Integrating soybean aphid and soybean cyst nematode management

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, and soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, can interact through the soybean plant resulting in increased SCN reproduction on both SCN-resistant and SCN-susceptible varieties. The management of SCN is heavily reliant on the planting of PI 88788-derived SCN-resistant varieties to limit yield loss to SCN in the current year and future years. Virulence to PI 88788 is increasing in SCN field populations due to its extensive use. Therefore, it is increasingly important to manage any factor that increases SCN reproduction on SCN-resistant varieties. Here I examined management tactics including host-plant resistance and insecticidal seed treatments to limit soybean aphid populations and disrupt the interaction between soybean aphids and SCN. Neither host-plant resistance incorporating a single resistance gene nor insecticidal seed treatments were able to prevent yield loss from soybean aphids. Furthermore, host-plant resistance incorporating a single resistance gene also failed to disrupt soybean aphid-SCN interactions. Host-plant resistance incorporating a pyramid of two resistance genes was, however capable of limiting yield loss to soybean aphids. The pyramid line also limited aphid population densities to below levels where we would expect to observe soybean aphid-SCN interactions. Future research will need to investigate the ability of a pyramid line to disrupt soybean aphid-SCN interactions in the field and the potential consequences for yield and long-term sustainable SCN population management

New Options for Soybean Aphid Host Plant Resistance

Host plant resistance for soybean aphid is the newest management tool for yield protection. In 2010, a single gene expression, called Rag1, was commercially released in the north central region. Aphids feeding on Rag1 plants do not live as long or produce as many offspring compared to when they feed on susceptible plants. In small plot evaluations of the Rag1 gene, there is a dramatic decrease in the seasonal accumulation of soybean aphid compared to aphids developing on susceptible varieties

How Autonomous Vehicles will Reshape the Urban Landscape

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will bring one of the largest revolutions to the nation’s transportation system, with major changes in planning policies and the urban environment. While AVs have already been introduced to our mobility network, they still require a human operator behind the wheel. In coming years, as AV technology becomes more sophisticated, it will begin to dominate the roadways due to the technologies ability to maneuver at a much high accuracy and predictability than human drivers. This transition into an AV oriented future will promote road safety, increase productivity, reduce travel and labor costs, and reinvent the urban landscape

Exploring soybean integrated pest management in a changing agricultural environment: the impacts of decreasing ecosystem services, invasive species and specialty cultivars

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a recently invasive pest to North America. Integrated pest management strategies exist for minimizing the impact of the soybean aphid on yield. These strategies were developed from field-based research conducted under the environmental conditions of the time and using commodity soybean plants. The increased use of broad spectrum insecticides and the increased simplification of the landscape along with the release of altered fatty acid soybean cultivars have led to changes in the agricultural environment. How these changes affect soybean aphid population dynamics and interactions between the soybean aphid and other pests is investigated. The first objective was to determine how reduced natural enemy services may impact soybean aphid population growth between the economic threshold and economic injury level. The second objective was to determine how the soybean aphid could indirectly interact with the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines Ichinhoe and the brown stem rot fungus, Cadophora gregata Harrington and McNew. The third and fourth objectives were to determine the effect of altered fatty acid cultivars on soybean pests and pathogens. Objective four quantified the effect of these cultivars on the performance of the soybean aphid, soybean cyst nematode and brown stem rot. Objective five addressed how the alterations in fatty acid synthesis pathways present in these cultivars may affect plant volatile emissions and the downstream impact this has on host plant selection by the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata Forster (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Reflecting for action

To answer the question, What do I believe about leadership and education? I have to say that I believe in four main things: Hard work, passion, family and most importantly, faith. If you follow through with these four beliefs, everything else will fall into place. Work hard, have passion for the school, love your family above all, and pray. These are the keys to being successful as an administrator

Placed: Assessing the developmental progression of remedial math students at a large Midwestern community college using ALEKS

The focus of this study was to investigate the developmental climb of students at one large Midwestern community college based on their Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) placement scores in remedial mathematics. Specifically, the purpose of this research study was to assess and explore the predictors of student progression and their progression rates in remedial math at this college. Remediation is important because of the nature of the community college with its open access that attracts underprepared students. Further, community colleges are growing in popularity and are often used as a stepping stone for students who may be underprepared to enter four-year institutions. The conceptual framework used for this investigation of remedial students at one community college was the Developmental Climb of Hagedorn, Lester, and Cypres (2010), who focused on the nature of remedial/developmental courses and the difficulty of progression through the sequence to college-level math. This study examined 2,172 students’ transcript data and demographic information from a secondary data source at one Midwestern community college. The data set was followed for four consecutive terms starting in Fall 2015 and ending in Fall 2016. Using quantitative research analysis, including descriptive analysis and logistic regression, the researcher hypothesized which factors contributed to the students’ remedial math progression to college-level math. The results indicated that there is a slight demographic difference in this community college sample compared to community college students nationally. This college is trending toward more of a four-year institution population where the majority are White, female, non Pell grant eligible, and of a traditional college age (18-22). A significant difference lies in the fact that over 50% of the students were placed in remedial math per their college-mandated ALEKS score. Of those, more non White females and nontraditional aged students were placed in remedial math compared to students placed in college-level math. Additionally, progression rates for the remedial students were identified showing that many did not complete the full sequence of courses in developmental math, nor did most remedial students reach college-level math. Utilizing logistic regression, the progression model for the remedial students showed that race, gender, and academic standing were predictors of student progression in remedial math. The logistic model for college-level progression found that the ALEKS score, math grades, and good academic standing were predictors of student progression to college-level math. The findings generated implications for policymakers, administrators, faculty, and students. Depending on the stakeholder, remedial math can look very different. To the policymaker and administrator, these findings can indicate a serious problem in completion and enrollment. For the faculty member, the classroom is more likely filled with similarly skilled students who may or may not do well. And for the student, remedial math can pose either the opportunity to achieve college-level math or failure to because of the barriers of limited time and financial resources. According to this study, community college students are not progressing in remedial math at high rates; therefore, each stakeholder has specific decisions to make as to their approach to it

Catholic Social Thought in Catholic Business Schools in the U.S. Today: A Survey and Conclusions

When it comes to religion and business ethics, Catholic Schools have a uniquely important position in that they are institutions generally founded in support of religious values which in turn supposedly impact the content and method of teaching of business (and business ethics). Catholic business schools claim to have a distinctiveness which gives them an advantage over non-Catholic business schools (Spitzer, 2010; Lowney, 2012). It is clear that Catholic schools are better than their peers at providing business ethics education in their curriculum. But it also appears that many Catholic business schools and departments consider their business ethics education one of the most important Catholic distinctives. However, merely having a business ethics class is not enough to distinguish one from a secular business school. This paper is primarily a presentation of the findings of our research survey on Catholic Social Teaching in Catholic business schools completed in the Fall of 2014. We proposed to collect data from 50 Catholic colleges and Universities using a series of 30 questions. Our study shows that there are some distinctive programs and methods by which Catholic Business Schools are integrating faith with business, but for many of these schools, the following traits seemed to be characteristic: Business Ethics classes were considered to be the key location of any Catholic Social Teaching in the business school Many Catholic business schools assume that the Catholic identity is taught through core non-business classes. At most of the schools, a very small minority of faculty were considered capable of speaking about Catholic Social Thought. In terms of self-perception of how their institution was improving their distinctive Catholic identity, nearly 2/3 of the schools thought they were improving, and about 2/3 thought they were doing better than other Catholic Business Schools. Generally, uniquely Catholic mission goals for education like “Change Unity of Heart, Mind and Soul” or “Care for the individual person” scored more poorly than “Producing employable graduates” or “Cultivating innovative problem-solvers” While Catholic Business Schools do much better than their peers at requiring business ethics classes, by and large it seems that the Catholic identity of many of these business schools is in many cases maintained and promoted primarily by requiring business ethics classes