Development of a Tentative Science Program for Hebeler Elementary School

The purpose of this study is to (1) develop a group of science topics and subtopics used and accepted for elementary science; and (2) list certain criteria concerning Hebeler Elementary School (H.E.S.) which can be used in determining appropriate content for the science program; and (3) select topics and subtopics for developing the H.E.S. science program using the listed criteria for selection

Development of thermal process for Gaeng Phed Gai in Retort Pouches

Gaeng Phed Gai - a traditional Thai dish containing chicken in coconut milk with red chili and striped bamboo shoot - packed in retort pouches was processed to commercial sterility in a still retort. Process lethality was determined by temperature measurements and use of bioindicators. The quality of the product was evaluated by microbiological tests, analysis of nutritional contents and sensory assessment. The product was commercially sterile after the heat treatment, but the sensory quality was insufficient. For taste, juiciness and overall acceptability, heat-treated product received significantly lower scores than the untreated product. Calculations of cook value and further reinforced the impression that the product was overheated due to the slowness of the retort used. Searches in scientific databases revealed reports from several Asian studies of similar products and processes. These show that it is possible to produce food consisting of large pieces in liquid medium, retaining an acceptable quality for extended periods of storage at ambient temperatures. The conclusion is that it should be possible to produce shelf-stable Gaeng Phed Gai with a good quality, if further tests are carried out with a faster retort. It is recommended that pouches with Gaeng Phed Gai are heat-treated to a process lethality (F0) of 10 minutes, as this would guarantee consumer safety and low levels of economical spoilage. An F0 as low as 6 minutes can be used if the initial levels of heat resistant spores in the raw materials are proven to be low by practical tests

The Baetis vernus group (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) of northernmost Europe: an evidently diverse but poorly understood group of mayflies

The Baetis vernus group is known to be a taxonomically difficult group of mayflies. Morphological characters such as themandibles or gills of nymphs overlap widely. We report here that enzyme electromorph frequencies also fail to show reproductive isolation in many cases. Baetis macani has been divided in the literature into two forms, a lentic one with broader gills living in stagnant waters, while the lotic one with narrower gills lives in flowing water. We show that the two evidently represent reproductively isolated taxa, B. macani Kimmins = B. bundyae auct. nec, while the one with broader gills appears to be a new species. Baetis macani, B. subalpinus, B. liebenauae and B. vernus form a cluster that is genetically not divisible according to the recognized species boundaries.Nymph gill length differentiates, however, B. macani from B. subalpinus and B. vernus. We call for studies on population structuring andmolecular taxonomy to resolve the taxonomy and ecology of this important group of mayflies

Multiple Origins of Elytral Reticulation Modifications in the West Palearctic Agabus bipustulatus Complex (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

The Agabus bipustulatus complex includes one of Europe's most widely distributed and common diving beetles. This complex, which is known for its large morphological variation, has a complex demographic and altitudinal variation in elytral reticulation. The various depth of the reticulation imprint, both in smaller and larger meshes, results in both mat and shiny individuals, as well as intermediate forms. The West Palearctic lowland is inhabited by a sexually dimorphic form, with shiny males and mat females. In mountain regions, shiny individuals of both sexes are found intermixed with mat individuals or in pure populations in central and southern areas, whereas pure populations of mat individuals are exclusively found in the northern region at high altitude. Sexual selection is proposed as a driving force in shaping this variation. However, the occurrence of different types of reticulation in both sexes and disjunct geographical distribution patterns suggest an additional function of the reticulation. Here we investigate the phylogeographical history, genetic structure and reticulation variation of several named forms within the Agabus bipustulatus complex including A. nevadensis. The molecular analyses recognised several well-supported clades within the complex. Several of the named forms had two or more independent origins. Few south European populations were uniform in reticulation patterns, and the males were found to display large variation. Reticulation diversity and population genetic variability were clearly correlated to altitude, but no genetic differences were detected among populations with mixed or homogenous forms. Observed reduction in secondary reticulation in female and increased variance in male at high altitude in South Europe may be explained by the occurrence of an additional selective force, beside sexual selection. The combined effect of these selective processes is here demonstrated in an extreme case to generate isolation barriers between populations at high altitudes. Here we discuss this selective force in relation to thermal selection

Evaluation of multi-level social learning for sustainable landscapes: perspective of a development initiative in Bergslagen, Sweden

To implement policies about sustainable landscapesand rural development necessitates social learningabout states and trends of sustainability indicators, normsthat define sustainability, and adaptive multi-level governance.We evaluate the extent to which social learning atmultiple governance levels for sustainable landscapesoccur in 18 local development initiatives in the network ofSustainable Bergslagen in Sweden. We mapped activitiesover time, and interviewed key actors in the network aboutsocial learning. While activities resulted in exchange ofexperiences and some local solutions, a major challengewas to secure systematic social learning and make newknowledge explicit at multiple levels. None of the developmentinitiatives used a systematic approach to securesocial learning, and sustainability assessments were notmade systematically. We discuss how social learning canbe improved, and how a learning network of developmentinitiatives could be realized

The effect of geographical scale of sampling on DNA barcoding.

Eight years after DNA barcoding was formally proposed on a large scale, CO1 sequences are rapidly accumulating from around the world. While studies to date have mostly targeted local or regional species assemblages, the recent launch of the global iBOL project (International Barcode of Life), highlights the need to understand the effects of geographical scale on Barcoding's goals. Sampling has been central in the debate on DNA Barcoding, but the effect of the geographical scale of sampling has not yet been thoroughly and explicitly tested with empirical data. Here, we present a CO1 data set of aquatic predaceous diving beetles of the tribe Agabini, sampled throughout Europe, and use it to investigate how the geographic scale of sampling affects 1) the estimated intraspecific variation of species, 2) the genetic distance to the most closely related heterospecific, 3) the ratio of intraspecific and interspecific variation, 4) the frequency of taxonomically recognized species found to be monophyletic, and 5) query identification performance based on 6 different species assignment methods. Intraspecific variation was significantly correlated with the geographical scale of sampling (R-square = 0.7), and more than half of the species with 10 or more sampled individuals (N = 29) showed higher intraspecific variation than 1% sequence divergence. In contrast, the distance to the closest heterospecific showed a significant decrease with increasing geographical scale of sampling. The average genetic distance dropped from > 7% for samples within 1 km, to 6000 km apart. Over a third of the species were not monophyletic, and the proportion increased through locally, nationally, regionally, and continentally restricted subsets of the data. The success of identifying queries decreased with increasing spatial scale of sampling; liberal methods declined from 100% to around 90%, whereas strict methods dropped to below 50% at continental scales. The proportion of query identifications considered uncertain (more than one species < 1% distance from query) escalated from zero at local, to 50% at continental scale. Finally, by resampling the most widely sampled species we show that even if samples are collected to maximize the geographical coverage, up to 70 individuals are required to sample 95% of intraspecific variation. The results show that the geographical scale of sampling has a critical impact on the global application of DNA barcoding. Scale-effects result from the relative importance of different processes determining the composition of regional species assemblages (dispersal and ecological assembly) and global clades (demography, speciation, and extinction). The incorporation of geographical information, where available, will be required to obtain identification rates at global scales equivalent to those in regional barcoding studies. Our result hence provides an impetus for both smarter barcoding tools and sprouting national barcoding initiatives-smaller geographical scales deliver higher accuracy

Exploring perceptions of Lean in the public sector

This paper explores discourses around Lean by examining the perceptions of new users of Lean in the public sector. The paper draws on actor–network theory as the basis for exploring what these new users think about Lean and uses data analysis tools to extrude concepts of significance. The data suggests that Lean continues to retain diverse, parallel and competing perspectives. The responses also signal that key concepts of Lean are missing from the discourses, and that this highlights a need to discuss Lean as a mindset—not just as a set of tools. The paper suggests future directions for research to further explore the issues emphasised by respondents