A new type of infrared organ in the Australian "fire-beetle" Merimna atrata (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

 The Australian buprestid beetle Merimna atrata (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) approaches forest fires because its larvae develop in freshly burnt wood. So far nothing is known about possible sensory systems enabling the beetles to detect fires and to cope with the thermal environment close to the flames. We found that M. atrata has two pairs of infrared (IR) organs on the ventrolateral sides of the abdomen. Each IR organ consists of a specialized IR-absorbing area which is innervated by one thermosensitive multipolar neuron. The primary dendritic branches ramify into more than 800 closely packed terminal endings which contain a large number of mitochondria. We called the special morphology of the dendritic region a terminal dendritic mass. The type of IR receptor found in M. atrata is unique in insects and can best be compared with the IR organs of boid snakes. Received: 14 August 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 18 October 2000     

Ecdysone-induced puffing inDrosophila: A model

In the salivary glands ofDrosophila different sets of proteins are synthesized during two successive developmental stages. This reprogramming is controlled by the hormone ecdysone. The results presented allow a proposal for its possible mode of action.     

废塑料与炼焦配煤共焦化产物的分析

利用2kg模拟焦炉，进行了首钢炼焦配煤与北京市石景山区生活垃圾中的废塑料的共焦化实验。研究结果表明，添加废塑料有提高焦油收率和减少水的收率的趋势；但添加废塑料对成焦率、焦油产率及水产率的影响随废塑料处理方法和废塑料添加比例的不同而有差异；采用废塑料型煤或废塑料型煤破碎物与配煤共焦化在提高废塑料添加比例方面具有较大优势。     

Vitamins,folic acid and neural tube defects: Comments on investigations in the United States

No clear answer concerning whether multivitamin/folate supplementation prevents neural tube defects (NTDs) is provided by three studies in the United States. All these studies are occurrence in nature, no recurrence studies having been conducted. The Atlanta Birth Defects Study is subject to pronounced memory and recall biases, the length between event and interview being as long as 16 years. In a second study (Boston University), objections can be raised to certain aspects of the experimental design, and the claim that 22 per cent of women started vitamins sufficiently early after pregnancy diagnosis to influence NTD formation is suspicious. Our NICHD case control study of 541 women in California and Illinois revealed no evidence for multivitamins or folic acid preventing NTDs. U.S. public policy-makers face difficulties in applying results of recurrence or occurrence studies in high-risk areas to low-risk areas in the U.S.