The changing needs with time for mineral nutrition of organic stone fruit orchard under Mediterranean conditions

Mediterranean climatic conditions for stone fruit production are good but soil fertility is low, mainly due to low (< 2.0%) soil organic matter (OM). Consequently, conventional growers apply high fertiliser rates (typically ~350 Kg N ha-1 yr-1). Our main objectives were to compare the effects of 2 modes of nitrogen nutrition, suitable for organically certified orchard vs a conventional control on tree development, yield, and some soil chemical, physical and biological properties. The orchard is located on a Grumosol soil, in the Jezreel Valley, Israel and is treated organically in terms of plant protection and weed control. The orchard was planted to peach, plums and nectarines in 1998, all grafted onto rootstock CV. 677. The tested treatments were: A. conventional control, receiving an average of 350 Kg N ha-1 yr-1; B. fertilization using cattle manure compost (40 m3ha-1 yr-1) + feather meal (1 tonne ha-1 yr-1); and C. a combination of the same amount of compost + 500 Kg feather meal ha-1 yr-1 + leguminous cover crop (Alfalfa, Medicago sativa cv. Gilboa). The cover crop was mowed 7–8 times per year. There were five replicates per treatment, of nine trees per replicate and the experiment was arranged in a randomised block design. The experiment lasted 6 years. OM content of the native soil (5–30 cm) was 1.8–2.0%. By 2003 the OM content of the conventional control treatment remained stable; that of treatment B increased by 36% while that of treatment C increased by 91%. This change was refl ected in a clear and statistically significant change in soil’s bulk density values which were 0.80, 0.73 and 0.71 gr cm3 for treatments A, B and C, respectively. At the beginning of the experiment levels of soil nitrate, phosphate and potassium ions were somewhat lower in treatments B and C than those in A but they became consistently higher after 2–3 years. The levels of these ions in the 30–60 cm soil layer followed the same trend at a 1–2 years lag. Nitrification capacity of the soils of treatments B and C were twice as high as those of treatment A. Consequently, beginning 2002 application rates of organic amendments were reduced. Yet, no decline in nutrients levels in the organic treatments could be detected over the period 2002–2004, presumably due to continued mineralisation of the OM pool. In 2004 various soil microbial characteristics (microbial counts, fl uorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity, functional richness and diversity) were determined. In all these parameters the organic treatments showed higher levels than treatment A. From the autumn of 2002 on, stem circumference are similar for all treatments and for all species. No statistical differences could be found among the treatments in any of the tested species for the 3 year cumulative yields. It can be concluded that once a significant buildup of organic matter in the soil is occurring, organic matter application can be reduced considerably, as a signifi cant soil’s potential productivity has been built

Laser-Assisted Removal of Aspirated Thumbtacks by Flexible Bronchoscopy

Background. Aspirated thumbtacks are difficult to extract as the sharp edge of the thumbtack often is well imbedded within bronchial wall and its removal is technically demanding and may cause complications such as bronchial mucosal tear and bronchial wall perforation. These sharp metal objects are commonly removed using rigid bronchoscopy since their removal through flexible bronchoscopy is considered to be dangerous. Objectives. To describe a technique for removal of sharp aspirated metal objects employing laser through flexible bronchoscopy. Methods. We report two patients in whom a new technique for removal of sharp aspirated metal objects utilizing Nd-Yag laser flexible bronchoscopy was used. Results. Successful and uncomplicated removal of the aspirated thumbpack by flexible bronchoscopy under conscious sedation was accomplished in the two patients described. Both patients were discharged within 24 hours. Conclusions. In patients with aspirated thumbtack laser-assisted breakage of the object through flexible bronchoscopy may obviate the need for rigid bronchoscopy or thoracotomy

Raised erythrocyte creatine in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension – Evidence for subclinical hemolysis

SummaryBackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been associated with hemolytic conditions such as sickle cell disease but the possible role of hemolysis in the pathogenesis or pathophysiology of other forms of PAH has not been studied. Erythrocyte lifespan is the gold-standard test of hemolysis and may be measured by assaying erythrocyte creatine (EC) levels. EC decreases as the erythrocyte ages, so patients with hemolysis have high EC levels.MethodsWe measured EC and other parameters of hemolysis in patients with idiopathic and connective tissue associated PAH and normal controls.ResultsIn patients with PAH (n = 40), EC levels were higher than in controls n = 30 (patients EC 1.72 mcmol/g HgB 95%CI[1.51, 1.96], controls EC 1.05 mcmol/g HgB [0.93, 1.19], p < 0.0001). High levels of EC correlated with worse 6 min walk (r = −0.42, p < 0.0001) and worse functional class (p = 0.002). Other indirect indices of hemolysis (total lactate dehydrogenase, red cell distribution width) were also increased in patients with PAH relative to controls.ConclusionsThere is evidence of subclinical hemolysis in patients with PAH, and higher levels of hemolysis are associated with poorer exercise capacity

Macrophage-Induced Lymphangiogenesis and Metastasis following Paclitaxel Chemotherapy Is Regulated by VEGFR3

While chemotherapy strongly restricts or reverses tumor growth, the response of host tissue to therapy can counteract its anti-tumor activity by promoting tumor re-growth and/or metastases, thus limiting therapeutic efficacy. Here, we show that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3)-expressing macrophages infiltrating chemotherapy-treated tumors play a significant role in metastasis. They do so in part by inducing lymphangiogenesis as a result of cathepsin release, leading to VEGF-C upregulation by heparanase. We found that macrophages from chemotherapy-treated mice are sufficient to trigger lymphatic vessel activity and structure in naive tumors in a VEGFR3-dependent manner. Blocking VEGF-C/VEGFR3 axis inhibits the activity of chemotherapy-educated macrophages, leading to reduced lymphangiogenesis in treated tumors. Overall, our results suggest that disrupting the VEGF-C/VEGFR3 axis not only directly inhibits lymphangiogenesis but also blocks the pro-metastatic activity of macrophages in chemotherapy-treated mice

Eating My Words: Talking About Food in Performance

In this paper I will explore the blurry boundaries between food in culinary settings and its use as an artistic medium. I want to suggest that food can serve as an example of the need to rethink our ideas about what constitutes art, how we assign value, and how we form a division between art and life, and between artistic medium and craft. Granted, the debate of “what is art” is long and extensive and, not being a philosopher or an art historian, I feel ill-prepared for tackling the full range of its related questions. However, I wish to come to this debate from a different viewpoint, focusing on what the notion of food as medium can add to this larger question

Mechanism of Tubulin Oligomers and Single-Ring Disassembly Catastrophe

Cold tubulin dimers coexist with tubulin oligomers and single rings. These structures are involved in microtubule assembly; however, their dynamics are poorly understood. Using state-of-the-art solution synchrotron time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, we discovered a disassembly catastrophe (half-life of ∼0.1 s) of tubulin rings and oligomers upon dilution or addition of guanosine triphosphate. A slower disassembly (half-life of ∼38 s) was observed following an increase in temperature. Our analysis showed that the assembly and disassembly processes were consistent with an isodesmic mechanism, involving a sequence of reversible reactions in which dimers were rapidly added or removed one at a time, terminated by a 2 order-of-magnitude slower ring-closing/opening step. We revealed how assembly conditions varied the mass fraction of tubulin in each of the coexisting structures, the rate constants, and the standard Helmholtz free energies for closing a ring and for longitudinal dimer–dimer associations