Insect Behaviour. Symposium no. 3 of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Ed. P. T. Haskell. London: The Royal Entomological Society, 1966. viii, 113 pp. $6.35. ..

Excerpt: The science of zoology is expanding at such a rate that it is difficult for even the relatively narrow specialist to keep up with the ever- increasing literature on his subject, and almost impossible to assimilate recent findings in the entire field of zoological research. The international congresses of zoology and entomology have helped, considerably by facilitating personal contact between workers of different nationalities. On a more modest scale, the symposia of the Royal Entomological Society of London have provided a useful means of bringing together entomologists in an atmosphere conducive to the free exchange of ideas and information

The Effect of External Pressures on Sentencing Judges

Aldoupolis v. Commonwealth illustrates three potential types of pressure on a sentencing judge: public opinion, opinions voiced by influential political figures, and opinions expressed by the press. This Comment explores the question of whether a sentencing judge may consider any of these pressures without violating the constitutional principles of procedural due process, the proscription against cruel and unusual punishment, equal protection, double jeopardy, and the common law-statutory proscription against abuse of discretion. Emphasis will be placed on public opinion, which often parallels the voices of those least heard by the criminal justice system: the victims

Students' perspective of a mathematics extension programme designed with special interest in history : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Studies (Mathematics) at Massey University

The current Mathematics in the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1992) includes the development of mathematical talent as a major aim of mathematics education. In catering for the individual needs of all students, the document emphasizes that students with exceptional ability in mathematics must be extended and are not expected to repeat the work they have already mastered. Talented students should be exposed to broader, richer, and more challenging mathematical experiences, should be allowed to investigate whole new topics, and work at a higher conceptual level. Despite a growing awareness among secondary school teachers of the needs of mathematically gifted and talented students in the New Zealand secondary school classrooms, there are few exemplars of how mathematics programmes can be adapted for class groups of talented students. This study involves an investigation based on student perceptions of a mathematics programme that build on specific interest of a whole class group of students. The aim of this qualitative exploratory case study, undertaken in an urban secondary school for girls, was to seek students' views on a Year 10 mathematics extension programme. As part of their Year 10 general extension programme, they participated in mathematics extension and studied history as their chosen option. While all students in this class were academically talented and high achievers in their core subject areas, not all of them were equally talented, or equally interested in mathematics. The mathematics extension programme, designed by their mathematics teacher (the researcher), specifically integrated their interest in history. Data was generated from student self-evaluation questionnaires at the beginning of the course, and student questionnaires and focus-group interviews at the end of the course. Students' written and verbal responses were analyzed and then conclusions drawn. The findings suggested that by approaching mathematics from a historical point of view and thereby building on their common interest, the programme of study facilitated the development of mathematical talent and supported students in developing interest and a positive disposition towards mathematics

Interactions between neighbouring plants

This thesis addresses the issue of interactions between neighbouring plants by looking at theory and models used in the study of wild plants with a view to applying them in the design of agroforests. In Part I difficulties of designing mixed crop stands are considered. Grime's model of the ecological strategies pursued by wild plants is described and its potential usefulness pointed out. Experimental results are presented suggesting that stress tolerant trees may interfere less with an understorey component than do competitive trees through the different patterns of spatial occupation manifested by their roots. Part II describes a statistical method to determine how any measurable attribute of one plant depends on the proximity and/or other characters of neighbouring plants. The method overcomes the need for unfeasibly large numbers of treatments encountered by conventional field trial methods. The method has the potential to offer a firm basis for the design of optimized plant production systems; and will also allow ecologists to detect and quantify interactions between wild plants in the field. Part III, using concepts of Evolutionary Game Theory, examines the question of cooperation in plants: both between the green plant and its associated vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi; and between neighbouring green plants connected by common VAM fungal hyphae. Exploring the implications for plants of Axelrod and Hamilton's (1981) Game Theoretic approach to the evolution of cooperative behaviour, it examines a logical problem in the view that the relationship between a green plant and associated VAM fungus is mutually beneficial. That the association is of mutual benefit would be insufficient to explain its persistence, and the fact that it does persist tells us something about its structure. It is shown that no logical paradox exists in postulating the simultaneous existence of competition for resources and of resource-sharing cooperation between a given pair of neighbouring green plants; and that at least a certain minimal type of cooperation may be deemed to exist between connected plant neighbours. Putting together findings from two fields - direct nutrient transfers and biotic specialisation - solves problems for both, and provides evidence for inter-plant cooperation. Possible evolutionary stages through which cooperation could have passed are discussed. Given this theory it can no longer safely be assumed that plants do not cooperate, and experimental results are presented suggesting that they may be able to. Scientific and economic implications are indicated for all three areas covered. Fertile ground exists for further research and suggestions are made for directions and methods

Open Access needs terminology to distinguish between Gold OA funding models

Shedding further light on the wider open access debate, Martin Eve calls for a more precise terminology for the variety of Gold OA business models that currently exist to help correct the false assumption in many academics’ minds that Gold OA necessarily requires an Article Processing Charge (APC)