Herbivory and leaf expansion of Cyathea phalerata Mart. (Cyatheaceae) in subtropical Atlantic Forest, southern Brazil

Herbivory is an interaction with great impact on plant communities since relationships between herbivores and plants are fundamental to the distribution and abundance of species over time and space. The aim of this study was to monitor the rate of leaf expansion in the tree fern Cyathea phalerata and evaluate the damage caused by herbivores to leaves of different ages and whether such damage is related to temperature and precipitation. The study was performed in a subtropical Atlantic Forest fragment located in the municipality of Caraá, in the northeast hillside of Rio Grande do Sul state, in southern Brazil. We monitored 24 mature individuals of C. phalerata with croziers in a population of approximately 50 plants. Leaf expansion rate, percentage of damaged leaves and leaf blade consumption rate by herbivory were calculated. Monthly means for temperature and accumulated rainfall were calculated from daily data. Croziers of C. phalerata were found to expand rapidly during the first and second months after emergence (3.98 cm day-1; 2.91 cm day-1, respectively). Damage caused by herbivory was observed in all of the monitored leaves, but none of the plants experienced complete defoliation. The highest percentage (57%) of damaged leaves was recorded at 60 days of monitoring, and also the highest monthly consumption rate of the blade (6.04%) occurred with young, newly-expanded leaves, while this rate remained between 1.50 and 2.21% for mature leaves. Rates of monthly leaf consumption and damaged leaves showed positive and strong relationship with each other and with temperature. The rapid leaf expansion observed for C. phalerata can be considered a phenological strategy to reduce damage to young leaves by shortening the developmental period and accelerating the increase of defenses in mature leaves.

Ceria nanoparticles ameliorate renal fibrosis by modulating the balance between oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis

Background and aims Renal fibrosis is the common outcome in all progressive forms of chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis remains largely unexplored, among which metabolic reprogramming plays an extremely crucial role in the evolution of renal fibrosis. Ceria nanoparticles (CeNP-PEG) with strong ROS scavenging and anti-inflammatory activities have been applied for mitochondrial oxidative stress and inflammatory diseases. The present study aims to determine whether CeNP-PEG has therapeutic value for renal fibrosis. Methods The unilateral ureteral obstructive fibrosis model was used to assess the therapeutic effects in vivo. Transforming growth factor beta1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in HK-2 cells was used as the in vitro cell model. The seahorse bioscience X96 extracellular flux analyzer was used to measure the oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate. Results In the present study, CeNP-PEG treatment significantly ameliorated renal fibrosis by increased E-cadherin protein expression, and decreased α-SMA, Vimentin and Fibronectin expression both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, CeNP-PEG significantly reduced the ROS formation and improved the levels of mitochondrial ATP. The seahorse analyzer assay demonstrated that the extracellular acidification rate markedly decreased, whereas the oxygen consumption rate markedly increased, in the presence of CeNP-PEG. Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential markedly enhanced, hexokinase 1 and hexokinase 2 expression significantly decreased after treatment with CeNP-PEG. Conclusions CeNP-PEG can block the dysregulated metabolic status and exert protective function on renal fibrosis. This may provide another therapeutic option for renal fibrosis. Graphical Abstract

Influence of Miller cycle on thermal load of high-boosted diesel engine

With the increase of the engine intensified degree, mechanical load and thermal load become to the two main factors limiting the engine to intensify. Application of Miller cycle, which can be realized by late intake valve closing (LIVC) and deeper late intake valve closing (DLIVC), has the potential to reduce the effective CR, mechanical load, and thermal load. In this paper, the effects of LIVC and DLIVC on the mechanical load and thermal load of a boosted DI diesel are experimentally compared. Compared to the original base case, the average cylinder temperature of LIVC and DLIVC is reduced by 90 and 52 K. The exhaust temperature of LIVC and DLIVC decreased by 26 and 14 K, and the maximum combustion pressure of LIVC and DLIVC decreased by 1.6 and 9.7 bar. The pumping losses of LIVC and DLIVC are reduced by more than 25%, while the actual cycle power does not decrease due to the late closing of the inlet valve. The fuel consumption rate decreased from 250.1 g/kWh of base case to 240 g/kWh of LIVC, reduced by 4.0%. The indicated thermal efficiency increased from 41.9% of base case to 43.7% and 42.5% of LIVC and DLIVC. Miller loss is only 2.55% with Miller inlet phase.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) as a predator of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick)

The leaf miner, Tuta absoluta is continue to be a serious threat to solanaceous plants, especially tomato plant worldwide. Tomato crop in Saudi Arabia has been recently affected by T. absoluta, which is difficult to control due to its unique biological features, such as high fecundity and its potential to develop resistance to chemical pesticides. In this article, the suitability and effectiveness of the predatory mite, Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae), an indigenous species usually found in tomato greenhouses of northcentral Saudi Arabia, has been evaluated on eggs and 1st instar larvae of T. absoluta in the laboratory. All experiments were conducted in an incubator at three constant temperatures of 22, 27 and 32°C ± 1°C, 50 ± 4% R.H. and L12:D12 h photoperiod. Adult females and males of N. cucumeris were able to feed and sustain oviposition on eggs and 1st instar larvae of T. absoluta, and could be an effective biocontrol agent against T. absoluta. The N. cucumeris had a clear preference for eggs compared to 1st instar larvae of T. absoluta. The results showed the obvious effect of the temperature on the consumption rate of the predatory mite. The maximum daily consumption rate occurred during the oviposition period, when the females of the predatory mite consumed an average of 4.26 eggs and 2.44 1st instar larvae of T. absoluta. In general, total fecundity was high with T. absoluta eggs as a food source when temperature increased from 22 to 32°C. The highest fecundity rate (42.92 and 20.97 eggs /female) was recorded at 32°C, while the lowest one (26.77 and 10.12 eggs / female) was recorded at 22°C, when N. cucumeris female fed on eggs and 1st instar larvae of T. absoluta, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the predatory mite, N. cucumeris can be considered a promising potential candidate for controlling the leaf miner T. absoluta, and further research is required to assess its effectiveness under greenhouse conditions.

Circulation management in hot water supply systems

The compliance of the actual heat consumption for heating cold water for public hot water supply service with the approved standard has been analyzed. Using passive engineering experiments, we studied the operating modes of hot water supply systems for several groups of houses, in which different methods for regulating water consumption in hot water supply systems were used. Data were collected using online energy monitoring and commercial metering system. Features of the static and dynamic load regulation of hot water systems have been investigated. The effect of methods for regulating the heat load of hot water supply systems on their actual heat consumption has been analyzed. An assessment has been made of the possibility of bringing the actual operating mode of the hot water systems to the specified value which is the basis for calculating the consumption rate. Ways to improve the efficiency of hot water supply systems have been determined. Conclusions have been drawn concerning the need to revise the standardized indicators of hot water quality and adjust the methodology for calculating the consumption rate in hot water supply systems.

Biological control of invasive zebra mussel (Dreissen polymorpha) in a freshwater ecosystem through Potamon ibericum

In the present study, possible effects of using Potamon ibericum for the prevention of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion in a freshwater ecosystem were investigated. In a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) supplied with aerated freshwater, 3 individuals of P. ibericum were placed in each of 3 aquariums provided by 100 zebra mussels. Throughout the 90-day monitoring study, mussel consumption was visually counted and then new mussels were introduced daily to complete the number of mussels to hundred, repeatedly each day. Throughout the monitoring study, growth rates, number of mussels consumed, and the number of broken mussel shell pieces were determined. Daily consumption rate of mussels by each crab was recorded as 11.115, 11.104, and 11.107 mussel/crab in the 3 experimental groups, respectively. The consumption rate of mussels per crab was counted as 999.78 over the 90-days experiment. As a result, the findings of this study provide strong evidence that P. ibericum can be used for

Evaluation of the herbicide efficiency on soybean crops

Purpose. To study the effectiveness of soybean weed control systems. Methods. Field and laboratory. Results. It was investigated that the use of Pari herbicide in addition to the impact on weed plants as a result of their direct contact with the product also has a noticeable soil effect, and therefore treatment with a rate of 1.0 l/ha was effective in controlling 88.4% of seedlings weeds. The product showed high selectivity in terms of destruction of both dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous species presented in the experimental site. However, the application of Pari twice with a consumption rate of 0.3 l/ha and on the fourth day + 0.4 l/ha proved to be less effective and 79.0% of weeds died under this scheme. This is most likely due to the difficulty of applying small amounts of the product, in addition, re-application required a second pass of the sprayer, which means that part of the lines lost the protective soil film of the herbicide. We determined the best parameters of plant height in the control treatment, but the indicators of weed control, regardless of the phase of the experiment, were the worst. In addition, in the case of herbicide applications, we obtained values close to the control with slight differences in plant height, which may be due to experimental error. Conclusions. It was determined that the herbicide Pulsar 40 proved to be the most effective in the experiment, so with the application of 0.3 l/ha and on the fourth day + 0.4 l/ha, 86.9% of weeds common in soybean crops died. Among herbicides with a combined seed and soil action, Pari and Fabian were effective in applying them once at a full rate. Fabian herbicide was milder than cultivated plants due to the combined active ingredients and lower dose of imazethapyr compared to Pari herbicide. Therefore, the application of 0.1 kg/ha of Fabian yields 3.11 t/ha of soybean seeds. With the use of exclusively germinating preparations, the application of Pulsar 40 at a dose of 0.3 l/ha on the fourth day + 0.4 l/ha was effective, which allowed to form 3.08 t/ha of soy quenching.

Analysis of Selected Service Industries in Terms of the Use of Photovoltaics before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Previous analyses of the PV market (and the impact of the pandemic on it) have focused on the market as a whole. The literature does not contain analyses of selected services sectors (e.g., catering, hotel services) in terms of the use of photovoltaics. There are no studies that would show in which segments the demand profile for electricity most closely matches the production from photovoltaic installations (not to mention the impact of the pandemic). The authors analyzed selected service sectors (catering and hotel) in terms of the use of photovoltaics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper proposes a comparative methodology for the use of photovoltaics for self-consumption, including statistical analyses and calculations of the self-consumption index for representatives of various selected services sectors. The highest value of the self-consumption ratio at the level of 52% was shown for cafes and restaurants (during the pandemic). Surprisingly, in the pandemic, the self-consumption rate increased for restaurants and cafes for the same size of installations (compared to pre-pandemic times).