The effect of background knowledge on young children's comprehension of explicit and implicit information

Bibliography: leaves 15-16Supported in part by the National Institute of Educatio

El diálogo socrático como camino hacia la admiración y la Aletheia dentro de una investigación-acción cualitativa

In qualitative and action research, through Socratic dialogue, the researcher can help participants past a cognitive approach to the phenomenon, into a community of wonder (thaumazein), past observation of lived experience to foreboding and finally to openness. This openness serves as a ground for truth (aletheia). Researchers who try the Socratic approach may find it rewarding in the journey and in the research produced.En la investigación-acción de carácter cualitativo el investigador puede, por medio del diálogo socrático, ayudar a los participantes a transitar desde un acercamiento cognitivo a uno fenomenológico si se ubican en el seno de una comunidad de admiración (thaumazein), desde observación de las experiencias de vida a la intuición y al estado de apertura. Esta apertura es la base de la verdad (aletheia). Los investigadores que usen el enfoque socrático encontrarán recompensas tanto en su trabajo como en los resultados de sus indagaciones

New adult host records for three Buprestidae (Coleoptera) rarely encountered in the United States and significant extension of the known geographic range of \u3ci\u3eAgrilus pilosicollis\u3c/i\u3e Fisher

New adult host records of Agrilus langei Obenberger, A. pilosicollis Fisher, and Dicerca mutica LeConte (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) are reported. The known geographic range of A. pilosicollis is expanded from the type location in Kansas south to Texas and east to North Carolina. Images with key characters of each of the three species are included. Among the nearly 800 species of buprestids in North America (north of Mexico) are those known from very few specimens. Distribution and plant host information for such species is understandably limited and, in many cases, completely unknown (Nelson et al. 2008). A knowledge of host utilization is often the first step in under­standing the life history of such buprestid species. Adult host records of rarely encountered buprestids can be useful starting points to determine larval hosts, as adults of non-anthrophilous genera are frequently found feed­ing on larval plant hosts. Herein we report distribution and adult plant host records that may prove useful in future study of Agrilus langei Obenberger, A. pilosicollis Fisher and Dicerca mutica LeConte

Management of Potato Leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), on Alfalfa with the Aid of Systems Analysis

Efficient management of the potato leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) on alfalfa requires a procedure for dealing with the complexities of the ecological and economic system. We developed a mathematical model to represent this agroecosystem and demonstrated how systems analysis can help to make management more efficient and less risky. Our management policies were based on two criteria: annual income calculated from the nutrient yields of three harvests, and level of carbohydrate reserve in the taproots at the end of the season, We determined the dynamic economic thresholds for controlling the leafhoppers as immigrants on each of the cuttings of alfalfa. During development of the thresholds we tested a variety of control tactics, including timing of harvests, We found that, for adult immigrants on the second crop, the economic thresholds increase exponentially as stem height increases, Tactics associated with these thresholds included insecticide treatments and early cutting of the second harvest. The results indicated that temperature pattern has an important effect on the economic thresholds and risk. Evaluation of the model and its results through sensitivity analysis, validation, and a comparison with current recommendations showed that the model can be a useful tool in research and managemen

Design of SNP markers for Aldabra giant tortoises using low coverage ddRAD-seq

The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is one of only two remaining giant tortoise species worldwide. Captive-bred A. gigantea are being used in rewilding projects in the Western Indian Ocean to functionally replace the extinct endemic giant tortoise species and restore degraded island ecosystems. Furthermore, large-scale translocations may become necessary as rising sea levels threaten the only wild population on the low-lying Aldabra Atoll. Critical management decisions would be greatly facilitated by insights on the genetic structure of breeding populations. We used a double-digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) approach to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) among the wild population and two additional captive populations of A. gigantea. A total of 1674 unlinked, putatively neutral genome-wide SNPs were identified. The values of expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.33 to 0.5, whereas the minor allele frequency ranged from 0.20 to 0.5. These novel SNP markers will serve as useful tools for informing the conservation of A. gigantea