A heated debate has arisen over U.S. policy toward the large number of Salvadorans and Guatemalans who have come to the United States in recent years. The question is whether the U.S. government should continue to deport these individuals or should offer them some special protection. The key point of debate is the motivation of the émigrés. Officials of the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Justice have maintained that Salvadorans and Guatemalans who come here are merely economic migrants in search of a better life, and that as such, they are ineligible for any special treatment under U.S. immigration law. According to representatives of the Reagan administration, the fact that many Central Americans pass through Mexico on their way to the United States is evidence of their economic motivations.

The Repugnant Conclusion is an implication of some approaches to population ethics. It states, in Derek Parfit's original formulation,

The distribution of genetic diversity in invasive plant populations can have important management implications. Alligatorweed [Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.] was introduced into the United States around 1900 and has since spread throughout much of the southern United States and California. A successful biological control program was initiated in the late 1960s that reduced A. philoxeroides in the southern United States, although control has varied geographically. The degree to which variation among genotypes may be responsible for variation in control efficacy has not been well studied due to a lack of genetic data. We sampled 373 plants from 90 sites across the United States and genotyped all samples at three chloroplast regions to help inform future management efforts. Consistent with clonal spread, there was high differentiation between sites, yet we found six haplotypes and high haplotype diversity (mean h = 0.48) across states, suggesting this plant has been introduced multiple times. Two of the haplotypes correspond to previously described biotypes that differ in their susceptibility to herbicides and herbivory. The geographic distribution of the three common haplotypes varied by latitude and longitude, while the other haplotypes were widespread or localized to one or a few sites. All the haplotypes we screened are hexaploid (6n = 102), which may enhance biological control. Future studies can use these genetic data to determine whether genotypes differ in their invasiveness or respond differently to control measures. Some states, for instance, have mainly a single haplotype that may respond more uniformly to a single control strategy, whereas other states may require a variety of control strategies. These data will also provide the basis for identifying the source regions in South America, which may lead to the discovery of new biological control agents more closely matched to particular genotypes.

The proximity of minerals found in human hard tissues may influence cell phenotype. Since cells respond to a range of environmental cues, this study sought to identify the influence of two apatite-based microparticles, hydroxyapatite (HA) and fluoroapatite (FA), upon dental and bone cells. After bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), 7F2 osteoblasts and dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were plated into media with or without HA or FA particles, the cells were analyzed for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production, collagen I production, osteocalcin production, and mineralization for two weeks. The BMSCs and DPSCs in media without any microparticles produced more ALP compared to those with microparticles from Day 5 forward. In addition, the collagen I and osteocalcin production in cultures without microparticles was higher than in cultures containing either HA or FA particles. While some studies have shown increased osteogeonic differentiation in the presence of mineral particles, those studies used nanoparticles that were able to be internalized by the cells and were smaller than the microparticles used in this study.

Research studies evaluated effects of the auxin transport inhibitor, diflufenzopyr, on the biokinetics and efficacy of aminocyclopyrachlor-methyl ester (AMCP-ME) applications to black nightshade and large crabgrass. Absorption, translocation, and metabolism of 14C-AMCP-ME was quantified with and without diflufenzopyr (35 g ai ha−1). Diflufenzopyr had minimal effects on translocation of radioactivity in either species. Accumulation of radioactivity in aboveground plant sections of black nightshade was greater than or equal to that in large crabgrass by 72 h after treatment (HAT). In both species, metabolism of 14C-AMCP-ME was rapid, as 60 to 78% of the extracted radioactivity was the free acid metabolite 8 HAT. In the greenhouse, black nightshade and large crabgrass were treated with AMCP-ME (9, 18, and 35 g ai ha−1) alone and in combination with diflufenzopyr (35 g ha−1). Mixtures of AMCP-ME plus diflufenzopyr did not increase large crabgrass control compared with AMCP-ME alone at any time. Diflufenzopyr (35 g ha−1) increased black nightshade control with AMCP-ME (18 and 35 g ha−1) 7 d after treatment (DAT). However, this increase in control was not observed 14 or 28 DAT. All treatments containing AMCP-ME controlled large crabgrass 70 to 79% 28 DAT compared with > 93% for black nightshade at the same time point.

In Florida, air-potato is an invasive weed with high management priority, which may soon be targeted using classical biological control. This yam was introduced during the early 20th century by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from areas throughout its extensive range. Our objectives were to characterize the genetic diversity of the invasive population in Florida and to identify the source regions of introduction. Authorities have often asserted the African provenance of the species in Florida, but our analyses, conducted using chloroplast markers, indicate that Florida air-potato is more similar to specimens examined from China than to those from Africa. Low intraspecific genetic diversity in Florida indicates that the invasive population was the result of at least two introductions becoming established in Florida.

The agrestal field violet, a pervasive weed in Europe, has been identified in reduced-tillage cereal fields in Alberta. The efficacy of herbicides in direct-seeded spring wheat was assessed on natural field violet infestations in Alberta in 2002 and 2003. Only fluroxypyr + 2,4-D, applied postemergence, provided control of field violet in 2002 when rainfall was limiting. Over both years, this herbicide combination reduced biomass by 59 to 69% and plant density by 83 to 91%, relative to nontreated plots. The herbicides metsulfuron, sulfosulfuron, and thifensulfuron + tribenuron only suppressed weed growth under drought conditions in 2002 but controlled the weed in 2003 when rainfall was greater, reducing plant density by 82 to 92% and rendering remaining plants sterile. Suppression was also observed with MCPA + mecoprop + dicamba in 2002 and 2003 and with metribuzin only in 2003. Effective control of field violet was conferred by a pre–crop emergence application of glyphosate at 445 g ae/ha in 2003, the only year that this treatment was evaluated. Activity of herbicides on three- to four-leaf seedlings was also evaluated in a greenhouse dose– response assay. All herbicides had greater efficacy in the greenhouse, and those that provided control in situ reduced field violet dry weight by 85% at less than the recommended rate used in field experiments. Management of field violet is possible with herbicides registered for use on spring wheat in Alberta. However, the weed does not appear to cause significant crop production losses; hence, herbicide selection should be based on knowledge of all weed species present within the field.

Auxinic herbicides are widely used for control of broadleaf weeds in cereal crops and turfgrass. These herbicides are structurally similar to the natural plant hormone auxin, and induce several of the same physiological and biochemical responses at low concentrations. After several decades of research to understand the auxin signal transduction pathway, the receptors for auxin binding and resultant biochemical and physiological responses have recently been discovered in plants. However, the precise mode of action for the auxinic herbicides is not completely understood despite their extensive use in agriculture for over six decades. Auxinic herbicide-resistant weed biotypes offer excellent model species for uncovering the mode of action as well as resistance to these compounds. Compared with other herbicide families, the incidence of resistance to auxinic herbicides is relatively low, with only 29 auxinic herbicide-resistant weed species discovered to date. The relatively low incidence of resistance to auxinic herbicides has been attributed to the presence of rare alleles imparting resistance in natural weed populations, the potential for fitness penalties due to mutations conferring resistance in weeds, and the complex mode of action of auxinic herbicides in sensitive dicot plants. This review discusses recent advances in the auxin signal transduction pathway and its relation to auxinic herbicide mode of action. Furthermore, comprehensive information about the genetics and inheritance of auxinic herbicide resistance and case studies examining mechanisms of resistance in auxinic herbicide-resistant broadleaf weed biotypes are provided. Within the context of recent findings pertaining to auxin biology and mechanisms of resistance to auxinic herbicides, agronomic implications of the evolution of resistance to these herbicides are discussed in light of new auxinic herbicide-resistant crops that will be commercialized in the near future.

Biotypes of eastern black nightshade were found in Illinois and Indiana that were not controlled by postemergence applications of imazethapyr. Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine whole-plant responses to the imidazolinone herbicides imazethapyr and imazamox and to the sulfonylurea herbicide primisulfuron-methyl. The Illinois and Indiana resistant biotypes were highly resistant to imazamox and imazethapyr but were not cross-resistant to primisulfuron-methyl. DNA sequencing of acetolactate synthase (ALS) genes showed that the molecular basis for resistance in both resistant biotypes was a single base-pair mutation within Domain C that changed an alanine to a threonine in their encoded enzymes. In vitro enzyme assays showed that the Illinois resistant biotype's ALS enzyme was 789- and 881-fold less sensitive than that of the susceptible biotype to imazamox and imazethapyr, respectively. The Indiana resistant biotype's ALS enzyme was 110- and 158-fold less sensitive than that of the susceptible biotype to imazamox and imazethapyr, respectively. These results are consistent with the amino acid substitution found in the ALS enzyme of both resistant biotypes of eastern black nightshade.