New species of Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera, Tephritidae) from remnant area of the Atlantic Rain Forest and surroundings in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil

Four new species of Anastrepha Schiner were collected in McPhail-type traps hung in trees in a natural reserve and in commercial papaya orchards in Linhares, Espirito Santo state, Brazil. They are described and named herein as follows: Anastrepha atlantica n. sp., Anastrepha glochin n. sp., Anastrepha linharensis n. sp. and Anastrepha martinsi n. sp. Only the latter was collected in traps hung in papaya orchards. The classification of these species in species groups of Anastrepha is also discussed.

Fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) and their associations with native host plants in a remnant area of the highly endangered Atlantic Rain Forest in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil

The results presented in this paper refer to a host survey, lasting approximately three and a half years (February 2003-july 2006), undertaken in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve, a remnant area of the highly endangered Atlantic Rain Forest located in Linhares County, State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. A total of 330 fruit samples were collected from native plants, representing 248 species and 51 plant families. Myrtaceae was the most diverse family with 54 sampled species. Twenty-eight plant species, from ten families, are hosts of ten Anastrepha species and of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Among 33 associations between host plants and fruit flies, 20 constitute new records, including the records of host plants for A. fumipennis Lima and A. nascimentoi Zucchi. The findings were discussed in the light of their implications for rain forest conservation efforts and the study of evolutionary relationships between fruit flies and their hosts.

Biomonitoring genotoxic risks under the urban weather conditions and polluted atmosphere in Santo Andre, SP, Brazil, through Trad-MCN bioassay

The present study was made to check if the Trad-MCN bioassay, developed with inflorescences of Tradescantia pallida cv. Purpurea, might discriminate genotoxic risks in areas of the city of Santo Andre (SE Brazil) contaminated by different air pollutants, and periods of the year when risks are higher, and to determine if the variations in the frequency of micronuclei (MCN) can be explained by environmental factors that characterize the stressful situation in each site. Potted plants were exposed in sites highly contaminated by ozone (Capuava and School) and in sites reached by high vehicular emissions (downtown and Celso Daniel Park). Pedroso Park, far from the polluted areas, was taken as reference. From September 2003 to September 2004, 20 young inflorescences were collected twice a week from each place and the frequencies of MCN were estimated. The environmental conditions observed in the polluted sites were stressful enough to promote an increase of MCN, mainly in sites reached by high vehicular emissions. But MCN rates in Capuava and at Celso Daniel Park could not be predicted only by pollutants which characterized the air contamination in these sites. More severe weather conditions, mainly low temperature, relative humidity and rainfall, caused an increase of MCN. Improvement of the biomonitoring system is recommended to minimize this negative influence of weather factors. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Survey for Tick-Borne Zoonoses in the State of Espirito Santo, Southeastern Brazil

Blood samples collected from 201 humans, 92 dogs, and 27 horses in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, were tested by polymerase chain reaction, indirect immunofluorescence assays, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for tick-borne diseases (rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, borreliosis, babesiosis). Our results indicated that the surveyed counties are endemic for spotted fever group rickettsiosis because sera from 70 (34.8%) humans, 7 (7.6%) dogs, and 7 (25.9%) horses were reactive to at least one of the six Rickettsia species tested. Although there was evidence of ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis) and babesiosis (Babesia cams vogeli, Theileria equi) in domestic animals, no human was positive for babesiosis and only four individuals were serologically positive for E. canis. Borrelia burgdorferi-serologic reactive sera were rare among humans and horses, but encompassed 51% of the canine samples, suggesting that dogs and their ticks can be part of the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the Brazilian zoonosis, named Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome.

Hepatozoon canis infecting dogs in the State of Espirito Santo, southeastern Brazil

From May 2007 to March 2008, blood samples were collected from 92 healthy dogs living in 21 households (17 farms in rural area, and 4 homes in urban area) in 6 counties of the State of Espirito Santo, southeastern Brazil. In addition, ticks were collected from these dogs. A mean of 4.4 +/- 3.0 dogs (range: 1-12) were sampled per household; 78 and 14 dogs were from rural and urban areas, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) designed to amplify fragments of the 18S rDNA gene of Babesia spp or Hepatozoon spp revealed amplicons of the expected size in 20 (21.7%) dogs for Babesia, and 54 (58.7%) dogs for Hepatozoon. All Babesia-positive dogs were also Hepatozoon-positive. Among the 21 households, 15 (71.4%) from 3 counties had at least one PCR-positive dog, including 13 farms (rural area) and 2 homes (urban area). A total of 40 PCR products from the Hepatozoon-PCR, and 19 products from the Babesia-PCR were submitted to DNA sequencing. All generated sequences from Hepatozoon-PCR were identical to each other, and to corresponding 18S rDNA sequences of H. canis in GenBank. Surprisingly, all generated sequences from the Babesia PCR were also identical to corresponding 18S rDNA sequences of H. canis in GenBank. Dogs from 10 rural and 2 urban households were found infested by Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks. Immature of Amblyomma cajennense ticks were found in dogs from only 4 rural households (also infested by R. sanguineus). All but one household with R. sanguineus-infested dogs had at least one Hepatozoon-infected dog. Statistical analysis showed that the presence of ticks (i.e. R. sanguineus) infesting dogs in the households was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with at least one PCR-positive dog. There was no significant association (P > 0.05) between PCR-positive dogs and urban or rural households. Canine hepatozoonosis caused by H. canis is a high frequent infection in Espirito Santo, Brazil, where it is possibly vectored by R. sanguineus. Since all infected dogs were found apparently healthy, the pathogenicity of H. canis for dogs in Espirito Santo is yet to be elucidated. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

X-ray fluorescence with synchrotron radiation to elemental analysis of lead and calcium content of primary teeth

Primary teeth were analyzed by micro-SRXRF. The aim of this study was to determine the elemental distribution of lead and calcium in different regions of primary incisor of children living in a notoriously contaminated area (Santo Amaro da Purificacao, Bahia State, Brazil). The measurements were performed in standard geometry of 45 incidence, exciting with a white beam and using a conventional system collimation (orthogonal slits) in the XRF beamline at the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (Campinas, Brazil). (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First record of Stygnidae for the state of Espirito Santo and description of a new Protimesius (Arachnida : Opiliones : Laniatores)

Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. is described from the Reserva Biologica de Sooretama, state of Espirito Santo, Southeastern Brazil, being the First record of Stygnidae from this State and the southernmost record of the family in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (hitherto, the family was recorded down to Bahia only), extending in 210 km south of the previously known distribution. This is a large species, with armature of leg IV very reduced and penial morphology differing from the closest counterparts mainly in the ventral plate, which recedes deeply at the lateral borders and has the distal margin curved ventrally and by the presence of two small intermediate setae. Protimesius Roewer, 1913 consisted hitherto of 17 species, recorded from northern/northeastern Brazil and Amazonia of adjacent Countries. A key is given for the 17 species of Protimesius for which males are known.

Upper limit on the cosmic-ray photon flux above 10(19) eV using the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

A method is developed to search for air showers initiated by photons using data recorded by the surface detector of the Auger Observatory. The approach is based on observables sensitive to the longitudinal shower development, the signal risetime and the curvature of the shower front. Applying this method to the data, tipper limits on the flux of photons of 3.8 x 10(-3), 2.5 x 10(-3), and 2.2 x 10(-3) km(-2) sr(-1) yr(-1) above 10(19) eV, 2 x 10(19) eV, and 4 x 10(19) eV are derived, with corresponding limits on the fraction of photons being 2.0%, 5.1%, and 31% (all limits at 95% c.l.). These photon limits disfavor certain exotic models of sources of cosmic rays. The results also show that the approach adopted by the Auger Observatory to calibrate the shower energy is not strongly biased by a contamination from photons. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with the positions of nearby active galactic nuclei

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory provide evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of the cosmic rays with the highest-energies, which are correlated with the positions of relatively nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) [Pierre Auger Collaboration, Science 318 (2007) 938]. The correlation has maximum significance for cosmic rays with energy greater than similar to 6 x 10(19) eV and AGN at a distance less than similar to 75 Mpc. We have confirmed the anisotropy at a confidence level of more than 99% through a test with parameters specified a priori, using an independent data set. The observed correlation is compatible with the hypothesis that cosmic rays with the highest-energies originate from extra-galactic sources close enough so that their flux is not significantly attenuated by interaction with the cosmic background radiation (the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz`min effect). The angular scale of the correlation observed is a few degrees, which suggests a predominantly light composition unless the magnetic fields are very weak outside the thin disk of our galaxy. Our present data do not identify AGN as the sources of cosmic rays unambiguously, and other candidate sources which are distributed as nearby AGN are not ruled out. We discuss the prospect of unequivocal identification of individual sources of the highest-energy cosmic rays within a few years of continued operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs ""radio-hybrid"" measurements of air shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions for fluorescence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on request. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment the Health Hazard from (222)Rn in Old Metalliferous Mines in San Luis, Argentina

Radon levels in two old mines in San Luis, Argentina, are reported and analyzed. The radiation dose and environmental health risk of (222)Rn concentrations to both guides and visitors were estimated. CR-39 nuclear track detectors were used for this purpose. The values for the (222)Rn concentration at each monitoring site ranged from 0.43 +/- 0.04 to 1.48 +/- 0.12 kBq m(-3) in the Los Cndores wolfram mine and from 1.8 +/- 0.1 to 6.0 +/- 0.5 kBq center dot m(-3) in the La Carolina gold mine, indicating that, in this mine, the radon levels exceed up to four times the action level of 1.5 kBq m(-3) recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The patterns of the radon transport process revealed that the La Carolina gold mine can be interpreted as a gas confined into a single tube with constant cross-section and air velocity. Patterns of radon activity, taking into account the chimney-effect winds, were used to detect tributary currents of air from shafts or larger fissures along the main adit of the Los Cndores mine, showing that radon can be used as an important tracer of tributary air currents stream out from fissures and smaller voids in the rock of the mine.

Occupational exposure to radon and natural gamma radiation in the La Carolina, a former gold mine in San Luis Province, Argentina

Radon and gamma radiation level measurements were carried out inside the La Carolina mine, one of the oldest gold mining camps of southern South America, which is open for touristic visits nowadays. CR-39 track-etch detectors and thermoluminescent dosimeters of natural CaF(2) and LiF TLD-100 were exposed at 14 points along the mine tunnels in order to estimate the mean (222)Rn concentration and the ambient dose equivalent during the summer season (November 2008 to February 2009). The values for the (222)Rn concentration at each monitoring site ranged from 1.8 +/- 0.1 kBq m(-3) to 6.0 +/- 0.5 kBq m(-3), with a mean value of 4.8 kBq m(-3), indicating that these measurements exceed in about three times the upper action level recommended by ICRP for workplaces. The correlations between radon and gamma radiation levels inside the mine were also investigated. Effective doses due to (222)Rn and gamma rays inside the mine were determined, resulting in negligible values to tourists. Considering the effective dose to the mine tourist guides, values exceeding 20 mSv of internal contribution to the effective doses can be reached, depending on the number of working hours inside the mine. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trigger and aperture of the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive air showers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidate showers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above 3 x 10(18) eV, for all zenith angles between 0 degrees and 60 degrees, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particle. In these range of energies and angles, the exposure of the surface array can be determined purely on the basis of the geometrical acceptance. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger observatory

Atmospheric parameters, Such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density (rho proportional to P/T), affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic rays. We have Studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The rate of events shows a similar to 10% seasonal modulation and similar to 2% diurnal one. We find that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects associated with the variations of P and rho. The former affects the longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Moliere radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Upper limit on the cosmic-ray photon fraction at EeV energies from the Pierre Auger Observatory

From direct observations of the longitudinal development of ultra-high energy air showers performed with the Pierre Auger Observatory, upper limits of 3.8%, 2.4%, 3.5% and 11.7% (at 95% c.l.) are obtained on the fraction of cosmic-ray photons above 2, 3, 5 and 10 EeV (1 EeV equivalent to 10(18) eV), respectively. These are the first experimental limits on ultra-high energy photons at energies below 10 EeV. The results complement previous constraints on top-down models from array data and they reduce systematic uncertainties in the interpretation of shower data in terms of primary flux, nuclear composition and proton-air cross-section. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.