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Selected AbstractsThe male postabdomen of Stolotermes inopinus: a termite with unusually well-developed external genitalia (Dictyoptera: Isoptera: Stolotermitinae)ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2 2000Klaus-Dieter Klass Abstract Klass, K.-D., Thorne, B. L. and Lenz, M. 2000. The male postabdomen of Stolotermes inopinus: a termite with unusually well-developed external genitalia (Dictyoptera: Isoptera: Stolotermitinae). ,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81: 121,130 Stolotermes inopinus has large external male genitalia (phallic lobe), which contrast with the small genital papillae or lack of external genitalia of other Isoptera. As in the genital papilla of Mastotermesdarwiniensis, a ventral sclerite pair is present, the gonopore is located ventroterminally on the phallic lobe, and the genital area is entirely symmetrical , suggesting that this may be the groundplan condition of Isoptera. The relations of the phallic lobe to surrounding components like the subgenital plate, paraprocts, and certain muscles and nerves indicate that the lobe of S. inopinus is homologous with the phallomeres of other Dictyoptera. The bilateral symmetry and simple structure, however, are in strong contrast to the asymmetry and high complexity found in male genitalia of Blattaria and Mantodea. The postabdominal nervous system of S. inopinus resembles that of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Indications are given that the Stolotermitinae are related to the Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, and Termitidae rather than to the Termopsinae. [source] Degradation kinetics of ptaquiloside in soil and soil solutionENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2008Rikke Gleerup Ovesen Abstract Ptaquiloside (PTA) is a carcinogenic norsesquiterpene glycoside produced in bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn), a widespread, aggressive weed. Transfer of PTA to soil and soil solution eventually may contaminate groundwater and surface water. Degradation rates of PTA were quantified in soil and soil solutions in sandy and clayey soils subjected to high natural PTA loads from bracken stands. Degradation kinetics in moist soil could be fitted with the sum of a fast and a slow first-order reaction; the fast reaction contributed 20 to 50% of the total degradation of PTA. The fast reaction was similar in all horizons, with the rate constant k1F ranging between 0.23 and 1.5/h. The slow degradation, with the rate constant k1S ranging between 0.00067 and 0.029/h, was more than twice as fast in topsoils compared to subsoils, which is attributable to higher microbial activity in topsoils. Experiments with sterile controls confirmed that nonmicrobial degradation processes constituted more than 90% of the fast degradation and 50% of the slow degradation. The lower nonmicrobial degradation rate observed in the clayey compared with the sandy soil is attributed to a stabilizing effect of PTA by clay silicates. Ptaquiloside appeared to be stable in all soil solutions, in which no degradation was observed within a period of 28 d, in strong contrast to previous studies of hydrolysis rates in artificial aqueous electrolytes. The present study predicts that the risk of PTA leaching is controlled mainly by the residence time of pore water in soil, soil microbial activity, and content of organic matter and clay silicates. [source] Equal Channel Angular Pressing of a Mg,3Al,1Zn Alloy with Back Pressure,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010Feng Kang Abstract An extruded Mg,3Al,1Zn alloy bar is subjected to 1,4 passes equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) with or without 125,MPa backpressure via route Bc at 200,°C. Both strength and ductility are significantly increased after ECAP with backpressure; this is in strong contrast to the case of ECAP without backpressure, where significant improvement in ductility is accompanied by obvious decrease in yield strength from texture softening. Compared to ECAP without backpressure, much enhanced grain refinement, and the split of the dominant texture component of (0002) pole were observed with scatter intensity peaks in the case after ECAP with backpressure. This turns out to be resulted mainly from the activation of new slip system together with enhanced dynamic recrystallization under the effect of backpressure. The improvement of both strength and ductility in Mg,3Al,1Zn alloy through ECAP with back pressure provides a better approach to meet the engineering requests on comprehensive performance of this light alloy. [source] Molecular Imaging of Cancer Cells Using Plasmon-Resonant-Enhanced Third-Harmonic-Generation in Silver Nanoparticles,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 24 2007S.-P. Tai We demonstrate molecule-specific third-harmonic-generation (THG) microscopy by using silver nanoparticles as THG contrast agents. Through matching surface plasmon wavelength to THG wavelength, strong contrast can be provided by silver nanoparticles under THG microscopy. By conjugating anti-her2 antibodies with silver nanoparticles, the expression of the Her2/neu oncogene in the cancer cell membranes is successfully imaged under THG modality for the first time. [source] Water use and productivity of two small reservoir irrigation schemes in Ghana's upper east region,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 2 2008Joshua W. Faulkner irrigation; gestion des ressources en eau; développement international; petit réservoirs Abstract To examine the impact of small reservoir irrigation development in Africa, the performance and productivity of two small reservoirs and irrigation schemes in the Upper East Region of Ghana were investigated in this study. Hydrologic data measured included daily irrigation volumes and daily evaporation. Farmer cost inputs, excluding labor, and harvest data were also recorded. There was a strong contrast in water availability between the two systems, the Tanga system having a higher amount of available water than did the Weega system. The concept of relative water supply was used to confirm this disparity; Tanga was an inefficient system with a relative water supply of 5.7, compared to a value of 2.4 for the efficient Weega system. It was also concluded that the dissimilar water availabilities resulted in the evolution of very different irrigation methods and coincided with different management structures. Where there was more water available per unit land (Tanga), management was relaxed and the irrigation inefficient. Where there was less water available per unit land (Weega), management was well structured and irrigation efficient. The productivity of water (US$ m,3) of the Tanga system was half that of the Weega system, when analyzed at a high market price for crops grown. In terms of productivity of cultivated land (US$ ha,1), however, the Tanga system was 49% more productive than the Weega system. The difference in the productivity of land is primarily a result of increased farmer cash inputs in the Tanga system as compared to the Weega system. The difference in the productivity of water can be attributed to the varying irrigation methods and management structures, and ultimately to the contrasting water availability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. L'impact du développement de petits réservoirs d'irrigation en Afriques est étudié en analysant la performance et le bénéfice économique de deux petits réservoirs avec de différents schèmes d'utilisation dans une région au nord-est du Ghana. Les données hydrologiques utilisées dans cette étude comprennent les volumes journaliers d'irrigation, ainsi que des mesures journaliers d'évaporation. En outre les coûts des investissements des agriculteurs ainsi que des données de récoltes ont été enregistrés. La quantité d'eau disponible était considérablement différente dans les deux systèmes: les ressources en eau du système de Tanga étaient nettement supérieures par rapport à celles du système de Weega. Le concept de l'approvisionnement relatif en eau a été utilisé pour démontrer cette disparité: Tanga avait un système inefficace avec un taux d'approvisionnement relatif en eau de 5.7 comparé à un taux de 2.4 du système efficace de Weega. Il a été conclu que les différences au niveau de la disponibilité d'eau sont à la base d'une évolution de méthodes et s'accordent avec de concepts de gestion d'irrigation très contrastés. Quand il y avait plus d'eau disponible par unité de surface (Tanga), la gestion était peu organisée et l'irrigation moins efficace. Par contre, quand les ressources en eau étaient limitées (Weega) la gestion était bien structurée et l'irrigation très efficace. En termes d'eau les agriculteurs de Tanga recevaient seulement la moitié du bénéfice économique des agriculteurs de Weega quand le prix du marché était élevé pour les produits récoltés. Par contre, en termes de surface cultivée, les agriculteurs de Tanga faisaient 49% plus de profit par rapport aux agriculteurs de Weega. La différence du bénéfice économique de la terre cultivé est principalement une conséquence des investissements élevés des agriculteurs dans le système de Tanga comparé au système de Weega. La différence du bénéfice économique de l'eau peut être attribuée aux variations des méthodes d'irrigation et des structures de gestion et donc finalement aux disponibilités en eau très contrastées. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Is the dark halo of our Galaxy spherical?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2004Amina Helmi ABSTRACT It has been recently claimed that the confined structure of the debris from the Sagittarius dwarf implies that the dark matter halo of our Galaxy should be nearly spherical, in strong contrast with predictions from cold dark matter simulations, where dark haloes are found to have typical density axis ratios of 0.6,0.8. In this paper, numerical simulations are used to show that the Sagittarius streams discovered thus far are too young dynamically to be sensitive to the shape of the dark halo of the Milky Way. The data presently available are entirely consistent with a Galactic dark matter halo that could be either oblate or prolate, with minor-to-major density axis ratios as low as 0.6 within the region probed by the orbit of the Sagittarius dwarf. [source] Seasonal and interannual variability of Siberian river discharge in the Laptev Sea inferred from stable isotopes in modern bivalvesBOREAS, Issue 2 2003THOMAS MUELLER-LUPP Stable oxygen and carbon isotope profiles from modern bivalve shells were investigated in order to reconstruct short-term hydrographical changes in the river-shelf system of the Laptev Sea. Oxygen isotopic profiles obtained from the aragonitic species Astarte borealis exhibit amplitude cycles interpreted as annual hydrographical cycles. These records reflect the strong contrast between summer and winter bottom water conditions in the Laptev Sea. The seasonal variations in ,18O are mainly controlled by the riverine freshwater discharge during summer with 0.5, per salinity unit. Corrected for a defined species-dependent fractionation offset of -0.37,, time-dependent salinity records were reconstructed from these ,18O profiles. They indicate a good correspondence to seasonal hydrographic changes and synoptical data. Persistent trends with shell growth towards more negative ,13C values are observed in all specimens and appear to be related to metabolic changes of the bivalves during ontogeny. In contrast, short-term fluctuations are likely linked to seasonal variabilities of the river water outflow patterns and enhanced phytoplankton productivity during summer. This is corroborated by a clear watermass-related distinction of the various ,13C records made on the basis of water depth and distance from the riverine source. [source] | |||||||||||||