10 Fascinating Facts about Bess Beetles

10 Fascinating Facts about Bess Beetles The  amiable bess beetles  (family Passalidae)  make great classroom pets, and are fun to watch. Bess beetles are so much more than cute; theyre also some of the most sophisticated bugs on the planet. Dont believe it? Consider these 10 fascinating facts about bess beetles. 1. Bess beetles are important decomposers Passalids live in hardwood logs, munching away on the tough tree fibers and turning them into new soil. They prefer oak, hickory, and maple, but will set up shop in just about any hardwood log that has sufficiently decayed. If youre looking for bess beetles, turn over rotting logs on the forest floor. In the tropics, where bess beetles are more diverse, a single log may house as many as 10 different Passalid species. 2. Bess beetles live in family groups Within their log homes, both bess beetle parents reside with their offspring. With their powerful mandibles, they excavate rooms and passages to house their family. The bess beetle family guards its home against any and all intruders, including other unrelated bess beetles. In some species, a large, extended family of individuals lives together in a colony. This subsocial behavior is quite unusual among beetles. 3. Bess beetles talk Like many other insects – crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas, for example – bess beetles use sounds to communicate with one another. Whats remarkable, however, is how sophisticated their language seems to be. One North American species, Odontotaenius disjunctis, produces 14 distinct sounds, presumably with different meanings. An adult bess beetle talks by rubbing a hardened part of its hindwings against spines on the dorsal surface of its abdomen, a behavior known as stridulation. Larvae can communicate, too, by rubbing their middle and hind legs against each other. Captive bess beetles will complain loudly when disturbed in any way, and squeak audibly when handled. 4. Bess beetles co-parent their young The vast majority of insect parents simply deposit their eggs and go. A few, like some stink bug mothers, will guard her eggs until they hatch. In fewer still, a parent might stick around long enough to keep her nymphs safe. But rare are the insect parents that remain together as a pair to raise their young to adulthood, and bess beetles are counted among them. Not only do the mother and father bess beetle work together to feed and protect their offspring, but the older larvae stick around to help with rearing their younger siblings. 5. Bess beetles eat poop Like termites and other insects that feed on wood, bess beetles need the help of microorganisms to break down the tough plant fibers. Without these digestive symbionts, they simply couldnt process the cellulose. But bess beetles arent born with these vital fungi and bacteria living in their guts. The solution? They eat their own poop, much like rabbits do, to keep a healthy number of microorganisms in their digestive tracts. Without enough frass in its diet, a bess beetle will die. 6. Bess beetles lay their eggs in nests of poop Baby bess beetles are at an even greater digestive disadvantage, because their mandibles arent strong enough to chew wood and they lack gut microorganisms. So mama and papa bess beetle start their babies out in a cradle made of masticated wood and frass. In fact, when a  bess beetle larva reaches its final instar and is ready to pupate, its parents and siblings work together to construct it a cocoon made of frass. Thats how important poop is to a Passalid. 7. Bess beetles have a lot of nicknames Members of the family Passalidae go by a long list of common names: bessbugs, bessiebugs, betsy beetles, bess beetles, horned passalus beetles, patent leather beetles, peg beetles, and horn beetles.   The many variations on bess seems to derive from the French word baiser, which means to kiss, and is likely a reference to the smooching sound they make when they stridulate. If youve seen one, you already know why some people call them patent leather beetles – theyre quite shiny and black, like patent leather shoes. 8. Bess beetles look menacing, but are surprisingly gentle The first time you see a bess beetle, you might be a bit intimidated. Theyre hefty insects, often well over 3 cm long, with the massive mandibles youd expect from a beetle that eats wood. But rest assured, they dont bite, and dont even grab hold of your fingers with their feet the way scarab beetles do. Because theyre so easygoing and big, they make good first pets for young insect lovers. If youre a teacher interested in keeping insects in your classroom, you wont find one easier to care for and handle than the bess beetle. 9. Most bess beetles live in the tropics The family Passalidae includes roughly 600 described species, and nearly all of them live in tropical habitats. Only four species are known from the U.S. and Canada, and of these, two species havent been seen for decades. Some bess beetle species are endemic, meaning they live only in a certain area, such as on an isolated mountain or a particular island. 10. To date, just a single bess beetle fossil has been found The only prehistoric Passalid known from the fossil record is Passalus indormitus, collected in Oregon. Passalus indormitus dates to the Oligocene epoch, and lived about 25 million years ago. There are no known bess beetles living in the Pacific Northwest today, interestingly. Passalus indormitus is most similar to Passalus punctiger, a living species that inhabits Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. Sources: Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, by Douglas W. TallamyAmerican Beetles: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea, Volume 2, edited by Ross H. Arnett, JR, Michael C. Thomas, Paul E. Skelley, J. Howard FrankInsect Behavior, by Robert W. Matthews, Janice R. MatthewsNinety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers, by May BerenbaumBess Beetles of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Entomology website. Accessed December 10, 2013.Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. JohnsonEncyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.

Should Teenagers Be Required to Get Their Parents Permission to Obtain Contraceptives

Should Teenagers Be Required to Get Their Parents Permission to Obtain Contraceptives All in the Family: Teens and Contraceptive Permission When a Child Becomes an Adult Nature plays a cruel trick on a person during their adolescent years. It is the stage of life where one’s body begins its ascent to adulthood, a process that does not go without kicking in high gear the sexual and reproductive instincts, as well. The problem lies in a teenager’s brain anatomy and psychology, as most teens have not fully matured, emotionally, physically and mentally, to lead healthy, responsible sexually active lives. This fact should most certainly be considered in the debate of whether or not teenagers in America, from age 13 to 17, have the right to obtain contraceptives on their own. Any reasonably sane, rational person would agree that it should be illegal for a teen, a minor, to obtain contraceptives without their parents’ legal permission. Majority of Teens aren’t Mature Enough to Make Adult Decisions First of all, Science provides an important explanation for this argument, that teens wanting contraceptives to be legally required to have their parent’s permission to do so. A majority of teens just aren’t mature enough to make adult-like decisions when it comes to sex. Of course, there are plenty of sexually active adolescents, and many are likely responsible enough to not let sex ruin their lives – as in getting pregnant or impregnating another when they’re not ready financially and emotionally, and also contracting a sexually transmitted disease. But there are just as many adolescents who do let sexual activity completely ruin their lives. Though an adolescent possesses the eagerness and physical yearning for a human-to-human population as that of a fully mature adult, their brain is still growing and developing – especially the prefrontal cortex of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision-making. In fact, this part of the brain d oes not fully develop in men until the age of 25. Teens will be sexually active regardless of whether or not they are ready for its potential consequences; but if their parents know of their sexual activity and agree to allow their use of contraceptives, they at least have a better chance of taking the necessary precautions to avoid a lifetime of hardship. They can help them avoid troubles. You may be interested in: Relieving Students School-Related Stress Educational Field Trip Safety Issues Developing Students Creativity Why Are You Not in Class and out There Bleeding Junk Food in School A teenager should be legally required to first have their parents’ permission before obtaining contraceptives because their parents can offer them guidance and support – and financial assistance if an accidental disease or pregnancy occurs. Many parents may be unaware their adolescent children are sexually active in the first place, consequently not being there to make sure their children are practicing safe sex and taking precautions to avoid pregnancy and disease. When a parent first learns their teenage child is sexually active, they usually will, one, try to educate them on how best to go about having a responsible sex life – since they most likely cannot forbid them from having sex. And even if a teen is sexually active and takes the right precautions, as in getting on birth control or using condoms, they still may make bad decisions with even worse consequences if they are hiding the fact from their parents. Teenagers shouldn’t be allowed to obtain contraceptives on their own, without parental permission because they are minors – and are not considered adults. There is a reason they cannot vote, go to war, stay out past curfew, purchase the  alcohol and tobacco products: they are legally not allowed to. By legally requiring parents to grant permission to allow their teenage children, from age 13 to 15, access to contraceptives, these parents are also kept legally responsible for their children. So if the parents practice negligence in this matter, as in allowing their children to lead lives of sexual promiscuity without safe-sex practices, they could be held legally responsible. Teens Are not Prepared to Face the Consequences Although adolescents feel the sexual urges of an adult, yearn for a human-to-human population like that of a fully matured adult human, they are not adults. They are not prepared to face the consequences adults face, because they have not fully matured emotionally, psychologically, financially; therefore, sexually active teens must not have access to contraceptives without their parent’s consent. Of course, there are older, more mature adolescents who have can take responsibility for their own future and engage in healthy, safe sexual practices. But many teens do allow their sexual instincts to get the better of them. So it should be required legally that teenagers shouldn’t be allowed to obtain contraceptives on their own without parental permission.

The role of nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The role of nursing - Essay Example Significant studies in the area have suggested that the effect of reduced nurse staff on patient outcomes is an inverse relationship between the two whereas positive outcomes result when there is adequate nurse staffing. Therefore, the effect of nurse staffing on patient outcomes has been one of the most essential areas of nursing research and this qualitative research makes a profound analysis of the published literature on the topic in order to determine the various aspects of nurse staffing in relation with patient outcomes. The research question of this nursing research proposal proposes to analyze the various aspects of nurse staffing in relation with patient outcomes and the research question is: What is the effect of nurse staffing on patient outcomes and how can favorable staffing ensure better patient outcomes The research question analyzed in this paper incorporates various important secondary questions such as 1) What are the various aspects of patient outcomes affected by nurse sta... ) What are the determinants of favorable staffing, and 4) What is difference in the results of adequate staffing and that of the reduced nurse staffing. The Purpose or Aim of the Research The research purpose usually reflects the type of study conducted and the main purpose of this qualitative research on the effect of nurse staffing on patient outcomes is to determine the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. The most important aim of this study is to help the nurses improve their practice by making their aware of the positive relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Examining the effect of various nurse staffing levels on the patient impact can highly determine the aspects of good practices of health care and in turn produce positive results in the organizational outcomes of health care. Therefore, the purpose of the research proposed in this paper is to contribute to the practice of nursing, health care, and patient outcomes. Keywords to search for The keywords related to this study include: nurse staffing, patient outcomes, reduced nurse staffing, adequate nurse staffing, etc, Scope of the Study (Who is written for) The scope of the proposed study, i.e. the effect of nurse staffing on patient outcomes, covers various aspects of the practice of nursing, health care industry, and patient outcomes. Therefore, this proposed study is intended for the various people engaged in the practice of nursing, health care, and the health industry and this will help in improving the quality of nurse staffing in order to help better patient outcomes. Population of interest The population of interest in this research includes nurses belonging to different levels of nurse staffing and the patients in the related areas of nursing. It will also

An Act of Discrimination and Hatred Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Act of Discrimination and Hatred - Essay Example This means that a Muslim will be looked at suspiciously because of the stereotypes surrounding religion and extremism. This means that an immigrant will be treated as a second-class citizen because of their choice to move out of their home country. This also means that many such immigrants and Muslims will be denied jobs, housing, or healthcare services because of their identity as a Muslim or an immigrant. Racism is being differentiated in order to treat a particular religious or ethnic group in a way that is condescending and unfair. It is being discriminated based on perceived sentiments of superiority and bias. Racism is prejudice. It is hatred towards a particular religious or racial group. It is the biased and unfair treatment of an individual based on a preconceived opinion regarding a specific race. Racism means a denial of a human’s fundamental rights. It is hatred towards other people because they are different. It is prejudice manifested in the form of crimes and violence perpetrated against people of different cultures and racial backgrounds. It is the denial of one’s human rights and is a malpractice against another human. Racism is, therefore, an antithesis of humanity and mankind. Racism is intolerance. Racism is the manifestation of intolerance and bigotry. Racism dismisses any phenomena that are different and results in hatred and discrimination towards people of other races. This is true for immigrants coming from underdeveloped countries as well as Muslims from around the world. Intolerance usually correlates to stereotypes that are associated with a certain community. Racism is a result of narrow-mindedness when it comes to appreciating diversity and variation. Racism often results in violence and maltreatment of people because of the racial differences. Racism causes harm to many people psychologically, physically, and mentally.  

The effects social media has on teenagers Essay Example for Free

The effects social media has on teenagers Essay Argument 1 A new study released by researchers at The Miriam Hospital’s Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine shows a link between social media use and poor academic performance illustrating that: Freshman women spend upwards of 12 hours a day using some form of social media, And nearly four in 10 college students said they could not go 10 minutes without checking one of their mobile devices meaning that when they are preparing for a test or completing homework, every 10 minutes they are stopping to check their model devices, resulting in them getting caught up in their social life’s rather than them putting all of their focus into their school assignments, Students try to multitask rather than just but their full attention into their assignments Since social media is still comparatively new, researchers are unable to know the long-term effects. However, if the effects of other entertainment are considered, such as the time spent watching TV. Studies show that it results in a negative impact on attention and academic performance. Resulting in a decrease in grades and learn to read late and slower. Argument 2 If teenagers are used to only having to type the words that they want to say to the individuals, when they are face to face with them they will not be used to having to respond right away When they are in important life  situations, such as a job interview they will not be able to seem as good of a candidate if they are unable to give good, solid answers on the spot as the Youtube video made by Ms. deGuzman called â€Å"I Forgot My Phone† suggested having all of these devices at are finger tips may actually cause us to feel more alone, unable to connect with people on are face to face way leading to us feeling like we never have really good company. Read more: Effect of social media on youth essay Argument 3 Amanda Forest, a graduate student in the department of psychology at the University of Waterloo, has found that individuals with low self-esteem often express a lot of negative emotion on their face book profiles. Resulting in a number of people not reaction to well, making angry and hurtful comments. Overall not being as liked as the people with high self-esteems. This therefore, can further damage that individual’s perspective of themselves. Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills also found that preteens and teenagers using face book are more prone to anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders A team of researchers from Chicago University’s Booth Business School, led by Wilhelm Hofmann, have found that Face book and social media websites may be as addictive as alcohol or cigarettes. As people fear that they will miss out on the latest gossip of who is dating who and what party is going on that night. Oh and god forbid they miss the thousand selfie that their bff posed.

Persuasive Speech: Solar Power -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience that that solar power should become the main form of alternative energy in the Unites States. Introduction: Attention Getter: Let’s look ahead fifty years and see what the world is like. Imagine a world that is in total war with no end in sight. The cause behind this war is simple, oil. Everyone is fighting over those last few reserves of oil. How can this future be prevented? The answer is solar power. Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation. Significance: The United States must face the fact that the world is running out of oil and with today’s rising oil prices, economic and political instability in regions where the United States gets the majority of its oil, this country must begin looking into alternative means of energy to replace oil and end our dependence on foreign powers. Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy. Body: I. With the world’s supply of oil running dry the Unites States must begin looking into new sources of energy, and the most promising is solar power. A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that â€Å"world oil production o... ... must be universally adopted, and solar power is the key to unlocking that bright future. Works Cited Clayton, Mark. "The Cost of Solar Energy Will Soon Compare with the Cost of Coal." Coal (2011). Print. 18 November 2014. David, Leonard. "Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth." 6 April 2012. Space.com. Website. 18 November 2014. Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. EMISSIONS OF HAZERDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM COAL- FIRED POWER PLANTS. Environmental Report. Needham, 2011. Print. 18 November 2014. Hamer, Glenn. "Solar Power Can Help Fuel the Future." Energy Alternatives (2006). Print. 19 November 2014. Newbury, Umut. "How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil." Mother Earth News October 2004: 28. 18 November 2014. Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.

Compare-and-Contrast Research Paper Essay

Introduction Present essay seeks to provide the comparative analysis of two artworks – Hoffmann’s Boston Twilight, 1957, belonging to Proto-Abstract Expressionism and Rauschenberg’s Retroactive 1, 1964, which may be attributed to the art movement of Pop-Art. The comparative analysis of these paintings will focus on two crucial aspects – structural and positive. Structural analysis addresses cultural, historical context, which influenced the discussed artworks, political climate, art movements’ stylistic characteristics, which informed individual work of artists, their subjective motives, influences and inclinations. Secondly, positive analysis of the artworks focuses on the themes depicted, colors and techniques used, formal and stylistic elements, the reflection of cultural and historical context in the artworks etc. The thesis, present paper defends, may be formulated as follows: Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s artworks were significantly influenced by historical, cultural, social and artistic context. The artistic response to these contexts was different and reflected through opposite art movements. The discussed images belong to different artistic traditions and, hence have many differences. Similarities, however, may be attributed to the similar artistic influences, and utilization of sometimes similar formal and color techniques of composition. Structural context: art movements, history, politics and subjective perspectives. The general socio-economic and historical context of both artworks (as they were created very close in time – 1957 and 1964) may be characterized by the gradual assault of mass consumption postmodernist society, which influenced the rapid development of popular culture in music, entertainment and cinema. Commoditization has reached almost every sphere of social life and closely approached art through mass media. The increasing role of mass culture was immediately seen in the new sphere of advertisement, which conflated the elements of ‘high and low’ culture, which became central to the new postmodernist cultural logic (Jameson, 59). Political situation in the United States and Europe was characterized by the intensification of resistance and leftist movements, which, however, abandoned communist platform and focused on new postmodernist tactics, such as situationism, counter-culturalism, influenced by new discoveries in psychoanalysis, philosophy etc. Politics also became the element of mass culture, as its reproduction was extended from closed couloirs of high cabinets to ordinary population. The response of art movements to the assault of the postindustrial society was irregular and significantly varied from one art movement to another. The dominance of non-objective abstraction in 1940s and 50s was the response to vulgarization of social life, and the manifest of the absence of valuable objective themes in de-humanized world. Abstractionism, hence was an artistic expression of de-humanization and the search for lost subjectivity (Herskovic, 13-17). However, other extremes also came to existence. That is particularly true of the Pop-Art, which positively responded to the modern developments in economy and culture, synthesizing popular culture in the new form of art. Pop-Art was characterized by ‘externalization’ of art, as the objects of ordinary life and advertisement were widely utilized. The later was particularly evident in the works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist. The similar response to changing conditions in society was made by photorealism, which exemplifies the assault of hyperrealism as the new form of cultural affirmation. Such elements of modern society as standardization, de-subjectivization was immediately seen in Pop-Art , which appeared as the resistance to self-revelation, artistic creativity and originality and focuses on the widely acknowledge cultural codes and images (Harrison 2001) . Robert Rauschenberg’s and Hans Hoffmann’s artistic trajectories were significantly influenced by the discussed developments in politics and ideology. Rauschenberg was, for instance, one of the forerunners of pop-art movement, as he was among the first to use hand-made or found objects in his artworks, combining the elements of high and low culture, using mass-media sources etc (Livingstone, 1990). Such experiments were influenced by Rauschenberg’s strong belief that the genuine artwork should exist between art and life. The technique of ‘combines’ used by Rauschenberg may be described as immediate precursor to postmodernist collage, used in installation art. Rauschenberg’s mindset position deeply opposed Abstract Expressionism’s argument that the self may be expressed through art. Instead, Rauschenberg focused on representation of reality in its absence of structure, sense and single interpretation. Abstract-Expressionism, which was influenced by Hans Hoffman, in contrast focused on gesture paintings and color field painting techniques. Abstract Expressionism should be understood as a historical consequence of the conflation between European and American artists due to World War 2, which forced may French, German and other artists to immigrate in the United States. Hans Hoffmann belongs to this group of artists and his destiny significantly influenced his style and ideological orientations (Herskovic, 2003). Hoffman’s style was influenced by cubist tension between depth and surface, expressionistic flamboyance of color and surrealist technique of automatism, which is based on following subconscious drivers of creativity and libidinal forces. The latter influences were synthesized by Hoffmann in his ‘push-pull’ method, which included the use of expressive colors and paint slashes in the view of creating contradiction between cool and warm colors. Comparative analysis of Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s artworks Both artworks are obviously affected by different artistic movements and styles. Hoffmann’s composition may be posited within abstract expressionism tradition, while Rauschenberg’s painting belongs to Pop-Art movement. On the surface level the similarities between these artistic may be traced in the color usage – in each painting we see the utilization of yellow, green, black, white, red, white and blue colors. Moreover, the presence of grid-like rectangular layout is evident. Apart from this, both paintings are characterized by the sense of distortion. The distortion in Hoffmann’s artwork Boston Twilight is due to the use of abstract expressionist style, which distorts the contours of objective reality, so that we can not find correspondence between the image and reality (Boston Twilight) that it signifies. However, in Rauschenberg’s composition the distortion is reflected in the plurality of meaning and signification. The interpretation is difficult to realize due to the combination of images inserted in the painting: J. F. Kennedy at the center, pointing with his finger, cosmonaut with parachute, the duplication of Kennedy’s hand in the right corner and evidently abstract images in other parts. There is no denying the importance of the fact, that such a ‘combine’ creates difficulties for interpretation and distorts it. Furthermore, it should be pointed to the fact that both artworks have the elements of abstraction, contrasting color tones and are influenced by Cubism in using facets of the color. Both paintings create the feeling of collage and it was noted that Rauschenberg’s ‘combine’ technique is very close to it. Moreover, creating certain color relationships is in important in both images, however, it serves different functions, depending on style and thematic unity. Differences between images are evident in many respects. First of all, art schools are opposite with pop-art, focusing on unification of art and reality, and abstract expressionism, focusing on expressing contradictory being of individual self. Hoffman’s painting is abstract in essence, while Rauschenberg’s refers to widely known political and social images of American President, cosmonaut, which immediately signify objective reality. The social and political thematic of Rauschenberg’s image immediately points to his belonging to Pop-Art tradition. As far as formal and color structure of the analyzed paintings are concerned blue is dominant in Rauschenberg’s image, while green is dominant in Hoffman’s paintings; the first artist uses vertical stress, while Hoffmann is evidently using horizontal stress. Due to stylistic differences between artworjs, colors mix into one another in Hoffmann’s painting and are separated in Rauschenberg’s one. Rauschenberg utilizes much more contrast, than Hoffmann, however the image of the latter is much more organic in contrast to geometric structure of Rauschenberg’s composition. Conclusion To sum it up, present analysis proved the initial thesis that both artworks were significantly influenced by historical, social and cultural developments in Western societies in the middle of 20-th century. These developments provoked different responses on the part of art movements, resulting in creation of different styles and techniques. The latter are reflected in Hoffmann’s and Rauschenberg’s compositions, which are different in many important stylistic respects, however, have much in common due to the same artistic influences. My interest to the discussed paintings is explained by the fact that they are picturesque representations of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Main features, peculiar to each of these styles, may be found in these paintings both in complex and in separate elements. The techniques used by both artists help us better understand other artworks created in these traditions and inform our own artistic endeavors. Hoffman’s image advantage is in its direct appeal to aesthetic taste and sensibility, while Rauschenberg artwork represents a challenge for viewers in terms of interpreting its political and social content. Works Cited Herskovic, Marika. American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, New York School Press, 2003. Harrison, Sylvia. Pop Art and the Origins of Post-Modernism. Cambridge University Press, 2001. Jameson, Fredric. ‘Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism’. New Left Review, 146, (53-92), 1991. Livingstone, M. Pop Art: A Continuing History, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , 1990