The scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the Maltese Archipelago

Past works on scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from the Maltese Archipelago are reviewed. Based on the literature and contemporary collections, a total of 93 species of scale insects belonging to 12 scale insect families are here reported (Aclerdidae 1 species; Asterolecaniidae 4; Coccidae 17; Diaspididae 46; Eriococcidae 5; Kermesidae 1; Margarodidae 1; Micrococcidae 1; Monophlebidae 2; Pseudoccocidae 11; Putoidae 2 and Rhizoecidae 2). Of these, 17 species represent new distribution records. Ten species are excluded from the scale insect fauna of the Maltese Islands. Of the 93 species present, only 29 (31.18%) are probably indigenous and the rest (68.82%) represent established introductions from elsewhere. More than 65% of the indigenous species are typical Mediterranean in distribution, with a few species having a mainly European chorotype. A quarter of the established aliens originate from Eurasia, followed by an East Asian/ Oriental component (20.31%); European (14.06%); Neotropical (14.06%); cryptogenic (14.06%); African (7.81%) and Australasian (4.70%). Movement of live fruit trees and ornamental plants into the Maltese Archipelago from nearby countries is probably the main route for entry of alien scale insects into the country. Some possible future introductions are discussed.peer-reviewe

Integrating genomics to dig deeper into Wilms tumour biology

A new study provides a comprehensive catalogue of the genetic changes in Wilms tumour. Understanding the interplay between genetic and epigenetic aberrations during tumorigenesis and clonal evolution is fundamental to enabling prediction of who is at risk and which tumours will relapse when so many are curable

Introduced sap-feeding insect pests of crop plants in the Maltese Islands

Sap-feeding insects within Hemiptera and Thysanoptera are some of the most important crop pests world-wide. Apart from the loss of yield they cause by sap depletion, saliva toxicity and soiling of the leaves, some species transmit serious plant virus diseases. Important sap-feeding species that have been introduced to the Maltese Islands include the whitefly Bemisia tabaci; the scale insects Pseudo coccus !ongispinus, Planococcus citri and lcerya purchasi; the aphids Aphis gossypii, Aphis spiraecola, Myzus persicae and Viteus viti/oliae; and the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis. For each of these pests information is provided on area of origin, present distribution, host-plant range and virus disease transmission. Control strategies undertaken in the Maltese Islands are described where relevant. Some general considerations on quarantine measures are discussed.peer-reviewe

Wedge and Bridge: A Note on the Rhetoric of Distinction and Identification

Henry Johnstone (1970 p. 124, 1990) has advanced the slogan Rhetoric is a wedge to suggest the ways in which rhetoric calls attention to hitherto unnoticed consequences or assumptions, or even to features of the physical world that have escaped an audience\u27s attention. Here, however, we intend to supplement the notion of rhetoric as wedge by suggesting the ways in which it is, and also must be, a bridge

Aphids associated with shrubs, herbaceous plants and crops in the Maltese Archipelago (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea)

A survey of the aphids associated with Maltese shrubs, herbaceous plants and crops was carried out. Sixty six aphid species were recorded from more than 90 species of host plants. Forty eight aphids were recorded from the Maltese islands for the fi rst time bringing the total number of aphid species known from these islands to 99. New records include: Acyrthosiphon lactucae, A. pisum, Anoecia vagans, Aphis alienus, A. euphorbiae, A. hederae, A. lambersi, A. multifl orae, A. nasturtii, A. parietariae, A. picridicola, A. ruborum, A. sedi, Aulacorthum solani, Brachycaudus helichrysi, Capitophorus sp. nr. similis, Clypeoaphis suaedae, Cryptomyzus korschelti, Dysaphis apiifolia, D. foeniculus, D. pyri, D. tulipae, Hyadaphis coriandri, H. foeniculi, H. passerinii, Hyperomyzus lactucae, Idiopterus nephrelepidis, Macrosiphoniella absinthii, M. artemisiae, M. sanborni, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Ma. rosae, Melanaphis donacis, Metopolophium dirhodum, Pterochloroides persicae, Rectinasus buxtoni, Rhopalosiphum maidis, R. padi, R. rufi abdominale, Schizaphis graminum, Semiaphis dauci, Sipha maydis, Sitobion avenae, S. fragariae, Therioaphis alatina, Uroleucon inulae, U. hypochoeridis and U. sonchi. Of these 99 aphid species, 58 are of economic importance and 16 are alien introductions. For 15 of the aphid species, a total of 22 new host-plant records are made. Ten species of ants were found attending 18 aphid species.peer-reviewe

Medijska reprezentacija dječje privatnosti u kontekstu upotrebe „pametnih” igračaka i prikupljanja podataka u komercijalne svrhe

The growing use of “smart” toys has made it increasingly important to understand the various privacy implications of their use by children and families. The article is a case study of how the risks to young children’s privacy, posed by the commercial data collection of producers of “smart” toys, were represented in the media. Relying on a content analysis of media coverage in twelve European countries and Australia collected during the Christmas season of 2016/2017, and reporting on a follow-up study in selected countries during the Christmas season of 2017/2018, our article illustrates how the issue of children’s privacy risks was dealt with in a superficial manner, leaving relevant stakeholders without substantive information about the issue; and with minimum representation of children’s voices in the coverage itself.Zbog sve veće upotrebe „pametnih” igračaka sve je važnije razumjeti kakve posljedice njihovo korištenje ima na privatnost djece i obitelji. Ovaj rad predstavlja studiju slučaja o medijskoj reprezentaciji rizika korištenja „pametnih” igračaka i otkrivanja privatnosti djece od strane proizvođača koji prikupljaju komercijalne podatke. Oslanjajući se na analizu sadržaja medijskih objava u dvanaest europskih zemalja i Australiji, prikupljenih za vrijeme božićnih blagdana u sezoni 2016./2017., te na daljnju analizu sadržaja medijskih objava u odabranim zemljama, prikupljenih za vrijeme božićnih blagdana u sezoni 2017./2018., ovaj rad pokazuje kako su teme dječje privatnosti obrađene na površan način, pri čemu dionici ostaju bez nužnih informacija o toj temi, a dječji izvori u samim objavama minimalno su zastupljeni

Climate change education for universities: a conceptual framework from an international study

The role of universities in climate change education (CCE) is of great importance if the scientific, social, environmental and political challenges the world faces are to be met. Future leaders must make decisions from an informed position and the public will need to embed climate change mitigation tools into their work and private life. It is therefore essential to understand the range of CCE strategies being taken globally by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to explore and analyse the ways that HEIs could better address this challenge. Consistent with this research need, this paper offers an analysis of the extent to which HEIs in 45 countries approach CCE and provides a conceptual framework for exploring how HEIs are embedding CCE into their curricula. In addition to the specialist approach (where students choose to study a degree to become experts in climate change adaptation and mitigation tools), the CCE framework developed identifies and highlights three other approaches HEIs can deploy to embed CCE: Piggybacking, mainstreaming and connecting (transdisciplinary). Using data gathered in an explorative international survey involving participants working across academic and senior management, this paper illustrates the different approaches taken and analyses practical examples of current CCE practice from across the world. Responses from 212 university staff from 45 countries indicated that CCE was highly variable – no clear pattern was identified at the country level, with CCE approaches varying significantly, even within individual HEIs. This plurality highlights the wide range of ideas and examples being shared and used by institutions in very different countries and contexts, and underlines the importance of the independence and autonomy of HEIs so that they can choose the right CCE approaches for them. To highlight the breadth and variety of approaches that were uncovered by our survey, the paper offers a range of examples illustrating how climate change education may be embedded in a higher education context, some of which could be replicated in HEIs across the world. The conceptualisation of CCE and the examples given in this paper are valuable for anyone who is thinking about strategies for embedding more climate education in the higher education curriculum

Invasive mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and the threats they present to Mediterranean countries

Due to their small size and cryptic habits, alien mealybugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) can easily enter countries around the Mediterranean basin through trade in live planting material and fresh produce. The recent increase in mealybug introductions probably reflects ever-faster transport in globalised trade, the free movement of goods within the European Union and the weakness of plant quarantine screening by national plant protection organisations. Purchases over the Internet, shipments of plants by post and exchanges of material by plant hobbyists escape control by quarantine services and contribute substantially to mealybug introductions on plants like bamboos and succulents.peer-reviewe

The scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the Maltese Archipelago

Abstract Past works on scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from the Maltese Archipelago are reviewed. Based on the literature and contemporary collections, a total of 93 species of scale insects belonging to 12 scale insect families are here reported (Aclerdidae 1 species; Asterolecaniidae 4; Coccidae 17; Diaspididae 46; Eriococcidae 5; Kermesidae 1; Margarodidae 1; Micrococcidae 1; Monophlebidae 2; Pseudoccocidae 11; Putoidae 2 and Rhizoecidae 2). Of these, 17 species represent new distribution records. Ten species are excluded from the scale insect fauna of the Maltese Islands. Of the 93 species present, only 29 (31.18%) are probably indigenous and the rest (68.82%) represent established introductions from elsewhere. More than 65% of the indigenous species are typical Mediterranean in distribution, with a few species having a mainly European chorotype. A quarter of the established aliens originate from Eurasia, followed by an East Asian/ Oriental component (20.31%); European (14.06%); Neotropical (14.06%); cryptogenic (14.06%); African (7.81%) and Australasian (4.70%). Movement of live fruit trees and ornamental plants into the Maltese Archipelago from nearby countries is probably the main route for entry of alien scale insects into the country. Some possible future introductions are discussed

Remotely acting SMCHD1 gene regulatory elements: in silico prediction and identification of potential regulatory variants in patients with FSHD

Background: Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is commonly associated with contraction of the D4Z4 macro-satellite repeat on chromosome 4q35 (FSHD1) or mutations in the SMCHD1 gene (FSHD2). Recent studies have shown that the clinical manifestation of FSHD1 can be modified by mutations in the SMCHD1 gene within a given family. The absence of either D4Z4 contraction or SMCHD1 mutations in a small cohort of patients suggests that the disease could also be due to disruption of gene regulation. In this study, we postulated that mutations responsible for exerting a modifier effect on FSHD might reside within remotely acting regulatory elements that have the potential to interact at a distance with their cognate gene promoter via chromatin looping. To explore this postulate, genome-wide Hi-C data were used to identify genomic fragments displaying the strongest interaction with the SMCHD1 gene. These fragments were then narrowed down to shorter regions using ENCODE and FANTOM data on transcription factor binding sites and epigenetic marks characteristic of promoters, enhancers and silencers