PATENT PROTECTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CROP VARIETIES: CASE STUDY OF THE HIGH PECTIN TOMATO

Intellectual property is only one element of successful R&D. Our case study tracks a GM crop variety from R&D to processing and retailing. One finding that emerged was the importance of factors besides patent protection for developing a new technology, such as effective partnering and supply chain management.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Why is Intake Reduced When Cattle are Fed Tall Fescue?

A major problem for the cattle producer that utilizes tall fescue forage is the unrealized or reduced gains in body weight in growing animals. This result has been reproduced across numerous studies evaluating cattle performance on tall fescue (Hoveland et al., 1983; Boling, 1985; Schmidt et al., 1986; Goetsch et al., 1987). Cattle have gained from 30 to 100% less consuming toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue compared to consumption of an endophyte-free tall fescue (Paterson et al., 1995). This effect of reduced gain is a consequence of a fungal endophyte present within the grass that produces toxins called ergot alkaloids. Fungal production of these toxins benefits the grass and fungus by causing a decrease in intake and has likely evolved as a strategy to prevent over grazing by cattle and other livestock. Not surprisingly, grazing time is reduced high endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures compared to pastures with low infection levels (Bond et al., 1984). The forage quality of endophyte-infected compared to endophyte-free tall fescues are similar, suggesting that the ergot alkaloids are responsible for the drop in weight gain (Burns, 2009). An understanding of how ergot alkaloids cause the observed decreased weight gain in cattle will permit the development of strategies aimed at mitigating or alleviating this source of loss

Extremal problems for matrix-valued polynomials on the unit circle and applications to multivariate stationary sequences

AbstractThe paper is devoted to a matrix generalization of a problem studied by Grenander and Rosenblatt (Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 76 (1954) 112–126) and deals with the computation of the infimum Δ of ∫TQ∗(z)M(dz)Q(z), where M is a non-negative Hermitian matrix-valued Borel measure on the unit circle T and Q runs through the set of matrix-valued polynomials with prescribed values of some of their derivatives at a finite set J of complex numbers. Under some additional assumptions on M and J, the value of Δ is computed and the results are applied to linear prediction problems of multivariate weakly stationary random sequences. A related truncated problem is studied and further extremal problems are briefly discussed

Influence of Prolonged Serotonin and Ergovaline Pre-Exposure on Vasoconstriction Ex Vivo

Ergot alkaloid mycotoxins interfere in many functions associated with serotonergic neurotransmitters. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate whether the association of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and ergot alkaloids during a 24 h pre-incubation could affect the vascular contractile response to ergot alkaloids. To evaluate the effects of 24 h exposure to 5-HT and ergot alkaloids (ergovaline, ERV), two assays were conducted. The first assay determined the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50)following the 24 h pre-exposure period, while the second assay evaluated the effect of IC50 concentrations of 5-HT and ERV either individually or in combination. There was an interaction between previous exposure to 5-HT and ERV. Previous exposure to 5-HT at the IC50 concentration of 7.57 × 10−7 M reduced the contractile response by more than 50% of control, while the exposure to ERV at IC50 dose of 1.57 × 10−10 M tended to decrease (p = 0.081) vessel contractility with a response higher than 50% of control. The 24 h previous exposure to both 5-HT and ERV did not potentiate the inhibitory response of blood vessels in comparison with incubation with each compound alone. These results suggest receptor competition between 5-HT and ERV. More studies are necessary to determine the potential of 5-HT to treat toxicosis caused by ergot alkaloids

Late Glacial Origin of the Maumee Valley Terraces, Northwestern Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, Bowling Green State UniversityFour major paired terraces and six short local terraces have been identified along the Maumee River valley between the Ohio-Indiana state line and Perrysburg in northwestern Ohio by detailed field mapping and study of gaging-station records, water-well logs, and soils data. From highest to lowest, the paired terraces have been named the Antwerp, Florida, Napoleon, and Grand Rapids terraces. The three higher terraces are correlated with Glacial Lakes Warren I and II, Lake Wayne, and Lake Grassmere, respectively, based on similarities in elevation of the lowest end of the terraces and the lake levels. The lowest of the four major terraces, the Grand Rapids Terrace, is rock-defended, controlled by outcrops of the Silurian Tymochtee Dolomite in its channel at Waterville. The short local terraces appear to be related to short-lived stages in the cutting of the Maumee Valley. Although some may correlate with one of the major terrace systems, such correlations remain tentative because of the isolation of these local terraces