Integrated pest management of the Mexican rice borer in Louisiana and Texas sugarcane and rice

Interactions between sugarcane, Saccharum spp., and the invasive species Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), were evaluated in field experiments and in the greenhouse with rice, Oryza sativa L., as an additional host. By determining adult emergence holes together with percent bored internodes, a novel method for evaluating sugarcane cultivar resistance was developed. In 2001, LCP 85-384 had the greatest moth production per hectare, significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than HoCP 85-845. High levels of sodium and magnesium salt stress in the soil were associated with higher E. loftini injury in all cultivars except HoCP 91-555 and CP 70-321. Irrigation reduced injury in both susceptible (LCP 85-384) and resistant (HoCP 85-845) cultivars by 2.5-fold. The combination of irrigation, plant resistance, and insecticide applications of tebufenozide decreased injury from 70% bored internodes to less than 10%. Several free amino acids essential for insect development increased in sugarcane leaves under drought stressed conditions, which exacerbated E. loftini infestations. Drought stressed sugarcane was 1.8-fold more attractive based on egg masses/plant than non stressed sugarcane. Based on egg masses/plant and eggs/egg mass, cultivar LCP 85-384 was more attractive than the resistant HoCP 85-845. Egg masses were 9.2-fold more abundant on sugarcane than on rice. Oviposition on sugarcane occurred exclusively on dry leaf material, and the number of dry leaves was positively correlated with egg masses per plant. Several free amino acids essential for insect development increased in sugarcane leaves under drought stressed conditions, and were highly correlated with egg masses per plant. Rice leaves, despite being less attractive for oviposition, had higher levels of free amino acids than sugarcane. Based on boundary movement monitoring with pheromone traps, the average rate of spread from 1980 (Weslaco, TX) to 2004 (Chambers County, TX) was 23.2 km/yr. From 2000 to 2004, annual mean centroids of moth trap counts moved 29.3 km, however 95% C.I. overlapped across years. Minimizing sugarcane stress will play a major role in managing this invasive pest when it becomes established in Louisiana

The HLA System and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66382/1/j.1399-0039.1978.tb01313.x.pd

¹⁵N-amino sugar stable isotope probing (¹⁵N-SIP) to trace the assimilation of fertiliser-N by soil bacterial and fungal communities

Although amino sugars represent a major component of soil organic nitrogen (ON), the assimilation of nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) into amino sugars (AS) by soil bacteria and fungi represents a neglected aspect of the global N cycle. A deeper knowledge of AS responses to N fertiliser addition may help enhance N use efficiency (NUE) within agricultural systems. Our aim was to extend a sensitive compound-specific 15N-stable isotope probing (SIP) approach developed for amino acids (AAs) to investigate the immobilization of inorganic N into a range of amino sugars (muramic acid, glucosamine, galactosamine, mannosamine). Laboratory incubations using 15N-ammonium and 15N-nitrate applied at agriculturally relevant rates (190 and 100 kg N ha−1 for 15NH4+ and 15NO3−, respectively) were carried out to obtain quantitative measures of N-assimilation into the AS pool of a grassland soil over a 32-d period. Using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) we found that δ15N values for individual AS reflected differences in routing of the applied ammonium and nitrate. The contrasting N-assimilation dynamics of bacterial and fungal communities were demonstrated through determinations of percentage 15N incorporation into diagnostic AS. N-assimilation dynamics of the bacterial community were altered with the applied substrate whilst fungal N-assimilation dynamics were unaffected. Rates and fluxes of the applied N-substrates into the bacterial AS pool reflected known biosynthetic pathways for AS, with fungal glucosamine appearing to be biosynthetically further from the applied substrates than bacterial glucosamine due to different turnover rates. This sensitive and specific compound specific 15N-SIP approach using AS, building on existing approaches with AAs, enables differentiation of N assimilation dynamics within the microbial community and assessment of microbial NUE with agriculturally relevant fertilisation rates

The invasive kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) as an agricultural and nuisance pest

The invasive “kudzu bug,” Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) is a native of Asia that was found in northeastern Georgia in fall 2009. This insect has since spread rapidly throughout the southeastern U.S., and is abundant in much of South Carolina. Megacopta cribraria feed on the vascular fluid of several legumes, primarily kudzu, Puereria montana var. lobata, and soybeans, Glycine max. These insects enter soybean fields in often alarming numbers, leaving conspicuous lesions on soybean stems and potentially reducing yields. In addition, M. cribraria congregate on homes and other structures in late fall as they seek overwintering sites, potentially becoming a nuisance pest where populations are large. We examined M. cribraria as a yield reducing pest of soybeans and as a nuisance pest of buildings. Large populations of M. cribraria in caged soybean plots resulted in yield losses of up to 59.6%, and yield reductions were similar in both 2011 and 2012. Several professional-use insecticides were effective in controlling M. cribraria on a variety of building material surfaces, and in some insecticide × surface combinations activity was maintained 30 days post-application. These results contribute to our still developing understanding of this insect as an agricultural and nuisance pest

A Framework for Measurement Feedback to Improve Decision-Making in Mental Health

The authors present a multi-level framework for conceptualizing and designing measurement systems to improve decision-making in the treatment and prevention of child and adolescent mental health problems as well as the promotion of well-being. Also included is a description of the recommended drivers of the development and refinement of these measurement systems and the importance of the architecture upon which these measurement systems are built. The authors conclude with a set of recommendations for the next steps for the field

The effects of chronic trans-resveratrol supplementation on aspects of cognitive function, mood, sleep, health and cerebral blood flow in healthy, young humans

Single doses of resveratrol have previously been shown to increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) with no clear effect on cognitive function or mood in healthy adults. Chronic resveratrol consumption may increase the poor bioavailability of resveratrol or otherwise potentiate its psychological effects. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups study, a total of sixty adults aged between 18 and 30 years received either placebo or resveratrol for 28 d. On the 1st and 28th day of treatment, the performance of cognitively demanding tasks (serial subtractions, rapid visual information processing and 3-Back) (n 41 complete data sets) was assessed, alongside blood pressure (n 26) and acute (near-IR spectroscopy (NIRS)) and chronic (transcranial Doppler) measures of CBF (n 46). Subjective mood, sleep quality and health questionnaires were completed at weekly intervals (n 53/54). The results showed that the cognitive effects of resveratrol on day 1 were restricted to more accurate but slower serial subtraction task performance. The only cognitive finding on day 28 was a beneficial effect of resveratrol on the accuracy of the 3-Back task before treatment consumption. Subjective ratings of ‘fatigue’ were significantly lower across the entire 28 d in the resveratrol condition. Resveratrol also resulted in modulation of CBF parameters on day 1, as assessed by NIRS, and significantly increased diastolic blood pressure on day 28. Levels of resveratrol metabolites were significantly higher both before and after the day’s treatment on day 28, in comparison with day 1. These results confirm the acute CBF effects of resveratrol and the lack of interpretable cognitive effects

Cerebral blood flow and behavioural effects of caffeine in habitual and non-habitual consumers of caffeine: A near infrared spectroscopy study

Caffeine has been shown to modulate cerebral blood flow, with little evidence of tolerance to these effects following habitual use. However, previous studies have focused on caffeine levels much higher than those found in dietary servings and have compared high caffeine consumers with low consumers rather than 'non-consumers'. The current placebo-controlled double-blind, balanced-crossover study employed near infrared spectroscopy to monitor pre-frontal cerebral-haemodynamics at rest and during completion of tasks that activate the pre-frontal cortex. Twenty healthy young habitual and non-habitual consumers of caffeine received 75mg caffeine or placebo. Caffeine significantly decreased cerebral blood flow but this was subject to a significant interaction with consumption status, with no significant effect being shown in habitual consumers and an exaggerated effect in non-habitual consumers. These findings suggest that caffeine, at levels typically found in a single dietary serving, is able to modulate cerebral blood flow but these effects are subject to tolerance