The chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, is a significant pest of various vegetable tropical fruit and ornamental crops. Originally from south Asia, this pest is becoming widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas, and in 2003 was found for the first time in the Western Hemisphere established on St. Lucia and St. Vincent in the insular Caribbean. Since there is a paucity of information on the effectiveness of modern insecticides in managing S. dorsalis populations, we evaluated the efficacy of the following insecticides for their control of this pest on ‘Scotch Bonnet’ pepper on St. Vincent: spinosad, imidacloprid, chlorfenapyr, novaluron, abamectin, spiromesifen, cyfluthrin, methiocarb, and azadirachtin. Irrespective of the number of applications and use of surfactant, chlorfenapyr was the most effective in reducing the densities of S. dorsalis adults and larvae followed by spinosad and imidacloprid. The performance of other insecticides in controlling S. dorsalis populations was inconsistent. Nevertheless, all of the above insecticides if applied repeatedly were effective in suppressing of S. dorsalis populations. Addition of the surfactant-sticker, Nu-Film 17™, improved the performance of all insecticides somewhat. Spinosad was slightly harmful and chlorfenapyr was moderately harmful to Cryptolaemus sp. predators.

Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood is a significant pest of various vegetable, ornamental, and fruit crops. Its biology and management are little known in the agro-ecosystems in western hemisphere. We investigated distribution patterns of S. dorsalis in fields and plants of 'Scotch Bonnet' pepper, Capsicum chinense Jacq., on St. Vincent in 2004 and 2005. Scirtothrips dorsalis adults and larvae were abundant on top leaves of the pepper plants followed by middle leaves, lower leaves, flowers and fruits. The spatial distribution of S. dorsalis adults and larvae on pepper was analyzed by using Taylor's power law and Iwao's patchiness regression. These results were compared with the Index of Dispersion, Mean Crowding, Green's Index and Lloyd's Patchiness Index. In Oct 2004 the distributions of S. dorsalis adults on the top leaves were aggregated in 24- and 48 m(2)-plots. In the smaller plots adults were distributed in a regular pattern. The distribution of larvae on the top leaves was aggregated irrespective of plot size. In Williams Farms on Mar 2005, the distribution of adults was aggregated in the largest plots (48 m(2)). In all other plots, the distribution of adults was regular as described by Taylor's power law and Iwao's patchiness regression. In Baptist Farms on March 2005, the distribution of adults according to both models was aggregated irrespective of plot size. The optimum number of samples from a 24 m(2) plot was 9 with a precision of 40% when there were 0.5 individuals per top leaf of 'Scotch Bonnet' pepper. However if the estimated density was 2 individuals per top leaf, 9 samples from a same sized area were sufficient at the 10% precision level. This information is essential to the development of a scouting-based integrated management program for S. dorsalis. Based on this information, incipient infestations of S. dorsalis easily can be detected by examining young top leaves.

The results of a realistic simulation study in investigating the joint retrieval using measured temperature and water vapour data from the Space Shuttle based Millimeter wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS) and from a GRAS (GPS/ GLONASS receiver) sensor are presented. It seems highly worthwhile — because of the very impressive results — to place a MAS Follow-on sensor together with a GRAS sensor on the EXPRESS Pallet of the International Space Station (ISS). It is a role model of synergetic use of sensors in the best sense. An international feasibility study shows that this is technically feasible.

In this article we present a prototypical implementation of a software tool for document retrieval which groups/arranges (pre-processed) documents based on a similarity measure. The prototype was developed based on self-organising maps to realise interactive associative search and visual exploration of document databases. This helps a user to navigate through similar documents. The navigation, especially the search for the first appropriate document, is supported by conventional keyword search methods. The usability of the presented approach is shown by a sample search.

This paper discusses the validation of measurements of O3 distribution in the Earth's atmosphere made by the Millimeter‐wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS), a component of NASA's ATLAS spacelab shuttle package. Measurements of 184 GHz O3 emission from the Earth's limb at tangent altitudes between 20 and 80 km were made with a 50 channel radiometer having a spectral resolution of 200 KHz. In three missions the emissions of O3, H2O, ClO, and O2 were measured between 70°S and 70°N latitudes. O3 mixing ratio calculations and error analysis were performed with the Rodgers optimal estimation method. Data binned in 128 s batches yield mixing ratio profiles with an altitude resolution of 7 km at the O3 peak and an estimated accuracy of 5%. Additional retrievals made with all data from each mission binned in 5° latitude zones yield mixing ratios with about 5 km altitude resolution and somewhat improved accuracy. Comparisons with coincident measurements from other space platforms indicate a general agreement within approximately 5%. The data are publicly available through the German Remote Sensing Data Center.

MAS (Millimeter‐wave Atmospheric Sounder) observations from the shuttle ATLAS spacelab pallet have revealed some little known (and unexplained) structure in stratospheric ozone mixing ratio profiles at sub‐polar latitudes, of both hemispheres. Qualitatively similar features are observed by UARS instruments. Another possibly related feature has been observed by ground‐based remote sensing from the South Pole over an extended season. In all these cases, it seems likely that active photochemistry and highly structured horizontal and vertical transport play important roles. Some evidence of a similar feature is also present in a current 2‐D photochemical model. This high latitude phenomenon is both an intriguing challenge for current 3‐D models and potentially useful test for validating remote sensing experiments.

The Millimeter-Wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS) is a shuttle-based limb-sounding instrument designed for global spectroscopic studies of O-3, and constituents important in O-3 photochemistry, in the middle atmosphere. It is part of the NASA's Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) spacelab shuttle mission. This paper presents an overview of the instrument, operation, and data analysis. In addition, as an example of the results, we present zonal average retrievals for O-3, H2O, and ClO obtained in ATLAS 1. The MAS O-3 and H2O measurements are shown to agree well with simultaneous observations made with the UARS MLS instrument.

Zeeman splitting of O 2 molecular states in the Earth's upper atmosphere leads to polarized emission spectra. A 61 GHz radiometer operated as part of the Millimeter‐wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS), a core payload instrument of the NASA Space Shuttle ATLAS missions, observed such emissions. This instrument's high resolution spectrometer (200 kHz) allows us to verify for the first time Zeeman effect model calculations for the upper atmosphere in some detail. The results suggest some interesting new aspects for the research of the upper atmosphere.

The direction and intensity of magnetization of a uniformly magnetized seamount can be computed if its shape and associated magnetic anomaly are known. This technique has been applied to nine seamounts close to Hawaii, twelve seamounts close to the tip of Baja California, and twenty-eight seamounts surveyed during the Pioneer survey. All available paleomagnetic results from the Pacific basin have been used to establish a preliminary polar curve relative to the northeastern Pacific. This polar curve is weighted in favor of the Cretaceous point. This point at 61°N, 16°E is the mean pole position of seventeen seamounts and has an α95 of only 8°. The curve confirms earlier results indicating a 30° northward movement of the Northeastern Pacific since the Cretaceous. Paleomagnetic results obtained from seamounts near Japan suggest that, since the Cretaceous, the northwestern and northeastern Pacific have not always been rigidly connected. The pattern of long linear fracture zones in the South Pacific can be used to determine the motion of the Pacific plate relative to Antarctica since the Upper Cretaceous. Paleomagnetic data show that Antarctica has remained stationary in latitude over the same time span. A comparison of the paleomagnetic data obtained on the northeastern Pacific and on Antarctica yields a relative motion in conflict with that predicted by the South Pacific fracture zones. This conflict can be resolved if these two areas of the Pacific were decoupled some time between the Cretaceous and the present. Thus, it appears likely that the present Pacific plate is a composite of at least three distinct plates. Volcanic aseismic ridges within the Pacific Ocean may be the fossil boundaries of these plates now coalesced into a single plate.

In their paper, $chimke and Bu/e [1968] analyze extensive bathymetric, magnetic, and gravity data obtained in the course of an excellent survey conducted over the previously uncharted Chautauqua seamount. The precision in the navigation of -----400 meters enabled them to get a very detailed picture of the geophysical elements of this seamount. Our purpose in writing this letter is to comment upon the validity of the magnetic interpretation. Schimke and Bufe stated that the best fit of the observed

The chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, reproduces on 112 taxa of plants and is an important pest of various vegetable tropical fruit and ornamental crops. It originated in Asia, and in recent years has become widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas in Eastern Hemisphere. In 2003 S. dorsalis for the first time was found in the Western Hemisphere established on St. Lucia and St. Vincent in the insular Caribbean. Since there is a paucity of information on the effectiveness of modern insecticides in managing S. dorsalis populations, we evaluated the efficacy of the following materials applied to 'Scotch Bonnet' pepper on St. Vincent: spinosad, imidacloprid, chlorfenapyr, novaluron, abamectin, spiromesifen, cyfluthrin, methiocarb, and azadirachtin. Chlorfenapyr provided significant reduction of S. dorsalis adults and larvae with or without addition of a surfactant. Spinosad and imidacloprid also reduced S. dorsalis populations, but not as effectively as chlorofenapyr. Other insecticides applied just once for the control of S. dorsalis populations performed inconsistently; but these materials may be effective when applied multiple times.