Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) are imperative, as its symptoms can be highly disruptive to both patients and their caregivers. Misdiagnosis can lead to incorrect interventions with suboptimal or even deleterious results. To aid in the identification and differentiation of TD in the psychiatric practice setting, we review its clinical features and movement phenomenology, as well as those of other antipsychotic-induced movement disorders, with accompanying links to illustrative videos. Exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs) such as antipsychotics or antiemetics is associated with a spectrum of movement disorders including TD. The differential diagnosis of TD is based on history of DRBA exposure, recent discontinuation or dose reduction of a DRBA, and movement phenomenology. Common diagnostic challenges are the abnormal behaviors and dyskinesias associated with advanced age or chronic mental illness, and other movement disorders associated with DRBA therapy, such as akathisia, parkinsonian tremor, and tremor related to use of mood stabilizing agents (eg, lithium, divalproex). Duration of exposure may help rule out acute drug-induced syndromes such as acute dystonia or acute/subacute akathisia. Another important consideration is the potential for TD to present together with other drug-induced movement disorders (eg, parkinsonism, parkinsonian tremor, and postural tremor from mood stabilizers) in the same patient, which can complicate both diagnosis and management. After documentation of the phenomenology, severity, and distribution of TD movements, treatment options should be reviewed with the patient and caregivers.

Cotton boll weevil has been eradicated from much of the U.S. Cotton Belt. After eradication, a containment program is necessary to detect and destroy reintroduced boll weevils. Crops other than cotton are not monitored for boll weevil, hence fruit on volunteer glyphosate-resistant (GR) cotton in GR soybean could provide oviposition sites for boll weevils and allow the insects to build up undetected. An experiment was conducted at five locations to evaluate control of GR cotton and reduction in cotton fruit production by herbicides commonly used on GR soybean. Cotton control by preemergence (PRE) or postemergence (POST) herbicides alone was inconsistent across locations. Flumetsulam at 45 g ai/ha, imazaquin at 137 g ai/ha, and metribuzin at 360 g ai/ha plus chlorimuron at 60 g ai/ha applied PRE controlled cotton 55 to 100% and reduced cotton fruit production 84 to 100%. Sulfentrazone at 167 g ai/ha plus chlorimuron at 34 g/ha PRE controlled cotton 50 to 91% and reduced fruit 48 to 98%. Metribuzin PRE at 420 g/ha controlled cotton 23 to 97% and reduced fruit 32 to 100%. Flumiclorac at 30 g ai/ha, 2,4-DB dimethylamine salt at 35 g ae/ha, chlorimuron at 12 g ai/ha, and the sodium salt of fomesafen at 420 g ai/ha mixed with glyphosate and applied POST controlled cotton 48 to 100% and reduced fruit production 67 to 100%. Cloransulam at 12 or 18 g ai/ha controlled cotton 3 to 66% and reduced fruit production 5 to 85%. Cotton control and fruit reduction were greatest and most consistent with sequential applications of metribuzin plus chlorimuron PRE followed by chlorimuron, flumiclorac, fomesafen, or 2,4-DB POST. These treatments controlled cotton at least 95% at all locations. Cotton fruit was totally eliminated at three locations and reduced at least 97% at a fourth location.

The high mortality rate associated with human infections caused by Escherichia coli strains of the serotype O157:H7 has brought to public attention the importance of ruminants as reservoirs of food-borne pathogens. In addition to established examples such as salmonella, campylobacter and listeria, recent evidence is emerging of the role of food in the transmission of Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. Food-borne pathogens harboured by ruminants are spread through shedding in the faeces and subsequent faecal contamination of raw food. Ruminant shedding appears to be affected by diet and, of particular concern, may be increased during fasting regimens imposed during transport to the slaughterhouse. The survival of food-borne pathogens in the ruminant gut is affected by many factors including microbe–microbe interactions, interactions involving plant metabolites and the presence of inhibitory end-product metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. The potential importance of digesta flow and bacterial detachment in shedding of food-borne pathogens is discussed. Experimental procedures with dangerous pathogens have constraints, particularly in animal experimentation. This situation may be overcome by the use of rumen-simulating fermentors. One such system which, like the natural rumen, has a different turnover rate for solid and liquid digesta, was found to maintain rumen-like variables over an 11 d period. This system may prove useful for the study of dietary effects on food-borne pathogens.

Characterization of molecular scale electronic devices generally involves deposition of a metal top electrode onto an organic film. During the evaporation process, high energetic granules of metals may lead to unwanted reactions between the organic molecules and deposited top electrodes. This can cause, as commonly reported, lasting damage which leaves most junctions either short or open. To overcome this important issue of physical damage to the molecules, we developed a novel technique of interfacing molecules by laying prefabricated metallic electrodes on top of a monolayer of molecules. For the bottom electrode a monolayer of cadmium stearate ((C17H35COO)2Cd) was deposited, using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, onto platinum (Pt) electrodes which further rested on 200nm of oxide used for isolation. A separate set of Aluminum (Al) electrodes were fabricated on a different oxide free, highly doped substrate and was gently placed on the cadmium stearate monolayer in room ambient. Conduction to the top electrode was accomplished by probing the backside of the highly doped wafer whereas the bottom electrodes were individually addressed. Pressure was applied to ensure firm contact between the molecules and the top electrodes. Preliminary results showed an observed switching voltage of 3.5V. Most of the devices with Al as the top electrodes exhibited a gradual progression from switching on the positive side, closing, and then switching towards the negative side.

The human pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 is thought to be spread by direct or indirect contact with infected animal or human faeces. The present study investigated the effects of the plant coumarin esculin and its aglycone esculetin on the survival of a strain of E. coli O157 under gut conditions. The addition of these compounds to human faecal slurries and in vitro continuous-flow fermenter models simulating conditions in the human colon and rumen caused marked decreases in the survival of an introduced strain of E. coli O157. When four calves were experimentally infected with E. coli O157 and fed esculin, the pathogen was detected in five of twenty-eight (18 %) of faecal samples examined post-inoculation, compared with thirteen of thirty-five (37 %) of faecal samples examined from five control calves not fed esculin. Coumarin compounds that occur naturally in dietary plants or when supplemented in the diet probably inhibit the survival of E. coli O157 in the gut.

Thirty schizophrenic patients (20 medicated, 10 off medication) were compared with 30 normal control subjects matched for age, sex, handedness, and intelligence. During the performance of left-hemisphere cognitive activation tasks, normal subjects had significantly increased EEG alpha coherence in areas related to left focal frontal sites, with decreases in temporal and posterior areas. Schizophrenic patients did not show the same degree of focal activation of left frontal areas. During the performance of right-hemisphere cognitive activation tasks, normal subjects and schizophrenic patients had similar patterns of right posterior increases in alpha coherence. Discriminant analyses were able to classify 81.4% of all subjects correctly. It is suggested that the findings indicate an aberrant functional organisation of the brain in schizophrenia, particularly affecting the left hemisphere.