Prevalence, Genetic Relationships, and Quantity of Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus in Aphis Illinoisenesis

Grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) is an emerging pathogen causing severe damage to cultivated grapevines in the Midwest area of the United States. The prevalence of GVCV has been reported in native Vitis spp. and Ampelopsis cordata, a close relative of vitis in the Vitaceae family, which act as a reservoir for the virus. GVCV can be transmitted from wild A. cordata to Vitis spp. by Aphis illinoisensis (grape aphids) under greenhouse conditions, but the prevalence and transmission in native populations remains unknown. Knowing the prevalence and diversity of GVCV variants in natural grape aphid populations would help monitor and mitigate its impact. In this study, grape aphids from native Vitaceae were collected across the state of Missouri in 2018 and 2019 and conducted diagnostic and genetic analyses. Ten aphids within each community were tested, and GVCV was detected in 91 of the 105 (87%) randomly sampled communities. GVCV was present in 212 of 525 single grape aphids (40%). GVCV variants in grape aphids are genetically diverse and are dispersed across the surveyed region. When comparing the DNA sequences from GVCV isolates from grape aphids and plants, it was found that the same GVCV variants in grape aphids were found in wild and cultivated Vitaceae. The GVCV genome number varied largely in the stylet and body of each individual aphid. These results show that grape aphids carry diverse GVCV variants and contribute to the epidemics of GVCV in wild Vitaceae and vineyards. Our study provides a snapshot of GVCV epidemics and genetic structure that can help implement disease management schemes. Furthermore, the native reservoir, grape aphids, and vineyards form an ideal agro-ecosystem for studying epidemiology, ecology, and the evolution of GVCV

New advice for ‘media moms and digital dads’: an interview with Yalda T. Uhls

With the holidays just around the corner, Alicia Blum-Ross speaks to Yalda T. Uhls about her new book Media moms and digital dads, advice for technology and gadgets as holiday gifts, and the challenges of parenting in the digital age. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project

Five days at outdoor education camp without screens improves preteen skills with nonverbal emotion cues

AbstractA field experiment examined whether increasing opportunities for face-to-face interaction while eliminating the use of screen-based media and communication tools improved nonverbal emotion–cue recognition in preteens. Fifty-one preteens spent five days at an overnight nature camp where television, computers and mobile phones were not allowed; this group was compared with school-based matched controls (n=54) that retained usual media practices. Both groups took pre- and post-tests that required participants to infer emotional states from photographs of facial expressions and videotaped scenes with verbal cues removed. Change scores for the two groups were compared using gender, ethnicity, media use, and age as covariates. After five days interacting face-to-face without the use of any screen-based media, preteens’ recognition of nonverbal emotion cues improved significantly more than that of the control group for both facial expressions and videotaped scenes. Implications are that the short-term effects of increased opportunities for social interaction, combined with time away from screen-based media and digital communication tools, improves a preteen’s understanding of nonverbal emotional cues

The Rise of Fame: An Historical Content Analysis

Recent proliferation of TV programming for the tween audience is supported on the Internet with advertising, fan clubs, and other online communities. These Internet tools expand TV's potential influence on human development. Yet little is known about the kinds of values these shows portray. To explore this issue, a new method for conducting content analysis was developed; it used personality indices to measure value priorities and desire for fame in TV programming. The goal was to document historical change in the values communicated to tween audiences, age 9-11, who are major media consumers and whose values are still being formed. We analyzed the top two tween TV shows in the U.S. once a decade over a time span of 50 years, from 1967 through 2007. Greenfield's (2009a) theory of social change and human development served as the theoretical framework; it views technology, as well as urban residence, formal education, and wealth, as promoting individualistic values while diminishing communitarian or familistic ones. Fame, an individualistic value, was judged the top value in the shows of 2007, up from number fifteen (out of sixteen) in most of the prior decades. In contrast, community feeling was eleventh in 2007, down from first or second place in all prior decades. According to the theory, a variety of sociodemographic shifts, manifest in census data, could be causing these changes; however, because social change in the U.S. between 1997 and 2007 centered on the expansion of communication technologies, we hypothesize that the sudden value shift in this period is technology driven

21st century media, fame, and other future aspirations: A national survey of 9-15 year olds

Past research found that messages in popular television promote fame as a top value, while social media allow anyone to reach broad audiences (Uhls & Greenfield, 2011; Uhls & Greenfield, 2012). During a sensitive developmental phase, preteens are the largest users of media, consuming over seven-and-a-half hours a day, seven days a week, outside of school. A nationwide survey in the United States asked 315 youth (M = 12 years; range: 9 -15 years) about their media habits as well as their aspirations for the future. Participants’ answers about their future goals clustered around two factors, representing individualistic, self-focused and collectivistic, other-focused aspirations. Fame, image, money and status were items in the former; helping others in need, helping family, and living near family were items in the latter. Watching television and using a social networking site each predicted self-focused aspirations, above and beyond the influence of control variables of age and maternal education, while the two media activities together predicted a larger portion of the variance than either alone. Collectivistic, other-focused aspirations were associated with nontechnology activities, most of which had an important social component. The implication is that individualistic, self-focused aspirations are related to 21st century media, whereas more collectivistic, other-focused aspirations are related to nontechnology activities, particularly those with a social component

Benefits and Costs of Social Media in Adolescence

In 2015, American adolescents aged 13 to 18 years reported using social media 1 hour and 11 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Social media are used for a variety of activities, including sharing information, interacting with peers, and developing a coherent identity. In this review of the research, we examine how social media are intertwined with adolescent development and assess both the costs and benefits of adolescent social media use. We include suggestions for further research and recommendations for clinicians, policy makers, and educators