Biology subjects

Baker, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Baker, H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Toxic Effects of Solanum sisymbriifolium Extracts on Meloidogyne hapla and Meloidogyne chitwoodi

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are among the most destructive agricultural pests worldwide, causing significant economic losses across diverse cropping systems. Soil fumigation, the most common management strategy, is costly, detrimental to soil health, and increasingly restricted due to environmental and regulatory concerns. As a result, there is a critical need for alternative, sustainable approaches for PPN control. Solanum sisymbriifolium is resistant to several Meloidogyne species and represents a promising source of natural nematicidal compounds. In this study, we evaluated the effects of S. sisymbriifolium extracts on Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. hapla, two economically important nematodes. Compounds were extracted using solvents of increasing polarity and then reconstituted in water. The water-solubilized extracts were then used in bioassays to assess their effects on nematode egg hatching, egg viability, and second-stage juvenile (J2) survival. Egg hatching and J2 viability of both Meloidogyne species were consistently affected by compounds in the 1-butanol fraction. Further characterization of these compounds may enable the development of novel, environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional nematode management strategies.

Plant Biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Science Education for the Youth (SEFTY): A Neuroscience Outreach Program for High School Students in Southern Nevada During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Laboratory outreach programs for K-12 students in the United States from 2020-2022 were suspended or delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. While Southern Nevada also observed similar closures for onsite programs, we and others hypothesized that in-person laboratory activities could be prioritized after increasing vaccine doses were available to the public and masking was encouraged. Here, we describe how the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) collaborated with administrators from a local school district to conduct training activities for high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Science Education for the Youth (SEFTY) programs curriculum was constructed to incorporate experiential learning, fostering collaboration and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Leveraging neuroscience tools from our UNLV laboratory, we engaged with 117 high school applicants from 2021-2022. Our recruitment efforts yielded a diverse cohort, with >41% Pacific Islander and Asian students, >9% African American students, and >12% multiracial students. We assessed the impact of the SEFTY program through pre- and post-assessment student evaluations, revealing a significant improvement of 20.3% in science proficiency (p<0.001) after participating in the program. Collectively, our laboratory curriculum offers valuable insights into the capacity of an outreach program to actively foster diversity and cultivate opportunities for academic excellence, even in the challenging context of a global pandemic. Significance StatementThe Science Education for the Youth (SEFTY) program at UNLV successfully engaged 117 diverse high school students in neuroscience-based experiential learning, demonstrating the viability of in-person education during a pandemic. Significant improvements in science proficiency (20.3% increase) underscore the programs effectiveness in fostering academic excellence and diversity. This initiative potentially serves as a model for maintaining high-quality, inclusive science education in challenging times.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2020

Toward asleep DBS: Cortico basal-ganglia neural activity during interleaved propofol/ketamine sedation mimics NREM/REM sleep activity

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is currently a standard long-term treatment for advanced motor symptoms in Parkinsons disease (PD). In an effort to enable DBS under sedation, asleep DBS, we characterized the cortico-basal ganglia neuronal network of two non-human primates under propofol, ketamine and interleaved propofol-ketamine (IPK) sedation. Further, we compared these sedation states in the healthy and Parkinsonian condition to those of healthy sleep. Ketamine increases high frequency power and synchronization while propofol increases low frequency power and synchronization in polysomnography and neuronal activity recordings. Thus, ketamine does not mask the low frequency oscillations used for physiological navigation toward basal ganglia DBS targets. The brain state under ketamine and propofol mimicked rapid eye movement (REM) and Non-REM (NREM) sleep activity, respectively, and the IPK protocol imitates the NREM-REM sleep cycle. These promising results are the first step towards asleep DBS with non-distorted physiological navigation.

neuroscience↗