The insect mitogenome is typically a compact circular molecule with highly conserved gene contents.Nonetheless,mitogenome structural variations have been reported in specific taxa,and gene rearrangements,usually the t...The insect mitogenome is typically a compact circular molecule with highly conserved gene contents.Nonetheless,mitogenome structural variations have been reported in specific taxa,and gene rearrangements,usually the tRNAs,occur in different lineages.Because synapomorphies of mitogenome organizations can provide information for phylogenetic inferences,comparative analyses of mitogenomes have been given increasing attention.However,most studies use a very few species to represent the whole genus,tribe,family,or even order,overlooking potential variations at lower taxonomic levels,which might lead to some incorrect inferences.To provide new insights into mitogenome organizations and their implications for phylogenetic inference,this study conducted comparative analyses for mitogenomes of three social bee tribes(Meliponini,Bombini,and Apini)based on the phylogenetic framework with denser taxonomic sampling at the species and population levels.Comparative analyses revealed that mitogenomes of Apini and Bombini are the typical type,while those of Meliponini show diverse variations in mitogenome sizes and organizations.Large inverted repeats(IRs)cause significant gene rearrangements of protein coding genes(PCGs)and rRNAs in Indo-Malay/Australian stingless bee species.Molecular evolution analyses showed that the lineage with IRs have lower dN/dS ratios for PCGs than lineages without IRs,indicating potential effects of IRs on the evolution of mitochondrial genes.The finding of IRs and different patterns of gene rearrangements suggested that Meliponini is a hotspot in mitogenome evolution.Unlike conserved PCGs and rRNAs whose rearrangements were found only in the mentioned lineages within Meliponini,tRNA rearrangements are common across all three tribes of social bees,and are significant even at the species level,indicating that comprehensive sampling is needed to fully understand the patterns of tRNA rearrangements,and their implications for phylogenetic inference.展开更多
Two uncoupleable distributions, assigning missions to robots and allocating robots to home stations, accompany the use ofmobile service robots in hospitals.In the given problem, two workload-related objectives and fiv...Two uncoupleable distributions, assigning missions to robots and allocating robots to home stations, accompany the use ofmobile service robots in hospitals.In the given problem, two workload-related objectives and five groups of constraints areproposed.A bio-mimicked Binary Bees Algorithm (BBA) is introduced to solve this multiobjective multiconstraint combinatorialoptimisation problem, in which constraint handling technique (Multiobjective Transformation, MOT), multiobjectiveevaluation method (nondominance selection), global search strategy (stochastic search in the variable space), local searchstrategy (Hamming neighbourhood exploitation), and post-processing means (feasibility selection) are the main issues.TheBBA is then demonstrated with a case study, presenting the execution process of the algorithm, and also explaining the change ofelite number in evolutionary process.Its optimisation result provides a group of feasible nondominated two-level distributionschemes.展开更多
Ornamental plants are distinguished by the shape and color of their leaves/flowers and their use in landscaping and gardening. In urban areas, their presence is relevant for the maintenance of bees. Aiming to list the...Ornamental plants are distinguished by the shape and color of their leaves/flowers and their use in landscaping and gardening. In urban areas, their presence is relevant for the maintenance of bees. Aiming to list the ornamental bee plants species occurring in Santa Catarina State (SC), southern Brazil, a survey of forage resources for bees, recorded in the State, was performed. We refer all published works developed in SC (resulting in the period 1983-2014) which include data from reports of scientific research, monographs, dissertations, Masters Dissertations, Doctoral Thesis, annals of scientific events, scientific articles and books. From the 28 ensuant works, we listed, as ornamental bee plants occurring in SC, 201 species, of 156 genera and 66 botanical families. Of these species, 92 are native (N), 26 endemic to Brazil and 109 exotic (E). Families with more ornamental bee species are: Fabaceae (22 species), Asteraceae (20), Solanaceae (11), Rosaceae (10) and Lamiaceae (8). The most cited species are: Lantana camara L. (N) (Verbenaceae) (9 quotes), Aloysia virgata (N) (Ruiz & Pav.) Juss. (Verbenaceae) (8), Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (naturalized) (Zingiberaceae) (6) and Brachyscome multifida (E) (Asteraceae) (5), regarding habitus, herbs (48.5%) predominate, followed by bushes (21.5%), trees (16.5%) and vines (10.5%). Preferred colours of flowers by bees are, in decreasing order: white, yellow, red/pink, and others. The genus Ipomoea, Calliandra, Passiflora, Prunus and Senecio have more ornamental bee plant species. A large botanical diversity arises, demonstrating the possibilities for urban bee foraging and ornamental featuring, in a perspective of sustainability.展开更多
This paper presents the first application of the bees algorithm to the optimisation of parameters of a two-dimensional (2D) recursive digital filter. The algorithm employs a search technique inspired by the foraging...This paper presents the first application of the bees algorithm to the optimisation of parameters of a two-dimensional (2D) recursive digital filter. The algorithm employs a search technique inspired by the foraging behaviour of honey bees. The results obtained show clear improvement compared to those produced by the widely adopted genetic algorithm (GA).展开更多
The protein composition of the egg development in the high royal jelly producing bees (Apis mellifera L.) was investigated. This pioneer study was to separate and quantify the proteins in the egg of the high royal j...The protein composition of the egg development in the high royal jelly producing bees (Apis mellifera L.) was investigated. This pioneer study was to separate and quantify the proteins in the egg of the high royal jelly producing worker bees (Apis mellifera L.) by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis along with their three-day development. The results showed that 160, 195, and 176 proteins, with a wide range of molecular weight (17-80 KDa) and relatively narrow scope of pI (4. 00-8.40) could be detected on day 1, day 2, and day 3, respectively, during the developmental process of the egg. Meanwhile 44 protein spots were constantly detected along with the egg development. Among them 36% were in the uptrend along with the egg development, 14% were in the downtrend, and 39% were of the largest expressed volume on day 2. In addition, the specific proteins were expressed on day 1, day 2, and day 3 (89, 77, and 80, respectively). Besides the coexistent and specific proteins, 24 proteins were expressed on day 1 and day 2, but silenced on day 3, 49 proteins were expressed on day 2 and day 3, but silenced on day 1, only 3 proteins were expressed on day 1 and day 3, but silenced on day 2. The result indicates that egg development is a sequential and complex gene controlled process, where the eggs of day 2 express the most active proteins. The coexistent proteins suggest that it is conservative and indispensable for this event. These specific proteins suggest that the different developmental stage needs specific proteins to regulate it.展开更多
Honey bees are an established animal model for studying learning and memory related behaviors. In recent years, honey bees have become more common as a model for investigations of molecular biology, including gene exp...Honey bees are an established animal model for studying learning and memory related behaviors. In recent years, honey bees have become more common as a model for investigations of molecular biology, including gene expression. Honey bees have been used to extrapolate genetic functions found in other invertebrates, such as <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Drosophila</span></i><span> <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">melanogaster</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The honey bee model has also provided a means for isolating novel genes, including non-coding microRNA fragments. Integrating the study of learning and memory with molecular genetics, the present work examines the effect of learning acquisition and memory consolidation </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in free-choice paradigms on the expression of a suite of genes of interest. Results suggest </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">that short-term learning acquisition causes differential expression of microRNA fragments, </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">while memory consolidation differentially affects the expression of the serine/threonine </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">protein kinase gene in honey bees. These results corroborate previous findings suggesting the importance of protein kinases in the formation of long term memory, and suggest that microRNA may play a large role in regulation of cytoskeletal scaffolding proteins.</span>展开更多
The purpose of the presented work was dedicated to identifying the species composition of the mycobiota of honey bees in Azerbaijan condition. From the samples taken from bees, materials became clear that in the forma...The purpose of the presented work was dedicated to identifying the species composition of the mycobiota of honey bees in Azerbaijan condition. From the samples taken from bees, materials became clear that in the formation of mycobiota those materials (from bees, from where they live and their products) in generally participate 52 species of fungi. Among the recorded fungi, species take part such as Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl., Aspergillus flavus Link, Candida albicans (C.P. Robin) Berkhout, Cladosporium herbarum (Pers.) Link, Penicillium cuclopium Westling, P. granulatum Bainier and etc. which carry features conditionally pathogenicity, toxicity, allergens and danger to biological productivity of bees and as well as to pollution of their products. It is known for a long time to scientists that these species are dangerous for human health. For this reason, preparation of normative documents that reflect the principles of microbiological safety of bee products is a necessary task.展开更多
The aim of this investigation was to analyze two samples of pollen from jandaíra stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in view of their mineral composition, free amino acids and sugars. Palynological analysis showe...The aim of this investigation was to analyze two samples of pollen from jandaíra stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in view of their mineral composition, free amino acids and sugars. Palynological analysis showed that the predominant pollen was monofloral from Senna sp. species (94.5%, pollen 2011) and the second pollen sample showed the presence of two primary species, Chamaecrista sp. (39.2% pollen 2009) and Mimosa tenuiflora (43.5%) (pollen 2009). The highest mineral content was potassium. The bee pollen contained 20.8% and 31.0% of mannitol in samples from 2011 and 2009, respectively. Proline and serine are the predominant amino acids. High content of essential amino acids, minerals and the sugar mannitol confirmed high nutritional value of pollen samples from jandaíra bees.展开更多
While foraging,animals can form inter-and intra-specific social signaling(i.e.one organism using signals to alert another about danger)networks to avoid similar predators.Honey bee sting alarm pheromones are multi-com...While foraging,animals can form inter-and intra-specific social signaling(i.e.one organism using signals to alert another about danger)networks to avoid similar predators.Honey bee sting alarm pheromones are multi-component blends,for instance isopentyl acetate(IPA),octyl acetate(OA),benzyl acetate(BA),etc.However,the展开更多
This study is to compare the protein composition of the high royal jelly producing bee (A. m. ligustica) with that of Carniolian bee (A. m. carnica) during their worker larval developmental stage. The experiment w...This study is to compare the protein composition of the high royal jelly producing bee (A. m. ligustica) with that of Carniolian bee (A. m. carnica) during their worker larval developmental stage. The experiment was carried out by two- dimensional gel electrophoresis. The results showed that significant higher numbers of total proteins (283) were detected in larvae of high royal jelly producing bees (Jelly bee) than those of Carniolian bees (152) on 2-d-old larvae. Among them, 110 proteins were presented on both strains of bee larvae, whereas 173 proteins were specific to larvae of Jelly bees, and 42 proteins were exclusive to Carniolian larvae. However, on the 4th d, a significant higher number of total proteins (290) were detected in larvae of Jelly bees than those of Carniolian bees (240), 163 proteins resolved to both bee larvae, and 127 proteins were specific to Jelly bees and 77 proteins to Camiolian bees. Until the 6th d, also a significant higher number of total proteins (236) were detected in larvae of Jelly bees than those of Carniolian bees (180), 132 proteins were constantly expressed in two bee larvae, whereas 104 and 48 proteins are unique to Jelly bee and Carniolian bee larvae, respectively. We tentatively concluded that the metabolic rate and gene expression of Jelly bees larvae is higher than those of Carniolian bees based proteins detected as total proteins and proteins specific to each stage of two strains of bee larvae. Proteins constantly expressed on 3 stages of larval development with some significant differences between two bee strains, and proteins unique to each stage expressed differences in term of quality and quantity, indicating that larval development needed house keeping and specific proteins to regulate its growth at different development phage, but the expression mold is different between two strains of larval development.展开更多
Attacks by swarm of bees realize arrays of mass poisoning. We report the case of a 9 years old boy whoes severity was related to the large number of bees which was about 400 and their locations spread throughout the s...Attacks by swarm of bees realize arrays of mass poisoning. We report the case of a 9 years old boy whoes severity was related to the large number of bees which was about 400 and their locations spread throughout the skin surface with a preponderance to the cephalic end. Complications were hemolytic anemia, kidney failure and convulsions. The outcome was favorable with symptomatic care and hemodialysis.展开更多
Cyber Defense is becoming a major issue for every organization to keep business continuity intact.The presented paper explores the effectiveness of a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm-Artificial Bees Colony Algori...Cyber Defense is becoming a major issue for every organization to keep business continuity intact.The presented paper explores the effectiveness of a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm-Artificial Bees Colony Algorithm(ABC)as an Nature Inspired Cyber Security mechanism to achieve adaptive defense.It experiments on the Denial-Of-Service attack scenarios which involves limiting the traffic flow for each node.Businesses today have adapted their service distribution models to include the use of the Internet,allowing them to effectively manage and interact with their customer data.This shift has created an increased reliance on online services to store vast amounts of confidential customer data,meaning any disruption or outage of these services could be disastrous for the business,leaving them without the knowledge to serve their customers.Adversaries can exploit such an event to gain unauthorized access to the confidential data of the customers.The proposed algorithm utilizes an Adaptive Defense approach to continuously select nodes that could present characteristics of a probable malicious entity.For any changes in network parameters,the cluster of nodes is selected in the prepared solution set as a probable malicious node and the traffic rate with the ratio of packet delivery is managed with respect to the properties of normal nodes to deliver a disaster recovery plan for potential businesses.展开更多
Recent developments allowed establishing virtual-reality (VR) setups to study multiple aspects of visual learning in honey bees under controlled experimental conditions. Here, we adopted a VR environment to investigat...Recent developments allowed establishing virtual-reality (VR) setups to study multiple aspects of visual learning in honey bees under controlled experimental conditions. Here, we adopted a VR environment to investigate the visual learning in the buff-tailed bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Based on responses to appetitive and aversive reinforcements used for conditioning, we show that bumble bees had the proper appetitive motivation to engage in the VR experiments and that they learned efficiently elemental color discriminations. In doing so, they reduced the latency to make a choice, increased the proportion of direct paths toward the virtual stimuli and walked faster toward them. Performance in a short-term retention test showed that bumble bees chose and fixated longer on the correct stimulus in the absence of reinforcement. Body size and weight, although variable across individuals, did not affect cognitive performances and had a mild impact on motor performances. Overall, we show that bumble bees are suitable experimental subjects for experiments on visual learning under VR conditions, which opens important perspectives for invasive studies on the neural and molecular bases of such learning given the robustness of these insects and the accessibility of their brain.展开更多
原子力显微镜(Atomic force microscope,AFM)不仅可以从纳米尺度观测沥青表面微观结构,还可以应用不同模式测试其微观力学特性,是研究沥青路面材料微观特性的有力工具。沥青混合料的水损害已经成为沥青路面的主要病害之一,研究表明,沥...原子力显微镜(Atomic force microscope,AFM)不仅可以从纳米尺度观测沥青表面微观结构,还可以应用不同模式测试其微观力学特性,是研究沥青路面材料微观特性的有力工具。沥青混合料的水损害已经成为沥青路面的主要病害之一,研究表明,沥青结合料与集料之间的水分相互作用是一种出现在微观尺度,甚至纳米尺度的现象,因此从微纳观角度探究在水分存在条件下沥青与集料的结构变化,对于改善沥青混合料水稳定性能,探究其水损害机制具有深远的意义。本文在总结AFM工作原理及沥青微观“bees”结构特性的基础上,重点分析了AFM在纳米尺度上对沥青混合料水稳性能的研究成果,并探讨了AFM在沥青路面材料研究中的发展方向,为今后对于沥青路面病害研究与防治方面提供一定的借鉴。展开更多
The significant demand for high quality food has motivated us to adopt appropriate processing methods to improve the food nutritional quality and flavors.In this study,the effects of five drying methods,namely,pulsed ...The significant demand for high quality food has motivated us to adopt appropriate processing methods to improve the food nutritional quality and flavors.In this study,the effects of five drying methods,namely,pulsed vacuum drying(PVD),freeze drying(FD),infrared drying(IRD),hot-air drying(HAD)and sun drying(SD)on free amino acids(FAAs),α-dicarbonyl compounds(α-DCs)and volatile compounds(VOCs)in rape bee pollen(RBP)were determined.The results showed that FD significantly released the essential amino acids(EAAs)compared with fresh samples while SD caused the highest loss.Glucosone was the dominantα-DCs in RBP and the highest loss was observed after PVD.Aldehydes were the dominant volatiles of RBP and SD samples contained more new volatile substances(especially aldehydes)than the other four drying methods.Comprehensively,FD and PVD would be potential methods to effectively reduce the quality deterioration of RBP in the drying process.展开更多
In the present contribution, operational modal analysis in conjunction with bees optimization algorithm are utilized to update the finite element model of a solar power plant structure. The physical parameters which r...In the present contribution, operational modal analysis in conjunction with bees optimization algorithm are utilized to update the finite element model of a solar power plant structure. The physical parameters which required to be updated are uncertain parameters including geometry, material properties and boundary conditions of the aforementioned structure. To determine these uncertain parameters, local and global sensitivity analyses are performed to increase the solution accuracy. An objective function is determined using the sum of the squared errors between the natural frequencies calculated by finite element method and operational modal analysis, which is optimized using bees optimization algorithm. The natural frequencies of the solar power plant structure are estimated by multi-setup stochastic subspace identification method which is considered as a strong and efficient method in operational modal analysis. The proposed algorithm is efficiently implemented on the solar power plant structure located in Shahid Chamran university of Ahvaz, Iran, to update parameters of its finite element model. Moreover, computed natural frequencies by numerical method are compared with those of the operational modal analysis. The results indicate that, bees optimization algorithm leads accurate results with fast convergence.展开更多
Animals have evolved foraging strategies to acquire blends of nutrients that maximize fitness traits. In social insects, nu trie nt regulation is complicated by the fact that few in dividuals, the foragers, must addre...Animals have evolved foraging strategies to acquire blends of nutrients that maximize fitness traits. In social insects, nu trie nt regulation is complicated by the fact that few in dividuals, the foragers, must address the diverge nt nutritional n eeds of all colony members simulta neously, includi ng other workers, the reproductives, and the brood. Here we used 3D nutritional geometry design to examine how bumblebee workers regulate their collection of 3 major macronutrients in the presence and absenee of brood. We provided small colonies artificial nectars (liquid diets) and pollens (solid diets) varying in their compositions of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates during 2 weeks. Colo nies give n a choice betwee n nutrition ally complementary diets self-selected foods to reach a target ratio of 71% proteins, 6% carbohydrates, and 23% lipids, irrespective of the presenee of brood. Whe n con fined to a single nutrition ally imbalanced solid diet, colonies without brood regulated lipid collection and over-collected protein relative to this target ratio, whereas colonies with brood regulated both lipid and protein collection. This brood effect on the regulation of nutrient collection by workers suggests that protein levels are critical for larval development. Our results highlight the importa nee of con sidering bee nu trition as a multidimensi onal phe no men on to better assess the effects of environmental impoverishment and malnutrition on population declines.展开更多
There has been growing concern over declines in populations of honey bees and other pollinators which are a vital part to our food security. It is imperative to identify factors responsible for accelerated declines in...There has been growing concern over declines in populations of honey bees and other pollinators which are a vital part to our food security. It is imperative to identify factors responsible for accelerated declines in bee populations and develop solutions for reversing bee losses. While exact causes of colony losses remain elusive, risk factors thought to play key roles are ectoparasitic mites Varroa destructor and neonicotinoid pesticides. The present study aims to investigate effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide Imidacloprid and Varroa mites individually on survivorship, growth, physiology, virus dynamics and immunity of honey bee workers. Our study provides clear evidence that the exposure to sublethal doses of Imidacloprid could exert a significantly negative effect on health and survival of honey bees. We observed a significant reduction in the titer ofvitellogenin (Vg), an egg yolk precursor that regulates the honey bees development and behavior and often are linked to energy homeostasis, in bees exposed to lmidacloprid. This result indicates that sublethal exposure to neonicotinoid could lead to increased energy usage in honey bees as detoxification is a energy-consuming metabolic process and suggests that Vg could be a useful biomarker for measuring levels of energy stress and sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees. Measurement of the quantitative effects of different levels of Varroa mite infestation on the replication dynamic of Deformed wing virus (DWV), an RNA virus associated with Varroa infestation, and expression level of immune genes yields unique insights into how honey bees respond to stressors under laboratory conditions.展开更多
Service computing is a new paradigm and has been widely used in many fields. The multi-objective service selection is a basic problem in service computing and it is non-deterministic polynomial(NP)-hard. This paper pr...Service computing is a new paradigm and has been widely used in many fields. The multi-objective service selection is a basic problem in service computing and it is non-deterministic polynomial(NP)-hard. This paper proposes a novel multi-objective artificial bees colony(n-MOABC) algorithm to solve service selection problem. A composite service instance is a food source in the algorithm. The fitness of a food source is related to the quality of service(QoS) attributes of a composite service instance. The search strategy of the bees are based on dominance. If a food source has not been updated in successive maximum trial(Max Trial) times, it will be abandoned. In experiment phase, a parallel approach is used based on map-reduce framework for n-MOABC algorithm. The performance of the algorithm has been tested on a variety of data sets. The computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in comparison to a novel bi-ant colony optimization(NBACO)algorithm and co-evolution algorithm.展开更多
The nutrient digestion,absorption and biological activity of bee pollen may be limited due to the complex pollen wall.Here,the effect of superfine grinding technology on the release of nutrients from bee pollen were i...The nutrient digestion,absorption and biological activity of bee pollen may be limited due to the complex pollen wall.Here,the effect of superfine grinding technology on the release of nutrients from bee pollen were investigated,and their antioxidant activities and in vitro digestion were explored in this study.Results showed that the content of nutrients in bee pollen increased after wall disruption.Among them,fat content increased by 22.55%-8.31%,protein content increased by 0.54%-4.91%,starch content increased by 36.31%-48.64%,soluble sugar content increased by 20.57%-29.67%,total phenolic acid content increased by 11.73%-86.98%and total flavonoids content increased by 14.29%-24.79%.At the same time,the antioxidant activity increased by 14.84%-46.00%.Furthermore,the active components such as phenolic compounds in the wall-disruption bee pollen were more readily to be released during the in vitro digestion,and easier to be absorbed because of their higher bioaccessibility.Antioxidant activities during in vitro digestion were also improved in walldisruption bee pollen.These findings provide evidence that bee pollen wall disruption was suggested,thus,it is more conducive to exerting the value of bee pollen in functional foods.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB31000000)Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China(2021FY100200)+1 种基金Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program“Young Talent”and"Innovation Team"Projectsthe 14th Five-Year Plan of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden,Chinese Academy of Science(XTBG-1450101)。
文摘The insect mitogenome is typically a compact circular molecule with highly conserved gene contents.Nonetheless,mitogenome structural variations have been reported in specific taxa,and gene rearrangements,usually the tRNAs,occur in different lineages.Because synapomorphies of mitogenome organizations can provide information for phylogenetic inferences,comparative analyses of mitogenomes have been given increasing attention.However,most studies use a very few species to represent the whole genus,tribe,family,or even order,overlooking potential variations at lower taxonomic levels,which might lead to some incorrect inferences.To provide new insights into mitogenome organizations and their implications for phylogenetic inference,this study conducted comparative analyses for mitogenomes of three social bee tribes(Meliponini,Bombini,and Apini)based on the phylogenetic framework with denser taxonomic sampling at the species and population levels.Comparative analyses revealed that mitogenomes of Apini and Bombini are the typical type,while those of Meliponini show diverse variations in mitogenome sizes and organizations.Large inverted repeats(IRs)cause significant gene rearrangements of protein coding genes(PCGs)and rRNAs in Indo-Malay/Australian stingless bee species.Molecular evolution analyses showed that the lineage with IRs have lower dN/dS ratios for PCGs than lineages without IRs,indicating potential effects of IRs on the evolution of mitochondrial genes.The finding of IRs and different patterns of gene rearrangements suggested that Meliponini is a hotspot in mitogenome evolution.Unlike conserved PCGs and rRNAs whose rearrangements were found only in the mentioned lineages within Meliponini,tRNA rearrangements are common across all three tribes of social bees,and are significant even at the species level,indicating that comprehensive sampling is needed to fully understand the patterns of tRNA rearrangements,and their implications for phylogenetic inference.
文摘Two uncoupleable distributions, assigning missions to robots and allocating robots to home stations, accompany the use ofmobile service robots in hospitals.In the given problem, two workload-related objectives and five groups of constraints areproposed.A bio-mimicked Binary Bees Algorithm (BBA) is introduced to solve this multiobjective multiconstraint combinatorialoptimisation problem, in which constraint handling technique (Multiobjective Transformation, MOT), multiobjectiveevaluation method (nondominance selection), global search strategy (stochastic search in the variable space), local searchstrategy (Hamming neighbourhood exploitation), and post-processing means (feasibility selection) are the main issues.TheBBA is then demonstrated with a case study, presenting the execution process of the algorithm, and also explaining the change ofelite number in evolutionary process.Its optimisation result provides a group of feasible nondominated two-level distributionschemes.
文摘Ornamental plants are distinguished by the shape and color of their leaves/flowers and their use in landscaping and gardening. In urban areas, their presence is relevant for the maintenance of bees. Aiming to list the ornamental bee plants species occurring in Santa Catarina State (SC), southern Brazil, a survey of forage resources for bees, recorded in the State, was performed. We refer all published works developed in SC (resulting in the period 1983-2014) which include data from reports of scientific research, monographs, dissertations, Masters Dissertations, Doctoral Thesis, annals of scientific events, scientific articles and books. From the 28 ensuant works, we listed, as ornamental bee plants occurring in SC, 201 species, of 156 genera and 66 botanical families. Of these species, 92 are native (N), 26 endemic to Brazil and 109 exotic (E). Families with more ornamental bee species are: Fabaceae (22 species), Asteraceae (20), Solanaceae (11), Rosaceae (10) and Lamiaceae (8). The most cited species are: Lantana camara L. (N) (Verbenaceae) (9 quotes), Aloysia virgata (N) (Ruiz & Pav.) Juss. (Verbenaceae) (8), Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (naturalized) (Zingiberaceae) (6) and Brachyscome multifida (E) (Asteraceae) (5), regarding habitus, herbs (48.5%) predominate, followed by bushes (21.5%), trees (16.5%) and vines (10.5%). Preferred colours of flowers by bees are, in decreasing order: white, yellow, red/pink, and others. The genus Ipomoea, Calliandra, Passiflora, Prunus and Senecio have more ornamental bee plant species. A large botanical diversity arises, demonstrating the possibilities for urban bee foraging and ornamental featuring, in a perspective of sustainability.
基金supported by the ERDF (Objective One) project"Supporting Innovative Product Engineering and Responsive Manufacturing" (SUPERMAN)the EC-funded Network of Excellence"Innovative Production Machines and Systems" (I*PROMS)
文摘This paper presents the first application of the bees algorithm to the optimisation of parameters of a two-dimensional (2D) recursive digital filter. The algorithm employs a search technique inspired by the foraging behaviour of honey bees. The results obtained show clear improvement compared to those produced by the widely adopted genetic algorithm (GA).
文摘The protein composition of the egg development in the high royal jelly producing bees (Apis mellifera L.) was investigated. This pioneer study was to separate and quantify the proteins in the egg of the high royal jelly producing worker bees (Apis mellifera L.) by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis along with their three-day development. The results showed that 160, 195, and 176 proteins, with a wide range of molecular weight (17-80 KDa) and relatively narrow scope of pI (4. 00-8.40) could be detected on day 1, day 2, and day 3, respectively, during the developmental process of the egg. Meanwhile 44 protein spots were constantly detected along with the egg development. Among them 36% were in the uptrend along with the egg development, 14% were in the downtrend, and 39% were of the largest expressed volume on day 2. In addition, the specific proteins were expressed on day 1, day 2, and day 3 (89, 77, and 80, respectively). Besides the coexistent and specific proteins, 24 proteins were expressed on day 1 and day 2, but silenced on day 3, 49 proteins were expressed on day 2 and day 3, but silenced on day 1, only 3 proteins were expressed on day 1 and day 3, but silenced on day 2. The result indicates that egg development is a sequential and complex gene controlled process, where the eggs of day 2 express the most active proteins. The coexistent proteins suggest that it is conservative and indispensable for this event. These specific proteins suggest that the different developmental stage needs specific proteins to regulate it.
文摘Honey bees are an established animal model for studying learning and memory related behaviors. In recent years, honey bees have become more common as a model for investigations of molecular biology, including gene expression. Honey bees have been used to extrapolate genetic functions found in other invertebrates, such as <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Drosophila</span></i><span> <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">melanogaster</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The honey bee model has also provided a means for isolating novel genes, including non-coding microRNA fragments. Integrating the study of learning and memory with molecular genetics, the present work examines the effect of learning acquisition and memory consolidation </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in free-choice paradigms on the expression of a suite of genes of interest. Results suggest </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">that short-term learning acquisition causes differential expression of microRNA fragments, </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">while memory consolidation differentially affects the expression of the serine/threonine </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">protein kinase gene in honey bees. These results corroborate previous findings suggesting the importance of protein kinases in the formation of long term memory, and suggest that microRNA may play a large role in regulation of cytoskeletal scaffolding proteins.</span>
文摘The purpose of the presented work was dedicated to identifying the species composition of the mycobiota of honey bees in Azerbaijan condition. From the samples taken from bees, materials became clear that in the formation of mycobiota those materials (from bees, from where they live and their products) in generally participate 52 species of fungi. Among the recorded fungi, species take part such as Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl., Aspergillus flavus Link, Candida albicans (C.P. Robin) Berkhout, Cladosporium herbarum (Pers.) Link, Penicillium cuclopium Westling, P. granulatum Bainier and etc. which carry features conditionally pathogenicity, toxicity, allergens and danger to biological productivity of bees and as well as to pollution of their products. It is known for a long time to scientists that these species are dangerous for human health. For this reason, preparation of normative documents that reflect the principles of microbiological safety of bee products is a necessary task.
基金supported by grants from FACEPE(Grant no.PRONEM APQ-1232.1.06/10),CNPq-PPBio 503285/2009-9)and CAPES.
文摘The aim of this investigation was to analyze two samples of pollen from jandaíra stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in view of their mineral composition, free amino acids and sugars. Palynological analysis showed that the predominant pollen was monofloral from Senna sp. species (94.5%, pollen 2011) and the second pollen sample showed the presence of two primary species, Chamaecrista sp. (39.2% pollen 2009) and Mimosa tenuiflora (43.5%) (pollen 2009). The highest mineral content was potassium. The bee pollen contained 20.8% and 31.0% of mannitol in samples from 2011 and 2009, respectively. Proline and serine are the predominant amino acids. High content of essential amino acids, minerals and the sugar mannitol confirmed high nutritional value of pollen samples from jandaíra bees.
文摘While foraging,animals can form inter-and intra-specific social signaling(i.e.one organism using signals to alert another about danger)networks to avoid similar predators.Honey bee sting alarm pheromones are multi-component blends,for instance isopentyl acetate(IPA),octyl acetate(OA),benzyl acetate(BA),etc.However,the
基金supported by a special fund of Technical Production System of the National Beekeeping Industry,China (NYCYTX-43)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30972148)Special Scientific and Research Found for Public Welfare Industry,China (nyhyzx07-041)
文摘This study is to compare the protein composition of the high royal jelly producing bee (A. m. ligustica) with that of Carniolian bee (A. m. carnica) during their worker larval developmental stage. The experiment was carried out by two- dimensional gel electrophoresis. The results showed that significant higher numbers of total proteins (283) were detected in larvae of high royal jelly producing bees (Jelly bee) than those of Carniolian bees (152) on 2-d-old larvae. Among them, 110 proteins were presented on both strains of bee larvae, whereas 173 proteins were specific to larvae of Jelly bees, and 42 proteins were exclusive to Carniolian larvae. However, on the 4th d, a significant higher number of total proteins (290) were detected in larvae of Jelly bees than those of Carniolian bees (240), 163 proteins resolved to both bee larvae, and 127 proteins were specific to Jelly bees and 77 proteins to Camiolian bees. Until the 6th d, also a significant higher number of total proteins (236) were detected in larvae of Jelly bees than those of Carniolian bees (180), 132 proteins were constantly expressed in two bee larvae, whereas 104 and 48 proteins are unique to Jelly bee and Carniolian bee larvae, respectively. We tentatively concluded that the metabolic rate and gene expression of Jelly bees larvae is higher than those of Carniolian bees based proteins detected as total proteins and proteins specific to each stage of two strains of bee larvae. Proteins constantly expressed on 3 stages of larval development with some significant differences between two bee strains, and proteins unique to each stage expressed differences in term of quality and quantity, indicating that larval development needed house keeping and specific proteins to regulate its growth at different development phage, but the expression mold is different between two strains of larval development.
文摘Attacks by swarm of bees realize arrays of mass poisoning. We report the case of a 9 years old boy whoes severity was related to the large number of bees which was about 400 and their locations spread throughout the skin surface with a preponderance to the cephalic end. Complications were hemolytic anemia, kidney failure and convulsions. The outcome was favorable with symptomatic care and hemodialysis.
文摘Cyber Defense is becoming a major issue for every organization to keep business continuity intact.The presented paper explores the effectiveness of a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm-Artificial Bees Colony Algorithm(ABC)as an Nature Inspired Cyber Security mechanism to achieve adaptive defense.It experiments on the Denial-Of-Service attack scenarios which involves limiting the traffic flow for each node.Businesses today have adapted their service distribution models to include the use of the Internet,allowing them to effectively manage and interact with their customer data.This shift has created an increased reliance on online services to store vast amounts of confidential customer data,meaning any disruption or outage of these services could be disastrous for the business,leaving them without the knowledge to serve their customers.Adversaries can exploit such an event to gain unauthorized access to the confidential data of the customers.The proposed algorithm utilizes an Adaptive Defense approach to continuously select nodes that could present characteristics of a probable malicious entity.For any changes in network parameters,the cluster of nodes is selected in the prepared solution set as a probable malicious node and the traffic rate with the ratio of packet delivery is managed with respect to the properties of normal nodes to deliver a disaster recovery plan for potential businesses.
文摘Recent developments allowed establishing virtual-reality (VR) setups to study multiple aspects of visual learning in honey bees under controlled experimental conditions. Here, we adopted a VR environment to investigate the visual learning in the buff-tailed bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Based on responses to appetitive and aversive reinforcements used for conditioning, we show that bumble bees had the proper appetitive motivation to engage in the VR experiments and that they learned efficiently elemental color discriminations. In doing so, they reduced the latency to make a choice, increased the proportion of direct paths toward the virtual stimuli and walked faster toward them. Performance in a short-term retention test showed that bumble bees chose and fixated longer on the correct stimulus in the absence of reinforcement. Body size and weight, although variable across individuals, did not affect cognitive performances and had a mild impact on motor performances. Overall, we show that bumble bees are suitable experimental subjects for experiments on visual learning under VR conditions, which opens important perspectives for invasive studies on the neural and molecular bases of such learning given the robustness of these insects and the accessibility of their brain.
文摘原子力显微镜(Atomic force microscope,AFM)不仅可以从纳米尺度观测沥青表面微观结构,还可以应用不同模式测试其微观力学特性,是研究沥青路面材料微观特性的有力工具。沥青混合料的水损害已经成为沥青路面的主要病害之一,研究表明,沥青结合料与集料之间的水分相互作用是一种出现在微观尺度,甚至纳米尺度的现象,因此从微纳观角度探究在水分存在条件下沥青与集料的结构变化,对于改善沥青混合料水稳定性能,探究其水损害机制具有深远的意义。本文在总结AFM工作原理及沥青微观“bees”结构特性的基础上,重点分析了AFM在纳米尺度上对沥青混合料水稳性能的研究成果,并探讨了AFM在沥青路面材料研究中的发展方向,为今后对于沥青路面病害研究与防治方面提供一定的借鉴。
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31871861 and 31501548)The Apicultural Industry Technology System(NCYTI-43-KXJ17)The Science and Technology Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS-ASTIP-2015-IAR)。
文摘The significant demand for high quality food has motivated us to adopt appropriate processing methods to improve the food nutritional quality and flavors.In this study,the effects of five drying methods,namely,pulsed vacuum drying(PVD),freeze drying(FD),infrared drying(IRD),hot-air drying(HAD)and sun drying(SD)on free amino acids(FAAs),α-dicarbonyl compounds(α-DCs)and volatile compounds(VOCs)in rape bee pollen(RBP)were determined.The results showed that FD significantly released the essential amino acids(EAAs)compared with fresh samples while SD caused the highest loss.Glucosone was the dominantα-DCs in RBP and the highest loss was observed after PVD.Aldehydes were the dominant volatiles of RBP and SD samples contained more new volatile substances(especially aldehydes)than the other four drying methods.Comprehensively,FD and PVD would be potential methods to effectively reduce the quality deterioration of RBP in the drying process.
文摘In the present contribution, operational modal analysis in conjunction with bees optimization algorithm are utilized to update the finite element model of a solar power plant structure. The physical parameters which required to be updated are uncertain parameters including geometry, material properties and boundary conditions of the aforementioned structure. To determine these uncertain parameters, local and global sensitivity analyses are performed to increase the solution accuracy. An objective function is determined using the sum of the squared errors between the natural frequencies calculated by finite element method and operational modal analysis, which is optimized using bees optimization algorithm. The natural frequencies of the solar power plant structure are estimated by multi-setup stochastic subspace identification method which is considered as a strong and efficient method in operational modal analysis. The proposed algorithm is efficiently implemented on the solar power plant structure located in Shahid Chamran university of Ahvaz, Iran, to update parameters of its finite element model. Moreover, computed natural frequencies by numerical method are compared with those of the operational modal analysis. The results indicate that, bees optimization algorithm leads accurate results with fast convergence.
文摘Animals have evolved foraging strategies to acquire blends of nutrients that maximize fitness traits. In social insects, nu trie nt regulation is complicated by the fact that few in dividuals, the foragers, must address the diverge nt nutritional n eeds of all colony members simulta neously, includi ng other workers, the reproductives, and the brood. Here we used 3D nutritional geometry design to examine how bumblebee workers regulate their collection of 3 major macronutrients in the presence and absenee of brood. We provided small colonies artificial nectars (liquid diets) and pollens (solid diets) varying in their compositions of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates during 2 weeks. Colo nies give n a choice betwee n nutrition ally complementary diets self-selected foods to reach a target ratio of 71% proteins, 6% carbohydrates, and 23% lipids, irrespective of the presenee of brood. Whe n con fined to a single nutrition ally imbalanced solid diet, colonies without brood regulated lipid collection and over-collected protein relative to this target ratio, whereas colonies with brood regulated both lipid and protein collection. This brood effect on the regulation of nutrient collection by workers suggests that protein levels are critical for larval development. Our results highlight the importa nee of con sidering bee nu trition as a multidimensi onal phe no men on to better assess the effects of environmental impoverishment and malnutrition on population declines.
文摘There has been growing concern over declines in populations of honey bees and other pollinators which are a vital part to our food security. It is imperative to identify factors responsible for accelerated declines in bee populations and develop solutions for reversing bee losses. While exact causes of colony losses remain elusive, risk factors thought to play key roles are ectoparasitic mites Varroa destructor and neonicotinoid pesticides. The present study aims to investigate effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide Imidacloprid and Varroa mites individually on survivorship, growth, physiology, virus dynamics and immunity of honey bee workers. Our study provides clear evidence that the exposure to sublethal doses of Imidacloprid could exert a significantly negative effect on health and survival of honey bees. We observed a significant reduction in the titer ofvitellogenin (Vg), an egg yolk precursor that regulates the honey bees development and behavior and often are linked to energy homeostasis, in bees exposed to lmidacloprid. This result indicates that sublethal exposure to neonicotinoid could lead to increased energy usage in honey bees as detoxification is a energy-consuming metabolic process and suggests that Vg could be a useful biomarker for measuring levels of energy stress and sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees. Measurement of the quantitative effects of different levels of Varroa mite infestation on the replication dynamic of Deformed wing virus (DWV), an RNA virus associated with Varroa infestation, and expression level of immune genes yields unique insights into how honey bees respond to stressors under laboratory conditions.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61202085,61300019)the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Natural Science Foundation(No.NZ13265)the Special Fund for Fundamental Research of Central Universities of Northeastern University(Nos.N120804001,N120204003)
文摘Service computing is a new paradigm and has been widely used in many fields. The multi-objective service selection is a basic problem in service computing and it is non-deterministic polynomial(NP)-hard. This paper proposes a novel multi-objective artificial bees colony(n-MOABC) algorithm to solve service selection problem. A composite service instance is a food source in the algorithm. The fitness of a food source is related to the quality of service(QoS) attributes of a composite service instance. The search strategy of the bees are based on dominance. If a food source has not been updated in successive maximum trial(Max Trial) times, it will be abandoned. In experiment phase, a parallel approach is used based on map-reduce framework for n-MOABC algorithm. The performance of the algorithm has been tested on a variety of data sets. The computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in comparison to a novel bi-ant colony optimization(NBACO)algorithm and co-evolution algorithm.
基金the Program of State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,Nanchang University (SKLF-ZZB-202119)。
文摘The nutrient digestion,absorption and biological activity of bee pollen may be limited due to the complex pollen wall.Here,the effect of superfine grinding technology on the release of nutrients from bee pollen were investigated,and their antioxidant activities and in vitro digestion were explored in this study.Results showed that the content of nutrients in bee pollen increased after wall disruption.Among them,fat content increased by 22.55%-8.31%,protein content increased by 0.54%-4.91%,starch content increased by 36.31%-48.64%,soluble sugar content increased by 20.57%-29.67%,total phenolic acid content increased by 11.73%-86.98%and total flavonoids content increased by 14.29%-24.79%.At the same time,the antioxidant activity increased by 14.84%-46.00%.Furthermore,the active components such as phenolic compounds in the wall-disruption bee pollen were more readily to be released during the in vitro digestion,and easier to be absorbed because of their higher bioaccessibility.Antioxidant activities during in vitro digestion were also improved in walldisruption bee pollen.These findings provide evidence that bee pollen wall disruption was suggested,thus,it is more conducive to exerting the value of bee pollen in functional foods.