Euphydryas anicia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) utilization of iridoid glycosides fromCastilleja andBesseya (Scrophulariaceae) host plants

Iridoid glycosides were found to be sequestered by natural populations ofEuphydryas anicia after ingestion from the host plantsBesseya alpina, B. plantaginea, andCastilleja integra. Both major iridoids ofB. alpina, cataipol and aucubin, were found in butterfly populations where this was the only host plant. The catalpol-aucubin ratio was higher in the butterflies than in the host plant. AnE. anicia population which uses bothB. plantaginea andC. integra as host plants was found to sequester cataipol as well as another iridoid, macfadienoside. Macfadienoside was the major iridoid ofC. integra, while catalpol esters were the major iridoids ofB. plantaginea. Although it was a major sequestered iridoid, catalpol was a minor constituent in both host plants. The macfadienoside-catalpol ratio in the butterflies from this population was highly variable, and there appeared to be both sex and individual variation in host plant and/or iridoid glucoside utilization byE. anicia. Although other iridoids were present in the host plants, none was sequestered in more than trace amounts.This work was supported by grant CHE-8213714 to FRS, in part by grant DEB-06961 to PRE from the National Science Foundation, and a grant from the Koret Foundation of San Francisco to PRE. Paper 5 in the series Chemistry of the Scrophulariaceae. Paper 4: Roby, M.R. and Stermitz, F.R. 1984.J. Nat. Prod. 47:854–857.     

Learning from the extreme River Tyne flood in January 2005

Extreme floods often demonstrate unanticipated characteristics that pose problems for management and response. The floods on the Tyne and Eden in January 2005 provided numerous examples of such unexpected response. This paper describes characteristics of storm rainfall and runoff generation on the River Tyne catchment, flood effects and damage. Unusual aspects of hydrological behaviour are highlighted as a basis for assessing what lessons can be learned for flood risk management. These include problems associated with coincidence of extreme wind speeds and rainfall, the retarding influence of floodplain storage on flood wave travel time in extreme flows, the influence of critical storm duration on the severity of the resulting flood on headwaters and main river, and the variety of mechanisms of flood occurrence. The occurrence of such an extreme flood provides the opportunity to validate and enhance the review process of the Environment Agency's flood zone maps.     

Latest developments in GaN-based quantum devices for infrared optoelectronics

In this work, we summarize the latest progress in intersubband devices based on GaN/AlN nanostructures for operation in the near-infrared. We first discuss the growth and characterization of ultra-thin GaN/AlN quantum well and quantum dot superlattices by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. Then, we present the performance of nitride-based infrared photodetectors and electro-optical modulators operating at 1.55 μm. Finally, we discuss the progress towards intersubband light emitters, including the first experimental observation of intersubband photoluminescence in nitride nanostructures.     

Etifoxine Restores Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation and Improves Cognitive Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury

The opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) has emerged as a pivotal event following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Evidence showing the impact of the translocator protein (TSPO) over mPTP activity has prompted several studies exploring the effect of TSPO ligands, including etifoxine, on the outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mitochondrial respiration was assessed by respirometry in isolated rat brain mitochondria (RBM) by measurements of oxidative phosphorylation capacity (OXPHOS). The addition of calcium to RBM was used to induce mitochondrial injury and resulted in significant OXPHOS reduction that could be reversed by preincubation of RBM with etifoxine. Sensorimotor and cognitive functions were assessed following controlled cortical impact and compared in vehicle and etifoxine-treated animals. There was no difference between the vehicle and etifoxine groups for sensorimotor functions as assessed by rotarod. In contrast, etifoxine resulted in a significant improvement of cognitive functions expressed by faster recovery in Morris water maze testing. The present findings show a significant neuroprotective effect of etifoxine in TBI through restoration of oxidative phosphorylation capacity associated with improved behavioral and cognitive outcomes. Since etifoxine is a registered drug used in common clinical practice, implementation in a phase II study may represent a reasonable step forward.     

Orientation of Magnetized MnBi in a Strong Static Magnetic Field

Solidification of Bi-4.5 wt pct Mn alloy was investigated in the presence and absence of a strong static magnetic field (SSMF). A cooling rate (R) of 60 K/min caused MnBi to orient with the SSMF, owing to the force moment and attractive force. The attractive force and magnetic gradient force induced formation of multilayered MnBi when R was 5 K/min. The magnetic gradient force was damped when R was 60 K/min. Low cooling rates favored the aggregation process.     

Bio-inspired tapered fibers for composites with superior toughness

The toughness of fiber-reinforced composites largely relies on crack bridging. More specifically, intact fibers left behind the tip of a propagating crack are progressively pulled out of the matrix, dissipating energy which translates into toughness. While short fibers are traditionally straight, recent work has showed that they can be shaped to increase the pullout strength, but not necessarily the energy to pullout. In this work we have modeled, fabricated and tested short fibers with tapered ends inspired from a high-performance natural material: nacre from mollusc shells. The main idea was to duplicate a key mechanism where a slight waviness of the inclusion can generate strain hardening and energy dissipation when the inclusion is pulled out. We have incorporated a similar feature to short fibers, in the form of tapered ends with well defined opening angles. We performed pullout tests on tapered steel fibers in epoxy matrices, which showed that the pullout of tapered fiber dissipates up to 27 times more energy than straight fibers. The experimental results also indicated the existence of an optimum taper angle to maximize work of pullout while preventing the brittle fracture of the matrix. An analytical model was developed to capture the pullout mechanism and the interaction between fiber and matrix. The analytical model can guide the design of tapered fibers by providing predictions on the influence of different parameters.     

Estimation of gestational age from fundal height: a solution for resource-poor settings

Many women in resource-poor settings lack access to reliable gestational age assessment because they do not know their last menstrual period; there is no ultrasound (US) and methods of newborn gestational age dating are not practised by birth attendants. A bespoke multiple-measures model was developed to predict the expected date of delivery determined by US. The results are compared with both a linear and a nonlinear model. Prospectively collected early US and serial symphysis-pubis fundal height (SFH) data were used in the models. The data were collected from Karen and Burmese women attending antenatal care on the Thai–Burmese border. The multiple-measures model performed best, resulting in a range of accuracy depending on the number of SFH measures recorded per mother (for example six SFH measurements resulted in a prediction accuracy of ±2 weeks). SFH remains the proxy for gestational age in much of the resource-poor world. While more accurate measures should be encouraged, we demonstrate that a formula that incorporates at least three SFH measures from an individual mother and the slopes between them provide a significant increase in the accuracy of prediction compared with the linear and nonlinear formulae also using multiple SFH measures.     

An innovation funnel process for set-based conceptual design via DOE exploration,DEA selection and computer simulation

This paper presents a conceptual design approach including pattern creation from designers, alternative exploration with a DOE matrix, alternative analysis via computer simulation and alternative selection by DEA analysis. Designers possessing domain knowledge create various design patterns to meet the requirements of product performance and customer expectations. Then, based on these design patterns, the alternatives, considered as decision-making units (DMUs), are extracted from various quality level combinations by following the use of the DOE matrix. The nature of the DOE matrix ensures that distinctive representatives are constructed for all design alternatives. The total alternatives (DMUs) consist of the alternatives associated with all the patterns. Computer simulation with ANSYS software is introduced to convert the quality level combination of each alternative (DMU) into simulated outputs, which are further categorised into DEA inputs and DEA outputs for DEA frontier analysis. Four DEA methods, CCR-min input, CCR-max output, BCC-min input and BCC-max output, are used for analysing typical market representatives resulting from market uncertainty. The found efficiencies are used to rank and select the explored alternatives (DMUs) for the next stage of the detailed design. A bike-frame product is chosen as an example to demonstrate the proposed approach. The results clearly show that the proposed approach enables designers to economically select appropriate design alternatives that satisfy performance expectations during the conceptual design stage.     

Effect of chemicals on the microbial evolution in foods

In contrast with most chemical hazardous compounds, the concentration of food pathogens changes during processing, storage, and meal preparation, making it difficult to estimate the number of microorganisms or the concentration of their toxins at the moment of ingestion by the consumer. These changes are attributed to microbial proliferation, survival, and/or inactivation and must be considered when exposure to a microbial hazard is assessed. The number of microorganisms can also change as a result of physical removal, mixing of food ingredients, partitioning of a food product, or cross-contamination (M. J. Nauta. 2002. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 73:297-304). Predictive microbiology, i.e., relating these microbial evolutionary patterns to environmental conditions, can therefore be considered a useful tool for microbial risk assessment, especially in the exposure assessment step. During the early development of the field (late 1980s and early 1990s), almost all research was focused on the modeling of microbial growth over time and the influence of temperature on this growth. Later, modeling of the influence of other intrinsic and extrinsic parameters garnered attention. Recently, more attention has been given to modeling of the effects of chemicals on microbial inactivation and survival. This article is an overview of different applied strategies for modeling the effect of chemical compounds on microbial populations. Various approaches for modeling chemical growth inhibition, the growth-no growth interface, and microbial inactivation by chemicals are reviewed.