biology and management of red dodder (Cuscuta planiflolia) – a new threat to the grains industry, Abul Hashem, Daya Patabendige and Chris Roberts, Department Agriculture
37. Help the wizard stop the green invaders! Michael Renton, Sally Peltzer and Art Diggle, Department of Agricultur
Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring & Modelling Programme ERAMMP Technical Annex-1 Report-60TA1: ERAMMP Integrated Modelling Platform (IMP) Land Use Scenarios
Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring & Modelling Programme - ERAMMP Report-60: ERAMMP Integrated Modelling Platform (IMP) Land Use Scenarios
Six scenarios consisting of changes in farm-gate prices (T1 to T6) have been applied to the ERAMMP Integrated Modelling Platform (IMP) to simulate impacts on land use change,
biodiversity and ecosystem services (carbon, water quality and air quality). The scenarios were based on discussions held between stakeholders in the Evidence and Scenario subgroup (Roundtable Wales and Brexit1) and Welsh Government (WG) policy officials. These discussions took place in late 2020 before the arrangements for the UK leaving the EU were
agreed, therefore are based on broad assumptions around the detail of the trade agreement with the EU as well as other third countries including Australia, New Zeland and USA. It is important to note that the outputs of these discussions which were used as inputs into the ERAMMP IMP may therefore not accurately reflect the outcomes achieved within the finalised trade agreements.
The T1 scenario assumes no EU trade deal and trade liberalisation, with no tariffs applied to
imported products and T2 an EU trade deal with no change to the trade arrangements with third countries. These two scenarios used the changes to farm-gate prices modelled by
FAPRI2. The assumptions used in the T3 to T6 scenarios were based on expert opinion from the stakeholder group, and include impacts on farm-gate prices which potentially could have resulted from different combinations of trade deals with New Zealand, Australia and USA.
Scenarios which include “no EU deal” options (T1 and T4) are no longer relevant.
In no way whatsoever do T1, T3, T4, T5 and T6 represent a WG position; our understanding of the nature and impact of new and emerging trade deals has evolved significantly and the
WG Trade Policy Team lead in this area. The objective of this work was to gain an early understanding of how changes in farm-gate prices potentially resulting from trading
relationships may influence land use and subsequently effect entry into the Sustainable Farming Scheme. We note that many other factors are also likely to influence Welsh farmgate prices, such as (but not limited to), currency exchange rates, energy prices and extreme weather events in other parts of the world.
This report provides an overview of the land use implications of all these scenarios, but
focuses on the T2 scenario, which represents an EU Trade Deal. This T2 scenario is being
used as the counterfactual scenario against which the costs and benefits of the land use implications of the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme will be assessed in the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the proposed Agricultural Bill. This includes the estimated environmental outcomes of the EU Trade Deal scenario and, where the ERAMMP IMP has
attached monetary valuations to these, the value of these outcomes to society. In the Cost Benefit Analysis, these monetary values will inform the overall estimated Net Present Value (NPV) of this business-as-usual counterfactual.
The IMP involves many assumptions and these need to be borne in mind when interpreting and using its outcomes. By necessity, all models are a simplification of the real situation, but can still provide very useful insights if applied for a specific purpose and with caution. The
collaborative and iterative consortium-based approach to co-designing the IMP has meant that Welsh Government and IMP teams have clear, open channels of communication for asking
questions. This ensures that the modelling represents government aspirations as well as possible and the limits of the approach are well understood.
IMP outputs for the T2 scenario show that some simulated full-time farms (>1 FTE labour)
come under economic pressure (7%) and are simulated to be unable to produce a sufficient Farm Business Income to be economically viable. For these farm types, no options to
transition to a more alternative profitable farm type are available and they are assumed to leave full-time agriculture. A greater number of farms transition to dairying resulting in a 75% increase in the number of dairy farms. This is associated with large increases in the number
of dairy cattle (73%) and reductions in sheep (-34%). A general intensification of grassland systems is simulated resulting from the farm type transitions, with a 66% increase in temporary grasslands and a 21% decrease in permanent grasslands. Overall, these changes in
agriculture and land use are simulated to lead to mixed, but predominantly negative, effects on biodiversity, increases in GHG emissions and deterioration in air and water quality.
The T2 scenario predicts the least change in agriculture out of the six scenarios. T1 simulates
the greatest impacts on agriculture due to significant farm-gate price reductions across dairy, beef and sheep systems, with a large number of full-time farms leaving agriculture. This leads to large increases in woodland area and generally positive effects on biodiversity and
ecosystem services. T3 and T4 also simulate large impacts on agriculture. These are associated with significant farm transitions to dairy (due to increases in milk prices and
significant decreases in beef and lamb prices) resulting in larger increases in GHG emissions and greater declines in air and water quality, compared to the T2 scenario. The T5 and T6 scenarios fall between these extremes, with T6 projecting the second greatest impacts on
agriculture (after T1) in terms of farms under pressure. These simulated changes in agriculture
are associated with net benefits for air and water quality, but net costs for GHG emissions; although these costs are lower than for scenarios T3-T5
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