As an application of this technology, we have embarked on a multi-year project to create a high-quality 3D computer archive of the sculptures and architecture of Michelangelo. As of this writing, we have scanned the David, the Unfinished Slaves, and the St. Matthew, all located in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. In the coming weeks we will scan the statues and architecture of Michelang...

Carrie Crystal Queenan • Mark Ferguson • Jon Higbie • Rohit Kapoor Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-5646, USA College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, 800 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0520, USA Revenue Analytics, Inc., 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1500, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, USA Capital One, 1680 Capital One Drive,...

The resources available to an individual in any given environment are finite, and variation in life history traits reflect differential allocation of these resources to competing life functions. Nutritional quality of food is of particular importance in these life history decisions. In this study, we tested trade-offs among growth, immunity and survival in 3 groups of greater wax moth (Galleria...

The ability of Steinernema feltiae or Heterorhabditis bacteriophora infective juveniles (IJ), when applied to the soil surface, to infect a Galleria mellonella larva at the base of a soil-filled cup (276 cm(3)) was evaluated in the presence and absence of 100 larvae of a non-target insect, the aphid midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza, near the soil surface. In all four trials with either S. feltiae o...

An essential factor to the virulence of the genus Candida is the ability to produce enzymes and this may be crucial in the establishment of fungal infections. Aim: This study investigated in vitro enzymatic activities of Candida species and their virulence in an in vivo Galleria mellonella experimental model. Methods: Twenty-four clinical strains of Candida spp. isolated from the human oral cav...

Photorhabdus luminescens is a gram negative symbiotic bacterium belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, and is a lethal pathogen of insects. It lives in the gut of an entomopathogenic nematode of the family Heterorhabditidae. When the nematode infects an insect, P. luminescensis released into the blood stream and rapidly kills the insect host by producing toxins. So the present study was ca...

Investigation of insect immune mechanisms provides important information concerning innate immunity, which in many aspects is conserved in animals. This is one of the reasons why insects serve as model organisms to study virulence mechanisms of human pathogens. From the evolutionary point of view, we also learn a lot about host-pathogen interaction and adaptation of organisms to conditions of l...

Predators and parasites can control the abundance or biomass of herbivores with indirect effects on producer communities and ecosystems, but the interplay of multiple natural enemies may yield unexpected dynamics. We experimentally examined interactions between two microparasites (entomopathogenic nematodes) isolated from sandy grassland soils of coastal California: Heterorhabditis marelatus (H...

Enterococcus faecalis is part of the commensal microbiota of humans and its main habitat is the gastrointestinal tract. Although harmless in healthy individuals, E. faecalis has emerged as a major cause of nosocomial infections. In order to better understand the transformation of a harmless commensal into a life-threatening pathogen, we developed a Recombination-based In VivoExpression Technolo...

Defense peptides play a crucial role in insect innate immunity against invading pathogens. From the hemolymph of immune-challenged greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Gm) larvae, eight peptides were isolated and characterized. Purified Gm peptides differ considerably in amino acid sequences, isoelectric point values and antimicrobial activity spectrum. Five of them, Gm proline-rich peptide 2...