Phosphorus-acquisition strategies of canola, wheat and barley in soil amended with sewage sludges

Crops have different strategies to acquire poorly-available soil phosphorus (P) which are dependent on their architectural, morphological, and physiological root traits, but their capacity to enhance P acquisition varies with the type of fertilizer applied. The objective of this study was to examine how P-acquisition strategies of three main crops are affected by the application of sewage sludges, compared with a mineral P fertilizer. We carried out a 3-months greenhouse pot experiment and compared the response of P-acquisition traits among wheat, barley and canola in a soil amended with three sludges or a mineral P fertilizer. Results showed that the P-acquisition strategy differed among crops. Compared with canola, wheat and barley had a higher specific root length and a greater root carboxylate release and they acquired as much P from sludge as from mineral P. By contrast, canola shoot P content was greater with sludge than with mineral P. This was attributed to a higher rootreleased acid phosphatase activity which promoted the mineralization of sludge-derived P-organic. This study showed that contrasted P-acquisition strategies of crops allows increased use of renewable P resources by optimizing combinations of crop and the type of P fertilizer applied within the cropping system

Sex differences in the association between plasma copeptin and incident type 2 diabetes: the Prevention of Renal and Vascular Endstage Disease (PREVEND) study

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Vasopressin plays a role in osmoregulation, glucose homeostasis and inflammation. Therefore, plasma copeptin, the stable C-terminal portion of the precursor of vasopressin, has strong potential as a biomarker for the cardiometabolic syndrome and diabetes. Previous results were contradictory, which may be explained by differences between men and women in responsiveness of the vasopressin system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of copeptin for prediction of future type 2 diabetes in men and women separately. METHODS: From the Prevention of Renal and Vascular Endstage Disease (PREVEND) study, 4,063 women and 3,909 men without diabetes at baseline were included. A total of 208 women and 288 men developed diabetes during a median follow-up of 7.7 years. RESULTS: In multivariable-adjusted models, we observed a stronger association of copeptin with risk of future diabetes in women (OR 1.49 [95% CI 1.24, 1.79]) than in men (OR 1.01 [95% CI 0.85, 1.19]) (p (interaction) < 0.01). The addition of copeptin to the Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) clinical model improved the discriminative value (C-statistic,+0.007, p = 0.02) and reclassification (integrated discrimination improvement [IDI] = 0.004, p < 0.01) in women. However, we observed no improvement in men. The additive value of copeptin in women was maintained when other independent predictors, such as glucose, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and 24 h urinary albumin excretion (UAE), were included in the model. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The association of plasma copeptin with the risk of developing diabetes was stronger in women than in men. Plasma copeptin alone, and along with existing biomarkers (glucose, hs-CRP and UAE), significantly improved the risk prediction for diabetes in women

Increased serum potassium affects renal outcomes: a post hoc analysis of the Reduction of Endpoints in NIDDM with the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) trial

To assess the effect of an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) on serum potassium and the effect of a serum potassium change on renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. We performed a post hoc analysis in patients with type 2 diabetes participating in the Reduction of Endpoints in NIDDM with the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) study. Renal outcomes were defined as a composite of doubling of serum creatinine or end-stage renal disease. At month 6, 259 (38.4%) and 73 (10.8%) patients in the losartan group and 151 (22.8%) and 34 (5.1%) patients in the placebo group had serum potassium a parts per thousand yen5.0 mmol/l and a parts per thousand yen5.5 mmol/l, (p <0.001), respectively. Losartan was an independent predictor for serum potassium a parts per thousand yen5.0 mmol/l at month 6 (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.0-3.9). Serum potassium at month 6 a parts per thousand yen 5.0 mmol/l was in turn associated with increased risk for renal events (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.00-1.50), independent of other risk factors. Adjustment of the overall treatment effects for serum potassium augmented losartan's renoprotective effect from 21% (6-34%) to 35% (20-48%), suggesting that the renoprotective effects of losartan are offset by its effect on serum potassium. In this study, we found that treatment with the ARB losartan is associated with a high risk of increased serum potassium levels, which is in turn associated with an increased risk of renal outcomes in patients with diabetes and nephropathy. Whether additional management of high serum potassium would further increase the renal protective properties of losartan is an important clinical question

High temperature surface degradation of III-V nitrides

The surface stoichiometry, surface morphology and electrical conductivity of AlN, GaN, InN, InGaN and InAlN was examined at rapid thermal annealing temperatures up to 1,150 C. The sheet resistance of the AlN dropped steadily with annealing, but the surface showed signs of roughening only above 1,000 C. Auger Electronic Spectroscopy (AES) analysis showed little change in the surface stoichiometry even at 1,150 C. GaN root mean square (RMS) surface roughness showed an overall improvement with annealing, but the surface became pitted at 1,000 C, at which point the sheet resistance also dropped by several orders of magnitude, and AES confirmed a loss of N from the surface. The InN surface had roughened considerably even at 650 C, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed significant degradation. In contrast to the binary nitrides the sheet resistance of InAlN was found to increase by {approximately} 10{sup 2} from the as grown value after annealing at 800 C and then remain constant up to 1,000 C, while that of InGaN increased rapidly above 700 C. The RMS roughness increased above 800 C and 700 C respectively for InAlN and InGaN samples. In droplets began to form on the surface at 900 C for InAlN and at 800 C for InGaN, and then evaporate at 1,000 C leaving pits. AES analysis showed a decrease in the N concentration in the top 500 {angstrom} of the sample for annealing {ge} 800 C in both materials

High Temperature Surface Degradation of III-V Nitrides

The surface stoichiometry, surface morphology and electrical conductivity of AlN, GaN, InN, InGaN and InAlN was examined at rapid thermal annealing temperatures up to 1,150 C. The sheet resistance of the AlN dropped steadily with annealing, but the surface showed signs of roughening only above 1,000 C. Auger Electronic Spectroscopy (AES) analysis showed little change in the surface stoichiometry even at 1,150 C. GaN root mean square (RMS) surface roughness showed an overall improvement with annealing, but the surface became pitted at 1,000 C, at which point the sheet resistance also dropped by several orders of magnitude, and AES confirmed a loss of N from the surface. The InN surface had roughened considerably even at 650 C, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed significant degradation. In contrast to the binary nitrides the sheet resistance of InAlN was found to increase by {approximately} 10{sup 2} from the as grown value after annealing at 800 C and then remain constant up to 1,000 C, while that of InGaN increased rapidly above 700 C. The RMS roughness increased above 800 C and 700 C respectively for InAlN and InGaN samples. In droplets began to form on the surface at 900 C for InAlN and at 800 C for InGaN, and then evaporate at 1,000 C leaving pits. AES analysis showed a decrease in the N concentration in the top 500 {angstrom} of the sample for annealing {ge} 800 C in both materials

ICP Etching of SiC

A number of different plasma chemistries, including NF{sub 3}/O{sub 2}, SF{sub 6}/O{sub 2}, SF{sub 6}/Ar, ICl, IBr, Cl{sub 2}/Ar, BCl{sub 3}/Ar and CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar, have been investigated for dry etching of 6H and 3C-SiC in a Inductively Coupled Plasma tool. Rates above 2,000 {angstrom} cm{sup {minus}1} are found with fluorine-based chemistries at high ion currents. Surprisingly, Cl{sub 2}-based etching does not provide high rates, even though the potential etch products (SiCi{sub 4} and CCl{sub 4}) are volatile. Photoresist masks have poor selectivity over SiC in F{sub 2}-based plasmas under normal conditions, and ITO or Ni are preferred

Low damage, highly anisotropic dry etching of SiC

A parametric study of the etching characteristics of 6H p{sup +} and n{sup +} SiC and thin film SiC{sub 0.5}N{sub 0.5} in Inductively Coupled Plasma NF{sub 3}/O{sub 2} and NF{sub 3}/Ar discharges has been performed. The etch rates in both chemistries increase monotonically with NF{sub 3} percentage and rf chuck power. The etch rates go through a maximum with increasing ICP source power, which is explained by a trade-off between the increasing ion flux and the decreasing ion energy. The anisotropy of the etched features is also a function of ion flux, ion energy and atomic fluorine neutral concentration. Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) masks display relatively good etch selectivity over SiC (maximum of {approximately} 70:1), while photoresist etches more rapidly than SiC. The surface roughness of SiC is essentially independent of plasma composition for NF3/O2 discharges, while extensive surface degradation occurs for SiCN under high NF{sub 3}:O{sub 2} conditions

SELECTED ORAL COMMUNICATION SESSION, SESSION 21: FEMALE FERTILITY AND ART, Monday 4 July 2011 15:15 - 16:30

n/