Records of \u3ci\u3ePachybrachis\u3c/i\u3e in Illinois (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

A list of the 20 species and subspecies of Pachybrachis contained in the collections of the Illinois Natural History Survey and Southern Illinois University, and the author\u27s personal collection, is presented, with recorded ecological data and county distribution records where known

Para hydrogen equilibration in the atmospheres of the outer planets

The thermodynamic behavior of the atmospheres of the Jovian planets is strongly dependent on the extent to which local thermal equilibration of the ortho and para states of molecular hydrogen is achieved. Voyager IRIS data from Jupiter imply substantial departures of the para hydrogen fraction from equilibrium in the upper troposphere at low latitudes, but with values approaching equilibrium at higher latitudes. Data from Saturn are less sensitive to the orth-para ratio, but suggest para hydrogen fractions near the equilibrium value. Above approximately the 200 K temperature level, para hydrogen conversion can enhance the efficiency of convection, resulting in a substantial increase in overturning times on all of the outer planets. Currently available data cannot definitively establish the ortho-para ratios in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune, but suggest values closer to local equilibrium than to the 3.1 normal ratio. Modeling of sub-millimeter wavelength measurements of these planets suggest thermal structures with frozen equilibrium lapse rates in their convective regions

Key Parameter Comparisons of Fungal Induced Mortality in Alfalfa Weevil Larvae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Key parameters of alfalfa weevil larval mortality by Entornophthora phytonorni were compared weekly in three alfalfa fields. Rainfall appeared to be the overriding factor in seasonal larval infection rates

Cryogenic shutter

A magnetically operated shutter mechanism is provided that will function in cryogenic or cryogenic zero gravity environments to selectively block radiation such as light from passing through a window to a target object such as a mirror or detector located inside a cryogenic container such as a dewar. The mechanism includes a shutter paddle blade that is moved by an electromagnetically actuated torquing device between an open position where the target object is exposed to ambient radiation or light and a closed position where the shutter paddle blade shields the ambient radiation or light from the target object. The purpose of the shuttering device is to prevent the mirror or other target object from being directly exposed to radiation passing through the window located on the side wall of the dewar, thereby decreasing or eliminating any temperature gradient that would occur within the target object due to exposure to the radiation. A special nylon bearing system is utilized to prevent the device from binding during operation and the paddle blade is also thermally connected to a reservoir containing cryogen to further reduce the internal temperature

Pitfall Trap Collections of Ground Beetle Larvae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Kentucky Alfalfa Fields

Pitfall traps were installed in alfalfa fields to monitor the seasonality and abundance of immature ground beetles. Head capsule widths were determined by instar for Evarthrus sodalis, Harpalus pennsylvanicus, Chlaenius tricolor, Scarites subterraneus, Amara cupreolata, and A. impuncticollis. Seasonality of larval and adult catches indicated that E. sodalis, H. pennsylvanicus and A. impuncticollis overwinter in a larval diapause while A. cupreolata and S. subterraneus overwinter in the adult stage

Dynamics of the atmospheres of the outer planets

Current knowledge about dynamics and the thermal structure of the outer planets is reviewed with the aim of identifying important measurements which should be made in the post-Voyager era. The existence of jets and cloud bands is the puzzle that underlies all others. The discussion focuses on the particular case of Jupiter because the documentation is the most complete. It is argued that the gross dynamical parameters of the outer planetary atmospheres are the keys to their behaviors, rather than the particular specifics of radiative forcing, cloud distributions, or thermodynamic transformations. Voyager data has shown that the jet systems decay with height in the region above the visible clouds. Therefore, the highest priority must be given to establishing dynamical parameters that characterize levels within and beneath the clouds. These require the determination of the deep structure of the jets, of the density stratification, and of the horizontal density contrasts. The deep regions are not easily accessible and these measurements present challenging opportunities. Indirect inferences about the controlling processes may sometimes be possible by observing waves and other activity in the more easily accessible stratosphere

Two Trapping Systems to Determine Incidence and Duration of Migration of Adult Alfalfa Weevils, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Emergence and flight traps were used to study the pre- and post-diapause movements of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica. The emergence traps proved to be an excellent tool in determining the time of diapause termination and in providing an accurate accounting of the number of weevils per unit area in aestivation sites. The flight traps showed when diapause flights to and from alfalfa fields took place. Both trapping systems can be utilized in a pest control program to locate more closely where the alfalfa weevil aestivates and when diapause related movements occur

Fall Termination of Aestivation and Field Dispersal of the Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Illinois

Emergence traps, flight traps, sweeping, and egg sampling were employed to determine fall termination of aestivation of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, and patterns and timing of field reentry, and subsequent fall oviposition. Adult alfalfa weevils were found to terminate aestivation in wood edge field borders in mid-late October. Field reentry began in late October as a gradual process, starting at wooded field borders, with the field population equally dispersed by mid-November