Simulating soil carbon sequestration from long term fertilizer and manure additions under continuous wheat using the DailyDayCent model

Bangabandhu Fellowship on Science and ICT project, Ministry of Science and Technology, People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Open Access via Springer Compact AgreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Combination Therapy of Viral Leukemia: Statolon, Radiation and Transplantation

Author Institution: Celluar and Radiation Biology Laboratories, Clinical Radiation Therapy Research Center, Division of Radiology, Allegheny General HospitalStudies were carried out to determine the effectiveness of treating murine viral leukemia by combining statolon therapy with irradiation and transplantation therapy. The experimental design involved inoculating Rauscher leukemia-infected mice with statolon, a potent interferon inducer, prior to lethal whole-body irradiation and following hematopoietic cell transplantation. The data show that treating the leukemic animals in this manner resulted in positive responses from all indices of leukemia development investigated. These responses included a 42% decrease in spleen weight at autopsy, a 21% increase in survival at 30 days, and significantly decreased white blood cell counts and spleen weight during the treatment period. Although the effect of the combination therapy was not permanent and further refinement of the experimental protocol is necessary, it appears to be a promising method of treating viral leukemia

How much do adults sit? Result from the German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS)

Background: Sedentary behaviour is increasingly perceived as a risk factor for the development of diseases and for increased mortality. In particular, increased time spent sitting in combination with low physical activity seems to have negative health consequences. Methods: In the nationwide cross-sectional study German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS), the indicator ‘sitting’ was captured by the self-report of the participants. Results: For at least eight hours a day, 16.7% of women and 22.3% of men sit: Men more often than women, younger persons more often than older persons and the proportion increases significantly from the low to the high education group. Similarly, about one fifth of adults in Germany sit for at least four hours a day and do not engage in physical activity in their leisure time. Conclusion: The results indicate that preventive measures are needed to reduce time spent sitting and increase physical activit

The challenge of modelling nitrogen management at the field scale : simulation and sensitivity analysis of N2O fluxes across nine experimental sites using DailyDayCent

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Power of Expert Opinion in Ecological Models Using Bayesian Methods: Impact of Grazing on Birds

One of our greatest challenges as researchers is predicting impacts of landuse on biota and predicting the impact of livestock grazing on birds is no exception. Insufficient data and poor survey design often yield results that are not statistically significant or difficult to interpret because researchers cannot disentangle the effects of grazing from other disturbances. This has resulted in few publications on the impact of grazing on birds alone. Ecologists with extensive experience in bird ecology in grazed landscapes could inform an analysis when time and monetary constraints limit the amount of data that can be collected. Using responses from twenty well-recognised ecologists throughout Australia we capture this expert knowledge and incorporate it into a statistical model using Bayesian methods. Although relatively new to ecology, Bayesian methods allow straightforward probability statements to be made about specific models or scenarios and they allow the integration of different types of information, including scientific judgement while formally accommodating and incorporating the uncertainty in the information provided. Data on bird density was collected across three broad levels of grazing (no/low, moderate and high) typical of sub-tropical Australia. This field data was used in conjunction with expert data to produce estimates of species persistence under grazing. The addition of expert data through priors in our model strengthened results under at least one grazing level for all but one bird species examined. When experts were in agreement credible intervals were tightened substantially, whereas when experts were in disagreement results were similar to those evaluated in the absence of expert information. In fields where there is extensive expert knowledge, yet little published data, the use of expert information as priors for ecological models is a cost effective way of making more confident predictions about the effect of management on biodiversity