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Recent efforts to evaluate the contribution of neonicotinoid insecticides to worldwide pollinator declines have focused on honey bees and the chronic levels of exposure experienced when foraging on crops grown from neonicotinoid-treated seeds. However, few studies address non-crop plants as a potential route of pollinator exposure to neonicotinoid and other insecticides. Here we show that pollen collected by honey bee foragers in maize- and soybean-dominated landscapes is contaminated throughout the growing season with multiple agricultural pesticides, including the neonicotinoids used as seed treatments. Notably, however, the highest levels of contamination in pollen are pyrethroid insecticides targeting mosquitoes and other nuisance pests. Furthermore, pollen from crop plants represents only a tiny fraction of the total diversity of pollen resources used by honey bees in these landscapes, with the principle sources of pollen originating from non-cultivated plants. These findings provide fundamental information about the foraging habits of honey bees in these landscapes. The extent to which non-crop plants may be contaminated by insecticides is not known. Here, the authors show that pollen collected by honey bees living in areas of intensive maize production is contaminated by a wide range of pesticides throughout the growing season, with the principle pollen source being non-crop plants.

This study examined how brokers on creative projects integrate the ideas of others. We use the term \"nexus work\" to refer to brokerage requiring synthesis or integration, rather than just communication or transference of ideas. With an ethnographic investigation of 23 independent music producers in the Nashville country music industry, we examined how producers in the brokerage role fostered the integration of others' contributions throughout four phases of the creative process. We discovered that ambiguity was an inherent part of the collective creative process and identified three types: (1) an ambiguous quality metric (What makes a hit or constitutes success?); (2) ambiguous occupational jurisdictions (Whose claim of expertise entitles them to control the process?); and (3) an ambiguous transformation process (How should the work be done?). We show when each type of ambiguity became acute in the creative process and identify the practices producers used to leverage their brokerage role depending on the type of ambiguity confronted. In doing so, producers moved between two ideal conceptions of brokerage—as strategic actors extracting advantage from their position and as relational experts connecting others to foster creativity and innovation—to foster a collective creative outcome.

Objectives. To estimate the prevalence and causes of functional paralysis in the United States. Methods. We used the 2013 US Paralysis Prevalence & Health Disparities Survey to estimate the prevalence of paralysis, its causes, associated sociodemographic characteristics, and health effects among this population. Results. Nearly 5.4 million persons live with paralysis. Most persons with paralysis were younger than 65 years (72.1%), female (51.7%), White (71.4%), high school graduates (64.8%), married or living with a partner (47.4%), and unable to work (41.8%). Stroke is the leading cause of paralysis, affecting 33.7% of the population with paralysis, followed by spinal cord injury (27.3%), multiple sclerosis (18.6%), and cerebral palsy (8.3%). Conclusions. According to the functional definition, persons living with paralysis represent a large segment of the US population, and two thirds of them are between ages 18 and 64 years. Targeted health promotion that uses inclusion strategies to account for functional limitations related to paralysis can be undertaken in partnership with state and local health departments.

Core to the goal of scientific exploration is the opportunity to guide future decision-making. Yet, elected officials often miss opportunities to use science in their policymaking. This work reports on an experiment with the US Congress—evaluating the effects of a randomized, dual-population (i.e., researchers and congressional offices) outreach model for supporting legislative use of research evidence regarding child and family policy issues. In this experiment, we found that congressional offices randomized to the intervention reported greater value of research for understanding issues than the control group following implementation. More research use was also observed in legislation introduced by the intervention group. Further, we found that researchers randomized to the intervention advanced their own policy knowledge and engagement as well as reported benefits for their research following implementation.

Spotted-wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is an economically important pest of small fruits worldwide. Currently, the timing of management strategies relies on detection of adult flies captured in baited monitoring traps; however, identifying D. suzukii in trap catch based on morphology can be challenging for growers. DNA-based diagnostic methods such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) have the potential to improve D. suzukii detection. This study evaluated a LAMP assay as a diagnostic tool to discriminate between D. suzukii and closely related drosophilid species found commonly in monitoring traps in the Midwestern United States. Targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene, we found the LAMP assay accurately detected D. suzukii with as little as 0.1 ng/µl of DNA at 63 °C for 50 min. Under these optimal incubation conditions, D. suzukii could be discriminated from D. affinis and D. simulans consistently, when specimens collected from liquid monitoring traps were tested independently. Compared to other DNA-based diagnostic tools for D. suzukii, LAMP offers unique benefits: DNA extraction is not required, testing occurs at one temperature in less than 1 h, and positive results are visible as a colorimetric change from pink to yellow. The LAMP assay for D. suzukii can reduce reliance on morphological identification, enhance the adoption of monitoring tools, and improve accuracy of detection. Further optimization can be conducted to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of results when a mixture of DNA from both D. suzukii and congener flies are tested in a single LAMP reaction.

Knowledge of specialty crop cultivars with resistance against insect pests is limited, and this may serve as a barrier to implementing host-plant resistance as part of an integrated pest management strategy. Carrot (Daucus carota L.) (Apiaels: Apiaceae)is a valuable specialty crop with a diversity of insect pests and cultivars that differ in physical and chemical qualities that influence insect pest preferences. To investigate the role of cultivar as a tool to reduce insect pest damage, we evaluated 7 carrot cultivars in replicated laboratory and field trials in IN and OH, USA in 2021. During June and July, we documented oviposition and feeding damage by the carrot weevil (Listronotus oregonenesis LeConte) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and used faunistic analysis to measure the abundance and diversity of foliar insect assemblages on each cultivar. We found no significant differences in oviposition and root damage across cultivars in the field, with mean cumulative egg scars ranging from 1.83 ± 1.40 in “Red Core Chantenay” to 5.17 ± 2.62 in “Cosmic Purple”. However, there was a positive correlation between the cumulative number of egg scars and number of trichomes on petioles. Similarly, no-choice laboratory bioassays revealed no significant differences in mean cumulative egg scars, ranging from 5.00 ± 1.15 in “Red Core Chantenay” to 10.63 ± 1.02 in “Danvers 126”. Predominant insect pests differed across cultivars, but Cicadellidae was common across all cultivars. Interestingly, only 1 beneficial insect family, Pteromalidae, was predominant across cultivars.This research highlights the impact of cultivar selection on the diversity and damage potential of insect pests in carrot production.

The Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera formosae Brenske (AGB), has become a significant pest of commercial mint fields in northern Indiana. Larval feeding on mint roots can cause stunted growth and plant death when densities are high. Sampling approaches that provide reliable estimates of larval densities in mint have not been established, leaving farmers without the knowledge necessary to implement integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. To address this knowledge gap, we evaluated strategies for estimating AGB larval densities and plant performance in commercial mint systems. We used 2 sampling methods to collect larval density and plant performance data from 3 mint fields and conducted simulations to optimize sampling intensity (accuracy and precision) and sampling scheme (random vs. systematic) using these data. Additionally, we examined the sensitivity and efficiency of each sampling method. Compared to the cup-cutter method, the quadrat method provided the most accurate and precise estimates of larval density and plant performance, with ≤ 7 samples required per 0.2 ha. Quadrat excavation was also more sensitive, increasing the probability of detecting AGB larvae within a 32 m2 plot by 76.7%, and requiring significantly less time to survey an equivalent volume of soil for AGB larvae. When the quadrat method was employed, random sampling schemes provided below-ground biomass estimates that were significantly closer to the true mean of the sampling area. The results of this research will facilitate the development of IPM decision-making tools for farmers and support future research for AGB and other soil insect pests affecting mint production.

Although current cigarette smoking among US adults decreased from 42.4% in 1965 to 12.5% in 2020, prevalence is higher among certain racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults. We examined trends in current cigarette smoking prevalence, population estimates, and relative disparity among US adults (aged ≥18 y) between 2011 and 2020 by using data from the National Health Interview Survey. SAS-callable SUDAAN was used to obtain prevalence and population estimates, and relative disparity was calculated on the basis of findings in the literature. Trends were significant at P < .05. From 2011 to 2020, linear decreases in prevalence and population estimates were observed for non-Hispanic White (20.6% to 13.3%; 32.1 million to 20.7 million), non-Hispanic Black (19.4% to 14.4%; 5.1 million to 4.0 million), and Hispanic (12.9% to 8.0%; 4.2 million to 3.3 million) adults. For non-Hispanic AIAN adults, prevalence remained around 27%, and a linear increase in the population estimate was observed from 400,000 to 510,000. Relative disparity did not change across racial and ethnic categories. Linear decreases have occurred between 2011 and 2020 for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic adults who smoke, but the number of non-Hispanic AIAN adults who currently smoke has increased by 110,000, and relative disparities persist. To reduce racial and ethnic disparities in smoking, understanding how factors at multiple socioecologic levels impact smoking and helping to inform paths to equitable reach and implementation of tobacco control interventions for all population groups are needed.

The ability to detect predators at a distance through chemical cues is often essential for prey, but spatial variation in predator presence and species may promote variability in the reactions of prey subpopulations. We collected isopods (Caecidotea communis) from three ponds: two with fish (sunfish in one, shiners in the other), and one without. We exposed individuals from these three subpopulations to kairomones and diet cues released by sunfish (Lepomis spp.) or golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas). We used time-lapse photography to calculate the rate of movement and proportion of time isopods spent moving, both soon after cue introduction and twenty-five minutes later. Thus, we tested for reactions to cues, for rapid cue degradation or short-term habituation, and for effects of natal pond. The isopods from all subpopulations did not alter their rate of movement nor their percent of time moving when exposed to dechlorinated tap water or cues from sunfish. The isopods from the pond containing shiners significantly increased their proportion of time moving, and showed a not significant tendency to move more rapidly, when exposed to cues from shiners as opposed to dechlorinated tap water. Our results are the first to demonstrate that isopods may lack a behavioral response to chemicals indicating likely imminent danger from the same species of fish as occur in their natal pond.

Background: The objective of this study was to implement an educational intervention on an inpatient, behavioral health care unit with the goal of reducing the number of crisis interventions of seclusion or restraint. Method: A quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design using De-escalate Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime training was employed with a focus of an increased understanding of a range of de-escalation techniques to use instead of restraint and seclusion. Results: A convenience sample of 21 mental health employees participated in the training. The rates of restraint declined from a mean of 6 preintervention to 2 postintervention. The number of seclusions on the designated unit declined from a mean of 4.33 preintervention to a mean of 1.667 postintervention. Conclusion: These data suggest that an educational intervention to increase the knowledge of direct care staff in a broad range of de-escalation techniques resulted in a reduction in the use of restraint and seclusion. Ongoing training for nursing staff may reassure them of the efficacy of alternative methods for dealing with aggressive patients. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(2):70–76.]