A modified leaf disk method for rearing predaceous mites [Acarina : Phytoseiidae]

La méthode du disque foliaire coupé pour élever des phytoséiides a été modifiée en maintenant le disque foliaire sur une solution nutritive solidifiée avec de l'agar. L'acarien prédateur Amblyseius cucumeris et sa proie, le thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, ont été élevés avec succès sur ce milieu. La survie et le temps de rétention du prédateur sur agar étaient meilleurs que sur de la ouate. L'agar a prolongé la qualité du feuillage pour la survie des larves de thrips comparé à la ouate et à l'eau, tout en offrant plusieurs autres avantages par rapport à ces milieux.The detached leaf disk method for rearing phytoseiids was modified by maintaining leaf disks on a nutrient solution solidified with agar. The predaceous mite, Amblyseius cucumeris, and thrips prey, Frankliniella occidentalis, were successfully reared on cucumber leaf disks using this technique. Predator survival and retention time on agar as the leaf supporting medium were improved compared to cotton wool. Agar prolonged leaf disk quality for thrips survival compared to both cotton wool and water, while offering other significant advantages to these alternative media

Egg parasitoid exploitation of plant volatiles induced by single or concurrent attack of a zoophytophagous predator and an invasive phytophagous pest

Zoophytophagous insect predators can induce physiological responses in plants by activating defence signalling pathways, but whether plants can respond to facultative phytophagy by recruiting natural enemies remains to be investigated. In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, using a system including a Vicia faba plant, the zoophytophagous predator Podisus maculiventris and the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi, we first demonstrated that T. podisi females are attracted by broad bean plants damaged by feeding activity of P. maculiventris and on which host egg masses had been laid, while they are not attracted by undamaged plants or plants damaged by feeding activity alone. In a second experiment, we evaluated the impact of the invasive phytophagous pest Halyomorpha halys on this plant volatile-mediated tritrophic communication. Results showed that the invasive herbivorous adults do not induce plants to recruit the native egg parasitoid, but they can disrupt the local infochemical network. In fact, T. podisi females are not attracted by volatiles emitted by plants damaged by H. halys feeding alone or combined with oviposition activity, nor are they attracted by plants concurrently infested by P. maculiventris and H. halys, indicating the specificity in the parasitoid response and the ability of the invasive herbivore in interrupting the semiochemical communication between plants and native egg parasitoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that zoophytophagous predator attacks induce indirect plant defences similarly to those defence strategies adopted by plants as a consequence of single or concurrent infestations of herbivorous insects

Glomerular deposition of homotrimeric type I collagen in the COL1A2 deficient mouse

Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on December 22, 2006).The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file."May 2006"Vita.Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2006.Type I collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the body. Type I collagen generally exists as a heterotrimeric protein; however, a homotrimeric isotype of type I collagen has been identified. Our lab currently studies the COL1A2 deficient mouse model which is homozygous for a mutation that causes the mice to synthesize homotrimeric type I collagen exclusively. We recently identified deposition of type I collagen in the kidneys of the COL1A2 deficient mouse model and under normal physiologic conditions such accumulation is pathologic. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of type I collagen within the kidney by evaluating synthetic and degradative pathways. As presented here, the accumulation of homotrimeric type I collagen in the kidneys of the COL1A2 deficient mice occurs postnatally and appears to be due to an increase in the synthetic pathway, as well as an alteration in the degradative pathway. Gaining a further understanding of the mechanisms behind the deposition of collagen within the kidney will hopefully lead to a greater understanding of secondary renal injury seen in the progression to end-stage renal disease, a complication of a variety diseases, including diabetic and IgA nephropathy. Further, characterization of the role of homotrimeric type I collagen will also lead to a greater understanding of its role in developmental and pathological events.Includes bibliographical reference

Effet de la brûlure cercosporéenne, causée par le Cercospora carotae, sur le développement, la croissance et le rendement de la carotte

L'objectif de cette étude était de quantifier l'effet de la sévérité de la brûlure cercosporéenne (Cercospora carotae) sur le développement (stades végétatifs), la croissance (poids secs du feuillage et des racines, indice de surface foliaire) et le rendement de la carotte (Daucus carota var. sativa). Au cours d'expériences effectuées en sol organique durant les saisons 1990, 1991 et 1992, trois niveaux de sévérité ont été obtenus par des nombres différents d'applications de fongicides, à savoir aucune application, deux ou trois applications et une application à chaque semaine. Au cours des trois années, des différences entre les traitements ont été observées 60 jours après le semis pour la sévérité de la maladie, 80 jours après le semis pour le poids sec du feuillage et l'indice de surface foliaire, et 100 jours après le semis pour le poids sec des racines. Une augmentation du nombre d'applications a permis une augmentation du rendement total en carottes. Cependant, les applications hebdomadaires n'ont pas augmenté le rendement en carottes de classe régulière par rapport à deux ou trois applications pour l'ensemble de la saison. Il est donc possible de réduire le nombre d'applications de fongicides, tout en conservant un rendement économiquement acceptable.The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of Cercospora blight of carrot (Cercospora carotae) severity on development (vegetative stages), growth (dry weight of leaves and roots, leaf area index) and yield of carrot (Daucus carota var. sativa). In experiments conducted on organic soils during 1990, 1991 and 1992, three levels of disease severity were obtained by different number of fungicide applications : no application, two or three applications, and weekly applications. During the three years, significant differences were observed at 60 days after sowing for disease severity, at 80 days after sowing for the dry weight of leaves and leaf area index, and at 100 days after sowing for the dry weight of roots. An increase in the number of fungicide applications resulted in an increase in total yield at final harvest. However, weekly fungicide application did not result in an increase in yield of carrots in the regular size classification. It is thus possible to maintain an acceptable economic yield even if the number of fungicide applications is reduced

The Mah Jongg Nightmare

Sheet music contains anti-Asian racist language, stereotypes, and/or imagry.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6871/thumbnail.jp

Control of the Onset of Filamentation in Condensed Media

Propagation of intense, ultrashort laser pulses through condensed media like crystals of BaF$_2$ and sapphire results in the formation of filaments. We demonstrate that the onset of filamentation may be controlled by rotating the plane of polarization of incident light. We directly visualize filamentation in BaF_2 via six-photon absorption-induced fluorescence and, concomitantly, by probing the spectral and spatial properties of white light that is generated.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Effet des taches foliaires causées par le Phaeosphaeria nodorum inoculé à différents stades de développement sur le rendement du blé de printemps

Des études en serre ont été réalisées pour évaluer l'effet du Phaeosphaeria nodorum sur le rendement du blé de printemps (Triticum aestivum, cv. Laval 19). Les plants de blé étaient inoculés aux stades gonflement épiaison, pleine floraison et grain laiteux. L'essai a été réalisé au cours de l'hiver 1993 et répété au cours de l'hiver 1994. L'inoculation du champignon pathogène P. nodorum entraîne généralement une augmentation significative de la surface foliaire infectée et une réduction du rendement comparativement aux témoins non inoculés. La surface foliaire infectée mesurée uniquement sur la feuille étendard est similaire à celle mesurée sur la plante entière. Le stade phénologique a un effet significatif sur toutes les variables observées: surface foliaire infectée, poids des tiges et des feuilles, poids des épis, poids des grains, poids des biomasses végétative et totale et indice de récolte. L'inoculation du pathogène au stade grain laiteux, le plus tardif de l'étude, semble avoir provoqué moins d'effets négatifs sur le rendement du blé comparativement aux trois autres stades étudiés. Selon les résultats de cette étude et les observations réalisées au Québec au cours des 15 dernières années, il est peu probable que les taches foliaires causées par le P. nodorum provoquent des baisses appréciables de rendement du blé de printemps au Québec.Greenhouse studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of foliar leaf spots caused by P. nodorum on spring wheat (Triticum aestivum, cv. Laval 19) yield. Wheat plants were inoculated at booting, heading, flowering and milking growth stages. Experiments were first performed in winter 1993 and repeated in winter 1994. Inoculation of P. nodorum usually resulted in an increase of leaf spots and a decrease of yield compared to uninoculated plants. Foliar flag leaves spots were similar to total plant foliar leaf spots. All variables were significantly affected by inoculation stages : infected foliar area, biomass of straw and leaves, biomass of spikes, biomass of grains, vegetative biomass and harvest index. Inoculation at milking growth stage seemed to resul in the least negative impacts on yield compared to all other stages. From the results of this study and observations performed in Quebec during the 15 past years, leaf spots caused by P. nodorum should not resul in important spring wheat yield losses in Quebec

Patch-Wise Training with Convolutional Neural Networks to Synthetically Upscale CFD Simulations

This paper expands the authors’ prior work[1], which focuses on developing a convolutional neural network (CNN) model capable of mapping time-averaged, unsteady Reynold’s-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations to higher resolution results informed by time-averaged detached eddy simulations (DES). The authors present improvements over the prior CNN autoencoder model that result from hyperparameter optimization, increased data set augmentation through the adoption of a patch-wise training approach, and the predictions of primitive variables rather than vorticity magnitude. The training of the CNN model developed in this study uses the same URANS and DES simulations of a transonic flow around several NACA 4-digit airfoils at high angles of attack[1]. The authors test the updated model by inputting airfoil profiles and flow conditions outside of the training set and by comparing the output flow field against DES calculations. The Fully Unstructured Navier-Stokes 3D (FUN3D) solver from NACA generates the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and uses computing assets available from the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) and Old Dominion University (ODU) High Performance Computing (HPC). Finally, the paper includes the effects of these techniques on the predictive capability and the performance of the authors’ CNN model

Highly charged ions in Penning traps, a new tool for resolving low lying isomeric states

The use of highly charged ions increases the precision and resolving power, in particular for short-lived species produced at on-line radio-isotope beam facilities, achievable with Penning trap mass spectrometers. This increase in resolving power provides a new and unique access to resolving low-lying long-lived ($T_{1/2} > 50$ ms) nuclear isomers. Recently, the $111.19(22)$ keV (determined from $\gamma$-ray spectroscopy) isomeric state in $^{78}$Rb has been resolved from the ground state, in a charge state of $q=8+$ with the TITAN Penning trap at the TRIUMF-ISAC facility. The excitation energy of the isomer was measured to be $108.7(6.4)$ keV above the ground state. The extracted masses for both the ground and isomeric states, and their difference, agree with the AME2003 and Nuclear Data Sheet values. This proof of principle measurement demonstrates the feasibility of using Penning trap mass spectrometers coupled to charge breeders to study nuclear isomers and opens a new route for isomer searches.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure