1,057 research outputs found
The Presence of Flour Affects the Efficacy of Aerosolized Insecticides used to Treat the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum
Experiments were conducted in tightly sealed pilot scale warehouses to assess the efficacy of common aerosolized insecticides on all life stages of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) when exposed in dishes containing 0 to 2 g of wheat flour either under pallets or out in the open. Petri dishes containing 0, 0.1, 1, or 2 g of flour were prepared with 25 eggs, 3rd instars, pupae, or adults and then immediately treated with aerosolized solvent, Pyrethrins, or esfenvalerate. Twenty-four h after insecticide exposure, the dishes were brought to the laboratory and placed in a growth chamber and held for a 3 day moribund (knockdown) assessment and a 21 day mortality assessment. Mortality in untreated controls was generally less than 10%, with the exception of the 21 day counts of adults and eggs. Solvent-treated replications followed similar trends, except that additional mortality was observed in exposed larvae and pupae. In the insecticide-treated dishes, mortality of T. castaneum provisioned with flour generally showed a linear decrease with increasing flour deposits. Regardless of life stage, mortality did not exceed 60% when individuals were exposed in petri dishes containing 2 g of flour. Exposure location also made a significant difference in observed mortality. While mortality never exceeded 75% in dishes positioned under pallets, there was never less than 80% mortality in dishes exposed in the open. Although there was a perceptible increase in mortality with esfenvalerate compared to Pyrethrins, these differences were considerably less than the variation observed among flour deposits. The study suggests that sanitation and preparation prior to aerosol insecticide treatments were more important than choice of a particular insecticide
A global assessment of Echinococcus multilocularis infections in domestic dogs: proposing a framework to overcome past methodological heterogeneity
Echinococcus multilocularis, the aetiological agent of human Alveolar Echinococcosis, is transmitted between small mammals and wild or domestic canids. Dogs infected with E. multilocularis as dead-end hosts. Whereas E. multilocularis infections in wild hosts and humans have been well-studied in recent decades, infections in domestic dogs are sparsely reported. This literature review and meta-analysis highlighted gaps in the available data and provided a re-assessment of the global distribution of domestic dog E. multilocularis infections. We found 46 published articles documenting the prevalence of E. multilocularis in domestic dogs from 21 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Apparent prevalence estimates ranged from 0.00% (0.00–0.33%) in Germany to 55.50% (26.67–81.12%) in China. Most studies were conducted in areas of high human Alveolar Echinococcosis. By accounting for reassessed diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, we estimated true prevalence in a subset of studies, which varied between 0.00% (0.00–12.42%) and 41.09% (21.12–65.81%), as these true prevalence estimates were seldom reported in the articles themselves. Articles also showed a heavy emphasis on rural dogs, dismissing urban ones, which is concerning due to the role urbanisation plays in the transmission of zoonotic diseases, especially those utilising pets as definitive hosts. Lastly, population studies on canine Alveolar Echinococcosis were absent, highlighting the relative focus on human rather than animal health. We thus developed a framework for investigating domestic dog E. multilocularis infections and performing risk assessment of dog-associated transmission to fill the gaps found in the literature
Stink Bug Feeding Induces Fluorescence in Developing Cotton Bolls
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) comprise a critically important insect pest complex affecting 12 major crops worldwide including cotton. In the US, stink bug damage to developing cotton bolls causes boll abscission, lint staining, reduced fiber quality, and reduced yields with estimated losses ranging from 10 to 60 million dollars annually. Unfortunately, scouting for stink bug damage in the field is laborious and excessively time consuming. To improve scouting accuracy and efficiency, we investigated fluorescence changes in cotton boll tissues as a result of stink bug feeding.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fluorescent imaging under long-wave ultraviolet light showed that stink bug-damaged lint, the inner carpal wall, and the outside of the boll emitted strong blue-green fluorescence in a circular region near the puncture wound, whereas undamaged tissue emissions occurred at different wavelengths; the much weaker emission of undamaged tissue was dominated by chlorophyll fluorescence. We further characterized the optimum emission and excitation spectra to distinguish between stink bug damaged bolls from undamaged bolls.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The observed characteristic fluorescence peaks associated with stink bug damage give rise to a fluorescence-based method to rapidly distinguish between undamaged and stink bug damaged cotton bolls. Based on the fluorescent fingerprint, we envision a fluorescence reflectance imaging or a fluorescence ratiometric device to assist pest management professionals with rapidly determining the extent of stink bug damage in a cotton field.</p
Public perceptions of drinking water: A postal survey of residents with private water supplies
Background: In Canada, the legal responsibility for the condition of private water supplies,
including private wells and cisterns, rests with their owners. However, there are reports that
Canadians test these water supplies intermittently and that treatment of such water is uncommon.
An estimated 45% of all waterborne outbreaks in Canada involve non-municipal systems. An
understanding of the perceptions and needs of Canadians served by private water supplies is
essential, as it would enable public health professionals to better target public education and
drinking water policy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the public perceptions of private
water supplies in the City of Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), with the intent of informing public
education and outreach strategies within the population.
Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey of 246 residences with private water supplies was
conducted in May 2004. Questions pertained to the perceptions of water quality and alternative
water sources, water testing behaviours and the self-identified need for further information.
Results: Private wells, cisterns or both, were the source of household water for 71%, 16% and
13% of respondents, respectively. Although respondents rated their water quality highly, 80% also
had concerns with its safety. The most common concerns pertained to bacterial and chemical
contamination of their water supply and its potential negative effect on health. Approximately 56%
and 61% of respondents used in-home treatment devices and bottled water within their homes,
respectively, mainly due to perceived improvements in the safety and aesthetic qualities compared
to regular tap water. Testing of private water supplies was performed infrequently: 8% of
respondents tested at a frequency that meets current provincial guidelines. Two-thirds of
respondents wanted more information on various topics related to private water supplies. Flyers
and newspapers were the two media reported most likely to be used.
Conclusion: Although respondents rated their water quality highly, the majority had concerns
regarding the water from their private supply, and the use of bottled water and water treatment
devices was extensive. The results of this study suggest important lines of inquiry and provide
support and input for public education programs, particularly those related to private water testing,
in this population
Contexts of diffusion: Adoption of research synthesis in Social Work and Women's Studies
Texts reveal the subjects of interest in research fields, and the values,
beliefs, and practices of researchers. In this study, texts are examined
through bibliometric mapping and topic modeling to provide a birds eye view of
the social dynamics associated with the diffusion of research synthesis methods
in the contexts of Social Work and Women's Studies. Research synthesis texts
are especially revealing because the methods, which include meta-analysis and
systematic review, are reliant on the availability of past research and data,
sometimes idealized as objective, egalitarian approaches to research
evaluation, fundamentally tied to past research practices, and performed with
the goal informing future research and practice. This study highlights the
co-influence of past and subsequent research within research fields;
illustrates dynamics of the diffusion process; and provides insight into the
cultural contexts of research in Social Work and Women's Studies. This study
suggests the potential to further develop bibliometric mapping and topic
modeling techniques to inform research problem selection and resource
allocation.Comment: To appear in proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on
Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction (SBP2014
Marginally scientific? Genetic testing of children and adolescents for lifestyle and health promotion
Abstract not availableTimothy Caulfield, Pascal Borry, Maeghan Toews, Bernice S. Elger, Henry T. Greely and Amy McGuir
Leu8 and Pro8 oxytocin agonism differs across human, macaque, and marmoset vasopressin 1a receptors
Oxytocin (OXT) is an important neuromodulator of social behaviors via activation of both oxytocin receptors (OXTR) and vasopressin (AVP) 1a receptors (AVPR1a). Marmosets are neotropical primates with a modified OXT ligand (Pro8-OXT), and this ligand shows significant coevolution with traits including social monogamy and litter size. Pro8-OXT produces more potent and efficacious responses at primate OXTR and stronger behavioral effects than the consensus mammalian OXT ligand (Leu8-OXT). Here, we tested whether OXT/AVP ligands show differential levels of crosstalk at primate AVPR1a. We measured binding affinities and Ca2+ signaling responses of AVP, Pro8-OXT and Leu8-OXT at human, macaque, and marmoset AVPR1a. We found that AVP binds with higher affinity than OXT across AVPR1a, and marmoset AVPR1a show a 10-fold lower OXT binding affinity compared to human and macaque AVPR1a. Both Leu8-OXT and Pro8-OXT produce a less efficacious response than AVP at human AVPR1a and higher efficacious response than AVP at marmoset AVPR1a. These data suggest that OXT might partially antagonize endogenous human AVPR1a signaling and enhance marmoset AVPR1a signaling. These findings aid in further understanding inconsistencies observed following systemic intranasal administration of OXT and provide important insights into taxon-specific differences in nonapeptide ligand/receptor coevolution and behavior
Host spatiotemporal overlap in a park with high endemicity of Echinococcus multilocularis
There has been a spate of recent cases of human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in Alberta, Canada. Alveolar echinococcosis is caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, which is prevalent among coyote populations and present in domestic dogs in Alberta. Using qPCR, we estimated the seasonal fecal prevalence of E. multilocularis in coyotes and dogs in a multiuse recreation area close to Edmonton, Alberta, where we also setup remote cameras to model seasonal changes in the overlap in temporal activity and the spatial intensity of use among coyotes, humans, and dogs, as a proxy of potential transmission. We detected E. multilocularis in 18 of 137 wild canid feces and none in 44 dog feces. After correcting for the qPCR test’s sensitivity and specificity, we estimated at 15.7% (9.7-22.7%, 95% CrI) the true fecal prevalence for coyotes. Temporal overlap between coyotes and both humans and dogs increased in the fall and winter relative to the spring and summer. Coyote intensity of use showed seasonal variations and was higher on maintained trails and locations closer to visitor parking and at sites with high intensity of dog use. Our results reinforce the need of an integrated approach, typical of both One-Health and Eco-Health, to park management for minimizing the likelihood of transmission where human and dog activity results in significant overlap with the one of the natural definitive hosts of zoonotic parasites
Types of Supplementary Aids and Services for Students with Significant Support Needs
Supplementary aids and services have been a provision in special education law since PL 94-
142, however, almost no guidance has been provided to help teams make decisions about their
appropriate selection and use. In this exploratory study, we explore the types of supplementary
aids and services selected for students with significant support needs using a conventional
content analysis of Individual Education Program (IEPs) from 88 students in grades K-12.
Results illustrate the wide variation in types of supplementary aids and services chosen for
students overall. Curricular accommodations and personnel supports were the most commonly
identified supports, while supports to assist students to communicate and make meaning of
curriculum (e.g., curricular modifications) were less common, as were less intrusive supports
such as peer assisted learning. Implications for policy, practice, and research are provided
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