Participatory Development of a Forage Grass Cultivar

Perennial forage grasses exist in both nature and agriculture as a highly heterogeneous mixture of genotypes. Extreme environments, fluctuating environments, and severe managements can impose selection pressures that will result in loss of unadapted genotypes. Mortality of unadapted genotypes leads to dominance of fewer highly adapted genotypes which may be useful as superior germplasm in other similar environments

Passive Avoidance Training and Recall are Associated With Increased Glutamate Levels in the Intermediate Medial Hyperstriatum Ventrale of the Day-Old Chick

In the young chick, the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale is involved in learning paradigms, including imprinting and passive avoidance learning. Biochemical changes in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale following learning include an up-regulation of amino-acid transmitter levels and receptor activity. To follow the changes of extracellular amino acid levels during passive avoidance training, we used an in vivo microdialysis technique. Probes were implanted in chicks before training the animals, either on a methyl- anthranylate-or water-coated bead. One hour later, recall was tested in both groups by presenting a similar bead. An increase of extra-cellular glutamate levels accompanied training and testing in both groups; during training, glutamate release was higher in methylanthranylate- trained than in water-trained chicks. When compared with the methylanthranylate-trained chicks during testing, the water-trained chicks showed enhanced extra-cellular glutamate levels. No other amino acid examined showed significant changes. After testing, the chicks were anesthetized and release- stimulated with an infusion of 50 mM potassium. Extra-cellular glutamate and taurine levels were significantly increased in both methylanthranylate-and water-trained chicks. The presentation of methylanthranylate as an. olfactory stimulus significantly enhanced glutamate levels, especially in methylanthranylate-trained chicks. The results suggest that such changes in extra-cellular glutamate levels in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale accompany pecking at either the water- or the methylanthranylate-bead. The taste of the aversant may be responsible for the greater increases found in methylanthranylate-trained birds

Temperature and precipitation extremes in the United States: Quantifying the responses to anthropogenic aerosols and greenhouse gases

Changes in extreme temperatures, heat waves, heavy rainfall events, and precipitation frequency can have adverse impacts on human health, air quality, agricultural productivity, and water resources. Using the aerosol only (AER) and greenhouse gas only (GHG) "single forcing" simulations (3 ensemble members each) from the GFDL CM3 chemistry-climate model, we investigate aerosol- versus greenhouse gas-induced changes in high temperature and precipitation extremes over the United States. We identify changes in these events from 1860 to 2005 and the associated large-scale dynamical conditions. Small changes in these extremes in the "all forcing" simulations reflect cancellations between the individual, opposite-signed effects of increasing anthropogenic aerosols and greenhouse gases. In AER, aerosols lead to lower extreme high temperatures and fewer warm spells over the western US (-2.1 K regional average; -20 days/year) and over the central and northeast US (-1.5 K; -12 days/year). In GHG, a similar but opposite-signed response pattern occurs (+2.7 K and +14 days/year over the western US; +2.5 K and +10 days/year in the central and northeast US). The similar spatial response patterns in AER versus GHG suggest a preferred regional mode of response that is largely independent of the regional distribution of the forcing agent. The influence of both greenhouse gases and aerosols on extreme high temperature is weakest in the southeast US, collocated with the observed "warming hole". No statistically significant change occurs in AER, and a warming of only +1.8 K occurs in GHG. Warming in this region continues to be muted over the 21st century under the RCP 8.5 scenario, with increases in extreme temperatures more than 1 K smaller than elsewhere. Aerosols induce decreases in the number of days per year with at least 10mm of precipitation (R10mm) over the eastern US in summer and winter and over the southern US in spring of roughly 1 day/year. In contrast, greenhouse gases induce increases in R10mm over the eastern US in winter (+0.8 days/year), the northern and central US during spring (+1 day/year), and the southeast US during summer (+0.5 days/year), but decreases over the northeast US in summer (-0.2 days/year). In RCP 8.5, the patterns of extreme temperature and precipitation associated with greenhouse gas forcing dominate

Adaptability, resilience and environmental buffering in European Refugia during the Late Pleistocene: Insights from La Riera Cave (Asturias, Cantabria, Spain

Abstract: The Upper Palaeolithic in Europe was a time of extensive climatic changes that impacted on the survival and distribution of human populations. During the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), southern European peninsulas were refugia for flora, fauna, and human groups. One of these refugia, the Cantabrian región (northern Atlantic Spain), was intensively occupied throughout the Upper Palaeolithic. Characterising how climatic events were expressed in local environments is crucial to understand human and animal survival. La Riera Cave (Asturias) has a rich geo-cultural sequence dating between 20.5kyr BP to 6.5kyr BP and represents an ideal location in which to explore this. Stable isotope analysis of red deer and ibex is used alongside other environmental and climatic proxies to reconstruct Late Upper Palaeolithic conditions. Results show that during the LGM, ibex adapted their niche to survive, and became a major prey species for humans. The diverse environmental opportunities offered in the high-relief and coastal environs of La Riera may help to explain the high human population levels in the Cantabrian Region throughout the Late Upper Palaeolithic. Despite fluctuating conditions, herbivores and humans had the flexibility and resilience to adapt, demonstrating the importance of southern European refugia for the survival of different species.This research was funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship grant awarded to JRJ (H2020- MSCA-IF-2014-656122). ABMA was supported by a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (FP7-PEOPLE- 2012-CIG-322112), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (HAR2012-33956 and Ramon y Cajal (RYC-2011-07690) and Santander Talent Attraction for Research (STAR-1). The new radiocarbon dates obtained by LGS for Levels 23 and 24 were kindly financed by the Stone Age Research Fund (University of New Mexico), J. and R. Auel principal donors

Leucine Carboxyl Methyltransferase 1 Overexpression Protects Against Cognitive and Electrophysiological Impairments in Tg2576 APP Transgenic Mice

Background: The serine/threonine protein phosphatase, PP2A, is thought to play a central role in the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the activity and substrate specificity of PP2A is regulated, in part, through methylation and demethylation of its catalytic subunit. Previously, we found that transgenic overexpression of the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, or the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, altered the sensitivity of mice to impairments caused by acute exposure to synthetic oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ). Objective: Here we sought to test the possibility that these molecules also controlled sensitivity to impairments caused by chronically elevated levels of Aβ produced in vivo. Methods: To do this, we examined the effects of transgenic LCMT-1, or PME-1 overexpression on cognitive and electrophysiological impairments caused by chronic overexpression of mutant human APP in Tg2576 mice. Results: We found that LCMT-1 overexpression prevented impairments in short-term spatial memory and synaptic plasticity in Tg2576 mice, without altering APP expression or soluble Aβ levels. While the magnitude of the effects of PME-1 overexpression in Tg2576 mice was small and potentially confounded by the emergence of non-cognitive impairments, Tg2576 mice that overexpressed PME-1 showed a trend toward earlier onset and/or increased severity of cognitive and electrophysiological impairments. Conclusion: These data suggest that the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, and the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, may participate in the molecular pathogenesis of AD by regulating sensitivity to the pathogenic effects of chronically elevated levels of Aβ

Reduced Expression of the PP2A Methylesterase, PME-1, or the PP2A Methyltransferase, LCMT-1, Alters Sensitivity to Beta-Amyloid-Induced Cognitive and Electrophysiological Impairments in Mice

Beta-amyloid (Ab) is thought to play a critical role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and application of soluble oligomeric forms of Ab produces AD-like impairments in cognition and synaptic plasticity in experimental systems. We found previously that transgenic overexpression of the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, or the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, altered the sensitivity of mice to Ab-induced impairments, suggesting that PME-1 inhibition may be an effective approach for preventing or treating these impairments. To explore this possibility, we examined the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of acutely applied synthetic Ab oligomers in male and female mice heterozygous for either a PME-1 KO or an LCMT-1 gene-trap mutation. We found that heterozygous PME-1 KO mice were resistant to Ab-induced impairments in cognition and synaptic plasticity, whereas LCMT-1 gene-trap mice showed increased sensitivity to Ab-induced impairments. The heterozygous PME-1 KO mice produced normal levels of endogenous Ab and exhibited normal electrophysiological responses to picomolar concentrations of Ab, suggesting that reduced PME-1 expression in these animals protects against Ab-induced impairments without impacting normal physiological Ab functions. Together, these data provide additional support for roles for PME-1 and LCMT-1 in regulating sensitivity to Ab-induced impairments, and suggest that inhibition of PME-1 may constitute a viable therapeutic approach for selectively protecting against the pathologic actions of Ab in AD

Real-time forecasting of pesticide concentrations in soil

peer-reviewedForecasting pesticide residues in soils in real time is essential for agronomic purposes, to manage phytotoxic effects, and in catchments to manage surface and ground water quality. This has not been possible in the past due to both modelling and measurement constraints. Here, the analytical transient probability distribution (pdf) of pesticide concentrations is derived. The pdf results from the random ways in which rain events occur after pesticide application. First-order degradation kinetics and linear equilibrium sorption are assumed. The analytical pdfs allow understanding of the relative contributions that climate (mean storm depth and mean rainfall event frequency) and chemical (sorption and degradation) properties have on the variability of soil concentrations into the future. We demonstrated the two uncertain reaction parameters can be constrained using Bayesian methods. An approach to a Bayesian informed forecast is then presented. With the use of new rapid tests capable of providing quantitative measurements of soil concentrations in the field, real-time forecasting of future pesticide concentrations now looks possible for the first time. Such an approach offers new means to manage crops, soils and water quality, and may be extended to other classes of pesticides for ecological risk assessment purposes