An identeification guide to the Mosquitoes of Utah

journal articleThe first detailed report on the mosquito fauna of Utah was published by pees (1943). In this bulletin Rees reported the occurrence in the state of 31 species, representing 4 genera, and discussed their biology, distribution, life history and importance. Subsequent publications by Rees (1944), Rees and Nielsen (1951, 1955), Nielsen and Rees (1959) and Richards et al. (1956) have added to the knowlgdge of the mosquito fauna of this state. A total of 45 species has been reported in the literature as occurring in Utah. Of this number five are records which the authors consider invalid or of uncertain status. These are discussed by Nielsen and Rees (1959). At present the known Utah mosquito fauna consists of 40 species, representing 6 genera. A list of the Utah species with their relative abundance is presented in Table I

An identification guide to the mosquitoes of Utah

journal articleThe first detailed report on the mosquito fauna of Utah was published by pees (1943). In this bulletin Rees reported the occurrence in the state of 31 s p e c ie s , representing 4 genera, and discussed their biology, distribution, life history and importance. Subsequent publications by Rees (1944), Rees and Nielsen (1951, 1955), Nielsen and Rees (1959) and Richards et al. (1956) have added to the knowlgdge of the mosquito fauna of this state. A total of 45 species has been reported in the literature as occurring in Utah. Of this number five are records which the authors consider invalid or of uncertain status. These are discussed by Nielsen and Rees (1959). At present the known Utah mosquito fauna consists of 40 species, representing 6 genera. A list of the Utah species with their relative abundance is presented in Table I

Birth outcomes by type of attendance at antenatal education: An observational study

Background: Antenatal education aims to prepare expectant parents for pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. Studies have reported antenatal education teaching breathing and relaxation methods for pain relief, termed psychoprophylaxis, is associated with reduction in caesarean section rates compared with general birth and parenting classes. Given the rising rates of caesarean section, we aimed to determine whether there was a difference in mode of birth in women based on the type of antenatal education attended. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional antenatal survey of nulliparous women ≥28 weeks gestation with a singleton pregnancy was conducted in two maternity hospitals in Sydney, Australia in 2018. Women were asked what type of antenatal education they attended and sent a follow-up survey post-birth. Hospital birth data were also obtained. Education was classified into four groups: psychoprophylaxis, birth and parenting, other, or none. Results: Five hundred and five women with birth data were included. A higher proportion of women who attended psychoprophylaxis education had a vaginal birth (instrumental/spontaneous) (79%) compared with women who attended birth and parenting, other or no education (69%, 67%, 60%, respectively P = 0.045). After adjusting for maternal characteristics, birth and hospital factors, the association was attenuated (odds ratio 2.03; 95% CI 0.93–4.43). Conclusions: Women who attended psychoprophylaxis couple-based education had a trend toward higher rates of vaginal birth. Randomised trials comparing different types of antenatal education are required to determine whether psychoprophylaxis education can reduce caesarean section rates and improve other birth outcomes

The ABCD of usability testing

We introduce a methodology for tracking and auditing feedback, errors and suggestions for software packages. This short paper describes how we innovate on the evaluation mechanism, introducing an (Antecedent, Barrier, Consequence and Development) ABCD form, embedded within an eParticipation platform to enable end users to easily report on any usability issues. This methodology will be utilised to improve the STEP cloud eParticipation platform (part of the current STEP Horizon2020 project http://step4youth.eu. The platform is currently being piloted in real life contexts, with the participation of public authorities that are integrating the eParticipation platform into their regular decision-making practices. The project is involving young people, through engagement and motivation strategies and giving them a voice in Environmental decision making at the local level. The pilot evaluation aims to demonstrate how open engagement needs to be embedded within public sector processes and the usability methodology reported here will help to identify the key barriers for wide scale deployment of the platform

Diffusion of gold nanoclusters on graphite

We present a detailed molecular-dynamics study of the diffusion and coalescence of large (249-atom) gold clusters on graphite surfaces. The diffusivity of monoclusters is found to be comparable to that for single adatoms. Likewise, and even more important, cluster dimers are also found to diffuse at a rate which is comparable to that for adatoms and monoclusters. As a consequence, large islands formed by cluster aggregation are also expected to be mobile. Using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, and assuming a proper scaling law for the dependence on size of the diffusivity of large clusters, we find that islands consisting of as many as 100 monoclusters should exhibit significant mobility. This result has profound implications for the morphology of cluster-assembled materials

Elastomer solubility and stress relaxation in bio-lubricants

This study presents novel results from in-situ stress relaxation tests using rubber O-ring seals immersed in bio-lubricant base oils (jojoba, soybean and palm oil), with a mineral base oil used for comparison. Little information is available on the interaction of bi-lubricants and elastomers. The use of Hanson Solubility Parameter modelling methods was considered for assessing compatibility. Some correlation was found between experimental results for EPDM. Results were inconclusive for NBR and FKM. EPDM immersed in palm and soybean oil suffered minor shrinkage, caused by stress relaxation. Swelling occurred with EPDM immersed in jojoba and mineral base oil, caused by diffusion. Results for nitrile showed shrinkage for all oils. Less than 1% change in mass occurred for all oils and FKM

Delayed self-recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study aimed to investigate temporally extended self-awareness (awareness of one’s place in and continued existence through time) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), using the delayed self-recognition (DSR) paradigm (Povinelli et al., Child Development 67:1540–1554, 1996). Relative to age and verbal ability matched comparison children, children with ASD showed unattenuated performance on the DSR task, despite showing significant impairments in theory-of-mind task performance, and a reduced propensity to use personal pronouns to refer to themselves. The results may indicate intact temporally extended self-awareness in ASD. However, it may be that the DSR task is not an unambiguous measure of temporally extended self-awareness and it can be passed through strategies which do not require the possession of a temporally extended self-concept

A comparison of US and Australian men's values and preferences for PSA screening

Abstract: Background: Patient preferences derived from an assessment of values can help inform the design of screening programs, but how best to do so, and whether such preferences differ cross-nationally, has not been well-examined. The objective of this study was to compare the values and preferences of Australian and US men for PSA (prostate specific antigen) screening. Methods: We used an internet based survey of men aged 50-75 with no personal or family history of prostate cancer recruited from on-line panels of a survey research organization in the US and Australia. Participants viewed information on prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening with PSA testing then completed a values clarification task that included information on 4 key attributes: chance of 1) being diagnosed with prostate cancer, 2) dying from prostate cancer, 3) requiring a biopsy as a result of screening, and 4) developing impotence or incontinence as a result of screening. The outcome measures were self reported most important attribute, unlabelled screening test choice, and labelled screening intent, assessed on post-task questionnaires. Results: We enrolled 911 participants (US:456; AU:455), mean age was 59.7; 88.0% were white; 36.4% had completed at least a Bachelors' degree; 42.0% reported a PSA test in the past 12 months. Australian men were more likely to be white and to have had recent screening. For both US and Australian men, the most important attribute was the chance of dying from prostate cancer. Unlabelled post-task preference for the PSA screening-like option was greater for Australian (39.1%) compared to US (26.3%) participants (adjusted OR 1.68 (1.28-2.22)). Labelled intent for screening was high for both countries: US:73.7%, AUS:78.0% (p=0.308). Conclusions: There was high intent for PSA screening in both US and Australian men; fewer men in each country chose the PSA-like option on the unlabelled question. Australian men were somewhat more likely to prefer PSA screening. Men in both countries did not view the increased risk of diagnosis as a negative aspect, suggesting more work needs to be done on communicating the concept of overdiagnosis to men facing a PSA screening decision. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01558583)

Operational experience, improvements, and performance of the CDF Run II silicon vertex detector

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) pursues a broad physics program at Fermilab's Tevatron collider. Between Run II commissioning in early 2001 and the end of operations in September 2011, the Tevatron delivered 12 fb-1 of integrated luminosity of p-pbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. Many physics analyses undertaken by CDF require heavy flavor tagging with large charged particle tracking acceptance. To realize these goals, in 2001 CDF installed eight layers of silicon microstrip detectors around its interaction region. These detectors were designed for 2--5 years of operation, radiation doses up to 2 Mrad (0.02 Gy), and were expected to be replaced in 2004. The sensors were not replaced, and the Tevatron run was extended for several years beyond its design, exposing the sensors and electronics to much higher radiation doses than anticipated. In this paper we describe the operational challenges encountered over the past 10 years of running the CDF silicon detectors, the preventive measures undertaken, and the improvements made along the way to ensure their optimal performance for collecting high quality physics data. In addition, we describe the quantities and methods used to monitor radiation damage in the sensors for optimal performance and summarize the detector performance quantities important to CDF's physics program, including vertex resolution, heavy flavor tagging, and silicon vertex trigger performance.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in Nuclear Instruments and Methods A (07/31/2013