Expanded Geographical Distribution of (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in North America.

Several species of lady beetle native to North America have declined in abundance in the last few decades, often accompanied by contractions in their geographic ranges. is a lady beetle native to North America that is an important predator of pests in various agroecosystems. Its reported range spans the eastern half of the USA, with no sustained decline in abundance or contraction of its range reported.

Differential protein abundance of vetiver grass in response to acid mine drainage.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an acidic and metalliferous discharge that imposes oxidative stress on living things through bioaccumulation and physical exposure. The abandoned Tab-Simco mining site of Southern Illinois generates highly acidic AMD with elevated sulfate (SO ) and various metals. Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is effective for the remediation of Tab-Simco AMD at both mesocosm and microcosm levels over extended periods.

Protocol and Preliminary Results of the Nutritarian Women's Health Study: A Longitudinal Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Study Assessing Dietary Intake and Health Outcomes.

Whole-food plant-rich dietary patterns have been shown to be associated with significant health benefits and disease-risk reduction. One such program, which has been gaining popularity, is the micronutrient-dense plant-rich (mNDPR) "Nutritarian" diet. The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of implementing an online mNDPR "Nutritarian" intervention program and to determine the effectiveness of this program in reducing risk of chronic disease in women.

Impact of a 6-Month Micronutrient-Dense Plant-Rich Nutrition Intervention on Health and Well-Being at the Worksite.

This nonrandomized pilot study utilized the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior to assess the effectiveness of perceived behavioral control to determine the impact of a micronutrient-dense plant-rich (mNDPR) dietary intervention on employee health and wellness at the worksite. Seventy-one employees and/or spouses (≥18 years) who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from a regional medical center and a local university. Participants were provided more than 14 hours of in-person lecture combined with take-home materials, and electronic resources to support participants in their transition and adherence to the dietary plan.

A Worksite Nutrition Intervention is Effective at Improving Employee Well-Being: A Pilot Study.

Background: Worksite dietary interventions show substantial potential for improving employee health and well-being. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effect of a worksite nutrition intervention on improving well-being.

Methods: Thirty-five university employees participated in a 6-week nutrition intervention.

Recovering parasites from mummies and coprolites: an epidemiological approach.

In the field of archaeological parasitology, researchers have long documented the distribution of parasites in archaeological time and space through the analysis of coprolites and human remains. This area of research defined the origin and migration of parasites through presence/absence studies. By the end of the 20th century, the field of pathoecology had emerged as researchers developed an interest in the ancient ecology of parasite transmission.

C-reactive protein response to a vegan lifestyle intervention.

This brief lifestyle intervention, including a vegan diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and various legumes, nuts and seeds, significantly improved health risk factors and reduced systemic inflammation as measured by circulating CRP. The degree of improvement was associated with baseline CRP such that higher levels predicted greater decreases. The interaction between gender and baseline CRP was significant and showed that males with higher baseline CRP levels appeared to have a more robust decrease in CRP due to the intervention than did their female counterparts.

Forms of Melanoplus bowditchi (Orthoptera: Acrididae) collected from different host plants are indistinguishable genetically and in aedeagal morphology.

The sagebrush grasshopper, Melanoplus bowditchi Scudder (Orthoptera: Acrididae), is a phytophilous species that is widely distributed in the western United States on sagebrush species. The geographical distribution of M. bowditchi is very similar to the range of its host plants and its feeding association varies in relation to sagebrush distribution.

Degree-day requirements for eight economically important grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Nebraska using field data.

The timing of application for the management of rangeland grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is critical, especially as insecticides become more specialized and the use of Insect Growth Regulators becomes more widespread. The general seasonal occurrence of adults of many grasshopper species has been well documented; however, their appearance varies widely between years. We analyzed sweep samples collected over the western two thirds of Nebraska from a 3-yr period and noted the occurrence of adults by region for eight species of rangeland grasshoppers.

A New Species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum (Caudata: Ambystomatidae), from northern Louisiana.

Between December 2002 and June 2004, 10 marbled salamanders, Ambystoma opacum, were examined for coccidian parasites. Salamanders were collected in Bradley (n = 2), Little River (n = 1), Miller (n = 1), and Sevier (n = 1) Counties, Arkansas; Webster Parish, Louisiana (n = 2); and Bowie (n = 1) and Nacogdoches (n = 2) Counties, Texas. Two of 10 (20%) A.

Rapid cryopreservation of five mammalian and one mosquito cell line at -80 degrees C while attached to flasks in a serum free cryopreservative.

Cell culturing, and the requisite storage of cell lines at ultra-low temperatures, is used in most laboratories studying or using eukaryotic proteomics, genomics, microarray, and RNA technologies. In this study we have observed that A72(dog), CRFK(cat), NB324K(human), MCF7(human), WI38(human), and C636(mosquito) cells were effectively cryopreserved at -80 degrees C while attached to the substratum of 25 cm2 tissue culture flasks. This was accomplished using a serum free crypreservative recently developed by Corsini and co-workers.

Serum-Free Cryopreservation of Five Mammalian Cell Lines in Either a Pelleted or Suspended State.

Herein we have explored two practical aspects of cryopreserving cultured mammalian cells during routine laboratory maintenance. First, we have examined the possibility of using a serum-free, hence more affordable, cryopreservative. Using five mammalian lines (Crandell Feline Kidney, MCF7, A72, WI 38 and NB324K), we found that the serum-free alternative preserves nearly as efficiently as the serum-containing preservatives.

Use of U-shaped donor-bridge-acceptor molecules to study electron tunneling through nonbonded contacts.

A systematic determination of electronic coupling matrix elements in U-shaped molecules is demonstrated. The unique architecture of these systems allows for the determination of the electronic coupling through a pendant molecular moiety that resides between the donor and acceptor groups; this moiety quantifies the efficiency of electron tunneling through nonbonded contacts. Experimental electron-transfer rate constants and reaction free energies are used to calibrate a molecular-based model that describes the solvation energy.

The left-end and right-end origins of minute virus of mice DNA differ in their capacity to direct episomal amplification and integration in vivo.

Previously it was shown that a 53-nucleotide viral replication origin, derived from the left-end (3') telomere of minute virus of mice (MVM) DNA, directed integration of infecting MVM genomes into an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-based episome in cell culture. Integration depended upon the presence, in the episome, of a functional origin sequence which could be nicked by NS1, the viral initiator protein. Here we extend our studies to the genomic right-end (5') origin and report that three 131- to 135-nucleotide right-end origin sequences failed to target MVM episomal integration even though the same sequences were functional in NS1-driven DNA replication assays in vitro.