Control of corn diseases in Illinois

"In cooperation with Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

OPENING REMARKS

The purpose of this Vertebrate Pest Control Conference are several. They are to: 1. Get acquainted with other persons in the field of vertebrate pest control ; 2. Learn the best and safest methods of vertebrate pest control; 3. Hear what is going on in the various fields of research; 4. Stimulate new research; 5. Improve communications between research workers and between research workers, pest control operators and industry developers of materials used in the field of vertebrate pest control; 6. Inform the public about the true role of vertebrate pest control and why it is sometimes necessary, and 7. Attempt to eliminate misunderstandings between those of us who are engaged in vertebrate pest control and the general public

Electricity network scenarios for 2020

This report presents a set of scenarios for the development of the electricity supply industry in Great Britain in the years to 2020. These scenarios illustrate the varied sets of background circumstances which may influence the industry over the coming years – including political and regulatory factors, the strength of the economy and the level to which environmentally-driven restrictions and opportunities influence policy and investment decisions. Previous work by the authors (Elders et al, 2006) has resulted in a set of six scenarios illustrating possible developments in the electricity industry in the period up to 2050. While such scenarios are valuable in gauging the long-term direction of the electricity industry and its economic and environmental consequences, shorter-range scenarios are useful in assessing the steps necessary to achieve these long-range destinations, and to determine their relationship to current trends, policies and targets. In this chapter, a set of medium-range scenarios focused on the year 2020 is developed and described. These scenarios are designed to be consistent both with the current state of the electricity supply industry in Great Britain, and with the achievement of the ultimate electricity generation, supply and utilisation infrastructure and patterns described in each of the 2050 scenarios. The consequences of these scenarios in terms of the emissions of carbon dioxide are evaluated and compared with other predictions. The SuperGen 2020 scenarios described in this report were developed as a collaborative effort between the SuperGen project team and the ITI-Energy Networks Project team both based at the University of Strathclyde

Early psychosocial stress predicts extra-pair copulations

Cheating on a mate, known as an extra-pair copulation (EPC), is considered unacceptable by most individuals. Nonetheless many individuals engage in such risky behaviors. Because individuals with high, as opposed to low, levels of early psychosocial stress are more risk prone and more likely to engage in opportunistic matings, we predicted that individuals reporting EPCs, one of many types of opportunistic mating (e.g., one-night stand, consecutive short-term relationships etc), have higher levels of early psychosocial stress than those who do not. Two types of EPCs were examined: EPC-self (EPC-S), having sex with someone other than one's mate, and EPC-other (EPC-O), having sex with someone else's mate. In a sample of 229 women and 161 men, significantly higher levels of early psychosocial stress were found amongst those reporting an EPC-S than those reporting none, irrespective of EPC-Os. Furthermore, the more EPC-Ss men, but not women, reported the higher their early psychosocial stress. Early psychosocial stress was not associated with EPC-Os irrespective of EPC-Ss. Participants were also classified into one of four groups (no EPCs, EPC-O only, EPC-S only, or EPC-S&O) which significantly interacted with early psychosocial stress. Results are discussed from adaptationist and mechanist perspectives and why early psychosocial stress was higher in individuals reporting EPC-Ss irrespective of EPC-Os, but not EPC-Os irrespective of EPC-Ss, than those not reporting the EPC of interest

Rapid degradation of mutant SLC25A46 by the ubiquitin-proteasome system results in MFN1/2-mediated hyperfusion of mitochondria.

SCL25A46 is a mitochondrial carrier protein that surprisingly localizes to the outer membrane and is distantly related to Ugo1. Here we show that a subset of SLC25A46 interacts with mitochondrial dynamics components and the MICOS complex. Decreased expression of SLC25A46 results in increased stability and oligomerization of MFN1 and MFN2 on mitochondria, promoting mitochondrial hyperfusion. A mutation at L341P causes rapid degradation of SLC25A46, which manifests as a rare disease, pontocerebellar hypoplasia. The E3 ubiquitin ligases MULAN and MARCH5 coordinate ubiquitylation of SLC25A46 L341P, leading to degradation by organized activities of P97 and the proteasome. Whereas outer mitochondrial membrane-associated degradation is typically associated with apoptosis or a specialized type of autophagy termed mitophagy, SLC25A46 degradation operates independently of activation of outer membrane stress pathways. Thus SLC25A46 is a new component in mitochondrial dynamics that serves as a regulator for MFN1/2 oligomerization. Moreover, SLC25A46 is selectively degraded from the outer membrane independently of mitophagy and apoptosis, providing a framework for mechanistic studies in the proteolysis of outer membrane proteins

Infections Associated with Bartonella Species in Persons Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Two members of the genus Bartonella, Bartonella quintana (formerly Rochalimaea quintana) and Bartonella henselae (formerly Rochalimaea henselae), have recently been recognized as agents of severe or fatal disease in patients infected with human immunodeficiencyv irus (HIV). The development of infection with B. henselae in HIV-infected individuals has been associated with traumatic contact with cats (scratches or bites), and domestic cats have been identified as a major reservoir for this organism. Specific information regarding the transmission of B. henselae to humans is not yet available, but common-sense precautions that minimize exposure to cat-associated organisms are appropriate. Preliminary accounts suggest that B. quintana infections are more common than B. henselae infections among HIV-infected individuals in San Francisco. The source of infection with B. quintana and the mechanism of its transmission remain unknown