The taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the Holarctic species of Agabus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) are reviewed. Seventeen species occur in both the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. The following new synonymy is proposed (valid name given last): A. solus Leech = A. adpressus Aubé; A. sharpi Jacobson and A. pseudoconfertus Wallis = A. opacus Aubé; A. kenaiensis Fall = A. wasastjernae (Sahlberg) and A. hudsonicus Leech = A. zaitzewi Poppius, thus each of these species is recognized for the first time as being Holarctic. The Nearctic species A. ontarionis Fall is reduced in status to a subspecies of A. fuscipennis (Payk.). Agabus congener (Thunb.) is redefined and Nearctic specimens formerly placed in the species are assigned to A. thomsoni (J. Sahlberg). The reports of Palaearctic occurrence of A. approximates Fall and A. discolor (Harris) are considered to be in error, the records referring to A. levanderi Hellén.

Immobilization of oligonucleotide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads by hybridization in DNA-coils formed by rolling circle amplification has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The TEM results supported earlier made observations that small beads with low oligonucleotide surface coverage preferably immobilize in the interior of the DNA-coils and do not tend to link several DNA-coils together whereas large beads with high surface coverage to a larger extent connect several DNA-coils together to clusters of several DNA-coils with beads. AFM provided direct visualization of the DNA-coils as thread-like objects. DNA-coils with immobilized beads appeared as a collection of beads with thread-like features in their near vicinity.

The HADES Europa mission concept aims to provide a framework for an astrobiological in-depth investigation of the Jupiter moon Europa, relying on existing technologies and feasibility. This mission study proposes a system consisting of an orbiter, lander and cryobot as a platform for detailed exploration of Europa. While the orbiter will investigate the presence of a liquid ocean and characterize Europa's internal structure, the lander will survey local dynamics of the ice layer and the surface environment. The lander releases a cryobot, that melts into the ice, will sample the pristine subsurface and is expected to provide data on organic and gaseous content and putative bio-signatures. In summary, we present the scientific objectives for an astrobiological investigation of Europa, resulting in a mission concept with a detailed evaluation of scientific instrumentation, mission sequences, basic design of the spacecraft, technology needs and cost estimations.

Major institutional reforms are currently under way to improve the performance of the public water sector in Kenya. However, a historical perspective is needed in order to achieve sustainable improvements that will also benefit the urban poor. This article seeks to provide such a perspective, applying a cross-disciplinary and socio-technical approach to urban water supply over the last century, in which institutions, organisations and technology are seen to interact with political, economic and demographic processes. Despite a series of reforms over the years, the socio-technical structure of the urban water sector in Kenya has shown a remarkable stability since the 1920s, and into the 1980s. However, the sustainability of the public service systems has been eroded since independence, due to changes in the institutional framework surrounding the systems, while exclusive standards and technological choices have essentially been preserved from the colonial era. Current sector reform must create incentives for addressing technology choices and service standards in order to provide public water services also for the urban poor.

There is little longitudinal data examining outcome of pediatric near-drowning. Most literature tracks status 5 years or less post insult, focusing primarily on gross neurologic status as opposed to more subtle neurocognitive deficits. The present case tracks the neuropsychological profile of a child who was submerged for 66 min, the longest time documented. Acute medical support was aggressive, and recovery was dramatic, being featured in multiple media reports. Although an article published 6 years after the near-drowning described the child as “recovering completely,” the longitudinal profile indicates a pronounced pattern of broad cognitive difficulties, particularly notable for global memory impairment. Neuropsychological test results were significant despite the fact that the patient's recent MRI and MEG were within normal limits. This case demonstrates the need for long-term neuropsychological follow-up of pediatric patients with histories of neurologic injury, as gross neurological examination and MRI and MEG scans may not reveal underlying brain dysfunction. (JINS, 2002, 8, 588–595.)

An all-printed organic smart pixel is achieved through the combination of an electrochemical transistor and an electrochromic display cell. Smart pixels of this kind are arranged into a cross-point matrix resulting in an active-addressed display. This type of display has been realized on coated fine paper, operates at voltages less than 2 Volts and exhibits good bistability properties. Here we report on the operation characteristics of electrochemical smart pixels in which the ion concentration of the electrolyte has been varied.

Allelopathy is an interference mechanism by which plants release chemicals which affect other plants; while it has often been proposed as a mechanism for influencing plant populations and communities, its acceptance by plant ecologists has been limited because of methodological problems as well as difficulties of relating the results of bioassays used for testing allelopathy to vegetation patterns in the field. Here we argue that the concept of allelopathy is more appropriately applied at the ecosystem-level, rather than the traditional population/community level of resolution. Firstly, we consider the wide ranging effects of secondary metabolites (widely regarded as allelochemicals) on organisms and processes which regulate ecosystem function, including herbivory, decomposition and nutrient mineralization. It is apparent that plants with allelopathic potential against other organisms induce net changes in ecosystem properties, which may in turn impact upon the plant community in the longer term. We then illustrate these concepts using two contrasting examples of how invasive plant species with allelopathic potential may alter ecosystem properties through the production of secondary metabolites, i.e. Carduus nutans (nodding thistle) in New Zealand pastures and Empetrum hermaphroditum (crowberry) in Swedish boreal forests. In both cases the production of secondary metabolites by the invasive species induces important effects on other organisms and key processes, which help determine how the ecosystem functions and ultimately the structure of the plant community. These examples help demonstrate that the concept of allelopathy is most effectively applied at the ecosystem-level of resolution, rather than at the population-level (i.e. plant-plant interference).

Coatings of genetically engineered protein polymers based on the crystalline segment of B. Mori silk fibroinand cell binding domains from extracellular matrix proteins (ProNectin™ by Protein Polymer Technologies, Inc.) were applied to bare silicon wafers used to mimic microcircuit devices. These silicon devices have applications in the stimulation and monitoring of central nervous system activity but need bioactive coatings for integration into nervous tissue. Gel point coating technology was developed by preparing solutions at the onset of phase separation in protein polymer/formic acid/ ethanol systems. Dipping silicon wafer substrates into such solutions produced homogeneous thin protein polymer coatings. Quench coating techniques that create rough surfaces in a controlled manner were explored by driving protein polymer solutions through different regions of the protein polymer/formic acid/methanol system before drying. Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the protein films.