Evaluation of Monilinia fructicola on apricot fruits

Monilinia fructicola has been a quarantine pathogen in Europe until 2014; however, the disease risk remains large for Prunus species, because of the continuing spreading around Europe. In order to assess the impact of this fungus on apricot fruits, differences in variety susceptibility need to be evaluated

Nanorod optical antennas for dipolar transitions

Optical antennas link objects to light. Here, we analyze metal nanorod antennas as cavities with variable reflection coefficients to derive the interaction of dipolar transitions with radiation through the antenna modes. The presented analytical model accurately describes the complete emission process, and is summarized in a phase-matching equation. We show how antenna modes evolve as they become increasingly more bound, i.e. plasmonic. The results illustrate why efficient antennas should not be too plasmonic, and how subradiant even modes can evolve into weakly-interacting dark modes. Our description is valid for the interaction of nanorods with light in general, and is thus widely applicable.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitte

Reversals in nature and the nature of reversals

The asymmetric shape of reversals of the Earth's magnetic field indicates a possible connection with relaxation oscillations as they were early discussed by van der Pol. A simple mean-field dynamo model with a spherically symmetric $\alpha$ coefficient is analysed with view on this similarity, and a comparison of the time series and the phase space trajectories with those of paleomagnetic measurements is carried out. For highly supercritical dynamos a very good agreement with the data is achieved. Deviations of numerical reversal sequences from Poisson statistics are analysed and compared with paleomagnetic data. The role of the inner core is discussed in a spectral theoretical context and arguments and numerical evidence is compiled that the growth of the inner core might be important for the long term changes of the reversal rate and the occurrence of superchrons.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure

Voltage-dependent anion channels: different isoforms for different functions

The Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is the most abundant protein of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) and mediates the flow of ions and metabolites between the cytoplasm and the mitochondrial network. Here we reveal novel and unexpected roles of this protein in the regulation of Ca2+ signaling, cell death and autophagy, throwing light on the differential contribution of the three mammalian isoforms in these cellular processes. In particular, we show that: i) VDAC is physically linked to the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channel inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), through the molecular chaperone grp75 and the functional coupling of these channel directly enhances Ca2+ accumulation in mitochondria; ii) the different VDAC isoforms share common Ca2+ channelling properties in living cells but VDAC1 is the only isotype selectively coupled to the ER Ca2+ releasing machinery, thus laying the foundations for a preferential route specifically transmitting Ca2+-mediated cell death signals between the two organelles; iii) VDAC2 is selectively required for the induction of the autophagic process through the establishment of specific protein-protein interactions and the consequent assembly of macromolecular complexes at the OMM level involved in nutrient sensing mediated by the mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. These data highlight the pleiotropic functions of VDAC and its role as central regulator of cell patho-physiology

Brunetto Latini, La rettorica

Brunetto Latini\u27s La rettorica is the first Italian translation of Cicero\u27s early and widely influential De inventione, and this volume is a translation of Latini\u27s translation, including both Cicero\u27s work and Brunetto\u27s commentary.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/mip_teamssc/1001/thumbnail.jp

Kooperationsbeziehungen managen: Neid schafft Investitionsanreize

Kooperationen erfordern in der Praxis häufig (spezifische) Investitionen und sind daher mit dem Problem der "fairen" Aufteilung entstehender Kooperationsrenten behaftet. Der folgende Beitrag zeigt, dass die Kooperationspartner die Möglichkeit haben sollten, flexibel auf die Höhe ihrer spezifischen Investitionen zu reagieren. Starre Gewinnaufteilungsregeln hingegen werden leicht als unfair empfunden und können daher die Investitionsanreize in Kooperationsbeziehungen zerstören

An epidemiological assessment of lens opacifications that impaired vision in patients injected with radium-224

The incidence of lens opacifications that impaired vision (cataract) was analyzed among 831 patients who were injected with known dosages of 224Ra in Germany shortly after World War II. The dependence of the incidence on dosage, i.e., injected activity per unit body weight, and on time after treatment was determined. The observations are equally consistent with proportionality of the incidence of cataract to the square of dosage or with a linear dependence beyond a threshold of 0.5 MBq/kg. The possibility of a linear dependence without threshold was strongly rejected (P less than 0.001). The analysis of temporal dependences yielded a component that was correlated with the injected amount of 224Ra and a component that was uncorrelated. The former was inferred by a maximum likelihood analysis to increase approximately as the square of the time after treatment. The component unrelated to the treatment was found to increase steeply with age and to become dominant within the collective of patients between age 50 and 60. The relative magnitudes of the two components were such that a fraction of 55 to 60% of the total of 58 cataracts had to be ascribed to the dose-related incidence. Impaired vision due to cataract was diagnosed before age 54 in 25 cases. In terms of injected activity per unit body weight no dependence of the sensitivity on age was found; specifically there was no indication of a faster occurrence of the treatment-related cataracts in patients treated at older ages

Control system design using optimization techniques Final report

Optimization techniques for control of fuel valve systems for air breathing jet engines and 40-60 inlet control problem

Consumer Expectations, Liking and Willingness to Pay for Specialty Foods. Do Sensory Characteristics Tell the Whole Story?

The Region of origin of food products affects consumer valuation in two different ways. First, origin can act as a quality cue hinting to other characteristics of the good. Secondly, origin can affect directly the value of food due to its symbolic or affective role. This study was carried out in order to investigate the direct effect of geographical origin when the size of the area of origin shrinks and its definition becomes more precise. Avaluation experiment was designed to assess the impact of origin on consumer evaluation and to analyse how it relates to WTP and hedonic scores. Awell-known specialty food\u2014spelt\u2014that originates from three concentric areas\u2014Garfagnana (a small valley of the Apennines), Tuscany and Italy\u2014was chosen as a case study. Both hedonic and monetary evaluations were elicited from 77 subjects after blind tasting condition, looking at labels only and finally tasting a labelled product. Results reveal that, in the case of spelt, the narrower and more precisely defined the area of origin the higher the quality expectation of consumers supporting the role of origin as a quality cue. Adirect impact of origin on willingness to pay was also found