Novel trapping and delivery systems for airborne insect pheromones

A cryogenic air liquefaction technique was developed for totally recovering volatile insect pheromones. Compounds thus trapped are metered and released into the air during field assays with power-driven micro-syringes and during laboratory assays by evaporation from the lower end of disposable micro-pipettes.     

Monoterpene ketones in the synthesis of optically active insect pheromones

This review considers the synthetic possibilities of monoterpene ketones, such as (R)-(+)- and (S)-(-)-pulegones, (-)-menthone, (R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-carvones, (2R,5S)-dihydrocarvone, (S)-(+)- and (R)-(-)-camphors, (R)-(-)-nopinone, (R)-(+)- and (S)-(-)-verbenones by the examples of synthesis of optically pure and enantiomerically enriched insect pheromones.     

我国昆虫信息素研究与应用的进展

用昆虫信息素防治害虫是20世纪60年代以来发展的一种治虫新技术。由于具有高效、无毒、没有污染、不伤益虫等优点,国内外对昆虫信息素的研究与应用都很重视。昆虫信息素（InsectPhernmones）是同种昆虫个体之间在求偶、觅食、栖息、产卵、自卫等过程中起通讯联络作用的化学信息物质,主要有性信息素（SexPheromones）、聚集信息素（AggregationPhero－mones）、示踪信息素（TrailPheromones）、报警信息素（AlarmPheromones）、疏散信息素（EpideicticPheromone）以及蜂王情息素（QueenPhero－mones）、那氏情息素（NosanovPheromon…     

The design of an olfactometer and a method for quantitative stud on the effect of odours on insect behaviour

Vertical air-flow olfactometer suitable for study of the influence of odours on walking insect behaviour was described. The results of preliminary experiments proved that the olfactometer enables long-lasting "quasiethological" observations. Employed method of observation gave quantitative information about the influence of odours on ratios of basic predeterminate activities, insect distribution pattern and their tendency to choose zones with an odour. The Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemilineata Say) males preferred zones with the female odour spending there more time. During emission of the pheromone males were more active. In zones with the pheromone males displayed the tendency to cluster, spent more time taping intensely and more frequently attempted to mate.     

Sexual selection for male mobility in a giant insect with female-biased size dimorphism

Female-biased size dimorphism, in which females are larger than males, is prevalent in many animals. Several hypotheses have been developed to explain this pattern of dimorphism. One of these hypotheses, the mobility hypothesis, suggests that female-biased size dimorphism arises because smaller males are favored in scramble competition for mates. Using radiotelemetry, we assessed the mobility hypothesis in the Cook Strait giant weta (Deinacrida rugosa), a species with strong female-biased size dimorphism, and tested the prediction that male traits promoting mobility (i.e., longer legs, smaller bodies) are useful in scramble competition for mates and thus promote reproductive success. Our predictions were supported: males with longer legs and smaller bodies exhibited greater mobility (daily linear displacement when not mating), and more mobile males had greater insemination success. No phenotypic traits predicted female mobility or insemination success. In species with female-biased size dimorphism, sexual selection on males is often considered to be weak compared to species in which males are large or possess weaponry. We found that male giant weta experience sexual selection intensities on par with males of a closely related harem-defending polygynous species, likely because of strong scramble competition with other males.     

The influence of unipolar air ions on the electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes

Positive air ions decreased the electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes of cats while negative air ions increased it. Inhalation of normal air supplied by a fan did not affect the electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes.

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Zusammenfassung Positive Luftionen setzten die elektrophoretische Beweglichkeit der Erythrocyten von Katzen herab, während negative Luftionen sie steigerten. Die Inhalation normaler Luft, die von einem Ventilator unterstüzt wurde,beeinflusste die elektrophoretische Beweglichkeit von Erythrocyten nicht.

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Resume Les ions positifs diminuent la mobilité électrophorétique des érythrocytes des chats, alors que les ions négatifs l'augmentent. L'inhalation d'air normal,même activée par un ventilateur, ne l'influence par contre pas.

     

High mobility group-like proteins of the insect Plodia interpunctella

Nuclei from Plodia interpunctella larvae contain four major proteins, which are extracted by 5% perchloric acid and 0.35 M NaCl. The proteins have been designated PL1, PL2, PL3, and PL4. The amino acid analyses of these proteins show that they have high proportions of acidic and basic amino acid residues, a property characteristic of the high mobility group (HMG) proteins isolated from vertebrate tissues. Immunological characterization of these proteins clearly shows that PL1, PL2, and PL4 are more closely related to HMG1 dipteran proteins, while PL3 is more closely related to HMGI dipteran proteins. The possible relatedness of these proteins to HMG proteins is discussed.     

Inhibition of cyclic AMP efflux by insect pheromones and fatty acids

Avian erythrocytes export cyclic AMP by a means that prostaglandins A1 and A2, but not other eicosanoids, inhibit (EC50 approximately 45 nM). Several insect pheromones and the fatty acyl components of common membrane phospholipids also inhibit cyclic AMP efflux (EC50 approximately 30 microM). The presence of at least one double bond in the acyl chain enhances the effect. Unlike PGA, fatty acids probably do not act via formation of a glutathione adduct but very likely by altering membrane fluidity. Inhibition of cyclic AMP export provides a mechanism by which products of phospholipid metabolism can influence the cyclic AMP signaling pathway.     

The influence of flight on the phospholipid metabolism in insect flight muscle

Males of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, received an injection of 32P-orthophosphates and the specific activity of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) was determined after 120 min of in vivo incorporation. If the insects were forced to fly for 10 min immediately before the end of the experiment, the specific activity (S.A.) of PC and PE was lowered by 34.3 and 31.0%, respectively, that of PI by 17.5%. If the animals were allowed to rest for 10 min after cessation of flight, the S.A. of PC and PE did not differ significantly from the controls, whereas that of PI rose by 91.0% above the control value. These effects cannot be due to changes in precursor labelling (glycerophosphate and phosphoarginine were measured) and reflect changes in the rate of phospholipid biosynthesis. The possibility is discussed that mechanisms regulating the rate of phospholipid biosynthesis are involved.     

“鸟适于飞行的特点”一节的探究性教学设计

在学生已有的知识和能力的基础上,运用层层激疑的方法,引导学生快乐地、自主地进行探究性学习,直至真正掌握和理解鸟类飞行的本质原因。     

The influence of Conidiobolus coronatus on phagocytic activity of insect hemocytes

An essential component of the insect cellular response is phagocytosis. Analyses of the in vitro phagocytosis could be useful for the studies of the relationship between insects and their pathogens. Fungal metabolites are known to inhibit phagocytosis whereas components of the fungal cell wall stimulate phagocytosis. To achieve a better understanding of fungal pathogenesis in insects, haemocyte populations of two insect species susceptible to Conidiobolus coronatus infection (Galleria mellonella, Dendrolimus pini ) were compared with haemocytes of the resistant species (Calliphora erythrocephala ). Fungal infection increased phagocytic activity of G. mellonella plasmatocytes 3.3 times and this of D. pini plasmatocytes 2.1 times. Analysis of infected C. erythrocephala larvae did not reveal any influence of C. coronatus upon phagocytic activity.     

The influence of cholesterol on head group mobility in phospholipid membranes

The dielectric dispersion in the MHz range of the zwitterionic dipolar phosphocholine head groups has been measured from 0–70°C for various mixtures of $\text{1,2-}\text{dipalmitoyl}\text{-sn-}\text{glycero-3-phosphocholine}$ (DPPC) and cholesterol. The abrupt change in the derived relaxation frequency $\text{f}{}_2$ observed for pure DPPC at the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition at 42°C reduces to a more gradual increase of frequency with temperature as the cholesterol content is increased. In general the presence of cholesterol increases the DPPC head group mobility due to its spacing effect. Below 42°C no sudden changes in $\text{f}{}_2$ are found at 20 or 33 mol% cholesterol, where phase boundaries have been suggested from other methods. Above 42°C, however, a decrease in $\text{f}{}_2$ at cholesterol contents up to 20–30 mol% is found. This is thought to be partly due to an additional restricting effect of the cholesterol on the number of hydrocarbon chain conformations and consequently on the area occupied by the DPPC molecules.     

Interspecific influence on mobility and Turing instability

In this paper we formulate a multi-patch multi-species model in which the percapita emigration rate of one species depends on the density of some other species. We then focus on Turing instability to examine if and when this cross-emigration response has crucial effects. We find that the type of interaction matters greatly. In the case of competition a cross-emigration response promotes pattern formation by exercising a destabilizing influence; in particular, it may lead to diffusive instability provided that the response is sufficiently strong, which contrasts sharply with the well-known fact that the standard competition system does not exhibit Turing instability. In the case of prey-predator or activator-inhibitor interaction it acts against pattern formation by exerting a stabilizing effect; in particular, the diffusive instability, even though it may happen in a standard system, never occurs when the response is sufficiently strong. We conclude that the cross-emigration response is an important factor that should not be ignored when pattern formation is the issue.     

Bubble-column design for growth of fragile insect cells

A mathematical model for the design of bubble-columns for growth of shear-sensitive insect cells is presented. The model is based on two assumptions. First, the loss of cell viability as a result of aeration is a first-order process. Second, a hypothetical volume X, in which all viable cells are killed, is associated with each air bubble during its lifetime. The model merely consists of an equation for k_d, the first-order death-rate constant, and A_min, the minimum specific surface area of the air bubbles to supply sufficient oxygen. In addition to X, the equation for k_d contains the air flow F, the air-bubble diameter d_b, the diameter D and the height H of the bubble column. This equation has been experimentally validated. Comparison of the equations for k_d and A_min shows that especially H is the key parameter to manipulate in bubble-column design in order to meet the demands set by A_min and k_dg, the first-order growth-rate constant. It is concluded that net growth of cells is enhanced as size and height of the bubble column increase.     

The influence of fluorescent dye structure on the electrophoretic mobility of end-labeled DNA.

Over the past 10 years, fluorescent end-labeling of DNA fragments has evolved into the preferred method of DNA detection for a wide variety of applications, including DNA sequencing and PCR fragment analysis. One of the advantages inherent in fluorescent detection methods is the ability to perform multi-color analyses. Unfortunately, labeling DNA fragments with different fluorescent tags generally induces disparate relative electrophoretic mobilities for the fragments. Mobility-shift corrections must therefore be applied to the electrophoretic data to compensate for these effects. These corrections may lead to increased errors in the estimation of DNA fragment sizes and reduced confidence in DNA sequence information. Here, we present a systematic study of the relationship between dye structure and the resultant electrophoretic mobility of end-labeled DNA fragments. We have used a cyanine dye family as a paradigm and high-resolution capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) as the instrumentation platform. Our goals are to develop a general understanding of the effects of dyes on DNA electrophoretic mobility and to synthesize a family of DNA end-labels that impart identically matched mobility influences on DNA fragments. Such matched sets could be used in DNA sequencing and fragment sizing applications on capillary electrophoresis instrumentation.