Defensive use of a "fecal shield" by a beetle larva

The larva of Cassida rubiginosa carries a tight packet of cast skins and feces on a fork held over its back. The packet is a maneuverable shield used by the larva to protect itself against attack. It is highly effective in blocking the bite of ants.     

Reconstruction of the bile ducts after complex injury of the gallbladder and the bile ducts after blunt abdominal trauma in a dog

Solitary injuries of the gall bladder and the bile ducts are very seldom and dangerous. The prognosis of such injuries depends of the delay until the diagnosis is made and of the method of the bile ducts reconstruction. Several methods have been described; we present a method of reconstruction of the bile ducts after cholecystectomy with a bilio-digestive anastomosis with following advantages: no tension on the anastomosis, possibility of several anastomoses on the same jejunal loop, exact adaptation of the mucosa and elimination of the reflux of intestinal contain in the bile ducts with a long and isoperistaltic Roux-loop.     

Genetic variation of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses in Vietnam shows both species-specific and spatiotemporal associations

Domestic poultry act as a reservoir for persistent H5N1 endemicity in Vietnam, and the circulation of poultry flocks across farms and to market is thought to drive the spatial movement and evolution of avian influenza viruses. Using a dataset of complete or nearly full genomic sequences from highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses collected in domestic poultry in Vietnam from 2003 to 2007, we explore potential differences in genetic characteristics according to species of isolation and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the viruses. Clustering algorithms and ANOVA indicate that H5N1 viruses in Vietnam show differences in the amount of genetic change that chicken viruses experience as compared to duck viruses, with duck viruses showing higher rates of molecular evolution on all eight of influenza's gene segments. There also exist distinct patterns of genetic differentiation according to the year in which they were isolated. These findings suggest that genetic evolution of avian influenza viruses is continuous through time but could also be mediated by the species in which the viruses occur, information that has implications for prevention efforts.     

Ultraviolet video-viewing: the television camera as an insect eve

A television camtiera, like the eyes of some insects, is sensitive to ultraviolet light. When equipped with an appropriate ultraviolet-transmitting lens, such a camera can be used for the direct examtiination of ultraviolet reflectiont patterns (for example, on flowers, butterflies) that are invisible to us, but visible to inisects.     

Defensive use by an insect of a plant resin

Larvae of the sawfly Neodiprion sertifer (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), when disturbed, discharge an oily oral effluent essentially identical chemically to the terpenoid resin of its host plant (Pinus sylvestris). The resin is sequestered by the larva upon feeding, and stored in two compressible diverticular pouches of the foregut. The fluid is effectively deterrent to predators. The defensive use by an insect of a plant resin provides an instance of secondary utilization by a herbivore of the protective chemical weaponry of its host.     

Defense of phalangid: liquid repellent administered by leg dabbing

The phalangid Vonones sayi has a pair of exocrine defensive glands that secrete quinones (2,3-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone and 2,3,5-trimethyl-1,4- benzoquinone). When distributed, the animal emits the secretion, dilutes it with aqueous regurgitated fluid, and effects dosaged delivery of the mixture by brushing it on the assailant with the tips of its forelegs. Predators such as ants are effectively repelled.