2015-2016 Burley and Dark Tobacco Production Guide

Burley and dark tobacco growers in the U.S. make hundreds of decisions every growing season that impact the yield and quality of the crops that they produce. These decisions may include choosing appropriate varieties, planning effective pest control measures or perhaps deciding the best time to top or harvest a crop. Increasingly, tobacco growers are being required by the industry to record and justify their management decisions and actions. The most comprehensive example of this is the U.S. Tobacco Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program that was initiated during the 2013 growing season and expanded in 2014. Under this program, all growers who sell tobacco to GAP Connections member organizations are required to attend training sessions on the principals of GAP and to keep detailed records of their production practices. Training requirements may change, but growers are currently required to attend training every season in which they plan to sell tobacco. Additional information about U.S. Tobacco GAP can be found by contacting GAP Connections. The written U.S. Tobacco GAP guidelines often refer growers to “University Tobacco Production Guides” for specific recommendations regarding management decisions. The information and recommendations provided in this guide have been developed and reviewed by tobacco production specialists and scientists at the University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State University. The purpose of this multi-state guide is to provide all burley and dark tobacco growers with the most current research-based recommendations for the production of high-yielding, high-quality tobacco. The guide provides advice on industry-accepted practices that may be applied across the burley and dark tobacco growing regions, although in some cases, growers may be referred to their local extension offices for additional information relevant to their specific situation

2013-2014 Kentucky & Tennessee Tobacco Production Guide

Tobacco growers in Kentucky and Tennessee have faced many challenges during the past two years, including weather, labor availability, and rising production costs. However, there have been opportunities as well. Some buying stations have closed or moved, but new buyers have come into the market and contract volumes have been stable overall. Good quality burley tobacco is in relatively short supply, and this has offered opportunities to those who have been able to overcome weather and labor challenges and produce good crops. These changes have had different impacts in different regions of both states, based largely on where buying stations closed and opened. Dark tobacco contract volumes have been more stable than burley, but dark tobacco growers have had challenges as well, including shortages of wood and quality sawdust needed to produce dark-fired tobacco. Labor costs have continued to rise as tobacco growers struggled to keep pace with changes in the H-2A labor program that allows them to legally employ migrant workers. Uncertainty about future regulatory action still hangs over the entire tobacco industry but does not seem as foreboding as two years ago. Overall, tobacco remains an important commodity in the agricultural economy of the region as growers prepare for future seasons

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Improvement of Quality in Publication of Experimental Thermophysical Property Data: Challenges, Assessment Tools, Global Implementation, and Online Support

Article on the improvement of quality in the publication of experimental thermophysical property data

STEM Faculty Response to Proposed Workspace Changes

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to use an affordance approach to understand how university faculty use and value their workspace and respond to proposed spatial changes. Design/methodology/approach - A mixed method survey was given to faculty in the college of engineering at a large public American university. Data were analyzed using an affordance lens. Findings - The analysis indicates that the majority of engineering faculty highly value private offices and appears resistant to non-traditional workspace arrangements. Research limitations/implications - The authors performed the analysis with a relatively small sample (n=46). Practical implications - University administrators need to communicate with faculty and take their opinions on spatial changes seriously. Changes to space may affect STEM faculty retention. Social implications - This paper could affect the quality of work life for university faculty. Originality/value - The paper provide needed research on how faculty use and value their workspace while discussing the implications of alternative workspaces within the academy. Theoretically, the authors contribute to ongoing research on relationship between material and social aspects of organizational spaces