in laboratory experiments the toxicity of acetone was investigated against four species of stored-product insects. in empty-space trials, estimates of the lethal concentrations of acetone (lc, 72-h exposure) for 50% mortality against adults of the lesser grain borer, rhizopertha dominica (f.), red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum (herbst), rice weevil, si-tophilus oryzae (l.) and eggs of the a...

results modern investigations have supported the claims of the insecticidal activity of several plants, including allium sativum, artemisia absinthium, citrullus colocynthis, laurus nobilis, mentha pulegium, myrtus communis, nerium oleander, ocimum basilicum, and origanum majorana. however, in the cases of plants like iris florentina and malva sylvestris, there is not enough evidence in modern ...

Expansive chemical-based vector control has resulted in development of vector resistance to different insecticides harnessed for prevention of disease transmission in public health. The environmentally safe insect growth regulators and microbial larvicides provide potential tools for insecticide resistance management. The efficacy and persistence of Dimilin GR-2% and Mosquiron 10 EC insect grow...

Here we present the design and fabrication of a 90mg hexapedal microrobot with overall footprint dimensions of 17 mm long x 23 mm wide. Utilizing smart composite microstructure fabrication techniques, we combine composite materials and polymers to form articulated structures that assemble into an eight degree of freedom robot. Using thin foil shape memory alloy actuators and inspiration from bi...

The engagement of the public in the scientific process is an old practice. Yet with recent advances in technology, the role of the citizen scientist in studying evolutionary processes has increased. Insects provide ideal models for understanding these evolutionary processes at large scales. This review highlights how insect-based citizen science has led to the expansion of specimen collections ...

Transgenic crops are currently being cultivated on a commercial scale in many countries. The area devoted to transgenic pest resistant varieties worldwide reached 13 million hectares in 2001. These varieties offer valuable benefits but also pose potential risks. Assessments of their impact on the environment are conducted before they are approved for commercial use, as required by the regulator...

Text mining is one promising way of extracting information automatically from the vast biological literature. To maximize its potential, the knowledge encoded in the text should be translated to some semantic representation such as entities and relations, which could be analyzed by machines. But large-scale practical systems for this purpose are rare. We present BeeSpace question/answering (BSQ...

Although phytophagous insects and plant pathogens frequently share the same host plant, interactions among such phylogenetically distant taxa have received limited attention. Here, we place pathogens and insects in the context of a multitrophic-level community. Focusing on the invasive powdery mildew Erysiphe alphitoides and the insect community on oak (Quercus robur), we demonstrate that milde...

Small-scale insect inspired aircraft represent a promising approach to downscaling traditional aircraft designs. Despite advancements in microfabrication, however, it has proven difficult to fully replicate the mechanical complexities that enable these natural systems. As an alternative, recent efforts have used implanted electrical, optical or acoustic microsystems to exert direct control over...

Nowadays, baculovirus-infected insect cells and tetracycline-inducible mammalian cell lines (T-REx-293) are intensively used for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) production for crystallography purposes. Here we constructed a suspension T-REx-293 cell line to stably express an engineered neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS1) mutant and we quantitatively compared this cell line with the transient baculo...