Ecological Management of the Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Megachile pacifica (Panzer), with Emphasis on Diapause Induction

The effects of photoperiod and temperature on diapause induction in the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile pacifica (Panzer) (=M. rotundata Auct.), were studied during the summers of 1972, 1973 and 1974, The influence of photoperiod and temperature on mortality, rate of development and incidence of diapause was measured during the developmental stages of this insect. The aim of this research was to assess the potential for manipulation of the number of generations of this bee per season so as to develop a practical and ecologically-sound method of management, Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of M. pacifica were subjected to regimens of temperatures of 5, 10, 14, 16.5, 20, 21, 25, 26.5 and 30°c and photoperiods of 0, 8 and 16 hours of light, Experiments conducted during 1972 and 1973 involved treating eggs and larvae directly to deter-mine whether diapause was induced in the immature stages, No difference was found between the test and control groups, Experiments of 1973 and 1974 involving treatment of either pupae or adults were designed to determine if inducement of diapause was maternal, Treated adults were released, their progeny were collected and reared to check for percent pupation. These experiments on the adults failed to show any difference between the experimental and control groups in percentage of diapause. Treatment of the pupal stage was conducted in 1974 by subjecting stages from the dark pupa to pre-emerged adult to a temperature of 10° C for 3 hours daily for 8 consecutive days. This low-temperature treatment proved to be most effective in inducing diapause, resulting in 96 percent diapause as compared to 60 percent for the control group. The findings indicate that diapause in M. pacifica is maternally induced and that the possibility of developing a practical method for producing either univoltine or bivoltine generations per season is promising. Recommendations are given for better management of M. pacifica

Ælfric's Grammar, A Single Witness Edition

The thesis consists of a single-witness edition of the text of Ælfric of Eynsham’s (c. 955 × 1010–20) Grammar based on the 11th century manuscript London, British Library, Harley 3271, together with an introduction which both surveys the work’s historical context and discusses key features of the text itself. An overrarching theme of the introduction is the significance of the Grammar’s peculiar place in the history of textual transmission and of education in medieval England as it was the first translation of a Latin grammar into a vernacular European language. It thus provided its readers a more easily attainable access to Latin, the language of learning, for which reason Ælfric himself calls the text “the key that unlocks the meaning of books.

Internal Motivation and Feelings of College Students in the Developmental Program

The purpose of the Developmental Education Program at Southeastern Louisiana University is to provide a program to meet the needs of students who enter the University with inadequate school preparation. One major problem facing the entering college student is a lack of basic reading skills which hampers the student\u27s ability to follow classroom presentations, read required materials, organize and summarize content information, and interpret examination instructions and questions. Student deficiencies in the area of reading include low word recognition, poor meaning vocabulary, inadequate reading comprehension and slow rate of reading. The other pressing problem is the students\u27 lack of confidence in a competitive classroom setting caused by low academic skills and low self-concept

On the probability of occurrence of rogue waves

A number of extreme and rogue wave studies have been conducted theoretically, numerically, experimentally and based on field data in the last years, which have significantly advanced our knowledge of ocean waves. So far, however, consensus on the probability of occurrence of rogue waves has not been achieved. The present investigation is addressing this topic from the perspective of design needs. Probability of occurrence of extreme and rogue wave crests in deep water is here discussed based on higher order time simulations, experiments and hindcast data. Focus is given to occurrence of rogue waves in high sea states

The 100 000 Genomes Project: What it means for paediatrics

The 100 000 Genomes Project is a unique, national programme combining research and transformation of clinical care, by undertaking whole genome sequencing (WGS) in patients with rare diseases and cancer. Made possible by technological advances in next-generation sequencing1 and falling costs, this project aims to find the genes which cause a patient's rare disease and identify genetic changes which occur in the tumour of a child or adult with cancer, to understand the mechanism of disease and develop therapies to personalise treatment. Patients are recruited through the National Health Service (NHS) and their medical course is tracked for life through their NHS number with results fed back through routine NHS services. It will also lay the foundations for a new ‘genomic medicine’ service for the NHS.2 The project is coordinated by Genomics England, with participants enrolled through one of 13 NHS Genomic Medicine Centres (figure 1), covering all of England. Unlike genome projects in other countries3 that have yielded information on variants associated with common diseases and ancestry, the scale of the 100 000 Genomes Project is much greater. The ability to track long-term outcomes through the patients' NHS number provides a unique opportunity to link genomic and phenotypic data to hospital admissions (via hospital episode statistics) as well as lifelong response to interventions and treatments

Signal Processing Methods for Removing the Effects of Whole Body Vibration upon Speech

Humans may be exposed to whole-body vibration in environments where clear speech communications are crucial, particularly during the launch phases of space flight and in high-performance aircraft. Prior research has shown that high levels of vibration cause a decrease in speech intelligibility. However, the effects of whole-body vibration upon speech are not well understood, and no attempt has been made to restore speech distorted by whole-body vibration. In this paper, a model for speech under whole-body vibration is proposed and a method to remove its effect is described. The method described reduces the perceptual effects of vibration, yields higher ASR accuracy scores, and may significantly improve intelligibility. Possible applications include incorporation within communication systems to improve radio-communication systems in environments such a spaceflight, aviation, or off-road vehicle operations

Gentamicin, genetic variation and deafness in preterm children.

Hearing loss in children born before 32 weeks of gestation is more prevalent than in full term infants. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are routinely used to treat bacterial infections in babies on neonatal intensive care units. However, this type of medication can have harmful effects on the auditory system. In order to avoid this blood levels should be maintained in the therapeutic range. However in individuals with a mitochondrial genetic variant (m.1555A > G), permanent hearing loss can occur even when drug levels are within normal limits. The aim of the study is to investigate the burden that the m.1555A > G mutation represents to deafness in very preterm infants

Lack of significant association between mutations of KCNJ10 or FOXI1 and SLC26A4 mutations in pendred syndrome/enlarged vestibular aqueducts

Pendred syndrome is a common autosomal recessive disorder causing deafness. Features include sensorineural hearing impairment, goitre, enlarged vestibular aqueducts (EVA) and occasionally Mondini dysplasia. Hearing impairment and EVA may occur in the absence of goitre or thyroid dyshormonogensis in a condition known as non-syndromic EVA. A significant number of patients with Pendred syndrome and non-syndromic EVA show only one mutation in SLC26A4. Two genes, KCNJ10, encoding an inwardly rectifying potassium channel and FOXI1, a transcriptional factor gene, are thought to play a role in the disease phenotypes