There is increasing evidence that exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides at sublethal levels impairs colonies of honeybees and other pollinators. Recently, it was found that sublethal contamination with neonicotinoids also affect growth and behavior of ants. In this study, we exposed red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, to sublethal dosages of dietary imidacloprid and investigated ...

In the paper, the necessity of root stubble harvesting and recycling was put forward from the perspective of biomass energy utilization. To accomplish mechanized harvesting on root stubble, a rotary digging machine was designed based on parametric modeling software Solidworks. Firstly, parts were built under entity modeling module, and then assembled to 4 main mechanisms in assembling environme...

We suggest that planning for automated earthmoving operations such as digging a foundation or leveling a mound of soil, be treated at multiple levels. In a system that we have developed, a coarse-level planner is used to tessellate the volume to be excavated into smaller pieces that are sequenced in order to complete the task efficiently. Each of the smaller volumes is treated with a refined pl...

The growing problem of obesity is associated with multiple morbidities, including increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, and cancer. Obesity promotes disability, decreases productivity, and shortens life span. Although much attention has been focused on diet and exercise, these strategies alone are not effective in preventing obesity and maintaining weight loss. M...

Many ant species excavate nests that are made up of chambers and interconnecting tunnels. There is a general trend of an increase in nest complexity with increasing population size. This complexity reflects a higher ramification and anastomosis of tunnels that can be estimated by the meshedness coefficient of the tunnelling networks. It has long been observed that meshedness increases with colo...

BACKGROUND During the past decades, surgical intervention has been the primary treatment modality for frontoorbital fibrous dysplasia involving optic nerve. However, controversy has surrounded the role of optic nerve decompression in a number of ways. Herein, we describe 3 patients with frontoorbital fibrous dysplasia involving optic nerve, who underwent a "well digging" subcraniotomy strategy ...