Interfertility between Armillaria cepistipes and A. sinapina

Des études ont rapporté que des lignées européennes d'Armillaria cepistipes étaient interfertiles avec trois lignées américaines d'Armillaria désignées par les termes espèce biologique nord-américaine (NABS) V (A sinapina), NABS X et NABS XI. Une telle interfertilité entre les espèces soulève des doutes au sujet de l'utilisation de binômes latins distincts pour des espèces pouvant se reproduire. Cette interfertilité a été ré-examinée en mettant 24 isolats haploïdes d'A cepistipes européen en présence de 23 isolats 6'A. sinapina d'Amérique du Nord et d'Asie. Les appariements individuels ont été effectués de façon indépendante au moins une fois à l'Université Laval (Canada) et à NNRA Clermont-Ferrand (France). Des 420 appariements interspécifiques effectués à l'Université Laval, deux étaient positifs et sept étaient ambigus, pour un total de 2,1 % de tous les appariements. Des 506 appariements effectués à Clermont-Ferrand, 10 étaient positifs et 24 étaient ambigus pour un total de 6,7 % des appariements. Les différences dans les résultats de ces appariements peuvent être expliquées par les températures d'incubation, ainsi que par les différents types et concentrations d'extrait de malt utilisés dans chaque laboratoire. Les bas niveaux d'interfertilité trouvés entre A cepistipes et A. sinapina peuvent résulter de l'absence de barrières génétiques habituellement présentes entre des espèces sympatriques. Ce bas niveau d'interfertilité reflète des différences entre la morphologie, la répartition et les habitats des deux espèces d'Armillaria, et appuie la conservation de dénominations d'espèces distinctes.European strains of Armillaria cepistipes were reported to be interfertile with strains from three American Armillaria species known as North American Biological Species (NABS) V (A sinapina), NABS X and NABS XI. Such interfertility between species raises some doubts about using different Latin binomials for species capable of mating. This interfertility was reinvestigated by mating 24 haploid isolates of European A cepistipes with 23 isolates of A sinapinafrom North America and Asia. Individual pairings were independently performed at least once at Universite Laval, Canada and at INRA Clermont-Ferrand, France. From the 420 interspecific pairings performed at Laval, two were positive and seven were ambiguous for a total of 2.1% of all the pairings. From the 506 pairings made at Clermont-Ferrand, 10 were positive and 24 were ambiguous for a total of 6.7%. The differences in the pairing results may be explained by incubation temperatures, and the different types and concentrations of malt extract used at each laboratory. The low levels of interfertility found between A. cepistipes and A. sinapina may result from the absence of genetic barriers that are usually present between sympatric species. This low level of interfertility reflects differences in morphology, distribution, and habitat for these two species of Armillaria and this supports the retention of different species denominations

Influence of Dichromate Ions on Corrosion Processes on Pure Magnesium

The corrosion behavior of Mg is of interest because of its growing use as an alloy in the transportation industry and also because it is a major component of some intermetallic phases in Al alloys, such as the deleterious S (Al2CuMg)-phase found in AA2024-T3. Pure Mg corrodes rapidly in a chloride-containing solution and even dissolves in water if the surface hydroxide is damaged by scratching the surface, for example. Uniform dissolution is drastically reduced in NaCl solutions (from 0.01 to 0.5 M) with the addition of very dilute concentrations of dichromate (10-4 M). However, it is replaced by a strong localized attack in the form of fast filiform-like attack. On a large-grained sample with a defined defect structure, the attack can be seen to propagate at twin boundaries. Orientation imaging microscopy analysis found that corrosion was limited to planes near {0001} orientations with propagation being in prismatic directions. Auger electron spectroscopy analysis shows that interaction of chromate with the Mg hydroxide results in incorporation of reduced chromium ions in the hydroxide surface layer. Formation of a more resistant surface film could explain the very local nature of the corrosion in this case. The interaction between dichromate ions and Mg hydroxide can also explain the higher corrosion resistance of S-phase particles in chloride solutions containing dilute dichromate, although differences in the surface film formed compared to pure Mg are observed. Sputter-etching of the surface in order to assess the depth of the attack revealed that very hard or isolating corrosion products difficult to sputter are produced along the filiform path and that chromium compounds are not integrated in the corrosion products. Focused ion beam sectioning followed by scanning electron microscopy investigation of the sectioned area, demonstrates the presence of a continuous protective surface film. Adhesion between the Mg hydroxide and the metal is lost at the location of the corrosion filament, suggesting that the mechanism of propagation is similar to filiform corrosion under a coating. The depth of attack is a couple of micrometers with large cracks present within the corroded area that could induce severe surface damage.This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under contract no. F49620-96-1-0479

The debiased Whittle likelihood

The Whittle likelihood is a widely used and computationally efficient pseudolikelihood. However, it is known to produce biased parameter estimates with finite sample sizes for large classes of models. We propose a method for debiasing Whittle estimates for second-order stationary stochastic processes. The debiased Whittle likelihood can be computed in the same O(nlogn) operations as the standard Whittle approach. We demonstrate the superior performance of our method in simulation studies and in application to a large-scale oceanographic dataset, where in both cases the debiased approach reduces bias by up to two orders of magnitude, achieving estimates that are close to those of the exact maximum likelihood, at a fraction of the computational cost. We prove that the method yields estimates that are consistent at an optimal convergence rate of n−1/2 for Gaussian processes and for certain classes of non-Gaussian or nonlinear processes. This is established under weaker assumptions than in the standard theory, and in particular the power spectral density is not required to be continuous in frequency. We describe how the method can be readily combined with standard methods of bias reduction, such as tapering and differencing, to further reduce bias in parameter estimates

2022 Update of the consensus on the rational use of antithrombotics and thrombolytics in Veterinary Critical Care (CURATIVE) Domain 6: Defining rational use of thrombolytics

Objectives To systematically review available evidence and establish guidelines related to the use of thrombolytics for the management of small animals with suspected or confirmed thrombosis. Design PICO (Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcome) questions were formulated, and worksheets completed as part of a standardized and systematic literature evaluation. The population of interest included dogs and cats (considered separately) and arterial and venous thrombosis. The interventions assessed were the use of thrombolytics, compared to no thrombolytics, with or without anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents. Specific protocols for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator were also evaluated. Outcomes assessed included efficacy and safety. Relevant articles were categorized according to level of evidence, quality, and as to whether they supported, were neutral to, or opposed the PICO questions. Conclusions from the PICO worksheets were used to draft guidelines, which were subsequently refined via Delphi surveys undertaken by the Consensus on the Rational Use of Antithrombotics and Thrombolytics in Veterinary Critical Care (CURATIVE) working group. Results Fourteen PICO questions were developed, generating 14 guidelines. The majority of the literature addressing the PICO questions in dogs is experimental studies (level of evidence 3), thus providing insufficient evidence to determine if thrombolysis improves patient-centered outcomes. In cats, literature was more limited and often neutral to the PICO questions, precluding strong evidence-based recommendations for thrombolytic use. Rather, for both species, suggestions are made regarding considerations for when thrombolytic drugs may be considered, the combination of thrombolytics with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, and the choice of thrombolytic agent. Conclusions Substantial additional research is needed to address the role of thrombolytics for the treatment of arterial and venous thrombosis in dogs and cats. Clinical trials with patient-centered outcomes will be most valuable for addressing knowledge gaps in the field

The debiased Whittle likelihood

The Whittle likelihood is a widely used and computationally efficient pseudolikelihood. However, it is known to produce biased parameter estimates with finite sample sizes for large classes of models. We propose a method for debiasing Whittle estimates for second-order stationary stochastic processes. The debiased Whittle likelihood can be computed in the same O(n log n) operations as the standard Whittle approach. We demonstrate the superior performance of our method in simulation studies and in application to a large-scale oceanographic dataset, where in both cases the debiased approach reduces bias by up to two orders of magnitude, achieving estimates that are close to those of the exact maximum likelihood, at a fraction of the computational cost. We prove that the method yields estimates that are consistent at an optimal convergence rate of n(-1/2) for Gaussian processes and for certain classes of non-Gaussian or nonlinear processes. This is established under weaker assumptions than in the standard theory, and in particular the power spectral density is not required to be continuous in frequency. We describe how the method can be readily combined with standard methods of bias reduction, such as tapering and differencing, to further reduce bias in parameter estimates

2022 Update of the Consensus on the Rational Use of Antithrombotics and Thrombolytics in Veterinary Critical Care (CURATIVE) Domain 6: Defining rational use of thrombolytics

Objectives: To systematically review available evidence and establish guidelines related to the use of thrombolytics for the management of small animals with suspected or confirmed thrombosis. Design: PICO (Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcome) questions were formulated, and worksheets completed as part of a standardized and systematic literature evaluation. The population of interest included dogs and cats (considered separately) and arterial and venous thrombosis. The interventions assessed were the use of thrombolytics, compared to no thrombolytics, with or without anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents. Specific protocols for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator were also evaluated. Outcomes assessed included efficacy and safety. Relevant articles were categorized according to level of evidence, quality, and as to whether they supported, were neutral to, or opposed the PICO questions. Conclusions from the PICO worksheets were used to draft guidelines, which were subsequently refined via Delphi surveys undertaken by the Consensus on the Rational Use of Antithrombotics and Thrombolytics in Veterinary Critical Care (CURATIVE) working group. Results: Fourteen PICO questions were developed, generating 14 guidelines. The majority of the literature addressing the PICO questions in dogs is experimental studies (level of evidence 3), thus providing insufficient evidence to determine if thrombolysis improves patient-centered outcomes. In cats, literature was more limited and often neutral to the PICO questions, precluding strong evidence-based recommendations for thrombolytic use. Rather, for both species, suggestions are made regarding considerations for when thrombolytic drugs may be considered, the combination of thrombolytics with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, and the choice of thrombolytic agent. Conclusions: Substantial additional research is needed to address the role of thrombolytics for the treatment of arterial and venous thrombosis in dogs and cats. Clinical trials with patient-centered outcomes will be most valuable for addressing knowledge gaps in the field

ImageNet Auto-Annotation with Segmentation Propagation

ImageNet is a large-scale hierarchical database of object classes with millions of images.We propose to automatically populate it with pixelwise object-background segmentations, by leveraging existing manual annotations in the form of class labels and bounding-boxes. The key idea is to recursively exploit images segmented so far to guide the segmentation of new images. At each stage this propagation process expands into the images which are easiest to segment at that point in time, e.g. by moving to the semantically most related classes to those segmented so far. The propagation of segmentation occurs both (a) at the image level, by transferring existing segmentations to estimate the probability of a pixel to be foreground, and (b) at the class level, by jointly segmenting images of the same class and by importing the appearance models of classes that are already segmented. Through experiments on 577 classes and 500k images we show that our technique (i) annotates a wide range of classes with accurate segmentations; (ii) effectively exploits the hierarchical structure of ImageNet; (iii) scales efficiently, especially when implemented on superpixels; (iv) outperforms a baseline GrabCut (Rother et al. 2004) initialized on the image center, as well as segmentation transfer from a fixed source pool and run independently on each target image (Kuettel and Ferrari 2012). Moreover, our method also delivers state-of-the-art results on the recent iCoseg dataset for co-segmentation.ISSN:0920-5691ISSN:1573-140

Modificaciones de la microestructura y la capa pasiva de la aleación 2024-T3 Al-Cu durante una limpieza química empleada en la industria aeroespacial

Se han investigado los efectos de un pretratamiento superficial empleado en el sector aeroespa-cial sobre la aleación 2024-T3 Al-Cu antes de la generación de recubrimientos por conversión química. Estos pretratamientos influyen en las fases metálicas, que desempeñan un papel clave en el desarrollo de nuevos recu-brimientos de conversión sin cromo y en la susceptibilidad a la corrosión localizada en medios que contienen cloruros. El pretratamiento estudiado consta de dos etapas alcalinas y una ácida. La microscopía electrónica de barrido reveló que después del proceso completo, las fases Al(Cu,Mg) se eliminaban parcial o totalmente medi-ante desaleación y su posterior enriquecimiento de cobre, mientras que solo se atacó la matriz de aluminio que rodeaba las fases Al(Cu,Fe,Mn,Si). El análisis electroquímico reveló el viraje a catódico de las fases Al(Cu,Mg) que aún permanecen en la superficie mientras que la fases Al(Cu,Fe,Mn,Si) presentaron un mayor potencial de corrosión que la matriz de aluminio. Por el contrario, ninguna de estas fases se vio afectada cuando se emplearon únicamente las dos etapas alcalinas. Identificados los procesos que tienen lugar cuando la aleación es sometida a un pretratamiento superficial, es posible diseñar sistemas de protección alternativos a los cromatos.Changes in the microstructure and passive layer of 2024-T3 Al-Cu alloy during a chemical clean-ing employed in the aerospace industry. A standard surface pretreatment for 2024-T3 Al-Cu alloy prior to the generation of chemical conversion coatings in the aerospace sector have been investigated. These pretreatments influence the alloy phases, which play a key role in the development of new eco-friendly chromium-free conver-sion coatings, but also in the susceptibility to localized corrosion in chloride medium. The complete pretreat-ment consists of two alkaline step and another acid step. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed that after the complete pretreatment, Al(Cu,Mg) phases were partially or totally removed through dealloying with their subsequent copper enrichment, while only the aluminum matrix surrounding the Al(Cu,Fe,Mn,Si) phases was slightly attacked. Electrochemical analysis revealed the turn to cathodic character of Al(Cu,Mg) phases that still remain on the surface, while the Al(Cu,Fe,Mn,Si) phases have a higher corrosion potential than the aluminum matrix. Conversely, none of these phases were affected when only alkaline steps were employed. Identified the corrosion processes that take place in the different phases when the alloy is treated with a surface pretreatment, it is possible to design alternative Cr-free protective proces

Genetic signatures of variation in population size in a native fungal pathogen after the recent intensive plantation of its host tree

Historical fluctuations in forests’ distribution driven by past climate changes and anthropogenic activities can have large impacts on the demographic history of pathogens that have a long co-evolution history with these host trees. Using a population genetic approach, we investigated that hypothesis by reconstructing the demographic history of Armillaria ostoyae, one of the major pathogens of the maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), in the largest monospecific pine planted forest in Europe (south-western France). Genetic structure analyses and approximate Bayesian computation approaches revealed that a single pathogen population underwent a severe reduction in effective size (12 times lower) 1080–2080 generations ago, followed by an expansion (4 times higher) during the last 4 generations. These results are consistent with the history of the maritime pine forest in the region characterized by a strong recession during the last glaciation (~19 000 years ago) and massive plantations during the second half of the nineteenth century. Results suggest that recent and intensive plantations of a host tree population have offered the opportunity for a rapid spread and adaptation of their pathogens