The infestation of oil-seed rape (Brassica napus L.) by the pests Meligethes aeneus Fab. and Ceuthorhynchus assimilis Payk

Imperial Users onl

Key pests and their parasitoids on spring and winter oilseed rape in Estonia

The pests and their hymenopterous parasitoids present in a spring and a winter oilseed rape crop in Estoniawere studied. Meligethes aeneus was themost abundant pest in both crops. Other crucifer-specialist pests included: Ceutorhynchus assimilis, C. pallidactylus, C. rapae, C. floralis, C. pleurostigma and Phyllotreta spp., but their abundance was low. Four species of parasitoids of M. aeneus larvae (Diospilus capito, Phradis morionellus, P. interstitialis and Tersilochus heterocerus) and threeof C. assimilis larvae (Mesopolobus morys, Stenomalina gracilis and Trichomalus perfectus) were also found

Does group size matter in preschool teacher’s work? The skills teachers emphasise for children in preschool groups of different size

In recent years there has been a debate in the Nordic countries about group size in preschool and how it affects preschool teachers’ work and children’s wellbeing and learning. The aim of this article is to analyse and discuss how preschool teachers’ working with child groups of different sizes view the conditions for children’s learning and development related to different abilities and skills. The survey data consists of preschool teachers’ (N=698) responses to a questionnaire. The results indicated no statistically significant differences between preschool teachers’ views and emphases in groups of different sizes as regards the type of abilities in children’s learning. In all group categories, preschool teachers seem to emphasise a similar set of characteristics and social skills in children’s personal development; to be collaborative, to have respect, to have empathy and a good self-esteem or understanding of oneself

Vision loss associated with the use and removal of intraocular silicone oil

Patrick D Williams1, Christopher G Fuller1, Ingrid U Scott2, Dwain G Fuller1, Harry W Flynn Jr31Texas Retina Associates, Dallas, TX, USA; 2Departments of Ophthalmology and Health Evaluation Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USAPurpose: To describe vision loss associated with the use or removal of silicone oil retinal tamponade.Methods: Records were reviewed of all patients with a decrease in visual acuity of at least 3 Snellen lines from best acuity with 5000 centistoke silicone oil in place or after removal of silicone oil at a single retina-only practice between 1996 and 2006.Results: Nine patients (6 men, 3 women) with a mean age of 48 years (range, 16–61) met study inclusion criteria. Seven patients lost at least three Snellen lines of vision while the silicone oil was in place. Four patients had late modest improvements in acuity when compared to their final recorded Snellen vision before silicone oil removal, however no patients exhibited visual improvement when comparing their final recorded visual acuities after oil removal with best recorded acuities under oil tamponade. Loss of the foveal depression was a consistent feature on optical coherence tomography.Conclusions: Vision loss is a possible complication of silicone oil use and removal. Late visual improvement may occur in some patients. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanism(s) of vision loss associated with the use or removal of silicone oil.Keywords: retinal tamponade, visual acuity, snellen vision, silicone oi

Sublethal effects of kaolin and the biopesticides Prestop-Mix and BotaniGard on metabolic rate, water loss and longevity in bumble bees (Bombus terrestris)

Kaolin is an inert material with a broad range of applications, e.g. as an insecticide and as a filling substance in the formulation of biopesticides. Hence, bees that dispense biopesticides to the field in the context of entomovectoring are exposed to elevated risks because of sideeffects of those products. Here, we investigated with use of bumble bee workers of Bombus terrestris L. the lethal and sublethal effects of (i) pure kaolin, (ii) the biofungicide Prestop-Mix containing the parasitic fungus Gliocladium catenulatum and kaolin and (iii) the bioinsecticide BotaniGard containing the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana and compared with wheat flour powder that we considered safe for bumble bees. As the most important result, treatment with kaolin increased the cuticular water loss and reduced the survival of treated bumble bees, while Prestop-Mix had no negative effect on longevity. BotaniGard caused mortality in the bumble bees because of the entomopathogenic spores it contained. In conclusion, our data indicated that substances used as ‘inert materials’ and in biocontrol agents which are used in IPM and organic farming systems may bring higher risks to bumble bees used in entomovector technology

The reliability of colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) population density predictions based on phenological and overwintering data

On the basis of phenological observations and over-wintering mortality data in 2015/2016 we tried to predict the population density of Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) (CPB) for the following season. Because of the late and cool spring in 2015, the beetles started to emerge from the soil at the end of May and, because of the low temperatures, did not start to reproduce immediately. The first egg clutches did not appear until the end of June. The low density of larvae and beetles in mid-summer lead us to expect low damage for the whole season. However, very warm weather in August and September induced the beetles to lay eggs and the population density increased sharply. A lot of the summer beetles managed to terminate their development in time and to dig into the soil for overwintering. Consequently, we expected the beetles to be abundant the following spring. However, a short, snowless, very cold period in January when air temperature fell to -30 °C and soil temperature to -6.6 °C nullified this prediction as over 90% of over-wintering beetles perished. In spring 2016, very few beetles were found on the field and the potato plants remained undamaged until the end of June. Then, due to south-east storms at the end of June, very large migrations occurred and, some weeks later, various development stages of CPB were very abundant in potato fields. Thus, none of our predictions came true. The main reason for this was our extremely unstable weather conditions during summer and the overwintering period and the unpredictable large migrations from southern regions

Models of Internet Connectivity in Previously Disadvantaged Secondary Schools in the Eastern Cape

Computers are increasingly considered a valuable tool in Education, not only for the purpose of administration but also for teaching and learning. This project aims to model Internet connectivity to previously disadvan-taged schools in the Eastern Cape by investigating known networking technologies in the context of such schools. We look at wired and wireless technologies, while bearing in mind issues such as cost, organisation ca-pacity and such like