Preferences of Indian Meal Moth Larvae for Different Dog Foods

Indian meal moths (IMM), Plodiainterpuntella, are persistent pests to our foods (Fasulo et al.1998; Plunkett’s Pest Control 2018). When IMMs infest a a food product the resulting value loss is the result of contamination by larvae that leave droppings and silken webs in grain and grain products (Jacob and Calvin 2001). The IMM is an important pest of high-value dog foods and the grain components of these food may influence their infestation. Experiments were conducted with eggs of the IMM to determine if moth larvae would choose and infest the grain-based dog food in comparison to dog foods with a higher meat content. IMM laboratory rearing diet was included for comparison. No-choice and choice tests confirmed the IMM diet to be the most preferred and best for larval development. Forced infestation of 50 IMM eggs on the four different dog foods found difference among them. In two-choice test that require newly hatched larvae to walk to and infest either lab diet or a dog food, the highest proportion of larvae selecting any of the dog foods was on product C, which was a medium quality, grain-free food. These results suggest that IMM infestations in warehouses or consumer’s homes could be prevalent on some dog foods more than others

Oviposition and Larval Development of the Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella, on Different Breakfast Cereals

Plodiainterpunctella, the Indian meal moth (IMM), is a common pest of grain products. Adult IMMs lay eggs on a food source and once hatched, the larvae consume the product while leaving behind large amounts of frass and silk [1, 2]. The purpose of this experiment was to identify which kind of grain products are at the highest risk of P. interpunctellainfestation by using the lab-rearing diet as a comparison to two different breakfast cereals of the same brand: a frosted cereal and a regular non-frosted cereal. Two-choice tests determined if moths prefer to lay eggs on and which of the choices would b for the larva to develop. At the end of the experiment, it was observed that adult P. interpunctella preferred to lay their eggs on the frosted cereal diet. The frosted cereal diet also proved to be the better of the two for larval survival and growth. This research suggests that frosted cereals may be preferred by this pest, and that such products need special protection during storage

Poverty in a Changing Climate: Building the Case for Pro-Poor Adaptation

DfI

Aquatic diversity in a changing tropical Andean glacierized catchment: Macroinvertebrates reveal possible important consequences to the Chimborazo region as glaciers recede and the climate continues to change

Tropical Andean glaciers are retreating rapidly, and their disappearance will have drastic consequences for the people and ecosystems that depend on them. While they have begun to receive the attention they deserve in scientific literature, much is still not known. Majority of these investigations have taken place on the Volcán Antisana, while other important glacierized systems, like the Volcán Chimborazo have received little attention. This investigation aimed to a) evaluate the possible effects of glacier loss and climate change on aquatic ecosystems by comparing glacial meltwater, non-glacial and mixed streams, and b) to evaluate the effects of pasture intensity on water quality in the Pulinguí-San Pablo community next to Chimborazo National Park. Physicochemical measurements were taken, and macroinvertebrates were collected, counted and identified from 11 sites in 5 different streams. The water quality at the sites and streams were evaluated using the Andean Biotic Index (ABI). Glacial streams had the lowest ABI scores, lowest measures of biodiversity and of family richness. Since no families were shared between glacial and non-glacial/mixed streams, and physicochemical measurements are drastically different, I suggest that using ABI to evaluate the water quality of glacial streams may not be sufficient. Since there was a restriction of taxa in the glacial streams, the loss of glacial influence would result in the loss of specialized taxa and a reduction in regional biodiversity. The first non-glacial stream had good water quality according to ABI while in the second non-glacial stream, almost no macroinvertebrates were found. This raises many concerns about the water quality of this non-glacial stream; however, the instability and temporality of this stream might be the cause of this lack of macroinvertebrates. Further testing may be urgent in assessing the quality of this stream. The fifth stream was set up as a natural experiment, where one site was above the confluence with a glacial stream, and the other two sites were below this confluence. There was also an increasing influence of intensive pasturing as you move downstream. This stream had the best water quality according to ABI, the highest biodiversity indexes, and the greatest family richness. The current intensity and practice of pasturing in the area does not seem to be affecting water quality according to the ABI index. The two sites below the confluence with glacial meltwater had higher diversity and family richness than the one above, suggesting that a loss of glacial influence in this system would result in both a local and regional loss of macroinvertebrate diversity. As glaciers shrink and precipitation becomes more unpredictable in this region, the landscape will continue to change in drastic ways. A large reduction in macroinvertebrate biodiversity, increased flooding regimes in glacial streams and increased water stress for communities may be expected. As a preliminary study, this investigation demonstrates the necessity for further related investigations into the effects of glacier retreat and climate change on Chimborazo. Los glaciares tropicales andinos se están retirando rápidamente, y su desaparición tendrá consecuencias radicales para las personas y los ecosistemas en que dependen. Mientras los han comenzado a recibir la atención que ameritan en la literatura científica, todavía hay mucho que está desconocido. Mayoría de estas investigaciones se han realizados en el Volcán Antisana, mientras otras cuencas glaciales, como las del Volcán Chimborazo, todavía no han recibido mucha atención científica. Esta investigación tiene dos objetivos. Primero, me gustaría evaluar los efectos posibles del perdido glacial y cambio climático en los ecosistemas acuáticos por comparar riachuelos glaciales, no-glaciales, y mixtos. Segundo, me gustaría evaluar los efectos de intensidad de pastura en la calidad de agua de estos riachuelos. Todas las investigaciones se han realizados en la comunidad de Pulinguí-San Pablo fuera del parque nacional de Chimborazo. Medidas fisicoquímicas fueron tomados y macroinvertebrados fueron colectados, contados y identificados en 11 sitios en 5 riachuelos diferentes. La calidad del agua en estos sitios fue evaluada con el Indice Biotica Andina (ABI). Los riachuelos glaciales tuvieron los resultados más bajos de ABI, las medidas más bajas de biodiversidad y de riqueza de familias. Ya que no familias fueron compartidos entre riachuelos glaciales y no glaciales/mixtos, y que las medidas fisicoquímicas son muy diferentes, sugiero que no sea suficiente usar ABI para evaluar la calidad de agua en riachuelos glaciales. Ya que había una restricción de taxonomía en los riachuelos glaciales, la pérdida de la influencia de los glaciares resultaría en la pérdida de especies especializadas y una reducción en biodiversidad regional. El primero riachuelo no glacial tuve agua de calidad bueno según ABI, mientras en el segundo riachuelo no glacial, casi no macroinvertebrados fueron encontrados. Este resultado aumenta muchas preocupaciones sobre la calidad de agua en este riachuelo no glacial; sin embargo, la inestabilidad y temporalidad de este riachuelo pueden ser la causa de la falta de macroinvertebrados que fueron encontrado por yo. Sin embargo, es probable más investigaciones estén urgentes por evaluar la calidad de este riachuelo. El quinto riachuelo fue como un experimento natural, donde un sitio estaba arriba de la confluencia con un riachuelo glacial, y los otros do sitios estaban bajos de esta confluencia. Además, había una influencia creciente de pastura intensivo mientras que se mueven a aguas abajos. Este riachuelo tuve la mejora calidad de agua según ABI, la mejora medida de biodiversidad, y la mejora riqueza de familias. La intensidad y practica de pastura en este lugar en este momento no parece que está afectando la calidad del agua según ABI. Los dos sitios bajos de la confluencia con el riachuelo glacial tuvieron diversidad más alta y riqueza de familia más alta que lo más arriba. Este sugiere que una pérdida de influencia en este sistema resultaría en ambos una pérdida de diversidad de macroinvertebrados local y regional. Mientras que los glaciares retiran y precipitación se hace más impredecible en esta región, la tierra y el agua van a seguir cambiando en maneras fuertes. Una reducción grande en biodiversidad de macroinvertebrados, un crecimiento de inundaciones en riachuelos glaciales, y un crecimiento de estresa de agua pueden ocurrir en los años que vienen. Como una investigación preliminar, demuestro la necesidad para más investigaciones relacionadas en los efectos de retirada glacial y cambio climático en la región del Volcán Chimborazo

Effective coverage and systems effectiveness for malaria case management in sub-saharan african countries

Scale-up of malaria preventive and control interventions over the last decade resulted in substantial declines in mortality and morbidity from the disease in sub-Saharan Africa and many other parts of the world. Sustaining these gains will depend on the health system performance. Treatment provides individual benefits by curing infection and preventing progression to severe disease as well as community-level benefits by reducing the infectious reservoir and averting emergence and spread of drug resistance. However many patients with malaria do not access care, providers do not comply with treatment guidelines, and hence, patients do not necessarily receive the correct regimen. Even when the correct regimen is administered some patients will not adhere and others will be treated with counterfeit or substandard medication leading to treatment failures and spread of drug resistance. We apply systems effectiveness concepts that explicitly consider implications of health system factors such as treatment seeking, provider compliance, adherence, and quality of medication to estimate treatment outcomes for malaria case management. We compile data for these indicators to derive estimates of effective coverage for 43 high-burden Sub-Saharan African countries. Parameters are populated from the Demographic and Health Surveys and other published sources. We assess the relative importance of these factors on the level of effective coverage and consider variation in these health systems indicators across countries. Our findings suggest that effective coverage for malaria case management ranges from 8% to 72% in the region. Different factors account for health system inefficiencies in different countries. Significant losses in effectiveness of treatment are estimated in all countries. The patterns of inter-country variation suggest that these are system failures that are amenable to change. Identifying the reasons for the poor health system performance and intervening to tac them become key priority areas for malaria control and elimination policies in the region

The Importance of Participatory Child-Centred Research for Climate Adaptation

Involving children in research on climate change improves the quality and relevance of knowledge that informs policies and programmes for climate change adaptation. however there is a risk that exposing children to concepts and discussion around life-threatening issues will create feelings of helplessness, denial and disempowerment. Participatory action research (PaR) nurtures two-way relationships between researchers and children that minimises negative effects and builds the capacity of child participants to take action. This briefing reflects lessons and good practice for supporting and delivering child-centred research