Modifying the U.S. Air Force Fitness Test to reflect physical combat fitness: one study's perspective.

Within the past few years, the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps have either incorporated or in the process of incorporating physical fitness tests that assess a soldier's fitness capability in a combat environment. In this article, we investigate how the U.S. Air Force Physical Fitness Test (AFPFT) events compare to sister-services' physical fitness test events with respect to their predictability of a proxy for combat fitness. Using linear regression via ordinary least squares, we demonstrate that the AFPFT correlates poorly with an airman's combat fitness. AFPFT scores had minimal predictability (adjusted R2 0.20-0.23). Investigating all of the individual events from the three services tests, we develop a new Air Force fitness to consider and to adopt. The test incorporates a timed 1/2-mile run, 30-lb dumbbell lifts in 2 minutes, and maximum number of push-ups in 1 minute. The adjusted R2 for this model was 0.90, an almost 300% improvement over the current test, in terms of predicting combat fitness.

Discovery of the butenyl-spinosyn insecticides: novel macrolides from the new bacterial strain Saccharopolyspora pogona.

A new bacterium, Saccharopolyspora pogona (NRRL30141) was discovered which produced a series of very potent insecticidal compounds structurally related to the 'classical' (i.e., C-21-ethyl) spinosyns. A series of fermentations gave sufficient extract to allow the isolation and characterization of a total of 31 new metabolites. The majority of these compounds contained a but-1-enyl group at C-21 of the macrolide in place of the ethyl group in the 'classical' spinosyn series, corresponding to an additional acetate group incorporated during their biosynthesis. Additionally a variety of other new functionality was seen including hydroxylations, several novel forosamine sugar replacements, and a novel 14-membered macrolide ring analog.

Evaluation and development of spinosyns to control ectoparasites on cattle and sheep.

The spinosyns are a novel family of fermentation-derived natural products that exhibit potent insecticidal activities. Spinosad, a naturally-occurring mixture of spinosyn A and spinosyn D, has successfully established its utility for crop protective applications in the agrochemical field. Potential applications of this unique chemical family of macrolides also have been investigated in the field of animal health. Applications for the control of blowfly strike and lice on sheep have now been commercially developed and registered in Australia and potential applications for the control of ectoparasites on cattle are being studied.