Eco-bio-social determinants for house infestation by non-domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

Background Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease of major importance in the Americas. Disease prevention is mostly limited to vector control. Integrated interventions targeting ecological, biological and social determinants of vector-borne diseases are increasingly used for improved control. Methodology/principal findings We investigated key factors associated with transient house infestation by T. dimidiata in rural villages in Yucatan, Mexico, using a mixed modeling approach based on initial null-hypothesis testing followed by multimodel inference and averaging on data from 308 houses from three villages. We found that the presence of dogs, chickens and potential refuges, such as rock piles, in the peridomicile as well as the proximity of houses to vegetation at the periphery of the village and to public light sources are major risk factors for infestation. These factors explain most of the intra-village variations in infestation. Conclusions/significance These results underline a process of infestation distinct from that of domiciliated triatomines and may be used for risk stratification of houses for both vector surveillance and control. Combined integrated vector interventions, informed by an Ecohealth perspective, should aim at targeting several of these factors to effectively reduce infestation and provide sustainable vector control

Developmental Sex Differences in Nicotinic Currents of Prefrontal Layer VI Neurons in Mice and Rats

There is a large sex difference in the prevalence of attention deficit disorder; yet, relatively little is known about sex differences in the development of prefrontal attention circuitry. In male rats, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors excite corticothalamic neurons in layer VI, which are thought to play an important role in attention by gating the sensitivity of thalamic neurons to incoming stimuli. These nicotinic currents in male rats are significantly larger during the first postnatal month when prefrontal circuitry is maturing. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether there are sex differences in the nicotinic currents in prefrontal layer VI neurons during development.Using whole cell recording in prefrontal brain slice, we examined the inward currents elicited by nicotinic stimulation in male and female rats and two strains of mice. We found a prominent sex difference in the currents during the first postnatal month when males had significantly greater nicotinic currents in layer VI neurons compared to females. These differences were apparent with three agonists: acetylcholine, carbachol, and nicotine. Furthermore, the developmental sex difference in nicotinic currents occurred despite male and female rodents displaying a similar pattern and proportion of layer VI neurons possessing a key nicotinic receptor subunit.This is the first illustration at a cellular level that prefrontal attention circuitry is differently affected by nicotinic receptor stimulation in males and females during development. This transient sex difference may help to define the cellular and circuit mechanisms that underlie vulnerability to attention deficit disorder

Measurement of the Fundamental Parameters for the Film-Rupture/Oxidation Mechanism

Identification of the mechanism responsible for primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in nickel-base alloys is a controversial topic. Numerous mechanisms, including the film-rupture/oxidation (i.e., slip-oxidation or slip-dissolution) mechanism, have been proposed to explain PWSCC. According to this mechanism, the observed sensitivity of PWSCC to material and environmental factors may be explained by the combined effects of repassivation kinetics, oxide rupture strain, and crack tip strain rate (which includes creep). Previous research has shown that increasing the Cr content of Ni-9%Fe-Cr from 16 to 30 wt% strongly decreases PWSCC susceptibility. Consequently, measurements of these three fundamental parameters (repassivation, oxide rupture, and creep) were performed as a function of Cr content, and SCC crack growth rates were predicted on the basis of the resulting data. This paper illustrates that considering these three parameters concurrently may contribute to the understanding of Cr effects on PWSCC of Ni-base alloys. However, it is not clear whether the film-rupture/oxidation mechanism can adequately predict the observed crack growth rates for Alloy 600 at 338 C