Effect of deltamethrin-incorporated nets on mobility and survivorship of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) adults and nymphs in the laboratory

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive pest that attacks specialty and row crops in North America and Europe. There has been a concerted effort to reduce frequent broad-spectrum insecticide applications made on vulnerable crops. One tool that has emerged recently is the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) as a killing agent. Here, we conducted bioassays to evaluate the effect of direct contact on deltamethrin-impregnated LLINs on the behaviour and survivorship of H. halys nymphs and adults in the laboratory. Following exposure at three different durations (1.25, 4.25 or 7.25 min), vertical and horizontal mobility of adults and nymphs and the flight capacity of adults were recorded and compared with individuals that were not exposed (control). Exposure to LLINs reduced the horizontal distance and velocity and increased the angular velocity of adults only but reduced vertical mobility of adults and nymphs. Adult flights were not significantly affected by LLIN exposure. Mortality of adults and nymphs at 7-day post-exposure ranged from 73% to 77% regardless of exposure time. We discuss our findings within the context of the potential for and limitations of deploying LLINs in vulnerable crops to manage H. halys populations.     

Influence of harmonic radar tag attachment on nymphal Halyomorpha halys mobility,survivorship, and detectability

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a polyphagous invasive insect and currently one of the most threatening agricultural pests in the USA and globally. Nymphs are highly mobile, moving among host plants, and causing significant damage. Thus, understanding dispersal biology for all life stages is critical for the development of reliable monitoring and management programs. Here, we evaluated the influence of harmonic radar as a tool to study dispersal ecology of nymphal H. halys; we measured the impact of glues and tag attachment on survivorship and mobility in the laboratory and validated in the field that tagged and released nymphs could be tracked on baited and unbaited host and non‐host plants using harmonic radar. In the laboratory, four glues were evaluated for attaching harmonic radar tags securely to nymphs, and survivorship with attached tags was measured. There were no significant differences in survivorship or vertical and horizontal movement among nymphs with tags affixed with the glue treatments compared with the untagged control. Based on numerically greater survivorship of nymphs with tags affixed with Loctite glass glue, a field validation study of tagged nymphs released in host (apple tree) and non‐host (mowed grass) with or without H. halys pheromonal stimuli present revealed that nymphs could be successfully relocated using harmonic radar after 48 h. Among treatments, 83% of nymphs remained in baited and unbaited apple trees, 50% of nymphs remained in baited mowed grass plots, and in unbaited mowed grass plots, 17% of fifth instars, and 0% of fourth instars were retained. The absence of negative effects on mobility, survivorship, and field tracking validates that harmonic radar can be used to study dispersal ecology of nymphal H. halys.     

Developing a branch-mimicking trap for adult plum curculios

We conducted field and semi-field experiments to determine the most visually stimulating and acceptable version of a branch-mimicking trap (PVC cylinder topped with an inverted screen funnel) to capture adult plum curculios, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) foraging within canopies of host trees. Cylinder traps (25 cm tall × 6 cm diam) coated with different colors of gloss or flat latex paint captured similar numbers of feral adults in field tests. Tall cylinder traps (50 cm tall × 6 cm diam) captured significantly more feral adults in field tests in 1999 than cylinder traps of lesser height and/or different diameter, and significantly more released adults arrived at traps with these dimensions compared to cylinder traps of lesser height in semi-field tests. In field and semi-field tests, respectively, significantly more adults were captured by and numerically more adults arrived at tall cylinder traps (50 cm tall × 6 cm diam) attached in an upright, standard position to a horizontal limb than attached at angles of 45°, 90°, 135°, or 180° to horizontal limbs.     

Acid-sensing ion channel 3 mediates peripheral anti-hyperalgesia effects of acupuncture in mice inflammatory pain

Background  

Peripheral tissue inflammation initiates hyperalgesia accompanied by tissue acidosis, nociceptor activation, and inflammation mediators. Recent studies have suggested a significantly increased expression of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) in both carrageenan- and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation. This study tested the hypothesis that acupuncture is curative for mechanical hyperalgesia induced by peripheral inflammation.     

Discrimination by male dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), among traps baited with commercially available pheromone lures

The response of male dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), to four commercially available pheromone lures and to pheromone source concentration was evaluated in field trapping studies in commercial apple orchards in Virginia and West Virginia Male peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa (Say), lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson), and lilac borer, Podosesia syringae (Harris), were also captured in traps baited with all lures tested. Among the lures used, the Scenturion dogwood borer lure was the most attractive to and selective for dogwood borer. Male dogwood borer showed a concentration-dependent response to traps baited with different source concentrations of the pheromone from Scenturion. Chemical analyses revealed that all lures contained principally (Z,Z)-3,13-octadecadien-1-ol acetate (ODDA) but that a significantly higher percentage of (Z,E) plus (E,Z)-3,13-ODDA was present in the Scenturion lure, compared with the others. Weekly collections of fresh male and female dogwood borer pupal exuviae from April until October in 2002 and 2003 suggested that traps baited with Scenturion lures significantly underestimated the size of populations in commercial apple orchards.     

Protein structure similarity from principle component correlation analysis

Background  

Owing to rapid expansion of protein structure databases in recent years, methods of structure comparison are becoming increasingly effective and important in revealing novel information on functional properties of proteins and their roles in the grand scheme of evolutionary biology. Currently, the structural similarity between two proteins is measured by the root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) in their best-superimposed atomic coordinates. RMSD is the golden rule of measuring structural similarity when the structures are nearly identical; it, however, fails to detect the higher order topological similarities in proteins evolved into different shapes. We propose new algorithms for extracting geometrical invariants of proteins that can be effectively used to identify homologous protein structures or topologies in order to quantify both close and remote structural similarities.     

Predation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halyomorpha halys</Emphasis> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Web-Building Spiders Associated with Anthropogenic Dwellings

The brown marmorated stink bug, or Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive pest in North America and Europe that causes severe agricultural damage and nuisance problems for homeowners; and it is originally from China, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea. While the natural enemy community of H. halys has been evaluated in several agroecosystems, it has not been examined where H. halys overwinters in anthropogenic structures. The aims of the current study were to evaluate 1) whether spider webs commonly found in the home and yard can successfully ensnare H. halys, 2) whether entanglement resulted in consumption by spiders inhabiting the webs, and 3) how frequently H. halys becomes entangled in webs under ambient conditions. To accomplish this, adult H. halys were introduced into webs in and near anthropogenic structures in West Virginia and Maryland, United States, and the behavior of spiders was observed for 5-min intervals at 0, 1, 2, and 24 h after introduction. In addition, a survey of webs was performed to determine the frequency with which spiders naturally capture H. halys inside buildings and in the landscape. Overall, the study found seven spider families in anthropogenic structures. Adult H. halys that were introduced into the webs of Theridiidae, Pholcidae, or Agelenidae had a greater than 50% chance of being ensnared and consumed. Adult H. halys were found naturally most often in webs of Theridiidae. Webs with a funnel or cob web architecture had the greatest probability of ensnaring H. halys, while those with orb structures resulted in the fewest caught. In the wild, 13–20% of spider webs contained dead H. halys. Our results suggest that spiders may be an important contributing factor for mortality of H. halys at overwintering sites, and spiders in or outside homes may help reduce nuisance problems caused by H. halys.     

Conditional random pattern model for copy number aberration detection

Background  

DNA copy number aberration (CNA) is very important in the pathogenesis of tumors and other diseases. For example, CNAs may result in suppression of anti-oncogenes and activation of oncogenes, which would cause certain types of cancers. High density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data is widely used for the CNA detection. However, it is nontrivial to detect the CNA automatically because the signals obtained from high density SNP arrays often have low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which might be caused by whole genome amplification, mixtures of normal and tumor cells, experimental noise or other technical limitations. With the reduction in SNR, many false CNA regions are often detected and the true CNA regions are missed. Thus, more sophisticated statistical models are needed to make the CNAs detection, using the low SNR signals, more robust and reliable.     

Evaluation of tag entanglement as a factor in harmonic radar studies of insect dispersal

The observation of insects and other small organisms entangled in the habitat after the addition of vertical or trailing electronic tags to their body has generated concerns on the suitability of harmonic radars to track the dispersal of insects. This study compared the walking behavior of adult Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) Chrysomelidae), plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) Curculionidae), and western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte) Chrysomelidae) with and without vertical and or trailing tags in field plots or arenas. The frequency of the larger Colorado potato beetles crossing bare ground or grassy plots was unaffected by the presence of an 8 cm trailing harmonic radar tag. However, plum curculios and western corn rootworms, were either unable to walk with a 4 cm trailing tag (plum curculio) or displayed a reduced ability to successfully cross a bare ground arena. Our results revealed the significant impact of vegetation on successful insect dispersal, whether tagged or not. The vertical movement of these insects on stems, stalks, and tubes was also unaffected by the presence of vertical tags. Trailing tags had a significant negative effect on the vertical movement of the western corn rootworm. Results show that harmonic radar technology is a suitable method for studying the walking paths of the three insects with appropriate tag type and size. The nuisance factor generated by appropriately sized tags was small relative to that of vegetation.