The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor (L.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a significant stored-product pest, a valuable insect for animal feed production and a study system for immunology and entomopathogens, including entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs). However, the efficacy and biocontrol potential of Australian EPN isolates against this host remain unexplored. We evaluated the virulence, establishment rate and reproductive potential of 17 Australian EPN isolates of Heterorhabditis and Steinernema in T. molitor larvae under laboratory conditions. All isolates successfully infected, killed and reproduced within T. molitor larvae, although their performance varied markedly. Heterorhabditis indica Hi.LMBT, Hi.LMI2 and Hi.HRN2 emerged as the most virulent isolates. EPN establishment rate in the host differed strongly among isolates, ranging from 5.8 to 17.2%, with Steinernema feltiae Sf.ECCS and Heterorhabditis marelatus Hm.ENCB showing the greatest establishment rate in the host. Reproductive potential ranged from ∼56,000 to ∼140,000 IJs per larva, with S. feltiae Sf.Y13 and Heterorhabditis zealandica Hz.NAR4 showing the highest reproduction. Multivariate and correlation analyses indicated substantial within-species variation for EPN species represented by multiple isolates, and that virulence, establishment rate and reproductive potential in T. molitor were not correlated with each other among isolates. Our results highlight considerable potential of Australian EPN isolates for mealworm control, while showing that candidate selection should not rely on virulence alone. Instead, effective screening should integrate virulence, establishment rate and reproductive potential to identify promising isolates that warrant further evaluation under realistic stored-product conditions.
OBJECTIVE:To update, synthesise and provide meta-analytical evidence of the associations between domain-specific physical activity (PA) and mental health and mental ill-health outcomes. DESIGN:Systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES:In March 2024, we systematically searched five databases. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:Methods employed replicated those of a previous review in 2017. All studies examining associations between domain-specific PA and specified mental health outcomes were included. RESULTS:372 studies met inclusion criteria and 361 were included in the meta-analysis. Across the 372 studies (combined sample size of 3 323 711), 338 examined leisure-time PA, 54 work-related PA, 72 transport-related PA, 44 household PA, 5 school sport and 8 physical education. Multilevel meta-analyses showed that leisure-time PA (r=0.205, 95% CI 0.157 to 0.253), transport-related PA (r=0.138, 95% CI 0.042 to 0.231) and household PA (r=0.096, 95% CI 0.025 to 0.165) were positively associated with mental health. Leisure-time PA (r=-0.149, 95% CI -0.189 to -0.11) and school sport (r=-0.096, 95% CI -0.115 to -0.077) were inversely associated with mental ill health. However, work-related PA (r=0.134 95% CI 0.069 to 0.199) was positively associated with mental ill health. CONCLUSION:The direction of the association between PA and mental health/mental ill health is dependent on the domain in which PA occurs. Promoting PA for leisure purposes is likely to yield the greatest benefits for both promoting mental health and preventing mental ill health. As such, leisure-time PA should be prioritised in messaging, guidelines and interventions/programmes designed to support mental health through PA. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:CRD42024510303.
Food is essential for animal survival, but wildfire can influence the availability and quality of food resources. However, even in fire-prone regions, we often lack a detailed understanding of how fire alters the nutritional landscape and how plant chemical composition varies over time since fire. In Australian forests, many eucalypts exhibit a key fire adaptation: the ability to resprout epicormically, producing new shoots from aerial stems shortly after fire. Little is known about the nutritional quality of epicormic foliage or how it supports the survival and recovery of endangered arboreal folivores such as the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) and the greater gliders (Petauroides spp.). This gap in knowledge is particularly urgent to address as wildfires increase in frequency and severity due to anthropogenic climate change. The aim of this study was to measure how the nutrient and plant secondary metabolite (PSM) concentrations of post-fire epicormic growth changed over 1 year in six eucalypt species known to be browsed by arboreal marsupials. For comparison, we also sampled adult phase foliage from the same species in a nearby unburnt area, and in the burnt landscape where it was available. Total nitrogen concentrations were higher in epicormic foliage than in adult phase foliage from unburnt areas for all six eucalypt species, and declined over time in four of the six species. The available nitrogen concentration (a measure of the concentration of N liberated by mammalian digestion) was only higher in epicormic foliage for four of the six species, also decreasing over time. Concentrations of formylated phloroglucinol compounds, a type of PSM known to deter feeding by marsupial folivores, were generally higher in epicormic foliage. In contrast, unsubstituted B-ring flavanone concentrations, another class of PSMs, were generally lower in epicormic foliage. Synthesis. This study shows that fire changes the leaf chemistry of a critical food resource for arboreal folivores. This could conceivably influence diet selection and quality after fire by altering trade-offs between nutrient acquisition and plant defence. This has implications for our understanding of the habitat requirements for threatened folivores, since the tree species normally associated with their diet may differ in quality in burnt and unburnt landscapes.
This empirical study examines the impact of green finance on economic growth and renewable energy in a group of 76 developing nations in 2010-2019. Results from a cointegration analysis, vector error correction model, and Granger causality test confirm a cointegrating relationship between green finance, renewable energy, economic growth, and other control variables. Green finance has a significant and positive (increasing) impact on growth (in both the short and long run) and renewable energy (long run), whereas renewable energy also has a significant and positive impact on growth (long run). Therefore, this study recommends that policymakers promote the use of both green finance and renewable energy because both offer many benefits, including lower carbon emissions and higher economic growth, and may therefore provide practical solutions to environmental problems.
Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI) are the main risk factor for postpartum anal incontinence (AI). All major scientific societies recommend follow-up in a perineal clinic to assess recovery and scarring, treat or prevent symptoms, and give advice about the subsequent mode of delivery. This narrative review was conducted through a systematic search of the relevant literature with the aim of exploring the role of ultrasound in the follow-up of patients with OASI. The databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using keywords such as “obstetric anal sphincter injuries,” “anal incontinence,” “endoanal ultrasound,” “perineal pelvic floor ultrasound,” “perineal clinic,” and “mode of delivery.” The search was limited to articles published in English up to December 2024, and included original research articles, reviews, and clinical guidelines. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. A pelvic floor ultrasound (PFUS), including the anal sphincter complex, should be performed after vaginal delivery in all women with OASI and those at high risk of obstetric pelvic floor trauma. PFUS plays a key role in assessing the success of primary intrapartum repair. Endoanal ultrasound (EAUS) is considered the gold standard; however, perineal or endovaginal approaches may be used as an alternative to identify sphincter complex abnormalities due to good testing accuracy and to determine which patients require further in-depth assessment with EAUS. The presence and severity of residual defects detected by PFUS are prognostic factors to determine optimal therapeutic management. PFUS is also useful in counseling patients regarding subsequent pregnancies, together with symptom assessment and patient preferences. In patients with OASI, PFUS is useful for evaluating primary repair of OASI and guiding therapeutic management and subsequent pregnancies.
