30 research outputs found
The neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid repels pollinating flies and beetles at field-realistic concentrations
Neonicotinoids are widely used systemic insecticides which, when applied to flowering crops, are translocated to the nectar and pollen where they may impact upon pollinators. Given global concerns over pollinator declines, this potential impact has recently received much attention. Field exposure of pollinators to neonicotinoids depends on the concentrations present in flowering crops and the degree to which pollinators choose to feed upon them. Here we describe a simple experiment using paired yellow pan traps with or without insecticide to assess whether the commonly used neonicotinoid imidacloprid repels or attracts flying insects. Both Diptera and Coleoptera exhibited marked avoidance of traps containing imidacloprid at a field-realistic dose of 1 μg L-1, with Diptera avoiding concentrations as low as 0.01 μg L-1. This is to our knowledge the first evidence for any biological activity at such low concentrations, which are below the limits of laboratory detection using most commonly available techniques. Catch of spiders in pan traps was also slightly reduced by the highest concentrations of imidacloprid used (1 μg L-1), but catch was increased by lower concentrations. It remains to be seen if the repellent effect on insects occurs when neonicotinoids are present in real flowers, but if so then this could have implications for exposure of pollinators to neonicotinoids and for crop pollination. © 2013 Easton, Goulson
Microneedles: A New Frontier in Nanomedicine Delivery
This review aims to concisely chart the development of two individual research fields, namely nanomedicines, with specific emphasis on nanoparticles (NP) and microparticles (MP), and microneedle (MN) technologies, which have, in the recent past, been exploited in combinatorial approaches for the efficient delivery of a variety of medicinal agents across the skin. This is an emerging and exciting area of pharmaceutical sciences research within the remit of transdermal drug delivery and as such will undoubtedly continue to grow with the emergence of new formulation and fabrication methodologies for particles and MN. Firstly, the fundamental aspects of skin architecture and structure are outlined, with particular reference to their influence on NP and MP penetration. Following on from this, a variety of different particles are described, as are the diverse range of MN modalities currently under development. The review concludes by highlighting some of the novel delivery systems which have been described in the literature exploiting these two approaches and directs the reader towards emerging uses for nanomedicines in combination with MN
Prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with intellectual disability: a register study
A century of trends in adult human height
Abstract Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings.
We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6
million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200
countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean
women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3–
19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan
African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100
years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights
surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8–
144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century
ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite
substantial changes in the ranking of countries
A special case for generalists? Insect visitors to plants in a global biodiversity hotspot
Please help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected] En Nematologi
Butterfly behavioural responses to natural Bornean tropical rain-forest canopy gaps
AgriwetenskappeBewaringsekologie en EntomologiePlease help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected]
Keeping the Cape Lowland archipelago afloat
Please help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected] en Entomologi