Effect of LED Lighting and Silicon Supplementation on Growth and Flowering of Cut Flowers

Use of light emitting diodes (LED) technology is beginning to replace traditional lighting in greenhouses. This research focused on the effects of LED lighting and GA3 supplementation on growth and flowering of cut flowers. Dahlia spp. (Cav.) ‘Karma Serena’ and ‘Karma Maarten Zwaan’, Liatris spicata (Gaertn. ex Schreb) ‘Kobold’, and Lilium asiatic (L.) ‘Yellow Cocotte’ and ‘Montreux’ were subjected to varying light treatments including LED flowering lamps and halogen lamps. The flowering lamps emitted a combination of red + far-red + white and red + white. Photoperiod was extended by operating all lamps for 7 hours in the night and the experiment ran from late fall to early spring. Results varied within species and cultivars in response to light and GA3. Light was the most effective on growth and flowering characteristics especially in liatris and both cultivars of dahlia. In liatris, flowering occurred 2 weeks earlier under sole LED lighting than under other light treatments and no supplemental light. Although flowering occurred earliest in both cultivars of dahlias under no light, plants under light treatments had greater height, width, and shoot weight. There were significant effects of GA3 on growth and flowering characteristics in dahlia cultivars and lily cultivars such as greater height, width, and flower number. A significant interaction of light with GA3 influenced height, width, mean flower number, flower diameter, days to anthesis, and flowering percentage in several crops. The role of silicon (Si) as a needed supplement in soilless media is gaining interest. This research studied the effects of diatomaceous earth (DE) as a supplemental Si source on growth and flower characteristics, physiology, and nutrient uptake of cut flowers such as Dahlia spp. (Cav) ‘Dahlinova Montana’, Rudbeckia hirta (L.) ‘Denver Daisy’, and Gerbera jamesonii (L.) ‘Festival Light Eye White Shades’. Nine Si treatments were established, and plants were considered well-watered at 10 centibars or water-stressed at 20 centibars. Silicon treatments included application of DE across the top of the pots (top-dressed) incorporation, and Metro-Mix 360 media with and without Si. For each species, there were six pots per Si rate per irrigation treatment. Significant effects were seen from Si supplementation, irrigation, and interaction in all plants. Growth and flower characteristics, leaf nutrient content, and tolerance to stress were improved by application of DE.Horticultur

Embedding physical activity guidance during pregnancy and in postpartum care: ‘This Mum Moves’ enhances professional practice of midwives and health visitors

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity during pregnancy and after childbirth are well established, yet many health care professionals do not feel well equipped to provide physical activity guidance to these populations. As such, the objectives of this study were to explore the immediate and longer term effects of training on health care professionals’ ability to provide physical activity guidance to pregnant women and new mothers (mums). Methods: Midwives and health visitors from five locations in the United Kingdom were provided with training on the Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines for pregnancy and after childbirth (n=393). Midwives and health visitors attended training to become This Mum Moves Ambassadors, then disseminated education to colleagues through a cascade training model. Changes in knowledge, confidence, and professional practice were assessed by survey before and immediately after training (n=247), and follow-up surveys were completed 3 (n=35) and 6 (n=34) months post training. Results: At all post training time points, health care professionals reported a significant increase in their confidence to communicate about physical activity (P < .001). The reported frequency of having conversations about physical activity increased significantly 3 and 6 months following training compared to baseline (pregnant women, P = .017; new mums, P = .005). There were changes in the types of advice and resources offered by health care professionals, and an overall increase in health care professionals’ own reported physical activity levels. Discussion: The This Mum Moves cascade approach to delivering training in physical activity guidelines improved reported knowledge, confidence and professional practice of midwives and health visitors, both immediately following and 3 and 6 months after training

Precautionary labelling of foods for allergen content: are we ready for a global framework?

© 2014 Allen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Food allergy appears to be on the rise with the current mainstay of treatment centred on allergen avoidance. Mandatory allergen labelling has improved the safety of food for allergic consumers. However an additional form of voluntary labelling (termed precautionary allergen labelling) has evolved on a wide range of packaged goods, in a bid by manufacturers to minimise risk to customers, and the negative impact on business that might result from exposure to trace amounts of food allergen present during cross-contamination during production. This has resulted in near ubiquitous utilisation of a multitude of different precautionary allergen labels with subsequent confusion amongst many consumers as to their significance. The global nature of food production and manufacturing makes harmonisation of allergen labelling regulations across the world a matter of increasing importance. Addressing inconsistencies across countries with regards to labelling legislation, as well as improvement or even banning of precautionary allergy labelling are both likely to be significant steps forward in improved food safety for allergic families. This article outlines the current status of allergen labelling legislation around the world and reviews the value of current existing precautionary allergen labelling for the allergic consumer. We strongly urge for an international framework to be considered to help roadmap a solution to the weaknesses of the current systems, and discuss the role of legislation in facilitating this

Building the field of health policy and systems research: framing the questions.

In the first of a series of articles addressing the current challenges and opportunities for the development of Health Policy & Systems Research (HPSR), Kabir Sheikh and colleagues lay out the main questions vexing the field

Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and Cheetahs

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are reported to hunt with energetically costly long chase distances. We used high-resolution GPS and inertial technology to record 1,119 high-speed chases of all members of a pack of six adult African wild dogs in northern Botswana. Dogs performed multiple short, high-speed, mostly unsuccessful chases to capture prey, while cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) undertook even shorter, higher-speed hunts. We used an energy balance model to show that the energy return from group hunting and feeding substantially outweighs the cost of multiple short chases, which indicates that African wild dogs are more energetically robust than previously believed. Comparison with cheetah illustrates the trade-off between sheer athleticism and high individual kill rate characteristic of cheetahs, and the energetic robustness of frequent opportunistic group hunting and feeding by African wild dogs

“Submitting Love?”: a sensory sociology of Southbourne

This article seeks to remember the Southbourne building of Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom, which housed students, academics, and administrative staff until August 2014. Data were collected from an ethnographic observation study of students handing in completed coursework. Findings are presented in the form of an audio “soundscape” and a literary narrative. It is argued that these hypermodal tools should form a growing part of qualitative inquiry as sensory social research. The historic application and practical impediments of such sensorial and aural techniques are discussed, alongside the challenge they provide to the received practices concerning how journal articles can be experienced

PU.1 is required to restrain myelopoiesis during chronic inflammatory stress

Chronic inflammation is a common feature of aging and numerous diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and autoimmune syndromes and has been linked to the development of hematological malignancy. Blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) can contribute to these diseases via the production of tissue-damaging myeloid cells and/or the acquisition of mutations in epigenetic and transcriptional regulators that initiate evolution toward leukemogenesis. We previously showed that the myeloid “master regulator” transcription factor PU.1 is robustly induced in HSC by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β and limits their proliferative activity. Here, we used a PU.1-deficient mouse model to investigate the broader role of PU.1 in regulating hematopoietic activity in response to chronic inflammatory challenges. We found that PU.1 is critical in restraining inflammatory myelopoiesis via suppression of cell cycle and self-renewal gene programs in myeloid-biased multipotent progenitor (MPP) cells. Our data show that while PU.1 functions as a key driver of myeloid differentiation, it plays an equally critical role in tailoring hematopoietic responses to inflammatory stimuli while limiting expansion and self-renewal gene expression in MPPs. These data identify PU.1 as a key regulator of “emergency” myelopoiesis relevant to inflammatory disease and leukemogenesis

Behavioural and physiological correlates of impulsivity in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

Impulsivity is a trait related to inhibitory control which is expressed in a range of behaviours. Impulsive individuals show a decreased ability to tolerate delay of reinforcement, and more impulsive behaviour has been linked to decreased levels of serotonin and dopamine in a number of species. In domestic dogs, impulsivity is implicated in problem behaviours that result from a lack of self control, but currently there are no published studies that assess behavioural and physiological measures of impulsivity in relation to this trait. Impulsivity scores were calculated for 41 dogs using an owner-report assessment, the Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale (DIAS). Twenty-three of these subjects completed an operant choice task based on a delayed reward paradigm, to assess their tolerance to delay of reinforcement. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Fluorometric Detection was used to detect levels of the metabolites of serotonin (5-HIAA) and dopamine (HVA) in the urine of 17 of the subjects. Higher impulsivity scores were found to be significantly correlated with more impulsive behaviour (reduced tolerance to delay of reinforcement) in the behaviour tests and lower levels of urinary 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/HVA ratio. The results demonstrate convergent validity between impulsivity (as assessed by the DIAS) and behavioural and physiological parameters

G313.3+00.3: A New Planetary Nebula discovered by the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Spitzer Space Telescope

We present a new planetary nebula, first identified in images from the Australia Telescope Compact Array, although not recognized at that time. Recent observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope during the GLIMPSE Legacy program have rediscovered the object. The high-resolution radio and infrared images enable the identification of the central star or its wind, the recognition of the radio emission as thermal, and the probable presence of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons in and around the source. These lead to the conclusion that G313.3+00.3 is a planetary nebula. This object is of particular interest because it was discovered solely through radio and mid-infrared imaging, without any optical (or near-infrared) confirmation, and acts as a proof of concept for the discovery of many more highly extinguished planetary nebulae. G313.3+00.3 is well-resolved by both the instruments with which it was identified, and suffers extreme reddening due to its location in the Scutum-Crux spiral arm.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX (aastex), incl. 8 PostScript (eps) figures and 1 table. Accepted by ApJ (Part 1