33 research outputs found

    The Wide-Field Spatio-Spectral Interferometer: System Overview, Data Synthesis and Analysis

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    The Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) is a double Fourier (DF) interferometer operating at optical wavelengths, and provides data that are highly representative of those from a space-based far-infrared interferometer like SPIRIT. We have used the testbed to observe both geometrically simple and astronomically representative test scenes. Here we present an overview of the astronomical importance of high angular resolution at the far infrared, followed by the description of the optical set-up of WIIT, including the source simulator CHIP (Calibrated Hyperspectral Image Projector). We describe our synthesis algorithms used in the reconstruction of the input test scenes via a simulation of the most recent measurements. The updated algorithms, which include instruments artifacts that allow the synthesis of DF experimental data, are presented and the most recent results analyzed

    Genome of the Asian Longhorned Beetle (\u3cem\u3eAnoplophora glabripennis\u3c/em\u3e), a Globally Significant Invasive Species, Reveals Key Functional and Evolutionary Innovations at the Beetle-Plant Interface

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    Background: Relatively little is known about the genomic basis and evolution of wood-feeding in beetles. We undertook genome sequencing and annotation, gene expression assays, studies of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, and other functional and comparative studies of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, a globally significant invasive species capable of inflicting severe feeding damage on many important tree species. Complementary studies of genes encoding enzymes involved in digestion of woody plant tissues or detoxification of plant allelochemicals were undertaken with the genomes of 14 additional insects, including the newly sequenced emerald ash borer and bull-headed dung beetle. Results: The Asian longhorned beetle genome encodes a uniquely diverse arsenal of enzymes that can degrade the main polysaccharide networks in plant cell walls, detoxify plant allelochemicals, and otherwise facilitate feeding on woody plants. It has the metabolic plasticity needed to feed on diverse plant species, contributing to its highly invasive nature. Large expansions of chemosensory genes involved in the reception of pheromones and plant kairomones are consistent with the complexity of chemical cues it uses to find host plants and mates. Conclusions: Amplification and functional divergence of genes associated with specialized feeding on plants, including genes originally obtained via horizontal gene transfer from fungi and bacteria, contributed to the addition, expansion, and enhancement of the metabolic repertoire of the Asian longhorned beetle, certain other phytophagous beetles, and to a lesser degree, other phytophagous insects. Our results thus begin to establish a genomic basis for the evolutionary success of beetles on plants

    The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT): Recent Progress in the Simulation and Synthesis of WIIT Data

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    The Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) is a double Fourier (DF) interferometer operating at optical wavelengths, and provides data that are highly representative of those from a space-based far-infrared interferometer like SPIRIT. This testbed has been used to measure both a geometrically simple test scene and an astronomically representative test scene. Here we present the simulation of recent WIIT measurements using FIInS (the Far-infrared Interferometer Instrument Simulator), the main goal of which is to simulate both the input and the output of a DFM system. FIInS has been modified to perform calculations at optical wavelengths and to include an extended field of view due to the presence of a detector array

    Variation of Hydrometeorological Conditions Along a Topographic Transect in Northwestern Mexico During the North American Monsoon

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    Relatively little is currently known about the spatiotemporal variability of land surface conditions duringthe North American monsoon, in particular for regions of complex topography. As a result, the role playedby land–atmosphere interactions in generating convective rainfall over steep terrain and sustaining monsoonconditions is still poorly understood. In this study, the variation of hydrometeorological conditionsalong a large-scale topographic transect in northwestern Mexico is described. The transect field experimentconsisted of daily sampling at 30 sites selected to represent variations in elevation and ecosystem distribution.Simultaneous soil and atmospheric variables were measured during a 2-week period in early August 2004. Transect observations were supplemented by a network of continuous sampling sites used to analyzethe regional hydrometeorological conditions prior to and during the field experiment. Results reveal thestrong control exerted by topography on the spatial and temporal variability in soil moisture, with distinctlandscape regions experiencing different hydrologic regimes. Reduced variations at the plot and transectscale during a drydown period indicate that homogenization of hydrologic conditions occurred over thelandscape. Furthermore, atmospheric variables are clearly linked to surface conditions, indicating thatheating and moistening of the boundary layer closely follow spatial and temporal changes in hydrologicproperties. Land–atmosphere interactions at the basin scale (100 km2), obtained via a technique accountingfor topographic variability, further reveal the role played by the land surface in sustaining high atmosphericmoisture conditions, with implications toward rainfall generation during the North American monsoon
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