Yeast hydrolysate supplementation increases field abundance and persistence of sexually mature sterile Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt).

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a non-chemical approach used to control major pests from several insect families, including Tephritidae, and entails the mass-release of sterile insects that reduce fertility of wild populations. For SIT to succeed, released sterile males must mature and compete with wild males to mate with wild females. To reach sexual maturity, the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), must obtain adequate nutrition after adult emergence; however, in current SIT programs sterile B. tryoni receive a pre-release diet that lacks key nutrients required to sustain sexual development. The chief objective of this study was to determine whether pre-release yeast hydrolysate (YH) supplements affect the persistence and abundance of sexually mature sterile male B. tryoni under field conditions. Experiments were run in outdoor cages under conditions of low and high environmental stress that differed markedly in temperature and humidity, and in the field. Under low environmental stress conditions, survival of sterile B. tryoni was monitored in cages under three diet treatments: (i) sugar only, (ii) sugar plus YH or (iii) sugar plus YH for 48 h and sugar only thereafter. Under high environmental stress conditions survival of sterile B. tryoni was monitored in cages under four diet treatments: (i) white sugar only, (ii) brown sugar only, (iii) white sugar plus YH and (iv) brown sugar plus YH. In a replicated field study, we released colour-marked sterile B. tryoni from two diet regimes, YH-supplemented or YH-deprived, and monitored abundance of sexually mature males. In the low-stress cage study, there was no effect of diet, although overall females lived longer than males. In the high stress cage study, mortality was lower for YH-fed flies than YH-deprived flies and females lived longer than males. In the field, YH supplementation resulted in higher abundance of sexually mature sterile males, with 1.2 YH-fed flies trapped for every YH-deprived fly trapped. Under field conditions, YH supplementation can increase over-flooding ratios and hence may improve the effectiveness of SIT programmes.

Effect of adult chill treatments on recovery, longevity and flight ability of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Control of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), populations or outbreaks may be achieved through the mass-rearing and inundative release of sterile B. tryoni. An alternative release method is to release chilled adult sterile fruit flies to decrease packaging and transport requirements and potentially improve release efficiencies. Two trials were conducted to determine the effect of chilling on the performance of two separate batches of adult B. tryoni, fed either a protein and sucrose diet or sucrose only diet. The first trial compared chill times of 0, 0.5, 2 and 4 h; the second trial compared chill times of 0, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h. Overall, there was little or no affect of chilling on the recovery, longevity and flight ability of B. tryoni chilled at 4°C. Recovery time can take up to 15 min for chilled adult flies. There was no effect of chill time on longevity although females generally had greater longevity on either diet compared with males. Propensity for flight was not adversely affected by chilling at the lower chill times in trial 1; however, in trial 2, adults fed on a protein and sucrose diet had a decreased tendency for flight as the chilling time increased. Fly body size did not affect recovery times although the smaller adult B. tryoni in trial 1 had significantly reduced longevity compared to the larger adults in trial 2. Implications of these findings for B. tryoni SIT are discussed.

Creating constructive outcomes in conflict.

1. Conflict and disagreement are a fact of business life. Effort toward optomizing differences rather than minimizing them is a value added activity--leading to greater creativity, increasing levels of respect in relationships, and better solutions. 2. Proactively looking at potential conflict--where diasgreeing parties are often inherent and/or predictable--can save energy, relationships, and costly mistakes. Diagnosing or "reading" a situation and planning an approach is wise. 3. Several options or responses are available when facing conflict. Knowing when to use a given response is an important interpersonal skill. Relying on learned, habitual, and exclusive approaches to conflict may be limiting. 4. Implementation of effective conflict resolution is a function of attitude, initiative, and flexibility. An exploratory posture and a willingness to learn are constructive in attempting to reach agreements with optimum short and long term effect.

Homicidal somnambulism: a case report.

A case of a homicide and an attempted homicide during presumed sleepwalking is reported in which somnambulism was the legal defense and led to an acquittal. Other possible explanations including complex partial seizures, dissociative state, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and volitional waking behavior are discussed. The evidence supporting the probability that this act occurred during an episode of somnambulism and sleep-related confusional arousal is reviewed and weighed. This evidence includes personal and family history of somnambulism and related disorders; neurological, psychiatric and psychological assessments; presence of possible precipitating factors; and polysomnographic data.

Diagnosis of killers seen for psychiatric assessment. A controlled study.

109 killers, 38 nonviolent offenders and 54 community controls were compared on psychiatric diagnosis, the MMPI, Cattell 16 PF, IQ and clinical neurological results. Killers did not differ from nonviolent offenders on diagnosis or personality in general. Only higher MMPI Hysteria scale scores differentiated the killers from the other groups. IQ tended to be lower and neurological findings more often positive in homicide cases than in controls. Results suggest that previous uncontrolled research on homicide has been misleading.

The role of alcohol, drugs, suicide attempts and situational strains in homicide committed by offenders seen for psychiatric assessment. A controlled study.

The use of alcohol and drugs at the time of offence, suicide attempts and situational strains were compared in 109 killers and 38 nonviolent offenders seen for psychiatric assessment. More killers than nonviolent offenders used alcohol and drugs at the time of their offence but there was no difference in previous attempts at suicide nor in situational strains. Killers, however, did have more recent frustrations than the other group. Results suggest that the use of intoxicants in violence-prone individuals is the most important factor in homicide.