bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an immunochromatographic assay for the detection of anti-hepatitis A virus IgM
Authors: Lee Hyeok-Jin , Jeong Hye Sook , Cho Byung-Ki , Ji Mi-Jeong , Kim Ji-Ha , Lee An-Na , Lee Kyoung-Ryul , Cheon Doo-Sung
Published: July 2010

Background

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a causative agent of acute hepatitis, which is transmitted by person-to-person contact and via the faecal-oral route. Acute HAV infection is usually confirmed by anti-HAV IgM detection. In order to detect anti-HAV IgM in the serum of patients infected with HAV, we developed a rapid assay based on immunochromatography (ICA) and evaluated the sensitivity of this assay by comparing it with a commercial microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) that is widely used for serological diagnosis.

Results

The newly developed ICA showed 100% sensitivity and specificity when used to test 150 anti-HAV IgM-positive sera collected from infected patients and 75 negative sera from healthy subjects. Also, the sensitivity of ICA is about 10 times higher than MEIA used in this study by determining end point to detect independent on infected genotype of HAV. In addition, the ICA was able to detect 1 positive sample from among 50 sera from acute hepatitis patients that had tested negative for anti-HAV IgM using the MEIA.

Conclusion

Conclusively, ICA for the detection of anti-HAV IgM will be very effective for rapid assay to apply clinical diagnosis and epidemiological investigation on epidemics due to the simplicity, rapidity and specificity.
Evaluating the impact of MEDLINE filters on evidence retrieval: study protocol
Authors: Shariff Salimah Z , Cuerden Meaghan S , Haynes R Brian , McKibbon K Ann , Wilczynski Nancy L , Iansavichus Arthur V , Speechley Mark R , Thind Amardeep , Garg Amit X
Published: July 2010

Background

Rather than searching the entire MEDLINE database, clinicians can perform searches on a filtered set of articles where relevant information is more likely to be found. Members of our team previously developed two types of MEDLINE filters. The 'methods' filters help identify clinical research of high methodological merit. The 'content' filters help identify articles in the discipline of renal medicine. We will now test the utility of these filters for physician MEDLINE searching.

Hypothesis

When a physician searches MEDLINE, we hypothesize the use of filters will increase the number of relevant articles retrieved (increase 'recall,' also called sensitivity) and decrease the number of non-relevant articles retrieved (increase 'precision,' also called positive predictive value), compared to the performance of a physician's search unaided by filters.

Methods

We will survey a random sample of 100 nephrologists in Canada to obtain the MEDLINE search that they would first perform themselves for a focused clinical question. Each question we provide to a nephrologist will be based on the topic of a recently published, well-conducted systematic review. We will examine the performance of a physician's unaided MEDLINE search. We will then apply a total of eight filter combinations to the search (filters used in isolation or in combination). We will calculate the recall and precision of each search. The filter combinations that most improve on unaided physician searches will be identified and characterized.

Discussion

If these filters improve search performance, physicians will be able to search MEDLINE for renal evidence more effectively, in less time, and with less frustration. Additionally, our methodology can be used as a proof of concept for the evaluation of search filters in other disciplines.
X-chromosome terminal deletion in a female with premature ovarian failure: Haploinsufficiency of X-linked genes as a possible explanation
Authors: Ferreira Susana I , Matoso Eunice , Pinto Marta , Almeida Joana , Liehr Thomas , Melo Joana B , Carreira Isabel M
Published: July 2010

Background

Premature ovarian failure (POF) has repeatedly been associated to X-chromosome deletions.FMR1gene premutation allele's carrier women have an increased risk for POF. We intent to determine the cause of POF in a 29 year old female, evaluating both of these situations.

Methods

Concomitant analysis ofFMR1gene CGG repeat number and karyotype revealed an X-chromosome terminal deletion. Fluorescencein situfurther characterized the breakpoint. A methylation assay forFMR1gene allowed to determine its methylation status, and hence, the methylation status of the normal X-chromosome.

Results

We report a POF patient with a 46,X,del(X)(q26) karyotype and with skewed X-chromosome inactivation of the structural abnormal X-chromosome.

Conclusions

Despite the hemizygosity ofFMR1gene, the patient does not present Fragile X syndrome features, since the normal X-chromosome is not subject to methylation. The described deletion supports the hypothesis that haploinsufficiency of X-linked genes can be on the basis of POF, and special attention should be paid to X-linked genes in region Xq28 since they escape inactivation and might have a role in this disorder. A full clinical and cytogenetic characterization of all POF cases is important to highlight a pattern and help to understand which genes are crucial for normal ovarian development.
Changes in expression of oestrogen regulated and proliferation genes with neoadjuvant treatment highlight heterogeneity of clinical resistance to the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole
Authors: Miller William R , Larionov Alexey
Published: July 2010

Introduction

Clinical resistance is a major factor limiting benefits to endocrine therapy. Causes of resistance may be diverse and the mechanism of resistance in individual breast cancers is usually unknown. The present study illustrates how changes in the expression of proliferation and oestrogen-regulated genes occurring during neoadjuvant treatment with the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, may define distinctive tumour subgroups and suggest different mechanisms of resistance in clinically endocrine resistant breast cancers.

Methods

Postmenopausal women with large primary oestrogen-receptor (ER)-rich breast cancers were treated neoadjuvantly with letrozole (2.5 mg daily) for three months. Clinical response was determined by ultrasound changes in tumour volume. Tumour ribonucleic acid (RNA) from biopsies taken before, after 14 days and after three months of treatment was hybridized on Affymetrix U133A chips. Changes in expression of KIAA0101, TFF3, SERPINA3, IRS-1 and TFF1 were taken as markers of oestrogen regulation and those in CDC2, CKS-2, Cyclin B1, Thymidine Synthetase and PCNA as markers of proliferation.

Results

Fifteen tumours with < 50% volume reduction over three months of treatment were classified as being clinically non-responsive. Gene expression changes after 14 days of treatment with letrozole revealed different patterns of change in oestrogen regulated and proliferation genes in individual resistant tumours. Tumours could be separated into three different subgroups as follows: i) nine cases in which both proliferation and oestrogen signalling signatures were generally reduced on treatment (ii) four cases in which both signatures were generally unaffected or increased with treatment and (iii) two cases in which expression of the majority of oestrogen-regulated genes decreased whereas proliferation genes remained unchanged or increased. In 14 out of 15 tumours, RNA profiles were also available after three months of treatment. Patterns of change observed after 14 days were maintained or accentuated at three months in nine tumours but changes in patterns were apparent in the remaining five cancers.

Conclusions

Different dynamic patterns of expression of oestrogen-regulated and proliferation genes were observed in tumours clinically resistant to neoadjuvant letrozole, thus illustrating heterogeneity of resistance and discriminating molecular sub-classes of resistant tumours. Molecular phenotyping might help to direct circumventing therapy suggesting the targeting of specific pathways in different tumour subtypes.
Capacity to Consent to Research Participation in Adults With Malignant Glioma
Authors: Marson Daniel C. , Martin Roy C. , Triebel Kristen L. , Nabors Louis B.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

To investigate research consent capacity (RCC) in patients with malignant gliomas (MGs) and identify cognitive abilities and clinical factors associated with RCC in MG.

Patients and Methods

Participants were 22 healthy controls and 26 patients with diagnosed and histologically verified MG. All patients with MG were receiving various combinations of treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, medication). Both groups were administered a neurocognitive test battery and a standardized RCC measure (Capacity to Consent to Research Instrument [CCRI]). Capacity performance was evaluated across four core consent abilities (choice, appreciation, reasoning, understanding), and categorical capacity impairment ratings (no impairment, mild/moderate impairment, severe impairment) were also identified for individual patients with MG. Stepwise regression analyses identified cognitive predictors of CCRI performance in the MG group.

Results

The MG patient group performed significantly below the control group on the three clinically relevant consent standards (appreciation, reasoning, and understanding). Patients with MG performed equivalently to controls in evidencing a simple research participation choice. Approximately one third of patients with MG showed compromised impairment ratings (mild/moderate impairment or severe impairment) on the three consent abilities. Cognitive measures of phonemic and semantic word fluency predicted performance on the consent standards. Steroid treatment and anticonvulsant use were related to poorer CCRI performance.

Conclusion

A substantial portion of patients with MG after diagnosis show impairments in research consent capacity. Word fluency measures reflecting expressive language and executive function abilities are strongly associated with these consent impairments. This study highlights the importance of careful attention to consent issues when enrolling patients with MG in clinical trials and other research studies.
Time to Activate Lung Cancer Clinical Trials and Patient Enrollment: A Representative Comparison Study Between Two Academic Centers Across the Atlantic
Authors: Wang-Gillam Andrea , Williams Kristina , Novello Silvia , Gao Feng , Scagliotti Giorgio V. , Govindan Ramaswamy
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Activation of clinical trials is a lengthy process. We studied the procedures and time required to activate lung cancer clinical trials in a US academic center compared with a European center.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed of all thoracic oncology therapeutic trials submitted for regulatory review between 2001 and 2008 at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM; St Louis, MO) and the University of Torino (UT; Torino, Italy). A process map was drafted by both institutions to establish the order of required events.

Results

We reviewed 137 therapeutic thoracic oncology trials from WUSM (n = 83) and UT (n = 54). The median times from submission to opening a trial were 163 days for WUSM and 112.5 days for UT (P = .048). The median times for regulatory approval were 75 days for WUSM and 31 days for UT (P < .001). The difference is more pronounced in a homogeneous subset of phase II, industrial-sponsored trials for the median calendar time from submission to opening a trial (239.5 days for WUSM v 112.5 days for UT; P < .001) and time for regulatory approval (99 days for WUSM v 13.5 days for UT; P < .001). The median number of patients accrued at WUSM was 7.4 patients per study compared with an average of 37 patients per study at UT. The proportion of trials that enrolled 20 patients or more represented 22.2% of trials at UT but only 1.1% of trials at WUSM.

Conclusion

It takes additional steps and significantly longer time to activate a therapeutic thoracic clinical trial at a representative US site (WUSM) compared with a European site (UT).
A theoretical derivation of the Cordier diagram for turbomachines
Authors: Epple Ph , Durst F , Delgado A
Published: July 2010

The design of high-efficiency fans is often based on the experience of the designer. In order to determine its main dimensions, fan designers use the Cordier diagram. For a given operating point (i.e. flowrate and pressure, and a rotating speed), the optimum diameter of high-efficiency fans can be found in the Cordier diagram. The Cordier diagram is an empirical diagram based on measurements. It delivers a relation between flowrate, pressure, rotating speed, and diameter. However, the Cordier diagram does not provide any information on the blade shape (i.e. the angles and the blade width). In order to fill this gap, there are design rules based on the experience of the designer and some analytical performance parameters in the literature. One very common performance parameter is the reaction, which is the ratio between the static and the total pressure rising from the impeller inlet to its outlet. These design rules and performance parameters are, however, of limited use. Therefore, the total-to-static ideal efficiency is introduced to yield, together with the speed and diameter numbers σ and δ, the essential parameters that distinguish the different turbomachines in the Cordier diagram. Based on the integral parameters of the flow and the geometry of turbomachines, a performance analysis of turbomachines is performed and the Cordier diagram is theoretically derived.
In the Balance: Weighing Babies and the Birth of the Infant Welfare Clinic
Authors: Weaver Lawrence T.
Published: July 2010

The nineteenth century saw the incorporation of technology, such as the stethoscope, microscope, and thermometer, into clinical medicine. An instrument that has received less attention in the history of the role of technology in medicine is the weighing balance, or scale. Although not new to nineteenth-century medicine, it played an important part in the rise of the numerical method and its application to the development and shaping of pediatrics. This article explores the origin and development of the weighing of babies. During its clinical and scientific adoption, this simple procedure was refined and applied in a number of increasingly sophisticated and far-reaching ways: as a measure of the dimensions of the fetus and newborn, as an index of the viability of the newborn, as a means of estimating milk intake, as a way of distinguishing normality from abnormality, as a summary measure of infant health, and as an instrument of mass surveillance. In so doing it changed the way in which medical care was delivered to infants.
Defoe and China
Authors: Starr G. A.
Published: July 2010

Defoe finds China’s social order tyrannical, its religion idolatrous, and the entire Asian trade beneficial to China, India and the East India Company but harmful to England and Europe. He ridicules tea, porcelain, lightweight fabrics and their Chinese producers less than his own countrymen: the East India Company for pursuing its own profit rather than national prosperity, and consumers for choosing insubstantial imports over superior domestic products. He prefers England’s unruly mobs over China’s “submissive Slaves,” and Protestant Christianity over devilish idolatry, yet his satire is aimed chiefly at those in the West who defend absolutism in the political sphere, or freethinking in the religious sphere, under the guise of honoring antiquity, stability, “natural reason” and the like. Perceiving China as monitory example, not as threat, Defoe regards European fondness for Chinese goods, beliefs and practices as not merely foolish but pernicious, in commercial, political, and religious terms alike.
Mereological Heuristics for Huayan Buddhism
Authors: Jones Nicholaos John
Published: July 2010

This is an attempt to explain, in a way familiar to contemporary ways of thinking about mereology, why someone might accept some prima facie puzzling remarks by Fazang, such as his claims that the eye of a lion is its ear and that a rafter of a building is identical to the building itself. These claims are corollaries of the Huayan Buddhist thesis that everything is part of everything else, and it is intended here to show that there is a rational basis for this thesis that involves a nonstandard notion of parthood and, importantly, that does not violate the principle of noncontradiction.
Nuclear rDNA sequences of Wittrockiella amphibia (Collins) comb. nov. (Cladophorales, Chlorophyta) and morphological characterization of the mat-like growth form
Authors: Boedeker Christian , Hansen Gayle I.
Published: July 2010

Cladophora amphibia was found in Yaquina Bay (Oregon, USA) for the first time since the type collection from California in 1903. Vegetative plants were buried in the top centimeter of intertidal mud, partially covered by mats of Rhizoclonium and Chaetomorpha. Cladophora amphibia plants had densely pigmented upright branches penetrating the mud surface and overlying algal mats. Morphological and habitat characteristics of C. amphibia strongly overlap with those of Wittrockiella paradoxa, and molecular sequences of ribosomal genes, including the variable internally transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region, indicate very high genetic similarity between these two taxa. The seven point mutations in the ITS2 DNA sequences are regarded as low intraspecific variation. Since C. amphibia had been described earlier, W. paradoxa becomes a taxonomic synonym of C. amphibia, and the new binomial Wittrockiella amphibia (Collins) comb. nov. is required. As previously reported for W. paradoxa, the studied Pacific plants were “cladophoroid” in form (upright, branched thalli with cylindrical cells), in contrast to the stunted and poorly branched “rhizoidal” plants mainly found in Europe. The heterotrichous mode of growth is further characterized.
Maternal Prenatal Anxiety and Stress Predict Infant Illnesses and Health Complaints
Authors: Beijers Roseriet , Jansen Jarno , Riksen-Walraven Marianne , de Weerth Carolina
Published: July 2010

OBJECTIVES:

Evidence from both animals and humans suggests that maternal prenatal anxiety and stress can have adverse consequences on the offspring's development. Animal models also show that prenatal stress has programming effects on the physical health of the offspring, such as immune functioning. In human studies, however, physical health outcomes are often restricted to birth complications; studies on the effects of acquiring illnesses are scarce. This study aimed to examine whether maternal prenatal anxiety and stress, measured both by self-report and by cortisol physiology, are related to more infant illnesses and antibiotic use during the first year of life.

METHODS:

Participants in the study were 174 mothers with normal pregnancies and term deliveries (71 firstborns; 91 boys). The mothers filled out third-trimester questionnaires on general and pregnancy-specific anxiety and stress and provided saliva samples for circadian cortisol. Information on infant illnesses and antibiotic use was obtained through monthly maternal interviews across the infant's first year of life.

RESULTS:

Hierarchical multiple regressions showed that, even after controlling for many relevant confounders, prenatal anxiety and stress predicted a considerable amount of variance in infant illnesses and antibiotic use: 9.3% for respiratory, 10.7% for general, 8.9% for skin, and 7.6% for antibiotic use. Digestive illnesses were not related to prenatal anxiety and stress.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although replication is warranted, to our knowledge, this is the first evidence linking maternal prenatal anxiety and stress to infant illnesses and antibiotic use early in life.
Deformability evaluation of high-strength reinforced concrete columns
Authors: Ho J.C.M. , Pam H.J.
Published: July 2010

Plastic hinge length and ultimate curvature are the crucial parameters that enable inelastic deformability (deflection and rotation) of reinforced concrete columns to be evaluated. Prediction of deformability beyond the elastic range is important in the performance-based design of earthquake-resistant structures. Although large numbers of tests have been conducted in the past by numerous researchers on reinforced concrete columns subjected to simultaneous axial load and large inelastic displacement, available design tools that enable rapid evaluation of deformability of reinforced concrete columns are still limited. The situation is even worse for high-strength reinforced concrete columns. The objective of this paper is to investigate plastic hinge length and ultimate curvature for deformability evaluation of high-strength reinforced concrete columns. In connection with this, two equations are proposed in this paper for estimating the plastic hinge length and ultimate curvature of high-strength reinforced concrete columns leading to their deformability evaluation. The proposed equations are used to evaluate the theoretical deflection of other researchers' column test specimens, and it is proven that these theoretical deflections mostly underestimate slightly their respective measured deflections. Therefore, the proposed equations can be used for conservative estimation of high-strength reinforced concrete column deformability at an early design stage without performing the tedious load–deflection analysis.
Agricultural Chemicals in Relation to Environmental Quality: Chemical Fertilizers, Present and Future
Authors: Nelson L. B.
Published: July 2010

Unfertilized soils no longer can provide the food necessary to meet the needs of expanding populations, Fertilizer use has increased dramatically in recent years; however, intensity of use varies greatly in different parts of the world, in various sections of the USA, and with the kind of crop grown. In the USA, fertilizers have accounted for over 50% of the increase in crop production since 1940, and farmers have substituted fertilizers for land and other inputs. However, considerable controversy has developed in recent years over the role of fertilizers in pollution of natural waters. Increased nitrate and phosphate levels in waters are cited by ecologists as proof of contamination by fertilizers, but this is contested by many agriculturists. Examination by competent reviewers of the limited data available so far indicates that losses of fertilizer nutrients into surface and groundwaters may be minimal under most situations. Should situations be found where fertilizers do contribute appreciably to water pollution, corrective steps may have to be taken. There are a number of ways to minimize losses without sacrificing the important benefits gained from fertilizers. These include carefully tailoring rates and times of nitrogen application to better fit the needs of the growing crop, greater care in irrigation, use of slow‐release nitrogen fertilizers, and wider application of selected soil conservation practices to control surface losses of both nitrates and phosphates.
Chemical Weed Control in the Seventies
Authors: Day Boysie E.
Published: July 2010

Herbicides constitute the most widely‐used and rapidly‐growing category of pesticides. They are widely used in industrial land management as well as in agriculture. Herbicides replace a wide range of more expensive or more hazardous weed control practices. The technology now exists for a doubling of the beneficial uses of herbicides during the decade of the 1970's. Shortage of trained personnel and insufficient diffusion of knowledge are currently the limitation on the further use of chemical weed control. Present herbicides, although effective, are far from ideal. However, the outlook for the discovery of more effective and safer herbicides is excellent. The principal limitations to further development of chemical weed control procedures are social and legal rather than technological. The use of herbicides and other agricultural chemicals is increasingly reviewed by the public as offensive, immoral, or dangerous. These views lead to political action in the form of restrictive, and often irrational, regulation. It is upon the resolution of social conflicts, more than on technical matters, that the future of herbicides depends.
Fungicides and Nematicides: Their Role Now and in the Future
Authors: Torgeson D. C.
Published: July 2010

A great number of fungicides and nematicides effective in preventing losses from fungi and nematodes attacking plants have been developed. The first developed and most widely used nematicides are volatile and phytotoxic, which require that they be applied to the soil in advance of planting. More recently, less volatile and less phytotoxic nematicides have been developed which can be applied to living plants. The ideal nematicide would be systemic in plants and selectively toxic or repellent to nematodes. Although inorganic copper and sulfur fungicides are still in use, a wide variety of organic fungicides effective for the control of many of the major plant disease fungi have been developed. More recently a number of systemic fungicides have been discovered which are probably indicative of the type of fungicides that will be used in future years. Better fungicides and nematicides are needed not only as replacements for many of those now in use but also for the control of plant parasitic fungi and nematodes not effectively or economically controlled with existing materials. The high cost of developing new pesticides is, however, a deterrent in obtaining such materials.
Physical Methods of Pest Control
Authors: Osmun John V.
Published: July 2010

Physical approaches to control are discussed including those direct or indirect measures which either destroy the insect, disrupt normal physiological activity by means other than chemical, or modify the environment to a degree that is unacceptable or unbearable to the insect. A recognition of specific ecological factors and tolerance thresholds are prerequisites to utilization of physical controls. Temperature survival limits are discussed together with the more subtle use of radiofrequency energy. Manipulation of the environment to alter normally expected humidity patterns is an acceptable approach in the case of certain household, forest, and agricultural pests. Radiant energy, in the example of light traps, incorporates approaches in which traps are used alone, in combination with pheromones, and integrated with both chemical and biological methods. Especially encouraging for night nuisance pests is the use of insect‐free lighting. Infrared, reflected light, and light amplification are discussed. The general prospects for use of sounds are cautiously hopeful as are techniques employing the manipulation of the environmental atmosphere. We are entering an era when systems approaches to pest management will necessitate the integration of a number of methods. The utilization of physical approaches as restraining agents is viewed with moderate optimism.
A Directed Ecosystem Approach to Pest Control and Environmental Quality
Authors: Hanson A. A.
Published: July 2010

Problems and opportunities in integrated pest control programs are outlined with primary emphasis on agronomic inputs; basic ecological concepts are reviewed in the context of the disturbed environments in which crops are grown for food and fiber. Particular attention is given to the interrelationship of crop management and plant breeding with other biological control measures, such as exclusion and the use of predators and parasites. The origin of environmental concerns is reviewed together with possible approaches that will aid in solving complex pest control problems. Recognition is given to the need for utilizing existing information on biological control, improving the effectiveness of agricultural chemicals, developing new approaches and improving existing methods of biological pest control, and integrating all components into systems for individual crops and cropping systems.
The Effects of Urbanization on Water Quality
Authors: McGriff E. Corbin
Published: July 2010

This paper attempts to summarize existing knowledge of the effects of urbanization on hydrologic factors and their ultimate effect on water quality. Urbanization has the greatest effect on the hydrology of an area which ultimately results in the degradation of the quality of both surface and ground water. Urbanization increases the sediment load carried by streams, decreases ground water recharge, promotes eutrophication, and causes temperature variation in streams, all of which tend to alter water quality.
Interface Between Man and His Forest Environment
Authors: Arnold R. Keith
Published: July 2010

Forest environments, covering one‐third of our nation, have multiple uses and benefits of increasing value to our growing population. In addition to the well‐known uses for wood, water, wildlife, range, and recreation, our forests enhance man's general welfare. Among other benefits, forest environments provide shelter from climatic extremes, screens to hide unpleasant views, interesting and pleasing landscapes, and biological air conditioning. Everyone receives these benefits whether he lives near the forest or in a crowded city. While these benefits are sizable today, they can be increased substantially in the future. Environmental forestry offers service, production, and enjoyment for mankind.

Scientists, the citizenry, and legislators shape the practices and standards that professional foresters follow in managing and protecting forest environments. Environmental forestry, because it is more than production forestry, provides new challenges for research. More interdisciplinary attention must be given to environmental impacts of production programs in forests. Ways must be found to augment multiple outputs from forests. Managers of forest environments need new value systems and decision‐making procedures. A new Pinchot Institute of Environmental Forestry Research exemplifies a cooperative, multidisciplinary approach to solving current problems of environmental forestry. Through forestry research we can find better ways to manage and protect forest environments for the future of all Americans.
Research Natural Areas: Contributors to Environmental Quality Programs
Authors: Franklin Jerry F. , Jenkins Robert E. , Romancier Robert M.
Published: July 2010

Research programs on environmental quality will require studies of conditions in natural environments. Numerous protected natural ecosystems, known as Research Natural Areas, are available for such studies. The Research Natural Area concept and history and scope of present programs are outlined. These tracts are particularly valuable sites for baseline and monitoring programs, for ecosystem studies, as in situ preserves of gene pools, and for selected educational purposes.
Effect of Lime on Lead Uptake by Five Plant Species
Authors: Cox W. J. , Rains D. W.
Published: July 2010

Liming at 0, 2.2, and 4.4 tons/hectare (0, 1, and 2 English tons/acre) was tested as a means of reducing Pb uptake by five species from two Pb contaminated soils. The soils represent the 0‐ to 10‐ and 10‐ to 30‐cm horizons of Los Osos clay loam (a Typic Argixeroll) and contained 94 ± 18 and 32 ± 7 ppm Pb, respectively. There was no effect of lime on yield, but Pb concentrations in tops were reduced. At all times of harvest and lime rates the Pb concentration followed the series Glycine max L. ≫ Trifolium subterraneum L. > Zea mays L. = Avena sativa L. = Triticum aestivum L.
Tritiated Water Movement in Semiconfined Growth Systems
Authors: Klobe W. D.
Published: July 2010

Since its beta radiation will not penetrate the skin, the major hazard of tritium (3H) to man is via the food pathways. This investigation was designed to provide preliminary information on 3H behavior in the food pathways, which include soils and plants.

Each of six semi‐confined growth systems contained four corn (Zea mays L.) plants grown on 0.1 m3 of a fertilized peat‐sandperlite mixture. The bottom of each container and the surface of the growth medium was covered with plastic to prevent excessive loss of 3H due to evaporation or mass flow.

The growth medium in each system received a single surface application of 3 mCi of tritiated water (HTO), and was kept near field capacity by watering every 2 or 3 days. Pairs of systems were labeled at 7, 10, or 13 weeks maturation of the corn, and the rate of 3H removal at different stages of plant growth was determined.

Residence time of 3H in the growth medium was short. At maximum rates of withdrawal (transpiration), over 90% of the added 3H was removed within 1 week. The maximum amount of readily extractable 3H found in the plants was about 3% of the original application. This occurred 3 days after labeling and decreased to 0.1 to 0.3% in 2 weeks.
Recovery of Mercury in Solution
Authors: Maag G. W. , Hecker R. J.
Published: July 2010

Mercury in the metallic or ionic form is a poisonous pollutant when added to the sewage system. Analytical laboratories frequently use solutions which contain mercury salts and proper disposal of the waste solutions is a problem. A recovery method is described in which aluminum releases its higher energy valence electrons to the mercury ions in solution producing aluminum ions and metallic mercury. The metallic mercury is recovered and the waste solution containing the aluminum ions can be poured down the drain.
Influence of Selected Pesticides on Leaf Elemental Content and Yield of Garden Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Authors: McClurg C. A. , Bergman E. L.
Published: July 2010

Five experiments were conducted to determine the effects of selected herbicides, systemic nematocide‐insecticides, and a fungicide on foliar elemental content, stand, and yield of garden beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). None of the elements analyzed in the leaves nor stand, plant weight, or pod yields were significantly altered by DMPP or disulfoton systemic nematocide‐insecticide treatments. Foliar calcium levels were significantly reduced by several herbicide treatments. These treatments also caused greater plant injury and decreased stand and yields. Although benomyl fungicide at a soil concentration of 20 ppm significantly increased foliar calcium content, no general trends in elemental content could be determined. A greenhouse experiment testing effects of soil applied magnesium and EPTC herbicide indicated plant height was significantly reduced by increasing herbicide concentration. Magnesium application significantly increased foliar magnesium content and mean plant weight.
Using Race‐Specific Resistance to Manage the Evolution of Plant Pathogens
Authors: Knott D. R.
Published: July 2010

The life cycle of a pathogen and the epidemiology of the disease it causes determine the use that can be made of host genes for race‐specific resistance. Many pathogens, such as the potato late blight fungus, complete their life cycle in a limited area and the pathogen's evolution is determined by the host cultivars grown in the area. Other pathogens, such as the wheat stem rust fungus, survive part of the year in only a small area but then spread widely from this primary center of infection. The stem rust fungus rarely overwinters north of central Texas, but during spring and summer it spreads north 2,000 miles along the “Puccinia Path”. It normally does not survive the hot summer in the overwintering area. Thus, in the fall spores must be blown south to infect the young winter wheat crop. With an epidemiological pattern of this type, the evolution of pathogenicity in the fungus is determined by the host genes for resistance that are used in particular areas. The wheat crop is a patchwork of different resistance genotypes that act as a selection sieve through which only certain rust genotypes can pass. Man, by controlling the nature of the patchwork, can guide the evolution of the pathogen to achieve long‐lasting control of the disease.
Philosophy on the Biological Control of Insect Pests
Authors: Dicke F. F.
Published: July 2010

Biological control may be defined as the balance between a species and biological stress factors that limit its potential population. Four major divisions are usually recognized in biological control research programs: (i) parasites and predators; (ii) insect pathology; (iii) radiation and genetics; (iv) host‐plant resistance.

Introducing parasites and predators to combat introduced insect pests was vigorously pursued during the early 20th century. Again in recent years this facet of biological control research has received increased emphasis. Successful establishment of many introduced parasitic species has been recorded. Components of biological control agents usually lag in effect when host populations suddenly increase. Each species has its own realm of environmental requirements for optimum survival.

Pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes may reduce insect outbreaks rapidly under favorable temperature and moisture conditions. Examples include: (i) polyhedral viruses present in many species of Lepidoptera; (ii) milky disease bacteria in the Japanese beetle, and Bacillus thuringiensis in the European corn borer; (iii) fungi of the genera Empusa or Entomophthora, Beauveria, and Metarrhizium in many orders and a wide range of species; (iv) protozoa of the genera Nosema and Perezia in a wide range of hosts. Artificial dissemination has been successful for milky disease against the Japanese beetle and B. thuringiensis against the European corn borer. Male sterility induced genetically or by radiation is a promising approach to insect population control.

Cooperative research programs have yielded significant varietal resistance to several insect species in economically important field crops such as wheat, maize, sorghum, and alfalfa.
Morphological and Chemical Changes that Evolve in the Development of Host Plant Resistance to Insects
Authors: Maxwell Fowden G.
Published: July 2010

The hypothesis that insects are evolving from a polyphagous to a monophagous state is presented. Chemical and physical factors involved in host selection by an insect are discussed. Certain morphological and chemical factors in plants have evolved as protective mechanisms against specific insects which have allowed survival. Man has genetically manipulated certain of these chemical and morphological factors to impart resistance to specific pests. In some cases, the factor or factors responsible for resistance to one pest may in themselves, or else through unknown linked factors, create greater susceptibility to another pest. Examples are given.
Toward Environmental Sanity
Authors: Ruckelshaus William D.
Published: July 2010

Growing national demand for environmental controls led to establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency which is charged with planning and executing an integrated, coordinated attack on environmental problems of air and water pollution, drinking water quality, solid wastes management, pesticides, radiation, and noise. Other Federal agencies also play a part in environmental control. A strong EPA regional organization has been established. Progress is being made toward pollution control in a number of areas but much, much more remains to be done. One emphasis of EPA program is on research and demonstration to combat present problems and to help anticipate future problems. Pollution control standards and laws must be enforced energetically or little will be gained. Continued public support of national, state, and local environmental control programs is basic to success.
Insecticide Depth in Soil—Effect on Soybean Uptake in the Greenhouse
Authors: Beall M. L. , Nash R. G.
Published: July 2010

The influence of DDT, dieldrin, and endrin placement depth in soil on their plant uptake and translocation was investigated. In a greenhouse study, soybeans were grown for 75 days in soil columns containing a 1‐cm layer of 20 ppm 14C‐insecticide‐treated soil placed at either 1–2, 16–17, or 31–32 cm deep (depths A, B, and C, respectively) within the column. Radioactivity in root sections showed that all three insecticides were absorbed and translocated both basipetally and acropetally. Maximum mean residues in roots (DDT, 14.9; dieldrin, 29.1; endrin, 29.5 ppm air‐dry basis) always resulted from placement at depth A.

Maximum DDT (<0.01 ppm), dieldrin (0.68 ppm), and endrin (1.20 ppm) residues in total aerial organs resulted from depth A also. Residues decreased strikingly as placement depth increased. The B depth resulted in mean aerial residues amounting to 6.8% (dieldrin) or 15.0% (endrin) of those resulting from A, while C depth resulted in mean aerial residues of only 0.6% (dieldrin) or 6.7% (endrin) of those from depth A. Only trace amounts of DDT residues resulted from depths B and C.

Since uptake was affected by insecticide placement depth, prediction of crop residues based on soil residues must include a consideration of residue location in soil. Results suggest that deep plowing of insecticide‐containing soil could be used to reduce residues in crop plants.
Arsenic Phytotoxicity on a Plainfield Sand as Affected by Ferric Sulfate or Aluminum Sulfate
Authors: Steevens D. R. , Walsh L. M. , Keeney D. R.
Published: July 2010

Repeated use of arsenic (As) salts in orchards, cotton, and tobacco fields occasionally has caused phytotoxicity. A study was initiated to evaluate the effect of periodic applications of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) which has been used extensively as a defoliant to kill potato vines in Wisconsin commercial potato fields. Sodium arsenite was applied in 1967 to a Plainfield sand at rates varying from 45 to 720 kg As/ha. In 1970, these field plots were subdivided and treated with ferric sulfate [Fe2(SO4)3] and aluminum sulfate [Al2(SO4)3] to attenuate As toxicity, planted to peas (Pisum sativum L.) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), and yields compared with those obtained in earlier investigations. Arsenic toxicity persisted over a period of four cropping seasons. Pea yields on As‐treated soil tended to be higher with an application of Fe2(SO4)3 and lower with an application of Al2(SO4)3, although yields generally were not significantly changed by either material. Potato yields were not affected by application of Fe2(SO4)3, therefore, neither Fe2(SO4)3 or Al2(SO4)3 were effective at the rate used in reducing toxicity. Potato tuber peelings contained up to 53.7 ppm of As, but regardless of treatment, the tuber flesh did not exceed 1 ppm. Ferric sulfate or Al2(SO4)3 did not have a consistent effect on the concentration of As in potato peelings or tuber flesh. The As content of As‐treated soil increased in the subsoil but decreased in the plow layer during four cropping seasons. The increase in subsoil As was found to a depth of 38 cm and 68 cm for treatments of 90 and 180 kg As/ha and 720 kg As/ha, respectively. Even considering the downward movement, all of the As applied in 1967 as NaAsO2 was not accounted for in the soil profile (0–83 cm).
Microbiological Quality of Subsurface Drainage Water from Irrigated Agricultural Land
Authors: Smith J. H. , Douglas C. L. , Bondurant J. A.
Published: July 2010

Irrigation and subsurface drainage waters sampled from an 82,150‐hectare (203,000‐acre) irrigation district in southern Idaho were evaluated for bacteriological quality. The soils in the district are wind deposited over fractured basalt, calcareous, and have a pH near 7.8. Drainage, where needed, is provided by horizontally mined tunnels or by tile drains connecting shallow relief wells that flow the year around. For the 12 month ending September 30, 1969, a 2‐meter (6.5‐foot) depth of water for the entire irrigation tract was diverted, and 50% of the water passed through the soil becoming subsurface drainage. The irrigation water and seven subsurface drains were sampled at 2‐week intervals during the summer of 1969. Coliform, fecal streptococci, starch hydrolyzers, and bacteria able to grow at temperatures from 0 to 55C were counted. The diverted irrigation water contained from 140 to 3,300 coliform per 100 ml, but 86% of the subsurface drainage samples contained 5 or fewer coliforms per 100 ml. Numbers of other microorganisms were also low in the drainage waters. The outflow samples were oxygen saturated and the temperatures were 13.0 ± 1.1C for all samples. Percolation through the soil improved the water quality almost to domestic water standards.
Photooxidative Degradation of Ligninsulfonate to Substrates Enhancing Microbial Growth
Authors: Rockhill R. C. , Park J. E. , Klein D. A.
Published: July 2010

Photolysis was evaluated as a procedure by which a recalcitrant polymer could be modified to improve biological availability. Ligninsulfonate was used as a model substrate, and Aspergillus growth responses measured by fungal dry weight in relation to substrate carbon before and after growth. Ligninsulfonate solutions with initial pH values of 3, 7, and 12 were irradiated, and maximum growth response found to occur where decoloration was achieved. The photolysis time required for decoloration increased with pH. Approximately 50% of the total carbon was utilized in all cases at the point of maximum microbial growth response. Photolysis at all exposure times altered the substrate in such a way as to increase microbial response and, therefore, appears to be an effective method for treating ligninsulfonate to increase microbial degradation.
Water Soluble Organic Substances Leachable from Feedlot Manure
Authors: Mosier A. R. , Haider K. , Clark F. E.
Published: July 2010

Water extracts of feedlot manure and soil and of grassland soil were compared with water from shallow wells near to and remote from feedlots and with water from a local river. Thin‐layer and column chromatography failed to reveal water‐soluble organics unique to feedlot ground waters. Free phenolics could readily be leached from feedlot manure and from the upper few centimeters of feedlot soil, but only trace amounts of low‐molecular‐weight organics were encountered in the ground water samples examined. The major organic constituents in all the well waters appeared to be polymerized materials. Mildly reductive degradation of the organic polymers in leachates prepared from feedlot manure, feedlot soil, and grassland soil yielded identifiable phenolics; the same procedure failed to reveal phenolics in ground waters. It was concluded that there is no uniform or continuing movement of organic material from feedlots through the soil profile to the ground water under the feedlot sites involved.
Land Disposal of Liquid Sewage Sludge: I. The Effect on Yield, in vivo Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Coastal Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers)
Authors: King Larry D. , Morris H. D.
Published: July 2010

The disposal of liquid sewage sludge on established Coastal bermudagrass sod was studied over a 2‐year period. Rates of sludge application up to 20 cm/year were compared with a conventional fertilizer treatment.

In 1969 there were no significant differences among the three highest sludge rates and all sludge rates were superior to chemical fertilizer (224‐37‐97 kg/ha NPK) in forage production. In 1970 no significant differences were found among the three top rates of sludge and a higher rate of chemical fertilizer (358‐112‐224 kg/ha NPK) that was used. Sludge applications had little effect on in vivo digestibility of the forage. The K level of the forage was initially increased by sludge applications but steadily declined during the last half of the 1969 season and the entire 1970 season. Sludge applications increased the N and Na level of the forage but had little or no effect on P, Ca, Mg, Mn, B, Cu, Mo, and Ni. Zinc content of the forage increased with increasing sludge rate and number of application through the second clipping in 1970. Although Zn levels of 340 ppm were found no reduction in yield resulted. There was no significant survival of coliform bacteria on the forage at harvest. Results of the investigation indicate that Coastal bermudagrass is a well‐adapted crop for sludge disposal areas.