Blue Ash Research Articles

OCR finds university violated Section 504

Case name: Letter re: University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, No. 15‐20‐2174 (OCR 12/13/23).

Structural effects on custom, flexible iris prostheses passing through injector systems.

To determine the suitability of various commercially available intraocular lens injection systems for the implantation of custom, flexible artificial irides of various sizes, both with and without fiber meshwork. Cincinnati Eye Institute, Blue Ash, Ohio. Laboratory study. Custom, flexible iris prostheses, both with and without fiber meshwork, were either maintained at a 12.8 mm diameter or trephinated to a 10 mm diameter and subsequently inserted through 7 different intraocular lens injector systems. The ease of load, difficulty of injection, control of injection, and level of prosthetic distortion, if any, were observed and recorded. The fiber-free devices universally passed through the injectors unaffected. Each of the iris prostheses with embedded fiber meshwork appeared grossly distorted after injection. The injection systems had differing amounts of effort to load the device into the cartridge, to advance the prosthetic through the system, and varying levels of control when the prosthetic was released, although all the systems delivered the device effectively. Any of the 7 injection systems tested in this study can be used effectively for fiber-free artificial irides. Caution should be taken to ensure that control of insertion is maintained throughout the injection process. Screw-type injectors required less effort and yielded more control than plunger-type injector. Fiber meshwork-containing artificial irides should not be inserted through an injector.

The persistence of blue ash in the aftermath of emerald ash borer may be due to adult oviposition preferences and reduced larval performance

Abstract We examined the health of mature blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, in two forests in southwestern Ohio in relation to that of mature white ash, F. americana, and examined the potential importance of oviposition preferences and larval resistance in the persistence of blue ash. Both blue ash and white ash were largely unaffected by emerald ash borer in 2012. By 2018, nearly 90% of the blue ash trees observed in these forests had full or nearly full canopies, as opposed to less than 20% of the white ash encountered in our studies. In 2021, blue ash maintained a similar degree of canopy health as in 2018, but no standing live mature white ashes remained. Bark removals revealed no current or past larval feeding attempts in blue ash in 2018 or 2021, except for one attacked and killed tree in 2018. All white ash trees examined were attacked. In a laboratory bioassay with cut stems, emerald ash borer larvae fed less and grew significantly more slowly on blue ash than on white ash. Both reduced larval performance and reduced adult oviposition likely contribute to the persistence of blue ash in forests devastated by emerald ash borer.

Does the photosynthetic response of Asimina triloba to low light contribute to its competitive advantage in forest understories compared with Acer saccharum and Fraxinus quadrangulata? 1

Does the photosynthetic response of Asimina triloba to low light contribute to its competitive advantage in forest understories compared with Acer saccharum and Fraxinus quadrangulata? 1

Changes in White-Tailed Deer Browsing Selection of Hardwood Tree Species with Increasing Stem Height

To forage optimally, deer select individual plants highest in limiting nutrients, while avoiding individuals that are high in anti-herbivore defenses. For some woody species, deer may selectively browse on larger stems, which can provide a larger amount of younger, more nutritious tissue per individual. However, in some species, larger stems may possess increased levels of anti-herbivore defenses, ultimately discouraging deer from browsing on these larger individuals. We examined differences in the proportion of twigs and stems (individual seedlings/saplings/trees) browsed across three height classes for four species: blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata Michx,), white ash (F. americana L.), sassafras (Sassafras albidium Nutt.), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum L.), across multiple sites in central Indiana. Overall, we found that taller stems had a higher likelihood of being browsed, but smaller stems were browsed more heavily. We also found that sugar maple twigs and stems were most likely to be browsed, while sassafras twigs and white ash twigs and stems were least likely to be browsed. Our results indicate that under intense browsing pressure, preference should be given to smaller stems for protection, and that stands with greater vertical stratification of palatable species are more resilient to the effects of deer browsing.

Ecological fitting: Chemical profiles of plant hosts provide insights on selection cues and preferences for a major buprestid pest

Specific cues used by emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) to select hosts are largely unknown. Attractants are likely general and the use of novel host plants provides an opportunity to investigate the commonality of these cues. We examined volatile profiles emitted by five plants that can host EAB and estimated their importance in explaining known oviposition preferences.Foliage volatiles were collected from potted black ash (Fraxinus nigra), Manchurian ash (F. mandshurica), blue ash (F. quadrangulata), white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), and olive (Olea europaea) and analyzed using GC-MS.Fifty-nine compounds were detected including eight green leaf volatiles (GLV), 12 monoterpenes, and 21 sesquiterpenes. Ordination plots show separation of species by full foliage profiles, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and known antennally active compounds, but GLVs were similar across hosts. Random Forest (RF) analysis revealed eight compounds that separated plant species with an error rate of ~19%, consisting mostly of sesquiterpenes.Similarity of GLV profiles among known hosts suggests they serve as general cues for host selection. Manchurian ash, a resistant host, produced the highest quantities and variety of sesquiterpenes indicating that some of these chemicals may be antixenotic. All compounds identified by RF have been implicated as deterrents or attractants to woodborers in other studies and should be investigated for adult antennal activity and attraction.

Changes in streamside riparian forest canopy and leaf litter nutrient flux to soils during an emerald ash borer infestation in an agricultural landscape

The invasive forest insect pest, emerald ash borer (EAB), is causing rapid, widespread ash tree mortality across eastern North America. Riparian (streamside) forests in agricultural landscapes often represent residual patches of high quality forest habitat that, owing to their strong land/water ecological linkages, can be critical for maintaining stream water quality and aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. When riparian forests contain high numbers of ash trees, EAB can pose a risk of disrupting some of those land/water linkages thereby reducing riparian and aquatic habitat quality. We tracked ash tree mortality, streamside forest canopy cover, leaf litter deposition rates, and nutrient flux to soils in 18 riparian forest plots with an average of 24% ash by stem density over a 5 year period from early to late stages of an EAB invasion (2010–2015). Ash tree mortality increased from an average of 10–98% over 5 years in most plots, but when blue ash were dominant, final ash mortality was about 34%. Despite the nearly complete mortality of ash trees in almost all plots by 2015, the average canopy openness measured at 1.5 m above ground only increased to about 9%, which was significantly higher than the 2010 average of 6% open. Final canopy openness was significantly but weakly (r2 = 0.24) associated with the proportion of ash in riparian plots, indicating highly patchy openness resulting from ash mortality. Ash leaf litter deposition to streamside traps declined by 84% and elm declined by 20%, whereas leaf deposition from the other four most common contributors to riparian leaf litter increased by up to 37% over the same period. The large reductions in ash litter deposition were sufficient to reduce macro-nutrient flux to the streamside forest floor and therefore likely to streams. Amounts of N, C, P, K, and Ca delivered to the streamside soils via leaf litter fall were all consistently, some of them significantly, lower by 2014 than in the baseline year of 2010. Although total leaf litter mass returned to near pre-infestation levels by 2014, the altered composition of leaf litter caused a persistent reduction in nutrient flux to riparian soils. We also measured stem density of regenerating ash saplings ( 0.5 m height) at the end of the study period and found them to be abundant with an average of 2084 stems/ha. Our results provide an empirical demonstration of EAB-induced disruptions to ecological linkages and processes in riparian forests, at least over the short term.

Cytogenetics of Fraxinus mandshurica and F. quadrangulata: ploidy determination and rDNA analysis

Ashes (Fraxinus spp.) are important hardwood tree species in rural, suburban, and urban forests of the eastern USA. Unfortunately, emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis) an invasive insect pest that was accidentally imported from Asia in the late 1980s–early 1990s is destroying them at an alarming rate. All North American ashes are highly susceptible to EAB, although blue ash (F. quadrangulata) may have some inherent attributes that provide it some protection. In contrast Manchurian ash (F. mandshurica) is relatively resistant to EAB having coevolved with the insect pest in its native range in Asia. Given its level of resistance, Manchurian ash has been considered for use in interspecies breeding programs designed to transfer resistance to susceptible North American ash species. One prerequisite for successful interspecies breeding is consistency in chromosome ploidy level and number between the candidate species. In the current study, we cytologically determined that both Manchurian ash and blue ash are diploids (2n) and have the same number of chromosomes (2n = 2x = 46). We also characterized these species’ ribosomal gene families (45S and 5S rDNA) using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Both Manchurian and blue ash showed two 45S rDNA and one 5S rDNA sites, but blue ash appears to have an additional site of 45S rDNA. The 5S rDNA in both species is colocalized interstitially with one of the 45S rDNA sites. The copy number of these two ribosomal gene families in Manchurian ash were observed to be quite varied, which indicates the species are still undergoing evolutionary homogenization.

Whitneyan (Middle Oligocene) Rodents from Obritsch Ranch (Stark County, North Dakota) and a Review of Whitneyan Rodent Fossil Record

Until recently, few well-described rodent faunae from the Whitneyan North American Land Mammal Age [NALMA] were known, hindering studies of rodent diversity, biogeography, and evolutionary patterns during the Oligocene. This study describes a new Whitneyan rodent assemblage from the Obritsch Ranch paleontological locality in the Little Badlands region of North Dakota. Specimens were collected from three stratigraphically restricted sampling intervals within the middle to upper Brule Formation, resulting in the recognition of fourteen rodent species, five of which are elsewhere known to first appear in Whitneyan faunae. Described is one new species, the eomyid Paradjidaumo obritschorum, and the first cranial material of the heteromyid rodent ProharrymysKorth and Branciforte, 2007. The rodent fauna from the upper two sampling intervals at Obritsch Ranch and the uppermost fauna recently described from the nearby Fitterer Ranch paleontological locality share four taxa in common with the late Whitneyan Blue Ash local fauna from southwestern South Dakota, indicating these two North Dakota rodent faunae are also from the late Whitneyan. Increasing knowledge of Whitneyan rodent faunae in North America reveals unusually high survivorship of rodent species from the older Orellan NALMA into the Whitneyan NALMA and much geographic variation in the diversity, distribution, and relative abundance of different rodent families between individual Whitneyan rodent faunae. Those factors help explain prior difficulties in differentiating Orellan and Whitneyan rodent faunae and in identifying biostratigraphically useful rodent taxa for the Whitneyan. Overall, Whitneyan rodent faunae from North America display an increase in the diversity of aplodontiids, cricetids, and sciurids and a decrease in eomyid and ischyromyid diversity relative to the Orellan.

Growth and Physiology Vary Little Among North American, an Asian, and a North American x Asian Hybrid Ash in a Common Garden in Ohio, U.S.A

The emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) invasion of North America has increased interest in ash (Fraxinus, Oleaceae) phylogeny, ecology, and physiology. In a common garden in central Ohio, we compared the performance of three North American ash cultivars that are highly susceptible to EAB (F. pennsylvanica ‘Patmore,’ F. americana ‘Autumn Purple,’ and F. nigra ‘Fall Gold’), one North American species that is less susceptible to EAB (F. quadrangulata), and two taxa that are resistant to EAB (F. mandshurica and F. mandshurica × F. nigra ‘Northern Treasure’). During the 2015 growing season, we measured diameter growth, foliar N concentration, specific leaf area, and on four dates (two with adequate and two with low precipitation) we measured CO2 assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), variable fluorescence (Fv’/Fm’: efficiency of energy harvested by open photosystem II reaction centers), and the fraction of photons absorbed by photosystem II that were used for photosynthesis (ɸPSII). F. pennsylvanica grew fastest and on most sampling dates was superior in physiological performance (A, gs, and ɸPSII). Generally, however, there was little interspecific variation in growth and physiology among the different ash taxa tested, as all performed well. This suggests that the EAB-resistant F. mandshurica and F. mandshurica × F. nigra hybrid, as well as the moderately resistant blue ash, are as physiologically well-suited to growing conditions in the Midwestern United States as green and white ash cultivars that had been widely planted prior to the EAB invasion.

A Metabolomic and HPLC-MS/MS Analysis of the Foliar Phenolics, Flavonoids and Coumarins of the Fraxinus Species Resistant and Susceptible to Emerald Ash Borer.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, Fairmaire, an Asian invasive alien buprestid has devastated tens of millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America. Foliar phytochemicals of the genus Fraxinus (Oleaceae): Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green ash), F. americana (White ash), F. profunda (Bush) Bush. (Pumpkin ash), F. quadrangulata Michx. (Blue ash), F. nigra Marsh. (Black ash) and F. mandshurica (Manchurian ash) were investigated using HPLC-MS/MS and untargeted metabolomics. HPLC-MS/MS help identified 26 compounds, including phenolics, flavonoids and coumarins in varying amounts. Hydroxycoumarins, esculetin, esculin, fraxetin, fraxin, fraxidin and scopoletin were isolated from blue, black and Manchurian ashes. High-throughput metabolomics revealed 35 metabolites, including terpenes, secoiridoids and lignans. Metabolomic profiling indicated several upregulated putative compounds from Manchurian ash, especially fraxinol, ligstroside, oleuropin, matairesinol, pinoresinol glucoside, 8-hydroxypinoresinol-4-glucoside, verbenalin, hydroxytyrosol-1-O-glucoside, totarol and ar-artemisene. Further, dicyclomine, aphidicolin, parthenolide, famciclovir, ar-turmerone and myriocin were identified upregulated in blue ash. Principal component analysis demonstrated a clear separation between Manchurian and blue ashes from black, green, white and pumpkin ashes. The presence of defensive compounds upregulated in Manchurian ash, suggests their potential role in providing constitutive resistance to EAB, and reflects its co-evolutionary history with A. planipennis, where they appear to coexist in their native habitats.

Host range expansion may provide enemy free space for the highly invasive emerald ash borer

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an aggressive invader from Asia that has killed millions of trees in North America, causing substantial ecosystem effects and economic losses. All North American ash, Fraxinus spp., are thought to be susceptible, but recently emerald ash borer has been documented developing in a novel host, white fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus. We evaluated larval performance in two common ash species and white fringetree by infesting bolts with emerald ash borer eggs. In addition we evaluated cambial nitrogen, carbon, carbon:nitrogen, stem density, and response to artificial wounding, to determine which host plant characteristics most influence larval development. We also conducted choice and no choice assays using the classical biological control agent, Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), to assess its ability to locate larval emerald ash borer in the different host plants. We found significantly lower survival rates of emerald ash borer larvae in white fringetree compared to white ash, F. americana. Larval phloem consumption and larval growth were lower in fringetree than in either white or blue ash, F. quadrangulata. Carbon content and density were greater in fringetree than in either ash species. Response to wounding, measured by callus tissue formation, was greatest in white ash. In choice assays, T. planipennisi only parasitized emerald ash borer larvae in ash bolts, and in no-choice tests failed to parasitize larvae in fringetree. Our findings corroborate studies showing that fringetree is a suitable host for emerald ash borer larvae. Failure of T. planipennisi to parasitize larvae within fringetree has implications for the efficacy of this classical biological control agent in regulating emerald ash borer populations. Coupled with the use of white fringetree as a reservoir host, the enemy free space provided to emerald ash borer through use of this alternate host may have significant repercussions for emerald ash borer invasion dynamics.

Tomographic changes in eyes with hyperopic shift after triple Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty

To describe the tomographic changes in eyes with a hyperopic shift after triple Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Private cornea practice, Blue Ash, Ohio, USA. Retrospective case series. Patients who had previous triple DMEK with preoperative and postoperative Scheimpflug corneal tomography (Pentacam) measurements and corresponding manifest refraction measurements were reviewed. Eyes with and without a hyperopic postoperative shift were compared at either the 1-month or 3- to 6-month follow-ups. Assessed parameters included demographics, cataract testing, visual acuity, manifest refraction, and Scheimpflug tomography data. Sixty-two eyes of 47 patients (21 men, 26 women) with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy were included. Preoperative posterior flat keratometry (K), posterior steep K, posterior average K, central pachymetry, and asphericity (Q value) of the posterior cornea were significantly different when comparing the hyperopic and non-hyperopic group. At the postoperative 1-month and 3- to 6-month follow-ups, there was a significant between-group difference in change in postoperative anterior K (average), posterior K (average), central pachymetry, and posterior Q values compared with preoperative values. The combined preoperative criteria of posterior flat K (≥-5.25), central pachymetry (≥670μm), and posterior Q value (≥0.5) had a sensitivity of 58% (11/19 correctly identified hyperopic shifts) and specificity of 81% (8/43 incorrectly identified). Eyes with a hyperopic surprise after triple DMEK demonstrated a significant change in posterior and anterior corneal curvature compared with eyes without a hyperopic surprise. This might be secondary to corneal edema because these eyes also demonstrated greater preoperative corneal pachymetry.

Workability, Compressive and Tensile Split Strength Behavior of Blue Gum Ash Glass Concrete

Workability, Compressive and Tensile Split Strength Behavior of Blue Gum Ash Glass Concrete

Abstract 67: RNA Expression Differentiates Large Artery And Cardioembolic Stroke: A Pilot Analysis From The BASE Trial

Background: An accurate test to differentiate large artery stroke patients from those with cardioembolic stroke would be of significant utility. Using the Biomarkers of Acute Stroke Etiology (BASE) trial (NCT02014896) dataset, our purpose was to determine if blood gene expression signatures accurately differentiate large artery stroke patients from those with cardioembolic stroke. Methods: The BASE trial enrolled suspected stroke patients presenting to 10 hospitals within 8 hours of symptom onset. Gold standard diagnosis was per local neurologist adjudication blinded to RNA testing. The final gold standard diagnosis was determined by an adjudication committee blinded to RNA test results. Whole blood, obtained in PAX tubes, was frozen at -20C within 72 hours and analyzed at a core lab (Ischemia Care, LLC, Blue Ash, OH) using Affymetrix HTA micro arrays. Significantly differentially expressed genes (p<0.005) were identified by calculating an empirical Bayes moderated t-statistic contrasting expression in large artery and cardioembolic stroke patients. Differentially expressed genes were used as input to a multi-layer perceptron neural network to derive a 66-gene diagnostic signature. Results: Overall, 32 patients were enrolled, 8 (25%) with large artery stroke and 24 (75%) with cardioembolic stroke; 50% were male, and median (IQR) age was 68.6 (47,88). Median (IQR) time from symptoms to presentation was 102.5 (14, 450) minutes. Coexistent pathology at presentation was atrial fibrillation in 13 (41%), heart failure 7 (22%), prior stroke 7 (22%), and coronary artery disease 8 (25%). The resulting gene signature distinguished large artery stroke from cardioembolic stroke; C-statistic 0.99 (0.94-1.0, 95% CI), sensitivity 0.91 (0.56-1.0, 95% CI), at a fixed specificity of 0.95, as observed in 5-fold cross validation of the training data. Conclusion: RNA expression differentiates large artery stroke patients from those with cardioembolic stroke, and may have therapeutic and outcome implications.

Synthesis of Fly Ash and Bentonite-Supported Zero-Valent Iron and Its Application for Removal of Toxic Cationic Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract A new adsorbing material for crystal violet (CV) and methylene blue (MB) dye removal, fly ash and bentonite-supported microscale zero-valent iron (FB-mZVI), was synthesized by using iron-ore tailings (IOT) as the iron source. Palm kernel shells (PKSs) were used to reduce the iron oxide of the IOT to Feo. A statistical orthogonal method was used to evaluate the factors determining the adsorbent synthesis. It was found that the important factors were the mass ratio of the fly ash, bentonite, IOT, and PKSs as well as the synthesis time, temperature, and heating rate. Optimum mass ratio of the fly ash, bentonite, PKSs, and IOT was found to be 2:2:1:1, and optimum synthesis temperature, time, and heating rate were found to be 800°C, 10 min, and 10°C/min, respectively. An FB-mZVI adsorbent was used to remove the CV and MB from aqueous solutions. Removal efficiency for CV was much higher than that for MB. UV, XRD, and FTIR analyses revealed that the adsorption mechanisms for removal of CV were different...

Potential for persistence of blue ash in the presence of emerald ash borer in southeastern Michigan

Since the introduction of the invasive bark beetle emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, EAB) to southeastern Michigan, most native ash (Fraxinus spp.) species such as white ash (F. americana L.), black ash (F. nigra Marsh.), and green ash (F. pensylvanica Marsh.) have suffered mortality rates exceeding 99% after infestation in mixed stands. EAB-caused mortality has reduced or eliminated ash seed sources, resulting in a depleted seed bank and a reduced potential for regeneration that has led many researchers to predict a grim future for ash in North America. Blue ash (F. quadrangulata Michx.) is thought to be the most EAB-resistant of all North American ash species with observed mortality rates between 30% and 40%, but few data exist describing blue ash regeneration dynamics in the presence of EAB. We sampled blue ash-dominated stands at six different sites in southeastern Michigan, nearest the EAB introduction point. White ash stands at the same six sites were also sampled as the reference condition for ash in the presence of established EAB. Overstory mortality for blue ash ranged between 7 and 32% and was significantly lower than white ash across all sites. Post-EAB overstory blue ash was on average significantly older and larger than white ash across all sites and maintained a higher frequency of healthier crowns. Blue ash regeneration densities were found to be abundant at all sizes within all stands. New seedlings (<3yrs old) were significantly more abundant for blue ash than white ash across all sites, suggesting that blue ash has not experienced the same seed bank depletion as white ash. Blue ash seedling growth rates were greater than or equal to associated non-ash tree species at all size classes and at all sites, and equal to white ash seedling growth rates at the majority of sites and size classes. Our results suggest that blue ash is currently maintaining a relatively healthy and dominant position in the canopy of several forests in southeastern Michigan, and that blue ash is still regenerating in a capacity that shows a high probability of canopy self-replacement and thus persistence in the presence of EAB.

Navigating Uncharted Waters: Study Abroad Predeparture Activities and the 2-Year-College Student

ABSTRACTStudy abroad programs typically reveal issues that are not commonly found in classes on the home campus. At University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College (UCBA), a 2-year regional campus of University of Cincinnati, we offer three short-term summer study abroad programs each year. Students in these programs have traditionally participated in social gatherings and orientations that include information on culture, behavior, travel logistics, program itineraries, and course curricula prior to travel. To identify student concerns about travel abroad and to measure the effectiveness of how well predeparture activities prepare our students, we administered open-ended student surveys, one predeparture and one posttravel, in our three programs. Using open and axial coding and contrastive analysis, we found that students express a variety of concerns in the areas of behavior and group dynamics, friendship and bonding, and academics and course-related issues. Moreover, posttravel surveys indicate that most of our early preparations positively affected students’ experiences abroad. Our findings suggest that well-planned predeparture activities are essential to study abroad program success with 2-year-college students.

Single-Port Retroperitoneal Hysterectomy with EnSeal

Introduction: This video shows single-port retroperitoneal hysterectomy (SP-rH) with EnSeal® device. Ligation of the uterine artery is the key procedure of single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy (SP-H). Ureteral injury followed by extensive coagulation of uterine vascular pedicles is one of the most problematic complications in SP-H.1,2 Therefore, ligation of uterine artery at its origin by the retroperitoneal approach can be a good alternative for preventing intraoperative bleeding and ureteral injury.3 Methods: A 49-year-old multiparous woman had a large uterus with adenomyosis, accompanying menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea. She underwent SP-rH at the Samsung Medical Center. Development of the retroperitoneal space and ligation of the uterine artery at its origin where it originates from the internal iliac artery were performed at the first step of SP-rH. We used the commercial single-port platform (LabSingle®; Sejong Medical, Paju, Korea) through a 2.5 cm umbilical incision. To avoid clashing between instruments, a 5-mm 30 degree-angled long laparoscope and articulating instruments (Roticulator® and Endo Shears™; Covidien, Norwalk, CT) were used. Moreover, to get more powerful traction of the uterus, a 5 mm laparoscopic myoma screw was used. An advanced energy device, EnSeal G2 45 mm (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Blue Ash, OH), was used as a main electrosurgical instrument for dissection, coagulation, and transection of the tissue. Only for the colpotomy procedure, monopolar scissors were used. Vaginal cuff closure was performed using the V-Loc™ suture (Covidien). The uterus was removed with knife morcellation through the vagina. Results: Total operative time was 50 minutes. Time for ligation of bilateral uterine arteries was 4 minutes, 2 minutes each. Time for intracorporeal cuff closure was 6 minutes. Estimated blood loss was 100 mL and uterine weight was 367 g. There was no intra- and postoperative complication. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 3 without any complaints. Conclusion: SP-rH using versatile advanced energy device, EnSeal, is feasible. Multicenter randomized controlled study to evaluate the benefits and safety of SP-rH is ongoing. No competing financial interests exist. Runtime of video: 7 mins 15 secs

Growth of Larval Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and Fitness of Tetrastichus planipennisi (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) and Green Ash (F. pennsylvanica).

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is an invasive primary pest of North American ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees. Blue ash (F. quadrangulata) is less susceptible to emerald ash borer infestations in the forest than other species of North American ash. Whereas other studies have examined adult host preferences, we compared the capacity of emerald ash borer larvae reared from emerald ash borer eggs in the field and in the laboratory to survive and grow in blue ash and the more susceptible green ash (F. pennsylvanica). Emerald ash borer larval survivorship was the same on both ash species. Mortality due to wound periderm formation was only observed in living field grown trees, but was low (<4%) in both green and blue ash. No difference in larval mortality in the absence of natural enemies suggests that both green and blue ash can support the development of emerald ash borer. Larvae reared from eggs on blue ash were smaller than on green ash growing in the field and also in bolts that were infested under laboratory conditions. In a laboratory study, parasitism rates of confined Tetrastichus planipennisi were similar on emerald ash borer larvae reared in blue and green ash bolts, as were fitness measures of the parasitoid including brood size, sex ratio, and adult female size. Thus, we postulate that emerald ash borer larvae infesting blue ash could support populations of T. planipennisi and serve as a potential reservoir for this introduced natural enemy after most of the other native ash trees have been killed.