Spatial Spread of the Root Parasitic Weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca in Processing Tomatoes by Using Ecoinformatics and Spatial Analysis†

Egyptian broomrape (Phelipanche aegyptiaca) is one of the main threats to tomato production in Israel. The seed bank of P. aegyptiaca rapidly develops and spreads in the field. Knowledge about the spatio-temporal distribution of such weeds is required in advance of emergence, as they emerge late in their life cycle when they have already caused major crop damage. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of two major internal infestation sources: crop rotation and infestation history; and one external source: proximity to infested tomato fields; on infestation of P. aegyptiaca in processing tomatoes. Ecoinformatics, spatial analysis and geostatistics were used to examine these effects. A regional survey was conducted to collect data on field history from 238 tomato fields between 2000 and 2012, in a major tomato-growing region in Israel. Multivariate logistic regression in the framework of generalized linear models (GLM) has demonstrated the importance of all three variables in predicting infestation in tomato fields. The parameters of the overall model indicated a high specificity between tomatoes and P. aegyptiaca, which is potentially responsible for aggravating infestation. In addition, P. aegyptiaca infestation levels were intensively mapped in 43 of the 238 tomato fields in the years 2010–2012. Geostatistical measures showed that 40% of the fields had clustered infestation spatial patterns with infestation clusters located along the fields’ borders. Strong linear and negative relationships were found between infestation level and distance from a neighboring infested field, strengthening the role of infested tomato fields in P. aegyptiaca spread. An experiment specifically designed for this study showed that during harvest, P. aegyptiaca seeds are blown from an infested field to a distance of at least 90 m, and may initiate infestation in neighboring fields. Integrating current knowledge about the role of agricultural practices on the spread of P. aegyptiaca with the results of this study enabled us to propose a mechanism for the spread of P. aegyptiaca. Given the major effect of agricultural practices on infestation levels, it is assumed that the spread of this weed can be suppressed by implementing sanitation and using decision support tools for herbicide application

Studies of the Electrochemical Behavior of LiNi0.80Co0.15Al0.05O2 Electrodes Coated with LiAlO2

In this paper, we studied the influence of LiAlO2 coatings of 0.5, 1 and 2 nm thickness prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition onto LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 electrodes, on their electrochemical behavior at 30 and 60 degrees C. It was demonstrated that upon cycling, 2 nm LiAlO2 coated electrodes displayed similar to 3 times lower capacity fading and lower voltage hysteresis comparing to bare electrodes. We established a correlation among the thickness of the LiAlO2 coating and parameters of the self-discharge processes at 30 and 60 degrees C. Significant results on the elevated temperature cycling and aging of bare and LiAlO2 coated electrodes at 4.3 V were obtained and analyzed for the first time. By analyzing of X-ray diffraction patterns of bare and 2 nm coated LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 electrodes after cycling, we concluded that cycled materials preserved their original structure described by R-3m space group and no additional phases were detected. (c) The Author(s) 2017. Published by ECS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Early Versus Delayed Treatment With Glatiramer Acetate: Analysis of up to 27 Years of Continuous Follow-up in a US Open-Label Extension Study

BACKGROUND: Glatiramer acetate (GA) is US-approved for relapsing multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVES: To describe GA long-term clinical profile. To compare effectiveness of early start (ES) versus delayed start (DS; up to 3 years) with GA. METHODS: Phase 3 trial participants entered a randomized placebo-controlled period then an open-label extension (OLE) with GA. RESULTS: Overall, 208 out of 251 (82.9%) randomized participants entered the OLE; 24 out of 101 (23.8%, ES) and 28 out of 107 (26.2%, DS) participants completed the OLE. Median GA treatment was 9.8 (0.1-26.3) years. Annualized change in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was lower with ES versus DS ( CONCLUSION: GA long-term treatment maintained clinical benefit with a similar safety profile to phase 3 results; a key limitation was that only 25% of participants completed the OLE. Early initiation of GA had sustained benefits versus delayed treatment

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Band Alignment and Internal Field Mapping in Solar Cells

The internal fields and band offsets developing at individual interfaces, a critical aspect of device performance, are generally inaccessible by standard electrical tools. To address this problem, we propose chemically resolved electrical measurements (CREM) capable of resolving the internal details layer-by-layer. Applied to nanoporous photovoltaic cells, we thus extract a realistic band diagram for the multi-interfacial structure and, in particular, resolve the two p-n-like junction fields built spontaneously in the device. The lack of homogeneity common to many of these nanoporous cells is exploited here to “see” deep into the cell structure, beyond the typical depth limitations of the surface-sensitive technique. Further information on the cell operation under “real” working conditions is achieved by studying the charge trapping at each specific layer under optical and electrical stimuli. Our methodology overcomes a missing link in device characterization and in fundamental studies of nanoscale solid-state devices

Rootstock-Dependent Response of Hass Avocado to Salt Stress

Salt stress is a major limiting factor in avocado (Persea americana) cultivation, exacerbated by global trends towards scarcity of high-quality water for irrigation. Israeli avocado orchards have been irrigated with relatively high-salinity recycled municipal wastewater for over three decades, over which time rootstocks were selected for salt-tolerance. This study’s objective was to evaluate the physiological salt response of avocado as a function of the rootstock. We irrigated fruit-bearing ‘Hass’ trees grafted on 20 different local and introduced rootstocks with water high in salts (electrical conductivity of 1.4–1.5 dS/m). The selected rootstocks represent a wide range of genetic backgrounds, propagation methods, and horticultural characteristics. We investigated tree physiology and development during two years of salt exposure by measuring Cl and Na leaf concentrations, leaf osmolality, visible damages, trunk circumference, LAI, CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, spectral reflectance, stem water potential, trichomes density, and yield. We found a significant effect of the rootstocks on stress indicators, vegetative and reproductive development, leaf morphogenesis and photosynthesis rates. The most salt-sensitive rootstocks were VC 840, Dusa, and VC 802, while the least sensitive were VC 159, VC 140, and VC 152. We conclude that the rootstock strongly influences avocado tree response to salinity exposure in terms of physiology, anatomy, and development

Using Time Series of High-Resolution Planet Satellite Images to Monitor Grapevine Stem Water Potential in Commercial Vineyards

Spectral-based vegetation indices (VI) have been shown to be good proxies of grapevine stem water potential (Ψstem), assisting in irrigation decision-making for commercial vineyards. However, VI-Ψstem correlations are mostly reported at the leaf or canopy scales, using proximal canopy-based sensors or very-high-spatial resolution images derived from sensors mounted on small airplanes or drones. Here, for the first time, we take advantage of high-spatial resolution (3-m) near-daily images acquired from Planet’s nano-satellite constellation to derive VI-Ψstem correlations at the vineyard scale. Weekly Ψstem was measured along the growing season of 2017 in six vines each in 81 commercial vineyards and in 60 pairs of grapevines in a 2.4 ha experimental vineyard in Israel. The Clip application programming interface (API), provided by Planet, and the Google Earth Engine platform were used to derive spatially continuous time series of four VIs—GNDVI, NDVI, EVI and SAVI—in the 82 vineyards. Results show that per-week multivariable linear models using variables extracted from VI time series successfully tracked spatial variations in Ψstem across the experimental vineyard (Pearson’s-r = 0.45–0.84; N = 60). A simple linear regression model enabled monitoring seasonal changes in Ψstem along the growing season in the vineyard (r = 0.80–0.82). Planet VIs and seasonal Ψstem data from the 82 vineyards were used to derive a ‘global’ model for in-season monitoring of Ψstem at the vineyard-level (r = 0.78; RMSE = 18.5%; N = 970). The ‘global’ model, which requires only a few VI variables extracted from Planet images, may be used for real-time weekly assessment of Ψstem in Mediterranean vineyards, substantially improving the efficiency of conventional in-field monitoring efforts