The utility of aerial pan-trapping for assessing insect pollinators across vertical strata

Insect pollinators provide a critical ecosystem service by pollinating many wild flowers and crops. It is therefore essential to be able to effectively survey and monitor pollinator communities across a range of habitats, and in particular, sample the often stratified parts of the habitats where insects are found. To date, a wide array of sampling methods have been used to collect insect pollinators, but no single method has been used effectively to sample across habitat types and throughout the spatial structure of habitats. Here we present a method of ‘aerial pan-trapping’ that allows insect pollinators to be sampled across the vertical strata from the canopy of forests to agro-ecosystems. We surveyed and compared the species richness and abundance of a wide range of insect pollinators in agricultural, secondary regenerating forest and primary forest habitats in Ghana to evaluate the usefulness of this approach. In addition to confirming the efficacy of the method at heights of up to 30 metres and the effects of trap color on catch, we found greatest insect abundance in agricultural land and higher bee abundance and species richness in undisturbed forest compared to secondary forest.

Time-resolved gas-phase kinetic, quantum chemical, and RRKM studies of reactions of silylene with alcohols

Time-resolved kinetic studies of silylene, SiH2, generated by laser flash photolysis of 1-silacyclopent-3-ene and phenylsilane, have been carried out to obtain rate constants for its bimolecular reactions with methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol and 2-methyl-1-butanol. The reactions were studied in the gas phase over the pressure range 1-100 Torr in SF6 bath gas, at room temperature. In the study with methanol several buffer gases were used. All five reactions showed pressure dependences characteristic of third body assisted association reactions. The rate constant pressure dependences were modelled using RRKM theory, based on Eo values of the association complexes obtained by ab initio calculation (G3 level). Transition state models were adjusted to fit experimental fall-off curves and extrapolated to obtain k∞ values in the range 1.9 to 4.5 × 10-10 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. These numbers, corresponding to the true bimolecular rate constants, indicate efficiencies of between 16 and 67% of the collision rates for these reactions. In the reaction of SiH2 + MeOH there is a small kinetic component to the rate which is second order in MeOH (at low total pressures). This suggests an additional catalysed reaction pathway, which is supported by the ab initio calculations. These calculations have been used to define specific MeOH-for-H2O substitution effects on this catalytic pathway. Where possible our experimental and theoretical results are compared with those of previous studies.

The reaction between silylene and ammonia: some gas-phase kinetic and quantum chemical studies

Time-resolved kinetic studies of the reaction of silylene, SiH2, generated by 193 nm laser flash photolysis of silacyclopent-3-ene, have been carried out in the presence of ammonia, NH3. Second order kinetics were observed. The reaction was studied in the gas phase at 10 Torr total pressure in SF6 bath gas at each of the three temperatures, 299, 340 and 400 K. The second order rate constants (laser pulse energy of 60 mJ/pulse) fitted the Arrhenius equation: log(k/cm3 molecule-1 s-1) = (-10.37 ± 0.17) + (0.36 ± 1.12 kJ mol-1)/RTln10 Experiments at other pressures showed that these rate constants were unaffected by pressure in the range 10-100 Torr, but showed small decreases in value at 3 and 1 Torr. There was also a weak intensity dependence, with rate constants decreasing at laser pulse energies of 30 mJ/pulse. Ab initio calculations at the G3 level of theory, show that SiH2 + NH3 should form an initial adduct (donor-acceptor complex), but that energy barriers are too great for further reaction of the adduct. This implies that SiH2 + NH3 should be a pressure dependent association reaction. The experimental data are inconsistent with this and we conclude that SiH2 decays are better explained by reaction of SiH2 with the amino radical, NH2, formed by photodissociation of NH3 at 193 nm. The mechanism of this previously unstudied reaction is discussed.

RedGloo: Experiences of developing and using an emerging technology in higher education

Student life has change a lot since 2005 when the idea to create a Social Network Service (SNS) for students in the School of Systems Engineering at the University of Reading was conceived and went live in 2006, called RedGloo.

Root transcriptional responses of two melon genotypes with contrasting resistance to Monosporascus cannonballus (Pollack et Uecker) infection

Background: Monosporascus cannonballus is the main causal agent of melon vine decline disease. Several studies have been carried out mainly focused on the study of the penetration of this pathogen into melon roots, the evaluation of symptoms severity on infected roots, and screening assays for breeding programs. However, a detailed molecular view on the early interaction between M. cannonballus and melon roots in either susceptible or resistant genotypes is lacking. In the present study, we used a melon oligo-based microarray to investigate the gene expression responses of two melon genotypes, Cucumis melo 'Piel de sapo' ('PS') and C. melo 'Pat 81', with contrasting resistance to the disease. This study was carried out at 1 and 3 days after infection (DPI) by M. cannonballus. Results: Our results indicate a dissimilar behavior of the susceptible vs. the resistant genotypes from 1 to 3 DPI. 'PS' responded with a more rapid infection response than 'Pat 81' at 1 DPI. At 3 DPI the total number of differentially expressed genes identified in 'PS' declined from 451 to 359, while the total number of differentially expressed transcripts in 'Pat 81' increased from 187 to 849. Several deregulated transcripts coded for components of Ca2+ and jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathways, as well as for other proteins related to defence mechanisms. Transcriptional differences in the activation of the JA-mediated response in 'Pat 81' compared to 'PS' suggested that JA response might be partially responsible for their observed differences in resistance. Conclusions: As a result of this study we have identified for the first time a set of candidate genes involved in the root response to the infection of the pathogen causing melon vine decline. This information is useful for understanding the disease progression and resistance mechanisms few days after inoculation.

Chaos, culture and fantasy: The television plays of Howard Schuman

The single plays of American ex-pat playwright Howard Schuman produced for British television between 1973 and 1983 have received little critical attention. Written in a distinctly un-British madcap, non-naturalistic and often pulpy 'B movie' style, they centre around caricatured, hysterical and/or camp characters and make frequent references to popular culture. This article provides a general survey of Schuman's plays and analyses his sensibility as a screenwriter, drawing extensively on material from interviews with the writer. The article's particular focus is how and why different cultural forms including music, film and theatre are used and referred to in Schuman's plays, and how this conditions the plays' narrative content and visual and aural form. It also considers the reception of Schuman's plays and their status as non-naturalistic dramas that engage heavily with American pop culture, within the context of British drama. Finally, it explores the writer's relationship to style and aesthetics, and considers how his written works have been enhanced through creative design decisions, comparing his directions (in one of his scripts) with the realized play to reflect on the use of key devices.

Residential investment and sustainable communities

This research examines the scope for more private rented housing as part of securing housing choice and affordability. A comprehensive review covers the current UK planning, housing and investment framework. It examines UK valuation practice and draws lessons from the Netherlands and Canada. UK case studies illustrate how private companies and social organisations are challenging commonly perceived barriers to mixed-use, mixed-tenure and rented housing through imaginative developments and investments. Additionally, the case studies incorporate financial appraisals of actual schemes and illustrate the reasons for different approaches by private and social organisations to assessing financial feasibility, based on their individual objectives. The report provides a practical resource for property professionals, investors and developers as well as an aid to policy makers in understanding property and investment market responses. The research was funded through the Pat Allsop Education Trust.

Dropout: MOOC participants’perspective

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) open up learning opportunities to a large number of people. A small percentage (around 10%) of the large numbers of participants enrolling in MOOCs manage to finish the course by completing all parts. The term ‘dropout’ is commonly used to refer to ‘all who failed to complete’ a course, and is used in relation to MOOCs. Due to the nature of MOOCs, with students not paying enrolment and tuition fees, there is no direct financial cost incurred by a student. Therefore it is debatable whether the traditional definition of dropout in higher education could be directly applied to MOOCs. This paper reports ongoing exploratory work on MOOC participants’ perspectives based on six qualitative interviews. The findings show that MOOC participants are challenging the widely held view of dropout, suggesting that it is more about failing to achieve their personal aims.

Tripodal molecules for the promotion of phosphoester hydrolysis

A series of low molecular weight tripodal amide/histidine-containing compounds (1–2) have been synthesised and shown to increase the rate of bis-(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate (BNPP) and soman (GD) breakdown in buffered aqueous solution.

Home in British working-class fiction

Offering new readings of working-class writing that focus on the home as a key emotional and material site in writing by working-class authors from the Edwardian period through to the mid-1990s. With close readings of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, works by D. H. Lawrence, Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, Ellen Wilkinson, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Walter Brierley, Alan Sillitoe, John Braine, Nell Dunn, Sam Selvon, Sid Chaplin, Buchi Emecheta, Pat Barker, Jeanette Winterson, James Kelman and many others. The book demonstrates the importance of ideas of home and its narrative representation to the making and expression of class feeling and identity.

The persistence of distance: a gravity model of European cross-border real estate development flows

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the scale and drivers of cross-border real estate development in Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. Design/methodology/approach – Placing cross-border real estate development within the framework of foreign direct investment (FDI), conceptual complexities in characterizing the notional real estate developer are emphasized. Drawing upon a transaction database, this paper proxies cross-border real estate development flows with asset sales by developers. Findings – Much higher levels of market penetration by international real estate developers are found in the less mature markets of Central and Eastern Europe. Analysis suggests a complex range of determinants with physical distance remaining a consistent barrier to cross-border development flows. Originality/value – This analysis adds significant value in terms of understanding cross-border real estate development flows. In this study, a detailed examination of the issues based on a rigorous empirical analysis through gravity modelling is offered. The gravity framework is one of the most confirmed empirical regularities in international economics and commonly applied to trade, FDI, migration, foreign portfolio investment inter alia. This paper assesses the extent to which it provides useful insights into the pattern of cross-border real estate development flows.

The impact of cross-border real estate investment on commercial real estate capitalisation rates

This study examines the impact of foreign real estate investment on the US office market capitalization rates. The geographic unit of analysis is MSA and the time period is 2001-2013. Drawing upon a database of commercial real estate transactions provided by Real Capital Analytics, we model the determinants of market capitalization rates with a particular focus on the significance of the proportion of market transactions involving foreign investors. We have employed several econometric techniques to explore the data, potential estimation biases, and test robustness of the results. The results suggest statistically significant effects of foreign investment across 38 US metro areas. It is estimated that, all else equal, a 100 basis points increase in foreign share of total investment in a US metropolitan office market causes about an 8 basis points decrease in the market cap rate.