Suction samplers for grassland invertebrates: comparison of numbers caught using Vortis™and G-vac devices

1. The efficiency of Vortis TM and a modified garden leaf-blower/vacuum ‘G-vac’ sampler were compared by sampling invertebrates using standardised sample areas and suction times at three grassland sites. The G-vac caught more individuals of Araneae, Auchenorrhyncha, Thysanoptera and Hymenoptera than the Vortis. Numbers of Diptera did not differ between devices, but the VortisTM captured greater numbers of Coleoptera. 2. Estimated air velocity within the collecting nozzle was greater for the G-vac and its mode of application resulted in greater disturbance of the grass sward than with the VortisTM. These differences may have contributed to the lar- ger captures of certain taxa by the G-vac. 3. It is concluded that G-vacs can be applied with confidence as a credible alternative to the bespoke Vortis TM, and particularly for taxa which are most frequently sampled using suction samplers

Effect of protein and carbohydrate feed concentrations on the growth and composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae

Black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) can be used for a wide range of applications, from screening their anti-microbial properties, entomophagy through to waste management. Although the use of black soldier flies for these purposes has been widely studied, mass-rearing black soldier flies is still in the preliminary phase. This study focussed on the nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae over the course of their life history, and the impact of manipulating dietary protein and carbohydrate on the growth and composition (protein and fat) of the larvae. Larvae were collected every 24 h over the course of this life-stage to test for differences in composition. To test the effect of dietary protein and carbohydrate differences, larvae were fed 25 diets with varying concentrations of protein and carbohydrates. Overall, the composition of larvae changed very little over their life history, with the higher concentration of protein mostly observed in the earlier instars of the larvae. The pre-pupal stage reduced the fresh and dry weight of the larvae, whereas the ash concentration was very stable throughout their life history. Both dietary protein and dietary carbohydrate had a significant effect on the fresh and dry weight of the larvae, but dietary protein was a stronger indicator of larval fresh and dry weight than dietary carbohydrate. Larval composition was also influenced by the feed-type, with heavier larvae producing significantly more fat than the lighter ones

Geographic origin may not influence vine weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius) susceptibility to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum (Petch)

Otiorhynchus sulcatus, known as the vine weevil, is a polyphagous pest that causes economically important damage to horticultural crops worldwide. The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum is widely used to control this pest. Little research has investigated variation in susceptibility to this pathogen between vine weevil populations at different locations. This study addresses this knowledge gap by comparing survival rates of larvae from adults collected in two UK areas when treated with M. brunneum. Larvae from these locations did not differ in their susceptibility, suggesting that location per se may not affect the efficacy of M. brunneum against vine weevil larvae

Mental health in UK Biobank: development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants

Background UK Biobank is a well-characterised cohort of over 500 000 participants that offers unique opportunities to investigate multiple diseases and risk factors. Aims An online mental health questionnaire completed by UK Biobank participants was expected to expand the potential for research into mental disorders. Method An expert working group designed the questionnaire, using established measures where possible, and consulting with a patient group regarding acceptability. Case definitions were defined using operational criteria for lifetime depression, mania, anxiety disorder, psychotic-like experiences and self-harm, as well as current post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders. Results 157 366 completed online questionnaires were available by August 2017. Comparison of self-reported diagnosed mental disorder with a contemporary study shows a similar prevalence, despite respondents being of higher average socioeconomic status than the general population across a range of indicators. Thirty-five per cent (55 750) of participants had at least one defined syndrome, of which lifetime depression was the most common at 24% (37 434). There was extensive comorbidity among the syndromes. Mental disorders were associated with high neuroticism score, adverse life events and long-term illness; addiction and bipolar affective disorder in particular were associated with measures of deprivation. Conclusions The questionnaire represents a very large mental health survey in itself, and the results presented here show high face validity, although caution is needed owing to selection bias. Built into UK Biobank, these data intersect with other health data to offer unparalleled potential for crosscutting biomedical research involving mental health

Functional opsin retrogene in nocturnal moth

Background Retrotransposed genes are different to other types of genes as they originate from a processed mRNA and are then inserted back into the genome. For a long time, the contribution of this mechanism to the origin of new genes, and hence to the evolutionary process, has been questioned as retrogenes usually lose their regulatory sequences upon insertion and generally decay into pseudogenes. In recent years, there is growing evidence, notably in mammals, that retrotransposition is an important process driving the origin of new genes, but the evidence in insects remains largely restricted to a few model species. Findings By sequencing the messenger RNA of three developmental stages (first and fifth instar larvae and adults) of the pest Helicoverpa armigera, we identified a second, intronless, long-wavelength sensitive opsin (that we called LWS2). We then amplified the partial CDS of LWS2 retrogenes from another six noctuid moths, and investigate the phylogenetic distribution of LWS2 in 15 complete Lepidoptera and 1 Trichoptera genomes. Our results suggests that LWS2 evolved within the noctuid. Furthermore, we found that all the LWS2 opsins have an intact ORF, and have an ω-value (ω = 0.08202) relatively higher compared to their paralog LWS1 (ω = 0.02536), suggesting that LWS2 opsins were under relaxed purifying selection. Finally, the LWS2 shows temporal compartmentalization of expression. LWS2 in H. armigera in adult is expressed at a significantly lower level compared to all other opsins in adults; while in the in 1st instar stage larvae, it is expressed at a significantly higher level compared to other opsins. Conclusions Together the results of our evolutionary sequence analyses and gene expression data suggest that LWS2 is a functional gene, however, the relatively low level of expression in adults suggests that LWS2 is most likely not involved in mediating the visual process

Discovery and characterization of a novel picorna-like RNA virus in the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera

We characterize a novel picorna-like virus, named Helicoverpa armigera Nora virus (HaNV), with a genome length of 11,200 nts, the sequence of which was isolated from the lepidopteran host cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera, using RNA-Seq. Phylogenetic analysis, using the putative amino acid sequence of the conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain, indicated that HaNV clustered with Spodoptera exigua Nora virus, Drosophila Nora virus and Nasonia vitripennis virus-3 with a high bootstrap value (100%), which might indicate a new viral family within the order Picornavirales. HaNV was efficiently horizontally transmitted between hosts via contaminated food, and transmission was found to be dose-dependent (up to 100% efficiency with 109 viral copy number/µl). HaNV was also found to be transmitted vertically from parent to offspring, mainly through transovum transmission (virus contamination on the surface of the eggs), but having a lower transmission efficiency (around 43%). Infection distribution within the host was also investigated, with HaNV mainly found in only the gut of both adult moths and larvae (>90%). Moreover, our results showed that HaNV appears not to be an overtly pathogenic virus to its host

Examining the frequency and nature of gambling marketing in televised broadcasts of professional sporting events in the United Kingdom

Objective: Gambling operators in the United Kingdom have introduced a voluntary ban on adverts broadcast during televised sport before 21:00 (the 'whistle-to-whistle' ban). To inform debates around the potential effectiveness of this ban, we examine the frequency and nature of gambling marketing in televised broadcasts across professional sporting events. Study Design: Frequency analysis of verbal and visual gambling marketing references during television broadcasts of football (n=5), tennis, Formula 1, boxing and rugby union (each n=1) from 2018. Methods: For each gambling reference, we coded: whether it appeared in-play or out-of-play; location (e.g. pitch-side advertising); format (e.g. branded merchandise); duration (seconds); number of identical references visible simultaneously; brand; and presence of age restriction or harm reduction messages. Results: Boxing contained the most gambling references, on average, per broadcast minute (4.70 references), followed by football (2.75), rugby union (0.55), and tennis (0.11). Formula 1 contained no gambling references. In boxing, references most frequently appeared within the area-of-play. For football and rugby union, references most frequently appeared around the pitch border or within the area-of-play (e.g. branded shirts). Only a small minority of references were for adverts during commercial breaks that would be subject to the whistle-to-whistle ban(e.g. 2% of references in football). Less than 1% of references in boxing, and only 3% of references in football, contained age restriction or harm-reduction messages. Conclusions: As gambling sponsorship extends much beyond adverts in commercial breaks, the 'whistle-to-whistle' ban will have limited effect on gambling exposure. Gambling sponsorship activities rarely contain harm reduction messages

Customer emotions in service failure and recovery encounters

Emotions play a significant role in the workplace, and considerable attention has been given to the study of employee emotions. Customers also play a central function in organizations, but much less is known about customer emotions. This chapter reviews the growing literature on customer emotions in employee–customer interfaces with a focus on service failure and recovery encounters, where emotions are heightened. It highlights emerging themes and key findings, addresses the measurement, modeling, and management of customer emotions, and identifies future research streams. Attention is given to emotional contagion, relationships between affective and cognitive processes, customer anger, customer rage, and individual differences