<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitex agnus-castus</Emphasis> is a Preferred Host Plant for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hyalesthes obsoletus</Emphasis>

Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret (Homoptera: Cixiidae) is a polyphagous planthopper that transmits stolbur phytoplasma (a causative agent of yellows disease) to various weeds, members of the Solanaceae, and wine grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) in Europe and the Middle East. Planthoppers were collected by hand vacuuming eight native plant species. Vitex agnus-castus L., a shrub in the Verbenaceae, hosted the largest number of H. obsoletus, although Olea europaea L. also served as a host for adults. Using a Y-olfactometer, we compared the planthoppers relative preference for V. agnus-castus, Convolvulus arvensis, and V. vinifera. V. agnus-castus was more attractive to both male and female H. obsoletus than the other plants. H. obsoletus antennal response was stronger to volatiles collected from V. agnus-castus than from Cabernet Sauvignon variety of V. vinifera. To determine if V. agnus-castus would serve as a reservoir for the pathogen, H. obsoletus were collected from leaf and stem samples of native V. agnus-castus, and were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of phytoplasma DNA. While 14% and 25% (2003 and 2004, respectively) of the insects tested positive for phytoplasma DNA, none of the plant samples tested positive. To determine if V. agnus-castus could serve as a host plant for the development of the planthopper, we placed emergence cages beneath field shrubs and enclosed wild-caught H. obsoletus in a cage with a potted young shrub. We found adult H. obsoletus in the emergence cases and planthopper nymphs in the soil of the potted plant. We concluded that V. agnus-castus is attractive to H. obsoletus, which seems to be refractory to phytoplasma infections and warrants further testing as a trap plant near vineyards.     

Perceptual concommitants of racial attitudes in urban grade-school children.

Investigated children's racial attitudes and their concomitant perceptual responses in a 2-part study. In Phase 1, a total of 400 2nd, 4th and 6th graders at 2 racially integrated urban elementary schools were given a battery of 4 attitude tests (e.g., the Projective Prejudice Test). In Phase 2, a subsample of 96 Ss were classified into high- and low-prejudice groups on the basis of attitude scores and judged the similarity of pictures of facial pairs. Stimuli varied as to color, shade, expression, and hair type. A 4-way factorial design was employed (Grade * Prejudice Level * Race of Subject * Race of Examiner). Findings indicate that the various ways of assessing Ss' racial attitudes were not equivalent. Some instruments were strongly affected by developmental and racial factors, whereas others were not. Correlations between indices were low. Findings in Phase 2 indicated that racial attitudes do have perceptual correlates, particularly for white children. Race-related cues were accentuated by high-prejudice children, whereas non-race-related ones were less salient. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Getting academic jobs: Are women equally qualified—and equally successful?

Two studies compared the contents of 66 male and 31 female job applicants' curriculum vitae and letters of recommendation to determine whether there were differences in their actual accomplishments or how they were perceived by their recommenders. A follow-up compared the types of jobs Ss ultimately obtained. Overall results indicate that while females were at least as well qualified as males, they tended to obtain jobs with lower statuses and at institutions of lower prestige, possibly due to the greater experience of the males. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lead, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in plaster and mortar from structures in Jasper and Newton Counties, Missouri (Tri-State Mining District)

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate anecdotal evidence that within Jasper and Newton Counties, Missouri, two counties within the Tri-State Mining District, granular mine tailings were commonly used in place of river sands in wall plasters and mortar. Interior wall plaster and mortar samples from structures in this mining district were analyzed for lead, cadmium, and zinc, and compared to samples from Springfield, MO (comparison site). The Jasper and Newton County samples showed elevated concentrations of the three elements, consistent with the inclusion of mine tailings, with a number of samples containing lead and cadmium at concentrations greater than EPA remediation targets for yard soil. X-ray diffraction studies showed the presence of the zinc ore minerals, sphalerite and hemimorphite, in high level samples. Thin section optical studies identified the major component of the aggregate as chert, a mineral abundant within the tailing piles. Because dust from crumbling plaster and mortar could represent an avenue for significant heavy metal exposure to building occupants, we suggest that there may be associated health consequences that should be further evaluated.     

Geochemical stability of chromium in sediments from the lower Hackensack River, New Jersey

Elevated levels of chromium, partly attributable to historical disposal of chromite ore processing residue, are present in sediment along the eastern shore of the lower Hackensack River near the confluence with Newark Bay. Due to anaerobic conditions in the sediment, the chromium is in the form of Cr(III), which poses no unacceptable risks to human health or to the river ecology. However, as water quality conditions have improved since the 1970s, aerobic conditions have become increasingly prevalent in the overlying water column. If these conditions result in oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI), either under quiescent conditions or during severe weather or anthropogenic scouring events, the potential for adverse ecological effects due to biological exposures to Cr(VI) is possible, though the reaction kinetics associated with oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) are unfavorable. To investigate the stability of Cr(III) in Hackensack River sediments exposed to oxic conditions, sediment suspension and oxidation experiments and intertidal sediment exposure experiments that exposed the sediments to oxic conditions were conducted. Results revealed no detectable concentrations of Cr(VI), and thus no measurable potential for total chromium oxidation to Cr(VI). Furthermore, total chromium released from sediment to elutriate water in the oxidation and suspension experiments ranged from below detection (<0.01 mg/L) to 0.18 mg/L, below the freshwater National Recommended Water Quality Criteria (NRWQC) of 0.57 mg/L for Cr(III). These results support conclusions of a stable, in situ geochemical environment in sediments in the lower Hackensack River with respect to chromium. Results showed that chemicals other than Cr(VI), including copper, lead, mercury, zinc, and PCBs, were released at levels that may pose a potential for adverse ecological effects.     

Bioluminescence ATP monitoring as a surrogate marker for microbial load on hands and surfaces in the home

To evaluate the validity and reliability of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring as a surrogate marker for cleanliness, the kitchen table surface in 225 inner-city homes was sampled by microbiologic culture and by two types of biomass monitoring systems (HY-LiTEtrade mark 2 ATP System and HY-RiSE Colour Hygiene Test Strip, EM Science, Gibbstown, New Jersey, USA). A randomly selected hand of the homemaker (n = 225) was also cultured and sampled with the ATP monitoring system immediately after handwashing. Log microbial counts on hands ranged from 3.2 to 7.0 and from the table, 1.0 to 5.5. While the traditional ATP readings (HY-LiTE) and the color strips were significantly correlated (R = 0.18, P = 0.01), there was no significant correlation between the ATP monitor readings and the colony-forming units counts on either the hands (R = 0.03, P = 0.62) or the table (R = 0.04, P = 0.58). Such biomass measurements are not a substitute for quantitation of microbial load.     

The Effects of Marination and Cooking Regimes on the Waterbinding Properties and Tenderness of Beef and Bison Top Round Roasts

ABSTRACT: The combined effect of marination and different cooking regimes on the cooking yield and palat-ability of bison and beef top round roasts was investigated. Semimembranosus (SM) muscles from beef and bison top rounds were injected with a marinade to achieve 20% extension by weight and 0.5% sodium chloride and 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate levels and then subdivided into 4 roasts and cooked by following 4 cooking regimes: cooking at a constant temperature of 75°C (control; C); similar to the control treatment except that roasts were held at an internal temperature of 55°C for 45 min (Hold45) or 90 min (Hold90) prior to final cooking at 75°C; initial cooking at 55°C with a 5°C increase in oven temperature every hour (Step-up) until the 71°C internal temperature was achieved. Cooking yield, expressible moisture, purge, and shear force of processed roasts were determined. Marination by injection improved the yield and tenderness of beef and bison SM roasts. The cooking yield for injected samples (78%) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher compared with noninjected controls (68%). Injected SM roasts from bison had lower cooking losses than those from beef, whereas control samples from these 2 species did not differ in their cooking yields. Injected beef SM was more tender than bison SM; however, marination significantly reduced the shear force values of SM roasts for both species (i.e., shear force values of 82 N in control samples was reduced to 63 N in injected ones). The cooking regimes, Hold45, Hold90, and Step-up (which allowed a longer time at 55 to 60°C), gave products with lower ( P < 0.05) shear force values than those of the controls. Based on the cooking yield and time involved, the Hold 45 treatment performed the best.