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Research skills, especially in experimental design, are essential for success in bioscience doctoral training. While there is a growing body of literature on the development of research skills among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics doctoral students, very little is specific to biosciences. We seek to address this gap by characterizing aptitude and self-perceived facility with research skills among incoming bioscience doctoral students, as well as how and why they change over the first semester of doctoral training. Our results reveal variability in research skills self-efficacy and a wide range in aptitude and self-perceived facility with experimental design at the beginning of the semester, both of which are uncorrelated with the duration of predoctoral research experience. We found that students significantly improved in both experimental design performance and research skills self-efficacy over their first semester; students attributed their experience and comfort with experimental design to a variety of factors, including laboratory research, course work, mentoring, and interaction with colleagues. Notably, we found that the largest research skills self-efficacy gains were aligned with material that was covered in students' first-year course work about experimental design. Together, these results demonstrate the importance of explicit training in experimental design and other research skills early in bioscience doctoral training.

Insect outbreaks can cover vast geographic areas making it onerous to cost-effectively monitor populations to address management or ecological questions. Community science (or citizen science), which entails engaging the public to assist with data collection, provides a possible solution to this challenge for the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens), a major defoliating pest in North America. Here, we lay out the Budworm Tracker Program, a contributory community science program developed to help monitor spruce budworm moths throughout eastern Canada. The program outsources free pheromone trap kits to volunteers who periodically check and collect moths from their traps throughout the budworm flight period, then return them in a prepaid envelope to the organizers. Over three years, the program engaged an average of 216–375 volunteers and yielded a data return rate of 68%–89%, for a total of 16 311–54 525 moths per year. Volunteer retention among years was 71%–89%. Data from this program offer compelling evidence for the range of long-distance moth dispersal. Although our program was designed for spruce budworm, this template could easily be adapted for forestry, urban forestry, and agricultural systems to monitor any of the numerous organisms for which there is an established trapping method.

Many populations are thought to be regulated, in part, by their natural enemies. If so, disruption of this regulation should allow rapid population growth. Such “enemy escape” may occur in a variety of circumstances, including invasion, natural range expansion, range edges, suppression of enemy populations, host shifting, phenological changes, and defensive innovation. Periods of relaxed enemy pressure also occur in, and may drive, population oscillations and outbreaks. We draw attention to similarities among circumstances of enemy escape and build a general conceptual framework for the phenomenon. Although these circumstances share common mechanisms and depend on common assumptions, enemy escape can involve dynamics operating on very different temporal and spatial scales. In particular, the duration of enemy escape is rarely considered but will likely vary among circumstances. Enemy escape can have important evolutionary consequences including increasing competitive ability, spurring diversification, or triggering enemy counteradaptation. These evolutionary consequences have been considered for plant–herbivore interactions and invasions but largely neglected for other circumstances of enemy escape. We aim to unite the fragmented literature, which we argue has impeded progress in building a broader understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics of enemy escape.

Chitin (β-1,4-linked-N-acetylglucosamine) provides structural integrity to the nematode eggshell and pharyngeal lining. Chitin is synthesized in nematodes, but not in plants and vertebrates, which are often hosts to parasitic roundworms; hence, the chitin metabolism pathway is considered a potential target for selective interventions. Polysaccharide deacetylases (PDAs), including those that convert chitin to chitosan, have been previously demonstrated in protists, fungi and insects. We show that genes encoding PDAs are distributed throughout the phylum Nematoda, with the two paralogs F48E3.8 and C54G7.3 found in C. elegans. We confirm that the genes are somatically expressed and show that RNAi knockdown of these genes retards C. elegans development. Additionally, we show that proteins from the nematode deacetylate chitin in vitro, we quantify the substrate available in vivo as targets of these enzymes, and we show that Eosin Y (which specifically stains chitosan in fungal cells walls) stains the C. elegans pharynx. Our results suggest that one function of PDAs in nematodes may be deacetylation of the chitinous pharyngeal lining.

Experimental design and chalkboard presentation skills training can be integrated into a core scientific-content graduate course to promote active learning and student engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetropium fuscum (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a phloem-feeding and wood-boring beetle introduced from Eurasia, attacks spruce in eastern Canada alongside its native congener Tetropium cinnamopterum Kirby. We reared phloem- and wood-feeding insects (and their predators) from bolts of red and Norway spruce (Picea rubens and Picea abies) in Nova Scotia, comparing insect communities between bolts with added eggs of T. fuscum or T. cinnamopterum and bolts without added Tetropium (controls). We tested for impacts of each Tetropium on insect community structure (Simpson's diversity, richness, and evenness). We also asked whether, consistent with Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis, Tetropium spp. would have greater impacts on emergence of its closer relatives (which might be most likely to compete and/or share natural enemies). Addition of Tetropium eggs (either species) to bolts lowered insect diversity in both host trees. Both richness and evenness components of diversity were always lower in +Tetropium treatments, although different components reached statistical significance in different Tetropium species x host combinations. Addition of Tetropium spp. significantly reduced emergence of some species: Evodinus monticola (Randall) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) was reduced by T. fuscum on both hosts and by T. cinnamopterum on Norway spruce; Hylobius congener Dalla Torre, Schenkling, and Marshall was reduced by T. fuscum on red spruce; and Xylophagus sp. (Diptera: Xylophagidae) was reduced by T. cinnamopterum on Norway spruce. However, there was no relationship between Tetropium's impact on a community member and their phylogenetic relatedness, and the overall impacts of Tetropium presence were not very different between T. fuscum and T. cinnamopterum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to analyze the US food industry supply chain based on a case study of a leading US global processed food manufacturer to determine areas for improvement in the recall process to reduce the possibility of harming consumers with unsafe products. Design/methodology/approach -- Current US Food and Drug Administration and US Department of Agriculture regulations were evaluated to understand the minimum requirements placed upon members of the supply chain within the US food industry. Thereafter, a situation analysis was conducted followed by a cause and effect analysis to illustrate weaknesses within typical recall procedures. Substantiation of the analysis was based on specific information provided by managers from various functional areas of the processed food manufacturer in their interviews and their perspective about the recall/traceability process and its complexities. Findings -- Improvement concepts considered were: the implementation of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID); the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Recall Portal; and standardized global regulations within the food industry. Various phases of RFID are being piloted within the US food industry, but are not yet being widely studied due to the lack of immediate implementation requirements. Specific results pertaining to the FMI Recall Portal are not available due to its recent launch. Research indicated various regulatory processes implemented in individual countries, but no global standards have been agreed upon and initiated. Practical implications -- The improvement ideas have implications for timely communication among supply chain partners, resulting in less contaminated product in the hands of consumers. The ability to make these improvements will require collaboration among global suppliers through global regulations and top management support. Originality/value -- Understanding the gaps within current regulations and emphasizing the global footprint of how the food industry truly transformed itself into a global marketplace. Future studies need to focus on the cost impact of full RFID implementation across the entire food industry, with an understanding of cost burden ownership and worldwide integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin (β-1,4-linked-N-acetylglucosamine) provides structural integrity to the nematode eggshell and pharyngeal lining. Chitin is synthesized in nematodes, but not in plants and vertebrates, which are often hosts to parasitic roundworms; hence, the chitin metabolism pathway is considered a potential target for selective interventions. Polysaccharide deacetylases (PDAs), including those that convert chitin to chitosan, have been previously demonstrated in protists, fungi and insects. We show that genes encoding PDAs are distributed throughout the phylum Nematoda, with the two paralogs F48E3.8 and C54G7.3 found in C. elegans. We confirm that the genes are somatically expressed and show that RNAi knockdown of these genes retards C. elegans development. Additionally, we show that proteins from the nematode deacetylate chitin in vitro, we quantify the substrate available in vivo as targets of these enzymes, and we show that Eosin Y (which specifically stains chitosan in fungal cells walls) stains the C. elegans pharynx. Our results suggest that one function of PDAs in nematodes may be deacetylation of the chitinous pharyngeal lining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. agricultural infrastructure is one of the most productive and efficient food-producing systems in the world. Many of the characteristics that contribute to its high productivity and efficiency also make this infrastructure extremely vulnerable to a terrorist attack by a biological weapon. Several experts have repeatedly stated that taking advantage of these vulnerabilities would not require a significant undertaking and that the nation's agricultural infrastructure remains highly vulnerable. As a result of continuing criticism, many initiatives at all levels of government and within the private sector have been undertaken to improve our ability to detect and respond to an agroterrorist attack. However, outbreaks, such as the 1999 West Nile outbreak, the 2001 anthrax attacks, the 2003 monkeypox outbreak, and the 2004 Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak, have demonstrated the need for improvements in the areas of communication, emergency response and surveillance efforts, and education for all levels of government, the agricultural community, and the private sector. We recommend establishing an interdisciplinary advisory group that consists of experts from public health, human health, and animal health communities to prioritize improvement efforts in these areas. The primary objective of this group would include establishing communication, surveillance, and education benchmarks to determine current weaknesses in preparedness and activities designed to mitigate weaknesses. We also recommend broader utilization of current food and agricultural preparedness guidelines, such as those developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical that future sustainability leaders possess the skills and aptitudes needed to tackle increasingly 'wicked' challenges. While much has been done to identify this need, inadequate Leadership Training for graduate students in Sustainability (LTS) continues to plague even the most highly-resourced institutions. Collectively, the authors of this paper represent the small yet growing number of LTS programs across the United States and Canada working to close this training gap. In this paper, we describe the integrative approach we took to synthesize our collective knowledge of LTS with our diverse programmatic experiences and, ultimately, translate that work into concrete guidance for LTS implementation and design. We present a framework for the suite of key LTS aptitudes and skills yielded by our collaborative approach, and ground these recommendations in clear, real-world examples. We apply our framework to the creation of an open-access curricular database rich with training details, and link this database to an interactive network map focused on sharing programmatic designs. Together, our process and products transform many disparate components into a more comprehensive and accessible understanding of what we as LTS professionals do, with a view to helping others who are looking to do the same for the next generation of sustainability leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on international organization Organ Historical Society (OHS) which was established to recognize the importance of pipe organs in American culture. It also focuses on a program titled Historic Pipe Organ Awards introduced by OHS. It mentions that the OHS experienced a period of growth and maturity, establishing new citation programs and refining existing ones. It also discusses another award National Heritage Pipe Organ presented to those reflect excellence.