Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the tropical hornet Vespa affinis (Insecta, Hymenoptera)

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the Asian tropical hornet Vespa affinis from Ishigaki Island, Japan. It consisted of a circular molecule with 19,109 bp, which is larger to other hornet species e.g. V. velutina. We predicted the genome contained 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and two rRNA genes, along with one A+T-rich control region. The repetitive sequences were confirmed at multiple positions in the non-coding genes. The initiation codons ATA was found in one, ATG in seven, ATT in five genes, while the termination codons TAA and TAG were observed 11 and two genes, respectively. The average AT content of the genome was 78.4%

The Death Narratives of Revitalization: Colonial Governance, China, and the Reconfiguration of the Hong Kong Film Industry

This essay examines the repercussions of colonial and postcolonial governance for the Hong Kong film industry. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork, I analyze Hong Kong film personnel's “death narratives” about their industry and argue that while many informants criticized China for the demise of the Hong Kong film industry, the source of the film industry's instability also lies in the territory's British colonial film policies and Hong Kong's postcolonial turn to the “global city.” I trace how the laissez-faire capitalism and positive non-interventionism policy of Hong Kong and its film industry that has been so deeply valorized has in fact contributed to its vulnerability. Demonstrating that film personnel of the former “Hollywood of the East” must increasingly cross borders to find work, the film industry's demise can also be understood as begetting revitalization through a free trade agreement with China that facilitates co-productions.postprin

Michael Jackson’s Gesamtkunstwerk: Artistic Interrelation, Immersion, and Interactivity From the Studio to the Stadium

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Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata : Varroidae)

Varroa destructor is a parasite mite of the eastern honey bee Apis cerana, which is native to Asia. The European honey bee Apis mellifera was imported to Asia from Europe and the USA for apiculture in the 19th century. In a short period of time, V. destructor parasitized the artificially introduced honey bees. Varroa destructor was estimated to have spread around the world with A. mellifera when it was exported from Asia to locations worldwide about 50 years ago. The mitochondrial DNA of the parasitic honey bee mite V. destructor was analyzed using next-generation sequencing. The complete mitochondrial genome of V. destructor was identified as a 16,476-bp circular molecule containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one AT-rich control region. The heavy strand was predicted to have nine PCGs and 13 tRNA genes, whereas the light strand was predicted to contain four PCGs, nine tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. All PCGs began with ATA as the start codon, except COIII and CytB, which had ATG as the start codon. Stop codons were of two types: TAA for eight genes and TAG for five genes. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that V. destructor from Japan was genetically distant from that of France. A high base substitution rate of 2.82% was also confirmed between the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of V. destructor from Japan and the USA, suggesting that one Varroa mite strain found in the USA is not from Japan

Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees

The ecto-parasitic mite Varroa destructor has transformed the previously inconsequential Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) into the most important honey bee viral pathogen responsible for the death of millions of colonies worldwide. Naturally, DWV persists as a low level covert infection transmitted between nest-mates. It has long been speculated that Varroa via immunosuppression of the bees, activate a covert infection into an overt one. Here we show that despite Varroa feeding on a population of 20-40 colonies for over 30 years on the remote island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil no such activation has occurred and DWV loads have remained at borderline levels of detection. This supports the alternative theory that for a new vector borne viral transmission cycle to start, an outbreak of an overt infection must first occur within the host. Therefore, we predict that this honey bee population is a ticking time-bomb, protected by its isolated position and small population size. This unique association between mite and bee persists due to the evolution of low Varroa reproduction rates. So the population is not adapted to tolerate Varroa and DWV, rather the viral quasi-species has simply not yet evolved the necessary mutations to produce a virulent variant

Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations

Globalization has facilitated the spread of emerging pests such as the Varroa destructor mite, resulting in the near global distribution of the pest. In South African and Brazilian honey bees, mite-resistant colonies appeared within a decade; in Europe, mite-resistant colonies are rare, but several of these exhibited high levels of “re-capping” behavior. We studied re-capping in Varroa-naïve (UK/Australia) and Varroa-resistant (South Africa and Brazil) populations and found very low and very high levels, respectively, with the resistant populations targeting mite-infested cells. Furthermore, 54% of artificially infested A. m. capensis worker cells were removed after 10 days and 83% of the remaining infested cells were re-capped. Such targeted re-capping of drone cells did not occur. We propose that cell opening is a fundamental trait in mite-resistant populations and that re-capping is an accurate proxy for this behavior

The Challenge to Educate: An Account of Inaugurating a Catholic School in Tanzania

In this article, the author examines how some of the tenets of Catholic Social Teaching (dignity of the human person, seeking the common good, and preferential option for the poor and vulnerable) along with the notion of integral formation, a principal belief of Catholic education, helped form a perspective on development that counterposed the neoliberal understandings of development he encountered from government officials as he set about opening a Catholic secondary school in Tanzania. After tracing the various strains of influence, including the thought of Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president, the article makes use of the fruits of an analysis of data to propose a set of principles to those inaugurating educational projects in the developing world. The article concludes by suggesting potentially wider application. Keywords Catholic social teaching, integral formation, development, Julius Nyerere El desafío de educar: relato de la inauguración de una escuela católica en Tanzania En el presente artículo el autor examina cómo algunos de los preceptos de la enseñanza social católica (dignidad del ser humano, búsqueda del bien común, y la opción preferencial por los pobres y vulnerables), junto con la noción de formación integral (creencia principal de la educación católica) ayudaron a formar una perspectiva del desarrollo que se contrapuso a las concepciones neoliberales de desarrollo que encontró en los funcionarios gubernamentales al proponerse abrir una escuela secundaria católica en Tanzania. Tras rastrear las distintas influencias, incluyendo los pensamientos de Julius Nyerere, primer presidente de Tanzania, el artículo emplea los frutos de un análisis de datos para proponer una serie de principios para los proyectos educativos inaugurales en el mundo en desarrollo. El artículo concluye con sugerencias para una aplicación potencialmente más amplia. Palabras clave enseñanza social católica, formación integral, desarrollo, Julius Nyerere Les défis présentés par l\u27éducation : compte-rendu de l\u27inauguration d\u27une école catholique en Tanzanie Dans cet article, l\u27auteur observe comment certains principes fondateurs de la doctrine sociale catholique (dignité de la personne humaine, recherche du bien commun et la préférence en faveur des pauvres et personnes vulnérables), de même que la notion de formation intégrale (une des croyances principales de l\u27enseignement catholique) ont permis de prendre une position en matière de développement qui met en opposition les conceptions néo-libérales sur le développement rencontrées chez les hauts fonctionnaires du gouvernement alors qu\u27il préparait l\u27ouverture d\u27une école secondaire catholique en Tanzanie. Après avoir cherché l\u27origine des divers courants d\u27influence, y compris la pensée de Julius Nyerere, le premier président de Tanzanie, l\u27article utilise les fruits d\u27une analyse de données pour proposer un ensemble de principes à ceux qui inaugurent des projets éducatifs dans les pays en développement. L\u27article s\u27achève en suggérant une application potentiellement plus vaste. Mots-clés : doctrine sociale catholique, formation intégrale, développement, Julius Nyerer

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a major honeybee pest that was accidentally transported to the Hawaii Islands, USA. The mitochondrial genome of A. tumida was identified as a 15,198 bp circular molecule containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes, along with one A + T-rich control region. The average AT content was found to be 76.2%. The heavy strand was predicted to have nine protein-coding and 14 tRNA genes; while the light strand was predicted to contain four protein-coding, eight tRNA, and two rRNA genes. Among the 13 PCGs, the initiation codon ATT was found in five, ATA in three, ATG in four, and TTG in one gene. Six PCGs used TAA as the stop codon, whereas three PCGs used TAG as the stop codon. Incomplete stop codon TA (COIII, ND5, and ND4) and T (COII) were identified. We found that the genetic distance between A. tumida from Hawaii and the beetles’ natural home South Africa, was small, indicating that the Hawaii population may have originated for the South Africa region

The role of deformed wing virus in the initial collapse of varroa infested honey bee colonies in the UK.

The mite Varroa destructor has been associated with the collapse of millions of Apis mellifera honey bee colonies world-wide. During the past decade, a large body of research has revealed various interactions between varroa, the honey bee and various viral pathogens. One pathogen in particular, deformed wing virus (DWV), has emerged as the key pathogen involved in colony collapse. As varroa has permanently changed the viral landscape in which honey bees exist, we present a large body of data on the effects of DWV during the initial phase of varroa infestation in the UK during 1998. This provides baseline data for further comparative studies. We carried out DWV transmission studies, and observed the effects of DWV on bee longevity. As the ELISA technique used in these studies had a detection limit of ~107 viral particles per bee, only high viral (overt) titres were detected. During the initial phase of varroa establishment, DWV was detected in 0.6 % of non-infested sealed brood, but in 89 % of sealed brood invaded by varroa. Once DWV was introduced into the bee’s haemolymph via mite feeding on either pupae or adults, an overt virus infection was rapidly produced in 3-4 days. In sealed brood the presence of varroa was fatal for 21 % of the brood, caused wing deformity in some emerging adults and significantly reduced longevity as an adult. However, adult bees that became infected after they had emerged, did not develop wing deformity nor show any reduced longevity, but acted as reservoirs of DWV infection

Species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon stability within European Myrmica Ants

Recognition is a fundamental process on which all subsequent behaviors are based at every organizational level, from the gene up to the super-organism. At the whole organism level visual recognition is the best understood. However, chemical communication is far more widespread than visual communication, but despite its importance is much less understood. Ants provide an excellent model system for chemical ecology studies as it is well established that compounds known as cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are used as recognition cues in ants. Therefore, stable species-specific odors should exist, irrespective of geographic locality. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the CHC profiles of workers of twelve species of Myrmica ants from four countries across Europe, from Iberia to the Balkans and from the Mediterranean to Fennoscandia. CHCs remained qualitatively stable within each species, right down to the isomer level. Despite the morphological similarity that occurs within the genus Myrmica, their CHCs were highly diverse but remarkably species-specific and stable across wide geographical areas. This indicates a genetic mechanism under strong selection that produces these species-specific chemical profiles, despite each species encountering different environmental conditions across its range