3,756 research outputs found
A fully-discrete scheme for systems of nonlinear Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations
We consider a system of Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equations, where the
dependence of the coefficients is nonlinear and nonlocal in time with respect
to the unknowns. We extend the numerical scheme proposed and studied recently
by the authors for a single FPK equation of this type. We analyse the
convergence of the scheme and we study its applicability in two examples. The
first one concerns a population model involving two interacting species and the
second one concerns two populations Mean Field Games
Corticosterone, inflammation, immune status and telomere length in frigatebird nestlings facing a severe herpesvirus infection
Herpesvirus outbreaks are common in natural animal populations, but little is known about factors that favour the infection and its consequences for the organism. In this study, we examined the pathophysiological consequences of a disease probably attributable to herpesvirus infection for several markers of immune function, corticosterone, telomere length and inflammation. In addition, we assessed whether any markers used in this study might be associated with the occurrence of visible clinical signs of the disease and its impact on short-term survival perspectives. To address our questions, in spring 2015, we collected blood samples from nestlings of the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) that were free of any clinical signs or showed visible signs of the disease. We found that the plasma concentration of haptoglobin was strongly associated with the infection status and could predict probabilities of survival. We also found that nestlings with clinical signs had lower baseline corticosterone concentrations and similar telomere length compared with healthy nestlings, whereas we did not find any association of the infection status with innate immune defenses or with nitric oxide concentration. Overall, our results suggest that the plasma concentration of haptoglobin might be a valuable tool to assess survival probabilities of frigatebird nestlings facing a herpesvirus outbreak
A new species in the major malaria vector complex sheds light on reticulated species evolution
Complexes of closely related species provide key insights into the rapid and independent evolution of adaptive traits. Here, we described and studied Anopheles fontenillei sp.n., a new species in the Anopheles gambiae complex that we recently discovered in the forested areas of Gabon, Central Africa. Our analysis placed the new taxon in the phylogenetic tree of the An. gambiae complex, revealing important introgression events with other members of the complex. Particularly, we detected recent introgression, with Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii, of genes directly involved in vectorial capacity. Moreover, genome analysis of the new species allowed us to clarify the evolutionary history of the 3La inversion. Overall, An. fontenillei sp.n. analysis improved our understanding of the relationship between species within the An. gambiae complex, and provided insight into the evolution of vectorial capacity traits that are relevant for the successful control of malaria in Africa
Sediment and bottom water eDNA metabarcoding to support coastal management
Ocean sprawl and climate change exacerbate coastal erosion and flooding, resulting in habitat loss and decreasing biodiversity. To counteract these threats, different coastal defence tools have been developed, with an increasing emphasis on nature-based solutions. However, tracking the impacts of these interventions on marine benthic organisms requires appropriate sampling designs and timely investigation methods due to the dynamic nature of coastal environments. Environmental DNA metabarcoding is a promising, non-invasive, and quick technique to monitor community changes. Here, environmental DNA COI-based metabarcoding data from sediment and bottom water samples were used to characterize benthic communities at three sites along the Emilia-Romagna coast differing in the topology of coastal defence actions (from no defences to groynes and low-crested barriers) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the two sampling matrices in detecting local biodiversity. The findings revealed significant differences in the structure of the benthic communities depending on site, sample type (i.e., sediment versus bottom water), and their interaction. The three sites differ in abiotic characteristic affecting the community composition. Lido di Dante and Riccione showed higher species diversity due to the new type of substrata provided by the hard defence structure, while Foce del Bevano showed the presence of species typical of low impacted areas. Bottom water, hosting more traces of pelagic and nektonic species, showed significantly different species composition compared to sediment samples, suggesting the need to consider both matrices in coastal monitoring
Highly dense linkage mapping and identification of a major QTL associated with BLACK ROT resistance in the grapevine cultivar ‘Merzling’
When the urgency of a sustainable transition comes to agriculture, one of the key areas of improvement involves the decrease of chemicals. Although vineyards cover less than 5% of agricultural land in Europe, viticulture is responsible for the use of more than 60% of all fungicides. The exploitation of grapevine varieties resistant to mildews is an efficient strategy already implemented in integrated/organic farming to reduce treatments. However, from the beginning of this century, European viticulture has been threatened by severe outbreaks of black rot (BR), an emergent and destructive disease caused by the ascomycete Phyllosticta ampelicida (sexual morph Guignardia bidwellii). These events introduced the urgent need for the introgression of BR resistance in mildew-tolerant genotypes. For this purpose, a set of parental lines and breeding selections of the Fondazione Edmund Mach has been screened for BR resistance in a growing chamber with in vivo produced spores using an optimized artificial infection protocol. Given the good performance of ‘Merzling’ (a complex genotype derived from V. vinifera and V. rupestris × V. aestivalis var. lincecumii), this cultivar was used for a cross with the susceptible variety ‘Teroldego’ (V. vinifera) and the segregating offspring was genetically characterized by means of the GrapeReSeq 18K Vitis SNP chip. Five phenotypic experiments were carried out under controlled conditions on leaves of potted plants, and three on bunches in the field. A dense genetic map was constructed combining 7,175 SNP with 194 SSR markers of a previous map. All QTL analyses revealed the presence of a strong major BR resistance locus on chromosome 14. It explains up to 45% of the trait variability (LOD 10.5) and spans a genomic region of 1.36 Mb. A specific SNP marker was found robustly associated with the resistance trait. No minor QTLs were detected. The genes underlying this region are currently under investigation via bioinformatic analysis, and microscopic inspections of disease progression are in place to understand the biological causes of the resistance trait. Finally, new molecular markers will be developed and validated on segregating populations with different genetic backgrounds, to be implemented in marker-assisted selection for BR resistance in grapevin
Rgb3: an organ-specific QTL for bunch resistance to black rot identified in the hybrid cultivar ‘Merzling’ Hands-on demo of the potential of Grapedia
Crops are continuously exposed to the onset of emerging diseases and the exploitation of resistance donors in breeding programs is a widely used valid strategy. In the last two decades black rot (BR), caused by the ascomycete Phyllosticta ampelicida (syn. Guignardia bidwellii), has begun to threaten European viticulture in humid continental areas due to the advent of higher temperatures which favor the pathogenic cycle of the fungus. For this reason, a program has been established for the dissection of BR resistance trait and its introgression both in Vitis vinifera varieties and mildew resistant hybrids. A preliminary study was carried out to improve germplasm screening through different approaches. Historical phenotypic and pedigree information of resistance donors were gathered to support the decision-making process in breeding. A new propagation and inoculation strategy was developed to optimize and fasten inoculation experiments. Isolates of P. ampelicida were genetically characterized and combined for the assessment of resistance independent of race-specificity. Finally, these improvements were employed first for the identification of new BR resistant parental lines and breeding selections, and then for the quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in a segregating population derived from the cross ‘Merzling’ (hybrid, resistant) × ‘Teroldego’ (V. vinifera, susceptible). The screening of this progeny, under green-house and field conditions, allowed the discrimination between two distinct organ-specific QTLs on chromosome 14. The previously identified Resistance to G. bidwellii (Rgb)1 locus was confirmed associated with leaf/shoot resistance, while upstream a new QTL designated Rgb3 was discovered linked to bunch resistance. Driven and inspired by the INTEGRAPE community effort that led to GRAPEDIA (GRAPEvine -omics encyclopDIA), all the available tools and resources have been exploited for the exploration of the physical region of the two QTLs, providing a hands-on demo of the potential of this portal
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XV. A global modeling of the broad emission lines in the Optical, UV and X-ray bands
We model the broad emission lines present in the optical, UV and X-ray
spectra of Mrk 509, a bright type 1 Seyfert galaxy. The broad lines were
simultaneously observed during a large multiwavelength campaign, using the
XMM-Newton-OM for the optical lines, HST-COS for the UV lines and
XMM-Newton-RGS and Epic for the X-ray lines respectively. We also used FUSE
archival data for the broad lines observed in the far-ultra-violet. The goal is
to find a physical connection among the lines measured at different wavelengths
and determine the size and the distance from the central source of the emitting
gas components. We used the "Locally optimally emission Cloud" (LOC) model
which interprets the emissivity of the broad line region (BLR) as regulated by
powerlaw distributions of both gas density and distances from the central
source. We find that one LOC component cannot model all the lines
simultaneously. In particular, we find that the X-ray and UV lines likely may
originate in the more internal part of the AGN, at radii in the range
~5x10^{14}-3x10^{17} cm, while the optical lines and part of the UV lines may
likely be originating further out, at radii ~3x10^{17}-3x^{18} cm. These two
gas components are parametrized by a radial distribution of the luminosities
with a slope gamma of ~1.15 and ~1.10, respectively, both of them covering at
least 60% of the source. This simple parameterization points to a structured
broad line region, with the higher ionized emission coming from closer in,
while the emission of the low-ionization lines is more concentrated in the
outskirts of the broad line region.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509. V. Chandra-LETGS observation of the ionized absorber
We present here the results of a 180 ks Chandra-LETGS observation as part of
a large multi-wavelength campaign on Mrk 509. We study the warm absorber in Mrk
509 and use the data from a simultaneous HST-COS observation in order to assess
whether the gas responsible for the UV and X-ray absorption are the same. We
analyzed the LETGS X-ray spectrum of Mrk 509 using the SPEX fitting package. We
detect several absorption features originating in the ionized absorber of the
source, along with resolved emission lines and radiative recombination
continua. The absorption features belong to ions with, at least, three distinct
ionization degrees. The lowest ionized component is slightly redshifted (v =
+73 km/s) and is not in pressure equilibrium with the others, and therefore it
is not likely part of the outflow, possibly belonging to the interstellar
medium of the host galaxy. The other components are outflowing at velocities of
-196 and -455 km/s, respectively. The source was observed simultaneously with
HST-COS, finding 13 UV kinematic components. At least three of them can be
kinematically associated with the observed X-ray components. Based on the
HST-COS results and a previous FUSE observation, we find evidence that the UV
absorbing gas might be co-located with the X-ray absorbing gas and belong to
the same structure.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XII. Broad band spectral analysis
(Abridged) The simultaneous UV to X-rays/gamma rays data obtained during the
multi-wavelength XMM/INTEGRAL campaign on the Seyfert 1 Mrk 509 are used in
this paper and tested against physically motivated broad band models. Each
observation has been fitted with a realistic thermal comptonisation model for
the continuum emission. Prompted by the correlation between the UV and soft
X-ray flux, we use a thermal comptonisation component for the soft X-ray
excess. The UV to X-rays/gamma-rays emission of Mrk 509 can be well fitted by
these components. The presence of a relatively hard high-energy spectrum points
to the existence of a hot (kT~100 keV), optically-thin (tau~0.5) corona
producing the primary continuum. On the contrary, the soft X-ray component
requires a warm (kT~1 keV), optically-thick (tau~15) plasma. Estimates of the
amplification ratio for this warm plasma support a configuration close to the
"theoretical" configuration of a slab corona above a passive disk. An
interesting consequence is the weak luminosity-dependence of its emission, a
possible explanation of the roughly constant spectral shape of the soft X-ray
excess seen in AGNs. The temperature (~ 3 eV) and flux of the soft-photon field
entering and cooling the warm plasma suggests that it covers the accretion disk
down to a transition radius of 10-20 . This plasma could be the
warm upper layer of the accretion disk. On the contrary the hot corona has a
more photon-starved geometry. The high temperature ( 100 eV) of the
soft-photon field entering and cooling it favors a localization of the hot
corona in the inner flow. This soft-photon field could be part of the
comptonised emission produced by the warm plasma. In this framework, the change
in the geometry (i.e. ) could explain most of the observed flux and
spectral variability.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
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