Suppression of the large pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in pine stumps by entomopathogenic nematodes with different foraging strategies

Hylobius abietis is the most important pest of reforestation in Northern Europe. Weevils develop in stumps of felled conifers and emerging adults feed on and kill young trees. In trials conducted in each of 3 years, entomopathogenic nematodes were applied around pine stumps containing late instar weevils. Since these immature weevils are sedentary and occur within stumps at varying depths in soil, it is predicted that nematodes with a cruise foraging strategy, such as Heterorhabditis spp., should be most effective. The three commercially available species used in our trials, H. megidis, Steinernema feltiae, and S. carpocapsae, have cruise, intermediate and ambush strategies, respectively. We also included the indigenous species H. downesi and a strain of S. feltiae isolated from an Irish coniferous forest. Heterorhabditis downesi suppressed emergence of adult weevils in 2 of 3 trials; and commercial S. feltiae and H. megidis NLH85 in 1 trial each. Stump excavation showed that H. downesi parasitized 55â63% of developing weevils; this was matched by H. megidis NLH85 and S. carpocapsae in 2 and 1 years, respectively. A higher proportion of larvae (46%) than of pupae (32%) or callow adults (30%) were parasitized by nematodes. All nematodes, including S. carpocapsae, parasitized weevils 40â49 cm from the bole of the stump and 30â39 cm below soil level. We conclude that heterorhabditids, particularly H. downesi, have greatest potential against pine weevils in stumps, but that a reputation as an ambush forager should not exclude a species such as S. carpocapsae from trials against sedentary subterranean insect pests

Optimizing application of entomopathogenic nematodes to manage large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis L. (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) populations developing in pine stumps, Pinus sylvestris

Hylobius abietis develops in stumps of recently felled coniferous trees, and adults emerge to feed on and kill young seedlings. Entomopathogenic nematodes applied to stumps containing late instar larvae and pupae can reduce the number of adults emerging. We tested the feasibility of reduced application rate and volume during a broader window of application in field trials in 2004 and 2005. Application at the standard rate of 3.5 million infective juveniles per stump suppressed the number of adults emerging by up to 79–85% relative to controls for Heterorhabditis downesi, 57–64% for Steinernema carpocapsae and 51–56% for S. feltiae. When the application rate was halved, only H. downesi gave a significant reduction in emergence (75–79%). Nematodes applied in April, May or June significantly reduced weevil populations, and application of nematode-killed insects in May was as effective as an aqueous suspension. A fourfold reduction in application volume from 500 to 125 ml per stump did not affect the percentage of weevils parasitized, and stump excavation revealed that even at the reduced volume, both S. carpocapsae (ambusher) and H. downesi (cruiser) parasitized weevils 40–49 cm from the bole and 40–49 cm below soil level. A higher percentage of larvae (60%) were infected than either pupae (36%) or callow adults (18%). Our trials show promise for expanding the use of entomopathogenic nematodes against pine weevil, as the standard application rate can be halved, and the volume reduced to 25% of the standard without significant loss of efficacy, and there is a wide window of opportunity for application, even when soil temperatures are as low as 9 °C

Optimizing application of entomopathogenic nematodes to manage large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis L. (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) populations developing in pine stumps, Pinus sylvestris

Hylobius abietis develops in stumps of recently felled coniferous trees, and adults emerge to feed on and kill young seedlings. Entomopathogenic nematodes applied to stumps containing late instar larvae and pupae can reduce the number of adults emerging. We tested the feasibility of reduced application rate and volume during a broader window of application in field trials in 2004 and 2005. Application at the standard rate of 3.5 million infective juveniles per stump suppressed the number of adults emerging by up to 79–85% relative to controls for Heterorhabditis downesi, 57–64% for Steinernema carpocapsae and 51–56% for S. feltiae. When the application rate was halved, only H. downesi gave a significant reduction in emergence (75–79%). Nematodes applied in April, May or June significantly reduced weevil populations, and application of nematode-killed insects in May was as effective as an aqueous suspension. A fourfold reduction in application volume from 500 to 125 ml per stump did not affect the percentage of weevils parasitized, and stump excavation revealed that even at the reduced volume, both S. carpocapsae (ambusher) and H. downesi (cruiser) parasitized weevils 40–49 cm from the bole and 40–49 cm below soil level. A higher percentage of larvae (60%) were infected than either pupae (36%) or callow adults (18%). Our trials show promise for expanding the use of entomopathogenic nematodes against pine weevil, as the standard application rate can be halved, and the volume reduced to 25% of the standard without significant loss of efficacy, and there is a wide window of opportunity for application, even when soil temperatures are as low as 9 °C

Photodissociation dynamics of methyl iodide probed using femtosecond extreme ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy

Femtosecond pump-probe photoelectron spectroscopy measurements using an extreme ultraviolet probe have been made on the photodissociation dynamics of UV (269 nm) excited CH3I. The UV excitation leads to population of the 3Q0 state which rapidly dissociates. The dissociation is manifested as shifts in the measured photoelectron kinetic energy that map the extending C-I bond. The increased energy available in the XUV probe relative to a UV probe means the dynamics are followed over the chemically important region as far as C-I bond lengths of approximately 4 Å

Dense gas in nearby galaxies: XV. Hot ammonia in NGC253, Maffei2 and IC342

The detection of NH3 inversion lines up to the (J,K)=(6,6) level is reported toward the central regions of the nearby galaxies NGC253, Maffei2, and IC342. The observed lines are up to 406K (for (J,K)=(6,6)) and 848K (for the (9,9) transition) above the ground state and reveal a warm (T_kin= 100 - 140 K) molecular component toward all galaxies studied. The tentatively detected (J,K)=(9,9) line is evidence for an even warmer (>400K) component toward IC342. Toward NGC253, IC342 and Maffei2 the global beam averaged NH3 abundances are 1-2 10^-8, while the abundance relative to warm H2 is around 10^-7. The temperatures and NH3 abundances are similar to values found for the Galactic central region. C-shocks produced in cloud-cloud collisions can explain kinetic temperatures and chemical abundances. In the central region of M82, however, the NH3 emitting gas component is comparatively cool (~ 30K). It must be dense (to provide sufficient NH3 excitation) and well shielded from dissociating photons and comprises only a small fraction of the molecular gas mass in M82. An important molecular component, which is warm and tenuous and characterized by a low ammonia abundance, can be seen mainly in CO. Photon dominated regions (PDRs) can explain both the high fraction of warm H_2 in M82 and the observed chemical abundances.Comment: 11 pages, 3 Figures, 5 Table

H2O line mapping at high spatial and spectral resolution - Herschel observations of the VLA1623 outflow

Apart from being an important coolant, H2O is known to be a tracer of high-velocity molecular gas. Recent models predict relatively high abundances behind interstellar shockwaves. The dynamical and physical conditions of the H2O emitting gas, however, are not fully understood yet. We aim to determine the abundance and distribution of H2O, its kinematics and the physical conditions of the gas responsible for the H2O emission. The observed line profile shapes help us understand the dynamics in molecular outflows. We mapped the VLA1623 outflow, in the ground-state transitions of o-H2O, with the HIFI and PACS instruments. We also present observations of higher energy transitions of o-H2O and p-H2O obtained with HIFI and PACS towards selected outflow positions. From comparison with non-LTE radiative transfer calculations, we estimate the physical parameters of the water emitting regions. The observed water emission line profiles vary over the mapped area. Spectral features and components, tracing gas in different excitation conditions, allow us to constrain the density and temperature of the gas. The H2O emission originates in a region where temperatures are comparable to that of the warm H2 gas (T\gtrsim200K). Thus, the H2O emission traces a gas component significantly warmer than the gas responsible for the low-J CO emission. The H2O column densities at the CO peak positions are low, i.e. N(H2O) \simeq (0.03-10)x10e14 cm-2. The H2O abundance with respect to H2 in the extended outflow is estimated at X(H2O)<1x10e-6, significantly lower than what would be expected from most recent shock models. The H2O emission traces a gas component moving at relatively high velocity compared to the low-J CO emitting gas. However, other dynamical quantities such as the momentum rate, energy and mechanical luminosity are estimated to be the same, independent of the molecular tracer used, CO or H2O.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, 4 table

Alterations in the steroid hormone receptor co-chaperone FKBPL are associated with male infertility: a case-control study

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background Male infertility is a common cause of reproductive failure in humans. In mice, targeted deletions of the genes coding for FKBP6 or FKBP52, members of the FK506 binding protein family, can result in male infertility. In the case of FKBP52, this reflects an important role in potentiating Androgen Receptor (AR) signalling in the prostate and accessory glands, but not the testis. In infertile men, no mutations of FKBP52 or FKBP6 have been found so far, but the gene for FKBP-like (FKBPL) maps to chromosome 6p21.3, an area linked to azoospermia in a group of Japanese patients. Methods To determine whether mutations in FKBPL could contribute to the azoospermic phenotype, we examined expression in mouse and human tissues by RNA array blot, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry and sequenced the complete gene from two azoospermic patient cohorts and matching control groups. FKBPL-AR interaction was assayed using reporter constructs in vitro. Results FKBPL is strongly expressed in mouse testis, with expression upregulated at puberty. The protein is expressed in human testis in a pattern similar to FKBP52 and also enhanced AR transcriptional activity in reporter assays. We examined sixty patients from the Japanese patient group and found one inactivating mutation and one coding change, as well as a number of non-coding changes, all absent in fifty-six controls. A second, Irish patient cohort of thirty showed another two coding changes not present in thirty proven fertile controls. Conclusions Our results describe the first alterations in the gene for FKBPL in azoospermic patients and indicate a potential role in AR-mediated signalling in the testis.Published versio

Photodissociation dynamics of CH3I probed via multiphoton ionisation photoelectron spectroscopy

The dissociation dynamics of CH3I is investigated on the red (269 nm) and blue (255 nm) side of the absorption maximum of the A-band. Using a multiphoton ionisation probe in a time-resolved photoelectron imaging experiment we observe very different dynamics at the two wavelengths, with significant differences in the measured lifetime and dynamic structure. The differences are explained in terms of changes in excitation cross-sections of the accessible 3Q0 and 1Q1 states and the subsequent dynamics upon each of them. The measurements support the existing literature on the rapid dissociation dynamics on the red side of the absorption maximum at 269 nm which is dominated by the dynamics along the 3Q0 state. At 255 nm we observe similar dynamics along the 3Q0 state but also a significant contribution from the 1Q1 state. The dynamics along the 1Q1 potential show a more complex structure in the photoelectron spectrum and a significantly increased lifetime, indicative of a more complex reaction pathway

PSR J1907+0602: A Radio-Faint Gamma-Ray Pulsar Powering a Bright TeV Pulsar Wind Nebula

We present multiwavelength studies of the 106.6 ms gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1907+06 near the TeV source MGRO J1908+06. Timing observations with Fermi result in a precise position determination for the pulsar of R.A. = 19h07m547(2), decl. = +06:02:16(2) placing the pulsar firmly within the TeV source extent, suggesting the TeV source is the pulsar wind nebula of PSR J1907+0602. Pulsed gamma-ray emission is clearly visible at energies from 100 MeV to above 10 GeV. The phase-averaged power-law index in the energy range E > 0.1 GeV is = 1.76 \pm 0.05 with an exponential cutoff energy E_{c} = 3.6 \pm 0.5 GeV. We present the energy-dependent gamma-ray pulsed light curve as well as limits on off-pulse emission associated with the TeV source. We also report the detection of very faint (flux density of ~3.4 microJy) radio pulsations with the Arecibo telescope at 1.5 GHz having a dispersion measure DM = 82.1 \pm 1.1 cm^{-3}pc. This indicates a distance of 3.2 \pm 0.6 kpc and a pseudo-luminosity of L_{1400} ~ 0.035 mJy kpc^2. A Chandra ACIS observation revealed an absorbed, possibly extended, compact <(4 arcsec) X-ray source with significant non-thermal emission at R.A. = 19h07m54.76, decl. = +06:02:14.6 with a flux of 2.3^{+0.6}_{-1.4} X 10^{-14} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. From archival ASCA observations, we place upper limits on any arcminute scale 2--10 keV X-ray emission of ~ 1 X 10^{-13} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The implied distance to the pulsar is compatible with that of the supernova remnant G40.5-0.5, located on the far side of the TeV nebula from PSR J1907+0602, and the S74 molecular cloud on the nearer side which we discuss as potential birth sites

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far