Notes on Cynipid Galls, Ground Beetles and Ground-dwelling Spiders Collected at Fort Severn, Ontario

A brief collecting trip to Fort Severn, Ontario (55°59' N, 87°38' W), in May 2001 revealed galls of three species of cynipid wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on the wild rose Rosa acicularis. Roses and cynipid galls occur along the banks of the Severn River above the tree line because of clay deposits, heat, and rafts of vegetation carried north by the river. Ground beetles and spiders were collected with pitfall traps. Our identification of 15 species of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), two of them new records for Ontario, and 11 species of ground spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae), all new records for northwestern Ontario, indicates that the invertebrate fauna in the area has been poorly studied. Roads and trails away from Fort Severn, regularly scheduled airline service, and convenient accommodations make the area ideal for biological studies.Une brève sortie de prélèvement à Fort Severn, en Ontario (55° 59' de lat. N., 87° 38' de long. O.), effectuée en mai 2001 a révélé l'existence de galles de trois espèces de cynips du rosier (hyménoptères: cynipidés) sur le rosier aciculaire Rosa acicularis. On trouve ce dernier et les galles du rosier le long des rives de la Severn au-dessus de la limite forestière en raison des dépôts d'argile, de la chaleur et de la végétation flottante que transporte la rivière en direction du Nord. On a prélevé des carabes et des araignées terricoles à l'aide de pièges à fosse. Notre identification de 15 espèces de carabes (coléoptères: carabidés), dont deux représentaient deux nouvelles espèces pour l'Ontario, et de 11 espèces d'araignées terricoles (aranéides: lycosidés), dont toutes étaient nouvelles pour le nord-ouest de l'Ontario, révèle que la faune invertébrée de la région n'a pas encore fait l'objet d'une étude approfondie. Les routes et les pistes menant à l'extérieur de Fort Severn, le service régulier de transport aérien et l'hébergement à proximité font de la région un emplacement idéal pour des études biologiques

SARS-CoV-2 Variants Are Selecting for Spike Protein Mutations That Increase Protein Stability

The emergence of variants of SARS-CoV-2 with mutations in their spike protein are a major cause for concern for the efficacy of vaccines and control of the pandemic. We show that mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 are selecting for amino acid changes that result in a more thermodynamically stable protein than expected from background. We suggest that the computationally efficient analysis of mutational stability may aid in early screening of variants

Behavioural Thermoregulation by High Arctic Butterflies

Reports summer 1967-68 observations and experimental temperature measurements made at Hazen and Gilman Camps, northern Ellesmere Island, on Colias helca, Boloria chariclea and B. polaris, Lycaena feildeni and Plebius aquilo. In order to utilize direct isolation to increase their body temperatures, they selected basking substrates and precisely oriented their wings with respect to the sun. High arctic butterflies are most often found in a warm, relatively windless, sheltered places where on sunny days they fly in the warmest air close to the ground. Their wing morphology, venation, color, hairiness and physiology are briefly discussed.Comportement thermo-régulatoire des papillons du haut Arctique. Chez cinq espèces de papillons trouvés au lac Hazen (81º49'N, 71º18'W), île d'Ellesmere, Territoires du Nord-Ouest, le comportement thermo-régulatoire est une importante adaptation. Ces papillons arctiques se servent de l'insolation directe pour augmenter la température de leur corps : ils choisissent des sous-strates réchauffantes et orientent leurs ailes de façon précise par rapport au soleil. Quelques expériences ont confirmé l'importance de ce fait. On discute brièvement de la morphologie alaire, de la couleur, de la pilosité et de la physiologie de ces insectes

GALL INDUCTION BY PEGOMYA CURTICORNIS (STEIN) (DIPTERA: ANTHOMYIIDAE) WITHIN THE ROOTS OF SPURGES EUPHORBIA VIRGATA WALDST. AND KIT. AND E. ESULA L. (EUPHORBIACEAE)

The anthomyiid fly Pegomya curticornis (Stein), introduced into Alberta from Europe for the biocontrol of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.), normally induces simple galls on subterranean stems. Here we describe the anatomy of galls collected in Europe that had been induced by P. curticornis on horizontal roots of spurges. Four mature galls were found on the roots of E. virgata Waldst. and Kit. and 10 on the roots of E. esula. Tissues of the root galls were composed of gall parenchyma that had proliferated from feeding sites near the outside edge of secondary xylem. It is assumed that some larvae inadvertently tunnel beyond the base of stems into the roots and that similar galls will form on Alberta spurge

From 'suspicion' to 'affirmation' : a study of the role of the imagination and prose rhythm, drawing upon the hermeneutical philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, in which there may be movement from suspicion to affirmation of reasonable hope

The aim of this thesis is to show that a familiar hermeneutical movement from suspicion to affirmation of rational meaning, as a reader reflects on a narrative, is, in part, grounded in the narrative's rhythmic structure which mediates a sonorous condition of being appropriated by the reader. This hermeneutical process involves the reader in appropriating the temporal perspective (or the 'implied author's' or Other's viewpoint) which creates a 'space' for reflection in which a provisional conceptual unity is made possible, but subject to continuing movement from suspicion to affirmation. It is shown that this relationship between Self and Other is dialectical, and mediated by the textual modes of metaphor and narrative. Particular examples of poetry and prose are examined, and the story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac in the 'Authorised Version' of the Bible is analyzed in detail in an attempt to show how the reader, imaginatively inhabiting the world of the text, is involved in a process in which there is an 'instant' of letting go Self reflection; and there is affirmation of reasonable hope that the narrative may be rationally understood. In an attempt to address the critical issue of validation of rational meaning to show that affirmation may be given reasonable hope, the analogy of juridical legality is examined, particularly with respect to Aristotle's notion of phronesis. The analysis draws upon the hermeneutical philosophy of Paul Ricoeur with particular regard to his theories of metaphor and narrative, and the role of the creative imagination. It also makes use of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's understanding of the lived body in terms of a dialectical relationship between its material objectivity and its phenomenological aspects, especially, with respect to sonorous being and corporeal intentionality. From the discipline of literary criticism, Northrop Frye's notion of prose rhythm in his Anatomy of Criticism is employed to identity this key mediatory characteristic

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND GALL INDUCTION BY PEGOMYA CURTICORNIS AND PEGOMYA EUPHORBIAE (DIPTERA: ANTHOMYIIDAE) WITHIN THE STEMS OF LEAFY SPURGE (EUPHORBIA × PSEUDOVIRGATA) (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia × pseudovirgata [Schur]) is an herbaceous perennial and serious weed of European origin that has been accidently introduced into North America. The European anthomyiid flies Pegomya curticornis (Stein) and Pegomya euphorbiae (Kieffer) are found on several spurge species in Europe and also attack leafy spurge. The two flies induce identical galls on the subterranean stems of their host plants, and the shoots wilt and die. Eggs are laid on the shoot tip, and the larvae bore into the stem by eating pith which is later replaced by callus. This is a rare example of an insect with both boring and gall-inducing feeding strategies. Galls are induced when larvae feed on the ring of vascular tissue. There is no proliferation of nutritive cells but instead thick layers of gall parenchyma are produced. The vascular connections are broken at the gall level and concentric vascular bundles appear in the cortical and gall parenchyma. After pupation an inner periderm differentiates around the chamber surfac

Computational Saturation Screen Reveals the Landscape of Mutations in Human Fumarate Hydratase

Single amino acid substitutions within protein structures often manifest with clinical conditions in humans. The mutation of a single amino can significantly alter protein folding and stability, or change protein dynamics to influence function. The chemical engineering field has developed a large toolset for predicting the influence of point mutations with the aim of guiding the design of improved and more stable proteins. Here, we reverse this general protocol and adapt these tools for the prediction of damaging mutations within proteins. Mutations to fumarate hydratase (FH), an enzyme of the citric acid cycle, can lead to human diseases. The inactivation of FH by mutation causes leiomyomas and renal cell carcinoma by subsequent fumarate buildup and reduction in available malate. We present a scheme for accurately predicting the clinical effects of every possible mutation in FH by adaptation to a database of characterized damaging and benign mutations. Using energy prediction tools Rosetta and FoldX coupled with molecular dynamics simulations, we accurately predict individual mutations as well as mutational hotspots with a high disruptive capability in FH. Furthermore, through dynamic analysis, we find that hinge regions of the protein can be stabilized or destabilized by mutations, with mechanistic implications for the functional ability of the enzyme. Finally, we categorize all potential mutations in FH into functional groups, predicting which known mutations in the human population are loss of function, therefore having clinical implications, and validate our findings through metabolomics data of characterized human cell lines

Climate Change and Buildings: The Impact on Human Health

The health risks posed by hot weather are growing as increasingly frequent extreme weather is brought about by climate change. People spend upwards of 80% of time indoors and so human health is largely dependent on the internal environment of buildings. In the building industry engineers currently design buildings for high-energy performance by maximising heat retention, and whilst this may be effective in cold winters, it can lead to unbearable indoor conditions in hot summers. Thermal comfort inside buildings is a well-discussed topic both in industry and academia, but absolute peak thresholds, especially for heat stress still require development. In this thesis the outcomes of research into the effects of current and future hot weather on the heat stress of occupants inside buildings are presented. Hot weather data from the current climate and mortality rates are compared and several temperature metrics are analysed with respect to health risk forecasting performance, so that peak threshold limits for human health indoors are established for the building design industry. Reference weather data used in building simulations for health assessment is currently chosen based on air temperature alone. In this thesis new reference weather data is created for near-extreme and extreme weather and for current and future climates, based on the peak threshold metric research and future weather analysis. By 2050 hot weather reference years currently occurring once every seven years could become an annual occurrence, and by 2080 extreme hot weather reference years currently occurring once in twenty-one years could become an annual occurrence. Computational fluid dynamics is then used to simulate the internal heat stress inside a building model, and a surrogate model is created to emulate heat stress levels for full calendar years of future climates for several UK locations. It is envisaged that the results presented in this thesis will help inform the industry development of new reference data and aid better building design.EPSR

"I definitely felt an exception" Discourse analysis : A father talks about his son’s transition to school

A single case study was conducted to explore how schools might better engage fathers in their children's education. Women traditionally mediate early years education, and communication from schools to parents is directed to mothers. Some fathers are more involved in the day-to-day care of their children than others, but the predominant culture, both in the reception class and at home, is feminine. Where fathers are involved in education, irrespective of mothers’ involvement, children achieve better educational outcomes. There is no existing research on what fathers say about transition to school. Fatherhood and masculinities literature using discourse analysis reveal a theoretical, functional psychoanalytic discourse in Western culture. The research question posed here is: ‘What might be learned from what a father says about his son’s transition to school?’ A qualitative research design from a relativist ontological stance and social construction epistemology was used to explore what one father said on this topic, and to emancipate his voice. Willig’s (2013) stages of Foucauldian discourse analysis provided the framework for the analysis of a researcher- transcribed interview. Transition to school was discursively constructed: constructions were compared, contrasted and located in the masculinities, feminist, psychoanalytic, educational and economic discourses. Actions and subject positions available to challenge gender roles and stereotypes in early years education and to promote fathers’ involvementwere noted. The findings revealed a complex subjectivity inthe father’s many ways of seeing and being in relation to transition to school and the theoretical collective unconscious in functional psychoanalysis. The role of educational psychologists is discussed in influencing policy to includefathers in their children’s education