Pupal and Adult Parameters as Potential Indicators of Cottonwood Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Fecundity and Longevity

Cottonwood leaf beetle, Chrysomela scripta, pupae from a laboratory colony were weighed and monitored through adult emergence, oviposition, and mortality to determine if correlations existed between various pupal or adult parameters and fecundity or longevity. Forty-three female cottonwood leaf beetles were monitored. Pupal weight was not a good indicator of fecundity, total oviposition events, number of eggs/beetle/day, or adult longevity. In addition, adult weight showed very low correlation with fecundity, adult longevity, total oviposition events, or number of eggs/beetle/day. However, adult weight was a marginal indicator of the number of eggs/beetle/day, and correlated well with adult body length. Adult longevity could be used to predict fecundity

Phenology and Infestation Patterns of the Cottonwood Twig Borer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Iowa

Cottonwood twig borer, Gypsonoma haimbachiana (Lepidoptera: Totricidae), phenology and infestation patterns on Populus spp. were examined over a 2-year period in Iowa. Weekly sampling of infested shoots during the host growing season verified the existence of five instars. Head capsule size increased nonlinearly from the first to the fifth instar and corresponded to a concomitant geometric increase in the volume of larval feeding galleries. The sampling indicated that the cottonwood twig borer had two generations per year in Iowa. Corresponding with the two generations, two peaks of larval abundance were observed; one in the second week of June and the other in the first week of August. Greater volume of feeding galleries occurred in the early season generation compared with the late season generation. Sampling of infested shoots revealed that more than 80% of infested terminals contained only one active attack (freshly bored hole in tree terminal with frass present); more than 88% of feeding galleries contained only one larva; and more than 80% of the larvae were found in the first active attack nearest the terminal apex. These data were compared with results published on the phenology and attack patterns of the cottonwood twig borer in the southern United States

Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) for Space Launch System (SLS)

A human mission to the moon and Mars is the stated space exploration goal of the United States and the international community. To achieve these goals, NASA is developing the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew capsule as key elements in the architecture for missions to the moon and Mars. As part of the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) program, Northrop Grumman Space Systems is working to address booster obsolescence issues in design and manufacturing. The upgraded boosters will also provide increased performance that will benefit future lunar campaigns, science missions, and the eventual Mars campaign

Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) for Space Launch System (SLS)

A human mission to the moon and Mars is the stated space exploration goal of the United States and the international community. To achieve these goals, NASA is developing the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew capsule as key elements in the architecture for missions to the moon and Mars. As part of the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) program, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems is working to address booster obsolescence issues in design and manufacturing. The upgraded boosters will also provide increased performance that will benefit future lunar campaigns, science missions, and the eventual Mars campaign

Pupal and Adult Parameters as Potential Indicators of Cottonwood Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Fecundity and Longevity

Cottonwood leaf beetle, Chrysomela scripta, pupae from a laboratory colony were weighed and monitored through adult emergence, oviposition, and mortality to determine if correlations existed between various pupal or adult parameters and fecundity or longevity. Forty-three female cottonwood leaf beetles were monitored. Pupal weight was not a good indicator of fecundity, total oviposition events, number of eggs/beetle/day, or adult longevity. In addition, adult weight showed very low correlation with fecundity, adult longevity, total oviposition events, or number of eggs/beetle/day. However, adult weight was a marginal indicator of the number of eggs/beetle/day, and correlated well with adult body length. Adult longevity could be used to predict fecundity

Phenology and Infestation Patterns of the Cottonwood Twig Borer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Iowa

Cottonwood twig borer, Gypsonoma haimbachiana (Lepidoptera: Totricidae), phenology and infestation patterns on Populus spp. were examined over a 2-year period in Iowa. Weekly sampling of infested shoots during the host growing season verified the existence of five instars. Head capsule size increased nonlinearly from the first to the fifth instar and corresponded to a concomitant geometric increase in the volume of larval feeding galleries. The sampling indicated that the cottonwood twig borer had two generations per year in Iowa. Corresponding with the two generations, two peaks of larval abundance were observed; one in the second week of June and the other in the first week of August. Greater volume of feeding galleries occurred in the early season generation compared with the late season generation. Sampling of infested shoots revealed that more than 80% of infested terminals contained only one active attack (freshly bored hole in tree terminal with frass present); more than 88% of feeding galleries contained only one larva; and more than 80% of the larvae were found in the first active attack nearest the terminal apex. These data were compared with results published on the phenology and attack patterns of the cottonwood twig borer in the southern United States

An empirical approach towards the efficient and optimal production of influenza-neutralizing ovine polyclonal antibodies demonstrates that the novel adjuvant CoVaccine HT(TM) is functionally superior to Freund's adjuvant

Passive immunotherapies utilising polyclonal antibodies could have a valuable role in preventing and treating infectious diseases such as influenza, particularly in pandemic situations but also in immunocompromised populations such as the elderly, the chronically immunosuppressed, pregnant women, infants and those with chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to optimise current methods used to generate ovine polyclonal antibodies. Polyclonal antibodies to baculovirus-expressed recombinant influenza haemagglutinin from A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 H1N1 (PR8) were elicited in sheep using various immunisation regimens designed to investigate the priming immunisation route, adjuvant formulation, sheep age, and antigen dose, and to empirically ascertain which combination maximised antibody output. The novel adjuvant CoVaccine HT™ was compared to Freund’s adjuvant which is currently the adjuvant of choice for commercial production of ovine polyclonal Fab therapies. CoVaccine HT™ induced significantly higher titres of functional ovine anti-haemagglutinin IgG than Freund’s adjuvant but with fewer side effects, including reduced site reactions. Polyclonal hyperimmune sheep sera effectively neutralised influenza virus in vitro and, when given before or after influenza virus challenge, prevented the death of infected mice. Neither the age of the sheep nor the route of antigen administration appeared to influence antibody titre. Moreover, reducing the administrated dose of haemagglutinin antigen minimally affected antibody titre. Together, these results suggest a cost effective way of producing high and sustained yields of functional ovine polyclonal antibodies specifically for the prevention and treatment of globally significant diseases.Natalie E. Stevens, Cara K. Fraser, Mohammed Alsharifi, Michael P. Brown, Kerrilyn R. Diener, John D. Haybal

Targeting transcription regulation in cancer with a covalent CDK7 inhibitor

Tumour oncogenes include transcription factors that co-opt the general transcriptional machinery to sustain the oncogenic state, but direct pharmacological inhibition of transcription factors has so far proven difficult. However, the transcriptional machinery contains various enzymatic cofactors that can be targeted for the development of new therapeutic candidates, including cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Here we present the discovery and characterization of a covalent CDK7 inhibitor, THZ1, which has the unprecedented ability to target a remote cysteine residue located outside of the canonical kinase domain, providing an unanticipated means of achieving selectivity for CDK7. Cancer cell-line profiling indicates that a subset of cancer cell lines, including human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), have exceptional sensitivity to THZ1. Genome-wide analysis in Jurkat T-ALL cells shows that THZ1 disproportionally affects transcription of RUNX1 and suggests that sensitivity to THZ1 may be due to vulnerability conferred by the RUNX1 super-enhancer and the key role of RUNX1 in the core transcriptional regulatory circuitry of these tumour cells. Pharmacological modulation of CDK7 kinase activity may thus provide an approach to identify and treat tumour types that are dependent on transcription for maintenance of the oncogenic state.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant HG002668)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant CA109901