Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro and in vivo activity of chemical fungicides and a biofungicide for the control of wood diseases caused by botryosphaeriales fungi in apple and pear

Abstract Dieback and canker disease caused by species of Botryosphaeriales affect the productivity of pome fruit orchards. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of fungicides and biofungicide for controlling canker and dieback diseases in apple and pear using in vitro and field trials. Isolates of Diplodia seriata, D. mutila, and Dothiorella omnivora from apple, and of D. seriata and Aplosporella aquifolii from pear were used. Cercobin® (thiophanate-methyl), followed by Bellis® (pyraclostrobin + boscalid), and Nativo® (tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin) inhibited mycelial growth, conidial germination and pycnidia formation in vitro in all fungal isolates. T. harzianum produced mycelial growth inhibition and mycoparasitism in dual culture assays. Thiophanate-methyl and T. harzianum fully inhibited pycnidia production, while pyraclostrobin + boscalid and tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin were most effective against conidia germination. In the orchard assays, protective sprays of the fungicides on pruning wounds reduced incidence by up to 20%, while T. harzianum and tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin reduced the lesion severity up 37 and 41%, respectively. This study represents the first evaluation of fungicides and biofungicide effectiveness for the control of canker and dieback diseases of apples and pears in Argentina.
Antifungal activity of chitosan and its combination with the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii F9D for the control of Penicillium expansum in apples and pears stored at low temperatures

Abstract Penicillium expansum is an important pathogen of cold-stored fruit, currently controlled by chemical fungicides. In this work chitosan combined with the biocontrol yeast Debaryomyces hansenii F9D was tested as a safer alternative for its control on cold-stored apples and pears. When medium molecular weight chitosan was applied on fruit a reduction of rot incidence of 62% and 53% was achieved in apples and pears. respectively. When chitosan was combined with the yeast, disease reduction was 76% and 90%. The combination of biological control with chitosan appears as a feasible strategy for the control of phytopathogenic fungi.
Characterization of Colletotrichum siamense the causal agent of bitter rot and leaf spot in low-chill apple cultivars in central Argentina

Abstract Bitter rot (BR), caused by Colletotrichum spp. , is one of the most prevalent fungal diseases of apple worldwide. Some Colletotrichum spp. also causes Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), a disease restricted to a few regions worldwide. Recently, we reported the presence of C. siamense causing BR on low-chill apple cultivars in central Argentina. In further studies we detected the presence of apple leaf spot also associated to Colletotrichum spp. Thus, this study was focused to determine and characterize the Colletotrichum species involved in fruit rot and apple leaf spot diseases in Santa Fe, Argentina. A total of thirty-one isolates were obtained from symptomatic fruits and leaves. Morphological characteristics in combination with multilocus phylogenetic analysis revealed that Colletotrichum siamense is the single species associated with fruit rot and leaf spots on low-chill apples in Santa Fe, Argentina. Although in this study we obtained and characterized isolates of C. siamense from leaf spot, we found remarkable differences with typical GLS indicating that this disease is not present in Argentina until now. These findings will be useful to undertake studies of fungicide sensitivity and to understand the epidemiology of the disease in the region based on identified species.
Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and hosts association in different ecosystems in Uruguay

Abstract Thorough and systematic surveys of host associations of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata are lacking in Uruguay. Our aim was to establish the host status in field conditions and the pattern of use of different fruit species in agroecosystems and wild environments in Uruguay. Tephritid monitoring was conducted in citrus and deciduous fruit orchards using McPhail traps baited with four PBX® yeast/borax pellets. A survey of host fruits was conducted by collecting fruits in commercial and non-commercial orchards and wild vegetation. Ceratitis capitata and A. fraterculus were the only two economically important fruit fly species recorded. Ceratitis capitata prevailed in citrus groves and deciduous fruit orchards associated with commercial and disturbed environments whereas A. fraterculus was associated mostly with non-commercial fruits and undisturbed ecosystems. The differences in abundance of C. capitata and A. fraterculus observed in different hosts and ecosystems may be related to factors such as host association, resource competition, environmental conditions and parasitism, among others that are discussed.
Winter cover crops and dynamics of weeds in agricultural systems of the Argentine Rolling Pampas

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine if different mixtures and monocultures of cover crops (CC) reduce aerial dry matter, number and diversity of autumn-winter weeds. Two experiments with different CC species were implanted in the INTA Pergamino Agricultural Experimental Station (Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 33° 51´ S, 60° 34´W) in 2018 and 2019. The species used were: Avena sativa, Triticosecale and Vicia villosa. Mixtures and monocultures of CC were used, in different proportions and densities, and were compared with a chemical fallow. Two cuts of CC were made aboveground at tillering and milk grain stages (Z 2.5 and 7.3, respectively) to obtain aerial dry matter of CC (ADMcc, g.m−2), ADM of weeds (ADMw, g.m−2) and number of weeds (weeds.m−2). Moreover, weed species were identified and Shannon diversity and evenness indices and effective specific richness were calculated. In 2018, the highest ADMcc was recorded in Avena sativa at Z 2.5 as well as the highest weed density. At Z 7.3, the highest ADMcc was recorded in Avena sativa, Triticosecale and their mixture. At that stage, the highest ADMw was recorded in the chemical fallow. In 2019, the 3:1 Avena sativa/Vicia villosa mixture showed the highest ADMcc and diversity of weed community showed non-significant differences from the chemical fallow at Z 2.5. There were non-significant differences in ADM among CC and diversity of weed community in the CC was practically null at Z 7.3. At both stages, the highest number of weeds and ADMw was observed at chemical fallow, whereas in CC, non-significant differences were detected. The results obtained indicate that CC reduce the number, ADMw and diversity of the weed community, regardless of the mixtures used.
Sterile insect technique (sit) effectiveness to control Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) and medfly catches in two mass trapping layouts

Abstract Two trials were done, one to evaluate SIT effectiveness to control Uruguayan medfly populations, and another to evaluate the medfly catches in two mass trapping layouts. First, in an 18 ha plot of ‘Cripps pink’ apple 756,000 sterile males of Ceratitis capitata were released from February to March in 2020, and 990,000 from February to April in 2021. Simultaneously, three 4 ha plots with mass trapping were evaluated as controls. The average sterile:wild ratio in Jackson traps was 13.2 and no differences were found in fruit damage. The second trial consisted in three plots of 1 ha of ’Afourer’ mandarin with 50 Susbin-TMA traps per ha, in both grid and perimeter layouts. Five thousand sterile males were released in the center of each plot, and catches were evaluated. The mean recapture of sterile males was 14,9 and 3.3 in the grid and a perimeter design respectively. C. capitata population were controlled, and SIT could be applied in combination with mass trapping in a perimeter design without requiring a substantial increase in the sterile male dose released.
Introgression of Asian soybean rust resistant genes into elite soybean lines from Uruguay

Abstract Soybean is the main agricultural crop in Uruguay. One of the diseases with the greatest damage potential is Asian soybean rust, with estimated grain yield losses up 80% in the region. Throughout history, different authors have stated the importance of genetic resistance as a fundamental tool to decrease the adverse effects of phytopathogens, leading to agriculture sustainability. The objective of this work was to introduce rust resistance genes into elite lines of INIA’s soybean breeding program and to evaluate the enhanced resistance. Introgression of resistant genes was carried out in a greenhouse, through three backcrosses from F1. Two donors: Py7-1-47 and No6-12-B handed by JIRCAS with two resistant genes combinations (Rpp1-b + Rpp5 and Rpp4 + Rpp5, respectively) and three elite lines: SJ10-122-040, SJ10-158-039, and SJ10-173-072 from INIA’s breeding program were used. After each backcross, plants carrying both genes were selected with marker assisted selection. Each third backcross was self-pollinated (BC3F2) and single plant families were inoculated in the greenhouse. Percentage of rust resistant plants within the introgressed families ranged from 42% to 98%, compared to fully susceptible recurrent parents.
A System to Motivate Sustained Lecture Video Engagement in Small Private Online Courses

While recent research has explored how to keep learners engaged in massive open online courses (MOOCs), motivating sustained engagement in small private online courses (SPOCs) has received less attention. The recent rise in SPOC offerings by academic institutions significantly increases the need to better understand how best to motivate and support learners in these communities, which can be differentiated from those in MOOCs by their smaller size, fixed timeframe, instructor presence, and more predictable learning paths. This paper describes a system, “Small Private Online Course Keeper” (SPOCK), designed to support communities of learners in SPOCs and presents an experience report detailing its usage in five SPOCs taught over two semesters. This report focuses on the ability of SPOCK to motivate sustained lecture video engagement through two primary features: 1) a credit and reward system, and 2) timeline-anchored, “pseudo-anonymous” comments and replies. The credit and reward feature motivated system usage by 77% of survey respondents, and its pseudo-anonymity feature motivated system usage by 63% of respondents. Usage data reflects these reported levels of motivation, with 82% of students earning more than the minimum number of credits expected and over 63% of students voluntarily submitting comments or replies, 72% of which were posted anonymously. Further analysis showed that students earned credits steadily throughout the semesters through a variety of means, and their posts were found to be positive in tone and on-topic.
Improving Interactive Instruction: Faculty Engagement Requires Starting Small and Telling All

Interactive instruction, such as student-centered learning or active learning, is known to benefit student success as well as diversity in computer science. However, there is a persistent and substantial dissonance between research and practice of computer science education techniques. Current research on computer science education, while extensive, sees limited adoption beyond the original researchers. The developed educational technologies can lack sufficient detail for replication or be too specific and require extensive reworking to be employable by other instructors. Furthermore, instructors face barriers to adopting interactive techniques within their classroom due to student reception, resources, and awareness. We argue that the advancement of computer science education, in terms of propagation and sustainability of student-centered teaching, requires guided approaches for incremental instructional changes as opposed to revolutionary pedagogy. This requires the prioritization of lightweight techniques that can fit within existing lecture formats to enable instructors to overcome barriers hindering the adoption of interactive techniques. Furthermore, such techniques and innovations must be documented in the form of computing education research artifacts, building upon the practices of software artifacts.
Experiences With and Lessons Learned on Deadlines and Submission Behavior

Course exercises are typically given so that the time it takes to finish them fits in the time constraints of the academic system. Exercises come with deadlines that are considered to help students plan their schedules and consequently help get the exercises done. Without deadlines, exercises that need to be done may easily slide away to make room for other tasks that are seemingly more important. Even with deadlines, however, some students procrastinate and leave their tasks without attention until the very last moment. In this article, we study computer science course exercise deadlines by analyzing data from a course that had different deadline placements over the years. The deadline placements of the course were varied to identify a deadline that would be suitable for the majority—if not all—of students. Our analyses from six different deadlines demonstrate that some deadlines seem to reduce last-minute work on exercises. Our findings highlight that not all deadlines are the same and serves as a call for more research into deadline placement and their potential impacts on student time management and performance.
A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUSTERING OF RECENT MEASURES OF THE DISTANCE TO THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

The distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has long been of key importance for the distance ladder and the distances to all galaxies, and as such many groups have provided measurements of its distance modulus (μ) with many methods and various means of calibrating each method. Before the year 2001, the many measures spanned a wide range (roughly 18.1 < μ < 18.8) with the quoted error bars being substantially smaller than the spread, and hence the consensus conclusion being that many of the measures had their uncertainties being dominated by unrecognized systematic problems. In 2001, the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project (HSTKP) on the distance scale made an extensive analysis of earlier results and adopted the reasonable conclusion that the distance modulus is 18.50 ± 0.10 mag, and the community has generally accepted this widely popularized value. After 2002, 31 independent papers reported new distance measures to the LMC, and these cluster tightly around μ = 18.50 mag. Indeed, these measures cluster too tightly around the HSTKP value, with 68% of the measures being within 0.5-sigma of 18.50 mag. A Kolmogorov–Smirnov test proves that this concentration deviates from the expected Gaussian distribution at a >3-sigma probability level. This concentration is a symptom of a worrisome problem. Interpretations considered include correlations between papers, widespread over-estimation of error bars, and band-wagon effects. The purpose of this paper is to alert workers in the field that this is a serious problem that should be addressed.
Low frequency noise due to magnetic inhomogeneities in submicron FeCoB/MgO/FeCoB magnetic tunnel junctions

We report on room temperature low frequency noise due to magnetic inhomogeneities/domain walls (MI/DWs) in elliptic submicron FeCoB/MgO/FeCoB magnetic tunnel junctions with an area between 0.0245 and 0.0675 μm2. In the smaller area junctions we found an unexpected random telegraph noise (RTN1), deeply in the parallel state, possibly due to stray field induced MI/DWs in the hard layer. The second noise source (RTN2) is observed in the antiparallel state for the largest junctions. Strong asymmetry of RTN2 and of related resistance steps with current indicate spin torque acting on the MI/DWs in the soft layer at current densities below 5 × 105 A/cm2.
Independent constraints on local non-Gaussianity from the peculiar velocity and density fields

Primordial, non-Gaussian perturbations can generate scale-dependent bias in the galaxy distribution. This in turn will modify correlations between galaxy positions and peculiar velocities at late times, since peculiar velocities reflect the underlying matter distribution, whereas galaxies are a biased tracer of the same. We study this effect, and show that non-Gaussianity can be constrained by comparing the observed peculiar velocity field to a model velocity field reconstructed from the galaxy density field assuming linear bias. The amplitude of the spatial correlations in the residual map obtained after subtracting one velocity field from the other is directly proportional to the strength of the primordial non-Gaussianity. We construct the corresponding likelihood function use it to constrain the amplitude of the linear flow $\beta$ and the amplitude of local non-Gaussianity $f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}$. Applying our method to two observational data sets, the Type-Ia supernovae (A1SN) and Spiral Field \textit{I}-band (SFI++) catalogues, we obtain constraints on the linear flow parameter consistent with the values derived previously assuming Gaussianity. The marginalised 1-D distribution of $|f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}|$ does not show strong evidence for non-zero $f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}$, and we set 95% upper limits $|f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}|<51.4$ from A1SN and $|f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}|<92.6$ from SFI++. These limits on $f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}$ are as tight as any set by previous large-scale structure measurements. Our method can be applied to any survey with radial velocities and density field data, and provides an independent check of recent CMB constraints on $f^{\rm NL}_{\rm local}$, extending these to smaller spatial scales.
A 1 mm SPECTRAL LINE SURVEY TOWARD GLIMPSE EXTENDED GREEN OBJECTS (EGOs)

A northern subsample of 89 Spitzer GLIMPSE extended green objects (EGOs), the candidate massive young stellar objects, are surveyed for molecular lines in two 1 GHz ranges: 251.5-252.5 and 260.188-261.188 GHz. A comprehensive catalog of observed molecular line data and spectral plots are presented. Eight molecular species are undoubtedly detected: (HCO+)-C-13, SiO, SO, CH3OH, CH3OCH3, CH3CH2CN, HCOOCH3, and (HNC)-C-13. The (HCO+)-C-13 3-2 line is detected in 70 EGOs, among which 37 also show the SiO 6-5 line, demonstrating their association with dense gas and supporting the outflow interpretation of the extended 4.5 mu m excess emission. Our major dense gas and outflow tracers ((HCO+)-C-13, SiO, SO, and CH3OH) are combined with our previous survey of (CO)-C-13, (CO)-C-12, and (CO)-O-18 1-0 toward the same sample of EGOs for a multi-line, multi-cloud analysis of linewidth and luminosity correlations. Good log-linear correlations are found among all considered line luminosities, the explanation of which requires a universal similarity of density and thermal structures and probably of shock properties among all EGO clouds. It also requires that the shocks be produced within the natal clouds of the EGOs. Diverse degrees of correlation are found among the linewidths. However, both the linewidth and luminosity correlations tend to progressively worsen across larger cloud subcomponent size scales, depicting the increase of randomness across cloud subcomponent sizes. Moreover, the linewidth correlations among the three isotopic CO 1-0 lines show data scatter as linear functions of the linewidth itself, indicating that the velocity randomness also increases with whole cloud sizes in a regular way.
The Astrophysical Implications of Dust Formation During The Eruptions of Hot, Massive Stars

Dust formation in the winds of hot stars is inextricably link ed to the classic eruptive state of luminous blue variables (LBVs) because it requires very high mass loss rates,̇ M >∼ 10M⊙/year, for grains to grow and for the non-dust optical depth o f the wind to shield the dust formation region from the true stellar photosphere. Th us, dusty shells around hot stars trace the history of “great” eruptions, and the statistics o f uch shells in the Galaxy indicate that these eruptions are likely the dominant mass loss mechanism for evolved,MZAMS>∼ 40M⊙ stars. Dust formation at such higḣ M also explains why very large grains ( amax>∼ 1μm) are frequently found in these shells, since amax∝ Ṁ. The statistics of these shells (numbers, ages, masses, and grain properties such as amax) provide an archaeological record of this mass loss process . In particular, the velocitiesvshell, transient durations (where known) and ejected masses Mshell of the Galactic shells and the supernova “impostors” proposed a their extragalactic counterparts are very different. While much of the difference is a selecti on effect created by shell lifetimes ∝ (vshell √ Mshell), more complete Galactic and extragalactic surveys are need ed to demonstrate that the two phenomena share a common origin given tha t their observed properties are essentially disjoint. If even small fractions (1%) of SNe sh ow interactions with such dense shells of ejecta, as is currently believed, then the driving mechanism of the eruptions must be associated with the very final phases of stellar evolution, s uggestive of some underlying nuclear burning instability. Subject headings:stars: evolution; stars: massive; stars: mass-loss; super novae: general; stars: winds, outflows; dust; extinction
On the greatest common divisor of n and the nth Fibonacci number, II

Abstract Let $\mathcal {A}$ be the set of all integers of the form $\gcd (n, F_n)$ , where n is a positive integer and $F_n$ denotes the nth Fibonacci number. Leonetti and Sanna proved that $\mathcal {A}$ has natural density equal to zero, and asked for a more precise upper bound. We prove that $$ \begin{align*} \#\big(\mathcal{A} \cap [1, x]\big) \ll \frac{x \log \log \log x}{\log \log x} \end{align*} $$ for all sufficiently large x. In fact, we prove that a similar bound also holds when the sequence of Fibonacci numbers is replaced by a general nondegenerate Lucas sequence.
Transcriptional reprogramming of natural killer cells by vaccinia virus shows both distinct and conserved features with mCMV

Natural killer (NK) cells have an established role in controlling poxvirus infection and there is a growing interest to exploit their capabilities in the context of poxvirus-based oncolytic therapy and vaccination. How NK cells recognise poxvirus-infected cells to become activated remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we studied the NK cell response to vaccinia virus (VACV) in vivo, using a systemic infection murine model. We found broad alterations in NK cells transcriptional activity in VACV-infected mice, consistent with both direct target cell recognition and cytokine exposure. There were also alterations in the expression levels of specific NK surface receptors (NKRs), including the Ly49 family and SLAM receptors, as well as upregulation of memory-associated NK markers. Despite the latter observation, adoptive transfer of NK memory populations did not confer protection from re-infection. Comparison with the NK cell response to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection highlighted common features, but also distinct NK transcriptional programmes initiated by VACV. Finally, there was a clear overlap between the NK transcriptional response in humans vaccinated with an attenuated VACV, modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA), demonstrating conservation between the NK response in these different host species. Overall, this study provides new data about NK cell activation, function, and homeostasis during VACV infection, and may have implication for the design of VACV-based therapeutics.