Evaluation of Two Systems Used to Extract Alfalfa Weevil Larvae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Alfalfa Samples

A modified Berlese funnel system was developed to extract alfalfa weevil larvae (Hypera postica) from quadrats 30.5 cm on a side. Data from this system were comp.wed with simultaneous data from a hand sorting extraction system. In most instances, the modified Berlese system was as efficient as the hand sorting method and the number of man hours required to process samples by hand was far greater than that required by the Berlese system

A Laboratory Infection of Alfalfa Weevil, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Larvae With the Fungal Pathogen \u3ci\u3eZoophthora Phytonomi\u3c/i\u3e (Zygomycetes: Entomophthoraceae)

Larvae of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, were infected by an in vitro colony of Zoophthora phytonomi. Two spore types (infective conidia, and resting spores) were produced from infection trials. The spore type produced may be influenced by the physiological state of the larvae. Trials using field collected larvae which would produce diapausing adults formed both conidia and resting spores. Trials using larvae from a nondiapausing colony, however, formed only resting spores

An Alternative to Using Fresh Alfalfa for Culturing \u3ci\u3eColias Philodice Eurytheme\u3c/i\u3e Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Various artificial materials were implemented at each life stage of the alfalfa caterpillar, Colias philodice eurytheme Boisduval, to provide effective and economical replacements for alfalfa. Alfalfa substitutes were used for oviposition and feeding. We also developed a favorable laboratory mating environment. Also, the development of a method for removing disease organisms from eggs without increasing egg mortality was an essential facet of this work. The performance of individuals on artificial surfaces was compared with similar individuals reared on greenhouse alfalfa. Green tape oriented at the top of oviposition cages or near some object which could be held on to while ovipositing was the most successful surface. Egg yields on green tape were comparable to those on alfalfa. A dilute bleach wash followed by two water washes required little time, yet provided adequate disease control, and all larval instars thrived on artificial diet. Methods for handling pupae and new adults and the favorable mating environment reduced colony maintenance time yet sumival rates insured propagation of the colony

Disease as a Larval Mortality Factor in Alfalfa Weevil, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Populations in Illinois

During the 1974 growing season, larvae of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), were examined for pathogens. Three larvae out of 715 examined were infected with a microsporidium. This infection was present in both Washington and Mason counties in Illinois

Two Trapping Systems to Determine Incidence and Duration of Migration of Adult Alfalfa Weevils, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Emergence and flight traps were used to study the pre- and post-diapause movements of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica. The emergence traps proved to be an excellent tool in determining the time of diapause termination and in providing an accurate accounting of the number of weevils per unit area in aestivation sites. The flight traps showed when diapause flights to and from alfalfa fields took place. Both trapping systems can be utilized in a pest control program to locate more closely where the alfalfa weevil aestivates and when diapause related movements occur

Fall Termination of Aestivation and Field Dispersal of the Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Illinois

Emergence traps, flight traps, sweeping, and egg sampling were employed to determine fall termination of aestivation of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, and patterns and timing of field reentry, and subsequent fall oviposition. Adult alfalfa weevils were found to terminate aestivation in wood edge field borders in mid-late October. Field reentry began in late October as a gradual process, starting at wooded field borders, with the field population equally dispersed by mid-November

Effect on Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperature Regimes on \u3ci\u3eBathyplectes Curculionis\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Activity

Individual female Bathyplectes curculionis parasites were exposed to either a series of constant or fluctuating temperature regimes and supplied with a new group of host Hypera postica larvae every day. The fluctuating temperatures were calculated from an average of weekly air temperatures during a period of actual field oviposition by the parasite. The rearing of adult parasites under a constant versus fluctuating temperature regime resulted in no significant difference in parasitism, longevity, or fecundity. The threshold for B. curculionis activity was estimated to be 6-8°C

Genome-wide diel growth state transitions in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

Marine diatoms are important primary producers that thrive in diverse and dynamic environments. They do so, in theory, by sensing changing conditions and adapting their physiology accordingly. Using the model species Thalassiosira pseudonana, we conducted a detailed physiological and transcriptomic survey to measure the recurrent transcriptional changes that characterize typical diatom growth in batch culture. Roughly 40% of the transcriptome varied significantly and recurrently, reflecting large, reproducible cell-state transitions between four principal states: (i) "dawn," following 12 h of darkness; (ii ) "dusk," following 12 h of light; (iii ) exponential growth and nutrient repletion; and (iv) stationary phase and nutrient depletion. Increases in expression of thousands of genes at the end of the reoccurring dark periods (dawn), including those involved in photosynthesis (e.g., ribulose-1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase genes rbcS and rbcL), imply large-scale anticipatory circadian mechanisms at the level of gene regulation. Repeated shifts in the transcript levels of hundreds of genes encoding sensory, signaling, and regulatory functions accompanied the four cell-state transitions, providing a preliminary map of the highly coordinated gene regulatory program under varying conditions. Several putative light sensing and signaling proteins were associated with recurrent diel transitions, suggesting that these genes may be involved in light-sensitive and circadian regulation of cell state. These results begin to explain, in comprehensive detail, how the diatom gene regulatory program operates under varying environmental conditions. Detailed knowledge of this dynamic molecular process will be invaluable for new hypothesis generation and the interpretation of genetic, environmental, and metatranscriptomic data from field studies

The Case for Learned Index Structures

Indexes are models: a B-Tree-Index can be seen as a model to map a key to the position of a record within a sorted array, a Hash-Index as a model to map a key to a position of a record within an unsorted array, and a BitMap-Index as a model to indicate if a data record exists or not. In this exploratory research paper, we start from this premise and posit that all existing index structures can be replaced with other types of models, including deep-learning models, which we term learned indexes. The key idea is that a model can learn the sort order or structure of lookup keys and use this signal to effectively predict the position or existence of records. We theoretically analyze under which conditions learned indexes outperform traditional index structures and describe the main challenges in designing learned index structures. Our initial results show, that by using neural nets we are able to outperform cache-optimized B-Trees by up to 70% in speed while saving an order-of-magnitude in memory over several real-world data sets. More importantly though, we believe that the idea of replacing core components of a data management system through learned models has far reaching implications for future systems designs and that this work just provides a glimpse of what might be possible