Social Feeding Behavior of Hyphantria Cunea Larvae (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in Multiple Choice Experiments

The response of fall webworm larvae, Hyphantria cunea, to identical feeding stimuli presented in a series of multiple choice tests was studied in the laboratory. Instead of responding independently, all larvae in 61 % of the trials were observed to aggregate at one of two identical feeding stations

Dry matter yields and quality of organic lupin/cereal mixtures for wholecrop forage

In view of climate change predictions and the general desirability of increasing the amount of home grown protein, a case exists for the investigation of lupins and lupin/cereal bicrop combinations as wholecrop forage on organic farms. A replicated randomised block trial is described which took place at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, in 2005. This involved spring sown blue, white and yellow lupins, millet, wheat and triticale and lupin/cereal bi-crops. Data for dry matter yields for wholecrop silage, crude protein, MAD fi bre content and estimated ME, are presented for a single harvest. It is concluded that white lupins and white lupin bi-crops with spring wheat or triticale offer the best prospects for a viable wholecrop forage crop in an organic situation

HIV-1 infection of microglial cells in a reconstituted humanized mouse model and identification of compounds that selectively reverse HIV latency.

Most studies of HIV latency focus on the peripheral population of resting memory T cells, but the brain also contains a distinct reservoir of HIV-infected cells in microglia, perivascular macrophages, and astrocytes. Studying HIV in the brain has been challenging, since live cells are difficult to recover from autopsy samples and primate models of SIV infection utilize viruses that are more myeloid-tropic than HIV due to the expression of Vpx. Development of a realistic small animal model would greatly advance studies of this important reservoir and permit definitive studies of HIV latency. When radiation or busulfan-conditioned, immune-deficient NSG mice are transplanted with human hematopoietic stem cells, human cells from the bone marrow enter the brain and differentiate to express microglia-specific markers. After infection with replication competent HIV, virus was detected in these bone marrow-derived human microglia. Studies of HIV latency in this model would be greatly enhanced by the development of compounds that can selectively reverse HIV latency in microglial cells. Our studies have identified members of the CoREST repression complex as key regulators of HIV latency in microglia in both rat and human microglial cell lines. The monoamine oxidase (MAO) and potential CoREST inhibitor, phenelzine, which is brain penetrant, was able to stimulate HIV production in human microglial cell lines and human glial cells recovered from the brains of HIV-infected humanized mice. The humanized mice we have developed therefore show great promise as a model system for the development of strategies aimed at defining and reducing the CNS reservoir

Two-dimensional numerical simulation of O-mode to Z-mode conversion in the ionosphere

Experiments in the illumination of the F region of the ionosphere via radio frequency waves polarized in the ordinary mode (O-mode) have revealed that the magnitude of artificial heating-induced effects depends strongly on the inclination angle of the pump beam, with a greater modification to the plasma observed when the heating beam is directed close to or along the magnetic zenith direction. Numerical simulations performed using a recently developed finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) code are used to investigate the contribution of the O-mode to Z-mode conversion process to this effect. The aspect angle dependence and angular size of the radio window for which conversion of an O-mode pump wave to the Z-mode occurs is simulated for a variety of plasma density profiles including 2-D linear gradients representative of large-scale plasma depletions, density-depleted plasma ducts, and periodic field-aligned irregularities. The angular shape of the conversion window is found to be strongly influenced by the background plasma profile. If the Z-mode wave is reflected, it can propagate back toward the O-mode reflection region leading to resonant enhancement of the electric field in this region. Simulation results presented in this paper demonstrate that this process can make a significant contribution to the magnitude of electron density depletion and temperature enhancement around the resonance height and contributes to a strong dependence of the magnitude of plasma perturbation with the direction of the pump wave

Archives and STEM: The Perfect Formula for Immersive Cross-Disciplinary Instruction.

Reaching out to STEM Students beyond the one-shot requested instruction sessions is challenging. Creating faculty buy-in for non-traditional STEM instruction is doubly challenging. This poster will highlight a recent activity designed to draw STEM participation in utilizing a unique set of resources from the institution’s Archival Collections. Normally viewed as primarily relevant to history and humanities students, this collection provides the backbone for a fully immersive Escape Room Activity and exposure to primary sources normally not considered part of the normal STEM course work. The hands-on activity provides an opportunity for critical thinking, reflection, and teamwork. The poster will highlight the archival collection, the challenges of designing instruction for cross-disciplinary work, building faculty buy-in and support, and assessment options addressing the ACRL Framework; specifically Scholarship as Conversation, and Information has Value. A handout with URL links will provide participants the opportunity to evaluate their collections and best practices tips for designing a similar activity

Hydrogen bonding in substituted nitroanilines : isolated nets in 1,3-diamino-4-nitrobenzene and continuously interwoven nets in 3,5-dinitroaniline

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Soil mineral nitrogen availability predicted by herbage yield and disease resistance in red clover (Trifolium pratense) cropping

Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient in crop production. Legumes such as red clover can provide N through biofixation, but securing nitrogen in soil for subsequent crop production must also be considered. Variety selection and management in red clover cropping can influence soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) availability. A field trial to investigate this was conducted with six varieties, under one and two cut management, over 2 years. Dry matter (DM) and N yield, Sclerotinia resistance and SMN availability were assessed. Low DM and N yields (1.6–2.4 t DM ha−1 and 54–83 kg N ha−1) in the first year of cultivation allowed ~ 40 kg N ha−1 to become available, but high DM and N yields (10.2–14.6 t DM ha−1 and 405–544 kg N ha−1) allowed ~ 20 kg N ha−1 to become available. Wetter weather in 2015 caused significantly more SMN losses than 2016 (20 kg N ha−1 in 2015 and 5 kg N ha−1 in 2016). The varieties Amos, Maro and Milvus lost significantly more SMN in the winter period, which may have been caused by more severe infection of Sclerotinia (these varieties were 50–80% more severely infected other varieties). Varietal effect was non-significant for winter losses in 2016, where no significant varietal differences in Sclerotinia infection were observed. 1 cut made ~ 41 kg N ha−1 available in the growing season of 2015, whilst 2 cut made significantly less (37 kg N ha−1). Cutting was non-significant in 2016 but 1 cut was less susceptible to losses in the winter period. Cutting in 2015 did not significantly affect herbage DM and N yields in the first or second cut of 2016

The use of red clover (Trifolium pratense) in soil fertility-building: A Review

Red clover cultivation made significant contributions to soil fertility prior to the introduction of mineral nitrogen fertilizers. Its modern usage lies primarily in forage production, but reintegration into arable systems can enhance sustainability and preserve environmental integrity. Here we review red clovers nitrogen (N) contribution to subsequent crops, its capacity to fix N, and how this N is transferred to subsequent crops. The senescence of the root system following cultivation also contributes to soil organic matter, providing a suite of ecosystem services which are also reviewed. Potential contributions to allelopathic weed control and how this may be utilized to improve weed control is also discussed. Red clover varieties are diverse and can be split into categories of early/late flowering, erect/prostrate and diploid/tetraploid. This use of this diversity to different ends and purposes in fertility-building and the role of plant breeding in optimizing use of genetic resources is reviewed. Management strategies are also diverse; red clover can be grown in monoculture or with companion grasses, it can be harvested for forage or green manured (which can include or omit herbicides) and the consequence of this for soil fertility is discussed. High protein forage production is also a key benefit of red clover cultivation and the economic incentive this may provide to farmers is also reviewed