Low-cost thermal imager for plant phenotyping.

This work uses a Flir Lepton 3 longwave infrared imager integrated with a Raspberry Pi computer to produce thermal images of crops. The longwave infrared sensor can detect the thermal radiation emitted by objects near room temperature and then determine its temperature.Editores: Paulo Sérgio de Paula Herrmann Junior, Paulino Ribeiro Villas Boas

Low-cost thermal field mapping.

This project is originally designed to be used in rice genetic enhancement fields, but it can be used for other purposes, for example, to verify if any part of the tillage has a disease, when comparing the thermal signature of the species with the thermal map.Editores: Paulo Sérgio de Paula Herrmann Junior, Paulino Ribeiro Villas Boas

Use of thermographic sensors to determine the water status of plants in a controlled environment.

The foliar temperature of plants, relative to ambient temperature, can be used to infer the water status of plants. Both in the field (crops) and in greenhouse, infrared temperature sensors can be used or even thermal cameras to measure leaf temperature without contact with plants. For the case of the greenhouse, Embrapa Rice and Beans created a system, called SITIS (Integrated System of Induced Treatment of Stress). This platform automates the planning and execution of plant irrigation in a greenhouse.Editores: Paulo Sérgio de Paula Herrmann Junior, Paulino Ribeiro Villas Boas

Spin-Polarized STM for a Kondo adatom

We investigate the bias dependence of the tunneling conductance between a spin-polarized (SP) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip and the surface conduction states of a normal metal with a Kondo adatom. Quantum interference between tip-host metal and tip-adatom-host metal conduction paths is studied in the full range of the Fano parameter $q$. The spin-polarized STM gives rise to a splitting of the Kondo peak and asymmetry in the zero-bias anomaly depending on the lateral tip-adatom distance. For increasing lateral distances, the Kondo peak-splitting shows a strong suppression and the spin-polarized conductance exhibits the standard Fano-Kondo profile.Comment: new version with improved discussion. added one figure. 12 pages (one-column) + 5 figure

Serum Klotho (but not haplotypes) associate with the post-myocardial infarction status of older adults

The number of deaths from vascular diseases is incredibly high worldwide, and reliable markers for major events are still needed. The current cross-sectional study investigated the association of Klotho haplotypes and Klotho serum levels with classic risk factors and a clinical history of vascular events. METHODS: Clinical, anthropometric, biochemical and nutritional assessments were conducted with 168 older adults, complemented by genotyping (rs9536314 and rs9527025) and the detection of serum Klotho (ELISA). RESULTS: Klotho levels and haplotypes did not associate with most classic risk factors for vascular events, including markers such as C-reactive protein and homocysteine. A positive association was only found between Klotho levels and the previous occurrence of a myocardial infarction by both correlational (p=0.006) and variance analyses (p<0.001), and these associations were independent of the context. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that serum Klotho is higher in individuals with a clinical history of myocardial infarction but not with a history of coronary artery disease or stroke. None of the Klotho haplotypes were associated with the variables investigated herein

Serum Klotho (but not haplotypes) associate with the post-myocardial infarction status of older adults

OBJECTIVES: The number of deaths from vascular diseases is incredibly high worldwide, and reliable markers for major events are still needed. The current cross-sectional study investigated the association of Klotho haplotypes and Klotho serum levels with classic risk factors and a clinical history of vascular events. METHODS: Clinical, anthropometric, biochemical and nutritional assessments were conducted with 168 older adults, complemented by genotyping (rs9536314 and rs9527025) and the detection of serum Klotho (ELISA). RESULTS: Klotho levels and haplotypes did not associate with most classic risk factors for vascular events, including markers such as C-reactive protein and homocysteine. A positive association was only found between Klotho levels and the previous occurrence of a myocardial infarction by both correlational (p=0.006) and variance analyses (

The VISCACHA survey : III. Star clusters counterpart of the Magellanic Bridge and Counter-Bridge in 8D

Context. The interactions between the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC) created the Magellanic Bridge; a stream of gas and stars pulled out of the SMC towards the LMC about 150 Myr ago. The tidal counterpart of this structure, which should include a trailing arm, has been predicted by models but no compelling observational evidence has confirmed the Counter-Bridge so far. Aims. The main goal of this work is to find the stellar counterpart of the Magellanic Bridge and Counter-Bridge. We use star clusters in the SMC outskirts as they provide a 6D phase-space vector, age, and metallicity which help characterise the outskirts of the SMC. Methods. Distances, ages, and photometric metallicities were derived from fitting isochrones to the colour-magnitude diagrams from the VISCACHA survey. Radial velocities and spectroscopic metallicities were derived from the spectroscopic follow-up using GMOS in the CaII triplet region. Results. Among the seven clusters analysed in this work, five belong to the Magellanic Bridge, one belongs to the Counter-Bridge, and the other belongs to the transition region. Conclusions. The existence of the tidal counterpart of the Magellanic Bridge is evidenced by star clusters. The stellar component of the Magellanic Bridge and Counter-Bridge are confirmed in the SMC outskirts. These results are an important constraint for models that seek to reconstruct the history of the orbit and interactions between the LMC and SMC as well as constrain their future interaction including with the Milky Way

New triazine bridged triads based on BODIPY-porphyrin systems: extended absorption, efficient energy transfer and upconverted emission

Two novel triads connecting a BODIPY to ethylenediamine substituted porphyrins via triazine linker have been synthesized and characterized. One of the triads is a linear D-A structure with one BODIPY (D) and one porphyrin (A) bridged by the triazine linker and the other one is a branched A-D4 structure with the porphyrin core linked to four BODIPY units. The triads show extended absorption in the visible region with contributions from both porphyrin (Soret band centred at 410–430 nm) and BODIPY units (strong absorption at ≈ 502 nm) in good agreement with the expected molar ratio. Both triads exhibit linear and nonlinear optical properties featuring an efficient energy transfer from the BODIPY donor to the porphyrin acceptor. The nonlinear upconverted emission properties of the triads were studied by two-photon excitation in the Near-infrared (NIR, 710–930 nm). The maximum two-photon absorption cross-section values for the triads (40–70 GM) are larger than those typically reported in this wavelength range for porphyrins and BODIPY. Both the green emission of BODIPY (≈514 nm) and the red emission of porphyrins (650–750 nm) were observed under NIR excitation at 930 nm. The distinct features of triads, namely i) an extended absorption; ii) an efficient energy transfer and iii) the nonlinear upconverted emission featuring a large separation between the excitation and emission wavelengths could be beneficial for application in sensing and imaging procedures.publishe

Molecular species delimitation and description of a new species of Phenacogaster (Teleostei, Characidae) from the southern Amazon basin

Phenacogaster is the most species-rich genus of the subfamily Characinae with 23 valid species broadly distributed in riverine systems of South America. Despite the taxonomic diversity of the genus, little has been advanced about its molecular diversity. A recent molecular phylogeny indicated the presence of undescribed species within Phenacogaster that is formally described here. We sampled 73 specimens of Phenacogaster and sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in order to undertake species delimitation analyses and evaluate their intra- and interspecific genetic diversity. The results show the presence of 14 species, 13 of which are valid and one undescribed. The new species is known from the tributaries of the Xingu basin, the Rio das Mortes of the Araguaia basin, and the Rio Teles Pires of the Tapajós basin. It is distinguished by the incomplete lateral line, position of the humeral blotch near the pseudotympanum, and shape of the caudal-peduncle blotch. Meristic data and genetic differentiation relative to other Phenacogaster species represent strong evidence for the recognition of the new species and highlight the occurrence of an additional lineage of P. franciscoensis