Experimentally comparing the attractiveness of domestic lights to insects: Do LEDs attract fewer insects than conventional light types?

LED lighting is predicted to constitute 70% of the outdoor and residential lighting markets by 2020. While the use of LEDs promotes energy and cost savings relative to traditional lighting technologies, little is known about the effects these broad‐spectrum “white” lights will have on wildlife, human health, animal welfare, and disease transmission. We conducted field experiments to compare the relative attractiveness of four commercially available “domestic” lights, one traditional (tungsten filament) and three modern (compact fluorescent, “cool‐white” LED and “warm‐white” LED), to aerial insects, particularly Diptera. We found that LEDs attracted significantly fewer insects than other light sources, but found no significant difference in attraction between the “cool‐” and “warm‐white” LEDs. Fewer flies were attracted to LEDs than alternate light sources, including fewer Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Use of LEDs has the potential to mitigate disturbances to wildlife and occurrences of insect‐borne diseases relative to competing lighting technologies. However, we discuss the risks associated with broad‐spectrum lighting and net increases in lighting resulting from reduced costs of LED technology.     

Novel genetic capacitors and potentiators for the natural genetic variation of sensory bristles and their trait specificity in Drosophila melanogaster

Cryptic genetic variation (CGV) is defined as the genetic variation that has little effect on phenotypic variation under a normal condition, but contributes to heritable variation under environmental or genetic perturbations. Genetic buffering systems that suppress the expression of CGV and store it in a population are called genetic capacitors, and the opposite systems are called genetic potentiators. One of the best‐known candidates for a genetic capacitor and potentiator is the molecular chaperone protein, HSP90, and one of its characteristics is that it affects the genetic variation in various morphological traits. However, it remains unclear whether the wide‐ranging effects of HSP90 on a broad range of traits are a general feature of genetic capacitors and potentiators. In the current study, I searched for novel genetic capacitors and potentiators for quantitative bristle traits of Drosophila melanogaster and then investigated the trait specificity of their genetic buffering effect. Three bristle traits of D. melanogaster were used as the target traits, and the genomic regions with genetic buffering effects were screened using the 61 genomic deficiencies examined previously for genetic buffering effects in wing shape. As a result, four and six deficiencies with significant effects on increasing and decreasing the broad‐sense heritability of the bristle traits were identified, respectively. Of the 18 deficiencies with significant effects detected in the current study and/or by the previous study, 14 showed trait‐specific effects, and four affected the genetic buffering of both bristle traits and wing shape. This suggests that most genetic capacitors and potentiators exert trait‐specific effects, but that general capacitors and potentiators with effects on multiple traits also exist.     

Characterization of a broad range antimicrobial substance from Bacillus cereus

AIMS: The aim of this research was to isolate and characterize an antimicrobial substance from the Bacillus cereus type strain ATCC 14579. METHODS AND RESULTS: A substance with antimicrobial activity was isolated from B. cereus ATCC 14579. The substance was produced during late exponential growth and well into the stationary phase with a maximum 9 h after inoculation. The inhibitory substance was purified by reverse-phase HPLC and shown to be highly active against closely related Bacillus spp. Clinically relevant species such as Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus were also inhibited. The substance was characterized as a bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) with a molecular mass of ca 3.4 kDa. The BLIS was very heat stable, and sensitive only to pronase E and proteinase K. Antimicrobial activity was stable and high in the pH range of 2.0-9.0, and relatively unaffected by organic chemicals. CONCLUSIONS: An antimicrobial substance produced by the B. cereus type strain ATCC 14579 was characterized, with a wide spectrum of activity and the potential to be applied as a control agent against pathogenic bacteria. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present study is the first report of a substance with antimicrobial activity from the B. cereus type strain.     

林窗模型BKPF模拟伊春地区红松针阔叶混交林采伐迹地对气候变化的潜在反应

用森林演替模型BKPF研究黑龙江省伊春地区红松针阔叶混交林采伐迹地上森林演替在未来50年气候变化和CO₂浓度增加的反应得出:伊春地区采伐迹地演替50年后红松和硬阔叶树的数量增加,落叶松、山杨与白桦减少;林分密度略有降低;林分生产力增加约7%～28%;林分地上部分总生物量增加15%～24%;叶面积指数增加约5%～8%.气候变化有利于采伐迹地阔叶红松林恢复.     

A calorimetric and spectroscopic comparison of the effects of ergosterol and cholesterol on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

We performed comparative DSC and FTIR spectroscopic measurements of the effects of cholesterol (Chol) and ergosterol (Erg) on the thermotropic phase behavior and organization of DPPC bilayers. Ergosterol is the major sterol in the biological membranes of yeasts, fungi and many protozoa. It differs from Chol in having two additional double bonds, one in the steroid nucleus at C7-8 and another in the alkyl chain at C22-23. Erg also has an additional methyl group in the alkyl chain at C24. Our DSC studies indicate that the incorporation of Erg is more effective than Chol is in reducing the enthalpy of the pretransition. At lower concentrations Erg is also more effective than Chol in reducing the enthalpies of both the sharp and broad components of main phase transition. However, at sterol concentrations from 30 to 50 mol%, Erg is generally less effective at reducing the enthalpy of the broad components and does not completely abolish the cooperative hydrocarbon chain-melting phase transition at 50 mol%, as does Chol. Nevertheless, in this higher ergosterol concentration range, there is no evidence of the formation of ergosterol crystallites. Our FTIR spectroscopic studies demonstrate that Erg incorporation produces a similar ordering of liquid-crystalline DPPC bilayers as does Chol, but an increased degree of hydrogen bonding of the fatty acyl carbonyl groups in the glycerol backbone region of the DPPC bilayer. These and other results indicate that Erg is less miscible in DPPC bilayers at higher concentrations than is Chol. Finally, we provide a tentative molecular explanation for the comparative experimental and computation results obtained for Erg and Chol in phospholipid bilayers, emphasizing the dynamic conformational differences between these two sterols.     

鼎湖山顶级森林生态系统水文要素时空规律

运用连续7a(1993～1999)的水文观测资料,对南亚热带顶级生态系统鼎湖山季风常绿阔叶林集水区水文要素时空规律进行分析,得到如下一些主要结论：(1)鼎湖山多年平均降水量为1910mm,湿季降水量占年降水量80％,干季仅占20％。6月份的降水量最大,1月份最小。(2)季风常绿阔叶林冠层截留率为31．8％,湿季的截留量占全年截留量的66．7％,截留量最大值和最小值所在的月份分别为7和1月份。各月的截留率差异很大,截留量大的月份,截留率较低;截留量小的月份,截留率较高。(3)季风常绿阔叶林集水区多年平均总径流量953．0mm,总径流系数49．9％,其中地表径流量为252．3mm,地表径流系数13．2％;地表径流与降水量之间存在二次抛物线型回归关系,与降水强度的关系不大,这说明季风常绿阔叶林的产流形式是是蓄满产流。(4)季风常绿阔叶林多年平均蒸散948．2mm,占同期降水量的49．7％;蒸散力1031．4mm,年蒸散系数为0．92,蒸散月变化规律较降水量的月变化规律有所滞后。(5)系统贮水量的月变化很大,2～8月份,系统处于蓄水阶段;9月份至翌年1月份,系统处于失水阶段。蓄水和失水的最大值分别出现在湿季和干季的第一个月,即4月份和10月份。(6)集水区多年平均水量总输入2129．9mm,实际输入1910mm(降水量),其中219．9mm的水量输入是由系统贮水量变化而产生。支出的总水量2129．9mm,实际支出1901．3mm(径流和蒸散量),其中228．6mm的水量支出是由系统贮水量变化引起的。     

Ornithine carbamyltransferase activity from the cotyledons of developing and germinating seeds of Vicia faba

During maturation the ornithine carbamyltransferase activity from cotyledons of Vicia faba sharply decreased. It declined further during subsequent germination. On the other hand, arginase activity was low in mature, air-dry seeds but increased considerably during germination. After centrifugation at 40 000 g, more than 90% of the ornithine carbamyltransferase activity remained in the supernatant. The fractions containing tightly coupled mitochondria, showed hardly any omithine carbamyltransferase activity.     

Induction of systemic protection against rust infection in broad bean by saccharin: effects on plant growth and development

Here, we examine the effect of saccharin on the induction of systemic resistance in broad bean (Vicia faba) to the rust fungus Uromyces viciae-fabae. Saccharin was applied to beans at the three-leaf stage, either as a soil drench or by painting the solution on to first leaves. Plants were then challenge inoculated with the rust 1, 6, 10 and 14 d following saccharin treatment, after which they were harvested, assessed for the intensity of rust infection and plant growth measurements conducted. Foliar application of saccharin did not induce systemic protection to rust infection until 14 d after application and was less effective than saccharin applied as a soil drench. When saccharin was applied as a drench, systemic protection was not observed until 6 d after application, but was still apparent in plants 14 d after application of the drench. Irrespective of the method of application, saccharin had no significant effect on fresh and dry weights or leaf area of the plants. Saccharin applied as a drench did, however, reduce the number of leaflets produced.     

乙氧基磷酸酯类有机磷农药单克隆抗体的制备与鉴定

制备针对乙氧基磷酸酯类有机磷农药的单克隆抗体,以此为基础建立该类农药的快速免疫筛选检测方法．以二乙基磷酸乙酸为通用结构半抗原,分别使之与牛血清白蛋白和鸡卵清蛋白共价偶联,合成免疫原和包被原并对其进行结构鉴定．偶联成功后的免疫原用于免疫Balb/c小鼠．将免疫成功小鼠的脾细胞与小鼠SP2/0骨髓瘤细胞融合,筛选能稳定分泌抗乙氧基磷酸酯类有机磷农药单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株．获得的小鼠腹水用辛酸-硫酸铵法纯化,所得纯化抗体以琼脂双扩散法鉴定其免疫球蛋白类型,间接竞争ELISA方法测定其对半抗原的灵敏度、特异性和亲和性．结果表明,该抗体分泌IgG1亚类的单克隆抗体,且与二乙基磷酸乙酸的亲和性较高(1.4×10⁷ L/mol),所得抗体对毒死蜱、对硫磷、丙溴磷、氧化乐果、除线磷、二嗪农、溴硫磷、辛硫磷、喹硫磷、三唑磷等农药有特异性反应．该检测技术可用于上述农药的快速定性或定量检测．