UDP Focus: Connecting the Dots

Physical chemist uncovers nanoparticle behavior

Undergraduate Scholar: A Novel Experience

Student’s narrative map brings Spanish story to life

Biosecurity capacity building for the Australian avocado industry: Laurel Wilt

Ambrosia beetles share one special feature with humans, the ability to farm. These weevil-sized beetles colonize wood but rather than consuming this rather nutrient-poor material, they inoculate the tree with a particular type of fungus, which then becomes the food for the beetle larvae. Many tree species have evolved specialized chemical defences against this type of insect infestation and normally the fungal symbiont is only weakly pathogenic. However, there are some notable exceptions to this rule where perfectly healthy trees have succumbed to ambrosia beetle infestation and their fungal symbionts have acted as aggressive pathogens. One classic example occurs in the south-eastern states of the USA, where cultivated avocado and its wild relatives are afflicted by a lethal disease called laurel wilt. The culprit is the beetle Xyleborus glabratus, which transmits the fungus Raffaelea lauricola. X. glabratus is native to Asia and entered the USA as a stowaway in wooden crates. X. glabratus is considered one of the most serious biosecurity threats to the Australian avocado industry. In a pre-emptive move to prevent X. glabratus entering Australia, scientists from Brisbane have visited their counterparts in the USA to learn about laurel wilt disease. As a result of this collaboration, a diagnostic manual for laurel wilt has been produced, which will become the national standard for Australia. During preparation of this manual, new molecular diagnostic assays for both X. glabratus and R. lauricola were developed. Armed with these new assays, ambrosia beetle surveys were done in subtropical and tropical avocado production areas of the east coast of Australia and thankfully no X. glabratus found, confirming Australia’s pest-free status. However, there is no room for complacency, as two more ambrosia beetle species were discovered (Euwallacea sp. aff. fornicatus and Microperus sp.) were found on the Sunshine Coast and Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. Infestations of these beetles were associated with avocado canopy thinning and most likely yield loss. The fungal symbionts of these ambrosia beetles were isolated and shown to be new species in the genera Fusarium and Bionectria. When pure cultures of these fungi were injected into the stems of young avocado plants, large brown lesions were produced in the sapwood, confirming that these fungi were causing disease

Function of FXYD Proteins, Regulators of Na, K-ATPase

: In this short review, we summarize our work on the role of members of the FXYD protein family as tissue-specific modulators of Na, K-ATPase. FXYD1 or phospholemman, mainly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle increases the apparent affinity for intracellular Na+ of Na, K-ATPase and may thus be important for appropriate muscle contractility. FXYD2 or γ subunit and FXYD4 or CHIF modulate the apparent affinity for Na+ of Na, K-ATPase in an opposite way, adapted to the physiological needs of Na+ reabsorption in different segments of the renal tubule. FXYD3 expressed in stomach, colon, and numerous tumors also modulates the transport properties of Na, K-ATPase but it has a lower specificity of association than other FXYD proteins and an unusual membrane topology. Finally, FXYD7 is exclusively expressed in the brain and decreases the apparent affinity for extracellular K+, which may be essential for proper neuronal excitabilit

Farewell, Iron Curtain! Rewriting European Cold War History as Entangled Histories

Der Sammelband Beyond the Divide: Entangled Histories of Cold War Europe hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die vielfältigen Verbindungen und Wechselbeziehungen in Europa während des Kalten Krieges nachzuverfolgen. Es ist die erste von zwei Publikationen, die aus der Konferenz „East-West cultural exchange and the Cold War“ (Jväskylä, 2012) entstanden sind. Zusammen mit 14 Autor_innen erkunden Simo Mikkonen und Pia Koivunen transnationale Netzwerke im Europa des Kalten Krieges und verschieben ihre Perspektive weg von Staaten auf halb- und inoffizielle Ebenen. Dabei offenbaren die Kapitel einen vernachlässigten Teil der Europäischen Geschichte des Kalten Krieges, deuten aber auch auf das Bedürfnis weiterer Forschung zu Grenzlinien jenseits der Teilung des Kalten Krieges hin.The edited volume Beyond the Divide: Entangled Histories of Cold War Europe aims at tracing the manifold connections and interactions in Europe during the Cold War. It is the first of two publications to proceed from the conference “East-West cultural exchanges and the Cold War” (Jväskylä, 2012). Together with 14 contributors, Simo Mikkonen and Pia Koivunen explore transnational networks in Cold War Europe and redirect their focus from the state-to-state level to unofficial and semi-official bodies. Thereby the chapters reveal a neglected part of European Cold War History, but they also point to the need for further research on borderlines beyond the Cold War divide

The Hinterland on Display: Establishing a Market for Rural Handicraft in Austria-Hungary

In the late nineteenth century, mechanical production and the import of agricultural goods at lower prices challenged the working patterns of rural residents who engaged in home industry alongside farming. Handicrafts including textile manufacturing, woodworking, and ceramics were gradually replaced by cheaper and faster production in factories. At the same time, this development created new possibilities of selling goods from peripheral regions to an ever-expanding market. Against this background, state institutions, public associations, and entrepreneurs sought to har- ness artisanship as a resource in regional economic development. This article discusses strategies for establishing a market for rural handicraft in the Habsburg Empire. The Austro-Hungarian state founded vocational schools and crafts were promoted in publications as well as through their display. The analysis focuses on the role of woodworking (carving, cabinetmaking, turning) in regional economies in the Galician Tatra Mountains and Moravian Wallachia between 1867 and 1914. Based on source material from schools, local museums, alpine clubs, regional exhibitions, and state authorities, this article highlights initiatives seeking to enhance the value of handicraft and thus to integrate the hinterland into the market economy beyond the agricultural sector.In the late nineteenth century, mechanical production and the import of agricultural goods at lower prices challenged the working patterns of rural residents who engaged in home industry alongside farming. Handicrafts including textile manufacturing, woodworking, and ceramics were gradually replaced by cheaper and faster production in factories. At the same time, this development created new possibilities of selling goods from peripheral regions to an ever-expanding market. Against this background, state institutions, public associations, and entrepreneurs sought to har- ness artisanship as a resource in regional economic development. This article discusses strategies for establishing a market for rural handicraft in the Habsburg Empire. The Austro-Hungarian state founded vocational schools and crafts were promoted in publications as well as through their display. The analysis focuses on the role of woodworking (carving, cabinetmaking, turning) in regional economies in the Galician Tatra Mountains and Moravian Wallachia between 1867 and 1914. Based on source material from schools, local museums, alpine clubs, regional exhibitions, and state authorities, this article highlights initiatives seeking to enhance the value of handicraft and thus to integrate the hinterland into the market economy beyond the agricultural sector

Peripheries Uncovered: In Search of Global Approaches for the German Field of Eastern European History

Der Sammelband Osteuropäische Geschichte und Globalgeschichte von Martin Aust und Julia Obertreis stellt den neuesten Beitrag zur Debatte dar, wie der regionale Fokus der Osteuropäischen Geschichte nach dem Kalten Krieg zu fassen sei. Er versammelt ausgewählte Beiträge der gleichnamigen Konferenz, die 2011 am Herder-Institut in Marburg stattfand. In Form von Fallstudien entwickeln die Autoren und Autorinnen globale Perspektiven auf die von ihnen untersuchte Region. Obwohl diese Perspektiven durch die 'Positionalität' der Beiträge beschränkt sind, geben sie einen Eindruck davon, was solche Herangehensweisen an Osteuropa für die Globalgeschichte insgesamt bieten können.The edited volume Osteuropäische Geschichte und Globalgeschichte by Martin Aust and Julia Obertreis represents the most recent output of the on-going discussion on how to frame the regional focus of Eastern European History after the Cold War. It comprises selected contributions from a conference that took place at the Herder Institute in Marburg in 2011. By means of case studies, the authors assume global historical perspectives for their region of expertise. Though limited by the ‘positionality’ of the contributors, the articles reveal the insights that such approaches to Eastern Europe may offer to the field of global history on the whole

Balancing Act: Sustaining Our Future Across Disciplines

A farmer in western Kansas worries his well will be dry in 30 years. More than 9 million tons of clothing — some items only worn once — go to U.S. landfills each year. Globally, 79% of all consumer plastics end up in landfills or as litter and can take hundreds of years to decompose. These are a fraction of the sustainability challenges the world faces. If current behaviors and practices are left unchanged, experts say the consequences to our livelihoods and for the environment are bleak. But all is not lost: A variety of measures and practices can help overcome these challenges. Kansas State University researchers are working across disciplines to engage in sustainability, which meets today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. It’s a balancing act

Cause or Effect: How Researchers are Analyzing Misinformation

It is easier than ever to produce and consume information — it just requires a scroll, swipe or click. Information is at our fingertips every hour of every day