Identification of Plants in the 1584 Murals of the Casa del Deán, Puebla, México

The murals in the Casa del Dean in Puebla, Mexico completed in 1584 by anonymous indigenous artists contain many plant illustrations in friezes including plants indigenous to Mexico as well as European plants. Five species native to New Spain (Iris fulva, Mentzelia hispida, Prunus mexicana, Prunus serotina subsp. capuli, and Symphoria globulifera) and three species introduced from Europe (Punica granatum, Rosa damascena ‘Semperflorens’, and Vitis vinifera) were identified. A number of fantasy or nebulous plants are recognized

Assessment of Agricultural Information Needs in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States: West Africa: Country study Liberia

The study aimed to provide insight on status of infrastructure, information services and ICM capacity of institutions involved in agriculture and rural development, Information and capacity building needs in the area of ICM identified for key institutions and potential CTA partners involved in ARD and potential strategic partners for CTA activities and services identified and baseline data on the status of ICM and ICT in ARD compiled for monitoring purposes and improved outreach..

Horizontal transfer of methoprene in Tribolium castaneum

Aerosol applications of reduced risk insecticides such as pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and insect growth regulators are becoming more commonly used to manage stored-product insects in food facilities. However, these applications have a limited ability to penetrate into hidden refugia, where the majority of the pest population is located. Horizontal transfer of insecticides could occur as individuals directly treated or exposed to treated surfaces move into hidden refugia and encounter untreated individuals. In this series of studies, the potential for horizontal transfer of methoprene from treated Tribolium castaneum , the red flour beetle, to untreated individuals was evaluated. Adding larvae, pupae, or adults treated with methoprene to flour patches with untreated T. castaneum larvae, resulted in increased pupa and adult deformities and higher numbers of dead focal individuals, which suggests the potential for this mechanism. The transfer mechanism might be flour substrate contamination, transfer during contact of individuals, and/or cannibalism of individuals exposed to insecticides. Experiments focused on isolating the impact of contact and cannibalism on horizontal transfer did not detect a significant increase in mortality. Experiments focused on flour substrate contamination resulted in decreased adult emergence as well as lower survival, and higher rates of deformities. These findings suggest that substrate contamination is the more likely mechanism for horizontal transfer, and although horizontal transfer can occur, the impact of this process on populations needs further evaluation. Keywords: Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, Methoprene, Horizontal transfe

Efficacy of aerosol applications of methoprene and synergized pyrethrin against Tribolium castaneum adults and eggs

Citation: Tucker, Angela M., James F. Campbell, Frank H. Arthur, and Kun Yan Zhu. 2014. “Efficacy of Aerosol Applications of Methoprene and Synergized Pyrethrin Against Tribolium Castaneum Adults and Eggs.” Journal of Economic Entomology 107 (3): 1284–91. https://doi.org/10.1603/EC13507.Experiments were performed to determine the efficacy of a single aerosol application of the insecticides methoprene and piperonyl butoxide-synergized pyrethrin, alone or in combination, and the insecticide carrier, Isopar M, against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle. The initial test exposed adults to insecticide treatments and placed male/female pairs in flour. All adults exposed to synergized pyrethrin were knocked down for at least 24 h after exposure but they recovered. High adult survival and similar average numbers of living F1 progeny were produced regardless of treatment exposure. In a separate test, insecticide treatments were directly applied to newly laid eggs, which resulted in the suppression of egg hatch. Synergized pyrethrin was the most effective insecticide (P ≤ 0.001) for suppressing egg hatch. The effect of flour on insecticide activity to eggs and consequent insect development was also evaluated. An amount of 0.01 g of flour in the exposure arena, 62-cm2 area, was not sufficient for individuals to develop beyond the early larval stages, regardless of the treatment. As the flour amount in the arena increased from 1 to 5 g, the number of eggs that could develop to the adult stage increased, but this number was significantly lower in the insecticide treatments than in the control or carrier treatments. The results of the later tests indicate a high efficacy of the insecticides alone or in combination on T. castaneum egg hatch and development to the adult stage

An initial report into thermal performance of hemp and lime wall sections in the wise building at CAT

Hemp and binder (e.g. Lime) is an insulating wall matrix formed around a timber frame. It has multiple environmental benefits including sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into a building‟s walls and is thus of interest in the current climate situation. However the thermal performance of the matrix when evaluated using the steady state thermal conductivity (i.e. rate of heat transfer) is not as effective for the same thickness as other insulations. The world however is dynamic and in the Haverhill Housing Project monitored by the Building Research Establishment (UK) two hemp and lime houses, despite having a worse steady state thermal performance on paper, significantly outperformed comparative standard houses (BRE 2002, 2003). The reasons for this unexpected performance are not clarified although the heat storage capacity and the moisture handling ability of the matrix are possibilit ies. Hemp and binder matrix has been shown to have considerable moisture handling and heat storage capabilities but how or whether these improve thermal performance is not clear. All the tests reported so far have been on the same binder yet there are many potential binders and each will change the properties of the matrix and each has a different environmental legacy. To further clarify the in-building performance and to compare a range of binders, 5 different binder test wall sections in the Welsh Institute of Sustainable Education building at the Centre of Alternative Technology are being extensively monitored for heat flux, temperature and moisture movements. This paper is an initial report of this experiment

The differences between the branded and generic medicines using solid dosage forms: In-vitro dissolution testing

AbstractIntroductionDissolution is the amount of substance that goes into solution per unit time under standardised conditions of liquid/solid interface, solvent composition and temperature. Dissolution is one of the most important tools to predict the in-vivo bioavailability and in some cases to determine bioequivalence and assure interchangeability.AimTo compare the differences in dissolution behaviour of solid dosage forms between innovators (reference products) and their generic counterparts (tested products).MethodsFour replicates for each batch of 37 tested medicines was carried out using A PT-DT70 dissolution tester from Pharma Test. A total of 13 branded medicines and 24 generic counterparts were obtained locally and internationally to detect any differences in their dissolution behaviour. They were tested according to the British Pharmacopeia, European Pharmacopeia and the US Pharmacopeia with the rate of dissolution determined by ultra-violet Spectrophotometery.ResultsMost tested medicines complied with the pharmacopoeial specifications and achieved 85% dissolution in 60min. However, some generic medicines showed significant differences in dissolution rate at 60 and 120min. Many generic medicines showed a slower dissolution rate than their branded counterparts such as the generic forms of omeprazole 20mg. Some showed an incomplete dissolution such as the generic form of nifedipine 10mg. Other generics showed faster dissolution rate than their branded counterpart such as the generic forms of meloxicam 15mg. Moreover, some generics from different batches of the same manufacturer showed significant differences in their dissolution rate such as the generic forms of meloxicam 7.5mg. Nevertheless, some generic medicines violated the EMA and the FDA guidelines for industry when they failed to achieve 85% dissolution at 60min, such as the generic form of diclofenac sodium 50mg.ConclusionMost medicines in this study complied with the pharmacopeial limits. However, some generics dissolved differently than their branded counterparts. This can clearly question the interchangeability between the branded and its generic counterpart or even among generics

Sex Work and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Asia: A Biosocial Analysis

The Harvard University Asia Center hosted a symposium in October 2010 focused on sex work and sexually transmitted infections in Asia, engaging a biosocial approach to promote sexual health in this region. Asia has an estimated 151 million cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs; eg, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) each year, with commercial sex interactions playing a large role in ongoing transmission. Substantial human movement and migration, gender inequalities, and incipient medical and legal systems in many states stymie effective STI control in Asia. The articles in this supplement provide theoretical and empirical pathways to improving the sexual health of those who sell and purchase commercial sex in Asia. The unintended health consequences of various forms of regulating commercial sex are also reviewed, emphasizing the need to carefully consider the medical and public health consequences of new and existing policies and laws

RETRACTED ARTICLE: The BCL11A transcription factor directly activates RAG gene expression and V(D)J recombination

Recombination-activating gene 1 protein (RAG1) and RAG2 are critical enzymes for initiating variable-diversity-joining (VDJ) segment recombination, an essential process for antigen receptor expression and lymphocyte development. The transcription factor BCL11A is required for B cell development, but its molecular function(s) in B cell fate specification and commitment is unknown. We show here that the major B cell isoform, BCL11A-XL, binds the RAG1 promoter and Erag enhancer to activate RAG1 and RAG2 transcription in pre-B cells. We employed BCL11A overexpression with recombination substrates in a cultured pre-B cell line as well as Cre recombinase-mediated Bcl11a(lox/lox) deletion in explanted murine pre-B cells to demonstrate direct consequences of BCL11A/RAG modulation on V(D)J recombination. We conclude that BCL11A is a critical component of a transcriptional network that regulates B cell fate by controlling V(D)J recombination

Simons Observatory: Broadband Metamaterial Anti-Reflection Cuttings for Large Aperture Alumina Optics

We present the design, fabrication, and measured performance of metamaterial Anti-Reflection Cuttings (ARCs) for large-format alumina filters operating over more than an octave of bandwidth to be deployed on the Simons Observatory (SO). The ARC consists of sub-wavelength features diced into the optic's surface using a custom dicing saw with near-micron accuracy. The designs achieve percent-level control over reflections at angles of incidence up to 20$^\circ$. The ARCs were demonstrated on four 42 cm diameter filters covering the 75-170 GHz band and a 50 mm diameter prototype covering the 200-300 GHz band. The reflection and transmission of these samples were measured using a broadband coherent source that covers frequencies from 20 GHz to 1.2 THz. These measurements demonstrate percent-level control over reflectance across the targeted pass-bands and a rapid reduction in transmission as the wavelength approaches the length scale of the metamaterial structure where scattering dominates the optical response. The latter behavior enables the use of the metamaterial ARC as a scattering filter in this limit.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Applied Optic