Multidisciplinary fingerprints: forensic reconstruction of an insect reinvasion

An unexpected outbreak of boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis, an insect pest of cotton, across the Southern Rolling Plains (SRP) eradication zone of west-central Texas, USA, was detected soon after passage of Tropical Storm Erin through the Winter Garden district to the south on 16 August 2007. The synchrony and broad geographic distribution of the captured weevils suggest that long-distance dispersal was responsible for the reinvasion. We integrated three types of assessment to reconstruct the geographic origin of the immigrants: (i) DNA fingerprinting; (ii) pollen fingerprinting; and (iii) atmospheric trajectory analysis. We hypothesized the boll weevils originated in the Southern Blacklands zone near Cameron, or in the Winter Garden district near Uvalde, the nearest regions with substantial populations. Genetic tests broadly agree that the immigrants originated southeast of the SRP zone, probably in regions represented by Uvalde or Weslaco. The SRP pollen profile from weevils matched that of Uvalde better than that of Cameron. Wind trajectories supported daily wind-aided dispersal of weevils from the Uvalde region to the SRP from 17 to 24 August, but failed to support migration from the Cameron region. Taken together the forensic evidence strongly implicates the Winter Garden district near Uvalde as the source of reinvading boll weevils.     

Recent psychological approaches to the free will versus determinism issue.

This article examines the scientific utility of the concept of free will. Distinctions are drawn between the concepts of hard determinism, soft determinism, libertarianism, conscious choice, beliefs about conscious control, volitional behavior, and actual personal control. Relevant theories reviewed include R. Zavolloni's (1962) feedback theory, J. E. Rychlak's (1981) telospouse theory, C. W. Tageson's (1982) 3-dimensional model, R. W. Sperry's (see record 1989-00022-001) theory of supervenient control, A. Bandura's (see record 1990-01275-001) theory of agency, and the chaos concept. Data relevant to these theories are reviewed. It is concluded that theories of free will can be compatible with the scientific tasks of prediction and control. However, the free will vs. determinism issue is unlikely to be resolved conclusively by using scientific data. Nevertheless, the concept of free will can play a useful role in scientific theorizing by serving as a meta-assumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic sources of pheromone variation inColias eurytheme butterflies

The courtship pheromone ofColias eurytheme butterflies varies greatly among males in both the quantities and relative proportions of its three chemical components [n-heptacosane (C27), 13-methylheptacosane (13MH),n-nonacosane (C29)]. Narrow-sense heritabilities were high for the blend of 13MH and C27 and for the component quantities in one population (Kansas) but were low for the other population tested (Arizona). Genetic correlations between the three components were high in both populations, indicating a substantial degree of additive genetic influence on the component blends. High variability among populations in phenotypic correlations suggests that much of the male-to-male variation in the courtship pheromone may be attributable to environmental or developmental sources. Pheromone phenotypes do not seem to be associated with alba genotype.Lepidoptera: Pieridae.     

Acknowledgment to Springfield Hospital Center.

The author takes this opportunity to acknowledge the staff at Springfield Hospital Center, Sykesville, Maryland where the work was conducted for his article entitled "Integration of a Low-Response Token Economy with Other Treatment Modalities" (see record 1977-13437-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ligand-binding domains in vitellogenin receptors and other LDL-receptor family members share a common ancestral ordering of cysteine-rich repeats

Insect vitellogenin and yolk protein receptors (VgR/YPR) are newly discovered members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family, which is characterized by a highly conserved arrangement of repetitive modular elements homologous to functionally unrelated proteins. The insect VgR/YPRs are unique in having two clusters of complement-type cysteine-rich (class A) repeats or modules, with five modules in the first cluster and seven in the second cluster, unlike classical LDLRs which have a single seven-module cluster, vertebrate VgRs and very low density lipoprotein receptors (VLDLR) which have a single eight-module cluster, and LDLR-related proteins (LRPs) and megalins which have four clusters of 2-7, 8, 10, and 11 modules. Alignment of clusters across subfamilies by conventional alignment programs is problematic because of the repetitive nature of the component modules which may have undergone rearrangements, duplications, and deletions during evolution. To circumvent this problem, we "fingerprinted" each class A module in the different clusters by identifying those amino acids that are both relatively conserved and relatively unique within the cluster. Intercluster reciprocal comparisons of fingerprints and aligned sequences allowed us to distinguish four cohorts of modules reflecting shared recent ancestry. All but two of the 57 modules examined could be assigned to one of these four cohorts designated A, B, C, and D. Alignment of clusters based on modular cohorts revealed that all clusters are derived from a single primordial cluster of at least seven modules with a consensus arrangement of CDCADBC. All extant clusters examined are consistent with this consensus, though none matches it perfectly. This analysis also revealed that the eight-module clusters in vertebrate VgRs, insect VgR/YPRs, and LRP/megalins are not directly homologous with one another. Assignment of modules to cohorts permitted us to properly align 32 class A clusters from all four LDLR subfamilies for phylogenetic analysis. The results revealed that smaller one-cluster and two-cluster members of the family did not originate from the breakup of a large two-cluster or four-cluster receptor. Similarly, the LRP/megalins did not arise from the duplication of a two-cluster insect VgR/YPR-like progenitor. Rather, it appears that the multicluster receptors were independently constructed from the same single-cluster ancestor.     

Self-directed study skill programs for students on probation.

Paid 19 college students on probation $5.00/hr to participate in a project designed to improve grades. All Ss were taught (a) how to monitor their own study behavior; (b) the survey, question, read, recite, and review study strategy; and (c) the recommended amount of study time for different course loads. In addition, half of these Ss were given 3 hrs of instruction in principles of self-control and were shown how to set up self-administered behavior-modification programs to improve study habits. Self-control Ss succeeded in almost doubling both total study time and estimated effective study time. Overall GPAs also increased for self-control Ss. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prognostic patterns in self-report, relative report, and professional evaluation measures for hospitalized and day-care patients.

Investigated differences between patients who relapse and those who do not in both hospital and day-care settings. Ss were 142 adult psychiatric patients. Hospital and day-care groups were matched on a variety of demographic, social, and clinical variables. Three groups of measures were used: one based on professional evaluation (e.g., Inpatient Multidimensional Psychiatric Scale), one based on self-report (e.g., Katz Adjustment Scales), and one based on relative report (e.g., MMPI). No differences were found between hospital and day-care centers in proportion of patients relapsed. Of the 3 groups of measures, those based on professional evaluation were least able to distinguish relapsed from nonrelapsed patients. On self-report and relative report measures, the scores of patients who relapsed following day-care treatment resembled those of patients who succeeded following hospital treatment and vice-versa. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Free will and agency.

Comments on R. Williams's (see record 1992-34951-001) proposed solution to the free will–determinism debate. A. A. Sappington contends that Williams too quickly dismissed the concept of agency in the sense of people being in some way the cause of their own actions, and finds fault with Williams's definition of freedom in terms of "truthful living." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Molecular characteristics of insect vitellogenins and vitellogenin receptors

The recent cloning and sequencing of several insect vitellogenins (Vg), the major yolk protein precursor of most oviparous animals, and the mosquito Vg receptor (VgR) has brought the study of insect vitellogenesis to a new plane. Insect Vgs are homologous to nematode and vertebrate Vgs. All but one of the insect Vgs for which we know the primary structure are cleaved into two subunits at a site [(R/K)X(R/K)R or RXXR with an adjacent beta-turn] recognized by subtilisin-like proprotein convertases. In four of the Vgs, the cleavage site is near the N-terminus, but in one insect species, it is near the C-terminus of the Vg precursor. Multiple alignments of these Vg sequences indicate that the variation in cleavage location has not arisen through exon shuffling, but through local modifications of the amino acid sequences. A wasp Vg precursor is not cleaved, apparently because the sequence at the presumed ancestral cleavage site has been mutated from RXRR to LYRR and is no longer recognized by convertases. Some insect Vgs contain polyserine domains which are reminiscent of, but not homologous to, the phosvitin domain in vertebrate Vgs. The sequence of the mosquito VgR revealed that it is a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family. Though resembling chicken and frog VgRs, which are also members of the LDLR family, it is twice as big, carrying two clusters of cysteine-rich complement-type (Class A) repeats (implicated in ligand-binding) instead of one like vertebrate VgRs and LDLRs. It is very similar in sequence and domain arrangement to the Drosophila yolk protein receptor (YPR), despite a non-vitellogenin ligand for the latter. Though vertebrate VgRs, insect VgR/YPRs, and LDLR-related proteins/megalins all accommodate one cluster of eight Class A repeats, fingerprint analysis of the repeats in these clusters indicate they are not directly homologous with one another, but have undergone differing histories of duplications, deletions, and exon shuffling so that their apparent similarity is superficial. The so-called epidermal growth factor precursor region contains two types of motifs (cysteine-rich Class B repeats and YWXD repeats) which occur independently of one another in diverse proteins, and are often involved in protein-protein interactions, suggesting that they potentially are involved in dimerization of VgRs and other LDLR-family proteins. Like the LDLR, but unlike vertebrate VgRs and the Drosophila YPR, the mosquito VgR contains a putative O-linked sugar region on the extra-cellular side of the transmembrane domain. Its function is unclear, but may protect the receptor from membrane-bound proteases. The cytoplasmic tail of insect VgR/YPRs contains a di-leucine (or leucine-isoleucine) internalization signal, unlike the tight-turn tyrosine motif of other LDLR-family proteins. The importance of understanding the details of yolk protein uptake by oocytes lies in its potential for exploitation in novel insect control strategies, and the molecular characterization of the proteins involved has made the development of such strategies a realistic possibility.     

Perception of threatening stimuli in process and reactive schizophrenics.

Used the Phillips Symptom Checklist to separate male schizophrenic inpatients into process and reactive groups (N= 30 each). Ss were conditioned by pairing certain nonsense syllables with shock; other syllables were presented without shock. Using a T scope, groups were compared on recognition accuracy for neutral and threat (shock) syllables. No differences arose between groups in response to neutral stimuli. For threat syllables, process schizophrenics showed impaired recognition, while reactive schizophrenics showed heightened accuracy of recognition. This finding indicates that the quality of the stimulus itself is an important variable in the perceptual efficiency of schizophrenics. It suggests that process types screen stimulus threat from their awareness, while reactive types are acutely attuned to stimulus threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)