Understory influence on leafroller pupunations in Hawke's bay organic apple orchard

Leafrollers (Tortricidae) were collected from apple foliage and understorey vegetation in six commercial organic apple orchards in Hawke’s Bay over one season. Assessments were made of plant species present in the understorey at the time of collection. All leafroller larvae were reared to adults on artificial diet to identify leafroller species and parasitoids. Nearly half (47%) of all leafrollers collected in these orchards were located in the understorey, highlighting the importance of understorey and its management for the control of leafroller. Dock, clover and dandeliontype plants contributed 25% to the overall understorey, yet hosted 75% of the leafrollers collected from the understorey. Dolichogenidea sp. was the most abundant parasitoid (79%) attacking leafrollers found amongst the apple foliage, whereas Glyptapanteles demeter was dominant in the understorey (61%). Generally the number of leafrollers in an orchard was proportional to the abundance of broadleaf weeds and inversely proportional to parasitis

Water quality study of the Muchea livestock truck wash

Across Australia there is a lack of information on the quality of the water discharged from facilities that are used to wash livestock trucks. This water quality scoping study partially fills that information gap and provides a starting point for future planning, design and construction of livestock truck washes. The study was undertaken in 2011–12 at the Western Australian Muchea Livestock Centre, and aimed to gain insights into water quality associated with the truck wash facility at that site. These insights can help to inform the planning for further construction of truck wash facilities throughout the state, and whether disposing wastewater to Water Corporation’s sewerage system could be part of a new facility. We examined water quality at primary points of the wastewater treatment system to understand the impact of each part of the system and determine the most appropriate site for detailed temporal monitoring. This was followed by a two-day sampling program at one point in the treatment system. We concluded that the minimum infrastructure requirements to satisfy Water Corporation’s maximum allowable limits for disposal to the sewerage system include sieve bend screens (Hunter screens), an anaerobic or settling pond, and a holding pond to ensure sufficient safety margins if sewer disposal was ever delayed. We recommend that further consideration is given to estimating the capital and operational costs of a truck wash facility that meets these minimum requirements, compared to a closed system that retains all wastewater on-site, or other systems that recover nutrients from high-value products. We also recommend that a sampling program be conducted across all truck washes in WA to gain insight into possible geographical variations and the wider applicability of this study’s findings

Analytical results for coupled map lattices with long-range interactions

We obtain exact analytical results for lattices of maps with couplings that decay with distance as $r^{-\alpha}$. We analyze the effect of the coupling range on the system dynamics through the Lyapunov spectrum. For lattices whose elements are piecewise linear maps, we get an algebraic expression for the Lyapunov spectrum. When the local dynamics is given by a nonlinear map, the Lyapunov spectrum for a completely synchronized state is analytically obtained. The critical lines characterizing the synchronization transition are determined from the expression for the largest transversal Lyapunov exponent. In particular, it is shown that in the thermodynamical limit, such transition is only possible for sufficiently long-range interactions, namely, for $\alpha\le alpha_c<d$, where $d$ is the lattice dimension.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, corrections included. Phys. Rev. E 68, 045202(R) (2003); correction in pres

Ku70 Serine 155 mediates Aurora B inhibition and activation of the DNA damage response

The Ku heterodimer (Ku70/Ku80) is the central DNA binding component of the classical non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway that repairs DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), serving as the scaffold for the formation of the NHEJ complex. Here we show that Ku70 is phosphorylated on Serine 155 in response to DNA damage. Expression of Ku70 bearing a S155 phosphomimetic substitution (Ku70 S155D) in Ku70-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) triggered cell cycle arrest at multiple checkpoints and altered expression of several cell cycle regulators in absence of DNA damage. Cells expressing Ku70 S155D exhibited a constitutive DNA damage response, including ATM activation, H2AX phosphorylation and 53BP1 foci formation. Ku70 S155D was found to interact with Aurora B and to have an inhibitory effect on Aurora B kinase activity. Lastly, we demonstrate that Ku and Aurora B interact following ionizing radiation treatment and that Aurora B inhibition in response to DNA damage is dependent upon Ku70 S155 phosphorylation. This uncovers a new pathway where Ku may relay signaling to Aurora B to enforce cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage

Structural, electronic, and magneto-optical properties of YVO3_3

Optical and magneto-optical properties of YVO$_3$ single crystal were studied in FIR, visible, and UV regions. Two structural phase transitions at 75 K and 200 K were observed and established to be of the first and second order, respectively. The lattice has an orthorhombic $Pbnm$ symmetry both above 200 K as well as below 75 K, and is found to be dimerized monoclinic $Pb11$ in between. We identify YVO$_3$ as a Mott-Hubbard insulator with the optical gap of 1.6 eV. The electronic excitations in the visible spectrum are determined by three $d$-bands at 1.8, 2.4, and 3.3 eV, followed by the charge-transfer transitions at about 4 eV. The observed structure is in good agreement with LSDA+$U$ band structure calculations. By using ligand field considerations, we assigned these bands to the transitions to the $^4A_{2g}$, $^2E_{g} + ^2T_{1g}$, and $^2T_{2g}$ states. The strong temperature dependence of these bands is in agreement with the formation of orbital order. Despite the small net magnetic moment of 0.01 $\mu_B$ per vanadium, the Kerr effect of the order of $0.01^\circ$ was observed for all three $d$-bands in the magnetically ordered phase $T_{\text{N\'eel}}<116 K$. A surprisingly strong enhancement of the Kerr effect was found below 75 K, reaching a maximum of $0.1^\circ$. The effect is ascribed to the non-vanishing net orbital magnetic moment.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

The impact of Covid-19 on lifestyle and dietary habits during and after lockdown in people with neurological conditions, and their perceptions of how these changes have impacted their physical and mental health: a cross-sectional survey study

Introduction:- Research has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic may have had negative effects on lifestyle factors of people in the UK, however research is limited in terms of the impact on people living with neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s (PD) and spinal cord injury (SCI). This study explores the impact that the pandemic had on mental health and lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, supplement use and exercise in those with MS, PD and SCI. Methods:- A cross-sectional, online, questionnaire study was carried out on a cohort of 134 people in the United Kingdom during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants completed the questionnaire between June 2021–February 2022. Eligibility criteria included being over the age of 18 years, and declaring having been formally diagnosed with either MS (n=27, female=81%), PD (n=84, female=35%), SCI (n=23, female=61%). Results:- 33% of participants reported an increased consumption of alcohol and 29% a decreased consumption of fruit and vegetables. However, 64% of participants reported no change in diet (p < 0.001). Vitamin D, multivitamin/minerals, probiotic and fish oil were the most commonly consumed supplements by participants. Although intake of any supplement was not significantly impacted by Covid-19 for the total cohort, by condition, and by sex, a generalised linear mixed model indicated SCI participants consumed more supplement types during Covid-19 than before (OR:1.98; 95% CI [1.04, 3.77]). Additionally, 29% of participants reported they contacted their families less than pre-pandemic (p=0.001), and 60% reported they experienced more fatigue since the pandemic. Open-ended questions added quality context to the categorical data. Conclusion:- This study suggests that the impact Covid-19 has had on people with neurological conditions is complex and individual, yet the negative effects may be more pronounced than the general public. Overall, there were changes in lifestyle behaviours, some which may be detrimental to health and life quality in these already vulnerable groups. Therefore, these changes need to be considered in the aftermath of the pandemic

Nearby early-type galaxies with ionized gas. The UV emission from GALEX observations

We present GALEX far-ultraviolet (FUV, $\lambda_{eff}$=1538 \AA) and near-ultraviolet (NUV, $\lambda_{eff}$=2316 \AA) surface photometry of 40 early-type galaxies (ETGs) selected from a wider sample of 65 nearby ETGs showing emission lines in their optical spectra. We derive FUV and NUV surface brightness profiles, (FUV-NUV) colour profiles and D$_{25}$ integrated magnitudes. We extend the photometric study to the optical {\it r} band from SDSS imaging for 14 of these ETGs. In general, the (FUV-NUV) radial colour profiles become redder with galactocentric distance in both rejuvenated ($\leq 4$ Gyr) and old ETGs. Colour profiles of NGC 1533, NGC 2962, NGC 2974, NGC 3489, and IC 5063 show rings and/or arm-like structures, bluer than the body of the galaxy, suggesting the presence of recent star formation. Although seven of our ETGs show shell systems in their optical image, only NGC 7135 displays shells in the UV bands. We characterize the UV and optical surface brightness profiles, along the major axis, using a Sersic law. The Sersic law exponent, $n$, varies from 1 to 16 in the UV bands. S0 galaxies tend to have lower values of $n$ ($\leq5$). The Sersic law exponent $n=4$ seems to be a watershed: ETGs with $n>4$ tend to have [$\alpha$/Fe] greater than 0.15, implying a short star-formation time scale. We find a significant correlation between the FUV$-$NUV colour and central velocity dispersions $\sigma$, with the UV colours getting bluer at larger $\sigma$. This trend is likely driven by a combined effect of `downsizing' and of the mass-metallicity relation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 33 pages, 7 figure

Politieke kennis en effecten van nieuws

Welk nieuws doet ertoe en hoeveel nieuws doet ertoe, en in welke mate hangt dit af van de politieke kennis van de ontvanger? Dit artikel beschrijft een longitudinale studie naar de verkiezingsstrijd voor het Nederlandse parlement in 2006

Processing of ultrafine-size particulate metal matrix composites by advanced shear technology

Copyright @ 2009 ASM International. This paper was published in Metallurgical & Materials Transactions A 40A(3) and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of ASM International. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplications of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of this paper are prohibited.Lack of efficient mixing technology to achieve a uniform distribution of fine-size reinforcement within the matrix and the high cost of producing components have hindered the widespread adaptation of particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs) for engineering applications. A new rheo-processing method, the melt-conditioning high-pressure die-cast (MC-HPDC) process, has been developed for manufacturing near-net-shape components of high integrity. The MC-HPDC process adapts the well-established high shear dispersive mixing action of a twin-screw mechanism to the task of overcoming the cohesive force of the agglomerates under a high shear rate and high intensity of turbulence. This is followed by direct shaping of the slurry into near-net-shape components using an existing cold-chamber die-casting process. The results indicate that the MC-HPDC samples have a uniform distribution of ultrafine-sized SiC particles throughout the entire sample in the as-cast condition. Compared to those produced by conventional high-pressure die casting (HPDC), MC-HPDC samples have a much improved tensile strength and ductility.EP-SR