Effect of Type of Mulch on Microbial Food Safety Risk on Cucumbers Irrigated with Contaminated Water.

Mulches are used to block light and retain soil moisture which may affect the survival of bacterial pathogens on soil. This study examined the effectiveness of different types of mulches to minimize microbial risk from contaminated water used for irrigation of cucumbers. A production bed of 120 ft with 18 beds (30 ft long) covered with five different types of mulch (paper, paper with fertilizer incorporated (PF), maize-based mulch, biodegradable plastic covering, and conventional plastic) including three beds with no cover was planted with Dasher 2 Variety cucumber.

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Semantic Receptive-Expressive Gap in Spanish-English Bilingual Children.

Purpose: Although a appears to be a universal feature of early bilingualism, little is known about its development. We sought to determine if the magnitude of the discrepancy between receptive and expressive standard scores changed over time in bilingual children's two languages.

Method: In this longitudinal study, standardized receptive and expressive semantics tests of 106 Spanish-English bilingual children with TD were taken at kindergarten and first grade in both English and Spanish.

Diverging landscape impacts on macronutrient status despite overlapping diets in managed () and native () bees.

Declining pollinator populations worldwide are attributed to multiple stressors, including the loss of quality forage. Habitat management in agricultural areas often targets honey bees ( L.) specifically, with the assumption that native bees will benefit from an 'umbrella species' strategy.

Psychometric Analyses of the Eating and Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire with University Students.

Objectives: This study developed and validated a questionnaire to measure young adults' perceived food literacy and behaviors toward food and created an explanatory model.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Large southeastern US university.

Class specific discrimination of volatile organic compounds using a quartz crystal microbalance based multisensor array.

The use of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor arrays for analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOC) has attracted significant interest in recent years. In this regard, a group of uniformed materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) has proven to be promising recognition elements in QCM based sensor arrays due to diverse properties afforded by this class of tunable materials. Herein, we examine the application of four novel phthalocyanine based GUMBOS as recognition elements for VOC sensing using a QCM based multisensor array (MSA).

Manganese is an additional cation that enhances colonial phase variation of Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus, an inhabitant of marine and estuarine environments around the world, is the leading cause of reported seafood-related deaths in the United States. Disease is caused by opaque colony-forming strains that produce capsular polysaccharide, loss of which results in an unencapsulated translucent phenotype with diminished virulence potential. Rugose is a third phenotypic variant of V.

Virtual colorimetric sensor array: single ionic liquid for solvent discrimination.

There is a continuing need to develop high-performance sensors for monitoring organic solvents, primarily due to the environmental impact of such compounds. In this regard, colorimetric sensors have been a subject of intense research for such applications. Herein, we report a unique virtual colorimetric sensor array based on a single ionic liquid (IL) for accurate detection and identification of similar organic solvents and mixtures of such solvents.

Cochlear trajectory in pediatric patients.

Objectives/hypothesis: As cochlear implantation increases, surgeons are noting possible anatomical differences in pediatric population. Outcome objectives were to study pediatric temporal bone anatomy using high-resolution temporal bone imaging, and analyze the anatomical differences in group 1 (<12 months) versus group 2 (1-4 years) versus group 3 (5-10 years) versus group 4 (10-18 years).

Study Design: Retrospective chart and radiologic review.

Post and during event effect of cell phone talking and texting on driving performance--a driving simulator study.

Objective: A number of studies have been done in the field of driver distraction, specifically on the use of cell phone for either conversation or texting while driving. Researchers have focused on the driving performance of drivers when they were actually engaged in the task; that is, during the texting or phone conversation event. However, it is still unknown whether the impact of cell phone usages ceases immediately after the end of task.

Comparison of the validity of four fall-related psychological measures in a community-based falls risk screening.

We examined the measurement properties offall-related psychological instruments with a sample of 133 older adults (M age = 74.4 years, SD = 9.4).

Calcium promotes exopolysaccharide phase variation and biofilm formation of the resulting phase variants in the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram-negative bacterium found in estuaries and coastal waters and is associated with human disease caused by ingestion of raw shellfish. Pathogenesis is directly related to the presence of capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Encapsulated virulent strains exhibit an opaque colony phenotype, while unencapsulated attenuated strains appear translucent.

Geographic, seasonal, and precipitation chemistry influence on the abundance and activity of biological ice nucleators in rain and snow.

Biological ice nucleators (IN) function as catalysts for freezing at relatively warm temperatures (warmer than -10 degrees C). We examined the concentration (per volume of liquid) and nature of IN in precipitation collected from Montana and Louisiana, the Alps and Pyrenees (France), Ross Island (Antarctica), and Yukon (Canada). The temperature of detectable ice-nucleating activity for more than half of the samples was > or = -5 degrees C based on immersion freezing testing.

The overt aggression scale for rating aggression in outpatient youth with autistic disorder: preliminary findings.

Aggression is a common and costly problem in youth with developmental disabilities. Rating scales that accurately capture and measure subtypes of aggression phenomenology, frequency and severity are urgently needed, in both clinical practice and research. The authors studied the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) in a preliminary sample of eight outpatients who participated in an ongoing placebo-controlled study of valproate for aggression in autism.

Reading nutrition labels and fat consumption in adolescents.

We studied the relationship between reading nutrition labels and percent calorie intake from fat. In adolescent boys, reading nutrition labels was associated with higher fat intake. In girls, fat intake did not differ by frequency of nutrition label reading.

Gender, smoking expectancies, and readiness to quit among urban African American smokers.

The relationship between smoking expectancies and readiness to quit as well as gender differences in expectancies and readiness to quit was examined among 484 urban African American smokers. Univariate analyses revealed that higher positive expectancies were generally associated with less readiness to quit and higher negative expectancies were associated with greater readiness to quit. A multivariable model indicated that stimulation/state enhancement, taste/sensorimotor manipulation, and weight control were most strongly related to intention to quit.

Use of a brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire for Adults (SCQ-A) in African American smokers.

Purposes of the present study were to (a) examine psychometric properties of a brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult (SCQ-A) among an African American sample and (b) explore differences in smoking expectancies across levels of smoking-nicotine dependence. Four hundred eighty-four smokers attending an urban health clinic completed the brief SCQ-A. Maximum likelihood factor extraction with a varimax rotation specifying 9 factors replicated 9 factors of the original SCQ-A.

Office systems and their influence on mammography use in rural and urban primary care.

Context: Breast cancer screening rates are lower in rural communities. Although studies have addressed barriers to mammography for rural residents, physician practice barriers have received less attention.

Purpose: Controlled clinical trials have shown that the use of office reminder systems in primary care practices is related to increased clinical care rates.

Predicting adoption of home smoking restriction by inner-city black smokers.

Objective: To identify predictors of future adoption of home smoking restriction (HSR), given that 40% of inner-city smokers report current HSR.

Design: Secondary analysis of data on smokers enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of bupropion hydrochloride for smoking cessation.

Setting: Community health center in Kansas City, Kan, from August 1, 2000, to December 31, 2001.

Quality of life in patients with allergic contact dermatitis.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), a common dermatological disorder, often results in ongoing disease and disability. However, relatively little has been published quantifying the quality of life (QoL) of patients with ACD.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the impact of ACD on QoL and explore prognostic factors that influence outcomes.

Impact of patient characteristics on physician's smoking cessation strategies.

Background: The effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions may be influenced by a variety of patient characteristics, including level of nicotine addiction and readiness to change. We conducted this study to examine the relationship between these characteristics and the frequency of physician-initiated smoking cessation interventions.

Methods: We identified smokers seen during office visits to 1 of 38 primary care physicians in rural Kansas.