Field experiments were conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995 to determine the effects of glufosinate rate and application timing on giant foxtail, common lambsquarters, common cocklebur, and Pennsylvania smartweed control in absence of a crop. Glufosinate at 140 g ai/ha controlled less than 80% of the weed species evaluated. When glufosinate rate was increased to 420 g/ha and applied to 10-cm giant foxtail, control was greater than 80% all 3 yr of the study. Applications made to 10-cm plants resulted in 80% or greater control for common cocklebur all 3 yr and Pennsylvania smartweed 2 of the 3 yr with 420 and 560 g/ha, respectively. Common lambsquarters was the most tolerant species evaluated and was not consistently controlled acceptably (> 80%), even with glufosinate at rates of 560 g/ha. Control with glufosinate at 420 or 560 g/ha was most effective when applied at the 10-cm weed height compared either to the 5- or 15-cm weed height.

In diagnostic ultrasound examinations, transducer “health” is key to diagnostic efficacy. It is known that individual transducer element integrity within an array is central to overall probe performance and over time, with normal use, elements can cease working or lose sensitivity, leading to a potentially negative impact on the clinical efficacy of the ultrasound examination. Investigating this issue, the authors evaluated transducers with selected elements disabled compared to fully functioning arrays, examined how dead elements affected ultrasound beams, acoustic parameters, flow phantom/tissue phantom results as well as human imaging. Results: As few as 2 consecutive dead elements can materially impact the beam profile; four or more can significantly reduce resolution and penetration, increase the noise floor, and cause Doppler peak velocity errors, flow ambiguity and spectral broadening. Tissue phantoms proved to be equivocal in spotting defective elements. Conclusion: array heath is critical to high-quality, efficacious ultrasound studies and the potential for misdiagnosis increases as array elements degrade.

Blood collected with CPD and stored was examined with optical (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after reversal of echinocytes into discocytes. Reversal was achieved by incubation of the red blood cells at 37 C in an adenosine containing medium. The transformation of discocytes into echinocytes occurred rapidly during the first three weeks of storage. A shape/density relationship was observed in the various fractions. The denser cells were found to have the more advanced echinocytic changes. After incubation with adenosine, most of the cells reversed into discocytes and early stages of stomatocytes. When spheroechinocytes I and II were present, they reversed into spherostomatocytes. No echinocytogenic property was found in plasma during 5 weeks of storage at 4 C and no immediate reversion of echinocytes was obtained in fresh plasma, therefore the initial discocyte--echinocyte transformation was explained by intracellular changes. The data from the various fractions showed that the more dense cells were more spherocytic. We suggest that removal of this part of the population of stored red blood cells might improve the survival of transfused cells.

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