Straw Itch Mite, \u3ci\u3ePyemotes Tritici\u3c/i\u3e, Infestation in Brome Seed Related to Acute Dermatitis in Michigan Granary Workers

An infestation of Pyemotes tritici, the straw itch mite, apparently caused dermatitis on the arms and trunks of four workers in south-central Michigan who had unloaded a shipment of brome seed bags. Sampling of bag surfaces and contents indicated that mites occurred inside and on the surface of brome seed bags, but not in bags of other seed present at the site. One bag of fescue in contact with brome seed bags had mites on its surface. Pyemotes tritici densities on the brome seed bags ranged from 0.7 -5.6 per cm , while infestations in brome seed ranged from 0.08-0.33 mites per ml of seed. An insect repellent containing DEET was effective in preventing mite bites

Factors affecting the bit error rate performance of the indoor radio propagation channel for 2.3-2.5 GHz frequency band

The use of wireless in buildings based on microwave radio technology has recently become a viable alternative to the traditional wired transmission media. Because of the portable nature of radio transceivers, the need for extensive cabling of buildings with either twisted pair, coaxial, or optical fibre cable is eliminated. This is particularly desirable where high user mobility occurs and existing wiring is not in place, or buildings are heritage in nature and extensive cabling is seen as intrusive. Economic analysis bas also shown that significant labour cost savings can result by using a radio system or a hybrid mix of cable and radio for personal communication. The use of wireless systems within buildings introduces a new physical radio wave propagation medium, namely the indoor radio propagation channel. This physical medium has significantly different characteristics to some of the other forms of radio channels where elevated antennas, longer propagation path distances, and often minimally obstructed paths between transmit and receive antenna are common. Radio waves transmitted over the indoor channel at microwave frequencies behave much like light rays, they are blocked, scattered, and reflected by objects in the environment. As a direct result of this several phenomena unique to this form of physical medium become apparent, and they must be accounted for in the design and modelling of the indoor radio propagation channel transmission performance. In this thesis we analyse and characterise the indoor radio channel as a physical medium for data transmission. The research focuses on the influence of the radio physics aspects of an indoor microwave channel on the data transmission quality. We identify the associated statistical error performance for both time varying and temporally stationary indoor channels. Together with the theoretical analysis of the channel, a series of propagation measurements within buildings are completed to permit empirical validation of the theoretical predictions of how the indoor microwave channel should perform. The measurements are performed in the frequency range 2.3-2.5 GHz, which includes the 2.4-2.4835 GHz band allocated by spectrum management authorities for industrial scientific and medical radio use, (ISM band). As a direct result of our measurements, statistics related to channel noise, fading, and impulse response for the indoor microwave channel are obtained. The relationship between data transmission error statistics and the aforementioned phenomena is quantified and statistically analysed for the indoor radio channel and phase shift keyed (PSK) modulation. The results obtained from this research provide input data for the development of a simulation model of an indoor wireless mobile channel. Our measurements identify microwave ovens as a channel noise source of sufficient magnitude to corrupt data transmission in the ISM band, and an in depth analysis of the effect of noise emissions from operational microwave ovens on PSK modulation is presented in this thesis. As a result of this analysis, the estimated data error rates are calculated. Channel fading measurements provide results that will be used as the input data for the design of antennas for use on the indoor microwave channel. We also show that a data rate of eight megabits/second is possible over the typical indoor radio channel, with no requirement for adaptive delay equalisation to counter multipath signal delay spread

A Fluidic Alternative to the EM Drive Propulsion Concept: The Orthogonal Fluid Flow Propulsion Concept

A theoretical space propulsion concept in which a system does not lose its ionized propellant is introduced. Due to the fact that no propellant mass is lost by the system, the theoretical propulsion concept is synonymous to a form of propellant less propulsion similarly to the EM Drive. Therefore, a summarization of the EM drive including a brief description of other advances in ion propulsion is given along with a comparison to the new theoretical propulsion concept to be introduced. The orthogonal fluid flow propulsion concept or OFFPC describes orthogonal fluid flows of ionized propellant injected by orthogonal nozzles into an enclosed chamber where the ionized propellant is governed by electric forces generated by the chamber walls and will be mathematically shown to generate thrust. Inevitably, Newton’s third law and momentum conservation are addressed in relation to the OFFPC. Specifically, aerodynamic momentum conservation in a controlled volume system is used to show that the OFFPC obeys momentum conservation after elucidating the role of Newton’s third law within the theoretical system. The capability of a propulsion system incorporating the OFFPC to regenerate a portion of its electric energy (and voltage) similarly to an automobile alternator will be mathematically expressed. Thus, a description of how the system exhausts energy as with any conventional system is given to show that a propulsion system incorporating the OFFPC is not a perpetual motion device. Lastly, a mathematical demonstration of a hypothetical vehicle is given to show quantitative results and theoretical performance figures produced by the OFFPC

Magellan/M2FS Spectroscopy of Galaxy Clusters: Stellar Population Model and Application to Abell 267

We report the results of a pilot program to use the Magellan/M2FS spectrograph to survey the galactic populations and internal kinematics of galaxy clusters. For this initial study, we present spectroscopic measurements for $223$ quiescent galaxies observed along the line of sight to the galaxy cluster Abell 267 ($z\sim0.23$). We develop a Bayesian method for modeling the integrated light from each galaxy as a simple stellar population, with free parameters that specify redshift ($v_\mathrm{los}/c$) and characteristic age, metallicity ($\mathrm{[Fe/H]}$), alpha-abundance ($[\alpha/\mathrm{Fe}]$), and internal velocity dispersion ($\sigma_\mathrm{int}$) for individual galaxies. Parameter estimates derived from our 1.5-hour observation of A267 have median random errors of $\sigma_{v_\mathrm{los}}=20\ \mathrm{km\ s^{-1}}$, $\sigma_{\mathrm{Age}}=1.2\ \mathrm{Gyr}$, $\sigma_{\mathrm{[Fe/H]}}=0.11\ \mathrm{dex}$,$\sigma_{[\alpha/\mathrm{Fe}]}=0.07\ \mathrm{dex}$, and$\sigma_{\sigma_\mathrm{int}}=20\ \mathrm{km\ s^{-1}}$. In a companion paper, we use these results to model the structure and internal kinematics of A267.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Extension rates across the northern Shanxi Grabens, China, from Quaternary geology, seismicity and geodesy

Discrepancies between geological, seismic and geodetic rates of strain can indicate that rates of crustal deformation, and hence seismic hazard, are varying through time. Previous studies in the northern Shanxi Grabens, at the northeastern corner of the Ordos Plateau in northern China, have found extension rates of anywhere between 0 and 6 mm a−1 at an azimuth of between 95° and 180°. In this paper we determine extension rates across the northern Shanxi Grabens from offset geomorphological features and a variety of Quaternary dating techniques (including new IRSL and Ar-Ar ages), a Kostrov summation using a 700 yr catalogue of historical earthquakes, and recent campaign GPS measurements. We observe good agreement between Quaternary, seismic and geodetic rates of strain, and we find that the northern Shanxi Grabens are extending at around 1–2 mm a−1 at an azimuth of ≈151°. The azimuth of extension is particularly well constrained and can be reliably inferred from catalogues of small earthquakes. We do not find evidence for any substantial variations in extension rate through time, though there is a notable seismic moment rate deficit since 1750. This deficit could indicate complex fault interactions across large regions, aseismic accommodation of deformation, or that we are quite late in the earthquake cycle with the potential for larger earthquakes in the relatively near future

The tissue distribution of Se 75 -selenouracil and Se 75 -selenourea

With the development of photoscanning clinical medicine now possesses a diagnostic technique in which further advances will depend heavily upon pharmacologic investigations of structure-distribution relations. In the present study the distribution of the selenium analogs of thiouracil and thiourea, labeled with Selenium-75, was studied in rabbits. After administration of either compound, high concentrations of Se 75 were found in the lung, liver and kidney. The concentration of Se 75 in the lungs after administration of these compounds, especially Se 75 -selenouracil, permitted visualization of the lungs in the living, intact animal by photoscanning. However, neither Se 75 -selenouracil nor Se 75 -selenourea permit pulmonary scans of high quality and these particular compounds are not recommended for trial in man. The possible relation of labelled compounds of this type, as well as certain other series of labeled compounds, to the problem of adrenal scanning is also discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46301/1/210_2004_Article_BF00246346.pd

Absolute Magnitudes and Colors of RR Lyrae stars in DECam Passbands from Photometry of the Globular Cluster M5

We characterize the absolute magnitudes and colors of RR Lyrae stars in the globular cluster M5 in the ugriz filter system of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). We provide empirical Period-Luminosity (P-L) relationships in all 5 bands based on 47 RR Lyrae stars of the type ab and 14 stars of the type c. The P-L relationships were found to be better constrained for the fundamental mode RR Lyrae stars in the riz passbands, with dispersion of 0.03, 0.02 and 0.02 magnitudes, respectively. The dispersion of the color at minimum light was found to be small, supporting the use of this parameter as a means to obtain accurate interstellar extinctions along the line of sight up to the distance of the RR Lyrae star. We found a trend of color at minimum light with pulsational period that, if taken into account, brings the dispersion in color at minimum light to < 0.016 magnitudes for the (r-i), (i-z), and (r-z) colors. These calibrations will be very useful for using RR Lyrae stars from DECam observations as both standard candles for distance determinations and color standards for reddening measurements.Comment: Accepted for publication in A

Functional responses of methanogenic archaea to syntrophic growth.

Methanococcus maripaludis grown syntrophically with Desulfovibrio vulgaris was compared with M. maripaludis monocultures grown under hydrogen limitation using transcriptional, proteomic and metabolite analyses. These measurements indicate a decrease in transcript abundance for energy-consuming biosynthetic functions in syntrophically grown M. maripaludis, with an increase in transcript abundance for genes involved in the energy-generating central pathway for methanogenesis. Compared with growth in monoculture under hydrogen limitation, the response of paralogous genes, such as those coding for hydrogenases, often diverged, with transcripts of one variant increasing in relative abundance, whereas the other was little changed or significantly decreased in abundance. A common theme was an apparent increase in transcripts for functions using H(2) directly as reductant, versus those using the reduced deazaflavin (coenzyme F(420)). The greater importance of direct reduction by H(2) was supported by improved syntrophic growth of a deletion mutant in an F(420)-dependent dehydrogenase of M. maripaludis. These data suggest that paralogous genes enable the methanogen to adapt to changing substrate availability, sustaining it under environmental conditions that are often near the thermodynamic threshold for growth. Additionally, the discovery of interspecies alanine transfer adds another metabolic dimension to this environmentally relevant mutualism

Plasticity of host selection by malaria vectors of Papua New Guinea

Background Host selection is an important determinant of vectorial capacity because malaria transmission increases when mosquitoes feed more on humans than non-humans. Host selection also affects the outcome of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN). Despite the recent nationwide implementation of LLIN-based malaria control program in Papua New Guinea (PNG), little is known about the host selection of the local Anopheles vectors. This study investigated the host selection of Anopheles vectors in PNG. Methods Blood-engorged mosquitoes were sampled using the barrier screen method and blood meals analyzed for vertebrate host source with PCR-amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Abundance of common hosts was estimated in surveys. The test of homogeneity of proportions and the Manly resource selection ratio were used to determine if hosts were selected in proportion to their abundance. Results Two thousand four hundred and forty blood fed Anopheles females of seven species were sampled from five villages in Madang, PNG. Of 2,142 samples tested, 2,061 (96.2%) yielded a definitive host source; all were human, pig, or dog. Hosts were not selected in proportion to their abundance, but rather were under-selected or over-selected by the mosquitoes. Four species, Anopheles farauti (sensu stricto) (s.s.), Anopheles punctulatus (s.s.), Anopheles farauti no. 4 and Anopheles longirostris, over-selected humans in villages with low LLIN usage, but over-selected pigs in villages with high LLIN usage. Anopheles koliensis consistently over-selected humans despite high LLIN usage, and Anopheles bancroftii over-selected pigs. Conclusions The plasticity of host selection of an Anopheles species depends on its opportunistic, anthropophilic or zoophilic behavior, and on the extent of host availability and LLIN usage where the mosquitoes forage for hosts. The high anthropophily of An. koliensis increases the likelihood of contacting the LLIN inside houses. This allows its population size to be reduced to levels insufficient to support transmission. In contrast, by feeding on alternative hosts the likelihood of the opportunistic species to contact LLIN is lower, making them difficult to control. By maintaining high population size, the proportion that feed on humans outdoors can sustain residual transmission despite high LLIN usage in the village