Effects of Visual Silhouette, Leaf Size and Host Species on Feeding Preference by Adult Emerald Ash Borer, \u3ci\u3eAgrilus Planipennis\u3c/i\u3e Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is an invasive species recently established in North America. In large arena bioassays, when given a choice among live green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh and artificial ash saplings that were hidden or exposed from view, beetles preferred live trees (either visible or hidden) compared to artificial trees that had similar visual silhouettes, confirming that olfactory cues are used to locate hosts. Examination of the effect of leaf size revealed that large leaves attracted more beetles than medium-sized leaves that in turn attracted more beetles than small leaves of the same age. Beetles also consumed more of the large leaves in terms of total leaf area than either medium or small leaves, but the proportion of foliage that beetles consumed relative to total available leaf area, did not differ. When newly emerged adults were fed on green and Manchurian ash, Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., foliage in a no- choice assay, beetles that were given green ash consumed significantly more foliage compared to those that fed on Manchurian ash, but neither longevity nor beetle body weight differed. Our results suggest that while beetles might use olfactory cues to identify suitable hosts, visual cues also play a role in landing and feeding behavior. Manchurian ash might have greater nutritive value or resistance than green ash, necessitating lower consumption and therefore less damage in nature

Methodological Considerations in Acute-Care Research: Issues in Securing Self-Report Data

Conducting research in the acutely ill and injured is important to broaden the scientific foundation of nursing practice for the specialty. Given the nature of acute illness, challenges to the collection of self-report data are numerous, but they are not insurmountable. Attending to these challenges and planning for strategies to enhance the accuracy of data are important tasks for any investigator considering research in groups of patients with acute illness or injury

Genome Assembly Improvement and Mapping Convergently Evolved Skeletal Traits in Sticklebacks with Genotyping-by-Sequencing.

Marine populations of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have repeatedly colonized and rapidly adapted to freshwater habitats, providing a powerful system to map the genetic architecture of evolved traits. Here, we developed and applied a binned genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) method to build dense genome-wide linkage maps of sticklebacks using two large marine by freshwater F2 crosses of more than 350 fish each. The resulting linkage maps significantly improve the genome assembly by anchoring 78 new scaffolds to chromosomes, reorienting 40 scaffolds, and rearranging scaffolds in 4 locations. In the revised genome assembly, 94.6% of the assembly was anchored to a chromosome. To assess linkage map quality, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling lateral plate number, which mapped as expected to a 200-kb genomic region containing Ectodysplasin, as well as a chromosome 7 QTL overlapping a previously identified modifier QTL. Finally, we mapped eight QTL controlling convergently evolved reductions in gill raker length in the two crosses, which revealed that this classic adaptive trait has a surprisingly modular and nonparallel genetic basis

Firearm Violence in America: A Growing Health Problem

Firearm injury is a disease that afflicts many individuals in the United States, either directly or indirectly. Trauma and critical care nurses have direct experience with this life-threatening disease and recognize the high lethality and life-altering consequences of these injuries. The magnitude of this health problem requires a focus on primary prevention. We recognize that any focus on firearm injury is often contentious and political; however, nurses bring a ready-made credibility and focus on evidence-based practice to the prevention of this disease

Years of Life Lost Because of Gunshot Injury to the Brain and Spinal Cord

Objective: A recent study (Lemaire) estimated the life expectancy loss attributable to gun deaths at 103.6 days for the overall U.S. population: 150.7 days for white males and 361.5 days for black males. This study estimates the life expectancy loss attributable to the premature death of individuals who initially survived gun-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. Design: Interpersonal TBI data were drawn from a surveillance system, and self-inflicted TBI data were obtained from the Web-based Injury Statistics and Reporting System. SCI data were obtained from a national database. Multiple decrement analysis was used to calculate the days of life lost to gunshot wounds to the brain and spinal cord, by race and gender, in the United States. Results: On average, across age, gender, and race, life expectancy in the United States is reduced by 3.1 days because of the shorter lifespan for individuals who survive an initial gunshot wound to the brain or spinal cord. Black males bear a disproportionate burden, losing 9.5 days, whereas white males lose 4.6 days. Black and white females lose 1.5 and 1.0 days, respectively. Conclusions: We add these findings to the Lemaire study, resulting in a total of 106.7 days of life expectancy loss from gunshot wounds for the U.S. population, with 371.0 days of life lost for black males

Undergraduate Borrowing and Its Effects on Plans to Attend Graduate School Prior to and After the 1992 Higher Education Act Amendments

As student loan indebtedness has more than doubled in the past decade, it has become important to examine the effects of undergraduate debt on graduate school attendance. The significant increase in student borrowing can be attributed primarily to the passage of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, which increased federal student loan limits and expanded eligibility in student loan programs. To measure the effects of the increased undergraduate borrowing on graduate school attendance, this study compared graduate school plans of students who attended colleges and universities between 1985-1989 (before the Amendments) and 1994-1998 (after the Amendments). The results indicated a slight negative effect of borrowing on students\u27 plans to attend graduate schools prior to the 1992 Amendments. By contrast, the students who attended school after the 1992 Amendments showed significant positive effects of borrowing, particularly for middle-income students. If middle-income students borrowed money, they were more likely to plan to attend graduate school than students from high-income families with loans

The informational contents of announcements on verified emissions in the EU ETS - An empirical investigation using a multi-country event study approach

Empirical studies on the relation of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and its impact on stock prices of affected companies concentrate so far mostly on the mechanism between emissions allowance (EUA) price and stock returns. This study in contrast examines the relation of stock returns and the announcement on verified emissions (VE). We use event study methodology and find on the 15th of May 2006, the first time when allocation could be justified, a negative cumulated and significant impact of the announcement of VE on stock returns and a positive cumulated (and marginal significant) impact on the 28th of April 2008, the last announcement of VE in the first period. Using the results from the event-study for cross sectional analysis we find evidence for a change in how announcements on VE were incorporated in stock markets

Reasons for and Reservations about Research Participation in Acutely Injured Adults

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons adult patients seeking emergency department care for minor injuries agree to participate in clinical research and to identify their reservations about participating in a research study. DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal cohort study of 275 adults who sought emergency department care for physical injury and were followed over 12 months. At the final interview, participants were asked open-ended short-answer questions about their perception of participating in the study. Free text responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis. FINDINGS: The final sample of 214 participants was composed equally of males and females, predominantly Black (54%) and White (42%), with a mean age of 41 years. Six themes about reasons for participation emerged from free text responses: being asked, altruism, potential for personal benefit, financial gain, curiosity, and valuing or knowledge of research. Most did not report reservations. Those reservations identified included time constraints, confidentiality, and whether patients felt well suited to fulfill the study requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Although injured patients are identified by the research community as vulnerable, they are willing to participate in research studies for diverse reasons, and their participation is commonly associated with positive experiences. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding perceptions of participants\u27 experiences of being in a research study after acute injury can guide researchers to improve future study protocols and recruitment strategies in order to optimize participants\u27 experiences. Recruitment and retention into clinical research studies is essential to build nursing science to enhance the recovery of injured individuals