Enhancing community creativity through training on making artificial flowers from plastic waste

The COVID-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on the community, one of which is in the economic sector. Many workers have been laid off, leading to a rise in the unemployment rate in Indonesia. This community service activity aims to help people affected by layoffs as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic through the activities of providing and strengthening functional skills to the community. This online program is a form of the Thematic Community Service Program on Prevention and Countermeasure of The COVID-19 Impact. An artificial flower-making training program has been implemented from plastic waste into a work that can increase people's creativity and grow the community's economy. This artificial flower-making training program's target is based on plastic waste in the community from RT/ RW 01/01, Bojong Village, Majalaya, Bandung District, West Java Province. This program was attended by eight people conducted online through WhatsApp Group from December 1 to 10, 2020. In addition to helping the community increase creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating economically valuable communities can indirectly reduce plastic waste in landfills because plastic waste cannot decompose naturally. People who follow this program can sell artificial flowers to improve the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moths sense, but do not learn flower odors with their proboscis during flower investigation

Insect pollinators, like the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta, are known for locating flowers and learning floral odors by using their antennae. A recent study revealed, however, that the tobacco hawkmoth additionally possesses olfactory sensilla at the tip of its proboscis. Here, we ask whether this second “nose” of the hawkmoth is similarly involved in odor learning as are the antennae. We first show that Manduca foraging efficiency at Nicotiana attenuata flowers increases with experience. This raises the question whether olfactory learning with the proboscis is playing a role during flower handling. By rewarding the moths at an artificial flower, we show that – while moths learn an odor easily when they perceive it with their antennae – experiencing the odor just with the proboscis is not sufficient for odor learning. Furthermore, experiencing the odor with the antennae during training does not affect the behavior of the moths when they later can detect the learned odor with the proboscis only. Therefore, there seems to be no cross-talk between antennae and proboscis and information learnt by the antennae cannot be retrieved by the proboscis.

Motion discrimination by Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Mobility of flowers in the wind has been proposed to affect the performances of pollinators in landing on flowers, nectar extraction, and pollen dispersal. Our study examined the preferences of worker Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for landing on and feeding from immobile or mobile artificial flower. Mobile flowers moved at varied frequencies (0.1–3.0 Hz) and in different directions, horizontal H (left to right wave) and vertical V (from en-face presentation at the lowest point to horizontal presentation at the zenith). We found that the bees showed no preference for mobile or immobile flowers. In general, we found that landing ability (time spent from the bees entering the testing arena to landing and starting to feed on the artificial flower) decreased as frequency (Hz) or speed of motion (cm/second) increased. Directionality of waving affected performance with the bees being able to forage from horizontally moving flowers better than from vertically moving flowers. Experience played a major role in improving individual performances. We also found that the bees could differentiate between horizontally and vertically waving flowers as well as between frequencies or speeds of motion.

Looking for “Industrial Confraternity” Small-Scale Industries and Institutions in Nineteenth-Century Paris

This research focuses on luxury and fashion industries, especially artificial flower making. This sector of small businesses was often described as totally unregulated but efficient. A very successful union (in terms of membership), nevertheless, was created in 1858. I investigate the motives of its founders and the reality of its economic influence. It acted as a service firm, allowing small businesses to lower transaction costs, and as a conciliation board. However, to understand its creation, success, and limits, other factors must be taken into account, such as political opportunities and the founders' organizational repertoire.