What defense doesSchouwia purpurea (Cruciferae) have against the desert locust?

A field study of the food eaten by solitary desert locusts was carried out in a winter breeding area in Mauritania. The food eaten, determined by the plant epidermis found in fecal pellets, was compared to the plant's availability in the habitat.Schouwia purpurea, well represented in the diets, was dominant at the study site. Adults had a preference forTribulus terrester. Growth and feeding on these two plants were compared. The high water content ofS. purpurea leaves limited the dry matter eaten and slowed down growth. Glucosinolates were separated and quantified by gas chromatography. There are 132mol/g dry matter in green leaves. In multiple choice tests, with paper disks, glucosinolate extracts were phagostimulant at a low concentration (21mol/g dry matter) and repulsive at a higher one (214mol/ g dry matter). Biting behavior onS. purpurea was recorded and analyzed on video. The importance ofSchouwia purpurea in desert locust habitats and its defenses is discussed.     

Spectral Affine‐Kernel Embeddings

In this paper, we propose a controllable embedding method for high‐ and low‐dimensional geometry processing through sparse matrix eigenanalysis. Our approach is equally suitable to perform non‐linear dimensionality reduction on big data, or to offer non‐linear shape editing of 3D meshes and pointsets. At the core of our approach is the construction of a multi‐Laplacian quadratic form that is assembled from local operators whose kernels only contain locally‐affine functions. Minimizing this quadratic form provides an embedding that best preserves all relative coordinates of points within their local neighborhoods. We demonstrate the improvements that our approach brings over existing nonlinear dimensionality reduction methods on a number of datasets, and formulate the first eigen‐based as‐rigid‐as‐possible shape deformation technique by applying our affine‐kernel embedding approach to 3D data augmented with user‐imposed constraints on select vertices.     

Influence of porosity on PE molecular weight from the Phillips Cr/silica catalyst

The porosity of Phillips Cr/silica catalysts plays a major role in determining the molecular weight (MW) and molecular weight distribution obtained during ethylene polymerization. A survey of the many different families of silica was made to evaluate this connection. No one single physical catalyst property, such as surface area, pore volume, radius of curvature, or average pore diameter, could be universally correlated with the MW of polyethylene. Instead the data seem to suggest that the trends observed are the result of two independent influences. First, pore volume determines the fragility of the catalyst, which governs the degree of fragmentation during polymerization, and the fragment size. Secondly, pore diameter controls how easily the polymer can escape from the interior of the fragment. These variables are explored, and possible explanations for the observed behavior are discussed.     

Über den Einfluß eines örtlich veränderlichen Reibwertes auf die Berechnung der Kräfte bei technischen Umformverfahren

Erfassung der Randschubspannung zwischen Werkzeug und Werkstück durch die Einführung eines veränderlichen Reibwertes. Abhängigkeit des Reibwertes von Druck, (Relativ-Geschwindigkeit und Temperatur aus vorliegenden physikalischen Untersuchungen der Reibverhältnisse; Reibgesetze aus Auswertung des einschlägigen Schrifttums. Vergleich verschiedener Reibgesetze bei den Umformverfahren Ziehen, Bandwalzen und Stauchen mit Hilfe der elementaren Theorie. Folgerungen für die Anwendung eines örtlich veränderlichen Reibwertes bei der Berechnung plastischer Umformvorgänge.     

Moderne Fertighäuser aus Holz und Holzwerkstoffen

Summary The number of prefabricated wooden houses manufactured in the Federal Republic of Germany cannot be seen from the statistics of building constructions, as the building material is not defined in the term “prefabricated houses”. Usually the number of one-family houses serves as a means for counting the number of all prefabricated wooden houses. Historical timber constructions initiated modern methods of prefabrication: the grid dimension stems from framework constructions, the construction design of wall components dates from skeleton constructions. As regards prefabricated houses different types of constructions can be distinguished according to the stage of prefabrication. The stage of prefabrication, the flexibility and free choice of design permit to compare these types of constructions. In conclusion, future trends of development are discussed.

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Moderne Fertigh?user aus Holz und Holzwerkstoffen Erste Mitteilung: Stand der Technik

Zusammenfassung Aus der Hochbaustatistik kann die Zahl der in der Bundesrepublik hergestellten Fertigh?user aus Holz nicht entnommen werden, da in der Definition für das „Fertigteilbaus” die Art der Baustoffe nicht festgelegt ist. Man behilft sich meist damit, da? man die Zahl der Einfamilienh?user als Ma? für die Zahl aller Fertigh?user aus Holz verwendet. Historische Bauarten von Holzh?usern lieferten Anregungen für die heute üblichen Bauarten von Fertigh?usern: von der Fachwerkbauweise stammt das Rasterma?, von der Gerippebauweise der konstruktive Aufbau der Wandelemente. Bei Fertigh?usern kann man je nach dem Grad der Vorfertigung verschiedene Bauarten unterscheiden. Ein Vergleich dieser Bauarten ist nach dem Grad der Vorfertigung, der Mobilit?t und der Freiheit in der Grundri?gestaltung m?glich. Abschlie?end werden Entwicklungstendenzen genannt.

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Mitteilung aus dem Institut für Holzforschung und Holztechnik der Universit?t München     

Desire for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in palliative cancer care.

Objective: To investigate the attitudes of terminally ill individuals toward the legalization of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and to identify those who would personally desire such a death. Design: In the Canadian National Palliative Care Survey, semistructured interviews were administered to 379 patients who were receiving palliative care for cancer. Patients who expressed a desire for physician-hastened death were followed prospectively. Main Outcome Measures: Attitudes toward the legalization of euthanasia or PAS were determined, as was the personal interest in receiving a hastened death. Demographic and clinical characteristics were also recorded, including a 22-item structured interview of symptoms and concerns. Results: There were 238 participants (62.8%) who believed that euthanasia and/or PAS should be legalized, and 151 (39.8%) who would consider making a future request for a physician-hastened death. However, only 22 (5.8%) reported that, if legally permissible, they would initiate such a request right away, in their current situations. This desire for hastened death was associated with lower religiosity (p = .010), reduced functional status (p = .024), a diagnosis of major depression (p