The efficiency of an insect suction sampler in grassland

Abstract. 1. Capture efficiency was determined chiefly by insect type: Diptera 79–98%, Hymenoptera 60–83%, Homoptera 32–76%, Thysanoptera 27–62%, Acarina 12–40%.
2. Grass length also affected efficiency, but to a lesser degree.
3. Prolongation of the sampling period increased the proportions of some groups more than others.
4. Capture efficiency for any group was not affected by the number of individuals present.
5. Catch size did not vary with time of day.
6. The method was unsatisfactory for wet grass.     

The Chicano Heritage

Our Catholic Heritage in Texas, 1519–1936 . Carlos E. Castañeda.
The American Occupation of New Mexico 1821–1852 . Sister Mary Loyola.
Northern Mexico on the Eve of the United States Invasion: Rare Imprints Concerning California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, 1821–1846 . David J. Weber , ed.
Ill Fares the Land: Migrants and Migratory Labor in the United States . Carey McWilliams.
Los Estados Unidos y el México Olvidado . Agustin Cue Cánovas.
Hispanic Folklore Studies of Arthur Campa . Introduction by Carlos E. Cortés.
Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in California . Rose Hollenbaugh Aviña. M.S. thesis, University of California, 1934     

Sex ratio and adult behaviour of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica (Diptera, Chironomklae)

Abstract. 1. The sex ratio in populations of the Antarctic chironomid Belgica antarctica approximates 1:1 at eclosion.
2. Male predominance in surface populations of the short-lived adult persists throughout the summer. The mean ratio, based on data from surface aggregations (austral summer 1977–78) and from sticky traps (1978–79) is about 6:1, with a steady seasonal decline from 10–20:1 to 2–5:1.
3. Males live slightly longer than females but the difference does not account for observed ratios.
4. Samples of adult populations taken from subsurface sites have sex ratios nearer to equality than surface populations.
5. It is concluded that the male-dominated surface populations are equivalent to the male swarms typical of winged Chironomidae.
6. Capture of airborne adults shows that aerial transport as well as water-surface rafting may play a role in dispersal of adults.     

The future of cytology laboratories

1. NHSCSP Annual Review 2006. Patnick J (ed.). Sheffield, UK, NHSCSP; 2007.
2. Dowie R, Stoykova B, Crawford D. et al . Liquid-based cytology can improve efficiency of cervical smear readers: evidence from timing surveys in two NHS cytology laboratories. Cytopathology 2006; 17(2):65–72.
3. Williams AR. Liquid-based cytology and conventional smears compared over two 12-month periods. Cytopathology 2006; 17(2):82–85.
4. Gregory LS, Dudding N, Smith JHF. The impact of introducing liquid based cytology into a routine screening laboratory. Cytopathology 2006; 17(S1):24.
5. Lord Carter of Coles. Report of the Review of NHS Pathology Services in England 2006. Department of Health.
6. Kardos TF. The focal point system: focal point slide profiler and focal point GS. Cancer 2004; 102(6):334–39.
7. Biscotti CV, Dawson AE, Dziura B. et al. Assisted primary screening using the automated ThinPrep Imaging System. Am J Clin Pathol 2005; 123(2):281–87.
8. Eltoum IA, Roberson J. Impact of HPV testing, HPV vaccine development and changing screening frequency on national Pap test volume: projections from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Cancer 2007; 111(1):34–40.
9. Kohli M, Ferko N, Martin A. et al. Estimating the long-term impact of a prophylactic human papillomavirus 16/18 vaccine on the burden of cervical cancer in the UK. Br J Cancer 2007; 96(1):143–50.
10. Franco EL, Cuzick J, Hildesheim A, de Sanjose S. Chapter 20: issues in planning cervical cancer screening in the era of HPV vaccination. Vaccine 2006; 24 (Suppl. 3):S171–S177.
11. Peto J, Gilham C, Fletcher O, Matthews FE. The cervical cancer epidemic that screening has prevented in the UK. Lancet 2004; 364(9430):249–56.     

Tansley Review No. 95: 15N natural abundance in soil–plant systems

The following citations were erroneously omitted from the 'References':
Groffman PM, Zak DR, Christensen S, Mosier A, Tiedje JM. 1993. Early spring nitrogen dynamics in a temperate forest landscape. Ecology 74 : 1579–1585.
Handley LL, Brendel O, Scrimgeour CM, Schmidt S, Raven JA, Turnbull MH, Stewart GR. 1996. The ¹⁵N natural abundance patterns of field-collected fungi from three kinds of ecosystems. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 10 : 974–978.
Handley LL, Daft MJ, Wilson J, Scrimgeour CM, Ingleby K, Sattar, MA. 1993. Effects of the ecto- and VA-mycorrhizal fungi Hydnagium carneum and Glomus clarum on the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of Eucalyptus globulus and Ricinus communis. Plant, Cell and Environment 16 : 375–382.
Handley LL, Odee D, Scrimgeour CM. 1994. δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C patterns in savanna vegetation: dependence on water availability and disturbance. Functional Ecology 8 : 306–314.
Handley LL, Raven JH. 1992. The use of natural abundance of nitrogen isotopes in plant physiology and ecology: commissioned review. Plant, Cell and Environment 15 : 965–985.
Handley LL, Scrimgeour CM. 1997. Terrestrial plant ecology and ¹⁵N natural abundance: the present limits to interpretation for uncultivated systems with original data from a Scottish old field. Advances in Ecological Research 27 : 133–212.
Hansen AP, Pate JS. 1987. Evaluation of the ¹⁵N natural abundance method and xylem sap analysis for assessing N₂ fixation of understorey legumes in jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forest in S.W. Australia. Journal of Experimental Botany 38 : 1446–1458.
New Phytologist apologizes unreservedly to all authors of the above papers for this error.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
(1) The Elements of Experimental Embryology . By J. S. H uxley and G. R. D e B eer .
(2) Fentures in the Architecture of Physiologicad Function . By J. B ar - croft .
The Agricultural Register , 1933–4. Oxford: Agricultural Economic Research Institute. 1934.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Forest Pathology . By J. S. Boyce.
Yearbook of Agriculture , 1937.
Physiological Genetics . By R. Goldschmidt.
The Study of Heredity . By E. B. Ford.
Tropical Fruits and Vegetables: an account of their Storage and Transport . By C. W. Wardlaw.
Erosion and Soil Conservation . By G . V. Jacks and R. O. Whyte.
Sixty Years of Botany in Britain (1875–1935). Impressions of an Eyewitness . By F. O. Bower.
Herbals: Their Origin and Evolution. A Chapter in the History of Botany , 1470–1670. By Agnes Arber.     

The Modified Sequential Treatment Regimen Containing Levofloxacin for Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Turkey

Background:  Eradication rates of Helicobacter pylori have declined to unacceptable levels in recent years. New and effective treatment options are warranted both as a first and second line treatment.
Aim:  To test an effectiveness of modified sequential therapy with levofloxacin for H. pylori eradication in Turkey.
Material and Methods:  Helicobacter pylori infected dyspeptic patients were included to the study. Subjects were treated with modified sequential therapy consisting of rabeprazole 20 mg b.i.d. and amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d., for 7 days followed by rabeprazole 20 mg b.i.d, levofloxacin 500 mg q.d. and metronidazole 500 mg b.i.d for the remaining 7 days.
Results:  Sixty-three treatment naive patients and 37 previous treatment failures were enrolled to the study (59 F, 41 M, age: 21–80 years). There was five drop out. Helicobacter pylori eradication was achieved in 80 patients, intention-to-treat (ITT): 80% (95% CI: 71–87%) and per-protocol (PP): 84.2% (95% CI: 75–91%), totally. In treatment naive patients ITT and PP eradication rates were 82.5% (95% CI: 71–91%), and 86.7% (95% CI: 75–94%), respectively. As a second line treatment eradication was successful in ITT 75.7%.(95% CI: 59–88%), and PP 80% (95% CI: 63–92%).Mild side effects were reported by 8 patients (8.4%).
Conclusions:  Sequential therapy using "rabeprazole and amoxicillin 7 days followed by rabeprazole, metronidazole and levofloxacin for 7 days" is a new regimen with acceptable eradication rates in naïve patients in Turkey. Further modifications in the dose or duration of this new sequential therapy might increase its effectiveness as both first and second line treatment.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Biogeographical Evolution of the Malay Archipelago. –T. C. Whitmore.
Evolution as Entropy: Toward a Unified Theory of Biology. –D. R. Brooks and E. O. Wiley.     

Selection and characterization of aerobic bacteria capable of degrading commercial mixtures of low-ethoxylated nonylphenols

Aims:  Isolation and characterization of new bacterial strains capable of degrading nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP n EO) with a low ethoxylation degree, which are particularly recalcitrant to biodegradation.
Methods and Results:  Seven aerobic bacterial strains were isolated from activated sludges derived from an Italian plant receiving NP n EO-contaminated wastewaters after enrichment with a low-ethoxylated NP n EO mixture. On the basis of 16S rDNA sequence, the strains were positioned into five genera: Ochrobactrum , Castellaniella , Variovorax , Pseudomonas and Psychrobacter . Their degradation capabilities have been evaluated on two commercial mixtures, i.e. Igepal CO-210 and Igepal CO-520, the former rich in low ethoxylated congeners and the latter containing a broader spectrum of NP n EO, and on 4- n -nonylphenol (NP). The strains degraded Igepal CO-210, Igepal CO-520 and 4- n -NP all applied at the initial concentration of 100 mg l⁻¹, by 35–75%, 35–90% and 15–25%, respectively, after 25 days of incubation.
Conclusions:  Some of the isolated strains, in particular the Pseudomonas strains BCb12/1 and BCb12/3, showed interesting degradation capabilities towards low ethoxylated NP n EO congeners maintaining high cell vitality.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  Increased knowledge of bacteria involved in NP n EO degradation and the possibility of using the isolated strains in tailored process for a tertiary biological treatment of effluents of wastewater treatment plants.     

Repatriating an Interpretive Anthropology: The American Studies/Cultural Criticism Connection

The Organization of American Culture, 1700–1900: Private Institutions, Elites and the Origins of American Nationality . Peter Dobkin Hall.
No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture 1880–1920 . T. J. Jackson Lears.
The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age . Alan Trachtenberg.     

Overwintering survivorship of pupae of the mimosa web worm, Homadaula anisocentra (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), in an urban landscape

ABSTRACT. 1. Overwintering survivorship of pupae of the mimosa webworm, Homadaula anisocentra Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), was examined in several urban habitats in central Iowa during the winters of 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84.
2. Survivorship and supercooling point temperatures were determined throughout the winters. Corroborative laboratory studies were conducted during the winter of 1982–83.
3. Minimum ambient temperatures that equalled or were below the supercooling point of the insect, at any time, were lethal.
4. Prolonged cold exposure below 0°C and above the supercooling point resulted in high mortality levels. To quantify this relationship, a concept of minimum-temperature exposure was developed by tabulating the number of degrees that the daily minimum temperature was below 0°C for a given sampling period.
5. Some mimosa webworm pupae were found to overwinter in highly protected sites (2.5–5.0°C warmer than the ambient air temperatures) in the urban environment, resulting in less minimum-temperature exposure and reducing the probability of reaching the lethal supercooling point temperature.     

Changes in microbial community structure, methanogenesis and rumen fermentation in response to saponin-rich fractions from different plant materials

Aims:  Investigation of the effects of saponin-rich fractions on rumen fermentation, methane production and the microbial community.
Methods and Results:  Saponins were extracted from Carduus , Sesbania and Knautia leaves and fenugreek seeds. Two levels of saponin-rich fractions with a substrate were incubated using the Hohenheim gas method. Methane was measured using an infrared-based methane analyser and microbial communities using quantitative PCR. On addition of saponin-rich fractions, methane and short-chain fatty acid production was not affected. The protozoal counts decreased by 10–39%. Sesbania saponins decreased methanogen population by 78%. Decrease in ruminal fungal population (20–60%) and increase in Fibrobacter succinogenes (21–45%) and Ruminococcus flavefaciens (23–40%) were observed.
Conclusions:  The saponins evaluated possessed anti-protozoal activity; however, this activity did not lead to methane reduction. Fenugreek saponins seemed to have potential for increasing rumen efficiency. The saponins altered the microbial community towards proliferation of fibre-degrading bacteria and inhibition of fungal population.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  The uni-directional relationship between protozoal numbers and methanogenesis, as affected by saponins, is not obligatory. All saponins might not hold promise for decreasing methane production from ruminants.     

The detection of vegetational change by multitemporal analysis of LANDSAT data: the effects of goose foraging

1 The North American mid-continent population of lesser snow geese now exceeds 3 million birds and the population is increasing in the order of 7% per annum. The foraging activities of the birds on Arctic breeding grounds are leading to loss of vegetation and habitat destruction, particularly in coastal areas bordering the Hudson and James Bays.
2 Multitemporal analysis of LANDSAT data has been carried out to detect vegetational change from 1973 to 1993 at La Pérouse Bay and its vicinity, the site of a breeding colony of snow geese.
3 Difference vegetation images (DVI) (difference between infra-red and red images) were prepared from images obtained in late summer in 1973, 1984 and 1993, in order to enhance vegetation density. Pair-wise differences were calculated between these DVI images, which resulted in three, secondary, classified images. Classification of the three secondary images (1973–84, 1984–93, 1973–93) yielded three well-defined classes: water, vegetation decline and no change in vegetation.
4 Histogram counts gave the following values for areas of vegetation decline: 1973–84, 1026 ha; 1984–93, 1428 ha; 1973–93, 2454 ha.
5 The loss of vegetation and the destruction of habitat are discussed in relation to the foraging activities of the expanding goose population.     

Population energy use scales positively with body size in natural aquatic microcosms

Aim  We test the 'energetic equivalence rule' (EER) – the idea that the amount of energy used by a population per unit area per unit time is independent of body mass – in meio-invertebrate communities from a series of natural, multitrophic aquatic 'rock pool' microcosms. Our study represents the first rigorous test of the EER at local scales of observation in a community of naturally coexisting species.
Location  Discovery Bay, Jamaica.
Method  We estimated population energy use (PEU) for every occurrence of every species of meio-invertebrate fauna found in each of 29 microcosms (233 observations of 31 species) using estimates of population density obtained in January 2005 in combination with published metabolism–mass relations for closely related taxa.
Results  In the rock pool system as a whole, population density decreased ( ancova : b  = –0.38 (–0.55 to –0.19), r ² = 0.19, P  < 0.001) and PEU increased with body mass ( ancova : b  = 0.55 (0.36–0.73), r ² = 0.28, P  < 0.001).
Main conclusions  The positive PEU–body mass relation found here suggests that larger organisms are energetically dominant and points to the importance of size-structured competition in these systems. Our results contrast those obtained in the few other previously published tests of the EER and challenge the idea that all species use similar amounts of energy regardless of their size.     

A Population-Based Epidemiologic Study of Helicobacter Pylori Infection and its Association with Systemic Inflammation

Background:  Infection with Helicobacter pylori is associated with a variety of non-gastrointestinal sequelae. These may be mediated by an increase in systemic inflammation. We assessed if serologic evidence of infection with H. pylori is associated with increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.
Methods:  The study design consisted of a randomly selected, cross-sectional population-based study of 2633 individuals phenotyped in 1991, of whom 2361 participants provided serum samples to permit measurement of H. pylori 's serologic status and CRP levels.
Results:  Male gender (odds ratio (OR): 1.65; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23–2.21), age (OR per year: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.04–1.06), height (OR per meter: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.24), current smoking habit (compared with never smokers, OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13–1.88), and less affluent socioeconomic status were associated with increased odds of being seropositive for H. pylori . Helicobacter pylori infection was associated with increased risk of having an elevated serum CRP (above 3 mg/L) after adjustment for gender, age, height, smoking status, and socioeconomic status (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.05–1.67). Similar associations were seen using a threshold for elevated serum CRP of greater than 1 mg/L.
Conclusions:  Our data suggest that infection with H. pylori is associated with increased systemic inflammation. This suggests one potential mechanism to explain the extra-gastrointestinal conditions associated with H. pylori infection.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
British Mycological Society , 1896ndash;1946: Proceedings of the Jubilee Meeting held in London , 20ndash;25 October , 1946.
Vernalization and Photoperiodism. A Symposium. By A. E. M urneek , R. O. W hyte et al.
Flora Malesiana. Series 1, vol. 4, Spermatophyta , part 1. 9¾× 6½ in. Pp. i-xl (Introduction, General Considerations), 1–39 (Taxonomic Revisions), 1–24 (Sample treatment of vol. 1, special part), 1–10 (Sample treatment of vol. 2), 1–6 (Sample treatment of vol. 3); 1 plate and 71 text-figures. Batavia: Noordhoff-Kolff N.V. 1948. 1 guilder Netherlands pro 16 printed pages (averaging 240 pages per annum).     

Bismuth-Containing Quadruple Therapy as Second-Line Treatment for Helicobacter pylori Infection: Effect of Treatment Duration and Antibiotic Resistance on the Eradication Rate in Korea

Background:  The eradication rate of first-line Helicobacter pylori treatment is only 70–85% and has been decreasing due to the increase in antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as second-line treatment for H. pylori infection based on treatment duration.
Methods:  We prospectively enrolled 227 patients that were found to have persistent H. pylori infection after first-line proton-pump inhibitor-clarithromycin-amoxicillin triple therapy. Patients were randomized to 1-week (112 patients) and 2-week (115 patients) quadruple therapy with tripotassium dicitrate bismuthate 300 mg q.i.d., meteronidazole 500 mg t.i.d., and tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d. and esomeprazole 20 mg b.i.d. The eradication rate, drug compliance, and adverse events were compared based on treatment duration.
Results:  The eradication rates were 72/112 (64.3%, 95% CI: 0.504–0.830) and 71/92 (77.2%, 0.440–0.749) with 1-week group, and 95/115 (82.6%, 1.165–2.449) an 88/94 (93.6%, 1.213–5.113) with 2-week group by intention-to-treat therapy ( p  = .002) and per-protocol analysis ( p  = .001), respectively. The adverse events increased as the treatment durations increased from 7 to 14 days (20.0 and 42.5%, respectively, p  < .001). However, there was no significant difference in the patient compliance or the rate of major adverse events between the 1- and 2-week groups (6.3 and 12.5%, respectively, p  = .133).
Conclusion:  Two-week bismuth-containing quadruple therapy was more effective than the 1-week treatment, and should be considered for second-line treatment in Korea.     

The powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera fusca (synonym Podosphaera xanthii), a constant threat to cucurbits

Numerous vegetable crops are susceptible to powdery mildew, but cucurbits are arguably the group most severely affected. Podosphaera fusca (synonym Podosphaera xanthii ) is the main causal agent of cucurbit powdery mildew and one of the most important limiting factors for cucurbit production worldwide. Although great efforts have been invested in disease control, by contrast, many basic aspects of the biology of P. fusca remain unknown.
Taxonomy: Podosphaera fusca (Fr.) Braun & Shishkoff. Kingdom Fungi; Phylum Ascomycota; Subdivision Pezizomycotina; Class Leotiomycetes; Order Erysiphales; Family Erysiphaceae; genus Podosphaera ; species fusca.
Identification: Superficial persistent mycelium. Conidia in chains, hyaline, ellipsoid to ovoid or doliform, about 24–40 × 15–22 µm, with cylindrical or cone-shaped fibrosin bodies, which often germinate from a lateral face and produce a broad, clavate germ tube and cylindrical foot-cells. Unbranched erect conidiophores. Cleistothecia globose, mostly 70–100 µm in diameter, dark brown/black. One ascus per cleistothecium with eight ascospores.
Host range: Angiosperm species that include several families, such as Asteracea, Cucurbitaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae and Verbenaceae.
Disease symptoms: White colonies develop on leaf surfaces, petioles and stems. Under favourable environmental conditions, the colonies coalesce and the host tissue becomes chlorotic and usually senesces early.
Control: Chemical control and the use of resistant cultivars. Resistance has been documented in populations of P. fusca to some of the chemicals registered for control.