Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than ...22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. crop. Using statistical analysis of per capita growth rate estimates, we found that areawide suppression of the primary pest Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) is associated with Bt maize use. Cumulative benefits over 14 years are an estimated $3.2 billion for maize growers in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with more than $2.4 billion of this total accruing to non-Bt maize growers. Comparable estimates for Iowa and Nebraska are $3.6 billion in total, with $1.9 billion for non-Bt maize growers. These results affirm theoretical predictions of pest population suppression and highlight economic incentives for growers to maintain non-Bt maize refugia for sustainable insect resistance management.
Decisions made by mammals and birds are often temporally extended. They require planning and sampling of decision-relevant information. Our understanding of such decision-making remains in its ...infancy compared with simpler, forced-choice paradigms. However, recent advances in algorithms supporting planning and information search provide a lens through which we can explain neural and behavioral data in these tasks. We review these advances to obtain a clearer understanding for why planning and curiosity originated in certain species but not others; how activity in the medial temporal lobe, prefrontal and cingulate cortices may support these behaviors; and how planning and information search may complement each other as means to improve future action selection.
the National Overactive BLadder Evaluation (NOBLE) Program was initiated to better understand the prevalence and burden of overactive bladder in a broad spectrum of the United States population.
to ...estimate the prevalence of overactive bladder with and without urge incontinence in the US, assess variation in prevalence by sex and other factors, and measure individual burden.
US national telephone survey using a clinically validated interview and a follow-up nested study comparing overactive bladder cases to sex- and age-matched controls.
noninstitutionalized US adult population.
a sample of 5,204 adults >/=18 years of age and representative of the US population by sex, age, and geographical region.
prevalence of overactive bladder with and without urge incontinence and risk factors for overactive bladder in the US. In the nested case-control study, SF-36, CES-D, and MOS sleep scores were used to assess impact.
the overall prevalence of overactive bladder was similar between men (16.0%) and women (16.9%), but sex-specific prevalence differed substantially by severity of symptoms. In women, prevalence of urge incontinence increased with age from 2.0% to 19% with a marked increase after 44 years of age, and in men, increased with age from 0.3% to 8.9% with a marked increase after 64 years of age. Across all age groups, overactive bladder without urge incontinence was more common in men than in women. Overactive bladder with and without urge incontinence was associated with clinically and significantly lower SF-36 quality-of-life scores, higher CES-D depression scores, and poorer quality of sleep than matched controls.
the NOBLE studies do not support the commonly held notion that women are considerably more likely than men to have urgency-related bladder control problems. The overall prevalence of overactive bladder does not differ by sex; however, the severity and nature of symptom expression does differ. Sex-specific anatomic differences may increase the probability that overactive bladder is expressed as urge incontinence among women compared with men. Nonetheless, overactive bladder, with and without incontinence, has a clinically significant impact on quality-of-life, quality-of-sleep, and mental health, in both men and women.
We present a multiyear superposed epoch study of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry nitric oxide (NO) emission data. NO is a trace constituent in the thermosphere that ...acts as cooling agent via infrared (IR) emissions. The NO cooling competes with storm time thermospheric heating, resulting in a thermostat effect. Our study of nearly 200 events reveals that shock‐led interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are prone to early and excessive thermospheric NO production and IR emissions. Excess NO emissions can arrest thermospheric expansion by cooling the thermosphere during intense storms. The strongest events curtail the interval of neutral density increase and produce a phenomenon known as thermospheric “overcooling.” We use Defense Meteorological Satellite Program particle precipitation data to show that interplanetary shocks and their ICME drivers can more than double the fluxes of precipitating particles that are known to trigger the production of thermospheric NO. Coincident increases in Joule heating likely amplify the effect. In turn, NO emissions are more than double. We discuss the roles and features of shock/sheath structures that allow the thermosphere to temper the effects of extreme storm time energy input and explore the implication these structures may have on mesospheric NO. Shock‐driven thermospheric NO IR cooling likely plays an important role in satellite drag forecasting challenges during extreme events.
Key Points
Nitric oxide, a trace gas in the thermosphere, is a cooling agent that is active during storm time
Superposed epoch analysis of SABER data shows that shock‐led storms are efficient producers of nitric oxide
Shock‐led storms are more likely to produce thermospheric overdamping
Uranium oxides are readily amenable to investigation using Raman spectroscopy, and this technique is frequently used as a chemical analysis tool. We show, in triuranium octoxide (U3O8), the presence ...of previously unreported Raman peaks located below 100 cm−1. By maximum intensity, the strongest peak in U3O8 appears at 54 cm−1 and is resolution limited, making this mode an ideal candidate for chemically identifying U3O8 using Raman spectroscopy. Detailed peak analysis indicates that the main spectral feature between 300 and 500 cm−1 is more accurately described by a septet than a triplet. Two samples of differing oxygen content show only minor differences in bulk crystal structure, but subtle changes in lattice dynamics are suggestive of defect scattering in analogy to UO2+x.
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•U3O8 has strong, low-energy Raman-active modes.•Defect driven phonon lifetime suppression may be present in U3O8.•Detailed peak fitting analysis may suggest subtle differences in spectra correlated with oxidation.
KEY MESSAGE : “To find stable resistance using association mapping tools, QTL with major and minor effects on leaf rust reactions were identified in barley breeding lines by assessing seedlings and ...adult plants.” Three hundred and sixty (360) elite barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) breeding lines from the Northern Region Barley Breeding Program in Australia were genotyped with 3,244 polymorphic diversity arrays technology markers and the results used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring a reaction to leaf rust (Puccinia hordei Otth). The F₃:₅ (Stage 2) lines were derived or sourced from different geographic origins or hubs of international barley breeding ventures representing two breeding cycles (2009 and 2011 trials) and were evaluated across eight environments for infection type at both seedling and adult plant stages. Association mapping was performed using mean scores for disease reaction, accounting for family effects using the eigenvalues from a matrix of genotype correlations. In this study, 15 QTL were detected; 5 QTL co-located with catalogued leaf rust resistance genes (Rph1, Rph3/19, Rph8/14/15, Rph20, Rph21), 6 QTL aligned with previously reported genomic regions and 4 QTL (3 on chromosome 1H and 1 on 7H) were novel. The adult plant resistance gene Rph20 was identified across the majority of environments and pathotypes. The QTL detected in this study offer opportunities for breeding for more durable resistance to leaf rust through pyramiding multiple genomic regions via marker-assisted selection.
We evaluated the frequency of moderate and severe adverse events following coadministration of seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) versus placebo with COVID-19 vaccines among adults to support practice ...guidelines.
FluVID is a participant-blinded, phase IV, randomised control trial. On the same day as the participant's scheduled COVID-19 vaccine, participants were randomised to receive SIV or saline placebo; those assigned placebo at visit one then received SIV a week later, and vice versa. Self-reported adverse events were collected daily for seven days following each visit. The primary endpoint was any solicited adverse event of at least moderate severity occurring up to seven days following receipt of SIV or placebo. This was modelled using a Bayesian logistic regression model. Analyses were performed by COVID-19 vaccine type and dose number.
Overall, 248 participants were enrolled; of these, 195 had received BNT162b2 and 53 had received mRNA1273 COVID-19 vaccines according to national guidelines. After randomisation, 119 were assigned to receive SIV and 129 were assigned to receive placebo at visit one. Adverse events were most frequently reported as mild (grade 1) in nature. Among 142 BNT162b2 booster dose one and 43 BNT162b2 booster dose two recipients, the posterior median risk difference for moderate/severe adverse events following SIV versus placebo was 13% (95% credible interval CrI -0.03 to 0.27) and 13% (95%CrI -0.37 to 0.12), respectively. Among 18 mRNA1273 booster dose one and 35 mRNA1273 booster dose two recipients, the posterior median risk difference of moderate/severe adverse events following influenza vaccine versus placebo was 6% (95%CrI -0.29 to 0.41) and -4% (95%CrI -0.30 to 0.23), respectively.
Adverse events following SIV and COVID-19 co-administration were generally mild and occurred with similar frequency to events following COVID-19 vaccine alone. We found no evidence to justify routine separation of SIV and COVID-19 vaccine doses.
ACTRN12621001063808.
The purpose of this study was to validate the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-Ntx) questionnaire. The FACT/GOG-Ntx is the FACT-G plus an ...eleven-item subscale (Ntx subscale) that evaluates symptoms and concerns associated specifically with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. Two groups of women with ovarian cancer completed the FACT/GOG-Ntx: one group with known neurotoxicities and one group of chemotherapy-naive women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Levels of patient neuropathy, severity of toxicity, and patient quality of life from diagnosis of ovarian cancer to 12 months post-diagnosis were assessed. The Ntx subscale significantly differentiated the two groups at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups, demonstrating significantly fewer problems among chemotherapy-naive patients than among patients with known neuropathy. The FACT/GOG-Ntx is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the impact of neuropathy on health-related quality of life. The Ntx subscale demonstrated sensitivity to meaningful clinical distinctions and change over time.
Silicone oil continues to be used as a gelation medium for internal gelation process. Typically, the silicone oil has been removed from the gel spheres using trichloroethylene (TCE) washes. However, ...TCE is no longer a viable option for large-scale operations because of environmental issues, health concerns, and disposal costs. During the development of a large gelation system at the Y-12 National Security Complex, two new TCE wash replacements were identified. NuSolv SOR-C and FluoSolv WS were used in a number of uranium runs and found to effectively remove silicone oil. NuSolv SOR-C was determined to be the best option.
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