Determining soil nitrogen (N) processes using enzymology in response to varying N treatments across four diverse Brassica napus (canola) lines

Non-Peer ReviewedNitrogen (N) is an important plant nutrient, and it is the primary constituent of plant nucleotides and proteins, but it is usually the most limiting nutrient in the soil. Improving N use efficiency in agricultural crops has become an important goal in sustainable agriculture. Accordingly, understanding enzymes involved in N reactions is increasingly critical as they are important in controlling N in the environment. The objective of this study is to determine N transformation after varying rates of urea fertilizer is applied to a field; and how N transformation may differ between diverse Brassica napus L. (canola) lines. Two diverse B. napus parent lines and two hybrid lines were grown on Dark Brown Chernozemic soil in Saskatchewan, Canada. Root-associated soils were collected from each line at bolting and flowering, and analyzed for urease and ammonium oxidation enzymes, as well, soil nitrate and ammonium content was determined. Both urease and ammonium oxidation enzyme results showed significant differences between B. napus growth stages (bolting and flowering), and N fertilizer rate after mixed effect models were used to analyze the results. We predict that both nitrate-N and ammonium-N will have significant differences between the canola lines and N rate application. Mixed effect analyses will be used to analyze soil nitrate-N and ammonium-N, with regards to canola line differences, and growth stage differences, and N fertilizer rate differences. By characterizing soil N transformations, this research will advance our knowledge in improving N availability for B. napus lines

Nitrogen cycling in root associated soils at bolting, flowering and seed pod filling across eight diverse Brassica napus (canola) genotypes

Non-Peer ReviewedNitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification can be used predict the amount of N that is available to crops. Brassica napus L. (canola) production is N intensive; therefore, to improve and sustain yields, a better understanding of N cycling patterns for fertilization application is needed. The objective of this study is to examine N cycling after urea fertilization at the three major canola growth stages: bolting, flowering and seed pod filling; and how N cycling may differ between diverse canola lines grown in different soil types. Eight diverse B. napus lines were grown on Dark Brown Chernozemic soil and Black Chernozemic soil in Saskatchewan, Canada. Root-associated soils were collected from each line at bolting, flowering and seed pod filling, and this soil was analyzed for potential nitrification and mineralization, as well as soil nitrate and ammonium content. We predict that potential nitrification will be higher during the bolting and flowering stages of canola growth because the urea fertilizer that was applied to the field would have been converted to nitrate-N, which is plant available. We predict that potential mineralization will be higher during flowering and seed pod filling, because the demand for N to make protein-rich seeds is high enough to deplete much of the inorganic fertilizer N. We also predict that both nitrate-N and ammonium-N will decrease over the growing season, with significant differences between the canola lines and the soil environments. Mixed effect analyses and ANOVA will be used to analyze N cycling in the soil in relation to soil type differences, canola line differences, and growth stage differences. By characterizing soil N processes, this research will advance efforts to understand and improve N uptake for B. napus lines

Beneficial plant-microbial interactions in agroecosystems: deciphering the rhizosphere microbial community in two field grown crops

Non-Peer Reviewe

Dynamics of root-associated fungal community of canola genotypes in Saskatchewan soils

Non-Peer Reviewe

FLIP-LAC user guide

This is version 6.4 of the FLIP-LAC manual. The Food Labeling Information Program for Latin America (FLIP-LAC) for data collection and registration is a smartphone-based technology developed by the University of Toronto, Canada. The FLIP iPhone app is meant for quickly capturing a limited amount of information about a food product - most importantly the product barcode and photos of product. Once this information is captured, the data and the photos are later uploaded to the FLIP website where the rest of the data entry can be completed based on photos of the product

Guidance for family about comfort care in dementia: a comparison of an educational booklet adopted in six jurisdictions over a 15 year timespan

BackgroundTo support family caregivers of people with dementia in end-of-life decision making, a family booklet on comfort care has been adapted and adopted by several European jurisdictions since the original publication in Canada in 2005.MethodsWe analyzed and compared the adaptations to the family booklets used in Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland that were made up to 2021. Qualitative content analysis was used to create a typology of changes to the original booklet. Interviews with the teams that adapted the booklets contributed to methodological triangulation. Further, using an established framework, we assessed whether the contents of the booklets addressed all domains relevant to optimal palliative dementia care.ResultsThe booklets differed in the types of treatment addressed, in particular tube feeding, euthanasia, and spiritual care. There was also variability in the extent to which medical details were provided, an emphasis on previously expressed wishes in medical decision making, addressing of treatment dilemmas at the end of life, the tone of the messages (indirect or explicit) and the discussion of prognosis (as more or less positive), and the involvement of various healthcare professionals and family caregivers in care. All booklets addressed all domains of palliative dementia care.ConclusionsWe identified core elements in providing information on end-of-life care to family caregivers of people with dementia as related to optimal palliative care in dementia. Additionally, local adaptations and updates are required to account for socio-cultural, clinical, and legal differences which may also change over time. These results may inform development of educational and advance care planning materials for different contexts.</div

The effects of financialisation and financial development on investment: Evidence from firm-level data in Europe

In this paper we estimate the effects of financialization on physical investment in selected western European countries using panel data based on the balance-sheets of publicly listed non-financial companies (NFCs) supplied by Worldscope for the period 1995-2015. We find robust evidence of an adverse effect of both financial payments (interests and dividends) and financial incomes on investment in fixed assets by the NFCs. This finding is robust for both the pool of all Western European firms and single country estimations. The negative impacts of financial incomes are non-linear with respect to the companies’ size: financial incomes crowd-out investment in large companies, and have a positive effect on the investment of only small, relatively more credit-constrained companies. Moreover, we find that a higher degree of financial development is associated with a stronger negative effect of financial incomes on companies’ investment. This finding challenges the common wisdom on ‘finance-growth nexus’. Our findings support the ‘financialization thesis’ that the increasing orientation of the non-financial sector towards financial activities is ultimately leading to lower physical investment, hence to stagnant or fragile growth, as well as long term stagnation in productivity

Small vessel disease and dietary salt intake: cross sectional study and systematic review

Background: Higher dietary salt intake increases the risk of stroke and may increase white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume. We hypothesized that a long-term higher salt intake may be associated with other features of small vessel disease (SVD). Methods: We recruited consecutive patients with mild stroke presenting to the Lothian regional stroke service. We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging, obtained a basic dietary salt history, and measured the urinary sodium/creatinine ratio. We also carried out a systematic review to put the study in the context of other studies in the field. Results: We recruited 250 patients, 112 with lacunar stroke and 138 with cortical stroke, with a median age of 67.5 years. After adjustment for risk factors, including age and hypertension, patients who had not reduced their salt intake in the long term were more likely to have lacunar stroke (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-3.29), lacune(s) (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.09-3.99), microbleed(s) (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.54, 8.21), severe WMHs (OR, 2.45; 95% CI 1.34-4.57), and worse SVD scores (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.22-3.9). There was limited association between SVD and current salt intake or urinary sodium/creatinine ratio. Our systematic review found no previously published studies of dietary salt and SVD. Conclusion: The association between dietary salt and background SVD is a promising indication of a potential neglected contributory factor for SVD. These results should be replicated in larger, long-term studies using the recognized gold-standard measures of dietary sodium

Haplotype analysis of TP53 polymorphisms, Arg72Pro and Ins16, in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers of French Canadian descent

Research articl