Urea drilled with seed affects germination and yield

Trials in 1968 at Burracoppin and York again showed it is safer to topdress urea just before seeding than to drill a mixture of seed and urea. At all but the lowest urea rates, urea drilled with the seed reduced the number of plants emerging and surviving, and reduced final wheat yields

Role of heavy-meson exchange in pion production near threshold

Recent calculations of $s$-wave pion production have severely underestimated the accurately known $pp\rightarrow pp\pi^0$\ total cross section near threshold. In these calculations, only the single-nucleon axial-charge operator is considered. We have calculated, in addition to the one-body term, the two-body contributions to this reaction that arise from the exchange of mesons. We find that the inclusion of the scalar $\sigma$-meson exchange current (and lesser contributions from other mesons) increases the cross section by about a factor of five, and leads to excellent agreement with the data. The results are neither very sensitive to changes in the distorting potential that generates the $NN$ wave function, nor to different choices for the meson-nucleon form factors. We argue that $pp\rightarrow pp\pi^0$\ data provide direct experimental evidence for meson-exchange contributions to the axial current.Comment: 28 Pages, IU-NTC #93-0

Virtual-pion and two-photon production in pp scattering

Two-photon production in pp scattering is proposed as a means of studying virtual-pion emission. Such a process is complementary to real-pion emission in pp scattering. The virtual-pion signal is embedded in a background of double-photon bremsstrahlung. We have developed a model to describe this background process and show that in certain parts of phase space the virtual-pion signal gives significant contribution. In addition, through interference with the two-photon bremsstrahlung background, one can determine the relative phase of the virtual-pion process

A Network Analysis of the Human T-Cell Activation Gene Network Identifies Jagged1 as a Therapeutic Target for Autoimmune Diseases

Understanding complex diseases will benefit the recognition of the properties of the gene networks that control biological functions. Here, we set out to model the gene network that controls T-cell activation in humans, which is critical for the development of autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The network was established on the basis of the quantitative expression from 104 individuals of 20 genes of the immune system, as well as on biological information from the Ingenuity database and Bayesian inference. Of the 31 links (gene interactions) identified in the network, 18 were identified in the Ingenuity database and 13 were new and we validated 7 of 8 interactions experimentally. In the MS patients network, we found an increase in the weight of gene interactions related to Th1 function and a decrease in those related to Treg and Th2 function. Indeed, we found that IFN-ß therapy induces changes in gene interactions related to T cell proliferation and adhesion, although these gene interactions were not restored to levels similar to controls. Finally, we identify JAG1 as a new therapeutic target whose differential behaviour in the MS network was not modified by immunomodulatory therapy. In vitro treatment with a Jagged1 agonist peptide modulated the T-cell activation network in PBMCs from patients with MS. Moreover, treatment of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis with the Jagged1 agonist ameliorated the disease course, and modulated Th2, Th1 and Treg function. This study illustrates how network analysis can predict therapeutic targets for immune intervention and identified the immunomodulatory properties of Jagged1 making it a new therapeutic target for MS and other autoimmune diseases

Criminalizing protests about animal abuse. Recent Irish experience in global context

"Supporters of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (2006) label as “terrorists” mainstream animal welfare corporations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA). Animal advocates fear that conventional forms of protest, such as boycotts and street demonstrations, are being redefined within such legislation as potential “acts of terror”. Meanwhile, in Ireland, peaceful grassroots animal rights campaigners have begun to be arrested and jailed for standing outside fur shops with an information table. Is Ireland next in line in terms of the apparent global criminalisation of animal advocacy?" [author's abstract

Sulphur nutrition of a subterranean clover pasture in the Avon Valley of Western Australia

Phosphorus and sulphur fertilisers increased the growth of Trifolium subterraneum cv. Dwalganup grown on red-brown sandy clay loam in the Avon Valley of Western Australia. Sulphur gave no response unless phosphorus was also applied. Clover plants showing sulphur deficiency symptoms had SO4 sulphur levels between 130 and 200 ppm compared with a minimum of 300 ppm on non-sulphur deficient clover. There were no differences in effectiveness of the sources of sulphur-superphosphate, gypsum and sodium sulphate