Plastic (wire-combed) grooving of a slip-formed concrete runway overlay at Patrick Henry Airport: An initial evaluation

A wire-comb technique is described for transversely grooving the surface of a freshly laid (plastic state) slip-formed concrete overlay installed at Patrick Henry Airport. This method of surface texturing yields better water drainage and pavement skid resistance than that obtained with an older conventional burlap drag concrete surface treatment installed on an adjacent portion of the runway

Pheromone mating disruption: novel, non-toxic control of the European corn borer

The European corn borer is one of the most damaging insects in Iowa cornfields, causing more than $100 million in crop losses each year. In this project, the sex attractant pheromone of the European corn borer was used to obstruct the ability of the adult male moths to locate females for mating. In the first year, efforts focused on mating disruption in a small area, while in the second year dispensers were deployed on a larger scale and evaluated for efficacy

Tingkat Cemaran Staphylococcus Aureus Pada Ikan Asin Di Pasar Tradisional Kota Kupang

Fish has become one of the favorite foodstuffs for Indonesian society. Like the other food commodities of animal origin, fish also has a perishable nature so it takes a good handling and processing, such as salting and drying which the result is known as salted fish. The processing of salted fish requires attention because there is a high risk of food poisoning hazard for food which the growth of normal flora are inhibited due to the enterotoxin of Staphylococcus aureus. This study aims to determine the contamination level of Staphylococcus aureus within the salted fish in the traditional markets in the city of Kupang. There were 18 samples of salted fishes used which consisted of 8 samples from Oesapa traditional market, 5 samples from Oeba traditional market and 5 samples from theInpres Naikoten traditional market. The sample inspection using the Plate Count method in order to spread. The results showed that the contamination level of all the salted fish samples have passed the maximum contamination limit of S. aureus based on the SNI No. 7388 : 2009 (1 x 103 CFU/g) with the value of the contamination level ranged from 3.4 x 103 CFU/g in the salted fish derived from Oeba traditional market to 1.4 x 106 CFU/g in the salted fish derived from the Inpres Naikoten market. The high value of the contamination level is related to several factors such as environment, storage time, sanitation and personal hygiene. Therefore, salted fish traded in traditional markets require attention to be safe and suitable for consumption

Effects on transgenic thuringiensis on European corn borer natural enemies and non-target Lepidopteran pests

Field corn, genetically engineered to produce a protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, was evaluated for its effects on larvae of black cutworm, stalk borer, armyworm, and corn earworm. No Btcorn effects were observed on larval survival, pupal weight, or days to adult emergence for black cutworm or stalk borer. Armyworms reared on Bt leaf extract were lighter-weight, delayed in development, and showed diminished survival rates. Corn earworm showed reduced survival and delays in development. In field tests of Bt and non-Bt corn, there were no differences between the two varieties in damage from black cutworm. Stalk borer caused less leaf damage to Bt corn. Armyworm and corn earworm did less harm to Bt corn leaves than to non-Bt corn leaves, but corn earworm survived to cause some damage to Bt corn ears

Is confounding considered when estimating treatment-covariate interactions in individual participant data meta-analyses of randomised trials? Protocol for a methodological study

A key question for meta-analyses is reliably assessing whether treatment effects vary across different participant groups, thereby informing how best to treat individual patients. However, it is possible that evidence of an interaction is driven by a different, confounding factor. In a methodological study, we are aiming to assess what methods currently exist to deal with confounding when estimating treatment-covariate interactions and what methods are currently being used in practice. In this protocol, we describe the methodology we are employing in this study

Production practices for pimiento pepper : fertilizer rates, plant spacings, and varietal strains

Caption title. "February 1973." Includes bibliographical references (p. 16). Also available in microfilm under: State agricultural papers

The Native Bee Fauna of Carlinville, Illinois, Revisited After 75 Years: a Case for Persistence

As a follow-up to the observations of Charles Robertson from 1884 to 1916, we revisited the Carlinville, Illinois, area between 18 August 1970 and 13 September1972 to sample and identify bee species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). We concentrated on collecting nonparasitic bees (and excluded Apis and Bombus) visiting 24 plant species that bloomed at various times of the year, and upon which Charles Robertson found many bee species. For example, we collected most intensively on spring-blooming Claytonia virginica and fall-blooming Aster pilosus, upon which Robertson reported 58 and 90 bee visitors, respectively. Bees were also collected on an opportunistic basis at some other plants. We updated the species names used by Robertson for revisions and synonymies. This paper summarizes a comparison of the two collections, made about 75 years apart at the same small geographic location. The study considers 214 valid bee species that Robertson collected plus an additional 14 species found by us but not by Robertson. Of these 214, we collected 140 species. The absence of most of the remaining 74 species that we did not collect can be explained by examining their plant preferences. Robertson did not record 47 of these 74 species on the 24 plant species where we collected intensively, and he observed 19 more species on only one or two of the 24 plant species. Additionally, he observed 21 of them on only one of the 441 plants he studied. Of the bee species found by Robertson on the 24 plant species, we collected 82% on the same plant species. The land uses and land cover on Macoupin County's 225,464 ha (558,080 acres), which bear directly on the type and availability of habitat for bees and their host plants, varied considerably over two centuries. For example, in the early 1800s, land cover was about 73% prairie and 27% forest. The estimated 59,792 ha (148,000 acres) of forested land in 1820 diminished to 24,644 ha (61,000 acres) by 1924. It then grew to 34,340 ha (85,000 acres) by 1962. Agriculture is the predominant land use; in 1967, 59% of the land was in harvested crops (primarily row crops) and 15% was in pasture. Despite habitat changes and the passage of 75 years, our 1970 and 1972 Carlinville collections show a high degree of similarity with those of Robertson, possibly because diverse habitats within the agricultural matrix contained the host plants and nesting sites required by the bees. We recommend that a third survey of this area be undertaken as part of a long-term study made possible by the meticulous 19th century records of Charles Robertson, which must be preserved

Effects of air pollution and the introduction of the London Low Emission Zone on the prevalence of respiratory and allergic symptoms in schoolchildren in East London: a sequential cross-sectional study

The adverse effects of traffic-related air pollution on children’s respiratory health have been widely reported, but few studies have evaluated the impact of traffic-control policies designed to reduce urban air pollution. We assessed associations between traffic-related air pollutants and respiratory/allergic symptoms amongst 8–9 year-old schoolchildren living within the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ). Information on respiratory/allergic symptoms was obtained using a parent-completed questionnaire and linked to modelled annual air pollutant concentrations based on the residential address of each child, using a multivariable mixed effects logistic regression analysis. Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants was associated with current rhinitis: NOx (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02), NO2 (1.03, 1.00–1.06), PM10 (1.16, 1.04–1.28) and PM2.5 (1.38, 1.08–1.78), all per μg/m3 of pollutant, but not with other respiratory/allergic symptoms. The LEZ did not reduce ambient air pollution levels, or affect the prevalence of respiratory/allergic symptoms over the period studied. These data confirm the previous association between traffic-related air pollutant exposures and symptoms of current rhinitis. Importantly, the London LEZ has not significantly improved air quality within the city, or the respiratory health of the resident population in its first three years of operation. This highlights the need for more robust measures to reduce traffic emissions

Priming by Chemokines Restricts Lateral Mobility of the Adhesion Receptor LFA-1 and Restores Adhesion to ICAM-1 Nano-Aggregates on Human Mature Dendritic Cells

LFA-1 is a leukocyte specific β2 integrin that plays a major role in regulating adhesion and migration of different immune cells. Recent data suggest that LFA-1 on mature dendritic cells (mDCs) may function as a chemokine-inducible anchor during homing of DCs through the afferent lymphatics into the lymph nodes, by transiently switching its molecular conformational state. However, the role of LFA-1 mobility in this process is not yet known, despite that the importance of lateral organization and dynamics for LFA-1-mediated adhesion regulation is broadly recognized. Using single particle tracking approaches we here show that LFA-1 exhibits higher mobility on resting mDCs compared to monocytes. Lymphoid chemokine CCL21 stimulation of the LFA-1 high affinity state on mDCs, led to a significant reduction of mobility and an increase on the fraction of stationary receptors, consistent with re-activation of the receptor. Addition of soluble monomeric ICAM-1 in the presence of CCL21 did not alter the diffusion profile of LFA-1 while soluble ICAM-1 nano-aggregates in the presence of CCL21 further reduced LFA-1 mobility and readily bound to the receptor. Overall, our results emphasize the importance of LFA-1 lateral mobility across the membrane on the regulation of integrin activation and its function as adhesion receptor. Importantly, our data show that chemokines alone are not sufficient to trigger the high affinity state of the integrin based on the strict definition that affinity refers to the adhesion capacity of a single receptor to its ligand in solution. Instead our data indicate that nanoclustering of the receptor, induced by multi-ligand binding, is required to maintain stable cell adhesion once LFA-1 high affinity state is transiently triggered by inside-out signals.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Stepped-wedge randomised trial of laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy in adults with chronic constipation: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) is an established treatment for external full-thickness rectal prolapse. However, its clinical efficacy in patients with internal prolapse is uncertain due to the lack of high-quality evidence. METHODS: An individual level, stepped-wedge randomised trial has been designed to allow observer-blinded data comparisons between patients awaiting LVMR with those who have undergone surgery. Adults with symptomatic internal rectal prolapse, unresponsive to prior conservative management, will be eligible to participate. They will be randomised to three arms with different delays before surgery (0, 12 and 24 weeks). Efficacy outcome data will be collected at equally stepped time points (12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks). The primary objective is to determine clinical efficacy of LVMR compared to controls with reduction in the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) at 24 weeks serving as the primary outcome. Secondary objectives are to determine: (1) the clinical effectiveness of LVMR to 48 weeks to a maximum of 72 weeks; (2) pre-operative determinants of outcome; (3) relevant health economics for LVMR; (4) qualitative evaluation of patient and health professional experience of LVMR and (5) 30-day morbidity and mortality rates. DISCUSSION: An individual-level, stepped-wedge, randomised trial serves the purpose of providing an untreated comparison for the active treatment group, while at the same time allowing the waiting-listed participants an opportunity to obtain the intervention at a later date. In keeping with the basic ethical tenets of this design, the average waiting time for LVMR (12 weeks) will be shorter than that for routine services (24 weeks)