Evaluation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar response to prophylactic fungicide application

Soybean growers in the southern United States commonly deal with disease issues that can limit yield potential. As a result, growers have adopted prophylactic fungicide application targeted at specific growth stages as a standard management practice. However, yield responses to prophylactic applications have become sporadic over time. One major change that has occurred is adoption of cultivars with improved disease tolerances. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate yield response of cultivars representing multiple genetic backgrounds to fungicides applied prophylactically at the R4 soybean growth stage. Experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021 to determine the yield impact of prophylactic fungicide applications in MG IV or V cultivars across different planting dates and multiple soil textures. A yield increase was observed for soybean treated with a fungicide compared to nontreated soybean. However, a yield response between nontreated and treated soybean within cultivar was not observed, indicating that differing cultivar disease tolerances may not influence soybean yield response to prophylactic fungicide application

Comparative Studies on Scale-Up Methods of Single-Use Bioreactors

This study was performed to increase knowledge of oxygen mass transfer (kLa) and mixing times in the scale-up of disposable bioreactors.Results of oxygen mass transfer studies showed kLa to increase with increasing agitation and aeration rates. By maintaining a scale-up constant such as gassed power to volume or shear, an almost constant kLa was achieved during scale-up from 50 to 2000 L. Using the scale-up constant Pg/V resulted in statistically higher kLa values at greater reactor volumes. Mixing times were revealed to be significantly affected by agitation, but not by the aeration rates tested. No pattern was recognized in the mixing time data over an increase in volume. Commonly used methods for predicting kLa upon scale-up were compared to experimental data. New coefficients were determined to fit the historic models to the parameters of this study, namely the unique geometry and low agitation and aeration rates used in the single-use systems. Each of the resulting four models was found to have average error rates from 16-23%. Although the error rates are not statistically different, the Moresi and Patete model was determined to be most conceptually accurate. The Moresi and Patete model found kLa to be more dependent on aeration than on the power input. This finding was consistent with the results of the experimental studies. The results of this study were for aeration rates (0.02-0.04 vvm) and agitation rates (Pg/V range of 2-20 W/m3) that are commonly used in single-use bioreactor systems

Managing Risk After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Concomitant Atrial Fibrillation and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

The Dunhill Medical Trust (Grant ID: RTF44/0114)This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Heart Association via http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.01332

Recent developments in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease typified by a movement disorder consisting of bradykinesia, rest tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. Treatment options for PD are limited, with most of the current approaches based on restoration of dopaminergic tone in the striatum. However, these do not alter disease course and do not treat the non-dopamine-dependent features of PD such as freezing of gait, cognitive impairment, and other non-motor features of the disorder, which often have the greatest impact on quality of life. As understanding of PD pathogenesis grows, novel therapeutic avenues are emerging. These include treatments that aim to control the symptoms of PD without the problematic side effects seen with currently available treatments and those that are aimed towards slowing pathology, reducing neuronal loss, and attenuating disease course. In this latter regard, there has been much interest in drug repurposing (the use of established drugs for a new indication), with many drugs being reported to affect PD-relevant intracellular processes. This approach offers an expedited route to the clinic, given that pharmacokinetic and safety data are potentially already available. In terms of better symptomatic therapies that are also regenerative, gene therapies and cell-based treatments are beginning to enter clinical trials, and developments in other neurosurgical strategies such as more nuanced deep brain stimulation approaches mean that the landscape of PD treatment is likely to evolve considerably over the coming years. In this review, we provide an overview of the novel therapeutic approaches that are close to, or are already in, clinical trials

Regenerative Therapies for Parkinson's Disease: An Update.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterised by a typical movement disorder that occurs in part because of the selective degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Current treatment for the motor disorder of Parkinson's disease consists of dopaminergic medications, but these come with significant adverse effects, themselves an important part of the clinical course of Parkinson's disease, particularly in advanced stages. Therefore, treatment is needed that can restore dopaminergic tone in the striatum in a physiological and targeted manner to avert these side effects. A number of potential regenerative treatments have been developed with a view to achieving this. Following decades of optimisation and development of stem-cell-based treatments and viral gene delivery, clinical trials are on the horizon. For these treatments to be widely useful, they must be clinically effective, cost efficient and safe, and a number of practical aspects regarding storage and delivery of treatment must be optimised. Many barriers have been overcome, and the field of regenerative medicine for Parkinson's disease is now increasingly focussed on how these treatments will be delivered, demonstrating the significant progress that has been made and the optimism surrounding these approaches.The authors acknowledge financial support from the following organisations: Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust Stem Cell Institute (Cambridge), National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, and the Cure Parkinson’s Trus

Single-shot optical conductivity measurement of dense aluminum plasmas

The optical conductivity of a dense femtosecond laser-heated aluminum plasma heated to 0.1-1.5 eV was measured using frequency-domain interferometry with chirped pulses, permitting simultaneous observation of optical probe reflectivity and probe pulse phase shift. Coupled with published models of bound-electron contributions to the conductivity, these two independent experimental data yielded a direct measurement of both real and imaginary components of the plasma conductivity.DOE National Nuclear Security Administration DE-FC52-03NA00156Physic

Hydrocephalus Complicating Intrathecal Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy for Huntington's Disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene, and although there are currently no disease-modifying treatments, there is much excitement about the prospect of treatments targeting huntingtin expression. In a phase I/2A trial of an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatment (Tominersen), no serious adverse events were recorded, and there was a dose-dependent reduction in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) huntingtin levels1. In an open-label extension (OLE) study, patients received monthly or bimonthly Tominersen, with preliminary data confirming the reduction in mutant huntingtin levels2. Here we report on a unique major adverse effect occurring during this OLE.Funding sources and conflict of interest – This trial was funded initially by Ionis and subsequently by Roche. The authors received no additional funding for this work and the authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest relevant to this work. Financial disclosures - RAB is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre - 146281 (the views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care) and MRC/WT Stem Cell Institute (203151/Z/16/Z)