Aphid complex associated with potato in agro-climatic conditions of Kosovo

Field surveys for aphids infesting potato crops in three most important localities for potato production in Kosovo (Podujevë, Prishtinë and Vushtrri) were conducted in vegetation seasons of 2018–2019. With the purpose to monitor and confirm the aphid composition in potatoes, aphid leaf count was used as a method which is applied worldwide. Sampling for aphids from the leaves of potato plants was undertaken during cropping season, every 10 days, where 100 leaves were taken at random and checked in triplicates, from each field. During of this experimental work, the following aphid species were registered Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Aphis nasturtii and Aulacorthum solani. From the total number of aphids recorded (4,210 individuals), the following percentage belongs to the different aphids: M. persicae (57.24%), A. nasturtii (25.72%), A. solani (7.77%), M. euphorbiae (5.68%), and other none identified aphids (3.59%). Relying on the results of this research we have confirmed to exist statistical significant differences with regard to the number of aphid’s species according to the localities and aphids that infests the potatoes. With the goal to manage and control aphids spread infields with potatoes, it is extremely useful to evaluate and to see the possibility for an Integrated Management against these pests at farmer level

Imaging Molecular Structure through Femtosecond Photoelectron Diffraction on Aligned and Oriented Gas-Phase Molecules

This paper gives an account of our progress towards performing femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules in a pump-probe setup combining optical lasers and an X-ray Free-Electron Laser. We present results of two experiments aimed at measuring photoelectron angular distributions of laser-aligned 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene (C8H5F) and dissociating, laseraligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules and discuss them in the larger context of photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules. We also show how the strong nanosecond laser pulse used for adiabatically laser-aligning the molecules influences the measured electron and ion spectra and angular distributions, and discuss how this may affect the outcome of future time-resolved photoelectron diffraction experiments.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Faraday Discussions 17

On the Performance of a Photonic Reconfigurable Electromagnetic Band Gap Antenna Array for 5G Applications

In this paper, a reconfigurable Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna array is presented for 5G portable devices. The proposed array consists of four radiating elements and an Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure. Planar monopole radiating elements are employed in the array with Coplanar Waveguide Ports (CWPs). Each CWP is grounded on one side to a reflecting L-shaped structure that has an effect of improving the antenna’s directivity. It is shown that by inductively connecting Minkowski fractal structure of 1st order to the radiating element, the impedance matching is improved that results in enhancement in the array’s bandwidth performance. The EBG structure is used to provide the isolation between antenna elements in the MIMO array. The fractal structure is connected to the L-shaped reflector through four photosensitive light dependent resistor (LDR) switches. The effect of various LDR switching configurations on the performance of the antenna is investigated. The proposed array provides a novel performance in terms of S-parameters with enhancements in the radiation properties. Such enhancements are achieved with low separation gaps between antenna elements (about λo/16 at 3.5 GHz). It is shown that the array’s operational bands centered at 3.5 GHz and 4.65 GHz can be selected by activating certain LDR switches. The electromagnetic exposure of the array on the human body is investigated by determining the specific absorption rate (SAR). It is found that the proposed antenna shows lower SAR values compared to other antennas reported in literature. With the proposed EBG structure, the gain of the array is increased 7.5 dB (from -3.5 dBi to +4 dBi) at 3.5 GHz and by 14.3 dB (from -8.7 dBi to + 5.6 dBi) at 4.65 GHz. The average radiation efficiency between 3.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz increased by 42% from 20% to 62%. Excellent radiation characteristics of the EBG the array makes it suitable for 5G portable devices such as tablets

Claimed Co-ethnics and Kin-State Citizenship in Southeastern Europe

The paper introduces the often neglected concept of 'claimed co-ethnics' in the analysis of citizenship policies. It argues that this is an interstitial category that further complicates the triadic nexus between national minorities, nationalising states and kin-states. The 'claimed co-ethnics' are defined as people who are recognised by the citizenship (or ethnizenship) conferring state as belonging to its main ethnic group, although they themselves do not embrace that definition. In addition to bringing the issue of claimed co-ethnics into focus, the paper elucidates how citizenship policies can affect groups that challenge the exact fit between ethnicity and nation, showing how national governments through particular citizenship policies and categorisation practices engage in the construction of these groups. The paper shows that the triadic nexus framework, which has had a strong influence on citizenship and minorities scholarship, needs to be revised to include unidirectional relations between the elements of the triadic nexus. The paper is based on the comparison between the cases of ethnic Vlachs (in the context of Albania and Greece) and Bunjevci (in the context of Serbia and Croatia).European Commission - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7

towards time-resolved imaging of molecular structure

We demonstrate an experimental method to record snapshot diffraction images of polyatomic gas-phase molecules, which can, in a next step, be used to probe time-dependent changes in the molecular geometry during photochemical reactions with femtosecond temporal and angstrom spatial resolution. Adiabatically laser-aligned 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene (C8H5F) molecules were imaged by diffraction of photoelectrons with kinetic energies between 31 and 62 eV, created from core ionization of the fluorine (1s) level by ≈80 fs x-ray free-electron-laser pulses. Comparison of the experimental photoelectron angular distributions with density functional theory calculations allows relating the diffraction images to the molecular structure

Nanoscale depth-resolved coherent femtosecond motion in laser-excited bismuth

We employ grazing-incidence femtosecond x-ray diffraction to characterize the coherent, femtosecond laser-induced lattice motion of a bismuth crystal as a function of depth from the surface with a temporal resolution of 193 +/- 8 fs. The data show direct consequences on the lattice motion from carrier diffusion and electron-hole interaction, allowing us to estimate an effective diffusion rate of D=2.3 +/- 0.3 cm(2)/s for the highly excited carriers and an electron-hole interaction time of 260 +/- 20 fs

Second-line eribulin in triple negative metastatic breast cancer patients. Multicentre retrospective study: The tetris trial

Introduction: Large and consistent evidence supports the use of eribulin mesylate in clinical practice in third or later line treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Conversely, there is paucity of data on eribulin efficacy in second line treatment. Methods: We investigated outcomes of 44 mTNBC patients treated from 2013 through 2019 with second line eribulin mesylate in a multicentre retrospective study involving 14 Italian oncologic centres. Results: Median age was 51 years, with 11.4% of these patients being metastatic at diagnosis. Median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) from eribulin starting were 11.9 (95%CI: 8.4-15.5) and 3.5 months (95%CI: 1.7-5.3), respectively. We observed 8 (18.2%) partial responses and 10 (22.7%) patients had stable disease as best response. A longer PFS on previous first line treatment predicted a better OS (HR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.77-0.99, p= 0.038) and a longer PFS on eribulin treatment (HR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.85-0.98, p=0.018). Progression free survival to eribulin was also favorably influenced by prior adjuvant chemotherapy (HR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.22-0.88, p=0.02). Eribulin was generally well tolerated, with grade 3-4 adverse events being recorded in 15.9% of patients. Conclusions: The outcomes described for our cohort are consistent with those reported in the pivotal Study301 and subsequent observational studies. Further data from adequately-sized, ad hoc trials on eribulin use in second line for mTNBC are warranted to confirm our findings