Conditions controlling the onset of breeding migration of the Japanese mountain stream frog, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rana sakuraii</Emphasis>

I studied the conditions controlling the timing of breeding migration of the Japanese mountain stream frog Rana sakuraii, an explosive breeder, over 9 years (1992, 1993 and 1999–2005). I analysed two factors: the daily cumulative temperature (DCT) during hibernation and the triggering temperature on the day of migration onset. Frogs hibernated in shallow running water in streams in December. A total of 53,155 breeding migrating adults were captured by traps. Every year, breeding migration was induced by a rise in daily maximum water temperature to about 5°C. However, its date was limited to 1 February at the earliest, and the onset needed a DCT (from 20 January, using 3°C as the threshold for daily effective temperature) of at least about 15°C. Earlier (e.g. in mid- or late January), even if the maximum temperature rose to 5–8°C, migration did not begin. Moreover, even in early February, if the maximum temperature rose to 5°C, if it had been too cold in January and the DCT was low, migration would not begin until mid- or late February. Thus, the earliest date of readiness for migration varied from 1 February to mid-February, depending on the winter DCT. Logistic regression analyses showed that both factors, the DCT and the daily temperature, were significant. I propose that in temperate-zone amphibian explosive breeders, both the passing of an essential number of days and an essential DCT during hibernation are prerequisites for the onset of breeding migration before the daily temperature rises to the threshold.     

Further evidence of nuclear reactions in the Pd/D lattice: emission of charged particles

Almost two decades ago, Fleischmann and Pons reported excess enthalpy generation in the negatively polarized Pd/D-D₂O system, which they attributed to nuclear reactions. In the months and years that followed, other manifestations of nuclear activities in this system were observed, viz. tritium and helium production and transmutation of elements. In this report, we present additional evidence, namely, the emission of highly energetic charged particles emitted from the Pd/D electrode when this system is placed in either an external electrostatic or magnetostatic field. The density of tracks registered by a CR-39 detector was found to be of a magnitude that provides undisputable evidence of their nuclear origin. The experiments were reproducible. A model based upon electron capture is proposed to explain the reaction products observed in the Pd/D-D₂O system.

Male satin bowerbirds (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ptilonorhynchus violaceus</Emphasis>) compensate for sexual signal loss by enhancing multiple display features

Numerous studies have focussed on the relationship between female choice and the multiple exaggerated sexual traits of males. However, little is known about the ability of males to actively enhance specific components of their display in response to the loss of one component. We investigated the capacity of male satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) to respond to the loss of one of their sexual signals by performing an experiment in which we removed decorations at their bowers. We found that males compensated for decoration loss by increasing bower construction behaviour and decreasing their latency to bower painting. These results are novel because they suggest that males can assess the quality of their own display and make decisions about how to augment their displays. We discuss these results in the context of previous studies of mate choice in satin bowerbirds, as both of the supplementary behaviours we observed are known correlates of male mating success.     

Prenatal cannibalism in an insect

Host selection and infection strategies of parasitoids often correlate with high parental investment and low numbers of progeny. In this study, we investigate how additional internal mechanisms might shape brood size and fitness of the offspring. Emblemasoma auditrix is a parasitoid fly in which about 38 larvae hatch simultaneously in utero. After host location, a single larva is deposited into the host, where it rapidly develops and pupates after about 5 days. The search for hosts can take several weeks, and during that time, the larvae arrest their development and remain in the first larval instar. Nevertheless, the larvae increase in weight within the uterus, and this growth correlates to a decrease in the number of larvae, although no larvae are deposited. Thus, our data indicate a first case of prenatal cannibalism in an invertebrate with larvae feeding on each other within the uterus of the adult.     

人体对空气颗粒物中硼吸收率的初步分析

为了研究人体对空气颗粒物中硼的吸收情况,为环境卫生标准的制定提供依据,采集硼作业工人班后尿液样品、上班8h的空气颗粒物样品以及24h饮食样品,分析了所有样品的硼质量浓度.结果表明:硼作业的原料工段工人班后尿硼肌酐校正质量比与经空气颗粒物潜在日硼摄人量之间没有显著的相关关系,而成品工段工人的班后尿硼肌酐校正质量比与经空气颗粒物潜在日硼摄人量之间存在着显著的正相关关系;对吸收率的分析表明,人体对空气颗粒物中以硼镁矿形态存在的硼吸收率仅为8.12%,而对以硼酸或者硼砂形态存在的硼吸收率约为74.2%,说明空气颗粒物中以硼镁矿形态存在的硼不容易进入人体血液,被人体吸收,而硼酸或者硼砂尘较易被人体吸收.     

水产品中甲氰菊酯残留的ELISA快速检测

为快速检测水产品中甲氰菊酯的残留,应用水溶性碳化二亚胺(EDC)法将甲氰菊酸与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)和卵清蛋白(OVA)偶联,合成了甲氰菊酯的人工免疫抗原和包被抗原.免疫抗原经紫外扫描和聚丙烯酰胺电泳验证构建成功,用此抗原免疫试验兔子,获得了甲氰菊酯的多克隆抗体.经检测,抗体对甲氰菊酯具有较好的特异性和灵敏性.在此基础上建立了水产品中甲氰菊酯残留的间接ELISA检测法.理想的甲氰菊酯-OVA包被抗原质量浓度为1.6 mg/L,酶标二抗(羊抗兔IgG-HRP)的稀释度为1∶1000,多抗的稀释度为1∶3 200,最适检测范围为20～200 μg/kg,在实际样品检测时的最低检出限为20 μg/kg,接近或达到气相色谱法的测定水平,但检测速度大大提高,可在3 h内完成近百个样品的分析,适合甲氰菊酯的快速检测.     

基于BP神经网络的煤层自燃预测

在全面分析影响煤层自燃因素的基础上,建立了煤层自燃预测的人工神经网络模型.应用该模型对某煤田的多个煤层样本进行了训练和预测,网络经过10次训练后,误差达到设定的最小值,6次预测测试中最大误差仅为0.027 8,最小的为0.000 1.研究表明,该模型精度较高,可用于预测煤层自燃的实际应用.     

Experience,but not distance,influences the recruitment precision in the stingless bee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scaptotrigona mexicana</Emphasis>

Recruitment precision, i.e. the proportion of recruits that reach an advertised food source, is a crucial adaptation of social bees to their environment. Studies with honeybees showed that recruitment precision is not a fixed feature, but it may be enhanced by factors like experience and distance. However, little is known regarding the recruitment precision of stingless bees. Hence, in this study, we examined the effects of experience and spatial distance on the precision of the food communication system of the stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana. We conducted the experiments by training bees to a three-dimensional artificial patch at several distances from the colony. We recorded the choices of individual recruited foragers, either being newcomers (foragers without experience with the advertised food source) or experienced (foragers that had previously visited the feeder). We found that the average precision of newcomers (95.6 ± 2.61%) was significantly higher than that of experienced bees (80.2 ± 1.12%). While this might seem counter-intuitive on first sight, this “loss” of precision can be explained by the tendency of experienced recruits to explore nearby areas to find new rewarding food sources after they had initially learned the exact location of the food source. Increasing the distance from the colony had no significant effect on the precision of the foraging bees. Thus, our data show that experience, but not the distance of the food source, affected the patch precision of S. mexicana foragers.     

蜂窝陶瓷催化臭氧化降解水中微量硝基苯的动力学研究

实验表明单独臭氧氧化和臭氧/蜂窝陶瓷氧化在温度20℃、初始pH值6.87条件下对硝基苯的降解均遵循一级反应动力学模型,该条件下单独臭氧氧化和臭氧/蜂窝陶瓷氧化工艺对硝基苯的降解主要来源于高活性羟基自由基的氧化作用,同时证明了不同体系温度（10～40℃）和溶液初始pH值（3.00～10.96）下硝基苯的降解同样符合一级反应动力学.2种工艺对硝基苯的降解反应速率都随着温度的升高而增加,单独臭氧氧化的反应速率常数由0.37×10^-3 s^-1升高到1.49×10^-3 s^-1,臭氧/蜂窝陶瓷氧化的反应速率常数由0.56×10^-3 s^-1升高到2.46×10^-3 s^-1,温度越高反应速率提高的幅度却越小.随着pH的升高,单独臭氧氧化对硝基苯降解的反应速率常数从0.15×10^-3 s^-1增加到2.69×10^-3 s^-1,在pH值3.00～9.23范围内,臭氧/蜂窝陶瓷氧化工艺反应速率常数从0.17×10^-3 s^-1增加到1.90×10^-3 s^-1,在pH为10.96时反应速率常数下降到1.64×10^-3 s^-1.     

催化剂Ru/ZrO2-CeO2催化湿式氧化苯酚

催化剂Ru/ZrO₂-CeO₂催化湿式氧化苯酚的过程表明,Ru/ZrO₂-CeO₂可以显著提高COD和苯酚去除效果,当反应温度为170℃,压力为3 MPa,反应120 min后,COD和苯酚的去除率分别达到了99％和100％.试验还考察了不同反应条件对苯酚溶液COD去除的影响,并获得了最优的反应条件：温度为170℃,压力为3 MPa,催化剂的投加量为5　g/Ｌ,搅拌速度为500 r/min.通过对中间产物的分析,本研究提出了催化湿式氧化苯酚的简单路径图,认为苯酚首先被氧化成小分子有机酸,接着小分子有机酸被氧化成二氧化碳和水.前一个过程是快速反应,后一个过程中的乙酸氧化是慢速过程,需要在高温下才能完成.乙酸的氧化主要是自由基攻击α碳上的C—H键,先生成甲酸,并最终生成二氧化碳和水.