Efficacy of diflubenzuron plus methoprene against Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica in stored sorghum

The efficacy of diflubenzuron (1 mg kg⁻¹)+methoprene (1 mg kg⁻¹) against Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) in sorghum was evaluated in a silo-scale trial in southeast Queensland, Australia. Sorghum is normally protected from a wide range of insects by mixtures of grain protectants. The chitin synthesis inhibitor diflubenzuron was evaluated as a potential new protectant for S. oryzae in combination with the juvenile hormone analogue methoprene, which is already registered for control of R. dominica. Sorghum (ca 200 t) was treated after harvest in 2000 and assessed for treatment efficacy and residue decline during 6.5 months storage. The reproductive capacity of S. oryzae and R. dominica was greatly reduced in bioassays of treated sorghum throughout the trial, and efficacy remained relatively stable during the trial. An initial exposure of S. oryzae adults to treated sorghum for 2 weeks reduced F₁ progeny production of all strains by 80.8-98.8%, but a second exposure of 4 weeks reduced F₁ progeny production by 98.5-100%. In addition, the reproductive capacity of any S. oryzae progeny produced was greatly reduced. Exposure of R. dominica adults to treated sorghum for 2 weeks reduced F₁ progeny production of all strains by 99.6-100%, including a methoprene-resistant strain. The results indicate that S. oryzae or R. dominica adults invading sorghum treated with diflubenzuron (1 mg kg⁻¹)+methoprene (1 mg kg⁻¹) would be incapable of producing sustainable populations.     

无镝稀土粘结磁体:高稀土价格下永磁电机的选择

1 稀土价格飙升:烧结钕铁硼磁体价格飞速增长的推进剂对于那些购买和使用稀土氧化物、稀土金属或产品中含有稀土元素的公司来说,2011年是具有挑战性的一年.这次空前的、无法预见的稀土价格增长直接导致了贯穿多种行业供应链的巨大成本增长.自今年伊始,在稀土元素价格达到顶峰时,钕和镨元素的价格增长了4.6倍.     

Uranium sorption on various forms of titanium dioxide--influence of surface area, surface charge, and impurities

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) has often served as a model substrate for experimental sorption studies of environmental contaminants. However, various forms of Ti-oxide have been used, and the different sorption properties of these materials have not been thoroughly studied. We investigated uranium sorption on some thoroughly characterized TiO(2) surfaces with particular attention to the influence of surface area, surface charge, and impurities. The sorption of U(VI) differed significantly between samples. Aggressive pretreatment of one material to remove impurities significantly altered the isoelectric point, determined by an electroacoustic method, but did not significantly impact U sorption. Differences in sorption properties between the various TiO(2) materials were related to the crystallographic form, morphology, surface area, and grain size, rather than to surface impurities or surface charge. In-situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopic studies showed that the spectra of the surface species of the TiO(2) samples are not significantly different, suggesting the formation of similar surface complexes. The data provide insights into the effect of different source materials and surface properties on radionuclide sorption.     

Calibration and evaluation of nitric acid and ammonia permeation tubes by UV optical absorption

An ultraviolet (UV) optical absorption system has been developed for absolute calibrations of nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonia (NH3) permeation tube emission rates. Using this technique, dilute mixtures containing NH3 or HNO3, both of which interact strongly with many surfaces, are accurately measured at levels below a part per million by volume. This compact and portable instrument operates continuously and autonomously to rapidly (<1 h) quantify the emission of trace gases from permeation devices that are commonly used to calibrate air-monitoring instruments. The output from several HNO3 and NH3 permeation tubes, with emission rates that ranged between 13 and 150 ng/min, was examined as a function of temperature, pressure, and carrier gas flow. Absorptions of 0.015% can be detected which allows a precision (3sigma) of +/-1 ng/min for the HNO3 and NH3 permeation tubes studied here. The accuracy of the measurements, which relies on published UV absorption cross sections, is estimated to be +/-10%. Measurements of permeation tube emission rates using ion chromatography analysis are made to further assess measurement accuracy. The output from the HNO3 and NH3 permeation tubes examined here was stable over the study period, which ranged between 3 months and 1 year for each permeation tube.     

A note on the frequency of gastric ulcers detected during post-mortem examination at a pig abattoir

There is growing interest in using findings from post-mortem meat inspection as indicators of on-farm and preslaughter animal welfare. This study considered whether oesophago-gastric ulcers might be a useful feature in pigs. The stomachs of 9827 finishing pigs from 60 farms were examined to provide an estimate of the frequency of oesophago-gastric ulcers in England. Stomachs were graded using a four-point scale ranging from normal, hyperkeratotic, eroded or ulcerated with or without stenosis. Over 79% of stomachs had either an oesophago-gastric ulcer or visible pre-ulcerative changes, including hyperkeratosis of the epithelium lining the pars oesophagea. The frequency of severe ulceration (Grade 3) was 6%, and mild ulcers (Grades 1 and 2) 73%. There was a significantly higher frequency of oesophago-gastric lesions in the groups of pigs that were held at the abattoir overnight, compared with those slaughtered on the day of arrival. This could have been due to the combined effect of overnight fasting plus stress in an unfamiliar environment. However, the exact fasting times of the animals were unknown and so it was not possible to provide a precise assessment of the effect of feed withdrawal.     

Life cycle assessment of Chinese shrimp farming systems targeted for export and domestic sales

We conducted surveys of six hatcheries and 18 farms for data inputs to complete a cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental performance for intensive (for export markets in Chicago) and semi-intensive (for domestic markets in Shanghai) shrimp farming systems in Hainan Province, China. The relative contribution to overall environmental performance of processing and distribution to final markets were also evaluated from a cradle-to-destination-port perspective. Environmental impact categories included global warming, acidification, eutrophication, cumulative energy use, and biotic resource use. Our results indicated that intensive farming had significantly higher environmental impacts per unit production than semi-intensive farming in all impact categories. The grow-out stage contributed between 96.4% and 99.6% of the cradle-to-farm-gate impacts. These impacts were mainly caused by feed production, electricity use, and farm-level effluents. By averaging over intensive (15%) and semi-intensive (85%) farming systems, 1 metric ton (t) live-weight of shrimp production in China required 38.3 ± 4.3 GJ of energy, as well as 40.4 ± 1.7 t of net primary productivity, and generated 23.1 ± 2.6 kg of SO(2) equiv, 36.9 ± 4.3 kg of PO(4) equiv, and 3.1 ± 0.4 t of CO(2) equiv. Processing made a higher contribution to cradle-to-destination-port impacts than distribution of processed shrimp from farm gate to final markets in both supply chains. In 2008, the estimated total electricity consumption, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions from Chinese white-leg shrimp production would be 1.1 billion kW·h, 49 million GJ, and 4 million metric tons, respectively. Improvements suggested for Chinese shrimp aquaculture include changes in feed composition, farm management, electricity-generating sources, and effluent treatment before discharge. Our results can be used to optimize market-oriented shrimp supply chains and promote more sustainable shrimp production and consumption.     

Increasing hypnotic susceptibility by means of positive expectancies and written instructions.

Investigated the extent to which hypnotic susceptibility could be modified by means of induced positive expectancies and written instructions that were designed to correct misconceptions concerning hypnosis as well as to provide concrete methods for experiencing hypnosis. 40 undergraduates were given a baseline test of hypnotic susceptibility and then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions. Ss receiving the positive expectancy were given false personality test feedback that they were good hypnotic Ss prior to a criterion hypnotic scale. Ss receiving the written instructions were given 10 min to read the information prior to the hypnotic test. Other Ss browsed through magazines prior to testing in hypnosis. Both positive expectancies and written instructions were significantly effective in increasing susceptibility in comparison with practice only. Theoretical explanations are advanced and the implications of these findings are considered. (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychiatric aftercare clinic effectiveness as a function of patient demographic characteristics.

Investigations of aftercare clinics have repeatedly shown that ex-psychiatric patients who attend aftercare clinics have a lower rate of recidivism than base-rate recidivism figures. It was hypothesized that the clinic's effectiveness may be a function of the type of patient who chooses to attend rather than of the treatment provided by the clinic. Results of a study of 67 discharged mental patients, of whom 39 attended aftercare clinics indicate that demographic characteristics did not differentiate clinic attenders from nonattenders. In addition, Ss who attended aftercare clinics demonstrated a lower rate of recidivism than nonattenders. As expected, no difference between attenders and nonattenders was found for posthospital employment. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demographic characteristics as predictors of recidivism and posthospital employment.

Analyzed the relationship between patient demographic characteristics and psychiatric outcome as measured by recidivism and posthospital employment. Ss were 78 former psychiatric patients. Results indicate that the overwhelming amount of variance in recidivism accounted for by demographic data can be attributed to the number of previous hospitalizations. Similarly, 1 demographic variable (employment history) accounted for the major amount of variance in posthospital employment. Implications for research investigations of psychiatric treatment outcome are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Silicon Carbide Polytypes

The ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra of the 2H, 4H, 6H, and 3C polytypes of silicon carbide are presented. An attempt is made to correlate differences in the chemical shifts with local atomic environment. The results of the analysis of the spectra of pure polytypes are used as a basic for the interpretation of the spectra of mixed polytypes and a discussion of the crystallinity and impurity levels of different samples. Carbon-13 chemical shifts obtained from spectra of the same polytypes are also tabulated.