Site-specific Production Research Articles

Challenges and limtations of site specific crop production applications of wheat and maize

The development and implementation of precision agriculture or site-specific farming has been made possible by combining the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Site specific agronomic applications are of high importance concerning the efficiency of management in crop production as well as the protection and maintenance of environment and nature. Precision crop production management techniques were applied at four locations to evaluate their impact on small plot units sown by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) in a Hungarian national case study. The results obtained suggest the applicability of the site specific management techniques, however the crops studied responded in a different way concerning the impact of applications. Maize had a stronger response regarding grain yield and weed canopy. Wheat was responding better than maize concerning plant density and protein content performance.

Application of an Updated Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Chloroform to Evaluate CYP2E1-Mediated Renal Toxicity in Rats and Mice

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are tools for interpreting toxicological data and extrapolating observations across species and route of exposure. Chloroform (CHCl(3)) is a chemical for which there are PBPK models available in different species and multiple sites of toxicity. Because chloroform induces toxic effects in the liver and kidneys via production of reactive metabolites, proper characterization of metabolism in these tissues is essential for risk assessment. Although hepatic metabolism of chloroform is adequately described by these models, there is higher uncertainty for renal metabolism due to a lack of species-specific data and direct measurements of renal metabolism. Furthermore, models typically fail to account for regional differences in metabolic capacity within the kidney. Mischaracterization of renal metabolism may have a negligible effect on systemic chloroform levels, but it is anticipated to have a significant impact on the estimated site-specific production of reactive metabolites. In this article, rate parameters for chloroform metabolism in the kidney are revised for rats, mice, and humans. New in vitro data were collected in mice and humans for this purpose and are presented here. The revised PBPK model is used to interpret data of chloroform-induced kidney toxicity in rats and mice exposed via inhalation and drinking water. Benchmark dose (BMD) modeling is used to characterize the dose-response relationship of kidney toxicity markers as a function of PBPK-derived internal kidney dose. Applying the PBPK model, it was also possible to characterize the dose response for a recent data set of rats exposed via multiple routes simultaneously. Consistent BMD modeling results were observed regardless of species or route of exposure.

Delineation of site-specific productivity zones using soil properties and topographic attributes with a fuzzy logic system

A delineation procedure for site-specific productivity zones was developed with a fuzzy logic system using soil properties obtained from on-the-go electrical conductivity (EC) and organic matter (OM) sensors and topographic attributes. EC, OM, slope and curvature were used as input variables, and productivity was set as an output variable. The fuzzy rules were developed with grower's knowledge for typical central Kansas upland fields; areas within the field having high OM, low EC and low slope have the highest productivity potential, and areas within the field with low OM, high EC and high slope have the lowest productivity potential. The fuzzy logic system performed properly and generated productivity as designed by the fuzzy logic and inference scheme. To validate the system, an adjacent field with 5 years of wheat yield data was selected. The spatial agreement between productivity and yield showed as high as 0.57 and 0.35 for overall accuracy and kappa coefficient. The level of agreement is promising, considering there were many other yield-limiting factors such as precipitation, temperature and management effects. From comparison of the productivity map with the map generated by a fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm (FCM map), agreement between the productivity and yield exhibited generally higher in overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient than the agreement between FCM map and yield. Results of this study can benefit producers and consultants who utilise site-specific management by delineating productivity zones using EC, OM, slope and curvature from the on-the-go sensors.

Theatre's Heterotopia and the Site-Specific Production ofSuitcase

The site-specific performance Suitcase was staged at Liverpool Street Station, London, for one day only to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Kindertransport. In its attempts to expand historical and theatrical space, and expand audience, the play creates a new kind of heterotopia that gestures beyond the physical site of the performance.

(Re)Presenting the South Bronx

© 2011 Donatella Galella In the fall of 2009, the Foundry Theatre loaded audiences onto a bus for a tour of the South Bronx and its changing history and beauty through the lens of gentrification. An ambitious site-specific production, The Provenance of Beauty: A South Bronx Travelogue won an award for Distinguished New Play Project from the National Endowment for the Arts/Arena Stage New Play Development Program. Because Arena Stage intended to showcase all of the award-winning productions in what became the #NewPlay Festival, the Foundry’s artistic producer Melanie Joseph and poet-playwright Claudia Rankine knew that they would have to adapt their production for the festival in Washington, D.C. But producing a site-specific performance in a different place fundamentally alters the piece and the audience’s experience.

Identifying nutrition sensitive spectral changes in various winter wheat samples

The hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy is a promising future tool in the field of optical remote sensing and it creates new perspective for modern information management in site specific agricultural production. One can determine quantitative relationships between the environmental and physiological parameters of vegetation cover and the soil quality parameters as well as the features of the reflectance spectra by the newgeneration data monitoring and sampling method. These reflectance spectra have characteristics of the different crops and provide with the possibility of accurate classification and detection. The objective was to present the technological capabilities of hyperspectral imaging and show some exprimental results of nutrient sensitive changes in the winter wheat spectra. There were found two characteristic wavelength ranges: the 500 to 800 nm for wheat kernel samples and the 1650 nm to 1800 nm for wheat ear samples where fertilizer treatments showed definite trend on the basis of the normalized reflectance spectra.

EPR detection of cellular and mitochondrial superoxide using cyclic hydroxylamines

Superoxide (O2•−) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, but detection of the O2•− radicals in biological systems is limited due to inefficiency of O2•− spin trapping and lack of site-specific information. This work studied production of extracellular, intracellular and mitochondrial O2•− in neutrophils, cultured endothelial cells and isolated mitochondria using a new set of cationic, anionic and neutral hydroxylamine spin probes with various lipophilicity and cell permeability. Cyclic hydroxylamines rapidly react with O2•−, producing stable nitroxides and allowing site-specific O2•− detection in intracellular, extracellular and mitochondrial compartments. Negatively charged 1-hydroxy-4-phosphono-oxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (PP-H) and positively charged 1-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl-trimethylammonium (CAT1-H) detected only extramitochondrial O2•−. Inhibition of EPR signal by SOD2 over-expression showed that mitochondria targeted mitoTEMPO-H detected intramitochondrial O2•− both in isolated mitochondria and intact cells. Both 1-hydroxy-3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine (CP-H) and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine (CM-H) detected an increase in cytoplasm O2•− stimulated by PMA, but only CM-H and mitoTEMPO-H showed an increase in rotenone-induced mitochondrial O2•−. These data show that a new set of hydroxylamine spin probes provide unique information about site-specific production of the O2•− radical in extracellular or intracellular compartments, cytoplasm or mitochondria.

A Nursery and Greenhouse Online Knowledge Center: Learning Opportunities for Sustainable Practice

Increasing environmental concerns and legislation in many states and in other countries require that we take a more comprehensive sustainable “best management” approach to production techniques in nursery and greenhouse operations. This is particularly important because these production facilities are typically intense users of resources that are applied to relatively small land areas. We have developed an online knowledge center to facilitate the implementation of more sustainable practices within the nursery and greenhouse industry. A web-based knowledge center provides the most cost-effective mechanism for information delivery, as our potential audiences are extremely diverse and widespread. We currently have a registered user database of over 450 educators, growers, and industry professionals, and undergraduate and graduate students. A gateway website provides an overview of the issues and the goals of the project. The associated knowledge center currently has 25 in-depth learning modules, designed in a Moodle learning management framework. These learning modules are designed to actively engage learners in topics on substrate, irrigation, surface water, and nutrient and crop health management, which are integral to formulating farm-specific strategies for more sustainable water and nutrient management practices. Additional modules provide assessment and implementation tools for irrigation audits, irrigation methods and technologies, and water and nutrient management planning. The instructional design of the learning modules was paramount because there can be multiple strategies to improve site-specific production practices, which often require an integration of knowledge from engineering, plant science, and plant pathology disciplines. The assessment and review of current practices, and the decision to change a practice, are often not linear, nor simple. All modules were designed with this process in mind, and include numerous resources [pictures, diagrams, case studies, and assessment tools (e.g., spreadsheets and example calculations)] to enable the learner to fully understand all of the options available and to think critically about his/her decisions. Sixteen of the modules were used to teach an intensive 400-level “Principles of Water and Nutrient Management” course at the University of Maryland during Spring 2008 and 2009. The water and nutrient management planning module also supports the nursery and greenhouse Farmer Training Certification program in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Agriculture provides continuing education credits for all consultants and growers who register and complete any module in the knowledge center. Although these learning resources were developed by faculty in the eastern region of the United States, much of the information is applicable to more widespread audiences.

Role of the Glucocorticoid-Induced TNFR-Related Protein (GITR)-GITR Ligand Pathway in Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor-related protein (GITR) is expressed in regulatory T cells at high levels, but is also inducible in conventional effector T cells after activation. Initial studies using an agonistic anti- GITR mAb mislead this line of research with respect to the contribution of GITR stimulation on the function of regulatory T cells. In fact, GITR acts as a costimulatory receptor for both effector and regulatory T cells by enhancing effector and regulatory functions, respectively. Unlike other costimulatory ligands, GITR ligand (GITRL) expression on mature myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) is extremely limited and the GITR-GITRL pathway does not contribute markedly to direct interactions with T cells and antigen-presenting cells in the secondary lymphoid tissues. Rather, GITRL is constitutively expressed on parenchymal tissue cells and interacts with GITR expressed on tissue-infiltrating macrophages and DCs, or effector and regulatory T cells. Interactions with GITR and GITRL at local inflammatory sites induce site-specific production of cytokines and chemokines, resulting in control activation of tissue-infiltrating effector or regulatory cells and their migration. This review summarizes recent reports on the GITR-GITRL pathway, which controls both innate and adaptive immune responses.

The effect of hybrid, nutrient-supply and irrigation on the grain moisture content at harvest and the starch-content of maize (Zea mays L.)

Maize is a worldwide dominant plant. According to nowadays plant production principles it is important to investigate and optimize the site-specific nutrient-supply and other production factors, such as hybrid and irrigation, in the case of this plant as well.At the Research Institute of the University of Debrecen, Center of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, at Látókép the effect of nutrient-supply and irrigation on the quantity and quality parameters of different hybrids were investigated in a small plot long-term field experiment. In this paper we introduce the results regarding the corn moisture-content and the starch content of the yield.We have chosen three maize hybrids – that have been bread in Martonvásár – for our investigations. The effect of macronutrients is investigated in this experiment on five levels. The half of the experimental area can be irrigated during the vegetation period – whenever it is needed – by linear irrigation equipment, but on the other half only the water amount originating from the precipitation can be used by plants.In the year 2008 the hybrid affected the grain moisture content at P=0.1% level, while nutrient-supply had an effect at P=10% significance level. We haven’t revealed either any effect of irrigation or of interrelationship between production factors. It can be stated that there are differences between the hybrids on each nutrient-supply and on both irrigation levels. The grain moisture content increased parallel to the longer vegetationperiods.The starch content of maize is mostly affected by the hybrid,so on P=0.1% significance level. Regarding our results, it can bestated, that the starch content shows a decreasing tendencyparallel to the longer vegetation periods.

Site-Specific Production of IL-6 in the Central Nervous System Retargets and Enhances the Inflammatory Response in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

IL-6 is crucial for the induction of many murine models of autoimmunity including experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis. To establish the role of site-specific production of IL-6 in autoimmunity, we examined myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein immunization-induced EAE in transgenic mice (GFAP-IL6) with IL-6 production restricted to the cerebellum. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-immunized (Mi-) GFAP-IL6 mice developed severe ataxia but no physical signs of spinal cord involvement, which was in sharp contrast to Mi-wild type (WT) animals that developed classical EAE with ascending paralysis. Immune pathology and demyelination were nearly absent from the spinal cord, but significantly increased in the cerebellum of Mi-GFAP-IL6 mice. Tissue damage in the cerebellum in the Mi-GFAP-IL6 mice was accompanied by increased total numbers of infiltrating leukocytes and increased proportions of both neutrophils and B-cells. With the exception of IL-17 mRNA, which was elevated in both control immunized and Mi-GFAP-IL6 cerebellum, the level of other cytokine and chemokine mRNAs were comparable with Mi-WT cerebellum whereas significantly higher levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA were found in Mi-WT spinal cord. Thus, site-specific production of IL-6 in the cerebellum redirects trafficking away from the normally preferred antigenic site the spinal cord and acts as a leukocyte "sink" that markedly enhances the inflammatory cell accumulation and disease. The mechanisms underlying this process likely include the induction of specific chemokines, activation of microglia, and activation and loss of integrity of the blood-brain barrier present in the cerebellum of the GFAP-IL6 mice before the induction of EAE.

Integrated Economic Model CO2 capture, transport, ECBM and saline aquifer storage

Abstract As the world continues to develop plans for addressing climate change induced by elevated levels of CO 2 , a better understanding of the economics of CCS projects will become more urgent. One promising avenue involves CO 2 injection into coal beds for incremental production of methane and storage of CO 2 . In order to clarify the economic impact of CCS projects, an Integrated Economic Model (IEM) for CCS has been developed. The IEM was designed to simulate the underlying engineering process and resulting economics of post combustion CO 2 capture from large fixed emitters, the cost of transport to coal reservoir sinks and prediction of methane production response induced by CO 2 injection. Post combustion CO 2 capture is modeled in the context of retro-fitting existing CO 2 source plants with currently available capture technology consisting of inlet flue gas “wet-lime” desulphurization, CO 2 recovery with “hindered amine (MEA)”, CO 2 compression, pipeline transport to coal reservoir (and saline aquifer) CO 2 sinks and the simulation of enhanced methane production from the coal reservoir. A comprehensive database of Alberta coal reservoir parameters was developed and is used by the IEM to predict site specific injection and production performance due to CO 2 injection. Estimation of injection and production from the coal is modeled by incorporating a compositional reservoir simulator. CCS project economics is rolled up and reported for the entire CCS project as well as separately for the ECBM project.

Playing with Pain: the Need for Guardianship in Group Work

Chrissie Poulter read Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham University from 1973 to 1976, and was taught by Clive Barker during her first year there. Now a Lecturer at Trinity College Dublin, her specialism is theatre games, so their paths continued to cross over the years. As a theatre director, deviser, and trainer her work centres on the use of play within and without the theatre world, with a particular focus on inter- and intra-cultural exchange. Her book Playing the Game (Palgrave-Macmillan, 1987) is a widely used manual of theatre games. Her most recent creative projects have been as one of the directors of The Bus Project – a site-specific project on a moving Dublin bus – for Performance Lab in the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2007, and Metamorphoses with Prey Trio, a site-specific production with three musicians for the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, described in the preceding article by Lizbeth Goodman. Here, Chrissie Poulter takes theatre games as a springboard to discuss and define the need for ‘guardianship’ in game playing, online or in the studio workship.

Common reed produces starch granules at the shoot base in response to salt stress

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a well known salt-tolerant plant and it is suggested that reeds recover Na(+) in the xylem sap of the shoot base (basal part of the shoot), store it temporarily in the shoot base, release it into the phloem sap, and then retranslocate it to the roots. To investigate whether Na(+) is retained in the shoot base of reeds, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) observations were conducted using an intracellular Na(+)-specific fluorescent probe. The CLSM observations revealed that reeds produced a large number of the starch granules at the shoot base when salt-stressed, and that the fluorescence indicating the location of intracellular free Na(+) was observed in the same position as the starch granules. The Na content of starch granules was considerably greater than that of the shoot base, whereas the potassium (K) contents of the granules was only slightly greater than that of the shoot base. Reeds produced Na(+)-binding starch granules in the parenchyma cells of the shoot base when salt-stressed; these starch granules may decrease intracellular free Na(+). It is proposed that the site-specific production of Na(+)-binding starch granules constitutes a novel salt tolerance mechanism.

Still Ringing: Sounds Collaborative

In CTR 126, I began a series of three linked articles that consider aspects of the relationship between theatricality and performativity in the work of the Toronto / New York intermedia performance ensemble, Bluemouth Inc. The first article explored the impact of the unanticipated relocation of the company’s 2005 recreation of American Standard from Pat’s Barber Shop on Toronto’s D’Arcy Street to the cavernous rehearsal space of Zero Gravity Circus in the same city’s industrial East End. The second article (in CTR 127) profiled Bluemouth Inc’.s 2005 reimaging of the performance Lenz in the evocative (indeed, provocative)Ye Olde Carleton Arms Hotel in New York City and, in particular, that production’s complex negotiation between mediation and madness. This third essay focuses specifically on Bluemouth Inc’.s soundscape artist, Richard Windeyer, and queries the relationship between his sound installation work and his contributions to the company’s collective, site-specific productions.

The Performance of Power in Convictions

This paper examines the performance of power relations between the justice system and the citizens of Northern Ireland, as enacted in Tinderbox Theatre Company's site-specific production Convictions. This unique and non-replicable production was presented on the ground floor of the Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast in 2000, at a time of political change in Northern Ireland. Convictions consists of a collection of seven completely discreet and juxtaposed playlets, as well as visual art installations, which are organised as a sequence of episodes in the manner of Brechtian epic theatre. Within the space of the Crumlin Road Courthouse the performance of these plays and the art installations which accompany them, generate a metatheatrical dimension, integrating and transforming the significance of the public building for an audience familiar with the courthouse in its civic (non-theatrical) context.

Site-specific methane production and subsequent midge mediation within Esthwaite Water, UK

Previous analyses of larval chironomid δ13C have suggested that methanotrophic contribution to biomass is site-specific within lakes. We determined larval biomass, larval and methane gas stable carbon isotopes, and potential methane production from the sediments underlying different water column depths in Esthwaite Water, UK. Methane production increased whereas larval δ13C values typically became lighter with increasing lake depth. Reduced methane production at 15 m depth and correspondingly less13C-depleted larvae in the second year of study suggests that the rate of methane production influenced larval assimilation of methane-derived biomass. Larval distribution and other site-specific parameters, combined with two-source mixing models, were used to estimate potential methane-mediation via the abundant chironomid biomass to higher predators.

Lack of Site-Specific Production of Decidual Alpha-2 Macroglobulin in Human Pregnancy

Alpha-2 Macroglobulin (A2M) is a protease inhibitor that is present in both human and rat decidual tissue. In mice, decidual A2M prevents excessive trophoblastic invasion; however, its role in human decidual tissue is unknown. It is possible that A2M may also influence trophoblast invasion in human pregnancy, which would be reflected in increased A2M production in decidua basalis. The aim of the current study was to determine and compare A2M production from first trimester human decidua basalis and decidua parietalis. Human decidual tissues were obtained from patients undergoing surgical termination at 9 to 12 gestational weeks. Strips of decidua basalis and decidua parietalis were obtained by uterine curettage under real-time ultrasound guidance. Tissue samples were fixed in 10% formalin or snap-frozen for immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, respectively. Protein and mRNA production between the two sites were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Paired basal and parietal decidua were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (n = 9) and by RT-PCR (n = 10). There was no significant difference in A2M mRNA expression between decidua basalis and decidua parietalis (P = .5). Immunohistochemical staining intensity for A2M protein was significantly higher in basalis than in parietalis (P = .004), but the extent of positively stained cells were not significantly different (P = .051). Strong A2M staining in decidua basalis was mainly localized in the intracellular storage vesicles, which may suggest a role of A2M in this site. We conclude that the expression pattern of A2M in human decidua basalis and decidua parietalis is not consistent with an important role of this gene during the observed gestational period. Contrary to its role in rodent implantation, A2M is probably not involved in regulating human implantation and trophoblastic invasion during this gestational window frame.

Operational forecasting of South African sugarcane production: Part 1 – System description

Commercial sugarcane crops in South Africa are grown under a wide range of agronomic and socio-economic conditions. These factors, together with climatic variation have resulted in a 17% variation in sugarcane production and there is considerable scope to improve productivity through accurate and timeous forecasts. This paper reports on the development of an operational crop forecasting system based on a simulation model. The country’s entire area of sugar production was subdivided into homogeneous climate zones using a wide range of data and expert opinion. These zones serve as simulation units within the system and model input and area aggregation data were obtained for each climate zone. Irrigation is simulated according to typical, zone specific strategies taking into account water use restrictions. Simulations of crops growing in the current year are completed using 10 historic seasons to substitute the remainder of the season. The selection of these seasons is based on the climate outlook. Reports containing information for national, regional and site specific cane production are generated and distributed to industry stakeholders. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first national scale model-based operational yield forecasting system for sugarcane. Possible future improvements to the system may include stochastic input variables, more representative irrigation simulations, quantifying forecast uncertainty and providing suitable reference crop yield. The system is evaluated in another paper.

Protein Kinase Cβ Inhibition Attenuates Osteopontin Expression, Macrophage Recruitment, and Tubulointerstitial Injury in Advanced Experimental Diabetic Nephropathy

Tubulointerstitial macrophage accumulation is an important marker of prognosis that correlates closely with declining renal function in a range of human and experimental diseases, including diabetic nephropathy. These inflammatory cells are rich in the profibrotic growth factor TGF-beta such that their presence in areas of injury is frequently associated with tissue fibrosis. The migration of macrophages occurs in response to the site-specific production of chemokines, with osteopontin closely associated with their trafficking into the tubulointerstitium of the kidney. Although cell culture studies indicate that protein kinase C (PKC) mediates the expression of osteopontin, its role in the in vivo setting is unknown. Accordingly, Ren-2 control and diabetic rats that were treated with or without the specific PKC-beta isoform inhibitor ruboxistaurin (10 mg/kg per d) were examined. After 12 wk, diabetic rats showed increases in osteopontin expression in tubular epithelial cells of the cortex in association with macrophage infiltration, interstitial fibrosis, and activity of TGF-beta as indicated by the expression of its receptor activated protein phospho-Smad2 (P < 0.05 for all parameters). Ruboxistaurin treatment significantly attenuated these parameters (P < 0.05) in diabetic rats without affecting either BP or glycemic control. These findings suggest that osteopontin and macrophage accumulation may play a role in the tubulointerstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy and that inhibition of osteopontin expression may be one of the mechanisms by which inhibition of the beta-isoform of PKC confers a renoprotective effect.