Sex pheromone communication in the nematode,Rhabditis pellio

Both males and females ofRhabditis pellio release pheromones that attract the opposite sex prior to copulation. A quantitative bioassay for the female-produced pheromone was designed, based on male movement toward a pheromone source placed at one end of a 10-mm strip of bacterial material maintained on nutrient agar in a petri plate. Females produced pheromone from the age at which they attained the adult stage (3 days following hatching from the egg) and maintained a relatively constant production level until at least the ninth day of life. Similarly, males became responsive to the female pheromone by the third day and remained responsive through the ninth day, although the time required for the males to migrate toward a female pheromone source increased with increasing age. No daily rhythm of pheromone responsiveness by males or pheromone production by females was observed when the nematodes were conditioned to a 1212 h light-dark cycle.     

Implementation of particle-in-cell stellar dynamics codes on the connection machine-2

The development of massively parallel supercomputers provides a unique opportunity to advance the state of the art inN-body simulations. TheseN-body codes are of great importance for simulations in stellar dynamics and plasma physics. For systems with long-range forces, such as gravity or electromagnetic forces, it is important to increase the number of particles toN 10⁷ particles. Significantly improved modeling ofN body systems can be expected by increasingN, arising from a more realistic representation of physical transport processes involving particle diffusion and energy and momentum transport. In addition, it will be possible to guarantee that physically significant portions of complex physical systems, such as Lindblad resonances of galaxies or current sheets in magnetospheres, will have an adequate population of particles for a realistic simulation. Particle-mesh (PM) and particle-particle particle-mesh (P³M) algorithms present the best prospects for the simulation of large-scaleN-body systems. As an example we present a two-dimensional PM simulation of a disk galaxy that we have developed on the Connection Machine-2, a massively parallel boolean hypercube supercomputer. The code is scalable to any CM-2 configuration available and, on the largest configuration, simulations withN = 128 M = 2²⁷ particles are possible in reasonable run times.     

Maturation and senescence of an insect chemosensory response

Electroantennogram responses of male and femalePseudaletia unipuncta to the two major components of the presumed pheromone associated with the male anterior abdominal scent brushes vary with age. There is a postemergence period of maturation of responsiveness, followed by senescence. The age of maximum responsiveness differs according to the sex and to the compound tested.This research was supported in part by NSF grant BNS76-10268 and grants from the Killam Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.     

Dodecyl acetate,a second pheromone component of the cabbage looper moth,Trichoplusia ni

Dodecyl acetate was identified as a second component of the sex pheromone ofTrichoplusia ni (Hübner). Dodecyl acetate comprised 9.6% by weight of the total pheromone [(Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate plus dodecyl acetate] extracted from glands and 7.3% by weight of the total pheromone evaporated from the surfaces of glands. Dodecyl acetate appears to function as a short-range pheromone component. Evaporation at female release rates of a 1090 mixture of dodecyl acetate and (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate in the field caused a significantly greater percentage of males to land on the pheromone source, increased significantly the time they spent on the source, but decreased significantly the time they spent searching for the source when within 50 cm, as compared to (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate alone.Lepidoptera: Noctuidae.     

Sex pheromone scent marking by females ofPectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Females of the pink bollworm moth,Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), scent marked the substrate to which they were clinging with the extended pheromone gland during nocturnal pheromonereleasing periods. Scent marks were deposited on both natural (cotton leaf) and atypical (glass) substrates. In both situations, the scent marks elicited attraction responses from conspecific males.     

Hope and academic success in college.

A cognitive, motivational theory is introduced to the educational research community. Hope theory integrates the conceptualization of goals, along with the strategies to achieve those goals (pathways), and the motivation to pursue those goals (agency). In a 6-year longitudinal study, individual differences in hope, as measured by the Hope Scale (C. R. Snyder et al., 1991) scores of entering college freshmen, predicted better overall grade point averages even after controlling for variance related to entrance examination scores. High- relative to the low-hope students also were more likely to have graduated and not to have been dismissed over this 6-year period. Hopeful thinking in college academics is discussed, along with the contributions of hope theory for educational research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nanoindentation hardness of particles used in magnetorheological finishing (MRF)

Knowledge of the hardness of abrasive particles that are used in polishing is a key to the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of material removal. The magnetorheological-finishing process uses both magnetic and nonmagnetic abrasive particles during polishing. The nanohardnesses of the micrometer-sized magnetic carbonyl iron and nonmagnetic abrasive particles have been measured successfully by use of novel, to our knowledge, sample-preparation and nanoindentation techniques. Some of the results reported compare favorably with existing microhardness data found in the literature, whereas other results are new.     

Disruption of foraging by argentine ants,Iridomyrmex humilis (mayr) (hymenoptera: Formicidae), in citrus trees through the use of semiochemicals and related chemicals

Foraging in trees by the Argentine ant,Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr), was disrupted by a variety of synthetic chemicals, with the most effective chemical being farnesol. Testing of substrates for presentation of the disruptant chemicals gave some success with rubber or Tygon tubing, although best results were obtained through incorporation of the material into Stikem, which was then banded around tree trunks. Amounts of farnesol used for effective, long residual ant control were between 0.8 and 2 g per tree.