The Effects of a Selective and Non-Selective Organic Herbicides on Amaranthus species

The Amaranthus species has adaptive abilities that give them competitive advantages and invasive tendencies. Their high seed production, seed viability, quick growth rate, and C4 metabolism have allowed some of the species to become resistant to some types of herbicides, causing soybean, corn, and cotton crop yield losses in North America. For this investigation, different organic herbicide solutions were analyzed to determine their affects on the Amaranthus species. Different concentrations of acetic acid, eucalyptus volatile oil, and okanin were combined to test the hypothesis that the unique characteristics of each organic herbicides should safely and effectively deter Amaranthus growth, even at low concentrations. The organic herbicide cocktail significantly affected the growth rates and germination percentages of resistant A. palmeri, susceptible A. palmeri, A. viridis, and A. tricolor. Spouts died when the solution was applied daily, and seeds did not germinate after application. The solution did not have a large effect on A. hypochondriacs and A. caudatus, but most of those sprouts’ length was diminished, and growth ceased

Hidden new physics in meson decays

A model-independent analysis of a non-standard pseudoscalar contribution to leptonic meson decays ($\pi$,$K$,$D$,$D_s$ and $B$) is presented. As also seen from similar analyses in the literature, we find that two distinct regions in the parameter space arise, a region where the standard model contribution is predominant and a region where the new physics terms cancel precisely. So far, the latter has been regarded as a fine-tuning and for this reason it was neglected from the very beginning. This paper argues that this cancellation appears naturally in a class of models, most notably those that realize the Glashow-Weinberg-Paschos mechanism for avoiding flavor-changing neutral currents, in particular in the lepton sector. Thus, such a region that allows for larger Yukawa couplings ($10^{-4}\lesssim (G_\eta^{P}/G_F)U^{-1}m_l^{-1} \lesssim 10^{-3}$ MeV$^{-1}$) cannot be readily ruled out solely by the meson leptonic decays and is degenerated with the Standard Model prediction in these decays

Agua virtual en un marco insumo-producto para la cuenca del valle de México

La cuenca del valle de México (CVM) se ubica en la región central de México, genera la cuarta parte de la producción total nacional y registra la mayor sobreexplotación de sus acuíferos en el país. Este artículo introduce la metodología para estimar los multiplicadores de agua virtual (MAV) de cada actividad económica de la cuenca a partir de la matriz insumo-producto de la cuenca del valle de México 2008. Los MAV contabilizan el agua virtual involucrada en las actividades económicas dentro de la región, con el resto de la economía de México y el mundo. Los resultados identifican las actividades económicas de baja y alta intensidad en el uso del agua que predominan en la cuenca. Asimismo, haciendo el balance entre exportaciones e importaciones de agua virtual en la CVM, se concluye que se importan bienes con alto contenido de agua y se exportan bienes con bajo contenido del recurso. Dicho comportamiento describe a la cuenca como una región importadora neta de agua virtual, lo cual es una característica positiva que ayuda a compensar el estrés hídrico que sufre la cuenca. Este hallazgo parece confirmar el teorema de Heckscher-Ohlin del comercio internacional, sugiriendo la racionalidad económica de una región que enfrenta el mayor estrés hídrico del país

Utilizando visão computacional para reconstrução probabilística 3D e rastreamento de movimento

This paper presents an approach to the 3D visual tracking problem into multi-camera environments. This proposal executes the markerless visual tracking observing the environment through a model based in a volumetric reconstruction technique, called 3D Probabilistic Occupancy Grid, which is still seldom used for this purpose. The target is tracked by the use of Expectation-Maximization algorithm with an object representation model constructed with Gaussians blobs representing the object body parts.Este artigo apresenta um método não intrusivo para rastreamento de movimento 3D em ambientes monitorados por múltiplas câmeras. Primeiramente, se obtém uma reconstrução volumétrica 3D, através da técnica de Grid de Ocupação Probabilístico, tal técnica ainda foi pouco explorada no contexto de rastreamento de movimento. Então, utiliza-se o algoritmo Expectation-Maximization em conjunto com um modelo de representação do corpo do objeto de interesse baseado em blobs Gaussianas, para identificar e rastrear o movimento das partes do corpo do objeto de interesse

Methodology to Estimate Natural- and Vaccine-induced antibodies to Sars-Cov-2 in a Large Geographic Region

Accurate estimates of natural and/or vaccine-induced antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are difficult to obtain. Although model-based estimates of seroprevalence have been proposed, they require inputting unknown parameters including viral reproduction number, longevity of immune response, and other dynamic factors. In contrast to a model-based approach, the current study presents a data-driven detailed statistical procedure for estimating total seroprevalence (defined as antibodies from natural infection or from full vaccination) in a region using prospectively collected serological data and state-level vaccination data. Specifically, we conducted a longitudinal statewide serological survey with 88,605 participants 5 years or older with 3 prospective blood draws beginning September 30, 2020. Along with state vaccination data, as of October 31, 2021, the estimated percentage of those 5 years or older with naturally occurring antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Texas is 35.0% (95% CI = (33.1%, 36.9%)). This is 3× higher than, state-confirmed COVID-19 cases (11.83%) for all ages. The percentage with naturally occurring or vaccine-induced antibodies (total seroprevalence) is 77.42%. This methodology is integral to pandemic preparedness as accurate estimates of seroprevalence can inform policy-making decisions relevant to SARS-CoV-2

CHICKEN COOPS, Triatoma dimidiata INFESTATION AND ITS INFECTION WITH Trypanosoma cruzi IN A RURAL VILLAGE OF YUCATAN, MEXICO

This study longitudinally investigated the association between Triatoma dimidiata infestation, triatomine infection with Trypanosoma cruzi and household/backyard environmental characteristics in 101 homesteads in Molas and Yucatan, Mexico, between November 2009 (rainy season) and May 2010 (dry season). Logistic regression models tested the associations between insect infestation/infection and potential household-level risk factors. A total of 200 T. dimidiata were collected from 35.6% of the homesteads, mostly (73%) from the peridomicile. Of all the insects collected, 48% were infected with T. cruzi. Infected insects were collected in 31.6% of the homesteads (54.1% and 45.9% intra- and peridomiciliary, respectively). Approximately 30% of all triatomines collected were found in chicken coops. The presence of a chicken coop in the backyard of a homestead was significantly associated with both the odds of finding T. dimidiata (OR = 4.10, CI 95% = 1.61-10.43, p = 0.003) and the presence of triatomines infected with T. cruzi (OR = 3.37, CI 95% = 1.36-8.33, p = 0.006). The results of this study emphasize the relevance of chicken coops as a putative source of T. dimidiata populations and a potential risk for T. cruzi transmission

First report on dung beetles in intra-Amazonian savannahs in Roraima, Brazil

This is the first study to address the dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) diversity in intra-Amazonian savannahs in the state of Roraima, Brazil. Our aim was to survey the dung beetle fauna associated with these savannahs (regionally called 'lavrado'), since little is known about the dung beetles from this environment. We conducted three field samples using pitfall traps baited with human dung in savannah areas near the city of Boa Vista during the rainy seasons of 1996, 1997, and 2008. We collected 383 individuals from ten species, wherein six have no previous record in intra-Amazonian savannahs. The most abundant species were Ontherus appendiculatus (Mannerheim, 1829), Canthidium aff. humerale (Germar, 1813), Dichotomius nisus (Olivier, 1789), and Pseudocanthon aff. xanthurus (Blanchard, 1846). We believe that knowing the dung beetles diversity associated with the intra-Amazonian savannahs is ideal for understanding the occurrence and distribution of these organisms in a highly threatened environment, it thus being the first step towards conservation strategy development