Reports on establishing an ex situ site for ‘beautiful’ vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa) in Armenia

Vavilovia (Vavilovia Fed.) is one of the five genera in tribe Fabeae and consists of only one species, ‘beautiful’ vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed.). The main centre of distribution is the Central and Eastern Caucasus, with a disjunct distribution among high alpine areas in the region, extending as far as West Turkey, Lebanon and Iran. In Armenia, in situ studies on Vavilovia started in the late 1930s. In July and August 2009, three expeditions were conducted to two locations: two to the Ughtasar Mountain and one to the Geghama Mountains. The first expedition to Ughtasar resulted in fresh plant collections and soil analysis for one of the sites. The expedition to Geghama established the existence of Vavilovia in the region of Lake Aknalitch. The second expedition to Ughtasar provided immature fruits and seeds. Collected plant material was transplanted into the Flora and Vegetation of Armenia plot of the Yerevan Botanic Garden established in 1940. Today, along with other plants the plot contains more than 200 species of wild relatives of cultural plants from 130 genera, including indiginous species of tribe Fabeae such as Vavilovia. The transplanted plants will continue to be monitored to see if the plants go on to successfully flower and set seed or whether further sites, possibly at higher altitudes might need to be tested to meet the long term conservation requirements of this iconic legume. These co-ordinated efforts provide a good example of an ex situ conservation strategy for Vavilovia formosa, which, if successful will improve access and utility for the whole legume research community.     

A simple method to estimate harvest index in grain crops

Several methods have been proposed to simulate yield in crop simulation models. In this work, we present a simple method to estimate harvest index (HI) of grain crops based on fractional post-anthesis phase growth (f_G = fraction of biomass accumulation that occurred in the post-anthesis phase). We propose that HI increases in a linear or curvilinear fashion in response to f_G. The linear model has two parameters, the intercept (HI_o) and the slope (s). The curvilinear model was assumed to be monotonic: HI = HI_x − (HI_x − HI_o) · exp(−k·f_G); where HI_x is the asymptote, HI_o is the intercept and k is a constant modulating the rate of HI increase. The models were tested for barley (Pullman, WA and Uruguay), wheat (Pullman, WA) and sorghum (Australia). A positive relationship between HI and f_G was in general evident. For barley, the linear model appropriately represented the response of HI to f_G, with both HI_o and s in the vicinity of 0.3. For wheat HI_o and s were 0.34 and 0.21, respectively, but the curvilinear model yielded a slightly better fitting than the linear model. For sorghum, both linear and linear-plateau models fitted data reasonably well. It is shown that the models work well in crops source-limited or source-sink co-limited during grain filling, but in sink-limited conditions the magnitude of the limitation needs to be characterized to compute HI. A major advantage of this method is that the parameters of the linear or curvilinear model are readily calibrated from yield data and biomass measurements at anthesis and harvest.     

Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical evaluation of the effects of extracorporeal shock wave treatment in the hind limbs of horses with experimentally induced suspensory ligament desmitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on affected ligaments in the hind limbs of horses with experimentally induced suspensory ligament desmitis by use of ultrasonographic, ultrastructural, and immunocytochemical techniques. ANIMALS: 10 horses. PROCEDURE: Suspensory ligament desmitis was induced in both hind limbs of each horse by use of 2 collagenase injections (administered 2 weeks apart) in each suspensory ligament. Two weeks after the second injection, the right hind limb of each horse was treated with ESWT (3 treatments at 3-week intervals); the left hind limb was not treated (control limb). Periodically during the study, the healing process was monitored ultrasonographically and the proportions of ligaments affected with lesions were assessed. Four weeks after the last ESWT treatment, biopsy specimens were collected from all ligaments for ultrastructural evaluation and immunocytochemical analysis of transforming growth factor beta-1. RESULTS: The difference in the proportion of the lesion-affected ligament between ESWT-treated and control limbs was significant (P < 0.05) from 3 weeks after the second ESWT treatment to the end of the study. Compared with control ligaments, ESWT-treated ligaments had more small, newly formed collagen fibrils and greater expression of transforming growth factor beta-1 4 weeks after the last ESWT treatment was administered. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results have indicated that ESWT appears to facilitate the healing process in horses with experimentally induced hind limb suspensory ligament desmitis.     

Estimating Mo,Cu, Ni,Cd Contents in the Crop Leaves Growing on Small Land Plots Using Satellite Data

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this research was to estimate heavy metals (HMs) (molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd)) contents in crop leaves through multispectral satellite imagery. During the acquisition of a SPOT 7 satellite image (28 July 2017) in situ sampling (38 samples) was done from the leaves of potatoes and beans growing close to the mining town of Kajaran (Armenia). To estimate HMs contents, multivariate regression (multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares regression (PLSR)), and artificial neural network (ANN) were used. As input data for the models raw, atmospherically corrected (Dark Object Subtraction (DOS)) and hyperspherical direction cosines (HSDC) normalized values of SPOT 7 spectral data in combination with one or combined log10, multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), standard normal variate transform (SNV) preprocessing methods were utilized. The best results were obtained for Cu using MLR (R² _cal. = 0.79, R² _CV = 0.70, RMSE_cal. = 11.27, RMSE_CV = 13.47) and ANN (R² _Train ≈ 0.80, R² _Test ≈ 0.72, RMSE_Train ≈ 11, RMSE_Test ≈ 13) models in case of bean leaves. The results are quite optimistic, however, further research with the use of high spatial/spectral resolution satellite images is needed to improve the accuracy of models.     

Red List assessment of nine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops</Emphasis> species in Armenia

The aims of this study are to determine the geographical and ecological distribution of nine Aegilops species in Republic of Armenia and to make an assessment of their IUCN Red List status, using the IUCN Red list categories and criteria, in order to develop an in situ conservation strategy for wild relatives of wheat in Armenia. Ecogeographic surveys of nine Aegilops species were undertaken over 2 years in Armenia. They included a herbarium survey followed by extensive ground-truthing field surveys where targeted Aegilops species occur. The study showed that of the nine Aegilops species studied, four are threatened and of these, Ae. mutica and Ae. crassa are critically endangered. The latter species may even be extinct in Armenia. Ae. neglecta and A. biuncialis are endangered. Additional studies are required to assess the threat status of Ae. umbellulata. Ae. columnaris was assessed as near threatened, while the remaining species (Ae. triuncialis, Ae. cylindrica and Ae. tauschii) are of least concern. There has been a dramatic decline in the genetic resources of Aegilops species during recent years in Armenia as a result of adverse human impacts such as expansion of agriculture, urbanization and uncontrolled grazing. Several species, especially Ae. mutica and Ae. crassa, should be prioritized in conservation activities in Armenia. Efforts should be made to conserve genetic diversity of crop wild relative species both in situ and ex situ, bearing in mind that their germplasm carries potentially valuable information (traits) that can improve adaptability and productivity of cultivated wheat varieties.     

Glycogen synthase kinase 3, circadian rhythms, and bipolar disorder: a molecular link in the therapeutic action of lithium

Background  

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a widespread condition characterized by recurring states of mania and depression. Lithium, a direct inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) activity, and a mainstay in BPD therapeutics, has been proposed to target GSK3 as a mechanism of mood stabilization. In addition to mood imbalances, patients with BPD often suffer from circadian disturbances. GSK3, an essential kinase with widespread roles in development, cell survival, and metabolism has been demonstrated to be an essential component of the Drosophila circadian clock. We sought to investigate the role of GSK3 in the mammalian clock mechanism, as a possible mediator of lithium's therapeutic effects.     

C-Farm: A simple model to evaluate the carbon balance of soil profiles

Soil carbon cycling is an essential component of agroecosystems models. Simulating soil carbon (C_s) cycling has become an issue of societal importance for C_s storage can play a role reducing the rate of increase of atmospheric CO₂ concentration. To participate in carbon trading markets, growers have to evaluate their local, site-specific options to increase C_s or reduce C_s losses. This paper introduces C-Farm, a daily time step cropping systems model that allows calculating the Cs balance using a one-pool soil organic matter sub-module. In C-Farm the C_s turnover rate depends non-linearly on C_s and on environmental and management controls. Two long-term experiments were selected to evaluate C-Farm: a wheat-summer fallow 70+ years experiment at Pendleton, Oregon, and the continuous wheat experiment at the Rothamsted experiment station in the United Kingdom. C-Farm simulated well the long-term C_s evolution observed in these experiments. In addition, simulations performed in the dryland US Pacific Northwest show its applicability for assessing C_s storage rates in a region with large variation in precipitation. C-Farm can be easily customized to a large array of local conditions, providing robust estimates of short- and long-term on-farm carbon storage rates. The model is being further developed to provide estimates of nitrous oxide emission.     

Does metaphysics rest on an agrarian foundation? A deweyan answer and critique

This paper provides an analysis of John Dewey's appreciation of the effects of the emergence of agriculture on the patterns of Western thought. It shows the role played by this agrarian theme in Dewey's own critique of the dominant values inherent in Western metaphysics.     

Pilot study investigating the ability of an herbal composite to alleviate clinical signs of respiratory dysfunction in horses with recurrent airway obstruction

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), known previously as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a debilitating respiratory condition that significantly contributes to lost training days and illness in racehorses. Herbs are becoming increasingly popular for the prophylaxis or treatment of the clinical signs of RAO despite a paucity of research on efficacy and safety. We evaluated the ability of an herbal composite containing garlic, white horehound, boneset, aniseed, fennel, licorice, thyme, and hyssop to reduce the clinical signs of RAO, hypothesizing that the product would safely reduce signs and would improve the inflammatory cell profile within the lungs. The composite was fed to 6 horses with symptomatic RAO for 21 d in a crossover manner. Ventigraphs were used to record respiratory rate and intrapleural pressure; the proportion of inflammatory cells in fluid aspirated from the trachea was determined. Blood biochemical and hematologic screening was conducted to identify possible adverse effects. Treatment with the composite did not result in statistically significant changes in any of the parameters evaluated. A trend to a decrease in respiratory rate (P = 0.1) and an increase in the proportion of macrophages (P = 0.1) was observed in the horses receiving the herbal composite compared with placebo. These data indicate a potential for the herbal composite to safely reduce the elevated respiratory rate in horses with RAO. Future research with a greater number of horses is warranted to further characterize the effect of this product on horses with RAO.