Appearance of a Host Protein in Cucumber Plants Infected with Viruses, Bacteria and Fungi

Electrophoretic analyses of extracts of cucumber leaves infected with Colleiotrichum lagenarium, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, Pseudomonas lachrymans, Erwinia tracheiphila, tobacco necrosis virus or cucumber mosaic virus revealed the presence of a protein band with an RF value of 0.55-0.60 (based on mobility of bromophenol blue) on 10% polyacrylamide gel. This band was not evident in extracts of healthy or mechanically wounded leaves. The protein was not detected in uninfected leaves of infected plants, but it was detected in similar amounts in infected leaves and in secondarily challenged leaves of infected plants even though symptoms were not apparent on the latter. The protein had a molecular weight of approximately 16 000 d, was adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose, did not react with Schiff's reagent, and did not have ribonuclease activity. When injected into cucumber leaves, it did not inhibit germination of conidia of C. lagenarium or induce resistance against disease caused by the fungu

Adjusting the frequency of mammography screening on the basis of genetic risk: Attitudes among women in the UK.

Purpose To explore public attitudes towards modifying frequency of mammography screening based on genetic risk. Methods Home-based interviews were carried out with a population-based sample of 942 women aged 18–74 years in the UK. Demographic characteristics and perceived breast cancer (BC) risk were examined as predictors of support for risk-stratified BC screening and of the acceptability of raised or lowered screening frequency based on genetic risk, using multivariate logistic regression. Results Over two-thirds of respondents (65.8%) supported the idea of varying screening frequency on the basis of genetic risk. The majority (85.4%) were willing to have more frequent breast screening if they were found to be at higher risk, but fewer (58.8%) were willing to have less frequent screening if at lower risk (t (956) = 15.6, p < 0.001). Ethnic minority status was associated with less acceptability of more frequent screening (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.21–0.74), but there were no other significant demographic correlates. Higher perceived risk of BC was associated with greater acceptability of more frequent screening (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.27–2.30). Conclusion Women were positive about adjusting the frequency of mammography screening in line with personal genetic risk, but it will be important to develop effective communication materials to minimise resistance to reducing screening frequency for those at lower genetic risk

Vacuum Rabi splitting and intracavity dark state in a cavity-atoms system

We report experimental measurements of the transmission spectrum of an optical cavity coupled with cold Rb atoms. We observe the multi-atom vacuum Rabi splitting of a composite cavity and atom system. When a coupling field is applied to the atoms and induces the resonant two-photon Raman transition with the cavity field in a Lamda-type three-level system, we observe a cavity transmission spectrum with two vacuum Rabi sidebands and a central peak representing the intracavity dark state. The central peak linewidth is significantly narrowed by the dark-state resonance and its position is insensitive to the frequency change of the empty cavity.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Modeling of a Hot Gas Bypass Test Block for Centrifugal Compressors

The increasingly competitive building equipment and control industry pushes manufacturers to devote more resources each year to research and development, continually improving the performance and efficiency of their products to develop and maintain a competitive edge. Compressor development is an expensive endeavor because of prototyping and testing costs, but the cost and time required for testing can be minimized by developing a model of the compressor test block to predict its behavior with a given prototype compressor at specified operating conditions. This paper presents a thermodynamic model of a hot gas bypass test block used to evaluate centrifugal compressor performance at a compressor development facility. The test block uses cooling towers to reject the heat of compression to outdoor air, and experience has shown that the range of achievable compressor test conditions can be limited by outdoor air temperature and humidity, which control the heat rejection rate. Therefore, one goal of the model development was to provide a means for evaluating the feasibility of tests at given ambient conditions. By incorporating models of the cooling towers into the test block model, test operators now are able to predict the range of compressor suction and discharge conditions that can be tested under the current outdoor air conditions. A second goal of the model was to assist in selecting the orifice plate used in the orifice flow meter that measures mass flow through the compressor. Operators previously had to make an educated guess as to the best orifice plate size in advance of running the tests, but the model now identifies the orifice diameters that result in pressure drops within the desired range, minimizing the trial and error involved in testing. The model assumes that the system operates at steady-state conditions and uses a compressor map to model expected prototype compressor performance. Therefore, this paper focuses on the condenser and cooling tower models, which are the most important elements for predicting the impact of outdoor conditions on cycle performance. It is shown that the resulting model achieves reasonable agreement with experimental data and provides a useful orifice selection routine

Portable Catapult Launcher For Small Aircraft

An apparatus for launching an aircraft having a multiplicity of interconnected elongated tracks of rigid material forming a track system and wherein each elongated track has a predetermined elongated track cross-sectional design, a winch system connected to the track system wherein the winch system has a variable mechanical advantage, one or more elongated elastic members wherein one end of each of the one or more elongated elastic members is adjustably connected to the track system, and a carrier slidably mounted to the track system wherein the canier is connected to the winch system and to the other end of each of the one or more elongated elastic members

Characterizing forest succession with lidar data: An evaluation for the Inland Northwest, USA

Quantifying forest structure is important for sustainable forest management, as it relates to a wide variety of ecosystem processes and services. Lidar data have proven particularly useful for measuring or estimating a suite of forest structural attributes such as canopy height, basal area, and LAI. However, the potential of this technology to characterize forest succession remains largely untested. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of lidar data for characterizing forest successional stages across a structurally diverse, mixed-species forest in Northern Idaho. We used a variety of lidar-derived metrics in conjunction with an algorithmic modeling procedure (Random Forests) to classify six stages of three-dimensional forest development and achieved an overall accuracy \u3e95%. The algorithmic model presented herein developed ecologically meaningful classifications based upon lidar metrics quantifying mean vegetation height and canopy cover, among others. This study highlights the utility of lidar data for accurately classifying forest succession in complex, mixed coniferous forests; but further research should be conducted to classify forest successional stages across different forests types. The techniques presented herein can be easily applied to other areas. Furthermore, the final classification map represents a significant advancement for forest succession modeling and wildlife habitat assessment

Evaluating Aster Satellite Imagery And Gradient Modeling For Mapping And Characterizing Wildland Fire Fuels

Land managers need cost-effective methods for mapping and characterizing fire fuels quickly and accurately. The advent of sensors with increased spatial resolution may improve the accuracy and reduce the cost of fuels mapping. The objective of this research is to evaluate the accuracy and utility of imagery from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite and gradient modeling for mapping fuel layers for fire behavior modeling within FARSITE. An empirical model, based upon field data and spectral information from an ASTER image, was employed to test the efficacy of ASTER for mapping and characterizing canopy closure and crown bulk density. Surface fuel models (NFFL 1-13) were mapped using a classification tree based upon three gradient layers; potential vegetation type, cover type, and structural stage

Characterizing forest succession with lidar data: An evaluation for the Inland Northwest, USA

Quantifying forest structure is important for sustainable forest management, as it relates to a wide variety of ecosystem processes and services. Lidar data have proven particularly useful for measuring or estimating a suite of forest structural attributes such as canopy height, basal area, and LAI. However, the potential of this technology to characterize forest succession remains largely untested. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of lidar data for characterizing forest successional stages across a structurally diverse, mixed-species forest in Northern Idaho. We used a variety of lidar-derived metrics in conjunction with an algorithmic modeling procedure (Random Forests) to classify six stages of three-dimensional forest development and achieved an overall accuracy \u3e95%. The algorithmic model presented herein developed ecologically meaningful classifications based upon lidar metrics quantifying mean vegetation height and canopy cover, among others. This study highlights the utility of lidar data for accurately classifying forest succession in complex, mixed coniferous forests; but further research should be conducted to classify forest successional stages across different forests types. The techniques presented herein can be easily applied to other areas. Furthermore, the final classification map represents a significant advancement for forest succession modeling and wildlife habitat assessment