An alternative to complete banana mat uprooting: assessing the effectiveness of continuous cutting at soil level of all shoots in a mat on speed for corm decay

The complete uprooting of diseased mats/fields (CMU) is one of the recommended control options for Xanthomonas wilt of banana. CMU is labour intensive, time consuming and disturbs the soil structure, exposing fields to erosion. CMU often involves exportation of whole plant biomass, affecting soil fertility. The potential of continuous cutting at soil level of all shoots in a mat until complete corm decay in situ as an alternative to CMU was assessed. The first experiment was established using 224 banana mats in their third cropping cycle. All the plants were cut down at soil level, meristems were removed, and sweet potato and bush bean planted. In a repeat experiment with 180 banana mats, a wide range of treatments were applied on top by cutting and removing the apical meristems. These included the: injection of 2,4-D herbicide into the centre of each corm; removal of a cone shaped section from the center of each corm; and creation of a 20 cm deep incision in the center of each corm; in combination with the application of soil or farmyard manure substrate on cut surface. In the first experiment, re-sprouting stopped at 8 months while corms fully decayed after 25 months. Annual intercrops did not influence re-sprouting and corm decay rate. Similar re-sprouting trends occured in the repeat experiment. However, 2,4-D application significantly (P<0.05) lowered decay time, with 12-47% of corms decomposed at 8 months compared with 0-20% in other treatments without 2,4-D. In the 2,4-D treatments, 100% of corms had decomposed compared with 36-80% in other treatments by the 20th month. Deep incisions or cuts did not significantly hasten decomposition. Soil or manure substrate addition had no advantage when compared with the cut surfaces without substrates. A cost-benefit analysis showed a five times higher net income with continuous cutting of re-sprouts when compared with CMU

The Interaction of New and Old Magnetic Fluxes at the Beginning of Solar Cycle 23

The 11-year cycle of solar activity follows Hale's law by reversing the magnetic polarity of leading and following sunspots in bipolar regions during the minima of activity. In the 1996-97 solar minimum, most solar activity emerged in narrow longitudinal zones - `active longitudes' but over a range in latitude. Investigating the distribution of solar magnetic flux, we have found that the Hale sunspot polarity reversal first occurred in these active zones. We have estimated the rotation rates of the magnetic flux in the active zones before and after the polarity reversal. Comparing these rotation rates with the internal rotation inferred by helioseismology, we suggest that both `old' and `new' magnetic fluxes were probably generated in a low-latitude zone near the base of the solar convection zone. The reversal of active region polarity observed in certain longitudes at the beginning of a new solar cycle suggests that the phenomenon of active longitudes may give fundamental information about the mechanism of the solar cycle. The non-random distribution of old-cycle and new-cycle fluxes presents a challenge for dynamo theories, most of which assume a uniform longitudinal distribution of solar magnetic fields.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Paper Session III-C - From Motomir to Meditrain: Medical Instrumentation as Spin-Off from Space Application

The medical instrument MEDITRAIN r (patented) is a computer controlled electromechanical ergometer, which can be used in the neuro-physiological and metabolic analysis of the human motoric system and can be applied in the training, diagnostics & rehabilitation of muscles of the upper or lower extremities. The design is based on the flight hardware experiment MOTOMIR , which was developed in the context of the joint Austro-Soviet Space Mission AUSTROMIR to the MIR Space Station. MOTOMIR was launched in August 1991 and was in use aboard the space station for basic muscle research and training of the Cosmonauts up to August 1992. The functional principle of MEDITRAIN is based on the generation of precisely defined motion patterns through velocity controlled translatoric movement of two handles, to which the arms or legs of the patient are latched. These movements can be pre-defined as series of cyclic or acyclic runs of variable duration and velocity between defined start and end points. Via strain gauges in the handles, the isometric, concentric and eccentric forces exerted by the respective muscles are recorded in relation to the position & velocity of the handles (i.e. in relation to the angle and velocity of the respective extremity). In parallel, Electro-Myographic (EMG), Electro-Oculargraphic (EOG) and Electro-Cardiographic (ECG) measurements are performed and correlated to the force and machine data. MEDITRAIN currently offers up to 32 analog channels operating at a standard sampling rate of 1 kHz. All measurement data can be displayed in real-time and are stored together with the personal data of the respective patient

Diversity of cultural practices used in banana plantations and possibilities for fine-tuning: Case of North Kivu and Ituri provinces, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Diverse cultural practices have been communicated to and/or applied by resource-poor households over the past two decades to improve the overall farm health and crop tolerance to biotic/abiotic factors. This study assessed the current diversity and use of cultural practices on banana fields in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Interview schedules coupled with farm diagnosis were used to take stock of cultural practices. Farmers’ choice of banana cultivars was mainly influenced by bunch size, demand/price, pulp flavor/taste, and juice quality. Availability of planting materials and the lifespan of mats were also important. In contrast, drought tolerance, soil fertility conditions, length of production cycle, and pest and disease resistance were not highly considered. Suckers were the predominant type of planting material used. Banana-bean (in 15 to 39% of farms) and banana-taro-bean (18 to 30%) were the dominant intercrops. Staking of banana plants with bunches was applied by 94 to 95% of the respondents, possibly due to the perceived immediate benefits from bunches. Cutting of green leaves to among other things improve sunlight penetration for legume intercrops which was practiced by 74 to 85% of the farmers. This practice has greatly contributed to the perpetuation of banana Xanthomonas wilt disease (XW) in the region. Male bud removal was applied in 55 to 66% of farms to control XW and improve bunch size. However, 38 to 51% of these farmers de-budded after the recommended time. Other common cultural practices included de-suckering, pseudostem use for mulch and weeding. Strategies for safe application of some of the practices such as weeding, leaf cutting, de-trashing and in light of diseases such as XW are recommended. In addition, some practices such as mulching and male bud removal are knowledge intensive, while others such de-suckering have no immediate perceived benefits to farmers, thus the need to strengthen knowledge extension to enhance their adoption

MOST detects corotating bright spots on the mid-O type giant {\xi} Persei

We have used the MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) microsatellite to obtain four weeks of contiguous high-precision broadband visual photometry of the O7.5III(n)((f)) star {\xi} Persei in November 2011. This star is well known from previous work to show prominent DACs (Discrete Absorption Components) on time-scales of about 2 d from UV spectroscopy and NRP (Non Radial Pulsation) with one (l = 3) p-mode oscillation with a period of 3.5 h from optical spectroscopy. Our MOST-orbit (101.4 min) binned photometry fails to reveal any periodic light variations above the 0.1 mmag 3-sigma noise level for periods of hours, while several prominent Fourier peaks emerge at the 1 mmag level in the two-day period range. These longer-period variations are unlikely due to pulsations, including gravity modes. From our simulations based upon a simple spot model, we deduce that we are seeing the photometric modulation of several co-rotating bright spots on the stellar surface. In our model, the starting times (random) and lifetimes (up to several rotations) vary from one spot to another yet all spots rotate at the same period of 4.18 d, the best-estimated rotation period of the star. This is the first convincing reported case of co-rotating bright spots on an O star, with important implications for drivers of the DACs (resulting from CIRs - Corotating Interaction Regions) with possible bright-spot generation via a breakout at the surface of a global magnetic field generated by a subsurface convection zone.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, MNRAS in pres

The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered in the early 1970s when space-borne coronagraphs revealed that eruptions of plasma are ejected from the Sun. Today, it is known that the Sun produces eruptive flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections and failed eruptions; all thought to be due to a release of energy stored in the coronal magnetic field during its drastic reconfiguration. This review discusses the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation. Whilst a wealth of observations exist, and detailed models have been developed, there still exists a need to draw these approaches together. In particular more realistic models are encouraged in order to asses the full range of complexity of the solar atmosphere and the criteria for which an eruption is formed. From the observational side, a more detailed understanding of the role of photospheric flows and reconnection is needed in order to identify the evolutionary path that ultimately means a magnetic structure will erupt

Information Politics Versus Organizational Incentives: When Are Amnesty International's ''Naming and Shaming'' Reports Biased?

“Information politics” INGOs such as Amnesty International have incentives to maintain their credibility by carefully vetting information about rights abuses committed by governments. But they are also strategic actors that may inflate allegations of abuse to fulfill organizational imperatives. This raises an intriguing question: When are INGOs more likely to exaggerate their allegations? In answer to this question, we argue that news media reporting pressures INGOs to comment for organizational reasons, even if the information available to them is poor. On the other hand, higher numbers of domestic human rights NGOs increase the quality of available information, and INGOs will find more credible information provided about states as the winning coalition to the selectorate rises. Yet, an incentive to exaggerate allegations under certain conditions does not imply that INGOs will always do so. Indeed, there exists significant observed variation in INGO reports about government abuse. To test our hypotheses, we employ a zero-inflated ordered probit model with correlated errors that permits us to model an unobservable probability (the probability that the INGO exaggerates its allegations) and correct for potential bias. Results provide support for our hypotheses, and suggest that Amnesty International adheres to its credibility criterion, rarely succumbing to incentives to exaggerate abuse

Replication Data for: Bagozzi, Hill, Moore & Mukherjee (2015) "Modeling Two Types of Peace: The Zero-inflated Ordered Probit (ZiOP) Model in Conflict Research"

These are the replication files for: BE Bagozzi, DW Hill, Jr, WH Moore & B Mukherjee (2015) "Modeling Two Types of Peace: The Zero-inflated Ordered Probit (ZiOP) Model in Conflict Research" Journal of Conflict Resolution, 59(4) 728-75