Ultrasonically facilitated adsorption of an azo dye onto nanostructures obtained from cellulosic wastes of broom and cooler straw.

PubMed

Safari, Mahdi; Khataee, Alireza; Darvishi Cheshmeh Soltani, Reza; Rezaee, Reza

2018-07-15

In the present work, ultrasonically facilitated adsorption (UFA) of a cationic dye [Basic Red 46 (BR46)] was examined using cellulosic nanostructures obtained from broom and cooler straw. Although the exclusive application of the nanostructured broom resulted in the 43.51% adsorption of BR46, the UFA process gave rise to the substantial removal efficiency of about 93%. In the case of the nanostructured straw, the efficiency was increased from 36.9% to 55.7%. The UFA process for both adsorbents reached the equilibrium within 60 min which was shorter than the time for the only adsorption. According to the values of the mean free energy (E), the decolorization via the UFA process applying broom (15.81 kJ/mol) and straw (11.18 kJ/mol) nanostructures was occurred chemically. An insignificant loss in the adsorption capacity of both adsorbents was observed after three regeneration tests by means of 0.05 M hydrochloric acid, indicating the good reusability potential of the as-synthesized cellulosic nanostructures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Along-track calibration of SWIR push-broom hyperspectral imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jemec, Jurij; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, Boštjan; Bürmen, Miran

2016-05-01

Push-broom hyperspectral imaging systems are increasingly used for various medical, agricultural and military purposes. The acquired images contain spectral information in every pixel of the imaged scene collecting additional information about the imaged scene compared to the classical RGB color imaging. Due to the misalignment and imperfections in the optical components comprising the push-broom hyperspectral imaging system, variable spectral and spatial misalignments and blur are present in the acquired images. To capture these distortions, a spatially and spectrally variant response function must be identified at each spatial and spectral position. In this study, we propose a procedure to characterize the variant response function of Short-Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) push-broom hyperspectral imaging systems in the across-track and along-track direction and remove its effect from the acquired images. A custom laser-machined spatial calibration targets are used for the characterization. The spatial and spectral variability of the response function in the across-track and along-track direction is modeled by a parametrized basis function. Finally, the characterization results are used to restore the distorted hyperspectral images in the across-track and along-track direction by a Richardson-Lucy deconvolution-based algorithm. The proposed calibration method in the across-track and along-track direction is thoroughly evaluated on images of targets with well-defined geometric properties. The results suggest that the proposed procedure is well suited for fast and accurate spatial calibration of push-broom hyperspectral imaging systems.

Center Stage: A Platform for the Discussion of Teaching/Learning Ideas. 1991-1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Heron, Paul, Ed.

1992-01-01

"Center Stage" is a monthly publication of Broome Community College (Binghamton, New York), sponsored by the Teaching Resources Center as a platform for the discussion of ideas about teaching and learning by Broome College faculty. The second volume (nine issues) of "Center Stage" includes the following articles: "Towards a Learning Community:…

Development of biomarkers and a diagnostic tool for investigation of coinfections by and interactions between potato purple top and potato witches’-broom phytoplasmas in tomato

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Columbia Basin potato purple top (PPT) phytoplasma and Alaska potato witches’-broom (PWB) phytoplasma are two closely-related but mutually distinct pathogenic bacteria that infect potato and other vegetable crops. Inhabiting phloem sieve elements and being transmitted by phloem-feeding insect vecto...

A Logical Framework for Distributed Data

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

A Logical Framework for Distributed Data lLl6ll1󈧆AH43 44592 -001-05-3301 A~UTHO(S RDT&E 44043-010-37 Paul Broome and Barbara Broome 1L162618AH80... 44592 -002-46-3702 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 3.PERFORMG ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER U. S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory ATTN

New Thermal Infrared Hyperspectral Imagers

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

involve imaging systems based on both MCT and microbolometer detector . All the systems base on push-broom imaging spectrograph with transmission grating...application requirements. The studies involve imaging systems based on both MCT and microbolometer detector . All the systems base on push-broom...remote sensing imager utilizes MCT detector combined with BMC-technique (background monitoring on-chip), background suppression and temperature

Draft Genome Sequence of a “Candidatus Liberibacter europaeus” Strain Assembled from Broom Psyllids (Arytainilla spartiophila) from New Zealand

PubMed Central

Thompson, Sarah M.; Kalamorz, Falk; David, Charles; Addison, Shea M.; Smith, Grant R.

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of “Candidatus Liberibacter europaeus” ASNZ1, assembled from broom psyllids (Arytainilla spartiophila) from New Zealand. The assembly comprises 15 contigs, with a total length of 1.33 Mb and a G+C content of 33.5%. PMID:29773636

Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link: Scotch broom

Treesearch

Susan E. Meyer

2008-01-01

The genus Cytisus comprises about 80 species native to Eurasia and North Africa. Many are cultivated as ornamentals, and several of these have become more or less naturalized in the United States, especially in California (Munz and Keck 1959). Scotch broom - C. scoparius (L.) Link - was planted extensively for erosion control during the first half of the century (Gill...

Post-establishment assessment of host plant specificity of Arytainilla spartiophila (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), an adventive biological control agent of Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius (Fabaceae), is a shrub native to Europe that is invasive in the USA, New Zealand and Australia. The psyllid Arytainilla spartiophila has been purposely introduced to Australia and New Zealand as a biological control agent of C. scoparius, but is an accidental introduc...

Impacts of the adventive psyllid Arytainilla spartiophila on growth of the invasive weed Cytisus scoparius under controlled and field conditions in California

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The post-release impact of weed biological control agents on their target weeds is rarely assessed. This study focuses on the impacts of the univoltine broom psyllid Arytainilla spartiophila Forster on the growth of its target weed, the invasive shrub Scotch broom Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link (Fabace...

The occurrence and frequency of Witches’ Broom Disease associated with Wild Cacao from the Upper Amazon of Peru

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Peruvian Amazon is within the center of origin and diversity for cacao (Theobroma cacao). One of the primary disease of cacao in Peru and Latin America is withes’ broom disease (WBD) caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of WBD in wild ca...

Chapter 7. Industrial timbering

Treesearch

Kurt F. Anschuetz; Thomas Merlan

2007-01-01

During their cadastral survey preceding confirmation of the Baca Location No. 1 (Baca Location) to Luis María Cabeza de Baca’s heirs in 1876, Daniel Sawyer and William H. McBroom noted that the grant “contained an abundance of pine and aspen timber” (Sawyer and McBroom 1876:14–15).

Phase 1 Development Report for the SESSA Toolkit

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

data acquisition, data management, and data analysis. SESSA was designed to meet forensic crime scene needs as defined by the DoD’s Military Criminal...on the design , functional attributes, algorithm development, system architecture, and software programming include: Robert Knowlton, Brad Melton...Building Restoration Operations Optimization Model (BROOM). BROOM (Knowlton et al., 2012) was designed for consequence management activities (e.g

Seed germination and seedling emergence of Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Treesearch

Timothy B. Harrington

2009-01-01

Scotch broom is a large, leguminous shrub that has invaded 27 U.S. states. The species produces seeds with a hard coat that remain viable in the soil for years. Growth-chamber studies were conducted to determine effects of temperature regime and cold-stratification period on seed germination. Seedling emergence, mortality, and biomass also were studied in response to...

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae’, a novel taxon associated with a witches’-broom disease of loofah, Luffa aegyptica Mill

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The phytoplasma associated with witches’ broom disease of loofah (Luffa aegyptica Mill., syn. L.uffa cylindrica (L.) M.J. Roem.) in Taiwan was classified in group 16SrVIII, subgroup A (16SrVIII-A), based on results from actual and in silico RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Nucleotide sequ...

The lilac cultivar Syringa ‘Charisma’ is a new host for ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’, the group 16SrIII, subgroup A, phytoplasma

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The lilac cultivar ‘Charisma’ (Syringa x prestoniae ‘Charisma’) was derived by the propagation of a witches’ broom cutting taken from the Preston Lilac ‘Royalty’ (Syringa x prestoniae ‘Royalty). Because lilac witches’ broom disease has previously been shown to be associated with infection by ‘Candi...

Use of Vegetable Fibers for PRB to Remove Heavy Metals from Contaminated Aquifers-Comparisons among Cabuya Fibers, Broom Fibers and ZVI.

PubMed

Mayacela Rojas, Celia Margarita; Rivera Velásquez, María Fernanda; Tavolaro, Adalgisa; Molinari, Antonio; Fallico, Carmine

2017-06-24

The Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) is the material most commonly used for permeable reactive barriers (PRB). For technical and economic reasons, hoter reactive substances usable in alternative to ZVI are investigated. The present study takes into account a vegetable fibers, the cabuya, investigating its capacity to retain heavy metals. The capacity of the cabuya fibers to adsorb heavy metals was verified in laboratory, by batch and column tests. The batch tests were carried out with cabuya and ZVI, using copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The results obtained by the cabuya fibers showed a very high adsorption capacity of heavy metals and resulted very similar to those obtained for the broom fibers in a previous study. The high value of the absorption capacity of the cabuya fibers was also confirmed by the analogous comparison made with the results of the batch tests carried out with ZVI. Column tests, using copper, zinc and cadmium, allowed to determine for the cabuya fibers the maximum removal percentage of the heavy metals considered, the corresponding times and the time ranges of the release phase. For each metal considered, for a given length and three different times, the constant of degradation of cabuya fibers was determined, obtaining values very close to those reported for broom fibers. The scalar behavior of heavy metal removal percentage was verified. An electron microscope analysis allowed to compare, by SEM images, the characteristics of the cabuya and broom fibers. Finally, to investigate the chemical structure of cabuya and broom fibers, the FTIR technique was used, obtaining their respective infrared spectra.

Use of Vegetable Fibers for PRB to Remove Heavy Metals from Contaminated Aquifers—Comparisons among Cabuya Fibers, Broom Fibers and ZVI

PubMed Central

Mayacela Rojas, Celia Margarita; Rivera Velásquez, María Fernanda; Tavolaro, Adalgisa; Molinari, Antonio; Fallico, Carmine

2017-01-01

The Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) is the material most commonly used for permeable reactive barriers (PRB). For technical and economic reasons, hoter reactive substances usable in alternative to ZVI are investigated. The present study takes into account a vegetable fibers, the cabuya, investigating its capacity to retain heavy metals. The capacity of the cabuya fibers to adsorb heavy metals was verified in laboratory, by batch and column tests. The batch tests were carried out with cabuya and ZVI, using copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The results obtained by the cabuya fibers showed a very high adsorption capacity of heavy metals and resulted very similar to those obtained for the broom fibers in a previous study. The high value of the absorption capacity of the cabuya fibers was also confirmed by the analogous comparison made with the results of the batch tests carried out with ZVI. Column tests, using copper, zinc and cadmium, allowed to determine for the cabuya fibers the maximum removal percentage of the heavy metals considered, the corresponding times and the time ranges of the release phase. For each metal considered, for a given length and three different times, the constant of degradation of cabuya fibers was determined, obtaining values very close to those reported for broom fibers. The scalar behavior of heavy metal removal percentage was verified. An electron microscope analysis allowed to compare, by SEM images, the characteristics of the cabuya and broom fibers. Finally, to investigate the chemical structure of cabuya and broom fibers, the FTIR technique was used, obtaining their respective infrared spectra. PMID:28672800

A Study of the Relationship between Attendance and Grades of Three Business Law Classes at Broome Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, William S.

In an effort to encourage the growth and maturity of its students, Broome Community College in New York abolished its attendance policy. For the past 7 years, both attendance rates and grade point averages (GPA's) of students at the college had been dropping. In 1990, a study was conducted at BCC to determine if there was a measurable relationship…

Push-Broom-Type Very High-Resolution Satellite Sensor Data Correction Using Combined Wavelet-Fourier and Multiscale Non-Local Means Filtering.

PubMed

Kang, Wonseok; Yu, Soohwan; Seo, Doochun; Jeong, Jaeheon; Paik, Joonki

2015-09-10

In very high-resolution (VHR) push-broom-type satellite sensor data, both destriping and denoising methods have become chronic problems and attracted major research advances in the remote sensing fields. Since the estimation of the original image from a noisy input is an ill-posed problem, a simple noise removal algorithm cannot preserve the radiometric integrity of satellite data. To solve these problems, we present a novel method to correct VHR data acquired by a push-broom-type sensor by combining wavelet-Fourier and multiscale non-local means (NLM) filters. After the wavelet-Fourier filter separates the stripe noise from the mixed noise in the wavelet low- and selected high-frequency sub-bands, random noise is removed using the multiscale NLM filter in both low- and high-frequency sub-bands without loss of image detail. The performance of the proposed method is compared to various existing methods on a set of push-broom-type sensor data acquired by Korean Multi-Purpose Satellite 3 (KOMPSAT-3) with severe stripe and random noise, and the results of the proposed method show significantly improved enhancement results over existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of both qualitative and quantitative assessments.

Push-Broom-Type Very High-Resolution Satellite Sensor Data Correction Using Combined Wavelet-Fourier and Multiscale Non-Local Means Filtering

PubMed Central

Kang, Wonseok; Yu, Soohwan; Seo, Doochun; Jeong, Jaeheon; Paik, Joonki

2015-01-01

In very high-resolution (VHR) push-broom-type satellite sensor data, both destriping and denoising methods have become chronic problems and attracted major research advances in the remote sensing fields. Since the estimation of the original image from a noisy input is an ill-posed problem, a simple noise removal algorithm cannot preserve the radiometric integrity of satellite data. To solve these problems, we present a novel method to correct VHR data acquired by a push-broom-type sensor by combining wavelet-Fourier and multiscale non-local means (NLM) filters. After the wavelet-Fourier filter separates the stripe noise from the mixed noise in the wavelet low- and selected high-frequency sub-bands, random noise is removed using the multiscale NLM filter in both low- and high-frequency sub-bands without loss of image detail. The performance of the proposed method is compared to various existing methods on a set of push-broom-type sensor data acquired by Korean Multi-Purpose Satellite 3 (KOMPSAT-3) with severe stripe and random noise, and the results of the proposed method show significantly improved enhancement results over existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of both qualitative and quantitative assessments. PMID:26378532

Discovery of a gall-forming midge, Asphondylia pilosa Kieffer (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), on Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link) Fabaceae)

Treesearch

George P. Markin; Carol J. Horning

2010-01-01

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius: (L.) Link), a native European perennial shrub, was introduced to the U.S. before the turn of the century as an ornamental for its bright yellow, pea-like flower. The plant found the western U.S. maritime zone to be an ideal habitat, thus it soon escaped from cultivation, and became an invasive weed now widely distributed from northern...

BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-10-01

BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington, DC 20059...DAMD17-98-1-8106 6. AUTHOR(S) Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Howard University REPORT... Howard University Women’s Health Institute, Washington DC, April, 1999. The Proceedings of Health Issues and Concerns of Women of Color: A Call to

Novel laser contact probe for periodontal treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Hisashi; Kataoka, Kenzo; Ishikawa, Isao

2001-04-01

Application of the erbium: YAG laser to periodontal treatment has been attempted and preferable results have been reported for calculus removal, vaporization of granulation tissue, periodontal pocket sterilization and so on. However, it has been difficult to reach and treat some conditions involving complex root morphology and furcated rots with conventional probes. The new broom probe was designed and tested to overcome these obstacles. The probe was made of 20 super-fine optical fibers bound into a broom shape. The experiments were carried out to evaluate the destructive power of a single fiber and to examine the morphology of tissue destruction and the accessibility to a bifurcated root of a human tooth using the broom probe. The Er:YAG laser prototype was used. A flat specimen plate was made by cutting the root of a cow tooth and then attached to an electrically operated table and irradiated under various conditions. The specimens were examined with both an optical and scanning electron microscope. The irradiated surfaces were also examined with a roughness meter. An irradiation applied with a single fiber with an energy level of 1 to 1.5 mJ at its tip results in a destruction depth of 3 to 24 micrometers . The optimum conditions for the fibers of this probe was 1.0 mJ at 10 pps and a scanning speed of 100 mm/min. No part of the tooth surface remained un-irradiated after using the broom probe to cover the surface 5 times parallel to the tooth axis and then five times at a 30 degree angle to the previous irradiation at a power of 20 mJ at 10 pps. Also curved and irregular surface were destroyed to a maximum depth of 19 micrometers . In conclusion, these results suggest that the broom probe would be applicable for periodontal laser treatments even if the tooth surface has a complex and irregular shape.

Information Resource Management in the DCSPLANS (Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans) Branch of the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-11-15

Richard E. Broome [Broome 1985], Major Robert M. DiBona [ DiBona 1985], Major Robert A. Kirsch II [Kirsch 1985], and Major Alan F. Noel, Jr. [Noel 1985...Major Kirsch expanded this prototype to be compatible with the emerging Federal standards for dictionary systems. Major DiBona analyzed data validation...described in [Noel 1985, Kirsch 1985]. The implementation of edit validation rules in a dictionary environment is covered in [ DiBona 1985] and implementation

Screening the phytoremediation potential of desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides Gray) growing on mine tailings in Arizona, USA

PubMed Central

Haque, Nazmul; Peralta-Videa, Jose R.; Jones, Gary L.; Gill, Thomas E.; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L.

2008-01-01

The metal concentrations in a copper mine tailings and Desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides Gray) plants were investigated. The metal concentrations in plants, soil cover, and tailings were determined using ICP-OES. The concentration of copper, lead, molybdenum, chromium, zinc, arsenic, nickel, and cobalt in tailings was 526.4, 207.4, 89.1, 84.5, 51.7, 49.6, 39.7, and 35.6 mg kg−1, respectively. The concentration of all elements in soil cover was 10~15% higher than that of the tailings, except for molybdenum. The concentration of copper, lead, molybdenum, chromium, zinc, arsenic, nickel, and cobalt in roots was 818.3, 151.9, 73.9, 57.1, 40.1, 44.6, 96.8, and 26.7 mg kg−1 and 1214.1, 107.3, 105.8, 105.5, 55.2, 36.9, 30.9, and 10.9 mg kg−1 for shoots, respectively. Considering the translocation factor, enrichment coefficient, and the accumulation factor, desert broom could be a potential hyperaccumulator of Cu, Pb, Cr, Zn, As, and Ni. PMID:17964035

An HDR imaging method with DTDI technology for push-broom cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wu; Han, Chengshan; Xue, Xucheng; Lv, Hengyi; Shi, Junxia; Hu, Changhong; Li, Xiangzhi; Fu, Yao; Jiang, Xiaonan; Huang, Liang; Han, Hongyin

2018-03-01

Conventionally, high dynamic-range (HDR) imaging is based on taking two or more pictures of the same scene with different exposure. However, due to a high-speed relative motion between the camera and the scene, it is hard for this technique to be applied to push-broom remote sensing cameras. For the sake of HDR imaging in push-broom remote sensing applications, the present paper proposes an innovative method which can generate HDR images without redundant image sensors or optical components. Specifically, this paper adopts an area array CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) with the digital domain time-delay-integration (DTDI) technology for imaging, instead of adopting more than one row of image sensors, thereby taking more than one picture with different exposure. And then a new HDR image by fusing two original images with a simple algorithm can be achieved. By conducting the experiment, the dynamic range (DR) of the image increases by 26.02 dB. The proposed method is proved to be effective and has potential in other imaging applications where there is a relative motion between the cameras and scenes.

L band push broom microwave radiometer: Soil moisture verification and time series experiment Delmarva Peninsula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, T. J.; Shiue, J.; Oneill, P.; Wang, J.; Fuchs, J.; Owe, M.

1984-01-01

The verification of a multi-sensor aircraft system developed to study soil moisture applications is discussed. This system consisted of a three beam push broom L band microwave radiometer, a thermal infrared scanner, a multispectral scanner, video and photographic cameras and an onboard navigational instrument. Ten flights were made of agricultural sites in Maryland and Delaware with little or no vegetation cover. Comparisons of aircraft and ground measurements showed that the system was reliable and consistent. Time series analysis of microwave and evaporation data showed a strong similarity that indicates a potential direction for future research.

Transformation with green fluorescent protein of Trichoderma harzianum 1051, a strain with biocontrol activity against Crinipellis perniciosa, the agent of witches'-broom disease of cocoa.

PubMed

Inglis, Peter W.; Queiroz, Paulo R.; Valadares-Inglis, M. Cléria

1999-04-01

A plasmid vector for fungal expression of an enhanced, red-shifted variant of the Aequoria victoriae green fluorescent protein was constructed by fusion of the EGFP gene to the highly expressed Aspergillus nidulans gpd promoter and the A. nidulans trpC terminator. This construction was introduced by cotransformation, using benomyl selection, into Trichoderma harzianum strain 1051, a strain being evaluated for the biological control of witches'-broom disease of cocoa caused by Crinipellis perniciosa. Epifluorescence microscopy was used to monitor germination and attachment of stable transformant conidia on the surface of C. perniciosa hyphae.

Impact of Sauropod Dinosaurs on Lagoonal Substrates in the Broome Sandstone (Lower Cretaceous), Western Australia

PubMed Central

Thulborn, Tony

2012-01-01

Existing knowledge of the tracks left by sauropod dinosaurs (loosely ‘brontosaurs’) is essentially two-dimensional, derived mainly from footprints exposed on bedding planes, but examples in the Broome Sandstone (Early Cretaceous) of Western Australia provide a complementary three-dimensional picture showing the extent to which walking sauropods could deform the ground beneath their feet. The patterns of deformation created by sauropods traversing thinly-stratified lagoonal deposits of the Broome Sandstone are unprecedented in their extent and structural complexity. The stacks of transmitted reliefs (underprints or ghost prints) beneath individual footfalls are nested into a hierarchy of deeper and more inclusive basins and troughs which eventually attain the size of minor tectonic features. Ultimately the sauropod track-makers deformed the substrate to such an extent that they remodelled the topography of the landscape they inhabited. Such patterns of substrate deformation are revealed by investigating fragmentary and eroded footprints, not by the conventional search for pristine footprints on intact bedding planes. For that reason it is not known whether similar patterns of substrate deformation might occur at sauropod track-sites elsewhere in the world. PMID:22662116

Diversity of endophytic fungal community of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) and biological control of Crinipellis perniciosa, causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

The basidiomycete fungus Crinipellis perniciosa (Stahel) Singer is the causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease of Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) which is the main factor limiting cacao production in the Americas. Pod losses of up to 90% are experienced in affected areas as evidenced by the 50% drop in production in Bahia province, Brazil following the arrival of the C. perniciosa in the area in 1989. The disease has proven particularly difficult to control and many farmers in affected areas have given up cacao cultivation. In order to evaluate the potential of endophytes as a biological control agent of this phytopathogen, the endophytic fungal community of resistant and susceptible cacao plants as well as affected branches was studied between 2001 and 2002. The fungal community was identified by morphological traits and rDNA sequencing as belonging to the genera Acremonium, Blastomyces, Botryosphaeria, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Cordyceps, Diaporthe, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Gibberella, Gliocladium, Lasiodiplodia, Monilochoetes, Nectria, Pestalotiopsis, Phomopsis, Pleurotus, Pseudofusarium, Rhizopycnis, Syncephalastrum, Trichoderma, Verticillium and Xylaria. These fungi were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo by their ability to inhibit C. perniciosa. Among these, some were identified as potential antagonists, but only one fungus (Gliocladium catenulatum) reduced the incidence of Witches' Broom Disease in cacao seedlings to 70%. PMID:15951847

Diversity of endophytic fungal community of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) and biological control of Crinipellis perniciosa, causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease.

PubMed

Rubini, Marciano R; Silva-Ribeiro, Rute T; Pomella, Alan W V; Maki, Cristina S; Araújo, Welington L; Dos Santos, Deise R; Azevedo, João L

2005-01-01

The basidiomycete fungus Crinipellis perniciosa (Stahel) Singer is the causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease of Cacao (Theobromacacao L.) which is the main factor limiting cacao production in the Americas. Pod losses of up to 90% are experienced in affected areas as evidenced by the 50% drop in production in Bahia province, Brazil following the arrival of the C. perniciosa in the area in 1989. The disease has proven particularly difficult to control and many farmers in affected areas have given up cacao cultivation. In order to evaluate the potential of endophytes as a biological control agent of this phytopathogen, the endophytic fungal community of resistant and susceptible cacao plants as well as affected branches was studied between 2001 and 2002. The fungal community was identified by morphological traits and rDNA sequencing as belonging to the genera Acremonium, Blastomyces, Botryosphaeria, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Cordyceps, Diaporthe, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Gibberella, Gliocladium, Lasiodiplodia, Monilochoetes, Nectria, Pestalotiopsis, Phomopsis, Pleurotus, Pseudofusarium, Rhizopycnis, Syncephalastrum, Trichoderma, Verticillium and Xylaria. These fungi were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo by their ability to inhibit C. perniciosa. Among these, some were identified as potential antagonists, but only one fungus (Gliocladium catenulatum) reduced the incidence of Witches' Broom Disease in cacao seedlings to 70%.

Biochemical changes during the development of witches' broom: the most important disease of cocoa in Brazil caused by Crinipellis perniciosa.

PubMed

Scarpari, L M; Meinhardt, L W; Mazzafera, P; Pomella, A W V; Schiavinato, M A; Cascardo, J C M; Pereira, G A G

2005-03-01

Witches' broom disease (WBD) is caused by the hemibiotrophic basidiomycete fungus Crinipellis perniciosa, which is one of the most important diseases of cocoa in the western hemisphere. In this study, the contents of soluble sugars, amino acids, alkaloids, ethylene, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, pigments, malondialdehyde (MDA), glycerol, and fatty acids were analysed in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) shoots during the infection and development of WBD. Alterations were observed in the content of soluble sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), asparagine and alkaloids (caffeine and theobromine), ethylene, and tannins. Ethylene and tannins increased prior to symptom development and declined with the death of the infected tissues. Furthermore, MDA and glycerol concentrations were higher in infected tissue than in the controls, while fatty acid composition changed in the infected tissues. Chlorophylls a and b were lower throughout the development of the disease while carotenoids and xanthophylls dropped in the infected tissue by the time of symptom development. These results show co-ordinated biochemical alterations in the infected tissues, indicating major stress responses with the production of ethylene. Ethylene levels are hypothesized to play a key role in broom development. Some of the other biochemical alterations are directly associated with ethylene synthesis and may be important for the modification of its effect on the infected tissues.

Snowpack, fire, and forest disturbance: interactions affect montane invasions by non-native shrubs.

PubMed

Stevens, Jens T; Latimer, Andrew M

2015-06-01

Montane regions worldwide have experienced relatively low plant invasion rates, a trend attributed to increased climatic severity, low rates of disturbance, and reduced propagule pressure relative to lowlands. Manipulative experiments at elevations above the invasive range of non-native species can clarify the relative contributions of these mechanisms to montane invasion resistance, yet such experiments are rare. Furthermore, global climate change and land use changes are expected to cause decreases in snowpack and increases in disturbance by fire and forest thinning in montane forests. We examined the importance of these factors in limiting montane invasions using a field transplant experiment above the invasive range of two non-native lowland shrubs, Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and Spanish broom (Spartium junceum), in the rain-snow transition zone of the Sierra Nevada of California. We tested the effects of canopy closure, prescribed fire, and winter snow depth on demographic transitions of each species. Establishment of both species was most likely at intermediate levels of canopy disturbance, but at this intermediate canopy level, snow depth had negative effects on winter survival of seedlings. We used matrix population models to show that an 86% reduction in winter snowfall would cause a 2.8-fold increase in population growth rates in Scotch broom and a 3.5-fold increase in Spanish broom. Fall prescribed fire increased germination rates, but decreased overall population growth rates by reducing plant survival. However, at longer fire return intervals, population recovery between fires is likely to keep growth rates high, especially under low snowpack conditions. Many treatment combinations had positive growth rates despite being above the current invasive range, indicating that propagule pressure, disturbance, and climate can all strongly affect plant invasions in montane regions. We conclude that projected reductions in winter snowpack and increases in forest disturbance are likely to increase the risk of invasion from lower elevations. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prediction of Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Resistance to Moniliophthora spp. Diseases via Genome-Wide Association Analysis and Genomic Selection.

PubMed

McElroy, Michel S; Navarro, Alberto J R; Mustiga, Guiliana; Stack, Conrad; Gezan, Salvador; Peña, Geover; Sarabia, Widem; Saquicela, Diego; Sotomayor, Ignacio; Douglas, Gavin M; Migicovsky, Zoë; Amores, Freddy; Tarqui, Omar; Myles, Sean; Motamayor, Juan C

2018-01-01

Cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) is a globally important crop, and its yield is severely restricted by disease. Two of the most damaging diseases, witches' broom disease (WBD) and frosty pod rot disease (FPRD), are caused by a pair of related fungi: Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri , respectively. Resistant cultivars are the most effective long-term strategy to address Moniliophthora diseases, but efficiently generating resistant and productive new cultivars will require robust methods for screening germplasm before field testing. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) provide two potential avenues for predicting the performance of new genotypes, potentially increasing the selection gain per unit time. To test the effectiveness of these two approaches, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and GS on three related populations of cacao in Ecuador genotyped with a 15K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray for three measures of WBD infection (vegetative broom, cushion broom, and chirimoya pod), one of FPRD (monilia pod) and two productivity traits (total fresh weight of pods and % healthy pods produced). GWAS yielded several SNPs associated with disease resistance in each population, but none were significantly correlated with the same trait in other populations. Genomic selection, using one population as a training set to estimate the phenotypes of the remaining two (composed of different families), varied among traits, from a mean prediction accuracy of 0.46 (vegetative broom) to 0.15 (monilia pod), and varied between training populations. Simulations demonstrated that selecting seedlings using GWAS markers alone generates no improvement over selecting at random, but that GS improves the selection process significantly. Our results suggest that the GWAS markers discovered here are not sufficiently predictive across diverse germplasm to be useful for MAS, but that using all markers in a GS framework holds substantial promise in accelerating disease-resistance in cacao.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms from Theobroma cacao expressed sequence tags associated with witches' broom disease in cacao.

PubMed

Lima, L S; Gramacho, K P; Carels, N; Novais, R; Gaiotto, F A; Lopes, U V; Gesteira, A S; Zaidan, H A; Cascardo, J C M; Pires, J L; Micheli, F

2009-07-14

In order to increase the efficiency of cacao tree resistance to witches' broom disease, which is caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa (Tricholomataceae), we looked for molecular markers that could help in the selection of resistant cacao genotypes. Among the different markers useful for developing marker-assisted selection, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) constitute the most common type of sequence difference between alleles and can be easily detected by in silico analysis from expressed sequence tag libraries. We report the first detection and analysis of SNPs from cacao-M. perniciosa interaction expressed sequence tags, using bioinformatics. Selection based on analysis of these SNPs should be useful for developing cacao varieties resistant to this devastating disease.

Soil, water and nutrient conservation in mountain farming systems: case-study from the Sikkim Himalaya.

PubMed

Sharma, E; Rai, S C; Sharma, R

2001-02-01

The Khanikhola watershed in Sikkim is agrarian with about 50% area under rain-fed agriculture representing the conditions of the middle mountains all over the Himalaya. The study was conducted to assess overland flow, soil loss and subsequent nutrient losses from different land uses in the watershed, and identify biotechnological inputs for management of mountain farming systems. Overland flow, soil and nutrient losses were very high from open agricultural (cropped) fields compared to other land uses, and more than 72% of nutrient losses were attributable to agriculture land use. Forests and large cardamom agroforestry conserved more soil compared to other land uses. Interventions, like cultivation of broom grass upon terrace risers, N2-fixing Albizia trees for maintenance of soil fertility and plantation of horticulture trees, have reduced the soil loss (by 22%). Soil and water conservation values (> 80%) of both large cardamom and broom grass were higher compared to other crops. Use of N2-fixing Albizia tree in large cardamom agroforestry and croplands contributed to soil fertility, and increased productivity and yield. Bio-composting of farm resources ensured increase in nutrient availability specially phosphorus in cropped areas. Agricultural practices in mountain areas should be strengthened with more agroforestry components, and cash crops like large cardamom and broom grass in agroforestry provide high economic return and are hydroecologically sustainable.

Joint Sandia/NIOSH exercise on aerosol contamination using the BROOM tool.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramsey, James L., Jr.; .); Melton, Brad

In February of 2005, a joint exercise involving Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was conducted in Albuquerque, NM. The SNL participants included the team developing the Building Restoration Operations and Optimization Model (BROOM), a software product developed to expedite sampling and data management activities applicable to facility restoration following a biological contamination event. Integrated data-collection, data-management, and visualization software improve the efficiency of cleanup, minimize facility downtime, and provide a transparent basis for reopening. The exercise was held at an SNL facility, the Coronado Club, a now-closed social club for Sandiamore » employees located on Kirtland Air Force Base. Both NIOSH and SNL had specific objectives for the exercise, and all objectives were met.« less

Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in eastern Broome and southeastern Chenango Counties, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heisig, Paul M.

2012-01-01

The hydrogeology of the valley-fill aquifer system along a 32-mile reach of the Susquehanna River valley and adjacent areas was evaluated in eastern Broome and southeastern Chenango Counties, New York. The surficial geology, inferred ice-marginal positions, and distribution of stratified-drift aquifers were mapped from existing data. Ice-marginal positions, which represent pauses in the retreat of glacial ice from the region, favored the accumulation of coarse-grained deposits whereas more steady or rapid ice retreat between these positions favored deposition of fine-grained lacustrine deposits with limited coarse-grained deposits at depth. Unconfined aquifers with thick saturated coarse-grained deposits are the most favorable settings for water-resource development, and three several-mile-long sections of valley were identified (mostly in Broome County) as potentially favorable: (1) the southernmost valley section, which extends from the New York–Pennsylvania border to about 1 mile north of South Windsor, (2) the valley section that rounds the west side of the umlaufberg (an isolated bedrock hill within a valley) north of Windsor, and (3) the east–west valley section at the Broome County–Chenango County border from Nineveh to East of Bettsburg (including the lower reach of the Cornell Brook valley). Fine-grained lacustrine deposits form extensive confining units between the unconfined areas, and the water-resource potential of confined aquifers is largely untested. Recharge, or replenishment, of these aquifers is dependent not only on infiltration of precipitation directly on unconfined aquifers, but perhaps more so from precipitation that falls in adjacent upland areas. Surface runoff and shallow groundwater from the valley walls flow downslope and recharge valley aquifers. Tributary streams that drain upland areas lose flow as they enter main valleys on permeable alluvial fans. This infiltrating water also recharges valley aquifers. Current (2012) use of water resources in the area is primarily through domestic wells, most of which are completed in fractured bedrock in upland areas. A few villages in the Susquehanna River valley have supply wells that draw water from beneath alluvial fans and near the Susquehanna River, which is a large potential source of water from induced infiltration.

3. Historic American Buildings Survey, Elmer R. Pearson, Photographer, 1968 ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. Historic American Buildings Survey, Elmer R. Pearson, Photographer, 1968 ELEVATION, LOOKING NORTHWEST. - Shaker Centre Family, Broom Shop, East side of Oxford Road, White Water Park, Hamilton County, OH

7 CFR 319.73-2 - Products prohibited importation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the fungus Hemileia vastatrix (Berkely and Broome), which causes an injurious rust disease, the..., seeds of all kinds when in pulp, including coffee berries or fruits, are prohibited importation into all...

Prevalence of Bowel Incontinence

MedlinePlus

... Urinary Incontinence in Adults. December 12, 2007. Drossman DA, Li Z, Andruzzi E, et al. U.S. Householder ... Rectum Vol. 41, No. 10 October 1998. Drossman DA, Sandler RS, Broom CM, et al. Urgency and ...

40 CFR 761.350 - Subsampling from composite samples.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-liter sample, stir the composite using a broom handle or similar long, narrow, sturdy rod that reaches the bottom of the container. Stir the mixture for a minimum of 10 complete revolutions of the stirring...

Microwave integrated circuit radiometer front-ends for the Push Broom Microwave Radiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrington, R. F.; Hearn, C. P.

1982-01-01

Microwave integrated circuit front-ends for the L-band, S-band and C-band stepped frequency null-balanced noise-injection Dicke-switched radiometer to be installed in the NASA Langley airborne prototype Push Broom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR) are described. These front-ends were developed for the fixed frequency of 1.413 GHz and the variable frequencies of 1.8-2.8 GHz and 3.8-5.8 GHz. Measurements of the noise temperature of these units were made at 55.8 C, and the results of these tests are given. While the overall performance was reasonable, improvements need to be made in circuit losses and noise temperatures, which in the case of the C-band were from 1000 to 1850 K instead of the 500 K specified. Further development of the prototypes is underway to improve performance and extend the frequency range.

Partial removal of correlated noise in thermal imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borel, Christoph C.; Cooke, Bradly J.; Laubscher, Bryan E.

1996-05-01

Correlated noise occurs in many imaging systems such as scanners and push-broom imagers. The sources of correlated noise can be from the detectors, pre-amplifiers and sampling circuits. Correlated noise appears as streaking along the scan direction of a scanner or in the along track direction of a push-broom imager. We have developed algorithms to simulate correlated noise and pre-filter to reduce the amount of streaking while not destroying the scene content. The pre-filter in the Fourier domain consists of the product of two filters. One filter models the correlated noise spectrum, the other is a windowing function, e.g. Gaussian or Hanning window with variable width to block high frequency noise away from the origin of the Fourier Transform of the image data. We have optimized the filter parameters for various scenes and find improvements of the RMS error of the original minus the pre-filtered noisy image.

Language disorders as a window on universal grammar: an abstract theory of agreement for IP, DP, and V-PP.

PubMed

Roeper, T; Ramos, E; Seymour, H; Abdul-Karim, L

2001-06-01

A new concept of Agreement (AGR) has been represented as a Formal Feature that can appear in a wide range of different configurations (Chomsky, 1998). A case study from language disorders supports and extends this abstract concept. The child shows no agreement in Inflectional Phrase me can and Determiner Phrase them eyes. We then extend the notion of AGR to include verb-Prepositional Phrase relations, where the child also systematically avoids certain prepositions (go beach). The analysis is supported by intuitional data from compounds (sweep with broom --> broom-swept). We also define a systematic notion of Possible deficit as a premature fixation of functional items which normally require additional Phi-features. The notion of Maximization of Formal Features then emerges as a significant feature of learnability from both a normal and disordered perspective. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Phylogeny of mycoplasmalike organisms (phytoplasmas): a basis for their classification.

PubMed Central

Gundersen, D E; Lee, I M; Rehner, S A; Davis, R E; Kingsbury, D T

1994-01-01

A global phylogenetic analysis using parsimony of 16S rRNA gene sequences from 46 mollicutes, 19 mycoplasmalike organisms (MLOs) (new trivial name, phytoplasmas), and several related bacteria placed the MLOs definitively among the members of the class Mollicutes and revealed that MLOs form a large discrete monophyletic clade, paraphyletic to the Acholeplasma species, within the Anaeroplasma clade. Within the MLO clade resolved in the global mollicutes phylogeny and a comprehensive MLO phylogeny derived by parsimony analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences from 30 diverse MLOs representative of nearly all known distinct MLO groups, five major phylogenetic groups with a total of 11 distinct subclades (monophyletic groups or taxa) could be recognized. These MLO subclades (roman numerals) and designated type strains were as follows: i, Maryland aster yellows AY1; ii, apple proliferation AP-A; iii, peanut witches'-broom PnWB; iv, Canada peach X CX; v, rice yellow dwarf RYD; vi, pigeon pea witches'-broom PPWB; vii, palm lethal yellowing LY; viii, ash yellows AshY; ix, clover proliferation CP; x, elm yellows EY; and xi, loofah witches'-broom LfWB. The designations of subclades and their phylogenetic positions within the MLO clade were supported by a congruent phylogeny derived by parsimony analyses of ribosomal protein L22 gene sequences from most representative MLOs. On the basis of the phylogenies inferred in the present study, we propose that MLOs should be represented taxonomically at the minimal level of genus and that each phylogenetically distinct MLO subclade identified should represent at least a distinct species under this new genus. Images PMID:8071198

Genes differentially expressed in Theobroma cacao associated with resistance to witches' broom disease caused by Crinipellis perniciosa.

PubMed

Leal, Gildemberg Amorim; Albuquerque, Paulo S B; Figueira, Antonio

2007-05-01

SUMMARY The basidiomycete Crinipellis perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease of Theobroma cacao (cocoa). Hypertrophic growth of infected buds ('brooms') is the most dramatic symptom, but the main economic losses derive from pod infection. To identify cocoa genes differentially expressed during the early stages of infection, two cDNA libraries were constructed using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach. Subtraction hybridization was conducted between cDNAs from infected shoot-tips of the susceptible genotype 'ICS 39' and the resistant 'CAB 214', in both directions. A total of 187 unique sequences were obtained, with 83 from the library enriched for the susceptible 'ICS 39' sequences, and 104 for the resistant 'CAB 214'. By homology search and ontology analyses, the identified sequences were mainly putatively categorized as belonging to 'signal transduction', 'response to biotic and abiotic stress', 'metabolism', 'RNA and DNA metabolism', 'protein metabolism' and 'cellular maintenance' classes. Quantitative reverse transcription amplification (RT-qPCR) of 23 transcripts identified as differentially expressed between genotypes revealed distinct kinetics of gene up-regulation at the asymptomatic stage of the disease. Expression induction in the susceptible 'ICS 39' in response to C. perniciosa was delayed and limited, while in 'CAB 214' there was a quicker and more intense reaction, with two peaks of gene induction at 48 and 120 h after inoculation, corresponding to morphological and biochemical changes previously described during colonization. Similar differences in gene induction were validated for another resistant genotype ('CAB 208') in an independent experiment. Validation of these genes corroborated similar hypothetical mechanisms of resistance described in other pathosystems.

40 CFR 761.353 - Second level of sample selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... contents. (2) Second mixing option. Use a sturdy stirring rod, such as a broom handle or other device that reaches the bottom of the container, to stir the waste for a minimum of 10 complete revolutions around the...

On the Local Maxima of a Constrained Quadratic Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhowmik, Jahar L.

2006-01-01

This note presents a brief and partial review of the work of Broom, Cannings and Vickers [1]. It also presents some simple examples of an extension of the their formalism to non-symmetric matrices. (Contains 1 figure.)

Texturing of concrete pavements : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-08-01

During the month of June, 1973, the plastic concrete surface of a section of Interstate 10 in the Baton Rouge area was textured using several different texturing techniques, such as burlap drag, brooms and metal tines. The purpose of this experimenta...

New records of truffle fungi (Basidiomycetes) from Turkey

Treesearch

Aziz Turkoglu; Michael Angelo Castellano

2013-01-01

We report the first records of 5 truffle taxa in Turkey: Gymnomyces xanthosporus (Hawker) A.H.Sm., Hymenogaster griseus Vittad., Hymenogaster olivaceous Vittad., Hymenogaster thwaitesii Berk. & Broome, and Hymenogaster vulgaris Tul. & C.Tul. We also report a new...

Technician Program Uses Advanced Instruments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stinson, Stephen

1981-01-01

Describes various aspects of a newly-developed computer-assisted drafting/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) facility in the chemical engineering technology department at Broome Community College, Binghamton, New York. Stresses the use of new instruments such as microcomputers and microprocessor-equipped instruments. (CS)

New records of some Ascomycete truffle fungi from Turkey

Treesearch

Aziz TÜRKOÐLU; Michael Angelo CASTELLANO

2014-01-01

We report the first records of 6 Ascomycete truffle taxa in Turkey: Genea verrucosa Vittad., Genea klotzschii Berk. & Broome, Stephensia bombycina (Vittad.) Tul. & C.Tul., Terfezia olbiensis Tul. & C.Tul., Tuber excavatum Vittad., and Tuber rufum Pico. We also...

Small mammal herbivory: Feedbacks that help maintain desertified ecosystems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We tested the hypothesis that herbivores contribute to feedbacks maintaining arid ecosystems in a degraded state. We studied small mammal herbivory on a subshrub, broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), and perennial grasses at three sites: (1) ungrazed black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grassland; (...

Impacts of the Psyllid Arytinnis hakani (Homoptera: Psyllidae) on Invasive French Broom in Relation to Plant Size and Psyllid Density.

PubMed

Hogg, Brian N; Moran, Patrick J; Smith, Lincoln

2017-06-01

The impacts of weed biological control agents may vary with plant ontogeny. As plants grow, structural and chemical changes can alter plant resistance, which may reduce herbivory via chemical or structural defenses, and plant tolerance, which may enable plants to maintain fitness despite attack. Resistance and tolerance generally increase as plants grow. Nonetheless, prerelease tests of agent efficacy often overlook plant ontogeny. Here, we assess the performance and impacts of a candidate biocontrol agent, the psyllid Arytinnis hakani (Loginova), in relation to the age of its host plant, the invasive shrub French broom, Genista monspessulana. We also examined whether the psyllid can consistently kill plants when its densities are sufficiently high. Survival of psyllids to adulthood and the timing of adult emergence did not differ between plant sizes, indicating that performance of nymphs was not influenced by plant size. However, adult psyllid survival was reduced on small plants, suggesting that nymphs and adults responded differently to ontogenetic changes in plant quality. Psyllids affected the growth of small and large plants similarly; all measured plant growth parameters were lower in the presence of psyllids regardless of plant size. In a separate experiment, effects on plant survival depended on psyllid density, as higher realized densities of ∼9 psyllids per cm stem length were necessary to consistently kill plants. Thus, results suggest that the psyllid would be equally effective on a range of plant sizes, particularly at high densities, and show the potential of the psyllid to help control French broom in California. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Optical MEMS for Earth observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liotard, Arnaud; Viard, Thierry; Noell, Wilfried; Zamkotsian, Frédéric; Freire, Marco; Guldimann, Benedikt; Kraft, Stefan

2017-11-01

Due to the relatively large number of optical Earth Observation missions at ESA, this area is interesting for new space technology developments. In addition to their compactness, scalability and specific task customization, optical MEMS could generate new functions not available with current technologies and are thus candidates for the design of future space instruments. Most mature components for space applications are the digital mirror arrays, the micro-deformable mirrors, the programmable micro diffraction gratings and tiltable micromirrors. A first selection of market-pull and techno-push concepts is done. In addition, some concepts are coming from outside Earth Observation. Finally two concepts are more deeply analyzed. The first concept is a programmable slit for straylight control for space spectro-imagers. This instrument is a push-broom spectroimager for which some images cannot be exploited because of bright sources in the field-of-view. The proposed concept consists in replacing the current entrance spectrometer slit by an active row of micro-mirrors. The MEMS will permit to dynamically remove the bright sources and then to obtain a field-of-view with an optically enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. The second concept is a push-broom imager for which the acquired spectrum can be tuned by optical MEMS. This system is composed of two diffractive elements and a digital mirror array. The first diffractive element spreads the spectrum. A micromirror array is set at the location of the spectral focal plane. By putting the micro-mirrors ON or OFF, we can select parts of field-of-view or spectrum. The second diffractive element then recombines the light on a push-broom detector. Dichroics filters, strip filter, band-pass filter could be replaced by a unique instrument.

Study of the adsorption of mercury (II) on lignocellulosic materials under static and dynamic conditions.

PubMed

Arias Arias, Fabian E; Beneduci, Amerigo; Chidichimo, Francesco; Furia, Emilia; Straface, Salvatore

2017-08-01

WHO has declared mercury as one of the most dangerous pollutants for human health. Unfortunately, several cases of rivers and aquifers contaminated by mercury inevitably poses the problem on how to remediate them. Considerable efforts are being addressed to develop cost-effective methodologies, among which the use of low-cost adsorbing materials. In this paper, the adsorption performances of an alternative lignocellulosic material derived from the Spanish broom plant, are presented. This plant is widely diffused in the world and its usage for Hg(II) removal from water in real working conditions requires only minimal pretreatment steps. A thoroughly investigation on the kinetics and thermodynamics of Hg(II) adsorption on Spanish broom is presented, by using Hg(II) polluted aqueous solutions specifically prepared in order to simulate typical groundwater conditions. Several batch experiments, under static conditions, were carried out in order to evaluate the effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, temperature. A maximum adsorption capacity of 20 mg L -1 can be obtained at pH 5, following a pseudo second order kinetics. Moreover, adsorption experiments in dynamic conditions were carried out using Spanish broom filters. Interestingly, a systematic, unconventional double S-shape breakthrough curve was observed under different experimental conditions, revealing the occurrence of two adsorption processes with different time scales. This behavior has been fitted by a bimodal Thomas model which, unlike the single Thomas fitting, gives satisfactory results with the introduction of a new parameter related to the fraction of surface active sites involved in the adsorption processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imaging from AN Unmanned Aircraft System (uas) - Geometric Processingworkflow and Accuracy Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, D.; Lucieer, A.; McCabe, M.; Parkes, S.; Clarke, I.

2017-08-01

In this study, we assess two push broom hyperspectral sensors as carried by small (10-15 kg) multi-rotor Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). We used a Headwall Photonics micro-Hyperspec push broom sensor with 324 spectral bands (4-5 nm FWHM) and a Headwall Photonics nano-Hyperspec sensor with 270 spectral bands (6 nm FWHM) both in the VNIR spectral range (400-1000 nm). A gimbal was used to stabilise the sensors in relation to the aircraft flight dynamics, and for the micro-Hyperspec a tightly coupled dual frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and Machine Vision Camera (MVC) were used for attitude and position determination. For the nano-Hyperspec, a navigation grade GNSS system and IMU provided position and attitude data. This study presents the geometric results of one flight over a grass oval on which a dense Ground Control Point (GCP) network was deployed. The aim being to ascertain the geometric accuracy achievable with the system. Using the PARGE software package (ReSe - Remote Sensing Applications) we ortho-rectify the push broom hyperspectral image strips and then quantify the accuracy of the ortho-rectification by using the GCPs as check points. The orientation (roll, pitch, and yaw) of the sensor is measured by the IMU. Alternatively imagery from a MVC running at 15 Hz, with accurate camera position data can be processed with Structure from Motion (SfM) software to obtain an estimated camera orientation. In this study, we look at which of these data sources will yield a flight strip with the highest geometric accuracy.

China Report, Agriculture, No. 266

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-27

help all municipalities and counties get started on the struggle against drought. This stora relea Prefe irrig trict have speci di str ...the market? Answer: Excluding naked oats, broom corn millet, big peas, mung beans, and :: red beans, all the other food grains other than wheat and

76 FR 55721 - New York Disaster #NY-00108

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-08

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [Disaster Declaration 12776 and 12777] New York Disaster NY-00108... declaration of a major disaster for the State of New York (FEMA-4020-DR), dated 08/31/2011. Incident... Loans Only): New York: Broome, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, Orange...

Breeding for disease resistance in cacao

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cacao production must increase in order to meet the projected rise in the demand for chocolate. Approximately one-third of global production is lost annually to diseases and insects. Four diseases account for the greatest losses worldwide: black pod, caused by four Phytophthora spp; witches’ broom...

Cacao diseases: A history of old enemies and new encounters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This book reviews the current knowledge of cacao pathogens and their management methods. Topics discussed include the history, biology, and genetic diversity of Moniliophthora (causing witches’ broom and frosty pod rot) and Phytophthora species (causing black pod rot) that cause diseases resulting i...

Breaking Waves, Langmuir Circulation and Bubbles in the Mixed Layer

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-30

Langmuir circulation, derived from the acoustical imaging and is also in accord with predictions of Li et al., (1995) and Gnanadesikan , (1996), who...Structure of Langmuir Circulation. IUTAM Symposium - Physical Limnology, Broome,Australia, Sept. 10-14, 1995 Gnanadesikan , A., 1996: Mixing driven

Working with grocers to reduce dietary sodium: lessons learned from the Broome County Sodium Reduction in Communities pilot project.

PubMed

Johnston, Yvonne A; McFadden, Mary; Lamphere, Marissa; Buch, Karen; Stark, Beth; Salton, Judith Lynn

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe implementation of and lessons learned from the Broome County Sodium Reduction in Communities grocery store initiative. This pilot project was conducted in collaboration with a regional supermarket chain and endeavored to develop population-based strategies for reducing sodium intake. Key interventions included marketing strategies, taste test demonstrations, and a public media campaign. Project staff worked closely with corporate registered dietitian nutritionists, a nutrition specialist, and an advertising agency in its development and implementation. A social marketing approach was used to educate consumers about the hidden sources of dietary sodium, to raise awareness of the adverse health effects of excess sodium intake, to encourage consumers to read food labels, and to urge them to purchase food items lower in sodium. The lessons learned from this experience may be of assistance to other communities that seek to implement similar sodium-reduction strategies in the grocery store environment.

A unique virulence factor for proliferation and dwarfism in plants identified from a phytopathogenic bacterium

PubMed Central

Hoshi, Ayaka; Oshima, Kenro; Kakizawa, Shigeyuki; Ishii, Yoshiko; Ozeki, Johji; Hashimoto, Masayoshi; Komatsu, Ken; Kagiwada, Satoshi; Yamaji, Yasuyuki; Namba, Shigetou

2009-01-01

One of the most important themes in agricultural science is the identification of virulence factors involved in plant disease. Here, we show that a single virulence factor, tengu-su inducer (TENGU), induces witches' broom and dwarfism and is a small secreted protein of the plant-pathogenic bacterium, phytoplasma. When tengu was expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, these plants showed symptoms of witches' broom and dwarfism, which are typical of phytoplasma infection. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing tengu exhibited similar symptoms, confirming the effects of tengu expression on plants. Although the localization of phytoplasma was restricted to the phloem, TENGU protein was detected in apical buds by immunohistochemical analysis, suggesting that TENGU was transported from the phloem to other cells. Microarray analyses showed that auxin-responsive genes were significantly down-regulated in the tengu-transgenic plants compared with GUS-transgenic control plants. These results suggest that TENGU inhibits auxin-related pathways, thereby affecting plant development. PMID:19329488

The causal agents of witches' broom and frosty pod rot of cacao (chocolate, Theobroma cacao) form a new lineage of Marasmiaceae.

PubMed

Aime, M C; Phillips-Mora, W

2005-01-01

The two most devastating diseases of cacao (Theobroma cacao)--the source of chocolate--in tropical America are caused by the fungi Crinipellis perniciosa (witches' broom disease) and Moniliophthora roreri (frosty pod rot or moniliasis disease). Despite the agricultural, socio-economic and environmental impact of these fungi, most aspects of their life cycles are unknown, and the phylogenetic relationships of M. roreri have yet to be conclusively established. In this paper, extensive phylogenetic analyses of five nuclear gene regions (28S rDNA, 18S rDNA, ITS, RPB1, and EF1-alpha) confirm that C. perniciosa and M. roreri are sister taxa that belong in the Marasmiaceae (euagarics). Furthermore, these taxa form part of a separate and distinct lineage within the family. This lineage includes the biotrophic fungi Moniliophthora perniciosa comb. nov. and M. roreri, as well as one undescribed endophytic species. The sister genera to Moniliophthora are Marasmius, Crinipellis and Chaetocalathus, which consist mainly of saprotrophic litter fungi.

A novel scene-based non-uniformity correction method for SWIR push-broom hyperspectral sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Bin-Lin; Hao, Shi-Jing; Sun, De-Xin; Liu, Yin-Nian

2017-09-01

A novel scene-based non-uniformity correction (NUC) method for short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) push-broom hyperspectral sensors is proposed and evaluated. This method relies on the assumption that for each band there will be ground objects with similar reflectance to form uniform regions when a sufficient number of scanning lines are acquired. The uniform regions are extracted automatically through a sorting algorithm, and are used to compute the corresponding NUC coefficients. SWIR hyperspectral data from airborne experiment are used to verify and evaluate the proposed method, and results show that stripes in the scenes have been well corrected without any significant information loss, and the non-uniformity is less than 0.5%. In addition, the proposed method is compared to two other regular methods, and they are evaluated based on their adaptability to the various scenes, non-uniformity, roughness and spectral fidelity. It turns out that the proposed method shows strong adaptability, high accuracy and efficiency.

76 FR 59177 - New York Disaster #NY-00110

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-23

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [Disaster Declaration 12824 and 12825] New York Disaster NY-00110... declaration of a major disaster for the State of New York (FEMA-4031-DR), dated 09/13/2011. Incident: Remnants... Loans): Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga. Contiguous Counties (Economic Injury Loans Only): New...

3-D surface scan of biological samples with a push-broom imaging spectrometer

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The food industry is always on the lookout for sensing technologies for rapid and nondestructive inspection of food products. Hyperspectral imaging technology integrates both imaging and spectroscopy into unique imaging sensors. Its application for food safety and quality inspection has made signifi...

31. INTERIOR OF ORIGINAL SIDEENTRY UTILITY ROOM FROM KITCHEN DOOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

31. INTERIOR OF ORIGINAL SIDE-ENTRY UTILITY ROOM FROM KITCHEN DOOR SHOWING OPEN BROOM CLOSET DOOR AT PHOTO RIGHT AND DOORWAY INTO STORM PORCH ADDITION AT PHOTO LEFT. VIEW TO SOUTHWEST. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Clubhouse Cottage, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA

LISK-BROOM: A laser concept for clearing space junk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phipps, Claude

1994-10-01

A mathematical model predicts the economical effectiveness of using powerful laser beams for cleaning space junk. The propelling force comes from the ablation caused by repetitive laser pulses. Lasers will use Earth-based power to de-orbit waste objects in cooperation with observatory telescopes. (AIP)

27 CFR 555.215 - Housekeeping.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... EXPLOSIVES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EXPLOSIVES COMMERCE IN EXPLOSIVES Storage § 555.215 Housekeeping. Magazines... are to be regularly swept. Brooms and other utensils used in the cleaning and maintenance of magazines must have no spark-producing metal parts, and may be kept in magazines. Floors stained by leakage from...

The Mitochondrial Genome of Moniliophthora roreri, the frosty pod rot pathogen of cacao

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Moniliophthora roreri and Moniliophthora perniciosa are closely related basidiomycetes that cause two important diseases in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.): frosty pod rot and the witches' broom disease, respectively. A comparison of the complete mitochondrial genomes of these pathogens shows a high degr...

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, PHOTOCOPY OF PHOTOGRAPH IN BINGHAMTON, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, PHOTOCOPY OF PHOTOGRAPH IN BINGHAMTON, ILLUSTRATED, PUBLISHED IN 9 PARTS H. R. PAGE & CO.: 1890, PART I 'BINGHAMTON STATE HOSPITAL' (NO PAGE INDICATION, AUTHOR, OR PLACE OF PUBLICATION). - New York State Inebriate Asylum, 425 Robinson Street, Binghamton, Broome County, NY

Pruning high-value Douglas-fir can reduce dwarf mistletoe severity and increase longevity in central Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maffei, Helen M; Filip, Gregory M; Gruelke, Nancy E; Oblinger, Brent W; Margolis, Ellis; Chadwick, Kristen L

2016-01-01

Mid- to very large-sized Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menzieseii var. menziesii) that were lightly- to moderately-infected by dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium douglasii) were analyzed over a 14-year period to evaluate whether mechanical pruning could eradicate mistletoe (or at least delay the onset of severe infection) without significantly affecting tree vitality and by inference, longevity. Immediate and longterm pruning effects on mistletoe infection severity were assessed by comparing pruned trees (n = 173) to unpruned trees (n = 55) with respect to: (1) percentage of trees with no visible infections 14 years post-pruning, (2) Broom Volume Rating (BVR), and (3) rate of BVR increase 14 years postpruning. Vitality/longevity (compared with unpruned trees) was assessed using six indicators: (1) tree survival, (2) the development of severe infections, (3) the development of dead tops, (4) tree-ring width indices, (5) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from high-resolution multi-spectral imagery, and (6) live-crown ratio (LCR) and increment. Twenty-four percent of the pruned trees remained free of mistletoe 14 years post-pruning. Pruning is most likely to successfully eradicate mistletoe in lightly infected trees (BVR 1 or 2) without infected neighbors. Pruning significantly decreased mean BVR in the pruned versus the unpruned trees. However, the subsequent average rate of intensification (1.3–1.5 BVR per decade) was not affected, implying that a single pruning provides ~14 years respite in the progression of infection levels. Post-pruning infection intensification was slower on dominant and co-dominants than on intermediate or suppressed trees. The success of mistletoe eradication via pruning and need for follow-up pruning should be evaluated no sooner than 14 years after pruning to allow for the development of detectable brooms. Based on six indicators, foliage from witches brooms contribute little to long-term tree vitality since removal appears to have little effect on resources available for tree growth and maintenance. In the severely pruned trees, tree-ring width was reduced for several years post-pruning, but then compensated with larger ring width in later years. Both NDVI and LCR increment were significantly higher for the pruned trees than the control trees, while the development of severe infections and/or dead tops was significantly (5X and 3X) higher for the controls. If possible, multiple indicators of tree vitality should be evaluated. Pruning can be worthwhile even if all the mistletoe is not removed, because mistletoe intensification is delayed. The impact of removing the brooms seems to be minimal, and post-pruning crowns had greater NDVI values.

Phytoplasma-host interactions: tomato gibberellin homeostasis and its role in defense against potato purple top phytoplasma infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytoplasmas are cell wall-less bacteria that parasitize plant phloem sieve cells and cause numerous diseases in diverse plant species. Plants infected by phytoplasmas often exhibit symptoms such as general stunting, excessive shoot proliferation, witches’-broom growth, rapid senescence, and a...

Association mapping of fruit, seed and disease resistance traits in Theobroma cacao L

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An association mapping approach was employed to find markers for color, size, girth and mass of fruits; seed number and butterfat content; and resistance to black pod and witches’ broom diseases in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Ninety-five microsatellites (SSRs) and 775 single nucleotide polymorphisms...

Status of biological control projects on yellow starthistle, Russian thistle, Scotch thistle, Cape-ivy and French broom

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The USDA-ARS quarantine laboratory in Albany, CA, in cooperation with foreign scientists, is currently developing classical biological control agents for five species of invasive alien terrestrial weeds. Host specificity testing of the yellow starthistle rosette weevil, Ceratapion basicorne, indica...

78 FR 49752 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Revocations and Terminations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

... valid bond. License No.: 018392F. Name: Broom U.S.A., Inc. dba Transcontinental Logistics Neutral 3PL... valid bond. License No.: 018461F. Name: Select Aircargo Services, Inc. dba PAC International Logistics... valid bond. License No.: 019608N. Name: United Logistics (LAX) Inc. Address: 13079 Artesia Blvd., Suite...

More Than Pushing a Broom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, James E.

1976-01-01

A course in building maintenance (at the Voc Tech Department of Pensacola Junior College, Florida) teaches students to maintain, repair, and rework existing facilities under the CETA program. The daily schedule includes one hour of classroom work covering related academic subjects and five hours spent working on a variety of projects. (LH)

Gatherers, practices, and livelihodd roles of non-timber forest products

Treesearch

Marla R. Emery; Marla R. Emery

2001-01-01

Gathering plant material for food, medicine, and utilitarian items was the original relationship between human beings and forests. Even today, people throughout the world turn to forests and associated open lands to feed and heal themselves and find materials for things such as baskets and brooms.

The Future Workforce: Its Characteristics and Employment Barriers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boselli, John; Bok, Marilyn A., Ed.

This report examines the potential pool of workers in nine rural New York and Pennsylvania counties, the characteristics of this labor pool, and barriers that make it difficult for these individuals to enter the workplace. The counties studied make up the southern tier of New York State (Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins…

Impacts of the psyllid Arytinnis hakani on invasive French broom in relation to plant size and psyllid density

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The performance and impacts of weed biological control agents may vary with plant ontogeny. As plants grow, profound structural and chemical changes can alter plant resistance, which may reduce herbivory via chemical or structural defenses, and plant tolerance, which may enable plants to maintain fi...

'Candidatus Phytoplasma sudamericanum' a novel taxon from diseased passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Symptoms of abnormal proliferation of shoots resulting in formation of witches’ broom growths were observed in diseased plants of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.) in Brazil. RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified in polymerase chain reactions containing template DNAs...

Toward The identification Of candidate genes involved in black pod disease resistance in Theobroma cacao L.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing yield, quality and disease resistance are important objectives for cacao breeding programs. Some of the diseases, such as black pod rot (Phytophtora spp), frosty pod (Moniliophthora roreri) and witches’ broom (M. perniciosa), produce significant losses in all or in some of the various pro...

A Short History of Divorce: Jumping the Broom--And Back Again.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Randal D.; Hook, Daniel

1987-01-01

Describes ancient informal marriage ceremonies and informal forms of divorce. Shows how the definition and manner of divorce have changed throughout history and how the control of divorce has moved from personal decision to community policy, to state/church issue, back to local community, and finally back to personal decision. (NB)

Defense Integrated Materiel Management Manual for Consumable Items

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

GSA 7830 Recreational and Gymnastic Equipment GSA A-1-14 DoD 4140.26-K 7910 Floor Polishers and Vacuum Cleaning Equipment GSA 7920 Brooms, Brushes, Mops... Artists ’ Brushes GSA 8030 Preservative and Sealing Compounds GSA 8040 Adhesives GSA 8105 Bags and Sacks GSA 8110 Drums and Cans DGSC 8115 Boxes, Cartons

17. Detail view of ceiling and beams on third floor ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

17. Detail view of ceiling and beams on third floor of south section of mill. Note the broom attached to the ceiling, which was used to sweep the leather belts used for power transmission, and the bearing pads bolted to the ceiling as well. - Lowe Mill, Eighth Avenue, Southwest, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Broom Closet or Fish Bowl? An Ethnographic Exploration of a University Queer Center and Oneself

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teman, Eric D.; Lahman, Maria K. E.

2012-01-01

The authors detail an educational ethnography of a university queer cultural center's role on campus and in the surrounding community. The data include participant observation, in-depth interviews, and artifacts. The authors review lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, ally, and questioning (LGBTAQ) issues in higher education, heterosexual…

78 FR 61451 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for the Taylor...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-03

...). The Taylor's checkerspot butterfly was originally described by W.H. Edwards (1888) from specimens... and modified by encroaching trees, nonnative grasses, and the invasive, nonnative shrub Scot's broom... maintained as, grass and forb vegetation (for details, see 77 FR 61938; October 11, 2012). In British...

49 CFR 214.505 - Required environmental control and protection systems for new on-track roadway maintenance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... brooms; (4) Rotary scarifiers; (5) Undercutters; and (6) Functional equivalents of any of the machines... types identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto...) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto. The list shall be kept current and made...

49 CFR 214.505 - Required environmental control and protection systems for new on-track roadway maintenance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... brooms; (4) Rotary scarifiers; (5) Undercutters; and (6) Functional equivalents of any of the machines... types identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto...) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto. The list shall be kept current and made...

49 CFR 214.505 - Required environmental control and protection systems for new on-track roadway maintenance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... brooms; (4) Rotary scarifiers; (5) Undercutters; and (6) Functional equivalents of any of the machines... types identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto...) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto. The list shall be kept current and made...

49 CFR 214.505 - Required environmental control and protection systems for new on-track roadway maintenance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... brooms; (4) Rotary scarifiers; (5) Undercutters; and (6) Functional equivalents of any of the machines... types identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto...) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto. The list shall be kept current and made...

49 CFR 214.505 - Required environmental control and protection systems for new on-track roadway maintenance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... brooms; (4) Rotary scarifiers; (5) Undercutters; and (6) Functional equivalents of any of the machines... types identified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto...) of this section, or functionally equivalent thereto. The list shall be kept current and made...

77 FR 76027 - PowerWheel Associates; Notice of Termination of Exemption by Implied Surrender and Soliciting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-26

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 12119-000] PowerWheel... Initiated: November 20, 2012. d. Exemptee: PowerWheel Associates. e. Name and Location of Project: The... Contact Information: Mr. Kenneth R. Broome, PowerWheel Associates, 100 Rocky Creek Road, Woodside, CA...

The Proving Grounds: School "Rheeform" in Washington, D.C.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dingerson, Leigh

2010-01-01

Washington, D.C., is leading the transformation of urban public education across the country--at least according to "Time" magazine, which featured D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee on its cover, wearing black and holding a broom. But there is nothing remarkably visionary going on in Washington. The model of school reform that is…

Tracking Community College Transfers Using National Student Clearinghouse Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romano, Richard M.; Wisniewski, Martin

This study shows how community colleges can track almost all of their own students who transfer into both public and private colleges and across state lines using the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) database. It utilizes data from the student information systems of Broome Community College, New York; Cayuga Community College, New York; the…

Integrated management of Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius: is control enhanced when seed predation is combined with prescribed fire or mowing?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Integrated weed management (IWM) strategies are being advocated and employed to control invasive plants species. Prescribed fire, mechanical removal, and biological control (seed predator Exapion fuscirostre) are used to manage the invasive plant, Cytisus scoparius, in prairies at Fort Lewis, Washi...

Ecosystem processes related to wood decay

Treesearch

Bruce G. Marcot

2017-01-01

Wood decay elements include snags, down wood, root wads, tree stumps, litter, duff, broomed or diseased branches, and partially dead trees, all of which contribute to ecological processes and biodiversity of the forest ecosystem. Down wood can serve as reservoirs for moisture and mycorrhizal fungi beneficial to the health and growth of commercial tree species. Decaying...

Differentiation and classification of phytoplasmas in the pigeon pea witches'-broom group (16SrIX): an update based on multiple gene sequence analysis.

PubMed

Lee, I-M; Bottner-Parker, K D; Zhao, Y; Bertaccini, A; Davis, R E

2012-09-01

The pigeon pea witches'-broom phytoplasma group (16SrIX) comprises diverse strains that cause numerous diseases in leguminous trees and herbaceous crops, vegetables, a fruit, a nut tree and a forest tree. At least 14 strains have been reported worldwide. Comparative phylogenetic analyses of the highly conserved 16S rRNA gene and the moderately conserved rplV (rpl22)-rpsC (rps3) and secY genes indicated that the 16SrIX group consists of at least six distinct genetic lineages. Some of these lineages cannot be readily differentiated based on analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences alone. The relative genetic distances among these closely related lineages were better assessed by including more variable genes [e.g. ribosomal protein (rp) and secY genes]. The present study demonstrated that virtual RFLP analyses using rp and secY gene sequences allowed unambiguous identification of such lineages. A coding system is proposed to designate each distinct rp and secY subgroup in the 16SrIX group.

The Slope Imaging Multi-Polarization Photon-Counting Lidar: Development and Performance Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dabney, Phillip

2010-01-01

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar is an airborne instrument developed to demonstrate laser altimetry measurement methods that will enable more efficient observations of topography and surface properties from space. The instrument was developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program with a focus on cryosphere remote sensing. The SIMPL transmitter is an 11 KHz, 1064 nm, plane-polarized micropulse laser transmitter that is frequency doubled to 532 nm and split into four push-broom beams. The receiver employs single-photon, polarimetric ranging at 532 and 1064 nm using Single Photon Counting Modules in order to achieve simultaneous sampling of surface elevation, slope, roughness and depolarizing scattering properties, the latter used to differentiate surface types. Data acquired over ice-covered Lake Erie in February, 2009 are documenting SIMPL s measurement performance and capabilities, demonstrating differentiation of open water and several ice cover types. ICESat-2 will employ several of the technologies advanced by SIMPL, including micropulse, single photon ranging in a multi-beam, push-broom configuration operating at 532 nm.

Ground-based Observation System Development for the Moon Hyper-spectral Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yang; Huang, Yu; Wang, Shurong; Li, Zhanfeng; Zhang, Zihui; Hu, Xiuqing; Zhang, Peng

2017-05-01

The Moon provides a suitable radiance source for on-orbit calibration of space-borne optical instruments. A ground-based observation system dedicated to the hyper-spectral radiometry of the Moon has been developed for improving and validating the current lunar model. The observation instrument using a dispersive imaging spectrometer is particularly designed for high-accuracy observations of the lunar radiance. The simulation and analysis of the push-broom mechanism is made in detail for lunar observations, and the automated tracking and scanning is well accomplished in different observational condition. A three-month series of hyper-spectral imaging experiments of the Moon have been performed in the wavelength range from 400 to 1000 nm near Lijiang Observatory (Yunnan, China) at phase angles -83°-87°. Preliminary results and data comparison are presented, and it shows the instrument performance and lunar observation capability of this system are well validated. Beyond previous measurements, this observation system provides the entire lunar disk images of continuous spectral coverage by adopting the push-broom mode with special scanning scheme and leads to the further research of lunar photometric model.

Study of imaging fiber bundle coupling technique in IR system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Guoqing; Yang, Jianfeng; Yan, Xingtao; Song, Yansong

2017-02-01

Due to its advantageous imaging characteristic and banding flexibility, imaging fiber bundle can be used for line-plane-switching push-broom infrared imaging. How to precisely couple the fiber bundle in the optics system is the key to get excellent image for transmission. After introducing the basic system composition and structural characteristics of the infrared systems coupled with imaging fiber bundle, this article analysis the coupling efficiency and the design requirements of its relay lenses with the angle of the numerical aperture selecting in the system and cold stop matching of the refrigerant infrared detector. For an actual need, one relay coupling system has been designed with the magnification is -0.6, field of objective height is 4mm, objective numerical aperture is 0.15, which has excellent image quality and enough coupling efficiency. In the end, the push broom imaging experiment is carried out. The results show that the design meets the requirements of light energy efficiency and image quality. This design has a certain reference value for the design of the infrared fiber optical system.

Mixel camera--a new push-broom camera concept for high spatial resolution keystone-free hyperspectral imaging.

PubMed

Høye, Gudrun; Fridman, Andrei

2013-05-06

Current high-resolution push-broom hyperspectral cameras introduce keystone errors to the captured data. Efforts to correct these errors in hardware severely limit the optical design, in particular with respect to light throughput and spatial resolution, while at the same time the residual keystone often remains large. The mixel camera solves this problem by combining a hardware component--an array of light mixing chambers--with a mathematical method that restores the hyperspectral data to its keystone-free form, based on the data that was recorded onto the sensor with large keystone. A Virtual Camera software, that was developed specifically for this purpose, was used to compare the performance of the mixel camera to traditional cameras that correct keystone in hardware. The mixel camera can collect at least four times more light than most current high-resolution hyperspectral cameras, and simulations have shown that the mixel camera will be photon-noise limited--even in bright light--with a significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio compared to traditional cameras. A prototype has been built and is being tested.

The activity of TcCYS4 modified by variations in pH and temperature can affect symptoms of witches' broom disease of cocoa, caused by the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

Freitas, Ana Camila Oliveira; Souza, Cristiane Ferreira; Monzani, Paulo Sérgio; Garcia, Wanius; de Almeida, Alex Alan Furtado; Costa, Marcio Gilberto Cardoso; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2015-01-01

The phytocystatins regulate various physiological processes in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, mainly because they act as inhibitors of cysteine proteases. In this study, we have analyzed four cystatins from Theobroma cacao L. previously identified in ESTs libraries of the interaction with the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa and named TcCYS1, TcCYS2, TcCYS3 and TcCYS4. The recombinant cystatins were purified and subjected to the heat treatment, at different temperatures, and their thermostabilities were monitored using their ability to inhibit papain protease. TcCYS1 was sensitive to temperatures above 50°C, while TcCYS2, TcCYS3, and TcCYS4 were thermostable. TcCYS4 presented a decrease of inhibitory activity when it was treated at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, with the greater decrease occurring at 65°C. Analyses by native gel electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography showed that TcCYS4 forms oligomers at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, condition where reduction of inhibitory activity was observed. TcCYS4 oligomers remain stable for up to 20 days after heat treatment and are undone after treatment at 80°C. TcCYS4 presented approximately 90% of inhibitory activity at pH values between 5 and 9. This protein treated at temperatures above 45°C and pH 5 presented reduced inhibitory activity against papain, suggesting that the pH 5 enhances the formation of TcCYS4 oligomers. A variation in the titratable acidity was observed in tissues of T. cacao during the symptoms of witches' broom disease. Our findings suggest that the oligomerization of TcCYS4, favored by variations in pH, is an endergonic process. We speculate that this process can be involved in the development of the symptoms of witches' broom disease in cocoa.

The Activity of TcCYS4 Modified by Variations in pH and Temperature Can Affect Symptoms of Witches’ Broom Disease of Cocoa, Caused by the Fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa

PubMed Central

Freitas, Ana Camila Oliveira; Souza, Cristiane Ferreira; Monzani, Paulo Sérgio; Garcia, Wanius; de Almeida, Alex Alan Furtado; Costa, Marcio Gilberto Cardoso; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2015-01-01

The phytocystatins regulate various physiological processes in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, mainly because they act as inhibitors of cysteine proteases. In this study, we have analyzed four cystatins from Theobroma cacao L. previously identified in ESTs libraries of the interaction with the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa and named TcCYS1, TcCYS2, TcCYS3 and TcCYS4. The recombinant cystatins were purified and subjected to the heat treatment, at different temperatures, and their thermostabilities were monitored using their ability to inhibit papain protease. TcCYS1 was sensitive to temperatures above 50°C, while TcCYS2, TcCYS3, and TcCYS4 were thermostable. TcCYS4 presented a decrease of inhibitory activity when it was treated at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, with the greater decrease occurring at 65°C. Analyses by native gel electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography showed that TcCYS4 forms oligomers at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, condition where reduction of inhibitory activity was observed. TcCYS4 oligomers remain stable for up to 20 days after heat treatment and are undone after treatment at 80°C. TcCYS4 presented approximately 90% of inhibitory activity at pH values between 5 and 9. This protein treated at temperatures above 45°C and pH 5 presented reduced inhibitory activity against papain, suggesting that the pH 5 enhances the formation of TcCYS4 oligomers. A variation in the titratable acidity was observed in tissues of T. cacao during the symptoms of witches’ broom disease. Our findings suggest that the oligomerization of TcCYS4, favored by variations in pH, is an endergonic process. We speculate that this process can be involved in the development of the symptoms of witches’ broom disease in cocoa. PMID:25830226

Chapter 5. Damage, effects, and importance of dwarf mistletoes

Treesearch

B. W. Geils; F. G. Hawksworth

2002-01-01

All dwarf mistletoes are parasites that extract water, nutrients, and carbohydrates from the infected host; they are also pathogens that alter host physiology and morphology (Gill and Hawksworth 1961, Hawksworth and Wiens 1996). Disease or direct effects are reductions in diameter and height increment, survival, reproduction, and quality; witches’ brooms are formed in...

Evidence for the role of an invasive weed in widespread occurrence of phytoplasmal diseases in diverse vegetable crops: implications from lineage-specific molecular markers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

During the period from 2011 to 2013, several plant diseases repeatedly occurred in vegetable crops grown in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, China. Affected plants included cowpea, sword bean, string bean, tomato, lettuce, and water spinach. The diseased plants exhibited symptoms of witches’-broom...

Indicators and associated decay of Engelmann spruce in Colorado

Treesearch

Thomas E. Hinds; Frank G. Hawksworth

1966-01-01

Average cull deductions for 11 cull indicators were determined from over 2,000 abnormalities on 1,027 merchantable Engelmann spruce in 21 stands throughout Colorado. On a board-foot basis, Fomes pini punk knots or sporophores caused an 81 percent deduction. Deduction for broken tops or dead tops with adjacent dead rust brooms amounted to 24 percent....

Towards The Identification Of Candidate Genes Involved In Witches' Broom Disease Resistance In Theobroma cacao L.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Theobroma cacao, the source of cocoa beans for chocolate, is an important tropical agriculture commodity that is affected by a number of fungal pathogens and insect pests, as well as concerns about yield and quality. We are trying to find molecular genetic markers that are linked to disease resista...

First report of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ subgroup 16SrI-A associated with a disease of potato (Solanum tuberosum) in Lithuania

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Symptoms of little leaf, witches’-broom, and abnormally small and deformed potatoes, suggestive of possible phytoplasmal infection, were observed in diseased potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Hannibal arba Kestrel) in the Vilnius region of Lithuania. DNA extracted from symptomatic leaves and shoots we...

Trees and logs important to wildlife in the interior Columbia River basin.

Treesearch

Evelyn L. Bull; Catherine G. Parks; Torolf R. Torgersen

1997-01-01

This publication provides qualitative and quantitative information on five distinct structures: living trees with decayed parts, trees with hollow chambers, trees with brooms, dead trees, and logs. Information is provided on the value of these structures to wildlife, the decay or infection processes involved in the formation of these structures, and the principles to...

1. Photocopy of lithograph (from Annual Report of the Supervising ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Photocopy of lithograph (from Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Calender Year Ending December 31, 1888. Wahsington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1889. Will A. Freret, Supervising Architect) THREE-QUARTER VIEW OF FRONT ELEVATION (RIVERSIDE), FLOOR PLANS - U. S. Courthouse & Post Office, Binghamton, Broome County, NY

30. INTERIOR OF ORIGINAL SIDEENTRY UTILITY ROOM FROM STORM PORCH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

30. INTERIOR OF ORIGINAL SIDE-ENTRY UTILITY ROOM FROM STORM PORCH ADDITION SHOWING DOOR TO KITCHEN AT PHOTO RIGHT, PANEL DOOR TO BROOM CLOSET AT PHOTO LEFT, AND 1-LIGHT OVER 1-LIGHT SASH WINDOW INTO PANTRY AT PHOTO CENTER. VIEW TO NORTHWEST. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Clubhouse Cottage, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA

Killer yeasts inhibit the growth of the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of Witches’ Broom disease

PubMed Central

de Souza Cabral, Anderson; de Carvalho, Patricia Maria Barroso; Pinotti, Tatiana; Hagler, Allen Norton; Mendonça-Hagler, Leda Cristina Santana; Macrae, Andrew

2009-01-01

Fruit and soil yeasts isolated from the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforests and an organic farm were screened for killer activity against yeasts. Killer yeasts were then tested against the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa (syn. Crinipellis perniciosa) and a Dipodascus capitatus strain and a Candida sp strain inhibited its growth. PMID:24031327

Quantitative detection of benzoyl peroxide in wheat flour by line-scan macro-scale Raman chemical imaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A high-throughput Raman chemical imaging method was developed for direct inspection of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) mixed in wheat flour. A 5 W 785 nm line laser (240 mm long and 1 mm wide) was used as a Raman excitation source in a push-broom Raman imaging system. Hyperspectral Raman images were collecte...

[Butcher's Broom, in the treatment of venous insufficiency].

PubMed

Bylka, Wiesława; Kornobis, Joanna

2005-08-01

Numerous extracts of the plants, natural compounds and their derivatives, acting on the venous system, including horse-chestnut seed extracts aescin, rutin, troxerutin, diosmin and hesperidine. They have a long tradition in herbal medicine for their venotonic and anti-oedematous properties. This review is concerning Rusci aculeati rhizoma, which recently taken in Poland on the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency and hemorrhoids.

46 CFR 153.1600 - Equipment required for conducting the stripping quantity test.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... container: (1) A wet vacuum. (2) A positive displacement pump. (3) An eductor with an air/water separator in... measuring the volume of water remaining in the tank to an accuracy of ±5%; (c) A squeegee or broom to collect standing water on the tank floor; (d) One or more containers for collecting and transferring water...

19. INTERIOR OF SIDEENTRY UTILITY ROOM SHOWING OPEN 1LIGHT SIDEEXIT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

19. INTERIOR OF SIDE-ENTRY UTILITY ROOM SHOWING OPEN 1LIGHT SIDE-EXIT DOOR AT PHOTO LEFT AND 1-LIGHT OVER 1 LIGHT SASH WINDOW INTO PANTRY AT PHOTO RIGHT. ALCOVE AT PHOTO CENTER WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO BE A BROOM CLOSET. VIEW TO SOUTHWEST. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Worker Cottage, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA

COMPARATIVE GENOME ANALYSES OF MONILIOPHTHORA PERNICIOSA AND MONILIOPHTHORA RORERI: TWO CLOSELY RELATED PHYTOPATHOGENIC BASIDIOMYCETES THAT CAUSE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT DISEASES OF THEOBROMA CACAO

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Theobroma cacao (cacao), the source of chocolate, is a tropical understory tree. Fungal diseases such as Witches’ Broom Disease (WBD) and Frosty Pod Rot Disease (FPRD) of cacao have devastated cacao production in much of the Western Hemisphere and are threats to the main cacao producing regions in A...

Population genetic analysis reveals a low level of genetic diversity of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia' causing witches' broom disease in lime.

PubMed

Al-Abadi, Shaikha Y; Al-Sadi, Abdullah M; Dickinson, Matthew; Al-Hammadi, Mohammed S; Al-Shariqi, Rashid; Al-Yahyai, Rashid A; Kazerooni, Elham A; Bertaccini, Assunta

2016-01-01

Witches' broom disease of lime (WBDL) is a serious phytoplasma disease of acid lime in Oman, the UAE and Iran. Despite efforts to study it, no systemic study attempted to characterize the relationship among the associated phytoplasma, ' Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia', from the three countries. This study utilized sequences of the 16S rRNA, imp and secA genes to characterize 57 strains collected from Oman (38), the UAE (9) and Iran (10). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that the 57 strains shared 98.5-100 % nucleotide similarity to each other and to strains of ' Ca . P. aurantifolia' available in GenBank. The level of genetic diversity was low based on the 16S rRNA (0-0.011), imp (0-0.002) and secA genes (0-0.015). The presence of low level of diversity among phytoplasma strains from Oman, the UAE and Iran can be explained by the movement of infected lime seedlings from one country to another through trading and exchange of infected plants. The study discusses implication of the findings on WBDL spread and management.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Paulownia Infected by Paulownia Witches'-Broom Phytoplasma

PubMed Central

Zhu, Shui-Fang; Lin, Cai-Li; Tian, Guo-Zhong; Xu, Xia; Zhao, Wen-Jun

2013-01-01

Phytoplasmas are plant pathogenic bacteria that have no cell wall and are responsible for major crop losses throughout the world. Phytoplasma-infected plants show a variety of symptoms and the mechanisms they use to physiologically alter the host plants are of considerable interest, but poorly understood. In this study we undertook a detailed analysis of Paulownia infected by Paulownia witches’-broom (PaWB) Phytoplasma using high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and digital gene expression (DGE). RNA-Seq analysis identified 74,831 unigenes, which were subsequently used as reference sequences for DGE analysis of diseased and healthy Paulownia in field grown and tissue cultured plants. Our study revealed that dramatic changes occurred in the gene expression profile of Paulownia after PaWB Phytoplasma infection. Genes encoding key enzymes in cytokinin biosynthesis, such as isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase and isopentenyltransferase, were significantly induced in the infected Paulownia. Genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis and degradation were largely up-regulated and genes related to photosynthesis were down-regulated after PaWB Phytoplasma infection. Our systematic analysis provides comprehensive transcriptomic data about plants infected by Phytoplasma. This information will help further our understanding of the detailed interaction mechanisms between plants and Phytoplasma. PMID:24130859

Identification and characterization of a class III chitin synthase gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa, the fungus that causes witches' broom disease of cacao.

PubMed

Souza, Catiane S; Oliveira, Bruno M; Costa, Gustavo G L; Schriefer, Albert; Selbach-Schnadelbach, Alessandra; Uetanabaro, Ana Paula T; Pirovani, Carlos P; Pereira, Gonçalo A G; Taranto, Alex G; Cascardo, Júlio Cézar de M; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles

2009-08-01

Chitin synthase (CHS) is a glucosyltransferase that converts UDP-N-acetylglucosamine into chitin, one of the main components of fungal cell wall. Class III chitin synthases act directly in the formation of the cell wall. They catalyze the conversion of the immediate precursor of chitin and are responsible for the majority of chitin synthesis in fungi. As such, they are highly specific molecular targets for drugs that can inhibit the growth and development of fungal pathogens. In this work, we have identified and characterized a chitin synthase gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa (Mopchs) by primer walking. The complete gene sequence is 3,443 bp, interrupted by 13 small introns, and comprises a cDNA with an ORF with 2,739 bp, whose terminal region was experimentally determined, encoding a protein with 913 aa that harbors all the motifs and domains typically found in class III chitin synthases. This is the first report on the characterization of a chitin synthase gene, its mature transcription product, and its putative protein in basidioma and secondary mycelium stages of M. perniciosa, a basidiomycotan fungus that causes witches' broom disease of cacao.

Imaging spectrometer concepts for next-generation planetary missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herring, M.; Juergens, D. W.; Kupferman, P. N.; Vane, G.

1984-01-01

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the imaging spectrometer concept, in which imaging is accomplished in multiple, contiguous spectral bands at typical intervals of 5 to 20 nm. There are two implementations of this concept under consideration for upcoming planetary missions. One is the scanning, or 'whisk-broom' approach, in which each picture element (pixel) of the scene is spectrally dispersed onto a linear array of detectors; the spatial information is provided by a scan mirror in combination with the vehicle motion. The second approach is the 'push-broom' imager, in which a line of pixels from the scene is spectrally dispersed onto a two-dimensional (area-array) detector. In this approach, the scan mirror is eliminated, but the optics and focal plane are more complex. This paper discusses the application of these emerging instrument concepts to the planetary program. Key issues are the trade-off between the two types of imaging spectrometer, the available data rate from a typical planetary mission, and the focal-plane cooling requirements. Specific straw-man conceptual designs for the Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter (MGCO) and the Mariner Mark II Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) missions are discussed.

Survey of Leafhopper Species in Almond Orchards Infected with Almond Witches'-Broom Phytoplasma in Lebanon

PubMed Central

Hammad, Efat Abou-Fakhr; El-Mohtar, Choaa; Abou-Jawdah, Yusuf

2011-01-01

Leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae) account for more than 80% of all “Auchenorrhynchous” vectors that transmit phytoplasmas. The leafhopper populations in two almond witches'-broom phytoplasma (AlmWB) infected sites: Tanboureet (south of Lebanon) and Bourj El Yahoudieh (north of Lebanon) were surveyed using yellow sticky traps. The survey revealed that the most abundant species was Asymmetrasca decedens, which represented 82.4% of all the leafhoppers sampled. Potential phytoplasma vectors in members of the subfamilies Aphrodinae, Deltocephalinae, and Megophthalminae were present in very low numbers including: Aphrodes makarovi, Cicadulina bipunctella, Euscelidius mundus, Fieberiella macchiae, Allygus theryi, Circulifer haematoceps, Neoaliturus transversalis, and Megophthalmus scabripennis. Allygus theryi (Horváth) (Deltocephalinae) was reported for the first time in Lebanon. Nested PCR analysis and sequencing showed that Asymmetrasca decedens, Empoasca decipiens, Fieberiella macchiae, Euscelidius mundus, Thamnottetix seclusis, Balclutha sp., Lylatina inexpectata, Allygus sp., and Annoplotettix danutae were nine potential carriers of AlmWB phytoplasma. Although the detection of phytoplasmas in an insect does not prove a definite vector relationship, the technique is useful in narrowing the search for potential vectors. The importance of this information for management of AlmWB is discussed. PMID:21864154

Local wavelet transform: a cost-efficient custom processor for space image compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masschelein, Bart; Bormans, Jan G.; Lafruit, Gauthier

2002-11-01

Thanks to its intrinsic scalability features, the wavelet transform has become increasingly popular as decorrelator in image compression applications. Throuhgput, memory requirements and complexity are important parameters when developing hardware image compression modules. An implementation of the classical, global wavelet transform requires large memory sizes and implies a large latency between the availability of the input image and the production of minimal data entities for entropy coding. Image tiling methods, as proposed by JPEG2000, reduce the memory sizes and the latency, but inevitably introduce image artefacts. The Local Wavelet Transform (LWT), presented in this paper, is a low-complexity wavelet transform architecture using a block-based processing that results in the same transformed images as those obtained by the global wavelet transform. The architecture minimizes the processing latency with a limited amount of memory. Moreover, as the LWT is an instruction-based custom processor, it can be programmed for specific tasks, such as push-broom processing of infinite-length satelite images. The features of the LWT makes it appropriate for use in space image compression, where high throughput, low memory sizes, low complexity, low power and push-broom processing are important requirements.

Evaluation of Street Sweeping as a Stormwater-Quality-Management Tool in Three Residential Basins in Madison, Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selbig, William R.; Bannerman, Roger T.

2007-01-01

Recent technological improvements have increased the ability of street sweepers to remove sediment and other debris from street surfaces; the effect of these technological advancements on stormwater quality is largely unknown. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Madison and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, evaluated three street-sweeper technologies from 2002 through 2006. Regenerative-air, vacuum-assist, and mechanical-broom street sweepers were operated on a frequency of once per week (high frequency) in separate residential basins in Madison, Wis., to measure each sweeper's ability to not only reduce street-dirt yield but also improve the quality of stormwater runoff. A second mechanical-broom sweeper operating on a frequency of once per month (low frequency) was also evaluated to measure reductions in street-dirt yield only. A paired-basin study design was used to compare street-dirt and stormwater-quality samples during a calibration (no sweeping) and a treatment period (weekly sweeping). The basis of this paired-basin approach is that the relation between paired street-dirt and stormwater-quality loads for the control and tests basins is constant until a major change is made at one of the basins. At that time, a new relation will develop. Changes in either street-dirt and/or stormwater quality as a result of street sweeping could then be quantified by use of statistical tests. Street-dirt samples collected weekly during the calibration period and twice per week during the treatment period, once before and once after sweeping, were dried and separated into seven particle-size fractions ranging from less than 63 micrometers to greater than 2 millimeters. Street-dirt yield evaluation was based on a computed mass per unit length of pounds per curb-mile. An analysis of covariance was used to measure the significance of the effect of street sweeping at the end of the treatment period and to quantify any reduction in street-dirt yield. Both the regenerative-air and vacuum-assist sweepers produced reductions in street-dirt yield at the 5-percent significance level. Street-dirt yield was reduced by an average of 76, 63, and 20 percent in the regenerative-air, vacuum-assist, and high-frequency broom basins, respectively. The low-frequency broom basin showed no significant reductions in street-dirt yield. Sand-size particles (greater than 63 micrometers) recorded the greatest overall reduction. Street-sweeper pickup efficiency was determined by computing the difference between weekly street-dirt yields before and after sweeping cleaning. The regenerative-air and vacuum-assist sweepers had similar pickup efficiencies of 25 and 30 percent, respectively. The mechanical broom sweeper operating at high frequency was considerably less efficient, removing an average of 5 percent of street-dirt yield. The effects of street sweeping on stormwater quality were evaluated by use of statistical tests to compare event mean concentrations and loads computed for individual storms at the control and test basins. Loads were computed by multiplying the event mean concentrations by storm-runoff volumes. Only ammonia-nitrogen for the test basin with the vacuum-assist sweeper showed significant load increases over the control basin, at the 10-percent significance level, of 63 percent. Difficulty in detecting significant changes in constituent stormwater-quality loads could be due, in part, to the large amount of variability in the data. Coefficients of variation for the majority of constituent loads were greater than 1, indicating substantial variability. The ability to detect changes in constituent stormwater-quality loads was likely hampered by an inadequate number of samples in the data set. However, sediment transport in the storm-sewer pipe, sediment washing onto the street from other source areas, winter sand application, and sampling challenges were additional sources of variability within each study ba

Demonstration of Replicable Dimensions of Health Behaviors

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-06

1977, 1979; Tapp & Goldenthal, 1982; Vickers & Hervig, 1984; McCarthy & Brown, 1985; Norman, 1985; Kannas , 1981; Steele & McBroom, 1972). While it is...health behaviors (Harris & Guten, 1979; Norman, 1985; Kannas , 1981; Tapp & Goldenthal, 1982). The replicability of the proposed dimensions of health...215-236. Harris, D.M. & Guten, S. (1979). Health-protective behavior: An exploratory study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 20, 17-29. Kannas

Prediction of the geographic distribution of the psyllid, Arytinnis hakani (Hemoptera, Psyllidae), a prospective biological control agent of Genista monspessulana, based on the effect of temperature on development, fecundity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The psyllid, Arytinnis hakani, is a prospective biological control agent of Genista monspessulana (French broom), an invasive shrub originating from western Europe. It is a multivoltine species that is not known to diapause. The insect is established in Australia, where it appears to cause heavy d...

BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-01

Mutations in African Americans PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington DC 20059 REPORT DATE...OR SELL ANY PATENTED INVENTION THAT MAY RELATE TO THEM. LIMITED RIGHTS LEGEND Award Number: DAMD17-98-1-8106 Organization: Howard University Those...7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Howard University REPORT NUMBER Washington DC 20059 E-Mail:cbroome

Automated ortho-rectification of UAV-based hyperspectral data over an agricultural field using frame RGB imagery

DOE PAGES

Habib, Ayman; Han, Youkyung; Xiong, Weifeng; ...

2016-09-24

Low-cost Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with consumer-grade imaging systems have emerged as a potential remote sensing platform that could satisfy the needs of a wide range of civilian applications. Among these applications, UAV-based agricultural mapping and monitoring have attracted significant attention from both the research and professional communities. The interest in UAV-based remote sensing for agricultural management is motivated by the need to maximize crop yield. Remote sensing-based crop yield prediction and estimation are primarily based on imaging systems with different spectral coverage and resolution (e.g., RGB and hyperspectral imaging systems). Due to the data volume, RGB imaging ismore » based on frame cameras, while hyperspectral sensors are primarily push-broom scanners. To cope with the limited endurance and payload constraints of low-cost UAVs, the agricultural research and professional communities have to rely on consumer-grade and light-weight sensors. However, the geometric fidelity of derived information from push-broom hyperspectral scanners is quite sensitive to the available position and orientation established through a direct geo-referencing unit onboard the imaging platform (i.e., an integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). This paper presents an automated framework for the integration of frame RGB images, push-broom hyperspectral scanner data and consumer-grade GNSS/INS navigation data for accurate geometric rectification of the hyperspectral scenes. The approach relies on utilizing the navigation data, together with a modified Speeded-Up Robust Feature (SURF) detector and descriptor, for automating the identification of conjugate features in the RGB and hyperspectral imagery. The SURF modification takes into consideration the available direct geo-referencing information to improve the reliability of the matching procedure in the presence of repetitive texture within a mechanized agricultural field. Identified features are then used to improve the geometric fidelity of the previously ortho-rectified hyperspectral data. Lastly, experimental results from two real datasets show that the geometric rectification of the hyperspectral data was improved by almost one order of magnitude.« less

Automated ortho-rectification of UAV-based hyperspectral data over an agricultural field using frame RGB imagery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Habib, Ayman; Han, Youkyung; Xiong, Weifeng

Low-cost Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with consumer-grade imaging systems have emerged as a potential remote sensing platform that could satisfy the needs of a wide range of civilian applications. Among these applications, UAV-based agricultural mapping and monitoring have attracted significant attention from both the research and professional communities. The interest in UAV-based remote sensing for agricultural management is motivated by the need to maximize crop yield. Remote sensing-based crop yield prediction and estimation are primarily based on imaging systems with different spectral coverage and resolution (e.g., RGB and hyperspectral imaging systems). Due to the data volume, RGB imaging ismore » based on frame cameras, while hyperspectral sensors are primarily push-broom scanners. To cope with the limited endurance and payload constraints of low-cost UAVs, the agricultural research and professional communities have to rely on consumer-grade and light-weight sensors. However, the geometric fidelity of derived information from push-broom hyperspectral scanners is quite sensitive to the available position and orientation established through a direct geo-referencing unit onboard the imaging platform (i.e., an integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). This paper presents an automated framework for the integration of frame RGB images, push-broom hyperspectral scanner data and consumer-grade GNSS/INS navigation data for accurate geometric rectification of the hyperspectral scenes. The approach relies on utilizing the navigation data, together with a modified Speeded-Up Robust Feature (SURF) detector and descriptor, for automating the identification of conjugate features in the RGB and hyperspectral imagery. The SURF modification takes into consideration the available direct geo-referencing information to improve the reliability of the matching procedure in the presence of repetitive texture within a mechanized agricultural field. Identified features are then used to improve the geometric fidelity of the previously ortho-rectified hyperspectral data. Lastly, experimental results from two real datasets show that the geometric rectification of the hyperspectral data was improved by almost one order of magnitude.« less

7 CFR 319.41a - Administrative instructions relating to entry into Guam of broomcorn, brooms, and similar articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... chapter. (b) Shelled corn and seeds of other plants listed in § 319.41, and mature corn on the cob, may be... § 319.37-4(a). (c) Green corn on the cob may be imported into Guam without restriction under this... FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Indian Corn or Maize, Broomcorn, and Related Plants Quarantine § 319.41a...

7 CFR 319.41a - Administrative instructions relating to entry into Guam of broomcorn, brooms, and similar articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... chapter. (b) Shelled corn and seeds of other plants listed in § 319.41, and mature corn on the cob, may be... § 319.37-4(a). (c) Green corn on the cob may be imported into Guam without restriction under this... FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Indian Corn or Maize, Broomcorn, and Related Plants Quarantine § 319.41a...

7 CFR 319.41a - Administrative instructions relating to entry into Guam of broomcorn, brooms, and similar articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... chapter. (b) Shelled corn and seeds of other plants listed in § 319.41, and mature corn on the cob, may be... § 319.37-4(a). (c) Green corn on the cob may be imported into Guam without restriction under this... FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Indian Corn or Maize, Broomcorn, and Related Plants Quarantine § 319.41a...

7 CFR 319.41a - Administrative instructions relating to entry into Guam of broomcorn, brooms, and similar articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... chapter. (b) Shelled corn and seeds of other plants listed in § 319.41, and mature corn on the cob, may be... § 319.37-4(a). (c) Green corn on the cob may be imported into Guam without restriction under this... FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Indian Corn or Maize, Broomcorn, and Related Plants Quarantine § 319.41a...

7 CFR 319.41a - Administrative instructions relating to entry into Guam of broomcorn, brooms, and similar articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... chapter. (b) Shelled corn and seeds of other plants listed in § 319.41, and mature corn on the cob, may be... § 319.37-4(a). (c) Green corn on the cob may be imported into Guam without restriction under this... FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES Indian Corn or Maize, Broomcorn, and Related Plants Quarantine § 319.41a...

BRCA 1 and BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-10-01

W. Broome, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington, DC 20059 REPORT DATE: October 1999 TYPE OF REPORT: Annual PREPARED FOR: U.S...THEM. LIMITED RIGHTS LEGEND Award Number: DAMD17-98-1-8106 Organization: Howard University Those portions of the technical data contained in this...PERFORMING Howard University ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER Washington, DC 20059 E-MAIL: cbroome@fac.howard.edu 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S

Phytoplasma effector SAP54 induces indeterminate leaf-like flower development in Arabidopsis plants.

PubMed

MacLean, Allyson M; Sugio, Akiko; Makarova, Olga V; Findlay, Kim C; Grieve, Victoria M; Tóth, Réka; Nicolaisen, Mogens; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2011-10-01

Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted bacterial plant pathogens that cause considerable damage to a diverse range of agricultural crops globally. Symptoms induced in infected plants suggest that these phytopathogens may modulate developmental processes within the plant host. We report herein that Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) readily infects the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ecotype Columbia, inducing symptoms that are characteristic of phytoplasma infection, such as the production of green leaf-like flowers (virescence and phyllody) and increased formation of stems and branches (witches' broom). We found that the majority of genes encoding secreted AY-WB proteins (SAPs), which are candidate effector proteins, are expressed in Arabidopsis and the AY-WB insect vector Macrosteles quadrilineatus (Hemiptera; Cicadellidae). To identify which of these effector proteins induce symptoms of phyllody and virescence, we individually expressed the effector genes in Arabidopsis. From this screen, we have identified a novel AY-WB effector protein, SAP54, that alters floral development, resulting in the production of leaf-like flowers that are similar to those produced by plants infected with this phytoplasma. This study offers novel insight into the effector profile of an insect-transmitted plant pathogen and reports to our knowledge the first example of a microbial pathogen effector protein that targets flower development in a host.

Identification of Genes Related to Paulownia Witches’ Broom by AFLP and MSAP

PubMed Central

Cao, Xibing; Fan, Guoqiang; Deng, Minjie; Zhao, Zhenli; Dong, Yanpeng

2014-01-01

DNA methylation is believed to play important roles in regulating gene expression in plant growth and development. Paulownia witches’ broom (PaWB) infection has been reported to be related to gene expression changes in paulownia plantlets. To determine whether DNA methylation is associated with gene expression changes in response to phytoplasma, we investigated variations in genomic DNA sequence and methylation in PaWB plantlets treated with methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) techniques, respectively. The results indicated that PaWB seedings recovered a normal morphology after treatment with more than 15 mg·L−1 MMS. PaWB infection did not cause changes of the paulownia DNA sequence at the AFLP level; However, DNA methylation levels and patterns were altered. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that three of the methylated genes were up-regulated and three were down-regulated in the MMS-treated PaWB plantlets that had regained healthy morphology. These six genes might be involved in transcriptional regulation, plant defense, signal transduction and energy. The possible roles of these genes in PaWB are discussed. The results showed that changes of DNA methylation altered gene expression levels, and that MSAP might help identify genes related to PaWB. PMID:25196603

Identification of genes related to Paulownia witches' broom by AFLP and MSAP.

PubMed

Cao, Xibing; Fan, Guoqiang; Deng, Minjie; Zhao, Zhenli; Dong, Yanpeng

2014-08-21

DNA methylation is believed to play important roles in regulating gene expression in plant growth and development. Paulownia witches' broom (PaWB) infection has been reported to be related to gene expression changes in paulownia plantlets. To determine whether DNA methylation is associated with gene expression changes in response to phytoplasma, we investigated variations in genomic DNA sequence and methylation in PaWB plantlets treated with methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) techniques, respectively. The results indicated that PaWB seedings recovered a normal morphology after treatment with more than 15 mg·L(-1) MMS. PaWB infection did not cause changes of the paulownia DNA sequence at the AFLP level; However, DNA methylation levels and patterns were altered. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that three of the methylated genes were up-regulated and three were down-regulated in the MMS-treated PaWB plantlets that had regained healthy morphology. These six genes might be involved in transcriptional regulation, plant defense, signal transduction and energy. The possible roles of these genes in PaWB are discussed. The results showed that changes of DNA methylation altered gene expression levels, and that MSAP might help identify genes related to PaWB.

Cacao Phylloplane: The First Battlefield against Moniliophthora perniciosa, Which Causes Witches' Broom Disease.

PubMed

Almeida, D S M; Gramacho, K P; Cardoso, T H S; Micheli, F; Alvim, F C; Pirovani, C P

2017-07-01

The phylloplane is the first contact surface between Theobroma cacao and the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, which causes witches' broom disease (WBD). We evaluated the index of short glandular trichomes (SGT) in the cacao phylloplane and the effect of irrigation on the disease index of cacao genotypes with or without resistance to WBD, and identified proteins present in the phylloplane. The resistant genotype CCN51 and susceptible Catongo presented a mean index of 1,600 and 700 SGT cm -2 , respectively. The disease index in plants under drip irrigation was reduced by approximately 30% compared with plants under sprinkler irrigation prior to inoculation. Leaf water wash (LWW) of the cacao inhibited the germination of spores by up to 98%. Proteins from the LWW of CCN51 were analyzed by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by tandem mass spectrometry. The gel showed 71 spots and identified a total of 42 proteins (28 from the plant and 14 from bacteria). Proteins related to defense and synthesis of defense metabolites and involved in nucleic acid metabolism were identified. The results support the hypothesis that the proteins and water-soluble compounds secreted to the cacao phylloplane participate in the defense against pathogens. They also suggest that SGT can contribute to the resistance of cacao.

A Two-Phase Space Resection Model for Accurate Topographic Reconstruction from Lunar Imagery with PushbroomScanners

PubMed Central

Xu, Xuemiao; Zhang, Huaidong; Han, Guoqiang; Kwan, Kin Chung; Pang, Wai-Man; Fang, Jiaming; Zhao, Gansen

2016-01-01

Exterior orientation parameters’ (EOP) estimation using space resection plays an important role in topographic reconstruction for push broom scanners. However, existing models of space resection are highly sensitive to errors in data. Unfortunately, for lunar imagery, the altitude data at the ground control points (GCPs) for space resection are error-prone. Thus, existing models fail to produce reliable EOPs. Motivated by a finding that for push broom scanners, angular rotations of EOPs can be estimated independent of the altitude data and only involving the geographic data at the GCPs, which are already provided, hence, we divide the modeling of space resection into two phases. Firstly, we estimate the angular rotations based on the reliable geographic data using our proposed mathematical model. Then, with the accurate angular rotations, the collinear equations for space resection are simplified into a linear problem, and the global optimal solution for the spatial position of EOPs can always be achieved. Moreover, a certainty term is integrated to penalize the unreliable altitude data for increasing the error tolerance. Experimental results evidence that our model can obtain more accurate EOPs and topographic maps not only for the simulated data, but also for the real data from Chang’E-1, compared to the existing space resection model. PMID:27077855

A Two-Phase Space Resection Model for Accurate Topographic Reconstruction from Lunar Imagery with PushbroomScanners.

PubMed

Xu, Xuemiao; Zhang, Huaidong; Han, Guoqiang; Kwan, Kin Chung; Pang, Wai-Man; Fang, Jiaming; Zhao, Gansen

2016-04-11

Exterior orientation parameters' (EOP) estimation using space resection plays an important role in topographic reconstruction for push broom scanners. However, existing models of space resection are highly sensitive to errors in data. Unfortunately, for lunar imagery, the altitude data at the ground control points (GCPs) for space resection are error-prone. Thus, existing models fail to produce reliable EOPs. Motivated by a finding that for push broom scanners, angular rotations of EOPs can be estimated independent of the altitude data and only involving the geographic data at the GCPs, which are already provided, hence, we divide the modeling of space resection into two phases. Firstly, we estimate the angular rotations based on the reliable geographic data using our proposed mathematical model. Then, with the accurate angular rotations, the collinear equations for space resection are simplified into a linear problem, and the global optimal solution for the spatial position of EOPs can always be achieved. Moreover, a certainty term is integrated to penalize the unreliable altitude data for increasing the error tolerance. Experimental results evidence that our model can obtain more accurate EOPs and topographic maps not only for the simulated data, but also for the real data from Chang'E-1, compared to the existing space resection model.

Polonium (²¹⁰Po), uranium (²³⁴U, ²³⁸U) isotopes and trace metals in mosses from Sobieszewo Island, northern Poland.

PubMed

Boryło, Alicja; Nowicki, Waldemar; Olszewski, Grzegorz; Skwarzec, Bogdan

2012-01-01

The activity of polonium (210)Po and uranium (234)U, (238)U radionuclides, as well as trace metals in mosses, collected from Sobieszewo Island area (northern Poland), were determined using the alpha spectrometry, AAS (atomic absorption spectrometry) and OES-ICP (atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma). The concentrations of mercury (directly from the solid sample) were determined by the cold vapor technique of CV AAS. The obtained results revealed that the concentrations of (210)Po, (234)U, and (238)U in the two analyzed kinds of mosses: schrebers big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi) and broom moss (Dicranum scoparium) were similar. The higher polonium concentrations were found in broom moss (Dicranum scoparium), but uranium concentrations were relatively low for both species of analyzed mosses. Among the analyzed trace metals the highest concentration in mosses was recorded for iron, while the lowest for nickel, cadmium and mercury. The obtained studies showed that the sources of polonium and uranium isotopes, as well as trace metals in analyzed mosses are air city contaminations transported from Gdańsk and from existing in the vicinity the phosphogypsum waste heap in Wiślinka (near Gdańsk).

Molecular characterization of phytoplasma associated with four important ornamental plant species in India and identification of natural potential spread sources.

PubMed

Gopala; Rao, G P

2018-02-01

Phytoplasma suspected symptoms of phyllody, witches' broom, leaf yellowing, stunting and little leaf were observed in Chrysanthemum morifolium, Bougainvillea glabra, Jasminum sambac and Callistephus chinensis during survey of flower nurseries and experimental ornamental fields at Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka from 2014 to 2016. Pleomorphic bodies typical to phytoplasma structures were observed in the phloem sieve elements of ultrathin sections of all the four symptomatic ornamental plants (stem tissue) in transmission electron microscope. Amplification of 1.8 and 1.2 kb phytoplasma DNA products was observed in all the four test plants in PCR assays using universal primer pairs P1/P7 followed by nested primer pair R16F2n/R16R2, respectively. Pairwise sequence comparison, phylogeny and virtual RFLP analysis of 16S rDNA sequences confirmed the association of two phytoplasma subgroups (16SrI-B and 16SrII-D) in four ornamental plant species. ' Ca. P. aurantifolia ' subgroup D (16SrII-D) was found associated with chrysanthemum phyllody and leaf yellowing at Delhi and Tamil Nadu, bougainvillea little leaf and yellowing at Delhi and Chinese aster phyllody at Bengaluru, Karnataka. However, jasmine little leaf and yellowing at Bengaluru, Karnataka and chrysanthemum stunting at Pune were found to be associated with ' Ca . P. asteris ' subgroup B-related strains (16SrI-B). The identification of 16SrII-D subgroup phytoplasma infecting bougainvillea and 16SrI-B subgroup infecting jasmine are the new reports to the world. Besides weed species, Cannabis sativa showing witches' broom in jasmine fields at Bengaluru and Parthenium hysterophorus showing witches' broom symptoms in chrysanthemum fields at Delhi were identified to be caused by phytoplasma strains classified under subgroups 16SrI-B and 16SrII-D, respectively, by PCR assays and 16Sr DNA sequence comparison analysis. Among the three major leafhopper species identified, only Hishimonas phycitis was identified positive for 16SrI-B and 16SrII-D subgroups of phytoplasmas from chrysanthemum fields at Delhi and jasmine fields at Bengaluru, respectively. The identity of similar phytoplasma strains infecting ornamental species in leafhopper and the weed species in the present study suggested that H. phycitis and weeds may act as potential natural sources for secondary spread of the identified phytoplasma strains.

Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the Endicott-Vestal area of southwestern Broome County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Randall, Allan D.; Kappel, William M.

2015-07-29

Three localities in Endicott were identified where thick ice-contact deposits capable of supporting municipal supply wells are documented by test wells or extrapolated to be present from nearby data and depositional history. Chemical analyses of water samples disclosed no contaminants in these localities when sampled, but the presence of contaminants or natural high iron a few thousand feet away from each locality is documented.

Crystal Structure of MpPR-1i, a SCP/TAPS protein from Moniliophthora perniciosa, the fungus that causes Witches’ Broom Disease of Cacao

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baroni, Renata M.; Luo, Zhipu; Darwiche, Rabih

The pathogenic fungi Moniliophthora perniciosa causes Witches’ Broom Disease (WBD) of cacao. The structure of MpPR-1i, a protein expressed by M. perniciosa when it infects cacao, are presented. This is the first reported de novo structure determined by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing upon soaking with selenourea. Each monomer has flexible loop regions linking the core alpha-beta-alpha sandwich topology that comprise ~50% of the structure, making it difficult to generate an accurate homology model of the protein. MpPR-1i is monomeric in solution but is packed as a high ~70% solvent content, crystallographic heptamer. The greatest conformational flexibility between monomers is foundmore » in loops exposed to the solvent channel that connect the two longest strands. MpPR-1i lacks the conserved CAP tetrad and is incapable of binding divalent cations. MpPR-1i has the ability to bind lipids, which may have roles in its infection of cacao. These lipids likely bind in the palmitate binding cavity as observed in tablysin-15, since MpPR-1i binds palmitate with comparable affinity as tablysin-15. Further studies are required to clarify the possible roles and underlying mechanisms of neutral lipid binding, as well as their effects on the pathogenesis of M. perniciosa so as to develop new interventions for WBD.« less

Apoplastic and intracellular plant sugars regulate developmental transitions in witches’ broom disease of cacao

PubMed Central

Barau, Joan; Grandis, Adriana; Carvalho, Vinicius Miessler de Andrade; Teixeira, Gleidson Silva; Zaparoli, Gustavo Henrique Alcalá; do Rio, Maria Carolina Scatolin; Rincones, Johana; Buckeridge, Marcos Silveira; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

2015-01-01

Witches’ broom disease (WBD) of cacao differs from other typical hemibiotrophic plant diseases by its unusually long biotrophic phase. Plant carbon sources have been proposed to regulate WBD developmental transitions; however, nothing is known about their availability at the plant–fungus interface, the apoplastic fluid of cacao. Data are provided supporting a role for the dynamics of soluble carbon in the apoplastic fluid in prompting the end of the biotrophic phase of infection. Carbon depletion and the consequent fungal sensing of starvation were identified as key signalling factors at the apoplast. MpNEP2, a fungal effector of host necrosis, was found to be up-regulated in an autophagic-like response to carbon starvation in vitro. In addition, the in vivo artificial manipulation of carbon availability in the apoplastic fluid considerably modulated both its expression and plant necrosis rate. Strikingly, infected cacao tissues accumulated intracellular hexoses, and showed stunted photosynthesis and the up-regulation of senescence markers immediately prior to the transition to the necrotrophic phase. These opposite findings of carbon depletion and accumulation in different host cell compartments are discussed within the frame of WBD development. A model is suggested to explain phase transition as a synergic outcome of fungal-related factors released upon sensing of extracellular carbon starvation, and an early senescence of infected tissues probably triggered by intracellular sugar accumulation. PMID:25540440

Phytoplasma Effector SAP54 Induces Indeterminate Leaf-Like Flower Development in Arabidopsis Plants1[C][W][OA

PubMed Central

MacLean, Allyson M.; Sugio, Akiko; Makarova, Olga V.; Findlay, Kim C.; Grieve, Victoria M.; Tóth, Réka; Nicolaisen, Mogens; Hogenhout, Saskia A.

2011-01-01

Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted bacterial plant pathogens that cause considerable damage to a diverse range of agricultural crops globally. Symptoms induced in infected plants suggest that these phytopathogens may modulate developmental processes within the plant host. We report herein that Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches’ Broom (AY-WB) readily infects the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ecotype Columbia, inducing symptoms that are characteristic of phytoplasma infection, such as the production of green leaf-like flowers (virescence and phyllody) and increased formation of stems and branches (witches’ broom). We found that the majority of genes encoding secreted AY-WB proteins (SAPs), which are candidate effector proteins, are expressed in Arabidopsis and the AY-WB insect vector Macrosteles quadrilineatus (Hemiptera; Cicadellidae). To identify which of these effector proteins induce symptoms of phyllody and virescence, we individually expressed the effector genes in Arabidopsis. From this screen, we have identified a novel AY-WB effector protein, SAP54, that alters floral development, resulting in the production of leaf-like flowers that are similar to those produced by plants infected with this phytoplasma. This study offers novel insight into the effector profile of an insect-transmitted plant pathogen and reports to our knowledge the first example of a microbial pathogen effector protein that targets flower development in a host. PMID:21849514

Incorporation of Environmental Features in Flood Control Channel Projects.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-01

compacted subgrades, a layer of gravel or slag , and a 2- to 4-in. layer of concrete or asphalt. An innovative *. grassed-bituminous trail consisting of 6 in...of slag or crushed stone over a compacted subgrade was proposed for Chartiers Creek (Figure 66). 6" BLACK SLAG OR CRUSHED STONE. PENETRATE - WITH...ASPHALT EMULSION. CHOKE WITH 28 SLAG . BROOM THOROUGHLY INTO VOIDS - A MIXTURE OF ONE HALF (1/2) TOPSOIL AND ONE HALF (1/2) IB BLACK SLAG , AND SEED

Environmental Assessment for the Hercules Tanker Plane Recapitalization at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

grassland community include sand sage brush (Artemisia tridentata), winter fat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae...prohibits the runup of engines that last hours long. Yes, I have been told that the law does not matter, the mission matters more. Shame on the Air Force...Albuquerque as a whole with the continuing jet fuel leak. If the air force does not know how to be a good citizen it should feel shame . A concerned

Una Escoba para Ana, Cien Oficios para Juan. Quinto Modulo de una Serie para Maestros de Escuela Elemental. (A Broom for Anna, A Hundred Jobs for John. Fifth Module of a Series for Elementary School Teachers).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molina, Carmen Eneida, Ed.; And Others

This guide for teachers, in English and Spanish, examines the stereotyped work roles assigned to men and women. The guide examines educational materials that perpetuate these roles and presents teaching alternatives which reinforce students' self esteem and confidence. A pre-test and post-test are included to measure the user's awareness of…

Lidar Data Products and Applications Enabled by Conical Scanning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwemmer, Geary K.; Miller, David O.; Wilkerson, Thomas D.; Lee, Sang-Woo

2004-01-01

Several new data products and applications for elastic backscatter lidar are achieved using simple conical scanning. Atmospheric boundary layer spatial and temporal structure is revealed with resolution not possible with static pointing lidars. Cloud fractional coverage as a function of altitude is possible with high temporal resolution. Wind profiles are retrieved from the cloud and aerosol structure motions revealed by scanning. New holographic technology will soon allow quasi-conical scanning and push-broom lidar imaging without mechanical scanning, high resolution, on the order of seconds.

Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR). Volume 18, Number 08, August 2011

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

continue, and STI preven- tion eff orts should be reinforced. R E F E R E N C E S 1. Kuper H, Ye W, Broome U, et al. The risk of liver and bile duct ...hepatitis A virus (HAV) causes infl ammatory liver disease (hepatitis) in aff ected individu- als. Th e virus is spread through fecal-oral...ammatory liver disease (hepatitis B) in aff ected individ- uals. Th e virus is spread by percutaneous or mucous membrane exposure to infected blood or

A User’s Manual for the Revised Defense Translator Model

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

22.0 TRANSPORT Of THINGS 631034 23.0 RENT/COHN/UTILITIES 932789 24.0 PRINTING & REPRO 59420 25.0 PAYMENTS PORN NAT’L 1144413 25.0 PUR. INDUSTRIAL FUND...SUPPLIES 0.02103 374 MUSICL INSTRUMENTS & PARTS 0.00111 I 376 OFFICE & ARTISTS’ MATERIALS 0.00481 378 BROOMS,BRUSH, HD SURF FLR. COV. 0.00069 379 MISC...BROOMSBRUSH, HD SURF FLR. COV. 0.00037 379 MISC. MFGING, DURABLE GOODS. 0.06812 380 RAILROADS & RAIL-RELATED SERV. 0.68903 I 381 PASSENGER

National Dam Safety Program. Patterson, Brixius, Grey Creek Watershed Project, Site 1 (Inventory Number NY698), Susquehanna River Basin, Broome County, New York. Phase I Inspection Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

km., -s . 4t ts Wut - fie- mu sekbdisgnr - -- o - atslowly !.rsabl - Slsnghatt $3, o$Ic Porn -lr -hSconsla. are, Un0dM4:s. Tube satorotei -Slowly...denses t- wrsy iss -Sa ilL ____-_____________ 4OC 7 drL 30. di. s - Iso-gsoa il.E This pit dog under 1920, the of"re I te OIL U.to 991. Acurately. am39O

Mass Action and Islamic Fundamentalism: The Revolt of the Brooms

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-20

movement. 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) Just when we appear to be on the brink of a stable world order...by calling commercial (717)245-3234 or DSN 242-3234. FOREWORD Just when we appear to be on the brink of a stable world order, the Middle East has...Strategic Studies Institute is pleased to publish this report as a contribution to the debate on U.S. policy in this volatile region. KARL W. ROBINSON

Image Mosaicking Approach for a Double-Camera System in the GaoFen2 Optical Remote Sensing Satellite Based on the Big Virtual Camera.

PubMed

Cheng, Yufeng; Jin, Shuying; Wang, Mi; Zhu, Ying; Dong, Zhipeng

2017-06-20

The linear array push broom imaging mode is widely used for high resolution optical satellites (HROS). Using double-cameras attached by a high-rigidity support along with push broom imaging is one method to enlarge the field of view while ensuring high resolution. High accuracy image mosaicking is the key factor of the geometrical quality of complete stitched satellite imagery. This paper proposes a high accuracy image mosaicking approach based on the big virtual camera (BVC) in the double-camera system on the GaoFen2 optical remote sensing satellite (GF2). A big virtual camera can be built according to the rigorous imaging model of a single camera; then, each single image strip obtained by each TDI-CCD detector can be re-projected to the virtual detector of the big virtual camera coordinate system using forward-projection and backward-projection to obtain the corresponding single virtual image. After an on-orbit calibration and relative orientation, the complete final virtual image can be obtained by stitching the single virtual images together based on their coordinate information on the big virtual detector image plane. The paper subtly uses the concept of the big virtual camera to obtain a stitched image and the corresponding high accuracy rational function model (RFM) for concurrent post processing. Experiments verified that the proposed method can achieve seamless mosaicking while maintaining the geometric accuracy.

Apoplastic and intracellular plant sugars regulate developmental transitions in witches' broom disease of cacao.

PubMed

Barau, Joan; Grandis, Adriana; Carvalho, Vinicius Miessler de Andrade; Teixeira, Gleidson Silva; Zaparoli, Gustavo Henrique Alcalá; do Rio, Maria Carolina Scatolin; Rincones, Johana; Buckeridge, Marcos Silveira; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

2015-03-01

Witches' broom disease (WBD) of cacao differs from other typical hemibiotrophic plant diseases by its unusually long biotrophic phase. Plant carbon sources have been proposed to regulate WBD developmental transitions; however, nothing is known about their availability at the plant-fungus interface, the apoplastic fluid of cacao. Data are provided supporting a role for the dynamics of soluble carbon in the apoplastic fluid in prompting the end of the biotrophic phase of infection. Carbon depletion and the consequent fungal sensing of starvation were identified as key signalling factors at the apoplast. MpNEP2, a fungal effector of host necrosis, was found to be up-regulated in an autophagic-like response to carbon starvation in vitro. In addition, the in vivo artificial manipulation of carbon availability in the apoplastic fluid considerably modulated both its expression and plant necrosis rate. Strikingly, infected cacao tissues accumulated intracellular hexoses, and showed stunted photosynthesis and the up-regulation of senescence markers immediately prior to the transition to the necrotrophic phase. These opposite findings of carbon depletion and accumulation in different host cell compartments are discussed within the frame of WBD development. A model is suggested to explain phase transition as a synergic outcome of fungal-related factors released upon sensing of extracellular carbon starvation, and an early senescence of infected tissues probably triggered by intracellular sugar accumulation. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Identification of a second family of genes in Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao, encoding necrosis-inducing proteins similar to cerato-platanins.

PubMed

Zaparoli, Gustavo; Cabrera, Odalys García; Medrano, Francisco Javier; Tiburcio, Ricardo; Lacerda, Gustavo; Pereira, Gonçalo Guimarães

2009-01-01

The hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao. This is a dimorphic species, with monokaryotic hyphae during the biotrophic phase, which is converted to dikaryotic mycelia during the saprophytic phase. The infection in pod is characterized by the formation of hypertrophic and hyperplasic tissues in the biotrophic phase, which is followed by necrosis and complete degradation of the organ. We found at least five sequences in the fungal genome encoding putative proteins similar to cerato-platanin (CP)-like proteins, a novel class of proteins initially found in the phytopathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata. One M. perniciosa CP gene (MpCP1) was expressed in vitro and proved to have necrosis-inducing ability in tobacco and cacao leaves. The protein is present in solution as dimers and is able to recover necrosis activity after heat treatment. Transcription analysis ex planta showed that MpCP1 is more expressed in biotrophic-like mycelia than saprotrophic mycelia. The necrosis profile presented is different from that caused by M. perniciosa necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins (MpNEPs), another family of elicitors expressed by M. perniciosa. Remarkably, a mixture of MpCP1 with MpNEP2 led to a synergistic necrosis effect very similar to that found in naturally infected plants. This is the first report of a basidiomycete presenting both NEP1-like proteins (NLPs) and CPs in its genome.

Proteomic analysis during of spore germination of Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao.

PubMed

Mares, Joise Hander; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Santos, Everton Cruz; da Silva Santiago, André; Santana, Juliano Oliveira; de Sousa, Aurizângela Oliveira; Alvim, Fátima Cerqueira; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2017-08-17

Moniliophthora perniciosa is a phytopathogenic fungus responsible for witches' broom disease of cacao trees (Theobroma cacao L.). Understanding the molecular events during germination of the pathogen may enable the development of strategies for disease control in these economically important plants. In this study, we determined a comparative proteomic profile of M. perniciosa basidiospores during germination by two-dimensional SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. A total of 316 proteins were identified. Molecular changes during the development of the germinative tube were identified by a hierarchical clustering analysis based on the differential accumulation of proteins. Proteins associated with fungal filamentation, such as septin and kinesin, were detected only 4 h after germination (hag). A transcription factor related to biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite fumagillin, which can form hybrids with polyketides, was induced 2 hag, and polyketide synthase was observed 4 hag. The accumulation of ATP synthase, binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), and catalase was validated by western blotting. In this study, we showed variations in protein expression during the early germination stages of fungus M. perniciosa. Proteins associated with fungal filamentation, and consequently with virulence, were detected in basidiospores 4 hag., for example, septin and kinesin. We discuss these results and propose a model of the germination of fungus M. perniciosa. This research can help elucidate the mechanisms underlying basic processes of host invasion and to develop strategies for control of the disease.

Prognosis of Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia After Acute Coronary Syndromes.

PubMed

Nanchen, David; Gencer, Baris; Muller, Olivier; Auer, Reto; Aghlmandi, Soheila; Heg, Dik; Klingenberg, Roland; Räber, Lorenz; Carballo, David; Carballo, Sebastian; Matter, Christian M; Lüscher, Thomas F; Windecker, Stephan; Mach, François; Rodondi, Nicolas

2016-09-06

Patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and coronary heart disease have high mortality rates. However, in an era of high-dose statin prescription after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the risk of recurrent coronary and cardiovascular events associated with FH might be mitigated. We compared coronary event rates between patients with and without FH after ACS. We studied 4534 patients with ACS enrolled in a multicenter, prospective cohort study in Switzerland between 2009 and 2013 who were individually screened for FH on the basis of clinical criteria according to 3 definitions: the American Heart Association definition, the Simon Broome definition, and the Dutch Lipid Clinic definition. We used Cox proportional models to assess the 1-year risk of first recurrent coronary events defined as coronary death or myocardial infarction and adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, existing cardiovascular disease, high-dose statin at discharge, attendance at cardiac rehabilitation, and the GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) risk score for severity of ACS. At the 1-year follow-up, 153 patients (3.4%) had died, including 104 (2.3%) of fatal myocardial infarction. A further 113 patients (2.5%) experienced nonfatal myocardial infarction. The prevalence of FH was 2.5% with the American Heart Association definition, 5.5% with the Simon Broome definition, and 1.6% with the Dutch Lipid Clinic definition. Compared with patients without FH, the risk of coronary event recurrence after ACS was similar in patients with FH in unadjusted analyses, although patients with FH were >10 years younger. However, after multivariable adjustment including age, the risk was greater in patients with FH than without, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.46 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-5.65; P=0.034) for the American Heart Association definition, 2.73 (95% confidence interval, 1.46-5.11; P=0.002) for the Simon Broome definition, and 3.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.26-9.94; P=0.017) for the Dutch Lipid Clinic definition. Depending on which clinical definition of FH was used, between 94.5% and 99.1% of patients with FH were discharged on statins and between 74.0% and 82.3% on high-dose statins. Patients with FH and ACS have a >2-fold adjusted risk of coronary event recurrence within the first year after discharge than patients without FH despite the widespread use of high-intensity statins. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

The effects of soil moisture, surface roughness, and vegetation on L-band emission and backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, James R.; Shiue, J. C.; Engman, Edwin T.; Schmugge, Thomas J.; Mo, Tsan

1987-01-01

Measurements performed with SIR-B at 1.28 GHz and an airborne multiple-beam push-broom radiometer at 1.4 GHz over agricultural fields near Fresno, California are examined. A theoretical model (Kirchhoff approximation) was used to assess the effects of surface roughness and vegetation (alfalfa and lettuce) with respect to the responses of microwave emission and backscatter to soil-moisture variations. It is found that the surface roughness plays a dominant role compared to the vegetation cover in the microwave backscatter.

Enplanement and All Cargo Activity

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

ORLEANS NEW ORLEANS INTL/M MSY 3,255,817 $3.481.281 41 IL CHICAGO CHICAGO MIDWAY MDW 3,241,851 $3,472.203 42 OR PORTLAND PORTLAND INTL POX # 3,178,617...FNN 66.042 $473.418 NEW MEXICO TOTAL 2.560.292 $4.236.347 3601 COUNTY OF BROOME EDWIN A LINK FIELD-BRD 5GM 151.518 $783.947 3602 COUNTY OF CHAUTAUQUA...PENDLETON MUNI PDT 11,056 $400.000 4109 CITY OF REDMOND ROBERTS FtELD ROM 64.773 $486.820 4113 PORT OF PORTLAND PORTLAND INTL POX # 3.178,617 $1.715.551

Statistical relative gain calculation for Landsat 8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Cody; Helder, Dennis L.; Jeno, Drake

2017-09-01

The Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) is an optical multispectral push-broom sensor with a focal plane consisting of over 7000 detectors per spectral band. Each of the individual imaging detectors contributes one column of pixels to an image. Any difference in the response between neighboring detectors may result in a visible stripe or band in the imagery. An accurate estimate of each detector's relative gain is needed to account for any differences between detector responses. This paper describes a procedure for estimating relative gains which uses normally acquired Earth viewing statistics.

Laser Transmitter Design and Performance for the Slope Imaging Multi-Polarization Photon-Counting Lidar (SIMPL) Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu, Anthony W.; Harding, David J.; Dabney, Philip W.

2016-01-01

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) instrument is a polarimetric, two-color, multibeam push broom laser altimeter developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program and has been flown successfully on multiple airborne platforms since 2008. In this talk we will discuss the laser transmitter performance and present recent science data collected over the Greenland ice sheet and sea ice in support of the NASA Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) mission to be launched in 2017.

Response to Commentary on Cheng, Broome, Feng, and Hu (2017) Leadership behaviours play a significant role in implementing evidence-based practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2018;27:e1684-e1685.

PubMed

Cheng, Lei; Feng, Sheng; Hu, Yan; Broome, Marion E

2018-06-12

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Hu and Gifford's comments(Hu & Gifford, 2018). We appreciated their acknowledgement of our findings about the factors influencing the successful implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP). The authors described leadership behaviors as having a significant role in implementing evidence-based practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Statistical relative gain calculation for Landsat 8

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson (CTR), Cody; Helder, Dennis; Jeno (CTR), Drake

2017-01-01

The Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) is an optical multispectral push-broom sensor with a focal plane consisting of over 7000 detectors per spectral band. Each of the individual imaging detectors contributes one column of pixels to an image. Any difference in the response between neighboring detectors may result in a visible stripe or band in the imagery. An accurate estimate of each detector’s relative gain is needed to account for any differences between detector responses. This paper describes a procedure for estimating relative gains which uses normally acquired Earth viewing statistics.

A phytoplasma closely related to the pigeon pea witches'-broom phytoplasma (16Sr IX) is associated with citrus huanglongbing symptoms in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Teixeira, D C; Wulff, N A; Martins, E C; Kitajima, E W; Bassanezi, R; Ayres, A J; Eveillard, S; Saillard, C; Bové, J M

2008-09-01

In February 2007, sweet orange trees with characteristic symptoms of huanglongbing (HLB) were encountered in a region of São Paulo state (SPs) hitherto free of HLB. These trees tested negative for the three liberibacter species associated with HLB. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product from symptomatic fruit columella DNA amplifications with universal primers fD1/rP1 was cloned and sequenced. The corresponding agent was found to have highest 16S rDNA sequence identity (99%) with the pigeon pea witches'-broom phytoplasma of group 16Sr IX. Sequences of PCR products obtained with phytoplasma 16S rDNA primer pairs fU5/rU3, fU5/P7 confirm these results. With two primers D7f2/D7r2 designed based on the 16S rDNA sequence of the cloned DNA fragment, positive amplifications were obtained from more than one hundred samples including symptomatic fruits and blotchy mottle leaves. Samples positive for phytoplasmas were negative for liberibacters, except for four samples, which were positive for both the phytoplasma and 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'. The phytoplasma was detected by electron microscopy in the sieve tubes of midribs from symptomatic leaves. These results show that a phytoplasma of group IX is associated with citrus HLB symptoms in northern, central, and southern SPs. This phytoplasma has very probably been transmitted to citrus from an external source of inoculum, but the putative insect vector is not yet known.

In-Depth Transcriptome Sequencing of Mexican Lime Trees Infected with Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia.

PubMed

Mardi, Mohsen; Karimi Farsad, Laleh; Gharechahi, Javad; Salekdeh, Ghasem Hosseini

2015-01-01

Witches' broom disease of acid lime greatly affects the production of Mexican lime in Iran. It is caused by a phytoplasma (Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia). However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie phytoplasma pathogenicity and the mode of interactions with host plants are largely unknown. Here, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was conducted to explore gene expression signatures associated with phytoplasma infection in Mexican lime trees. We assembled 78,185 unique transcript sequences (unigenes) with an average length of 530 nt. Of these, 41,805 (53.4%) were annotated against the NCBI non-redundant (nr) protein database using a BLASTx search (e-value ≤ 1e-5). When the abundances of unigenes in healthy and infected plants were compared, 2,805 transcripts showed significant differences (false discovery rate ≤ 0.001 and log2 ratio ≥ 1.5). These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in 43 KEGG metabolic and regulatory pathways. The up-regulated DEGs were mainly categorized into pathways with possible implication in plant-pathogen interaction, including cell wall biogenesis and degradation, sucrose metabolism, secondary metabolism, hormone biosynthesis and signalling, amino acid and lipid metabolism, while down-regulated DEGs were predominantly enriched in ubiquitin proteolysis and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Our analysis provides novel insight into the molecular pathways that are deregulated during the host-pathogen interaction in Mexican lime trees infected by phytoplasma. The findings can be valuable for unravelling the molecular mechanisms of plant-phytoplasma interactions and can pave the way for engineering lime trees with resistance to witches' broom disease.

Why fly the extra mile? Using stress biomarkers to assess wintering habitat quality in migratory shorebirds.

PubMed

Aharon-Rotman, Yaara; Buchanan, Katherine L; Clark, Nicholas J; Klaassen, Marcel; Buttemer, William A

2016-10-01

Migratory birds make decisions about how far to travel based on cost-benefit trade-offs. However, in many cases the net effect of these trade-offs is unclear. We sought to address this question by measuring feather corticosterone (CORTf), leucocyte profile, avian malaria parasite prevalence and estimating fueling rates in three spatially segregated wintering populations of the migratory shorebird ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres during their stay in the winter habitat. These birds fly from the high-Arctic breeding ground to Australia, but differ in that some decide to end their migration early (Broome, Western Australia), whereas others travel further to either South Australia or Tasmania. We hypothesized that the extra costs in birds migrating greater distances and overwintering in colder climates would be offset by benefits when reaching their destination. This would be evidenced by lower stress biomarkers in populations that travel further, owing to the expected benefits of greater resources and improved vitality. We show that avian malaria prevalence and physiological stress levels were lower in birds flying to South Australia and Tasmania than those overwintering in Broome. Furthermore, our modeling predicts that birds in the southernmost locations enjoy higher fueling rates. Our data are consistent with the interpretation that birds occupying more costly wintering locations in terms of higher migratory flight and thermoregulatory costs are compensated by better feeding conditions and lower blood parasite infections, which facilitates timely and speedy migration back to the breeding ground. These data contribute to our understanding of cost-benefit trade-offs in the decision making underlying migratory behaviour.

Chromosome sizes of phytoplasmas composing major phylogenetic groups and subgroups.

PubMed

Marcone, C; Neimark, H; Ragozzino, A; Lauer, U; Seemüller, E

1999-09-01

ABSTRACT Chromosome sizes of 71 phytoplasmas belonging to 12 major phylogenetic groups including several of the aster yellows subgroups were estimated from electrophoretic mobilities of full-length chromosomes in pulsed-field gels. Considerable variation in genome size, from 660 to 1,130 kilobases (kb), was observed among aster yellows phytoplasmas. Chromosome size heterogeneity was also observed in the stolbur phytoplasma group (range 860 to 1,350 kb); in this group, isolate STOLF contains the largest chromosome found in a phytoplasma to date. A wide range of chromosome sizes, from 670 to 1,075 kb, was also identified in the X-disease group. The other phytoplasmas examined, which included members of the apple proliferation, Italian alfalfa witches' broom, faba bean phyllody, pigeon pea witches' broom, sugarcane white leaf, Bermuda grass white leaf, ash yellows, clover proliferation, and elm yellows groups, all have chromosomes smaller than 1 megabase, and the size ranges within each of these groups is narrower than in the aster yellows, stolbur, and X-disease groups. The smallest chromosome, approximately 530 kb, was found in two Bermuda grass white leaf phytoplasma isolates. This not only is the smallest mollicute chromosome found to date, but also is the smallest chromosome known for any cell. More than one large DNA band was observed in several phytoplasma preparations. Possible explanations for the occurrence of more than one band may be infection of the host plant by different phytoplasmas, the presence of more than one chromosome in the same organism, or the presence of large extrachromosomal DNA elements.

Comparative Analysis of the Peanut Witches'-Broom Phytoplasma Genome Reveals Horizontal Transfer of Potential Mobile Units and Effectors

PubMed Central

Lo, Wen-Sui; Lin, Chan-Pin; Kuo, Chih-Horng

2013-01-01

Phytoplasmas are a group of bacteria that are associated with hundreds of plant diseases. Due to their economical importance and the difficulties involved in the experimental study of these obligate pathogens, genome sequencing and comparative analysis have been utilized as powerful tools to understand phytoplasma biology. To date four complete phytoplasma genome sequences have been published. However, these four strains represent limited phylogenetic diversity. In this study, we report the shotgun sequencing and evolutionary analysis of a peanut witches'-broom (PnWB) phytoplasma genome. The availability of this genome provides the first representative of the 16SrII group and substantially improves the taxon sampling to investigate genome evolution. The draft genome assembly contains 13 chromosomal contigs with a total size of 562,473 bp, covering ∼90% of the chromosome. Additionally, a complete plasmid sequence is included. Comparisons among the five available phytoplasma genomes reveal the differentiations in gene content and metabolic capacity. Notably, phylogenetic inferences of the potential mobile units (PMUs) in these genomes indicate that horizontal transfer may have occurred between divergent phytoplasma lineages. Because many effectors are associated with PMUs, the horizontal transfer of these transposon-like elements can contribute to the adaptation and diversification of these pathogens. In summary, the findings from this study highlight the importance of improving taxon sampling when investigating genome evolution. Moreover, the currently available sequences are inadequate to fully characterize the pan-genome of phytoplasmas. Future genome sequencing efforts to expand phylogenetic diversity are essential in improving our understanding of phytoplasma evolution. PMID:23626855

Association mapping of seed and disease resistance traits in Theobroma cacao L.

PubMed

Motilal, Lambert A; Zhang, Dapeng; Mischke, Sue; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Boccara, Michel; Fouet, Olivier; Lanaud, Claire; Umaharan, Pathmanathan

2016-12-01

Microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism markers that could be used in marker assisted breeding of cacao were identified for number of filled seeds, black pod resistance and witches' broom disease resistance. An association mapping approach was employed to identify markers for seed number and resistance to black pod and witches' broom disease (WBD) in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Ninety-five microsatellites (SSRs) and 775 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed on 483 unique trees in the International Cocoa Genebank Trinidad (ICGT). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) and association mapping studies were conducted to identify markers to tag the phenotypic traits. Decay of LD occurred over an average 9.3 cM for chromosomes 1-9 and 2.5 cM for chromosome 10. Marker/trait associations were generally identified based on general linear models (GLMs) that incorporated principal components from molecular information on relatedness factor. Seven markers (mTcCIR 8, 66, 126, 212; TcSNP368, 697, 1370) on chromosomes 1 and 9 were identified for number of filled seeds (NSEED). A single marker was found for black pod resistance (mTcCIR280) on chromosome 3, whereas six markers on chromosomes 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 were detected for WBD (mTcCIR91, 183; TcSNP375, 720, 1230 and 1374). It is expected that this association mapping study in cacao would contribute to the knowledge of the genetic determinism of cocoa traits and that the markers identified herein would prove useful in marker assisted breeding of cacao.

Characterization of a protease produced by a Trichoderma harzianum isolate which controls cocoa plant witches' broom disease

PubMed Central

De Marco, Janice L; Felix, Carlos Roberto

2002-01-01

Background Several Trichoderma strains have been reported to be effective in controlling plant diseases, and the action of fungal hydrolytic enzymes has been considered as the main mechanism involved in the antagonistic process. However, although Trichoderma strains were found to impair development of Crinipellis perniciosa, the causal agent of cocoa plant witches' broom disease, no fungal strain is available for effective control of this disease. We have then undertaken a program of construction of hydrolytic enzyme-overproducing Trichoderma strains aiming improvement of the fungal antagonistic capacity. The protease of an indian Trichoderma isolate showing antagonistic activity against C. perniciosa was purified to homogeneity and characterized for its kinetic properties and action on the phytopathogen cell wall. Results A protease produced by the Trichoderma harzianum isolate 1051 was purified to homogeneity by precipitation with ammonium sulfate followed by hydrophobic chromatography. The molecular mass of this protease as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was about 18.8 kDa. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence shares no homology with any other protease. The purified enzyme substantially affected the cell wall of the phytopathogen C. perniciosa. Western-blotting analysis showed that the enzyme was present in the culture supernatant 24 h after the Trichoderma started to grow in casein-containing liquid medium. Conclusions The capacity of the Trichoderma harzianum protease to hydrolyze the cell wall of C. perniciosa indicates that this enzyme may be actually involved in the antagonistic process between the two fungi. This fact strongly suggest that hydrolytic enzyme over-producing transgenic fungi may show superior biocontrol capacity. PMID:11835696

MACHYDRO-90 - The microwave aircraft experiment for hydrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engman, Edwin T.

1991-01-01

MACHYDRO-90 is a multisensor aircraft campaign (MAC) that was held in central Pennsylvania over an eleven day period in July 1990. The emphasis of the campaign was on the microwave measurements of soil moisture, although other aspects of hydrology and microwave-target interactions were also studied. A description is given of the experiment, its organization, and the meteorological conditions during the eleven days. Preliminary results are also presented from PBMR (Push-Broom Microwave Radiometer) and SAR (synthetic aperture radar) measurements of soil moisture. These results are portrayed in the context of the hydrology, which, during this experiment, exhibited dry and wet extremes.

Push-broom imaging spectrometer based on planar lightwave circuit MZI array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Minyue; Li, Mingyu; He, Jian-Jun

2017-05-01

We propose a large aperture static imaging spectrometer (LASIS) based on planar lightwave circuit (PLC) MZI array. The imaging spectrometer works in the push-broom mode with the spectrum performed by interferometry. While the satellite/aircraft is orbiting, the same source, seen from the satellite/aircraft, moves across the aperture and enters different MZIs, while adjacent sources enter adjacent MZIs at the same time. The on-chip spectrometer consists of 256 input mode converters, followed by 256 MZIs with linearly increasing optical path delays and a detector array. Multiple chips are stick together to form the 2D image surface and receive light from the imaging lens. Two MZI arrays are proposed, one works in wavelength ranging from 500nm to 900nm with SiON(refractive index 1.6) waveguides and another ranging from 1100nm to 1700nm with SOI platform. To meet the requirements of imaging spectrometer applications, we choose large cross-section ridge waveguide to achieve polarization insensitive, maintain single mode propagation in broad spectrum and increase production tolerance. The SiON on-chip spectrometer has a spectral resolution of 80cm-1 with a footprint of 17×15mm2 and the SOI based on-chip spectrometer has a resolution of 38cm-1 with a size of 22×19mm2. The spectral and space resolution of the imaging spectrometer can be further improved by simply adding more MZIs. The on-chip waveguide MZI array based Fourier transform imaging spectrometer can provide a highly compact solution for remote sensing on unmanned aerial vehicles or satellites with advantages of small size, light weight, no moving parts and large input aperture.

TcCYPR04, a Cacao Papain-Like Cysteine-Protease Detected in Senescent and Necrotic Tissues Interacts with a Cystatin TcCYS4

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Thyago Hermylly Santana; Freitas, Ana Camila Oliveira; Andrade, Bruno Silva; de Sousa, Aurizangela Oliveira; Santiago, André da Silva; Koop, Daniela Martins; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Alvim, Fátima Cerqueira; Micheli, Fabienne; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2015-01-01

The interaction amongst papain-like cysteine-proteases (PLCP) and their substrates and inhibitors, such as cystatins, can be perceived as part of the molecular battlefield in plant-pathogen interaction. In cacao, four cystatins were identified and characterized by our group. We identified 448 proteases in cacao genome, whereof 134 were cysteine-proteases. We expressed in Escherichia coli a PLCP from cacao, named TcCYSPR04. Immunoblottings with anti-TcCYSPR04 exhibited protein increases during leaf development. Additional isoforms of TcCYSPR04 appeared in senescent leaves and cacao tissues infected by Moniliophthora perniciosa during the transition from the biotrophic to the saprophytic phase. TcCYSPR04 was induced in the apoplastic fluid of Catongo and TSH1188 cacao genotypes, susceptible and resistant to M. perniciosa, respectively, but greater intensity and additional isoforms were observed in TSH1188. The fungal protein MpNEP induced PLCP isoform expression in tobacco leaves, according to the cross reaction with anti-TcCYSPR04. Several protein isoforms were detected at 72 hours after treatment with MpNEP. We captured an active PLCP from cacao tissues, using a recombinant cacao cystatin immobilized in CNBr-Sepharose. Mass spectrometry showed that this protein corresponds to TcCYSPR04. A homology modeling was obtained for both proteins. In order to become active, TcCYSPR04 needs to lose its inhibitory domain. Molecular docking showed the physical-chemical complementarities of the interaction between the cacao enzyme and its inhibitor. We propose that TcCYSPR04 and its interactions with cacao cystatins are involved in the senescence and necrosis events related to witches’ broom symptoms. This molecular interaction may be the target for future interventions to control witches' broom disease. PMID:26641247

TcCYPR04, a Cacao Papain-Like Cysteine-Protease Detected in Senescent and Necrotic Tissues Interacts with a Cystatin TcCYS4.

PubMed

Cardoso, Thyago Hermylly Santana; Freitas, Ana Camila Oliveira; Andrade, Bruno Silva; Sousa, Aurizangela Oliveira de; Santiago, André da Silva; Koop, Daniela Martins; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Alvim, Fátima Cerqueira; Micheli, Fabienne; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2015-01-01

The interaction amongst papain-like cysteine-proteases (PLCP) and their substrates and inhibitors, such as cystatins, can be perceived as part of the molecular battlefield in plant-pathogen interaction. In cacao, four cystatins were identified and characterized by our group. We identified 448 proteases in cacao genome, whereof 134 were cysteine-proteases. We expressed in Escherichia coli a PLCP from cacao, named TcCYSPR04. Immunoblottings with anti-TcCYSPR04 exhibited protein increases during leaf development. Additional isoforms of TcCYSPR04 appeared in senescent leaves and cacao tissues infected by Moniliophthora perniciosa during the transition from the biotrophic to the saprophytic phase. TcCYSPR04 was induced in the apoplastic fluid of Catongo and TSH1188 cacao genotypes, susceptible and resistant to M. perniciosa, respectively, but greater intensity and additional isoforms were observed in TSH1188. The fungal protein MpNEP induced PLCP isoform expression in tobacco leaves, according to the cross reaction with anti-TcCYSPR04. Several protein isoforms were detected at 72 hours after treatment with MpNEP. We captured an active PLCP from cacao tissues, using a recombinant cacao cystatin immobilized in CNBr-Sepharose. Mass spectrometry showed that this protein corresponds to TcCYSPR04. A homology modeling was obtained for both proteins. In order to become active, TcCYSPR04 needs to lose its inhibitory domain. Molecular docking showed the physical-chemical complementarities of the interaction between the cacao enzyme and its inhibitor. We propose that TcCYSPR04 and its interactions with cacao cystatins are involved in the senescence and necrosis events related to witches' broom symptoms. This molecular interaction may be the target for future interventions to control witches' broom disease.

'Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium' associated with almond witches'-broom disease: from draft genome to genetic diversity among strain populations.

PubMed

Quaglino, Fabio; Kube, Michael; Jawhari, Maan; Abou-Jawdah, Yusuf; Siewert, Christin; Choueiri, Elia; Sobh, Hana; Casati, Paola; Tedeschi, Rosemarie; Lova, Marina Molino; Alma, Alberto; Bianco, Piero Attilio

2015-07-30

Almond witches'-broom (AlmWB), a devastating disease of almond, peach and nectarine in Lebanon, is associated with 'Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium'. In the present study, we generated a draft genome sequence of 'Ca. P. phoenicium' strain SA213, representative of phytoplasma strain populations from different host plants, and determined the genetic diversity among phytoplasma strain populations by phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA, groEL, tufB and inmp gene sequences. Sequence-based typing and phylogenetic analysis of the gene inmp, coding an integral membrane protein, distinguished AlmWB-associated phytoplasma strains originating from diverse host plants, whereas their 16S rRNA, tufB and groEL genes shared 100 % sequence identity. Moreover, dN/dS analysis indicated positive selection acting on inmp gene. Additionally, the analysis of 'Ca. P. phoenicium' draft genome revealed the presence of integral membrane proteins and effector-like proteins and potential candidates for interaction with hosts. One of the integral membrane proteins was predicted as BI-1, an inhibitor of apoptosis-promoting Bax factor. Bioinformatics analyses revealed the presence of putative BI-1 in draft and complete genomes of other 'Ca. Phytoplasma' species. The genetic diversity within 'Ca. P. phoenicium' strain populations in Lebanon suggested that AlmWB disease could be associated with phytoplasma strains derived from the adaptation of an original strain to diverse hosts. Moreover, the identification of a putative inhibitor of apoptosis-promoting Bax factor (BI-1) in 'Ca. P. phoenicium' draft genome and within genomes of other 'Ca. Phytoplasma' species suggested its potential role as a phytoplasma fitness-increasing factor by modification of the host-defense response.

Research and implementation of simulation for TDICCD remote sensing in vibration of optical axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhi-hong; Kang, Xiao-jun; Lin, Zhe; Song, Li

2013-12-01

During the exposure time, the charge transfer speed in the push-broom direction and the line-by-lines canning speed of the sensor are required to match each other strictly for a space-borne TDICCD push-broom camera. However, as attitude disturbance of satellite and vibration of camera are inevitable, it is impossible to eliminate the speed mismatch, which will make the signal of different targets overlay each other and result in a decline of image resolution. The effects of velocity mismatch will be visually observed and analyzed by simulating the degradation of image quality caused by the vibration of the optical axis, and it is significant for the evaluation of image quality and design of the image restoration algorithm. How to give a model in time domain and space domain during the imaging time is the problem needed to be solved firstly. As vibration information for simulation is usually given by a continuous curve, the pixels of original image matrix and sensor matrix are discrete, as a result, they cannot always match each other well. The effect of simulation will also be influenced by the discrete sampling in integration time. In conclusion, it is quite significant for improving simulation accuracy and efficiency to give an appropriate discrete modeling and simulation method. The paper analyses discretization schemes in time domain and space domain and presents a method to simulate the quality of image of the optical system in the vibration of the line of sight, which is based on the principle of TDICCD sensor. The gray value of pixels in sensor matrix is obtained by a weighted arithmetic, which solves the problem of pixels dismatch. The result which compared with the experiment of hardware test indicate that this simulation system performances well in accuracy and reliability.

Evaluation of panicle residue from broom sorghum as a feed ingredient in finishing diets for lambs.

PubMed

Estrada-Angulo, A; Coronel-Burgos, F; Castro-Pérez, B I; Barreras, A; Zinn, R A; Corona-Gochi, L; Plascencia, A

2018-05-09

Sorghum panicle residue (SPR), a by-product of Sorghum vulgare, obtained in the manufacture of brooms and wisks, has potential as a partial substitute for grain in growing-finishing diets for feedlot lambs. Accordingly, 48 Pelibuey×Katahdin lambs (initial weight=16.2±4.3 kg) were used in an 84-d growth-performance trial to evaluate its comparative feeding value. Lambs were blocked by weight and assigned within weight groupings to 12 pens (4 lambs per pen). The SPR was finely ground before it was incorporated into the diet. The basal diet contained 60% whole grain sorghum (WGS; DM basis). Dietary treatments consisted in the replacement of WGS with 0, 50, or 100% SPR. Replacement of WGS with SPR decreased (linear effect, P=0.04) average daily gain (ADG), and tended to increase (linear effect, P=0.06) dry matter intake (DMI). Replacement of WGS with SPR decreased (linear effect, P<0.01) gain efficiency (ADG : DMI), and observed dietary net energy (NE), as well as hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, kidney-pelvic-heart fat, and back fat thickness (linear effect, P⩽.05) Other carcass characteristics and wholesale cuts as a percentage of cold carcass weight were not affected by dietary treatments. It is concluded that SPR is a palatable feed ingredient for inclusion in finishing diets for feedlot lambs. The comparative NE values for SPR are 1.50 and 0.91 Mcal/kg for maintenance and gain, respectively, 75% the NE value of WGS. These NE values reflect the greater fiber content of SPR. To the extent that dietary energy density limits energy intake (and hence daily weight gain), appropriate constraints on level of SPR incorporation is warranted.

A genome survey of Moniliophthora perniciosa gives new insights into Witches' Broom Disease of cacao

PubMed Central

Mondego, Jorge MC; Carazzolle, Marcelo F; Costa, Gustavo GL; Formighieri, Eduardo F; Parizzi, Lucas P; Rincones, Johana; Cotomacci, Carolina; Carraro, Dirce M; Cunha, Anderson F; Carrer, Helaine; Vidal, Ramon O; Estrela, Raíssa C; García, Odalys; Thomazella, Daniela PT; de Oliveira, Bruno V; Pires, Acássia BL; Rio, Maria Carolina S; Araújo, Marcos Renato R; de Moraes, Marcos H; Castro, Luis AB; Gramacho, Karina P; Gonçalves, Marilda S; Neto, José P Moura; Neto, Aristóteles Góes; Barbosa, Luciana V; Guiltinan, Mark J; Bailey, Bryan A; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Cascardo, Julio CM; Pereira, Gonçalo AG

2008-01-01

Background The basidiomycete fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of Witches' Broom Disease (WBD) in cacao (Theobroma cacao). It is a hemibiotrophic pathogen that colonizes the apoplast of cacao's meristematic tissues as a biotrophic pathogen, switching to a saprotrophic lifestyle during later stages of infection. M. perniciosa, together with the related species M. roreri, are pathogens of aerial parts of the plant, an uncommon characteristic in the order Agaricales. A genome survey (1.9× coverage) of M. perniciosa was analyzed to evaluate the overall gene content of this phytopathogen. Results Genes encoding proteins involved in retrotransposition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) resistance, drug efflux transport and cell wall degradation were identified. The great number of genes encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (1.15% of gene models) indicates that M. perniciosa has a great potential for detoxification, production of toxins and hormones; which may confer a high adaptive ability to the fungus. We have also discovered new genes encoding putative secreted polypeptides rich in cysteine, as well as genes related to methylotrophy and plant hormone biosynthesis (gibberellin and auxin). Analysis of gene families indicated that M. perniciosa have similar amounts of carboxylesterases and repertoires of plant cell wall degrading enzymes as other hemibiotrophic fungi. In addition, an approach for normalization of gene family data using incomplete genome data was developed and applied in M. perniciosa genome survey. Conclusion This genome survey gives an overview of the M. perniciosa genome, and reveals that a significant portion is involved in stress adaptation and plant necrosis, two necessary characteristics for a hemibiotrophic fungus to fulfill its infection cycle. Our analysis provides new evidence revealing potential adaptive traits that may play major roles in the mechanisms of pathogenicity in the M. perniciosa/cacao pathosystem. PMID:19019209

Genetic Parameters and the Impact of Off-Types for Theobroma cacao L. in a Breeding Program in Brazil

PubMed Central

DuVal, Ashley; Gezan, Salvador A.; Mustiga, Guiliana; Stack, Conrad; Marelli, Jean-Philippe; Chaparro, José; Livingstone, Donald; Royaert, Stefan; Motamayor, Juan C.

2017-01-01

Breeding programs of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) trees share the many challenges of breeding long-living perennial crops, and genetic progress is further constrained by both the limited understanding of the inheritance of complex traits and the prevalence of technical issues, such as mislabeled individuals (off-types). To better understand the genetic architecture of cacao, in this study, 13 years of phenotypic data collected from four progeny trials in Bahia, Brazil were analyzed jointly in a multisite analysis. Three separate analyses (multisite, single site with and without off-types) were performed to estimate genetic parameters from statistical models fitted on nine important agronomic traits (yield, seed index, pod index, % healthy pods, % pods infected with witches broom, % of pods other loss, vegetative brooms, diameter, and tree height). Genetic parameters were estimated along with variance components and heritabilities from the multisite analysis, and a trial was fingerprinted with low-density SNP markers to determine the impact of off-types on estimations. Heritabilities ranged from 0.37 to 0.64 for yield and its components and from 0.03 to 0.16 for disease resistance traits. A weighted index was used to make selections for clonal evaluation, and breeding values estimated for the parental selection and estimation of genetic gain. The impact of off-types to breeding progress in cacao was assessed for the first time. Even when present at <5% of the total population, off-types altered selections by 48%, and impacted heritability estimations for all nine of the traits analyzed, including a 41% difference in estimated heritability for yield. These results show that in a mixed model analysis, even a low level of pedigree error can significantly alter estimations of genetic parameters and selections in a breeding program. PMID:29250097

Temporal Patterns in the Abundance and Species Composition of Spiders on Host Plants of the Invasive Moth Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

PubMed

Hogg, Brian N; Mills, Nicholas J; Daane, Kent M

2017-06-01

Generalist predators such as spiders may help mitigate the spread and impact of exotic herbivores. The lack of prey specificity and long generation times of spiders may allow them to persist when pests are scarce, and to limit the growth of pest populations before they reach damaging levels. We examined whether resident spiders are likely to play a role in maintaining populations of the invasive light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), below outbreak levels in California. We surveyed the spider community on two E. postvittana host plants, the ornamental Australian tea tree, Leptospermum laevigatum, and the weed French broom, Genista monspessulana, to characterize spider and larval E. postvittana abundance and spider species composition throughout the year. Spider densities and species composition showed slight seasonal changes. Spiders were present during periods of high and low E. postvittana abundance. Anyphaenid hunting spiders, Anyphaena aperta Banks in Australian tea tree and Anyphaena pacifica Banks in French broom, dominated spider species composition at four of five sampled sites, and underwent only slight seasonal variation in abundance. Adult A. aperta were rare at all times of the year, suggesting that high mortality among juvenile A. aperta limits the potential of this species as a predator of E. postvittana. Nevertheless, the continued presence of spiders throughout the year indicates that the resident spider community is likely to play a key role in reducing E. postvittana populations in California. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Identification of aster yellows phytoplasma in garlic and green onion by PCR-based methods.

PubMed

Khadhair, A H; Evans, I R; Choban, B

2002-01-01

In the summer of 1999, typical yellows-type symptoms were observed on garlic and green onion plants in a number of gardens and plots around Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. DNA was extracted from leaf tissues of evidently healthy and infected plants. DNA amplifications were conducted on these samples, using two primer pairs, R16F2n/R2 and R16(1)F1/R1, derived from phytoplasma rDNA sequences. DNA samples of aster yellows (AY), lime witches'-broom (LWB) and potato witches'-broom (PWB) phytoplasmas served as controls and were used to determine group relatedness. In a direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, DNA amplification with universal primer pair R16F2n/R2 gave the expected amplified products of 1.2 kb. Dilution (1/40) of each of the latter products were used as template and nested with specific primer pair R16(1)F1/R1. An expected PCR product of 1.1 kb was obtained from each phytoplasma-infected garlic and green onion samples, LWB and AY phytoplasmas but not from PWB phytoplasma. An aliquot from each amplification product (1.2 kb) with universal primers was subjected to PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) to identify phytoplasma isolates, using four restriction endonucleases (AluI, KpnI, MseI and RsaI). DNA amplification with specific primer pair R16(1)F1/R1 and RFLP analysis indicated the presence of AY phytoplasma in the infected garlic and green onion samples. These results suggest that AY phytoplasma in garlic and green onion samples belong to the subgroup 16Sr1-A.

Fixed-focus camera objective for small remote sensing satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topaz, Jeremy M.; Braun, Ofer; Freiman, Dov

1993-09-01

An athermalized objective has been designed for a compact, lightweight push-broom camera which is under development at El-Op Ltd. for use in small remote-sensing satellites. The high performance objective has a fixed focus setting, but maintains focus passively over the full range of temperatures encountered in small satellites. The lens is an F/5.0, 320 mm focal length Tessar type, operating over the range 0.5 - 0.9 micrometers . It has a 16 degree(s) field of view and accommodates various state-of-the-art silicon detector arrays. The design and performance of the objective is described in this paper.

Geohydrology of the Valley-Fill Aquifers between the Village of Greene, Chenango County and Chenango Valley State Park, Broome County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hetcher-Aguila, Kari K.; Miller, Todd S.

2005-01-01

The confined aquifer is widely used by people living and working in the Chenango River valley. The confined aquifer consists of ice-contact sand and gravel, typically overlies bedrock, and underlies a confining unit consisting of lacustrine fine sand, silt, and clay. The confining unit is typically more than 100 feet thick in the central parts of the valley between Greene Landing Field and along the northern edge of the Chenango Valley State Park. The thickness of the confined aquifer is more than 40 feet near the Greene Landing Field.

A Real-Time High Performance Data Compression Technique For Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, Pen-Shu; Venbrux, Jack; Bhatia, Prakash; Miller, Warner H.

2000-01-01

A high performance lossy data compression technique is currently being developed for space science applications under the requirement of high-speed push-broom scanning. The technique is also error-resilient in that error propagation is contained within a few scan lines. The algorithm is based on block-transform combined with bit-plane encoding; this combination results in an embedded bit string with exactly the desirable compression rate. The lossy coder is described. The compression scheme performs well on a suite of test images typical of images from spacecraft instruments. Hardware implementations are in development; a functional chip set is expected by the end of 2001.

Evaluating planetary digital terrain models-The HRSC DTM test

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heipke, C.; Oberst, J.; Albertz, J.; Attwenger, M.; Dorninger, P.; Dorrer, E.; Ewe, M.; Gehrke, S.; Gwinner, K.; Hirschmuller, H.; Kim, J.R.; Kirk, R.L.; Mayer, H.; Muller, Jan-Peter; Rengarajan, R.; Rentsch, M.; Schmidt, R.; Scholten, F.; Shan, J.; Spiegel, M.; Wahlisch, M.; Neukum, G.

2007-01-01

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has been orbiting the planet Mars since January 2004 onboard the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express mission and delivers imagery which is being used for topographic mapping of the planet. The HRSC team has conducted a systematic inter-comparison of different alternatives for the production of high resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) from the multi look HRSC push broom imagery. Based on carefully chosen test sites the test participants have produced DTMs which have been subsequently analysed in a quantitative and a qualitative manner. This paper reports on the results obtained in this test. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cloud and aerosol polarimetric imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junqiang; Shao, Jianbing; Yan, Changxiang

2014-02-01

Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetric Imager (CAPI), which is the first onboard cloud and aerosol Polarimetric detector of CHINA, is developed to get cloud and aerosol data of atmosphere to retrieve aerosol optical and microphysical properties to increase the reversion precision of greenhouse gasses (GHGs). The instrument is neither a Polarization and Direction of Earth's Reflectance (POLDER) nor a Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC) type polarized camera. It is a multispectral push broom system using linear detectors, and can get 5 bands spectral data, from ultraviolet (UV) to SWIR, of the same ground feature at the same time without any moving structure. This paper describes the CAPI instrument characteristics, composition, calibration, and the nearest development.

Synergistic use of active and passive microwave in soil moisture estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neill, P.; Chauhan, N.; Jackson, T.; Saatchi, S.

1992-01-01

Data gathered during the MACHYDRO experiment in central Pennsylvania in July 1990 have been utilized to study the synergistic use of active and passive microwave systems for estimating soil moisture. These data sets were obtained during an eleven-day period with NASA's Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) and Push-Broom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR) over an instrumented watershed which included agricultural fields with a number of different crop covers. Simultaneous ground truth measurements were also made in order to characterize the state of vegetation and soil moisture under a variety of meteorological conditions. A combination algorithm is presented as applied to a representative corn field in the MACHYDRO watershed.

Online Multitasking Line-Scan Imaging Techniques for Simultaneous Safety and Quality Evaluation of Apples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moon Sung; Lee, Kangjin; Chao, Kaunglin; Lefcourt, Alan; Cho, Byung-Kwan; Jun, Won

We developed a push-broom, line-scan imaging system capable of simultaneous measurements of reflectance and fluorescence. The system allows multitasking inspections for quality and safety attributes of apples due to its dynamic capabilities in simultaneously capturing fluorescence and reflectance, and selectivity in multispectral bands. A multitasking image-based inspection system for online applications has been suggested in that a single imaging device that could perform a multitude of both safety and quality inspection needs. The presented multitask inspection approach in online applications may provide an economically viable means for a number of food processing industries being able to adapt to operate and meet the dynamic and specific inspection and sorting needs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, OR; Oregon Department of Agriculture Noxious Weed Control Program

During the 1996 season ODA executed the contract between BPA and ODA. Execution of this contract included the following activities: Survey for target noxious weeds, such as Gorse; collection and redistribution of biological control agents, for example, Apion seed weevils for Scotch broom, bioagents for diffuse and spotted knapweed, Gorse spider mite, and gall fly releases for control of Canada thistle and bull thistle; and control of isolated infestations of Gorse on BPA rights-of-way. Training was provided for line crews at the Chemawa, Alevy and North Bend districts. The purpose of the program is to assist BPA in the integratedmore » prevention and control of noxious weed species on BPA transmission line maintenance right-of-ways.« less

Identification of candidate genes involved in Witches' broom disease resistance in a segregating mapping population of Theobroma cacao L. in Brazil.

PubMed

Royaert, Stefan; Jansen, Johannes; da Silva, Daniela Viana; de Jesus Branco, Samuel Martins; Livingstone, Donald S; Mustiga, Guiliana; Marelli, Jean-Philippe; Araújo, Ioná Santos; Corrêa, Ronan Xavier; Motamayor, Juan Carlos

2016-02-11

Witches' broom disease (WBD) caused by the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa is responsible for considerable economic losses for cacao producers. One of the ways to combat WBD is to plant resistant cultivars. Resistance may be governed by a few genetic factors, mainly found in wild germplasm. We developed a dense genetic linkage map with a length of 852.8 cM that contains 3,526 SNPs and is based on the MP01 mapping population, which counts 459 trees from a cross between the resistant 'TSH 1188' and the tolerant 'CCN 51' at the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in Barro Preto, Bahia, Brazil. Seven quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are associated with WBD were identified on five different chromosomes using a multi-trait QTL analysis for outbreeders. Phasing of the haplotypes at the major QTL region on chromosome IX on a diversity panel of genotypes clearly indicates that the major resistance locus comes from a well-known source of WBD resistance, the clone 'SCAVINA 6'. Various potential candidate genes identified within all QTL may be involved in different steps leading to disease resistance. Preliminary expression data indicate that at least three of these candidate genes may play a role during the first 12 h after infection, with clear differences between 'CCN 51' and 'TSH 1188'. We combined the information from a large mapping population with very distinct parents that segregate for WBD, a dense set of mapped markers, rigorous phenotyping capabilities and the availability of a sequenced genome to identify several genomic regions that are involved in WBD resistance. We also identified a novel source of resistance that most likely comes from the 'CCN 51' parent. Thanks to the large population size of the MP01 population, we were able to pick up QTL and markers with relatively small effects that can contribute to the creation and selection of more tolerant/resistant plant material.

Detection and discrimination of cotton foreign matter using push-broom based hyperspectral imaging: system design and capability.

PubMed

Jiang, Yu; Li, Changying

2015-01-01

Cotton quality, a major factor determining both cotton profitability and marketability, is affected by not only the overall quantity of but also the type of the foreign matter. Although current commercial instruments can measure the overall amount of the foreign matter, no instrument can differentiate various types of foreign matter. The goal of this study was to develop a hyperspectral imaging system to discriminate major types of foreign matter in cotton lint. A push-broom based hyperspectral imaging system with a custom-built multi-thread software was developed to acquire hyperspectral images of cotton fiber with 15 types of foreign matter commonly found in the U.S. cotton lint. A total of 450 (30 replicates for each foreign matter) foreign matter samples were cut into 1 by 1 cm2 pieces and imaged on the lint surface using reflectance mode in the spectral range from 400-1000 nm. The mean spectra of the foreign matter and lint were extracted from the user-defined region-of-interests in the hyperspectral images. The principal component analysis was performed on the mean spectra to reduce the feature dimension from the original 256 bands to the top 3 principal components. The score plots of the 3 principal components were used to examine clusterization patterns for classifying the foreign matter. These patterns were further validated by statistical tests. The experimental results showed that the mean spectra of all 15 types of cotton foreign matter were different from that of the lint. Nine types of cotton foreign matter formed distinct clusters in the score plots. Additionally, all of them were significantly different from each other at the significance level of 0.05 except brown leaf and bract. The developed hyperspectral imaging system is effective to detect and classify cotton foreign matter on the lint surface and has the potential to be implemented in commercial cotton classing offices.

A multidisciplinary approach to digital mapping of dinosaurian tracksites in the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia.

PubMed

Romilio, Anthony; Hacker, Jorg M; Zlot, Robert; Poropat, George; Bosse, Michael; Salisbury, Steven W

2017-01-01

The abundant dinosaurian tracksites of the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia, form an important part of the West Kimberley National Heritage Place. Previous attempts to document these tracksites using traditional mapping techniques (e.g., surface overlays, transects and gridlines combined with conventional photography) have been hindered by the non-trivial challenges associated with working in this area, including, but not limited to: (1) the remoteness of many of the tracksites; (2) the occurrence of the majority of the tracksites in the intertidal zone; (3) the size and complexity of many of the tracksites, with some extending over several square kilometres. Using the historically significant and well-known dinosaurian tracksites at Minyirr (Gantheaume Point), we show how these issues can be overcome through the use of an integrated array of remote sensing tools. A combination of high-resolution aerial photography with both manned and unmanned aircraft, airborne and handheld high-resolution lidar imaging and handheld photography enabled the collection of large amounts of digital data from which 3D models of the tracksites at varying resolutions were constructed. The acquired data encompasses a very broad scale, from the sub-millimetre level that details individual tracks, to the multiple-kilometre level, which encompasses discontinuous tracksite exposures and large swathes of coastline. The former are useful for detailed ichnological work, while the latter are being employed to better understand the stratigraphic and temporal relationship between tracksites in a broader geological and palaeoecological context. These approaches and the data they can generate now provide a means through which digital conservation and temporal monitoring of the Dampier Peninsula's dinosaurian tracksites can occur. As plans for the on-going management of the tracks in this area progress, analysis of the 3D data and 3D visualization will also likely provide an important means through which the broader public can experience these spectacular National Heritage listed landscapes.

Backthinned TDI CCD image sensor design and performance for the Pleiades high resolution Earth observation satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materne, A.; Bardoux, A.; Geoffray, H.; Tournier, T.; Kubik, P.; Morris, D.; Wallace, I.; Renard, C.

2017-11-01

The PLEIADES-HR Earth observing satellites, under CNES development, combine a 0.7m resolution panchromatic channel, and a multispectral channel allowing a 2.8 m resolution, in 4 spectral bands. The 2 satellites will be placed on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 695 km. The camera operates in push broom mode, providing images across a 20 km swath. This paper focuses on the specifications, design and performance of the TDI detectors developed by e2v technologies under CNES contract for the panchromatic channel. Design drivers, derived from the mission and satellite requirements, architecture of the sensor and measurement results for key performances of the first prototypes are presented.

Stochastic stability in three-player games.

PubMed

Kamiński, Dominik; Miekisz, Jacek; Zaborowski, Marcin

2005-11-01

Animal behavior and evolution can often be described by game-theoretic models. Although in many situations the number of players is very large, their strategic interactions are usually decomposed into a sum of two-player games. Only recently were evolutionarily stable strategies defined for multi-player games and their properties analyzed [Broom, M., Cannings, C., Vickers, G.T., 1997. Multi-player matrix games. Bull. Math. Biol. 59, 931-952]. Here we study the long-run behavior of stochastic dynamics of populations of randomly matched individuals playing symmetric three-player games. We analyze the stochastic stability of equilibria in games with multiple evolutionarily stable strategies. We also show that, in some games, a population may not evolve in the long run to an evolutionarily stable equilibrium.

Invisible Flame Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Stennis Space Center uses more than one million gallons of liquid hydrogen per month in its rocket testing program. Firefighters responding to a hydrogen fire had to give the area "the broom test" to determine the presence and location of a fire. This technique has significant safety and accuracy shortfalls. Stennis then developed technology to visually assess the presence, location and extent of hydrogen fires. SafetyScan, LLC. is now manufacturing FIRESCAPE, the first affordable commercial product for invisible (or ashless) fire imaging based on the original technology, to aid firefighters in seeing the invisible flames from alcohol and hydrogen fires during the day and even through smoke. The hand-held device weighs five pounds, is used like a pair of binoculars and can run for up to two hours before recharging.

Design and fabrication of a 900-1700 nm hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Tae Hyoung; Kong, Hong Jin; Kim, Tae Hoon; Shin, Jae Sung

2010-02-01

This paper presents a 900-1700 nm hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer which offers low distortions, a low F-number, a compact size, an easily-fabricated design and a low cost (is presented in this paper). The starting point for its optical design is discussed according to the geometrical aberration theory and Rowland circle condition. It is shown that these methods are useful in designing a push-broom hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer that has an aperture of f/2.4, modulation transfer functions of less than 0.8 at 25 cycles/mm, and spot sizes less than 10 μm. A prototype of the optimized hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer has been fabricated using a high precision machine and the experimental demonstration with the fabricated hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer is presented.

Environmental effects on the compressive properties - Thermosetting vs. thermoplastic composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haque, A.; Jeelani, S.

1992-01-01

The influence of moisture and temperature on the compressive properties of graphite/epoxy and APC-2 materials systems was investigated to assess the viability of using APC-2 instead of graphite/epoxy. Data obtained indicate that the moisture absorption rate of T-300/epoxy is higher than that of APC-2. Thick plate with smaller surface area absorbs less moisture than thin plate with larger surface area. The compressive strength and modulus of APC-2 are higher than those of T-300/epoxy composite, and APC-2 sustains higher compressive strength in the presence of moisture. The compressive strength and modulus decrease with the increase of temperature in the range of 23-100 C. The compression failure was in the form of delamination, interlaminar shear, and end brooming.

The genome biology of phytoplasma: modulators of plants and insects.

PubMed

Sugio, Akiko; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2012-06-01

Phytoplasmas are bacterial pathogens of plants that are transmitted by insects. These bacteria uniquely multiply intracellularly in both plants (Plantae) and insects (Animalia). Similarly to bacterial endosymbionts, phytoplasmas have reduced genomes with limited metabolic capabilities. Nonetheless, the chromosomes of many phytoplasmas are rich in repeated DNA consisting of mobile elements. Phytoplasmas produce an arsenal of effectors most of which are encoded on these mobile elements and on plasmids. These effectors target conserved plant transcription factors resulting in witches' broom and leafy flower symptoms and suppression of plant defense to insect vectors that transmit the phytoplasmas. Future studies of these fascinating microbes will generate a wealth of new knowledge about forces that shape genomes and microbial interactions with multicellular hosts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Broom fibre PRB for heavy metals groundwater remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molinari, A.; Troisi, S.; Fallico, C.; Paparella, A.; Straface, S.

2009-04-01

Soil contamination by heavy metal and, though it, of groundwater represent a serious alteration of original geochemical levels owing to various human activities as: particular industrial processes and their non-correct treatment emission, urban traffic, use of phytosanitary product and mineral fertilizer. Heavy metals are genotoxic contaminants who can be found by environmental matrix analysis or by examination of the genetic damage inducted, after exposition, to sentry organism. In this last case we use a relative quantitation of the gene expression monitoring the mitochondrial oxidative metabolism hepatopancreas's gene of the organism used by bioindicator. This test is based on consideration that the hepatopancreas is the first internal organ affected by heavy metals or any other pollutant that the organism is exposed. In this work, the organism used by bioindicator to evalutate the pollutant contamination of waste water is Danio rerio (Zebrafish) that is a little tropical fish of 2-3 cm, native on asiatic south-east rivers. This organism has a large use in scientific field because its genoma is almost completely mapped and, above all, because the congenital gene cause in human, if it was mutated in zebrafish, similar damage or almost similar mutation that happens in human being so you can develop a dose - response curve. To do this, after prepared a cadmium solution with a concentration 10 times the Italian normative limit, the organisms have been put in the aquarium to recreate the optimal condition to survival of zebrafish observed by continuous monitoring by web-cam. After one month exposition, that we took little by little sample fish to analyzing, for different exposition time, the hepatopancreas's fish. First results shows considerable variation of the gene expression by interested gene in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism compared to control, highlighting the mutagenity caused by heavy metals on Danio rerio's hepatopancreas and, mutatis mutandis, also in human being. One of the most interesting techniques applied in contaminated aquifer by heavy metals is the PRBs (Troisi et al., 2002; Calvin et al., 2006), in particular broom fibers PRB (Troisi et al., 2008). The first results highlight an optimum removal capacity for contaminants underlined from following removal percentage: 98.01% (Cd), 99.95% (Cu), 97.35% (Pb) and 99.53% (Zn). A fundamental parameter for PRB design is the decay coefficient who indicates the removal capacity (degradation, transformation, adsorption/absorption, mass transport, etc.). This parameter has been determined for four heavy metals: Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) carrying out column tests. Besides, for real use of broom fibers PRB same tests have been performed, using flow cells, to estimate a relation between hydraulic conductivity of fiber and its density. References Chien C. C., H. I. Inyang and L.G. Everett (2006). Barrier Systems for Environmental Contaminant Containment and Treatment. Taylor and Francis Group eds. Troisi S., C. Fallico, S. Straface S. e L. Mazzuca. (2008). Biodreni per la bonifica di siti contaminati realizzati con fibre naturali liberiane ad elevato sviluppo superficiale. CS2008A00018. Università della Calabria. Troisi S, E. Migliari and S. Straface (2002). Soil and groundwater contamination by heavy metals in the industrial area of Crotone. Third International Conference Risk Analysis III. Sintra, Ed. by C.A. Brebbia. WIT Press.

Spirostanol saponins and esculin from Rusci rhizoma reduce the thrombin-induced hyperpermeability of endothelial cells.

PubMed

Barbič, M; Willer, E A; Rothenhöfer, M; Heilmann, J; Fürst, R; Jürgenliemk, G

2013-06-01

Rusci rhizoma extracts are traditionally used against chronic venous disorders (CVD). To determine the effect of its secondary plant metabolites on the endothelium, phenolic compounds and saponins from Butcher's broom were isolated from a methanolic extract, and their activity on the thrombin-induced hyperpermeability of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) was investigated in vitro. In addition to the six known spirostanol saponins deglucoruscin (5), 22-O-methyl-deglucoruscoside (6), deglucoruscoside (7), ruscin (8), ruscogenin-1-O-(α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-d-galactopyranoside (9) and 1-O-sulpho-ruscogenin (10), three new spirostanol derivatives were isolated and identified: 3'-O-acetyl-4'-O-sulphodeglucoruscin (1), 4'-O-(2-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoyl)-deglucoruscin (2) and 4'-O-acetyl-deglucoruscin (3). Furthermore, the coumarin esculin (4), which is also prominently present in other medicinal plants used in the treatment of CVD, was isolated for the first time from Rusci rhizoma. Five of the isolated steroid derivatives (2, 5, 8, 9 and 10) and esculin (4) were tested for their ability to reduce the thrombin-induced hyperpermeability of endothelial cells in vitro, and the results were compared to those of the aglycone neoruscogenin (11). The latter compound showed a slight but concentration-dependent reduction in hyperpermeability to 71.8% at 100μM. The highest activities were observed for the spirostanol saponins 5 and 8 and for esculin (4) at 10μM, and these compounds resulted in a reduction of the thrombin-induced hyperpermeability to 41.9%, 42.6% and 53.3%, respectively. For 2, 5 and 8, the highest concentration tested (100μM) resulted in a drastic increase of the thrombin effect. The effect of esculin observed at a concentration of 10μM was diminished at 100μM. These in vitro data provide insight into the pharmacological mechanism by which the genuine spirostanol saponins and esculin can contribute to the efficacy of Butcher's broom against chronic venous disorders. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diversification of Fijian halictine bees: insights into a recent island radiation.

PubMed

Groom, Scott V C; Stevens, Mark I; Schwarz, Michael P

2013-09-01

Although bees form a key pollinator suite for flowering plants, very few studies have examined the evolutionary radiation of non-domesticated bees over human time-scales. This is surprising given the importance of bees for crop pollination and the effect of humans in transforming ecosystems via agriculture. In the Pacific, where the bee fauna appears depauperate, their importance as pollinators is not clear, particularly in Fiji where species diversity is even lower than neighbouring archipelagos. Here we explore the radiation of halictine bees in Fiji using phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA COI sequence data. Our analyses indicate the existence of several 'deep' clades whose divergences are close to the crown node, along with a highly derived 'broom' clade showing very high haplotype diversity, and mostly limited to low-lying agricultural regions. This derived clade is very abundant, whereas the more basal clades were relatively rare. Although nearly all haplotype diversity in Fijian Homalictus comprises synonymous substitutions, a small number of amino acid changes are associated with the major clades, including the hyper-diverse clade. Analyses of haplotype lineage accumulation show a steep increase in selectively neutral COI haplotypes corresponding to the emergence of this 'broom' clade. We explore three possible scenarios for this dramatic increase: (i) a key change in adaptedness to the environment, (ii) a large-scale extinction event, or (iii) a dramatic increase in suitable habitats leading to rapid population expansion. Using estimated mutation rates of mitochondrial DNA in other invertebrates, we argue that Homalictus first colonised the Fijian archipelago in the middle-late Pleistocene, and the rapid accumulation of haplotypes in the hyper-diverse clade occurred in the Holocene, but prior to recorded human presence in the Fijian region. Our results indicate that bees have not been important pollinators of Fijian ecosystems until very recent times. Post-Pleistocene climate change and anthropogenic effects on Fijian ecosystems are likely to have greatly transformed pollinator suites from the conditions when those ecosystems were first being assembled. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multidisciplinary approach to digital mapping of dinosaurian tracksites in the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian–Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia

PubMed Central

Hacker, Jorg M.; Zlot, Robert; Poropat, George; Bosse, Michael; Salisbury, Steven W.

2017-01-01

The abundant dinosaurian tracksites of the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian–Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia, form an important part of the West Kimberley National Heritage Place. Previous attempts to document these tracksites using traditional mapping techniques (e.g., surface overlays, transects and gridlines combined with conventional photography) have been hindered by the non-trivial challenges associated with working in this area, including, but not limited to: (1) the remoteness of many of the tracksites; (2) the occurrence of the majority of the tracksites in the intertidal zone; (3) the size and complexity of many of the tracksites, with some extending over several square kilometres. Using the historically significant and well-known dinosaurian tracksites at Minyirr (Gantheaume Point), we show how these issues can be overcome through the use of an integrated array of remote sensing tools. A combination of high-resolution aerial photography with both manned and unmanned aircraft, airborne and handheld high-resolution lidar imaging and handheld photography enabled the collection of large amounts of digital data from which 3D models of the tracksites at varying resolutions were constructed. The acquired data encompasses a very broad scale, from the sub-millimetre level that details individual tracks, to the multiple-kilometre level, which encompasses discontinuous tracksite exposures and large swathes of coastline. The former are useful for detailed ichnological work, while the latter are being employed to better understand the stratigraphic and temporal relationship between tracksites in a broader geological and palaeoecological context. These approaches and the data they can generate now provide a means through which digital conservation and temporal monitoring of the Dampier Peninsula’s dinosaurian tracksites can occur. As plans for the on-going management of the tracks in this area progress, analysis of the 3D data and 3D visualization will also likely provide an important means through which the broader public can experience these spectacular National Heritage listed landscapes. PMID:28344899

Comparative Analysis of Expressed Genes from Cacao Meristems Infected by Moniliophthora perniciosa

PubMed Central

Gesteira, Abelmon S.; Micheli, Fabienne; Carels, Nicolas; Da Silva, Aline C.; Gramacho, Karina P.; Schuster, Ivan; Macêdo, Joci N.; Pereira, Gonçalo A. G.; Cascardo, Júlio C. M.

2007-01-01

Background and Aims Witches' broom disease is caused by the hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa, and is one of the most important diseases of cacao in the western hemisphere. Because very little is known about the global process of such disease development, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were used to identify genes expressed during the Theobroma cacao–Moniliophthora perniciosa interaction. Methods Two cDNA libraries corresponding to the resistant (RT) and susceptible (SP) cacao–M. perniciosa interactions were constructed from total RNA, using the DB SMART Creator cDNA library kit (Clontech). Clones were randomly selected, sequenced from the 5′ end and analysed using bioinformatics tools including in silico analysis of the differential gene expression. Key Results A total of 6884 ESTs were generated from the RT and SP cDNA libraries. These ESTs were composed of 2585 singlets and 341 contigs for a total of 2926 non-redundant sequences. The redundancy of the libraries was low and their specificity high when compared with the few other cacao libraries already published. Sequence analysis allowed the assignment of a putative functional category for 54 % of sequences, whereas approx. 22 % of sequences corresponded to unknown function and approx. 24 % of sequences did not show any significant similarity with other proteins present in the database. Despite the similar overall distribution of the sequences in functional categories between the two libraries, qualitative differences were observed. Genes involved during the defence response to pathogen infection or in programmed cell death were identified, such as pathogenesis related-proteins, trypsin inhibitor or oxalate oxidase, and some of them showed an in silico differential expression between the resistant and the susceptible interactions. Conclusions As far as is known this is the first EST resource from the cacao–M. perniciosa interaction and it is believed that it will provide a significant contribution to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the resistance and susceptibility of cacao to M. perniciosa, to develop strategies to control witches broom, and as a source of polymorphism for molecular marker development and marker-assisted selection. PMID:17557832

Genetic variation assessment of acid lime accessions collected from south of Iran using SSR and ISSR molecular markers.

PubMed

Sharafi, Ata Allah; Abkenar, Asad Asadi; Sharafi, Ali; Masaeli, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Iran has a long history of acid lime cultivation and propagation. In this study, genetic variation in 28 acid lime accessions from five regions of south of Iran, and their relatedness with other 19 citrus cultivars were analyzed using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) and Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) molecular markers. Nine primers for SSR and nine ISSR primers were used for allele scoring. In total, 49 SSR and 131 ISSR polymorphic alleles were detected. Cluster analysis of SSR and ISSR data showed that most of the acid lime accessions (19 genotypes) have hybrid origin and genetically distance with nucellar of Mexican lime (9 genotypes). As nucellar of Mexican lime are susceptible to phytoplasma, these acid lime genotypes can be used to evaluate their tolerance against biotic constricts like lime "witches' broom disease".

A review of future remote sensing satellite capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calabrese, M. A.

1980-01-01

Existing, planned and future NASA capabilities in the field of remote sensing satellites are reviewed in relation to the use of remote sensing techniques for the identification of irrigated lands. The status of the currently operational Landsat 2 and 3 satellites is indicated, and it is noted that Landsat D is scheduled to be in operation in two years. The orbital configuration and instrumentation of Landsat D are discussed, with particular attention given to the thematic mapper, which is expected to improve capabilities for small field identification and crop discrimination and classification. Future possibilities are then considered, including a multi-spectral resource sampler supplying high spatial and temporal resolution data possibly based on push-broom scanning, Shuttle-maintained Landsat follow-on missions, a satellite to obtain high-resolution stereoscopic data, further satellites providing all-weather radar capability and the Large Format Camera.

DNA and RNA polymerase activity in a Moniliophthora perniciosa mitochondrial plasmid and self-defense against oxidative stress.

PubMed

Andrade, B S; Villela-Dias, C; Gomes, D S; Micheli, F; Góes-Neto, A

2013-06-13

Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime and Phillips-Mora is a hemibiotrophic basidiomycete (Agaricales, Tricholomataceae) that causes witches' broom disease in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). This pathogen carries a stable integrated invertron-type linear plasmid in its mitochondrial genome that encodes viral-like DNA and RNA polymerases related to fungal senescence and longevity. After culturing the fungus and obtaining its various stages of development in triplicate, we carried out total RNA extraction and subsequent complementary DNA synthesis. To analyze DNA and RNA polymerase expression levels, we performed real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for various fungal phases of development. Our results showed that DNA and RNA polymerase gene expression in the primordium phase of M. perniciosa is related to a potential defense mechanism against T. cacao oxidative attack.

Chiral domain formation from the mixture of achiral rod-like liquid crystal and tri boomerang-shaped molecule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Yoon, Tae-Hoon

2013-08-01

Spontaneous formation of chiral domains such as a helical filament and a bent-broom texture was observed from the mixture of a rod-like liquid crystal octylcyano-biphenyl (8CB) and a tri boomerang-shaped 2,4,6-triphenoxy-1,3,5-triazine (triphenoxy) molecule. Although the constituent molecules were achiral, their mixture showed the chiral domains with the equal fraction of the opposite handedness. No tilt of 8CB molecules in the smectic layer was observed, implying the chirality is not due to the polar packing and tilt of the molecules. In addition, the splay and bend elastic constant of 8CB was decreased after doping triphenoxy. A structural conformation of triphenoxy and an orientational coupling between 8CB and triphenoxy are considered to be related to the chiral domain formation.

A feasibility study: Forest Fire Advanced System Technology (FFAST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcleod, R. G.; Martin, T. Z.; Warren, J.

1983-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service completed a feasibility study that examined the potential uses of advanced technology in forest fires mapping and detection. The current and future (1990's) information needs in forest fire management were determined through interviews. Analysis shows that integrated information gathering and processing is needed. The emerging technologies that were surveyed and identified as possible candidates for use in an end to end system include ""push broom'' sensor arrays, automatic georeferencing, satellite communication links, near real or real time image processing, and data integration. Matching the user requirements and the technologies yielded a ""strawman'' system configuration. The feasibility study recommends and outlines the implementation of the next phase for this project, a two year, conceptual design phase to define a system that warrants continued development.

Environmental effects on the compressive properties - Thermosetting vs. thermoplastic composites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haque, A.; Jeelani, S.

1992-02-01

The influence of moisture and temperature on the compressive properties of graphite/epoxy and APC-2 materials systems was investigated to assess the viability of using APC-2 instead of graphite/epoxy. Data obtained indicate that the moisture absorption rate of T-300/epoxy is higher than that of APC-2. Thick plate with smaller surface area absorbs less moisture than thin plate with larger surface area. The compressive strength and modulus of APC-2 are higher than those of T-300/epoxy composite, and APC-2 sustains higher compressive strength in the presence of moisture. The compressive strength and modulus decrease with the increase of temperature in the range ofmore » 23-100 C. The compression failure was in the form of delamination, interlaminar shear, and end brooming. 9 refs.« less

Resumes of the Bird mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, E.; Borwald, W.; Briess, K.; Kayal, H.; Schneller, M.; Wuensten, Herbert

2004-11-01

The DLR micro satellite BIRD (Bi-spectral Infra Red Detection) was piggy- back launched with the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C3 into a 570 km circular sun-synchronous orbit on 22 October 2001. The BIRD mission, fully funded by the DLR, answers topical technological and scientific questions related to the operation of a compact infra- red push-broom sensor system on board of a micro satellite and demonstrates new spacecraft bus technologies. BIRD mission control is conducted by DLR / GSOC in Oberpfaffenhofen. Commanding, data reception and data processing is performed via ground stations in Weilheim and Neustrelitz (Germany). The BIRD mission is a demonstrator for small satellite projects dedicated to the hazard detection and monitoring. In the year 2003 BIRD has been used in the ESA project FUEGOSAT to demonstrate the utilisation of innovative space technologies for fire risk management.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Carbon Composite Valve for an Internal Combustion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, H. Kevin (Inventor); Ransone, Philip O. (Inventor); Northam, G. Burton (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite valve for internal combustion engines and the like formed of continuous carbon fibers throughout the valve's stem and head is disclosed. The valve includes braided carbon fiber material over axially aligned unidirectional carbon fibers forming a valve stem; the braided and unidirectional carbon fibers being broomed out at one end of the valve stem forming the shape of the valve head; the valve-shaped structure being densified and rigidized with a matrix of carbon containing discontinuous carbon fibers: and the finished valve being treated to resist oxidation. Also disclosed is a carbon matrix plug containing continuous and discontinuous carbon fibers and forming a net-shape valve head acting as a mandrel over which the unidirectional and braided carbon fibers are formed according to textile processes. Also disclosed are various preform valves and processes for making finished and preform carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite valves.

The Impact of Organizational Stress and Burnout on Client Engagement

PubMed Central

Landrum, Brittany; Knight, Danica K.; Flynn, Patrick M.

2011-01-01

This paper explores the impact of organizational attributes on client engagement within substance abuse treatment. Previous research has identified organizational features, including small size, accreditation, and workplace practices that impact client engagement (Broome, Flynn, Knight, & Simpson, 2007). The current study sought to explore how aspects of the work environment impact client engagement. The sample included 89 programs located in 9 states across the U.S. Work environment measures included counselor perceptions of stress, burnout, and work satisfaction at each program, while engagement measures included client ratings of participation, counseling rapport, and treatment satisfaction. Using multiple regression, tests of moderation and mediation revealed that staff stress negatively predicted client participation in treatment. Burnout was related to stress, but was not related to participation. Two additional organizational measures – workload and influence – moderated the positive relationship between staff stress and burnout. Implications for drug treatment programs are discussed. PMID:22154029

An improved algorithm for de-striping of ocean colour monitor imageries aided by measured sensor characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutt, Ashutosh; Mishra, Ashish; Goswami, D. R.; Kumar, A. S. Kiran

2016-05-01

The push-broom sensors in bands meant to study oceans, in general suffer from residual non uniformity even after radiometric correction. The in-orbit data from OCM-2 shows pronounced striping in lower bands. There have been many attempts and different approaches to solve the problem using image data itself. The success or lack of it of each algorithm lies on the quality of the uniform region identified. In this paper, an image based destriping algorithm is presented with constraints being derived from Ground Calibration exercise. The basis of the methodology is determination of pixel to pixel non-uniformity through uniform segments identified and collected from large number of images, covering the dynamic range of the sensor. The results show the effectiveness of the algorithm over different targets. The performance is qualitatively evaluated by visual inspection and quantitatively measured by two parameters.

The Aquarius Ocean Salinity Mission High Stability L-band Radiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pellerano, Fernando A.; Piepmeier, Jeffrey; Triesky, Michael; Horgan, Kevin; Forgione, Joshua; Caldwell, James; Wilson, William J.; Yueh, Simon; Spencer, Michael; McWatters, Dalia;

Hydraulic analysis of Chenango River, Broome County, New York in relation to state highway plan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dunn, Bernard

1981-01-01

Hydraulic analyses of the 50- and 100-year floods in a 3.2 mile reach of the Chenango River in the towns of Fenton and Chenango in New York were made to determine the effects of two alternative bridge designs on flood levels. Neither design would cause more than a 0.1-foot increase in water level of the 50-year flood nor more than a 0.2-foot increase in water level of the 100-year flood above levels that would occur during these floods under present channel conditions. The discharges used in the analyses were 55,200 cubic feet per second for the 50-year flood and 63,000 cubic feet per second for the 100-year flood. Mean flow velocities and water-surface elevations at 17 cross sections are given for both bridge designs and are compared with those that would occur under present conditions. (USGS)

Pasteurella canis Isolation following Penetrating Eye Injury: A Case Report.

PubMed

Rashid, Noor-Khairul; Zam, Zarifah; Mdnoor, Siti-Suraya; Siti-Raihan, Ishak; Azhany, Yaakub

2012-01-01

A 3-year-old boy presented with history of trauma to the left eye after he accidentally injured his eye with a broom stick made up from coconut skewers. There was history of cats as their pets but not dogs. Ocular examination revealed left superonasal conjunctival laceration and scleral perforation with prolapsed vitreous. Fundus examination showed minimal vitreous haemorrhage and flat retina. Conjunctiva swab at the wound site was sent for gram staining, culture, and sensitivity. He underwent scleral suturing, vitreous tap, and intravitreal injection of Ceftazidime and Amikacin. Vitreous tap was sent for gram stained, culture and sensitivity. Postoperatively, he was started empirically on IV Ciprofloxacin 160 mg BD, Guttae Ciprofloxacin, and Guttae Ceftazidime. Conjunctiva swab grew Pasteurella canis which was sensitive to all Beta lactams, Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, and Aminoglycoside. Post-operative was uneventful, absent signs of endophthalmitis or orbital cellulitis.

Pasteurella canis Isolation following Penetrating Eye Injury: A Case Report

PubMed Central

Rashid, Noor-Khairul; Zam, Zarifah; MdNoor, Siti-Suraya; Siti-Raihan, Ishak; Azhany, Yaakub

2012-01-01

A 3-year-old boy presented with history of trauma to the left eye after he accidentally injured his eye with a broom stick made up from coconut skewers. There was history of cats as their pets but not dogs. Ocular examination revealed left superonasal conjunctival laceration and scleral perforation with prolapsed vitreous. Fundus examination showed minimal vitreous haemorrhage and flat retina. Conjunctiva swab at the wound site was sent for gram staining, culture, and sensitivity. He underwent scleral suturing, vitreous tap, and intravitreal injection of Ceftazidime and Amikacin. Vitreous tap was sent for gram stained, culture and sensitivity. Postoperatively, he was started empirically on IV Ciprofloxacin 160 mg BD, Guttae Ciprofloxacin, and Guttae Ceftazidime. Conjunctiva swab grew Pasteurella canis which was sensitive to all Beta lactams, Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, and Aminoglycoside. Post-operative was uneventful, absent signs of endophthalmitis or orbital cellulitis. PMID:22606491

Aboriginal women and Asian men: a maritime history of color in white Australia.

PubMed

Balint, Ruth

2012-01-01

In 1901, Broome—a port town on the northwest edge of the Australian continent—was one of the principal and most lucrative industrial pearling centers in the world and entirely dependent on Asian indentured labor. Relations between Asian crews and local Aboriginal people were strong, at a time when the project of White Australia was being pursued with vigorous, often fanatical dedication across the newly federated continent. It was the policing of Aboriginal women, specifically their relations with Asian men, that became the focus of efforts by authorities and missionaries to uphold and defend their commitment to the White Australia policy. This article examines the historical experience of Aboriginal women in the pearling industry of northwest Australia and the story of Asian-Aboriginal cohabitation in the face of oppressive laws and regulations. It then explores the meaning of “color” in contemporary Broome for the descendants of this mixed heritage today.

A multi-layered mechanistic modelling approach to understand how effector genes extend beyond phytoplasma to modulate plant hosts, insect vectors and the environment.

PubMed

Tomkins, Melissa; Kliot, Adi; Marée, Athanasius Fm; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2018-03-13

Members of the Candidatus genus Phytoplasma are small bacterial pathogens that hijack their plant hosts via the secretion of virulence proteins (effectors) leading to a fascinating array of plant phenotypes, such as witch's brooms (stem proliferations) and phyllody (retrograde development of flowers into vegetative tissues). Phytoplasma depend on insect vectors for transmission, and interestingly, these insect vectors were found to be (in)directly attracted to plants with these phenotypes. Therefore, phytoplasma effectors appear to reprogram plant development and defence to lure insect vectors, similarly to social engineering malware, which employs tricks to lure people to infected computers and webpages. A multi-layered mechanistic modelling approach will enable a better understanding of how phytoplasma effector-mediated modulations of plant host development and insect vector behaviour contribute to phytoplasma spread, and ultimately to predict the long reach of phytoplasma effector genes. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Control of invasive weeds with prescribed burning

USGS Publications Warehouse

DiTomaso, Joseph M.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Allen, Edith B.; Minnich, Ralph; Rice, Peter M.; Kyser, Guy B.

2006-01-01

Prescribed burning has primarily been used as a tool for the control of invasive late-season annual broadleaf and grass species, particularly yellow starthistle, medusahead, barb goatgrass, and several bromes. However, timely burning of a few invasive biennial broadleaves (e.g., sweetclover and garlic mustard), perennial grasses (e.g., bluegrasses and smooth brome), and woody species (e.g., brooms and Chinese tallow tree) also has been successful. In many cases, the effectiveness of prescribed burning can be enhanced when incorporated into an integrated vegetation management program. Although there are some excellent examples of successful use of prescribed burning for the control of invasive species, a limited number of species have been evaluated. In addition, few studies have measured the impact of prescribed burning on the long-term changes in plant communities, impacts to endangered plant species, effects on wildlife and insect populations, and alterations in soil biology, including nutrition, mycorrhizae, and hydrology. In this review, we evaluate the current state of knowledge on prescribed burning as a tool for invasive weed management.

Horizontal transfer of potential mobile units in phytoplasmas

PubMed Central

Ku, Chuan; Lo, Wen-Sui; Kuo, Chih-Horng

2013-01-01

Phytoplasmas are uncultivated phytopathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in a wide range of economically important plants. Through secretion of effector proteins, they are able to manipulate their plant hosts to facilitate their multiplication and dispersal by insect vectors. The genome sequences of several phytoplasmas have been characterized to date and a group of putative composite transposons called potential mobile units (PMUs) are found in these highly reduced genomes. Recently, our team reported the genome sequence and comparative analysis of a peanut witches’ broom (PnWB) phytoplasma, the first representative of the phytoplasma 16SrII group. Comparisons between the species phylogeny and the phylogenies of the PMU genes revealed that the PnWB PMU is likely to have been transferred from the 16SrI group. This indicates that PMUs are not only the DNA unit for transposition within a genome, but also for horizontal transfer among divergent phytoplasma lineages. Given the association of PMUs with effector genes, the mobility of PMUs across genomes has important implications for phytoplasma ecology and evolution. PMID:24251068

From jhum to broom: Agricultural land-use change and food security implications on the Meghalaya Plateau, India.

PubMed

Behera, Rabi Narayan; Nayak, Debendra Kumar; Andersen, Peter; Måren, Inger Elisabeth

2016-02-01

Human population growth in the developing world drives land-use changes, impacting food security. In India, the dramatic change in demographic dynamics over the past century has reduced traditional agricultural land-use through increasing commercialization. Here, we analyze the magnitude and implications for the farming system by the introduction of cash-cropping, replacing the traditional slash and burn rotations (jhum), of the tribal people on the Meghalaya Plateau, northeast India, by means of agricultural census data and field surveys conducted in seven villages. Land-use change has brought major alterations in hill agricultural practices, enhanced cash-cropping, promoted mono-cropping, changed food consumption patterns, underpinned the emergence of a new food system, and exposed farmers and consumers to the precariousness of the market, all of which have both long- and short-term food security implications. We found dietary diversity to be higher under jhum compared to any of the cash-crop systems, and higher under traditional cash-cropping than under modern cash-cropping.

STS-57 Earth observation of King Sound in northwest Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

STS-57 Earth observation taken aboard Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, is of King Sound in northwest Australia. Roebuck Bay with the city of Broom on its northern shore is south of King Sound. Sediment in the sound is deposited by the Fitzroy River, which is the major body draining the Kimberley Plateau about 200 miles to the west. The extent of the tidal flats around the Sound is indicated by the large white areas covered with a salty residue. According to NASA scientists studying the STS-57 Earth photos, northwest wind gusts are ruffling areas of the water's surface at the mouth of King Sound and in neighboring Collier Bay. Therefore the water is less reflective and dark. The higher reflectance on the brightest areas is caused by biological oils floating on the surface and reducing the capillary wave action. The scientists point out that the oils take the forms of the currents and eddies in the picture. These eddies indicate that the water offshore is moving at a different speed

Discovery of why acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells are killed by asparaginase: Adventures of a young post-doctoral student, Bertha K Madras.

PubMed

Seeman, Philip

2014-05-01

A surprising finding was made by JG Kidd (1909-1991) that guinea pig serum could make tumours disappear in mice. A later finding made by JD Broome (1939-) showed that asparaginase could suppress or kill tumour cells. However, the major mystery was why were only tumour cells but not normal cells affected by the asparaginase? The biology underlying this mechanism was unravelled by a young post-doctoral student, Bertha K Madras (1942-) who hypothesized that cells with low asparagine synthetase are those that die following treatment with asparaginase. To test her theory, Madras developed an assay for asparagine synthetase. The hypothesis was supported by the results that cells with normal asparagine synthetase were protected, while cells with low levels of this enzyme were killed by asparaginase. The findings provide a clinical guide for the use of asparaginase in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children and adults. © IMechE 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Genomic analyses and expression evaluation of thaumatin-like gene family in the cacao fungal pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

Franco, Sulamita de Freitas; Baroni, Renata Moro; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella; Teixeira, Paulo José Pereira Lima; Reis, Osvaldo; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães; Mondego, Jorge Maurício Costa

2015-10-30

Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) are found in diverse eukaryotes. Plant TLPs, known as Pathogenicity Related Protein (PR-5), are considered fungal inhibitors. However, genes encoding TLPs are frequently found in fungal genomes. In this work, we have identified that Moniliophthora perniciosa, a basidiomycete pathogen that causes the Witches' Broom Disease (WBD) of cacao, presents thirteen putative TLPs from which four are expressed during WBD progression. One of them is similar to small TLPs, which are present in phytopathogenic basidiomycete, such as wheat stem rust fungus Puccinia graminis. Fungi genomes annotation and phylogenetic data revealed a larger number of TLPs in basidiomycetes when comparing with ascomycetes, suggesting that these proteins could be involved in specific traits of mushroom-forming species. Based on the present data, we discuss the contribution of TLPs in the combat against fungal competitors and hypothesize a role of these proteins in M. perniciosa pathogenicity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a marker assisted selection program for cacao.

PubMed

Schnell, R J; Kuhn, D N; Brown, J S; Olano, C T; Phillips-Mora, W; Amores, F M; Motamayor, J C

2007-12-01

ABSTRACT Production of cacao in tropical America has been severely affected by fungal pathogens causing diseases known as witches' broom (WB, caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa), frosty pod (FP, caused by M. roreri) and black pod (BP, caused by Phytophthora spp.). BP is pan-tropical and causes losses in all producing areas. WB is found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, while FP is found in Central America and parts of South America. Together, these diseases were responsible for over 700 million US dollars in losses in 2001 (4). Commercial cacao production in West Africa and South Asia are not yet affected by WB and FP, but cacao grown in these regions is susceptible to both. With the goal of providing new disease resistant cultivars the USDA-ARS and Mars, Inc. have developed a marker assisted selection (MAS) program. Quantitative trait loci have been identified for resistance to WB, FP, and BP. The potential usefulness of these markers in identifying resistant individuals has been confirmed in an experimental F(1) family in Ecuador.

Isolation of a Novel Fusogenic Orthoreovirus from Eucampsipoda africana Bat Flies in South Africa

PubMed Central

Jansen van Vuren, Petrus; Wiley, Michael; Palacios, Gustavo; Storm, Nadia; McCulloch, Stewart; Markotter, Wanda; Birkhead, Monica; Kemp, Alan; Paweska, Janusz T.

2016-01-01

We report on the isolation of a novel fusogenic orthoreovirus from bat flies (Eucampsipoda africana) associated with Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) collected in South Africa. Complete sequences of the ten dsRNA genome segments of the virus, tentatively named Mahlapitsi virus (MAHLV), were determined. Phylogenetic analysis places this virus into a distinct clade with Baboon orthoreovirus, Bush viper reovirus and the bat-associated Broome virus. All genome segments of MAHLV contain a 5' terminal sequence (5'-GGUCA) that is unique to all currently described viruses of the genus. The smallest genome segment is bicistronic encoding for a 14 kDa protein similar to p14 membrane fusion protein of Bush viper reovirus and an 18 kDa protein similar to p16 non-structural protein of Baboon orthoreovirus. This is the first report on isolation of an orthoreovirus from an arthropod host associated with bats, and phylogenetic and sequence data suggests that MAHLV constitutes a new species within the Orthoreovirus genus. PMID:27011199

Production of a full-length infectious GFP-tagged cDNA clone of Beet mild yellowing virus for the study of plant-polerovirus interactions.

PubMed

Stevens, Mark; Viganó, Felicita

2007-04-01

The full-length cDNA of Beet mild yellowing virus (Broom's Barn isolate) was sequenced and cloned into the vector pLitmus 29 (pBMYV-BBfl). The sequence of BMYV-BBfl (5721 bases) shared 96% and 98% nucleotide identity with the other complete sequences of BMYV (BMYV-2ITB, France and BMYV-IPP, Germany respectively). Full-length capped RNA transcripts of pBMYV-BBfl were synthesised and found to be biologically active in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts following electroporation or PEG inoculation when the protoplasts were subsequently analysed using serological and molecular methods. The BMYV sequence was modified by inserting DNA that encoded the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the P5 gene close to its 3' end. A. thaliana protoplasts electroporated with these RNA transcripts were biologically active and up to 2% of transfected protoplasts showed GFP-specific fluorescence. The exploitation of these cDNA clones for the study of the biology of beet poleroviruses is discussed.

Visually Lossless Data Compression for Real-Time Frame/Pushbroom Space Science Imagers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, Pen-Shu; Venbrux, Jack; Bhatia, Prakash; Miller, Warner H.

2000-01-01

A visually lossless data compression technique is currently being developed for space science applications under the requirement of high-speed push-broom scanning. The technique is also applicable to frame based imaging and is error-resilient in that error propagation is contained within a few scan lines. The algorithm is based on a block transform of a hybrid of modulated lapped transform (MLT) and discrete cosine transform (DCT), or a 2-dimensional lapped transform, followed by bit-plane encoding; this combination results in an embedded bit string with exactly the desirable compression rate as desired by the user. The approach requires no unique table to maximize its performance. The compression scheme performs well on a suite of test images typical of images from spacecraft instruments. Flight qualified hardware implementations are in development; a functional chip set is expected by the end of 2001. The chip set is being designed to compress data in excess of 20 Msamples/sec and support quantizations from 2 to 16 bits.

Horizontal transfer of potential mobile units in phytoplasmas.

PubMed

Ku, Chuan; Lo, Wen-Sui; Kuo, Chih-Horng

2013-09-01

Phytoplasmas are uncultivated phytopathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in a wide range of economically important plants. Through secretion of effector proteins, they are able to manipulate their plant hosts to facilitate their multiplication and dispersal by insect vectors. The genome sequences of several phytoplasmas have been characterized to date and a group of putative composite transposons called potential mobile units (PMUs) are found in these highly reduced genomes. Recently, our team reported the genome sequence and comparative analysis of a peanut witches' broom (PnWB) phytoplasma, the first representative of the phytoplasma 16SrII group. Comparisons between the species phylogeny and the phylogenies of the PMU genes revealed that the PnWB PMU is likely to have been transferred from the 16SrI group. This indicates that PMUs are not only the DNA unit for transposition within a genome, but also for horizontal transfer among divergent phytoplasma lineages. Given the association of PMUs with effector genes, the mobility of PMUs across genomes has important implications for phytoplasma ecology and evolution.

Anti-oxidative effects of rooibos tea extract on autoxidation and thermal oxidation of lipids.

PubMed

Fukasawa, Ryo; Kanda, Ayato; Hara, Setsuko

2009-01-01

Powdered rooibos tea extract (RTE), which is rich in polyphenols, is made from rooibos tea by freeze-drying. "Rooibos" is Afrikaans for "red bush," and the scientific name is "Aspalathus linearis." It is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants and is used to make an herbal tea which has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now consumed in many countries. In the present work, the anti-oxidative effect of RTE on oils and fats in autoxidation or thermal oxidation was studied, and it was confirmed that RTE has a very strong anti-oxidative effect on emulsifying oils owing to the water-soluble polyphenols such as rutin and quercetin contained in RTE. RTE was found to have a strong ability to quench radicals generated in the water phase, and to confer higher thermal stability against deep fat frying than tocopherol. But RTE showed little anti-oxidative effect on frying oil because of its lower oil-solubility.

Preliminary study on mercury uptake by Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary) in a mining area (Mt. Amiata, Italy)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barghigiani, C.; Ristori, T.

1995-04-01

Among the different plants analyzed to assess environmental mercury contamination of mining areas, lichens are those most studied, followed by brooms together with pine, which was also used in other areas, and spruce. Other species, both naturally occurring and cultivated, have also been studied. This work reports on the results of mercury uptake and accumulation in rosemary in relation to metal concentrations in both air and soil. R. officinalis is a widespread endemic Mediterranean evergreen shrub, which in Italy grows naturally and is also cultivated as a culinary herb. This research was carried out in Tuscany (Italy), in the Mt.more » Amiata area, which is characterized by the presence of cinnabar (HgS) deposits and has been used for mercury extraction and smelting from Etruscan times until 1980, and in the country near the town of Pisa, 140 km away from Mt. Amiata. 16 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

Stereo Cloud Height and Wind Determination Using Measurements from a Single Focal Plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demajistre, R.; Kelly, M. A.

2014-12-01

We present here a method for extracting cloud heights and winds from an aircraft or orbital platform using measurements from a single focal plane, exploiting the motion of the platform to provide multiple views of the cloud tops. To illustrate this method we use data acquired during aircraft flight tests of a set of simple stereo imagers that are well suited to this purpose. Each of these imagers has three linear arrays on the focal plane, one looking forward, one looking aft, and one looking down. Push-broom images from each of these arrays are constructed, and then a spatial correlation analysis is used to deduce the delays and displacements required for wind and cloud height determination. We will present the algorithms necessary for the retrievals, as well as the methods used to determine the uncertainties of the derived cloud heights and winds. We will apply the retrievals and uncertainty determination to a number of image sets acquired by the airborne sensors. We then generalize these results to potential space based observations made by similar types of sensors.

ISBDD Model for Classification of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Imagery

PubMed Central

Li, Na; Xu, Zhaopeng; Zhao, Huijie; Huang, Xinchen; Drummond, Jane; Wang, Daming

2018-01-01

The diverse density (DD) algorithm was proposed to handle the problem of low classification accuracy when training samples contain interference such as mixed pixels. The DD algorithm can learn a feature vector from training bags, which comprise instances (pixels). However, the feature vector learned by the DD algorithm cannot always effectively represent one type of ground cover. To handle this problem, an instance space-based diverse density (ISBDD) model that employs a novel training strategy is proposed in this paper. In the ISBDD model, DD values of each pixel are computed instead of learning a feature vector, and as a result, the pixel can be classified according to its DD values. Airborne hyperspectral data collected by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) sensor and the Push-broom Hyperspectral Imager (PHI) are applied to evaluate the performance of the proposed model. Results show that the overall classification accuracy of ISBDD model on the AVIRIS and PHI images is up to 97.65% and 89.02%, respectively, while the kappa coefficient is up to 0.97 and 0.88, respectively. PMID:29510547

A new design approach to innovative spectrometers. Case study: TROPOLITE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volatier, Jean-Baptiste; Baümer, Stefan; Kruizinga, Bob; Vink, Rob

2014-05-01

Designing a novel optical system is a nested iterative process. The optimization loop, from a starting point to final system is already mostly automated. However this loop is part of a wider loop which is not. This wider loop starts with an optical specification and ends with a manufacturability assessment. When designing a new spectrometer with emphasis on weight and cost, numerous iterations between the optical- and mechanical designer are inevitable. The optical designer must then be able to reliably produce optical designs based on new input gained from multidisciplinary studies. This paper presents a procedure that can automatically generate new starting points based on any kind of input or new constraint that might arise. These starting points can then be handed over to a generic optimization routine to make the design tasks extremely efficient. The optical designer job is then not to design optical systems, but to meta-design a procedure that produces optical systems paving the way for system level optimization. We present here this procedure and its application to the design of TROPOLITE a lightweight push broom imaging spectrometer.

Compression After Impact Testing of Sandwich Structures Using the Four Point Bend Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, Alan T.; Gregory, Elizabeth; Jackson, Justin; Kenworthy, Devon

2008-01-01

For many composite laminated structures, the design is driven by data obtained from Compression after Impact (CAI) testing. There currently is no standard for CAI testing of sandwich structures although there is one for solid laminates of a certain thickness and lay-up configuration. Most sandwich CAI testing has followed the basic technique of this standard where the loaded ends are precision machined and placed between two platens and compressed until failure. If little or no damage is present during the compression tests, the loaded ends may need to be potted to prevent end brooming. By putting a sandwich beam in a four point bend configuration, the region between the inner supports is put under a compressive load and a sandwich laminate with damage can be tested in this manner without the need for precision machining. Also, specimens with no damage can be taken to failure so direct comparisons between damaged and undamaged strength can be made. Data is presented that demonstrates the four point bend CAI test and is compared with end loaded compression tests of the same sandwich structure.

Analysis of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway cloning, molecular characterization and phylogeny of lanosterol 14 α-demethylase (ERG11) gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

de Oliveira Ceita, Geruza; Vilas-Boas, Laurival Antônio; Castilho, Marcelo Santos; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho; Selbach-Schnadelbach, Alessandra; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Ramos, Pablo Ivan Pereira; Barbosa, Luciana Veiga; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles

2014-10-01

The phytopathogenic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Philips-Mora, causal agent of witches' broom disease of cocoa, causes countless damage to cocoa production in Brazil. Molecular studies have attempted to identify genes that play important roles in fungal survival and virulence. In this study, sequences deposited in the M. perniciosa Genome Sequencing Project database were analyzed to identify potential biological targets. For the first time, the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway in M. perniciosa was studied and the lanosterol 14α-demethylase gene (ERG11) that encodes the main enzyme of this pathway and is a target for fungicides was cloned, characterized molecularly and its phylogeny analyzed. ERG11 genomic DNA and cDNA were characterized and sequence analysis of the ERG11 protein identified highly conserved domains typical of this enzyme, such as SRS1, SRS4, EXXR and the heme-binding region (HBR). Comparison of the protein sequences and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the M. perniciosa enzyme was most closely related to that of Coprinopsis cinerea.

Analysis of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway cloning, molecular characterization and phylogeny of lanosterol 14 α-demethylase (ERG11) gene of Moniliophthora perniciosa

PubMed Central

de Oliveira Ceita, Geruza; Vilas-Boas, Laurival Antônio; Castilho, Marcelo Santos; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho; Selbach-Schnadelbach, Alessandra; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Ramos, Pablo Ivan Pereira; Barbosa, Luciana Veiga; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles

2014-01-01

The phytopathogenic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Philips-Mora, causal agent of witches’ broom disease of cocoa, causes countless damage to cocoa production in Brazil. Molecular studies have attempted to identify genes that play important roles in fungal survival and virulence. In this study, sequences deposited in the M. perniciosa Genome Sequencing Project database were analyzed to identify potential biological targets. For the first time, the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway in M. perniciosa was studied and the lanosterol 14α-demethylase gene (ERG11) that encodes the main enzyme of this pathway and is a target for fungicides was cloned, characterized molecularly and its phylogeny analyzed. ERG11 genomic DNA and cDNA were characterized and sequence analysis of the ERG11 protein identified highly conserved domains typical of this enzyme, such as SRS1, SRS4, EXXR and the heme-binding region (HBR). Comparison of the protein sequences and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the M. perniciosa enzyme was most closely related to that of Coprinopsis cinerea. PMID:25505843

Detection of spectral line curvature in imaging spectrometer data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neville, Robert A.; Sun, Lixin; Staenz, Karl

2003-09-01

A procedure has been developed to measure the band-centers and bandwidths for imaging spectrometers using data acquired by the sensor in flight. This is done for each across-track pixel, thus allowing the measurement of the instrument's slit curvature or spectral 'smile'. The procedure uses spectral features present in the at-sensor radiance which are common to all pixels in the scene. These are principally atmospheric absorption lines. The band-center and bandwidth determinations are made by correlating the sensor measured radiance with a modelled radiance, the latter calculated using MODTRAN 4.2. Measurements have been made for a number of instruments including Airborne Visible and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), SWIR Full Spectrum Imager (SFSI), and Hyperion. The measurements on AVIRIS data were performed as a test of the procedure; since AVIRIS is a whisk-broom scanner it is expected to be free of spectral smile. SFSI is an airborne pushbroom instrument with considerable spectral smile. Hyperion is a satellite pushbroom sensor with a relatively small degree of smile. Measurements of Hyperion were made using three different data sets to check for temporal variations.

Hyperspectral imager for components identification in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewandel, Jean-Luc; Beghuin, Didier; Dubois, Xavier; Antoine, Philippe

2017-11-01

Several applications require the identification of chemical elements during re-entry of material in the atmosphere. The materials can be from human origin or meteorites. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) re-entry has been filmed with conventional camera from airborne manual operation. In order to permit the identification of the separate elements from their glow, spectral analysis needs to be added to the video data. In a LET-SME contract with ESA, Lambda-X has built a Fourier Transform Imaging Spectrometer to permit, in a future work, to bring the technology to the readiness level required for the application. In this paper, the principles of the Fourier Transform Imaging spectroscopy are recalled, the different interferometers suitable for supporting the technique are reviewed and the selection process is explained. The final selection of the interferometer corresponds to a birefringent prism based common path shear interferometer. The design of the breadboard and its performances are presented in terms of spatial resolution, aperture, and spectral resolution. A discussion is open regarding perspective of the technique for other remote sensing applications compared to more usual push broom configurations.

Rapid prediction of single green coffee bean moisture and lipid content by hyperspectral imaging.

PubMed

Caporaso, Nicola; Whitworth, Martin B; Grebby, Stephen; Fisk, Ian D

2018-06-01

Hyperspectral imaging (1000-2500 nm) was used for rapid prediction of moisture and total lipid content in intact green coffee beans on a single bean basis. Arabica and Robusta samples from several growing locations were scanned using a "push-broom" system. Hypercubes were segmented to select single beans, and average spectra were measured for each bean. Partial Least Squares regression was used to build quantitative prediction models on single beans (n = 320-350). The models exhibited good performance and acceptable prediction errors of ∼0.28% for moisture and ∼0.89% for lipids. This study represents the first time that HSI-based quantitative prediction models have been developed for coffee, and specifically green coffee beans. In addition, this is the first attempt to build such models using single intact coffee beans. The composition variability between beans was studied, and fat and moisture distribution were visualized within individual coffee beans. This rapid, non-destructive approach could have important applications for research laboratories, breeding programmes, and for rapid screening for industry.

Nuclear and mitochondrial rDNA variability in Crinipellis perniciosa from different geographic origins and hosts.

PubMed

de Arruda, Maricília C C; Ferreira, Marisa A S V; Miller, Robert N G; Resende, Mário Lúcio V; Felipe, Maria Sueli S

2003-01-01

Genetic variability in Crinipellis perniciosa, the causal organism of witches' broom disease in Theobroma cacao, was determined in strains originating from T. cacao and other susceptible host species Heteropterys acutifolia and Solanum lycocarpum in Brazil, in order to clarify host specificity and geographical variability. RFLP analysis of the ribosomal DNA ITS regions (rDNA ITS), and the mitochondrial DNA small subunit ribosomal DNA gene (mtDNA SSU rDNA) did not reveal any genetic variability in 120 tested strains, possibly serving only as species level markers. Genetic variability was observed in the ribosomal DNA IGS spacer region, in terms of IGS size, RFLPs and sequence data. Phylogenetic analyses (using CLUSTAL W, PHYLIP and TREEVIEW) indicated considerable differences between C. perniciosa strains from T. cacao and those from H. acutifolia (85-86%) and S. lycocarpum (95-96%). Sequence differences also indicated that C. perniciosa from T. cacao in Bahia is less variable (98%) when compared to the pathogen on T. cacao in Amazonas (97-98%), perhaps reflecting a recent introduction to T. cacao in Bahia.

Phylogenetic analysis of DNA and RNA polymerases from a Moniliophthora perniciosa mitochondrial plasmid reveals probable lateral gene transfer.

PubMed

Andrade, B S; Góes-Neto, A

2015-10-30

The filamentous fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa is a hemibiotrophic basidiomycete that causes witches' broom disease of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Many fungal mitochondrial plasmids are DNA and RNA polymerase-encoding invertrons with terminal inverted repeats and 5'-linked proteins. The aim of this study was to carry out comparative and phylogenetic analyses of DNA and RNA polymerases for all known linear mitochondrial plasmids in fungi. We performed these analyses at both gene and protein levels and assessed differences between fungal and viral polymerases in order to test the lateral gene transfer (LGT) hypothesis. We analyzed all mitochondrial plasmids of the invertron type within the fungal clade, including five from Ascomycota, seven from Basidiomycota, and one from Chytridiomycota. All phylogenetic analyses generated similar tree topologies regardless of the methods and datasets used. It is likely that DNA and RNA polymerase genes were inserted into the mitochondrial genomes of the 13 fungal species examined in our study as a result of different LGT events. These findings are important for a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships between fungal mitochondrial plasmids.

Comparison of Spectral Characteristic between LAPAN-A3 and Sentinel-2A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zylshal, Z.; Sari, N. M.; Nugroho, J. T.; Kushardono, D.

2017-12-01

Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) started building its experimental microsatellite back in 2007 and finally able to launch its first microsatellite dubbed as LAPAN-A1/LAPAN-Tubsat. With the launch of LAPAN-A3/LAPAN-IPB, Indonesian experimental satellite programme hit its third generation. LAPAN-A3 is carrying multiple payloads including multispectral push-broom imager, digital matrix camera, as well as video camera. This paper aims to highlight the spectral differences between LAPAN-A3 and the well-established Sentinel-2A multispectral to investigate the potential of using LAPAN-A3 data to complement the other well-established medium resolution satellite data. Comparisons between corresponding bands and band transformations were performed over a dataset. Three areas of interest were chosen as the test sites. Linear regression and Pearson correlation coefficient were then calculated between the corresponding bands. The preliminary results showed a moderate correlation between the two sensors with Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.39 to 0.65. Some issues were found regarding the radiometric quality over the whole scene of LAPAN-A3.

Which plant for which skin disease? Part 2: Dermatophytes, chronic venous insufficiency, photoprotection, actinic keratoses, vitiligo, hair loss, cosmetic indications.

PubMed

Reuter, Juliane; Wölfle, Ute; Korting, Hans Christian; Schempp, Christoph

2010-11-01

This paper continues our review of scientifically evaluated plant extracts in dermatology. After plants effective against dermatophytes, botanicals with anti-edema effects in chronic venous insufficiency are discussed. There is good evidence from randomized clinical studies that plant extracts from grape vine leaves (Vitis vinifera), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), sea pine (Pinus maritima) and butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus) can reduce edema in chronic venous insufficiency. Plant extracts from witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), green tea (Camellia sinensis), the fern Polypodium leucotomos and others contain antioxidant polyphenolic compounds that may protect the skin from sunburn and photoaging when administered topically or systemically. Extracts from the garden spurge (Euphorbia peplus) and from birch bark (Betula alba) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of actinic keratoses in phase II studies. Some plant extracts have also been investigated in the treatment of vitiligo, various forms of hair loss and pigmentation disorders, and in aesthetic dermatology. © The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.

Recent vegetation changes along the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, Raymond Marriner; Karpiscak, Martin M.

1980-01-01

Vegetation changes in the canyon of the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead were studied by comparing photographs taken prior to completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 with photographs taken afterwards at the same sites. In general, the older pictures show an absence of riparian plants along the banks of the river. The newer photographs of each pair were taken in 1972 through 1976 and reveal an increased density of many plant species. Exotic species, such as saltcedar and camel-thorn, and native riparian plants such as sandbar willow, arrowweed, desert broom and cattail, now form a new riparian community along much of the channel of the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead. The matched photographs also reveal that changes have occurred in the amount of sand and silt deposited along the banks. Detailed maps are presented showing distribution of 25 plant species along the reach of the Colorado River studied. Data showing changes in the hydrologic regime since completion of Glen Canyon Dam are presented. (Kosco-USGS)

Identification of a novel subgroup 16SrII-U phytoplasma associated with papaya little leaf disease.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Jiang, Lei; Che, Haiyan; Cao, Xueren; Luo, Daquan

2016-09-01

Papaya is an important fruit crop cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. Papaya little leaf (PLL) disease was observed in China. The phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene was detected from symptomatic papaya trees via PCR using phytoplasma universal primers P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2. No amplification products were obtained from templates of asymptomatic papaya trees. These results indicated a direct association between phytoplasma infection and PLL disease. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the papaya-infecting phytoplasmas under study belonged to the peanut witches' broom phytoplasma group (16SrII). Genotyping through use of computer-simulated RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA genes and coefficients of RFLP pattern similarities (0.97) reveal that the PLL phytoplasma was placed in a new subgroup. In this article, we describe the molecular characterization of a new phytoplasma associated with PLL disease and propose that the PLL phytoplasma be considered as a novel subgroup, 16SrII-U.

Mobile units of DNA in phytoplasma genomes.

PubMed

Dickinson, Matt

2010-09-01

Phytoplasmas are obligate symbionts of plants and insects that are responsible for significant yield losses in diverse crops. Genome sequencing has revealed that many phytoplasma genomes appear to contain repeated genes organized in units of approximately 20 kb. These 'potential mobile units' (PMUs) resemble composite replicative transposons. PMUs contain several genes for recombination and some also contain putative 'virulence genes'. Genome alignments suggest that PMUs are involved in phytoplasma genome instability and recombination. In this edition of Molecular Microbiology, Hogenhout and colleagues report that one PMU from the aster yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) can exist as both a linear PMU within the chromosome and as an extrachromosomal circular form. The copy number of the circular form is much higher in the insect vector compared with the plant, and expression levels of genes present on the PMU are also higher in the insect. These observations suggest not only that this PMU could be a mobile element, but that it could also be involved in a phase-variation mechanism that allows the phytoplasma to adapt to its different hosts.

Simulation of Image Performance Characteristics of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schott, John; Gerace, Aaron; Brown, Scott; Gartley, Michael; Montanaro, Matthew; Reuter, Dennis C.

2012-01-01

The next Landsat satellite, which is scheduled for launch in early 2013, will carry two instruments: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). Significant design changes over previous Landsat instruments have been made to these sensors to potentially enhance the quality of Landsat image data. TIRS, which is the focus of this study, is a dual-band instrument that uses a push-broom style architecture to collect data. To help understand the impact of design trades during instrument build, an effort was initiated to model TIRS imagery. The Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) tool was used to produce synthetic "on-orbit" TIRS data with detailed radiometric, geometric, and digital image characteristics. This work presents several studies that used DIRSIG simulated TIRS data to test the impact of engineering performance data on image quality in an effort to determine if the image data meet specifications or, in the event that they do not, to determine if the resulting image data are still acceptable.

Design of space-borne imager with wide field of view based on freeform aberration theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Haodong; Zhang, Jizhen; Wang, Lingjie; Zhang, Xin; Jiang, Huilin

2016-10-01

Freeform surfaces have advantages on balancing asymmetric aberration of the unobscured push-broom imager. However, since the conventional paraxial aberration theory is no longer appropriate for the freeform system design, designers are lack of insights on the imaging quality from the freeform aberration distribution. In order to design the freeform optical system efficiently, the contribution and nodal behavior of coma and astigmatism introduced by Standard Zernike polynomial surface are discussed in detail. An unobscured three-mirror optical system with 850 mm effective focal length, 20°× 2° field of view (FOV) is designed. The coma and astigmatism nodal positions are moved into the real-FOV by selecting and optimizing the Zernike terms pointedly, which has balanced the off-axis asymmetric aberration. The results show that the modulation transfer function (MTF) is close to diffraction limit, and the distortion throughout full-FOV is less than 0.25%. At last, a computer-generated hologram (CGH) for freeform surface testing is designed. The CGH design error RMS is lower than λ/1000 at 632.8 nm, which meets the requirements for measurement.

Kimberley Indigenous mental health: An examination of metabolic syndrome risk factors.

PubMed

Stanley, Susanne H; Laugharne, Jonathan D E; Chapman, Murray; Balaratnasingam, Sivasankaran

2016-10-01

There is an increased risk of physical health comorbidities in people with a mental illness. This paper examines the metabolic syndrome parameters for the general population, indigenous Australians and people with a mental illness, and compares them to a sample of predominantly indigenous adults with mental health problems. A longitudinal (24 month) audit of patient medical records was conducted between February 2011 and March 2013. The Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service in Broome, Western Australia. Largely indigenous adults with a mental illness. Sample numbers increased from 56 at baseline (80% indigenous) to 136 at 18 months (70% indigenous). Waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting lipids, and fasting blood glucose. Preliminary assessment of the data indicates a high percentage of abnormalities at baseline and at the 18 month period on all four parameters, yet not all patients were assessed on a regular basis. Abnormalities in metabolic profiles consistent with the non-Indigenous mental health population were found. There are considerable challenges to implementing regular monitoring of physical and metabolic profiles of indigenous people in rural and remote communities. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Genetic diversity of polysporic isolates of Moniliophthora perniciosa (Tricholomataceae).

PubMed

Ferreira, L F R; Duarte, K M R; Gomes, L H; Carvalho, R S; Leal Junior, G A; Aguiar, M M; Armas, R D; Tavares, F C A

2012-08-16

The causal agent of witches' broom disease, Moniliophthora perniciosa is a hemibiotrophic and endemic fungus of the Amazon basin and the most important cocoa disease in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity of polysporic isolates of M. perniciosa to evaluate the adaptation of the pathogen from different Brazilian regions and its association with different hosts. Polysporic isolates obtained previously in potato dextrose agar cultures of M. perniciosa from different Brazilian states and different hosts (Theobroma cacao, Solanum cernuum, S. paniculatum, S. lycocarpum, Solanum sp, and others) were analyzed by somatic compatibility grouping where the mycelium interactions were distinguished after 4-8 weeks of confrontation between the different isolates of M. perniciosa based on the precipitation line in the transition zone and by protein electrophoresis through SDS-PAGE. The diversity of polysporic isolates of M. perniciosa was grouped according to geographic proximity and respective hosts. The great genetic diversity of M. perniciosa strains from different Brazilian states and hosts favored adaptation in unusual environments and dissemination at long distances generating new biotypes.

Design and development of the Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument and satellite system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chorvalli, Vincent; Cazaubiel, Vincent; Bursch, Stefan; Welsch, Mario; Sontag, Heinz; Martimort, Philippe; Del Bello, Umberto; Sy, Omar; Laberinti, Paolo; Spoto, François

2010-10-01

2A and Sentinel-2B satellites currently under development will ensure systematic global acquisition of all land and coastal waters in the visible and short-wave infrared spectral domain with a 5 day revisit time at the equator. The Multi Spectral Instrument is a push-broom imager providing imagery in 13 spectral channels with spatial resolutions ranging from 10 m to 60 m and a swath width of 290 Km, larger than SPOT and Landsat. The instrument features a full field of view calibration device, a silicon carbide Three Mirror Anastigmat telescope with mirror dimensions up to 600 mm, specific filter stripe assemblies, newly developed Si-CMOS and HgCDTe detectors and a low noise wavelet compression video electronics. The 1.4 Tbits/s raw image date rate is reduced down to 490 Mbits/s at the output of the instrument to cope with the overall system transmission capability. The Sentinel-2 program has entered in the CD phase in 2009. Launch of Sentinel-2A satellite is scheduled for 2013.

High resolution VIMS images of Titan's surface: implications for its composition, internal structure and dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotin, C.; Le Mouelic, S.; Le Corre, L.; Barnes, J.; Brown, R. H.; Jaumann, R.; Buratti, B.; Baines, K.; Clark, R.; Nicholson, P.; Soderblom, L.

2008-12-01

With a field of view of 0.5 mrad per pixel, the VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) onboard the Cassini spacecraft can acquire images with a resolution of 500 m per pixel at closest approach during a typical Titan flyby. This resolution is comparable to the resolution of the radar instrument and allows comparisons between the radar images and optical images in the six infrared windows where the surface can be observed. Such opportunities were not set up for the nominal tour before Saturn insertion. The opportunity was offered during the TA flyby [Sotin et al., Nature, 2005] and the results lead the Cassini program to give VIMS the prime observations during closest approach at the T24 and T38 flybys. Two different implementations were experienced. During the T24 flyby (01/29/2007), we used a push-broom mode allowing VIMS to image a long path before pointing to a specific site at the limit between the light and dark terrains. This observation allowed us to see the dunes and to infer some information on their composition [Barnes et al., Icarus, 2008], to image channels and to infer information of erosion processes of the bright equatorial regions [Jaumann et al., Icarus, in press] and to observe the strong correlation between radar images and the VIMS images over a bright area interpreted as a flow feature [Lopes et al., Icarus, 2007]. During the T38 flyby over Ontario Lacus (12/05/2007), it was decided to point to the lake and get different images which provide us with a set of observations obtained with different emergence angles. This observation allowed us to infer the liquid nature of the lake and the composition of the lake [Brown et al., Nature, 2008]. In addition, this mode gives good information on the atmospheric component and will help us remove that component to get better spectra of Titan's surface. During the extended mission, two observations are forecasted at the beginning and at the end of the Cassini Equinox Mission. The first one will happen on November 19, 2008. The VIMS has been programmed to observe the Huygens landing site area at a resolution of 1 km/pixel. Before and after this observation, the push-broom mode will be used in order to cross-cut some of the radar paths. Because Titan's spin rate may be different from synchronous [Stiles et al., 2007; Lorenz et al., 2008], there is some uncertainty on the pointing. This study will report on the results of this flyby. This work has been carried out at the JPL, Caltech, under contract with NASA.

Agricultural, domestic and handicraft folk uses of plants in the Tyrrhenian sector of Basilicata (Italy)

PubMed Central

Salerno, Giovanni; Guarrera, Paolo Maria; Caneva, Giulia

2005-01-01

Background Research was carried out into agricultural and domestic-handicraft uses in folk traditions in the Tyrrhenian sector of the Basilicata region (southern Italy), as it is typically representative of ethnobotanical applications in the Mediterranean area. From the point of view of furnishing a botanical support for the study of local "material culture" data was collected through field interviews of 49 informants, most of whom were farmers. Results The taxa cited are 60, belonging to 32 botanical families, of which 18 are employed for agricultural uses and 51 for domestic-handicraft folk uses. Data show a diffuse use of plants for many purposes, both in agricultural (present uses 14%; past uses 1%) and for domestic-handicraft use (present uses 40%; past uses 45%); most of the latter are now in decline. Conclusion 60 data look uncommon or typical of the places studied. Some domestic-handicraft folk uses are typical of southern Italy (e.g. the use of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus for making ties, ropes, torches, baskets or that of Acer neapolitanum for several uses). Other uses (e.g. that of Inula viscosa and Calamintha nepeta for peculiar brooms, and of Origanum heracleoticum for dyeing wool red) are previously unpublished. PMID:16270919

Enhancement of phototropic response to a range of light doses in Triticum aestivum coleoptiles in clinostat-simulated microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heathcote, D. G.; Bircher, B. W.; Brown, A. H. (Principal Investigator)

1987-01-01

The phototropic dose-response relationship has been determined for Triticum aestivum cv. Broom coleoptiles growing on a purpose-built clinostat apparatus providing gravity compensation by rotation about a horizontal axis at 2 rev min-1. These data are compared with data sets obtained with the clinostat axis vertical and stationary, as a 1 g control, and rotating vertically to examine clinostat effects other than gravity compensation. Triticum at 1 g follows the well-established pattern of other cereal coleoptiles with a first positive curvature at low doses, followed by an indifferent response region, and a second positive response at progressively increasing doses. However, these response regions lie at higher dose levels than reported for Avena. There is no significant difference between the responses observed with the clinostat axis vertical in the rotating and stationary modes, but gravity compensation by horizontal rotation increases the magnitude of first and second positive curvatures some threefold at 100 min after stimulation. The indifferent response is replaced by a significant curvature towards the light source, but remains apparent as a reduced curvature response at these dose levels.

Nonradioactive Screening Method for Isolation of Disease-Specific Probes To Diagnose Plant Diseases Caused by Mycoplasmalike Organisms

PubMed Central

Lee, Ing-Ming; Davis, Robert E.; DeWitt, Natalie D.

1990-01-01

DNA fragments of tomato big bud (BB) mycoplasmalike organism (MLO) in diseased periwinkle plants (Catharanthus roseus L.) were cloned to pSP6 plasmid vectors and amplified in Escherichia coli JM83. A nonradioactive method was developed and used to screen for MLO-specific recombinants. Cloned DNA probes were prepared by nick translation of the MLO recombinant plasmids by using biotinylated nucleotides. The probes all hybridized with nucleic acid from BB MLO-infected, but not healthy, plants. Results from dot hybridization analyses indicated that several MLOs, e.g., those of Italian tomato big bud, periwinkle little leaf, and clover phyllody, are closely related to BB MLO. The Maryland strain of aster yellows and maize bushy stunt MLOs are also related to BB MLO. Among the remaining MLOs used in this study, Vinca virescence and elm yellows MLOs may be very distantly related, if at all, to BB MLO. Potato witches' broom, clover proliferation, ash yellows, western X, and Canada X MLOs are distantly related to BB MLO. Southern hybridization analyses revealed that BB MLO contains extrachromosomal DNA that shares sequence homologies with extrachromosomal DNAs from aster yellows and periwinkle little leaf MLOs. Images PMID:16348195

Edinburgh, the Scottish pioneers of anatomy and their lasting influence in South Africa.

PubMed

Correia, J C; Wessels, Q; Vorster, W

2013-11-01

The history of the origin of anatomy education in South Africa is the history of an arduous journey through time. The lasting influence of Edinburgh came in the form of Robert Black Thomson. He was a student and assistant of Sir William Turner who gave rise to the first chair of anatomy and the establishment of a department at the South African College, known today as University of Cape Town. Thomson was later succeeded by Matthew Drennan, a keen anthropologist, who was revered by his students. This Scottish link prevailed over time with the appointment of Edward Philip Stibbe as the chair of anatomy at the South African School of Mines and Technology, which later became the University of the Witwatersrand. Stibbe's successor, Raymond Arthur Dart, a graduate of the University of Sydney, was trained in an anatomy department sculpted on that of Edinburgh by Professor James Thomas Wilson. Wilson's influence at the University of Sydney can be traced back to Edinburgh and William Turner through Thomas Anderson Stuart. Both Dart and Robert Broom, another Scot, were considered as Africa's wild men by the late Professor Tobias. Here, the authors explore the Scottish link and origins of anatomy pedagogy in South Africa.

Determination of fungal diseases, site and stand characteristics in mixed stands in Ilgaz-Yenice forest district, Cankiri, Turkey.

PubMed

Oner, Nuri; Dogan, Hasan Huseyin; Ozturk, Celaleddin; Gurer, Meral

2009-07-01

Fungal diseases, site and stand characteristics were investigated in Yenice forest sub-district headquarters belonging to Ilgaz forest enterprise. Diseases and wood decaying fungi on fallen and cut tree stumps were determined on scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), crimean pine (P. nigra subsp. nigra varcaramanica), and uludag fir (Abies nordmanniana subsp. bommulleriana). Altitude (m), exposure, slope (%), relief, rate of mixture (%) and anthropogenic effects were noted for 56 sample plots which have various stand compositions. Age, breast height diameter (cm), top height (m), crown and bole quality regeneration quality and development of representative tree species were also recorded into vegetation forms. Yellow witches' broom (Melampsorella caryophyllacearum), which caused drying of uludag fir trees, was determined. Besides, 53 macrofungi species belonging to 3 divisions, 10 orders, 25 families and 36 genera were determined. Some of them cause white and brown decay on living and core wood. The most common parasitic and saprobe fungi are Galerina Ganoderma, Gloeophyllum, Gymnopilus, Hypholoma, Lentinus, Phellinus, Pleurotus, Polyporus and Stereum species in the research area. Trichaptum abietinum is also typical wood decay fungi for living or cut fir trees and it is very common in the research area.

Maternity care: a narrative overview of what women expect across their care continuum.

PubMed

Clark, Kim; Beatty, Shelley; Reibel, Tracy

2015-04-01

to provide a narrative overview of the values schema underpinning women׳s expectations of public maternity-care services using an episodes-of-care framework. focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews were undertaken with Western Australian women who had opted for public maternity care to determine the values schema apparent in their expectations of their care. public maternity-care services in metropolitan (i.e. Armadale, Osborne Park and Rockingham) and regional (i.e. Broome, Geraldton, Bunbury) Western Australia. women interviewed were found to have consistent values schema underpinning their maternity-care expectations and evaluations. the current study suggests that while women׳s choices and experiences of maternity care may differ on a range of dimensions, the values schema underlying their care expectations and subsequent evaluations are similar. The study findings resonate with past Australian research regarding women׳s expectations of public maternity care, but complement it by providing a coherent narrative of core underpinning stage-specific values schema. These may assist maternity-care policy makers, practitioners and researchers seeking to better understand and comprehensively respond to women׳s maternity-care expectations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medium-sized aperture camera for Earth observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Eugene D.; Choi, Young-Wan; Kang, Myung-Seok; Kim, Ee-Eul; Yang, Ho-Soon; Rasheed, Ad. Aziz Ad.; Arshad, Ahmad Sabirin

2017-11-01

Satrec Initiative and ATSB have been developing a medium-sized aperture camera (MAC) for an earth observation payload on a small satellite. Developed as a push-broom type high-resolution camera, the camera has one panchromatic and four multispectral channels. The panchromatic channel has 2.5m, and multispectral channels have 5m of ground sampling distances at a nominal altitude of 685km. The 300mm-aperture Cassegrain telescope contains two aspheric mirrors and two spherical correction lenses. With a philosophy of building a simple and cost-effective camera, the mirrors incorporate no light-weighting, and the linear CCDs are mounted on a single PCB with no beam splitters. MAC is the main payload of RazakSAT to be launched in 2005. RazakSAT is a 180kg satellite including MAC, designed to provide high-resolution imagery of 20km swath width on a near equatorial orbit (NEqO). The mission objective is to demonstrate the capability of a high-resolution remote sensing satellite system on a near equatorial orbit. This paper describes the overview of the MAC and RarakSAT programmes, and presents the current development status of MAC focusing on key optical aspects of Qualification Model.

Resolution-enhanced Mapping Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumer, J. B.; Aubrun, J. N.; Rosenberg, W. J.; Roche, A. E.

1993-01-01

A familiar mapping spectrometer implementation utilizes two dimensional detector arrays with spectral dispersion along one direction and spatial along the other. Spectral images are formed by spatially scanning across the scene (i.e., push-broom scanning). For imaging grating and prism spectrometers, the slit is perpendicular to the spatial scan direction. For spectrometers utilizing linearly variable focal-plane-mounted filters the spatial scan direction is perpendicular to the direction of spectral variation. These spectrometers share the common limitation that the number of spectral resolution elements is given by the number of pixels along the spectral (or dispersive) direction. Resolution enhancement by first passing the light input to the spectrometer through a scanned etalon or Michelson is discussed. Thus, while a detector element is scanned through a spatial resolution element of the scene, it is also temporally sampled. The analysis for all the pixels in the dispersive direction is addressed. Several specific examples are discussed. The alternate use of a Michelson for the same enhancement purpose is also discussed. Suitable for weight constrained deep space missions, hardware systems were developed including actuators, sensor, and electronics such that low-resolution etalons with performance required for implementation would weigh less than one pound.

Genes acquired by horizontal transfer are potentially involved in the evolution of phytopathogenicity in Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri, two of the major pathogens of cacao.

PubMed

Tiburcio, Ricardo Augusto; Costa, Gustavo Gilson Lacerda; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella; Mondego, Jorge Maurício Costa; Schuster, Stephen C; Carlson, John E; Guiltinan, Mark J; Bailey, Bryan A; Mieczkowski, Piotr; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

2010-01-01

Moniliophthora perniciosa and Moniliophthora roreri are phytopathogenic basidiomycete species that infect cacao causing two important diseases in this crop: "Witches' Broom" and "Frosty Pod Rot", respectively. The ability of species from this genus (Moniliophthora) to cause disease is exceptional in the family Marasmiaceae. Species in closely related genera including, Marasmius, Crinipellis, and Chaetocalathus, are mainly saprotrophs and are not known to cause disease. In this study, the possibility that this phytopathogenic lifestyle has been acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) was investigated. A stringent genome comparison pipeline was used to identify potential genes that have been obtained by Moniliophthora through HGT. This search led to the identification of three genes: a metallo-dependent hydrolase (MDH), a mannitol phosphate dehydrogenase (MPDH), and a family of necrosis-inducing proteins (NEPs). Phylogenetic analysis of these genes suggests that Moniliophthora acquired NEPs from oomycetes, MDH from actinobacteria and MPDH from firmicutes. Based on the known gene functions and on previous studies of M. perniciosa infection and development, a correlation between gene acquisition and the evolution of the phytopathogenic genus Moniliophthora can be postulated.

On-orbit test results from the EO-1 Advanced Land Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Jenifer B.; Digenis, Constantine J.; Gibbs, Margaret D.; Hearn, David R.; Lencioni, Donald E.; Mendenhall, Jeffrey A.; Welsh, Ralph D.

2002-01-01

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) is the primary instrument flown on the first Earth Observing mission (EO-1), launched on November 21, 2000. It was developed under NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP). The NMP mission objective is to flight-validate advanced technologies that will enable dramatic improvements in performance, cost, mass, and schedule for future, Landsat-like, Earth Science Enterprise instruments. ALI contains a number of innovative features designed to achieve this objective. These include the basic instrument architecture which employs a push-broom data collection mode, a wide field of view optical design, compact multi-spectral detector arrays, non-cryogenic HgCdTe for the short wave infrared bands, silicon carbide optics, and a multi-level solar calibration technique. During the first ninety days on orbit, the instrument performance was evaluated by collecting several Earth scenes and comparing them to identical scenes obtained by Landsat7. In addition, various on-orbit calibration techniques were exercised. This paper will present an overview of the EO-1 mission activities during the first ninety days on-orbit, details of the ALI instrument performance and a comparison with the ground calibration measurements.

Leachate treatment system using constructed wetlands, Town of Fenton sanitary landfill, Broome County, New York. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-11-01

Municipal sanitary landfills generate leachate that New York State regulations require to be collected and treated to avoid contaminating surface water and groundwater. One option for treating leachate is to haul it to municipal wastewater treatment facility. This option may be expensive, may require excessive energy for transportation, and may require pretreatment to protect the receiving facility`s processes. An alternative is on-site treatment and discharge. Personnel from the Town of Fenton, New York; Hawk Engineering, P.C.; Cornell University; and Ithaca College designed, built, and operated a pilot constructed wetland for treating leachate at the Town of Fenton`s municipal landfill. Themore » system, consisting of two overland flow beds and two subsurface flow beds has been effective for 18 months in reducing levels of ammonia (averaging 85% removal by volatilization and denitrification) and total iron (averaging 95% removal by precipitation and sedimentation), two key constituents of the Fenton landfill`s leachate. The system effects these reductions with zero chemical and energy inputs and minimal maintenance. A third key constituent of the leachate, manganese, apparently passes through the beds with minimal removal. Details and wetland considerations are described.« less

The effect of runway surface and braking on Shuttle Orbiter main gear tire wear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, Robert H.; Stubbs, Sandy M.

1992-01-01

In 1988, a 1067 m long touchdown zone on each end of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) was modified from its original heavy-broom finish with transverse grooves configuration to a longitudinal corduroy surface texture with no transverse grooves. The intent of this modification was to reduce the spin-up wear on the Orbiter main gear tires and provide for somewhat higher crosswind capabilities at that site. The modification worked well, so it was proposed that the remainder of the runway be modified as well to permit even higher crosswind landing capability. Tests were conducted at the NASA Langley Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) to evaluate the merit of such a modification. This paper discusses the results of these tests, and explains why the proposed modification did not provide the expected improvement and thus was not implemented. Also, in an ongoing program to evaluate the origin of various tire wear phenomenon, a series of tests was conducted to evaluate the effect of braking on tire wear. Finally, a modified tire is discussed in terms of its wear performance under rollout and braking operations.

Impacts on water quality by hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, B.; Stute, M.; Chillrud, S. N.; Ross, J. M.; Howarth, M.; Panettieri, R.; Saberi, P.

2015-12-01

Shale gas development, including drilling and hydraulic fracturing, is rapidly increasing throughout the United States and, indeed, the rest of the world. Systematic surveys of water quality both pre- and post drilling/production are sparse. To examine the impacts of shale gas production on water quality, pilot studies have been conducted in adjacent counties of western NY (Chemung, Tioga, Broome, and Delaware) and northern PA (Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wayne). These 7 counties along the border of NY and PA share similar geology and demographic compositions and have been identified as a key area to develop shale gas with the key difference that active fracking is occurring in PA but there is no fracking yet in NY. Measurements include a suite of major and trace elements, methane and its stable isotopes, noble gases and tritium for dating purposes, and the primary radioactive elements of potential concern, radon and radium. We found elevated methane levels on both sides of the border. Higher levels of major ions were observed in PA samples close to the gas wells in the valley, possibly from hydraulic fracturing activities. The lab analysis of samples collected in recently launched 100 Bottom Project is ongoing and the results will be presented in this conference.

Bioengineering applied to erosion and stability control in the North Apennines (Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy): a check about critical aspects of the works.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selli, Lavinia; Cavazza, Claudio; Pavanelli, Donatella

2013-04-01

Because of its geological structure, in the Emilia-Romagna Region over 32,000 landslides have been identified. Several works have been made in order to control mass movement's dynamics and to secure of Reno and Lamone Mountain Basin Rivers, the road network and near by villages and towns. Most of the control works dealt with bioengineering practices: palisades piles, geotextiles, seedings, surface flow control works, dikes within main drainage ditches. In order to check about critical aspects related to the use of these techniques in the Apennines, a survey in this basins was designed with specific interest in the several kinds of works realised, in which plant species were mostly used and in the factors that affected the success or failure of the works. Territory encompasses steep slopes covered with woods to low reliefs covered with grasslands. It is characterized by prevailing clays, inducing instability, and arenaceous lithology with impermeable soils; drainage density is quite high and hillsides suffer extensive and severe erosion and slope stability problems. Chestnut woods mainly represent land use at higher altitudes, while coppice, pastures and crops are present on milder hillsides. The remaining part of the basin is covered by vineyards, orchards, ponds and urban areas, which are basically located in the valley floor. Precipitation events mainly consist of rainfall ranging between 950-1015 mm per year; few snowfalls occur during winter and a long dry season lasts from June until September. We have analyzed 187 works designed mainly for the consolidation of slope instabilities through a widespread enhancement of the vegetation cover. The surveyed works are classified as a function of their building features: it can be seen that cribwalls and palisades are by far the most common types, being the 24% and the 34% respectively of the works. As far as the most adopted plant species, they were silver willow (Salix alba), Spanish Broom (Spartium Junceum) and purple willow (Salix purpurea). Only the 25% of the interventions was accomplished by the use of secondary plant species, as tamarisk (Tamarix spp.,) blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) , whitethorn (Crataegus spp.), sea-buckthorn (Hipphopae rhamnoides), wild pear (Pyrus pyraster), cottonwood (Populus nigra), eglantine (Rosa spp.), goat-willow (Salix caprea) and cornel (Cornus sanguinea). Better results were achieved with Spanish Broom, a very rural plant that can effectively colonise even poor soils like badlands; as a matter of fact, more than the 75% of the interventions had positive outcomes The efficacy of the consolidation work by the presence of living structures point out an increase of the stability of those interventions older than 4 years, with taking root species present from 54% to 78%. So far, the construction and the reliability of the works have been monitored, in order to capture critical aspects for the success of works and to build a geo-referenced data base of the existing works and their status.

Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cacao: what's new from this old foe?

PubMed

Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Rincones, Johana; Bailey, Bryan A; Aime, M Catherine; Griffith, Gareth W; Zhang, Dapeng; Pereira, Gonçalo A G

2008-09-01

Moniliophthora perniciosa (=Crinipellis perniciosa) causes one of the three main fungal diseases of Theobroma cacao (cacao), the source of chocolate. This pathogen causes Witches' broom disease (WBD) and has brought about severe economic losses in all of the cacao-growing regions to which it has spread with yield reductions that range from 50 to 90%. Cacao production in South America reflects the severity of this pathogen, as the yields in most of the infected regions have not returned to pre-outbreak levels, even with the introduction of resistant varieties. In this review we give a brief historical account and summarize the current state of knowledge focusing on developments in the areas of systematics, fungal physiology, biochemistry, genomics and gene expression in an attempt to highlight this disease. Moniliophthora perniciosa is a hemibiotrophic fungus with two distinct growth phases. The ability to culture a biotrophic-like phase in vitro along with new findings derived from the nearly complete genome and expression studies clearly show that these different fungal growth phases function under distinct metabolic parameters. These new findings have greatly improved our understanding of this fungal/host interaction and we may be at the crossroads of understanding how hemibiotrophic fungal plant pathogens cause disease in other crops. The first WDB symptoms appear to have been described in the diaries of Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (described as lagartão; meaning big lizard) from his observations of cacao trees in 1785 and 1787 in Amazonia, which is consistent with the generally accepted idea that M. perniciosa, like its main host T. cacao, evolved in this region. The disease subsequently arrived in Surinam in 1895. WBD moved rapidly, spreading to Guyana in 1906, Ecuador in 1918, Trinidad in 1928, Colombia in 1929 and Grenada in 1948. In each case, cacao production was catastrophically affected with yield reductions of 50-90%. After the arrival of M. perniciosa in Bahia in 1989, Brazil went from being the world's 3rd largest producer of cacao (347 000 tonnes in 1988-1990; c. 15% of the total world production at that time) to a net importer (141 000 tonnes in 1998-2000). Fortunately for chocolate lovers, other regions of the world such as West Africa and South East Asia have not yet been affected by this disease and have expanded production to meet growing world demand (predicted to reach 3 700 000 tonnes by 2010). Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime & Phillips-Mora: super-kingdom Eukaryota; kingdom Fungi; phylum Basidiomycota; subphylum Agaricomycotina; class Agaricomycetes; subclass Agaricomycetidae; order Agaricales; family Marasmiaceae; genus Moniliophthora. http://www.lge.ibi.unicamp.br/vassoura/, http://nt.ars-grin.gov/taxadescriptions/keys/TrichodermaIndex.cfm, http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/info-center/research-updates.asp, http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/psi/spcl.

High Resolution Airborne Laser Scanning and Hyperspectral Imaging with a Small Uav Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallay, Michal; Eck, Christoph; Zgraggen, Carlo; Kaňuk, Ján; Dvorný, Eduard

2016-06-01

The capabilities of unmanned airborne systems (UAS) have become diverse with the recent development of lightweight remote sensing instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate our custom integration of the state-of-the-art technologies within an unmanned aerial platform capable of high-resolution and high-accuracy laser scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and photographic imaging. The technological solution comprises the latest development of a completely autonomous, unmanned helicopter by Aeroscout, the Scout B1-100 UAV helicopter. The helicopter is powered by a gasoline two-stroke engine and it allows for integrating 18 kg of a customized payload unit. The whole system is modular providing flexibility of payload options, which comprises the main advantage of the UAS. The UAS integrates two kinds of payloads which can be altered. Both payloads integrate a GPS/IMU with a dual GPS antenna configuration provided by OXTS for accurate navigation and position measurements during the data acquisition. The first payload comprises a VUX-1 laser scanner by RIEGL and a Sony A6000 E-Mount photo camera. The second payload for hyperspectral scanning integrates a push-broom imager AISA KESTREL 10 by SPECIM. The UAS was designed for research of various aspects of landscape dynamics (landslides, erosion, flooding, or phenology) in high spectral and spatial resolution.

Identification of handheld objects for electro-optic/FLIR applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moyer, Steve K.; Flug, Eric; Edwards, Timothy C.; Krapels, Keith A.; Scarbrough, John

2004-08-01

This paper describes research on the determination of the fifty-percent probability of identification cycle criterion (N50) for two sets of handheld objects. The first set consists of 12 objects which are commonly held in a single hand. The second set consists of 10 objects commonly held in both hands. These sets consist of not only typical civilian handheld objects but also objects that are potentially lethal. A pistol, a cell phone, a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, and a broom are examples of the objects in these sets. The discrimination of these objects is an inherent part of homeland security, force protection, and also general population security. Objects were imaged from each set in the visible and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectrum. Various levels of blur are then applied to these images. These blurred images were then used in a forced choice perception experiment. Results were analyzed as a function of blur level and target size to give identification probability as a function of resolvable cycles on target. These results are applicable to handheld object target acquisition estimates for visible imaging systems and MWIR systems. This research provides guidance in the design and analysis of electro-optical systems and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) systems for use in homeland security, force protection, and also general population security.

Impact of a Microbial Cocktail Used as a Starter Culture on Cocoa Fermentation and Chocolate Flavor.

PubMed

Magalhães da Veiga Moreira, Igor; de Figueiredo Vilela, Leonardo; da Cruz Pedroso Miguel, Maria Gabriela; Santos, Cledir; Lima, Nelson; Freitas Schwan, Rosane

2017-05-09

Chocolate production suffered a vast impact with the emergence of the "witches' broom" disease in cocoa plants. To recover cocoa production, many disease-resistant hybrid plants have been developed. However, some different cocoa hybrids produce cocoa beans that generate chocolate with variable quality. Fermentation of cocoa beans is a microbiological process that can be applied for the production of chocolate flavor precursors, leading to overcoming the problem of variable chocolate quality. The aim of this work was to use a cocktail of microorganisms as a starter culture on the fermentation of the ripe cocoa pods from PH15 cocoa hybrid, and evaluate its influence on the microbial communities present on the fermentative process on the compounds involved during the fermentation, and to perform the chocolate sensorial characterization. According to the results obtained, different volatile compounds were identified in fermented beans and in the chocolate produced. Bitterness was the dominant taste found in non-inoculated chocolate, while chocolate made with inoculated beans showed bitter, sweet, and cocoa tastes. 2,3-Butanediol and 2,3-dimethylpyrazine were considered as volatile compounds making the difference on the flavor of both chocolates. Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CCMA 0200, Lactobacillus plantarum CCMA 0238, and Acetobacter pasteurianus CCMA 0241 are proposed as starter cultures for cocoa fermentation.

Special Software for Planetary Image Processing and Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubarev, A. E.; Nadezhdina, I. E.; Kozlova, N. A.; Brusnikin, E. S.; Karachevtseva, I. P.

2016-06-01

The special modules of photogrammetric processing of remote sensing data that provide the opportunity to effectively organize and optimize the planetary studies were developed. As basic application the commercial software package PHOTOMOD™ is used. Special modules were created to perform various types of data processing: calculation of preliminary navigation parameters, calculation of shape parameters of celestial body, global view image orthorectification, estimation of Sun illumination and Earth visibilities from planetary surface. For photogrammetric processing the different types of data have been used, including images of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Phobos, Galilean satellites and Enceladus obtained by frame or push-broom cameras. We used modern planetary data and images that were taken over the years, shooting from orbit flight path with various illumination and resolution as well as obtained by planetary rovers from surface. Planetary data image processing is a complex task, and as usual it can take from few months to years. We present our efficient pipeline procedure that provides the possibilities to obtain different data products and supports a long way from planetary images to celestial body maps. The obtained data - new three-dimensional control point networks, elevation models, orthomosaics - provided accurate maps production: a new Phobos atlas (Karachevtseva et al., 2015) and various thematic maps that derived from studies of planetary surface (Karachevtseva et al., 2016a).

Broadening the application of evolutionarily based genetic pest management.

PubMed

Gould, Fred

2008-02-01

Insect- and tick-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease cause human suffering, and current approaches for prevention are not adequate. Invasive plants and animals such as Scotch broom, zebra mussels, and gypsy moths continue to cause environmental damage and economic losses in agriculture and forestry. Rodents transmit diseases and cause major pre- and postharvest losses, especially in less affluent countries. Each of these problems might benefit from the developing field of Genetic Pest Management that is conceptually based on principles of evolutionary biology. This article briefly describes the history of this field, new molecular tools in this field, and potential applications of those tools. There will be a need for evolutionary biologists to interact with researchers and practitioners in a variety of other fields to determine the most appropriate targets for genetic pest management, the most appropriate methods for specific targets, and the potential of natural selection to diminish the effectiveness of genetic pest management. In addition to producing environmentally sustainable pest management solutions, research efforts in this area could lead to new insights about the evolution of selfish genetic elements in natural systems and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the role of evolutionary biology in solving societal problems.

Chemical variation in Piper aduncum and biological properties of its dillapiole-rich essential oil.

PubMed

de Almeida, Roseli R P; Souto, Raimundo N P; Bastos, Cleber N; da Silva, Milton H L; Maia, José G S

2009-09-01

The essential oils of the specimens of Piper aduncum that occur in deforested areas of Brazilian Amazon, North Brazil, are rich in dillapiole (35-90%), a derivative of phenylpropene, to which are attributed biological properties. On the other hand, the oils of the specimens with occurrence in the Atlantic Forest, and Northeastern and Southeastern Brazil, do not contain dillapiole, but only terpene compounds such as (E)-nerolidol and linalool. One specimen existing in the Amazon was hydrodistilled. The obtained oil was fractioned on a silica chromatographic column, resulting in fractions rich in dillapiole (95.0-98.9%) utilized for analyses by GC and GC/MS, structural characterization by NMR, confirmation of their biological properties, and to obtain the isomer isodillapiole. Dillapiole showed a fungicide action against the fungus Clinipellis perniciosa (witches' broom) by inhibition of its basidiospores, in concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 ppm. The larvicide and insecticide actions of dillapiole were tested against the larvae and the adult insects of Anopheles marajoara and Aedes aegypti (malaria and dengue mosquitoes), resulting in mortality of the larvae (48 h, 100%) at a concentration of 100 ppm, and mortality of the insects (30 min, 100%) at a concentration of 600 ppm. The isomeric isodillapiole showed no significant activity in the same biological tests.

Cultural Explanations of Sleep Paralysis in Italy: The Pandafeche Attack and Associated Supernatural Beliefs.

PubMed

Jalal, Baland; Romanelli, Andrea; Hinton, Devon E

2015-12-01

The current study examines cultural explanations regarding sleep paralysis (SP) in Italy. The study explores (1) whether the phenomenology of SP generates culturally specific interpretations and causal explanations and (2) what are the beliefs and local traditions associated with such cultural explanations. The participants were Italian nationals from the general population (n = 68) recruited in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. All participants had experienced at least one lifetime episode of SP. The sleep paralysis experiences and phenomenology questionnaire were orally administered to participants. We found a multilayered cultural interpretation of SP, namely the Pandafeche attack, associated with various supernatural beliefs. Thirty-eight percent of participants believed that this supernatural being, the Pandafeche-often referred to as an evil witch, sometimes as a ghost-like spirit or a terrifying humanoid cat-might have caused their SP. Twenty-four percent of all participants sensed the Pandafeche was present during their SP. Strategies to prevent Pandafeche attack included sleeping in supine position, placing a broom by the bedroom door, or putting a pile of sand by the bed. Case studies are presented to illustrate the study findings. The Pandafeche attack thus constitutes a culturally specific, supernatural interpretation of the phenomenology of SP in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Weiming; Wang, Jianyu; Shu, Rong; He, Zhiping; Ma, Yanhua

2006-12-01

In this paper, we present a kind of airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system that consists of an imaging spectrometer, a three-line scanner, a laser ranger, a position & orientation subsystem and a stabilizer PAV30. The imaging spectrometer is composed of two sets of identical push-broom high spectral imager with a field of view of 22°, which provides a field of view of 42°. The spectral range of the imaging spectrometer is from 420nm to 900nm, and its spectral resolution is 5nm. The three-line scanner is composed of two pieces of panchromatic CCD and a RGB CCD with 20° stereo angle and 10cm GSD(Ground Sample Distance) with 1000m flying height. The laser ranger can provide height data of three points every other four scanning lines of the spectral imager and those three points are calibrated to match the corresponding pixels of the spectral imager. The post-processing attitude accuracy of POS/AV 510 used as the position & orientation subsystem, which is the aerial special exterior parameters measuring product of Canadian Applanix Corporation, is 0.005° combined with base station data. The airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system was implemented successfully, performed the first flying experiment on April, 2005, and obtained satisfying data.

Functional diversification of cerato-platanins in Moniliophthora perniciosa as seen by differential expression and protein function specialization.

PubMed

de O Barsottini, Mario R; de Oliveira, Juliana F; Adamoski, Douglas; Teixeira, Paulo J P L; do Prado, Paula F V; Tiezzi, Henrique O; Sforça, Mauricio L; Cassago, Alexandre; Portugal, Rodrigo V; de Oliveira, Paulo S L; de M Zeri, Ana C; Dias, Sandra M G; Pereira, Gonçalo A G; Ambrosio, Andre L B

2013-11-01

Cerato-platanins (CP) are small, cysteine-rich fungal-secreted proteins involved in the various stages of the host-fungus interaction process, acting as phytotoxins, elicitors, and allergens. We identified 12 CP genes (MpCP1 to MpCP12) in the genome of Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease in cacao, and showed that they present distinct expression profiles throughout fungal development and infection. We determined the X-ray crystal structures of MpCP1, MpCP2, MpCP3, and MpCP5, representative of different branches of a phylogenetic tree and expressed at different stages of the disease. Structure-based biochemistry, in combination with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, allowed us to define specialized capabilities regarding self-assembling and the direct binding to chitin and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) tetramers, a fungal cell wall building block, and to map a previously unknown binding region in MpCP5. Moreover, fibers of MpCP2 were shown to act as expansin and facilitate basidiospore germination whereas soluble MpCP5 blocked NAG6-induced defense response. The correlation between these roles, the fungus life cycle, and its tug-of-war interaction with cacao plants is discussed.

Assessment of Useful Plants in the Catchment Area of the Proposed Ntabelanga Dam in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background The developmental projects, particularly construction of dams, result in permanent changes of terrestrial ecosystems through inundation. Objective The present study was undertaken aiming at documenting useful plant species in Ntabelanga dam catchment area that will be impacted by the construction of the proposed dam. Methods A total of 55 randomly selected quadrats were used to assess plant species diversity and composition. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods were used to identify useful plant species growing in the catchment area through interviews with 108 randomly selected participants. Results A total of 197 plant species were recorded with 95 species (48.2%) utilized for various purposes. Use categories included ethnoveterinary and herbal medicines (46 species), food plants (37 species), construction timber and thatching (14 species), firewood (five species), browse, live fence, and ornamental (four species each), and brooms and crafts (two species). Conclusion This study showed that plant species play an important role in the daily life and culture of local people. The construction of Ntabelanga dam is, therefore, associated with several positive and negative impacts on plant resources which are not fully integrated into current decision-making, largely because of lack of multistakeholder dialogue on the socioeconomic issues of such an important project. PMID:28828397

Neem (Azadirachta indica a. Juss) components: candidates for the control of Crinipellis perniciosa and Phytophthora ssp.

PubMed

de Rezende Ramos, Alessandra; Lüdke Falcão, Loeni; Salviano Barbosa, Guilherme; Helena Marcellino, Lucilia; Silvano Gander, Eugen

2007-01-01

Witches' broom and pod rot are the two most devastating diseases of cocoa in South America and Africa, respectively. Their control by means of phytosanitation and chemical fungicides is labor-intensive, costly and, in many cases, environmentally undesirable. Therefore efforts are made in order to identify alternative, environmentally safe and cost-efficient methods for the control of these pathogens. Promising candidates are components of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), that have been used for centuries in Asia as insecticides, fungicides, anticonceptionals in popular medicine. Here we report about tests on the effect of various concentrations of extracts from neem leaves on growth of mycelia of Crinipellis and Phytophthora and on germination of spores of Crinipellis. We show a 35% growth reduction of mycelia of Phytophthora on neem leaf extract media, whereas growth of mycelia of Crinipellis was not affected, even at the highest concentration of neem leaf extracts used (35%). However, the most dramatic effect of neem leaf extracts is observed on Crinipellis spore germination, here the extracts (20-35%) reduced germination almost completely. Based on these results, we believe that the neem tree might be a source for the production, on small and medium scale, of an effective and cheap formulation for the control of Crinipellis and Phytophthora.

Cacao diseases: a global perspective from an industry point of view.

PubMed

Hebbar, Prakash K

2007-12-01

ABSTRACT Diseases of cacao, Theobroma cacao, account for losses of more than 30% of the potential crop. These losses have caused a steady decline in production and a reduction in bean quality in almost all the cacao-producing areas in the world, especially in small-holder farms in Latin America and West Africa. The most significant diseases are witches' broom, caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa, which occurs mainly in South America; frosty pod rot, caused by M. roreri, which occurs mainly in Central and northern South America; and black pod disease, caused by several species of Phytophthora, which are distributed throughout the tropics. In view of the threat that these diseases pose to the sustainability of the cacao crop, Mars Inc. and their industry partners have funded collaborative research involving cacao research institutes and governmental and nongovernmental agencies. The objective of this global initiative is to develop short- to medium-term, low-cost, environmentally friendly disease-management strategies until disease tolerant varieties are widely available. These include good farming practices, biological control and the rational or minimal use of chemicals that could be used for integrated pest management (IPM). Farmer field schools are used to get these technologies to growers. This paper describes some of the key collaborative partners and projects that are underway in South America and West Africa.

Remediation of hydrocarbons polluted water by hydrophobic functionalized cellulose.

PubMed

Tursi, Antonio; Beneduci, Amerigo; Chidichimo, Francesco; De Vietro, Nicoletta; Chidichimo, Giuseppe

2018-06-01

Remediation of water bodies from petroleum hydrocarbons is of the utmost importance due to health risks related to the high toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of the hydrocarbons components that may enter into the food chain. Though several methods were proposed to face up this challenge, they are generally not easily feasible at a contaminated site and quite costly. Here we propose a green, cost-effective technology based on hydrophobized Spanish Broom (SB) cellulose fiber. The natural cellulose fiber was extracted by alkaline digestion of the raw vegetable. The hydrophilic cellulose surface was transformed into a hydrophobic one by the reaction with 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) forming a very stable urethane linkage with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose emerging from the fibers surface. Chemical functionalization was performed with a novel solvent-free technology based on a home-made still reactor were the fiber was kept under vortex stirring and the MDI reactant then spread onto the fiber surface by nebulizing it in form of micrometer-sized droplets. The functionalized fiber, characterized by means of WCA measurements, XPS and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, shows fast adsorption kinetics adsorption capacity as high as 220 mg/g, among the highest ever reported so far in the literature for cellulosic materials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight Test Results of the Earth Observing-1 Advanced Land Imager Advanced Land Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendenhall, Jeffrey A.; Lencioni, Donald E.; Hearn, David R.; Digenis, Constantine J.

2002-09-01

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) is the primary instrument on the Earth Observing-1 spacecraft (EO-1) and was developed under NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP). The NMP mission objective is to flight-validate advanced technologies that will enable dramatic improvements in performance, cost, mass, and schedule for future, Landsat-like, Earth Science Enterprise instruments. ALI contains a number of innovative features designed to achieve this objective. These include the basic instrument architecture, which employs a push-broom data collection mode, a wide field-of-view optical design, compact multi-spectral detector arrays, non-cryogenic HgCdTe for the short wave infrared bands, silicon carbide optics, and a multi-level solar calibration technique. The sensor includes detector arrays that operate in ten bands, one panchromatic, six VNIR and three SWIR, spanning the range from 0.433 to 2.35 μm. Launched on November 21, 2000, ALI instrument performance was monitored during its first year on orbit using data collected during solar, lunar, stellar, and earth observations. This paper will provide an overview of EO-1 mission activities during this period. Additionally, the on-orbit spatial and radiometric performance of the instrument will be compared to pre-flight measurements and the temporal stability of ALI will be presented.

Invasive mutualisms between a plant pathogen and insect vectors in the Middle East and Brazil

PubMed Central

Queiroz, Renan Batista; Silva, Fábio Nascimento; Al-Mahmmoli, Issa Hashil; Al-Sadi, Abdullah Mohammed; Carvalho, Claudine Márcia; Elliot, Simon L.

2016-01-01

Complex multi-trophic interactions in vectorborne diseases limit our understanding and ability to predict outbreaks. Arthropod-vectored pathogens are especially problematic, with the potential for novel interspecific interactions during invasions. Variations and novelties in plant–arthropod–pathogen triumvirates present significant threats to global food security. We examined aspects of a phytoplasma pathogen of citrus across two continents. ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’ causes Witches' Broom Disease of Lime (WBDL) and has devastated citrus production in the Middle East. A variant of this phytoplasma currently displays asymptomatic or ‘silent’ infections in Brazil. We first studied vector capacity and fitness impacts of the pathogen on its vectors. The potential for co-occurring weed species to act as pathogen reservoirs was analysed and key transmission periods in the year were also studied. We demonstrate that two invasive hemipteran insects—Diaphorina citri and Hishimonus phycitis—can vector the phytoplasma. Feeding on phytoplasma-infected hosts greatly increased reproduction of its invasive vector D. citri both in Oman and Brazil; suggesting that increased fitness of invasive insect vectors thereby further increases the pathogen's capacity to spread. Based on our findings, this is a robust system for studying the effects of invasions on vectorborne diseases and highlights concerns about its spread to warmer, drier regions of Brazil. PMID:28083099

Phytoplasma PMU1 exists as linear chromosomal and circular extrachromosomal elements and has enhanced expression in insect vectors compared with plant hosts.

PubMed

Toruño, Tania Y; Musić, Martina Seruga; Simi, Silvia; Nicolaisen, Mogens; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2010-09-01

Phytoplasmas replicate intracellularly in plants and insects and are dependent on both hosts for dissemination in nature. Phytoplasmas have small genomes lacking genes for major metabolic pathways. Nevertheless, their genomes harbour multicopy gene clusters that were named potential mobile units (PMUs). PMU1 is the largest most complete repeat among the PMUs in the genome of Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB). PMU1 is c. 20 kb in size and contains 21 genes encoding DNA replication and predicted membrane-targeted proteins. Here we show that AY-WB has a chromosomal linear PMU1 (L-PMU1) and an extrachromosomal circular PMU1 (C-PMU1). The C-PMU1 copy number was consistently higher by in average approximately fivefold in insects compared with plants and PMU1 gene expression levels were also considerably higher in insects indicating that C-PMU1 synthesis and expression are regulated. We found that the majority of AY-WB virulence genes lie on chromosomal PMU regions that have similar gene content and organization as PMU1 providing evidence that PMUs contribute to phytoplasma host adaptation and have integrated into the AY-WB chromosome. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Faculty-Student Caring Interaction in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review

PubMed Central

Salehian, Maryam; Heydari, Abbas; Aghebati, Nahid; Karimi Moonaghi, Hossein

2017-01-01

Introduction: Faculty- student caring relationship in nursing education has been offered as enhancing students’ learning experiences to care , desire to care for others and self-actu­alization. This review therefore was carried out to analyze faculty-student caring interactions in nursing education. Methods: This concept analysis of caring in the nursing education was conducted based on Broom methodology of integrative review. The literature was consisted of two books from two known theorists, and 47 relevant articles. They retrieved from English data bases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, SCOPUS, and SID, with based on the keywords of caring and "nursing education", during the period 2005-2014. Results: Caring in nursing education refers to faculty-student interaction based on ethical and human values. The development of values and moral principles in education, flexibility in educational processes, application of objective patterns in learning, and dynamism in educational processes are identified as caring concept attributes in teaching-learning process. This requires environmental support, constant human relationship, and knowing. Internalization of values, achieving self-esteem, peace, and towards human evolution were the main achievements of the concept of caring in nursing education. Conclusion: The details obtained from the dimensions of "caring" concept in this study could be utilized by nursing education researchers and designers in order to develop content and structure for educational programs. PMID:28971076

The hemibiotrophic cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa depends on a mitochondrial alternative oxidase for biotrophic development

PubMed Central

Thomazella, Daniela P T; Teixeira, Paulo José P L; Oliveira, Halley C; Saviani, Elzira E; Rincones, Johana; Toni, Isabella M; Reis, Osvaldo; Garcia, Odalys; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Salgado, Ione; Pereira, Gonçalo A G

2012-01-01

The tropical pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa causes witches’ broom disease in cacao. As a hemibiotrophic fungus, it initially colonizes the living host tissues (biotrophic phase), and later grows over the dead plant (necrotrophic phase). Little is known about the mechanisms that promote these distinct fungal phases or mediate the transition between them. An alternative oxidase gene (Mp-aox) was identified in the M. perniciosa genome and its expression was analyzed througout the fungal life cycle. In addition, the effects of inhibitors of the cytochrome-dependent respiratory chain (CRC) and alternative oxidase (AOX) were evaluated on the in vitro development of M. perniciosa. Larger numbers of Mp-aox transcripts were observed in the biotrophic hyphae, which accordingly showed elevated sensitivity to AOX inhibitors. More importantly, the inhibition of CRC prevented the transition from the biotrophic to the necrotrophic phase, and the combined use of a CRC and AOX inhibitor completely halted fungal growth. On the basis of these results, a novel mechanism is presented in which AOX plays a role in the biotrophic development of M. perniciosa and regulates the transition to its necrotrophic stage. Strikingly, this model correlates well with the infection strategy of animal pathogens, particularly Trypanosoma brucei, which uses AOX as a strategy for pathogenicity. PMID:22443281

Faculty-Student Caring Interaction in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Salehian, Maryam; Heydari, Abbas; Aghebati, Nahid; Karimi Moonaghi, Hossein

2017-09-01

Introduction: Faculty- student caring relationship in nursing education has been offered as enhancing students' learning experiences to care , desire to care for others and self-actu-alization. This review therefore was carried out to analyze faculty-student caring interactions in nursing education. Methods: This concept analysis of caring in the nursing education was conducted based on Broom methodology of integrative review. The literature was consisted of two books from two known theorists, and 47 relevant articles. They retrieved from English data bases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, SCOPUS, and SID, with based on the keywords of caring and "nursing education", during the period 2005-2014. Results: Caring in nursing education refers to faculty-student interaction based on ethical and human values. The development of values and moral principles in education, flexibility in educational processes, application of objective patterns in learning, and dynamism in educational processes are identified as caring concept attributes in teaching-learning process. This requires environmental support, constant human relationship, and knowing. Internalization of values, achieving self-esteem, peace, and towards human evolution were the main achievements of the concept of caring in nursing education. Conclusion: The details obtained from the dimensions of "caring" concept in this study could be utilized by nursing education researchers and designers in order to develop content and structure for educational programs.

Molecules and Morphology Reveal Overlooked Populations of Two Presumed Extinct Australian Sea Snakes (Aipysurus: Hydrophiinae)

PubMed Central

Sanders, Kate L.; Schroeder, Tina; Guinea, Michael L.; Rasmussen, Arne R.

2015-01-01

The critically endangered leaf-scaled (Aipysurus foliosquamaI) and short-nosed (A. apraefrontalis) sea snakes are currently recognised only from Ashmore and Hibernia reefs ~600km off the northwest Australian coast. Steep population declines in both species were documented over 15 years and neither has been sighted on dedicated surveys of Ashmore and Hibernia since 2001. We examine specimens of these species that were collected from coastal northwest Australian habitats up until 2010 (A.foliosquama) and 2012 (A. apraefrontalis) and were either overlooked or treated as vagrants in conservation assessments. Morphological variation and mitochondrial sequence data confirm the assignment of these coastal specimens to A. foliosquama (Barrow Island, and offshore from Port Hedland) and A.apraefrontalis (Exmouth Gulf, and offshore from Roebourne and Broome). Collection dates, and molecular and morphological variation between coastal and offshore specimens, suggest that the coastal specimens are not vagrants as previously suspected, but instead represent separate breeding populations. The newly recognised populations present another chance for leaf-scaled and short-nosed sea snakes, but coastal habitats in northwest Australia are widely threatened by infrastructure developments and sea snakes are presently omitted from environmental impact assessments for industry. Further studies are urgently needed to assess these species’ remaining distributions, population structure, and extent of occurrence in protected areas. PMID:25671608

Molecules and morphology reveal overlooked populations of two presumed extinct Australian sea snakes (Aipysurus: Hydrophiinae).

PubMed

Sanders, Kate L; Schroeder, Tina; Guinea, Michael L; Rasmussen, Arne R

2015-01-01

The critically endangered leaf-scaled (Aipysurus foliosquamaI) and short-nosed (A. apraefrontalis) sea snakes are currently recognised only from Ashmore and Hibernia reefs ~600km off the northwest Australian coast. Steep population declines in both species were documented over 15 years and neither has been sighted on dedicated surveys of Ashmore and Hibernia since 2001. We examine specimens of these species that were collected from coastal northwest Australian habitats up until 2010 (A.foliosquama) and 2012 (A. apraefrontalis) and were either overlooked or treated as vagrants in conservation assessments. Morphological variation and mitochondrial sequence data confirm the assignment of these coastal specimens to A. foliosquama (Barrow Island, and offshore from Port Hedland) and A.apraefrontalis (Exmouth Gulf, and offshore from Roebourne and Broome). Collection dates, and molecular and morphological variation between coastal and offshore specimens, suggest that the coastal specimens are not vagrants as previously suspected, but instead represent separate breeding populations. The newly recognised populations present another chance for leaf-scaled and short-nosed sea snakes, but coastal habitats in northwest Australia are widely threatened by infrastructure developments and sea snakes are presently omitted from environmental impact assessments for industry. Further studies are urgently needed to assess these species' remaining distributions, population structure, and extent of occurrence in protected areas.

Nighttime ionization by energetic particles at Wallops Island in the altitude region 120 to 200 km

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voss, H. D.; Smith, L. G.

1979-01-01

Five Nike Apache rockets, each including an energetic particle spectrometer and an electron density-electron temperature experiment, have been launched from Wallops Island (L = 2.6) near midnight under varying geomagnetic conditions. On the most recent of these (5 January 1978) an additional spectrometer with a broom magnet, and a 391.4 nm photometer were flown. The data from this flight indicate that the energetic particle flux consists predominantly of protons, neutral hydrogen and possibly other energetic nuclei. The energy spectrum becomes much softer and the flux more intense with increasing Kp for 10-100 keV. The pitch angle distribution at 180 km is asymmetrical with a peak at 90 deg indicating that the majority of particles are near their mirroring altitude. Ionization rates are calculated based on the measured energy spectrum and mirror height distribution. The resulting ionization rate profile is found to be nearly constant with altitude in the region 120 to 200 km. The measured energetic particle flux and calculated ionization rate from the five flights are found to vary with magnetic activity (based on the Kp and Dst indexes) in the same way as the independently derived ionization rates deduced from the electron density profile.

Identification of inflammation sites in arthritic joints using hyperspectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paluchowski, Lukasz A.; Milanic, Matija; Bjorgan, Asgeir; Grandaunet, Berit; Dhainaut, Alvilde; Hoff, Mari; Randeberg, Lise L.

2014-03-01

Inflammatory arthritic diseases have prevalence between 2 and 3% and may lead to joint destruction and deformation resulting in a loss of function. Patient's quality of life is often severely affected as the disease attacks hands and finger joints. Pathology involved in arthritis includes angiogenesis, hyper-vascularization, hyper-metabolism and relative hypoxia. We have employed hyperspectral imaging to study the hemodynamics of affected- and non-affected joints and tissue. Two hyperspectral, push-broom cameras were used (VNIR-1600, SWIR-320i, Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, Norway). Optical spectra (400nm - 1700nm) of high spectral resolution were collected from 15 patients with visible symptoms of arthritic rheumatic diseases in at least one joint. The control group consisted of 10 healthy individuals. Concentrations of dominant chromophores were calculated based on analytical calculations of light transport in tissue. Image processing was used to analyze hyperspectral data and retrieve information, e.g. blood concentration and tissue oxygenation maps. The obtained results indicate that hyperspectral imaging can be used to quantify changes within affected joints and surrounding tissue. Further improvement of this method will have positive impact on diagnosis of arthritic joints at an early stage. Moreover it will enable development of fast, noninvasive and noncontact diagnostic tool of arthritic joints

Calibration Plans for the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruegge, C. J.; Duval, V. G.; Chrien, N. L.; Diner, D. J.

1993-01-01

The EOS Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) will study the ecology and climate of the Earth through acquisition of global multi-angle imagery. The MISR employs nine discrete cameras, each a push-broom imager. Of these, four point forward, four point aft and one views the nadir. Absolute radiometric calibration will be obtained pre-flight using high quantum efficiency (HQE) detectors and an integrating sphere source. After launch, instrument calibration will be provided using HQE detectors in conjunction with deployable diffuse calibration panels. The panels will be deployed at time intervals of one month and used to direct sunlight into the cameras, filling their fields-of-view and providing through-the-optics calibration. Additional techniques will be utilized to reduce systematic errors, and provide continuity as the methodology changes with time. For example, radiation-resistant photodiodes will also be used to monitor panel radiant exitance. These data will be acquired throughout the five-year mission, to maintain calibration in the latter years when it is expected that the HQE diodes will have degraded. During the mission, it is planned that the MISR will conduct semi-annual ground calibration campaigns, utilizing field measurements and higher resolution sensors (aboard aircraft or in-orbit platforms) to provide a check of the on-board hardware. These ground calibration campaigns are limited in number, but are believed to be the key to the long-term maintenance of MISR radiometric calibration.

Enabling Searches on Wavelengths in a Hyperspectral Indices Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piñuela, F.; Cerra, D.; Müller, R.

2017-10-01

Spectral indices derived from hyperspectral reflectance measurements are powerful tools to estimate physical parameters in a non-destructive and precise way for several fields of applications, among others vegetation health analysis, coastal and deep water constituents, geology, and atmosphere composition. In the last years, several micro-hyperspectral sensors have appeared, with both full-frame and push-broom acquisition technologies, while in the near future several hyperspectral spaceborne missions are planned to be launched. This is fostering the use of hyperspectral data in basic and applied research causing a large number of spectral indices to be defined and used in various applications. Ad hoc search engines are therefore needed to retrieve the most appropriate indices for a given application. In traditional systems, query input parameters are limited to alphanumeric strings, while characteristics such as spectral range/ bandwidth are not used in any existing search engine. Such information would be relevant, as it enables an inverse type of search: given the spectral capabilities of a given sensor or a specific spectral band, find all indices which can be derived from it. This paper describes a tool which enables a search as described above, by using the central wavelength or spectral range used by a given index as a search parameter. This offers the ability to manage numeric wavelength ranges in order to select indices which work at best in a given set of wavelengths or wavelength ranges.

[Study of spatial stratified sampling strategy of Oncomelania hupensis snail survey based on plant abundance].

PubMed

Xun-Ping, W; An, Z

2017-07-27

Objective To optimize and simplify the survey method of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshland endemic regions of schistosomiasis, so as to improve the precision, efficiency and economy of the snail survey. Methods A snail sampling strategy (Spatial Sampling Scenario of Oncomelania based on Plant Abundance, SOPA) which took the plant abundance as auxiliary variable was explored and an experimental study in a 50 m×50 m plot in a marshland in the Poyang Lake region was performed. Firstly, the push broom surveyed data was stratified into 5 layers by the plant abundance data; then, the required numbers of optimal sampling points of each layer through Hammond McCullagh equation were calculated; thirdly, every sample point in the line with the Multiple Directional Interpolation (MDI) placement scheme was pinpointed; and finally, the comparison study among the outcomes of the spatial random sampling strategy, the traditional systematic sampling method, the spatial stratified sampling method, Sandwich spatial sampling and inference and SOPA was performed. Results The method (SOPA) proposed in this study had the minimal absolute error of 0.213 8; and the traditional systematic sampling method had the largest estimate, and the absolute error was 0.924 4. Conclusion The snail sampling strategy (SOPA) proposed in this study obtains the higher estimation accuracy than the other four methods.

Analytical monitoring of soil bioengineering structures in the Tuscan Emilian Apennines of Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selli, Lavinia; Guastini, Enrico

2014-05-01

Soil bioengineering has been an appropriate solution to deal with erosion problems and shallow landslides in the North Apennines, Italy. The objective of our research was a check about critical aspects of soil bioengineering works. We monitored the works that have been carried out in the Tuscan Emilian Apennines by testing the suitability of different plant species and analyzed in detail timber structures of wooden crib walls. Plant species were mainly Salix alba and Salix purpurea that gave good sprouting and survival rates. However, showed some issues in growing on dry and sunny Apennine lands, where other shrubs like Spanish Broom, blackthorn, cornel-tree and Eglantine would be more indicated. The localized analysis on wooden elements has been led gathering parts from the poles and obtaining samples in order to determine their density. The hypothetical initial density of the wood used in the structure has been estimated, then calculating the residual density. This analysis allows us to determine the general condition of the wood, highlighting the structures in worst condition (the one in Pianaccio show a residual density close to 70%, instead of 90% as found on other structures) and those whose degraded wood has undergone the greatest damage (Pianaccio here too, with 50%, followed by Campoferrario - 60% - and by Pian di Favale with 85%, a rather good value for the most degraded wood in the structure).

High-Resolution Transcript Profiling of the Atypical Biotrophic Interaction between Theobroma cacao and the Fungal Pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa[C][W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Teixeira, Paulo José Pereira Lima; Thomazella, Daniela Paula de Toledo; Reis, Osvaldo; do Prado, Paula Favoretti Vital; do Rio, Maria Carolina Scatolin; Fiorin, Gabriel Lorencini; José, Juliana; Costa, Gustavo Gilson Lacerda; Negri, Victor Augusti; Mondego, Jorge Maurício Costa; Mieczkowski, Piotr; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

2014-01-01

Witches’ broom disease (WBD), caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, is one of the most devastating diseases of Theobroma cacao, the chocolate tree. In contrast to other hemibiotrophic interactions, the WBD biotrophic stage lasts for months and is responsible for the most distinctive symptoms of the disease, which comprise drastic morphological changes in the infected shoots. Here, we used the dual RNA-seq approach to simultaneously assess the transcriptomes of cacao and M. perniciosa during their peculiar biotrophic interaction. Infection with M. perniciosa triggers massive metabolic reprogramming in the diseased tissues. Although apparently vigorous, the infected shoots are energetically expensive structures characterized by the induction of ineffective defense responses and by a clear carbon deprivation signature. Remarkably, the infection culminates in the establishment of a senescence process in the host, which signals the end of the WBD biotrophic stage. We analyzed the pathogen’s transcriptome in unprecedented detail and thereby characterized the fungal nutritional and infection strategies during WBD and identified putative virulence effectors. Interestingly, M. perniciosa biotrophic mycelia develop as long-term parasites that orchestrate changes in plant metabolism to increase the availability of soluble nutrients before plant death. Collectively, our results provide unique insight into an intriguing tropical disease and advance our understanding of the development of (hemi)biotrophic plant-pathogen interactions. PMID:25371547

High-resolution transcript profiling of the atypical biotrophic interaction between Theobroma cacao and the fungal pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

Teixeira, Paulo José Pereira Lima; Thomazella, Daniela Paula de Toledo; Reis, Osvaldo; do Prado, Paula Favoretti Vital; do Rio, Maria Carolina Scatolin; Fiorin, Gabriel Lorencini; José, Juliana; Costa, Gustavo Gilson Lacerda; Negri, Victor Augusti; Mondego, Jorge Maurício Costa; Mieczkowski, Piotr; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

2014-11-01

Witches' broom disease (WBD), caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, is one of the most devastating diseases of Theobroma cacao, the chocolate tree. In contrast to other hemibiotrophic interactions, the WBD biotrophic stage lasts for months and is responsible for the most distinctive symptoms of the disease, which comprise drastic morphological changes in the infected shoots. Here, we used the dual RNA-seq approach to simultaneously assess the transcriptomes of cacao and M. perniciosa during their peculiar biotrophic interaction. Infection with M. perniciosa triggers massive metabolic reprogramming in the diseased tissues. Although apparently vigorous, the infected shoots are energetically expensive structures characterized by the induction of ineffective defense responses and by a clear carbon deprivation signature. Remarkably, the infection culminates in the establishment of a senescence process in the host, which signals the end of the WBD biotrophic stage. We analyzed the pathogen's transcriptome in unprecedented detail and thereby characterized the fungal nutritional and infection strategies during WBD and identified putative virulence effectors. Interestingly, M. perniciosa biotrophic mycelia develop as long-term parasites that orchestrate changes in plant metabolism to increase the availability of soluble nutrients before plant death. Collectively, our results provide unique insight into an intriguing tropical disease and advance our understanding of the development of (hemi)biotrophic plant-pathogen interactions. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Novel receptor-like kinases in cacao contain PR-1 extracellular domains.

PubMed

Teixeira, Paulo José Pereira Lima; Costa, Gustavo Gilson Lacerda; Fiorin, Gabriel Lorencini; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães; Mondego, Jorge Maurício Costa

2013-08-01

Members of the pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR-1) family are well-known markers of plant defence responses, forming part of the arsenal of the secreted proteins produced on pathogen recognition. Here, we report the identification of two cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) PR-1s that are fused to transmembrane regions and serine/threonine kinase domains, in a manner characteristic of receptor-like kinases (RLKs). These proteins (TcPR-1f and TcPR-1g) were named PR-1 receptor kinases (PR-1RKs). Phylogenetic analysis of RLKs and PR-1 proteins from cacao indicated that PR-1RKs originated from a fusion between sequences encoding PR-1 and the kinase domain of a LecRLK (Lectin Receptor-Like Kinase). Retrotransposition marks surround TcPR-1f, suggesting that retrotransposition was involved in the origin of PR-1RKs. Genes with a similar domain architecture to cacao PR-1RKs were found in rice (Oryza sativa), barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) and a nonphototrophic bacterium (Herpetosiphon aurantiacus). However, their kinase domains differed from those found in LecRLKs, indicating the occurrence of convergent evolution. TcPR-1g expression was up-regulated in the biotrophic stage of witches' broom disease, suggesting a role for PR-1RKs during cacao defence responses. We hypothesize that PR-1RKs transduce a defence signal by interacting with a PR-1 ligand. © 2013 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

The mitochondrial genome of the phytopathogenic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is 109 kb in size and contains a stable integrated plasmid.

PubMed

Formighieri, Eduardo F; Tiburcio, Ricardo A; Armas, Eduardo D; Medrano, Francisco J; Shimo, Hugo; Carels, Nicolas; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles; Cotomacci, Carolina; Carazzolle, Marcelo F; Sardinha-Pinto, Naiara; Thomazella, Daniela P T; Rincones, Johana; Digiampietri, Luciano; Carraro, Dirce M; Azeredo-Espin, Ana M; Reis, Sérgio F; Deckmann, Ana C; Gramacho, Karina; Gonçalves, Marilda S; Moura Neto, José P; Barbosa, Luciana V; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Cascardo, Júlio C M; Pereira, Gonçalo A G

2008-10-01

We present here the sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the basidiomycete phytopathogenic hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of the Witches' Broom Disease in Theobroma cacao. The DNA is a circular molecule of 109,103 base pairs, with 31.9% GC, and is the largest sequenced so far. This size is due essentially to the presence of numerous non-conserved hypothetical ORFs. It contains the 14 genes coding for proteins involved in the oxidative phosphorylation, the two rRNA genes, one ORF coding for a ribosomal protein (rps3), and a set of 26 tRNA genes that recognize codons for all amino acids. Seven homing endonucleases are located inside introns. Except atp8, all conserved known genes are in the same orientation. Phylogenetic analysis based on the cox genes agrees with the commonly accepted fungal taxonomy. An uncommon feature of this mitochondrial genome is the presence of a region that contains a set of four, relatively small, nested, inverted repeats enclosing two genes coding for polymerases with an invertron-type structure and three conserved hypothetical genes interpreted as the stable integration of a mitochondrial linear plasmid. The integration of this plasmid seems to be a recent evolutionary event that could have implications in fungal biology. This sequence is available under GenBank accession number AY376688.

Hyperspectral Imaging for Predicting the Internal Quality of Kiwifruits Based on Variable Selection Algorithms and Chemometric Models.

PubMed

Zhu, Hongyan; Chu, Bingquan; Fan, Yangyang; Tao, Xiaoya; Yin, Wenxin; He, Yong

2017-08-10

We investigated the feasibility and potentiality of determining firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), and pH in kiwifruits using hyperspectral imaging, combined with variable selection methods and calibration models. The images were acquired by a push-broom hyperspectral reflectance imaging system covering two spectral ranges. Weighted regression coefficients (BW), successive projections algorithm (SPA) and genetic algorithm-partial least square (GAPLS) were compared and evaluated for the selection of effective wavelengths. Moreover, multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares regression and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) were developed to predict quality attributes quantitatively using effective wavelengths. The established models, particularly SPA-MLR, SPA-LS-SVM and GAPLS-LS-SVM, performed well. The SPA-MLR models for firmness (R pre  = 0.9812, RPD = 5.17) and SSC (R pre  = 0.9523, RPD = 3.26) at 380-1023 nm showed excellent performance, whereas GAPLS-LS-SVM was the optimal model at 874-1734 nm for predicting pH (R pre  = 0.9070, RPD = 2.60). Image processing algorithms were developed to transfer the predictive model in every pixel to generate prediction maps that visualize the spatial distribution of firmness and SSC. Hence, the results clearly demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging has the potential as a fast and non-invasive method to predict the quality attributes of kiwifruits.

Diagnosis and Repair of Random Noise in the SENSOR'S Chris-Proba

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mobasheri, M. R.; Zendehbad, S. A.

2013-09-01

The CHRIS sensor on the PROBA-1 satellite has imaged as push-broom way, 18 meter spatial resolution and 18 bands (1.25-11 nm) spectral resolution from earth since 2001. After 13 years of the life of the sensor because of many reasons including the influence of solar radiation and magnetic fields of Earth and Sun, behaviour of the response function of the detector exit from calibration mode and performance of some CCDs has failed. This has caused some image information in some bands have been deleted or invalid. In some images, some dark streaks or light bands in different locations need to be created to identify and correct. In this paper all type of noise which likely impact on sensor data by CHRIS from record and transmission identified, calculated and formulated and method is presented through modifying. To do this we use the In-fight and On-ground measurements parameters. Otherwise creation of noise in images is divided into horizontal and vertical noise. Due to the random noise is created in different bands and different locations, those images in which noise is observed is used. In this paper, techniques to identify and correct the dark or pale stripe detail of the images are created. Finally, the noisy images were compared before and after the reform and effective algorithms to detect and correct errors were demonstrated.

LED characterization for development of on-board calibration unit of CCD-based advanced wide-field sensor camera of Resourcesat-2A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Abhijit; Verma, Anurag

2016-05-01

The Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) camera caters to high temporal resolution requirement of Resourcesat-2A mission with repeativity of 5 days. The AWiFS camera consists of four spectral bands, three in the visible and near IR and one in the short wave infrared. The imaging concept in VNIR bands is based on push broom scanning that uses linear array silicon charge coupled device (CCD) based Focal Plane Array (FPA). On-Board Calibration unit for these CCD based FPAs is used to monitor any degradation in FPA during entire mission life. Four LEDs are operated in constant current mode and 16 different light intensity levels are generated by electronically changing exposure of CCD throughout the calibration cycle. This paper describes experimental setup and characterization results of various flight model visible LEDs (λP=650nm) for development of On-Board Calibration unit of Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) camera of RESOURCESAT-2A. Various LED configurations have been studied to meet dynamic range coverage of 6000 pixels silicon CCD based focal plane array from 20% to 60% of saturation during night pass of the satellite to identify degradation of detector elements. The paper also explains comparison of simulation and experimental results of CCD output profile at different LED combinations in constant current mode.

Lessons Learned From Community-Based Approaches to Sodium Reduction

PubMed Central

Kane, Heather; Strazza, Karen; Losby PhD, Jan L.; Lane, Rashon; Mugavero, Kristy; Anater, Andrea S.; Frost, Corey; Margolis, Marjorie; Hersey, James

2017-01-01

Purpose This article describes lessons from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiative encompassing sodium reduction interventions in six communities. Design A multiple case study design was used. Setting This evaluation examined data from programs implemented in six communities located in New York (Broome County, Schenectady County, and New York City); California (Los Angeles County and Shasta County); and Kansas (Shawnee County). Subjects Participants (n = 80) included program staff, program directors, state-level staff, and partners. Measures Measures for this evaluation included challenges, facilitators, and lessons learned from implementing sodium reduction strategies. Analysis The project team conducted a document review of program materials and semi structured interviews 12 to 14 months after implementation. The team coded and analyzed data deductively and inductively. Results Five lessons for implementing community-based sodium reduction approaches emerged: (1) build relationships with partners to understand their concerns, (2) involve individuals knowledgeable about specific venues early, (3) incorporate sodium reduction efforts and messaging into broader nutrition efforts, (4) design the program to reduce sodium gradually to take into account consumer preferences and taste transitions, and (5) identify ways to address the cost of lower-sodium products. Conclusion The experiences of the six communities may assist practitioners in planning community-based sodium reduction interventions. Addressing sodium reduction using a community-based approach can foster meaningful change in dietary sodium consumption. PMID:24575726

Development of a compressive sampling hyperspectral imager prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barducci, Alessandro; Guzzi, Donatella; Lastri, Cinzia; Nardino, Vanni; Marcoionni, Paolo; Pippi, Ivan

2013-10-01

Compressive sensing (CS) is a new technology that investigates the chance to sample signals at a lower rate than the traditional sampling theory. The main advantage of CS is that compression takes place during the sampling phase, making possible significant savings in terms of the ADC, data storage memory, down-link bandwidth, and electrical power absorption. The CS technology could have primary importance for spaceborne missions and technology, paving the way to noteworthy reductions of payload mass, volume, and cost. On the contrary, the main CS disadvantage is made by the intensive off-line data processing necessary to obtain the desired source estimation. In this paper we summarize the CS architecture and its possible implementations for Earth observation, giving evidence of possible bottlenecks hindering this technology. CS necessarily employs a multiplexing scheme, which should produce some SNR disadvantage. Moreover, this approach would necessitate optical light modulators and 2-dim detector arrays of high frame rate. This paper describes the development of a sensor prototype at laboratory level that will be utilized for the experimental assessment of CS performance and the related reconstruction errors. The experimental test-bed adopts a push-broom imaging spectrometer, a liquid crystal plate, a standard CCD camera and a Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) matrix. The prototype is being developed within the framework of the ESA ITI-B Project titled "Hyperspectral Passive Satellite Imaging via Compressive Sensing".

Expression of an oxalate decarboxylase impairs the necrotic effect induced by Nep1-like protein (NLP) of Moniliophthora perniciosa in transgenic tobacco.

PubMed

da Silva, Leonardo F; Dias, Cristiano V; Cidade, Luciana C; Mendes, Juliano S; Pirovani, Carlos P; Alvim, Fátima C; Pereira, Gonçalo A G; Aragão, Francisco J L; Cascardo, Júlio C M; Costa, Marcio G C

2011-07-01

Oxalic acid (OA) and Nep1-like proteins (NLP) are recognized as elicitors of programmed cell death (PCD) in plants, which is crucial for the pathogenic success of necrotrophic plant pathogens and involves reactive oxygen species (ROS). To determine the importance of oxalate as a source of ROS for OA- and NLP-induced cell death, a full-length cDNA coding for an oxalate decarboxylase (FvOXDC) from the basidiomycete Flammulina velutipes, which converts OA into CO(2) and formate, was overexpressed in tobacco plants. The transgenic plants contained less OA and more formic acid compared with the control plants and showed enhanced resistance to cell death induced by exogenous OA and MpNEP2, an NLP of the hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa. This resistance was correlated with the inhibition of ROS formation in the transgenic plants inoculated with OA, MpNEP2, or a combination of both PCD elicitors. Taken together, these results have established a pivotal function for oxalate as a source of ROS required for the PCD-inducing activity of OA and NLP. The results also indicate that FvOXDC represents a potentially novel source of resistance against OA- and NLP-producing pathogens such as M. perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.).

Patterns of hand preference for pairs of actions and the classification of handedness.

PubMed

Annett, Marian

2009-08-01

Pairs of actions such as write x throw and throw x racquet were examined for items of the Annett hand preference questionnaire (AHPQ). Right (R) and left (L) responses were described for frequencies of RR, RL, LR, and LL pairings (write x throw etc.) in a large representative combined sample with the aim of discovering the distribution over the population as a whole. The frequencies of RL pairings varied significantly over the different item pairs but the frequencies of LR pairings were fairly constant. An important difference was found between primary actions (originally write, throw, racquet, match, toothbrush, hammer with the later addition of scissors for right-handers) and non-primary actions (needle and thread, broom, spade, dealing playing cards, and unscrewing the lid of a jar). For primary actions, there were similar numbers of right and left writers using the 'other' hand. For non-primary actions more right-handers used the left hand than for primary actions but more left-handers did not use the right hand. That is, different frequencies of response to primary versus non-primary actions were found for right-handers but not for left-handers. The pattern of findings was repeated for a corresponding analysis of left-handed throwing x AHPQ actions. The findings have implications for the classification of hand preferences and for analyses of the nature of hand skill.

Biogeochemical variability of plants at native and altered sites, San Juan Basin, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gough, L.P.; Severson, R.C.

1981-01-01

The San Juan Basin is becoming a major energy resource region. The anticipated increase in strip mining for coal can be expected to alter the geochemical and biogeochemical environment. because such activities destroy the native vegetation communities, rearrange the rock strata, and disrupt natural soil development. This study investigated the variability in the biogeochemistry of native plant species at both undisturbed and altered sites and assessed the importance of the observed differences. Three studies are involved in this investigation: Study 1, the biogeochemical variability of native species found at sites throughout that part of the basin underlain by economically recoverable coal; Study 2, the biogeochemical variability of native species growing on soils considered favorable for use in the topsoiling of spoil areas; and Study 3, the biogeochemical variability of native species on rehabilitated sites at the San Juan coal mine. Summary statistics for concentrations of 35 elements (and ash yield) are reported in Study 1 for galleta grass, broom snakeweed, and fourwing saltbush. The concentrations of manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and uranium (and possibly iron and selenium) in galleta show regional patterns, with the highest values generally found in the south-central region and western edge of the study area. Differences in the concentration of elements between species was generally subtle (less than a factor of two) except for the following: ash yield of saltbush was two times that of the other plants; boron in snakeweed and saltbush was four times greater than in galleta; iron in galleta was two times greater than in saltbush; and, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur were generally highest in saltbush. Summary statistics (including the 95-percent expected range) for concentrations of 35 elements (and ash yield) are reported from Study 2 for galleta and broom snakeweed growing on the Sheppard, Shiprock, and Doak soil association. Significant regional (greater than 10 km) variation for aluminum, iron, sulfur, vanadium, and zirconium in galleta are reported; however, for most elements, a significant proportion of the variation in the data was measured locally (less than 0.1 km). This variation indicates that samples of galleta and snakeweed taken more than 10 km apart vary, in their element composition, little more than plants sampled as close together as 0.1 km. The concentrations of 35 elements (and ash yield) in alkali sacaton and fourwing saltbush, which were collected on a rehabilitation plot at the San Juan mine (Study 3), are compared with those of control samples of similar material from native sites from throughout the ,an Juan Basin. Concentrations of aluminum, arsenic, boron, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, lead, manganese, sodium, and uranium in samples of saltbush growing over spoil generally exceed the levels of these elements in control samples. For many elements, concentrations in mine samples are from two to five times higher 1 han concentrations in the control samples. Sodium concentrations i saltbush, however, were 100 times higher in mine samples than in control samples. This high concentration reflects a corresponding : OO-fold increase in the extractable sodium levels in spoil material s compared to C-horizon control samples. Sampled plants from the l1ine area, spaced relatively close together (5 m (meters) or less), vary greatly in their element compositions, apparently in response 1 J the heterogenous composition and element availability of the l1ine soils. Topsoiling to a depth of 20 cm (centimeters) does little to meliorate the uptake of elements from spoil by saltbush.

New information on the braincase and inner ear of Euparkeria capensis Broom: implications for diapsid and archosaur evolution

PubMed Central

Sookias, Roland B.; Bhullar, Bhart-Anjan S.; Smith, Roger; Butler, Richard J.; Müller, Johannes

2016-01-01

Since its discovery, Euparkeria capensis has been a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of archosaurs. The braincase of Euparkeria was described based on a single specimen, but much uncertainty remained. For the first time, all available braincase material of Euparkeria is re-examined using micro-computed tomography scanning. Contrary to previous work, the parabasisphenoid does not form the posterior border of the fenestra ovalis in lateral view, but it does bear a dorsal projection that forms the anteroventral half of the fenestra. No bone pneumatization was found, but the lateral depression of the parabasisphenoid may have been pneumatic. We propose that the lateral depression likely corresponds to the anterior tympanic recess present in crown archosaurs. The presence of a laterosphenoid is confirmed for Euparkeria. It largely conforms to the crocodilian condition, but shows some features which make it more similar to the avemetatarsalian laterosphenoid. The cochlea of Euparkeria is elongated, forming a deep cochlear recess. In comparison with other basal archosauromorphs, the metotic foramen is much enlarged and regionalized into vagus and recessus scalae tympani areas, indicating an increase in its pressure-relief mechanism. The anterior semicircular canal is extended and corresponds to an enlarged floccular fossa. These aspects of the braincase morphology may be related to the development of a more upright posture and active lifestyle. They also indicate further adaptations of the hearing system of Euparkeria to terrestriality. PMID:27493766

Onboard TDI stage estimation and calibration using SNR analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghshenas, Javad

2017-09-01

Electro-Optical design of a push-broom space camera for a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) remote sensing satellite is performed based on the noise analysis of TDI sensors for very high GSDs and low light level missions. It is well demonstrated that the CCD TDI mode of operation provides increased photosensitivity relative to a linear CCD array, without the sacrifice of spatial resolution. However, for satellite imaging, in order to utilize the advantages which the TDI mode of operation offers, attention should be given to the parameters which affect the image quality of TDI sensors such as jitters, vibrations, noises and etc. A predefined TDI stages may not properly satisfy image quality requirement of the satellite camera. Furthermore, in order to use the whole dynamic range of the sensor, imager must be capable to set the TDI stages in every shots based on the affecting parameters. This paper deals with the optimal estimation and setting the stages based on tradeoffs among MTF, noises and SNR. On-board SNR estimation is simulated using the atmosphere analysis based on the MODTRAN algorithm in PcModWin software. According to the noises models, we have proposed a formulation to estimate TDI stages in such a way to satisfy the system SNR requirement. On the other hand, MTF requirement must be satisfy in the same manner. A proper combination of both parameters will guaranty the full dynamic range usage along with the high SNR and image quality.

Animal Sentience: Where are We and Where are We Heading?

PubMed Central

Proctor, Helen

2012-01-01

Simple Summary Animal sentience refers to the ability of animals to experience pleasurable states such as joy, and aversive states such as pain and fear (Broom, D.M. Dis. Aquat. Org. 2007, 75, 99–108). The science of animal sentience underpins the entire animal welfare movement. Demonstrating objectively what animals are capable of is key to achieving a positive change in attitudes and actions towards animals, and a real, sustainable difference for animal welfare. This paper briefly summarises understanding of animal sentience through the ages. There follows a review of the current state of animal sentience, and concluding thoughts on its future in regards to animal welfare. Abstract The science of animal sentience underpins the entire animal welfare movement. Demonstrating objectively what animals are capable of is key to achieving a positive change in attitudes and actions towards animals, and a real, sustainable difference for animal welfare. This paper briefly summarises understanding and acceptance of animal sentience through the ages. Although not an exhaustive history, it highlights some of the leading figures whose opinions and work have most affected perspectives of animal sentience. There follows a review of the current state of animal sentience, what is known, and what the main limitations have been for the development of the study of sentience. The paper concludes with some thoughts for the future of the science, and where it should be going in order to most benefit animal welfare. PMID:26487167

Design and laboratory calibration of the compact pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jiankang; Ji, Yiqun; Chen, Yuheng; Chen, Xinhua; Shen, Weimin

2009-11-01

The designed hyperspectral imaging system is composed of three main parts, that is, optical subsystem, electronic subsystem and capturing subsystem. And a three-dimensional "image cube" can be obtained through push-broom. The fore-optics is commercial-off-the-shelf with high speed and three continuous zoom ratios. Since the dispersive imaging part is based on Offner relay configuration with an aberration-corrected convex grating, high power of light collection and variable view field are obtained. The holographic recording parameters of the convex grating are optimized, and the aberration of the Offner configuration dispersive system is balanced. The electronic system adopts module design, which can minimize size, mass, and power consumption. Frame transfer area-array CCD is chosen as the image sensor and the spectral line can be binned to achieve better SNR and sensitivity without any deterioration in spatial resolution. The capturing system based on the computer can set the capturing parameters, calibrate the spectrometer, process and display spectral imaging data. Laboratory calibrations are prerequisite for using precise spectral data. The spatial and spectral calibration minimize smile and keystone distortion caused by optical system, assembly and so on and fix positions of spatial and spectral line on the frame area-array CCD. Gases excitation lamp is used in smile calibration and the keystone calculation is carried out by different viewing field point source created by a series of narrow slit. The laboratory and field imaging results show that this pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system can acquire high quality spectral images.

The small phytoplasma virulence effector SAP11 contains distinct domains required for nuclear targeting and CIN-TCP binding and destabilization.

PubMed

Sugio, Akiko; MacLean, Allyson M; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2014-05-01

Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted bacterial phytopathogens that secrete virulence effectors and induce changes in the architecture and defense response of their plant hosts. We previously demonstrated that the small (± 10 kDa) virulence effector SAP11 of Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) binds and destabilizes Arabidopsis CIN (CINCINNATA) TCP (TEOSINTE-BRANCHED, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATION FACTOR 1 AND 2) transcription factors, resulting in dramatic changes in leaf morphogenesis and increased susceptibility to phytoplasma insect vectors. SAP11 contains a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) that targets this effector to plant cell nuclei. To further understand how SAP11 functions, we assessed the involvement of SAP11 regions in TCP binding and destabilization using a series of mutants. SAP11 mutants lacking the entire N-terminal domain, including the NLS, interacted with TCPs but did not destabilize them. SAP11 mutants lacking the C-terminal domain were impaired in both binding and destabilization of TCPs. These SAP11 mutants did not alter leaf morphogenesis. A SAP11 mutant that did not accumulate in plant nuclei (SAP11ΔNLS-NES) was able to bind and destabilize TCP transcription factors, but instigated weaker changes in leaf morphogenesis than wild-type SAP11. Overall the results suggest that phytoplasma effector SAP11 has a modular organization in which at least three domains are required for efficient CIN-TCP destabilization in plants. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Hyperspectral imaging of colonic polyps in vivo (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, Neil T.; Elson, Daniel S.; Teare, Julian

2017-02-01

Standard endoscopic tools restrict clinicians to making subjective visual assessments of lesions detected in the bowel, with classification results depending strongly on experience level and training. Histological examination of resected tissue remains the diagnostic gold standard, meaning that all detected lesions are routinely removed. This subjects the patient to risk of polypectomy-related injury, and places significant workload and economic burdens on the hospital. An objective endoscopic classification method would allow hyperplastic polyps, with no malignant potential, to be left in situ, or low grade adenomas to be resected and discarded without histology. A miniature multimodal flexible endoscope is proposed to obtain hyperspectral reflectance and dual excitation autofluorescence information from polyps in vivo. This is placed inside the working channel of a conventional colonoscope, with the external scanning and detection optics on a bedside trolley. A blue and violet laser diode pair excite endogenous fluorophores in the respiration chain, while the colonoscope's xenon light source provides broadband white light for diffuse reflectance measurements. A push-broom HSI scanner collects the hypercube. System characterisation experiments are presented, defining resolution limits as well as acquisition settings for optimal spectral, spatial and temporal performance. The first in vivo results in human subjects are presented, demonstrating the clinical utility of the device. The optical properties (reflectance and autofluorescence) of imaged polyps are quantified and compared to the histologically-confirmed tissue type as well as the clinician's visual assessment. Further clinical studies will allow construction of a full robust training dataset for development of classification schemes.

Sentinel-5/UVNS instrument: the principle ability of a slit homogenizer to reduce scene contrast for earth observation spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meister, Ch.; Keim, C.; Irizar, J.; Bauer, M.

2017-09-01

Sentinel-5/UVNS 1 is an Earth observation spectrometer system that is operating in nadir looking push broom mode from a low Earth orbit. While having a wide across-track field of view (≈ 2700 km) it covers approximately 7 km at nadir in flight direction during one dwell. However a high contrast in the scene in along track may lead to disturbance of the Instrument Spectral Response Function (ISRF) and with this a variation of measured spectrum. In order to reduce the effect of scene contrast along track, instead of a spectrometer slit two mirrors are introduced, in between which the light path is extended such as a one dimensional wave guide. The entrance length across track however is wide enough to let light pass unchanged. This new concept is called Slit Homogenizer (SH) within theSentinel-5 project. The entrance of the SH is placed on the image plane of the preceding op- tics. The exit of the SH represents the object plane of the subsequent spectrometer in the along track (spectral) direction. This article proposes a simulation model of a SH together with a preced- ing generic optics based on scalar diffraction theory. The model is used to evaluate quantitatively the homogenizing ability of the device. Some parameters in the discussed examples are taken from Sentinel-5/UVNS instrument but the model and its application is not limited to that mission.

A Pilot Study on Integrating Videography and Environmental Microbial Sampling to Model Fecal Bacterial Exposures in Peri-Urban Tanzania.

PubMed

Julian, Timothy R; Pickering, Amy J

2015-01-01

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of under-five mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Quantitative exposure modeling provides opportunities to investigate the relative importance of fecal-oral transmission routes (e.g. hands, water, food) responsible for diarrheal disease. Modeling, however, requires accurate descriptions of individuals' interactions with the environment (i.e., activity data). Such activity data are largely lacking for people in low-income settings. In the present study, we collected activity data and microbiological sampling data to develop a quantitative microbial exposure model for two female caretakers in peri-urban Tanzania. Activity data were combined with microbiological data of contacted surfaces and fomites (e.g. broom handle, soil, clothing) to develop example exposure profiles describing second-by-second estimates of fecal indicator bacteria (E. coli and enterococci) concentrations on the caretaker's hands. The study demonstrates the application and utility of video activity data to quantify exposure factors for people in low-income countries and apply these factors to understand fecal contamination exposure pathways. This study provides both a methodological approach for the design and implementation of larger studies, and preliminary data suggesting contacts with dirt and sand may be important mechanisms of hand contamination. Increasing the scale of activity data collection and modeling to investigate individual-level exposure profiles within target populations for specific exposure scenarios would provide opportunities to identify the relative importance of fecal-oral disease transmission routes.

Recent progress of push-broom infrared hyper-spectral imager in SITP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yueming; Hu, Weida; Shu, Rong; Li, Chunlai; Yuan, Liyin; Wang, Jianyu

2017-02-01

In the past decades, hyper-spectral imaging technologies were well developed in SITP, CAS. Many innovations for system design and key parts of hyper-spectral imager were finished. First airborne hyper-spectral imager operating from VNIR to TIR in the world was emerged in SITP. It is well known as OMIS(Operational Modular Imaging Spectrometer). Some new technologies were introduced to improve the performance of hyper-spectral imaging system in these years. A high spatial space-borne hyper-spectral imager aboard Tiangong-1 spacecraft was launched on Sep.29, 2011. Thanks for ground motion compensation and high optical efficiency prismatic spectrometer, a large amount of hyper-spectral imagery with high sensitivity and good quality were acquired in the past years. Some important phenomena were observed. To diminish spectral distortion and expand field of view, new type of prismatic imaging spectrometer based curved prism were proposed by SITP. A prototype of hyper-spectral imager based spherical fused silica prism were manufactured, which can operate from 400nm 2500nm. We also made progress in the development of LWIR hyper-spectral imaging technology. Compact and low F number LWIR imaging spectrometer was designed, manufactured and integrated. The spectrometer operated in a cryogenically-cooled vacuum box for background radiation restraint. The system performed well during flight experiment in an airborne platform. Thanks high sensitivity FPA and high performance optics, spatial resolution and spectral resolution and SNR of system are improved enormously. However, more work should be done for high radiometric accuracy in the future.

Determination of technical readiness for an atmospheric carbon imaging spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mobilia, Joseph; Kumer, John B.; Palmer, Alice; Sawyer, Kevin; Mao, Yalan; Katz, Noah; Mix, Jack; Nast, Ted; Clark, Charles S.; Vanbezooijen, Roel; Magoncelli, Antonio; Baraze, Ronald A.; Chenette, David L.

2013-09-01

The geoCARB sensor uses a 4-channel push broom slit-scan infrared imaging grating spectrometer to measure the absorption spectra of sunlight reflected from the ground in narrow wavelength regions. The instrument is designed for flight at geostationary orbit to provide mapping of greenhouse gases over continental scales, several times per day, with a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. The sensor provides multiple daily maps of column-averaged mixing ratios of CO2, CH4, and CO over the regions of interest, which enables flux determination at unprecedented time, space, and accuracy scales. The geoCARB sensor development is based on our experience in successful implementation of advanced space deployed optical instruments for remote sensing. A few recent examples include the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on the geostationary Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS GEO-1) and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), along with sensors under development, the Near Infared camera (NIRCam) for James Webb (JWST), and the Global Lightning Mapper (GLM) and Solar UltraViolet Imager (SUVI) for the GOES-R series. The Tropospheric Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (TIMS), developed in part through the NASA Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), provides an important part of the strong technological foundation for geoCARB. The paper discusses subsystem heritage and technology readiness levels for these subsystems. The system level flight technology readiness and methods used to determine this level are presented along with plans to enhance the level.

Focal plane AIT sequence: evolution from HRG-Spot 5 to Pleiades HR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Goff, Roland; Pranyies, Pascal; Toubhans, Isabelle

2017-11-01

Optical and geometrical image qualities of Focal Planes, for "push-broom" high resolution remote sensing satellites, require the implementation of specific means and methods for the AIT sequence. Indeed the geometric performances of the focal plane mainly axial focusing and transverse registration, are duly obtained on the basis of adjustment, setting and measurement of optical and CCD components with an accuracy of a few microns. Since the end of the 1970s, EADS-SODERN has developed a series of detection units for earth observation instruments like SPOT and Helios. And EADS-SODERN is now responsible for the development of the Pleiades High Resolution Focal Plane assembly. This paper presents the AIT sequences. We introduce all the efforts, innovative solutions and improvements made on the assembly facilities to match the technical evolutions and breakthrough of the Pleiades HR FP concept in comparison with the previous High Resolution Geometric SPOT 5 Focal Plane. The main evolution drivers are the implementation of strip filters and the realization of 400 mm continuous retinas. For Pleiades HR AIT sequence, three specific integration and measuring benches, corresponding with the different assembly stages, are used: a 3-D non-contact measurement machine for the assembly of detection module, a 3-D measurement machine for mirror integration on the main Focal Plane SiC structure, and a 3-D geometric coordinates control bench to focus detection module lines and to ensure they are well registered together.

Atomic force microscopy nanomanipulation of silicon nanocrystals for nanodevice fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decossas, Sébastien; Mazen, Frédéric; Baron, Thierry; Brémond, Georges; Souifi, Abdelkader

2003-12-01

An atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip has been used to manipulate silicon nanocrystals deposited by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition on thermally oxidized p-type Si wafer. Three nanomanipulation methods are presented. The first one catches a nanocrystal with the AFM tip and deposits it elsewhere: the tip is used as an electrostatic 'nano-crane'. The second one simultaneously manipulates a set of nanocrystals in order to draw well-defined unidimensional lines: the tip is used as a 'nano-broom'. The third one manipulates individual nanocrystals with a precision of about 10 nm using both oscillating and contact AFM modes. Switching from strong interaction forces (chemical) to weak ones (van der Waals, electrostatic or capillarity) is the basis of these manipulation methods. We have applied the second method to connect two electrodes drawn by e-beam and lift-off with a 70 nm long silicon nanocrystal chain. Current versus voltage characterization of the nanofabricated device shows that the increase in nanocrystal density gives rise to conduction between the connected electrodes. Resonant tunnelling effects resulting from Si nanocrystal (nc-Si) multiple tunnel junctions have been observed at 300 K. We also show that offset charges directly influence the position of the resonant tunnelling peaks. Finally, the possibility of manipulating nc-Si with a diameter of around 5 nm is shown to be a promising way to fabricate single electron devices operating at room temperature and fully compatible with silicon technology.

Temporal Dynamics of Activation of Thematic and Functional Knowledge During Conceptual Processing of Manipulable Artifacts

PubMed Central

Kalénine, Solène; Mirman, Daniel; Middleton, Erica L.; Buxbaum, Laurel J.

2012-01-01

The current research aimed at specifying the activation time course of different types of semantic information during object conceptual processing and the effect of context on this time course. We distinguished between thematic and functional knowledge and the specificity of functional similarity. Two experiments were conducted with healthy older adults using eye tracking in a word-to-picture matching task. The time course of gaze fixations was used to assess activation of distractor objects during the identification of manipulable artifact targets (e.g., broom). Distractors were (a) thematically related (e.g., dustpan), (b) related by a specific function (e.g., vacuum cleaner), or (c) related by a general function (e.g., sponge). Growth curve analyses were used to assess competition effects when target words were presented in isolation (Experiment 1) and embedded in contextual sentences of different generality levels (Experiment 2). In the absence of context, there was earlier and shorter lasting activation of thematically related as compared to functionally related objects. The time course difference was more pronounced for general functions than specific functions. When contexts were provided, functional similarities that were congruent with context generality level increased in salience with earlier activation of those objects. Context had little impact on thematic activation time course. These data demonstrate that processing a single manipulable artifact concept implicitly activates thematic and functional knowledge with different time courses and that context speeds activation of context-congruent functional similarity. PMID:22449134

Cloud Photogrammetry from Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaksek, K.; Gerst, A.; von der Lieth, J.; Ganci, G.; Hort, M.

2015-04-01

The most commonly used method for satellite cloud top height (CTH) compares brightness temperature of the cloud with the atmospheric temperature profile. Because of the uncertainties of this method, we propose a photogrammetric approach. As clouds can move with high velocities, even instruments with multiple cameras are not appropriate for accurate CTH estimation. Here we present two solutions. The first is based on the parallax between data retrieved from geostationary (SEVIRI, HRV band; 1000 m spatial resolution) and polar orbiting satellites (MODIS, band 1; 250 m spatial resolution). The procedure works well if the data from both satellites are retrieved nearly simultaneously. However, MODIS does not retrieve the data at exactly the same time as SEVIRI. To compensate for advection in the atmosphere we use two sequential SEVIRI images (one before and one after the MODIS retrieval) and interpolate the cloud position from SEVIRI data to the time of MODIS retrieval. CTH is then estimated by intersection of corresponding lines-of-view from MODIS and interpolated SEVIRI data. The second method is based on NASA program Crew Earth observations from the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS has a lower orbit than most operational satellites, resulting in a shorter minimal time between two images, which is needed to produce a suitable parallax. In addition, images made by the ISS crew are taken by a full frame sensor and not a push broom scanner that most operational satellites use. Such data make it possible to observe also short time evolution of clouds.

On-orbit point spread function estimation for THEOS imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khetkeeree, Suphongsa; Liangrocapart, Sompong

2018-03-01

In this paper, we present two approaches for net Point Spread Function (net-PSF) estimation of Thailand Earth Observation System (THEOS) imaging system. In the first approach, we estimate the net- PSF by employing the specification information of the satellite. The analytic model of the net- PSF based on the simple model of push-broom imaging system. This model consists of a scanner, optical system, detector and electronics system. The mathematical PSF model of each component is demonstrated in spatial domain. In the second approach, the specific target images from THEOS imaging system are analyzed to determine the net-PSF. For panchromatic imaging system, the images of the checkerboard target at Salon de Provence airport are used to analysis the net-PSF by slant-edge method. For multispectral imaging system, the new man-made targets are proposed. It is a pier bridge in Lamchabang, Chonburi, Thailand. This place has had a lot of bridges which have several width sizes and orientation. The pulse method is used to analysis the images of this bridge for estimating the net-PSF. Finally, the Full Width at Half Maximums (FWHMs) of the net-PSF of both approaches is compared. The results show that both approaches coincide and all Modulation Transfer Functions (MTFs) at Nyquist of both approaches are better than the requirement. However, the FWHM of multispectral system more deviate than panchromatic system, because the targets are not specially constructed for estimating the characteristics of the satellite imaging system.

3D surface scan of biological samples with a Push-broom Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Haibo; Kincaid, Russell; Hruska, Zuzana; Brown, Robert L.; Bhatnagar, Deepak; Cleveland, Thomas E.

2013-08-01

The food industry is always on the lookout for sensing technologies for rapid and nondestructive inspection of food products. Hyperspectral imaging technology integrates both imaging and spectroscopy into unique imaging sensors. Its application for food safety and quality inspection has made significant progress in recent years. Specifically, hyperspectral imaging has shown its potential for surface contamination detection in many food related applications. Most existing hyperspectral imaging systems use pushbroom scanning which is generally used for flat surface inspection. In some applications it is desirable to be able to acquire hyperspectral images on circular objects such as corn ears, apples, and cucumbers. Past research describes inspection systems that examine all surfaces of individual objects. Most of these systems did not employ hyperspectral imaging. These systems typically utilized a roller to rotate an object, such as an apple. During apple rotation, the camera took multiple images in order to cover the complete surface of the apple. The acquired image data lacked the spectral component present in a hyperspectral image. This paper discusses the development of a hyperspectral imaging system for a 3-D surface scan of biological samples. The new instrument is based on a pushbroom hyperspectral line scanner using a rotational stage to turn the sample. The system is suitable for whole surface hyperspectral imaging of circular objects. In addition to its value to the food industry, the system could be useful for other applications involving 3-D surface inspection.

The analysis on the relation between the compression method and the performance enhancement of MSC (Multi-Spectral Camera) image data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, Sang-Soon; Ra, Sung-Woong

2007-10-01

Multi-Spectral Camera(MSC) is a main payload on the KOMPSAT-2 satellite to perform the earth remote sensing. The MSC instrument has one(1) channel for panchromatic imaging and four(4) channel for multi-spectral imaging covering the spectral range from 450nm to 900nm using TDI CCD Focal Plane Array (FPA). The instrument images the earth using a push-broom motion with a swath width of 15 km and a ground sample distance (GSD) of 1 m over the entire field of view (FOV) at altitude 685 Km. The instrument is designed to have an on-orbit operation duty cycle of 20% over the mission lifetime of 3 years with the functions of programmable gain/ offset and on-board image data compression/ storage. The compression method on KOMPSAT-2 MSC was selected and used to match EOS input rate and PDTS output data rate on MSC image data chain. At once the MSC performance was carefully handled to minimize any degradation so that it was analyzed and restored in KGS(KOMPSAT Ground Station) during LEOP and Cal./Val.(Calibration and Validation) phase. In this paper, on-orbit image data chain in MSC and image data processing on KGS including general MSC description is briefly described. The influences on image performance between on-board compression algorithms and between performance restoration methods in ground station are analyzed, and the relation between both methods is to be analyzed and discussed.

Analysis of Volcanic Processes at Kilauea Volcano Using an Airborne Imaging Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, R.; Lucey, P. G.; Garbeil, H.; Pilger, E. J.; Wood, M.; Honniball, C.; Gabrieli, A.

2017-12-01

Measurements of thermal emittance in tens of narrow, contiguous wavebands, allow for the derivation of laboratory quality spectra remotely, from which the chemical composition and physical properties of targets can be determined. The TIRCIS instrument (Thermal Infra-Red Compact Imaging Spectrometer), developed at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, uses a Fabry-Perot interferometer, an uncooled microbolometer array, and push-broom scanning to acquire hyperspectral image data in the 8-14 micron spectral range. Radiometric calibration is provided by blackbody targets while spectral calibration is achieved using monochromatic light sources. The instrument has a mass of <15 kg and dimensions of 53 cm × 25 cm × 22 cm, and has been designed to be compatible with integration into a micro-satellite platform. (A precursor to this instrument was launched onboard a 55 kg microsatellite as part of the ORS-4 mission in October 2015.) Over the wavelength interval of up to 50 spectral samples are possible, and signal-to-noise ratios of 200-1600:1 have been measured for targets with temperatures covering those of interest to Earth scientists. In this presentation we will discuss how the instrument works, its spectro-radiometric performance (and performance model), and show laboratory measurements that illustrate how the instrument would be able to quantify thermal emission from active lavas, the mineralogy of volcanic rocks, and the composition of volcanic gas plumes. Finally, we will present data obtained during test flights over Kilauea volcano, Hawaii.

Education, safe drinking practices and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

PubMed

Kavanagh, Phillip S; Payne, Jennifer S

2014-09-01

There are alarming rates of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia despite numerous international studies demonstrating the links between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and FASD. The aim of this research was to help determine factors that may be associated with correct knowledge about safe drinking practices during pregnancy, with these factors used to help inform future interventions. Ninety-nine residents (40 males, 59 females, 39% of which self-identified as Indigenous) from the Kimberley region (Broome and smaller remote communities) completed a survey examining knowledge of currently recommended safe drinking practices during pregnancy and knowledge of the outcomes for children with FASD over a period of approximately 2 months. The results revealed that education level (i.e. not completing high school through to completing university) is the biggest predictor (β = 0.44, P < 0.01) of knowledge of safe drinking practices during pregnancy, and having heard of FASD (β = 0.67, P < 0.001) was the biggest predictor of knowledge of outcomes for children with FASD. Other variables such as age, sex, Indigenous status and income level were not as important. These findings suggest that early education regarding the consequences of alcohol consumption for women of childbearing age should be paramount in this or similar communities. Suggestions for targeted interventions are discussed in light of these findings. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2014 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Forensic analysis of hallucinogenic mushrooms and khat (Catha edulis Forsk) using cation-exchange liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Laussmann, Tim; Meier-Giebing, Sigrid

2010-02-25

Hallucinogenic mushrooms (e.g. Psilocybe and Panaeolus species) as well as leaves and young shoots of the khat tree (Catha edulis Forsk) are illicit drugs in many countries. The exact concentration of the hallucinogenic alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin in mushrooms and the sympathomimetic alkaloids cathinone and cathine in khat is usually essential for jurisdiction. Facing an increasing number of mushroom and khat seizures by German customs authorities, a convenient comprehensive quantitative HPLC method based on cation-exchange liquid chromatography for these rather "exotic" drugs has been developed which avoids time-consuming multi-step sample preparation or chemical derivatization procedures. Using this method a number of different hallucinogenic fungi species and products that are mainly distributed via the internet have been analysed (dried and fresh Psilocybe cubensis Singer as well as P. cubensis collected from "grow boxes", Panaeolus cyanescens Berkeley and Broome and so-called "philosopher stones" (sclerotia of Psilocybe species)). Highest total amounts of psilocin have been detected in dried P. cyanescens reaching up to 3.00+/-0.24 mg per 100 mg. The distribution of khat alkaloids in different parts of the khat shoots has been studied. High concentrations of cathinone have not only been detected in leaves but also in green parts and barks of stalks. Additionally, the sample treatment for fresh mushroom and khat samples has been optimised. Highest amounts of alkaloids were found when fresh material was freeze-dried. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genome analysis of the foxtail millet pathogen Sclerospora graminicola reveals the complex effector repertoire of graminicolous downy mildews.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Michie; Hiraka, Yukie; Abe, Akira; Yaegashi, Hiroki; Natsume, Satoshi; Kikuchi, Hideko; Takagi, Hiroki; Saitoh, Hiromasa; Win, Joe; Kamoun, Sophien; Terauchi, Ryohei

2017-11-22

Downy mildew, caused by the oomycete pathogen Sclerospora graminicola, is an economically important disease of Gramineae crops including foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Plants infected with S. graminicola are generally stunted and often undergo a transformation of flower organs into leaves (phyllody or witches' broom), resulting in serious yield loss. To establish the molecular basis of downy mildew disease in foxtail millet, we carried out whole-genome sequencing and an RNA-seq analysis of S. graminicola. Sequence reads were generated from S. graminicola using an Illumina sequencing platform and assembled de novo into a draft genome sequence comprising approximately 360 Mbp. Of this sequence, 73% comprised repetitive elements, and a total of 16,736 genes were predicted from the RNA-seq data. The predicted genes included those encoding effector-like proteins with high sequence similarity to those previously identified in other oomycete pathogens. Genes encoding jacalin-like lectin-domain-containing secreted proteins were enriched in S. graminicola compared to other oomycetes. Of a total of 1220 genes encoding putative secreted proteins, 91 significantly changed their expression levels during the infection of plant tissues compared to the sporangia and zoospore stages of the S. graminicola lifecycle. We established the draft genome sequence of a downy mildew pathogen that infects Gramineae plants. Based on this sequence and our transcriptome analysis, we generated a catalog of in planta-induced candidate effector genes, providing a solid foundation from which to identify the effectors causing phyllody.

No evidence for increased performance of a specialist psyllid on invasive French broom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrera, Angelica M.; Carruthers, Raymond I.; Mills, Nicholas J.

2011-03-01

Some invasive plants perform better in their area of introduction than in their native region. This may be a consequence of rapid evolutionary change due to different selection pressures encountered in introduced regions. The Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability hypothesis (EICA) suggests that release from natural enemies results in selection of more vigorous plant genotypes as a result of plants allocating resources away from costly herbivore-resistance traits and toward increased growth. We tested the prediction that introduced plant genotypes of Genista monspessulana (Fabaceae) are less resistant to herbivory by a specialist psyllid, Arytinnis hakani (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) by measuring and comparing A. hakani performance on plants from native (southern France) and introduced (California, U.S.) populations. A. hakani performed equally well on plants from the native and introduced regions; there were no significant differences in psyllid egg and nymphal development, nymphal survival rates, female longevity or fecundity between the test plants. Egg survival rates were significantly higher on native populations, but the difference was minimal. These results provide preliminary evidence that native and introduced G. monspessulana populations are equally resistant to A. hakani and do not support the EICA hypothesis prediction of reduced investment in defense in introduced plant populations. Possible explanations for the lack of effects found in this study include the type of parameters measured and the feeding ecology of the herbivore used to test EICA, and finally, that evolutionary changes in plant defense in introduced G. monspessulana populations may not have occurred.

New information on the braincase and inner ear of Euparkeria capensis Broom: implications for diapsid and archosaur evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobral, Gabriela; Sookias, Roland B.; Bhullar, Bhart-Anjan S.; Smith, Roger; Butler, Richard J.; Müller, Johannes

2016-07-01

Since its discovery, Euparkeria capensis has been a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of archosaurs. The braincase of Euparkeria was described based on a single specimen, but much uncertainty remained. For the first time, all available braincase material of Euparkeria is re-examined using micro-computed tomography scanning. Contrary to previous work, the parabasisphenoid does not form the posterior border of the fenestra ovalis in lateral view, but it does bear a dorsal projection that forms the anteroventral half of the fenestra. No bone pneumatization was found, but the lateral depression of the parabasisphenoid may have been pneumatic. We propose that the lateral depression likely corresponds to the anterior tympanic recess present in crown archosaurs. The presence of a laterosphenoid is confirmed for Euparkeria. It largely conforms to the crocodilian condition, but shows some features which make it more similar to the avemetatarsalian laterosphenoid. The cochlea of Euparkeria is elongated, forming a deep cochlear recess. In comparison with other basal archosauromorphs, the metotic foramen is much enlarged and regionalized into vagus and recessus scalae tympani areas, indicating an increase in its pressure-relief mechanism. The anterior semicircular canal is extended and corresponds to an enlarged floccular fossa. These aspects of the braincase morphology may be related to the development of a more upright posture and active lifestyle. They also indicate further adaptations of the hearing system of Euparkeria to terrestriality.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of cacao WRKY transcription factors and analysis of their expression in response to witches' broom disease

PubMed Central

Silva Monteiro de Almeida, Dayanne; Oliveira Jordão do Amaral, Daniel; Del-Bem, Luiz-Eduardo; Bronze dos Santos, Emily; Santana Silva, Raner José; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Vincentz, Michel

2017-01-01

Transcriptional regulation, led by transcription factors (TFs) such as those of the WRKY family, is a mechanism used by the organism to enhance or repress gene expression in response to stimuli. Here, we report on the genome-wide analysis of the Theobroma cacao WRKY TF family and also investigate the expression of WRKY genes in cacao infected by the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa. In the cacao genome, 61 non-redundant WRKY sequences were found and classified in three groups (I to III) according to the WRKY and zinc-finger motif types. The 61 putative WRKY sequences were distributed on the 10 cacao chromosomes and 24 of them came from duplication events. The sequences were phylogenetically organized according to the general WRKY groups. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that subgroups IIa and IIb are sister groups and share a common ancestor, as well as subgroups IId and IIe. The most divergent groups according to the plant origin were IIc and III. According to the phylogenetic analysis, 7 TcWRKY genes were selected and analyzed by RT-qPCR in susceptible and resistant cacao plants infected (or not) with M. perniciosa. Some TcWRKY genes presented interesting responses to M. perniciosa such as Tc01_p014750/Tc06_p013130/AtWRKY28, Tc09_p001530/Tc06_p004420/AtWRKY40, Tc04_p016130/AtWRKY54 and Tc10_p016570/ AtWRKY70. Our results can help to select appropriate candidate genes for further characterization in cacao or in other Theobroma species. PMID:29084273

Multispectral Snapshot Imagers Onboard Small Satellite Formations for Multi-Angular Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nag, Sreeja; Hewagama, Tilak; Georgiev, Georgi; Pasquale, Bert; Aslam, Shahid; Gatebe, Charles K.

2017-01-01

Multispectral snapshot imagers are capable of producing 2D spatial images with a single exposure at selected, numerous wavelengths using the same camera, therefore operate differently from push broom or whiskbroom imagers. They are payloads of choice in multi-angular, multi-spectral imaging missions that use small satellites flying in controlled formation, to retrieve Earth science measurements dependent on the targets Bidirectional Reflectance-Distribution Function (BRDF). Narrow fields of view are needed to capture images with moderate spatial resolution. This paper quantifies the dependencies of the imagers optical system, spectral elements and camera on the requirements of the formation mission and their impact on performance metrics such as spectral range, swath and signal to noise ratio (SNR). All variables and metrics have been generated from a comprehensive, payload design tool. The baseline optical parameters selected (diameter 7 cm, focal length 10.5 cm, pixel size 20 micron, field of view 1.15 deg) and snapshot imaging technologies are available. The spectral components shortlisted were waveguide spectrometers, acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF), electronically actuated Fabry-Perot interferometers, and integral field spectrographs. Qualitative evaluation favored AOTFs because of their low weight, small size, and flight heritage. Quantitative analysis showed that waveguide spectrometers perform better in terms of achievable swath (10-90 km) and SNR (greater than 20) for 86 wavebands, but the data volume generated will need very high bandwidth communication to downlink. AOTFs meet the external data volume caps well as the minimum spectral (wavebands) and radiometric (SNR) requirements, therefore are found to be currently feasible in spite of lower swath and SNR.

Technical Report: Unmanned Helicopter Solution for Survey-Grade Lidar and Hyperspectral Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaňuk, Ján; Gallay, Michal; Eck, Christoph; Zgraggen, Carlo; Dvorný, Eduard

2018-05-01

Recent development of light-weight unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV) and miniaturization of sensors provide new possibilities for remote sensing and high-resolution mapping. Mini-UAV platforms are emerging, but powerful UAV platforms of higher payload capacity are required to carry the sensors for survey-grade mapping. In this paper, we demonstrate a technological solution and application of two different payloads for highly accurate and detailed mapping. The unmanned airborne system (UAS) comprises a Scout B1-100 autonomously operating UAV helicopter powered by a gasoline two-stroke engine with maximum take-off weight of 75 kg. The UAV allows for integrating of up to 18 kg of a customized payload. Our technological solution comprises two types of payload completely independent of the platform. The first payload contains a VUX-1 laser scanner (Riegl, Austria) and a Sony A6000 E-Mount photo camera. The second payload integrates a hyperspectral push-broom scanner AISA Kestrel 10 (Specim, Finland). The two payloads need to be alternated if mapping with both is required. Both payloads include an inertial navigation system xNAV550 (Oxford Technical Solutions Ltd., United Kingdom), a separate data link, and a power supply unit. Such a constellation allowed for achieving high accuracy of the flight line post-processing in two test missions. The standard deviation was 0.02 m (XY) and 0.025 m (Z), respectively. The intended application of the UAS was for high-resolution mapping and monitoring of landscape dynamics (landslides, erosion, flooding, or crops growth). The legal regulations for such UAV applications in Switzerland and Slovakia are also discussed.

Band-to-Band Misregistration of the Images of MODIS On-Board Calibrators and Its Impact to Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Zhipeng; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2017-01-01

The MODIS instruments aboard Terra and Aqua satellites are radiometrically calibrated on-orbit with a set of onboard calibrators (OBC) including a solar diffuser (SD), a blackbody (BB) and a space view (SV) port through which the detectors can view the dark space. As a whisk-broom scanning spectroradiometer, thirty-six MODIS spectral bands are assembled in the along-scan direction on four focal plane assemblies (FPA). These bands capture images of the same target sequentially with the motion of a scan mirror. Then the images are co-registered on board by delaying appropriate band dependent amount of time depending on the band locations on the FPA. While this co-registration mechanism is functioning well for the "far field" remote targets such as Earth view (EV) scenes or the Moon, noticeable band-to-band misregistration in the along-scan direction has been observed for near field targets, in particular the OBCs. In this paper, the misregistration phenomenon is presented and analyzed. It is concluded that the root cause of the misregistration is that the rotating element of the instrument, the scan mirror, is displaced from the focus of the telescope primary mirror. The amount of the misregistration is proportional to the band location on the FPA and is inversely proportional to the distance between the target and the scan mirror. The impact of this misregistration to the calibration of MODIS bands is discussed. In particular, the calculation of the detector gain coefficient m1 of bands 8-16 (412 nm 870 nm) is improved by up to 1.5% for Aqua MODIS.

The giant keyhole limpet radular teeth: A naturally-grown harvest machine

PubMed Central

Ukmar-Godec, Tina; Kapun, Gregor; Zaslansky, Paul; Faivre, Damien

2015-01-01

The limpet radula is a feeding organ, which contains more than 100 rows of teeth. During their growth the teeth mature and advance in position along the radula. The simpler doccoglossan radulae operate by grinding rocky substrates, extracting the algae by rasping and scraping with the teeth functioning as shovels. Less is known about the rhipidoglossan radulae, used as rakes or brooms that brush and collect loose marine debris. This type of radula is found in the giant keyhole limpet (Megathura crenulata). The large size of this organism suggests that the rhipidoglossan radula entails a technological superiority for M. crenulata in its habitat. The structure and function of the radulae teeth have however not been reported in detail. Using a combination of 2D and 3D microscopy techniques coupled with amino acid analysis and X-ray scattering, we reveal the working components of M. crenulata’s radula. It is characterized by numerous marginal teeth surrounding a pair of major hook-like lateral teeth, two pairs of minor lateral teeth and a large central tooth. The mature major lateral teeth show pronounced signs of wear, which gradually increase towards the very front end of the radula and are evidence for scraping. An abrupt change in the amino acid composition in the major lateral teeth and the concurrent formation of a chitinous fiber-network mark the onset of tooth maturation. In comparison to the simpler rock-scraping doccoglossate limpets, the radula of M. crenulata forms an elaborate feeding apparatus, which can be seen as a natural harvest machine. PMID:26433029

Runoff simulation sensitivity to remotely sensed initial soil water content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodrich, D. C.; Schmugge, T. J.; Jackson, T. J.; Unkrich, C. L.; Keefer, T. O.; Parry, R.; Bach, L. B.; Amer, S. A.

1994-05-01

A variety of aircraft remotely sensed and conventional ground-based measurements of volumetric soil water content (SW) were made over two subwatersheds (4.4 and 631 ha) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service Walnut Gulch experimental watershed during the 1990 monsoon season. Spatially distributed soil water contents estimated remotely from the NASA push broom microwave radiometer (PBMR), an Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics (IRE) multifrequency radiometer, and three ground-based point methods were used to define prestorm initial SW for a distributed rainfall-runoff model (KINEROS; Woolhiser et al., 1990) at a small catchment scale (4.4 ha). At a medium catchment scale (631 ha or 6.31 km2) spatially distributed PBMR SW data were aggregated via stream order reduction. The impacts of the various spatial averages of SW on runoff simulations are discussed and are compared to runoff simulations using SW estimates derived from a simple daily water balance model. It was found that at the small catchment scale the SW data obtained from any of the measurement methods could be used to obtain reasonable runoff predictions. At the medium catchment scale, a basin-wide remotely sensed average of initial water content was sufficient for runoff simulations. This has important implications for the possible use of satellite-based microwave soil moisture data to define prestorm SW because the low spatial resolutions of such sensors may not seriously impact runoff simulations under the conditions examined. However, at both the small and medium basin scale, adequate resources must be devoted to proper definition of the input rainfall to achieve reasonable runoff simulations.

Non-invasive measurement of frog skin reflectivity in high spatial resolution using a dual hyperspectral approach.

PubMed

Pinto, Francisco; Mielewczik, Michael; Liebisch, Frank; Walter, Achim; Greven, Hartmut; Rascher, Uwe

2013-01-01

Most spectral data for the amphibian integument are limited to the visible spectrum of light and have been collected using point measurements with low spatial resolution. In the present study a dual camera setup consisting of two push broom hyperspectral imaging systems was employed, which produces reflectance images between 400 and 2500 nm with high spectral and spatial resolution and a high dynamic range. We briefly introduce the system and document the high efficiency of this technique analyzing exemplarily the spectral reflectivity of the integument of three arboreal anuran species (Litoria caerulea, Agalychnis callidryas and Hyla arborea), all of which appear green to the human eye. The imaging setup generates a high number of spectral bands within seconds and allows non-invasive characterization of spectral characteristics with relatively high working distance. Despite the comparatively uniform coloration, spectral reflectivity between 700 and 1100 nm differed markedly among the species. In contrast to H. arborea, L. caerulea and A. callidryas showed reflection in this range. For all three species, reflectivity above 1100 nm is primarily defined by water absorption. Furthermore, the high resolution allowed examining even small structures such as fingers and toes, which in A. callidryas showed an increased reflectivity in the near infrared part of the spectrum. Hyperspectral imaging was found to be a very useful alternative technique combining the spectral resolution of spectrometric measurements with a higher spatial resolution. In addition, we used Digital Infrared/Red-Edge Photography as new simple method to roughly determine the near infrared reflectivity of frog specimens in field, where hyperspectral imaging is typically difficult.

Alaskan birds at risk: Widespread beak deformities in resident species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Hemert, Caroline R.

2007-01-01

The team creeps silently across a well-tended lawn, eyes drawn to a small wooden box perched several meters up a lone birch tree. The first biologist is armed with a broom in one hand and a bug net in the other. Her partner wields a lunchbox-sized plastic case and a tree-climbing ladder that looks like an oversized radio antenna. A neighbor peers out her window from across the street to watch the unusual spectacle.A small black-and-white bird zips toward the box’s tiny, round opening and both women raise binoculars to their eyes in synchrony. A specific combination of metal and colored plastic bands on the bird’s legs identify this Black-capped Chickadee, which was banded two years earlier as a nestling. “It’s the female,” Colleen Handel whispers, and Lisa Pajot nods as they duck behind the cover of a large spruce tree. The bird - named “Red-white-red”, in reference to her color bands - appeared healthy in the nest as well as the following winter, when she was caught in a mist net set up nearby. The next summer, however, “Red-white-red” appeared at a residential nest box with a severely deformed beak. The overgrowth worsened, and, now, the upper mandible curves down and back toward her breast, while the lower extends up, crossing the upper at a nearly 90-degree angle. The effect is sobering. Even from a distance, this teacup-sized bird carries a conspicuous appendage that more closely resembles a pair of mangled scissors than any recognizable seed-cracking beak.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of cacao WRKY transcription factors and analysis of their expression in response to witches' broom disease.

PubMed

Silva Monteiro de Almeida, Dayanne; Oliveira Jordão do Amaral, Daniel; Del-Bem, Luiz-Eduardo; Bronze Dos Santos, Emily; Santana Silva, Raner José; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Vincentz, Michel; Micheli, Fabienne

2017-01-01

Transcriptional regulation, led by transcription factors (TFs) such as those of the WRKY family, is a mechanism used by the organism to enhance or repress gene expression in response to stimuli. Here, we report on the genome-wide analysis of the Theobroma cacao WRKY TF family and also investigate the expression of WRKY genes in cacao infected by the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa. In the cacao genome, 61 non-redundant WRKY sequences were found and classified in three groups (I to III) according to the WRKY and zinc-finger motif types. The 61 putative WRKY sequences were distributed on the 10 cacao chromosomes and 24 of them came from duplication events. The sequences were phylogenetically organized according to the general WRKY groups. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that subgroups IIa and IIb are sister groups and share a common ancestor, as well as subgroups IId and IIe. The most divergent groups according to the plant origin were IIc and III. According to the phylogenetic analysis, 7 TcWRKY genes were selected and analyzed by RT-qPCR in susceptible and resistant cacao plants infected (or not) with M. perniciosa. Some TcWRKY genes presented interesting responses to M. perniciosa such as Tc01_p014750/Tc06_p013130/AtWRKY28, Tc09_p001530/Tc06_p004420/AtWRKY40, Tc04_p016130/AtWRKY54 and Tc10_p016570/ AtWRKY70. Our results can help to select appropriate candidate genes for further characterization in cacao or in other Theobroma species.

Can it ever be better never to have existed at all? Person-based consequentialism and a new repugnant conclusion.

PubMed

Roberts, Melinda A

2003-01-01

Broome and others have argued that it makes no sense, or at least that it cannot be true, to say that it is better for a given person that he or she exist than not. That argument can be understood to suggest that, likewise, it makes no sense, or at least that it cannot be true, to say that it is worse for a given person that he or she exist than that he or she never have existed at all. This argument is of critical importance to the question of whether consequentialist theory should take a traditional, aggregative form or a less conventional, person-affecting, or person-based form. I believe that, potentially, the argument represents a far more serious threat to the person-based approach than does, for example, Parfit's two medical programmes example. Parfit's example nicely illuminates the distinction between aggregative and person-based approaches and raises important questions. But the example--though not, I think, by Parfit--is sometimes pressed into service as a full-fledged counterexample against the person-based approach. As such, I argue, the example is not persuasive. In contrast, the Broomeian argument, if correct, is definitive. For that argument relies on certain metaphysical assumptions and various uncontroversial normative claims--and hence nicely avoids putting into play the controversial normative claims that lie at the very heart of the debate. The purpose of the present paper, then, is to evaluate the Broomeian argument. I argue that this potentially definitive challenge to a person-based approach does not in fact succeed.

Fish-community composition in Otselic River, in the vicinity of Whitney Point Lake, Broome and Cortland counties, New York, 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brightbill, R.A.; Bilger, Michael D.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, has been conducting biological surveys of the inflow and outflow streams of Whitney Point Lake since the early 1980's. These surveys are made to identify possible detrimental effects as well as benefits of the reservoir and to better understand the aquatic communities in the vicinity of the lake at the present and over time. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey jointly conducted a survey of the fish communities upstream and downstream of the reservoir in Otselic River in September 2000. The fish communities upstream and downstream were compared and any differences or similarities seen in the communities were noted.This study found the fish communities upstream and downstream of Whitney Point Lake to be in good condition, with Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores 4.3 upstream and 4.5 downstream. The habitat conditions of both reaches were of suboptimal quality, with a score of 15 for both reaches as determined by use of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Rapid Bioassessment Protocols, yet are capable of supporting fish communities. The Shannon Index was 3.83 upstream and 3.16 downstream of the lake, indicating that both reaches are slightly impacted by species richness and lack of individual evenness among the species. The communities also were different from each other. Only 11 of the 21 species upstream were also captured downstream. The Jaccards Coefficient and the Index of Similarity reflect this community difference with scores of 0.39 and 0.56, respectively.

Thermal hyperspectral chemical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holma, Hannu; Hyvärinen, Timo; Mattila, Antti-Jussi; Kormano, Ilkka

2012-06-01

Several chemical compounds have their strongest spectral signatures in the thermal region. This paper presents three push-broom thermal hyperspectral imagers. The first operates in MWIR (2.8-5 μm) with 35 nm spectral resolution. It consists of uncooled imaging spectrograph and cryogenically cooled InSb camera, with spatial resolution of 320/640 pixels and image rate to 400 Hz. The second imager covers LWIR in 7.6-12 μm with 32 spectral bands. It employs an uncooled microbolometer array and spectrograph. These imagers have been designed for chemical mapping in reflection mode in industry and laboratory. An efficient line-illumination source has been developed, and it makes possible thermal hyperspectral imaging in reflection with much higher signal and SNR than is obtained from room temperature emission. Application demonstrations including sorting of dark plastics and mineralogical mapping of drill cores are presented. The third imager utilizes a cryo-cooled MCT array with precisely temperature stabilized optics. The optics is not cooled, but instrument radiation is suppressed by special filtering and corrected by BMC (Background-Monitoring-on-Chip) method. The approach provides excellent sensitivity in an instrument which is portable and compact enough for installation in UAVs. The imager has been verified in 7.6 to 12.3 μm to provide NESR of 18 mW/(m2 sr μm) at 10 μm for 300 K target with 100 spectral bands and 384 spatial samples. It results in SNR of higher than 500. The performance makes possible various applications from gas detection to mineral exploration and vegetation surveys. Results from outdoor and airborne experiments are shown.

Airborne camera and spectrometer experiments and data evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmann, F. F.; Bucher, T.; Pless, S.; Wohlfeil, J.; Hirschmüller, H.

2009-09-01

New stereo push broom camera systems have been developed at German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The new small multispectral systems (Multi Functional Camerahead - MFC, Advanced Multispectral Scanner - AMS) are light weight, compact and display three or five RGB stereo lines of 8000, 10 000 or 14 000 pixels, which are used for stereo processing and the generation of Digital Surface Models (DSM) and near True Orthoimage Mosaics (TOM). Simultaneous acquisition of different types of MFC-cameras for infrared and RGB data has been successfully tested. All spectral channels record the image data in full resolution, pan-sharpening is not necessary. Analogue to the line scanner data an automatic processing chain for UltraCamD and UltraCamX exists. The different systems have been flown for different types of applications; main fields of interest among others are environmental applications (flooding simulations, monitoring tasks, classification) and 3D-modelling (e.g. city mapping). From the DSM and TOM data Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and 3D city models are derived. Textures for the facades are taken from oblique orthoimages, which are created from the same input data as the TOM and the DOM. The resulting models are characterised by high geometric accuracy and the perfect fit of image data and DSM. The DLR is permanently developing and testing a wide range of sensor types and imaging platforms for terrestrial and space applications. The MFC-sensors have been flown in combination with laser systems and imaging spectrometers and special data fusion products have been developed. These products include hyperspectral orthoimages and 3D hyperspectral data.

Rigorous Photogrammetric Processing of CHANG'E-1 and CHANG'E-2 Stereo Imagery for Lunar Topographic Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di, K.; Liu, Y.; Liu, B.; Peng, M.

2012-07-01

Chang'E-1(CE-1) and Chang'E-2(CE-2) are the two lunar orbiters of China's lunar exploration program. Topographic mapping using CE-1 and CE-2 images is of great importance for scientific research as well as for preparation of landing and surface operation of Chang'E-3 lunar rover. In this research, we developed rigorous sensor models of CE-1 and CE-2 CCD cameras based on push-broom imaging principle with interior and exterior orientation parameters. Based on the rigorous sensor model, the 3D coordinate of a ground point in lunar body-fixed (LBF) coordinate system can be calculated by space intersection from the image coordinates of con-jugate points in stereo images, and the image coordinates can be calculated from 3D coordinates by back-projection. Due to uncer-tainties of the orbit and the camera, the back-projected image points are different from the measured points. In order to reduce these inconsistencies and improve precision, we proposed two methods to refine the rigorous sensor model: 1) refining EOPs by correcting the attitude angle bias, 2) refining the interior orientation model by calibration of the relative position of the two linear CCD arrays. Experimental results show that the mean back-projection residuals of CE-1 images are reduced to better than 1/100 pixel by method 1 and the mean back-projection residuals of CE-2 images are reduced from over 20 pixels to 0.02 pixel by method 2. Consequently, high precision DEM (Digital Elevation Model) and DOM (Digital Ortho Map) are automatically generated.

Recombinant β-1,3-1,4-glucanase from Theobroma cacao impairs Moniliophthora perniciosa mycelial growth.

PubMed

Britto, Dahyana Santos; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho; Andrade, Bruno Silva; Dos Santos, Tassiara Pereira; Pungartnik, Cristina; Cascardo, Júlio Cezar M; Micheli, Fabienne; Gesteira, Abelmon S

2013-09-01

In this work, we identified a gene from Theobroma cacao L. genome and cDNA libraries, named TcGlu2, that encodes a β-1,3-1,4-glucanase. The TcGlu2 ORF was 720 bp in length and encoded a polypeptide of 239 amino acids with a molecular mass of 25.58 kDa. TcGlu2 contains a conserved domain characteristic of β-1,3-1,4-glucanases and presented high protein identity with β-1,3-1,4-glucanases from other plant species. Molecular modeling of TcGlu2 showed an active site of 13 amino acids typical of glucanase with β-1,3 and 1,4 action mode. The recombinant cDNA TcGlu2 obtained by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and whose sequence was confirmed by mass spectrometry, has a molecular mass of about 22 kDa (with His-Tag) and showed antifungal activity against the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, causal agent of the witches' broom disease in cacao. The integrity of the hyphae membranes of M. perniciosa, incubated with protein TcGlu2, was analyzed with propidium iodide. After 1 h of incubation, a strong fluorescence emitted by the hyphae indicating the hydrolysis of the membrane by TcGlu2, was observed. To our knowledge, this is the first study of a cacao β-1,3-1,4-glucanase expression in heterologous system and the first analysis showing the antifungal activity of a β-1,3-1,4-glucanase, in particular against M. perniciosa.

Band-to-Band Misregistration of the Images of MODIS Onboard Calibrators and Its Impact on Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Zhipeng; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2017-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard Terra and Aqua satellites are radiometrically calibrated on-orbit with a set of onboard calibrators (OBCs), including a solar diffuser, a blackbody, and a space view port through which the detectors can view the dark space. As a whisk-broom scanning spectroradiometer, thirty-six MODIS spectral bands are assembled in the along-scan direction on four focal plane assemblies (FPAs). These bands capture images of the same target sequentially with the motion of a scan mirror. Then the images are coregistered onboard by delaying the appropriate band-dependent amount of time, depending on the band locations on the FPA. While this coregistration mechanismis functioning well for the far-field remote targets such as earth view scenes or the moon, noticeable band-to-band misregistration in the along-scan direction has been observed for near field targets, particularly in OBCs. In this paper, the misregistration phenomenon is presented and analyzed. It is concluded that the root cause of the misregistration is that the rotating element of the instrument, the scan mirror, is displaced from the focus of the telescope primary mirror. The amount of the misregistrationis proportional to the band location on the FPA and is inversely proportional to the distance between the target and the scan mirror. The impact of this misregistration on the calibration of MODIS bands is discussed. In particular, the calculation of the detector gain coefficient m1of bands 8-16 (412 nm 870 nm) is improved by up to 1.5% for Aqua MODIS.

Development of detailed design concepts for the EarthCARE multi-spectral imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobb, Dan; Escadero, Isabel; Chang, Mark; Gode, Sophie

2017-11-01

The EarthCARE mission is dedicated to the study of clouds by observations from a satellite in low Earth orbit. The payload will include major radar and LIDAR instruments, supported by a multi-spectral imager (MSI) and a broadband radiometer. The paper describes development of detailed design concepts for the MSI, and analysis of critical performance parameters. The MSI will form Earth images at 500m ground sample distance (GSD) over a swath width of 150km, from a nominal platform altitude of around 400km. The task of the MSI is to provide spatial context for the single-point measurements made by the radar and LIDAR systems; it will image Earth in 7 spectral bands: one visible, one near-IR, two short-wave IR and three thermal IR. The MSI instrument will be formed in two parts: a visible-NIR-SWIR (VNS) system, radiometrically calibrated using a sunilluminated diffuser, and a thermal IR (TIR) system calibrated using cold space and an internal black-body. The VNS system will perform push-broom imaging, using linear array detectors (silicon and InGaAs) and 4 separate lenses. The TIR system will use a microbolometer array detector in a time delay and integration (TDI) mode. Critical issues discussed for the VNS system include detector selection and detailed optical design trade-offs. The latter are related to the desirability of dichroics to achieve a common aperture, which influences the calibration hardware and lens design. The TIR system's most significant problems relate to control of random noise and bias errors, requiring optimisation of detector operation and calibration procedures.

Awareness and impact of the 'Bubblewrap' advertising campaign among Aboriginal smokers in Western Australia.

PubMed

Boyle, Terry; Shepherd, Carrington C J; Pearson, Glenn; Monteiro, Heather; McAullay, Daniel; Economo, Kristina; Stewart, Susan

2010-02-01

Antismoking mass media campaigns have been shown to reduce smoking prevalence in the mainstream community, however there is little published research on their effect on Aboriginal Australian smokers. To evaluate the awareness and impact of a mainstream mass media advertising campaign (the 'Bubblewrap' campaign) on Aboriginal smokers in the state of Western Australia. A personal intercept survey was conducted in July 2008 across three sites (the Perth metropolitan area and the non-metropolitan towns of Kalgoorlie and Broome). An opportunity or convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit Aboriginal participants, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 198 Aboriginal smokers to ascertain awareness of the campaign advertisements, whether they were seen as believable and relevant, and the impact the advertisements had on smoking behaviour. The majority of the participants interviewed had seen and/or heard the 'Bubblewrap' campaign advertisements, although there was considerably greater awareness of the television advertisement than the radio advertisements. Both forms of advertising were considered to be believable and relevant by the majority of Aboriginal smokers. Most of the smokers interviewed thought about cutting down and/or quitting after seeing or hearing the advertisements. Our findings suggest that mainstream antismoking mass media campaigns can positively influence the thoughts and behaviours that Aboriginal smokers have, and exhibit, towards quitting smoking. Notwithstanding this, advertisers should continue to look for better ways to incorporate Aboriginal themes in campaign messages. Future mainstream antismoking campaigns should source sufficient funds to ensure that advertising messages reach the large Aboriginal populations in regional and remote Australia.

The impact of the use of different satellite data as training data against GOSAT-2 CAI-2 L2 cloud discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oishi, Y.; Ishida, H.; Nakajima, T. Y.

2016-12-01

Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite-2 (GOSAT-2) will be launched in fiscal 2017 to determine atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, CH4, and CO. GOSAT-2 will be equipped with two sensors: the Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation (TANSO)-Fourier Transform Spectrometer-2 (FTS-2) and TANSO-Cloud and Aerosol Imager-2 (CAI-2). CAI-2 is a push-broom imaging sensor that has forward- and backward-looking bands for observing the optical properties of aerosols and clouds, and for monitoring the status of urban air pollution and transboundary air pollution over oceans. An important role of CAI-2 is to perform cloud discrimination in each direction. The Cloud and Aerosol Unbiased Decision Intellectual Algorithm (CLAUDIA1), which applies sequential threshold tests to features, has been used in GOSAT CAI L2 cloud flag processing. If CLAUDIA1 used with CAI-2, it is necessary to optimize the thresholds in accordance with CAI-2. Meanwhile, CLAUDIA3 using support vector machines (SVM), which is a supervised pattern recognition method, was developed for GOSAT-2 CAI-2 L2 cloud discrimination processing. Thus, CLAUDIA3 can automatically find the optimized boundary between clear and cloudy. Improvement of the CLAUDIA3 used with CAI (CLAUDIA3-CAI) has carried out and is still continuing. In this study we compared results of CLAUDIA3-CAI using Terra MODIS data and GOSAT CAI data as training data to clarify the impact of the use of different satellite data as training data against GOSAT-2 CAI-2 L2 cloud discrimination. We will present our latest results.

Instrument pre-development activities for FLEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pettinato, L.; Fossati, E.; Coppo, P. M.; Taiti, A.; Labate, D.; Capanni, A.; Taccola, M.; Bézy, J. L.; Francois, M.; Meynart, R.; Erdmann, L.; Triebel, P.

2017-09-01

The FLuorescence Imaging Spectrometer (FLORIS) is the payload of the FLuorescence Explorer Mission (FLEX) of the European Space Agency. The mission objective is to perform quantitative measurements of the solar induced vegetation fluorescence to monitor photosynthetic activity. FLORIS works in a push-broom configuration and it is designed to acquire data in the 500-780 nm spectral range, with a sampling of 0.1 nm in the oxygen bands (759-769 nm and 686- 697 nm) and 0.5-2.0 nm in the red edge, chlorophyll absorption and Photochemical Reflectance Index bands. FLEX will fly in formation with Sentinel-3 to benefit of the measurements made by the Sentinel-3 instruments OLCI and SLSTR, particularly for cloud screening, proper characterization of the atmospheric state and determination of the surface temperature. The instrument concept is based on a common telescope and two modified Offner spectrometers with reflective concave gratings both for the High Resolution (HR) and Low Resolution (LR) spectrometers. In the frame of the instrument pre-development Leonardo Company (I) has built and tested an elegant breadboard of the instrument consisting of the telescope and the HR spectrometer. The development of the LR spectrometer is in charge of OHB System AG (D) and is currently in the manufacturing phase. The main objectives of the activity are: anticipate the development of the instrument and provide early risk retirement of critical components, evaluate the system performances such as imaging quality parameters, straylight, ghost, polarization sensitivity and environmental influences, verify the adequacy of critical tests such as spectral characterization and straylight, define and optimize instrument alignment procedures. Following a brief overview of the FLEX mission, the paper will cover the design and the development of the optics breadboard with emphasis on the results obtained during the tests and the lessons learned for the flight unit.

Phytoplasma protein effector SAP11 enhances insect vector reproduction by manipulating plant development and defense hormone biosynthesis.

PubMed

Sugio, Akiko; Kingdom, Heather N; MacLean, Allyson M; Grieve, Victoria M; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2011-11-29

Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted phytopathogenic bacteria that can alter plant morphology and the longevity and reproduction rates and behavior of their insect vectors. There are various examples of animal and plant parasites that alter the host phenotype to attract insect vectors, but it is unclear how these parasites accomplish this. We hypothesized that phytoplasmas produce effectors that modulate specific targets in their hosts leading to the changes in plant development and insect performance. Previously, we sequenced and mined the genome of Aster Yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) and identified 56 candidate effectors. Here, we report that the secreted AY-WB protein 11 (SAP11) effector modulates plant defense responses to the advantage of the AY-WB insect vector Macrosteles quadrilineatus. SAP11 binds and destabilizes Arabidopsis CINCINNATA (CIN)-related TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL FACTORS 1 and 2 (TCP) transcription factors, which control plant development and promote the expression of lipoxygenase (LOX) genes involved in jasmonate (JA) synthesis. Both the Arabidopsis SAP11 lines and AY-WB-infected plants produce less JA on wounding. Furthermore, the AY-WB insect vector produces more offspring on AY-WB-infected plants, SAP11 transgenic lines, and plants impaired in CIN-TCP and JA synthesis. Thus, SAP11-mediated destabilization of CIN-TCPs leads to the down-regulation of LOX2 expression and JA synthesis and an increase in M. quadrilineatus progeny. Phytoplasmas are obligate inhabitants of their plant host and insect vectors, in which the latter transmits AY-WB to a diverse range of plant species. This finding demonstrates that pathogen effectors can reach beyond the pathogen-host interface to modulate a third organism in the biological interaction.

Sex at Sterkfontein: 'Mrs. Ples' is still an adult female.

PubMed

Grine, Frederick E; Weber, Gerhard W; Plavcan, J Michael; Benazzi, Stefano

2012-05-01

The important question of whether the Australopithecus africanus hypodigm is taxonomically heterogeneous revolves largely around the interpretation of the morphological variation exhibited by the fossils from Sterkfontein. The sex assignment of these specimens is a critical component in the evaluation of their morphological variability. The Sts 5 cranium is pivotal in this regard because it is the most complete and undistorted specimen attributed to A. africanus. Although it has traditionally been regarded as an adult female, this view has been challenged. In particular, it has been argued recently that Sts 5 is a juvenile and that this, together with alveolar bone loss that has supposedly reduced the size of the canine socket, has led to its misinterpretation as a female. Virtual reconstruction of the M(3) roots (and/or alveoli) contradicts arguments that these teeth were erupting at the time of death. Regardless, canine emergence and root completion are well ahead of M(3) development in juvenile australopiths from Sterkfontein. Thus, even if the M(3) root of Sts 5 was incomplete, its canine root would have been fully formed. Measurements of palate depth indicate that the alveolar margins of Sts 5 have not suffered from much (if any) bone loss in the region of the C/P(3); any additional bone would result in a palate of truly exceptional depth. Therefore, the dimensions of the canine alveolus of Sts 5 can be regarded as proxies for those of the canine root. The canine root of Sts 5 is among the smallest recorded for any Sterkfontein australopith, which provides strong support for Robert Broom's initial attribution of sex to this specimen. There is no evidence to contradict the assertion that 'Mrs. Ples' is an adult female. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behaviour change intervention to improve shared toilet maintenance and cleanliness in urban slums of Dhaka: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Alam, Mahbub-Ul; Winch, Peter J; Saxton, Ronald E; Nizame, Fosiul A; Yeasmin, Farzana; Norman, Guy; Masud, Abdullah-Al; Begum, Farzana; Rahman, Mahbubur; Hossain, Kamal; Layden, Anita; Unicomb, Leanne; Luby, Stephen P

2017-08-01

Shared toilets in urban slums are often unclean and poorly maintained, discouraging consistent use and thereby limiting impacts on health and quality of life. We developed behaviour change interventions to support shared toilet maintenance and improve user satisfaction. We report the intervention effectiveness on improving shared toilet cleanliness. We conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial among users of 1226 shared toilets in 23 Dhaka slums. We assessed baseline toilet cleanliness in January 2015. The six-month intervention included provision of hardware (bin for solid waste, 4 l flushing bucket, 70 l water reservoir), and behaviour change communication (compound meetings, interpersonal household sessions, signs depicting rules for toilet use). We estimated the adjusted difference in difference (DID) to assess outcomes and accounted for clustering effects using generalised estimating equations. Compared to controls, intervention toilets were more likely to have water available inside toilet cubicles (DID: +4.7%, 95% CI: 0.2, 9.2), access to brush/broom for cleaning (DID: +8.4%, 95% CI: 2, 15) and waste bins (DID: +63%, 95% CI: 59, 66), while less likely to have visible faeces inside the pan (DID: -13%, 95% CI: -19, -5), the smell of faeces (DID: -7.6%, 95% CI: -14, -1.3) and household waste inside the cubicle (DID: -4%, 95% CI: -7, -1). In one of few efforts to promote shared toilet cleanliness, intervention compounds were significantly more likely to have cleaner toilets after six months. Future research might explore how residents can self-finance toilet maintenance, or employ mass media to reduce per-capita costs of behaviour change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

TcCYS4, a cystatin from cocoa, reduces necrosis triggered by MpNEP2 in tobacco plants.

PubMed

Santana, L S; Costa, M G C; Pirovani, N M; Almeida, A F; Alvim, F C; Pirovani, C P

2014-09-26

In Brazil, most cocoa bean production occurs in Southern Bahia. Witches' broom disease arrived in this area in 1989 and has since caused heavy losses in production. The disease is caused by the basidiomycete fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, a hemibiotrophic fungus that produces the necrosis and ethylene-inducting protein (MpNEP2) during infection; this protein can activate cysteine proteases and induce programmed cell death. Cysteine proteases can be modulated by cystatin. In this study, we overexpressed TcCYS4, a cocoa cystatin, in tobacco plants and evaluated the effect on MpNEP2 in model plants. Tccys4 cDNA was cloned into the pCAMBIA 1390 vector and inserted into the tobacco plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Transgene expression was analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis. Transcript and protein levels in Tcccys4:tobacco lines were 8.9- and 1.5-fold higher than in wild-type plants (wt). Tcccys4:tobacco lines showed no change in growth compared to wt plants. CO2 net assimilation (A) increased in Tcccys4:tobacco lines compared to wt plants. Only one line showed statistically significant stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (E) changes. MpNEP2 was infiltered into the foliar mesophyll of Tcccys4:tobacco lines and wt plants, and necrotic lesions were attenuated in lines highly expressing Tccys4. Our results suggest that cocoa cystatin TcCYS4 affects MpNEP2 activity related to the progression of programmed cell death in tobacco plants. This may occur through the action of cystatin to inhibit cysteine proteases activated by MpNEP2 in plant tissues. Further studies are necessary to examine cystatin in the Theobroma cacao-M. perniciosa pathosystem.

Living with Genome Instability: the Adaptation of Phytoplasmas to Diverse Environments of Their Insect and Plant Hosts††

PubMed Central

Bai, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jianhua; Ewing, Adam; Miller, Sally A.; Jancso Radek, Agnes; Shevchenko, Dmitriy V.; Tsukerman, Kiryl; Walunas, Theresa; Lapidus, Alla; Campbell, John W.; Hogenhout, Saskia A.

2006-01-01

Phytoplasmas (“Candidatus Phytoplasma,” class Mollicutes) cause disease in hundreds of economically important plants and are obligately transmitted by sap-feeding insects of the order Hemiptera, mainly leafhoppers and psyllids. The 706,569-bp chromosome and four plasmids of aster yellows phytoplasma strain witches' broom (AY-WB) were sequenced and compared to the onion yellows phytoplasma strain M (OY-M) genome. The phytoplasmas have small repeat-rich genomes. This comparative analysis revealed that the repeated DNAs are organized into large clusters of potential mobile units (PMUs), which contain tra5 insertion sequences (ISs) and genes for specialized sigma factors and membrane proteins. So far, these PMUs appear to be unique to phytoplasmas. Compared to mycoplasmas, phytoplasmas lack several recombination and DNA modification functions, and therefore, phytoplasmas may use different mechanisms of recombination, likely involving PMUs, for the creation of variability, allowing phytoplasmas to adjust to the diverse environments of plants and insects. The irregular GC skews and the presence of ISs and large repeated sequences in the AY-WB and OY-M genomes are indicative of high genomic plasticity. Nevertheless, segments of ∼250 kb located between the lplA and glnQ genes are syntenic between the two phytoplasmas and contain the majority of the metabolic genes and no ISs. AY-WB appears to be further along in the reductive evolution process than OY-M. The AY-WB genome is ∼154 kb smaller than the OY-M genome, primarily as a result of fewer multicopy sequences, including PMUs. Furthermore, AY-WB lacks genes that are truncated and are part of incomplete pathways in OY-M. PMID:16672622

Moniliophthora perniciosa necrosis- and ethylene-inducing protein 2 (MpNep2) as a metastable dimer in solution: structural and functional implications.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Guilherme A P; Pereira, Elen G; Dias, Cristiano V; Souza, Theo L F; Ferretti, Giulia D S; Cordeiro, Yraima; Camillo, Luciana R; Cascardo, Júlio; Almeida, Fabio C; Valente, Ana Paula; Silva, Jerson L

2012-01-01

Understanding how Nep-like proteins (NLPs) behave during the cell cycle and disease progression of plant pathogenic oomycetes, fungi and bacteria is crucial in light of compelling evidence that these proteins play a role in Witches` Broom Disease (WBD) of Theobroma cacao, one of the most important phytopathological problems to afflict the Southern Hemisphere. The crystal structure of MpNep2, a member of the NLP family and the causal agent of WBD, revealed the key elements for its activity. This protein has the ability to refold after heating and was believed to act as a monomer in solution, in contrast to the related homologs MpNep1 and NPP from the oomyceteous fungus Phytophthora parasitica. Here, we identify and characterize a metastable MpNep2 dimer upon over-expression in Escherichia coli using different biochemical and structural approaches. We found using ultra-fast liquid chromatography that the MpNep2 dimer can be dissociated by heating but not by dilution, oxidation or high ionic strength. Small-angle X-ray scattering revealed a possible tail-to-tail interaction between monomers, and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements identified perturbed residues involved in the putative interface of interaction. We also explored the ability of the MpNep2 monomer to refold after heating or chemical denaturation. We observed that MpNep2 has a low stability and cooperative fold that could be an explanation for its structure and activity recovery after stress. These results can provide new insights into the mechanism for MpNep2's action in dicot plants during the progression of WBD and may open new avenues for the involvement of NLP- oligomeric species in phytopathological disorders.

Phytoplasma infection of a tropical root crop triggers bottom-up cascades by favoring generalist over specialist herbivores

PubMed Central

Graziosi, Ignazio; Burra, Dharani Dhar; Walter, Abigail Jan

2017-01-01

Global interest on plant-microbe-insect interactions is rapidly growing, revealing the multiple ways in which microorganisms mediate plant-herbivore interactions. Phytopathogens regularly alter whole repertoires of plant phenotypic traits, and bring about shifts in key chemical or morphological characteristics of plant hosts. Pathogens can also cause cascading effects on higher trophic levels, and eventually shape entire plant-associated arthropod communities. We tested the hypothesis that a Candidatus Phytoplasma causing cassava witches’ broom (CWB) on cassava (Manihot esculenta Grantz) is altering species composition of invasive herbivores and their associated parasitic hymenopterans. We conducted observational studies in cassava fields in eastern Cambodia to assess the effect of CWB infection on abundance of specialist and generalist mealybugs (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), and associated primary and hyper-parasitoid species. CWB infection positively affects overall mealybug abundance and species richness at a plant- and field-level, and disproportionately favors a generalist mealybug over a specialist feeder. CWB phytoplasma infection led to increased parasitoid richness and diversity, with richness of ‘comparative’ specialist taxa being the most significantly affected. Parasitism rate did not differ among infected and uninfected plants, and mealybug host suppression was not impacted. CWB phytoplasma modifies host plant quality for sap-feeding homopterans, differentially affects success rates of two invasive species, and generates niche opportunities for higher trophic orders. By doing so, a Candidatus phytoplasma affects broader food web structure and functioning, and assumes the role of an ecosystem engineer. Our work unveils key facets of phytoplasma ecology, and sheds light upon complex multi-trophic interactions mediated by an emerging phytopathogen. These findings have further implications for invasion ecology and management. PMID:28813469

Moniliophthora perniciosa Necrosis- and Ethylene-Inducing Protein 2 (MpNep2) as a Metastable Dimer in Solution: Structural and Functional Implications

PubMed Central

de Oliveira, Guilherme A. P.; Pereira, Elen G.; Dias, Cristiano V.; Souza, Theo L. F.; Ferretti, Giulia D. S.; Cordeiro, Yraima; Camillo, Luciana R.; Almeida, Fabio C.; Valente, Ana Paula; Silva, Jerson L.

2012-01-01

Understanding how Nep-like proteins (NLPs) behave during the cell cycle and disease progression of plant pathogenic oomycetes, fungi and bacteria is crucial in light of compelling evidence that these proteins play a role in Witches` Broom Disease (WBD) of Theobroma cacao, one of the most important phytopathological problems to afflict the Southern Hemisphere. The crystal structure of MpNep2, a member of the NLP family and the causal agent of WBD, revealed the key elements for its activity. This protein has the ability to refold after heating and was believed to act as a monomer in solution, in contrast to the related homologs MpNep1 and NPP from the oomyceteous fungus Phytophthora parasitica. Here, we identify and characterize a metastable MpNep2 dimer upon over-expression in Escherichia coli using different biochemical and structural approaches. We found using ultra-fast liquid chromatography that the MpNep2 dimer can be dissociated by heating but not by dilution, oxidation or high ionic strength. Small-angle X-ray scattering revealed a possible tail-to-tail interaction between monomers, and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements identified perturbed residues involved in the putative interface of interaction. We also explored the ability of the MpNep2 monomer to refold after heating or chemical denaturation. We observed that MpNep2 has a low stability and cooperative fold that could be an explanation for its structure and activity recovery after stress. These results can provide new insights into the mechanism for MpNep2′s action in dicot plants during the progression of WBD and may open new avenues for the involvement of NLP- oligomeric species in phytopathological disorders. PMID:23029140

First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao.

PubMed

Ferraz Dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses; Micheli, Fabienne; Marcellino, Lucilia Helena

2016-01-01

The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches' broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively.

Non-Invasive Measurement of Frog Skin Reflectivity in High Spatial Resolution Using a Dual Hyperspectral Approach

PubMed Central

Liebisch, Frank; Walter, Achim; Greven, Hartmut; Rascher, Uwe

2013-01-01

Background Most spectral data for the amphibian integument are limited to the visible spectrum of light and have been collected using point measurements with low spatial resolution. In the present study a dual camera setup consisting of two push broom hyperspectral imaging systems was employed, which produces reflectance images between 400 and 2500 nm with high spectral and spatial resolution and a high dynamic range. Methodology/Principal Findings We briefly introduce the system and document the high efficiency of this technique analyzing exemplarily the spectral reflectivity of the integument of three arboreal anuran species (Litoria caerulea, Agalychnis callidryas and Hyla arborea), all of which appear green to the human eye. The imaging setup generates a high number of spectral bands within seconds and allows non-invasive characterization of spectral characteristics with relatively high working distance. Despite the comparatively uniform coloration, spectral reflectivity between 700 and 1100 nm differed markedly among the species. In contrast to H. arborea, L. caerulea and A. callidryas showed reflection in this range. For all three species, reflectivity above 1100 nm is primarily defined by water absorption. Furthermore, the high resolution allowed examining even small structures such as fingers and toes, which in A. callidryas showed an increased reflectivity in the near infrared part of the spectrum. Conclusion/Significance Hyperspectral imaging was found to be a very useful alternative technique combining the spectral resolution of spectrometric measurements with a higher spatial resolution. In addition, we used Digital Infrared/Red-Edge Photography as new simple method to roughly determine the near infrared reflectivity of frog specimens in field, where hyperspectral imaging is typically difficult. PMID:24058464

Genome-wide sequencing of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) provides insights into molecular basis of its polyphenol-rich characteristics

PubMed Central

Lin, Yuling; Min, Jiumeng; Lai, Ruilian; Wu, Zhangyan; Chen, Yukun; Yu, Lili; Cheng, Chunzhen; Jin, Yuanchun; Tian, Qilin; Liu, Qingfeng; Liu, Weihua; Zhang, Chengguang; Lin, Lixia; Hu, Yan; Zhang, Dongmin; Thu, Minkyaw; Zhang, Zihao; Liu, Shengcai; Zhong, Chunshui; Fang, Xiaodong; Wang, Jian; Yang, Huanming

2017-01-01

Abstract Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.), an important subtropical fruit in the family Sapindaceae, is grown in more than 10 countries. Longan is an edible drupe fruit and a source of traditional medicine with polyphenol-rich traits. Tree size, alternate bearing, and witches' broom disease still pose serious problems. To gain insights into the genomic basis of longan traits, a draft genome sequence was assembled. The draft genome (about 471.88 Mb) of a Chinese longan cultivar, “Honghezi,” was estimated to contain 31 007 genes and 261.88 Mb of repetitive sequences. No recent whole-genome-wide duplication event was detected in the genome. Whole-genome resequencing and analysis of 13 cultivated D. longan accessions revealed the extent of genetic diversity. Comparative transcriptome studies combined with genome-wide analysis revealed polyphenol-rich and pathogen resistance characteristics. Genes involved in secondary metabolism, especially those from significantly expanded (DHS, SDH, F3΄H, ANR, and UFGT) and contracted (PAL, CHS, and F3΄5΄H) gene families with tissue-specific expression, may be important contributors to the high accumulation levels of polyphenolic compounds observed in longan fruit. The high number of genes encoding nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) and leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase proteins, as well as the recent expansion and contraction of the NBS-LRR family, suggested a genomic basis for resistance to insects, fungus, and bacteria in this fruit tree. These data provide insights into the evolution and diversity of the longan genome. The comparative genomic and transcriptome analyses provided information about longan-specific traits, particularly genes involved in its polyphenol-rich and pathogen resistance characteristics. PMID:28368449

Authentication of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma and other two Chinese Materia Medica of the Liliaceae family by pharmacognosy technique with GC-MS analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Yingjiao; Liu, Canhuang; Yu, Yafei; Xu, Bei; Gong, Limin; Zeng, Xiaoyan; Xiao, Lan; Cheng, Qilai; Liu, Tasi

2015-02-01

Yuzhu (Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma), Kangdingyuzhu (Polygonati Prattii Rhizoma), and zhugenqiyuzhu (Disporopsis Fuscopictae Rhizoma) are of the same family, but of different genera. They have all often used in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) as Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma in China market. Three species of CMM are confused. For better application, we need to identify these plants accurately. This study use pharmacognosy technique and GC-MS analysis, three species of CMM were authenticated. In macroscopic characteristics, the fruit of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma is blue-black, while the other two are maroon and dark purple orderly. Nodes of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma are upward and light uplift, about 1 cm spacing, while the other are not. As for microscopic characteristics, the cortex of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma only occupies about 1/5 of the radius of the transverse section with inconspicuous endodermis, which is much smaller than others. The type of vascular bundles of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma is closed collateral, but the other is amphivasal. Raphides of calcium oxalate are scattered, but Raphides of the other two are like brooms and neat rows. GC-MS analysis of essential oil could provide different characteristics to distinguish three species. Twenty-three compounds were identified from essential oil of Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma and the main components were n-hexadecanoic acid (49.45%), while n-hexadecanoic acid of the other two are 23.92% and 9.45%. The content of n-hexadecanoic is strongly different. This research was aimed to establish a method by pharmacognosy and GC-MS analysis to identify three CMM and for providing scientifical data to ensure accuracy of origin of three species. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cost-utility analysis of searching electronic health records and cascade testing to identify and diagnose familial hypercholesterolaemia in England and Wales.

PubMed

Crosland, Paul; Maconachie, Ross; Buckner, Sara; McGuire, Hugh; Humphries, Steve E; Qureshi, Nadeem

2018-05-17

The cost effectiveness of cascade testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is well recognised. Less clear is the cost effectiveness of FH screening when it includes case identification strategies that incorporate routinely available data from primary and secondary care electronic health records. Nine strategies were compared, all using cascade testing in combination with different index case approaches (primary care identification, secondary care identification, and clinical assessment using the Simon Broome (SB) or Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria). A decision analytic model was informed by three systematic literature reviews and expert advice provided by a NICE Guideline Committee. The model found that the addition of primary care case identification by database search for patients with recorded total cholesterol >9.3 mmol/L was more cost effective than cascade testing alone. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of clinical assessment using the DLCN criteria was £3254 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) compared with case-finding with no genetic testing. The ICER of clinical assessment using the SB criteria was £13,365 per QALY (compared with primary care identification using the DLCN criteria), indicating that the SB criteria was preferred because it achieved additional health benefits at an acceptable cost. Secondary care identification, with either the SB or DLCN criteria, was not cost effective, alone (dominated and dominated respectively) or combined with primary care identification (£63, 514 per QALY, and £82,388 per QALY respectively). Searching primary care databases for people at high risk of FH followed by cascade testing is likely to be cost-effective. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sentinel-2 diffuser on-ground calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazy, E.; Camus, F.; Chorvalli, V.; Domken, I.; Laborie, A.; Marcotte, S.; Stockman, Y.

2013-10-01

The Sentinel-2 multi-spectral instrument (MSI) will provide Earth imagery in the frame of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative which is a joint undertaking of the European Commission and the Agency. MSI instrument, under Astrium SAS responsibility, is a push-broom spectro imager in 13 spectral channels in VNIR and SWIR. The instrument radiometric calibration is based on in-flight calibration with sunlight through a quasi Lambertian diffuser. The diffuser covers the full pupil and the full field of view of the instrument. The on-ground calibration of the diffuser BRDF is mandatory to fulfil the in-flight performances. The diffuser is a 779 x 278 mm2 rectangular flat area in Zenith-A material. It is mounted on a motorised door in front of the instrument optical system entrance. The diffuser manufacturing and calibration is under the Centre Spatial of Liege (CSL) responsibility. The CSL has designed and built a completely remote controlled BRDF test bench able to handle large diffusers in their mount. As the diffuser is calibrated directly in its mount with respect to a reference cube, the error budget is significantly improved. The BRDF calibration is performed directly in MSI instrument spectral bands by using dedicated band-pass filters (VNIR and SWIR up to 2200 nm). Absolute accuracy is better than 0.5% in VNIR spectral bands and 1% in SWIR spectral bands. Performances were cross checked with other laboratories. The first MSI diffuser for flight model was calibrated mid 2013 on CSL BRDF measurement bench. The calibration of the diffuser consists mainly in thermal vacuum cycles, BRDF uniformity characterisation and BRDF angular characterisation. The total amount of measurement for the first flight model diffuser corresponds to more than 17500 BRDF acquisitions. Performance results are discussed in comparison with requirements.

'There's the record, closed and final': Rough for Theatre II as Psychiatric Encounter.

PubMed

Heron, Jonathan; Broome, Matthew

2016-06-01

A co-authored collaboration between a theatre practitioner and a clinical psychiatrist, this paper will examine Rough for Theatre II (RFTII) and Beckett's demonstration of the way records are used to understand the human subject. Using Beckett's play to explore interdisciplinary issues of embodiment and diagnosis, the authors will present a dialogue that makes use of the 'best sources' in precisely the same manner as the play's protagonists. One of those sources will be Beckett himself, as Heron will locate the play in its theatrical context through reflections upon his own practice (with Fail Better Productions, UK) as well as recent studies such as Beckett, Technology and the Body (Maude 2009) and Performing Embodiment in Samuel Beckett's Drama (McMullan 2010); another source will be the philosopher Wilhelm Windleband, whose 1901 History of Philosophy was read and noted upon by Beckett in the 1930s, as Broome will introduce a philosophical and psychiatric context to the exchange. Windelband is now a neglected figure in philosophy; but as one of the key figures of Neo-Kantianism in the late 19(th) century, his work was an important impetus to that of Rickert, Weber and Heidegger. Specifically, Windelband gives us the distinction between idiographic and nomothetic understanding of individuals, an approach that is of relevance to the psychiatric encounter. This academic dialogue will consider tensions between subjectivity and objectivity in clinical and performance practice, while examining Beckett's analysis of the use of case notes and relating them back to Windelband's ideas on the understanding of others. The dialogue took place in 2011 at the University of Warwick, and has since been edited by the authors.

Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in different cocoa clones (Theobroma cacao L.) developed in the southern region of Bahia, Brazil.

PubMed

Maciel, Leonardo Fonseca; Felício, Ana Lúcia de Souza Madureira; Miranda, Lucas Caldeirão Rodrigues; Pires, Tassia Cavalcante; Bispo, Eliete da Silva; Hirooka, Elisa Yoko

2018-01-01

Brazil is the sixth largest producer of cocoa beans in the world, after Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and Cameroon. The southern region of Bahia stands out as the country's largest producer, accounting for approximately 60% of production. Due to damage caused by infestation of the cocoa crop with the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, which causes 'witch's broom disease', research in cocoa beans has led to the cloning of species that are resistant to the disease; however, there is little information about the development of other fungal genera in these clones, such as Aspergillus, which do not represent a phytopathogenicity problem but can grow during the pre-processing of cocoa beans and produce mycotoxins. Thus, the aim of this work was to determine the presence of aflatoxin (AF) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in cocoa clones developed in Brazil. Aflatoxin and ochratoxin A contamination were determined in 130 samples from 13 cocoa clones grown in the south of Bahia by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector. The method was evaluated for limit of detection (LOD) (0.05-0.90 μg kg -1 ), limit of quantification (0.10-2.50 μg kg -1 ) and recovery (RSD) (89.40-95.80%) for AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , AFG 2 and OTA. Aflatoxin contamination was detected in 38% of the samples in the range of

First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao

PubMed Central

Ferraz dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses

2016-01-01

The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches’ broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively. PMID:26949967

Living with genome instability: the adaptation of phytoplasmas todiverse environments of their insect and plant hosts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bai, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jianhua; Ewing, Adam

Phytoplasmas (Candidatus Phytoplasma, Class Mollicutes) cause disease in hundreds of economically important plants, and are obligately transmitted by sap-feeding insects of the order Hemiptera, mainly leafhoppers and psyllids. The 706,569-bp chromosome and four plasmids of aster yellows phytoplasma strain witches broom (AY-WB) were sequenced and compared to the onion yellows phytoplasma strain M (OY-M) genome. The phytoplasmas have small repeat-rich genomes. The repeated DNAs are organized into large clusters, potential mobile units (PMUs), which contain tra5 insertion sequences (ISs), and specialized sigma factors and membrane proteins. So far, PMUs are unique to phytoplasmas. Compared to mycoplasmas, phytoplasmas lack several recombinationmore » and DNA modification functions, and therefore phytoplasmas probably use different mechanisms of recombination, likely involving PMUs, for the creation of variability, allowing phytoplasmas to adjust to the diverse environments of plants and insects. The irregular GC skews and presence of ISs and large repeated sequences in the AY-WB and OY-M genomes are indicative of high genomic plasticity. Nevertheless, segments of {approx}250 kb, located between genes lplA and glnQ are syntenic between the two phytoplasmas, contain the majority of the metabolic genes and no ISs. AY-WB is further along in the reductive evolution process than OY-M. The AY-WB genome is {approx}154 kb smaller than the OY-M genome, primarily as a result of fewer multicopy sequences, including PMUs. Further, AY-WB lacks genes that are truncated and are part of incomplete pathways in OY-M. This is the first comparative phytoplasma genome analysis and report of the existence of PMUs in phytoplasma genomes.« less

Expression of the Theobroma cacao Bax-inhibitor-1 gene in tomato reduces infection by the hemibiotrophic pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

Scotton, Danielle Camargo; Azevedo, Mariana Da Silva; Sestari, Ivan; Da Silva, Jamille Santos; Souza, Lucas Anjos; Peres, Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira; Leal, Gildemberg Amorim; Figueira, Antonio

2017-10-01

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a key role in plant responses to pathogens, determining the success of infection depending on the pathogen lifestyle and on which participant of the interaction triggers cell death. The hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease of Theobroma cacao L. (cacao), a serious constraint for production in South America and the Caribbean. It has been hypothesized that M. perniciosa pathogenesis involves PCD, initially as a plant defence mechanism, which is diverted by the fungus to induce necrosis during the dikaryotic phase of the mycelia. Here, we evaluated whether the expression of a cacao anti-apoptotic gene would affect the incidence and severity of M. perniciosa infection using the 'Micro-Tom' (MT) tomato as a model. The cacao Bax-inhibitor-1 (TcBI-1) gene, encoding a putative basal attenuator of PCD, was constitutively expressed in MT to evaluate function. Transformants expressing TcBI-1, when treated with tunicamycin, an inducer of endoplasmic reticulum stress, showed a decrease in cell peroxidation. When the same transformants were inoculated with the necrotrophic fungal pathogens Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Sclerotium rolfsii and Botrytis cinerea, a significant reduction in infection severity was observed, confirming TcBI-1 function. After inoculation with M. perniciosa, TcBI-1 transformant lines showed a significant reduction in disease incidence compared with MT. The overexpression of TcBI-1 appears to affect the ability of germinating spores to penetrate susceptible tissues, restoring part of the non-host resistance in MT against the S-biotype of M. perniciosa. © 2016 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

Multipurpose Hyperspectral Imaging System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mao, Chengye; Smith, David; Lanoue, Mark A.; Poole, Gavin H.; Heitschmidt, Jerry; Martinez, Luis; Windham, William A.; Lawrence, Kurt C.; Park, Bosoon

2005-01-01

A hyperspectral imaging system of high spectral and spatial resolution that incorporates several innovative features has been developed to incorporate a focal plane scanner (U.S. Patent 6,166,373). This feature enables the system to be used for both airborne/spaceborne and laboratory hyperspectral imaging with or without relative movement of the imaging system, and it can be used to scan a target of any size as long as the target can be imaged at the focal plane; for example, automated inspection of food items and identification of single-celled organisms. The spectral resolution of this system is greater than that of prior terrestrial multispectral imaging systems. Moreover, unlike prior high-spectral resolution airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral imaging systems, this system does not rely on relative movement of the target and the imaging system to sweep an imaging line across a scene. This compact system (see figure) consists of a front objective mounted at a translation stage with a motorized actuator, and a line-slit imaging spectrograph mounted within a rotary assembly with a rear adaptor to a charged-coupled-device (CCD) camera. Push-broom scanning is carried out by the motorized actuator which can be controlled either manually by an operator or automatically by a computer to drive the line-slit across an image at a focal plane of the front objective. To reduce the cost, the system has been designed to integrate as many as possible off-the-shelf components including the CCD camera and spectrograph. The system has achieved high spectral and spatial resolutions by using a high-quality CCD camera, spectrograph, and front objective lens. Fixtures for attachment of the system to a microscope (U.S. Patent 6,495,818 B1) make it possible to acquire multispectral images of single cells and other microscopic objects.

Concept and integration of an on-line quasi-operational airborne hyperspectral remote sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schilling, Hendrik; Lenz, Andreas; Gross, Wolfgang; Perpeet, Dominik; Wuttke, Sebastian; Middelmann, Wolfgang

2013-10-01

Modern mission characteristics require the use of advanced imaging sensors in reconnaissance. In particular, high spatial and high spectral resolution imaging provides promising data for many tasks such as classification and detecting objects of military relevance, such as camouflaged units or improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Especially in asymmetric warfare with highly mobile forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) needs to be available close to real-time. This demands the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combination with downlink capability. The system described in this contribution is integrated in a wing pod for ease of installation and calibration. It is designed for the real-time acquisition and analysis of hyperspectral data. The main component is a Specim AISA Eagle II hyperspectral sensor, covering the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectral range with a spectral resolution up to 1.2 nm and 1024 pixel across track, leading to a ground sampling distance below 1 m at typical altitudes. The push broom characteristic of the hyperspectral sensor demands an inertial navigation system (INS) for rectification and georeferencing of the image data. Additional sensors are a high resolution RGB (HR-RGB) frame camera and a thermal imaging camera. For on-line application, the data is preselected, compressed and transmitted to the ground control station (GCS) by an existing system in a second wing pod. The final result after data processing in the GCS is a hyperspectral orthorectified GeoTIFF, which is filed in the ERDAS APOLLO geographical information system. APOLLO allows remote access to the data and offers web-based analysis tools. The system is quasi-operational and was successfully tested in May 2013 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

RESOURCESAT-2: a mission for Earth resources management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkata Rao, M.; Gupta, J. P.; Rattan, Ram; Thyagarajan, K.

2006-12-01

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has established an operational Remote sensing satellite system by launching its first satellite, IRS-1A in 1988, followed by a series of IRS spacecraft. The IRS-1C/1D satellites with their unique combination of Payloads have taken a lead position in the Global remote sensing scenario. Realising the growing User demands for the "Multi" level approach in terms of Spatial, Spectral, Temporal and Radiometric resolutions, ISRO identified the Resourcesat as a continuity as well as improved RS Satellite. The Resourcesat-1 (IRS-P6) was launched in October 2003 using PSLV launch vehicle and it is in operational service. Resourcesat-2 is its follow-on Mission scheduled for launch in 2008. Each Resourcesat satellite carries three Electro-optical cameras as its payload - LISS-3, LISS-4 and AWIFS. All the three are multi-spectral push-broom scanners with linear array CCDs as Detectors. LISS-3 and AWIFS operate in four identical spectral bands in the VIS-NIR-SWIR range while LISS-4 is a high resolution camera with three spectral bands in VIS-NIR range. In order to meet the stringent requirements of band-to-band registration and platform stability, several improvements have been incorporated in the mainframe Bus configuration like wide field Star trackers, precision Gyroscopes, on-board GPS receiver etc,. The Resourcesat data finds its application in several areas like agricultural crop discrimination and monitoring, crop acreage/yield estimation, precision farming, water resources, forest mapping, Rural infrastructure development, disaster management etc,. to name a few. A brief description of the Payload cameras, spacecraft bus elements and operational modes and few applications are presented.

Space technology developments in Malaysia:

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabirin, A.

The venture of space is, by nature, a costly one. However, exploring space is not just an activity reserved for international superpowers. Smaller and emerging space nations, some with burgeoning space programs of their own, can play a role in space technology development and interplanetary exploration, sometimes simply by just being there. Over the past four decades, the range of services delivered by space technologies in Malaysia has grown enormously. For many business and public services, space based technologies have become the primary means of delivery of such services. Space technology development in Malaysia started with Malaysia's first microsatellite, TiungSAT-1. TiungSAT-1 has been successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the 26th of September 2000 on a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr rocket. There have been wide imaging applications and information extraction using data from TiungSAT-1. Various techniques have been applied to the data for different applications in environmental assessment and monitoring as well as resource management. As a step forward, Malaysia has also initiated another space technology programme, RAZAKSAT. RAZAKSAT is a 180kg class satellite designed to provide 2.5meter ground sampling distance resolution imagery on a near equatorial orbit. Its mission objective is to demonstrate the capability of a medium high resolution remote sensing camera using a cost effective small satellite platform and a multi-channel linear push-broom electro-optical instrument. Realizing the immense benefits of space technology and its significant role in promoting sustainable development, Malaysia is committed to the continuous development and advancement of space technology within the scope of peaceful use of outer space and boosting its national economic growth through space related activities.

Introduced Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) invades the genome of native populations in vulnerable heathland habitats.

PubMed

Rostgaard Nielsen, Lene; Brandes, Ursula; Dahl Kjaer, Erik; Fjellheim, Siri

2016-06-01

Cytisus scoparius is a global invasive species that affects local flora and fauna at the intercontinental level. Its natural distribution spans across Europe, but seeds have also been moved among countries, mixing plants of native and non-native genetic origins. Hybridization between the introduced and native gene pool is likely to threaten both the native gene pool and the local flora. In this study, we address the potential threat of invasive C. scoparius to local gene pools in vulnerable heathlands. We used nuclear single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers together with plastid SSR and indel markers to investigate the level and direction of gene flow between invasive and native heathland C. scoparius. Analyses of population structures confirmed the presence of two gene pools: one native and the other invasive. The nuclear genome of the native types was highly introgressed with the invasive genome, and we observed advanced-generation hybrids, suggesting that hybridization has been occurring for several generations. There is asymmetrical gene flow from the invasive to the native gene pool, which can be attributed to higher fecundity in the invasive individuals, measured by the number of flowers and seed pods. Strong spatial genetic structure in plastid markers and weaker structure in nuclear markers suggest that seeds spread over relatively short distances and that gene flow over longer distances is mainly facilitated by pollen dispersal. We further show that the growth habits of heathland plants become more vigorous with increased introgression from the invaders. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to future management of invading C. scoparius. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A custom hardware classifier for bruised apple detection in hyperspectral images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cárdenas, Javier; Figueroa, Miguel; Pezoa, Jorge E.

2015-09-01

We present a custom digital architecture for bruised apple classification using hyperspectral images in the near infrared (NIR) spectrum. The algorithm classifies each pixel in an image into one of three classes: bruised, non-bruised, and background. We extract two 5-element feature vectors for each pixel using only 10 out of the 236 spectral bands provided by the hyperspectral camera, thereby greatly reducing both the requirements of the imager and the computational complexity of the algorithm. We then use two linear-kernel support vector machine (SVM) to classify each pixel. Each SVM was trained with 504 windows of size 17×17-pixel taken from 14 hyperspectral images of 320×320 pixels each, for each class. The architecture then computes the percentage of bruised pixels in each apple in order to adequately classify the fruit. We implemented the architecture on a Xilinx Zynq Z-7010 field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and tested it on images from a NIR N17E push-broom camera with a frame rate of 25 fps, a band-pixel rate of 1.888 MHz, and 236 spectral bands between 900 and 1700 nanometers in laboratory conditions. Using 28-bit fixed-point arithmetic, the circuit accurately discriminates 95.2% of the pixels corresponding to an apple, 81% of the pixels corresponding to a bruised apple, and 96.4% of the background. With the default threshold settings, the highest false positive (FP) for a bruised apple is 18.7%. The circuit operates at the native frame rate of the camera, consumes 67 mW of dynamic power, and uses less than 10% of the logic resources on the FPGA.

Towards an integrated approach to health and medicine in Africa

PubMed Central

Batisai, Kezia

2016-01-01

Abstract This article frames the intersections of medicine and humanities as intrinsic to understanding the practice of health care in Africa. Central to this manuscript, which draws on empirical findings on the interplay between HIV and AIDS and alternative medicine in Zimbabwe is the realisation that very limited research has been undertaken to examine ‘HIV/AIDS patient behaviour’ with respect to choice of therapy on the continent [Bene, M. & Darkoh, M. B. K. (2014). The Constraints of Antiretroviral Uptake in Rural Areas: The Case of Thamaga and Surrounding Villages, Botswana. SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 11(1), 167–177. doi:10.1080/17290376.2014.972057; Chavunduka, G. (1998). Professionalisation of Traditional Medicine in Zimbabwe, Harare, Jongwe Printers; O’Brien, S. & Broom, A. (2014). HIV in (and out of) the Clinic: Biomedicine, Traditional Medicine and Spiritual Healing in Harare. SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 11(1), 94–104. doi:10.1080/17290376.2014.938102]. As such, a social approach to health-seeking behaviour questions how decisions about alternative therapies including herbal remedies, traditional healing and faith healing are made. The paper unpacks the realities around how people living with HIV and AIDS – who span different age groups and profess various religious backgrounds, faced with an insurmountable health challenge against a background of limited resources and no cure for the virus – often experience shifts in health-seeking behaviour. Grappling with seemingly simple questions about ‘when, where and how to seek medical attention’, the paper provides pointers to therapy choices and health-seeking behaviour; and it serves as a route into deeper and intense healthcare practice explorations. In conclusion, the paper proposes that medicine and the humanities should engage seriously with those social aspects of HIV and AIDS which call for an integrated approach to healthcare practice in Africa. If combined, medicine and the humanities might achieve what neither would alone. PMID:27538792

Hypoxia tolerance is conserved across genetically distinct sub-populations of an iconic, tropical Australian teleost (Lates calcarifer)

PubMed Central

Collins, Geoffrey M.; Clark, Timothy D.; Rummer, Jodie L.; Carton, Alexander G.

2013-01-01

Tropical coastal systems are particularly prone to periods of environmental hypoxia, which can result from organismal respiration as well as thermal stratification, and may be further exacerbated by anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we used five genetically distinct sub-populations of Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer) to examine the extent of intraspecific variability in hypoxia tolerance. Fish were maintained at two temperatures (26 or 36°C), representing the seasonal thermal range for this species across its tropical distribution in Australia. All fish maintained a constant oxygen consumption rate as air saturation of the water decreased from 100% down to a critical oxygen saturation ([O2]crit) of 15.44 ± 3.20 and 21.07 ± 3.92% (means ± SD) at 26 and 36°C, respectively. Mean [O2]crit, used as a performance measure of hypoxia tolerance, did not differ between sub-populations. No differences were found for resting between sub-populations at 26°C, but modest differences were detected between two sub-populations at 36°C (3.36 ± 0.62 and 2.83 ± 0.27 mg O2 kg−1 min−1 for Gladstone and Broome sub-populations, respectively). Resting was lower for sub-populations at 26°C (1.46 ± 0.26 mg O2 kg−1 min−1) than at 36°C (3.10 ± 0.43 mg O2 kg−1 min−1), with a temperature coefficient (Q10) of 2.12 ± 0.30. We conclude that both hypoxia tolerance and resting are conserved across the distribution of barramundi in Australia, which reflects the capacity of this species to cope in environments with large fluctuations in both temperature and dissolved oxygen. PMID:27293613

Plankton community structure and connectivity in the Kimberley-Browse region of NW Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, A. D.; Duggan, S.; Holliday, D.; Brinkman, R.

2015-02-01

We describe the zooplankton and ichthyoplankton communities of coastal waters of the Kimberley coast (North West Australia), sampled in macrotidal Camden Sound during both the wet and dry seasons of 2011, and compare these to six other Kimberley embayments during the wet season of 2013. Zooplankton abundance in Camden Sound was 7038 ± 3913 SD ind. m-3 in the wet season and 1892 ± 708 SD ind. m-3 in the dry season, with copepods accounting for 85% by number. In all, 78 species of copepods were recorded, with the families Paracalanidae and Oithonidae dominant. In Camden Sound, 48 families of larval fish occurred, with ichthyoplankton more abundant in the wet season than the dry season (1.16 ± 0.2 ind. m-3 cf 0.76 ± 0.2 ind. m-3). Larval gobiids (Subfamily Gobiinae) were most abundant, with other common families associated with either pelagic or soft-bottom habitats as adults. Multivariate analyses of both copepod and ichthyoplankton communities demonstrated strong seasonal contrasts, although an along-shelf gradient in copepod community composition was apparent along the embayments sampled in 2013. There was little spatial variation in plankton communities within Camden Sound as a result of the large tidal range (up to 11.7 m, with 2.5 m-1 velocities), although gradients in abundance and composition on cross-shelf transects occurred in the more northern embayments that had a lower tidal range, such as Napier Broome Bay. Copepod communities of the Kimberley-Browse region were placed in regional perspective by multivariate analyses of similar data collected in the eastern Indian Ocean at Scott Reef, in the Arafura Sea and on the southern North West (NW) shelf. The plankton communities of the NW shelf form a series of along-shore metacommunities linked by advection, with weaker cross-shelf connectivity. The presence of the larvae of mesopelagic fishes of the family Myctophidae in coastal waters confirms seasonal cross-shelf connectivity.

Integrative Review of the Intersection of Green Space and Neighborhood Violence.

PubMed

Mancus, Gibran C; Campbell, Jacquelyn

2018-03-01

To systematically analyze evidence about the impact of green space on the perception and actual safety of residents of urban neighborhoods. Systematic review of green space and violence based on Broome review criteria. One landmark study prompted the initial hand search and identification of search terms. Twenty-three quantitative, five qualitative, and two mixed-methods studies were found in the urban planning, public health, medical, and psychological literature that met the following criteria: analyzed green space and violence as factors in the perception of safety as an outcome measure, including action taken by being outside for recreation, exercise, or self-report in the survey. Findings were inconsistent regarding the direct relationship between perception of safety and green space when using recreation and exercise as a proxy for perception of safety. Findings regarding perception of safety in surveys were limited but indicated a positive correlation with green space. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that the perception of safety is supported by quality, accessibility, and aesthetic dimensions of neighborhood green space, and the perception of safety is often unrelated to actual crime rates. The science for understanding mechanisms between green space and violence as part of environmental health has been insufficiently developed and requires further study. Environmental health, including green space, is central to health promotion, and understanding is key to preventing the epidemic of violence. This article provides a summary of research related to green space, violence in communities, perception of safety, and violent crime in those communities. It identifies gaps in our knowledge where future research is needed. Nurses have the opportunity to lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions and policies addressing the inequality of quality and quantity of green space in the built and natural environment and related co-benefits. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Coronary heart disease mortality in treated familial hypercholesterolaemia: Update of the UK Simon Broome FH register.

PubMed

Humphries, S E; Cooper, J A; Seed, M; Capps, N; Durrington, P N; Jones, B; McDowell, I F W; Soran, H; Neil, H A W

2018-05-01

Patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) have an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Here we compare changes in CHD mortality in patients with heterozygous (FH) pre 1992, before lipid-lowering therapy with statins was used routinely, and in the periods 1992-2008 and 2008-2016. 1903 Definite (DFH) and 1650 Possible (PFH) patients (51% women) aged 20-79 years, recruited from 21 lipid clinics in the United Kingdom and followed prospectively between 1980 and 2016 for 67,060 person-years. The CHD standardised mortality ratio (SMR) compared to the population in England and Wales was calculated (with 95% Confidence intervals). There were 585 deaths, including 252 from CHD. Overall, the observed 2.4-fold excess coronary mortality for treated DFH post-1991 was significantly higher than the 1.78 excess for PFH (35% 95% CI 3%-76%). In patients with DFH and established coronary disease, there was a significant excess coronary mortality in all time periods, but in men it was reduced from a 4.83-fold excess (2.32-8.89) pre-1992 to 4.66 (3.46-6.14) in 1992-2008 and 2.51 (1.01-5.17) post-2008, while in women the corresponding values were 7.23 (2.65-15.73), 4.42 (2.70-6.82) and 6.34 (2.06-14.81). Primary prevention in men with DFH resulted in a progressive reduction in coronary mortality over the three time-periods, with no excess mortality evident post-2008 (0.89 (0.29-2.08)), although in women the excess persisted (post-2008 3.65 (1.75-6.72)). The results confirm the benefit of statin treatment in reducing CHD mortality, but suggest that FH patients with pre-existing CHD and women with FH may not be treated adequately. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linking crop structure, throughfall, soil surface conditions, runoff and soil detachment: 10 land uses analyzed in Northern Laos.

PubMed

Lacombe, Guillaume; Valentin, Christian; Sounyafong, Phabvilay; de Rouw, Anneke; Soulileuth, Bounsamai; Silvera, Norbert; Pierret, Alain; Sengtaheuanghoung, Oloth; Ribolzi, Olivier

2018-03-01

In Montane Southeast Asia, deforestation and unsuitable combinations of crops and agricultural practices degrade soils at an unprecedented rate. Typically, smallholder farmers gain income from "available" land by replacing fallow or secondary forest by perennial crops. We aimed to understand how these practices increase or reduce soil erosion. Ten land uses were monitored in Northern Laos during the 2015 monsoon, using local farmers' fields. Experiments included plots of the conventional system (food crops and fallow), and land uses corresponding to new market opportunities (e.g. commercial tree plantations). Land uses were characterized by measuring plant cover and plant mean height per vegetation layer. Recorded meteorological variables included rainfall intensity, throughfall amount, throughfall kinetic energy (TKE), and raindrop size. Runoff coefficient, soil loss, and the percentage areas of soil surface types (free aggregates and gravel; crusts; macro-faunal, vegetal and pedestal features; plant litter) were derived from observations and measurements in 1-m 2 micro-plots. Relationships between these variables were explored with multiple regression analyses. Our results indicate that TKE induces soil crusting and soil loss. By reducing rainfall infiltration, crusted area enhances runoff, which removes and transports soil particles detached by splash over non-crusted areas. TKE is lower under land uses reducing the velocity of raindrops and/or preventing an increase in their size. Optimal vegetation structures combine minimum height of the lowest layer (to reduce drop velocity at ground level) and maximum coverage (to intercept the largest amount of rainfall), as exemplified by broom grass (Thysanolaena latifolia). In contrast, high canopies with large leaves will increase TKE by enlarging raindrops, as exemplified by teak trees (Tectona grandis), unless a protective understorey exists under the trees. Policies that ban the burning of multi-layered vegetation structure under tree plantations should be enforced. Shade-tolerant shrubs and grasses with potential economic return could be promoted as understorey. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The rise and fall of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) during Pleistocene glaciations: expansion and retreat with hybridization in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Melo-Ferreira, J; Boursot, P; Randi, E; Kryukov, A; Suchentrunk, F; Ferrand, N; Alves, P C

2007-02-01

The climatic fluctuations during glaciations have affected differently arctic and temperate species. In the northern hemisphere, cooling periods induced the expansion of many arctic species to the south, while temperate species were forced to retract in southern refugia. Consequently, in some areas the alternation of these species set the conditions for competition and eventually hybridization. Hares in the Iberian Peninsula appear to illustrate this phenomenon. Populations of Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis), brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and broom hare (Lepus castroviejoi) in Northern Iberia harbour mitochondrial haplotypes from the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), a mainly boreal and arctic species presently absent from the peninsula. To understand the history of this past introgression we analysed sequence variation and geographical distribution of mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b haplotypes of L. timidus origin found in 378 specimens of these four species. Among 124 L. timidus from the Northern Palaearctic and the Alps we found substantial nucleotide diversity (2.3%) but little differentiation between populations. Based on the mismatch distribution of the L. timidus sequences, this could result from an expansion at a time of temperature decrease favourable to this arctic species. The nucleotide diversity of L. timidus mtDNA found in Iberian L. granatensis, L. europaeus and L. castroviejoi (183, 70 and 1 specimens, respectively) was of the same order as that in L. timidus over its range (1.9%), suggesting repeated introgression of multiple lineages. The structure of the coalescent of L. granatensis sequences indicates that hybridization with L. timidus was followed by expansion of the introgressed haplotypes, as expected during a replacement with competition, and occurred when temperatures started to rise, favouring the temperate species. Whether a similar scenario explains the introgression into Iberian L. europaeus remains unclear but it is possible that it hybridized with already introgressed L. granatensis.

Emerging pests and diseases of South-east Asian cassava: a comprehensive evaluation of geographic priorities, management options and research needs.

PubMed

Graziosi, Ignazio; Minato, Nami; Alvarez, Elizabeth; Ngo, Dung Tien; Hoat, Trinh Xuan; Aye, Tin Maung; Pardo, Juan Manuel; Wongtiem, Prapit; Wyckhuys, Kris Ag

2016-06-01

Cassava is a major staple, bio-energy and industrial crop in many parts of the developing world. In Southeast Asia, cassava is grown on >4 million ha by nearly 8 million (small-scale) farming households, under (climatic, biophysical) conditions that often prove unsuitable for many other crops. While SE Asian cassava has been virtually free of phytosanitary constraints for most of its history, a complex of invasive arthropod pests and plant diseases has recently come to affect local crops. We describe results from a region-wide monitoring effort in the 2014 dry season, covering 429 fields across five countries. We present geographic distribution and field-level incidence of the most prominent pest and disease invaders, introduce readily-available management options and research needs. Monitoring work reveals that several exotic mealybug and (red) mite species have effectively colonised SE Asia's main cassava-growing areas, occurring in respectively 70% and 54% of fields, at average field-level incidence of 27 ± 2% and 16 ± 2%. Cassava witches broom (CWB), a systemic phytoplasma disease, was reported from 64% of plots, at incidence levels of 32 ± 2%. Although all main pests and diseases are non-natives, we hypothesise that accelerating intensification of cropping systems, increased climate change and variability, and deficient crop husbandry are aggravating both organism activity and crop susceptibility. Future efforts need to consolidate local capacity to tackle current (and future) pest invaders, boost detection capacity, devise locally-appropriate integrated pest management (IPM) tactics, and transfer key concepts and technologies to SE Asia's cassava growers. Urgent action is needed to mobilise regional as well as international scientific support, to effectively tackle this phytosanitary emergency and thus safeguard the sustainability and profitability of one of Asia's key agricultural commodities. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The HYDICE instrument design and its application to planetary instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basedow, R.; Silverglate, P.; Rappoport, W.; Rockwell, R.; Rosenberg, D.; Shu, K.; Whittlesey, R.; Zalewski, E.

1993-01-01

The Hyperspectral Digital Imagery Collection Experiment (HYDICE) instrument represents a significant advance in the state of the art in hyperspectral sensors. It combines a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and significantly better spatial and spectral resolution and radio metric accuracy than systems flying on aircraft today. The need for 'clean' data, i.e., data free of sampling artifacts and excessive spatial or spectral noise, is a key driver behind the difficult combination of performance requirements laid out for HYDICE. Most of these involve the sensor optics and detector. This paper presents an optimized approach to those requirements, one that comprises push broom scanning, a single, mechanically cooled focal plane, a double-pass prism spectrometer, and an easily fabricated yet wide-field telescope. Central to the approach is a detector array that covers the entire spectrum from 0.4 to 2.5 microns. Among the major benefits conferred by such a design are optical and mechanical simplicity, low polarization sensitivity, and coverage of the entire spectrum without suffering the spectral gaps caused by beam splitters. The overall system minimizes interfaces to the C-141 aircraft on which it will be flown, can be calibrated on the ground and in flight to accuracies better than those required, and is designed for simple, push-button operation. Only unprocessed data are recorded during flight. A ground data processing station provides quick-look, calibration correction, and archiving capabilities, with a throughput better than the requirements. Overall performance of the system is expected to provide the solid database required to evaluate the potential of hyperspectral imagery in a wide variety of applications. HYDICE can be regarded as a test bed for future planetary instruments. The ability to spectrally image a wide field of view over multiple spectral octaves offers obvious advantages and is expected to maximize science return for the required cost and weight.

High density Schottky barrier IRCCD sensors for SWIR applications at intermediate temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elabd, H.; Villani, T. S.; Tower, J. R.

1982-01-01

Monolithic 32 x 64 and 64 x 1:128 palladium silicide (Pd2Si) interline transfer infrared charge coupled devices (IRCCDs) sensitive in the 1 to 3.5 micron spectral band were developed. This silicon imager exhibits a low response nonuniformity of typically 0.2 to 1.6% rms, and was operated in the temperature range between 40 to 140 K. Spectral response measurements of test Pd2Si p-type Si devices yield quantum efficiencies of 7.9% at 1.25 microns, 5.6% at 1.65 microns 2.2% at 2.22 microns. Improvement in quantum efficiency is expected by optimizing the different structural parameters of the Pd2Si detectors. The spectral response of the Pd2Si detectors fit a modified Fowler emission model. The measured photo-electric barrier height for the Pd2Si detectors is 0.34 eV and the measured quantum efficiency coefficient, C1, is 19%/eV. The dark current level of Pd2Si Schottky barrier focal plane arrays (FPAs) is sufficiently low to enable operation at intermediate temperatures at TV frame rates. Typical dark current level measured at 120 K on the FPA is 2 nA/sq cm. The operating temperature of the Pd2Si FPA is compatible with passive cooler performance. In addition, high density Pd2Si Schottky barrier FPAs are manufactured with high yield and therefore represent an economical approach to short wavelength IR imaging. A Pd2Si Schottky barrier image sensor for push-broom multispectral imaging in the 1.25, 1.65, and 2.22 micron bands is being studied. The sensor will have two line arrays (dual band capability) of 512 detectors each, with 30 micron center-to-center detector spacing. The device will be suitable for chip-to-chip abutment, thus providing the capability to produce large, multiple chip focal planes with contiguous, in-line sensors.

Tc-cAPX, a cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase of Theobroma cacao L. engaged in the interaction with Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causing agent of witches' broom disease.

PubMed

Camillo, Luciana Rodrigues; Filadelfo, Ciro Ribeiro; Monzani, Paulo Sérgio; Corrêa, Ronan Xavier; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Micheli, Fabienne; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2013-12-01

The level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in plants signalizes the induction of several genes, including that of ascorbate peroxidase (APX-EC 1.11.1.11). APX isoenzymes play a central role in the elimination of intracellular H2O2 and contribute to plant responses to diverse stresses. During the infection process in Theobroma cacao by Moniliophthora perniciosa oxidative stress is generated and the APX action recruited from the plant. The present work aimed to characterize the T. cacao APX involved in the molecular interaction of T. cacao-M. perniciosa. The peroxidase activity was analyzed in protein extracts from cocoa plants infected by M. perniciosa and showed the induction of peroxidases like APX in resistant cocoa plants. The cytosolic protein of T. cacao (GenBank: ABR68691.2) was phylogenetically analyzed in relation to other peroxidases from the cocoa genome and eight genes encoding APX proteins with conserved domains were also analyzed. The cDNA from cytosolic APX was cloned in pET28a and the recombinant protein expressed and purified (rTc-cAPX). The secondary structure of the protein was analyzed by Circular Dichroism (CD) displaying high proportion of α-helices when folded. The enzymatic assay shows stable activity using ascorbate and guaiacol as an electron donor for H2O2 reduction. The pH 7.5 is the optimum for enzyme activity. Chromatographic analysis suggests that rTc-cAPX is a homodimer in solution. Results indicate that the rTc-cAPX is correctly folded, stable and biochemically active. The purified rTc-cAPX presented biotechnological potential and is adequate for future structural and functional studies. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

Rugged: an operational, open-source solution for Sentinel-2 mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maisonobe, Luc; Seyral, Jean; Prat, Guylaine; Guinet, Jonathan; Espesset, Aude

2015-10-01

When you map the entire Earth every 5 days with the aim of generating high-quality time series over land, there is no room for geometrical error: the algorithms have to be stable, reliable, and precise. Rugged, a new open-source library for pixel geolocation, is at the geometrical heart of the operational processing for Sentinel-2. Rugged performs sensor-to-terrain mapping taking into account ground Digital Elevation Models, Earth rotation with all its small irregularities, on-board sensor pixel individual lines-of-sight, spacecraft motion and attitude, and all significant physical effects. It provides direct and inverse location, i.e. it allows the accurate computation of which ground point is viewed from a specific pixel in a spacecraft instrument, and conversely which pixel will view a specified ground point. Direct and inverse location can be used to perform full ortho-rectification of images and correlation between sensors observing the same area. Implemented as an add-on for Orekit (Orbits Extrapolation KIT; a low-level space dynamics library), Rugged also offers the possibility of simulating satellite motion and attitude auxiliary data using Orekit's full orbit propagation capability. This is a considerable advantage for test data generation and mission simulation activities. Together with the Orfeo ToolBox (OTB) image processing library, Rugged provides the algorithmic core of Sentinel-2 Instrument Processing Facilities. The S2 complex viewing model - with 12 staggered push-broom detectors and 13 spectral bands - is built using Rugged objects, enabling the computation of rectification grids for mapping between cartographic and focal plane coordinates. These grids are passed to the OTB library for further image resampling, thus completing the ortho-rectification chain. Sentinel-2 stringent operational requirements to process several terabytes of data per week represented a tough challenge, though one that was well met by Rugged in terms of the robustness and performance of the library.

A Near-Infrared and Thermal Imager for Mapping Titan's Surface Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aslam, S.; Hewagma, T.; Jennings, D. E.; Nixon, C.

2012-01-01

Approximately 10% of the solar insolation reaches the surface of Titan through atmospheric spectral windows. We will discuss a filter based imaging system for a future Titan orbiter that will exploit these windows mapping surface features, cloud regions, polar storms. In the near-infrared (NIR), two filters (1.28 micrometer and 1.6 micrometer), strategically positioned between CH1 absorption bands, and InSb linear array pixels will explore the solar reflected radiation. We propose to map the mid, infrared (MIR) region with two filters: 9.76 micrometer and 5.88-to-6.06 micrometers with MCT linear arrays. The first will map MIR thermal emission variations due to surface albedo differences in the atmospheric window between gas phase CH3D and C2H4 opacity sources. The latter spans the crossover spectral region where observed radiation transitions from being dominated by thermal emission to solar reflected light component. The passively cooled linear arrays will be incorporated into the focal plane of a light-weight thin film stretched membrane 10 cm telescope. A rad-hard ASIC together with an FPGA will be used for detector pixel readout and detector linear array selection depending on if the field-of-view (FOV) is looking at the day- or night-side of Titan. The instantaneous FOV corresponds to 3.1, 15.6, and 31.2 mrad for the 1, 5, and 10 micrometer channels, respectively. For a 1500 km orbit, a 5 micrometer channel pixel represents a spatial resolution of 91 m, with a FOV that spans 23 kilometers, and Titan is mapped in a push-broom manner as determined by the orbital path. The system mass and power requirements are estimated to be 6 kg and 5 W, respectively. The package is proposed for a polar orbiter with a lifetime matching two Saturn seasons.

Airborne measurements in the infrared using FTIR-based imaging hyperspectral sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puckrin, E.; Turcotte, C. S.; Lahaie, P.; Dubé, D.; Lagueux, P.; Farley, V.; Marcotte, F.; Chamberland, M.

2009-09-01

Hyperspectral ground mapping is being used in an ever-increasing extent for numerous applications in the military, geology and environmental fields. The different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum help produce information of differing nature. The visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared radiation (400 nm to 2.5 μm) has been mostly used to analyze reflected solar light, while the mid-wave (3 to 5 μm) and long-wave (8 to 12 μm or thermal) infrared senses the self-emission of molecules directly, enabling the acquisition of data during night time. Push-broom dispersive sensors have been typically used for airborne hyperspectral mapping. However, extending the spectral range towards the mid-wave and long-wave infrared brings performance limitations due to the self emission of the sensor itself. The Fourier-transform spectrometer technology has been extensively used in the infrared spectral range due to its high transmittance as well as throughput and multiplex advantages, thereby reducing the sensor self-emission problem. Telops has developed the Hyper-Cam, a rugged and compact infrared hyperspectral imager. The Hyper-Cam is based on the Fourier-transform technology yielding high spectral resolution and enabling high accuracy radiometric calibration. It provides passive signature measurement capability, with up to 320x256 pixels at spectral resolutions of up to 0.25 cm-1. The Hyper-Cam has been used on the ground in several field campaigns, including the demonstration of standoff chemical agent detection. More recently, the Hyper-Cam has been integrated into an airplane to provide airborne measurement capabilities. A special pointing module was designed to compensate for airplane attitude and forward motion. To our knowledge, the Hyper-Cam is the first commercial airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor based on Fourier-transform infrared technology. The first airborne measurements and some preliminary performance criteria for the Hyper-Cam are presented in this paper.

Airborne measurements in the infrared using FTIR-based imaging hyperspectral sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puckrin, E.; Turcotte, C. S.; Lahaie, P.; Dubé, D.; Farley, V.; Lagueux, P.; Marcotte, F.; Chamberland, M.

2009-05-01

Hyperspectral ground mapping is being used in an ever-increasing extent for numerous applications in the military, geology and environmental fields. The different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum help produce information of differing nature. The visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared radiation (400 nm to 2.5 μm) has been mostly used to analyze reflected solar light, while the mid-wave (3 to 5 μm) and long-wave (8 to 12 μm or thermal) infrared senses the self-emission of molecules directly, enabling the acquisition of data during night time. Push-broom dispersive sensors have been typically used for airborne hyperspectral mapping. However, extending the spectral range towards the mid-wave and long-wave infrared brings performance limitations due to the self emission of the sensor itself. The Fourier-transform spectrometer technology has been extensively used in the infrared spectral range due to its high transmittance as well as throughput and multiplex advantages, thereby reducing the sensor self-emission problem. Telops has developed the Hyper-Cam, a rugged and compact infrared hyperspectral imager. The Hyper-Cam is based on the Fourier-transform technology yielding high spectral resolution and enabling high accuracy radiometric calibration. It provides passive signature measurement capability, with up to 320x256 pixels at spectral resolutions of up to 0.25 cm-1. The Hyper-Cam has been used on the ground in several field campaigns, including the demonstration of standoff chemical agent detection. More recently, the Hyper-Cam has been integrated into an airplane to provide airborne measurement capabilities. A special pointing module was designed to compensate for airplane attitude and forward motion. To our knowledge, the Hyper-Cam is the first commercial airborne hyperspectral imaging sensor based on Fourier-transform infrared technology. The first airborne measurements and some preliminary performance criteria for the Hyper-Cam are presented in this paper.

Towards an integrated approach to health and medicine in Africa.

PubMed

Batisai, Kezia

2016-12-01

This article frames the intersections of medicine and humanities as intrinsic to understanding the practice of health care in Africa. Central to this manuscript, which draws on empirical findings on the interplay between HIV and AIDS and alternative medicine in Zimbabwe is the realisation that very limited research has been undertaken to examine 'HIV/AIDS patient behaviour' with respect to choice of therapy on the continent [Bene, M. & Darkoh, M. B. K. (2014). The Constraints of Antiretroviral Uptake in Rural Areas: The Case of Thamaga and Surrounding Villages, Botswana. Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 11(1), 167-177. doi: 10.1080/17290376.2014.972057 ; Chavunduka, G. (1998). Professionalisation of Traditional Medicine in Zimbabwe, Harare, Jongwe Printers; O'Brien, S. & Broom, A. (2014). HIV in (and out of) the Clinic: Biomedicine, Traditional Medicine and Spiritual Healing in Harare. Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 11(1), 94-104. doi: 10.1080/17290376.2014.938102 ]. As such, a social approach to health-seeking behaviour questions how decisions about alternative therapies including herbal remedies, traditional healing and faith healing are made. The paper unpacks the realities around how people living with HIV and AIDS - who span different age groups and profess various religious backgrounds, faced with an insurmountable health challenge against a background of limited resources and no cure for the virus - often experience shifts in health-seeking behaviour. Grappling with seemingly simple questions about 'when, where and how to seek medical attention', the paper provides pointers to therapy choices and health-seeking behaviour; and it serves as a route into deeper and intense healthcare practice explorations. In conclusion, the paper proposes that medicine and the humanities should engage seriously with those social aspects of HIV and AIDS which call for an integrated approach to healthcare practice in Africa. If combined, medicine and the humanities might achieve what neither would alone.

Diversity of use and local knowledge of wild and cultivated plants in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

PubMed

Maroyi, Alfred

2017-08-08

Traditional ecological knowledge among indigenous communities plays an important role in retaining cultural identity and achieving sustainable natural resource management. Hundreds of millions of people mostly in developing countries derive a substantial part of their subsistence and income from plant resources. The aim of this study was to assess useful plant species diversity, plant use categories and local knowledge of both wild and cultivated useful species in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The study was conducted in six villages in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa between June 2014 and March 2017. Data on socio-economic characteristics of the participants, useful plants harvested from the wild, managed in home gardens were documented by means of questionnaires, observation and guided field walks with 138 participants. A total of 125 plant species belonging to 54 genera were recorded from the study area. More than half of the species (59.2%) are from 13 families, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asphodelaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae. More than a third of the useful plants (37.6%) documented in this study are exotic to South Africa. About three quarters of the documented species (74.4%) were collected from the wild, while 20.8% were cultivated and 4.8% were spontaneous. Majority of the species (62.4%) were used as herbal medicines, followed by food plants (30.4%), ethnoveterinary medicine (18.4%), construction timber and thatching (11.2%). Other minor plant use categories (1-5%) included firewood, browse, live fence, ornamentals, brooms and crafts. This study demonstrated that local people in the Eastern Cape province harbour important information on local vegetation that provides people with food, fuel and medicines, as well as materials for construction and the manufacturing of crafts and many other products. This study also demonstrated the dynamism of traditional ecological knowledge, practices and beliefs of local people demonstrated by the incorporation of exotic plants in their diets and indigenous pharmacopoeia.

Diagnostic performance of various familial hypercholesterolaemia diagnostic criteria compared to Dutch lipid clinic criteria in an Asian population.

PubMed

Abdul-Razak, Suraya; Rahmat, Radzi; Mohd Kasim, Alicezah; Rahman, Thuhairah Abdul; Muid, Suhaila; Nasir, Nadzimah Mohd; Ibrahim, Zubin; Kasim, Sazzli; Ismail, Zaliha; Abdul Ghani, Rohana; Sanusi, Abdul Rais; Rosman, Azhari; Nawawi, Hapizah

2017-10-16

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a genetic disorder with a high risk of developing premature coronary artery disease that should be diagnosed as early as possible. Several clinical diagnostic criteria for FH are available, with the Dutch Lipid Clinic Criteria (DLCC) being widely used. Information regarding diagnostic performances of the other criteria against the DLCC is scarce. We aimed to examine the diagnostic performance of the Simon-Broom (SB) Register criteria, the US Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Deaths (US MEDPED) and the Japanese FH Management Criteria (JFHMC) compared to the DLCC. Seven hundered fifty five individuals from specialist clinics and community health screenings with LDL-c level ≥ 4.0 mmol/L were selected and diagnosed as FH using the DLCC, the SB Register criteria, the US MEDPED and the JFHMC. The sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, positive and negative predictive values of individuals screened with the SB register criteria, US MEDPED and JFHMC were assessed against the DLCC. We found the SB register criteria identified more individuals with FH compared to the US MEDPED and the JFHMC (212 vs. 105 vs. 195; p < 0.001) when assessed against the DLCC. The SB Register criteria, the US MEDPED and the JFHMC had low sensitivity (51.1% vs. 25.3% vs. 47.0% respectively). The SB Register criteria showed better diagnostic performance than the other criteria with 98.8% specificity, 28.6% efficiency value, 98.1% and 62.3% for positive and negative predictive values respectively. The SB Register criteria appears to be more useful in identifying positive cases leading to genetic testing compared to the JFHMC and US MEDPED in this Asian population. However, further research looking into a suitable diagnosis criterion with high likelihood of positive genetic findings is required in the Asian population including in Malaysia.

Mutual information registration of multi-spectral and multi-resolution images of DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 imaging satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miecznik, Grzegorz; Shafer, Jeff; Baugh, William M.; Bader, Brett; Karspeck, Milan; Pacifici, Fabio

2017-05-01

WorldView-3 (WV-3) is a DigitalGlobe commercial, high resolution, push-broom imaging satellite with three instruments: visible and near-infrared VNIR consisting of panchromatic (0.3m nadir GSD) plus multi-spectral (1.2m), short-wave infrared SWIR (3.7m), and multi-spectral CAVIS (30m). Nine VNIR bands, which are on one instrument, are nearly perfectly registered to each other, whereas eight SWIR bands, belonging to the second instrument, are misaligned with respect to VNIR and to each other. Geometric calibration and ortho-rectification results in a VNIR/SWIR alignment which is accurate to approximately 0.75 SWIR pixel at 3.7m GSD, whereas inter-SWIR, band to band registration is 0.3 SWIR pixel. Numerous high resolution, spectral applications, such as object classification and material identification, require more accurate registration, which can be achieved by utilizing image processing algorithms, for example Mutual Information (MI). Although MI-based co-registration algorithms are highly accurate, implementation details for automated processing can be challenging. One particular challenge is how to compute bin widths of intensity histograms, which are fundamental building blocks of MI. We solve this problem by making the bin widths proportional to instrument shot noise. Next, we show how to take advantage of multiple VNIR bands, and improve registration sensitivity to image alignment. To meet this goal, we employ Canonical Correlation Analysis, which maximizes VNIR/SWIR correlation through an optimal linear combination of VNIR bands. Finally we explore how to register images corresponding to different spatial resolutions. We show that MI computed at a low-resolution grid is more sensitive to alignment parameters than MI computed at a high-resolution grid. The proposed modifications allow us to improve VNIR/SWIR registration to better than ¼ of a SWIR pixel, as long as terrain elevation is properly accounted for, and clouds and water are masked out.

Premature coronary heart disease and autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia: Increased risk in women with LDLR mutations.

PubMed

Ahmad, Zahid; Li, Xilong; Wosik, Jedrek; Mani, Preethi; Petr, Joye; McLeod, George; Murad, Shatha; Song, Li; Adams-Huet, Beverley; Garg, Abhimanyu

2016-01-01

For patients with autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH), it remains unclear whether differences exist in the risk of premature coronary heart disease (CHD) between patients with confirmed mutations in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) vs those without detectable mutations. This study sought to assess the risk of premature CHD in ADH patients with mutations in LDLR (referred to as familial hypercholesterolemia [FH]) vs those without detectable mutations (unexplained ADH), stratified by sex. Comparative study of premature CHD in a multiethnic cohort of 111 men and 165 women meeting adult Simon-Broome criteria for ADH. Women with FH (n = 51) had an increased risk of premature CHD compared with unexplained ADH women (n = 111; hazard ratio [HR], 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-5.34; P = .003) even after adjustment for lipid levels and traditional CHD risk factors (HR, 2.53 [1.10-5.83]; P = .005). Men with FH (n = 42), in contrast, had a similar risk of premature CHD when compared with unexplained ADH men (n = 66; unadjusted: HR, 1.48 [0.84-2.63]; P = .18; adjusted: HR, 1.04 [0.46-2.37]; P = .72). To address whether mutation status provides additional information beyond LDL-cholesterol level, we analyzed premature CHD risk for FH vs unexplained ADH at various percentiles of LDL-cholesterol: the risk ratios were significant for women at 25th percentile (HR, 4.90 [1.69-14.19]) and 50th percentile (HR, 3.44 [1.42-8.32]) but not at 75th percentile (HR, 1.99 [0.95-4.17]), and were not significant for men at any percentile. Our findings suggest that genetic confirmation of ADH may be important to identify patient's risk of CHD, especially for female LDLR mutation carriers. Copyright © 2016 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linear variable narrow bandpass optical filters in the far infrared (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmlow, Thomas D.

2017-06-01

We are currently developing linear variable filters (LVF) with very high wavelength gradients. In the visible, these filters have a wavelength gradient of 50 to 100 nm/mm. In the infrared, the wavelength gradient covers the range of 500 to 900 microns/mm. Filter designs include band pass, long pass and ulta-high performance anti-reflection coatings. The active area of the filters is on the order of 5 to 30 mm along the wavelength gradient and up to 30 mm in the orthogonal, constant wavelength direction. Variation in performance along the constant direction is less than 1%. Repeatable performance from filter to filter, absolute placement of the filter relative to a substrate fiducial and, high in-band transmission across the full spectral band is demonstrated. Applications include order sorting filters, direct replacement of the spectrometer and hyper-spectral imaging. Off-band rejection with an optical density of greater than 3 allows use of the filter as an order sorting filter. The linear variable order sorting filters replaces other filter types such as block filters. The disadvantage of block filters is the loss of pixels due to the transition between filter blocks. The LVF is a continuous gradient without a discrete transition between filter wavelength regions. If the LVF is designed as a narrow band pass filter, it can be used in place of a spectrometer thus reducing overall sensor weight and cost while improving the robustness of the sensor. By controlling the orthogonal performance (smile) the LVF can be sized to the dimensions of the detector. When imaging on to a 2 dimensional array and operating the sensor in a push broom configuration, the LVF spectrometer performs as a hyper-spectral imager. This paper presents performance of LVF fabricated in the far infrared on substrates sized to available detectors. The impact of spot size, F-number and filter characterization are presented. Results are also compared to extended visible LVF filters.

Changes in Sugary Beverage Consumption and Public Perceptions in Upstate New York After Implementation of a Community Awareness Campaign and Healthier Vending Strategies.

PubMed

Durant, Danielle J; Lowenfels, Ann; Ren, Jia; Brissette, Ian; Martin, Erika G

2018-02-23

We evaluated the impact of a community-based healthy beverage procurement and serving practices program, and educational media campaign, on residents' behaviors and beliefs regarding sugary beverages. Repeated cross-sectional population surveys in 2013 and 2014 were conducted, as well as semistructured interviews with key informants. We employed multivariate differences-in-differences regression analysis, adjusting for demographics and weight status, using the survey data. Key informant interviews were reviewed for common themes. Three rural counties in upstate New York with high prevalence of children living in poverty and childhood obesity. Residents of Broome, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua, with Chemung as a control, reached through cross-sectional random-digit-dial landline and cellular telephones, and practitioners involved in intervention implementation. Community organizations were encouraged through presentations to leadership to adopt healthier vending policies, providing more low- and no-sugar options, and were provided assistance with implementation. In addition, a media campaign supported by presentations to the public aimed to educate residents regarding the health consequences of sugary beverage consumption. The survey measured population demographics and sugary beverage consumption frequency, availability, beliefs about harmfulness, and support for regulation, pre- and postintervention. Key informant interviews elicited perceived program challenges and successes. Compared with temporal trends in the control county, availability of regular soda in the intervention counties decreased (differences-in-differences estimator: β = -.341, P = .04) and support for regulation increased (differences-in-differences estimator: β = .162, P = .02). However, there were no differences regarding beliefs about harmfulness or consumption. Practitioners confirmed that the intervention increased awareness but was insufficient to spur action. Although public education on the harmfulness of sugary beverages and provision of healthier options in some vending machines successfully impacted soda availability and support for regulation, it did not reduce consumption. This intervention seems promising but should be paired with other community-based interventions for a more comprehensive approach.

The CarbonSat candidate mission for imaging greenhouse gases from space: concepts and system requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sierk, B.; Caron, J.; Bézy, J.-L.; Löscher, A.; Meijer, Y.; Jurado, P.

2017-11-01

CarbonSat is a candidate mission for ESA's Earth Explorer program, currently undergoing industrial feasibility studies. The primary mission objective is the identification and quantification of regional and local sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The mission also aims at discriminating natural and anthropogenic fluxes. The space-borne instrument will quantify the spatial distribution of CO2 and CH4 by measuring dry air column-averaged mixing ratios with high precision and accuracy (0.5 ppm for CO2 and 5 ppb for CH4). These products are inferred from spectrally resolved measurements of Earth reflectance in three spectral bands in the Near Infrared (747-773 nm) and Short Wave Infrared (1590-1675 nm and 1925-2095 nm), at high and medium spectral resolution (0.1nm, 0.3 nm, and 0.55 nm). Three spatially co-aligned push-broom imaging spectrometers with a swath width <180 km will acquire observations at a spatial resolution of 2 x 3 km2 , reaching global coverage every 12 days above 40 degrees latitude (30 days at the equator). The targeted product accuracy translates into stringent radiometric, spectral and geometric requirements for the instrument. Because of the high sensitivity of the product retrieval to spurious spectral features of the instrument, special emphasis is placed on constraining relative spectral radiometric errors from polarisation sensitivity, diffuser speckles and stray light. A new requirement formulation targets to simultaneously constrain both the amplitude and the correlation of spectral features with the absorption structures of the targeted gases. The requirement performance analysis of the so-called effective spectral radiometric accuracy (ESRA) establishes a traceable link between instrumental artifacts and the impact on the level-2 products (column-averaged mixing ratios). This paper presents the derivation of system requirements from the demanding mission objectives and report preliminary results of the feasibility studies.

Improving identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary care: Pre- and post-intervention study.

PubMed

Weng, Stephen; Kai, Joe; Tranter, Jennifer; Leonardi-Bee, Jo; Qureshi, Nadeem

2018-04-30

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a major cause of premature heart disease but remains unrecognised in most patients. This study investigated if a systematic primary care-based approach to identify and manage possible FH improves recommended best clinical practice. Pre- and post-intervention study in six UK general practices (population 45,033), which invited patients with total cholesterol >7.5 mmol/L to be assessed for possible FH. Compliance with national guideline recommendations to identify and manage possible FH (repeat cholesterol; assess family history of heart disease; identify secondary causes and clinical features; reduce total & LDL-cholesterol; statin prescribing; lifestyle advice) was assessed by calculating the absolute difference in measures of care pre- and six months post-intervention. The intervention improved best clinical practice in 118 patients consenting to assessment (of 831 eligible patients): repeat cholesterol test (+75.4%, 95% CI 66.9-82.3); family history of heart disease assessed (+35.6%, 95% CI 27.0-44.2); diagnosis of secondary causes (+7.7%, 95% CI 4.1-13.9), examining clinical features (+6.0%, 95% CI 2.9-11.7). For 32 patients diagnosed with possible FH using Simon-Broome criteria, statin prescription significantly improved (18.8%, 95% CI 8.9-35.3), with non-significant mean reductions in cholesterol post-intervention (total: -0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.78-0.46; LDL: -0.12 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.81-0.57). Within six months, this simple primary care intervention improved both identification and management of patients with possible FH, in line with national evidence-based guidelines. Replicating and sustaining this approach across the country could lead to substantial improvement in health outcomes for these individuals with very high cardiovascular risk. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving chocolate flavor in poor-quality cocoa almonds by enzymatic treatment.

PubMed

Oliveira, Hilana Salete Silva; Mamede, Maria Eugênia Oliveira; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles; Koblitz, Maria Gabriela Bello

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a method to enzymatically treat poor-quality cocoa almonds (known as "slate") to ensure the formation of chocolate flavor precursors. The production of flavor precursors improves the quality of these almonds, which are usually responsible for the low quality of the liquor produced. Proteases and carboxypeptidases from different sources were tested under various conditions. The different treatments were evaluated by chemical analysis (hydrolysis efficiency) and sensory analysis of the treated material compared to good-quality cocoa almonds. The results show that it is possible, through the use of microbial enzymes, to generate the mixture of compounds that will release, after roasting, the characteristic chocolate flavor in poor-quality almonds. However, it is necessary to optimize the conditions of enzymatic treatment to obtain better results and thus establish a process that can be used for industrial purposes for manufacturing cocoa and chocolate. The basidiomycete Moniliophtora perniciosa is the causative agent of witches' broom disease (WBD) of the cocoa tree, whose seeds are the source of chocolate. It is the most important phytopathological problem of cocoa-producing areas of the American continent, and has decimated the Brazilian cocoa industry. In Bahia (Brazil), M. perniciosa was identified in 1989 and, as a consequence of its spreading, the annual production of cocoa almonds dropped from 450,000 to 90,000 tons within 12 y, reducing export values from an all-time high of about US$ 1 billion to 110 million. The high incidence of WBD incapacitates Brazil to produce enough cocoa almonds even for the internal market, leading the country to import low-quality cocoa almonds mainly from African countries. Our work proposes an enzymatic treatment to increase the quality of that cocoa almonds and, consequently, to improve the quality of the chocolate produced and consumed in the country. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Volcanic Plume Elevation Model Derived From Landsat 8: examples on Holuhraun (Iceland) and Mount Etna (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Michele, Marcello; Raucoules, Daniel; Arason, Þórður; Spinetti, Claudia; Corradini, Stefano; Merucci, Luca

2016-04-01

The retrieval of both height and velocity of a volcanic plume is an important issue in volcanology. As an example, it is known that large volcanic eruptions can temporarily alter the climate, causing global cooling and shifting precipitation patterns; the ash/gas dispersion in the atmosphere, their impact and lifetime around the globe, greatly depends on the injection altitude. Plume height information is critical for ash dispersion modelling and air traffic security. Furthermore, plume height during explosive volcanism is the primary parameter for estimating mass eruption rate. Knowing the plume altitude is also important to get the correct amount of SO2 concentration from dedicated spaceborne spectrometers. Moreover, the distribution of ash deposits on ground greatly depends on the ash cloud altitude, which has an impact on risk assessment and crisis management. Furthermore, a spatially detailed plume height measure could be used as a hint for gas emission rate estimation and for ash plume volume researches, which both have an impact on climate research, air quality assessment for aviation and finally for the understanding of the volcanic system itself as ash/gas emission rates are related to the state of pressurization of the magmatic chamber. Today, the community mainly relies on ground based measurements but often they can be difficult to collect as by definition volcanic areas are dangerous areas (presence of toxic gases) and can be remotely situated and difficult to access. Satellite remote sensing offers a comprehensive and safe way to estimate plume height. Conventional photogrammetric restitution based on satellite imagery fails in precisely retrieving a plume elevation model as the plume own velocity induces an apparent parallax that adds up to the standard parallax given by the stereoscopic view. Therefore, measurements based on standard satellite photogrammeric restitution do not apply as there is an ambiguity in the measurement of the plume position. Standard spaceborne along-track stereo imagers (e.g. SPOT 5, ASTER or Quickbird among the others) present a long temporal lag between the two stereo image acquisitions. It can reach tens of seconds for baseline-to-height ratios (B/H) between 0.2 and 0.5, during which time the surface texture of the plume may have changed due to the plume fast displacement (i.e. velocities larger than 10 m/s) biasing automatic cross correlation offset measurements. For the purpose of the plume surface elevation model extraction, the ideal is as small as possible time lag, with still a B/H ratio large enough to provide a stereoscopic view for restituting the height. In this study we present a method to restitute a detailed map of the surface height of a volcanic eruptive column from optical satellite imagery. We call it the volcanic Plume Elevation Model (PEM). As the volcanic plume is moving rapidly, conventional satellite based photogrammetric height restitution methods do not apply as the epipolar offset due to plume motion adds up to the one generated by the stereoscopic view. This is because there are time-lags of tens of seconds between conventional satellite stereoscopic acquisitions, depending on the stereo acquisition mode. Our method is based on a single satellite pass. We exploit the short time lag and resulting baseline that exist between the multispectral (MS) and the panchromatic (PAN) bands to jointly measure the epipolar offsets and the perpendicular to the epipolar (P2E) offsets. The former are proportional to plume height plus the offsets due to plume velocity in the epipolar direction. The latter, are proportional to plume velocity in the P2E direction only. The latter is used to compensate the effect of plume velocity in the stereoscopic offsets by projecting it on the epipolar direction assuming a known plume direction, thus improving the height measurement precision. We apply the method to Landsat 8 data taking into account the specificities of the focal plane modules. We focus on the Holuhraun 2014 fissure eruption (Iceland) and on Mount Etna (Italy) 2013 episode. We validate our measurements against ground based measurements. The method has potential for detailed high resolution routine measurements of volcanic plume height/velocity. The method can be applied both to other multi focal plane modules push broom sensors (such as the ESA Sentinel 2) and potentially to other push-broom systems such as the CNES SPOT family and Pléiades.

Personal Breathing Zone Exposures among Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving Workers; Preliminary Analysis for Trends and Analysis of Work Practices That Resulted in the Highest Exposure Concentrations

PubMed Central

Osborn, Linda V.; Snawder, John E.; Kriech, Anthony J.; Cavallari, Jennifer M.; McClean, Michael D.; Herrick, Robert F.; Blackburn, Gary R.; Olsen, Larry D.

2015-01-01

An exposure assessment of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) paving workers was conducted to determine which of four exposure scenarios impacted worker exposure and dose. Goals of this report are to present the personal-breathing zone (PBZ) data, discuss the impact of substituting the releasing/cleaning agent, and discuss work practices that resulted in the highest exposure concentration for each analyte. One-hundred-seven PBZ samples were collected from HMA paving workers on days when diesel oil was used as a releasing/cleaning agent. An additional 36 PBZ samples were collected on days when B-100 (100% biodiesel, containing no petroleum-derived products) was used as a substitute releasing/cleaning agent. Twenty-four PBZ samples were collected from a reference group of concrete workers, who also worked in outdoor construction but had no exposure to asphalt emissions. Background and field blank samples were also collected daily. Total particulates and the benzene soluble fraction were determined gravimetrically. Total organic matter was determined using gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection and provided qualitative information about other exposure sources contributing to worker exposure besides asphalt emissions. Thirty-three individual polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were determined using GC with time-offlight mass spectrometry; results were presented as either the concentration of an individual PAC or a summation of the individual PACs containing either 2- to 3-rings or 4- to 6-rings. Samples were also screened for PACs containing 4- to 6-rings using fluorescence spectroscopy. Arithmetic means, medians, and box plots of the PBZ data were used to evaluate trends in the data. Box plots illustrating the diesel oil results were more variable than the B-100. Also, the highest diesel oil results were much higher in concentration than the highest B-100 results. An analysis of the highest exposure results and field notes revealed a probable association between these exposures and the use of diesel oil, use of a diesel-powered screed, elevated HMA paving application temperatures, lubricating and working on broken-down equipment, and operation of a broom machine. PMID:24195533

Identification of genes differentially expressed during interaction of Mexican lime tree infected with "Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia"

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background "Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia", is the causative agent of witches' broom disease in Mexican lime trees (Citrus aurantifolia L.), and is responsible for major losses of Mexican lime trees in Southern Iran and Oman. The pathogen is strictly biotrophic, and thus is completely dependent on living host cells for its survival. The molecular basis of compatibility and disease development in this system is poorly understood. Therefore, we have applied a cDNA- amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) approach to analyze gene expression in Mexican lime trees infected by "Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia". Results We carried out cDNA-AFLP analysis on grafted infected Mexican lime trees of the susceptible cultivar at the representative symptoms stage. Selective amplifications with 43 primer combinations allowed the visualisation of 55 transcript-derived fragments that were expressed differentially between infected and non-infected leaves. We sequenced 51 fragments, 36 of which were identified as lime tree transcripts after homology searching. Of the 36 genes, 70.5% were down-regulated during infection and could be classified into various functional groups. We showed that Mexican lime tree genes that were homologous to known resistance genes tended to be repressed in response to infection. These included the genes for modifier of snc1 and autophagy protein 5. Furthermore, down-regulation of genes involved in metabolism, transcription, transport and cytoskeleton was observed, which included the genes for formin, importin β 3, transducin, L-asparaginase, glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase, and RNA polymerase β. In contrast, genes that encoded a proline-rich protein, ubiquitin-protein ligase, phosphatidyl glycerol specific phospholipase C-like, and serine/threonine-protein kinase were up-regulated during the infection. Conclusion The present study identifies a number of candidate genes that might be involved in the interaction of Mexican lime trees with "Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia". These results should help to elucidate the molecular basis of the infection process and to identify genes that could be targeted to increase plant resistance and inhibit the growth and reproduction of the pathogen. PMID:21194490

Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Debashis; Srivastava, Pankaj; Giri, Nishita; Kaushal, Rajesh; Cerda, Artemi; Meherul Alam, Nurnabi

2017-02-01

Although intensive agriculture is necessary to sustain the world's growing population, accelerated soil erosion contributes to a decrease in the environmental health of ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Reversing the process of land degradation using vegetative measures is of utmost importance in such ecosystems. The present study critically analyzes the effect of grasses in reversing the process of land degradation using a systematic review. The collected information was segregated under three different land use and land management situations. Meta-analysis was applied to test the hypothesis that the use of grasses reduces runoff and soil erosion. The effect of grasses was deduced for grass strip and in combination with physical structures. Similarly, the effects of grasses were analyzed in degraded pasture lands. The overall result of the meta-analysis showed that infiltration capacity increased approximately 2-fold after planting grasses across the slopes in agricultural fields. Grazing land management through a cut-and-carry system increased conservation efficiencies by 42 and 63 % with respect to reduction in runoff and erosion, respectively. Considering the comprehensive performance index (CPI), it has been observed that hybrid Napier (Pennisetum purpureum) and sambuta (Saccharum munja) grass seem to posses the most desirable attributes as an effective grass barrier for the western Himalayas and Eastern Ghats, while natural grass (Dichanthium annulatum) and broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima) are found to be most promising grass species for the Konkan region of the Western Ghats and the northeastern Himalayan region, respectively. In addition to these benefits, it was also observed that soil carbon loss can be reduced by 83 % with the use of grasses. Overall, efficacy for erosion control of various grasses was more than 60 %; hence, their selection should be based on the production potential of these grasses under given edaphic and agro-ecological conditions. The present analysis also indicated that grass must be used as a vegetative strip to maintain soil quality in sloppy arable areas (8.5 Mha) of Indian hilly regions. Similarly, due attention should be paid for establishing grasses in 3 Mha of degraded pasture lands and 3.5 Mha of shifting cultivation areas in India to reverse the land degradation.

Personal breathing zone exposures among hot-mix asphalt paving workers; preliminary analysis for trends and analysis of work practices that resulted in the highest exposure concentrations.

PubMed

Osborn, Linda V; Snawder, John E; Kriech, Anthony J; Cavallari, Jennifer M; McClean, Michael D; Herrick, Robert F; Blackburn, Gary R; Olsen, Larry D

2013-01-01

An exposure assessment of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) paving workers was conducted to determine which of four exposure scenarios impacted worker exposure and dose. Goals of this report are to present the personal-breathing zone (PBZ) data, discuss the impact of substituting the releasing/cleaning agent, and discuss work practices that resulted in the highest exposure concentration for each analyte. One-hundred-seven PBZ samples were collected from HMA paving workers on days when diesel oil was used as a releasing/cleaning agent. An additional 36 PBZ samples were collected on days when B-100 (100% biodiesel, containing no petroleum-derived products) was used as a substitute releasing/cleaning agent. Twenty-four PBZ samples were collected from a reference group of concrete workers, who also worked in outdoor construction but had no exposure to asphalt emissions. Background and field blank samples were also collected daily. Total particulates and the benzene soluble fraction were determined gravimetrically. Total organic matter was determined using gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection and provided qualitative information about other exposure sources contributing to worker exposure besides asphalt emissions. Thirty-three individual polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were determined using GC with time-of-flight mass spectrometry; results were presented as either the concentration of an individual PAC or a summation of the individual PACs containing either 2- to 3-rings or 4- to 6-rings. Samples were also screened for PACs containing 4- to 6-rings using fluorescence spectroscopy. Arithmetic means, medians, and box plots of the PBZ data were used to evaluate trends in the data. Box plots illustrating the diesel oil results were more variable than the B-100. Also, the highest diesel oil results were much higher in concentration than the highest B-100 results. An analysis of the highest exposure results and field notes revealed a probable association between these exposures and the use of diesel oil, use of a diesel-powered screed, elevated HMA paving application temperatures, lubricating and working on broken-down equipment, and operation of a broom machine.

Overview of Initial Results from CRISM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seelos, F.; Murchie, S.; Mustard, J.; Pelkey, S.; Roach, L.; Elhmann, B.; Arvidson, R.; Wiseman, S.; Milliken, R.; CRISM Team

2007-05-01

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reached 100 days of primary science phase operations on February 15th, 2007. Over this time period, the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) has acquired high spatial resolution hyperspectral observations and contextual multispectral survey data of type localities that record water-rock interaction through much of the geologic history of Mars. CRISM's primary science objectives are to characterize the mineralogical record of past aqueous environments and to monitor the contemporary spatial and seasonal distributions of volatiles in the surface-atmosphere system. These objectives are accomplished through an observation strategy that includes targeted data acquisition, atmospheric and seasonal monitoring, and global mapping. Targeted observations are acquired by gimbaling the instrument along-track to reduce apparent ground motion, resulting in a spatial resolution of 15-20 m/pixel in 544 wavelengths from 362 to 3920 nm. As a part of each targeted observation 10 additional spatially binned images are acquired at different atmospheric path lengths, creating an emission phase function (EPF) that allows surface-atmosphere separation in the analysis of the observed radiance. The atmospheric and seasonal monitoring campaigns consist of global grids of EPF measurements at regular Ls intervals. In CRISM's global mapping campaign, data are acquired in a push broom observing mode at a reduced spatial and spectral resolution of 200m/pxl and 72 selected spectral channels. Initial data analysis reveals evidence for environmental variability throughout Martian history. Noachian deposits exhibit diverse phyllosilicate mineralogy in a greater number of geologic units than previously recognized. Distinct mineralogic signatures are sometimes separated only by hundreds of meters, indicating variability in alteration environment or parent rock composition. Hesperian layered deposits exhibit strong vertical heterogeneity with different abundances and types of sulfate minerals, suggesting local environmental changes on short geologic timescales. The Amazonian north polar layered deposits exhibit complex vertical layering in the abundance and/or grain size of water ice. The underlying basal unit shows little evidence for ice except in restricted locations where the morphology is consistent with subsequent modification of the deposits by fluid flow. Multispectral mapping is nearly complete at the high northern latitudes and shows evidence for significant hydrated mineral content in portions of the basal unit.

High Density Schottky Barrier Infrared Charge-Coupled Device (IRCCD) Sensors For Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) Applications At Intermediate Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elabd, H.; Villani, T. S.; Tower, J. R.

1982-11-01

Monolithic 32 x 64 and 64 x 128 palladium silicide (Pd2Si) interline transfer IRCCDs sensitive in the 1-3.5 pm spectral band have been developed. This silicon imager exhibits a low response nonuniformity of typically 0.2-1.6% rms, and has been operated in the temperature range between 40-140K. Spectral response measurements of test Pd2Si p-type Si devices yield quantum efficiencies of 7.9% at 1.25 μm, 5.6% at 1.65 μm and 2.2% at 2.22 μm. Improvement in quantum efficiency is expected by optimizing the different structural parameters of the Pd2Si detectors. The spectral response of the Pd2Si detectors fit a modified Fowler emission model. The measured photo-electric barrier height for the Pd2Si detector is ≍0.34 eV and the measured quantum efficiency coefficient, C1, is 19%/eV. The dark current level of Pd2Si Schottky barrier focal plane arrays (FPAs) is sufficiently low to enable operation at intermediate tem-peratures at TV frame rates. Typical dark current level measured at 120K on the FPA is 2 nA/cm2. The Pd2Si Schottky barrier imaging technology has been developed for satellite sensing of earth resources. The operating temperature of the Pd2Si FPA is compatible with passive cooler performance. In addition, high density Pd2Si Schottky barrier FPAs are manufactured with high yield and therefore represent an economical approach to short wavelength IR imaging. A Pd2Si Schottky barrier image sensor for push-broom multispectral imaging in the 1.25, 1.65, and 2.22 μm bands is being studied. The sensor will have two line arrays (dual band capability) of 512 detectors each, with 30 μm center-to-center detector spacing. The device will be suitable for chip-to-chip abutment, thus providing the capability to produce large, multiple chip focal planes with contiguous, in-line sensors.

Earth Observing-1 Advanced Land Imager: Imaging Performance On-Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hearn, D. R.

2002-01-01

This report analyzes the on-orbit imaging performance of the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on the Earth Observing-1 satellite. The pre-flight calibrations are first summarized. The methods used to reconstruct and geometrically correct the image data from this push-broom sensor are described. The method used here does not refer to the position and attitude telemetry from the spacecraft. Rather, it is assumed that the image of the scene moves across the focal plane with a constant velocity, which can be ascertained from the image data itself. Next, an assortment of the images so reconstructed is presented. Color images sharpened with the 10-m panchromatic band data are shown, and the algorithm for producing them from the 30-m multispectral data is described. The approach taken for assessing spatial resolution is to compare the sharpness of features in the on-orbit image data with profiles predicted on the basis of the pre-flight calibrations. A large assortment of bridge profiles is analyzed, and very good fits to the predicted shapes are obtained. Lunar calibration scans are analyzed to examine the sharpness of the edge-spread function at the limb of the moon. The darkness of the space beyond the limb is better for this purpose than anything that could be simulated on the ground. From these scans, we find clear evidence of scattering in the optical system, as well as some weak ghost images. Scans of planets and stars are also analyzed. Stars are useful point sources of light at all wavelengths, and delineate the point-spread functions of the system. From a quarter-speed scan over the Pleiades, we find that the ALI can detect 6th magnitude stars. The quality of the reconstructed images verifies the capability of the ALI to produce Landsat-type multi spectral data. The signal-to-noise and panchromatic spatial resolution are considerably superior to those of the existing Landsat sensors. The spatial resolution is confirmed to be as good as it was designed to be.

The mitochondrial genome of Moniliophthora roreri, the frosty pod rot pathogen of cacao.

PubMed

Costa, Gustavo G L; Cabrera, Odalys G; Tiburcio, Ricardo A; Medrano, Francisco J; Carazzolle, Marcelo F; Thomazella, Daniela P T; Schuster, Stephen C; Carlson, John E; Guiltinan, Mark J; Bailey, Bryan A; Mieczkowski, Piotr; Pereira, Gonçalo A G; Meinhardt, Lyndel W

2012-05-01

In this study, we report the sequence of the mitochondrial (mt) genome of the Basidiomycete fungus Moniliophthora roreri, which is the etiologic agent of frosty pod rot of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). We also compare it to the mtDNA from the closely-related species Moniliophthora perniciosa, which causes witches' broom disease of cacao. The 94 Kb mtDNA genome of M. roreri has a circular topology and codes for the typical 14 mt genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. It also codes for both rRNA genes, a ribosomal protein subunit, 13 intronic open reading frames (ORFs), and a full complement of 27 tRNA genes. The conserved genes of M. roreri mtDNA are completely syntenic with homologous genes of the 109 Kb mtDNA of M. perniciosa. As in M. perniciosa, M. roreri mtDNA contains a high number of hypothetical ORFs (28), a remarkable feature that make Moniliophthoras the largest reservoir of hypothetical ORFs among sequenced fungal mtDNA. Additionally, the mt genome of M. roreri has three free invertron-like linear mt plasmids, one of which is very similar to that previously described as integrated into the main M. perniciosa mtDNA molecule. Moniliophthora roreri mtDNA also has a region of suspected plasmid origin containing 15 hypothetical ORFs distributed in both strands. One of these ORFs is similar to an ORF in the mtDNA gene encoding DNA polymerase in Pleurotus ostreatus. The comparison to M. perniciosa showed that the 15 Kb difference in mtDNA sizes is mainly attributed to a lower abundance of repetitive regions in M. roreri (5.8 Kb vs 20.7 Kb). The most notable differences between M. roreri and M. perniciosa mtDNA are attributed to repeats and regions of plasmid origin. These elements might have contributed to the rapid evolution of mtDNA. Since M. roreri is the second species of the genus Moniliophthora whose mtDNA genome has been sequenced, the data presented here contribute valuable information for understanding the evolution of fungal mt genomes among closely-related species. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of full-frame sensors for height estimation of volcanic clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakšek, Klemen; Schilling, Klaus; Tzschichholz, Tristan; Hort, Matthias

2017-04-01

The quality of ash dispersion prediction is limited by the lack of high-quality information on eruption source parameters. One of the most important ones is the Volcanic Cloud Top Height (VCTH). Because of well-known uncertainties of currently operational methods, photogrammetric methods can be used to improve VCTH estimates. But even photogrammetric methods have difficulties because appropriate data are lacking. Here we propose an application of full-frame sensors that are available on the new generation of small satellites. A full-frame sensor makes a 2D image in a fraction of a second and it does not require a satellite to move, as a typical push-broom sensor does. In addition, full-frame sensors usually provide a better spatial resolution than most operational satellite instruments, resulting in a shorter minimal distance between satellites to produce a suitable parallax. From such images, it is possible to reconstruct a volcanic plume in 3D using methodology Structure from Motion (SfM) using the following workflow. 1) Convert images to grayscale and use local adaptive Wallis filter to enhance texture in images. 2) Use SfM software for sparse 3D reconstruction, which includes pose estimation of the cameras, features detection, and features matching. 3) Densify 3D reconstruction, create a mesh and optionally cover it with texture. 4) Use a 7-parameters similarity transformation (based on the satellite's orbit) to geolocate the results. The procedure has been tested with photos of 2009 Sarychev Peak eruption made by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), as a part of the NASA program Crew Earth observations. The estimated VCTH values are a bit larger than already published estimates. The presented work is just a pre-study of the forthcoming NetSat (planned launch at the end of 2017) and TOM mission (planned launch in 2019). These missions will provide VCTH based on simultaneous observations of clouds from different satellites - 4 (NetSat) and 3 (TOM) CubeSats will be flying in a pearl of strings or cartwheel formation. Both missions will fly on the height of 600 km with a distance of 100 km between two of them.

Evaluation of Forest Health Conditions using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatfield, M. C.; Heutte, T. M.

2016-12-01

US Forest Service Alaska Region Forest Health Protection (FHP) and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) are evaluating capability of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to monitor forest health conditions in Alaska's Interior Region. In July 2016, the team deployed UAS at locations in the Tanana Valley near Fairbanks in order to familiarize FHP staff with capabilities of UAS for evaluating insect and disease damage. While many potential uses of UAS to evaluate and monitor forest health can be envisioned, this project focused on use of a small UAS for rapid assessment of insect and disease damage. Traditional ground-based methods are limited by distance from ground to canopy and inaccessibility of forest stands due to terrain conditions. Observation from fixed-wing aircraft provide a broad overview of conditions but are limited by minimum safe flying altitude (500' AGL) and aircraft speed ( 100 mph). UAS may provide a crucial bridge to fill in gaps between ground and airborne methods, and offer significant cost savings and greater flexibility over helicopter-based observations. Previous uses of UAS for forest health monitoring are limited - this project focuses on optimizing choice of vehicle, sensors, resolution and area scanned from different altitudes, and use of visual spectrum vs NIR image collection. The vehicle selected was the ACUASI Ptarmigan, a small hexacopter (based on DJI S800 airframe and 3DR autopilot) capable of carrying a 1.5 kg payload for 15 min for close-range environmental monitoring missions. Sites were chosen for conditions favorable to UAS operation and presence of forest insect and disease agents including spruce broom rust, aspen leaf miner, birch leaf roller, and willow leafblotch miner. A total of 29 flights were conducted with 9000+ images collected. Mission variables included camera height, UAS speed, and medium- (Sony NEX-7) vs low-resolution (GoPro Hero) cameras. Invaluable knowledge was gained as to limitations and opportunities for field deployment of UAS relative to local conditions of terrain and forest type. Analysis will include image suitability for orthocorrection and production of stand level image mosaic, with further optimization of image collection parameters to detect known insect- and disease-caused disturbance.

Enabling High Spectral Resolution Thermal Imaging from CubeSat and MicroSatellite Platforms Using Uncooled Microbolometers and a Fabry-Perot interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, R.; Lucey, P. G.; Crites, S.; Garbeil, H.; Wood, M.; Pilger, E. J.; Honniball, C.; Gabrieli, A.

2016-12-01

Measurements of reflectance or emittance in tens of narrow, contiguous wavebands, allow for the derivation of laboratory quality spectra remotely, from which the chemical composition and physical properties of targets can be determined. Although spaceborne (e.g. EO-1 Hyperion) hyperspectral data in the 0.4-2.5 micron (VSWIR) region are available, the provision of equivalent data in the log-wave infrared has lagged behind, there being no currently operational high spatial resolution LWIR imaging spectrometer on orbit. This is attributable to two factors. Firstly, earth emits less light than it reflects, reducing the signal available to measure in the TIR, and secondly, instruments designed to measure (and spectrally decompose) this signal are more complex, massive, and expensive than their VSWIR counterparts, largely due to the need to cryogenically cool the detector and optics. However, this measurement gap needs to be filled, as LWIR data provide fundamentally different information than VSWIR measurements. The TIRCIS instrument (Thermal Infra-Red Compact Imaging Spectrometer), developed at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, uses a Fabry-Perot interferometer, an uncooled microbolometer array, and push-broom scanning to acquire hyperspectral image data in the 8-14 micron spectral range. Radiometric calibration is provided by blackbody targets while spectral calibration is achieved using monochromatic light sources. The instrument has a mass of <15 kg and dimensions of 53 cm × 25 cm × 22 cm, and has been designed to be compatible with integration into a micro-satellite platform. (A precursor to this instrument was launched onboard a 55 kg microsatellite as part of the ORS-4 mission in October 2015). The optical design yields a 120 m ground sample size given an orbit of 500 km. Over the wavelength interval of 7.5 to 14 microns up to 50 spectral samples are possible (the accompanying image shows a quartz spectrum composed of 17 spectral samples). Our performance model indicates signal-to-noise ratios of 400-800:1.

A genetically anchored physical framework for Theobroma cacao cv. Matina 1-6

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The fermented dried seeds of Theobroma cacao (cacao tree) are the main ingredient in chocolate. World cocoa production was estimated to be 3 million tons in 2010 with an annual estimated average growth rate of 2.2%. The cacao bean production industry is currently under threat from a rise in fungal diseases including black pod, frosty pod, and witches' broom. In order to address these issues, genome-sequencing efforts have been initiated recently to facilitate identification of genetic markers and genes that could be utilized to accelerate the release of robust T. cacao cultivars. However, problems inherent with assembly and resolution of distal regions of complex eukaryotic genomes, such as gaps, chimeric joins, and unresolvable repeat-induced compressions, have been unavoidably encountered with the sequencing strategies selected. Results Here, we describe the construction of a BAC-based integrated genetic-physical map of the T. cacao cultivar Matina 1-6 which is designed to augment and enhance these sequencing efforts. Three BAC libraries, each comprised of 10× coverage, were constructed and fingerprinted. 230 genetic markers from a high-resolution genetic recombination map and 96 Arabidopsis-derived conserved ortholog set (COS) II markers were anchored using pooled overgo hybridization. A dense tile path consisting of 29,383 BACs was selected and end-sequenced. The physical map consists of 154 contigs and 4,268 singletons. Forty-nine contigs are genetically anchored and ordered to chromosomes for a total span of 307.2 Mbp. The unanchored contigs (105) span 67.4 Mbp and therefore the estimated genome size of T. cacao is 374.6 Mbp. A comparative analysis with A. thaliana, V. vinifera, and P. trichocarpa suggests that comparisons of the genome assemblies of these distantly related species could provide insights into genome structure, evolutionary history, conservation of functional sites, and improvements in physical map assembly. A comparison between the two T. cacao cultivars Matina 1-6 and Criollo indicates a high degree of collinearity in their genomes, yet rearrangements were also observed. Conclusions The results presented in this study are a stand-alone resource for functional exploitation and enhancement of Theobroma cacao but are also expected to complement and augment ongoing genome-sequencing efforts. This resource will serve as a template for refinement of the T. cacao genome through gap-filling, targeted re-sequencing, and resolution of repetitive DNA arrays. PMID:21846342

The Development Of Enabling Technologies For Submillimeter-Wave Remote Sensing of Ice Clouds From Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Racette, Paul; Wang, James R.; Ackerman, Steven; Skofronick-Jackson, Gail; Evans, K. Frank; O'CStarr, David

2006-01-01

This paper presents the chronological development of technologies and techniques that have led to a satellite mission concept aimed at quantifying the temporal and spatial distributions of upper tropospheric ice clouds. The Submillimeter-wave and Infrared Ice Cloud Experiment (SIRICE) is an Earth System Science Pathfinder mission concept designed to improve our understanding of the upper tropospheric water cycle and its coupling to the Earth s radiation budget. Ice outflow from convective storm systems is known to play an important role in regional energy budgets; however, ice generation and subsequent precipitation and sublimation are poorly quantified. SIRICE will provide measurements of ice cloud distributions and microphysical properties which are needed for understanding the crucial link between the hydrologic and energy cycles. The SIRICE measurement platform is comprised of two integrated instruments, the Submillimeter/millimeter-wave radiometer (SM4) and the Infrared Cloud Ice Radiometer (IRCIR). The primary instrument is the SM4, a conical scanner that provides a 1600 km swath of the Earth's surface at 53 degree incidence. The SM4 has 6 linearly polarized receivers measuring 12 spectral bands centered at 183 GHz, 325 GHz, 448 GHz, 643 GHz and 874 GHz; two receivers at 643 GHz measure horizontal and vertical polarizations. Submillimeter-wavelengths are well suited to the remote sensing of ice clouds due to the relative size of the wavelengths to particle sizes. Upwelling emission from lower tropospheric water vapor is scattered by the ice clouds thus causing a brightness temperature depression at submillimeter wavelengths. The IRCIR is a push broom imager with approximately 1500 km swath and spectral channels at 11 and 12 micrometers. This combination of coincident infrared and submillimeter-wavelength measurements were chosen because of its ability to provide retrieval of ice water path and median particle size for a wide range of ice clouds from thin cirrus to thick anvil structures. Over the past decade there has been a parallel development of submillimeter-wave technologies, demonstration instruments, and remote sensing techniques that have led to the present SIRICE mission concept. Mapping of these developmental paths reveals the origins, rational and maturity of features of the SIRICE payload such as its channel selection, compact design, and multipoint calibration. This presentation traces the evolution of the SIRICE mission concept from the early 1990's to its present status.

Determining sources of elevated salinity in pre-hydraulic fracturing water quality data using a multivariate discriminant analysis model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lautz, L. K.; Hoke, G. D.; Lu, Z.; Siegel, D. I.

2013-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing has the potential to introduce saline water into the environment due to migration of deep formation water to shallow aquifers and/or discharge of flowback water to the environment during transport and disposal. It is challenging to definitively identify whether elevated salinity is associated with hydraulic fracturing, in part, due to the real possibility of other anthropogenic sources of salinity in the human-impacted watersheds in which drilling is taking place and some formation water present naturally in shallow groundwater aquifers. We combined new and published chemistry data for private drinking water wells sampled across five southern New York (NY) counties overlying the Marcellus Shale (Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Steuben, and Tioga). Measurements include Cl, Na, Br, I, Ca, Mg, Ba, SO4, and Sr. We compared this baseline groundwater quality data in NY, now under a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, with published chemistry data for 6 different potential sources of elevated salinity in shallow groundwater, including Appalachian Basin formation water, road salt runoff, septic effluent, landfill leachate, animal waste, and water softeners. A multivariate random number generator was used to create a synthetic, low salinity (< 20 mg/L Cl) groundwater data set (n=1000) based on the statistical properties of the observed low salinity groundwater. The synthetic, low salinity groundwater was then artificially mixed with variable proportions of different potential sources of salinity to explore chemical differences between groundwater impacted by formation water, road salt runoff, septic effluent, landfill leachate, animal waste, and water softeners. We then trained a multivariate, discriminant analysis model on the resulting data set to classify observed high salinity groundwater (> 20 mg/L Cl) as being affected by formation water, road salt, septic effluent, landfill leachate, animal waste, or water softeners. Single elements or pairs of elements (e.g. Cl and Br) were not effective at discriminating between sources of salinity, indicating multivariate methods are needed. The discriminant analysis model classified most accurately samples affected by formation water and landfill leachate, whereas those contaminated by road salt, animal waste, and water softeners were more likely to be discriminated as contaminated by a different source. Using this approach, no shallow groundwater samples from NY appear to be affected by formation water, suggesting the source of salinity pre-hydraulic fracturing is primarily a combination of road salt, septic effluent, landfill leachate, and animal waste.

New Passive Instruments Developed for Ocean Monitoring at the Remote Sensing Lab—Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

PubMed Central

Camps, Adriano; Bosch-Lluis, Xavier; Ramos-Perez, Isaac; Marchán-Hernández, Juan F.; Rodríguez, Nereida; Valencia, Enric; Tarongi, Jose M.; Aguasca, Albert; Acevo, René

2009-01-01

Lack of frequent and global observations from space is currently a limiting factor in many Earth Observation (EO) missions. Two potential techniques that have been proposed nowadays are: (1) the use of satellite constellations, and (2) the use of Global Navigation Satellite Signals (GNSS) as signals of opportunity (no transmitter required). Reflectometry using GNSS opportunity signals (GNSS-R) was originally proposed in 1993 by Martin-Neira (ESA-ESTEC) for altimetry applications, but later its use for wind speed determination has been proposed, and more recently to perform the sea state correction required in sea surface salinity retrievals by means of L-band microwave radiometry (TB). At present, two EO space-borne missions are currently planned to be launched in the near future: (1) ESA's SMOS mission, using a Y-shaped synthetic aperture radiometer, launch date November 2nd, 2009, and (2) NASA-CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission, using a three beam push-broom radiometer. In the SMOS mission, the multi-angle observation capabilities allow to simultaneously retrieve not only the surface salinity, but also the surface temperature and an “effective” wind speed that minimizes the differences between observations and models. In AQUARIUS, an L-band scatterometer measuring the radar backscatter (σ0) will be used to perform the necessary sea state corrections. However, none of these approaches are fully satisfactory, since the effective wind speed captures some sea surface roughness effects, at the expense of introducing another variable to be retrieved, and on the other hand the plots (TB-σ0) present a large scattering. In 2003, the Passive Advance Unit for ocean monitoring (PAU) project was proposed to the European Science Foundation in the frame of the EUropean Young Investigator Awards (EURYI) to test the feasibility of GNSS-R over the sea surface to make sea state measurements and perform the correction of the L-band brightness temperature. This paper: (1) provides an overview of the Physics of the L-band radiometric and GNSS reflectometric observations over the ocean, (2) describes the instrumentation that has been (is being) developed in the frame of the EURYI-funded PAU project, (3) the ground-based measurements carried out so far, and their interpretation in view of placing a GNSS-reflectometer as secondary payload in future SMOS follow-on missions. PMID:22303168

Searching Sinks and Sources: CO2 Fluxes Before and After Partial Deforestation of a Spruce Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ney, P.; Graf, A.; Druee, C.; Esser, O.; Klosterhalfen, A.; Valler, V.; Pick, K.; Vereecken, H.

2017-12-01

Forest ecosystems in the northern mid-latitudes act as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and hence play an important role in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Disturbances of these landscapes may have a significant impact on their ecosystem carbon budget. We present seven years of eddy covariance (EC) measurements (September 2013 to September 2017) over a 70 year old spruce stock, including three years prior to and four years after partial deforestation. We analyzed the seasonal and inter-annual changes of carbon fluxes as affected mainly by the forest transition. The measurements were carried out in a small headwater catchment (38.5 ha) within the TERENO (TERrestrial Environmental Observatories) network in the Eifel National Park Germany (50°30'N, 06°19'E, 595-629 m a.s.l.). An EC system, mounted on the top of a 38 m high tower, continuously samples fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, latent heat and CO2. In August and September 2013, more than 20% of the catchment was deforested and planned for regeneration towards natural deciduous vegetation, and a second EC station (2.5 m height) was installed in the middle of this clearcut. Flux partitioning and gap filling methods were used to calculate full time series and annual carbon budgets of the measured net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and its components gross primary production (GPP) and total ecosystem respiration (Reco). Additionally, soil respiration was measured with manual chambers on a monthly to bi-monthly basis at 25 transect points in the forest and deforested area. Annual sums of NEE represent the forest as a carbon sink with small inter-annual variability. In contrast, the deforested area showed a clear trend. In the first year after partial deforestation, regrowth on the deforested area consisted mainly of grasses and red foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.), while since the second year also growth of mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia L.) and broom (Cytisus scoparius L.) increased. The regrowth of biomass is reflected in the annual sums of NEE, which decreased from + 500 g C m-2 y-1 to nearly zero over the past four years, due to an increase in the magnitude of GPP.

RetroTector online, a rational tool for analysis of retroviral elements in small and medium size vertebrate genomic sequences

PubMed Central

Sperber, Göran; Lövgren, Anders; Eriksson, Nils-Einar; Benachenhou, Farid; Blomberg, Jonas

2009-01-01

Background The rapid accumulation of genomic information in databases necessitates rapid and specific algorithms for extracting biologically meaningful information. More or less complete retroviral sequences, also called proviral or endogenous retroviral sequences; ERVs, constitutes at least 5% of vertebrate genomes. After infecting the host, these retroviruses have integrated in germ line cells, and have then been carried in genomes for at least several 100 million years. A better understanding of structure and function of these sequences can have profound biological and medical consequences. Methods RetroTector© (ReTe) is a platform-independent Java program for identification and characterization of proviral sequences in vertebrate genomes. The full ReTe requires a local installation with a MySQL database. Although not overly complicated, the installation may take some time. A "light" version of ReTe, (RetroTector online; ROL) which does not require specific installation procedures is provided, via the World Wide Web. Results ROL was implemented under the Batchelor web interface (A Lövgren et al). It allows both GenBank accession number, file and FASTA cut-and-paste admission of sequences (5 to 10 000 kilobases). Up to ten submissions can be done simultaneously, allowing batch analysis of <= 100 Megabases. Jobs are shown in an IP-number specific list. Results are text files, and can be viewed with the program, RetroTectorViewer.jar (at the same site), which has the full graphical capabilities of the basic ReTe program. A detailed analysis of any retroviral sequences found in the submitted sequence is graphically presented, exportable in standard formats. With the current server, a complete analysis of a 1 Megabase sequence is complete in 10 minutes. It is possible to mask nonretroviral repetitive sequences in the submitted sequence, using host genome specific "brooms", which increase specificity. Discussion Proviral sequences can be hard to recognize, especially if the integration occurred many million years ago. Precise delineation of LTR, gag, pro, pol and env can be difficult, requiring manual work. ROL is a way of simplifying these tasks. Conclusion ROL provides 1. annotation and presentation of known retroviral sequences, 2. detection of proviral chains in unknown genomic sequences, with up to 100 Mbase per submission. PMID:19534753

RetroTector online, a rational tool for analysis of retroviral elements in small and medium size vertebrate genomic sequences.

PubMed

Sperber, Göran; Lövgren, Anders; Eriksson, Nils-Einar; Benachenhou, Farid; Blomberg, Jonas

2009-06-16

The rapid accumulation of genomic information in databases necessitates rapid and specific algorithms for extracting biologically meaningful information. More or less complete retroviral sequences, also called proviral or endogenous retroviral sequences; ERVs, constitutes at least 5% of vertebrate genomes. After infecting the host, these retroviruses have integrated in germ line cells, and have then been carried in genomes for at least several 100 million years. A better understanding of structure and function of these sequences can have profound biological and medical consequences. RetroTector (ReTe) is a platform-independent Java program for identification and characterization of proviral sequences in vertebrate genomes. The full ReTe requires a local installation with a MySQL database. Although not overly complicated, the installation may take some time. A "light" version of ReTe, (RetroTector online; ROL) which does not require specific installation procedures is provided, via the World Wide Web. ROL http://www.fysiologi.neuro.uu.se/jbgs/ was implemented under the Batchelor web interface (A Lövgren et al). It allows both GenBank accession number, file and FASTA cut-and-paste admission of sequences (5 to 10,000 kilobases). Up to ten submissions can be done simultaneously, allowing batch analysis of

New passive instruments developed for ocean monitoring at the remote sensing lab-universitat politècnica de catalunya.

PubMed

Camps, Adriano; Bosch-Lluis, Xavier; Ramos-Perez, Isaac; Marchán-Hernández, Juan F; Rodríguez, Nereida; Valencia, Enric; Tarongi, Jose M; Aguasca, Albert; Acevo, René

2009-01-01

Lack of frequent and global observations from space is currently a limiting factor in many Earth Observation (EO) missions. Two potential techniques that have been proposed nowadays are: (1) the use of satellite constellations, and (2) the use of Global Navigation Satellite Signals (GNSS) as signals of opportunity (no transmitter required). Reflectometry using GNSS opportunity signals (GNSS-R) was originally proposed in 1993 by Martin-Neira (ESA-ESTEC) for altimetry applications, but later its use for wind speed determination has been proposed, and more recently to perform the sea state correction required in sea surface salinity retrievals by means of L-band microwave radiometry (T(B)). At present, two EO space-borne missions are currently planned to be launched in the near future: (1) ESA's SMOS mission, using a Y-shaped synthetic aperture radiometer, launch date November 2nd, 2009, and (2) NASA-CONAE AQUARIUS/SAC-D mission, using a three beam push-broom radiometer. In the SMOS mission, the multi-angle observation capabilities allow to simultaneously retrieve not only the surface salinity, but also the surface temperature and an "effective" wind speed that minimizes the differences between observations and models. In AQUARIUS, an L-band scatterometer measuring the radar backscatter (σ(0)) will be used to perform the necessary sea state corrections. However, none of these approaches are fully satisfactory, since the effective wind speed captures some sea surface roughness effects, at the expense of introducing another variable to be retrieved, and on the other hand the plots (T(B)-σ(0)) present a large scattering. In 2003, the Passive Advance Unit for ocean monitoring (PAU) project was proposed to the European Science Foundation in the frame of the EUropean Young Investigator Awards (EURYI) to test the feasibility of GNSS-R over the sea surface to make sea state measurements and perform the correction of the L-band brightness temperature. This paper: (1) provides an overview of the Physics of the L-band radiometric and GNSS reflectometric observations over the ocean, (2) describes the instrumentation that has been (is being) developed in the frame of the EURYI-funded PAU project, (3) the ground-based measurements carried out so far, and their interpretation in view of placing a GNSS-reflectometer as secondary payload in future SMOS follow-on missions.

A genetically anchored physical framework for Theobroma cacao cv. Matina 1-6.

PubMed

Saski, Christopher A; Feltus, Frank A; Staton, Margaret E; Blackmon, Barbara P; Ficklin, Stephen P; Kuhn, David N; Schnell, Raymond J; Shapiro, Howard; Motamayor, Juan Carlos

2011-08-16

The fermented dried seeds of Theobroma cacao (cacao tree) are the main ingredient in chocolate. World cocoa production was estimated to be 3 million tons in 2010 with an annual estimated average growth rate of 2.2%. The cacao bean production industry is currently under threat from a rise in fungal diseases including black pod, frosty pod, and witches' broom. In order to address these issues, genome-sequencing efforts have been initiated recently to facilitate identification of genetic markers and genes that could be utilized to accelerate the release of robust T. cacao cultivars. However, problems inherent with assembly and resolution of distal regions of complex eukaryotic genomes, such as gaps, chimeric joins, and unresolvable repeat-induced compressions, have been unavoidably encountered with the sequencing strategies selected. Here, we describe the construction of a BAC-based integrated genetic-physical map of the T. cacao cultivar Matina 1-6 which is designed to augment and enhance these sequencing efforts. Three BAC libraries, each comprised of 10× coverage, were constructed and fingerprinted. 230 genetic markers from a high-resolution genetic recombination map and 96 Arabidopsis-derived conserved ortholog set (COS) II markers were anchored using pooled overgo hybridization. A dense tile path consisting of 29,383 BACs was selected and end-sequenced. The physical map consists of 154 contigs and 4,268 singletons. Forty-nine contigs are genetically anchored and ordered to chromosomes for a total span of 307.2 Mbp. The unanchored contigs (105) span 67.4 Mbp and therefore the estimated genome size of T. cacao is 374.6 Mbp. A comparative analysis with A. thaliana, V. vinifera, and P. trichocarpa suggests that comparisons of the genome assemblies of these distantly related species could provide insights into genome structure, evolutionary history, conservation of functional sites, and improvements in physical map assembly. A comparison between the two T. cacao cultivars Matina 1-6 and Criollo indicates a high degree of collinearity in their genomes, yet rearrangements were also observed. The results presented in this study are a stand-alone resource for functional exploitation and enhancement of Theobroma cacao but are also expected to complement and augment ongoing genome-sequencing efforts. This resource will serve as a template for refinement of the T. cacao genome through gap-filling, targeted re-sequencing, and resolution of repetitive DNA arrays.

Hydrogeology and water quality of the Clinton Street-Ballpark Aquifer near Johnson City, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coon, William F.; Yager, Richard M.; Surface, Jan M.; Randall, Allan D.; Eckhardt, David A.

1998-01-01

The Clinton Street-Ballpark aquifer, in the Susquehanna River valley in southern Broome County, N.Y., supplies drinking water to the Village of Johnson City near Binghamton. The hydrogeology and water quality of the aquifer were studied in 1994-95 to identify the source area of 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which was detected at the Johnson City Camden Street wellfield in 1991.The aquifer is generally 100 to 150 ft thick and consists primarily of ice-contact deposits of silty sand and gravel that are overlain by outwash deposits of sand and gravel. These two types of deposits are separated by lacustrine silt and clay of variable thickness into an upper and a lower layer of the aquifer. The coarse deposits form a single aquifer in areas where the lacustrine deposits are absent.Synoptic water-level surveys indicated that ground water moves from upgradient areas flanking the aquifer boundaries toward two major pumping centers?the Anitec wellfield in Binghamton and the Camden Street wellfield in Johnson City. Areas contributing recharge to municipal and industrial wells in the aquifer were delineated by a previously developed groundwater- flow model. The residence time of ground water within the area contributing recharge to Johnson City well no. 2 in the Camden Street wellfield was estimated to be less than 6 years.1,1,1-Trichloroethane, trichloroethene, and their metabolites were detected in ground water at several locations in and near Johnson City. Relatively high concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane were found in ground water about 3,000 ft north of the Camden Street wellfield. The suspected source is an area bordered on the south by Field Street, on the north by Harry L. Drive, on the east by New York State Route 201, and on the west by Marie Street. A trichloroethene metabolite, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, appears to be migrating westward from U.S. Air Force Plant 59 toward the Camden Street well-field, 1,000 ft southwest of the plant, although this compound has not been detected in water pumped by municipal wells, possibly because it has become diluted by ground water from other locations within the contributing area to the wells.

Preliminary results of the optical calibration for the stereo camera STC onboard the Bepicolombo mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Deppo, V.; Martellato, E.; Simioni, E.; Borrelli, D.; Dami, M.; Aroldi, G.; Naletto, G.; Veltroni, I. Ficai; Cremonese, G.

2017-11-01

BepiColombo is one of the cornerstone missions of the European Space Agency dedicated to the exploration of the planet Mercury and it is expected to be launched in July 2016. One of the BepiColombo instruments is the STereoscopic imaging Channel (STC), which is a channel of the Spectrometers and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory SYStem (SIMBIOSYS) suite: an integrated system for imaging and spectroscopic investigation of the Mercury surface. STC main aim is the 3D global mapping of the entire surface of the planet Mercury during the BepiColombo one year nominal mission. The STC instrument consists in a novel concept of stereocamera: two identical cameras (sub-channels) looking at +/-20° from nadir which share most of the optical components and the detector. Being the detector a 2D matrix, STC is able to adopt the push-frame acquisition technique instead of the much common push-broom one. The camera has the capability of imaging in five different spectral bands: one panchromatic and four intermediate bands, in the range between 410 and 930 nm. To avoid mechanisms, the technical solution chosen for the filters is the single substrate stripe-butted filter in which different glass pieces, with different transmission properties, are glued together and positioned just in front of the detector. The useful field of view (FoV) of each sub-channel, though divided in 3 strips, is about 5.3° x 3.2°. The optical design, a modified Schmidt layout, is able to guarantee that over all the FoV the diffraction Ensquared Energy inside one pixel of the detector is of the order of 70-80%. To effectively test and calibrate the overall STC channel, an ad hoc Optical Ground Support Equipment has been developed. Each of the sub-channels has to be separately calibrated, but also the data of one sub-channel have to be easily correlated with the other one. In this paper, the experimental results obtained by the analysis of the data acquired during the preliminary onground optical calibration campaign on the STC Flight Model will be presented. This analysis shows a good agreement between the theoretical expected performance and the experimental results.

The influence of gender, athletic events, and athletic experience on the subjective dominant hand and the determination of the dominant hand based on the laterality quotient (LQ) and the validity of the LQ.

PubMed

Demura, Shinichi; Tada, Nobuhiko; Matsuzawa, Jinzaburo; Mikami, Hajime; Ohuchi, Tetsuhiko; Shirane, Hiroya; Nagasawa, Yoshinori; Uchiyama, Masanobu

2006-09-01

This study aimed to reveal the influence of gender, athletic events and athletic experience on the subjective dominant hand and the dominant hand based on the laterality quotient (LQ). It also aimed to examine the validity of the Edinburgh Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). Males and females (n=3,726) living in 7 prefectures in Japan (age: 16-45 yrs) participated in this survey. Analysis was performed on 3,557 separate datasets with high reliability. The reliability of the survey was examined using a test-retest method consisting of 100 people selected randomly from all participants. All participants provided the same answers for each question. The influence of gender, event and experience was examined for the subjective and LQ-based dominant hands. In addition, concordance rates of the subjective dominant hand and the LQ-based dominant hand and both dominant hands were examined. Differences of concordance rates between hands used in the 10 movement questions of the Inventory and the subjective dominant hand were tested using the chi(2) test. The frequency differences among items were tested using Ryan's method (multiple comparisons). Significant gender differences were found between rates of the LQ-based dominant hand (males: 94.4%; females: 96.6%) and the subjective dominant hand (males: 91.6%; females: 94.0%), but the degree was only 2.0-4.0%. Insignificant differences were found among athletic events, two groups of different athletic experience, and gender according to each athletic event. The subjective dominant hand almost always agreed with the LQ-based dominant hand (complete concordance rate=0.96, kappa=0.67). Of the 10 question items, inexperienced answers were found only in the item "Knife (without fork)". The "Toothbrush", "Broom (upper hand)", and "Opening box (lid)" items had significantly lower correspondence with the subjective dominant hand (79.7-87.0%) than the other items (92.1-95.7%). In conclusion, athletic experience appears to have little influence on handedness, although there is a slight gender difference. The subjective dominant hand almost always agrees with the dominant hand based on the Inventory. A more efficient handedness inventory may be constructed by excluding the above 4 items.

JEOS. The JANUS earth observation satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molette, P.; Jouan, J.

The JANUS multimission platform has been designed to minimize the cost of the satellite (by a maximum reuse of equipment from other proprogrammes) and of its associated launch by Aŕiane (by a piggy-back configuration optimized for Ariane 4). The paper describes the application of the JANUS platform to an Earth observation mission with the objective to provide a given country with a permanent monitoring of its earth resources by exploitation of spaceborne imagery. According to this objective, and to minimize the overall system and operational cost, the JANUS Earth Observation Satellite (JEOS) will provide a limited coverage with real time transmission of image data, thus avoiding need for on-board storage and simplifying operations. The JEOS operates on a low earth, near polar sun synchronous orbit. Launched in a piggy-back configuration on Ariane 4, with a SPOT or ERS spacecraft, it reaches its operational orbit after a drift orbit of a few weeks maximum. In its operational mode, the JEOS is 3-axis stabilised, earth pointed. After presentation of the platform, the paper describes the solid state push-broom camera which is composed of four optical lenses mounted on a highly stable optical bench. Each lens includes an optics system, reused from an on-going development, and two CCD linear arrays of detectors. The camera provides four registered channels in visible and near IR bands. The whole optical bench is supported by a rotating mechanism which allows rotation of the optical axis in the across-track direction. The JEOS typical performance for a 700 km altitude is then summarized: spatial resolution 30 m, swath width 120 km, off-track capability 325 km,… The payload data handling and transmission electronics, derived from the French SPOT satellite, realizes the processing, formatting, and transmission to the ground; this allows reuse of the standard SPOT receiving stations. The camera is only operated when the spacecraft is within the visibility of the ground station, and image data are directly transmitted to the ground station by the spacecraft X-band transmitter. Finally, the paper presents a set of typical Earth observation missions which can be realized with JEOS, for countries which wish to have their own observation system, possibly also as a complement to the SPOT and/or LANDSAT observation data.

A wide field-of-view imaging DOAS instrument for two-dimensional trace gas mapping from aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schönhardt, A.; Altube, P.; Gerilowski, K.; Krautwurst, S.; Hartmann, J.; Meier, A. C.; Richter, A.; Burrows, J. P.

2015-12-01

The Airborne imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) instrument for Measurements of Atmospheric Pollution (AirMAP) has been developed for the purpose of trace gas measurements and pollution mapping. The instrument has been characterized and successfully operated from aircraft. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns were retrieved from the AirMAP observations. A major benefit of the push-broom imaging instrument is the spatially continuous, gap-free measurement sequence independent of flight altitude, a valuable characteristic for mapping purposes. This is made possible by the use of a charge coupled device (CCD) frame-transfer detector. A broad field of view across track of around 48° is achieved with wide-angle entrance optics. This leads to a swath width of about the same size as the flight altitude. The use of fibre coupled light intake optics with sorted light fibres allows flexible instrument positioning within the aircraft and retains the very good imaging capabilities. The measurements yield ground spatial resolutions below 100 m depending on flight altitude. The number of viewing directions is chosen from a maximum of 35 individual viewing directions (lines of sight, LOS) represented by 35 individual fibres. The selection is adapted to each situation by averaging according to signal-to-noise or spatial resolution requirements. Observations at 30 m spatial resolution are obtained when flying at 1000 m altitude and making use of all 35 viewing directions. This makes the instrument a suitable tool for mapping trace gas point sources and small-scale variability. The position and aircraft attitude are taken into account for accurate spatial mapping using the Attitude and Heading Reference System of the aircraft. A first demonstration mission using AirMAP was undertaken in June 2011. AirMAP was operated on the AWI Polar-5 aircraft in the framework of the AIRMETH-2011 campaign. During a flight above a medium-sized coal-fired power plant in north-west Germany, AirMAP clearly detected the emission plume downwind from the exhaust stack, with NO2 vertical columns around 2 × 1016 molecules cm-2 in the plume centre. NOx emissions estimated from the AirMAP observations are consistent with reports in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. Strong spatial gradients and variability in NO2 amounts across and along flight direction are observed, and small-scale enhancements of NO2 above a motorway are detected.

Precision 3d Surface Reconstruction from Lro Nac Images Using Semi-Global Matching with Coupled Epipolar Rectification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, H.; Wu, B.

2017-07-01

The Narrow-Angle Camera (NAC) on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) comprises of a pair of closely attached high-resolution push-broom sensors, in order to improve the swath coverage. However, the two image sensors do not share the same lenses and cannot be modelled geometrically using a single physical model. Thus, previous works on dense matching of stereo pairs of NAC images would generally create two to four stereo models, each with an irregular and overlapping region of varying size. Semi-Global Matching (SGM) is a well-known dense matching method and has been widely used for image-based 3D surface reconstruction. SGM is a global matching algorithm relying on global inference in a larger context rather than individual pixels to establish stable correspondences. The stereo configuration of LRO NAC images causes severe problem for image matching methods such as SGM, which emphasizes global matching strategy. Aiming at using SGM for image matching of LRO NAC stereo pairs for precision 3D surface reconstruction, this paper presents a coupled epipolar rectification methods for LRO NAC stereo images, which merges the image pair in the disparity space and in this way, only one stereo model will be estimated. For a stereo pair (four) of NAC images, the method starts with the boresight calibration by finding correspondence in the small overlapping stripe between each pair of NAC images and bundle adjustment of the stereo pair, in order to clean the vertical disparities. Then, the dominate direction of the images are estimated by project the center of the coverage area to the reference image and back-projected to the bounding box plane determined by the image orientation parameters iteratively. The dominate direction will determine an affine model, by which the pair of NAC images are warped onto the object space with a given ground resolution and in the meantime, a mask is produced indicating the owner of each pixel. SGM is then used to generate a disparity map for the stereo pair and each correspondence is transformed back to the owner and 3D points are derived through photogrammetric space intersection. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method is able to reduce gaps and inconsistencies caused by the inaccurate boresight offsets between the two NAC cameras and the irregular overlapping regions, and finally generate precise and consistent 3D surface models from the NAC stereo images automatically.

Retrievals of cloud microphysical properties from the Research Scanning Polarimeter measurements made during PODEX field campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandrov, M. D.; Cairns, B.; Sinclair, K.

2013-12-01

We present the retrievals of cloud droplet size distribution parameters (effective radius and variance) from the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) measurements made during NASA's POlarimeter Definition EXperiment (PODEX), which was based in Palmdale, California in January - February 2013. The RSP is an airborne prototype for the Aerosol Polarimetery Sensor (APS), which was built for the NASA Glory Mission project. This instrument measures both polarized and total reflectances in 9 spectral channels with center wavelengths of 410, 470, 555, 670, 865, 960, 1590, 1880 and 2250 nm. The RSP is a push broom scanner making samples at 0.8 degree intervals within 60 degrees from nadir in both forward and backward directions. The data from actual RSP scans is aggregated into "virtual" scans, each consisting of all reflectances (at a variety of scattering angles) from a single point on the ground or at the cloud top. In the case of water clouds the rainbow is observed in the polarized reflectances in the scattering angle range between 135 and 170 degrees. It has a unique signature that is being used to accurately determine the droplet size and is not affected by cloud morphology. Simple parametric fitting algorithm applied to these polarized reflectances provides retrievals of the droplet effective radius and variance assuming a prescribed size distribution shape (gamma distribution). In addition to this, we use a non-parametric method, Rainbow Fourier Transform (RFT), which allows to retrieve the droplet size distribution a parametric model. Of particular interest is the information contained in droplet size distribution width, which is indicative of cloud life cycle. The absorbing band method is also applied to RSP total reflectance observations. The difference in the retrieved droplet size between polarized and absorbing band techniques is expected to reflect the strength of the vertical gradient in cloud liquid water content. In addition to established retrieval techniques, we will use the campaign data to evaluate a new theoretical concept allowing to estimate cloud physical thickness and droplet number concentration using both polarized and total reflectances. During the PODEX campaign the RSP was onboard the NASA's long-range high-altitude ER-2 aircraft together with an array of other remote sensing instrumentation. Correlative sampling measurements from another aircraft were also available. The data obtained during the campaign provides a good opportunity to study cloud properties and to test retrieval algorithms in a variety of locations and atmospheric conditions.

Protein profile and protein interaction network of Moniliophthora perniciosa basidiospores.

PubMed

Mares, Joise Hander; Gramacho, Karina Peres; Dos Santos, Everton Cruz; Santiago, André da Silva; Silva, Edson Mário de Andrade; Alvim, Fátima Cerqueira; Pirovani, Carlos Priminho

2016-06-24

Witches' broom, a disease caused by the basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa, is considered to be the most important disease of the cocoa crop in Bahia, an area in the Brazilian Amazon, and also in the other countries where it is found. M. perniciosa germ tubes may penetrate into the host through intact or natural openings in the cuticle surface, in epidermis cell junctions, at the base of trichomes, or through the stomata. Despite its relevance to the fungal life cycle, basidiospore biology has not been extensively investigated. In this study, our goal was to optimize techniques for producing basidiospores for protein extraction, and to produce the first proteomics analysis map of ungerminated basidiospores. We then presented a protein interaction network by using Ustilago maydis as a model. The average pileus area ranged from 17.35 to 211.24 mm(2). The minimum and maximum productivity were 23,200 and 6,666,667 basidiospores per basidiome, respectively. The protein yield in micrograms per million basidiospores were approximately 0.161; 2.307, and 3.582 for germination times of 0, 2, and 4 h after germination, respectively. A total of 178 proteins were identified through mass spectrometry. These proteins were classified according to their molecular function and their involvement in biological processes such as cellular energy production, oxidative metabolism, stress, protein synthesis, and protein folding. Furthermore, to better understand the expression pattern, signaling, and interaction events of spore proteins, we presented an interaction network using orthologous proteins from Ustilago maydis as a model. Most of the orthologous proteins that were identified in this study were not clustered in the network, but several of them play a very important role in hypha development and branching. The quantities of basidiospores 7 × 10(9); 5.2 × 10(8), and 6.7 × 10(8) were sufficient to obtain enough protein mass for the three 2D-PAGE replicates, for the 0, 2, and 4 h-treatments, respectively. The protein extraction method that is based on sedimentation, followed by sonication with SDS-dense buffer, and phenolic extraction, which was utilized in this study, was effective, presenting a satisfactory resolution and reproducibility for M. perniciosa basidiospores. This report constitutes the first comprehensive study of protein expression during the ungerminated stage of the M. perniciosa basidiospore. Identification of the spots observed in the reference gel enabled us to know the main molecular interactions involved in the initial metabolic processes of fungal development.

SPECTRAL SMILE CORRECTION IN CRISM HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceamanos, X.; Doute, S.

2009-12-01

The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is affected by a common artifact in "push-broom" sensors, the so-called "spectral smile". As a consequence, both central wavelength and spectral width of the spectral response vary along the across-track dimension, thus giving rise to a shifting and smoothing of spectra (see Fig. 1 (left)). In fact, both effects are greater for spectra on the edges, while they are minimum for data acquired by central detectors, the so-called "sweet spot". The prior artifacts become particularly critical for Martian observations which contain steep spectra such as CO2 ice-rich polar images. Fig. 1 (right) shows the horizontal brightness gradient which appears in every band corresponding to a steep portion of spectra. The correction of CRISM spectral smile is addressed using a two-step method which aims at modifying data sensibly in order to mimic the optimal CRISM response. First, all spectra, which are previously interpolated by cubic splines, are resampled to the "sweet spot" wavelengths in order to overcome the spectra shift. Secondly, the non-uniform spectral width is overcome by mimicking an increase of spectral resolution thanks to a spectral sharpening. In order to minimize noise, only bands particularly suffering from smile are selected. First, bands corresponding to the outliers of the Minimum Noise Transformation (MNF) eigenvector, which corresponds to the MNF band related to smile (MNF-smile), are selected. Then, a spectral neighborhood Θi, which takes into account the local spectral convexity or concavity, is defined for every selected band in order to maximize spectral shape preservation. The proposed sharpening technique takes into account both the instrument parameters and the observed spectra. First, every reflectance value belonging to a Θi is reevaluated by a sharpening which depends on a ratio of the spectral width of the current detector and the "sweet spot" one. Then, the optimal degree of sharpening for every Θi is determined thanks to a loop of sharpening procedures, which is assessed by the examination of an estimation of the smile energy (the MNF-smile eigenvalue). As a matter of fact, a higher sharpening is performed on Θi as long as the smile energy decreases. Experiments on CRISM data show remarkable results regarding the decrease of smile energy (up to 80%) and the spectral shape preservation. In fact, initial smile-affected spectra do no longer show shifting nor smoothing (see Fig. 2). Line-averaged spectra and band 155 of FRT5AE3_07 showing spectral smile effects Line-averaged spectra and band 155 of smile-corrected FRT5AE3_07

Mycelial development preceding basidioma formation in Moniliophthora perniciosa is associated to chitin, sugar and nutrient metabolism alterations involving autophagy.

PubMed

Gomes, Dayane Santos; Lopes, Maíza Alves; Menezes, Sara Pereira; Ribeiro, Lidiane Figueredo; Dias, Cristiano Villela; Andrade, Bruno Silva; de Jesus, Raildo Mota; Pires, Acassia Benjamin Leal; Goes-Neto, Aristóteles; Micheli, Fabienne

2016-01-01

We identified and characterized two chitinases, named MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2, from the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa - the etiologic agent of witches' broom disease in cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) - during its development, mainly in the mycelia phases preceding the basidioma formation. The expression of MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2, together with MpCHS and MpATG8 (chitin synthase and autophagy genes, respectively), was analyzed during the M. perniciosa growth and development on bran-based solid medium as well as in liquid medium containing H2O2 or rapamycin (oxidative and nutritional related-autophagy stress agents, respectively). In order to link the expression of chitin metabolism-related genes to nutritional composition influencing fungus development, we also quantified total and reduced sugars, as well as macro- and micronutrients in the bran-based solid medium. The expression analysis showed that the MpCHS expression increased through mycelial development and then decreased in the primordium and basidioma phases, while the expression of MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2 was higher in basidioma and primordium phases, respectively. Moreover, the expression pattern of MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2 is distinct, the second correlated with the MpATG8 expression pattern and possibly with autophagy process, while the first may be related to the basidioma formation. The quantification of total and reduced sugars, as well as macro- and micronutrients supported the idea that the cell wall restructuration due to MpCHS, MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2 is related to stress and fungal nutrient reallocation, allowing the formation and development of the basidioma. Experiments involving M. perniciosa growth on liquid medium containing H2O2 or rapamycin showed that MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2 were over-expressed in response to oxidative but also to nutritional related-autophagy stresses. Interestingly, the expression level of MpCHS, MpCHIT1 and MpCHIT2 in presence of rapamycin is similar to the one observed in the primordium and basidioma from bran-based solid medium. The analysis of the overall data allowed designing a general scheme of chitin metabolism and autophagy during M. perniciosa development, focusing on the mycelium phases as crucial and environmentally influenced steps preceding the primordium and basidioma formation. These data support the idea that the nutritional environment of M. perniciosa influences its development and life cycle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early development of Moniliophthora perniciosa basidiomata and developmentally regulated genes

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background The hemibiotrophic fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of Witches' broom, a disease of Theobroma cacao. The pathogen life cycle ends with the production of basidiocarps in dead tissues of the infected host. This structure generates millions of basidiospores that reinfect young tissues of the same or other plants. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the sexual phase of this fungus may help develop chemical, biological or genetic strategies to control the disease. Results Mycelium was morphologically analyzed prior to emergence of basidiomata by stereomicroscopy, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The morphological changes in the mycelium before fructification show a pattern similar to other members of the order Agaricales. Changes and appearance of hyphae forming a surface layer by fusion were correlated with primordia emergence. The stages of hyphal nodules, aggregation, initial primordium and differentiated primordium were detected. The morphological analysis also allowed conclusions on morphogenetic aspects. To analyze the genes involved in basidiomata development, the expression of some selected EST genes from a non-normalized cDNA library, representative of the fruiting stage of M. perniciosa, was evaluated. A macroarray analysis was performed with 192 selected clones and hybridized with two distinct RNA pools extracted from mycelium in different phases of basidiomata formation. This analysis showed two groups of up and down-regulated genes in primordial phases of mycelia. Hydrophobin coding, glucose transporter, Rho-GEF, Rheb, extensin precursor and cytochrome p450 monooxygenase genes were grouped among the up-regulated. In the down-regulated group relevant genes clustered coding calmodulin, lanosterol 14 alpha demethylase and PIM1. In addition, 12 genes with more detailed expression profiles were analyzed by RT-qPCR. One aegerolysin gene had a peak of expression in mycelium with primordia and a second in basidiomata, confirming their distinctiveness. The number of transcripts of the gene for plerototolysin B increased in reddish-pink mycelium and indicated an activation of the initial basidiomata production even at this culturing stage. Expression of the glucose transporter gene increased in mycelium after the stress, coinciding with a decrease of adenylate cyclase gene transcription. This indicated that nutrient uptake can be an important signal to trigger fruiting in this fungus. Conclusion The identification of genes with increased expression in this phase of the life cycle of M. perniciosa opens up new possibilities of controlling fungus spread as well as of genetic studies of biological processes that lead to basidiomycete fruiting. This is the first comparative morphologic study of the early development both in vivo and in vitro of M. perniciosa basidiomata and the first description of genes expressed at this stage of the fungal life cycle. PMID:19653910

Photometric Lambert Correction for Global Mosaicking of HRSC Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Sebastian; Michael, Greg; van Gasselt, Stephan; Kneissl, Thomas

2015-04-01

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) is a push-broom image sensor onboard Mars Express recording the Martian surface in 3D and color. Being in orbit since 2004, the camera has obtained over 3,600 panchromatic image sequences covering about 70% of the planet's surface at 10-20 m/pixel. The composition of an homogenous global mosaic is a major challenge due to the strong elliptical and highly irregular orbit of the spacecraft, which often results in large variations of illumination and atmospheric conditions between individual images. For the purpose of a global mosaic in the full Nadir resolution of 12.5 m per pixel we present a first-order systematic photometric correction for the individual image sequences based on a Lambertian reflection model. During the radiometric calibration of the HRSC data, values for the reflectance scaling factor and the reflectance offset are added to the individual image labels. These parameters can be used for a linear transformation from the original DN values into spectral reflectance values. The spectral reflectance varies with the solar incidence angle, topography (changing the local incidence angle and therefore adding an exta geometry factor for each ground pixel), the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the surface, and atmospheric effects. Mosaicking the spectral values together as images sometimes shows large brightness differences. One major contributor to the brightness differences between two images is the differing solar geometry due to the varying time of day when the individual images were obtained. This variation causes two images of the same or adjacent areas to have different image brightnesses. As a first-order correction for the varying illumination conditions and resulting brightness variations, the images are corrected for the solar incidence angle by assuming an ideal diffusely reflecting behaviour of the surface. This correction requires the calculation of the solar geometry for each image pixel by an image-to-ground function. For the calculations we are using the VICAR framework and the SPICE library. Under the Lambertian assumption, the reflectance diminishment resulting from an inclined Sun angle can be corrected by dividing the measured reflectance by the cosine of the illumination angle. After rectification of the corrected images, the individual images are mosaicked together. The overall visual impression shows a much better integration of the individual image sequences. The correction resolves the direct correlation between the reflectance and the incidence angles from the data. It does not account for topographic, atmospheric or BRDF influences to the measurements. Since the main purpose of the global HRSC image mosaic is the application for geomorphologic studies with a good visual impression of the albedo variations and the topography, the remaining distortions at the image seams can be equalized by non-reversible image matching techniques.

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of Mars Express and its approach to science analysis and mapping for Mars and its satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwinner, K.; Jaumann, R.; Hauber, E.; Hoffmann, H.; Heipke, C.; Oberst, J.; Neukum, G.; Ansan, V.; Bostelmann, J.; Dumke, A.; Elgner, S.; Erkeling, G.; Fueten, F.; Hiesinger, H.; Hoekzema, N. M.; Kersten, E.; Loizeau, D.; Matz, K.-D.; McGuire, P. C.; Mertens, V.; Michael, G.; Pasewaldt, A.; Pinet, P.; Preusker, F.; Reiss, D.; Roatsch, T.; Schmidt, R.; Scholten, F.; Spiegel, M.; Stesky, R.; Tirsch, D.; van Gasselt, S.; Walter, S.; Wählisch, M.; Willner, K.

2016-07-01

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of ESA's Mars Express is designed to map and investigate the topography of Mars. The camera, in particular its Super Resolution Channel (SRC), also obtains images of Phobos and Deimos on a regular basis. As HRSC is a push broom scanning instrument with nine CCD line detectors mounted in parallel, its unique feature is the ability to obtain along-track stereo images and four colors during a single orbital pass. The sub-pixel accuracy of 3D points derived from stereo analysis allows producing DTMs with grid size of up to 50 m and height accuracy on the order of one image ground pixel and better, as well as corresponding orthoimages. Such data products have been produced systematically for approximately 40% of the surface of Mars so far, while global shape models and a near-global orthoimage mosaic could be produced for Phobos. HRSC is also unique because it bridges between laser altimetry and topography data derived from other stereo imaging instruments, and provides geodetic reference data and geological context to a variety of non-stereo datasets. This paper, in addition to an overview of the status and evolution of the experiment, provides a review of relevant methods applied for 3D reconstruction and mapping, and respective achievements. We will also review the methodology of specific approaches to science analysis based on joint analysis of DTM and orthoimage information, or benefitting from high accuracy of co-registration between multiple datasets, such as studies using multi-temporal or multi-angular observations, from the fields of geomorphology, structural geology, compositional mapping, and atmospheric science. Related exemplary results from analysis of HRSC data will be discussed. After 10 years of operation, HRSC covered about 70% of the surface by panchromatic images at 10-20 m/pixel, and about 97% at better than 100 m/pixel. As the areas with contiguous coverage by stereo data are increasingly abundant, we also present original data related to the analysis of image blocks and address methodology aspects of newly established procedures for the generation of multi-orbit DTMs and image mosaics. The current results suggest that multi-orbit DTMs with grid spacing of 50 m can be feasible for large parts of the surface, as well as brightness-adjusted image mosaics with co-registration accuracy of adjacent strips on the order of one pixel, and at the highest image resolution available. These characteristics are demonstrated by regional multi-orbit data products covering the MC-11 (East) quadrangle of Mars, representing the first prototype of a new HRSC data product level.

Primary succession on slopes exposed to intense erosion: the case of Vesuvius Grand Cone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stinca, Adriano; Battista Chirico, Giovanni; Bonanomi, Giuliano

2014-05-01

Mt. Vesuvius (1281 m a.s.l.) is an active volcano dominating the central part of the Campania Region coastline, with a distinctive barren crater summit, known as Grand Cone, formed during the eruption of AD 79. Local environmental factors hindered the colonization of the Vesuvius Grand Cone by vascular plants after the last eruptions of 1906 and 1944. The Grand Cone exhibits very steep planar slopes (33-35 degrees), covered by unconsolidated pyroclastic deposits, mainly formed by lapilli and gravels, characterized by an extremely low water holding capacity and very low organic matter and nitrogen contents, and exposed to intense water and wind erosion. In the last decade Genista aetnensis (Biv.) DC. (Fabaceae), has been expanding over the Grand Cone, facilitating the colonization by other species, especially herbaceous, with a dramatic change of the landscape appearance of the Vesuvius Grand Cone. G. aetnensis is a plant endemic of Mt. Etna and Eastern Sardinia and was firstly introduced at the base of Mt. Vesuvius within reforestation programs after the eruption of 1906. This plant is a nitrogen fixing species with a strong ability to colonize andosols, much more pronounced than the indigenous brooms (Cytisus scoparius and Spartium junceum). An intensive investigation has been conducted to explore the eco-hydrological processes driving the vegetation dynamics observed on the slopes of Grand Cone. Specific field surveys and laboratory experiments have been carried out to assess the effects of the G. aetnensis on soil physical and chemical properties, on the above- and below-ground microclimate, on the soil hydrological regime and on the distribution of coexisting species. The G. aetnensis triggers a pedogenetic process that contributes to a rapid increase of carbon and nitrogen stocks, available phosphorous, cation exchange capacity and a reduction of soil pH. The increase of carbon content also significantly improves the water retention properties in this coarse-textured soils, increasing the soil water content available for plants. Continuous monitoring of the microclimatic variables, both under and outside the canopy shading, reveals that the G. aetnensis canopy reduces the air and soil temperatures while keeping air humidity higher in the warmest hours of the day during the entire growing season, thus reducing soil water losses by evaporation. During the hottest day of the summer season, the canopy shading also mitigates the surface soil temperature maxima, which values outside the canopy shading are prohibitive for the survival of the vascular plants. Ultimately, the G. aetnensis creates an island of fertility under its canopy, by ameliorating the soil quality and by creating more favourable microclimate and soil hydrological conditions under its canopy, determining underneath the canopy a less stress prone environment that allows the colonization by less stress adapted species.

Reconsolidation of Crushed Salt to 250°C Under Hydrostatic and Shear Stress Conditions Scott Broome, Frank Hansen, and SJ Bauer Sandia National Laboratories, Geomechanics Department

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broome, S. T.

2012-12-01

Design, analysis and performance assessment of potential salt repositories for heat-generating nuclear waste require knowledge of thermal, mechanical, and fluid transport properties of reconsolidating granular salt. Mechanical properties, Bulk (K) and Elastic (E) Moduli and Poisson's ratio (ν) are functions of porosity which decreases as the surrounding salt creeps inward and compresses granular salt within the rooms, drifts or shafts. To inform salt repository evaluations, we have undertaken an experimental program to determine K, E, and ν of reconsolidated granular salt as a function of porosity and temperature and to establish the deformational processes by which the salt reconsolidates. The experiments will be used to populate the database used in the reconsolidation model developed by Callahan (1999) which accounts for the effects of moisture through pressure solution and dislocation creep, with both terms dependent on effective stress to account for the effects of porosity. Mine-run salt from the Waste Isolation Pilot Program (WIPP) was first dried at 105 °C for a few days. Undeformed right-circular cylindrical sample assemblies of unconsolidated granular salt with an initial porosity of ~ 40%, nominally 10 cm in diameter and 17.5 cm in length, are jacketed in lead. Samples are placed in a pressure vessel and kept at test temperatures of 100, 175 or 250 °C; samples are vented to the atmosphere during the entire test procedure. At these test conditions the consolidating salt is always creeping, the creep rate increases with increasing temperature and stress and decreases as porosity decreases. In hydrostatic tests, confining pressure is increased to 20 MPa with periodic unload/reload loops to determine K. Volume strain increases with increasing temperature. In shear tests at 2.5 and 5 MPa confining pressure, after confining pressure is applied, the crushed salt is subjected to a differential stress, with periodic unload/reload loops to determine E and ν. At predetermined differential stress levels the stress is held constant and the salt consolidates. Displacement gages mounted on the samples show little lateral deformation until the samples reach a porosity of ~10%. Interestingly, vapor is vented in tests at 250°C and condenses at the vent port. Release of water is not observed in the lower two test temperatures. It is hypothesized that the water originates from fluid inclusions, which were made accessible by intragranular deformational processes including decrepitation. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Estimation of biological nitrogen fixation by black locust in short-rotation forests using natural 15N abundance method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veste, M.; Böhm, C.; Quinckenstein, A.; Freese, D.

2012-04-01

The importance of short rotation forests and agroforestry systems for woody biomass production for bioenergy will increase in Central Europe within the next decades. In this context, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) has a high growth potential especially at marginal, drought-susceptible sites such as occur in Brandenburg State (Eastern Germany). As a pioneer tree species black locust grows under a wide range of site conditions. The native range of black locust in Northern America is classified by a humid to sub-humid climate with a mean annual precipitation of 1020 to 1830 mm. In Central and Eastern Europe, this species is cultivated in a more continental climate with an annual precipitation often below 600 mm. Therefore, black locust is known to be relatively drought tolerant compared to other temperate, deciduous tree species. Because of its N2-fixation ability black locust plays generally an important role for the improvement of soil fertility. This effect is of particular interest at marginal sites in the post-mining landscapes. In order to estimate the N2-fixation potential of black locust at marginal sites leaf samples were taken from black locust trees in short rotation plantations planted between 1995 and 2007 in post-mining sites south of Cottbus (Brandenburg, NE Germany). The variation of the natural 15N abundance was measured to evaluate the biological nitrogen fixation. The nitrogen derived from the atmosphere can be calculated using a two-pool model from the quotient of the natural 15N abundances of the N2-fixing plant and the plant available soil N. Because representatively determining the plant available soil N is difficult, a non-N2-fixing reference plant growing at the same site with a similar root system and temporal N uptake pattern to the N2-fixing plant is often used. In our case we used red oak (Quercus rubra) as a reference. The average nitrogen content in the leaves of black locust ranged from 3.1% (C/N 14.8) in 15 years old trees to 3.4% (C/N 14.4) in 3 year-old trees, respectively. A higher content of nitrogen was found in leaves of re-sprouted trees with 4.3% (C/N 11.5). The estimated percentage of nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (% NdfA) in black locust was 63% - 83% compared to 56% in seabuckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) and 79% in common broom (Genista scuparia). The annual leaf biomass production of black locust varied between 1325 (2 years old trees) and 2576 kg/ha a (4 years old trees). The estimated leaf nitrogen fixed by Robinia was approx. 30.5 - 59.2 kg/ha a. From the results, we can conclude that the biological nitrogen fixation by Robina is an important factor for the nitrogen balance of short-rotation plantations on nutrient poor-soils.

Portuguese Familial Hypercholesterolemia Study: presentation of the study and preliminary results.

PubMed

Bourbon, Mafalda; Rato, Quitéria

2006-11-01

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused, in the majority of cases, by a partial or total lack of functional low density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR). Mutations in the LDLR gene lead to increased plasma cholesterol levels, resulting in cholesterol deposition in the arteries, thereby increasing the risk of premature coronary heart disease. The homozygous form of FH is rare but heterozygous FH is common, although underdiagnosed in many populations, including the Portuguese. In 1999 the Portuguese Familial Hypercholesterolemia Study was begun at the National Institute of Health. The aim of the Portuguese Familial H ypercholesterolemia Study is to perform an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and distribution of FH in Portugal and to better understand the pathophysiology of coronary heart disease in these patients. The aim of the present work is to present the study's criteria and organization as well as its preliminary results. The study population consists of individuals of both sexes and all ages with a clinical diagnosis of FH, with biochemical and molecular characterization being performed. The clinical criteria used for the diagnosis of FH were adapted from those of the Simon Broome Heart Research Trust. The study is organized in five stages: 1. selection of individuals with a clinical diagnosis of FH; 2. completion of a clinical questionnaire and declaration of informed consent; 3. collection of blood samples; 4. biochemical characterization; 5. molecular study of three genes associated with the FH phenotype: LDLR, apolipoprotein B (APOB) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). Between 1999 and June 2006 the LDLR gene and the APOB gene of 141 index cases (38 children and 103 adults) were studied. In 78 of these index cases (76 heterozygotes and two homozygotes) 50 different mutations in the LDLR gene were identified, and two unrelated individuals were found to have the ApoB3500 mutation. The PCSK9 gene was also studied in individuals in whom a mutation in the LDLR or APOB genes was not found, which identified two index cases with a mutation in this gene. The study of 62 families led to the identification of an additional 117 individuals with FH, 90 adults and 27 children (86 adults and 27 children with mutations in the LDLR gene, two adults with the ApoB3500 mutation, and two adults with a mutation in the PCSK9 gene). Genetic diagnosis enables correct identification of the disease and provides the basis for more aggressive pharmacologic therapeutic interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in affected individuals. At present thirteen clinicians are collaborating in the Portuguese FH Study, but it is extremely important to obtain the collaboration of more physicians throughout the country, so that the prevalence and distribution of FH in the Portuguese population can be characterized and a greater number of individuals can benefit from appropriate and early therapy.

Reactive oxygen species and autophagy play a role in survival and differentiation of the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

PubMed

Pungartnik, C; Melo, S C O; Basso, T S; Macena, W G; Cascardo, J C M; Brendel, M

2009-01-01

The hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa causes "witches' broom disease" in cacao (Theobroma cacao). During plant infection, M. perniciosa changes from mono to dikaryotic life form, an event which could be triggered by changes in plant nutritional offer and plant defense molecules, i.e., from high to low content of glycerol and hydrogen peroxide. We have recently shown that in vitro glycerol induces oxidative stress resistance in dikaryotic M. perniciosa. In order to understand under which conditions in parasite-plant interaction M. perniciosa changes from intercellular monokaryotic to intracellular dikaryotic growth phase we studied the role of glycerol on mutagen-induced oxidative stress resistance of basidiospores and monokaryotic hyphae; we also studied the role of H(2)O(2) as a signaling molecule for in vitro dikaryotization and whether changes in nutritional offer by the plant could be compensated by inducible fungal autophagy. Mono-/dikaryotic glycerol or glucose-grown cells and basidiospores were exposed to the oxidative stress-inducing mutagens H(2)O(2) and Paraquat as well as to pre-dominantly DNA damaging 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and UVC irradiation. Basidiospores showed highest resistance to all treatments and glycerol-grown monokaryotic hyphae were more resistant than dikaryotic hyphae. Monokaryotic cells exposed to 1microM of H(2)O(2) in glycerol-media induced formation of clamp connections within 2 days while 1mM H(2)O(2) did not within a week in the same medium; no clamp connections were formed in H(2)O(2)-containing glucose media within a week. Lower concentrations of H(2)O(2) and glycerol, when occurring in parallel, are shown to be two signals for dikaryotization in vitro and may be also during the course of infection. Q-PCR studies of glycerol-grown dikaryotic cells exposed to oxidative stress (10mM H(2)O(2)) showed high expression of MpSOD2 and transient induction of ABC cytoplasmic membrane transporter gene MpYOR1 and autophagy-related gene MpATG8. Expression of a second ABC transporter gene MpSNQ2 was 14-fold induced after H(2)O(2) exposure in glucose as compared to glycerol-grown hyphae while MpYOR1 did not show strong variation of expression under similar conditions. Glucose-grown dikaryotic cells showed elevated expression of MpATG8, especially after exposure to H(2)O(2) and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide. During different stages preceding basidiocarp formation MpATG8 and the two catalase-encoding genes MpCTA1 and MpCTT1 were expressed continuously. We have compiled our results and literature data in a model graph, which compares the in vitro and in planta development and differentiation of M. perniciosa with the help of physiological and morphological landmarks.

TROPOMI, the Sentinel 5 precursor instrument for air quality and climate observations: status of the current design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voors, Robert; de Vries, Johan; Bhatti, Ianjit S.; Lobb, Dan; Wood, Trevor; van der Valk, Nick; Aben, Ilse; Veefkind, Pepijn

2017-11-01

TROPOMI, the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument, is a passive UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR trace gas spectrograph in the line of SCIAMACHY (2002) and OMI (2004), instruments with the Netherlands in a leading role. Both instruments are very successful and remained operational long after their nominal life time. TROPOMI is the next step, scheduled for launch in 2015. It combines the broad wavelength range from SCIAMACHY from UV to SWIR and the broad viewing angle push-broom concept from OMI, which makes daily global coverage in combination with good spatial resolution possible. Using spectral bands from 270-500nm (UV-VIS) 675-775nm (NIR) and 2305-2385nm (SWIR) at moderate resolution (0.25 to 0.6nm) TROPOMI will measure O3, NO2, SO2, BrO, HCHO and H2O tropospheric columns from the UV-VIS-NIR wavelength range and CO and CH4 tropospheric columns from the SWIR wavelength range. Cloud information will be derived primarily from the O2A band in the NIR. This will help, together with the aerosol information, in constraining the light path of backscattered solar radiation. Methane (CH4), CO2 and Carbon monoxide (CO) are the key gases of the global carbon cycle. Of these, Methane is by far the least understood in terms of its sources and is most difficult to predict its future trend. Global space observations are needed to inform atmospheric models. The SWIR channel of TROPOMI is designed to achieve the spectral, spatial and SNR resolution required for this task. TROPOMI will yield an improved accuracy of the tropospheric products compared to the instruments currently in orbit. TROPOMI will take a major step forward in spatial resolution and sensitivity. The nominal observations are at 7 x 7 km2 at nadir and the signal-to-noises are sufficient for trace gas retrieval even at very low albedos (down to 2%). This spatial resolution allows observation of air quality at sub-city level and the high signal-to-noises means that the instrument can perform useful measurements in the darkest conditions. TROPOMI is currently in its detailed design phase. This paper gives an overview of the challenges and current performances. From unit level engineering models first results are becoming available. Early results are promising and this paper discusses some of these early H/W results. TROPOMI is the single payload on the Sentinel-5 precursor mission which is a joint initiative of the European Community (EC) and of the European Space Agency (ESA). The 2015 launch intends to bridge the data stream from OMI / SCIAMACHY and the upcoming Sentinel 5 mission. The instrument is funded jointly by the Netherlands Space Office and by ESA. Dutch Space is the instrument prime contractor. SSTL in the UK is developing the SWIR module with a significant contribution from SRON. Dutch Space and TNO are working as an integrated team for the UVN module. KNMI and SRON are responsible for ensuring the scientific capabilities of the instrument.

Phase 1 Development Report for the SESSA Toolkit.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knowlton, Robert G.; Melton, Brad J; Anderson, Robert J.

The Site Exploitation System for Situational Awareness ( SESSA ) tool kit , developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) , is a comprehensive de cision support system for crime scene data acquisition and Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE). SESSA is an outgrowth of another SNL developed decision support system , the Building R estoration Operations Optimization Model (BROOM), a hardware/software solution for data acquisition, data management, and data analysis. SESSA was designed to meet forensic crime scene needs as defined by the DoD's Military Criminal Investigation Organiza tion (MCIO) . SESSA is a very comprehensive toolki t with a considerable amountmore » of database information managed through a Microsoft SQL (Structured Query Language) database engine, a Geographical Information System (GIS) engine that provides comprehensive m apping capabilities, as well as a an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) . An electronic sketch pad module is included. The system also has the ability to efficiently generate necessary forms for forensic crime scene investigations (e.g., evidence submittal, laboratory requests, and scene notes). SESSA allows the user to capture photos on site, and can read and generate ba rcode labels that limit transcription errors. SESSA runs on PC computers running Windows 7, but is optimized for touch - screen tablet computers running Windows for ease of use at crime scenes and on SSE deployments. A prototype system for 3 - dimensional (3 D) mapping and measur e ments was also developed to complement the SESSA software. The mapping system employs a visual/ depth sensor that captures data to create 3D visualizations of an interior space and to make distance measurements with centimeter - level a ccuracy. Output of this 3D Model Builder module provides a virtual 3D %22walk - through%22 of a crime scene. The 3D mapping system is much less expensive and easier to use than competitive systems. This document covers the basic installation and operation of th e SESSA tool kit in order to give the user enough information to start using the tool kit . SESSA is currently a prototype system and this documentation covers the initial release of the tool kit . Funding for SESSA was provided by the Department of Defense (D oD), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) Rapid Fielding (RF) organization. The project was managed by the Defense Forensic Science Center (DFSC) , formerly known as the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge the funding support for the development of the Site Exploitation System for Situational Awareness (SESSA) toolkit from the Department of Defense (DoD), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) Rapid Fielding (RF) organization. The project was managed by the Defense Forensic Science Center (DFSC) , formerly known as the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL). Special thanks to Mr. Garold Warner, of DFSC, who served as the Project Manager. Individuals that worked on the design, functional attributes, algorithm development, system arc hitecture, and software programming include: Robert Knowlton, Brad Melton, Robert Anderson, and Wendy Amai.« less

Immediate changes in topsoil chemical properties after controlled shrubland burning in the Central Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zufiaurre-Galarza, Raquel; Fernández Campos, Marta; Badía-Villas, David; María Armas-Herrera, Cecilia; Martí-Dalmau, Clara; Girona-García, Antonio

2016-04-01

Prescribed fire has recently been adopted as an encroachment-fighting strategy in the Central Pyrenees. Despite relatively large information on wildfire impacts on soil, there is little information on prescribed fire effects, especially in mountain ecosystems (Shakesby et al, 2015). Fire effects are noticeable in the topsoil, particularly in relation to soil organic matter and nutrient contents and quality (Alexis et al, 2012). These components change with time after fire and at the scale of the upper few centimetres of mineral soil (Badía et al, 2014). The aim of this study is to evaluate the immediate effects of prescribed shrubland burning on soil's nutrients and organic matter content to detect changes at cm-scale, trying to differentiate the heat shock from the subsequent incorporation of ash and charcoal. The study area, densely covered with spiny broom (Echinospartum horridum), is located in Tella (Central Pyrenees, NE Spain) at 1900 meters above sea level. Three sites were sampled before burning and immediately after burning just in its adjacent side. The soils belong to the WRB unit Leptic Eutric Cambisol, Soil samples were collected separating carefully the organic layers (litter in unburned soils and ashes and fire-altered organic residues in burned soils) and the mineral horizon at 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 cm depths. Soil samples were air-dried and sieved to 2 mm. Soil organic C (by the wet oxidation method), total N (Kjeldahl method), water-soluble ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, SO4=, NO3- and NH4+), exchangeable ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Fe3+ and Mn2+), total and available P, pH (1:5) and the electrical conductivity (in a 1:10 soil-to-water ratio) were measured. Immediately after the controlled fire, soil organic carbon content on burned topsoil decreases significantly within 0-3 cm of soil depth studied while total N decrease was not significant. Moreover, only a slight increase of the electrical conductivity, water-soluble ions and exchangeable ions was observed on burned topsoil. These changes detected immediately after fire (SOC decrease and slight nutrients increase) are related to the heat released during the severe intensity of prescribed burning. Few changes in nutrients are yet observed due to the negligible incorporation of ashes into the soil, still remaining on the surface. In the medium term, it can be expected its partial incorporation into the soil and, also, ash and soil losses depending on the rain intensity and the amount of time in which the soil is kept bare. REFERENCES Alexis et al. (2012). Evolution of soil organic matter after prescribed fire: A 20-year chronosequence. Geoderma 189-190: 98-107. Badía et al. (2014). Wildfire effects on nutrients and organic carbon of a Rendzic Phaeozem in NE Spain: Changes at cm-scale topsoil. Catena 113: 267-275. Shakesby et al. (2015). Impacts of prescribed fire on soil loss and soil quality: An assessment based on an experimentally-burned catchment in central Portugal. Catena 128: 278-293

Hydraulic characterization of " Furcraea andina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera-Velasquez, M. F.; Fallico, C.; Molinari, A.; Santillan, P.; Salazar, M.

2012-04-01

The present level of pollution, increasingly involving groundwaters, constitutes a serious risk for environment and human health. Therefore the remediation of saturated and unsaturated soils, removing pollutant materials through innovative and economic bio-remediation techniques is more frequently required. Recent studies on natural fiber development have shown the effectiveness of these fibers for removal of some heavy metals, due to the lignin content in the natural fibers which plays an important role in the adsorption of metal cations (Lee et al., 2004; Troisi et al., 2008; C. Fallico, 2010). In the context of remediation techniques for unsaturated and/or saturated zone, an experimental approach for the hydraulic characterization of the "Furcraea andina" (i.e., Cabuya Blanca) fiber was carried out. This fiber is native to Andean regions and grows easily in wild or cultivated form in the valleys and hillsides of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Fibers of "Furcraea andina" were characterized by experimental tests to determine their hydraulic conductivity or permeability and porosity in order to use this medium for bioremediation of contaminated aquifer exploiting the physical, chemical and microbial capacity of natural fiber in heavy metal adsorption. To evaluate empirically the hydraulic conductivity, laboratory tests were carried out at constant head specifically on the fibers manually extracted. For these tests we used a flow cell (used as permeameter), containing the "Furcraea andina" fibers to be characterized, suitably connected by a tygon pipe to a Marriott's bottle, which had a plastic tube that allow the adjustment of the hydraulic head for different tests to a constant value. By this experiment it was also possible to identify relationships that enable the estimation of permeability as a function of density, i.e. of the compaction degree of the fibers. Our study was carried out for three values of hydraulic head (H), namely 10, 18, and 25 cm and for each constant head we repeated the test for three different rate of fiber compaction within the flow cell, corresponding to three different densities (146 kg/m3, 200 kg/m3 and 240 kg/m3). We observed that with increasing density of the fibers there is an increase of hydraulic conductivity. The importance of the experimental results on permeability acquires greater relevance when compared to the values of hydraulic conductivity already known from the literature for different soils types. In this study, special attention has been given to the value of hydraulic conductivity of this fiber, considering that in the framework of groundwater remediation strategies if the hydraulic conductivity in the barrier is lower than that of the surrounding aquifer, the plume may change its natural pathway, bypassing the barrier and veering towards larger hydraulic conductivity. Reference • Lee, B. G. and Rowell, R. M.: Removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions using lignocellulosic fibers, J. Natural Fibers, 1, 97-108, 2004. • Troisi, S., Fallico, C., Straface, S., and Mazzuca, L.: Biodreni per la bonifica di siti contaminati realizzati con fibre naturali liberiane ad elevato sviluppo superficiale. Brevetto dell'Università della Calabria (n.: CS2008A00018), 2008. • C. Fallico, S. Troisi, A. Molinari, and M. F. Rivera.: Characterization of broom fibers for PRB in the remediation of aquifers contaminated by heavy metals, Biogeosciences journal , 7, 2545-2556, 2010

Pseudo-spectral methodology for a quantitative assessment of the cover of in-stream vegetation in small streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hershkovitz, Yaron; Anker, Yaakov; Ben-Dor, Eyal; Schwartz, Guy; Gasith, Avital

2010-05-01

In-stream vegetation is a key ecosystem component in many fluvial ecosystems, having cascading effects on stream conditions and biotic structure. Traditionally, ground-level surveys (e.g. grid and transect analyses) are commonly used for estimating cover of aquatic macrophytes. Nonetheless, this methodological approach is highly time consuming and usually yields information which is practically limited to habitat and sub-reach scales. In contrast, remote-sensing techniques (e.g. satellite imagery and airborne photography), enable collection of large datasets over section, stream and basin scales, in relatively short time and reasonable cost. However, the commonly used spatial high resolution (1m) is often inadequate for examining aquatic vegetation on habitat or sub-reach scales. We examined the utility of a pseudo-spectral methodology, using RGB digital photography for estimating the cover of in-stream vegetation in a small Mediterranean-climate stream. We compared this methodology with that obtained by traditional ground-level grid methodology and with an airborne hyper-spectral remote sensing survey (AISA-ES). The study was conducted along a 2 km section of an intermittent stream (Taninim stream, Israel). When studied, the stream was dominated by patches of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and mats of filamentous algae (Cladophora glomerata). The extent of vegetation cover at the habitat and section scales (100 and 104 m, respectively) were estimated by the pseudo-spectral methodology, using an airborne Roli camera with a Phase-One P 45 (39 MP) CCD image acquisition unit. The swaths were taken in elevation of about 460 m having a spatial resolution of about 4 cm (NADIR). For measuring vegetation cover at the section scale (104 m) we also used a 'push-broom' AISA-ES hyper-spectral swath having a sensor configuration of 182 bands (350-2500 nm) at elevation of ca. 1,200 m (i.e. spatial resolution of ca. 1 m). Simultaneously, with every swath we used an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) to measure hyper-spectral signatures (2150 bands configuration; 350-2500 nm) of selected ground-level targets (located by GPS) of soil, water; vegetation (common reed, watercress, filamentous algae) and standard EVA foam colored sheets (red, green, blue, black and white). Processing and analysis of the data were performed over an ITT ENVI platform. The hyper-spectral image underwent radiometric calibration according to the flight and sensor calibration parameters on CALIGEO platform and the raw DN scale was converted into radiance scale. Ground level visual survey of vegetation cover and height was applied at the habitat scale (100 m) by placing a 1m2 netted grids (10x10cm cells) along 'bank-to-bank' transect (in triplicates). Estimates of plant cover obtained by the pseudo-spectral methodology at the habitat scale were 35-61% for the watercress, 0.4-25% for the filamentous algae and 27-51% for plant-free patches. The respective estimates by ground level visual survey were 26-50, 14-43% and 36-50%. The pseudo-spectral methodology also yielded estimates for the section scale (104 m) of ca. 39% for the watercress, ca. 32% for the filamentous algae and 6% for plant-free patches. The respective estimates obtained by hyper-spectral swath were 38, 26 and 8%. Validation against ground-level measurements proved that pseudo-spectral methodology gives reasonably good estimates of in-stream plant cover. Therefore, this methodology can serve as a substitute for ground level estimates at small stream scales and for the low resolution hyper-spectral methodology at larger scales.

Monitoring the On-Orbit Calibration of Terra MODIS Reflective Solar Bands Using Simultaneous Terra MISR Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angal, Amit; Xiong, Xiaoxiong; Wu, Aisheng

2016-01-01

On December 18, 2015, the Terra spacecraft completed 16 years of successful operation in space. Terra has five instruments designed to facilitate scientific measurements of the earths land, ocean, and atmosphere. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) instruments provide information for the temporal studies of the globe. After providing over 16 years of complementary measurements, a synergistic use of the measurements obtained from these sensors is beneficial for various science products. The 20 reflective solar bands (RSBs) of MODIS are calibrated using a combination of solar diffuser and lunar measurements, supplemented by measurements from pseudoinvariant desert sites. MODIS views the on-board calibrators and the earth via a two-sided scan mirror at three spatial resolutions: 250 m using 40 detectors in bands 1 and 2, 500 m using 20 detectors in bands 3 and 4, and 1000 m using 10 detectors in bands 819 and 26. Simultaneous measurements of the earths surface are acquired in a push-broom fashion by MISR at nine view angles spreading out in the forward and backward directions along the flight path. While the swath width for MISR acquisitions is 360 km, MODIS scans a wider swath of 2330 km via its two-sided scan mirror. The reflectance of the MODIS scan mirror has an angle dependence characterized by the response versus scan angle (RVS). Its on-orbit change is derived using the gain from a combination of on-board and earth-view measurements. The on-orbit RVS for MODIS has experienced a significant change, especially for the short-wavelength bands. The on-orbit RVS change for the short-wavelength bands (bands 3, 8, and 9) at nadir is observed to be greater than 10 over the mission lifetime. Due to absence of a scanning mechanism, MISR can serve as an effective tool to evaluate and monitor the on-orbit performance of the MODIS RVS. Furthermore, it can also monitor the detector and scan-mirror differences for the MODIS bands using simultaneous measurements from earth-scene targets, e.g., North Atlantic Ocean and North African desert. Simultaneous measurements provide the benefit of minimizing the impact of earth-scene features while comparing the radiometric performance using vicarious techniques. Long-term observations of both instruments using select ground targets also provide an evaluation of the long-term calibration stability. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the use of MISR to monitor and enhance the on-orbit calibration of the MODIS RSB. The radiometric calibration requirements for the MODIS RSB are +/- 2% in reflectance and +/- 5% in radiance at typical radiance levels within +/- 45 deg. of nadir. The results show that the long-term changes in the MODIS reflectance at nadir frames are generally within 1. The MODIS level 1B calibrated products, generated after correcting for the on-orbit changes in the gain and RVS, do not have any correction for changes in the instruments polarization sensitivity. The mirror-side-dependent polarization sensitivity exhibits an on-orbit change, primarily in the blue bands, that manifests in noticeable mirror side differences in the MODIS calibrated products. The mirror side differences for other RSB are observed to be less than 1%, therefore demonstrating an excellent on-orbit performance. The detector differences in the blue bands of MODIS exhibit divergence in recent years beyond 1%, and a calibration algorithm improvement has been identified to mitigate this effect. Short-term variations in the recent year caused by the forward updates were identified in bands 1 and 2 and are planned to be corrected in the next reprocess.

A Radiation Hard Multi-Channel Digitizer ASIC for Operation in the Harsh Jovian Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aslam, Shahid; Aslam, S.; Akturk, A.; Quilligan, G.

2011-01-01

In 1995, the Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter to conduct follow-up experiments on pathfinder Pioneer and key Voyager discoveries especially at Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. These new observations helped expand our scientific knowledge of the prominent Galilean satellites; studies revealed diversity with respect to their geology, internal structure, evolution and degree of past and present activity. Jupiter's diverse Galilean satellites, of which three are believed to harbor internal oceans, are central to understanding the habitability of icy worlds. Galileo provided for the first time compelling evidence of a near-surface global ocean on Europa. Furthermore, by understanding the Jupiter system and unraveling the history of its evolution from initial formation to the emergence of possible habitats and life, gives insight into how giant planets and their satellite systems form and evolve. Most important, new light is shed on the potential for the emergence and existence of life in icy satellite oceans. In 2009, NASA released a detailed Jupiter Europa Mission Study (EJSM) that proposed an ambitious Flagship Mission to understand more fully the satellites Europa and Ganymede within the context of the Jovian system. Key to EJSM is the NASA led Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) and the ESA led Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO). JEO and JGO would execute a choreographed exploration of the Jovian system before settling into orbit around Europa and Ganymede, respectively. The National Academies Planetary Decadal Survey, 2011 has listed the NASA-led JEO as the second highest priority mission for the decade 2013-2022, and if chosen it would be launched in 2020 with arrival at Jupiter in 2025. If the JEO mission is not chosen it is anticipated that there will be opportunities in future decadal cycles. Jupiter Orbit Insertion (JOI) begins a 30-month Jovian system tour followed by nine months of science mapping after Europa Orbit Insertion (EOI) in July 2028. The orbiter will ultimately impact the surface of Europa after the mission is completed. The current JEO mission concept includes a range of instruments on the payload, to monitor dynamic phenomena (such as Io's volcanoes and Jupiters atmosphere), map the Jovian magnetosphere and its interactions with the Galilean satellites, and characterize water oceans beneath the ice shells of Europa and Ganymede. The payload includes a low mass (3.7 Kg) and low power (< 5 W) Thermal Instrument (TI) concept for measuring possible warm thermal anomalies on Europa s cold surface caused by recent (< 10,000 years) eruptive activity. Regions of anomalously high heat flow will be identified by thermal mapping using a nadir pointing, push-broom filter radiometer that provides far-IR imagery in two broad band spectral wavelength regions, 8-20 m and 20-100 m, for surface temperature measurements with better than a 2 K accuracy and a spatial resolution of 250 m/pixel obtained from a 100 Km orbit. The temperature accuracy permits a search for elevated temperatures when combined with albedo information. The spatial resolution is sufficient to resolve Europa's larger cracks and ridge axial valleys. In order to accomplish the thermal mapping, the TI uses sensitive thermopile arrays that are readout by a custom designed low-noise Multi-Channel Digitizer (MCD) ASIC that resides very close to the thermopile linear array outputs. Both the thermopile array and the MCD ASIC will need to show full functionality within the harsh Jovian radiation environment, operating at cryogenic temperatures, typically 150 K to 170 K. In the following, a radiation mitigation strategy together with a low risk Radiation-Hardened-By-Design (RHBD) methodology using commercial foundry processes is given for the design and manufacture of a MCD ASIC that will meet this challenge.

The effect of the fires on gypseous soil properties: changes of the hydrology and splash resistance.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

León, J.; Seeger, M.; Echeverría, M.; Badía, D.; Peters, P.

2012-04-01

Mediterranean ecosystems have been severely affected by fires in the last decades. Due to social and economical changes, wildfires have caused hydrological and geomorphologic changes to be more pronounced, resulting in enhanced soil erosion. Soil heating caused by fires affects soil aggregates stability, water infiltration and may generate hydrophobicity. In order to understand how wildfire affects soil hydrological behavior in general, and splash and runoff processes in particular, of gypsum soils,it is advantageous to use a rainfall simulator. In August 2009 a large forest fire affected 6700 ha in Remolinos (NW Zaragoza, Spain). The area is covered by shrubs such as gorse (Genista scorpius L.), broom (Retama sphaerocarpa L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), and with small areas occupied by Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill) and Kermes evergreen-oak (Quercus coccifera L.). This region has a semarid Mediterranean climate, with an average annual rainfall ca 560 mm and a mean annual temperature of 12.5°C, resulting in an estimated climatic water deficit of ca. 400mm. The relief consists of stepped slopes (200-748 m), on two different types of soil have developed: Renzic Phaeozem, on limestone, and Haplic Gypsisol, on gypsum (IUSS, 2006). Within this study, we wanted to investigate the differences in affection by fire of the different soil types, as it may be caused by different fire intensities. Therefore, both soil types were sampled after fire. Also, similar locations were sampled which were not affected by the wildfires. With this, we could differentiate 4 treatments: burnt and unburnt pine forest and burnt and unburnt shrub on gypseous soils. We designed a set of lab experiments to elucidate the effect of heat on soil composition, aggregate stability, and splash susceptibility. Samples were taken using cylinders of 5 cm depth. Under laboratory conditions were measured pH, CE, organic matter (OM), soil aggregates stability (SAS), bulk density, porosity and mineralogical changes, using 5 subsamples of each treatment. The samples were heated at different temperatures (105 °C and 205 °C) in an oven for 30 min to simulated different fire intensities, for comparison. A set was only air dried (35 °C). To study the splash effect of the gypsum soils were use small scale rainfall simulator in laboratory, applying a rainfall intensity of 47 mm h-1 during 20 min, resulting in a kinetic energy of 8.94 J m-2 mm-1. The gross loss of material of each of the undisturbed samples was measured after 20 minutes of simulation. The pH is slightly alkaline and oscillates between 7.93-8.32, depending on soil cover type, and is highest under burnt pine forest. The EC (2.08-5.01 mS cm-1) did not change after heating of the unburnt shrub cover, but in the soil under burnt pine forest, the EC was lowered with increasing temperature. The OM content is moderate (3.73-4.85 %), and higher on burnt soils, increasing also with an increase of treatment temperature. The SAS (43.17-75.92 %) is strongly depending on the temperature applied, and was found higher on the burnt surfaces. The gypsum content of the soils is moderate to high (11.30-39.58 %), but decreases with the treatment at 205°C. The soil loss by splash vaied between 0.9 to 2.8 g (per sample) after 20 min of rainfall simulation. Highest losses were found on burnt surfaces. The results show that fire and temperature affects not all characteristics of soils. Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation BES-2008-003056, the CETSUS project (CGL2007-66644-C04-04/HIDCLI) and the Geomorphology and Global Change Research Group (D.G.A., 2011). The Spanish Army has supported this work at the San Gregorio CENAF.

Strategies for satellite-based monitoring of CO2 from distributed area and point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Miller, Charles E.; Duren, Riley M.; Natraj, Vijay; Eldering, Annmarie; Gunson, Michael R.; Crisp, David

2014-05-01

Atmospheric CO2 budgets are controlled by the strengths, as well as the spatial and temporal variabilities of CO2 sources and sinks. Natural CO2 sources and sinks are dominated by the vast areas of the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere. In contrast, anthropogenic and geogenic CO2 sources are dominated by distributed area and point sources, which may constitute as much as 70% of anthropogenic (e.g., Duren & Miller, 2012), and over 80% of geogenic emissions (Burton et al., 2013). Comprehensive assessments of CO2 budgets necessitate robust and highly accurate satellite remote sensing strategies that address the competing and often conflicting requirements for sampling over disparate space and time scales. Spatial variability: The spatial distribution of anthropogenic sources is dominated by patterns of production, storage, transport and use. In contrast, geogenic variability is almost entirely controlled by endogenic geological processes, except where surface gas permeability is modulated by soil moisture. Satellite remote sensing solutions will thus have to vary greatly in spatial coverage and resolution to address distributed area sources and point sources alike. Temporal variability: While biogenic sources are dominated by diurnal and seasonal patterns, anthropogenic sources fluctuate over a greater variety of time scales from diurnal, weekly and seasonal cycles, driven by both economic and climatic factors. Geogenic sources typically vary in time scales of days to months (geogenic sources sensu stricto are not fossil fuels but volcanoes, hydrothermal and metamorphic sources). Current ground-based monitoring networks for anthropogenic and geogenic sources record data on minute- to weekly temporal scales. Satellite remote sensing solutions would have to capture temporal variability through revisit frequency or point-and-stare strategies. Space-based remote sensing offers the potential of global coverage by a single sensor. However, no single combination of orbit and sensor provides the full range of temporal sampling needed to characterize distributed area and point source emissions. For instance, point source emission patterns will vary with source strength, wind speed and direction. Because wind speed, direction and other environmental factors change rapidly, short term variabilities should be sampled. For detailed target selection and pointing verification, important lessons have already been learned and strategies devised during JAXA's GOSAT mission (Schwandner et al, 2013). The fact that competing spatial and temporal requirements drive satellite remote sensing sampling strategies dictates a systematic, multi-factor consideration of potential solutions. Factors to consider include vista, revisit frequency, integration times, spatial resolution, and spatial coverage. No single satellite-based remote sensing solution can address this problem for all scales. It is therefore of paramount importance for the international community to develop and maintain a constellation of atmospheric CO2 monitoring satellites that complement each other in their temporal and spatial observation capabilities: Polar sun-synchronous orbits (fixed local solar time, no diurnal information) with agile pointing allow global sampling of known distributed area and point sources like megacities, power plants and volcanoes with daily to weekly temporal revisits and moderate to high spatial resolution. Extensive targeting of distributed area and point sources comes at the expense of reduced mapping or spatial coverage, and the important contextual information that comes with large-scale contiguous spatial sampling. Polar sun-synchronous orbits with push-broom swath-mapping but limited pointing agility may allow mapping of individual source plumes and their spatial variability, but will depend on fortuitous environmental conditions during the observing period. These solutions typically have longer times between revisits, limiting their ability to resolve temporal variations. Geostationary and non-sun-synchronous low-Earth-orbits (precessing local solar time, diurnal information possible) with agile pointing have the potential to provide, comprehensive mapping of distributed area sources such as megacities with longer stare times and multiple revisits per day, at the expense of global access and spatial coverage. An ad hoc CO2 remote sensing constellation is emerging. NASA's OCO-2 satellite (launch July 2014) joins JAXA's GOSAT satellite in orbit. These will be followed by GOSAT-2 and NASA's OCO-3 on the International Space Station as early as 2017. Additional polar orbiting satellites (e.g., CarbonSat, under consideration at ESA) and geostationary platforms may also become available. However, the individual assets have been designed with independent science goals and requirements, and limited consideration of coordinated observing strategies. Every effort must be made to maximize the science return from this constellation. We discuss the opportunities to exploit the complementary spatial and temporal coverage provided by these assets as well as the crucial gaps in the capabilities of this constellation. References Burton, M.R., Sawyer, G.M., and Granieri, D. (2013). Deep carbon emissions from volcanoes. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75: 323-354. Duren, R.M., Miller, C.E. (2012). Measuring the carbon emissions of megacities. Nature Climate Change 2, 560-562. Schwandner, F.M., Oda, T., Duren, R., Carn, S.A., Maksyutov, S., Crisp, D., Miller, C.E. (2013). Scientific Opportunities from Target-Mode Capabilities of GOSAT-2. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, White Paper, 6p., March 2013.

Low-density lipoprotein apheresis: an evidence-based analysis.

PubMed

2007-01-01

To assess the effectiveness and safety of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis performed with the heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation (HELP) system for the treatment of patients with refractory homozygous (HMZ) and heterozygous (HTZ) familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). BACKGROUND ON FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA: Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic autosomal dominant disorder that is caused by several mutations in the LDL-receptor gene. The reduced number or absence of functional LDL receptors results in impaired hepatic clearance of circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) particles, which results in extremely high levels of LDL-C in the bloodstream. Familial hypercholesterolemia is characterized by excess LDL-C deposits in tendons and arterial walls, early onset of atherosclerotic disease, and premature cardiac death. Familial hypercholesterolemia occurs in both HTZ and HMZ forms. Heterozygous FH is one of the most common monogenic metabolic disorders in the general population, occurring in approximately 1 in 500 individuals. Nevertheless, HTZ FH is largely undiagnosed and an accurate diagnosis occurs in only about 15% of affected patients in Canada. Thus, it is estimated that there are approximately 3,800 diagnosed and 21,680 undiagnosed cases of HTZ FH in Ontario. In HTZ FH patients, half of the LDL receptors do not work properly or are absent, resulting in plasma LDL-C levels 2- to 3-fold higher than normal (range 7-15mmol/L or 300-500mg/dL). Most HTZ FH patients are not diagnosed until middle age when either they or one of their siblings present with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). Without lipid-lowering treatment, 50% of males die before the age of 50 and 25% of females die before the age of 60, from myocardial infarction or sudden death. In contrast to the HTZ form, HMZ FH is rare (occurring in 1 case per million persons) and more severe, with a 6- to 8-fold elevation in plasma LDL-C levels (range 15-25mmol/L or 500-1000mg/dL). Homozygous FH patients are typically diagnosed in infancy, usually due to the presence of cholesterol deposits in the skin and tendons. The main complication of HMZ FH is supravalvular aortic stenosis, which is caused by cholesterol deposits on the aortic valve and in the ascending aorta. The average life expectancy of affected individuals is 23 to 25 years. In Ontario, it is estimated that there are 13 to 15 cases of HMZ FH. An Ontario clinical expert confirmed that 9 HMZ FH patients have been identified to date. There are 2 accepted clinical diagnostic criterion for the diagnosis of FH: the Simon Broome FH Register criteria from the United Kingdom and the Dutch Lipid Network criteria from the Netherlands. The criterion supplement cholesterol levels with clinical history, physical signs and family history. DNA-based-mutation-screening methods permit a definitive diagnosis of HTZ FH to be made. However, given that there are over 1000 identified mutations in the LDL receptor gene and that the detection rates of current techniques are low, genetic testing becomes problematic in countries with high genetic heterogeneity, such as Canada. The primary aim of treatment in both HTZ and HMZ FH is to reduce plasma LDL-C levels in order to reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis and CAD. The first line of treatment is dietary intervention, however it alone is rarely sufficient for the treatment of FH patients. Patients are frequently treated with lipid-lowering drugs such as resins, fibrates, niacin, statins and cholesterol absorption-inhibiting drugs (ezetimibe). Most HTZ FH patients require a combination of drugs to achieve or approach target cholesterol levels. A small number of HTZ FH patients are refractory to treatment or intolerant to lipid-lowering medication. According to clinical experts, the prevalence of refractory HTZ FH in Ontario is between 1 to 5%. Using the mean of 3%, it is estimated that there are approximately 765 refractory HTZ FH patients in Ontario, of which 115 are diagnosed and 650 are undiagnosed. Drug therapy is less effective in HMZ FH patients since the effects of the majority of cholesterol-lowering drugs are mediated by the upregulation of LDL receptors, which are often absent or function poorly in HMZ FH patients. Some HMZ FH patients may still benefit from drug therapy, however this rarely reduces LDL-C levels to targeted levels. EXISTING TECHNOLOGY: PLASMA EXCHANGE An option currently available in Ontario for FH patients who do not respond to standard diet and drug therapy is plasma exchange (PE). Patients are treated with this lifelong therapy on a weekly or biweekly basis with concomitant drug therapy. Plasma exchange is nonspecific and eliminates virtually all plasma proteins such as albumin, immunoglobulins, coagulation factors, fibrinolytic factors and HDL-C, in addition to acutely lowering LDL-C by about 50%. Blood is removed from the patient, plasma is isolated, discarded and replaced with a substitution fluid. The substitution fluid and the remaining cellular components of the blood are then returned to the patient. The major limitation of PE is its nonspecificity. The removal of HDL-C prevents successful vascular remodeling of the areas stenosed by atherosclerosis. In addition, there is an increased susceptibility to infections, and costs are incurred by the need for replacement fluid. Adverse events can be expected to occur in 12% of procedures. OTHER ALTERNATIVES: Surgical alternatives for FH patients include portocaval shunt, ileal bypass and liver transplantation. However, these are risky procedures and are associated with a high morbidity rate. Results with gene therapy are not convincing to date. LDL APHERESIS An alternative to PE is LDL apheresis. Unlike PE, LDL apheresis is a selective treatment that removes LDL-C and other atherogenic lipoproteins from the blood while minimally impacting other plasma components such as HDL-C, total serum protein, albumin and immunoglobulins. As with PE, FH patients require lifelong therapy with LDL apheresis on a weekly/biweekly basis with concomitant drug therapy. HEPARIN-INDUCED EXTRACORPOREAL LDL PRECIPITATION: Heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation (HELP) is one of the most widely used methods of LDL apheresis. It is a continuous closed-loop system that processes blood extracorporeally. It operates on the principle that at a low pH, LDL and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] bind to heparin and fibrinogen to form a precipitate which is then removed by filtration. In general, the total duration of treatment is approximately 2 to 3 hours. Results from early trials indicate that LDL-C concentration is reduced by 65% to 70% immediately following treatment in both HMZ and HTZ FH and then rapidly begins to rise. Typically patients with HTZ FH are treated every 2 weeks while patients with HMZ FH require weekly therapy. Heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation also produces small transient decreases in HDL-C, however levels generally return to baseline within 2 days. After several months of therapy, long-term reductions in LDL-C and increases in HDL-C have been reported. In addition to having an impact on plasma cholesterol concentrations, HELP lowers plasma fibrinogen, a risk factor for atherosclerosis, and reduces concentrations of cellular adhesion molecules, which play a role in early atherogenesis. In comparison with PE, HELP LDL apheresis does not have major effects on essential plasma proteins and does not require replacement fluid, thus decreasing susceptibility to infections. One study noted that adverse events were documented in 2.9% of LDL apheresis treatments using the HELP system compared with 12% using PE. As per the manufacturer, patients must weigh at least 30kgs to be eligible for treatment with HELP. The H.E.L.P.® System (B.Braun Medizintechnologie GmbH, Germany) has been licensed by Health Canada since December 2000 as a Class 3 medical device (Licence # 26023) for performing LDL apheresis to acutely remove LDL from the plasma of 3 high-risk patient populations for whom diet has been ineffective and maximum drug therapy has either been ineffective or not tolerated. The 3 patient groups are as follows: Functional hypercholesterolemic homozygotes with LDL-C >500 mg/dL (>13mmol/L);Functional hypercholesterolemic heterozygotes with LDL-C >300 mg/dL (>7.8mmol/L);Functional hypercholesterolemic heterozygotes with LDL-C >200 mg/dL (>5.2mmol/L) and documented CADNo other LDL apheresis system is currently licensed in Canada. The Medical Advisory Secretariat systematically reviewed the literature to assess the effectiveness and safety of LDL apheresis performed with the HELP system for the treatment of patients with refractory HMZ and HTZ FH. A standard search methodology was used to retrieve international health technology assessments and English-language journal articles from selected databases. The GRADE approach was used to systematically and explicitly make judgments about the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. The search identified 398 articles published from January 1, 1998 to May 30, 2007. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Five case series, 2 case series nested within comparative studies, and one retrospective review, were included in the analysis. A health technology assessment conducted by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and a review by the United States Food and Drug Administration were also included. Large heterogeneity among the studies was observed. Studies varied in inclusion criteria, baseline patient characteristics and methodology. Overall, the mean acute relative decrease in LDL-C with HELP LDL apheresis ranged from 53 to 77%. The mean acute relative reductions ranged as follows: total cholesterol (TC) 47 to 64%, HDL-C +0. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

HWHAP_Ep3_Landing From Space

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-21

Gary Jordan (Host): Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Episode 3, Landing from Space. I'm Gary Jordan, and I'll be your host today. So on this podcast, we bring in the experts -- NASA scientists, engineers, astronauts, pretty much all the folks that have the coolest information, the stuff you really want to know -- right on the show to tell you about everything NASA, everything from extraterrestrial dirt to the unknown parts of the universe. So today, we're talking landing from space with Dr. John Charles. He's the chief scientist for the NASA Human Research Program here at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and we talked about the more human side of space -- specifically, what happens to the human body in the microgravity environment and what that means for adjusting to life back on Earth, even on other planets, like Mars. I also had the chance to catch NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough just two days after landing from a 173-day mission aboard the International Space Station, and he gave a firsthand experience of what it feels like to adjust back to Earth's environment after living in space for that long. So with no further delay, let's go light speed and jump right ahead to our talk with Dr. John Charles and then NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough. Enjoy. [ Music ] Host: All right. Dr. Charles, welcome. Is it, should I say Dr. Charles or John? John Charles: Call me John. Host: John, okay. [laughs] All right. Well, John, thanks for coming on the show. We always seem to end up in the same circles first with the landing on Mars video and with speaking presentations, and, you know, you were the first person I thought of when we had this topic. But what's cool about this one is for this particular podcast, I actually got a chance to talk to Shane Kimbrough two days after he landed, which was awesome. I mean, he was really tired, but it was pretty cool to talk to him. Not to say that you're not a special guest, but-- John Charles: I'll try not to be as tired as you are. [ Laughs ] Host: Well, we're doing this I guess after lunchtime, so I can understand. John Charles: Yeah, that's possible. Yeah. Host: It is. But what's cool is that he was just getting adjusted to Earth. It was perspective, of such a unique perspective. He just came down, and he was still getting adjusted, and that takes weeks, right? That takes-- John Charles: Yes, it may take -- well, some folks say it takes as long to respond to or adjust back to Earth as it did in flight. So there is going to be ongoing adjustments, especially in the areas of, say, the bone loss, that will take months, and months, and months before they even come back to what they were approximately before flight. Host: Yeah. I mean, even some astronauts say they have, they still have dreams about floating. I mean, even floating and-- John Charles: Yeah. Host: They kind of, I guess their body just doesn't know where they are. John Charles: That, it's certainly, it is certainly a monumental experience, and I cannot imagine ever getting tired of it or used to it. I understand Peggy Whitson was excited to get the mission extension of three more months. Host: Right. John Charles: And she said she was actually interested in going back again. So I think once you've experienced the wonders of weightlessness, and the awesome view out the window, and all the other parts of going on a spaceflight these days, it's not something you ever get used to, and it probably colors your dreams for many, many years to come. Host: That's beautifully put way. John Charles: Thank you. Host: A beautiful way of saying it. But that's what I guess, you know, for, at least for Shane Kimbrough is kind of I guess happy to be home. You know, when we were interviewing him, his wife was not too far away. So he was, you know, I'm sure he's happy to see his family. John Charles: Sure. Host: But I was thinking, you know, why don't we start off with that conversation with Shane Kimbrough? Because he does talk about a lot of the human aspects, and he just says, you know, I'm dizzy and this is how I'm feeling. So I thought it would be cool if we kind of elaborated on that a little bit after. But first, let's start with Shane Kimbrough's interview. We do have to go back in time, so producer Alex, let's cue the wormhole sound effect thingy. [ Music ] Host: So if you need to take a breather, you know, let me know because it's just like talking, and then talking-- Shane Kimbrough: No, no. It's— Host: And then talking, and then talking. Shane Kimbrough: Good. [laughs] Let's knock it out. Host: Oh, man. So, wow. Okay, I know it's been a busy couple of days for you, but, you know, thanks for taking the time to actually set, you know, ten minutes aside to have this conversation. You just landed two days ago. That's pretty crazy. [laughs] But since we only do have, like, a short period of time, I thought we'd start, and if you can just kind of take us through the journey of starting at when you were saying your final goodbyes to Peggy, and to Thomas, and Oleg, and then you just closed the hatch, and then that journey all the way to where you, bam, smacked the ground. Shane Kimbrough: All right. Yeah, we were, you know, it was an anticipated moment when we were going to say goodbyes. We'd kind of been sitting around for about an hour waiting on the time to, when Sergey, the Soyuz commander, came and said, "It's time to go." So we did say our goodbyes. We gave hugs to all the other crew members we were leaving, like you said -- Peggy, and Thomas, and Oleg. We spent about four-and-a-half months together with them, so we spent a lot of time together, so we got to be really good friends and crewmates. So it was great with them, but it was, you know, we were heading home, and so we had to say our goodbyes, quickly shut the hatch right after we say goodbyes, and then we started preparing our vehicle with leak checks and everything, trying to make sure we were leak tight before we departed from the Space Station. Host: So a lot of, like, a lot of right to the procedures, right. Not a lot of reflection time. Shane Kimbrough: Absolutely. Host: Just right into it. Shane Kimbrough: We didn't have any time to mess around [laughs] because you, we do a leak check, then we get in our space suits, and then we get in the descent module, close the hatch to the other module, and then we depart pretty quickly. So all had to happen, you know, by the procedure. If we had any hiccup in that, then we wouldn't have been leaving that day. So it was pretty pressure packed trying to get to the undocking time. And so we undock, and then we actually, after you undock, you have about an hour and a half, which is an entire revolution around the Earth, to really not do much. So we took a little nap [laughs] because we were-- Host: Well deserved. Shane Kimbrough: Really tired. I mean, they had us on a crazy sleep shift on the last day. And so we were pretty worn out. So we took a little nap and then got ready after that for the deorbit burn, which is a pretty big emotional event when the big engine fires off-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: And puts you on a trajectory to enter the Earth's atmosphere at the correct angle so that you actually make the landing site and make sure the vehicle's pointed in the right direction so you don't burn up when you're coming through the atmosphere. So that's obviously a plus. Host: So you didn't really feel the deorbit burn, right? You mainly felt the reentry? Is that what-- Shane Kimbrough: You do feel the deorbit burn-- Host: Oh. Shane Kimbrough: Because the engine kicks in and it's, you know, it's kind of like a kick in the pants, and you're thrown back in your seat. Host: Oh, wow. Shane Kimbrough: And it, you know, lasts I think about a couple minutes. So, you know, it's a sustained kind of pulse, and-- Host: You feel it that whole time, right? Shane Kimbrough: Yeah, you're feeling it. I mean, initially, you feel it a little more, and then you get used to it. Host: Right, right. Shane Kimbrough: And so then you're kind of getting ready to come back through the atmosphere, then separation of our descent module in the [inaudible], the habitation compartment happens. That's kind of like just an explosion, right. [laughs] So you feel it. You hear it. You see things flying by the windows from the other module that just came apart. So that's pretty interesting. Host: Yeah, not a boring ride. Shane Kimbrough: No, [laughs] not a boring ride. And then, we're kind of getting ready for the next big event. There's always, I mean, four or five big events along the way. The next one was parachute opening. Of course, after you started pulling, you're feeling the effects of gravity, all right. So we were pulling and we ended up pulling them 4.3 g's I think. So we felt like 4.3 times your body weight. Host: Wow. Shane Kimbrough: Which, after microgravity, felt like about 20 times your body weight. Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: And so that built up, and we kind of just felt it building. We're watching the meter go up, and, man, I was like, wow, that's a lot. And then, right after that, the parachute, you know, started coming out, and that was really an emotional event because it's really dynamic, [laughs] I guess is the best word. And it kind of throws you around really drastically four or five times, and, you know, it's completely normal. But until you go through it the first time, which is my first experience, I was like, there's no way this can be normal. Host: Yeah. [laughs] Shane Kimbrough: But it is, and that's the way they do it, and it's just the parachute coming out and getting set up and the risers getting in the right position. And then, once that's done and then it's kind of a peaceful ride until you crush into the ground. Host: Yeah, yeah. [laughter] Okay, so the swinging back and forth, how would you compare that? Is it -- I'm thinking of an amusement park ride, right. It's got to be more intense than that, right? Shane Kimbrough: It is, but, you know, I don't know if there's one out there that just really slams you to the right [laughs] and slams you to the left, and you do that five or six times, you know, in a -- you know, I can't think of one that does that, but that's what it was like. I couldn't believe it. Shane Kimbrough: Yeah. Host: I guess that's why they, you know, they kind of strap you into that thing real tight, right, because you're-- Shane Kimbrough: Right. Host: Getting bounced and kicked in, like, all-- Shane Kimbrough: Exactly, yeah. Host: Directions. Shane Kimbrough: So as we come in, you start, the advice I got was as soon as you start feeling the g-force, start pulling on your straps as much as you can to really get you down into that seat-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: So that you're not just secured but, you know, getting ready for the impact of the landing as well. Host: So is it fair to say that that landing was the hardest impact, probably? Shane Kimbrough: Oh, yeah. [laughs] Yeah. No doubt. Host: How did that feel? Shane Kimbrough: it was, you know, I've heard it called like, it's like a really bad car crash, and now I can confirm that that is accurate. Host: Wow. Shane Kimbrough: So you hit just really hard. And in our case, we hit twice really hard, so. Host: Oh. [laughs] And then, you roll around, right? Shane Kimbrough: And then, we rolled some more too just for added effect, so. Host: And then, you said, I remember you saying, because we did it in like a bunch of other events before this, but you said, like, you were in a position where you were just kind of dangling a little bit, right? Shane Kimbrough: Yeah, so I was kind of on-- Host: You were-- Shane Kimbrough: Top looking down at the ground, but-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: In that case, I was hanging from my straps. Host: Wow. Shane Kimbrough: Really uncomfortable feeling for about five minutes, five to ten minutes until they could get there and roll the vehicle kind of to the normal position. Host: Oh, that's it. Just five to ten minutes, and then they were there. Shane Kimbrough: Yeah. It was very likely we had perfect weather that day. The search and rescue forces saw us the whole time. And really, right after the parachute opened, they tracked us all the way to the ground, so they were right there-- Host: Wow. Shane Kimbrough: In about ten minutes and got us out pretty quickly. Host: So when that door opened and they pulled you out, what was that feeling? Was it relief or was it just more of the, you know, just here's the next step kind of thing? Or, like, describe those emotions. Shane Kimbrough: Yeah, so the hatch, they opened the hatch, the search and rescue forces. And they're familiar faces from our training in Star City, Russia. I mean, they're Russian-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: Folks. But it was nice to see their smiling faces. And then, I saw my flight sergeant from NASA and the Chief Astronaut Cassidy right there as well. So, you know, we were all smiles and waving. We all felt great at the time. And getting out is very challenging because it is so small, like we were talking about earlier. Host: Right. Shane Kimbrough: But they have to help you out. You can't get out on your own for gravity for one, and then it's just too tight and too small. You can't even really get to unstrap yourself. They have to get in there. It's that tight. Host: Wow. Shane Kimbrough: Like, you can't move your hands enough to unstrap most of your straps, so they get in there and help you out doing that as well as pulling you out of the vehicle. Host: Yeah. So okay, when you first, you know, you're pulled out of the capsule. You have fresh air, familiar faces. Obviously, that's a great moment, but so now you're kind of, you're back on Earth. You can feel it, right? What's, how are you feeling -- do you feel sick? Do you feel, is it mostly happy? Is there overwhelming feelings? What's going on? Shane Kimbrough: I think people have felt all those things you've mentioned. [laughs] I really felt great. I love smelling that fresh desert air. It was kind of like a 60-degree day in Kazakhstan. Feels beautiful. The wind was blowing. It was just awesome to have that sensation of nature again for me. And then, just seeing friendly faces and knowing I was going to get to talk to my family pretty soon after that was pretty special. Host: Yeah, that's amazing. What was the, so what was the main thing you noticed about the way your body was adjusting to life back on Earth? Shane Kimbrough: Well, to not move your head around is great advice, I guess. [laughs] Yeah, because that really provokes some folks to get sick, so-- Host: Okay. Shane Kimbrough: I really try to keep my head focused straight ahead. If anybody was talking to me, I would make them come right in front of me so I didn't have to kind of, because the natural tendency is to just look at them, right, but that really gets your-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: Inner ear spinning up pretty well and-- Host: It must've been hard because there's a lot happening, right? People are-- Shane Kimbrough: There is. Host: All over. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: So I heard people to my side, and I was, I just told them, "Hey, come right in front of me so I can see you [laughter] because I'm not going to turn my head." Host: Yeah, exactly. So-- Shane Kimbrough: And it seemed to pay off, so. Host: Yeah. Well, okay, so besides feeling sick, were you weak, like are, can you move around, or what was the-- Shane Kimbrough: You can move around a little bit. Host: Okay. Shane Kimbrough: They were carrying us. You know, I wasn't walking anywhere at the time, and they had people that carried us to where we were sitting there for a while. And then, after that, they carried us to the medical tent. But once we got in there, then it was a bunch of testing, and walking, and with your eyes closed and open, and just crazy things. And, [laughs] you know, just trying to-- Host: You just don't get a break. Shane Kimbrough: See where you're at. [laughter] Host: You just don't get a break. And then, they throw you-- Shane Kimbrough: Yeah. Host: On, what is it? To get a helicopter, and then the helicopter-- Shane Kimbrough: Yeah. Host: To a plane. Shane Kimbrough: Right. Host: You're off to Houston. Shane Kimbrough: Exactly. Host: Did you -- I'm guessing you slept on the plane, right? Shane Kimbrough: I did. I slept-- Host: Yeah. Shane Kimbrough: Really well on the plane, so it was good. [laughter] Host: I probably should've start off this -- I just realized -- but how are you feeling now? Shane Kimbrough: I'm feeling, yeah, I'm feeling really well compared to what I thought I'd be feeling at this point. It's only two days after I landed, like you mentioned earlier, and I really feel great. I had a great workout today, which I think really made me feel better. Host: Oh, wow. You're right back into it. Shane Kimbrough: Yeah, so we got about a 45-day program of working out and getting you rehabilitated, back to your full strength. Host: Okay. Shane Kimbrough: But it should only take maybe a week or so to get there, and then from there, we'll just build on whatever strength I have. Host: All right. All right, well, one more question, then I'll let you go. What was the first thing you ate when you got back here? Shane Kimbrough: [laughs] A lot of people are asking me that, and [laughs] it's a really boring answer, but it was a banana-- Host: Oh. Shane Kimbrough: Because that's something [laughs] I hadn't had in-- Host: A banana. Shane Kimbrough: A while. I was really wanting some fruit, and-- Host: That's true. It's not, yeah. Shane Kimbrough: I had a banana and an apple and had a bunch of those on the plane. [laughs] Host: Okay, so once you're -- how about this? -- once you're well enough, what's the first thing you're-- Shane Kimbrough: Yeah. Host: Going to eat? Shane Kimbrough: I think we're going to do some Italian tonight, which I've been thinking about. Host: Oh. Shane Kimbrough: So that's good. And then, Mexican probably here in the next few days as well, so. Host: All right. All right. >> It'll be good. Host: Definitely two good ones. Well, Shane, thank you for spending these couple minutes with me. Shane Kimbrough: My pleasure. Host: Thanks. Shane Kimbrough: Thanks, Gary. Host: Cool. [ Music ] Host: All right. Producer Alex, we're going to have to work on that wormhole sound effect. Come on. That was quite a ride. I mean, I was, [laughs] I honestly felt sick just listening to the way that he was going down. But there was a lot going on for every step of the way, so, I mean, first off, you know, what are those changes that he was talking about that makes him feel so, you know, so off when he lands on the ground? John Charles: The human body goes through many changes in weightlessness and the rest of spaceflight. I'm always interested most in weightlessness. I don't like the term microgravity. I think that's unnecessarily accurate. Host: There's a lot of synonyms, or syllables. John Charles: It's, yeah, a lot of syllables too. [laughs] But the weightlessness has profound effects, and I like to say that it's evolutionarily unanticipated. There's nothing that has ever happened to us in our lives and in all of the lives of everybody that lived before us, all the way back to as far as you want to go, that is weightlessness. Now, even floating in water is not weightlessness because you're still subject to gravity. The parts of your body that are denser go to the bottom and the parts of your body that are lighter float to the top, and that's true even in the vestibular system. The organs of balance he was talking about. Being dizzy. Those are not weightless, even underwater. The only time they're weightless is if you fall off a cliff, and then the effect is very short lived. Host: Right. John Charles: You don't get a chance to enjoy it very much. Host: Right. John Charles: So this is a real opportunity to, for the body to experience something that it's never experienced before ever, and not surprisingly, there are changes that occur in the body, and the changes might be summarized by the concept that the body economizes its metabolic energy. It doesn't waste energy supporting metabolic processes it doesn't think it needs. And nobody, you can't tell your body, hang on to that because you're going to need it eventually. The body doesn't talk to you in that sense. The body responds -- and by this, I mean the autonomic processes, the physiological processes -- respond to the environment that they have seen recently and are seeing at the moment. So as far as the body is concerned, gravity went away and it's never coming back. And so what do I need to do to be more effective metabolically in the environment that I will see forever? Host: It's just the body adapting to a new environment. John Charles: It's to a new environment. And luckily, the body adapts nicely to the weightless environment-- Host: Right. John Charles: Because it really is sort of a step down. It's less hard to do almost everything metabolically in weightlessness, and the body doesn't know that you're going back to Earth with gravity, so you have to fool the body to get back to, to get ready to go back to Earth. So you go through the changes of weightlessness, and these metabolic efficiencies I'm talking about include not maintaining bone strength. You don't need bone strength in weightlessness, and the body says, great, I'm not going to spend metabolic energy on that anymore. I'm going to dedicate it to something else. Host: Right. John Charles: You don't need muscle strength. You don't need cardiovascular strength so much. You don't need all of the intricate understanding of how to respond to gravity. You don't need to keep track of where all your joints are, your limbs, and all that kind of stuff. Host: Because all of that is gone in the weightless environment. John Charles: That's right. Host: It's just, you don't need your bones because you're not pressed up against anything. John Charles: You're not-- Host: You're just floating. John Charles: You're not supporting yourself anymore. Host: Right. John Charles: There is a residual bone strength, a residual bone volume or density that you will probably plateau at. If you stay in space forever, you will never become like the guys were in WALL-E when they had no bones. Host: [laughs] Yeah. John Charles: Just the big blobs of jelly. Host: That's right. John Charles: That would never happen. You probably, based on other studies and clinical experience, you'd probably lose up to 40% of your bone mass eventually. That is after years, and years, and years. Host: Wow. John Charles: So you, I mean, even so-- Host: Is this saying that you're not working out during those years? John Charles: Yeah, assuming you're just weightless. Host: Assuming you're just weightless. John Charles: Assuming you're just weightless and not working out, that's right. Host: Okay. John Charles: Which would be I think my preferred lifestyle. [laughs] I'd like to be weightless and not working out. But that, see, Gary, that's the answer, though, is the way we fool the body or don't fool the body. We just change the conditions is by working out. So the astronauts work out two hours a day every day, including resistive exercise, my favorite. I call that weight lifting in weightlessness. Host: Right. John Charles: And that's all done with hydraulics and computers. And then, or aerobic training -- exercising on treadmills, and bicycles, and maybe a rowing machine someday. And what that does is put a load on the bones, and the muscles, and the cardiovascular system, not the vestibular system, not the organs of balance, but all the other systems mimicking the absence or the effect of gravity, which is then absent in that environment. Host: So that's, so they're doing those you said aerobic and resistive. So that's the, I guess like you said, though, in space, the weight-lifting machine-- John Charles: Right. Host: Sort of with hydraulics-- John Charles: Right. Host: And that simulates weight lifting. And then, you also have aerobic exercise, which is the treadmill and the bicycle. John Charles: The bicycle. Host: So you have to do this I believe two and a half hours every single day-- John Charles: Yeah. Host: In order to maintain everything? John Charles: Right. And that's a total of two plus hours a day. That includes breakdown, and setup, and changing your clothes, and all that stuff. So you do-- Host: Oh, yeah. John Charles: You know, multiple tens of minutes at each. Host: I see. John Charles: And different exercises on different days. And I think one day is actually a free form. You can do whatever you want. But, you know, the other days are fairly prescribed. But what that does is put a load on the bones, and the muscles, and the cardiovascular system, and other organs as if they were doing something against gravity. It's not the same, but it's close. Host: So that's the way that you're saying you're tricking your body-- John Charles: You're tricking your body. Host: Into thinking that, you know, you don't need, you still need to maintain the muscles. Hold on. John Charles: Right. Host: Stop. You know. John Charles: You're maintaining them for something else. You're maintaining them for exercise and not for fighting against gravity. Host: Right. John Charles: But it has the beneficial effect in many cases of being appropriate for gravity. And in fact, the resistive exercises that we're doing now seem to minimize the loss of bone structure that occurs in weightlessness that has been seen on previous missions. So the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, the ARED, may well be the way that we protect bones and muscles in the future on Mars missions. Host: Oh. John Charles: It may be that we're able to go on really long missions without losing much calcium and without changing the structure very much of the bones. And it's not the loss of calcium per se that's the problem. It's where the calcium comes out of. The bones are developed in everybody whilst you're growing up. Host: Right. John Charles: You're, when you're growing up, you know, you're, first, you're born with a skeleton, and then you spend the first 18 years of your life banging yourself around, and jumping up in trees and off of hillsides, and falling, and jumping, and running, and pulling, and lifting. And all that stuff shapes your body. Host: Yeah, and that's in childhood. John Charles: Right, and that, [laughs] well, I saw people do it. [laughs] Like I said, see previous comment. Host: Right, right. John Charles: But that shapes your body and gives you the structure you need to keep doing that for the rest of your life. And then, at some point, that, those structures, those facets are completed, and you can then go and do useful things with the body that you've built up over the first 18 plus years of your life. Host: Right. John Charles: So when you go into weightlessness, you start eating away at that in the absence of gravity, and if you come back to the Earth, you restore some of that, but you don't restore it the way it was originally. You restore it to the way it needs to be now, which means you don't go back inside the bones and reestablish the framework, the structure. And the bones actually have structure inside of them. The outside is called the cortex, and it's a thick layer. And then, on the inside are the trabeculae, and the trabeculae are like a framework. Think of a lattice work inside of your bones. And those, that lattice work is genetically engineered by you as you grow up to respond to the forces you're putting on bones. So it puts down calcium where the forces are the greatest and it doesn't put down calcium where the forces are not the greatest. But that's the structure you take with you for the remainder of your active life, unless you go into weightlessness. In which case, that obviously gets eroded gradually but persistently over the time in weightlessness. So your bones actually do lose calcium, do lose mass, bone mass, and you lose strength of the bones. Not, so far, not enough to cause you to fracture when you come back to the ground. There have been a couple of astronauts who have fractured bones in the post-flight period, and we have analyzed those, and they would've fractured their bones if they had never flown in space. They just caused an impact that broke bones, and that's just what happens. Host: They were trying to run up and down trees like their childhood days, right? John Charles: Well, they, yeah, nothing quite so [laughs] glamorous. One guy fell off of a stage after a public affairs presentation. He just-- Host: Oh no. John Charles: He didn't fall off. He tripped because there was something on the edge of the stage, so-- Host: Oh. John Charles: It was unavoidable whether he was an astronaut or not and whether he'd flown in space or not. Host: Right. John Charles: So we don't see bone-breaking episodes in astronauts that would not have broken their bones beforehand, but there's the risk that with even longer flights, longer than six months like Shane was on and longer than one year like Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko were on, and perhaps, you know, two-and-a-half year Mars missions might be getting close to the threshold where you might start seeing a slight possibility, increased possibility of breaking bones under normal circumstances. Not during the mission, but after the mission when you're back on the Earth. You know, that's sort of, after 30 months, that's when you start getting close to that threshold. Host: So it has to do with the time that you're in the weightless environment? John Charles: It seems to be an ongoing process. And like I say, though, that process seems to be interrupted by the heavy resistive exercise. Host: Right. John Charles: So that sort of stretches that period out. So you're not at risk if you keep doing your heavy resistive exercise. But that's an interesting question too, and you haven't asked me that one yet, but I'll go ahead and answer it because-- Host: [laughs] You were just reading my mind. John Charles: Yeah. That is, are we going to do resistive exercise on the Mars missions? And the answer is I hope so. Host: Right. John Charles: But we probably will not be using the ARED. The ARED is a very large device that takes up an entire module on the-- Host: Right. John Charles: Space Station. It's a node, which is, that's a module. And we don't have, probably will not have that kind of real estate, that kind of volume available for that kind of device. So right now, what the Human Research Program is doing is trying to understand which of the exercises on the ARED are the most effective in protecting which of the bone facets that are important to protect. And then, building a smaller device that'll just do those. A tailored, specialized device. So this is maybe an important point to make, and that is astronauts will go on missions and will suffer deficits -- deficits that we know how to protect against because we can't afford to protect against them within the limited constraints of a spaceship. So we will give them a device that gives them certain exercise capabilities to protect them against deficits that we think are the most important. But we may be allowing the rest of other aspects of the, say, the other aspects of the skeleton to go ahead and atrophy just because we don't have the flexibility and the resources to protect them against that. We don't think that's going to put them at an increased risk because they're not going to be doing things that will need those aspects on the skeleton, for example. Host: Right, so you've prioritized and you-- John Charles: We had to prioritize lots and lots of things when we start talking about a Mars mission. Host: Right. Yeah. No-- John Charles: I knew we wanted to talk about a Mars mission [laughs] because that's the only thing you talk to me about ever. Host: [laughs] Well, we were getting there. John Charles: Yeah. Host: I was taking baby steps. John Charles: Yeah. Host: And you just jump right there. John Charles: I did. I did. Host: [laughs] I guess, so how would the exercises, since we are on Mars now, how would the exercise work on Mars, you know, if you're talking about landing on -- would you kind of use sort of the same thing, or can you afford a different type of exercise? John Charles: Well, it's going to have to be tailored for the Mars environment, and for the Mars environment means both exercising at one-third of a g, or 38% of Earth's normal gravity -- we call that a third of a g -- on Mars. And also, being appropriate for the spacecraft that will land on Mars. And you raised a very important question. I hope you realized you raised it because it's an important question. Host: [inaudible] intentional. John Charles: And that is, that's, it's a matter of economics to get to Mars. First, you got to build a spaceship, and then you got to send it there with fuel. And fuel is the coin of the realm in space. It takes lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of fuel to get any place. And if you get there, then it takes even more fuel to slow you down and land safely. So everything on the surface of Mars will be mass constrained and volume constrained because mass, volume requires mass. You know, if you build a small room, it's got less mass than a big room. So we are going to be focusing on not only what we can put into the Mars transit vehicle, which will be constrained by the volume of the vehicle, but also what we can land on Mars, which will be constrained by the volume of the lander and the mass capable of landing. So it may well be that we figure out, we hope we figure out a way to use that one-third of a g on Mars as a way to supplement some of the exercise that they would normally be doing in their mini-gym inside the Mars lander or the Mars habitat. Host: Right, so when you're thinking about a Mars mission, it kind of goes back to that idea of prioritizing, right. So just as you're going to prioritize which parts of the body are the most sensitive-- John Charles: Right. Host: The most important for you to maintain, when you're sending stuff to Mars, you got to prioritize which things are the most important things to bring, to send, and make sure they're really small, and light, and don't take up a lot of space. John Charles: Small, and light, and don't take up a lot of space, and don't take a lot of energy, don't take a lot of mass, power, volume, which are the-- Host: Right. John Charles: Important constraints of a spaceship. And just think, we started talking about this because I was trying to make the point that Shane's body is not back to normal yet still. It's, his bones are going to take months to get back to normal. But other organ systems may respond more quickly. Host: But they will get back to normal? His, is the months? John Charles: See, here's a metaphysical question -- what does normal mean in a case like this? Because your bone changes normally over the course of your lifetime, including over every six months. You know, he was gone for six months. His bone was going to be atrophying a little bit anyhow. Host: Right. John Charles: So we're not going to get him back to what he was before flight. And why would we? Because he wouldn't be at that condition now after his landing if he'd just been walking around the Earth for six months. Our goal is to get him back to where they need to be to live a full, happy, functional life here on Earth. But it's, you can't, you know, you can't go home again. You can't go back to your old skeleton again. It just, this is, things are different [laughs] with time in life, and that's doubly true for time spent in space. Host: Yeah. It doesn't matter. You're always going to, just going to get older. Time's-- >> You're going to get older. Host: Just going to go forward. John Charles: That's right. Host: But you, I guess, you know, bones are not the only thing you have to think about, right? You have to-- John Charles: That's correct. Host: Think about a lot of other things. Shane mentioned, you know, when he landed and they pulled him out, he couldn't even turn his head. He was extremely dizzy. John Charles: And see, I think this is the other extreme. The bones are the, some of the slowest to respond in spaceflight and some of the slowest to respond post flight during the recovery back on Earth, but the vestibular system is probably the fastest responder. The vestibular system is the organ system of balance, and it allows us to stay upright. We are constantly making adjustments in our bones and our muscles and the way they're lining our, lining us up. I mean, the old illustration is imagine balancing a broomstick. Remember broomsticks? We used to have brooms and broomsticks. And imagine balancing a broomstick upright on your, on the palm of your hand and all the adjustments you have to make to keep that upright. Host: Right. John Charles: That's how it is when you're walking. When you're walking and standing on one foot or even standing on two feet, your body is constantly adjusting its center of balance and its center of mass to stay over the center of pressure of the feet so you can stay upright. And that all requires sensors in the skin, sensors in the soles of the feet, sensors that detect the angles between the ankle, and the shinbone, and all the other bones, and the organs of balance inside the inner ear. And Gary, even though we're on a podcast, I am automatically pointing at my ears because the organs of balance are behind the inner ears. Host: I can see. John Charles: Yeah. Host: [laughs] But I guess no one else can. John Charles: Nobody else can. [laughs] But this organ system is exquisitely tuned to respond to motion and to respond to gravity. There are parts of it that detect how you move your head, and now I'm twisting my head left and right because that causes a sensation in my inner ear, which then is, at a most simple case, is translated to my eyeballs. So my eyes counteract the motion on my head so I can keep continuing to look at you while we're talking. But there are other organs that detect my tilting my head left and right, and those are the balance. So those are the otoliths. The other ones are the semicircular canals. But the otoliths, the otolith is ear stone, oto-lith. Host: Okay. John Charles: And those are little stones inside little sacs of fluid inside your head which detect which way down is. And those are the ones that are the most immediately affected by spaceflight and weightlessness because if your whole existence is predicated on detecting down and somebody takes away down, then what do you do? And that's sort of how the vestibular system responds to weightlessness is it spends a lot of time the first several hours or several days saying, oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. My only job is to detect down and there is no down. What do I do now? Now, I'm built, you know, the organs of balance are built to detect motion and to detect directions of acceleration, so they may get more sensitive. In fact, the little otoliths in your ears might become bigger. They might accrete more of the mineral that they're made of because they, they're sure there's a down there someplace and that if they could only get heavier, they might be able to detect it again. Host: And this is over the first couple days of the spaceflight? John Charles: Over the, it's over the course of the spaceflight. Host: Oh, over the -- wow. John Charles: Over the course of the spaceflight. Over the course of the first few days -- thank you for bringing me back to the point at hand -- [laughs] over the course of the first few days, essentially the brain says, you know what? You guys are just making gibberish. You're not making any sense anymore. I'm going to start ignoring you. Now, the brain doesn't actually use words. It just sort of economizes the metabolic energy. It says, I'm not going to put so much metabolic energy into the nerves that come from the vestibular system because-- Host: Right. John Charles: I'm just getting gibberish from there and it just, it makes my, the stomach part of me sick. Let's just not pay attention so much to that anymore. And in fact, on Skylab, the American space station in the 1970's, when there was a rotating chair onboard specifically to see how often we could make astronauts sick in spaceflight -- rotating chairs are good ways to make people sick. If you rotate them and ask them to move their heads while they're rotating, that's a great way to be sick. Host: Oh, yeah. I remember those chairs. John Charles: Turns out after a few days in weightlessness, astronauts couldn't be made sick anymore by moving their heads while they were rotating because the-- Host: Yeah. John Charles: Organs of balance had adapted and also because the stimuli were different. Host: I've seen that video of Tim Peake, where I think it was Tim Peake and Tim Kopra, when they were both on the International Space Station-- John Charles: Yeah. Host: Kopra took Peake and just spun him around really, really, really fast-- John Charles: Yep. Host: And then stopped him suddenly. And Peake had like one moment where he stopped suddenly where, I mean, the whole time he was spinning, he didn't feel a thing. John Charles: Yeah. Host: And then, he stopped suddenly. He's like, "Okay, I'm dizzy for a second." And now he's good. John Charles: It's gone. Host: Yeah. John Charles: So there are quick responses, but as I say, you know, the organs of balance, vestibular system continue to, like I say, try to find gravity. And so they may actually increase the mass of the little stones inside your inner ears. And that's kind of an interesting novelty that nobody's figured out yet whether, what the functional -- operational, I should say -- significance -- functionally, we know what it means -- but operationally, what does it mean in terms of your ability to stand upright after you land on Mars? Or things like that. So there's lots of more, lots of research on, some topics for research that we can do in that domain. But the point I was trying to make originally is that this is a quick-responding organ system. Then, slightly slower will be the organs of your cardiovascular system. And those are all fluid based in the sense that they, you're a big, pressurized bag of fluid. Nothing personal, but all of us are. [laughs] And our goal is to stay pressurized by the function of our heart so that the blood can then perfuse the brain and also the blood pressure we carry around with us, 120/80, when the doctor does your blood pressure, tells you, yes, 120/80. Host: That's a good one. John Charles: That's the pressure that you need to get through the muscles when you're exercising. The, when your muscles are exercising, they're constricting and contracting. They're squeezing down the blood vessels. It takes a certain amount of blood pressure to push through there to deliver the nutrients that the muscles need to continue exercising. That's where your 120/80 comes from. And you have to continue building that pressure up. But in weightlessness, you're not exercising so much anymore. You're floating freely. You're relaxing, and your blood vessels are dilating, and your pressure, you'd actually lose blood volume in space. You may lose about a liter of blood in space. Host: Wow. John Charles: You may actually lose, that's about a blood donation, about the same amount as they take out of you when you donate blood, half a liter or a liter. Host: Huh. John Charles: Yeah, that's because the body's, the fluid distribution builds into it an assumption that a lot of your fluid is going to be down in your lower limbs because of gravity, and your lower limbs have a lot of veins, which are very floppy and good places to sequester extra fluid that you don't need, extra blood you don't need. And in weightlessness, that fluid is all shifted into the upper direction, and it's-- Host: Oh. John Charles: There's not a lot of extra venous volume in the upper part of the body, and so the body says, aha, I've got a, I've got too much fluid onboard. I know what to do in a case like this. Decrease thirst, increase urination, you know, eliminate fluid elsewhere, shift it into other parts of the body, which has the effect of causing your body to lose blood volume over the course of the first few weeks in spaceflight. Host: That was going to be my question. John Charles: Yeah. Host: Where does that liter go? Okay. John Charles: Liter goes out, becomes tomorrow's coffee. Host: Yeah. [laughs] John Charles: You remember the old analogy about the water recycling system. Host: That's right. John Charles: So that fluid volume is appropriate for your time in weightlessness. And again, one of those tricks that you pull on your body is that you come back to the Earth after your time in weightlessness and suddenly that fluid drains back down to the lower part of the body. And then, suddenly, the upper part of the body is volume deprived, and that's when you may feel a little bit light headed, a little bit weak. Astronauts wear compression garments in the lower body -- in the legs, especially -- to squeeze to make sure the fluid stays up in the upper part of the body and not pooling in the lower part of the body. Shane was wearing those compression garments that are called Cantaver [phonetic] garments. That's the Russian name for Cantaver. [laughs] And it-- Host: Nice translation. John Charles: Yeah. I'm good at that. But that, those are very effective techniques, and we are, we have other capabilities like that as well. But the point is during, while he wasn't being sensitive to emotion by not turning his head very much, he was also, his body was functioning to keep the blood flowing to the upper part of his body through his brain so he could continue to function normally. That's all part of the early re-adaptation process as well. Host: That's right. John Charles: So the vestibular system is quick responding. The cardiovascular system is slightly slower. Along the way, you lose muscle mass because you're not hefting your body mass around, and they have to rebuild that when you come back. And then, out there at the, sort of the tail end is your skeleton. What we haven't talked about before, yet, though, are things like your radiation tolerance, or radiation exposure, I should say. Host: That's right. John Charles: That doesn't plateau. That doesn't decrease. That doesn't accommodate because you keep getting exposed to radiation, and radiation has a cumulative effect. The more you-- Host: As long as you're in space-- John Charles: As long as you're in spaceflight. So that's an ongoing issue, and that's something we will have to deal with going to Mars because you're exposed to even more radiation when you leave Earth's magnetic field and are-- Host: Right. John Charles: Exposed to the deep-space radiation. And then, the other aspects, of course, are the psychological aspects of spaceflight. And if you think what I've described to you before is complicated, you ain't seen nothing yet because the psychology [laughs] is one of the most self-regulating and self-protecting let's call it organ system that we have until it's not anymore. And so you adapt, you accommodate, you adjust. All those A words are the way that your [laughs] psychological aspects function in normal, everyday life and especially in spaceflight. Host: Yeah. John Charles: But you're exposed to stresses that are the most unique that anybody's ever been exposed to in spaceflight. And if we're talking about a Mars mission, we're talking about let's call it two and a half years just you and three other people face to face in the volume of a couple of Space Station modules maybe with the pressure and the eyes of the world on you to make sure you, to wonder if you succeed. So there's no pressure, obviously. And the, nobody can help you when you're on your way to Mars. At least, they can't help you immediately. There's going to be, when you get to Mars, you may be eight minutes away from Earth by radio. Host: Right. John Charles: At the midpoint of your stay on Mars, you might be 40 minutes away, 20 minutes away one way by radio. Host: Yeah. John Charles: So if you have a problem and it takes longer than, it takes less time than 20 minutes to fully express itself, and you don't know what you're doing, then you've got a big problem. Host: That was one thing Shane said. He said, five minute, he landed. Five minutes, and everyone was, you know, taking him out of the capsule. John Charles: That's right. Host: And you're right. You're not going to have any-- John Charles: That's right. Host: Not only no help, but it's going to be a while until actually someone talks to you. John Charles: I like to paint a picture for people, and that is if you're the first person on Mars, you're climbing down the ladder, and you stumble and fall face first into the Mars dust, [laughs] the bad news is that everybody on Earth will see it because they're all going to be watching the live stream. Host: Of course. John Charles: But the good news is it'll be 20 minutes before they see it. [laughs] So you've got a few minutes of relief before you have to explain to the entire universe how you stumbled your, for your first step on Mars. Host: [laughs] That would be pretty cool if that was the actual video of-- John Charles: Yeah. Host: The first person stepping on Mars. [laughs] So obviously, you know, you have to be thinking about, you know, this is, obviously, you are thinking about, you know, this is kind of what that's going to look like if someone's going to land on Mars. You know, what are we doing to sort of get them ready for that? One of the things I think, I'm pretty sure Shane mentioned was they sat him in the seat and, for a while, and then they took him right to a tent and started doing some field tests on him. John Charles: Yes, they're, exactly, and that's exactly what we called it. We call it the field test. It is, it's one of our Human Research Program investigations. It's a joint investigation by the U.S. and the Russians. The U.S. and Russian investigators Millard Reschke and Inessa Kozlovskaya are very longtime investigators, and they both have been anxious to do this kind of research on the adjustments of the sensorimotor system and the neurovestibular system to gravity after a long-duration spaceflight. We started doing this a few years ago. Chris Cassidy I think was the, actually the first guy to do it on his Soyuz landing. Host: Oh. John Charles: And we've been doing it pretty consistently since then to try and build up a database of responses so we know what an average, and, you know, what the statistical mean is, and what the variation is. Host: Nice sample size. John Charles: Nice sample size. Host: Right. John Charles: And it's also very dramatic, and it's also, it's a, an important set of things to do. But what it does briefly is after they're extracted from their Soyuz -- and you heard Shane talk about how they got out of the Soyuz with a lot of assistance. Nobody going to help you on Mars. Your vehicle has to be designed appropriately for you to get out on your own. Then, they set him in a chaise lounge for a little bit and have a brief public affairs event there on the steps of Kazakhstan, and that's a good chance for them to catch their breath. And then, they're carried, not walked, but they're carried into the medical tent. And inside the medical tent, in privacy because of human research concerns-- Host: Right, makes sense. John Charles: They are unsuited -- that is, their space suits are taken off -- and then, then if they volunteered for this investigation, they go through a stylized set of motions. And they start off with being seated in a chair and just being asked to stand upright and stand quietly for 30 seconds or so. Host: And that must be hard, though, right? John Charles: That's a substantial stress, a substantial [inaudible]. Host: Yeah. John Charles: Sonny Carter back on STS-33 I think it was said -- and that was after a five-day flight -- said the hardest thing he had to do on his spaceflight was stand up for the first time after a spaceflight out of the chair in the shuttle. Host: Wow. John Charles: So that was after just a few days. Now, this is after six months or so of weightlessness. Host: Right. John Charles: So that's the stress. We're watching their blood pressure, their heart rate, as well as their balance. And then, sort of to add insult to injury, one of the early things we do then is to lay them on the floor in the face down, in a prone position, and then ask them to stand up again. And it's, to mimic, it's called recovery from a fall. So the idea is that they have stumbled on Mars or they've stumbled on the Earth and they find themselves face down in the red dust on Mars like I've mentioned before. How long does it take to get back up again? And that we can quantify how long it takes them to stand up, to go through all the complicated motions of getting up on your hands, and getting up on your knees, and then finding a way to balance yourself and get back up. That's a very integrated physiological and, or musculoskeletal activity, and it's, it can be quantified. And then, once they've got them standing up again, and I always haste to add that no astronauts are actually pushed over. They're asked to lay down gently and then stand up. Host: [laughs] That's funny because that would be very rude. John Charles: That would be another good video. [laughs] But then, we make them walk an obstacle course to see if they can do it. And the obstacle course is actually, as Shane described, walking in a straight line with your eyes closed, or with your eyes open and then with your eyes closed. And sometimes, you know, eyes closed, you veer because you're using the, your visual system is your dominant way to orient yourself in the absence of a functional vestibular system and in the absence of a fairly relaxed set of somatosensory sensors. Those are the sensors that detect pressure on the bottom of your feet and at the angles of the joints, you know -- your ankle angles, and your elbow angles, and things like that. So walking with eyes open is always a challenge. Walking with eyes closed is almost always impossible because you veer immediately left or right because you just can't orient yourself in the absence of any inputs. And the inputs you're receiving are those that your brain has decided six months ago to ignore, and inputs that it wanted us, wanted to keep you've now deprived yourself of because your eyes are closed. So there's a little bit of a stressor there. And then, there are other things that we ask them to do as they sort of gradually move through this set of activities -- moving heavy masses back and forth as if they were unpacking a Mars lander and getting things set up on the surface of Mars, and, you know, just a bunch of generalized things like that involving motions, bending, twisting, standing still, you know, things like that. So-- Host: So how long does that usually take? John Charles: It's about 45 minutes-- Host: Wow. John Charles: In the tent, and that's only a subset. When they get back to Houston, there's a much longer set of measure, of activities they go through, and that'll be 24 hours after landing. Host: Right. John Charles: But we also test them in the airport in Karaganda, which is where the helicopter takes them after they land. Host: Right. John Charles: Or we test them in the airport either in Norway or in Scotland, depending on where the jet lands to refuel on the way-- Host: Their layover, right. John Charles: On the way back. Their layover. Host: Yeah. John Charles: So that gives us, you know, minutes, and hours, and then a day of adaptation. And then, we watch them for several days post flight up to potentially even several weeks post flight to track their full recovery back to normal. And this is specifically to quantify the responses, the re-accommodation and re-adaptation back to gravity so engineers can design habitats and landers for Mars missions, and they'll know what capabilities astronauts will have to design around. Host: Right. John Charles: Now, smart fellow that you are, you're going to say, but John, you already said that Mars has only one-third of a g, and here we are making them do all this stuff at one g. Host: Again, you're reading my mind. [laughs] John Charles: We've worked together so much, I can anticipate your, almost your next thought. But the deal is, yes, we are making them do it at one g when normally on Mars they'd be at one-third of a g. All we've got is one g, and this is the closest we can get to that situation, so we have to-- Host: Right. John Charles: Make the appropriate adjustments, if we think it's necessary, to compensate for the fractional gravity. But right now, in answer to your next question, we don't have any information on what fractional gravity does. And so we just have to assume that it will be as unpleasant, uncomfortable, difficult as one g is. And then, once we get experience at fractional gravity, like if we go to the Moon and get one-sixth of a g experience or if we land on Mars, and do it a few times, and say, you know what? That was not as hard as we said it was going to be. It's going to be easier here at one-third of a g. We can make the appropriate adjustments. Host: Right. There's a lot deeper of a story here, I can tell. John Charles: Yeah. [laughs] Host: There's a lot of different directions we can go, but I'm going to ask one more question, and then we're going to let you go. So, you know, you have all these field tests, and you're kind of preparing for what, you know, what we have to do in order to make a Mars mission work. So I do have one, like, theoretical question for you: In a perfect world, if you were to land on Mars, what would you want that to look like? I'm guessing, I mean, can it be as simple as they land on Mars and they're good? They get out of the capsule. Or is there, you know, is there other things that we are going to have to sacrifice based on the knowledge we have now to make that as easy as possible? John Charles: I think the answer is going to be yes and yes. Host: Awesome. John Charles: I think astronauts come in varieties just like other people do, and some people will have problems accommodating, adjusting, adapting, and others will not. Some folks are going to be able to land on Mars, and bounce right up, and feel like they want to go to work. We're probably going to insist that the landing vehicle be able to accommodate them for a couple of days. Host: I see. John Charles: Because we don't want to bet that they're all going to be perfect, they're all going to be bulletproof. And by perfect, I mean in this particular regard. Because they're all going to have, they're all going to be perfect in some way. It's not just, you know, the, not just the '70's kids. [laughs] We're all perfect in some way, but they're all not going to be perfect at adjusting to Mars. There's going to be some that are slower, and some that are faster, and some that are sort of run of the mill. We have to accommodate all of them because you can't leave the guy behind that's not feeling the best, then go and start exploring Mars. Host: Right. John Charles: So the goal is to make the landing vehicle as lightweight as possible. Previous discussion about mass, and power, and volume. Host: Right. John Charles: Which means minimize the amount of mass that you dedicate to life support systems. You don't want to build a two-week life support system into the lander if you're only going to use it for a couple of days, then you're going to feel good enough to go out and then traipse across the desert to the habitat that's waiting for you with all the life support you can use inside of it. Host: Right. John Charles: But you don't want to carry excess life support, but you don't want to carry too little life support in case it turns out to be, just by the luck of the draw, you've got four people that are going to have a tough time readjusting, and-- Host: Yeah. John Charles: They don't want to get, put their space suits on and stumble across Mars face down into the dust, you know. Things like that. Host: Yeah [inaudible]. John Charles: So what I would like to see the landing on Mars look like is that the entire crew feels good, and it was the luck of the draw that we got four people that just turned out to feel good this time. They're, they understand the importance of the design of the habitat, of the lander, so they take their time getting suited up and making the excursion out. Maybe they, maybe we're clever on the first landing and we don't make them actually walk very much at all. We make them have a radio-controlled rover that deploys from the habitat, and comes over, and is waiting out their front door on the lander. And they get into that, and they drive off to the habitat, and they get in, and set up housekeeping instead of actually having to stress themselves for the first time in a six- or eight-month period of time after they transited to Mars. Host: That's a cool concept. Nice. John Charles: So, you know-- Host: Valet service. John Charles: Yeah, valet service. [laughs] And it might be even, may be even a self-driving car, so maybe Uber or-- Host: Yeah. [laughs] John Charles: Google's going to have something to say about it. Host: That's right. John Charles: And then, they gradually become accustomed to their environment on Mars so they can go to work on Mars. The habitat will have the gym, whatever it looks like, as well as the food, and the fresh water, and the fresh air. But the point of all this is not to cater to the astronauts. The goal is to make sure that the astronauts are, as I like to say, in the best condition of their lives when they land so they minimize the time they spend readapting-- Host: Right. John Charles: Because the Mars missions will be the most expensive undertakings humanity's ever embarked upon. Host: Sure. John Charles: And if we want to have a second, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth one, the first one had better be productive. And the way to be productive is to be in good condition so you can get to work as quickly as possible, allowing for the accommodation time of a few days, or a week, or so, and then get to work, and show us why we sent you to Mars, and make those Nobel Prize winning discoveries on Mars so that Congress, and the parliaments of all the partner agencies, and everybody, all the taxpayers, think, yeah, that was a good thing. We want to do that some more. [laughs] We'll have more Mars missions and build up the flow to Mars and the infrastructure for Mars. So it's, it sounds like I'm altruistic, but Gary, you know me well enough to know that [laughs] I'm not altruistic. I want the astronauts to be in great condition when they land on Mars not just for themselves but for us too because if we have hopes of becoming a multi-planet society, our first emissaries to other planets will have to be, will have to demonstrate how productive we can be in other planets, and that's really the goal here. Host: John, I want you to lead the charge and lead us [laughs] all the way to Mars. John Charles: I'm not going to Mars, then. Host: You'll be the guy landing. [laughs] John Charles: I want to stay at home and cheer them on. Host: [laughs] Well, this was awesome. Thanks for coming on the show and talking about, you know, really analyzing what Shane was feeling and what, why we are doing what we're doing, you know, obviously for later missions and landing on Mars. So obviously, you know, there's something that, there's some stuff that Dr. Charles was not able to address today, so for those listening, if you want to know more or you have a suggestion on what we need to talk about, stay tuned until after the music to learn on where and how you can submit some ideas. So John, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. John Charles: Delighted. Thank you [inaudible]. Host: Glad to have you, and we'll probably have to have you again. John Charles: Okay. [ Laughs ] [ Music ] Host: Hey, thanks for sticking around. So I hope you enjoyed our talk with Dr. John Charles and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough. If you want to learn more about kind of all the things that specifically Dr. Charles talked about, there's, we actually have a website for that, per usual -- nasa.gov/hrp. This is the website for the Human Research Program, and you can learn about everything that they're studying there. All of these things that Dr. Charles was talking about -- the human body, bone density, even we have some stuff about the twin study that happened just actually a couple years ago now when Scott Kelly launched in 2015. So you can find all that information there. A lot of the research that's done and especially with Shane Kimbrough on the International Space Station was done up there on that orbiting complex. You can go to nasa.gov/iss to learn about the latest updates on the International Space Station -- all the latest blogs and scientific findings. We also have a lot of cool pictures that we like to put up on that website. On social media, we're very active. Facebook is the International Space Station. That's their Facebook page. On Twitter, we're @space, underscore, station. And on Instagram, it's @iss. If you want to submit an idea or you have a question about something that we talked about on the podcast, just use that hashtag #asknasa on your favorite platform. Doesn't matter. We'll check them all. And we'll make sure that we address it on one of the next podcasts that we do. And maybe we even will make a whole podcast out of, episode out of it. So this podcast was recorded on April 19th thanks to John Stoll and Eric Sparamin [phonetic] for helping to produce the show. Thanks again to Dr. John Charles and Shane Kimbrough for coming on the show. See you in 6.79 sols. Get it because the Mars? Okay. See you next time.