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Abstract Background Pyrethroid-based indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have been employed as key vector control measures against malaria in Namibia. However, pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes may compromise the efficacy of these interventions. To address this challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) LLINs in areas where pyrethroid resistance is confirmed to be mediated by mixed function oxidase (MFO). Methods This study assessed the susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) mosquitoes to WHO tube bioassays with 4% DDT and 0.05% deltamethrin insecticides. Additionally, the study explored the effect of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) synergist by sequentially exposing mosquitoes to deltamethrin (0.05%) alone, PBO (4%) + deltamethrin (0.05%), and PBO alone. The Anopheles mosquitoes were further identified morphologically and molecularly. Results The findings revealed that An. gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) (62%) was more prevalent than Anopheles arabiensis (38%). The WHO tube bioassays confirmed resistance to deltamethrin 0.05% in the Oshikoto, Kunene, and Kavango West regions, with mortality rates of 79, 86, and 67%, respectively. In contrast, An. arabiensis displayed resistance to deltamethrin 0.05% in Oshikoto (82% mortality) and reduced susceptibility in Kavango West (96% mortality). Notably, there was reduced susceptibility to DDT 4% in both An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis from the Kavango West region. Subsequently, a subsample from PBO synergist assays in 2020 demonstrated a high proportion of An. arabiensis in Oshana (84.4%) and Oshikoto (73.6%), and 0.42% of Anopheles quadriannulatus in Oshana. Non-amplifiers were also present (15.2% in Oshana; 26.4% in Oshikoto). Deltamethrin resistance with less than 95% mortality, was consistently observed in An. gambiae s.l. populations across all sites in both 2020 and 2021. Following pre-exposure to the PBO synergist, susceptibility to deltamethrin was fully restored with 100.0% mortality at all sites in 2020 and 2021. Conclusions Pyrethroid resistance has been identified in An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis in the Kavango West, Kunene, and Oshikoto regions, indicating potential challenges for pyrethroid-based IRS and LLINs. Consequently, the data highlights the promise of pyrethroid-PBO LLINs in addressing resistance issues in the region.

An inter-laboratory comparison involving three participants (PTB, CAE, TU Graz) was conducted on spectral emissivity measurements using experimental setups covering a temperature range from 1250 K to 4000 K and a spectral range between 0.6 µm and 20 µm. The main objective here was to carry out a European-level assessment of the coherency of spectral emissivity measurements at high temperatures. Three refractory materials (molybdenum, tungsten and isotropic graphite) were selected for this comparison. Samples were machined from the same batch of materials and then sandblasted and thermally annealed (PTB, CAE) to achieve uniform and stable surface properties and reduce potential scattering of results between participants. The spectral emissivity of the three materials was then measured by each of the three participants up to the maximum temperature attainable by the devices used. In the overlapping wavelength range from 600 nm to 1100 nm, all measurement methods were in good agreement with regards to their respective uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Plants have evolved diverse secondary metabolites to counteract biotic stress. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released upon herbivore attack or pathogen infection. Recent studies suggest that VOCs can act as signalling molecules in plant defence and induce resistance in distant organs and neighbouring plants. However, knowledge is lacking on the function of VOCs in biotrophic fungal infection on cereal plants.We analysed VOCs emitted by 13 ± 1‐day‐old barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L.) after mechanical wounding using passive absorbers and TD‐GC/MS. We investigated the effect of pure VOC and complex VOC mixtures released from wounded plants on the barley–powdery mildew interaction by pre‐exposure in a dynamic headspace connected to a powdery mildew susceptibility assay. Untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics were applied to investigate metabolic changes in sender and receiver barley plants.Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) dominated the volatile profile of wounded barley plants, with (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate (Z3HAC) as the most abundant compound. Barley volatiles emitted after mechanical wounding enhanced resistance in receiver plants towards fungal infection. We found volatile‐mediated modifications of the plant–pathogen interaction in a concentration‐dependent manner. Pre‐exposure with physiologically relevant concentrations of Z3HAC resulted in induced resistance, suggesting that this GLV is a key player in barley anti‐pathogen defence.The complex VOC mixture released from wounded barley and Z3HAC induced e.g. accumulation of chlorophyll, linolenic acid and linolenate‐conjugated lipids, as well as defence‐related secondary metabolites, such as hordatines in receiving plants. Barley VOCs hence induce a complex physiological response and disease resistance in receiver plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the molecular basis of resistance to a number of common antimalarial drugs is well known, a geographic description of the emergence and dispersal of resistance mutations across Africa has not been attempted. To that end we have characterised the evolutionary origins of antifolate resistance mutations in the dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) gene and mapped their contemporary distribution.We used microsatellite polymorphism flanking the dhps gene to determine which resistance alleles shared common ancestry and found five major lineages each of which had a unique geographical distribution. The extent to which allelic lineages were shared among 20 African Plasmodium falciparum populations revealed five major geographical groupings. Resistance lineages were common to all sites within these regions. The most marked differentiation was between east and west African P. falciparum, in which resistance alleles were not only of different ancestry but also carried different resistance mutations.Resistant dhps has emerged independently in multiple sites in Africa during the past 10-20 years. Our data show the molecular basis of resistance differs between east and west Africa, which is likely to translate into differing antifolate sensitivity. We have also demonstrated that the dispersal patterns of resistance lineages give unique insights into recent parasite migration patterns.

The impact of the growth of the environmental industry on employment in Northern Ireland up to the year 2000 was investigated. Employment forecasts were made in several sectors such as pollution control and treatment, waste disposal and collection, recycling and re-use and energy conservation. Estimates predicted an increase of more than 6,000 new green production sector jobs or about 3.15% of the total civilian employment. This forecast also placed much emphasis on an increase in the private sector of about 95% of the total., Introduction Environmental industry within the European Union (EU) has expanded considerably since 1990, and is expected to continue to grow as we move towards the 21st Century (BERENDS, 1995; ENVIRONMENTAL [...]

Describes Microlif (Microcomputer Library Interchange Format), a standard data interchange format for bibliographic information on microcomputers. Discussion includes reasons for Microlif development, differences from full MARC format, and development of the new USMARC (Microlif protocol). Members of the Microlif community are listed, and the Microlif mission statement is excerpted. (five references) (MES)

Research has examined tolerance of Muslim minority practices and anti-Muslim sentiments. We go beyond the existing research by applying latent profile analyses (LPA) on majority member's evaluations of a range of Muslim practices and their feelings toward Muslims. We found five different subgroups of individuals among a sample of Dutch majority members (N = 831): a group that is positive towards Muslims and their practices ('positive'), a group that is negative towards Muslims and their practices ('negative'), a group that rejects all Muslim practices but reports positive feelings towards Muslims ('intolerant'), a group that rejects only some practices and also has positive feelings towards Muslims ('partly intolerant'), and a group that is not positive towards Muslims but accepts one practice ('partly tolerant'). Furthermore, we show that these subgroups differ on key psychological variables (authoritarianism, status quo conservatism, and unconditional respect), and in their feelings towards other minority groups and (in)tolerance of other non-Muslim practices. We conclude that majority members can combine feelings toward Muslims and (in)tolerance of Muslim practices in different ways, and that the LPA approach makes an important contribution to the literature by providing a more nuanced understanding of how the public views Muslim minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a genus of blowflies comprised largely of saprophagous and facultative parasites of livestock. Lucilia bufonivora , however, exhibits a unique form of obligate parasitism of amphibians, typically affecting wild hosts. The evolutionary route by which amphibian myiasis arose, however, is not well understood due to the low phylogenetic resolution in existing nuclear DNA phylogenies. Furthermore, the timing of when specificity for amphibian hosts arose in L. bufonivora is also unknown. In addition, this species was recently reported for the first time in North America (Canada) and, to date, no molecular studies have analysed the evolutionary relationships between individuals from Eastern and Western hemispheres. To provide broader insights into the evolution of the amphibian parasitic life history trait and to estimate when the trait first arose, a time-scaled phylogeny was inferred from a concatenated data set comprising mtDNA, nDNA and non-coding rDNA (COX1 , per and ITS2 respectively). Specimens from Canada, the UK, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany were analysed, as well as individuals from its sister taxa, the saprophage Lucilia silvarum and a Nearctic species also implicated in amphibian myiasis, Lucilia elongata. Obligate amphibian parasitism appears to have arisen ~4 mya, likely as a result of niche displacement of a saprophagous/facultative parasite ancestor. Consistent paraphyly of L. bufonivora with respect to L. elongata across single-gene phylogenies and high mtDNA genetic distances between Nearctic and Palearctic individuals suggest on-going cryptic speciation facilitated by geographical isolation. These findings suggest that recent reports of L. bufonivora in the Nearctic do not constitute a recent introduction, but instead suggest that it remained unrecorded due to taxonomic confusion and low abundance. This is the first study to confirm the involvement of L. bufonivora in amphibian myiasis in Canada using DNA-based identification methods. Image 1 • Within Lucilia , a small genus of blowflies mostly comprised of carrion-breeding species, obligate parasitism for amphibians evolved around 4 mya. • Geographic isolation between Nearctic and Palearctic lineages is facilitating on-going cryptic speciation of Lucilia bufonivora. • First positive identification of L. bufonivora from two confirmed cases of amphibian myiasis in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blow fly genus Lucilia is composed largely of saprophages and facultative myasis agents, including the economically important species Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen). Only one species is generally recognized as an obligate agent of myiasis, Lucilia bufonivora Moniez, and this is an obligate parasite of toads. Lucilia silvarum (Meigen), a sister species, behaves mainly as a carrion breeder; however, it has also been reported as a facultative parasite of amphibians. Morphologically, these species are almost identical, and historically this has led to misidentification, taxonomic ambiguity and a paucity of studies of L. bufonivora. In this study, dipterous larvae were analysed from toad myiasis cases from the U.K., The Netherlands and Switzerland, together with adult specimens of fly species implicated in amphibian parasitism: L. bufonivora, L. silvarum and Lucilia elongata Shannon (from North America). Partial sequences of two genes, cox1 and ef1α, were amplified. Seven additional blow fly species were analysed as outgroups. Bayesian inference trees of cox1, ef1α and a combined‐gene dataset were constructed. All larvae isolated from toads were identified as L. bufonivora and no specimens of L. silvarum were implicated in amphibian myiasis. This study confirms L. silvarum and L. bufonivora as distinct sister species and provides unambiguous molecular identification of L. bufonivora. Lucilia bufonivora Moniez is recognized as an obligate parasite of toads, in which it causes myiasis. Two morphologically similar species – Lucilia silvarum and Lucilia elongata – have also been reported as facultative parasites of amphibians.Molecular analysis (cox1 and ef1α sequence‐based phylogenies) confirmed all larvae isolated from European toads (U.K., The Netherlands, Switzerland) as L. bufonivora; no specimens of L. silvarum were implicated in amphibian myiasis.Molecular analysis confirmed the blow fly species implicated in amphibian parasitism – L. bufonivora, L. silvarum and L. elongata – as a distinct (monophyletic) evolutionary grouping within the Lucilia blow flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction. Auricular reconstruction is a great challenge in facial plastic surgery. With the advances in surgical techniques and biotechnology, different options are available for consideration. The aim of this paper is to review the knowledge about the various techniques for total auricular reconstruction based on the literature and our experience. Methods. Approximately 179 articles published from 1980 to 2013 were identified, and 59 articles were included. We have focused on the current status of total auricular reconstruction based on our personal experience and on papers of particular interest, published within the period of review. We have also included a prospective view on the tissue engineering of cartilage. Results. Most surgeons still practice total auricular reconstruction by employing techniques developed by Brent, Nagata, and Firmin with autologous rib cartilage. Within the last years, alloplastic frameworks for reconstruction have become well established. Choosing the reconstruction techniques depends mainly on the surgeon's preference and experience. Prosthetic reconstruction is still reserved for special conditions, even though the material is constantly improving. Tissue engineering has a growing potential for clinical applicability. Conclusion. Auricular reconstruction still receives attention of plastic/maxillofacial surgeons and otolaryngologists. Even though clinical applicability lags behind initial expectations, the development of tissue-engineered constructs continues its potential development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of immune system functions has been implicated in schizophrenia, suggesting that immune cells may be involved in the development of the disorder. With the goal of a biomarker assay for psychosis risk, we performed small RNA sequencing on RNA isolated from circulating immune cells. We compared baseline microRNA (miRNA) expression for persons who were unaffected (n=27) or who, over a subsequent 2-year period, were at clinical high risk but did not progress to psychosis (n=37), or were at high risk and did progress to psychosis (n=30). A greedy algorithm process led to selection of five miRNAs that when summed with +1 weights distinguished progressed from nonprogressed subjects with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86. Of the five, miR-941 is human-specific with incompletely understood functions, but the other four are prominent in multiple immune system pathways. Three of those four are downregulated in progressed vs. nonprogressed subjects (with weight -1 in a classifier function that increases with risk); all three have also been independently reported as downregulated in monocytes from schizophrenia patients vs. unaffected subjects. Importantly, these findings passed stringent randomization tests that minimized the risk of conclusions arising by chance. Regarding miRNA–miRNA correlations over the three groups, progressed subjects were found to have much weaker miRNA orchestration than nonprogressed or unaffected subjects. If independently verified, the leukocytic miRNA biomarker assay might improve accuracy of psychosis high-risk assessments and eventually help rationalize preventative intervention decisions.

The pulse tube engine is a simple prime mover based on the pulse tube process. It has high potential to be applicable in waste heat usage. In the present work a simulation model is used to design a pressurized experimental pulse tube engine employing helium as working fluid. The measured engine characteristics are compared with the calculated predictions. Using the model and the experimental test rig, the engine performance is studied for different heat input temperatures, filling pressures, and operating frequencies. The energy conversion process, based on a broken thermodynamic symmetry and a thermal lag occurring in the pulse tube, is proven theoretically. Fundamental characteristics and application limitations of the pulse tube engine are disclosed experimentally. The obtained engine behavior provides suggestions for its further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Beneficial effects of ginger in the treatment of gastrointestinal ( GI) problems and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are well accepted. In rodents, the action of ginger seems to be mediated by the inhibition of 5- HT3 receptors, which are established targets to combat emesis and irritable bowel syndrome. Methods Heterologously expressed human 5-HT3A or 5-HT3AB receptors were characterized by means of Ca2+influx studies using HEK293 cells. Complementing Ca2+ measurements in Fluo-4-AM-stained whole-mount preparations of the human submucous plexus were carried out. Furthermore, [3H]GR65630 binding assays were performed to reveal the mode of action of ginger and its pungent compounds. Key Results We show for the first time that ginger extracts and its pungent arylalkane constituents concentration-dependently inhibit activation of human 5- HT3 receptors. Ginger extracts inhibited both receptors with increasing content of pungent compounds, confirming that these are part of ginger's active principle. Inhibition potencies of the arylalkanes 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol on both receptors were in the low micromolar range. A lipophilic ginger extract and 6-gingerol had no influence on 5- HT potency, but reduced the 5- HT maximum effect, indicating non-competitive inhibition. The non-competitive action was confirmed by [3H] GR65630 binding, showing that the ginger extract did not displace the radioligand from 5- HT3A and 5- HT3 AB receptors. The potential relevance of the inhibitory action of ginger on native 5- HT3 receptors in the gut was confirmed in whole-mount preparations of the human submucous plexus. While a general neurotoxic effect of 6-gingerol was ruled out, it inhibited the 2-methyl-5- HT-mediated activation of 5- HT3 receptors residing on enteric neurons. Conclusions & Inferences Our findings may encourage the use of ginger extracts to alleviate nausea in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and to treat functional GI disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)