With the launch of the NOAA-15 satellite in May 1998, a new generation of passive microwave sounders was initiated. The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), with 20 channels spanning the frequency range from 23-183 GHz, offers enhanced temperature and moisture sounding capability well beyond its predecessor, the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU). In addition, by utilizing a number of window channels on the AMSU, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expanded the capability of the AMSU beyond this original purpose and developed a new suite of products that are generated through the Microwave Surface and Precipitation Products System (MSPPS). This includes precipitation rate, total precipitable water, land surface emissivity, and snow cover. Details on the current status of the retrieval algorithms (as of September 2004) are presented. These products are complimentary to similar products obtained from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI) and the Earth Observing Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). Due to the close orbital equatorial crossing time between NOAA-16 and the Aqua satellites, comparisons between several of the MSPPS products are made with AMSR-E. Finally, several application examples are presented that demonstrate their importance to weather forecasting and analysis, and climate monitoring.

Background: The worm Enchytraeus buchholzi is a new record species for Shaanxi, China, and a key pest on American ginseng Panax quinquefolium. To distinguish the species, the authors prepared its whole mounts and paraffin-embedded sections, and microscopically observed, photographed and measured. Besides, we conducted an experimental study on its DNA barcode. Results: Cells, tissues and organs related to nervous, digestive, circulatory, excretory and reproductive systems were found, photomicrographed and described, including: prostomium, peristomium, segments, clitellum, pygidium, lateral and ventral chaetae; brain, cranial nerves, sensory papillae, ventral nerve cord; pharyngeal pad and glands, retractor muscles and muscular bundles, peptonephridia, esophagus, intestine; dorsal, lateral, ventral and intestinal parietal vessels, coelomocytes, coelomic cavity; nephridia, chloragogen cells; ovaries, groups of germ cells with developing oocytes, mature eggs, spermathecae; testes, seminal vesicles, sperm funnels, penial bulbs. Their shapes and sizes were given, and functions discussed briefly. The visual effect of staining specimens with hematoxylin plus eosin ranked the first, and that with acetocarmine the second. Conclusions: The supplementary and objective descriptions, with the microphotographs as forceful pieces of evidence, have expanded biological knowledge in aspects of the form, structure and function of the worm, which is helpful for professionals to recognize and understand this species and provide a solid basis for its integrated pest management.

The worm Enchytraeus buchholzi is a new pest injuring American ginseng Panax quinquefolium. To explore its reproductive potential and then estimate its population dynamics, the authors conducted two related experiments: (1) measuring individual fecundity in its lifetime by rearing each of the parent adults alone in a wet sandy dish at 18 and 21 °C indoors; (2) testing population growth by rearing each of the parent adults together with its offspring for a time longer than two generations at 21 °C. In Experiment I, five dependent variables, namely daily mean cocoons (DMC), cumulative cocoons (CC), eggs per cocoon (EPC), daily mean eggs (DME) and cumulative eggs (CE), were extracted, with each of them subject to a stepwise regression analysis on rearing time (T) and its power series as independent variables. Equaling to the net reproductive rate (R₀), the generational adult equivalent (GAE) was calculated via a conversion of F₁ generational eggs into adult equivalents (AE). In Experiment II, both an exponential and a logistic function were applied to construct regression equations. The results indicated that (1) a parent adult of E. buchholzi was able to live for a period as long as 10 and 13 full generations at the two temperatures tested and lay 84.8 and 110.6 cocoons containing 545 and 714 eggs, respectively; (2) DMC reached its maximum between 7 and 9 days of rearing and then declined slowly along a straight regression line; (3) CC rose steadily along a quadratic curve; (4) both EPC and DME varied following a cubic curve; (5) CE increased steadily along a cubic curve; (6) the new polynomial models suitably reflected the numerical growth trends of cocoons and eggs in the F₁ generation in a broad sense, while corresponding derivative equations quantified both the daily reproductive potential and resistance of the worm, thus revealed its daily reproductive capacity; (7) R₀ was 41.2 AE at 21 °C and 42.5 AE at 18 °C when a population of E. buchholzi lived in a niche with unlimited ambient resources; (8) this kind of temporal population generated by individual reproduction had fully demonstrated its significant, generational reproductive potential; and (9), through living in such a limited area as the wet sandy dish, bypassing an exponential growth process, the laboratory population grew up along a logistic curve from the F₁ to F₃ generations. The statistical relationships help to comprehend the individual reproduction of E. buchholzi, understand deeply the logical sequence and the difference between individual and population reproductions, predict population dynamics of the worm, and provide its integrated pest management with a solid basis. The experimental study has expanded theories on bionomics and population ecology, opening up a new area for research work in related fields.

The sciarid fly Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen) is one of the key pests on American ginseng Panax quinquefolium L. in Liuba County, Shaanxi Province, China. Its living specimens were sampled, isolated, reared, mounted, observed and microphotographed. Its identification was completed through both comparisons of morphotaxonomic characteristics and DNA barcoding, and its occurrences in China were reviewed. After conducting serial rearing experiments of the insect at eight temperatures, we calculated developmental threshold temperatures (C) and thermal constants (K) of the species in its egg, larval, pupal and generational stages, and then constructed four reciprocal models N = K/(T − C), where N denotes developmental duration and T is rearing temperature. With values of K and C as well as their SE written, the reciprocal model for its generational stage is N_generation = (374.9 ± 8.15)/[T − (6.6 ± 0.29)]. Based on C and K and annual effective accumulated temperatures, we estimated that the sciarid pest would reproduce at a rate of 4.2 to 5.7 generations a year in local regions. In the laboratory, the fecundity of the species was tested to be 59.2 eggs per female, the survival rate of the immature individuals averaged 46.4% in the range from 10.0 to 30.0 °C, and the sex ratio of female to male was 2:1. Based on these coefficients, we are able to estimate the reproductive potential that a parent female and her offspring may reach in a year if they live under favorable conditions, and corresponding economic losses.

Background: The worm Enchytraeus buchholzi is a new record species for Shaanxi, China, and a key pest on American ginseng Panax quinquefolium. To distinguish the species, the authors prepared its whole mounts and paraffin-embedded sections, and microscopically observed, photographed and measured. Besides, they conducted an experimental study on its DNA barcode. Results: Cells, tissues and organs related to nervous, digestive, circulatory, excretory and reproductive systems were found, photomicrographed and described, including prostomium, peristomium, segments, clitellum, pygidium, lateral and ventral chaetae; brain, cranial nerves, sensory papillae, ventral nerve cord; pharyngeal pad and glands, retractor muscles and muscular bundles, peptonephridia, esophagus, intestine; dorsal, lateral, ventral and intestinal parietal vessels, coelomocytes, coelomic cavity; nephridia, chloragogen cells; ovaries, vitelline glandular cells, immature and mature eggs, spermathecae; testes, seminal vesicles, sperm funnels, penial bulbs. Their shapes and sizes were given, and functions discussed briefly. The visual effect of staining specimens with hematoxylin plus eosin ranked the first, and that with acetocarmine the second. Conclusions: The supplementary and objective descriptions, with the microphotographs as forceful pieces of evidence, have expanded biological knowledge in aspects of the form, structure and function of the worm, which is helpful for professionals to recognize and understand this species and provide a solid basis for its integrated pest management.

The worm Enchytraeus buchholzi is a new pest on American ginseng Panax quinquefolium. To explore its reproductive potential and then estimate its population dynamics, the authors conducted two related experiments: 1) to measure individual fecundity in lifetime by rearing each of parent adults alone in a wet-sandy dish at 18 and 21 °C indoors; and 2) to test population growth by rearing each of parent adults together with its offspring for a time longer than two generations at 21 °C. In Experiment I, five dependent varia-bles, such as daily mean cocoons (DMC), cumulative cocoons (CC), eggs per cocoon (EPC), daily mean eggs (DME) and cumulative eggs (CE), were extracted, with each of them subject to a stepwise regression analysis on rearing time (T) and its power series as independent variables. Equaling to the net reproductive rate (R0), the generational adult equivalent (GAE) was calculated via a conversion of F1 generational eggs into adult equivalents (AE). In Experiment II, both an exponential and a logistic function were applied to construct regression equations. The results indicated: 1) a parent adult of E. buchholzi was able to live for a period as long as 10 and 13 full generations at the two temperatures tested, and lay 84.8 and 110.6 cocoons containing 545 and 714 eggs respectively; 2) DMC reached its maximum between 7 and 9 days of rearing and then declined slowly along a straight regression line; 3) CC rose steadily along a quadratic curve; 4) both EPC and DME varied following a cubic curve; 5) CE increased steadily along a cubic curve; 6) the new polynomial models suitably reflected numerical growth trends of cocoons and eggs in the F1 generation in broad sense, and corresponding derivative equations quantified both daily reproductive potential and resistance of the worm, and thus revealed its daily reproductive capacity; 7) R0 was 41.2 AE at 21 °C and 42.5 AE at 18°C when a population of E. buchholzi lived in a niche with ambient resources unlimited; 8) This kind of temporal population generated by individual reproduction had fully demonstrated its significant, generational reproductive potential; and 9) living in such a limited area as the wet-sandy dish, bypassing an exponential growth process, the laboratory population grew up along a logistic curve from F1 to F3 generations. The statistical relationships help to comprehend individual reproduction of E. buchholzi, understand better the logical sequence and the difference between individual and population reproductions, predict population dynamics of the worm, and provide its integrated pest management with a solid basis. The experimental study has expanded theories on bionomics and population ecology, and opened a new area for research work in related fields.