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Monterey pine is widely planted throughout low-elevation urban areas throughout California and is the most planted conifer in the San Francisco Bay Area. This pine, along with ponderosa and sugar pine, are subject to attack by red turpentine beetles; leaving them vulnerable to premature death and fire.Learn how to inspect and manage your pines to protect them from infestation by this beetle and three other beetles frequently found in dying urban conifers.

Monterey pine is widely planted throughout low-elevation urban areas throughout California and is the most planted conifer in the San Francisco Bay Area. This pine, along with ponderosa and sugar pine, are subject to attack by red turpentine beetles; leaving them vulnerable to premature death and fire.Learn how to inspect and manage your pines to protect them from infestation by this beetle and three other beetles frequently found in dying urban conifers.

Two experienced and esteemed ethnographers examine how to use ethnographic methods to conduct research in language and literacy. The authors begin by mapping some of the developments in ethnography across the last century, from colonial interests to contemporary studies of migration, multiculturalism, and global citizenship. The authors then draw from their own field work and that of a novice ethnographer to inform a succession of chapters on research questions, field notes, and analysis. Throughout, the book stresses that "doing ethnography" involves engagement with public life and cannot be separated out as an academic activity. Appropriate for new and experienced researchers, this readable volume: (1) Examines the principals and practices of conducting ethnographic research, including the challenges and pitfalls; and (2) Links ethnography with work in language and literacy, including concepts such as culture, language, translation, multimodal literacies, and language ideologies. [This book was written with Molly Mills.]

Focusing on multiple ways in which learners gain access to knowledge and skills, this handbook explores the possibilities of broadening current conceptualizations of literacy to include the full array of the communicative arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing). The handbook pays particular attention to the visual arts of drama, dance, film, art, video, and computer technology. It contends that the communicative and visual arts encompass everything from novels and theatrical performances to movies and video games and that new methods for transmitting information have been developed that include music, graphics, sound effects, smells, and animations. According to the handbook, these methods, although used by television shows and multimedia products, represent an unexplored resource in the field of education. The handbook contains 64 chapters organized in 7 sections. The sections and their editors are as follows: (1) "Theoretical Bases for Communicative and Visual Arts Teaching" (Paul Messaris); (2) "Methods of Inquiry in Communicative and Visual Arts Teaching" (Donna Alvermann); (3) "Research on Language Learners in Families, Communities, and Classrooms" (Vicki Chou); (4) "Research on Language Teachers: Conditions and Contexts" (Dorothy Strickland); (5) "Expanding Instructional Environments: Teaching, Learning, and Assessing the Communicative and Visual Arts" (Nancy Roser); (6) "Research Perspectives on the Curricular, Extracurricular, and Policy Perspectives" (James Squire); and (7) "Voices from the Field" (Bernice Cullinan and Lee Galda). Information contained in the handbook is intended to be useful in planning literacy programs for students of today and tomorrow. Both a name index and a subject index are provided. (NKA)

How ethnic identity and gender figure in building the embedded identities of youth in different contexts is examined, focusing on the self-concepts of inner-city youth. The voices of urban youth argue that their embedded identities, or multilayered self-conceptions, represent far more than simple labels of ethnic or racial membership. After an introduction "Identity and Inner-City Youth" by the editors, the following chapters are provided: (1) "Ethnicity and Gender in Theory and Practice: The Youth Perspective" (S. B. Heath and M. W. McLaughlin); (2) "Embedded Identities: Enabling Balance in Urban Contexts" (M. W. McLaughlin); (3) "Dances of Identity: Finding an Ethnic Self in the Arts" (A. Ball and S. B. Heath); (4) "Gangs, Social Control, and Ethnicity: Ways To Redirect" (J. D. Vigil); (5) "Child Saving and Children's Cultures at Century's End" (G. A. Fine and J. Mechling); (6) "Collaborate or Go It Alone? Tough Decisions for Youth Policy" (J. Langman and M. W. McLaughlin); (7) "The Winnowing of Organizations" (T. James); (8) "Misperceptions of Gender and Youth: Learning Together, Learning Apart" (E. Hansot); and (9) "Casting the Self: Frames for Identity and Dilemmas for Policy" (M. W. McLaughlin and S. B. Heath). (SLD)

Discusses various responses to the author's book "Ways with Words--Language, Life and Work in Communities and Classrooms" (1983). Describes how these reactions have led the author to see things in the work that she had not seen before. Strengths and weaknesses of the book she identifies have implications for the conduct of future ethnographic research. (SLD)

Part of an international series of amply illustrated, colorful, small-sized books for children ages 5 to 10, this volume is designed to enhance learning and serve as an educational resource. The historical and modern cultivation of rice around the world and its importance as food and for other uses are explored. Answers to such questions as why is rice grown in flooded fields, and is rice good only for eating, are given. Illustrations appear throughout this book. (DB)

This book is written for children ages 5 through 10. Part of a series designed to develop their curiosity, fascinate them and educate them, this volume explains in text and pictures how plastic is made from oil, the problems with this nearly indestructible material, and the future of plastics. Topics include: (1) formation of oil; (2) history of oil use; (3) oil rig; (4) oil refining; (5) uses of oil; (6) uses of plastics; and (7) plastic manufacturing. (YP)

The French presidential election of 2007 marks a turning point in the country's Presidential election campaigns. Public opinion, measuring it and disseminating opinion poll results play a decisive and so far unmatched role in the selection of candidates. The polls also enabled Nicolas Sarkozy to put in place the foundations of a winning strategy. During the campaign proper, many different tools were also used. Lastly, opinion polls are becoming just as much tools of communication and issues of debate as instruments for understanding public opinion and responding to the public's expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are painful and debilitating diseases with complex pathophysiology. There is growing evidence that pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha) and mediators (e.g., prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and nitric oxide) play critical roles in the development and perpetuation of tissue inflammation and damage in joint tissues such as articular cartilage and meniscus. While earlier studies have generally focused on cells of the synovium (especially macrophages), there is increasing evidence that chondrocytes and meniscal cells actively contribute to inflammatory processes. In particular, it is now apparent that mechanical forces engendered by joint loading are transduced to biological signals at the cellular level and that these signals modulate gene expression and biochemical processes. Here we give an overview of the interplay of cytokines and mechanical stress in the production of cyclooxygenases and prostaglandins; lipoxygenases and leukotrienes; and nitric oxide synthases and nitric oxide in arthritis, with particular focus on the interactions of these pathways in articular cartilage and meniscus [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatic fever causes most cases of acquired heart disease in children and young adults worldwide. It is generally classified as a collagen vascular disease where the inflammatory insult is directed mainly against the tissues of the heart, joints, and the central nervous system. The inflammatory response, which is characterized by fibrinoid degeneration of collagen fibrils and connective tissue ground substance, is triggered by a throat infection with Group A β-hemolytic streptococci (GAS). The destructive effects on cardiac valve tissue accounts for most of the morbidity and mortality seen in the disease through the serious hemodynamic disturbances produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthropod assemblages were examined in Lama forest reserve, a protected area situated in the Dahomey gap, southern Benin, composed of plantations, degraded forest and remnants of natural forest. The objectives were to compare assemblages in relation to forest type and use, to elucidate the value of forest plantations for biodiversity conservation and to identify indicator species for specific forest habitats. Arthropods were collected over an 11-month period, using standardized sets of traps (pitfall, emergence, Malaise and flight intercept traps). Nine different habitats were studied, including natural and degraded forest, forest plantations (Tectona grandis and Senna siamea) of different age, and isolated forest fragments. Our analysis focused on detritivorous and xylophagous arthropods but also included ground beetles and heteropterans, totalling 393 species. We found no differences in species richness among natural and degraded forest habitats in the centre of the reserve (Noyau central). Outside of the Noyau central, species richness was highest in old teak plantations and isolated forest fragments and lowest in young teak and fuelwood plantations. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) separated three main groups: (1) natural forest, (2) degraded forest and young plantations, and (3) old plantations and isolated forest fragments. Multiple regression of DCA scores of the first two axes on environmental variables identified one natural and three disturbance-related predictors of arthropod assemblages in Lama forest: soil type (texture), canopy height, naturalness (proportion of Guineo-Congolian plant species) and understorey vegetation cover. We identified 15 indicator species for six different forest habitats. The highest numbers were found in abandoned settlements and old teak plantations. β-diversity was similar among the three DCA ordination groups (degraded forest excluded). Values for β-diversity were relatively high, suggesting that all major forest habitats contribute significantly to regional species pools and should therefore be protected. To enhance arthropod diversity, we propose that management practices in Lama forest should aim to encourage the development of species-rich understorey vegetation of the Guineo-Congolian phytogeographical region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the various forms of epilepsy could drive the search for new drugs and lead to improved therapies. The proposal of J.H. Jackson, put forward more than a century ago, that seizures are caused by "occasional, sudden, excessive, rapid and local discharges of gray matter" still provides a useful framework for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding Nash equilibria is a hard computational problem which is central to game theory and whose applications range from decision-making to the analysis of multi-agent systems. Despite considerable recent interest and significant recent improvements, the problem remains essentially open in the case of n-person games. We investigate the use of interval-based constraint solving techniques to compute equilibria. We report on experiments made using several encodings of randomly-generated games into continuous CSP, and draw conclusions regarding both the scalability of interval methods for game-theoretic applications and the impact of the symbolic representation of polynomials and of the choice of the propagation technique on the speed of resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the parkin gene have been shown to be responsible for a substantial number of cases of autosomal recessive early onset parkinsonism (AR-JP, PARK2, OMIM 602544) worldwide (1-4). The gene on chromosome 6q25.2-27 consists of 12 coding exons with an open reading frame of 1395 bp. The gene is estimated to cover >1.5 Mb. The gene product, Parkin, functions an an E3-ubiquitin-protein ligase (5). The only known substrate to date is CDCrel-1 (6) but the existence of other substrates is likely (5). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As described in Chapter 42, niric oxide (NO) is synthesized from the amino acid l-arginine by the actions of a family of enymes, the NO synthases (NOS), each isoform of which is encoded by a separate gene. Two NOS isoforms are calcium-dependent and constitutively expressed and produce low levels of NO: NOS1 (neuronal NOS or nNOS), which is found mostly in neurons and skeletal muscle, and NOS3 (endothelial NOS or eNOS), which is found mostly in endothelial cells. NOS1 is critical for neurotransmission and learning, and NOS3 regulates vascular tone and adhesion of circulating cells. Inducible NOS (iNOS or NOS2) is transcriptionally induced by proinflammatory cytokines (such as tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interferon-γ [IFN-γ]) and microbial products (e.g., lipoplysaccharide [LPS]). iNOS is calciumindependent, expressed by many cell types (especially mononuclear phagocytes, hepatocytes, chondrocytes and smooth muscle cells) and is responsible for high output NO production (1-3). While initial studies showed that iNOS expression within mouse macrophages resulted in high-output NO production, until recently there was doubt as to whether human macrophages were capable of producing NO. There is now clear evidence however that human monocytes and tissue macrophages can express iNOS and produce NO both in vitro and in vivo (3), including evidence from malaria-exposed Tanzanian children (4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An encyclopedia entry for Maxine Waters, an African American politician, is presented. It presents a background of her family, early education and her journey to the California State Assembly. It describes her willingness to address controversial issues with her knowledge and self-confidence. Her contributions to enhancing women's rights are cited, including the formation of the Black Women's Forum.