New Potential Potato Pest in Argentina, Maecolaspis bridarollii (Bechyné) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae)

En muestreos realizados en cultivos de papa en el sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina), se registro la presencia de un crisomelido eumolpino del genero Maecolaspis (Bechyne) que ocasionaba severos danos en los tuberculos. Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron: identificar al adulto, aportar datos sobre su bionomia y caracteristicas del dano que produce. Como resultado se cita por primera vez a Maecolaspis bridarollii (Bechyne) en este cultivo; se redescribe y se aportan nuevos caracteres discriminatorios. Se observo que, a partir de mediados de marzo, las larvas que alcanzaron un mayor desarrollo, danan los tuberculos, haciendoles perforaciones profundas que desmejoran su calidad comercial.A chrysomelid of the genus Maecolaspis (Bechyné) was identified as the damaging agent to potato crops in samples obtained from the southeast of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina). The objectives of this research were to identify the adult insect and produce information on its bionomics and on the characteristics of the damage it causes. For the first time Maecolaspis bridarollii (Bechyné) is reported affecting potatoes. According to results, the best harvesting time to reduce damage was immediately after the potato crop completed its growth cycle, henee limiting exposure to the attack of mature M. bridarollii larvae on potato tubers. From mid-March the larvae that had reached full development bored into the tubers causing severe damage and affecting the commercial valué of harvested potato tubers.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Patients’ needs in proton therapy:A survey among ten European facilities

Aims: The number of Proton Therapy (PT) facilities is still limited worldwide, and the access to treatment could be characterized by patients’ logistic and economic challenges. Aim of the present survey is to assess the support provided to patients undergoing PT across Europe. Methods: Through a personnel contact, an online questionnaire (62 multiple-choice and open-ended questions) via Microsoft Forms was administered to 10 European PT centers. The questionnaire consisted of 62 questions divided into 6 sections: i) personal data; ii) general information on clinical activity; iii) fractionation, concurrent systemic treatments and technical aspects of PT facility; iv) indication to PT and reimbursement policies; v) economic and/ or logistic support to patients vi) participants agreement on statements related to the possible limitation of access to PT. A qualitative analysis was performed and reported. Results: From March to May 2022 all ten involved centers filled the survey. Nine centers treat from 100 to 500 patients per year. Paediatric patients accounted for 10–30%, 30–50% and 50–70% of the entire cohort for 7, 2 and 1 center, respectively. The most frequent tumours treated in adult population were brain tumours, sarcomas and head and neck carcinomas; in all centers, the mean duration of PT is longer than 3 weeks. In 80% of cases, the treatment reimbursement for PT is supplied by the respective country's Health National System (HNS). HNS also provides economic support to patients in 70% of centers, while logistic and meal support is provided in 20% and 40% of centers, respectively. PT facilities offer economic and/or logistic support in 90% of the cases. Logistic support for parents of pediatric patients is provided by HNS only in one-third of centers. Overall, 70% of respondents agree that geographic challenges could limit a patient's access to proton facilities and 60% believe that additional support should be given to patients referred for PT care. Conclusions: Relevant differences exist among European countries in supporting patients referred to PT in their logistic and economic challenges. Further efforts should be made by HNSs and PT facilities to reduce the risk of inequities in access to cancer care with protons.</p

Meta-analysis of the detection of plant pigment concentrations using hyperspectral remotely sensed data

Passive optical hyperspectral remote sensing of plant pigments offers potential for understanding plant ecophysiological processes across a range of spatial scales. Following a number of decades of research in this field, this paper undertakes a systematic meta-analysis of 85 articles to determine whether passive optical hyperspectral remote sensing techniques are sufficiently well developed to quantify individual plant pigments, which operational solutions are available for wider plant science and the areas which now require greater focus. The findings indicate that predictive relationships are strong for all pigments at the leaf scale but these decrease and become more variable across pigment types at the canopy and landscape scales. At leaf scale it is clear that specific sets of optimal wavelengths can be recommended for operational methodologies: total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a quantification is based on reflectance in the green (550–560nm) and red edge (680–750nm) regions; chlorophyll b on the red, (630–660nm), red edge (670–710nm) and the near-infrared (800–810nm); carotenoids on the 500–580nm region; and anthocyanins on the green (550–560nm), red edge (700–710nm) and near-infrared (780–790nm). For total chlorophyll the optimal wavelengths are valid across canopy and landscape scales and there is some evidence that the same applies for chlorophyll a

Semantic Integration of Semistructured and Structured Data Sources

this paper is to describe the MOMIS [4, 5] (Mediator envirOnment for Multiple Information Sources) approach to the integration and query of multiple, heterogeneous information sources, containing structured and semistructured data. MOMIS has been conceived as a joint collaboration between University of Milano and Modena in the framework of the INTERDATA national research project, aiming at providing methods and tools for data management in Internet-based information systems. Like other integration projects [1, 10, 14], MOMIS follows a &quot;semantic approach&quot; to information integration based on the conceptual schema, or metadata, of the information sources, and on the following architectural elements: i) a common object-oriented data model, defined according to the ODL I 3 language, to describe source schemas for integration purposes. The data model and ODL I 3 have been defined in MOMIS as subset of the ODMG-93 ones, following the proposal for a standard mediator language developed by the

Issues in peer-to-peer electronic services (Extended abstract)

The wide diffusion of ICTs has unchained subsequent waves of expectations about how the new ways of communicating and ex- changing information and knowledge would affect inter-firm relation- ships, hopefully improving their performance. However, facts often down- sized expectations. Even the so called Web revolution did not solve above mentioned issues. In fact the adoption of Internet-based tools by many SMEs have still limited to the Internet access, e-mail and static company Web sites only. Today the new frontier is the adoption of peer-to-peer approach and semantic-based technologies such as semantic Web ser- vices and ontologies. However, a crucial node for the future development of peer-to-peer semantic networks is understanding if, and eventually how, software architectures based on those concepts can create economic value for all network members. This paper presents relevant issues in the provisioning of electronic services in peer-to-peer environments and proposes preliminary solutions under developing in the context of the NeP4B (Network Peers for Business) project

Influence of Plant Diversity on the Numerical Response of Eriopis connexa (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to Changes in Cereal Aphid Density in Wheat Crops

Cereal aphids cause economic injury to wheat crops. In Argentina, Eriopis connexa is an indigenous ladybird. In the present study, the numerical response of E. connexa to changes in aphid density on wheat crops with high and low plant diversity was investigated. The study was carried out in Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September to December 2007 and 2008, on two wheat crops with either a higher plant diversity (HPD) with refuge strips or a lower plant diversity (LPD) without refuge strips. Crops were sampled every week and the abundance of aphids and E. connexa was recorded. The dominant aphid species were Schizaphis graminum, Metopolophium dirhodum, and Sitobion avenae. Eriopis connexa showed a linear increase in the numerical response to an increase in aphid density, which varied in space and time. The abundance of E. connexa increased in relation to the crop development and aphid population and was higher in the HPD than in the LPD system. This predator increased its reproductive numerical response only in 2008, with a significant liner response in the HPD system. This suggests that the potential of E. connexa as a predator of cereal aphids also increases directly in proportion to landscape vegetal diversity