New fungicides for apple scab control in organic growing

In the future control of apple scab in organic apple growing could be based on the use of natural fungicides like plant extracts and oils. Current projects are testing this idea

Registration of N614, A3N615, N616, and N617 Shattercane Genetic Stocks with Cytoplasmic or Nuclear Male Sterility and Juicy or Dry Midribs

Four shattercane [Sorghum bicolor subsp. drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse] genetic stocks—N614 (Reg. No. GS-652, PI 665684), A3N615 (Reg. No. GS-651, PI 665683), N616 (Reg. No. GS-653, PI 665685), and N617 (Reg. No. GS-654, PI 665686)—with A3 cytoplasmic male sterility or the nuclear male sterility gene ms3 containing either juicy (dd) or dry (DD) culms were developed jointly by the USDA-ARS; the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University; and the Agricultural Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska. The stocks were released in July 2011. The source material for these genetic stocks was isolated from an archetypical shattercane population found near Lincoln, NE. Release of these genetic stocks makes available shattercane lines with both A3 cytoplasmic male sterility, and ms3 genetic (nuclear) male sterility to facilitate crossing. These genetic stocks also contain juicy (dd) or dry (DD) culms, a visible genetic marker to facilitate screening progeny resulting from crosses. The genetic stocks have immediate application for basic research involving gene flow from cultivated sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] to shattercane and on the fitness of offspring resulting from such crosses

Resveratrol given intraperitoneally does not inhibit the growth of high-risk t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in a NOD/SCID mouse model.

The efficacy of resveratrol as a preventive agent against the growth of t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was evaluated in NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice engrafted with the human t(4;11) ALL SEM cell line. SEM cells were injected into the tail vein and engraftment was monitored by flow cytometry. Once engraftment was observed, mice were injected intraperitoneally with resveratrol (10 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or DMSO alone (control) every other day, or vincristine (0.5 mg/kg body weight) 3 times per week for 4 weeks (n=16 per group). Comparisons of the percent of human leukemia cells in blood and survival curves showed resveratrol did not inhibit progression of the disease. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of mouse sera showed resveratrol was rapidly metabolized to glucuronidated and sulfated forms 1 h post-injection, with low to no resveratrol or metabolites observed in sera by 24-48 h. These data indicate that in contrast to findings in in vitro models, parenterally administered resveratrol does not have potential as a preventive agent against high risk t(4;11) ALL

Extraluminal imaging based intraluminal therapy guidance systems, devices, and methods

An intravascular therapy guidance system includes a processor circuit in communication with an extravascular imaging device. The processor circuit receives, from the extravascular imaging device, an extravascular image stream. The processor circuit determines a therapy region of a blood vessel in the extravascular image stream and outputs a screen display to a display in communication with processor circuit. The screen display includes the extravascular image stream of the blood vessel including movement of an intravascular therapy device within the blood vessel to deliver an intravascular therapy to the therapy region and a graphical representation of the therapy region overlaid on the extravascular image stream. The processor circuit determines, based on the extravascular image stream, whether the intravascular therapy device is aligned relative to the therapy region to deliver the intravascular therapy and modifies the screen display to indicate whether the intravascular therapy device is aligned to deliver the intravascular therapy

Probing prejudice with startle eyeblink modification: A marker of attention, emotion, or both?

In social neuroscience research, startle eyeblink modification can serve as a marker of emotion, but it is less clear whether it can also serve as a marker of prejudice. In Experiment 1, 30 White students viewed photographs of White and Black targets while the startle eyeblink reflex and facial EMG from the brow and cheek regions were recorded. Prejudice was related to facial EMG activity, but not to startle modification, which instead appeared to index attention to race. To test further whether racial categorizations are associated with differential attention, a dual-task paradigm was used in Experiment 2. Fifty-four White and fifty-five Black participants responded more slowly to a tone presented when viewing a racial outgroup member or a negative stimulus, indicating that both draw more attention than ingroup members or positive stimuli. We conclude that startle modification is useful to index differential attention to groups when intergroup threat is low

Notes: Evaluation Of A Filter Bag System For NDF, ADF, And IVDMD Forage Analysis

A new method of determining in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) as recently developed in which the digestion is conducted with the forage samples in filter bags. Our objective was to compare the filter bag and conventional IVDMD analysis methods using smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] samples. In addition, the filter bag analysis systems for determining non-sequential neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF and ADF), respectively, were compared with the non-sequential conventional analysis systems. In the filter bag systems, the forage samples are sealed in filter bags and the analyses are conducted on a batch basis rather than on an individual basis as in the conventional IVDMD and fiber analysis procedures. The filter bag analysis methods produced results similar to the conventional methods and ranked the forage samples in the same relative order