HI Treatment Research Articles

High vs. Low Intensity Behavior Therapy Delivered to Adolescents with ADHD: Potential Adverse Long-Term Effects on Substance Use Outcomes.

Individuals with ADHD are at risk for substance use initiation in adolescence and escalation to problematic use in adulthood. Little is known about the impact of psychosocial ADHD treatment on substance use. Based on existing theory, both therapeutic (i.e., through reducing symptoms and impairments) and iatrogenic effects (i.e., through improved social functioning) of psychosocial treatment for ADHD on adolescent substance use initiation are plausible. A primarily ethnic/racial minority sample (~ 95% Latinx or Black) of rising ninth grade students with ADHD (n = 106) were randomly assigned to receive high intensity (i.e., Summer Treatment Program-Adolescent, parent training, and school consultation) or lower intensity (parent training, organization skills training, and school consultation) intervention the summer before entering high school. Participants were followed four-years post-baseline and substance use was documented. Analyses tested treatment effects on substance use initiation (alcohol and/or marijuana) and mediators of main effects. After controlling for covariates, participants assigned to HI (37.5%) were significantly more likely than LI (18.6%) to initiate substance use by end of high school, indicating an iatrogenic effect of HI treatment. No significant mediators were detected. Post-hoc exploration of moderators suggested that youth with elevated Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms may have experienced a benefit of HI treatment on substance use whereas youth without elevated PTSD symptoms experienced iatrogenic effects. Large, well-powered, samples should examine moderated mediational models to better understand who is most risk for iatrogenic effects of ADHD psychosocial treatment and why. Clinicians delivering psychosocial treatment to adolescents with ADHD should monitor for potential iatrogenic effects.

286 Impact of rate of overwinter gain in March-born yearling range heifers on growth rates and reproductive performance

Abstract Our objective was to determine the impact of rate of overwinter gain in March-born yearling heifers on pre- and post-breeding growth rates and reproductive performance. Red Angus x Simmental crossbred beef heifers [n = 182; weaning body weight (BW) = 242 kg ± 23 kg] were utilized in a 3-yr study conducted at the University of Nebraska, Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (GSL) near Whitman, NE. Using 3-d BW averages collected in January, heifers were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) to achieve a low overwinter rate of gain at 0.34 kg/d (LO, n = 106), or 2) to achieve a high overwinter rate of gain at 0.68 kg/d (HI, n = 76). To achieve gains, heifers were managed together and had individual access to a dried distillers grain supplement via a C-lock Smart Feeder (Rapid City, SD). Each year, treatments were initiated in January and ended in May (111 ± 4 d). Heifer BW was collected at the start of trial (January), end of the trial (May), pre-breeding (May), pregnancy diagnosis (October), and pre-calving (February). Heifer body condition score (BCS) was collected at pregnancy diagnosis (October) and pre-calving (February; Yr 1 and 2). Before the breeding season, two blood samples were collected 10-d apart via coccygeal venipuncture to determine the percentage of heifers cycling. At breeding, HI-fed heifers had a greater (P < 0.01) BW than LO-fed heifers (813 and 788 kg, respectively; Table 1). However, heifer BW at pregnancy diagnosis and pre-calving were not impacted (P ≥ 0.16) by supplemental treatment. Additionally, there were no differences (P ≥ 0.16) in BCS at pregnancy diagnosis and pre-calving among treatments. Furthermore, rate of gain did not influence (P ≥ 0.38) the percent pubertal prior to the breeding season, pregnancy rates, or the percent that calved in the first 21-d of the calving season. Moreover, rate of gain did not impact (P = 0.89) subsequent calf BW at birth. There was a significant treatment x year interaction (P < 0.01) for subsequent calving date, where HI treatment heifers calved 7-d earlier than LO treatment heifers in Yr 1. This study implies that producers can develop heifers at a less overwinter rate of gain without impacting reproductive performance or subsequent calf birth weight.

Dietary supplementation with calcium peroxide improves methane mitigation potential of finishing beef cattle

Calcium peroxide (CaO2) offers potential as an anti-methanogenic dietary feed material. The compound has been previously assessed in vitro, with methane (CH4) reductions of > 50% observed. The objective of this study was to assess dietary supplementation of CaO2 at different inclusion levels and physical formats in a finishing beef system on the effects of animal performance, gaseous emissions, rumen fermentation parameters and digestibility. Seventy-two dairy-beef bulls (465 kg; 16 months of age) were randomly allocated to one of four treatments supplemented with CaO2; in a coarse ration (1) CON (0% CaO2), (2) LO (1.35% CaO2), (3) HI (2.25% CaO2), and in a pellet (4) HP (2.25% CaO2) (n = 18). Animals received their respective treatments for a 77 d finishing period, during which DM intake (American Calan Inc., Northwood, NH), average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency and enteric emissions (GreenFeed emissions monitoring system; C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD) were measured. The finishing diet was isonitrogenous and isoenergetic across the four treatment groups, composed of 60:40 grass silage:concentrate. Silage was offered each morning (0900 h), and concentrates were offered twice daily (0800 and 1500 h). Supplementation of CaO2 had no effect on final weight (P = 0.09), ADG (P = 0.22) or feed efficiency (P = 0.13). Regarding DM intake, the HI treatment group consumed in the order of 1 kg less than CON (P < 0.01), while HP did not affect DM intake compared to CON (P = 0.79). Across treatments, DM intake ranged from 8.43 to 9.57 kg/d, equating to 1.6–1.8% of BW. Daily CH4 values for the control were 240 g/d, while CaO2 supplemented diets ranged from 202 to 170 g/d, resulting in daily CH4 reductions of 16, 29 and 27% for LO, HI and HP, respectively, compared to CON (P < 0.0001). Additionally, hydrogen was reduced in CaO2 supplemented animals by 32–36% relative to CON (P < 0.0001), with a simultaneous reduction in volatile fatty acid production (P < 0.01) and an increase in propionate concentration (P < 0.0001). Across all universally accepted CH4 metrics (yield, intensity, production), the dietary inclusion of CaO2 whether at a low or high rate, or indeed, through a coarse ration or pelleted format reduced CH4 in the order of 16–32%. This study also concluded that CaO2 can successfully endure the pelleting process, therefore, improving ease of delivery if implemented at farm level.

Environmental enrichment improves behaviors rather than the growth and physiology of rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus.

Environmental enrichment has the potential to improve the welfare and post-release survival of hatchery fish stocked for conservation purposes. However, the effectiveness of environmental enrichment is partly dependent on the fish species, life stage, and specific enrichment structure used. To enhance the effectiveness of environmental enrichment, it is crucial to focus on characteristic differences in enrichment structures, such as type and level. This study investigated how differences in enrichment type and level affected physiological and behavioral aspects of the welfare of pre-release juvenile rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus by evaluating growth performance, basal and stressed cortisol levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and exploratory behaviors regarding anxiety and flexibility. Fish were reared for 4 weeks in different enrichment treatments: barren, low-level cover structure, high-level cover structure, low-level interference structure (LI), and high-level interference structure (HI). The results revealed that fish reared with the LI treatment showed less anxiety and greater flexibility with respect to exploratory behaviors, without oxidative damage being detected. Despite exhibiting less anxiety as well, fish reared in the HI treatment had oxidative damage, indicated by lower superoxide dismutase activity, compared to those in the barren treatment. In addition, none of these enrichment structures enhanced growth performance or mitigate chronic and acute stress responses. Overall, the low-level interference structure may be more favorable in promoting the behavioral welfare of the fish. Application of this type and level of enrichment may increase the survival of the hatchery fish after release, which is critical to stocking success.

The responses of soil Cd fractions to disinfestation regimes associated with microbial communities

While reductive soil disinfestation (RSD)-related practices have been shown to mediate soil cadmium (Cd) fraction to a certain extent, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various reductive soil disinfestation regimes on Cd fraction and its driving mechanisms underlying them. Five Cd fractions, soil physicochemical properties as well as microbial communities were simultaneously measured. Results revealed that, relative to the control treatment, all RSD-related regimes contributed to decrease exchangeable Cd fraction (EX-Cd) by transforming it to unexchangeable Cd fractions (RES-Cd CB/OX-Cd fractions) (P < 0.05). RSD with Hermetia illucens L. feces treatment (abbr.: HI treatment) had the greatest reduction rate (9.7 %), which higher than that of other treatment (3.5 % and 2.6 %), this largely attributed to more functional genera in association with Cd fixation and Fe (III) reduction enriched. In addition, soil disinfestation regimes altered soil microbial community composition and structure, which was a critical factor responsible for the changes of soil Cd fraction. Correlation analysis showed that the changes of Cd fraction were closely related to biotic and abiotic factors. Both pH and soil organic material were main abiotic factors, while microbial groups, including Bacteroidetes, Hydrogenedentes (Hydrogenispora), Ascomycota, Acidobacteria and Verrucucomicrobia were key biotic factors for Cd conversion and immobilization. The validation experiment in four vegetables further confirmed that RSD-related regimes were indeed favorable for decreasing soil availability and plant uptake of Cd by improving soil pH, and HI treatment showed optimal remediation and utilization potential to Cd-contaminated soils. Together, the results provide a theoretical basis and reference for the RSD-related disinfestation regimes in remediation of Cd-contaminated soils, and highlighted the significant potential of Hermetia illucens L. feces as a novel addition in RSD technology for reducing available Cd from soils.

The effects of feeding α-amylase-enhanced corn silage with different dietary starch concentrations to lactating dairy cows on milk production, nutrient digestibility, and blood metabolites

Corn silage is one of the most common ingredients fed to dairy cattle. Advancement of corn silage genetics has improved nutrient digestibility and dairy cow lactation performance in the past. A corn silage hybrid with enhanced endogenous α-amylase activity (Enogen, Syngenta Seeds LLC) may improve milk production efficiency and nutrient digestibility when fed to lactating dairy cows. Furthermore, evaluating how Enogen silage interacts with different dietary starch content is important because the ruminal environment is influenced by the amount of rumen fermentable organic matter consumed. To evaluate the effects of Enogen corn silage and dietary starch content, we conducted an 8-wk randomized complete block experiment (2-wk covariate period, 6-wk experimental period) with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement using 44 cows (n = 11/treatment; 28 multiparous, 16 primiparous; 151 ± 42 d in milk; 668 ± 63.6 kg of body weight). Treatment factors were Enogen corn silage (ENO) or control (CON) corn silage included at 40% of diet dry matter and 25% (LO) or 30% (HI) dietary starch. Corn silage used in CON treatment was a similar hybrid as in ENO but without enhanced α-amylase activity. The experimental period began 41 d after silage harvest. Feed intake and milk yield data were collected daily, plasma metabolites and fecal pH were measured weekly, and digestibility was measured during the first and final weeks of the experimental period. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model approach with repeated measures for all variables except for body condition score change and body weight change. Corn silage, starch, week, and their interactions were included as fixed effects; baseline covariates and their interactions with corn silage and starch were also tested. Block and cow served as the random effects. Plasma glucose, insulin, haptoglobin, and serum amyloid A concentrations were unaffected by treatment. Fecal pH was greater for cows fed ENO versus CON. Dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and starch digestibility were all greater for ENO than CON during wk 1, but differences were less by wk 6. The HI treatments depressed neutral detergent fiber digestibility compared with LO. Dry matter intake (DMI) was not affected by corn silage but was affected by the interaction of starch and week; in wk 1, DMI was similar but by wk 6, cows fed HI had 1.8 ± 0.93 kg/d less DMI than LO cows. Milk, energy-corrected milk, and milk protein yields were 1.7 ± 0.94 kg/d, 1.3 ± 0.70 kg/d, and 65 ± 27 g/d greater for HI than LO, respectively. In conclusion, ENO increased digestibility but it did not affect milk yield, component yields, or DMI. Increasing dietary starch content improved milk production and feed efficiency without affecting markers of inflammation or metabolism.

Prominent Free Charges Tunneling Through Organic Interlayer of 2D Perovskites.

The diversity of organic cations greatly enriches the species of 2D perovskites; traditional 2D Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) and Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskites are synthesized by two different organic amines. Here, according to the difference in pKa values between conjugated acids of monoprotonated and biprotonated 4-(2-Aminoethyl)pyridine (4AEPy) ions, the 2D perovskites of RP (4AEPy)2 PbI4 and DJ (4AEPy)PbI4 from same organic amine is reported, which can realize reversible transformation under the treatment of HI and NH3 , respectively. The interaction of N-H···N hydrogen bond between adjacent organic molecules in (4AEPy)2 PbI4 leads to the bending conformation of ethylamine groups, which results in a 2.4 Å reduction in layer spacing compared to typical phenylethylamine lead iodine ((PEA)2 PbI4 ) 2D perovskite. Besides, the ethylamine groups of organic layers in (4AEPy)PbI4 are deeply inserted into octahedral cavities and directly participate in the construction of the conduction band minimum, which leads to a small exciton binding energy of 27.3 meVtogeneratefreecharges. The stronger coupling between the organic and inorganic layers and the minor exciton binding energy can promote the DJ phase to possess a more stable structure and better optoelectronic properties. Thusthe (4AEPy)PbI4 device displays better light response and X-ray detection capability with a high sensitivity of 5627 µC Gyair -1 cm-2 and the lowest detectable dose rate of 20 nGyair s-1 .

Influence of high cyclic ambient temperature and water drinker design on growth performance and water disappearance of growing-finishing pigs.

The objective of this study was to determine effects of room temperature and drinker design on growth and water disappearance of growing-finishing pigs (26.9 ± 3.67 to 130.9 ± 5.10 kg live body weight). A split-plot design was used with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: Room Temperature (RT) [Thermoneutral (TN) vs. High (HI); main plot], Drinker Design (DD; Nipple vs. Cup; sub-plot). A total of 316 pigs were used, housed in 32 pens in 4 rooms (8 pens/room; 7 pens of 10 pigs and 1 pen of 9 pigs). Two rooms were on each RT treatment. Room temperature for the TN treatment was constant throughout each day but decreased from 24°C at the start to 20°C and 18°C on d 14 and 45 of the study period, respectively. For the HI treatment, a single, cyclic RT protocol was used throughout the study (30°C from 08:00 to 19:00 h and 20°C from 20:00 to 07:00 h, with 1-h transition periods). Pens had fully-slatted concrete floors and 1 feeder and drinker (either nipple or cup); floor space was 0.67 m2/pig. Pigs had ad libitum access to standard corn-soybean diets, formulated to meet or exceed NRC (2012) nutrient requirements. Water disappearance was measured using a meter fitted to the water line supplying each drinker. There were no interactions (P > 0.05) between RT and DD treatments. Drinker Design did not affect (P > 0.05) growth performance; water disappearance was 7.3% greater (P ≤ 0.05) for Nipple than Cup drinkers. Compared to the TN treatment, the HI treatment had no effect (P > 0.05) on gain:feed ratio, but resulted in lower (P ≤ 0.05) average daily gain (6.5%) and average daily feed intake (5.5%) and greater (P ≤ 0.05) average daily water disappearance (16.8%). These results suggest that both drinker design and RT can affect water disappearance, and that the high, cyclic RT regime used reduced growth performance of growing-finishing pigs. Further research is needed to determine the contribution of water intake and wastage to treatment differences in water disappearance.

Indirect early generation selection for yield in winter wheat

Early generation selection (EGS) aims to accelerate genetic yield gain by applying selection pressure for desirable traits at early generations within breeding programmes. This study was designed to evaluate single plant yield (SPY), harvest index (HI; SPY divided by aboveground biomass) and estimated fruiting efficiency (FE m ; kernels per unit chaff weight) as EGS traits in predominantly F3 populations of winter wheat. Lines were sown as single plants and in plots of pooled family seed in northwest Victoria, Australia in 2018. From the single plant populations, 21–23 lines were selected for each EGS trait and 52 lines were selected at random to estimate true population mean; 25 lines were selected visually from pooled plots. Selected lines were sown in partially replicated plots in 2019. Lines selected for HI yielded 24% more than lines selected at random and 22% more than lines selected visually; selections made for SPY and FE m yielded the equivalent of HI selections, but not significantly higher than the random or visual treatments. In 2020, the 7 highest-yielding lines from the HI, random and visual selection treatments were sown in replicated plots. There was no significant difference in yield between treatments. Nevertheless, EGS for HI successfully culled low yielding lines, and enriched populations with high yielding lines prior to plot-level yield testing. Advancements in high-throughput phenotyping are required before widespread adoption but are anticipated in the near future.

Surface bonding state of germanium via cyclic dry treatments using plasma of hydrogen iodine and pure oxygen gases

The effect of HI and O2 plasma treatments on a Ge surface is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ge oxide on a Ge surface can be effectively removed at room temperature by remote HI plasma in inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching system without substrate bias. The re-oxidation of oxide-free HI plasma-treated Ge has been performed sequentially by O2 plasma. By utilizing HI and O2 plasma treatment cyclically, we have proved the viability of Ge digital dry etching. Ge digital dry etching by controlling the plasma power and the processing time of HI and O2 plasma treatments will be the building block for achieving Ge atomic layer etching.

Testing the effectiveness of a novel, evidence-based weight management and lifestyle modification programme in primary care: the Healthy Weight Initiative.

Introduction Primary care prevention strategies that support and provide tools for general practice have the potential to slow and reverse rates of overweight and obesity. Aim To test the effectiveness of a novel 12-week, online, structured, evidence-based weight management and lifestyle modification programme in general practices. Methods Between August 2018 and March 2020, participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 were recruited from general practices in the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network region of Australia. Practices were randomly assigned to deliver a 'low-intensity' (LI) or 'high-intensity' (HI) variant of the programme. Practitioners were trained in programme delivery. The intervention involved weekly progress and accountability checks and scripted education sessions on evidenced-based nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle modification. The trial included follow-up evaluations at 6 and 12 months. Results In total, 695 participants were recruited from 26 practices. At the end of the 12-week programme, participants in the HI treatment arm lost an average of 3.2 kg (s.d. 3.8) and 29% (50/172) achieved clinically significant weight loss (>5% of initial body weight). Positive results were maintained at evaluations by participants in the HI treatment arm who attended, but only 31% of participants at 6 months and 21% at 12 months were followed up. Discussion Participant engagement and retention and practitioner workload burden are key factors in the design of weight management programmes in primary care. Many lessons can be obtained as a result of this trial, and programme adjustments have been identified to improve its delivery model.

Effects of Irrigation and Planting Geometry on Soybean (Glycine max L.) Seed Nutrition in Humid Climates

This study investigates the effect of irrigation (FI, all rows-irrigation; HI, alternate row irrigation; RF, rainfed) and planting geometry (PG) (SR, single-row; TR, twin-row) on soybean seed constituents. Results showed that most of these seed components were significantly affected by crop season due to contrasting precipitation and solar radiation patterns, particularly during July-August, coinciding with early reproductive and seed development stages. Both seed protein and oil levels responded positively to irrigation, while most of the amino acids were nonresponsive. The protein content ranged between 36.3 and 37.6% in 2018, while it was between 36.4 and 38.3% in 2019. Total seed oil content varied between 24.2 and 26.1% in 2018 and between 25.3 and 26.5% in 2019. Among amino acids, glycine, alanine, valine, and methionine levels were significantly higher in both FI and HI treatments. Among sugars, only sucrose was higher in response to the RF treatment, and irrigation did not affect both stachyose and raffinose. Oleic acid was higher in RF, while no significant differences were observed for linolenic and linoleic acids. Similarly, seasonal variation was significant for stearic acid content, but the 2019 season had relatively higher accumulation (stearic acid: between 4.1 and 4.5% in 2018 and from 4.6 to 4.9% in 2019). These results indicate that both irrigation and climate during seed development can alter some seed composition constituents and play critical roles in determining seed nutritional qualities.

Combined Iodine- and Sulfur-Based Treatments for an Effective Passivation of GeSn Surface

GeSn alloys are metastable semiconductors that have been proposed as building blocks for silicon-integrated short-wave and mid-wave infrared photonic and sensing platforms. Exploiting these semiconductors requires, however, the control of their epitaxy and their surface chemistry to reduce non-radiative recombination that hinders the efficiency of optoelectronic devices. Herein, we demonstrate that a combined sulfur- and iodine-based treatments yields effective passivation of Ge and Ge0.9Sn0.1 surfaces. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements were used to investigate the dynamics of surface stability and track the reoxidation mechanisms. Our analysis shows that the largest reduction in oxide after HI treatment, while HF+(NH4)2S results in a lower re-oxidation rate. A combined HI+(NH4)2S treatment preserves the lowest oxide ratio <10 % up to 1 hour of air exposure, while less than half of the initial oxide coverage is reached after 4 hours. These results highlight the potential of S- and I-based treatments in stabilizing the GeSn surface chemistry thus enabling a passivation method that is compatible with materials and device processing.

Four-Year Follow-Up of High versus Low Intensity Summer Treatment for Adolescents with ADHD

ABSTRACT Objective Despite an emergence of psychosocial treatments for adolescent ADHD, their long-term effects are unknown. Method We examine four-year outcomes of a randomized controlled trial (N = 218) comparing high-intensity (HI; 412 h, $4,373 per participant) versus low-intensity (LI; 24 h, $97 per participant) skills-based summer intervention delivered to adolescents with ADHD at two secondary school transitions (6th/9th grade). Quantitative and qualitative analyses evaluated group×time and group×grade×time effects on 4-year outcomes. Results Relative to LI, a single dose of HI had modest but lasting effects on teen organization skills (d =.40) and ADHD symptoms (9th grade only: d =.27 to.31) at 4-year follow-up. There was no long-term incremental effect of HI (vs. LI) for parent-teen conflict, GPA, or parent use of contingency management. Treatment appeared most effective when delivered to older adolescents (i.e., 9th versus 6th grade), suggesting the long-term impact of ADHD treatment may increase with age. Qualitative data corroborated that the primary long-term benefit of HI (vs. LI) treatment was to organization skills; many of the remaining perceived benefits were to parent and teen psychological variables (i.e., increased self-esteem, self-awareness, parental optimism). HI offered no incremental benefit to long-term educational or clinical service utilization or costs. Conclusions Modest therapeutic benefits of adolescent ADHD treatment are maintained long term. However, HI treatment did not impact outcomes that could defray the intervention’s high costs ($4,373) compared to LI treatment ($97).

Highly Ordered and Dense Thermally Conductive Graphitic Films from a Graphene Oxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Mixture

Summary We report a new approach to making highly dense, oriented, and crystalline graphite films from heat-treated and pressed graphene oxide (G-O). By introducing small-diameter reduced graphene oxide (rG-O) flakes into the graphene oxide starting material, we found that after heat treatment at 3,000°C, the sample density and atomic order substantially improved over a film composed, at the outset, only of pure G-O flakes. A subsequent mechanical press increased the density but reduced the atomic order. A second 3,000°C heat treatment restored the graphitic structure with graphitization metrics exceeding even those of the first heat treatment. The optimized graphitic film with an original concentration of 15 wt % reduced G-O in G-O gave well-oriented graphitic films with a density of 2.1 g cm−3, cross-plane thermal conductivity of 5.65 W m−1 K−1, and in-plane thermal conductivity of 2,025 ± 25 W m−1 K−1.

Irrigation and Planting Geometry Effects on Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Yield and Water Use

Addressing the challenges of dwindling groundwater resources and ever-increasing demands for water necessitate enhancing water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated agriculture. In a 2-year study, we examined the effects of different levels of irrigation and PG on lint yield and WUE of furrow irrigated cotton in a Dundee silt loam in the Mississippi Delta. The main plots were three irrigation regimes: irrigating every furrow (FI), alternate furrow (HI), and no irrigation (RF) and subplots were two planting geometries (PG): single-row (SR) and twin-row (TR). Across FI and HI no significant differences were observed in plant height and biomass yield at flowering, but chlorophyll content index and leaf area index (LAI) were positively affected. Canopy closure in TR planting occurred earlier than SR leading to higher leaf areas available for harvesting more light during photosynthesis. Averaged across the irrigation regimes, the TR planting enhanced lint yield by 10.6% in 2018 and 17.6% in 2019 compared to SR. The average lint yield in SR and TR were: 1779 and 2028 kg ha-1 under FI, 1803 and 2082 kg ha-1 under HI, and 1573 and 1788 kg ha-1 under RF treatments, respectively. In FI and HI treatments, TR had higher lint yield than RF treatment by 13.8% and 16.5%, respectively. Lint yield in HI with TR had the highest irrigation WUE (3.4 kg ha-1 mm-1) followed by HI with SR (2.7 kg ha-1 mm-1). These results demonstrated that cotton grown in TR with HI could reduce irrigation water demand in silt loams.

Effects of rate and amount of propionic acid infused into the rumen on feeding behavior of Holstein cows in the postpartum period

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of 2 amounts of propionic acid (PA) infused intraruminally at 2 rates of infusion at the initiation of meals on the feeding behavior of Holstein cows in the postpartum period. We hypothesized that the amount and length of time of infusions would interact to affect feeding behavior: rapid infusion of a higher dose of PA would result in larger meal size with greater time between meals compared with a slower rate, whereas faster infusion of a lower dose of PA would reduce meal size and the time between meals compared with a slower infusion of the same dose. Eight ruminally cannulated, multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. Cows were blocked by parturition date and randomly assigned to treatment sequence within square. Treatments were infusion of 2.5 L of 0.5 M (HI) or 0.2 M (LO) solutions of PA at initiation of meals over 5 min (FST) or 15 min (SLW) for 12 h following feed delivery. Contrary to our hypothesis, no interaction between amount and rate of infusion was detected for any feeding behavior parameter measured. The FST treatments did not affect dry matter intake or metabolizable energy intake compared with SLW. The FST treatments tended to increase meal length compared with SLW (28.1 vs. 22.7) but did not affect meal size. The FST treatments tended to decrease total eating time (108 vs. 122 min/12 h) but did not affect meal frequency compared with SLW. The HI treatments decreased dry matter intake (7.4 vs. 11.5 kg/12 h) and total metabolizable energy intake (22.5 vs. 29.1 Mcal/12 h) compared with LO by decreasing meal frequency (5.8 vs. 7.5 meals/12 h). The HI treatments decreased eating time (103 vs. 127 min/12 h) compared with LO but did not affect meal size. Further research is warranted on the effects of the temporal supply of propionate on propionate metabolism and feeding behavior.

High performance hybrid supercapacitor based on doped zucchini-derived carbon dots and graphene

Zucchini-derived carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by a green and low-cost synthetic route using waste zucchini biomass as an inexpensive and naturally available carbon precursor. Apart from a cost neutral resource, the rationale for this choice are the porous nature and the presence of natural carbon and oxygen in the precursor. The as-prepared CDs were hydrothermally treated with graphene oxide by a two-step procedure: hydrothermal process to assemble three dimensionally porous RGO/CDs composites, followed by facile reduction by HI vapor, where CDs serve as spacers to hinder restacking of graphene nanosheets and HI treatment deoxygenates the composites to enhance electrical conductivity and dope heteroatoms in graphene. The electrochemical performance of the composites with variable mass loadings of CDs (0–50 wt.%) and reduction time (0–30 min) was investigated. For the optimal CD mass loading of 33 wt.% at 10 min reduction time, the resulting graphene/CD composite had 6.1 wt.% I, 185 m2 g−1 surface area and 0.58 cc g−1 total pore volume. The composite specific capacitance was 374 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1 with excellent capacitance retention of 71.7% as the scan rate increased from 2 to 1000 mV s−1. The composite exhibited superior cycling stability over 10,000 cycles at 10 A g−1 with 93.8% capacitance retention. The composite results based on the physicochemical properties, and the ionic conductivity and diffusivity demonstrate the development of a sustainable supercapacitor product from agricultural wastes.

Stimulating effect of palmitate and insulin on cell migration and proliferation in PNT1A and PC3 prostate cells: Counteracting role of metformin.

A potential association between obesity and prostate cancer has been proposed. Metformin, an antidiabetes drug, has antiproliferative effects being proposed for cancer treatment. However, under intense proliferative stimulation conditions such as those found in obesity, its efficacy is still uncertain. Thus, we analyzed the effects of saturated fatty acid and/or insulin under high concentrations, with or without metformin, on the proliferation and migration of prostate cells. Human prostate epithelial cell lines non-tumor (PNT1A) and tumor (PC3) were treated with control media (DMEM, C), palmitate (100 µM, HF), and/or insulin (50 µU, HI) with or without metformin (100 µM) for 24 or 48 h. Both PNT1A and PC3 cells had greater proliferation when treated with HF, while HI treatment stimulated only PNT1A. Metformin inhibited cell proliferation caused by HF in both cell lines, but it did not block the proliferative action of HI in PNT1A cells. PNT1A increased cell migration after all treatments, while only HF influenced PC3; metformin inhibited the migration stimulated by all obese microenvironments. Both HF and HI treatments in PNT1A and HF treatment in PC3 augmented vimentin expression, resulting in a higher epithelial-mesenchymal transition (which, in turn, could influence cell migration). Metformin inhibited vimentin expression in both normal and tumor cells. Although HF treatment had increased AMPK activation, it also increased the levels of activated ERK1/2, which could be responsible for high cell proliferation in both cell lines. In contrast, HI decreased AMPK activation in both cell lines, whereas it increased ERK1/2 levels in PNT1A and decreased them in PC3 (reflecting greater cell proliferation only in non-tumor cells). Metformin maintained high activation of AMPK and decreased ERK1/2 levels after HF in both cell lines and only after HI in PNT1A, which was able to decrease the cell proliferation triggered by these treatments. Higher concentrations of palmitate on PC3 cells and palmitate and insulin on PNT1A cells stimulate cellular activities that could favor cancer progression. Metformin inhibited most of these stimuli, showing the efficacy of this drug for cancer adjuvant therapy in obese patients (a group at increased risk for the development of prostrate cancer).

High versus Low Intensity Summer Treatment for ADHD Delivered at Secondary School Transitions

Spikes in symptom severity are noted for adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the transitions to middle and high school that are attributed to developmental maladjustment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of high-intensity (HI; 412 hr, $4,373 per participant) versus low-intensity (LI; 24 hr, $97 per participant) skills-based summer intervention delivered to adolescents with ADHD by local school district staff. Participants were 325 ethnically diverse rising sixth and ninth graders with ADHD randomized to HI versus LI (n = 218) or recruited into an untreated comparison group (n = 107). Group × Time 1-year outcome trajectories were compared using linear mixed models. Both interventions possessed high fidelity and were viewed by families as enjoyable and beneficial. Youth attendance was higher for HI (~80%) versus LI (~45%). Parent training attendance was uniform across groups (~50%). Parent and student attendance did not impact trajectories. Primary benefits of HI over LI were to note taking (d = .50), parent contingency management (d = .43), and parent-rated ADHD symptoms (d = .40–.46; ninth grade only). Secondary analyses suggested that HI may produce additional benefits compared to no treatment for home organization skills (HI vs. untreated d = .54), parent–teen conflict (HI vs. untreated d = .39), and grade point average (HI vs. untreated d = .47, ninth grade only). Summer HI treatment was superior to LI in engagement and uptake of certain skills. However, the extent to which these medium benefits on a limited number of outcomes justify high costs compared to LI remains an open question. Delivering treatment during the summer instead of school year may limit generalizability.