bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pilot prescription survey of antineoplastic agents: real‐world data from veterinary teaching hospitals in Japan
Authors: Tanaka Noriko , Takizawa Tsuyoshi , Tanaka Ryo , Okano Shozo , Funayama Shinji , Iwasaki Toshio
Published: May 2019

The collection of real clinical records from veterinary practices and analysis of these records helps to establish evidence‐based veterinary medicine and further improves animal health and welfare. Prior to the collection of nationwide clinical records, we downloaded the data from the digital accounting systems of two veterinary teaching hospitals in Japan, and the prescriptions of antineoplastic agents were surveyed for a 5‐year period from 2009 to 2013. The ratio of the number of patients prescribed antineoplastic agents to the total number of prescriptions was <5% at both hospitals, and >80% of those patients were dogs. The overall number of prescriptions included more oral rather than injectable formations, whereas among antineoplastic agents, injectable formulations were prescribed more frequently at both hospitals. The most frequently prescribed agents were almost identical at both hospitals: platinum compounds, such as carboplatin and cisplatin (CDDP), vincristine and doxorubicin. The most frequently prescribed product combined with CDDP was doxorubicin at Hospital A. Antiemetic agents combined with CDDP included dexamethasone, ondansetron and metoclopramide, but these antiemetic agents were combined fewer than 10 times among 197 CDDP prescriptions. The prescription history, including the number of prescriptions, dosing intervals and combined medications, was provided by the survey. Although the present database consisted of data from two hospitals, our results indicate that a broad analysis can be conducted using integrated data from multiple hospitals and practices for further cohort studies.
The effects of maleated polybutadiene‐grafted polypropylene (MAPB‐g‐PP) content on the properties of wood flour/polypropylene composites
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Guo Chuigen , Song Kuiyan
Published: May 2019

This research investigated the effects of a compatibilizer of maleated polybutadiene‐grafted polypropylene (MAPB‐g‐PP) on the properties of wood‐flour/polypropylene composites through the analysis of mechanical properties, water absorption, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electronic microscopy. The results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of composites were significantly increased; the thermal stability and water absorption were improved. The crystallization temperature and crystallinity were decreased. These improvements have been attributed to the strong interfacial interaction of MAPB‐g‐PP with both wood and polypropylene. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 26:17–23, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Comparison of ciprofloxacin degradation in reclaimed water by UV/chlorine and UV/persulfate advanced oxidation processes
Authors: Yang Haiyan , Li Yi , Chen Yihua , Ye Guihong , Sun Xiaobo
Published: May 2019

This study analyzed the ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation in real reclaimed water through UV/chlorine and UV/persulfate (UV/PS) advanced oxidation processes. The influence of oxidant dosage, pH, inorganic anions, and humic acid (HA) on the oxidation capacity and performances of various UV‐based processes was investigated. The results revealed that the CIP degradation rate constants in the UV/chlorine and UV/PS processes were higher than that in UV/H2O2, direct‐UV, NaClO, and K2S2O8 processes. The removal rate peaked at 0.1 mM oxidant dosage for 1 μM CIP, while the rate constant was highest at pH 5 (UV/chlorine) and pH 7 (UV/PS). The presence of Cl−, HCO3−, and HA inhibited CIP removal in both processes. The degradation rate observed in reclaimed water was high, but still lower than that in laboratory water by 9.2 (UV/chlorine) and 9 (UV/PS) times. The UV/chlorine and UV/PS processes were found to be more cost‐effective and hence more feasible in removing refractory compounds in reclaimed water.

Practitioner points

The addition of oxidant and UV irradiation together had a pronounced promotion in the degradation of CIP.

Cl· and SO4·− had potential importance for enhancing CIP degradation in UV/chlorine and UV/PS process, respectively.

UV/chlorine and UV/PS processes exhibited effective removal capability to CIP in real reclaimed water.
Statistical analysis of fMRI using wavelets: Big Data, denoising, large‐p‐small‐n matrices
Authors: Efromovich Sam
Published: May 2019

Over the past decade functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has been intensively used to study the complex functional network organization of the human brain and how it changes in time. An fMRI machine produces 3D time‐course cerebral images that contain hundreds of thousands of voxels and each voxel is scanned for hundreds of times. This potentially allows the researchers to explore functional connectivity on a voxel‐to‐voxel level, and also yields a number of serious statistical complications. First of all, the high‐dimension property of fMRI data turns it into Big Data. Furthermore, the study of functional brain network for so many voxels involves the problem of estimation of and simultaneous inference for large‐p‐small‐n cross‐covariance matrices. Furthermore, all problems should be solved in the presence of notoriously large fMRI noise which often forces statisticians to average signals over large areas instead of considering a network between individual voxels. An attractive alternative to the averaging, discussed in the paper, is a multiresolution wavelet analysis complemented by special procedures of estimating noise and estimation and simultaneous inference for cross‐covariance and cross‐correlation matrices for hundreds of thousands pairs of voxels, and it is fair to say that if wavelets have not been already known, fMRI applications would necessitates their creation. Both task and resting‐state fMRI are considered, and lessons from the wavelet analysis of ultra‐fast and conventional neuroplasticity fMRI experiments are presented. The article is self‐contained and does not require familiarity with wavelets or fMRI.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithms and Computational Methods > Numerical Methods

Applications of Computational Statistics > Signal and Image Processing and Coding
Study on Adsorption Properties of Ammonium Exchanged Chabazite for CO2
Authors: Che Shuai , Du Tao , Song Yan Li , Fang Xin , Wang Yi Song
Published: May 2019

Ammonium type chabazite (NH4CHA) and magnesium type chabazite (MgCHA) was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and hydrothermal ion exchange. The structure and morphology of ion‐exchanged chabazite was characterized with various experimental techniques such as XRD, SEM, and ICP. The gas adsorption amount of chabazite decreases gradually with increase in temperature or decrease in pressure. The adsorption capacity of NH4CHA to CO2 was 3.33 mmol·g–1 at 273 K, and the saturated adsorption capacity of NH4CHA reached 3.88 mmol·g–1 under extreme pressure. The CO2 molecule was more likely to be adsorbed by all chabazite samples than the N2 molecule due to its linear molecular structure and greater molecular polarity. NH4CHA exhibited larger CO2/N2 selectivity, which first increased and then declined with the temperature decreasing, and reached the maximum value between 400 K to 450 K.
T-duality equivalences beyond string theory
Authors: Edelstein José D. , Sfetsos Konstantinos , Sierra-Garcia J. Anibal , López Alejandro Vilar
Published: May 2019

Abstract

We examine a two parameter family of gravitational actions which contains higher-derivative terms. These are such that the entire action is invariant under corrected T-duality rules, which we derive explicitly. Generically this action does not describe low energy string backgrounds except for isolated choices for the parameters. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that in this theory the entropy and the temperature of generic non-extremal black hole solutions are T-duality invariant. This further supports the idea put forward in our previous work that T-duality might provide physical equivalences beyond the realm of string theory.
Kac-Moody and Virasoro characters from the perturbative Chern-Simons path integral
Authors: Porrati Massimo , Yu Cedric
Published: May 2019

Abstract

We evaluate to one loop the functional integral that computes the partition functions of Chern-Simons theories based on compact groups, using the background field method and a covariant gauge fixing. We compare our computation with the results of other, less direct methods. We find that our method correctly computes the characters of irreducible representations of Kac-Moody algebras. To extend the computation to non-compact groups we need to perform an appropriate analytic continuation of the partition function of the compact group. Non-vacuum characters are found by inserting a Wilson loop in the functional integral. We then extend our method to Euclidean Anti-de Sitter pure gravity in three dimensions. The explicit computation unveils several interesting features and lessons. The most important among them is that the very definition of gravity in the first-order Chern-Simons formalism requires non-trivial analytic continuations of the gauge fields outside their original domains of definition.
Why is Landau-Ginzburg link cohomology equivalent to Khovanov homology?
Authors: Galakhov Dmitry
Published: May 2019

Abstract

In this note we make an attempt to compare a cohomological theory of Hilbert spaces of ground states in the

$$ \mathcal{N}=\left(2,2\right) $$

N
=

2
2

2d Landau-Ginzburg theory in models describing link embeddings in ℝ3 to Khovanov and Khovanov-Rozansky homologies. To confirm the equivalence we exploit the invariance of Hilbert spaces of ground states for interfaces with respect to homotopy. In this attempt to study solitons and instantons in the LandauGiznburg theory we apply asymptotic analysis also known in the literature as exact WKB method, spectral networks method, or resurgence. In particular, we associate instantons in LG model to specific WKB line configurations we call null-webs.
MRI Performance in Detecting pCR After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy by Molecular Subtype of Breast Cancer
Authors: Yu Nancy , Leung Vivian W. Y. , Meterissian Sarkis
Published: May 2019

Background

MRI performance in detecting pathologic complete response (pCR) post‐neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer has been previously explored. However, since tumor response varies by molecular subtype, it is plausible that imaging performance also varies. Therefore, we performed a literature review on subtype‐specific MRI performance in detecting pCR post‐NAC.

Methods

Two reviewers searched Cochrane, PubMed, and EMBASE for articles published between 2013 and 2018 that examined MRI performance in detecting pCR post‐NAC. After filtering, ten primary research articles were included. Statistical metrics, such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), were extracted per study for triple negative, HR+/HER2−, and HER2+ patients.

Results

Ten studies involving 2310 patients were included. In triple negative breast cancer, MRI showed NPV (58–100%) and PPV (72.7–94.7%) across 446 patients and sensitivity (45.5–100%) and specificity (49–94.4%) in 375 patients. In HR+/HER2− breast cancer patients, MRI showed NPV (29.4–100%) and PPV (21.4–95.1%) across 851 patients and sensitivity (43–100%) and specificity (45–93%) across 780 patients. In HER2+‐enriched subtype, MRI showed NPV (62–94.6%) and PPV (34.9–72%) in 243 patients and sensitivity (36.2–83%) and specificity (47–90%) in 255 patients.

Conclusion

MRI accuracy in detecting pCR post‐NAC by subtype is not as consistent, nor as high, as individual studies suggest. Larger studies using standardized pCR definition with appropriate timing of surgery and MRI need to be conducted. This study has shown that MRI is in fact not an accurate prediction of pCR, and thus, clinicians may need to rely on other approaches such as biopsies of the tumor bed.
Model risk in real option valuation
Authors: Alexander Carol , Chen Xi
Published: May 2019

We introduce a general decision-tree framework to value an option to invest/divest in a project, focusing on the model risk inherent in the assumptions made by standard real option valuation methods. We examine how real option values depend on the dynamics of project value and investment costs, the frequency of exercise opportunities, the size of the project relative to initial wealth, the investor’s risk tolerance (and how it changes with wealth) and several other choices about model structure. For instance, contrary to stylised facts from previous literature, real option values can actually decrease with the volatility of the underlying project value and increase with investment costs. And large projects can be more or less attractive than small projects (ceteris paribus) depending on the risk tolerance of the investor, how this changes with wealth, and the structure of costs to invest in the project.
Using Google Scholar to track the scholarly output of research groups
Authors: Thoma Brent , Chan Teresa M
Published: May 2019

Introduction It is often necessary to demonstrate the impact of a research program over time both within and beyond institutions. However, it is difficult to accurately track the publications of research groups over time without significant effort. A simple, scalable, and economical way to track publications from research groups and their metrics would address this challenge.
Methods Google Scholar automatically tracks the scholarly output and citation counts of individual researchers. We created Google Scholar profiles to track the scholarly productivity of five research groups: an institutional educational research program, a division of emergency medicine, a department of emergency medicine, a national educational scholarship working group, and an international organization dedicated to online education. We added the publications of each group member to their respective group Google Scholar profile and a junior faculty member monitored the citations that were suggested.
Results Google Scholar tracked a diverse collection of five research groups over 6–36 months. In addition to having different organizational structures and purposes, the groups varied in size, consisting of 8–60 researchers, and prolificacy, with group citation counts between 1006–58,380 and group h‑indexes ranging from 19–101.
Discussion We anticipate that as this innovation becomes better known it will increasingly be adopted by traditional and non-traditional research groups to easily track their productivity and impact. Additional initiatives will be needed to standardize reporting guidelines within and between institutions.
Preliminary Outcomes of the Male Urethral “Mini-Sling”: A Modified Approach to the Andrianne Mini-Jupette Procedure With Penile Prosthesis Placement for Climacturia and Mild Stress Urinary Incontinence
Authors: Valenzuela Robert J. , Ziegelmann Matthew J. , Hillelsohn Joel H. , Farrell M. Ryan , Kent Marissa A. , Levine Laurence A.
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Previous worked showed that the Andrianne Mini-Jupette (AMJ) procedure with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) significantly improves climacturia or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) that may accompany erectile dysfunction (ED) after radical prostatectomy. However, with the AMJ procedure, the graft is incorporated into the medial aspect of the corporotomy, thereby requiring a more complex closure. Moreover, in the original report, multiple graft materials were used.

Aim

To describe our technique for “male urethral mini-sling” (MUMS) with a Virtue sling mesh, which is a modified approach to the AMJ, and to assess early postoperative outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed for men who underwent IPP and MUMS placement with a modified Virtue mesh by 2 high-volume prosthetic urologic surgeons using the same technique. After proximal urethral exposure, the MUMS is sutured to the latera corpora over the bulbar urethra, proximal to and separate from the planned corporotomy, with care taken to avoid excessive urethral tension. The IPP is then placed in standard fashion. Changes in patient-reported climacturia and pads per day for SUI were assessed before and after surgery.

Results

36 men underwent both IPP and MUMS placement between January 2016–October 2018. Mean patient age was 68 years. Etiology for ED and urinary symptoms was prostatectomy alone in 30 of 36 (83%) and prostatectomy plus radiation in 6 of 36 (17%). Preoperative urinary symptoms included climacturia in 30 of 36 (83%) and SUI in 27 of 36 (75%). Mean (SD) follow-up was 5.9 (3.7) months. Climacturia resolved in 28 of 30 (93%), and SUI improved in 23 of 27 (85%). The mean (SD) number of pads per day for those patients with SUI decreased significantly from 1.4 (1.1) before surgery to 0.4 (0.6) after surgery (P = .02). 1 patient required MUMS explantation for urethral erosion after prolonged postoperative catheterization.

Clinical Implications

The MUMS with modified Virtue mesh at the time of IPP placement can be used to treat ED with climacturia or mild SUI after radical prostatectomy.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths include the use of a consistent operative technique with a single graft material by 2 experienced prosthetic urologic surgeons. Limitations include the retrospective study design, use of subjective postoperative outcomes, lack of comparison group, and relatively moderate follow-up duration.

Conclusions

Our early results suggest that the MUMS significantly improves bothersome climacturia and mild SUI in addition to treating ED, with little added morbidity. Although further study, including longer-term follow-up, is needed, this approach may be considered in the appropriately counseled patient.
Relationality and decolonisation in children and youth garden spaces
Authors: McVittie Janet , Datta Ranjan , Kayira Jean , Anderson Vince
Published: May 2019

This article presents an analysis of three uniquely situated garden-based research studies. As colleagues intrigued by the rich, intricate, learning dynamics playing out within the garden spaces, our collaboration explored the broader meaning and potential for garden-based programming. As we discussed the three garden studies, two themes emerged as valuable for analysis: relationality and decolonisation. We understand the themes in relation to Gregory Cajete’s (2005) conceptualisation of coming to resonance within oneself, one’s community, and the surrounding ecosystem as being integral aspects of a holistic learning program. In addition, centring learning around relationality with place requires, as Delores Calderon (2014) asserts, a critique of colonisation that has shaped place over time. In our collaboration on the three studies and reading of current developments in the literature, it became clear that garden- and place-based education must grapple with the troubled histories of place and work towards decolonisation. Each garden project provided unique insight, but our collective analysis elicited an examination of assumptions about pedagogy and potential for decolonisation of land, body, and minds.
SIMPLY CONNECTED, SPINELESS 4-MANIFOLDS
Authors: LEVINE ADAM SIMON , LIDMAN TYE
Published: May 2019

We construct infinitely many compact, smooth 4-manifolds which are homotopy equivalent to$S^{2}$but do not admit a spine (that is, a piecewise linear embedding of$S^{2}$that realizes the homotopy equivalence). This is the remaining case in the existence problem for codimension-2 spines in simply connected manifolds. The obstruction comes from the Heegaard Floer$d$invariants.
The connection between the spectrum of turbulent scales and the skin-friction statistics in channel flow at
Authors: Agostini Lionel , Leschziner Michael
Published: May 2019

Data from a direct numerical simulation for channel flow at a friction Reynolds number of 1000 are analysed to derive statistical properties that offer insight into the mechanisms by which large-scale structures in the log-law region affect the small-scale turbulence field close to the wall and the statistical skin-friction properties. The data comprise full-volume velocity fields at 150 time levels separated by 50 wall-scaled viscous time units. The scales are separated into wavelength bands by means of the ‘empirical mode decomposition’, of which the two lowest modes are considered to represent the small scales and three upper modes to represent the large scales. Joint and conditional probability density functions are then derived for various scale-specific statistics, with particular emphasis placed on the streamwise and shear stresses conditional on the large-scale fluctuations of the skin friction, generally referred to as ‘footprinting’. Statistics for the small-scale stresses, conditional on the footprints, allow the amplification and attenuation of the small-scale skin friction, generally referred to as ‘modulation’, to be quantified in dependence on the footprints. The analysis leads to the conclusion that modulation does not reflect a direct interaction between small scales and large scales, but arises from variations in shear-induced production that arise from corresponding changes in the conditional velocity profile. This causal relationship also explains the wall-normal change in sign in the correlation between large scales and small scales at a wall-scaled wall distance of approximately 100. The effects of different scales on the skin friction are investigated by means of two identities that describe the relationship between the shear-stress components and the skin friction, one identity based on integral momentum and the other on energy production/dissipation. The two identities yield significant differences in the balance of scale-specific contributions, and the origins of these differences are discussed.
It's Time to Center War in U.S. Immigration History
Authors: Wu Ellen D.
Published: May 2019

War is central to U.S. immigration history. Yet too often that fact has been obscured by folktales that rhapsodize about the feel-good Ellis Island story: lured by the American Dream, strangers come to a promised land, put down roots, and triumph over adversity through industry, resolve, and pluck.
A late Pleistocene sedimentation in the Indus Fan, Arabian Sea, IODP Site U1457
Authors: Kumar Anil , Dutt Som , Saraswat Rajeev , Gupta Anil Kumar , Clift Peter D , Pandey Dhananjai Kumar , Yu Zhaojie , Kulhanek Denise K
Published: May 2019

The intensity of turbidite sedimentation over long timescales is driven by sea-level change, tectonically driven rock uplift and climatically modulated sediment delivery rates. This study focuses on understanding the effect of sea-level fluctuations and climatic variability on grain-size variations. The grain size and environmental magnetic parameters of Arabian Sea sediments have been documented using 203 samples, spanning the last 200 ka, obtained from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1457. Grain-size end-member modelling suggests that between ~200 and 130 ka there was an increase in the coarse silt fraction caused by sediment transport following reworking of the Indus Fan and development of deep-sea canyons. The sediment size and enhanced magnetic susceptibility indicate a dominant flux of terrestrial sediments. Sedimentation in the distal Indus Fan atc. 200–130 ka was driven by a drop in sea level that lowered the base level in the Indus and Narmada river systems. The low sea-stand caused incision in the Indus delta, canyons and fan area, which resulted in the transportation of coarser sediment at the drilling site. Magnetic susceptibility and other associated magnetic parameters suggest a large fraction of the sediment was supplied by the Narmada River during ~200–130 ka. Since ~130 ka, clay-dominated sedimentation is attributed to the rise in sea level due to warm and wet climate.
The Heretical Woman as Symbol in Alexander, Athanasius, Epiphanius, and Jerome
Authors: Burrus Virginia
Published: May 2019

Some three decades ago Michel Foucault sought to reestablish communication between “madness” and “non-madness” by going back to what he called the “zero point” in history at which the distance between reason and madness was first established. InMadness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, Foucault suggested that returning to this point of initial differentiation requires renouncing all that we as modern persons know to be true about madness and reason. If we are to locate “that realm in which the man of madness and the man of reason, moving apart, are not yet disjunct,” he wrote,

we must speak of that initial dispute without assuming a victory, or the right to a victory; we must speak of those actions re-examined in history, leaving in abeyance all that may figure as a conclusion, as a refuge in truth. … Then, and then only, can we… begin the dialogue of their breach, testifying in a fugitive way that they still speak to each other.
The Christian Science Textbook: An Analysis of the Religious Authority of Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy
Authors: Weddle David L.
Published: May 2019

A holy book arouses the greatest respect even among those (indeed, most of all among those) who do not read it… and the most sophistical reasoning avails nothing in the face of the decisive assertion, which beats down every objection: Thus it is written. It is for this reason that the passages in it which are to lay down an article of faith are called simply texts. The appointed expositors of such a scripture are themselves, by virtue of their occupation, like unto consecrated persons; and history proves that it has never been possible to destroy a faith grounded in scripture.
From Arbor Day to the Environmental Sabbath: Nature, Liturgy, and American Protestantism
Authors: Schmidt Leigh Eric
Published: May 2019

In the past two decades considerable theological energy has been expended in the construction of various ecological theologies and spiritualities. Process theologians, ecofeminists, and theologians of creation, earth, nature, ecology, and land have been elucidating religious perspectives that they hope will help transform human attitudes toward nature and the environment. These writers have sought to reorient Christianity away from anthropocentric views that claim human dominion over nature, premillennial expectations that embrace the destruction of this world, soteriological preoccupations that focus on individual salvation, and otherworldly assumptions that foster alienation from the earth and nature. Some sanguine observers have seen this recent ferment as the greening of American theology or even the greening of the American churches. At the same time, intellectual historians have paid increasing attention to the history of Western ideas about nature and have debated at length the impact of Christianity's theological heritage on the environmental crisis. Specifically, a number of historians have constructed a genealogy of American conservationist and preservationist thought by tracing out a line that includes, among others, George Catlin, Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson.
On the Uses of Heresy: Leonard Feeney, Mary Douglas, and the Notre Dame Football Team
Authors: Massa Mark
Published: May 2019

On the afternoon of 6 September 1952, the readers of theBoston Pilot—the voice of the Roman Catholic archdiocese—found on the front page of their usually staid weekly the text of a trenchant letter from the Holy Office in Rome. The text, dated August 8, addressed a group of Boston Catholics who had kicked up a fuss over the ancient theological dictum,extra ecclesiam nulla salus(“outside the church there is no salvation”)—a phrase going back to St. Cyprian in the third century and one of the pillars of orthodoxy for Christian believers.
‘This Mixed Species of Population Will Consume’: Atlantic Expectations about Spanish American Consumers in the Age of Revolutions, 1780–1831
Authors: Otero-Cleves Ana María
Published: May 2019

This article explores how late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century ideas of the Spanish American consumer took shape. It argues that Atlantic debates on consumption, on the one hand, and on racial difference, on the other, provided a common ground on which foreign visitors, diplomats and commentators, as well as Colombian elite intellectuals, could jointly create a positive idea of the Spanish American consumer. The article demonstrates that, in the eyes of those who had either political or economic interest in the region, it was possible for Spanish American Indians, Blacks and ‘mixed races’ to gradually overcome their ‘backwardness’ by adopting new practices of consumption. The consumption of new necessities by the Spanish American popular sectors became, for many of these commentators, an irrefutably civilising force.
Rattlesnake collection drives—their implications for species and environmental conservation
Authors: Warwick Clifford , Steedman Catrina , Holford Tricia
Published: May 2019

Every year large numbers of rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp. and Sistrurus spp.) are collected from the wild in several states in North America. Some of these are collected purely for commercial reasons while others are collected for the traditional, although now largely commercial, ‘rattlesnake round-ups’. Together these activities may remove 300,000–500,000 snakes each year. The high level of hunting together with capture procedures that destroy habitat as well as snakes are damaging rattlesnake populations, other species, and habitat quality.
Villas, villagers and tortoises in Greece—a sequel
Authors: Hailey Adrian , Goutner Vassilis
Published: May 2019

Despite protection of the species under the Berne Convention, and of the site by planning restrictions, Hermann's tortoises have again been killed at Alyki, 10 years after the original catastrophe. The authors describe the situation leading up to the recent habitat destruction, and its effect. There is a final opportunity to save the tortoise population before it is destroyed by holiday developments.
The Pemba fruit bat—on the edge of extinction?
Authors: Seehausen Ole
Published: May 2019

The population of endemic fruit bats on Pemba Island, which lies off the coast of Tanzania, appears to have undergone a drastic decline. The author made a short survey in 1989 in some of the areas where the fruit bat was reported to have been numerous, but found that few now exist in these places. The change from traditional hunting methods to the use of shotguns as well as destruction of the island's rain forest are believed to be the principal causes. The author makes a plea for a ban on hunting, a public education campaign, protection of the surviving remnants of forest and a captive-breeding effort as a safeguard against extinction.
Antagonism of Haloxyfop Activity in Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) by Dicamba and Bentazon
Authors: Aguero-Alvarado Renan , Appleby Arnold P. , Armstrong Donald J.
Published: May 2019

Studies were conducted to test if dicamba reduces haloxyfop herbicidal activity and to determine if this interaction by auxin-type herbicides or bentazon was caused by preventing the haloxyfop-induced inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase). Addition of dicamba at concentrations of 2.17 or 4.34 mM reduced haloxyfop activity on tall fescue shoots. Haloxyfop at 14 to 20 μM inhibited the activity of ACCase in cell-free extracts from tall fescue by nearly 50%. Dicamba did not prevent the inhibitory effect of haloxyfop on ACCase activity in these cell-free enzyme preparations. Dicamba alone at concentrations as high as 3.2 mM had no significant effect on the in vitro activity of the enzyme. Bentazon concentrations up to 10 mM did not prevent haloxyfop inhibition of ACCase activity. Bentazon alone or mixed with haloxyfop significantly inhibited ACCase activity at bentazon concentrations starting at 1 mM with near 40% inhibition at 10 mM. of the numerous possible explanations for the interference of dicamba or bentazon with haloxyfop action, interaction directly at the enzyme level appears to have been eliminated.
Triallate Antidotes for Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Authors: McMullan Patrick M. , Nalewaja John D.
Published: May 2019

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of dichlormid, R-29148, CGA-92194, flurazole, naphthalic anhydride, and MON-5500 as herbicide antidotes for triallate in wheat and to determine triallate antagonism by seed-applied fungicides and insecticides. Seed treatment of MON-5500 at 0.063% wt/wt was the most effective antidote for triallate in wheat in both greenhouse and field. Dichlormid and R-29148 at 0.5% wt/wt were more effective as antidotes for triallate in wheat than either CGA-92194 or naphthalic anhydride. Flurazole, as a seed treatment, did not reduce triallate injury to wheat Dichlormid or R-29148 at 2.2 kg ai ha–1applied broadcast to soil and incorporated reduced injury to wheat from triallate at 1.1 kg ai ha–1and also reduced injury to oats from 0.3 kg ha–1triallate. Seed treatments of carboxin at 0.2% wt/wt or imazalil at 0.008% wt/wt antagonized triallate and decreased injury to wheat from triallate at 0.6 kg ha–1. Maneb plus lindane or mancozeb treatment of wheat seed increased injury from triallate.
Efficacy and Mode of Action of CGA-154281, A Protectant for Corn (Zea mays) from Metolachlor Injury
Authors: Rowe Loston , Kells James J. , Penner Donald
Published: May 2019

Greenhouse and field studies were conducted to determine the influence of herbicide rate, hybrid variability, and soil moisture on the effectiveness of CGA-154281 in protecting corn seedlings from metolachlor injury. High rates of metolachlor caused significant injury to seedlings of sensitive corn hybrids. However, with metolachlor plus CGA-154281, very few injury symptoms were observed, even with the 7.8 kg ha–1rate and the most sensitive hybrid. Corn seedlings were not injured by metolachlor plus CGA-154281 at the highest soil moisture level evaluated, whereas those treated with metolachlor alone showed 70% injury. Metolachlor injury increased as soil moisture content increased. In the greenhouse, CGA-154281 did not protect any of the eight weed species tested against injury by 2.2 kg ha–1metolachlor. In laboratory studies, CGA-154281 did not alter the absorption of14C-metolachlor during an 8-h period. Qualitative comparison of the metabolism of metolachlor in the presence or absence of the protectant indicated that metolachlor was metabolized to a more polar metabolite, believed to be a glutathione conjugate. However, CGA-154281 significantly enhanced the rate of metabolism of metolachlor in three of the four hybrids tested. Metolachlor metabolism activity may already have been functioning at a maximum level in the unaffected hybrid.
Control of Plant Water Potential in Water Stress Studies
Authors: Kidder Daniel W. , Behrens Richard
Published: May 2019

Weed seedlings were grown in a composite soil contained within a semipermeable membrane that allowed the development of consistent, reproducible levels of plant water stress. The water content of membrane units with a 1-cm cross section equilibrated most rapidly, within 3 to 5 days, with the external osmotic solution. The water potential (Ψ) of green foxtail grown in plant growth membrane units was curvilinearly related to the external polyethylene glycol (PEG) osmotic solution Ψ. This relationship permitted nondestructive estimation of plant Ψ. Green foxtail shoot growth in membrane units was reduced by decreasing Ψ of the external PEG osmotic solution and was completely arrested by high water stress induced by an −800 kPa external osmotic solution. The technique makes possible precise control and relatively rapid adjustment in the level and duration of plant Ψ of seedlings and small plants.
Effect of Ensiling and Rumen Digestion by Cattle on Weed Seed Viability
Authors: Blackshaw Robert E. , Rode Lyle M.
Published: May 2019

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of ensiling and/or rumen digestion by cattle on the germination and viability of several common weed species. Seed survival of grass species subjected to ensiling and/or rumen digestion tended to be less than that of broadleaf species. Downy brome, foxtail barley, and barnyardgrass were nonviable after either ensiling for 8 weeks or rumen digestion for 24 h. Some green foxtail (17%) and wild oats (0 to 88%) seeds survived digestion in the rumen but were killed by the ensiling process. Varying percentages of seeds of kochia, redroot pigweed, common lambsquarters, wild buckwheat, round-leaved mallow, and field pennycress remained viable after ensiling (3 to 30%), rumen digestion (15 to 98%), and ensiling plus rumen digestion (2 to 19%). A time course study of rumen digestion indicated that loss of seed viability often was not a gradual process. With some species, there was an initial lag phase while degradation of the protective seed coat likely occurred, followed by a rapid decline in embryo viability. The diet fed to livestock appeared to affect viability losses caused by rumen digestion. Estimates of seed survival with varying rates of passage through the rumen due to differing ratios of grain to forage in the diet are presented.
Competitive Ability of Winter Wheat Cultivars with Wild Oat (Avena ludoviciana)
Authors: Balyan R. S. , Malik R. K. , Panwar R. S. , Singh S.
Published: May 2019

Field experiments were conducted during the winters of 1986–87 and 1987–88 at Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India to classify the ability of winter wheat cultivars to compete with wild oat. Wild oat reduced winter wheat grain yield by 17 to 62% depending upon cultivar. WH-147 and HD-2285 were the most competitive cultivars. Winter wheat dry matter accumulation and grain yield were negatively correlated with wild oat dry matter. A high number of tillers, particularly in HD-2009, WH-291, and S-308, did not always translate into grain yield advantage in wild oat-infested plots. Wheat height and dry matter accumulation per unit area during early crop growth were better characters than number of tillers for predicting the competitive ability of wheat cultivars to wild oat.
Interference of Red Rice (Oryza sativa) Densities in Rice (O. sativa)
Authors: Kwon Sam L. , Smith Roy J. , Talbert Ronald E.
Published: May 2019

Field experiments were conducted at Stuttgart, AR, from 1986 to 1988 to determine effects of season-long interference of red rice densities of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 plants m–2on ‘Lemont’ and ‘Newbonnet’ rice cultivars. This interference reduced straw dry weights of Newbonnet and Lemont by 100 and 130 kg ha–1per red rice plant, and grain yields by 178 and 272 kg ha–1per red rice plant, respectively. Grain yield reductions were due to decreases in panicle number and length, and in number of grains per panicle. Ten plants m–2or more reduced height of Lemont, while 40 plants m−2were required to reduce height of Newbonnet. Red rice at 10 plants m−2or more reduced total milled and head rice yields of Lemont, but red rice did not affect these components for Newbonnet. Red rice interfered with rice, even at densities as low as two plants m−2, and interference was greater in Lemont, a semidwarf cultivar with mature plants 92 cm tall, than in Newbonnet, a conventional cultivar with mature plants 115 cm tall. Red rice produced more panicles m−2and 31 to 64% greater straw dry weight when grown with Lemont than when grown with Newbonnet because red rice shaded Lemont more than Newbonnet. Red rice plants grew taller as red rice densities increased and also were taller when grown in Newbonnet than when grown in Lemont.
Effect of Wild Oat (Avena fatua) Infestations on Light Interception and Growth Rate of Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Authors: Cudney David W. , Jordan Lowell S. , Hall Anthony E.
Published: May 2019

Wild oat reduced light penetration and growth of dwarf hard red spring wheat in field experiments performed under nonlimiting nitrogen and moisture conditions. Wild oat grew taller than wheat and had a greater portion of its canopy above 60 cm at maturity. Light penetration in a mixed canopy was similar to that in a monoculture wheat canopy when wild oat was clipped to the height of the wheat. A mathematical model was developed which accurately predicted the reduction in the growth rate of wheat from wild oat interference. The model also predicted that interference from wild oat was due to reduced leaf area of wheat at early growth stages and low wild oat densities, and reduced light penetration to wheat leaves at later growth stages and higher densities of wild oat.
Weed Survey of Nova Scotia Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Fields
Authors: McCully Kevin V. , Sampson M. Glen , Watson Alan K.
Published: May 2019

A weed survey of 115 Nova Scotia lowbush blueberry fields was conducted during the summers of 1984 and 1985 to determine the most common and prevalent weeds associated with blueberry production. A total of 119 weed species were observed within the surveyed blueberry fields. The most common weed species were bunchberry, colonial bentgrass, poverty oatgrass, sheep sorrel, and false lily-of-the-valley. Weeds with low relative abundance in this study, but which may become more widespread, include three-toothed cinquefoil, Kentucky bluegrass, hair fescue, canker-root, and Canadian St. Johnswort.
Effects of Soil Temperature, Seed Depth, and Cyanazine on Giant Foxtail (Setaria faberi) and Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) Seedling Development
Authors: Mester Thomas C. , Buhler Douglas D.
Published: May 2019

Controlled-environment experiments were conducted to determine the effects of soil temperatures of 5 to 20 C, seed depths of 0 to 6 cm, and above- or below-seed cyanazine placement on germination and seedling development of giant foxtail and velvetleaf. Giant foxtail did not germinate at 5 C and failed to emerge from 6 cm deep within 21 days at 10 C. Increasing soil temperature above 10 C increased giant foxtail germination and emergence. Velvetleaf germinated at 5 C but did not emerge within 21 days. Velvetleaf emerged within 21 days from soil depths of 2 to 6 cm at soil temperatures of 10, 15, and 20 C. Giant foxtail and velvetleaf seed germinated on a soil surface kept moist by mulch or frequent watering. Giant foxtail seedling survival was 100% after germination on the soil surface. Velvetleaf often failed to become established; only 28% of the velvetleaf that germinated at 20 C survived. Injury to giant foxtail by cyanazine increased with increasing soil temperatures and decreasing seed depths. Cyanazine placement above or below the seed did not have a consistent effect on giant foxtail injury. Cyanazine placed above the seed was more injurious to velvetleaf than placement below at 15 and 20 C. Differential responses of giant foxtail and velvetleaf seed germination and seedling survivability to initial seed depth appears to be a major factor in weed population shifts when tillage is reduced or eliminated.
Frequency of Flurprimidol-Herbicide Treatments on Bermudagrass (Cynodonspp.) Encroachment into Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera)
Authors: Johnson B. Jack , Carrow Robert N.
Published: May 2019

Bermudagrass growing in a creeping bentgrass green is a severe problem where both grasses are grown. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of multiple flurprimidol-herbicide applications on tolerance of bentgrass and on suppression of three bermudagrass cultivars in bentgrass. Application of 1.4 kg ai ha–1flurprimidol on April 15 and 0.8 kg ha–1repeated on June 1 injured creeping bentgrass 44% in 1988 and 22% in 1989. Bermudagrass was suppressed from the two flurprimidol applications until mid-June in 1988. Growth in 1989 was not influenced by number of applications since bermudagrass was suppressed only until late May. Application of 0.8 + 54 kg ai ha–1flurprimidol plus siduron on April 15 and 0.4 + 27 kg ha–1on June 1 injured creeping bentgrass 23 to 28% and suppressed bermudagrass until mid-July in 1988 and mid-June in 1989. Application of 0.8 + 1.7 kg ha–1flurprimidol plus ethofumesate on April 15 and 0.4 + 0.8 kg ha–1on June 1 injured creeping bentgrass 25 to 28% and effectively suppressed bermudagrass until late August in 1988 and late June in 1989. Application of 0.8 + 54 kg ha–1flurprimidol plus siduron or 0.8 + 1.7 kg ha–1flurprimidol plus ethofumesate applied in June or June and July to plots treated in April did not improve bermudagrass suppression. In most instances there was an inverse relationship between bermudagrass suppression and number of bermudagrass stolons. There were interactions between flurprimidol-herbicide treatments on bermudagrass cultivars on number of stolons but not on suppression.
Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) Control in Bermudagrass (Cynodonspp.) Turf by Diclofop
Authors: McCarty Lambert B.
Published: May 2019

Greenhouse and field experiments were performed to investigate diclofop rate and mowing height interactions on goosegrass control and ‘Tifgreen’ and ‘Tifdwarf’ bermudagrass tolerance. In greenhouse experiments, greatest goosegrass control was achieved with diclofop when plants were maintained at 1.3 cm. Increased diclofop rates were required to suppress goosegrass mowed higher than 1.3 cm or unmowed. Greater than 90% goosegrass control was achieved with the combination of 1.3-cm mowing height and 0.6 kg ai ha–1of diclofop. In field experiments, a minimum of 2 weeks was necessary for complete herbicidal activity. Diclofop at 1.1 kg ha–1provided >90% control of goosegrass mowed between 1.9 to 2.5 cm. The addition of nonionic surfactant (0.25% by vol) to diclofop did not influence control. The addition of metribuzin (0.1 kg ai ha–1) to diclofop resulted in initial increased control, but it was transient The addition of MSMA (2.2 kg ai ha–1) to diclofop reduced goosegrass control an average of 18% compared to diclofop treatments alone. Tifdwarf bermudagrass was more sensitive to diclofop compared to Tifgreen. Seven to 14 days were required for Tifdwarf to recover from initial injury. This injury, although significant, was acceptable for bermudagrass used for golf greens. Clipping weights following treatment were also less for Tifdwarf than Tifgreen.
Effect of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Roots on Movement of Atrazine and Alachlor Through Soil
Authors: Zins Amy B. , Wyse Donald L. , Koskinen William C.
Published: May 2019

A column leaching study was conducted in a greenhouse to determine the movement of atrazine and alachlor through soil as affected by alfalfa roots in three stages of decay. Alfalfa was grown in soil columns for 6 months and then killed with glyphosate. The14C-atrazine and14C-alachlor were applied to soil columns with bromide following 2, 13, or 26 weeks of root decomposition. Most of the herbicide remained in the top 9 cm of soil. However, atrazine and alachlor soil distribution profiles indicated greater preferential movement in columns with roots than in columns without roots. Higher levels of atrazine and alachlor were bound to soil at lower depths in the presence of roots than without roots. Adsorption of atrazine and alachlor on soil with and without alfalfa roots was not significantly different as determined by Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Degradation rates for atrazine and alachlor were not substantially different between soil with and without roots. Although only small amounts of the applied herbicide leached through the columns, preferential flow of herbicides through root-mediated soil macropores and cracks could be a mechanism of herbicide transport through soil under appropriate conditions.