2-hydroxy-4,7-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (N-O-Me-DIMBOA), a possible toxic factor in corn to the southwestern corn borer

The southwestern corn borer (SWCB),Diatraea grandiosella Dyar, is a major pest of corn,Zea mays L., in the southern United States. The damage to corn is caused primarily by larval feeding on leaf, ear, and stem tissues. In this study, 2-hydroxy-4,7-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (N-O-Me-DIMBOA) was identified by MS and NMR as present in corn whorl surface waxes. This compound has evidently not been isolated previously, but its glucoside has been reported in corn, wheat, andCoix lachryma. It is present in the waxes in a higher concentration than DIMBOA (2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one) and 6-MBOA (6-methoxybenzoxazolinone). It was toxic to the SWCB in a stress diet, but it was less toxic to this insect than 6-MBOA when incorporated in the standard rearing diet. Nevertheless, it may have some role in the resistance of corn to the SWCB because the total surface wax content is higher in resistant lines than in susceptible lines.Mention of a trademark, proprietary product, or vendor does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products or vendors that may also be suitable.     

The effects of metal impurities in poly[(2,5-bis(3-decylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[2,3-b]thiophene] on field-effect transistor properties

We have used particle induced X-ray emission analysis and particle induced gamma-ray emission analysis to determine the elemental impurity concentrations in poly[(2,5-bis(3-decylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[2,3-b]thiophene] samples that have undergone different washing and extraction procedures to remove impurities. Field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated from the materials and their electrical characteristics show no significant differences between the devices made from different material samples. Reducing the metal residue levels below the ones measured in the starting material (300 mg/kg Fe, 7 mg/kg Zn, 3000 mg/kg Pd and 12000 mg/kg Sn) does not improve the FET performance. This suggests that it is not necessary to completely remove metal residues in the polymer for FET applications.     

Duplicate detection in adverse drug reaction surveillance

The WHO Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring in Uppsala, Sweden, maintains and analyses the world’s largest database of reports on suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) incidents that occur after drugs are on the market. The presence of duplicate case reports is an important data quality problem and their detection remains a formidable challenge, especially in the WHO drug safety database where reports are anonymised before submission. In this paper, we propose a duplicate detection method based on the hit-miss model for statistical record linkage described by Copas and Hilton, which handles the limited amount of training data well and is well suited for the available data (categorical and numerical rather than free text). We propose two extensions of the standard hit-miss model: a hit-miss mixture model for errors in numerical record fields and a new method to handle correlated record fields, and we demonstrate the effectiveness both at identifying the most likely duplicate for a given case report (94.7% accuracy) and at discriminating true duplicates from random matches (63% recall with 71% precision). The proposed method allows for more efficient data cleaning in post-marketing drug safety data sets, and perhaps other knowledge discovery applications as well. Responsible editor: Hannu Toivonen.     

Voltammetric investigations of negative lead battery electrodes: The effect of organic expanders

By means of a continuous voltammetric sweep technique, the formation process of lead sheets in sulphuric acid can be investigated. Its behaviour depends strictly on the presence of certain organic substances. As an example, the effect of some expanders and other additives is demonstrated.     

Hydrocarbons from males,females, and larvae of pecan weevil:Curculio caryae (Horn)

As part of a program to identify as many as possible of the components of the pecan weevil,Curculio caryae (Horn), the hydrocarbons from males, females, and larvae were isolated by solvent extraction and column chromatography and subjected to gas liquid chromatographymass spectrometry analysis. n-Alkanes from C₁₄−C₃₂ in the larvae and unsaturated and branched chain hydrocarbons from C₂₀−C₃₂ in males and females were found. There are no significant differences between the hydrocarbons of the male and female pecan weevils.     

A sex pheromone for male boll weevils from females

Steam distillation of frass of the female boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boheman, yielded an extract that was more attractive to males than to females in the laboratory. Extracts purified by TLC were attractive to males only. The active components appear to be alcohols and hydrocarbons.Coleoptera: Curculionidae.In cooperation with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762.Mention of proprietary products does not constitute an endorsement by the USDA.     

A Comparison of Computer and Field Test Results of Zero-Gradient Synchrotron Ring Magnet Power Supply

This paper describes an analog computer representation of the ring magnet power supply system of the Zero Gradient Synchrotron. Included in this representation are detailed simulations of a salient pole synchronous generator with a rectifier exciter, the generator voltage regulator, the twelve phase rectifier with grid control, and the ring magnet load. The performance predicted by the computer model is compared with test oscillograms. The satisfactory correlation realized demonstrates the accuracy of the simulation and the utility of the computer in studying similar systems.     

Observational stress factors and musculoskeletal disorders in urban transit operators.

Associations and pathways between observed (rather than self-reported) job stressors and musculoskeletal disorders in 66 transit operators were investigated to determine specific stressors and vulnerable body regions affected, while adjusting for physical workload. Job stressors, defined as barriers to progress with work, comprised 7 categories and the sum of stressors. Outcomes included back and neck pain, low back pain, neck pain, pain of the upper extremities and the lower extremities, and any combination of these. Stressors were significantly associated with the combined musculoskeletal disorders category (odds ratio [OR] = 1.55), back and neck pain (OR = 1.41), low back pain (OR = 1.46), and pain in the lower extremities (OR = 1.44) after controlling for confounders. Five barrier categories had at least 1 significant association with outcomes. Results provide specific intervention targets by avoiding common method variance bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transforming an EPA QA/R-2 quality management plan into an ISO 9002 quality management system.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (OERR) requires environmental data of known quality to support Superfund hazardous waste site projects. The Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS) Program is operated by Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc. to provide EPA's Analytical Operations Center (AOC) with performance evaluation samples, reference materials, on-site laboratory auditing capabilities, data audits (including electronic media data audits), methods development, and other support services. The new QATS contract awarded in November 2000 required that the QATS Program become ISO 9000 certified. In a first for an EPA contractor, the QATS staff and management successfully transformed EPA's QA/R-2 type Quality Management Plan into a Quality Management System (QMS) that complies with the requirements of the internationally recognized ISO 9002 standard and achieved certification in the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe. The presentation describes how quality system elements of ISO 9002 were implemented on an already existing quality system. The psychological and organizational challenges of the culture change in QATS' day-to-day operations will be discussed for the benefit of other ISO 9000 aspirants.