Digital Commons Network^™

Positioning Entomopathogenic Nematodes For The Future Viticulture: Exploring Their Use Against Biotic Threats And As Bioindicators Of Soil Health, Raquel Campos-Herrera, Ignacio Vicente-Díez, Rubén Blanco-Pérez, Maryam Chelkha, María Del Mar González-Trujillo, Miguel Puelles, Rasa Cepulité, Alicia Pou

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Vineyards face several biotic threats that compromise the grape quality and quantity. Among those that cause relevant economic impact and have worldwide distribution are the oomycete Plasmopara vitícola, the fungi Erysiphe necator and Botrytis cinerea, and the arthropods Lobesia botrana, Tetranychus urticae, and Phylaenus spumarius (principal vector of the bacterial disease Xylella fastidiosa in Europe). Their management relies primarily on agrochemicals with short persistence; widespread use of these chemicals causes environmental and human health problems. The challenge of sustainable viticulture is to provide ecologically sound alternatives. In this regard, the application of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and natural products derived from …

The Lure Of Hidden Death: Development Of An Attract-And-Kill Strategy Against Wireworms Combining Semiochemicals And Entomopathogenic Nematodes, Diana La Forgia, Pamela Bruno, Raquel Campos-Herrera, Ted Turlings, Francois Verheggen

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Wireworms are polyphagous soil-dwelling pests that are hard to control. Attract-and-kill strategies, combining attractive semiochemicals with biocontrol agents, have great promise to control insect pests. We hypothesized that the combination of plant semiochemicals and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in an attract-and-kill system could greatly enhance the nematodes' efficiency against wireworms. We evaluated the potential of alginate beads loaded with plant extracts and EPNs to control Agriotes obscurus. We tested the efficiency to kill wireworms or to reduce their feeding activity when combining potato tuber extracts as attractants with any of seven different EPN populations. While a direct application of EPNs on …

Assessment Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes And Their Symbiotic Bacteria To Control The Stink Bugs Euschistus Heros And Dichelops Melacanthus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) In The Soybean-Corn Succession System, Samanta Letícia Lopes Nanzer, Gustavo Henrique Recchia, Julie Giovanna Chacon-Orozco, Raphael Satochi Abe Silva, Jorge Franco Maringoli Cardoso, Luis Garrigós Leite

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Neotropical brown stink bug Euschistus heros and the green-belly stink bug Dichelops melacanthus are the most important pests today for the succession system of soy-corn in Brazil. Dichelops melacanthus attacks the emerging shoot (epicotyl) of corn plants at the seedling stage of their development, remaining and reproducing on the straw over generations. Euschistus heros, on the other hand, feeds directly on the grains and lodge under fallen leaves after the soybean harvest, due to the absence of another crop host. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are capable of killing insects due to their ability to search for the host in the …

Indiscriminate Ingestion Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes And Their Symbiotic Bacteria By Aedes Aegypti Larvae: A Novel Strategy To Control The Vector Of Chikungunya, Dengue And Yellow Fever., Farooq A. Shah, Mostafa M. Abdoarrahem, Colin Berry, Mustapha Touray, Selçuk Hazir, Tariq M. Butt

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Third and fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti actively ingested entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and their symbiotic bacteria, resulting in larval mortality. All six EPN species evaluated in this study were pathogenic to Ae. aegypti but varied significantly in their virulence. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae were most virulent, H. megidis and S. kraussei showed the least virulence, whereas H. downesi and S. feltiae had intermediate virulence. Larval mortality was dose dependent for all EPN species. When using a dose of 100 infective juveniles (IJs) per larva, H. bacteriophora and S. carpocapsae caused 90%-100% mortality, whereas H. downesi and S. feltiae …

Compatibility Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes With Plant Extracts And Post-Exposure Virulence Test Under Laboratory Condition, Adeola Abiola Oso, Tshimangadzo Ramakuwela, Anofi Omotayo Tom Ashafa

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The efficacy of both botanical pesticides and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) is largely dose-dependent and driven by environmental conditions. Combination of the EPNs and botanicals may enhance their efficacy; thus, we investigated the compatibility of the medicinal plants Alepidea amatymbica and Elephantorrhiza elephantina with five locally isolated EPN strains, three Steinernema (S. khoisanae, S. biddulphi and S. innovationi) and two Heterorhabditis (H. bacteriophora and Heterorhabditis sp. SGI 244). The experiments were designed to evaluate EPNs survival in plant extracts extracted using water and ethanol at 1%, 0.75%, 0.50%, 0.25% and 0.125% concentrations and nematode viability post-exposure. A concentration of 1000 IJs/mL …

Determining Some Biological Parameters Of Aenasius Arizonensis (Girault)(Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) On Cotton Mealybug And The Rate Of Parasitism In Fieldconditions, Doğancan Kahya, Asi̇me Fi̇li̇z Çalişkan Keçe, Mehmet Ri̇fat Ulusoy

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is the primary parasitoid of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Some biological parameters of this parasitoid have not been fully understood. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine biological parameters of A.arizonensis at 25 °C, 65% R.H, 16 : 8 L : D with age-stage two-sex life table and effectiveness of this parasitoid in field conditions in Turkey. The results showed that pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods of A. arizonensis were calculated as 1.5, 26, and 3.1 days, respectively. In addition, total mean longevity was determined as 31 days for female and 18 days for …

Susceptibility Of Agriotes Larvae (Coleoptera: Elateridae) To "Stress And Kill" Strategies Using Spinosad And The Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium Brunneum., Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Ian Baxter, Giselher Grabenweger, Tariq Mahmud Butt

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Wireworms (Agriotes obscurus, Agriotes lineatus, Agriotes sordidus) are major pests of arable crops. Damage caused by these subterranean pests has increased following the withdrawal of many traditional synthetic insecticides. Wireworms are susceptible to entomopathogenic fungi belonging to the genus Metarhizium. The aim of this study was to determine if exposure of different wireworm species to sublethal doses of the insecticide spinosad altered their susceptibility to different strains of Metarhizium brunneum. Of the three wireworm species studied, A. obscurus was the most susceptible species to the isolates of M. brunneum tested, while A. lineatus and A. sordidus were not affected by …

Larvicidal, And Cytoxicity Of Lepidium Sativum L. Seed Extract Against Culex Pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae), Lamya Ahmed Al- Keridis, Rania Ali El Hadi Mohamed, Nael Abutaha, Fahd A. Almekhlafi, Amin A. Al-Doaiss, Thikra A. N. Almashaan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this work, we investigated the larvicidal, ovicidal, and histopathological alterations induced by Lepidium sativum seed extracts in Culex pipiens. Hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol solvents were used for the seed extraction. Only ethyl acetate seed extract was active against the third instar mosquito larvae of Cx. pipiens. The ethyl acetate extract had an LC$_{50}$ of 27.03 ?g/mL. Egg hatchability was between 95% (25 μg/mL) and 5% (200 μg/mL). The ethyl acetate treated larvae showed protruding epithelial cells, and degraded microvilli. The total phenolic content was 0.3 ± 0.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g in the ethyl acetate extract. …

Feasibility Study For Detection Of Retinal Amyloid In Clinical Trials: The Anti-Amyloid Treatment In Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (A4) Trial, Jennifer Ngolab, Michael Donohue, Alison Belsha, Jennifer Salazar, Paula Cohen, Sandhya Jaiswal, Veasna Tan, Devon Gessert, Shaina Korouri, Neelum T. Aggarwal, Jessica Alber, Ken Johnson, Gregory Jicha, Christopher Van Dyck, James Lah, Stephen Salloway, Reisa A. Sperling, Paul S. Aisen, Michael S. Rafii, Robert A. Rissman

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: The retina and brain exhibit similar pathologies in patients diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases. The ability to access the retina through imaging techniques opens the possibility for non-invasive evaluation of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. While retinal amyloid deposits are detected in individuals clinically diagnosed with AD, studies including preclinical individuals are lacking, limiting assessment of the feasibility of retinal imaging as a biomarker for early-stage AD risk detection.

Methods:

In this small cross-sectional study we compare retinal and cerebral amyloid in clinically normal individuals who screened positive for high amyloid levels through positron emission tomography (PET) from the Anti-Amyloid Treatment …

Designing Multifunctional Urban Agroforestry With People In Mind, John Taylor, Sarah Taylor Lovell

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

Urban landscapes combining trees and crops—urban agroforestry (UAF) systems—may offer greater ecological and cultural benefits than annual cropping systems. Interest in UAF is growing, as evidenced by an increasing number of built projects and articles in the popular press and the academic literature on the subject. However, the practice of UAF appears to far outpace research on its scientific underpinnings or its design. Developing sustainable, resilient UAF sites can be challenging because of biophysical and sociocultural conditions unique to the city; however, cities offer opportunities not found in rural environments including the potential to close open nutrient loops between consumers …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Clinicians’ Approaches To Working With People Who Hear Voices, Laura M. Fogarty

ETD Archive

The available research on psychosis is presently lacking practitioners’ beliefs about people with symptoms of psychosis (focused here on auditory verbal hallucination) as well as conceptualization and treatment planning with these clients. There is some growing interest in “healthy voice-hearers,” people who hear voices but do not experience distress. This study comprised information about clinicians’ experiences through an empirical phenomenological method guided by a critical theory framework. A sample of both counseling (n = 4) and clinical practitioners (n = 10), including psychologists and predoctoral and postdoctoral interns, was recruited and interviewed about their beliefs and experiences, as well as …

Hybrid Modelling For Stroke Care: Review And Suggestions Of New Approaches For Risk Assessment And Simulation Of Scenarios, Tilda Herrgårdh, Vince I. Madai, John Kelleher, Rasmus Magnusson, Mika Gustafsson, Lili Milani, Peter Gennemark, Gunnar Cedersund

Articles

Stroke is an example of a complex and multi-factorial disease involving multiple organs, timescales, and disease mechanisms. To deal with this complexity, and to realize Precision Medicine of stroke, mathematical models are needed. Such approaches include: 1) machine learning, 2) bioinformatic network models, and 3) mechanistic models. Since these three approaches have complementary strengths and weaknesses, a hybrid modelling approach combining them would be the most beneficial. However, no concrete approach ready to be implemented for a specific disease has been presented to date. In this paper, we both review the strengths and weaknesses of the three approaches, and propose …

In Situ Water Quantification In Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Using Portable Raman Spectroscopy, Suha Elderderi, Laura Wils, Charlotte Leman-Loubière, Hugh Byrne, Igor Chourpa, Cécile Enguehard-Gueiffier, Emilie Munnier, Abdalla A. Elbashir, Leslie Boudesocque-Delaye, Franck Bonnier

Articles

Raman spectroscopy is a cost-effective, label free and non-destructive analytical tool [1] that delivers specific molecular information to enable the determination of the chemical composition of samples within seconds, with minimum or no requirements for sample preparation. The technique is based on the illumination of samples with a monochromatic laser source, resulting in a fraction of the light being inelastically scattered (the Raman effect) which can be collected as spectral signatures [2]. Raman spectroscopy is considered as an approach well suited for the monitoring and control of chemical and pharmaceutical processes [3,4], end point prediction of chemical synthesis reactions [5] …

Ripple Effects: How Teacher Action Research On Culturally Relevant Education Can Promote Systemic Change, Hillary Parkhouse, Julie Gorlewski, Jesse Senechal, Chu Yi Lu Qiu

Teaching and Learning Publications

Teacher action research has been shown to both promote professional growth in teachers as well as produce gains for students. However, to date, little research has examined how action research might contribute to systemic changes in schools and school districts. This qualitative study of six teachers from various districts, subject areas, and grade levels, illustrates how action research can have simultaneous impacts on teachers, their students, and their schools and districts. The teacher action research projects all focused on culturally relevant education and the pursuit of equity. Impacts included teachers’ deepened understandings of equity and inclusivity; students’ diversity awareness, positive …

Disentangling Social-Genetic From Rearing-Environment Effects For Alcohol Use Disorder Using Swedish National Data, Aiman Hanif, Han Tran

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

The presentation introduces Dr. Jessica Salvatore and colleagues’ work, Disentangling Social-Genetic From Rearing-Environment Effects for Alcohol Use Disorder Using Swedish National Data, on the social-genetic effects of having a spouse whose parent(s) is/are affected by alcohol use disorder (AUD). After collecting personal data of over 300,000 Swedish opposite-sex couples, the study used actor-partner interdependence model and logistic regression model to examine the association between a spouse’s AUD predisposition and the proband’s risk of developing AUD. The results showed that the proband is at a high risk of developing AUD upon marrying an AUD-predisposed spouse. The authors concluded that this relationship …

The Covid-19 Vaccine Development Landscape, Areebah Ahmed

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

This presentation focused on the current ongoing developments for the COVID-19 vaccine as described in The Covid-19 Vaccine Development Landscape by Tung Thanh Le et. al. An overview of the competing companies and the specifics of their vaccine development is presented, along with the current phases. Moderna and Inovio Pharmaceuticals are just a few of the companies working towards the common goal of a proven effective vaccine. Additionally, the presentation contains visuals of the biological components of the virus, as well as discussions of how organizations such as the CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) have assisted the progress of …

The Promises Of Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling, Jefin Jose

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

In Jean-Antoine Lepesant's review of The promises of neurodegenerative disease modeling, the author evaluates the present and past roles of molecular genetics in biomedical research and assesses the use of animal models in neurodegenerative disease modeling. Despite posing various ethical issues, particularly surrounding the clinical implications of CRISPR/Cas9, molecular genetics has allowed researchers to determine the pathogenic origin of various diseases as well as mimic the conditions of genetically altered patients. Molecular genetics has also facilitated a transgenic approach to create animal models for mammalian disorders. In particular, D. melanogaster serves as a preliminary research tool in the investigation of …

The Resulting Mental Health Pandemic From Covid-19: Research And Resources For Social Workers, Ami Lynch

Social Work Student Works

The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting mental health impacts on hundreds of millions more worldwide than the contagion itself. Social workers are seeing increases in depression, anxiety, suicidality, and post-traumatic stress disorder and other negative mental health impacts. Because of this, social workers in all environments and modalities of practice need to be well-trained, agile, and energized while facing the pandemic themselves. This report compiles the impacts and concerns for a variety of social workers and their clients into a single, digestible source, supplemented by the “COVID-19 Resource Compendium for Social Workers and Their Clients”. Social workers must practice self-care, …

Annual Report Highlights, 2021, The Second Look Commission, Tennessee Commission On Children And Youth

Second Look Commission Annual Reports

The Second Look Commission reviews cases of children from across Tennessee who have experienced a second or subsequent incidence of severe abuse to identify ways to improve the system and help other children avoid a similar fate. This document highlights data from the annual report.

Mesoamerican Salamanders (Amphibia: Caudata) As A Conservation Focal Group, Elí García-Padilla, Dominic L. Desantis, Arturo Rocha, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson, Lydia A. Fucsko, David Lazcano, Larry D. Wilson

Faculty and Staff Works

Salamanders constitute the second largest order of amphibians in the world. The 762 species occurring globally are organized into nine families, of which eight are found in the Western Hemisphere. The 308 species of Mesoamerican salamanders are arranged in four families, only two of which have representatives occurring significantly south of the US-Mexican border. Those two families are the Ambystomatidae, with 18 Mesoamerican species, and the Plethodontidae, with 287 species. Most of the Mesoamerican salamanders are endemic to either Mexico or Central America or to Mesoamerica in general. The largest number of endemic species belong to the genera Ambystoma, Bolitoglossa, …

Σ-Ary, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Mathematics Department

Math Department Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Environment–Host–Microbial Interactions Shape The Sarraceniapurpurea Microbiome At The Continental Scale, Zachary B. Freedman, Alicia Mcgrew, Benjamin Baiser, Mathilde Besson, Dominique Gravel, Timothée Poisot, Sydne Record, Lauren B. Trotta, Nicholas J. Gotelli

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The importance of climate, habitat structure, and higher trophic levels on microbial diversity is only beginning to be understood. Here, we examined the influence of climate variables, plant morphology, and the abundance of aquatic invertebrates on the microbial biodiversity of the northern pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. The plant's cup‐shaped leaves fill with rainwater and support a miniature, yet full‐fledged, ecosystem with a diverse microbiome that decomposes captured prey and a small network of shredding and filter‐feeding aquatic invertebrates that feed on microbes. We characterized pitcher microbiomes of 108 plants sampled at 36 sites from Florida to Quebec. Structural equation …

The Geodiv R Package: Tools For Calculating Gradient Surface Metrics, Annie C. Smith, Kyla M. Dahlin, Sydne Record, Jennifer K. Costanza, Adam M. Wilson, Phoebe L. Zarnetske

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The geodiv r package calculates gradient surface metrics from imagery and other gridded datasets to provide continuous measures of landscape heterogeneity for landscape pattern analysis. geodiv is the first open-source, command line toolbox for calculating many gradient surface metrics and easily integrates parallel computing for applications with large images or rasters (e.g. remotely sensed data). All functions may be applied either globally to derive a single metric for an entire image or locally to create a texture image over moving windows of a user-defined extent. We present a comprehensive description of the functions available through geodiv. A supplemental vignette provides …

University Of South Alabama College Of Medicine Annual Report For 2021-2022, College Of Medicine

COM Annual Reports

The 2021-2022 annual report catalogs the accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students relating to teaching, research, scholarship and community service.

The Negative Impacts Of Cishet Values: An Exploration Of Lgbqtia+ Representation Within Emerging Adult Relationship Research, Kristina Betz

Psychology Student Scholarship

The hegemony informs epistemological assumptions within the field of psychology, and thus, psychological research is informed by the heteropatriarchy. Emerging adult relationships are rooted in cishet values, heteronormative and cisnormative values, erasing LGBTQIA+ romantic relationships. Emerging adult relationship research promotes cishet values by disregarding gender and sexuality spectrums through the expectations of binary gender and sexualities which produces data that cannot be generalized (Brassard et al., 2018; James-Kangal et al., 2019). Future research must utilize sample groups that include multidimensional social identities and researchers must internalize the importance of examining their dichotomized biases. Metanalytic studies and a broader critique are …

Rise Of The Machines? Intraday High-Frequency Trading Patterns Of Cryptocurrencies, Alla A Petukhina, Raphael C. G. Reule, Wolfgang Karl Hardle

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

This research analyses high-frequency data of the cryptocurrency market in regards to intraday trading patterns related to algorithmic trading and its impact on the European cryptocurrency market. We study trading quantitatives such as returns, traded volumes, volatility periodicity, and provide summary statistics of return correlations to CRIX (CRyptocurrency IndeX), as well as respective overall high-frequency based market statistics with respect to temporal aspects. Our results provide mandatory insight into a market, where the grand scale employment of automated trading algorithms and the extremely rapid execution of trades might seem to be a standard based on media reports. Our findings on …

Understanding The Influence Of Childhood Experiences On The Development Of Female Sexual Perpetrators Against Underage Individuals, Cassandra Marie Hershman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Females who are perpetrators of sexual offenses are an understudied population. Due to societies’ failure to recognize that female perpetrators exist and to recognize their abuse when it occurs, sexual abuse completed by females often goes unreported. As a result, females engaging in sexual offenses, particularly pedophilia, is seen as a rare occurrence. However, research suggests that the actual rate of female pedophilic behavior is occurring at a rate three-four times higher than what is actually reported (Cortoni, Babchishin, & Rat, 2017). This study used anonymous data from 2,828 adult females in the IRB approved study [127810-11] Effects of Recalled …

Seasonal Variation In Home-Range And Core-Area Size In Verreaux's Sifaka, Brynn Harshbarger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Primates living in seasonal forests must adapt to extreme fluctuation in resource availability. Verreaux’s sifaka ( ) live in Madagascar’s highly seasonal tropical dry forests and experience periods of extreme resource abundance and scarcity. Home- range and core-area size were measured using 95% and 50% kernel estimation, and 95% minimum convex polygons to compare seasonal shifts in space use based on resource availability. There have been no long-term space use studies on Verreaux’s sifaka; therefore, we do not know how their space use changes over time in an environment which is both highly seasonal and highly variable. Our study leverages …

The Effects Of Concussion On Quantity Of Sleep And Quality Of Sleep, Taren Asheton Bone

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study observed how a concussion's effects change the quantity and quality of sleep in collegiate athletes. There is a lack of research pertaining to this topic, explicitly involving collegiate athletes and the changes in sleep outcomes during concussion recovery from a concussion. The study design is a convenient cohort in the field involving athletes from two local universities. Participants wore a Readiband™ device for seven to ten days or throughout their concussion recovery. There were differences in total minutes in bed and calculated minutes in bed between concussed and non-concussed participants. This study indicates that concussion affects the quantity …

Assessing The Toxicity Of A Reconstituted Water Simulating Streams Influenced By Mountaintop Mining In Central Appalachia, Benjamin David Browning

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Freshwater ecosystems in Central Appalachia experience increased concentrations of manganese (Mn) and total dissolved solids from the runoff of surface mines and valley fills. Biological communities have been impacted by these surface mining operations and it has been suggested that the increase in total dissolved solids may contribute to these negative effects, but standard laboratory toxicity tests have not found increased concentrations of total dissolved solids to have such negative effects as seen in the field. The elevated total dissolved solids in mining influenced streams may only be toxic in conjunction with another toxicant that is presence in these systems …