Interactions amongHeliothis virescens larvae,cotton condensed tannin and the CryIA(c) δ-endotoxin ofBacillus thuringiensis

The potential interactions among a plant-produced allelochemical, a phytophagous insect, and an endotoxin produced byBacillus thuringiensis were investigated using purified cotton condensed tannins, the CryIA(c)-endotoxin fromB. thuringiensis subsp.kurstaki strain HD-73, and larvae ofHeliothis virescens. Purified condensed tannin from cotton fed to neonateH. virescens reduced feeding and mortality caused by insecticidal crystals ofB. thuringiensis. In fifth instars, tannin reduced relative growth rate (RGR), relative consumption rate (RCR), but antagonized the effects of the crystal-endotoxin. Tannin did not deter feeding of fifth instars in choice tests with cellulose-ester disks. Masking tannin from interacting with the dietary ingredients of artificial diets and crystal protein by encapsulation in alginate gel suggested that tannin adversely affected feeding after ingestion.These results suggest that insect control tactics that employ-endotoxins in microbial insecticides and transgenic cotton plants may not be compatible when used in conjunction with plants containing high tannin concentrations.     

Exploring the Gap Between Water Managers and Researchers: Difficulties of Model-Based Tools to Support Practical Water Management

Supported by EU funds, the European research community has been putting much effort into providing model-based tools to support water resource managers in implementing water management as well as the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. This paper presents the results of a two-year long elicitation phase which aimed to explain why the use of tools in water management is not as great as the corresponding investment in applied research in this area might suggest it should be. The paper identifies a gap between water managers and research community that is evidence of a mutual misunderstanding of the fundamental activities of both communities. We elaborate on these misunderstandings between these two communities by focussing on their attitudes towards seven assumptions that derived from an elicitation phase carried out between 2003 and 2004. These misunderstandings appear to revolve around the issues of the role and importance of model-based tools in water management; the transferability of models to new target sites; the role of participatory modelling in water management; how to solve lack of confidence in model-based tools; the development of computer user interfaces to improve tool usability; and the nature of model integration. Based on these insights, recommendations for improving research, development and ultimately the use of model-based tools in river basin management processes are proposed. The recommendations include improving researchers’ understanding of water management processes and the role their tools play within such a process; identifying for both communities the importance that such tools can play as part of social learning-oriented management processes; improving the role of software consultancies as carriers of research results; considering new methods of model transferability between target basins; and expanding the structure of funding for academic research and development projects to allow the greater provision of non-technical requirements such as post-development tool maintenance and transferability, required by water managers.     

Evaluation of Packaging Film Mechanical Integrity Using a Standardized Scratch Test Instrument

A new method for evaluating the mechanical integrity of food packaging films is developed. The standardized linear increasing load scratch test (ASTM D7027‐05/ISO 19252:2008) approach has been successfully utilized to evaluate the mechanical integrity of a set of model packaging films. Mechanical clamp and vacuum fixtures were considered for securing the films to a set of backing materials and tested under various testing rates and film orientation conditions. Film performance was evaluated according to their puncture load. Based on the aforementioned study, the vacuum fixture offers the most consistent and meaningful results by providing a more intimate contact between film and backing and minimizing extraneous motion of the film during testing. Additional testing was also carried out on a commercial film to confirm similarity between damages observed in the scratched films and that from the field. The scratch test gives good correlation between field performance and scratch test results on a set of commercial films. The usefulness of the scratch test methodology for packaging film mechanical integrity evaluation is discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On Lippmann's Photography

. This paper revisits the problem of recording of photographs using ultra-fine grain recording materials backed by a reflecting surface. A discussion is given of the underlying theoretical concepts and practical recording limitations and an explanation is given of the ability of the method to work with relatively narrow band (0.03 p) natural light. A simple practical experiment helps to clarify the underlying physical difficulties and provides an evaluatory method for the recording emulsion. An important necessary criterion associated with the recording optics is verified. A discussion of the use of Lippmann's technique to produce holograms in natural light emphasizes the difficulty of the exercise.     

MiRA—Mixed Reality Agents

In recent years, an increasing number of Mixed Reality (MR) applications have been developed using agent technology — both for the underlying software and as an interface metaphor. However, no unifying field or theory currently exists that can act as a common frame of reference for these varied works. As a result, much duplication of research is evidenced in the literature. This paper seeks to fill this important gap by outlining “for the first time” a formal field of research that has hitherto gone unacknowledged, namely the field of Mixed Reality Agents (MiRAs), which are defined as agents embodied in a Mixed Reality environment.Based on this definition, a taxonomy is offered that classifies MiRAs along three axes: agency, based on the weak and strong notions outlined by Wooldridge and Jennings (1995); corporeal presence, which describes the degree of virtual or physical representation (body) of a MiRA; and interactive capacity, which characterises its ability to sense and act on the virtual and physical environment.Furthermore, this paper offers the first comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art of MiRA research and places each project within the proposed taxonomy. Finally, common trends and future directions for MiRA research are discussed.By defining Mixed Reality Agents as a formal field, establishing a common taxonomy, and retrospectively placing existing MiRA projects within it, future researchers can effectively position their research within this landscape, thereby avoiding duplication and fostering reuse and interoperability.     

Preexcitation secondary to fasciculoventricular pathways in children: a report of three cases

The clathrin-mediated sequestration pathway is used by non-G protein-coupled receptors (e.g., transferrin receptors) and a large number of G protein-coupled receptors, including beta-2 adrenoceptors and various muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtypes. Recently, the ubiquitously expressed small GTPase RhoA has been implicated as a negative regulator of transferrin receptor internalization. Because mAChRs and other G protein-coupled receptors are able to activate RhoA, we investigated in HEK-293 cells whether RhoA regulates the sequestration of m1 and m2 mAChRs, which internalize via clathrin-coated and nonclathrin-coated vesicles in HEK-293 cells, respectively. Overexpression of wild-type RhoA inhibited agonist-induced sequestration of both m1 and m2 mAChRs by as much as 70%. Inhibition could be reversed by coexpression of Clostridium botulinum C3 transferase, which inactivates RhoA by ADP-ribosylation. Overexpression of C3 transferase alone had no effect on m1 and m2 mAChR sequestration. In addition, overexpression of RhoA inhibited m1 and m2 mAChR transport to the plasma membrane by 60 and 31%, respectively, which was blocked by coexpression of C3 transferase. We conclude that RhoA is not an endogenous regulator of mAChR sequestration, but when overexpressed, strongly inhibits mAChR trafficking (i.e., sequestration and transport to the plasma membrane) in HEK-293 cells.     

Increases in food web cadmium following reductions in atmospheric inputs to some lakes

We measured the toxic metal cadmium (Cd) over a 13-year interval in lakes located near two metal smelters to determine whether reductions in atmospheric Cd emissions have led to reductions in the Cd present in aquatic food webs. Although Cd in the lake water consistently declined over time, Cd in animals increased in some lakes. This apparent contradiction was explained when we considered the simultaneous reductions that have occurred in lake water acidity; under these conditions, animal Cd can increase if there are insufficient hydrogen ions to out-compete Cd ions at biological uptake sites. We conclude that the risk to organisms from metals has increased in some lakes recovering from smelter emissions.