Publications by authors named "Robert W Matthews"

The analyses of malpractice closed claims conducted by the AANA Foundation Closed Claims Research Team are scientific studies of adverse anesthetic events where a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist was identified as potentially contributing to the outcome. From July 2013 to March 2014, the AANA Foundation Closed Claims Researchers evaluated 245 closed claims from the CNA Insurance Companies spanning from 2003 to 2012. An adverse event leading to death occurred in 87 of the claims.

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A retrospective, exploratory research design was used to analyze salient characteristics and patterns associated with closed claims involving Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in which a respiratory event caused the adverse outcome. Alleged malpractice acts found in these claims occurred between 2003 and 2012. Respiratory events were the most frequent cause of adverse outcomes in the current database (34%).

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Melittobia, a polyphagous pupal parasitoid of many solitary bees and wasps, has a complex courtship display, the evolutionary history of which is poorly understood. The current phylogeny of this genus suggests the complexity of the courtship has increased over time. We test this hypothesis using Bayesian and Maximum likelihood techniques to construct a molecular phylogeny of Melittobia-the first for this genus using modern techniques--using two intergenic regions (Internal Transcribed Spacer regions 1 and 2) and Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (CO1), and reconstruct the ancestral state of each major node in the phylogeny for five behaviors coincidental to major shifts in display complexity.

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In morphology, coloration, and size, Pseudabispa wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) closely resemble mason wasps in the genus Abispa, and their distributions overlap. Although these two genera are among the largest solitary wasps in Australia, the biology of Pseudabispa was not previously known. Field observations from near Katherine, Northern Territory, strongly suggest that P.

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We investigated two populations of Melittobia digitata Dahms, a gregarious parasitoid (primarily upon a wide range of solitary bees, wasps, and flies), in search of Wolbachia infection. The first population, from Xalapa, Mexico, was originally collected from and reared on Mexican fruit fly pupae, Anastrepha ludens Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae); the other, from Athens, Georgia, was collected from and reared on prepupae of mud dauber wasps, Trypoxylon politum Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). PCR studies of the ITS2 region corroborated that both parasitoid populations were the same species; this potentially provides a useful molecular taxonomic profile since females of Melittobia species are superficially similar.

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As parasitoids upon solitary bees and wasps and their nest cohabitants, Melittobia have an intricate life history that involves both female cooperation and variably expressed male siblicidal conflict. Inter- and intrasexual dimorphism includes blind, flightless males and (probably nutritionally determined) short- and long-winged females. Thought to be highly inbred, Melittobia do not conform to local mate competition (LMC) theory but exhibit simple forms of many social insect traits, including overlapping adult generations, different female phenotypes, close kinship ties, parental care, and altruistic cooperative escape behaviors.

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We describe a simple method for obtaining good a quantity of pure venom from a small parasitoid wasp, Melittobia digitata. Crushing the insect's head causes venom to be extruded from the ovipositor that dries rapidly as it is collected onto an insect pin. This technique may be applicable to other parasitic Hymenoptera.

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The first male-produced sex attractant pheromone in the parasitic Hymenoptera has been identified. The elaborate courtship behavior of Melittobia digitata, an idiobiont that parasitizes the last larval instar or the pupal stage of solitary bees and wasps, involves a series of coordinated movements of legs, wings, and antennae, initiated after the female is attracted to the blind, flightless male. We identified alpha- and beta-trans-bergamotene as the active compounds of the male M.

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