A decade of herbicide-resistant crops in Canada

Non-Peer ReviewedThis review examines some agronomic, economic, and environmental impacts of herbicide-resistant (HR) canola, soybean, corn, and wheat in Canada after 10 years of growing HR cultivars. The rapid adoption of HR canola and soybean suggests a net economic benefit to farmers. HR crops often have improved weed management, greater yields or economic returns, and similar or reduced environmental impact compared with their non-HR crop counterparts. There are no marked changes in volunteer weed problems associated with these crops, except in zero-tillage systems when glyphosate is used alone to control canola volunteers. Although gene flow from glyphosate-HR canola to indigenous populations of bird’s rape in eastern Canada has been measured, enrichment of hybrid plants in such populations should only occur when and where herbicide selection pressure is applied. Weed shifts as a consequence of HR canola have been documented, but a reduction in weed species diversity has not been demonstrated. Reliance on HR crops in rotations using the same mode-of-action-herbicide and/or multiple in-crop herbicide applications over time can result in intense selection pressure for weed resistance and consequently, greater herbicide use in the future to control HR weed biotypes. History has repeatedly shown that cropping system diversity is the pillar of sustainable agriculture; stewardship of HR crops must adhere to this fundamental principle

Antimicrobial effects of fruit and flower anthocyanins

• Our research suggest that anthocyanins are promising anti-bacterial agents • The antimicrobial effects are highly dependent on the source of the anthocyanin-extract • Rose-anthocyanins appear to posses the strongest anti-bacterial effects • Gram-positive strains appear to be more sensitive compared to gram-negative strains • Future research efforts should focus on different anthocyanin entitie

A new green fluorescent protein-based bacterial biosensor for analysing phenanthrene fluxes.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading strain Burkholderia sp. RP007 served as host strain for the design of a bacterial biosensor for the detection of phenanthrene. RP007 was transformed with a reporter plasmid containing a transcriptional fusion between the phnS putative promoter/operator region and the gene encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP). The resulting bacterial biosensor--Burkholderia sp. strain RP037--produced significant amounts of GFP after batch incubation in the presence of phenanthrene crystals. Co-incubation with acetate did not disturb the phenanthrene-specific response but resulted in a homogenously responding population of cells. Active metabolism was required for induction with phenanthrene. The magnitude of GFP induction was influenced by physical parameters affecting the phenanthrene flux to the cells, such as the contact surface area between solid phenanthrene and the aqueous phase, addition of surfactant, and slow phenanthrene release from Model Polymer Release System beads or from a water-immiscible oil. These results strongly suggest that the bacterial biosensor can sense different phenanthrene fluxes while maintaining phenanthrene metabolism, thus acting as a genuine sensor for phenanthrene bioavailability. A relationship between GFP production and phenanthrene mass transfer is proposed

Antimicrobial effects of fruit and flower anthocyanins

• Our research suggest that anthocyanins are promising anti-bacterial agents • The antimicrobial effects are highly dependent on the source of the anthocyanin-extract • Rose-anthocyanins appear to posses the strongest anti-bacterial effects • Gram-positive strains appear to be more sensitive compared to gram-negative strains • Future research efforts should focus on different anthocyanin entitie

Capable and credible? Challenging nutrition science

Nutrition science has enriched our understanding of how to stay healthy by producing valuable knowledge about the interaction of nutrients, food, and the human body. Nutrition science also has raised societal awareness about the links between food consumption and well-being, and provided the basis for food regulations and dietary guidelines. Its collaborative and interdisciplinary research has accomplished much, scientifically and socially. Despite this, nutrition science appears to be in crisis and is currently confronted with a public reluctance to trust nutritional insights. Though deflating trust is a general phenomenon surrounding the scientific community, its impact on nutrition science is particularly strong because of the crucial role of nutrition in everyone’s daily life. We, a Dutch collective of nutritionists, medical doctors, philosophers and sociologists of science (http://www.nutritionintransition.nl), have diagnosed that nutrition science is meeting inherent boundaries. This hampers conceptual and methodological progress and the translation of novel insights into societal benefit and trust. In other words, nutrition science is facing limitations to its capability and credibility, impeding its societal value. We take up the challenge to halt the threatening erosion of nutrition science’s capability and credibility, and explore a way forward. We analyse limitations to capability and credibility, then argue that nutrition science is caught in a vicious circle, and end by offering some suggestions to transcend the limitations and escape the current deadlock. We invite nutritional experts as well as scholars from adjacent disciplines to engage in the discussion

Behavioural and neurodevelopmental outcome of 2-year-old children after preterm premature rupture of membranes : follow-up of a randomised clinical trial comparing induction of labour and expectant management

Objective: We recently reported that induction of labour does not improve short term neonatal outcome in women with late preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) as compared to expectant management (PPROMEXIL trial). In this study the neurodevelopmental and behavioural outcome of the children from this trial at 2 years of age was studied. Study design: We studied outcome of offspring of women randomised in the PPROMEXIL study. These women had >24 h of ruptured membranes and were between 34 and 37 weeks of pregnancy when they were randomised to induction of labour (IoL) or expectant management (EM). Two years after delivery, the parents received the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ), the child behaviour checklist (CBCL) and a general questionnaire. Results: Follow-up data were obtained from 234 children (121 after IoL, 113 after EM, response rate 59% (44% of the original 532 randomised women)). In the IoL group 16 children (14%) had an abnormal score in >= 1 domains of the ASQ versus 27 (26%) in the EM group (difference in percentage -11.4 (95% CI -21.9 to -0.98; p = 0.033)). For the CBCL, an abnormal score was found in 13% (n = 15) in the IoL group and in 15% (n = 16) in the EM group (difference in percentage -2.13 (95% CI -11.2 to 6.94; p = 0.645)). Conclusion: Although a policy of induction of labour in women with late PPROM does not improve short term neonatal outcome, it might be associated with a decrease in neurodevelopmental difficulties at the age of two years as compared to expectant management. Expectant management did not lead to a difference in behavioural problems. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved