Breeding for improved nitrogen use efficiency in oilseed rape

Oilseed rape has a high requirement for nitrogen (N) fertiliser relative to its seed yield. This paper uses published and unpublished work to explore the extent to which the N use efficiency (seed yield ÷ N supply) of oilseed rape could be improved without reducing seed yield. It was estimated that if the concentration of N in the stem and pod wall at crop maturity could be reduced from 1.0 to 0.6%, the root length density increased to 1 cm/cm3 to 100 cm soil depth and the post flowering N uptake increased by 20 kg N/ha then the fertiliser requirement could be reduced from 191 to 142 kg N/ha and the N use efficiency could be increased from 15.2 to 22.4 kg of seed dry matter per kg N. Genetic variation was found for all of the traits that were estimated to be important for N use efficiency. This indicates that there is significant scope for plant breeders to reduce N use efficiency in oilseed rape

Peripheral mechanisms of inflammatory pain with particular reference to TRPV1, burn injury and the actions of certain gaseous general anaesthetics

1. The literature relating to peripheral mechanisms of inflammatory pain is reviewed. 2. To investigate the role of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) ion channel in spinal nociceptive processing after burn injury, the candidate studied scalding-type burn injury-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in the spinal dorsal horn of wild-type (WT) and TRPV1 knock-out (KO) mice. Activation of ERK1/2 in the spinal dorsal horn is a recognised marker for spinal nociceptive processing. At 5 minutes after severe scalding injury to WT mouse hind-paw, a substantial number of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) immunopositive neurons were found in the ipsilateral dorsal horn. At 1 hour post-injury, the number of pERK1/2-labelled neurons remained substantially the same. However, at 3 hours post-injury, a further increase in the number of labelled neurons was found on the ipsilateral side, while a remarkable increase in the number of labelled neurons on the contralateral side resulted in there being no significant difference between the extent of the labelling on both sides. By 6 hours postinjury, the number of labelled neurons was reduced on both sides without there being significant difference between the two sides. A similar pattern of severe scalding injury-induced activation of ERK1/2 in spinal dorsal horn neurons over the same time-course was found in TRPV1 KO mice, except that the extent to which ERK1/2 was activated in the ipsilateral dorsal horn at 5 minutes post-injury was significantly greater in WT animals when compared to TRPV1 null animals. This difference in activation of ERK1/2 in spinal dorsal horn neurons was abolished within 1 hour after injury, demonstrating for the first time that TRPV1 is not essential for the maintenance of ongoing spinal nociceptive processing in inflammatory pain conditions in mouse resulting from at least certain types of severe burn injury. The facts that neuronal staining for activated ERK1/2 not only persisted, but also that the number of neurons expressing activated ERK1/2 increased with the passage of time are significant novel findings of this study which have important implications. After an acute noxious stimulus (provided by hind-paw injection of capsaicin), ERK1/2 activation reaches a peak within 2-5 min and then quickly subsides, such that it is barely detectable or absent by 2 hours after the stimulus (Ji et al., 1999). The findings of this study that activated ERK1/2 is: (i) still present in neurons at the 3 hour and 6 hour time-points post-burn injury; and (ii) that it is found in even more neurons at those later time-points than at the earlier time-points measured, strongly suggest that the ERK1/2 activation found at 3 hours and 6 hours post-injury, respectively, is not merely residual from the initial noxious heat stimulus, but rather that it has been caused by the ongoing inflammatory process itself. This is a key novel finding of this study. The data obtained contain evidence of a dissociation within the physiological process of the burn injury of these two distinct "noxious insults" comprising: first, the initial external heat stimulus of the burn injury, which causes direct damage to the tissue accompanied by heat-induced activation of heat-sensitive receptors which result in excitation of nociceptive primary afferents; and, second, the burn injury-induced massive inflammatory response whereby inflammatory mediators occasion an ongoing activation of their receptors on those nociceptors to maintain, and, indeed, increase, nociceptive signaling in those neurons. The further finding that, at 3 hours after scalding-type burn injury, in both TRPV1-null and wild-type mice, the contralateral side of the spinal cord now exhibited a substantial number of pERK1/2- immunopositive neurons remains intriguing, notwithstanding that the phenomenon of hyperalgesia developing in the hind-paw contralateral to a heat injury has long been noted (Coderre and Melzack, 1991; Polgar et al., 1998). One may speculate that this labelling is caused, or contributed to, by an action of descending fibres on these contralateral dorsal horn neurons since the concept of supraspinal pronociceptive modulation of pain is now well recognised (Lima et al., 2002; Tavares and Lima, 2007). In addition, or in the alternative, this labelling may result from cross-communication between opposite dorsal horn neurons (Coderre and Melzack, 1991; Shenker et al., 2003). In any event, the activation of ERK1/2 on both sides of the dorsal horn discloses a process in which spinal neurons are driving inflammatory nociceptive activity after the excitatory effect of peripheral inflammagens has abated in primary sensory afferents. 3. Xenon provides effective analgesia in several pain states at sub-anaesthetic doses. The aim of this second study was to examine whether xenon may mediate its analgesic effect, in part, through reducing the activity of TRPV1, a receptor known to be involved in certain inflammatory pain conditions. The candidate studied the effect of xenon on capsaicin-evoked cobalt uptake in rat cultured primary sensory neurons and in human TRPV1 (hTRPV1)-expressing human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. He also examined xenon's effect on the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in the rat spinal dorsal horn evoked by hind-paw injection of capsaicin. Xenon (75%) reduced the number of primary sensory neurons responding to the TRPV1 agonist, capsaicin (100 nM-1 μM) by ~25% to ~50%. Xenon reduced the number of heterologously-expressed hTRPV1 activated by 300 nM capsaicin by ~50%. Xenon (80%) reduced by ~40% the number of phosphorylated ERK1/2-expressing neurons in rat spinal dorsal horn resulting from hind-paw capsaicin injection. The key original finding is that xenon substantially reduces the activity of TRPV1 in response to noxious stimulation by the specific TRPV1 agonist, capsaicin, suggesting a possible role for xenon as an adjunct analgesic where hTRPV1 is an active contributor to the excitation of primary afferents which initiates the pain sensation. Next, to investigate whether the xenon-induced inhibition of TRPV1 in rat DRG neurons reduces nociceptive processing, the effect of xenon in reducing the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from those neurons was examined. Exposure to xenon failed to effect a reduction of capsaicin-evoked CGRP release from cultured primary sensory neurons when stimulated by capsaicin. This latter novel finding suggests that xenon acts on several molecular targets on nociceptive primary sensory neurons, and that xenon’s action on one, or more, of those targets serves to offset the inhibitory, proanalgesic, effect of xenon on TRPV1. It is concluded that xenon may not produce any analgesic effect through peripheral nociceptors. 4. Clinically relevant concentrations of isoflurane or sevoflurane sensitize TRPV1 to several of its activators, including capsaicin. It has, moreover, been suggested these volatile general anaesthetics may augment nociceptive signalling arising from surgical procedures and thereby contribute to postoperative pain. To investigate this suggestion, the candidate studied intraplantar capsaicin injection-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) in spinal dorsal horn neurons (which is a recognised marker of spinal nociceptive processing) in rat during isoflurane or sevoflurane anaesthesia after 60 min under anaesthesia. Control animals were anaesthetised with pentobarbital (which of itself does not activate ERK1/2 in spinal dorsal horn neurons). Unilateral intraplantar capsaicin injection in control animals evoked pERK1/2 in a group of neurons in lamina I and lamina II of the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn in a somatotopically appropriate area. In contrast, both anaesthetic gases (given for 60 min and without subsequent capsaicin injection) induced ERK1/2 activation in a different group of mainly lamina I neurons bilaterally. The total number of spinal dorsal horn neurons labelled on the ipsilateral side following capsaicin injection into the isoflurane-, or sevoflurane-, anaesthetised animals was significantly less than that produced by capsaicin alone. Further, capsaicin injection into isoflurane-, or sevoflurane-, anaesthetised animals reduced pERK1/2 induced by the gases alone on both sides. These key original findings are inconsistent with the suggestion that isoflurane-, or sevoflurane-, induced sensitisation of TRPV1 by capsaicin, or other agonist, is translated into induction of spinal nociceptive processing and consequential pain sensation

High density p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanowires by electrochemical templating through ion-track lithography

High density p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanowire arrays are produced by a combination of electrodeposition and ion-track lithography technology. Initially, the electrodeposition of p-type wBi(0.5)Sb(1.5)Te(3) films is investigated to find out the optimal conditions for the deposition of nanowires. Polyimide-based Kapton foils are chosen as a polymer for ion track irradiation and nanotemplating Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanowires. The obtained nanowires have average diameters of 80 nm and lengths of 20 mu m, which are equivalent to the pore size and thickness of Kapton foils. The nanowires exhibit a preferential orientation along the {110} plane with a composition of 11.26 at.% Bi, 26.23 at.% Sb, and 62.51 at.% Te. Temperature dependence studies of the electrical resistance show the semiconducting nature of the nanowires with a negative temperature coefficient of resistance and band gap energy of 0.089 +/- 0.006 eV

The Extraordinarily Rapid Expansion of the X-ray Remnant of Kepler's Supernova (SN1604)

Four individual high resolution X-ray images from ROSAT and the Einstein Observatory have been used to measure the expansion rate of the remnant of Kepler's supernova (SN 1604). Highly significant measurements of the expansion have been made for time baselines varying from 5.5 yrs to 17.5 yrs. All measurements are consistent with a current expansion rate averaged over the entire remnant of 0.239 (+/-0.015) (+0.017,-0.010) % per yr, which, when combined with the known age of the remnant, determines the expansion parameter m, defined as $R\propto t^m$, to be 0.93 (+/-0.06) (+0.07,-0.04). The error bars on these results include both statistical (first set of errors) and systematic (second set) uncertainty. According to this result the X-ray remnant is expanding at a rate that is remarkably close to free expansion and nearly twice as fast as the mean expansion rate of the radio remnant. The expansion rates as a function of radius and azimuthal angle are also presented based on two ROSAT images that were registered to an accuracy better than 0.5 arcseconds. Significant radial and azimuthal variations that appear to arise from the motion of individual X-ray knots are seen. The high expansion rate of the X-ray remnant appears to be inconsistent with currently accepted dynamical models for the evolution of Kepler's SNR.Comment: 14 pages, including 7 postscript figs, LaTeX, emulateapj. Accepted by Ap

Parents Served by Assertive Community Treatment: A Needs Based Assessment

poster abstractAssertive Community Treatment (ACT) represents an effective treatment for individuals with severe mental illness. Though studies estimate roughly half of all people with severe mental illness are parents, little is known about consumers receiving ACT services who are parents. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to 1) estimate the prevalence of parent ACT consumers, 2) identify current ACT team policies and services for parent consumers, and 3) examine the perspective of parent consumers served by ACT teams. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed via two studies. In study 1, 82 ACT providers from 76 teams in the US and Canada were surveyed. Providers estimated roughly 21.6% of ACT consumers were parents. Only 46.3% of providers reported formally asking consumers about parental status and 20.7% of providers belonged to ACT teams that offer services designed for parent consumers. The majority of providers (75.6%) reported negative or mixed attitudes about parents with severe mental illness. In study 2, seventeen parents receiving ACT services were interviewed. All parents endorsed positive attitudes about parenting, though most (76.5%) also identified negative aspects of parenting. Almost all parents (88.2%) reported loss of custody at least once. Parents expressed interest in parent-focused treatment services like family therapy, parenting skills, communication skills training, and peer support groups. Regarding satisfaction with ACT services, most parents with adult children (87.5%) reported no unmet parent-related needs and high satisfaction (4.63 of 5) with ACT services, whereas parents with young children (77.8%) reported unmet parenting needs and low satisfaction (3.78 of 5) with ACT services. Thus, results indicate the ACT treatment model may not be adequately serving parents with young, dependent children. Overall, findings suggest the need for more focus on parents with severe mental illness, including formal identification of parental status and parent-related treatment services and support

Application of the Biosafety RAM and eProtocol Software Programs to Streamline Institutional Biosafety Committee Processes at the USDA-National Animal Disease Center

The National Animal Disease Center (NADC) conducts basic and applied research on endemic animal diseases of high priority that adversely affect US livestock production or trade. Experiments conducted at this center vary in range and scope with a subset involving synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids (DNA), microorganisms, and/or animals. Historically, the NADC used hard copy paper and filing systems to catalog and monitor these types of experiments, but to improve communication, tracking, searching, reporting, and documentation of Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) actions, this institution has transitioned to using a commercially available software tool to digitally manage protocols in our ongoing efforts to maintain excellence in regulatory compliance. In addition, similar to many other research institutions and universities, the scope of the IBC has expanded to include risk assessments on all work conducted at the center. This process has been streamlined using the Biosafety RAM open source software, developed by Sandia National Laboratories, and has stimulated productive discussions on best practices to safely conduct animal and microbiological experiments at the center. Although some initial challenges arose, successful implementation of these two software tools at the NADC has simplified the management of IBC compliance requirements and facilitated review processes at a high-containment government research facility

The “Critical” Elements of Illness Management and Recovery: Comparing Methodological Approaches

This study examined three methodological approaches to defining the critical elements of Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), a curriculum-based approach to recovery. Sixty-seven IMR experts rated the criticality of 16 IMR elements on three dimensions: defining, essential, and impactful. Three elements (Recovery Orientation, Goal Setting and Follow-up, and IMR Curriculum) met all criteria for essential and defining and all but the most stringent criteria for impactful. Practitioners should consider competence in these areas as preeminent. The remaining 13 elements met varying criteria for essential and impactful. Findings suggest that criticality is a multifaceted construct, necessitating judgments about model elements across different criticality dimensions

Resolving the Formation of Protogalaxies. III. Feedback from the First Stars

The first stars form in dark matter halos of masses ~10^6 M_sun as suggested by an increasing number of numerical simulations. Radiation feedback from these stars expels most of the gas from their shallow potential well of their surrounding dark matter halos. We use cosmological adaptive mesh refinement simulations that include self-consistent Population III star formation and feedback to examine the properties of assembling early dwarf galaxies. Accurate radiative transport is modeled with adaptive ray tracing. We include supernova explosions and follow the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium. The calculations focus on the formation of several dwarf galaxies and their progenitors. In these halos, baryon fractions in 10^8 solar mass halos decrease by a factor of 2 with stellar feedback and by a factor of 3 with supernova explosions. We find that radiation feedback and supernova explosions increase gaseous spin parameters up to a factor of 4 and vary with time. Stellar feedback, supernova explosions, and H_2 cooling create a complex, multi-phase interstellar medium whose densities and temperatures can span up to 6 orders of magnitude at a given radius. The pair-instability supernovae of Population III stars alone enrich the halos with virial temperatures of 10^4 K to approximately 10^{-3} of solar metallicity. We find that 40% of the heavy elements resides in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at the end of our calculations. The highest metallicity gas exists in supernova remnants and very dilute regions of the IGM.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted to ApJ. Many changes, including estimates of metal line cooling. High resolution images and movies available at http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~jwise/research/PGalaxies3

Shoot yield drives phosphorus use efficiency in Brassica oleracea and correlates with root architecture traits

The environmental and financial costs of using inorganic phosphate fertilizers to maintain crop yield and quality are high. Breeding crops that acquire and use phosphorus (P) more efficiently could reduce these costs. The variation in shoot P concentration (shoot-P) and various measures of P use efficiency (PUE) were quantified among 355 Brassica oleracea L. accessions, 74 current commercial cultivars, and 90 doubled haploid (DH) mapping lines from a reference genetic mapping population. Accessions were grown at two or more external P concentrations in glasshouse experiments; commercial and DH accessions were also grown in replicated field experiments. Within the substantial species-wide diversity observed for shoot-P and various measures of PUE in B. oleracea, current commercial cultivars have greater PUE than would be expected by chance. This may be a consequence of breeding for increased yield, which is a significant component of most measures of PUE, or early establishment. Root development and architecture correlate with PUE; in particular, lateral root number, length, and growth rate. Significant quantitative trait loci associated with shoot-P and PUE occur on chromosomes C3 and C7. These data provide information to initiate breeding programmes to improve PUE in B. oleracea