Spatial characteristics of the fungus powdery mildew (Erysiphe neolycopersici) on tomatoes and its spread in industrial greenhouses

In regions with cool temperate climates tomatoes are grown on an industrial scale in large greenhouses. There the crops are susceptible to infection by powdery mildew,the fungus Erysiphe neolycopersici, which is introduced largely as fungal spores from outside the greenhouses and spread by wind within them. We have monitored the spread of the disease and mapped its distribution in four commercial greenhouses throughout the growing season to understand its aetiology. We modelled the patterns of infection geostatistically each comprising a deterministic long-range trend plus a short-range spatially correlated random residual. We identified three main kinds of pattern; one consisted of a constant plus a spatially correlated residual, a second comprised a linear trend throughout the greenhouse plus a correlated random residual, and in a third the trend had the form of a bell akin to a Gaussian surface plus, again, a correlated random residual. Here we show three examples of these distributions and the detail of their geostatistical analysis using both traditional method-of-moments estimation of variograms and residual maximum likelihood reml to separate the deterministic and random components.The analytical modelling is followed by ordinary punctual kriging in the first case, by universal kriging in the second, and by regression kriging in the the third case to display the infection as isarithmic contour maps. We interpret the first form of distribution as arising from numerous foci as spores landed on the leaves from various sources spread by air currents and the movement of workers along the paths through the greenhouse. In the second case the disease seemed to have spread from infection introduced through the main door in one corner of the greenhouse and spread from there by the workers and air currents. In the third infection arose near the centre of the greenhouse by the main path and spread outwards from there. In all three examples the main pathways seemed important routes along which the fungus spread

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is More Sensitive Than PET for Detecting Treatment-Induced Cell Death-Dependent Changes in Glycolysis.

Metabolic imaging has been widely used to measure the early responses of tumors to treatment. Here, we assess the abilities of PET measurement of [18F]FDG uptake and MRI measurement of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate metabolism to detect early changes in glycolysis following treatment-induced cell death in human colorectal (Colo205) and breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231) xenografts in mice. A TRAIL agonist that binds to human but not mouse cells induced tumor-selective cell death. Tumor glycolysis was assessed by injecting [1,6-13C2]glucose and measuring 13C-labeled metabolites in tumor extracts. Injection of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate induced rapid reduction in lactate labeling. This decrease, which correlated with an increase in histologic markers of cell death and preceded decrease in tumor volume, reflected reduced flux from glucose to lactate and decreased lactate concentration. However, [18F]FDG uptake and phosphorylation were maintained following treatment, which has been attributed previously to increased [18F]FDG uptake by infiltrating immune cells. Quantification of [18F]FDG uptake in flow-sorted tumor and immune cells from disaggregated tumors identified CD11b+/CD45+ macrophages as the most [18F]FDG-avid cell type present, yet they represented <5% of the cells present in the tumors and could not explain the failure of [18F]FDG-PET to detect treatment response. MRI measurement of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate metabolism is therefore a more sensitive marker of the early decreases in glycolytic flux that occur following cell death than PET measurements of [18F]FDG uptake. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate superior sensitivity of MRI measurement of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate metabolism versus PET measurement of 18F-FDG uptake for detecting early changes in glycolysis following treatment-induced tumor cell death

Analysis of the Mutual Trade Between the Eu and Indonesia

Mutual trade between EU countries and Indonesia is a bilateral commodity trade flow exceeding 17 billion Euros. Analysis of the trade between the two entities is an important contribution leading to the definition of the significance that the ongoing cooperation between the EU and Indonesia has. EU is for Indonesia very important trading partner, for EU is Indonesia a strategic political partner. The bilateral trade is currently greatly benefiting Indonesia, however, this market has a potential for EU due to the fact, that it is one of the most populous country in the Asian region and the in world in general. The trade exchange is based on export and import of most basic aggregate commodities; while between the two partners exist significant differences in terms of available comparative advantages. A specificity of the mutual trade is the limited territorial structure of this exchange, as the main volume of transactions is realized between Indonesia and only a few EU countries. Keywords: EU, Indonesia, mutual, foreign trade, commodity, territory, structure, analysis, competitivenes

A first Alps - dedicated gravity data set - introduction and status of the AlpArray gravity field activities

In this contribution, activities of the AlpArray Gravity Research Group (AAGRG) are introduced. Since 2018, this group in the frame of the AlpArray project (http://www.alparray.ethz.ch/en/home/) prepares gravity and other data sets to support multidisciplinary goals of the project. It is focused on the mantle, plate and surface processes in the Alps-Apennines-Carpathians-Dinarides orogenic system. In 2018, the AAGRG set up its own methodology guidelines and assembled available land-gravity data and digital elevation model (DEM) data from all the participating countries. Our presentation targets especially three goals: 1) to introduce AAGRG activities as an integral part of the AlpArray project for studying Alpine orogeny \u2013 a goal that by definition requires international cooperation, 2) to review the input data and the works accomplished so far, and, 3) to discuss the steps to be taken to produce detailed gravity maps of the region \u2013 the first Alps-dedicated gravity field data set. We plan to prepare gravity grids in a homogeneous processing approach of either 2x2 km or 4x4 km resolution, depending on the coverage and data quality. The final data sets will be made public in late 2019. A special emphasis is put on the calculation of the Bouguer anomaly using ellipsoidal rather tha normal heights. For calculating topographic effects the preference is given to local DEMs, where available, as they often provide higher quality and spatial resolutions. The public gravity data sets are evaluated with the high-resolution geopotential models like EIGEN-6C4 or EGM2008 \u2013 a useful means for identifying biases in the data coming from various countries and campaigns

Machine Learning for Health: Algorithm Auditing & Quality Control

Developers proposing new machine learning for health (ML4H) tools often pledge to match or even surpass the performance of existing tools, yet the reality is usually more complicated. Reliable deployment of ML4H to the real world is challenging as examples from diabetic retinopathy or Covid-19 screening show. We envision an integrated framework of algorithm auditing and quality control that provides a path towards the effective and reliable application of ML systems in healthcare. In this editorial, we give a summary of ongoing work towards that vision and announce a call for participation to the special issue Machine Learning for Health: Algorithm Auditing & Quality Control in this journal to advance the practice of ML4H auditing

Generation of 64 GBd 4ASK signals using a silicon-organic hybrid modulator at 80°C

We demonstrate a silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) generating four-level amplitude shift keying (4ASK) signals at symbol rates of up to 64 GBd both at room temperature and at an elevated temperature of 80°C. The measured line rate of 128 Gbit/s corresponds to the highest value demonstrated for silicon-based MZM so far. We report bit error ratios of 10−10 (64 GBd BPSK), 10−5 (36 GBd 4ASK), and 4 × 10−3 (64 GBd 4ASK) at room temperature. At 80 °C, the respective bit error ratios are 10−10, 10−4, and 1.3 × 10−2. The high-temperature experiments were performed in regular oxygen-rich ambient atmosphere