Spatial distribution and losses by grain destroying insects in transgenic corn expressing the toxin Cry1Ab

Insect pests are one of the factors that most impact plant yield. The magnitude of the losses and the spatiotemporal pest distribution in crops is a result of their interactions with the environment. Therefore, the understanding of the causes of production losses and the pest spatial patterns is important for the development of suitable sampling plans and pest management programs. Thus, this study aimed to quantify grain losses caused by insects and to determine the spatial distribution pattern of arthropod pest species in Bt and non-Bt corn. The prevailing insect pests in the corn ears were the earworm and fall armyworm caterpillars (Helicoverpa spp. and Spodoptera frugiperda), the cornsilk fly (Euxesta spp.), the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais), and the square-necked grain beetle (Cathartus quadricollis). The non-Bt corn was more attacked by the caterpillars and the weevil, while Bt corn was more affected by the corn- silk fly Euxesta spp. Spatial dependence was significant for the damage caused by the caterpillars, the grain beetle and the maize weevil in both the Bt and non-Bt corn genotypes. The range of the damage caused by the insects was between 9.0–9.7 m for the caterpillars, 6.9– 12.20 m for the cornsilk fly, 10.7–80.4 m for the square-necked grain beetle, and 51.9–170.7 m for the maize weevil. The pattern of the spatial distribution of pest damage in both corn genotypes (i.e., Bt and non-Bt corn) was similar with a prevalence of moderate to strong spatial dependence and aggregate damage distribution. The plants near to the sampling points exhibited injury and infestation levels similar to those of the sampled plants

Cry1Fa-Induced Hormesis in Spodopterafrugiperda

Respostas subletais a toxinas de Bacillusthuringiensis (Bt) são frequentemente negligenciadas em estudos de toxicidade a Bt, muito embora efeitos estimulantes associados a baixas doses de compostos tóxicos que são inseticidas em doses mais elevadas já foram reconhecidas como um fenômeno toxicológico geral. A evidência para uma relação dose-resposta bifásica, ou hormese, foi reconhecida como uma das possíveis causas subjacentes ao ressurgimento de pragas e erupção de pragas secundárias. Hormese tem também implicações potencialmente importantes para manejo de populações de insetos-pragas resistentes a plantas Bt, mas faltam evidências de sua ocorrência em tal contexto. Neste estudo, é relatado efeito estimulante de doses subletais da toxina Cry1Fa em uma linhagem de Spodopterafrugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistente a esta toxina. Bioensaios foram realizados em laboratório usando recipientes com dieta artificial tratada superficialmente com Cry1Fa. Larvas neonatas foram expostas a dieta por dez dias e os níveis de mortalidade e inibição de crescimento foram avaliados. Parâmetros de desempenho demográfico foram estimados a partir de tabelas de fertilidade para insetos expostos a toxina em dieta artificial e em folhas de milho Bt. Observou-se um pico na taxa reprodutiva líquida em 729 ng/cm 2 de Cry1Fa, resultando em um pico na taxa intrínseca de crescimento populacional nesta dose. Também ocorreu aumento crescente no desempenho populacional em baixas doses de Cry1Fa na dieta e estes foram correlacionados com a biomassa pupal dos pais. Na tabelas de vida usando folhas de milho Bt Cry1F e não-Bt, os insetos expostos ao milho Bt tiveram redução no tempo de geração (T) em relação aos insetos não-expostos. Esses resultados são consistentes com hormese induzida pela toxina Bt Cry1Fa em S. frugiperda. Algumas implicações potenciais desse fenômeno são discutidas nesta dissertação de mestrado.Sublethal responses to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are often overlooked in studies of toxicity to Bt, even though stimulatory effects associated with low doses of toxic compounds that at higher doses have already been recognized as a general toxicological phenomenon. The evidence for a biphasic dose-response relationship, hormesis, was recognized as one of the possible underlying causes of pest resurgence and secondary pest outbreaks. Hormesis also has potentially important implications for pest management of insect populations resistant to Bt plants, but evidence for this has yet to be shown. In study, stimulatory effects of sublethal concentrations of Cry1Fa are reported in a strain of Spodopterafrugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistant to this toxin. Bioassays were performed in the using artificial diet superficially treated with Cry1Fa. Neonates were exposed for ten days, when larval mortality and growth inhibition were assessed. Demographic performance parameters were estimated using fertility life tables for insects exposed to the toxin on artificial diet or in leaves of Bt maize. An elevation in the net reproductive rate was observed at the concentration of 729 ng/cm 2 Cry1Fa, thus resulting in elevated intrinsic rate of population increase at this toxin concentration. Also, elevated population performance occurred under low Cry1Fa diet concentrations and these were correlated with the parental pupal biomass. For life table constructed for armyworms on maize leaves, the insects exposed to Bt Cry1F maize foliage had reduced generation time (T) compared to those feeding on non-Btisoline maize. These results are consistent with hormesis induced by the Bt Cry1Fa toxin in S. frugiperda. Some potential implications of this phenomenon arediscussed in this master thesis.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológic

Um estudo na literatura internacional sobre as dívidas públicas

As discussões acerca das dívidas públicas têm recebido cada vez mais atenção tanto na literatura nacional quanto na internacional. As dívidas públicas surgem quando os entes públicos precisam recorrer a empréstimos para cumprir suas obrigações, que incluem a manutenção de bens e a oferta de serviços para a sociedade. Essa temática tem despertado interesse de pesquisadores e estudiosos, devido à sua relevância para a sociedade. O objetivo deste artigo é realizar um levantamento dos artigos publicados sobre as dívidas públicas, identificando os autores mais citados e a quantidade de publicações, além de realizar uma análise sobre as publicações selecionadas. Para atender ao objetivo proposto, este artigo apresenta uma metodologia de pesquisa bibliométrica, utilizando dados da base Scopus. A natureza do estudo é descritiva, pois visa descrever os itens encontrados na análise bibliométrica dos 413 artigos selecionados no período de 2018 a 2022. Os resultados da pesquisa revelam que os Estados Unidos da América é o país que mais contribuiu com publicações sobre o tema das dívidas públicas. Por outro lado, o autor com maior número de artigos publicados sobre o assunto é da África do Sul. Além disso, os resultados também apontam para uma predominância euro-americana nas publicações, indicando que a maioria dos estudos e pesquisas são provenientes de países europeus e americanos

Doping Liquid Argon with Xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: Effects on Scintillation Light

International audienceDoping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 770 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non-uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen

The DUNE Far Detector Vertical Drift Technology, Technical Design Report

International audienceDUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals

The DUNE Far Detector Vertical Drift Technology, Technical Design Report

International audienceDUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals

Doping Liquid Argon with Xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: Effects on Scintillation Light

International audienceDoping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 770 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non-uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen

The DUNE Far Detector Vertical Drift Technology, Technical Design Report

DUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals