Using twitter to investigate responses to street reallocation during COVID-19: Findings from the U.S. and Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and encouraged local governments to reallocate street space. The chief purpose of new regimes of street management is to expand spaces for walking and bicycling, and to ease business interactions such as curbside pickup and dining while maintaining social distancing guidelines. We investigated how North Americans on Twitter viewed alternative uses and forms of street reallocation, specifically during the early months of the pandemic from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2020. Relying on a crowdsourced dataset of government actions (Combs and Pardo 2021), we identified five areas of policy initiative that were broadly representative of government actions: cycling, walking, driving, business, and curbside. First, we identified a corpus of 292,108 geolocated tweets from the U.S. and Canada. Next, we used word vectors, built on this Twitter corpus, to generate similarity scores across the five areas of policy initiative for each tweet. Finally, we selected the top tweets that closely matched ideas contained in the areas of policy initiative, thus creating a finer corpus of 1,537 tweets. Using the five categories as guideposts, we conducted an inductive content analysis to understand opinions expressed on Twitter. Our analysis suggests that renewed use of the curb has opened up possibilities for reimaging this space. Particularly, business uses of the curb for dining and pick up zones have expanded widely, and there is more use of sidewalks; yet both spaces have limited capacity. Planners need to think of expanding these assets while reducing cost burdens for their alternative uses.

A walk on the wild side: gut bacteria fed to mass-reared larvae of Queensland fruit fly [Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)] influence development.

BACKGROUND: The Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera, Tephritidae) is the most significant insect pest of Australian horticulture. Bactrocera tryoni is controlled using a range of tools including the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Mass-rearing and irradiation of pupae in SIT can reduce the fitness and quality of the released sterile insects. Studies have also showed reduced microbial gut diversity in domesticated versus wild tephritids. RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of the bacterial isolates in the mid-gut of mass-reared larvae, and plate counts from individual larval guts showed increased numbers of bacteria in supplemented larvae. Several developmental and fitness parameters were tested including larval development time (egg-hatch to pupation), pupal weight, emergence, flight ability, sex-ratio, and time to adult eclosion (egg-hatch to adult eclosion). Enterobacter sp. and Asaia sp. shortened larval development time, while this was delayed by Lactobacillus sp., Leuconostoc sp. and a blend of all four bacteria. The mean time from egg hatch to adult eclosion was significantly reduced by Leuconostoc sp. and the blend for males and females, indicating that the individual bacterium and consortium affect flies differently depending on the life stage (larval or pupal). There was no impact of bacterial supplemented larvae on pupal weight, emergence, flight ability, or sex ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that bacteria fed to the larval stage of B. tryoni can impart fitness advantages, but the selection of probiotic strains (individual or a consortium) is key, as each have varying effects on the host. Bacteria added to the larval diet particularly Leuconostoc sp. and the blend have the capacity to reduce costs and increase the number of flies produced in mass-rearing facilities by reducing time to adult eclosion by 1.3 and 0.8 mean days for males, and 1.2 and 0.8 mean days for females.

Diet and irradiation effects on the bacterial community composition and structure in the gut of domesticated teneral and mature Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae).

BACKGROUND: Mass-rearing, domestication and gamma irradiation of tephritid fruit flies used in sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes can negatively impact fly quality and performance. Symbiotic bacteria supplied as probiotics to mass-reared fruit flies may help to overcome some of these issues. However, the effects of tephritid ontogeny, sex, diet and irradiation on their microbiota are not well known. RESULTS: We have used next-generation sequencing to characterise the bacterial community composition and structure within Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), by generating 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries derived from the guts of 58 individual teneral and mature, female and male, sterile and fertile adult flies reared on artificial larval diets in a laboratory or mass-rearing environment, and fed either a full adult diet (i.e. sugar and yeast hydrolysate) or a sugar only adult diet. Overall, the amplicon sequence read volume in tenerals was low and smaller than in mature adult flies. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs), belonging to the families Enterobacteriaceae (8 OTUs) and Acetobacteraceae (1 OTU) were most prevalent. Enterobacteriaceae dominated laboratory-reared tenerals from a colony fed a carrot-based larval diet, while Acetobacteraceae dominated mass-reared tenerals from a production facility colony fed a lucerne chaff based larval diet. As adult flies matured, Enterobacteriaceae became dominant irrespective of larval origin. The inclusion of yeast in the adult diet strengthened this shift away from Acetobacteraceae towards Enterobacteriaceae. Interestingly, irradiation increased 16S rRNA gene sequence read volume. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that bacterial populations in fruit flies experience significant bottlenecks during metamorphosis. Gut bacteria in teneral flies were less abundant and less diverse, and impacted by colony origin. In contrast, mature adult flies had selectively increased abundances for some gut bacteria, or acquired these bacteria from the adult diet and environment. Furthermore, irradiation augmented bacterial abundance in mature flies. This implies that either some gut bacteria were compensating for damage caused by irradiation or irradiated flies had lost their ability to regulate bacterial load. Our findings suggest that the adult stage prior to sexual maturity may be ideal to target for probiotic manipulation of fly microbiota to increase fly performance in SIT programmes.

Attitudes to smoke-free outdoor regulations in the USA and Canada: a review of 89 surveys.

OBJECTIVE: To review the published survey data on public support for smoke-free outdoor regulations in the USA and Canada (two countries at the forefront of such policies). DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: We searched for English language articles and reports using Medline, Google Scholar and Google for the period to December 2014. We retained population-based surveys of the adult general population in jurisdictions in the USA and Canada, with a minimum survey sample of 500. DATA EXTRACTION: The analysis focused on assessing levels and trends in public support for different types of places and also explored how support varied between population groups. RESULTS: Relevant data were found from 89 cross-sectional surveys between 1993 and 2014. Support for smoke-free regulations in outdoor places tended to be highest for smoke-free school grounds (range: 57-95%) playgrounds (89-91%), and building entrances (45-89%) and lowest for smoke-free outdoor workplaces (12-46%) and sidewalks (31-49%). Support was lower among smokers, though for some types of places there was majority smoker support (eg, school grounds with at least 77% support in US state surveys after 2004). Trend data involving the same questions and the same surveyed populations suggested increased general public and smoker support for smoke-free regulations over time (eg, from 67% to 78% during 2002-2008 for smoke-free school grounds in the USA). Higher support was typically seen from women and some ethnic groups (eg, African-Americans). CONCLUSIONS: Outdoor smoke-free regulations can achieve majority public support, including from smokers.

Air quality at outdoor community events: findings from fine particulate (PM2.5) sampling at festivals in Edmonton, Alberta.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with a broad range of health risks. This study assessed the impacts of cooking smoke and environmental tobacco smoke on air quality at outdoor community events in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). Data were collected at three festivals in July-August 2011 using a portable real-time airborne particle monitor. The pooled mean PM2.5 level was 12.41 µg/m(3). Peak readings varied from 52 to 1877 µg/m(3). Mean PM2.5 near food stalls was 35.42 µg/m(3), which exceeds the WHO limit for 24 h exposure. Mean PM2.5 levels with smokers present were 16.39 µg/m(3) (all points) and 9.64 µg/m(3) (excluding points near food stalls). Although some smokers withdrew from common spaces, on average 20 smokers/hour were observed within 3 m. Extending smoking bans would improve air quality and address related concerns. However, food preparation is a more pressing area for policy action to reduce PM2.5 exposure at these community events.

Social norms and smoking bans on campus: interactions in the Canadian university context.

Smoking bans offer practical protection against environmental tobacco smoke and highlight the decreasing normative status of smoking. At Canadian universities, indoor smoking is now completely prohibited, but regulations vary with respect to outdoor smoking. The purpose of this research was to conceptualize the interactions of smoking bans on campus with changing social norms around smoking. Interviews were conducted with 36 key informants, exploring the development and normative significance of smoking bans at three case study institutions. Five key themes were identified in the transcripts. First, universities were understood as community leaders and role models. Second, they were viewed as institutions with a mandate to promote health. Third, students were generally perceived to view smoke-free environments and lifestyles as normative. Fourth, respondents also acknowledged that students remain vulnerable to social and behavioural influences that can encourage smoking. Finally, they articulated bans' normative effects: restricting where smoking occurs on campus may discourage initiation and support cessation. Our findings suggest that health-promoting policies, such as smoking bans, can be motivated by changes in social norms and that their implementation reinforces this norm shift. Moreover, the contextual and compositional characteristics of universities mean they are uniquely placed to adopt such initiatives.

No Sting in the Tail for Sterile Bisex Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt) Release Programs.

Global markets do not tolerate the presence of fruit fly (Tephritidae) in horticultural produce. A key method of control for tephritidae pests, is the sterile insect technique (SIT). Several countries release a bisex strain, i.e., males and females, however the sterile male is the only sex which contributes to wild population declines when released en masse. In commercial orchards, there are concerns that sterile females released as part of bisex strains, may oviposit, i.e., 'sting' and cause damage to fruit, rendering it unmarketable. Australia has released a bisex strain of sterile Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt, for several decades to suppress wild pest populations, particularly in peri-urban and urban environments. Here, we assessed fruit damage in two commercially grown stone fruit orchards where bisex sterile B. tryoni were released, and in an orchard that did not receive sterile flies. The number of detected stings were higher in only one SIT release orchard, compared with the control; however, there was no difference between SIT and control orchards in the number of larvae detected. We showed that there is no evidence that sterile female B. tryoni released in large numbers caused stings, or damage that led to downgraded or unsaleable fruit. The bisex strain of sterile B. tryoni is recommended for use in commercial stone-fruit orchards, under the conditions in which this trial was conducted.

Carcinosarcoma arising in a uterine leiomyoma: report of a unique neoplasm.

Malignant transformation of a uterine leiomyoma is an exceedingly rare phenomenon. Previous reported examples of malignant neoplasms to arise so include leiomyosarcoma, angiosarcoma, and malignant mesenchymoma. We report an intramural carcinosarcoma arising in a uterine leiomyoma in a 38-year-old woman. This case is unique in being the first recorded carcinosarcoma arising within a uterine leiomyoma and the first example of an epithelial neoplasm to do so. We discuss the differential diagnosis and possible pathogenesis of the tumor that has likely arisen secondary to epitheliogenesis in a mesenchymal neoplasm.

Development of endometrial cancer after long-term usage of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.

A 52-year-old long-term user of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) presented with vaginal bleeding. Endometrial biopsy was performed and revealed endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The patient had a laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Endometrial cancer is rare in women with LNG-IUS as only seven cases have been published in the literature. Although scientific evidence shows LNG-IUS has a protective effect on the endometrium from developing cancer, our report highlights the importance of clinicians to be vigilant in cases of women with LNG-IUS who develop intermittent vaginal bleeding.

Raspberry ketone diet supplement reduces attraction of sterile male Queensland fruit fly to cuelure by altering expression of chemoreceptor genes.

Sterile male Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), fed as immature adults on the plant compound raspberry ketone (RK), show a reduced attraction to cuelure, a synthetic analogue of RK used as an attractant in Male Annihilation Technique. We hypothesized the reduced attraction of RK-fed adult males to cuelure may be a consequence of altered expression of chemoreception genes. A Y-tube olfactometer assay with RK-fed and RK-unfed sterile B. tryoni males tested the subsequent behavioural response to cuelure. Behavioral assays confirmed a significant decrease in attraction of RK-fed sterile males to cuelure. RK-fed, non-responders (to cue-lure) and RK-unfed, responders (to cue-lure) males were sampled and gene expression compared by de novo RNA-seq analysis. A total of 269 genes in fly heads were differentially expressed between replicated groups of RK-fed, cuelure non-responders and RK-unfed, cuelure responders. Among them, 218 genes including 4 chemoreceptor genes were up regulated and 51 genes were down regulated in RK-fed, cuelure non-responders. De novo assembly generated many genes with unknown functions and no significant BLAST hits to homologues in other species. The enriched and suppressed genes reported here, shed light on the transcriptional changes that affect the dynamics of insect responses to chemical stimuli.

Using shear force, sarcomere length, particle size, collagen content, and protein solubility metrics to predict consumer acceptance of aged beef tenderness.

In this study, the relationship between sensory evaluation and several objective metrics of beef tenderness was tested. Objective metrics included shear force, sarcomere length, collagen content, myofibrillar, and sarcoplasmic protein solubility and particle size analysis. These results were compared to consumer panel scores of tenderness for the same aged beef striploin (longissimus lumborum muscle) samples. There was found to be a significant relationship between sarcomere length, shear force, and particle size with tenderness scores. Collagen content and protein solubilities were not associated to tenderness scores (p > 0.05). Sarcomere length contributions for explaining tenderness variation were overlapped by the contributions of shear force (collinearity). Independent models demonstrated that the lower 95% confidence interval of the fitted regression line exceeded 50% acceptance of tenderness when shear force values <42.6 N and when particle size values <198 µm. We can recommend these as thresholds for consumer acceptance of beef tenderness, although considerations of sample type, analytical methodology, and consumer demographics should be made prior to their adoption. This provision was based on the variation in tenderness scores evident between individual panelists and experimental striploins.

Wild bacterial probiotics fed to larvae of mass-reared Queensland fruit fly [Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)] do not impact long-term survival, mate selection, or locomotor activity.

Queensland fruit fly [Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), Diptera, Tephritidae] is the most devastating insect pest impacting Australian horticulture. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an important component of tephritid pest management programs. However, mass-rearing and irradiation (to render insects sterile) may reduce the fitness and performance of the insect, including the ability of sterile males to successfully compete for wild females. Manipulation of the gut microbiome, including the supplementation with bacterial probiotics shows promise for enhancing the quality of mass-reared sterile flies, however there are fewer published studies targeting the larval stage. In this study, we supplemented the larval stage of mass-reared B. tryoni with bacterial probiotics. We tested several individual bacteria that had been previously isolated and characterized from the gut of wild B. tryoni larvae including Asaia sp., Enterobacter sp., Lactobacillus sp., Leuconostoc sp. We also tested a consortium of all four of these bacterial isolates. The fitness parameters tested included adult survival in field cages, laboratory mate selection of bacteria supplemented males by bacteria nonsupplemented females, and laboratory locomotor activity of adult flies. None of the bacterial probiotic treatments in the current study was significantly different to the control for field survival, mate selection or locomotor activity of adult B. tryoni, which agree with some of the other studies regarding bacterial probiotics fed to the larval stage of tephritids. Future work is needed to determine if feeding the same, and/or other probiotics to adults, as opposed to larvae can positively impact survival, mating performance, mating competitiveness and locomotor activity of B. tryoni. The bacterial group(s) and function of bacterial species that increase fitness and competitiveness is also of interest to tephritid mass-rearing programs.

Temperature-time combination effects on aged beef volatile profiles and their relationship to sensory attributes.

Beef ageing (in vacuo) for tenderisation and flavour development may be accelerated by favourable temperature-time combinations (TTCs), however the effect of such manipulations on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are generated during cooking, is unknown. We compared VOCs from grilled beef longissimus lumborum muscle samples which had been subjected to different TTCs. The TTCs consisted of combinations of temperatures (~ 3, 5, or 7 °C) and ageing time periods (6, 8, 10 or 12 d); as well as control samples, which were held at 0-2 °C for a total of 14 d. Sensory quality attributes of these same samples were measured by untrained consumer panellists. Generally, it was found that TTCs had negligible effects on grilled beef VOCs and were comparable to controls. Furthermore, many VOCs were significantly related to flavour intensity, flavour liking and overall liking. These findings support the use of TTCs as a viable means to accelerate the rate of beef ageing without compromising quality.

The effect of electrical stimulation and tenderstretching on colour and oxidation traits of alpaca (Vicunga pacos) meat.

The effects of tenderstretching (TS; carcase suspension by the pelvic bone) combined with medium voltage electrical stimulation (ES) on alpaca colour and oxidative traits was investigated. Castrated huacya alpacas were processed and treatments applied to the 36 split carcases, in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (Achilles hung; AH/TS and ES/non-ES). After 24 h chilling, colour stability analysis and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances evaluation (TBARS) was conducted on samples of longissimus and adductor femoris. An additional 30 cm of longissimus was prepared for TBARS evaluation and sensory assessment using an untrained consumer panel. Electrical stimulation increased lipid oxidation within the longissimus. However, overall oxidation levels were extremely low and as a result ES effects on oxidation were not detected at the consumer level. Therefore, the combined processing treatments did not dramatically impact alpaca meat eating quality or colour stability. Results also indicate that alpaca displays advantageous colour and oxidation traits when compared to other red meats.

Raspberry ketone accelerates sexual maturation and improves mating performance of sterile male Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt).

BACKGROUND: Tephritid fruit flies are recognized as the most economically important insect pest group, causing significant losses to horticultural crops globally. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is used to suppress or eradicate pest fruit flies in many countries. The provisioning of adult dietary or olfactory supplementation pre-release is commonly used to improve the mating performance of sterile male flies in SIT. This study on a major pest species, Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), focused on improving mating performance by providing a semiochemical, raspberry ketone (RK), in the pre-release adult diet. RESULTS: Survival was numerically higher for RK-supplemented males. Sexual maturity occurred 1 day earlier (from 7 to 6 days) in RK-supplemented sterile males. The mating latency period decreased with maturation age and was lower for RK-fed males. RK-supplemented sterile males increasingly mated with fertile females as they aged (10-19 days). The mating competitiveness of both RK-supplemented sterile males and RK-denied sterile males was greater than that of wild males. CONCLUSION: The early sexual maturity and increased mating performance of RK-supplemented sterile males indicate that the effectiveness of SIT programmes can be increased through dietary supplementation with RK during the pre-release period. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

The effect of different temperature-time combinations when ageing beef: Sensory quality traits and microbial loads.

The ageing of beef is essential to provide a tender product which is deemed acceptable by consumers, with beef processors routinely ageing beef for ~ 14 d at 0-2 °C. The rate of tenderisation is directly affected by temperature, and as such the possibility of decreasing the required ageing time by increasing storage temperature could provide an opportunity to decrease associated costs. To test this, 320 beef M. longissimus lumborum portions were subjected to one of 72temperature-time combinations (TTC) incorporating temperatures of 3, 5 or 7 °C and ageing times of 6, 8, 10 or 12 d, with some temperature changes occurring during ageing. Controls (n = 32) were held at ~ 1 °C for 14 d. The application of TTCs did not affect beef quality, however longer storage at higher temperatures resulted in higher microbial loadings. Therefore, it can be concluded that shorter, cooler TTCs could be implemented to decrease ageing time requirements and maintain beef safety.

Moisture content, fatty acid profile and oxidative traits of aged beef subjected to different temperature-time combinations.

Temperature-time combinations (TTC) effects on beef fatty acid (FA) composition, moisture content and oxidative traits were investigated. TTC were designed so temperatures were constant over each time period, and there was at most one variation in temperature within a sample's combined (total) time period. Therefore, three temperatures (~ 3, 5 and 7 °C) and five time periods (6, 8, 10 and 12 d) resulted in 72 different TTC, which were compared to control samples held for 14 d at ~ 1 °C. It was found that moisture losses increased as TTC temperature and time periods increased. There were negligible effects of TTC on FA composition. Sample TBARS and vitamin E content did not respond to TTC. A positive relationship between beef vitamin E and long chain polyunsaturated FA contents was observed. We concluded that TTC could be applied to accelerate the rate of ageing for beef and achieve comparable yield, oxidative and FA characteristics compared to conventional ageing approaches.

Understanding beef flavour and overall liking traits using two different methods for determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS).

Two extraction methods were applied to measure the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of vacuum packaged grass-fed beef steaks that were aged under four temperatures and five different time interval combinations to capture a range in lipid oxidation. The relationships between TBARS values and consumer assessment of flavour liking, flavour intensity and overall liking, were examined. M1 values had a normal distribution (0.02 to 2.55 mg MDA/kg), whereas M2 had a skewed distribution with the majority of the values <1.0 mg MDA/kg and the maximum value being 10.72 mg MDA/kg. No relationship was found between these methods. Interestingly, there were no significant effects of TBARS value on the sensory results, irrespective of the method used. This suggests that untrained consumers cannot detect abnormal flavour development due to high levels of lipid oxidation (TBARS) as indicated by the TBARS test, and are therefore undiscouraged when tasting these beef samples.

The effect of technical replicate (repeats) on Nix Pro Color Sensor™ measurement precision for meat: A case-study on aged beef colour stability.

The Nix Pro Colour Sensor™ (NIX) can be potentially used to measure meat colour, but procedural guidelines that assure measurement reproducibility and repeatability (precision) must first be established. Technical replicate number (r) will minimise response variation, measureable as standard error of predicted mean (SEM), and contribute to improved precision. Consequently, we aimed to explore the effects of r on NIX precision when measuring aged beef colour (colorimetrics; L*, a*, b*, hue and chroma values). Each colorimetric SEM declined with increasing r to indicate improved precision and followed a diminishing rate of improvement that allowed us to recommend r=7 for meat colour studies using the NIX. This definition was based on practical limitations and a* variability, as additional r would be required if other colorimetrics or advanced levels of precision are necessary. Beef ageing and display period, holding temperature, loin and sampled portion were also found to contribute to colorimetric variation, but were incorporated within our definition of r.

Dermoscopy of a solitary storiform collagenoma.

The dermoscopic features of solitary storiform collagenomas (sclerotic fibromas) have not been described previously, as these are rare cutaneous soft tissue tumors. The presence of multiple lesions is considered a marker of Cowden syndrome. They can also present as single firm cutaneous nodules. We present an unusual single nodule with distinct dermoscopic and histologic features.