Antibody Levels from High-Throughput Variant-Specific SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Spike IgG and ACE2 Neutralization Assays Correlate with COVID Infection Risk in a Large Population.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels have been proposed as a correlate of protection (CoP) from infection. Yet, large-scale prospective studies of cost-effective scalable antibody measures as predictors of infection under real-world conditions are limited. We examined whether antibody levels measured using high-throughput variant-specific SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) and ACE2-neutralization assays correlate with cell-based neutralizing antibody (NAb) measurements, and whether they can serve as a reasonable CoP from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Ecological implications of row width and cultivar selection on rice (Oryza sativa) and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli).

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) producers in the Mid-south are experiencing difficulties with herbicide-resistant weeds such as barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.

Genomic surveillance reveals dynamic shifts in the connectivity of COVID-19 epidemics.

The maturation of genomic surveillance in the past decade has enabled tracking of the emergence and spread of epidemics at an unprecedented level. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, genomic data revealed that local epidemics varied considerably in the frequency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage importation and persistence, likely due to a combination of COVID-19 restrictions and changing connectivity. Here, we show that local COVID-19 epidemics are driven by regional transmission, including across international boundaries, but can become increasingly connected to distant locations following the relaxation of public health interventions.

Metabolic Exploration for Cyhalofop-Butyl Antagonism in Barnyardgrass [ (L.) P. Beauv.] Following Pretreatment of Malathion.

The present study investigated the effects of broad-spectrum metabolic inhibitors malathion (cytochrome P450 inhibitor) and/or 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl; glutathione -transferase inhibitor) on the metabolism of cyhalofop-butyl (CyB) in barnyardgrass [ (L.) P. Beauv.

Exploratory Analysis on Herbicide Metabolism and Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acid Production in Metolachlor-Resistant Palmer Amaranth ( S. Wats.).

A Palmer amaranth ( S. Wats.) biotype resistant to -metolachlor was confirmed from crop fields in Arkansas, USA.

The role of mindfulness training in sustaining weight reduction: retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Psychological stress has an established bi-directional relationship with obesity. Mindfulness techniques reduce stress and improve eating behaviours, but their long-term impact remains untested. CALMPOD (Compassionate Approach to Living Mindfully for Prevention of Disease) is a psychoeducational mindfulness-based course evidenced to improve eating patterns across a 6-month period, possibly by reducing stress.

Herbicide spray drift from ground and aerial applications: Implications for potential pollinator foraging sources.

A field spray drift experiment using florpyrauxifen-benzyl was conducted to measure drift from commercial ground and aerial applications, evaluate soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] impacts, and compare to United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) drift models.

Cross-resistance of barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.] to aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides.

Managing emerged weeds that have evolved resistance to acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides is a challenging task. A dose-response experiment was conducted on barnyardgrass biotypes resistant (R) and susceptible (S) to three aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides cyhalofop-butyl (CyB), fenoxaprop-ethyl (FeE), and quizalofop-ethyl (QuE) along with investigations into the potential resistance mechanism of these biotypes. The tested R barnyardgrass biotypes had strong resistance to CyB and FeE (resistant/susceptible ratio: 7.

Evaluation of dicamba volatilization when mixed with glyphosate using imazethapyr as a tracer.

Expansion of dicamba-resistant crops increased the frequency of off-target movement issues, especially in the midsouthern United States. Six field trials were conducted over two growing seasons with the purpose to determine the contribution of volatilization and physical suspension of particles to the off-target movement of dicamba when applied with glyphosate and imazethapyr - a non-volatile herbicide used as a tracer for physical off-target movement. Applications included dicamba at 560 g ha, glyphosate at 1260 g ha, and imazethapyr at 105 g ha.

Large-scale evaluation of physical drift and volatility of 2,4-D choline in cotton: a four-year field study.

Background: Cotton with resistance to 2,4-d choline, glufosinate and glyphosate allows over-the-top use of these herbicides for postemergence weed control. Nontransgenic cotton is highly responsive to low rates of 2,4-d, causing concern among farmers when the herbicide is applied near the crop. Injury to nearby cotton following application of 2,4-d choline is sometimes blamed on volatilization of the herbicide.

Wastewater sequencing uncovers early, cryptic SARS-CoV-2 variant transmission.

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and evolve, detecting emerging variants early is critical for public health interventions. Inferring lineage prevalence by clinical testing is infeasible at scale, especially in areas with limited resources, participation, or testing/sequencing capacity, which can also introduce biases. SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in wastewater successfully tracks regional infection dynamics and provides less biased abundance estimates than clinical testing.

Utility of roller wiper applications of dicamba for Palmer amaranth control in soybean.

Background: The commercialization of dicamba-resistant soybean has resulted in increased concern for off-target movement of dicamba onto sensitive vegetation. To mitigate the off-target movement through physical drift, one might consider use of rope wicks and other wiper applicators. Although wiper-type application methods have been efficacious in pasture settings, the utility of dicamba using wiper applicators in agronomic crops is not available in scientific literature.

Absorption, translocation, and metabolism of florpyrauxifen-benzyl and cyhalofop-butyl in cyhalofop-butyl-resistant barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.].

Dose-response experiments were conducted to assess the sensitivity of one susceptible and three putative resistant (R1, R2, and R3) barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.

Non-target-site resistance mechanism of barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.] to florpyrauxifen-benzyl.

Background: Florpyrauxifen-benzyl (FPB) is an arylpicolinate herbicide (Group IV) for barnyardgrass control in rice. One susceptible (Sus) and three putative FPB-resistant (R1, R2, and R3) barnyardgrass biotypes were selected based on resistant/susceptible (R/S) ratios obtained from dose-response tests and used to investigate the potential resistance mechanisms.

Results: Based on visual control results, the R/S ratios of barnyardgrass biotypes R1, R2, and R3 were 60-, 33-, and 16-fold greater than the Sus standard, respectively.

Comparison of heat-inactivated and infectious SARS-CoV-2 across indoor surface materials shows comparable RT-qPCR viral signal intensity and persistence.

Environmental monitoring in public spaces can be used to identify surfaces contaminated by persons with COVID-19 and inform appropriate infection mitigation responses. Research groups have reported detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on surfaces days or weeks after the virus has been deposited, making it difficult to estimate when an infected individual may have shed virus onto a SARS-CoV-2 positive surface, which in turn complicates the process of establishing effective quarantine measures. In this study, we determined that reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) detection of viral RNA from heat-inactivated particles experiences minimal decay over seven days of monitoring on eight out of nine surfaces tested.

Two novel colorectal cancer risk loci in the region on chromosome 9q22.32.

Highly penetrant cancer syndromes account for less than 5% of all cases with familial colorectal cancer (CRC), and other genetic contribution explains the majority of the genetic contribution to CRC. A CRC susceptibility locus on chromosome 9q has been suggested. In this study, families where risk of CRC was linked to the region, were used to search for predisposing mutations in all genes in the region.

Clinical Relevance of Donor-Specific IgM Antibodies in HLA Incompatible Renal Transplantation: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against donor human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are monitored in the pre-and post-transplant period due to their established role in predicting rejection and renal allograft survival. However, the role of immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies (DSA) is not fully understood, especially in highly-sensitized patients undergoing direct transplantation. We designed this study to determine whether IgM DSA predicts rejection episodes and/or graft failure.

Effects of supplemented isoenergetic diets differing in cereal fiber and protein content on insulin sensitivity in overweight humans.

Background: Despite their beneficial effects on weight loss and blood lipids, high-protein (HP) diets have been shown to increase insulin resistance and diabetes risk, whereas high-cereal-fiber (HCF) diets have shown the opposite effects on these outcomes.

Objective: We compared the effects of isoenergetic HP and HCF diets and a diet with moderate increases in both cereal fibers and dietary protein (Mix diet) on insulin sensitivity, as measured by using euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps with infusion of [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose.

Design: We randomly assigned 111 overweight adults with features of the metabolic syndrome to 1 of 4 two-phased, 18-wk isoenergetic diets by group-matching.

Testosterone increases bone mineral density in female-to-male transsexuals: a case series of 15 subjects.

Objective: Testosterone therapy for osteoporosis has not been studied extensively in women because of its potential to cause virilization. Female-to-male transsexuals are genetic females who suffer from gender dysphoria and thus take supra-physiologic doses of testosterone to change from the female to male phenotype. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of testosterone treatment on the genetic female skeleton.