A multidimensional assessment of payback: Evaluating the impact of Breast Cancer Trials.

AIM: This study evaluates the impact created by clinical trial investment and research undertaken by Breast Cancer Trials (BCT). METHODS: The approach involved using the Payback Framework, and included a review of BCT archival information, public health data, a questionnaire sent to BCT members, individual interviews with key informants, a focus group with members of the organization's Consumer Advisory Panel, and case studies of select BCT trials. The evaluation assessed the evidence against the Payback Framework criteria: informing policy and product development, knowledge production, the research system, health and health sector benefits, and broader economic benefits. RESULTS: Analysis using the Payback Framework revealed impact was created in each category and a range of positive outcomes were identified for various stakeholder groups. BCT is maximizing the impact of its research and contributing to a global pool of scientific knowledge by collaborating with over 100 institutions and 820 researchers, yet its benefits go beyond research contributions. Findings highlight strong financial returns from BCT's research program and that BCT has played an important role in enhancing the public perception of clinical trials by promoting participation in trials, educating and empowering participants, and communicating trial outcomes. CONCLUSION: BCT's clinical trials have had a significant impact on the prevention, detection, treatment, and management of breast cancer. Measuring and reporting impact can be resource intensive but support BCT in remaining accountable to all those invested in the organization and in breast cancer clinical trials, evidencing the multiple dimensions of payback resulting from the organization's research.

An updated and validated model for predicting the performance of a biological control agent for the oriental migratory locust.

BACKGROUND: The oriental migratory locust is a major crop pest across eastern and south-eastern Asia. Metarhizium anisopliae is an effective biopesticide agent used for locust control, but its performance is temperature dependent, and thus can be more variable than chemical pesticide performance. To predict biopesticide performance for the control of the oriental migratory locust, we adapted a previous temperature-dependent model and validated it using field trial data. To increase the applicability of this model, we explored the use of readily available temperature variables, as well as our own satellite-derived canopy temperature variable, to run the model. RESULTS: Compared to collected in situ temperature data, our canopy temperature variable most accurately represented the ambient temperature experienced by the locust. When the biopesticide performance model was run using this canopy temperature and compared to field trials results, the model predictions were more accurate than when the model was run with the other temperature variables. The accuracy of the biopesticide performance model was impacted by vegetation cover, but across the areas most associated with locust oviposition, growth and migration, the model predictions were satisfactorily accurate to guide biopesticide operational use. CONCLUSION: We validated the model in six provinces in China, representing the three agro-ecological zones largely representative of the oriental migratory locust problem areas in China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Whilst further validation work is needed, this model could be used in these countries to assess, at a fine spatial scale, the appropriateness of M. anisopliae for controlling the oriental migratory locust. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The use of Beauveria bassiana for the control of the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus, in stored maize: Semi-field trials in Ghana.

Laboratory research in Ghana demonstrated the effectiveness of an isolate of Beauveria bassiana (IMI 389521) from the United Kingdom against the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), a major pest of stored maize. The minimum effective concentration, following artificial infestation trials on maize, was between 109 and 1010 cfu/kg maize. Before moving out to village-level control, a major requirement was to determine if the product could effect control in artificially infested maize held under real environmental conditions in several locations in Ghana. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of formulated conidia of B. bassiana, IMI 389521, at two concentrations (1 × 109 and 3.16 × 109 cfu/kg maize) to control P. truncatus on stored maize kernels under semi-field conditions in Ghana. Maize ('Obatanpa' cultivar) kernels were treated with the formulated B. bassiana product and stored in polypropylene woven bags in cribs in Southern Ghana. After 24 h, one hundred adults of P. truncatus were placed into each bag containing the treated maize. Mortality and the percent of weight loss of kernels were assessed every two weeks for three months. The semi-field trials revealed the possibility of successfully controlling adult P. truncatus on maize kernels treated with B. bassiana at 3.16 × 109 cfu/kg maize. However, due to the minimal protection of kernels after four weeks, re-treating maize kernels after this period is recommended to ensure maximum protection during prolonged storage.

Management of Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith Using Recycled Virus Inoculum from Larvae Treated with Baculovirus under Field Conditions.

Fall armyworm (FAW) is a major pest of maize and causes huge losses. Chemical pesticides are the commonly used control strategy among farmers. The efficacy of baculoviruses against FAW has been proven; however, farmers may not be able to afford the products. The use of farmer-produced baculovirus mixtures could provide an opportunity for a nature-based solution for FAW at a low cost. This study evaluated the potential of recycled virus inoculum from FAW larvae treated with a commercial baculovirus (Littovir) for the management of FAW under laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory, the virus from 25, 50, 75 and 100 FAW larvae caused variable mortality among FAW instars. The highest mortality (45%) among 1st-3rd instars was caused by Littovir followed by recycled virus inoculum from 100 FAW larvae (36%). Under field conditions, even though recycled virus inoculum did not offer adequate protection against FAW damage, the maize yield was comparable to that of commercial insecticide-treated plots and similar to that of control plots. This study has shown the potential use of recycled virus inoculum from infected larvae for the management of FAW. This would offer the farmers a sustainable and affordable option for the management of FAW as it would require the farmers to purchase the commercial baculovirus once and collect larvae from treated plots for repeat applications.

Daily activity patterns and body temperature of the Oriental migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen), in natural habitat.

Current pest management techniques would benefit from understanding the behavioural rhythms of the target pest and its body temperature, a critical aspect not well studied and potentially limiting the effectiveness of biopesticides under natural conditions. This study aims 1) to understand under natural conditions the behavioural patterns of different stages of hoppers and adults of Locusta migratoria manilensis and 2) to identify the environmental factors modulating their body temperature through field observation. We carried out an intensive field sampling in two of the main locust breeding regions in China, recording the body temperature (day and night), morphological traits (stage, sex and size) and microhabitat of 953 individuals. The results revealed that locusts preferred the ground as their main activity subhabitat, particularly for hoppers. Adults tended to move upper in the reed canopy at two peaks (10-11 h and 14-15 h). Locusts body temperature during daytime increased with development stage and size, while the opposite pattern occurred during night time. Entompathogenic fungi are more effective if the body temperature of the target pest is in a proper range without too high or too low. Application of biopesticides should focus on younger locusts spraying in the morning or at dusk as the locusts have lower body temperatures.

The Effects of Vegetation Type on Oedaleus decorus asiaticus (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Oviposition and Hatching Success.

Oedaleus decorus asiaticus (Bei-Bienko, 1941) has been regarded as one of the most dominant locusts in the northern grassland, the adjacent area of agriculture and animal farmland, in China. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of vegetation type on the oviposition behavior of this pest in an open field and the hatching success of the offspring in the following year. The results showed that vegetation type did have a significant effect on whether any egg pods were laid by O. d. asiaticus. Once the females laid eggs, vegetation type and cage number had a significant effect on the number of egg pods laid. The highest number of egg pods was found in the Cleistogenes squarrosa treatment, followed by Stipa krylovii and then Leymus chinensis, while the Artemisia frigida treatment contained the lowest number of egg pods. The O. d. asiaticus eggs laid in S. krylovii and C. squarrosa treatments had a significantly higher hatching success rate (over 53%) than the other two grasses (below 40%). In short, habitats with C. squarrosa and S. krylovii grasses are likely to be preferred by ovipositing females, thus population monitoring efforts of O. d. asiaticus should focus on these habitats.

Fungi in bottled water: a case study of a production plant.

A one-year fungal survey of a water bottling plant was conducted in order to evaluate the incidence and fluctuations of the mycobiota. The dominant fungal genera in order of highest numbers isolated were Penicillium, Cladosporium and Trichoderma followed by Aspergillus, Paecilomyces, and others. As expected, the highest number of isolates were collected during the warmer months, particularly May and June. Indeed during these two months there were more fungi present in the water, indicating that during those times of the year when fungal contamination is high, 0.4 mm filters should be changed on a more regular basis. In order to assess whether contamination was single or multi-loci, molecular methods based on the PCR were used for Penicillium brevicompactum. Overall, fungal contamination arose from multiple sources. Some P. brevicompactum strains were very "alike" and were detected during different sampling times, indicating that they were endemic to the plant. There was no evidence to suggest that fungi detected in the source water passed through to other parts of the plant. However, there was evidence that fungal strains isolated from the water filter were detected elsewhere in the factory, confirming the need to change filters more regularly during periods of high fungal contamination. In order to improve quality control a HACCP programme was implemented and Best Practice Guidelines introduced.