Beetles transmit a new soybean virus

In 1999, soybean producers from around the state reported problems with soybean green stem and mottled or discolored soybean seed. Many of these reports of poor soybean quality are suspected to be caused by the spread of a new soybean disease in Iowa, bean pod mottle virus. Bean pod mottle virus was identified in Iowa as early as 1968, but it hasn\u27t been widespread or implicated in causing significant yield losses. Last year bean pod mottle virus was confirmed in soybeans in several central and western Iowa counties (Dallas, Ida, Marshall, Polk, Story, and Woodbury)

Effect of Bean Leaf Beetle Management on Soybean Yield and on Incidence of Bean Pod Mottle Virus in Eastern Iowa

The bean leaf beetle (BLB) is a long-time pest of soybeans and other beans; but until 2000, it seldom reached levels that warranted treatment on a large scale. Recently however, the BLB also has been identified as the transmission source of a disease called bean pod mottle virus (BPMV), which can cause yield reduction of benas as well as discoloring of soybeans that results in dockage at market. During the winter of 2000–2001, high overwintering BLB populations due to an extensive insulating snow cover suggested that BLB populations would be quite high during the 2001 growing season. While research by Dr. Larry Pedigo, professor of entomology, and others has been done to establish developmental stage thresholds for BLB management in soybeans, the addition of BPMV to the overall equation indicated the need for additional research to determine timing, effectiveness, and economics of spraying to prevent the introduction of BPMV into the plants

Management of Bean Leaf Beetles and Bean Pod Mottle Virus: A Summary of Current and Future Research

In 2002, the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster), population reached the highest level recorded in 14 years (Fig. 1). The bean leaf beetle is now considered the most frequent insect pest of Iowa soybean, and concern over this pest is greater because it transmits a soybean virus, Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). Bean leaf beetle management recently has become more complicated because of this insect\u27s association with BPMV, therefore, it is important to understand the life cycle of the beetle and its relation to BPMV before management decisions are made

New Thresholds and Strategies for Management of Bean Leaf Beetles in Iowa Soybean

The bean leaf beetle is an annual pest of soybean in midwestern states. Adult beetles feed on any aboveground plant part and are especially fond of soybean pods late in the growing season. Larvae, which are similar in appearance to com rootworm larvae, feed below the soil surface on soybean nodules, but their impact on yield or plant health is not known. In addition to the physical injury that bean leaf beetle adults cause to soybean plants, this insect also transmits bean pod mottle virus-a potentially yield-robbing plant disease that makes proper management of this insect even more critical. This report focuses on a new concept for managing second-generation bean leaf beetle adults, the performance of insecticides in controlling this pest, and the problems related to bean pod mottle virus and transmission by adult beetles

Higher education analytics: New trends in program assessments

© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature. End of course evaluations technologies can provide critical analytics that can be used to improve the academic outcomes of almost any university. This paper presents key findings from a study conducted on more than twenty different academic degree-programs, regarding their use of end of course evaluation technology. Data was collected from an online survey instrument, in-depth interviews with academic administrators, and two case studies, one in the US and another in the UAE. The study reveals new trends including sectioning and categorization; questions standardization and benchmarking; alignment with key performance indicators and key learning outcomes; and grouping by course, program outcome, program, college, etc. in addition to those vertical structures, higher education institutions are vertically examining a specific question(s) across

Priming by Chemokines Restricts Lateral Mobility of the Adhesion Receptor LFA-1 and Restores Adhesion to ICAM-1 Nano-Aggregates on Human Mature Dendritic Cells

LFA-1 is a leukocyte specific β2 integrin that plays a major role in regulating adhesion and migration of different immune cells. Recent data suggest that LFA-1 on mature dendritic cells (mDCs) may function as a chemokine-inducible anchor during homing of DCs through the afferent lymphatics into the lymph nodes, by transiently switching its molecular conformational state. However, the role of LFA-1 mobility in this process is not yet known, despite that the importance of lateral organization and dynamics for LFA-1-mediated adhesion regulation is broadly recognized. Using single particle tracking approaches we here show that LFA-1 exhibits higher mobility on resting mDCs compared to monocytes. Lymphoid chemokine CCL21 stimulation of the LFA-1 high affinity state on mDCs, led to a significant reduction of mobility and an increase on the fraction of stationary receptors, consistent with re-activation of the receptor. Addition of soluble monomeric ICAM-1 in the presence of CCL21 did not alter the diffusion profile of LFA-1 while soluble ICAM-1 nano-aggregates in the presence of CCL21 further reduced LFA-1 mobility and readily bound to the receptor. Overall, our results emphasize the importance of LFA-1 lateral mobility across the membrane on the regulation of integrin activation and its function as adhesion receptor. Importantly, our data show that chemokines alone are not sufficient to trigger the high affinity state of the integrin based on the strict definition that affinity refers to the adhesion capacity of a single receptor to its ligand in solution. Instead our data indicate that nanoclustering of the receptor, induced by multi-ligand binding, is required to maintain stable cell adhesion once LFA-1 high affinity state is transiently triggered by inside-out signals.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Stepped-wedge randomised trial of laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy in adults with chronic constipation: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) is an established treatment for external full-thickness rectal prolapse. However, its clinical efficacy in patients with internal prolapse is uncertain due to the lack of high-quality evidence. METHODS: An individual level, stepped-wedge randomised trial has been designed to allow observer-blinded data comparisons between patients awaiting LVMR with those who have undergone surgery. Adults with symptomatic internal rectal prolapse, unresponsive to prior conservative management, will be eligible to participate. They will be randomised to three arms with different delays before surgery (0, 12 and 24 weeks). Efficacy outcome data will be collected at equally stepped time points (12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks). The primary objective is to determine clinical efficacy of LVMR compared to controls with reduction in the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) at 24 weeks serving as the primary outcome. Secondary objectives are to determine: (1) the clinical effectiveness of LVMR to 48 weeks to a maximum of 72 weeks; (2) pre-operative determinants of outcome; (3) relevant health economics for LVMR; (4) qualitative evaluation of patient and health professional experience of LVMR and (5) 30-day morbidity and mortality rates. DISCUSSION: An individual-level, stepped-wedge, randomised trial serves the purpose of providing an untreated comparison for the active treatment group, while at the same time allowing the waiting-listed participants an opportunity to obtain the intervention at a later date. In keeping with the basic ethical tenets of this design, the average waiting time for LVMR (12 weeks) will be shorter than that for routine services (24 weeks)