Genetic analysis reveals the putative native range and widespread double-clonal reproduction in the invasive longhorn crazy ant.

Clonal reproduction can provide an advantage for invasive species to establish as it can circumvent inbreeding depression which often plagues introduced populations. The world's most widespread invasive ant, Paratrechina longicornis, was previously found to display a double-clonal reproduction system, whereby both males and queens are produced clonally, resulting in separate male and queen lineages, while workers are produced sexually. Under this unusual reproduction mode, inbreeding is avoided in workers as they carry hybrid interlineage genomes.

Molecular identification of the broodsacs from Leucochloridium passeri (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae) with a review of Leucochloridium species records in Taiwan.

Leucochloridium spp. have been established in Taiwan since the 1930s, with five species listed: Leucochloridium turdi, Leucochloridium passeri, Leucochloridium muscularae, Leucochloridium sime, and Leucochloridium taiwanese listed until now. Because of the similar morphology among the adults of the Leucochloridiidae family, the taxonomic status of most of them should be reconsidered.

Promoted activity of annealed Rh nanoclusters on thin films of AlO/NiAl(100) in the dehydrogenation of Methanol-d.

Annealed Rh nanoclusters on an ordered thin film of AlO/NiAl(100) were shown to exhibit a promoted reactivity toward the decomposition of methanol-d, under both ultrahigh vacuum and near-ambient-pressure conditions. The Rh clusters were grown with vapor deposition onto the AlO/NiAl(100) surface at 300 K and annealed to 700 K. The decomposition of methanol-d proceeded only through dehydrogenation, with CO and deuterium as products, on Rh clusters both as prepared and annealed.

Laboratory and Field Evaluations of Two Bait Formulations Against the Invasive Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was first discovered in Japan in 2017. As this ant remains at the early invasion stage, efforts in establishing a rapid-response framework, such as evaluating available control methods, are urgently needed. Despite the presence of numerous household insecticides against invasive/household pest ants in Japan, the effects of these products on fire ants remain poorly understood.

Dependence on Size of Supported Rh Nanoclusters in the Dehydrogenation of Methanol- Obstructed by CO.

The size effect on the activity of a catalyst has been a focal issue since ideal catalysts were pursued, whereas that on the degradation of a catalyst, by reaction intermediates such as CO, is little discussed. We demonstrate that the dehydrogenation of methanol- on supported Rh nanoclusters precovered with CO (Rh clusters) was obstructed, indicated by a decreased production of CO and D; the obstructive effect exhibits a remarkable dependence on the cluster size, with a minimum at a cluster diameter near 1.4 nm.

Evidence for Common Horizontal Transmission of among Ants and Ant Crickets: Kleptoparasitism Added to the List.

While , an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. We compared prevalence and diversity of across multiple ant cricket species with different degrees of host specificity/integration level.

Decomposition of methanol-d on Au-Rh bimetallic nanoclusters on a thin film of AlO/NiAl(100).

The decomposition of methanol-d4 that was adsorbed on Au-Rh bimetallic nanoclusters grown by the sequential deposition of Au and Rh vapors onto ordered thin-film Al2O3/NiAl(100) at 300 K, occurred by means of dehydrogenation and primarily on the surface Rh. Nevertheless, the surface Rh atoms were not equally reactive; their reactivity altered with both structural and electronic effects arising from the alloying. The Au deposited on Rh clusters decorated the surface and deactivated Rh by not only directly obstructing them but also by neighboring them.

Surface structures and compositions of Au-Rh bimetallic nanoclusters supported on thin-film AlO/NiAl(100) probed with CO.

The surface structures and compositions of Au-Rh bimetallic nanoclusters on an ordered thin film of AlO/NiAl(100) were investigated, primarily with infrared reflection absorption spectra and temperature-programmed desorption of CO as a probe molecule under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions and calculations based on density-functional theory. The bimetallic clusters were formed by sequential deposition of vapors of Au and Rh onto AlO/NiAl(100) at 300 K. Alloying in the clusters was active and proceeded toward a specific structure-a fcc phase, (100) orientation, and Rh core-Au shell structure, regardless of the order of metal deposition.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Protanilla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae) from Taiwan.

A new species of Protanilla Taylor, 1990, P. jongi sp. nov.

Formation and structures of Au-Rh bimetallic nanoclusters supported on a thin film of AlO/NiAl(100).

Self-organized alloying of Au with Rh in nanoclusters on an ordered thin film of AlO/NiAl(100) was investigated via various surface probe techniques under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions and calculations based on density-functional theory. The bimetallic clusters were formed on the sequential deposition of vapors of Au and Rh onto AlO/NiAl(100) at 300 K. The formation was more effective on the oxide seeded with Rh, since all post-deposited Au joined the pregrown Rh clusters; for metal deposition in the reverse order, some separate Rh clusters were formed.

Comparison of freehand 3-D ultrasound calibration techniques using a stylus.

In a freehand 3-D ultrasound system, a probe calibration is required to find the rigid body transformation from the corner of the B-scan to the electrical center of the position sensor. The most intuitive way to perform such a calibration is by locating fiducial points in the scan plane directly with a stylus. The main problem of this approach is the difficulty in aligning the tip of the stylus with the scan plane.

Real-time freehand 3D ultrasound calibration.

Z-fiducial phantoms allow three-dimensional ultrasound probe calibration with a single B-scan. One of the main difficulties in using this phantom is the need for reliable segmentation of the wires in the ultrasound images, which necessitates manual intervention. In this article, we have shown how we can solve this problem by mounting a thin rubber membrane on top of the phantom.

Rapid, easy and reliable calibration for freehand 3D ultrasound.

This paper presents improvements to the plane-based technique for calibrating freehand 3D ultrasound systems. The improvements are designed to make it easier for inexperienced users to perform plane-based calibration and to know that they have got a reliable result. In particular, we enable the calibration to be performed using water at room temperature while producing a result that is valid for average soft tissue and we show how it is possible to provide feedback on the reliability of the calibration using a metric based on the curvature of the calibration criterion function.