Currently, we are studying the mechanisms of lethal effects of blue LED Street Light on insects. In the preliminary experiments, we confirmed that the amount of H2O2 in the whole body of Drosophila pupae was increased by blue-light irradiation and showed similar specificity of wavelengths between H2O2 production and lethal effects. In addition, we confirmed that the growth of cultivated cells of Drosophila embryos was suppressed by blue-light irradiation.

In the present study, we investigated the lethal effect of only blue lights because the photon flux densities of green (530 nm), yellow (590 nm), and red (660 nm) lights were less than 10 × 1018 photons·m-2·s-1 at the maximum power. It is thought that the lethal effects of wavelengths of light longer than 530 nm are negligible because these wavelengths were not lethal to Drosophila pupae10 and did not suppress the growth of Drosophila cells in the preliminary experiments.

The wavelengths that are effective against the target growth stage of a target insect should be investigated when using blue light for pest control because the effective wavelength of blue light is species-specific and growth-stage-specific. The wavelength of around 440 nm, which is considered appropriate for irradiation during the egg stage, and that of around 470 nm, which is commonly used in blue LED lights and exhibited a relatively high effect on both the eggs and pupae, are promising wavelengths for controlling the strawberry leaf beetle. In the near future, we will examine the efficacies of LED lights with these wavelengths against beetles in field tests.

Healthy malpighian tissue is characterized by a strong anisotropy. Indeed, mean values of 60° and 40° for the Retardance have been measured for Zone 1 and Zone 2 respectively as shown in Fig. 6(c,g). A mean value of about 10° has been measured for Zone 3 as shown in Fig. 6(g). Retardance can be a relevant polarimetric parameter to distinguish malpighian from glandular epithelium. Indeed, when superimposing the histograms for the polyp and for LED Down Light the malpighian epithelium, little overlap is observed, as shown in Fig. 6(k). The polyp also appears to be less depolarizing than the healthy tissue. A mean value of 0.75 has been measured for Zone 1 and Zone 2 as shown in Fig. 6(b–f) while the mean value of the Depolarization in Zone 3 is about 0.6, as shown in Fig. 6(f). An overlap between the histograms is observed due to the spatial inhomogeneity of this parameter within the malpighian epithelium, in particular for Cervix 1. The spatial variation of Retardance and Depolarization are due to the presence of specular reflections in certain zones and to spatial inhomogeneity of vascularization which can strongly affect the determination of these parameters. Finally, the Azimuth appears to be oriented around 90° for both Zone 1 and Zone 2 as shown in Fig. 6(d–h) while it is characterized by a pixelwise inhomogeneity in the Zone 3 as shown in Fig. 6(h). The strong Retardance observed in the zones around the malpighian epithelium has been attributed to the signature of a well-ordered collagen layer composing the subepithelial connective tissue13. Otherwise, the polyp does not show a well-defined inner organization in the subepthelial connective tissue, which results in low Retardance values as well as erratic Azimuth orientations, as can be seen in Fig. 6(g,h). In particular, the value of the Azimuth varies between 0° and 180° with strong pixel to pixel variation (Fig. 6(l)).

A colposcope is a stereoscopic binocular microscope which enables the illumination and observation of the uterine cervix under low magnification (between 4× and 6×) 35. The colposcope used in this study, shown in Fig. 1(a), is an Olympus OSC 500 and is one of the most commonly used for colposcopy. The light is delivered by a 150?W halogen lamp source (Olympus CLH-SC), and is usually guided by a silica fiber bundle to the colposcope. In order to increase the amount of light incident on the uterine cervix under analysis, a liquid light guide (Thorlabs LLG0538-6) has been used instead of the fiber bundle due to its better transmission performances in the visible spectral range (340?nm–800?nm). In the classical colposcope design, a lens collimates the LED Flood Light exiting the flexible light guide. The position of the end of the light guide has been optimized and placed near the focal plane of this lens in order to reduce the spot size of the beam from 15?cm to 6?cm at working distance of 30?cm. This working distance is the typically mean distance between the colposcope and the uterine cervix under real-world conditions.
Figure 1
Figure 1

(a) Photo of the entire MPC system (1: Polarimetric head, 2: Binoculars for stereoscopic vision of the uterine cervix, 3: Liquid LED Flood Light guide, 4: CCD camera). The polarimetric head is in the “OFF” position, and permit classical colposcopic observations. (b) Polarimetric system can be slid on the “ON” position to permit the acquisition of Mueller polarimetric images (5: Polarization States Generator (PSG), 6: Polarization States Analyzer (PSA)).
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In order to perform measurements

Recently, a novel electrogenic type of sulphur oxidation was documented in marine sediments, whereby filamentous bacteria (Desulfobulbaceae) hzspring are mediating electron transport over cm-scale distances. These cable bacteria are capable of developing an extensive network within days, implying a highly efficient carbon acquisition strategy. Presently, the carbon metabolism of cable bacteria is unknown, and hence we adopted a multidisciplinary approach to study the carbon substrate utilization of both cable bacteria and associated microbial community in sediment incubations. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed rapid downward growth of cable bacteria, concomitant with high rates of electrogenic sulphur oxidation, as quantified by microelectrode profiling. We studied heterotrophy and autotrophy by following 13C-propionate and -bicarbonate incorporation into bacterial fatty acids. This biomarker analysis showed that propionate uptake was limited to fatty acid signatures typical for the genus Desulfobulbus. The nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis confirmed heterotrophic rather than autotrophic growth of cable bacteria. Still, high bicarbonate uptake was observed in concert with the development of cable bacteria. Clone libraries of 16S complementary DNA showed numerous sequences associated to chemoautotrophic sulphur-oxidizing Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria, whereas 13C-bicarbonate biomarker labelling suggested that these sulphur-oxidizing bacteria were active far below the oxygen penetration. A targeted manipulation experiment demonstrated that chemoautotrophic carbon fixation was tightly linked to the heterotrophic activity of the hzspringbacteria down to cm depth. Overall, the results suggest that electrogenic sulphur oxidation is performed by a microbial consortium, consisting of chemoorganotrophic cable bacteria and chemolithoautotrophic Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria. The metabolic linkage between these two groups is presently unknown and needs further study.
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We're actually standing right in front of the Pacification Police Station. Has that program worked in the favelas? GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, I mean, the very HDMI-HDMI cable fact that we're standing here now - what was one of the most dangerous favelas in Rio - I think speaks to the fact that yes, it has had some success.
But let me put it into context for you. An NGO recently claimed that in the past decade, 10,000 people have been killed or "disappeared" by the police in Rio. And that is exactly what favela residents complain about with the pacification police. They say you've actually put people in our neighborhood that are killers; i.e. the police.
You have the case of Amarildo de Souza, and that's gotten a lot of attention here. He was 47, a longtime resident of a different favela, a bricklayer, a father, not known for any connection to the drug trafficking. He was picked up by police several months ago and hasn't been seen since. And so it speaks to the fact that it really has been a mixed bag. BLOCK: And a lot of people talk about that case of Amarildo. He's become a name. He's become a name everybody here knows. GARCIA-NAVARRO: He's become a rallying cry, in many ways. And also, it's really put the spotlight into many of the complexities that come with trying to bring many of these favelas into the realm of public security. BLOCK: OK, we've been focusing on the violent side of the favelas. But Lulu, these are also a really rich source of popular culture in Brazil, right?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh, the favelas are alive in popular culture. They live in the imagination of Brazilians. We recently had our first telenovela - or soap opera - set right here in Alemao. But beyond this, this is a place where music and dance infuses the Brazilian culture. Take Passinho, which is a sort of cross between break-dancing and capoeira. It's really physical, and it's flourished after the pacification units have come in. You used to have sort of dancing here - baile funke - that was much more sexualized. And Passinho, the kids dance it. It's just much more athletic. And it's really taken off not only from here, but around the country.
BLOCK: Well, Lulu, thanks for our guided tour of the favelas today.