Cuelure but not zingerone make the sex pheromone of male Bactrocera tryoni (Tephritidae: Diptera) more attractive to females

In tephritid fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera Macquart, a group of plant derived compounds (sensu amplo ‘male lures’) enhance the mating success of males that have consumed them. For flies responding to the male lure methyl eugenol, this is due to the accumulation of chemicals derived from the male lure in the male rectal gland (site of pheromone synthesis) and the subsequent release of an attractive pheromone. Cuelure, raspberry ketone and zingerone are a second, related group of male lures to which many Bactrocera species respond. Raspberry ketone and cuelure are both known to accumulate in the rectal gland of males as raspberry ketone, but it is not known if the emitted male pheromone is subsequently altered in complexity or is more attractive to females. Using Bactrocera tryoni as our test insect, and cuelure and zingerone as our test chemicals, we assess: (i) lure accumulation in the rectal gland; (ii) if the lures are released exclusively in association with the male pheromone; and (iii) if the pheromone of lure-fed males is more attractive to females than the pheromone of lure-unfed males. As previously documented, we found cuelure was stored in its hydroxyl form of raspberry ketone, while zingerone was stored largely in an unaltered state. Small but consistent amounts of raspberry ketone and β-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propionic acid were also detected in zingerone-fed flies. Males released the ingested lures or their analogues, along with endogenous pheromone chemicals, only during the dusk courtship period. More females responded to squashed rectal glands extracted from flies fed on cuelure than to glands from control flies, while more females responded to the pheromone of calling cuelure-fed males than to control males. The response to zingerone treatments in both cases was not different from the control. The results show that male B. tryoni release ingested lures as part of their pheromone blend and, at least for cuelure, this attracts more females.

Re-examination of one-point methods of liquid limit determination

This Paper deals with the analysis of liquid limit of soils, an inferential parameter of universal acceptance. It has been undertaken primarily to re-examine one-point methods of determination of liquid limit water contents. It has been shown by basic characteristics of soils and associated physico-chemical factors that critical shear strengths at liquid limit water contents arise out of force field equilibrium and are independent of soil type. This leads to the formation of a scientific base for liquid limit determination by one-point methods, which hitherto was formulated purely on statistical analysis of data. Available methods (Norman, 1959; Karlsson, 1961; Clayton & Jukes, 1978) of one-point liquid limit determination have been critically re-examined. A simple one-point cone penetrometer method of computing liquid limit has been suggested and compared with other methods. Experimental data of Sherwood & Ryley (1970) have been employed for comparison of different cone penetration methods. Results indicate that, apart from mere statistical considerations, one-point methods have a strong scientific base on the uniqueness of modified flow line irrespective of soil type. Normalized flow line is obtained by normalization of water contents by liquid limit values thereby nullifying the effects of surface areas and associated physico-chemical factors that are otherwise reflected in different responses at macrolevel.Cet article traite de l'analyse de la limite de liquidité des sols, paramètre déductif universellement accepté. Cette analyse a été entreprise en premier lieu pour ré-examiner les méthodes à un point destinées à la détermination de la teneur en eau à la limite de liquidité. Il a été démontré par les caractéristiques fondamentales de sols et par des facteurs physico-chimiques associés que les résistances critiques à la rupture au cisaillement pour des teneurs en eau à la limite de liquidité résultent de l'équilibre des champs de forces et sont indépendantes du type de sol concerné. On peut donc constituer une base scientifique pour la détermination de la limite de liquidité par des méthodes à un point lesquelles, jusqu'alors, n'avaient été formulées que sur la base d'une analyse statistique des données. Les méthodes dont on dispose (Norman, 1959; Karlsson, 1961; Clayton & Jukes, 1978) pour la détermination de la limite de liquidité à un point font l'objet d'un ré-examen critique. Une simple méthode d'analyse à un point à l'aide d'un pénétromètre à cône pour le calcul de la limite de liquidité a été suggérée et comparée à d'autres méthodes. Les données expérimentales de Sherwood & Ryley (1970) ont été utilisées en vue de comparer différentes méthodes de pénétration par cône. En plus de considérations d'ordre purement statistque, les résultats montrent que les méthodes de détermination à un point constituent une base scientifique solide en raison du caractère unique de la ligne de courant modifiée, quel que soit le type de sol La ligne de courant normalisée est obtenue par la normalisation de la teneur en eau en faisant appel à des valeurs de limite de liquidité pour, de cette manière, annuler les effets des surfaces et des facteurs physico-chimiques associés qui sans cela se manifesteraient dans les différentes réponses au niveau macro.

Einstein relation in n-i-p-i and microstructures of nonlinear optical, optoelectronic and related materials: Simplified theory, relative comparison and suggestions for an experimental determination

We investigate the Einstein relation for the diffusivity-mobility ratio (DMR) for n-i-p-i and the microstructures of nonlinear optical compounds on the basis of a newly formulated electron dispersion law. The corresponding results for III-V, ternary and quaternary materials form a special case of our generalized analysis. The respective DMRs for II-VI, IV-VI and stressed materials have been studied. It has been found that taking CdGeAs2, Cd3As2, InAs, InSb, Hg1−xCdxTe, In1−xGaxAsyP1−y lattices matched to InP, CdS, PbTe, PbSnTe and Pb1−xSnxSe and stressed InSb as examples that the DMR increases with increasing electron concentration in various manners with different numerical magnitudes which reflect the different signatures of the n-i-p-i systems and the corresponding microstructures. We have suggested an experimental method of determining the DMR in this case and the present simplified analysis is in agreement with the suggested relationship. In addition, our results find three applications in the field of quantum effect devices.

Determination of integral fringe order in photoelasticity

The paper describes a method to determine the integral fringe order associated with a fractional fringe value that is measured using Tardy or other similar compensators. The method makes use of two different wavelengths of light to determine the fractional fringe values. Further, it does not assume the independence of the material fringe constant on the wavelength of light used. From these measured fractional fringe values, the associated integral fringe order is determined. A method to construct a ready-reckoner table is also described which helps to identify the integral fringe order from any two measured fractional fringe values.

A time minimising transportation problem with quality dependent time

The usual assumption made in time minimising transportation problem is that the time for transporting a positive amount in a route is independent of the actual amount transported in that route. In this paper we make a more general and natural assumption that the time depends on the actual amount transported. We assume that the time function for each route is an increasing piecewise constant function. Four algorithms - (1) a threshold algorithm, (2) an upper bounding technique, (3) a primal dual approach, and (4) a branch and bound algorithm - are presented to solve the given problem. A method is also given to compute the minimum bottle-neck shipment corresponding to the optimal time. A numerical example is solved illustrating the algorithms presented in this paper.

Determination of the optically equivalent model in three-dimensional photoelasticity

Any stressed photoelastic medium can be reduced to an optically equivalent model consisting of a linear retarder, with retardation 1 and principal axis at azimuth 1, and a pure rotator of power 2. The paper describes two simple methods to determine these quantities experimentally. Further, a method is described to overcome the problem of rotational effects in scattered-light investigations. This new method makes use of the experimentally determined characteristic parameters

Individuals on the Move : Body Condition Dependent Dispersal and Quasi-Local Competition in Metapopulations

Individual movement is very versatile and inevitable in ecology. In this thesis, I investigate two kinds of movement body condition dependent dispersal and small-range foraging movements resulting in quasi-local competition and their causes and consequences on the individual, population and metapopulation level. Body condition dependent dispersal is a widely evident but barely understood phenomenon. In nature, diverse relationships between body condition and dispersal are observed. I develop the first models that study the evolution of dispersal strategies that depend on individual body condition. In a patchy environment where patches differ in environmental conditions, individuals born in rich (e.g. nutritious) patches are on average stronger than their conspecifics that are born in poorer patches. Body condition (strength) determines competitive ability such that stronger individuals win competition with higher probability than weak individuals. Individuals compete for patches such that kin competition selects for dispersal. I determine the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) for different ecological scenarios. My models offer explanations for both dispersal of strong individuals and dispersal of weak individuals. Moreover, I find that within-family dispersal behaviour is not always reflected on the population level. This supports the fact that no consistent pattern is detected in data on body condition dependent dispersal. It also encourages the refining of empirical investigations. Quasi-local competition defines interactions between adjacent populations where one population negatively affects the growth of the other population. I model a metapopulation in a homogeneous environment where adults of different subpopulations compete for resources by spending part of their foraging time in the neighbouring patches, while their juveniles only feed on the resource in their natal patch. I show that spatial patterns (different population densities in the patches) are stable only if one age class depletes the resource very much but mainly the other age group depends on it.

Determination of the kallikrein-related peptidase 7 degradome and Transciptome in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women, and the need for curative treatments is urgent. This study characterised an enzyme associated with the most lethal form of ovarian cancer, showing this enzyme to be a promising therapeutic target. Fifteen novel protein targets and key signalling pathways were determined to be regulated by this enzyme, kallikrein-related peptidase 7, in the ovarian tumour microenvironment, highlighting its involvement in cancer progression. Inhibition of this enzyme may be a useful therapeutic option to improve the life expectancy of women suffering from this cancer.

Metallo crown porphyrins as ionophores-metal dependent uncoupling of mitochondrial energy potential

Porphyrins appended with crown ether moieties function as efficient uncouplesrs of oxidative phorphorylation in rat liver mitochondria. Permeation of these highly organized porphyrins decrease the respiratory coefficient index (RCI) values. Lowering of the RCI values parallels the number of K+ chelating crown ether groups attached to the porphyrins. The inhibitory effect upon the oxidative phorphorylation reaction depends on the nature of divalent metal ions, VO, Co, Cu and Zn in the porphyrin cavity and related to their relative tendency to complex intracellular K+ ions.