Codling moth males do not discriminate between pheromone and a pheromone/antagonist blend during upwind flight

Discrimination between conspecific and heterospecific signals is a key element in the evolution of pheromone-mediated communication in insects. Pheromone antagonists prevent heterospecific attraction. They are typically pheromone synergists in other species and enable specific communication in closely related species, using partly the same chemicals. In codling moth, Cydia pomonella, as in other moths, upwind flights to a pheromone/antagonist blend were slower and more convoluted than to pheromone. However, this deteriorated flight behaviour did not account for the strong decrease in male attraction. The pheromone/antagonist blend blocked instead the onset of upwind flight. This was corroborated by placing a separate source of pheromone close by, which restored male attraction. Males flying upwind did not discriminate between pheromone and the adjacent pheromone/antagonist blend, and landed on either source. This indicates differences in the neural regulation for initiating and maintaining a behavioural response to pheromone.     

Disulfide connectivity and reduction in pheromone-binding proteins of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

Males of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, are attracted by a pheromone released by females. Pheromones are detected by olfactory neurons housed in specialized sensory hairs located on the antennae of the male moth. Once pheromone molecules enter the sensilla lymph, a highly abundant pheromone-binding protein (PBP) transports the molecule to the sensory neuron. The PBPs are members of the insect odorant-binding protein family, with six conserved cysteine residues. In this study, the disulfide bond connectivities of the pheromone-binding proteins PBP1 and PBP2 from the gypsy moth were found to be cysteines 19–54, 50–109, and 97–118 for PBP1, and cysteines 19–54, 50–110, and 97–119 for PBP2, as determined by cyanylation reactions and cyanogen bromide chemical cleavage. We have discovered that the second disulfide linkage is the most easily reduced of the three, and this same linkage is missing among four cysteine-containing insect odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). We are the first to identify the unique steric and electronic properties of this second disulfide linkage. Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article at

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5,11-Dimethylheptadecane and 2,5-Dimethyl-heptadecane: Sex pheromone components of the geometrid moth,Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaiia

Dedicated to Marshall Noble who worked over 20 years as a volunteer in support of research at Simon Fraser University     

MODIS NDVI与MODIS EVI对气候因子响应差异

以喀斯特地区植被为研究载体,利用2001-2010 年MODIS NDVI、MODIS EVI 序列和气候资料,分析两种植被指数与同期及前1-9 期水汽压、降水量、相对湿度、最高气温、最低气温、平均气温、露点温度、气压、风速、日照时数多个气候因子的相关性及响应差异,为合理选择植被指数序列对植被进行监测研究提供参考。结果表明:①喀斯特地区植被EVI和NDVI与多数气候因子显著相关,但二者对气候因子的响应有明显差异。除日照外,EVI 与其他各气候因子相关性明显高于NDVI。与NDVI相关性较高的气候因子为日照、最高气温、平均气温,其对应的相关系数平均为0.616、0.535、0.474;而与EVI相关性较高的气候因子为水汽压、平均气温、露点温度,其对应的相关系数平均为0.857、0.844、0.839。②喀斯特地区植被EVI和NDVI对多数气候因子的响应存在明显的滞后性,较之于EVI,NDVI对气候因子的响应更为滞后。EVI与气候因子的相关系数最高时期多出现在前1 期,NDVI与气候因子的相关系数最高时期多出现在前2 期。两种植被指数对日照、风速的响应无滞后性。除相对湿度、日照、风速外,各站点两种植被指数与其他各气候因子在0-9期的响应趋势均较一致。     

“可持续生产”与“清洁生产”内涵辨析

就可持续生产在可持续发展中的重要性而言,厘清可持续生产的含义并对可持续生产与清洁生产的内涵进行辨析十分必要.阐明可持续发展的确切含义,将其定义为与人、自然、社会相和谐的生产活动或方式.在此基础上,结合清洁生产含义,指出了可持续生产与清洁生产在实施层面、目标指向和内容维度三方面的区别:①清洁生产的实施层面仅局限于企业层面,而可持续生产却涉及到整个社会层面;②在生产活动对人和社会的影响方面,可持续生产的目标指向比清洁生产更为全面;③可持续生产是在“技术”、“制度”2个维度上的双向拓展,而清洁生产仅是在“技术”维度上的单维延伸.      

环境风险评价与安全评价危险源辨识的异同

环境风险评价（ERA）和安全评价（SA）的目标较易混淆,而危险源辨识是这两类评价所要解决的首要问题,对其深入分析有助于比较两类评价的内涵和侧重点的差异。本文依据危险源理论,分析了这两类评价的危险源分类、事故致因机理模型以及危险源与两类评价的关联,并从危险源辨识的目的、内容、程序、方法等方面对比了ERA与SA各自的特点,提出了进一步完善环境风险评价的思路和方法。     

长江水质的区域差异与产业发展的关系

长江水质状况受到河流自然属性和流经区域产业特点的综合影响，区域差异十分明显；长江入江污水量的时空分布与沿江各省市产业发展水平及年际变化有密切关系；长江流域经济发展应与保护水质相协调，为控制污染，必须实施一整套相关对策。     

从中西神话人物区别看中西文化差异的根源——以希腊神话和中国上古神话为例

中国古代神话和古希腊神话是中西神话的重要代表。通过比较可以发现,中希神话中的人物在外形和性格方面表现出种种不同。而从这种不同,我们可以看出中西文化所体现的差异,并进一步研究造成这种差异的根源是什么。     

Unusual pheromone chemistry in the navel orangeworm: novel sex attractants and a behavioral antagonist

Using molecular- and sensory physiology-based approaches, three novel natural products, a simple ester, and a behavioral antagonist have been identified from the pheromone gland of the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). In addition to the previously identified (Z,Z)-11,13-hexadecadienal, the pheromone blend is composed of (Z,Z,Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9,12,15-tricosapentaene, (Z,Z,Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9,12,15-pentacosapentaene, ethyl palmitate, ethyl-(Z,Z)-11,13-hexadecadienoate, and (Z,Z)-11,13-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate. The C₂₃ and C₂₅ pentaenes are not only novel sex pheromones, but also new natural products. In field tests, catches of A. transitella males in traps baited with the full mixture of pheromones were as high as those in traps with virgin females, whereas control and traps baited only with the previously known constituent did not capture any moths at all. The navel orangeworm sex pheromone is also an attractant for the meal moth, Pyralis farinalis L. (Pyralidae), but (Z,Z)-11,13-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate is a behavioral antagonist. The new pheromone blend may be highly effective in mating disruption and monitoring programs.     

Differences in the behavior characteristics between Daphnia magna and Japanese madaka in an on-line biomonitoring system

It is important to select suitable organisms to adapt the requirement of di erent environment monitoring purposes. Following our previous study, the behavioral responses of Daphnia magna and Japanese madaka (Oryzias latipes) were investigated and compared under flow-through conditions in an on-line biomonitoring system. The results showed that both D. magna and Japanese madaka had similar biological clock, but the circadian rhythms of Japanese madaka was more clearly recorded than that of D. magna. And the sensitivity of D. magna was about two orders of magnitudes higher than that of Japanese madaka in di erent types of toxic chemicals (dichlorovos, deltamethrin and cadmium chloride). However, when both animals were used in an on-line biomonitoring system, the life span of D. magna was less than 7 days and Japanese madaka could last for more than one month without feeding. Therefore, D. magna was proposed to be a more sensitive bioindicator and was suitable for short term monitoring the pollution events at concentration level closing to the water quality standard, while Japanese madaka was more suitable for the long-term monitoring for accidental discharges.     

城市污泥脱水速率与泥饼含水率的表征差异性研究

通过试验获得了多种不同来源污泥的脱水表观指标值(比阻和粘度)与脱水性能参数值(脱水速率和滤饼含水率),并对其相关性进行了研究分析.研究结果表明,采用常规的表观指标表征污泥的脱水性能存在差异性,污泥比阻(SRF)可以很好地表征污泥的脱水速率,与其呈良好的负线性关系(调理前:R2=0.914,调理后:R2=0.839),而SRF与滤饼含水率的线性关系不显著,只能进行辅助或定性分析.粘度可以很好地表征污泥滤饼含水率(调理前:R2=0.936,调理后:R2=0.843);但仅在高粘度水平下,粘度与污泥脱水速率才表现出负线性关系,但拟合度较低(R2=0.647),在低粘度污泥体系中,粘度不是影响污泥脱水速率的关键因素.     

Uncoupling primer and releaser responses to pheromone in honey bees

Pheromones produce dramatic behavioral and physiological responses in a wide variety of species. Releaser pheromones elicit rapid responses within seconds or minutes, while primer pheromones produce long-term changes which may take days to manifest. Honeybee queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) elicits multiple distinct behavioral and physiological responses in worker bees, as both a releaser and primer, and thus produces responses on vastly different time scales. In this study, we demonstrate that releaser and primer responses to QMP can be uncoupled. First, treatment with the juvenile hormone analog methoprene leaves a releaser response (attraction to QMP) intact, but modulates QMP’s primer effects on sucrose responsiveness. Secondly, two components of QMP (9-ODA and 9-HDA) do not elicit a releaser response (attraction) but are as effective as QMP at modulating a primer response, downregulation of foraging-related brain gene expression. These results suggest that different responses to a single pheromone may be produced via distinct pathways.     

Wax perception in honeybees: contact is not necessary

In social insects, much progress has been made in identifying variations in the cuticular signatures of sexes, castes, kin and reproductive status. In contrast to this, we still do not know how the receivers perceive these recognition cues. This study was designed to investigate whether honeybees use contact-chemosensory or olfactory sensilla to perceive wax components. To answer this question in a behavioral assay, we combined classical conditioning of the proboscis extension reaction and a recently established method using zinc sulfate to selectively block antennal contact-chemosensory sensilla. Comparison of the responses to sucrose, wax and geraniol before and after antennal zinc sulfate treatment revealed that the sucrose response is lost after treatment but the responses to wax and geraniol are maintained. As sucrose is perceived by the contact-chemosensory sensilla, the retention of the wax response indicates that contact-chemosensory sensilla are not necessary for wax perception.