Principles for regulatory testing and interpretation of semi-field and field studies with non-target arthropods

This paper is a guidance document for side-effect testing with plant protection products on non-target arthropods under semi-field and field conditions. The principles, methods, endpoints and interpretation of non-target arthropod semi-field and field trials which should be conducted for registration of plant protection products in the European Union are presented and discussed. The recommendations presented reflect the opinions of the experts from authority, academia, industry and consulting which participated at the IOBC (International Organisation of Biological Control), BART (Beneficial Arthropod Regulatory Testing) group and EPPO (European Plant Protection Organisation) Joint Initiative workshop held in Versailles (France) on the 25–26 October, 1999.     

The (Me5C5)Si+ cation: a stable derivative of HSi+

The reaction of decamethylsilicocene, (Me5C5)2Si, with the proton-transfer reagent Me5C5H2+B(C6F5)4- produces the salt (Me5C5)Si+ B(C6F5)4(2), which can be isolated as a colorless solid that is stable in the absence of air and moisture. The crystal structure reveals the presence of a cationic pi complex with an eta5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand bound to a bare silicon center. The 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance at very high field (delta = - 400.2 parts per million) is typical of a pi complex of divalent silicon. The (eta5-Me5C5)Si+ cation in 2 can be regarded as the "resting state" of a silyliumylidene-type (eta1-Me5C5)Si+ cation. The availability of 2 opens new synthetic avenues in organosilicon chemistry. For example, 2 reacted with lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide to give the disilene E-[(eta1-Me5C5)[N(SiMe3)2]Si]2(3).     

Internal structure and early thermal evolution of Mars from Mars Global Surveyor topography and gravity

Topography and gravity measured by the Mars Global Surveyor have enabled determination of the global crust and upper mantle structure of Mars. The planet displays two distinct crustal zones that do not correlate globally with the geologic dichotomy: a region of crust that thins progressively from south to north and encompasses much of the southern highlands and Tharsis province and a region of approximately uniform crustal thickness that includes the northern lowlands and Arabia Terra. The strength of the lithosphere beneath the ancient southern highlands suggests that the northern hemisphere was a locus of high heat flow early in martian history. The thickness of the elastic lithosphere increases with time of loading in the northern plains and Tharsis. The northern lowlands contain structures interpreted as large buried channels that are consistent with northward transport of water and sediment to the lowlands before the end of northern hemisphere resurfacing.     

The shape and internal structure of the moon from the clementine mission

Global topographic and gravitational field models derived from data collected by the Clementine spacecraft reveal a new picture of the shape and internal structure of the moon. The moon exhibits a 16-kilometer range of elevation, with the greatest topographic excursions occurring on the far side. Lunar highlands are in a state of near-isostatic compensation, whereas impact basins display a wide range of compensation states that do not correlate simply with basin size or age. A global crustal thickness map reveals crustal thinning under all resolvable lunar basins. The results indicate that the structure and thermal history of the moon are more complex than was previously believed.     

Dissolved nitrogen supersaturation of a heated effluent

A three month experimental study to evaluate the relative performance of three different designs of ‘event’ precipitation chemistry samplers was carried out at Woodbridge, Ontario beginning in August 1979. The samplers evaluated were an automatic Aerochem Metrics, ‘wet-only’ type (A), a funnel-and-bottle type (F), and a large-mouth plastic bucket with a specially-fabricated polyethylene bag insert (S). Each sampler was run in duplicate, with a sampling period of 24 hr. The results show that at sites where dry deposition is important, bulk samplers (‘F’ and ‘S’ types) yield significantly different results from the wet-only collector including rainfall amount, H⁺ , SO₄ ^?, NO₃ ^?, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺⁺, and Mg⁺⁺. However, the bulk samplers, especially the ‘S’ type, are found to be satisfactory under certain conditions. For conditions which correspond to daily rainfall less than 2.8 mm and windier and drier sampling, there is even evidence of dry contamination of the wet-only type sampler.     

Untersuchungen zur Gibberellin- und Cytokininaktivität in verschiedenen Entwicklungsstadien der Karottenwurzel

Investigations on gibberellin and cytokinin activity in carrot roots at various developmental stages In various developmental stages of carrot plants (Daucus carota L.) different ratios of cytokinin and gibberellin activities were observed in the storage root. In the mature carrot root cytokinin activity dominates gibberellin activity. In the storage root of the carrot two gibberellin-like, one gibberellin-antagonistic and four cytokinin-like components were found. One of the gibberellin-like components exists also in bound form.     

Development and assessment of habitat suitability criteria for adult brown trout in southern New England rivers

Abstract –  Habitat suitability criteria (HSC) for depth, mean velocity, nose velocity, substrate, embeddedness, and cover were developed for brown trout ≥170 mm ( Salmo trutta Linnaeus) on the West Branch Farmington River, CT, USA. Microhabitat data was collected by underwater observation using an equal effort habitat sampling design; HSC were constructed using nonparametric tolerance limits. Transferability of previously published HSC to the West Branch Farmington River was poor; only 1 of 13 HSC tested was considered transferable. The HSC developed for the West Branch Farmington River were tested for transferability to the East Branch Westfield River, Massachusetts. First, a composite suitability index (SI) score was calculated using the source HSC for each occupied and unoccupied location in the Westfield River. Then, χ ²-tests were used to determine if optimal or suitable locations were occupied in greater proportion than usable or unsuitable locations. Composite SI scores based on total depth, mean velocity, and cover were not transferable, but composite SI scores based only on total depth and mean velocity were. A multivariate profile analysis was also used to test for transferability. In each test, only total depth, fish depth, and mean velocity HSC were successfully transferred. Transferability of depth and velocity HSC between rivers shows promise for applications to similar systems where brown trout occur.