Benchmarking the Agronomic Performance of Biodegradable Mulches against Polyethylene Mulch Film: A Meta‐Analysis

Growers are interested in biodegradable alternatives to petroleum‐based polyethylene mulch film (PEM). However, many growers cite limited knowledge about biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) as a significant barrier to adoption. Agronomic field tests of BDMs are often limited temporally or spatially, and the variability of performance results relative to PEM may be contributing to this perceived knowledge gap. Our objective was to use data available in the scientific literature to provide the first quantitative performance benchmark of BDMs against PEM. We extracted data from 66 articles for meta‐analysis. Response ratios were calculated for comparison of BDMs relative to black PEM, and differences among categorical groups were determined using 95% bootstrap confidence intervals. Overall, BDMs reduced soil temperature by 4.5% ± 0.8% (± one standard error) compared to PEM, and temperatures were coolest beneath paper‐ based BDM. Starch‐polyester BDM was less effective than PEM for weed control, but paper‐based BDM reduced weed density and biomass by 85.7% ± 9.2%. Paper‐based BDMs were particularly useful for controlling Cyperus spp. weeds. Despite differences in soil temperature and weed suppression, crop yields were not different between BDMs and PEM. Future research should focus on reducing costs, adding functional value, and increasing the biodegradability of BDMs

Gene Structure Evolution of the Short-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase (SDR) Family

SDR (Short-chain Dehydrogenases/Reductases) are one of the oldest and heterogeneous superfamily of proteins, whose classification is problematic because of the low percent identity, even within families. To get clearer insights into SDR molecular evolution, we explored the splicing site organization of the 75 human SDR genes across their vertebrate and invertebrate orthologs. We found anomalous gene structures in members of the human SDR7C and SDR42E families that provide clues of retrogene properties and independent evolutionary trajectories from a common invertebrate ancestor. The same analyses revealed that the identity value between human and invertebrate nonallelic variants is not necessarily associated with the homologous gene structure. Accordingly, a revision of the SDR nomenclature is proposed by including the human SDR40C1 and SDR7C gene in the same family

E-resource Renewal Awareness: Using Google Calendar to Bring Selectors on Board

This poster session provides an example of how Google Calendar can be utilized to facilitate the timely and productive assessment of subscription e-resources. At Columbia University Libraries, we have constructed a program that feeds acquisitions data from our library management system into our shared Google Calendar. For each fund code, a calendar is generated, listing each payment as an event and following that event by reminders that occur at predetermined intervals prior to the next renewal date. By streaming renewal information into a familiar and user-friendly system, we are aiming to promote widespread librarian involvement in the process of timely e-resource assessment. The coding used to feed acquisitions data into Google Calendar was worked out by Nada O'Neal and is available at: https://github.com/nadaoneal/gapps_python_whatever

Infusione continua di detomidina durante chirurgia laparoscopica nel cavallo

RIASSUNTO L’anestesia in stazione quadrupedale è una pratica che permette l’esecuzione di diverse manualità mediche e chirurgiche nel cavallo, senza dover sottoporre il soggetto ai maggiori pericoli di un’anestesia generale. Questa tecnica anestesiologica prevede l’impiego di sedativi in associazione con una tecnica analgesica (somministrazione sistemica, anestesia loco-regionale) qualora la manualità da eseguire comporti l’insorgenza di uno stimolo dolorifico. La laparoscopia prevede l’inserimento intraddominale dei trocar e dello strumentario necessario per eseguire la tecnica. Per evitare danni agli organi da parte dello strumentario in addome, il soggetto deve mantenere una posizione adeguata e non deve effettuare movimenti bruschi. Nello studio è stato formulato un protocollo che ha previsto la sedazione del soggetto mediante la somministrazione di detomidina in associazione con buprenorfina per via endovenosa ed anestesia loco-regionale della porzione interessata dalla chirurgia mediante lidocaina. Per il mantenimento è stata attuata l’infusione endovenosa continua di detomidina con lo scopo di ottenere un livello di sedazione costante nel tempo ed adeguato alla manualità. Infatti la somministrazione di un farmaco per via endovenosa continua permette di variare più rapidamente il livello ematico di questo e, conseguentemente, di poterne modulare gli effetti. La detomidina è un farmaco che produce un accumulo nell’organismo, per cui è stato adottato un protocollo che prevede il dimezzamento il dosaggio dell’infusione ogni quindici minuti. L’impiego di questo protocollo anestesiologico ha permesso di effettuare la procedura laparoscopica senza difficoltà da parte del chirurgo. Il piano analgesico ottenuto è risultato efficace ed adeguato per lo svolgimento della manualità chirurgica. A fine intervento tutti i soggetti hanno ripreso la capacità di deambulare in breve tempo, non presentando complicazioni. SUMMARY Standing horse anesthesia is a practice that allows the execution of medical and surgical techniques, without applying to general anesthesia that is a very stressful and more dangerous event for a horse. In this kind of anesthesia, sedatives are employed in association with an analgesic technique (sistemic analgesia or loco-regional anesthesia) when the practice is supposed to be painful. The abdominal introduction of trocars and of laparoscopic tools is necessary in order to perfom a laparoscopic surgery; for this reason the patient is expected to stand motionless and it is important that it does not make roguh movements during the procedure. The wording of the anesthesia protocol for this study implied the use of detomidine for sedation in association with intravenous buprenorphine as analgesic and loco-regional anesthesia with lidocaine of the surgical area. For the maintenance, detomidine by intravenous continuous infusion was employed with the purpose to obtain a constat sedation level and adequate to the procedure. In fact the constant infusion of drugs permits to change blood concentration more rapidly and consequently it is possible to easily modulate the effects of drugs. Detomidine is a sedative that can accumulate in the organism, so the anesthestic protocol foresaw to halve the dosage every fifteen minutes. This anesthetic protocol provided a good sedation and the laparoscopic technique was performed without problems. The obtained analgesic plan resulted efficacious and adequate for the course of the surgery. At the end of the procedure all the subjects were able rapidly to walk and did not present complications

External osteotomy in rhinoplasty: Piezosurgery vs osteotome

Purpose: To achieve the desired outcome in rhinoplasty depends on many factors. Osteotomy and surgical reshaping of nasal bones are important steps that require careful planning and execution. The availability of different tools raises the question of which one provides significant advantages for both technique and surgical outcome. Our prospective randomized pilot study compared the outcome of post-traumatic rhinoplasty performed with two different external techniques: ultrasound osteotomic cut using the Piezosurgery Medical Device (Mectron, Carasco, Italy) and traditional external osteotomy. Material and methods: Forty-four lateral osteotomies of the nasal wall were performed in twenty-two patients. In twelve patients the osteotomies were conducted with a 2-mm traditional osteotome (control group), while in the remaining ten patients these were done with the Piezosurgery Medical Device (experimental group). Results: At the postoperative evaluation, significantly lower pain, edema and ecchymosis were noticed in the experimental group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the endoscopic evaluation showed fewer mucosal injuries in the experimental group (p < 0.05), whereas bleeding, symmetry of the pyramid and presence of external scars, were similar in the two groups. Conclusions: In the present study, Piezosurgery Medical Device allowed for safe lateral osteotomies in rhinoplasty preliminarily demonstrating the potential to reduce some of the most frequent complications of rhinoplasty

La spettroscopia LIBS per la caratterizzazione di reperti ossei nel campo dell'antropologia forense

La spettroscopia Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), è una tecnica utilizzata per la determinazione della composizione elementare di materiali, che si basa sull’analisi delle righe di emissione atomica di plasmi generati sul campione tramite un impulso laser focalizzato sulla sua superficie. Ampliamente utilizzata nello studio delle leghe metalliche, sta riscuotendo grande successo anche nell’analisi di altri tipi di materiale, grazie ai numerosi vantaggi che presenta, quali la rapidità di esecuzione, la capacità di analisi multi-elementare con un ampio intervallo dinamico e la quasi-non distruttività del metodo, nonché la possibilità di realizzare misure in situ. Lo scopo di questo lavoro di tesi è quello di verificare l’applicabilità della tecnica LIBS nell’analisi elementare di matrici biologiche di tipo osseo, e successivamente valutare l’eventuale modifica nella composizione dell’osso dovuta a trattamenti termici, a cui può essere sottoposto un osso. Tale lavoro si è svolto nell’ambito di ricerche di tipo antropologico e archeologico, volte allo studio delle abitudini alimentari dei popoli antichi (paleonutrizione). Ciò si traduce, da un punto di vista chimico, nella ricerca di quegli elementi utilizzabili come marcatori alimentari per la determinazione della tipologia di dieta seguita dall’individuo quando era in vita. In particolare, è stato dimostrato che alti livelli di stronzio, magnesio e bario sono indice di una dieta prevalentemente di tipo vegetariano, mentre zinco e rame indicano un alimentazione principalmente proteica. I risultati ottenuti sono poi stati validati attraverso il confronto con le misure effettuate tramite ICP-AES, una delle metodologie classiche riportate in letteratura per questo tipo di analisi

Application of Graph Theory to the elaboration of personal genomic data for genealogical research

In this communication a representation of the links between DNA-relatives based on Graph Theory is applied to the analysis of personal genomic data to obtain genealogical information. The method is tested on both simulated and real data and its applicability to the field of genealogical research is discussed. We envisage the proposed approach as a valid tool for a streamlined application to the publicly available data generated by many online personal genomic companies. In this way, anonymized matrices of pairwise genome sharing counts can help to improve the retrieval of genetic relationships between customers who provide explicit consent to the treatment of their data

Assessing Ongoing Electronic Resource Purchases: Linking Tools to Synchronize Staff Workflows

Ongoing electronic resource purchases represent a substantial proportion of collections budgets. Recognizing the necessity of systematic ongoing assessment with full selector engagement, Columbia University Libraries appointed an Electronic Resources Assessment Working Group to promote the inclusion of such resources within our current culture of assessment. This article describes the Working Group’s implementation of an electronic resource renewal reminder system in Google Calendar, a calendar already in use by selectors for daily scheduling. In discussing this particular solution, this article shows how libraries can link existing systems together to move beyond their limitations and integrate them into existing staff workflows

Cluster-mining: An approach for determining core structures of metallic nanoparticles from atomic pair distribution function data

We present a novel approach for finding and evaluating structural models of small metallic nanoparticles. Rather than fitting a single model with many degrees of freedom, the approach algorithmically builds libraries of nanoparticle clusters from multiple structural motifs, and individually fits them to experimental PDFs. Each cluster-fit is highly constrained. The approach, called cluster-mining, returns all candidate structure models that are consistent with the data as measured by a goodness of fit. It is highly automated, easy to use, and yields models that are more physically realistic and result in better agreement to the data than models based on cubic close-packed crystallographic cores, often reported in the literature for metallic nanoparticles

Protocolo de micropropagación de mora-verde (Rubus erythroclados) nativa del Brasil

1 recurso en línea (páginas 405-415).This study presents the first micropropagation protocol for greenberry (Rubus erythroclados), a wild Brazilian species with edible green fruits. In the in vitro multiplication stage, three concentrations of benzyladenine (BA) were tested (0, 5 and 10 μM), combined with three concentrations of indolebutyric acid (IBA) (0, 3 and 6 μM) in two subsequent subcultures. In the rooting stage, in and ex vitro rooting were compared after pulse treatment of the microcutting for 10 seconds in IBA (0, 2.46, 4.92 and 7.38 mM). For the in vitro trial, the microcuttings were maintained in glass bottles with an MS medium under controlled conditions inside a growth room. For the ex vitro trial, the microcuttings were planted in styrofoam containers with vermiculite and maintained inside a greenhouse with an intermittent mist system. R. erythroclados multiplication was obtained with the addition of BA to the culture medium, while IBA reduced the shoot proliferation and increased mortality. The ex vitro rooting showed the best results, reaching 95.8% for rooted and acclimatizated plants without IBA. An efficient and simple protocol can be used for R. erythroclados micropropagation with 5 μM BA for in vitro shoot proliferation and ex vitro rooting of microcuttings with intermittent misting.El presente trabajo presenta el primer protocolo de micropropagación de morera verde (Rubus erythroclados), una especie fructífera nativa de Brasil. En la fase de multiplicación in vitro, se probaron tres concentraciones de benziladenina (BA) (0, 5 y 10 μM) combinadas con tres concentraciones de ácido indolbutírico (IBA) (0, 3 y 6 μM) en dos cultivos subsiguientes. En la etapa de enraizamiento, el enraizamiento in y ex vitro fue comparado después del tratamiento de inmersión rápida de las microestacas durante 10 segundos en solución de IBA (0; 2,46; 4,92 y 7,38 mM). Para el experimento in vitro, las microestacas se mantuvieron en recipientes de vidrio con medio de cultivo MS en una sala de crecimiento con condiciones de temperaturas controladas. Para el experimento ex vitro, las microestacas fueron plantadas en bandejas de poliestireno expandido con vermiculita, y se mantuvieron en una casa de vegetación con sistema de nebulización intermitente. La multiplicación de R. erythroclados fue obtenida con la adición de BA en el medio de cultivo, mientras que IBA redujo la emisión de brotes y aumentó la mortalidad de explantes. El enraizamiento ex vitro mostró los mejores resultados, llegando al 95,8% de microestacas enraizadas y aclimatadas sin tratamiento con IBA. Un protocolo simple y eficiente puede ser utilizado para la micropropagación de R. erythroclados con 5 μM de BA para multiplicación in vitro y enraizamiento de microestacas ex vitro en sistema de nebulización intermitente.Bibliografía: páginas 414-41