Field Tests of Kairomones to Increase Parasitism of Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Eggs by \u3ci\u3eTrichogramma\u3c/i\u3e Spp. (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Hexane extracts of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, moth scales, applied at 0.04 moth-gram equivalents/branch and at 0.06 moth-gram equivalents/tree, failed to increase parasitism rates of Trichogramma spp. in two cutover spruce-fir stands in Maine. Releasing Maine-strain T. minutum apparently increased parasitism rates about 20-fold. However, application of kairomone extracts to whole branches and to upper crowns of small trees may have interfered with host-searching behaviors of Trichogramma parasitoids

Design of a tunable, room temperature, continuous-wave terahertz source and detector using silicon waveguides

We describe the design of a silicon-based source for radiation in the 0.5-14 THz regime. This new class of devices will permit continuously tunable, milliwatt scale, cw, room temperature operation, a substantial advance over currently available technologies. Our silicon terahertz generator consists of a silicon waveguide for near-infrared radiation, contained within a metal waveguide for terahertz radiation. A nonlinear polymer cladding permits two near-infrared lasers to mix, and through difference-frequency generation produces terahertz output. The small dimensions of the design greatly increase the optical fields, enhancing the nonlinear effect. The design can also be used to detect terahertz radiation

Chemical Characterization and Subunit Hybridization of Human Hemoglobin H and Associated Compounds

Two abnormal hemoglobin components have been detected in association with thalassemiahemoglobin H disease. These components, as well as the major hemoglobin component, have been chemically characterized by determination of the amino acid composition, N-terminal amino acid sequence, tryptic peptide patterns, sedimentation coefficients, and subunit hybridization. The abnormal component in larger amount has a subunit formula of β_4; the abnormal component in smaller amount has a subunit formula of γ_4. The major hemoglobin component could not be distinguished chemically from normal hemoglobin A. Subunit hybridization studies of hemoglobins indicate that the affinities of the various subunits for one another are not equal

Mortification and Apodiorizo: Re-framing Apologia

Image restoration strategies and apologia have been used for years to explain how speakers engage in verbal self-defense. Kategoria has expanded our understanding of apologia when rhetors counter with an accusation to explain or justify their behavior. In recent years, however, a new tactic has emerged in apologia in which speakers admit to the transgression but then accuse the media of invading their privacy by stalking their families. Following the accusation, these speakers draw a boundary with the media and the audience regarding what the media can and cannot do. This strategy is unique because the rhetor does not attempt to create a scapegoat. The rhetor takes full responsibility for the transgression, sometimes even taunting the media to “come after me,” but then demands the media leave their family alone. This strategy of bringing a charge and drawing a boundary is absent in current image restoration literature. This essay will identify this new rhetorical posture as apodiorizo

Life long learning in rural areas: a report to the Countryside Agency

Lifelong Learning is a broad umbrella term which includes many different kinds of provision and different forms of learning. At its heart is formal learning, often classroom based, or involving paper and electronic media, undertaken within educational institutions such as colleges and universities. It may or may not lead to an award and it includes learning undertaken for vocational reasons as well as for general interest. It encompasses what are sometimes also known as adult education, continuing education, continuing professional development (cpd), vocational training and the acquisition of basic skills. It may also include work-based learning, and may overlap with post compulsory (post 16) education, i.e. with further education and higher education, but normally applies to all ‘adult learning’ i.e. by people over the age of 19, in particular those who are returning to study after completing their initial education. From the perspective of the individual learner, however, non-formal learning (organised, systematic study carried on outside the framework of the formal system) is also important. This forms a continuum with informal learning that occurs frequently in the process of daily living, sometimes coincidentally for example through information media or through interpretive provision (such as at museums or heritage sites ). This report focuses on those aspects of adult learning which are directly affected by government policies, and thus of prime concern for rural proofing

Chemical Characterization and Subunit Hybridization of Human Hemoglobin H and Associated Compounds

Two abnormal hemoglobin components have been detected in association with thalassemiahemoglobin H disease. These components, as well as the major hemoglobin component, have been chemically characterized by determination of the amino acid composition, N-terminal amino acid sequence, tryptic peptide patterns, sedimentation coefficients, and subunit hybridization. The abnormal component in larger amount has a subunit formula of β_4; the abnormal component in smaller amount has a subunit formula of γ_4. The major hemoglobin component could not be distinguished chemically from normal hemoglobin A. Subunit hybridization studies of hemoglobins indicate that the affinities of the various subunits for one another are not equal

Control theory for principled heap sizing

We propose a new, principled approach to adaptive heap sizing based on control theory. We review current state-of-the-art heap sizing mechanisms, as deployed in Jikes RVM and HotSpot. We then formulate heap sizing as a control problem, apply and tune a standard controller algorithm, and evaluate its performance on a set of well-known benchmarks. We find our controller adapts the heap size more responsively than existing mechanisms. This responsiveness allows tighter virtual machine memory footprints while preserving target application throughput, which is ideal for both embedded and utility computing domains. In short, we argue that formal, systematic approaches to memory management should be replacing ad-hoc heuristics as the discipline matures. Control-theoretic heap sizing is one such systematic approach

Spatial Scaling of Avian Population Dynamics: Population Abundance, Growth Rate, and Variability

Synchrony in population fluctuations has been identified as an important component of population dynamics. In a previous study, we determined that local‐scale (\u3c15‐km) spatial synchrony of bird populations in New England was correlated with synchronous fluctuations in lepidopteran larvae abundance and with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Here we address five questions that extend the scope of our earlier study using North American Breeding Bird Survey data. First, do bird populations in eastern North America exhibit spatial synchrony in abundances at scales beyond those we have documented previously? Second, does spatial synchrony depend on what population metric is analyzed (e.g., abundance, growth rate, or variability)? Third, is there geographic concordance in where species exhibit synchrony? Fourth, for those species that exhibit significant geographic concordance, are there landscape and habitat variables that contribute to the observed patterns? Fifth, is spatial synchrony affected by a species\u27 life history traits? Significant spatial synchrony was common and its magnitude was dependent on the population metric analyzed. Twenty‐four of 29 species examined exhibited significant synchrony in population abundance: mean local autocorrelation (ρ) = 0.15; mean spatial extent (mean distance where ρ = 0) = 420.7 km. Five of the 29 species exhibited significant synchrony in annual population growth rate (mean local autocorrelation = 0.06, mean distance = 457.8 km). Ten of the 29 species exhibited significant synchrony in population abundance variability (mean local autocorrelation = 0.49, mean distance = 413.8 km). Analyses of landscape structure indicated that habitat variables were infrequent contributors to spatial synchrony. Likewise, we detected no effects of life history traits on synchrony in population abundance or growth rate. However, short‐distance migrants exhibited more spatially extensive synchrony in population variability than either year‐round residents or long‐distance migrants. The dissimilarity of the spatial extent of synchrony across species suggests that most populations are not regulated at similar spatial scales. The spatial scale of the population synchrony patterns we describe is likely larger than the actual scale of population regulation, and in turn, the scale of population regulation is undoubtedly larger than the scale of individual ecological requirements

Comment on: Abou-Ali, H., El-Azony, H., El-Laithy, H., Haughton, J. and Khandker, S., 2010. Evaluating the impact of Egyptian Social Fund for Development Programmes. Journal of Development Effectiveness, 2 (4), 521–555

PRIFPRI3; ISIDG