Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) as a Potential Risk for Early Vegetative-Stage Sweet Corn

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-209
Author(s):  
Nádia M. Bueno ◽  
Arthur V. Ribeiro ◽  
Robert L. Koch ◽  
Edson L. L. Baldin ◽  
Leandro P. Ribeiro

Abstract Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive species in the United States representing a great threat to crops of economic importance, such as soybean and corn. Due to the lack of information about its damage to early vegetative-stage corn, this study was conducted to provide information about H. halys damage to sweet corn seedlings. In the field experiment, caged sweet corn seedlings were exposed to sexed H. halys adults of densities of 0, 1, or 2 insects per plant for 7 d. In a complementary greenhouse experiment, caged sweet corn seedlings were exposed to 0 or 2 nonsexed H. halys at different stages (second to fifth instars and adult) per plant for 14 d. In both experiments, we evaluated plant fresh and dry weights, plant height, stalk diameter and plant injury (using a rating scale, 0 to 5). In the field experiment, plant injury based on the rating scale was greater in plants exposed to insects compared with the control. In the greenhouse experiment, fresh and dry weights, height and diameter of seedlings were lower for those exposed to fourth instars. This stage also caused greater injury based on the rating scale. In general, our results indicate that H. halys can feed on sweet corn seedlings, and that fourth instars cause more injury. The rating scale adapted here can be used for early identification of H. halys occurrence and to assess its injury in the field.

Author(s):  
SUMITRA BADRINATHAN

Misinformation makes democratic governance harder, especially in developing countries. Despite its real-world import, little is known about how to combat misinformation outside of the United States, particularly in places with low education, accelerating Internet access, and encrypted information sharing. This study uses a field experiment in India to test the efficacy of a pedagogical intervention on respondents’ ability to identify misinformation during the 2019 elections (N = 1,224). Treated respondents received hour-long in-person media literacy training in which enumerators discussed inoculation strategies, corrections, and the importance of verifying misinformation, all in a coherent learning module. Receiving this hour-long media literacy intervention did not significantly increase respondents’ ability to identify misinformation on average. However, treated respondents who support the ruling party became significantly less able to identify pro-attitudinal stories. These findings point to the resilience of misinformation in India and the presence of motivated reasoning in a traditionally nonideological party system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Tucker ◽  
Alan Cuevas Villagomez ◽  
Tamar Krishnamurti

Abstract Background The United States is currently facing a maternal morbidity and mortality crisis, with the highest rates of any resource-rich nation. In efforts to address this, new guidelines for postpartum care suggest that mobile health (mHealth) apps can help provide complementary clinical support for new mothers during the postpartum period. However, to date no study has evaluated the quality of existing mHealth tools targeted to this time period in terms of sufficiency of maternal health information, inclusivity of people of color, and app usability. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were used to review the peripartum apps from the Apple and Google Play stores in either the Health/Fitness, Medical, or Education categories. Apps were evaluated for extent and quality of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color using an a priori coding scheme. App usability was evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) score. Results Of the 301 apps from the Apple and Google Play stores, 25 met criteria for final evaluation. Of the 30 maternal health topics coded for, the median number addressed by apps was 19.5 (65%). Peripartum behaviors were more frequently addressed than peripartum outpatient care topics and peripartum acute health risks. The coverage of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color in app imagery both correlated positively with the MARS usability score of the app. Only 8 apps (32%) portrayed greater than 24% images of people of color- the percent of non-white Americans according to 2019 census estimates. There was no correlation between MARS usability score and number of app users, as estimated by number of ratings for the app available on the app store. In addition, apps with evidence-based maternal health information had greater MARS engagement, information, and aesthetics scores. However, presence of evidence-based information did not correlate with greater numbers of app users. Conclusions Current commercially available peripartum apps range widely in quality. Overall current app offerings generally do not provide adequate maternal health information and are not optimally accessible to the target users in terms of inclusivity of women of color or app usability. Apps delivering evidence-based information and more usable design are more likely to meet these standards but are not more likely to be downloaded by users.


Plant Disease ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 901-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald K. Pataky ◽  
Lindsey J. du Toit ◽  
Noah D. Freeman

Maize accessions were evaluated in 1997, 1998, and 1999 to identify additional sources of Stewart's wilt resistance and to determine if reactions differed among accessions collected from various regions of the United States and throughout the world. The distributions of Stewart's wilt reactions rated from 1 (no appreciable spread of symptoms) to 9 (dead plants) were relatively similar among groups of accessions from all regions of the world except for those from the Mid-Atlantic/Ohio River Valley region of the United States, the southern United States, and the northeastern United States. The mean and median Stewart's wilt rating for 1,991 accessions evaluated in 1997 was 4. The mean Stewart's wilt rating for 245 accessions collected from the Mid-Atlantic/Ohio River Valley region was 3.1, which was significantly lower than that for accessions from all other regions. The mean rating for accessions from the southern United States was 3.7, which also was lower than mean ratings for accessions from all other regions. Ratings from trials in 1997 and 1998 were highly correlated (r = 0.87) for 292 accessions and 15 sweet corn hybrid checks evaluated in both years. Of 20 accessions rated below 2 in 1997 and 1998, seven were from Virginia, seven were from the Ohio River Valley or central Corn Belt of the United States, four were from the northern or western Corn Belt of the United States, and two were from Spain. Ratings for these accessions ranged from 1.7 to 3.1 in 1999. Ratings ranged from 2.6 to 3.7 for F1 hybrids of these accessions crossed with one of two susceptible sweet corn inbreds, CrseW30 or Crse16, which were rated 5.7 and 5.4, respectively. Based on the reactions of this collection of germ plasm, it appears that high levels of Stewart's wilt resistance are prevalent only among accessions collected from areas where the disease has been endemic for several years, whereas moderate levels of resistance can be found in accessions collected from nearly everywhere in the world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-183
Author(s):  
Kimberly MacKenzie

Demetres, M. R., Wright, D. N., & DeRosa, A. P. (2020). Burnout among medical and health sciences information professionals who support systematic reviews: An exploratory study. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 108(1), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2020.665 Abstract Objective – This study explored reports of burnout among librarians who assist with systematic review preparation. Design – Electronic survey (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory). Setting – The survey was advertised via three email discussion lists based in the United States of America. Subjects – The study surveyed 198 librarians and information specialists who support the systematic review process. Of these, 166 completed the personal burnout scale, 159 completed the work burnout scale, and 151 completed the client burnout scale. Methods – The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is a validated survey that includes three separate scales: personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout. The end of the survey addressed demographics, including questions on the respondents’ involvement with systematic reviews. Survey questions use a 0 to 100 rating scale, with 0 indicating Never/To a Low Degree and 100 indicating Always/To a High Degree. The researchers shared the survey to the email discussion lists MEDLIB-L and DOCLINE and advertised it on the Medical Library Association (MLA) News. Survey answers were collected using Qualtrics Survey Software. Once emailed, the survey remained open for one month. Data was coded in Excel and analysis included scoring following the CBI metrics, as well as TukeyHSD and Kruskal-Wallis tests to determine differences in demographic groups. Main Results – Reported burnout levels were significantly lower for those who spend more than 80% of their time helping with systematic reviews compared to those who spend less than 10%. The consistent use of a systematic review support tool was also associated with significantly lower burnout levels. Other comparisons were not significant. The average overall response score for personal burnout was 48.6. The average score for work-related burnout was 46.4 and the average score for client-related burnout was 32.5. Reference librarians reported the highest average total burnout scores (47.1), while research librarians had the lowest (37.7). Conclusion – Consistency, either in time spent dedicated to systematic reviews or in the use of a support tool, was associated with lower levels of burnout among librarians and information specialists. The authors suggest that these results could inform ways of improving burnout among those assisting with systematic reviews.


Author(s):  
DS Veresoglou ◽  
SD Sakellariadis ◽  
PA Gerakis

AbstractEight genetically diverse tobacco types (Tsebelia of Agrinion, Samsun, Basma, Kabakulak, Burley, Virginia and Havana, belonging to Nicotianatabacum, and Brasilia belonging to N. rustica) were grown in pots in the greenhouse where lead acetate had been added to the soil at the rates of 0, 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 g Pb/kg soil. In the field, 20 g Pb/m2 in two forms (nitrate and acetate) were applied to Burley and Kabakulak types. The greenhouse experiment showed that only the highest rate of lead addition to the soil reduced the leaf yield significantly. The higher yielding types (Havana and Samsun) were found to be the least tolerant, while Brasilia was the most tolerant. At all levels of lead addition to the soil the lead concentration in leaf was found to be highest in the first of the three harvests which were made. The relationship between log (lead level in the soil) and log (leaf lead concentration) seemed exponential. Although control treatments in the field and the greenhouse experiment showed comparable leaf lead concentrations, leaf lead concentrations at 20 g Pb/m2 in the field experiment were found to be higher than those at 1.0 g/kg soil in the greenhouse experiment.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Oluwafemifola Oyedeji ◽  
Jill M. Maples ◽  
Samantha Gregory ◽  
Shauntá M. Chamberlin ◽  
Justin D. Gatwood ◽  
...  

About 45:000 cancers are linked to HPV each year in the United States alone. The HPV vaccine prevents cancer and is highly effective, yet vaccination coverage remains low. Pharmacies can play a meaningful role in increasing HPV vaccination access due to their availability and convenience. However, little is known about pharmacists’ perceived barriers to HPV vaccination. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize existing literature on perceived barriers to administering HPV vaccination reported by pharmacists. Barriers identified from selected studies were synthesized and further grouped into patient, parental, (pharmacist’s) personal, and system/organization barrier groups. Six studies were included in this review. The cost of the HPV vaccine, insurance coverage and reimbursement were commonly reported perceived barriers. Adolescent HPV vaccination barriers related to parental concerns, beliefs, and inadequate knowledge about the HPV vaccine. Perceived (pharmacist’s) personal barriers were related to lack of information and knowledge about HPV vaccine and recommendations. At the system/organization level, barriers reported included lack of time/staff/space; difficulty in series completion; tracking and recall of patient; perceived competition with providers; and other responsibilities/vaccines taking precedence. Future strategies involving pharmacy settings in HPV-related cancer prevention efforts should consider research on multilevel pharmacy-driven interventions addressing barriers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rammohan Balusu ◽  
Elijah Talamas ◽  
Ted Cottrell ◽  
Michael Toews ◽  
Brett Blaauw ◽  
...  

A parasitoid wasp, Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston), was recorded parasitizing eggs of the invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål) in the United States. This is the first record of this species parasitizing fresh and frozen eggs of H. halys in the United States. First record of Trissolcus basalis parasitizing Halyomorpha halys eggs in the United States.


Plant Disease ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-326
Author(s):  
R. Gitaitis ◽  
J. Wilson ◽  
R. Walcott ◽  
H. Sanders ◽  
W. Hanna

Bacterial stripe, caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae, was observed on breeding lines of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) in Georgia in 1999 and 2001. A gram-negative, oxidase-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that produced circular, cream-colored, nonfluorescent, butyrous colonies with entire margins on King's medium B was consistently isolated from leaf lesions. The bacterium was identified as A. avenae subsp. avenae by gas-chromatography of extracted, whole-cell, fatty acid methyl esters using the Sherlock Microbial Identification System (MIDI, Newark, DE) and by substrate utilization patterns using the Biolog Identification System (Biolog Inc., Hayward, CA). Isolates from pearl millet produced amplicons of expected size (360 bp) from 16S rDNA after conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers WFB1 and WFB2, which are specific for A. avenae. When bacterial suspensions of 1 × 108 CFU/ml were infiltrated into the intercellular spaces of leaves of pearl millet seedlings in the greenhouse, typical water-soaked, reddish-brown stripes developed and were identical to those observed in the field. In contrast to previous reports (1), the pearl millet strains produced atypical symptoms on sweet corn (cvs. Merit and Primetime). Necroses were restricted, lacked customary water-soaking, and were similar to symptoms produced by the watermelon pathogen, A. avenae subsp. citrulli, which was used as a negative control. In contrast, three strains of A. avenae subsp. avenae previously isolated from corn in Georgia produced typical water-soaked stripes in both millet and the sweet corn ‘Merit’. However, like the millet strains, A. avenae subsp. avenae strains from corn produced atypical symptoms on the sweet corn ‘Primetime’. Using immunomagnetic separation and PCR (2), A. avenae subsp. avenae was detected in remaining samples of pearl millet seed planted in Georgia in 2001, as well as in remnant samples of seed sent to Puerto Rico for increase in 2000. The A. avenae subsp. avenae strain recovered from seed was identified by the methods listed above, and in the greenhouse it was identified by the production of typical water-soaked stripes after inoculation of pearl millet. This is the first report of A. avenae subsp. avenae infecting pearl millet in the United States. The detection and distribution of seedborne inoculum in breeding lines is significant since the program at Tifton represents a major effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop higher-yielding, disease-resistant pearl millet hybrids. Furthermore, the strains from pearl millet appear to be different from previous A. avenae subsp. avenae strains isolated from corn in Georgia, because they did not produce typical disease symptoms when infiltrated in corn leaves. References: (1) L. E. Claflin et al. Plant Dis. 73:1010, 1989. (2) R. R. Walcott and R. D. Gitaitis. Plant Dis. 84:470, 2000.


Author(s):  
Loreen Marie Powell

The advancements of technology have altered the way many small businesses operate in the United States of America (USA) (Butcher-Powell, 2006). Small businesses have been forced to embrace technology or lose valuable employees and business. As such, many small businesses have merged to wireless networks and adopted various forms of telework. Today, it is estimated that more than 60% of the workforce are teleworkers (Butcher-Powell, 2006; DecisionOne, 2002). While moving to a remote workforce is good for small businesses, it also places a substantial amount of security risks upon the small business. Butcher-Powell (2006) documented some of the security risks associated with corporations employing a remote workforce, indicating that teleworker’s lack of information systems and security training can compromise the corporation’s network. The study investigates one particular method for aiding teleworker’s: informal information technology communities of practice in cyberspace. One hundred and forty four teleworker’s were surveyed on what sort of IT-related activities they devote time to, how much problem-solving they attempt via technology discussion groups with respect to those activities, and their perceived community and organizational benefits to participating in such discussion groups. The study found significant differences in perceived value of technology discussion groups among teleworkers.


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