Tropical leaf-cutter ants cultivate the fungus Attamyces bromatificus in a many-to-one, diffuse coevolutionary relationship where ant and fungal partners re-associate frequently over time. To evaluate whether ant-Attamyces coevolution is more specific (tighter) in peripheral populations, we characterized the host-specificities of Attamyces genotypes at their northern, subtropical range limits (...

Interactions between leaf-cutting ants, their fungal symbiont (Leucoagaricus) and the endophytic fungi within the vegetation they carry into their colonies are still poorly understood. If endophytes antagonistic to Leucoagaricus were found in plant material being carried by these ants, then this might indicate a potential mechanism for plants to defend themselves from leaf-cutter attack. In add...

In this study, we investigated the effect of positively and negatively charged Fe₃O₄ and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) on the growth of soybean plants (Glycine max.) and their root associated soil microbes. Soybean plants were grown in a greenhouse for six weeks after application of different amounts of NPs, and plant growth and nutrient content were examined. Roots were analyzed for colonization by...

In the cuticular wax mixtures from leaves of pea (Pisum sativum) cv Avanta, cv Lincoln, and cv Maiperle, more than 70 individual compounds were identified. The adaxial wax was characterized by very high amounts of primary alcohols (71%), while the abaxial wax consisted mainly of alkanes (73%). An aqueous adhesive of gum arabic was employed to selectively sample the epicuticular wax layer on pea...

We propose a novel gesture spotting approach that offers a comprehensible representation of automatically inferred spatiotemporal constraints. These constraints can be defined between a number of characteristic control points which are automatically inferred from a single gesture sample. In contrast to existing solutions which are limited in time, our gesture spotting approach offers automated ...

Lysobacter enzymogenes C3 is a bacterial biological control agent that exhibits antagonism against multiple fungal pathogens. Its antifungal activity was attributed in part to lytic enzymes. In this study, a heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF), an antibiotic complex consisting of dihydromaltophilin and structurally related macrocyclic lactams, was found to be responsible for antagonism by C3 a...

To evaluate the effect of Azospirillum and mycorrhizal soil fungi on nutrition Jerusalem artichoke crop (Helianthus tuberosus L.), determinations agronomic parameters health status plants were carried out under field conditions. The tests out, at time implantation culture: "seeds" inoculated with A. brasilense native fungi, generating four treatments including control co-inoculation consortium ...

This paper proposes a method of predicting accuracy of keyword spotting in terms of FA count and spotting score of correct detections. A new measure F for predicting the FA count is calculated by simulation of the keyword spotting for phoneme sequences that phoneme-based language model generates. Another measure C for predicting the spotting score of correct detections is obtained from a produc...