Protection of spruce seedlings against pine weevil attacks by treatment of seeds or seedlings with nicotinamide, nicotinic acid and jasmonic acid

Sustainable methods are required to protect newly planted tree seedlings from insect herbivore attack. To this end, here Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seeds were treated with 2.5 mM nicotinamide (NIC), 2.5 mM nicotinic acid (NIA), 3 mM jasmonic acid (JA) or 0.2 mM 5-azacytidine (5-Aza), and 6-month-old seedlings grown from these seeds were planted at a reforestation area in central Sweden. Attack by pine weevils (Hylobius abietis) was reduced by 50 per cent by NIC treatment, 62.5 per cent by JA treatment and 25 per cent by 5-Aza treatment, when compared with seedlings grown from untreated seeds. Watering 18-month-old spruce seedlings with 2 mM NIC or 2 mM NIA did reduce attack during the first season in the field by 40 and 53 per cent, respectively, compared with untreated plants. Girdling was also reduced by the different treatments. Analysis of conifer seedlings treated with 5-Aza points at a possible involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in this defensive capacity. This is supported by a reduced level of DNA methylation in the needles of young spruce seedlings grown in a greenhouse from NIC-treated seeds. Seed treatment for seedling defense potentiation is simple, inexpensive and also a new approach for forestry with many potential applications.

Utveckling av metod för att bedöma behovet av ogräsbekämpning i spår

A system for weed management on railway embankments that is both adapted to the environment and efficient in terms of resources requires knowledge and understanding about the growing conditions of vegetation so that methods to control its growth can be adapted accordingly. Automated records could complement present-day manual inspections and over time come to replace these. One challenge is to devise a method that will result in a reasonable breakdown of gathered information that can be managed rationally by affected parties and, at the same time, serve as a basis for decisions with sufficient precision. The project examined two automated methods that may be useful for the Swedish Transport Administration in the future: 1) A machine vision method, which makes use of camera sensors as a way of sensing the environment in the visible and near infrared spectrum; and 2) An N-Sensor method, which transmits light within an area that is reflected by the chlorophyll in the plants. The amount of chlorophyll provides a value that can be correlated with the biomass. The choice of technique depends on how the information is to be used. If the purpose is to form a general picture of the growth of vegetation on railway embankments as a way to plan for maintenance measures, then the N-Sensor technique may be the right choice. If the plan is to form a general picture as well as monitor and survey current and exact vegetation status on the surface over time as a way to fight specific vegetation with the correct means, then the machine vision method is the better of the two. Both techniques involve registering data using GPS positioning. In the future, it will be possible to store this information in databases that are directly accessible to stakeholders online during or in conjunction with measures to deal with the vegetation. The two techniques were compared with manual (visual) estimations as to the levels of vegetation growth. The observers (raters) visual estimation of weed coverage (%) differed statistically from person to person. In terms of estimating the frequency (number) of woody plants (trees and bushes) in the test areas, the observers were generally in agreement. The same person is often consistent in his or her estimation: it is the comparison with the estimations of others that can lead to misleading results. The system for using the information about vegetation growth requires development. The threshold for the amount of weeds that can be tolerated in different track types is an important component in such a system. The classification system must be capable of dealing with the demands placed on it so as to ensure the quality of the track and other pre-conditions such as traffic levels, conditions pertaining to track location, and the characteristics of the vegetation. The project recommends that the Swedish Transport Administration: Discusses how threshold values for the growth of vegetation on railway embankments can be determined Carries out registration of the growth of vegetation over longer and a larger number of railway sections using one or more of the methods studied in the project Introduces a system that effectively matches the information about vegetation to its position Includes information about the growth of vegetation in the records that are currently maintained of the track’s technical quality, and link the data material to other maintenance-related databases Establishes a number of representative surfaces in which weed inventories (by measuring) are regularly conducted, as a means of developing an overview of the long-term development that can serve as a basis for more precise prognoses in terms of vegetation growth Ensures that necessary opportunities for education are put in place

The fall descriptions and health characteristics of older adults with hip fracture : a mixed methods study

Background: In light of the multifactorial etiology of fall-related hip fracture, knowledge of fall circumstances may be especially valuable when placed in the context of the health of the person who falls. We aimed to investigate the circumstances surrounding fall-related hip fractures and to describe fall circumstances in relation to participants' health and functional characteristics. Methods: The fall circumstances of 125 individuals (age >= 50 years) with hip fracture were investigated using semi-structured interviews. Data concerning participants' health (comorbidities and medications) and function (self-reported performance of mobility, balance, personal activities of daily living and physical activity, previous falls and hand grip strength) were collected via medical records, questionnaires and dynamometry. Using a mixed methods design, both data sets were analysed separately and then merged in order to provide a comprehensive description of fall events and identify eventual patterns in the data. Results: Fall circumstances were described as i) Activity at the time of the fall: Positional change (n = 24, 19%); Standing (n = 16, 13%); Walking (n = 71, 57%); Balance challenging (n = 14, 11%) and ii) Nature of the fall: Environmental (n = 32, 26%); Physiological (n = 35, 28%); Activity-related indoor (n = 8, 6%) and outdoor (n = 8, 6%); Trips and slips on snow (n = 20, 16%) and in snow-free conditions (n = 12, 10%) and Unknown (n = 10, 8%). We observed the following patterns regarding fall circumstances and participants' health: those who fell i) during positional change had the poorest functional status; ii) due to environmental reasons (indoors) had moderate physical function, but high levels of comorbidity and fall risk increasing medications; iii) in snow-free environments (outdoors) appeared to have a poorer health and functional status than other outdoor groups. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that patterns exist in relation to the falls circumstances and health characteristics of people with hip fracture which build upon that previously reported. These patterns, when verified, can provide useful information as to the ways in which fall prevention strategies can be tailored to individuals of varying levels of health and function who are at risk for falls and hip fracture.

Development of a molecular test to determine the vitality status of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings during frozen storage

In boreal forest regions, a great portion of forest tree seedlings are stored indoors in late autumn to prevent seedlings from outdoor winter damage. For seedlings to be able to survive in storage it is crucial that they store well and can cope with the dark and cold storage environment. The aim of this study was to search for genes that can determine the vitality status of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings during frozen storage. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the ColdNSure (TM) test, a gene activity test that predicts storability was assessed. The storability of seedlings was tested biweekly by evaluating damage with the gene activity test and the electrolyte leakage test after freezing seedlings to -25 A degrees C (the SELdiff-25 method). In parallel, seedlings were frozen stored at -3 A degrees C. According to both methods, seedlings were considered storable from week 41. This also corresponded to the post storage results determined at the end of the storage period. In order to identify vitality indicators, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was performed on bud samples collected during storage. Comparing physiological post storage data to gene analysis data revealed numerous vitality related genes. To validate the results, a second trial was performed. In this trial, gene activity was better in predicting seedling storability than the conventional freezing test; this indicates a high sensitivity level of this molecular assay. For multiple indicators a clear switch between damaged and vital seedlings was observed. A collection of indicators will be used in the future development of a commercial vitality test.

Thinner cortex in the frontal lobes in mentally disordered offenders

Antisocial and violent behaviour have been associated with both structural and functional brain abnormalities in the frontal and the temporal lobes. The aim of the present study was to assess cortical thickness in offenders undergoing forensic psychiatric assessments, one group with psychopathy (PSY, n=7) and one group with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n=7) compared to each other as well as to a reference group consisting of healthy non-criminal subjects (RG, n=12). A second aim was to assess correlation between scores on a psychopathy checklist (PCL-SV) and cortical thickness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surface-based cortical segmentation were used to calculate cortical thickness. Analyses used both regions of interest and statistical maps. When the two groups of offenders were compared, there were no differences in cortical thickness, but the PSY group had thinner cortex in the temporal lobes and in the whole right hemisphere compared to RG. There were no differences in cortical thickness between the ASD group and RG. Across subjects there was a negative correlation between PCL-SV scores and cortical thickness in the temporal lobes and the whole right hemisphere. The findings indicate that thinner cortex in the temporal lobes is present in psychopathic offenders and that these regions are important for the expression of psychopathy. However, whether thinner temporal cortex is a cause or a consequence of the antisocial behaviour is still unknown.

Stent thrombosis with ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes: an analysis from the prospective, randomized PLATO trial

BACKGROUND We aimed to describe the effects of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel on stent thrombosis in the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. METHODS AND RESULTS Of 18 624 patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes, 11 289 (61%) had at least 1 intracoronary stent. Ticagrelor reduced stent thrombosis compared with clopidogrel across all definitions: definite, 1.37% (n=71) versus 1.93% (n=105; hazard ratio [HR], 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.90; P=0.0091); definite or probable, 2.21% (n=118) versus 2.87% (n=157; HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59-0.95; P=0.017); and definite, probable, and possible, 2.94% (n=154) versus 3.77 (n=201; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.95). The reduction in definite stent thrombosis was consistent regardless of acute coronary syndrome type, presence of diabetes mellitus, stent type (drug-eluting or bare metal stent), CYP2C19 genetic status, loading dose of aspirin, dose of clopidogrel before randomization, and use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors at randomization. The reduction in stent thrombosis with ticagrelor was numerically greater for late (>30 days; HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24-0.96) and subacute (4 hours-30 days; HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.39-0.93) compared with acute (<24 hours; HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.43-2.05) stent thrombosis or for patients compliant to therapy (ie, taking blinded study treatment ≥80% of the time) compared with less compliant patients. Randomization to ticagrelor was a strong independent inverse predictor of definite stent thrombosis (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48-0.88). CONCLUSION Ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel reduces the incidence of stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes, with consistent benefit across a broad range of patient, stent, and treatment characteristics.

(Table 1) Cover of shrub and tree species, and number of stems (>=3.5 cm DBH) during 1976-1977 and 2009-2010, respectively

Shrubs and trees are expected to expand in the sub-Arctic due to global warming. Our study was conducted in Abisko, sub-arctic Sweden. We recorded the change in coverage of shrub and tree species over a 32- to 34-year period, in three 50 x 50 m plots; in the alpine-tree-line ecotone. The cover of shrubs and trees (<3.5 cm diameter at breast height) were estimated during 2009-2010 and compared with historical documentation from 1976 to 1977. Similarly, all tree stems (>=3.5 cm) were noted and positions determined. There has been a substantial increase of cover of shrubs and trees, particularly dwarf birch (Betula nana), and mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), and an establishment of aspen (Populus tremula). The other species willows (Salix spp.), juniper (Juniperus communis), and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) revealed inconsistent changes among the plots. Although this study was unable to identify the causes for the change in shrubs and small trees, they are consistent with anticipated changes due to climate change and reduced herbivory.