Initiation of fungal epizootics in diamondback moth populations within a large field cage: proof of concept for auto-dissemination

Adult diamondback moths (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), inoculated with the fungus Zoophthora radicans, were released within a large field cage containing DBM-infested potted broccoli plants. Larvae and pupae on exposed and caged control plants were examined on five occasions over the next 48 days for evidence of Z. radicans infection. Infected larvae were first detected on exposed plants 4 days after the initial release of adults, and after 48 days the infection level reached 79%. Aerially borne conidia were a factor in transmission of the fungus. Infection had no effect on possible losses of larval and adult cadavers due to scavengers in field crops. In a trial to measure the influence of infection on dispersal, twice as many non-infected as infected males were recaptured in pheromone traps, although the difference in cumulative catch only became significant 3 days after release of the males. In a separate experiment, when adult moths were inoculated with Beauveria bassiana conidia and released into the field cage, DBM larvae collected from 37 of 96 plants sampled 4 days later subsequently died from B. bassiana infection. The distribution of plants from which the infected larvae were collected was random, but the distribution of infected larvae was clustered within the cage. These findings suggest that the auto-dissemination of fungal pathogens may be a feasible strategy for DBM control, provided that epizootics can be established and maintained when DBM population densities are low.

Multilobular osteochondrosarcoma of the hard palate in a dog

A 14-year-old castrated male Rhodesian Ridgeback was presented with a history of sneezing and epistaxis. Diagnostic procedures included physical examination, regional and thoracic radiography, computed tomography and histological examination of an incisional biopsy. A multilobular osteochondrosarcoma of the hard palate with pulmonary metastases was diagnosed. Surgical resection of the primary tumour was achieved with clean margins and the defect was repaired using bilateral mucosal transposition flaps from the lips. Wound dehiscence and oesophageal stricture were postoperative complications, but these resolved with treatment. A long-term survival time of 14 months resulted, with good quality of life and function during this time.

Beef production and the environment: Is it really 'hard to be green when you are in the red'?

The statement. 'it is hard to be green when you are in the red' is commonly used by pnmary producers to explain the necessity of placing a greater emphasis on financial survival rather than longer term environmental sustainability. The subject of environmental sustainabilty on pastoral properties was explored during face-to:face interviews with cattle graziers in the Filzroy Basin area of Central Queensland. Findings from the study suggest that while economic factors are important, they are not the only determinant in whether a landholder prioritises environmental sustainability, Rather. social factors such as knowledge claims. beliefs, attitudes. values, peer pressure and social sanctioning, constructed and enacted within the productivist paradigm of primary production. play a crucial role in how landholders manage their natural assets. This suggests that the edict that 'It is hard to be green when you are in the red' is inaccurate and does not explain why conservation-focused pastoral management is not yet occurring on a large scale

Relationships between hard-seededness and seed weight in mungbean (Vigna radiata) assessed by QTL analysis

Weather damage reduces the value of commercial mungbean, but hard-seededness can reduce the level of damage. However, attempts to breed large- and hard-seeded mungbean varieties have been unsuccessful. To understand the relationship between seed weight and hard-seededness, these traits were investigated using a quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping approach with a recombinant inbred population derived from a cross between a completely soft-seeded variety and a completely hard-seeded genotype. The two parental genotypes also had a sixfold difference in seed weight. QTL analyses revealed four loci for hard-seededness and I I loci for seed weight. Two of the hardseededness loci co-localized with seed weight QTL. When seed weight was used as a covariate in the analysis of hard-seededness from the field data, two of the four hard-seeded QTL remained significant with the effect at one of these remaining unchanged. These results explain why retaining hard-seededness in large seeded mungbean lines has been unsuccessful. The existence of a persistent locus, however, indicated that breeding large and persistently hard-seeded varieties of mungbean may be possible.

A simple proof of the strong subadditivity inequality

Arguably the deepest fact known about the von Neumann entropy, the strong subadditivity inequality is a potent hammer in the quantum information theorist's toolkit. This short tutorial describes a simple proof of strong subadditivity due to Petz [Rep. on Math. Phys. 23 (1), 57-65 (1986)]. It assumes only knowledge of elementary linear algebra and quantum mechanics.

Crystallography of carbide-free bainite in a hard bainitic steel

The convergent beam Kikuchi line diffraction technique has been used to accurately determine the orientation relationships between bainitic ferrite and retained austenite in a hard bainitic steel. A reproducible orientation relationship has been uniquely observed for both the upper and lower bainite. It is [GRAPHICS] However, the habit plane of upper bainite is different from that of lower bainite. The former has habit plane that is either within 5 degrees of (221)(A) or of (259)(A). The latter only corresponds with a habit plane that is within 5 degrees of (259)(A). The determined orientation relationship is completely consistent with reported results determined using the same technique with an accuracy of +/- 0.5 degrees in lath martensite in an Fe-20 wt.% Ni-6 wt.% Mn alloy and in a low carbon low alloy steel. It also agrees well with the orientation relationship between granular bainite and austenite in an Fe-19 wt.% Ni-3.5 wt.% Mn-0.15 wt.% C steel. Hence it is believed that, at least from a crystallographic point view, the bainite transformation has the characteristics of martensitic transformation. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flexible proof reuse for software verification

Proof reuse, or analogical reasoning, involves reusing the proof of a source theorem in the proof of a target conjecture. We have developed a method for proof reuse that is based on the generalisation replay paradigm described in the literature, in which a generalisation of the source proof is replayed to construct the target proof. In this paper, we describe the novel aspects of our method, which include a technique for producing more accurate source proof generalisations (using knowledge of the target goal), as well as a flexible replay strategy that allows the user to set various parameters to control the size and the shape of the search space. Finally, we report on the results of applying this method to a case study from the realm of software verification.