Do interactions between plant roots and the rhizosphere affect parasitoid behaviour?

Multitrophic interactions are powerful forces shaping the structure of living communities. Plants encounter a great diversity of organisms in their environment: some of these interactions are beneficial (e.g. symbiotic fungi and insect pollinators) while some are detrimental (e.g. herbivorous insects and pathogenic micro-organisms). Multitrophic interactions between below-ground and above-ground organisms are receiving increasing attention because they may influence plant defences against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study we show that an arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis makes tomato plants significantly more resistant towards aphids, by enhancing both direct defences, both attractivity towards aphid parasitoids

Measures of galaxy dust and gas mass with Herschel photometry and prospects for ALMA

(Abridged) Combining the deepest Herschel extragalactic surveys (PEP, GOODS-H, HerMES), and Monte Carlo mock catalogs, we explore the robustness of dust mass estimates based on modeling of broad band spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with two popular approaches: Draine & Li (2007, DL07) and a modified black body (MBB). As long as the observed SED extends to at least 160-200 micron in the rest frame, M(dust) can be recovered with a >3 sigma significance and without the occurrence of systematics. An average offset of a factor ~1.5 exists between DL07- and MBB-based dust masses, based on consistent dust properties. At the depth of the deepest Herschel surveys (in the GOODS-S field) it is possible to retrieve dust masses with a S/N>=3 for galaxies on the main sequence of star formation (MS) down to M(stars)~1e10 [M(sun)] up to z~1. At higher redshift (z<=2) the same result is achieved only for objects at the tip of the MS or lying above it. Molecular gas masses, obtained converting M(dust) through the metallicity-dependent gas-to-dust ratio delta(GDR), are consistent with those based on the scaling of depletion time, and on CO spectroscopy. Focusing on CO-detected galaxies at z>1, the delta(GDR) dependence on metallicity is consistent with the local relation. We combine far-IR Herschel data and sub-mm ALMA expected fluxes to study the advantages of a full SED coverage.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Some figures have degraded quality for filesize reason

Broadcast channel simulation

We study the problem of random-assisted simulation of discrete broadcast channel in one-shot and i.i.d. setups. We derive one-shot inner and outer bounds of the set of attainable message-size pairs for simulating W YZ|X within some total variation distance (TVD) tolerance of ϵ. The inner bounds are based on the bipartite convex split lemma. Whereas the outer bounds are based on the properties of the multi-partite max information. Using these bounds, we establish a single-letter expression of the simulation region of a broadcast channel

Phytoremediation of a highly arsenic polluted site, using pteris vittata L. And arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Phytoremediation is a promising green technique for the restoration of a polluted environment, but there is often a gap between lab and field experiments. The fern, Pteris vittata L., can tolerate a high soil arsenic concentration and rapidly accumulate the metalloid in its fronds. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are mutualistic fungi that form a symbiosis with most land plants\u2019 roots, improve their growth, and induce stress tolerance. This paper reports the results obtained using P. vittata inoculated with AMF, to extract Arsenic (As) from an industrial site highly contaminated also by other pollutants. Two experiments have been performed. In the first one, AMF colonized ferns were grown for two years under controlled conditions in soil coming from the metallurgic site. Positive effects on plant health and As phytoextraction and accumulation were detected. Then, considering these results, we performed a three year in situ experiment in the industrial site, to assess the remediation of As at two different depths. Our results show that the colonization of P. vittata with AMF improved the remediation process of As with a significant impact on the depth 0\u20130.2 m

Partograph utilization and associated factors among obstetric care providers in North Shoa Zone, Central Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

Background: Globally, prolonged and obstructed labor contributed to 8% of maternal deaths which can be reduced by proper utilization of partograph during labor.Methods: An Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in June, 2013 on 403 obstetric care providers. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was entered to EpiInfo version 3.5.1 statistical package and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for further analysis. Logistic regression analyses were used to see the association of different variables.Results: Out of 403 obstetric care providers, 40.2% utilized partograph during labor.Those who were midwives by profession were about 8 times more likely to have a consistent utilization of the partograph than general practitioners (AOR=8. 13, 95% CI: 2.67, 24.78). Similarly, getting on job training (AOR=2. 86, 95% CI: 1.69, 4.86), being knowledgeable on partograph (AOR=3. 79, 95% CI: 2.05, 7.03) and having favorable attitude towards partograph (AOR=2. 35, 95% CI: 1.14, 4.87) were positively associated with partograph utilization.Conclusion: Partograph utilization in labor monitoring was found to be low. Being a midwife by profession, on job training, knowledge and attitude of obstetric care providers were factors affecting partograph utilization. Providing on job training for providers would improve partograph utilization.Keywords: Ethiopia, obstetric care providers, partograp

Polymer-stabilized palladium nanoparticles for catalytic membranes: ad hoc polymer fabrication

Metal nanoparticles are known as highly effective catalysts although their immobilization on solid supports is frequently required to prevent aggregation and to facilitate the catalyst application, recovery, and reuse. This paper reports the intermatrix synthesis of Pd0 nanoparticles in sulfonated polyethersulfone with Cardo group membranes and their use as nanocomposite catalytic membrane reactors. The synthesized polymer and the corresponding nanocomposite were characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The catalytic efficiency of catalytic membranes was evaluated by following the reduction of p-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH4

Evaluación del potencial de creatividad matemática en el diseño de una c-unidad

Este trabajo se centra en el proceso de diseño y evaluación de unidades didácticas que se proponen promover el pensamiento matemático creativo (PMC), las denominadas c-unidades. Dicho diseño, en manos de un grupo mixto de diseñadores, es seguido por la evaluación del potencial que estas c-unidades presentan en promover la creatividad matemática en sus futuras experimentaciones. En este trabajo nos centramos en presentar las principales herramientas usadas para realizar dicha evaluación y, centrándonos en el caso del diseño de una c-unidad sobre un estudio inter-disciplinar de historia-arqueología y matemáticas, ejemplificaremos algunos de los criterios considerados en su diseño, del producto final generado y del proceso de evaluación sobre su potencial creativo y los resultados generados

Pembuatan Aplikasi 3D Viewer Mobile Dengan Menggunakan Teknologi Virtual Reality (Studi Kasus: Perobekan Bendera Belanda Di Hotel Majapahit)

Peristiwa kemerdekaan Indonesia umumnya dapat dilihat melalui film atau video, Namun kualitas yang didapat juga tidak sebagus saat ditayangkan pertama kali. Pembelajaran sejarah di sekolah yang ditekankan juga adalah metode menghafal maka tidak jarang banyak siswa yang tidak menyenangi pelajaran tersebut. Berdasarkan kajian tersebut, penulis akan membuat aplikasi berisi peristiwa sejarah yang dibuat secara virtual dan mirip dengan peristiwa nyatanya sehingga pengguna dapat mengerti peristiwa sejarah yang terjadi di Hotel Majapahit Surabaya (Hotel Yamato) secara jelas tanpa banyak menghafal serta dapat membantu memahami peristiwa kemerdekaan dengan ilustrasi yang lebih menarik. Penulis akan menggunakan teknologi Virtual Reality dan teknologi tiga dimensi(3D). Virtual Reality (VR) atau Realitas Maya. VR adalah membuat objek secara virtual serta tetap memperhitungkan sifat-sifat fisiknya dengan sistem menggunakan mobile phone yang berbasis sistem operasi android. Aplikasi yang dibangun akan menggunakan gambar bangunan untuk pembuatan objek hotel berbentuk 3D kemudian dilanjutkan dengan pembuatan interaksi berupa video dan animasi peristiwa sejarah dan menmenggunakan Virtual Reality. Tahap akhirnya dimasukkan kedalam mobile phone. Hasil dari Penelitian ini akan menghasilkan aplikasi 3D viewer mobile pada Hotel Majapahit. Penulis berharap dengan dibuatnya aplikasi ini, dapat membantu masyarakat umum dalam memahami nilai sejarah yang ada di Hotel Majapahit secara visual serta ikut melestarikannya

The Quantum Reverse Shannon Theorem based on One-Shot Information Theory

The Quantum Reverse Shannon Theorem states that any quantum channel can be simulated by an unlimited amount of shared entanglement and an amount of classical communication equal to the channel's entanglement assisted classical capacity. In this paper, we provide a new proof of this theorem, which has previously been proved by Bennett, Devetak, Harrow, Shor, and Winter. Our proof has a clear structure being based on two recent information-theoretic results: one-shot Quantum State Merging and the Post-Selection Technique for quantum channels.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures, published versio