Revision of the types of species of Alloxysta described by Cameron and Fergusson (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Charipinae) and deposited in the Natural History Museum (London), including a key to the fauna of Great Britain

Type material of the species of Alloxysta described by Cameron and Fergusson and deposited in the Natural History Museum of London has been revised. Seven species are considered valid: Alloxysta abdera Fergusson, 1986, A. basimacula (Cameron, 1886), A. crassa (Cameron, 1889), A. mullensis (Cameron, 1883), A. piceomaculata (Cameron, 1883), A. pleuralis (Cameron, 1879) and A. semiaperta Fergusson, 1986. A. basimacula, A. crassa, A. maculicollis (Cameron, 1886), A. perplexa (Cameron, 1889) and A. piceomaculata are here removed from synonymy with A. macrophadna (Hartig, 1841). A. rufi ceps (Cameron, 1883) is removed from synonymy with A. victrix (Westwood, 1833). A. caledonica (Cameron, 1886) and A. perplexa are here synonymized with A. basimacula. A. maculicollis, A. ruficeps and A. ruficollis (Cameron, 1883) are here synonymized with A. castanea (Hartig, 1841). A. ancylocera (Cameron, 1886) was correctly synonymized with A. fuscicornis (Hartig, 1841), A. curvicornis (Cameron, 1883) was correctly synonymized with A. victrix and A. filicornis (Cameron, 1889) was correctly synonymized with A. macrophadna. Complete redescriptions and illustrations are given for valid species. A key for all the Alloxysta species found so far in Great Britain is given

First records of Charipinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) aphid hyperparasitoids from Malta

Charipinae material has been collected from different localities in Malta. Three species have been identified: Alloxysta citripes, Alloxysta pilipennis and Phaenoglyphis villosa in association with two aphids and one parasitoid species. Diagnosis and information about distribution and hosts of each species is given. Plates with diagnostic features of these three species are also included. These findings represent the first record of the subfamily Charipinae in Maltapeer-reviewe

Book Review of, Green Persuasion: Advertising, Voluntarism, and America’s Public Lands

This richly illustrated, well-written, and well-researched book is difficult to categorize. It offers rewards for scholars with both particular and broad interests in environmental history, as well as for the general reader

Observations of Small Scale ISM Structure in Dense Atomic Gas

We present high resolution (R~170,000) Kitt Peak National Observatory Co'ude Feed telescope observations of the interstellar KI 7698 angstrom line towards 5 multiple star systems with saturated NaI components. We compare the KI absorption line profiles in each of the two (or three) lines of sight in these systems, and find significant differences between the sight-lines in 3 out of the 5 cases. We infer that the small scale structure traced by previous NaI observations is also present in at least some of the components with saturated NaI absorption lines, and thus the small scale structures traced by the neutral species are occurring at some level in clouds of all column densities. We discuss the implications of that conclusion and a potential explanation by density inhomogeneities

Analizando los resultados académicos en la Educación Superior en España

The development of the European Higher Education Area has been a process of modernization in many universities. Teaching methodologies have undergone a process of continuous change to meet the demands for high quality leading to a need for enhancement in the learning assessment methodologies as well. The objective of this study is to analyse student´s academic performance measured through coursework vs. final exam and to ascertain the factors that could explain the difference. Regression and variance analysis are carried out over the grades and responses to a questionnaire on a sample of 298 students of different subjects in a Spanish university. The results show that there are differences between continuous assessment and the final examination marks.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad FFI2013-41235-

How is CSR incorporated into a firm's strategy: the pedagogical case study of Henkel

Corporate Social Responsibility is a trending subject among company's communication towards their consumers, but the truth is that only a few companies can really own the concept of CSR, by having it as a key factor of its business strategy. The process of successfully implement a strategy that takes into account the impact of their operations in society and the environment constitutes a challenge for the management and it has to include a long-term perspective. This pedagogical case study aims to assess how does Henkel, the world's number one adhesives producer and one of the biggest Home Care and Beauty FMCG companies globally, integrates Corporate Social Responsibility into its business strategy. Moreover, this case will identify Henkel’s driver for being in business, the way it delivers additional value to its various stakeholders and what influence CSR has in the decision-making process and the day-to-day operations. This essay can be a practical tool to comprehend the scale of strategic management on a renowned company, provide guidelines for what is essential when implementing a CSR strategy, and the benefits and challenges that can be meet.A Responsabilidade Social das empresas (RSE) é uma nova tendência presente nos canais de comunicação dirigidos aos seus clientes, contudo são poucas as empresas que aplicam efetivamente este conceito de Responsabilidade Social como fator chave na sua estratégia de negócio. O sucesso da implementação desta estratégia, que tem em conta o impacto das suas operações na sociedade e no meio ambiente, constitui um desafio para a gestão e deve incluir uma perspetiva a longo-prazo. O presente caso de estudo pedagógico propõe analisar se a Henkel, a maior produtora de "Adhesive Technologies" do mundo e globalmente uma das maiores empresas de "Home Care" e "Beauty Care", integra o conceito de Responsabilidade Social das empresas na sua estratégia de negócio. Adicionalmente, este caso de estudo irá identificar as motivações da empresa para permanecer no negócio, como é que gera valor para os seus "stakeholders" e qual a influência que a RS tem ao longo do processo de tomada de decisão e nas operações do dia-a-dia. Este caso de estudo pedagógico pode ser uma ferramenta prática para compreender a dimensão da gestão estratégica de uma empresa de renome, para apresentar diretrizes sobre os elementos essenciais na implementação de uma estratégia de RSE. assim como os potenciais benefícios e desafios que possam ser apresentados

Small-Scale Interstellar Na I Structure Toward M92

We have used integral field echelle spectroscopy with the DensePak fiber-optic array on the KPNO WIYN telescope to observe the central 27" x 43" of the globular cluster M92 in the Na I D wavelength region at a spatial resolution of 4". Two interstellar Na I absorption components are evident in the spectra at LSR velocities of 0 km/s (Cloud 1) and -19 km/s (Cloud 2). Substantial strength variations in both components are apparent down to scales limited by the fiber-to-fiber separations. The derived Na I column densities differ by a factor of 4 across the Cloud 1 absorption map and by a factor of 7 across the Cloud 2 map. Using distance upper limits of 400 and 800 pc for Cloud 1 and Cloud 2, respectively, the absorption maps indicate structure in the ISM down to scales of 1600 and 3200 AU. The fiber-to-fiber Na I column density differences toward M92 are comparable to those found in a similar study of the ISM toward the globular cluster M15. Overall, the structures in the interstellar components toward M92 have significantly lower column densities than those toward M15. We interpret these low column density structures as small-scale turbulent variations in the gas and compare them to the larger-scale, higher column density variations toward M15, which may be the hallmarks of actual H I structures.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Optimization of an Earth Observation Data Processing and Distribution System

Conventional Earth Observation Payload Data Ground Segments (PDGS) continuously receive variable requests for data processing and distribution. However, their architecture was conceived to be on the premises of satellite operators and, for instance, has intrinsic limitations to offer variable services. In the current chapter, we introduce cloud computing technology to be considered as an alternative to offer variable services. For that purpose, a cloud infrastructure based on OpenNebula and the PDGS used in the Deimos-2 mission was adapted with the objective of optimizing it using the ENTICE open source middleware. Preliminary results with a realistic satellite recording scenario are presented