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TESTING, QUALITY, ELECTRONICS, RELIABILITY in engineering, MATHEMATICAL optimization, and MAINTAINABILITY (Engineering)

A new technique for reliability and quality optimization of electronic components and assemblies, the so called in situ accelerated ageing technique with electrical testing, is presented. This technique is extremely useful for the building-in approach to quality and reliability. First, it can be used to optimize an electronic component or assembly with respect to its quality and reliability performance at a very early stage, i.e. at the design level, at the level of materials selection, and at the level of identifying production techniques and defining production parameters. The typical test time is of the order of 24 hours, which is sufficiently short to allow a design of experiments type approach to quality and reliability optimization. Furthermore, the technique is also very useful for obtaining a deeper understanding of the physico-chemical processes which lead to failure. A number of practical examples where the technique has been successfully applied are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLANTING and RICE

Monthly plantings of the rice variety Bouake 189 were made under lowland irrigated conditions, to obtain information on the phenological and seasonal occurrence of pests and diseases on the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) research farm near Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire. Regular sampling of insect pests and observations on rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) disease infection throughout the year provided information on the occurrence of RYMV and potential insect vectors. RYMV incidence and grain yields varied depending on planting date, and for a given planting date, varied from one year to another. There was no evidence that RYMV incidence increases in successive seasons under continuous cropping. There was no significant correlation between RYMV incidence and either rainfall or wind speed. Leaf feeding damage by the beetle vector of RYMV, Trichispa sericea Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and percentage RYMV infected plants were severe in the July and August plantings in 1993, but whereas T. sericea was not observed thereafter, RYMV spread continued. The white leafhoppers Cofana spectra (Distant) and C. unimaculata (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the green leafhoppers Nephotettix spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the spittle bug Locris rubra F. (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), the diopsids Diopsis longicornis Macquart and D. apicalis Dalman (Diptera: Diopsidae), and the grasshopper Oxy hyla Stal (Orthoptera: Acridadae) were the most abundant of the insect pests and had distinct population peaks within a year. However, population abundances were not correlated with RYMV incidence. The variability of RYMV in time and space and the potential role of weeds as alternative hosts for RYMV are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NITROGEN fixation and OCEAN

Explores the ecological aspects of dinitrogen fixation in the world's oceans. Diversity of dinitrogen-fixing microorganisms; Major controls on rates of oceanic dinitrogen fixation; Significance of dinitrogen fixation for the global carbon cycle; Role of human activities in the alteration of oceanic dinitrogen fixation.

TONGUE, MORPHOLOGY, COMPARATIVE anatomy, MUSCLES, and MOUTH

The muscle fibre composition of three human intrinsic tongue muscles, the longitudinalis, verticalis and transversus, was investigated in four anterior to posterior regions of the tongue using morphological and enzyme- and immunohistochemical techniques. All three muscles typically contained type I, IIA and IM/IIC fibres. Type I fibres expressed slow myosin heavy chain (MyHC), type II fibres fast MyHC, mainly fast A MyHC, whereas type IM/IIC coexpressed slow and fast MyHCs. Type II fibres were in the majority (60%), but regional differences in proportion and diameter of fibre types were obvious. The anterior region of the tongue contained a predominance of relatively small type II fibres (71%), in contrast to the posterior region which instead showed a majority of larger type I and type IM/IIC fibres (66%). In general, the fibre diameter was larger in the posterior region. This muscle fibre composition of the tongue differs from those of limb, orofacial and masticatory muscles, probably reflecting genotypic as well as phenotypic functional specialization in oral function. The predominance of type II fibres and the regional differences in fibre composition, together with intricate muscle structure, suggest generally fast and flexible actions in positioning and shaping the tongue, during vital tasks such as mastication, swallowing, respiration and speech.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLANT chemical defenses, VIGNA, and COREIDAE

The effects of secondary metabolites in different Vigna species on the development of Clavigralla tomentosicollis were investigated in an artificial seed system using different fractions of crude pod extracts, while the orientation response of this pod-bug to volatile extracts was studied using a dual-choice olfactometer. Feeding on the neutral fraction extracts, in contrast to the basic and acidic fractions, resulted in significantly higher mortalities, longer total developmental time, and lower growth index of the insects in comparison with controls. All volatile extracts elicited an avoidance reaction by C. tomentosicollis, except the volatile from the susceptible genotype IT84S-2246 which generally attracted as many insects as controls. Extracts from wild Vigna species showed higher activity than those from their cultivated relatives. The present study which has established that most secondary metabolites in cowpea pods were localized in the neutral fraction of the crude extract, could facilitate experiments on the separation and characterization of the toxic factors involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ELECTRICAL steel, ELECTRICAL engineering materials, SILICON steel, STEEL, IRON, and STEEL alloys

The results of investigation of the relation between the grain size in the intermediate stages of manufacturing electrical steel and various physical characteristics are given. The investigations are carried out for the purpose of clarifying the possibility of using these characteristics for arranging nondestructive testing of the grain size in the process of steel manufacturing. The paper contains the results of tests performed with the use of the methods of measuring the leakage magnetic fields on the grain boundaries by means of yttrium iron garnet films employed for visualization of the magnetic fields, the Barkhausen effect, the ultrasonic and eddy-current methods, the electromagnetic-acoustic conversion (EMAC) method, and the use of the relation between the grain size and the value of the coercive force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTERTIDAL ecology, SEDIMENTATION & deposition, POLYMERIC composites, DIATOMS, and ALGAE

The sediment-stabilizing effect of benthic diatoms was investigated in a laboratory setting. Axenic cultures of the benthic diatoms Nitzschia cf. brevissima and Cylindrotheca closterium were inoculated in Petri dishes containing sand and incubated under axenic conditions. By ensuring aseptic routines throughout the experiments, interference from other organisms occurring with diatoms in natural photothrophic biofilms was avoided. This allowed the examination of the role of benthic diatoms in sediment stabilization. Increases in the critical erosion shear stress of the sediment were observed in the presence of both diatom taxa relative to sterile sediment. However, N. cf. brevissima was more effective than C. closterium. Values of critical shear stress in the experimental system were in the same range as those observed in natural biofilms, which indicates that diatoms are important agents for biogenic stabilization. Extracellular carbohydrate contents in the microcosms were similar for both diatom species. However, in the presence of N cf. brevissima, extracellular carbohydrate correlated significantly to critical shear stress, explaining up to 80% of the variation, whereas this was not the case for C. closterium. Therefore, it was concluded that the quantity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) alone did not explain the biogenic stabilization. Observed adsorption of EPS to sediment particles depended on the relative amount of uronic acids in the exopolymers. Using fluorescently labeled lectins, confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that EPS secretion by N. cf. brevissima resulted in ordered three-dimensional matrix structures. It is suggested that the structuring of EPS plays an prominent role in the process of biostabilization, and that diatoms such as N. cf. brevissima are actively involved in producing the structure of EPS, whereas others such as C. closterium do not do so to the same extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BREAST cancer, CANCER in women, CANCER treatment, THERAPEUTICS, TAMOXIFEN, TUMOR growth, and ESTROGEN

Background: Subgroups of breast cancer that have an impaired response to endocrine treatment, despite hormone receptor positivily, are still poorly defined. Breast cancer can be subdivided according to standard pathological parameters including histological type, grade, and assessment of proliferation. These parameters are the net result of combinations of genetic alterations effecting tumour behaviour and could potentially reflect subtypes that respond differently to endocrine treatment. Aims: To investigate the usefulness of these parameters as predictors of the response to tamoxifen in premenopausal women with breast cancer. Materials/methods: Clinically established pathological parameters were assessed and related to the tamoxifen response in 500 available tumour specimens from 564 premenopausal patients with breast cancer randomised to either two years of tamoxifen or no treatment with 14 years of follow up. Proliferation was further evaluated by immunohistochemical Ki-67 expression. Results: Oestrogen receptor positive ductal carcinomas responded as expected to tamoxifen, whereas the difference in recurrence free survival between control and tamoxifen treated patients was less apparent in the relatively few lobular carcinomas. For histological grade, there was no obvious difference in treatment response between the groups. The relation between proliferation and tamoxifen response seemed to be more complex, with a clear response in tumours with high and low proliferation, whereas tumours with intermediate proliferation defined by Ki-67 responded more poorly. Conclusions: Clinically established pathology parameters seem to mirror the endocrine treatment response and could potentially be valuable in future treatment decisions for patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MALONDIALDEHYDE, PEROXIDATION, CRYOBIOLOGY, and ALCOHOLS (Chemical class)

Abstract: Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a widely used marker of oxidative lipid injury whose concentration varies in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Commonly, MDA is quantified as a strong light-absorbing and fluorescing adduct following reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA). However, plant tissues in particular contain many compounds that potentially interfere with this reaction and whose concentrations also vary according to the tissue type and stress conditions. As part of our studies into the stress responses of plant tissues, we were interested in developing a rapid, accurate, and robust protocol for MDA analysis using reverse-phased HPLC to avoid these problems with reaction specificity. We demonstrate that a partitioning step into n-butanol during sample preparation is essential and that gradient HPLC analysis is necessary to prevent sample carryover between injections. Furthermore, the starting composition of the mobile phase must be sufficiently hydrophobic to allow direct injection of the n-butanol extracts without peak splitting, tailing, and other artifacts. To minimize analysis times, we used a short, so-called “Rocket” HPLC column and high flow rates. The optimized HPLC separation has a turnaround time of 2.5min per sample. Butanolic extracts of MDA(TBA)2 were stable for at least 48h, and recoveries were linear between 0.38 and 7.5pmol MDA added. Importantly, this procedure proved to be compatible with existing extraction procedures for l-ascorbate and glutathione analysis in different plant species, allowing multiple “stress metabolite” analyses to be carried out on a single tissue extract. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CHAGAS' disease, RHODNIUS prolixus, RHODNIUS, CONENOSES, TRYPANOSOMIASIS, LIFE expectancy, LIFE spans, and LIFE (Biology)

Rhodnius prolixus Stål (Reduviidae: Rhodninii) is one of the most important vectors of Chagas disease. As a result of its medical importance, several life history studies have been carried out, but in general with a restricted demographical scope, without assessing the potential tradeoffs in the life history of this insect. In this study, individuals of R. prolixus were kept in two spatially different habitats and several fitness components were measured. The results show that life expectancy in adults is negatively correlated with gross fecundity, indicating a cost of reproduction. Life expectancy is shorter for males and longer for individuals of the same sex in the more complex habitat, where the fitness is lower compared with that of the simpler habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ANIMAL classification, ANIMAL species, IDENTIFICATION of animals, HEMIPTERA, and INSECTS

A male of Tettigonia vitripennis Germar--deposited in the recently rediscovered Germar Hemiptera collection, in the Ivan Franko National University (Ukraine)--is designated as the lectotype and assumed to be erroneously labeled as from Brazil. Homalodisca vitripennis is considered a senior synonym of Tettigonia coagulata syn. nov. and therefore should be used as the scientific name for the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a major vector of the bacterial Pierce's disease of grapes, phony peach disease, plum leaf scald, and oleander leaf scorch in southern United States and northern Mexico. The previously designated type species of Homalodisca Stål, Cicada triquetra F., was found to be mistaken by Stål for C. triangularis F., which is herein fixed as the new type species of this economically important genus. Propetes triquetra comb. nov., previously known only from an unknown locality in South America, is newly recorded from Brazil (Mato Grosso and Pará states). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SALIVARY glands, DIGESTIVE enzymes, HEMIPTERA, PLANT parasites, and COWPEA

The salivary glands of the cowpea pod-sucking bugs Anoplocnemis curvipes (Fabricius), Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål, Clavigralla shadabi Dolling, Riptortus dentipes (Fabricius) and Mirperus jaculus (Thunberg) are described and illustrated. Extracts of the glands were assayed for the presence of proteinases, α-amylase, β-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The salivary glands consist of four-lobed principal glands and a tubular accessory gland, and they differ in shape and size among the different species except for the median lobe, which is more or less spherical. The sickle-shaped nature of the posterior lobe reported before for Riptortus linearis (Linnaeus) was also observed in R. dentipes, suggestive of a probable generic characteristic. Anoplocnemis curvipes has the biggest salivary gland, and it is followed by R. dentipes, M. jaculus, C. tomentosicollis and C. shadabi in descending order. Assays of the gland extracts revealed that the four digestive enzymes tested are present in the five coreoid species. Proteinases were preponderant (1.4-94.9 µg/ml), while amylases were detected in traces [(0.5-11.0) x 10-3 µg/ml]. Proteinases may be largely responsible for the feeding damage caused by the coreoid species and their concentration in the glands of the different species correlates well with their known capacity to inflict pod damage and yield reduction in cowpea. Fourth instar nymphs of the different species also had higher concentrations of the digestive enzymes compared with their respective adults; and this correlates with the known ability of the nymphs to cause greater pod damage and yield reduction than adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, COTTON diseases & pests, and STEREOCHEMISTRY

Research was conducted to evaluate the possibility that a plant bug damaging cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in south Texas is actually green mind, Creontiades dillutus Stål, which is the primary plant bug pest of cotton in Australia. Molecular comparisons targeting a fragment of the COl region of mitochondrial DNA were made on Creontiades specimens collected from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and specimens of green mind and brown mind, C. pacificus Stål, collected from Queensland, Australia. The emerging south Texas cotton pest is neither of the species tested from Australia; rather it is a closely related, possibly indigenous species. Further morphological systematics work is needed to identify the Creontiades species from Texas, and collection of additional specimens from several locations where it is known to occur is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ETHYLENE glycol, THERMODYNAMICS, HYDROGEN bonding, SUPRAMOLECULAR chemistry, SOLVENTS, and CHEMICAL reduction

Substitution of hydrogen bond directed supramolecular assemblies with ethylene glycol chains leads to a reduction in the association constant in apolar solvents, where the reduction of the association constant is dependent on the length of the aliphatic spacer connecting the hydrogen bonds and the ethylene glycol chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CROPS

An abstract of the article "Comparative Studies of Cyanobacterial Associations With Crop Plants," by M. Ahmad and colleagues is presented.

BIOCHEMISTRY, NITROGEN, NONMETALS, REVERSE transcriptase, and DNA polymerases

The marine filamentous nonheterocystous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Lyngbya aestuarii (F. K. Mert.) Liebman ex Gomont CCY 9616 was grown under diazotrophic and nondiazotrophic conditions and under an alternating 16:8 light:dark (L:D) regime. Nitrogenase activity appeared just before the onset of the dark period, reaching its maximum 1–2 h in the dark, subsequently decreasing to zero at the beginning of the following light period. Nitrogenase activity was only detected at low levels of O2 (5%) and when the culture was grown in the absence of combined nitrogen. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–PCR (RT-PCR) analysis of one of the structural genes encoding nitrogenase, nifK, showed that the highest levels of transcription preceded the maximum activity of nitrogenase by 2–4 h. nifK transcription was not completely abolished during the remaining time of the 24 h cycle. Even in the presence of nitrate, when nitrogenase activity was undetectable, nifK was still transcribed. The H2-uptake activity seemed to follow the nitrogenase, but the transcription of hupL (gene encoding the large subunit of uptake hydrogenase) preceded the nifK transcription. However, H2-uptake and hupL transcription occurred throughout the 24 h cycle as well as under nondiazotrophic conditions, albeit at much lower levels. The hoxH transcript levels (a structural gene coding for the bidirectional hydrogenase) were similar under diazotrophic or nondiazotrophic conditions but slightly higher during the dark period. All three enzymes investigated are involved in H2 metabolism. It is concluded that the uptake hydrogenase is mainly responsible for H2 uptake. Nevertheless, uptake hydrogenase and nitrogenase do not seem to be coregulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LYASES, PLANTHOPPERS, RICE, GENES, and XANTHOMONAS

A pre-infestation of the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera Horváth, conferred resistance to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae ( Xoo) in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) under both laboratory and field conditions. The infestation of another planthopper species, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stål, did not significantly reduce the incidence of bacterial blight symptoms. A large-scale screening using a rice DNA microarray and quantitative RT-PCR revealed that WBPH infestation caused the upregulation of more defence-related genes than did BPH infestation. Hydroperoxide lyase 2 ( OsHPL2), an enzyme for producing C6 volatiles, was upregulated by WBPH infestation, but not by BPH infestation. One C6 volatile, ( E)-2-hexenal, accumulated in rice after WBPH infestation, but not after BPH infestation. A direct application of ( E)-2-hexenal to a liquid culture of Xoo inhibited the growth of the bacterium. Furthermore, a vapour treatment of rice plants with ( E)-2-hexenal induced resistance to bacterial blight. OsHPL2-overexpressing transgenic rice plants exhibited increased resistance to bacterial blight. Based on these data, we conclude that OsHPL2 and its derived ( E)-2-hexenal play some role in WBPH-induced resistance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOSTS (Biology), STINKBUGS, TOMATOES, and VALLEYS

We investigated the effects of weed hosts on stink bug density and damage ( Euschistus conspersus Uhler and Thyanta pallidovirens Stal), and a nectar bearing plant on natural enemies of stink bugs in the Sacramento Valley of California. Stink bug density and fruit damage were evaluated in processing tomatoes adjacent to weedy and cultivated borders. The density of E. conspersus was significantly greater in tomatoes adjacent to weedy borders in July but not during August/September. Thyanta pallidovirens was less abundant overall (19%), but was found in significantly greater densities adjacent to cultivated borders in July but not in August/September. Mean percent fruit damage by stink bugs was greater adjacent to the weedy border than the cultivated border, but this difference was not significant. Stink bug egg parasitism and generalist predator density were evaluated in fresh market tomatoes adjacent to a sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima L.) border and an unplanted control border at three sites. Egg parasitism was significantly greater in the alyssum treatment for the 9–12 September sampling period. Jalysus wickhami VanDuzee (Hemiptera: Berytidae) density was significantly greater in the alyssum treatment in mid-June. No other significant differences in predator populations were detected. Results of these two studies show that habitat manipulations have the potential to reduce densities of E. conspersus in tomato, the first step in developing a farmscape management plan for stink bug control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COMPARTMENT syndrome, THERAPEUTICS, ANALYSIS of variance, CAPILLARIES, CHI-squared test, COMPUTER software, EXERCISE, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY, LEG, LONGITUDINAL method, MICROCIRCULATION, MUSCLES, RESEARCH funding, STRIATED muscle, T-test (Statistics), DATA analysis, CASE-control method, ANALYTICAL chemistry, PATHOLOGY, DONOR blood supply, and FASCIAE surgery

There is a paucity of data regarding the pathogenesis of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), its consequences for the muscles and the effects of treatment with fasciotomy. We analyzed biopsies from the tibialis anterior muscle, from nine patients, obtained during a decompressing fasciotomy and during follow-up 1 year later. Control biopsies were obtained from nine normal subjects. Muscle capillarity, fiber-type composition and fiber area were analyzed with enzyme- and immunohistochemistry and morphometry. At baseline, CECS patients had lower capillary density (273 vs 378 capillaries/mm, P=0.008), lower number of capillaries around muscle fibers (4.5 vs 5.7, P=0.004) and lower number of capillaries in relation to the muscle fiber area (1.1 vs 1.5, P=0.01) compared with normal controls. The fiber-type composition and fiber area did not differ, but focal signs of neuromuscular damage were observed in the CECS samples. At 1-year follow-up after fasciotomy, the fiber area and the number of fibers containing developmental myosin heavy chains were increased, but no enhancement of the capillary network was detected. Thus, morphologically, patients with CECS seemed to have reduced microcirculation capacity. Fasciotomy appeared to trigger a regenerative response in the muscle, however, without any increase in the capillary bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RHODNIUS, CONENOSES, CLASSIFICATION of insects, and SPECIES diversity

Tribe Rhodniini includes Rhodnius Stål and Psammolestes Bergroth. Enzymatic and molecular evidence suggest the tribe is monophyletic. Most species are wild, living in palms and bird nests. Traditionally both genera were considered related; nevertheless, molecular studies don't support the Rhodnius monophyly. The goal was to phylogenetically analyze morphometric variation in wing architecture in support of Rhodniini taxonomy and systematics. We photographed 524 wings of five representatives of Rhodniini: Psammolestes arthuri (Pinto) (n = 89), Rhodnius pictipes Stål (n = 21), R. robustus Larrousse (n = 24), R. prolixus Stål (n = 16), and R. neivai Lent (n = 22). As outgroups we studied four representatives of Triatomini: Eratyrus mucronatus Stål (n = 15), Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion) (n = 45), P. geniculatus (Latreille) (n = 183), and Triatoma maculata (Erichson) (n = 109). Landmark coordinate (x, y) configurations were registered and aligned by Generalized Procrustes Analysis. Covariance Analyses were implemented with proportions of re-classified groups and MANOVA. Then, wing shape variables (confidence intervals from relative warps) and centroid size were cladistically analysed. Statistical analyses of variance found not significant differences in wing isometric size (Kruskal-Wallis) among P. arthuri-R. neivai-R. pictipes; R. robustus-R. prolixus-T. maculata and between P. rufotuberculatus-P. geniculatus. The a posteriori re-classification was perfect in E. mucrunatus 100% and R. pictipes, followed by T. maculata 96%, R. neivai 95%, P arthuri 93.2%; R. prolixus 87.5%, P. geniculatus 87.4%, P. rufotuberculatus 84.4%, and R. robustus 76%. Cladistic analyses under parsimony selected two most parsimonious trees (L=4.461 IC=0.973 and IR=0.979), where the strict consensus showed a monophyletic group with Panstrongylus (rufotuberculatus + geniculatus) and Triatoma + Rhodniini (Rhodinus + Psammolestes), but internally it shows the paraphyly of Rhodnius regarding Psammolestes. The congruence between these results and previous molecular analyses in Rhodniini, reveal the phylogenetic information of our morphometric characters as support to systematic studies, allowing the combination of geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic methods for the first time in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MICROBIAL mats, MICROBIAL aggregation, BIOMARKERS, GENE libraries, RECOMBINANT DNA, and MICROBIAL ecology

The diazotrophic community in microbial mats growing along the shore of the North Sea barrier island Schiermonnikoog (The Netherlands) was studied using microscopy, lipid biomarkers, stable carbon (δC) and nitrogen (δN) isotopes as well as by constructing and analyzing 16S rRNA gene libraries. Depending on their position on the littoral gradient, two types of mats were identified, which showed distinct differences regarding the structure, development and composition of the microbial community. Intertidal microbial mats showed a low species diversity with filamentous non-heterocystous Cyanobacteria providing the main mat structure. In contrast, supratidal microbial mats showed a distinct vertical zonation and a high degree of species diversity. Morphotypes of non-heterocystous Cyanobacteria were recognized as the main structural component in these mats. In addition, unicellular Cyanobacteria were frequently observed, whereas filamentous heterocystous Cyanobacteria occurred only in low numbers. Besides the apparent visual dominance of cyanobacterial morphotpyes, 16S rRNA gene libraries indicated that both microbial mat types also included members of the Proteobacteria and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group as well as diatoms. Bulk δN isotopes of the microbial mats ranged from +6.1‰ in the lower intertidal to −1.2‰ in the supratidal zone, indicating a shift from predominantly nitrate utilization to nitrogen fixation along the littoral gradient. This conclusion was supported by the presence of heterocyst glycolipids, representing lipid biomarkers for nitrogen-fixing heterocystous Cyanobacteria, in supratidal but not in intertidal microbial mats. The availability of combined nitrogen species might thus be a key factor in controlling and regulating the distribution of the diazotrophic microbial community of Schiermonnikoog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FOOD chains, PREDATORY animals, OXYOPIDAE, COTTON, POPULATION dynamics, and HERBIVORES

Food web studies often examine density and behaviourally mediated effects of predators on herbivores, but are less likely to assess the plant targeted by the herbivore. We conducted a study that incorporated four trophic levels examining the effect of two generalist predators (damsel bugs, Nabis kinbergii Reuter; and lynx spiders, Oxyopes molarius L. Koch) on damage to cotton bolls caused by green mirids ( Creontiades dilutus (Stål)). First we tested whether lynx spiders and damsel bugs could control mirid numbers and cotton boll damage in field cages. We found that in cages containing mirids and only lynx spiders, lynx spiders reduced both mirid numbers and boll damage. However, in cages which contained mirids and both predators (lynx spiders and damsel bugs) only mirid numbers were reduced. To explain the negative effect of damsel bugs on boll damage, we examined the interactions between lynx spiders, damsel bugs and mirids. We found that lynx spiders were better mirid predators than damsel bugs, and that lynx spiders attacked damsel bugs, but not vice versa. Behaviourally, mirids responded to increasing predator pressure regardless of whether the predators were lynx spiders or damsel bugs. However, damsel bugs seemed to alter the behaviour of lynx spiders because in their presence, a higher proportion of lynx spiders moved to the top of the plant, towards the damsel bugs but away from the bolls found lower on the plant. These results suggest that the most likely explanation for the increase in boll damage in the presence of damsel bugs was that lynx spiders moved to the top of the plant in the presence of damsel bugs, which then exposed the bolls lower down on the plant to mirid attack. This work emphasizes the importance of behaviourally mediated effects in food webs extending over four trophic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PARENTAL behavior in animals, BELOSTOMA, INSECT evolution, SEXUAL dimorphism in animals, MULTIVARIATE analysis, INSECT adaptation, and INSECTS

Current evidence suggests that sexual size dimorphism (SSD) reflects the male and female adaptation to their different reproductive roles. Belostoma and Lethocerus species, included in Belostomatidae, present different kinds of paternal care. Females of Belostoma Latreille species lay their eggs on the back of males. Males carry, aerate and protect the clutch until hatching, which is critical for offspring survival. Males of Lethocerus Mayr species exhibit some parental care behavior but do not carry the eggs. The genera are nearly related. We studied and compared the SSD patterns of B. oxyurum (Dufour), B. micantulum (Stål), B. elegans (Mayr), B. bifoveolatum Spinola, B. gestroi Montandon and Lethocerus annulipes (Herrich-Schäffer) by means of a multivariate approach to distinguish selection targets in different components of size. Morphometric analysis revealed that SSD patterns vary among traits and that the arrangements are similar in Belostoma species, showing a common trend under resembling selective mechanisms. The widespread SSD trend in insects is that all components of body size are biased towards females, generally related to a fecundity advantage, a pattern now also detected in L. annulipes. We found in Belostoma species that the male has relatively longer middle and hind legs. We propose that SSD in hind legs biased towards males is a selective response for paternal care; they denote a brood-adapted morphology. The middle leg enlargement may be an associated response to maintain effective locomotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

REOVIRUSES, CHINESE mitten crab, VIRION, and FRESHWATER crabs

A second type of freshwater crab reovirus has been isolated from Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, in China; we named it E. sinensis reovirus ( EsRV816). The negatively stained virion is a non-enveloped icosahedral particle, 60 ± 5 nm in diameter. Its genome is composed of 10 dsRNA linear pieces exhibiting an electrophoretic pattern of 5/3/2. The largest segment (RNA-1) was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence, corresponding to the RdRp of the virus, showed 26% identity with the RdRp of Operophtera brumata (L.) cypovirus 19 in the genus Cypovirus and 24% identity with RdRp of Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) reovirus in the genus Fijivirus. On the basis of its ultrastructure and physicochemical properties, this virus is quite different from other crab reoviruses, and particularly with another freshwater crab reovirus EsRV905, recently classified in a new genus Cardoreovirus. This virus ( EsRV816) possesses all the characters of the members of the reoviridae family and could represent a new genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STINKBUGS, DIAPAUSE, RICE diseases & pests, ANDROPOGON, PESTS, PLANT parasites, and REPRODUCTION

The rice stalk stink bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a major pest of rice crops throughout Latin America. We investigated the occurrence of diapause in T. limbativentris, as well as the role of West Indian foxtail, Andropogon bicornis L.(Poaceae), in its seasonal abundance and mortality. This plant grows spontaneously in grasslands from Mexico to Argentina, including at the edges of rice fields in southern Brazil. Tussocks of A. bicornis were collected in Eldorado do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil throughout one yr and examined to sample rice stalk stink bugs. We collected in 2,355 T. limbativentris adults from 208 tussocks, totalling 2,205 live and 150 dead individuals. Live insects were dissected to determine the reproductive stage and to assess the presence of the fat body. We describe the occurrence of imaginal diapause and the use of A. bicornis as a shelter for this rice pest. Overwintering lasted 7 mo; arrival at the refuge occurred in early autumn (late Mar); the permanence period began in Jun, and extended to the end of Sep. From Oct the population decreased gradually until total departure from the tussocks in Jan. Thus, here we highlight the role of A. bicornis as an hibernation site for T. limbativentris in southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIAGNOSIS of diabetes, KIDNEY disease diagnosis, LIVER, GENETIC polymorphisms, GENETICS, GENETIC mutation, and ANATOMY

Diabet. Med. 30, 114-117 (2013) Abstract Aims Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β ( HNF1B) mutations cause a syndrome of renal cysts and diabetes, with whole gene deletions accounting for approximately 50% of cases. The severity of the renal phenotype is variable, from enlarged cystic kidneys incompatible with life to normal renal development and function. We investigated the prevalence of HNF1B deletions in patients with diabetes but no known renal disease. Methods We tested 461 patients with familial diabetes diagnosed before 45 years, including 258 probands who met clinical criteria for maturity-onset diabetes of the young (two generations affected and at least one family member diagnosed under 25 years). A fluorescent polymerase chain reaction assay was used to analyse two intragenic polymorphic HNF1B markers and identify heterozygous patients who therefore did not have whole gene deletions. Those patients homozygous for both markers were then tested for an HNF1B deletion using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Results Heterozygous HNF1B intragenic polymorphisms were identified in 337/461 subjects. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis showed an HNF1B gene deletion in three of the remaining 124 probands, all of whom met the criteria for maturity-onset diabetes of the young. Testing of their relatives identified three additional deletion carriers and ultrasound scanning showed renal developmental abnormalities in three of these six patients. Conclusions We estimate that HNF1B mutations account for < 1% of cases of maturity-onset diabetes of the young. Although HNF1B mutations are a rare cause of diabetes in the absence of known renal disease, a genetic diagnosis of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome is important as it raises the possibility of subclinical renal disease and the 50% risk of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome in the patient's offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gib ihnen Struktur: Die Gegenwart strukturierender Elemente in mit katalytischen Einheiten funktionalisierten Polymeren ergab eine neue Klasse von Enzymmimetika, die nur im gefalteten Zustand aktiv sind (siehe Bild). Die konformativ anpassungsfähige hydrophobe Umgebung um das katalytische Zentrum ermöglicht die hocheffiziente Katalyse einer Aldolreaktion in Wasser mit Michaelis ‐ Menten ‐ Kinetik. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Give 'em structure: The presence of structuring elements in polymers that were functionalized with catalytic units resulted in a new class of enzyme mimics, which are only active in the folded state (see picture). The conformationally adaptive hydrophobic environment that surrounds the catalytic site allows the very efficient catalysis of an aldol reaction in water with Michaelis–Menten kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, COREIDAE, INSECT development, OPUNTIA, and FEROCACTUS

Narnia femorata Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae) is a leaffooted bug commonly found on Opuntia and Ferocactus cacti (Cactaceae) in southern New Mexico. Although general information has been published on the biology of this species, detailed studies are limited, particularly in America north of Mexico. Therefore, we conducted a study of this bug's life history in southern New Mexico from August 2010 to May 2012, reared the bug in the laboratory, and described the immature stages. Six prickly pear cactus plants, Opuntia phaeacantlut Engelmann, and four barrel cactus plants, Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelmann) Britton & Rose, were examined weekly to record numbers of the various life stages, adult sex ratios, and behavioral activities. Adults of this apparently bivoltine species overwintered in plant debris at the bases of their host plants. They emerged in late February to deposit eggs in rows along the underside of cactus spines. Nymphs were found from late February through late December. Nymphs of the first generation were most abundant April through June on and around developing flowers of O. phaeacantha. Those of the second generation were most abundant during August and September on maturing fruit of O. phaeacantha and developing flowers and maturing fruit of F. wislizeni. The bug also was reared from egg to adult under controlled laboratory conditions on fruit and pads of O. phaeacantha at 25 ± 0.01°C under a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. The incubation period averaged 12.70 d. The five stadia averaged 3.84, 11.00, 12.12, 17.06, and 22.94 d, respectively. Instars can be distinguished readily by differences in several morphological features in addition to body size and coloration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SEROTONIN transporters, SEROTONIN uptake inhibitors, POSITRON emission tomography, CEREBRAL cortex, SOCIAL psychology, and MEDICAL imaging systems

Objective: This study examined the long-term effects of fluoxetine administered to juvenile rhesus monkeys who, as young adults, were imaged with positron emission tomography for two serotonergic markers: serotonin transporter (SERT) and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor. An equal number of monkeys separated from their mothers at birth-an animal model of human childhood stress-were also studied. Method: At birth, 32 male rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to either maternal separation or normal rearing conditions. At age 2, half (N=8) of each group was randomly assigned to fluoxetine (3 mg/kg) or placebo for 1 year. To eliminate the confounding effects of residual drug in the brain, monkeys were scanned at least 1.5 years after drug discontinuation. Social interactions were assessed both during and after drug administration. Results: Fluoxetine persistently upregulated SERT, but not 5-HT1A receptors, in both the neocortex and the hippocampus. Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed that fluoxetine had a significant effect in the lateral temporal and cingulate cortices. In contrast, neither maternal separation by itself nor the rearing-by-drug interaction was significant for either marker. Fluoxetine had no significant effect on the behavioral measures. Conclusions: Fluoxetine administered to juvenile monkeys upregulates SERT into young adulthood. Implications regarding the efficacy or potential adverse effects of SSRIs in patients cannot be directly drawn from this study. Its purpose was to investigate effects of SSRIs on brain development in nonhuman primates using an experimental approach that randomly assigned long-term SSRI treatment or placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, ORYZA, PARASITOIDS, RICE, PLANTING, STINKBUGS, and PARASITES

The rice stem bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stal. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is one of the most important pests of rice crops, especially irrigated crops. Plant defence strategies against these bugs may involve the emission of chemical compounds, which are released following herbivore attacks, directly or indirectly harming pest performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of constitutive and herbivory-induced volatiles from rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) on the behavioural responses of T. limbativentris adults and egg parasitoids Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) and Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae). Plant volatiles were collected from undamaged plants of the rice cultivar IRGA 424 and from plants that suffered herbivory by five males or five females of T. limbativentris. Air-entrainment extracts were analysed by GC–flame ionization detector and GC–MS, and insect responses evaluated in a ‘Y’ olfactometer. T. limbativentris feeding damaged on rice plants induced the release of 16 volatiles compounds in a higher amounts compared to undamaged plants The main compounds induced were (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octen-1-ol, methyl salicylate and α-muurolene. Female bugs were significantly attracted to air-entrainment extracts containing volatiles from undamaged plants compared with air-entrainment extracts containing volatiles emitted from plants damaged by T. limbativentris, whereas males showed no preference. Telenomus podisi females were significantly attracted to volatiles from air-entrainment extracts of plants damaged by females, whereas T. basalis showed no preference. These results suggest that rice plants may be emitting defence compounds, which could be avoided by T. limbativentris females and also acted indirectly by attracting natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ESSENTIAL oils, REPELLENTS, STINKBUGS, HEMIPTERA, LEMONGRASS oil, SPEARMINT oil, and METHYL benzoate

The brown marmorated stink bug ( BMSB), Halyomorpha halys ( Stål), native to Northeastern Asia, is a serious invasive pest in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and France. Several common essential oils and their compositions were tested against BMSBs as potential repellents. All the tested individual essential oils and a ternary oil blend showed significant repellency to both BMSB nymphs and adults. Clove oil, lemongrass oil, spearmint oil, ylang-ylang oil, and the ternary oil mixture (clove, lemongrass and spearmint) almost completely blocked attraction of BMSBs to the stink bug attractant-baited traps; whereas wintergreen oil, geranium oil, pennyroyal oil and rosemary oil resulted in 60-85% trap catch reductions. Over 20 BMSB antennally active compounds were identified from SPME headspace samples of the eight repellent essential oils using GC- EAD and GC- MS techniques. Among the synthetic EAD-active compounds tested in the field, eugenol, l-carvone, p/l-menthone, pulegone, methyl salicylate, trans/ cis-citral, methyl benzoate and β-caryophyllene significantly reduced trap catches of BMSBs by 72-99%; these compounds are likely responsible for the repellency of their corresponding essential oils. Surprisingly, a synthetic mixture of the predacious spined soldier bug ( SSB) [ Podisus maculiventris (Say)] aggregation pheromone ( trans-2-hexenal, α-terpineol and benzyl alcohol) also showed a significant inhibition of BMSB response to its attractants. These repellent essential oils and their active compounds, as well as the synthetic SSB pheromone, are potentially useful as part of an efficient, environmentally sound semiochemical-based IPM programme to combat this serious invasive stink bug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ORGANOCATALYSIS, AMPHIPHILES, NAPHTHALIMIDES, STEREOSELECTIVE reactions, ALDOL condensation, and CYCLOHEXANONES

Here, a modular approach is reported to introduce a specific function into single-chain polymeric nanoparticles (SCPNs). Hereto, an amphiphilic polymer with pendant benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) units is mixed with a 'free' BTA that contains a functional group, either a fluorescent naphthalimide or a catalytically active l-proline. Taking advantage of hydrophobic interactions and self-recognition properties of the BTA units, the 'free' BTAs are captured into the interior of the SCPN in water as evidenced by fluorescence studies. To illustrate that function can be readily introduced using a modular approach, l-proline-based BTAs are incorporated to procure a catalytically active SCPN in water. The aldol reaction between p-nitrobenzaldehyde and cyclohexanone shows good conversions at low catalyst loadings and substrate concentrations, and high stereoselectivities are obtained ( de = 91% and ee = 98%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CACAO diseases & pests, INSECT baits & repellents, INSECT pest control, KAOLIN, and HELOPELTIS

The use of particle film technology has not been documented previously to protect cacao (Theobroma cacao L.; Malvales: Malvaceae) against insect feeding. Laboratory assessment of the use of local kaolin against the cacao mirid bug, Helopeltis collaris Stal (Hemiptera: Miridae), revealed a highly positive and statistically significant repellence of this insect pest on kaolin-treated cacao pods. This result warrants follow up field studies to evaluate further the potential of kaolin clay to control cacao pests in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIOLOGICAL control of plant parasites, LEPIDOPTERA, ENTOMOPHAGOUS insects, PREDATORY insects, and HORTICULTURE

Pest suppression through biological control seeks to maximize the action of the pest's natural enemies with the goal of reducing pesticide use. We present a summary of published studies and original findings on several entomophagous species as biocontrol agents of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a key pest of tomato crops in Argentina, with the aim to select potential candidates for its management. Spontaneously occurring T. absoluta egg parasitism was lower than that inflicted by the larval parasitoids Dineulophus phthorimaeae (De Santis, 1983) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Pseudapanteles dignus (Muesebeck, 1938) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). These parasitoids exhibit important life history traits in laboratory conditions and produce relevant amounts of T. absoluta mortality in the field. Surveys carried out in Tucumán and Buenos Aires provinces, Argentina, revealed that D. phthorimaeae and P. dignus coexist in tomato and eggplant crops; T. absoluta- P. dignus interaction is also found on other non-cultivated solanaceous species present in horticultural farms. In addition, studies are currently under way to determine the predation ability of Zelus obscuridorsis (Stål, 1860) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) on both larvae and adults of the pest. Finally, we discuss the prospects for implementing experimental augmentative releases of P. dignus to control the pest, a candidate selected considering various positive biological traits and because of its simple mass production and manipulation compared with other antagonists of T. absoluta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LANTANA camara, ORNAMENTAL plants, BIOSAFETY, QUARANTINE, ECOSYSTEM dynamics, NATURALIZATION, and WEEDS

The article presents a research focused on analyzing the status of ornamental plant lantana camara that grows in the urban areas and also discusses its implication on the biosafety and quarantine of the region. Various topics discussed in the research includes natural enemies of lantana, natural ecosystem of Botswana and impact of naturalization on weed removal.

PARASITOIDS, BROWN marmorated stink bug, PLANT parasites, INTRODUCED insects, LADYBUGS, STINKBUGS, and SPECIES distribution

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive species, originating from East Asia, which was accidentally introduced in some areas of North America and Europe, where severe damages to different vegetable crops and fruit plants were recorded. Several studies in different countries focused on the possibility to apply biological control by means of eggparasitoids. The main egg-parasitoids in the original area are unfortunately non-specific and thus the application of classical biological control is questionable. On the other hand, the possibility of using augmentative biological control by native egg-parasitoids able to exploit the new host is an interesting possibility in both Europe and the USA. In a preliminary assay, frozen egg masses of H. halys were exposed in the field in Central Italy. Results showed that some eggs were exploited by parasitoids belonging to the species Anastatus bifasciatus and Ooencyrtus telenomicida. Therefore, different native egg-parasitoids species widespread in Europe were tested in the laboratory in order to explore their ability to parasitize H. halys eggs. To this end, no-choice tests were carried out in climatic chambers (26°C, 70%RH, 16:8 L:D) in order to evaluate the parasitization potential of females collected in the wild. Conducted tests pointed out that A. bifasciatus and especially O. telenomicida may be potential candidates for the biological control of H. halys. In particular, O. telenomicida was able to parasitize the 35.56% of the exposed host eggs in the lab tests. New adults successfully emerged from the 22.92% of the eggs, and on the whole, this egg-parasitoid caused a significant hatching reduction of the H. halys eggs (more than 70%). Conversely, Telenomus chloropus and Ooencyrtus pityocampae were less promising species as biocontrol agents of this agricultural pest. Preliminary trials in pear orchards consisting of field releases of laboratory-reared specimens of O. telenomicida, one of the potential candidates for biological control, showed that this parasitoid is actually able to discover egg masses of H. halys (sentinel frozen egg masses) and to successfully parasitize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STIMULANTS, LEAFHOPPERS, RICE diseases & pests, BIOLOGICAL assay, and METHANOL

A crude rice extract caused a higher probing response than did the control in the green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix nigropictus. Bioassay-guided separation led to the isolation of four active compounds, isoscoparin 2"-O-glucoside, isoscoparin 2"-O-(6"'-(E)-feruloyl)glucoside, isoscoparin 2"-O-(6"'-(E)-p-coumaroyl)glucoside, and isovitexin 2"-O-(6"'- (E)-feruloyl)glucoside from ODS 40% methanol in water faction. Each of the compounds, or any combination without one of the four compounds, caused weaker probing responses than the crude rice extract. The activity was recovered only when all the compounds were combined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NONFICTION

Books reviewed in this issue L iterature and F ine A rts Martinsen, Deborah A., and Olga Maiorova, eds. Dostoevsky in Context. Marullo, Thomas Gaiton. Heroine Abuse: Dostoevsky's Netochka Nezvanova and the Poetics of Codependency. Salmond, Wendy, Wilfried Zeisler, and Russell E. Martin. Konstantin Makovsky: The Tsar's Painter in America and Paris. Gregory, Serge. Antosha and Levitasha: The Shared Lives and Art of Anton Chekhov and Isaac Levitan. Pickford, Henry W. Thinking with Tolstoy and Wittgenstein: Expression, Emotion, and Art. Wunsche, Isabel. The Organic School of the Russian Avant-Garde: Nature's Creative Principles. Weld, Sara Pankenier. Voiceless Vanguard: The Infantilist Aesthetic of the Russian Avant-Garde. Mitchell, Rebecca. Nietzsche's Orphans: Music, Metaphysics, and the Twilight of the Russian Empire. Bartlett, Rosamund, and Sarah Dadswell, eds. and trans. Victory over the Sun: The World's First Futurist Opera. Kukulin, Il'ia. Mashiny zashumevshego vremeni: Kak sovetskii montazh stal metodom neofitsial'noi kul'tury. Van Buskirk, Emily. Lydia Ginzburg's Prose: Reality in Search of Literature. Garipova, Nailya, and Juan José Torres Núñez, eds. Women in Nabokov's Life and Art. Blackwell, Stephen H., and Kurt Johnson, eds. Fine Lines: Vladimir Nabokov's Scientific Art. Skomp, Elizabeth A., and Benjamin M. Sutcliffe. Ludmila Ulitskaya and the Art of Tolerance. Cederlöf, Henriette. Alien Places in Late Soviet Science Fiction: The 'Unexpected Encounters' of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky as Novels and Films. Anderson, Richard. Russia. H istory Barnes, Ian. Restless Empire: A Historical Atlas of Russia. Soroka, Marina, and Charles A. Ruud. Becoming a Romanov: Grand Duchess Elena of Russia and Her World (1807-1873). Suny, Ronald Grigor. ' They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else': A History of the Armenian Genocide. Siegel, Jennifer. For Peace and Money: French and British Finance in the Service of Tsars and Commissars. Stoff, Laurie S. Russia's Sisters of Mercy and the Great War: More than Binding Men's Wounds. Smele, Jonathan D. The 'Russian' Civil Wars, 1916-1926: Ten Years That Shook the World. Dornik, Wolfram, et al., eds. The Emergence of Ukraine: Self-Determination, Occupation, and War in Ukraine, 1917-1922. Khalid, Adeeb. Making Uzbekistan: Nation, Empire, and Revolution in the Early USSR. Graham, Loren. Lysenko's Ghost: Epigenetics and Russia. Levin, Zeev. Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917-1939. Jordan, Pamela A. Stalin's Singing Spy: The Life and Exile of Nadezhda Plevitskaya. Whitewood, Peter. The Red Army and the Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Soviet Military. Horowitz, Brian, and Leonid Katsis, eds. Vladimir Jabotinsky's Story of My Life. Ellis, Frank. Barbarossa 1941. Harrison, Richard W. ed. and trans. Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-1943. Harrison, Richard W. ed. and trans. Prelude to Berlin: The Red Army's Offensive Operations in Poland and Eastern Germany, 1945. Fitzpatrick, Sheila. On Stalin's Team: The Years of Living Dangerously in Soviet Politics. Karlsson, Klas-Göran, Johan Stenfeldt, and Ulf Zander, eds. Perspectives on the Entangled History of Communism and Nazism: A Comnaz Analysis. Varga-Harris, Christine. Stories of House and Home: Soviet Apartment Life during the Khrushchev Years. Friedman, Jeremy. Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World. Lesourd, Françoise, ed. Les mutations religieuses en Russie: Conversions et sécularisation. Haslam, Jonathan. Near and Distant Neighbors: A New History of Soviet Intelligence. Pipes, Richard. Alexander Yakovlev: The Man Whose Ideas Delivered Russia from Communism. Weeks, Theodore R. Vilnius between Nations, 1795-2000. Luehrmann, Sonja. Religion in Secular Archives: Soviet Atheism and Historical Knowledge. Brumfield, William Craft. Architecture at the End of the Earth: Photographing the Russian North. S ocial S ciences, C ontemporary R ussia, and O ther Rogers, Douglas. The Depths of Russia: Oil, Power, and Culture after Socialism. Hedlund, Stefan. Putin's Energy Agenda: The Contradictions of Russia's Resource Wealth. Nalbandov, Robert. Not by Bread Alone: Russian Foreign Policy under Putin. Pacer, Valerie A. Russian Foreign Policy under Dmitry Medvedev, 2008-2012. Prina, Federica. National Minorities in Putin's Russia: Diversity and Assimilation. Soldatov, Andrei, and Irina Borogan. The Red Web: The Struggle between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries. Stanislav, Markus. Property, Predation and Protection: Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine. White, Stephen, and Valentina Feklyunina. Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus: The Other Europes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RICE diseases & pests, NILAPARVATA lugens, LOCUS (Genetics), GENETIC markers in plants, and RICE breeding

Brown planthopper ( BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål ( Hemiptera: Delphacide), is a destructive insect pest of rice, Oryza sativa L. ( Poaceae), in rice-producing areas worldwide. Host plant resistance is a major aspect of managing this pest. In this study, a mapping population consisting of 150 F3 lines, derived from a cross of MR276 and Rathu Heenati, was used to detect and analyse quantitative trait loci ( QTLs) for the resistance to BPH. Composite Interval Mapping ( CIM) was used for QTL detection. In total 10 QTLs controlling BPH resistance were mapped on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12. Four QTLs - qBph-1-1, qBph-3-1, qBph-6-1, and qBph-7-1 - were mapped on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, and 7 in the standard seedbox screening test, explaining 41% of the phenotypic variance. Two QTLs, qBph-6-1 and qBph-9-1, were detected on chromosomes 6 and 9 in the honeydew test, accounting for 32% of the total phenotypic variance. Moreover, four QTLs - qBph-3-1, qBph-6-1, qBph-10-1, and qBph-12-1 - were identified on chromosomes 3, 6, 10, and 12 expressing antixenosis to BPH and explaining 41% of the phenotypic variance. QTL qBph-3-1 was located in the chromosomal region between markers RM231 and RM3872 on chromosome 3, and QTL qBph-6-1 was located in the region between RM588 and RM204 on chromosome 6, indicating that these regions have a major effect in controlling the resistance to BPH in the population studied. The molecular markers linked to QTLs that are identified will be useful in the development of varieties resistant to BPH. Our study contributes to the development of genetic material for breeding programmes and marker-assisted selection ( MAS) in rice to improve BPH resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DOUBLE-stranded RNA, SAP (Plant), INSECT-plant relationships, INSECT pests, and GENE silencing

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated gene silencing, also known as RNA interference (RNAi), has been a breakthrough technology for functional genomic studies and represents a potential tool for the management of insect pests. Since the inception of RNAi numerous studies documented successful introduction of exogenously synthesized dsRNA or siRNA into an organism triggering highly efficient gene silencing through the degradation of endogenous RNA homologous to the presented siRNA. Managing hemipteran insect pests, especially Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is critical to food productivity. BMSB was recently introduced into North America where it is both an invasive agricultural pest of high value specialty, row, and staple crops, as well as an indoor nuisance pest. RNAi technology may serve as a viable tool to manage this voracious pest, but delivery of dsRNA to piercing-sucking insects has posed a tremendous challenge. Effective and practical use of RNAi as molecular biopesticides for biocontrol of insects like BMSB in the environment requires that dsRNAs be delivered in vivo through ingestion. Therefore, the key challenge for molecular biologists in developing insect-specific molecular biopesticides is to find effective and reliable methods for practical delivery of stable dsRNAs such as through oral ingestion. Here demonstrated is a reliable delivery system of effective insect-specific dsRNAs through oral feeding through a new delivery system to induce a significant decrease in expression of targeted genes such as JHAMT and Vg. This state-of-the-art delivery method overcomes environmental delivery challenges so that RNAi is induced through insect-specific dsRNAs orally delivered to hemipteran and other insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA and STINKBUGS

The Neotropical genus Lincus Stål, 1867 is frequently associated with the transmission of diseases to palms and coconut trees (Elaeis guineensis and Cocos nucifera) in commercial plantations in South America. Here we update the geographical distribution of 15 species of Lincus collected in E. guineensis and C. nucifera in the Neotropics. The geographical range of five species is expanded with new countries recorded for L. malevolus and L. styliger, and detailed geographic information is given for the first time for L. lobuliger and L. securiger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PHYLOGENY, MORPHOGENESIS, EVOLUTIONARY developmental biology, ORGANISMS, MICROBIAL ecology, and TAXONOMY

Robust phylogenetic hypotheses have become key for studies addressing the evolutionary biology and ecology of various groups of organisms. In the species-rich heteropteran superfamily Pentatomoidea, phylogenies at lower taxonomic levels are still scarce and mostly employ exclusively morphological data. In this study, we conducted a total evidence phylogeny focusing on the tribe Carpocorini (Pentatomidae), using morphological data and four DNA markers ( COI, Cytb, 16S and 28S rDNA; ∼2330 bp; 32 taxa) in order to investigate the relationships within Euschistus Dallas, one of the most speciose pentatomid genera, and between Euschistus and related genera. Our hypotheses generated by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference show that the current taxonomic composition and classification of Euschistus and allied genera are in need of revision. Euschistus was recovered as nonmonophyletic, with the subgenera forming four independent lineages: Euschistus ( Euschistus) and Euschistus ( Lycipta) Stål are sister groups; Euschistus ( Euschistomorphus) Jensen-Haarup is more closely related to Dichelops Spinola and Agroecus Dallas; and Mitripus Rolston is divided into two clades closely related to Sibaria Stål and Ladeaschistus Rolston. We chose not to change the classification of E. ( Euschistomorphus) until further data become available, and propose to split Euschistus into three genera with the exclusion of Euschistus ( Mitripus) and all of its species. Here we elevate Mitripus to genus rank to include M. acutus comb.n., M. convergens comb.n. and M. legionarius comb.n., and propose Adustonotus Bianchi gen.n. to include A. anticus comb.n., A. latus comb.n., A. tauricornis comb.n., A. grandis comb.n., A. hansi comb.n., A. paranticus comb.n., A. irroratus comb.n. and A. saramagoi comb.n. We also provide identification keys to the genera Adustonotus gen.n., Ladeaschistus, Mitripus n. rank and Sibaria, here defined as the Mitripus genus group, and to the species of Mitripus and Adustonotus gen.n. Our results provide insights into the current status of the classification of the Pentatomidae, suggesting the need for phylogenetic analyses at different taxonomic levels within stink bugs. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEISSERIA gonorrhoeae, SEXUALLY transmitted diseases, ANTIBIOTICS, CHLAMYDIA trachomatis, GYNECOLOGISTS, DIAGNOSIS, CHLAMYDIA infection diagnosis, GENITOURINARY disease diagnosis, GONORRHEA diagnosis, CLINICS, GENITOURINARY diseases, GONORRHEA, DISEASES in men, NEISSERIA, PHARYNGEAL diseases, PHYSICIANS, GENERAL practitioners, CROSS-sectional method, and RECTAL diseases

Background: Gonorrhoea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), can cause reproductive morbidity, is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics and is frequently asymptomatic, which shows the essential role of NG test practice. In this study we wanted to compare NG diagnostic testing procedures between different STI care providers serving a defined geographic Dutch region (280,000 inhabitants).Methods: Data on laboratory testing and diagnosis of urogenital and extragenital (i.e. anorectal and oropharyngeal) NG were retrieved from general practitioners (GPs), an STI clinic, and gynaecologists (2006-2010). Per provider, we assessed their contribution regarding the total number of tests performed and type of populations tested, the proportion of NG positives re-tested (3-12 months after treatment) and test-of-cure (TOC, within 3 months post treatment).Results: Overall, 17,702 NG tests (48.7% STI clinic, 38.2% GPs, 13.1% gynaecologists) were performed during 15,458 patient visits. From this total number of tests, 2257 (12.7%) were extragenital, of which 99.4% were performed by the STI clinic. Men were mostly tested at the STI clinic (71%) and women by their GP (43%). NG positivity per visit was 1.6%; GP 1.9% (n = 111), STI clinic 1.7% (n = 131) and gynaecology 0.2% (n = 5). NG positivity was associated with Chlamydia trachomatis positivity (OR: 2.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.46-2.92). Per anatomical location, the proportion of NG positives re-tested were: urogenital 20.3% (n = 36), anorectal 43.6% (n = 17) and oropharyngeal 57.1% (n = 20). NG positivity among re-tests was 16.9%. Proportions of NG positives with TOC by anatomical location were: urogenital 10.2% (n = 18), anorectal 17.9% (n = 7) and oropharyngeal 17.1% (n = 6).Conclusions: To achieve best practice in relation to NG testing, we recommend that: 1) GPs test at extragenital sites, especially men who have sex with men (MSM), 2) all care providers consider re-testing 3 to 12 months after NG diagnosis and 3) TOC is performed following oropharyngeal NG diagnosis in settings which provide services to higher-risk men and women (such as STI clinics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIGGS bosons, SCALAR field theory, SUPERSYMMETRY, STANDARD model (Nuclear physics), DARK matter, and MATHEMATICAL models

The goal of this report is to summarize the current situation and discuss possible search strategies for charged scalars, in non-supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model at the LHC. Such scalars appear in Multi-Higgs-Doublet models, in particular in the popular Two-Higgs-Doublet model, allowing for charged and additional neutral Higgs bosons. These models have the attractive property that electroweak precision observables are automatically in agreement with the Standard Model at the tree level. For the most popular version of this framework, Model II, a discovery of a charged Higgs boson remains challenging, since the parameter space is becoming very constrained, and the QCD background is very high. We also briefly comment on models with dark matter which constrain the corresponding charged scalars that occur in these models. The stakes of a possible discovery of an extended scalar sector are very high, and these searches should be pursued in all conceivable channels, at the LHC and at future colliders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BROWN marmorated stink bug, HEMIPTERA, INTRODUCED insects, INSECT pests, PHEROMONES, INSECT traps, INSECT population density, and ECONOMICS

Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive insect that causes severe economic damage to multiple agricultural commodities. Several monitoring tools, including pheromone and light-baited black pyramid traps, have been developed to monitor H. halys. Here, we evaluated the attractiveness of these traps baited with only light, only pheromone, or the combination in comparison with unbaited traps throughout the growing season in regions with high and low H. halys population densities. In regions with high population densities in the Mid-Atlantic, all traps baited with pheromone or lights performed better than control traps. During mid-season, traps containing lights captured more H. halys adults, whereas pheromone-baited traps captured greater numbers during the late season. In low density regions in the Pacific Northwest, traps with lights or pheromone captured more H. halys adults than control traps. In addition, we evaluated the influence of competing light sources associated with anthropogenic structures. When light traps were deployed next to these additional light sources, H. halys captures in pyramid traps baited with light were not significantly reduced. Overall, our results indicate that both light and pheromone traps can be used to detect H. halys activity in low and high density populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, STINKBUGS, INSECT behavior, BROWN marmorated stink bug, and INSECT traps

Light trapping is a common method for monitoring and capturing insects such as the invasive agricultural pest, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Efforts to develop more effective trapping methods for H. halys have led to research investigating the response of this insect to potentially exploitable stimuli. A behavioral study was conducted to examine the response of H. halys to various light stimuli. Seven intensities (0 [control: dark], 0.1, 10, 50, 75, 100, and 155 lx) of white light were tested. The most attractive intensity for H. halys was 75 lx for adult males and females. Nymphal instars 2 to 5, adult males, and adult females were also exposed to 75 lx white light. Adult males were significantly more attracted to the light than any other life stage. Adults were also exposed to green, orange, red, white, and yellow light. All colors tested were attractive to H. halys. White light was significantly more attractive than the other tested colors. The findings of this study suggest that the incorporation of a white light into H. halys traps may increase the number captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ARTHROPODA, ARBOREAL animals, SALTCEDAR, and LARVAE

Although biological control agents are imported without the constraints exerted by their native natural enemies, many native, generalist arthropod predators might use the new food source after release in the field. Predation by native arthropods is a potential obstacle to establishment of Diorhabda spp. as a biological control agent against saltcedar, Tamarix spp. Arboreal predaceous insects were surveyed at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge to identify possible predators that could affect establishment of the northern tamarisk beetle, Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers), in Oklahoma. Results of the survey showed that 57% of the arthropods were represented by five insects, Zelus tetracanthus (Stål) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (21%); several species of Chrysoperla (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) (11%); the insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) (10%); Collops quadrimaculatus (F.) Coleoptera: Melydridae) (8%); and the sevenspotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (6%), in saltcedar stands. No-choice feeding studies demonstrated that eggs and larvae of D. carinulata were accepted prey for larvae of Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) and sevenspotted lady beetle adults but not larvae. Northern tamarisk beetle larvae were accepted prey for Z. tetracanthus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZOOLOGICAL nomenclature, LEAFHOPPERS, PARROTFISHES, BURSA fabricii, and ANNOTATIONS

A synoptic, annotated catalogue is provided, documenting the long history of vacillated nomenclature usages between leafhopper family-group names Gyponidae Stål 1870c and Scaridae Amyot & Serville 1843a (nec Scaridae Rafinesque 1810b), between genus-group names Gypona Germar 1821a and Scaris Le Peletier & Serville 1828a (nec Scaris Chaudoir 1879), synonyms, and use of Docalidia ferruginea (Fabricius) in the literature for Iassus ferrugineus, beginning at the formation of each taxon and ending at the present. Authors' annotations, where applicable, follow each citation. A photograph of the lectotype of Iassus ferrugineus Fabricius (Coelidiinae) and a misidentified specimen (Gyponinae) by Germar are shown for comparative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]