Sugarcane stem borers of the Colombian Cauca River Valley: current pest status, biology, and control

Citation: Vargas, G., Gomez, L. A., & Michaud, J. P. (2015). Sugarcane stem borers of the Colombian Cauca River Valley: current pest status, biology, and control. Florida Entomologist, 98(2), 728-735. Retrieved from ://WOS:000356451400049Sugarcane stem borers of the genus of Diatraea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) form a species complex that causes serious economic losses to sugarcane production in the Cauca River Valley and other regions of Colombia. Two primary species, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) and D. indigenella Dyar and Heinrich, have been effectively managed for more than 4 decades through augmentative releases of the tachinid flies Lydella minense (Townsend) and Billaea claripalpis (Wulp) (Diptera: Tachinidae) and the egg parasitoid Trichogramma exiguum Pinto & Platner (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Here we review the current pest status of Diatraea species, damage assessment protocols, management tactics, and the environmental factors and cultural practices that can affect biological control outcomes. Recent changes in the cultivars grown have the potential to increase pest populations and diminish biological control efficacy. Additionally, recent outbreaks of new Diatraea species may further increase overall pest pressure. Thus, there is a need to develop supplementary tactics for the management of these pests that will be compatible with biological control, as well as more reliable protocols for assessing host plant resistance against the increase in infestation intensity

Plasmonically Enhanced Reflectance of Heat Radiation from Low-Bandgap Semiconductor Microinclusions

Increased reflectance from the inclusion of highly scattering particles at low volume fractions in an insulating dielectric offers a promising way to reduce radiative thermal losses at high temperatures. Here, we investigate plasmonic resonance driven enhanced scattering from microinclusions of low-bandgap semiconductors (InP, Si, Ge, PbS, InAs and Te) in an insulating composite to tailor its infrared reflectance for minimizing thermal losses from radiative transfer. To this end, we compute the spectral properties of the microcomposites using Monte Carlo modeling and compare them with results from Fresnel equations. The role of particle size-dependent Mie scattering and absorption efficiencies, and, scattering anisotropy are studied to identify the optimal microinclusion size and material parameters for maximizing the reflectance of the thermal radiation. For composites with Si and Ge microinclusions we obtain reflectance efficiencies of 57 - 65% for the incident blackbody radiation from sources at temperatures in the range 400 - 1600 {\deg}C. Furthermore, we observe a broadbanding of the reflectance spectra from the plasmonic resonances due to charge carriers generated from defect states within the semiconductor bandgap. Our results thus open up the possibility of developing efficient high-temperature thermal insulators through use of the low-bandgap semiconductor microinclusions in insulating dielectrics.Comment: Main article (8 Figures and 2 Tables) + Supporting Information (8 Figures

On reducing inconsistency of pairwise comparison matrices below an acceptance threshold

A recent work of the authors on the analysis of pairwise comparison matrices that can be made consistent by the modification of a few elements is continued and extended. Inconsistency indices are defined for indicating the overall quality of a pairwise comparison matrix. It is expected that serious contradictions in the matrix imply high inconsistency and vice versa. However, in the 35-year history of the applications of pairwise comparison matrices, only one of the indices, namely CR proposed by Saaty, has been associated to a general level of acceptance, by the well known ten percent rule. In the paper, we consider a wide class of inconsistency indices, including CR, CM proposed by Koczkodaj and Duszak and CI by Pel\'aez and Lamata. Assume that a threshold of acceptable inconsistency is given (for CR it can be 0.1). The aim is to find the minimal number of matrix elements, the appropriate modification of which makes the matrix acceptable. On the other hand, given the maximal number of modifiable matrix elements, the aim is to find the minimal level of inconsistency that can be achieved. In both cases the solution is derived from a nonlinear mixed-integer optimization problem. Results are applicable in decision support systems that allow real time interaction with the decision maker in order to review pairwise comparison matrices.Comment: 20 page

Fcγ Receptors in Solid Organ Transplantation.

In the current era, one of the major factors limiting graft survival is chronic antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR), whilst patient survival is impacted by the effects of immunosuppression on susceptibility to infection, malignancy and atherosclerosis. IgG antibodies play a role in all of these processes, and many of their cellular effects are mediated by Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs). These surface receptors are expressed by most immune cells, including B cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. Genetic variation in FCGR genes is likely to affect susceptibility to ABMR and to modulate the physiological functions of IgG. In this review, we discuss the potential role played by FcγRs in determining outcomes in solid organ transplantation, and how genetic polymorphisms in these receptors may contribute to variations in transplant outcome.MRC is supported by the NIHR Cambridge BRC, the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit (Cambridge) and by a Medical Research Council New Investigator Grant (MR/N024907/1).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-016-0116-

Transgressive phenotypes and generalist pollination in the floral evolution of Nicotiana polyploids

This is the author's proofThe file attached is the Accepted/final draft post-refereeing version of the article. 6 month embargo now lapsed