A Metric Encoding for Bounded Model Checking (extended version)

In Bounded Model Checking both the system model and the checked property are translated into a Boolean formula to be analyzed by a SAT-solver. We introduce a new encoding technique which is particularly optimized for managing quantitative future and past metric temporal operators, typically found in properties of hard real time systems. The encoding is simple and intuitive in principle, but it is made more complex by the presence, typical of the Bounded Model Checking technique, of backward and forward loops used to represent an ultimately periodic infinite domain by a finite structure. We report and comment on the new encoding technique and on an extensive set of experiments carried out to assess its feasibility and effectiveness

Tillering Potential and Stability of Winter Wheat Varieties Commonly Grown in Kansas

The tillering potential and stability of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) can be positive traits by conferring adaptation to distinct production environments. The literature demonstrates a high correlation between the tillering potential and many yield components. However, the actual impact of tillering potential on grain yield is not clear. Our goal was to quantify the tillering potential and stability of a range of winter wheat varieties. Field experiments were conducted in six locations in the state of Kansas during the 2021–2022 season. A complete factorial treatment structure of twenty-five winter wheat varieties by two seeding rates (400,000 seeds per acre and 1.2 million seeds per acre) was established in a randomized complete block design with three or four blocks. We measured the stand count (twenty days after sowing) and the number of stems at the growth stage Feekes 6 in 3 1⁄4 row-feet in each plot. Tillers per plant were modeled as a function of plants per square feet by replication within the environment using non-linear models. Overall, fall precipitation and temperature accumulation partially regulated tiller production, but the major determinant of tillers per plant was the number of plants per area. Different seeding rates led to large differences in population and tiller components, which in compensation only resulted in modest grain yield changes. With few exceptions, varieties tended to be stable in their ranking as a function of the environment; thus, varieties with high tillering potential can be an option to reduce seed costs

Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (GI-NENs): hot topics in morphological, functional, and prognostic imaging

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are heterogeneous tumours with a common phenotype descended from the diffuse endocrine system. NENs are found nearly anywhere in the body but the most frequent location is the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (GI-NENs) are rather uncommon, representing around 2% of all gastrointestinal tumours and 20–30% of all primary neoplasms of the small bowel. GI-NENs have various clinical manifestations due to the different substances they can produce; some of these tumours appear to be associated with familial syndromes, such as multiple endocrine neoplasm and neurofibromatosis type 1. The current WHO classification (2019) divides NENs into three major categories: well-differentiated NENs, poorly differentiated NENs, and mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms. The diagnosis, localization, and staging of GI-NENs include morphology and functional imaging, above all contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), and in the field of nuclear medicine imaging, a key role is played by (68)Ga-labelled-somatostatin analogues ((68)Ga-DOTA-peptides) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/TC). In this review of recent literature, we described the objectives of morphological/functional imaging and potential future possibilities of prognostic imaging in the assessment of GI-NENs

A Theory of Sampling for Continuous-time Metric Temporal Logic

This paper revisits the classical notion of sampling in the setting of real-time temporal logics for the modeling and analysis of systems. The relationship between the satisfiability of Metric Temporal Logic (MTL) formulas over continuous-time models and over discrete-time models is studied. It is shown to what extent discrete-time sequences obtained by sampling continuous-time signals capture the semantics of MTL formulas over the two time domains. The main results apply to "flat" formulas that do not nest temporal operators and can be applied to the problem of reducing the verification problem for MTL over continuous-time models to the same problem over discrete-time, resulting in an automated partial practically-efficient discretization technique.Comment: Revised version, 43 pages

Allelopathic Potential of Winter Wheat Varieties for Weed Suppression

Summer weeds are an expensive economic and environmental problem during the fallow period following the harvest of a wheat crop. Anecdotal evidence suggests that different wheat varieties impact the need for weed control in the subsequent fallow period differently, with reasons ranging from residue amount and quality to the allelopathic potential of such residue. Thus, our objectives were to compare the allelopathic effects of different winter wheat varieties on weed and crop germination suppression. We collected the residue left after harvest of 25 varieties grown in a randomized complete block design in two Kansas locations (Hays and Great Bend) during 2022. The residue of the different varieties were combined (replications within location), dried, ground, and used to create extracts with 5% concentration that were later used in a growth chamber study. total of 50 seeds for weed species Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) and giant foxtail (Setaria faberi), and 25 seeds for grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), were added to petri dishes in combination with 5 mL of each extract in four replicates. Petri dishes were sealed with Parafilm and placed in a dark growth chamber set to 84/75°F day/night temperatures. Seed germination was counted after 5 days. There were significant location by variety interactions in the control of both weed species, with greater weed control resulting from the residue derived from Great Bend (6–100% control) than from Hays (-10 to 69%). The difference among varieties was also large, and depending on weed species and location, ranged from as little as 26% to as much as 90% (these differences reflected contrasts between the varieties with minimum versus those with maximum control). All wheat varieties significantly reduced seed germination of Palmer amaranth and giant foxtail, but varieties differed in their germination suppression potential. The allelopathic effects of wheat varieties could be additional targets of breeding programs for reduced weed pressure. Meanwhile, grain sorghum germination was minimally impacted by allelopathic effects of wheat residue

Wheat Yield Response to Nitrogen Rate Depends on Foliar Fungicide Application

Nitrogen (N) and fungicide are among the most important factors impacting wheat yields in Kansas. However, there is limited information on whether foliar fungicides interact with N rates in wheat yield determination. Thus, our objectives were to evaluate wheat yield as impacted by different N rates with or without the use of foliar fungicide. One field experiment was established using a factorial structure of five N rates (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 pounds of N per acre) by two fungicide management practices (either absent or 13 fluid ounces per acre of Nexicor) in a split-plot design near Hutchinson, KS, during the 2020–2021 wheat growing season. The variety Larry was planted at 90 pounds of seed per acre, N was the whole plot and fungicide was the subplot. There was a significant interaction between N and fungicide on winter wheat grain yield, where the benefit of fungicide was greater with higher N rates. In the absence of fungicide, wheat yields ranged from 51.1 bushels per acre in the zero N rate, to 68.5 bu/a in the highest N rate. Meanwhile, grain yield ranged from 57.3 bu/a when no N was applied, to 83.8 bu/a in the highest N rate. Despite higher yields when fungicides were applied, grain yield within fungicide treatment plateaued at the 90 pounds of N per acre rate. This experiment provided initial empirical evidence for the interaction between N management and fungicide. More field experiments are expected to validate this in future years

Wheat Variety-Specific Response to Seeding Rate Under Intensive Management Conditions in Western Kansas in 2020–2021

Wheat response to seeding rate is variable and depends on resource availability during the growing season (e.g., fertility, moisture, and temperature). Our objective was to evaluate winter wheat population and grain yield responses to seeding rate and its interaction with variety in a highly-managed production system where manageable stresses were limited. This study was established to evaluate the response of the wheat varieties Joe, WB-Grainfield, Langin, and LCS Revere to five seeding rates ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000 seeds per acre. The site was managed by growers that consistently win state and national wheat yield contests near Leoti, KS. The trial was established on September 25, 2020, after a long summer fallow in sorghum residue, approximately 10 days after a 0.3-in. rainfall event, ensuring good stand establishment. The fall was dry, but spring conditions were favorable for high yields with cool temperatures and about 11 inches of precipitation. There were significant effects of seeding rate and variety on stand count, but the interaction was weak (P = 0.12). Main effects suggested that the stand count increased with increases in the seeding rate (from 252,265 to 521,347 plants per acre), with the 800,000 and 1,000,000 seeds/a rates attaining the highest stands. However, we note that final populations were closer to the target population at lower seeding rates as compared to higher seeding rates. Grain yield also depended primarily on variety and on seeding rate, with no interaction between both effects. Grain yield ranged between 97 and 101.3 bushels per acre for the seeding rates ranging between 600,000 and 1,000,000, and from 89.9 to 93.3 bu/a for lower seeding rates. Langin was the highest yielding variety (102 bu/a), followed by LCS Revere and WB-Grainfield (94.7–97.5 bu/a), and lastly by Joe (90.3 bu/a). These results suggest that wheat grain yield responses to seeding rate were not dependent on variety, with optimum seeding rates as low as 600,000 seeds/a. We note that increasing seeding rates beyond 600,000 seeds/a led to numerical but not statistical increases in yield

Wheat Variety-Specific Response to Seeding Rate Under Intensive Management Conditions in Western Kansas in 2021–2022

Wheat response to seeding rate is variable and depends on resource availability during the growing season (e.g., fertility, moisture, and temperature). Our objective was to evaluate winter wheat population and grain yield responses to seeding rate and its interaction with variety in a highly-managed production system where manageable stresses were limited. This study was established to evaluate the response of the wheat varieties Joe, WB-Grainfield, Langin, and LCS Revere to five seeding rates ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000 seeds per acre. The site was managed by growers who consistently win state and national wheat yield contests near Leoti, KS. The trial was established on September 25, 2021, after a long summer fallow in sorghum residue. A total of 0.75-in. rainfall surrounding sowing ensured good stand establishment. The entire growing season was dry, limiting grain yield to the 40 to 66 bu/a range, depending on treatment. There were significant effects of seeding rate and variety on stand count, with no interaction. Main effects suggested that the stand count increased with increases in the seeding rate (from 205,795 to 658,544 plants per acre), with the 800,000 and 1,000,000 seeds/a rates attaining the highest stands. WB-Grainfield had the greatest population (522,586 plants per acre), which was statistically greater than that of Langin (412,121 plants per acre) but similar to the other two varieties with intermediate population. Final populations were closer to the target population at lower seeding rates as compared to higher seeding rates. Grain yield also depended primarily on variety and on seeding rate, with no interaction between both effects. Grain yield ranged between 56.9 and 58.2 bu/a acre for the seeding rates ranging between 600,000 and 1,000,000 seeds/a, and from 49.3 to 55.0 bu/a for lower seeding rates. Langin and WB-Grainfield were the highest yielding varieties (57.6 bu/a), and LCS Revere and Joe had the lowest yield (53.1 bu/a). These results suggest that wheat grain yield responses to seeding rate were not dependent on variety, with optimum seeding rates as low as 600,000 seeds/a. We note that increasing seeding rates beyond 600,000 seeds/a led to numerical but not statistical increases in yield

Winter Wheat Response to Timing of Fungicide Application During the 2020–2021 Growing Season

Foliar fungicides applied at the flag leaf stage can improve wheat grain yield in Kansas, but there is limited information on the impact of earlier or combined applications of fungicide on wheat grain yield. We conducted a field study in six Kansas locations during the 2020–2021 growing season to evaluate the yield and test weight of the winter wheat variety WB-Grainfield in response to different fungicide application timings. The trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications to evaluate (1) a non-treated control; Topguard applied at 5 ounces per acre at (2) jointing, (3) heading; and (4) jointing plus heading. The study was conducted in two locations with contrasting soil textures near Ashland Bottoms, in two locations with different previous crops resulting in optimum- and late-sowing dates near Belleville, in one location near Hutchinson, and another near Manhattan. Statistical analysis indicated that for both grain yield and grain test weight, there were significant fungicide timing by location interactions, suggesting that the response to fungicide was location-specific. Grain yield ranged from 28 bushels per acre in the no fungicide treatment in Manhattan to 109.9 bu/a with dual-fungicide in the Belleville field sown at the optimum time. Depending on environment, the increase in yield due to the fungicide application as compared to the untreated control ranged from 0.7 to 8.0 bu/a in the jointing application, from -1.8 to 19.3 bu/a in the heading application, and from -1.4 to 17.7 bu/a in the dual application. Grain test weights ranged from 54.1 pounds per bushel without fungicide in one of the trials near Ashland Bottoms, to 62.8 lb/bu near Hutchinson with the dual fungicide application. Test weight benefits due to fungicide depended on location and ranged from -0.1 to 1.7 lb/bu in the jointing application, from -0.9 to 2.6 lb/bu in the heading application, and from -0.3 to 3.9 lb/bu in the dual application. This research is an initial step in determining the benefits of foliar fungicide timing to winter wheat yield and test weight. The results from this study suggest that benefits are substantial, however, the magnitude depended on the environmental conditions experienced during the growing season

Wheat Grain Yield Response to Seed Cleaning and Seed Treatment as Affected by Seeding Rate During the 2020–2021 Growing Season in Kansas

The objective of this project was to evaluate the winter wheat stand count and grain yield responses to seeding rate and its interaction with seed cleaning and seed treatment in Kansas during the 2020–2021 growing season. Experiments evaluating the response of the wheat variety SY Monument to three seeding rates (600,000, 900,000, and 1,200,000 seeds per acre), three seed cleaning intensities (none, air screen, and gravity table), and two seed treatments (none and insecticide + fungicide) were established in a split-split plot design conducted in a complete factorial experiment in ten Kansas locations. In-season measurements included stand count and grain yield. Despite a few location-specific results, the general trends were uniform to be generalized across locations as there were significant main effects of population and seed treatment for both stand and yield, but no significant seed cleaning effect or interactions among factors. Across locations, plant population increased with increases in seeding rate from 391,616 to 556,771 plants per acre from the lowest to the highest seeding rate, as expected. Seed treatment increased plant population from 467,778 to 492,211 plants/a. Grain yield increased from 68.8 to 72.5 bushels per acre as function of seeding rate, with higher yields associated with higher seeding rates. Grain yield increased from 69.8 bu/a in the untreated control to 71.8 bu/a when the seed was treated. This research is an initial step in evaluating the value of the seed certification process and does not compare certified seed versus bin-run seed. The seed used in this study was derived from a commercial seed production field (i.e., high quality seed) and not from commercial grain production fields