Jasmonate signaling makes flowers attractive to pollinators and repellant to florivores in nature

Flowers are required for the Darwinian fitness of flowering plants, but flowers＇ advertisements for pollination services can attract florivores. Previous glasshouse work with Nicotiana attenuata revealed the role of jasmonate （JA） signaling in flower development, advertisement and defense. However, whether JA signaling mediates flowers＇ filtering of floral visitors in nature remained unknown. This field study revealed that silencing JA signaling resulted in flowers that produce less nectar and benzyl acetone, two pollinatorattractive traits. Meanwhile, flowers of defenseless plants were highly attacked by a suite of native herbivores, and damage to buds in native plants correlated negatively with their JA-lle levels.

Comprehensive Overview and Analytical Study on Automatic Bird Repellent Laser System for Crop Protection

Birds are a huge hazard to agriculture all around the world,causing harm to profitable field crops.Growers use a variety of techniques to keep them away,including visual,auditory,tactile,and olfactory deterrents. This study presents a comprehensive overview of current bird repellant approaches used in agricultural contexts,as well as potential new ways. The bird repellent techniques include Internet of Things technology,Deep Learning,Convolutional Neural Network,Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,Wireless Sensor Networks and Laser biotechnology. This study’s goal is to find and review about previous approach towards repellent of birds in the crop fields using various technologies.

Flexible Biofoams Based on Furanics and Fatty Acids Esterified Tannin

Water repellant,flexible biofoams using tannin esterified with various fatty acid chains,namely lauric,palmitic and oleic acids,by reaction with lauryl chloride,palmitoyl chloride,and oleyl chloride were developed and their characteristics compared with the equivalently esterified rigid biofoams.Glycerol,while initially added to control the reaction temperature,was used as a plasticizer yielding flexible biofoams presenting the same water repellant character that the equivalent rigid foams.Acetaldehyde was used as the cross-linking agent instead of formaldehyde,as it showed a better performance with the esterified tannin.The compression results showed a significant decrease of the Modulus of Elasticity(MOE)of the flexible foams in relation to that of the rigid foams,confirming their flexible character.The lauryl-and palmitoyl-esterified biofoams presented similar mechanical properties,while the oleyl-esterified biofoam presented different mechanical and morphological result not really showing the expected flexibility.Both the esterified rigid and flexible tannin-based biofoams showed good water resistance and their sessile drop contact angle analysis as a function of time confirmed this characteristic.Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM)analysis showed the flexible foams to present a higher proportion of closed cells than the rigid foams.Conversely,the cells depth of the flexible foams was lower than that of the rigid foam.As regards their thermal resistance,the flexible foams showed a slight loss of mass compared to the rigid ones without glycerol.Both types of foams presented much lower surface friability of non-esterified rigid foams.

Energy Efficient and Intelligent Mosquito Repellent Fuzzy Control System

Mosquitoes are of great concern for occasionally carrying noxious diseases(dengue,malaria,zika,and yellow fever).To control mosquitoes,it is very crucial to effectively monitor their behavioral trends and presence.Traditional mosquito repellent works by heating small pads soaked in repellant,which then diffuses a protected area around you,a great alternative to spraying yourself with insecticide.But they have limitations,including the range,turning them on manually,and then waiting for the protection to kick in when the mosquitoes may find you.This research aims to design a fuzzy-based controller to solve the above issues by automatically determining a mosquito repellent’s speed and active time.The speed and active time depend on the repellent cartridge and the number of mosquitoes.The Mamdani model is used in the proposed fuzzy system(FS).The FS consists of identifying unambiguous inputs,a fuzzification process,rule evaluation,and a defuzzification process to produce unambiguous outputs.The input variables used are the repellent cartridge and the number of mosquitoes,and the speed of mosquito repellent is used as the output variable.The whole FS is designed and simulated using MATLAB Simulink R2016b.The proposed FS is executed and verified utilizing a microcontroller using its pulse width modulation capability.Different simulations of the proposed model are performed in many nonlinear processes.Then,a comparative analysis of the outcomes under similar conditions confirms the higher accuracy of the FS,yielding a maximum relative error of 10%.The experimental outcomes show that the root mean square error is reduced by 67.68%,and the mean absolute percentage error is reduced by 52.46%.Using a fuzzy-based mosquito repellent can help maintain the speed of mosquito repellent and control the energy used by the mosquito repellent.

Self-Cross-Linked Tannin-Aminated Tannin Surface Coatings for Particleboard

Aminated tannins were prepared by reacting mimosa condensed tannin extract with ammonia yielding the substitution of many,if not all of the tannin hydroxyl groups with–NH_(2)groups.A tannin-aminated tannin(ATT)particleboard coating was then prepared by reacting raw tannin extract with aminated tannin extract and thus cross-linking the two by substituting tannin’s hydroxyl groups with the–NH_(2)groups on the aminated tannin to form–NH-bridges between the two.The resulting particleboard coating gave encouraging results when pressed at 180℃for 3 min.Conversely,the system in which tannin was reacted/cross-liked with urea(ATU)by a similar amination reaction did not perform as well as the ATT system,and this even when a higher curing temperature and longer hot press time were used.In particular its water repellence was worse probably due to the presence of urea and such a system with lower reactivity.Nonetheless,substituting the tannin–OHs with the urea–NH_(2)groups appeared to also take place.ATT gave better results than ATU as regards water repellence and mechanical resistance as shown by the cross cut test.The ATT system was shown to be between 95%and 98%biosourced.The difference appeared to be due,by TMA analysis,to the much faster formation of the ATT hardened network leading to a better cross-linked polymer coating.The chemical species formed for both the ATT and ATU system were studied by MALDI ToF and CP MAS^(13)C NMR.

Morphological basis for the waterproof characteristic of bird plumage

A surface variable, density of water-feather touching points （Dp） was proposed in this paper to express surface property of water repellency of contour feather. Tests in 29 species using breast contour feathers indicated that Dp was small in tericolous species, medium in wading and diving species, large in swimming species, with only a few exceptions. This implied that birds achieve appropriate Dp by optimizing the microstructure of feather to meet the requirement of water repellency. Therefore, Dp was a morphological marker linking structure and function of feather in studies of adaptive evolution of birds.

Development of Superhydrophobic Polyester (Polyethylene terephthalate) Fabric for Multiple Applications

This study intended to develop a healthy and environmentally friendly super-hydrophobic PET polyester textile fabric using a specific Fluoro Silane finish(SHF).A novel SHF was prepared and applied on a polyester fabric using a pad-dry-cure method.The finished fabric was evaluated for the degree of hydrophobicity,durability and stain repellence.The finished fabric exhibited static water contact angle greater than 170o and received 90 AATCC(4 ISO)rating that is recognized as super-hydrophobicity and this property was maintained even after a 50,000-cycle abrasion test.FTIR analysis identified the characteristic peaks related to Si-O-Si and C-F asymmetric stretching bands of the finish on the fabric indicating a robust attachment on the fabric.Finished fabric did not show any change in appearance or tactile characteristics of the fabric.

Bioactivities of Extracts from Toona sinensis against Sitophilus zeamais

[ Objective ] The repellent activities and contact toxicity of extracts from Toona sinensis against Sitophilus zeamais were studied. [ Meth- od] 95% alcohol, petroleum ether and dichloromethane were selected to extract the active components from the leaves and barks of T. sinensis, respectively. And then the extracts were prepared at 0.6, 0.3, 0.15 g/ml to study the biological activity against S. zeamais in lab. [ Result J The petroleum ether extracts from the leaves of T. sinensis had significantly repellent effects on S. zeamais, but the extracts from T. sinensis with three solvents had no obvious contact toxicity against S. zeamais. [ Conclusion ] The petroleum ether extracts from S. zeamais had certain repellent activity.

Ovicidal and repellent activities of botanical extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus,Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi(Diptera:Culicidae)

Objective:To determine the ovicidal and repellent activities of methanol leaf extract of Ervatamia coronaria(E.coronaria) and Caeslpinia pulckerrima(C.pulcherrima) against Culex quinquefasciatus(Cx.quinquefasciatus),Aedes aegypti(Ae.aegypti) and Anopheles stephensi(An. stephensi).Methods:The ovicidal activity was determined against three mosquito species at various concentrations ranging from 50-450 ppm under the laboratory conditions.The hatch rates were assessed 48 h after treatment.The repellent efficacy was determined against three mosquito species at three concentrations viz.,1.0,2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm under the laboratory conditions. Results:The crude extract of E.coronaria exerted zero hatchability(100%mortality) at 250.200 and 150 ppm for Cx.quinqitefasciatus,Ae.aegypti and An.stephensi,respectively.The crude extract of C.pulchenima exerted zero hatchability(100%mortality) at 375.300 and 225 ppm for Cx.quinquefasciatus,Ae.aegypti and An.Stephensi,respectively.The methanol extract of E. coronaria found to be more repellenct than C.pukherrima extract.A higher concentration of 5.0 mg/cm^2 provided 100%protection up to 150.180 and 210 min against Cx.quinquefasciatus,Ae. aegypti and An.stephensi,respectively.The results clearly showed that repellent activity was dose dependent.Conclusions:From the results it can be concluded the crude extracts of E.coronaria and C.pukherrima are an excellent potential for controlling Cx.quinquefasciatus,Ae.aegypti and An.stephensi mosquitoes.

Exploiting push-pull strategy to combat the tea green leafhopper based on volatiles of Lavandula angustifolia and Flemingia macrophylla

Thirteen volatile compounds were identified from Flemingia macrophylla plants. Eight major components significantly attracted the tea green leafhoppers, Empoasca flavescens F. Based on their relative abundances, following synthetic blends were made for field experiments: 1) eight-component-attractant blend included Z-3-hexen-1-ol, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-ocimene, Me SA, Z-3-hexenyl butyrate, dodecane, hexadecane and nonanal at 10, 10, 1, 11, 2, 6, 2 and 4 mg mL^-1 in n-hexane, respectively;2) four-component-attractant blend #1 contained hexadecane, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-3-hexen-1-ol and nonanal at 2, 10, 10 and 4 mg mL^-1 in n-hexane, respectively;3) four-component-attractant blend #2 contained hexadecane, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-3-hexen-1-ol and Me SA at 2, 10, 10 and 11 mg mL^-1 in n-hexane, respectively. Thymol and 1-methoxy-4-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-benzene, identified from Lavandula angustifolia aeration samples, significantly repelled the leafhopper as strong repellents when tested alone or in combination at 10 mg mL^-1. For field bioassays, each attractant lure was attached to a bud green sticky board hung from a bamboo stick at above tea plant level for catching the leafhoppers, whereas the repellent dispenser was tied to a tea branch inside tea clump for pushing the leafhoppers away from tea clumps. The results showed that the eight-component-attractant blend caught similar numbers of the leafhopper as did the four-component-attractant blend #1 at about 53–79 leafhoppers/trap/day, which were significantly higher than those on the hexane-control bud green sticky boards. Average leafhopper catches from un-baited sticky boards were about 51–73 leafhoppers/trap/day when pushed by the repellents placed inside tea plants, with the two-component-repellent blend being more effective than their single components. When the two-component-repellent blend was further tested with the three attractant blends in a push-pull fashion, average trap catches ranged from 62 to 92 leafhoppers/trap/day. Control efficacy on the leafhoppers within the push-pull zones increased progressively from day 1(43%) to day 5(73%). This push-pull approach might have a great potential as a green control strategy for combating the tea green leafhoppers.

Larvicidal and repellent activities of Sida acuta Burm.F.(Family:Malvaceae) against three important vector mosquitoes

Objective:To determine the larvicidal and repellent activities of Sida acuta Burm.F.（Family: Malvaceae）extract against Culex quinquefasciatus,Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi. Methods:Twenty five late III instar larve of three mosquito species were exposed to various concentrations（15-90 mg/L） and were assayed in the laboratory by using the protocol of WHO 2005:the 24 h LC50 values of the Sida acuta leaf extract was determined following Probit analysis. The repellent efficacy was determined against three mosquito species at three concentrations viz.,1.0,2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm2 under the laboratory conditions.Results:Results showed varying degree of larvicidal activity of crude extract of Sida acuta against three important mosquitoes with LC50 values ranging between 38 to 48 mg/L.The crude extract had strong repellent action against three species of mosquitoes as it provided 100%protection against Anopheles stephensi for 180 min followed by Aedes aegypti（150 min） and Culex quinquefasciatus（120 min）.Conclusions: From the results it can be concluded the crude extract of Sida acuta was an excellent potential for controlling Culex quinquefasciatus,Aedes aegypti and Anopleles stephensi mosquitoes.

Heterogeneity of Physico-Chemical Properties in Structured Soils and Its Consequences

Structured soils are characterized by the presence of inter- and intra-aggregate pore systems and aggregates, which show varying chemical, physical, and biological properties depending on the aggregate type and land use system. How far these aspects also affect the ion exchange processes and to what extent the interaction between the carbon distribution and kind of organic substances affect the internal soil strength as well as hydraulic properties like wettability are still under discussion. Thus, the objective of this research was to clarify the effect of soil aggregation on physical and chemical properties of structured soils at two scales: homogenized material and single aggregates. Data obtained by sequentially peeling off soil aggregates layers revealed gradients in the chemical composition from the aggregate surface to the aggregate core. In aggregates from long term untreated forest soils we found lower amounts of carbon in the external layer, while in arable soils the differentiation was not pronounced. However, soil aggregates originating from these sites exhibited a higher concentration of microbial activity in the outer aggregate layer and declined towards the interior. Furthermore, soil depth and the vegetation type affected the wettability. Aggregate strength depended on water suction and differences in tillage treatments.

Larvicidal and repellent activity of medicinal plant extracts from Eastern Ghats of South India against malaria and filariasis vectors

Objective:To evaluate the larvicidal and repellent activities of ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Acacia concinna（A.concinna）,Cassia siamea（C.siamea）.Conundrum sativum（C. sativum）,Cuminum cyminum（C.cyminum）,Lantana camma（L.camara）,Nelumbo nucifera （N.nucifera） Phyllanlhus amarus（P.amarus）.Piper nigrum（P.nigrum） and Trachyspermum ammi（T.ammi） against Anopheles stephensi（An.stephensi） and Culex quinquefasciatus（Cx. quinquefasciatus）.Methods:The larvicidal activity of medicinal plant extracts were tested against earl) fourth-instar larvae of malaria and filariasis vectors.The mortality was observed 24 h and 48 h after treatment,data were subjected to probit analysis to determine the lethal concentrations(LC50 and LC90) to kill 50 and 90 per cent of the treated larvae of the tested species. The repellent efficacy was determined against two mosquito species at five concentrations（31.25. 62.50.125.00.250.00,and 500.00 ppm） under the laboratory conditions.Results:All plant extracts showed moderate effects after 24 h and 48 h of exposure;however,the highest activity was observed after 24 h in the leaf methanol extract ol N.nucifera.seed ethyl acetate and methanol extract of P.nigrum against the larvae of An.Stephensi(LC50 = 34.76.24.54 and 30.20 ppm) and against Cx.quinquefasciatus(LC50= 37.49.43.94 and 57.39 ppm),respectively.The toxic effect of leaf methanol extract of C.siamea,seed methanol extract of C.cyminum,leaf ethyl acetate extract of N.nucifera.leaf ethyl acetate and methanol extract of P.amarus and seed methanol extract of T.ammi were showed 100%mortality against An.stephensi and Cx.quinquefasciatus alter 48 h exposer.The maximum repellent activity was observed at 500 ppm in methanol extracts of N. nucifera.ethyl acetate and methanol extract of P.nigrum and methanol extract of T.ammi and the mean complete protection time ranged from 30 to 150 min with the different extracts tested. Conclusions:These results suggest that the leaf and seed extracts of C.siamea.N.nucifera.P. amarus.P.nigrum and T.ammi have the potential to be used as an ideal ecofriendly approach for the control of the An.stephensi and Cx.quinquefasciatus.

Larvicidal and repellent properties of some essential oils against Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and Anopheles subpictus Grassi(Diptera:Culicidae)

Objective:To investigate the larvicidal and repellent properties of essential oils from various parts of four plant species Cymbopogan citrates,Cinnamomum zeylanicum,Rosmarinus of ficinalis and Zingiber of ficinale against Culex tritaeniorhynchus（Cx.tritaeniorhynchus） and Anopheles subpictus（An.subpktus）.Methods:Essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation method.The mosquitoes were reared in the vector control laboratory and twenty five late third ins tar larvae of Cx.tritaeniorhynchus and An.subpictus were exposed to based on the wide range and narrow range test,essential oil tested at various concentrations ranging from 25 to 250 ppm.The larval mortality was observed after 24 h under the laboratory conditions.The repellent efficacy was determined against two mosquito species at three concentrations viz., 1.0,2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm2 under laboratory conditions.Results:Results showed all the four plant essential oil produced significant larval mortality against two mosquito species.However,the highest larvicidal activity was observed in the essential oil from Zingiber of ficinale against Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and An.subpktus with the LC50 and LC90 values as 98.83,57.98 ppm and 186.55, 104.23 ppm,respectively.All the four essential oil shows significant repellency against Cx. tritaeniorhynchus than An.subpktus.Among four essential oil tested the highest repellency was observed in Zingiber of ficinale,a higher concentration of 5.0 mg/cm2 provided 100%protection up to 150 and 180 min against Cx.tritaeniorhynchus and An.subpktus,respectively.Conclusions: In this work,it can be concluded that four essential oils which were distilled from Cymbopogan citrates,Cinnamomum zeylanicum,Rosmarinus of ficinalis and Zingiber of ficinale showed promising larvicidal and repellent agent against Cx.tritaeniorhynchus and An.subpktus.

Bioefficacy of Mentha piperita essential oil against dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti L

Objective:To assess the larvicidal and repellent potential of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of peppermint plant,Mentha piperita(M.piperita) against the larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti(Ae.Aegypti).Methods:The larvicidal potential of peppermint oil was evaluated against early fourth instar larvae of Ae.aegypti using WHO protocol.The mortality counts were made after 24 and 48 h,and LC_(50) and LC_(90) values were calculated.The efficacy of peppermint oil as mosquito repellent was assessed using the human-bait technique.The measured area of one arm of a human volunteer was applied with the oil and the other arm was applied with ethanol.The mosquito bites on both the arms were recorded for 3 min after every 15 min.The experiment continued for 3 h and the percent protection was calculated.Results:The essential oil extracted from M.piperita possessed excellent larvicidal efficiency against dengue vector. The bioassays showed an LC_(50) and LC_(90) value of 111.9 and 295.18 ppm,respectively after 24 h of exposure.The toxicity of the oil increased 11.8%when the larvae were exposed to the oil for 48 h.The remarkable repellent properties of M.piperita essential oil were established against adults Ae.aegypti.The application of oil resulted in 100%protection till 150 min.After next 30 min, only 1-2 bites were recorded as compared with 8-9 bites on the control arm.Conclusions:The peppermint essential oil is proved to be efficient larvicide and repellent against dengue vector. Further studies are needed to identify the possible role of oil as adulticide,oviposilion deterrent and ovicidal agent.The isolation of active ingredient from the oil could help in formulating strategies for mosquito control.

Fumigant and repellent properties of sesquiterpene-rich essential oil from Teucrium polium subsp,capitatum(L.)

Objective:To test fumigant and repellent properties of sesquiterpene—rich essential oil from Teucrium polium subsp.capitation(L.).Methods:The fumigant toxicity test was performed at(27±1)℃.(65± 5)%relative humidity,and under darkness condition and 24 h exposure time.The chemical composition of the isolated oils was examined by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry.Results:The major compounds were α-cadiuol(46.2%),earyophyllene oxide(25.9%),α muurolol epi(8.1%),cadalene(3.7%) and longiverbenone(2.9%).In all cases,considerable differences in mortality of insect to essential oil vapor were observed in different concentrations and exposure times.Callosobruchus maculatus(C.maculates)(LC_(50)=148.9μL/L air) was more susceptible to the tested plant product than Teucrium castaneum(T.castaneum)(LC_(50)=360.2μL/L ain based on LC_(50)values.In the present investigation,the concentration of 3μ L /mL acetone showed 60% and 52% repellency against T.casteneum and C.maculatus adults,respectively.Conclusions:The results suggests that sesquiterpene—rich essential oils from the tested plant could be used as a potential control agent for stored—product insects.

Mosquito adulticidal and repellent activities of botanical extracts against malarial vector,Anopheles stephensi Liston(Diptera:Culicidae)

ObjectiveTo determine the adulticidal and repellent activities of different solvent leaf extracts of Eclipta alba (E. alba) and Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) against malarial vector, Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi).MethodsAdulticidal efficacy of the crude leaf extracts of E. alba and A. paniculata with five different solvents like benzene, hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and chloroform was tested against the five to six day old adult female mosquitoes of An. stephensi. The adult mortality was observed after 24 h under the laboratory conditions. The repellent efficacy was determined against An. stephensi mosquito species at three concentrations viz., 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm2 under laboratory conditions.ResultsAmong the tested solvents the maximum efficacy was observed in the methanol extract. The LC50 and LC90 values of E. alba and A. paniculata against adults of An. stephensi were 150.36, 130.19 ppm and 285.22, 244.16 ppm, respectively. No mortality was observed in controls. The chi-square values were significant at P<0.05 level. Methanol extract of E. alba and A. paniculata was produce maximum repellency against An. stephensi.ConclusionsFrom the results it can be concluded the crude extract of E. alba and A. paniculata was an excellent potential for controlling An. stephensi mosquitoes.

完备度量空间中离散动力系统的混沌(英文)

考虑度量空间中离散动力系统的混沌,改进了两条现有判据,证明了当一个系统有正则退化snap backrepeller时拓扑共轭于符号动力系统.

Nanoemulsified Mentha piperita and Eucalyptus globulus oils exhibit enhanced repellent activities against Anopheles stephensi

Objective:To formulate nanoemulsion from essential oils of Mentha(M.)piperita L.and Eucalyptus(E.)globulus L.and to compare their repellant activity with normal essential oils and N,N-diethyl-m toluamide(DEET)as a standard chemical compound.Methods:In this study,protection time of essential oils and DEET was evaluated on four human subjects using test cage,and their values were determined against Anopheles stephensi.Furthermore,ED50 values for the above essential oils were determined using the ASTM E951-94 method.The compositions of essential oils were determined using GC-MS,and droplet size and zeta potential of the nanoemulsion were measured with dynamic light scattering.Results:The results(expressed as mean±SD)showed that protection time of M.piperita 50%,M.piperita Nano 50%,E.globulus 50%,E.globulus Nano 50%,and DEET 25%was(2.89±0.45)h,(4.17±0.28)h,(0.96±0.27)h,(5.51±0.02)h,and(6.10±0.47)h,respectively.ED50 values were 29.10(95%CI:23.36-36.06)μg/cm^2 for Mentha,19.39(15.35-23.99)μg/cm^2 for Mentha Nano,36.10(28.70-48.01)μg/cm^2 for Eucalyptus,18.50(14.65-23.23)μg/cm^2 for Eucalyptus Nano,and 3.62(2.68-4.55)μg/cm^2 for DEET,respectively.E.globulus Nano and M.piperita Nano provided significantly longer protection than normal essential oils E.globulus and M.piperita(P<0.01).Conclusions:The preparation of nanoemulsion from the essential oils of M.piperita and E.globulus,significantly increases the protection time and reduces ED50 values of these essential oils,hence,M.piperita Nano and E.globulus Nano can be good alternatives to DEET and other chemical compounds.

Interfacial phenomena of water striders on water surfaces: a review from biology to biomechanics

Water striders have intrigued researchers for centuries from the viewpoints of biology to biomechanics. In this review, we introduce the basic theories and techniques of physics and force measurement for biomechanical research into water striders. Morphological and behavioral traits of water striders are summarized and discussed from biomechanical perspectives, along with comparative study. This integrated review also highlights potential directions for studies on water-walking arthropods,which might inspire future biological and biomechanical research.