Meadow Vole Control in Ontario Apple Orchards

Meadow vole, Microtus pennsyluanicus, is the most common field rodent found in Ontario and causes extensive damage to orchards and hardwood plantations (Radvanyi 1974a, 1974b). The damage is usually most serious when their normal food supply is limited, especially under deep snow cover during winter when occasionally voles breed (Brooks et al. 1976). The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (Ells and Hikichi 1979) suggests that damage to the orchards can be prevented by mowing the sods regularly, cleaning up trash from bases of fences, keeping the ground clean around tree base, use of pitfalls, and especially protecting the young trees by galvanized wire mesh tree guards. Poisoned baits containing zinc phosphide, diphacinone, or chlorophacinone are commercially available. In the fall, before the ground is covered with snow, it is recommended to lightly distribute the bait just inside the drip line of the tree, or in bait stations, or in a line along each side of the tree row. The bait may be distributed with a fertilizer or seed spreader. In problem orchards and where mice move in from adjacent fields or woods, repeated application of bait is necessary. Moist conditions will determine the choice and effectiveness of bait formulations. Under such conditions, especially under a deep winter snow cover, limiting control to the fall would be ineffective unless the voles were completely eliminated and there is no reinvasion. Therefore, the extended winter season and the possibility of winter breeding produce a major problem in vole control in Ontario (Brooks and Schwarzkopf 1981)

Characterisation and activity of mixed metal oxide catalysts for the gas-phase selective oxidation of toluene

Mixed metal bi-component oxide catalysts, including Fe/Mo, U/Mo, U/W, Fe/U, U/V and U/Sb have been prepared, characterised and evaluated for gas phase selective toluene oxidation. Selective toluene oxidation activity to form benzaldehyde was exhibited by Fe/Mo, U/Mo and U/W mixed oxide catalysts. The Fe/Mo catalyst produced the highest benzaldehyde yield. Catalysts that formed benzaldehyde also produced a range of by-products, these were other partial oxidation and coupling products, and preliminary studies of benzaldehyde oxidation suggests they were formed from secondary reactions of benzaldehyde. The Fe/U, Sb/U and U/V catalysts produced only total oxidation to carbon oxides. Catalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy and temperature programmed reduction. Single molybdate phases were identified for the Fe/Mo and U/Mo catalysts, and a mixture of uranium molybdate and WO3 was identified for the U/W catalyst. Results suggest that the formation of a molybdate phase is important for the selective oxidation of toluene. In contrast, the U/Fe catalyst was a mixture of U3O8 and V2O5, whilst the Fe/U catalyst was comprised of highly dispersed iron oxide on UO3. The presence of U3O8 was responsible for toluene total oxidation. The U/Sb catalyst did not exhibit selective toluene oxidation, but previous studies have demonstrated that the catalyst exhibits high activity for selective propene oxidation. Similar behaviour has been observed for the other catalysts in this study, and it is apparent that catalysts that were selective for toluene oxidation were not selective for propene/propane oxidation and vice versa

Public Land Mobile Network Selection During International Roaming

This publication describes techniques and apparatuses directed to Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection during international roaming. In aspects, roaming activity data is collected and compiled into a database of roaming activity data of Home PLMNs and associated Roaming PLMNs. The Roaming PLMNs are Visited PLMNs operated by a roaming partner that a subscriber’s operator has a roaming agreement with. An Optimized Preferred PLMN List (OPPL) is created from the compiled roaming activity data and the OPPL is stored on user equipment (UE). During international roaming, the UE can utilize the OPPL to determine a suitable PLMN for which to attempt registration, thereby avoiding the time and resources spent attempting to register to a randomly selected neighboring PLMN

Radio System for Locating Emergency Workers

A system based on low-power radio transponders and associated analog and digital electronic circuitry has been developed for locating firefighters and other emergency workers deployed in a building or other structure. The system has obvious potential for saving lives and reducing the risk of injuries. The system includes (1) a central station equipped with a computer and a transceiver; (2) active radio-frequency (RF) identification tags, each placed in a different room or region of the structure; and (3) transponder units worn by the emergency workers. The RF identification tags can be installed in a new building as built-in components of standard fire-detection devices or ground-fault electrical outlets or can be attached to such devices in a previously constructed building, without need for rewiring the building. Each RF identification tag contains information that uniquely identifies it. When each tag is installed, information on its location and identity are reported to, and stored at, the central station. In an emergency, if a building has not been prewired with RF identification tags, leading emergency workers could drop sequentially numbered portable tags in the rooms of the building, reporting the tag numbers and locations by radio to the central station as they proceed

The effect of potassium inclusion in a silver catalyst for N2O-mediated oxidation of soot in oxidising exhaust gases

It has previously been shown that an Ag/CZA catalyst can simultaneously remove NOx and soot from an oxygen-rich exhaust gas at low temperatures, by utilising the N2O generated preferentially during incomplete NOx reduction. Here, we examine the effect of reformulating the catalyst to include potassium, which is a known promoter of soot combustion. On including 2 wt% K, NOx-reduction occurs both in the absence and presence of soot, but the N2O formed does not play a part in the oxidation of soot. At higher K loadings (5, 10 and 15 wt%), NOx reduction is almost completely disabled, and only contributes to the activity of the catalyst containing 5 wt% K when tested in the presence of soot. At a loading of 20 wt% K, the potassium phase segregates, leaving NO and NH3 adsorption sites exposed. In the absence of soot, this catalyst can remove NOx by reduction on the Ag/CZA component and through nitration of the potassium phase. Although the presence of potassium lowers the onset temperature for soot oxidation to within the range of NOx reduction over Ag/CZA, the mobile K species prevents the desirable C+N2O reaction

Southern Ocean bottom water characteristics in CMIP5 models

Southern Ocean deep water properties and formation processes in climate models are indicative of their capability to simulate future climate, heat and carbon uptake, and sea level rise. Southern Ocean temperature and density averaged over 1986–2005 from 15 CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) climate models are compared with an observed climatology, focusing on bottom water. Bottom properties are reasonably accurate for half the models. Ten models create dense water on the Antarctic shelf, but it mixes with lighter water and is not exported as bottom water as in reality. Instead, most models create deep water by open ocean deep convection, a process occurring rarely in reality. Models with extensive deep convection are those with strong seasonality in sea ice. Optimum bottom properties occur in models with deep convection in the Weddell and Ross Gyres. Bottom Water formation processes are poorly represented in ocean models and are a key challenge for improving climate predictions

Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, seasonal habitat use and associations with habitat characteristics in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina

Understanding how habitat characteristics influence common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, distribution and behavior can be useful for conservation. The dolphin community in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina primarily exhibits seasonal residency and there is limited information on their habitat use. The objectives of this study were to increase habitat use knowledge and determine the relationship between habitat characteristics and dolphin distribution using standardized photographic-identification data (2009 – 2017). A hot spot (Getis-Ord Gi*) analysis showed dolphins frequently use the southern region containing the mouth of the estuary for feeding and traveling. Habitat characteristics were modeled with zero-altered gamma (ZAG), generalized linear (GLM), and generalized additive (GAM) models to predict dolphin group density. Models showed that groups were more likely to be present in areas with greater benthic slope variation and shallow areas closer to land, and that different habitat characteristics were associated with feed, social, and travel activities. This study suggests that Roanoke Sound provides a seasonal foraging area and travel corridor between the estuaries and coastal waters. This information contributes baseline knowledge of how habitat potentially influences dolphin distribution and behavior which can be useful for management and conservation, especially in areas where habitat changes and impacts need to be assessed

Epithelial Cell Integrin Β1 is Required for Developmental Angiogenesis in the Pituitary Gland

As a key component of the vertebrate neuroendocrine system, the pituitary gland relies on the progressive and coordinated development of distinct hormone-producing cell types and an invading vascular network. The molecular mechanisms that drive formation of the pituitary vasculature, which is necessary for regulated synthesis and secretion of hormones that maintain homeostasis, metabolism, and endocrine function, remain poorly understood. Here, we report that expression of integrin β1 in embryonic pituitary epithelial cells is required for angiogenesis in the developing mouse pituitary gland. Deletion of pituitary epithelial integrin β1 before the onset of angiogenesis resulted in failure of invading endothelial cells to recruit pericytes efficiently, whereas deletion later in embryogenesis led to decreased vascular density and lumen formation. In both cases, lack of epithelial integrin β1 was associated with a complete absence of vasculature in the pituitary gland at birth. Within pituitary epithelial cells, integrin β1 directs a large transcriptional program that includes components of the extracellular matrix and associated signaling factors that are linked to the observed non–cell-autonomous effects on angiogenesis. We conclude that epithelial integrin β1 functions as a critical and canonical regulator of developmental angiogenesis in the pituitary gland, thus providing insight into the long-standing systems biology conundrum of how vascular invasion is coordinated with tissue development

Epithelial cell integrin beta1 is required for developmental angiogenesis in the pituitary gland

As a key component of the vertebrate neuroendocrine system, the pituitary gland relies on the progressive and coordinated development of distinct hormone-producing cell types and an invading vascular network. The molecular mechanisms that drive formation of the pituitary vasculature, which is necessary for regulated synthesis and secretion of hormones that maintain homeostasis, metabolism, and endocrine function, remain poorly understood. Here, we report that expression of integrin beta1 in embryonic pituitary epithelial cells is required for angiogenesis in the developing mouse pituitary gland. Deletion of pituitary epithelial integrin beta1 before the onset of angiogenesis resulted in failure of invading endothelial cells to recruit pericytes efficiently, whereas deletion later in embryogenesis led to decreased vascular density and lumen formation. In both cases, lack of epithelial integrin beta1 was associated with a complete absence of vasculature in the pituitary gland at birth. Within pituitary epithelial cells, integrin beta1 directs a large transcriptional program that includes components of the extracellular matrix and associated signaling factors that are linked to the observed non-cell-autonomous effects on angiogenesis. We conclude that epithelial integrin beta1 functions as a critical and canonical regulator of developmental angiogenesis in the pituitary gland, thus providing insight into the long-standing systems biology conundrum of how vascular invasion is coordinated with tissue development