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Pineapple production in Costa Rica increased nearly 300-fold during the last 30 yr, and >40,000 hectares of land are currently dedicated to this crop. At the end of the pineapple cropping cycle, plants are chopped and residues incorporated into the soil in preparation for replanting. Associated with increased pineapple production has been a large increase in stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), populations. Stable flies are attracted to, and oviposit in, the decomposing, chopped pineapple residues. In conjunction with chemical control of developing larvae, adult trapping is an important control strategy. In this study, four blue-black fabric traps, Nzi, Vavoua, Model H, and Ngu, were compared with a white sticky trap currently used for stable fly control in Costa Rica. Overall, the white sticky trap caught the highest number of stable flies, followed by the Nzi, Vavoua, Model H, and Ngu. Collections on the white sticky trap increased 16 d after residues were chopped; coinciding with the expected emergence of flies developing in the pineapple residues. During this same time period, collections in the blue-black fabric traps decreased. Sex ratio decreased from >7:1 (females:males) 3–7 d after chopping to 1:1 at 24–28 d. White sticky, Nzi and Vavoua traps collected similar numbers of colonizing flies 3–7 d after residues were chopped. However, white sticky traps collected more flies once emergence from the pineapple residues began. Although white sticky traps collected more flies than fabric traps, they remain labor intensive and environmentally unsound because of their disposable and nonbiodegradable nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the validation and development of the Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey (UPPTS) in the U.S. It mentions its provision of data on the views of disadvantaged undergraduates along with their attitude, empathy and commitment. It also considers cognitive distancing as one of the main reasons of failure in assisting poor people.

A commercial vinegar product (ChinKiang) was found to be highly attractive to adult house flies, Musca domestica L. Field experiments on a Nebraska dairy demonstrated that traps baited with vinegar and brown sugar captured more house flies than those baited with other house fly attractants. Solid phase microextraction was used in the field to collect volatiles from the vinegar bait. Seven compounds were identified as, acetic acid, furfural, butanoic acid, isovaleric acid, hexanoic acid, 2-phenylethanol, and p-cresol. Electroantennograms showed that the seven vinegar components elicited significant responses from antennae of female and male house flies. Bioassays indicated that the vinegar blend of the seven volatile components were more attractive than any of the individual components. Field evaluations demonstrated that traps baited with the synthetic seven component blend caught as many flies as those baited with vinegar. This is the first detailed report of house fly attractants from vinegar. The vinegar volatile compounds identified in this study will be useful for the development of less objectionable alternatives to the fetid, manure mimicking volatiles currently used in commercial fly bait systems, especially those designed for use in indoor environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only in the last few years have researchers begun to pay close attention to the child-only cases that fall under the provision of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Few attempts have been made to talk directly to kinship caregivers to understand their day-to-day lives. This triangulated study utilizes multiple strategies to assess the needs of child-only recipient caregivers in one northeast county. There are two distinct child-only recipient caregiving populations: (1) Caregivers who have been designated as disabled and who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments; and (2) those caregivers who are not receiving SSI payments. Results find that the two populations are distinct and require different kinds of services and treatment. Overall, however, both groups receive very little in the way of support from the county Department of Social Services (DSS). Essential to the success of these families will be the ability of DSS to recognize their unique needs and to provide the necessary case management services required to meet both the needs of the caregivers and the children in their care. Implications for practice, caseload administration and case management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematophagous arthropods are capable of transmitting human and animal pathogens worldwide. Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases resulting in 700,000 human deaths annually. Repellents are a primary tool for reducing the impact of biting arthropods on humans and animals. N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), the most effective and long-lasting repellent currently available commercially, has long been considered the gold standard in insect repellents, but with reported human health issues, particularly for infants and pregnant women. In the present study, we report fatty acids derived from coconut oil which are novel, inexpensive and highly efficacious repellant compounds. These coconut fatty acids are active against a broad array of blood-sucking arthropods including biting flies, ticks, bed bugs and mosquitoes. The medium-chain length fatty acids from C8:0 to C12:0 were found to exhibit the predominant repellent activity. In laboratory bioassays, these fatty acids repelled biting flies and bed bugs for two weeks after application, and ticks for one week. Repellency was stronger and with longer residual activity than that of DEET. In addition, repellency was also found against mosquitoes. An aqueous starch-based formulation containing natural coconut fatty acids was also prepared and shown to protect pastured cattle from biting flies up to 96-hours in the hot summer, which, to our knowledge, is the longest protection provided by a natural repellent product studied to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for entomopathogenic nematodes to control flies in cattle feedlots was determined by screening 40 strains representing 8 species of Heterorhabditis Poinar and 5 species of Steinernenw Travassos for virulence toward 3rd-instar house flies (maggots), Musca domestica L. None of the 22 strains of Heterorhabditis infecting maggots caused significant levels of mortality in a filter paper assay. Ten strains of Steinernema infected maggots, of which 7 strains (4 S. carpocapsae (Weiser), 2 S. feltiae (Filipjev), and 1 S. scapterisci Nguyen & Smart) caused significant mortality. Ten Heterorhabditis strains and 10 Steinernema strains successfully reproduced for =/>2 generationsin maggots. No difference was observed between 72-h survival of maggots and adult emergence. Six strains of Steinernema were selected for10 generations on maggots and then compared with unselected lines. No difference in pathogenicity between selected and unselected lines was observed. Two strains of S. feltiae, SN and UNK-36, and 2 of the best Heterorhabditis strains, H. bacteriophora Poinar OSWEGO and H. megidis Poinar, Jackson & Klein HF-85 were tested in a fresh bovine manure substrate. All 4 strains produced significant fly mortality in the manure substrate, although the S. feltiae strains had significantlylower LC50 values than did the Heterorhabditis spp. The most promising strain, S. feltiae SN, gave LC50 and LC99 values of 4 and 82 infective juveniles per maggot respectively. These doses were equivalent to 2.7 and 55 infective juveniles pergram of manure and 5.1 and 104 infective juveniles per square centimeter of surface area. Infective juveniles capable of infecting greater wax moth larvae, Galleria mellonella (L.), survived in manure for up to 10 wk without hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]