Geographic variation in adult survival and reproductive tactics of the mosquito Aedes albopictus

Climate differences across latitude can result in seasonal constraints and selection on life history characters. Since Aedes albopictus (Skuse) invaded North America in the mid-1980s, it has spread across a range of approximate to 14 degrees latitude and populations in the north experience complete adult mortality due to cold winter temperatures that are absent in the south. Life table experiments were conducted to test for differences in the adult survival and reproductive schedules of Ae. albopictus females from two populations from the northern (Bloomington, IN [BL] and Manassas, VA [VA]; approximate to 39 degrees N) and southern (Tampa, FL and Fort Myers, FL; approximate to 27-28 degrees N) extremes of the species distribution in North America. Regardless of population origin, age-specific hazard rate increased with reproductive output and decreased with number of bloodmeals. Larger females took fewer bloodmeals, and they had greater hazard rates than did smaller females. There were no consistent differences between northern versus southern populations in resource allocation between reproduction and maintenance, reproduction over time, and reproductive investment among offspring, suggesting that latitudinal variation in climate is probably not a main selective factor impinging on adult mortality and reproductive schedules. One possible effect of climate on geographic differences in life history was detected. BL had lower survivorship, lower lifetime reproductive output, and lower adult reproductive rate than did all other populations. This result may be an indirect result of lower egg survivorship due to the severity of winter in BL compared with other populations, including VA at approximately the same latitude. Such a scenario may make the BL population more prone to extinction, irregularly recolonized from more favorable sites, and thus more susceptible to founder effects, genetic drift, and inbreeding, resulting in lower mean values of fitness-related traits

Designing the transition to operations in large inter‐organizational projects: Strategy, structure, process, and people

The transition from projects to operations requires a spanning from more temporary, goal-oriented, and evolving organizational forms to more permanent, routine, and ongoing organizational forms. A question of practical and theoretical significance is how to organize the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. To answer this question, we conducted a longitudinal case study of Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is the largest transportation hub in China to date, and provides rich evidence for successfully managing the transition to operations. By analyzing the organizational design strategy, structures, processes, and management of people in the transition, we provide a synthetic framework for designing the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. The framework provides a set of considerations to design organizational boundaries that build connections, emphasize coordination, and achieve continuity between projects and operations. This study contributes to the nexus of operations management and project management and the organizational design of large inter-organizational projects

Doryctopambolus nunes & Zaldívar-Riverón (Braconidae), a new Neotropical doryctine wasp genus with propodeal spines

The new Neotropical doryctine genus Doryctopambolus gen. n. is erected to contain D. pilcomayensis (van Achterberg & Braet, 2004), comb. n., which was previously placed within Pambolus (Pambolinae), as well as three new species, D. clebschi sp. n., D. dominicanus sp. n. and D. sarochensis sp. n. Membersof this new genus are mainly characterised by the presence of at least one pair of conspicuous propodeal apico-lateral projections, which are similar to those present in all members of Pambolinae and in species of three Australasian doryctine genera. We generated DNA barcoding sequences for the three newly described species. We discuss the morphological similarity between species of the Australasian Echinodoryctes Belokobylskij, Iqbal & Austin and Doryctopambolus. A key for the described species of Doryctopambolus is provided.Fil: Nunes, Juliano Fiorelini. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Zaldívar Riverón, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: de Castro, Clóvis Sormus. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; BrasilFil: Marsh, Paul M.. No especifica;Fil: Penteado Dias, Angélica Maria. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; BrasilFil: Briceño, Rosa. Universidad Centroccidental Lissandro Alvarado; VenezuelaFil: Martinez, Juan Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentin

The Present and Future of Insect Biodiversity Conservation in the Neotropics : Policy Gaps and Recommendations

Funding Information: We acknowledge members of the Natural Capital Project, the Land Change lab, and the Daily lab for insightful feedback. Additionally, we thank the reviewers for their helpful feedback on the manuscript. Funding Information: N. E. D. is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council NE/S007474/1, Oxford-NERC Doctoral Training Partnership in Environmental Research and an Oxford-Reuben Scholarship. A. E. was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Short Report: Detection of the Dihydrofolate Reductase–164L Mutation in Plasmodium falciparum Infections from Malawi by Heteroduplex Tracking Assay

Standard polymerase chain reaction methods often cannot detect drug-resistance mutations in Plasmodium falciparum infections if the mutation is present in ≤ 20% of the parasites. A heteroduplex tracking assay was developed that can detect dihydrofolate reductase 164-L mutations in variants representing 1% of the parasites in an individual host. Using this assay, we confirmed the presence of the mutation in P. falciparum infections in Malawi

Reproductive Performances of a cameroonian dual-purpose local chicken strain fed pelleted diets containing graded levels of cassava and sweet potato meal as an energy substitute for maize.

The continuous rising price of maize due to an increasing competition between humans and livestock requires palliative measures to sustain animal production. cassava-sweet potato meal combination can be used as a substitute for maize in feeding chicken. This study aimed at improving poultry productivity through the enhancement of the reproductive performances of Cameroon Kabir chickens fed pelleted diets of graded levels inclusion of cassava-sweet potato meal as an energy substitute for maize.315 Kabir chickens (270 hens and 45 rosters) of 23 weeks of age, were randomly allocated to five treatments T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 with graded levels of cassava-sweet potato meal as energy substitute for maize, and eggs were collected for the evaluation of laying performances and characteristics. Fertility and hatchability were also evaluated across four successive batches of incubations. The eggs? weight was significantly (P<0.05) different between treatments at weeks 2, 4, 5 and 12, highly significant (P<0.01) at week 9, and very highly significant (P<0.001) at week 6, 7, 8 and 10. The highest number of eggs laid, egg weight and mass were recorded in chicken receiving 25% (T2) replacement of maize with cassava and sweet potato meal, followed by T4 (75%), T5 (100%), T3 (50%) while T1, receiving control diet without cassava and sweet potato meal performed less for all the parameters. Generally, the trend of the feed conversion ratio was decreasing with increasing the inclusion level of cassava and sweet potato meal. The egg index showed significant differences in weeks 6 and 12, while week 2 showed high significant difference between the treatments. T2 (25%) recorded the highest fertility, while animals receiving control ration without maize substitution recorded the highest hatchability. In general, incorporation of 25% of fifty-fifty percent weight to weight of cassava and sweet potato meal can be recommended for reproduction in chicken without affecting neither the hatchability nor the physical characteristics of the eggs, though hatchability will require better attention

Tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network

Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations represents a growing threat to veterinary and human health. In light of these trends and the scarcity of long-term time series data on infection rates among vectors and reservoirs, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will collect measurements and samples of a suite of tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasites through a continental-scale surveillance program. Here, we describe the sampling designs for these efforts, highlighting sampling priorities, field and analytical methods, and the data as well as archived samples to be made available to the research community. Insights generated by this sampling will advance current understanding of and ability to predict changes in infection and disease dynamics in novel, interdisciplinary, and collaborative ways

Worldwide survey of T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance in Thalassaemia

Introduction Thalassaemia major (TM) affects hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide but only a minority have access to regular blood transfusion and chelation therapy. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) T2* measurement provides an accurate, reproducible measurement of cardiac iron which is the cause of heart failure and early death in many transfused TM patients. This technique has been adopted as part of routine management in many countries where survival is now approaching normal but little is known about the severity and effects of myocardial iron loading in different geographical regions. Purpose The aim of this study was to describe the burden of disease of myocardial siderosis (measured by T2*) in different populations throughout the world and to assess the relationship between T2* and outcome such as heart failure and cardiac death. Methods 34 worldwide centres were involved in this survey of 3376 patients from Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, North Africa, Australia and Asia. Anonymised data on myocardial T2* values were analysed in conjunction with clinical outcomes (heart failure and death). Results Overall, 57.5% of patients had no significant iron loading (T2* >20ms), 22.6% had moderate cardiac iron (10ms50%) in South-East Asia had cardiac iron (T2* >20ms) at baseline. At the time of the first scan, 100 patients (3.3%) had confirmed heart failure, the majority of whom (77.0%) had myocardial T2* <10ms with almost all (99%) having T2* <20ms. There were 113 patients who subsequently developed heart failure. 92.0% of these had T2* <10ms and 99.1% had a T2* <20ms. There were 39 deaths. Cardiac T2* values were <10ms in 79.5%, with 92.3% <20ms. Conclusions Even in this well-treated cohort with access to transfusion, chelation and CMR, there is a large proportion of TM patients with moderate to severe cardiac iron loading. Low T2* (<10ms) is associated with cardiac failure and death. There is a huge unmet worldwide need in terms of access to specialist medical care (including transfusion and chelation therapy) together with advanced monitoring techniques (such as CMR)

The ENIGMA Stroke Recovery Working Group: Big data neuroimaging to study brain–behavior relationships after stroke

The goal of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) Stroke Recovery working group is to understand brain and behavior relationships using well‐powered meta‐ and mega‐analytic approaches. ENIGMA Stroke Recovery has data from over 2,100 stroke patients collected across 39 research studies and 10 countries around the world, comprising the largest multisite retrospective stroke data collaboration to date. This article outlines the efforts taken by the ENIGMA Stroke Recovery working group to develop neuroinformatics protocols and methods to manage multisite stroke brain magnetic resonance imaging, behavioral and demographics data. Specifically, the processes for scalable data intake and preprocessing, multisite data harmonization, and large‐scale stroke lesion analysis are described, and challenges unique to this type of big data collaboration in stroke research are discussed. Finally, future directions and limitations, as well as recommendations for improved data harmonization through prospective data collection and data management, are provided