Ethics review of research projects involving human subjects

Maltreatment of subjects has led to the introduction of an ethics review process for research involving humans. There is a feeling that the bureaucratization of the process is too restrictive and that it may be hampering research. The function, duties, and effectiveness of ethics committees are examined, and it is contended that there are problems with the way that committees operate. The remit of committees needs to be clarified, and the paper presents guidelines for making decisions on ethical matters, with deontological considerations taking precedence over consequentialist ones. It is concluded that the functions and processes of ethics committees need to be modified

Ethical considerations in human movement research

In the past decade, ethical issues in research involving human subjects have exploded into the public consciousness. In reviewing past human subject abuse, it is evident that, in human experimentation, legislation has not been sufficient to curb excesses. Selected journal reviews indicate that informed consent is often not reported for studies where such consent is deemed appropriate. This does not necessarily mean that consent was not obtained, or that subjects were abused or exploited. It does, however, introduce the possibility that many researchers either are not cognizant of, or merely pay lip service to, the principles that form a code of ethics. Ethics in research involving human subjects is not a settled issue. Researchers ought to be aware that the principles they accept may be less conclusive, and the guidelines they apply may be less protective, than such principles and guidelines appear to be. Testing human subjects is not a right, but a privilege, and the rights of the subject ought to outweigh the desires of the researcher to conduct research

Olivier Chesneau's work on low mass stars

During his too short career, Olivier Chesneau pioneered the study of the circumstellar environments of low mass evolved stars using very high angular resolution techniques. He applied state of the art high angular resolution techniques, such as optical interferometry and adaptive optics imaging, to the the study of a variety of objects, from AGB stars to Planetary Nebulae, via e.g. Born Again stars, RCB stars and Novae. I present here an overview of this work and most important results by focusing on the paths he followed and key encounters he made to reach these results. Olivier liked to work in teams and was very strong at linking people with complementary expertises to whom he would communicate his enthusiasm and sharp ideas. His legacy will live on through the many people he inspired.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of the conference: "The Physics of Evolved Stars: A Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Olivier Chesneau"

The circumstellar dust of "Born-Again" stars

We describe the evolution of the carbon dust shells around Very Late Thermal Pulse (VLTP) objects as seen at infrared wavelengths. This includes a 20-year overview of the evolution of the dust around Sakurai's object (to which Olivier made a seminal contribution) and FG Sge. VLTPs may occur during the endpoint of as many as 25% of solar mass stars, and may therefore provide a glimpse of the possible fate of the Sun.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of "Physics of Evolved Stars 2015 - A conference dedicated to the memory of Olivier Chesneau

Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Scolytidae Associated with Successive Stages of \u3ci\u3eAgrilus Bilineatus\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Infestation of Oaks in Wisconsin

The species of Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Scolytidae found in association with Agrilus bilineatus (Weber) in declining oaks, Quercus spp., in Wisconsin, were Chrysobothris femorata (Olivier) and Dicerca sp. (Buprestidae); Amniscus macula (Say),Cyrtaphorus verrucosus (Olivier), Euderces picipes (Fabricius), Graphisurus fasciatus (DeGeer), Neodytus acuminatus (Fabricius), Sarosesthes fulminans (Fabricius), and Xylotrechus colonus (Fabricius) (Cerambycidae); and Monarthrum fasciatum (Say), Monarthrum mali (Fitch), Pseudopityophthorus minutissimus (Zimmerman), and Xylaterinus politus (Say) (Scolytidae). In general, weakened oaks were first attacked by A. bilineatus. and at times that same year by C. femorata. G. fasdalus, and P. minutissimus. Infestation by M.fasciatum, M. mali, and X. politus began the season following first attack by A. bilineatus. With the exception of A. bilineatus, the above mentioned Buprestidae and Cerambycidae appeared to preferentially infest dead wood, often those portions that had died the previous season

Biotransformation of caffeoyl quinic acids from green coffee extracts by Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC 533

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Nicole Page-Zoerkler and Olivier Mauroux for their technical assistant. We thank David Pridmore and Kimo Makkinen for critical reading of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

New records, nomenclatural changes, and taxonomic notes for select North American leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

New records, nomenclatural changes and taxonomic notes are presented for select North American leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The following genera are newly recorded from the United States: Nesaecrepida Blake, 1964; Acallepitrix Bechyne, 1959; Margaridisa Bechyne, 1958; Parchicola Bechyne and Springlova de Bechyne, 1975; (all Galerucinae: Alticini); and Demotina Baly, 1874 (Eumolpinae). The following species are newly recorded from the United States: Neolema dorsalis (Olivier, 1791) (Criocerinae); Charidotella bifossulata Boheman, 1855 (Hispinae: Cassidini); Syphrea flauicollis (Jacoby, 1884) (Galerucinae: Alticini); and Promecosoma inflatum Lefevre, 1877, and Demotina modesta Baly, 1874 (Eumolpinae). The following new synonymies are proposed: Deloyala clauata, var. diuersicollis Schaeffer, 1925, transferred from synonymy with Plagiometriona clauata (Fabricius, 1798) to synonymy withP. clauata testudinaria (Boheman, 1855); Chrysomela hybrida Say, 1824, downgraded from subspecies of Calligrapha lunata (Fabricius, 1787) to full synonym of CaZZigrapha lunata (Fabricius); Chrysomela casta Rogers, 1856, downgraded from subspecies of Zygogramma suturalis (Fabricius, 1775) to full synonym of Zygogrammasuturalis (Fabricius); Trirhabdagurneyi Blake, 1951, downgraded to synonym of Trirhabda caduca Horn, 1893; Scelida mimula Wilcox, 1965, downgraded to synonym of Scelida nigricornis (Jacoby, 1888); Exoracalifornica Wilcox, 1953, downgraded to synonym of Pte leon breuicornis (Jacoby, 1887); alaeothonaarizonensis Blake, 1950, downgraded to synonym ofLupraea discrepans (Schaeffer, 1932); Haltica nigritula Linell, 1898, downgraded to synonym of Nesaecrepida asphalt ina (Suffrian, 1868); Cryptocephalus reinhardi Sundman, 1965, downgraded to synonym of Cryptocephalus nwtabilis Melsheimer, 1847. The tribes Chalepini Wiese, 1910, and Uroplatini Weise, 1910 (Hispinae), are synonymized, and both of these family-group names are recognized as nomina protecta. The family-group name Octotomites Chapuis, 1875, is recognized as a nomen oblitum. Coptocycla testudinaria Boheman, 1855, is downgraded from specific status to a subspecies of Plagiometriona clauata (Fabricius, 1798); Cassida bicolor (Fabricius, 1798) is recognized as a valid subspecies of Charidotellasexpunctata (Fabricius). The genus Hemiphrynus Horn, 1889, is removed from synonymy with Phrynocepha and reinstated as a valid genus; Rhabdopterus weisei (Schaeffer, 1920) is removed from synonymy with Rhabdopterus praetextus (Say) and reinstated as a valid species. The following new combinations are proposed: Synetocephalus wallacei (Wilcox, 1965), transferred from Pseudoluperus; Nesaecrepida infuscata (Schaeffer, 1906), transferred from Monomacra; Acallepitrix nitens (Horn, 1889), transferred from Epitrix; Margaridisa atriuentris (Melsheimer, 1847), transferred from Hornaltica; Parchicola iris (Olivier, 1808) and P. tibialis (Olivier, 1808), transferred from Monomacra; and Coleothorpa panochensis (Gilbert, 1981), transferred from Coscinoptera; Promecosoma arizonae (Crotch, 1873), transferred from Metaxyonycha; Tymnes chrysis (Olivier, 1808), T. oregonensis (Crotch, 1873), and T. thaleia (Blake, 1977), transferred from Colaspis. The following new replacement name is proposed: Triarius nigroflaulls, for Luperodes flauoniger Blake, 1942 (not Laboissiere, 1925). The identities of Griburius equestris (Olivier, 1808) and G. laruatlls (Newman, 1840) are discussed

Symbiotic stars in the Local Group of Galaxies

Preliminary results of the ongoing search for symbiotic binary stars in the Local Group of Galaxies are presented and discussed.Comment: Proceedings of Physics of Evolved Stars 2015: A Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Olivier Chesneau, Nice, 8-12 June 201