Helminth Parasites of Illinois Wild Turkeys

Viscera from 69 wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) collected from Jackson, Union and Alexander counties, Illinois, were examined for helminth and coccidian parasites. A total of eight species of parasites was found, all in the alimentary tract. The coccidian parasite Eimeria sp. was found in 9.6% of birds examined. The nematodes Heterakis gallinarum, Ascaridia galli and Ascaridia dissimilis were found in 13.2%, 27.9% and 48.5% respectively of all birds examined. Three species of cestodes, Raillietina williamsi, Metroliasthes lucida and Hymenolepis sp., were recovered from 41.1%, 27.9% and 1.4% respectively of birds examined. One species of trematode, possibly of the genus Cotylurus, was recovered from 2.9% of the birds. Infection rates of Eimeria sp. and Ascaridia galli were higher in juveniles than in adults. Heterakis gallinarum may be related to turkey mortality since it is responsible for transmitting the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis, the causative organism of blackhead disease in turkeys

Using Winpoker 6.0 To Study Gambling Behavior

Previous technical efforts have described how custom computer programs for the study of gambling behavior may be created to allow for the manipulation of variables not readily available in natural gambling contexts, however many people may lack the technical repertoires necessary to make such efforts feasible. The current paper discusses how a commercially available Video-Poker simula-tion and training software package, WinPoker 6.0, may be employed to study gambling behavior

Isolation, characterisation and experimental evolution of phage that infect the horse chestnut tree pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi

Bleeding canker of horse chestnut trees is a bacterial disease, caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi, estimated to be present in ~ 50% of UK horse chestnut trees. Currently, the disease has no cure and tree removal can be a common method of reducing inoculum and preventing spread. One potential method of control could be achieved using naturally occurring bacteriophages infective to the causative bacterium. Bacteriophages were isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic horse chestnut trees in three locations in the South East of England. The phages were found to be belonging to both the Myoviridae and Podoviridae families by RAPD PCR and transmission electron microscopy. Experimental coevolution was carried out to understand the dynamics of bacterial resistance and phage infection and to determine whether new infective phage genotypes would emerge. The phages exhibited different coevolution patterns with their bacterial hosts across time. This approach could be used to generate novel phages for use in biocontrol cocktails in an effort to reduce the potential emergence of bacterial resistance

A Case Study of Pathological Gambler Wagering at Golf

The present single case design explored the degree to which a pathological gambler’s golf performance would be affected by monetary consequences. Using an AB design, a twenty-three year old pathological gambler initially hit 10 golf balls on a computerized golfing game that interfaced with Playstation2’s “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006”. Following baseline, the participant was informed that he would be paid 20 dollars if his next 10 swings were closer to the golf hole than the prior 10 swings. The introduction of the monetary consequences resulted in the participant increasing shot variability and decreas-ing shot accuracy

Using Performance Feedback to Teach Video Poker Players to Gamble Better

The present investigation reports two studies that examined the performance of non-pathological recreational video poker gamblers. In the first experiment, seven participants played three types of video poker games in a within partici-pants randomized sequence design. The percentage of errors made across games revealed the game variant “Deuces Wild” yielded more frequent mistakes than “Jacks or Better” or “Bonus Poker.” The second experiment consisted of a new sample of 11 participants being exposed to “Deuces Wild” poker to initially assess error percentages. Next, participants were all provided with performance feedback regarding their play, and finally the feedback was removed to assess performance maintenance. Results suggest that all poker players were able to improve performance above baseline level, and changes were maintained when the intervention was removed

AMPR/SSMI data comparisons

The AMPR was flown during CAPE and STORMFEST, during which some good data were gathered. Significant instrument noise problems were encountered in both deployments which appear to be temperature related. These are being fixed before the TOGA COARE deployment. New calibration loads have also been manufactured for the TOGA COARE configuration. Eric Smith at FSU had been analyzing the AMPR data and has written a journal article to be submitted early this summer. The emphasis of his work is on the interpretation of low resolution microwave data from space, based upon what we have learned from the high-resolution AMPR signatures

Minutes 1870

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/freemethodistminutesyearbooks/1008/thumbnail.jp

The Effects of Stopping Devices and Win Rate on Preference in Slot Machine Players

Using a between-subjects design, we evaluated the effect of structural features of slot machines in the form of stopping buttons and win rate on response allocation to two concurrently available simulated slot machines. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions that consisted of the slot machine with stopping buttons paying out substantially more, less, or equally to a slot machine that did not feature any stopping devices. Results indicated that win rate, rather than presence of stopping devices, played a primary role in determining to which slot machine participants allocated responses

An Analysis of the Medical Costs of Obesity for Fifth Graders in California and Texas

International Journal of Exercise Science 9(1): 26-33, 2016. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States increased more than three-fold from 1976 – 1980 to 2007 – 2008. The Presidential Youth Fitness Program’s FitnessGram® is the current method recommended by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition for assessing health-related fitness factors, including body composition. FitnessGram® data from California and Texas, the two most populous states, over a three-year time span indicate that more than one-third of fifth grade students, typically ten-year-olds, are obese. Previous studies report that an obese ten-year-old child who remains obese into adulthood will incur elevated direct medical costs beyond his or her normal-weight peers over a lifetime. The recommended elevated cost estimates are approximately $12,660 when comparing against a normal-weight child who gains weight as an adult and approximately$19,000 compared to a child who remains at normal weight as an adult. By applying these figures to FitnessGram® results from California and Texas, each group of fifth grade students in each of the two states will incur between $1.4 and$3.0 billion in direct medical costs over a lifetime. When the percentage of obese fifth graders is extrapolated to the rest of the United States’ 4 million ten-year-olds, this results in more than $17 billion (accounting for adulthood weight gain) or$25 billion (not accounting for adulthood weight gain) in added direct lifetime medical costs attributable to obesity for this single-year age cohort. This information should be used to influence spending decisions and resource allocation to obesity reduction and prevention efforts