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Flight
Kinds of Flight Terms modified by Flight Selected AbstractsARCHITECTURAL GEOGRAPHIES OF THE AIRPORT BALCONY: MOBILITY, SENSATION AND THE THEATRE OF FLIGHTGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2008Peter Adey ABSTRACT. Contemporary studies within the apparent ,mobility turn' focus upon airports as sites indicative of our mobile world, yet they tend to forgo investigations of the contextual architectural geographies that shape and inflect these mobilities. This paper examines the relationship between the architecture of the airport balcony and practices of seeing. While recent scholarship has taken airports to be incredible symbolizers of power and places of heightened visual scrutiny, the paper explores how through the architectural mediation of seeing, early airports were designed to instil specific inspirations, beliefs and messages within the airport user , constructing a new and modern experience. Far from a blank space evacuated of social presence and meaning, the paper investigates how airport design interacts with and shapes social experience. By examining the mobile practices and experiences of inhabiting the airport balcony, the paper advances conceptualizations of moving and seeing by complicating their practice as ,collective individuations' of social, architectural and sensual engagements, registers, and percepts. [source] Health Status among Emergency Department Patients Approximately One Year after Consecutive Disasters in New York CityACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2005William George Fernandez MD Abstract Objectives: Emergency department (ED) patients with disaster-related experiences may present with vague symptoms not clearly linked to the event. In 2001, two disasters in New York City, the World Trade Center disaster (WTCD) and the subsequent American Airlines Flight 587 crash, presented an opportunity to study long-term consequences of cumulative disaster exposure (CDE) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among ED patients. Methods: From July 15 to October 30, 2002, a systematic sample of stable, adult patients from two EDs in New York City were enrolled. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. The Short Form 36 (SF-36) was used to assess overall health status. Bivariate analyses were conducted to identify individual correlates of worsening health status. Multivariate regression was performed to identify the association between various factors and overall health status, while controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables. Results: Four hundred seventy-one patients (54.6% female) participated. The participation rate was 73.4%. One hundred sixty-one participants (36%) reported direct, indirect, or occupational exposure to the WTCD; 55 (13.3%) had direct, indirect, or occupational exposure to the plane crash; 33 (8.1%) had both exposures. In separate multivariate models, CDE predicted lower SF-36 scores for general health (p < 0.0096), mental health (p < 0.0033), and bodily pain (p < 0.0046). Conclusions: In the year following mass traumatic events, persons with CDE had lower overall health status than those with one or no disaster exposure. Clinicians should consider the impact that traumatic events have on the overall health status of ED patients in the wake of consecutive disasters. [source] Brain angiotensin-converting enzymes: role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in processing angiotensin II in miceEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Khalid M. Elased Angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) metabolizes Ang II to the vasodilatory peptide Ang(1,7), while neprilysin (NEP) generates Ang(1,7) from Ang I. Experiments used novel Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectroscopic (MS) assays to study Ang processing. Mass spectroscopy was used to measure proteolytic conversion of Ang peptide substrates to their specific peptide products. We compared ACE/ACE2 activity in plasma, brain and kidney from C57BL/6 and NEP,/, mice. Plasma or tissue extracts were incubated with Ang I or Ang II (1296 or 1045, m/z, respectively), and generated peptides were monitored with MS. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activity was detected in kidney and brain, but not in plasma. Brain ACE2 activity was highest in hypothalamus. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activity was inhibited by the specific ACE2 inhibitor, DX600 (10 ,m, 99% inhibition), but not by the ACE inhibitor, captopril (10 ,m). Both MS and colorimetric assays showed high ACE activity in plasma and kidney with low levels in brain. To extend these findings, ACE measurements were made in ACE overexpressing mice. Angiotensin-converting enzyme four-copy mice showed higher ACE activity in kidney and plasma with low levels in hypothalamus. In hypothalamus from NEP,/, mice, generation of Ang(1,7) from Ang I was decreased, suggesting a role for NEP in Ang metabolism. With Ang II as substrate, there was no difference between NEP,/, and wild-type control mice, indicating that other enzymes may contribute to generation of Ang(1,7). The data suggest a predominant role of hypothalamic ACE2 in the processing of Ang II, in contrast to ACE, which is most active in plasma. [source] Activation of nervous system development genes in bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells following spaceflight exposure,JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2010Massimiliano Monticone Abstract Stalled cell division in precursor bone cells and reduced osteoblast function are considered responsible for the microgravity-induced bone loss observed during spaceflight. However, underlying molecular mechanisms remain unraveled. Having overcome technological difficulties associated with flying cells in a space mission, we present the first report on the behavior of the potentially osteogenic murine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) in a 3D culture system, flown inside the KUBIK aboard space mission ISS 12S (Soyuz TMA-8,+,Increment 13) from March 30 to April 8, 2006 (experiment "Stroma-2"). Flight 1g control cultures were performed in a centrifuge located within the payload. Ground controls were maintained on Earth in another KUBIK payload and in Petri dishes. Half of the cultures were stimulated with osteo-inductive medium. Differences in total RNA extracted suggested that cell proliferation was inhibited in flight samples. Affymetrix technology revealed that 1,599 genes changed expression after spaceflight exposure. A decreased expression of cell-cycle genes confirmed the inhibition of cell proliferation in space. Unexpectedly, most of the modulated expression was found in genes related to various processes of neural development, neuron morphogenesis, transmission of nerve impulse and synapse, raising the question on the lineage restriction in BMSC. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 442,452, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou: Praisesongs in Rememory of FlightAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 2 2000Tina K. Ramnarine The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou: Praisesongs in Rememory of Flight. Lorna McDaniel. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1998. ix. 198 pp., figures, tables, photographs, appendixes, notes, bibliography, index. [source] Flight of the Raven: A Retrospective on the Scholarship of G. R. ThompsonPOE STUDIES, Issue 1-2 2006Robert Paul Lamb First page of article [source] Demographic Data on the Victims of the September 11, 2001 Terror Attack on the World Trade Center, New York CityPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2002Article first published online: 27 JAN 200 The magnitude of the death toll resulting from the attack on the World Trade Center is without precedent in the history of terrorist acts. Because of the scale and destructiveness of the buildings' collapse, a final list of the victims required a lengthy process, more so than was the case at the other sites of terrorist violence on the same day,at the Pentagon, Virginia (193 killed, 68 of these on American Airlines Flight 77), and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania (45 killed in the crash of United Airlines Flight 93). After the passing of a year, the list of the victims in New York, while essentially complete, is still not officially closed. On August 19, 2002, the city's medical examiner's office issued a list containing 2,819 names. Reproduced below are some data, released by the city's office of vital statistics, on the demographic characteristics of 2,723 victims (59 of these on United Airlines Flight 175 and 89 on American Airlines Flight 11) for whom a death certificate had been issued,an exacting procedure,as of August 16,2002. The cause of death, in each instance, was entered as homicide. The age distribution reflects the character of the World Trade Center,a workplace,and the time of day,early for tourist visits. The youngest victims perished as passengers in the two airplanes flown into the twin towers. [source] Determination of Urea Nitrate and Guanidine Nitrate Vapor Pressures by Isothermal ThermogravimetryPROPELLANTS, EXPLOSIVES, PYROTECHNICS, Issue 3 2010Jimmie Oxley Abstract Since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, detection of military explosives has received much attention. Only in the last few years has detection of improvised explosives become a priority. Many detection methods require that the particulate or vapor be available. Elsewhere we have reported the vapor pressures of peroxide explosives triacetone triperoxide (TATP), diacetone diperoxide (DADP), and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). Herein we examine the vapor signatures of the nitrate salts of urea and guanidine (UN and GN, respectively), and compare them to ammonium nitrate (AN) and TATP using an isothermal thermo-gravimetric method. The vapor signatures of the nitrate salts are assumed to be the vapor pressures of the neutral parent base and nitric acid. Studies were performed at elevated temperatures (80,120,°C for UN, 205,225,°C for GN, 100,160,°C for AN, and 40,59,°C for TATP), enthalpies of sublimation calculated and vapor pressures extrapolated to room temperature. Reported vapor pressure values (in Pa) are as follows: GN ,,UN , PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASESCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2008C Cieniewski-Bernard SUMMARY 1Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in western countries. The molecular mechanisms responsible for heart dysfunction are still largely unknown, except in cases of genetic defects or alteration of genes and proteins. 2The publication of genome sequences from humans and other species has demonstrated the complexity of biology, including the finding that one gene does not encode for only one protein but for several, due to mRNA splicing and post-translational modifications. 3Proteomic analysis can provide an overall understanding of changes in the levels of protein expression. Differential proteomics is a powerful tool for improving our understanding of integrated biochemical responses. The main techniques used are two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-gel) and Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight (SELDI-TOF) to separate proteins associated with mass spectrometry. Bioinformatic tools make it possible to compare protein profiles obtained from diverse biological samples. 4The combination of these approaches has proved to be particularly interesting for studying cardiovascular diseases and thereby improving our understanding of the mechanisms involved and identifying new biochemical factors and biomarkers involved in these diseases. [source] BqR-Tree: A Data Structure for Flights and Walkthroughs in Urban Scenes with Mobile ElementsCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 6 2010J.L. Pina I.3.6 [Computer Graphics]: Graphics data structures and data types Abstract BqR-Tree, the data structure presented in this paper is an improved R-Tree data structure based on a quadtree spatial partitioning which improves the rendering speed of the usual R-trees when view-culling is implemented, especially in urban scenes. The city is split by means of a spatial quadtree partition and the block is adopted as the basic urban unit. One advantage of blocks is that they can be easily identified in any urban environment, regardless of the origins and structure of the input data. The aim of the structure is to accelerate the visualization of complex scenes containing not only static but dynamic elements. The usefulness of the structure has been tested with low structured data, which makes its application appropriate to almost all city data. The results of the tests show that when using the BqR-Tree structure to perform walkthroughs and flights, rendering times vastly improve in comparison to the data structures which have yielded best results to date, with average improvements of around 30%. [source] Orientation of Culex mosquitoes to carbon dioxide-baited traps: flight manoeuvres and trapping efficiencyMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2006M. F. Cooperband Abstract., Females of Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Culex tarsalis Coquillet (Diptera: Culicidae) in the host-seeking stage were released and video recorded in three dimensions in a large field wind tunnel as they flew to four kinds of CO2 -baited mosquito traps. The trapping efficiency (number of mosquitoes approaching compared to the number caught) was determined for each trap type. The Encephalitis Virus Surveillance (EVS), Mosquito Magnet Freedom (MMF) and Mosquito Magnet Liberty (MML) traps captured only 13,16% of approaching Cx. quinquefasciatus females, whereas the Mosquito Magnet-X (MMX) trap captured 58%. Similar results were obtained for Cx. tarsalis. Orientation behaviour and flight parameters of mosquitoes approaching the four traps were compared. Mosquitoes spent the most time orienting to the EVS trap. Flight speed decreased as mosquitoes entered the vicinity of each trap and a large portion of their time was spent within 30 cm downwind of the traps. Flights became highly tortuous downwind of the poorly performing traps and just upwind of the MMX trap. Differences between traps and possible explanations for the superior performance of the MMX trap are considered. [source] The effect of hydrological patterns and breeding-season flooding on the numbers and distribution of wading birds in Everglades National ParkANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 3 2002Gareth J. Russell Field ecologists in Everglades National Park know that the dynamics of water flow affect the breeding success of wading birds. A number of recent studies have suggested foraging success as the primary causal link. Data on the number and location of foraging birds are available from the Systematic Reconnaissance Flights, monthly aerial surveys of wading birds and surface water condition. A set of regression models were developed that predict the number of foraging birds observed in the Park at the beginning of May, a crucial period in the breeding season of almost all wading birds in this area. Predictor variables were obtained by converting the observations of surface water condition into three indexes that describe (1) the amount of surface water in the Park in January (near the beginning of the ,dry' season), (2) the rate at which it dries over the subsequent months, and (3) the amount of disruption to that drying process. An information-theoretic measure, ICOMP(IFIM), was used to choose on the basis of parsimony between the large set of possible models that incorporate these predictors. Most species were best predicted by the same few models, and the fitted model parameters were also similar, indicating that the same pattern of surface water dynamics was optimal for most species. The optimal pattern was: intermediate water levels at the beginning of the dry season, a rapid rate of drying, and no disruption in the drying process. A number of disruptions in drying since 1985 have been the result of releases of water from the flow-control structures at the northern boundary of Everglades National Park. Reducing or eliminating these unnatural hydrological events should help wading bird populations to increase. [source] Congenital Left Ventricular Splint in an Adult Patient with Unrepaired Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary ArteryCONGENITAL HEART DISEASE, Issue 4 2007Adam M. Sabbath MD ABSTRACT A 24-year-old woman presented with a recent increase in dyspnea on exertion and development of presyncope. The patient stated that she has reproducible episodes of dizziness and near fainting when she climbs a flight of stairs and activity is limited to a slow gait. [source] Possible Environmental Factors Underlying Amphibian Decline in Eastern Puerto Rico: Analysis of U.S. Government Data ArchivesCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Robert F. Stallard I examined changes in environmental conditions by examining time-series data sets that extend back at least into the 1980s, a period when frog populations were declining. The data include forest cover; annual mean, minimum, and maximum daily temperature; annual rainfall; rain and stream chemistry; and atmospheric-dust transport. I examined satellite imagery and air-chemistry samples from a single National Aeronautics and Space Administration aircraft flight across the Caribbean showing patches of pollutants, described as thin sheets or lenses, in the lower troposphere. The main source of these pollutants appeared to be fires from land clearing and deforestation, primarily in Africa. Some pollutant concentrations were high and, in the case of ozone, approached health limits set for urban air. Urban pollution impinging on Puerto Rico, dust generation from Africa ( potential soil pathogens), and tropical forest burning ( gaseous pollutants) have all increased during the last three decades, overlapping the timing of amphibian declines in eastern Puerto Rico. None of the data sets pointed directly to changes so extreme that they might be considered a direct lethal cause of amphibian declines in Puerto Rico. More experimental research is required to link any of these environmental factors to this problem. Resumen: Las pasadas tres décadas han visto grandes disminuciones poblacionales de especies de anfibios en altas elevaciones de Puerto Rico oriental, una región única en los trópicos húmedos debido al grado de monitoreo ambiental que se ha llevado a cabo mediante los esfuerzos de las agencias de gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Examiné los cambios en condiciones ambientales mediante el análisis de datos de series de tiempo que se extienden hasta los 1980s, un periodo en el que las poblaciones de ranas estaban declinando. Los datos incluyen cobertura forestal; temperatura diaria media, mínima y máxima anual; precipitación anual; química de la lluvia y arroyos; y el transporte atmosférico de polvo. Examiné imágenes de satélite y muestras de química del aire obtenidos de un solo vuelo de una nave de la NASA a lo largo del Caribe que mostraba parches de contaminantes descritas como capas delgadas de lentes en la inferior troposfera. La mayor fuente de contaminantes parece ser los incendios de tierras clareadas y la deforestación, principalmente en África. Algunas concentraciones de contaminantes fueron altas y en el caso del ozono, se aproximó a los límites de salud establecidos para aire urbano. La contaminación urbana afectando a Puerto Rico, la generación de polvo en África ( patógenos del suelo potenciales) y la quema de bosque tropical (contaminantes gaseosos) han incrementado durante las últimas tres décadas, superponiéndose con el periodo en que oturrieron las disminuciones de anfibios en Puerto Rico oriental. Ninguno de estos conjuntos de datos señaló directamente hacia cambios tan extremos que debieran ser considerados como una causa letal directa de las disminuciones en Puerto Rico. Se requiere de más investigación experimental que vincule a estos factores ambientales con este problema. [source] Effect of celecoxib on cyclooxygenase-2 expression and possible variants in a patient with Barrett's esophagusDISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 3 2007G. A. Jacobson SUMMARY., Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression is increased in metaplastic and dysplastic Barrett's esophageal epithelium and it is thought that selective COX-2 inhibitors could offer hope as chemoprevention therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate the in vivo effect of celecoxib on COX-2 expression in patients with Barrett's esophagus and no recent history of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. Endoscopic mucosal biopsy specimens were collected at baseline and after 28 days of therapy in a patient treated with celecoxib 200 mg twice daily. Samples were analyzed for COX-2 expression by immunoblot analysis with chemiluminescence detection. COX-2 expression was found to decline 20% and 44% at two different biopsy sites compared to the baseline sample. Longer exposures revealed a number of previously unidentified proteins above and below the 67 kDa COX-2 protein including 38 kDa and 45 kDa proteins which were present only at study completion consistent with up-regulation after celecoxib therapy. Further investigations of the 38 kDa and 45 kDa proteins were undertaken using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) with immunoblot and MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization , time of flight) analysis but no matches were found and results were inconclusive. Unmatched masses from MALDI-TOF peptide mass fingerprinting were compared with human COX-2 (67 kDa) and COX-2b (39 kDa) using unspecific cleavage. Peptide sequence homology with COX-2 and COX-2b was found for a length of 19 amino acids. Based on immunodetection, molecular weight and equivical MALDI-TOF results, one of these up-regulated proteins may be COX-2b. [source] Spatial autocorrelation of assemblages of benthic invertebrates and its relationship to environmental factors in two upland rivers in southeastern AustraliaDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 5 2005Natalie J. Lloyd ABSTRACT The nature of spatial autocorrelation of biota may reveal much about underlying ecological and biological factors responsible for producing those patterns, especially dispersal processes (drift, adult flight, etc.). We report here on assemblage-level autocorrelation in the benthic-invertebrate assemblages (retained in sieves of 300 µm mesh) of riffles in two adjacent, relatively pristine rivers in southeastern Victoria, Australia (40-km reaches of the Wellington and Wonnangatta Rivers). These are related to patterns of autocorrelation in physical and catchment conditions (,environmental variables') in the vicinity of the sampling points. Both the invertebrate assemblages and environmental variables were autocorrelated at small scales (= 8 km) in the Wellington River in one of the sampling years (1996). Dissimilarities of invertebrate assemblages were correlated with dissimilarities of environmental variables in both sampling years (1996 and 1997) in that river. Environmental variables were autocorrelated in the Wonnangatta River, but this was not expressed as autocorrelation in the assemblages of invertebrates, which were not autocorrelated at any scale studied. Individual environmental variables showed different spatial patterns between the two rivers. These results suggest that individual rivers have their own idiosyncratic patterns and one cannot assume that even similar, geographically adjacent rivers will have the same patterns, which is a difficulty for ecological assessment and restoration. [source] Nocturnal migration of dragonflies over the Bohai Sea in northern ChinaECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 5 2006HONG-QIANG FENG Abstract 1.,A sudden increase and subsequent sharp decrease of catches of dragonflies in a searchlight trap, with Pantala flavescens Fabricius (Odonata: Libellulidae) predominating, observed at Beihuang Island in the centre of the Bohai Gulf, in 2003 and 2004, indicated a seasonal migration of these insects over the sea during the night in China. The movements were associated with the onset of fog. 2.,Simultaneous radar observations indicated that the nocturnally migrating dragonflies generally flew at altitudes of up to 1000 m above sea level, with high density concentrations at about 200,300 or 500 m; these concentrations were coincident with the temperature inversion. 3.,During early summer, the dragonflies oriented in a downwind direction, so that the displacement direction varied between different altitudes. In contrast, during late summer, the dragonflies were able to compensate for wind drift, even headwind drift, so as to orient south-westward no matter how the wind changed, and thus the displacement direction was towards the south-west. 4.,The duration of flight, estimated from the variation of area density derived from radar data and hourly catches in the searchlight trap through the night, was about 9,10 h. The displacement speed detected using radar was ,5,11 m s,1. Therefore, the dragonflies might migrate 150,400 km in a single flight. 5.,The dragonflies were thought to originate in Jiangsu province and they migrated into north-east China to exploit the temporary environment of paddy fields in early summer. Their offspring probably migrated back south during late summer and autumn. [source] Seasonal variation in the migration strategies of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea species complexECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2006JASON W. CHAPMAN Abstract 1. Insect migration strategies are generally poorly understood due to the propensity for high-altitude flight of many insect species, and the technical difficulties associated with observing these movements. While some progress has been made in the study of the migration of important insect pests, the migration strategies of insect natural enemies are often unknown. 2. Suction trapping, radar monitoring, and high-altitude aerial netting were used to characterise the seasonal migrations in the U.K. of an assemblage of aphid predators: three green lacewings in the Chrysoperla carnea species complex. 3. Chrysoperla carnea sens. str. was found to be very abundant at high altitudes during their summer migration, and some individuals were capable of migrating distances of , 300 km during their pre-ovipositional period. In contrast, high-altitude flights were absent in the autumn migration period, probably due to a behavioural adaptation that increases the probability that migrants will encounter their over-wintering sites. The other two species in the complex, C. lucasina and C. pallida, were much rarer, making up , 3% of the total airborne populations throughout the study period. 4. The summer migration of C. carnea sens. str. was not directly temporally associated with the summer migration of its cereal aphid prey, but lagged behind by about 4 weeks. There was also no evidence of spatial association between aphid and lacewing populations. 5. The results show that to understand the population ecology of highly mobile insect species, it is necessary to characterise fully all aspects of their migration behaviour, including the role of high-altitude flights. [source] Seasonal change in offspring sex and size in Dawson's burrowing bees (Amegilla dawsoni) (Hymenoptera: Anthophorini)ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2005John Alcock Abstract., 1.,Nesting females of Dawson's burrowing bees, Amegilla dawsoni, produce a large size class of offspring, which includes daughters and major sons, and a small size class, which consists entirely of minor sons averaging half the weight of their larger siblings. Female allocation patterns change over the flight season such that the initial pattern of producing daughters shifts toward the production of both daughters and major sons in the middle of the season, and then the production of primarily minor sons in the latter part of the nesting season. 2.,In Dawson's burrowing bees, this pattern is correlated with declines in pollen and nectar availability as the nesting season progresses as well as a heightened risk of dying before the final brood cell is completed. Here, the relation between these factors and the provisioning tactics of nesting Dawson's burrowing bees is discussed. [source] High-altitude migration of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella to the U.K.: a study using radar, aerial netting, and ground trappingECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Jason W. Chapman Abstract 1. The high-altitude wind-borne migration of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella in the U.K. in 2000 was investigated (a) by direct monitoring of insect flight by vertical-looking radar and by aerial netting, and (b) through evidence of temporal variation in P. xylostella abundance deduced from a network of light traps. 2. Migrating P. xylostella were identified by a unique combination of size and shape data derived from the continuously operating vertical-looking radar. 3. Radar-detected migratory overflights correlated significantly with associated peaks in abundance of P. xylostella estimated by catches in a U.K.-wide light trap network; however the correlation was stronger when light trap catches were lagged by 1 day. 4. The first notable catches of P. xylostella in the U.K. occurred in early May, and were accompanied by migrations over the radar from the east. 5. Radar data and back-tracking indicated that a major wind-borne migration of P. xylostella from The Netherlands to southern England took place in early May, and that this was responsible for the establishment of the U.K. population. 6. The origin of early-season P. xylostella occurring in Britain is discussed. [source] Autumnal moth , why autumnal?ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 6 2001Toomas Tammaru Summary 1. As for some other spring-feeding moths, adult flight of Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) occurs in late autumn. Late-season flight is a result of a prolonged pupal period. Potential evolutionary explanations for this phenological pattern are evaluated. 2. In a laboratory rearing, there was a weak correlation between pupation date and the time of adult emergence. A substantial genetic difference in pupal period was found between two geographic populations. Adaptive evolution of eclosion time can thus be expected. 3. Metabolic costs of a prolonged pupal period were found to be moderate but still of some ecological significance. Pupal mortality is likely to form the main cost of the prolonged pupal period. 4. Mortality rates of adults, exposed in the field, showed a declining temporal trend from late summer to normal eclosion time in autumn. Lower predation pressure on adults may constitute the decisive selective advantage of late-season flight. It is suggested that ants, not birds, were the main predators responsible for the temporal trend. 5. Egg mortality was estimated to be low; it is thus unlikely that the late adult period is selected for to reduce the time during which eggs are exposed to predators. 6. In a laboratory experiment, oviposition success was maximal at the time of actual flight peak of E. autumnata, however penalties resulting from sub-optimal timing of oviposition remained limited. [source] Behaviourally structured populations persist longer under harsh environmental conditionsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 5 2003Sergei V. Petrovskii Abstract The factors and mechanisms that enhance population persistence in a fragmented habitat and/or under harsh environmental conditions are of significant current interest. We consider the dynamics of a population in an isolated habitat surrounded by an unfavourable environment subject to different behavioural responses between the individuals. We assume that there are two responses available: one of them is aggression in its extreme form, the other is its contrary when an individual takes flight in order to avoid any contact with its conspecific. We show that a behaviourally structured population consisting of individuals with fixed behavioural responses is intrinsically less prone to extinction under harsh environmental condition than a population where the individuals can ,choose' between the two given behaviours. We also show that, contrary to an intuitively expected negative impact of aggression on population persistence, the optimal conditions for population persistence are reached when a considerable proportion of the individuals exhibit aggressive behaviour. [source] The Macroeconomic Implications of Regulatory Capital Adequacy Requirements for Korean BanksECONOMIC NOTES, Issue 1 2000G. Choi The capital adequacy requirement, combined with the flight to quality, contributed to a drastic credit slowdown and a sharp recession in Korea in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Since most banks were placed under the strengthened capital adequacy constraints, they reduced loans to firms with high credit risks. As a result, bank-dependent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were badly hit, and eventually demand for bank loans fell. The reduction in loans was most visible among banks with poor capital adequacy, yet the overall change in bank portfolios had a disproportionately large negative influence on financial conditions for SMEs. In conclusion, the banks' response to capital adequacy requirements resulted in changes in the loan/bond ratio which, in turn, reduced loans to SMEs and caused a sharp cut in production. The resulting contraction in SME production created a polarized industrial structure and a chronic depression in the traditional sectors of the economy. The introduction of capital adequacy requirements (CARs) in the wake of financial crisis worsened conditions for SMEs and weakened the validity of the CARs that were mainly necessitated by successive failures among larger firms. [source] Analysis of the sinusitis nasal lavage fluid proteome using capillary liquid chromatography interfaced to electrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight- tandem mass spectrometryELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 9 2004Begona Casado Abstract The nasal lavage fluids (NLFs) from four subjects with acute sinusitis were analyzed to investigate the amount of proteins expressed in this pathology at the beginning of the event (day 1) and after 6 days of treatment with antibiotics and a nasal steroid spray. The protein identification was performed with capillary liquid chromatography-electrospray-quadrupole time of flight-(LC-ESI-Q-TOF)-mass spectrometry. The samples collected on the first day contained high-abundant plasma proteins, such as albumin and immunoglobulins, glandular serous cell proteins (lysozyme, lactoferrin, and polymeric immunoglobulin receptor), epithelial keratins, and inflammatory cell proteins (myeloperoxidase, IL-16, and IL-17E). After six days of therapy, the complexity of the proteome was reduced to plasma proteins and lysozyme with no inflammatory markers. The presence of hemoglobin, however, suggested that significant squamous metaplasia with breaches in the epithelial barrier, or nasal steroid-related bleeding, had occurred. The proteomic approach presented here allowed us to identify, in the high complexity of acute sinusitis nasal secretions, the proteins that respond to a pharmacological treatment and that could be suitable as markers of this pathology. [source] Synergistic sex pheromone components of the grey-spotted tussock moth, Orgyia ericaeENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2010Guo-Fa Chen Abstract The grey-spotted tussock moth, Orgyia ericae Germar (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), is an important pest of deciduous trees and woody scrublands in northern China. In a field trapping experiment conducted during the flight of the first generation of 2009, synthetic (Z)-6-heneicosen-11-one, a common Orgyia spp. sex pheromone component, attracted O. ericae males. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses (full scan or selected ion-monitoring mode) of pheromone gland extracts from females revealed the presence of a major, a minor, and a trace component, i.e., (6Z,9Z)-heneicosa-6,9-diene, (6Z,9Z)-tricosa-6,9-diene, and (Z)-6-heneicosen-11-one, respectively. Field experiments during the flight of the second generation showed that (6Z,9Z)-tricosa-6,9-diene, the minor component, was inactive alone or in any combination with the other two components, whereas (6Z,9Z)-heneicosa-6,9-diene and (Z)-6-heneicosen-11-one were weakly attractive when tested individually. However, traps baited with a binary blend of (6Z,9Z)-heneicosa-6,9-diene and (Z)-6-heneicosen-11-one caught seven-fold more moths than any other treatment (except the ternary blend), indicating a strong synergistic interaction between the two components. The analytical and field trapping data suggested that (6Z,9Z)-heneicosa-6,9-diene and (Z)-6-heneicosen-11-one are likely the key sex pheromone components of female O. ericae. This synergistic blend will be useful as an efficient monitoring tool, and possible control tool, to combat this economically and ecologically important forest defoliator. [source] Sexual conflicts, loss of flight, and fitness gains in locomotion of polymorphic water stridersENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2007Pablo Perez Goodwyn Abstract In insect wing polymorphism, morphs with fully developed, intermediate, and without wings are recognized. The morphs are interpreted as a trade-off between flight and flightlessness; the benefits of flight are counterbalanced by the costs of development and the maintenance of wings and flight muscles. Such a trade-off has been widely shown for reproductive and developmental parameters, and wing reduction is associated with species of stable habitats. However, in this context, the role of water locomotion performance has not been well explored. We chose seven water striders (Heteroptera: Gerridae) as a model to study this trade-off and its relation to sexual conflicts, namely, Aquarius elongatus (Uhler), Aquarius paludum (Fabr.), Gerris insularis (Motschulsky), Gerris nepalensis Distant, Gerris latiabdominis Miyamoto, Metrocoris histrio (White), and Rhagadotarsus kraepelini Breddin. We estimated the locomotion performance as the legs' stroke force, measured on tethered specimens placed on water with a force transducer attached to their backs. By dividing force by body weight, we made performance comparisons. We found a positive relationship between weight and force, and a negative one between weight and the force-to-weight ratio among species. The trade-off between water and flight locomotion was manifested as differences in performance in terms of the force/weight ratio. However, the bias toward winged or wing-reduced morphs was species dependent, and presumably related to habitat preference. Water strider species favouring a permanent habitat (G. nepalensis) showed higher performance in the apterous morph, but in those favouring temporary habitats (A. paludum and R. kraepelini) morphs' performance did not differ significantly. Males had higher performance than females in all but three species studied (namely, A. elongatus, G. nepalensis, and R. kraepelini); these three have a type II mating strategy with minimized mating struggle. We hypothesized that in type I mating system, in which males must struggle strongly to subdue the female, males should outperform females to copulate successfully. This was not necessarily true among males of species with type II mating. [source] Dispersal and influences on movement for Anoplophora glabripennis calculated from individual mark-recaptureENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2005J.S. Bancroft Abstract We conducted an individual mark-release-recapture experiment on the beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis Motchulsky (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). This invasive beetle has been introduced from Asia to Europe and North America and poses a serious threat to several important species of tree. Eradication efforts may benefit from knowledge of dispersal behaviour. Trees were cut and held to determine emergence rate of A. glabripennis. Unique marks were painted onto 912 beetles released into a group of 165 trees in Gansu, China. Data on subsequent sightings of beetles were used in a truncated diffusion model to calculate flight distances. Characteristics of the trees and climatic information were used in statistical tests for influence on movement. A total of 2245 sightings of beetles were observed and 29% of marked beetles were resighted. The scanning technique using binoculars was 90% effective in finding beetles and provided 81% accuracy for determining the sex of the beetles. Experimental manipulation of density quantified how A. glabripennis congregated on unoccupied trees and were repulsed from crowded hosts. The seasonal emergence rate of adults declined exponentially from July 20 to August 5. The results suggested A. glabripennis fly to nearby host trees at a rate of 34% per day. Median flight distance was estimated at 20 m per day. Statistical analysis with a generalized linear model tested the beetle's propensity to leave a tree and distance of flight. Generally, beetle movement showed a significant response to beetle density, weather conditions, beetle size, and tree size, in that order. The techniques developed here improve on previous recapture techniques to quantify dispersal and can be useful for analysing populations of other organisms. [source] Dispersal capacity in the Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioidesENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 1 2004M. Eizaguirre Abstract Corn (Zea mays L.) borers are the primary target of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) transgenic maize. Management of corn borer resistance to Bt requires information on larval and adult dispersal capacities, a feature that is particularly unknown in Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the most damaging corn borer in Spain. Larval dispersal was studied over a 3 year period by infesting plants with egg masses and dissecting the neighbouring plants 7, 14, and 32 days later to measure larval dispersal at several ages. The number and age of larvae were recorded in the dissected plants. Only mature larvae dispersed in significant numbers; they moved at least to rows adjacent to those containing the infested plant, and down the row five plants. The percentage of larvae that dispersed from the infested plant was density-dependent. Adult dispersal was studied with directional light and pheromone uni-traps over 5 and 3 year periods, respectively. Directional light traps were placed in the margins between Bt and non-Bt maize fields, half oriented towards each of the two kinds of maize field. Pheromone traps were placed in the Bt and non-Bt fields at increasing distances (0,100 m) from the border. The numbers of males and females caught in directional light traps were not different in traps oriented towards Bt or non-Bt fields, but the number of males caught in the third flight in Bt fields was lower than in non-Bt fields. These results suggest that males from adjacent Bt and non-Bt fields mate indiscriminately with females emerging in any of the two kinds of maize fields. However, male movement in the third flight may not be sufficient to randomly distribute males between the two fields. [source] The sublethal effects of tebufenozide on the precopulatory and copulatory activities of Choristoneura fumiferana and C. rosaceanaENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2004Renée Dallaire Abstract The sublethal effects of tebufenozide, an ecdysone agonist, on the reproductive biology of Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem) and of Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), treated during the larval stage, were evaluated using two treatment methods: the force-feeding method and the diet method. The percentage of mortality and the developmental time of survivors increased linearly with the concentration of tebufenozide used. This ecdysone analogue proved to be more toxic to C. fumiferana than to C. rosaceana. In C. rosaceana, the weight of males and females decreased proportionally with the dose ingested, but females were affected to a greater extent. This difference might be due to a greater consumption of the treated diet, or to a differential vulnerability to tebufenozide. Tebufenozide did not modify the pre-copulatory activities associated with chemical communication in the females. However, the consumption of tebufenozide delayed ovarian maturation, causing a reduction in the fecundity of females. Treated males had smaller spermatophores and fewer eupyrene sperms in their bursa copulatrix and spermatheca, along with lower mating success. In C. fumiferana, tebufenozide delayed the females' onset time of calling the first night after emergence, but did not affect the mean time spent calling or the production of the main component of the sex pheromone. The males showed significantly greater difficulty in executing oriented flight in a wind tunnel, although their mating success was not affected. We concluded that tebufenozide interferes with various aspects of the reproductive biology of males and females of C. fumiferana and C. rosaceana, including some pre-copulatory behaviors associated with sex pheromone communication. [source] Behaviour of male pine sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer, released downwind from pheromone sourcesENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2000Fredrik Östrand Abstract This study investigated the behaviour of male European pine sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer Geoffroy (Hym., Diprionidae), that were released and observed downwind from pheromone traps baited with 100 ,g of the sex pheromone, (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecyl acetate. Releases were done at three distances; either at 5 m from one trap, or at 50 or 200 m from five traps, placed in a line perpendicular to the current wind direction. As control, males were released identically but without any pheromone source present. The behaviour of the males prior to take-off was studied. A total of 1729 males were released, and 80% of them took flight. Males took off significantly faster in the presence of pheromone. Grooming was significantly more frequent in presence of pheromone compared with control. In all pheromone experiments significantly more males displayed grooming, wing fanning and take-off towards the wind compared with the control. Weather data was simultaneously collected at the study site. Wing fanning was negatively correlated with wind speed. Grooming was not influenced by wind speed. Reduced levels of incoming short-wave radiation lowered the take-off frequency significantly. Pheromone-induced behaviour in diprionids seems to be less distinct than in other insects, e.g., Lepidoptera. [source]
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