Urea treatment affects safe rates of seed placed nitrogen in Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedPlacing urea in close proximity to seed can cause seedling damage resulting in poor crop establishment. Plant densities are often well below the optimum, and plants that do emerge can exhibit poor vigor. Several strategies have been developed to reduce risk of seed damage from urea. Restricting the amount that is seed placed, placing urea at a safe distance and placement before or after seeding are effective but may not allow for application of adequate N or increase equipment and operating costs. Recently treatments applied to the urea granule such as Agrotain and polymer coating have been developed to slow the conversion to ammonium. Research suggests that the safe rate of N can be increased by 50% where Agrotain is used and are less clear when polymer coatings are used. To demonstrate how Agrotain and polymer treated urea affect crop establishment and yield, rates of 0, 1, 1.5, 2 and 4 times the recommended safe rate were seed placed at Scott, Swift Current, Canora and Redvers, Saskatchewan. Trials were conducted with wheat at all locations, and canola at Scott. Seed placed untreated urea was used as a check. As well, an alternate option using seed placed untreated urea followed by liquid urea ammonium nitrate dribble banded 20 to 35 days after seeding was investigated. Impact of treatments on plant density varied with rainfall across locations. Sites with lower precipitation after seeding indicated more severe damage to seedlings. Untreated urea placed with the seed had the greatest impact on plant density but, Agrotain and polymer treatments also led to decreases at high N rates. The improvement of Agrotain over untreated urea generally confirmed manufacturer recommendations that safe rates of seed placed urea can be increased by about 50%. The polymer was very effective at reducing damage from seed placed urea, but still generally resulted in fewer plants than side band at 4 times the recommended rate of N. Grain yield responses were also variable across locations. At most sites where plant stand reductions were high yield was also affected. Differences between all treatments were small at N rates up to 2 times the recommended rate but at 4 times, yield was reduced for Agrotain treated and untreated seed placed N. For treatments where liquid dribble band was compared to side banding little difference in yield was observed when soil residual N was high and precipitation was low. A reduction in yield was found when soil N and precipitation were low. Where the N supply from soil was large and precipitation higher, yield of dribble banded crop continued to respond after side banded crops had peaked

Injury Is a Major Inducer of Epidermal Innate Immune Responses during Wound Healing

We examined the importance of injury for the epidermal innate immune response in human skin wounds. We found that injury, independent of infiltrating inflammatory cells, generated prominent chemotactic activity toward neutrophils in injured skin because of IL-8 production. Furthermore, injury was a major inducer of the expression of antimicrobial (poly)peptides (AMPs) in skin wounds. In human skin, these injury-induced innate immune responses were mediated by activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Consequently, inhibition of the EGFR blocked both the chemotactic activity generated in injured skin and the expression of the majority of the AMPs. The importance of injury was confirmed in mouse experiments in vivo, in which injury independent of infection was a potent inducer of AMPs in skin wounds. To our knowledge, these data thereby provide a previously unreported molecular link between injury and neutrophil accumulation and identify the molecular background for the vast expression of IL-8 and AMPs in wounded epidermis. Conceptually, these data show that the growth factor response elicited by injury is important for the recruitment of neutrophils in skin wounds

Short rotation forage legumes provide N fertility for wheat and canola crops

Non-Peer Reviewe

Associations between cognition and employment outcomes after epilepsy surgery

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that younger age, higher education, and seizure freedom after epilepsy surgery are associated with employment. However, very few studies have investigated associations with cognition and employment status in epilepsy surgery patients.Methods: This retrospective study consists of 46 adult patients, who underwent resective epilepsy surgery in the Helsinki University Hospital between 2010 and 2018 and who had been assessed by a neuropsychologist prior to surgery and 6 months after surgery using a systematic test battery. In addition to neuropsychological evaluation, neurologists assessed the patients prior to surgery and followed up the patients up to 24 months after the surgery and evaluated work status of the patients. Logistic regression models were used to assess the effects of cognition on changes in employment status, while controlling for age and education. Results: Out of the 46 patients 38 (82.6%) were seizure free and 7 (15.2%) had their seizures reduced 2 years postsurgically. From prior to surgery to 2 years postsurgery, use of antiseizure medication was reduced in most of the patients, mean reduction of the dosage being 26.9%. Employment status improved in 10 (21.7%) patients, remained unchanged in 27 (58.7%) and worsened in 3 (6.5%). An additional 6 patients were already not working prior to surgery. Subsequent analyses are based on the subsample of 37 patients whose employment status improved or remained unchanged. Mistakes in executive function tasks (p = 0.048) and working memory performance (p = 0.020) differentiated between the group whose employment status remained similar and those who were able to improve their employment status. Epilepsy surgery outcome or changes in antiseizure medication (ASM) use were not associated with changes in employment status.Conclusions: In the subsample of 37 patients, errors in executive function tasks and poorer working memory differentiated patients whose employment status did not change from those patients who could improve their employment status. Problems in executive function and working memory tasks might hinder performance in a complex work environment. When assessing the risks and opportunities in returning to work after surgery, difficulties in working memory and executive function performance should be taken into consideration as they may predispose the patient to challenges at work.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Response of cereals to fertilizer N on pulse and other stubbles

Non-Peer ReviewedTo optimize cropping systems requires knowledge of effects of the preceding crop on the grain yield and protein and the response to N of a following cereal crop. To gain this knowledge, we grew hard red spring (HRS) wheat, durum wheat, Canadian Prairie Spring (CPS)-class wheat, Canadian Western Extra Strong (CWES)-class wheat, and barley on barley, bean, coriander, fenugreek, kabuli chickpea, lentil, mustard, and pea stubble at different N fertilizer rates over 9 site-yr: Swift Current (1998-2002), Redvers (2001-02), and Canora (1999 and 2002). N rates were medium (recommended rate based on fall soil nitrate in cereal stubble), low (15-30 kg ha-1 less than medium) and high (15-30 kg ha-1). There was a significant effect of stubble on subsequent cereal grain yield. Cereal on cereal stubble was consistently lowest or second lowest yielding (typically 100 – 800 kg ha-1 lower than other stubbles) with the exception of 2001 at Swift Current when it was the highest yielding. This latter effect was attributed to the superior moisture conserving benefits of cereal stubble during this year with extreme early drought. No single cereal crop was consistently highest or lowest yielding. The trend was for greatest grain protein on pulse stubbles although stubble effects on protein were not as great as on yield owing to confounding yield dilution effects. Within this narrow range of fertilizer N rates, yield or protein response to N was weak. Generally, there were no significant interactions between stubble and cereal crop or stubble and fertilizer indicating the effect of stubble was consistent across cereal type and N rates. The cereal yield and protein response to N on the non-cereal stubbles was not significantly different than that on cereal stubble with the exception that barley protein responded more positively to N on lentil stubble than on cereal stubble. Cereals grown on pulse stubbles tended to have higher yields and protein than on other stubbles. For HRS wheat and durum, the chance of achieving high protein grain was greatest with high fertilizer N on pea stubble (>75% of years). Applying a high fertilizer N rate on cereal stubbles did not markedly increase the chance of attaining high protein wheat or durum. For barley, where low protein is desired for malting, the best chance for low protein barley was on cereal and mustard stubble although barley protein appeared less affected by stubble and fertilizer N than wheat or durum

Optimizing N fertilizer rates for seed yield in Camelina sativa and Brassica carinata

Non-Peer Reviewe

Multiplex quantitative PCR for single-reaction genetically modified (GM) plant detection and identification of false-positive GM plants linked to Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) infection.

BACKGROUND:Most genetically modified (GM) plants contain a promoter, P35S, from the plant virus, Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), and many have a terminator, TNOS, derived from the bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Assays designed to detect GM plants often target the P35S and/or TNOS DNA sequences. However, because the P35S promoter is derived from CaMV, these detection assays can yield false-positives from non-GM plants infected by this naturally-occurring virus. RESULTS:Here we report the development of an assay designed to distinguish CaMV-infected plants from GM plants in a single multiplexed quantitative PCR (qPCR) reaction. Following initial testing and optimization via PCR and singleplex-to-multiplex qPCR on both plasmid and plant DNA, TaqMan qPCR probes with different fluorescence wavelengths were designed to target actin (a positive-control plant gene), P35S, P3 (a CaMV-specific gene), and TNOS. We tested the specificity of our quadruplex qPCR assay using different DNA extracts from organic watercress and both organic and GM canola, all with and without CaMV infection, and by using commercial and industrial samples. The limit of detection (LOD) of each target was determined to be 1% for actin, 0.001% for P35S, and 0.01% for both P3 and TNOS. CONCLUSIONS:This assay was able to distinguish CaMV-infected plants from GM plants in a single multiplexed qPCR reaction for all samples tested in this study, suggesting that this protocol is broadly applicable and readily transferrable to any interested parties with a qPCR platform

Plasma osteoprotegerin is related to carotid and peripheral arterial disease, but not to myocardial ischemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is frequent in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients due to accelerated atherosclerosis. Plasma osteoprotegerin (OPG) has evolved as a biomarker for CVD. We examined the relationship between plasma OPG levels and different CVD manifestations in type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Type 2 diabetes patients without known CVD referred consecutively to a diabetes clinic for the first time (n = 305, aged: 58.6 ± 11.3 years, diabetes duration: 4.5 ± 5.3 years) were screened for carotid arterial disease, peripheral arterial disease, and myocardial ischemia by means of carotid artery ultrasonography, peripheral ankle and toe systolic blood pressure measurements, and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS). In addition, plasma OPG concentrations and other CVD-related markers were measured.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of carotid arterial disease, peripheral arterial disease, and myocardial ischemia was 42%, 15%, and 30%, respectively. Plasma OPG was significantly increased in patients with carotid and peripheral arterial disease compared to patients without (p < 0.001, respectively), however, this was not the case for patients with myocardial ischemia versus those without (p = 0.71). When adjusted for age, HbA1c and U-albumin creatinine ratio in a multivariate logistic regression analysis, plasma OPG remained strongly associated with carotid arterial disease (adjusted OR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.22-3.67; p = 0.008), but not with peripheral arterial disease or myocardial ischemia.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Increased plasma OPG concentration is associated with carotid and peripheral arterial disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, whereas no relation is observed with respect to myocardial ischemia on MPS. The reason for this discrepancy is unknown.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>at <url>http://www.clinicaltrial.gov</url>: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00298844">NCT00298844</a></p