The Interactive Effects of Pulsed Grazing Disturbance and Patch Size Vary among Wetland Arthropod Guilds

Pulse disturbances and habitat patch size can determine community composition independently or in concert, and may be particularly influential on small spatial scales for organisms with low mobility. In a field experiment, we investigated whether the effects of a pulsed disturbance that simulated a grazing event varied with habitat patch size. We focused on the short-term responses of multiple co-occurring emergent salt marsh arthropods with differing levels of mobility and dispersal potential. As part of a marsh restoration project, two types of emergent marsh structures were created: small circular mounds (0.5 m diameter) separated by several meters of aquatic habitat, and larger, elongated terraces (>50 m long). Study plots (0.25 m2) were established on both structures; in a subset of plots, we simulated a pulsed grazing disturbance event by clipping the aboveground tissue of emergent plants, primarily Spartina alterniflora. At the end of the two-month recovery period, Ischnodemus (Hemiptera: Blissidae) density was over 50% lower in disturbed treatments within both large (terrace) and small (mound) patches. Predatory spider treatment responses were similar to Ischnodemus responses, suggesting a trophic relationship between those two arthropod groups. Alternatively, spiders may have been directly affected by the loss of shelter in the disturbed plots. Prokelisia (Homoptera: Delphacidae), which are generally more mobile than Ischnodemus, were not affected by disturbance treatment or by patch size, suggesting the potential for rapid recolonization following disturbance. Larval stem borers decreased by an order of magnitude in disturbed plots, but only in the large patches. In general, the disturbance effects of vegetation removal on arthropod density and community composition were stronger than patch size effects, and there were few interactions between pulsed disturbance and patch size. Rather, emergent marsh arthropod responses to disturbance and habitat area treatments were linked to the dispersal potential and mobility of each individual taxon.This material is based in part upon work supported by the Research and Development program of the Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention and Response Division under Grant No. 09-060-000-3396 (http://www.glo.texas.gov/what-we-do/cari​ng-for-the-coast/oil-spills/research-dev​elopment.html). While employed under this grant, Amanda Thronson made substantial contributions to the data collection for this project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Childhood tuberculosis in southern Taiwan, with emphasis on central nervous system complications

Background/PurposeChildhood tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major public health problem in Taiwan. Taiwan remains a highly endemic area despite neonatal Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination and the availability of anti-TB therapy. The presentation is highly variable and it is often difficult to make an accurate diagnosis. This study was designed to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings and outcomes of TB in children with emphasis on central nervous system (CNS) complications.MethodsThe medical records of 80 children diagnosed with TB at a medical center in southern Taiwan over the past 24 years (1988–2012) were reviewed.ResultsAmong them, 48.8% (39/80) had pulmonary TB, 27.5% (22/80) had isolated extrapulmonary TB, and 23.7% (19/80) had disseminated TB. Most infected cases were aged either < 4 years or > 12 years. TB contact history was found in 42.5% (34/80) cases. Fourteen (17.5%) of the cases had CNS involvement. The most common presentations were fever (85.7%), signs of increased intracranial pressure (71.4%), drowsiness (64.3%), and focal neurological signs (57.1%). The major radiological findings were tuberculoma (50%), basilar enhancement (41.6%), infarction (41.6%), hydrocephalus (16.6%), and transverse myelitis (16.6%). The case fatality of CNS TB was 14.3% and 21.4% had neurologic sequelae.ConclusionFindings suggest that positive exposure history and suspicious clinical presentations are important clues for further confirmatory laboratory and image studies in childhood TB. CNS TB usually presented as part of disseminated TB in children. Early diagnosis and treatment may lead to favorable outcomes in CNS TB

Characterization of flow-pattern and heat transfer of micro flat heat pipes

Paper presented to the 10th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Florida, 14-16 July 2014.In this study, thermal performance and flow visualization of a double layer flat micro vapor chamber are carried out. Two micro vapor chambers having pin fin and pin fin array support structure were fabricated and tested. The micro vapor chambers were composed of silicon and glass wafers having an overall size of 35 mm × 40 mm × 1.525 mm. Test results show that both the pin fin and pin fin array vapor chambers show appreciably lower thermal resistance as compared to the solid silicon counterpart, the thermal resistance of the pin fin vapor chamber is about 52-60% of the solid silicon whereas the corresponding thermal resistance of pin fin array is only 17-20 % of the solid silicon. The thermal resistance of the pin fin vapor chamber is moderately increased with the increase of supplied power whereas opposite trend is encountered for the pin fin array. The phenomenon is associated with the influence of dry-out phenomenon. It is found that the pin fin array vapor chamber is still in function even for an upside-down arrangement. The thermal resistance, however, is reduced with the rise of tilt angle, and the vertical arrangement gives the lowest thermal resistance. However, the thermal resistance is considerably increased if the heat source is placed upwards, and the corresponding thermal resistance for an upside-down heat source can be threefold higher than that of the vertical arrangement.dc201

Clonal dissemination of invasive and colonizing clonal complex 1 of serotype VI group B Streptococcus in central Taiwan

Background/PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate clinical presentation, serotype distribution and genetic correlation of group B streptococcus (GBS) diseases. Since serotype VI prevalence far exceeded that reported in prior studies, genetic relationship of isolates was further analyzed.MethodsGBS isolates obtaining from patients with invasive diseases and pregnant women with colonization between June 2007 and December 2010 were analyzed. All isolates were tested for serotypes by multiplex PCR assay and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Serotype VI isolates were further analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST).ResultsA total of 134 GBS isolates were recovered from blood of 126 patients with invasive disease (94.0%) and anogenital swabs of 8 pregnant women (6.0%). Most common serotype was Ib (21.6%), followed by V (20.1%), VI (18.7%), III (15.7%), II (11.9 %), Ia (11.2%), and IX (0.7%). Serotype VI was also the leading type in infants with early onset disease (EOD; 3/8, 37.5%) and colonizing pregnant women (3/8, 37.5%). PFGE distinguished 33 pulsotypes, reflecting genetic diversity among GBS isolates. Among 25 serotype VI isolates tested, 14 were ST-1, seven were ST-679, three were ST-678, one was ST-681, and distributed into four PFGE pulsotypes. ST-678, ST-679, and ST-681 were novel sequence types; ST-678 and ST-679 are single-locus variants of ST-1 that belongs to clonal complex (CC) 1.ConclusionCC1 dissemination of serotype VI GBS thus emerges as an important invasive pathogen in infants and nonpregnant adults in central Taiwan. Serotype prevalence of GBS must be continuously monitored geographically to guide prevention strategy of GBS vaccines

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI