2,3-Hexanediols as Sex Attractants and a Female-produced Sex Pheromone for Cerambycid Beetles in the Prionine Genus Tragosoma

Recent work suggests that closely related cerambycid species often share pheromone components, or even produce pheromone blends of identical composition. However, little is known of the pheromones of species in the subfamily Prioninae. During field bioassays in California, males of three species in the prionine genus Tragosoma were attracted to 2,3-hexanediols, common components of male-produced aggregation pheromones of beetles in the subfamily Cerambycinae. We report here that the female-produced sex pheromone of Tragosoma depsarium “sp. nov. Laplante” is (2R,3R)-2,3-hexanediol, and provide evidence from field bioassays and electroantennography that the female-produced pheromone of both Tragosoma pilosicorne Casey and T. depsarium “harrisi” LeConte may be (2S,3R)-2,3-hexanediol. Sexual dimorphism in the sculpting of the prothorax suggests that the pheromone glands are located in the prothorax of females. This is the second sex attractant pheromone structure identified from the subfamily Prioninae, and our results provide further evidence of pheromonal parsimony within the Cerambycidae, in this case extending across both subfamily and gender lines.     

Energy conservation in wireless sensor networks: a rule-based approach

The research reported in this paper addresses the problem of energy conservation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It proposes concepts and techniques to extract environmental information that are useful for controlling sensor operations, in order to enable sensor nodes to conserve their energy, and consequently prolong the network lifetime. These concepts and techniques are consolidated in a generic framework we term CASE: Context Awareness in Sensing Environments framework. CASE targets energy conservation at the network level. A subset framework of CASE, we term CASE Compact, targets energy conservation at the sensor node level. In this paper, we elaborate on these two frameworks, elucidate the requirements for them to operate together within a WSN and evaluate the applications they can be applied to for energy conservation.     

Man from the Hauslabjoch

On September 19, 1991, at an altitude of 3,200 m (10,498 feet), the remains of a well-preserved, freeze-dried mummified body of a 3,000 BC, Late Stone Age man, was found on the Austrian-Italian border. Studies conducted at the University of Innsbruck have revealed that these are the remains of a 45-46-year-old male, 45 kg (99 lbs) (living weight) and 160 cm (5 feet, 2 inches) tall. Morphometric, pathophysiologic, paleobotanical, photogrammetric, anthropological, computer tomographic, and other studies have been conducted to determine the living conditions and possible causes of death of this Late Stone Age man.     

The relation of the supervisory training and span of control to EAP referrals.

Surveyed 114 supervisors from a large company regarding their referrals of employees to employee assistance programs (EAPs). Based on G. A. Bayer and L. H. Gerstein's (see record 1988-31304-001) model of EAP helping behavior, it was predicted that supervisors who participated in training would refer a greater proportion of their employees than those who did not participate in training and that supervisors with a small span of control to refer would refer a greater proportion of their subordinates than those with a large span of control. There was the predicted main effect for span of control but no effect for training nor an interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical observations of metabolic changes occurring in renal transplant recipients receiving ketoconazole

Metabolism of cyclosporine is reduced by ketoconazole binding to the monooxygenase responsible for cyclosporine degradation. This isozyme of cytochrome P450, along with other similar monooxygenases, is involved in the regulation of the synthesis and degradation of important metabolic pathways of cholesterol. Monooxygenases throughout these pathways are inhibited by ketoconazole binding causing a decreased metabolism of calcitriol, bile acids, and steroid hormones, and can thereby potentiate altered lipid metabolism, bone metabolism, and weight status of transplant recipients. A group of renal transplant recipients taking ketoconazole (n=25) was compared with a matched cohort not receiving ketoconazole for metabolic changes during the first six months posttransplantation. Lower LDL cholesterol levels were seen in the ketoconazole group (109 +/- 8 mg/dl) than the no ketoconazole group (140 +/- 8 mg/dl) at one month but this difference was not sustained at six months. More bone loss occurred in the ketoconazole group as demonstrated by significant changes in bone density as well as a greater urinary appearance of bone collagen crosslink, deoxy-pyridinoline (29 +/- 4 nmol dpd/mmol creatinine and 18 +/- 4 at six months for the ketoconazole group versus the no ketoconazole group, respectively, P<0.05). Weight gain changes were different between the ketoconazole group and no ketoconazole group (6.4 +/- 1.4 kg versus 5.0 +/- 1.3 kg) at six months and an increased rate of weight gain over time in the ketoconazole group (0.02 kg/day at one month versus 0.05 kg/day at six months, P<0.007). Effectiveness of ketoconazole inhibition of cyclosporine is valuable, but inhibition of other metabolic pathways should be evaluated as well.     

The Gamification of Civic Participation: Two Experiments in Improving the Skills of Citizens to Reflect Collectively on Spatial Issues

For civic participation to lead to sustainable civic engagement, participants need to go through a process of collective reflection. Games have been put forward as tools to support this process. The commercialization of the Internet, mobile communication devices, and sensing technologies precipitated a substantial increase in the development and use of games, gamified environments, and playful experiences, to the extent that scholars speak of the gamification of society. The goal of this paper is to investigate the potential of gamification to improve the skills of citizens to reflect collectively on spatial issues in their daily environment. The paper presents two gamification experiments; B3-Design your Marketplace! and Cure for the Campus. It discusses the extent to which they support collective reflection operationalized as a process during which the players are triggered to (1) observe their environment; (2) categorize their observations; and (3) structure these categories. It analyzes the first results gained based on these two cases and discusses their limitations and further research directions.     

The Performance of Small‐Pore Microporous Aluminophosphates in Low‐Temperature Solar Energy Storage: The Structure–Property Relationship

The utilization of the reversible chemical and physical sorption of water on solids provides a new thermal energy storage concept with a great potential for lossless long‐term storage. The performance of microporous aluminophosphates in heat storage applications is highlighted by a comparative thermogravimetric and calorimetric study of three known materials (SAPO‐34, AlPO₄‐18, APO‐Tric) and is correlated with their structural features. The maximum water sorption capacity is similar for all three samples and results in a stored energy density of 240 kWh m^?3 in the 40–140 °C range. The elemental composition influences the gradual (silicoaluminophosphate SAPO‐34) or sudden (aluminophosphates AlPO₄‐18, APO‐Tric) water uptake, with the latter being favourable in storage systems. The driving force for the determined sorption process is the formation of highly ordered water clusters in the pores, which is enabled by rapid and reversible changes in the Al coordination and optimal pore diameters. The ease with which changes in the Al coordination can occur in APO‐Tric is related to the use of the fluoride route in the synthesis. The understanding of these fundamental structure/sorption relationships forms an excellent basis for predicting the storage potential of numerous known or new microporous aluminophosphates and other porous materials from their crystal structures.     

A Human Osteochondral Tissue Model Mimicking Cytokine-Induced Key Features of Arthritis In Vitro

Adequate tissue engineered models are required to further understand the (patho)physiological mechanism involved in the destructive processes of cartilage and subchondral bone during rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we developed a human in vitro 3D osteochondral tissue model (OTM), mimicking cytokine-induced cellular and matrix-related changes leading to cartilage degradation and bone destruction in order to ultimately provide a preclinical drug screening tool. To this end, the OTM was engineered by co-cultivation of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived bone and cartilage components in a 3D environment. It was comprehensively characterized on cell, protein, and mRNA level. Stimulating the OTM with pro-inflammatory cytokines, relevant in RA (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, macrophage migration inhibitory factor), caused cell- and matrix-related changes, resulting in a significantly induced gene expression of lactate dehydrogenase A, interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor α in both, cartilage and bone, while the matrix metalloproteases 1 and 3 were only induced in cartilage. Finally, application of target-specific drugs prevented the induction of inflammation and matrix-degradation. Thus, we here provide evidence that our human in vitro 3D OTM mimics cytokine-induced cell- and matrix-related changes—key features of RA—and may serve as a preclinical tool for the evaluation of both new targets and potential drugs in a more translational setup.     

Influence of carboxymethylation on the surface physical–chemical properties of glucuronoxylan and arabinoxylan films

Xylans were carboxymethylated in order to increase their anionic nature and thus tune their surface free energy (SFE) and hydrophilicity, which are of crucial importance in the majority of special applications. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and polyelectrolyte titration results confirmed the successful carboxymethylation of the xylan samples. The main aim of this study was to investigate the influences of carboxymethylation of glucuronoxylan and arabinoxylans on the surface physical and chemical properties of the films made from them. Films were prepared by the casting method, and their surface morphologies were analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The surface chemical compositions of the films were investigated using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their influences on SFE, i.e., Lifshitz–van der Waals and electron donor and acceptor contributions, were determined using goniometry. The introduction of ～2 mmol/g of carboxyl groups into the glucuronoxylan or arabinoxylan molecular structures had a significant influence on the chemical and physical surface properties of the prepared films. Higher amounts of the carboxyl group present on the films' surfaces and higher surface roughness contributed to a significant increase (by 270%) in the electron donor component of SFE and to 40% improvements in the hydrophilicities of the films' surfaces. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2706–2713, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers