On the spatial spread of the Rice Water Weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Erirhinidae), in Italy

A five year study has been made to establish the spread of the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Erirhinidae) in Northern Italy. Data obtained with GPS from 2005 throughout 2009 were first georeferenced with SW ArcGis® 9.2, then overlapped and compared to the map of the European environmental landscape based on the interpretation of satellite images (CORINE Land Cover map) and to the hydrographic chart CT10 (Technical Regional map 10000). The analysis of the radial rate of spread per year indicates a deceleration in the expansion from 10.864 ± 6.801 km/year in 2005 to 5.318 ± 1.401 km/year in 2009. In five years the weevil has expanded its distribution in nearly all rice paddies in Lombardy and Piedmont, over an area of about 200,000 ha, which correspond to 86% of the total Italian rice area. Its expansion is thought to follow a type of stratified dispersal, due both to insect adult active dispersal and to accidental movements caused by human transportation

SPAD INDEX AS AN INDIRECT ESTIMATE OF CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT IN OKRA PLANTS

A clorofila, molécula responsável pela atividade fotossintética das plantas, pode ser quantificada por métodos diretos e indiretos. O objetivo do estudo foi relacionar os resultados do conteúdo de clorofila obtidos por diferentes métodos de determinação em folhas de quiabo. Foi estimado o conteúdo de clorofila através do índice SPAD (não-destrutivo) e da extração dos pigmentos foliares com acetona (destrutivo). As análises foram realizadas em folhas de quiabo (cultivar Santa Cruz 47) do terço médio de plantas no estágio reprodutivo com coloração variando de amarela a verde escuro, em condição de sequeiro. Determinações pelo método não destrutivo foram realizadas com equipamento SPAD-502 e as determinações por método destrutivo foram realizadas por espectrometria, utilizando acetona como extrator. Foi realizada análise descritiva, correlação e regressão nos dados. O índice SPAD variou de 20,93 a 49,03, e apresentou correlação linear com o conteúdo de pigmentos foliares. O índice SPAD apresentou correlação positiva com os teores de clorofila b e clorofila total, entretanto para o conteúdo de clorofila a foi observado relação negativa. A variação do conteúdo de carotenoides não apresentou relação direta com o índice SPAD. A estimativa do conteúdo de clorofila por método não destrutivo apresenta relação direta com o conteúdo absoluto em folhas de quiabo.Chlorophyll, the molecule responsible for the photosynthetic activity of plants, can be quantified by direct and indirect methods. The study aimed to relate the results of chlorophyll content obtained by different determination methods in okra leaves. Chlorophyll content was estimated using the SPAD index (non-destructive) and leaf pigments extraction with acetone (destructive). Analyzes were carried out on okra leaves (cultivar Santa Cruz 47) from the middle third of plants during the reproductive stage, varying colors from yellow to dark green under rainfed conditions. Determinations by the non-destructive method were conducted with SPAD-502 equipment, and determinations by the destructive way were carried out by spectrometry. Descriptive analysis, correlation, and regression were performed on the data. SPAD index ranged from 20.93 to 49.03 and showed a linear correlation with leaf pigments content. SPAD index showed a positive correlation with chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll contents. However, a negative relationship was observed for chlorophyll a content. Variation in carotenoid content was not directly related to the SPAD index. Estimating chlorophyll content by the non-destructive method directly correlates with the absolute content in okra leaves

Intense terahertz pulses from SPARC-LAB coherent radiation source

The linac-based Terahertz source at the SPARC_LAB test facility is able to gene rate highly intense Terahertz broadband pulses via coherent transition radiation (CTR) from high brightness electron beams. The THz pulse duration is typically down to 100 fs RMS and can be tuned through the electron bunch duration and shaping. The measured stored energy in a single THz pulse has reached 40 μ J, which corresponds to a peak electric field of 1.6 MV/cm at the THz focus. Here we present the main features, in particular spatial and sp ectral distributions and energy characterizations of the SPARC_LAB THz source, which is very competitive for investigations in Condensed Matter, as well as a valid tool for electron beam longitudinal diagnostics

High-Resolution 3D FEM Stability Analysis of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery, Georgia

This study assesses the static stability of the artificial Sabereebi Cave Monastery southeast of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. The cliff into which these Georgian-Orthodox caverns, chapels, and churches were carved consists of a five-layered sequence of weak sedimentary rock—all of which bear a considerable failure potential and, consequently, pose the challenge of preservation to geologists, engineers, and archaeologists. In the first part of this study, we present a strategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry as well as from laser scanners acquired in- and outside the caves into high-resolution CAD objects that can be used for numerical modeling ranging from macro- to micro-scale. In the second part, we explore four distinct series of static elasto-plastic finite element stability models featuring different levels of detail, each of which focuses on specific geomechanical scenarios such as classic landsliding due to overburden, deformation of architectural features as a result of stress concentration, material response to weathering, and pillar failure due to vertical load. With this bipartite approach, the study serves as a comprehensive 3D stability assessment of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery on the one hand; on the other hand, the established procedure should serve as a pilot scheme, which could be adapted to different sites in the future combining non-invasive and relatively cost-efficient assessment methods, data processing and hazard estimation

Spatial images from temporal data

Traditional paradigms for imaging rely on the use of a spatial structure, either in the detector (pixels arrays) or in the illumination (patterned light). Removal of the spatial structure in the detector or illumination, i.e., imaging with just a single-point sensor, would require solving a very strongly ill-posed inverse retrieval problem that to date has not been solved. Here, we demonstrate a data-driven approach in which full 3D information is obtained with just a single-point, single-photon avalanche diode that records the arrival time of photons reflected from a scene that is illuminated with short pulses of light. Imaging with single-point time-of-flight (temporal) data opens new routes in terms of speed, size, and functionality. As an example, we show how the training based on an optical time-of-flight camera enables a compact radio-frequency impulse radio detection and ranging transceiver to provide 3D images.Comment: This is the final version as published in Optica Vol. 7, Issue 8, pp. 900-905 (2020

Selecting soluble/foldable protein domains through single-gene or genomic ORF filtering: structure of the head domain of Burkholderia pseudomallei antigen BPSL2063

The 1.8\u2005\uc5 resolution crystal structure of a conserved domain of the potential Burkholderia pseudomallei antigen and trimeric autotransporter BPSL2063 is presented as a structural vaccinology target for melioidosis vaccine development. Since BPSL2063 (1090 amino acids) hosts only one conserved domain, and the expression/purification of the full-length protein proved to be problematic, a domain-filtering library was generated using \u3b2-lactamase as a reporter gene to select further BPSL2063 domains. As a result, two domains (D1 and D2) were identified and produced in soluble form in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, as a general tool, a genomic open reading frame-filtering library from the B. pseudomallei genome was also constructed to facilitate the selection of domain boundaries from the entire ORFeome. Such an approach allowed the selection of three potential protein antigens that were also produced in soluble form. The results imply the further development of ORF-filtering methods as a tool in protein-based research to improve the selection and production of soluble proteins or domains for downstream applications such as X-ray crystallography

Rag defects and thymic stroma: lessons from animal models

Thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells (TECs) cross-talk is essential to support T cell development and preserve thymic architecture and maturation of TECs and Foxp3+ natural regulatory T cells. Accordingly, disruption of thymic lymphostromal cross-talk may have major implications on the thymic mechanisms that govern T cell tolerance. Several genetic defects have been described in humans that affect early stages of T cell development [leading to severe combined immune deficiency (SCID)] or late stages in thymocyte maturation (resulting in combined immunodeficiency). Hypomorphic mutations in SCID-causing genes may allow for generation of a limited pool of T lymphocytes with a restricted repertoire. These conditions are often associated with infiltration of peripheral tissues by activated T cells and immune dysregulation, as best exemplified by Omenn syndrome (OS). In this review, we will discuss our recent findings on abnormalities of thymic microenvironment in OS with a special focus of defective maturation of TECs, altered distribution of thymic dendritic cells and impairment of deletional and non-deletional mechanisms of central tolerance. Here, taking advantage of mouse models of OS and atypical SCID, we will discuss how modifications in stromal compartment impact and shape lymphocyte differentiation, and vice versa how inefficient T cell signaling results in defective stromal maturation. These findings are instrumental to understand the extent to which novel therapeutic strategies should act on thymic stroma to achieve full immune reconstitution

Recycling Argon through Metamorphic Reactions: the Record in Symplectites

The 40Ar/39Ar ages of metamorphic micas that crystallized at high temperatures are commonly interpreted as cooling ages, with grains considered to have lost 40Ar via thermally-driven diffusion into the grain boundary network. Recently reported laser-ablation data suggest that the spatial distribution of Ar in metamorphic micas does not always conform to the patterns predicted by diffusion theory and that despite high metamorphic temperatures, argon was not removed efficiently from the local system during metamorphic evolution. In the Western Gneiss Region (WGR), Norway, felsic gneisses preserve microtextural evidence for the breakdown of phengite to biotite and plagioclase symplectites during near isothermal decompression from c. 20–25 to c. 8–12 kbar at ~700°C. These samples provide an ideal natural laboratory to assess whether the complete replacement of one K-bearing mineral by another at high temperatures completely ‘resets’ the Ar clock, or whether there is some inheritance of 40Ar in the neo-crystallized phase. The timing of the high-temperature portion of the WGR metamorphic cycle has been well constrained in previous studies. However, the timing of cooling following the overprint is still much debated. In-situ laser ablation spot dating in phengite, biotite-plagioclase symplectites and coarser, texturally later biotite yielded 40Ar/39Ar ages that span much of the metamorphic cycle. Together these data show that despite residence at temperatures of ~700°C, Ar is not completely removed by diffusive loss or during metamorphic recrystallization. Instead, Ar released during phengite breakdown appears to be partially reincorporated into the newly crystallizing biotite and plagioclase (or is trapped in fluid inclusions in those phases) within a close system. Our data show that the microtextural and petrographic evolution of the sample being dated provides a critical framework in which local 40Ar recycling can be tracked, thus potentially allowing 40Ar/39Ar dates to be linked more accurately to metamorphic history