Encouragement from the right source: Evaluating the impact of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program in the Ohio Western Lake Erie Basin.

Harmful algal blooms are a considerable environmental issue predominantly caused by runoff of nutrients from agricultural lands. One high-profile set of practices promoted to combat this threat is the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship that concern using the right source of nutrients at the right rate and right time in the right place. While outreach for agricultural conservation is often undertaken by governmental or nonprofit entities, there is increasing interest in engaging agricultural retailers to leverage the trust that already exists between farmers and their agribusiness professionals. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program, implemented in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) in 2014, certifies crop advising companies and agronomy retailers or Nutrient Service Providers (NSPs) to promote best practices in nutrient management. This program has since grown and now exists in six US states and the province of Ontario and Prince Edward Island in Canada. Using a survey of farmers in the WLEB, we investigate the impact of working with certified NSPs over time on farmers' reported 4R-related behaviors. We find evidence that working with a certified NSP has a positive impact on 4R behaviors that is independent of other potential explanations for this change (e.g., farmer concern about nutrient loss, local regulatory efforts, and exposure to general 4R-related outreach). Overall, these results suggest that the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program is having an independent, positive impact on farmer behavior, and engaging with agricultural retailers and agronomists can be effective at advancing adoption of environmentally impactful nutrient management practices.

Clinical and electrophysiologic variability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis within a kindred harboring the C9ORF72 repeat expansion.

Our objective was to characterize the motor neuron disease features within a large c9FTD/ALS kindred. We analyzed clinical, electrophysiologic and neuropathologic data in a c9FTD/ALS kindred of Scandinavian ancestry. Results showed that of six family members affected, three had only ALS, two had FTD and one had FTD and ALS. Each patient with motor neuron disease had a different clinical presentation: one patient had only bulbar symptoms, one had bulbar and limb involvement, one had limb symptoms, and one had primarily upper motor neuron disease. Later in the course of disease, all ALS patients developed bulbar involvement and died from respiratory causes. Survival was uniformly short (two to five years). Electrophysiologic studies recorded progressive lower motor neuron dysfunction except in the patient with predominantly upper motor neuron features. In conclusion, this kindred demonstrates that the presentation of ALS within c9FTD/ALS families may vary considerably and electrophysiologic findings reflect this heterogeneity.

Linking water quality and well-being for improved assessment and valuation of ecosystem services.

Despite broad recognition of the value of the goods and services provided by nature, existing tools for assessing and valuing ecosystem services often fall short of the needs and expectations of decision makers. Here we address one of the most important missing components in the current ecosystem services toolbox: a comprehensive and generalizable framework for describing and valuing water quality-related services. Water quality is often misrepresented as a final ecosystem service. We argue that it is actually an important contributor to many different services, from recreation to human health. We present a valuation approach for water quality-related services that is sensitive to different actions that affect water quality, identifies aquatic endpoints where the consequences of changing water quality on human well-being are realized, and recognizes the unique groups of beneficiaries affected by those changes. We describe the multiple biophysical and economic pathways that link actions to changes in water quality-related ecosystem goods and services and provide guidance to researchers interested in valuing these changes. Finally, we present a valuation template that integrates biophysical and economic models, links actions to changes in service provision and value estimates, and considers multiple sources of water quality-related ecosystem service values without double counting.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions for climate stabilization: framing regional options.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that stabilizing atmospheric CO2 concentrations will require reduction of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 80% by 2050. Subnational efforts to cut emissions will inform policy development nationally and globally. We projected GHG mitigation strategies for Minnesota, which has adopted a strategic goal of 80% emissions reduction by 2050. A portfolio of conservation strategies, including electricity conservation, increased vehicle fleet fuel efficiency, and reduced vehicle miles traveled, is likely the most cost-effective option for Minnesota and could reduce emissions by 18% below 2005 levels. An 80% GHG reduction would require complete decarbonization of the electricity and transportation sectors, combined with carbon capture and sequestration at power plants, or deep cuts in other relatively more intransigent GHG-emitting sectors. In order to achieve ambitious GHG reduction goals, policymakers should promote aggressive conservation efforts, which would probably have negative net costs, while phasing in alternative fuels to replace coal and motor gasoline over the long-term.

Age and apoE associations with complex pathologic features in Alzheimer's disease.

The risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is influenced by both age and ApoE status. The present study addresses the associations of age and ApoE status on complex pathologic features in AD (n=81) including coexistent cerebrovascular disease (CVD), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), and Lewy body disease (LBD). The frequency of coexistent cerebrovascular disease increased with increasing age. Age and ApoE status were differentially associated with atherosclerosis, lacunar infarctions, and microvascular pathology. Coexistent Lewy body pathology was negatively associated with age, dropping off abruptly after age 90. The presence of an ApoE epsilon4 allele was associated with an increased frequency of coexistent LBD. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated both dependent and independent effects of age and ApoE status on the presence of coexistent Lewy body pathology in AD. While the decreasing frequency of LBD in AD after age 90 could be partly accounted for by a lower probability of an ApoE epsilon4 allele, the independent association with age suggests either 1) a survival effect, 2) decreased incidence with advancing age, or 3) both.

Argyrophilic grain disease in demented subjects presenting initially with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

A previous autopsy study of patients with amnestic-type mild cognitive impairment (MCI) suggested an overrepresentation of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD). We studied 34 patients who had diagnoses of amnestic MCI during progression to dementia and who came to autopsy. Neuropathologic evaluation included routine histochemical and immunohistochemical methods, including a 4-repeat tau-specific marker (ET3). AGD was found in association with a variety of neuropathologic diseases in 18 (53%) cases but was the primary pathologic finding in only one (3%) case. ET3 allowed the detection of AGD in 5 additional cases missed using standard techniques. Cases with AGD were significantly older than those without (mean, 94 vs 84 years; p < 0.004, rank sum test). No significant differences were found between groups for other demographic variables, association of AGD with neuropathologic findings of Alzheimer disease, Lewy body, or cerebrovascular disease, or global measures of cognitive function, although there was a nonsignificant trend towards worsening cognitive status in cases with AGD. AGD is a common pathologic finding in subjects who have been diagnosed with amnestic MCI.

Neuropathologic features of amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: The neuropathologic substrate of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is not known. OBJECTIVE: To determine the neuropathologic features of patients who died while their clinical classification was aMCI. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Community based. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six individuals, including 15 who had memory impairment beyond that allowed for aging but who were not demented, were studied along with 28 clinically healthy individuals and 23 patients with probable Alzheimer disease (AD) for comparison. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Standard neuropathologic techniques and classification according to Khachaturian, Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer Disease, and National Institute on Aging-Reagan criteria were used to analyze autopsy tissue from 15 individuals who died while their clinical diagnosis was aMCI. For comparison, autopsy data on age-matched groups of clinically healthy individuals and patients with probable AD were analyzed. RESULTS: Most patients with aMCI did not meet the neuropathologic criteria for AD, but their pathologic findings suggest a transitional state of evolving AD. All the patients with aMCI had pathologic findings involving medial temporal lobe structures, likely accounting for their memory impairment. In addition, there were many concomitant pathologic abnormalities, including argyrophilic grain disease, hippocampal sclerosis, and vascular lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The neuropathologic features of aMCI matched the clinical features and seemed to be intermediate between the neurofibrillary changes of aging and the pathologic features of very early AD.