Carabid and Staphylinid beetles from agricultural land in the lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia

Pit-traps were emptied every two or three days for two seasons in crop, fallow, and grass plots to determine the species and population density of Carabidae and Staphylinidae associated with agricultural land, and their relationship with brassica crops. Half of the plots were enclosed by plastic barriers and the beetles were trapped to extinction: half were not enclosed. Thirty-three carabid and 16 staphylinid species were captured. The dominant species was the small, generalized. European carabid predator, <i>Bembidion lampros</i>, which had a population on crop and fallow land of about 29000/hectare. It was almost absent in grass. Other numerous carabids were <i>Harpalus aeneus</i>, <i>Calathus fuscipes</i>, and <i>Clivina fossor</i>, all introduced European spp., with populations of almost 2000, 5600, and llOOO/hectare respectively. The first and third of these were scarce in grassland but the second was abundant. In plots of Brussels sprouts <i>Aleochara bilineata</i>, a staphylinid, was effectively parasitic on root maggots, and averaged more than 6000/hectare. Soil cores taken in October centred on a Brussels sprouts plant averaged 26.4 <i>Hylemya puparia</i> per core of which 44% were parasitized by <i>A. bilineata</i>

Is the Scottish population living dangerously? Prevalence of multiple risk factors: the Scottish Health Survey 2003

<b>Background:</b> Risk factors are often considered individually, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of combinations of multiple behavioural risk factors and their association with socioeconomic determinants.<p></p> <b>Methods:</b> Multinomial logistic regression was used to model the associations between socioeconomic factors and multiple risk factors from data in the Scottish Health Survey 2003. Prevalence of five main behavioural risk factors - smoking alcohol, diet, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity, and the odds in relation to demographic, individual and area socioeconomic factors.<p></p> <b>Results:</b> Full data were available on 6,574 subjects (80.7% of the survey sample). Nearly the whole adult population (97.5%) reported to have at least one behavioural risk factor; while 55% have three or more risk factors; and nearly 20% have four or all five risk factors. The most important determinants for having four or five multiple risk factors were low educational attainment which conferred around a 3-fold increased odds compared to high education; and residence in the most deprived communities (relative to least deprived) which had greater than 3-fold increased odds.<p></p> <b>Conclusions:</b> The prevalence of multiple behavioural risk factors was high and the prevalence of absence of all risk factors very low. These behavioural patterns were socioeconomically determined. Policy to address factors needs to be joined up and better consider underlying socioeconomic circumstances.<p></p&gt

Is the presence of sedentary behaviour or the absence of physical activity responsible for fat mass and appetite dysregulation? Preliminary results from the DAPHNE project.

Introduction: The objective was to investigate whether measures of appetite dysregulation were associated with sedentary time, physical activity, energy expenditure or fat mass. Several studies indicate sedentary behaviour is associated with obesity but most use questionnaire-based self-report measures of sedentary time. The present study employed an innovative validated device for the objective measurement of sedentary and active behaviour. Methods: Thirty participants took part in this cross-sectional study. Measures of body composition, health markers, cardiovascular fitness and resting metabolic rate, and appetite dysregulation were taken as well as 7days measurement of free-living physical activity and sedentary behaviour with the SenseWear Armband. Active energy expenditure was calculated by subtracting measured resting metabolic rate from total measured energy expenditure from the Armband. Results: Sedentary behaviour was positively correlated with multiple indices of adiposity. These associations disappeared when controlling for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). MVPA was negatively associated with fat mass. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were not associated with indices of appetite dysregulation. TFEQ Disinhibition and Binge Eating were positively associated with indices of adiposity but not with lean mass. Active energy expenditure was negatively associated with sedentary time and positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Conclusion: The results suggest that the lack of MVPA may be more important than total sedentary time for the accumulation of body fat. Higher adiposity (but not sedentary time, physical activity or low energy expenditure) was associated with Disinhibition and Binge Eating (appetite dysregulation)

Effects of once-weekly semaglutide on appetite, energy intake, control of eating, food preference and body weight in subjects with obesity.

AIM: To investigate the mechanism of action for body weight loss with semaglutide. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period crossover trial investigated the effects of 12 weeks treatment with once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide, dose-escalated to 1.0 mg, in 30 subjects with obesity. Ad libitum energy intake, ratings of appetite, thirst, nausea and well-being, control of eating, food preference, resting metabolic rate, body weight and body composition were assessed. RESULTS: After a standardised breakfast, semaglutide, compared with placebo, led to a lower ad libitum energy intake during lunch (-1255 kJ; P < 0.0001), and during the subsequent evening meal (P = 0.0401) and snacks (P = 0.0034), resulting in a 24% reduction in total energy intake across all ad libitum meals throughout the day (-3036 kJ; P < 0.0001). Fasting overall appetite suppression scores were improved with semaglutide versus placebo, while nausea ratings were similar. Semaglutide was associated with less hunger and food cravings, better control of eating and a lower preference for high-fat foods. Resting metabolic rate, adjusted for lean body mass, did not differ between treatments. Semaglutide led to a reduction from baseline in mean body weight of 5.0 kg, predominantly from body fat mass. CONCLUSION: After 12 weeks' treatment, ad libitum energy intake was substantially lower with semaglutide versus placebo with a corresponding loss of body weight observed with semaglutide. In addition to reduced energy intake, likely mechanisms for semaglutide-induced weight loss included less appetite and food cravings, better control of eating and lower relative preference for fatty, energy-dense foods

The low dimensional dynamical system approach in General Relativity: an example

In this paper we explore one of the most important features of the Galerkin method, which is to achieve high accuracy with a relatively modest computational effort, in the dynamics of Robinson-Trautman spacetimes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Death in the sun: the bioarchaeology of an early post-medieval hospital in Gibraltar

In 2014, during construction work at the ex-Civil Hospital in Gibraltar, excavations led by the Gibraltar Museum revealed a major, previously unknown burial ground containing more than 200 skeletons. We present the historical, archaeological and radiometric dating evidence from the site alongside the results of initial osteological analyses. The data indicate that the burials pertain to an earlier 16th-century Spanish hospice, and therefore stand to offer new insights into the functioning of this early modern hospital and the health and movements of people at a time of incipient globalization

Carabid and Staphylinid beetles from agricultural land in the lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia

Pit-traps were emptied every two or three days for two seasons in crop, fallow, and grass plots to determine the species and population density of Carabidae and Staphylinidae associated with agricultural land, and their relationship with brassica crops. Half of the plots were enclosed by plastic barriers and the beetles were trapped to extinction: half were not enclosed. Thirty-three carabid and 16 staphylinid species were captured. The dominant species was the small, generalized. European carabid predator, Bembidion lampros, which had a population on crop and fallow land of about 29000/hectare. It was almost absent in grass. Other numerous carabids were Harpalus aeneus, Calathus fuscipes, and Clivina fossor, all introduced European spp., with populations of almost 2000, 5600, and llOOO/hectare respectively. The first and third of these were scarce in grassland but the second was abundant. In plots of Brussels sprouts Aleochara bilineata, a staphylinid, was effectively parasitic on root maggots, and averaged more than 6000/hectare. Soil cores taken in October centred on a Brussels sprouts plant averaged 26.4 Hylemya puparia per core of which 44% were parasitized by A. bilineata

Toxicity of insecticides to two strains of Hylemya platura (Meig.) (Anthomyidae: Diptera)

Using the topical-application and impregnated-paper methods baseline toxicity data were obtained for male and female flies of a susceptible and a cyclodiene-insecticide resistant strain of the seed-corn maggot, Hylemya platura (Meig.). As shown by topical application the resistance factor with dieldrin for male and female flies was 337.8 and 342.7 respectively. However, the LC50 by exposure to dieldrin-impregnated papers could not be obtained for the resistant strain at the concentrations tested. There was no cross-resistance to six other insecticides: two from each of the major groups of organocarbamate, organochlorine, and organophosphorous insecticides. Both methods are useful for determining the toxicity of insecticides and offer ways for agriculturists to determine if spray practices have failed or were faulty, or if resistance is developing within a species