Susceptibility of Adult Colorado Potato Beetle (\u3cem\u3eLeptinotarsa Decemlineata\u3c/em\u3e) to the Fungal Entomopathogen \u3cem\u3eBeauveria Bassiana\u3cem\u3e

Factors influencing the susceptibility of adult Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), to the fungal entomopathogen, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.), were studied. In an assay comparing trials between a): laboratory reared, non-diapausing beetles and b): field collected, post-diapausing beetles, survival of B. bassiana treated beetles was higher for non-diapausing adults, however, control mortality was higher for post-diapausing adults. In a similar assay with field collected pre- and post-diapausing beetles, survival of B. bassiana treated individuals was higher for post-diapause adults and control mortality was higher for post-diapausing adults than pre-diapausing beetles. In a third experiment, the effect of time from eclosion from the pupal case on susceptibility of laboratory-reared, non-diapausing adults was evaluated. A trend of increasing susceptibility up to 60-degree days (base 10° C) was be seen, and a significant decline of mortality occurred after 125-degree days. The effect of sublethal and lethal doses of B. bassiana were evaluated on the survival of overwintering beetles. B. bassiana dose had no effect on the proportions of beetles sporulating or dylng. Behavior and infection of newly emerged adult CPB in the presence of B. bassiana infected cadavers was studied to determine the likelihood of transmission of disease as beetles emerge from the soil and colonize host plants. In 2001, arenas were constructed to accommodate potted greenhouse grown potato plants surrounded with soil to simulate the field environment. B. bassiana-killed, sporulating adult beetles were placed in varying patterns surrounding a release point for healthy beetles in the center of the arena. Laboratory reared, newly eclosed beetles were buried just below the soil surface at the release point and were observed for 30 minutes as they emerged and colonized one of four plants. The study was replicated in 2002 using a similar grid in a potato field. In both the arena and field, emerging beetles showed no preference for movement in any cardinal direction, and direction was not affected by the presence or absence of B. bassiana sporulating cadavers, nor did the presence of cadavers affect the time taken to colonize a plant or the distance traveled by a beetle. Relative humidity (RH) was a significant factor for distance traveled to the plant, with longer travel distances as the RH declined. The plant colonization behavior of newly emerged Colorado potato beetles does not appear to be altered by the presence of B. bassiana cadavers in the immediate environment. The likelihood of emerging adults contacting sporulating cadavers on the soil surface was quantified at different cadaver densities. A curvilinear relationship exists between density of cadavers on the soil surface and the square root number of encounters, with encounters increasing with increasing density. Proportional mortality and sporulation also have a curvilinear relationship with density, both values increasing with cadaver density. Thus, beetles show no avoidance behavior to sporulating cadavers. Density of sporulating cadavers on the soil surface is an important factor in the horizontal transmission of B. bassiana from cadavers to healthy, post-pupation adults

Virulence Evolution of Fungal Pathogens in Social and Solitary Bees with an Emphasis on Multiple Infections

The health of pollinators, especially bees, is of the utmost importance to success of many agricultural ecosystems. Microorganisms can cause diseases in bees; such microbes are pathogenic. The ability of a pathogen to cause harm to its host (such as a bee) is termed its virulence. Studying the evolution of different levels of virulence can lead researchers to a better understanding of pathogens, and potentially predict how much harm a pathogen can cause in the future. We studied the evolution of virulence levels for a fungal disease of bees. This group of fungi is composed of 28 species, and some cause a disease in bees called chalkbrood while others do not. Using what we know about virulence evolution we wanted to see if the pathogens could infect all bees, if the pathogens varied in virulence when infecting at the same time as another pathogen, and if solitary bees had any behavioral adaptations that might increase or decrease chalkbrood infection. By using DNA sequences, the relationship between the genetic structures of each of the fungal species was studied, and we found that pathogens of solitary bees grouped together while pathogens of social bees (honey bees) were not part of this group. We then found that a solitary bee pathogen did not infect honey bees very well, and vice versa. The nuances of the relationship between two solitary bee pathogens were examined more closely to determine how the two pathogens interact in this bee. In this case, under varying conditions of infection, one pathogen always maintained a similar level of virulence and spore production, while the other pathogen varied in these measures. In addition, when doses of these fungi were fed to bee larvae at different times, more bees survived than when the doses were given at the same time, suggesting that bee immune responses are very important. Finally, we found no evidence of any specific behaviors of solitary bees exposed to infective spores that would suggest these bees have behaviors that are evolved to alter chalkbrood levels in populations

Histological atlas of Florida Surgeonfish (Acanthuridae)

This histological atlas focuses on A. coeruleus and includes major organs and tissues. Particularly note the stomach tissues of both species, which illustrate the difference in digestive strategies of the Carribbean Acanthurids. Acanthurus chirurgus was intentionally left out of this atlas, as its tissues are identical to those of ?A. bahianus(PDF has 22 pages

Grief and Fantasy in Children Aged 7 to 9 Years: A Case Study

Grieving situations are inevitable and are part of human development, as well as being necessary for the constitution and formation of the subject. The death of a loved one can be felt intensely and painfully and, when it occurs in childhood, it can generate strong reactions, anguish, and sadness during the grieving process. This article aims to investigate children's grief and fantasies related to death. The study was developed at a Clinical School of Psychology, in the south of the state of Tocantins, with nine (9) children aged between 7 and 9 years as participants. The information from the interviews with the parents was interpreted, in playful interviews and application of the HTP and BDS - IJ tests with the children. The results suggest that the type of death, how it was communicated and the child's bond with the deceased person are aspects that must be considered, when it comes to the loss and its consequences in child development since they can operate as generators of conflicts involving ambivalent feelings and fantasies, such as guilt, omnipotence, and rejection, in addition to the perception of helplessness. The conflicts and feelings expressed by the children demonstrated the child's understanding of death, with the crossing of feelings such as fear and insecurity about changes in the family structure and dynamics. Such facts reinforce the need for support measures, both for children and for the weakened family Keywords: Death, grief, child, conflict, fantasy. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-8-01 Publication date: April 30th 202

The effect of photobleaching on bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) setae color and its implications for studying aging and behavior

Historically, bee age has been estimated using measurements of wing wear and integument color change.  These measurements have been useful in studies of foraging ecology and plant-pollinator interactions.  Wing wear is speculated to be affected by the behaviors associated with foraging, nesting, and mating activities.  Setal color change may be an additional parameter used to measure bee age if it is affected by sun exposure during these same activities.  The objectives of this study were to experimentally assess the effect of direct sun exposure on setal color, unicellular hair-like processes of the integument, and determine whether wing wear and integument photobleaching are correlated.  To quantify photobleaching of setae, we measured changes in hue of lab-reared Bombus huntii Greene (Apidae) exposed to natural sunlight.  We found that sun exposure was a significant variable in determining setal bleaching.  To assess the relationship between wing wear and setal photobleaching, we scored wing wear and measured setal hue of B. huntii, Melecta pacifica fulvida Cresson (Apidae), and Osmia integra Cresson (Megachilidae) from museum specimens.  Wing wear and setal hue values were positively correlated for all three species; however, the strength of the relationship varies across bee species as indicated by correlation coefficient estimates.  Our results suggest that setal color change is affected by sun exposure, and is likely an accurate estimate of bee age.  We suggest that future investigations of bee aging consider a suite of morphometric characteristics due to differences in natural history and sociobiology that may be confounded by the use of a single characteristic

The Repercussion of Grief on Childhood in Situations Involving Violent Death

The death of a loved one can be felt intensely and painfully and, for children, it could generate strong reactions, anguish, and sadness during the grieving process. To analyze the expression of children's loss when facing the violent death of a close people with affective bonds with the child, the research was developed in a School Clinic of Psychology in the Tocantins, having as participants six (6) children with ages between 7 and 10 years old. The information from the interviews with the guardians, through ludic interviews and application of the BDS-IJ test with the children, were interpreted. The results suggest that the children's answers signal the way they have been feeling and where some items indicating areas encompassing mood, thinking, and the social sphere was repeated among the children. We conclude that children have difficulties understanding the period of loss and internalizing feelings related to it. It is important to emphasize that even though the mourning process is difficult, it does matter that the children express their feelings and fantasies, either by playing or through conversation, accompanied by family support to go through this disorganizing period more adequately. Keywords: Violence, Death, Grief, Children, Family. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-20-02 Publication date:October 31st 2021

Distance mathematics education in Flanders, Germany, and the Netherlands during the COVID 19 lockdown: —the student perspective

In March 2020, many schools worldwide were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This closure confronted mathematics teachers with the challenging transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT). How did students experience ERT, and how did these experiences relate to context variables and to their teachers’ beliefs and practices? In particular, what didactic approaches and formative assessment practices did secondary mathematics students experience, and which beliefs did they hold concerning digital mathematics education? How were these student experiences and beliefs related to student context variables (gender, need to support family, personal home equipment), teacher beliefs, delivery modes, and student appreciation of mathematics? To investigate these issues, we set out online questionnaires for mathematics teachers and their students in Flanders—the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium—, Germany, and the Netherlands. Data consisted of completed questionnaires by 323 mathematics teachers and 2126 of their students. Results show that even though students preferred regular face-to-face teaching, they were content with the quality of their teachers’ distance mathematics teaching. Students reported that they were taught new topics often, but did not experience teachers initiating peer feedback. High student appreciation of mathematics, good home environment, and more synchronous delivery of ERT were related to ERT experiences and more positive beliefs concerning digital mathematics education. These findings have implications for ERT teaching strategies in future, as well as for hybrid teaching practices

Progressive and biased divergent evolution underpins the origin and diversification of peridinin dinoflagellate plastids

Dinoflagellates are algae of tremendous importance to ecosystems and to public health. The cell biology and genome organization of dinoflagellate species is highly unusual. For example, the plastid genomes of peridinin-containing dinoflagellates encode only a minimal number of genes arranged on small elements termed "minicircles". Previous studies of peridinin plastid genes have found evidence for divergent sequence evolution, including extensive substitutions, novel insertions and deletions, and use of alternative translation initiation codons. Understanding the extent of this divergent evolution has been hampered by the lack of characterized peridinin plastid sequences. We have identified over 300 previously unannotated peridinin plastid mRNAs from published transcriptome projects, vastly increasing the number of sequences available. Using these data, we have produced a well-resolved phylogeny of peridinin plastid lineages, which uncovers several novel relationships within the dinoflagellates. This enables us to define changes to plastid sequences that occurred early in dinoflagellate evolution, and that have contributed to the subsequent diversification of individual dinoflagellate clades. We find that the origin of the peridinin dinoflagellates was specifically accompanied by elevations both in the overall number of substitutions that occurred on plastid sequences, and in the Ka/Ks ratio associated with plastid sequences, consistent with changes in selective pressure. These substitutions, alongside other changes, have accumulated progressively in individual peridinin plastid lineages. Throughout our entire dataset, we identify a persistent bias toward non-synonymous substitutions occurring on sequences encoding photosystem I subunits and stromal regions of peridinin plastid proteins, which may have underpinned the evolution of this unusual organelle.Wellcome Trus