The Effect of Various Stratification Lengths on Seed Sources of Ambrosia artemisiifolia Across Latitudes

Faculty advisor: David A. MoellerSeeds dormancy, a period of ceased physiological activity, is an adaptive trait promoting survival of seeds. Many plants exhibit different germination rates when seeds from various locations where seeds exposed to winter length and temperatures of their origins, are treated to equal amount of cold stratification length. This particular trait is expressed in common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Ragweed has high reproduction of dormant seeds that persist in the soil for many years while maintaining germination ability. Seeds are dependent on environmental conditions such as day length, temperature and humidity to break seed dormancy. That way, the dependence of seeds on environmental condition acts as a monitor system to determine the optimal germination timing and avoid improper environmental conditions. One of the most crucial environmental conditions for ragweed seeds is stratification or a period of cold temperatures, which is the first process that induces the dormancy and later promotes germination. Ragweed seeds collected from various locations corresponding to different latitudes may have different germination rates because of different temperatures and stratification from their own habitats. A study by Sorenson et al. (1990) indicated northern seeds of species western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) have higher germination rates under longer stratification lengths. In the other hand, a study by Karlsson et al. (2007) indicated South African, where maintain high temperatures, seeds of species Papaver aculeatum have higher germination rates under warmer stratification. Accordingly, ragweed seeds from northern locations may require longer stratification and colder temperature to break dormancy because of its strong dormant. By contrast, seeds from southern locations may not require such long periods of stratification for germination because they lack extended winters. As difference in germination rates from different seed populations can be evident in response to various stratification lengths with fixed temperature, in this experiment I investigated the effect of different stratification lengths on germination rates of seeds from populations with different winter length.This research was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management: Development and Demonstrations (12532)

ABSTRACT The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), Technology Innovation and Development is supporting development of the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM). ASCEM is a state-of-the-art scientific tool and approach for understanding and predicting contaminant fate and transport in natural and engineered systems. The modular and open source high-performance computing tool facilitates integrated approaches to modeling and site characterization that enable robust and standardized assessments of performance and risk for EM cleanup and closure activities. The ASCEM project continues to make significant progress in development of capabilities, which are organized into Platform and Integrated Toolsets and a High-Performance Computing Multiprocess Simulator. The Platform capabilities target a level of functionality to allow end-toend model development, starting with definition of the conceptual model and management of data for model input. The High-Performance Computing capabilities target increased functionality of process model representations, toolsets for interaction with Platform, and verification and model confidence testing. The new capabilities are demonstrated through working groups, including one focused on the Hanford Site Deep Vadose Zone

End-to-end model of Icelandic waters using the Atlantis framework: Exploring system dynamics and model reliability

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Icelandic waters are very productive and the fisheries are economically important for the Icelandic nation. The importance of the fisheries has led to progressive fisheries management and extensive monitoring of the ecosystem. However, fisheries management is mainly built on single species stock assessment models, and multi-species or ecological models are essential for building capacity around ecosystem-based fisheries management. This paper describes the first end-to-end model for the Icelandic waters using the Atlantis modeling framework. The modeled area is 1,600,000 km2, and covers the area from Greenland through Icelandic waters to the Faroe Islands. The ocean area was divided into 51 spatial boxes, each with multiple vertical layers. There were 52 functional groups in the model: 20 fish groups (8 at a species level), 5 groups of mammals, 1 seabird group, 16 invertebrates, 5 primary producers, 2 bacteria and 3 detritus groups. The reliability of the model was evaluated using a skill assessment and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to understand the dynamics of the system. The sensitivity study revealed that saithe, redfish and tooth whales had the greatest effect on other groups in the system. The skill assessment showed that the model was able to replicate time-series of biomass and landings for the most important commercial groups and that modeling of the recruitment processes was important for some of the groups. This model now provides a solid basis for evaluating alternative ecosystem and fisheries management scenarios, and should produce reliable results for the most important commercial groups.This study has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 613571 for the project MareFrame and from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 634495 for the project Science, Technology, and Society Initiative to minimize Unwanted Catches in European Fisheries (Minouw). Funding from the Icelandic Research Fund (rannis, No. 152039051) is also acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

Preliminary genetic evidence of two different populations of Opisthorchis viverrini in Lao PDR

Opisthorchis viverrini is a major public health concern in Southeast Asia. Various reports have suggested that this parasite may represent a species complex, with genetic structure in the region perhaps being dictated by geographical factors and different species of intermediate hosts. We used four microsatellite loci to analyze O. viverrini adult worms originating from six species of cyprinid fish in Thailand and Lao PDR. Two distinct O. viverrini populations were observed. In Ban Phai, Thailand, only one subgroup occurred, hosted by two different fish species. Both subgroups occurred in fish from That Luang, Lao PDR, but were represented to very different degrees among the fish hosts there. Our data suggest that, although geographical separation is more important than fish host specificity in influencing genetic structure, it is possible that two species of Opisthorchis, with little interbreeding, are present near Vientiane in Lao PDR

Case study of a performance-active changing trans* male singing voice

A professional classical singer of more than 25 years (AZ) in his early 50s requested this voice researcher’s consultation and assistance in early 2014. He was about to start living full time as a trans* man. Despite his intention to be included in the low start/gradual increase testosterone option of the Trans* Male (previously, “FTM”) Singing Voice Program, the request contained a rather unconventional aspect: AZ would continue to sing while his voice was changing. The above request was integral with his singing history. After the introduction of safeguards and his informed consent, AZ was accepted onto the Program. Due to the highly individual circumstances, his participation was recorded as a case study. The study has aimed to replicate the particulars of the slow hormonal changes and continuing singing ability found in certain cisgender male adolescent voices. Despite dealing with an adult trans* male individual, the progress has been comparable. This has been achieved by carefully monitoring AZ’s low start/gradual increase testosterone administration in communication with the medical practitioner. The participant’s vocal health remained safeguarded and promoted by carefully individualized vocal tuition. This article will discuss the collective results of the case study, including the recordings and the data analysis

Food consumption behaviours in Europe:Mapping drivers, trends and pathways towards sustainability

Why do European consumers buy food the way they do? Which key factors drive Europeans’ food consumption patterns and how could they be used to create pathways toward sustainability? The VALUMICS project’s evidence-based report provides insights to what influences consumers the most in their food choices. The report ‘Food consumption behaviours in Europe’ brings together data across various countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. Through in-depth literature research, focus groups and expert consultations, the report provides a better understanding of the status quo, trends, motivations as well as barriers and opportunities towards more sustainable food consumption behaviours in general. The focus is on five product categories: Beef, dairy, salmon, tomatoes and bread. Findings indicate that food consumption behaviours can be largely attributed to price considerations, family eating habits, health concerns or social contexts of consumers. The report highlights that environmental awareness and values play little to no role in the consumption patterns. “Certain changes can only be made by politics, or the EU in this case, which should impose high sustainability limits and standards: for example, banning disposable plastics is a good start. Until certain management practices are allowed, it is difficult to behave more sustainably because everyone else can be more economically competitive” noted one of the experts interviewed for the report. Other actions suggested in the report include fostering stronger communication channels between producers and consumers, with the potential for increasing the resilience of food value chains as well as using behavioural insights to inform strategies and action plans for more sustainable food consumption. The report ’Food consumption behaviours in Europe’ is the first in a series of VALUMICS publications focusing on analysing food consumption. The upcoming reports look into successful interventions for sustainable food behaviour, multi-stakeholder recommendations toward more sustainable food consumption, and food retailer interventions to support this shift.Nicolau, M., Esquivel, L., Schmidt, I., Fedato, C., Leimann, L., Samoggia, A., Monticone, F., Prete, D.M., Ghelfi, R., Saviolidis, M.N., Olafsdottir, G., Sigurdardottir, H., Aubert, P.M., Huber, E., Aditjandra, A., Hubbard, C., De, A., Gorton, M., Čechura, L., Bogason, G.S., Brimont, L., Odene, J. & Schamari, D. Report on (2021) Food consumption behaviours in Europe. Mapping drivers, trends and pathways towards sustainability. VALUMICS "Understanding Food Value Chains and Network Dynamics", funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme GA No 727243. Deliverable: D6.1, CSCP, Germany, 87 pages

Scenario analysis report with policy recommendations: An assessment of sustainability, resilience, efficiency and fairness and effective chain relationships in VALUMICS case studies : Deliverable 8.4

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, to view a copy of the license, see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The final version of this report is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6534011The functioning of food value chains entails a complex organisation from farm to fork which is characterised by various governance forms and externalities which have shaped the overall food system. VALUMICS food value chain case studies: wheat to bread, dairy cows to milk, beef cattle to steak, farmed salmon to fillets and tomato to processed tomato were selected to enable explorative and empirical analysis to better understand the functioning of the food system and, to identify the main challenges that need to be addressed to improve sustainability, integrity, resilience, and fairness of European food chains. The VALUMICS system analysis was executed through four operational phases starting with Groundwork & analysis including mapping specific attributes and impacts of food value chains and their externalities. This was followed by Case study baseline analysis, which provided input to the third phase on Modelling and exploration of future scenarios and finally Policy and synthesis of the overall work. This report is an overall synthesis of the VALUMICS results as follows: • Key findings from the VALUMICS project on the functioning of European food value chains and their impacts on more sustainable, resilient, fairer, and transparent food system are summarised through a compilation of 25 Research Findings and Policy Briefs. • By highlighting the major contributions from the research activities throughout the four phases of the VALUMICS project, this report delivers an assessment of various factors influencing sustainability, resilience, efficiency and fairness and effective chain relationships of different food value chains, and their determinants. • The synthesis of the outcome allows the identification of opportunities and challenges characterising the functioning of food supply chains, and thus, the prospects and potentials for strengthening the EU food sector

Multicentre study on the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS for nontuberculous mycobacteria identification

The ability of MALDI-TOF for the identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has improved recently thanks to updated databases and optimized protein extraction procedures. Few multicentre studies on the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF have been performed so far, none on mycobacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF for the identification of NTM in 15 laboratories in 9 European countries. A total of 98 NTM clinical isolates were grown on Lowenstein-Jensen. Biomass was collected in tubes with water and ethanol, anonymized and sent out to the 15 participating laboratories. Isolates were identified using MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics). Up to 1330 MALDI-TOF identifications were collected in the study. A score >= 1.6 was obtained for 100% of isolates in 5 laboratories (68.2-98.6% in the other). Species-level identification provided by MALDI-TOF was 100% correct in 8 centres and 100% correct to complex-level in 12 laboratories. In most cases, the misidentifications obtained were associated with closely related species. The variability observed for a few isolates could be due to variations in the protein extraction procedure or to MALDI-TOF system status in each centre. In conclusion, MALDI-TOF showed to be a highly reproducible method and suitable for its implementation for NTM identification