Commercial Citrus or a Really Big Backyard: Small Citrus Growers and their Effects on Citrus Pest Populations

Crop Production/Industries,

The impact of body image on Fitbit use: a comparison across genders

This article is the first in the feature to explore personal tracking devices – in this case the Fitbit – and the relationship between their use and people’s self-perceptions and behaviour. Amber Edwards conducted the research for her MA dissertation at the University of Sheffield, graduating with an MA in Librarianship in January 2017. Her study shows that body image plays a large role in Fitbit use and that this is slightly more evident in females than males, although the differences are subtle. She argues that the results have implications for information professionals involved in teaching health information literacy. Amber began working in the library at Bishop Grosseteste University in June 2016, while completing her dissertation

Biting midges from Dominican amber : 3. Species of the tribes Culicoidini and Ceratopogonini (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

The following 10 new species of biting midges are described and illustrated from Dominican amber: Culicoides (Oecacta) antilleanus, C. (0.) brodzinskyi, C. (0.) ambericus, C. (0.) hispanicolus, C. mammalicolus, Brachypogon (B.) american us, B. (Isohelea) dominicanus, B. (Isohelea) prominuloides, Stilobezzia (S.) antilleana and S. (Acanthohelea) dominicana. Two other species, in Nannohelea and Stilobezzia, are described but not named. Stilobezzia (Acanthohelea) wirthicola is a new name for Stilobezzia (A.) succinea Szadziewski from Miocene Saxonian amber, which is preoccupied by the extant Stilobezzia succinea Ingram and Macfie, from Argentina

In terms of Brexit

Many political and constitutional steps are needed in order for the UK to leave the European Union, after 45 years as a full member. Cumulatively they form one of the biggest constitutional changes in British history, and one dogged by intense controversy and disputes. Joelle Grogan examines how far the Brexit process can meet democratic criteria for such a momentous transition, or may fall short of these standard

Three fast lessons and three slow lessons for UK democracy in 2019 [Blog post]

The Brexit process has exposed serious flaws to the UK’s democratic institutions. In this post, based on a speech given at the launch of The UK’s Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit, Joelle Grogan outlines six democratic lessons we should learn in 2019. The book is published by LSE Press, and can be downloaded for free here

The limited role of the European Union in the management and governance of the COVID-19 pandemic

Building on two global Symposia hosted by the erfassungsblog and convened by the author, the 2020 “covid-19 and States of Emergency” and the 2021 “Power and the covid-19 Pandemic”, in addition to the findings of the Democracy Reporting International ‘Rule of Law Stress Test’ which surveyed EU Member States’ responses to the pandemic, this article investigates the impact of the pandemic on governance and legal systems within the EU, and evaluates the actions taken by EU institutions and national governments in response to the health crisis against the standards of the rule of law