Engineered repressible lethality for controlling the pink bollworm, a lepidopteran pest of cotton.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally friendly method of pest control in which insects are mass-produced, irradiated and released to mate with wild counterparts. SIT has been used to control major pest insects including the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders), a global pest of cotton. Transgenic technology has the potential to overcome disadvantages associated with the SIT, such as the damaging effects of radiation on released insects.

Field longevity of a fluorescent protein marker in an engineered strain of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders).

The cotton pest, pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders)), is a significant pest in most cotton-growing areas around the world. In southwestern USA and northern Mexico, pink bollworm is the target of the sterile insect technique (SIT), which relies on the mass-release of sterile pink bollworm adults to over-flood the wild population and thereby reduce it over time. Sterile moths reared for release are currently marked with a dye provided in their larval diet.

Field performance of a genetically engineered strain of pink bollworm.

Pest insects harm crops, livestock and human health, either directly or by acting as vectors of disease. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)--mass-release of sterile insects to mate with, and thereby control, their wild counterparts--has been used successfully for decades to control several pest species, including pink bollworm, a lepidopteran pest of cotton. Although it has been suggested that genetic engineering of pest insects provides potential improvements, there is uncertainty regarding its impact on their field performance.

Two-dimensional self-assemblies of silica nanoparticles formed using the "bubble deposition technique".

Two-dimensional silica nanoparticle assemblies were obtained by deposition of bubble made from a surfactant solution containing nanoparticles onto hydrophobic silicon substrate. The morphologies of the nanoparticle assemblies can be finely controlled by several experimental parameters, including surfactant concentration, nanoparticle concentration, and deposition time. Monolayer of nanoparticles with surface coverage of about 100% can be obtained under appropriate conditions.