Micro-Arthropods in the Surroundings of Nests of Messor arenarius Ants in the Negev Desert in Israel

The present research investigated a segment of the micro-arthropod populations residing within nests of Messor arenarius ants in the Negev Desert of Israel. The total frequencies of micro-arthropods in the chaff of those ants’ nests were found to be higher than in the surrounding soil of the same nests. Acari (mites) were observed to be more abundant during the spring season, whereas their presence decreased during the summer months. Springtails (Collembola) were found to follow the Acari pattern, commonly found within the nests of those ants during spring but were absent during summer. Psocoptera order inhabiting soil habitats were infrequently encountered during spring, but their prevalence increased significantly during summer, particularly within the chaff of the ants’ nests, suggesting that chaff is their primary food source in the Negev Desert. Our research suggests that shifts in seasonality have important consequences on the distribution of soil invertebrate communities with implications on nutrient cycling.

Ethnomedicinal Plants Used in the Healthcare Systems of Tribes of Dantewada, Chhattisgarh India

The tribal people depend on forests for their livelihood and most of the rural people still depend on traditional medicine as a primary healthcare source. The paper highlights the rich plant resources and the vast wealth of ethnobotanical information available with the various tribes of the region. In this paper, some new and less known ethno medicinal uses of 104 plants of tribes of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G. in different ailments have been reported. The main objective of present work is to give the information and documentation of medicinal plant used by tribal of the study sites. The ethnomedicinal information was gathered from interviews with living elders belonging to Madiya, Muriya, Gond and Bhatra tribes of the study area. The present work on ethnomedicinal plants, used in the healthcare systems of tribes in 15 villages, was carried out from Geedam block of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G.

A New Approach for Identifying Potentially Effective Indigenous Plants Consumed by Chenchu Tribes and Their Nutritional Composition-India

Traditional knowledge of plants and their properties always has been transmitted from generation to generation through the natural path of everyday life. Food habits of the indigenous population across the globe are very abnormal when compared to that of civilized people. The forest related tribal scientific studies of edible wild plants are extremely constructive to know the nutritional values of the forest indigenous foods and help to eliminate the malnutrition problems in vulnerable group. The existing study was undertaken with an intention and documented 34 exceptional plant species belonging to 15 families with their medicinal values, taxonomical names and nutritional profile. Among the 34 indigenous plant foods, the frequently available and consumed plant foods by particularly vulnerable tribal group Chenchu tribes were selected for nutritional investigation including proximate composition, mineral and vitamin analysis. Results show that the nutritional values of the edible indigenous plant foods are prominent compared to frequently consumed foods available in market. The present study observed that the conventional and nutritional information on wild plant foods is on sharp decline. Unless efforts are made to educate the present generations about the importance of these foods, which may be lost in near future. These studies could contribute significantly to Government policies to improve food security and helps to progress health and nutritional status in marginally deprived tribal communities in India, and in the enhancement of wild vegetable status, whose potential as sources of nutrition is currently undervalued.

主动网络工具集ANTS的主动包格式分析

目前国内发表的一些论文上关于ANTS的主动包格式介绍的不是很清楚、甚至是有些出入 ,而国外的有关文献中也没有相关内容的详细介绍。本文介绍了通过在搭建的ANTS主动网络平台上运行主动Ping命令 ,而后捕获该主动Ping数据包进行分析的方法 ,得出了ANTS的主动包 (封装体 )详细格式。

基于ANTS的主动路由支撑框架的设计与实现

在主动网工具包ANTS的基础上实现了一个QCAR原型系统,通过拓展ANTS的框架结构使其支持主动路由服务和沿途的QoS保障,并在该框架的基础上给出了一个主动路由的应用TraceRtApplication,通过具体的主动路由示例程序的实施,说明了如何在QCAR系统上开发新的应用。该文的研究和实现证明,与传统网络相比,在主动网基础上通过向网络中注入用户定制的、面向应用的路由需求代码,可以方便地实现主动路由定制和QoS保障。

主动网络执行环境ANTS的扩展设计及应用研究

由于国内在主动网络操作系统和执行环境方面的研究的薄弱,主动网络的应用研究受到了一定影响。基于该现状的考虑,分析了ANTS主动网络执行环境的优势与不足,针对其不足设计开发了一种构建灵活、能满足多种移动代码加载机制的执行环境EANTS,最后利用该平台进行了主动网络的管理应用研究,并实现了主动网络管理原型系统,研究成果为进一步进行主动网络应用研究提供了一种可选择的平台。

基于AntStream用户聚类的协同过滤推荐系统

系统规模的逐步扩大和用户兴趣的发展变化给传统协同过滤推荐系统带来了实时性减弱和准确性降低的问题。基于K-Means用户聚类的协同过滤技术虽然能在一定程度上解决这两个问题,算法本身却带有局部最优的缺陷。在保证实时性的前提下,为克服K-Means算法的缺陷,提出使用AntClass蚁群算法对用户聚类。同时提出将用户评分看作数据流,利用金字塔时间框架预处理数据,从而体现用户兴趣随时间的变化。于是,将AntClass蚁群算法和利用金字塔时间框架预处理过的数据流相结合,最终形成文中的AntStream算法。实验表明,AntStream算法不仅改善了传统协同过滤推荐系统的实时性问题,而且更大程度提高了推荐质量。

鲤鱼(Cyprinuscarpio,Cyprinidae)ants基因及其对鳞片发育的影响

ants(adenine nucleotide translocators),又称为ATP/ADP载体,利用Genefishing差异筛选技术对普通鲤鱼和德国镜鲤的皮肤转录产物进行筛选,得到了其中一个ant基因的部分片段,利用RT-PCR技术对皮肤中的ants基因进行钓取,得到6种不同的CDS序列。利用CLUSTALW对这6条翻译后的序列进行比对,发现这6条序列编码4种不同的氨基酸序列,表明ants基因至少有6种不同的转录产物(isoforms),但是在蛋白质水平上可能存在4种不同的翻译产物。利用NCBI上的blast对氨基酸序列进行同源性检索发现这4个蛋白产物与斑马鱼ant2最为相似,其相似度分别达到97%,97%,96%,98%。对处于不同分类地位的物种的ants基因与鲤鱼的4个ants表达产物进行进化树分析发现,这4个蛋白产物在93/100再现性水平上明显聚类为ant2,说明皮肤中表达的这些ants基因很可能是ant2。原位杂交结果显示,ant2在受精后4.5 h和6 h不表达,从受精后10 h开始在外包处强烈特异表达,在受精后12 h的胚胎中很弱表达,在受精后24 h的体节中特异强烈表达,在受精后48 h胚胎无表达,但是在着生鳞片的部位特异强烈表达,而在皮肤的其他部位则表达较弱或者不表达。以上的结果表明,ant2基因可能是通过不同的转录产物在精细调控鳞片的发育。

一种针对频率分配问题的改进ANTS算法

频率分配问题是近年来通信领域研究的热点。针对FAP问题提出了一种结合模拟退火算法的改进ANTS算法。运用模拟退火算法产生次优解,利用次优解分配初始信息素,并利用ANTS算法来寻求最佳方案。在ANTS算法的每个蚂蚁寻找局部最优过程中,为了加快运算速度,对局部寻优过程进行了改进。实验结果表明,在解质量相当的情况下,该算法能够大大地加快收敛速度,特别是针对一些较复杂的分配情况,效果明显。

Antibacterial activity of selected ethnomedicinal plants from South India

Objective:To screen the antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants Chassalia curviflora Thw.(C.curviflora),Cyclea peltata Hook.F.& Thomson(C.peltata) and Euphorbia hirta L(E.hirta) used in folk medicines in Aarukani hills Kani tribe,Tamil Nadu,India against human bacterial pathogens.Methods:Antibacterial efficacy was performed by disc diffusion method against the pathogens viz.,Escherichia coli(E.coli)(ATCC 35218),Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus)(ATCC 6538),Salmonella typhi(S.typhi)(MTCC 733),Proteus vulgaris(P.vulgaris), Proteus mirabilis(P.mirabilis) and Streptococcus pyogenes(S.pyogenes) and incubated for 24 h at 37°C.Results:The maximum degree of antibacterial activity was observed in C.peltata followed by C.curviflora.While E.hirta showed comparatively low degree of antibacterial activity.The methanolic extract of C.peltata showed the antibacterial activity against three pathogens viz.,S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E.coli with the inhibition zones 12 mm,10 mm and 9 mm,respectively,hexane extracts of C.peltata also showed the antibacterial activity against two selected pathogens viz.,P.vulgaris and P.mirabilis with 15 mm and 12 mm of inhibition zones.All the three different concentrations(025,0.50 & 0.75 mg/mL) of methanolic extract of C. peltata show the inhibitory effect on the three susceptible bacteria S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E. coli with the maximum inhibition in the highest concentration(0.75 mg/mL).The methanolic and hexane extracts of C.curviflora exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium each i.e.P.vulgaris and S.typhi with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. The methanolic and hexane extracts of E.hirta exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium Le.S.pyogenes with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. Conclusions:The present investigation revealed that the C.curviflora,C.peltata and E.hirta are potentially good source of antibacterial agents and demonstrates the importance of such plants in traditional medicines.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by ethnic people in West and South district of Tripura, India

An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the different uses of plants used in their primary health care system. Tripura is a small north-eastern state of India and also a part of both Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity region. It is a goldmine of medicinal plants and use of different plants in tribal traditional heath care systems has long history. Nineteen different tribes in Tripura, depend on natural resources at a great extent. This paper documented 113 medicinal plant species from 56 families along with their botanical name, local name, family name, habit, medicinal parts used, and traditional usage of application. The dominant families are Euphorbiaceae （7 species）, Apocynaceae （6 species）, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae （5 species each）, Caesalpiniaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae and Verbenaceae （4 species each）, Combretaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae （3 species each）. Tribes of Tripura have rich traditional knowledge on plant based medicine. Different parts of the plants in crude form/plant extracts/decoctions/infusion or pastes are employed in diverse veterinary and human diseases by the tribe＇s of Tripura in daily life.

Finding the Minimum Ratio Traveling Salesman Tour by Artificial Ants

Ants of artificial colony are able to generate good solutions to the famous traveling salesman problem (TSP). We propose an artificial ants algorithm for solving the minimum ratio TSP, which is more general than the standard TSP in combinatorial optimization area. In the minimum ratio TSP, another criterion concerning each edge is added, that is, the traveling salesman can have a benefit if he travels from one city to another. The objective is to minimize the ratio between total costs or distances and total benefits. The idea of this type of optimization is in some sense quite similar to that of traditional cost-benefit analysis in management science. Computational results substantiate the solution quality and efficiency of the algorithm.

A Survey on the Vehicle Routing Problem and Its Variants

In this paper, we have conducted a literature review on the recent developments and publications involving the vehicle routing problem and its variants, namely vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) and the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) and also their variants. The VRP is classified as an NP-hard problem. Hence, the use of exact optimization methods may be difficult to solve these problems in acceptable CPU times, when the problem involves real-world data sets that are very large. The vehicle routing problem comes under combinatorial problem. Hence, to get solutions in determining routes which are realistic and very close to the optimal solution, we use heuristics and meta-heuristics. In this paper we discuss the various exact methods and the heuristics and meta-heuristics used to solve the VRP and its variants.

Response of ants to grazing disturbance at the central Monte Desert of Argentina: community descriptors and functional group scheme

Livestock ranching is one of the main productive activities in arid regions of the world.Grazing produces changes in animal as well as plant communities(e.g.richness,abundance and species dominance relationships).Ants are good biological indicators due to the environmental fidelity of some of their community parameters.We described the functional structure of the ant community in the central Monte of Mendoza,Argentina,and examined the effect of grazing using richness,diversity and the functional group scheme.We used pitfall traps to sample ants at a reserve with 30-year cattle exclusion and at an adjacent ranch.Eleven of the 27 recorded species showed significant differences in their abundance and two species were absent at the ranch.While richness and diversity did not reflect these differences,functional groups did.Hot Climate Specialists were more abundant at the ranch while Cryptic Species and Generalized Myrmicinae increased at the reserve.This study supports the utility of the functional group scheme to study the effects of grazing disturbance in ant communities of arid regions.

Ethno-medicinal plants use by the Manipuri tribal community in Bangladesh

An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to understand the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the Maninuri tribe in Bangladesh. The present study was done through structured questionnaires in consultations with the tribal practitioners. A total 32 plant species belonging to 26 families and 29 genera were found to use for Curing 37 ailments. Results show that the use of aboveground plant parts was higher （86%） than the underground plant parts （14%）. Leaf was used in the majority of cases for medicinal preparation （17 species） followed by bark, fruit, root/rhizome, whole plant, seed and flower. Among the 32 plant species, they were mainly used to treat dysentery （10 species）, followed by fever and rheumatism （5 species each）; asthma, constipation, wounds and skin diseases （4 species each）; cold ailments, cough and diarrhea （3 species each）. The study revealed that 72% plant species investigated were used to cure more than one ailment. About 75% medicinal plants were taken orally followed by externally （9%） and both orally and externally （16%）. The study thus underscores the potentials of the ethno-botanical research and the need for the documentation of indigenous healthcare knowledge pertaining to the medicinal plant utilization for the greater benefit of mankind.

Plant community dynamics in arid lands: the role of desert ants

Ants (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) play an important role in seed bank, seedling establishment andplant composition of arid ecosystems. Thus, knowing plant-ant interaction provides useful information formanagers to design restoration and conservation plans. In this study, the roles of desert harvester ants (Messorintermedius and Messor melancholicus) and scavenger ants (Cataglyphis nodus and Lepisiota semenovi) on plantcommunities were investigated in arid ecosystems of southeastern Iran. Two vegetation types weredistinguished in the study area and the nest density of ant species was determined. Furthermore, plantcomposition and soil seed bank were estimated at different distances from the ant nests. Results showed thatthe density of M. intermedius and M. melancholicus nests was higher in dwarf shrub-shrub vegetation type and thedensity of C. nodus and L. semenovi nests was higher in dwarf shrub vegetation type. The harvester and scavengerants had enhanced the seed bank to 55% and 70%, respectively. Therefore, the role of scavenger ants on theplant communities' seed bank was greater than that of harvester ants. Although the scavenger ants were moreinfluential on the annuals and the invasive plant species, the radius impact of the harvester ants on theperennials was greater, i.e., a positive interaction existed between the perennial plants and the harvester ants. C.nodus and L. semenovi played an important role in enhancing the ecosystem's potential for restoration throughestablishment of pioneer species in early stage of succession. The activity of M. intermedius is crucial for thedevelopment and maintenance of climax plant communities in arid ecosystems through assisting the plantspecies' establishment in late stage of succession. It is essential to preserve the diversity of these key ant speciesfor the maintenance and sustainability of shrubs in arid ecosystems.

Toxicity and Efficacy of Two Emulsifiable Concentrates of 2-Tridecanone against Red Imported Fire Ants

2-tridecanone is a major constitute of defensive secretion in tawny crazy ants, Nylanderia fulva that is an ant species reported to be able to displace red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta in the field. 2-tridecanone was proven to be toxic to S. invicta. Although 2-tridecanone is commercially available, utilization of this naturally occurring compound in fire ant management has received little attention. In this study, toxicity and efficacy of two 2-tridecanone formulations were assessed against S. invicta. Two emulsifiable concentrates were prepared using 2-tridecanone as an active ingredient, vegetable oil as a solvent and polyoxyethylene tridecyl ether as a surfactant. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) was used as a synergist in one formulation. Both formulations showed significant toxicity in laboratory bioassays. In a field trial, at application rate of 5.28 mL/L and 14 days after mound drench treatment, 100% control was achieved for formulation with PBO and 90% control for the formulation without PBO. In conclusion, both formulations had significant efficacy against S. invicta. Due to the low mammalian toxicity of 2-tridecanone, no involvement of hazardous synthetic organic solvents, no phytotoxicity at applied concentrations, and relatively low cost, both formulations are promising alternatives to commercial insecticide products for fire ant mound drench. The outstanding efficacy of both formulations observed in this study warrants further research on their efficacy against other pest insects.

Lipids and Fatty Acid Composition of Dried Edible Red and Black Ants

Total lipid contents,lipid classes and fatty acid compositions of hot-air dried edible black ants（Polyrhachis vicina Roger） from Wenzhou and Guizhou,China,and edible red ant（Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius） from Thailand were determined.The major lipid components were triacylglycerol（43.4-79.4% of total lipid）,followed by phospholipids（6.1-21.5%）,diacylglycerol（6.1-18.1%） and cholesterol ester（4.9-13.5%） while free fatty acids（1.8-2.9%） and sterol（0.5-0.8%） were the minor components.Oleic acid（C18：1） was the most predominant fatty acid,accounting for 3 407.8,9 098.8 and 3 790.1 mg 100 g-1 in Wenzhou and Guizhou black ants,and Thai red ant,respectively.Followed by palmitic acid（C16：0）,922.9,2 523.3 and 1 511.8 mg 100 g-1;linoleic acid（C18：2n-6）,133.7,305.2 and 506.4 mg 100 g-1;α-linolenic acid（C18：3n-3）,35.1,138.0 and 52.5 mg 100 g-1;eicosapentaenoic acid（C20：5n-3） was 19.1,15.0 and 20.0 mg 100 g-1 in Wenzhou and Guizhou black ants,and Thai red ant,respectively.Docosapentaenoic acid（C22：5n-3） was only found in black ants,7.0 and 7.3 mg 100 g-1 for Wenzhou and Guizhou ants,respectively.The edible black and red ants were shown to be a good source of unsaturated fatty acid.

COMPOSITION ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT OF NORTHERN FOREST ANTS

The compositions of two kinds of ants (Formica cunicu Laria and Polyrhachis vicina Roger) were determined with modern apparatuses. The result was that content of crude protein, fat, vitamin E, formic acid were 43.95%, 22.90%, 15.61 mg / Kg, 4.2% respectively forFormica cunicu Laria, and 42.56%, 21 .90%, 131 .2 mg / Kg, 3.8% respectively for Polyrhachlk vicina Roger.

Enhanced ants system and its application

NP-hard combinational optimization problem is not solved very well until now. One enhanced ants system based on ants system is advanced after analysis of the deficiencies of existing ants systems. Some improvements are made in state transfer rule and local modification rule. Furthermore, the enhanced ants system can solve NP-hard combinational optimization problem with restraints and condition path. The successful application of TSP problem and transportation net problem indicates that the proposed system has stronger function and higher efficiency than the original system.