What is the best way to measure earthworm-processed soil? A comparison of common water stable aggregates, the smartphone app MOULDER, and a novel SlakeLight method

Soil aggregates are important for soil fertility and earthworms can support aggregate formation and stability during gut passage, burrowing activity and secretion of polysaccharides. To determine these effects in different soil tillage systems, soil properties, and the earthworm community associated with Lumbricus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) were evaluated in two long-term field experiments using plough, cultivator, or no-till. The aim was to investigate effects of earthworm populations on soil aggregate stability and to evaluate three methods, namely: water stable aggregate (WSA) index, MOULDER (formerly SLAKES) and SlakeLight. The WSA method wet-sieves aggregates for 3 min in distilled water and records mass of the dispersed aggregates. MOULDER uses a smartphone application to measure an increase in area of dispersed soil submerged in distilled water to measure slaking, while SlakeLight analyses light transmission corresponding to the area covered by the soil material. Soil samples were collected in autumn at three levels: i) middens, ii) 5 cm radius around burrows of L. terrestris (burrow-midden-complex), and iii) in bulk soil without burrows of L. terrestris. All samples were hand-searched for earthworms or air-dried for soil aggregate stability analyses. The hypothesis tested was that there is a gradient of earthworm worked soil, such that the level of earthworm activity away from a L. terrestris burrow decreases so that: midden > burrow-midden-complex > bulk soil. Total earthworm abundance (individuals level−1 ± standard deviation), mostly endogeic earthworms, was 3-times higher in the burrow-midden-complex (4.3 ± 2.7) than bulk soil for cultivator and doubled for burrow-midden-complex under a ploughing regime (3 ± 2.1), while no-till was only slightly increased (4.6 ± 2). With rising earthworm numbers, aggregate stability increased, with a higher effect for bulk soil than for burrow-midden-complex. At both sites, MOULDER identified a more stable soil in middens than in bulk soil, while other methods were not so discriminating in their outcomes of middens. However, WSA was more sensitive to interactions of soil tillage × earthworm abundance than SlakeLight or MOULDER and showed that ploughed soil and bulk soil aggregates stabilised the most with increasing earthworm activity. Comparison of the three methods showed that all can be used for earthworm-processed soil, but that selection of the method should depend on the research questions and on resource availability

Influence of selected factors on the content and properties of starch in the grain of non-food wheat

Three non-food cultivars of winter wheat (Biscay, Clarus, Rapsodia) were grown at four locations in the Czech Republic with different agro-ecological conditions in the years 2005-2008 and two levels of nitrogen fertilization 90 and 120 kg N/ha were used. The influence of growing conditions (year, location, cultivation technology) on grain yield, starch content, protein, gluten, share of amylose in starch, falling number and amylographic characteristics. All qualitative indicators were significantly affected by the weather. Wheat grown in the areas 500 m a.s.l. had lower grain yield of 2.8 t/ha (8.4 t/ha), higher starch content of 2.1% (69.0%) and lower content of proteins by 1.8% (10.2%) in grain than wheat grown in the fertile conditions (below 300 m a.s.l.). The cv. Biscay had the highest starch content of 68%; the proportion of amylose in the starch was in the range 22-27%. The content of proteins was negatively correlated with starch content (r = -0.89). The level of damage of starch a-amylase was most affected by wet weather during ripening falling number was 62 s, with a very low amylographic gelatinization maximum (30-155 Brabender units) and a low gelatinization temperature at the maximum (67-74 degrees C). The respective values recorded in dry conditions were ca 300 s, AU 600 and 90 degrees C. Most damaged starch was recorded in the cv. Clarus.Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic [1G57056, RO0414

d-mayerova/Vaccine_confidence_Albania

Childhood immunisation timeliness and vaccine confidence by health information source, maternal, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics in Albania. This file includes details on the dataset used and definition of variables. Stata code is available in the file Vaccine_confidence_Albania_Stata_code

Influence of organic and inorganic fertilization on soil properties and water infiltration

ArticleSoil aggregate stability (SAS) belongs to the most important parameters determining the quality of soil and fertilizer influence on soil aggregation. We evaluated the relationship between SAS, hydro–physical soil properties and infiltration rates in three long–term field experiments founded in 1956 on different soils. Soil properties under three fertilization regimes– no fertilization, farmyard manure, farmyard manure and mineral fertilization–were evaluated at silty loam Chernozem, silty loam Phaeozem and sandy loam–loam Cambisol. A significant impact of fertilization on SAS was found, even though the differences in SAS were rather low. The lowest SAS was recorded at plots with manure and mineral fertilization (25.1%) compared with plots without fertilization (28.7%) and plots with manure–only fertilization (28.2%). The highest SAS (36.5%) and the highest semi–capillary porosity (SP; 11%) were observed at sandy loam–loam soil. Hydro–physical soil properties were more favourable at fertilized plots (SP 9.6% and bulk density ρb 1.31 g cm-3 ) compared with unfertilized ones (SP 8.8% and ρb 1.35 g cm-3 ). The lowest SP (8.32%) and the highest ρb (1.37 g cm-3 ) were recorded at Phaeozem, which corresponded with the lowest SAS (19.4%). Chernozem had similar soil texture to Phaeozem, but SAS (24.7%), SP (9%) and ρb (1.27 g cm-3 ) were more favourable. Despite the low level of statistical significance due to the large variation of infiltration measurements, a higher infiltration rate was recorded at fertilized plots (45 mm hour-1 ) compared to unfertilized ones (35 mm hour-1 )

Clinical reinvestigation and linkage analysis in the family with Episkopi blindness (Norrie disease).

We present the results of a clinical and genetic reinvestigation of the Cypriot family affected by an X chromosomally inherited eye disease originally published by Taylor et al, who coined the term Episkopi blindness. The pedigree was extended to 160 members, including 16 affected males out of 48 males at risk for the disease, most of whom were seen by one of us (PA). Affected males are blind with no associated symptoms and apparently are not mentally retarded. Thirty-nine family members agreed to blood sampling for genetic investigations. RFLP analysis was performed using probes from the region known to be deleted in some Norrie patients and polymorphic markers (DXS77, DXS7, MAOA, DXS255) from the proximal short arm of the X chromosome. There was no deletion for any of the probes in the affected males. Linkage analysis yielded positive lod scores for all informative markers (Z (DXS255, theta = 0) = 6.54, Z (MAOA, theta = 0) = 2.23, Z (DXS7, theta = 0) = 2.13). Thus, the conclusion that Episkopi blindness and Norrie disease (NDP, MIM *310600) are the same entity based on clinical evidence is now reinforced by gene mapping