2019 results
World of the Right
- Radical Conservatism and Global Order
- Rita Abrahamsen, Jean-François Drolet, Michael C. Williams, Srdjan Vucetic, Karin Narita, Alexandra Gheciu
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- August 2024
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- 31 August 2024
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The contemporary radical Right is not merely a series of nationalist projects but a global phenomenon. This book shows how radical conservative thinkers have developed long-term counter-hegemonic strategies that challenge prevailing social and political orders both nationally and internationally. At the heart of this ideological project is a critique of liberal globalisation that seeks to mobilise transversal alliances against a common enemy: the 'New Class' of global managerial elites who are accused of undermining national sovereignty, traditional values, and cultures. 'World of the Right' argues that while the radical Right is far from a unified political movement, its calls for sovereignty, civilisational orders, and multipolarity enable complex, strategic convergences with illiberal states such as China and Russia, as well as states and people in the Global South. The potential consequences for the future of the liberal world order are profound and wide-ranging.
Electrophysiological correlates of inhibitory control in children: Relations with prenatal maternal risk factors and child psychopathology
- Xiaoye Xu, George A. Buzzell, Maureen E. Bowers, Lauren C. Shuffrey, Stephanie C. Leach, Marco McSweeney, Lydia Yoder, William P. Fifer, Michael M. Myers, Amy J. Elliott, Nathan A. Fox, Santiago Morales
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- Development and Psychopathology , First View
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- 24 April 2024, pp. 1-14
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Inhibitory control plays an important role in children’s cognitive and socioemotional development, including their psychopathology. It has been established that contextual factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and parents’ psychopathology are associated with children’s inhibitory control. However, the relations between the neural correlates of inhibitory control and contextual factors have been rarely examined in longitudinal studies. In the present study, we used both event-related potential (ERP) components and time-frequency measures of inhibitory control to evaluate the neural pathways between contextual factors, including prenatal SES and maternal psychopathology, and children’s behavioral and emotional problems in a large sample of children (N = 560; 51.75% females; Mage = 7.13 years; Rangeage = 4–11 years). Results showed that theta power, which was positively predicted by prenatal SES and was negatively related to children’s externalizing problems, mediated the longitudinal and negative relation between them. ERP amplitudes and latencies did not mediate the longitudinal association between prenatal risk factors (i.e., prenatal SES and maternal psychopathology) and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. Our findings increase our understanding of the neural pathways linking early risk factors to children’s psychopathology.
76 Lessons learned during implementation of OMOP common data model across multiple health systems
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- William Garneau, Benjamin Martin, Kelly Gebo, Paul Nagy, Johns Hopkins, Danielle Boyce, Michael Cook, Matthew Robinson
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 8 / Issue s1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 03 April 2024, p. 20
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Adoption of the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) common data model promises to transform large-scale observational health research. However, there are diverse challenges for operationalizing OMOP in terms of interoperability and technical skills among coordinating centers throughout the US. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A team from the Critical Path Institute (C-Path) collaborated with the informatics team members at Johns Hopkins to provide technical support to participating sites as part of the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) process linking existing concepts to OMOP concepts. Health systems met regularly via teleconference to review challenges and progress in ETL process. Sites were responsible for performing the local ETL process with assistance and securely provisioning de-identified data as part of the CURE ID program. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: More than twenty health systems participated in the CURE ID effort.Laboratory measures, basic demographics, disease diagnoses and problem list were more easily mapped to OMOP concepts by CURE ID partner institutions. Outcomes, social determinants of health, medical devices, and specific treatments were less easily characterized as part of the project. Concepts within the medical record presented very different technical challenges in terms of representation. There is a lack of standardization in OMOP implementation even among centers using the same electronic medical health record. Readiness to adopt OMOP varied across the institutions who participated. Health systems achieved variable level of coverage using OMOP medical concepts as part of the initiative. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Adoption of OMOP involves local stakeholder knowledge and implementation. Variable complexity of health concepts contributed to variable coverage. Documentation and support require extensive time and effort. Open-source software can be technically challenging. Interoperability of secure data systems presents unique problems.
Detection of occult thrombosis in individuals with Fontan circulation by cardiac MRI
- Samantha F. Curtis, Mariah Cicioni, Alexandria Mullikin, Jason Williams, J. Michael Campbell, Piers C. A. Barker, Andrew W. McCrary
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- Cardiology in the Young , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 March 2024, pp. 1-6
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Objective:
Identifying thrombus formation in Fontan circulation has been highly variable, with reports between 17 and 33%. Initially, thrombus detection was mainly done through echocardiograms. Delayed-enhancement cardiac MRI is emerging as a more effective imaging technique for thrombus identification. This study aims to determine the prevalence of occult cardiac thrombosis in patients undergoing clinically indicated cardiac MRI.
Methods:A retrospective chart review of children and adults in the Duke University Hospital Fontan registry who underwent delayed-enhancement cardiac MRI. Individuals were excluded if they never received a delayed-enhancement cardiac MRI or had insufficient data. Demographic characteristics, native heart anatomy, cardiac MRI measurements, and thromboembolic events were collected for all patients.
Results:In total, 119 unique individuals met inclusion criteria with a total of 171 scans. The median age at Fontan procedure was 3 (interquartile range 1, 4) years. The majority of patients had dominant systemic right ventricle. Cardiac function was relatively unchanged from the first cardiac MRI to the third cardiac MRI. While 36.4% had a thrombotic event by history, only 0.5% (1 patient) had an intracardiac thrombus detected by delayed-enhancement cardiac MRI.
Conclusions:Despite previous echocardiographic reports of high prevalence of occult thrombosis in patients with Fontan circulation, we found very low prevalence using delayed-enhancement cardiac MRI. As more individuals are reaching adulthood after requiring early Fontan procedures in childhood, further work is needed to develop thrombus-screening protocols as a part of anticoagulation management.
Social cognition and social motivation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: are impairments linked to the disorder or to being socially isolated?
- Michael F. Green, Jonathan K. Wynn, Naomi I. Eisenberger, William P. Horan, Junghee Lee, Amanda McCleery, David J. Miklowitz, Eric A. Reavis, L. Felice Reddy
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- Psychological Medicine , First View
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- 05 February 2024, pp. 1-9
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Background
People with schizophrenia on average are more socially isolated, lonelier, have more social cognitive impairment, and are less socially motivated than healthy individuals. People with bipolar disorder also have social isolation, though typically less than that seen in schizophrenia. We aimed to disentangle whether the social cognitive and social motivation impairments observed in schizophrenia are a specific feature of the clinical condition v. social isolation generally.
MethodsWe compared four groups (clinically stable patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, individuals drawn from the community with self-described social isolation, and a socially connected community control group) on loneliness, social cognition, and approach and avoidance social motivation.
ResultsIndividuals with schizophrenia (n = 72) showed intermediate levels of social isolation, loneliness, and social approach motivation between the isolated (n = 96) and connected control (n = 55) groups. However, they showed significant deficits in social cognition compared to both community groups. Individuals with bipolar disorder (n = 48) were intermediate between isolated and control groups for loneliness and social approach. They did not show deficits on social cognition tasks. Both clinical groups had higher social avoidance than both community groups
ConclusionsThe results suggest that social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, and high social avoidance motivation in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are distinct features of the clinical conditions and not byproducts of social isolation. In contrast, differences between clinical and control groups on levels of loneliness and social approach motivation were congruent with the groups' degree of social isolation.
Assessing social cognition in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls using the reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET): a systematic review and meta-regression
- Fei Deng, Marlys A. Bueber, Yourong Cao, Jeff Tang, Xinyu Bai, Young Cho, Jiwon Lee, Zhuozhi Lin, Qi Yang, Matcheri S. Keshavan, William S. Stone, Min Qian, Lawrence H. Yang, Michael R. Phillips
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 54 / Issue 5 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 January 2024, pp. 847-873
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The reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) – which assesses the theory of mind component of social cognition – is often used to compare social cognition between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. There is, however, no systematic review integrating the results of these studies. We identified 198 studies published before July 2020 that administered RMET to patients with schizophrenia or healthy controls from three English-language and two Chinese-language databases. These studies included 41 separate samples of patients with schizophrenia (total n = 1836) and 197 separate samples of healthy controls (total n = 23 675). The pooled RMET score was 19.76 (95% CI 18.91–20.60) in patients and 25.53 (95% CI 25.19–25.87) in controls (z = 12.41, p < 0.001). After excluding small-sample outlier studies, this difference in RMET performance was greater in studies using non-English v. English versions of RMET (Chi [Q] = 8.54, p < 0.001). Meta-regression analyses found a negative association of age with RMET score and a positive association of years of schooling with RMET score in both patients and controls. A secondary meta-analysis using a spline construction of 180 healthy control samples identified a non-monotonic relationship between age and RMET score – RMET scores increased with age before 31 and decreased with age after 31. These results indicate that patients with schizophrenia have substantial deficits in theory of mind compared with healthy controls, supporting the construct validity of RMET as a measure of social cognition. The different results for English versus non-English versions of RMET and the non-monotonic relationship between age and RMET score highlight the importance of the language of administration of RMET and the possibility that the relationship of aging with theory of mind is different from the relationship of aging with other types of cognitive functioning.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months of children diagnosed with CHD compared to children born very preterm
- Samantha D. Roberts, Renee Sananes, Magdalena Wojtowicz, Michael Seed, Steven P. Miller, Vann Chau, Stephanie H. Au-Young, Ting Guo, Linh Ly, Vanna Kazazian, Ruth E. Grunau, Tricia S. Williams
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- Cardiology in the Young , First View
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- 02 January 2024, pp. 1-7
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Children with CHD or born very preterm are at risk for brain dysmaturation and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Yet, studies have primarily investigated neurodevelopmental outcomes of these groups separately.
Objective:To compare neurodevelopmental outcomes and parent behaviour ratings of children born term with CHD to children born very preterm.
Methods:A clinical research sample of 181 children (CHD [n = 81]; very preterm [≤32 weeks; n = 100]) was assessed at 18 months.
Results:Children with CHD and born very preterm did not differ on Bayley-III cognitive, language, or motor composite scores, or on expressive or receptive language, or on fine motor scaled scores. Children with CHD had lower ross motor scaled scores compared to children born very preterm (p = 0.047). More children with CHD had impaired scores (<70 SS) on language composite (17%), expressive language (16%), and gross motor (14%) indices compared to children born very preterm (6%; 7%; 3%; ps < 0.05). No group differences were found on behaviours rated by parents on the Child Behaviour Checklist (1.5–5 years) or the proportion of children with scores above the clinical cutoff. English as a first language was associated with higher cognitive (p = 0.004) and language composite scores (p < 0.001). Lower median household income and English as a second language were associated with higher total behaviour problems (ps < 0.05).
Conclusions:Children with CHD were more likely to display language and motor impairment compared to children born very preterm at 18 months. Outcomes were associated with language spoken in the home and household income.
Pyroxene weathering to smectite: Conventional and cryo-field emission scanning electron microscopy, Koua Bocca ultramafic complex, Ivory Coast
- Michael A. Velbel, William W. Barker
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- Clays and Clay Minerals / Volume 56 / Issue 1 / February 2008
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, pp. 112-127
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Air-dried and high-pressure frozen/freeze-etched samples of clinopyroxene and smectite in a saprolitized clinopyroxenite from Koua Bocca, Ivory Coast, West Africa, were compared to characterize textures developed during natural weathering of chain silicates. Comparison with air-dried material allowed evaluation of high-pressure cryofixation as a technique for preserving textures of hydrated clay minerals. Air-dried pyroxene surfaces appear very smooth. Small, flat lamellae, oriented parallel to the c axis, lend a distinct splintery appearance to pyroxene surfaces in fully hydrated samples. These lamellae often display a combination of straight (110) pyroxene edges and a crinkled border, suggestive of smectite. Narrow lenticular (110) open cleavages occur in both preparations and are not a pressurization artifact. Most often these openings contain no secondary minerals. Spaces between pyroxene denticles, lined with collapsed smectite in air-dried samples, are filled with thin packets of anhedral smectite crystallites oriented face to face when hydrated. Smectite microboxwork preserves original topotactic textures developed during isovolumetric pyroxene transformation, and smaller nanoporosity appears in hydrated cryofixed examples. Occasional regions of edge-to-face ‘house of cards’ texture also occur. Elimination of sample preparation artifacts induced by surface tension during air drying demonstrates that pores actually present during a hydration reaction-driven weathering episode are smaller and more numerous than would be inferred from examining air-dried materials.
Castor Toxin Adsorption to Clay Minerals
- William F. Jaynes, Richard E. Zartman, Cary J. Green, Michael J. San Francisco, John C. Zak
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- Clays and Clay Minerals / Volume 53 / Issue 3 / June 2005
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, pp. 268-277
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The extremely toxic protein, ricin, is derived from castor beans and is a potential terrorist weapon. Adsorption to clays might minimize the environmental persistence and toxic effects of this toxin. Ricin adsorption to clay minerals was measured using batch adsorption isotherms. Enzyme-linked immunoassay methods were used to quantify aqueous ricin concentrations. Montmorillonite, sepiolite and palygorskite effectively adsorbed ricin from aqueous solutions and yielded mostly Langmuir-type isotherms. The monolayer adsorption capacity from a Langmuir equation fit at pH 7 was 444 g ricin/kg for montmorillonite (SWy-2), but was only 5.6 g ricin/kg for kaolinite (KGa-1b). Monolayer capacities for sepiolite (SepSp-1) and palygorskite (PFl-1) at pH 7 were 59.2 and 58.1 g ricin/kg. The high-charge montmorillonite (SAz-1) effectively adsorbed ricin at pH 7, but yielded a linear isotherm with K = 5530 L/kg. At pH 5, both montmorillonites (SWy-2 and SAz-1) yielded Langmuir-type isotherms with monolayer capacities of 694 and 641 g ricin/kg. Clay samples with higher cation exchange capacities generally adsorbed more ricin, but adsorption also followed specific surface area. X-ray diffraction of <2 μm SWy-2 treated with 470 g ricin/kg indicated expansion up to 34.6 Å at buffered pHs of 4 and 7, but not at pH 10. Furthermore, ricin adsorption was greatest at pH 4 and 7, but minimal at pH 10. Treatment with 1.41 kg of purified ricin/kg clay at pH 5 yielded a 35.3 Å peak and adsorption of ~1.2 kg ricin/kg. Similar treatment with lower-purity ricin yielded less expansion and lower adsorption. The 35.3 Å peak interpreted either as a d002 or d001 reflection indicates a 70.6 Å or a 35.3 Å ricin/SWy-2 complex. This implies that adsorption and air drying have compressed interlayer ricin molecules by 18 to 65%. Effective ricin adsorption by montmorillonite suggests that it could be used to minimize the toxic effects of dispersed ricin.
Calcined Palygorskites as Supplementary Cementitious Materials
- Victor Poussardin, Valentin Roux, William Wilson, Michael Paris, Arezki Tagnit-Hamou, Dimitri Deneele
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- Clays and Clay Minerals / Volume 70 / Issue 6 / December 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, pp. 903-915
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Reducing the environmental footprint of cement is an absolute necessity to meet the commitments of COP26 and to limit global warming to + 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial level. In this context, particular interest has developed in recent years in the use of calcined clays as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Due to their high reactivity, large reserves and homogeneous distribution on the earth's surface, calcined clays represent a viable alternative to conventional SCMs. Clay minerals are highly variable and numerous, each with their own characteristics. As a result, not all of them have potential for use as SCMs. The present paper investigated the use of palygorskite (a clay that has been relatively poorly studied) as an SCM. Two commercial palygorskites of different grades were selected and their calcination was studied by X-ray diffraction and pozzolanic activity tests. Blended cements incorporating 20% of each calcined palygorskite were prepared and the mechanical performance and resistivity of the mortars measured. The results show that the optimum calcination temperature is 800°C (allowing complete amorphization of the clay fraction and the highest pozzolanic reactivity) for both clays. Mortars made with 80% ordinary Portland cement (OPC) blended with 20% of 800°C calcined palygorskite allowed a significant increase in compressive strength and electrical resistivity compared to the reference (100% OPC). The clay sample with palygorskite as the dominant mineral exhibited the greatest pozzolanic reactivity and mechanical performance in cementitious systems, confirming that palygorskite is a clay mineral with a significant potential for a use as a SCM. The second sample with smaller palygorskite content also allowed a significant increase in mechanical performance. This demonstrated that it is not necessary to use high-purity samples and enhances the value of this type of material.
91 Agent Orange Exposure and Mild Cognitive Impairment in U.S. Vietnam Era Veterans
- Rosemary Toomey, Carol E Franz, Jeremy A Elman, Ruth E McKenzie, William S Kremen, Michael J Lyons
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 392-393
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Objective:
US forces used Agent Orange (AO) during the Vietnam War and continued to store/test it at other locations after the war. AO is a powerful herbicide including dioxin, a highly toxic ingredient classified as a human carcinogen. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine periodically review the literature on the health effects of AO exposure (AOE) and concluded in 2018 that there is sufficient evidence linking AO with a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including neurologic disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease). The VA has a list of medical disorders considered presumptive conditions related to AOE. More recently, AOE has been linked to a nearly double risk compared to those without AOE for receiving a dementia diagnosis. To our knowledge, no one has investigated the association of AOE to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition thought to precede dementia.
Participants and Methods:We examined men in three waves of the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). In wave 3, participants self-reported yes/no to the question of whether they ever had prolonged or serious AOE. MCI was diagnosed by the Jak-Bondi approach. Impairment was defined as 2+ tests within a cognitive domain that were more than 1.5 standard deviations below normative means after adjusting for premorbid cognitive ability. In mixed effects models, we tested the effect of AOE on MCI status. Models were adjusted for age, ethnicity, and non-independence within twin pairs.
Results:In wave 3, 12.6% (230) of 1167 participants reported AOE. Those with AOE data had mean ages of 51.1 (wave 1), 56.0 (wave 2), and 61.4 (wave 3). Those with data on both AOE and MCI numbered 861 (wave 1), 900 (wave 2), 1121 (wave 3), and 766 had AOE and MCI at all waves. AOE was significantly related to wave 2 MCI (p < .001), but not to waves 1 and 3 MCI. AOE was significantly associated with the number of time points at which someone met criteria for MCI (p = .011). Analyses were conducted on six cognitive domains used to diagnose MCI, using available participants per wave. At all 3 waves, AOE was significantly associated with lower scores in processing speed (p = .003, p = .004, p = .005, respectively), working memory (p < .001, p = .002, p = .008) and nearly significant at all waves for executive dysfunction (p < .001, p < .001, p = .050). There were two other significant associations [wave 2 memory (p = .038), wave 3 fluency (p = .024)]. The semantic fluency cognitive domain was unrelated to AOE in all waves.
Conclusions:AOE was consistently associated with lower processing speed, working memory, and executive dysfunction in males ages 51-61. It was also associated with the number of time points at which one met criteria for MCI in that age range, and with MCI in the mid-fifties. Findings support the idea of a risk for greater cognitive decline in those exposed to AO earlier in their lives, and with a risk for developing MCI.
5 LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) Modifiable Factors Risk Score and Concussion History Associations with Cognition in Older Former National Football League Players.
- Benjamin L Brett, Neelum T Aggarwal, Avinash Chandran, Zachary Y Kerr, Samuel R Walton, J.D. DeFreese, Kevin M Guskiewicz, Ruben J Echemendia, William P Meehan III, Michael A McCrea, Rebekah Mannix
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 305-306
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Objective:
Traumatic brain injury is one of several recognized risk factors for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease. Currently, risk scores involving modifiable risk/protective factors for dementia have not incorporated head injury history as part of their overall weighted risk calculation. We investigated the association between the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) risk score with odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis and cognitive function in older former National Football League (NFL) players, both with and without the influence of concussion history.
Participants and Methods:Former NFL players, ages ≥ 50 (N=1050; mean age=61.1±5.4-years), completed a general health survey including self-reported medical history and ratings of function across several domains. LIBRA factors (weighted value) included cardiovascular disease (+1.0), hypertension (+1.6), hyperlipidemia (+1.4), diabetes (+1.3), kidney disease (+1.1), cigarette use history (+1.5), obesity (+1.6), depression (+2.1), social/cognitive activity (-3.2), physical inactivity (+1.1), low/moderate alcohol use (-1.0), healthy diet (-1.7). Within Group 1 (n=761), logistic regression models assessed the association of LIBRA scores and independent contribution of concussion history with the odds of MCI diagnosis. A modified-LIBRA score incorporated concussion history at the level planned contrasts showed significant associations across concussion history groups (0, 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, 10+). The weighted value for concussion history (+1.9) within the modified-LIBRA score was based on its proportional contribution to dementia relative to other LIBRA risk factors, as proposed by the 2020 Lancet Commission Report on Dementia Prevention. Associations of the modified-LIBRA score with odds of MCI and cognitive function were assessed via logistic and linear regression, respectively, in a subset of the sample (Group 2; n=289) who also completed the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT). Race was included as a covariate in all models.
Results:The median LIBRA score in the Group 1 was 1.6(IQR= -1, 3.6). Standard and modified-LIBRA median scores were 1.1(IQR= -1.3, 3.3) and 2(IQR= -0.4, 4.6), respectively, within Group 2. In Group 1, LIBRA score was significantly associated with odds of MCI diagnosis (odds ratio[95% confidence interval]=1.27[1.19, 1.28], p <.001). Concussion history provided additional information beyond LIBRA scores and was independently associated with odds of MCI; specifically, odds of MCI were higher among those with 6-9 (Odds Ratio[95% confidence interval]; OR=2.54[1.21, 5.32], p<.001), and 10+ (OR=4.55;[2.21, 9.36], p<.001) concussions, compared with those with no prior concussions. Within Group 2, the modified-LIBRA score was associated with higher odds of MCI (OR=1.61[1.15, 2.25]), and incrementally improved model information (0.04 increase in Nagelkerke R2) above standard LIBRA scores in the same model. Modified-LIBRA scores were inversely associated with BTACT Executive Function (B=-0.53[0.08], p=.002) and Episodic Memory scores (B=-0.53[0.08], p=.002).
Conclusions:Numerous modifiable risk/protective factors for dementia are reported in former professional football players, but incorporating concussion history may aid the multifactorial appraisal of cognitive decline risk and identification of areas for prevention and intervention. Integration of multi-modal biomarkers will advance this person-centered, holistic approach toward dementia reduction, detection, and intervention.
2 The Longitudinal Relationship Between Concussion History, Years of Football Participation, and Alcohol Use Among Former National Football League (NFL) Players: an NFL-LONG Study
- Brittany Lang, Zachary Yukio Kerr, Samuel R Walton, Avinash Chandran, Rebekah Mannix, Landon B Lempke, J D DeFreese, Ruben J Echemendia, Kevin M Guskiewicz, William P Meehan, Michael A McCrea, Benjamin L Brett
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 114-115
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Objective:
It has been posited that alcohol use may confound the association between greater concussion history and poorer neurobehavioral functioning. However, while greater alcohol use is positively correlated with neurobehavioral difficulties, the association between alcohol use and concussion history is not well understood. Therefore, this study investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between cumulative concussion history, years of contact sport participation, and health-related/psychological factors with alcohol use in former professional football players across multiple decades.
Participants and Methods:Former professional American football players completed general health questionnaires in 2001 and 2019, including demographic information, football history, concussion/medical history, and health-related/psychological functioning. Alcohol use frequency and amount was reported for three timepoints: during professional career (collected retrospectively in 2001), 2001, and 2019. During professional career and 2001 alcohol use frequency included none, 1-2, 3-4, 5-7 days/week, while amount included none, 12, 3-5, 6-7, 8+ drinks/occasion. For 2019, frequency included never, monthly or less, 2-4 times/month, 2-3 times/week, >4 times/week, while amount included none, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, 10+ drinks/occasion. Scores on a screening measure for Alcohol Use Disorder (CAGE) were also available at during professional career and 2001 timepoints. Concussion history was recorded in 2001 and binned into five groups: 0, 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, 10+. Depression and pain interference were assessed via PROMIS measures at all timepoints. Sleep disturbance was assessed in 2001 via separate instrument and with PROMIS Sleep Disturbance in 2019. Spearman’s rho correlations tested associations between concussion history and years of sport participation with alcohol use across timepoints, and whether poor health functioning (depression, pain interference, sleep disturbance) in 2001 and 2019 were associated with alcohol use both within and between timepoints.
Results:Among the 351 participants (Mage=47.86[SD=10.18] in 2001), there were no significant associations between concussion history or years of contact sport participation with CAGE scores or alcohol use frequency/amount during professional career, 2001, or 2019 (rhos=-.072-.067, ps>.05). In 2001, greater depressive symptomology and sleep disturbance were related to higher CAGE scores (rho=.209, p<.001; rho=.176, p<.001, respectively), while greater depressive symptomology, pain interference, and sleep disturbance were related to higher alcohol use frequency (rho=.176, p=.002; rho=.109, p=.045; rho=.132, p=.013, respectively) and amount/occasion (rho=.215, p<.001; rho=.127, p=.020; rho=.153, p=.004, respectively). In 2019, depressive symptomology, pain interference, and sleep disturbance were not related to alcohol use (rhos=-.047-.087, ps>.05). Between timepoints, more sleep disturbance in 2001 was associated with higher alcohol amount/occasion in 2019 (rho=.115, p=.036).
Conclusions:Increased alcohol intake has been theorized to be a consequence of greater concussion history, and as such, thought to confound associations between concussion history and neurobehavioral function later in life. Our findings indicate concussion history and years of contact sport participation were not significantly associated with alcohol use cross-sectionally or longitudinally, regardless of alcohol use characterization. While higher levels of depression, pain interference, and sleep disturbance in 2001 were related to greater alcohol use in 2001, they were not associated cross-sectionally in 2019. Results support the need to concurrently address health-related and psychological factors in the implementation of alcohol use interventions for former NFL players, particularly earlier in the sport discontinuation timeline.
Response of cotton at different growth stages to imazapyr
- Michael W. Marshall, Mitchell B. Williams, Michael A. Jones
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- Weed Technology / Volume 38 / 2024
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- 21 December 2023, e15
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A significant proportion of the forested production area in South Carolina is managed using aerial applications of imazapyr. Cotton injury from off-target movement of imazapyr has been observed in South Carolina. Field experiments were conducted twice at the Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC) in 2021 and 2022, and once at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center (PDREC) in 2022, to evaluate the response of cotton at two growth stages to imazapyr at 0.1×, 0.05×, 0.025×, 0.0125×, and 0.00625× of the normal use rate of 0.84 kg ae ha−1. Injury to cotton at the vegetative stage was 86% and 74% at 0.1× and 0.05× imazapyr rates 28 d after application (DAA). Cotton height ranged from 23 to 93 cm at all three locations. Yield at the EREC location in 2021 was reduced by 79%, 48%, and 31% at the 0.1×, 0.05×, and 0.025× rates of imazapyr, respectively. Similar reductions from imazapyr were observed at both EREC and PDREC in 2022. Injury to cotton at the reproductive stage based on visual estimates at 28 DAA ranged from 95% to 64% for the 0.1× to 0.0125× rates, respectively. Cotton height at the reproductive stage was reduced to 59% of the untreated control 28 DAA when the 0.1× rate of imazapyr was applied. Seed cotton (which included both seed and lint) yield ranged from 0 to 2,880 kg ha−1 at the three locations in both years. Seed cotton yield was lowest when imazapyr was applied at the 0.1× to 0.025× rates. Cotton exposure to imazapyr at the vegetative and reproductive growth stages resulted in plant injury, height, and yield reductions, especially at the higher rates of imazapyr. The greatest reduction in cotton growth and yield was observed after exposure at the reproductive growth stage regardless of imazapyr rate. In summary, the magnitude of cotton response to imazapyr depends on crop growth stage and imazapyr concentration at the time of exposure with the greatest impact occurring at the reproductive growth stage.
4 Risk Factor and Biomarker Correlates of FLAIR White Matter Hyperintensities in Former American Football Players
- Monica T Ly, Fatima Tuz-Zahra, Yorghos Tripodis, Charles H Adler, Laura J Balcer, Charles Bernick, Elaine Peskind, Megan L Mariani, Rhoda Au, Sarah J Banks, William B Barr, Jennifer V Wethe, Mark W Bondi, Lisa Delano-Wood, Robert C Cantu, Michael J Coleman, David W Dodick, Michael D McClean, Jesse Mez, Joseph N Palmisano, Brett Martin, Kaitlin Hartlage, Alexander P Lin, Inga K Koerte, Jeffrey L Cummings, Eric M Reiman, Martha E Shenton, Robert A Stern, Sylvain Bouix, Michael L Alosco
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 608-610
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Objective:
White matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden is greater, has a frontal-temporal distribution, and is associated with proxies of exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) in former American football players. These findings suggest that in the context of RHI, WMH might have unique etiologies that extend beyond those of vascular risk factors and normal aging processes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlates of WMH in former elite American football players. We examined markers of amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration, inflammation, axonal injury, and vascular health and their relationships to WMH. A group of age-matched asymptomatic men without a history of RHI was included to determine the specificity of the relationships observed in the former football players.
Participants and Methods:240 male participants aged 45-74 (60 unexposed asymptomatic men, 60 male former college football players, 120 male former professional football players) underwent semi-structured clinical interviews, magnetic resonance imaging (structural T1, T2 FLAIR, and diffusion tensor imaging), and lumbar puncture to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers as part of the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project. Total WMH lesion volumes (TLV) were estimated using the Lesion Prediction Algorithm from the Lesion Segmentation Toolbox. Structural equation modeling, using Full-Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) to account for missing values, examined the associations between log-TLV and the following variables: total cortical thickness, whole-brain average fractional anisotropy (FA), CSF amyloid ß42, CSF p-tau181, CSF sTREM2 (a marker of microglial activation), CSF neurofilament light (NfL), and the modified Framingham stroke risk profile (rFSRP). Covariates included age, race, education, APOE z4 carrier status, and evaluation site. Bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals assessed statistical significance. Models were performed separately for football players (college and professional players pooled; n=180) and the unexposed men (n=60). Due to differences in sample size, estimates were compared and were considered different if the percent change in the estimates exceeded 10%.
Results:In the former football players (mean age=57.2, 34% Black, 29% APOE e4 carrier), reduced cortical thickness (B=-0.25, 95% CI [0.45, -0.08]), lower average FA (B=-0.27, 95% CI [-0.41, -.12]), higher p-tau181 (B=0.17, 95% CI [0.02, 0.43]), and higher rFSRP score (B=0.27, 95% CI [0.08, 0.42]) were associated with greater log-TLV. Compared to the unexposed men, substantial differences in estimates were observed for rFSRP (Bcontrol=0.02, Bfootball=0.27, 994% difference), average FA (Bcontrol=-0.03, Bfootball=-0.27, 802% difference), and p-tau181 (Bcontrol=-0.31, Bfootball=0.17, -155% difference). In the former football players, rFSRP showed a stronger positive association and average FA showed a stronger negative association with WMH compared to unexposed men. The effect of WMH on cortical thickness was similar between the two groups (Bcontrol=-0.27, Bfootball=-0.25, 7% difference).
Conclusions:These results suggest that the risk factor and biological correlates of WMH differ between former American football players and asymptomatic individuals unexposed to RHI. In addition to vascular risk factors, white matter integrity on DTI showed a stronger relationship with WMH burden in the former football players. FLAIR WMH serves as a promising measure to further investigate the late multifactorial pathologies of RHI.
2 Contributions of Cardiovascular Disease Burden and Concussion History on Cognitive Function in Older Former National Football League Players.
- Benjamin L Brett, Alyssa Leitzke, Zachary Y Kerr, Neelum T Aggarwal, Avinash Chandran, Samuel R Walton, Rebekah Mannix, Landon B Lempke, J.D. DeFreese, Ruben J Echemendia, Kevin M Guskiewicz, William P Meehan III, Michael A McCrea
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 302-303
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Objective:
Traumatic brain injury and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. Greater concussion history can potentially increase risk for cerebrovascular changes associated with cognitive decline and may compound effects of CVD. We investigated the independent and dynamic effects of CVD/risk factor burden and concussion history on cognitive function and odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnoses in older former National Football League (NFL) players.
Participants and Methods:Former NFL players, ages 50-70 (N=289; mean age=61.02±5.33 years), reported medical history and completed the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT). CVD/risk factor burden was characterized as ordinal (0-3+) based on the sum of the following conditions: coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, type-I and II diabetes. Cognitive outcomes included BTACT Executive Function and Episodic Memory Composite Z-scores (standardized on age- and education-based normative data), and the presence of physician diagnosed (self-reported) MCI. Concussion history was discretized into five groups: 0, 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, 10+. Linear and logistic regression models were fit to test independent and joint effects of concussion history and CVD burden on cognitive outcomes and odds of MCI. Race (dichotomized as White and Non-white due to sample distribution) was included in models as a covariate.
Results:Greater CVD burden (unstandardized beta [standard error]; B=-0.10[0.42], p=.013, and race (B=0.622[0.09], p<.001), were associated with lower executive functioning. Compared to those with 0 prior concussions, no significant differences were observed for those with 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, or 10+ prior concussions (ps >.05). Race (B=0.61[.13], p<.001), but not concussion history or CVD burden, was associated with episodic memory. There was a trend for lower episodic memory scores among those with 10+ prior concussion compared to those with no prior concussions (B=-0.49[.25], p=.052). There were no significant differences in episodic memory among those with 1-2, 3-5, or 6-9 prior concussions compared to those with 0 prior concussions (ps>.05). CVD burden (B=0.35[.13], p=.008), race (greater odds in Non-white group; B=0.82[.29], p=.005), and greater concussion history (higher odds of diagnosis in 10+ group compared to those with 0 prior concussions; B=2.19[0.78], p<.005) were associated with higher odds of MCI diagnosis. Significant interaction effects between concussion history and CVD burden were not observed for any outcome (ps >.05).
Conclusions:Lower executive functioning and higher odds of MCI diagnosis were associated with higher CVD burden and race. Very high concussion history (10+) was selectively associated with higher odds of MCI diagnosis. Reduction of these modifiable factors may mitigate adverse outcomes in older contact sport athletes. In former athletes, consideration of CVD burden is particularly pertinent when assessing executive dysfunction, considered to be a common cognitive feature of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, as designated by the recent diagnostic criteria. Further research should investigate the social and structural determinants contributing to racial disparities in long-term health outcomes within former NFL players.
57 Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion in Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia Spectrum Diagnoses
- Jessica Bove, Marguerite Knudtson, Michelle You, Michael L Alosco, Jesse Mez, Bruce L Miller, Howie J Rosen, Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini, William W Seeley, Joel H Kramer, Russell M Bauer, Breton M Asken
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 568-569
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Objective:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion are associated with increased dementia risk. Accurate TBI/concussion exposure estimates are relatively unknown for less common neurodegenerative conditions like frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We evaluated lifetime TBI and concussion frequency in patients diagnosed with a range of FTD spectrum conditions and related prior head trauma to cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) characteristics observable on MRI.
Participants and Methods:We administered the Ohio State University TBI Identification and Boston University Head Impact Exposure Assessment to 108 patients (age 69.5 ± 8.0, 35% female, 93% white or unknown race) diagnosed at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center with one of the following FTD or related conditions: behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (N=39), semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (N=16), nonfluent variant PPA (N=23), corticobasal syndrome (N=14), or progressive supranuclear palsy (N=16). Data were also obtained from 217 controls (“HC”; age 76.8 ± 8.0, 53% female, 91% white or unknown race). CSP characteristics were defined based on width or “grade” (0-1 vs. 2+) and length of anterior-posterior separation (millimeters). We first describe frequency of any and multiple (2+) prior TBI based on different but commonly used definitions: TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC), TBI with LOC or posttraumatic amnesia (LOC/PTA), TBI with LOC/PTA or other symptoms like dizziness, nausea, “seeing stars,” etc. (“concussion”). TBI/concussion frequency was then compared between FTD and HC using chi-square. Associations between TBI/concussion and CSP characteristics were analyzed with chi-square (CSP grade) and Mann-Whitney U tests (CSP length). We explored sex differences due to typically higher rates of TBI among males.
Results:History of any TBI with LOC (FTD=20.0%, HC=19.2%), TBI with LOC/PTA (FTD:32.2%, HC=31.5%), and concussion (FTD: 50.0%, HC=44.3%) was common but not different between study groups (p’s>.4). In both FTD and HC, prior TBI/concussion was nominally more frequent in males but not significantly greater than females. Frequency of repeat TBI/concussion (2+) also did not differ significantly between FTD and HC (repeat TBI with LOC: 6.7% vs. 3.3%, TBI with LOC/PTA: 12.2% vs. 10.3%, concussion: 30.2% vs. 28.7%; p’s>.2). Prior TBI/concussion was not significantly related to CSP grade or length in the total sample or within the FTD or HC groups.
Conclusions:TBI/concussion rates depend heavily on the symptom definition used for classifying prior injury. Lifetime symptomatic TBI/concussion is common but has an unclear impact on risk for FTD-related diagnoses. Larger samples are needed to appropriately evaluate sex differences, to evaluate whether TBI/concussion rates differ between specific FTD phenotypes, and to understand the rates and effects of more extensive repetitive head trauma (symptomatic and asymptomatic) in patients with FTD.
They’re Still There, He’s All Gone: American Fatalities in Foreign Wars and Right-Wing Radicalization at Home
- RICHARD J. MCALEXANDER, MICHAEL A. RUBIN, ROB WILLIAMS
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- American Political Science Review , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 October 2023, pp. 1-7
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What explains right-wing radicalization in the United States? Existing research emphasizes demographic changes, economic insecurity, and elite polarization. This paper highlights an additional factor: the impact of foreign wars on society at home. We argue communities that bear the greatest costs of foreign wars are prone to higher rates of right-wing radicalization. To support this claim, we present robust correlations between activity on Parler, a predominantly right-wing social media platform, and fatalities among residents who served in U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, at both the county and census tract level. The findings contribute to understanding right-wing radicalization in the US in two key respects. First, it examines widespread, nonviolent radical-right activity that, because it is less provocative than protest and violence, has eluded systematic measurement. Second, it highlights that U.S. foreign wars have important implications for domestic politics beyond partisanship and voting, to potentially include radicalization.
Radiofrequency ice dielectric measurements at Summit Station, Greenland
- Juan Antonio Aguilar, Patrick Allison, Dave Besson, Abby Bishop, Olga Botner, Sjoerd Bouma, Stijn Buitink, Maddalena Cataldo, Brian A. Clark, Kenny Couberly, Zach Curtis-Ginsberg, Paramita Dasgupta, Simon de Kockere, Krijn D. de Vries, Cosmin Deaconu, Michael A. DuVernois, Anna Eimer, Christian Glaser, Allan Hallgren, Steffen Hallmann, Jordan Christian Hanson, Bryan Hendricks, Jakob Henrichs, Nils Heyer, Christian Hornhuber, Kaeli Hughes, Timo Karg, Albrecht Karle, John L. Kelley, Michael Korntheuer, Marek Kowalski, Ilya Kravchenko, Ryan Krebs, Robert Lahmann, Uzair Latif, Joseph Mammo, Matthew J. Marsee, Zachary S. Meyers, Kelli Michaels, Katharine Mulrey, Marco Muzio, Anna Nelles, Alexander Novikov, Alisa Nozdrina, Eric Oberla, Bob Oeyen, Ilse Plaisier, Noppadol Punsuebsay, Lilly Pyras, Dirk Ryckbosch, Olaf Scholten, David Seckel, Mohammad Ful Hossain Seikh, Daniel Smith, Jethro Stoffels, Daniel Southall, Karen Terveer, Simona Toscano, Delia Tosi, Dieder J. Van Den Broeck, Nick van Eijndhoven, Abigail G. Vieregg, Janna Z. Vischer, Christoph Welling, Dawn R. Williams, Stephanie Wissel, Robert Young, Adrian Zink
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- Journal of Glaciology , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 October 2023, pp. 1-12
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We recently reported on the radio-frequency attenuation length of cold polar ice at Summit Station, Greenland, based on bi-static radar measurements of radio-frequency bedrock echo strengths taken during the summer of 2021. Those data also allow studies of (a) the relative contributions of coherent (such as discrete internal conducting layers with sub-centimeter transverse scale) vs incoherent (e.g. bulk volumetric) scattering, (b) the magnitude of internal layer reflection coefficients, (c) limits on signal propagation velocity asymmetries (‘birefringence’) and (d) limits on signal dispersion in-ice over a bandwidth of ~100 MHz. We find that (1) attenuation lengths approach 1 km in our band, (2) after averaging 10 000 echo triggers, reflected signals observable over the thermal floor (to depths of ~1500 m) are consistent with being entirely coherent, (3) internal layer reflectivities are ≈–60$\to$–70 dB, (4) birefringent effects for vertically propagating signals are smaller by an order of magnitude relative to South Pole and (5) within our experimental limits, glacial ice is non-dispersive over the frequency band relevant for neutrino detection experiments.
Agricultural Research Service Weed Science Research: Past, Present, and Future
- Stephen L. Young, James V. Anderson, Scott R. Baerson, Joanna Bajsa-Hirschel, Dana M. Blumenthal, Chad S. Boyd, Clyde D. Boyette, Eric B. Brennan, Charles L. Cantrell, Wun S. Chao, Joanne C. Chee-Sanford, Charlie D. Clements, F. Allen Dray, Stephen O. Duke, Kayla M. Eason, Reginald S. Fletcher, Michael R. Fulcher, John F. Gaskin, Brenda J. Grewell, Erik P. Hamerlynck, Robert E. Hoagland, David P. Horvath, Eugene P. Law, John D. Madsen, Daniel E. Martin, Clint Mattox, Steven B. Mirsky, William T. Molin, Patrick J. Moran, Rebecca C. Mueller, Vijay K. Nandula, Beth A. Newingham, Zhiqiang Pan, Lauren M. Porensky, Paul D. Pratt, Andrew J. Price, Brian G. Rector, Krishna N. Reddy, Roger L. Sheley, Lincoln Smith, Melissa C. Smith, Keirith A. Snyder, Matthew A. Tancos, Natalie M. West, Gregory S. Wheeler, Martin M. Williams, Julie Wolf, Carissa L. Wonkka, Alice A. Wright, Jing Xi, Lew H. Ziska
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- Journal:
- Weed Science / Volume 71 / Issue 4 / July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 August 2023, pp. 312-327
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been a leader in weed science research covering topics ranging from the development and use of integrated weed management (IWM) tactics to basic mechanistic studies, including biotic resistance of desirable plant communities and herbicide resistance. ARS weed scientists have worked in agricultural and natural ecosystems, including agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, wild lands, aquatic habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas. Through strong partnerships with academia, state agencies, private industry, and numerous federal programs, ARS weed scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics, as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed–crop competition and physiology and integration of weed control tactics and practices. Weed science at ARS is often overshadowed by other research topics; thus, few are aware of the long history of ARS weed science and its important contributions. This review is the result of a symposium held at the Weed Science Society of America’s 62nd Annual Meeting in 2022 that included 10 separate presentations in a virtual Weed Science Webinar Series. The overarching themes of management tactics (IWM, biological control, and automation), basic mechanisms (competition, invasive plant genetics, and herbicide resistance), and ecosystem impacts (invasive plant spread, climate change, conservation, and restoration) represent core ARS weed science research that is dynamic and efficacious and has been a significant component of the agency’s national and international efforts. This review highlights current studies and future directions that exemplify the science and collaborative relationships both within and outside ARS. Given the constraints of weeds and invasive plants on all aspects of food, feed, and fiber systems, there is an acknowledged need to face new challenges, including agriculture and natural resources sustainability, economic resilience and reliability, and societal health and well-being.