Surveillance and improved control of American foulbrood in Saskatchewan honey bees through the detection of Paenibacillus larvae spores in pooled, extracted honey

The North American beekeeping industry is heavily reliant on antimicrobial metaphylaxis to prevent and control outbreaks of the destructive bacterial disease, American foulbrood (AFB). The infectious endospores (spores) of the causative agent, Paenibacillus larvae, are incredibly resilient to environmental extremes and are impervious to antimicrobials licensed for use against AFB (1–3). Consequently, non-curative antibiotic use fosters dependency and sustained, indiscriminate use to ensure industry profitability. In the face of growing international concern regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the emergence of strains of P. larvae with AMR, North American beekeepers are inadequately prepared to reduce their reliance on antimicrobials without risk of significant economic losses to AFB (2,4–11). Current methodology to guide evidence-based antimicrobial use through AFB risk assessment relies on the sampling and testing of individual hives and is logistically impossible for large-scale, commercial beekeeping operations to implement (12–21). To address this issue, we evaluated the use of spore detection in conveniently collected, pooled, extracted honey to determine AFB risk at a yard or operation level within antibiotic-reliant apiculture. Large-scale, commercial honey bee operations in Saskatchewan, Canada, with a history of antimicrobial use and recent outbreaks of AFB were clinically characterized and opportunistically sampled to compare the detection of spores and predictive ability of pooled, extracted honey to the current standard of samples collected from individual hives. We demonstrated that pooled honey was predictive of the spore contamination identified through individual hive testing and appeared to have prognostic value in assessing the risk of AFB at the yard or operation level. Accordingly, we expanded our testing of pooled honey to 116 Saskatchewan beekeepers representing approximately 75% of the province’s 110,00 registered colonies during the study period. By correlating spore concentrations to the incidence of AFB, we established reliable prognostic thresholds at 2 and 100 spores per gram of honey to determine a beekeeper’s future risk of disease. Additionally, we highlighted management practices related to a higher risk of AFB that could represent key targets for improved biosecurity to mitigate risk. Given their expertise in herd-health management and biosecurity, veterinarians should play an integral role in a beekeeper’s health management team in the prevention and control of AFB. Together, beekeepers who are at low risk of AFB through the testing of their pooled honey and are simultaneously incorporating low-risk management practices through the help of their health management team may temporarily cease antimicrobial metaphylaxis. Improved, judicious antimicrobial use in apiculture will reduce the threat of AMR and will help to ensure the sustainability of the North American industry

The Anderson-Mott transition induced by hole-doping in Nd1-xTiO3

The insulator/metal transition induced by hole-doping due to neodymium vacancies of the Mott- Hubbard antiferromagnetic insulator, Nd1-xTiO3, is studied over the composition range 0.010(6) < x < 0.243(10). Insulating p-types conduction is found for x < 0.071(10). Anderson localization in the presence of a Mott-Hubbard gap, is the dominant localization mechanism for the range of 0.074(10) < x < 0.089(1) samples. For x < 0.089(1), n-type conduction is observed and the activation energy extrapolates to zero by x < 0.1. The 0.095(8) < x < 0.203(10) samples are Fermi-liquid metals and the effects of strong electronic correlations are evident near the metal-to-insulator boundaries in features such as large Fermi liquid T2 coefficients. For 0.074(9) < x < 0.112(4), a weak negative magnetoresistance is found below ~ 15 K and it is attributed to the interaction of conduction electrons with Nd3+ magnetic moments. Combining information from our companion study of the magnetic properties of Nd1-xTiO3 solid solution, a phase diagram is proposed. The main conclusions are that long range antiferromagnetic order disappears before the onset of metallic behavior and that the Anderson-Mott transition occurs over a finite range of doping levels. Our results differ from conclusions drawn from a similar study on the hole doped Nd1-xCaxTiO3 system which found the co-existence of antiferromagnetic order and metallic behavior and that the Mott transition occurs at a discrete doping level

Los animales, su condición y futuro

A lo largo de la historia de la humanidad se buscó establecer distintas relaciones y conductas entre los humanos y los animales no humanos. Estos, como se sabe, ocuparon diversos roles en la vida del hombre, ya sea como fuente de alimento, recursos para la agricultura, abrigos, experimentos, e incluso como forma de entretenimiento o deporte. Sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo, aparecieron cuestionamientos tanto éticos como morales sobre la caracterización del animal como cosa y sobre el uso que el hombre ha hecho de estos. Constantemente surgen planteos acerca de la importancia de los derechos de los seres no racionales, lo cual da lugar a un debate que implica la consideración o no de éstos como sujetos de derecho. Es así que surge nuestro principal interrogante: ¿es correcto considerar a los animales como sujetos de derecho no humanos? En caso de ser así, ¿debería el derecho adaptarse frente a las nuevas necesidades y problemas que aquejan a la sociedad?Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

Selective complexation of divalent cations by a cyclic α,β-peptoid hexamer: a spectroscopic and computational study

We describe the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the complexation properties towards cations of a cyclic peptoid hexamer composed of alternating α- and β-peptoid monomers, which bear exclusively chiral (S)-phenylethyl side chains (spe) that have no noticeable chelating properties. The binding of a series of monovalent and divalent cations was assessed by 1H NMR, circular dichroism, fluorescence and molecular modelling. In contrast to previous studies on cations binding by 18-membered α-cyclopeptoid hexamers, the 21-membered cyclopeptoid cP1 did not complex monovalent cations (Na+, K+, Ag+) but showed selectivity for divalent cations (Ca2+, Ba2+, Sr2+ and Mg2+). Hexacoordinated C-3 symmetrical complexes were demonstrated for divalent cations with ionic radii around 1 Å (Ca2+ and Ba2+), while 5-coordination is preferred for divalent cations with larger (Ba2+) or smaller ionic radii (Mg2+)

Beyond dieting: a psychoeducational group using a non-dieting approach for weight preoccupation

Bibliography: p. 181-190

Fleet Sizing for Pipe Lay Support Vessels

Confidential until 23-May 202