Mating behavior of Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera : Scelionidae): Potential for outbreeding in a predominantly inbreeding species

The mating behavior of the quasi-gregarious egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) was investigated under field conditions. Trissolcus basalis has female-biased sex ratios and is a protandrous species, with males emerging 1-2 days before females. Males competed aggressively for control of the egg mass, with one male assuming dominance and control of the egg mass, although changes in dominance occurred at least once on each egg mass observed. Typical mating behavior involved the dominant male mating his sisters immediately upon their emergence from the egg mass. These behaviors are characteristic of an inbreeding species that manifests local mate competition. However, several aspects of the mating behavior of T. basalis are inconsistent with that of an inbreeding species. Over 18% of emerging females were not mated by the dominant male upon emergence, 13% of females were not observed to be mated at all and may have left their natal site as virgins, 25% of females were mated multiple times and sometimes by multiple males, females remained near the natal site for up to several hours after emergence before emigrating, and males dispersed away from the natal site during female emergence. Trissolcus basalis may be a predominantly inbreeding species but its emergence and mating behavior suggest that low-frequency outbreeding is also likely to occur.

Dynamic Behavior of the Jahn-Teller distorted Cu(H2O)(6)(2+) ion in Cu2+ doped Cs-2[Zn(H2O)(6)](ZrF6)(2) and the crystal structure of the host lattice

The temperature dependence of the X- and Q-band EPR spectra of Cs-2[Zn(H2O)(6)](ZrF6)(2) containing similar to1% Cu2+ is reported. All three molecular g-values vary with temperature, and their behavior is interpreted using a model in which the potential surface of the Jahn-Teller distorted Cu(H2O)(6)(2+) ion is perturbed by an orthorhombic strain induced by interactions with the surrounding lattice. The strain parameters are significantly smaller than those reported previously for the Cu(H2O)(6)(2+) ion in similar lattices. The temperature dependence of the two higher g-values suggests that in the present compound the lattice interactions change slightly with temperature. The crystal structure of the Cs-2[Zn(H2O)(6)](ZrF6)(2) host is reported, and the geometry of the Zn(H2O)(6)(2+) ion is correlated with lattice strain parameters derived from the EPR spectrum of the guest Cu2+ complex.

Early intervention: Narratives of learning, discipline and enculturation

Current understandings about literacy have moved away from the belief that literacy is simply a process that individuals do in their heads. These understandings do not negate the importance of the individual aspects of literacy learning, but they emphasize understandings of literacy as a social practice. In many cases, responses to early literacy intervention seem to be grounded in theories that appear out of step with current literacy research and consequent evidence that literacy is socially and culturally constructed. One such response is the Reading Recovery programme based on Clay’s theory of literacy acquisition. Clay (1992) describes the programme as a second chance to learn. However, others have suggested that programmes like Reading Recovery may in fact work toward the marginalization of particular groups, thereby helping to maintain the status quo along class, gender and ethnic lines. This article allows two professionals to bring their insider’s knowledge of Reading Recovery to an analysis of the construction of the programme. The article interweaves this analysis with the personal narratives of the researchers as they negotiated the borders between different understandings and beliefs about literacy and literacy pedagogy.

The Building Partnerships Program: An Approach to Community-based Learning for Medical Students in Australia

The Building Partnerships Program at the University of Queensland, Australia seeks to address the dual challenge of preparing doctors who are responsive to the community while providing a meaningful context for social sciences learning. Through partnerships with a diverse range of community agencies, the program offers students opportunities to gain non-clinical perspectives on health and illness through structured learning activities including: family visits; community agency visits and attachments; and interview training. Students learn first-hand about psychosocial influences on health and how people manage health problems on a day-to-day basis. They also gain insights into the work of community agencies and how they as future doctors might work in partnership with them to enhance patient care. We outline the main components of the program, identify challenges and successes from student and community agency perspectives, and consider areas that invite further development.

Effect of instructed extinction on verbal and autonomic indices of Pavlovian learning with fear-relevant and fear-irrelevant conditional stimuli

We investigated the effects of conditional stimulus fear-relevance and of instructed extinction on human Pavlovian conditioning as indexed by electrodermal responses and verbal ratings of conditional stimulus unpleasantness. Half of the participants (n = 64) were trained with pictures of snakes and spiders (fear-relevant) as conditional stimuli, whereas the others were trained with pictures of flowers and mushrooms (fear-irrelevant) in a differential aversive Pavlovian conditioning procedure. Half of the participants in each group were instructed after the completion of acquisition that no more unconditional stimuli were to be presented. Extinction of differential electrodermal responses required more trials after training with fear-relevant pictures. Moreover, there was some evidence that verbal instructions did not affect extinction of second interval electrodermal responses to fear-relevant pictures. However, neither fear-relevance nor instructions affected the changes in rated conditional stimulus pleasantness. This dissociation across measures is interpreted as reflecting renewal of Pavlovian learning.

Enriched behavioral prediction equation and its impact on structured learning and the dynamic calculus

This theoretical note describes an expansion of the behavioral prediction equation, in line with the greater complexity encountered in models of structured learning theory (R. B. Cattell, 1996a). This presents learning theory with a vector substitute for the simpler scalar quantities by which traditional Pavlovian-Skinnerian models have hitherto been represented. Structured learning can be demonstrated by vector changes across a range of intrapersonal psychological variables (ability, personality, motivation, and state constructs). Its use with motivational dynamic trait measures (R. B. Cattell, 1985) should reveal new theoretical possibilities for scientifically monitoring change processes (dynamic calculus model; R. B. Cattell, 1996b), such as encountered within psycho therapeutic settings (R. B. Cattell, 1987). The enhanced behavioral prediction equation suggests that static conceptualizations of personality structure such as the Big Five model are less than optimal.

Nonverbal narratives: Listening to people with severe intellectual disability

This article describes an exploratory study that examined the perspectives of practitioners who spend much of their working day listening to and in some ways interpreting for people with severe intellectual disabilities. On the basis of focus group interviews with 23 professional disability-sector workers, including speech therapists, psychologists, and human service workers, the article reports on the importance of a practitioner's values and experience in successful interactions with individuals who rely on self-developed nonsymbolic communication repertoires. The article includes a discussion of the likelihood of including individuals with severe intellectual disabilities in narrative research.

Using workflow technology to manage flexible e-learning services

Workflow technology provides a suitable platform to define and manage the coordination of business process activities. We introduce a flexible e-learning environment – called Flex-eL – that has been built upon workflow technology. The workflow functionality of Flex-eL manages the coordination of learning and assessment activities of the course process between students and teaching staff. It provides a unique environment for teachers to design and develop process-centric courses and to monitor student progress. It allows students to learn at their own pace while observing the learning guidelines and checkpoints modeled into the course process by teaching staff. We also report on the successful deployment of the concept and system for university courses and our experiences from the implementation.

Improving attitude-behavior correspondence through exposure to normative support from a salient ingroup

Two experiments were conducted to test predictions derived from social identity/self-categorization theory concerning the role of group norms in attitude-behavior consistency. In Experiment 1, 160 students who could be classified as having a more or less certain target attitude were exposed to attitude congruent versus incongruent normative support from a relevant reference group (own university) under conditions of low versus high group salience. Experiment 2 was very similar in design and methodology (N=180), but a different correlate of attitude accessibility was used (an experimental manipulation of repeated expression), the target attitude was changed, and the reference group was gender. Across the 2 experiments there was consistent support for the hypothesis that participants would behave more in accordance with their attitudes when they received normative support for, rather than opposition to, their original attitude from a relevant reference group (i.e., their ingroup, not an outgroup). There was slightly weaker support for the second hypothesis that this effect would be stronger under high-than low-salience conditions. The third hypothesis (see Fazio, 1986), that attitude certainty and repeated expression of the attitude would strengthen attitude-behavior consistency, was well supported, as was the expectation that accessibility effects would be independent of reference group norm effects on attitude-behavior consistency.

Exploring the learning potential of an artificial life simulation

CULTURE is an Artificial Life simulation that aims to provide primary school children with opportunities to become actively engaged in the high-order thinking processes of problem solving and critical thinking. A preliminary evaluation of CULTURE has found that it offers the freedom for children to take part in process-oriented learning experiences. Through providing children with opportunities to make inferences, validate results, explain discoveries and analyse situations, CULTURE encourages the development of high-order thinking skills. The evaluation found that CULTURE allows users to autonomously explore the important scientific concepts of life and living, and energy and change within a software environment that children find enjoyable and easy to use.