Effectiveness and costs of the recruitment strategies used in the MetA-Bone trial, a randomized clinical trial to test the effects of soluble corn fiber supplementation for 1 year in children.

Background: Pediatric recruitment into clinical trials is very challenging. A recruitment plan was designed to recruit healthy children (9-14 years) in a trial testing the 1-year effect of corn soluble fiber supplementation on bone mass. We evaluated the effectiveness and costs of the recruitment strategies used in this trial.

Fewer bowl traps and more hand netting can increase effective number of bee species and reduce excessive captures.

Reports increasingly point to substantial declines in wild bee abundance and diversity, yet there is uncertainty about how best to measure these attributes in wild bee populations. Two commonly used methods are passive trapping with bee bowls or active netting of bees on flowers, but each of these has drawbacks. Comparing the outcomes of the two methods is complicated by their uncomparable units of effort.

Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies.

Butterflies and bees contribute significantly to grassland biodiversity and play important roles as pollinators and herbivores. Grassland conservation and management must be seen through the lens of insect conservation and management if these species are to thrive. In North America, grasslands are a product of climate and natural disturbances such as fire and grazing.