THERMALLY INDUCED GENITAL APPENDAGES ON MOSQUITOES

Temperatures above those normally present in larval sites of certain mosquitoes (for example, Aedes stimulans) cause larvae of potential males to be feminized in all degrees. Certain combinations of temperatures will affect these larvae so that an abnormal pair of genital appendages consistently appears in addition to the usual pair. These appendages appear to be masculine and are presumed to come from imaginal discs that are latent in present-day Diptera.     

钢筋混凝土柱-钢梁节点的抗震性能研究

提出了一种新型端板高强螺栓连接的狗骨式削弱钢梁-钢筋混凝土柱节点,通过2个足尺试件的低周反复荷载试验研究了其抗震性能和破坏形态.两组试件的试验结果表明此种节点具有较高的强度和刚度.试件EJ1在钢梁狗骨式削弱区的塑性还没有充分发展前发生了连接破坏,节点耗能能力较差;而试件EJ2由于提高了节点连接质量,在梁端狗骨式削弱区形成塑性铰破坏,节点耗能能力较好,抗震性能优良.建议采取措施提高钢梁和端板的焊接质量,尽量采用工厂焊接来保证钢梁狗骨式削弱作用的实现.     

PROCESSES OF HUMUS FORMATION AND TRANSFORMATION IN SOILS OF THE CANADIAN GREAT PLAINS

A study of the A horizons of cultivated soils from Saskatchewan, Canada showed that the organic carbon contents were in the sequence semi-arid Dark Brown soils (1.7 per cent), < Black soils (2.55–2.8 per cent), < sub-humid Dark Gray soils (4.5 per cent). The relative proportions of humic acids and the ratios of humic acid: fulvic acid increased in a similar sequence. There were accompanying increases in extinction values at 280 nm, and in levels of nonhydrolyzable nitrogen suggesting more extensive polycondensation of humic materials. These observations are discussed in terms of a working hypothesis for humus formation and transformations, that gives particular emphasis to the soil environment and to interactions between organic and inorganic components.     

Changes in chemical properties of organic matter with intensified rice cropping in tropical lowland soil

Rice systems in Asia have intensified rapidly in the past 30 years, and significant areas of irrigated lowland rice are now supporting two or three rice crops per year. Our objective was to compare the chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM) from four fields with different histories of rice cropping intensity and soil submergence: (i) a single-crop rainfed, dryland rice system without soil submergence, (ii) an irrigated rice and soybean rotation, and irrigated (iii) double- or (iv) triple-crop rice systems in which soil remains submerged during much of the year. In all four soils, extracted mobile humic acid (MHA) and calcium humate (CaHA) fractions were of modern age by ¹⁴C-dating, and represented about 20% of total N and organic C. The MHA was enriched in N and hydrolysable amino acids (AA) compared with CaHA in all soils. With increased frequency of irrigated rice cropping, however, there was a large increase in phenolic content of SOM. We speculate that slower lignin decomposition caused by deficiency of O₂ in submerged soil leads to incorporation of phenolic moieties into young SOM fractions. The increased phenolic character of these fractions may influence N cycling and the N supplying capacity of lowland soils supporting two or three annual crops of irrigated rice.     

Comparative Evaluation of Two Surgical Scrub Preparations in Cattle

One hundred seventeen cattle that had undergone surgery were assigned randomly to two preoperative skin preparation protocols. Group 1 (60 animals) skin preparation was with povidone-iodine soap and isopropyl alcohol, whereas group 2 (57 animals) had skin preparation with chlorhexidine gluconate and isopropyl alcohol. Quantitative microbial culture plates were used to estimate the number of colony forming units (CFUs) before skin preparation (prescrub), after skin preparation (postscrub), after surgery (postoperative), and in room air (environment). A significant decrease in CFU occurred postscrub for both skin preparations ( P <.05). Chlorhexidine and alcohol preparation resulted in significantly fewer CFUs (LSMean ± SE = 2.79 CFU ± 1.74) and a greater percentage reduction in CFUs (98.64%± 2.01) postscrub than povidone and alcohol (LSMean ± SE = 10.27 CFUs ± 1.51, 93.29%± 1.85); ( P <.005). Group 2 had a significantly higher frequency of negative cultures postscrub (49.1%) compared with group 1 (18.3%) ( P <.001). The number of postoperative CFUs were not significantly different between the two treatment groups. Wound infection frequency for clean surgical procedures was not significantly different between the two skin preparation protocols (group 1 = 9.8%, group 2 = 10.7%), however, infection frequency was significantly higher for surgical procedures with a ventral abdominal approach (5 of 14, 35.7%), compared with a flank approach (1 of 41, 2.4%) or other approaches (orthopedic procedures) (1 of 16, 6.3%) ( P <.05). Both skin preparation protocols were effective and safe in decreasing the skin microflora population of cattle before surgery and although preparation with chlorhexidine gluconate and alcohol resulted in less CFUs immediafly postscrub, the frequency of surgical wound infection was similar for both protocols.