1,951 research outputs found
Polarization-controlled single photons
Vacuum-stimulated Raman transitions are driven between two magnetic substates
of a rubidium-87 atom strongly coupled to an optical cavity. A magnetic field
lifts the degeneracy of these states, and the atom is alternately exposed to
laser pulses of two different frequencies. This produces a stream of single
photons with alternating circular polarization in a predetermined
spatio-temporal mode. MHz repetition rates are possible as no recycling of the
atom between photon generations is required. Photon indistinguishability is
tested by time-resolved two-photon interference.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Lasiothyris luminosa (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae): a new grapevine pest in northeastern Brazil.
The little-known Neotropical tortricid moth Lasiothyris luminosa (Razowski& Becker) is reported for the first time as a grapevine pest in Northeastern Brazil. A diagnosis based on morphological characters including the genitalia is provided for both sexes, together with a preliminary description of economic damage caused by the larval stage. In addition, we sequenced a partial region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene from specimens from the region, and reconstructed phylogenetic relationships using representative lineages of closely related tortricids as terminals. The larvais endophagous, feeding on the inflorescence from closed buds before flower anthesistoopen flowers and later, inside fruits at different maturation stages, causing them to rot. Preliminary surveys carried out on a few farms indicate that the effective damage may reach circa 10% of table-grape production in the region
Heat shock protein 70 serum levels differ significantly in patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Members of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family play an important role in assisting protein folding, preventing protein aggregation and transport of proteins across membranes under physiological conditions. Following environmental (i.e., irradiation, chemotherapy), physiological (i.e., cell growth, differentiation), and pathophysiological (i.e., inflammation, tumorigenesis) stress, the synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is highly up-regulated, whereas protein synthesis in general is reduced. In contrast to normal cells, many tumor entities including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) overexpress HSP70, the major-stress-inducible member of the HSP70 family, present it on their cell surface and secrete it into the extracellular milieu. Herein, the prognostic relevance of serum HSP70 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis (CH; n = 50), liver cirrhosis (LC; n = 46), and HCC (n = 47) was analyzed. Similar to other tumor entities, HSP70 is also present on the surface of primary HCC cells. The staining intensity of intracellular HSP70 in HCC tissue is stronger compared to control and cirrhotic liver sections. HSP70 serum levels in all HCC patients were significantly higher compared to a control group without liver disease (n = 40). No significant age- and gender-related differences in HSP70 serum levels were observed in male and female healthy human volunteers (n = 86). Patients with CH (n = 50) revealed significantly higher HSP70 serum levels compared to the control group, however, these values were significantly lower than those of HCC patients (n = 47). Furthermore, a subgroup of patients with LC who subsequently developed HCC (LC-HCC, n = 13) revealed higher HSP70 serum levels than patients with LC (n = 46, p = 0.05). These data indicate that serum HSP70 levels are consecutively increased in patients with CH, LC and liver carcinomas and thus might have a prognostic value
Efeito do tamanho e de mĂşltiplos casais sobre o potencial reprodutivo de Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
Entre os lepidĂłpteros de importância agrĂcola, Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) tem despertado atenção por atingir nĂveis de dano econĂ´mico em culturas de importância como algodĂŁo e soja. Entretanto, existem poucos estudos detalhados de biologia, especialmente relacionados a aspectos reprodutivos. Visando determinar a capacidade máxima reprodutiva desta espĂ©cie avaliou-se o efeito do tamanho, empregando como parâmetro o peso pupal, e o nĂşmero de casais por gaiola (um e trĂŞs) sobre o nĂşmero de cĂłpulas, fecundidade e fertilidade. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em sala climatizada (25 ± 1ÂşC, 70 ± 10% UR e fotofase de 14 horas) com observações diárias. Adultos, emergidos no mesmo dia, classificados de acordo com a massa pupal, como pequenos, mĂ©dios e grandes foram dispostos em gaiolas plásticas, (10 x 15cm), alimentados com dieta artificial e água estĂ©ril. Foram formadas 15 gaiolas com um casal cada, todos de tamanho mĂ©dio, cinco gaiolas com 3 casais de tamanho pequeno e mĂ©dio e 4 com trĂŞs casais de tamanho grande. O nĂşmero mĂ©dio de cĂłpulas dos casais de tamanho mĂ©dio mantidos individualmente (1,13) foi significativamente menor do que o dos insetos pequenos (2,58), mĂ©dios (2,47) e grandes (2,33),mantidos a trĂŞs por gaiola. A fecundidade mĂ©dia dos casais individuais (1.398,00) tambĂ©m foi significativamente menor que a dos mantidos a trĂŞs por gaiola, tanto de tamanho pequeno (1.709,07), mĂ©dio (2.044,27) e grande (2.469,92). Entre estes Ăşltimos observou-se efeito positivo entre o tamanho da pupa e a fecundidade, com diferenças significativas entre todos os tamanhos. A fertilidade mĂ©dia dos casais individuais (67,45) foi muito inferior a observada para os casais pequenos (97,32%), mĂ©dios (96,43%) e grandes (98,91%), mantidos a trĂŞs por gaiola. Estes resultados indicam que em estudos que estimam o potencial reprodutivo devem ser utilizados pelo menos trĂŞs casais por gaiola e que sejam descritos os pesos das pupas que originaram os adultos
Parâmetros biológicos dos estágios imaturos de Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), em condições controladas.
O gĂŞnero Spodoptera (GuenĂ©e, 1852) Ă© cosmopolita e abriga grande parte das lagartas de importância agrĂcola. Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) Ă© uma espĂ©cie polĂfaga que se alimenta de plantas de 57 famĂlias, incluindo muitas de importância econĂ´mica. Este estudo objetivou detalhar parâmetros biolĂłgicos de desenvolvimento dos estágios imaturos de S. eridania, em condições controladas (25 ± 1ÂşC, 70 ± 10% UR e fotofase de 14 horas). Foram avaliados 4.454 ovos provenientes de 16 posturas e 298 larvas neonatas, individualmente, alimentadas com dieta artificial modificada de Grenee et al. A viabilidade dos ovos, larvas, prĂ©-pupas e pupas foi de 97,82; 93,62; 96,42; 97,03%, com duração de 4,00; 16,18; 1,58 e 9,17 dias, respectivamente. Observou-se que 93% das fĂŞmeas e 100% dos machos passaram por seis e 7% das fĂŞmeas passaram por sete instares larvais. A partir do quinto Ănstar observou-se diferenciação no tamanho das cápsulas entre machos e fĂŞmeas de seis instares e, entre fĂŞmeas com as de sete instares, a diferenciação iniciou no quarto Ănstar, com razĂŁo de crescimento menor que as demais, no entanto o tamanho final foi maior que nas larvas de seis instares, compensado pelo Ănstar adicional. O tamanho final das cápsulas foi significativamente diferente entre fĂŞmeas (2,64mm) e machos (2,50mm), bem como entre as fĂŞmeas que passaram por seis (2,64mm) e sete Ănstares (2,72mm). Nas larvas femininas e masculinas de seis instares a razĂŁo mĂ©dia de crescimento foi de 1,52 e 1,51, respectivamente; nas de sete Ănstares foi de 1,44. As pupas femininas das larvas que passaram por seis instares foram significativamente maiores (377,53mg) do que os machos (329,45mg), porĂ©m, menores que as provenientes de larvas que passaram por sete Ănstares (435,11mg). Tanto a metodologia de criação quanto a dieta larval foram adequadas, pois permitiram 85,87% de sobrevivĂŞncia e um detalhamento muito maior das observações, especialmente, quando larvas
Social acceptance and perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in Southern Europe: The case of Bologna, Italy
Survival and Development of Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Immature Stages on Dry Beans, non-Bt, Cry1F, and Vip3A Maize
Striacosta albicosta is a crop pest that causes economic damage in the United States and Canada. Only maize and dry beans are shown to be suitable hosts, since larval development is incomplete on other hosts. The objective of this study was to describe the developmental parameters of immature stages of S. albicosta feeding on dry beans, non-Bt, Cry1F, and Vip3A maize. For Vip3A, mortality was 100% after 24 h. Larvae feeding on non-Bt maize had the highest larval survival (70.6%) compared to the other hosts. Maize expressing Cry1F had higher survival (31.3%) than dry beans (26.0%). Larvae feeding on dry beans had a significantly faster total development time (74.8 days), compared to 92.5 days for non-Bt and 96.2 days for Cry1F. All larvae developed through seven instars. Pupae from larvae that had fed on non-Bt maize were significantly heavier than pupae from other hosts. An understanding of S. albicosta immature development on various host plants is needed to improve recommendations for effective scouting, treatment timing, and economic thresholds. Differential development can result in an extended adult emergence period, and possibly result in assortative mating between Bt susceptible and resistant populations, which violates the assumption of random mating necessary for current resistance management strategies for Bt maize. Therefore, understanding the impact of host plant and transgenic traits on aspects of pest biology will aid in developing effective integrated pest management and insect resistance management strategies for this pest
Development of ultra-light pixelated ladders for an ILC vertex detector
The development of ultra-light pixelated ladders is motivated by the
requirements of the ILD vertex detector at ILC. This paper summarizes three
projects related to system integration. The PLUME project tackles the issue of
assembling double-sided ladders. The SERWIETE project deals with a more
innovative concept and consists in making single-sided unsupported ladders
embedded in an extra thin plastic enveloppe. AIDA, the last project, aims at
building a framework reproducing the experimental running conditions where sets
of ladders could be tested
Life-History Parameters of Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Under Laboratory Conditions
Striacosta albicosta (Smith) is a key pest of maize and dry beans in North America. It has expanded its distribution from the western Great Plains of the United States to the Great Lakes region in the United States and Canada. There has been limited research on the baseline biological aspects of this insect under controlled conditions. The objective of this study was to detail the biological parameters of S. albicosta feeding on an artificial diet under laboratory conditions. Overall survival from neonate to adult at 26.6 ± 1°C was 36.72% and the total developmental time was approximately 110 d. Survival of the egg, larval, prepupal, and pupal stages were 75.71, 98.50, 51.78, and 95.10%, respectively. Average duration of the egg, larval, prepupal, and pupal stages was 4.64, 28.20, 41.50, and 25.91 d, respectively. During the larval stage, 92.50% of larvae developed through seven instars and the remaining through six instars. Larvae that developed through six and seven instars exhibited a mean growth ratio of 1.60 and 1.47, respectively; however, there was no difference in pupal weight. Eggs laid by field-mated moths showed a fertility of 75.71%, compared with 4.18% from laboratory-reared moths. These data suggest that S. albicosta develop primarily through seven instars and the most vulnerable developmental stage is the prepupa. Laboratory conditions strongly affected fertility success. Information presented here greatly expands our understanding of S. albicosta biology, which can be used to improve the efficiency of laboratory bioassays and management techniques for this critical crop pest
Fast Excitation and Photon Emission of a Single-Atom-Cavity System
We report on the fast excitation of a single atom coupled to an optical
cavity using laser pulses that are much shorter than all other relevant
processes. The cavity frequency constitutes a control parameter that allows the
creation of single photons in a superposition of two tunable frequencies. Each
photon emitted from the cavity thus exhibits a pronounced amplitude modulation
determined by the oscillatory energy exchange between the atom and the cavity.
Our technique constitutes a versatile tool for future quantum networking
experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
- …