Drone Laying Honey Bee Workers in Queen Monitoring Cages

Techniques to monitor honey bee (Apis mellifera) egg production in cages allow researchers to study how different environmental factors contribute to reproduction. However, although the conditions required to facilitate queen egg production in a laboratory setting have been established, limited work has addressed the requirements for stimulating and monitoring worker egg laying. Here, we documented that drone laying workers will lay eggs in Queen Monitoring Cages (QMC), specialized cages designed to facilitate queen egg laying under controlled conditions. Egg production and worker mortality were compared between QMCs containing queens and those containing drone laying workers. High-definition images of the last abdominal segments of living first-instar larvae hatched from worker laid eggs and those putatively laid by queens were qualitatively compared to identify candidate characteristics to determine their sex.     

基于LF-NMR及MRI 的2种速生材干燥过程中水分分布状态研究

为了解太阳能干燥过程中速生材内部水分状态及迁移规律,采用低场核磁共振及核磁共振成像检测桉、杨木干燥过程中水分分布、含量变化及迁移过程,借助扫描电镜在微观层面进行分析。结果表明：核磁共振信号强度与称重法所测含水率相关性系数高达0.99以上,因此低场核磁共振可准确测定木材中的水分含量;桉木和杨木饱水试样的核磁共振信号中均存在3种峰,桉木弛豫时间分别为1.32、32.75、403.70 ms,杨木为2.66、32.75、352.12 ms,对应着结合水及两种状态的自由水;随着干燥进行,不同状态水分的横向弛豫时间逐渐减小,木材对水分的束缚增加。当桉木含水率为27.28%,杨木含水率为35.71%左右时,水分散失转为以结合水为主。通过核磁共振成像中氢质子密度的不同可对水分含量进行区分,进而可观测干燥过程中木材内部水分移动状态。因此,通过低场核磁共振及核磁共振成像可研究速生材干燥过程中的内部水分状态及分布。     

Computed tomography of testicular torsion in a juvenile dog with unilateral cryptorchidism

A 14-week-old male unilaterally cryptorchid Clumber spaniel was presented for acute lethargy. Physical examination revealed abdominal pain, and a single testis was palpated in the scrotum. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) revealed a poorly vascularized, ovoid structure immediately caudal to the left kidney with scant regional peritoneal effusion. Left intra-abdominal testicular torsion was confirmed at surgery, and routine cryptorchidectomy was performed. The patient recovered uneventfully from anesthesia and surgery.Key clinical message:The most common CT characteristics of testicular torsion were present in this case and correlated well with sonographic findings to allow for rapid, accurate diagnosis and surgical planning of unilateral, non-neoplastic, intra-abdominal cryptorchid testicular torsion in a juvenile dog. Contrast enhanced CT facilitated accurate localization of the undescended testis and evaluation of testicular perfusion and may be a useful alternative to ultrasound for diagnosing testicular torsion, especially in indeterminate cases.     

Effects of ammonium and inorganic carbon enrichment on growth and yield of a hydroponic tomato crop

Effects of varying the proportions of NO₃^— and NH₄⁺ in the growth medium on seedling growth and tomato fruit yield (Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Trust F1) were investigated in greenhouse hydroponic experiments. The presence of NH₄⁺ as the sole N source (11 mM) was toxic: it curtailed growth and decreased chlorophyll content of the leaves. However, at low concentration (10 % of total N), the presence of NH₄⁺, with or without added dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), increased vegetative growth and fruit yield by ˜ 15 %, and enhanced taste/flavor of the fruits. In DIC‐enriched treatment, pH was maintained at 5.8 by addition of KHCO₃ or as CaCO₃. The presence of NH₄⁺, at 10 % of total N, inhibited NO₃^— uptake rates by ˜ 27 %. The rates of uptake of NO₃^— and NH₄⁺ were comparable (13.3 and 14.2 mmol plant^—1 d^—1, respectively, in the presence of DIC, and 14.7 and 14.0 mmol plant^—1 d^—1, respectively, in the absence of DIC), despite such a large difference in their concentrations in the nutrient feed solution. A higher proportion of NH₄⁺ (up to 50 % of total N) had no further significant effect upon early vegetative growth, but in a long‐term experiment resulted in a high incidence of blossom end‐rot (BER) disease, thereby severely curtailing fruit yield. The presence of even 1.1 mM NH₄⁺ reduced Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ accumulation in the leaves as well as in fruits.