Erythritol Ingestion Causes Concentration-Dependent Mortality in Eastern Subterranean Termites (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)

Author(s):  
Virginia Caponera ◽  
Meghan Barrett ◽  
Daniel R Marenda ◽  
Sean O’donnell

Abstract Damage from termite infestations is economically significant and control can be costly when requiring the widespread use of conventional insecticides. Erythritol, a polyalcohol sweetener that is safe for human consumption, causes increased mortality when ingested by some insects, indicating potential as a safe alternative insecticide. Here, we investigated the applicability of erythritol as a novel toxicant method of termite control. Eastern subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), were fed paper foods treated with increasing concentrations of erythritol and were assessed for mortality and bait consumption. Termite survival to 8 d (the duration of the experiment) significantly decreased as erythritol treatment concentration increased, indicating that the lethal effects of erythritol were concentration-dependent. Termites consumed erythritol-treated paper at all concentrations and did not display avoidance in choice assays, suggesting that erythritol may be practical for use as an ingestible bait. These results provide a basis for further development of erythritol as a safe alternative method of termite control.

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Ann Waller

AbstractThe development of palatable baits for the suppresion of pest termites relies on combining phagostimulants with slow-acting toxicants that termite foragers carry back to the colony and distribute to nest-mates. In the present study the palatability and toxic effects of three compounds, ampicillin, tetracycline and urea to the subterranean termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and R. virginicus (Banks) were investigated. 1.0% solutions (w/v) of ampicillin and tetracycline applied to filter paper were unpalatable to termites in choice tests, and these concentrations depressed termite feeding, survivorship, individual biomass, and numbers of gut protozoa in no-choice tests. In contrast, urea solutions of 0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0% (w/v) were palatable to termites in choice tests, but 5.0% urea solutions depressed termite survivorship and protozoan numbers in no-choice tests. Addition of urea to tetra- cycline solutions resulted in increased palatability and decreased termite survivorship over tetracycline administered alone. The toxic effects in combination with its palatability to Reticulitermes spp. indicate that urea may be a promising candidate for termite control programmes.


Insects ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Faith Oi

The global economic impact of termites is estimated to be approximately USD 40 billion annually, and subterranean termites are responsible for about 80% of the total impact. Twenty-eight species of termites have been described as invasive, and these termites are spreading, partially due to global trade, making effective control methods essential. Termite control is complex, as is the biology and behavior of this social insect group. In the U.S., termite prevention and control (with claims of structural protection) is regulated by more than one industry (pest control and building construction), and at the federal and state levels. Termite prevention has historically relied on building construction practices that do not create conducive conditions for termite infestations, but as soil termiticides developed, heavy reliance on pesticides became the standard for termite control. The concern for human and environmental health has driven the development of termite control alternatives and regulation for products claiming structural protection. Product development has also provided unprecedented opportunities to study the biology and behavior of cryptobiotic termites. Technological advances have allowed for the re-examination of questions about termite behavior. Advances in communications via social media provide unrestricted access to information, creating a conundrum for consumers and science educators alike.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-28
Author(s):  
Jingang Jiang ◽  
Yihao Chen ◽  
Xuefeng Ma ◽  
Yongde Zhang ◽  
Zhiyuan Huang ◽  
...  

Background: Portable life support system is used in the battlefield, disaster and in other special circumstances such as in space exploration, and underground survey to give the wounded a life support. The most dangerous period for the injured is the first hour after an injury, which is a crucial time for treatment. If the patient's vital signs were stabilized, more than 40% of the injured could be saved. The staff can efficiently complete the task if they get effective and stable vital signs during the operation. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of disaster and battlefield mortality to improve operational safety and efficiency, it is necessary to study the portable life support system. Objective: The study aimed to provide an overview of recent portable life support system and its characteristics and design. Methods: This paper introduces the patents and products related to a portable life support system, and its characteristics and application. Results: This paper summarizes five kinds of portable life support systems which are box type, stretcher type, bed type, backpack type and mobile type. Moreover, the characteristics of different portable life support systems are analyzed. The paper expounds the problems of different types of portable life support systems and puts forward improvement methods to solve the problems. Finally, the paper points out the future development of the system. Conclusion: Portable life support system plays an increasingly important role in health care. In terms of the structure, function and control, further development and improvements are needed, along with the research on portable life support system.


Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Ricci ◽  
Maria Cristina Rota ◽  
Maria Grazia Caporali ◽  
Antonietta Girolamo ◽  
Maria Scaturro

Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is a severe pneumonia caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. This is a major public health concern and infections are steadily increasing worldwide. Several sources of infection have been identified, but they have not always been linked to human isolates by molecular match. The well-known Legionella contamination of private homes has rarely been associated with the acquisition of the disease, although some patients never left their homes during the incubation period. This study demonstrated by genomic matching between clinical and environmental Legionella isolates that the source of an LD cluster was a private building. Monoclonal antibodies and sequence-based typing were used to type the isolates, and the results clearly demonstrated the molecular relationship between the strains highlighting the risk of contracting LD at home. To contain this risk, the new European directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption has introduced for the first time Legionella as a microbiological parameter to be investigated in domestic water systems. This should lead to a greater attention to prevention and control measures for domestic Legionella contamination and, consequently, to a possible reduction in community acquired LD cases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asad Abbaspour Anbi ◽  
Vadood Razavilar ◽  
Moslem Neyriz Naghadehi ◽  
Masoud Seidgar ◽  
Ali Nekuiefard ◽  
...  

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have a great potential as bio-preservatives. The live cells and supernatant Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis induced bacteriological changes in Onchorhynchus mykiss fillet by spray and immersion methods was studied during vacuum- packaged storage at 4 °C for 15 days. 40 kg of O. mykiss were prepared from a culture farm in Oshnavieh (Northwest Iran) and 112 fillet samples (100g) were prepared by aseptic method. L. lactis subsp. lactis (PTCC1336) bacteria was cultured in MRS culture medium. Its supernatant (2%, 4%) was extracted and 106 CFUml-1 dilutions of LAB were prepared and tested on the fillets to enhance their shelf life. All samples were evaluated regarding to growth of psychrotrophic, psychrophilic, mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts. Four characteristics including of odor, flavor, texture and color of fillets after and before cooking were evaluated for sensory analysis on days 1, 5, 10 and 15 and compared with control samples. The 4% supernatant and live bacteria were more effective than that of 2% and control (P<0.05). The amounts of corrosive bacteria in 4% and live cells in storage time were less than human consumption limits (7log CFUg-1), whereas in control and 2% supernatant treatments were more than that limits. The results showed that increasing the percentage of supernatant was more effective on bacteriologic factors and enhanced sensory characteristics of rainbow trout fillets (P<0.05).


2018 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 95-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Radmanesh ◽  
Manish Kumar ◽  
Paul H. Guentert ◽  
Mohammad Sarim

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently attracted the attention of researchers due to their numerous potential civilian applications. However, current robot navigation technologies need further development for efficient application to various scenarios. One key issue is the “Sense and Avoid” capability, currently of immense interest to researchers. Such a capability is required for safe operation of UAVs in civilian domain. For autonomous decision making and control of UAVs, several path-planning and navigation algorithms have been proposed. This is a challenging task to be carried out in a 3D environment, especially while accounting for sensor noise, uncertainties in operating conditions, and real-time applicability. Heuristic and non-heuristic or exact techniques are the two solution methodologies that categorize path-planning algorithms. The aim of this paper is to carry out a comprehensive and comparative study of existing UAV path-planning algorithms for both methods. Three different obstacle scenarios test the performance of each algorithm. We have compared the computational time and solution optimality, and tested each algorithm with variations in the availability of global and local obstacle information.


Author(s):  
Илья Кутепов ◽  
Ilya Kutepov ◽  
Вадим Крысько ◽  
Vadim Krysko ◽  
Антон Крысько ◽  
...  

In the present study, 45 patients with schizophrenia syndromes and 39 healthy subjects are studied with electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The study groups were of different genders. For each of the two groups, the signals were analyzed using 16 EEG channels. Multiscale entropy, Lempel-Ziv complexity and Lyapunov exponent were used to study the chaotic signals. The data were compared for two groups of subjects. Entropy was compared for each of the 16 channels for all subjects. As a result, topographic images of brain areas were obtained, illustrating the entropy and complexity of Lempel-Ziv. Lempel-Ziv complexity was found to be more representative of the classification problem. The results will be useful for further development of EEG signal classification algorithms for machine learning. This study shows that EEG signals can be an effective tool for classifying participants with symptoms of schizophrenia and control group. It is suggested that this analysis may be an additional tool to help psychiatrists diagnose patients with schizophrenia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Alejandro De Jesús Cortés-Sánchez ◽  
Luis Daniel Espinosa-Chaurand ◽  
Mayra Díaz-Ramirez ◽  
Erika Torres-Ochoa

Fish and fish products are considered a fundamental part of the human diet due to their high nutritional value. Food-borne diseases are considered a major public health challenge worldwide due to their incidence, associated mortality, and negative economic repercussions. Food safety is the guarantee that foods will not cause harm to the health of those who consume them, and it is a fundamental property of food quality. Food safety can be at risk of being lost at any stage of the food chain if the food is contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms. Many diverse bacteria are present in the environment and as part of the microbiota of food that can be transmitted to humans during the handling and consumption of food. Plesiomonas shigelloides has been mainly associated with outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases due to the consumption of fish. This bacterium inhabits the environment and aquatic animals and is associated with the microbiota of fish such as tilapia, a fish of importance in fishing, aquaculture, commercialization, and consumption worldwide. The purpose of this document is to provide, through a bibliographic review of databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, among others), a general informative perspective on food-borne diseases and, in particular, the consumption of fish and tilapia. Diseases derived from contamination by Plesiomonas shigelloides are included, and control and prevention actions and sanitary regulations for fishery products established in several countries around the world are discussed to promote the safety of foods of aquatic origin intended for human consumption and to protect public health.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Domeika ◽  
G Kligys ◽  
O Ivanauskiene ◽  
J Mereckiene ◽  
V Bakasenas ◽  
...  

Electronic reporting systems improve the quality and timeliness of the surveillance of communicable diseases. The aim of this paper is to present the process of the implementation and introduction of an electronic reporting system for the surveillance of communicable diseases in Lithuania. The project which started in 2002 was performed in collaboration between Lithuania and Sweden and was facilitated by the parallel process of adapting the surveillance system to European Union (EU) standards. The Lotus-based software, SmittAdm, was acquired from the Department of Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention of Stockholm County in Sweden and adopted for Lithuania, resulting in the Lithuanian software, ULISAS. A major advantage of this program for Lithuania was the possibility to work offline. The project was initiated in the two largest counties in Lithuania where ULISAS had been installed and put in use by January 2005. The introduction was gradual, the national level was connected to the system during late 2005, and all remaining counties were included during 2006 and 2007. The reporting system remains to be evaluated concerning timeliness and completeness of the surveillance. Further development is needed, for example the inclusion of all physicians and laboratories and an alert system for outbreaks. The introduction of this case-based, timely electronic reporting system in Lithuania allows better reporting of data to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) compared to the former reporting system with paper-based, aggregated data.


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