Herbicide-resistant crops : A weed scientist’s perspective

Les cultures résistantes aux herbicides représentent une stratégie alternative potentiellement intéressante pour la gestion des mauvaises herbes. Si utilisées de façon adéquate, elles peuvent promouvoir l'utilisation d'herbicides moins dommageables pour l'environnement que ceux qu'ils remplacent, et ainsi procurer aux producteurs des moyens supplémentaires de lutte contre les mauvaises herbes. Cependant, la controverse entourant le développement et l'utilisation de ces cultivars peut limiter et éventuellement empêcher leur adoption sur une grande échelle. Les préoccupations comprennent: la surutilisation d'herbicides, la transmission de gènes de résistance entre les cultivars résistants et les mauvaises herbes qui leur sont apparentées, le risque que les modifications génétiques pour la résistance confèrent des caractères nuisibles au cultivar (Le. plantes spontanées dans des cultures subséquentes), les effets pléiotropiques potentiels des modifications génétiques pour la résistance, et finalement, la sélection de nouvelles mauvaises herbes résistantes aux herbicides dans ce nouveau régime d'herbicides. Parmi ces préoccupations, c'est la propabilité de sélectionner de nouvelles mauvaises herbes résistantes qui peut avoir le plus de chances d'affecter le succès à long terme des cultures résistantes aux herbicides.Herbicide-resistant crops offer a potentially valuable alternative strategy for weed management. If used appropriately, they may promote the use of agrichemicals more environmentally benign than the herbicides they replace, and provide producers with additional tools for controlling weeds. However, the controversy surrounding the development and use of these cultivars may limit and eventually prevent their widespread adoption. Concerns include: overuse of herbicides, escape of herbicide resistance genes from resistant cultivars into weedy relatives, genetic modifications for resistance conferring weediness to the cultivar (i.e. volunteer plants insubsequent crops), potential pleiotropic effects of genetic modifications for resistance, and selection of new herbicide-resistant weeds in the new herbicide regime. Of these concerns, the potential for selecting new resistant weeds may have the highest likelihood of affecting the long-term success of herbicide-resistant crops

Large Scale Structures in Kinetic Gravity Braiding Model That Can Be Unbraided

We study cosmological consequences of a kinetic gravity braiding model, which is proposed as an alternative to the dark energy model. The kinetic braiding model we study is characterized by a parameter n, which corresponds to the original galileon cosmological model for n=1. We find that the background expansion of the universe of the kinetic braiding model is the same as the Dvali-Turner's model, which reduces to that of the standard cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant (LCDM model) for n equal to infinity. We also find that the evolution of the linear cosmological perturbation in the kinetic braiding model reduces to that of the LCDM model for n=\infty. Then, we focus our study on the growth history of the linear density perturbation as well as the spherical collapse in the nonlinear regime of the density perturbations, which might be important in order to distinguish between the kinetic braiding model and the LCDM model when n is finite. The theoretical prediction for the large scale structure is confronted with the multipole power spectrum of the luminous red galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky survey. We also discuss future prospects of constraining the kinetic braiding model using a future redshift survey like the WFMOS/SuMIRe PFS survey as well as the cluster redshift distribution in the South Pole Telescope survey.Comment: 41 pages, 20 figures; This version was accepted for publication in JCA

Measurement of the p-pbar -> Wgamma + X cross section at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV and WWgamma anomalous coupling limits

The WWgamma triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p-pbar -> l nu gamma + X (l = e,mu) events at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the DO detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb^{-1} delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching fraction for p-pbar -> W(gamma) + X -> l nu gamma + X with E_T^{gamma} > 8 GeV and Delta R_{l gamma} > 0.7 is 14.8 +/- 1.6 (stat) +/- 1.0 (syst) +/- 1.0 (lum) pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are -0.88 < Delta kappa_{gamma} < 0.96 and -0.20 < lambda_{gamma} < 0.20.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using Kinematic Characteristics of Lepton + Jets Events

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ttbar production cross section in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 230 pb**{-1} of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), large missing transverse energy, and at least four jets, and extract the ttbar content of the sample based on the kinematic characteristics of the events. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure sigma(ttbar) = 6.7 {+1.4-1.3} (stat) {+1.6- 1.1} (syst) +/-0.4 (lumi) pb, in good agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV using Lepton + Jets Events with Lifetime b-tagging

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ($t\bar{t}$) production cross section ($\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$) in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV using 230 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse energy, and jets in the final state. We employ lifetime-based b-jet identification techniques to further enhance the $t\bar{t}$ purity of the selected sample. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}=8.6^{+1.6}_{-1.5}(stat.+syst.)\pm 0.6(lumi.)$ pb, in agreement with the standard model expectation.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Search for W' bosons decaying to an electron and a neutrino with the D0 detector

This Letter describes the search for a new heavy charged gauge boson W' decaying into an electron and a neutrino. The data were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 1 inverse femtobarn. Lacking any significant excess in the data in comparison with known processes, an upper limit is set on the production cross section times branching fraction, and a W' boson with mass below 1.00 TeV can be excluded at the 95% C.L., assuming standard-model-like couplings to fermions. This result significantly improves upon previous limits, and is the most stringent to date.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Search for a scalar or vector particle decaying into Zgamma in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for a narrow scalar or vector resonance decaying into Zgamma with a subsequent Z decay into a pair of electrons or muons. The data for this search were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar collider at a center of mass energy sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. Using 1.1 (1.0) fb-1 of data, we observe 49 (50) candidate events in the electron (muon) channel, in good agreement with the standard model prediction. From the combination of both channels, we derive 95% C.L. upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction (sigma x B) into Zgamma. These limits range from 0.19 (0.20) pb for a scalar (vector) resonance mass of 600 GeV/c^2 to 2.5 (3.1) pb for a mass of 140 GeV/c^2.Comment: Published by Phys. Lett.

Measurement of the Isolated Photon Cross Section in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

The cross section for the inclusive production of isolated photons has been measured in p anti-p collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The photons span transverse momenta 23 to 300 GeV and have pseudorapidity |eta|<0.9. The cross section is compared with the results from two next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The theoretical predictions agree with the measurement within uncertainties.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys.Lett.

Effect of a Mediterranean type diet on inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in patients with osteoarthritis

Objectives: To investigate the effects of a Mediterranean type diet on patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Participants: Ninety-nine volunteers with OA (aged 31 - 90 years) completed the study (83% female). Setting: Southeast of England, UK. Design: Participants were randomly allocated to the dietary intervention (DIET, n = 50) or control (CON, n = 49). The DIET group were asked to follow a Mediterranean type diet for 16 weeks whereas the CON group were asked to follow their normal diet. Measurements: All participants completed an Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS2) pre-, mid- and post- study period. A subset of participants attended a clinic at the start and end of the study for assessment of joint range of motion, ROM (DIET = 33, CON = 28), and to provide blood samples (DIET = 29, CON = 25) for biomarker analysis (including serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP) (a marker of cartilage degradation) and a panel of other relevant biomarkers including pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines). Results: There were no differences between groups in the response of any AIMS2 components and most biomarkers (p > 0.05), except the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1?, which decreased in the DIET group (~47%, p = 0.010). sCOMP decreased in the DIET group by 1 U/L (~8%, p = 0.014). There was a significant improvement in knee flexion and hip rotation ROM in the DIET group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The average reduction in sCOMP in the DIET group (1 U/L) represents a meaningful change, but the longer term effects require further study