The hedgehog grain aphid (HGA), Sipha maydis Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a significant pest of cereal crops and is present in the United States. Like other aphids, it exhibits wing polymorphism, producing both winged and apterous morphs influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and host plant quality. This study evaluated the effects of temperature and host plant species on life history traits and wing induction under controlled laboratory conditions. Two weeks after...

Aphidophagous arthropods inhabit grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.), fields in the US Great Plains and provide naturally occurring biological control of aphids. We evaluated 4 sampling methods for estimating population densities of aphidophagous arthropods on sorghum: suction sampling, sweepnet sampling, counting natural enemies for a fixed time, and counting natural enemies on 2 sorghum leaves per plant. We compared population estimates obtained by these methods to estimates of absolute...

CONCLUSIONS: A virtual poverty simulation is an innovative method for introducing poverty concepts to pre-clinical dental students. However, ongoing training throughout the dental curriculum is essential to increase students' confidence in delivering equity-centred care to patients experiencing poverty.

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Hydrogels are water-rich, biocompatible three-dimensional polymer networks widely recognized for their ability to control drug release at specific target sites. Among them, in situ forming thermoresponsive hydrogels have emerged as promising injectable platforms for long-acting drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. These systems can reduce injection frequency, improve patient adherence, and minimize complications associated with repeated intravitreal dosing. However, the absence of...