scholarly journals Ecological Analysis of Field Trials Conducted to Assess the Potential of Sex-linked Translocation Strains for Genetic Control of the Australian Sheep Blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann)

1985 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
WG Vogt ◽  
TL Woodburn ◽  
GG Foster
Keyword(s):  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Larval Release ◽  
Ecological Analysis ◽  
Mating Ability ◽  
Eye Colour ◽  
Australian Sheep ◽  
Release Method ◽  
Do So

Field trials were conducted with translocation/eye colour (TE) strains of L. cuprina to measure the mating ability of the males under field conditions and assess their potential for suppressing sheep blowfly populations. Rates of increase in L. cuprina were highest in spring (3' 6-9' 1 per generation), consistently low during summer (0'1-0'6 per generation) and somewhat higher during autumn (1'1-3'4 per generation). The TE strains released had the potential to prevent population increases of this magnitude. Their failure to do so during these trials resulted from their low mating competitiveness (0' 33) relative to that of field-reared males (1 . 0), inadequacy of the larval release method and the limited capacity of the experimental mass-rearing facility.

scholarly journals Genetic Analysis of Field Trials of Sex-linked Translocation Strains for Genetic Control of the Australian Sheep Blowfly Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann)

1985 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
GG Foster ◽  
WG Vogt ◽  
TL Woodburn
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Genetic Control ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Lucilia Cuprina ◽  
Native Population ◽  
Australian Sheep ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Progeny Tests ◽  
Release Method

The results of progeny tests of males and females captured during two field trials of sex-linked translocation strains for genetic control of L. cuprina are presented. Males released as mature larvae survived to adulthood and mated with field females. However, the levels of genetic death introduced into the population were insufficient to suppress the native population. This was due partly to seasonal ineffectiveness of the release method, and partly to poor performance of the released males. On average, the mating competitiveness of the released males was only one-third that of field males, whereas their field-reared, translocation-bearing sons were fully competitive with native males.

Larval release method for genetic control of the Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

1978 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. G. Foster ◽  
M. J. Whitten ◽  
W. G. Vogt ◽  
T. L. Woodburn ◽  
J. T. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Control ◽  
Adult Stage ◽  
Lucilia Cuprina ◽  
Larval Release ◽  
Australian Sheep ◽  
Progeny Tests ◽  
Free Falling ◽  
Release Method ◽  
Third Instar Larvae

AbstractA method for releasing genetically altered strains of Lucilia cuprina (Wied.) as free-falling larvae from aircraft was tested. Full-fed genetically marked third-instar larvae were released from aircraft flying at a height of 150 m and speeds of 120 or 220 km/h. Progeny tests of adult flies trapped subsequently indicated that released male larvae survived to the adult stage and were competitive with wild males for females.

Observations on Chironomidae at Khartoum

1957 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
Air Cleaning ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Conditioning Equipment ◽  
Do So

This paper deals mainly with species of Tanytarsus (CHIRONOMIDAE) at Khartoum, particularly the very common T. lewisi Freeman. These midges are a serious pest there, usually between November and April, causing great annoyance by swarming in vast numbers around lights during the first few hours after sunset and thus interfering with work and pleasure in the riverain area. They are probably responsible for a considerable amount of asthma and other conditions due to allergy. Little information is available about the biology of CHIEONOMIDAE in Africa, so reference is made to the Palaearctic T. mancus Walker, to which T. lewisi is closely related. Studies of Chironomids from the health point of view elsewhere have little relation to the Khartoum problem, but work on Chaoborus (CULICIDAE) is of interest.The conditions under which these midges occur at Khartoum and the methods of study are described.At least 26 species of CHIRONOMIDAE, including four of Tanytarsus, occur at Khartoum. The respiratory organs of some pupae are figured, and a key, based on the characters of these organs, is given for some of the species.Observations on the biology of all stages are recorded, particularly on the vertical movements and drifting of larvae and pupae and the time of emergence. Many larvae and pupae drift downstream at night, and T. lewisi emerges mainly in the early morning.Some exploratory field trials of larvicides were carried out. The results were inconclusive, and the difficulty of assessing them is pointed out. Thorough control by anti-larval measures would be extremely difficult owing to the large size of the river and the drift of pupae from upstream. It is believed that it might be possible but prohibitively expensive, and would have to be repeated annually, perhaps throughout the midge season. Various protective measures are discussed. It is considered that riverside dwellers who can do so should move inland, and that a barrier of trees parallel to the river would protect houses away from the river front. People who must be near the river in the evening can achieve considerable protection by clearing some vegetation, fogging with insecticide, or using air-cleaning or air-conditioning equipment.

The Optiscope Enlarger: A Report of Initial Field Trials

1972 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 320-322
Author(s):  
George O. Hellinger ◽  
Arthur W. Berger
Keyword(s):  
Word Reading ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Reading Difficulties ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Initial Field ◽  
Low Vision Aids ◽  
Home Reading ◽  
Room Illumination ◽  
Do So ◽  
At Home

□ 1. Thirty consecutively selected low vision patients were evaluated on their performance in viewing a standard near-point chart and selected materials. This was done unaided and then with their customary low-vision aid, first hand-held and then viewed in the Optiscope Enlarger. 2. All subjects demonstrated an ability to read smaller point chart type and to do so at a greater distance with the Optiscope Enlarger. Varied responses on the selected materials might be attributable to word reading difficulties or the effect of the causative defect. 3. Some subjects did better without their low-vision aids or went to distance prescription lenses while using the Optiscope Enlarger. Use of this type of device indicates the necessity for testing for greater distance than normally associated with low-vision aids. 4. Responses of the subjects were 18 favorable, five questionable, and seven negative. It was found that room illumination had to be varied in certain cases. 5. Use of this device would permit simultaneous viewing by parent and child at home, reading at more normal distances, greater word and phrase span, and the viewing of technical diagrams. 6. The results of this evaluation indicate that the Optiscope Enlarger is of substantial value and warrants further investigation.

Field trials of Trichomalopsis sarcophagae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in cattle feedlots: a potential biocontrol agent of filth flies (Diptera: Muscidae)

2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Floate
Keyword(s):  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
House Fly ◽  
Stable Fly ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Potential Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Paired Control

AbstractA field study was performed in southern Alberta, Canada, to assess the native wasp, Trichomalopsis sarcophagae (Gahan), as a potential biocontrol agent for house fly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.). The wasp was readily reared in large numbers, which allowed for the cumulative release of an estimated 4.63 million wasps into three commercial feedlots during the 2-year study. Each of several releases predictably and repeatedly enhanced parasitism of sentinel house fly pupae, whereas parasitism remained low in three paired control feedlots where wasps were not released. Releases every 2nd week had a disproportionately greater effect than releases every 2nd month. In 1998, 1.2 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots resulting in the recovery of 3 952 T. sarcophagae from 31 500 sentinel pupae (0.13 wasps/pupa). In 1999, 3.43 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots, with the recovery of 37 763 wasps from 47 720 sentinel pupae (0.79 wasps/pupa). Hence, a 2.8-fold increase in the number of wasps released in 1999 resulted in a 6.1-fold increase in the recovery of wasps. This result supports industry recommendations of regular, repeated releases of wasps every 2nd or 4th week versus one or infrequent releases throughout the summer. There was no evidence that releases augmented overwintering populations of the wasp in subsequent years. These results provide proof-of-concept for the mass-rearing and release of T. sarcophagae as an inundative biocontrol agent for the control of pest flies in cattle confinements. Further studies will be required to assess the effect of T. sarcophagae releases on natural populations of pest flies.

scholarly journals Researcher engagement in policy deemed societally beneficial yet unrewarded

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald G Singh ◽  
Vinicius Farjalla ◽  
Bing Chen ◽  
Andrew Pelling ◽  
Elvan Ceyhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Mission Statements ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Societal Benefit ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Societal Benefits ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Do So

Public support for research depends, in part, on the eventual societal benefits from research. Maintaining that support likely requires sustained engagement between the research community and the broader public. Yet, there is little organized effort to evaluate and reward such engagement in addition to research and teaching activities. Using data from an international survey of 1092 researchers (634 established researchers and 458 students) in 55 countries and 315 research institutions, we find that institutional recognition of engagement activities is perceived as being undervalued relative to its societal benefit. Many researchers report that their institutions would not reward engagement activities despite mission statements promoting engagement. Further, those institutions that actually measure engagement activities are perceived to do so in a limited capacity (respondents perceived that on average, 2 of the 7 dimensions of engagement we considered were reflected in evaluations). Most researchers are strongly motivated to engage for selfless reasons, which suggests that strong self-oriented incentives may have unintended effects. Perhaps by recognizing the important engagement activities of researchers, institutions can better achieve their institutional missions and bolster the crucial contributions of researchers to society.

scholarly journals The Bayesian-Laplacian Brain

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semir Zeki ◽  
Oliver Y. Chén
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Do So

AbstractWe outline what we believe could be an improvement in future discussions of the brain acting as a Bayesian-Laplacian system. We do so by distinguishing between two broad classes of priors on which the brain’s inferential systems operate: in one category are biological priors (β priors) and in the other artifactual ones (α priors). We argue thatβ priors, of which colour categories and faces are good examples, are inherited or acquired very rapidly after birth, are highly or relatively resistant to change through experience, and are common to all humans. The consequence is that the probability of posteriors generated fromβ priorshaving universal assent and agreement is high. By contrast, αpriors, of which man-made objects are examples, are acquired post-natally and modified at various stages throughout post-natal life; they are much more accommodating of, and hospitable to, new experiences. Consequently, posteriors generated from them are less likely to find universal assent. Taken together, in addition to the more limited capacity of experiment and experience to alter theβ priorscompared toα priors, another cardinal distinction between the two is that the probability of posteriors generated fromβ priorshaving universal agreement is greater than that forα priors. The two categories are not, however, always totally distinct and can merge into one another to varying extents, resulting in posteriors that draw upon both categories.

scholarly journals Global water access fund: a new idea to bridge operations and maintenance shortfalls for the poorest water utilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 774-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanvi Nagpal ◽  
Matthew Eldridge ◽  
Ammar A. Malik
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Water Access ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Sustainable Operation ◽  
Operations And Maintenance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Do So

Abstract Reaching the sustainable development goal for water and sanitation access will require significant investments. For some utilities, the private sector or blended public–private investments offer opportunities to expand and improve services, but this is not an option for many utilities serving the poorest households. These utilities are often unable to cover their current operations and maintenance costs and have limited capacity to increase tariffs in order to do so. Yet supporting these utilities is crucial to expanding access to safe drinking water for the majority of citizens. We argue that a new solution is needed to provide utilities serving the poorest with sufficient subsidies to cover their operational costs, stabilize service, and make performance improvements to advance towards sustainable operation. This article presents a potential solution which blends funding from global philanthropy, solidarity levies, and local matching funds. Such a fund, if structured to reflect the principles of results-based funding, transparency, sustainability, and performance improvement, can make a meaningful impact on water access.

Investigations on “Sickness” in Soil: II. “Sickness” in Glasshouse Soils

1912 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Russell ◽  
F. R. Petherbridge
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Present Communication ◽  
Alternative Plan ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The One ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Do So

Previous investigations in this laboratory have shown that partial sterilisation of soil leads to increased productiveness. In attempting to apply this method on the large scale two courses were open. The more obvious was to seek for methods cheap enough for use in the field, and then to conduct a number of field trials to determine which was the best; this was almost certain to prove a tedious and expensive business and would not necessarily lead to a successful issue. The alternative plan, and the one we adopted, was to find classes of growers who could afford to use our present methods of partial sterilisation and who would be willing to do so. However restricted their number of crops might be we knew that the cost of the process must fall once it was applied in commercial growing, so that the range over which it was applicable would soon begin to widen; a further advantage was that from the outset we should be gaining experience of the working of partial sterilisation in practice. Fortunately we met with a large tomato and cucumber grower in the Waltham Cross district who put us in touch with the class of growers we wanted: in this way we came across the problem of sickness in glasshouse soils which forms the subject of the present communication.

scholarly journals Researcher engagement in policy deemed societally beneficial yet unrewarded

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Singh ◽  
Vinicius Farjalla ◽  
Bing Chen ◽  
Andrew Pelling ◽  
Elvan Ceyhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Mission Statements ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Limited Capacity ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Societal Benefit ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Societal Benefits ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Do So

Public support for research depends, in part, on the eventual societal benefits from research. Maintaining that support likely requires sustained engagement between the research community and the broader public. Yet, there is little organized effort to evaluate and reward such engagement in addition to research and teaching activities. Using data from an international survey of 1092 researchers (634 established researchers and 458 students) in 55 countries and 315 research institutions, we find that institutional recognition of engagement activities is perceived as being undervalued relative to its societal benefit. Many researchers report that their institutions would not reward engagement activities despite mission statements promoting engagement. Further, those institutions that actually measure engagement activities are perceived to do so in a limited capacity (respondents perceived that on average, 2 of the 7 dimensions of engagement we considered were reflected in evaluations). Most researchers are strongly motivated to engage for selfless reasons, which suggests that strong self-oriented incentives may have unintended effects. Perhaps by recognizing the important engagement activities of researchers, institutions can better achieve their institutional missions and bolster the crucial contributions of researchers to society.

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