The Analysis of the Effects of Smoke and Water Vapor on Insect Pheromone Communication and Physical Condition: An Investigation of the Causes of Colony Collapse Disorder

Summary
Since the outbreak of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) disappearance in the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD) in 2006, investigations dedicated to finding the causes of CCD have suggested possible factors; however, a singular cause has not yet been identified. This project aims at identifying how external factors in the environment, such as water vapor and smoke, can affect the social behavior and physical condition of honey bees. It was hypothesized that water vapor could block insect pheromone communication and that smoke could accumulate on the antennae of insects, interrupting pheromone communication. House crickets (Acheta domesticus) were used to test water vapor’s effect on pheromone communication because they communicate with pheromones like honey bees. Crickets were exposed to vinegar, mimicking the alarm pheromone, to confirm a social response. Next, we tested water vapor’s ability to block pheromone communication. To test the effect of smoke’s presence in the environment, red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) were used, due to their anatomical similarity to bees. The red harvester ant experiments measured the degree to which smoke particles accumulated on their body parts. The results showed that smoke particles did accumulate during exposure to smoke. This study provides evidence that external factors in the environment of insects may act as pheromone blocking agents and thus obstruct the insects’ ability to communicate through pheromone messages. This conclusion may provide an explanation for the observations in CCD such as the honey bee disappearance and diminishing health.

Orvill Delatorre and Ann Lambert

Development of Two New Efficient Means of Wastewater Treatment

Summary
Wastewater accumulation is a daunting issue. This global concern stimulates scientists to search for more effective ways of treating wastewater and preserving natural resources. In this study, we have augmented current treatment efficiencies and general effectiveness by creating two new methods. Using hollow fiber membrane (HFM) based liquid-liquid extraction technology in water treatment, we have demonstrated that this technique is more efficient than the current available methods at extracting organic components into the organic phase inside the HFM. Meanwhile, we have used polymeric resins to absorb both neutral and charged organic components in wastewater. Both newly developed methods have the potential to be industrialized for combating the human-caused wastewater contamination issue with increased vigor and efficiency.

Gilbert W. Bao, Albert M. Bao, Xiaojing Liu and Youxin Li

Click here for PDF file: February2014

Juvenile Mental Health

Modern people, especially teenagers, are facing unprecedented challenges in this fast paced society. In China, more and more juveniles are becoming so concerned about their future career path that an increasing percentage of these young people gradually suffer mental diseases such as anxiety and depression.

As one of the biggest countries in the world, China has a population of over 1.4 billion and this number seems to be increasing year by year according to official databases. Large numbers of young children are educated ever since they were born to catch up with or outcompete their peers, rendering many of them, mostly starting from the age of 6 or even younger, having to bear far more academic responsibilities to fulfil their so-called dreams than the majority of other counterparts in this world. Initially, things may not seem so serious to them as they were still young and not too much engaged in the society. Yet, as the intervention of social media and other technological inventions becomes available, young students are clearer than ever about their current and future conditions as they step into their teenage life. Unfortunately, many of the young teenagers arrive at the conclusion that they should stay simple and normal without the need to work hard to strive towards unrealistic goals since they realize that talents are almost everywhere and they are not so needed as expected in this society while their parents still push them on the way to become outstanding members of the society. As a consequence, many young people feel stressed and nervous on a regular basis, causing themselves to be finally harassed by anxiety, which has become one of the most common phenomenons in modern societies of China in the present day.

What is worse is that with the advent of the one of the most serious pandemics, namely the coronavirus disease which broke out in the late 2019, young teenagers are facing yet another serious challenge that they cannot avoid by their own will. The truth is with the viruses spreading and evolving over time, they have posed a threat to young students’ physical fitness significantly by increasing the possibility of getting them sick much more easily than before, which potentially weakens the immune system as a whole to this new generation. Many adults have become mildly handicapped due to this pandemic, not to mention that teenagers have to strive hard to balance between keeping fit and studying hard. This unexpected situation has led many ambitious young teenagers to gradually lose their hope to become great as they have planned before since they simply do not have the power to bear too much responsibility and be so energetic to engage in complicated work or tasks as freely as ever. In China, the rising percentage of young people getting depressed has become so prevalent that the government is still on its way to figure out how to deal with the social challenge.

Ziluo Cheng

Selenium’s Gift to Hometown Health​

Selenium’s Gift to Hometown Health​

QIZHE WEN

My hometown Enshi in Hubei holds the globe’s only verified independent selenium deposit—local rocks have up to 66.66mg/kg of this mineral, 11 times higher than comparable formations.

A nationwide survey shows 53% of Chinese students have myopia, but Enshi’s juvenile rate is far lower. Selenium shields lens proteins from oxidation, boosts ocular microcirculation, and slows eye axis growth. Enshi’s cancer incidence is merely 0.00468%, well below the national average.

“This is a blessing from selenium-rich earth,” my mother says proudly.​

 

我的家乡在湖北省恩施土家族苗族自治州,拥有全球唯一探明的独立硒矿床。家乡的岩石硒含量最高达66.66mg/kg,是同类岩石的 11 倍。

恩施州的调研数据显示:全国中小学生近视率高达53%,恩施州的中小学近视率远低于这个数字。因为硒能保护晶状体蛋白质不被氧化,还能改善眼部微循环,减缓眼轴增长。家乡癌症发病率仅4.68/10万,远低于全国平均水平。

妈妈说这是“硒土养出来的福气”。

Moonlight

I love the way the moonlight flickers through my room,

Choosing a few selected items to shine at in the gloom,

Choosing lots of people to comfort in the night,

Keeping them from their nightmares,

Keeping them from their fright.

 

The moonlight is another comfort sent from God above,

To fill us with His comfort, His mercy, and His love.

He knows who the moonlight is comforting tonight,

Someone who needs it to keep him from feeling airtight.

 

That’s the way God shows He’s there,

Through His wondrous and endless works,

As well as all His little quirks.

Student: Alen Jose Thomas