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Insect pests and pollinators can interact directly and indirectly to affect crop production; however, impacts of these interactions on marketable yield are little known. Thus, the evaluation of interactions between pests and pollinators are needed to best prioritize management efforts. Over 2 years, we evaluated the impact of pollinator visitation and/or beetle ( Acalymma vittatum ) infestation on fruit set and yield in seedless watermelon production. In 2020, we tested the main effect of pollinator visitation: two or eight honeybee visits, two wild bee visits, hand pollinated and open pollinated. In 2021, we crossed wild and managed pollinator visitation (two or four honeybee visits, two or four wild bee visits, hand pollinated and open pollinated) with varying beetle infestation levels (0, 3, 6 and 9 beetles/plant). In both years, wild bees contributed significantly to high fruit yields, and exclusive visitation from wild bees increased yield by a factor of 1.5–3 compared to honeybees. In 2021, pollination was the only significant factor for fruit set and marketable yield even when compared to the varying beetle infestation levels. These data advocate for a reprioritization of management, to conserve and protect wild bee pollination, which could be more critical than avoiding pest damage for ensuring high yields.

Main conclusion Cucurbita argyrosperma domestication affected plant defence by downregulating the cucurbitacin synthesis-associated genes. However, tissue-specific suppression of defences made the cultivars less attractive to co-evolved herbivores Diabrotica balteata and Acalymma spp. Abstract Plant domestication reduces the levels of defensive compounds, increasing susceptibility to insects. In squash, the reduction of cucurbitacins has independently occurred several times during domestication. The mechanisms underlying these changes and their consequences for insect herbivores remain unknown. We investigated how Cucurbita argyrosperma domestication has affected plant chemical defence and the interactions with two herbivores, the generalist Diabrotica balteata and the specialist Acalymma spp. Cucurbitacin levels and associated genes in roots and cotyledons in three wild and four domesticated varieties were analysed. Domesticated varieties contained virtually no cucurbitacins in roots and very low amounts in cotyledons. Contrastingly, cucurbitacin synthesis-associated genes were highly expressed in the roots of wild populations. Larvae of both insects strongly preferred to feed on the roots of wild squash, negatively affecting the generalist’s performance but not that of the specialist. Our findings illustrate that domestication results in tissue-specific suppression of chemical defence, making cultivars less attractive to co-evolved herbivores. In the case of squash, this may be driven by the unique role of cucurbitacins in stimulating feeding in chrysomelid beetles.

Edible insects have gained attention due to their impressive nutritional composition, as well as their efficient use of natural resources. However, a research gap remains on the applications of insect chitosan, especially as it relates to their potential use as food packaging material. Chitosan from two reared cricket species (Acheta domesticus and Gryllodes sigillatus) was evaluated for use as food packaging material. Cricket chitosan films (CCF) were structurally similar to commercial shrimp chitosan films (SCF) at controlled glycerol levels, as seen by shared spectral peaks in FT-IR analyses. Mechanical properties of CCF showed they had equal or greater tensile strength when compared to commercial SCF, although flexibility was lower. Scanning electron microscopy showed increased roughness of microstructure, likely increasing the tortuosity. As a result, CCF had improved water vapor permeability compared to commercial SCF. Melanin complexes present in cricket chitin and chitosan increased hydrophobicity and decreased light transmittance. This study also revealed that intrinsic species differences, which occur during insect and crustacean exoskeleton development, could have effects on the functionality of chitosan packaging materials. Overall, CCF were found to be as effective as commercial SCF, while providing additional advantages. CCF derived from reared crickets have good mechanical and barrier properties, and improved water resistance and light barrier characteristics. Edible cricket chitosan has the potential to be used as bio-based packaging material for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Root-associated microbial communities are well known for their ability to prime and augment plant defenses that reduce herbivore survival or alter behavior (i.e., resistance). In contrast, the role root microbes play in plant tolerance to herbivory, an evolutionarily sustainable alternative to resistance, is overlooked. In this study, we aimed to expand our limited understanding of what role rhizosphere microbial communities play in supporting tolerance to insect damage. Using domesticated tomatoes and their wild ancestors (Solanum spp.), we first documented how tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) herbivory impacted tomato fruit production in order to quantify plant tolerance. We then characterized the bacterial and fungal rhizosphere communities harbored by high and low tolerance plants. Wild tomatoes excelled at tolerating hornworm herbivory, experiencing no significant yield loss despite 50% leaf area removal. Their domesticated counterparts, on the other hand, suffered 26% yield losses under hornworm herbivory, indicating low tolerance. Ontogeny (i.e., mid- vs. late-season sampling) explained the most variation in rhizosphere community structure, with tomato line, tolerance, and domestication status also shaping rhizosphere communities. Fungal and bacterial community traits that associated with the high tolerance line include (1) high species richness, (2) relatively stable community composition under herbivory, and (3) the relative abundance of taxa belonging to Stenotrophomonas, Sphingobacterium, and Sphingomonas. Characterizing tolerance-associating microbiomes may open new avenues through which plant defenses are amended in pest management, such as plant breeding efforts that enhance crop recruitment of beneficial microbiomes.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection precedes multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology and cross-reactive antibodies might link EBV infection to CNS autoimmunity. As an altered anti-EBV T cell reaction was suggested in MS, we queried peripheral blood T cell receptor β chain (TCRβ) repertoires of 1,395 MS patients, 887 controls, and 35 monozygotic, MS-discordant twin pairs for multimer-confirmed, viral antigen–specific TCRβ sequences. We detected more MHC-I–restricted EBV-specific TCRβ sequences in MS patients. Differences in genetics or upbringing could be excluded by validation in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for MS. Anti–VLA-4 treatment amplified this observation, while interferon β– or anti-CD20 treatment did not modulate EBV-specific T cell occurrence. In healthy individuals, EBV-specific CD8+ T cells were of an effector-memory phenotype in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid. In MS patients, cerebrospinal fluid also contained EBV-specific central-memory CD8+ T cells, suggesting recent priming. Therefore, MS is not only preceded by EBV infection, but also associated with broader EBV-specific TCR repertoires, consistent with an ongoing anti-EBV immune reaction in MS.

The hazard pesticides pose to pollinators are well‐understood from laboratory studies. However, the field‐level response of pollinators to pesticide use in agroecosystems is not well‐established, nor is it clear if synergisms between pesticides affect pollinator visitation to crops. Here, we evaluated if fungicide and insecticide use posed a hazard to wild and honeybees at 87 cucurbit—pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon—farms in the Midwestern United States. We also evaluated if synergisms between local‐ (i.e. focal cucurbit field) and landscape‐level (i.e. surrounding crops) pesticide use influence wild and honeybee visitation to crop flowers. We found that bees were exposed to pesticides above regulatory levels of concern and that synergisms between a few local insecticides and landscape‐level fungicides reduced wild bee visitation to cucurbit flowers. Honey and bumblebee visitation to crops was not strongly influenced by synergisms between pesticides used at the local and landscape level. Synthesis and applications. We found pesticides posed hazards to honey and wild bee species. However, pesticides were less likely to affect short‐term visitation rates of honeybees compared with wild bee species. Thus, there is a need for changes in pesticide use at large spatial scales to reduce reliance on honeybees and maximize wild bee visitation to pollinator‐dependent crops. We suggest that a multifaceted approach, involving collaborations between farmers, consumers and policymakers, will be fruitful to promote changes in pesticide use and wild bee pollinators.

Substantial efforts to characterize the structural and functional diversity of soil, plant and insect-associated microbial communities have illuminated the complex interacting domains of crop-associated microbiomes that contribute to agroecosystem health. As a result, plant-associated microorganisms have emerged as an untapped resource for combating challenges to agricultural sustainability. However, despite growing interest in maximizing microbial functions for crop production, resource efficiency and stress resistance, research has struggled to harness the beneficial properties of agricultural microbiomes to improve crop performance. Here, we introduce the historical arc of agricultural microbiome research, highlighting current progress and emerging strategies for intentional microbiome manipulation to enhance crop performance and sustainability. We synthesize current practices and limitations to managing agricultural microbiomes and identify key knowledge gaps in our understanding of microbe-assisted crop production. Finally, we propose research priorities that embrace a holistic view of crop microbiomes for achieving precision microbiome management that is tailored, predictive and integrative in diverse agricultural systems. Managing agricultural microbiomes is an efficient approach to improve crop performance in agroecosystems. This Review summarizes the current state of knowledge from less to more targeted approaches to manage soil, plant and pest-associated microbiomes. The authors also identify the knowledge gaps in relation to current agricultural practices in microbiome management.

Plant breeding has improved traits such as fruit flavor and yield but may have compromised direct and indirect defenses to herbivores compared to their wild ancestors. This has been termed the plant domestication-reduced defense hypothesis. We present evidence that domestication of Capsicum annuum (the chili pepper) from its wild progenitor, Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum, has not affected resistance to the insect herbivore, Manduca sexta (the tobacco hornworm). Caterpillars performed equally well on the domesticated and wild pepper. Subsequent behavioral choice assays with one of the main natural enemies of M. sexta, the parasitoid wasp Cotesia congregata, showed that parasitoids preferentially chose herbivore-damaged domesticated pepper plants over their wild relative. To investigate this tri-trophic interaction further, we then assessed the efficiency of C. congregata to parasitize M. sexta on numerous wild pepper accessions and domesticated pepper cultivars in a large foraging enclosure. We found that herbivores feeding on domesticated plants were parasitized at more than twice the rate of those on wild genotypes. These results imply that pepper domestication has not changed resistance to herbivorous insects (i.e., leaf palatability as a direct defense), but rather has improved volatile attraction to recruit natural enemies.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with chronic inflammation likely triggered by nocturnal, intermittent hypoxemia and increased adrenergic tone. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was recently described as a measure of subclinical systemic inflammation. Studies on the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in OSA on subclinical inflammation measured by NLR are lacking. We hypothesize that NLR levels would improve as chronic inflammation diminishes in patients with OSA treated with CPAP. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients in whom OSA was diagnosed and who were treated with CPAP therapy. Complete blood count (CBC) were obtained pretreatment and posttreatment for calculation of NLR, which was calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by the number of lymphocytes. Patients with conditions known to affect NLR such as chronic infections, inflammatory diseases, active cardiovascular disease, and malignancies were excluded from the study. CPAP adherence downloads were obtained for all patients. RESULTS: Out of 184 patients in whom OSA was diagnosed and who were treated with CPAP, 109 met our study criteria, including baseline polysomnogram, baseline and posttreatment CBC, and available adherence download. We compared the NLR before and after treatment with CPAP. There was a significant difference in NLR before and after treatment with CPAP (P < .0001). There was also a significant difference in apnea-hypopnea index before and after treatment (P < .0001). We also assessed the relationship between CPAP adherence (percentage of days used for > 4 hours) and the change in NLR. NLR decreased significantly in both the adherent (CPAP use ≥ 70% of days; P = .014) and nonadherent groups (CPAP use < 70% of days; P = .0003). Finally, we noticed a significant direct correlation between CPAP adherence beyond 70% and the change in NLR (ΔNLR) (P = .046) in patients who had ≥ 70% adherence with CPAP, which was not observed in patients with < 70% adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The NLR may be a useful marker for monitoring improvement, as CPAP had a desirable effect on the chronic inflammation induced by OSA when measured by NLR in this study. Our results specifically suggest that the NLR values decrease significantly in patients using CPAP regardless of adherence, but with a more direct relationship in those who use it beyond 70% of days, at least 4 hours a day. CITATION: Al-Halawani M, Kyung C, Liang F, et al. Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP improves chronic inflammation measured by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(2):251–257.

In cucurbit crops such as watermelon, implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) is important due to the high reliance on bees for fruit set, along with mounting evidence of the risks of insecticide use associated with pollinator health. Yet, IPM adoption, on-farm pesticide use behaviors, their costs, and impacts on the primary insect pest (striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum F.) are poorly known in one of the key watermelon-growing regions, the Midwestern United States. To better understand how to implement IPM into watermelon production, we assessed pest management practices on commercial watermelon farms using 30 field sites in Indiana and Illinois over 2 yr in 2017 and 2018. Across all sampling dates, beetles never crossed the economic threshold of five beetles/plant at any farm and most were maintained at densities far below this level (i.e.

Because the diet of many herbivorous insects is restricted to closely related taxa with similar chemistry, intercropping with diverse plant communities may reduce both pest populations and reliance on chemical pesticides in agroecosystems. We tested whether the effectiveness of intercropping against herbivorous insects depends on the phylogenetic relatedness of neighboring crops, using butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) as a focal crop species in a series of different intercropping combinations. We found that increased phylogenetic divergence of neighboring plants could reduce abundance of herbivorous insects, but the effect was only detectable mid-season. In addition, we tested two hypothesized mechanisms for a negative association between phylogenetic distance of neighboring plants and reduced herbivore populations: one, we tested using Y-tube olfactometer and choice cage trials whether diverse volatile cues impede host-plant location by the dominant pest of butternut squash in our experiment, striped cucumber beetle Acalymma vittatum. Two, we recorded predator and parasitoid abundance relative to crop phylodiversity to test whether diverse crops support larger natural-enemy populations that can better control pest species. Our results, however, did not support either hypothesis. Striped cucumber beetles preferentially oriented toward non-host-plant volatiles, and predator populations more often decreased with phylodiversity than increased. Thus, the mechanisms driving associations in the field between phylogenetic divergence and herbivore populations remain unclear.

Pest management practices in modern industrial agriculture have increasingly relied on insurance-based insecticides such as seed treatments that are poorly correlated with pest density or crop damage. This approach, combined with high invertebrate toxicity for newer products like neonicotinoids, makes it challenging to conserve beneficial insects and the services that they provide. We used a 4-y experiment using commercial-scale fields replicated across multiple sites in the midwestern United States to evaluate the consequences of adopting integrated pest management (IPM) using pest thresholds compared with standard conventional management (CM). To do so, we employed a systems approach that integrated coproduction of a regionally dominant row crop (corn) with a pollinator-dependent specialty crop (watermelon). Pest populations, pollination rates, crop yields, and system profitability were measured. Despite higher pest densities and/or damage in both crops, IPM-managed pests rarely reached economic thresholds, resulting in 95% lower insecticide use (97 versus 4 treatments in CM and IPM, respectively, across all sites, crops, and years). In IPM corn, the absence of a neonicotinoid seed treatment had no impact on yields, whereas IPM watermelon experienced a 129% increase in flower visitation rate by pollinators, resulting in 26% higher yields. The pollinator-enhancement effect under IPM management was mediated entirely by wild bees; foraging by managed honey bees was unaffected by treatments and, overall, did not correlate with crop yield. This proof-of-concept experiment mimicking on-farm practices illustrates that cropping systems in major agricultural commodities can be redesigned via IPM to exploit ecosystem services without compromising, and in some cases increasing, yields.

While research suggests that pollinator decline is linked with agricultural practices, it is unclear whether farmers share this view and adapt management to promote pollinators based on their understanding of these threats. To address these issues, we surveyed farmers of pollinator-dependent cucurbit crops across four states in the Midwest, USA. We grouped farmers by their perceptions of pollinator declines and routes of pesticide exposure and used statistical models to evaluate if farmers manage pests and pollinators based on these perceptions. Out of 93 completed surveys, 39% of farmers believed pollinators were in decline. When grouped, 17% of farmers were classified as proponents, ranking (on a 1–5 Likert scale) the factors mediating pesticide exposure and pollinator declines as important or highly important. For comparison, 44 and 39% of farmers were classified as neutral or skeptical, respectively, of these same factors. Compared to the neutral and skeptic groups, proponents were on average younger, had fewer years farming but more years in family farming, and were more dependent on income from outside the farming system. Proponents also on average reported smaller farms, higher pest richness, more land in cucurbit production, and greater richness of crops that are not pollinator dependent, when compared to the neutrals and skeptics. We did not find pest and pollinator management to be related to farmer perceptions of pollinator decline or routes of pesticide exposure, but farmers classified as pollinator “proponents” were more likely to indicate participation in future pollinator habitat restoration programs. Rather, management strategies were better explained by on-farm environmental conditions (e.g., pest richness, farm size, number of pollinator dependent crops) and economic factors (e.g., sources of income). Generally, our research shows that farmers who perceive pollinator threats may not be using pollinator supportive practices. Thus, while some farmers believe in pollinator declines, there remains a need to connect this knowledge with on-farm practices.

Insecticide use and insufficient forage are two of the leading stressors to pollinators in agroecosystems. While these factors have been well studied individually, the experimental designs do not reflect real-world conditions where insecticide exposure and lack of forage occur simultaneously and could interactively suppress pollinator health. Using outdoor enclosures, we tested the effects of insecticides (imidacloprid + lambda-cyhalothrin) and non-crop forage (clover) in a factorial design, measuring the survival, behaviour and performance of bumblebees ( Bombus impatiens ), as well as pollination of the focal crop, watermelon. Colony survival was synergistically reduced to 17% in watermelon alone + insecticides (survival was 100% in all other treatments). However, behavioural shifts in foraging were mainly owing to insecticides (e.g. 95% reduced visitation rate to watermelon flowers), while impacts on hive performance were primarily driven by clover presence (e.g. 374% increase in the number of live eggs). Insecticide-mediated reductions in foraging decreased crop pollination (fruit set) by 32%. Altogether, these data indicate that both insecticides and non-crop forage play integral roles in shaping pollinator health in agricultural landscapes, but the relative importance and interaction of these two factors depend on which aspect of ‘health’ is being considered.

The use of insects in traditional medicine and unveiling the chemical structure of the bright pigments in butterfly wings led to the discovery of bioactive phenolic compounds in the insect bodies. These metabolites have been found not only due to the insect absorption and metabolisation of the plant-derived phenolic present in their diet, but also from the ability of insects to synthesise phenolic compounds de novo through the sclerotisation process. Plant phenolics are secondary metabolites involved in the protection of tissues against UV radiation, herbivores, and pathogens, as well as pigmentation of fruits and flowers. These bioactive compounds exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities, demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo studies. This bioactive potential is thought to occur due to their chemical characteristics that allow them to stabilise reactive oxygen species (ROS), chelate prooxidant metal ions, interact with key enzymes and signal cascades involved in biological pathways. Bioactivity of plant phenolics and both in vitro, in vivo studies, suggest that the dietary compounds absorbed by the insect maintain their chemical and bioactive properties. Further characterisation of the phenolic composition in edible insects and evaluation of their bioactive capacity as well as their bioavailability, could result in discovering additional health benefits of entomophagy apart from macro-nutritional (e.g. protein) content.

Interest in inclusive education in the global south has grown significantly since the adoption of the Salamanca Statement in 1994. Increasingly, those who fund and provide education want to be seen taking action on inclusion generally and disability inclusion specifically. However, the much-welcomed enthusiasm to respond to global commitments is not always matched with the necessary expertise and commitment to longer-term action and change. The growth in inclusive education policies and pilot projects in the last decade is hard to miss, but changes resulting from these interventions are often less apparent. Why is that? Drawing on the Enabling Education Network’s 22 years of experience as a global inclusive education network and consultancy provider, we present alternative pathways for change in teacher education for inclusion. We stress that change in teaching practice remains limited not because inclusive education is a fundamentally flawed concept, but because too much focus is given to ‘quick-and-dirty’ trainings that quickly yield donorpleasing statistics and publicity-attracting case studies, but fail to elicit sufficiently extensive and sustainable change to education systems and cultures.

Domesticated plants can differ from their wild counterparts in the strength and outcome of species interactions, both above‐ and belowground. Plant–soil feedbacks influence plant success, and plant‐associated soil microbial communities can influence plant interactions with herbivores and their natural enemies, yet, it remains unclear if domestication has changed these relationships. To determine the effects of domestication on plant–soil interactions, we characterized soil microbial communities associated with various cultivars of domesticated tomato and some of its wild relatives. We measured the strength and direction of plant–soil feedbacks for domesticated and wild tomatoes, and the effects of soil on plant resistance to specialist herbivory by Manduca sexta, and the attraction of a parasitoid wasp, Cotesia congregata. Domesticated tomatoes and their wild relatives had negative plant–soil feedbacks, as conspecifics cultivated soil that negatively impacted performance of subsequent plants (longer germination time, lower biomass) than if they grew in non‐tomato soils. Significant variation existed among domesticated and wild tomato varieties in the strength of these feedbacks, ranging from neutral to strongly negative. For above‐ground plant biomass, tomato wild relatives were unaffected by growing in tomato‐conditioned soil, whereas domesticated tomatoes grew smaller in tomato soil, indicating effects of plant domestication. Overall, increased microbial biomass within the rhizosphere resulted in progressively less‐negative plant–soil feedbacks. Plant cultivars had different levels of resistance to herbivory by M. sexta, but this did not depend on plant domestication or soil type. The parasitoid C. congregata was primarily attracted to herbivore damaged plants, independent of plant domestication status, and for these damaged plants, wasps preferred some cultivars over others, and wild plants grown in tomato soil over wild plants grown in non‐tomato soil. Synthesis. These results indicate that crop tomatoes are more likely to show negative plant–soil feedbacks than wild progenitors, which could partially explain their sensitivity to monocultures in agricultural soils. Furthermore, cultivar‐specific variation in the ability to generate soil microbial biomass, independent of domestication status, appears to buffer the negative consequences of sharing the same soil. Last, soil legacies were relatively absent for herbivores, but not for parasitoid wasps, suggesting trophic level specificity in soil feedbacks on plant–insect interactions.

Access to education has been the central tenet of the Millennium Development Goal 2, which focused strongly on increasing enrolment yet failed to promote education quality and equity and address contextual complexities that sustain exclusion. As a consequence, many children are not learning. There is growing recognition that effective, efficient and equitable education for all will not be achieved without better accountability. The present paper details innovative methods for strengthening the learning process through better social accountability. The paper defines and tests in rural schools of Afghanistan and Pakistan a community-based system dynamics protocol using participatory group model building (GMB) techniques. We tested the protocol with two groups of teachers and one group of children, with the three produced causal loop diagrams highlighting factors that influence learning in the classroom from the perspectives of the participants. The sessions showed interest, engagement, quick mastery of how GMB methods work and clear understanding of how the current classroom system hinders learning for many students. Researchers found that large autonomy and initiative could be left to the workshop participants, keeping the facilitator’s role to one of explaining the method and asking clarification about causal relations.

Aboveground herbivory can impact the root-associated microbiome, while simultaneously different soil microbial communities influence herbivore performance. It is currently unclear how these reciprocal top-down and bottom-up interactions between plants, insects and microbes vary across different soils and over successive plant generations. In this study, we examined top-down impacts of above-ground herbivory on the rhizosphere microbiome across different soils, assessed bottom-up impacts of soil microbial community variation on herbivore performance, and evaluated their respective contributions to soil legacy effects on herbivore performance. We used Macrosiphum euphorbiae (potato aphid) and Solanum pimpinellifolium (wild tomato) to capture pre-domestication microbiome interactions with a specialist pest. First, using 16S rRNA sequencing we compared bacterial communities associated with rhizospheres of aphid-infested and uninfested control plants grown in three different soils over three time points. High aphid infestation impacted rhizosphere bacterial diversity in a soil-dependent manner, ranging from a 22% decrease to a 21% increase relative to uninfested plants and explained 6–7% of community composition differences in two of three soils. We next investigated bottom-up and soil legacy effects of aphid herbivory by growing wild tomatoes in each of the three soils and a sterilized “no microbiome” soil, infesting with aphids (phase one), then planting a second generation (phase two) of plants in the soil conditioned with aphid-infested or uninfested control plants. In the first phase, aphid performance varied across plants grown in different soil sources, ranging from a 20 to 50% increase in aphid performance compared to the “no microbiome” control soil, demonstrating a bottom-up role for soil microbial community. In the second phase, initial soil community, but not previous aphid infestation, impacted aphid performance on plants. Thus, while herbivory altered the rhizosphere microbiome in a soil community-dependent manner, the bottom-up interaction between the microbial community and the plant, not top-down effects of prior herbivore infestation, affected herbivore performance in the following plant generation. These findings suggest that the bottom-up effects of the soil microbial community play an overriding role in herbivore performance in both current and future plant generations and thus are an important target for sustainable control of herbivory in agroecosystems.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have an increased risk of malignancy with postulated risk factors that include chronic inflammation, smoking and the use of immunosuppressants have been postulated as drivers of higher malignancies rates. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence and type of malignancies encountered in an urban, predominantly Black RA patient population. METHODS: Cross sectional analysis of 1142 patients with RA diagnosis by ICD-codes of which 501 cases met the inclusion criteria for the study. Blacks accounted for 88.4% of the study population. Fifty-six patients had cancer recorded in their medical records and these cases were further reviewed for tumor type, timing of diagnosis and patient clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The cancer prevalence was 11.2% (56/501) in our Black RA population being studied. Mean age at cancer diagnosis was 59.9 ± 5.2 for the patients who developed cancer before RA diagnosis and 58.25 ± 16.02 for those who developed malignancy after RA diagnosis. There were 18 breast cancers, 4 colon and 4 cervical cancers; for lung, multiple myeloma, thyroid, squamous cell carcinoma and pancreas there were 3 cases each; for endometrial, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, meningioma and prostate, 2 cases each and 1 each for urinary bladder, esophageal adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, glioblastoma, liver, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, sarcoma, ovary and renal cell carcinoma. No differences were found in years of RA duration, joint erosion, joint space narrowing or SENS score except for significantly higher ESR among the cancer group and RF seropositivity in the non-cancer group. Therapeutic modalities were not significantly different between the cancer and no cancer groups. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer was the most prevalent malignancy among our Black RA population. Further studies are needed to identify the contributing factors to the malignancy risk of breast cancer in our Black RA population and whether it is gender-related since RA is more prevalence in women

Introduction: The American Stroke Association estimates that stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention someone in the United States has a stoke every 40 seconds, affecting more than 795,000 people of which 140,000 result in death [1]. Emerging evidence suggests that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a strong risk factor for stroke. This study using The Metabolic Syndrome Outcome (MetSO) registry explored whether blacks at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at greater risk for a stroke. Method: The present study utilized data from the MetSO study, an NIH-funded cohort study of blacks with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Patients were diagnosed with MetS using standard criteria articulated in the joint interim statement for harmonizing the MetS. The study assessed OSA risk using the Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES); defining high risk as a total ARES score ≥6. Data was coded and analyzed by an experienced statistician using SPSS 20.0. Results: A total of 1035 participants were screened for MetS in the MetSO registry. During the data collection period 875 participants were enrolled during the time of analysis. The average age of the sample was 62±14 years (range: 20–97); 71% were female, and all were of black race/ethnicity. Seventy-one percent reported finishing high school, and 43% reported annual income

Background Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios, in some areas more than 60% of women have no access to a skilled birth attendant. The main challenges for Afghan childbearing women are access to skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and reliable contraception. The NGO-based project Advancing Maternal and Newborn Health in Afghanistan has supported education of midwives since 2002, according to the national plan for midwifery education. The aim of this study is to explore women´s experiences with professional midwifery care in four villages in Afghanistan covered by the project, to uncover challenges and improve services in rural and conflict-affected areas of the country. Methods An explorative case study approach was adopted. Fourteen in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted. Totally, 39 women participated; 25 who had given birth during the last six months, 11 mothers-in-laws and three community midwives in the provinces of Kunar and Laghman. Data generated by the interviews and observations was analysed through a thematic content analysis. Findings The women reported that the trained midwives’ life-saving competence, skills and care were important reasons for giving birth in a clinic, and the midwives seemed to be appreciated by many of the women, making more women to choose to give birth in the clinic. Women further appreciated midwives’ promotion of immediate skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. However, some women experienced rudeness, discrimination and negligence from the midwives. Moreover, disapproval from relatives, shame and problems with transport and security were important obstacles to women giving birth in the clinics. Conclusions Local recruitment and professional education of midwives as promoted by Afghan authorities and applied in the project seem successful in promoting utilization and satisfaction with maternal and newborn health services in rural Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the quality of the services is still wanting, with some women complaining of disrespectful care. There seems to be a need to focus more on communication issues during the education of midwives. An increased focus on in-service training and factors promoting quality care and respectful communication is necessary and should be prioritized.

Augmentation biocontrol is an effective tool for managing greenhouse pests, but typically fails in open-field settings where dispersal and/or harsh environmental conditions prevent natural enemy establishment. Here, we provide the first experimental evaluation of biocontrol in high tunnels, a new and increasingly popular tool for season extension as part of the local food movement. High tunnels are a hybrid growth environment with characteristics of both greenhouse and field production; thus, the success of augmentation biocontrol in these structures is unclear. Using tomato and cucumber as focal crops, we tested the retention and effectiveness of four commercially available insect predators: Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Further, two tactics were evaluated to reduce emigration: i) installing fine mesh screen to tunnel openings; and ii) incorporating flowers with herbivore-induced plant volatile (HIPV) lures. Overall, predator recapture rates were relatively low (

Human activities and climate change are key drivers of biodiversity loss in natural ecosystems. In particular, a growing body of evidence shows that grazing and altered precipitation patterns strongly affect grassland plant and insect diversity respectively, but their combined effects and impact on trophic interactions are largely unknown. In this study, a field experiment was conducted with different grazing intensities and irrigation to examine how plant diversity responds to variation in grazing and precipitation, which in turn influences the diversity of herbivores and predators in insect communities in a meadow steppe. Overall, grazing and irrigation increased plant biomass and decreased plant diversity, except for non‐significant effects of irrigation treatments on plant diversity. Higher herbivore diversity in grazing treatments was mediated by plant diversity because path analysis revealed a positive relationship between plant and herbivore species richness. Increased predator diversity caused by grazing was mediated indirectly through changes in herbivore abundance. Our results indicate that plant‐mediated changes in herbivore diversity are consistent with the Resource Diversity Hypothesis, whereas changes in predator diversity correspond with the More Individuals Hypothesis. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing both direct and indirect effects of grazing and irrigation on the diversity of guilds at different trophic levels within an insect community. Furthermore, understanding mechanistic responses to such changes could help us to better account for biodiversity loss in the context of grazing and altered precipitation patterns.

Plant domestication can alter species interactions and influence novel associations among crops and insects. We performed a series of preference and performance experiments to test predator and herbivore attraction to domesticated and wild plants and to evaluate the efficacy of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) across a domestication gradient in tomato, including wild relatives, landraces and domesticated commercial cultivars. We employed a tri‐trophic system consisting of the specialist lepidopteran herbivore Manduca sexta and two of its natural enemies: an egg predator, the stilt bug Jalysus wickhami, and a larval parasitoid, the wasp Cotesia congregata. In olfactometer trials, natural enemies consistently preferred HIPVs of wild tomatoes over domesticated cultivars, with landraces in between. Plant‐domestication effects were also apparent in terms of decision speed: predators were slower to orient towards damaged crops than to damaged wild relatives. By contrast, M. sexta moths were more likely to oviposit on domesticated than on wild or landrace tomatoes, indicating that insect responses to plant odours vary with trophic level. Field trials confirmed olfactory preference tests: caterpillars recovered from wild tomato relatives were more likely to be parasitized than those recovered from landraces or domesticated tomatoes. The results of the present study suggest that tomato domestication has reduced the efficacy of HIPVs in attracting predators compared with wild relatives and also that this decreased attraction leads to lower attack rates by enemies in the field. This outcome has implications for understanding the specificity of tri‐trophic plant defences and the compatibility of natural enemies for biocontrol in agro‐ecosystems.

BACKGROUND High tunnels are a season extension tool creating a hybrid of field and greenhouse growing conditions. High tunnels have recently increased in the USA and thus research on their management is lacking. One purported advantage of these structures is protection from common field pests, but evidence to support this claim is lacking. We compared insect pest populations in high tunnels with field production over two years for three crops: tomato, broccoli and cucumber. RESULTS Greenhouse pests (e.g. aphids, whiteflies) were more prevalent in high tunnels, compared to field plots. Hornworms (tobacco (Manduca sexta L.) and tomato (M. quinquemaculata Haworth)), a common field pest on tomato, were also more abundant in high tunnels, requiring chemical control while field populations were low. The crucifer caterpillar complex (imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae L.), diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) and cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni Hubner)) was also more abundant in high tunnels in 2010. Cucumber beetle (striped (Acalymma vittatum F.) and spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata Mannerheim)) densities were higher in high tunnels in 2010 and field plots in 2011. CONCLUSION The common assumption that high tunnels offer protection from field pests was not supported. Instead, high tunnel growing conditions may facilitate higher pest populations. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

The development of direction-selective cortical columns requires visual experience, but the neural circuits and plasticity mechanisms that are responsible for this developmental transition are unknown. To gain insight into the mechanisms that could underlie experience-dependent increases in selectivity, we explored families of cortical amplifier models that enhance weakly biased feedforward signals. Here we focused exclusively on possible contributions of cortico-cortical connections and took feedforward input to be constant. We modeled pairs of interconnected columns that received equal and oppositely biased inputs. In a single-element model of cortical columns, we found two ways that cortical columns could receive biased feedforward input and exhibit strong but unselective responses to stimuli: 1) within-column recurrent excitatory connections could be strong enough to amplify both strong and weak feedforward input, or 2) columns that received differently biased inputs could have strong excitatory cross-connections that destroy selectivity. A Hebbian plasticity rule combined with simulated experience with stimuli weakened these strong cross-connections across cortical columns, allowing the individual columns to respond selectively to their biased inputs. In a model that included both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in each column, an additional means of obtaining selectivity through the cortical circuit was uncovered: cross-column suppression of inhibition-stabilized networks. When each column operated as an inhibition-stabilized network, cross-column excitation onto inhibitory neurons forced competition between the columns but in a manner that did not involve strong null-direction inhibition, consistent with experimental measurements of direction selectivity in visual cortex. Experimental predictions of these possible contributions of cortical circuits are discussed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Sensory circuits are initially constructed via mechanisms that are independent of sensory experience, but later refinement requires experience. We constructed models of how circuits that receive biased feedforward inputs can be initially unselective and then be modified by experience and plasticity so that the resulting circuit exhibits increased selectivity. We propose that neighboring cortical columns may initially exhibit coupling that is too strong for selectivity. Experience-dependent mechanisms decrease this coupling so individual columns can exhibit selectivity.

Conflicting reports exist regarding the racial and the gender distribution of rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). In a major population study of predominately Whites, RA-ILD was reported mainly among smoker middle-aged men. However, recent data suggest that the disease is that of elderly women. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify the gender differences and clinical characteristics of RA-ILD in a predominantly Black population.Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from the records of 1142 patients with RA diagnosis by ICD codes of which 503 cases met the inclusion criteria for the study. Eighty-six patients had chronic respiratory symptoms of cough and dyspnea and were further assessed by our multidisciplinary group of investigators. Thirty-two subjects with an established diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis met the diagnostic criteria for interstitial lung disease.Of the 32 patients with RA-ILD, mean age was 62.6 ± 2.2 (± SEM), 93.7% were females, and 89% Blacks with a BMI = 29.2 (Kg/mOur study indicates RA-ILD among Blacks is predominantly a disease of elderly females with higher rates of GERD and CVD risk factors. Further studies are needed to identify the pathogenetic differences accounting for the gender distribution of RA-ILD among Black and White populations.Key Points• First study to assess ILD among predominantly Black RA patients.• The prevalence of RA-associated ILD was 6.36%, affecting mostly women in their sixth decade with seropositive disease.• COPD was the most common airway disease among non-RA-ILD Black population.• GERD was found in approximately one-third of patients with RA-associated ILD versus one-fifth of those RA patients without any lung disease.

As high tunnel vegetable production acreage increases in the United States, so does the need for management strategies tailored to their unique growing environment. Cucumbers are an ideal crop in these systems; they can be vertically trellised to maximize the production area and provide high yields to balance the increased costs associated with high tunnel construction. One of the most limiting factors in cucurbit production in general is the cucumber beetle complex and the bacterial pathogen they transmit. In this study, we investigated the optimal size of netting installed on high tunnels to prevent cucumber beetle colonization while maintaining ventilation to reduce heat stress. Of the three mesh sizes investigated across 4 yr, the intermediate mesh with a pore size of 0.72 × 0.97 mm was optimal to exclude cucumber beetles, maintain ventilation, and produce the highest yields for both cucumber and melon plants. The smallest (0.16 mm2) and intermediate mesh sizes resulted in secondary pest outbreaks (e.g., aphids), which did not occur in open tunnels and to a lesser extent in tunnels covered with the largest (1.00 × 4.00 mm) mesh. Despite these secondary pests, yield was higher in small- and intermediate-sized mesh treatments due to relief from cucumber beetle infestations, including striped (Acalymma vittatum Fabr. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)) and spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)) beetles. Overall, we conclude that insect exclusion netting is an effective method to exclude cucumber beetles from high tunnels, but mesh size should be carefully considered when weighing the collective effects on yield and primary/secondary pest abundance.

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are dominant crop pollinators, and access to summer forage is a critical factor influencing colony health in agricultural landscapes. In many temperate agricultural regions, honey bees forage extensively from non-native plants during the summer, but it is unclear whether the use of these species is due to honey bee preference for these plants or is a result of their relative abundance. The foraging choices made by native bees that have evolved with native plants can reveal the seasonal availability of native plant pollens, and so we quantified the pollen collected by 181 wild bee species native to Michigan. Pollen was also trapped from honey bee colonies during the summer to confirm the peak period of non-native pollen collection in this region. Across the state, the generic richness of native pollens collected by wild bees peaked in May before linearly declining into September. Wild social and solitary bees collected a similar proportion of their pollen from non-native plants from April to July, but during August and September social bees collected a significantly greater proportion from non-natives. At a local scale, honey bees collected the majority of their pollen from non-native plants between 4 July and 21 August, with the same trend seen in both social and solitary bees. Across the region, a significantly greater proportion of the solitary bee species that peak during this time are specialists, most of which collect from native plant species that are little utilized by social bees for pollen, such as Dasiphora, Helianthus, Physalis, and Vernonia. Our results suggest that Michigan has relatively few native flowering resources during the height of the summer, and that many of those which flower during this time are used primarily by specialized solitary bee species rather than the social bee community, including honey bees. As a result, non-native plant species with a late summer flowering phenology fill a forage gap and thus can contribute to the diet of both honey bees and generalist wild bees during this time, despite the well-documented negative impacts of these species on native plant communities.

Managing crop viruses is difficult due to complex interactions among vectors, reservoirs, and mediating factors such as land cover. Identifying the appropriate ecological neighborhood, or the spatial area in which the most influential interactions occur affecting virus epidemiology, would therefore be beneficial in exposing which of the many explanatory variables to target in the plant-pathogen system. We constructed partial least squares path models to find the neighborhood size for vectors of stylet-borne nonpersistent viruses infecting pumpkins, and compare the relative influence of within-field and extra-field land cover. Two economically important aphid-vectored viruses in the U.S. Midwest are included in these analyses: papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and watermelon mosaic virus (WMV). In 2010 and 2011, we used commercial pumpkin fields to quantify virus infection, vector (aphid) alightment (i.e., landing rates), and within-field weed communities, and subsequently analyzed extra-field cover from 1 to 5 km concentric buffer zones within the surrounding landscape. Alightment rates of total noncolonizing vectors and the top three numerically dominant species (Aphis craccivora Koch, Therioaphis trifolii (Monell), and Rhopalosiphum padi [L.]) were included in individual path models. Overall, we found that extra-field landscape composition had a far stronger influence on vector alightment than within-field weed cover; this pattern was consistent for seven of eight statistical models. In one exception, weed cover influenced alightment of the putative PRSV vector, A. craccivora, while surrounding landscape had no effect. In this case, weed coverage and vector alightment were inversely related, demonstrating that aphids were less likely to land in weed-infested fields. However, weed cover did not predict alightment of T. trifolii or total noncolonizers. The neighborhood size scales for total noncolonizers’ tended to be larger than for individual species (4–5 km), suggesting future studies of dispersal by multi-species aphid groups may benefit from an extended gradient. On balance, our results indicate that while surrounding land cover interactions are complex, they exert greater influence over vector dispersal than within-field weed cover, calling into question whether management of local weeds is an effective method of crop virus prevention in some systems.

Omnivorous predators are key contributors to biocontrol, but the relative importance and interactive effects of ecological variables (e.g., habitat and prey- or plant-based foods) that impact their colonization, abundance, and/or function in crop fields are poorly understood. Here, we use immuno-marking to examine both activity density and consumption by omnivorous ground beetles in response to experimentally manipulated cover, weed seeds, and invertebrate prey. Vegetative cover increased per-capita seed predation by 73% compared with bare plots, validating existing correlative evidence that cover crops facilitate weed biocontrol. Interestingly, beetles responded differently to the main effects of seeds and prey. In both years, early season seed presence increased activity-density by 77%, while prey availability never influenced beetle activity. These data suggest that within-field habitat manipulation strategies such as cover crops improve biocontrol, not only by promoting increased activity of omnivores, but also by facilitating their function as seed predators on an individual-level.