Diets varying in SFA and MUFA content can impact glycaemic control; however, whether underlying differences in genetic make-up can influence blood glucose responses to these dietary fatty acids is unknown. We examined the impact of dietary oils varying in SFA/MUFA content on changes in blood glucose levels (primary outcome) and whether these changes were modified by variants in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene (secondary outcome). Obese men and women participating in the randomised, crossover, isoenergetic, controlled-feeding Canola Oil Multicenter Intervention Trial II consumed three dietary oils for 6 weeks, with washout periods of ˜6 weeks between each treatment. Diets studied included a high SFA/low MUFA Control oil (36·6 % SFA/28·2 % MUFA), a conventional canola oil (6·2 % SFA/63·1 % MUFA) and a high-oleic acid canola oil (5·8 % SFA/74·7 % MUFA). No differences in fasting blood glucose were observed following the consumption of the dietary oils. However, when stratified by SCD genotypes, significant SNP-by-treatment interactions on blood glucose response were found with additive models for rs1502593 (P = 0·01), rs3071 (P = 0·02) and rs522951 (P = 0·03). The interaction for rs3071 remained significant (P = 0·005) when analysed with a recessive model, where individuals carrying the CC genotype showed an increase (0·14 (sem 0·09) mmol/l) in blood glucose levels with the Control oil diet, but reductions in blood glucose with both MUFA oil diets. Individuals carrying the AA and AC genotypes experienced reductions in blood glucose in response to all three oils. These findings identify a potential new target for personalised nutrition approaches aimed at improving glycaemic control.

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database is a community-curated data resource that supports interdisciplinary global change research by enabling broad-scale studies of taxon and community diversity, distributions, and dynamics during the large environmental changes of the past. By consolidating many kinds of data into a common repository, Neotoma lowers costs of paleodata management, makes paleoecological data openly available, and offers a high-quality, curated resource. Neotoma’s distributed scientific governance model is flexible and scalable, with many open pathways for participation by new members, data contributors, stewards, and research communities. The Neotoma data model supports, or can be extended to support, any kind of paleoecological or paleoenvironmental data from sedimentary archives. Data additions to Neotoma are growing and now include >3.8 million observations, >17,000 datasets, and >9200 sites. Dataset types currently include fossil pollen, vertebrates, diatoms, ostracodes, macroinvertebrates, plant macrofossils, insects, testate amoebae, geochronological data, and the recently added organic biomarkers, stable isotopes, and specimen-level data. Multiple avenues exist to obtain Neotoma data, including the Explorer map-based interface, an application programming interface, the neotoma R package, and digital object identifiers. As the volume and variety of scientific data grow, community-curated data resources such as Neotoma have become foundational infrastructure for big data science.

A postemergence (POST) timing study was conducted on established populations of burcucumber (Sicyos angulatus) in corn (Zea mays), and a second study examined the residual activity of several herbicides for burcucumber control under greenhouse conditions. In the field study, flumiclorac, halosulfuron, primisulfuron, CGA 152005, and CGA 152005 + primisulfuron (45, 71, 40, 40, and 20 + 20 g ai/ha, respectively) were applied at two POST timings. CGA 152005, primisulfuron, and the combination provided greater than 85% control of burcucumber 14 wk after planting (WAP). Flumiclorac and halosulfuron provided 60% control or less by 8 WAP. Timing of the POST applications did not influence burcucumber control by 11 WAP with any herbicide. In the greenhouse, germinated burcucumber seeds were placed in soil treated with atrazine, chlorimuron, primisulfuron, or CGA 152005 at normal field use rates. All treatments provided similar residual control early; however by 4 wk after treatment (WAT), control from atrazine was less than 10% compared to 69% for chlorimuron and about 50% for primisulfuron and CGA 152005. This research suggests that CGA 152005 and primisulfuron can both be effective for managing burcucumber in corn, whereas flumiclorac and halosulfuron proved ineffective.

An experiment was conducted in 1998 and 1999 in southeastern Pennsylvania to examine the effect of tillage and soybean row spacing on burcucumber emergence and growth. A second experiment evaluated postemergence (POST) soybean herbicides on burcucumber control. In the tillage and row spacing study, a glyphosate-resistant soybean variety was planted in no-till and reduced-tillage systems in 38- and 76-cm row spacings. In the POST herbicide experiment, chlorimuron, glyphosate, CGA-277476, thifensulfuron, and several combinations of these herbicides were applied at two different POST application timings in 38-cm row soybean planted in a reduced-tillage system. In the tillage and row spacing study, burcucumber emergence was greatest starting in late May through mid-June and mostly ceased by early July, regardless of tillage system or row spacing. Although there was no difference in germination period in either tillage system, preplant tillage increased the number of emerged plants by 110% in 1997 and 70% in 1998 compared to the no-till system. Row spacing had no effect on burcucumber emergence or biomass production. In general, most POST herbicide programs controlled burcucumber, and there was no difference between early POST and mid-POST application timings. Chlorimuron at 13 g ai/ha, chlorimuron plus thifensulfuron, glyphosate, glyphosate plus chlorimuron, and glyphosate plus CGA-277476 provided 87% or greater control of burcucumber 12 wk after planting. These herbicides reduced burcucumber density and biomass by more than 56% in 1997 and 96% in 1998.

Experiments examining burcucumber management in glufosinate-resistant (GR) and imidazolinone-resistant (IMI) corn were conducted in 1997 and 1998 in southeastern Pennsylvania. GR corn was planted in 38- and 76-cm rows, and postemergence (POST) treatments of glufosinate and glufosinate plus atrazine were applied to corn at the V4 or V5 growth stage. In a second study, IMI corn was planted in 76-cm rows, and 15 preemergence (PRE) and POST herbicide programs were evaluated. Herbicide treatments included RPA-201772, CGA 152005, simazine, imazethapyr plus imazapyr, imazamox, chlorimuron plus thifensulfuron, nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine, CGA 152005 plus primisulfuron, and combinations with atrazine. Burcucumber germinated throughout the growing season, with greatest emergence occurring in early June, gradually decreasing to minimal emergence by mid-July. Glufosinate alone controlled burcucumber 79 to 90% 7 weeks after planting (WAP) regardless of application timing or row spacing. By 10 to 13 WAP, control was 82% or less due to lack of residual control and new burcucumber emergence. Row spacing had little effect on burcucumber emergence or control and appears to have little impact on burcucumber management in corn. In general, PRE herbicide programs were less effective than POST programs, although PRE treatments containing atrazine equaled some POST herbicides. POST-applied chlorimuron plus thifensulfuron, nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine, and CGA 152005 plus primisulfuron controlled burcucumber greater than 80 and 90% in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Imazethapyr plus imazapyr and imazamox applied POST controlled burcucumber 66% 10 WAP. Adding atrazine to POST herbicide programs did not increase control, with the exception of imazethapyr plus imazapyr.

An experiment examining the effect of burcucumber emergence date and corn competition on burcucumber fecundity was conducted in 1997 and 1998 in central Pennsylvania. Burcucumber seedlings were transplanted in the field in approximately 10-d intervals starting in late May through mid-August with or without competition from corn. Burcucumber plants grown without competition from corn produced 716 g dry matter and 4,500 seeds plant−1 in 1997 and 607 g dry matter and 1,800 seeds plant−1 in 1998. Biomass was greatest for plants established in late May, whereas seed production was greatest for plants established in mid-June. Although seed numbers were reduced in comparison to the May and June establishment periods, plants established as late as August still produced seed. Burcucumber established in corn produced 96% less dry matter and seed than the plants in a noncompetitive environment in both years of the study. Although the growth and seed production of burcucumber grown in corn was drastically reduced, plants established in mid-July still produced seed.

An overview is given of the development of advanced nanoporous carbons as storage ma-terials for natural gas (methane) and molecular hydrogen in on-board fuel tanks for next-generation clean automobiles. The carbons are produced in a multi-step process from corncob, have surface areas of up to 3500 m2/g, porosities of up to 0.8, and reversibly store, by physisorp-tion, record amounts of methane and hydrogen. Current best gravimetric and volumetric storage capacities are: 250 g CH4/kg carbon and 130 g CH4/liter carbon (199 V/V) at 35 bar and 293 K; and 80 g H2/kg carbon and 47 g H2/liter carbon at 47 bar and 77 K. This is the first time the DOE methane storage target of 180 V/V at 35 bar and ambient temperature has been reached and exceeded. The hydrogen values compare favorably with the 2010 DOE gravimetric and volu-metric targets for hydrogen. A prototype adsorbed natural gas (ANG) tank, loaded with carbon monoliths produced accordingly and currently undergoing a road test in Kansas City, is de-scribed. A preliminary analysis of the surface and pore structure is given that may shed light on the mechanisms leading to the extraordinary storage capacities of these materials. The analysis includes pore-size distributions from nitrogen adsorption isotherms; spatial organization of pores across the entire solid from small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS); pore entrances from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); H2 binding energies from temperature-programmed desorption (TPD); and analysis of surface defects from Raman spectra. For future materials, expected to have higher H2 binding energies via appropriate sur-face functionalization, preliminary projections of H2 storage capacities based on molecular dy-namics simulations of adsorption of H2 on graphite, are reported.