Phenology, Development, and Parasitism of Allium Leafminer (Diptera: Agromyzidae), a Recent Invasive Species in the United States.

Allium leafminer, Phytomyza gymnostoma (Diptera: Agromyzidae), is an invasive species first recorded in the Western Hemisphere in 2015 and has expanded its range into northeastern and MidAtlantic states. Its host range encompasses Allium species grown for food and ornamentals, weedy species, species used for pollinator provisioning, and species of conservation concern. Using field and laboratory studies, we advanced methods for rearing, developed a phenology model for spring emergence, describe pupal development, and report on parasitism. Spring emergence was best detected by scouting wild alliums as opposed to emergence cages, and modeled using 350 degree-days above a lower threshold of 1.0°C. Spring adult flight occurred for about 5 wk. Larval development required 22 and 20 d at 17.5 and 25°C, respectively. Pupal development progressed along a color gradient, and an initial presence of fat cell clusters and an air bubble, followed by an exarate pupa. Pupal developed at 3-5% per day at 3°C and reached 25% per day at 21.5°C, but development was not successful at 30°C. Although parasitism rates were low, we documented two Chalcidoidea parasitoids, Halticoptera circulus (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Chrysocharis oscinidis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Together, these data provide baseline information to advance IPM for this invasive species both in crops and noncrop areas.

Powerline right-of-way management and flower-visiting insects: How vegetation management can promote pollinator diversity.

Loss in the availability of early successional habitat is a threat to pollinator populations. Given that powerline rights-of-way (ROW) must be managed to maintain early successional habitat, preventing vegetation from interfering with electrical lines, they have the potential to provide conservation benefits for wild pollinators. Moreover, it is possible to provide conservation benefits with no additional cost to land managers. We surveyed flower-visiting insects over two years in different vegetation management treatments in a long-term research ROW to determine which best promoted pollinator abundance and species richness. We found that the ROW had stabilized in an early successional state soon after its establishment and that this early successional state could be maintained with low levels of periodic maintenance. We collected a high diversity of flower-visiting insects (126 bee species and 179 non-bee morphospecies) in six ROW plots. Higher levels of herbicide application had a negative effect on bee species richness, but low levels of herbicide application were compatible with a high abundance and species richness of flower-visiting insects, including several rare species. Moreover, this effect was seen only in the bee community, and not in non-bee flower-visiting insects. Our results suggest further research into the conservation value of ROW for pollinators is warranted. We demonstrate that there is substantial potential for pollinator conservation in ROW, compatible with low-cost vegetation management.

Draft Genome Sequence of Erwinia tracheiphila, an Economically Important Bacterial Pathogen of Cucurbits.

Erwinia tracheiphila is one of the most economically important pathogens of cucumbers, melons, squashes, pumpkins, and gourds in the northeastern and midwestern United States, yet its molecular pathology remains uninvestigated. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of an E. tracheiphila strain isolated from an infected wild gourd (Cucurbita pepo subsp. texana) plant. The genome assembly consists of 7 contigs and includes a putative plasmid and at least 20 phage and prophage elements.

Marathon related cardiac arrest risk differences in men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in men and women. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Two popular urban 42 km marathons. PARTICIPANTS: 1982 to 2009 finishers. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Race records were assessed for finishers, age distribution and cardiac events by sex. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The SCA/SCD incidence for all (total), male and female finishers. RESULTS: There were 548,092 finishers with women finishers increasing from 10% to 40% over the first 18 years and remaining near 40% for the last decade. There were 14 SCA events (1 woman, 13 men) with seven successful resuscitations yielding an all finishers SCA rate of 2.6 per 100,000 finishers. The SCA rates (per 100,000) for men and women were 3.4 (95% CI: 1.8 to 5.9) and 0.6 (95% CI: 0.0 to 3.3), respectively (p=0.079). The male SCA rate for the 2000-2009 decade was 4.6 per 100,000 finishers (95% CI: 1.8 to 9.5). Eleven of 13 men were >39 years old. The OR of a man experiencing SCA compared with woman was 5.7. CONCLUSIONS: As the number of women participating in these two marathons has increased, the difference between the men's and total SCA and SCD incidence has increased for men, especially >39 years old, from coronary artery disease with men's incidence for SCA of 1 in 22,000 and SCD at 1 in 50,000 finishers over past decade.

Program and client characteristics as predictors of the availability of social support services in community-based substance abuse treatment programs.

Recent emphases on increasing accountability, using less intensive settings, and implementing evidence-based services helped to focus the research community on the structure, processes, and outcomes of services delivered to substance abuse clients. Considerably less attention has been given to understanding how to structure services to enhance engagement and retention leading to treatment continuity. This study examined structural characteristics of community-based treatment facilities in relationship to the availability of supportive services within a sample of 1,332 substance abuse treatment programs surveyed through the Alcohol and Drug Services Study in 1996 and 1997. Structural and client characteristics are important predictors of added supportive services. Furthermore, a program with a broader and established set of core services is more likely to have expanded supportive services. These findings have implications for public health professionals, both in terms of ensuring sustainable service programming for these chronic clients and in identifying services to adopt or discard to meet a population with multiple needs.

Lack of effect of a knee ligament injury prevention program on the incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that exercise programs can reduce the incidence of noncontact injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament in female athletes. We conducted a two-year prospective study to assess the effects of a knee ligament injury prevention exercise program on the incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in high-school female athletes. METHODS: A prospective cohort design was used to study high-school female athletes (playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball) from fifteen schools (112 teams) for two consecutive seasons. The schools were divided into treatment and control groups. The treatment group participated in a plyometric-based exercise program twice a week throughout the season. Practice and game exposures and compliance with the exercise program were recorded on a weekly basis. Suspected noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries were confirmed on the basis of the history as well as at the time of surgery and/or with magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: A total of 1439 athletes (862 in the control group and 577 in the treatment group) were monitored. There were six confirmed noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: three in the treatment group, and three in the control group. The incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries per 1000 exposures was 0.167 in the treatment group and 0.078 in the control group, yielding an odds ratio of 2.05, which was not significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a twenty-minute plyometric-based exercise program that focuses on the mechanics of landing from a jump and deceleration when running performed twice a week throughout the season will not reduce the rate of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in high-school female athletes.