Phoretic mite Neocypholaelaps indica Evans infests inflorescences of Pachysandra axillari Franch. and its pollinators, Apis cerana Fabricius

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Ge ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
Wei Bang Sun ◽  
Gao Chen

In this study, we report that the phoretic flower mite Neocypholaelaps indica can infest flowers of Pachysandra axillaris and Apis cerana in Yunnan, China. We suggest that beekeepers, researchers and regulators should be aware of this species to regulate its potential harm to beekeeping and output of crops in China.

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis Gasper

The Supreme Court in its 2014 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby broadly expanded so-called religious freedom protections in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”) by striking down a provision of the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to provide health insurance coverage for certain methods of contraception. In doing so, the Court opened the floodgates for employers to claim an exemption based upon any “sincerely held” religious belief. Without inquiry into the sincerity of that belief, businesses and corporations are free to adopt or assert beliefs that could lead to increased discrimination against employees. This is especially troublesome for marginalized groups like the LGBT community, which is already on the receiving end of discrimination under the pretext of religious exemptions. To correct any future misuse of these exemptions, Congress should amend RFRA to permit courts to assess the belief being asserted and contrast it with the potential harm if an exemption is allowed. The purpose of RFRA is to ease the burden faced by people of faith forced to go against their religious beliefs if they obey a certain statute. Easing this burden should focus on heady moral dilemmas, not mere inconveniences. Amending RFRA can ensure it maintains its initial purpose of protecting religious freedom, while not being used as a tool to perpetuate discrimination.


2020 ◽  
pp. 135581962098337
Author(s):  
Nina R Sperber ◽  
Rebecca Bruening ◽  
Joshua Dadolf ◽  
Katherine Miller ◽  
Jennifer Henius ◽  
...  

Objective To examine the causes of variation for determining clinical eligibility for a national caregiver programme in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and so help inform standardization of clinical eligibility assessment for support and establish conditions for more consistent caregiver experiences across the country. Methods We used mixed methods, including a national survey of caregiver support coordinators (CSCs) across VHA medical centres, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 53 CSCs and interdisciplinary team members, and observations of four VHA medical centre sites. Results A majority (70%) of CSCs across VHA medical centres reported that they used interdisciplinary teams to conduct assessments. Interdisciplinary teams were seen to help mitigate potential harm to therapeutic relationships from eligibility decisions. Survey respondents reported using a range of assessment tools provided by the national VHA Caregiver Support Program office, but participants expressed concerns that the tools did not necessarily effectively assess clinical need. Some local sites had developed innovative person-centered approaches, in which the assessment process provided an opportunity to assess veterans’ holistic clinical needs, in contrast to a programme-centered approach, which focused on assessing whether veterans/their caregivers meet eligibility criteria. Conclusion Discretion by those involved in making decisions on programme eligiblity is important for implementing a national social services programme based on clinical need. Interdisciplinary teams can help mitigate potential harm to therapeutic relationships. Discretion allows for innovation. This work has implications for setting policy in other programme contexts in which applying eligibility criteria requires clinical judgment.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 652
Author(s):  
Hongwei Tan ◽  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Hussain Ali ◽  
Muhammad Shakeel ◽  
Haiou Kuang ◽  
...  

In Pakistan, Apis cerana, the Asian honeybee, has been used for honey production and pollination services. However, its genomic makeup and phylogenetic relationship with those in other countries are still unknown. We collected A. cerana samples from the main cerana-keeping region in Pakistan and performed whole genome sequencing. A total of 28 Gb of Illumina shotgun reads were generated, which were used to assemble the genome. The obtained genome assembly had a total length of 214 Mb, with a GC content of 32.77%. The assembly had a scaffold N50 of 2.85 Mb and a BUSCO completeness score of 99%, suggesting a remarkably complete genome sequence for A. cerana in Pakistan. A MAKER pipeline was employed to annotate the genome sequence, and a total of 11,864 protein-coding genes were identified. Of them, 6750 genes were assigned at least one GO term, and 8813 genes were annotated with at least one protein domain. Genome-scale phylogeny analysis indicated an unexpectedly close relationship between A. cerana in Pakistan and those in China, suggesting a potential human introduction of the species between the two countries. Our results will facilitate the genetic improvement and conservation of A. cerana in Pakistan.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Sun ◽  
Xueqi Zhang ◽  
Shufa Xu ◽  
Chunsheng Hou ◽  
Jin Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sacbrood is an infectious disease of the honey bee caused by Scbrood virus (SBV) which belongs to the family Iflaviridae and is especially lethal for Asian honeybee Apis cerana. Chinese Sacbrood virus (CSBV) is a geographic strain of SBV. Currently, there is a lack of an effective antiviral agent for controlling CSBV infection in honey bees. Methods Here, we explored the antiviral effect of a Chinese medicinal herb Radix isatidis on CSBV infection in A. cerana by inoculating the 3rd instar larvae with purified CSBV and treating the infected bee larvae with R. isatidis extract at the same time. The growth, development, and survival of larvae between the control and treatment groups were compared. The CSBV copy number at the 4th instar, 5th instar, and 6th instar larvae was measured by the absolute quantification PCR method. Results Bioassays revealed that R. isatidis extract significantly inhibited the replication of CSBV, mitigated the impacts of CSBV on larval growth and development, reduced the mortality of CSBV-infected A. cerana larvae, and modulated the expression of immune transcripts in infected bees. Conclusion Although the mechanism underlying the inhibition of CSBV replication by the medicine plant will require further investigation, this study demonstrated the antiviral activity of R. isatidis extract and provides a potential strategy for controlling SBV infection in honey bees.


Author(s):  
Rika Raffiudin ◽  
Nurul Insani Shullia ◽  
Adelia Ulfie Damayanti ◽  
Dian Tri Wahyudi ◽  
Tia Vina Febiriani ◽  
...  

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Pietro Elias Fubini ◽  
Laurent Suppan

Shortness of breath is a common complaint among patients in emergency medicine. While most common causes are usually promptly identified, less frequent aetiologies might be challenging to diagnose, especially in the pre-hospital setting. We report a case of prehospital dyspnoea initially ascribed to pulmonary oedema which turned out to be the result of profound metformin-associated metabolic acidosis. This diagnosis was already made during the prehospital phase by virtue of arterial blood gas measurement. Pre-hospital measurement of arterial blood gases is therefore feasible and can improve diagnostic accuracy in the field, thus avoiding unnecessary delay and potential harm to the patient before initiating the appropriate therapeutic actions.


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