Arizona Western College

Effects of the subterranean termites Reticu/itermes flavipes, R. hageni and R. tibia/is foraging activities on soil bulk density, soil moisture and water infiltration rates on The Nature Conservancy's Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in north-east Oklahoma were evaluated over a 50-month study. During the first 14 months of the study, termite baiting systems were used to cease termite activity within designated test plots, whereas non-baited comparison ter-mite plots remained not disturbed. All plots were monitored for 24 addi-tional months before soil characteris-tic measurements were taken during three separate sampling events over the following 12 months. The results did not show significant trends to-ward lower soil bulk density, greater percent soil moisture, or greater

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots has created opportunities and challenges for higher education. Extant scholarship has explored GenAI's capabilities and topics involving teachers' and students' perceptions of these tools. However, there is limited research exploring (1) whether second language (L2) learners actively leverage GenAI tools on their own for writing purposes in languages other than English (LOTEs), and (2) whether learners believe GenAI tools are ethical for L2 writing in educational settings. This study explores these gaps by adopting a sequential mixed methods design. First, a survey examined L2 learners ( N = 287) of five LOTEs, exploring students' uses of GenAI tools for L2 writing and their beliefs about its ethicality. Second, a case study was conducted with three learners, in which interviews and video screen capture were leveraged to further understand issues of usage and ethics. The findings suggest that although many students have used GenAI tools, only 14.6% actively reported using them for L2 writing purposes. Still, such writers reported using GenAI in 12 distinct ways. Finally, 82.2% of students believed GenAI tools are ethical for different purposes. These findings are discussed with an eye toward future writing research and pedagogy.

Objective: The objective of the article is to provide insights into focus areas and research directions within the context of the entrepreneurial ecosystem following the pandemic era. Research Design & Methods: The article is a qualitative systematic literature review that collects and analyses the studies related to the subject matter written after COVID-19 using a systematic quantitative assessment technique (SQAT). Findings: Evidence from the review strongly suggests that spatial context plays a crucial role in shaping the trajectory of entrepreneurial activities. This influence is particularly evident in how a localized network of actors and resources dynamically contributes to the evolution of cities, transforming them into vibrant hubs, which is conducive to entrepreneurship. In essence, the geographical environment in which the entrepreneurial efforts are rooted has a substantial impact on business growth and success. Implications & Recommendations: This study is devoted to exploring the thematic shift in entrepreneurial ecosystem research during the review period. Initiatives that encourage innovation districts, technology clusters, and collaborative spaces should be encouraged to foster the growth of venture creation. Contribution & Value Added: This review has contributed value by updating and presenting thematic aspects of research focus within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly in the aftermath of the global health crisis.

Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most devastating and widespread foliar diseases globally. Despite the critical need for developing a durable PM resistance, the number of cloned genes remains limited, along with a shortage of Mildew Locus O (MLO) resistance-conferring genes in wheat breeding programs. Here, utilizing the latest wheat reference genome data, we comprehensively identified and characterized 47 MLO genes through a genome-wide search approach. These genes are randomly distributed among 21 wheat chromosomes, harbor seven transmembrane domains, and are predicted to be primarily localized in the plasma membrane. Comparative phylogenetic analysis with model plants classified wheat MLOs into four clades (I-IV) harboring 6, 28, 6, and 7 genes, respectively. The phylogenetic grouping was strongly supported by gene structures and motif distribution among members of different clades. Evolution analysis revealed that the MLO gene arsenal expanded through segmental duplications, and purifying selection is potentially conserving their stress-associated functions. In-silico expression analysis highlighted at least 10 genes with overlapping expression patterns among different growth and development stages and under abiotic and biotic stress conditions. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validated the differential expression patterns of these 10 overlapping genes in PM-resistant and susceptible wheat genotypes after challenging these with a PM pathogen strain at different time intervals. The identified wheat MLO genes, especially the 10 overlapping genes, highlight untapped genetic diversity for engineering a durable and broad-spectrum tolerance/resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses, especially the PM resistance. Collectively, this study provides a compendium of wheat MLO genes, which could be functionally characterized to confirm their roles in PM resistance and further exploited in wheat breeding programs for the development of climate-resilient cultivars for sustainable wheat production.

The Covid-19 global pandemic has had profound impact on the way all industries operate now, and the construction industry is no exception. Given the importance of this industry in providing critical infrastructure needed to enhance the quality of life of all global citizens, this paper presented the results of a systematic review of empirical studies that have investigated construction project performance over the Covid-19 era spanning from 2020 to 2023. The Systematic Quantitative Assessment Technique was used to identify and assess 54 empirical articles from six of the most renowned academic publishers in order to answer three important research questions: 1) What was the geographical spread of construction project performance articles from 2020-2023? 2) Which data collection methods were utilized by these articles? 3) What themes were investigated by these articles? The review revealed that Asia had the most representation while South America had no representation at all, thus representing a geographical gap which future studies should address. The review also revealed that most studies relied on surveys to collect project performance data with relatively fewer studies using qualitative methods or adopting a mixed methods approach, with this representing a methodological gap to be addressed by future studies. Finally, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of construction firms was the most investigated theme, while the strategies firms can use to ‘future proof’ themselves against future pandemics or other unexpected disasters was the least investigated theme.