Auchenorrhyncha and Psylloidea collected during the 25th Central European Auchenorrhyncha meeting, Arnhem, The Netherlands (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha and Psylloidea)

Die 25. Mitteleuropäische Zikadentagung fand vom 14.-17. September 2018 in Arnheim in den Niederlanden statt. Da es die erste Tagung in den Niederlanden war, wurden Sammelexkursionen in fünf typische niederländische Landschaften unternommen. Drei der Exkursionsziele befanden sich in neu geschaffenen Schutzgebieten, die sich auf ehemals landwirtschaftlich genutzten Flächen befinden. Die beiden weiteren Exkursionsziele waren alte, geschützte Heideflächen. Insgesamt konnten 117 Zikadenarten und 6 Psylloidea-Arten nachgewiesen werden. Drei Arten waren neu für die Niederlande: Macrosteles spinosus (in dieser Publikation vorgestellt), Kybos abstrusus (monophag an Populus nigra) und Macrosteles sardus (an Epilobium hirsutum). Für einige seltene Arten konnten neue Fundpunkte ermittelt werden: Kelisia monoceros, Aphrophora major, Stroggylocephalus agrestis, Edwardsiana diversa, E. tersa, Fruticidia bisignata, Ophiola russeola und Psammotettix pallidinervis. Durch die drei Neufunde erhöht sich die Anzahl der bislang in den Niederlanden nachgewiesenen Zikadenarten auf 421. Diese Arbeit zeigt zudem, dass selbst in erst seit kurzem bestehenden Schutzgebieten seltene und interessante Arten nachgewiesen werden können. The 25th Central European Auchenorrhyncha meeting took place in Arnhem, The Netherlands on 14-17 September 2018. It was the first time the meeting was held in The Netherlands, and for this reason, excursions were undertaken to five typical Dutch landscapes. Three of the excursions involved newly created nature reserves, located on former agricultural land. The other two were old, protected heathlands. In total, 115 Auchenorrhyncha species, and 6 Psylloidea species were collected. Three species were new for the Netherlands: Macrosteles spinosus (presented in this paper), Kybos abstrusus (monophagous on Populus nigra) and Macrosteles sardus (Epilobium hirsutum). For a number of rare species new occurrences were reported: Kelisia monoceros, Aphrophora major, Stroggylocephalus agrestis, Edwardsiana diversa, E. tersa, Fruticidia bisignata, Ophiola russeola and Psammotettix pallidinervis. Our results show that also in young, newly created nature reserves interesting species can be found.&nbsp

Fire hazard modulation by long-term dynamics in land cover and dominant forest type in eastern and central Europe

Wildfire occurrence is influenced by climate, vegetation and human activities. A key challenge for understanding the risk of fires is quantifying the mediating effect of vegetation on fire regimes. Here, we explore the relative importance of Holocene land cover, land use, dominant functional forest type, and climate dynamics on biomass burning in temperate and boreo-nemoral regions of central and eastern Europe over the past 12 kyr. We used an extensive data set of Holocene pollen and sedimentary charcoal records, in combination with climate simulations and statistical modelling. Biomass burning was highest during the early Holocene and lowest during the mid-Holocene in all three ecoregions (Atlantic, continental and boreo-nemoral) but was more spatially variable over the past 3–4 kyr. Although climate explained a significant variance in biomass burning during the early Holocene, tree cover was consistently the highest predictor of past biomass burning over the past 8 kyr. In temperate forests, biomass burning was high at ~ 45% tree cover and decreased to a minimum at between 60% and 70% tree cover. In needleleaf-dominated forests, biomass burning was highest at ~60 %–65%tree cover and steeply declined at > 65% tree cover. Biomass burning also increased when arable lands and grasslands reached ~15 %–20 %, although this relationship was variable depending on land use practice via ignition sources, fuel type and quantities. Higher tree cover reduced the amount of solar radiation reaching the forest floor and could provide moister, more wind-protected microclimates underneath canopies, thereby decreasing fuel flammability. Tree cover at which biomass burning increased appears to be driven by warmer and drier summer conditions during the early Holocene and by increasing human influence on land cover during the late Holocene. We suggest that longterm fire hazard may be effectively reduced through land cover management, given that land cover has controlled fire regimes under the dynamic climates of the Holocene

Broken seniority symmetry in the semimagic proton mid-shell nucleus ⁹⁵Rh

Lifetime measurements of low-lying excited states in the semimagic ( N = 50 ) nucleus 95Rh have been performed by means of the fast-timing technique. The experiment was carried out using γ -ray detector arrays consisting of LaBr3(Ce) scintillators and germanium detectors integrated into the DESPEC experimental setup commissioned for the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) Phase-0, Darmstadt, Germany. The excited states in 95Rh were populated primarily via the β decays of 95Pd nuclei, produced in the projectile fragmentation of a 850 MeV/nucleon 124Xe beam impinging on a 4 g / cm2 9Be target. The deduced electromagnetic E2 transition strengths for the γ -ray cascade within the multiplet structure depopulating from the isomeric Iπ = 21 / 2+ state are found to exhibit strong deviations from predictions of standard shell model calculations which feature approximately conserved seniority symmetry. In particular, the observation of a strongly suppressed E2 strength for the 13 / 2+ → 9 / 2+ ground state transition cannot be explained by calculations employing standard interactions. This remarkable result may require revision of the nucleon-nucleon interactions employed in state-of-the-art theoretical model calculations, and might also point to the need for including three-body forces in the Hamiltonian

Fast-timing measurements in ⁹⁶Pd:improved accuracy for the lifetime of the 4⁺₁ state

Direct lifetime measurements via γ–γ coincidences using the FATIMA fast-timing LaBr3(Ce) array were performed for the excited states below previously reported isomers. In the N = 50 semi-magic 96Pd nucleus, lifetimes below the I π = 8+ seniority isomer were addressed as a benchmark for further analysis. The results for the I π = 2+ and 4 + states confirm the published values. Increased accuracy for the lifetime value was achieved for the 4 + state.peerReviewe

Regionale Standards: Ausgabe 2013

"Die 'Regionalen Standards' gehen zurück auf die Initiative eines gemeinsamen Arbeitskreises, bestehend aus Vertretern des Statistischen Bundesamtes, der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Sozialwissenschaftlicher Institute e.V. (ASI) und des ADM Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute e.V. Sie stellen ein Angebot für die Forschung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland dar. Die 'Regionalen Standards' beschreiben Gebietsabgrenzungen und Instrumente zur Typisierung von Regionen, wie sie in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland von der amtlichen Statistik und/oder der Markt- und Sozialforschung in gewisser Regelmäßigkeit eingesetzt werden. Zusätzlich werden Datensätze aus unterschiedlichen Quellen vorgestellt, die für die Regionalisierung von Bevölkerungsumfragen genutzt werden können und für die Forschung (teils jedoch mit Einschränkungen) zur Verfügung stehen. Ergänzt werden die 'Regionalen Standards' durch eine jährlich aktualisierte Tabellenanalyse aus dem Mikrozensus, zu beziehen über die Internetseiten www.destatis.de, www.gesis.org und www.adm-ev.de." (Autorenreferat

Non-standard errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

Photoreceptor degeneration by intravitreal injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in rabbits: a pilot study.

Pilot study on the attempt to induce selective photoreceptor degeneration in the rabbit eye by intravitreal injection of MNU, facing the difficulties of the evaluation of retinal degeneration by different in-vivo and in-vitro methods in such a large eye animal model.Eight pigmented Chinchilla Bastard rabbits were injected intravitreally with MNU (1 × 1mg/kg body weight (BW), 1 × 2mg/kg BW, 3 × 3mg/kg BW, 1 × 4mg/kg BW, 1 × 6mg/kg BW, and 1 × DMSO + PBS as control). One, 2, and 3 weeks after injection, the effects on the rabbit retina were examined in vivo using clinical observation (macroscopic images, funduscopy, weighing of the animals), measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP), full-field Electroretinography (ffERG), and spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (sd-OCT). After 3 weeks follow-up, blood samples were taken to evaluate the general health status of the animals, and immunohistochemistry (IH) was performed on sections obtained from six different regions throughout the whole retina to evaluate MNU effects in more detail.It was difficult to observe the effects of MNU on retinal structure by OCT in vivo. Only the temporal quadrant of the retina could be visualized. Therefore, it was indispensible to evaluate the effects of MNU on the retina in vitro by examining six areas of the retina using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry plays a decisive role to evaluate the effects on retinal cells other than photoreceptors while in H&E staining, namely the cell count of the ONL can be observed. The results obtained in vivo and in vitro in this study mainly follow the results of a previous study in mice. The low doses of MNU (1, 2 mg/kg BW) had no effects on retinal function and morphology, while high doses (4, 6 mg/kg BW) led to retinal changes in combination with significant side-effects (e.g., cataractous changes). Injection of 3 mg/kg BW MNU induced selective photoreceptor degeneration. However, the degree of degeneration varied between different parts of the same retina and between retinae of different animals. In two of three animals, a complete loss of ERG potentials was observed. Negative effects on the contralateral eye or on general welfare of the animal were never observed.In rabbits, the intravitreal injection of 3 mg/kg BW MNU leads to selective but inhomogeneous photoreceptor degeneration