Strategic exploitation in a socially parasitic bee: a benefit in waiting?

Social parasitism has evolved at least ten times in the allodapine bees but studies that explore the parasite’s integration and exploitation of host colonies are lacking. Using colony content and dissection data, we examine how Inquilina schwarzi affects the social organisation of its host Exoneura robusta. Our samples include three critical periods in the host life cycle: initial formation of dominance hierarchies in late autumn, commencement of oviposition by host queens in late winter, and development of secondary reproductives in late spring. I. schwarzi preferentially parasitises larger host colonies in autumn, but during autumn and winter, the parasite appears to be socially invisible, living in the nest without disrupting the normal functioning of these colonies. Inquilines begin egg laying much later than their hosts, and by late spring, they have disrupted host reproductive hierarchies, leading to lower skew in ovarian sizes of their host nestmates. Living invisibly within the host nest for the first 6 months and waiting until well after host reproduction has begun before disrupting their social organisation appear to be unique among social insects. Such a change in strategy may be facilitated by the different social systems found in allodapine bees, with the social parasites possibly disrupting the reproductive hierarchies during spring to prevent or reduce the normal dispersal of some host females from their natal nests.     

基于人工蜂群算法与BP神经网络的水质评价模型

针对BP网络水质评价模型的不足,引入人工蜂群(ABC)算法,将求解BP神经网络各层权值、阀值的过程转化为蜜蜂寻找最佳蜜源的过程,提出了一种新的结合人工蜂群算法的BP网络水质评价方法(ABC-BP)。并以2000—2006年渭河监测断面的10组实测数据作为测试样本对其水质进行了评价,实验结果表明该方法得到的水质评价结果准确,并具有很强的稳定性和鲁棒性。     

Gender differences in public office workers’ satisfaction,subjective symptoms and musculoskeletal complaints in workplace and office environments

This study investigates differences between male and female public office workers’ satisfaction levels, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) complaints in workplace and office environments. Questionnaire surveys were performed in 30 offices from 15 public institutions. Male and female workers of the same age were coupled and selected from each office, gathering a total of 120 male and 120 female subjects. The results show that differences exist between genders in noise and lighting satisfaction levels, SBS-related symptoms (eye, nose, skin) and MSD complaints of hand/wrist/finger, while there is no difference in overall satisfaction level of office environments. The study also suggests that office design for public office workers should take into account gender differences in preventing MSDs and also SBS. The findings of this study are expected to serve as basic data for designing effective public office environments.     

ABC算法优化SVR的磨损故障预测模型

目的为了提高故障预测的精度,针对支持向量回归SVR(Support vector machine for regression,SVR)参数选择困难的问题,提出一种采用人工蜂群(artificial bee colony,ABC)算法优化支持向量回归(SVR)的故障预测模型(ABC-SVR)。方法该模型先对样本数据进行重构,然后将故障预测误差(适应度)作为优化目标,通过ABC算法寻优找到最优的SVR参数,建立故障预测模型。最后通过实例仿真验证模型的优越性。结果采用ABC算法优化的SVR故障预测模型进行时间序列预测,能够较好地跟踪发动机滑油金属元素浓度的变化过程,并且能够提前2个取样时间预测异常情况的出现。结论 ABC-SVR模型有效解决了SVR参数选择难题,能够更加准确地表现故障变化规律,提高了故障预测精度。     

Disc size regulation in the brood cell building behavior of leaf-cutter bee, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megachile tsurugensis</Emphasis>

The leaf-cutter bee, Megachile tsurugensis, builds a brood cell in a preexisting tunnel with leaf discs that she cuts in decreasing sizes and assembles them like a Russian matryoshka doll. By experimentally manipulating the brood cell, it was investigated how she regulates the size of leaf discs that fit in the brood cell’s internal volume. When the internal volume was artificially increased by removing a bulk of leaf discs, she decreased the leaf disc size, although increasing it would have made the leaf disc more fitting in the increased internal volume. As a reverse manipulation, when the internal volume was decreased by inserting a group of inner layers of preassembled leaf discs to a brood cell, she decreased the leaf disc size, so that the leaf disc could fit in the decreased internal volume. These results suggest that she uses at least two different mechanisms to regulate the disc size: the use of some internal memory about the degree of building work accomplished in the first and of sensory feedback of dimensional information at the construction site in the second manipulation, respectively. It was concluded that a stigmergic mechanism, an immediate sensory feedback from the brood cell changed by the building work, alone cannot explain the details of the bee’s behavior particularly with respect to her initial response to the first manipulation. For a more complete explanation of the behavior exhibited by the solitary bee, two additional behavioral elements, reinforcement of building activity and processing of dimensional information, were discussed along with stigmergy.     

Pollinator insects benefit from rotational fallows

The importance of rotational fallows for pollinating insects in intensively cultivated farmland was studied in a three-year field experiment. The focus was on the establishment method (undersowing or seed mixture sown post-tillage), seed mixture (competitive Festuca pratensis-Phleum pratense-Trifolium pratense or less competitive Agrostis capillaris-Festuca ovina mixture) and duration (1 or 2 years) of the fallow. The seed mixture and duration affected the pollinators more than the method of establishment. Pollinator species richness was higher in fallows sown with less competitive than with competitive grasses and it increased in the second year. Stubble fields reached as high pollinator species richness already during the first year as fallows with less competitive grasses did in the second year. Pollinator abundance was highest in those treatments in which species richness of flowering plants was highest. The results suggest that the benefits of rotational fallows for pollinators increase when they are established as stubble or using seeds of less competitive grasses and when the field is fallowed for (at least) two summers.     

Investigation and identification of factors affecting migrating peasant workers’ usage of safety footwear in the Chinese construction industry

A sample of 300 migrating peasant workers from 15 Chinese building construction sites completed a demographic questionnaire to investigate the usage of safety footwear. The survey form was constructed based on the theory of planned behaviour, and a total of 12 questions focusing on the workers’ past experience, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were included in the survey. It was found that 92% of the participants did not wear safety footwear while working on construction sites, although more than 91% of them believed that safety footwear would protect the foot from injury; none of the participants had been provided free safety footwear by their employer. Regression analysis shows that employers’ attitude is the most important factor affecting their usage of safety footwear, ‘providing free safety footwear’ and ‘comfortability of the safety footwear’ ranking second and third respectively.     

建筑工人故意违章行为动机形成机制研究

为明晰建筑工人故意违章行为(DVB)动机形成的具体路径,以减少DVB,降低事故率,基于扎根理论(GT)构建需求产生-感知调节-动机冲突-外化反馈的4阶段动机形成路径模型,探究建筑工人故意违章行为动机的形成机制。结果表明:省能等现实需求是导致建筑工人DVB动机产生的主要需求类型;危险感知能力在动机的形成过程中起调节导向作用;不当价值取向在动机冲突中起负向强化作用;不良环境支持增大了动机外化为行为的概率;行为结果反馈对动机形成起双向作用;提出纠正建筑工人短视需求、进行体验式安全培训及加强监督管理等措施以抑制DVB动机的产生。     

工作满意度对建筑工人不安全行为的矫正机制研究

为探讨工作满意度对建筑工人不安全行为矫正机制,基于文献调研构建工作满意度对建筑工人不安全行为矫正机制理论模型,并通过验证性因子分析和结构方程模型分析,对理论模型进行实证检验.结果表明:工作满意度对建筑工人安全不服从行为和安全不参与行为有显著矫正作用,敬业度在工作满意度和建筑工人安全不服从行为与安全不参与行为间起完全中介...