Publications by authors named "Hight S"

Functional response describes the number of hosts attacked by a parasitoid in relation to host densities and plays an important role by connecting behavioral-level processes with community-level processes. Most functional response studies were carried out using simple experimental designs where the insects were confined to a plain and small arena with different host densities during a fixed period of time. With these designs, other factors that might affect the functional response of parasitoids were not analyzed, such as fecundity, age, and experience.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), the cactus moth, is native to South America with a widespread distribution in Argentina. The larvae consume the interior of spp. (Cactaceae) plants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Air potato, Dioscorea bulbifera L., is an invasive vine found in the southeastern United States and is native to Asia and Africa. The air potato leaf beetle Lilioceris cheni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a host specific biological control agent introduced for D.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Determining mechanism of action (MOA) is one of the biggest challenges in natural products discovery. Here, we report a comprehensive platform that uses Similarity Network Fusion (SNF) to improve MOA predictions by integrating data from the cytological profiling high-content imaging platform and the gene expression platform Functional Signature Ontology, and pairs these data with untargeted metabolomics analysis for de novo bioactive compound discovery. The predictive value of the integrative approach was assessed using a library of target-annotated small molecules as benchmarks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypogeococcus pungens is a species complex native to southern South America that is composed of at least five putative species, each one specialized in the use of different host plants. Two of these undescribed species were registered as invasive in Central and North America: Hyp-C is a cactophagous mealybug that became an important pest that threatens endemic cactus species in Puerto Rico, and Hyp-AP feeds on Amaranthaceae and Portulacaceae hosts, but does not produce severe damage to the host plants. We quantified genomic variation and investigated the demographic history of both invasive species by means of coalescent-based simulations using high throughput sequencing data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Surveys of patterns of genetic variation in natural sympatric and allopatric populations of recently diverged species are necessary to understand the processes driving intra- and interspecific diversification. The South American moths Cactoblastis cactorum, Cactoblastis doddi and Cactoblastis bucyrus are specialized in the use of cacti as host plants. These species have partially different geographic ranges and differ in patterns of host plant use.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The main objective of this research paper is to examine the influence of perceived support (i.e., organizational support and social support) on life satisfaction (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

When two or more parasitoid species, particularly candidates for biocontrol, share the same target in the same temporal window, a complex of behaviors can occur among them. We studied the type of interactions (competition and intraguild predation) that existed between the nymphal parasitoids Anagyrus cachamai and A. lapachosus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), two candidate neoclassical biocontrol agents against the Puerto Rican cactus pest mealybug, Hypogeococcus sp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As part of sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, irradiation can effectively induce sterility in insects by damaging germline genomic DNA. However, irradiation also induces other off-target side effects that reduce the quality and performance of sterilized males, including the formation of damaging free radicals that can reduce sterile male performance. Thus, treatments that reduce off-target effects of irradiation on male performance while maintaining sterility can improve the feasibility and economy of SIT programs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the restaurant industry and employees in the worst possible way. This empirical study aims to examine the relationships between employees' work status (working, furloughed, or laid-off), mental health (psychological well-being and psychological distress), substance use (drug and alcohol use), and career turnover intentions during the pandemic. Analyzing the responses of 585 restaurant employees using structural equation modelling (SEM), findings revealed that working employees experienced higher levels of psychological distress, drug and alcohol use than furloughed employees.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genome-wide, loss-of-function screening can be used to identify novel vulnerabilities upon which specific tumor cells depend for survival. Functional Signature Ontology (FUSION) is a gene expression-based high-throughput screening (GE-HTS) method that allows researchers to identify functionally similar proteins, small molecules, and microRNA mimics, revealing novel therapeutic targets. FUSION uses cell-based high-throughput screening and computational analysis to match gene expression signatures produced by natural products to those produced by small interfering RNA (siRNA) and synthetic microRNA libraries to identify putative protein targets and mechanisms of action (MoA) for several previously undescribed natural products.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cryptic taxa have often been observed in the form of host-associated species that diverged as the result of adaptation to alternate host plants. Untangling cryptic diversity in species complexes that encompass invasive species is a mandatory task for pest management. Moreover, investigating the evolutionary history of a species complex may help to understand the drivers of their diversification.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Using a mini-library of 1062 lentiviral shRNAs targeting 40 nuclear hormone receptors and 70 of their co-regulators, we searched for potential therapeutic targets that would be important during in vivo tumor growth using a parallel in vitro and in vivo shRNA screening strategy in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) line NCI-H1819. We identified 21 genes essential for in vitro growth, and nine genes specifically required for tumor survival in vivo, but not in vitro: NCOR2, FOXA1, HDAC1, RXRA, RORB, RARB, MTA2, ETV4, and NR1H2. We focused on FOXA1, since it lies within the most frequently amplified genomic region in lung adenocarcinomas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primary and secondary parasitoids of Hypogeococcus spp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Cactaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Portulacaceae were reported from field surveys conducted in Puerto Rico, USA, since 2009. Resident natural enemies of the Harrisia cactus mealybug (HCM), Hypogeococcus sp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gene expression signature-based inference of functional connectivity within and between genetic perturbations, chemical perturbations, and disease status can lead to the development of actionable hypotheses for gene function, chemical modes of action, and disease treatment strategies. Here, we report a FuSiOn-based genome-wide integration of hypomorphic cellular phenotypes that enables functional annotation of gene network topology, assignment of mechanistic hypotheses to genes of unknown function, and detection of cooperativity among cell regulatory systems. Dovetailing genetic perturbation data with chemical perturbation phenotypes allowed simultaneous generation of mechanism of action hypotheses for thousands of uncharacterized natural products fractions (NPFs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypogeococcus pungens, a mealybug native of southern South America, is devastating native cacti in Puerto Rico and threatening cactus diversity in the Caribbean, and potentially in Central and North America. The taxonomic status of H. pungens is controversial since it has been reported feeding not only on Cactaceae but also on other plant families throughout its distribution range.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Definitive chemoradiation for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the first-line treatment in many centres. However, it is not without morbidity. We assess outcomes for patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea L., is a warm-season legume that can be planted in rotation to cash crops to add nitrogen and organic matter to the soils, for weed growth prevention, and to suppress nematode populations. Sunn hemp flowers also provide nectar and pollen for pollinators and enhance biological control by furnishing habitat for natural enemies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chinese tallowtree, Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphoriaceae), is one of the most aggressive weeds of coastal wetlands and forests of the southeastern United States. The lack of specialist herbivores in the invaded range may be one of the factors that contribute to the invasive nature of this weed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increased expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) is associated with tumor grade and metastasis in lung cancer, likely due to its role as a transcription factor in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here, we modeled malignant transformation in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) and determined that EMT and ZEB1 expression are early, critical events in lung cancer pathogenesis. Specific oncogenic mutations in TP53 and KRAS were required for HBECs to engage EMT machinery in response to microenvironmental (serum/TGF-β) or oncogenetic (MYC) factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As part of sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, irradiation can effectively induce sterility in insects by damaging genomic DNA. However, irradiation also induces other off-target side effects that reduce the quality and performance of sterilized males. Thus, treatments that reduce off-target effects of irradiation on male performance while maintaining sterility can improve the feasibility and economy of SIT programs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chromosomal instability leading to aneuploidy occurs in most sporadic colorectal cancers (CRCs) and is believed to be an early driving force in disease progression. Despite this observation, the cellular advantages conferred by these cytogenetic alterations are poorly understood. Here, we provide evidence that serum-free passage of originally diploid, immortalized human colonic epithelial cells (HCECs) gave rise to the acquisition of trisomy 7 (+7), an aneuploidy detected in more than 40% of colorectal adenomas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The DNA double-strand break (DSB) damage response induced by high energy charged particles on lung fibroblast cells embedded in a 3-dimensional (3-D) collagen tissue equivalents was investigated using antibodies to the DNA damage response proteins gamma-histone 2AX (gamma-H2AX) and phosphorylated DNA-PKcs (p-DNA-PKcs).

Materials And Methods: 3-D tissue equivalents were irradiated in positions across the linear distribution of the Bragg curve profiles of 307.7 MeV/nucleon, 556.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background & Aims: Long-term propagation of human colonic epithelial cells (HCEC) of adult origin has been a challenge; currently used HCEC lines are of malignant origin and/or contain multiple cytogenetic changes. We sought to immortalize human colon biopsy-derived cells expressing stem cell markers and retaining multilineage epithelial differentiation capability.

Methods: We isolated and cultured cells from biopsy samples of 2 patients undergoing routine screening colonoscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Astronauts may be at an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer after a prolonged interplanetary mission given the potential for greater carcinogenic effects of radiation to the colon. In addition, with an increase in age, there is a greater incidence of premalignant colon adenomas with age. In the present study, we have compared the effects of radiation on human colon epithelial cells in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture, in three-dimensional (3D) culture, and in intact human colon tissue biopsies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF