Comparing simulated aerial and chemigation insecticide applications to manage western bean cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in corn.

The efficacy of aerial application and chemigation of insecticides is not well explored for western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith), management in corn. In the short term, inadequate application of insecticides can lead to control failures when insect pests are not effectively targeted. In the longer term, exposure to sublethal insecticide concentrations can contribute to the evolution of insecticide resistance.

Unveiling shared genetic regulators of plant architectural and biomass yield traits in sorghum.

Sorghum is emerging as an ideal genetic model for designing high-biomass bioenergy crops. Biomass yield, a complex trait influenced by various plant architectural characteristics, is typically regulated by numerous genes. This study aimed to dissect the genetic regulators underlying fourteen plant architectural traits and ten biomass yield traits in the Sorghum Association Panel across two growing seasons.

Beyond Trial Counts: Considerations for Measuring Play and Engagement During Early Intervention for Autistic Children.

Play is critical to child development. In early childhood, object play evolves from exploratory behavior to complex symbolic play. Engagement during play, particularly joint engagement, is essential for learning and social interaction.

Development and use of DJ-1 affinity microcolumns to screen and study small drug candidates for Parkinson's disease.

Background: DJ-1 is a protein whose mutation causes rare heritable forms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is of interest as a target for treating PD and other disorders. This work used high performance affinity microcolumns to screen and examine the binding of small molecules to DJ-1, as could be used to develop new therapeutics or to study the role of DJ-1 in PD. Non-covalent entrapment was used to place microgram quantities of DJ-1 in an unmodified form within microcolumns, which were then used in multiple studies to analyze binding by model compounds and possible drug candidates to DJ-1.

Woody plant reinvasion shortens the lifespan of grassland restoration treatments.

An important question in restoration ecology is whether restored ecological regimes are more vulnerable to transitions back to a degraded state. In woody-invaded grasslands, high-intensity fire can collapse woody plant communities and induce a shift back to a grass-dominated regime. Yet, legacies from woody-dominated regimes often persist and it remains unclear whether restored regimes are at heightened vulnerability to reinvasion.

Exploring the physiological, biochemical, and enzymatic responses of Vigna mungo varieties to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV) infection.

This study aims to enhance sustainable disease management in black gram by identifying varieties resistant to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV). We screened sixteen black gram genotypes, assessing physiological, biochemical and enzymatic basis. Results revealed a range of resistance levels, with PANT URD-19 showing the highest resistance (PDI 0.

Mechanical Stretch Control of Adipocyte AKT Signaling and the Role of FAK and ROCK Mechanosensors.

Adipose tissue in vivo is physiologically exposed to compound mechanical loading due to bodyweight bearing, posture, and motion. The capability of adipocytes to sense and respond to mechanical loading milieus to influence metabolic functions may provide a new insight into obesity and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we evidenced physiological mechanical loading control of adipocyte insulin signaling cascades.

Social-Emotional Competence for Children with Identified Developmental Concerns: The Impact of Parenting and Executive Function.

Social-emotional competence and executive function at preschool are critical for children's school readiness. Unfortunately, young children with the dual risk of low-income status and identified developmental concerns are more likely to have lower social-emotional learning. This study examines (a) bidirectional associations between dyadic parenting behaviors, executive function, and social-emotional competence; and (b) executive function as an explanatory mechanism for the predictive relationship between specific parenting behaviors and children's social-emotional competence.

Evaluation of Potential Developmental Precursors to Executive Function in Young Children with Motor Delays: Exploratory Study.

This study aimed to explore whether early developmental abilities are related to future executive function (EF) in children with motor delays. Fourteen children with motor delays ( = 10.76, = 2.

Shining a Light on Spectrophotometry in Bacteriology.

Spectrophotometry is widely used in biological sciences. In bacteriology, spectrophotometric monitoring of cell numbers during cultivation provides a rapid assessment of growth. Unfortunately, familiarity with this technique has led scientists to become complacent in its usage.

Divergence of gut bacteria through the selection of genomic variants implicated in the metabolism of sugars, amino acids, and purines by small extracellular vesicles in milk.

Here, we report that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in milk mediate the communication between bacteria and animal kingdoms, increase the divergence of bacteria in the intestine, and alter metabolite production by bacteria. We show that bovine milk sEVs select approximately 55,000 genomic variants in 19 species of bacteria from the murine cecum . The genomic variants are transcribed into mRNA.

miRNA-1 regulation is necessary for mechanical overload-induced muscle hypertrophy in male mice.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. They are involved in various developmental and physiological processes, and their dysregulation is linked to various diseases. Skeletal muscle-specific miRNAs, including miR-1, play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of skeletal muscle.

Heat Tolerance Assays Using the Drosophila Activity Monitor System: A Guide to an Executable Application for Data Analysis.

The study of heat tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster has been of particular interest to researchers for decades, with a common approach to assessing heat tolerance being to monitor the time to knockdown (TKD) after exposure to an elevated temperature. Classically, flies are housed in individual vials and placed inside a heated water bath. TKD is then monitored manually by researchers.

Student comprehension of biochemistry in a flipped classroom format.

Unlabelled: Concept-heavy courses such as Biochemistry in life and physical science curricula are challenging for many college-aged students. It is easy for students to disengage in a lecture and not learn the subject matter while in class. To improve student learning participation, we employed a flipped format for the first half of the course and compared learning outcomes and attitudes with the traditional lecture in the second half of the course.

A national survey of the gastrointestinal nematode control practices used by goat producers in the United States.

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites are a major constraint to goat production. GIN parasite control has relied primarily on the use of anthelmintic drugs. A major issue in goat operations globally, including in the United States (U.

Exploring chilling stress and recovery dynamics in C4 perennial grass of Miscanthus sinensis.

The increasing cultivation of perennial C4 grass known as Miscanthus spp. for biomass production holds promise as a sustainable source of renewable energy. Unlike the sterile triploid hybrid of M.

Benchmarking performance in Targhee sheep in development of a genetic reference flock.

The Targhee breed is important to range sheep production in the Western United States. The objective of this research was to integrate industry sires participating in national genetic evaluation through the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) into the U.S.

A thermodynamic bottleneck in the TCA cycle contributes to acetate overflow in .

During aerobic growth, relies on acetate overflow metabolism, a process where glucose is incompletely oxidized to acetate, for its bioenergetic needs. Acetate is not immediately captured as a carbon source and is excreted as waste by cells. The underlying factors governing acetate overflow in have not been identified.

Heterologous Production of Phenazines in the Biocontrol Agent C3.

, an environmental bacterium, holds promise as a biocontrol agent due to its ability to produce bioactive compounds effective against plant pathogens, such as fungi, oomycetes, and Gram-positive bacteria. However, it lacks activity against Gram-negative bacteria. To address this, we applied new genetic tools to manipulate the phenazine biosynthetic gene cluster () from , converting to a robust producer of phenazine antibiotics.

Metagenomic Detection and Genome Assembly of Novel PRRSV-2 Strain Using Oxford Nanopore Flongle Flow Cell.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the causative agent of a syndrome characterized by reproductive failure and respiratory complications (PRRS). Early detection and classification of PRRSV strains are vital for appropriate management strategies to minimize loss following outbreaks. The most widely used classification method for PRRSV is based on open reading frame 5 (ORF5) sequences.

Disentangling genotype and environment specific latent features for improved trait prediction using a compositional autoencoder.

In plant breeding and genetics, predictive models traditionally rely on compact representations of high-dimensional data, often using methods like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and, more recently, Autoencoders (AE). However, these methods do not separate genotype-specific and environment-specific features, limiting their ability to accurately predict traits influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We hypothesize that disentangling these representations into genotype-specific and environment-specific components can enhance predictive models.

Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Agriculture: Pathways to Sustainable Reductions.

Agriculture serves as both a source and a sink of global greenhouse gases (GHGs), with agricultural intensification continuing to contribute to GHG emissions. Climate-smart agriculture, encompassing both nature- and technology-based actions, offers promising solutions to mitigate GHG emissions. We synthesized global data, between 1990 and 2021, from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to analyze the impacts of agricultural activities on global GHG emissions from agricultural land, using structural equation modeling.

A Functional Response in Resource Selection Links Multiscale Responses of a Large Carnivore to Human Mortality Risk.

Theory suggests that animals make hierarchical, multiscale resource selection decisions to address the hierarchy of factors limiting their fitness. Ecologists have developed tools to link population-level resource selection across scales; yet, theoretical expectations about the relationship between coarse- and fine-scale selection decisions at the individual level remain elusive despite their importance to fitness. With GPS-telemetry data collected across California, USA, we evaluated resource selection of mountain lions (Puma concolor; n = 244) relative to spatial variation in human-caused mortality risk.

Broad-spectrum resistance to fungal foliar diseases in wheat: recent efforts and achievements.

Wheat ( spp.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Several diseases affect wheat production and can cause 20-80% yield loss annually.

IMPROVED PORTABLE INSTRUMENT TRACKING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL TRAINING.

Surgeons in training have a limited opportunity to practice their skills in a realistic surgical environment. Surgical training models are expensive and are often single-use exercises involving consumable supplies. The goal of the work presented in this paper is to increase surgeon training time by developing a surgical training simulator that is portable, inexpensive, and offers a realistic surgical environment.