Comparative adult preference-larval performance relationship between a specialist and a generalist tephritid: Implication for predicting field host-range.

Phytophagous insects differ in their degree of specialization to their host plants. It ranges from monophagous or oligophagous species that can only develop on a single host plant, or family of host plants, to extremely polyphagous species that can develop on plants from many distinct botanical families. The aim of this study was to compare the larval performance and adult preference of a highly generalist species, the Queensland fruit fly () and a highly specialist species, the breadfruit fruit fly () among several fruits covering both species' host range.

Sequential invasions by fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Pacific and Indian Ocean islands: A systematic review.

The aim of our review was to examine the cases of Tephritidae invasions across island systems in order to determine whether they follow a hierarchical mode of invasion. We reviewed the literature on factors and mechanisms driving invasion sequences in Pacific and Southwest Indian Ocean islands and gathered every record of invasion by a polyphagous tephritid in island groups. From invasion date or period, we defined an invasion link when a new fruit fly established on an island where another polyphagous tephritid is already resident (that was indigenous or a previous invader).

Joint species distributions reveal the combined effects of host plants, abiotic factors and species competition as drivers of species abundances in fruit flies.

The relative importance of ecological factors and species interactions for shaping species distributions is still debated. The realised niches of eight sympatric tephritid fruit flies were inferred from field abundance data using joint species distribution modelling and network inference, on the whole community and separately on three host plant groups. These estimates were then confronted the fundamental niches of seven fly species estimated through laboratory-measured fitnesses on host plants.

Diet breadth modulates preference - performance relationships in a phytophagous insect community.

In most phytophagous insects, larvae are less mobile than adults and their fitness depends on the plant chosen by their mother. To maximize fitness, adult preference and larval performance should thus be correlated. This correlation is not always apparent and seems to increase with the level of specialisation, i.

Changes in phytophagous insect host ranges following the invasion of their community: Long-term data for fruit flies.

The invasion of an established community by new species can trigger changes in community structure. Invasions often occur in phytophagous insect communities, the dynamics of which are driven by the structure of the host assemblage and the presence of competitors. In this study, we investigated how a community established through successive invasions changed over time, taking the last invasion as the reference.

Host plant range of a fruit fly community (Diptera: Tephritidae): does fruit composition influence larval performance?

Background: Phytophagous insects differ in their degree of specialisation on host plants, and range from strictly monophagous species that can develop on only one host plant to extremely polyphagous species that can develop on hundreds of plant species in many families. Nutritional compounds in host fruits affect several larval traits that may be related to adult fitness. In this study, we determined the relationship between fruit nutrient composition and the degree of host specialisation of seven of the eight tephritid species present in La Réunion; these species are known to have very different host ranges in natura.

Invasion by Bactrocera dorsalis and niche partitioning among tephritid species in Comoros.

Ten economically important species belonging to the Tephritidae have been recorded in Union of the Comoros (an island nation off the coast of East Africa). Little is known about the distribution of these species and how they are affected by climatic factors in the Comoros archipelago. The main objectives of this study were to characterize: (i) the population dynamics of tephritid fruit flies in relation to season and host fruit availability and (ii) the geographic distribution of tephritids in relation to temperature and rainfall.

Local and neighboring patch conditions alter sex-specific movement in banana weevils.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the movements and spread of a species over time and space is a major concern of ecology. Here, we assessed the effects of an individual's sex and the density and sex ratio of conspecifics in the local and neighboring environment on the movement probability of the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus. In a "two patches" experiment, we used radiofrequency identification tags to study the C.

A multilevel analysis of factors influencing the flow efficiency of the cataract surgery process in hospitals.

Purpose: To detect factors contributing to variation in cataract surgery processes.

Methods: A multilevel study was conducted to compare the process of cataract surgery between hospitals in Belgium. The main data were collected through non-participative observations and time measurements in four hospitals.

Effects of physician-owned specialized facilities in health care: a systematic review.

Background: Multiple studies have investigated physician-owned specialized facilities (specialized hospitals and ambulatory surgery centres). However, the evidence is fragmented and the literature lacks cohesion.

Objectives: To provide a comprehensive overview of the effects of physician-owned specialized facilities by synthesizing the findings of published empirical studies.

Cover cropping alters the diet of arthropods in a banana plantation: a metabarcoding approach.

Plant diversification using cover crops may promote natural regulation of agricultural pests by supporting alternative prey that enable the increase of arthropod predator densities. However, the changes in the specific composition of predator diet induced by cover cropping are poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that the cover crop can significantly alter the diet of predators in agroecosystems.

Structured reporting: if, why, when, how-and at what expense? Results of a focus group meeting of radiology professionals from eight countries.

Purpose: To determine why, despite growing evidence that radiologists and referring physicians prefer structured reporting (SR) to free text (FT) reporting, SR has not been widely adopted in most radiology departments.

Methods: A focus group was formed consisting of 11 radiology professionals from eight countries. Eight topics were submitted for discussion.

Exceptional longevity in the tephritid, Ceratitis rosa, a close relative of the Mediterranean fruit fly.

This study shows that the fruit fly, Ceratitis rosa (Karsch), has a significantly longer life span than the medfly, C. capitata (Wiedemann); the species used as a model organism for the demographics of insect aging. This was somewhat surprising given that both have similar distributions and overlapping niches.

Effect of Allium fistulosum Extract on Ralstonia solanacearum Populations and Tomato Bacterial Wilt.

To control bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum, phylotype IIB/4NPB), the antimicrobial effect of Allium fistulosum aqueous extract was assessed as a preplant soil treatment. Three concentrations of extract (100, 50, and 25%, 1:1 [wt/vol]) were evaluated by in vitro inhibition assay and in vivo experiments in a growth chamber. In vitro, A.

Effect of environment and fallow period on Cosmopolites sordidus population dynamics at the landscape scale.

Understanding how the population dynamics of insect pests are affected by environmental factors and agricultural practices is important for pest management. To investigate how the abundance of the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is related to environmental factors and the length of the fallow period in Martinique, we developed an extensive data set (18,130 observations of weevil abundance obtained with pheromone traps plus associated environmental data) and analysed it with generalized mixed-effects models. At the island scale, C.

How do referring clinicians want radiologists to report? Suggestions from the COVER survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate what referring clinicians suggest when asked how the quality of radiology reports can be improved. METHODS: At the end of the questionnaire of the COVER survey, a bi-national quantitative survey on the radiology report among referring physicians, clinical specialists and general practitioners were able to freely enter suggestions with regard to improving the quality of the report. These suggestions were isolated from the quantitative results.

Variability of CT contrast enhancement in the pancreas: a cause for concern?

Background: Multidetector CT is a valuable technique for diagnosis/staging in several pancreatic pathologies. Diagnosis is usually based on tissue density measurements. Recently, newer functional CT techniques have been introduced.

Do hospital physicians' attitudes change during PACS implementation? A cross-sectional acceptance study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a better insight into the reasons why hospital physicians accept and use a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Two research questions are put forward, pertaining to (1) factors that contribute to physicians' acceptance of PACS, and (2) whether these factors change as physicians gain experience in using PACS.

Methods: Questionnaires were administered at three moments in time during the PACS implementation process in a private hospital: just before its introduction (T1), four months later (T2), and about fifteen months after the introduction of PACS (T3).

Correlation of contrast-detail analysis and clinical image quality assessment in chest radiography with a human cadaver study.

Purpose: To determine the correlation between the clinical and physical image quality of chest images by using cadavers embalmed with the Thiel technique and a contrast-detail phantom.

Materials And Methods: The use of human cadavers fulfilled the requirements of the institutional ethics committee. Clinical image quality was assessed by using three human cadavers embalmed with the Thiel technique, which results in excellent preservation of the flexibility and plasticity of organs and tissues.

Tissue perfusion in pathologies of the pancreas: assessment using 128-slice computed tomography.

Purpose: Perfusion CT can provide information regarding blood perfusion and permeability in (tumor) tissues in a non-invasive manner. In this study, values of CT perfusion parameters in several pancreas pathologies were determined and compared to a control population.

Materials And Methods: Dynamic 128-slice perfusion CT was performed in patients admitted to the radiology department between June 2010 and March 2011.

Should I stay or should I go? A habitat-dependent dispersal kernel improves prediction of movement.

The analysis of animal movement within different landscapes may increase our understanding of how landscape features affect the perceptual range of animals. Perceptual range is linked to movement probability of an animal via a dispersal kernel, the latter being generally considered as spatially invariant but could be spatially affected. We hypothesize that spatial plasticity of an animal's dispersal kernel could greatly modify its distribution in time and space.

Assessment of tumor vascularization in pancreatic adenocarcinoma using 128-slice perfusion computed tomography imaging.

Objective: Computed tomography (CT) perfusion studies can provide valuable information regarding tumor vascularization. We report on a study assessing CT perfusion characteristics in the normal pancreas and in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Twenty healthy subjects and 20 patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic adenocarcinoma were included in the study after written informed consent and approval by our institutional review board.

Assessment of neovascular permeability in a pancreatic tumor model using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI with contrast agents of different molecular weights.

Object: We evaluated the relationship of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)-derived pharmacokinetic parameters and contrast agents with different molecular weights (MW) in a pancreatic tumor mouse model.

Materials And Methods: Panc02 tumors were induced in mice at the hind leg. DCE-MRI was performed using Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents with different MW: Gd-DOTA (0.

Noninvasive monitoring of therapy-induced microvascular changes in a pancreatic cancer model using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with P846, a new low-diffusible gadolinium-based contrast agent.

A predictive technique in the management of patients with cancer could improve the therapeutic index by allowing better individualization of treatment. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is a noninvasive technique that can provide anatomical and physiological information on the tumor and its microenvironment. We studied the effect of chemotherapy (gemcitabine), anti-angiogenesis therapy (sunitinib) and radiotherapy on the kinetics of DCE-MRI parameters in a preclinical model of pancreatic cancer using P846, a new low-diffusible contrast agent.