Larinus minutus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been credited with the successful biological control of Centaurea diffusa Lamarck (Asteraceae) in British Columbia, Canada. However, another seed head-feeding weevil agent, Bangasternus fausti Reitter (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), has recently been detected on C. diffusa in British Columbia, and it is unclear how it is interacting with L. minutus. If phenological differences between the two species allow B. fausti to exclude L. minutus from seedheads, and if B. fausti continues to have a low survival rate, populations of C. diffusa may begin to resurge. As a first step in studying the interactions of L. minutus and B. fausti, we compared their phenology and life histories across their known Canadian range and explored the relationship between their abundance and environmental predictors. We quantified adult abundance in the field and collected seed heads from which we reared each species. We found that B. fausti is active earlier than L. minutus, but it is generally found in lower abundance. The abundance of B. fausti had a positive relationship with mean annual precipitation, whereas L. minutus did not have any significant relationship with environmental predictors. Taken together, our study clarifies the life history of B. fausti in Canada in relation to L. minutus. If B. fausti precludes colonisation of seedheads by L. minutus but remains a less effective agent, continued range expansion of B. fausti may reduce the efficacy of C. diffusa biological control.

Multicenter clinical trials are essential for evaluating interventions but often face significant challenges in study design, site coordination, participant recruitment, and regulatory compliance. To address these issues, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences established the Trial Innovation Network (TIN). The TIN offers a scientific consultation process, providing access to clinical trial and disease experts who provide input and recommendations throughout the trial’s duration, at no cost to investigators. This approach aims to improve trial design, accelerate implementation, foster interdisciplinary teamwork, and spur innovations that enhance multicenter trial quality and efficiency. The TIN leverages resources of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, complementing local capabilities at the investigator’s institution. The Initial Consultation process focuses on the study’s scientific premise, design, site development, recruitment and retention strategies, funding feasibility, and other support areas. As of 6/1/2024, the TIN has provided 431 Initial Consultations to increase efficiency and accelerate trial implementation by delivering customized support and tailored recommendations. Across a range of clinical trials, the TIN has developed standardized, streamlined, and adaptable processes. We describe these processes, provide operational metrics, and include a set of lessons learned for consideration by other trial support and innovation networks.

This work reports the X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data recorded at room temperature (293 K) of dibromidodioxido-[(4,4′-di-tert-butyl)-2,2′-bipyridine]molybdenum(VI). The analysis of the powder diffraction pattern led to an orthorhombic united cell with parameters a = 17.9205(23) Å, b = 13.4451(16) Å, c = 18.1514(19) Å, V = 4,373.5(11) Å3, and values of Z = 8 and Z’ = 2. The crystal structure of this material corresponds to the structure of entry IFUJEC of the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD), determined at 90 K. The excellent Rietveld refinement, carried out with General Structure and Analysis Software II (GSAS-II), showed the single-phase nature of the material and the good quality of the data. This material was also characterized by elemental analysis, UV–vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) techniques.

We evaluated sampling and detection methods for fungal contamination on healthcare surface materials, comparing the efficacy of foam sponges, flocked swabs, and Replicate Organism Detection And Counting (RODAC) plates alongside culture-based quantification and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Findings indicate that sponge sampling and qPCR detection performed best, suggesting a foundation for future studies aiming to surveillance practices for fungi.

The reward positivity (RewP) is an event-related potential that indexes reinforcement learning and reward system activation. The RewP has been shown to increase across adolescence; however, most studies have examined the RewP across two assessments, and no studies have examined within-person changes across adolescence into young adulthood. Moreover, the RewP has been identified as a neurobiological risk factor for adolescent-onset depression, but it is unclear whether childhood psychosocial risk factors might predict RewP development across adolescence. In a sample of 317 8- to 14-year-old girls (Mage = 12.4, SD = 1.8), the present study examined self-report measures of depression symptoms and stressful life events at baseline and the ΔRewP during the doors guessing task across three timepoints. Growth modeling indicated that, across all participants, the ΔRewP did not demonstrate linear change across adolescence. However, baseline anhedonia symptoms predicted within-person changes in the ΔRewP, such that individuals with low anhedonia symptoms demonstrated a linear increase in the ΔRewP, but individuals with high anhedonia symptoms had no change in the ΔRewP across adolescence. Similar patterns were observed for stressful life events. The present study suggests that childhood risk factors impact the development of reward-related brain activity, which might subsequently increase risk for psychopathology.

Unoccupied aerial application systems (UAAS) are gaining popularity for weed management to increase applicator safety and to deliver herbicide treatments where treatment sites limit ground-based spray equipment. Several studies have documented UAAS application strategies and procedures for weed control in terrestrial settings, yet literature describing remote spray technology for use in aquatics remains limited. Currently, applicators seek guidance for UAAS deployment for aquatic weed management to overcome site access restrictions, deal with environmental limitations, and improve ground-based applicator safety in hazardous treatment scenarios. In the present case studies, we evaluate a consumer-available UAAS to deliver the herbicide, florpyrauxifen-benzyl, as both foliar and directed in-water spray applications. The first case study showed that the invasive floating-leaved plant, yellow floating heart, was controlled 80% to 99% by 6 wk after treatment (WAT) following UAAS foliar herbicide treatments. The second case study demonstrated that UAAS directed in-water herbicide application reduced variable-leaf watermilfoil visible plant material by 94% at 5 WAT. Likewise, directed in-water applications from UAAS eliminated the need to deploy watercraft, which improved overall operational efficiency. Data from both case studies indicate that UAAS can provide an effective and efficient treatment strategy for floating-leaved and submersed plant control among common herbicide treatment scenarios. Future integration of UAAS in aquatic weed control programs is encouraged, especially among smaller treatment sites (≤4 ha) or where access limits traditional spray operations.

Recent theoretical models have posited that increases in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) during adolescence may be linked to failures in biological stress regulation in contexts of social stress. However, there is a lack of data examining this hypothesis during the transition to adolescence, a sensitive period of development characterized by changes across socioaffective and psychophysiological domains. Building on principles from developmental psychopathology and the RDoC framework, the present study used a longitudinal design in a sample of 147 adolescents to test whether interactions among experiences of social (i.e., parent and peer) conflict and cardiac arousal (i.e., resting heart rate) predicted adolescents’ engagement in SITBs (i.e., nonsuicidal self-injury, NSSI; and suicidal ideation; SI) across 1-year follow-up. Prospective analyses revealed that adolescents experiencing a combination of greater peer, but not family, conflict and higher cardiac arousal at baseline showed significant longitudinal increases in NSSI. In contrast, social conflict did not interact with cardiac arousal to predict future SI. Findings indicate that greater peer-related interpersonal stress in adolescents may increase risk for future NSSI among youth with physiological vulnerabilities (i.e., higher resting heart rate) that may be markers of maladaptive stress responses. Future research should examine these processes at finer timescales to elucidate whether these factors are proximal predictors of within-day SITBs.

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) has emerged out of the quantitative approach to psychiatric nosology. This approach identifies psychopathology constructs based on patterns of co-variation among signs and symptoms. The initial HiTOP model, which was published in 2017, is based on a large literature that spans decades of research. HiTOP is a living model that undergoes revision as new data become available. Here we discuss advantages and practical considerations of using this system in psychiatric practice and research. We especially highlight limitations of HiTOP and ongoing efforts to address them. We describe differences and similarities between HiTOP and existing diagnostic systems. Next, we review the types of evidence that informed development of HiTOP, including populations in which it has been studied and data on its validity. The paper also describes how HiTOP can facilitate research on genetic and environmental causes of psychopathology as well as the search for neurobiologic mechanisms and novel treatments. Furthermore, we consider implications for public health programs and prevention of mental disorders. We also review data on clinical utility and illustrate clinical application of HiTOP. Importantly, the model is based on measures and practices that are already used widely in clinical settings. HiTOP offers a way to organize and formalize these techniques. This model already can contribute to progress in psychiatry and complement traditional nosologies. Moreover, HiTOP seeks to facilitate research on linkages between phenotypes and biological processes, which may enable construction of a system that encompasses both biomarkers and precise clinical description.

Introduction. Individuals with psychotic-spectrum disorders may smoke due to the ameliorating effect of nicotine on the cognitive deficits that accompany these illnesses. Metacognitive remediation therapy (MCR) has been shown to produce improvements in cognitive functioning among individuals with psychotic-spectrum disorders and provides a foundation for a novel smoking cessation intervention for this population. Aims. To complete an open investigation of pharmacotherapy and a modified version of MCR [MCR to Quit (MCR-Q)] in promoting smoking cessation among individuals with psychotic-spectrum disorders. Methods. Forty-nine individuals with a psychotic-spectrum disorder and who currently smoke cigarettes participated in MCR-Q while also receiving evidence-based smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. Tobacco use was assessed as follows: (i) prior to MCR-Q, (ii) immediately after completing MCR-Q, and (iii) six weeks after completion of MCR-Q. Results/Findings. During participation in MCR-Q, nearly 80% of participants made a 24-hour quit attempt. Following the completion of MCR-Q, participants experienced reductions in level of nicotine dependency and exhaled carbon monoxide, with reductions in nicotine dependency sustained six weeks after completion of MCR-Q. Over the course of their participation in MCR-Q, participants reported strong therapeutic alliance with their MCR-Q therapist and high levels of intrinsic motivation with regard to completing MCR-Q exercises. Conclusions. The results from the current study suggest cautious optimism with regard to the use of MCR-Q in combination with medication for individuals with psychotic-spectrum disorders who want to quit smoking.

Elective surgical patients routinely bathe with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) at home days prior to their procedures. However, the impact of home CHG bathing on surgical site CHG concentration is unclear. We examined 3 different methods of applying CHG and hypothesized that different application methods would impact resulting CHG skin concentration.

The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and size at birth, and additionally to address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across cultural–geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status.