Sleeping Cave Selection, Activity Pattern and Time Budget of White-Headed Langurs

We describe the activity patterns and time budgets of white-headed langurs that were confined to about 4 km2 of Longlin habitat in Fusui County, Guangxi Province, China. Between February and December 1996, we observed 6 langur groups monthly via group focal sampling and continuously recording the behavior of a focal group. Our results indicate that the langur groups selected stone caves on cliffs as sleeping sites. The daily activity pattern outside caves had 8 stages: (1) leaving the cave in the early morning; (2) moving and resting; (3) morning feeding; (4) moving a long distance; (5) resting at noon; (6) afternoon feeding; (7) moving back to the cave, and (8) entering the cave. Over the year, langurs spent a daily average of about 11.5 h outside caves and about 12.5 h inside caves. Moving accounted for 7% (spring), 7% (summer-autumn) and 13% (winter) of the time budget, and langurs spent 9% (summer-autumn) and 14% (spring) to 20% (winter) of their time feeding. Resting accounted for 79% of the time budget in spring, 84% in summer-autumn, and 57% in winter. Sunbathing only occurred in winter and accounted for about 10% of the time budget. One-way ANOVA and multiple range tests demonstrated that time budgets differed significantly among seasons. Langurs spent significantly more time feeding and moving in winter than in spring and summer-autumn, but significantly less time resting in winter than in spring and summer-autumn

An Improved Vogt Anti-collision Protocol with Early end Feature in the Mobile RFID Systems

Vogt protocol is a dynamic frame slotted ALOHA protocol. It has been used to the "I-code" system developed by Philips Semiconductors. Similar to many existing anti-collision protocols, The Vogt protocol aims at tag identification in static scenarios, that is, all tags keep still during the tag identification process. For the scenarios, Vogt's system performance can be analyzed by performance metrics, such as throughput, the identification efficiency, the error rate of tag estimation and the identification delay, etc. However, there also exist many special scenarios, named mobile RFID systems, where tags move along a fixed path in the reader's interrogation zone. In these scenarios, tags may leave the interrogation zone unidentified. These tags are called lost tags. In this paper, we propose an improved Vogt anti-collision protocol with early end feature in mobile RFID systems which can decrease tag loss by early terminating idle slots and lost tag slots in the mobile RFID systems. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol can significantly reduce the numbers of lost tags in mobile RFID systems

Sleeping Cave Selection, Activity Pattern and Time Budget of White-Headed Langurs

We describe the activity patterns and time budgets of white-headed langurs that were confined to about 4 km2 of Longlin habitat in Fusui County, Guangxi Province, China. Between February and December 1996, we observed 6 langur groups monthly via group focal sampling and continuously recording the behavior of a focal group. Our results indicate that the langur groups selected stone caves on cliffs as sleeping sites. The daily activity pattern outside caves had 8 stages: (1) leaving the cave in the early morning; (2) moving and resting; (3) morning feeding; (4) moving a long distance; (5) resting at noon; (6) afternoon feeding; (7) moving back to the cave, and (8) entering the cave. Over the year, langurs spent a daily average of about 11.5 h outside caves and about 12.5 h inside caves. Moving accounted for 7% (spring), 7% (summer-autumn) and 13% (winter) of the time budget, and langurs spent 9% (summer-autumn) and 14% (spring) to 20% (winter) of their time feeding. Resting accounted for 79% of the time budget in spring, 84% in summer-autumn, and 57% in winter. Sunbathing only occurred in winter and accounted for about 10% of the time budget. One-way ANOVA and multiple range tests demonstrated that time budgets differed significantly among seasons. Langurs spent significantly more time feeding and moving in winter than in spring and summer-autumn, but significantly less time resting in winter than in spring and summer-autumn

The Comparison of Surface Sterilization Methods for the Analysis of insect gut microbiota: Solenopsis invicta (Formicidae) as an example

The gut microbiota of vertebrates and invertebrates has become the focus of recent research. However, current sterilizing practices need more systematic quantitative methods due to limitations caused by their minute body size. Thus, an effective sterilization process incorporating organic and inorganic methods to obtain invertebrate microbiota, particularly when evaluating smaller insects, has yet to be elucidated. This study investigated if the whole abdomen should be utilized as the material to sterilize and examined whether physical and chemical surface sterilization methods could be combined to facilitate the acquisition of gut microbiota from the imported red fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972). Eight methods were designed by incorporating three chemical reagents (sterile water, 2.0 mg/L NaClO, and 75% ethanol) and one physical treatment (250 nm UV). The length range of the amplified fragment in the red imported fire ant is 401-450 bp. According to the results of the GLM regression model and interaction effect model, none of these factors (sterile water, 2.0 mg/L NaClO, and 75% ethanol, 250 nm UV) were significant for statistical regression of the Chao index, and these factors did not significantly interact with each other. Based on Alpha and Beta diversity analysis, none of the methods significantly affected the diversity of insects’ gut microbiome. Finally, we suggested that it is feasible for different species of small insects to select appropriate methods according to the current situation. Still, it is best to achieve unity in the same group

Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

The large Southeast Asian genus Desmoxytes is slightly rediagnosed. A number of troglomorphic, most likely troglobitic, species occur in southern China. A key is provided to all 10 Desmoxytes spp. currently known from China, including three new presumed troglobites: Desmoxytes eupterygota sp. n. from Hunan Province, as well as Desmoxytes spinissima sp. n. and Desmoxytes lui sp. n. from Guangxi Province. “Desmoxytes” philippina Nguyen Duc & Sierwald, 2010, from the Philippines, is formally removed from Desmoxytes, but not assigned to another genus. It probably belongs in a new genus in the subfamily Australiosomatinae, tribe Antichiropodini, close to the Bornean Euphyodesmus Attems, 1931 and Borneochiropus Golovatch, 1996

L-lysine moderates thermal aggregation of coconut proteins induced by thermal treatment

Abstract This work attempts to investigate the inhibitory effect of L-lysine (Lys) on the thermal aggregation of coconut protein (CP). The results showed that under neutral conditions (pH = 7), temperature reduced the solubility and enhanced the thermally induced gel formation of CP. In addition, Lys reduced the fluorescence properties, particle size and increased the turbidity of CP, which had an inhibitory effect on heat induced gels. The results indicate that Lys plays an important role in inhibiting protein thermal aggregation by interacting with CP to create steric hindrance and increase protein electrostatic repulsion

On some new or poorly-known species of the millipede family Polydesmidae from southern China (Diplopoda: Polydesmida)

The small, basically Himalayan genus Glenniea Turk, 1945 is formally new to the fauna of China due to the discovery of G. prima sp.n., a species that lives epigeically in Guangxi Province. Epanerchodus orientalis Attems, 1901, a highly polymorphous species very common in Japan and Taiwan, is formally reported from China for the first time as well, based on a cave population in Guangxi Province. A new cave locality is also presented for E. stylotarseus Chen & Zhang, 1990, a species already known from three other caves in the same Guanling County, Guizhou Province

Ranging patterns of François\u27 langur in a fragmented habitat in fusui reserve, Guangxi province, China

Studies of animal ranging patterns and the influencing ecological factors are useful for understanding the relationship between aspects of animal behavior and ecology. In a year-long study, we investigated the ranging behavior and other determining factors for a group of Francois\u27 langur in an isolated habitat of approximately 25.7 ha in Fusui Reserve, China. The Francois\u27 langur home range was estimated to be 15.3 ha, covering ∼60% of their total habitat. The mean yearly day range length estimate was 802.5 m (SD =295.5 m). Langurs changed sleeping sites approximately every 3 days, resulting in increases in the amount of grid cells used and the range length. Food availability of flowers and fruits were seasonal, whereas both mature and immature leaves of most trees were perennial. Ranging behavior was not significantly correlated with the availability of mature leaves, immature leaves, buds, fruits (ripe and unripe fruits) or seeds (p =0.05). These results suggested that variations in food type availability were not factors influencing ranging behavior for this langur group, whereas sleeping site changes, and probably predation avoidance, are factors that influence the ranging patterns of the langur group

Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

The large Southeast Asian genus Desmoxytes is slightly rediagnosed. A number of troglomorphic, most likely troglobitic, species occur in southern China. A key is provided to all 10 Desmoxytes spp. currently known from China, including three new presumed troglobites: Desmoxytes eupterygota sp. n. from Hunan Province, as well as Desmoxytes spinissima sp. n. and Desmoxytes lui sp. n. from Guangxi Province. “Desmoxytes” philippina Nguyen Duc & Sierwald, 2010, from the Philippines, is formally removed from Desmoxytes, but not assigned to another genus. It probably belongs in a new genus in the subfamily Australiosomatinae, tribe Antichiropodini, close to the Bornean Euphyodesmus Attems, 1931 and Borneochiropus Golovatch, 1996

One new and two little-known species of the millipede family Polydesmidae from southern China (Diplopoda: Polydesmida)

The small, basically Himalayan genus Glenniea Turk, 1945 is formally new to the fauna of China due to the discovery of G. prima sp.n., a species that lives epigeically in Guangxi Province. Epanerchodus orientalis Attems, 1901, a highly polymorphous species very common in Japan and Taiwan, is formally reported from China for the first time as well, based on a cave population in Guangxi Province. A new cave locality is also presented for E. stylotarseus Chen & Zhang, 1990, a species already known from three other caves in the same Guanling County, Guizhou Province