The Gender Equality in Research Scale: A tool for monitoring and encouraging progress on gender integration in research for and in development.

This brief discusses a monitoring and learning tool – the Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS) – designed to assess the level of gender integration across a CRP’s research portfolio and at different stages of the research and development cycle

Management of the Rice Tungro Virus Vector \u3ci\u3eNephotettix virescens\u3c/i\u3e (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) with Controlled-Release Formulations of Carbofuran

Field trials were conducted in lowland flooded rice in the Philippines to evaluate a number of carbofuran controlled-release formulations in comparison with commercial formulations. The test formulations were based on a biodegradable matrix of pine kraft lignin and were used as granules of different sizes and also in the form of small strips. The release rates were assessed under field conditions by bioassaying rice plants in the field, using adult rice green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens Distant. The lignin formulations with a high level of active ingredient (15–45% by weight) gave as good or better control than the commercial 3% granules in tests based on three application techniques: broadcast into the floodwater, soil incorporation, and root zone injection. The improvements in control levels of green leafhoppers were most marked with soil incorporation and root zone application. The best lignin-based formulation reduced levels of tungro virus infection from 23% for a conventional flowable carbofuran formulation to 1.0% at an application rate of 0.5 kg (AI)/ha. At the same rate, the grain yield was increased from 3.56 t/ha to 5.5 t/ha, using the controlled-released formulation

Nutrient Cycling In Tropical Grasses Irrigated With Dairy Effluent in a Tropical Island Environment

In Hawaii and other island environments, dairy producers accumulate large quantities of effluent in lagoons. These lagoons can potentially overflow causing the nutrients and other contaminants to pollute the land and associated water bodies. Alternative uses of effluent are urgently needed for a sustainable and environment-friendly dairy production. This study assessed the effects of effluent irrigation on plant and soil (Cumulic Haplustoll) properties. Five tropical grasses—bana {Pennisetum purpureum S.), California (Brachiaria mutica S.), signal (Brachiaria decumbens S.), star (Cynodon nlemfuensis V.) , and suerte (Paspalum atratum S.)—received subsurface drip irrigation of dairy effluent at two rates based upon the potential evapotranspiration (ETp) at the site (Waianae, Hawaii)—2.0 ETp (7 to 44 mm d"‘) and 0.5 ETp (2 to 11 mm d"*). No excessive increases in extractable soil P (81 to 176 mg kg'') and soil solution total P (3 to 9 mg L'') was observed after two years of effluent irrigation. Soil pH and soil solution pH fluctuated over time due to the high soil buffering capacity. Salinity and sodicity were not observed in this effluent-irrigated soil. Soil electrical conductivity (ECspc) declined from 18.0 dS m'' in July 2003 to 2.7 dS m * in Aug 2006—lower than the U.S. Salinity Laboratory’s critical level for classifying soils as saline (4.0 dS m''). Soil exchangeable sodium percentage (6.4 to 10.2%) remained below 15%—critical value critical value for classifying soils as sodic. Brachiaria mutica and P. purpureum yielded the highest dry matter of 57 and 53 Mg ha'' y ', respectively. Average nutrient removal of grasses was 30 to 187%, 13 to 86% and 2 to 14% of applied effluent N, P and K, respectively. Forage quality was within acceptable levels for feeding to dairy cattle. Modeling results showed that total applied phosphorus determines how many animals may be raised and how much area may be utilized to produce the forage. Results indicated that irrigating high yielding tropical grasses with effluent at 2.0 ETp was acceptable for recycling of nutrients from the effluent. Additional monitoring is needed to determine the longer-term impacts of effluent application on soil and plant properties

Shaping the waveform of entangled photons

We demonstrate experimentally the tunable control of the joint spectrum, i.e. waveform and degree of frequency correlations, of paired photons generated in spontaneous parametric downconversion. This control is mediated by the spatial shape of the pump beam in a type-I noncollinear configuration. We discuss the applicability of this technique to other sources of frequency entangled photons, such as electromagnetically induced Raman transitions.Comment: 5 Pages, 4 Figure

Frontiers of the physics of dense plasmas and planetary interiors: experiments, theory, applications

Recent developments of dynamic x-ray characterization experiments of dense matter are reviewed, with particular emphasis on conditions relevant to interiors of terrestrial and gas giant planets. These studies include characterization of compressed states of matter in light elements by x-ray scattering and imaging of shocked iron by radiography. Several applications of this work are examined. These include the structure of massive "Super Earth" terrestrial planets around other stars, the 40 known extrasolar gas giants with measured masses and radii, and Jupiter itself, which serves as the benchmark for giant planets.Comment: Accepted to Physics of Plasmas special issue. Review from HEDP/HEDLA-08, April 12-15, 200

Tropical Legumes to Augment Forage Yield in the Eastern Caribbean

Little information is available on the contribution of tropical legumes to forage yield in the eastern Caribbean. This study assessed the effects of three grazing cycles (GC; 5, 10 and 15-wk) on seasonal dry matter (DM) yield of binary mixtures of the tropical legumes glycine (Neonotonia wightii) and desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus) with “Bambatsi” (Panicum coloratum) and “Mottgrass” (Pennisetum purpureum Shum.). Plant responses were assessed by mob-grazing with sheep (12-24 hrs; to average stubble height of 15-cm) for each GC. Grazing cycles affected yield of both the legume and grass component (P\u3c 0.05). At GC of 5-weeks, forage DM ranged from 1.5-2.0 Mg ha-1 in both years. Forage yield increases at10 and 15-wk for both grass and legume were two-fold. Legume yield contribution ranged from 12-32 percentage by weight in 1997 and 33 to 58% in 1999. Desmanthus dominated bambatsi swards. Glycine associated well with both bambatsi and Mottgrass. Because of its aggressive shrub-growth habit, Desmanthus is better suited for use as hedgerows in native pastures. Glycine is more compatible to use as binary mixtures with grasses to increase yield and nutritive value in the eastern Caribbean

On the bend number of circular-arc graphs as edge intersection graphs of paths on a grid

Golumbic, Lipshteyn and Stern \cite{Golumbic-epg} proved that every graph can be represented as the edge intersection graph of paths on a grid (EPG graph), i.e., one can associate with each vertex of the graph a nontrivial path on a rectangular grid such that two vertices are adjacent if and only if the corresponding paths share at least one edge of the grid. For a nonnegative integer $k$, $B_k$-EPG graphs are defined as EPG graphs admitting a model in which each path has at most $k$ bends. Circular-arc graphs are intersection graphs of open arcs of a circle. It is easy to see that every circular-arc graph is a $B_4$-EPG graph, by embedding the circle into a rectangle of the grid. In this paper, we prove that every circular-arc graph is $B_3$-EPG, and that there exist circular-arc graphs which are not $B_2$-EPG. If we restrict ourselves to rectangular representations (i.e., the union of the paths used in the model is contained in a rectangle of the grid), we obtain EPR (edge intersection of path in a rectangle) representations. We may define $B_k$-EPR graphs, $k\geq 0$, the same way as $B_k$-EPG graphs. Circular-arc graphs are clearly $B_4$-EPR graphs and we will show that there exist circular-arc graphs that are not $B_3$-EPR graphs. We also show that normal circular-arc graphs are $B_2$-EPR graphs and that there exist normal circular-arc graphs that are not $B_1$-EPR graphs. Finally, we characterize $B_1$-EPR graphs by a family of minimal forbidden induced subgraphs, and show that they form a subclass of normal Helly circular-arc graphs