Re-evaluation of Cryptosporiopsis eucalypti and Cryptosporiopsis-like species occurring on Eucalyptus

Cryptosporiopsis eucalypti is a common follicolous pathogen of Eucalyptus species in tropical and temperate regions where these trees are grown in plantations. The taxonomy of C. eucalypti is confused by the fact that it is phylogenetically unrelated to the type species of Cryptosporiopsis (Cryptosporiopsis nigra = C. scutellata, Helotiales). The aim of this study was to resolve the taxonomic position of C. eucalypti based on morphology and phylogenetic inference. Thirty-two Eucalyptus leaf samples with symptoms typical of C. eucalypti infection were collected from 10 tropical and temperate countries across four continents. Cultures were established from single conidia, as well as from ascospores of a previously unreported teleomorph state. DNA sequences were obtained for the 28 S nrDNA, the internal transcribed spacers of the nrDNA operon, and beta-tubulin regions to determine generic and species-level relationships. DNA-sequence analysis showed that conidial and ascospore isolates of C. eucalypti have low intraspecific variation, although two collections from Australia and one from Uruguay represented two novel taxa. Based on the newly collected teleomorph stage, as well as the phylogenetic data, C. eucalypti is shown to represent a new genus closely related to Plagiostoma (Gnomoniaceae, Diaporthales) for which the names Pseudoplagiostoma gen. nov. and Pseudoplagiostomaceae fam. nov. (Diaporthales) are introduced. Two new species of Cryptosporiopsis (Dermateaceae, Helotiales) on Eucalyptus from Australia and California (USA) are also described

Transient extreme ultraviolet measurement of element-specific charge transfer dynamics in multiple-material junctions

The absorption of solid state materials in complex photonic and optoelectronic devices overlap in the visible spectrum. Due to the overlap of spectral features, ultrafast measurements of charge carrier dynamics and transport is obscured. Here, the element specificity of transient extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy is advanced as a probe for studying photoexcited charge transport in multiple-material junctions. The core-hole excited by the XUV transitions also imparts structural information on to the probed electronic transition. Transient XUV can therefore measure electron and averaged phonon dynamics for each elemental species in a junction. Application to polaron measurement in α-Fe_2O_3, valley-specific scattering in Si, and charge transfer in a nanoscale Ni-TiO_2-Si junction will be discussed

Ways Elementary Administrators Support Literacy Education

The work of an effective school principal is reflected in a variety of ways throughout the school. One area in which the principal\u27s influence is most clearly evident is literacy instruction. Studies conducted over the years provide support for this idea. In an investigation of the role of the school principal in reading instruction, Cox (1978) concluded that the leadership of the principal is vitally important in the development of an effective reading program. Chance (1991) also recognized the importance of principals as instructional leaders as she investigated principals\u27 own views of their involvement in the school reading program. In a summary statement, she maintained that the principal\u27s well planned, competent involvement in the instructional program is essential for program improvement at any level (p. 33)

Examining the shared and unique features of self-concept content and structure in Borderline Personality Disorder and Depression

AcceptedArticleCopyright © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9695-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.A number of clinical theories emphasise self-concept disturbance as central to borderline personality disorder (BPD). To date, however, there has been limited empirical examination of exactly how BPD changes the content and structure of self-concept. Moreover, it is unclear if patterns of self-concept disturbance are unique to BPD or are driven by axis-I comorbidities such as depression. To examine this issue, the present study adopted a dimensional design, examining how performance on a novel adaptation of a well-validated measure of self-concept (the Psychological Distance Scaling Task) was related to BPD and depression symptoms in a sample of 93 individuals with a wide range of symptom severity. While greater BPD severity was associated with less positive and more negative content of self-concept, this was driven by depression symptoms. Similarly, positive content was more diffuse and negative content more interconnected at higher levels of BPD severity, but for positive content, this was most clearly linked to comorbid depression features. In contrast, BPD severity (over and above depression symptoms) was uniquely associated with greater ‘clustering’ for positive and negative content (i.e. a more fragmented self-concept). This pattern of results lends support to clinical theories arguing that self-concept fragmentation is core to BPD and also supports the utility of dimensional analyses to identify patterns of cognitive-affective disturbance unique to BPD versus those shared with comorbid conditions like depression.MR

Interpreting short and medium exposure etched-track radon measurements to determine whether an action level could be exceeded

Radon gas is naturally occurring, and can concentrate in the built environment. It is radioactive and high concentration levels within buildings, including homes, have been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer in the occupants. As a result, several methods have been developed to measure radon. The long-term average radon level determines the risk to occupants, but there is always pressure to complete measurements more quickly, particularly when buying and selling the home. For many years, the three-month exposure using etched-track detectors has been the de facto standard, but a decade ago, Phillips et al. (2003), in a DEFRA funded project, evaluated the use of 1-week and 1-month measurements. They found that the measurement methods were accurate, but the challenge lay in the wide variation in radon levels - with diurnal, seasonal, and other patterns due to climatic factors and room use. In the report on this work, and in subsequent papers, the group proposed methodologies for 1-week, 1-month and 3-month measurements and their interpretation. Other work, however, has suggested that 2-week exposures were preferable to 1-week ones. In practice, the radon remediation industry uses a range of exposure times, and further guidance is required to help interpret these results. This paper reviews the data from this study and a subsequent 4-year study of 4 houses, re-analysing the results and extending them to other exposures, particularly for 2-week and 2-month exposures, and provides comprehensive guidance for the use of etched-track detectors, the value and use of Seasonal Correction Factors (SCFs), the uncertainties in short and medium term exposures and the interpretation of results

Analysis of travelling waves associated with the modelling of aerosolised skin grafts

A previous model developed by the authors investigates the growth patterns of keratinocyte cell colonies after they have been applied to a burn site using a spray technique. In this paper, we investigate a simplified one-dimensional version of the model. This model yields travelling wave solutions and we analyse the behaviour of the travelling waves. Approximations for the rate of healing and maximum values for both the active healing and the healed cell densities are obtained

Sinking particle fluxes from the euphotic zone over the continental slope of an eastern boundary current region

We analyze data from sediment traps and current meters moored at two locations 100 km apart over the Vancouver Island continental slope during the spring and summer of 1990. Time-series of sinking particle fluxes, major biogenic components (biogenic silica, calcium carbonate, and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen), and stable isotopic composition (δ13Corganic and δ15Ntotal) were determined on samples obtained with sequential sediment traps moored at 200–250 m depth. Associated water property data were obtained from CTD/Rosette profiles taken during trap service periods and from current meters positioned in the surface layer and near the sediment trap. These data indicate that the two locations (a southern site J and a northern site NJ) were hydrographically distinct during the investigation. At site J, we found evidence for frequent upwelling events and more variability in the upper layer water properties. The main difference in the sinking fluxes of particles between the two sites was the occurrence of a one-week event at the end of May at J that contributed about one third of the total particle flux during the sampling period. Otherwise, the total flux collected during the study and the flux of major biogenic particles were similar at both sites. Silica shells dominated the flux of particles, particularly during the spring and early summer period. At both sites, particulate organic carbon rather than calcium carbonate was the main contributor to particulate carbon fluxes. The δ13Corganic showed marked variations during the sampling period at both sites likely due to variations in the growth rate of phytoplankton and in species composition. In comparison, variations in nitrate availability appear to dominate the changes in δ15Ntotal

The social security rights of older international migrants in the European Union

Europe is now home to a significant and diverse population of older international migrants. Social and demographic changes have forced the issue of social security in old age onto the European social policy agenda in the last decade. In spite of an increased interest in the financial well-being of older people, many retired international migrants who are legally resident in the European Union face structured disadvantages. Four linked factors are of particular importance in shaping the pension rights and levels of financial provision available to individual older migrants: migration history, socio-legal status, past relationship to the paid labour market, and location within a particular EU Member State. Building on a typology of older migrants, the paper outlines the ways in which policy at both the European Union and Member State levels serves to diminish rather than enhance the social security rights of certain older international migrants