Efficacy of standard and low drift nozzles for insecticide applications against Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) in citrus

Drift is especially critical when spraying fruit, vine and citrus orchards where pesticides are intensively used. In this context, cone low drift nozzles (LDN) intended for spraying tree crops, have been evaluated relating to cone standard nozzles (STN) in laboratory and deciduous fruit orchards (Van de Zande et al. 2012); (Planas et al., 2013)

UV-A activation of peroxymonosulfate for the removal of micropollutants from secondary treated wastewater

The occurrence of micropollutants (MPs) in the aquatic environment poses a threat to the environment and to the human health. The application of sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) to eliminate these contaminants has attracted attention in recent years. In this work, the simultaneous degradation of 20 multi-class MPs (classified into 5 main categories, namely antibiotics, beta-blockers, other pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and herbicides) was evaluated for the first time in secondary treated wastewater, by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with UV-A radiation, without any pH adjustment or iron addition. The optimal PMS concentration to remove the spiked target MPs (100 mu g L-1) from wastewater was 0.1 mM, leading to an average degradation of 80% after 60 min, with most of the elimination occurring during the first 5 min. Synergies between radiation and the oxidant were demonstrated and quantified, with an average extent of synergy of 69.1%. The optimized treatment was then tested using non-spiked wastewater, in which 12 out of the 20 target contaminants were detected. Among these, 7 were degraded at some extent, varying from 10.7% (acetamiprid) to 94.4% (ofloxacin), the lower removals being attributed to the quite inferior ratio of MPs to natural organic matter. Phytotoxicity tests carried out with the wastewater before and after photo-activated PMS oxidation revealed a decrease in the toxicity and that the plants were able to grow in the presence of the treated water. Therefore, despite the low degradation rates obtained for some MPs, the treatment effectively reduces the toxicity of the matrix, making the water safer for reuse

A patient self-made point-of-care fecal test improves diagnostic accuracy compared with fecal calprotectin alone in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Background: Monitoring inflammatory bowel disease patients may be challenging. Fecal calprotectin is one of the most performed tests. Other fecal biomarkers are less used in clinical practice. Rapid fecal tests that could be performed by patients may be a useful strategy to closely monitor disease activity. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study including consecutive inflammatory bowel disease patients referred for colonoscopy in a single center. Certest FOB + Transferrin + Calprotectin + Lactoferrin® (Certest Biotec S.L, Zaragoza, Spain), a one-step point-of-care test which simultaneously detects these four biomarkers was performed. Endoscopic inflammatory activity was defined using the Mayo score (=1) in ulcerative colitis, SES-CD (>3) and Rutgeerts scores (=1) for Crohn’s disease. Results: Out of a total of 106 patients (56.5% female, mean age 51 years), 54 (50.9%) were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and 52 (49.1%) with Crohn’s disease. Endoscopic activity was detected in 42 patients (39.0%). Fecal calprotectin provided the best sensitivity (97.6%), with limited specificity (34.4%). Compared to calprotectin, the other 3 fecal biomarkers showed better specificity (87.5–92.1%) and lower sensitivity (45.2–59.5%). Patients with a negative result in all biomarkers (19/106—17.9%) had 100% (CI 95% 97.4–100) negative predictive value, while patients with the 4 biomarkers positive (13/106—12.3%) had 100% (CI 95% 96.1–100) positive predictive value of endoscopic inflammatory activity. AUROC of this 4 biomarker point-of-care test was 0.845 (95% CI 0.771–0.920), significantly higher than the AUROCs of any of the 4 biomarkers. Conclusions: This test may be a useful strategy to monitor inflammatory activity in clinical practice by excluding or prioritizing patients in need of a colonoscopy. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

JPCam: A 1.2Gpixel camera for the J-PAS survey

JPCam is a 14-CCD mosaic camera, using the new e2v 9k-by-9k 10microm-pixel 16-channel detectors, to be deployed on a dedicated 2.55m wide-field telescope at the OAJ (Observatorio Astrofisico de Javalambre) in Aragon, Spain. The camera is designed to perform a Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) survey of the northern sky. The J-PAS survey strategy will use 54 relatively narrow-band (~13.8nm) filters equi-spaced between 370 and 920nm plus 3 broad-band filters to achieve unprecedented photometric red-shift accuracies for faint galaxies over ~8000 square degrees of sky. The cryostat, detector mosaic and read electronics is being supplied by e2v under contract to J-PAS while the mechanical structure, housing the shutter and filter assembly, is being designed and constructed by a Brazilian consortium led by INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais). Four sets of 14 filters are placed in the ambient environment, just above the dewar window but directly in line with the detectors, leading to a mosaic having ~10mm gaps between each CCD. The massive 500mm aperture shutter is expected to be supplied by the Argelander-Institut fur Astronomie, Bonn. We will present an overview of JPCam, from the filter configuration through to the CCD mosaic camera. A brief outline of the main J-PAS science projects will be included.Comment: 11 pages and 9 figure

Drop Traffic in Microfluidic Ladder Networks with Fore-Aft Structural Asymmetry

We investigate the dynamics of pairs of drops in microfluidic ladder networks with slanted bypasses, which break the fore-aft structural symmetry. Our analytical results indicate that unlike symmetric ladder networks, structural asymmetry introduced by a single slanted bypass can be used to modulate the relative drop spacing, enabling them to contract, synchronize, expand, or even flip at the ladder exit. Our experiments confirm all these behaviors predicted by theory. Numerical analysis further shows that while ladder networks containing several identical bypasses are limited to nearly linear transformation of input delay between drops, mixed combination of bypasses can cause significant non-linear transformation enabling coding and decoding of input delays.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Weed control options in conventional and GM maize

En el proyecto AMIGA, que estudia los posibles efectos de los cultivos modificados genéticamente y su manejo sobre el agro-eco-sistema y la biodiversidad, se han evaluado varios tratamientos herbicidas sobre maíz Bt y maíz convencional. Se estableció un ensayo de seis hectáreas durante dos años en el que se han utilizado cinco manejos con herbicida que incluyen tratamiento convencional, reducido, glifosato y dos combinaciones de los anteriores. Se muestreó a lo largo del desarrollo del cultivo para determinar las especies de malas hierbas y artrópodos en el tiempo así como su abundancia y diversidad mediante examen visual y uso de trampas de gravedad y adhesivas amarillas. En este trabajo se presentan datos de abundancia de malas hierbas a madurez fisiológica del cultivo y del total de artrópodos en muestreo visual.Effect on weeds and arthropods In the context of AMIGA project which studies the posible effects of genetically modified crops and their management on the agro-ecosystem and biodiversity, we have studied various herbicide treatments applied on conventional and Bt A field was conducted for two years in a six ha plot. Five herbicide treatments including conventional, reduced, glyphosate and two herbicides combinations were established. We sampled along the cropping period to determine the species of weeds and arthropods over time and their abundance and diversity. The presence of arthropods was determined by visual examination and the use of pitfall and yellow sticky traps. In this work whole abundance of weeds at physiological maturity of the crop and total abundance of arthropod in visual examination are presented

Assessment of vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone during a combined intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity

Background: Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this work is to analyze the changes in vitamin D status and PTH levels in a group of children with obesity receiving combined intervention program in order to get BMI status reduction. Methods: Longitudinal study in 119 children with obesity, aged 9.1–13.9 years, included in a 1-year combined dietarybehavioral-physical activity intervention. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI and fat mass index) were registered every 3 months and blood testing (calcium, phosphorous, 25(OH)D and PTH) were collected at the beginning and after 12 months of follow-up. A control group was recruited (300 healthy children, aged 8.1–13.9 years). The criteria of the US Endocrine Society were used for the definition of hypovitaminosis D. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in obesity group (31.1 vs. 14%). There was negative correlation between 25(OH)D and fat mass index (r = −0.361, p = 0.001). Patients with BMI reduction throughout combined intervention were 52 (43.7%). There was a significant increase in the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients without BMI reduction at the end of follow-up, but in those patients with BMI reduction there was no changes of vitamin D status. Conclusions: Obesity increases the prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D status, and a BMI status reduction in children with obesity may be required to at least stabilize vitamin D status

Treatment of winery wastewater by sulphate radicals: HSO5−/transition metal/UV-A LEDs

© 2016 Elsevier B.V.In this study, the effectiveness of the HSO5-/M n+/UV process on the treatment of winery wastewater (WW) was investigated. The optimal operating conditions were determined: [HSO5-]=2.5mM; [M2(SO4) n ]=1.0mM; pH=6.5 and reaction temperature=323K. Under the given conditions, 51%, 42% and 35% of COD removal was achieved using respectively Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) as catalysts. Different UV sources were tested with the previously selected optimal conditions in order to increase the treatment efficiency. The highest COD removal (82%) was achieved using a UV-A LEDs system (70W/m2). These conditions were also promising for the treatment of WW with COD concentrations of 5000mg O2/L, reaching 79% and 64% of COD and TOC removal, respectively, after 180min of treatment. At 323K, the most effective treatment was obtained when Co(II) was used as catalyst (79% and 64% of COD and TOC removal), while at ambient temperature (293K) the highest COD (65%) and TOC (52%) removals were obtained with Fe(II) catalyst. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the use of HSO5-/M n+ in several consecutive doses was more efficient than adding the reagents as a single dose at the beginning of the reaction. A comparison between the performance of the HSO5-/Fe(II)/UV-A LED process and the conventional photo-Fenton demonstrated important advantages associated with the HSO5-/Fe(II)/UV-A LED process, including the absence of the costly pH adjustment and of the hydroxide ferric sludge which characterise the photo-Fenton treatment process. The HSO5-/M n+/UV-A LED process demonstrates a high COD and TOC removal efficiency, and it can be considered a promising technology for application in real scale agro-food wastewater treatment plants