Search

Coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros; CRB) was discovered in 2015 in a small outbreak in Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. This was the first record of CRB from Solomon Islands and a response plan was prepared. An awareness programme was launched and where CRB sightings were confirmed, delimitation surveys were carried out. Following the launch of the awareness programme, later in 2015, CRB was also reported from the Shortland Islands in the Western Province. Other islands were surveyed from 2015 to 2020. If CRB presence was confirmed, beetles were collected and analysed for haplotype and presence of the classical biological control agent, Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV). A distribution map and timeline of invasion were developed. The initial populations belonged to two distinct haplotypes: CRB-G (clade IA) in Honiara and CRB-S (clade II) in Shortland Islands. Despite control measures, by 2020 CRB-G had spread to islands in eight provinces and CRB-S had spread to islands in seven provinces. CRB-S and CRB-G co-occur in Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces. In 2019, OrNV was detected from field collected CRB from Guadalcanal and has since spread to Malaita Island. In both cases the virus was detected where CRB-G and CRB-S co-occur. Other outbreak areas in Solomon Islands remain OrNV-free. The two haplotypes appear to have spread following patterns of air and sea movement between the point of origin (CRB-G from Honiara and CRB-S from the Shortland Islands) to other islands/provinces.

The coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (L.), (CRB) is a major pest of coconut and oil palms that causes significant damage in the Asia/Pacific region. Traditional methods for surveillance and detection of CRB involve in-person inspections, but these are expensive to carry out and were made impossible by travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, a method to remotely detect possible CRB incursions and assess damage levels using publicly available images is described. The method involves searching for pictures of palms and identifying those with the distinctive V-shaped cuts in fronds characteristic of CRB feeding. The method was validated by examining palm images from known outbreak areas and those free from the pest. We found evidence of CRB damage in the previously unreported site of Dili, Timor Leste and possible evidence of CRB in the Solomon Islands even before it was first reported in 2015. Potential limitations and broader applications of this approach are also discussed.

Detecting and improving the scientific understanding of global trends in complex Earth systems, such as climate, increasingly depend on assimilating datasets from multiple instruments and platforms over decadal timescales. Calibration accuracy, stability, and inter-consistency among different instruments are key to developing reliable composite data records from sensors in low Earth and geostationary orbits, however, achieving sufficiently low uncertainties for these performance metrics poses a significant challenge. Space-borne instruments commonly carry on-board references for calibration at various wavelengths, but these increase mass and mission complexity and are subject to degradation in the space environment. The Moon can be considered a natural solar diffuser which can be utilized as an on-orbit calibration target by most space-borne Earth-observing instruments. Since the lunar surface reflectance is effectively time-invariant, establishing the Moon as a high-accuracy calibration reference enables broad inter-calibration opportunities even between temporally non-overlapping instruments and provides an exo-atmospheric absolute radiometric standard. This on-orbit radiometric spectral reference helps enable high-accuracy absolute calibrations and inter-calibrations of past, current, and future Earth-observing sensors, meteorological imagers, and long-term climatemonitoring satellite systems. The goal of the ARCSTONE In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) project, funded by NASA ESTO, is to demonstrate its novel lunar measurement approach from space and improve the Moon as a radiometric SI-traceable reference for high-accuracy on-orbit calibrations spanning the visible and nearinfrared spectral regions. The ARCSTONE instrument is a compact spectrometer which will be accommodated on a 6U CubeSat intended for low Earth orbit with planned readiness for launch in about 2 years. It will measure the lunar spectral reflectance with combined standard uncertainty of 0.5% (k=1) across the 350 nm to 2300 nm spectral range. The ARCSTONE InVEST team will present the status of the project, the instrument design, calibration approach, concept of operations, and the planned path toward mission implementation.

This private OSF component documents presentations and discussions at the ICE concerning coconut rhinoceros beetle.

Results and scripts for under review paper: Dissociable Cerebellar-Prefrontal Networks Underlying Executive Function: Evidence from the Human Connectome Project. A pre-print of the paper is available on bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/431593

Recent research found increased functional connectivity (FC) between the (DN) and cerebral cortex in Alzheimer’s disease (AD; Olivito, 2020) and points to the potential importance of cerebrocerebellar connectivity as a biomarker in the progression of the disease. The cerebellum, which projects to the thalamus via the dentate nucleus (DN), is connected to both cognitive and motor regions of the cerebral cortex via separate, trans-thalamic, reciprocal loops (Kelly & Strick, 2003). Research has delineated at least two distinct dentate-cortical networks in both the non-human primate and human brain: the dorsal DN, associated with motor functions and circuits, and the ventral DN, associated with cognitive processing and the corresponding circuits (Dum & Strick, 2003; Bernard et al., 2014; Steele et al., 2017). Importantly, cerebellar regions prone to atrophy in AD (e.g., Crus I/II) are functionally connected to atrophied regions of the cerebral cortex (e.g., primary motor cortex and regions related to the default mode network; de Jong et al. 2008, Suvà et al., 1999, Guo, 2016), indicating dysfunction occurs at a network level. A crucial step in elucidating the role of the cerebellum in AD was to investigate functional connectivity alterations between cerebral structures and the DN (Olivito, 2020) and an important next step is to investigate functional connectivity differences in the individual networks within the DN. Additionally, loss of motor function and the presence of motor symptoms can predict AD outcomes and the risk of developing AD (Buchman& Bennett, 2011; Scarmeas, 2005; Albers, 2015). Therefore, it is of interest to explore whether the dorsal and ventral dentate-cortical networks have differences in functional connectivity in the presence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and whether any differences seen in these networks are related to scores on motor and cognitive tasks. This work may potentially inform future clinical work in the diagnosis and understanding of AD, as well as help decipher AD subtypes and the progression of symptoms as they relate to brain network dysfunction.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

Satellite instrument change in orbit during a mission lifetime can result in significant error for absolute radiance sensor calibrations. Polarization (POL) response, out-of-band signal rejection (OOB), and relative spectral response (RSR) are important contributors to understanding calibration error, yet no existing systems can conduct all of these diagnostics while a sensor is in space. In this presentation, a system under development is described that enables new diagnostic analyses of radiometers while they are in orbit by propagating a laser beam from the ground. While the system is not expected to provide high accuracy (

The Andean blackberry crop (Rubus glaucus) is very important for the farmers, since they must implement cultural practices that allow reducing the use of synthetic pesticides. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of different technological alternatives for the control of Botrytis sp. in the blackberry crop. The treatments were: 1: Absolute control (silwet+water), 2: Traditional chemical treatment (Carbendazim), 3: Mirtaceae extract (Iridium®), 4: Bacterial metabolite (Balus®) and 5: Trichoderma spp. (Tricomix®). The applications were carried out every 15 days for the synthetic product and every 8 days for the biologicals, organic and the control. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used with 3 repetitions and Tukey test at 5% were made. The studied variables were botrytis incidence (%), yield (g/plot), weight (g), polar and equatorial diameter (mm), firmness (N), total soluble solids (Brix), titratable acidity (% citric acid) and pH (log H+). Throughout a weekly incidence analysis, it was possibly to identify that the Carbendazim, Trichoderma spp. and mirtaceae extract had a better control in the incidence of Botrytis sp. in the blackberry fruit., El cultivo de mora de castilla (Rubus glaucus) es de mucha importancia para los agricultores ya que deben implementar prácticas culturales que permitan reducir el uso de pesticidas sintéticos. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de diferentes alternativas tecnológicas para el control de Botrytis sp. en el cultivo de mora de castilla. Los tratamientos fueron 1: Testigo absoluto (silwet + agua), 2: Fungicida tradicional sintético (Carbendazim), 3: Extracto de mirtáceas (Iridium®), 4: Metabolitos bacterianos (Balus®) y 5: Trichoderma spp. (Tricomix®). Las aplicaciones se realizaron cada 15 días para el producto sintético y cada 8 días los biológicos, orgánicos y el testigo. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completamente al azar (DBCA) con 3 repeticiones y un total de 10 unidades experimentales. Las variables estudiadas del fruto fueron: incidencia de Botrytis sp. (%), rendimiento (g/parcela), peso (g), diámetro polar y ecuatorial (mm), firmeza (N), sólidos solubles totales (Brix), acidez (% ácido cítrico) y pH (log H+). Se realizó un análisis de varianza y prueba de Tukey al 5%. A partir de un análisis de incidencia semanal, se identificó que Carbendazim, Trichoderma spp. y extracto mirtáceas tuvieron un control en la incidencia de Botrytis sp. en el fruto de mora de castilla.

Calibration accuracy, long-term precision, and inter-consistency are key on-orbit performance metrics for Earth observing sensors. The accuracy and consistency of environmental measurements across multiple instruments in low Earth and geostationary orbits are directly connected to the scientific understanding of complex systems, such as Earth’s weather and climate. Recent studies have demonstrated the quantitative impacts of observational accuracy on the quality of science data products and the ability to detect climate change trends for essential climate variables (e.g., Earth’s radiation budget, cloud feedback, and long-term trends in cloud parameters). It is common for instruments to carry on-board references for calibration at various wavelengths, but these can be subject to degradation, and also increase mass and risk. The Moon can be considered a natural solar diffuser in space. Establishing the Moon as a high-accuracy calibration reference enables broad inter-calibration opportunities, as the lunar reflectance is effectively time-invariant and can be directly measured by most Earth-observing instruments. Existing approaches to calibrate sensors against the Moon can achieve stabilities of tenths of a percent over a decade, as demonstrated by the SeaWIFS. However, current lunar calibration capabilities have uncertainties of 5 – 10%, attributed to the photometric model of the Moon. Significant improvements in the lunar reference and calibration are possible, and are necessary for improving accuracy of Earth climate observations. The ARCSTONE mission goal is to provide a reliable reference for high-accuracy on-orbit calibration for reflected solar instruments. The ARCSTONE instrument is a lunar/solar spectrometer intended to fly on a CubeSat in low Earth orbit. It will provide lunar spectral reflectance with accuracy < 0.5% (k = 1), sufficient to establish an SI-traceable absolute lunar calibration standard for past, current, and future Earth environmental, weather and climate sensors. The ARCSTONE team will present the instrument design status and path forward for development, building, calibration and testing.