Survey of Ground-Dwelling Predaceous and Parasitic Arthropods in Cabbage Fields in Upstate New York

During 1979 and 1981, populations of ground-dwelling predators and parasites in research and commercial cabbage fields in upstate New York were assessed by pitfall trapping to determine species composition, abundance, phenology, and the impact of insecticides on them. Staphylinidae, Phalangida, Carabidae, and Araneida were consistently the most abundant predaceous taxa. Carabids and Staphylinids together comprised 75.9 and 74.1% of all predaceous or parasitic insects in commercial fields during 1979 and 1981, respectively. One of the 32 species of Carabidae captured, Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger), accounted for >50% of the total number of Carabidae. Total number of predators and parasites tended to decline from July through September in both treated and untreated fields, but this decline was hastened by the use of broad-spectrum insecticide

Transition Probabilities for Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae on Cabbage as a Function of Microclimate

To identify factors affecting the spatial dynamics of Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) on cabbage, the movements of individual larvae were monitored. Larvae were marked with 32p and released individually, one per plant, on cabbage plants in research plots. Their movements were monitored by recording their position on the plant daily, locating them with a Geiger counter. In the same plots, hourly measurements of temperature and relative humidity were recorded in three different parts of the crop canopy. Transition probabilities for the larvae from and to each of five vertical plant strata were modeled as definite integrals of the Beta probability density function (pdf). The shape parameters for these Beta pdf's were modeled as a function of microclimate, and the necessary parameters to do so were estimated by the method of maximum likelihood. This model predicted the data well and was more efficient than logistic regression. The model predicts that under high temperatures and low vapor pressure deficit (vpd), larvae move down to the shaded, cooler, lower parts of the plant; whereas under low temperatures and high vpd, they moved upward toward the economically important wrapper leaves and cabbage head

Effect of Intraplant Insect Movement on Economic Thresholds

A simulation model was constructed to examine the effects of intraplant spatial dynamics of the lepidopteran pest complex of cabbage on direct damage to the marketable parts of the plant. Diurnal fluctuations in microclimate for different parts of the crop canopy were simulated with sine functions. Larval development rates for each species were simulated with logistic functions of temperature, the development process with time-varying distributed delays, and feeding rates with exponential functions of temperature and larval age. Larval transition probabilities within the crop canopy were modeled with either constants or definite integrals of the Beta probability density function, the shape parameters of which were modeled as functions of temperature. The model provided a good fit to data on changes in intraplant distribution of these larvae and intraplant distribution of feeding damage. Evaluation of model predictions suggests that a threshold population density used for management decisions should not be static, but should be a complex function of species, larval age distribution, and forecast temperatures. A model like the one presented here could serve as that complex functio

Fcc-bcc transition for Yukawa interactions determined by applied strain deformation

Calculations of the work required to transform between bcc and fcc phases yield a high-precision bcc-fcc transition line for monodisperse point Yukawa (screened-Couloumb) systems. Our results agree qualitatively but not quantitatively with previously published simulations and phenomenological criteria for the bcc-fcc transition. In particular, the bcc-fcc-fluid triple point lies at a higher inverse screening length than previously reported.Comment: RevTex4, 9 pages, 6 figures. Discussion of phase coexistence extended, a few other minor clarifications added, referencing improved. Accepted for publication by Physical Review

Parents\u27 perceptions and concerns about their children\u27s weight

Background: For parents to address overweight or obesity in their children, they first need to perceive their child to be overweight and to show some level of concern. We aimed to: (1) measure the level of misclassification between children&rsquo;s actual and parent-perceived weight status, and (2) determine the level of parent concern about their child&rsquo;s (actual) weight and whether concern varied according to the accuracy of parents&rsquo; perceptions.Methods: Participants were 1711 primary school children aged 5&ndash;12 years from the Barwon-South West region of Victoria, Australia. Height and weight were measured and weight status determined using international standards. Parents completed a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) that included questions relating to their child&rsquo;s weight.Results: 448 children (26.2% of sample) were overweight or obese. Of these, weight status for almost half (48%) was underestimated by parents. This &lsquo;bias&rsquo; did not vary according to the child&rsquo;s gender, parent&rsquo;s education, or household socio-economic status but did for child&rsquo;s age and parent-respondent gender. More than half (57%) of the parents of overweight-obese children expressed no concern about their child&rsquo;s weight. Parents who underestimated the weight status of their overweight child were significantly less concerned (P &lt; 0.001) about their child&rsquo;s weight than those who correctly perceived their child as overweight.Conclusions: Parents were relatively poor judges of overweight or obesity in their own child and consequently there was a lack of appropriately directed concern. Education to help parents correctly classify their child&rsquo;s weight status should be part of efforts to prevent unhealthy weight gain.<br /

Validation of a Novel Patient Specific CT-Morphometric Technique for Quantifying Bone Graft Resorption Following the Latarjet Procedure

Bone graft resorption following the Latarjet procedure has received considerable concern. Current methods quantifying bone graft resorption rely on two-dimensional (2D) CT-scans or three-dimensional (3D) techniques, which do not represent the whole graft volume/resorption (i.e., 2D assessment) or expose patients to additional radiation (i.e., 3D assessment) as this technique relies on early postoperative CT-scans. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a patient-specific, CT-morphometric technique combining image registration with 3D CT-reconstruction to quantify bone graft resorption following the Latarjet procedure for recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Pre-operative and final follow-up CT-scans were segmented to digitally reconstruct 3D scapula geometries. A virtual Latarjet procedure was then conducted to model the timepoint-0 graft volume, which was compared with the final follow-up graft volume. Graft resorption at final follow-up was highly correlated to the 2D gold standard-technique by Zhu (Kendall tau coefficient = 0.73; p &lt; 0.001). The new technique was also found to have excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability (ICC values, 0.931 and 0.991; both p &lt; 0.001). The main finding of this study is that the technique presented is a valid and reliable method that provides the advantage of 3D-assessment of graft resorption at long-term follow-up without the need of an early postoperative CT-scan

Direct determination of the sign of the NO dipole moment.

We report a novel approach for determining the sign of permanent dipole moments, using nitric oxide [NO(v=0)] as an example. State-selected NO (j=|m|=|Ω=1/2) molecules are focused using a hexapole and oriented in a strong dc electric field. The angular distributions of ionic fragments resulting from extreme ultraviolet single-photon and multiphoton dissociative ionization at 400 and 800 nm are measured and indicate that the dipole moment is negative (corresponding to N-O+). The experiments thus rule out an error in the sign of the dipole of NO as the possible source of a remarkable discrepancy between previous theoretical and experimental work on orientation effects in bimolecular collisions involving oriented NO. © 2007 The American Physical Society

Pre-pregnancy predictors of hypertension in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in north Queensland, Australia; a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Compared to other Australian women, Indigenous women are frequently at greater risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We examined pre-pregnancy factors that may predict hypertension in pregnancy in a cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in north Queensland. METHODS Data on a cohort of 1009 Indigenous women of childbearing age (15–44 years) who participated in a 1998–2000 health screening program in north Queensland were combined with 1998–2008 Queensland hospitalisations data using probabilistic data linkage. Data on the women in the cohort who were hospitalised for birth (n = 220) were further combined with Queensland perinatal data which identified those diagnosed with hypertension in pregnancy. RESULTS Of 220 women who gave birth, 22 had hypertension in the pregnancy after their health check. The mean age of women with and without hypertension was similar (23.7 years and 23.9 years respectively) however Aboriginal women were more affected compared to Torres Strait Islanders. Pre-pregnancy adiposity and elevated blood pressure at the health screening program were predictors of a pregnancy affected by hypertension. After adjusting for age and ethnicity, each 1 cm increase in waist circumference showed a 4% increased risk for hypertension in pregnancy (PR 1.04; 95% CI; 1.02-1.06); each 1 point increase in BMI showed a 9% adjusted increase in risk (1.09; 1.04-1.14). For each 1 mmHg increase in baseline systolic blood pressure there was an age and ethnicity adjusted 6% increase in risk and each 1 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure showed a 7% increase in risk (1.06; 1.03-1.09 and 1.07; 1.03-1.11 respectively). Among those free of diabetes at baseline, the presence of the metabolic syndrome (International Diabetes Federation criteria) predicted over a three-fold increase in age-ethnicity-adjusted risk (3.5; 1.50-8.17). CONCLUSIONS Pre-pregnancy adiposity and features of the metabolic syndrome among these young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women track strongly to increased risk of hypertension in pregnancy with associated risks to the health of babies.Sandra K Campbell, John Lynch, Adrian Esterman and Robyn McDermot

The correlates of urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in a high risk Australian Aboriginal community

Background: Albuminuria marks renal disease and cardiovascular risk. It was estimated to contribute 75% of the risk of all-cause natural death in one Aboriginal group. The urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) is commonly used as an index of albuminuria. This study aims to examine the associations between demographic factors, anthropometric index, blood pressure, lipid-protein measurements and other biomarkers and albuminuria in a cross-sectional study in a high-risk Australian Aboriginal population. The models will be evaluated for albuminuria at or above the microalbuminuria threshold, and at or above the "overt albuminuria" threshold with the potential to distinguish associations they have in common and those that differ