Improvement of strategies for the management of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). Evaluation and optimization of physical and chemical control methods, and use of decision support systems

El foc bacterià és una malaltia que afecta a plantes de la família de la rosàcies, causada pel bacteri Erwinia amylovora. El seu rang d'hostes inclou arbres fruiters, com la perera, la pomera o el codonyer, i plantes ornamentals de gran interès comercial i econòmic. Actualment, la malaltia s'ha dispersat i es troba àmpliament distribuïda en totes les zones de clima temperat del món. A Espanya, on la malaltia no és endèmica, el foc bacterià es va detectar per primer cop al 1995 al nord del país (Euskadi) i posteriorment, han aparegut varis focus en altres localitzacions, que han estat convenientment eradicats. El control del foc bacterià, és molt poc efectiu en plantes afectades per la malaltia, de manera que es basa en mesures encaminades a evitar la dispersió del patogen, i la introducció de la malaltia en regions no endèmiques. En aquest treball, la termoteràpia ha estat avaluada com a mètode d'eradicació d'E. amylovora de material vegetal de propagació asimptomàtic. S'ha demostrat que la termoteràpia és un mètode viable d'eradicar E. amylovora de material de propagació. Gairebé totes les espècies i varietats de rosàcies mantingudes en condicions d'humitat sobrevivien 7 hores a 45 ºC i més de 3 hores a 50 ºC, mentre que més d'1 hora d'exposició a 50 ºC amb calor seca produïa danys en el material vegetal i reduïa la brotació. Tractaments de 60 min a 45 ºC o 30 min a 50 ºC van ser suficients per reduir la població epífita d'E. amylovora a nivells no detectables (5 x 102 ufc g-1 p.f.) en branques de perera. Els derivats dels fosfonats i el benzotiadiazol són efectius en el control del foc bacterià en perera i pomera, tant en condicions de laboratori, com d'hivernacle i camp. Els inductors de defensa de les plantes redueixen els nivells de malaltia fins al 40-60%. Els intervals de temps mínims per aconseguir el millor control de la malaltia van ser 5 dies pel fosetil-Al, i 7 dies per l'etefon i el benzotiadiazol, i les dosis òptimes pel fosetil-Al i el benzotiadiazol van ser 3.72 g HPO32- L-1 i 150 mg i.a. L-1, respectivament. Es millora l'eficàcia del fosetil-Al i del benzotiadiazol en el control del foc bacterià, quan es combinen amb els antibiòtics a la meitat de la dosi d'aquests últims. Tot i que l'estratègia de barrejar productes és més pràctica i fàcil de dur a terme a camp, que l'estratègia de combinar productes, el millor nivell de control de la malaltia s'aconsegueix amb l'estratègia de combinar productes. Es va analitzar a nivell histològic i ultrastructural l'efecte del benzotiadiazol i dels fosfonats en la interacció Erwinia amylovora-perera. Ni el benzotiadiazol, ni el fosetil-Al, ni l'etefon van induir canvis estructurals en els teixits de perera 7 dies després de la seva aplicació. No obstant, després de la inoculació d'E. amylovora es va observar en plantes tractades amb fosetil-Al i etefon una desorganització estructural cel·lular, mentre que en les plantes tractades amb benzotiadiazol aquestes alteracions tissulars van ser retardades. S'han avaluat dos models (Maryblyt, Cougarblight) en un camp a Espanya afectat per la malaltia, per determinar la precisió de les prediccions. Es van utilitzar dos models per elaborar el mapa de risc, el BRS-Powell combinat i el BIS95 modificat. Els resultats van mostrar dos zones amb elevat i baix risc de la malaltia. Maryblyt i Cougarblight són dos models de fàcil ús, tot i que la seva implementació en programes de maneig de la malaltia requereix que siguin avaluats i validats per un període de temps més llarg i en àrees on la malaltia hi estigui present.

Productivity, labour cost and export adjustment: Detailed results for 24 EU countries. Bruegel Working Paper 2012/11, 12 July 2012

As a background document for Bruegel Policy Contribution 2012/11 ‘Compositional effects on productivity, labour cost and export adjustment’, this working paper presents detailed results for 24 EU countries on: • The sectoral changes in the economy; • The unit labour costs (ULC) based real effective exchange rate (REER) and its main components; • Export performance. • The ULC-REERs are calculated: • For the total economy, the business sector (excluding agriculture, construction and real estate activities), and some main sectors; • Using both actual aggregates and fixed-weight aggregates, as the latter are free from the impacts of compositional changes; • Against 30 trading partners and against three subsets of trading partners: euro-area, non-euro area EU, non-EU.

Europe's single supervisory mechanism and the long journey towards banking union. Bruegel Policy Contribution 2012/16, 4 October 2012

Problems in the banking system are at the core of the current crisis. The establishment of a banking union is a necessary (though not sufficient) condition for eventual crisis resolution that respects the integrity of the euro. The European Commission’s proposal for the establishment of a Single Supervisory Mechanism and related reform of the European Banking Authority (EBA) do not and cannot create a fully-fledged banking union, but represent a broadly adequate step on the basis of the leaders’ declaration of 29 June 2012 and of the decision to use Article 127(6) of the treaty as legal basis. The proposal rightly endows the European Central Bank (ECB) with broad authority over banks within the supervisory mechanism’s geographical perimeter; however, the status of non-euro area member states willing to participate in this mechanism, and the governance and decision-making processes of the ECB in this respect, call for further elaboration. Further adjustments are also desirable in the proposed reform of the EBA, even though they must probably retain a stopgap character pending the more substantial review planned in 2014.

Investigations into the formation and characterization of phospholipid microemulsions. IV. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of systems containing water-lecithin-alcohol and oil; The influence of oil

Phase studies have been performed for quaternary systems composed of egg lecithin, cosurfactant, water and oil. The lecithin used was the commercially available egg lecithin Ovothin 200 (which comprises ≥ 92% phosphatidylcholine). The cosurfactants employed were propanol and butanol, and these were used at lecithin/cosurfactant mixing ratios (Km) of 1:1 and 1.94:1 (weight basis). Six polar oils were investigated, including the alkanoic acids, octanoic and oleic, their corresponding ethyl esters and the medium and long chain triglycerides, Miglyol 812 and soybean oil. All oils, irrespective of the alcohol and the Km used, gave rise to systems that produced a stable isotropic region along the surfactant/oil axis (designated as a reverse microemulsion system). In addition, the systems incorporating propanol at both Km and butanol at a Km of 1.94: 1, generally gave rise to a liquid crystalline region and, in some cases, a second isotropic non-birefingent area (designated as a normal microemulsion system). The phase behaviour observed was largely dependent upon the alcohol and Km used and the size and the polarity of the oil present.

Geographical distribution of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and its phlebotomine vectors (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Background: American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is a re-emerging disease in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is important to understand both the vector and disease distribution to help design control strategies. As an initial step in applying geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) tools to map disease-risk, the objectives of the present work were to: (i) produce a single database of species distributions of the sand fly vectors in the state of Sao Paulo, (ii) create combined distributional maps of both the incidence of ACL and its sand fly vectors, and (iii) thereby provide individual municipalities with a source of reference material for work carried out in their area. Results: A database containing 910 individual records of sand fly occurrence in the state of Sao Paulo, from 37 different sources, was compiled. These records date from between 1943 to 2009, and describe the presence of at least one of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species in 183/645 (28.4%) municipalities. For the remaining 462 (71.6%) municipalities, we were unable to locate records of any of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species (Nyssomyia intermedia, N. neivai, N. whitmani, Pintomyia fischeri, P. pessoai and Migonemyia migonei). The distribution of each of the six incriminated or suspected vector species of ACL in the state of Sao Paulo were individually mapped and overlaid on the incidence of ACL for the period 1993 to 1995 and 1998 to 2007. Overall, the maps reveal that the six sand fly vector species analyzed have unique and heterogeneous, although often overlapping, distributions. Several sand fly species - Nyssomyia intermedia and N. neivai - are highly localized, while the other sand fly species - N. whitmani, M. migonei, P. fischeri and P. pessoai - are much more broadly distributed. ACL has been reported in 160/183 (87.4%) of the municipalities with records for at least one of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species, while there are no records of any of these sand fly species in 318/478 (66.5%) municipalities with ACL. Conclusions: The maps produced in this work provide basic data on the distribution of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vectors of ACL in the state of Sao Paulo, and highlight the complex and geographically heterogeneous pattern of ACL transmission in the region. Further studies are required to clarify the role of each of the six suspected sand fly vector species in different regions of the state of Sao Paulo, especially in the majority of municipalities where ACL is present but sand fly vectors have not yet been identified.

Detection of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum RNA in fleas and ticks collected from naturally infected dogs

The occurrence of the insect vector (sand flies) with low rates of Leishmania infection, as well as autochthonous transmission in the absence of the natural vector in dogs, have been reported. These unexpected data suggest a hypothesis of other arthropods as a possible way of Leishmania transmission. The prevalence of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in fleas and ticks collected from dogs with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), as well as parasite viability, were evaluated herein. The presence of L. (L.) infantum was assayed by PCR and ELISA in ectoparasites and biological samples from 73 dogs living in a Brazilian endemic area. As the occurrence of Leishmania DNA in ticks and fleas is expected given their blood-feeding habits, we next investigated whether parasites can remain viable inside ticks. PCR and ELISA confirmed that 83% of the dogs had CVL. Fleas and ticks (nymphs, male and female adults) were collected in 55% and 63% of the 73 dogs, respectively. Out of the 60 dogs with CVL, 80% harbored ectoparasites infected with L. (L.) infantum. The infection rates of the ectoparasites were 23% and 50% for fleas and ticks, respectively. The RNA analysis of the extract from ticks left in laboratory conditions during 7 to 10 days after removal from CVL dogs showed that parasites were alive. In addition, live parasites were also detected inside adult ticks recently molted in laboratory conditions. These findings indicate a higher infection rate of L. (L.) infantum in ticks and fleas, but they do not conclusively demonstrate whether these ticks can act as vectors of CVL, despite the fact that their rates were higher than those previously described in Lutzomyia longipalpis. The presence of viable L. (L.) infantum in ticks suggests the possible importance of dog ectoparasites in CVL dissemination.

Relation of genetic phylogeny and geographical distance of tick-borne encephalitis virus in central Europe

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most important arboviral agent causing disease of the central nervous system in central Europe. In this study, 61 TBEV E gene sequences derived from 48 isolates from the Czech Republic, and four isolates and nine TBEV strains detected in ticks from Germany, covering more than half a century from 1954 to 2009, were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic and Bayesian phylodynamic analysis to determine the phylogeography of TBEV in central Europe. The general Eurasian continental east-to-west pattern of the spread of TBEV was confirmed at the regional level but is interlaced with spreading that arises because of local geography and anthropogenic influence. This spread is reflected by the disease pattern in the Czech Republic that has been observed since 1991. The overall evolutionary rate was estimated to be approximately 8x10(-4) substitutions per nucleotide per year. The analysis of the TBEV E genes of 11 strains isolated at one natural focus in Zd`ar Kaplice proved for the first time that TBEV is indeed subject to local evolution.

Horses naturally infected by Trypanosoma vivax in southern Brazil

In this study, we reported the first outbreak of the infection by Trypanosoma vivax in horses in southern Brazil, a non-endemic region where bovines have only recently been found infected by this trypanosome species. We evaluated 12 horses from a farm in southern Brazil, where four horses displayed pale mucous membranes, fever, weight loss, and swelling of abdomen, prepuce, or vulva. The diagnosis of T vivax was confirmed in four horses by morphological parameters of trypomastigotes in blood smears and species-specific PCR. All T vivax-infected animals showed anemia, and most showed increased levels of beta-1, beta-2, and gamma globulins. Horses were treated with diminazene aceturate, but cure was not achieved, and the disease relapsed after therapy. These findings demonstrated that Brazilian T vivax isolates, which were already reported infecting cattle, buffaloes, goats, and sheep, can be highly pathogenic for horses, causing severe disease and even death of the animals due to the recurrence of the infection.

Naturally acquired inhibitory antibodies to Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein are short-lived and allele-specific following a single malaria infection

The Duffy binding protein of Plasmodium vivax (DBP) is a critical adhesion ligand that participates in merozoite invasion of human Duffy-positive erythrocytes. A small outbreak of P. vivax malaria, in a village located in a non-malarious area of Brazil, offered us an opportunity to investigate the DBP immune responses among individuals who had their first and brief exposure to malaria. Thirty-three individuals participated in the five cross-sectional surveys, 15 with confirmed P. vivax infection while residing in the outbreak area (cases) and 18 who had not experienced malaria (non-cases). In the present study, we found that only 20% (three of 15) of the individuals who experienced their first P. vivax infection developed an antibody response to DBP; a secondary boosting can be achieved with a recurrent P. vivax infection. DNA sequences from primary/recurrent P. vivax samples identified a single dbp allele among the samples from the outbreak area. To investigate inhibitory antibodies to the ligand domain of the DBP (cysteine-rich region II, DBP(II)), we performed in vitro assays with mammalian cells expressing DBP(II) sequences which were homologous or not to those from the outbreak isolate. In non-immune individuals, the results of a 12-month follow-up period provided evidence that naturally acquired inhibitory antibodies to DBP(II) are short-lived and biased towards a specific allele.

Chronic disease burden and human capital investment: evidence from the chagas disease campaign in Brazil

We investigate the effects of augmented life expectancy and health improvements on human capital investment, labor supply and fertility decisions. Our main motivation is the prediction of human capital theory that a longer and healthier life encourages educational investment and female labor force participation, while discouraging fertility. To assess the magnitude of these effects, we explore a national campaign against Chagas disease in Brazil as an exogenous source of adult mortality decline and improvement in health conditions. We show that, relative to non-endemic areas, previously endemic regions saw higher increases in educational investment, measured by literacy, school attendance and years of schooling, following the campaign. Additionally, we find that labor force participation increased in high prevalence areas relative to low prevalence ones. Furthermore, we estimate a substantially higher effect on female labor force participation relative to male, suggesting that longevity gains and health improvements affected women's incentives to work, encouraging women to join the labor force. We do not find significant effects on fertility decisions.

Estudo dos fatores associados à infecção chagásica em área endêmica do Rio Grande do Norte

The Chagas disease is a infectious and parasite disease that has as the causative agent a Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that can be transmitted to humans by the faeces of triatomines ( barbeiros ) in the blood-sucking. To understand the relationship between factors associated with chagasic infection and the risk of transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, this work aimed to make a correlation between the results of serology, obtained by different immunological techniques, used for diagnosis of Chagas disease and risk factors to which the population of the city of Apodi-RN is exposed, to be considered a endemic area. The case-control study was conducted with 199 individuals, which initially was applied a questionary about socio-economic questions and some risk factors which they were exposed and also favor the spread of disease. Then was given the diagnosis by immunological techniques of serology by indirect hemagglutination, ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence. From the diagnosis, the subjects were divided into case group (presence of infection) and control group (no infection). Regarding the descriptive characteristics of the sample, were found a higher frequency of female individuals (59.3%), between 36 and 50 years of age (36.7%), with low education level (91%) and income monthly up to 1 minimum wage (67.8%). The serology, performed by three techniques of different principles, had a reactivity of 38.9% by Indirect Hemagglutination, 39.7% by ELISA and 38.7% by Indirect Immunofluorescence. As the result of the serology, 71 of samples showed reactivity in 2 or more techniques. On some risk variables, was found a significant relationship between individuals who had been bitten by the triatomines and had positive serology for Chagas disease (93.3%). Other variables of risk revealed individuals who had positive serology and had domestic animal (80.3%), lived in poorly maintained homes (97.2%) and near the forest (84.5%). A better understanding of the dynamics of transmission of T. cruzi and the risk factors that contribute to its occurrence in a region are needed to develop effective strategies for control of Chagas disease in these áreas

Adubação e o período anterior à interferência das plantas daninhas na cultura do amendoim

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o efeito da adubação sobre a comunidade infestante e sobre o período anterior à interferência (PAI) das plantas daninhas na cultura do amendoim, cv. IAC Runner 886, em sistema convencional. Os períodos de convivência estudados foram: 0, 7, 15, 20, 30, 45, 55 e 126 dias após a emergência (DAE), totalizando oito tratamentos, dispostos em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições, em dois níveis de adubação: 0 e 150 kg ha-1 da formulação 00-20-20 (N-P-K). A adubação não alterou a composição da comunidade infestante, destacando-se Cyperus rotundus, Eleusine indica, Indigofera hirsuta, Portulaca oleraceae e Sida rhombifolia como as espécies de maior importância relativa. Contudo, a densidade de plantas daninhas foi maior na área não adubada, mas sem afetar de modo diferenciado a massa seca acumulada por elas. O cultivar de amendoim IAC Runner 886 pode conviver com essa comunidade com e sem adubação por até 15 e 17 DAE (PAI), respectivamente, sem sofrer perdas significativas na produção. A interferência das plantas daninhas reduziu entre 31 e 34% a produtividade do amendoim para as áreas sem adubação e com adubação, respectivamente.

Leukocyte entry into the CNS of Leishmania chagasi naturally infected dogs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

EFEITO DE INJÚRIAS MECÂNICAS NA FIRMEZA E COLORAÇÃO DE GOIABAS DAS CULTIVARES PALUMA E PEDRO SATO

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito das injúrias mecânicas por impacto, compressão ou corte na firmeza e coloração de goiabas 'Paluma' e 'Pedro Sato', colhidas no estádio de maturação de vez e armazenadas sob condições de ambiente. Na injúria por impacto, os frutos foram deixados cair, em queda livre, de uma altura de 1,20 m, sofrendo dois impactos, em lados opostos da porção equatorial do fruto. Na injúria por compressão, os frutos foram submetidos a um peso de 3 kg, por 15 minutos. Para a injúria por corte, foram efetuados dois cortes, no sentido longitudinal dos frutos, de exatamente 30 mm de comprimento por 2 mm de profundidade. Os frutos injuriados foram colocados em bandejas de isopor e armazenados sob condições de ambiente (23,4±1 °C, 62±6 % UR). A firmeza dos frutos submetidos ao impacto e compressão foi calculada pela relação peso(N)/área injuriada (m2). A evolução da coloração foi feita através de leituras diárias em reflectômetro Minolta CR 200b, procurando comparar a coloração da área lesionada com a da área não lesionada do mesmo fruto. Com relação à injúria por compressão, não se detectou diferença significativa entre as cultivares testadas, mas com relação ao impacto, os frutos da 'Paluma' tiveram uma firmeza significativamente maior que os da 'Pedro Sato'. A área injuriada mostrou maior escurecimento e retardo no amarelecimento, indicado pelo maior ângulo Hue, típico do amadurecimento de goiabas. Os valores de cromaticidade foram sempre inferiores nas áreas injuriadas, de ambas as cultivares, indicando menor síntese de pigmentos carotenóides nessas regiões. Os frutos da 'Pedro Sato' foram caracterizados como mais escuros e mais esverdeados que os da 'Paluma' ao longo do período de armazenamento, independentemente das injúrias.

Phosphorus sources and fractions in an oxisol under no-tilled soybean

A dinâmica do P no solo pode ser modificada em sistemas com semeadura direta. Os agricultores brasileiros vêm aplicando fósforo na superfície do solo para otimizar a operação de máquinas, embora não seja uma prática recomendada pela pesquisa. Foi conduzido um experimento para estudar os efeitos da aplicação de duas fontes de fósforo na superfície do solo e no sulco de semeadura da soja. Os tratamentos consistiram da aplicação ou não de 80 kg ha-1 de P total como fosfato natural reativo e superfosfato, aplicados na superfície do solo, sobre os resíduos da cultura anterior. Na semeadura da soja, tratamentos adicionais (80 kg ha-1 de fosfato natural ou superfosfato) foram aplicados ao sulco de semeadura. O solo foi amostrado até 40 cm de profundidade, antes da semeadura da soja e após a colheita. Uma amostra controle foi tomada de área adjacente, sem cultivo. Houve aumento nos teores de P até 40 cm de profundidade, após a colheita da soja, de modo que o aumento foi observado principalmente no P ligado ao Ca e no P orgânico. Entretanto houve decréscimo nos teores de P ligado ao Fe. A adubação com ambas as fontes de fosfato levaram a um decréscimo nos teores de P ocluso na superfície do solo quando comparada com a área sem cultivo.