Pheromone glands in the click beetle genus Athous (Elateridae)

Sexualpheromone sind im gesamten Tierreich weit verbreitet. Vor allem Insekten nutzen diese Art der Partnerfindung. Im Vergleich zu vielen Insektenarten, bei welchen die Art der pheromonbildenden Drüsenzellen, ihre Lage im Körper sowie die chemische Zusammensetzung ihrer Pheromone identifiziert wurde (s. Review von Blomquist & Vogt 2003) ist bei Schnellkäfern (Elateridae) noch sehr wenig bekannt. Die verschiedenen mitteleuropäischen Schnellkäferarten lassen sich anhand ihrer Pheromonspeicherung in zwei unterschiedliche Gruppen unterteilen. Die Weibchen der Unterfamilie Elaterinae, besitzen im letzten von außen sichtbaren Abdominalsegment ein paariges Drüsenreservoir in welchem das produzierte Sexualpheromon gespeichert wird. Im Gegensatz dazu fehlt bei den Weibchen der übrigen Unterfamilien ein solches Pheromonreservoir und es ist unklar, wo bei diesen Arten die Pheromone produziert werden. Beobachtungen von Ivastschenko & Adamenko (1980) deuten darauf hin, dass sich bei diesen Arten die pheromonproduzierenden Zellen im Bereich der Intersegmentalmembran zwischen dem Abdominalsegment VIII und IX befinden. Um zu klären, ob die Pheromondrüsen tatsächlich in diesem Bereich zu finden sind, wurden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit die Intersegmentalmembranen bei Weibchen und Männchen von Athous haemorrhoidalis und A. subfuscus auf mögliche Drüsenzellvorkommen untersucht.Although it is well known, that click beetles (Elateridae) use pheromones to find their mating partners, only from 10 out of approximately 170 Elateridae species in Central Europe sexual pheromones have been identified. This was successful only with members of the subfamily Elaterinae, where females have an adenoid pheromone reservoir in the abdominal tip. However, all other subfamilies which represent the majority of all Central European click beetle species do not posses such a reservoir. In this study we examine the hypothesis that in these species pheromone glands have no reservoir and are situated on the intersegmental membrane between the 8th and 9th abdominal segment. Using REM, a large number of type III gland cells were found in this area in females of Athous haemorrhoidalis und A. subfuscus. In males these glands are absent. Together with literature data this strongly suggests that these glandular structures represent the source of the sexual pheromones in the genus Athous

Samenfeste Sorten oder Hybriden - Untersuchungen an Speisemöhren aus einem Anbauvergleich an zwei Standorten des Ökologischen Landbaus

An zwei Standorten des Ökologischen Landbaus (Neu-Eichenberg, Nordhessen: mittlerer bis schwerer Boden; Queck, Osthessen: leichter Boden) wurden Feldversuche mit Möhren durchgeführt, um sechs samenfeste Sorten und sechs Hybriden auf ihre Anbautauglichkeit zu prüfen. Außer der Roh- und Handelswarenerträge wurden die Einheitlichkeit des Erntegutes (cv%) bestimmt und die Gehalte an Mineralstoffen (K, Ca, P, Mg) und Zuckern (D-Glucose, D-Fructose, Saccharose) analysiert. Auch sogenannte Bildschaffende Methoden (Kupferchloridkristallisation, Steigbild, Rundfilterchromatogramm) kamen zur Anwendung. Die untersuchten Hybriden erzielten Mehrerträge von 25 bis 29% und in den meisten Fällen auch gleichmäßiger lange Rüben als die Samenfesten. Die Inhaltsstoffuntersuchungen zeigten höhere Mineralstoffgehalte und niedrigere Quotienten von Mono- zu Disaccharide bei den samenfesten Sorten. Mithilfe der Bildschaffenden Methoden konnten die Proben blind klar in zwei unterschiedliche Gruppen differenziert werden: Die Bilder der samenfesten Sorten waren im Vergleich zu denjenigen der Hybriden geprägt durch einen höheren Grad an Formintensität und Reife

Gehalte an Makro- und Mikroelementen sowie Zuckern in Möhren aus der biologisch-dynamischen und konventionellen landwirtschaftlichen Praxis

Mit dem Ziel, die Marktsituation für den Konsumenten hinsichtlich der Produktqualität zu beschreiben, wurden Proben von Speisemöhren des Anbaujahres 1996 aus der biologisch-dynamischen (n=57) und konventionellen (n=18) Praxis gesammelt. Ermittelt wurden unter Anderem: - Makroelemente: P, K, Na, Cl, Mg, S - Mikroelemente: Fe, B, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb - Zucker: D-Glu, D-Fru, Sa

Samenfeste Sorten oder Hybriden - Anbauvergleich von Möhren unter den Verhältnissen des Ökologischen Landbaus

A field trial with carrots was carried out in 1998 at two sites in Hesse (North: loamy soil in Neu-Eichenberg; East: sandy soil in Queck) to compare 6 open pollinating and 6 F1 hybrids under an Organic Farming regime. Characteristics of cultivation, harvest, quality, and longevity were measured. Of the parameters of cultivation and harvest the hybrids showed a more intensive foliage growth, higher marketable yields (plus 29 and 25%), and more homogeneous taproots than the open pollinating cultivars. Picture forming methods clearly separated the samples into the two groups of breeding methods. The open pollinating cultivars were characterized by higher degrees of form intensity and ripeness and a stable vitality. The hybrids of the sandy site had a better keeping quality after 6½ months storage, only the open pollinating cultivar ‘Rodelika’ had a very high ranking similar to the hybrids ‘Kardame F1’ and ‘Bolero F1’

How do United Kingdom (UK) medical schools identify and support undergraduate medical students who 'fail' communication assessments? : A national survey.

Acknowledgements Thanks go to Kirsty Boyd for discussion of early versions of the results of this survey. Grateful thanks to the UK Council for Clinical Communication in Undergraduate Medical Eduction for support of and contribution to this work.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluating inputs for organic farming – a new system. Proposals of the ORGANIC INPUTS EVALUATION project

This volume contains proposals for criteria for evaluation of plant protection products, fertilisers and soil conditioners1 to be used in organic agriculture. These ideas were developed in the course of the European Union (EU) Concerted Action project ‘ORGANIC INPUTS EVALUATION’ (QLK5-CT-2002-02565). For more information on this project see the end of this volume or visit the project website www.organicinputs.org. The documents in this volume are proposals elaborated by the project consortium and external experts. They were discussed with a broader audience at a public conference held in Brussels on October 13, 2005, and have been amended accordingly. Our proposals also include a “criteria matrix”, which is in Microsoft Excel format, and therefore stands as a separate file. The criteria matrix is discussed in section 5, but we strongly recommend that you consult the original document. To illustrate the use of the matrix, we have further prepared two case studies, which are also separate Excel files. All of these files are contained on the CD, and can also be downloaded from the project website. Currently, Regulation 2092/91 is under revision. We hope that our ideas can be incorporated into the regulation during this revision! In addition, we strongly encourage national institutions to make use of our proposals at the national level

Learning through exchange about organic agriculture - case of Europe and Australia

LEAFSE is the catch word for an innovative program of exchange study for young Australians and Europeans, with organic agriculture as the focal point of their Masters level studies. Two years ago, the European Commission and the Australian Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST) came up with the call for applications for a pilot project to support international mobility of tertiary students between the two continents. The grand aims set for the exchange included providing students with an international outlook and a range of perspectives, preparing them for the global marketplace, enable their understanding and empathy for different cultures and traditions and foster exchange of information. A number of us with an interest and an already existing academic network in organic agriculture proposed LEAFSE - Learning through Exchange - Agriculture, Food Systems and Environment, a winning project, which was chosen as the single pilot project from a field of well over a dozen contenders. Within the broader theme of Agriculture, Food Systems and Environment, we named organic farming as the focal point of the exchange, and we were aware of the immense possibilities for learning through exchange inter-continentally in this field. Under this project, Master's level students from EU study for a semester at a partner university in Australia, and students from Australia study for a semester at a partner university in EU. The partners in the programme are, from Europe: • The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark • University of Wales, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom • Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands • University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany, and from Australia: • University of Western Sydney, New South Wales • University of New England, New South Wales • University of Western Australia, Western Australia • University of Queensland, Queensland The project has an innovative but manageable framework for mobility of the students, a joint programme of study which incorporates many novel elements including holistic thinking, experiential and integrated learning and use of newer tools of communication technologies, and above all, a structure that fosters a high degree of inter-cultural understanding and network building. When completed, the pilot phase of the project would have enabled exchange of 36 students from each continent, nine from each participating institution. The respective government agencies provide the students with an adequate stipend to cover travel and living expenses for six months of study. The project has been running on target and the results of the first year of exchange have been more than impressive. This presentation will be a joint effort by the faculty and a number of participating students to demonstrate the cultural, agricultural, pedagogic, and practical lessons that have been learnt from this exchange in the field of organic farming. It will also highlight some of the challenges which need to be overcome in our efforts towards shaping sustainable agricultural and food systems which are cognizant of our respective environments

Does the inclusion of 'professional development' teaching improve medical students' communication skills?

Background: This study investigated whether the introduction of professional development teaching in the first two years of a medical course improved students' observed communication skills with simulated patients. Students' observed communication skills were related to patient-centred attitudes, confidence in communicating with patients and performance in later clinical examinations.Methods: Eighty-two medical students from two consecutive cohorts at a UK medical school completed two videoed consultations with a simulated patient: one at the beginning of year 1 and one at the end of year 2. Group 1 (n = 35) received a traditional pre-clinical curriculum. Group 2 (n = 47) received a curriculum that included communication skills training integrated into a 'professional development' vertical module. Videoed consultations were rated using the Evans Interview Rating Scale by communication skills tutors. A subset of 27% were double-coded. Inter-rater reliability is reported.Results: Students who had received the professional development teaching achieved higher ratings for use of silence, not interrupting the patient, and keeping the discussion relevant compared to students receiving the traditional curriculum. Patient-centred attitudes were not related to observed communication. Students who were less nervous and felt they knew how to listen were rated as better communicators. Students receiving the traditional curriculum and who had been rated as better communicators when they entered medical school performed less well in the final year clinical examination.Conclusions: Students receiving the professional development training showed significant improvements in certain communication skills, but students in both cohorts improved over time. The lack of a relationship between observed communication skills and patient-centred attitudes may be a reflection of students' inexperience in working with patients, resulting in 'patient-centredness' being an abstract concept. Students in the early years of their medical course may benefit from further opportunities to practise basic communication skills on a one-to-one basis with patients