Prediction of Infestation by Beetles in Stored Wheat Using Two Sampling Methods

Σε κάθε ένα από τρία μεταλλικά silos με σκληρό σιτάρι, που βρίσκονταν στην Κεντρική Ελλάδα, τοποθετήθηκαν 14 παγίδες τύπου probe, στις 15 Ιουνίου 1997. Οι παγίδες ελέγχονταν για ακμαία κολεόπτερα κάθε 15 ημέρες από τις 30 Ιουνίου μέχρι και τις 30 Ιανουαρίου 1998. Κατά τις ημερομηνίες ελέγχου των παγίδων, 14 δείγματα λαμβάνονταν με έναν δειγματολήπτη τΰπου «όντας ακριβώς δίπλα στις θέσεις παγίδευσης. Πολυπληθέστερα είδη στις παγίδες βρέθηκαν ναείναι τα Cryptolestes ferrugineus και Tribolium castaneum ενώ στα δείγματα το Sitophilus oryzae. Για όλα τα ευρεθέντα είδη οι παγίδες ήσαν αποτελεσματικότερες σε σύγκριση με τα δείγματα στην ανίχνευση των ακμαίων. Η γενική δοκιμασία του έδειξε ότι μια σταθμική εξίσωση μπορεί να περιγράψει εξίσου ικανοποιητικά τη σχέση του μέσου και της διασποράς σύμφωνα με τον νόμο της δύναμης του Taylor, για όλα ευρεθέντα ακμαία, ανεξαρτήτως είδους. Οι παράμετροι της σχέσης αυτής χρησιμοποιήθηκαν, με βάση το πρότυπο των Wilson και Room, για την σύνδεση της αναλογίας των δειγματοληπτικών μονάδων με ακμαία (ρ) και του μέσου αριθμού ακμαίων ανά δειγματοληπτική μονάδα (χ). Με βάση τις συλλήψεις των παγίδων, το παραπάνω πρότυπο μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για πρόβλεψη με ικανοποιητικό επίπεδο ακρίβειας, ιδιαίτερα όταν χ<5. Αντίθετα, η χρήση του μοντέλου των Wilson και Room δεν έδωσε ικανοποιητικά αποτελέσματα όταν εξετάστηκε με βάση τους αριθμούς ακμαίων στα δείγματα.Studies were conducted in order to assess the use of binomial sampling for prediction of infestation level in stored wheat. In each of three steel silos with 1500 metric tones of wheat each, located in central Greece, 14 probe traps were placed on 15 June 1997. The traps were checked for adult coleoptera. every 15 days, from 30 June until 30 January 1998. On the same dates, 14 wheat samples were taken adjacent to the trap locations, using a grain trier. Most abundant species were found to be Cryptolestesferrugineus and Tribolium castaneum in the traps, while Sitophilus oryzae in the samples. Regarding all species detected, traps were proved to be more effective as compared to the samples. Taylor’s Power Law was used, in order to estimate y-intercept and slope values for each species, The comparison of these parameters indicated that a single (weighted) equation can describe equally well the relation between the mean and the variance, according to Taylor’s Power Law, for all adults found, regardless of species. The parameters of this relation were utilized to connect the ratio of sampling units containing one or more adults and the mean number of adults per sampl i ng unit (x), using Wilson and Room’s model. Regarding trap catches, the same model can he used to predict an infestation, with a sufficient precision level, mainly when K<5; on the contrary, the results were not satisfactory in the case of adult numbers in the samples

First Record of Alphitophagus bifasciatus (Say) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Greece; Its Occurrence in Cereal Product Stores

To μυκητοφάγο κολεόπτερο Alphilophagus bifasciatus παρατηρήθηκε για πρωτη φορά στην Ελλάδα, κατά τη διάρκεια καταγραφής των εντόμων που σχετίζονται με τα αποθηκευμένα σιτηρά στην περιοχή Φαρσάλων διαρκουντος του έτους 1991. Αρκετά ακμαία του εντόμου, τα περισσότερα από αυτά ζωντανά και δραστήρια, βρεθηκαν στις αποθήκες σιτηρων (σιτάρι, κριθάρι, καλαμπόκι) της Κ.Υ.Δ.Ε.Π. της περιοχής, κυρίως σε σημεία όπου υπήρχαν νοτισμένα από υγρασία υπολείμματα και σε γωνίες που ήταν συγκεντρωμένοι σωροί από το προϊόν και σκουπίδια μετά τον καθαρισμό των αποθηκών. Η παρουσία του εντόμου δεν ήταν συνεχής κατά τη διάρκεια του ετους.[no abstract available

Evaluation of Mater Bi and Polylactic Acid as materials for biodegradable innovative mini-radiosondes to track small scale fluctuations within clouds

Turbulence plays an important part in determining the chemical and physical processes, on both the micro- and macro-scales, whereby clouds are formed and behave. However, exactly how these are linked together and how turbulence impacts each of these processes is not yet fully understood. This is partly due to a lack of in-situ small scale fluctuation measurements due to a limitation in the available technology. It is in this context that the radiosondes, for which the material characterisation is presented in this paper, are being developed to generate a Lagrangian set of data which can be used to improve the ever-expanding knowledge of atmospheric processes and, in particular, the understanding of the interaction between turbulence and micro-physical phenomenologies inside clouds (www.complete-h2020network.eu). Specifically, the materials developed for the balloons are discussed in further detail within this paper. Mater Bi and polylactic acid are the two common biodegradable thermoplastics that were used initially to make the balloons. To tailor their properties, the balloons were then coated with carnauba wax blended with either pine resin or SiO2 nanoparticles. The properties such as hydrophobicity, toughness, elasticity and helium gas permeability are investigated and improved in order to keep the density of the radiosondes as constant as possible for a couple of hours. This will allow them to float inside and outside clouds on an isopycnic surface, to measure various properties such as velocity, temperature, pressure and humidity by means of solid state sensors and to transmit them to receivers on Earth. Tests have been made under a rigorous metrological approach comparing the 6 new materials with two reference balloon materials, latex and mylar. It was found that Mater Bi with the two carnauba wax coatings is the most suited though its roughness and water vapour permeability should be improved

Dominance and Frequency of Coleoptera Found on Stored Cereals and Cereal Products in Central Greece

Κατά τη διάρκεια συστηματικών δειγματοληψιών που έλαβαν χώρα επί ενα ετος, σε τέσσερις αποθηκευτικούς χώρους σιτηροίν και υποπροϊόντων τους, στην περιοχή Φαρσάλων, συλλέχθηκαν 41242 άτομα κολεοπτερων εντόμων. Τα άτομα αυτά αντιστοιχούν σε 30 είδη που ανήκουν σε 14 οικογένειες. Η ανάλυση των μετρήσεων ως προς την «κυριαρχία» και τη «συχνότητα» των ειδών, έδειξε ότι τα είδη Sitophilus oryzae και 5. granarius κυριαρχούν σε χώρους όπου αποθηκεύονται σπόροι σιτηρών ενώ υστερούν στον αλευρόμυλο. Τα Tribolium confusimi και T. castaneum υπερισχύουν σε πληθυσμό του S. granarius στον αλευρόμυλο ενώ συμβαίνει το αντίθετο στις αποθήκες.Άλλα είδη που βρέθηκαν σε μεγάλους πληθυσμούς είναι τα: Otyzaephilus surinamensis και Ο. menatoi; Cryptolestes ferrugineus και Rhysopertha dominica ενώ τα υπόλοιπα 22 είδη υπήρχαν σε σημαντικά μικρότερους πληθυσμούς και στους τέσσερις χώρους.Thirty Coleoptera taxa belonging to 14 families were found during samplings conducted in 4 different storage facilities at Farsala district, Central Greece, from January 1991 to February 1992. Among the most frequently found, Sitophilus oryzae, S. granarius and Rhysopertha dominica were more numerous on grain, Tribolium confusum, T castaneum and Cryptolestes ferrugineus on flour, while Oryzaephilus surinamensis and O. inercator showed no significant preference to any commodity. An analysis of the results was performed, based on the dominance and frequency criteria. The population fluctuation of the 8 most significant species is given in graphs

Insecticidal action of the combined use of spinosad and deltamethrin against three storedproduct pests in two stored hard-wheat varieties.

The combined use of spinosad with deltamethrin against adults of Sitophilus oryzae, Sitophilus granarius and Tribolium confusum was evaluated in a series of laboratory bioassays in two hard wheat varieties (Athos and Sifnos). Two groups of bioassays were carried out. In the first group of bioassays, spinosad or deltamethrin were applied alone at the tested wheat varieties at the doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 ppm for spinosad and 0.125 ppm for deltamethrin. In the second group of bioassays, the tested wheat varieties were treated with the combination of the above spinosad rates with 0.125 of deltamethrin. In both series of bioassays, mortality of the tested species was evaluated after 7 d of exposure on the treated wheat varieties at 25oC and 65% r.h. Mortality for all species was always significantly higher in Athos than Sifnos. The highest mortality of S. oryzae (73 and 40% for Athos and Sifnos respectively) or S. granarius (88% and 58% for Athos and Sifnos respectively) was recorded in the cases that spinosad was applied alone at 0.5 ppm. On the contrary, in the case of T. confusum, 0.125 ppm of deltamethrin was significantly more effective than any of the application rates of spinosad either when applied alone or in combination with deltamethrin. Despite the fact that the highest mortality of S. granarius adults was recorded after exposure on the wheat varieties treated with 0.1 ppm of spinosad x 0.125 ppm of deltamethrin, in light of the results of the present study, the combination of spinosad with deltmethrin requires further investigation since in most of the tested cases of the present study, single application of spinosad or deltamethrin was more effective or of equal effectiveness than the respective combination of spinosad with deltamethrin. Keywords: Spinosad, Deltamethrin, Tribolium, Sitophilus, Wheat, Variet

Mortality and suppression of progeny production of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in seven different grains treated with an enhanced diatomaceous earth formulation

DEBBM, an enhanced diatomaceous earth (DE) formulation consisting of a mixture of DE and the plant extract bitterbarkomycin, was applied to seven different grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, paddy rice and maize) at two dose rates 50 ppm and 150 ppm. Unsexed, 7d old adults of Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) were exposed to the DEBBM treated commodities and their mortality was assessed after 7d and 14d of exposure at 25 oC and 65% r.h. Furthermore, progeny production of the tested species per treated commodity was also assessed. Sitophilus oryzae appeared to be more susceptible than T. confusum to DEBBM. Performance of DEBBM was better in barley, wheat and oats compared to the remainder of the tested commodities. DEBBM performed better in rye and triticale than in paddy rice against both species although in many cases, significant differences among these grains were not recorded. Despite that DEBBM reached its highest efficacy levels on barley, wheat, and oats it did not suppress progeny production of the treated species in any of the grains. A significant reduction in progeny production of the treated species was recorded in the DEBBM treated grains in comparison with the untreated ones. This reduction in progeny production was expressed more vigorously to S. oryzae rather than T. confusum. In commodities with high DEBBM performance such as barley, oats or wheat, &gt; 9-fold less progeny of S. oryzae were recorded at 150 ppm of DEBBM than in the untreated commodities. Although significantly less progeny of T. confusum were recorded in DEBBM treated grains than untreated grains, progeny suppression of this species was neither dose nor commodity dependant. Keywords: Diatomaceous earth, Bitterbarkomycin, Tribolium, Sitophilus, Mortality, Commodit

Electrospun silk fibroin fibers for storage and controlled release of human platelet lysate

Human platelet lysate (hPL) is a pool of growth factors and cytokines able to induce regeneration of different tissues. Despite its good potentiality as therapeutic tool for regenerative medicine applications, hPL has been only moderately exploited in this field. A more widespread adoption has been limited because of its rapid degradation at room temperature that decreases its functionality. Another limiting factor for its extensive use is the difficulty of handling the hPL gels. In this work, silk fibroin-based patches were developed to address several points: improving the handling of hPL, enabling their delivery in a controlled manner and facilitating their storage by creating a device ready to use with expanded shelf life. Patches of fibroin loaded with hPL were synthesized by electrospinning to take advantage of the fibrous morphology. The release kinetics of the material was characterized and tuned through the control of fibroin crystallinity. Cell viability assays, performed with primary human dermal fibroblasts, demonstrated that fibroin is able to preserve the hPL biological activity and prolong its shelf-life. The strategy of storing and preserving small active molecules within a naturally-derived, protein-based fibrous scaffold was successfully implemented, leading to the design of a biocompatible device, which can potentially simplify the storage and the application of the hPL on a human patient, undergoing medical procedures such as surgery and wound care. Statement of Significance: Human platelets lysate (hPL) is a mixture of growth factors and cytokines able to induce the regeneration of damaged tissues. This study aims at enclosing hPL in a silk fibroin electrospun matrix to expand its utilization. Silk fibroin showed the ability to preserve the hPL activity at temperature up to 60 \ub0C and the manipulation of fibroin's crystallinity provided a tool to modulate the hPL release kinetic. This entails the possibility to fabricate the hPL silk fibroin patches in advance and store them, resulting in an easy and fast accessibility and an expanded use of hPL for wound healing

Evaluation of Mater Bi and Polylactic Acid as materials for biodegradable innovative mini-radiosondes to track small scale fluctuations within clouds

Turbulence plays an important part in determining the chemical and physical processes, on both the micro- and macro-scales, whereby clouds are formed and behave. However, exactly how these are linked together and how turbulence impacts each of these processes is not yet fully understood. This is partly due to a lack of in-situ small scale fluctuation measurements due to a limitation in the available technology. It is in this context that the radiosondes, for which the material characterisation is presented in this paper, are being developed to generate a Lagrangian set of data which can be used to improve the ever-expanding knowledge of atmospheric processes and, in particular, the understanding of the interaction between turbulence and micro-physical phenomenologies inside clouds (www.complete-h2020network.eu). Specifically, the materials developed for the balloons are discussed in further detail within this paper. Mater Bi and polylactic acid are the two common biodegradable thermoplastics that were used initially to make the balloons. To tailor their properties, the balloons were then coated with carnauba wax blended with either pine resin or SiO_2 nanoparticles. The properties such as hydrophobicity, toughness, elasticity and helium gas permeability are investigated and improved in order to keep the density of the radiosondes as constant as possible for a couple of hours. This will allow them to float inside and outside clouds on an isopycnic surface, to measure various properties such as velocity, temperature, pressure and humidity by means of solid state sensors and to transmit them to receivers on Earth. Tests have been made under a rigorous metrological approach comparing the 6 new materials with two reference balloon materials, latex and mylar. It was found that Mater Bi with the two carnaubua wax coatings is the most suited.

Valorization of Tomato Processing by-Products: Fatty Acid Extraction and Production of Bio-Based Materials

A method consisting of the alkaline hydrolysis of tomato pomace by-products has been optimized to obtain a mixture of unsaturated and polyhydroxylated fatty acids as well as a non-hydrolysable secondary residue. Reaction rates and the activation energy of the hydrolysis were calculated to reduce costs associated with chemicals and energy consumption. Lipid and non-hydrolysable fractions were chemically (infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS)) and thermally (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)) characterized. In addition, the fatty acid mixture was used to produce cutin-based polyesters. Freestanding films were prepared by non-catalyzed melt-polycondensation and characterized by Attenuated Total Reflected-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), DSC, TGA, Water Contact Angles (WCA), and tensile tests. These bio-based polymers were hydrophobic, insoluble, infusible, and thermally stable, their physical properties being tunable by controlling the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and oxygen in the reaction. The participation of an oxidative crosslinking side reaction is proposed to be responsible for such modifications.Andalusian Regional Government P11-TEP-7418Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2015-65246-R and AGL2017-83036-RFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) AGL2015-65246-R and AGL2017-83036-

Making silicon hydrophobic: wettability control by two-lengthscale simultaneous patterning with femtosecond laser irradiation

We report on the wettability properties of silicon surfaces, simultaneously structured on the micrometre-scale and the nanometre-scale by femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation to render silicon hydrophobic. By varying the laser fluence, it was possible to control the wetting properties of a silicon surface through a systematic and reproducible variation of the surface roughness. In particular, the silicon–water contact angle could be increased from 66° to more than 130°. Such behaviour is described by incomplete liquid penetration within the silicon features, still leaving partially trapped air inside. We also show how controllable design and tailoring of the surface microstructures by wettability gradients can drive the motion of the drop's centre of mass towards a desired direction (even upwards)