Solvent Deactivation of Mimosa Webworm Larval Webbing (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Untreated larval webbing of the mimosa webworm, Homadaula anisocentra stimulated oviposition. Six-week-old webbing was as active as two-day-old webbing. Stimulatory activity of webbing was lost after rinsing with highly polar solvents, but not after rinsing with nonpolar solvents. Addition of the polar solvent rinses did not induce activity in other substrates nor restore activity to rinsed webbing. No differences in structure were found in a scanning electron microscope examination of unrinsed webbing and webbing rinsed with solvents of varying polarity

Oviposition Preference of the Mimosa Webworm, Homadaula anisocentra (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

In the field, the mimosa webworm, Homadaula anisocentra Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), oviposits preferentially on branches or on leaf rachises or petioles of uninfested ornamental honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos L. On infested trees, oviposition occurs almost entirely on larval webbing. In the laboratory, uninfested mature leaves of both honeylocust and mimosa, Albizzia julibrissin Durazzini, are preferred over uninfested young leaves as oviposition sites. The addition of larval webbing to leaves of any age or to nonhost substrate induces oviposition preferentially on the webbin

Analysis of multiply spliced transcripts in lymphoid tissue reservoirs of rhesus macaques infected with RT-SHIV during HAART.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can reduce levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to undetectable levels in infected individuals, but the virus is not eradicated. The mechanisms of viral persistence during HAART are poorly defined, but some reservoirs have been identified, such as latently infected resting memory CD4⁺ T cells. During latency, in addition to blocks at the initiation and elongation steps of viral transcription, there is a block in the export of viral RNA (vRNA), leading to the accumulation of multiply-spliced transcripts in the nucleus. Two of the genes encoded by the multiply-spliced transcripts are Tat and Rev, which are essential early in the viral replication cycle and might indicate the state of infection in a given population of cells. Here, the levels of multiply-spliced transcripts were compared to the levels of gag-containing RNA in tissue samples from RT-SHIV-infected rhesus macaques treated with HAART. Splice site sequence variation was identified during development of a TaqMan PCR assay. Multiply-spliced transcripts were detected in gastrointestinal and lymphatic tissues, but not the thymus. Levels of multiply-spliced transcripts were lower than levels of gag RNA, and both correlated with plasma virus loads. The ratio of multiply-spliced to gag RNA was greatest in the gastrointestinal samples from macaques with plasma virus loads <50 vRNA copies per mL at necropsy. Levels of gag RNA and multiply-spliced mRNA in tissues from RT-SHIV-infected macaques correlate with plasma virus load

Agricultural practices and nitrate pollution in ground water in the Central Valley of Chile

Nitrate contamination of groundwater is an issue of global concern. Anthropogenic fixation of nitrate has increased exponentially in the last century and the over-application of nitrogen fertilizer is currently the largest intrusion into the nitrogen cycle. Previous studies have determined that various regional conditions can contribute to the level of nitrate contamination in groundwater. In addition to chemical and physical conditions, fertilizer application rates and overirrigation can serve as compounding factors. This study attempted to analyze the previously mentioned conditions by monitoring nitrogen concentrations in ground water from sampling wells in the Central Valley of Chile over a 13-month period. Samples were collected monthly and nutrient concentrations were analyzed. In all wells, concentrations of nitrate and nitrite were determined to be well above the established MCL?s for each and a general trend was observed in the concentrations that correlates to seasonal changes in land-use practices. A field experiment was conducted to reduce fertilizer application rates and irrigation water volumes applied to test fields by deploying an experimental fertilizer/ irrigation system. Data from the sampling wells associated with the test fields shows a substantial decrease in nitrate and nitrite concentrations in the groundwater. Furthermore, when the experimental system was combined with improved water delivery methods (medium-volume furrow flooding and low-volume drip irrigation) a decrease in water volumes and fertilizer application rates of up to two? thirds was obtained without affecting crop yield rates. Results of this study suggest that the over-application of fertilizer and irrigation water reported in previous studies are in fact areas of concern and that a link exists between ground water recharge and irrigation volumes. It is further suggested that long-term application of the experimental system is necessary to prove its benefits to the agricultural, ecological, economical, and scientific communities. If the performance record for this device can be repeated under a variety of conditions its role in reducing global intrusions to the nitrogen cycle would be substantial

"What's in a name?": theorizing an etymological dictionary of Shakespearean characters.

Just like Shakespeare's seemingly endless play on the word "will" in his sonnets, the names of his characters themselves hold context clues in their linguistic, historical, mythological, and teleological roots. These context clues inform readers, scholars, and even directors and actors of elements of the characters' personae, behaviors, and possible involvement in the plot. The dissertation will propose that Shakespeare reverses a derivation of character in which authors first determine a form for a character’s name that does not necessarily reflect the character’s purpose. Shakespeare, instead, creates a purpose-driven form, in which his characters’ names reflect their individual functions in the plots. The characters' names are journeys for themselves, whether they earn the name's meanings or, not unlike the great tragic figures, fall from the grace, glory, and power that has been afforded to and associated with their names. All the while, Shakespeare is investing in the "psychology of the audience," having the audience witness and join the journey rather than dictate the journey's destination at the outset. Thus, Juliet's inquiry -- "What's in a name?" -- carries much more than just a bemoaning of unfortunate and unlucky circumstances. Her inquiry inadvertently reveals the overwhelming potency of names, an indication that Shakespeare himself held nomenclature and the process of naming as a paramount practice in determining character. This dissertation theorizes a dictionary that categorizes all of Shakespeare’s characters and explores the etymological roots of each, as well as cultural, historical, mythological, and religious allusions that the names contain

Pre-competitive and competitive cognition and affect in collegiate wrestlers

This investigation had two purposes. The first purpose was to partially replicate the Gould, Eklund and Jackson (1990) investigation of psychological factors associated with best and worst matches of 1988 U.S. Olympic wrestlers with a sample of collegiate wrestlers. The second purpose of this investigation was to extend these and other cross-sectional or episodic findings by following the collegiate wrestlers longitudinally to examine an array of performance levels. Qualitative data were collected from seven NCAA Division I wrestlers via in-depth retrospective interviews concerning all-time best and worst performances as well as four to eight season performances. These data were analyzed according to the general recommendations of Scanlan, Ravizza and Stein (1989) and Gould et al. (1990) including the use of consensual validation. Five dimensions or general issues emerged in this data as salient. These included affect, focus, cognitive content, confidence issues, and sources of motivation

The relationship between personality traits of selected Michigan high school band members and their selection of an instrument

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits of high school band members and their selection of an instrument. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in personality traits according to either family or section of band membership. The subjects were 1,411 band students in grades 9 through 12. These students were members of the 26 high school bands from across Michigan which were randomly selected to participate in this investigation. Personality traits were assessed by having the subjects complete Burger's shortened version of Gough's California Psychological Inventory (CPI). Scores were tabulated for each instrumental section and family and were statistically compared through the use of the SPSS program for analysis of covariance. For the instrumental families the covariate was age and for the instrumental sections both age and gender were covariates. Significance was set at the .05 level of confidence