Components of female sex pheromone of cocoa pod borer moth,Conopomorpha cramerella

The cocoa pod borer,Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is the most serious pest of cocoa in Southeast Asia. Analyses of ovipositor washings and entrained volatiles from virgin female moths by gas chromatography (GC) linked to electroantennography (EAG), and comparison of EAG responses from the male moth to synthetic compounds indicated the presence of theE,Z,Z andE,E,Z isomers of 4,6,10-hexadecatrienyl acetate and the corresponding alcohols, and of hexadecyl alcohol. Amounts of pheromone produced were less than 0.1 ng/female, and no peaks for the unsaturated components were observed on GC analysis. Extensive field testing of synthetic mixtures in Sabah, East Malaysia, showed that traps baited with a polyethylene vial impregnated with 1.2 mg of a mixture of the above five components in 40604610 ratio caught more maleC. cramerella moths than traps baited with a virgin female moth.     

Enhancement in specific absorption rate by solvent microencapsulation

Microencapsulation of liquid solvents (MECS) has been proposed as a means of increasing the rate of absorption in gas separation processes. Surface renewal theory was used to rigorously quantify the increase in absorption microencapsulation could provide, compared to traditional packed columns. The results indicate that, for chemical solvents, gas flux will be similar in the two cases, while for physical solvents gas flux into MECS may be larger, owing to the reduction in spatial scales. However, previous publications may have overestimated the increase in surface area that microencapsulation can provide by approximately 3‐10 times. Internal fluid flow inside fluidized MECS was also studied, and it was found that gas flux will be similar for stationary and fluidized particles. Overall, microencapsulation can be expected to increase gas absorption rates by approximately an order of magnitude for chemical solvents, and up to 2 orders of magnitude for physical solvents. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 4066–4079, 2018     

Whey protein-derived exosomes increase protein synthesis and hypertrophy in C2­C12 myotubes

We sought to examine potential amino acid independent mechanisms whereby hydrolyzed whey protein (WP) affects muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and anabolism in vitro. Specifically, we tested (1) whether 3-h and 6-h treatments of WP, essential amino acids, or l-leucine (Leu) affected MPS, and whether 6-h treatments with low-, medium-, or high doses of WP versus Leu affected MPS; (2) whether knockdown of the primary Leu transporter affected WP- and Leu-mediated changes in MPS, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling responses, or both, following 6-h treatments; (3) whether exosomes isolated from WP (WP-EXO) affected MPS, mTOR signaling responses, or both, compared with untreated (control) myotubes, following 6-h, 12-h, and 24-h treatments, and whether they affected myotube diameter following 24-h and 48-h treatments. For all treatments, 7-d post-differentiated C₂C₁₂ myotubes were examined. In experiment 1, 6-h WP treatments increased MPS compared with control (+46%), Leu (+24%), and essential amino acids (+25%). Moreover, the 6-h low-, medium-, and high WP treatments increased MPS by approximately 40 to 50% more than corresponding Leu treatments. In experiment 2 (LAT short hairpin RNA-transfected myotubes), 6-h WP treatments increased MPS compared with control (+18%) and Leu (+19%). In experiment 3, WP-EXO treatments increased MPS over controls at 12 h (+18%) and 24 h (+45%), and myotube diameters increased with 24-h (+24%) and 48-h (+40%) WP-EXO treatments compared with controls. The WP-EXO treatments did not appear to operate through mTOR signaling; instead, they increased mRNA and protein levels o eukaryotic initiation factor 4A. Bovine-specific microRNA following 24-h WP-EXO treatments were enriched in myotubes (chiefly miR-149-3p, miR-2881), but were not related to hypertrophic gene targets. To summarize, hydrolyzed WP-EXO increased skeletal MPS and anabolism in vitro, and this may be related to an unknown mechanism that increases translation initiation factors rather than enhancing mTOR signaling or the involvement of bovine-specific microRNA.     

Performance of an Industrial Pulsed Disc-and-Doughnut Extraction Column

Axial-dispersion and plug-flow models have been used to describe the solvent extraction performance of a 18 m high and 4 m diameter industrial pulsed disc-and-doughnut column. Uranium extraction phase-equilibrium data were fitted with the Langmuir model. Using the industrial column dimensions, operational parameters, physical properties, and the Langmuir parameters, the axial-dispersion model was shown to predict the organic-phase outlet concentration and the aqueous-phase outlet concentration, respectively, while the plug-flow model exhibited a poorer predictive ability.,     

Managing the innovative process: The dynamic role of leaders.

Innovation has become increasingly important to the survival of organizations. Leaders must manage the process in a series of planning stages. These stages are qualitatively different and thus, have implications for what the leader must think about and do. The relevant leader cognition and social behaviors are discussed, as they must change throughout the process of planning for innovation. In order for leaders to effectively and efficiently manage innovation, they must be able to recognize and adapt to the varying requirements. Existing discrepancies in the literature may be resolved when considered within the context of these stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer engagement in alternative energy—Can the regulators and suppliers be trusted?

The introduction of alternative energy requires collaboration between consumers, energy suppliers and regulators. A fundamental question is, will consumers engage with this agenda and, in particular, will they trust the institutions sufficiently to enable the collaborations that are needed. Present indications suggest that consumers have little trust in the established institutions and tend to reject such collaborations.     

Tobacco control policies and the concurrent use of smokeless tobacco and cigarettes among men, 1992-2002.

Accelerating the decline in smoking prevalence requires an understanding of changes in the concurrent use of and the substitution between different tobacco products, such as smokeless tobacco (SLT) and cigarettes. SLT could play an important role in reducing the toll of smoking-related illness and premature mortality. Research examining the role of tobacco control policies in explaining concurrent use of SLT and cigarettes has been minimal. Using the Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplements (CPS-TUS), we examined tobacco control policies in relationship with adult males' SLT use concurrent with smoking over the period 1992-2002. Consistent with the decline in smokeless-only and cigarette-only rates, concurrent use of SLT and cigarettes declined during the period. SLT users, faced with home or workplace smoking bans, are less likely to report smoking. Smokers with a home ban appear more likely to use SLT, but in more recent years, smokers with a workplace ban are less likely to use SLT. Tobacco excise taxes do not signal substitution between cigarettes and SLT products. Understanding current use patterns of the range of tobacco products, including their interaction with available policy levers, is vital in assessing whether changes that might promote substitution of arguably less toxic SLT products for highly toxic cigarettes are likely to lead to net public health gains or losses. Findings of the present study, in concert with other research about transitional probabilities between behavioral states, will inform the design of an effective policy framework that supports the objective of reducing tobacco-related death and disease.     

A fiber-optic-based calibration system for the High Resolution Fly's Eye cosmic ray observatory

This article describes the fiber-optic-based calibration system installed at the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) astro-particle physics observatory. The HiRes detectors measure ultra violet scintillation light from distant extensive air showers. This automated calibration system delivers light from a frequency tripled 355 nm YAG laser to the 10,752 photo-multiplier tubes of the 42 HiRes-II detectors.     

CIAM and the Communist Bloc, 1928–59

Despite a widespread perception of close linkages between CIAM (the International Congresses of Modern Architecture) and Soviet housing and planning, there was in fact very little direct overlap between the two after 1933. Although CIAM concepts of housing and urbanism were closely related to mostly theoretical developments in the Soviet Union in the late 1920s and early 1930s, by the time the Soviet ‘Communist Bloc’ came into existence in the late 1940s, CIAM and other examples of Western avant-gardism had long been officially proscribed by the Soviet authorities. In that era of Stalinist ‘Socialist Realism’, various forms of modernised neoclassical planning became the official direction instead. After 1954, when Stalin's death and his successor Nikita Khrushchev's subsequent repudiation of Socialist Realism again made modernism possible in the USSR, Soviet architects began to build in a Western functionalist way, but without any involvement by CIAM architects. With a few exceptions, the same was largely true in Eastern Europe down to the end of the Communist Bloc there in 1989. So the topic is a paradoxical one: social and architectural ideas that were fused together in the 1920s, leading to CIAM's ultimately unsuccessful effort to hold its Fourth Congress in Moscow in 1933, followed different paths thereafter. This article examines these parallel but separate trajectories in more detail.     

Thoracolumbar burst fractures. The clinical efficacy and outcome of nonoperative management

There continues to be considerable controversy regarding the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Most feel that failure of the middle osteoligamentous complex, particularly with retropulsion of fragments into the spinal canal, is an indication for operative management. Others advocate postural reduction and prolonged bedrest for such injuries. The purpose of this study was to 1) review the clinical outcome and efficacy of closed management of thoracolumbar burst fractures; and 2) quantify what, if any, remodeling occurs in the bony canal as measured by serial CT. Forty-one patients who presented with a burst fracture of the thoracolumbar spine without neurologic deficit were reviewed clinically and radiographically following nonoperative management. At injury, canal compromise averaged 37% (range, 16-66%); 26 patients had at least 30% canal compromise. During treatment, one patient developed neurologic deterioration that prompted surgery; all other patients remained neurologically intact. At average follow-up of 2 years, an overall outcome evaluation indicated that 49% of the patients had excellent outcomes relative to pain and function; 17%, good; 22%, fair; and 12%, poor. Approximately 90% of the patients had a satisfactory work status relative to factors associated with their burst fracture. Serial roentgenograms documented significant progression in body collapse, which averaged 8% (P < 0.0001) from injury to follow-up. On the other hand, serial CTs documented significant improvement from injury to follow-up for canal compromise and midsagittal diameter. Average improvements in canal compromise and midsagittal diameter were 22% (P < 0.0001) and 11% (P < 0.0001), respectively. Only three patients had canal compromise greater than 30%, no patients had canal compromise greater than 40%, and no patients experienced canal area deterioration over time. On average, nearly two-thirds of the fragment occluding the canal resorbed, with most remodeling complete within one year. For patients with burst fractures presenting neurologically intact, we obtained the following findings: 1) nonoperative management yields acceptable results; 2) following nonoperative management, bony deformity (i.e., kyphosis and body collapse) progresses marginally relative to the rate of canal area remodeling; 3) incidence of subsequent neurologic deficits is quite low; and 4) initial radiographic severity of injury or residual deformity following closed management does not correlate with symptoms at follow-up. This pattern of results suggests nonoperative management as the preferred treatment in these circumstances.