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A field trial in Salinas Valley, California, was conducted during July 2011 to quantify the microbial load that transfers from wildlife feces onto nearby lettuce during foliar irrigation. Romaine lettuce was grown using standard commercial practices and irrigated using an impact sprinkler design. Five grams of rabbit feces was spiked with 1.29 × 10(8) CFU of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and placed - 3, - 2, and - 1 days and immediately before a 2-h irrigation event. Immediately after irrigation, 168 heads of lettuce ranging from ca. 23 to 69 cm (from 9 to 27 in.) from the fecal deposits were collected, and the concentration of E. coli O157:H7 was determined. Thirty-eight percent of the collected lettuce heads had detectable E. coli O157:H7, ranging from 1 MPN to 2.30 × 10(5) MPN per head and a mean concentration of 7.37 × 10(3) MPN per head. Based on this weighted arithmetic mean concentration of 7.37 × 10(3) MPN of bacteria per positive head, only 0.00573% of the original 5 g of scat with its mean load of 1.29 × 10(8) CFU was transferred to the positive heads of lettuce. Bacterial contamination was limited to the outer leaves of lettuce. In addition, factors associated with the transfer of E. coli O157:H7 from scat to lettuce were distance between the scat and lettuce, age of scat before irrigation, and mean distance between scat and the irrigation sprinkler heads. This study quantified the transfer coefficient between scat and adjacent heads of lettuce as a function of irrigation. The data can be used to populate a quantitative produce risk assessment model for E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce to inform risk management and food safety policies.

Two experiments investigated preschoolers' interference control in variants of the day-night task. The day-night task involves instructing children across 16 trials to say the word "day" when viewing a card depicting a nighttime sky and to say "night" when shown a picture of the daytime sky. The purpose of the experiments was to investigate whether the depiction on each card distracts children because it is semantically associated with the instructed response or because the depicted item cues the alternative (incorrect) response within the response set. The results in the first study (N = 23, M = 52.65 months) and second study (N = 54, M = 50.81 months) indicate that a close semantic relation between the picture and the target response does not pose substantial interference for preschoolers. In contrast, the pictured item poses a significant challenge for preschoolers when it depicts the interfering alternative in the response set. Theoretical implications of these results for the development of interference control are discussed. (Contains 3 figures.)

The article discusses the successful development and testing of a location tag adapted from a fitness tracker watch on humpback whales to enhance data collection on marine mammal behaviors. Three prototype tag configurations were tested on whales in Hawaii and Mexico, proving the device's ability to withstand water depths and provide accurate location data. The research highlights the potential of using consumer fitness trackers for marine animal tagging studies, contributing valuable insights into marine mammal behavior and ecology for conservation efforts and scientific understanding. [Extracted from the article]

The article reflects on the theme of transformation, using the metaphor of butterflies to explore personal change and the uncertainty that accompanies it. It acknowledges the collective experiences of transformation in recent years, emphasizing the complexities and contrasting emotions that come with personal growth.

A field trial in Salinas Valley, California, was conducted during July 2011 to quantify the microbial load that transfers from wildlife feces onto nearby lettuce during foliar irrigation. Romaine lettuce was grown using standard commercial practices and irrigated using an impact sprinkler design. Five grams of rabbit feces was spiked with 1.29 x 108 CFU of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and placed - 3, - 2, and -1 days and immediately before a 2-h irrigation event. Immediately after irrigation, 168 heads of lettuce ranging from ca. 23 to 69 cm (from 9 to 27 in.) from the fecal deposits were collected, and the concentration of E. coli O157:H7 was determined. Thirty-eight percent of the collected lettuce heads had detectable E. coli O157:H7, ranging from 1 MPN to 2.30 x 105 MPN per head and a mean concentration of 7.37 x 10³ MPN per head. Based on this weighted arithmetic mean concentration of 7.37 x 10³ MPN of bacteria per positive head, only 0.00573% of the original 5 g of scat with its mean load of 1.29 x 108 CFU was transferred to the positive heads of lettuce. Bacterial contamination was limited to the outer leaves of lettuce. In addition, factors associated with the transfer of E. coli O157:H7 from scat to lettuce were distance between the scat and lettuce, age of scat before irrigation, and mean distance between scat and the irrigation sprinkler heads. This study quantified the transfer coefficient between scat and adjacent heads of lettuce as a function of irrigation. The data can be used to populate a quantitative produce risk assessment model for E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce to inform risk management and food safety policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on office-sitting by adjuncts for faculty on sabbatical. Description of the office as well as the office building of the author who is an adjunct; Search for an alternative office space; Association of the author with other faculty members working in the building.