A possible relativistic jetted outburst from a massive black hole fed by a tidally disrupted star

Gas accretion onto some massive black holes (MBHs) at the centers of galaxies actively powers luminous emission, but most MBHs are considered dormant. Occasionally, a star passing too near an MBH is torn apart by gravitational forces, leading to a bright tidal disruption flare (TDF). Although the high-energy transient Sw 1644+57 initially displayed none of the theoretically anticipated (nor previously observed) TDF characteristics, we show that observations suggest a sudden accretion event onto a central MBH of mass about 10(6) to 10(7) solar masses. There is evidence for a mildly relativistic outflow, jet collimation, and a spectrum characterized by synchrotron and inverse Compton processes; this leads to a natural analogy of Sw 1644+57 to a temporary smaller-scale blazar.     

Access and control of resources: Lessons from the SANREM CRSP

Attention to differences within communities is important in working toward sustainability of an agro-ecosystem. In the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program, gender made a difference in terms of access and control over key resources – financial, human, natural, and social capital – critical for project success. Efforts to build social capital among women proved critical in developing both collective and households strategies for sustainability. The sites differed greatly in both landscape and lifescape. Women's position within each landscape provided an important perspective with which to assess and act toward achieving ecosystem, economic, and social sustainability. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nitropyrenes: isolation, identificaton, and reduction of mutagenic impurities in carbon black and toners

Extracts of selected xerographic toners and copies were found to be mutagenic in the Salmonella assay. The activity was independent of the xerographic hardware and process and was traced to nitropyrenes present as impurities in the carbon black, the toner colorant. Manufacturing process changes resulted in a substantial reduction of the nitropyrene content of the carbon black and thus in the mutagenicity of the corresponding toners. Nitropyrenes are potent frameshift mutagens, and possible mechanisms for their biological action are discussed.     

Assessment of management options for Chilean needle grass in sheep‐grazing systems

Chilean needle grass [Nassella neesiana (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth; CNG] is a perennial spear grass that has invaded pastures in south‐eastern Australia and can lead to a substantial reduction of stockcarrying capacity during the summer months. This study examined a range of grazing, herbicide and pasture resowing options, alone or in combination, on CNG and introduced pasture grass basal cover, for several CNG‐infested sites in south‐eastern Australia. At each site, options were chosen on the basis that they were most likely to control the CNG infestation while maintaining a productive sheep‐grazing enterprise on grass pastures. After 2 years of management, the reduction in CNG basal cover in set stock plots that were sprayed with flupropanate, versus those not sprayed, ranged from non‐detectable to a reduction of 80%, depending on site location. After 5 years of management, the reduction ranged from zero to 50%. Grazing management or sowing of competitive pastures did not generally reduce CNG basal cover to low levels. None of the management options maintained reasonable levels of desirable perennial species by the end of 4–5 years. We conclude that, because of the persistence of CNG, the need for regular spraying of herbicide, and the relative ineffectiveness of other control methods, management systems may need to be developed that utilize CNG while minimizing its input to the soil seedbank.     

4-Pyridyl carbonyl compounds as thrips lures: effectiveness for Western flower thrips in y-tube bioassays

In a search for chemical lures to manage the cosmopolitan crop pest western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, a Y-tube olfactometer was used to screen 20 compounds, including 18 4-pyridyl compounds. Comparison of Y-tube results for New Zealand flower thrips (NZFT), Thrips obscuratus, with field trapping data for ethyl nicotinate and ethyl isonicotinate, suggested that the minimum attractive dose (MAD) of an odor compound, where significantly ( p < 0.05) more than 50% of thrips walked up the odor-laden arm, provided a measure for selecting compounds to evaluate for potential lure efficacy in the field. Eighteen synthetic 4-pyridyl compounds were tested on female WFT in a Y-tube olfactometer and four 4-pyridyl carbonyl compounds had MADs lower than the known WFT attractants p-anisaldehyde (MAD 10 (-3) microL) and ethyl nicotinate (10 (-2) microL): methyl isonicotinate (10 (-6) microL), ethyl-2-chloropyridine-4-carboxylate (10 (-6) microL), ethyl isonicotinate (10 (-4) microL) and methyl 4-pyridyl ketone (10 (-5) microL). The suitability of MAD for selecting compounds for further evaluation of practical lure efficacy is discussed. Comparisons of activities within homologous series of esters and ketones showed that attractant activity decreased with chain length. 4-Formyl pyridine was an attractant at a dose of 10 (-5) microL, but was repellent at higher doses (10 (-2)-10 degrees microL).     

A hierarchical framework for classifying seabed biodiversity with application to planning and managing Australia’s marine biological resources

A conceptual hierarchical framework for classifying marine biodiversity on the sea floor, used successfully for continental-scale bioregionalisation and adopted to guide marine resource planning and management in Australia, has wider application at a global scale. It differs from existing schemes for classifying marine biota by explicitly recognizing the overarching influence of large-scale biodiversity patterns at realm (ocean basin and tectonic), provincial (palaeohistorical) and bathomic (depth-related) levels. The classification consists of 10 nested levels within realms, of which the first seven are primarily spatially nested and ecosystem based, and the lowest levels represent units of taxonomic inheritance: 1 - provinces, 2 - bathomes, 3 - geomorphological units, 4 - primary biotopes, 5 - secondary biotopes, 6 - biological facies, 7 - micro-communities, 8 - species, 9 - populations, and 10 - genes. According to this scheme, marine biodiversity is characterised in a systematic way that captures the scale-dependence and hierarchical organization of the biota. Levels are defined with respect to their functional roles and spatial scales, in a manner that directly supports the incorporation of biodiversity information in regional-scale planning by highlighting centres of endemism, biodiversity richness and priority information needs. Whereas species are the fundamental units of biodiversity, biological facies are the smallest practical unit for conservation management at regional scales. In applying the framework we make extensive use of biological and physical surrogates because marine data sets, particularly those of the deep sea, are usually sparse and discontinuous. At each level of the hierarchy, attributes and surrogates are defined to reflect the scale and range of biogeographic and ecological processes that determine the spatial and temporal distribution of marine biodiversity. The Australian experience in applying this framework suggests that it provides a workable systematic basis for defining, managing and conserving biodiversity in the sea.     

Effect of anaerobic soil disinfestation amendment type and C:N ratio on Cyperus esculentus tuber sprouting,growth and reproduction

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a cultural technique primarily targeted for control of soilborne plant pathogens, but can also impact weed propagules. A repeated pot study was conducted to evaluate ASD treatment impact on sprouting and growth of introduced Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge) tubers using dry molasses‐based and wheat bran‐based amendment mixtures at four carbon‐to‐nitrogen (C:N) ratios (from 10:1 to 40:1) and compared with a non‐amended control. The mean percentage of sprouted tubers recovered after ASD treatment was lower for wheat bran‐based (42%) than dry molasses‐based (65%) amendments, and tuber production was 1.6‐fold higher in dry molasses‐based than wheat bran‐based treatments. The highest percentage of sprouted tubers (79%) and the highest mean production of large tubers (threefold higher than wheat bran‐based and 1.7‐fold higher than molasses‐based amendments) were observed for the non‐amended control. Tuber sprouting was significantly lower from all ASD treatments (regardless of amendment C:N ratio) compared with the non‐amended control at a 15 cm burial depth. New tuber production was lowest at C:N ratios of 10:1 and 20:1 and more than twofold higher in the non‐amended control. Wheat bran‐based amendments reduced above‐ground C. esculentus biomass compared with the non‐amended control and ASD treatments with molasses‐based amendments, and reduced below‐ground biomass compared with molasses‐based amendments. Above‐ground biomass was highest at amendment C:N ratio of 10:1, and below‐ground biomass was highest at amendment C:N ratio of 40:1 and the non‐amended control. ASD treatment with wheat bran‐based amendments at lower C:N ratios reduced tuber sprouting and reproduction compared with the non‐amended control, but not at rates high enough to use as a primary weed management tactic.