Bracken control in the first year is as good as it gets!

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) can be problematic for various land-based sectors such as agriculture, forestry, recreation, shooting, as well as for catchment water quality. It can also have detrimental impacts on conservation sites, reducing biodiversity. The herbicide asulam has been shown to be an effective control method but herbicide use might be limited on some conservation sites. Various mechanical control methods are available, though some still require empirical evidence to assess their efficacy. A longterm field experiment was established in 2011 near Cirencester, Gloucestershire using a completely-randomised design, with 5 m × 5 m treatment plots replicated three times. The site had been routinely cut once yearly prior to the experiment to reduce bracken dominance. Three bracken management methods, deemed appropriate for small conservation sites with access issues, were considered: cutting once yearly; cutting twice yearly; and, hand pulling once yearly, each being compared to an untreated control. Frond heights and densities were used to assess plant performance and hence the efficacy of control treatments. In comparison to the control plots that received no management intervention, all three of the mechanical control methods were found to significantly reduce frond heights and densities, each by about half. Cutting twice yearly was more effective in reducing frond height than cutting once, with hand pulling being the least effective. All three performed equally well in reducing frond density, but none demonstrated a significant longer-term (6 years) reduction in plant performance. Hand pulling required considerable time and effort delivering the least favourable outcomes, whilst cutting twice was only marginally better than cutting once. It was therefore recommended that a single annual bracken cut would give the best cost benefit for small conservation sites, enabling acceptable levels of control, but not complete eradication

The Role of Place-based Education in Developing Sustainability as a Frame of Mind

As the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) draws to an end, one could pose the  question: what might education’s response be to a deepening environmental crisis as we move beyond the decade? Sustainability as a frame of mind presents a different perspective to that of sustainable development as a policy (the focus of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development) and therefore cultivating it through education might be a response that could take us forward. In this article we argue for an expanded notion of sustainability as a frame of mind, viewed through the lens of place-based/place-conscious education  and also informed by the metaphysics of ubuntu. The aim of the article is to introduce place-based education  and sustainability as a frame of mind as conceptual avenues for challenging educators to rethink  environmental  education as we enter an era beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. We  do this by conceptually exploring the concepts of place-based and place-conscious education and how these  fairly new educational notions might assist in developing sustainability as a frame of mind. We also discuss the  educational implications of practising a pedagogy of place with specific reference to sustainability

Pretreatment cognitive and neural differences between sapropterin dihydrochloride responders and non-responders with phenylketonuria

Sapropterin dihydrochloride (BH4) reduces phenylalanine (Phe) levels and improves white matter integrity in a subset of individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU) known as “responders.” Although prior research has identified biochemical and genotypic differences between BH4 responders and non-responders, cognitive and neural differences remain largely unexplored. To this end, we compared intelligence and white matter integrity prior to treatment with BH4 in 13 subsequent BH4 responders with PKU, 16 subsequent BH4 non-responders with PKU, and 12 healthy controls. Results indicated poorer intelligence and white matter integrity in non-responders compared to responders prior to treatment. In addition, poorer white matter integrity was associated with greater variability in Phe across the lifetime in non-responders but not in responders. These results underscore the importance of considering PKU as a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional disorder and point to the need for additional research to delineate characteristics that predict response to treatment with BH4

C57BL/6 life span study: age-related declines in muscle power production and contractile velocity

Quantification of key outcome measures in animal models of aging is an important step preceding intervention testing. One such measurement, skeletal muscle power generation (force * velocity), is critical for dynamic movement. Prior research focused on maximum power (P max), which occurs around 30-40 % of maximum load. However, movement occurs over the entire load range. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of age on power generation during concentric contractions in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles over the load range from 10 to 90 % of peak isometric tetanic force (P 0). Adult, old, and elderly male C57BL/6 mice were examined for contractile function (6-7 months old, 100 % survival; ~24 months, 75 %; and ~28 months, 50 % P 0). The shape of the force-velocity curve also changed with age (a/P 0 increased). In addition, there were prolonged contraction times to maximum force and shifts in the distribution of the myosin light and heavy chain isoforms in the EDL. The results demonstrate that age-associated difficulty in movement during challenging tasks is likely due, in addition to overall reduced force output, to an accelerated deterioration of power production and contractile velocity under heavily loaded conditions.R01 AG017768 - NIA NIH HHS; F31 AG044108 - NIA NIH HHS; T32 AG029796 - NIA NIH HHS; R01 EY15313 - NEI NIH HHS; R01 EY015313 - NEI NIH HH

Abrogation of MAP4K4 protein function causes congenital anomalies in humans and zebrafish

We report 21 families displaying neurodevelopmental differences and multiple congenital anomalies while bearing a series of rare variants i

Delivery of Family-Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa in a Public Health Care Setting: Research Versus Non-Research Specialty Care.

Comparing evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) to usual care typically demonstrates the superiority of EBPs, although this has not been studied for eating disorders EBPs such as family-based treatment (FBT). The current study set out to examine weight outcomes for adolescents with anorexia nervosa who received FBT through a randomized clinical research trial (RCT, n = 54) or non-research specialty care (n = 56) at the same specialist pediatric eating disorder service. Weight was recorded throughout outpatient treatment (up to 18 sessions over 6 months), as well as at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Survival curves were used to examine time to weight restoration [greater than 95% median body mass index (mBMI)] as predicted by type of care (RCT vs. non-research specialty care), baseline clinical and demographic characteristics, and their potential interaction. Results did not indicate a significant main effect for type of care, but there was a significant effect for baseline weight (p = .03), such that weight restoration was achieved faster across both treatment types for those with a higher initial %mBMI. These data suggest that weight restoration achieved in non-research specialty care FBT was largely similar to that achieved in a controlled research trial. Clinical Trial Registration:http://www.anzctr.org.au/, identifier ACTRN12610000216011