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Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is one of the top economic crops in South Carolina, and growers make many important decisions prior to planting each year including variety selection, planting date, seed size, and seeding rate. As input costs continue to rise, greater detailed information is needed so that growers can make better informed decisions for their individual operations. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of seed size, seeding rate, and planting date on the growth, development, lint yield, and fiber quality for cotton grown in South Carolina. Two seed sizes large (≤9460 seed kg−1) and small (≥12,100 seed kg−1) were planted at four seeding rates (61,775; 86,485; 111,195; and 135,905 seeds ha−1) on two different planting dates (early [late April/early May] and late [late May/early June]) in 2020, 2021, and 2022 in Florence and in 2020 and 2021 in Blackville, SC. Data collection included stand counts, biomass at multiple growth stages, plant height, lint yield, fiber quality, and overall net returns. Results showed no difference in lint yield for any of the factors in either location in 2020; however, the small‐seeded variety lint yield was 20% more than the large‐seeded variety in Florence in 2021 and 2022 and 5% higher in Blackville in 2021. In Florence, seeding rates over 100,000 seed ha−1 resulted in higher lint yield than the lower two seeding rates. In both locations, delaying planting until after May 22 increased lint yield by approximately 15% in 2021 and 2022. The large‐seeded variety consistently had greater dry biomass (12%–52% greater) than the small‐seeded variety, indicating that it produced larger, more vigorous seedlings. While seed size may not be a reliable predictor of lint yield, it has proven to be an accurate predictor of seedling vigor. Therefore, it may be beneficial to plant a high‐yielding, larger seed size variety when unfavorable planting conditions are expected. Core Ideas: Seed size may not correlate with lint yield but seems to correlate with seedling vigor.It may be beneficial to plant a high‐yielding, larger seed size variety during unfavorable planting conditions.Delaying planting until after May 22 led to an increase in lint yield in both locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: The entorhinal cortex (EC) and perirhinal cortex (PC) are vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease. A triggering factor may be the interaction of vascular dysfunction and tau pathology. METHODS: We imaged post mortem human tissue at 100 μm3 with 7 T magnetic resonance imaging and manually labeled individual blood vessels (mean = 270 slices/case). Vessel density was quantified and compared per EC subfield, between EC and PC, and in relation to tau and TAR DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) semiquantitative scores. RESULTS: PC was more vascularized than EC and vessel densities were higher in posterior EC subfields. Tau and TDP‐43 strongly correlated with vasculature density and subregions with severe tau at the preclinical stage had significantly greater vessel density than those with low tau burden. DISCUSSION: These data impact cerebrovascular maps, quantification of subfield vasculature, and correlation of vasculature and pathology at early stages. The ordered association of vessel density, and tau or TDP‐43 pathology, may be exploited in a predictive context. Highlights: Vessel density correlates with phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) burden in entorhinal and perirhinal cortices.Perirhinal area 35 and posterior entorhinal cortex showed greatest p‐tau burden but also the highest vessel density in the preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease.We combined an ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging model and histopathology to demonstrate the 3D reconstruction of intracortical vessels and its spatial relationship to the pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that delayed planting of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) can reduce yield by as much as 30 lb ac−1 day−1 when planted after mid‐June. In South Carolina, soybean is often planted in rotation with other crops or double‐cropped behind cereal grains, which can lead to delayed planting and potential yield‐loss. In this study, our objective was to determine the optimum planting date (PD) × maturity group (MG) combination on non‐irrigated soybean yield in South Carolina, and to determine yield results for the entire planting window ranging from March through August. Four MGs (IV, V, VI, and VII) were planted on six PDs (March–August) in 2021 and 2022 in Florence and Blackville, SC. Data collection consisted of stand counts to determine final plant populations, end‐of‐season plant height and node counts, and yield/moisture content at harvest. The April, May, and June PDs resulted in the highest grain yield in Blackville in 2021 (averaging 76 bu ac−1) and 2022 (averaging 42 bu ac−1). The April and May PDs had the highest grain yield in Florence when averaged over both years (53 bu ac−1). MG alone did not influence yield in Florence. However, MGs V, VI, and VII produced the highest yields in Blackville. The optimum PD × MG combination for yield was the May planted MG V in Blackville (88 bu ac−1 in 2021 and 49 bu ac−1 in 2022) and the April planted MG VII in Florence (65 bu ac−1). Plant heights and node counts were highest when soybean was planted in April and May, and MG IV had the tallest plants overall due to its indeterminate growth habit. Results from this study suggest that planting soybean as early as late‐March and as late as late‐June may not reduce soybean yield in South Carolina as some late‐March and late‐June MG combinations met or exceeded the state yield average of 37 bu ac−1 and did not differ statistically from April and May yields. This research has already impacted soybean growers in South Carolina as the crop insurance window for full coverage has been extended to include earlier and later PDs as of 2023. Plain Language Summary: Determining the optimum planting date (PD) and maturity group (MG) selection for soybean is essential to maximizing yield potential in non‐irrigated fields. A study was conducted in South Carolina to determine the optimum PD by MG interaction, results suggest that planting soybean from late‐April through late‐June optimized yield potential regardless of MG. Furthermore, MGs V–VII appear to provide maximum grain yield across this range of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preemergence herbicides (PRE) have become integral for weed control in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), especially with the prevalence of glyphosate‐resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.). However, PRE herbicides have the potential to injure cotton seedlings. Previous research has shown that a larger seed size can compensate for early season stresses which could mitigate potential PRE herbicide injury. In this study, we evaluated growth and yield of two cotton varieties with different seed sizes (large and small) in response to three PRE herbicides alone and in combination. Percent visual injury, biomass, plant heights, stand counts, lint yield, and fiber quality were obtained to make comparisons between seed sizes and PRE treatments. In both years, the large‐seeded variety had a higher biomass at 3‐leaf stage. However, both varieties had "grown out" of the herbicide injury at 42 days after planting and the early season vigor of the larger seed did not result in higher lint yield. The small‐seeded variety had greater yield in both years of the study. This may be due to the genetics or yield potential of the small‐seeded variety, or bolls containing smaller seeds typically have a greater number of seeds with more opportunity for lint production. Cotton treated with diuron had the most visual injury and decreased biomass. The results from this study will allow growers to make more informed decisions with regards to seed size, vigor, and PRE herbicide choices. If crop injury is likely, a larger seeded cotton variety may mitigate potential early season injury; however, seed size did not have an impact on final lint yield. Plain Language Summary: Cotton seedlings are slow to establish after emergence. Soil applied or preemergence herbicides can impact cotton seed early growth. Larger seed sizes tend to grow faster and can reduce the injury potential from these herbicides. Field studies were conducted to determine if a larger cotton seed can mitigate the effects of early season soil applied herbicide injury. The larger seed variety grew larger than the smaller seed variety during the first three weeks after emergence. However, these size differences were not apparent later in the season. The small‐seed variety yielded higher than the large‐seeded variety. The larger seed did offer more resilience against soil herbicide injury, but those differences were carried throughout the study. Growers should consider these factors when selecting a variety or a soil residual herbicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) pathology correlates strongly with cognitive decline and is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In recent years, phosphorylated transactive response DNA‐binding protein (pTDP‐43) has emerged as a common comorbidity, found in up to 70% of all AD cases (Josephs et al., Acta Neuropathol, 131(4), 571–585; Josephs, Whitwell, et al., Acta Neuropathol, 127(6), 811–824). Current staging schemes for pTDP‐43 in AD and primary age‐related tauopathy (PART) track its progression throughout the brain, but the distribution of pTDP‐43 within the entorhinal cortex (EC) at the earliest stages has not been studied. Moreover, the exact nature of p‐tau and pTDP‐43 co‐localization is debated. We investigated the selective vulnerability of the entorhinal subfields to phosphorylated pTDP‐43 pathology in preclinical AD and PART postmortem tissue. Within the EC, posterior‐lateral subfields showed the highest semi‐quantitative pTDP‐43 density scores, while the anterior‐medial subfields had the lowest. On the rostrocaudal axis, pTDP‐43 scores were higher posteriorly than anteriorly (p < 0.010), peaking at the posterior‐most level (p < 0.050). Further, we showed the relationship between pTDP‐43 and p‐tau in these regions at pathology‐positive but clinically silent stages. P‐tau and pTDP‐43 presented a similar pattern of affected subregions (p < 0.0001) but differed in density magnitude (p < 0.0001). P‐tau burden was consistently higher than pTDP‐43 at every anterior–posterior level and in most EC subfields. These findings highlight pTDP‐43 burden heterogeneity within the EC and the posterior‐lateral subfields as the most vulnerable regions within stage II of the current pTDP‐43 staging schemes for AD and PART. The EC is a point of convergence for p‐tau and pTDP‐43 and identifying its most vulnerable neuronal populations will prove key for early diagnosis and disease intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is an important process to supply nitrogen (N) for the crop. However, the N fixation capacity of soybean varies widely among soils and climatic conditions. The N fixation potential is purportedly minimum in soils that do not have any prior history of soybean cultivation, and the application of inoculum is reported as necessary to facilitate this process. Rhizobium inocula can be applied at planting to promote BNF; however, their efficacy remains highly variable. A field experiment was conducted at irrigated and dryland sites in 2017 and 2018, where soybean was not cultivated in the preceding 10+ years. Bradyrhizobium inoculum was applied in liquid, dry, and a combination of liquid and dry formulations. The results showed that inoculum addition, in any formulation or combination, did not significantly increase soybean yield compared with the untreated control at any site. This study showed that inoculum application did not consistently increase yield in fields without soybean in the previous crop rotation for years. Future research is needed to identify soils, varieties, management practices, and environmental conditions for soybean inoculation which can increase yield and net farm profits. Core Ideas: The effect of inoculum was tested on soybean yield in irrigated and dryland regimes.Study included seed‐applied dry inoculum alone, in‐furrow applied liquid inoculum alone, and seed‐applied dry inoculum followed by in‐furrow applied liquid inoculum.Overall, inoculum had no significant impact on soybean yield regardless of inoculum source and water regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we evaluate the ability of micro X‐ray fluorescence (µXRF) core scanning to identify non‐visible volcanic ash (cryptotephra) layers in sedimentary records. Its suitability is assessed using the annually resolved lacustrine sediments of Lake Suigetsu (Japan) for which there is high‐resolution ITRAX µXRF core scanning data, and a detailed crypto‐tephrostratigraphy (formerly established via density separation techniques). The studied core sections contain 10 visible and 30 cryptotephra markers that span a range of glass concentrations (from 1000 to >20 000 shards per gram of dried sediment) and compositions (basalts, trachy‐andesites, phonolites, trachytes and rhyolites), thus providing an ideal case study. The ITRAX core scanner produced recognisable µXRF elemental responses for the visible ash layers, including those just 1 mm thick. However, just 10% of the cryptotephra layers could be unequivocally identified. Although this study demonstrates that µXRF core scanning should not be used as an independent method within a similar geological setting, we show it can provide a powerful tool alongside traditional techniques. Where detected, µXRF profiles can verify and refine cryptotephra positions (here to a sub‐millimetre resolution), and help establish reworking signatures. These insights create possibilities for ultra‐precise synchronisation of records, improved chronological modelling and help generate more complete eruption histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ergonomics assessment in the automotive industry has, to date, focused mainly on physical ergonomics, for example, manual handling and posture. However, workload and, in particular, metabolic and cognitive workload, contributes to worker efficiency but has not received sufficient attention to yield practical guidance for industry. Successful workload assessment requires in‐depth understanding of the context in which it will be conducted and of the various assessment techniques which will be applied, with consideration given to factors such as feasibility, resources, and skill of the assessor. These requirements are met with challenges within large and complex organizations and are often dealt with in a piecemeal and isolated matter (i.e., reactive workload assessment). The present paper explores these challenges within the automotive manufacturing industry and aims to develop a decision matrix to guide effective selection of workload assessment techniques focused on metabolic and cognitive demands. It also presents the requirements for time, equipment, and knowledge to implement these techniques as part of a participatory ergonomics approach. Early findings suggest that most assessment techniques reviewed require further development, for example, to establish the acceptance criteria for the specific workload scenario. However, five methods (Garg, Borg RPE, IPAQ, SWAT, and NASA‐TLX) are ready to use in certain applications. Ultimately, the findings suggest that it is possible to implement a participatory workload evaluation program within large and complex manufacturing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Remote sensing models that measure evapotranspiration directly from the Penman‐Monteith or Priestley‐Taylor equations typically estimate the soil evaporation component over large areas using coarse spatial resolution relative humidity (RH) from geospatial climate datasets. As a result, the models tend to underperform in dry areas at local scales where moisture status is not well represented by surrounding areas. Earth observation sensors that monitor large‐scale global dynamics (e.g., MODIS) afford comparable spatial coverage and temporal frequency, but at a higher spatial resolution than geospatial climate datasets. In this study, we compared soil evaporation parameterized with optical and thermal indices derived from MODIS to RH‐based soil evaporation as implemented in the Priestley Taylor‐Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT‐JPL) model. We evaluated the parameterizations by subtracting PT‐JPL transpiration from observation‐based flux tower evapotranspiration in agricultural fields across the contiguous United States. We compared the apparent thermal inertia (ATI) index, land surface water index (LSWI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), and a new index derived from red and shortwave infrared bands (soil moisture divergence index [SMDI]). Relationships were significant at the 95% confidence band. LSWI and SMDI explained 18–33% of variance in 8‐day soil evaporation. This led to a 3–11% increase in explained ET variance. LSWI and SMDI tended to perform better at the irrigated sites than RH. LSWI and SMDI led to markedly better performance over other indices at a seasonal time step. L‐band microwave backscatter can penetrate clouds and can distinguish soil from canopy moisture content. We are presently fusing red‐SWIR‐RADAR to improve soil evaporation estimation. Key Points: Shortwave infrared in combination with red or near‐infrared MODIS bands capture short‐term and seasonal variation in soil evaporationThese band combinations are particularly strong performers at perennially flooded sitesThermal‐based indices are susceptible to changing meteorological conditions and should not be used for soil evaporation estimation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological research has focused on understanding how changes in consumer abundance affects community structure and ecosystem processes. However, there is increasing evidence that evolutionary changes in consumers can also alter community structure and ecosystem processes. Typically, the effects of consumer phenotype on communities and ecosystem processes are measured as net effects that integrate numerous ecological pathways. Here, we analyze new data from experimental manipulations of Trinidadian guppy Poecilia reticulata presence, density and phenotype to examine how effects on the algal community cause changes in gross-primary production (GPP). We combine analytical tools borrowed from path analysis with experimental exclosures in mesocosms to separate the ecological and evolutionary effects of guppies into direct and indirect components. We show that the evolutionary effects of guppy phenotype act through different ecological pathways than the effects of guppy presence and density on GPP. As reported in previous studies that used a different measure of algal biomass, adding guppies and doubling their densities decreased algal biovolume through direct effects. In contrast to these previously reported results, exchanging guppy phenotypes that live without predators for phenotypes that live with predators did not affect algal biovolume. Instead, guppies from populations that live with predators increased the diversity of algal species and increased GPP compared to guppies that live without predators. These changes in the algal community were driven primarily by guppy phenotypes that live with predators-algal communities in mesocosms without fish were similar to those with guppies from predator-free locations, but both were different from mesocosms with guppies from populations that live with predators. Changes in the algal community were driven directly by differences in foraging behavior between the two consumer phenotypes. We reconcile these results with our previous findings, thereby enhancing our understanding of the relationship between ecological and evolutionary processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) estimates land surface evapotranspiration (ET) from radiometric surface temperature (TR), but requires manual selection of calibration pixels, which can be impractical for mapping seasonal ET. Here pixel selection is automated and SEBAL implemented using global climate grids and satellite imagery. SEBAL is compared with the MOD16 algorithm, which uses remotely sensed data on vegetation condition to constrain reference ET from the Penman-Monteith equation. The difference between the evaporative fraction (Λ, range 0-1) from SEBAL and six eddy flux correlation towers was less than 0.10 for three of six towers, and less than 0.24 for all towers. SEBAL ET was moderately sensitive to surface roughness length and implementation over regions smaller than ∼10,000 km2 provided lower error than larger regions. Pixel selection based on TR had similar errors as those based on a vegetation index. For maize, MOD16 had lower error in mean seasonal evaporative fraction (−0.02) compared to SEBAL Λ (0.23), but MOD16 significantly underestimated the evaporative fraction from rice (−0.52) and cotton fields (−0.67) compared with SEBAL (−0.09 rice, −0.09 cotton). MOD16 had the largest error over short crops in the early growing season when vegetation cover was low but land surface was wet. Temperature-based methods like SEBAL can be automated and likely outperform vegetation-based methods in irrigated areas, especially under conditions of low vegetation cover and high soil evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of life history traits can occur rapidly and has the potential to influence ecological processes, which can also be shaped by abiotic and biotic factors. Few studies have shown that life history phenotype can affect ecological processes as much as commonly studied biotic ecological variables, but currently we do not know how the ecological effects of life history phenotype compare in size to the effects of abiotic factors, or whether the ecological effects of phenotypes are sensitive to variability in abiotic conditions. Using a factorial mesocosm experiment we compared the ecosystem effects of guppy Poecilia reticulata life history phenotypes in two light treatments representing a four-fold difference in light levels, which was comparable to upstream downstream differences in light availability in Trinidadian streams. Light and phenotype had significant effects on similar aspects of ecosystem function. Whereas light had a stronger effect on ecosystem structure (algal and invertebrate stocks) than phenotype, phenotype and light had nearly equal effects on many ecosystem processes (nutrient recycling, nutrient fluxes, ecosystem metabolism and leaf litter decomposition). Light had a stronger effect on most guppy life history traits and guppy fitness than differences between phenotypes. The effect of light on these traits was consistent with higher availability of food resources in the high light treatments. Interactions between light and phenotype were weak for the majority of response variables suggesting that abiotic variability did not alter the mechanisms by which phenotypes affect ecosystem function. We conclude that subtle phenotypic differences in consumers can affect ecosystem processes as much as meaningful variability in abiotic factors which until recently were thought to be the primary drivers of ecosystem function in nature. However, despite its effects on traits and the ecosystem, light did not alter the effect of guppy phenotype on ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of theory and recent empirical results have shown that evolutionary, population, community and ecosystem properties are the result of feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes. The vast majority of theory and empirical research on these eco-evolutionary feedbacks has focused on interactions among population size and mean traits of populations., However, numbers and mean traits represent only a fraction of the possible feedback dimensions. Populations of many organisms consist of different size classes that differ in their impact on the environment and each other. Moreover, rarely do we know the map of ecological pathways through which changes in numbers or size structure cause evolutionary change. The goal of this study was to test the role of size structure in eco-evolutionary feedbacks of Trinidadian guppies and to begin to build an eco-evolutionary map along this unexplored dimension., We used a factorial experiment in mesocosms wherein we crossed high- and low-predation guppy phenotypes with population size structure. We tested the ability of changes in size structure to generate selection on the demographic rates of guppies using an integral projection model ( IPM). To understand how fitness differences among high- and low-predation phenotypes may be generated, we measured the response of the biomass of lower trophic levels and nutrient cycling to the different phenotype and size structure treatments., We found a significant interaction between guppy phenotype and the size structure treatments for absolute fitness. Size structure had a very large effect on invertebrate biomass in the mesocosms, but there was little or no effect of the phenotype. The effect of size structure on algal biomass depended on guppy phenotype, with no difference in algal biomass in populations with more, smaller guppies, but a large decrease in algal biomass in mesocosms with phenotypes adapted to low-predation risk., These results indicate an important role for size structure partially driving eco-evolutionary feedbacks in guppies. The changes in the ecosystem suggest that the absence of a steep decline in guppy fitness of the low-predation risk populations is likely due to higher consumption of algae when invertebrates are comparatively rare. Overall, these results demonstrate size structure as a possible dimension through which eco-evolutionary feedbacks may occur in natural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trait evolution can occur in response to anthropogenic alterations to ecosystems and can occur on timescales similar to those of ecological processes suggesting that it could alter ecosystem function. In this study, we characterise the effects of life history evolution on nutrient recycling using the Trinidadian guppy ( Poecilia reticulata) as a model system., Guppy life history traits evolve in response to predation pressure. When predation pressure is removed, guppy population density and average body size of the population also increase. Therefore, the evolution of guppy life histories involves changes in individual traits and demographic characteristics, both of which can alter nutrient recycling. The relative contributions of these variables to guppy-driven nutrient recycling are unknown., We synthesise data from published experiments to disentangle how differences in individual traits, population characteristics and environmental conditions contribute to differences in guppy excretion rates. Individual guppies adapted to the absence of predators [low-predation ( LP) guppies] have lower nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates than individual guppies adapted to predators [high-predation ( HP) guppies]. However, LP guppy populations excrete twice as much nitrogen as HP populations because of their larger average body size and higher population densities., We compare these findings to guppy excretion data collected from HP and LP sites in four rivers in Trinidad. Phenotypic and population differences in excretion rates are consistent with those observed in the experiments., Our study demonstrates that life history evolution can alter nutrient recycling in freshwater ecosystems. Characterizing the combined effects of traits and demographics is essential for understanding the effects of life history evolution on ecosystem processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEPs) play an important role in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119). Since 2007, OSHA issued numerous RAGAGEP-related citations under the Petroleum Refinery Process Safety Management and PSM Covered Chemical Facility National Emphasis Programs. Even though the PSM standard became effective over 20 years ago, noncompliance with PSM's RAGAGEP requirements remains an issue. This article reviews RAGAGEP basics from OSHA's perspective, using examples from national emphasis program inspections to illustrate common RAGAGEP compliance problems. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 33: 156-161, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demyelination is a major contributor to the general decay of neural functions in children with Krabbe disease. However, recent reports have indicated a significant involvement of neurons and axons in the neuropathology of the disease. In this study, we have investigated the nature of cellular inclusions in the Krabbe brain. Brain samples from the twitcher mouse model for Krabbe disease and from patients affected with the infantile and late-onset forms of the disease were examined for the presence of neuronal inclusions. Our experiments demonstrated the presence of cytoplasmic aggregates of thioflavin-S-reactive material in both human and murine mutant brains. Most of these inclusions were associated with neurons. A few inclusions were detected to be associated with microglia and none were associated with astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Thioflavin-S-reactive inclusions increased in abundance, paralleling the development of neurological symptoms, and distributed throughout the twitcher brain in areas of major involvement in cognition and motor functions. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of aggregates of stereotypic β-sheet folded proteinaceous material. Immunochemical analyses identified the presence of aggregated forms of α-synuclein and ubiquitin, proteins involved in the formation of Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. In vitro assays demonstrated that psychosine, the neurotoxic sphingolipid accumulated in Krabbe disease, accelerated the fibrillization of α-synuclein. This study demonstrates the occurrence of neuronal deposits of fibrillized proteins including α-synuclein, identifying Krabbe disease as a new α-synucleinopathy. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The varved sediment of Lake Suigetsu (central Japan) provides a valuable opportunity to obtain high-resolution, multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental data across the last glacial/interglacial cycle. In order to maximize the potential of this archive, a well-constrained chronology is required. This paper outlines the multiple geochronological techniques being applied - namely varve counting, radiocarbon dating, tephrochronology (including argon-argon dating) and optically stimulated luminescence ( OSL) - and the approaches by which these techniques are being integrated to form a single, coherent, robust chronology. Importantly, we also describe here the linkage of the floating Lake Suigetsu ( SG06) varve chronology and the absolute ( Int Cal09 tree-ring) time scale, as derived using radiocarbon data from the uppermost (non-varved) portion of the core. This tie-point, defined as a distinct (flood) marker horizon in SG06 (event layer B-07-08 at 1397.4 cm composite depth), is thus derived to be 11 255 to 11 222 Int Cal09 cal. years BP (68.2% probability range). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical and petrochemical manufacturing processes have potential for high consequence, low frequency events. Process safety management programs should identify and eliminate or control the conditions leading to the catastrophic hazards associated with these events. In recent years, industry has increasingly turned to quantitative or semiquantitative risk assessment tools to prioritize and manage the hazards they have identified. Risk assessment, whether qualitative, quantitative, or semiquantitative, is a powerful tool when used properly; however, companies must ensure that the safeguards for which they take credit are robust enough to truly manage hazards. This article discusses possible inconsistencies in process hazard analysis (PHA) claims. If a PHA claims credit for a good mechanical integrity (MI) program, what happens when that MI program has numerous deficiencies or violations? When a PHA bases a failure scenario frequency on industry historical experience, how does the site know that this experience is actually applicable to their processes? When a safeguard is challenged, is it available on-demand? What are the consequences if a claimed safeguard does not perform as designed/credited? © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 32: 8-11, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Ecological stoichiometry expresses ecological interactions as the balance between multiple elements. It relates the ecological function of organisms to their elemental composition, or their organismal stoichiometry. Organismal stoichiometry is thought to reflect elemental investments in life history and morphology acting in concert with variability in abiotic or environmental conditions, but the relative contribution of these factors to natural variability in organismal stoichiometry is poorly understood. 2. We assessed the relative contribution of stream identity, predation, body size and sex to the organismal stoichiometry of guppies ( Poecilia reticulata) in six streams in Trinidad. In this system, guppy life-history phenotype evolves in response to predation. Guppies adapted to high-predation (HP) pressure grow faster, mature earlier, produce fewer and smaller offspring and eat a higher-quality diet than guppies adapted to low-predation (LP) pressure. This pattern of life-history evolution is repeated in many rivers encompassing a wide range of abiotic conditions. 3. Organismal stoichiometry of guppies was widely variable, spanning up to ∼70% of the range of variability reported across freshwater fish taxa. Streams from where guppies were sampled were the most important predictor of organismal stoichiometry. In many cases, guppy populations from sites within the same stream varied as much as from sites in different streams. 4. Surprisingly, predation regime was a minor predictor of % C, C : P and C : N in female guppies, despite its strong correlation with life-history phenotype and other organismal traits in this species. Body size and sex were not significant predictors of organismal stoichiometry. 5. Guppies from HP sites were more stoichiometrically balanced with their diets than guppies from LP sites. The latter appeared to be more vulnerable to phosphorus limitation than the former, suggesting that dietary specialization associated with guppy life-history phenotype may have stoichiometric consequences that can affect guppy physiology and nutrient recycling. 6. Our findings suggest that local environmental conditions are a stronger predictor of organismal stoichiometry than organismal traits. We recommend that future work should explicitly consider correlations between organismal traits and organismal stoichiometry in the context of environmental heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several popular force fields, namely, CHARMM, AMBER, OPLS-AA, and MM3, have been tested for their ability to reproduce highly accurate quantum mechanical potential energy curves for noncovalent interactions in the benzene dimer, the benzene-CH4 complex, and the benzene-H2S complex. All of the force fields are semi-quantitatively correct, but none of them is consistently reliable quantitatively. Re-optimization of Lennard-Jones parameters and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory analysis for the benzene dimer suggests that better agreement cannot be expected unless more flexible functional forms (particularly for the electrostatic contributions) are employed for the empirical force fields. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a major regulator of osteoclastogenesis, bone resorption and vascular calcification. OPG is produced by various cell types including mesenchymally derived cells, in particular, osteoblastic cells. Here we show OPG production by osteoblastic cells was stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in two human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG63, Saos-2), a mouse pre-osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1) and human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSC) by 152%, 197%, 113% and 45% respectively over 24 h. OPG was measured in the cell culture medium by immunoassay. PDGF isoforms AA, BB and AB show similar stimulation of OPG production. Message for OPG was also increased similarly to the increased secretion into the culture medium. Using specific inhibitors of cell signalling we demonstrate that PDGF acts through the PDGF receptor, PKC, PI3K, ERK and P38 and not via NF-kB or JNK. The importance of PDGF in fracture healing suggests a role for OPG production in countering bone resorption during the early phase of this process. J. Cell. Physiol. 218: 350–354, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a review of the literature on the molecular methods for the identification and study of the distribution of the toxic dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR); Real-time PCR; Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis; Fluorescent fragment detection PCR; Fluorescent in situ hybridization; Model for the study of other taxa.

1. Microsomal diacylglycerol acyltransferase from bovine lactating mammary gland, liver and adipose tissue was capable of acylating microsomal-bound 1,2-dipalmitoylglycerol with acyl-CoA of chain length C4 -- C18. The activity of the liver and adipose enzymes towards butyryl-CoA and hexanoyl-CoA relative to longer-chain acyl-CoA was similar to that of the mammary enzyme. The Km and V values of the three enzymes with butyryl-CoA and hexanoyl-CoA were similar, except for the V values of the adipose enzyme which were higher. 3. Microsomal diacylglycerol acyltransferase from mammary gland and liver of non-ruminants was also capable of utilizing butyryl-CoA. 4. These results indicate that the unique presence of short-chain acids in ruminant milk triacyl-glycerols is not caused by differences in specificity between the diacyiglycerol acyltransferase from ruminant mammary and other tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsomal 1,2-diacylglycerol acyltransferase from lactating cow mammary gland incorporated equal molar amounts of microsomal-bound 1,2-dipalmitoyl [2-³H]glycerol and [1-14C]-butyrate, [1-14C]hexanoate or [ 1-14C]palmitate from their CoA esters into triacylglycerol. The enzyme could also utilize exogenous 1.2-diacylglycerols in the presence of ethanol. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 6.1 and 6.4 with butyryl-CoA and hexanoyl-CoA respectively. Values of V were approximately the same (2.7 and 2.4 nmol · min-1 - mg-1, respectively), but values of Km were different (34 and 10 μM, respectively) with these two substrates. Mg2+ was not required as cofactor. The presence of a Mg2+ -dependent phosphatidate phosphatase in the microsomal fraction was demonstrated. It is proposed that triacylglycerols containing butyric and hexanoic acid are biosynthesized in cow mammary gland by the glycerolphosphate pathway, in which long-chain 1,2-diacylglycerols derived from phosphatidic acid are acylated at the sn-3 position by short-chain acyl-CoA esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital‐based trophic cascades are often considered weak or absent in tropical stream ecosystems because of the prevalence of omnivorous macroconsumers and the dearth of leaf‐shredding insects. In this study, we isolate top‐down effects of three macroconsumer species on detrital processing in headwater streams draining Trinidad's northern mountains. We separated effects of different macroconsumers by experimentally manipulating their temporal access to isolated benthic habitat over the diel cycle. We found no evidence that omnivorous macroconsumers, including a freshwater crab (Eudaniela garmani) and guppy (Poecilia reticulata), increased leaf decomposition via consumption. By contrast, above a waterfall excluding guppies, the insectivorous killifish, Anablepsoides hartii, reduced the biomass of the leaf‐shredding insect Phylloicus hansoni 4‐fold, which consequently reduced leaf decomposition rates 1.6‐fold. This detrital cascade did not occur below the barrier waterfall, where omnivorous guppies join the assemblage and reduce killifish densities; here killifish had no significant effects on Phylloicus or decomposition rates. These patterns of detrital processing were also observed in upstream–downstream comparisons in a landscape study across paired reaches of six streams. Above waterfalls, where killifish were present, but guppies absent, leaf decomposition rates and Phylloicus biomass were 2.5‐ and ~35‐fold lower, respectively, compared to measurements below waterfalls. Moreover, the strength of top‐down control by killifish is reflected by the 20‐ and 5‐fold reductions in variability (±SE) surrounding mean Phylloicus biomass and leaf decomposition rates in upstream relative to downstream reaches where no top‐down control was detected. Findings show a clear, detrital‐based trophic cascade among killifish, a leaf‐shredding insect, and leaf decomposition rates. Results also show how omnivorous guppies disrupt this cascade by depressing killifish densities, thereby releasing invertebrate shredders from predation, and significantly increasing decomposition rates. Moreover, this combination of direct and indirect trophic interactions drives patterns in decomposition rates in stream networks at a landscape scale, resulting in significantly lower rates of decomposition above vs. below barrier waterfalls. Our findings reveal that omnivory can result in significant indirect effects on a key ecosystem process, illustrating the importance of these hidden trophic pathways in detrital‐based systems and suggesting that resource control in tropical systems may be even more complex than previously envisioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]