Management of chickpea Ascochyta blight using fungicides and cultivar resistance improves grain yield, quality, and grower profitability.

International production of chickpea is under constant threat from the fungal disease Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei). In Australia, there is limited cultivar resistance, and disease management is reliant on foliar applied fungicides. Several recently registered fungicides in Australia that combine active ingredients with different modes of actions, have been shown to have curative properties. In this study, in the presence of Ascochyta blight, disease severity, grain yield and quality were measured and the subsequent gross margin for growers calculated in seven field experiments conducted in Victoria (Australia) across three seasons. These experiments investigated the effects of: two cultivars with differing disease resistance (PBA Striker and Genesis 090), and several fungicide strategies for the control of Ascochyta blight. Fungicides that combine different modes of actions (Tebuconazole + Azoxystrobin, Bixafen + Prothioconazole and Fludioxonil + Pydiflumetofen) were applied before a rainfall event (preventative) or after the first signs of disease (post-infection). Older, single active fungicides compared included Captan, Chlorothalonil, and Propiconazole, all applied preventatively. Maximum disease severities ranged from 87% at Horsham and 94% at Curyo across three seasons with Nhill recording 87% during 2020. Demonstrating the benefit of cultivar resistance for Ascochyta blight management, grain yield losses were substantially lower in the partially resistant cultivar Genesis 090 (64%) compared to the susceptible cultivar PBA Striker (96%), at Curyo in 2020. The preventative fungicide strategies reduced grain yield losses from 96 and 64% to 51 and 15% for PBA Striker and Genesis 090, respectively, demonstrating the benefit of fungicides in Ascochyta blight management. Across seasons and environments, a comparison between fungicides applied preventatively or post-infection highlighted both were both profitable ($23-$1,095/ha), except when dry conditions limited grain yield to less than 0.6 t/ha. The post infection timing had greater yield losses in sites/seasons with higher rainfall, but with dual active ingredient fungicides and partially resistant cultivars this timing could allow a reduction in the number of fungicide applications, thus improving profitability. These experiments highlighted the importance of controlling Ascochyta blight through cultivar resistance and fungicides to improve grain yields, grain quality, and grower profitability.

Quantifying the colour loss of green field pea (Pisum sativum L.) due to bleaching.

Post-harvest change in the colour of green field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is undesirable as this impacts the visual quality and market value of the seed. To date, there is no standard, objective method to determine bleaching. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an objective method for scoring bleaching based on colour reflectance spectra, measured both by spectrophotometer and multispectral Image Analysis (IA). Green field pea seeds were sorted into samples of uniform colour and these were used to train the model. Spectra calculated from multispectral images (with colour bands at 405,470,530,590,660 and 850nm) were matched to the spectrophotometer output through multiple linear regression. All spectra were transformed to emphasize the wavelength regions most impacted during bleaching, following which two critical reflectance values were scaled to a single bleaching score. The bleaching assessment method was tested in a time-course experiment comprising seeds from five green-pea genotypes stored for six months. Each sample was divided into two so that half of the seeds were stored in the dark and the remainder were exposed to controlled light to exaggerate bleaching. Throughout this period, the samples were imaged at six-weekly intervals. Assessment of bleaching by the IA method agreed well with spectrophotometer measurements, achieving a Lin's concordance statistic of 0.99 and 0.96 for the calibration and time-course samples respectively. The IA method proved more versatile because assessments could be made on individual seeds enabling the computation of bleaching uniformity within each sample. This method captured differences between genotypes in the extent, rate and uniformity of bleaching. All genotypes exhibited susceptibility to bleaching when stored under the controlled light conditions. Excell was observed to be the most susceptible genotype with the greatest bleaching-rate and OZB1308 displayed the most colour-stability.

Automated safety event monitoring using electronic medical records in a clinical trial setting: Validation study using the VA NEPHRON-D trial.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Electronic medical records are now frequently used for capturing patient-level data in clinical trials. Within the Veterans Affairs health care system, electronic medical record data have been widely used in clinical trials to assess eligibility, facilitate referrals for recruitment, and conduct follow-up and safety monitoring. Despite the potential for increased efficiency in using electronic medical records to capture safety data via a centralized algorithm, it is important to evaluate the integrity and accuracy of electronic medical record-captured data. To this end, this investigation assesses data collection, both for general and study-specific safety endpoints, by comparing electronic medical record-based safety monitoring versus safety data collected during the course of the Veterans Affairs Nephropathy in Diabetes (VA NEPHRON-D) clinical trial. METHODS: The VA NEPHRON-D study was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial designed to compare the effect of combination therapy (losartan plus lisinopril) versus monotherapy (losartan) on the progression of kidney disease in individuals with diabetes and proteinuria. The trial's safety outcomes included serious adverse events, hyperkalemia, and acute kidney injury. A subset of the participants (~62%, n = 895) enrolled in the trial's long-term follow-up sub-study and consented to electronic medical record data collection. We applied an automated algorithm to search and capture safety data using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse which houses electronic medical record data. Using study safety data reported during the trial as the gold standard, we evaluated the sensitivity and precision of electronic medical record-based safety data and related treatment effects. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the electronic medical record-based safety for hospitalizations was 65.3% without non-VA hospitalization events and 92.3% with the non-VA hospitalization events included. The sensitivity was only 54.3% for acute kidney injury and 87.3% for hyperkalemia. The precision of electronic medical record-based safety data was 89.4%, 38%, and 63.2% for hospitalization, acute kidney injury, and hyperkalemia, respectively. Relative treatment differences under the study and electronic medical record settings were 15% and 3% for hospitalization, 123% and 29% for acute kidney injury, and 238% and 140% for hyperkalemia, respectively. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of using automated electronic medical record safety data depends on the events of interest. Identification of all-cause hospitalizations would be reliable if search methods could, in addition to VA hospitalizations, also capture non-VA hospitalizations. However, hospitalization is different from a cause-specific serious adverse event that could be more sensitive to treatment effects. In addition, some study-specific safety events were not easily identified using the electronic medical records. This limits the effectiveness of the automated central database search for purposes of safety monitoring. Hence, this data captured approach should be carefully considered when implementing endpoint data collection in future pragmatic trials.

Effects of hormones on skin wrinkles and rigidity vary by race/ethnicity: four-year follow-up from the ancillary skin study of the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study.

OBJECTIVE: To measure skin wrinkles and rigidity in menopausal women of varying race/ethnicity with or without hormone therapy (HT) for up to four years. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Academic medical centers. PATIENT(S): Women (42-58 years of age) within 36 months of last menstrual period and enrolled in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS). INTERVENTION(S): Treatment with 0.45 mg oral conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), transdermal E2 (50 µg/d) with micronized P (200 mg daily), or placebo for 4 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Skin wrinkles were assessed at 11 locations on the face and neck, and skin rigidity was assessed at the forehead and cheek at baseline and yearly for 4 years. RESULT(S): Neither total wrinkle score nor total rigidity score was significantly different at baseline or over the 4-year follow-up among patients randomized to CEE, E2, or placebo. Skin wrinkle and rigidity scores were primarily affected by race/ethnicity, with scores being significantly different between races for almost all of the wrinkle parameters and for all of the rigidity measures. There was no association between race and response to HT for total wrinkle or rigidity scores. Black women had the lowest wrinkle scores compared with white women across all 4 years. In general, skin rigidity decreased in all groups over time, but black women had significantly reduced total facial rigidity compared with white women after 4 years. CONCLUSION(S): Race is the strongest predictor of the advancement of skin aging in the 4 years following menopause. HT does not appear to affect skin wrinkles or rigidity at most facial locations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00154180.

Discriminant Analysis of Defective and Non-Defective Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.) into Broad Market Grades Based on Digital Image Features.

Field peas (Pisum sativum L.) are generally traded based on seed appearance, which subjectively defines broad market-grades. In this study, we developed an objective Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) model to classify market grades of field peas based on seed colour, shape and size traits extracted from digital images. Seeds were imaged in a high-throughput system consisting of a camera and laser positioned over a conveyor belt. Six colour intensity digital images were captured (under 405, 470, 530, 590, 660 and 850nm light) for each seed, and surface height was measured at each pixel by laser. Colour, shape and size traits were compiled across all seed in each sample to determine the median trait values. Defective and non-defective seed samples were used to calibrate and validate the model. Colour components were sufficient to correctly classify all non-defective seed samples into correct market grades. Defective samples required a combination of colour, shape and size traits to achieve 87% and 77% accuracy in market grade classification of calibration and validation sample-sets respectively. Following these results, we used the same colour, shape and size traits to develop an LDA model which correctly classified over 97% of all validation samples as defective or non-defective.

Preparation, certification and interlaboratory analysis of workplace air filters spiked with high-fired beryllium oxide.

Occupational sampling and analysis for multiple elements is generally approached using various approved methods from authoritative government sources such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as consensus standards bodies such as ASTM International. The constituents of a sample can exist as unidentified compounds requiring sample preparation to be chosen appropriately, as in the case of beryllium in the form of beryllium oxide (BeO). An interlaboratory study was performed to collect analytical data from volunteer laboratories to examine the effectiveness of methods currently in use for preparation and analysis of samples containing calcined BeO powder. NIST SRM(®) 1877 high-fired BeO powder (1100 to 1200 °C calcining temperature; count median primary particle diameter 0.12 µm) was used to spike air filter media as a representative form of beryllium particulate matter present in workplace sampling that is known to be resistant to dissolution. The BeO powder standard reference material was gravimetrically prepared in a suspension and deposited onto 37 mm mixed cellulose ester air filters at five different levels between 0.5 µg and 25 µg of Be (as BeO). Sample sets consisting of five BeO-spiked filters (in duplicate) and two blank filters, for a total of twelve unique air filter samples per set, were submitted as blind samples to each of 27 participating laboratories. Participants were instructed to follow their current process for sample preparation and utilize their normal analytical methods for processing samples containing substances of this nature. Laboratories using more than one sample preparation and analysis method were provided with more than one sample set. Results from 34 data sets ultimately received from the 27 volunteer laboratories were subjected to applicable statistical analyses. The observed performance data show that sample preparations using nitric acid alone, or combinations of nitric and hydrochloric acids, are not effective for complete extraction of Be from the SRM 1877 refractory BeO particulate matter spiked on air filters; but that effective recovery can be achieved by using sample preparation procedures utilizing either sulfuric or hydrofluoric acid, or by using methodologies involving ammonium bifluoride with heating. Laboratories responsible for quantitative determination of Be in workplace samples that may contain high-fired BeO should use quality assurance schemes that include BeO-spiked sampling media, rather than solely media spiked with soluble Be compounds, and should ensure that methods capable of quantitative digestion of Be from the actual material present are used.

Tissue floaters and contaminants in the histology laboratory.

CONTEXT: Anatomic pathology diagnosis is often based on morphologic features. In recent years, an appropriate increased attention to patient safety has led to an emphasis on improving maintenance of patient identity. Decreasing or eliminating cross-contamination from one specimen to another is an example of a patient identity issue for which process improvement can be initiated. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the presence of cross-contamination from histology water baths and the slide stainers. DESIGN: We assessed for the presence of contaminants in water baths at cutting stations and in linear stainer stain baths. We assessed the potential for tissue discohesion and carryover in tissue samples and we assessed the potential for carryover onto blank slides sent through the stainer. RESULTS: In the 13 water baths examined (totalling 195 L of water), only one fragment of tissue was identified. The stain baths, however, contained abundant tissue contaminants, ranging in size from 2 to 3 cells to hundreds of cells. The first sets of xylenes and alcohols were the most heavily contaminated. Cross-contamination to blank slides occurred at a rate of 8%, with the highest frequency in the late afternoon. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-contamination can present a significant challenge in the histology laboratory. Although the histotechnologists' water baths are not heavily contaminated, the stainer baths do contain contaminating tissue fragments. Cross-contamination does occur onto blank slides in the experimental setting.

Randomized controlled trial of a family problem-solving intervention.

Adaptive problem solving contributes to individual and family health and development. In this article, the effect of the cooperative family learning approach (CFLA) on group family problem solving and on cooperative parenting communication is described. A pretest or posttest experimental design was used. Participant families were recruited from Head Start programs and exhibited two or more risk factors. Participant preschool children were screened to have two or more developmental delays. Direct behavioral observation measures were used to determine group family problem solving and cooperative parenting communication outcomes. Few group family problem-solving behaviors were coded, and they displayed little variability. However, intervention parents increased the length of time they played and extended the cooperative parent-child interactions. The evidence shows that CFLA has the potential to enhance parental-modeling of cooperative behavior while engaged in play activities with preschoolers. Direct measurement of group family problem solving was difficult. Solutions are suggested.

The family adaptation model: examination of dimensions and relations.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the theoretical underpinnings and present the model analyses used in the development and evaluation of the Family Adaptation Model. Resilience theory, with its components of protective processes and vulnerability processes, underlies the assumptions of the model. Data analyses are presented from 2 samples in which survey methodology, post-test only experimental designs were implemented. There is moderate support for the linear dimensions of the model. When the paths predicted by the theory were tested, insignificant results were produced. Recent expert reviews of adaptation concepts and research approaches were used to explore the meaning of the null findings when testing the paths of the model in contrast to the success of the model when used to develop practice approaches with families.