Measurements and calibration of the stripline BPM for the ELI-NP facility with the stretched wire method

A methodology has been developed to perform electrical characterization of the stripline BPMs for the future Gamma Beam System of ELI Nuclear Physics facility in Romania. Several prototype units are extensively benchmarked and the results are presented in this paper. The BPM sensitivity function is determined using a uniquely designed motorized test bench with a stretched wire to measure the BPM response map. Here, the BPM feedthroughs are connected to Libera Brilliance electronics and the wire is fed by continuous wave signal, while the two software-controlled motors provide horizontal and vertical motion of the BPM around the wire. The electrical offset is obtained using S-parameter measurements with a Network Analyzer (via the “Lambertson” method) and is referenced to the mechanical offse

Sistema de información geográfica para la generación de mapas temáticos (SIGMAT). Producción de cartografía temática

El Sistema de Información Geográfica para la Generación de Mapas Temáticos (SIGMAT) es una nueva herramienta que incorpora las más avanzadas tecnologías y métodos a la producción de cartografía temática. Mediante la introducción de numerosos asistentes facilita todas las tareas de gestión, elaboración y publicación automatizada de los mapas controlando así el ciclo de vida completo de los mismos. Su diseño permite actualizar automáticamente los mapas cuando cambian los datos vinculados.Geographic Information System for Thematic Map Generation (SIGMAT from spanish) is a new tool that incorporates the most advanced technologies and methods to production in thematic mapping. With the introduction of numerous assistants makes easy all the tasks of management, production and publication of the maps thus controlling the whole life cycle of the same. Its design allows to automatically update the maps when we change the linked data

Presentación histopatológica atípica en médula ósea de mieloma múltiple

Objetive: To describe the atypical histopathologic presentation in bone marrow of multiple myeloma. Case Report: We present the case of a 75-year-old male who manifested low back pain of variable intensity associated with decreased urinary flow, for which he went to the emergency room. On physical examination, vital functions were within normal parameters with generalized decrease in adipose tissue and earthy pallor, the rest of the examination being non-contributory. Bone marrow studies showed 13% of plasma cells with tetranucleated neoplastic cells with 1 and 2 nucleoli, basophilic cytoplasm with presence of vacuoles, which was corroborated in flow cytometry with pathological phenotype in relation to plasma cell neoplasia. The patient receives a therapeutic regimen with cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone and thalidomide. Conclusion: Tetranucleated presentation is a rare histopathologic variant of multiple myeloma, so this peculiar finding should be appreciated in the microscopic diagnosis of this clinical entity.Objetivo: Describir la presentación histopatológica atípica en médula ósea de mieloma múltiple. Reporte de Caso: Presentamos el caso de un varón de 75 años, quien manifiesta lumbalgia de intensidad variable asociada a disminución del flujo urinario, por lo que acude a emergencia. Al examen físico se encuentran funciones vitales dentro de parámetros normales, disminución generalizada del tejido adiposo y palidez terrosa, el resto del examen no contributorio. En estudios de médula ósea se reporta 13% de células plasmáticas, observándose células neoplásicas tetranucleadas con 1 y 2 nucleolos, citoplasma basófilo con presencia de vacuolas; es corroborado en citometría de flujo con fenotipo patológico en relación a neoplasia de células plasmáticas. Paciente recibe esquema terapéutico con ciclofosfamida, dexametasona y talidomida. Conclusión: La presentación tetranucleada es una variante histopatológica del mieloma múltiple poco frecuente; por lo que este hallazgo peculiar, debe ser valorado en el diagnóstico microscópico de la entidad clínica

Direct and indirect effects of planning density, nitrogenous fertilizer and host plant resistance on rice herbivores and their natural enemies

In rice ecosystems, seeding densities can be adjusted to compensate for lower nitrogen levels that reduce GHG emissions, or to increase farm profitability. However, density-induced changes to plant anatomy could affect herbivore-rice interactions, and alter arthropod community dynamics. We conducted an experiment that varied transplanting density (low or high), nitrogenous fertilizer (0, 60 or 150 kg added ha−1) and rice variety (resistant or susceptible to phloem-feeding insects) over two rice-growing seasons. Yields per plot increased with added nitrogen, but were not affected by variety or transplanting density. Planthopper and leafhopper densities were lower on resistant rice and in high-density field plots. Nitrogen was associated with higher densities of planthoppers, but lower densities of leafhoppers per plot. High planting densities and high nitrogen also increased rodent damage. The structure of arthropod herbivore communities was largely determined by season and transplanting density. Furthermore, two abundant planthoppers (Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) and Nilaparvata lugens (Stål)) segregated to low and high-density plots, respectively. The structure of decomposer communities was determined by season and fertilizer regime; total decomposer abundance increased in high-nitrogen plots during the dry season. Predator community structure was determined by season and total prey abundance (including decomposers) with several spider species dominating in plots with high prey abundance during the wet season. Our results indicate how rice plasticity and arthropod biodiversity promote stability and resilience in rice ecosystems. We recommend that conservation biological control, which includes a reduction or elimination of insecticides, could be promoted to attain sustainable rice production systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined effects of soil silicon and host plant resistance on planthoppers, blast and bacterial blight in tropical rice

Soil silicon enhances rice defenses against a range of biotic stresses. However, the magnitude of these effects can depend on the nature of the rice variety. We conducted a series of greenhouse experiments to examine the effects of silicon on planthoppers (Nilaparvata lugens [BPH] and Sogatella furcifera [WBPH]), a leafhopper (Nephotettix virescens [GLH]), blast disease (Magnaporthe grisea) and bacterial blight (Xanthomonas oryzae) in susceptible and resistant rice. We added powdered silica gel (SiO2) to paddy soil at equivalent to 0.25, 1.0, and 4.0 t ha−1. Added silicon reduced BPH nymph settling, but the effect was negligible under high nitrogen. In a choice experiment, BPH egg-laying was lower than untreated controls under all silicon treatments regardless of nitrogen or variety, whereas, in a no-choice experiment, silicon reduced egg-laying on the susceptible but not the resistant (BPH32 gene) variety. Stronger effects in choice experiments suggest that silicon mainly enhanced antixenosis defenses. We found no effects of silicon on WBPH or GLH. Silicon reduced blast damage to susceptible and resistant (Piz, Piz-5 and Pi9 genes) rice. Silicon reduced damage from a virulent strain of bacterial blight but had little effect on a less virulent strain in susceptible and resistant (Xa4, Xa7 and Xa4 + Xa7 genes) varieties. When combined with resistance, silicon had an additive effect in reducing biomass losses to plants infested with bacterial blight (resistance up to 50%; silicon 20%). We discuss how silicon-containing soil amendments can be combined with host resistance to reduce biotic stresses in rice

Current status of the 12 MeV UPC race-track microtron

A com­pact race-track mi­crotron (RTM) with the max­i­mal out­put en­er­gy 12 MeV is under con­struc­tion at the Uni­ver­si­tat Politècnica de Catalun­ya (UPC) in col­lab­o­ra­tion with the Sko­belt­syn In­sti­tute of Nu­cle­ar Physics of the Moscow State Uni­ver­si­ty, CIEMAT and a few Span­ish in­dus­tri­al com­pa­nies and med­i­cal cen­ters. The RTM end mag­nets are four-pole sys­tems with the mag­net­ic field cre­at­ed by a rare-earth per­ma­nent mag­net ma­te­ri­al. As a source of elec­trons a 3D off-ax­is elec­tron gun is used. These el­e­ments to­geth­er with a C-band ac­cel­er­at­ing struc­ture, dipole mag­nets, which allow to ex­tract the elec­tron beam with en­er­gy from 6 MeV to 12 MeV in 2 MeV step, and a fo­cus­ing quadrupole are placed in­side a vac­u­um cham­ber. We re­port on the cur­rent sta­tus of the tech­ni­cal de­sign and re­sults of tests of some of the com­po­nents.Postprint (published version

Emerging Patterns in Cultural Ecosystem Services as Incentives and Obstacles for Raptor Conservation

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment proposed four categories of ecosystem services as regulating, provisioning, supporting and cultural. Of these, cultural services have been the most difficult to quantify despite playing a key role in developing society’s supporting services to ecosystems. By reviewing a series of case studies related to the cultural services derived from raptors, we examine relations between tangible ecosystem services and ‘knowledge’ and ‘beliefs’ as part of supporting services from human societies to ecosystems. We identified types of raptor regulating and provisioning services and patterns in service--knowledge-beliefs that defined positive or negative outcomes for raptor conservation. We also demonstrate how possible interactions between physical, experiential, physical-symbolic and representative-symbolic cultural services and between different stakeholders can create incentives or obstacles for conservation. Predictable patterns in service-knowledge-beliefs provide a framework upon which socio-cultural and ethnobiological aspects of raptor conservation may be combined with ecological research to support conservation initiatives. Based on these patterns we present examples of how cultural services might be employed to better promote raptor conservation while respecting the beliefs and traditions of stakeholders

Restoration of Rice Ecosystem Services: ‘Ecological Engineering for Pest Management’ Incentives and Practices in the Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam

Ecological engineering is an agroecological approach to pest management that has been adopted by thousands of rice farmers in the Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam. Farmers adopted the intervention as part of a heuristic approach to developing the technology. This study assesses the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to ecological engineering among participating and non-participating farmers. Interviews with 315 farmers revealed a diversity of practices under the umbrella of ecological engineering, all of which were associated with the establishment of linear vegetation strips as habitat for natural enemies. As a restoring service from society to the rice ecosystem, ecological engineering incorporated significant positive-feedback loops, particularly regarding the production of supplementary foods (provisioning services) and the aesthetic value (cultural services) of planted rice bunds. Participating farmers reported fewer insecticide applications to their main rice crop; they applied insecticides at a later crop growth stage (protecting pest regulating services); and they reported higher rice yields. However, a high dependency on government support, the role of agrochemical extensionists in providing information, a tendency to apply pesticides to vegetation strips and little change in the appreciation of wildlife-related services all threaten the social sustainability of the intervention. We recommend greater attention to optimizing linear strips to not only support natural enemies but to also enhance supplementary farm incomes while reducing material and labor costs

Effects of Intraspecific Competition and Larval Size on Bioconversion of Apple Pomace Inoculated with Black Soldier Fly

Waste from apple juice and cider industries (pomace) compares poorly against spent grains and other relatively high-nutrient wastes as a substrate for bioconversion by the black soldier fly (BSF: Hermetia illucens). However, global pomace production exceeds 24 million tonnes annually and novel management approaches are required to reduce waste to landfill. We examined the effects of BSF inoculation densities (intraspecific competition) and larval size categories on cohort weight gains and apple pomace waste reduction. We found that, by increasing larval densities, cohort biomass and bioconversion rates (BRs) increased; however, at very high densities (overcrowding), BRs declined and cohorts lost weight. Furthermore, larger larval size classes accelerated substrate desiccation, possibly because of greater demands for water by older larvae. Larger larvae have slower relative growth rates and BRs compared to smaller size categories and require comparatively less dry weight substrate. Our results suggest that overcrowding on low-nutrient substrates reduces BRs and could exaggerate differences between BSF relative performances in comparative studies, particularly if intraspecific interference competition for space and exploitation competition for water diminish BSF weight returns at the end of the bioconversion cycle. We make a series of recommendations for the use of BSF in pomace waste reduction

Spent Coffee Grounds Applied as a Top-Dressing or Incorporated into the Soil Can Improve Plant Growth While Reducing Slug Herbivory

Between 8 and 15 million tons of spent coffee grounds (SCG) are produced as global waste each year. To reduce waste to landfill, SCG are proposed as a carbon and nutrient source for degraded soils. SCG contain caffeine and other toxins that inhibit plant growth. However, they also repel slugs and snails. We examined whether partial decomposition can neutralize SCG to promote plant growth while maintaining anti-herbivore properties. We aged SCG for Hermetia illucens) frass. The aged SCG and frass were applied, either incorporated into soil or as a 1 cm top-dressing, to pots with radish and tomato seedlings. SCG treatments were also examined for direct (repellent) and indirect (plant-mediated) effects on four slug species (Arion ater, Deroceras laeve, Derocerus reticulatum and Lehmannia marginata). SCG of ≤7 months inhibited plant growth and development and reduced herbivory when incorporated into soil, whereas 14-month-old SCG promoted growth but had no effect on herbivory. When applied as a top-dressing, SCG at 7 months promoted growth and reduced herbivory through repellent and host quality effects—including possible systemic effects. Our results indicate that the benefits of SCG for radish and tomato growth and to reduce slug herbivory can be achieved simultaneously by applying partially decomposed SCG (aged for up to 8 months) as a top-dressing