A diagnostic real-time PCR assay for the rapid identification of the tomato-potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc, 1909) and development of a psyllid barcoding database.

The accurate and rapid identification of insect pests is an important step in the prevention and control of outbreaks in areas that are otherwise pest free. The potato-tomato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc, 1909) is the main vector of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' on potato and tomato crops in North America and New Zealand; and is considered a threat for introduction in Europe and other pest-free regions. This study describes the design and validation of the first species-specific TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR assay, targeting the ITS2 gene region of B. cockerelli. The assay detected B. cockerelli genomic DNA from adults, immatures, and eggs, with 100% accuracy. This assay also detected DNA from cloned plasmids containing the ITS2 region of B. cockerelli with 100% accuracy. The assay showed 0% false positives when tested on genomic and cloned DNA from 73 other psyllid species collected from across Europe, New Zealand, Mexico and the USA. This included 8 other species in the Bactericera genus and the main vectors of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' worldwide. The limit of detection for this assay at optimum conditions was 0.000001ng DNA (~200 copies) of ITS2 DNA which equates to around a 1:10000 dilution of DNA from one single adult specimen. This assay is the first real-time PCR based method for accurate, robust, sensitive and specific identification of B. cockerelli from all life stages. It can be used as a surveillance and monitoring tool to further study this important crop pest and to aid the prevention of outbreaks, or to prevent their spread after establishment in new areas.

Educational preparation of black nurses: a historical perspective.

To where minority nursing needs to proceed, the minority nursing community must understand where we have been. This historical perspective traces our roots through every level of nursing education. Parallels are drawn between minority nurse educational evolution and the historical events occurring in the greater society in the United States.

Monitoring the 'Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program': the first eight years.

OBJECTIVE: To assess improvements in perinatal health following the introduction of the Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture (SWSBSC) Program in two groups of Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. METHODS: A comparison of pre and post birthweights in intervention and control communities in rural and remote regions in the Top End of the Northern Territory was performed. RESULTS: Significant improvements in birthweight were observed for Group 1 communities with no significant change in Group 2. CONCLUSION: There is a need to better understand how the intervention differed in the two groups of communities.

Perceptions of the physical environment, stage of change for physical activity, and walking among Australian adults.

Data for this study were from a population survey of 1,200 adults ages 40-60 years, sampled from the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Questionnaire items on perceptions of the environment were factor analyzed into: Aesthetic Environment and Practical Environment. For both factors, those in the Contemplation stage had more negative views of the environment than those in Maintenance. Those who walked for 0-20 min/week held more negative perceptions of their environment than those who walked for 21-120 min/week and those who walked for > 120 min/week. The health promotion implications of these findings are that environments perceived as attractive and as providing convenient access to services and facilities may influence motivational readiness for physical activity and time spent walking.

Temporal stability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in patients undergoing lumbar fusion: a poor predictor of surgical outcome.

In this prospective study, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to patients before and after lumbar spines fusion to investigate the stability of MMPI scores after surgical intervention and to attempt to correlate MMPI scale scores with outcome data. Sixty-eight patients were included. Testing was performed before surgery and at a mean of 1.5 years after surgery. Clinical outcome ratings were assigned by using criteria of pain relief and analgesic use. In addition, demographic variables known to affect outcome were analyzed. Sixty percent of the patients had a successful clinical outcome. Positive outcome correlated with the demographic factors of occupation (homemaker) and solid fusion. MMPI scales were stable across time, with no difference between groups. Independent t tests were used to study preoperative MMPI scores with respect to clinical outcome. Unsatisfactory outcomes were associated with higher scores on scales 1, 3, and 10 before surgery. Postoperative testing revealed significant outcome correlations--higher scores on scales 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 associated with an unsatisfactory outcome. However, discriminant function analysis of preoperative MMPI data was able to classify outcomes correctly in only 58.8% of the cases. The utility of the MMPI as a predictor of outcome after surgical intervention is quite limited. Use of group data and testing before and after surgery does not appear to influence this conclusion. Although the scores as a group were stable across time, the amount of variance in outcome that could not be accounted for by using MMPI scales as predictors was unacceptably large.

General practice receptionists' attitudes and beliefs towards preventive medicine before and after training and support interventions.

OBJECTIVES: Receptionists are an integral part of the primary care service. We aimed to discover their views on preventive medicine issues. METHOD: One hundred and fifty receptionists from general practices in Sydney, Australia, completed a questionnaire on their attitudes and beliefs towards preventive medicine and brief intervention for alcohol. They were matched according to practice variables into a control, no, minimal, or maximal training and support condition. In all conditions except the control condition, receptionists received 5 minutes of initial training in implementing a brief intervention programme; the amount of ongoing support varied across conditions. Attitudes and beliefs were re-assessed 3 months later. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that when no training and support were given, receptionists developed negative views towards being involved in preventive medicine activities. When training and support were provided, these negative effects were abolished.

Structural impediments to TQM in Australian health care.

The culture of quality called for by total quality management (TQM) has much to recommend it. Australian experience, however, suggests that it is not something that can easily be added to the profession-based structures and cultures prevailing in most Australian hospitals. Implementing TQM is not just a matter of advocating it. The institutional transformation implied by TQM requires additional action on multiple fronts, both internal and external to the hospital.

Black nurses in the United States: 1879-1992.

In the fall of 1991, while attending the Annual Convention of the New York State Nurses Association, a group of students who had heard me speak at their school recognized me in the audience. One of them blurted out, "That's Dr. Carnegie, the first Black nurse!" I was flattered by the recognition, but not by the designation. True, I have been in this world a long time but not that long. If Mary Mahoney, America's first Black nurse, had been alive in 1991, she would have been nearly 150 years old. This article focuses on the progress made by Black nurses in the 114 years from the time Mary Mahoney graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, Massachusetts in 1879 to 1992 in the areas of education, employment, and organized nursing.

Endowed chairs in nursing.

Two distinguished scholars discuss aspects of endowed chairs: Joyce Fitzpatrick provides a brief history of the practice and explains how endowed chairs preserve academic freedom and nursing's place in scientific inquiry. M. Elizabeth Carnegie recounts a brief history of endowed chairs in the U.S. and relates her own experiences gained from filling endowed chairs in nursing.