938 research outputs found
A review of the species of Mesopolobus (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) associated with Ceutorhynchus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) host-species of European origin
Four species of Mesopolobus Westwood were reared as parasitoids of Ceutorhynchinae hosts in Europe during surveys in 2000-2004. An illustrated key is given to differentiate the four species, M. gemellus Baur & Muller sp. n., M. incultus (Walker), M. morys (Walker) and M. trasullus (Walker), plus M. moryoides Gibson, a parasitoid of the cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham), in North America. Pteromalus clavicornis Walker is recognized as a junior synonym of M. incultus syn. n., and Pteromalus berecynthos Walker (also a junior synonym of M. incultus) is considered a correct original spelling. For Disema pallipes Förster (a junior synonym of Mesopolobus morys), a lectotype is designated. Mesopolobus morys is for the first time accurately associated with the seed weevil Ceutorhynchus turbatus (Schultze), a potential agent for classical biological control, of hoary cress, Lepidium draba L. (Brassicaceae), in North America. Mesopolobus gemellus is associated with another seed weevil, Ceutorhynchus typhae (=C. floralis) (Herbst), in pods of shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. (Brassicaceae). Implications of the host-parasitoid associations are discussed relative to the introduction of species to North America for classical biological control of the cabbage seedpod weevi
Polarimetric Properties of Flux-Ropes and Sheared Arcades in Coronal Prominence Cavities
The coronal magnetic field is the primary driver of solar dynamic events.
Linear and circular polarization signals of certain infrared coronal emission
lines contain information about the magnetic field, and to access this
information, either a forward or an inversion method must be used. We study
three coronal magnetic configurations that are applicable to polar-crown
filament cavities by doing forward calculations to produce synthetic
polarization data. We analyze these forward data to determine the
distinguishing characteristics of each model. We conclude that it is possible
to distinguish between cylindrical flux ropes, spheromak flux ropes, and
sheared arcades using coronal polarization measurements. If one of these models
is found to be consistent with observational measurements, it will mean
positive identification of the magnetic morphology that surrounds certain
quiescent filaments, which will lead to a greater understanding of how they
form and why they erupt.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, Solar Physics topical issue: Coronal Magnetis
Development and psychometric validation of the gum health experience questionnaire
Aim
To develop and validate a new health-related quality of life measure to capture a wide range of gum-related impacts.
Materials and Methods
The measure was developed using a multi-stage approach and a theoretical model. Development involved semi-structured interviews, pilot testing, cross-sectional analysis among a general population (n = 152) to assess psychometric properties and test–retest reliability among a subsample (n = 27).
Results
Psychometric analysis supports the validity and reliability of the measure's impact scale. The measure has excellent internal reliability (nearly all item-total correlations above .4; Cronbach's alpha between .84 and .91 for subscales), with test–retest reliability also performing well (Intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] of .91–.97 for subscales). Good content validity (indicated by large standard deviations for item and total scores) and construct validity (correlations of .54–.73 with global gum health rating for subscales, all p < .05) were also observed. Qualitative and quantitative data indicate that people with gum health-related symptoms experience different degrees of discomfort and impacts caused by their condition.
Conclusions
The gum health experience questionnaire holds substantial promise as a measure of gum-related quality of life in people across the gum health–disease continuum. Further face validity, refining and reducing the number of items and longitudinal studies to test evaluative properties are required before the measure can be used with confidence
The everyday impact of dentine sensitivity: personal and functional aspects
Research into oral health status and the impact of
oral conditions on everyday life has been developed
over
the last 30 years. To date it is not clear the degr
ee to which these measures can be applied to the pr
oblems
and impacts associated with dentine sensitivity. Th
ere has been very little research on the everyday i
mpact
of dentine sensitivity. The aim of this study was t
o explore the everyday experiences of dentine sensi
tivity; in
particular we were interested in the personal and f
unctional aspects of living with the condition. Par
ticipants
were purposively recruited from a general populatio
n to secure a range of experiences and views about
the
everyday impact of dentine sensitivity. Participant
s were adults (≥18) currently experiencing dentine
sensitiv
-
ity and were initially recruited using the research
team’s contacts and snowball sampling. Data were a
nalysed
through a framework induced from the data and infor
med by the literature on chronic illness, coping, i
llness
beliefs along with the general literature on the bi
opsychosocial impact of oral health. Data analysis
focussed
on detailing the range of impacts associated with t
he condition. Twenty three interviews were conducte
d with
15 females and 8 males. The principal impacts on ev
eryday life were described as pain, impacts on func
tional
status and everyday activities such as eating, drin
king, talking, tooth brushing and social interactio
n in gen
-
eral. Impacts appeared to be related to a range of
individual and environmental inluences. The data in
dicate
the depth and complexity of the pain experiences as
sociated with dentine sensitivity. The length of a
partici
-
pant’s illness career appeared to be related to the
ir degree of control over the condition. These indi
ngs are
compatible with the psychological literature on pai
n and conirm that there are signiicant impacts asso
ciated
with dentine sensitivity in everyday life. Further
research into the everyday nature of dentine sensit
ive pain
would be beneicial
Structural Determinants and Children's Oral Health: A Cross-National Study
Much research on children's oral health has focused on proximal determinants at the expense of distal (upstream) factors. Yet, such upstream factors-the so-called structural determinants of health-play a crucial role. Children's lives, and in turn their health, are shaped by politics, economic forces, and social and public policies. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children's clinical (number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth) and self-reported oral health (oral health-related quality of life) and 4 key structural determinants (governance, macroeconomic policy, public policy, and social policy) as outlined in the World Health Organization's Commission for Social Determinants of Health framework. Secondary data analyses were carried out using subnational epidemiological samples of 8- to 15-y-olds in 11 countries ( N = 6,648): Australia (372), New Zealand (three samples; 352, 202, 429), Brunei (423), Cambodia (423), Hong Kong (542), Malaysia (439), Thailand (261, 506), United Kingdom (88, 374), Germany (1498), Mexico (335), and Brazil (404). The results indicated that the type of political regime, amount of governance (e.g., rule of law, accountability), gross domestic product per capita, employment ratio, income inequality, type of welfare regime, human development index, government expenditure on health, and out-of-pocket (private) health expenditure by citizens were all associated with children's oral health. The structural determinants accounted for between 5% and 21% of the variance in children's oral health quality-of-life scores. These findings bring attention to the upstream or structural determinants as an understudied area but one that could reap huge rewards for public health dentistry research and the oral health inequalities policy agenda
MHealth resources for asthma and pregnancy care: methodological issues and social media recruitment. A discussion paper
A discussion of methodological issues and social media recruitment to a feasibility study to investigate mHealth resources for asthma and pregnancy care
Comparison of the structure and flexural properties of Moso, Guadua and Tre Gai bamboo
Bamboo is an underutilized resource widely available in countries with rapidly developing economies. Structural bamboo products, analogous to wood products, allow flexibility in the shape and dimensions of bamboo structural members. Here, the ultrastructure, microstructure, cell wall properties and flexural properties of three species of bamboo (Moso, Guadua and Tre Gai) are compared. At a given density, the axial modulus of elasticity of Guadua is higher than that of Moso or Tre Gai, which are similar; ultrastructural results suggest that Guadua has a higher solid cell wall stiffness. At a given density, their moduli of rupture are similar.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (OISE-1258574
Coronal Diagnostics from Narrowband Images around 30.4 nm
Images taken in the band centered at 30.4 nm are routinely used to map the
radiance of the He II Ly alpha line on the solar disk. That line is one of the
strongest, if not the strongest, line in the EUV observed in the solar
spectrum, and one of the few lines in that wavelength range providing
information on the upper chromosphere or lower transition region. However, when
observing the off-limb corona the contribution from the nearby Si XI 30.3 nm
line can become significant. In this work we aim at estimating the relative
contribution of those two lines in the solar corona around the minimum of solar
activity. We combine measurements from CDS taken in August 2008 with
temperature and density profiles from semiempirical models of the corona to
compute the radiances of the two lines, and of other representative coronal
lines (e.g., Mg X 62.5 nm, Si XII 52.1 nm). Considering both diagnosed
quantities from line ratios (temperatures and densities) and line radiances in
absolute units, we obtain a good overall match between observations and models.
We find that the Si XI line dominates the He II line from just above the limb
up to ~2 R_Sun in streamers, while its contribution to narrowband imaging in
the 30.4 nm band is expected to become smaller, even negligible in the corona
beyond ~2 - 3 R_Sun, the precise value being strongly dependent on the coronal
temperature profile.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures; to be published in: Solar Physic
Charged pion form factor between Q^2=0.60 and 2.45 GeV^2. II. Determination of, and results for, the pion form factor
The charged pion form factor, Fpi(Q^2), is an important quantity which can be
used to advance our knowledge of hadronic structure. However, the extraction of
Fpi from data requires a model of the 1H(e,e'pi+)n reaction, and thus is
inherently model dependent. Therefore, a detailed description of the extraction
of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data obtained recently
at Jefferson Lab is presented, with particular focus given to the dominant
uncertainties in this procedure. Results for Fpi are presented for
Q^2=0.60-2.45 GeV^2. Above Q^2=1.5 GeV^2, the Fpi values are systematically
below the monopole parameterization that describes the low Q^2 data used to
determine the pion charge radius. The pion form factor can be calculated in a
wide variety of theoretical approaches, and the experimental results are
compared to a number of calculations. This comparison is helpful in
understanding the role of soft versus hard contributions to hadronic structure
in the intermediate Q^2 regime.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure
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