Search

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchorage is one of the most common mechanisms to attach proteins to the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) play a critical role in many biological processes but are difficult to study. Here, a new method was developed for the effective and selective metabolic engineering and labeling of cell surface GPI-APs with an azide-modified phosphatidylinositol (PI) as the biosynthetic precursor of GPIs. It was demonstrated that this azido-PI derivative was taken up by HeLa cells and incorporated into the biosynthetic pathway of GPIs to present azide-labeled GPI-APs on the live cell surface. The azido group was used as a molecular handle to install other labels through a biocompatible click reaction to enable various biological studies, e.g., fluorescent imaging and protein pull-down, which can help explore the functions of GPI-APs and discover new GPI-APs.

BACKGROUND Small intestinal starch digestion in ruminants is potentially limited by inadequate production of carbohydrases. Previous research has demonstrated that small intestinal starch digestion can be improved by postruminal supply of casein or glutamic acid. However, the mechanisms by which casein and glutamic acid increase starch digestion are not well understood. OBJECTIVES The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of duodenal infusions of starch with casein or glutamic acid on postruminal carbohydrase activities in cattle. METHODS Twenty-two steers [mean body weight (BW) = 179 ± 4.23 kg] were surgically fitted with duodenal and ileal cannulas and limit-fed a soybean hull-based diet containing small amounts of starch. Raw cornstarch (1.61 ± 0.0869 kg/d) was infused into the duodenum alone (control), or with 118 ± 7.21 g glutamic acid/d, or 428 ± 19.4 g casein/d. Treatments were infused continuously for 58 d and then steers were killed for tissue collection. Activities of pancreatic (α-amylase) and intestinal (maltase, isomaltase, glucoamylase, sucrase) carbohydrases were determined. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block (replicate group) design using the GLM procedure of SAS to determine effects of infusion treatment. RESULTS Duodenal casein infusion increased (P

Pregastric fermentation along with production practices that are dependent on high-energy diets means ruminants rely heavily on starch and protein assimilation for a substantial portion of their nutrient needs. While the majority of dietary starch may be fermented in the rumen, significant portions can flow to the small intestine. The initial phase of small intestinal digestion requires pancreatic α-amylase. Numerous nutritional factors have been shown to influence pancreatic α-amylase secretion with starch producing negative effects and casein, certain amino acids and dietary energy having positive effects. To date, manipulation of α-amylase secretion has not resulted in substantial changes in digestibility. The second phase of digestion involves the actions of the brush border enzymes sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase. Genetically, ruminants appear to possess these enzymes; however, the absence of measurable sucrase activity and limited adaptation with changes in diet suggests a reduced capacity for this phase of digestion. The final phase of carbohydrate assimilation is glucose transport. Ruminants possess Na+-dependent glucose transport that has been shown to be inducible. Because of the nature of pregastric fermentation, ruminants see a near constant flow of microbial protein to the small intestine. This results in a nutrient supply, which places a high priority on protein digestion and utilization. Comparatively, little research has been conducted describing protein assimilation. Enzymes and processes appear consistent with non-ruminants and are likely not limiting for efficient digestion of most feedstuffs. The mechanisms regulating the nutritional modulation of digestive function in the small intestine are complex and coordinated via the substrate, neural and hormonal effects in the small intestine, pancreas, peripheral tissues and the pituitary-hypothalamic axis. More research is needed in ruminants to help unravel the complexities by which small intestinal digestion is regulated with the aim of developing approaches to enhance and improve the efficiency of small intestinal digestion.

Our research group demonstrated that vitamin A restriction affected meat quality of Angus cross and Simmental steers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to highlight the genotype variations in response to dietary vitamin A levels. Commercial Angus and Simmental steers (n = 32 per breed; initial BW = 337.2 ± 5.9 kg; ~8 months of age) were fed a low-vitamin A (LVA) (1017 IU/kg DM) backgrounding diet for 95 days to reduce hepatic vitamin A stores. During finishing, steers were randomly assigned to treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of genotype × dietary vitamin A concentration. The LVA treatment was a finishing diet with no supplemental vitamin A (723 IU vitamin A/kg DM); the control (CON) was the LVA diet plus supplementation with 2200 IU vitamin A/kg DM. Blood samples were collected at three time points throughout the study to analyze serum retinol concentration. At the completion of finishing, steers were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. Meat characteristics assessed were intramuscular fat concentration, color, Warner-Bratzler shear force, cook loss and pH. Camera image analysis was used for determination of marbling, 12th rib back fat and longissimus muscle area (LMA). The LVA steers had lower (P < 0.001) serum retinol concentration than CON steers. The LVA treatment resulted in greater (P = 0.03) average daily gain than the CON treatment, 1.52 and 1.44 ± 0.03 kg/day, respectively; however, there was no effect of treatment on final BW, DM intake or feed efficiency. Cooking loss and yield grade were greater and LMA was smaller in LVA steers (P < 0.05). There was an interaction between breed and treatment for marbling score (P = 0.01) and percentage of carcasses grading United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Prime (P = 0.02). For Angus steers, LVA treatment resulted in a 16% greater marbling score than CON (683 and 570 ± 40, respectively) and 27% of LVA Angus steers graded USDA Prime compared with 0% for CON. Conversely, there was no difference in marbling score or USDA Quality Grades between LVA and CON for Simmental steers. In conclusion, feeding a LVA diet during finishing increased marbling in Angus but not in Simmental steers. Reducing the vitamin A level of finishing diets fed to cattle with a high propensity to marble, such as Angus, has the potential to increase economically important traits such as marbling and quality grade without negatively impacting gain : feed or yield grade.

Efforts to improve agroecosystem models require methods for unbiased comparisons among simulation algorithms. With focus on evapotranspiration (ET) in Cotton2K, the objectives were to develop a novel methodology for evaluating model parameterization options and to compare model performance using three ET algorithms. The Cotton2K model was updated to include a standardized ET method, and two Penman approaches were also tested. Sobol global sensitivity analysis and multiobjective optimization were used to identify influential parameters and select feasible parameterization options. The three ET methods led to differences in simulation accuracy for ET, soil water contents, and several plant growth metrics ( p 0.05 ). However, no ET method could consistently outperform the other two methods, and ET simulation errors were up to 60%. The simulation methodology permitted unbiased comparison of three ET methods in Cotton2K and highlighted areas for model improvement, including the surface evaporation simulation and the linkage between simulated ET and crop growth.

We evaluated sixteen traits related to water acquisition and transport, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis within a diverse panel of maize inbred lines, founders of the U.S. maize nested association mapping (NAM) population, with the aim to determine which traits confer improved growth under water deficit and well-watered conditions. Lasso regression revealed that three key traits explained meaningful and independent proportions of variation in total end-of-season biomass under deficit irrigation (multiple r2 = 0.86): 1) the maximal net CO2 assimilation rate (P = 0.007), 2) the achievable stomatal conductance during the hottest part of the day (P = 0.005), and 3) the width-to-depth ratio of the root system at the seedling stage (P = 0.060), i.e., initial deep root system development facilitated growth. Under well-watered conditions, maximal stomatal conductance in the morning (P = 0.014) and the width-to-depth ratio of the root system (P = 0.043) were identified as key traits contributing to improved performance (multiple r2 = 0.68). Structural equation models revealed that growth under water deficit was linked more strongly to stomatal conductance occurring during the middle of the day (std coef = 0.75; P = 0.006), rather than the maximal stomatal conductance (std coef = −0.25; P = 0.368). In turn, the maintenance of stomatal conductance through the middle of the day depended on the capacity of the xylem tissue to supply water (per unit cross-sectional area) (std coef = 0.48; P = 0.046). Aligned with the transport of water to the stomata and growth, root system depth ( r = 0.77; P = 0.003) and width-to-depth ratio ( r = −0.55; P = 0.064) at seedling stages were also correlated with the capacity of the xylem to transport water, thus suggesting close coordination between root, xylem, and stomatal traits to achieve greater growth under water deficit and well-watered conditions. We propose that maize performance under the drought conditions considered here, could likely be improved via lower stomatal sensitivity to hydraulic and atmospheric cues, greater xylem conductivity, and a deeper, but not necessarily more extensive, root system.

Water shortages are responsible for the greatest crop losses around the world and are expected to worsen. In arid areas where agriculture is dependent on irrigation, various forms of deficit irrigation management have been suggested to achieve high yields with less water used by the crop (i.e. evapotranspiration, ET). This study of maize evaluated twelve treatments with varying levels of deficit irrigation during late vegetative and maturation (grain filling) growth stages in semi-arid Northern Colorado. In particular, application of greater deficit during the late vegetative state with full or nearly full ET during the rest of the season consistently resulted in yield similar to full ET treatments while saving approximately 15–17% of ET. Maize given 40% of full ET during the late vegetative period had slightly reduced leaf area index (LAI) with significant leaf curling, thus reduced light interception during vegetative growth. However, when plants were fully watered during anthesis, all treatments had full canopy cover with no differences in light interception. The efficiency of photosystem II (quantum yield) declined with water stress but recovered with re-watering. The ability of photosystem II and light interception to recover after stress when well-watered suggests that reductions in biomass and yield resulted from stomatal closure, reduced photochemistry, or loss of xylem conductance that was temporary. With little indication of permanent decline in carbon assimilation after reducing ET in vegetative stages, maize appears able to achieve high grain yield if soil water is readily available during the reproductive and maturation stages. However, plants given full or nearly full irrigation during the entire vegetative period followed by stress later on during the maturation period, had dramatically greater yield loss than ET savings. Thus, while strategic deficit irrigation might maintain yield with less water, it may be especially important for buffering crops against yield losses due to end of season water shortfalls in water limited environments.

Inositol plays a significant role in cellular function and signaling. Studies in yeast have demonstrated an “inositol-less death” phenotype, suggesting that inositol is an essential metabolite. In yeast, inositol synthesis is highly regulated, and inositol levels have been shown to be a major metabolic regulator, with its abundance affecting the expression of hundreds of genes. Abnormalities in inositol metabolism have been associated with several human disorders. Despite its importance, very little is known about the regulation of inositol synthesis and the pathways regulated by inositol in human cells. The current study aimed to address this knowledge gap. Knockout of ISYNA1 (encoding myo-inositol-3-P synthase 1) in HEK293T cells generated a human cell line that is deficient in de novo inositol synthesis. ISYNA1-KO cells exhibited inositol-less death when deprived of inositol. Lipidomic analysis identified inositol depletion as a global regulator of phospholipid levels in human cells, including downregulation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and upregulation of the phosphatidylglycerol (PG)/cardiolipin (CL) branch of phospholipid metabolism. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that inositol depletion induced substantial changes in the expression of genes involved in cell signaling, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and genes controlling amino acid transport and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This study provides the first in-depth characterization of the effects of inositol depletion on phospholipid metabolism and gene expression in human cells, establishing an essential role for inositol in maintaining cell viability and regulating cell signaling and metabolism.

Both empirical and theoretical models have been widely used to calculate a crop water stress index (CWSI) − a metric often used to describe crop water status. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy, limitation, and uncertainty of an empirical (CWSI-E) and two theoretical models compared with sap flow measurement in maize. One theoretical model used a calculated aerodynamic resistance (CWSI-T1), and the other theoretical model used seasonal average aerodynamic resistance (CWSI-T2). Considering the uncertainty of crop coefficient and sap flow measurement, CWSI-T2 and CWSI-E models gave reasonable overall estimates of water stress. The average root mean square deviation at each growth stage from each model ranged from 0.16 to 0.33. CWSI-T2 and the CWSI-E provided relatively accurate prediction of crop stress, both between growth stages and irrigation events. However, CWSI-T1 did not accurately predict water stress between growth stages or between irrigation events. By including climate factors, crop water stress estimated by CWSI-T2 showed less variation and uncertainty than CWSI-E. The uncertainty of both CWSI-T2 and CWSI-E decreased with increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and CWSI-E show larger crop water stress prediction uncertainty. The intercept of non-water stress baseline was the main source of the uncertainty for CWSI-E and CWSI-T2. Considering both uncertainty and stability, we recommend CWSI-T2 model (i.e., seasonal average aerodynamic resistance) for maize water stress assessment.

Limited guidance exists for dosing melphalan for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the obese patient population, because the current literature reports conflicting clinical outcomes between obese and nonobese patients. In 2014, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation published conditioning chemotherapy dosing guidelines for obese patients and recommended dosing of melphalan using actual body weight (ABW) in the body surface area calculation. The practice at Barnes-Jewish Hospital has consistently been to dose melphalan using adjusted body weight (AdBW), with a 20% correction when a patient weighs ≥120% of his or her ideal body weight (IBW). The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of melphalan ASCT in patients with multiple myeloma between obese (≥120% IBW) and nonobese (120% IBW) populations. This retrospective, single-center study included adult patients with multiple myeloma undergoing first ASCT with melphalan conditioning between January 2009 and December 2012. Patient demographic data, transplantation characteristics, and clinical outcomes were collected. The primary outcome was 3-year event-free survival (EFS). Secondary outcomes included response at 100 days post-transplantation, 3-year overall survival, treatment-related mortality (TRM), time to neutrophil engraftment, and hospital length of stay (LOS). To ensure that melphalan dosage adjustment in the obese population did not impact efficacy, the primary outcome was assessed using a noninferiority design, with a predetermined noninferiority margin of 7%. Assuming a 70% 3-year EFS in the nonobese population, a noninferiority margin of 7%, a power of 80%, and an α value of .05, an analysis of 280 patients was required. A total of 270 patients, including 171 (63%) obese patients and 99 (37%) nonobese patients, met our inclusion criteria. Baseline characteristics were well matched between the 2 cohorts, including high-risk cytogenetics, disease severity at diagnosis, and use of maintenance therapy, with the only detectable differences related to weight itself. The 3-year EFS was 41% for the total cohort, with fewer events occurring in the obese cohort compared with the nonobese cohort (51% versus 40%; P = .0025). The 95% lower confidence limit established noninferiority. High-risk cytogenetics, disease severity at diagnosis, and therapy response pre- and post-ASCT were all associated with significantly shorter EFS. No between-group differences in TRM, time to engraftment, or hospital LOS were noted. This retrospective, single-center study found that using AdBW to dose melphalan in obese patients was not inferior to the nonobese population in terms of 3-year EFS. This study adds to the limited evidence on melphalan dosing and suggests that transplantation efficacy is not affected by AdBW dosing in obese patients. Further studies are needed to provide additional insight into the pharmacokinetic differences and best dosing practices for obese patients.

Objective Unhealthy alcohol use and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur. Patients with both conditions have poorer functioning and worse treatment adherence compared to those with either condition alone. Therefore, it is possible that PTSD, when co-occurring with unhealthy alcohol use, may influence receipt of evidence-based alcohol-related care and mental health care. We evaluated receipt of interventions for unhealthy alcohol use and receipt of mental health follow-up care among patients screening positive for unhealthy alcohol use with and without PTSD in a national sample from the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Methods National clinical and administrative data from VA's electronic medical record were used to identify all patients who screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-C score ≥ 5) between 10/1/09–5/30/13. Unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression models were fit to estimate the relative rate and prevalence of receipt of: brief interventions (advice to reduce or abstain from drinking ≤ 14 days after positive screening), specialty addictions treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD; documented visit ≤ 365 days after positive screening), pharmacotherapy for AUD (filled prescription ≤ 365 days after positive screening), and mental health care ≤ 14 days after positive screening for patients with and without PTSD (documented with ICD-9 CM codes). In secondary analyses, we tested effect modification by both severity of unhealthy alcohol use and age. Results Among 830,825 patients who screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use, 140,388 (16.9%) had documented PTSD. Of the full sample, 71.6% received brief interventions, 10.3% received specialty AUD treatment, 3.1% received pharmacotherapy for AUD, and 24.0% received mental health care. PTSD was associated with increased likelihood of receiving all types of care. Adjusted relative rates were 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.05) for brief interventions, 1.06 (1.05–1.08) for specialty AUD treatment, 1.35 (1.31–1.39) for AUD pharmacotherapy, and 1.82 (1.80–1.84) for mental health care. Alcohol use severity modified effects of PTSD for specialty AUD treatment, AUD pharmacotherapy, and mental health care such that effects were maintained at lower severity but attenuated among patients with severe unhealthy alcohol use. Age modified all effects with the strength of the association between PTSD and care outcomes being strongest for younger (18–29 years) and older veterans (65 + years) and weaker or non-significant for middle-aged veterans (30–44 and 45–64 years). Conclusions In this large national sample of patients with unhealthy alcohol use, PTSD was associated with increased likelihood of receiving alcohol-related and mental health care. PTSD does not appear to be a barrier to care among VA patients with unhealthy alcohol use.

Background Chronic pelvic pain is a debilitating problem that afflicts 15% to 20% of women in the United States. Although more than 200,000 hysterectomies are performed annually for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain, previous studies indicate that 1 in 4 women undergo the discomfort and morbidity of hysterectomy without the relief of pain. The factors that predict treatment failure remain poorly characterized. Objective To describe the incidence of persistent pelvic pain 6 months following hysterectomy in women with chronic pelvic pain and determine whether a simple, self-reported measure of central sensitization is associated with a greater risk of persistent pelvic pain following hysterectomy. Study Design We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of women undergoing hysterectomy at an academic tertiary care center for a benign indication. Patients with preoperative chronic pelvic pain, defined as average pelvic pain ≥3 on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale for >3 months before hysterectomy, were included in this analysis. The patients completed validated assessments of pain, anxiety, depression, and centralized pain (using the 2011 Fibromyalgia Survey Criteria, 0–31 points) preoperatively and 6 months after hysterectomy. The demographic information, surgical history, intraoperative findings, and surgical pathology were abstracted from the electronic medical records. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the independent predictors of persistent pelvic pain 6 months following hysterectomy, defined as Results Among 176 participants with pelvic pain before hysterectomy, 126 (71.6%) were retained at 6 months, and 15 (11.9%) reported persistent pelvic pain. There was no difference in age (P=.46), race (P=.55), average pain severity during menses (P=.68), average overall pelvic pain (P=.10), or pain duration (P=.80) in those with and without persistent pelvic pain. Whereas intraoperative findings of endometriosis (P=.05) and uterine fibroids (P=.03) were associated with a higher incidence of persistent pain on univariate analysis, the surgical route (P=.46), pelvic adhesions (0.51), uterine weight (P=.66), and adenomyosis on histopathology (P=.27) were not related to the risk of persistent pain. Higher preoperative centralized pain scores (P=.01) but not depression (P=.64) or anxiety (P=.45) were more common in women with persistent pelvic pain. Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for age, preoperative pain severity, anxiety, depression, and operative findings of endometriosis and fibroids indicated that every 1-point increase in centralized pain before hysterectomy was associated with a 27% increase in the odds of persistent pelvic pain (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.57) 6 months after surgery. Conclusion Although the majority of women with chronic pelvic pain report considerable improvement in pain following hysterectomy, higher degrees of centralized pain before hysterectomy is a robust predictor of persistent pelvic pain.

Assessing the sensitivity and uncertainty of soil-crop models is beneficial to model calibration and development of best water and N management practices. This study adopted the Morris screening method and the Sobol’ variance-based method, combined with an agricultural system model (WHCNS), to analyze the global sensitivity and uncertainty of nitrate leaching and crop yield to model input parameters under different water and N management practices. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a desert oasis of Inner Mongolia, China using a factorial combination of standard (Istd, standard, 750 mm per season; Nstd, standard, 138 kg N ha−1) and conservation (Icsv, conservation, 570 mm per season; Ncsv, conservation, 92 kg N ha−1) levels of irrigation and N fertilization: IstdNstd, IstdNcsv, IcsvNstd and IcsvNcsv. Sensitivity analysis (SA) based on this experiment showed that nitrate leaching demonstrated significant sensitivity to soil hydraulic and crop parameters, but generally low sensitivity to N transformation parameters. Based on Sobol’ SA, crop parameters accounted for 64.3%, 63.2%, 39.2% and 39.2% of simulated nitrate leaching variability for the IstdNstd, IstdNcsv, IcsvNstd and IcsvNcsv treatments, respectively. The greater the crop water and N stress, the stronger the parameters interaction. Uncertainty analysis showed the average amount of nitrate leaching under Istd (135.3 kg N ha−1) to be 2.3 times greater than under Icsv (58.0 kg N ha−1); however, the distributions of yield between the four treatment combinations did not show significant differences. Overall, irrigation practice was the main factor influencing the parameter sensitivities and the uncertainty of nitrate leaching and crop yield simulation.

The objective was to determine the effects of degree of dry-rolled corn processing and dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) inclusion rate on ruminal pH, NH3 and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, total in vitro gas and methane production, and enzyme activity in cattle fed high-concentrate diets. Eight ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (526 ± 3.6 kg) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 1) 650 g/kg coarse-rolled corn (2.5 ± 0.008 mm) with 200 g/kg DDGS, 2) 450 g/kg coarse-rolled corn with 400 g/kg DDGS, 3) 650 g/kg fine-rolled corn (1.7 ± 0.002 mm) with 200 g/kg DDGS and 4) 450 g/kg fine-rolled corn with 400 g/kg DDGS. Diets met NRC recommendations and were offered for ad libitum intake. The experimental design was a 4 × 4 Latin square with 17-d periods allowing for 7 d of diet adaptation, 7 d of sample collection, and 3 d of rest in which all steers were offered an intermediate ration. There were no differences in ruminal pH among treatments. However, steers consuming 400 g/kg DDGS tended (P = 0.07) to have a pH less than 5.5 for a longer period of time (h/d) than those consuming 200 g/kg DDGS. Ruminal NH3 was greater in steers receiving 200 g/kg DDGS (P = 0.02). Steers fed fine-rolled corn had greater (P = 0.02) concentrations of butyric acid while those consuming coarse-rolled corn tended (P = 0.06) to have greater concentrations of isovaleric acid. No difference in DM degradation rate was noted between treatments. In vitro methane concentration of the headspace was unaffected by treatment. Steers fed diets containing 200 g/kg DDGS had greater (P

Present efforts to improve maize performance in water-limited environments are aggressively pursuing leaf-level traits, such as quantum efficiency, mesophyll osmoregulation, and stress-protein responses. However, it is possible that improvement of these traits will lead directly to hydraulic failure if hydraulics and photosynthesis are closely aligned. Here, we address the whole plant response to drought stress and ask if photosynthetic and hydraulic traits appear bundled together as a “coordinated” response, or if these traits operate largely independently of one another. Xylem conductance of leaves and stems, whole plant conductance, stomatal conductance, rate of electron transport (ETR), maximal catalytic rate of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (V pmax ) (EC 4.1.1.31), and net CO 2 assimilation (A max ) were measured in maize plants subjected to contrasting levels of drought stress in greenhouse and field experiments. Photosynthetic traits (A max , ETR, V pmax ), hydraulic traits (whole plant and stem conductance) and stomatal conductance were all reduced by >80% as leaf water potentials declined below −3.0 MPa. Furthermore, 83% of the variation associated with the photosynthetic and hydraulic traits measured in this study was explained by a single principal component, revealing a remarkable degree of alignment among them. Whole plant transpiration rates recovered to ca 90% of maximal values 4 d after lifting severe drought stress (Ψ leaf ≈ −3.5 MPa). Closely aligned hydraulic, photosynthetic, and stomatal responses to drought stress suggest that improvements to individual traits, in isolation to each other, may lead to the loss of plant functioning (e.g. water transport) rather than leading to marked improvements in growth.

A new crop water stress indicator, standard deviation of canopy temperature within a thermal image (CTSD), was developed to monitor crop water status. In this study, thermal imagery was taken from maize (Zea mays L.) under various levels of deficit irrigation at different crop growing stages. The Expectation-Maximization algorithm was used to estimate the canopy temperature distribution from thermal imagery under a range of crop coverage and water stress conditions. Soil water deficit (SWD), leaf water potential (ψ), stomatal conductance, and other crop water stress indices were used to evaluate the CTSD. We found that the temperature differences between sunlit and shaded parts of the canopy would increase with larger canopy resistance in the sunlit part of the crop canopy. The CTSD well described impact of irrigation events (timing and depth) on crop water stress. All water stress measurements showed statistically significant relationship with CTSD. Although CTSD is not sensitive to small changes in water stress, the result suggests that the canopy temperature standard deviation could be used as a water stress indicator. This index has strong application potential because it only relies on the canopy temperature itself, and is easy to calculate. Moreover, it may also be applied to high resolution thermal imagery from other remote sensing platforms, such as unmanned aerial vehicles.

Study Objective To describe the incidence and risk factors for persistent pelvic pain 6 months following hysterectomy in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Design Prospective, observational cohort study of women with chronic pelvic pain undergoing hysterectomy. Setting Academic tertiary care center. Patients or Participants 126 women with CPP undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications. Interventions Patients completed validated assessments of pain, anxiety, depression, and centralized pain (using the 2011 fibromyalgia survey criteria, 0-31 points) preoperatively and 6-months after hysterectomy. Demographic information, surgical history, intraoperative findings and surgical pathology were abstracted from the electronic medical record. Preoperative CPP was defined as average pelvic pain ≥3/10 for >3 months. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of persistent pelvic pain 6 months following hysterectomy, defined as Measurements and Main Results Among 176 participants with CPP, 126 (71.6%) were retained at 6-months, and 15 (11.9%) reported persistent pelvic pain. There was no difference in age (p=0.46), race (p=0.55), pain severity (p=0.10) or pain duration (p=0.80) in those with and without persistent pelvic pain. While intraoperative findings of endometriosis (p=0.045) was associated with a higher incidence of persistent pain, surgical route (p=0.46), uterine fibroids (p=0.34), adenomyosis (p=0.23), pelvic adhesions (0.51), uterine weight (p=0.66) were not related to risk of persistent pain. Higher preoperative centralized pain scores (p=0.01), but not depression (p=0.13) or anxiety (p=0.28) were more common in women with persistent pelvic pain. Multivariate logistic regression controlling for age, anxiety, and endometriosis indicated that every 1-point increase in centralized pain was associated with a 23% increase in odds of persistent pelvic pain (OR 1.23, 95%CI 1.03, 1.48). Conclusion While the majority of women with CPP report considerable improvement in pain following hysterectomy, higher degrees of centralized pain prior to hysterectomy is a robust predictor of persistent pain, even among women whose score falls below the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia.