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White peach scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona) is a polyphagous pest of perennial horticulture in Asia and many other warm-temperate and tropical regions. In China, it is a serious pest of kiwifruit. The optimal time to controlP. pentagonafield populations is at the first instar stage of the first, spring generation. Three methods for predicting the hatching of eggs of the first generation from field populations were tested on kiwifruit in Sichuan, based upon the accumulation of heat units (day-degrees) above a developmental threshold, calculated as 10.75 °C. A method developed forP. pentagonacontrol in tea in Japan gave excellent predictions of 50% hatching in 5 of the 6 years under study (2009–2014). The other two methods also gave acceptable predictions of dates of 50% egg hatching (within 5 days of field observed dates). These models may be used as a basis for forecasting spring insecticide application dates targeting the first instar stage (crawlers and settled ‘white caps’). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chronic alcohol abuse is a risk factor for osteoporosis and sarcopenia, but the long-term effects of alcohol on the immature musculoskeletal system are less clear. The present investigation in growing rats was designed to determine the effects of alcohol consumption on body composition, muscle mass, and bone mass, architecture, and turnover. Few studies have focused on the long-term effects of drinking on bone and muscle during skeletal maturation. Alcohol was included in the diet of 4-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats (35% caloric intake) for 3 months. The controls were fed an isocaloric alcohol-free liquid diet ad libitum. A second study was performed in which the controls were pair-fed to the alcohol-fed animals. Compared to ad libitum-fed age-matched controls, alcohol-fed rats weighed less and had lower lean mass, fat mass, and percent body fat. In addition, they had lower slow- and fast-twitch muscle mass, lower total body bone mineral content and bone mineral density, and lower cancellous bone volume in the lumbar vertebra and proximal tibia. The effects of alcohol consumption on body composition were reduced when compared to the pair-fed control diet, indicating that caloric restriction was a comorbidity factor. In contrast, the effects of alcohol to decrease bone formation and serum leptin and IGF-I levels and to increase bone marrow adiposity appeared independent of caloric restriction. The skeletal abnormalities in growing alcohol-fed rats were due to a combination of effects specific to alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced caloric restriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been a key building block in nanotechnology since theearliest work on what is now called DNA-templated self-assembly (Alivisatos et al 1996Nature382 609; Mirkin et al 1996 Nature382 607; Braun et al 1998 Nature391775). A range of different nanoparticles and nanoclusters have been assembled onsingle DNA molecules for a variety of purposes (Braun et al 1998 Nature391 775;Richter et al 2001 Appl. Phys. Lett.78 536; Park et al 2002 Science295 1503;Mirkin 2000 Inorg. Chem.39 2258; Keren et al 2003 Science302 1380). Electricallyconductive silver (Braun et al 1998 Nature391 775) and palladium (Richter et al 2001Appl. Phys. Lett.78 536) nanowires, for example, have been fabricated by DNAtemplating for the development of interconnection of nanoelectric elements, and fieldeffect transistors have been built by assembly of a single carbon nanotube andDNA-templated nanowires (Keren et al 2003 Science302 1380). DNA is well suited fornanowire assembly because of its size, well organized structure, and exquisitemolecular-recognition-ability-specific base pairing. This property has been used to detectnucleic acids (Park et al 2002 Science295 1503) and anthrax (Mirkin 2000 Inorg. Chem.392258) with high sensitivity and specificity. Molecular recognition can also be used tolocalize nanowires in electronics. Various methods, for example molecular combing,electrophoretic stretching, and hydrodynamic stretching, have been developed toorient DNA molecules on a solid support. This review focuses on methods used tomanipulate and metallize DNA in nanowire fabrication. A novel approach basedon a single-stranded DNA template and molecular recognition is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conduction behaviour of n-MOSFET capacitors with an oxide thickness (Tox) of 18.5 Å was investigated before and after constant current stress. It was found that stress-induced leakage current (SILC) strongly depends on the low sense voltages. Conduction mechanism of the low voltage SILC (LV-SILC) was analysed systematically, based on the assumption that the LV-SILC is due to interface trap-assisted tunnelling (ITAT) process. Using the LV-SILC as a probe, the generation of interface defects was probed by the LV-SILC. Interface defects in both anode and cathode are involved in the ITAT process, but the former dominates the oxide reliability. Based on the results of interface defect generation sensed by the LV-SILC, a new method to project lifetime (TBD) or monitor the oxide reliability was set up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of the internet has resulted in widespread availability of medical information for both patients and physicians. People increasingly spend time on the internet searching for an explanation, diagnosis or treatment for their symptoms. Regarding rare diseases, the use of the internet may be an important tool in the diagnostic process. The authors present two cases in which concerned parents made a correct diagnosis of a lysosomal storage disorder in their child by searching the internet after a long doctor's delay. These cases illustrate the utility of publicly available internet search engines in diagnosing rare disorders and in addition illustrate the lengthy diagnostic odyssey which is common in these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the role of self-perception in predicting performance of cooperative learning groups in graduate-level research methodology courses. A total of 29 groups was examined (n = 102 students), ranging in size from 2 to 7. A series of multiple regression analyses revealed that the groups attaining the lowest scores on the article critique assignment (i.e., group outcome variable) tended to report the lowest levels of perceived job competence and perceived self-worth, the highest levels of perceived creativity, the greatest variation with respect to perceived scholastic competence and perceived humor, and the least variation with respect to perceived social acceptability. These six variables model explained 75.8% (adjusted [R.sup.2] = 69.2%) of the variation in article critique scores, which indicated an extremely large effect size. Thus, self-perception appears to be a very powerful predictor of performance of cooperative learning groups involving graduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality large-area β-MnO2 nanowires can be easily synthesized usingKNO3 as the mineralizing agent in a process of mineralization fromMn(NO3)2 aqueous solution. The morphological evolution of theβ-MnO2 nanowires and the influences of mineralizing agents and their concentrationson the morphology of the final products were investigated in detail.KNO3 was the best mineralizingagent among KNO3, NaNO3, KCl, and NaCl. More interestingly, when the concentration of the mineralizing agentKNO3 was not saturated, only irregular short faceted nanorods, instead of nanowires, can beobserved. Finally, the formation mechanism is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]