scholarly journals Egg Deposition of Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger) on Clones of Populus from Section Aigeiros Induces Resistance in Neighboring Plants

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Guo ◽  
Fu Liu ◽  
Sufang Zhang ◽  
Xiangbo Kong ◽  
Zhen Zhang

Research Highlights: We demonstrated that the resistance mechanisms of plants could be used to combat damage caused by pests in forestry plantations. Background and Objectives: Poplar is the main tree species used in plantations in northern China, with Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger) representing a major pest species causing defoliation. Here, we investigated whether two poplar clones could resist this pest species and the physiological mechanisms involved. Materials and Methods: Two clones of Populus from section Aigeiros were used, with ‘108’ (P. × euramericana ‘Guariento’) being more attractive to M. sieversi than ‘111’ (P. × euramericana ‘Bellotto’). Three treatments were set up (oviposited plants, neighboring plants, and control plants) to determine whether resistance was induced in plants neighboring oviposited plants. Results: Significantly fewer eggs were oviposited on neighboring plants compared to control plants for both clones, with more eggs being laid on oviposited and control plants of ‘108’ compared to ‘111’. β-Pinene was detected in oviposited and neighboring plants, but not control plants for either clone. Significantly higher concentrations of 3-carene was present in oviposited and neighboring plants of ‘108’ and ‘111’ compared to control plants at 24, 48, and 72 h after oviposition. Males, females, and mated females primarily responded to electroantennogram (EAG), methyl palmitate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate at 50 ng/μL, and to 3-carene and β-pinene at 5 ng/μL, and to styrene at 10 ng/μL in EAG assays. When using these concentrations on plant leaves, 3-carene, β-pinene, and styrene significantly reduced the number of eggs laid on ‘108’, while 3-carene and β-pinene were effective for ‘111’. Conclusions: Plants neighboring oviposited plants exhibited defense responses; 3-carene and β-pinene were used to transmit chemical signals (volatile cues) from oviposited plants to neighboring plants; which induced neighboring plants released volatiles as a defense mechanism to prevent egg laying.

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Lodge

Pittenweem Priory began life as the caput manor of a daughter-house established on May Island by Cluniac monks from Reading (c. 1140). After its sale to St Andrews (c. 1280), the priory transferred ashore. While retaining its traditional name, the ‘Priory of May (alias Pittenweem)’ was subsumed within the Augustinian priory of St Andrews. Its prior was elected from among the canons of the new mother house, but it was many decades before a resident community of canons was set up in Pittenweem. The traditional view, based principally on the ‘non-conventual’ status of the priory reiterated in fifteenth-century documents, is that there was ‘no resident community’ before the priorship of Andrew Forman (1495–1515). Archaeological evidence in Pittenweem, however, indicates that James Kennedy had embarked on significant development of the priory fifty years earlier. This suggests that, when the term ‘non-conventual’ is used in documents emanating from Kennedy's successors (Graham and Scheves), we should interpret it more as an assertion of superiority and control than as a description of realities in the priory.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosam M. K. H. El-Gepaly

AbstractSorghum panicles offer a very rich microenvironment for many insect pest species and their natural enemies. Thirty arthropod species belonging to 28 families, pertaining to 9 orders were obtained from sorghum panicles planted in Sohag Governorate, Egypt, during the 3 successive seasons of 2016–2018. Out of these species were 14 pests, 16 predators, and 3 parasitoids. Lepidopteran and hemipteran pests were the most dominant species-infested sorghum-panicles during the mature stages of the panicles. Three microlepidopteran pests, the noctuid, Eublemma (Autoba) gayneri (Roth.); the pyralid, Cryptoblabes gnidiella Millière, and the cosmopterigid, Pyroderces simplex Walsingham, were recorded as major pest species infesting sorghum panicles in Sohag Governorate. The dipteran parasitoid species, Nemorilla floralis (Fallen) (Tachinidae) emerged from the pupae of the E. gayneri and C. gnidiella, while the hymenopteran parasitoid, Brachymeria aegyptiaca (Chalcididae) was obtained from the pupae of all the studied microlepidopteran pests. Spiders, coccinellids, and Orius spp. were the dominant predators collected form panicles. Post-harvest, larvae, and pupae of lepidopteran pests, especially P. simplex recorded (147, 96, and 79 larvae) and (47, 30, and 73 pupae)/10 panicles in 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons, respectively.


Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Jones ◽  
Zishan K. Siddiqui ◽  
Charles Callahan ◽  
Surbhi Leekha ◽  
Sharon Smyth ◽  
...  

Abstract The state of Maryland identified its first case of COVID-19 on March 5, 2020. The Baltimore Convention Center (BCCFH) quickly became a selected location to set up a 250-bed inpatient Field Hospital and Alternate Care Site. In contrast to other field hospitals throughout the United States, the BCCFH remained open throughout the pandemic and took on additional COVID-19 missions, including community SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing, monoclonal antibody infusions for COVID-19 outpatients, and community COVID-19 vaccinations. At the time of publication, the BCCFH had cared for 1,478 COVID-19 inpatients, performed 108,155 COVID-19 tests, infused 2,166 COVID-19 patients, and administered 115,169 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. To prevent the spread of pathogens during operations, infection prevention and control guidelines were essential to ensure the safety of staff and patients. Through multi-agency collaboration, utilization of infection prevention best practices, and answering what we describe as “PPE-ESP”, an operational framework was established to reduce infection risks for those providing or receiving care at the BCCFH during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolás Rosillo ◽  
Javier Del-Águila-Mejía ◽  
Ayelén Rojas-Benedicto ◽  
María Guerrero-Vadillo ◽  
Marina Peñuelas ◽  
...  

Abstract Background On June 21st de-escalation measures and state-of-alarm ended in Spain after the COVID-19 first wave. New surveillance and control strategy was set up to detect emerging outbreaks. Aim To detect and describe the evolution of COVID-19 clusters and cases during the 2020 summer in Spain. Methods A near-real time surveillance system to detect active clusters of COVID-19 was developed based on Kulldorf’s prospective space-time scan statistic (STSS) to detect daily emerging active clusters. Results Analyses were performed daily during the summer 2020 (June 21st – August 31st) in Spain, showing an increase of active clusters and municipalities affected. Spread happened in the study period from a few, low-cases, regional-located clusters in June to a nationwide distribution of bigger clusters encompassing a higher average number of municipalities and total cases by end-August. Conclusion STSS-based surveillance of COVID-19 can be of utility in a low-incidence scenario to help tackle emerging outbreaks that could potentially drive a widespread transmission. If that happens, spatial trends and disease distribution can be followed with this method. Finally, cluster aggregation in space and time, as observed in our results, could suggest the occurrence of community transmission.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 3956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayko Bresler ◽  
Johanna Vogel ◽  
Daniel Niederer ◽  
Daphne Gray ◽  
Thomas Schmitz-Rixen ◽  
...  

Exercise is a treatment option in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients to improve their clinical trajectory, at least in part induced by collateral growth. The ligation of the femoral artery (FAL) in mice is an established model to induce arteriogenesis. We intended to develop an animal model to stimulate collateral growth in mice through exercise. The training intensity assessment consisted of comparing two different training regimens in C57BL/6 mice, a treadmill implementing forced exercise and a free-to-access voluntary running wheel. The mice in the latter group covered a much greater distance than the former pre- and postoperatively. C57BL/6 mice and hypercholesterolemic ApoE-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice were subjected to FAL and had either access to a running wheel or were kept in motion-restricting cages (control) and hind limb perfusion was measured pre- and postoperatively at various times. Perfusion recovery in C57BL/6 mice was similar between the groups. In contrast, ApoE−/− mice showed significant differences between training and control 7 d postoperatively with a significant increase in pericollateral macrophages while the collateral diameter did not differ between training and control groups 21 d after surgery. ApoE−/− mice with running wheel training is a suitable model to simulate exercise induced collateral growth in PAD. This experimental set-up may provide a model for investigating molecular training effects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 030006052093280
Author(s):  
Meng Gao ◽  
Kuo Zeng ◽  
Ya Li ◽  
Yong-ping Liu ◽  
Xi Xia ◽  
...  

Objective Schizophrenia is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex genetic and environmental etiology. The gene encoding EF-hand domain-containing protein D2 ( EFHD2) may be a genetic risk locus for schizophrenia. Methods We genotyped four EFHD2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (281 schizophrenia cases [SCZ], 321 controls) from northern Chinese Han individuals using Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Differences existed in genotype, allele, and haplotype frequency distributions between SCZ and control groups. Results The rs2473357 genotype and allele frequency distributions differed between SCZ and controls; however, this difference disappeared after Bonferroni correction. Differences in rs2473357 genotype and allele frequency distributions between SCZ and controls were more pronounced in men than in women. The G allele increased schizophrenia risk (odds ratio = 1.807, 95% confidence interval = 1.164–2.803). Among six haplotypes (G–, A–, G-insC, A-C, G-C, and G-T), the G– haplotype frequency distribution differed between SCZ and controls in women; the A-C and G-C haplotype frequency distributions differed between SCZ and controls in men. Conclusions EFHD2 may be involved in schizophrenia. Sex differences in EFHD2 genotype and allele frequency distributions existed among schizophrenia patients. Further research is needed to determine the role of EFHD2 in schizophrenia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Van Cauwenberge ◽  
Leen d’Haenens ◽  
Hans Beentjes

AbstractIn light of the growing use of tablets for news reading and mobile news consumption behaviors, this study examined whether an innovative way of structuring news on the tablet that mimics mobile news behaviors reinforced attention for, and learning from, news. Specifically, it was theorized that the chronological and associative structuring of news articles into so-called developing news stories would lead to more attention for news, and better recall and comprehension of news, than the linear print newspaper structure that newspaper publishers continue to copy from print to tablet. A multiple-day experiment was set up using the eye-tracking method to measure and control for attention. The results show that the developing news structure increased comprehension of news substantively, independently of attention effects; no effects were found on attention and factual recall.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-141
Author(s):  
Yonghong Tan ◽  
Xinlong Zhao

A hysteretic operator is proposed to set up an expanded input space so as to transform the multi-valued mapping of hysteresis to a one-to-one mapping so that the neural networks can be applied to model of the behavior of hysteresis. Based on the proposed neural modeling strategy for hysteresis, a pseudo control scheme is developed to handle the control of nonlinear dynamic systems with hysteresis. A neural estimator is constructed to predict the system residual so that it avoids constructing the inverse model of hysteresis. Thus, the control strategy can be used for the case where the output of hysteresis is unmeasurable directly. Then, the corresponding adaptive control strategy is presented. The application of the novel modeling approach to hysteresis in a piezoelectric actuator is illustrated. Then a numerical example of using the proposed control strategy for a nonlinear system with hysteresis is presented.


Author(s):  
Y-T Wang ◽  
R-H Wong ◽  
J-T Lu

As opposed to traditional pneumatic linear actuators, muscle and rotational actuators are newly developed actuators in rotational and specified applications. In the current paper, these actuators are used to set up two-dimensional pneumatic arms, which are used mainly to simulate the excavator's motion. Fuzzy control algorithms are typically applied in pneumatic control systems owing to their non-linearities and ill-defined mathematical model. The self-organizing fuzzy controller, which includes a self-learning mechanism to modify fuzzy rules, is applied in these two-dimensional pneumatic arm control systems. Via a variety of trajectory tracking experiments, the present paper provides comparisons of system characteristics and control performances.


Author(s):  
Shou-Heng Huang ◽  
Ron M. Nelson

Abstract A feedforward, three-layer, partially-connected artificial neural network (ANN) is proposed to be used as a rule selector for a rule-based fuzzy logic controller. This will allow the controller to adapt to various control modes and operating conditions for different plants. A principal advantage of an ANN over a look up table is that the ANN can make good estimates to fill in for missing data. The control modes, operating conditions, and control rule sets are encoded into binary numbers as the inputs and outputs for the ANN. The General Delta Rule is used in the backpropagation learning process to update the ANN weights. The proposed ANN has a simple topological structure and results in a simple analysis and relatively easy implementation. The average square error and the maximal absolute error are used to judge if the correct connections between neurons are set up. Computer simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this ANN as a rule selector.


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