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Background: Canine panosteitis is a self-limiting developmental orthopedic disease that, despite its name, causes bone marrow adipocyte degeneration and replacement by fibrous tissue. Pain-related lameness is the main clinical sign in young dogs from predisposed breeds such as German Shepherd. Etiology is unknown, and characteristic radiographic sign is increased medullary opacity of affected bone. This case series describes clinical course, radiographic findings, therapy and vaccination schemes adopted in four non-related German Shepherd dogs affected by panosteitis and attended sequentially at a private veterinary diagnostic center. Case presentation: Lameness was the unanimous clinical sign, accompanied by increased medullary radiopacity of the affected bone. Prescription medication included analgesic drugs and in two cases, nutraceuticals. Calcium supplement was prescribed for one of the dogs, but it was not administered by the owner. All dogs had full recovery from 2 to 14 days followed drug administration. Despite commonly described features, a high number of vaccine doses per patient, in the first months of age, were an intriguing observation, raising question about vaccination and the immune system influence in triggering such diseases in predisposed dogs. Conclusions: Although a common disease, panosteitis etiology remains undefined. Under this scenario and the presented cases, further research in order to revise vaccination protocols is advised for panosteitis predisposed breeds such as German Shepherd. Besides, local veterinary clinicians' unawareness of the disease was evident in many aspects and affected therapeutic prescription although not compromising patient recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate insecticide toxicity to Doru luteipes (Scudder), a major predator of maize pests. Lethal and sublethal effects were assessed on nymphs and adults exposed to the insecticides through contact (maize leaves) and ingestion (prey eggs) routes. Tested insecticides included a biopesticide (Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus, SfMNPV), modern (flubendiamide and metaflumizone), and older neurotoxins (imidacloprid + β-cyfluthrin). The imidacloprid/β-cyfluthrin mix was highly toxic (100% mortality) to the predator, regardless of the exposure route and predator stage. Metaflumizone caused mortality higher than 95% and 45% of nymphs and adults. Flubendiamide and SfMNPV were the least toxic insecticides, not differing from the untreated control in any of the assessed endpoints. Adult tibial length did not differ among treatments. Metaflumizone impaired egg consumption by nymphs and walking distance of adult D. luteipes. Overall, the insecticides caused a more pronounced effect on D. luteipes nymphs than on adults and were more toxic by the contact route. From these findings, flubendiamide and SfMNPV are safer for D. luteipes and should head insecticide choice in integrated pest management programs in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work addresses the problem of disturbance rejection for discrete-time linear uncertain systems through an event-triggered control. Assuming that the disturbances are generated by an exosystem and only the output of the plant is available for measurement, an observer-based event-triggered controller to ensure the robust asymptotic stability and the disturbance rejection in steady-state is proposed. Considering this setup, LMI-based conditions that ensure the perfect asymptotic disturbance rejection are derived and a convex optimization problem is proposed to systematically compute the event-triggering strategy parameters aiming at reducing the control updates. Since the perfect asymptotic rejection of non-constant disturbances degenerates to periodic (i.e. time-triggered) updates of the control signal in steady-state, a practical disturbance rejection mechanism based on a relaxed triggering criterion and a corresponding convex optimization problem is also proposed. Numerical examples illustrate the efficiency of the proposed techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between science and religion in the education system of Roman-Catholic Portuguese society. In particular, we explored perceptions of the relationship between science and religion for religious education teachers. We surveyed 198 Portuguese religious education teachers about how they view science and religion. The questionnaires' results revealed a number of similarities: religious education teachers are highly involved in religious practices and exposed to science; they perceived a compatibility between science and religion; and they have an openness to dialogue between both. They do not adhere to anti-scientific perspectives, but they simultaneously try to limit what can be explained by science. Thus, an interpretative view of dialogue and/or integration seems to best explain the perceptions of religious education teachers of the relationship between science and religion. These findings allow a space of discussion, enabling teachers to possibly foster the science-religion dialogue in their contexts of pedagogical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we established two novel embryonic cell lines from the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis containing or not the naturally occurring symbiont bacteria Wolbachia, which were called wAflu1 and Aflu2, respectively. We also obtained wAflu1 without Wolbachia after tetracycline treatment, named wAflu1.tet. Morphofunctional characterization was performed to help elucidate the symbiont-host interaction in the context of energy metabolism regulation and molecular mechanisms of the immune responses involved. The presence of Wolbachia pipientis improves energy performance in A. fluviatilis cells; it affects the regulation of key energy sources such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, making the distribution of actin more peripheral and with extensions that come into contact with neighboring cells. Additionally, innate immunity mechanisms were activated, showing that the wAflu1 and wAflu1.tet cells are responsive after the stimulus using Gram negative bacteria. Therefore, this work confirms the natural, mutually co-regulating symbiotic relationship between W. pipientis and A. fluviatilis, modulating the host metabolism and immune pathway activation. The results presented here add important resources to the current knowledge of Wolbachia-arthropod interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture depends on the correct use of different methods for pest control, however the cultivation methods adopted for Solanaceae demands numerous pesticide applications. These products can be either harmful or selective to beneficial organisms, such as Coccinellidae predators. The aim of this study was to assess the physiological selectivity of insecticides, registered for tomato pest control, on Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). The maximum recommended field dosage of the insecticides spinetoram, spiromesifen, methoxyfenozide, metaflumizone, tebufenozide and methomyl was used. They were sprayed on eggs, third instar larvae, pupae and adults of H. axyridis using Potter´s tower; control treatment consisted of water. Methoxyfenozide didn't reduce any biological feature of the predator. Spiromesifen only reduced survival over time when sprayed on third instar larvae. Spinetoram shortened larval period and reduced survival of adults. When sprayed on larvae, metaflumizone reduced larval survival. Tebufenozide reduced egg viability, pupal period and larval survival over time. It is concluded that methoxyfenozide, spiromesifen and spinetoram are the least toxic to H. axyridis, and their usage should be prioritized in integrated pest management (IPM) programs; both tebufenozide and metaflumizone are harmful to some important biological features of the predator. Methomyl is highly toxic in controlled conditions, so its toxicity to H. axyridis should be confirmed in field and greenhouse tests, we also suggest further studies with the other compounds in different concentration and route of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti has emerged as a promising solution to manage the transmission of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in endemic areas across the globe. Through an efficient self-dispersing mechanism, and the ability to induce virus-blocking properties, Wolbachia offers an unmatched potential to gradually modify wild Ae. aegypti populations turning them unsuitable disease vectors. Here we describe a proof-of-concept field trial carried out in a small community of Niterói, greater Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following the release of Wolbachia-infected eggs, we report here a successful invasion and long-term establishment of the bacterium across the territory, as denoted by stable high-infection indexes (> 80%). We have also demonstrated that refractoriness to dengue and Zika viruses, either thorough oral-feeding or intra-thoracic saliva challenging assays, was maintained over the adaptation to the natural environment of Southeastern Brazil. These findings further support Wolbachia's ability to invade local Ae. aegypti populations and impair disease transmission, and will pave the way for future epidemiological and economic impact assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coffee crop hosts pests such as mites, mealybugs, and aphids which serve as food for the predator Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). The preservation of this chrysopid in coffee agroecosystem is very important to achieve sustainability of this agricultural sector, and can be obtained by applying low toxicity insecticides. The present study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of C. externa to azadiracthin, chlorpyrifos, ethiprole and teflubenzuron. Predator eggs, third instar larvae, pupae and adults were exposed to insecticides by Potter tower spraying. When evaluating exposure of C. externa eggs we observed that chlorpyrifos, ethiprole and teflubenzuron reduced larvae hatching, while azadiracthin prolonged first instar duration. Meanwhile, the exposure of third instar larvae to chlorpyrifos and ethiprole caused mortality of all insects after 72 h, while azadiracthin prolonged the larval development time; we also observed that no compound allowed the formation of adults. After pupae were exposed to chlorpyrifos and teflubenzuron, it was observed a reduction on the emergence of adults, while the longevity of adults from these pupae and the evaluated reproductive parameters were reduced by all insecticides. For the bioassay with adults, chlorpyrifos, ethiprole and teflubenzuron reduced the longevity of insects, while the reproductive parameters evaluated were negatively affected after exposure to azadiracthin and teflubenzuron. It was concluded that all insecticides negatively affected at least one biological characteristic of the predator in at least one of the insect's developmental stages, requiring further research in semi-field and field conditions to prove its toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector-born diseases cause millions of deaths every year globally. Alternatives for the control of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are urgently needed and the use of transgenic mosquitoes that block parasite/virus is a sound strategy to be used within control programs. However, prior to use transgenic mosquitoes as control tools, it is important to study their fitness since different biological aspects might influence their ability to disseminate and compete with wild populations. We previously reported the construction of four transgenic Aedes fluviatilis mosquito lines expressing a Plasmodium- blocking molecule (mutated bee venom phospholipase A-mPLA). Presently we studied two aspects of their fitness: body size, that has been used as a fitness-related status, and the expression of major enzymes classes involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics, including insecticides. Body size analysis (recorded by geometric wing morphometrics) indicated that both male and female mosquitoes were larger than the non-transgenic counterparts, suggesting that this characteristic might have an impact on their overall fitness. By contrast, no significant difference in the activity of enzymes related to metabolic insecticide resistance was detected in transgenic mosquitoes. The implication on fitness advantage of these features, towards the implementation of this strategy, is further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the development of genetic manipulation of mosquito competence for malaria transmission. Information on the increased resistance of Plasmodium parasites against pesticides; Introduction of foreign genes into the germ line of culicine and anopheline mosquitoes; Strategies for malaria control.

Resistance to many arthropods, including Liriomyza species, is known to be present in accessions of Lycopersicon hirsutum (f. typicum or f. glabratum). From the cross L. esculentum cv. Moneymaker and L. hirsutum f. glabratum G1561 100 F2 plants were screened in a no-choice test for resistance to Liriomyza trifolii. The Bulked Segregant Analysis approach was used to find Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers linked to resistance. Two markers were located on chromosome 2. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms constructed a more detailed genetic linkage map for part of chromosome 2. Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed that this chromosome harbored a Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) for number of pupae, number of mines and damage. At least one major QTL is essential for resistance and this QTL is located on chromosome 2 nearby the location of the tomato probe TG451. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]