Selection of mild virus strains of fanleaf degeneration by comparative field performance of infected grapevines

Healthy clones of Vitis vinifera L. cultivars Klevener de Heiligenstein, Chardonnay and Pinot noir were graft-inoculated with one clone of the rootstock Kober 5BB infected with potential mild strains of arabis mosaic virus (ArMV-Ta) or grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV-CB844 or -F13). Such infected vines were planted in a nematode-free replant site and screened for comparative field performance on pruning weight, crop yield, bunch weight, and sugar content over a 5-year period. ArMV-Ta had the mildest impact on both vigor and yield for all three V. vinifera cultivars tested. The impact of ArMV-Ta, along with the other two GFLV strains, was much less evident during the last two years of the trial. Based on these results, ArMV-Ta was selected as a potential mild strain for cross-protection to control fanleaf degeneration. Our field trial also showed that field performance of infected vines was not affected by the vein mosaic virus-like disease

Дослідження елементного складу підлісника європейського та астранції великої

Introduction. A good nutrition is an important physiological necessity of an organism, which directly affects the human health and well-being. Macro- and microelements are involved into metabolic processes by activating theenzymes, hormones, vitamins and are essential at any age. The deficiency of nutrients can cause metabolic disorders. There are no literature data concerning the elemental composition of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea, therefore the study of this group of biologically active substances was relevant.The aim of the study – to determine the qualitative and quantitative content of macro- and microelements in the raw material of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea harvested on the territory of Ivano-Frankivsk region.Research Methods. Determination of the macro- and microelements content in the herb of Astrantia major, herb and rhizomes with roots of Sanicula europaea was carried out by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.Results and Discussion. The elemental composition of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea raw material was investigated by the method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry using the devices of AAS-30 (Carl Zeiss,Germany) and S-115 PK with a FLAFON-4 flame photometer. As a result of the analysis the presence and quantitative content of 6 micro- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) and 3 macroelements (K, Ca, Mg) were determined in the investigated objects. Among the determined macroelements the Astrantia major raw material is characterized by the highest content of Mg and K, and the herb of Sanicula europaea – by Ca and K. In the rhizomes with roots of Sanicula europaea the highest content of Ca was established. Among the trace elements in Astrantia major herb Cu and Mn,in Sanicula europaea herb – Zn and Fe, in Sanicula europaea rhizomes with roots – Mn and Cu predominated.Conclusions. Plenty of macro- and microelements in Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea make it prospect raw material for standardization and future implementation into clinics for correction of malnutrition.Вступление. Полноценное питание является важной физиологической потребностью организма, от которой в значительной степени зависит состояние здоровья человека. Макро- и микроэлементы участвуют в метаболических процессах путем активации ферментов, гормонов, витаминов и необходимы человеку в любом возрасте. Их дефицит способен вызвать нарушение обмена веществ. В литературе отсутствуют данные об элементном составе астранции большой и подлесника европейского, поэтому исследование этой группы биологически активных веществ было актуальным.Цель исследования – определить качественный состав и количественное содержание макро- и микроэлементов в сырье астранции большой и подлесника европейского, заготовленном на территории Ивано-Франковской области.Методы исследования. Содержание макро- и микроэлементов в траве астранции большой, траве и корневищах с корнями подлесника европейского определяли методом атомно-абсорбционной  спектрофотометрии.Результаты и обсуждение. В результате анализа в исследуемых объектах было установлено наличие 6 микро- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) и 3 макроэлементов (K, Ca, Mg), определено их количественное содержание.Выводы. Методом атомно-абсорбционной спектрофотометрии на приборах ААС-30 (“Carl Zeiss”, Германия) и С-115 ПК с пламенным фотометром FLAFON-4 был исследован элементный состав сырья астранции большой и подлесника европейского. Среди выявленных макроэлементов сырье астранции большой характеризовалось наибольшим содержанием Mg и К, а трава подлесника европейского – Ca и К. В корневищах с корнями подлесника европейского установлено наивысшее содержание Са. Среди микроэлементов астранции большой преобладали Cu и Mn, в траве подлесника европейского – Zn и Fe, в корневыщах с корнями подлесника европейского – Mn и Сu.Вступ. Повноцінне харчування є важливою фізіологічною потребою організму, від якої значною мірою залежить стан здоров’я людини. Макро- та мікроелементи беруть участь у метаболічних процесах шляхом активації ферментів, гормонів, вітамінів та необхідні людині в будь-якому віці. Їх дефіцит здатен викликати порушення обміну речовин. У літературі відсутні дані щодо елементного складу астранції великої та підлісника європейського, тому дослідження цієї групи біологічно активних речовин було актуальним.Мета дослідження – визначити якісний склад і кількісний вміст макро- та мікроелементів у сировині астранції великої та підлісника європейського, заготовленій на території Івано-Франківської області.Методи дослідження. Вміст макро- та мікроелементів у траві астранції великої, траві та кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського визначали методом атомно-абсорбційної спектрофотометрії.Результати й обговорення. У результаті аналізу в досліджуваних об’єктах було встановлено наявність 6 мікро- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) та 3 макроелементів (K, Ca, Mg), визначено їх кількісний вміст.Висновки. Методом атомно-абсорбційної спектрофотометрії на приладах ААS-30 (“Carl Zeiss”, Німеччина) і С-115 ПК з полум’яним фотометром FLAFON-4 було досліджено елементний склад сировини астранції великої та підлісника європейського. Серед виявлених макроелементів сировина астранції великої характеризувалася найбільшим вмістом Mg і К, а трава підлісника європейського – Ca та К. У кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського встановлено найвищий вміст Са. Серед мікроелементів астранції великої переважали Cu та Mn, у траві підлісника європейського – Zn і Fe, у кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського – Mn та Сu

Analysis of Macronutrients in Soil Using Impedimetric Multisensor Arrays.

ABSTRACT: The need to increase food production to address the world population growth can only be fulfilled with precision agriculture strategies to increase crop yield with minimal expansion of the cultivated area. One example is site-specific fertilization based on accurate monitoring of soil nutrient levels, which can be made more cost-effective using sensors. This study developed an impedimetric multisensor array using ion-selective membranes to analyze soil samples enriched with macronutrients (N, P, and K), which is compared with another array based on layer-by-layer films. The results obtained from both devices are analyzed with multidimensional projection techniques and machine learning methods, where a decision tree model algorithm chooses the calibrations (best frequencies and sensors). The multicalibration space method indicates that both devices effectively distinguished all soil samples tested, with the ion-selective membrane setup presenting a higher sensitivity to K content. These findings pave the way for more environmentally friendly and efficient agricultural practices, facilitating the mapping of cropping areas for precise fertilizer application and optimized crop yield

A Pencil-Drawn Electronic Tongue for Environmental Applications.

We report on the development of a simple and cost-effective potentiometric sensor array that is based on manual "drawing" on the polymeric support with the pencils composed of graphite and different types of zeolites. The sensor array demonstrates distinct sensitivity towards a variety of inorganic ions in aqueous media. This multisensor system has been successfully applied to quantitative analysis of 100 real-life surface waters sampled in Mahananda and Hooghly rivers in the West Bengal state (India). Partial least squares regression has been utilized to relate responses of the sensors to the values of different water quality parameters. It has been found that the developed sensor array, or electronic tongue, is capable of quantifying total hardness, total alkalinity, and calcium content in the samples, with the mean relative errors below 18%

Identification and reconstruction of low-energy electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector

Measurements of electrons from $\nu_e$ interactions are crucial for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) neutrino oscillation program, as well as searches for physics beyond the standard model, supernova neutrino detection, and solar neutrino measurements. This article describes the selection and reconstruction of low-energy (Michel) electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector. ProtoDUNE-SP is one of the prototypes for the DUNE far detector, built and operated at CERN as a charged particle test beam experiment. A sample of low-energy electrons produced by the decay of cosmic muons is selected with a purity of 95%. This sample is used to calibrate the low-energy electron energy scale with two techniques. An electron energy calibration based on a cosmic ray muon sample uses calibration constants derived from measured and simulated cosmic ray muon events. Another calibration technique makes use of the theoretically well-understood Michel electron energy spectrum to convert reconstructed charge to electron energy. In addition, the effects of detector response to low-energy electron energy scale and its resolution including readout electronics threshold effects are quantified. Finally, the relation between the theoretical and reconstructed low-energy electron energy spectrum is derived and the energy resolution is characterized. The low-energy electron selection presented here accounts for about 75% of the total electron deposited energy. After the addition of lost energy using a Monte Carlo simulation, the energy resolution improves from about 40% to 25% at 50~MeV. These results are used to validate the expected capabilities of the DUNE far detector to reconstruct low-energy electrons.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure

Impact of cross-section uncertainties on supernova neutrino spectral parameter fitting in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

A primary goal of the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is to measure the $\mathcal{O}(10)$ MeV neutrinos produced by a Galactic core-collapse supernova if one should occur during the lifetime of the experiment. The liquid-argon-based detectors planned for DUNE are expected to be uniquely sensitive to the $\nu_e$ component of the supernova flux, enabling a wide variety of physics and astrophysics measurements. A key requirement for a correct interpretation of these measurements is a good understanding of the energy-dependent total cross section $\sigma(E_\nu)$ for charged-current $\nu_e$ absorption on argon. In the context of a simulated extraction of supernova $\nu_e$ spectral parameters from a toy analysis, we investigate the impact of $\sigma(E_\nu)$ modeling uncertainties on DUNE's supernova neutrino physics sensitivity for the first time. We find that the currently large theoretical uncertainties on $\sigma(E_\nu)$ must be substantially reduced before the $\nu_e$ flux parameters can be extracted reliably: in the absence of external constraints, a measurement of the integrated neutrino luminosity with less than 10\% bias with DUNE requires $\sigma(E_\nu)$ to be known to about 5%. The neutrino spectral shape parameters can be known to better than 10% for a 20% uncertainty on the cross-section scale, although they will be sensitive to uncertainties on the shape of $\sigma(E_\nu)$. A direct measurement of low-energy $\nu_e$-argon scattering would be invaluable for improving the theoretical precision to the needed level.Comment: 25 pages, 21 figure

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

The DUNE far detector vertical drift technology. Technical design report

DUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals