Arthropods Utilizing Sticky Inflorescences of \u3ci\u3eCirsium Discolor\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3ePenstemon Digitalis\u3c/i\u3e

Cirsium discolor (Muhl) Spreng (Asteraceae) and Penstemon digitalis Nutt. (Scrophulariaceae) produce sticky material only in their inflorescences. While there is a wealth of printed information concerning such sticky traps occurring in other parts of plants, there is relatively little about those specifically in inflorescences. In order to determine whether sticky traps in the inflorescences of these two plant species defend against seed predators and other herbivores and predators, it was necessary to discover what arthropods use them. Literature search revealed very little about arthropods associated with C. discolor, and nothing about those associated with P. digitalis. Observations showed that, for both plant species, pollinators do not come in contact with the traps, and each plant has several seed predators able to successfully avoid the traps. Several predatory arthropods occur on C. discolor. Two of them, a minute pirate bug and a small salticid spider, seem to glean from its sticky traps. A theridiid spider occasionally builds its web in P. digitalis inflorescences, but was not seen to glean from sticky traps. An undescribed pteromalid parasitizes one of the seed predators of P. digitalis. Ants and aphids are deterred by the traps

Sticky Exudates on the Inflorescences of \u3ci\u3eCirsium Discolor\u3c/i\u3e (Asteraceae) and \u3ci\u3ePenstemon Digitalis\u3c/i\u3e (Scrophulariaceae) as Possible Defense Against Seed Predators

From 1982 through 1987, I investigated whether sticky exudates released by Cirsium discolor and Penstemon digitalis in their inflorescences provide defense against seed predators. I tested two hypotheses: 1: Exudates directly deter seed predators, and 2: Insects struggling in exudates attract predatory arthropods that remain and defend the inflorescences against seed predators. These hypotheses predict that neutralizing the stickiness will increase seed predation (by allowing access to more seed predators, or by decreasing the number of predatory arthropods attracted), and therefore decrease successful seed production. Results did not support either hypothesis, with no increase in seed predators (nor decrease in predatory arthropods), and no decrease in seed production, when traps were neutralized

The Burden of Out-of-Pocket Health Spending Among Older Versus Younger Adults: Analysis from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1998-2003

Analyzes the extent to which health care spending as a share of income has differed among younger adults versus people ages 65 and older, both at a single point in time (2003) and over the six-year period from 1998 to 2003

Arthropods Utilizing Sticky Inflorescences of \u3ci\u3eCirsium Discolor\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3ePenstemon Digitalis\u3c/i\u3e

Cirsium discolor (Muhl) Spreng (Asteraceae) and Penstemon digitalis Nutt. (Scrophulariaceae) produce sticky material only in their inflorescences. While there is a wealth of printed information concerning such sticky traps occurring in other parts of plants, there is relatively little about those specifically in inflorescences. In order to determine whether sticky traps in the inflorescences of these two plant species defend against seed predators and other herbivores and predators, it was necessary to discover what arthropods use them. Literature search revealed very little about arthropods associated with C. discolor, and nothing about those associated with P. digitalis. Observations showed that, for both plant species, pollinators do not come in contact with the traps, and each plant has several seed predators able to successfully avoid the traps. Several predatory arthropods occur on C. discolor. Two of them, a minute pirate bug and a small salticid spider, seem to glean from its sticky traps. A theridiid spider occasionally builds its web in P. digitalis inflorescences, but was not seen to glean from sticky traps. An undescribed pteromalid parasitizes one of the seed predators of P. digitalis. Ants and aphids are deterred by the traps

“Bury Your Head Between My Knees and Seek Pardon”: Gender, Sexuality, and National Conflict in John Okada’s No-No Boy

In “‘Bury Your Head Between My Knees and Seek Pardon’: Gender, Sexuality, and National Conflict in John Okada’s 1957 novel, No-No Boy,” I analyze the ways in which the complexities of gendered sexuality expressed by protagonist Ichiro Yamada intersect with post-World War II and Internment-era national identifications for American nisei. I demonstrate that this apparent story of one man’s pursuit to resolve his conflict over national identity is, in reality, a tour de force of literary subversion that not only destabilizes the subterfuge that surrounded internment but also—in its deliberate failure to resolve questions of national conflict on the basis of masculine and heterosexual norms—encourages skepticism about the larger structures of order that allowed internment to happen

Ecology of Juvenile Walleye Pollock, Theragra chalcogramma: Papers from the workshop "The Importance of Prerecruit Walleye Pollock to the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ecosystems" Seattle, Washington, 28-30 October 1993

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), hosted an international workshop, 'The Importance of Prerecruit Walleye Pollock to the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ecosystems," from 28 to 30 October 1993. This workshop was held in conjunction with the annual International North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) meeting held in Seattle. Nearly 100 representatives from government agencies, universities, and the fishing industry in Canada, Japan, the People's Republic of China, Russia, and the United States took part in the workshop to review and discuss current knowledge on juvenile pollock from the postlarval period to the time they recruit to the fisheries. In addition to its importance to humans as a major commercial species, pollock also serves as a major forage species for many marine fishes, birds, and mammals in the North Pacific region. (PDF file contains 236 pages.

Genomic Correlates of Virulence Attenuation in the Deadly Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

Emerging infectious diseasespose a significant threat to global health, but predicting disease outcomes for particular species can be complicated when pathogen virulence varies across space, time, or hosts. The pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has caused worldwide declines in frog populations. Not only do Bd isolates from wild populations vary in virulence, but virulence shifts can occur over short timescales when Bd is maintained in the laboratory. We leveraged changes in Bd virulence over multiple generations of passage to better understand mechanisms of pathogen virulence. We conducted whole-genome resequencing of two samples of the same Bd isolate, differing only in passage history, to identify genomic processes associated with virulence attenuation. The isolate with shorter passage history (and greater virulence) had greater chromosome copy numbers than the isolate maintained in culture for longer, suggesting that virulence attenuation may be associated with loss of chromosome copies. Our results suggest that genomic processes proposed as mechanisms for rapid evolution in Bd are correlated with virulence attenuation in laboratory culture within a single lineage of Bd. Moreover, these genomic processes can occur over extremely short timescales. On a practical level, our results underscore the importance of immediately cryo-archiving new Bd isolates and using fresh isolates, rather than samples cultured in the laboratory for long periods, for laboratory infection experiments. Finally, when attempting to predict disease outcomes for this ecologically important pathogen, it is critical to consider existing variation in virulence among isolates and the potential for shifts in virulence over short timescales

A preliminary study on the reliability of physical performance measures in older day-care center clients with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Decline in physical functional ability is an intrinsic component of the dementia syndrome. Reductions in muscle mass and strength represent a major factor in the loss of functional ability Although resistance exercise has been studied as a method for maintaining/recovering function in populations of frail older adults, people with dementia have been systematically excluded because of uncertainty about the reliability of outcome measurements. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a battery of established performance-based measures of strength and function among subjects with dementia. SETTING: A hospital-affiliated adult day-care facility. SUBJECTS: Twelve of 28 older subjects with dementia of various etiologies were available for two assessments prior to implementation of a resistance-exercise intervention. METHODS: Subjects underwent an assessment of lower extremity strength and physical function consisting of two recorded trials of bilateral isometric strength of the knee extensor, hip flexor, and dorsiflexor muscles, as well as hand grip strength; repeated chair stands, evaluation of usual- and maximal safe-gait speed over a 6-m course, and the Timed-Up-and-Go Test. The entire assessment was repeated approximately 1 week later. An average of the trials for each measurement was computed for each of the two assessment periods, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these paired measurements were estimated using STATA. RESULTS: ICCs ranged from .56 for left iliopsoas to .77 for left dorsiflexors among the strength measures whereas measures of function ranged from .80 for number of steps in usual gait to .95 for time of fast gait. CONCLUSIONS: Performance-based measures of strength and function can be reliably assessed in older people with dementia, although measures of function appear to be more reliable than measures of strength

Diuron From Maui Sugarcane Field Runoff is Potentially Harmful to Local Coral Reefs

In a grassroots effort to identify stressors influencing the health of Maui’s coral reefs, samples for the pre- and post-emergent herbicide, Diuron, were taken in July–August 2013, prior to, during, and after the passage of Tropical Storm Flossie on the south central coast of Maui, Hawaii. Diuron is routinely used on sugarcane fields adjacent to Hawaiian coastal waters and is a component of the anti-fouling paint used on small boats. It inhibits photosynthesis of terrestrial plants at concentrations as low as 0.1 parts per billion and can be lethal to endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in corals at concentrations less than 3 parts per billion, a concentration measured in runoff samples taken during this study. While Diuron was not detected in samples taken beyond the coastal outfall or in an adjacent boat basin, this effort provides evidence that a detectable influx of Diuron into Maui’s coastal waters can result from a single rain event. Further, this study will inform efforts to support a ban on the use of Diuron in the wet season and guide monitoring efforts to better understand the effects of Diuron in coastal areas

Long-range orbitofrontal and amygdala axons show divergent patterns of maturation in the frontal cortex across adolescence.

The adolescent transition from juvenile to adult is marked by anatomical and functional remodeling of brain networks. Currently, the cellular and synaptic level changes underlying the adolescent transition are only coarsely understood. Here, we use two-photon imaging to make time-lapse observations of long-range axons that innervate the frontal cortex in the living brain. We labeled cells in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) and imaged their axonal afferents to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). We also imaged the apical dendrites of dmPFC pyramidal neurons. Images were taken daily in separate cohorts of juvenile (P24-P28) and young adult mice (P64-P68), ages where we have previously discovered differences in dmPFC dependent decision-making. Dendritic spines were pruned across this peri-adolescent period, while BLA and OFC afferents followed alternate developmental trajectories. OFC boutons showed no decrease in density, but did show a decrease in daily bouton gain and loss with age. BLA axons showed an increase in both bouton density and daily bouton gain at the later age, suggesting a delayed window of enhanced plasticity. Our findings reveal projection specific maturation of synaptic structures within a single frontal region and suggest that stabilization is a more general characteristic of maturation than pruning