Notes on the Biology of \u3ci\u3eSaperda Imitans\u3c/i\u3e Infesting Wind-Damaged Black Cherry in Allegheny Hardwood Stands

This paper reports observations made on the life history and biology of Saperda imitans Felt & Joutel in black cherry, Prunus serotina Ehrh. S. imitans was the principle longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) reared from bolts collected from 68 wind-thrown black cherry at the Kane Experimental Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. It was also the only species that overwintered in the sapwood/outer heartwood, and thus impacted the commercial value of these trees. Gaurotes cyanipennis (Say) was the only other cerambycid reared from caged bolts taken from wind-thrown black cherry. The cerambycids Stenocorus vittiger (Randall), Arthophylax attenuatus (Haldman), G. cyanipennis, Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (F.), Clytus ruricola (Olivier), Cyrtophorus verrucosus (Olivier), and Astylopsis macula (Say) were captured in ethanol-baited Lindgren® funnel traps placed in wind-thrown stands, but were not reared from cherry logs. S. imitans was not caught in these traps and apparently it is not attracted to ethanol baits. Neither S. imitans nor G. cyanipennis were reared from completely uprooted trees (dead) or trees with a major portion of the root system still embedded in soil (live). Preferred hosts were black cherry with moist phloem and epicormic branches with \u3c25% live foliage (dying). The density of S. imitans galleries was similar for dying trees in each of three diameter classes; 20-30 cm, \u3e30-40 cm, \u3e40cm. Samples taken from the upper half of the first 5 m of black cherry boles had a higher density of galleries than did those from the lower half. The beetle was recovered in low numbers from branches \u3c10 cm in basal diameter. S. imitans is univoltine and in 2007 peak emergence of adults occurred from late May to early June. Results identified the condition of wind-damaged black cherry most susceptible to an infestation of S. imitans. This information can be used to establish salvage priorities following a weather event such as this

StraboTools: A Mobile App for Quantifying Fabric in Geology

Quantification of field observations is an essential step in making them reproducible and shareable, but field geologists have few tools for quantifying field observations of important features such as foliation intensity, crystal alignment, vesicle elongation, joint intensity, and mineral proportions. Here we describe a mobile app, StraboTools, which offers two ways to rapidly and objectively quantify these variables. The edge fabric tool examines grayscale gradients in a photograph and summarizes them with the edge fabric ellipse. For deformation of a homogeneous material with passive markers, this ellipse tracks the strain ellipse. Edge fabric ellipses can be determined on the outcrop and make quick work (5 seconds) of formerly time-consuming and subjective strain-analysis tasks (e.g., Fry and Rf /Φ analysis). They are remarkably sensitive to subtle deformations that are difficult to see by eye. The color index tool determines the proportion of any component in the photograph whose grayscale level can be isolated (e.g., dark minerals in a granitic rock, feldspar phenocrysts in a lava, or blue epoxy in a thin section). Estimating proportions by eye has poor precision and accuracy; the color index tool is both accurate and precise if a suitable rock face is available. These tools can be used with photomicrographs and aerial photographs as well as in the field

Child Support Guidelines and Divorce Incentives

A child support guideline is a formula used to calculate support payments based on a few family characteristics. Guidelines began replacing court awarded support payments in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and were eventually mandated by the federal government in 1988. Two fundamentally different types of guidelines are used: percentage of obligor income, and income shares models. This paper explores the incentives to divorce under the two schemes, and uses the NLSY data set to test the key predictions. We find that percentage of obligor income models are destabilizing for some families with high incomes. This may explain why several states have converted from obligor to income share models, and it provides a subtle lesson for the no-fault divorce debate

The Probable Detection of SN 1923A: The Oldest Radio Supernova?

Based upon the results of VLA observations, we report the detection of two unresolved radio sources that are coincident with the reported optical position of SN 1923A in M83. For the source closest to the SN position, the flux density was determined to be 0.30 +/- 0.05 mJy at 20 cm and 0.093 +/- 0.028 mJy at 6 cm. The flux density of the second nearby source was determined to be 0.29 +/- 0.05 at 20 cm and 0.13 +/- 0.028 at 6 cm. Both sources are non-thermal with spectral indices of alpha = -1.0 +/- 0.30 and -0.69 +/- 0.24, respectively. SN 1923A has been designated as a Type II-P. No Type II-P (other than SN 1987A) has been detected previously in the radio. The radio emission from both sources appears to be fading with time. At an age of approximately 68 years when we observed it, this would be the oldest radio supernova (of known age) yet detected

The TLC: A Novel Auditory Nucleus of the Mammalian Brain

[EN]We have identified a novel nucleus of the mammalian brain and termed it the tectal longitudinal column (TLC). Basic histologic stains, tract-tracing techniques and three-dimensional reconstructions reveal that the rat TLC is a narrow, elongated structure spanning themidbrain tectum longitudinally. This paired nucleus is located close to the midline, immediately dorsal to the periaqueductal gray matter.It occupies what has traditionally been considered the most medial region of the deep superior colliculus and the most medial region of the inferior colliculus. The TLC differs from the neighboring nuclei of the superior and inferior colliculi and the periaqueductal gray by its distinct connections and cytoarchitecture. Extracellular electrophysiological recordings show that TLC neurons respond to auditory stimuli with physiologic properties that differ from those of neurons in the inferior or superior colliculi. We have identified the TLC in rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, nonhuman primates, and humans, which indicates that the nucleus is conserved across mammals. The discovery of the TLC reveals an unexpected level of longitudinal organization in the mammalian tectum and raises questions as to the participation of this mesencephalic region in essential, yet completely unexplored, aspects of multisensory and/or sensorimotorintegration.[ES]Hemos identificado un nuevo núcleo del cerebro de los mamíferos y lo hemos denominado columna longitudinal tectal (CLT; TLC por sus siglas en inglés). Mediante tinciones histológicas básicas, técnicas de trazado de vías nerviosas y reconstrucciones tridimensionales hemos observado que la CLT es una estructura larga y estrecha que recorre longitudinalmente el techo mesencefálico. Este núcleo par se encuentra próximo a la línea media, inmediatamente dorsal con respecto a la sustancia gris periacueductal. Ocupa un territorio considerado tradicionalmente como la región más medial de las capas profundas del colículo superior y la región más medial del colículo inferior. La CLT difiere de los núcleos que la rodean (colícuo superior, colículo inferior y sustancia gris periacueductal) por sus conexiones y su citoarquitectura. Los registros electrofisiológicos extracelulares muestran que las neuronas de la CLT responden a los estímulos auditivos y que sus propiedades de respuesta son distintas de las de las neuronas de los colículos superior e inferior. Hemos identificado la TLC en el cerebro de roedores, lagomorfos, carnívoros, primates no humanos y seres humanos, lo que indica que el núcleo está filogenéticamente conservado en una gran variedad de mamíferos. El descubrimiento de la CLT revela un insospechado nivel de organización longitudinal en el techo mesencefálico de los mamíferos y suscita preguntas sobre la participación de esta región mesencefálica en aspectos esenciales de la integración multisensorial y/o sensorimotora que hasta ahora no han sido estudiados

Candida albicans biofilm heterogeneity does not influence denture stomatitis but strongly influences denture cleansing capacity

Approximately 20  % of the UK population wear some form of denture prosthesis, resulting in denture stomatitis in half of these individuals. Candida albicans is primarily attributed as the causative agent, due to its biofilm -forming ability. Recently, there has been increasing evidence of C. albicans biofilm heterogeneity and the negative impact it can have clinically; however, this phenomenon has yet to be studied in relation to denture isolates. The aims of this study were to evaluate C. albicans biofilm formation of clinical denture isolates in a denture environment and to assess antimicrobial activity of common denture cleansers against these tenacious communities. C. albicans isolated from dentures of healthy and diseased individuals was quantified using real-time PCR and biofilm biomass assessed using crystal violet. Biofilm development on the denture substratum poly(methyl methacrylate), Molloplast B and Ufi-gel was determined. Biofilm formation was assessed using metabolic and biomass stains, following treatment with denture hygiene products. Although C. albicans was detected in greater quantities in diseased individuals, it was not associated with increased biofilm biomass. Denture substrata were shown to influence biofilm biomass, with poly(methyl methacrylate) providing the most suitable environment for C. albicans to reside. Of all denture hygiene products tested, Milton had the most effective antimicrobial activity, reducing biofilm biomass and viability the greatest. Overall, our results highlight the complex nature of denture- related disease, and disease development cannot always be attributed to a sole cause. It is the distinct combination of various factors that ultimately determines the pathogenic outcome

A Spectroscopic Study of Field and Runaway OB Stars

Identifying binaries among runaway O- and B-type stars offers valuable insight into the evolution of open clusters and close binary stars. Here we present a spectroscopic investigation of 12 known or suspected binaries among field and runaway OB stars. We find new orbital solutions for five single-lined spectroscopic binaries (HD 1976, HD 14633, HD 15137, HD 37737, and HD 52533), and we classify two stars thought to be binaries (HD 30614 and HD 188001) as single stars. In addition, we reinvestigate their runaway status using our new radial velocity data with the UCAC2 proper motion catalogs. Seven stars in our study appear to have been ejected from their birthplaces, and at least three of these runaways are spectroscopic binaries and are of great interest for future study.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, 7 tables; Accepted to Ap

Connection between igneous activity and extension in the central Mojave metamorphic core complex, California

This is the published version. Copyright 1976 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.The development of metamorphic core complexes and associated low-angle detachment faults commonly is intimately associated with synextensional igneous activity. In most areas studied to date, the relation of magmatism to extension is obscured by imprecise dating and by the overprint of later tectonic events. We present data from the early Miocene central Mojave metamorphic core complex (CMMCC) which indicate that extension was accompanied by igneous activity, as reflected by prekinematic, synkinematic, and postkinematic plutons and coeval volcanic rocks deposited in the associated extensional basins. The principal intrusion is an early Miocene granite pluton exposed in outcrops across an area greater than 400 km2. Dikes adjacent to the pluton are common in the Mitchel Range, at The Buttes, and at Fremont Peak. The overall orientation of the pluton and associated dikes is west-northwest, roughly perpendicular to the extension direction. Results of U-Pb analyses on zircon from two pluton and two dike samples yield ages of 20 to 23 Ma. Two other dike samples yield inconclusive results. Synextensional basins formed by detachment faulting during the core complex development. Rocks in these basins compose the Jackhammer and Pickhandle formations and filled an elongate, NW trending trough more than 50 km long. The 40Ar/39Ar ages for tuff beds are as old as 23.8±0.3 Ma near the base of the lower Pickhandle Formation and as young as 21.3±0.5 Ma in the uppermost lower Pickhandle. Hence volcanism and plutonism are coeval. The diversity of intrusive relations relative to the timing and development of the mylonitic fabric in the CMMCC precludes any simple cause-and-effect relationship between magmatism and extensional deformation. Rather, magmatism and extension may have been localized at a releasing bend in a transfer-fault system which links extension in the CMMCC with extension in the Colorado River area to the east

Immediate early protein of equid herpesvirus type 1 as a target for cytotoxic T-lymphocytes in the thoroughbred horse

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) are associated with protective immunity against disease caused by equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). However, the EHV-1 target proteins for CTLs are poorly defined. This limits the development of vaccine candidates designed to stimulate strong CTL immunity. Here, classical CTL assays using lymphocytes from horses of three defined MHC class I types that experienced natural infection with EHV-1 and a modified vaccinia virus construct containing an EHV-1 gene encoding the immediate-early (IE) protein are reported. Horses homozygous for the equine leukocyte antigen (ELA)-A2 haplotype, but not the ELA-A5 haplotype, produced MHC-restricted CTL responses against the IE protein. Previously, horses homozygous for the ELA-A3 haplotype also mounted CTL responses against the IE protein. Both haplotypes are common in major horse breeds, including the Thoroughbred. Thus, the IE protein is an attractive candidate molecule for future studies of T-cell immunity to EHV-1 in the horse

Spitzer IRAC observations of newly-discovered planetary nebulae from the Macquarie-AAO-Strasbourg H-alpha Planetary Nebula Project

We compare H-alpha, radio continuum, and Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) images of 58 planetary nebulae (PNe) recently discovered by the Macquarie-AAO-Strasbo- urg H-alpha PN Project (MASH) of the SuperCOSMOS H-alpha Survey. Using InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) data we define the IR colors of PNe and demonstrate good isolation between these colors and those of many other types of astronomical object. The only substantive contamination of PNe in the color-color plane we illustrate is due to YSOs. However, this ambiguity is readily resolved by the unique optical characteristics of PNe and their environs. We also examine the relationships between optical and MIR morphologies from 3.6 to 8.0um and explore the ratio of mid-infrared (MIR) to radio nebular fluxes, which is a valuable discriminant between thermal and nonthermal emission. MASH emphasizes late evolutionary stages of PNe compared with previous catalogs, enabling study of the changes in MIR and radio flux that attend the aging process. Spatially integrated MIR energy distributions were constructed for all MASH PNe observed by the GLIMPSE Legacy Project, using the H-alpha morphologies to establish the dimensions for the calculations of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), IRAC, and radio continuum (from the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope and the Very Large Array) flux densities. The ratio of IRAC 8.0-um to MSX 8.3-um flux densities provides a measure of the absolute diffuse calibration of IRAC at 8.0 um. We independently confirm the aperture correction factor to be applied to IRAC at 8.0um to align it with the diffuse calibration of MSX. The result agrees with the recommendations of the Spitzer Science Center and with results from a parallel study of HII regions. These PNe probe the diffuse calibration of IRAC on a spatial scale of 9-77 arcsec.Comment: 48 pages, LaTeX (aastex), incl. 18 PostScript (eps) figures and 3 tables. Accepted by Astrophysical Journa