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Two leading contributors to cybernetics have recently died. This communication records matters that arose in correspondence with each of them. Professor Pesi Masani was much concerned with the adverse social consequences of modem technology, and a particular aspect of this affecting his native India is discussed. Dr Charles Musès believed that insight into basic aspects of biology would stem from study of cross‐kingdom (animal and plant) parasitism, though unfortunately he did not elaborate the basis of this. An example of human infection by a fungus that usually infests plants is quoted, and also findings from the literature on insect‐transmitted plant viruses. The latter suggest that viruses are truly able to span distinct kingdoms in ways that would certainly have interested Dr Musès.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ability of four microorganisms to reduce disease infection of root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus spp.) and Fusarium spp. the causal agent of wilt/root-rot disease complex in chickpea.

A pot experiment was conducted for three consecutive winter seasons. A completely randomized design with five replicates was adopted. Two Bacillus isolates and Trichoderma harzianum and T. viride and their combinations were applied in infected soil. The effect on plant growth parameters, disease incidence and severity, root necrosis, weight of shoot and root, nematode population density and reproductive index were assessed.

The applications significantly (p=0.05) reduced the wilt/root-rot diseases complex. The reduction was attributed to the decline of the population density of nematodes in soil and root, and the suppression of the disease complex compared to controls, represented by reproductive index and the disease intensity index. Combinations were better than individual inoculation. The use of Bacillus isolate B3 and T. harzianum increased the number of flowers by 88.34 per cent. Reduction in the severity of root necrosis was in the range of 2.22-5.55 within a scale of 1-10. These findings indicate the significance of utilizing local bioagents for control of wilt/root-rot disease complex in chickpea plants.

The microorganisms used in this study are indigenous.

This study aims to map out contractors' thoughts on construction-related environmental recovery as an excuse for deliberately carrying on unsustainable construction.

A typical highway construction project in China was investigated. Textual materials were collected through semistructured interviews. Content analysis was conducted to derive qualitative data from the textual materials.

The research findings reveal a trend of environmental recovery associated with construction activities. It is found that contractors utilize this trend to maintain unsustainable construction. Furthermore, the effects of environmental recovery equip local governments with a tolerance for environmental degradation, and the environmental tolerance allows contractors to continue unsustainable construction without being discovered.

This paper presents an environmental recovery-based perspective on unsustainable construction and sheds some light on the promotion of sustainable construction.

The connotations, associations, custom and usages of a name often give to it an importance that far outweighs its etymological significance. Even with personal surnames or the name of a business. A man may use his own name but not if by so doing it inflicts injury on the interests and business of another person of the same name. After a long period of indecision, it is now generally accepted that in “passing off”, there is no difference between the use of a man's own name and any other descriptive word. The Courts will only intervene, however, when a personal name has become so much identified with a well‐known business as to be necessarily deceptive when used without qualification by anyone else in the same trade; i.e., only in rare cases. In the early years, the genesis of goods and trade protection, fraud was a necessary ingredient of “passing off”, an intent to deceive, but with the merging off Equity with the Common Law, the equitable rule that interference with “property” did not require fraudulent intent was practised in the Courts. First applying to trade marks, it was extended to trade names, business signs and symbols and business generally. Now it is unnecessary to prove any intent to deceive, merely that deception was probable, or that the plaintiff had suffered actual damage. The equitable principle was not established without a struggle, however, and the case of “Singer” Sewing Machines (1877) unified the two streams of law but not before it reached the House of Lords. On the way up, judical opinions differed; in the Court of Appeal, fraud was considered necessary—the defendant had removed any conception of fraud by expressingly declaring in advertisements that his “Singer” machines were manufactured by himself—so the Court found for him, but the House of Lords considered the name “Singer” was in itself a trade mark and there was no more need to prove fraud in the case of a trade name than a trade mark; Hence, the birth of the doctrine that fraud need not be proved, but their Lordships showed some hesitation in accepting property rights for trade names. If the name used is merely descriptive of goods, there can be no cause for action, but if it connotes goods manufactured by one firm or prepared from a formula or compsitional requirements prescribed by and invented by a firm or is the produce of a region, then others have no right to use it. It is a question of fact whether the name is the one or other. The burden of proof that a name or term in common use has become associated with an individual product is a heavy one; much heavier in proving an infringement of a trade mark.

Natural selection—survival of the fittest—is as old as life itself. Applied genetics which is purposeful in contrast to natural selection also has a long history, particularly in agriculture; it has received impetus from the more exacting demands of the food industry for animal breeds with higher lean : fat and meat : bone ratios, for crops resistant to the teeming world of parasites. Capturing the exquisite scent, the colours and form beautiful of a rose is in effect applied genetics and it has even been applied to man. For example, Frederick the Great, Emperor of Prussia, to maintain a supply of very tall men for his guards—his Prussian Guards averaged seven feet in height—ordered them to marry very tall women to produce offspring carrying the genes of great height. In recent times, however, research and experiment in genetic control, more in the nature of active interference with genetic composition, has developed sufficiently to begin yielding results. It is self‐evident that in the field of micro‐organisms, active interference or manipulations will produce greater knowledge and understanding of the gene actions than in any other field or by any other techniques. The phenomenon of “transferred drug resistance”, the multi‐factorial resistance, of a chemical nature, transferred from one species of micro‐organisms to another, from animal to human pathogens, its role in mainly intestinal pathology and the serious hazards which have arisen from it; all this has led to an intensive study of plasmids and their mode of transmission. The work of the Agricultural Research Council's biologists (reported elsewhere in this issue) in relation to nitrogen‐fixing genes and transfer from one organism able to fix nitrogen to another not previously having this ability, illustrates the extreme importance of this new field. Disease susceptibility, the inhibition of invasiveness which can be acquired by relatively “silent” micro‐organisms, a better understanding of virulence and the possible “disarming” of organisms, particularly those of particular virulence to vulnerable groups. Perhaps this is looking for too much too soon, but Escherichia coli would seem to offer more scope for genetic experiments than most; it has serotypes of much variability and viability; and its life and labours in the human intestine have assumed considerable importance in recent years. The virulence of a few of its serotypes constitute an important field in food epidemiology. Their capacity to transfer plasmids—anent transfer of drug resistance— to strains of other organisms resident in the intestines, emphasizes the need for close study, with safeguards.

Although humans are part of nature, the relationship between humans and nature is not well understood, neither in sustainable marketing nor in relationship marketing. Nature is damaged by humans, and a lot of natural resources coming from nature are taken for granted. The services provided by nature are also often taken for granted. However, humans cannot live without these services, but nature can probably survive without humans, especially man-made (artificial) services. The paper aims to offer a frame that allows aligning marketers and academics’ understanding of service with that of sustainability for sustainable marketing.

A literature review of different literature streams, biological, ecological and service literature shows that service is a much broader phenomenon as discussed in the service literature. The paper will show that a fundamental relationship between either humans or humans and nature is service as defined here. Service is understood here as an ongoing process of exchange and change. Service as proposed here is a form of coexistence.

Service will be defined as an ongoing process of exchange and change (transfer and transformation) of resources. This understanding integrates human and natural service without connecting it only to human intentions, wishes or needs as causation for service. The process of service as conceptualized here is in line with the understanding of sustainability, as it is discussed nowadays. Aligning marketers’ understanding of service with that of sustainability gives a new frame for sustainable marketing.

The work may be understood as a step toward a sustainable marketing by framing sustainable processes from a service perspective. The holistic understanding of sustainable marketing offers new chances not only for further research but also for a better (more sustainable) understanding of day-to-day practices.

If humans understand the fundamental relationship with nature, it can help to act in harmony with nature and not against it to improve sustainable development based on a better understanding of human’s relationship with nature.

Mainstream sustainable marketing is sometimes based on a strong anthropocentrism. This paper balances the role of humans toward nature.

It is the first paper in relationship marketing looking at the relationship with nature and uses this view to frame this concept of sustainable marketing.

The paper aims to examine fall armyworm's (FAW) effect on Ghana's farming households' income and food security status.

A sample of 225 farmers, including FAW-infested households and non-FAW-infested households, were interviewed. Gross margin (GM) analysis was used to estimate farmers' farm revenues, and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scores (HFIAS) was employed to measure the food security status of the households. The seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) was adopted to investigate the effect of FAW infestation on gross income and food security.

From the study, FAW attack is predominant during the vegetative stage of the maize plant. The empirical results revealed that FAW-infested farms incur loss, whereas non-FAW-infested farmers gained profit. Also, FAW-infested households were mildly food insecure, while non-FAW-infested households were food secured. The results of SUR analysis reveal that FAW infestation decreased farmers' income from maize production and rendered them food insecure.

One limitation of this study is that it largely depended on a survey; however, future studies can combine both survey and experimental data from the farmers' fields during minor and major growing seasons of maize.

Given the negative consequences of FAW, studies have been conducted across Africa and globally. However, most of these studies concentrated on using geographic information system (GIS) and descriptive statistics without necessarily quantifying the effect of FAW on food security and the profit margins of farming households. Therefore, this study adds to the little literature on the effect of FAW on food security and GM from maize production, which has received less attention in Ghana to the authors' best knowledge.