Allelopathic Potential Of Wheat, Rye, And Radish On Crop And Weed Seed Germination

Anita DilleHerbicide-resistant weeds have become a growing concern, increasing the need for alternative weed control methods. Natural chemical defense mechanisms in plants can inhibit the germination and growth of other surrounding plants to reduce competition, known as allelopathy. The objective of this study was to consider the allelopathic potential of hard red winter wheat, rye, and tillage radish varieties on grain sorghum, giant foxtail, and Palmer amaranth seeds. Crop treatments were eight wheat, three rye, and one radish planted and grown for eight weeks in a greenhouse. After harvesting and drying the plant biomass, 2.5% extracts were produced by soaking 2.5 g plant biomass in 100 ml water. Extracts were placed in Petri dishes with the seeds as well as a water-only control. Petri dishes were sealed, placed in a growth chamber and seed germination recorded every 48 hours. Three runs were completed with four replications of each treatment in each run. Sorghum germination was largely unaffected by the crop treatments, while the weed seeds responded to the crop treatments. Aroostook rye, Grainfield wheat, and Zenda wheat treatments resulted in significantly less germination of giant foxtail than the control in all three runs, while Everest and Duster wheats reduced germination in two of three runs. Grainfield wheat also resulted in significantly less germination of Palmer amaranth than the control in all three runs, while Zenda wheat and Aroostook rye did so in two out of three runs. These results suggest that dry plant residues of Grainfield and Zenda wheat varieties and Aroostook rye could inhibit the germination of both Palmer amaranth and giant foxtail seeds. The next step would be to evaluate their potential to reduce weed seed germination and seedling emergence when these crops are planted in the field as an alternative weed control method

Primary visual cortex excitability is not atypical in acquired synaesthesia

A wealth of data suggests that psychedelic drugs elicit spontaneous perceptual states that resemble synaesthesia although it is unclear whether these different forms of synaesthesia share overlapping neural mechanisms. Multiple studies have shown that developmental and trained synaesthesia is characterized by selective hyperexcitability in primary visual cortex and it has been proposed that cortical hyperexcitability may contribute to induced and acquired synaesthesia. This study tested the prediction that a case of acquired synaesthesia (LW) would display selectively elevated primary visual cortex excitability, as reflected in lower transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) phosphene thresholds, but no difference in motor thresholds, relative to controls. In contrast to this prediction, LW’s phosphene threshold was well within the threshold range of controls. These results suggest that acquired synaesthesia is not characterized by atypical visual cortex excitability

Alfalfa water productivity and yield gaps in the U.S. central Great Plains

Context: Yield gap (Yg) analyses using farmer-reported yield and management data have been performed for a number of annual grain crops, but it lacks for perennial forages. The U.S. accounts for 21 % of the global alfalfa production with a large rainfed area located in the central Great Plains, serving as an interesting case-study for Yg in perennial forages. Most existing alfalfa Yg analyses quantified the magnitude of the Yg but failed to identify associated management practices to reduce it. Challenging this analysis, a systematic benchmark for alfalfa water productivity [WP, kg dry matter per mm evapotranspiration (ETc)] that allows for the quantification of Yg in farmer fields does not exist. Objectives: Our objectives were to (i) benchmark alfalfa WP, (ii) quantify Yg in alfalfa farmer fields, and (iii) identify management opportunities to improve alfalfa yield. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of literature and compiled a database on alfalfa yield and ETc (n = 68 papers and 1027 treatment means) from which a WP boundary function was derived. We collected management and yield data from 394 commercial rainfed alfalfa fields during 2016–2019 in central Kansas. We then used satellite imagery to define the growing season (and corresponding water supply) for each field. The boundary function was then used to calculate Yg of each field, and conditional inference trees (CIT) explored the impact of management practices associated with increased yield. Results: Our boundary function suggested an alfalfa WP of 34 kg ha-1 mm-1. Farmer-reported yield ranged from 0.9 to 19.0 Mg ha-1, averaging 7.6 Mg ha-1. Alfalfa water-limited yield potential (Yw) ranged from 11.1 to 23.2 Mg ha-1, resulting in an average yield gap of 54–60 % of Yw. Row spacing, seeding rates, and management of phosphorus fertilizer were major agronomic practices explaining alfalfa yields in farmer fields, followed by surrogate variables as sowing season, stand age, and soil pH. Conclusions: Our study provided the first systematic analysis estimating attainable alfalfa WP as function of ETc, suggesting that large alfalfa Yg exist in the U.S. central Great Plains. We also identified key agronomic practices associated with increased alfalfa yield. Significance: The WP here derived can be used for future studies aiming at quantifying alfalfa Yg across the globe. This was an initial step in quantifying Yg and its associated causes at farmer fields, and we highlight limitations and future directions for perennial forages yield gap analyses

Structural templating in a nonplanar phthalocyanine using single crystal copper iodide

Solution-grown copper iodide crystals are used as substrates for the templated growth of the nonplanar vanadyl phthalocyanine using organic molecular beam deposition. Structural characterization reveals a single molecular orientation produced by the (111) Miller plane of the copper iodide crystals. These fundamental measurements show the importance of morphology and structure in templating interactions for organic electronics applications

Factorized Point Process Intensities: A Spatial Analysis of Professional Basketball

We develop a machine learning approach to represent and analyze the underlying spatial structure that governs shot selection among professional basketball players in the NBA. Typically, NBA players are discussed and compared in an heuristic, imprecise manner that relies on unmeasured intuitions about player behavior. This makes it difficult to draw comparisons between players and make accurate player specific predictions. Modeling shot attempt data as a point process, we create a low dimensional representation of offensive player types in the NBA. Using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), an unsupervised dimensionality reduction technique, we show that a low-rank spatial decomposition summarizes the shooting habits of NBA players. The spatial representations discovered by the algorithm correspond to intuitive descriptions of NBA player types, and can be used to model other spatial effects, such as shooting accuracy.Engineering and Applied Science

Prioritization of THose aWaiting hip and knee ArthroplastY(PATHWAY) : protocol for development of a stakeholder led clinical prioritization tool

Open access funding The authors report that the open access funding for this manuscript is provided by the Chief Scientist Office Clinical Academic Fellowship (Grant ref: CAF/21/06). Funding statement The study is co-funded by the University of Aberdeen Knowledge Exchange Commission (Ref CF10693-29) and a Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Scotland Clinical Academic Fellowship, which will run from 08/2021 to 08/2024 (Grant ref: CAF/21/06).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exposure to mild blast forces induces neuropathological effects, neurophysiological deficits and biochemical changes

Direct or indirect exposure to an explosion can induce traumatic brain injury (TBI) of various severity levels. Primary TBI from blast exposure is commonly characterized by internal injuries, such as vascular damage, neuronal injury, and contusion, without external injuries. Current animal models of blast-induced TBI (bTBI) have helped to understand the deleterious effects of moderate to severe blast forces. However, the neurological effects of mild blast forces remain poorly characterized. Here, we investigated the effects caused by mild blast forces combining neuropathological, histological, biochemical and neurophysiological analysis. For this purpose, we employed a rodent blast TBI model with blast forces below the level that causes macroscopic neuropathological changes. We found that mild blast forces induced neuroinflammation in cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus. Moreover, mild blast triggered microvascular damage and axonal injury. Furthermore, mild blast caused deficits in hippocampal short-term plasticity and synaptic excitability, but no impairments in long-term potentiation. Finally, mild blast exposure induced proteolytic cleavage of spectrin and the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activator, p35 in hippocampus. Together, these findings show that mild blast forces can cause aberrant neurological changes that critically impact neuronal functions. These results are consistent with the idea that mild blast forces may induce subclinical pathophysiological changes that may contribute to neurological and psychiatric disorders

Illinois Waterfowl Surveys and Investigations W-43-R-65-B Annual Progress Report FY2018

We monitored cellular-collared Canada geese in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area, specifically their use of space near Midway International Airport(MWD).Extensions of runways 13 and 31 were intersected more frequently (13.26% of transitional movements, x = 225) than extensions of runways 4 and 22 (2.52% of transitional movements, x = 76). We recorded 18 instances of movements intersecting airspace over runways at MDW (0.60% of transitional movements).The majority of transmittered Canada geese bred within the range of the temperate-nesting, Mississippi Flyway Giant Population with the exception of one male that appeared to be part of the subarctic-nesting, Mississippi Valley Population based on timing of migration and movement pattern indicating nesting. On average, 24.6% of transmittered geese underwent molt migrations during 2015–2017.We monitored the chronology and distribution of shorebirds aerially in the IRV during autumn and spring migration. Total number of shorebirds peaked in the IRV during autumn 2017 at 18,120, and averaged 12,024 birds/flight. We noted a positive trend with shorebird abundance and mudflat availability as river levels decreased in the IRV during August 2017. We documented lower shorebird numbers during spring 2018 in the IRV with a peak of 3,320 birds and an average of 2,527 birds/flight.Fluctuating water levels during migration drastically reduced the availability of shorebird habitat in the IRV during spring.Aerial detection of shorebird flocks was 97% and aerial count bias was 89.1% (range 0–250%) for total shorebirds. Count bias averaged 101.1% for large shorebirds and 80.4% for small shorebirds.Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration W-43-R-65-Bunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Mutagenesis mapping of RNA structures within the foot-and-mouth disease virus genome reveals functional elements localized in the polymerase (3Dpol)-encoding region

The Pirbright Institute receives grant-aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the United Kingdom (projects BBS/E/I/00007035, BBS/E/I/00007036, and BBS/E/I/00007037) providing funds to cover the open access charges for this paper. This work was supported by funding from the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra research projects SE2943 and SE2944) and BBSRC research grant BB/K003801/1.RNA structures can form functional elements that play crucial roles in the replication of positive-sense RNA viruses. While RNA structures in the untranslated regions (UTRs) of several picornaviruses have been functionally characterized, the roles of putative RNA structures predicted for protein coding sequences (or open reading frames [ORFs]) remain largely undefined. Here, we have undertaken a bioinformatic analysis of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) genome to predict 53 conserved RNA structures within the ORF. Forty-six of these structures were located in the regions encoding the nonstructural proteins (nsps). To investigate whether structures located in the regions encoding the nsps are required for FMDV replication, we used a mutagenesis method, CDLR mapping, where sequential coding segments were shuffled to minimize RNA secondary structures while preserving protein coding, native dinucleotide frequencies, and codon usage. To examine the impact of these changes on replicative fitness, mutated sequences were inserted into an FMDV subgenomic replicon. We found that three of the RNA structures, all at the 3' termini of the FMDV ORF, were critical for replicon replication. In contrast, disruption of the other 43 conserved RNA structures that lie within the regions encoding the nsps had no effect on replicon replication, suggesting that these structures are not required for initiating translation or replication of viral RNA. Conserved RNA structures that are not essential for virus replication could provide ideal targets for the rational attenuation of a wide range of FMDV strains. IMPORTANCE Some RNA structures formed by the genomes of RNA viruses are critical for viral replication. Our study shows that of 46 conserved RNA structures located within the regions of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) genome that encode the nonstructural proteins, only three are essential for replication of an FMDV subgenomic replicon. Replicon replication is dependent on RNA translation and synthesis; thus, our results suggest that the three RNA structures are critical for either initiation of viral RNA translation and/or viral RNA synthesis. Although further studies are required to identify whether the remaining 43 RNA structures have other roles in virus replication, they may provide targets for the rational large-scale attenuation of a wide range of FMDV strains. FMDV causes a highly contagious disease, posing a constant threat to global livestock industries. Such weakened FMDV strains could be investigated as live-attenuated vaccines or could enhance biosecurity of conventional inactivated vaccine production.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Lattice QCD calculation of Bˉ→Dlνˉ\bar{B}\to Dl\bar{\nu} decay form factors at zero recoil

A lattice QCD calculation of the $\bar{B}\to Dl\bar{\nu}$ decay form factors is presented. We obtain the value of the form factor $h_+(w)$ at the zero-recoil limit $w=1$ with high precision by considering a ratio of correlation functions in which the bulk of the uncertainties cancels. The other form factor $h_-(w)$ is calculated, for small recoil momenta, from a similar ratio. In both cases, the heavy quark mass dependence is observed through direct calculations with several combinations of initial and final heavy quark masses. Our results are $h_+(1) = 1.007(6)(2)(3)$ and $h_-(1)=-0.107(28)(04)(^{10}_{30})$. For both the first error is statistical, the second stems from the uncertainty in adjusting the heavy quark masses, and the last from omitted radiative corrections. Combining these results, we obtain a precise determination of the physical combination $F_{B\to D}(1)=1.058(^{20}_{17})$, where the mentioned systematic errors are added in quadrature. The dependence on lattice spacing and the effect of quenching are not yet included, but with our method they should be a fraction of $F_{B\to D}-1$.Comment: 32 pp, 10 figs; final, published versio