Detection and Quantification of Grapevine Bunch Rot Using Functional Data Analysis and Canonical Variate Analysis Biplots of Infrared Spectral Data

Grapevine bunch rot assessment has economic significance to wineries. Industrial working conditionsrequire rapid assessment methods to meet the time constraints typically associated with grape intakeat large wineries. Naturally rot-affected and healthy white wine grape bunches were collected overfive vintages (2013 to 2016, 2020). Spectral data of 382 grape must samples were acquired using threedifferent, but same-type attenuated total reflection mid-infrared (ATR-MIR) ALPHA spectrometers. Thepractical industrial problem of wavenumber shifts collected with different spectrometers was overcome byapplying functional data analysis (FDA). FDA improved the data quality and boosted data mining effortsin the sample set. Canonical variate analysis (CVA) biplots were employed to visualise the detection andquantification of rot. When adding 90 % alpha-bags to CVA biplots minimal overlap between rot-affected(Yes) and healthy (No) samples was observed. Several bands were observed in the region 1734 cm-1 to 1722cm-1 which correlated with the separation between rot-affected and healthy grape musts. These bandsconnect to the C=O stretching of the functional groups of carboxylic acids. In addition, wavenumber 1041cm-1, presenting the functional group of ethanol, contributed to the separation between categories (severity% range). ATR-MIR could provide a sustainable alternative for rapid and automated rot assessment.However, qualitative severity quantification of rot was limited to only discriminating between healthy andsevere rot (> 40 %). This study is novel in applying FDA to correct wavenumber shifts in ATR-MIR spectraldata. Furthermore, visualisation of the viticultural data set using CVA biplots is a novel application of thistechnique

Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance–improving conservation outcomes

The Ramsar Convention (or the Convention on Wetlands), signed in 1971, was one of the first international conservation agreements, promoting global wise use of wetlands. It has three primary objectives: national designation and management of wetlands of international importance; general wise use of wetlands; and international cooperation. We examined lessons learnt for improving wetland conservation after Ramsar’s nearly five decades of operation. The number of wetlands in the Ramsar Site Network has grown over time (2,391 Ramsar Sites, 2.5 million km2, as at 2020-06-09) but unevenly around the world, with decreasing rate of growth in recent decades. Ramsar Sites are concentrated in countries with a high Gross Domestic Product and human pressure (e.g., western Europe) but, in contrast, Ramsar Sites with the largest wetland extent are in central-west Africa and South America. We identified three key challenges for improving effectiveness of the Ramsar Site Network: increasing number of sites and wetland area, improved representation (functional, geographical and biological); and effective management and reporting. Increasing the number of sites and area in the Ramsar network could benefit from targets, implemented at national scales. Knowledge of representativeness is inadequate, requiring analyses of functional ecotypes, geographical and biological representativeness. Finally, most countries have inadequate management planning and reporting on the ecological character of their Ramsar Sites, requiring more focused attention on a vision and objectives, with regular reporting of key indicators to guide management. There are increasing opportunities to rigorously track ecological character, utilizing new tools and available indicators (e.g., remote sensing). It is critical that the world protect its wetlands, with an effective Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands at the core

Passive transfer and rate of decay of maternal antibody against African horse sickness virus in South African throughbred foals

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY : African horse sickness is an insect transmitted, non-contagious disease of equids caused by African horse sickness virus (AHSV). Mortality can exceed 90% in fully susceptible horse populations. A live-attenuated (modified-live) cell culture-adapted (MLV) polyvalent AHSV vaccine is widely used to control AHS in endemic areas in southern Africa. Field studies detailing antibody responses of vaccinated horses are lacking. OBJECTIVES : To determine antibody titres to the 9 known serotypes of AHSV in a cohort of brood mares that were regularly vaccinated with the MLV AHSV vaccine, and to measure the passive transfer and rate of decay of maternal antibody to the individual virus serotypes in foals. METHODS : Serum was collected from 15 mares before foaling and from their foals after foaling and monthly thereafter for 6 months. Antibody titres to each of the 9 AHSV serotypes were determined by serum-virus neutralisation assay. RESULTS : There was marked variation in the antibody response of the mares to individual AHSV serotypes even after repeated vaccination, with consistently higher titre responses to some virus serotypes. Similarly, duration of maternally-derived antibodies in foals differed among serotypes. CONCLUSIONS : Data from this study confirm variation of the neutralising antibody response of individual mares to repeated vaccination with polyvalent AHSV vaccine. Virus strains of individual AHSV serotypes included in the vaccine may vary in their inherent immunogenicity. Passivelyacquired maternal antibodies to AHSV vary markedly among foals born to vaccinated mares, with further variation in the duration of passive immunity to individual AHSV serotypes. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE : These data are relevant to the effective utilization of live-attenuated AHSV vaccines in endemic regions, and potentially to the use of vaccines in response to future incursions of AHSV into previously free regions. Further studies involving a larger population will be required to determine the optimal time for vaccinating foals.Racing South Africa and the Equine Research Centre, University of Pretoria.http://www.evj.co.uk/journals/hb2013ab201

Magnetic structure of CeRhIn_5 as a function of pressure and temperature

We report magnetic neutron-diffraction and electrical resistivity studies on single crystals of the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn$_{5}$ at pressures up to 2.3 GPa. These experiments show that the staggered moment of Ce and the incommensurate magnetic structure change weakly with applied pressure up to 1.63 GPa, where resistivity, specific heat and NQR measurements confirm the presence of bulk superconductivity. This work places new constraints on an interpretation of the relationship between antiferromagnetism and unconventional superconductivity in CeRhIn$_{5}$.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

The combination of abundance and infection rates of Culicoides sonorensis estimates risk of subsequent bluetongue virus infection of sentinel cattle on California dairy farms

Bluetongue (BT) is an important viral disease of ruminants that is transmitted by hematophagous Culicoides midges. We examined the seasonal patterns of abundance and infection of Culicoides sonorensis at four dairy farms in the northern Central Valley of California to develop estimates of risk for bluetongue virus (BTV) transmission to cattle at each farm. These four farms were selected because of their similar meteorological conditions but varying levels of vector abundance and BTV infection of cattle. C. sonorensis midges were collected weekly at each farm during the seasonal transmission period, using three different trapping methods: traps baited with either carbon dioxide (CO2) alone or traps with CO2 and UV light, and by direct aspiration of midges from sentinel cattle. Analysis of BTV-infected midges using group and serotype-specific quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays confirmed that BTV serotypes 10, 11, 13 and 17 are all present in the region, but that midge infection rates and the number of BTV serotypes circulating differed markedly among the individual farms. Furthermore, more serotypes of BTV were present in midges than in sentinel cattle at individual farms where BTV circulated, and the virus was detected at each farm in midges prior to detection in cattle. BTV infection rates were remarkably lower among female C. sonorensis midges collected by CO2 traps with UV light than among midges collected by either animal-baited aspirations or in CO2 traps without light. A subsample of female midges examined from each collection method showed no overall differences in the proportion of female midges that had previously fed on a host. Findings from this study confirm the importance of using sensitive surveillance methods for both midge collection and virus detection in epidemiological studies of BTV infection, which is especially critical if the data are to be used for development of mathematical models to predict the occurrence of BTV infection of livestock.The Center for Food Animal Health at the University of California-Davis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bernice Barbour Foundation.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpa

The Milky Way Bulge: Observed properties and a comparison to external galaxies

The Milky Way bulge offers a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the role that different processes such as dynamical instabilities, hierarchical merging, and dissipational collapse may have played in the history of the Galaxy formation and evolution based on its resolved stellar population properties. Large observation programmes and surveys of the bulge are providing for the first time a look into the global view of the Milky Way bulge that can be compared with the bulges of other galaxies, and be used as a template for detailed comparison with models. The Milky Way has been shown to have a box/peanut (B/P) bulge and recent evidence seems to suggest the presence of an additional spheroidal component. In this review we summarise the global chemical abundances, kinematics and structural properties that allow us to disentangle these multiple components and provide constraints to understand their origin. The investigation of both detailed and global properties of the bulge now provide us with the opportunity to characterise the bulge as observed in models, and to place the mixed component bulge scenario in the general context of external galaxies. When writing this review, we considered the perspectives of researchers working with the Milky Way and researchers working with external galaxies. It is an attempt to approach both communities for a fruitful exchange of ideas.Comment: Review article to appear in "Galactic Bulges", Editors: Laurikainen E., Peletier R., Gadotti D., Springer Publishing. 36 pages, 10 figure

Measurement of the p-pbar -> Wgamma + X cross section at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV and WWgamma anomalous coupling limits

The WWgamma triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p-pbar -> l nu gamma + X (l = e,mu) events at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the DO detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb^{-1} delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching fraction for p-pbar -> W(gamma) + X -> l nu gamma + X with E_T^{gamma} > 8 GeV and Delta R_{l gamma} > 0.7 is 14.8 +/- 1.6 (stat) +/- 1.0 (syst) +/- 1.0 (lum) pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are -0.88 < Delta kappa_{gamma} < 0.96 and -0.20 < lambda_{gamma} < 0.20.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using Kinematic Characteristics of Lepton + Jets Events

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ttbar production cross section in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 230 pb**{-1} of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), large missing transverse energy, and at least four jets, and extract the ttbar content of the sample based on the kinematic characteristics of the events. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure sigma(ttbar) = 6.7 {+1.4-1.3} (stat) {+1.6- 1.1} (syst) +/-0.4 (lumi) pb, in good agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV using Lepton + Jets Events with Lifetime b-tagging

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ($t\bar{t}$) production cross section ($\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$) in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV using 230 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse energy, and jets in the final state. We employ lifetime-based b-jet identification techniques to further enhance the $t\bar{t}$ purity of the selected sample. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}=8.6^{+1.6}_{-1.5}(stat.+syst.)\pm 0.6(lumi.)$ pb, in agreement with the standard model expectation.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Measurement of the ratios of the Z/G* + >= n jet production cross sections to the total inclusive Z/G* cross section in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a study of events with Z bosons and jets produced at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider in ppbar collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data sample consists of nearly 14,000 Z/G* -> e+e- candidates corresponding to the integrated luminosity of 0.4 fb-1 collected using the D0 detector. Ratios of the Z/G* + >= n jet cross sections to the total inclusive Z/G* cross section have been measured for n = 1 to 4 jet events. Our measurements are found to be in good agreement with a next-to-leading order QCD calculation and with a tree-level QCD prediction with parton shower simulation and hadronization.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, slightly modified, submitted to Phys. Lett.