Article
Agronomy
Carmenza E. Gongora, Johanna Tapias, Jorge Jaramillo, Ruben Medina, Sebastian Gonzalez, Tatiana Restrepo, Herley Casanova, Pablo Benavides
Summary: The coffee berry borer is the most damaging pest to coffee crops. Chemical control methods have negative effects on the environment and non-target organisms, so a new caffeine-based insecticide has been developed. Laboratory and field tests showed that the caffeine-oleate formulation effectively killed coffee berry borers and other coffee pests without harming the coffee plants.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Yves Fotso Fotso, Suzanne Touzeau, Berge Tsanou, Samuel Bowong, Frederic Grognard
Summary: The coffee berry borer is the most important insect pest of coffee globally, causing significant crop losses due to its long life cycle inside the coffee berry. Utilizing a biological control method with entomopathogenic fungus sprayed on coffee berries effectively controls the borer, optimizing its application through mathematical modeling can maximize coffee yield and minimize control costs.
MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues
Summary: The study reveals that baited column traps at 0.5m height capture more coffee berry borers efficiently, providing insights for future management strategies to control this coffee pest.
Article
Microbiology
Fernan Santiago Mejia-Alvarado, Thaura Ghneim-Herrera, Carmenza E. Gongora, Pablo Benavides, Lucio Navarro-Escalante
Summary: The study analyzed the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota in the coffee berry borer (CBB) at different developmental stages, finding a rich and diverse bacterial composition that varies and changes throughout development. Approximately 20% of identified bacteria species were shared across all life stages.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Sanya Cowal, Jonathan R. Morris, Esteli Jimenez-Soto, Stacy M. Philpott
Summary: Vegetation connectivity is crucial for arboreal ants in coffee agroecosystems, influencing their activity, resource recruitment, and pest control ability. Naturally occurring vegetation connections have a greater impact on ant behavior and pest removal rates compared to artificial connectivity (string). Vegetation connectivity also buffers reductions in ant activity with increasing distance from the ant nest tree.
Article
Entomology
Donna Lee, Melissa A. Johnson, Luis F. Aristizabal, Suzanne Shriner, Catherine Chan, Susan Miyasaka, Marisa Wall
Summary: Since its introduction to Hawaii in 2010, coffee berry borer (CBB) has caused significant economic damage to the coffee industry in the islands. We evaluated the economic benefits of managing CBB using three strategies: the use of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana alone, early integrated pest management (IPM), and research-based IPM. Our findings show that all types of management provided economic benefits, but research-based IPM had the greatest impact on coffee yield, price, and revenue. This highlights the importance of research and outreach in developing effective IPM strategies.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Nychol Bazurto-Gomez, Carlos Alberto Martinez-Morales, Helbert Eduardo Espitia-Cuchango
Summary: Swarm intelligence is used to simulate and explore different phenomena, with the development of a multiple swarm particles simulation algorithm (MSPSA) in this study. The MSPSA was specifically applied to simulate the proliferation of coffee berry borers in Colombian crops fields, providing a mathematical and statistical analysis of experimental results.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Andrea Kawabata, Roxana Myers, Matthew Miyahira, Nicholas Yamauchi, Stuart T. Nakamoto
Summary: Coffee berry borer (CBB), a destructive insect pest of coffee worldwide, has been introduced to Hawaii coffee farms. The insecticide spinetoram has shown potential in controlling CBB infestation and reducing damage to coffee beans.
Article
Biology
Mariano Marcano, Amitabha Bose, Paul Bayman
Summary: Understanding the reproduction dynamics of the coffee berry borer is crucial for pest management, a model tracking the infestation progress of coffee berries and the interaction with different populations of the pest was formulated. The stability analysis of the model suggests that control of the pest can be achieved over multiple seasons of coffee harvesting.
MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Yves Fotso Fotso, Suzanne Touzeau, Berge Tsanou, Frederic Grognard, Samuel Bowong
Summary: Coffee production is crucial for the economic growth of many countries, but the coffee berry borer poses a significant threat to global coffee production. This study presents a berry age-structured model to analyze the dynamics of coffee berry infestation by the coffee berry borer, and the theoretical results are validated through numerical simulations.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jannice Newson, John Vandermeer, Ivette Perfecto
Summary: Conservation biological control involves managing agroecosystems to support natural enemies. Ants are known as natural enemies of the coffee berry borer (CBB), with different species having varied effects. In this study in Puerto Rico, it was found that S. invicta significantly reduced CBB damage and W. auropunctata was associated with decreased survival of CBB inside berries.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Christine Drengenes, Tomas M. L. Eagan, Ingvild Haaland, Harald G. Wiker, Rune Nielsen
Summary: This study found that the number of PCR steps can affect the final description of bacterial communities, especially for samples with low bacterial load. Although differences in relative abundance of specific bacterial genera were observed across different setups, the removal of contaminants did not resolve differences in results between sequencing setups. Further research is needed to understand how variations in PCR setups and reagents may contribute to observed protocol bias.
Article
Entomology
Carlos Andres Trujillo-Salazar, Gerard Olivar-Tost, Deissy Milena Sotelo-Castelblanco
Summary: This study investigates the predator-prey interaction between ants and coffee berry borers using a mathematical model. The model predicts the dynamics of the system and provides new insights for pest management.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yobana A. Marino, Paul Bayman, Alberto M. Sabat
Summary: The coffee berry borer (CBB) is a serious pest of coffee and management strategies need to focus on key developmental stages to effectively reduce population growth. The study compared CBB populations reared in the lab with those from the field, finding higher growth rates in the lab. Sensitivity analysis identified transitions from larva to pupa, pupa to juvenile, and adult female survival as key targets for CBB management. Effective management programs should target these vital rates to reduce population growth.
Review
Entomology
Luis F. Aristizabal, Melissa A. Johnson, Yobana A. Marino, Paul Bayman, Mark G. Wright
Summary: This review discusses the efforts made in Hawaii and Puerto Rico to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) program for coffee berry borer (CBB). Although the benefits of monitoring CBB activity have been proven, few growers in either region utilize traps or 30-tree sampling to inform their spray decisions. In Puerto Rico, farmers face a combination of factors, including other pests, diseases, and recurring hurricane damage, that prevent them from effectively managing CBB.
Article
Ecology
Rogerio Martins Goncalves, Thiago Mastrangelo, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues, Daniel Fernando Paulo, Celso Omoto, Alberto Soares Correa, Ana Maria Lima de Azeredo-Espin
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Entomology
S. Triapitsyn, S. D. Hight, G. A. Logarzo, M. B. Aguirre, J. C. Verle Rodrigues, V. A. Trjapitzin, Z. Rivera Ocasio, M. L. Rivera-Vazquez, M. J. West Ortiz, Y. Rodriguez Reyes
NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Sarah E. Banker, Alan R. Lemmon, Alyssa Bigelow Hassinger, Mysia Dye, Sean D. Holland, Michelle L. Kortyna, Oscar E. Ospina, Hannah Ralicki, Emily Moriarty Lemmon
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Horticulture
Giseiry Rosa-Valentin, Linda Wessel-Beaver, Jose Carlos Rodrigues
Article
Entomology
Fernando R. da Silva, Dario Trujillo, Oderlei Bernardi, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues, Woodward D. Bailey, Todd M. Gilligan, Daniel Carrillo
Article
Entomology
Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues, Michael H. Cosh, E. Raymond Hunt, Gilberto J. de Moraes, Geovanny Barroso, William A. White, Ronald Ochoa
Article
Zoology
Oscar E. Ospina, Lynee Tieu, Joseph J. Apodaca, Emily Moriarty Lemmon
Review
Entomology
Melissa A. Johnson, Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Nicholas C. Manoukis, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles, Manuel Leal, Juan D. Daza, Alexandra Herrera-Martinez, Oscar E. Ospina
Summary: This biographical account highlights the professional career and scientific contributions of John Paul Richard Thomas in the systematics of West Indian amphibians and non-avian reptiles. Richard's vast field experience and remarkable ability to detect phenotypic variation among natural populations led to the description of over 70 species of snakes, lizards, and frogs. His mentoring significantly advanced organismal biology research at the University of Puerto Rico, fostering the scientific interests of his graduate students and providing them with valuable research experiences.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Aaron M. Bauer, Juan D. Daza, Alexandra Herrera-Martinez, Oscar E. Ospina
Summary: John Paul Richard Thomas is a prominent herpetologist who has made significant contributions to the study of amphibians and reptiles, particularly in the West Indies. His career path was unconventional, with a strong reputation established even before beginning his doctoral studies, and his collaboration with other scholars such as S. Blair Hedges has been extensive and fruitful.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Camilo A. Linares-Vargas, Wilmar Bolivar-Garcia, Alexandra Herrera-Martinez, Daniel Osorio-Dominguez, Oscar E. Ospina, Richard Thomas, Juan D. Daza
Summary: The study reviewed the genus of blindsnakes, Liotyphlops, in Central and South America, restricting the geographical range of L. albirostris and validating three previously described species. Morphological variations in populations from different countries were described, and a new taxonomic arrangement was proposed. The study also explores osteological differences and hopes that the recognition of new species will aid future conservation efforts.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Christopher M. Wilson, Oscar E. Ospina, Mary K. Townsend, Jonathan Nguyen, Carlos Moran Segura, Joellen M. Schildkraut, Shelley S. Tworoger, Lauren C. Peres, Brooke L. Fridley
Summary: Immune modulation is a key factor in cancer initiation and progression. The development of multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) technology has provided researchers with new opportunities to study the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and identify patients who could benefit from immunotherapy. However, challenges exist in the statistical analysis of mIF data, including zero-inflated data, repeated measurements, and spatial analyses. Further research is needed to overcome these challenges and to explore the full potential of mIF technology in cancer treatment.
Article
Entomology
Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues
Summary: The study reveals that baited column traps at 0.5m height capture more coffee berry borers efficiently, providing insights for future management strategies to control this coffee pest.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jordan H. Creed, Christopher M. Wilson, Alex C. Soupir, Christelle M. Colin-Leitzinger, Gregory J. Kimmel, Oscar E. Ospina, Nicholas H. Chakiryan, Joseph Markowitz, Lauren C. Peres, Anna Coghill, Brooke L. Fridley
Summary: Multiplex immunofluorescence staining combined with quantitative digital image analysis is a technique used to characterize the tumor immune microenvironment, with a focus on immune cell abundance rather than spatial patterns. To address this gap, the spatialTIME package was developed for spatial analysis and the iTIME web application was created for describing both abundance and spatial architecture of the TIME.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Oscar E. Ospina, Christopher M. Wilson, Alex C. Soupir, Anders Berglund, Inna Smalley, Kenneth Y. Tsai, Brooke L. Fridley
Summary: Spatially resolved transcriptomics has the potential to enhance our understanding of the tumor microenvironment and improve cancer prognosis and therapies. This article introduces spatialGE, a software that offers visualizations and quantification of tumor microenvironment heterogeneity through gene expression surfaces, spatial heterogeneity statistics, spot-level cell deconvolution, and spatially informed clustering.