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Prohexadione-calcium Foliar Sprays for Growth Regulation in Herbaceous Perennial Ornamental Grass Taxa
(The Ohio State University, 2025-12) Reeves, Gabriel; Owen, Garrett
Excessive vegetative growth of ornamental grasses presents several production challenges for commercial greenhouse and nursery growers. Prohexadione-calcium, a plant growth regulator (PGR), has been used to reduce growth in a variety of fruit and grain crops. The foliar influence of prohexadione-calcium on five popular and commercially available ornamental grasses was evaluated in this study. Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Huron Sunrise’, Panicum virgatum ‘Red Flame’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’, and Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’ were sprayed with 0, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, or 5000 mg·L–1 prohexadione-calcium in a completely randomized block design. Each species received one spray application and were evaluated 2, 4, and 6 weeks after application to determine plant height and diameter. After 6 weeks, the experiment was terminated, and plants were excised at the substrate level to determine shoot dry weight. Prohexadione-calcium
significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced plant height, plant diameter, and shoot dry weight of Miscanthus ‘Huron Sunrise’, compared to the control. Plant height and plant diameter of Schizachyrium ‘Twilight Zone’ was only affected 6 weeks after application and reduced shoot dry weight. While prohexadione-calcium applications on Miscanthus ‘Huron Sunrise’, Panicum ‘Red Flame’ and Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ had minimal to no effect on plant height or plant diameter but varying significance on shoot dry weight. Data from this study suggests that foliar application of prohexadione-calcium on ornamental grasses shows promise but is species- and concentration specific.
Moderating Role of Poor Vascular Health in Dementia and Depression
(The Ohio State University, 2025-12) Sims, Sophia; Allan, Nicholas
Depression and dementia commonly co-occur in older adults; yet the mechanisms linking them remain unclear. Given that vascular risk contributes to both depression and dementia, it may serve as a key moderator in their association. In this study, it was hypothesized that vascular risk would moderate the relationship between depression and dementia. It was also hypothesized that increased depression scores would be positively correlated with vascular risk factors, individuals with higher vascular risk would perform worse on cognitive assessments, and depression and memory impairment would be positively correlated. Baseline data were drawn from a large NIMH- funded clinical trial with 108 participants evaluating the efficacy of anxiety treatment in reducing anxiety and related symptoms among those with MCI or mild ADRD. Dementia was measured through objective (RBANS) and subjective (MCS and QDRS) measures. Biological measures for dementia were reflected in grip strength. Other measures included the MINI, PROMIS, and vascular risk count. Among participants, 71.8% were female and 28.2% were male. Participants identified as 7.7% Black/African American, 73.8% Caucasian, and 4.1% multiracial. Ethnically, participants identified as 2.1% Hispanic or Latino, 94.9% not Hispanic or Latino, and 3.1% unknown. Results indicated that depression predicted functional outcomes (MCS, QDRS), but not objective; vascular risk predicted immediate memory scores; and vascular risk moderated language and immediate memory. These findings suggests that vascular risk worsens specific memory domains and depression could predict functional outcomes.
Storybook Characters' Influence on Story Comprehension
(The Ohio State University, 2025-12) Nelson, Alaina; Tompkins, Virginia
Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities, is common in children’s storybooks. Researchers have proposed that identification with storybook characters increases story comprehension through increased attention (Maslej et al., 2017). Thus, stories with anthropomorphized characters (e.g., animals) may negatively affect children’s learning (e.g., story comprehension; Kotaman & Balcı, 2019). In the current study, we analyzed the impact of storybook characters (animal versus human) on story comprehension. Specifically, we hypothesized that preschoolers’ story comprehension would be lower when characters were animals. Our 108 participants were between the ages of 4 and 5 years old (M = 5.00 years; SD = 0.58). These children were read a storybook that included either human characters, animal characters with human names (e.g., “Jasmine”), or animal characters with animal names (e.g., “fox”). They were asked a series of questions to measure their story comprehension. Children performed significantly better in the human characters story than in the story with animal characters with animal names. Interestingly, however, children preferred the animal characters over human characters. This study gives a clearer understanding of what characteristics of storybooks promote pre-readers’ comprehension and suggests that parents and educators may wish to monitor the characteristics of stories they read to children.
Utilities With Purpose
(University of Florida. Levin College of Law, 2024) Eisen, Joel B.; Payne, Heather
Genetic Regulation of Satiety Neurons and Feeding Behavior
(The Ohio State University, 2025-12) Goneau, Caitie; Yu, Hui
Feeding behavior, essential for survival, is precisely orchestrated by the intricate interplay of peripheral signals and central neuronal circuits. Hypothalamic neurons expressing proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene induce satiety to limit food intake. While the significance of POMC neurons is well-recognized, the genetic mechanisms that govern the expression of hypothalamic POMC are not fully understood. A previous study that traced the origin and maturation of arcuate POMC neurons in the developing and early postnatal hypothalamus, using single-cell RNA-seq transcriptomics on POMC-positive cells, revealed Six3 and Six6 are highly expressed in the canonical POMC neurons. This current study aims to elucidate the role of Six6 in relation to the early identification, expression, and regulation of hypothalamic Pomc expression. The results showed that embryonic deletion of Six6 significantly reduced Pomc expression, however, this reduction has not been observed in adult mice in which Six6 is deleted during adulthood. Deletion of Six6 in adult mice does not change Pomc expression in the pituitary. Further studies are needed to investigate whether there are any compensation mechanisms for Six6 function.