Effects of Compost on Prairie Seedling Establishment and Seed Production

Compost is a commonly used soil amendment in horticultural and agricultural practices that is generally known to improve soil conditions and plant growth. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the application of compost to prairie production plots as a method to improve seedling establishment and growth and the seed production of established plants. We evaluated the effect of compost depth and tillage on the survivorship, growth, reproduction and ecophysiology of several prairie plant species commonly used in restoration. Results were mixed; for some species, transplants in compost–amended plots incurred lower survivorship and reduced growth compared to control plots. When compost was used for transplants, improved growth and reproduction were observed more often if compost was tilled into the soil. No benefit from compost was observed for flower and seed production in established prairie species. Compost can be useful in promoting better growth in prairie plots, but its application can produce negative outcomes under certain conditions

Enabling Inline Correction of Speech Transcript via Audio Cues

While voice input has become a popular way of interacting with devices, user frustration due to incorrect transcription is common. Speech-to-text (STT) conversion errors can require users to provide the spoken input again, manually issue a correction command, or use a non-voice modality to make corrections. This disclosure describes techniques to automatically play audio cues to indicate when the confidence in the accuracy of speech transcription is low. The cues enable timely, inline correction of the transcript as the user speaks, in a manner akin to human conversation. The cues can include a discernible tone/ beep or spoken phrases that indicate that particular spoken phrases were not transcribed with sufficient confidence

Docking and Bridging Devices

This disclosure describes core devices, like a phone, tablet, or other screen, and how they could be docked to a second device, like a speaker or charger, to take on a new role. This disclosure describes a system that offers more flexibility and allows users to benefit from different combinations of devices. The techniques allow an object to be docked to effectively create a new device, e.g., a tablet docking to a speaker would be like a home hub, and/or to alter their function, e.g., a phone can be placed in a stand or on a charging mat to default to a more passive role

Effects of Compost on Prairie Seedling Establishment and Seed Production

Compost is a commonly used soil amendment in horticultural and agricultural practices that is generally known to improve soil conditions and plant growth. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the application of compost to prairie production plots as a method to improve seedling establishment and growth and the seed production of established plants. We evaluated the effect of compost depth and tillage on the survivorship, growth, reproduction and ecophysiology of several prairie plant species commonly used in restoration. Results were mixed; for some species, transplants in compost–amended plots incurred lower survivorship and reduced growth compared to control plots. When compost was used for transplants, improved growth and reproduction were observed more often if compost was tilled into the soil. No benefit from compost was observed for flower and seed production in established prairie species. Compost can be useful in promoting better growth in prairie plots, but its application can produce negative outcomes under certain conditions

Muscle spindle alterations precede onset of sensorimotor deficits in Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2E.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common inherited peripheral neuropathy, affecting approximately 2.8 million people. The CMT leads to distal neuropathy that is characterized by reduced motor nerve conduction velocity, ataxia, muscle atrophy and sensory loss. We generated a mouse model of CMT type 2E (CMT2E) expressing human neurofilament light E396K (hNF-LE396K ), which develops decreased motor nerve conduction velocity, ataxia and muscle atrophy by 4 months of age. Symptomatic hNF-LE396K mice developed phenotypes that were consistent with proprioceptive sensory defects as well as reduced sensitivity to mechanical stimulation, while thermal sensitivity and auditory brainstem responses were unaltered. Progression from presymptomatic to symptomatic included a 50% loss of large diameter sensory axons within the fifth lumbar dorsal root of hNF-LE396K mice. Owing to proprioceptive deficits and loss of large diameter sensory axons, we analyzed muscle spindle morphology in presymptomatic and symptomatic hNF-LE396K and hNF-L control mice. Muscle spindle cross-sectional area and volume were reduced in all hNF-LE396K mice analyzed, suggesting that alterations in muscle spindle morphology occurred prior to the onset of typical CMT pathology. These data suggested that CMT2E pathology initiated in the muscle spindles altering the proprioceptive sensory system. Early sensory pathology in CMT2E could provide a unifying hypothesis for the convergence of pathology observed in CMT