Control of Bactrocera oleae and Ceratitis capitata in Organic Orchards: Use of Clays and Copper Products.

Tests on the effect of clays (kaolin and bentonite) and copper products (hydroxide and oxychloride) in the control of olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were carried out from 2003 to 2006 in olive groves and in organic citrus orchards (satsuma, clementine, ‘Navelina’ orange). Results demonstrate an efficacy of kaolin products in reducing attacks of B. oleae on olives and those of C. capitata on citrus fruits; in olive groves the clays gave similar or better results than copper hydroxide. Bentonite AG/8W showed a significant reduction in punctures by C. capitata. Bentonite products and BPLK kaolin are washed off by rainfall more easily than Surround WP kaolin. In contrast to the effect of copper hydroxide on B. oleae in olive groves, no tested copper product showed a significant reduction in C. capitata punctures on citrus fruits. Clays are very useful tools to control tephritid and other insects and are also environmentally friendly, but currently, they are not permitted as products for plant protection in European and Swiss organic farming

From conference abstract to publication in the conservation science literature

Every two years, the conservation community comes together at The Society for Conservation Biology's International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) to share new developments in conservation science and practice. Publication of content presented at conferences in scientific journals adds to a permanent record and helps increase its potential impact. However, quantitative research on publication rates for meetings relevant to conservation is lacking. We provide a data-driven exploration of the presentations at the 25th ICCB held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2011. To study publication rates and presenter demographics, we recorded titles, number of authors, presenter affiliations, gender, country of study region, publication status, and the elapsed time between presentation and publication. Of the 980 contributions (782 talks and 198 posters), 587 (60%) became publications. We found a mean time to publication of 13.7 months for all published abstracts, and 21.3 months when excluding abstracts published before the meeting. The gender breakdown of presenters was almost even (53% male, 47% female), but the representation of the countries where the presenting authors were based at was biased. The political units with the most contributions were by far the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Presenters based in English-speaking countries made up 74% of the total sample, but this did not influence the likelihood of their abstract becoming a publication. Understanding the presentation to publication process in conservation is useful to identify biases and potential challenges that need to be addressed to make conference communications permanent and increase their reach beyond those in attendance

Control of Bactrocera oleae and Ceratitis capitata in Organic Orchards: Use of Clays and Copper Products.

Tests on the effect of clays (kaolin and bentonite) and copper products (hydroxide and oxychloride) in the control of olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were carried out from 2003 to 2006 in olive groves and in organic citrus orchards (satsuma, clementine, ‘Navelina’ orange). Results demonstrate an efficacy of kaolin products in reducing attacks of B. oleae on olives and those of C. capitata on citrus fruits; in olive groves the clays gave similar or better results than copper hydroxide. Bentonite AG/8W showed a significant reduction in punctures by C. capitata. Bentonite products and BPLK kaolin are washed off by rainfall more easily than Surround WP kaolin. In contrast to the effect of copper hydroxide on B. oleae in olive groves, no tested copper product showed a significant reduction in C. capitata punctures on citrus fruits. Clays are very useful tools to control tephritid and other insects and are also environmental friendly, but currently, they are not permitted as products for plant protection in European and Swiss organic farming

A T2 Translational Science Modified Delphi Study: Spinal Motion Restriction in a Resource-Scarce Environment.

AbstractIntroduction:Emerging evidence is guiding changes in prehospital management of potential spinal injuries. The majority of settings related to current recommendations are in resource-rich environments (RREs), whereas there is a lack of guidance on the provision of spinal motion restriction (SMR) in resource-scarce environments (RSEs), such as: mass-casualty incidents (MCIs); low-middle income countries; complex humanitarian emergencies; conflict zones; and prolonged transport times. The application of Translational Science (TS) in the Disaster Medicine (DM) context was used to develop this study, leading to statements that can be used in the creation of evidence-based clinical guidelines (CGs).Objective:What is appropriate SMR in RSEs?Methods:The first round of this modified Delphi (mD) study was a structured focus group conducted at the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) Congress in Brisbane Australia on May 9, 2019. The result of the focus group discussion of open-ended questions produced ten statements that were added to ten statements derived from Fischer (2018) to create the second mD round questionnaire.Academic researchers and educators, operational first responders, or first receivers of patients with suspected spinal injuries were identified to be mD experts. Experts rated their agreement with each statement on a seven-point linear numeric scale. Consensus amongst experts was defined as a standard deviation ≤1.0. Statements that were in agreement reaching consensus were included in the final report; those that were not in agreement but reached consensus were removed from further consideration. Those not reaching consensus advanced to the third mD round.For subsequent rounds, experts were shown the mean response and their own response for each of the remaining statements and asked to reconsider their rating. As above, those that did not reach consensus advanced to the next round until consensus was reached for each statement.Results:Twenty-two experts agreed to participate with 19 completing the second mD round and 16 completing the third mD round. Eleven statements reached consensus. Nine statements did not reach consensus.Conclusions:Experts reached consensus offering 11 statements to be incorporated into the creation of SMR CGs in RSEs. The nine statements that did not reach consensus can be further studied and potentially modified to determine if these can be considered in SMR CGs in RSEs

Effectiveness of clays and copper products in the control of Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin)and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) in organic farming

Tests on the effect of clays (kaolin and bentonite) and copper products (hydroxide and oxychloride) in the control of olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin), and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were carried out from 2003 to 2006 in olive groves, and in 2005 and 2006 in organic orange orchards (early ripening cv. Navelina). Results demonstrate an efficacy of kaolin products in reducing attacks of Bactrocera oleae to olives and those of Ceratitis capitata to oranges. In olive groves, they gave similar or better results than copper hydroxide. Bentonite AG/W8 showed a significant reduction in punctures towards C. capitata. Bentonite products and BPLK kaolin are clearly washed off by the rainfall more easily than Surround WP. Clays are very useful tools to control tephritid and other insects, and are also environmental friendly. Until now, however, they are not allowed as products for plant protection in European and Swiss organic farming. Differently from the effect towards B. oleae, no tested copper product showed a significant reduction in C. capitata punctures on oranges

Season does not have a deleterious effect on proportions of stallion seminal plasma proteins

The mechanism by which the content of the major groups of seminal plasma proteins in stallion semen changes between the breeding and non-breeding seasons remains unknown. Here, we investigated the proportions of non-heparinbinding, phosphorylcholine-binding, and heparin-binding proteins in seminal plasma with the aim of relating them to sperm quality and testosterone levels in good and bad freezer stallions. Only minor variations in the major protein groups were found between the breeding and non-breeding seasons. In the non-breeding season, a higher content of a subset of nonheparin binding proteins as well as of heparin-binding proteins was found. Analysis of semen characteristics revealed a somewhat contrasting picture. While only minor variations in sperm kinematics and sperm morphology were found between seasons, the flow-cytometric measurements of mitochondrial membrane potential and also, to some extent, reactive oxygen species production indicated lower sperm quality in the breeding season. Chromatin integrity and testosterone levels were unchanged between seasons. The results suggest that stallion ejaculates could be used year-round for freezing, since only minor differences in protein composition exist between the breeding and non-breeding seasons, as well as between good and bad freezers. In addition, sperm quality is not impaired during the non-breeding season

The Ethical Triage and Management Guidelines of the Entrapped and Mangled Extremity in Resource Scarce Environments: A Systematic Literature Review.

ABSTRACTObjective:A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to elucidate the current triage and treatment of an entrapped or mangled extremity in resource scarce environments (RSEs).Methods:A lead researcher followed the search strategy following inclusion and exclusion criteria. A first reviewer (FR) was randomly assigned sources. One of the 2 lead researchers was the second reviewer (SR). Each determined the level of evidence (LOE) and quality of evidence (QE) from each source. Any differing opinions between the FR and SR were discussed between them, and if differing opinions remained, then a third reviewer (the other lead researcher) discussed the article until a consensus was reached. The final opinion of each article was entered for analysis.Results:Fifty-eight (58) articles were entered into the final study. There was 1 study determined to be LOE 1, 29 LOE 2, and 28 LOE 3, with 15 determined to achieve QE 1, 37 QE 2, and 6 QE 3.Conclusion:This SLR showed that there is a lack of studies producing strong evidence to support the triage and treatment of the mangled extremity in RSE. Therefore, a Delphi process is suggested to adapt and modify current civilian and military triage and treatment guidelines to the RSE

Sanitation of chicken eggs by ionizing radiation: functional and nutritional assessment

Alternative technologies must be developed and implemented considering sanitation and preservation of eggs mainly for risk population. Food irradiation is an alternative to free Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. eggs, as a low dose point to a safety assurance. This study presents the correlation between irradiation doses (0.5 kGy up to 5 kGy at dose rate of 1.0 kGy/h) and some of functional and nutritional egg properties. Viscosimetry of non-irradiated and irradiated eggs was evaluated by means of VT550 Haake with an NV sensor and co-axes cylinders. After irradiation at 5 kGy, the yolk colour die (pale yellow) and the white egg was modified to a turbid yellow. The Cross equation was utilized to viscosimetry curves. Based on the assymptotics viscosimetry data indicated that increase of doses corresponds to an increase of the yolk and a decrease of white egg viscosimetry as such a Newton behaviour. Irradiation effects on nutritional properties were evaluated by means of egg protein patterns that were assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Lipids were identified by TLC. Based on results the sanitation dose is lower than the limit dose for the decrease of the main eggs properties

Clarification of Misleading Perceptions of COVID-19 Fatality and Testing Rates in Italy: Data Analysis

The fatality rate of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Italy is controversial and is greatly affecting discussion on the impact of containment measures that are straining the world's social and economic fabric, such as instigating large-scale isolation and quarantine, closing borders, imposing limits on public gatherings, and implementing nationwide lockdowns