ZOMBIEFICATION

Scientists use high-tech brain stimulation to make people more hypnotizable

Stanford Medicine scientists used transcranial magnetic stimulation to temporarily enhance hypnotizability in patients with chronic pain, making them better candidates for hypnotherapy.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

STANFORD MEDICINE

How deeply someone can be hypnotized — known as hypnotizability — appears to be a stable trait that changes little throughout adulthood, much like personality and IQ. But now, for the first time, Stanford Medicine researchers have demonstrated a way to temporarily heighten hypnotizablity — potentially allowing more people to access the benefits of hypnosis-based therapy.

In the new study, to be published Jan. 4 in Nature Mental Health, the researchers found that less than two minutes of electrical stimulation targeting a precise area of the brain could boost participants’ hypnotizability for about one hour.

“We know hypnosis is an effective treatment for many different symptoms and disorders, in particular pain,” said Afik Faerman, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in psychiatry and lead author of the study. “But we also know that not everyone benefits equally from hypnosis.”

Focused attention

Approximately two-thirds of adults are at least somewhat hypnotizable, and 15% are considered highly hypnotizable, meaning they score 9 or 10 on a standard 10-point measure of hypnotizability.

“Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention, and higher hypnotizability improves the odds of your doing better with techniques using hypnosis,” said David Spiegel, MD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and a senior author of the study.

Spiegel, the Jack, Lulu, and Sam Willson Professor in Medicine, has devoted decades to studying hypnotherapy and using it to help patients control pain, lower stress, stop smoking and more. Several years ago, Spiegel led a team that used brain imaging to uncover the neurobiological basis of the practice. They found that highly hypnotizable people had stronger functional connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is involved in information processing and decision making; and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, involved in detecting stimuli.

“It made sense that people who naturally coordinate activity between these two regions would be able to concentrate more intently,” Spiegel said. “It’s because you’re coordinating what you are focusing on with the system that distracts you.”

Shifting a stable trait

With these insights, Spiegel teamed up with Nolan Williams, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who has pioneered non-invasive neurostimulation techniques to treat conditions such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and suicidal ideation.

The hope was that neurostimulation could alter even a stable trait like hypnotizability.

In the new study, the researchers recruited 80 participants with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that can be treated with hypnotherapy. They excluded those who were already highly hypnotizable.

Half of the participants received transcranial magnetic stimulation, in which paddles applied to the scalp deliver electrical pulses to the brain. Specifically, they received two 46-second applications that delivered 800 pulses of electricity to a precise location in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The exact locations depended on the unique structure and activity of each person’s brain.

“A novel aspect of this trial is that we used the person’s own brain networks, based on brain imaging, to target the right spot,” said Williams, also a senior author of the study.

The other half of participants received a sham treatment with the same look and feel, but without electrical stimulation.

Hypnotizability was assessed by clinicians immediately before and after the treatments, with neither patients nor clinicians knowing who was in which group.

The researchers found that participants who received the neurostimulation showed a statistically significant increase in hypnotizability, scoring roughly one point higher. The sham group experienced no effect.

When the participants were assessed again one hour later, the effect had worn off and there was no longer a statistically significant difference between the two groups.

“We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to, with 92 seconds of stimulation, change a stable brain trait that people have been trying to change for 100 years,” Williams said. “We finally cracked the code on how to do it.”

The researchers plan to test whether different dosages of neurostimulation could enhance hypnotizability even more.

“It’s unusual to be able to change hypnotizability,” Spiegel said. A study of Stanford University students that began in the 1950s, for example, found that the trait remained relatively consistent when the students were tested 25 years later, as consistent as IQ over that time period. Recent research by Spiegel’s lab also suggests that hypnotizability may have a genetic basis.

Bigger implications

Clinically, a transient bump in hypnotizability may be enough to allow more people living with chronic pain to choose hypnosis as an alternative to long-term opioid use. Spiegel will follow up with the study participants to see how they fare in hypnotherapy.

The new results could have implications beyond hypnosis. Faerman noted that neurostimulation may be able to temporarily shift other stable traits or enhance people’s response to other forms of psychotherapy.

“As a clinical psychologist, my personal vision is that, in the future, patients come in, they go into a quick, non-invasive brain stimulation session, then they go in to see their psychologist,” he said. “Their benefit from treatment could be much higher.”

The study was supported by funding from the National Institute of Health (grant R33AT009305-03).

# # #

 

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

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JOURNAL

Nature Mental Health

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

 NEWS RELEASE 4-JAN-2024

Scientists engineer plant microbiome for the first time to protect crops against disease

Breakthrough could dramatically cut the use of pesticides and unlock other opportunities to bolster plant health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

Breakthrough could dramatically cut the use of pesticides and unlock other opportunities to bolster plant health

Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of ‘good’ bacteria that protect the plant from disease.

The findings published in Nature Communications by researchers from the University of Southampton, China and Austria, could substantially reduce the need for environmentally destructive pesticides.

There is growing public awareness about the significance of our microbiome – the myriad of microorganisms that live in and around our bodies, most notably in our guts. Our gut microbiomes influence our metabolism, our likelihood of getting ill, our immune system, and even our mood.

Plants too host a huge variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that live in their roots, stems, and leaves. For the past decade, scientists have been intensively researching plant microbiomes to understand how they affect a plant’s health and its vulnerability to disease.

“For the first time, we’ve been able to change the makeup of a plant’s microbiome in a targeted way, boosting the numbers of beneficial bacteria that can protect the plant from other, harmful bacteria,” says Dr Tomislav Cernava, co-author of the paper and Associate Professor in Plant-Microbe Interactions at the University of Southampton.

“This breakthrough could reduce reliance on pesticides, which are harmful to the environment. We’ve achieved this in rice crops, but the framework we’ve created could be applied to other plants and unlock other opportunities to improve their microbiome. For example, microbes that increase nutrient provision to crops could reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers.”

The international research team discovered that one specific gene found in the lignin biosynthesis cluster of the rice plant is involved in shaping its microbiome. Lignin is a complex polymer found in the cell walls of plants – the biomass of some plant species consists of more than 30 per cent lignin.

First, the researchers observed that when this gene was deactivated, there was a decrease in the population of certain beneficial bacteria, confirming its importance in the makeup of the microbiome community.

The researchers then did the opposite, over-expressing the gene so it produced more of one specific type of metabolite – a small molecule produced by the host plant during its metabolic processes. This increased the proportion of beneficial bacteria in the plant microbiome.

When these engineered plants were exposed to Xanthomonas oryzae – a pathogen that causes bacterial blight in rice crops, they were substantially more resistant to it than wild-type rice.

Bacterial blight is common in Asia and can lead to substantial loss of rice yields. It’s usually controlled by deploying polluting pesticides, so producing a crop with a protective microbiome could help bolster food security and help the environment.

The research team are now exploring how they can influence the presence of other beneficial microbes to unlock various plant health benefits.

Microbiome homeostasis on rice leaves is regulated by a precursor molecule of lignin biosynthesis is published in Nature Communications and is available online.

Contact

Steve Williams, Media Relations, University of Southampton press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212.

Notes for editors

1. Microbiome homeostasis on rice leaves is regulated by a precursor molecule of lignin biosynthesis is published in Nature Communications and is available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44335-3
2. For Interviews with Dr Tomislav Cernava please contact Steve Williams, Media Relations, University of Southampton press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212.
3. Image: Rice paddies in China. Credit: Houxiang Kang

Additional information

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. We are among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2023). Our academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 22,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through our high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join our global network of over 200,000 alumni. www.southampton.ac.uk

www.southampton.ac.uk/news/contact-press-team.page

Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/UoSMedi

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3 

ARTICLE TITLE

Microbiome homeostasis on rice leaves is regulated by a precursor molecule of lignin biosynthesis

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Jan-2024

 Scientists solve mystery of how predatory bacteria recognizes prey

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

A decades-old mystery of how natural antimicrobial predatory bacteria are able to recognize and kill other bacteria may have been solved, according to new research.

In a study published today (4th January) in Nature Microbiology, researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Nottingham have discovered how natural antimicrobial predatory bacteria, called Bdellovibrio bacterivorous, produce fibre-like proteins on their surface to ensnare prey.

This discovery may enable scientists to use these predators to target and kill problematic bacteria that cause issues in healthcare, food spoilage and the environment.

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust Investigator in Science Award (209437/Z/17/Z).

Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Birmingham, Andrew Lovering said: “Since the 1960s Bdellovibrio bacterivorous has been known to hunt and kill other bacteria by entering the target cells and eating them from the inside before later bursting out. The question that had stumped scientists was ‘how do these cells make a firm attachment when we know how varied their bacterial targets are?’”

Professor Lovering and Professor Liz Sockett, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, have been collaborating in this field for almost 15 years. The breakthrough came when Sam Greenwood an undergraduate student, and Asmaa Al-Bayati, a PhD student in the Sockett lab, discovered that the Bdellovibrio predators lay down a sturdy vesicle (a “pinched-off” part of the predator cell envelope) when invading their prey.  

Professor Liz Sockett explained: “The vesicle creates a kind of airlock or keyhole allowing Bdellovibrio entry into the prey cell. We were then able to isolate this vesicle from the dead prey, which is a first in this field. The vesicle was analysed to reveal the tools used during the preceding event of predator/prey contact. We thought of it as a bit like a locksmith leaving the pick, or key, as evidence, in the keyhole.

“By looking at the vesicle contents, we discovered that because Bdellovibrio doesn’t know which bacteria it will meet, it deploys a range of similar prey recognition molecules on its surface, creating lots of different ‘keys’ to ‘unlock’ lots of different types of prey.”

The researchers then undertook an individual analysis of the molecules, demonstrating that they form long fibres, approximately ten times longer than common globular proteins. This allows them to operate at a distance and “feel” for prey in the vicinity.

In total, the labs counted 21 different fibres. Researchers Dr Simon Caulton, Dr Carey Lambert and Dr Jess Tyson worked on how they operated both at the cellular and molecular level. They were supported by fibre gene-engineering by Paul Radford and Rob Till. The team then began to attempt linking a particular fibre to a particular prey-surface molecule. Finding out which fibre matches which prey, could enable an engineering approach which sees bespoke predators targeting different types of bacteria.

Professor Lovering continued: “Because the predator strain we were looking at comes from the soil it has a wide killing range, making this identification of these fibre and prey pairs very difficult. However, on the fifth attempt to find the partners we discovered a chemical signature on the outside of prey bacteria that was a tight fit to the fibre tip. This is the first time a feature of Bdellovibrio has been matched to prey selection.”

Scientists in this field will now be able to use these discoveries to ask which fibre set is used by the different predators they study and potentially attribute these to specific prey. Improving understanding of these predator bacteria could enable their usage as antibiotics, to kill bacteria that degrade food, or ones which are harmful to the environment.

Professor Lovering concluded: “We know that these bacteria can be helpful, and by fully understanding how they operate and find their prey, it opens up a world of new discoveries and possibilities.”

ENDS

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JOURNAL

Nature Microbiology

DOI

10.1038/s41564-023-01552-2 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus uses chimeric fibre proteins to recognize and invade a broad range of bacterial hosts

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

The surprisingly resourceful ways bacteria thrive in the human gut

Survey of bacterial genomes highlights the arsenal of enzymes microbes use to produce energy in the oxygen-poor environment of the gut

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

The gut microbiome is so useful to human digestion and health that it is often called an extra digestive organ. This vast collection of bacteria and other microorganisms in the intestine helps us break down foods and produce nutrients or other metabolites that impact human health in a myriad of ways. New research from the University of Chicago shows that some groups of these microbial helpers are amazingly resourceful too, with a large repertoire of genes that help them generate energy for themselves and potentially influence human health as well.

The paper, published January 4, 2024, in Nature Microbiology, identified 22 metabolites that three distantly related families of gut bacteria use as alternatives to oxygen for respiration in the anaerobic environment of the gut. These bacteria also have up to hundreds of copies of genes for producing the enzymes that process these alternate metabolites – many more than have been measured in bacteria that live outside the gut. These results suggest that anaerobic gut bacteria may have the ability to produce energy from hundreds of other compounds as well.

“These are examples of some of the peculiar metabolisms that act on all these different metabolites produced by the gut microbiome,” said Sam Light, PhD, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Microbiology at UChicago and senior author of the study. “This is interesting because one of the main ways the microbiome impacts our health is by making or modifying these small molecules that can then enter our bloodstream and act like drugs.”

At the organism level, we typically think of respiration as the process of breathing in oxygen. At the cellular level, respiration describes an energy-generating biochemical process. Most cells use oxygen for respiration, but in anaerobic environments like the inside of the intestine, cells have evolved to use other molecules.

Cells possess two main types of metabolism to produce energy: fermentation and respiration. In fermentation, the cell breaks down molecules to generate energy directly. Respiration involves two molecules: an electron donor and an electron acceptor. A classic example of this process uses glucose as a donor and oxygen as the acceptor. The cells break down the glucose by shuttling extracted electrons through a series of steps before their final transfer to an oxygen molecule. This prompts the cell to generate ATP, or adenosine triphosphate: the basic source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level.

Most of the microbes living in the gut use fermentation, but there are also several known types of bacteria with respiratory metabolisms, including those that use carbon dioxide and sulfate electron acceptors. For the new study, Light and his colleagues analyzed a database of more than 1,500 genomes from a database of human gut bacteria. They saw a surprising distribution of genes that produce reductases, which are enzymes that use different respiratory electron acceptors. While most of the genomes encode just a few reductases, a small subset encodes more than 30 different ones. These bacteria weren’t closely related; they came from three distinct and distantly related families (Burkholderiaceae, Eggerthellaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae) separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history.

These bacteria appear to be more resourceful than bacteria with respiratory metabolisms that live outside of a host organism, which mostly use inorganic compounds. The respiratory gut bacteria Light and team identified specialize in various organic metabolites, which makes sense given the constant food supply.

"There is so much organic matter in the gut that comes from the food we eat. It’s chemically complex, and you need more enzymes to accommodate it in that environment,” Light said. “We think this variety of genes enables gut bacteria to use a lot of different things that come their way.”

Some of the metabolites they use also have interesting implications for human health in the gut. People with type 2 diabetes, for example, have higher levels of an amino acid byproduct called imidazole propionate in their blood. Another metabolite, resveratrol, impacts several metabolic and immune system processes, and itaconate is produced by macrophages in response to infections.

Light hopes that more research like this will help us understand the function of different microbes in the gut, which can in turn be leveraged to improve health.

“I'm hoping our understanding of these different metabolisms and how they work will enable us to come up with strategies to intervene – either through the diet or pharmacologically – to modulate the flow of metabolites through these various pathways,” he said. "So, in whatever context, like type 2 diabetes or following an infection, we could control which metabolites are being produced to have a therapeutic benefit.”

The study, “Dietary- and host-derived metabolites are used by diverse gut bacteria for anaerobic respiration,” was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (T32DK007074, 1S10OD020062-01, K22AI144031, and R35GM146969) and the Searle Scholars Program. Additional authors include Alexander S. Little, Isaac T. Younker, Matthew S. Schechter, Paola Nol Bernardino, Joshua Stemczynski, Kaylie Scorza, Michael W. Mullowney, Deepti Sharan, Emily Waligurski, Rita Smith, Ramanujam Ramanswamy, William Leiter, David Moran, Mary McMillin, Matthew A. Odenwald, Ashley M. Sidebottom, Anitha Sundararajan and Eric G. Pamer from the University of Chicago; Raphaël Méheust from Université d'Évry and Université Paris-Saclay, France; Anthony T. Iavarone from the University of California, Berkeley; and A. Murat Eren from the University of Oldenburg, Germany.

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JOURNAL

Nature Microbiology

DOI

10.1038/s41564-023-01560-2 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Dietary- and host-derived metabolites are used by diverse gut bacteria for anaerobic respiration

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

 

Gender parity in autism research: Synaptic similarities challenge focus on male models

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

New study reveals striking similarities in synaptic abnormalities and behavioral patterns between male and female mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study challenges the traditional focus on male subjects in ASD research and highlights the critical importance of including both sexes in investigations. This finding urges a pivotal shift in the scientific community's approach to understanding and addressing ASD, emphasizing the necessity of considering both males and females to comprehensively grasp the complexities of the disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research has predominantly focused on male individuals, reflecting a prevalence rate of 4:1 compared to females. However, recent studies suggest a potential underestimation of ASD in females. In a new study led by Prof. Haitham Amal, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the sex-specific synaptic and behavioral differences in ASD mouse models were investigated, revealing significant insights into the condition.

A new study, featured in Scientific Reports, looked at young male and female mice with specific mutations linked to autism, comparing them to regular mice. They used two different  mouse models with two human-based mutations. The goal was to understand how their brain connections work by checking certain proteins in their brains. They also checked how many tiny structures in brain cells were present using a special staining method (Golgi).

The results showed that both male and female mice with these mutations had a lot in common. They all showed major drops in Spine Density and in levels of GAD1, NR1, VGAT, and Syp (neuronal signaling proteins) compared to normal mice. This suggests their brain connections didn't develop properly. Interestingly, these issues in brain connections were similar in both male and female mice, and it matched up with how they behaved in tests that measure sociability. They also found that the social behvaior deificts were similar in both sexes.

Prof. Haitham Amal, Hebrew University emphasized the significance of these discoveries: "Our study underscores the need to consider both sexes in ASD investigations. The observed similarities in synaptic alterations between male and female ASD mice challenge the traditional focus on males, urging the scientific community to broaden its approach and include females in ASD studies."

These discoveries hold significant implications for understanding ASD's neurodevelopmental aspects. They emphasize how synaptic and behavioral changes in both male and female ASD mice align, stressing the need to study females alongside males in ASD research. This study urges a fundamental change in ASD research, highlighting the importance of considering both sexes to fully grasp and address the complexities of autism spectrum disorder.

It signifies a vital progression in unraveling ASD complexities, marking a substantial milestone in understanding the condition beyond the typical male-focused approach.

Globally, substantial funding is dedicated to autism research, with estimates reaching billions of dollars annually. However, historically, a significant proportion of this funding has been predominantly directed towards studying autism in boys, reflecting the higher prevalence in males. Studies suggest that a considerable imbalance exists in research allocation, with significantly fewer resources dedicated specifically to understanding and addressing autism in girls. Efforts to bridge this gap and allocate more resources towards understanding the unique manifestations and needs of girls on the autism spectrum must be recognized as crucial in advancing comprehensive autism research and support.

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-022-50248-4 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Mutations associated with autism lead to similar synaptic and behavioral alterations in both sexes of male and female mouse brain

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

 

TTC Approves C$2.6B 2024 Operating Budget

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

(William C. Vantuono photo)

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Board on Dec. 20 approved a 2024 C$2.6 billion ($1.95 billion) operating budget that “freezes fares, continues to increase service, and invests millions of dollars in system safety and cleanliness.”

According to TTC, the C$2.6 billion combines operating budgets for both conventional and Wheel-Trans services and represents a 7.5% increase over the approved 2023 budget.

Among other highlights:

• “Freezes TTC fares at 2023 rates in recognition of the impact current economic conditions have on its customers.
• “Fully funds the unplanned in-year service increases made in 2023 (to 95% from 91%) in response to increased and changing demand.
• “Funds a further service increase to 97% by September 2024.
• “Increases Wheel-Trans service hours to meet the rising demand, estimated to reach 84%of pre-pandemic levels by year-end 2024.
• “Invests more than C$28 million in the TTC’s Community Safety, Security and Well-Being program.
• “Addresses substantial inflationary pressures for things like vehicle parts, service contracts, and escalating employee benefit-related expenses.
• “Invests in increased maintenance capacity for Line 2 as well as for new and existing streetcars to be delivered in 2024.
• “Funds operating and maintenance costs for the opening of Lines 5 and 6 in 2024 as well as full-year operations on the Line 3 SRT bus replacement service.
• “Envisions 2024 fare revenues based on 80% of pre-pandemic ridership levels by year-end.”

“This budget will ensure the transit needs of our customers and employees are protected and enhanced,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “I’m confident that with this budget we can start to return transit service to where it was before the pandemic while laying the groundwork for further improvements. I want to thank TTC finance staff for their hard work preparing this budget and our front-line employees for delivering this important service every day.”

“TTC customers are coming back quicker than we expected, and this budget allows us to meet their needs for the next year,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “This budget balances our need to deliver safe and reliable service while addressing the increased operating costs associated with inflation and new transit lines that we need to manage.”

The TTC Board also approved the C$12.4 billion ($9.37 billion) 2024-2033 capital budget plan.

Highlights include:

• “Fully covering the City/TTC’s one-third share for the Subway Car procurement to ensure readiness to proceed with the procurement of 55 subway trains, should matching funding from the Federal government be available.
• “Advancing accessibility projects at Warden and Islington stations, and capacity improvement projects (including Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements and Line 1 and Line 2 Capacity Enhancement projects).
• “Providing ongoing funding for 60 new Streetcars and associated infrastructure projects at Hillcrest and Russell, and 336 Hybrid Buses, 340 eBuses and charging infrastructure based on revised delivery schedules.
• “Enhancing cybersecurity initiatives.”

Additionally, the TTC Board also considered a revised Capital Investment Plan report, which shows that, “despite significant capital/state-of-good-repair investments, there’s a growing backlog estimated to reach $8.244 billion by 2033, with unmet capital needs anticipated at nearly $17.916 billion over 10 years and $35.458 billion over 15 years.”

The report (download below) notes that investing in the TTC’s future “remains crucial for the city’s vitality, offering economic, environmental, and social benefits, not only for Toronto, but also for the GTA, Province of Ontario, and Canada at large.”

The Board also heard a presentation from the University of Toronto’s Mobility Network highlighting the benefits of investing in public transit. Key economic metrics included in the Value of Transit Investment Interim Findings report show that investment in TTC operations and capital works translate into:

• “Every dollar invested would add an additional C$0.81 dollars in GDP, generating a value-added impact resulting in an increase in profit, taxes and spending on labor.
• “Every dollar invested would create the equivalent of C$2.14 of economic activity (Gross Output).
• “Every C$1 million invested creates 13 new jobs.

5StaffRecommended2024TTCConventionalandWTOperatingBudgetsand20242033CapitalBudgetandPlanDownload

 

Canadian Regulator Rules on Crop Year 2022-2023 Maximum Grain Revenue Entitlements

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

CN unit grain train.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Dec. 21 ruled that revenues of both CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) were above their respective maximum grain revenue entitlements for crop year 2022–2023.

CN’s grain revenue of C$1,079,522,039 was C$3,457,939 above its entitlement of $1,076,064,100. CPKC’s grain revenue of C$943,886,400 was $3,369,407 above its entitlement of $940,516,993.

“CN and CPKC now have 30 days to pay the amount by which they exceeded their 2022–2023 revenue entitlements, in addition to a 5% penalty of C$3,630,836 for CN and C$3,537,877 for CPKC. Regulations require these payments to go to the Western Grains Research Foundation, a farmer-financed and directed organization to fund research that benefits Prairie farmers.”

According to CTA, in the 2022–2023 crop year, 45,303,841 metric tons of Western grain were moved. This represents a 60% increase in volumes compared to the last crop year, which saw 28.4 million metric tons transported. The increase in the volume of grain, CTA says, was due mainly to improved growing conditions following the drought experienced in Western Canada during the 2021–2022 growing season.

The Canada Transportation Act requires the CTA to determine each railroad’s annual MRE (maximum revenue entitlement) and whether each entitlement has been exceeded. The revenue entitlement is described as “a form of economic regulation that enables CN and CPKC to set their rates for services, provided the total amount of revenue collected from their shipments of Western grain remains below the ceiling set by the CTA.”

See CTA’s guide on the Maximum Revenue Entitlement for further information. For more information on CTA’s MRE determinations since 2000–2001, see Statistics on the maximum revenue entitlement for western grain.

 

BLET to Vote on Tentative CSXT-Springfield Terminal Implementing Agreement

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

Ballots are in the mail to members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Divisions 72 and 191 to vote on a tentative implementing agreement regarding CSX Transportation’s acquisition of the Springfield Terminal Railway (a Pan Am Railway affiliate). The agreement will govern about 30 BLET members.

According to BLET, the tentative implementing agreement addresses changes in operations and the merging of workforces following the acquisition. Under the proposed implementing agreement, the CSX/BLET Single System Agreement would become the applicable collective bargaining agreement for locomotive engineers formerly employed by Springfield Terminal. Additional proposed changes are detailed in the ratification packet that was mailed to affected members on Dec. 20, 2023. Ballots are due on Monday, Jan. 15., 2024.

The BLET negotiating team was comprised of General Chairman Kevin Moore (STR-DH-SLR-MMA), Vice General Chairman Matt LaFrenier (STR-DH-SLR-MMA), General Chairman Pat Driscoll (Conrail/CSXT Northern District), General Chairman Brian Farkas (CSXT-Northern Lines), National Vice President Alan Holdcraft, and National Vice President Randy Fannon,

In late 2020, CSX announced plans to acquire the Pan Am Railways system, which operates throughout New England, for $601 million. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) approved the acquisition in April of 2022.

 

Biden Administration To Purchase More Oil For SPR

By Julianne Geiger - Jan 03, 2024

The Department of Energy’s Office of Petroleum Reserves has announced a solicitation for the purchase of up to 3 million barrels of crude oil for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR), the agency said in a Wednesday press release.

The solicitation is for as many as 3 million barrels of crude for delivery into the SPR in April 2024, and will go towards replenishing the nearly 300 million barrels of crude oil sold off during the current administration, ostensibly to lower retail gasoline prices for U.S. drivers.

After selling hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil when prices were high, the Administration laid out a plan to replenish the nation’s oil stockpiles whenever crude oil prices fell below $79 per barrel. Brent is currently trading under $78 per barrel, with WTI trading below $72.

“Today’s announcement avances the President’s commitment to safeguard and replenish this critical energy security asset. This follows his historic release from the SPR to address the significant global supply disruption caused by Putin’s war on Ukraine and help keep the domestic market well supplied, ultimately helping to bring down prices for American consumers and businesses. Analysis from the Department of the Treasury indicates that SPR releases last year, along with coordinated releases from international partners, reduced gasoline prices by as much as 40 cents per gallon,” the press release said in part.

Bids for the solicitation will be due on January 10, 2024.

Today’s announcement is just the latest in a string of small purchases intended to replenish the SPR—so far, about 14 million barrels in total. The DOE must be careful to initiate its buybacks slowly enough so as to not cause oil prices to spike.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com