SCREENING OF PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF WEEDS

It is necessary to demonstrate the host specificity of an exotic phytophagous insect before introducing it for the biological control of a weed. The widely-used "starvation test" made on economic plants is considered inadequate for this purpose and we propose that studies should be broadened to include the following: (1) study of the insect's biology, including host-plant records, with particular attention to adaptations likely to restrict the host range, (2) review of the plants attacked by related insects, (3) determination of the laboratory host range of the insect, (4) investigation of the chemical or physical basis of host-plant recognition, (5) starvation tests on economic plants to confirm the limits of the previously established host range, (6) establishment of the insects' potential effectiveness for weed control. A limited amount of feeding on economic plants in the laboratory is not reason for rejection, if other criteria show the insect has a high degree of specificit

Die kindliche Emotionsregulation im familiären Kontext unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Eltern als Modell

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersuchte den Einfluss der elterlichen Emotionsregulation und ihrer Expressivität in der Familie auf die kindliche Emotionsregulation. Zusätzlich sollten Unterschiede der kindlichen Emotionsregulation in Abhängigkeit vom Alter, Geschlecht und Vorhandensein von Geschwistern und Zusammenhänge zwischen der elterlichen Emotionsregulation und der familiären Expressivität und den elterlichen emotionsbezogenen Erziehungspraktiken (Reaktion auf Emotionen des Kindes, Emotion coaching) berücksichtigt werden. Es wurden drei Sichtweisen (Muttersicht, Vatersicht, Kindersicht) auf die kindliche Emotionsregulation und vier Emotionen (Wut, Angst, Trauer, Freude) einbezogen. 211 Kinder (105 Mädchen, 106 Buben) im Alter zwischen 8 und 12 Jahren bearbeiteten eine adaptierte Version des Fragebogen zur Erhebung der Emotionsregulation bei Kindern und Jugendlichen (FEEL-KJ; Grob & Smolenski, 2009). 105 von ihren Müttern und 67 von ihren Vätern bearbeiteten ebenfalls eine adaptierte Version des FEEL-KJ (Grob & Smolenski, 2009), wobei sie ihre eigene Emotionsregulation und die Emotionsregulation ihrer Kinder einschätzten, und eine adaptierte Version des Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ; Halberstadt, Cassidy, Stifter, Parke & Fox, 1995). Bei der kindlichen Emotionsregulation bestehen keine deutlichen Geschlechts- und Altersunterschiede und Unterschiede aufgrund von Geschwistern. Eltern und auch schon die Kinder können ihre Emotionen gut regulieren, außer bei Wut bei den Kindern aus Elternsicht, werden häufiger adaptive als maladaptive Strategien zur Regulation der vier Emotionen eingesetzt. Die mütterlichen und väterlichen adaptiven Strategien haben hauptsächlich einen Einfluss auf die kindlichen adaptiven Strategien und die elterlichen maladaptiven Strategien einen auf die kindlichen maladaptiven Strategien. Ebenfalls zeigt sich ein Einfluss der elterlichen positiven Expressivität in der Familie. Die elterliche negative Expressivität in der Familie stellt nie einen relevanten Prädiktor dar. Es bestehen mehr signifikante Regressionsmodelle bei den Müttern als bei den Vätern. Die Ergebnisse weisen auf Zusammenhänge zwischen der elterlichen Emotionsregulation und den Reaktionen auf die kindlichen Emotionen und zwischen der familiären Expressivität und dem Emotion coaching der Eltern hin.The present research examined the impact of parental emotion regulation and their expressiveness in the family on children’s emotion regulation. In addition differences in the children’s emotion regulation needed to be considered dependant on age, gender and the existence of siblings, as well as relationships between parental emotion regulation and family expressiveness and parental emotion-related parenting practices (reactions to children’s emotions, emotion coaching). Three perspectives (mother’s, father’s, children’s) on children’s emotion regulation and four emotions (anger, fear, sadness, joy) were taken into consideration. 211 children (105 girls, 106 boys) aged between 8 and 12 years completed an adapted version of the Fragebogen zur Erhebung der Emotionsregulation bei Kindern und Jugendlichen (FEEL-KJ; Grob & Smolenski, 2009; a questionnaire about emotion regulation for children and adolescents). 105 of their mothers and 67 of their fathers completed an adapted version of the FEEL-KJ (Grob & Smolenski, 2009) as well, assessing their own emotion regulation and their children’s emotion regulation, and an adapted version of the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ; Halberstadt, Cassidy, Stifter, Parke & Fox, 1995). Regarding children`s emotion regulation there do not exist any distinct differences due to age, gender and siblings. Parents and even children were able to regulate their emotions properly, except children dealing with anger in the parental perception. Regulating the four emotions, adaptive strategies are used more often than maladaptive strategies. Maternal and paternal adaptive strategies mainly impact children’s adaptive strategies and parental maladaptive strategies mainly impact children’s maladaptive strategies. Effects of parental positive expressiveness in the family are apparent as well. Parental negative expressiveness in the family never represents a relevant predictor. There are more significant regression models with mothers than with fathers. The results refer to relationships between parental emotion regulation and reactions to children’s emotions and between family expressiveness and parental emotion coaching

Improved 2D Keypoint Detection in Out-of-Balance and Fall Situations -- combining input rotations and a kinematic model

Injury analysis may be one of the most beneficial applications of deep learning based human pose estimation. To facilitate further research on this topic, we provide an injury specific 2D dataset for alpine skiing, covering in total 533 images. We further propose a post processing routine, that combines rotational information with a simple kinematic model. We could improve detection results in fall situations by up to 21% regarding the [email protected] metric.Comment: extended abstract, 4 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Facultative Hyperparasitism: Extreme Survival Behaviour of the Primary Solitary Ectoparasitoid, Dinarmus basalis

This study investigated the egg-laying behaviour of ectoparsitoid, Dinarmus basalis Rondani (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), females when faced with a prolonged deprivation of suitable hosts leading to extreme ‘oviposition pressure’. The egg-laying behaviour of virgin D. basalis females was tested with Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) hosts previously parasitized by the conspecific females in which the developing larvae had reached the last larval instar (L5) or pupae. The hyperparasitism did not prevent the occurrence of superparasitism, but only one D. basalis egg from a hyperparasitized D. basalis L5 larvae reached the adult stage due to the solitary behaviour of the D. basalis larvae. Under these experimental conditions, 60.78% of the D. basalis adults emerging from larvae were miniaturized due to the depletion of host resources

Integrated Management of European Cherry Fruit Fly Rhagoletis cerasi (L.): Situation in Switzerland and Europe

Abstract: The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a highly destructive pest. The low tolerance for damaged fruit requires preventive insecticide treatments for a marketable crop. The phase-out of old insecticides threatens cherry production throughout the European Union (EU). Consequently, new management techniques and tools are needed. With the increasing number of dwarf tree orchards covered against rain to avoid fruit splitting, crop netting has become a viable, cost-effective method of cherry fruit fly control. Recently, a biocontrol method using the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has been developed for organic agriculture. However, for most situations, there is still a lack of efficient and environmentally sound insecticides to control this pest. This review summarizes the literature from over one hundred years of research on R. cerasi with focus on the biology and history of cherry fruit fly control as well as on antagonists and potential biocontrol organisms. We will present the situation of cherry fruit fly regulation in different European countries, give recommendations for cherry fruit fly control, show gaps in knowledge and identify future research opportunities

Biodiversity modelling in practice - predicting bird and woody plant species richness on farmlands

In light of decreasing species richness on farmland and an increasing awareness of biodiversity issues among customers and food companies, concepts and models to evaluate and enhance farmland biodiversity are greatly needed. It is important that the models are easy to apply as they have to be utilized by practitioners such as farmers and their consultants. In this study, simple but valid predictors were identified to rapidly assess the species richness of birds and woody plants in hedgerows, an important farmland landscape element. Hedgerows were sampled in seven agricultural landscapes throughout Germany. By means of automatic model selection procedures, linear regression models were estimated to predict bird and woody plant species richness. Cross validation procedures were carried out in order to visualize model selection uncertainty and estimate the prediction error. Due to a rather high prediction error, the model for plants can only be recommended for use when field work is not feasible. The model for birds, however, explained 70.8% of the variance in species numbers. It may help farmers, food companies and nature conservation agencies to rapidly evaluate bird species richness in hedgerows on farmland and to identify potentials and appropriate measures for enhancing it

Indirect interaction between two native thistles mediated by an invasive exotic floral herbivore

Spatial and temporal variation in insect floral herbivory is common and often important. Yet, the determinants of such variation remain incompletely understood. Using 12 years of flowering data and 4 years of biweekly insect counts, we evaluated four hypotheses to explain variation in damage by the Eurasian flower head weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus, to the native North American wavyleaf thistle, Cirsium undulatum. The four factors hypothesized to influence weevil impact were variations in climate, weevil abundance, phenological synchrony, and number of flower heads available, either on wavyleaf thistle or on the other co-occurring, acquired native host plant (Platte thistle, Cirsium canescens), or on both. Climate did not contribute significantly to an explanation of variation in R. conicus damage to wavyleaf thistle. However, climate did influence weevil synchrony with wavyleaf flower head initiation, and phenological synchrony was important in determining R. conicus oviposition levels on wavyleaf thistle. The earlier R. conicus was active, the less it oviposited on wavyleaf thistle, even when weevils were abundant. Neither weevil abundance nor availability of wavyleaf flower heads predicted R. conicus egg load. Instead, the strongest predictor of R. conicus egg load on wavyleaf thistle was the availability of flower heads on Platte thistle, the more common, earlier flowering native thistle in the sand prairie. Egg load on wavyleaf thistle decreased as the number of Platte thistle flower heads at a site increased. Thus, wavyleaf thistle experienced associational defense in the presence of flowering by its now declining native congener, Platte thistle. These results demonstrate that prediction of damage to a native plant by an exotic insect may require knowledge of both likely phenological synchrony and total resource availability to the herbivore, including resources provided by other nontarget native species