Chemosterilants as control agents of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in field trials

[EN] Lufenuron is a chitin synthesis inhibitor, which is able to impede Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), reproduction. In laboratory trials, following ingestion of lufenuron, the eggs laid by female Ceratitis capitata were prevented from hatching. In field trials in Valencia, Spain, lufenuron showed its effectiveness by reducing C. capitata wild populations and its continuous application to several generations of fruit fly resulted in increased pest control. This field trial was conducted in an isolated valley some 80ha in size, over a continuous four-year period. In order to maintain the sterilizing effect in the field throughout the whole year, a new lufenuron bait gel was developed. This bait gel was introduced in to delta traps suspended in trees at a density of 24 traps ha 1, and these traps were replaced once a year during the field trial. Monitoring of the adult C. capitata population was conducted to assess the effects of the chemosterilant treatment. In the first year of treatment with sterilizing traps, a reduction of the C. capitata population was observed, indicating that the traps reduce the population right from the first generation. In the second, third and fourth years, a continuous and progressive reduction of the adult Mediterranean fruit fly population was observed. Therefore, the successive application of chemosterilization treatment has a cumulative effect on reducing the fly population year after year. Aerial treatment using malathion does not produce this cumulative effect, and consequently every year it is necessary to start again with the same number of flies as the year before. The possibility of using the chemosterilant method alone or combined with the sterile insect technique is discussed.The authors thank Stephen Skillman for helpful suggestions on the first version of the manuscript, Syngenta for supplying technical grade lufenuron, and the R&D+i Linguistic Assistance Office at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia for their help in revising and correcting this paper. This research has been supported by ‘Fundación José y Ana Royo’, ‘Conselleria d’Agricultura Peixca i Alimentacio-GVA’ and INIA project number RTA03-103-C6.Navarro Llopis, V.; Sanchis Cabanes, J.; Primo Millo, J.; Primo Yufera, E. (2007). Chemosterilants as control agents of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in field trials. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 97(4):359-368. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485307005081S35936897

A New Long-Life Trimedlure Dispenser for Mediterranean Fruit Fly

[EN] New agricultural techniques are attempting to reduce the application of synthesized pesticides and replace them with new environmentally friendly methods such as mass trapping, mating disruption, or chemosterilization techniques. All these methods are based oil the release of a lure for insect attraction or confusion. The Success of the chosen method depends on the quality of the attractant emission from the dispenser. Currently, used dispensers with a polymeric matrix and new dispensers with mesoporous inorganic materials were evaluated to obtain more efficient emission kinetics. In this Study, the selected pest was the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and the lure used vas trimedlure (TML). The dispensers were validated by means of a field study comparing insect catches with attractant release values. As a result, we have demonstrated that mesoporous dispensers have it clearly longer lifetime than the polymeric Plug. Furthermore, the attractant release rate is less dependent oil temperature in mesoporous than in polymeric dispensers.Domínguez Ruiz, J.; Sanchis Cabanes, J.; Navarro-Llopis, V.; Primo Millo, J. (2008). A New Long-Life Trimedlure Dispenser for Mediterranean Fruit Fly. Journal of Economic Entomology. 101(4):1325-1330. doi:10.1093/jee/101.4.1325S13251330101

Evaluation of Traps and Lures for Mass Trapping of Mediterranean fruit fly in Citrus Groves

[EN] Mass trapping has proven to be a powerful weapon in the control of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and its application in Mediterranean countries has currently increased notably as a control method. In this study, the efÞcacy of newly developed traps and dispensers of attractants were assessed with the aim of Þnding the best trap and set the lifetime of the dispensers, thus improving the total efÞcacy of mass trapping. EfÞcacy trials with six different types of traps and six different types of female dispensers were carried out. Moreover, the lifetime of three female dispensers, including a new attractant composition dispenser with n-methyl pyrrolidine, were studied. Results show signiÞcant differences among the trap types using female attractants, with an advantage of nearly 3 times more catches in best trap. Tested female dispensers showed no signiÞcant differences in efÞcacy between trimethylamine and putrescine attractants regard n-methyl pyrrolidine, however we observed differences in lifetime between dispensers. Thus, there are signiÞcant differences among different types of traps and dispensers in efÞcacy, and the appropriate selection of the trap and dispenser will improve the mass trapping resultsNavarro-Llopis, V.; Alfaro, F.; Domínguez Ruiz, J.; Sanchis Cabanes, J.; Primo Millo, J. (2008). Evaluation of Traps and Lures for Mass Trapping of Mediterranean fruit fly in Citrus Groves. Journal of Economic Entomology. 1(101):126-131. doi:10.1093/jee/101.1.126S126131110

Accessibility to Reperfusion Therapy Among Women with Acute Myocardial Infarction: Impact on Hospital Mortality

Background: The available evidence about the effect of gender and/or sex on mortality differences is contradictory. Our aim is to assess the impact of gender on the access to reperfusion therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation (STEMI), and secondly, to analyze the effect of delay on the differences with regard to hospital mortality. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among consecutive patients with STEMI included in the ARIAM-SEMICYUC registry (2010-2013).Results: A total of 4816 patients were included (22.09% women). Women were older, presented with longer patient delay (90 vs. 75 minutes, p=0.0066), higher risk profile (GRACE>140: 75.1% vs. 56.05%, p<0.0001), and received less reperfusion therapy (68.8% vs. 74.7%, p<0.0001) with longer total reperfusion time (307 vs. 240 minutes, p<0.0001). Women received less thrombolysis (24.53% vs. 29.98%, p<0.0001) and longer door-to-needle time (85 vs. 70 minutes, p 0.0023). We found no differences regarding primary percutaneous coronary intervention or door-to-balloon time. Women also had higher hospital mortality (crude odds ratio 2.54, 95% confidence interval 1.99-3.26, p<0.0001), which persisted after controlling the effect of patient delay, age, risk (GRACE), and reperfusion (adjusted odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.0-2.06, p=0.0492). Using TIMI or Killip risk scores as risk estimates yielded nonsignificant results.Conclusions: Compared with men, women with STEMI have worse access to reperfusion and higher hospital mortality. The impact of the differences in accessibility on mortality gap remains uncertain

Clinical presentation of acute coronary syndrome in patients previously treated with nitrates

Aims: Several reports have suggested that nitrates limit acute ischaemic damage by a mechanism similar to preconditioning. This study aims to evaluate the effect of chronic oral nitrates on the clinical presentation and short-term outcomes of patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients with ACS admitted to 62 acute care units from 2010 to 2011. A propensity score-matched samples analysis was performed.Results: We analysed 3171 consecutive patients, of whom 298 (9.4%) were chronically treated with nitrates. Patients previously treated with nitrates had higher comorbidity and disease severity at admission, lower prevalence of ACS with ST elevation, lower troponin elevation, higher prevalence of initial Killip class 2-4 and higher hospital mortality. The propensity score-matched analysis confirmed that previous use of nitrates is independently associated with a lower prevalence of ST-elevation ACS [odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.78; P = 0.0014] and a lower troponin elevation (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.92) but not with Killip class on admission (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.83-1.67, P = 0.3697) or mortality (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.37-1.38, P = 0.3196).Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis that nitrates have a protective effect on acute ischaemic injury

Analysis of electromagnetic forces in high voltage superconducting fault current limiters with saturated core

This paper presents a three-dimensional numerical analysis of the electromagnetic forces within a high voltage superconducting Fault Current Limiter (FCL) with a saturated core under short-circuit conditions. The effects of electrodynamics forces in power transformer coils under short-circuit conditions have been reported widely. However, the coil arrangement in an FCL with saturated core differs significantly from existing reactive devices. The boundary element method is employed to perform an electromagnetic force analysis on an FCL. The analysis focuses on axial and radial forces of the AC coil. The results are compared to those of a power transformer and important design considerations are highlighted

Saturated core high-temperature superconducting fault current limiters as an alternative to conventional series reactors in a distribution grid

Series reactors are used in distribution grids to reduce the short-circuit fault level. Some of the disadvantages of the application of these devices are the voltage drop produced across the reactor and the steep front rise of the transient recovery voltage (TRV), which generally exceeds the rating of the associated circuit breaker. Simulations were performed to compare the characteristics of a saturated core High-Temperature Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (HTS FCL) and a series reactor. The design of the HTS FCL was optimized using the evolutionary algorithm. The resulting Pareto frontier curve of optimum solution is presented in this paper. The results show that the steady-state impedance of an HTS FCL is significantly lower than that of a series reactor for the same level of fault current limiting. Tests performed on a prototype 11 kV HTS FCL confirm the theoretical results. The respective transient recovery voltages (TRV) of the HTS FCL and an air core reactor of comparable fault current limiting capability are also determined. The results show that the saturated core HTS FCL has a significantly lower effect on the rate of rise of the circuit breaker TRV as compared to the air core reactor. The simulations results are validated with shortcircuit test results

Numerical Simulation of Traffic-Related Brain Injuries

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