Developing cropping systems for the ancient grain chia (Salvia hispanica L.) in two contrasting environments in Egypt and Germany

In den letzten Jahren entwickelte sich um Chiasamen (Salvia hispanica L.) ein regelrechter Hype. Als sogenanntes Superfood für die menschliche Ernährung, vor allem für Veganer und Vegetarier, wurden Chiasamen wiederentdeckt. Daher gibt es immer mehr Lebensmittelprodukte mit Chiasamen. Diese Samen sind vorteilhaft, weil sie frei von Gluten sind, ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis von Makronährstoffen aufweisen und einen hohen Anteil an Omega-3-Fettsäuren, Mikronährstoffen, Antioxidantien und Ballaststoffen enthalten. Chia ist ursprünglich an Kurztagbedingungen angepasst und in tropischen und subtropischen Gebieten verbreitet. Dennoch kommt es mit Bedingungen wie Wasserstress zurecht und kann daher auch in trockenen Regionen angebaut werden. Ägypten wurde als wasserknappes Land eingestuft. Chia kann aufgrund seiner Trockenstresstoleranz dazu beitragen die knappe Ressource Wasser in Ägypten einzusparen und bietet gleichzeitig Exportmöglichkeiten. Im Gegenzug kann dadurch z.B. Weizen mit einem höheren Wasserbedarf importiert werden. Der Klimawandel und die damit verbundene mangelnde Wasser- und Ernährungssicherheit stellen eine der weltweit größten Herausforderungen in ariden und semiariden Regionen dar und gefährden in Zukunft nicht nur die landwirtschaftliche Produktion, sondern auch die nachhaltige Entwicklung. Auf der anderen Seite, erfordert eine steigende Bevölkerung einerseits eine Steigerung der Nahrungsmittelproduktion, andererseits auch den Wandel zu einer umweltverträglichen und nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft. Chia könnte eine wirtschaftliche Alternative zu den herkömmlichen Feldfrüchten darstellen und so die Diversifizierung und Stabilisierung der lokalen Agrarwirtschaft unterstützen. Es fehlt jedoch die Erfahrung zum Anbau von Chia in neuen Regionen. Die Mehrheit der bisherigen Studien zu Chia legte den Schwerpunkt auf Qualitätseigenschaften der Samen. Das traditionelle Anbausystem von Chia wurde bislang nicht modernisiert und Informationen über den Einsatz von Düngemitteln, Pestiziden und verbesserten Sorten sind nur vereinzelt zu finden, welches Gründe für eine geringe Produktivität sind. Um die gestiegene Nachfrage an Chiasamen zu decken, werden neue Erzeugerländer hinzukommen müssen, für die Anbaukonzepte fehlen. Im Zeitraum von 2015 bis 2017 wurden Feldversuche an der Versuchsstation Ihinger Hof der Universität Hohenheim im Südwesten Deutschlands und in Ägypten von 2015 bis 2016 an der 50 km nordöstlich von Kairo gelegenen Versuchsstation von SEKEM durchgeführt. Die vorliegende Dissertation basiert auf einem von der Anton-&-Petra-Ehrmann-Stiftung geförderten Projekt, das sich auf die Graduiertenschule Wasser-Menschen-Landwirtschaft (WPA) an der Universität Hohenheim stützt und sich mit zentralen Fragen zum Thema Wasser und wasserbezogenen Herausforderungen der heutigen Gesellschaft befasst. Abschließend ist festzuhalten, dass die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit neue zentrale Informationen über den Anbau von Chia in zwei unterschiedlichen Regionen (einschließlich einer Wüstenregion) außerhalb des ursprünglichen Verbreitungsgebietes liefern. Die vorliegende Dissertation stellt einen ersten und vielversprechenden Ansatz zur Entwicklung eines Blattflächenmodells für Chia dar. Darüber hinaus kombiniert die Arbeit experimentelle Ansätze in Feldversuchen mit Pflanzenwachstumsmodellen, um die Anbaumethoden von Chia in neuen Regionen zu unterstützen und zu optimieren. Dafür wurde erstmals das CROPGRO-Modell für Chia angepasst, um Ertrag und Wachstumsparameter abzubilden. Darüber hinaus trug diese Arbeit dazu bei, den allgemeinen Quellcode des Modells zu verbessern, um das Wachstum sehr kleiner Samen zu simulieren. Die Anpassung an andere Salvias sollte mit diesem entwickelten Modell ebenfalls wesentlich einfacher sein. Zukünftige Modellverbesserungen und die Integration eines Tools, das ebenfalls die Kornqualität simulieren kann, könnten das Pflanzenwachstumsmodel für Chia weiter verbessern.Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds have been revived as functional superfood for human nourishment especially for vegan and vegetarian diets and are becoming increasingly widespread and present in new food products in Europe. The seeds are beneficial because of being gluten-free, containing antioxidants and a high concentration of α-linolenic acid, and having a high content of dietary fiber and high-quality protein. Chia is originally adapted to short-day conditions and grows naturally in tropical and subtropical environments. Nevertheless, it can survive under water stress and could, therefore, be cultivated in arid regions. Egypt has been classified as a water-scarce state. Due to its drought tolerance, chia might contribute to saving the scarce source water in Egypt and offer the chance to export these high value seeds, generating foreign exchange for reimporting e.g. wheat characterized by a higher water demand. Worldwide, the biggest problems and key challenges under climate change (CC) are water and food security in arid and semiarid regions. In the future, CC and water scarcity will significantly threaten agriculture and sustainable development. A rising population requires on the one hand an increase in food grain production, but also a change toward environmentally sound sustainable agriculture. Chia has been suggested as a favorably economic alternative for common field crops sustaining diversification and stabilization of the local agricultural economy. However, broad experience in growing chia in new environments is missing. The agronomic management has not been improved from formerly small-scale production systems. Most of the previous studies focused on seed characteristics. Information on fertilization, plant protection, and improved varieties is scarce, which are reasons for its low productivity in the countries of origin. Field experiments were conducted at the experimental station Ihinger Hof of the University of Hohenheim in southwestern Germany from 2015 to 2017 and in Egypt during the cropping season 2015 to 2016 at SEKEMs experimental station located 50 km Northeast of Cairo. The present doctoral thesis was based on a project embedded in the graduate school Water-People-Agriculture (WPA) at the University of Hohenheim funded by the Anton-&-Petra-Ehrmann foundation that focuses on key water issues and water related challenges of todays society. On a final note, the main results of this thesis provide further information and expanded knowledge on chia cultivation in two contrasting environments (including a desert region) out of its center of origin. Overall, the current doctoral thesis presents a combined approach of experimental field research and crop modeling to support the optimization of farming practices of chia in new environments. A universal and nondestructive LA estimation model for chia was developed. Further, the CROPGRO model was adapted for chia to provide a preliminary model for a realistic simulation of crop growth variables. The approaches presented in this thesis may contribute to testing new environments for chia cultivation and to improving its production. Moreover, this study helped to develop further general model source codes to simulate the growth of tiny seeds. The adaptation to other Salvias should be much easier with this developed model. Future research requirements and issues requiring model improvement such as N-response and the development of code relationships that can simulate parameters of seed quality could improve the plant growth model for chia

Assessing Invasive Alien Species Across Multiple Spatial Scales: Working Globally and Locally

Quantitative investigations on invasive alien species (IAS) across multiple spatial scales are needed because biological invasions often encompass enormous expanses in both donor and invaded ranges and because the immigrants may be carried great distances between these ranges. Although invasion biology is rich in anecdotes, translation of this information into generalizations remains limited by technical shortcomings in data acquisition, inconsistent data assembly, and the continuing search for meaningful indices of the impact of IAS. Much better justification of and greater opportunities to combat IAS could be achieved by distilling all information for IAS into spatially explicit case histories and synthetic predictions on the epidemiology and consequences of biological invasions for public review, discussion, and action. Las investigaciones cuantitativas sobre las especies exóticas invasoras (EEI) a través de numerosas escalas espaciales son necesarias porque las invasiones biológicas abarcan a menudo enormes extensiones, tanto en las áreas de distribución originales como en las áreas invadidas, y porque estos inmigrantes pueden ser transportados a través de grandes distancias entre estas áreas. Aunque la biología de las invasiones es rica en anécdotas, la conversión de esta información en generalizaciones todavía está limitada por deficiencias técnicas en la adquisición de los datos, inconsistencias en el ensamblaje de los datos, y la búsqueda continua de índices significativos del impacto de las EEI. Se podría alcanzar una mejor justificación y mejores oportunidades de combatir a las EEI destilando toda la información de las EEI en estudios de caso espacialmente explícitos y predicciones sintéticas sobre la epidemiología y las consecuencias de las invasiones biológicas para la revisión pública, la discusión y la acción

Proposed Findings of fact and conclusions of law (pretrial submission of state of Washington)

State of Wash. Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of La

Written closing argument - State of Washington

Wash. Written Closing Argumen

FAK regulates cardiomyocyte survival following ischemia/reperfusion

Myocyte apoptosis is central to myocardial dysfunction following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and during the transition from hypertrophy to heart failure. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase regulates adhesion-dependent survival signals and unopposed FAK activation has been linked to tumor development. We previously showed that conditional myocyte-specific deletion of FAK (MFKO) in the adult heart did not affect basal cardiomyocyte survival or cardiac function but led to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure following pressure overload. In the present study, we sought to determine if FAK functions to limit stress-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We reasoned that (I/R), which stimulates robust apoptotic cell death, might uncover an important cardioprotective function for FAK. We found that depletion of FAK markedly exacerbates hypoxia/re-oxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte cell death in vitro. Moreover, deletion of FAK in the adult myocardium resulted in significant increases in I/R-induced infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis with a concomitant reduction in left ventricular function. Finally, our results suggest that NF-κB signaling may play a key role in modulating FAK-dependent cardioprotection, since FAK inactivation blunted activation of the NF-κB survival signaling pathway and reduced levels of the NF-κB target genes, Bcl2 and Bcl-xl. Since the toggling between pro-survival and pro-apoptotic signals remains central to preventing irreversible damage to the heart, we conclude that targeted FAK activation may be beneficial for protecting stress-dependent cardiac remodeling

Psychometric Evaluation and Design of Patient-Centered Communication Measures for Cancer Care Settings

Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of questions that assess patient perceptions of patient-provider communication and design measures of patient-centered communication (PCC). Methods Participants (adults with colon or rectal cancer living in North Carolina) completed a survey at 2 to 3 months post-diagnosis. The survey included 87 questions in six PCC Functions: Exchanging Information, Fostering Health Relationships, Making Decisions, Responding to Emotions, Enabling Patient Self-Management, and Managing Uncertainty. For each Function we conducted factor analyses, item response theory modeling, and tests for differential item functioning, and assessed reliability and construct validity. Results Participants included 501 respondents; 46% had a high school education or less. Reliability within each Function ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. The PCC-Ca-36 (36-question survey; reliability=0.94) and PCC-Ca-6 (6-question survey; reliability=0.92) measures differentiated between individuals with poor and good health (i.e., known-groups validity) and were highly correlated with the HINTS communication scale (i.e., convergent validity). Conclusion This study provides theory-grounded PCC measures found to be reliable and valid in colorectal cancer patients in North Carolina. Future work should evaluate measure validity over time and in other cancer populations. Practice implications The PCC-Ca-36 and PCC-Ca-6 measures may be used for surveillance, intervention research, and quality improvement initiatives

Teaching financial literacy in introductory accounting course: A reflection and proposal

Numerous financial literacy studies have consistently identified young adults to have low levels of financial capability. Of particular concern is that many of these young people do not have adequate money skills to ride their freedom during university time which may contribute to suboptimal financial behaviours. Prior research into university students’ financial literacy and financial education in school suggests that many students are not confident about money matters with many preferring to learn about financial literacy in university . Accordingly, an initiative including workshops on basic budgeting and saving topics , and a seminar delivered by a financial guru during university orientation week was trialled. However, attendance to these workshops and the seminar were disappointingly low. The experience prompted the researchers to consider other approaches to help students improve their financial literacy. This paper provides a reflection of the orientation week initiative , as well as proposes ways to incorporate financial literacy in introductory accounting course

Nutrient-specific solubility patterns of leaf litter across 41 lowland tropical woody species

Abstract. Leaching is a mechanism for the release of nutrients from litter or senesced leaves that can drive interactions among plants, microbes, and soil. Although leaching is well established in conceptual models of litter decomposition, potential nutrient solubility of mineral elements from recently senesced litter has seldom been quantified. Using a standardized extraction (1:50 litter-to-water ratio and four-hour extraction) and recently senesced leaf litter of 41 tropical tree and liana species, we investigated how solubility varies among elements, and whether the solubility of elements could be predicted by litter traits (e.g., lignin, total element concentrations). In addition, we investigated nutrient forms (i.e., inorganic and organic) and ratios in leachate. Water-soluble elements per unit litter mass were strongly predicted by total initial litter element concentrations for potassium (K; r 2 ¼ 0.79), sodium (Na; r 2 ¼ 0.51) and phosphorus (P; r 2 ¼ 0.66), while a significant but weaker positive relationship was found for nitrogen (N; r 2 ¼ 0.36). There was no significant relationship for carbon (C) or calcium (Ca). Element-specific solubility varied markedly. On average 100% of total K, 35% of total P, 28% of total Na, 5% of total N, 4% of total Ca, and 3% of total C were soluble. For soluble P, 90% was inorganic orthophosphate. The high solubility of K, Na, and P as inorganic orthophosphate suggests that these nutrients can become rapidly available to litter microbes with no metabolic cost. Few common predictors of decomposition rates were correlated with element solubility, although soluble C (milligrams per gram of litter) was negatively related to lignin content (r 2 ¼ 0.19; P , 0.004). Solubility of elements was linked within a species: when a species ranked high in the soluble fraction of one element, it also ranked high in the solubility of other elements. Overall nutrient-specific patterns of solubility from recently senesced litter emphasize that litter elements cannot be treated equally in our conceptual and empirical models of decomposition. The relatively high potential solubility of P as orthophosphate from fresh litter advances our understanding of ecological stoichiometric ratios and nutrient bioavailability in tropical forests

Inhibition of Diaphanous Formin Signaling In Vivo Impairs Cardiovascular Development and Alters Smooth Muscle Cell PhenotypeSignificance

We and others have previously shown that RhoA-dependent stimulation of myocardin related transcription factor (MRTF) nuclear localization promotes smooth muscle cell (SMC) marker gene expression. The goal of the present study was to provide direct in vivo evidence that actin polymerization by the diaphanous-related formins contributes to the regulation of SMC differentiation and/or phenotype