Critical sets of nonlinear Sturm-Liouville operators of Ambrosetti-Prodi type

The critical set C of the operator F:H^2_D([0,pi]) -> L^2([0,pi]) defined by F(u)=-u''+f(u) is studied. Here X:=H^2_D([0,pi]) stands for the set of functions that satisfy the Dirichlet boundary conditions and whose derivatives are in L^2([0,pi]). For generic nonlinearities f, C=\cup C_k decomposes into manifolds of codimension 1 in X. If f''0, the set C_j is shown to be non-empty if, and only if, -j^2 (the j-th eigenvalue of u -> u'') is in the range of f'. The critical components C_k are (topological) hyperplanes.Comment: 6 pages, no figure

Recent Advances in Chromospheric and Coronal Polarization Diagnostics

I review some recent advances in methods to diagnose polarized radiation with which we may hope to explore the magnetism of the solar chromosphere and corona. These methods are based on the remarkable signatures that the radiatively induced quantum coherences produce in the emergent spectral line polarization and on the joint action of the Hanle and Zeeman effects. Some applications to spicules, prominences, active region filaments, emerging flux regions and the quiet chromosphere are discussed.Comment: Review paper to appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S. S. Hasan and R. J. Rutten, Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, 200

A near-IR line of Mn I as a diagnostic tool of the average magnetic energy in the solar photosphere

We report on spectropolarimetric observations of a near-IR line of Mn I located at 15262.702 A whose intensity and polarization profiles are very sensitive to the presence of hyperfine structure. A theoretical investigation of the magnetic sensitivity of this line to the magnetic field uncovers several interesting properties. The most important one is that the presence of strong Paschen-Back perturbations due to the hyperfine structure produces an intensity line profile whose shape changes according to the absolute value of the magnetic field strength. A line ratio technique is developed from the intrinsic variations of the line profile. This line ratio technique is applied to spectropolarimetric observations of the quiet solar photosphere in order to explore the probability distribution function of the magnetic field strength. Particular attention is given to the quietest area of the observed field of view, which was encircled by an enhanced network region. A detailed theoretical investigation shows that the inferred distribution yields information on the average magnetic field strength and the spatial scale at which the magnetic field is organized. A first estimation gives ~250 G for the mean field strength and a tentative value of ~0.45" for the spatial scale at which the observed magnetic field is horizontally organized.Comment: 42 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Figures 1 and 9 are in JPG forma

Efeito da cópula no parasitismo de Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) em ovos de Euschistus heros (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Atualmente, o controle biológico aplicado, que visa supressão de pragas agrícolas através da liberação de inimigos naturais, tem sido cada vez mais utilizado. Por isso, para que esses agentes tenham um bom desempenho, é importante conhecer suas características biológicas. Assim, o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a influência do acasalamento nas características biológicas de Telenomus podisi desenvolvidos em ovos de Euschistus heros. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com dois tratamentos e 40 repetições cada. Fêmeas acasaladas e não acasaladas foram individualizadas em tubos tipo Duran, contendo no interior uma gotícula de mel, para alimentação do parasitoide. Para cada espécime, foi oferecida uma cartela de ovos de E. heros durante 24h para o parasitismo. Foram avaliados os seguintes parâmetros biológicos: longevidade das fêmeas (dias), parasitismo (%), viabilidade de parasitismo (%) e razão sexual. Constatou que, de modo geral, o acasalamento não tem influência sobre a biologia de T. podisi. A longevidade das fêmeas parentais foi de aproximadamente 18 e 21 dias para fêmeas não copuladas e copuladas, respectivamente. Para porcentagem e viabilidade de parasitismo, os valores obtidos para fêmeas não copuladas e copuladas, foram de 47,84 e 48,31% e 81,85 e 82,43%, respectivamente. O único parâmetro influenciado pela cópula foi a razão sexual, 0 e 0,5387 para fêmeas não copuladas e copuladas, respectivamente. Este fato é explicado por uma característica comum da ordem Hymenoptera, a reprodução arrenótoca. Assim, quando não copuladas, as fêmeas dão origem a uma prole de machos haploides. Mais estudos como esse são necessários para que se garanta uma boa atuação dos parasitoides utilizados em programas de Manejo Integrado de Pragas

The Neotropical mirid predator Macrolophus basicornis uses volatile cues to avoid contacting old, Trichogramma pretiosum parasitized eggs of Tuta absoluta

Polyphagous mirid predators are increasingly used in commercial, augmentative biological control. Information about their foraging behaviour is essential, especially if one intends to use several natural enemies to control one or more pests in a crop, to detect if negative intraguild effects occur. We studied a case of intraguild predation (IGP) involving the predator Macrolophus basicornis (Stal) (Hemiptera Miridae) of the worldwide invasive South American tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae) and explored how this predator deals with prey parasitized by Trichogramma pretiosum (Riley) (Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae). Behavioural observations show that M. basicornis predators contacted significantly fewer old, parasitized eggs of T. absoluta than recently parasitized eggs. Olfactometer tests revealed that predators could smell differences between vola-tiles of tomato leaves infested with eggs of different qualities to locate suitable prey. They preferred volatiles from leaflets with unparasitized eggs above control leaflets and, moreover, preferred volatiles from leaflets with recently parasitized eggs over volatiles of leaflets with 5-day-old parasitized eggs. When predators and parasitoids are used together to control T. absoluta, parasitoids should be introduced one week before predators are released to prevent high levels of IGP

Intensity of intraguild predation of parasitized eggs by mirid predators depends on time since parasitization: a case study with the parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum and the predator Macrolophus basicornis attacking Tuta absoluta eggs

Concurrent releases of several species of natural enemies for pest control have been studied in various crops with either positive, neutral, or negative results. To control the pest Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae), only the egg parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae) is applied on many hectares with tomatoes in South America. Use of the mirid predator Macrolophus basicornis Stal (Hemiptera Miridae) is considered either alone or in combination with the parasitoid T. pretiosum. To determine if intraguild relationships between the two natural enemies negatively affect concurrent releases, unparasitized eggs and eggs parasitized by T. pretiosum were exposed to the predator. Knowing which stages of parasitized eggs are consumed or rejected by the predator is important for development of a release strategy resulting in highest pest mortality. M. basicornis consumed 1-2 day old parasitized eggs as well as unparasitized eggs, and, consequently, expressed strong intraguild predation (IGP). Five and 9-day old parasitized eggs were often not consumed, and, therefore, exerted the phenomenon of competitive exclusion (CE). Predation rates of old parasitized eggs were very low and similar in no-choice and choice tests, and in experiments with a large (100), medium (50) and very limited (10) number of preys offered, demonstrating a strong CE effect. Interestingly, in choice experiments with unparasitized and old parasitized eggs, predators started to consume unparasitized eggs significantly later than when only unparasitized or young parasitized eggs were offered. This suggests that old, parasitized eggs in some way reduce the foraging activity of M. basicornis. We expect that stronger pest reduction by concurrent releases of both natural enemies will only occur at the start of the tomato production season and when the egg parasitoid is introduced seven days before the mirid predator in order to reduce intraguild predation of parasitized eggs by the predator

Corner contributions to holographic entanglement entropy

The entanglement entropy of three-dimensional conformal field theories contains a universal contribution coming from corners in the entangling surface. We study these contributions in a holographic framework and, in particular, we consider the effects of higher curvature interactions in the bulk gravity theory. We find that for all of our holographic models, the corner contribution is only modified by an overall factor but the functional dependence on the opening angle is not modified by the new gravitational interactions. We also compare the dependence of the corner term on the new gravitational couplings to that for a number of other physical quantities, and we show that the ratio of the corner contribution over the central charge appearing in the two-point function of the stress tensor is a universal function for all of the holographic theories studied here. Comparing this holographic result to the analogous functions for free CFT's, we find fairly good agreement across the full range of the opening angle. However, there is a precise match in the limit where the entangling surface becomes smooth, i.e., the angle approaches $\pi$, and we conjecture the corresponding ratio is a universal constant for all three-dimensional conformal field theories. In this paper, we expand on the holographic calculations in our previous letter arXiv:1505.04804, where this conjecture was first introduced.Comment: 62 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; v2: minor modifications to match published version, typos fixe

Alternativas para atenuar a diferença de estande nos experimentos de avaliação de clones de Eucalyptus urophylla.

Com o objetivo de estudar se as plantas adjacentes às falhas são capazes de compensar em parte ou totalmente as ausentes e se essa compensação varia com o clone e as condições edafoclimáticas, foi conduzido o presente trabalho, em dois municípios da região noroeste do Estado de Minas Gerais, sendo os experimentos implantados em dezembro de 1998. O delineamento adotado foi o de blocos as acaso, no esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com três repetições. A parcela foi constituída por sete diferentes clones e a subparcela, pelo número variável de plantas no estande, em função do porcentual de falha. A subparcela que não apresentou falha recebeu 10 plantas em linha. Para a constituição das demais subparcelas, foram adotados cinco diferentes níveis de falha (10, 20, 30, 40 e 50%). Aos 37 meses de idade, foi avaliado o volume de madeira (m3 sólido/ha). Realizaram-se análises de variância por local e, posteriormente, análises conjuntas de locais, em ambos os casos envolvendo os dados no nível de média de planta e total de parcela. Nas análises de variância, as fontes de variação que envolveram a variável estande foram decompostas em efeitos lineares, quadráticos e desvios da regressão. Os valores de b foram estimados para estande e para cada clone, em cada local, independentemente do clone. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde-se concluir que: a maioria dos clones avaliados não compensa, em parte, a ausência das plantas vizinhas; a capacidade de compensação difere entre os clones e as condições edafoclimáticas; independentemente do clone e local de avaliação, a correção do estande por regressão e, principalmente, por co-variância foi eficiente para efetuar a seleção dos melhores clones, sendo mais expressiva com os dados de total de parcela

Bias in protein and potassium intake collected with 24-h recalls (EPIC-Soft) is rather comparable across European populations

Purpose: We investigated whether group-level bias of a 24-h recall estimate of protein and potassium intake, as compared to biomarkers, varied across European centers and whether this was influenced by characteristics of individuals or centers. Methods: The combined data from EFCOVAL and EPIC studies included 14 centers from 9 countries (n = 1,841). Dietary data were collected using a computerized 24-h recall (EPIC-Soft). Nitrogen and potassium in 24-h urine collections were used as reference method. Multilevel linear regression analysis was performed, including individual-level (e.g., BMI) and center-level (e.g., food pattern index) variables. Results: For protein intake, no between-center variation in bias was observed in men while it was 5.7% in women. For potassium intake, the between-center variation in bias was 8.9% in men and null in women. BMI was an important factor influencing the biases across centers (p <0.01 in all analyses). In addition, mode of administration (p = 0.06 in women) and day of the week (p = 0.03 in men and p = 0.06 in women) may have influenced the bias in protein intake across centers. After inclusion of these individual variables, between-center variation in bias in protein intake disappeared for women, whereas for potassium, it increased slightly in men (to 9.5%). Center-level variables did not influence the results. Conclusion: The results suggest that group-level bias in protein and potassium (for women) collected with 24-h recalls does not vary across centers and to a certain extent varies for potassium in men. BMI and study design aspects, rather than center-level characteristics, affected the biases across center