Yellow Cylinder Research Articles

Distribution of Western Flower Thrips Trapped on a Yellow Cylinder

Distribution of Western Flower Thrips Trapped on a Yellow Cylinder

Psix striaticeps (Dodd) (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae): an Old World parasitoid of stink bug eggs arrives in Florida, USA

Psix striaticeps(Dodd) is an egg-parasitoid wasp previously known only from the Old World. We report this species from twelve counties in Florida, which are the first records in the Western Hemisphere. It was collected in yellow cylinder traps and reared from the eggs of three stink bug species:Nezara viridulaL.,Chinavia marginata(Palisot de Beauvois), andPiezodorus guildinii(Westwood). A COI barcode analysis found a 100% match between the Floridian population and a specimen from South Africa. The prospects of usingPs. striaticepsas a biological control agent against exotic stink bugs are discussed.

A Multimodal Attract-and-Kill Device for the Asian Citrus Psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae).

Simple SummaryControl of Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a vector of Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), contributes to management of citrus greening disease (huanglongbing). We developed two prototypes of a multimodal attract-and-kill (AK) device with specific elements of color, attractant, phagostimulant, ultraviolet (UV) reflectant, and toxicant. Key sensory stimuli comprising the AK ingredients were identified in our current and previous research studies and incorporated into a yellow, slow-release wax matrix (SPLAT). This formulation was applied directly to the surface of yellow cylinders, or to corrugated plastic cards housed within perforated cylinders. Psyllids landing on the devices attempted to feed from the wax matrix, became intoxicated, died, and fell from device surfaces. Our laboratory and field experiments showed that AK devices attracted and killed significantly more adult D. citri than ordinary yellow sticky cards and remained fully active over a period of 12 weeks. Effective use of attract-and-kill for management of D. citri could reduce need for broad-spectrum insecticide sprays and encourage biological control as part of an integrated approach to huanglongbing (HLB) management in citrus.Phytophagous insects, including Asian citrus psyllids (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama), use multiple sensory modalities (vision, olfaction, and gustation,) to locate and accept host plants. We explored incorporation of several sensory cues into a multi-modal attract-and-kill device (AK device) using a three-dimensional shape to increase visibility, as well as elements of color, attractant, phagostimulant, UV reflectant, and toxicant. Attraction of adult D. citri to the device was mediated by a combination of a highly reflective yellow cylinder, a UV reflectant compound (magnesium oxide), and an odorant blend as a short-range attractant. The device surface was coated with a slow-release wax matrix (SPLAT™) augmented with a phagostimulant consisting of a 3-component blend (formic acid, acetic acid, and para-cymene) and an insecticide (β-cyfluthrin). Psyllids landing on the device attempted to feed from the wax matrix, became intoxicated, died, and fell from the device. The device remained fully active over a period of 12 weeks partly because dead psyllids or nontargets did not adhere to the surface as occurs on adhesive yellow sticky cards, the industry standard. Laboratory and field assays showed that the device attracted and killed significantly more adult D. citri than ordinary yellow sticky cards. This device or a future iteration based on the design elements of this device is expected to contribute to sustainable and environmentally appropriate management of D. citri by exploiting the psyllid’s innate behavioral responses to visual, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli.

UF, a WOX gene, regulates a novel phenotype of un-fused flower in tomato

Flower formation is a basic condition for fruit set in all flowering plants. The normal stamen of tomato flower fused together to form a yellow cylinder surrounding the carpels. In this study, we identified an un-fused flower (uf) tomato mutant that is defective in petal, carpal and stamen fusion and lateral outgrowth. After RNA-seq-based BSA (BSR), the candidate region location was identified in the long arm of chromosome 3. Using map-based cloning with InDel and CAPS markers, the UF candidate gene was mapped in a 104 kb region. In this region, a WOX (WUSCHEL-related homeobox) transcription factor SlWOX1 was considered as a candidate of UF as there is a 72bp deletion in its second exon in uf mutant. The mutations of SlWOX1 generated by CRISPR/CAS9 approach under wild-type background reproduced the phenotypes of uf mutant, indicating that the SlWOX1 gene is indeed UF. Interestingly, expression analysis of organ lateral polarity determinant genes showed that abaxial genes (SlYABBY5 and SlARF4) and adaxial genes (AS and HD-ZIPIII) were significantly down-regulated in the uf mutant, which is different to that in Arabidopsis and petunia. In conclusion, this work revealed a novel function of SlWOX1 in the regulation of flower development in tomato.

22 - From 2D to 3D: Proton radiography and proton CT in proton therapy: A simulation study

(1) Purpose In order to reduce the uncertainty in translation of the X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) image into a map of proton stopping powers (3-4% and even up to 10% in regions containing bones [1-8]), proton radiography is being studied as an alternative imaging technique in proton therapy. We performed Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations for a 2-dimentional (2D) proton radiography system to obtain directly proton stopping powers of the imaged object. In the next step, the object was rotated every 10 degrees to obtain the 3D proton CT, and the iterative reconstruction method was used to reproduce the image. (2) Materials/methods In our proton radiography simulation setup we used two ideal (100% efficiency) position sensitive detectors (red squares), with the size of 10x10 cm2 each, to track a single proton entering and exiting a phantom under study. The residual energy of a proton was detected by a BaF2 crystal (yellow cylinder), with a diameter of 15 cm, placed after the second position sensitive detector. A cylindrical phantom with a 2.5 cm diameter and 2.5 cm height was made of CT solid water (Gammex 357, ρ=1.015 g/cm2) and filled with different materials: PMMA (ρ=1.18 g/cm2, red insert), air (ρ=1.21•10-3 g/cm2, below and/or above each inserts), and tissue-like materials: adipose (Gammex 453, ρ=0.92 g/cm2, yellow insert) and cortical bone (Gammex 450, ρ=1.82 g/cm2, blue insert) [9]. The phantom was irradiated with 3x3 cm2 scattered proton beam with an energy of 150 MeV. It was irradiated with 2•105 protons at each of the 36 rotation angles. The phantom was placed perpendicularly to the beam direction allowing a proton to pass through a number of materials with different densities. (3) Results First, the energy loss radiographs (a difference between proton beam energy and residual energy deposited in the energy detector) at each of the 36 phantom rotation angles were created. For the iterative reconstruction algorithm, a reference image of the phantom was created in two ways: (1) based on the energy loss in different phantom materials simulated with Geant4, and (2) using a simple back projection algorithm. The reconstruction agrees well with the actual phantom. A maximum of 50 iterations were used showing the smallest mean squared error already after 5 iterations. (4) Conclusion First attempt to iteratively reconstruct the cylindrical phantom with more materials on the proton beam shows a satisfactory result. To improve the reconstruction at the material boundaries, additional local iterations will be applied.

A SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE CYLINDRICAL STICKY TRAP FOR FRUIT FLIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE)

Abstract A sticky trap for fruit flies was developed that is 2.5× more effective than yellow panel traps of equal surface area for capture of Mexican fruit flies (Anastrepha ludens (Loew)). The trap consists of a slightly conical yellow cardboard cylinder coated on the outside surface with trapping adhesive. In trapping efficacy, these stand-alone cylinders were equivalent to plastic Liquibaitor trap tops with similar cylinders fitted over the trap top with the sticky surface facing outward. Liquibaitor trap tops with cylinders mounted on the inside with their sticky surfaces facing inward were ineffective, and Liquibaitor tops with cylinders both inside and outside were not more effective than those with the sticky surface only on the outside. Besides the increased attractiveness of the stand-alone cylinders with the sticky surface outside, advantages of this design are that lures can be suspended from the trap hanger inside the cylinder where they do not contact the sticky surface, sticky cylinders can ...

Infants' use of featural information in the segregation of stationary objects

Infants' use of featural information (e.g. shape, color, pattern) to segregate stationary displays was investigated in three main experiments. The first experiment showed that 7.5-month-old infants, but not younger infants, were able to form a clear interpretation of a display consisting of a curved yellow cylinder and an adjacent titled blue box as composed of two separate units. Subsequent experiments determined that infants as young as 4.5 months of age could segregate into two units a simplified version of this display consisting of a straight yellow cylinder and a straight blue box (whether the display was fully visible or boundary-occluded). These results indicate that infants as young as 4.5 months of age can use object features (at least simple ones) to determine the locations of object boundaries. The results are discussed in terms of the processes underlying object segregation in infancy, and why complex features could be difficult for younger, but not older infants to perceive.

Effects of prior experience on 4.5-month old infants' object segregation

Adults bring to bear at least three types of object knowledge—configural, experiential, and physical knowledge—when segregating displays. Prior research suggests that young infantslack configural knowledge: they do not expect similar surfaces to belong to the same units and dissimilar surfaces to distinct units. the present research asked whether young infants could make use of another type of object knowledge, experiential knowledge, when organizing displays. In the first experiment, 4.5- month-old infants were familiarized with a stationary display composed of a yellow cylinder lying next to a tall, blue box. In the test events, a gloved hand grasped the cylinder and pulled it a short distance to the side; the box either moved with the cylinder (move-together condition) or remained stationary (move-apart condition). The infants tended to look equally at the move-apart and the move- together events, as though they were uncertain whether the cylinder and box constituted one or two units. Subsequent experiments examined whether infants would respond differently to the cylinder- and-box display if they were briefly exposed to the box alone (Experiment 2), or to the cylinder alone (Experiments 3 and 4), prior to seeing the test events. The results indicated that the infants' responses to the cylinder-and-box display were affected by these prior experiences: after seeing the box alone for 5 s, or the cylinder alone for 15 s, the infants looked reliably longer at the move-together than at the move-apart event, suggesting that they now viewed the cylinder and box as separate units and hence were suprised in the move-together event when they moved as one. n a final experiment (Experiment 5), infants were found to be able to use a prior experience with the box to parse the cylinder- and-box display even if this experience took place in a different setting (the infants' homes) and as long as 24 hours before the infants were shown the test events in the laboratory. Together, the present findings provide strong evidence that 4.5-month-old infants, like adults, use their experiential knowledge when segregating displays.

Object segregation in 8-month-old infants

Two experiments examined 8-month-old infants' use of configural and physical knowledge in segregating three-dimensional adjacent displays. The infants in Experiment 1 saw two identical yellow octagons standing side by side; in the test events, a hand grasped the right octagon and pulled it to the side. The infants looked reliably longer when the octagons moved apart than when they moved together, suggesting that the infants (a) perceived the octagons as a single unit and hence (b) expected them to move together and were surprised when they did not. The infants in Experiment 2 saw a yellow cylinder and a blue box; a hand grasped the cylinder and pulled it to the side. The infants looked reliably longer when the box moved with the cylinder than when the box remained in place, suggesting that they (a) viewed the cylinder and box as distinct units and thus (b) expected the cylinder to move alone and were surprised when it did not. These results indicate that, by 8 months of age, infants use configural knowledge when organizing adjacent displays: they expect similar parts to belong to the same unit and dissimilar parts to belong to distinct units. Additional results revealed that 8-month-old infants' interpretation of displays is affected not only by configural but also by physical considerations. Thus, infants in Experiment 1 who saw a thin blade lowered between the octagons viewed them as two rather than as one unit. Similarly, infants in Experiment 2 who saw the cylinder lying above instead of on the apparatus floor perceived the cylinder and box as one rather than two units. These results indicate that 8-month-old infants bring to bear their knowledge of impenetrability and support when parsing adjacent displays. Furthermore, when faced with two conflicting interpretations of a display, one suggested by their configural and one by their physical knowledge, infants allow the latter to supersede the former. Together, these findings suggest that, by 8 months of age, infants' approach to segregation is fundamentally similar to that of adults. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Primary Imprinting On the Subsequent Development of Secondary Filial Attachments in the Chick

Abstract This study reinvestigates the effects of primary imprinting of chicks with either a naturalistic stimulus or an artificial object on subsequent imprinting with artificial objects. Initial experience with a live chick (group C) or a yellow cylinder (group Y) had differential effects on the development of a secondary filial attachment in chicks. In chicks of both groups, growth of attachment to the novel imprinting object manifested itself rather abruptly, but the change in response to the novel object occurred later in C- than in Y-chicks. There was no difference between the groups in the outcome of secondary imprinting: chicks in groups C and Y eventually became equally strongly attached to their novel imprinting stimulus, and when exposed to a third object, chicks in both groups imprinted equally well on this object. Thus, (1) initial imprinting on a naturalistic stimulus postponed, but did not block secondary imprinting on an artificial object, and (2) within the lengths of exposure used, the capacity to form new filial attachments was not limited, contrary to the prediction of the competitive exclusion model for imprinting. Secondary imprinting was delayed for a longer time when chicks were exposed to the novel imprinting stimulus in an unfamiliar environment. This indicates that induction of fear in chicks interfered with the occurrence of secondary imprinting. This effect may havc contributed to the difference between groups C and Y in the length of delay of secondary imprinting. Possibly, separation from the first stimulus and exposure to the second stimulus was more fearful to C-chicks than to Y-chicks. Introduction Imprinting was originally described by LORENZ (1935, 1937) as an irreversible process. This does not necessarily mean that a young animal cannot form secondary filial attachments after having been imprinted on a

The Effects of Imprinting on the Feeding Behaviour in Chicks

In order to investigate effects of imprinting on chicks' feeding behaviour, two experiments were designed. In Exp. I, newly hatched chicks were exposed to a mixed imprinting stimulus, a yellow cylinder emitting a tone on the hatched day (Fig. 1). On the third day they received a recognition test using both visual (a yellow cylinder) and auditory (a tone) stimulus. It was found that the auditory stimulus elicited more following and approaching behaviour than the visual stimulus. On the results of this recognition test, chicks were devided 9 groups (Table 2) and their weight was measured each day from the hatched day to the 10th day. It was found that the groups fed communally and those reared with an imprinted stimulus gained more weight than those fed in isolation.In Exp. II, pigeons were used as imprinting stimulus (Fig. 2). The subjects were 8 groups of chicks which had been reared under different conditions. They were all fed and measured their weight for 16 days. The results showed that the groups which had been imprinted to a pigeon by observing it through a transparent window during the critical period gained more weight than those which had been reared without observing a pigeon during the period. However, the gain of weight in the groups which observed a pigeon during the days subsequent to the critical period was the same as that in the groups which observed a pigeon only on the first two days (Table 3).It was concluded that only the experience of being imprinted (to the stimuli) during the critical period facilitated chick's subsequent behaviour.