First report of Phytophthora capsici in the Lao PDR

Phytophthora capsici is reported for the first time in the Lao PDR. It was isolated from soil collected from the root zone of wilting red chilli (Capsicum annuum) plants in a polyhouse farm in Paksong district of Champasak province. The wilting chilli plants had typical symptoms of infection by P. capsici including root rot and necrosis of the outer cortex of the stem base. The isolate was identified using morphological and molecular markers. A pathogenicity trial demonstrated that the culture was pathogenic to a local cultivar of chilli seedlings

Contributions to the cross shock electric field at supercritical perpendicular shocks: Impact of the pickup ions

A particle-in-cell code is used to examine contributions of the pickup ions (PIs) and the solar wind ions (SWs) to the cross shock electric field at the supercritical, perpendicular shocks. The code treats the pickup ions self-consistently as a third component. Herein, two different runs with relative pickup ion density of 25% and 55% are presented in this paper. Present preliminary results show that: (1) in the low percentage (25%) pickup ion case, the shock front is nonstationary. During the evolution of this perpendicular shock, a nonstationary foot resulting from the reflected solar wind ions is formed in front of the old ramp, and its amplitude becomes larger and larger. At last, the nonstationary foot grows up into a new ramp and exceeds the old one. Such a nonstationary process can be formed periodically. hen the new ramp begins to be formed in front of the old ramp, the Hall term mainly contributed by the solar wind ions becomes more and more important. The electric field Ex is dominated by the Hall term when the new ramp exceeds the old one. Furthermore, an extended and stationary foot in pickup ion gyro-scale is located upstream of the nonstationary/self-reforming region within the shock front, and is always dominated by the Lorentz term contributed by the pickup ions; (2) in the high percentage (55%) pickup ion case, the amplitude of the stationary foot is increased as expected. One striking point is that the nonstationary region of the shock front evidenced by the self-reformation disappears. Instead, a stationary extended foot dominated by Lorentz term contributed by the pickup ions, and a tationary ramp dominated by Hall term contributed by the solar wind ions are clearly evidenced. The significance of the cross electric field on ion dynamics is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figs and 1 table. This paper will be published in the journal: Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Research priorities to support effective manta and devil ray conservation

Manta and devil rays are filter-feeding elasmobranchs that are found circumglobally in tropical and subtropical waters. Although relatively understudied for most of the Twentieth century, public awareness and scientific research on these species has increased dramatically in recent years. Much of this attention has been in response to targeted fisheries, international trade in mobulid products, and a growing concern over the fate of exploited populations. Despite progress in mobulid research, major knowledge gaps still exist, hindering the development of effective management and conservation strategies. We assembled 30 leaders and emerging experts in the fields of mobulid biology, ecology, and conservation to identify pressing knowledge gaps that must be filled to facilitate improved science-based management of these vulnerable species. We highlight focal research topics in the subject areas of taxonomy and diversity, life history, reproduction and nursery areas, population trends, bycatch and fisheries, spatial dynamics and movements, foraging and diving, pollution and contaminants, and sub-lethal impacts. Mobulid rays remain a poorly studied group, and therefore our list of important knowledge gaps is extensive. However, we hope that this identification of high priority knowledge gaps will stimulate and focus future mobulid research

The 2001 Canadian recommendations for the management of hypertension: Part one--Assessment for diagnosis, cardiovascular risk, causes and lifestyle modification

All recommendations were graded according to the strength of the evidence and voted on by the Canadian Hypertension Recommendations Working Group. Only those recommendations achieving high levels of consensus are reported. These guidelines will be updated annually. ENDORSEMENT: These guidelines are endorsed by the Canadian Hypertension Society, The Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, The College of Family Physicians of Canada, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, The Adult Disease Division and Bureau of Cardio-Respiratory Diseases and Diabetes at the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Health Canada