Mass Rearing the Gypsy Moth Pupal Parasitoids \u3ci\u3eBrachymeria Lasus\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eBrachymeria Intermedia\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) for Small-Scale Laboratory Studies

An economical technique was developed for mass rearing the gypsy moth para- sitoids Brachymeria lasus and B. intermedia using a factitious host, the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: pyralidae). Percentages of host pupae producing adult B. lusus and B. intermedia were 72.2 and 67.5, respectively. Percentages of adult wax moths emerging from groups of pupae exposed to populations of B. lasus and B. intermedia were 3.4 and 9.8, respectively. Mean emergence times of males and females from parasitized pupae incubated at 29° C. were 12.1 days and 13.8 days for B. lasus and 11.9 days and 13.5 days for B. intermedia. This procedure provides a low-maintenance laboratory culture with high yields from host pupae

Heterogeneity of autoreactive T cell clones specific for the E2 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in primary biliary cirrhosis.

The extraordinary specificity of bile duct destruction in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and the presence of T cell infiltrates in the portal tracts have suggested that biliary epithelial cells are the targets of an autoimmune response. The immunodominant antimitochondrial response in patients with PBC is directed against the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC-E2). Hitherto, there have only been limited reports on the characterization and V beta usage of PDC-E2-specific cloned T cell lines. In this study, we examined peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for their reactivity to the entire PDC complex as well as to the E1- and E2-specific components. We also examined the phenotype, lymphokine profile, and V beta usage of PDC-specific T cell clones isolated from cellular infiltrates from the livers of PBC patients. We report that PBMC from 16/19 patients with PBC, but not 12 control patients, respond to the PDC-E2 subunit. Interestingly, this response was directed to the inner and/or the outer lipoyl domains, despite the serologic observation that the autoantibody response is directed predominantly to the inner lipoyl domain. Additionally, lymphokine analysis of interleukin (IL) 2/IL-4/interferon gamma production from individual liver-derived autoantigen-specific T cell clones suggests that both T helper cell Th1- and Th2-like clones are present in the liver. Moreover, there was considerable heterogeneity in the T cell receptor for antigen (TCR) V beta usage of these antigen-specific autoreactive T cell clones. This is in contrast to murine studies in which animals are induced to develop autoimmunity by specific immunization and have an extremely limited T cell V beta repertoire. Thus, our data suggest that in human organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as PBC, the TCR V beta repertoire is heterogenous

Is there a Relation between Chlamydia Infection and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis?

Over the past two decades, a number of studies have failed to provide direct evidence of specific microbial chronic infection in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, a recent report suggests that there is a specific association of Chlamydia pneumoniae in patients with PBC and that C. pneumoniae or similar antigens might play a role in the pathogenesis of disease. To determine if Chlamydia infection is associated with PBC, we applied a combination of immunological and molecular approaches to investigate (a) the serological reactivity against two common Chlamydia human pathogens, C. pneumoniae and C. trachomatis, by immunoblotting, (b) the presence of Chlamydia in liver samples of patients with PBC and controls by PCR amplification of Chlamydia specific 16S rRNA and (c) the presence of Chlamydia proteins in liver samples of patients with PBC and controls by immunohistochemical staining. By immunoblotting, C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae specific serological antibodies were found in 52/57 (91.2%) AMA positive PBC, 7/33 (21/2%) of AMA negative PBC, 1/25 (4%) PSC, 0/15 (0%) Sjorgen's syndrome and 0/20 (0%) systemic lupus erythematosus patients and 0/20 (0%) healthy volunteers at 1:200 sera dilution. PBC sera reacted to Chlamydia and E. coli lysates in western blots up to a maximum of 10-4 dilution. However, PCR amplification of the Chlamydia specific 16S rRNA gene was negative in 25/25 PBC livers but positive in 1/4 PSC liver, 3/6 in other liver disease controls and 1/4 normal liver samples. While two commercially available specific monoclonal antibodies stained positive controls (Chlamydia infected HEp-2 cells) they failed to detect Chlamydia antigens in PBC livers. The detection of Chlamydia specific antibodies but not Chlamydia rRNA gene and Chlamydia antigens in PBC suggests that Chlamydia infection is not involved in PBC

Isomerization dynamics of a buckled nanobeam

We analyze the dynamics of a model of a nanobeam under compression. The model is a two mode truncation of the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation subject to compressive stress. We consider parameter regimes where the first mode is unstable and the second mode can be either stable or unstable, and the remaining modes (neglected) are always stable. Material parameters used correspond to silicon. The two mode model Hamiltonian is the sum of a (diagonal) kinetic energy term and a potential energy term. The form of the potential energy function suggests an analogy with isomerisation reactions in chemistry. We therefore study the dynamics of the buckled beam using the conceptual framework established for the theory of isomerisation reactions. When the second mode is stable the potential energy surface has an index one saddle and when the second mode is unstable the potential energy surface has an index two saddle and two index one saddles. Symmetry of the system allows us to construct a phase space dividing surface between the two "isomers" (buckled states). The energy range is sufficiently wide that we can treat the effects of the index one and index two saddles in a unified fashion. We have computed reactive fluxes, mean gap times and reactant phase space volumes for three stress values at several different energies. In all cases the phase space volume swept out by isomerizing trajectories is considerably less than the reactant density of states, proving that the dynamics is highly nonergodic. The associated gap time distributions consist of one or more `pulses' of trajectories. Computation of the reactive flux correlation function shows no sign of a plateau region; rather, the flux exhibits oscillatory decay, indicating that, for the 2-mode model in the physical regime considered, a rate constant for isomerization does not exist.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure

Initial evidence for the criterion-related and structural validity of the long versions of the direct and meta-perspectives of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 Taylor & Francis.The aim of the present study was to develop and initially validate a longer version of the direct (Jowett & Ntoumanis, 2004) and meta-perspectives (Jowett, 2009a, 2009b) of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q). In Study 1, instruments (e.g. questionnaires, scales, and inventories) that have been used to assess relationship quality in the broader psychological literature were examined and items potentially relevant to the coach-athlete relationship were identified. The content validity of the identified items was then assessed using expert panels. A final questionnaire was subsequently prepared and administered to 693 participants (310 coaches and 383 athletes). Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the multidimensional nature of the questionnaire based on the 3Cs (i.e. closeness, commitment, and complementarity) model of the coach-athlete relationship. The findings indicated that the direct and meta-perspective items of the long versions of the CART-Q approached an adequate data fit. Moreover, evidence for the internal consistency and criterion validity of the new instruments was also obtained. In Study 2, the newly developed measure was administered to an independent sample of 251 individuals (145 athletes and 106 coaches). Further statistical support was gained for the factorial validity and reliability of the longer version of the CART-Q

A Nonperturbative Eliasson's Reducibility Theorem

This paper is concerned with discrete, one-dimensional Schr\"odinger operators with real analytic potentials and one Diophantine frequency. Using localization and duality we show that almost every point in the spectrum admits a quasi-periodic Bloch wave if the potential is smaller than a certain constant which does not depend on the precise Diophantine conditions. The associated first-order system, a quasi-periodic skew-product, is shown to be reducible for almost all values of the energy. This is a partial nonperturbative generalization of a reducibility theorem by Eliasson. We also extend nonperturbatively the genericity of Cantor spectrum for these Schr\"odinger operators. Finally we prove that in our setting, Cantor spectrum implies the existence of a $G_\delta$-set of energies whose Schr\"odinger cocycle is not reducible to constant coefficients

Three-Fold Diffraction Symmetry in Epitaxial Graphene and the SiC Substrate

The crystallographic symmetries and spatial distribution of stacking domains in graphene films on SiC have been studied by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and dark field imaging in a low energy electron microscope (LEEM). We find that the graphene diffraction spots from 2 and 3 atomic layers of graphene have 3-fold symmetry consistent with AB (Bernal) stacking of the layers. On the contrary, graphene diffraction spots from the buffer layer and monolayer graphene have apparent 6-fold symmetry, although the 3-fold nature of the satellite spots indicates a more complex periodicity in the graphene sheets.Comment: An addendum has been added for the arXiv version only, including one figure with five panels. Published paper can be found at http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.24140