New genus and species of lice in the Oxylipeurus-complex (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Philopteridae), with an overview of the distribution of ischnoceran chewing lice on galliform hosts

Here, we describe a new genus of lice (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera) in the Oxylipeurus-complex, parasitising galliform hosts in the genera Tragopan Cuvier, 1829. This genus, Pelecolipeurus gen. nov., is separated from other members of the complex by the unique shape of the male subgenital plate and stylus, the male genitalia and other characters. The only previously-known species in the genus is Lipeurus longus Piaget, 1880, which is here tentatively re-described as Pelecolipeurus longus (Piaget, 1880), based on specimens from a non-type host, Tragopan temminckii (Gray, 1831). In addition, we describe a new species, Pelecolipeurus fujianensis sp. nov., based on specimens from Tragopan caboti (Gould, 1857). An overview of the distribution patterns of ischnoceran lice on galliforms is presented, which suggests that host phylogeny, host biogeography and host biotope, as well as elevation of host range, may all be important factors that have structured louse communities on landfowl. We transfer the genus Afrilipeurus from the Oxylipeurus-complex to the Lipeurus-complex and include an emended key to the Oxylipeurus-complex

Keragaman Genetik Dan Pendugaan Jumlah Gen Ketahanan Kacang Panjang (Vigna Sinensis L.) Terhadap Penyakit Kuning

Penyakit kuning pada kacang panjang berdampak pada penurunan produksi. Gejala serangan diawali dari gejala daun keriting serta mengakibatkan polong berwarna kuning. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui nilai heritabilitas dan ragam genetik serta menduga jumlah gen pengendali ketahanan kacang panjang terhadap penyakit kuning. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kabupaten Kediri pada bulan April sampai Juli 2013. Bahan penelitian adalah populasi UB 715 A (P1), Hitam Putih (P2), populasi F1 dan populasi F2. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, populasi UB 715 A (P1 ) menunjukkan respon tahan terhadap penyakit kuning, populasi Hitam Putih (P2) menunjukkan respon rentan, dan populasi F1 dan F2 menunjukkan respon sedang. Karakter jumlah polong dan jumlah biji per tanaman memiliki keragaman yang sempit sedangkan karakter panjang polong, bobot segar polong, umur berbunga, dan umur panen memiliki keragaman yang luas. Karakter panjang polong dan jumlah biji per polong memiliki nilai heritabilitas rendah, sedangkan karakter jumlah polong, bobot segar polong, umur berbunga, dan umur panen memiliki nilai heritabilitas tinggi. Rasio sifat ketahanan terhadap penyakit kuning pada populasi F2 adalah 9 tahan : 3 sedang : 4 rentan yang berarti ketahanan terhadap penyakit kuning dikendalikan oleh dua gen dengan aksi gen epistasis resesif

Pathogenic Pseudorabies Virus, China, 2012

In 2012, an unprecedented large-scale outbreak of disease in pigs in China caused great economic losses to the swine industry. Isolates from pseudorabies virus epidemics in swine herds were characterized. Evidence confirmed that the pathogenic pseudorabies virus was the etiologic agent of this epidemic

Emergence of Fatal PRRSV Variants: Unparalleled Outbreaks of Atypical PRRS in China and Molecular Dissection of the Unique Hallmark

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a severe viral disease in pigs, causing great economic losses worldwide each year. The causative agent of the disease, PRRS virus (PRRSV), is a member of the family Arteriviridae. Here we report our investigation of the unparalleled large-scale outbreaks of an originally unknown, but so-called “high fever” disease in China in 2006 with the essence of PRRS, which spread to more than 10 provinces (autonomous cities or regions) and affected over 2,000,000 pigs with about 400,000 fatal cases. Different from the typical PRRS, numerous adult sows were also infected by the “high fever” disease. This atypical PRRS pandemic was initially identified as a hog cholera-like disease manifesting neurological symptoms (e.g., shivering), high fever (40–42°C), erythematous blanching rash, etc. Autopsies combined with immunological analyses clearly showed that multiple organs were infected by highly pathogenic PRRSVs with severe pathological changes observed. Whole-genome analysis of the isolated viruses revealed that these PRRSV isolates are grouped into Type II and are highly homologous to HB-1, a Chinese strain of PRRSV (96.5% nucleotide identity). More importantly, we observed a unique molecular hallmark in these viral isolates, namely a discontinuous deletion of 30 amino acids in nonstructural protein 2 (NSP2). Taken together, this is the first comprehensive report documenting the 2006 epidemic of atypical PRRS outbreak in China and identifying the 30 amino-acid deletion in NSP2, a novel determining factor for virulence which may be implicated in the high pathogenicity of PRRSV, and will stimulate further study by using the infectious cDNA clone technique

A New Method for Tuning PID Parameters by Using Clone Selection Algorithm

In order to improve the control performance of PID controller, a new method based on an improved clone selection algorithm (CSA) and the criteria of monotonic fitness function was introduced. Experimental results on 3 typical control systems (second order control system, high order control system, and second order control system) indicated that the proposed method could obtain optimum PID parameters and have better control performance than those methods based on GA and PSO methods,with faster response speed, shorter adjusting time and smaller or no overshoot

A New Chaotic Image Encryption Algorithm Based on Transversals in a Latin Square

In this paper, a new combinatorial structure is introduced for image encryption, which has an excellent encryption effect on security and efficiency. An n-transversal in a Latin square has the function of classifying all the matrix’s positions, and it can provide a pair of orthogonal Latin squares. Employing an n-transversal of a Latin square, we can permutate all the pixels of an image group by group for the first time, then use two Latin squares for auxiliary diffusion based on a chaotic sequence, and finally, make use of a pair of orthogonal Latin squares to perform the second scrambling. The whole encryption process is “scrambling–diffusion–scrambling”. The experimental results indicated that this algorithm passed various tests and achieved a secure and fast encryption effect, which outperformed many of the latest papers. The final information entropy was very close to 8, and the correlation coefficient was approximately 0. All these tests verified the robustness and practicability of the proposed algorithm

Bibliometric Analysis of Global Remote Sensing Research during 2010–2015

Bibliometric analysis based on the Science Citation Index Expanded published by Thomson Scientific was carried out to identify the research status and future trends of remote sensing (RS) during 2010–2015. The analysis revealed the institutional, national, spatio-temporal, and categorical patterns in remote sensing research both from the WP (whole publications) viewpoint and the HCP (highly-cited publications) viewpoint. Statistical analysis results showed that remote sensing research almost doubled during 2010–2015. Environmental sciences comprised the most attractive subject category among remote sensing research. The International Journal of Remote Sensing was the most productive journal, and Remote Sensing of Environment published the most HCP among the 31 distributed journals. The productive ranking of countries was led by the U.S. both from the WP viewpoint and the HCP viewpoint, and CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) was the most productive institute both from the WP viewpoint and the HCP viewpoint with lower CPP (average number of citations per paper). Keyword analysis illustrated that model and algorithm research were the key points in RS during 2010–2015. RS data including Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Landsat, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) were the most frequently adopted, but the data usage of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and small satellites will be promoted in the future. With the development of data acquisition abilities, big data issues will become the challenges and hotspots of RS research, and new algorithms will continue to emerge

Temperature-Induced Aggregate Transitions in Mixtures of Cationic Ammonium Gemini Surfactant with Anionic Glutamic Acid Surfactant in Aqueous Solution

The aggregation behaviors of the mixtures of cationic gemini surfactant 1,4-bis­(dodecyl-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethyl­ammonium bromide)-2,3-butanediol (C₁₂C₄(OH)₂C₁₂Br₂) and anionic amino acid surfactant <i>N</i>-dodecanoyl­glutamic acid (C₁₂Glu) in aqueous solution of pH = 10.0 have been studied. The mixture forms spherical micelles, vesicles, and wormlike micelles at 25 °C by changing mixing ratios and/or total surfactant concentration. Then these aggregates undergo a series of transitions upon increasing the temperature. Smaller spherical micelles transfer into larger vesicles, vesicles transfer into solid spherical aggregates and then into larger irregular aggregates, and entangled wormlike micelles transfer into branched wormlike micelles. Moreover, the larger irregular aggregates and branched micelles finally lead to precipitation and clouding phenomenon, respectively. All these transitions are thermally reversible, and the transition temperatures can be tuned by varying the mixing ratios and/or total concentration. These temperature-dependent aggregate transitions can be elucidated on the basis of the temperature-induced variations in the dehydration, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonds of the headgroup area and in the hydrophobic interaction between the hydrocarbon chains. The results suggest that the surfactants carrying multiple binding sites will greatly improve the regulation ability and temperature sensitivity