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Background: Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) infects grapevines worldwide and causes symptoms such as chlorotic mottling and deformations on leaves, stunted shoots and short panicles, or none of these symptoms if it appears as latent infection. So far, the consequences of GPGV infections for winegrowers are difficult to assess since important information such as plant performance at different GPGV infection levels and symptom expression are not fully clarified., Methods: In order to investigate the course of GPGV spread, annual visual evaluations and ELISA tests were conducted over 3-4 consecutive years in four GPGV-infected vineyards in southern Germany: GEM, HEC, NIM, and REI. The program PATCHY was used to analyze spatial disease patterns. Sanger sequencing was used to determine virus isolates in vines at different GPGV infection levels, to test their respective influence on symptom expression. Yield and GrapeScan (FTIR) analyses were conducted to test the impact of different GPGV infection levels and isolates on fruit quantity and quality., Results: GPGV infections significantly increased in all four vineyards (GEM 22-32%, HEC 50-99%, NIM 83-90%, REI 56-76%) with significant spreading patterns across and along rows. Specific symptom progression patterns were not observed. According to our results, the virus isolate has an influence on whether symptoms develop during a GPGV infection. While yield analyses revealed that yield losses only occur in symptomatic vines and range from 13 to 96% depending on the severity of symptoms, latent infections have no impact on grape production. No relevant effects of GPGV infections on must quality were observed., Conclusions: Secondary spread of GPGV was observed in all vineyards monitored, indicating vector-borne transmission that is likely to be accelerated by human viticultural management. GPGV should be further monitored to prevent the accumulation of detrimental symptomatic isolates. The results of this study can be used to assess the risk of GPGV to viticulture and should be considered when developing management strategies against the virus., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Viral diseases in viticulture lead to annual losses in the quantity and quality of grape production. Since no direct control measures are available in practice, preventive measures are taken to keep the vines healthy. These include, for example, the testing of propagation material for viruses such as Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) or Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 (GLRaV-1) and 3 (GLRaV-3). As long-term investigations have shown, GLRaV-1 (2.1%) occurs most frequently in southwestern German wine-growing regions, whereas GLRaV-3 (<0.1%) is almost never found. However, tests conducted over 12 years indicate that there is no general decline in virus-infected planting material. Thus, it can be assumed that a spread of the viruses via corresponding vectors still takes place unhindered. Beyond the examinations regulated within the German Wine Growing Ordinance, one-time tests were carried out on Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV). This analysis showed that GPGV was found in 17.2% of the samples.

Echelle inspired cross-grating spectrometers offer the potential to bridge the gap between classical high-end echelle spectrometers and curved-grating single-element instruments. In particular, the cross-grating approach offers the possibility to simultaneously achieve a high spectral resolution and a wide accessible spectral range in compact dimensions and without moving parts. We report on the complete realization and implementation details of an all-reflective cross-grating spectrometer based on a modified Czerny-Turner configuration including a folded beam path and a toric-convex mirror for aberration compensation. The applicability of the cross-grating spectrometer is demonstrated by test measurements including the recording of the spectra of different plant leaves. For the cross-grating spectrometer, with an accessible wavelength range between 330 and 1100 nm, a spectral resolution of 0.6 nm at 589 nm was achieved.

Among the methods developed for hyperspectral imaging, pushbroom spatial scanning stands out when it comes to achieving high spectral resolution over a wide spectral range. However, conventional pushbroom systems are usually realized using passive system components, which has limited their flexibility and adaptability and narrowed their application scenarios. In this work, we adopt a different approach to the design and construction of pushbroom systems based on using active internal components. We present a new system concept utilizing an internal line scanning unit and a rotating camera mechanism. This enables a dual-mode imaging system that allows switching between 2D spatial imaging and spectral imaging. The line scanning unit, which consists of a narrow slit mounted to a linear piezo motor, facilitates the spatial scanning of the target while eliminating the laborious relative motion between the target and the imaging system, which is needed in conventional spectrographs. A software is developed for the automation and synchronization of the active components, which enables a novel feed-forward compensation function to compensate the shift in the diffraction angle due to the scanning motion of the slit and provide higher flexibility in data acquisition.

This paper presents the conception and implementation of a variable diameter ring-cutting system for a CO 2 laser with a working wavelength of 10.6 μm. The laser-cutting system is adapted to an observation zoom microscope for combined use and is applicable for the extraction of small circular areas from polymer films, such as forensic adhesive tapes in a single shot. As an important characteristic for our application, the variable diameter ring-cutting system provides telecentricity in the target area. Ring diameters are continuously tunable between 500 μm and 2 mm. A minimum width of less than 20 μm was found for the ring profile edge. The basic characteristics of the system, including telecentricity, were experimentally evaluated and demonstrated by cutting experiments on different polymer tapes and further exemplary samples.

A formalized mentoring program was developed in response to several problems experienced by new faculty in a department of psychiatry. Goals of the program were to facilitate socialization/orientation to academic psychiatry, facilitate and improve functioning of faculty, and increase retention of new faculty members. A 36-item questionnaire and a program evaluation form were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Significant differences were found for the overall mean of all pre- vs. postmeasures and the sum of the items related to facilitation of socialization/orientation to academic psychiatry. Mentors and mentees evaluated the program as worthwhile and would recommend it to other faculty members.