Potential endocrine disruption of ovary synthesis in the Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis by the insecticide pyriproxyfen

The effect of the insecticide, pyriproxyfen on early ovary synthesis was examined in the Gecarcinid land crab, Gecarcoidea natalis. Crabs were fed a mixture of either leaf litter and bait containing 0.5% (wt/wt) pyriproxyfen (experimental groups), or a mixture of leaf litter and a control bait containing no pyriproxyfen (control groups), at simulated baiting doses of 2 kg ha− 1 and 4 kg ha− 1, during the period in which G. natalis synthesises its ovaries. A third group of crabs were fed ad libitum either the bait containing 0.5% Pypriproxyfen or the control bait. Pyriproxyfen affected early ovary development in G. natalis. The ovaries from crabs in the experimental groups at all baiting levels had a higher total nitrogen content and dry mass than the ovaries from crabs in the control groups. Pyriproxyfen affected the histology of the ovaries. Ovaries from animals in the experimental groups were more mature, containing more previtellogenic and early vitellogenic oocytes, of a larger diameter, than the ovaries from crabs in the control groups. Significant amounts of pyriproxyfen accumulated within the midgut gland and ovary, the hypothesised target tissues, while minor amounts of pyriproxyfen was accumulated in the muscle, a hypothesised non target tissue. Pyriproxyfen may have stimulated early ovary development and induced synthesis of yolk protein by mimicking methyl farnesoate and thus causing endocrine disruption. Given this, pyriproxyfen should not be used to control invasive insects in environments where gecarcinid and other land crab species are present.

Elves processing Christmas orders in an office SFX

A sound design that animates elves working in an office processing Christmas orders.

Away in a manger (Christmas pop carol)

Away in a manger, the famous Carol, is given the pop treatment.

Illusions vary because of the types of decorations at bowers, not male skill at arranging them, in great bowerbirds

Many animals use extended phenotypes to attract mates, but the availability of suitable resources in the environment can affect the size and form of these signals, with unknown consequences for honest signalling. In some populations of the great bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis, males arrange decorations by size, with smaller decorations placed closer to the bower entrance than larger decorations. This may create a more even background pattern from the female's viewpoint within the bower than if decorations were arranged randomly. Males show consistent, individual variation in the size-distance gradient, which could reflect variation among males in the cognitive skills needed to arrange decorations. We examined whether individual consistency in gradient characteristics is related to a male's skill at decoration arrangement or the types of decorations at bowers. We paired 18 males and switched bower decorations between pairs. We measured gradient characteristics before switching and 4 and 8 days after switching. Gradient characteristics after switching were related to those of the bower from which decorations were received, not to those of the male's own bower before switching. Gradient characteristics were also related to the types of decorations received, including bones and snail shells. These results suggest that variation among males in the size-distance gradient is explained by differences in the availability of decorations at bowers, not the cognitive skills required to arrange decorations. Although variation in gradient characteristics could indicate the male's ability to locate and transport particular decorations, it could also reflect local availability of objects, with no relationship to male quality.

Were the National Socialists a Völkisch Party? Paganism, Christianity, and the Nazi christmas

A trend in studies about National Socialism and religion in recent years argues for a deliberate distinction between the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and the antisemitic völkisch movement of nineteenth-century Germany. This article challenges that contention. Several researchers have published comprehensive studies on the heterogeneous nature of Christian responses to the Nazis, but a comparable approach looking at how the Nazis viewed religion has not yet been undertaken. A study of the latter type is certainly necessary, given that one of the consistent features of the völkisch movement was its diversity. As Roger Griffin has argued, a “striking feature of the sub-culture . . . was just how prolific and variegated it was . . . [T]he only denominator common to all was the myth of national rebirth.” In short, the völkisch movement contained a colorful, varied, and often bewildering range of religious beliefs.

The Christmas effect-special dividend announcements

This paper examines the Halloween effect in special dividend announcements. We find that firms are more likely to announce special dividends at the end of a year, especially in the months of November and December. There is a Halloween effect in the announcements, but more importantly, there is a Christmas effect in the propensity and abnormal returns of special dividends. This paper provides initial evidence on the Christmas effect of special dividend payments. It links monthly effects in stock returns and corporate events to explain the likelihood of the occurrence of special dividend announcements. The results of this paper shed light on why corporate events are more likely to occur in some periods, but less likely to occur in others.

December 2010: National Christmas Tree

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