The effect of queen-worker conflict on caste determination in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Endocrine analyses were used to investigate the well-known association between queen production and the onset of worker reproduction (termed the competition phase, CPh) in Bombus terrestris. Larvae that reached the age of 5 days before the CPh had a worker-like profile: low juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis rates and low JH hemolymph titers. In contrast, larvae that reached the age of 5 days during the CPh had a queen-like profile: high JH biosynthesis rates and high hemolymph JH levels. Larval fate could be manipulated by transplanting egg cells into host colonies with different social structures. There was a steep rise in JH production in larvae transplanted into colonies near or during the CPh. This indicates that during colony development, larvae switch from the ”worker developmental pathway” to the ”queen developmental pathway,” and that the switch is socially regulated. In small rearing groups, larvae reared with queens before the CPh developed into workers, whereas those reared with queens after the CPh developed into queens. Variation in worker type (naive or experienced) did not affect caste determination. Therefore, we hypothesize that queens produce a pheromone that directly inhibits queen differentiation by larvae. We also present two alternative scenarios that explain the timing of gyne production in B. terrestris, one based on ecological constraints and the other based on queen-worker competition. Received: 20 October 1999 / Received in revised form: 18 December 1999 / Accepted: 23 January 2000     

Forest Conflict in Thailand: Northern Minorities in Focus

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.     

限速值对信号交叉口交通安全的影响分析

为研究交叉口进口道车辆限速值对交叉口的安全和运行产生的影响,通过微观仿真平台,分析车辆在交叉口限速分别为30,38和46 km/h时的车均延误、车均行程时间,并将车辆行驶轨迹输入安全辅助评价(SSAM)软件中展开分析。结果表明,车辆限速值的提高对车均延误的影响不大,但会减小车辆在进口道的车均行程时间。另外,限速值从30 km/h提高到46 km/h,引起的碰撞时间(TTC)、后侵占时间(PET)数值变化不显著,但使总冲突数从42个增加到59个。     

Sometimes less is more: Directed coping with interpersonal stressors at work

Within the coping literature, researchers have long been interested in identifying ways in which individuals can improve their coping efforts, making them more effective and thereby reducing the harmful effects of stressful encounters. Although Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model has greatly advanced understanding of the coping process, there continues to be methodological and conceptual challenges that have hindered understanding of the mechanisms behind effective coping. Addressing these issues in the use of a novel approach of analyzing variation in coping (i.e., directed coping) at both the coping event and person coping levels, the current study examined the process of coping with work stress and the beneficial coping outcomes associated with using a directed coping strategy. A total of 143 nurses completed up to 12 weekly surveys online, reporting on weekly stressful interpersonal conflicts and how they coped with them. Results from multilevel analyses supported predictions that greater directed coping at both the level of the coping event and person is associated with improvements in occupational health outcomes even after controlling for other coping factors. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to future research on coping effectiveness and workplace applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

邻避情结下环境影响评价的公众参与研究——以东北地区A市为例

环境影响评价中引入公众参与是尊重与保护建设项目周围民众相关权利的程序.民众在参与基建项目的环境影响评价过程中会针对项目的负外部性表现出明显的邻避情结,甚至引发邻避冲突.文章通过对“邻避”概念的梳理,并针对东北沿海A市的环境影响评价公众参与情况进行分析,在邻避的视角下探讨环评公参的现实情况,并以政府、企业与民众这些不同角色为主体探讨化解邻避冲突的方式.     

Development of Future Generations： Oriented Virtual Negotiation Support System for Intergenerational Conflict

Intergenerational conflict coordination is the fundamental requirement and core of sustainable development. In this paper, through the analysis of the future generations-oriented management mechanisms for intergenerational conflict, the idea of mechanisms and institution building for the coordination and management of intergenerational conflict is put forward. Furthermore, the future generations-oriented virtual negotiation support system （NSS） for intergenerational conflict is developed, built on the analysis of the process simulation of intergenerational wealth transfer, intergenerational equilibrium allocation of resources, and strategies for the mitigation and avoidance of intergenerational conflict, through the application of advanced IT technology. The virtual NSS for intergenerational conflict is helpful to the practical application of the sustainable development theory; on the other hand, it can be applied directly to the intergenerational equilibrium allocation of resources, national economic accounting, formulation of sustainable development strategies and other urgent national economic and social development issues. Finally, the sustainable development theory can be enriched and extended. Therefore, the development of the future generations-oriented virtual NSS for intergenerational conflict has certain theoretical and practical effects on the theory of sustainable development.     

Phenotypic manipulation reveals sexual conflict over precopula duration

Sexual conflict is common in nature, but detailed behavioral studies on the role female resistance behavior plays in shaping mating patterns are rare. I manipulated female resistance to examine its effects on pairing dynamics in two ecologically different freshwater amphipods. I found evidence for female behavior playing a role in both the outcome of pre-pairing interactions and the initiation of pairing in both species. In these species, the male optimum pairing duration is greater than the value preferred by females or compromised pairing durations observed under natural conditions, thus indicating sexual conflict. Furthermore, the proportion of male–female encounters producing male grasping was greater and the duration of such interactions was longer when female resistance was reduced. Thus, sexual conflict over pairing duration may select simultaneously for female resistance and for male persistence both of which mediate the outcome of pre-pairing interactions in Hyalella. Contact precopulatory mate guarding and the interactions that precede it are common components of crustacean and insect mating systems, suggesting that such conflicts may play an important role in the evolution of mating traits in many taxa.     

Waiting for Peace: Perspectives from Action-oriented Research on the Humanitarian Impasse in the Caucasus

Cease-fires in the Caucasus during the past five years have prevented large-scale life-threatening emergencies and created space for peace negotiations. Yet genuine conflict resolution and normalisation have proven elusive, frustrating the return of uprooted populations and constraining reconstruction. This paper reviews a series of seven strategy sessions held in Moscow and the Caucasus in late 1998 to reflect upon the performance of humanitarian agencies and stimulate greater synergies with diplomatic actors. An experiment in promoting discussion of recently conducted independent policy research throughout the north and south Caucasus, the series resulted in a fresh look at the issues in the region and at agency headquarters. The generic nature of the policy challenges gives the experience potential relevance well beyond the region.     

Colony specificity of Dufour gland secretions in a functionally monogynous ant

Summary. Queens in colonies of the small myrmicine ant, Leptothorax gredleri Mayr 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) engage in dominance interactions and form social hierarchies, in which typically only the top-ranking queen lays eggs. Occasionally, queen antagonism escalates to violent mandible fighting, during which the sting is used to apply Dufour gland secretions onto the cuticle of the opponent. Contaminated queens often are attacked by nestmate workers. Here we show that the chemical composition of the Dufour gland is colony-specific and that workers can discriminate between secretions from their own and other colonies. Our findings suggest that Dufour gland secretions are involved in the establishment of hierarchies within a colony. When invading an alien colony the queen presumably employs the secretions during the expulsion of the resident queen. Apparently, Dufour gland secretions play a role in intraspecific queen competition similar to that in slave-making and inquiline formicoxenine ants, where they function as "propaganda substances" in an interspecific context. Received 7 July 1998; accepted 15 September 1998.     

Women, Health and Humanitarian Aid in Conflict

The burden of political conflict on civilian populations has increased significantly over the last few decades. Increasingly, the provision of resources and services to these populations is coming under scrutiny; we highlight here the limited attention to gender in their provision. Women and men have different exposures to situations that affect health and access to health-care and have differential power to influence decisions regarding the provision of health services. We argue that the role of women in planning is central to the provision of effective, efficient and sensitive health-care to conflict-affected populations.