Integrated disease management of leaf spots and crown rust of oat

Non-Peer ReviewedCrown rust and leaf spots can reduce the yield and quality of oats. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of conventional fungicides, Actigard® and oat cultivars that vary in resistance to crown rust on leaf spot and crown rust severity, and oat yield and quality. Two experiments were established at each location in Saskatchewan: Saskatoon and Melfort. Experiment one consisted of three oat varieties: AC Morgan (crown rust susceptible), CDC Dancer (intermediate) and CDC Morrison (resistant) and three fungicide treatments: check (unsprayed), propiconazole and pyraclostrobin. Experiment two consisted of the application of Actigard® at two rates: 8.75 g ai/ha and 26.25 g ai/ha; three crop growth stages: seedling, boot and heading; on two varieties: CDC Dancer and CDC Morrison, with an unsprayed check for each variety. At Saskatoon, crown rust was observed while leaf spot severity was low. At Melfort, no crown rust was observed but leaf spot severity was low to moderate. Fungicide reduced the severity of crown rust and increased yield and quality of oat at Saskatoon for the susceptible variety (AC Morgan) and somewhat for the moderately susceptible variety (CDC Dancer). The crown rust resistant variety (CDC Morrison) did not benefit from fungicide. Leaf spots were reduced by fungicide application at Melfort, but little increase in yield or quality was detected. There was little difference between AC Morgan and CDC Morrison for leaf spot symptoms, but CDC Dancer appeared to suffer slightly more than the other varieties. There was no impact of fungicide on beta-glucan content at either location, although there were differences among varieties, but only at Saskatoon. Actigard® was not observed to have any positive or negative effects on disease severity (crown rust or leaf spots) or any of the factors measured, including nutritional characteristics, at either location, although there were differences among varieties for many of the factors measured

Integrated disease management of leaf spots and crown rust of oat

Non-Peer ReviewedCrown rust and leaf spots can reduce the yield and quality of oats. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of conventional fungicides, Actigard® and oat cultivars that vary in resistance to crown rust on leaf spot and crown rust severity, and oat yield and quality. Two experiments were established at two locations in Saskatchewan: Saskatoon and Melfort. Experiment 1 consisted of three oat varieties: AC Morgan (crown rust susceptible), CDC Dancer (intermediate) and CDC Morrison (resistant) and three fungicide treatments: check (unsprayed), propiconazole and pyraclostrobin. Experiment 2 consisted of the application of Actigard® at two rates: 8.75 g ai/ha and 26.25 g ai/ha; three crop growth stages: seedling, boot and heading; on two varieties: CDC Dancer and CDC Morrison, with an unsprayed check for each variety. At Saskatoon, crown rust was observed while leaf spot severity was low. At Melfort, no crown rust was observed and leaf spot severity was low. Fungicide reduced the severity of crown rust and increased yield and quality of oat at Saskatoon for the susceptible variety (AC Morgan) and somewhat for the moderately susceptible variety (CDC Dancer). The crown rust resistant variety (CDC Morrison) did not benefit from fungicide. Leaf spots were reduced by fungicide application at Melfort, but little increase in yield or quality was detected. There was little difference between AC Morgan and CDC Morrison for leaf spot symptoms, but CDC Dancer appeared to suffer slightly more than the other varieties. There was no impact of fungicide on beta-glucan content at either location, although there were differences among varieties, but only at Saskatoon. Actigard® was not observed to have any positive or negative effects on disease severity (crown rust or leaf spots) or any of the factors measured, including nutritional characteristics, at either location, although there were differences among varieties for many of the factors measured

Device for calibrating a radiation detector system

The present invention relates to a device for calibrating a radiation detector system that is used for measuring the radionuclide intake of those exposed to radioactive materials. In particular, the present invention relates to a device that simulates a human chest and lungs with a modicum of internal radiation for use in calibrating radiation detectors

Health-related quality of life and the burden of prolonged seizures in noninstitutionalized children with epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide information on the burden of illness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with epilepsy who experience prolonged acute convulsive seizures (PACS) in the community setting, and to investigate factors that may predict poor HRQoL in this population. METHODS: Noninstitutionalized children (aged 3–16 years) who had experienced at least one PACS within the past year and had currently prescribed PACS rescue medication were enrolled in a cross-sectional study in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (Practices in Emergency and Rescue medication For Epilepsy managed with Community-administered Therapy 3 [PERFECT-3]). Clinicians, parents/guardians, and patients completed web-based questionnaires regarding clinical characteristics, PACS frequency, and day-to-day impairment. Patients' HRQoL was rated by clinicians, parents/guardians, and patients themselves using the 5-dimension EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D) and summarized as a utility score. Potential predictors of poor HRQoL were tested in individual univariate generalized linear models and a global multivariable model. RESULTS: Enrolled children (N = 286) had experienced 1–400 PACS (median: 4) in the past year. Clinicians reported that 216/281 patients (76.9%) had learning disabilities of varying severity. Mean EQ-5D utility scores rated by clinicians (n = 279), parents (n = 277), and patients (n = 85) were 0.52 (standard deviation: 0.41), 0.51 (0.39), and 0.74 (0.29), respectively. Increasing PACS frequency, increasing severity of learning disability, and specialist school attendance were significantly associated with decreasing EQ-5D utility score. In the multivariable model, having learning disabilities was the best predictor of poor HRQoL. SIGNIFICANCE: Health-related quality of life was very poor in many children with epilepsy whose PACS were managed with rescue medication in the community, with learning disability being the most powerful predictor of patients' HRQoL. Mean EQ-5D utility scores were lower (worse) than published values for many other chronic disorders, indicating that optimal treatment should involve helping children and their families to manage learning disabilities and day-to-day impairments, in addition to preventing seizures

Role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children: A case-control study protocol

Introduction: Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Introduction of the conjugate Haemophilus influenzae B and multivalent pneumococcal vaccines in developed countries including Australia has significantly reduced the overall burden of bacterial pneumonia. With the availability of molecular diagnostics, viruses are frequently detected in children with pneumonia either as primary pathogens or predispose to secondary bacterial infection. Many respiratory pathogens that are known to cause pneumonia are also identified in asymptomatic children, so the true contribution of these pathogens to childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear. Since the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines, very few comprehensive studies from developed countries have attempted to determine the bacterial and viral aetiology of pneumonia. We aim to determine the contribution of bacteria and viruses to childhood CAP to inform further development of effective diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies. Methods and analysis: We are conducting a prospective case-control study (PneumoWA) where cases are children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) and controls are healthy children identified from PMH outpatient clinics and from local community immunisation clinics. The case-control ratio is 1:1 with 250 children to be recruited in each arm. Nasopharyngeal swabs are collected from both cases and controls to detect the presence of viruses and bacteria by PCR; pathogen load will be assessed by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of pathogens detected in cases and controls will be compared, the OR of detection and population attributable fraction to CAP for each pathogen will be determined; relationships between pathogen load and disease status and severity will be explored. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the human research ethics committees of PMH, Perth, Australia (PMH HREC REF 2014117EP). Findings will be disseminated at research conferences and in peer-reviewed journals

A global perspective on marine photosynthetic picoeukaryote community structure

A central goal in ecology is to understand the factors affecting the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of microorganisms and the underlying processes causing differences in community structure and composition. However, little is known in this respect for photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs), algae that are now recognised as major players in marine CO2 fixation. Here, we analysed dot blot hybridisation and cloning–sequencing data, using the plastid-encoded 16S rRNA gene, from seven research cruises that encompassed all four ocean biomes. We provide insights into global abundance, α- and β-diversity distribution and the environmental factors shaping PPE community structure and composition. At the class level, the most commonly encountered PPEs were Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae. These taxa displayed complementary distribution patterns, with peak abundances of Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae in waters of high (25:1) or low (12:1) nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) ratio, respectively. Significant differences in phylogenetic composition of PPEs were demonstrated for higher taxonomic levels between ocean basins, using Unifrac analyses of clone library sequence data. Differences in composition were generally greater between basins (interbasins) than within a basin (intrabasin). These differences were primarily linked to taxonomic variation in the composition of Prymnesiophyceae and Prasinophyceae whereas Chrysophyceae were phylogenetically similar in all libraries. These data provide better knowledge of PPE community structure across the world ocean and are crucial in assessing their evolution and contribution to CO2 fixation, especially in the context of global climate change

The ombudsman, tribunals and administrative justice section: a 2020 vision for the ombudsman sector

This article analyses the growing role for ombudsman schemes in the UK administrative justice system following the Government reforms post 2010. It argues that the ombudsman institution is perhaps the one example of an administrative justice body that looks set to emerge stronger over the period. But the ombudsman sector needs to guard against complacency, as the demands, expectations and publicity placed upon it are all likely to increase

Diversity of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Strains Colonizing Australian Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Children

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) strains are responsible for respiratory-related infections which cause a significant burden of disease in Australian children. We previously identified a disparity in NTHI culture-defined carriage rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children (42% versus 11%). The aim of this study was to use molecular techniques to accurately determine the true NTHI carriage rates (excluding other culture-identical Haemophilus spp.) and assess whether the NTHI strain diversity correlates with the disparity in NTHI carriage rates. NTHI isolates were cultured from 595 nasopharyngeal aspirates collected longitudinally from asymptomatic Aboriginal (n = 81) and non-Aboriginal (n = 76) children aged 0 to 2 years living in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder region, Western Australia. NTHI-specific 16S rRNA gene PCR and PCR ribotyping were conducted on these isolates. Confirmation of NTHI by 16S rRNA gene PCR corrected the NTHI carriage rates from 42% to 36% in Aboriginal children and from 11% to 9% in non-Aboriginal children. A total of 75 different NTHI ribotypes were identified, with 51% unique to Aboriginal children and 13% unique to non-Aboriginal children (P < 0.0001). The strain richness (proportion of different NTHI ribotypes) was similar for Aboriginal (19%, 65/346) and non-Aboriginal children (19%, 37/192) (P = 0.909). Persistent carriage of the same ribotype was rare in the two groups, but colonization with multiple NTHI strains was more common in Aboriginal children than in non-Aboriginal children. True NTHI carriage was less than that estimated by culture. The Aboriginal children were more likely to carry unique and multiple NTHI strains, which may contribute to the chronicity of NTHI colonization and subsequent diseas

The opposites task: Using general rules to test cognitive flexibility in preschoolers

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. Executive functions play an important role in cognitive development, and during the preschool years especially, children's performance is limited in tasks that demand flexibility in their behavior. We asked whether preschoolers would exhibit limitations when they are required to apply a general rule in the context of novel stimuli on every trial (the "opposites" task). Two types of inhibitory processing were measured: response interference (resistance to interference from a competing response) and proactive interference (resistance to interference from a previously relevant rule). Group data show 3-year-olds have difficulty inhibiting prepotent tendencies under these conditions, whereas 5-year-olds' accuracy is near ceiling in the task. (Contains 4 footnotes and 1 table.