High-resolution images and drone-based LiDAR reveal striking patterns of vegetation gaps in a wooded spinifex grassland of Western Australia

Landscape Ecology - Vegetation patterns in hummock grasslands of Australia’s arid interior can be very complex. Additionally, the grasslands are interspersed with variable amounts of trees...     

Submillimeter heterodyne detection of interstellar carbon monoxide at 434 micrometers

A submillimeter heterodyne radiometer, developed for astronomical applications, uses an optically pumped laser local oscillator and a quasi-optical Schottky diode mixer. The resultant telescope-mounted system, which has a noise temperature less than 4000 K (double sideband) and high frequency and spatial resolution, has been used to detect the J = 6 --> 5 rotational transition of carbon monoxide at 434 micrometers in the Orion molecular cloud. The measurements, when compared with previous millimeter-wave data, indicate that the broad carbon monoxide emission feature is produced by an optically thin gas whose temperature exceeds 180 K.     

Hymenoptera: Pure Venom from Bees, Wasps, and Hornets

Pure venom can be obtained from bees, wasps, and hornets by electrical stimulation with inexpensive apparatus.     

Electronic structure and catalytic behavior of tungsten carbide

Tungsten carbide has been shown to be an effective catalyst for a number of reactions that are readily catalyzed by platinum, but not at all by tungsten, and it was speculated that this behavior is due to changes in the electron distribution when carbon is added to tungsten. A test of this hypothesis, made by measuring the valence band x-ray photoelectron spectrum of tungsten carbide and comparing it with the spectra of tungsten and platinum, shows that, near the Fermi level, the electronic density of states of tungsten carbide more nearly resembles that of platinum than that of tungsten.     

Spirometra erinacei / S. erinaceieuropaei in a feral cat in Manawatu with chronic intermittent diarrhoea

CASE HISTORY: A feral cat captured in the Manawatu region of New Zealand was treated for worms and fleas, and kept confined in a metabolic cage. It showed good appetite and weight gain but had intermittent watery, yellow diarrhoea.

CLINICAL FINDINGS: Clinical examination under sedation was unremarkable and routine blood tests showed no significant abnormalities. The cat was negative for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV). Different canned cat foods did not alter the course of the diarrhoea, and the cat was euthanised 6 months after capture. At necropsy, two sections of adult Spirometra tapeworms were found in the jejunum and typical Spirometra eggs were found in colonic contents. Molecular identification of the parasite was undertaken, using the cytochrome- c oxidase subunit-1 gene (cox1) sequence.

DIAGNOSIS: Chronic intermittent diarrhoea associated with Spirometra erinacei / S. erinaceieuropaei infection.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Spirometra has not been reported in New Zealand before but has been associated with gastrointestinal disease in cats in other parts of the world. It requires speciestargeted treatment to be eliminated effectively, and is zoonotic. Diagnosis could be diffi cult for clinicians who are not familiar with the parasite and its life cycle.