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Control of the HLB vector, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is considered a basic component for management this disease, even in a high HLB incidence scenario. Such control is mostly chemically oriented. However, over use of insecticides would increase costs and be incompatible with biological control. Establishment of economic thresholds for psyllid control under different price scenarios could optimize returns on investment.

Diarrhea is still a major cause of illness and death in developing countries in spite of advances in the use of oral rehydration therapy, in which a mixture of sugar and salts is used to improve the water balance in affected children. More than one-third of deaths associated with diarrhea are related to persistent diarrhea (PD), which lasts more than two weeks and usually causes weight loss. Children with malnutrition may be susceptible to PD, and the two conditions almost always coexist in children in developing countries. Nutritional rehabilitation is thought by many to be important in treating PD, but the best methods have not yet been established. Enteral feeding (by mouth) has many advantages including safety, low cost, and faster recovery; these diets have included cow's milk, soy, or protein formulas that are hydrolyzed (broken down to easily digested constituents). These are expensive in countries such as Pakistan; it is more effective to use inexpensive, culturally acceptable, and locally available diets in developing countries. Studies have shown that rice and lentils are effective sources of sugar for use in oral rehydration solutions, and yogurt, used as a supplement in Pakistan, does not harm absorption of nutrients. The effects of these foods have not been previously systematically assessed. The effect of khitchri, a traditional diet of rice, lentils, oil, and yogurt, in treating 102 boys with PD was evaluated and compared with that of soy formula. Of these children, 73 completed the study of the khitchri-yogurt (KY) diet. The KY group had a lower volume and frequency of stools and gained significantly more weight. Children in the KY group recovered significantly faster, which occurred even in children with advanced malnutrition. Five of 36 children in the soy group and 2 of 37 in the KY group failed the treatments, with continued frequent bowel movements; these children were under 15 months old. The study indicates that a KY diet, which is inexpensive and traditionally used in Pakistan, is safe and effective in treating children with PD. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

This paper presents results of an experimental comparison of a velvet cathode- and a carbon fiber cathode-coated with cesium iodide (CsI) salt. Each cathode had a planar geometry, with similar emission areas. The cathodes were tested at electric field strengths of 50 kV/cm at anode-cathode (A-K) gaps of 4.0 cm. The applied voltage had a 1-[micro]s duration and the pulser was operated at up to a 1-Hz repetition rate. The system had a low base pressure ([is less than] 1.0 x [10.sup.-7] torr). This paper reports the results and comparisons of experiments on each cathode. We address the current and voltage characteristics, the shot-to-shot reproducibility, the pressure evolution of the diode under 1-Hz operation, and the lifetime of the cathodes. Index Terms--Cathodes, cesium iodide, high-power microwaves, intense electron beams, microwave tubes.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in order to provide injury surveillance for youth on farms in the U.S., partnered with the USDA to conduct the Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey (CAIS). CAIS data for all farm youth less than 20 years of age have been collected intermittently since 1998. CAIS data from 2012 indicated that an estimated 25.9 million youth lived on, worked on, or visited U.S. farms. These youth experienced almost 14,000 injuries while on the farm. The majority of these injuries occurred to males (7,290) and youth between the ages of 10 and 15 years (5,766). Approximately 20% (2,739) of the injuries were related to work being done on the farm. Youth living on the farm incurred 56% (7,784) of the injuries. An additional 5,771 injuries occurred to hired and visiting youth. Although youth injuries on farms have declined, the numbers are still unacceptably high. Additional research and detailed assessments of subsets of the youth population would help to better direct safety intervention programs and focus future research activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice based oral rehydration therapy (ORT) solutions have been shown to be superior to glucose oral rehydration salts (World Health Organisation (WHO) ORS) in reducing stool volume and duration of diarrhoea in children and adults. Rice based ORT has been used only sparingly in young infants, however, because of theoretical concerns about digestibility. A randomised controlled trial of rice based ORT (50 g rice and electrolytes identical to WHO ORS) and WHO ORS was carried out in 52 male infants less than 6 months old with moderately severe acute diarrhoea to evaluate efficacy and digestibility. Nineteen (70%) of 27 children who received rice based ORT and 18 (72%) of 25 children who received WHO ORS were treated successfully. The mean (SD) diarrhoeal stool output for the first 24 hours of treatment was significantly lower in the infants receiving the rice based ORT than in those receiving WHO ORS (101.0 (60.5) v 137.1 (74.6) g/kg). The stool output was also significantly less in the rice based ORT group in the second 24 hours. Infants in the rice based ORT group drank significantly less rehydration solution than infants in the WHO ORS group (mean (SD) 165.4 (77.4) v 217.9 (86.1) during the first 24 hours of treatment. There was no difference in the duration of diarrhoea between the groups. The volume of breast and formula feeding was similar in the two groups. No difference was seen in the frequency of finding reducing substances or acid pH in the stools of either group of children. The results suggest that rice based ORT is as effective as WHO ORS in infants with moderately severe diarrhoea and that rice based ORT is as well tolerated as WHO ORS in infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]