Float system and crucial points of the method for seedling production and crop cultivation with or without organic fertilization

Float system is a less-intensive and low-cost technology that enables efficient control of the nutrition of the growing plants. The findings of experiments carried out under float system in various crops with or without organic fertilization need to be reviewed. The importance of float system for growing plants without inorganic fertilization and chemical pesticide use needs also to be pointed out. Float system can enhance root development of growing plants and control the height of produced transplants. This can result in increased yields and improved transplant quality, not only in tobacco transplant production systems but also in the case of vegetable crops such as tomato or lettuce. In the case of crops like tobacco and for the success of float system alkalinity and oxygen content of the water in the nutrient solution and selection of the growing media are crucial. Regarding vegetable crops, the combination of float system and organic fertilization can enhance root development in tomato as compared to the combination and lettuce resulting in high-quality products. Several aromatic and medicinal plants, including basil and spearmint, provide high yields and good product quality in floating systems especially along with organic fertilization. Conclusively, float system is a major method for producing high quality products or transplants. Further investigation is needed regarding the combined effects of organic fertilization and float system on more crops and under different climatic conditions

The After Diagnosis Head and Neck cancer specific Patient Concerns Inventory (HaNC-AD) as a pre-treatment preparation aid during the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has resulted in new challenges for clinicians, head and neck cancer (HNC) patients and carers. There is evidence that the current crisis is afecting the management of HNC patients. Most healthcare systems have introduced remote consultations to decrease the risk of coronavirus infection to patients, carers and clinicians. At present, HNC patients may be anxious and due to logistical issues, may not be adequately prepared for their treatment. To ensure that patients have a thorough understanding of their treatment and expected outcome during the current COVID-19 crisis there may be merit in the use of the HaNC-AD PCI

Reexamining What We Stand to Lose: A Look at Reinitiated Consultation Under the Endangered Species Act

This article first examines the role reinitiated consultation plays within Congress\u27s statutory framework and concludes that in many ways, reinitiated consultation is the glue that holds the Endangered Species Act\u27s protective scheme together. While the ESA generally prohibits any injury to an endangered species, Congress has authorized the Service to permit such injuries under certain circumstances. But these authorizations must be accompanied by a limit that will trigger reinitiated consultation if exceeded. Thus, without reinitiated consultation, these preauthorized injuries or “takes” would prove gaping leaks in Congress\u27s “Ark,” leaving little or no safety for endangered species. Moreover, reinitiated consultation has significant real world consequences for federal agencies and private parties. Failure to reinitiate consultation when legally required can subject the agency and its employees, as well as private parties, to civil and even criminal liability. Next, this article explores the legal basis for reinitiated consultation. Despite its central role, Congress never provided for reinitiated consultation within the Act itself. While the Service has acknowledged this silence, the courts generally do not raise this question of statutory authority. In light of the ambiguities within the ESA and Congress\u27s clear direction in the legislative history of the Act that it intended for agencies to reinitiate consultation, this article concludes that the practice is legally supportable. Finally, given the significance of reinitiated consultation, and the likelihood that it is here to stay, this article then explores how courts have reviewed suits concerning reinitiated consultation. This discussion highlights potential challenges and best practices for federal agencies and permittees. This article concludes that, with few exceptions, courts have taken a surprisingly deferential approach to reviewing agency decisions to reinitiate, or more commonly not reinitiate, consultation. For example, courts have allowed agencies to expand a project\u27s scope, duration, or impact on listed species or to recalculate how to measure the impacts altogether without requiring reinitiated consultation. Nonetheless, courts have taken a much stricter approach when considering the triggers for reinitiated consultation and have frequently insisted that those triggers be as meaningful and as exact as possible. However, before discussing reinitiated consultation in detail, this article provides some additional background on the ESA in general and reinitiated consultation in particular. To understand the purpose and effect of reinitiated consultation, one must first understand several key ESA provisions - namely, the ESA\u27s listing, liability, and consultation provisions

Health-related quality of life at 3 months following head and neck cancer treatment is a key predictor of longer-term outcome and of benefit from using the patient concerns inventory

INTRODUCTION: During clinical follow‐up it can be difficult to identify those head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who are coping poorly and could benefit from additional support. Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires and prompt lists provide a means by which patients can express their perceived outcomes and raise concerns. The first aim of this secondary analysis following a randomized trial was to explore which patient characteristics, at around 3 months following treatment completion (baseline), best predict HRQOL 12 months later. The second aim was to attempt to ascertain which patients were most likely to benefit from using prompt list. METHODS: Cluster‐controlled pragmatic trial data were analyzed. HRQOL was measured by the University of Washington Quality of life questionnaire (UW‐QOLv4). The prompt list was the Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI‐HN). RESULTS: The trial involved 15 eligible consultants and a median (inter‐quartile range) of 16 (13–26) primary HNC patients per consultant, with 140 PCI patients and 148 controls. Baseline HRQOL was the dominant predictor of 12‐month HRQOL with other predictors related to social, financial, and lifestyle characteristics as well as clinical stage and treatment. Although formal statistical tests for interaction were non‐significant the trend in analyses over a range of outcomes suggested that patients with worse baseline HRQOL could benefit more from the PCI‐HN. DISCUSSION: HRQOL early post‐treatment is a key predictor of longer‐term outcome. Measuring and using HRQOL and the PCI‐HN are not only surrogates for predicting HRQOL at 15 months post‐treatment, but also tools to help guide interventions

Social determinants of health-related quality of life outcomes for head and neck cancer patients

The influence of area-based and individual indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient concerns following head and neck cancer is complex and under-reported. The aim of this study is to use baseline data collected as part of a randomised controlled trial to provide greater detail on the attribution of SES to University of Washington Quality of Life version 4 (UWQOL v4), Distress Thermometer and European Quality of Life Five-Dimension Five-Level (EQ-5D-5L) outcomes. A total of 288 trial patients attended baseline clinics a median (Interquartile (IQR)) of 103 (71–162) days after the end of treatment. Area-based SES was assessed using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019. Thirty-eight per cent (110/288) of patients lived in the most deprived IMD rank quintile. Less than good overall quality of life (31% overall) was associated with current working situation (p = 0.008), receipt of financial benefits (p < 0.001), total household income (p = 0.003) and use of tobacco (p = 0.001). Income and employment were significant patient level indicators predictors of HRQOL outcomes after case-mix adjustment. The number of Patient Concerns Inventory items selected varied significantly by overall clinical tumour clinical stage (p < 0.001) and by treatment (p < 0.001) but not by area IMD or patient-level deprivation indicators. In conclusion, interventions to improve employment and finance could make a substantial positive effect on HRQOL outcomes and concerns

CD20-mediated B cell depletion in acetylcholine receptor autoantibody-positive myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue, mediated in the majority of cases by IgG1 autoantibodies targeting the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). As AChR autoantibodies have been shown to be pathogenic, therapies targeting B cells have been applied in patients with AChR MG for more than a decade. Recently, a phase 2 trial of the CD20-targeting agent, rituximab, in AChR MG unfortunately failed to meet its primary endpoint. Converging data however from non-randomized clinical series, some of which with more participants than the phase 2 trial, support efficacy of rituximab in AChR MG, especially early onset disease. In this opinion article, we summarize both clinical data and mechanistic principles on the use of CD20 depletion therapy in AChR MG, which we believe lend support to the argument that CD20 depletion can still be a useful therapeutic strategy for patients with AChR MG

Aromatic plant Melissa officinalis extracts selectivity in various biomass crop and legume species

Saabunud / Received 17.06.2020 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 10.07.2020 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 10.07.2020 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Panagiotis Kanatas e-mail: [email protected] effects of various plants can be exploited for use against weeds; however, the selectivity in different crops is also important. In the current study, the effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) allelochemicals on seed germination and seedling emergence of three biomass crops and three legume species were evaluated. Seed germination of rapeseed was reduced by 19, 30, 56, and 80% in the concentrations of 1, 2, 5 and 10%, respectively, as compared to the control group, whereas sweet sorghum seeds showed a more intermediate response and sunflower germination was affected only by the highest concentration. Seed germination of common bean was by 25, 34 and 60% lower at 1, 2 and 5% extract concentrations, respectively, in comparison to the control whereas up to 85% reduction of seed germination was recorded in 10% concentration. Peanut seed germination percentage ranged between 72 and 47% of control in 5 and 10% concentrations, respectively, while soybean germination was least affected from M. officinalis leaf extracts since it was reduced by only 25 and 41% in 5 and 10% concentrations, respectively, as compared to the control. Seedling emergence of rapeseed was reduced by 14, 25, 46, and 79% in the concentrations of 1, 2, 5 and 10%, respectively, as compared to the control whereas lemon balm extracts showed increased selectivity on the sunflower. Soybean emergence was reduced by only 27 and 46% in 5 and 10% concentrations, respectively, in comparison to the control whereas common bean’s seedling emergence was reduced up to 35% even in 2% concentration. Allelopathic response index values confirmed that sunflower and rapeseed were the least and most sensitive biomass crops to lemon balm allelochemicals, respectively, whereas sweet sorghum showed an intermediate response. Increased was the selectivity of the aqueous leaf extracts on soybean, whereas seed germination and seedling emergence of peanut were more affected and common bean was the most sensitive crop. Further research is needed to investigate the selectivity of M. officinalis and other aromatic plants’ allelochemicals on various crops and under different soil and climatic conditions to optimize their efficacy as tools of more eco-friendly weed management strategies