bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Toxicity of pesticides to predatory mites and insects in apple‐tree site under field conditions
Authors: Raudonis L. , Survilienė E. , Valiuškaitė A. 
Published: July 2004

AbstractVarious applications of active ingredients of six fungicides and three insecticides and acaricides at normally recommended dosages were tested on two predatory mite species (Amblyseius andersoni Chant and Anthoseius bakeri Garman) from the family Phytoseiidae and on two predatory insect species (Coccinella septempunctata L. Chrysopa perla L.) dominantly present on apple trees. Small differences were found between fungicide treatments. On the trees treated with six fungicide applications the predatory mites and insects survived and increased to a high level, often 20–40 phytoseiids per 100 leaves and 4–8 predatory insects per sample unit. Only the active ingredients tolylfluanid and myclobutanil resulted in lower densities of predatory mites (10–20 phytoseiids per 100 leaves). One application of insecticides‐acaricides (active ingredients: clofentezine, phosalone) showed no toxic effect on predatory mites and insects. Two applications of phosalone and one of alpha‐cypermethrine were slightly or moderately toxic. Two applications of alpha‐cypermethrine and eight routine sprays of various insecticides‐acaricides and fungicides were very toxic and resulted in the lowest maximum number of predatory mites and insects, approximately 0–10 phytoseiids per 100 leaves and 1–4 predatory insects per sample unit. The toxicity of pesticides to predatory mites and insects is based on the toxicity of the pesticide' active ingredient and the spray frequency. The active ingredients of fungicides and only one or two applications of insecticides and acaricides were not or slightly toxic and could be used in integrated pest management. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 291–295, 2004.
Increase of crustacean sensitivity to purified hepatotoxic cyanobacterial extracts by manipulation of experimental conditions
Authors: Drobniewska Agata , Tarczyńska Małgorzata , Mankiewicz Joanna , Jurczak Tomasz , Zalewski Maciej 
Published: July 2004

AbstractToxic cyanobacterial blooms are one of the most common consequences of water eutrophication. Microbiotests with crustaceans are not expensive and are easy to prepare for screening tests. They can be applied in the determination of bioactivity and interaction between toxic substances in water, including hepatotoxins. The principal aim of this study was to modify the standard conditions in the Thamnotoxkit F™ and Artoxkit M in order to increase crustacean sensitivity to purified cyanobacterial extracts containing microcystins. The results reported show that exposure time, higher temperature, and presence of DMSO can increase the sensitivity of microbiotests to microcystins. The best sensitivity with the Artemia salina test was achieved after a 48‐h exposure at 25°C. The tests using a 24‐h exposure at 27°C were the most sensitive for Thamnocephalus platyurus. The test without preincubation with DMSO provided the best correlation of microcystin concentration and LC50 for Thamnocephalus platyurus and is recommended. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 416–420, 2004.
Use of freshwater algae and duckweeds for phytotoxicity testing
Authors: Blinova Irina 
Published: July 2004

AbstractThe toxicity of contaminated water of different origins and chemicals [Cr(III), Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), pyrene] were tested using four test species: the alga Selenastrum capricornutum (new name Raphidocelis subcapitata), the duckweed Lemna minor, and the crustaceans Thamnocephalus platyurus and Daphnia magna. On the basis of the results obtained, the sensitivity of plant species and problems concerning the interpretation of the phytotoxicity data are discussed. The data indicated that the sensitivities of crustaceans and plant species both to individual contaminants and to mixtures are unpredictable and that there is no reason to consider plant species less sensitive than animal species. Lemna minor is more sensitive than Selenastrum capricornutum. With colored samples, duckweed is preferable for toxicity testing. To raise the predictive utility of the phytotoxicity data, it is recommended that natural water be used in the test procedure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 425–428, 2004.
A novel approach for phytotoxicity assessment by CCD fluorescence imaging
Authors: Gavel Alan , Maršálek Blahoslav 
Published: July 2004

AbstractRapidity, cost effectiveness, ecological reliability, and the possibility of the direct interpretation of bioassay results are the main motivations for the development of new approaches in ecotoxicity testing. Color, turbidity, and nutrient content are factors of great importance in phytotoxicity testing of natural samples. Some algal bioassay end points are markedly influenced by such factors or are impossible to estimate in their presence. An algal toxicity test applicable as an early‐warning system has to be able to give a signal in the shortest time possible (hours). We used CCD fluorescence imaging to evaluate toxicity effects in algae, cyanobacteria, and vascular plants, and the data were compared with standard end points. Plant physiologists use this device mainly for photosynthesis research, but common photosynthetic parameters used to characterize chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm, F0, and Fm) or its quenching (NPQ) have only limited ecotoxicological applicability. Previously published estimations based on the geometrical complement to measured data (complementary area) in the fast kinetics (Kautsky effect) respond especially to pollutants affecting electron transport in the PSII. We recommend using a definite integral value combined with relative fluorescence decay (Rfd) to obtain a sensitive and fast toxicity response. Our approach integrates more mechanisms of toxicity (effects on membranes, proton pump, ATP synthesis, etc.) and improves the toxicity signal, which is more ecotoxicologically relevant. This method can give results after 2–6 h of exposure and is especially useful as an early‐warning system and for the toxicity assessment of environmental samples with unknown nutrient status. Results with our approach after 4–6 h are comparable with those obtained with a 96‐h standard algal assay. A similar methodical approach can be applied for toxicity evaluation of plants or lichens, or for in situ ecotoxicological studies of microphytobenthos communities. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 429–432, 2004.
Role of the cervico-ocular reflex in the “flying” pigeon: Interactions with the optokinetic reflex
Authors: MAURICE M. , GIOANNI H. 
Published: July 2004

We studied the cervico-ocular reflex (COR) alone and in combination with the optokinetic (OKN) reflex in head-fixed pigeons. We analyzed these responses in two behavioral conditions: (1) animals were hung in a harness (“resting” condition); and (2) animals were additionally submitted to a frontal airflow that provoked a flight posture (“flying” condition). In both conditions, cervical stimulation provoked a slow phase of very low gain (around 0.05) in the opposite direction to that of the stimulation and fast phases triggered near the head–body alignment in the same direction as the stimulation. The slow phase showed a phase lag of 20 deg at 0.5 Hz. The gain of the slow phase was not modified by the velocity, amplitude, or frequency of the stimuli. This gain was not changed by the presence of a fixed visual surround.When cervical stimuli (0.05–0.5 Hz) were added to an optokinetic stimulation (30 deg/s) in the “resting” condition, the slow phase velocity (SPV) of the optokinetic reflex was modulated with a time course close to that produced by the cervico-ocular reflex alone. The SPV was alternately increased and decreased round the SPV level corresponding to the steady-state OKN. In the “flying” condition, optokinetic-cervical stimulation provoked an eye beating field and a strong SPV modulation synchronized with the position of the cervical stimulation. The number of nystagmic beats (OKN) and the amplitude and velocity of the fast phases were modulated in correlation with the SPV. Consequently, the optokinetic response was increased or decreased according to whether the cervical stimuli were in the reverse direction or in the same direction as the optokinetic stimulation, respectively.These data are interpreted as an improvement of gaze stabilization by the COR. This mechanism is context dependent, since it is strongly reinforced during the flight.
Competencies for effective public health nutrition practice: a developing consensus
Authors: Hughes Roger 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjectives:To assess the level of consensus amongst an international panel of public health nutrition leaders regarding the essential competencies required for effective public health nutrition practice.Design:A modified Delphi study involving three rounds of questionnaires.Subjects:A panel of 20 public health nutrition experts from seven countries in the European Union, the USA and Australia.Results:Expert panellists completed three rounds of the study relating to competencies. A literature review conducted as a prelude to the expert panel survey identified common competency units from the fields of public health, health promotion, nutrition and dietetics, and health education. These were categorised into seven competency areas including analytical, socio-cultural and political, public health service, communication, management and leadership, nutrition science and professional competency categories. There was strong initial agreement (≥90% of panellists at Round 1) that developing internationally recognised competencies for public health nutrition specialists was a priority. Twenty-six of an initial listing of 52 competency units were rated as essential competencies by ≥80% of the panellists after Round 1. Iteration rounds resulted in the addition of five extra competency units suggested by panellists after Round 1 and an increase by 13 in the number of competencies rated as essential to consensus levels. From a total of 57 competency units rated after the final survey round, 41 competency units were rated as essential competencies by ≥80% of the panellists (consensus), with 21 of these unanimously rated as essential competencies.Conclusions:There is strong international agreement amongst public health nutrition leaders in Europe, the USA and Australia about a range of competencies required for effective public health nutrition practice. Essential competency units identified can be used to develop and review competency standards for public health nutrition.
Public health nutrition and food policy
Authors: Caraher Martin , Coveney John 
Published: July 2004

AbstractFood in its many manifestations allows us to explore the global control of health and to examine the ways in which food choice is moulded by many interests. The global food market is controlled by a small number of companies who operate a system that delivers ‘cheap’ food to the countries of the developed world. This ‘cheap’ food comes at a price, which externalises costs to the nation state in terms of health consequences (diabetes, coronary heart disease and other food-related diseases) and to the environment in terms of pollution and the associated clean-up strategies. Food policy has not to any great extent dealt with these issues, opting instead for an approach based on nutrition, food choice and biomedical health. Ignoring wider elements of the food system including issues of ecology and sustainability constrains a broader understanding within public health nutrition. Here we argue that public health nutrition, through the medium of health promotion, needs to address these wider issues of who controls the food supply, and thus the influences on the food chain and the food choices of the individual and communities. Such an upstream approach to food policy (one that has been learned from work on tobacco) is necessary if we are seriously to influence food choice.
Secular trends in diet among elderly Swedes – cohort comparisons over three decades
Authors: Eiben G , Andersson CS , Rothenberg E , Sundh V , Steen B , Lissner L 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjective:The purpose of this study was to compare dietary practices among different birth cohorts of 70-year-old Swedes, who were examined between 1971 and 2000.Setting:Göteborg, Sweden.Design:Four population-based samples of 1360 70-year-olds, born in 1901, 1911, 1922 and 1930, have undergone health examinations and dietary assessments over a period of almost three decades. One-hour diet history (DH) interviews were conducted in 1971, 1981, 1992 and 2000 with a total of 758 women and 602 women. The formats and contents of the dietary examinations were similar over the years. Statistical analysis of linear trends was conducted, using year of examination as the independent variable, to detect secular trends in food and nutrient intakes across cohorts.Results:At the 2000 examination, the majority of 70-year-olds consumed nutritionally adequate diets. Later-born cohorts consumed more yoghurt, breakfast cereals, fruit, vegetables, chicken, rice and pasta than earlier-born cohorts. Consumption of low-fat spread and milk also increased, along with that of wine, light beer and candy. In contrast, potatoes, cakes and sugar were consumed less in 2000 than in 1971. The ratio of reported energy intake to estimated basal metabolic rate did not show any systematic trend over time in women, but showed a significant upward trend in men.Conclusions:The diet history method has captured changes in food selections in the elderly without changing in general format over three decades. Dietary quality has improved in a number of ways, and these findings in the elderly are consistent with national food consumption trends in the general population.
The relationship between education and food consumption in the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey
Authors: Worsley Anthony , Blaschea Roswitha , Ball Kylie , Crawford David 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjective:To assess the relationship between education and the intake of a variety of individual foods, as well as groups of foods, for Australian men and women in different age groups.Design:Cross-sectional national survey of free-living men and women.Subjects:A sample of 2501 men and 2739 women aged 18 years and over who completed the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 1995.Methods:Information about the frequency of consumption of 88 food items was obtained using a food-frequency questionnaire in a nation-wide nutrition survey. Irregular and regular consumers of foods were identified according to whether they consumed individual foods less than or more than once per month. The relationship between single foods and an index of education (no post-school qualifications, vocational, university) was analysed via contingency table chi-square statistics for men and women. Food group variety scores were derived by assigning individual foods to conventional food group taxonomies, and then summing the dichotomised intake scores for individual foods within each food group. Two-way analyses of variance (education by age groups) were performed on food variety scores for men and women, separately.Results:While university-educated men and women consumed many individual foods more regularly than less-educated people, they were less likely to be regular consumers of several meat products. The relationship between education and food consumption was less apparent when individual food scores were aggregated into food group scores. University-educated men and women exhibited higher scores on total food group variety than the other educational groups.Conclusions:Higher education is associated with the regular consumption of a wider variety of foods. Aggregation of individual food consumption indices into food variety scores may mask the apparent effects of educational background on food consumption.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescent Tehrani students, 2000–2001: an epidemic health problem
Authors: Mohammadpour-Ahranjani B , Rashidi A , Karandish M , Eshraghian MR , Kalantari N 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjective:Overweight has become a public health problem in most developing countries. Evidence suggests that adolescence is a critical period in determining adulthood obesity and its complications. The present study was carried out to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school students.Design and setting:This descriptive study was conducted in Tehran city, 2000–2001. Body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) values were calculated. Underweight, overweight and obesity were defined as <5th, ≥85th and ≥95th percentile, respectively, of age- and sex-specific BMI values from the National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000).Subjects:Using a multistage sampling method, 2321 students (1068 males and 1253 females) aged 11–16 years were assessed in Tehran, the capital city of Iran.Results:The overall prevalences of overweight and obesity were 21.1 and 7.8%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight among girl students (i.e. 23.1%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 20.8–25.4) was significantly higher than that among boys (i.e. 18.8%; 95% CI 16.5–21.1, P = 0.01) even after adjustment for age (odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.03–1.55, P = 0.02). No significant risk of obesity associated with age was found in girls or boys. In both sexes, median values of age-specific BMI in this study were statistically higher than corresponding values collected in Tehrani adolescents 10 years ago (P = 0.03). Similarly, a significant difference was seen between girl students in this study and the reference population (P = 0.03).Conclusion:According to this study, overweight, especially in girls, should be considered an epidemic health problem among adolescent students in Tehran.
Promotions to increase lower-fat food choices among students in secondary schools: description and outcomes of TACOS (Trying Alternative Cafeteria Options in Schools)
Authors: Fulkerson Jayne A , French Simone A , Story Mary , Nelson Helen , Hannan Peter J 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjectives:(1) To describe promotional activities, particularly student-led, targeting lower-fat à la carte foods that were conducted in secondary schools; and (2) to describe the relationships between the number and duration of total promotional activities for lower-fat à la carte foods and cafeteria sales of such foods over two years.Design:Promotional activities were implemented in schools that were randomised to the intervention condition of a larger, two-year, school-based, randomised, controlled nutrition intervention trial.Setting:Ten Minnesota secondary schools.Subjects:Students and school faculty, school food-service and research staff (measured at the school level).Results:Over two years, 181 promotions were implemented (n= 49 in Year 1 andn= 132 in Year 2). In Year 1, the number of promotions conducted in schools was significantly associated with percentage lower-fat food sales. In Year 2, the duration of promotions was significantly associated with percentage lower-fat food sales.Conclusions:Collaborative efforts among students, school food-service staff and research staff can be successful in implementing a large number of nutrition-related, school-wide promotional activities. These efforts can increase the sales of lower-fat foods in à la carte areas of school cafeterias.
A review of the effectiveness of agriculture interventions in improving nutrition outcomes
Authors: Berti Peter R , Krasevec Julia , FitzGerald Sian 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjectives:To review the impact of agriculture interventions on nutritional status in participating households, and to analyse the characteristics of interventions that improved nutrition outcomes.Design:We identified and reviewed reports describing 30 agriculture interventions that measured impact on nutritional status. The interventions reviewed included home gardening, livestock, mixed garden and livestock, cash cropping, and irrigation. We examined the reports for the scientific quality of the research design and treatment of the data. We also assessed whether the projects invested in five types of ‘capital’ (physical, natural, financial, human and social) as defined in the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, a conceptual map of major factors that affect people's livelihoods.Results:Most agriculture interventions increased food production, but did not necessarily improve nutrition or health within participating households. Nutrition was improved in 11 of 13 home gardening interventions, and in 11 of 17 other types of intervention. Of the 19 interventions that had a positive effect on nutrition, 14 of them invested in four or five types of capital in addition to the agriculture intervention. Of the nine interventions that had a negative or no effect on nutrition, only one invested in four or five types of capital.Conclusions:Those agriculture interventions that invested broadly in different types of capital were more likely to improve nutrition outcomes. Those projects which invested in human capital (especially nutrition education and consideration of gender issues), and other types of capital, had a greater likelihood of effecting positive nutritional change, but such investment is neither sufficient nor always necessary to effect change.
Are infant feeding options that are recommended for mothers with HIV acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe? Pregnant women's perspectives
Authors: Manuela de Paoli Marina , Manongi Rachel , Klepp Knut-Inge 
Published: July 2004

AbstractObjective:To investigate pregnant women's views on infant feeding options recommended for HIV-infected women.Design:A structured interview survey complemented with focus group discussions.Setting:Antenatal clinics in Moshi urban and rural districts of Tanzania.Subjects:Five hundred pregnant women participated in the interview survey and 46 pregnant women participated in six focus group discussions.Results:Participating women reported that they would change to an alternative infant feeding method if they were found to be HIV-infected and were advised to do so. Cow's milk was regarded as the most feasible infant feeding method for local HIV-infected mothers. Infant feeding formula was regarded as too costly, but if recommended by health workers and distributed free of charge, the majority of the women (82%) were confident that they would then choose this option. In the focus group discussions, women were less optimistic and expressed great concern for the social consequences of not breast-feeding. The safety of exclusive breast-feeding was questioned. Less common infant feeding methods, such as expressed heat-treated breast milk and wet-nursing, were not regarded as viable options. Several social barriers to replacement feeding were identified in the focus group discussions, including possible lack of support from partner and potential negative reactions from the community.Conclusion:Future research on infant feeding options should include the broader cultural context and the psychological stress that HIV-infected women face when choosing infant feeding methods.