Small queens in the ant Ectatomma tuberculatum: a new case of social parasitism

Social parasites exploit the worker force of colonies of other social insects to rear their own young. Social parasitism occurs in several Hymenoptera and is particularly common in several tribes of the ant subfamilies Myrmicinae and Formicinae. Here, we document the occurrence of miniaturized queens (microgynes) in colonies of Ectatomma tuberculatum, an ant belonging to the subfamily Ectatomminae. Behavioral observations and genetic analyses show that microgynes concentrate their reproductive efforts almost exclusively on the production of sexual offspring (microgynes and males), whereas the regular, large queens (macrogynes) produce workers in addition to sexuals. According to mitochondrial and nuclear markers, gene flow between microgynes and macrogynes is extremely limited. Whereas the co-occurrence of microgynes and macrogynes in the related species Ectatomma ruidum constitutes an intraspecific polymorphism associated with alternative dispersal tactics, microgynes found in colonies of E. tuberculatum appear to be a distinct species and to represent the first case of social parasitism in the poneromorph subfamilies of ants.     

Evaluation and selection of healthcare waste incinerators using extended sustainability criteria and multi-criteria analysis methods

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Disposal of healthcare waste is a key issue of environmental sustainability in the world. The amount of healthcare waste is increasing every day, and...     

Software as a bridge between theory and practice in life cycle assessment

Three mutually dependent elements are required for the application of life cycle assessment: methodology, data and software. Obviously, the design of software is determined by the methodology and the type of data available. Conversely, the development of software dictates the way in which data should be collected and recorded, and improves the theoretical framework, as it forces one to state the principles clearly and unambiguously. The influence of the development of software on both data and methodology is addressed and illustrated by examples, with reference to two key terms: transparency and explicitness. Three types of influence are distinguished: the design of a protocol, the formulation in terms of recipes, and the presentation of data.     

莫桑比克的海洋生物学研究:过去、现在及未来

本文概述了莫桑比克包括渔业在内的海洋生物学研究的发展情况.莫桑比克的海岸线约为3000km,海洋的生物资源在莫桑比克的社会中起着重要的作用,主要是作为人们的蛋白质来源以及收入和出口创汇的来源.     

精密模锻模具设计

先从三种角度 :锻造设备和工作条件 ,钢材的加热温度和凹模结构形式对精密模锻模具进行分类 ;然后从六个方面讨论精密模锻模具设计要点模膛设计 ,凹模尺寸设计和强度计算 ,凸模尺寸和强度计算 ,模具的导向装置 ,顶出装置及飞边槽尺寸的设计     

精密模锻件的设计要点

讨论了精密模锻件的分类密集形状的锻件、盘形锻件和长杆形锻件 ,以及精密模锻件的设计要点精密模锻件的机械加工余量、尺寸精度和表面粗糙度、分模面的选择、模锻斜度、圆角半径、肋的设计和腹板厚度的设计