Prospects of monosodium glutamate use for enhancement of spinosad toxicity against codling moth neonates

It was demonstrated that neonates of the codling moth,Cydia pomonella (L.), feed on ‘Red Delicious’ apple leaves and successfully molt to the second instar. Next, using a non-choice bioassay, we targeted codling moth neonates feeding on apple leaves, with standard concentrations of a culinary taste enhancer, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and Success®, which contains 22.8% spinosad as its active ingredient. The addition of 25 ppm MSG increased feeding by 20–30%. Stimulatory properties of MSG were preserved in the presence of 12.5 ppm Success, and mortality from a 12.5 ppm Success + 25 ppm MSG combination increased by factors of 3.1–1.6 compared with Success alone. In a field experiment without rain, MSG maintained its stimulatory properties for 24 h, increasing feeding by 37%. Consistently, without rain, MSG increased the toxicity of Success in the field by a factor of × 3.5. However, the stimulatory properties of MSG dropped to 19% with 4.3 mm of rain, and to zero with 9.6 mm of rain. Increased Success toxicity by MSG was reduced to × 1.6 with 4.3 mm of rain, and dropped to zero after 9.6 mm of rain. It is concluded that MSG seems to be a promising feeding stimulant, enhancing the toxic properties of Success which itself is a good candidate for codling moth control. However, field persistence of MSG needs to be improved, either by formulating the Success + MSG combination into some field-stable matrix, or by employing a sparingly water-soluble substance mimicking MSG’s action as a feeding stimulant in codling moth neonates.     

Electron-driven acid-base chemistry: proton transfer from hydrogen chloride to ammonia

In contrast to widely familiar acid-base behavior in solution, single molecules of NH3 and HCl do not react to form the ionic salt, NH+4Cl-, in isolation. We applied anion photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio theory to investigate the interaction of an excess electron with the hydrogen-bonded complex NH3...HCl. Our results show that an excess electron induces this complex to form the ionic salt. We propose a mechanism that proceeds through a dipole-bound state to form the negative ion of ionic ammonium chloride, a species that can also be characterized as a deformed Rydberg radical, NH4, polarized by a chloride anion, Cl-.     

Effect of illumination with the visible polarized and nonpolarized light on alpha-amylolysis of starches of different botanical origin

The alpha-amylolysis of potato, corn, waxy corn, and amaranthus starches with porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase upon illumination with visible polarized and nonpolarized light was studied. Samples were illuminated for 1 h either directly after blending the enzyme with starch or the enzyme solutions were illuminated for 1 h prior to the admixture of starch. Independently of the mode of illumination, no significant change in the hydrolysis kinetics was noted for corn, waxy corn, and amaranthus starches. The illumination of potato starch in the presence of alpha-amylase with polarized and nonpolarized light significantly accelerated the hydrolysis. In the first 5-h step the hydrolysis rate increased from 12.0 to 60.0 g x kg(-)(1) h(-)(1). Preillumination of enzyme in solution resulted in an increase in the rate of hydrolysis to 151.6 and 131.4 g x kg(-)(1) h(-)(1) after illumination with polarized and nonpolarized light, respectively. Circular dichroism spectra of alpha-amylase solutions stored in the dark and illuminated with visible polarized and nonpolarized light provided evaluation of the protein conformation, whereas exposure of enzyme solutions to the nonpolarized did not change the secondary structure of the protein. The illumination of the alpha-amylase solutions with polarized light significantly changed the amounts of alpha-helix and beta-form vs unilluminated samples: 42.3% and 25.5% vs 36.6% and 30.2%, respectively.     

Distribution and Degradation of Fresh Water Plastic Particles Along the Beaches of Lake Huron, Canada

Resistivity of plastic litter to chemical weathering, mechanical erosion, and biological degradation poses a critical environmental threat. Plastic debris has increased in abundance over the past several decades along shorelines and at sea, where organisms mistake small particles including plastic pellets as a potential food supply. These pellets have been shown to adsorb persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs, which may endanger the organism and become ingested higher in the food chain. Although several studies have been conducted to determine the amount and effects of plastics pollution in marine environments, relatively little is known concerning fresh water plastics pollution. This study represents the first detailed examination of the distribution, types, and physical and chemical degradation processes of plastic particles in a fresh water setting. In conducting field surveys along the shoreline of Lake Huron, Canada, we were able to ascertain that the total number of pellets over multiple sampling localities comprise 94% of plastic debris. The majority of the pellets were found proximal to an industrial sector along the southeastern margin of the lake and their abundance steadily decreased northward, following the dominant lake current patterns. Laboratory analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy indicate predominant mechanical abrasion textures, including grooves, gauges, pits, and flakes, and less common chemical weathering features such as linear and crescentic fractures that developed from shrinkage during subaerial exposure. The predominant type of plastic, polyethylene, appears to be much more resistant to chemical weathering than polypropylene, as indicated by oxidation peaks on FTIR spectra suggesting that polypropylene degrades more readily under natural conditions on freshwater beaches.     

The Structure of the Brachial Plexus of the Djungarian Hamster (Phodopus sungorus)

Veterinary Research Communications - Hamsters are often chosen as companion animals but are also a group of animals frequently subjected to laboratory tests. As there are no scientific publications...     

A Cretaceous scleractinian coral with a calcitic skeleton

It has been generally thought that scleractinian corals form purely aragonitic skeletons. We show that a well-preserved fossil coral, Coelosmilia sp. from the Upper Cretaceous (about 70 million years ago), has preserved skeletal structural features identical to those observed in present-day scleractinians. However, the skeleton of Coelosmilia sp. is entirely calcitic. Its fine-scale structure and chemistry indicate that the calcite is primary and did not form from the diagenetic alteration of aragonite. This result implies that corals, like other groups of marine, calcium carbonate-producing organisms, can form skeletons of different carbonate polymorphs.