The interstellar gas-phase chemistry of HCN and HNC

We review the reactions involving HCN and HNC in dark molecular clouds to elucidate new chemical sources and sinks of these isomers. We find that the most important reactions for the HCN-HNC system are Dissociative Recombination (DR) reactions of HCNH+ (HCNH+ + e-), the ionic CN + H3+, HCN + C+, HCN and HNC reactions with H+/He+/H3+/H3O+/HCO+, the N + CH2 reaction and two new reactions: H + CCN and C + HNC. We test the effect of the new rate constants and branching ratios on the predictions of gas-grain chemical models for dark cloud conditions. The rapid C + HNC reaction keeps the HCN/HNC ratio significantly above one as long as the carbon atom abundance remains high. However, the reaction of HCN with H3+ followed by DR of HCNH+ acts to isomerize HCN into HNC when carbon atoms and CO are depleted leading to a HCN/HNC ratio close to or slightly greater than 1. This agrees well with observations in TMC-1 and L134N taking into consideration the overestimation of HNC abundances through the use of the same rotational excitation rate constants for HNC as for HCN in many radiative transfer models.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The gas-phase chemistry of carbon chains in dark cloud chemical models

We review the reactions between carbon chain molecules and radicals, namely Cn, CnH, CnH2, C2n+1O, CnN, HC2n+1N, with C, N and O atoms. Rate constants and branching ratios for these processes have been re-evaluated using experimental and theoretical literature data. In total 8 new species have been introduced, 41 new reactions have been proposed and 122 rate coefficients from kida.uva.2011 (Wakelam et al. 2012) have been modified. We test the effect of the new rate constants and branching ratios on the predictions of gas-grain chemical models for dark cloud conditions using two different C/O elemental ratios. We show that the new rate constants produce large differences in the predicted abundances of carbon chains since the formation of long chains is less effective. The general agreement between the model predictions and observed abundances in the dark cloud TMC-1 (CP) is improved by the new network and we find that C/O ratios of 0.7 and 0.95 both produce a similar agreement for different times. The general agreement for L134N (N) is not significantly changed. The current work specifically highlights the importance of O + CnH and N + CnH reactions. As there are very few experimental or theoretical data for the rate constants of these reactions we highlight the need for experimental studies of the O + CnH and N + CnH reactions, particularly at low temperature.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Meanings of Communion: Anglican Identities, the Sexuality Debates, and Christian Relationality

Recent discussions of the international Anglican Communion have been dominated by notions of a \'crisis\' and \'schism\' resulting from conflicts over issues of homosexuality. Existing accounts of the Communion have often tended to emphasise the perspectives of those most vocal in the debates (particularly bishops, senior clergy, and pressure groups) or to engage in primarily theological analysis. This article examines the nature of the purported \'crisis\' from the perspectives of Anglicans in local parishes in three different national contexts: England, South Africa, and the US. Unusually for writing on the Communion, attention is simultaneously given to parishes that have clear pro-gay stances, those that largely oppose the acceptance of homosexual practice, and those with more ambivalent positions. In doing so, the article offers new insights for the growing body of literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians, as well as wider discussions about the contested nature of contemporary Anglican and other Christian identities. Key themes include the divergent ways in which respondents felt (and did not feel) connections to the spatially distant \'others\' with whom they are in Communion; the complex relationships and discordances between parish, denominational, and Communion-level identities; and competing visions of the role of the Communion in producing unity or preserving diversity amongst Anglicans.Anglican Communion; Sexuality; Christianity; Religious Identities

Kinetic Study of the Gas-Phase Reaction between Atomic Carbon and Acetone. Low Temperature Rate Constants and Hydrogen Atom Product Yields

The reactions of ground state atomic carbon, C(3P), are likely to be important in astrochemistry due to the high abundance levels of these atoms in the dense interstellar medium. Here we present a study of the gas-phase reaction between C(3P) and acetone, CH3COCH3. Experimentally, rate constants were measured for this process over the 50 to 296 K range using a continuous-flow supersonic reactor, while secondary measurements of H(2S) atom formation were also performed over the 75 to 296 K range to elucidate the preferred product channels. C(3P) atoms were generated by In-situ pulsed photolysis of carbon tetrabromide, while both C(3P) and H(2S) atoms were detected by pulsed laser induced fluorescence. Theoretically, quantum chemical calculations were performed to obtain the various complexes, adducts and transition states involved in the C(3P) + CH3COCH3 reaction over the 3A'' potential energy surface, allowing us to better understand the reaction pathways and help to interpret the experimental results. The derived rate constants are large, (2-3) x 10-10 cm3 s-1 , displaying only weak temperature variations; a result that is consistent with the barrierless nature of the reaction. As this reaction is not present in current astrochemical networks, its influence on simulated interstellar acetone abundances is tested using a gas-grain dense interstellar cloud model. For interstellar modelling purposes, the use of a temperature independent value for the rate constant, k(C+CH3COCH3 )= 2.2 x 10-10 cm3 s-1, is recommended. The C(3P) + CH3COCH3 reaction decreases gas-phase CH3COCH3 abundances by as much as two orders of magnitude at early and intermediate cloud ages.Comment: Accepted for publication in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 55 pages including S

The C(3P) + NH3 reaction in interstellar chemistry: II. Low temperature rate constants and modeling of NH, NH2 and NH3 abundances in dense interstellar clouds

A continuous supersonic flow reactor has been used to measure rate constants for the C + NH3 reaction over the temperature range 50 to 296 K. C atoms were created by the pulsed laser photolysis of CBr4. The kinetics of the title reaction were followed directly by vacuum ultra-violet laser induced fluorescence (VUV LIF) of C loss and through H formation. The experiments show unambiguously that the reaction is rapid at 296 K, becoming faster at lower temperatures, reaching a value of 1.8 10-10 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 50 K. As this reaction is not currently included in astrochemical networks, its influence on interstellar nitrogen hydride abundances is tested through a dense cloud model including gas-grain interactions. In particular, the effect of the ortho-to-para ratio of H2 which plays a crucial role in interstellar NH3 synthesis is examined

Reducing Unnecessary Nitric Oxide Use: A Hospital-Wide, Respiratory Therapist-Driven Quality Improvement Project

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the institutional use of inhaled nitric oxide (INO) and to create a pathway to reduce waste using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's model for improvement. Our aim was to reduce the use of INO by 20% within 8 months. METHODS: This was a prospective, respiratory therapist-driven, quality improvement project. We implemented a hospital-wide INO utilization protocol that was developed by neonatology, pediatric critical care, cardiac critical care, and respiratory therapy. INO use and respiratory therapist input for protocol failures were derived from the electronic medical record and were used to generate improvement opportunities. Monthly total hospital use of INO (in hours) was used as the primary outcome measure. Median hourly use per subject (evaluated in groups of 7 subjects) was used as a secondary outcome measure. New sildenafil dosing was tabulated for pre- and post-INO weaning protocol intervention as a balancing measure. Subjects included all patients in the hospital who were given INO therapy during the specified timeframe. RESULTS: Hospital-wide total hours were reduced from 1,515 h/month to 930 h/month. This hospital-wide reduction of 39% equates to a cost-avoidance of approximately $912,000 per year based on 2018 costs of INO of$130 per hour. Median hours of INO per subject decreased from 88 h to 50 h. Sildenafil was started in 18 of 98 subjects (18%) in the pre-intervention period and in 12 of 109 subjects (11%) in the post-intervention period (P = .27). CONCLUSIONS: A hospital-wide, multi-professional initiative led to a reduction in unnecessary INO use, resulting in decreased subject exposure and associated cost avoidance

Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs.

Terrestrial animal biodiversity is increasingly being lost because of land-use change1,2. However, functional and energetic consequences aboveground and belowground and across trophic levels in megadiverse tropical ecosystems remain largely unknown. To fill this gap, we assessed changes in energy fluxes across 'green' aboveground (canopy arthropods and birds) and 'brown' belowground (soil arthropods and earthworms) animal food webs in tropical rainforests and plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our results showed that most of the energy in rainforests is channelled to the belowground animal food web. Oil palm and rubber plantations had similar or, in the case of rubber agroforest, higher total animal energy fluxes compared to rainforest but the key energetic nodes were distinctly different: in rainforest more than 90% of the total animal energy flux was channelled by arthropods in soil and canopy, whereas in plantations more than 50% of the energy was allocated to annelids (earthworms). Land-use change led to a consistent decline in multitrophic energy flux aboveground, whereas belowground food webs responded with reduced energy flux to higher trophic levels, down to -90%, and with shifts from slow (fungal) to fast (bacterial) energy channels and from faeces production towards consumption of soil organic matter. This coincides with previously reported soil carbon stock depletion3. Here we show that well-documented animal biodiversity declines with tropical land-use change4-6 are associated with vast energetic and functional restructuring in food webs across aboveground and belowground ecosystem compartments

The HLA class II allele DRB1*1501 is over-represented in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and medically refractory lung disease with a grim prognosis. Although the etiology of IPF remains perplexing, abnormal adaptive immune responses are evident in many afflicted patients. We hypothesized that perturbations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele frequencies, which are often seen among patients with immunologic diseases, may also be present in IPF patients. Methods/Principal Findings: HLA alleles were determined in subpopulations of IPF and normal subjects using molecular typing methods. HLA-DRB1*15 was over-represented in a discovery cohort of 79 Caucasian IPF subjects who had lung transplantations at the University of Pittsburgh (36.7%) compared to normal reference populations. These findings were prospectively replicated in a validation cohort of 196 additional IPF subjects from four other U.S. medical centers that included both ambulatory patients and lung transplantation recipients. High-resolution typing was used to further define specific HLA-DRB1*15 alleles. DRB1*1501 prevalence in IPF subjects was similar among the 143 ambulatory patients and 132 transplant recipients (31.5% and 34.8%, respectively, p = 0.55). The aggregate prevalence of DRB1*1501 in IPF patients was significantly greater than among 285 healthy controls (33.1% vs. 20.0%, respectively, OR 2.0; 95%CI 1.3-2.9, p = 0.0004). IPF patients with DRB1*1501 (n = 91) tended to have decreased diffusing capacities for carbon monoxide (DLCO) compared to the 184 disease subjects who lacked this allele (37.8±1.7% vs. 42.8±1.4%, p = 0.036). Conclusions/Significance: DRB1*1501 is more prevalent among IPF patients than normal subjects, and may be associated with greater impairment of gas exchange. These data are novel evidence that immunogenetic processes can play a role in the susceptibility to and/or manifestations of IPF. Findings here of a disease association at the HLA-DR locus have broad pathogenic implications, illustrate a specific chromosomal area for incremental, targeted genomic study, and may identify a distinct clinical phenotype among patients with this enigmatic, morbid lung disease

Crop Updates 2001 - Oilseeds

ABSTRACT This session covers twenty five papers from different authors: FORWARD, Mervyn McDougall, CHAIRMAN, PULSES AND OILSEEDS PARTNERSHIP GROUP PLENARY 1. Implications of the ‘green-bridge’ for viral and fungal disease carry-over between seasons, Debbie Thackray, Agriculture Western Australia and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture 2. Insect pest development in WA via the ‘green-bridge’, Kevin Walden, Agriculture Western Australia VARIETIES 3. Performance of new canola varieties in AGWEST variety trials, G. Walton, Crop Improvement Institute, Agriculture Western Australia 4. New herbicide tolerant varieties in WA, Kevin Morthorpe, Stephen Addenbrooke, Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia P/L 5. IT v’s TT – Head to head, Paul Carmody, Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia ESTABLISHMENT 6. Effect of stubble, seeding technique and seed size on crop establishment and yield of canola, Rafiul Alam, Glen Riethmuller and Greg Hamilton, Agriculture Western Australia 7. Canola establishment survey 2000, Rafiul Alam, Paul Carmody, Greg Hamilton and Adrian Cox, Agriculture Western Australia 8. Tramline farming for more canola, Paul Blackwell, Agriculture Western Australia NUTRITION 9. Comparing the phosphorus requirement of canola and wheat in WA, M.D.A. Bolland and M.J. Baker, Agriculture Western Australia 10. Will a rainy summer affect nitrogen requirement: Tailoring your fertiliser decisions using the new nitrogen calculator, A.J. Diggle, Agriculture Western Australia 11. Canola – More response to lime, Chris Gazeyand Paul Carmody, Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia AGRONOMY 12. Hormone manipulation of canola development, Paul Carmody and Graham Walton, Agriculture Western Australia 13. Yield penalties with delayed sewing of canola, Imma Farre, CSIRO Plant Industry, Michael J. Robertson, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Graham H. Walton, Agriculture Western Australia, Senthold Asseng, CSIRO Plant Industry 14. Dry matter and oil accumulation in developing seeds of canola varieties at different sowing dates, Ping Si1, David Turner1 and David Harris2 , 1Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 2Chemistry Centre of Western Australia 13. Simulating oil concentrations in canola – virtually just the beginning, David Turner1 and Imma Farré2, 1Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research PESTS AND DISEASES 14. Further evidence that canola crops are resilient to damage by aphids, Françoise Berlandier and Christiaan Valentine, Entomology, Agriculture Western Australia 15. Management of Diamondback moth (DBM) in canola, David Cook, Peter Mangano, David Cousins, Françoise Berlandier, and Darryl Hardie, Crop Improvement Institute,Agriculture Western Australia 16. Effect of time of sowing in conjunction with fungicides on blackleg and yield of canola, Ravjit Khangura and Martin Barbetti, Agriculture Western Australia 17. Further developments in forecasting aphid and virus risk in canola, Debbie Thackray, Jenny Hawkes and Roger Jones, Agriculture Western Australia and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture 18. Efficiency of selected insecticides for the use on Diamondback Moth in canola, Kevin Walden, Agriculture Western Australia 19. Impact® applied ‘in furrow’ controls blackleg in canola, Cameron Weeks and Erin Hasson, Mingenew-Irwin Group Inc. 20. Effect of time of sowing and Impact® on canola yield, Esperance, Dave Eksteen, Agriculture Western Australia 21. Australian Plague Locust Campaign 2000, Kevin Walden, Agriculture Western Australia WEED CONTROL 22. New herbicide options for canola, John Moore and Paul Matson, Agriculture Western Australia HARVESTING 23. Effects of time of swathing and desiccant application on the seed yield and oil content of canola, Carla Thomas and Lionel Martin, Muresk Institute of Agriculture, Curtin University of Technology DECISION SUPPORT AND ADOPTION 24. Using canola monitoring groups to understand factors affecting canola production in Esperance, Dave Eksteen, Agriculture Western Australia 25. Nitrogen and canola, Dave Eksteen, Agriculture Western Australi

Crop Updates - 2003 Oilseeds

This session covers fifteen papers from different authors ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VARIETIES Large scale canola varietal evaluation in WA, Peter Nelson, Oilseeds WA Performance of IT and TT canola varieties in the medium and high rainfall agzones of WA 2001-02, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer and Paul Carmody, Department of Agriculture QUALITY Reproductive biology, cotyledon development and oil accumulation in canola, J.A. Fortescue and D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia Plant and environmental factors affecting oil concentration in canola – a mini-review, D.W. Turner, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia Potential benefits from interspecific crosses between canola and ‘near canola’ quality Indian mustard, Janet Wroth, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia (UWA), Wallace Cowling, School of Plant Biology, UWA and CBWA Pty Ltd, Anh-Van Pham, School of Mathematics and Statistics, UWA NUTRITION, AGRONOMY AND MACHINERY Timing of nitrogen application for producing canola grain and oil, R. F. Brennan, Department of Agriculture Managing canola for soil type and moisture stress, Paul Carmody and Hasan Zaheer Department of Agriculture Machinery lessons from 2002 – canola establishment, Glen Riethmuller, Greg Hamilton and Jo Hawksley, Department of Agriculture Machinery lessons from 2002 – harvesting short crops, Glen Riethmuller, Department of Agriculture Does increasing canola seeding rate reduce the competitiveness of grass weeds? Zaicou-Kunesch, C.M., Zaheer, S.H. and Eksteen, D, Department of Agriculture PESTS AND DISEASES Aphid damage to canola – not all cultivars are equal, Françoise A. Berlandier and Christiaan Valentine, Department of Agriculture Should we be worried about developing insecticide resistance in aphids? Owain Edwards, CSIRO Entomology Benefits provided by treating canola seed with imidacloprid seed dressing, Roger Jones, Brenda Coutts, Lisa Smith and Jenny Hawkes, Department of Agriculture, and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture Blackleg levels in canola in 2002, Ravjit Khangura1, Moin Salam1, Art J Diggle1 and Martin J Barbetti1,2 1Department of Agriculture, 2University of Western Australia DBM in canola, Kevin Walden, Department of Agricultur