1,881 research outputs found
Potential Role of Wildlife in Pathogenic Contamination of Fresh Produce
The safety of fresh produce is an important concern in the United States, especially in the wake of recent national foodborne illness outbreaks. The agricultural industry has implemented steps to enhance food safety along the entire farm-to-fork supply chain. This includes on-farm measures to exclude wildlife and to remove its habitat in and around fields. Farmers and others from across the United States have expressed concern about the ecological consequences and uncertain food safety benefits of such practices. This article reviews the scientific rationale behind management of wildlife and its habitat as part of good agriculture practices for enhancing food safety. The review concludes that, although pathogen prevalence has been documented in wildlife at overall low levels, the potential role that wildlife and its habitat play in pathogenic contamination remains unclear and is interwoven with pathogenic risk from human and domesticated animal sources. The characterization and disruption of potential links between livestock and wildlife is highlighted as a research priority. The findings underscore the importance of appropriate wildlife research and management in the context of food safety and to human–wildlife interactions in general, and they have implications wherever fresh produce is grown in the United States
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Experimental In-Field Transfer and Survival of Escherichia coli from Animal Feces to Romaine Lettuce in Salinas Valley, California.
This randomized controlled trial characterized the transfer of E. coli from animal feces and/or furrow water onto adjacent heads of lettuce during foliar irrigation, and the subsequent survival of bacteria on the adaxial surface of lettuce leaves. Two experiments were conducted in Salinas Valley, California: (1) to quantify the transfer of indicator E. coli from chicken and rabbit fecal deposits placed in furrows to surrounding lettuce heads on raised beds, and (2) to quantify the survival of inoculated E. coli on Romaine lettuce over 10 days. E. coli was recovered from 97% (174/180) of lettuce heads to a maximal distance of 162.56 cm (5.33 ft) from feces. Distance from sprinklers to feces, cumulative foliar irrigation, and lettuce being located downwind of the fecal deposit were positively associated, while distance from fecal deposit to lettuce was negatively associated with E. coli transference. E. coli exhibited decimal reduction times of 2.2 and 2.5 days when applied on the adaxial surface of leaves within a chicken or rabbit fecal slurry, respectively. Foliar irrigation can transfer E. coli from feces located in a furrow onto adjacent heads of lettuce, likely due to the kinetic energy of irrigation droplets impacting the fecal surface and/or impacting furrow water contaminated with feces, with the magnitude of E. coli enumerated per head of lettuce influenced by the distance between lettuce and the fecal deposit, cumulative application of foliar irrigation, wind aspect of lettuce relative to feces, and time since final irrigation. Extending the time period between foliar irrigation and harvest, along with a 152.4 cm (5 ft) no-harvest buffer zone when animal fecal material is present, may substantially reduce the level of bacterial contamination on harvested lettuce
Tandem androgenic and psychological shifts in male reproductive effort following a manipulated “win” or “loss” in a sporting competition
© 2018, The Author(s). Male-male competition is involved in inter- and intrasexual selection, with both endocrine and psychological factors presumably contributing to reproductive success in human males. We examined relationships among men’s naturally occurring testosterone, their self-perceived mate value (SPMV), self-esteem, sociosexuality, and expected likelihood of approaching attractive women versus situations leading to child involvement. We then monitored changes in these measures in male rowers (N = 38) from Cambridge, UK, following a manipulated “win” or “loss” as a result of an indoor rowing contest. Baseline results revealed that men with heightened testosterone and SPMV values typically had greater inclinations toward engaging in casual sexual relationships and a higher likelihood of approaching attractive women in a hypothetical social situation. As anticipated, both testosterone and SPMV increased following a manipulated “victory” and were associated with heightened sociosexuality, and increased expectations toward approaching attractive women versus individuals who would involve them in interacting with children after the race. SPMV and self-esteem appeared to mediate some of the effects of testosterone on post-race values. These findings are considered in the broader context of individual trade-offs between mating and parental effort and a model of the concurrent and dynamic androgenic and psychological influences contributing to male reproductive effort and success
Discovery of Dust Emission Activity Emanating from Main-belt Asteroid 2015 FW412
We present the discovery of activity emanating from main-belt asteroid 2015
FW412, a finding stemming from the Citizen Science project Active Asteroids, a
NASA Partner program. We identified a pronounced tail originating from 2015
FW412 and oriented in the anti-motion direction in archival Blanco 4-m (Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile) Dark Energy Camera (DECam) images
from UT 2015 April 13, 18, 19, 21 and 22. Activity occurred near perihelion,
consistent with the main-belt comets (MBCs), an active asteroid subset known
for sublimation-driven activity in the main asteroid belt; thus 2015 FW412 is a
candidate MBC. We did not detect activity on UT 2021 December 12 using the
Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS) on the 6.5 m Baade
telescope, when 2015 FW412 was near aphelion.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Accumulation of Self-Reactive Naive and Memory B Cell Reveals Sequential Defects in B Cell Tolerance Checkpoints in Sjogren's Syndrome
This work was funded by grants number 18237 and 20089 from Arthritis Research UK (http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org) to MB and the William Harvey Research Foundation. EC was recipient of short-term travel fellowships from EMBO (ASTF 318-2010) and EFIS-IL
Reemerging Leptospirosis, California
Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease in California. Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis throughout the world, though it is infrequently diagnosed in the continental United States. From 1982 to 2001, most reported California cases occurred in previously healthy young adult white men after recreational exposures to contaminated freshwater. We report five recent cases of human leptospirosis acquired in California, including the first documented common-source outbreak of human leptospirosis acquired in this state, and describe the subsequent environmental investigation. Salient features in the California cases include high fever with uniform renal impairment and mild hepatitis. Because leptospirosis can progress rapidly if untreated, this reemerging infection deserves consideration in febrile patients with a history of recreational freshwater exposure, even in states with a low reported incidence of infection
Improved Dynamical Constraints on the Masses of the Central Black Holes in Nearby Low-mass Early-type Galactic Nuclei And the First Black Hole Determination for NGC 205
We improve the dynamical black hole (BH) mass estimates in three nearby
low-mass early-type galaxies--NGC 205, NGC 5102, and NGC 5206. We use new
\hst/STIS spectroscopy to fit the star formation histories of the nuclei in
these galaxies, and use these measurements to create local color--mass-to-light
ratio (\ml) relations. We then create new mass models from \hst~imaging and
combined with adaptive optics kinematics, we use Jeans dynamical models to
constrain their BH masses. The masses of the central BHs in NGC 5102 and NGC
5206 are both below one million solar masses and are consistent with our
previous estimates, \Msun~and
\Msun~(3 errors), respectively.
However, for NGC 205, the improved models suggest the presence of a BH for the
first time, with a best-fit mass of
\Msun~(3 errors). This is the least
massive central BH mass in a galaxy detected using any method. We discuss the
possible systematic errors of this measurement in detail. Using this BH mass,
the existing upper limits of both X-ray, and radio emissions in the nucleus of
NGC 205 suggest an accretion rate of the Eddington rate. We
also discuss the color--\mleff~relations in our nuclei and find that the slopes
of these vary significantly between nuclei. Nuclei with significant young
stellar populations have steeper color--\mleff~relations than some previously
published galaxy color--\mleff~relations.Comment: 31 pages, 19 figures, 6 tables, Accepted to Ap
Simplified Models for LHC New Physics Searches
This document proposes a collection of simplified models relevant to the
design of new-physics searches at the LHC and the characterization of their
results. Both ATLAS and CMS have already presented some results in terms of
simplified models, and we encourage them to continue and expand this effort,
which supplements both signature-based results and benchmark model
interpretations. A simplified model is defined by an effective Lagrangian
describing the interactions of a small number of new particles. Simplified
models can equally well be described by a small number of masses and
cross-sections. These parameters are directly related to collider physics
observables, making simplified models a particularly effective framework for
evaluating searches and a useful starting point for characterizing positive
signals of new physics. This document serves as an official summary of the
results from the "Topologies for Early LHC Searches" workshop, held at SLAC in
September of 2010, the purpose of which was to develop a set of representative
models that can be used to cover all relevant phase space in experimental
searches. Particular emphasis is placed on searches relevant for the first
~50-500 pb-1 of data and those motivated by supersymmetric models. This note
largely summarizes material posted at http://lhcnewphysics.org/, which includes
simplified model definitions, Monte Carlo material, and supporting contacts
within the theory community. We also comment on future developments that may be
useful as more data is gathered and analyzed by the experiments.Comment: 40 pages, 2 figures. This document is the official summary of results
from "Topologies for Early LHC Searches" workshop (SLAC, September 2010).
Supplementary material can be found at http://lhcnewphysics.or
The Black Hole in the Most Massive Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxy M59-UCD3
We examine the internal properties of the most massive ultracompact dwarf
galaxy (UCD), M59-UCD3, by combining adaptive optics assisted near-IR integral
field spectroscopy from Gemini/NIFS, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging.
We use the multi-band HST imaging to create a mass model that suggests and
accounts for the presence of multiple stellar populations and structural
components. We combine these mass models with kinematics measurements from
Gemini/NIFS to find a best-fit stellar mass-to-light ratio () and black
hole (BH) mass using Jeans Anisotropic Models (JAM), axisymmetric Schwarzschild
models, and triaxial Schwarzschild models. The best fit parameters in the JAM
and axisymmetric Schwarzschild models have black holes between 2.5 and 5.9
million solar masses. The triaxial Schwarzschild models point toward a similar
BH mass, but show a minimum at a BH mass of . Models with a BH
in all three techniques provide better fits to the central profiles,
and thus we estimate the BH mass to be
M (estimated 1 uncertainties). We also present deep radio
imaging of M59-UCD3 and two other UCDs in Virgo with dynamical BH mass
measurements, and compare these to X-ray measurements to check for consistency
with the fundamental plane of BH accretion. We detect faint radio emission in
M59cO, but find only upper limits for M60-UCD1 and M59-UCD3 despite X-ray
detections in both these sources. The BH mass and nuclear light profile of
M59-UCD3 suggests it is the tidally stripped remnant of a 10
M galaxy.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, 5 table
Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Feral Swine near Spinach Fields and Cattle, Central California Coast1
We investigated involvement of feral swine in contamination of agricultural fields and surface waterways with Escherichia coli O157:H7 after a nationwide outbreak traced to bagged spinach from California. Isolates from feral swine, cattle, surface water, sediment, and soil at 1 ranch were matched to the outbreak strain
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