Efficacy of Modified Atmospheres on Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

We investigated the efficacy of two types of modified atmospheres (MA) against adults of the khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts, and the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, under laboratory conditions. Adults of the above species on wheat were exposed to a carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration of 70% or a low oxygen (O2) concentration of 0.1% for durations of 0.67 (16 h), 1, 2, 4, and 6 d and stored in an environmental chamber set at 28 ± 2°C, 70 ± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. After each exposure interval, immediate mortality and knockdown were recorded, and the surviving or knocked down individuals were transferred to normal atmospheres and returned to the environmental chamber, where survival was recorded 7 d later. In addition, after the immediate and delayed mortality counts, all adults were removed from the substrate, and the number of progeny produced was recorded 60 d later. Both MA conditions totally controlled (100% mortality) the adults of T. granarium and S. zeamais immediately after a 6-d exposure or after a 4-d exposure when delayed mortality was taken into account, showing the postexposure effect of the MA. Moreover, high CO2 was more effective than low O2 for S. zeamais, whereas the reverse was true for T. granarium. The 4-d exposure period was crucial for the production of progeny of both species because after that period surviving insects did not produce offspring. Our results show that both MA conditions can be used with success to control these species.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Complex Interplay of Evolutionary Forces in the ladybird Homeobox Genes of Drosophila melanogaster

Tandemly arranged paralogous genes lbe and lbl are members of the Drosophila NK homeobox family. We analyzed population samples of Drosophila melanogaster from Africa, Europe, North and South America, and single strains of D. sechellia, D. simulans, and D. yakuba within two linked regions encompassing partial sequences of lbe and lbl. The evolution of lbe and lbl is highly constrained due to their important regulatory functions. Despite this, a variety of forces have shaped the patterns of variation in lb genes: recombination, intragenic gene conversion and natural selection strongly influence background variation created by linkage disequilibrium and dimorphic haplotype structure. The two genes exhibited similar levels of nucleotide diversity and positive selection was detected in the noncoding regions of both genes. However, synonymous variability was significantly higher for lbe: no nonsynonymous changes were observed in this gene. We argue that balancing selection impacts some synonymous sites of the lbe gene. Stability of mRNA secondary structure was significantly different between the lbe (but not lbl) haplotype groups and may represent a driving force of balancing selection in epistatically interacting synonymous sites. Balancing selection on synonymous sites may be the first, or one of a few such observations, in Drosophila. In contrast, recurrent positive selection on lbl at the protein level influenced evolution at three codon sites. Transcription factor binding-site profiles were different for lbe and lbl, suggesting that their developmental functions are not redundant. Combined with our previous results on nucleotide variation in esterase and other homeobox genes, these results suggest that interplay of balancing and directional selection may be a general feature of molecular evolution in Drosophila and other eukaryote genomes

Effect of maternal smoking on cord blood estriol, placental lactogen, chorionic gonadotropin, FSH, LH, and cortisol

Peer Reviewe

Effect of Short Exposures to Spinetoram Against Three Stored-Product Beetle Species

Laboratory bioassays were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of two formulations of spinetoram, water dispersible granules (WG), and suspension concentrate (SC-NC), against three major stored-grain beetle species, the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae); the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); and the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Adults of the above species were exposed on wheat treated with spinetoram at 1 ppm (1 mg/kg of wheat) for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 40, and 72 h. After this interval, mortality was recorded (immediate mortality) and the surviving individuals were transferred in untreated wheat, where mortality was recorded again 7 d later (delayed mortality). Then, all adults were removed, and the number of progeny production in the untreated substrate was measured 65 d later. From the species tested, R. dominica was by far the most susceptible, given that immediate and delayed mortality for the 72-h exposure interval reached 44 and 97%, respectively. At the same time, progeny production was low, in most of the exposure intervals tested. In contrast, for S. oryzae, delayed mortality was negligible, with the exception of 72 h at the SC-NC formulation. However, in most of the cases examined, progeny production for S. oryzae was high. Finally, adult mortality for T. confusum was extremely low, regardless of the exposure interval and the type of the formulation. Nevertheless, offspring emergence of this species was low. By combining the results of the current study and the data that are available from the literature for short exposures to spinosad, we can conclude that the two ingredients were equally effective against these three stored-grain beetle species

Economical approach of sea pollution with c.v.m. method in regional areas

167 σ.Με χρήση της μεθόδου υποθετικής αξιολόγησης, υπολογίστηκε στο λεκανοπέδιο της Αττικής η προθυμία ετήσιας πληρωμής των νοικοκυριών σε περίπτωση θαλάσσιου ατυχήματοςWith cvm method, i tried to estimate the willingness to pay of the citizens of athens in case of sea pollutionΆγγελος Γ. Βασιλάκο

Identification of the IGF-1 processing product human Ec/rodent Eb peptide in various tissues: Evidence for its differential regulation after exercise-induced muscle damage in humans

Objective Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a pleiotropic factor expressed in various tissues and plays a critical role in skeletal muscle physiology. Alternative splicing of the IGF-1 gene gives rise to different precursor polypeptides (isoforms) which could undergo post-translational cleavage, generating the common mature IGF-1 peptide and different carboxyl terminal extension (E-) peptides, with the fate of the latter being, so far, unknown. The objective if this study was to identify the IGF-1Ec forms or processing product(s), other than mature IGF-1, generated in different human and rodent tissues and particularly in human skeletal muscle after exercise-induced damage. Design Protein lysates from a wide range of human and rodent tissues were immunoblotted with a rabbit anti-human Ec polyclonal antibody raised against the last 24 amino acids of the C-terminal of the Ec peptide. This antibody can recognize the Ec peptide, both as part of IGF-1Ec and alone, and also the corresponding rodent forms, due to the high homology that the human Ec shares with the rodent Eb. Results We were able to confirm, for the first time, that the human Ec peptide and its rodent homologous Eb peptide are produced simultaneously with their precursor protein (pro-IGF-1Ec/Eb) in vivo, in a wide range of tissues (e.g. muscle, liver, heart). Proprotein convertase furin digestion of human muscle and liver protein lysates confirmed that the higher molecular form, pro-IGF-1Ec, can be cleaved to produce the free Ec peptide. Furthermore, initial evidence is provided that Ec peptide is differentially regulated during the process of muscle regeneration after exercise-induced damage in humans. Conclusions The findings of this study possibly imply that the post-translational modification of the IGF-1Ec pro-peptide may regulate the bioavailability and activity of the processing product(s). © 201

Long-Term Residual Efficacy of Spinetoram on Concrete and Steel Surfaces for the Management of Three Stored Product Beetle Species

In this study, the residual efficacy of spinetoram on concrete and galvanized steel surfaces was evaluated under fixed laboratory conditions against the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, and the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.). Spinetoram was applied at the dose rates of 0.025 and 0.1 mg (active ingredient)/cm(2), on steel surfaces that were stored in continuous darkness and on concrete surfaces that were stored either in continuous darkness or in 12: 12 (L: D) photoperiod. The experimental period for the residual effect of spinetoram was 6 mo. Bioassays were conducted for all types of surfaces and storage conditions at monthly intervals starting from the initial application period (seven bioassays in total). For each bioassay, mortality of the exposed adult beetles was measured after 3 and 7 d of exposure. Among the tested species, T. confusum was the least susceptible, regardless of the surface type, storage conditions, and dose rate. Regarding the bioassays conducted in the surfaces stored in darkness, spinetoram proved very persistent and no reduction in the efficacy was noted throughout the experimental period. Moreover, there were no differences in spinetoram efficacy between the two types of surfaces. Conversely, in light [ 12: 12 (L: D)] conditions spinetoram efficacy was notably reduced after the first month, but remained stable for the rest of the period. The results of this study indicate that spinetoram was persistent with long residual efficacy against major stored grain beetle species on the most common types of surfaces in continuous darkness, while the presence of light reduced its efficacy

Influence of grain type on the efficacy of spinetoram for the control of Rhyzopertha dominica, Sitophilus granarius and Sitophilus oryzae

The efficacy of spinetoram against adults of three major stored grain beetle species, the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae), the granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in seven grain commodities was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Spinetoram residues in each grain were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. The tested grains were hard wheat, soft wheat, oats, rye, triticale, paddy rice and maize. Spinetoram was applied at three dose rates: 0.1, 1 and 10 ppm (mg of active ingredient per kg of grain) and bioassays were carried out at 25 °C and 60% r.h. Mortality of the exposed adults was assessed after 7 and 14 d of exposure while progeny emergence was recorded 65 d after the last exposure interval (14 d). Among the tested species, R. dominica was highly susceptible to spinetoram for all commodities tested, since 100% mortality was noted after 14 d of exposure at 1 and 10 ppm. From the two Sitophilus species, S. granarius was more susceptible to spinetoram than S. oryzae, while for both species 0.1 ppm was not effective. For these two species, spinetoram efficacy differed among the tested commodities. In general, mortality was higher in hard wheat for both Sitophilus species in comparison with the other grains, while the lowest mortality levels were recorded in oats and soft wheat for S. granarius and in maize and soft wheat for S. oryzae. Progeny production was low in the case of R. dominica, and F1 adult emergence was recorded mostly at 0.1 ppm. For both S. granarius and S. oryzae, the highest progeny production was noted in soft wheat. Spinetoram residue determination in each grain at the dose rate of 10 ppm, did not show any differences among the treated commodities. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd