First record of Grapevine Pinot gris virus infecting Vitis vinifera in the United Kingdom

Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) is a member of the genus Trichovirus, and was first identified in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cv. Pinot Gris in Italy in 2012 (Giampetruzzi et al., 2012). Since then GPGV has been reported in several European countries as well as Australia, Canada, China, Korea and the USA (Bertazzon et al., 2016). In April 2017, a survey of four geographically separated vineyards in the UK was done to investigate the presence of GPGV. A dormant cane was sampled at random from each of the four locations (Pinot Noir clones 119, 336, 792 and 924, reciprocally grafted upon Gravesac, SO4 or 3309 Couderc rootstocks)

First report of Grapevine fanleaf virus infecting grapevine in the United Kingdom

The UK wine industry is a fast-growing sector and in 2015 an area of c. 2,000 hectares had been planted with vines from which over five million bottles of wine were produced (Wine and Spirit Trade Association Market Overview, 2016). It is important to monitor the phytosanitary status of vines to ensure the sustainability of the industry in the UK

Anti-melanocortin-4 receptor autoantibodies in obesity

Background: The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is part of an important pathway regulating energy balance. Here we report the existence of autoantibodies (autoAbs) against the MC4R in sera of obese patients. Methods: The autoAbs were detected after screening of 216 patients' sera by using direct and inhibition ELISA with an N-terminal sequence of the MC4R. Binding to the native MC4R was evaluated by flow cytometry and pharmacological effects by measuring adenylyl cyclase activity. Results: Positive results in all tests were obtained in patients with overweight or obesity (prevalence: 3.6%) but not in normal weight patients. The selective binding properties of anti-MC4R autoAbs were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance and by immunoprecipitation with the native MC4R. Finally it was demonstrated that these autoAbs increased food intake in rats after passive transfer via intracerebroventricular injection. Conclusion: These observations suggest that inhibitory anti-MC4R autoAbs might contribute to the development of obesity in a small subpopulation of patients

Selective activation of memristive interfaces in TaOx-based devices by controlling oxygen vacancies dynamics at the nanoscale

The development of novel devices for neuromorphic computing and non-traditional logic operations largely relies on the fabrication of well controlled memristive systems with functionalities beyond standard bipolar behavior and digital ON-OFF states. In the present work we demonstrate for Ta2O5-based devices that it is possible to selectively activate/deactivate two series memristive interfaces in order to obtain clockwise or counter-clockwise multilevel squared remanent resistance loops, just by controlling both the electroforming process and the (a)symmetry of the applied stimuli, and independently of the nature of the used metallic electrodes. Based on our thorough characterization, analysis and modeling, we show that the physical origin of this electrical behavior relies on controlled oxygen vacancies electromigration between three different nanoscopic zones of the active Ta2O5-x layer: a central one and two quasi-symmetric interfaces with reduced TaO2-h(y) layers. Our devices fabrication process is rather simple as it implies the room temperature deposition of only one CMOS compatible oxide - Ta-oxide - and one metal, suggesting that it might be possible to take advantage of these properties at low cost and with easy scability. The tunable opposite remanent resistance loops circulations with multiple - analogic - intermediate stable states allows mimicking the adaptable synaptic weight of biological systems and presents potential for non-standard logic devices.Fil: Ferreyra, Cristian Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes | Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes.; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, M.J.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Aguirre, Myriam. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Acha, Carlos Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Bengió, Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Bariloche | Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Lecourt, J.. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Lüders, U.. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Rubi, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes | Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes.; Argentin

Geographic map understanding : Algorithms for hydrographic and road networks reconstruction

The French Institut Géographique National (IGN) wants to develop an automated map understanding system, for the geographical maps at scale 1/25000. The aim is to automatically convert the 2000 cartographic paper-maps in a geographical objects database, directly usable by a GIS. This paper describes a high-level method for the automated reconstruction of the network graphs, represented on the French geographic maps . This method is applied to the hydrographic and road networks, symbolized with dashed lines, interrupted solid lines and fragmented textured areas . The graph theory paradigm is used, which allows to naturally model those networks by graphs, and to formalize the constraints for their reconstruction . A priori knowledges on natural and cartographic networks are directly used in the reconstruction process, and translated either as invariants the networks must verify during the reconstruction, either as quality criterion for the likely considered connexions .L'Institut Géographique National (IGN) a pour objectif de développer sur la carte IGN au 1/25000 un système d'interprétation totalement automatique et complet de la carte. Le but est de convertir automatiquement le fond de cartes existant sous forme papier, en une base de données d'objets géographiques directement manipulables par un SIG. Cet article décrit une méthode générale de haut niveau pour la reconstruction automatique des graphes des réseaux représentés sur les cartes géographiques. Elle a été appliquée aux réseaux hydrographiques et routiers qui sont essentiellement composés de lignes tiretées, de traits pleins interrompus et d'objets surfaciques interrompus. Le formalisme utilisé est celui de la théorie des graphes, qui permet de modéliser naturellement ces réseaux et d'expliciter les contraintes liées à leur reconstruction. Les connaissances a priori sur les réseaux réels et cartographiques sont directement intégrées dans le processus de reconstruction, et traduites soit comme des invariants que doivent vérifier les réseaux en cours de reconstruction, soit comme des mesures de qualité sur les connexions vraissemblables envisagées

J D Bernal: philosophy, politics and the science of science

This paper is an examination of the philosophical and political legacy of John Desmond Bernal. It addresses the evidence of an emerging consensus on Bernal based on the recent biography of Bernal by Andrew Brown and the reviews it has received. It takes issue with this view of Bernal, which tends to be admiring of his scientific contribution, bemused by his sexuality, condescending to his philosophy and hostile to his politics. This article is a critical defence of his philosophical and political position

J D Bernal: philosophy, politics and the science of science

This paper is an examination of the philosophical and political legacy of John Desmond Bernal. It addresses the evidence of an emerging consensus on Bernal based on the recent biography of Bernal by Andrew Brown and the reviews it has received. It takes issue with this view of Bernal, which tends to be admiring of his scientific contribution, bemused by his sexuality, condescending to his philosophy and hostile to his politics. This article is a critical defence of his philosophical and political position

Psychopolitics: Peter Sedgwick’s legacy for mental health movements

This paper re-considers the relevance of Peter Sedgwick's Psychopolitics (1982) for a politics of mental health. Psychopolitics offered an indictment of ‘anti-psychiatry’ the failure of which, Sedgwick argued, lay in its deconstruction of the category of ‘mental illness’, a gesture that resulted in a politics of nihilism. ‘The radical who is only a radical nihilist’, Sedgwick observed, ‘is for all practical purposes the most adamant of conservatives’. Sedgwick argued, rather, that the concept of ‘mental illness’ could be a truly critical concept if it was deployed ‘to make demands upon the health service facilities of the society in which we live’. The paper contextualizes Psychopolitics within the ‘crisis tendencies’ of its time, surveying the shifting welfare landscape of the subsequent 25 years alongside Sedgwick's continuing relevance. It considers the dilemma that the discourse of ‘mental illness’ – Sedgwick's critical concept – has fallen out of favour with radical mental health movements yet remains paradigmatic within psychiatry itself. Finally, the paper endorses a contemporary perspective that, while necessarily updating Psychopolitics, remains nonetheless ‘Sedgwickian’