Pheromone communication and the mushroom body of the ant, Camponotus obscuripes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Communication by means of pheromones plays predominant roles in colony integration by social insects. However, almost nothing is known about pheromone processing in the brains of social insects. In this study, we successfully applied intracellular recording and staining techniques to anatomically and physiologically characterize brain neurons of the ant Camponotus obscuripes. We identified 42 protocerebral neurons that responded to undecane and/or formic acid, components of alarm pheromones that evoke attraction or evasive behavior, respectively. Notably, 30 (71%) of these neurons were efferent (output) or feedback neurons of the mushroom body, and many of these exhibited different responses to formic acid and undecane. Eight of the remaining 12 neurons had arborizations in the lateral and/or medial protocerebrum, which receive terminations of efferent neurons of the mushroom body and from which premotor descending neurons originate. The remaining four neurons were bilateral neurons that connect lateral accessory lobes or dorsal protocerebrums of both hemispheres. We suggest that the mushroom body of the ant participates in the processing of alarm pheromones. Seventeen (40%) of 42 neurons exhibited responses to nonpheromonal odors, indicating that the pheromonal and nonpheromonal signals are not fully segregated when they are processed in the protocerebrum. This may be related to modulatory functions of alarm pheromones, i.e., they change alertness of the ant and change responses to a variety of sensory stimuli.     

Neutron activation method in the analysis of environmental objects

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铬的溶剂萃取(评论)

<正> 铬的溶液中主要以两种氧化态即Cr(Ⅲ)与Cr(Ⅵ)存在。第一种较稳定,并有形成惰性络合物的倾向。在非络合剂阴离子(如ClO_4~-)存在的情况下,Cr(Ⅲ)离子以Cr(H_2O)_6~(3+)及其水解产物的形式存在,在不同的pH值时,占优势的是Cr(H_2O)_5OH~(2+)     

Petroleum waste biodegradation with porous biomass support system (PBSS) on rotating biological contactor

A laboratory scale study was conducted to assess the feasibility of the new coupling of rotating biological contactor (RBC) plus porous biomass support system (PBSS) using polyurethane foam as porous support media to biodegrade petroleum refinery wastewater. Polyurethane foam was attached on disks of two four-stage laboratory scale cascade connected RBC units.The two RBC units were operated simultaneously at different but constant, flowrates giving hydraulic loading rates of 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 m3/m2/d in two runs keeping the same rotational speed 10 r/min throughout. Organic loading was a less controllable factor in this study.For all of the hydraulic loadings, it was found that the removal efficiency of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and oil were above 80 percent. Ammonia nitrogen and phenol removal were above 90 and 80 percent respectively. The maximum biomass concentration within polyurethane foam was about 30 g/m2 in the first stage for 0.03 m3/m2/d hydraulic loading.The results show that t     

在有机物质的体系中絮凝过程的抑制

本报告研究的目的是研究有机质对用来从水和废水中消除混浊性和有机物质的絮凝过程的影响。通常,在水中发现的有机物质可能来源于两个方面:一是天然的,由腐烂的植物造成的富里酸和腐殖酸是其代表;二是从生活废水和工业废水处理厂来的人造有机物。这项研究包括系统地研究以污浊的地表水和城市废水处理厂的排放物为代表的两种类型的水的絮凝效果。这两种类型的水含有悬浮的和胶状的分散固体,同时兼含溶解的或胶体形式的有机物。水中存在有机物质对絮凝过程的影响是显著地提高了絮凝剂的需求,从而影响了水的最终质量。     

24、用电化学和紫外检测的高压液相色谱法测定卤代苯胺及有关化合物

卤代苯胺可以从各种渠道包括农药、除莠剂、杀菌剂的代谢作用,工业废料和硝基取代芳香化合物的还原而进入环境中。由于苯胺类化合物有毒所以要求在环境中监测。以前用气相色谱法,需要进行衍生化;而且某些被卤代的代谢物还不能被分离。本文研究的高压液相色谱法可在无衍生化步骤的情况下进行分离,并检测出亚毫微克量的物质。这些化合物是用商品c-18键合相柱分离的,并用价廉的电化学检定器检测至亚毫微克量级。同时还研究了快速但灵敏度很低的紫外线方法。列举了各种化合物的色谱图和灵敏度数据。讨论了电化学检定的应用和限度。     

Biodegradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by natural soil microflora and pure cultures of imperfect and lignolitic fungi

The biodegradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by natural soil microflora and seven fungi species, including imperfect strains and higher level lignolitic species, is compared in a 90-day laboratory experiment using a natural, not-fertilized soil contaminated with 10% crude oil. The natural microbial soil assemblage isolated from an urban forest area was unable to significantly degrade crude oil, whereas pure fungi cultures effectively reduced the residues by 26-35% in 90 days. Normal alkanes were almost completely degraded in the first 15 days, whereas aromatic compounds (phenanthrene and methylphenanthrenes) exhibited slower kinetics. Aspergillus terreus and Fusarium solani, isolated from oil-polluted areas, produced the more efficient attack of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. Overall, imperfect fungi isolated from polluted soils showed a somewhat higher efficiency, but the performance of unadapted, indigenous, lignolitic fungi was comparable, and all three species, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes villosus and Coriolopsis rigida, effectively degraded aliphatic and aromatic components. The simultaneous, multivariate analysis of 22 parameters allowed the elucidation of a clear reactivity trend of the oil components during biodegradation: lower molecular weight n-alkanes > phenanthrene > 3-2-methylphenanthrenes > intermediate chain length n-alkanes > longer chain length n-alkanes > isoprenoids approximately 9-1-methylphenanthrenes. Irrespective of the individual degrading capacities, all fungi species tested seem to follow this decomposition sequence.     

Scots pine needle surfaces on radial transects across the north boreal area of Finnish Lapland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia

To gain an understanding of the characteristics of the needle surfaces of naturally regenerated Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and their geographical distribution, eight physicochemical variables were investigated within the north boreal forest area. The visibly undamaged needles were collected in autumn 1990 from 114 plots (3-5 pines per plot) along radial transects from the Monchegorsk and Nikel smelters, emitting SO2 and heavy metals, on the Kola Peninsula, Russia, to Finnish Lapland. The needles were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and measured for surface wettability using the droplet contact angle (DCA) method. Significant geographical south-north and west-east patterns could be observed in needle surface characteristics, correlating with emissions from the smelters and to climate. Despite the slightly higher initial DCAs (61.4-87.6 degrees) towards the north, the pine needle surfaces of the northernmost transects exhibited higher annual needle wettability change (ANWC) and wax erosion rate (AWER), expressed as the reduction in DCAs and epistomatal wax tube distribution (WTD) during one year, respectively, but a lower occurrence of particles and fungal hyphae than those of more southern transects. The higher ANWC was related to higher atmospheric SO2 concentration, and to the lower long-term temperature sum, but not clearly to annual precipitation. In the Monchegorsk smelter area, the current needles exhibited, on average, a 15% higher WTD and seven degree larger DCA, resulting in more hydrophobic needle surfaces than in Finnish Lapland, but during their first year, both the AWER and ANWC, were greatly increased. In Finnish Lapland, 30%, of all the epistomatal wax tubes disappeared from the needle surface during the first year, the value being 70% for the pines located 8 km from the smelter. The mineral composition of the particles deposited on the needle surfaces mirrored that of the minerals being produced by the smelters (e.g. FexSx, CuFeS2, NixSx, FexOx). Stomatal densities were in the range of 71.1-141.7 stomata mm(-2). The lower densities of stomata on needles close to the smelters correlated with reduced number of needle age classes of the pines, higher dry weights, higher pollutant accumulation and lower Mn and Zn concentrations in the needles. The AWER and ANWC were able to indicate the most seriously deteriorated needle surfaces on a regional scale, e.g. including the surroundings of both smelters, although the plot-specific relationships between 'needle surface variables' and 'pollution variables' were generally weak. The present study showed that the exposure of pine needles to the combined effects of ambient pollutants and harsh climate led to a deterioration in the physicochemical characteristics of the epicuticular wax, which may have serious ecophysiological consequences in the long term.