Host Selection of the giant willow aphid (Tuberolachnus salignus)

The giant willow aphid [Tuberolachnus salignus (Gmelin)] has recently become noteworthy as a potential pest species due to the increased uptake of willow, its host-plant, for use in growing biomass for energy production. In this paper we describe host selection studies of T. salignus on short rotation coppice (SRC) willow varieties in laboratory bioassays and field experiments. In laboratory olfactometry tests, T. salignus was significantly attracted to certain SRC willow varieties, but not to others. Field trials during 2007 and 2008 showed that T. salignus infestation levels varied significantly on different SRC willow varieties and that levels are highest on the varieties to which they are most strongly attracted in the laboratory bioassays

Opportunities for system level improvement in antibiotic use across the surgical pathway

Optimizing antibiotic prescribing across the surgical pathway (before, during, and after surgery) is a key aspect of tackling important drivers of antimicrobial resistance and simultaneously decreasing the burden of infection at the global level. In the UK alone, 10 million patients undergo surgery every year, which is equivalent to 60% of the annual hospital admissions having a surgical intervention. The overwhelming majority of surgical procedures require effectively limited delivery of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infections. Evidence from around the world indicates that antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis are administered ineffectively, or are extended for an inappropriate duration of time postoperatively. Ineffective antibiotic prophylaxis can contribute to the development of surgical site infections (SSIs), which represent a significant global burden of disease. The World Health Organization estimates SSI rates of up to 50% in postoperative surgical patients (depending on the type of surgery), with a particular problem in low- and middle-income countries, where SSIs are the most frequently reported healthcare-associated infections. Across European hospitals, SSIs alone comprise 19.6% of all healthcare-acquired infections. Much of the scientific research in infection management in surgery is related to infection prevention and control in the operating room, surgical prophylaxis, and the management of SSIs, with many studies focusing on infection within the 30-day postoperative period. However it is important to note that SSIs represent only one of the many types of infection that can occur postoperatively. This article provides an overview of the surgical pathway and considers infection management and antibiotic prescribing at each step of the pathway. The aim was to identify the implications for research and opportunities for system improvement

Development and optimisation of a sex pheromone lure for monitoring populations of saddle gall midge, Haplodiplosis marginata

Saddle gall midge, Haplodiplosis marginata (von Roser) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a sporadic pest of cereals in Northern and Central Europe and is of increasing importance in the UK. Recently the major component of the sex pheromone produced by adult female H. marginata was reported to be 2-nonyl butyrate. The importance of absolute configuration on attractiveness, the effects on trap catches of the addition of minor pheromone components, dispenser type, and pheromone loading are described in the development of an optimised pheromone lure with which to trap H. marginata males. In analyses of volatiles collected from virgin female H. marginata by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to electroantennographic recording (EAG) from the antenna of a male H. marginata, two EAG responses were observed. Analyses by coupled GC-mass spectrometry (MS) indicated these were due to 2-nonyl butyrate and a trace amount (1%) of 2-heptyl butyrate. A similar trace amount of 2-nonanol was detected in GC-MS analyses but this compound did not elicit an EAG response when the synthetic compound was tested, whereas while the other two compounds did. These three compounds were not observed in collections of volatiles made from male H. marginata. The 2-nonyl butyrate was shown to be the (R)-enantiomer, and i. In field trapping tests (R)-2-nonyl butyrate was at least ten times10× more attractive to male H. marginata than the racemic compound, and while the (S)-enantiomer was unattractive. Addition of the potential minor components individually or together at the naturally -occurring ratios did not increase or reduce the attractiveness of the lure. Polyethylene vials and rubber septa were equally effective as pheromone dispensers, lasting for at least five 5 weeks in the field in the UK, although laboratory tests indicated release from the former was more uniform and more likely to last longer in the field. Increasing loading of pheromone in the dispenser increased attractiveness. Traps baited with polyethylene vials containing 0.5 mg of (R)-2-nonyl butyrate are recommended for monitoring H. marginata and these are far more sensitive than water or sticky traps currently used for monitoring this pest

Outdoor learning spaces: the case of forest school

© 2017 The Author. Area published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This paper contributes to the growing body of research concerning use of outdoor spaces by educators, and the increased use of informal and outdoor learning spaces when teaching primary school children. The research takes the example of forest school, a form of regular and repeated outdoor learning increasingly common in primary schools. This research focuses on how the learning space at forest school shapes the experience of children and forest school leaders as they engage in learning outside the classroom. The learning space is considered as a physical space, and also in a more metaphorical way as a space where different behaviours are permitted, and a space set apart from the national curriculum. Through semi-structured interviews with members of the community of practice of forest school leaders, the paper seeks to determine the significance of being outdoors on the forest school experience. How does this learning space differ from the classroom environment? What aspects of the forest school learning space support pupils’ experiences? How does the outdoor learning space affect teaching, and the dynamics of learning while at forest school? The research shows that the outdoor space provides new opportunities for children and teachers to interact and learn, and revealed how forest school leaders and children co-create a learning environment in which the boundaries between classroom and outdoor learning, teacher and pupil, are renegotiated to stimulate teaching and learning. Forest school practitioners see forest school as a separate learning space that is removed from the physical constraints of the classroom and pedagogical constraints of the national curriculum to provide a more flexible and responsive learning environment.Peer reviewe

Overseas Conservation Education and research: the new colonialism?

The overseas field course is a common feature of European and North American undergraduate degrees and increasingly students are seeking out volunteering opportunities abroad in order to gain career-related experience in the overcrowded conservation sector. We argue that, without careful consideration, both activities run the twin risks of becoming ‘parachute’ science and perpetuating harmful neo-colonial attitudes. We propose a series of guidelines for those running overseas university field courses and volunteering activities to reduce these risks

Project MOSI: rationale and pilot-study results of an initiative to help protect zoo animals from mosquito-transmitted pathogens and contribute data on mosquito spatio–temporal distribution change

Mosquito-borne pathogens pose major threats to both wildlife and human health and, largely as a result of unintentional human-aided dispersal of their vector species, their cumulative threat is on the rise. Anthropogenic climate change is expected to be an increasingly significant driver of mosquito dispersal and associated disease spread. The potential health implications of changes in the spatio-temporal distribution of mosquitoes highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance and, where necessary, vector control and other health-management measures. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums initiative, Project MOSI, was established to help protect vulnerable wildlife species in zoological facilities from mosquito-transmitted pathogens by establishing a zoo-based network of fixed mosquito monitoring sites to assist wildlife health management and contribute data on mosquito spatio-temporal distribution changes. A pilot study for Project MOSI is described here, including project rationale and results that confirm the feasibility of conducting basic standardized year-round mosquito trapping and monitoring in a zoo environment

Is the Insect Apocalypse upon us? How to Find Out

In recent decades, entomologists have documented alarming declines in occurrence, taxonomic richness, and geographic range of insects around the world. Additionally, some recent studies have reported that insect abundance and biomass, often of common species, are rapidly declining, which has led some to dub the phenomenon an “Insect Apocalypse”. Recent reports are sufficiently robust to justify immediate actions to protect insect biodiversity worldwide. We caution, however, that we do not yet have the data to assess large-scale spatial patterns in the severity of insect trends. Most documented collapses are from geographically restricted studies and, alone, do not allow us to draw conclusions about insect declines on continental or global scales, especially with regards to future projections of total insect biomass, abundance, and extinction. There are many challenges to understanding insect declines: only a small fraction of insect species have had any substantial population monitoring, millions of species remain unstudied, and most of the long-term population data for insects come from human-dominated landscapes in western and northern Europe. But there are still concrete steps we can take to improve our understanding of potential declines. Here, we review the challenges scientists face in documenting insect population and diversity trends, including communicating their findings, and recommend research approaches needed to address these challenges

An evaluation of the implementation of interventions to reduce post-operative infections and optimise antibiotic use across the surgical pathway in India: A mixed methods exploratory study protocol

Introduction: Postoperative infections represent a significant burden of disease, demanding antibiotic prescriptions, and are contributing to antimicrobial resistance. The burden of infection as a surgical complication is greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We report the protocol of a pilot study for the co-design, implementation and evaluation of two infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions across the surgical pathway in a teaching hospital in India. Methods and analysis: The two interventions developed following in-depth qualitative enquiry are (i) surveillance and feedback of postoperative infections to optimise the use of antibiotics in two surgical departments (gastrointestinal and cardiovascular and thoracic surgery) and (ii) raising awareness amongst patients, carers and members of public about IPC and AMS. We will conduct a prospective study, formatively evaluating the implementation process of delivering the two co-designed interventions using implementation science frameworks. The study will systematically assess the context of intervention delivery, so that implementation support for the interventions may be adapted to the needs of stakeholders throughout the study. Analysis of implementation logs and interviews with stakeholders upon completion of the implementation period, will offer insights into the perceived acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility and sustainability of the interventions and their implementation support. Implementation costs will be captured descriptively. Feasibility of clinical data collection to investigate effectiveness of interventions will also be assessed for a future larger study. Thematic framework analysis and descriptive statistics will be used to report the qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. Strengths and limitations of this study: • The paired interventions have been co-designed from their inception with involvement of stakeholders at different stages in the surgical pathway. • Simultaneous evaluation of implementation and clinical outcomes will inform the development of a future larger study to enable/assess the scalability of interventions • The study offers a novel combination of implementation theory-informed, stakeholder-driven and clinically relevant evaluation, carried out in the context of a middle-income country hospital. • The project may not be applicable to every low-resource setting and surgical context due to differences in healthcare systems and cultures. However, the application of implementation science concepts may facilitate transferability and adaptation to other settings