Efficacy of a topical product combining esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel against bedbug (Cimex lectularius) experimental infestations in cats

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are a persistent nuisance pest for humans and their home environment, and may also opportunistically feed on other mammals, including household pets like dogs and cats. NexGard® Combo is a topical endectoparasiticide product for cats combining esafoxolaner, an isoxazoline compound with insecticidal and acaricidal properties, the nematocide eprinomectin and the cestocide praziquantel. The insecticidal efficacy of this product was evaluated in cats experimentally infested with C. lectularius in a blinded, negative controlled and randomized study. Two groups of 7 cats were formed: an untreated control group, and a NexGard® Combo group treated once on Day 0 at the label dose. Cats were then challenged weekly, each with twenty unfed adult C. lectularius, on Days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28. After close contact with the cat’s skin for 15 min, live fed C. lectularius were collected and incubated for 96 h. The weekly efficacy evaluations were based on a comparison of the number of surviving bedbugs in the control and the treated group after 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. The model was demonstrated to be robust as in the control group the average feeding rate after the 15-minute challenge was 94%, and as 96% of incubated bed bugs were alive after 96 hours of incubation. Significant live bedbug reductions were demonstrated in the Nexgard® Combo treated group: after 96 h of incubation, the reductions ranged from 80.6 to 88.0% during the Day 1 to Day 21 period, and dropped to 58% at Day 28

Evaluating procedural modelling for 3D models of informal settlements in urban design activities

Three-dimensional (3D) modelling and visualisation is one of the fastest growing application fields in geographic information science. 3D city models are being researched extensively for a variety of purposes and in various domains, including urban design, disaster management, education and computer gaming. These models typically depict urban business districts (downtown) or suburban residential areas. Despite informal settlements being a prevailing feature of many cities in developing countries, 3D models of informal settlements are virtually non-existent. 3D models of informal settlements could be useful in various ways, e.g. to gather information about the current environment in the informal settlements, to design upgrades, to communicate these and to educate inhabitants about environmental challenges. In this article, we described the development of a 3D model of the Slovo Park informal settlement in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. Instead of using time-consuming traditional manual methods, we followed the procedural modelling technique. Visualisation characteristics of 3D models of informal settlements were described and the importance of each characteristic in urban design activities for informal settlement upgrades was assessed. Next, the visualisation characteristics of the Slovo Park model were evaluated. The results of the evaluation showed that the 3D model produced by the procedural modelling technique is suitable for urban design activities in informal settlements. The visualisation characteristics and their assessment are also useful as guidelines for developing 3D models of informal settlements. In future, we plan to empirically test the use of such 3D models in urban design projects in informal settlements.http://www.sajs.co.zaam201

Piloting a collaborative data library of fine-grained data to support knowledge facilitation in architectural courses

This study discusses the establishment and pilot of a collaborative data library(CDL) for educational purposes, based on a transdisciplinary collaboration between the architecture departments at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and University of Pretoria, South Africa. The CDL was tested Hammarkullen in Gothenburg in a joint exercise during which students from both institutions collected qualitative and quantitative data through site analysis using analogue and digital tools such as KoboToolbox and Maptionnaire. The collected data were uploaded in guided sessions to the web-based platform GeoNode to be stored in a systematic way for re-use of the data later in the course. Results show that the tools and CDL were relatively easy to use. For the students the mostinteresting aspects were the contextual information gained by using the data collecting tools, and, by that, make communities\u27 needs heard. Thus, the students appreciated the participatory features of the data collection tools. The CDL will be further developed and tested in the South African design studio in the Mamelodi township of Pretoria early in 2020. The development of the CDL in a transdisciplinary and global context will allow for up-scaling and potentially alsoapplications outside educational environments. The project contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 11

Evaluating procedural modelling for 3D models of informal settlements in urban design activities

Three-dimensional (3D) modelling and visualisation is one of the fastest growing application fields in geographic information science. 3D city models are being researched extensively for a variety of purposes and in various domains, including urban design, disaster management, education and computer gaming. These models typically depict urban business districts (downtown) or suburban residential areas. Despite informal settlements being a prevailing feature of many cities in developing countries, 3D models of informal settlements are virtually non-existent. 3D models of informal settlements could be useful in various ways, e.g. to gather information about the current environment in the informal settlements, to design upgrades, to communicate these and to educate inhabitants about environmental challenges. In this article, we described the development of a 3D model of the Slovo Park informal settlement in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. Instead of using time-consuming traditional manual methods, we followed the procedural modelling technique. Visualisation characteristics of 3D models of informal settlements were described and the importance of each characteristic in urban design activities for informal settlement upgrades was assessed. Next, the visualisation characteristics of the Slovo Park model were evaluated. The results of the evaluation showed that the 3D model produced by the procedural modelling technique is suitable for urban design activities in informal settlements. The visualisation characteristics and their assessment are also useful as guidelines for developing 3D models of informal settlements. In future, we plan to empirically test the use of such 3D models in urban design projects in informal settlements

Efficacy of a topical product combining esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel against bedbug (

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are a persistent nuisance pest for humans and their home environment, and may also opportunistically feed on other mammals, including household pets like dogs and cats. NexGard® Combo is a topical endectoparasiticide product for cats combining esafoxolaner, an isoxazoline compound with insecticidal and acaricidal properties, the nematocide eprinomectin and the cestocide praziquantel. The insecticidal efficacy of this product was evaluated in cats experimentally infested with C. lectularius in a blinded, negative controlled and randomized study. Two groups of 7 cats were formed: an untreated control group, and a NexGard® Combo group treated once on Day 0 at the label dose. Cats were then challenged weekly, each with twenty unfed adult C. lectularius, on Days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28. After close contact with the cat’s skin for 15 min, live fed C. lectularius were collected and incubated for 96 h. The weekly efficacy evaluations were based on a comparison of the number of surviving bedbugs in the control and the treated group after 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. The model was demonstrated to be robust as in the control group the average feeding rate after the 15-minute challenge was 94%, and as 96% of incubated bed bugs were alive after 96 hours of incubation. Significant live bedbug reductions were demonstrated in the Nexgard® Combo treated group: after 96 h of incubation, the reductions ranged from 80.6 to 88.0% during the Day 1 to Day 21 period, and dropped to 58% at Day 28

Evaluating procedural modelling for 3D models of informal settlements in urban design activities

Three-dimensional (3D) modelling and visualisation is one of the fastest growing application fields in geographic information science. 3D city models are being researched extensively for a variety of purposes and in various domains, including urban design, disaster management, education and computer gaming. These models typically depict urban business districts (downtown) or suburban residential areas. Despite informal settlements being a prevailing feature of many cities in developing countries, 3D models of informal settlements are virtually non-existent. 3D models of informal settlements could be useful in various ways, e.g. to gather information about the current environment in the informal settlements, to design upgrades, to communicate these and to educate inhabitants about environmental challenges. In this article, we described the development of a 3D model of the Slovo Park informal settlement in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. Instead of using time-consuming traditional manual methods, we followed the procedural modelling technique. Visualisation characteristics of 3D models of informal settlements were described and the importance of each characteristic in urban design activities for informal settlement upgrades was assessed. Next, the visualisation characteristics of the Slovo Park model were evaluated. The results of the evaluation showed that the 3D model produced by the procedural modelling technique is suitable for urban design activities in informal settlements. The visualisation characteristics and their assessment are also useful as guidelines for developing 3D models of informal settlements. In future, we plan to empirically test the use of such 3D models in urban design projects in informal settlements.http://www.sajs.co.zaam201

Insecticidal efficacy of afoxolaner against bedbugs,

The objective of this experimental study was to assess the insecticidal efficacy of afoxolaner (NexGard®) against bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) on dogs. For each challenge, 20 bedbugs were placed in two chambers positioned in contact to the dog’s skin for 15 min, after which live fed parasites were counted and incubated for survival evaluations. On Day 0, 7 dogs assigned to the treated group were administered afoxolaner orally at the registered dose. All 14 dogs were challenged on Days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28, and the collected live fed C. lectularius incubated for 72 h (Day 1), and 72 h and 96 h (Days 7, 14, 21 and 28) for survival evaluation. The percent feeding in the control group ranged from 95% to 98.6% and the percent of live fed bedbugs at 96 h ranged from 99.3% to 100% in the control group, demonstrating the viability of the strain and their capacity to feed on dogs. Significantly fewer live fed bedbugs were counted in the treated group, compared to the control group, at all time-points. The reduction of live fed C. lectularius in the afoxolaner group was 41.4% at 72 h after the Day 1 challenge, and 77.2%, 82.7%, 85.0% and 63.5% at 96 h after the Days 7, 14, 21 and 28 challenges, respectively. It is hypothesized that monthly treatment of dogs with afoxolaner could help in preventing a bed bug population from installing in a household if bedbugs bite dogs in the presence of humans