Dr. Benjamin Haskell

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Application of ERTS-A data to agricultural practices in the Mississippi Delta region

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Longevity of Dayglo Fluorescent Particle Marker Used to Mark Birds in Flight Pen and Field

Spray application of fluorescent particles is a widely used and very valuable technique for marking birds. This remains one of the few practical means to mark large numbers of birds for monitoring movement, despite recent availability of a variety of more technologically advanced options. We monitored the longevity of the DayGlo fluorescent particle marker on red-winged blackbirds under simulated field conditions in a flight pen, and in an observational field experiment. In the pen study we banded 52 red-winged blackbirds with individually numbered leg bands, and sprayed them with DayGlo fluorescent particle marker from a distance of ~50 cm, on 1 December 2004. These birds were recaptured and DayGlo fluorescent particle marks assessed 11 times until 10 August 2005. All 31 surviving birds at the conclusion of the study (i.e. after 254 days) retained at least some DayGlo fluorescent particle marker on one or more body regions. Wings retained DayGlo fluorescent particle marks longer than other body regions and thus could be used to identify marks in large-scale collections. Roosting wild blackbirds aerially marked in September and October 2005 retained marks through June 2006, 263 days after marking. The formulation used is inexpensive (US$4.00 L-1), easy-to-apply at many scales and practical for many species (e.g. starlings, blackbirds, sparrows, gulls and shorebirds)

Evaluation and Development of Blackbird Repellents for Agricultural Applications

We evaluated several registered fungicides and insecticides, and several natural compounds as candidate blackbird repellents for protecting agricultural production. We tested more than 750 red-winged blackbirds at the National Wildlife Research Center’s outdoor animal research facility in Fort Collins, CO to evaluate (1) their preference for treated versus untreated rice and sunflower seeds and (2) their consumption of seeds treated with varying concentrations of candidate repellents. Concentrations were varied between 10% and 200% of labeled application rates. With few exceptions, blackbirds discriminated between untreated seeds and seeds treated with one of the candidate repellents. We observed greatest repellency with caffeine + sodium benzoate, GWN-4770, Lorsban, and Tilt. Additional lab efficacy tests are planned for anthraquinone seed treatments, Flock Buster repellent, and Cobalt insecticide. Field residue and efficacy tests are also needed to evaluate and develop promising foliar repellents for protection of ripening crops

FLIP (Flice-like inhibitory protein) suppresses cytoplasmic double-stranded-RNA-induced apoptosis and NF-κB and IRF3-mediated signaling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cytoplasmic viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is detected by a class of ubiquitous cytoplasmic RNA helicases, retinoic acid inducible gene-I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation antigen-5 (MDA5), which initiate a signaling cascade via their common adaptor called interferon-β (IFN-β) promoter stimulator-1 (IPS-1). This leads to the production of proinflammatory and antiviral cytokines, the type I Interferons, via mainly nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and interferon response factor-3 (IRF3) transcription factors. Fas-associated death domain (FADD) protein, receptor-interacting protein (RIP1), caspase-8 and tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-associated death domain (TRADD) protein, all traditionally associated with death receptor signaling, are also involved in RIG-I/MDA5 signaling pathway. We previously showed that FLIP (Flice-like inhibitory protein), also designated as <it>cflar </it>(CASP8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator), negatively regulates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in endothelial cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and protected against TLR4-mediated apoptosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we investigated the role of FLIP in cellular response to cytoplasmic polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, poly(I:C), a synthetic analog of dsRNA. <it>C</it>onsistent with the previously described role of FADD in RIG-I/MDA5-mediated apoptosis, we found that FLIP^-/-MEFs were more susceptible to killing by cytoplasmic poly(I:C). However, FLIP^-/-MEFs also exhibited markedly increased expression of NF-κB-and IRF3- dependent genes in response to cytoplasmic poly(I:C). Importantly, reconstitution of FLIP in FLIP^-/-MEFs reversed the hyper-activation of IRF3- and NF-κB-mediated gene expression. Further, we found that caspase-8 catalytic activity was not required for cytoplasmic poly(I:C)-mediated NF-κB and IRF3 signaling.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results provide evidence for a crucial dual role for FLIP in antiviral responses to cytoplasmic dsRNA: it protects from cytoplasmic dsRNA-mediated cell death while down-regulating IRF3-and NF-κB-mediated gene expression. Since the pathogenesis of several viral infections involves a heightened and dysregulated cytokine response, a possible therapy could involve modulating FLIP levels.</p

Evaluation and Development of Blackbird Repellents for Agricultural Applications

We evaluated several registered fungicides and insecticides, and several natural compounds as candidate blackbird repellents for protecting agricultural production. We tested more than 750 red-winged blackbirds at the National Wildlife Research Center’s outdoor animal research facility in Fort Collins, CO to evaluate (1) their preference for treated versus untreated rice and sunflower seeds and (2) their consumption of seeds treated with varying concentrations of candidate repellents. Concentrations were varied between 10% and 200% of labeled application rates. With few exceptions, blackbirds discriminated between untreated seeds and seeds treated with one of the candidate repellents. We observed greatest repellency with caffeine + sodium benzoate, GWN-4770, Lorsban, and Tilt. Additional lab efficacy tests are planned for anthraquinone seed treatments, Flock Buster repellent, and Cobalt insecticide. Field residue and efficacy tests are also needed to evaluate and develop promising foliar repellents for protection of ripening crops

Laboratory Efficacy of Chemical Repellents for Reducing Blackbird Damage in Rice and Sunflower Crops

Nonlethal alternatives are needed to manage blackbird (Icterids) damage to rice and sunflower production in the United States. We evaluated 4 registered fungicides on rice seeds (i.e., Allegiance® FL, Thiram 42-S, Trilex®, and Vitavax® 200 preplant seed treatments) and 2 foliar pesticides on sunflower seeds (CobaltTM insecticide and Flock Buster bird repellent) as candidate blackbird repellents. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) preferred untreated rice relative to rice treated with Thiram (P \u3c 0.001) and Vitavax (P \u3c 0.001), and untreated sunflower relative to sunflower treated with Cobalt (P \u3c 0.001). Blackbirds preferred untreated sunflower relative to sunflower treated with Flock Buster repellent on day 1 of a 4-day preference test (P \u3c 0.001). We observed no difference in consumption of treated versus untreated rice during the Allegiance preference test (P = 0.928), and blackbirds preferred rice treated with Trilex relative to untreated rice (P = 0.003). Although repellency was positively related to tested concentrations of Thiram (P = 0.010), Trilex (P = 0.026), and Vitavax (P \u3c 0.001), maximum repellency was \u3c50% during our concentration-response tests of these seed treatments. Repellency was also positively related to tested concentrations of Cobalt (P \u3c 0.001), and we observed \u3e80% repellency of sunflower treated with Cobalt at ≥50% of the label rate. We observed no concentration-response relationship for the Allegiance seed treatment (P = 0.341) and Flock Buster repellent (P = 0.952). We recommend implementation of supplemental field studies to compare laboratory efficacy, repellency, and chemical residues of effective avian repellents throughout periods of needed crop protection