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.

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Quantification of neonatal THC exposure will allow for better insight into how THC exposure correlates with neurodevelopmental outcomes. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, including among pregnant women. However, few, if any, clinical studies have quantified precise in utero exposure levels of THC during pregnancy. Our study aims to fill this gap by using analytical methods to quantify THC in mother and baby following prenatal THC use. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Pregnant women were asked to give a self-report of all cannabis and cannabinoid use during pregnancy, including dose, frequency, and route of consumption. Upon arrival at the labor and delivery unit, maternal blood samples were collected. Immediately following birth and 24 hours after birth, umbilical cord and neonatal blood samples were collected, respectively. All blood samples were analyzed using tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the presence of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH), and hydroxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH). Maternal THC and metabolite levels were compared to both cord and neonate samples. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: To date, we have collected 3 mother-infant sample dyads and 4 mother-infant control samples. We anticipate collecting a total of 20 mother-infant samples from each group. We will quantify levels of THC and its metabolites in maternal samples and compare these to cord and infant samples. We expect that THC/metabolite levels will vary as a function of dose and frequency of consumption. We also expect that THC/metabolites will be higher in umbilical cord blood relative to neonatal blood. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: This study is among the first to directly measure exposure in the neonate following prenatal cannabis use. Quantification of THC/metabolite concentrations will be supplemented with developmental evaluations of infants at 6 and 12 months of age in order to gain better insight into how THC exposure correlates with neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Rapid development and deployment of diagnostic testing for COVID-19 have been a key component of the public health response to the pandemic. Out of necessity, academic and other clinical laboratories developed laboratory testing innovations for COVID-19 to meet clinical testing demands. In addition to constraints on local testing supplies and equipment, a rapidly changing regulatory framework created challenges for translational scientists. Illustrative examples of approaches used to develop laboratory tests during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate effective team science approaches to this challenging clinical care and public health emergency. These experiences and the associated lessons learned are relevant to the development of public health response plans for future pandemics.

Greater consumption of oily fish, and elevated plasma levels of the long-chain marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have been strongly and consistently associated with a reduced incidence of heart attacks, strokes, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease and cancers. Despite international guidelines recommending eating oily fish at least once per week (> 250mg/day DHA and EPA), many people do not eat fish, and only a small minority of the world's population have optimal omega-3-PUFA plasma and tissue levels. Hence, in this project, we studied the bioavailability and blood pressure lowering effects of recently developed alternatives to oily fish, namely chicken-meat and eggs naturally enriched with algae-sourced omega-3-PUFAs.

This was a double-blinded, controlled, randomised trial. Using a 2X2 factorial design, 161 healthy participants were randomized to eat at least 3 portions/week of omega-3-PUFA enriched (or control) chicken-meat, and to eat at least 3 omega-3-PUFA enriched (or control) eggs/week, for 6 months.

Compared to control foods, eating enriched eggs, enriched chicken-meat and the combination for 6 months, resulted in plasma EPA increments (μg/g) of 3.1[2.8], 8.8[2.9]* & 4.7[2.9], plasma DHA increments (μg/g) of 5.1[3.7], 9.3[3.8]* & 13.1[3.9]*, and omega-3-index (sum of EPA + DHA as a percentage of total fatty acids in erythrocytes, %) increments of 0.9[0.3]*, 0.7[0.4]* & 1.5[0.4]*, respectively. Mean 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (systolic/diastolic, mmHg) declined with the enriched foods 0.3[1.3]/-0.2[1.0], -0.7[1.4]/-1.4[1.0], & -1.9[1.4]/-2.9[1.0]*, respectively. Data provided as mean difference[SEM], and * denotes p < 0.05.

Regular consumption of omega-3-PUFA enriched chicken-meat and eggs resulted in statistically significant and clinically relevant increases in plasma and red cell levels of DHA and EPA. Both plasma and red cell bioavailability were similar to those previously described for oily fish. Furthermore, blood pressure, an important biomarker of cardiovascular health, decreased in those eating the omega-3-PUFA enriched foods. Omega-3-PUFA enriched chicken-meat and eggs offers consumers an attractive additional alternative to eating oily fish. Unlike many lifestyle interventions, long-term large population health benefits are not dependent on willingness of people to make long-lasting dietary changes, but on the widespread availability of a range of inexpensive, commonly eaten, naturally enriched foods.

The RadioAstron space-VLBI mission has successfully detected extragalactic H2O MegaMaser emission regions at very long Earth to space baselines ranging between 1.4 and 26.7 Earth Diameters (ED). The preliminary results for two galaxies, NGC 3079 and NGC 4258, at baselines longer than one ED indicate masering environments and excitation conditions in these galaxies that are distinctly different. Further observations of NGC 4258 at even longer baselines are expected to reveal more of the physics of individual emission regions.

The Submillimeter Array (SMA) has been used to image the emission from radio recombination lines of hydrogen at subarcsecond angular resolution from the young high-mass star MWC349A in the H26α, H30α, and H31α transitions at 353, 232, and 211 GHz, respectively. Emission was seen over a range of 80 km s−1 in velocity and 50 mas (corresponding to 60 AU for a distance of 1200 pc). The emission at each frequency has two distinct components, one from gas in a nearly edge-on annular disk structure in Keplerian motion, and another from gas lifted off the disk at distances of up to about 25 AU from the star. The slopes of the position-velocity (PV) curves for the disk emission show a monotonic progression of the emission radius with frequency with relative radii of 0.85 ± 0.04, 1, and 1.02 ± 0.01 for the H26α, H30α, and H31α transitions, respectively. This trend is consistent with theoretical excitation models of maser emission from a region where the density decreases with radius and the lower transitions are preferentially excited at higher densities. The mass is difficult to estimate from the PV diagrams because the wind components dominate the emission at the disk edges. The mass estimate is constrained to be only in the range of 10–30 solar masses. The distribution of the wind emission among the transitions is surprisingly different, which reflects its sensitivity to excitation conditions. The wind probably extracts significant angular momentum from the system.

Giant reed (Arundo donax) is an invasive weed that is native to the Old World. Tens of thousands of hectares of riparian habitat in the Rio Grande Basin (RGB) in Texas and Mexico have been heavily affected by invasions of Arundo. Additionally, many other watersheds across the southwestern United States have also been affected. Giant reed is being targeted for biological control because it displaces native vegetation and consumes water that could potentially be used for agricultural and municipal purposes, especially in areas with limited access to water. Finding the best-adapted insects for biological control involves locating the origin(s) of this plant. To narrow down the proximal source(s) of invasion of giant reed in the RGB, 10 microsatellite markers were developed. An analysis of 203 Old World and 159 North American plants, with an emphasis on the RGB, indicated a reduction in the allelic diversity in the introduced range compared with the Old World. Clonal assignment, neighbor joining, principal coordinates analyses, and STRUCTURE analyses were consistent and implied multiple introductions in North America, with one (likely clonal) lineage responsible for the invasion of the RGB, northern Mexico, and other parts of the southwestern United States. Although no identical matches with the RGB lineage were found in the Old World, several close matches were found on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.