Search

This article explores the significance of the Fresh Expressions movement in the UK since the ground-breaking Mission-Shaped Church report was published by the Church of England in 2004. After reviewing the background to this report, the article explores some of the reports central themes and examines some of the more recent research on the movement's impact in the UK It then highlights six ways in which fresh expressions continue to be significant as a missionary response in a post-Christian context. These include the movement's theological underpinnings, its reassessment of hey questions in ecclesiology, its commitment to local and contextual mission, and the emergence of a predominantly lay leadership. In recognizing that the movement is still in a state of evolution, the article concludes by suggesting some areas of continuing debate and challenge for the future. Keywords fresh expressions, church planting, mission-shaped church, contextual mission, Back in 2004, the General Synod of the Church of England published a report entitled Mission-Shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context. It quickly [...]

Insect rearing systems are widely used in biological control, experiments, and for food supply including single, multiple, and mass rearing from small to large scales. An example of a reared taxon is the dung beetles, a speciose cosmopolitan group that provides essential ecosystem services to the environment. Dung beetle species have been translocated into several countries, such as Australia, United States, and Brazil, in ongoing efforts to fill niches not occupied by native fauna. The success of these programs depends on the capacity to rear sufficient numbers for successful field release, establishment, and experimental information; a task that needs to consider its reproductive biology. Many species of dung beetle are univoltine, long-lived, exhibit parental care, and produce small numbers of progeny. Rearing conditions need to promote the production of large, well-nourished, and fecund individuals. In this review, we synthesize the scarce literature on dung beetle rearing and appraise the abiotic and biotic factors that influence rearing initiatives. We identify major research priorities that allow the optimization of these programs. The published data focus on a restricted range of taxa. Further, the influence of factors such as soil moisture and composition, rearing media, temperature, and biotic interactions are poorly understood. Consequently, even for large-scale and well-funded projects, there is heavy reliance on institutional knowledge and anecdotal reports, with few published experimental evaluations. The most imperative goal for optimizing progeny is to conduct rigorous experiments with a wider range of taxa that lead to establishing efficient and specific rearing strategies and programs.

Decomposers are an essential component in any ecosystem and excrement represents one of the most abundant resources. Dung beetles and mites are important taxa in this microhabitat and interact in complex ways. Usually, a phoretic association is assumed, with mites merely being transported by beetles, but the extent of this relationship is poorly understood. We performed a comprehensive literature search and identified 245 relevant articles from which we recognised three major forms of symbiosis: i) commensalism, constituting phoresy with no cost to the host, ii) parasitism, in which predation, competition, or antagonism feature to the detriment of one partner, and iii) mutualism, in which both beetle and mite derive benefit. We examine the evidence for commensal phoresy, negative effects (parasitism, predation, or competition), and mutualism. Further, we identify as research priorities the exploration of ecological succession and seasonal dynamics, the effect of introduced mite species on ecosystem services, and co-evolution. In conclusion, the association and potential success of a hypothetical “phoresy” between mites and dung beetles depend on several variables that need to be evaluated. Finally, there is a lack of empirical data regarding dung beetle-mite interactions, with a large knowledge gap in several aspects, mainly because phoresy remains understudied.

Railway switches and crossings constitute a small fraction of linear track length but consume a large proportion of the railway track system maintenance budget. While switch and crossing (S&C) faults rarely prevent trains from running, switches and crossings are the source of many faults and need continual attention. On the rare occasions when trains are prevented from running the cost of the disruption is very high. Condition monitoring of the point operating equipment that moves the switchblades has been in use for many years but condition monitoring of the state of the switch in terms of the support and mechanical damage as trains pass over has only recently started to become possible. To this end, it is important to understand the correlation between S&C faults and sensor data that can detect those faults. This paper assesses some of the data collected from multiple sensors variously positioned on and around a switch and crossing on the UK mainline for a few days of normal train operation. Accelerometers, geophones, and strain gauges were installed at the locations where they were anticipated to be most useful. Forces at the load transfer point on the crossing nose were estimated from two separate strain gauge bridges and possible use of acceleration on the crossing is discussed. Correlations between different data are analysed and assessed and correlation between peak estimated load transfer forces and accelerations is presented. Based on the analysis, conclusions are drawn about the different types of dynamic information around S&Cs that can be obtained from a variety of sensor types.

In October 2018, Porterbrook and the University of Birmingham announced the HydroFLEX project, to demonstrate a hydrogen-hybrid modified train at Rail Live 2019. The concept of modifying a Class 319 Electric Multiple Unit was developed, with equipment including a fuel cell stack, traction battery, 24 V control system and hydrogen storage elements to be mounted inside one of the carriages. This was followed by procurement of a fuel cell stack, traction batteries, and control equipment, which was then installed inside the train, being fixed to the seat rails. One substantial change from the concept was the provision of considerably more hydrogen storage than the minimum necessary, providing the train with more potential to be further modified to allow for higher speed mainline testing. After the Rail Live exhibition where HydroFLEX was demonstrated, numerous modifications were performed to increase the reliability and power of the HydroFLEX train, primarily concerned with modifying the base train logic, with the aim of a successful mainline test. Supporting this effort was a multitude of documentation concerning safety, operations, and approvals to gain approvals from the relevant approvals bodies. The project demonstrated the feasibility of using hydrogen fuel cells as an autonomous fuel for railway propulsion systems, which has the potential for full decarbonisation.

Railway pantographs are used around the world for collecting electrical energy to power railway vehicles from the overhead catenary. Faults in the pantograph system degrade the quality of the contact between the pantograph and catenary and reduce the reliability of railway operations. To maintain the pantographs in a good working condition, regular inspection tasks are carried out at rolling stock depots. The current pantograph inspections, in general, are only effective for the detection of major faults, providing limited incipient fault detection or fault diagnosis capabilities. Condition monitoring of pantographs has the potential to improve pantograph performance and reduce maintenance costs. As a first step in the realisation of practical pantograph condition monitoring, a laboratory-based pantograph test rig has been developed to gain an understanding of pantograph dynamic behaviours, particularly when incipient faults are present. In the first work of this kind, dynamic response data have been acquired from a number of pantographs that have allowed fault detection and diagnosis algorithms to be developed and verified. Three tests have been developed: (i) a hysteresis test that uses different excitation speeds, (ii) a frequency response test that uses different excitation frequencies, and (iii) a novel changing gradient test. Verification tests indicate that the hysteresis test is effective in detecting and diagnosing pneumatic actuator and elbow joint faults. The frequency response test is able to monitor the overall degradation in the pantograph. The changing gradient test provides fault detection and diagnosis in the pantograph head suspension and pneumatic actuator. The test rig and fault detection and diagnosis algorithms are now being developed into a depot-based prototype together with a number of industrial partners.

Defects in railway axle bearings can affect operational efficiency, or cause in-service failures, damaging the track and train. Healthy bearings produce a certain level of vibration and noise, but a bearing with a defect causes substantial changes in the vibration and noise levels. It is possible to detect the bearing defects at an early stage of their development, allowing an operator to repair the damage before it becomes serious. When a vehicle is scheduled for maintenance, or due for overhaul, knowledge of bearing damage and severity is beneficial, resulting in fewer operational problems and optimised fleet availability. This paper is a review of the state of the art in condition monitoring systems for rolling element bearings, especially the axlebox bearings. This includes exploring the sensing technologies, summarising the main signal processing methods and condition monitoring techniques, i.e. wayside and on-board. Examples of commercially available systems and outputs of current research work are presented. The effectiveness of the current monitoring technologies is assessed and the p–fcurve is presented. It is concluded that the research and practical tests on axlebox bearing monitoring are limited compared to the generic bearing applications.

Genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) are highly effective at identifying common risk variants for schizophrenia. Rare risk variants are also important contributors to schizophrenia etiology but, with the exception of large copy number variants, are difficult to detect with GWAS. Exome and genome sequencing, which have accelerated the study of rare variants, are expensive so alternative methods are needed to aid detection of rare variants. Here we re‐analyze an Irish schizophrenia GWAS dataset (n= 3,473) by performing identity‐by‐descent (IBD) mapping followed by exome sequencing of individuals identified as sharing risk haplotypes to search for rare risk variants in coding regions. We identified 45 rare haplotypes (>1 cM) that were significantly more common in cases than controls. By exome sequencing 105 haplotype carriers, we investigated these haplotypes for functional coding variants that could be tested for association in independent GWAS samples. We identified one rare missense variant in PCNTbut did not find statistical support for an association with schizophrenia in a replication analysis. However, IBD mapping can prioritize both individual samples and genomic regions for follow‐up analysis but genome rather than exome sequencing may be more effective at detecting risk variants on rare haplotypes.

Mixed farming systems have traditionally incorporated subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) as key components of the pasture phase across south-eastern Australia. However, poor adaptation of subterranean clover to acidic soils, insufficient and inconsistent rainfall, high input costs, soil acidification and the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds have reduced efficacy of some traditional clover species in recent years. To overcome these challenges, numerous novel pasture species have been selectively improved and released for establishment in Australia. Despite their suitability to Australian climate and soils, limited knowledge exists regarding their weed-suppressive ability in relation to establishment and regeneration. Field trials were therefore conducted over 3 years in New South Wales to evaluate the suppressive potential of selected pasture legume species and cultivars as monocultures and in mixed stands against dominant annual pasture weeds. Pasture and weed biomass varied significantly between pasture species when sown as monocultures, but mixtures of several species did not differ with regard to establishment and subsequent weed infestation. Arrowleaf clover (T. vesiculosum Savi.) and biserrula (Biserrula pelecinus L.) cv. Casbah showed improved stand establishment, with higher biomass and reduced weed infestation compared with other pasture species. Generally, weed suppression was positively correlated with pasture biomass; however, yellow serradella (Ornithopus compressus L.) cv. Santorini exhibited greater weed suppression than other pasture legumes while producing lower biomass, thereby suggesting a mechanism other than competition for resources affecting weed-suppressive ability. Over the period 2015–17, arrowleaf clover and biserrula cv. Casbah were generally the most consistent annual pasture legumes with respect to yearly regeneration and suppression of annual pasture weed species.

The BBC is now the Ministry of Truth. We only hear what the BBC want us to hear. And we don't hear anything that they don't want us to hear. [...]

Train simulation software is conventionally validated by checking simulation results against equivalent data collected from real train runs. It is typically expected that these results will be within 5–10% accuracy of the recorded data. However, such a large margin could allow errors in the programming to be overlooked, resulting in an inaccurate model. This paper presents a method for error checking and validating the kinematics of train simulators based on comparison with calculated results, which are found by solving the fundamental equations governing train motion. A typical train run comprises of a combination of two or more of the four stages: accelerating, cruising, coasting and braking. Each stage is considered as a separate scenario for which the equations must be solved, in order to find the running time, distance travelled and energy consumption of the vehicle. This validation method is applied to two train movement simulators currently used for research. Certain specific scenarios for which analytical solutions are available are run in each simulator. The differences from the analytical solution in each test case are quantified, allowing the simulators to be compared to each other and the exact solution.

In order to reduce energy consumption on DC railways where regenerative braking is not available, train control strategy or ‘driver style’ is a practical alternative. In 2011, instrumentation to monitor energy consumption on the Merseyrail network was fitted to a British Rail Class 508 DC camshaft-operated electrical multiple unit. In this paper, seven services from Hunts Cross to Southport are highlighted to demonstrate a number of driver styles and their correlation with energy consumption. The differences in energy consumption were observed to be related to driver aggression in both the acceleration and deceleration phases.

I have subscribed to F&S for several years now. Whenever the magazine arrives, I immediately flip to the last page to read A Sportsman's Life. Bill Heavey should do stand-up. [...]

I just received the March issue. Great job! Alex Lifeson is one of my favorite players. I must say that you guys have chutzpah, though. In the Oeuvre Easy section, [...]

Objectives:The objective of this study was to systematically review the epidemiological evidence for an association between periodontitis (PD) and incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD), including coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease. Methods:Systematic review of cohort and case‐control studies on the association of clinically or radiographically diagnosed PD and ACVD. Results:Overall, 12 studies were included in this study (six studies on CHD, three studies on cerebrovascular disease, two studies on both coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease mortality and one study on peripheral arterial disease).All but one study reported positive associations between various periodontal disease measures and the incidence of ACVD, at least in specific subgroups. The association was stronger in younger adults and there was no evidence for an association between PD and incident CHD in subjects older than 65 years. Only one study evaluated the association between PD and secondary cardiovascular events. Conclusions:There is evidence for an increased risk of ACVD in patients with PD compared to patients without. However, this may not apply to all groups of the population. There is insufficient evidence for an association between PD and the incidence of secondary cardiovascular events.

Introduction:The classic manifestations of vitamin D deficiency include rickets and osteomalacia. Here we demonstrate a case of vitamin D deficiency presenting as radiologic bone loss around the apical and marginal periodontal tissues, consistent with periapical cemental dysplasia. Potential mechanisms for this are explored and the importance of dentists in managing such cases is discussed. Case Presentation:An 18‐year‐old female patient was referred with marginal periodontal bone loss. Radiology revealed marginal bone loss and multiple asymptomatic periapical radiolucencies associated with teeth that responded positively to pulp testing. The patient was of Southern Asian descent, wore a headscarf and occlusive clothing for cultural reasons, and was visibly malnourished, reporting a poor diet. A diagnosis of severe vitamin D deficiency was confirmed by serum biochemistry. The patient underwent vitamin D supplementation, after which the radiolucent areas resolved. Conclusions:The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients in the northern hemisphere is under‐recognized, especially in certain ethnic populations. Vitamin D deficiency may contribute (directly or indirectly) to periodontal bone loss either marginally or apically, in susceptible patients. Dental health professionals are well placed to diagnose vitamin deficiencies, including vitamin D, and advise patients on the benefits of a healthy diet and appropriate sun exposure.

► We applied eight railway timetable rescheduling algorithms at the same junction with four different scenarios. ► We examine the algorithms in delay cost and computation time. ► First-come-first-served should be primarily used as an initial solution to initiate other methods. ► Decision tree based elimination and tabu perform well in complex scenarios where little computation time is available. ► Genetic algorithm, simulated annealing and ant colony algorithm all perform comparably well. ► ACO provides close to optimum solutions with practical computation times for the scenarios considered.

Until recently the use of the MARC21 format in Italy has been almost unknown. This has now changed due to the translation into Italian of the Concise MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data and of the MARC 21 Format for Authority Data as tools to ensure consistency in the application of the formats and foster fruitful cooperation among its users. Other important initiatives concern the investigation carried out on libraries using the format (556) which produced about 10 millions records, and the creation of two committees which began operating in April 2008: the MARC21 User Group and the Expert Committee. The latter is intended to promote and validate proposals advanced by libraries and to facilitate the development of the format. A new initiative, the creation of the MARC 21 users (GUMARC 21) web site completes the series of activities devoted to the development of MARC 21 in Italy. The cooperation with national institutions, namely the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico to improve the MARC 21 record conversion to and from the SBN format through the SBN MARC protocol and the Associazione Italiana Biblioteche is highly desirable. This will enhance the integration into the Italian bibliographic collection of the rich data produced by the numerous libraries using the format and will ensure an effective and wider exchange of bibliographic records worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractExperiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to determine the influence of the relative sizes of predator and prey, temperature, presence of refugia, size of the search area, and host-plant species on the predation performance of Podisus maculiventris(Say) nymphs against viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni(Paykull), a new landscape pest in North America that feeds on the foliage of species of ViburnumL. (Caprifoliaceae). Predator handling time was positively correlated with body mass of the prey for all instars of P. maculiventris,but the rate of increase of handling time relative to prey mass decreased as predator age increased. Temperature was positively correlated with predation rates, but the presence of refugia did not have an impact on predation. The influence of host-plant species and size of the search area was tested on southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatumL.) and American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulusL. var. americanumAiton). There was a significant interaction between plant species and size of the search area, the species effect becoming significant as leaf surface area increased. In the case of southern arrowwood a negative correlation between size of the search area and predation rate was also detected. The identification of these factors adds valuable knowledge for using P. maculiventrisas a biological-control agent against P. viburni.

The article offers news briefs related to Hornby post published in the Hornby Magazine. Topic include palethorpes memories involve oxford worcester and wolver Hampton portrait of a route and Worcester to wolver Hampton by Bob Paxton, published by Runpast Publishing, improving digital command control, and introducing programmers for ZIMO and ESU;.

Discusses the history of the infestation of viburnum leaf beetle in North America, the biology of the pest, its relationship to its host plants, and its distribution in the U.S. Detection of the bettles' first breeding population in North America; Information on Pyrrhalta viburni; Management of small-scale infestations.

Responses of onion flies,Delia antiqua, to known attractants were measured in the laboratory with a novel tube-trap bioassay. The relative numbers of flies caught in tube traps baited with enzymatic yeast hydrolysate, brewer's yeast, andn-dipropyl disulfide were similar to those obtained previously with cone traps in the field. Changing the shape of the bioassay cage from a cuboid to a cylinder decreased the experimental error obtained from analysis of variance, as did rotating the floor of the circular cage. This bioassay should be useful in evaluating attractants for other insects that orient along the substrate.

Bioassays employingTetranychus urticae Koch were used to examine repellency of leaves and trichome secretions of one cultivar of tomato,Lycopersicon esculentum, and 11 accessions ofL. hirsutum consisting of seven accessions ofL. hirsutum f.typicum and four accessions ofL. hirsutum f.glabratum. Leaves of f.typicum were more repellent to mites than were those of f.glabratum orL. esculentum. Removal of trichomes and their secretions by wiping leaves of f.typicum accessions with 95% ethanol rendered them less repellent, indicating that trichomes or their secretions were potentially responsible for repellency. Gas and thin-layer chromatography of leaflet washes obtained by steeping leaflets in hexane indicated that the chemical composition of the washes differed among accessions. The main difference between botanical forms was the presence in leaflet washes from f.typicum accessions of compounds eluting late on the gas Chromatograph and migrating further on reverse-phase thin-layer chromatography; compounds having these characteristics were absent in washes of f.glabratum andL. esculentum. The compositions of secretions taken directly from type I, type IV, and type VI trichomes were similar to that of the leaflet wash obtained from the same f.typicum plant, indicating that leaflet washes contained mainly compounds of trichomal origin. Leaflet washes from f.typicum plants were generally more repellent toT. urticae than were washes from f.glabratum when tested by choice and nonchoice bioassays. Taken together, the data indicate that trichome secretions of f.typicum are likely responsible for potent repellency to two-spotted spider mites observed in this taxon; the likely active compounds are sesquiterpene acids or other polar constituents of trichome secretions.

Central to the changes in UK Ministry of Defence procurement policies over recent years has been the attempt to shift risk out of the public sector. In the context of research and development this has taken the form of encouraging private venture investment, so-called PVR&D. Recognising that the scope for PVR&D is necessarily constrained by excessive risk and imperfect information, this paper explores the possible use of Option contracts as a means of expanding the opportunities for private venture funding.

A system composed of a linear controller and plant can exhibit strange behaviour when the actuators are subject to saturation, or other nonlinear effects. Linear conditioning means augmenting the system with a linear transfer function to change the system's behaviour during, and immediately following, saturation. In this paper, linear conditioning is interpreted in terms of a single transfer function M. This leads to a better understanding of how a conditioned system behaves, and to a proposed new conditioning scheme.

Ishida1 reported a deficiency of chlorin in the blood of dementia praecox patients and suggested the use of sodium chlorid solution intravenously in the treatment of this condition. He estimated the chlorin values of the blood of five untreated cases of dementia praecox, and the amounts varied from 0.199 to 0.220 per cent. The analyses were made by Professor Horinchi by the Vollhard-Salkowski method. Guthrie2 published a report of the results of the treatment of fifteen cases of dementia praecox based on chemical analyses of the blood and reported a deficiency of chlorin, but the quantities found and the methods of analysis are not mentioned. Rappleye3 stated that in some cases of catatonia he found a deficiency of chlorin. Miller4 quoted analyses made by Weston of the blood of ten cases of dementia praecox, the chlorin being normal in each case, and he stated that "there

The first studies of the hemolytic action of serpents' venoms seem to have been made by Stevens and Myers,1 who found that when cobra venom was added to shed blood, in vitro, destruction of the corpuscles (hemolysis) and retardation of coagulation took place. They also found the hemolytic power of the venom inhibited by antivenomous serum.Myers2 later studied the hemolytic substance—"cobralysine"—of the venom and found it destroyed by heat. During these studies he found that the susceptibility of the erythrocytes to cobralysine in vitro bore no relation to the susceptibilty of the animal to subcutaneous intoxication by venom.Stephens3 found that the hemolytic constituents of different venoms were not identical.Myers4 made further studies of venom hemolysins and serum antihemolysins.Mitchell and Flexner5 and Flexner and Noguchi6 have further studied the phenomena of agglutination, hemolysis, leucolysis, and the germicidal activity of the blood serum. They found that the

Ringer in a number of papers beginning in 1880 showed the necessity for a proper balance between sodium, potassium and calcium in the fluids of organisms. Loeb, in 1889, showed that electrolytes cause twitching of the muscles while nonelectrolytes have no such effect, and in many subsequent papers pointed out the necessity of physiologically balanced solutions. Howell, in 1898, emphasized the importance of calcium in relation to various activities of the organism. Weed and Wegeforth,1 while studying the effects of irrigation of the subarachnoidian space in cats, noted a peculiar psychic disturbance following the use of sodium chlorid solution. They first used a modified Ringer's solution made up of sodium chlorid, 0.9 per cent.; calcium chlorid, 0.024 per cent., and potassium chlorid, 0.042 per cent. The subarachnoidian space from the vertex area or the cysterna magna to the lumbar area was irrigated with this fluid. The time required was

The study of absorption of dye from the subarachnoid space is not new. The use of phenolsulphonephthalein is, however, of comparatively recent origin. Dandy and Blackfan1 used it in their studies of hydrocephalus. (The solution used was neutral in reaction and nontoxic. The solution prepared for kidney function tests should not be used because of its alkaline reaction.) In thirty to fifty minutes after the dye had been injected into the subarachnoid space, traces of it were found in the right lymphatic and thoracic ducts whereas the dye appeared in the blood in three and in the urine in six minutes. In two hours from 35 to 60 percent, of the dye was recovered in the urine. They conclude that the cerebrospinal fluid passes directly into the blood, and the lymph spaces are not concerned with its absorption. Shortly after the dye had been injected into the lumbar

The treatment of various subacute and chronic infections by means of bacterial vaccines has been successful enough to offer encouragement as a practical therapeutic measure, and we undertook the treatment of suppurative otitis media by this means. Of the sequelæ of scarlet fever, otitis media is one of the most troublesome and dangerous, both to the patient and the public health in general. Of 2,537 patients received in the scarlet-fever hospital from June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909. 308 patients, or 8.2 per cent., developed suppurative otitis media. The usual treatment is unsatisfactory in many respects; the duration of otitis media is frequently prolonged; the contagium of scarlet fever, whatever it may be, seems almost certainly present in ear discharges: the dismissal of a patient with such aural discharges is thus dangerous to public health; therefore any treatment which will cure these patients more quickly and more satisfactorily than

Several letters to the editor in response to articles about automobiles published in previous issues are presented. It includes one about the type of vehicles that should be banned from the streets, a comment on a claim that Bangle and BMW started the trend in automobile design and a description of the V8 Holdens.

That typhoid fever is endemic in institutions is generally accepted as a fact. That it is occasionally epidemic is a fact. It is also a fact that the source of infection is usually hard to find and frequently is not found.The presence of a case of typhoid in this institution caused a general search for the origin of the infection, but it was not found. The case occurred in a building occupied for the most part by aged and demented patients. The routine biweekly examination of water and milk gave negative results, as before.Inasmuch as the best way of dealing with typhoid epidemics is to prevent their occurrence, it was suggested by the superintendent (Dr. H. W. Mitchell) that all patients not over 50 years of age should be immunized.The bacterin was made from a culture sent me through the kindness of Major F. F. Russell, U.

In 1912 I immunized 898 patients of this hospital against typhoid fever and reported the procedure.1 Inoculation of all patients was made a matter of rou tine, and the number of subjects immunized since the last report was written is 2,602. In view of the paucity of similar reports in American medical literature, it seems worth while to bring the report up to date.The principal reports of en masse antityphoid inoculation which I have been able to find, excluding those from the army, are summarized in Table 1."Time" in the table refers to the time after the last inoculation was made that the blood was taken for agglutination tests.In this institution inoculation is voluntary for the attendants and compulsory for the patients. At first all patients over 50 years of age were excluded, as well as the patients who presented distinct contraindications. But shortly after the

The synchronous display of the firefly Photinus carolinus Green in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been enjoyed by park visitors and studied by scientists and naturalists for the past 17 yr. A degree-day model is presented offering a means of more accurately predicting the display season of P. carolinus to facilitate advance planning required for researchers and the management of the thousands of nightly visitors who come to witness the peak firefly display. A modified growing degree-day (mGDD) model (base 50°F, starting date 1 March) (centigrade equivalent base 10°C, denoted mGDDC) provided the best fit to phenology data collected over a 15-yr period. The predictive model yielded the following values for P. carolinus phenology: male emergence, 838.6 mGDD (range, 776–922)/465.9 mGDDC (range, 431–512); “good” display, 992.5 mGDD (range, 931-1075)/551.4 mGDDC (range, 517–597); female emergence, 1068.8 mGDD (range, 956-1224)/593.8 mGDDC (range, 531–680); and peak male display, 1094.2 mGDD (range, 1020–1182)/607.9 mGDDC (range, 567–657). The accuracy and range limits of using calendar dates versus degree-day values are presented. Additional degree-day values are provided for 14 other local firefly and 1 phengodid species to broaden the applicability of using degree-days to aid in prediction of adult firefly seasons.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "From the Editor" in the February 2009 issue, "A Change in Weather," by Mark T. Sullivan and "Have Gun, Will Travel?," by Bill Heavey.

To evaluate the potential of Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) as a biological control agent against viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), laboratory trials were conducted to measure prey consumption of P. maculiventris over nymphal development. Field trials tested the impact of augmentative releases of P. maculiventris nymphs on populations of P. viburni, using both open shrubs and caged branches of Viburnum trilobum. In the laboratory, P. maculiventris nymphs successfully developed while preying on P. viburni larvae and adults. Each nymph consumed an average of 100.6 larvae or 16.9 adults. Immature development duration was comparable between nymphs feeding on P. viburni adults and those given Galleria mellonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae as prey. In field trials, inundative releases of 30 P. maculiventris nymphs on naturally infested V. trilobum shrubs significantly reduced pest defoliation on shrubs infested with <3,000 larvae but had no effect on shrubs with heavier infestations. On caged branches, individual nymphs successfully developed when feeding only on P. viburni larvae. These results show that P. viburni larvae and adults are suitable prey for P. maculiventris and this predator could potentially be developed as a biological control agent against P. viburni.

Several letters to the editor in response to articles in previous issues of the journal "Guitar Player" including "Rush to Judgment," in the March 2006 issue, "A Master With Class," in the March 2006 issue and "Licks of Wealth and Taste," in the August 2005 issue are presented.

Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull), a new landscape pest in the United States, is univoltine and overwinters in the egg stage, feeding as larvae and adults on the foliage of plants in the genus Viburnum. Experiments were conducted to determine chilling requirements for completion and breaking of diapause and development rate of larvae at different temperatures in the laboratory. Egg hatch required at least 4 mo for induction of diapause, and ≈200 growing degree-days (GDD) at a calculated base temperature of 8.2°C for breaking of diapause in the laboratory. Development of all larval instars was significantly faster at 22 than at 17°C and faster at 27 than at 22°C, but 27°C appeared to be nearing the upper developmental threshold, because mortality was uniformly high, and deformities of adults were observed. We confirmed that larvae pass through three instars and found that head capsule width increased geometrically with instar. We calculated the larval developmental threshold to be ≈11.7°C at constant temperatures in the laboratory. Development under ambient conditions, where temperatures fluctuate, was considerably faster than that observed in the laboratory at constant temperatures. Thus, rearing experiments conducted in the laboratory at constant temperatures provide useful estimates of threshold temperatures but unrealistic estimates of GDD thresholds for P. viburni and other insects whose developmental rate differs between constant and fluctuating temperatures.

A laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify the effects of infestation of maize by Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) on progeny production by two common secondary colonizers of grain, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). Adults of both secondary pest species were allowed to oviposit for 3 wk on intact kernels of ‘DeKalb 689’, mechanically split kernels, kernels that had been infested for 3 mo by S. cerealella, and kernels that had been infested for 6 mo. Progeny of both species reached highest numbers on 6-mo infested maize. Prior infestation for 6 mo by S. cerealella makes maize a more suitable medium for reproduction by T. castaneum and O. surinamensis, much more than can be accounted for by mere disruption of kernel integrity resulting from larval feeding. The results highlight the importance of limiting establishment by S. cerealella on maize in storage.

Three trap types-probe, cone, and sticky-were used to monitor insect populations infesting shelled maize, Zea mays L., housed in galvanized steel storage bins. Sticky traps were suspended in the headspace 1m above the grain mass, probe traps were inserted into the grain near the top and bottom of the grain mass, and cone traps were positioned at the surface of the grain mass. Although there was some overlap, each trap type was rather specific in the range of insect species trapped. Probe traps positioned near the grain surface trapped mostly Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and Cynaeus angustus (LeConte); whereas those positioned near the bottom of the grain mass trapped mostly Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky. Cone traps caught mostly Typhaea stercorea (L.), Cryptolestes spp., and Ahasverus advena Waltl. Sticky traps caught primarily stored-product moths [Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and sitotroga cerealella (Olivier)] and A. advena. In addition to catching pest species, cone traps also caught hemipteran predators and hymenopteran parasitoids, and sticky traps caught large numbers of parasitoids. Although probe traps caught smaller numbers of several pest species than cone traps, these traps generally detected the presence of these species at the same time as cone traps, in addition to trapping other species that were not detected at all in cone traps. Therefore, a combination of sticky traps in the grain bin headspace and probe traps positioned just below the grain surface is probably most efficient for monitoring the presence of pest and beneficial insect species in grain storage. If pests cannot be eliminated from the space beneath the false floor of a grain bin, probe traps set at the bottom of the grain mass should provide the best early warning of infestation by species colonizing a grain mass by this route.