Tephritids of knapweeds, starthistles and safflower: results of a host choice experiment and the taxonomy of Terellia luteola (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

A host choice experiment was carried out to determine the host range of some potential biological control agents of yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), a Mediterranean plant which has become a serious rangeland weed in western USA. This paper describes the results of that experiment and discusses its taxonomic implications. The experiment confirmed the extreme host specificity of some species. However, two reputedly polyphagous species, Acanthiophilus helianthi (Rossi) and Urophora quadrifasciata (Meigen), attacked a narrower range of hosts than expected. The results of this and similar host choice experiments are discussed and it is concluded that this sort of anomaly can be caused by the existence of host races, unrecognized sibling species, or by varieties of plants naturally resistant to attack. These complex patterns of host relationship highlight the need to interpret host catalogue data cautiously, as they oversimplify complex biological systems. The identity of one species reared in the experiment, Terellia luteola (Wiedemann), is discussed; a key is presented for its separation from other Terellia species, and it is removed from synonymy with T. colon (Meigen

Influences on aircraft target off-block time prediction accuracy

With Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) as a generic concept of working together of all airport partners, the main aim of this research project was to increase the understanding of the Influences on the Target Off-Block Time (TOBT) Prediction Accuracy during A-CDM. Predicting the TOBT accurately is important, because all airport partners use it as a reference time for the departure of the flights after the aircraft turn-round. Understanding such influencing factors is therefore not only required for finding measures to counteract inaccurate TOBT predictions, but also for establishing a more efficient A-CDM turn-round process. The research method chosen comprises a number of steps. Firstly, within the framework of a Cognitive Work Analysis, the sub-processes as well as the information requirements during turn-round were analysed. Secondly, a survey approach aimed at finding and describing situations during turn-round that are critical for TOBT adherence was pursued. The problems identified here were then investigated in field observations at different airlines’ operation control rooms. Based on the findings from these previous steps, small-scale human-in-the-loop experiments were designed aimed at testing hypotheses about data/information availability that influence TOBT predictability. A turn-round monitoring tool was developed for the experiments. As a result of this project, the critical chain of turn-round events and the decisions necessary during all stages of the turn-round were identified. It was concluded that information required but not shared among participants can result in TOBT inaccuracy swings. In addition, TOBT predictability was shown to depend on the location of the TOBT turn-round controller who assigns the TOBT: More reliable TOBT predictions were observed when the turn-round controller was physically present at the aircraft. During the experiments, TOBT prediction could be improved by eight minutes, if available information was cooperatively shared ten minutes prior turn-round start between air crews and turn-round controller; TOBT prediction could be improved by 15 minutes, if additional information was provided by ramp agents five minutes after turnround start

A Summer Garden in the Marian Library

One of my favorite places to spend a summer Ohio morning is in our family garden of lavender bee balm and ripening cherry tomatoes. But in the summer of 2024, I deepened my appreciation for gardening in the Marian Library as a Marian Resident Scholar. Each day spent in the reading room, I admired a display of some gorgeous Marian artwork including images of Marian flowers drawn by Brother A. Joseph Barrish, S.M.; a botanical rosary by Katrina Rose Harrington; and a painting of Mary encircled by echinacea and monarch butterflies (inset image) by Ann Marie Coolick and Megan Coonelly. The Marian Library is also home to the John Stokes and Mary’s Gardens archives, and it is was with these archives that I spent my residency. The librarians have digitized some of this archival material to make it widely available in the University’s open-access institutional repository, but given my research and teaching in theology and care for creation, I wanted to learn more. With wonderful support from staff and librarians — Kayla Harris, Michele Jennings, Shari Neilson and Henry Handley — I was introduced to an amazing collection that consists of no less than 58.25 linear feet of carefully curated materials. These include, among other things, newspaper and magazine clippings, garden diagrams, spreadsheets of data on seed germination times and test plots, handwritten letters, photographs, journals, thank-you notes from Girl Scouts and others, and sealed seed packets that rattle with the sound of seed within them

Corticocortical evoked potentials reveal projectors and integrators in human brain networks.

The cerebral cortex is composed of subregions whose functional specialization is largely determined by their incoming and outgoing connections with each other. In the present study, we asked which cortical regions can exert the greatest influence over other regions and the cortical network as a whole. Previous research on this question has relied on coarse anatomy (mapping large fiber pathways) or functional connectivity (mapping inter-regional statistical dependencies in ongoing activity). Here we combined direct electrical stimulation with recordings from the cortical surface to provide a novel insight into directed, inter- regional influence within the cerebral cortex of awake humans. These networks of directed interaction were reproducible across strength thresholds and across subjects. Directed network properties included (1) a decrease in the reciprocity of connections with distance; (2) major projector nodes (sources of influence) were found in peri-Rolandic cortex and posterior, basal and polar regions of the temporal lobe; and (3) major receiver nodes (receivers of influence) were found in anterolateral frontal, superior parietal, and superior temporal regions. Connectivity maps derived from electrical stimulation and from resting electrocorticography (ECoG) correlations showed similar spatial distributions for the same source node. However, higher-level network topology analysis revealed differences between electrical stimulation and ECoG that were partially related to the reciprocity of connections. Together, these findings inform our understanding of large-scale corticocortical influence as well as the interpretation of functional connectivity networks

Webpage Ranking Analysis of Various Search Engines with Special Focus on Country-Specific Search

In order to attract many visitors to their own website, it is extremely important for website developers that their webpage is one of the best ranked webpages of search engines. As a rule, search engine operators do not disclose their exact ranking algorithm, so that website developers usually have only vague ideas about which measures have particularly positive influences on the webpage ranking. Conversely, we ask the question: "What are the properties of the best ranked webpages?" For this purpose, we perform a detailed analysis, in which we compare the properties of the best ranked webpages with the worse ranked webpages. Furthermore, we compare countryspecific differences

The mf-index: A Citation-Based Multiple Factor Index to Evaluate and Compare the Output of Scientists

Comparing the output of scientists as objective as possible is an important factor for, e.g., the approval of research funds or the filling of open positions at universities. Numeric indices, which express the scientific output in the form of a concrete value, may not completely supersede an overall view of a researcher, but provide helpful indications for the assessment. This work introduces the most important citation-based indices, analyzes their advantages and disadvantages and provides an overview of the aspects considered by them. On this basis, we identify the criteria that an advanced index should fulfill, and develop a new index, the mf-index. The objective of the mf-index is to combine the benefits of the existing indices, while avoiding as far as possible their drawbacks and to consider additional aspects. Finally, an evaluation based on data of real publications and citations compares the mf-index with existing indices and verifies that its advantages in theory can also be determined in practice