Studies on the biology of Attagenus elongatulus Casey (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and the effects of larval crowding on pupation and life cycle

The rates of pupation of Attagenus elongatulus Casey larvae were reduced by increased larval crowding. Artificial selection reduced the crowding effects and shortened the minimum life cycle. Female fecundity and mating success declined with age. Male potency was not affected by age but mating success declined. Females produced progeny from eggs laid during the first 4 days after mating with over 80% of the larvae produced during the first 2 days.     

Reflection of plane seismic waves at the surface of double-porosity dual-permeability materials

The present work deals with the reflection of plane seismic waves at the stress-free plane surface of double-porosity dual-permeability material. The incidence of two main waves (i.e., P₁ and SV) is considered. As a result of the incident waves, four reflected (three longitudinal and one shear) waves are found in the medium. The expressions of reflection coefficients for a given incident wave are obtained as a non-singular system of linear equations. The energy shares of reflected waves are obtained in the form of an energy matrix. A numerical example is considered to calculate the partition of incident energy for fully closed as well as perfectly open pores. Effect of incident direction on the partition of the incident energy is analyzed with the change in wave frequency, wave-induced fluid-flow, pore-fluid viscosity and double-porosity structure. It has been confirmed from the numerical interpretation that during the reflection process, conservation of incident energy is obtained at each angle of incidence.     

Unique Requirements of Building Information Modeling for Cast-in-Place Reinforced Concrete

The building information modeling (BIM) tools that have matured for structural steel and precast concrete construction are not suitable for production modeling of cast-in-place (CIP) reinforced concrete structures. The main reason is that CIP structures are monolithic in nature, as opposed to the discrete objects that are typical of steel and precast. A consortium of 12 major contractors and design firms collaborated over a one-year period to formulate the functional requirements for development of a BIM tool for cast-in-place reinforced concrete. The functional requirements were derived from a process model used to scope and understand the processes surrounding reinforced concrete design and production. The functional requirements were finally expressed as a set of object schemas, defining relations, methods, and attributes needed. These are essential for software companies to incorporate in their BIM tools to provide for the unique needs of modeling CIP structures.     

Fuzzy control of environmentally conscious refrigeration systems

This paper introduces the reader to the concepts of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic and to their capabilities in the area of control systems. To understand the capabilities of fuzzy logic in real-time controller design, a controller for an environmentally conscious refrigeration system was designed and implemented. Initial results show that a fuzzy logic controller is easy to implement, does not need an exact system model, does not need precise and expensive hardware, and deals with human concepts in a fairly natural and obvious way. This would be, hopefully, a potential avenue for future production of intelligent manufactured products.     

Extended screening by PCR for seven cry-group genes from field-collected strains of Bacillus thuringiensis

An extended multiplex PCR method was established to rapidly identify and classify Bacillus thuringiensis strains containing cry (crystal protein) genes toxic to species of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The technique enriches current strategies and simplifies the initial stages of large-scale screening of cry genes by pinpointing isolates that contain specific genes or unique combinations of interest with potential insecticidal activities, thus facilitating subsequent toxicity assays. Five pairs of universal primers were designed to probe the highly conserved sequences and classify most (34 of about 60) genes known in the following groups: 20 cry1, 3 cry2, 4 cry3, 2 cry4, 2 cry7, and 3 cry8 genes. The DNA of each positive strain was probed with a set of specific primers designed for 20 of these genes and for cry11A. Twenty-two distinct cry-type profiles were identified from 126 field-collected B. thuringiensis strains. Several of them were found to be different from all published profiles. Some of the field-collected strains, but none of the 16 standard strains, were positive for cry2Ac. Three standard and 38 field-collected strains were positive by universal primers but negative by specific primers for all five known genes of cry7 and cry8. These field-collected strains seem to contain a new gene or genes that seem promising for biological control of insects and management of resistance.     

A black body mutation of Attagenus elongatulus Casey (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Reported here is black body mutation of Attagenus elongatulus Casey, governed by a single autosomal gene, which shows incomplete dominance. There was no difference in the number of larvae produced by normal females when mated to black or normal males. Black males appear to be more responsive to pheromone extracts of both black and normal females.     

Insulin-induced lipohypertrophy treated by liposuction

BACKGROUND: The new intercalative agent Mitonafide was shown in early clinical trials to be toxic to the central nervous system when administered as a short intravenous infusion, but not when given as a 120-hour continuous infusion. Thus, clinical development in different tumor types was pursued using only this administration schedule. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-nine patients with previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and at least one measurable site received Mitonafide as a 120-hour continuous (5 days) infusion every 3 weeks. The starting dose was 170 mg/m2/day x 5 in the first 26 patients and 200 mg/m2/day x 5 in the remainder. Patients were evaluated for toxicity after each course and for response every two courses and remained on treatment until excessive toxicity or disease progression were observed. A special test, the "Mini-mental state", was used to assess patients' cognitive functions. RESULTS: Of the 49 patients entered, 42 were evaluable for response and toxicity. Toxicity consisted mainly of myelosuppression and no neurologic side effects were observed. Only one patient presented a partial response. CONCLUSIONS: Although definitively safe with this schedule of administration, Mitonafide is not active in NSCLC.     

Real-time stabilization of long range observation system turbulent video

The paper presents a real-time algorithm that compensates image distortions due to atmospheric turbulence in video sequences, while keeping the real moving objects in the video unharmed. The algorithm involves (1) generation of a “reference” frame, (2) estimation, for each incoming video frame, of a local image displacement map with respect to the reference frame, (3) segmentation of the displacement map into two classes: stationary and moving objects; (4) turbulence compensation of stationary objects. Experiments with both simulated and real-life sequences have shown that the restored videos, generated in real-time using standard computer hardware, exhibit excellent stability for stationary objects while retaining real motion.