Query: lsd micro-dosing

title: Psychedelics as a Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease Dementia
abstract: Currently, there are no disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or any other dementia subtype. The renaissance in psychedelic research in recent years, in particular studies involving psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) coupled with anecdotal reports of cognitive benefits from micro dosing, suggests that they may have a therapeutic role in a range of psychiatric and neurological conditions due to their potential to stimulate neurogenesis, provoke neuroplastic changes and reduce neuroinflammation. This inevitably makes them interesting candidates for therapeutics in dementia. This mini review will look at the basic science and current clinical evidence for the role of psychedelics in treating dementia, especially early AD, with a particular focus on micro dosing of the classical psychedelics LSD and psilocybin.

title: Potential safety, benefits, and influence of the placebo effect in microdosing psychedelic drugs: A systematic review
abstract: Microdosing psychedelic drugs that is, taking sub behavioral doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or psilocybin is a growing practice in Western societies. Taken mainly for creative or mood enhancing purposes, thousands of users are increasingly being exposed to (micro)doses of psychedelic drugs. In this systematic review, we searched the available evidence from human studies, focusing our results in terms of three main axes: efficacy, safety, and the influence of the placebo effect in microdosing practices. While the available evidence has some strengths (e.g. large sample sizes, robust methodologies) there are also remarkable limitations (e.g. gender bias, heterogeneity of dosing schedules and drugs used) Highly contradictory results have been found, showing both the benefits and detriments of microdosing in terms of mood, creative processes, and energy, among other regards. This review provides a general overview of the methods and approaches used, which could be useful for improving future studies.

title: P.323 Cognitive and subjective effects of different low 'micro' doses of LSD in a placebo controlled study

title: Micro dosing of fertilizer a technology for farmers' needs and resources
abstract: Micro dosing of fertilizer is a technology which has been developed and tested during the last decade. The idea behind the technology was to maximize the return to investment and not to maximize yields. Based on this idea and other beneficial characteristics the NGO Sasakawa Africa Association with its agricultural program Sasakawa Global 2000 decided to take the technology to the farmer and implemented more than 1,000 demonstrations in farmers' fields in collaboration with the national agricultural extension service of Mali in 2010 and 2011. The results showed that out of the four criteria, which a technology should possess to be promoted for small scale farmers, (1) increased productivity, (2) agronomic and economic sustainability, (3) manageable agronomic and economic risks, and (4) positive farmers' perception, micro dosing complied with all except agronomic sustainability, because in the long term it may cause nutrient depletion of the soil and consequently decrease soil fertility and productivity. Nevertheless, the technology could be an ideal entry point to gain trust and confidence by farmers. In further steps it could be combined with the use of organic manure/compost, seed priming, field bunding and ridging for water conservation in order to address the problem of sustainability.

title: EFFECT OF SEED PRIMING AND MICRO DOSING OF FERTILIZER ON SORGHUM AND PEARL MILLET IN WESTERN SUDAN
abstract: The effect of seed priming and micro dosing (the application of small amounts of mineral fertilizers) was studied in sorghum and pearl millet in on station and on farm experiments for three seasons under rainfed conditions in the North Kordofan State, western Sudan. Seed priming consists of soaking the seeds for eight hours in water prior to sowing. Seed priming increased sorghum grain yield in the on station experiments across three seasons from 482 kg ha 1 to 807 kg ha 1. Micro dosing of 0.3 g, 0.6 g and 0.9 g NPK fertilizer (17 17 17) per pocket increased sorghum grain yield by 50.4, 68.8 and 109.7% respectively compared to the control. Seed priming did not significantly increase pearl millet yield while the micro doses of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 g fertilizer increased millet yield by 31.3, 30.7 and 47% respectively. On farm seed priming increased sorghum yields by 32.6% while seed priming plus 0.3 g fertilizer increased yields by 69.5% For millet, the corresponding yields increased by 29.8% and 71% respectively. Fertilizer use efficiency for both crops increased remarkably with seed priming, although this effect was more apparent in sorghum than in millet. In sorghum, seed priming and the application of 0.9 g fertilizer per pocket increased the gross margin from 49.5 to 206.5 US$/ha. For millet, the gross margin increased from 44.9 in the control to 90.0 US$/ha with the combination of seed priming and 0.3 g fertilizer per pocket. These technologies are simple to apply; they offer low financial cost and low risk and are affordable for resource poor farmers.

title: Micro dosing as a pathway to Africa's Green Revolution: evidence from broad scale on farm trials
abstract: Next to drought, poor soil fertility is the single biggest cause of hunger in Africa. ICRISAT Zimbabwe has been working for the past 10 years to encourage small scale farmers to increase inorganic fertiliser use as the first step towards Africa's own Green Revolution. The program of work is founded on promoting small quantities of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertiliser (micro dosing) in drought prone cropping regions. Results from initial on farm trials showed that smallholder farmers could increase their yields by 30 100% through application of micro doses, as little as 10 kg Nitrogen ha 1. The question remained whether these results could be replicated across much larger numbers of farmers. Wide scale testing of the micro dosing (17 kg Nitrogen ha 1) concept was initiated in 2003/2004, across multiple locations in southern Zimbabwe through relief and recovery programs. Each year more than 160,000 low resourced households received at least 25 kg of nitrogen fertiliser and a simple flyer in the vernacular explaining how to apply the fertiliser to a cereal crop. This distribution was accompanied by a series of simple paired plot demonstration with or without fertiliser, hosted by farmers selected by the community, where trainings were carried out and detailed labour and crop records were kept. Over a 3 year period more than 2,000 paired plot trials were established and quality data collected from more than 1,200. In addition, experimentation to derive N response curves of maize (Zea mays L. sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L. R.Br. in these environments under farmer management was conducted. The results consistently showed that micro dosing (17 kg Nitrogen ha 1) with nitrogen fertiliser can increase grain yields by 30 50% across a broad spectrum of soil, farmer management and seasonal climate conditions. In order for a household to make a profit, farmers needed to obtain between 4 and 7 kg of grain for every kg of N applied depending on season. In fact farmers commonly obtained 15 45 kg of grain per kg of N input. The result provides strong evidence that lack of N, rather than lack of rainfall, is the primary constraint to cereal crop yields and that micro dosing has the potential for broad scale impact on improving food security in these drought prone regions.

title: Application Accuracy of a Machine Vision controlled Robotic Micro dosing System
abstract: Experiments with a new concept for the precise application of herbicides in a seed line have been conducted. The concept combines plant recognition, micro dosing and autonomous robotics. A machine vision system recognises objects to be sprayed, and a micro dosing system targets very small doses of liquid at the detected objects, while the autonomous vehicle takes care of the navigation. The experiments were carried out under controlled indoor conditions. The results show that the spray liquid can be applied at subcentimetre accuracy and that the application rate can be reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to recommendations used for conventional broadcast spraying.

title: Evaluation of application timing in fertilizer micro dosing technology on millet production in Niger, West Africa
abstract: Micro dosing technology has been developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and its partners to help subsistence farmers in the Sahel improve inorganic fertilizer application. However, the ICRISAT's recommendations regarding fertilizer application through this technology are only applicable at sowing and do not allow any flexibility in terms of labor and/or capital management. In rural areas, fertilizer cannot always be applied at sowing due to financial and labor constraints. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the timing of fertilizer application on millet production. A 2 year on station experiment and a 1 year on farm field experiment were conducted in the western region of Niger, West Africa. Even under the heterogeneous climatic conditions of the region during our experimental period, the results showed that the trend was the same as observed in previous studies: millet production improved through fertilizer application compared to the control (without fertilizer) The harvest index was also higher compared to that of the control. This increased production was consistently the same for all application timings. The marginal value cost ratio on the investment calculated using a budgeting analysis for the on farm experiment showed that regardless of application timing millet farmers who fertilized their fields with inorganic fertilizer made more profit than those who did not (control) This was also true for farmers who were unable to fertilize at sowing delayed application was still the more profitable option relative to the no fertilizer control. Our results indicate that small subsistence farmers can be offered more options for inorganic fertilizer application timing using the micro dosing technology. Delayed inorganic fertilizer application can help small farmers who are often labor constrained at the sowing period improve their yields as well as their economic returns.

title: Fertilizer micro dosing for the prosperity of small scale farmers in the Sahel: Final report
abstract: This project which is funded by USAID was conducted in three countries of West Africa, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, between June 2002 and December 2004. The goal of the project was to increase crop production and farmer incomes through the uptake of fertilizer micro dosing technology and better farmer based cooperative organizations. The project activities were implemented using a participatory approach through a network of partners from the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) Non Governmental Orgnizations (NGOs) farmers and farmers groups and other International Agricultural Research Centers. These activities consisted of demonstration and on farm trials of the fertilizer micro dosing technology, Farmers Field Schools (FFS) training of farmers and technicians, training workshops, strengthening of farmers associations in "warrantage" or inventory credit system and exchange visits between farmers from the three project member countries. This report highlights the major achievements of the project. In all the three participating countries, over the two years of the study, yields of sorghum and millet increased by 44 to 120% while income of farmers increased by 52 to 134% when using the fertilizer micro dosing and the "warrantage" (inventory credit system) than with the earlier recommended and farmer traditional practices. Farmer access to credit and inputs was improved substantially through the "warrantage"system. The technology has reached up to 12,650 farm households in the three countries and efforts are in progress to further scale up and out the technology to wider areas. This work is a part of the project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) The authors record their appreciation for the significant and sustained support from USAID and for the dedication and collaborative support of all the partners from the national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) the non governmental organizations (NGOs) other international agricultural research centers (IARCs) and the farmers in the Sahel. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ICRISAT. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of ICRISAT concerning the legal status of any country, city, territory or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Where trade names are used, this does not constitute endorsement of or discrimination against any product by the Institute. ICRISAT International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics 2006 Final Report June 2002 December 2004 Submitted to the United States Agency for International Development Fertilizer Micro Dosing for the Prosperity of Small Scale Farmers in the Sahel R Tabo, A Bationo, K Diallo Maimouna, O Hassane and S Koala Global Theme on Agroecosystems Report no.

title: HERBICIDE MICRO DOSING FOR WEED CONTROL IN FIELD GROWN PROCESSING TOMATOES
abstract: Weeds within the seedline area and in close proximity to crop seedlings are highly competitive and reduce crop yield. When chemically selective herbicides are unavailable or ineffective, spatially selective removal is required and is often a manual operation. Automation of selective weed removal requires sensing and actuation systems. Image and spectral analysis can discriminate weeds from crop plants while precise dosing methods are required for automated treatment of small, distinct weeds. A pulsed jet, micro dosing actuator was developed to apply liquid herbicide treatments. The biological performance of micro dosing was evaluated in field grown processing tomatoes with a nonselective herbicide (glyphosate) in mixtures including surfactants and splash inhibiting polymers. Liquid dose rates were 37 .L/cm2 for treatment areas of 6.3 12.5 mm. Pulse durations were 6 to 10 ms. A formulation including a surfactant and a polymer provided efficacy while reducing splash, i.e. "micro drift" that caused phytotoxicity to adjacent crop plants. When treated with the micro dosing system, splash related phytotoxicity produced greater yield suppression than competition from escaped weeds. The results established that use of non selective herbicides for micro scale dosing of weeds during early crop growth is a feasible alternative to broadcast application of chemically selective herbicides. The optimal point of crop and weed growth for using a weed sensing, one pass post emergent control system requires understanding of crop development, weed competition, and the ability of the crop to recover from inadvertent splash of micro dosed materials.