Bee poisoning incidents in Germany in spring 2008 caused by abrasion of active substance from treated seeds during sowing of maize

contribution to session V Honey bee poisoning incidents and monitoring schemes In spring 2008 a high number of bee poisoning incidents was recorded during sowing of maize in the Upper Rhine valley and in South Bavaria near Passau. More than 11.500 honey bee colonies from about 700 beekeepers in the Upper Rhine valley showed symptoms of insecticide poisoning. The reason for the poisoning was the abrasion of dust from maize seeds treated with the insecticide Poncho Pro (a.s. clothianidin) during the sowing process and blowing out of this dust containing the active substance into the environment with pneumatic sowing machines, resulting in contamination of nectar and pollen. The poisonings occurred in areas in southern Germany in which an eradication program for the quarantine pest Diabrotica virgifera virgifera was active and where clothianidin was used at a high rate (125 g a.s. /ha) on a large scale. An exceptionally high amount of dust of up to 80 g per 100.000 kernels of maize was detected in some of the maize seed batches. The chemical analysis of dust, plant samples, bee samples, fresh pollen and bee bread confirmed the poisoning by clothianidin originating from treated maize seeds. No correlation with any bee pathogens was detected. Keywords: seed treatment, drilling machines, neonicotinoid, clothianidin, dust, maize, drift, bee poisoning, honey bee

Melchor José Lavin: un hombre en la borrasca

Repaso biográfico e historiográfico sobre Melchor José Lavin.Departamento de Histori

Multiple-scattering effects on incoherent neutron scattering in glasses and viscous liquids

Incoherent neutron scattering experiments are simulated for simple dynamic models: a glass (with a smooth distribution of harmonic vibrations) and a viscous liquid (described by schematic mode-coupling equations). In most situations multiple scattering has little influence upon spectral distributions, but it completely distorts the wavenumber-dependent amplitudes. This explains an anomaly observed in recent experiments

Identifying a cut‐off point for normal mobility: a comparison of the timed ‘up and go' test in community‐dwelling and institutionalised elderly women

Background: physical mobility testing is an essential component of the geriatric assessment. The timed up and go test measures basic mobility skills including a sequence of functional manoeuvres used in everyday life. Objectives: to create a practical cut‐off value to indicate normal versus below normal timed up and go test performance by comparing test performance of community‐dwelling and institutionalised elderly women. Setting and participants: 413 community‐dwelling and 78 institutionalised mobile elderly women (age range 65-85 years) were enrolled in a cross‐sectional study. Measurements: timed up and go test duration, residential and mobility status, age, height, weight and body mass index were documented. Results: 92% of community‐dwelling elderly women performed the timed up and go test in less than 12 seconds and all community‐dwelling women had times below 20 seconds. In contrast only 9% of institutionalised elderly women performed the timed up and go test in less than 12 seconds, 42% were below 20 seconds, 32% had results between 20 and 30 seconds and 26% were above 30 seconds. The 10th-90th percentiles for timed up and go test performance were 6.0-11.2 seconds for community‐dwelling and 12.7-50.1 seconds for institutionalised elderly women. When stratifying participants according to mobility status, the timed up and go test duration increased significantly with decreasing mobility (Kruskall‐Wallis‐test: p<0.0001). Linear regression modelling identified residential status (p<0.0001) and physical mobility status (p<0.0001) as significant predictors of timed up and go performance. This model predicted 54% of total variation of timed up and go test performance. Conclusion: residential and mobility status were identified as the strongest predictors of timed up and go test performance. We recommend the timed up and go test as a screening tool to determine whether an in‐depth mobility assessment and early intervention, such as prescription of a walking aid, home visit or physiotherapy, is necessary. Community‐dwelling elderly women between 65 and 85 years of age should be able to perform the timed up and go test in 12 seconds or les

Dissolved organic matter characteristics of deciduous and coniferous forests with variable management: different at the source, aligned in the soil

This dataset contains the data to the article: "Dissolved organic matter characteristics of deciduous and coniferous forests with variable management: different at the source, aligned in the soil" published in BiogeosciencesDFG/108154260/Elementkreisläufe in Grünland- und Waldökosystemen der Biodiversitätsexploratorien in Abhängigkeit von Landnutzungsintensität und damit verknüpfter Biodiversität/BECycle