Variation in social behaviour is common, yet little is known about the genetic architectures underpinning its evolution. A rare exception is in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta: Alternative variants of a supergene region determine whether a colony will have exactly one or up to dozens of queens. The two variants of this region are carried by a pair of 'social chromosomes', SB and Sb, which resem...

The objectives of these studies were to predict the effects of roasting and extrusion temperatures of whole soybeans (SB) on intestinal protein digestibility in cattle. Intestinal digestibility was assessed with a two-stage in vitro or in situ ruminal incubation/precision-fed cecectomized rooster bioassay. In Exp. 1, whole SB (raw SB or SB roasted to 141, 149, or 157 degrees C exit temperature ...

The oxidation state and coordination environment of antimony (Sb) incorporated into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles were estimated based on X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) at Sb K-edge. Prior to XAFS analyses, Sb concentrations in 177 PET bottles collected in Japan and China were determined, showing that 30.5% and 100% of Japanese and Chinese PET bottles, respectively, contained...

Intraspecific variation in social organization is common, yet the underlying causes are rarely known. An exception is the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in which the existence of two distinct forms of social colony organization is under the control of the two variants of a pair of social chromosomes, SB and Sb. Colonies containing exclusively SB/SB workers accept only one single queen and she must...

A selective separation method based on anion exchange cartridge was developed to determine antimony (Sb) speciation in biological matrices by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS). The selectivity of the cartridge towards antimonite [Sb(III)] and antimonate [Sb(V)] reversed in the presence of deionized (DI) water and 2mM citric acid. While Sb(V) was retained by the cartri...

Only limited information is available about the behavior of antimony (Sb) in contaminated soils. However, understanding the behavior of Sb in contaminated soils is important, because the toxicity or solubility of this element depends on its chemical state. In this study, we investigated the levels of Sb and the chemical forms of Sb in the soil around a smelter using X-ray absorption fine struct...