Leaf by Leaf: An improved method of describing apple scab infections in field trials using MS Excel

An improved method for the evaluation of Venturia inaequalis infections of apple trees in field trials is proposed. The method takes into account the position of infected leaves on long shoots. A MS Excel worksheet was developed to facilitate the processing of these data. This can be downloaded at http://www.oeon.de/downloads/venturia.zip. We use this worksheet in our field trials and also for our consultancy service to compare different onfarm control strategies

Regulation of Cydia pomonella in the Northern German climate

Population control of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is of great importance in ecological fruit-growing. In the work described here we attempted (1) to determine the efficacy of plant protection preparations certified for organic fruit production, and (2) to develop a suitable application strategy. We found that a Granulovirus (Madex3), Bacillus thuringiensis (Xentari) and Neem Azal were able to provide effective control of C. pomonella. The reduced efficacy of Madex 3 as reported e.g. from some Southern German orchards could not be observed in our trials

Types and correlates of school non-attendance in students with autism spectrum disorders

School non-attendance in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has received very little attention to date. The study aimed to provide a comprehensive description of school non-attendance in students with ASD. Through an online survey, parents of 486 children (mean age 11 years) reported on school attendance over one month, and reasons for instances of non-attendance. On average, students missed five days of school of a possible 23 days. Persistent non-attendance (absent on 10%+ of available sessions) occurred among 43% of students. School non-attendance was associated with child older age, not living in a two-parent household, parental unemployment and, especially, attending a mainstream school. School refusal accounted for 43% of non-attendance. School exclusion and school withdrawal each accounted for 9% of absences. Truancy was almost non-existent. Non-problematic absenteeism (mostly related to medical appointments and illness) accounted for 32% of absences. Non-problematic absenteeism was more likely among those with intellectual disability, school refusal was more likely among older students, and school exclusion was more likely among students from single-parent, unemployed, and well educated households. Findings suggest school non-attendance in ASD is a significant issue, and that it is important to capture detail about attendance patterns and reasons for school non-attendance

Current Concepts and Trends in Human-Automation Interaction

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The purpose of this panel was to provide a general overview and discussion of some of the most current and controversial concepts and trends in human-automation interaction. The panel was composed of eight researchers and practitioners. The panelists are well-known experts in the area and offered differing views on a variety of different human-automation topics. The range of concepts and trends discussed in this panel include: general taxonomies regarding stages and levels of automation and function allocation, individualized adaptive automation, automation-induced complacency, economic rationality and the use of automation, the potential utility of false alarms, the influence of different types of false alarms on trust and reliance, and a system-wide theory of trust in multiple automated aids

The Vibrational Spectrum of the hydrated Alanine-Leucine Peptide in the Amide region from IR experiments and First Principles Calculation

We have combined infrared (IR) experiments with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in solution at finite temperature to analyse the vibrational signature of the small floppy peptide Alanine-Leucine. IR spectra computed from first- principles MD simulations exhibit no distinct differences between conformational clusters of alpha-helix/beta-sheet-like folds with different orientations of the bulky leucine side chain. All computed spectra show two prominent bands, in good agreement with the experiment, that are assigned to the stretch vibrations of the carbonyl and carboxyl group, respectively. Variations in band widths and exact maxima are likely due to small fluctuations in the backbone torsion angles

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of youths and parents seeking psychological treatment for school attendance problems

Background: Knowledge of school attendance problems (SAPs) is needed to inform treatments targetingSAPs and protecting youths from negative outcomes associated with SAPs. Objectives: This study examined the school absence, absence categories (i.e., absence due to illness, excused, non-excused), sociodemographic characteristics, and mental health problems among youths seeking psychological treatment for SAPs. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 152 help-seeking youths with SAPs (i.e., >10% absenteeism) and their parents were examined. The data were derived from the baseline assessment conducted before treatmentstart. Results: Older youths, youths with mental health problems, and youths whose parents had mentalhealth problems exhibited higher levels of absence. Lower levels of non-excused absence were found among youths with highly educated fathers, and youths living with both parents. Many youths had clinical levels of anxiety, depression, or ‘emotional and behavioral difficulties’. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for early intervention, addressing a broad range of mental health problems.Pathways through Adolescenc

Paternal Diet Defines Offspring Chromatin State and Intergenerational Obesity

The global rise in obesity has revitalized a search for genetic and epigenetic factors underlying the disease. We present a Drosophila model of paternal-diet-induced intergenerational metabolic reprogramming (IGMR) and identify genes required for its encoding in offspring. Intriguingly, we find that as little as 2 days of dietary intervention in fathers elicits obesity in offspring. Paternal sugar acts as a physiological suppressor of variegation, desilencing chromatin-state-defined domains in both mature sperm and in offspring embryos. We identify requirements for H3K9/K27me3-dependent reprogramming of metabolic genes in two distinct germline and zygotic windows. Critically, we find evidence that a similar system may regulate obesity susceptibility and phenotype variation in mice and humans. The findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying intergenerational metabolic reprogramming and carry profound implications for our understanding of phenotypic variation and evolution

AEGIS at CERN: Measuring Antihydrogen Fall

The main goal of the AEGIS experiment at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator is the test of fundamental laws such as the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and CPT symmetry. In the first phase of AEGIS, a beam of antihydrogen will be formed whose fall in the gravitational field is measured in a Moire' deflectometer; this will constitute the first test of the WEP with antimatter.Comment: Presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, Bloomington, Indiana, June 28-July 2, 201

Planet-star interactions with precise transit timing. III. Entering the regime of dynamical tides

Hot Jupiters on extremely short-period orbits are expected to be unstable to tidal dissipation and spiral toward their host stars. That is because they transfer the angular momentum of the orbital motion through tidal dissipation into the stellar interior. Although the magnitude of this phenomenon is related to the physical properties of a specific star-planet system, statistical studies show that tidal dissipation might shape the architecture of hot Jupiter systems during the stellar lifetime on the main sequence. The efficiency of tidal dissipation remains poorly constrained in star-planet systems. Stellar interior models show that the dissipation of dynamical tides in radiation zones could be the dominant mechanism driving planetary orbital decay. These theoretical predictions can be verified with the transit timing method. We acquired new precise transit mid-times for five planets. They were previously identified as the best candidates for which orbital decay might be detected. Analysis of the timing data allowed us to place tighter constraints on the orbital decay rate. No statistically significant changes in their orbital periods were detected for all five hot Jupiters in systems HAT-P-23, KELT-1, KELT-16, WASP-18, and WASP-103. For planets HAT-P-23 b, WASP-18 b, and WASP-103 b, observations show that the mechanism of the dynamical tides dissipation probably does not operate in their host stars, preventing them from rapid orbital decay. This finding aligns with the models of stellar interiors of F-type stars, in which dynamical tides are not fully damped due to convective cores. For KELT-16 b, the span of transit timing data was not long enough to verify the theoretical predictions. KELT-1 b was identified as a potential laboratory for studying the dissipative tidal interactions of inertial waves in a convective layer.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

The New IR FEL Facility at the Fritz-Haber-Institut in Berlin

A mid-infrared oscillator FEL has been commissioned at the Fritz-Haber-Institut. The accelerator consists of a thermionic gridded gun, a subharmonic buncher and two S-band standing-wave copper structures [1,2]. It provides a final electron energy adjustable from 15 to 50 MeV, low longitudinal (<50 keV-ps) and transverse emittance (<20 π mm-mrad), at more than 200 pC bunch charge with a micro-pulse repetition rate of 1 GHz and a macro-pulse length of up to 15 μs. Regular user operation started in Nov. 2013 with 6 user stations. Pulsed radiation with up to 100 mJ macro-pulse energy at about 0.5% FWHM bandwidth is routinely produced in the wavelength range from 4 to 48 μm. We will describe the FEL design and its performance as determined by IR power, bandwidth, and micro-pulse length measurements. Further, an overview of the new FHI FEL facility and first user results will be given. The latter include, for instance, spectroscopy of bio-molecules (peptides and small proteins) conformer selected or embedded in superfluid helium nano-droplets at 0.4 K, as well as vibrational spectroscopy of mass-selected metal-oxide clusters and protonated water clusters in the gas phase