Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Northeastern Iowa: A Comparison of Baits for Sampling

Carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were inventoried over a 8-week period from June into August of 1996 at 10 sites in 4 counties of extreme northeastern Iowa. Carrion preference and relative abundance of carrion beetles were studied by use of non-lethal pitfall traps constructed from large plastic plant pots and baited with aged fish, beef liver, chicken, or piglets. A total of 3,183 carrion beetles were collected, representing 11 different species. The most commonly encountered species of carrion beetles in northeastern Iowa included Necrophila americana (71.5%) and Oiceoptoma novaboracense (18.5%). When comparing baits, chicken and fish attracted the greatest number of carrion beetle species, individual beetles, and the most diverse assemblage of beetles as compared to beef liver and piglets. No American Burying Beetles (Nicrophorus americanus), a federally-listed endangered species last documented in Northeastern Iowa in 1921, were found. We propose aged chicken as the most useful bait for future surveys of carrion beetles

Effect of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy on preeclampsia: The folic acid clinical trial study

Copyright © 2013 Shi Wu Wen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Preeclampsia (PE) is hypertension with proteinuria that develops during pregnancy and affects at least 5% of pregnancies. The Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnancy on Preeclampsia: the Folic Acid Clinical Trial (FACT) aims to recruit 3,656 high risk women to evaluate a new prevention strategy for PE: supplementation of folic acid throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women with increased risk of developing PE presenting to a trial participating center between 80/7 and 166/7 weeks of gestation are randomized in a 1: 1 ratio to folic acid 4.0 mg or placebo after written consent is obtained. Intent-to-treat population will be analyzed. The FACT study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2009, and regulatory approval from Health Canada was obtained in 2010. A web-based randomization system and electronic data collection system provide the platform for participating centers to randomize their eligible participants and enter data in real time. To date we have twenty participating Canadian centers, of which eighteen are actively recruiting, and seven participating Australian centers, of which two are actively recruiting. Recruitment in Argentina, UK, Netherlands, Brazil, West Indies, and United States is expected to begin by the second or third quarter of 2013. This trial is registered with NCT01355159. © 2013 Shi Wu Wen et al.The Canadian Institutes of Healt

Three dimensional rotational angiography imaging of double aortic arch vascular ring

Three dimensional (3D) rotational angiography is a technique used increasingly for imaging in congenital heart disease. Here the use of this technique for imaging of double aortic arch vascular ring is described and the advantages of this modality. are discussed. 3D rotational angiography is an excellent tool for imaging of various vascular anomalies. It provides high quality accurate images through a quick and safe procedure.peer-reviewe

Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Community Structure in Northeastern and Central Minnesota

Large-scale surveys of forest insects provide two distinct benefits: the detection of invasive and exotic species that cause millions of dollars of damage annually to forest and ornamental industries, and the addition of a wealth of species distribution and diversity information to the scientific community. We intensively surveyed the Northeast and East-central regions of Minnesota from 2006-2008 for invasive/exotic and native Scolytinae using Lindgren funnel traps baited with one of four lures (a/β-pinene, ultra-high-release ethanol [EtOH], EtOH+a-pinene, and Ips 3-part). We captured 16,841 scolytines (representing 25 genera) of which over 40% were Ips pini (Say) and Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff). We found two exotic Scolytinae, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) and Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, both of which had previously been recorded in Minnesota. Two native species, Conophthorus coniperda (Schwarz) and Crypturgus pusillus (Gyllenhal), were reported for the first time in Minnesota. Non-metric multi- dimensional scaling and analysis of similarities indicate that lure types capture different Scolytinae communities, while year, weather pattern and region factors were not significant. We also report the seasonal phenology of the seven most abundantly captured species; Dendroctonus valens LeConte, Hylastes porculus Erichson, Hylurgops rugipennis pinifex (Fitch),I. grandicollis, I. pini, Orthotomicus caelatus (Eichhoff) and Pityophthorus spp. Eichhoff

The Three-Dimensional Expansion of the Ejecta from Tycho's Supernova Remnant

We present the first three-dimensional measurements of the velocity of various ejecta knots in Tycho's supernova remnant, known to result from a Type Ia explosion. Chandra X-ray observations over a 12-year baseline from 2003 to 2015 allow us to measure the proper motion of nearly 60 "tufts" of Si-rich ejecta, giving us the velocity in the plane of the sky. For the line of sight velocity, we use two different methods: a non-equilibrium ionization model fit to the strong Si and S lines in the 1.2-2.8 keV regime, and a fit consisting of a series of Gaussian lines. These methods give consistent results, allowing us to determine the red or blue shift of each of the knots. Assuming a distance of 3.5 kpc, we find total velocities that range from 2400 to 6600 km s$^{-1}$, with a mean of 4430 km s$^{-1}$. We find several regions where the ejecta knots have overtaken the forward shock. These regions have proper motions in excess of 6000 km s$^{-1}$. Some Type Ia supernova explosion models predict a velocity asymmetry in the ejecta. We find no such velocity asymmetries in Tycho, and discuss our findings in light of various explosion models, favoring those delayed detonation models with relatively vigorous and symmetrical deflagrations. Finally, we compare measurements with models of the remnant's evolution that include both smooth and clumpy ejecta profiles, finding that both ejecta profiles can be accommodated by the observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Some figures slightly degraded to reduce file siz

An assessment protocol for determining decision making capacity

There is a bourgeoning elderly population, an increase in District Court estate disputes, and an identified need to refer at risk clients for formal assessment. However, there is limited research into effective and efficient assessment protocols vis-à-vis testamentary capacity and capacity to appoint an enduring power of attorney. Statistical limitations of neuropsychological tests are often overlooked. The current study reviews the interaction of legal principles and the scientic method in common law jurisdictions. Preliminary findings from expert opinions are presented. Participants are 13 general practitioners, seven lawyers and seven psychologists. Data was collected through a nominal group technique (focus group). Investigation of qualitative results indicated similarities and differences in approach adopted by the differing disciplines. The next phase of this research is to test-run an assessment protocol informed from the current findings

'My language, my people': language and ethnic identity among British‐born South Asians

This study explores how a group of second generation Asians (SGA) understood and defined language, focusing upon the role they perceived language to have played in their identity. Twelve SGA were interviewed and the data were subjected to qualitative thematic analysis. Four superordinate themes are reported, entitled 'Mother tongue and self', #A sense of ownership and affiliation', 'Negotiating linguistic identities in social space' and 'The quest for a positive linguistic identity'. Participants generally expressed a desire to maintain continuity of self‐definition as Asian, primarily through the maintenance of the heritage language (HL). An imperfect knowledge of the HL was said to have a negative impact upon psychological well‐being. There were ambivalent responses to the perception of language norms, and various strategies were reported for dealing with dilemmatic situations and identity threat arising from bilingualism. Recommendations are offered for interventions that might aid the ‘management’ of bilingualism among SGA