Central American Temnocerus Thunberg, 1815 (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae)

Twenty eight species of Temnocerus Thunberg, 1815 are recognized from Central America (Mexico to Panama) with eight previously described species and 20 new species as follows: T. abdominalis (Voss), T. chiapensis n. sp., T. chiriquensis (Sharp), T. confertus (Sharp), T. cyaneus n. sp., T. ellus n. sp., T. giganteus n. sp., T. guatemalenus (Sharp), T. guerrerensis n. sp., T. herediensis n. sp., T. mexicanus n. sp., T. michoacensis n. sp., T. minutus n. sp., T. niger n. sp., T. oaxacensis n. sp., T. obrieni, n. sp., T. oculatus (Sharp), T. potosi n. sp., T. pseudaeratus n. sp., T. pueblensis n. sp., T. pusillus (Sharp), T. regularis (Sharp), T. rostralis n. sp., T. rugosus n. sp., T. salvensis n. sp., T. tamaulipensis n. sp., T. thesaurus (Sharp) and T. yucatensis n. sp. Rhynchites debilis Sharp is placed in synonymy with Temnocerus guatemalenus (Sharp) and Pselaphorhynchites lindae Hamilton is placed in synonymy with Temnocerus regularis (Sharp). A key to species based on external characters and male genitalia is provided as well as digital images, aedeagus drawings, and map distributions.

American Lives: A Reader [Preface & Introduction]

Memoirs are as varied as human emotion and experience, and those published in the distinguished American Lives Series run the gamut. Excerpted from this series (called “splendid” by Newsweek) and collected here for the first time, these dispatches from American lives take us from China during the Cultural Revolution to the streets of New York in the sixties to a cabin in the backwoods of Idaho. In prose as diverse as the stories they tell, writers such as Floyd Skloot, Ted Kooser, Peggy Shumaker, and Lee Martin, among many others, open windows to their own ordinary and extraordinary experiences. John Skoyles tells how, for his Uncle Fred, a particular “Hard Luck Suit” imparted misfortune. Brenda Serotte describes a Turkish grandmother who made her living reading palms, interpreting cups, and prescribing poultices for the community. In “Son of Mr. Green Jeans,” Dinty W. Moore views fatherhood through the lens of pop culture. Janet Sternburg’s Phantom Limb muses on the dilemmas of a child caring for a parent. Whether evoking moments of death or disease, in family or marriage, history, politics, religion, or culture, these glimpses into singular American lives come together in a richly textured, colorful patchwork quilt of American life.

Community structure and dynamics of Monogenea and Trematoda in three North American cyprinid species in the Salt Valley Watershed, Nebraska.

An investigation was made of the communities of gill monogene genus Dactylogyrus (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea) and the populations of blackspot parasite (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda) of Pimephales promelas, Notropis stramineus, and Semotilus atromaculatus in 3 distinct sites along the 3 converging tributaries in southeastern Nebraska from 2004 to 2006. This work constitutes the first multi-site, multi-year study of a complex community of Dactylogyrus spp. and their reproductive activities on native North American cyprinid species. The biological hypothesis that closely related species with direct lifecycles respond differently to shared environmental conditions was tested. It was revealed that in this system that, Cyprinid species do not share Dactylogyrus species, host size and sex are not predictive of infection, and Dactylogyrus community structure is stable, despite variation in seasonal occurrence and populations among sites. The biological hypothesis that closely related species have innate differences in reproductive activities that provide structure to their populations and influence their roles in the parasite community was tested. It was revealed that in this system, host size, sex, and collection site are not predictive of reproductive activities, that egg production is not always continuous and varies in duration among congeners, and that recruitment of larval Dactylogyrus is not continuous across parasites’ reproductive periods. Hatch timing and host availability, not reproductive timing, are the critical factors determining population dynamics of the gill monogenes in time and space. Lastly, the biological hypothesis that innate blackspot biology is responsible for parasite host-specificity, host recruitment strategies and parasite population structure was tested. Field collections revealed that for blackspot, host size, sex, and collection month and year are not predictive of infection, that parasite cysts survive winter, and that host movement is restricted among the 3 collection sites. Finally, experimental infections of hosts with cercaria isolated from 1st intermediate snail hosts reveal that cercarial biology, not environmental circumstances, are responsible for differences in infection among hosts.

Host-Specificity of Myxoma Virus: Pathogenesis of South American and North American Strains of Myxoma Virus in Two North American Lagomorph Species

The pathogenesis of South American and North American myxoma viruses was examined in two species of North American lagomorphs, Sylvilagus nuttallii (mountain cottontail) and Sylvilagus audubonii (desert cottontail) both of which have been shown to have the potential to transmit the South American type of myxoma virus. Following infection with the South American strain (Lausanne, Lu), S. nuttallii developed both a local lesion and secondary lesions on the skin. They did not develop the classical myxomatosis seen in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The infection at the inoculation site did not resolve during the 20-day time course of the trial and contained transmissible virus titres at all times. In contrast, S. audubonii infected with Lu had very few signs of disseminated infection and partially controlled virus replication at the inoculation site. The prototype Californian strain of myxoma virus (MSW) was able to replicate at the inoculation site of both species but did not induce clinical signs of a disseminated infection. In S. audubonii, there was a rapid response to MSW characterized by a massive T lymphocyte infiltration of the inoculation site by day 5. MSW did not reach transmissible titres at the inoculation site in either species. This might explain why the Californian myxoma virus has not expanded its host-range in North America.

“PROVINCIALISM, PICKING SIDES AND BIAS: EFFECTS OF GEOGRAPHY ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 2005-10.”

The development of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton has prompted diverse coverage from print and online media. This investigation looked at trends in news stories and commentary from 2005-10 to show how the location of a medium affected coverage. Through the author’s own observations and interviews with journalists and other interested parties, several trends emerged. Media outlets outside Arkansas portrayed the museum as trying to plunder the cultural heritage of local communities and relied partly on the museum’s association with Wal-Mart and stereotypes of Arkansas to frame coverage. Arkansas media, faced with limited cooperation from the museum’s public relations apparatus, typically played a cheerleader role, at times overemphasizing the importance of the collection in the art world and showcasing few critical voices in stories about acquisitions and other areas of the museum’s development.

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers Available 2010

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has re-authorized and modified the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program. The statute authorizes an appropriation of not more than $90 million per year for the next three fiscal years. The TAA for Farmers program helps producers of raw agricultural commodities (farmers, ranchers or fishermen) who have experienced significant declines in price or production, adjust to the changing economic environment brought on by import competition. The program provides benefits to eligible producers in the form of educational assistance, as well as up to $12,000 per producer in cash benefits to help create and implement business adjustment plans.

Depositional history of sedimentary linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) in a large South American industrial coastal area (Santos Estuary, Southeastern Brazil)

This paper reports the reconstruction of the contamination history of a large South American industrial coastal area (Santos Estuary, Brazil) using linear alkylbenzenes (LABs). Three sediment cores were dated by (137)Cs Concentrations in surficial layers were comparable to the midrange concentrations reported for coastal sediments worldwide LAB concentrations increased towards the surface. indicating increased waste discharges into the estuary in recent decades. The highest concentration values occurred in the early 1970s, a time of intense industrial activity and marked population growth. The decreased LAB concentration, in the late 1970s was assumed to be the result of the world oil crisis Treatment of industrial effluents, which began in 1984, was represented by decreased LAB levels Microbial degradation of LABs may be more intense in the industrial area sediments. The results show that industrial and domestic waste discharges are a historical problem in the area. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Taxonomic and distributional notes on Telebasis Selys, 1865, with a redescription of T. pallida Machado, 2010, and an evaluation of the T. racenisi Bick & Bick, 1995 "complex" of species (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)

A full checklist of the species of Telebasis Selys, 1865, housed in the Brazilian collections Colecao Entomologica Prof. Jose Alfredo Pinheiro Dutra, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio do Janeiro (DZRJ), and Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZSP) is presented. A total of 325 specimens representing 19 species were studied. Ten new records for Brazilian States were found for T. carmesina Calvert, 1909 (Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul), T. corallina (Selys, 1876) (Pernambuco), T. demarara (Williamson, 1917) (Maranhao), T. filiola (Perty, 1834) (Paraiba and Santa Catarina), T. gigantea Daigle, 2002 (Sao Paulo), T. inalata (Calvert, 1961) (Mato Grosso do Sul), T. pallida Machado, 2010 (Goias) and T. obsoleta (Selys, 1876) (Mato Grosso do Sul), as well as a new record of T. carminita Calvert, 1909 for Suriname. Telebasis pallida Machado, 2010 is redescribed and diagnosed based on 14 males collected near the type locality, and its genital ligula is described and illustrated for the first time. Furthermore, the status of the three species of the Telebasis racenisi Bick & Bick, 1995 complex is evaluated. Of these, Telebasis pareci Machado, 2010 syn. n. is proposed as junior subjective synonym of Telebasis lenkoi Machado, 2010, and a possible synonymy among the three species is discussed under T. racenisi. ((c) 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Birth weight, current body mass index, and insulin sensitivity and secretion in young adults in two Latin American populations

Background and aims: Although studies have shown association of birth weight (BW) and adult body mass index (BMI) with insulin sensitivity in adults, there is limited evidence that BW is associated with insulin secretion. We assessed the associations between BW and current BMI with insulin sensitivity and secretion in young Latin American adults. Methods and results: Two birth cohorts, one from Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, based on 1984 participants aged 23-25 years, and another from Limache, Chile, based on 965 participants aged 22-28 years were studied. Weight and height at birth, and current fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were measured. Insulin sensitivity (HOMA%S) and secretion (HOMA%beta) were estimated using the Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA2). Multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to test the associations between BW and adult BMI z-scores on log HOMA%S and log HOMA%beta. BW z-score was associated with HOMA%S in the two populations and HOMA%beta in Ribeirao Preto when adult BMI z-score was included in the model. BW z-score was associated with decreasing insulin secretion even without adjusting for adult BMI, but only in Ribeirao Preto. BMI z-score was associated with low HOMA%S and high HOMA%beta. No interactions between BW and BMI z-scores on insulin sensitivity were shown. Conclusions: This study supports the finding that BW may affect insulin sensitivity and secretion in young adults. The effect size of BW on insulin status is small in comparison to current BMI. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geographical distribution of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and its phlebotomine vectors (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract Background American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is a re-emerging disease in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is important to understand both the vector and disease distribution to help design control strategies. As an initial step in applying geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) tools to map disease-risk, the objectives of the present work were to: (i) produce a single database of species distributions of the sand fly vectors in the state of São Paulo, (ii) create combined distributional maps of both the incidence of ACL and its sand fly vectors, and (iii) thereby provide individual municipalities with a source of reference material for work carried out in their area. Results A database containing 910 individual records of sand fly occurrence in the state of São Paulo, from 37 different sources, was compiled. These records date from between 1943 to 2009, and describe the presence of at least one of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species in 183/645 (28.4%) municipalities. For the remaining 462 (71.6%) municipalities, we were unable to locate records of any of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species (Nyssomyia intermedia, N. neivai, N. whitmani, Pintomyia fischeri, P. pessoai and Migonemyia migonei). The distribution of each of the six incriminated or suspected vector species of ACL in the state of São Paulo were individually mapped and overlaid on the incidence of ACL for the period 1993 to 1995 and 1998 to 2007. Overall, the maps reveal that the six sand fly vector species analyzed have unique and heterogeneous, although often overlapping, distributions. Several sand fly species - Nyssomyia intermedia and N. neivai - are highly localized, while the other sand fly species - N. whitmani, M. migonei, P. fischeri and P. pessoai - are much more broadly distributed. ACL has been reported in 160/183 (87.4%) of the municipalities with records for at least one of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vector species, while there are no records of any of these sand fly species in 318/478 (66.5%) municipalities with ACL. Conclusions The maps produced in this work provide basic data on the distribution of the six incriminated or suspected sand fly vectors of ACL in the state of São Paulo, and highlight the complex and geographically heterogeneous pattern of ACL transmission in the region. Further studies are required to clarify the role of each of the six suspected sand fly vector species in different regions of the state of São Paulo, especially in the majority of municipalities where ACL is present but sand fly vectors have not yet been identified.

APPLICABILITY OF kDNA-PCR FOR ROUTINE DIAGNOSIS OF AMERICAN TEGUMENTARY LEISHMANIASIS IN A TERTIARY REFERENCE HOSPITAL.

This study evaluated the applicability of kDNA-PCR as a prospective routine diagnosis method for American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in patients from the Instituto de Infectologia Emílio Ribas (IIER), a reference center for infectious diseases in São Paulo - SP, Brazil. The kDNA-PCR method detected Leishmania DNA in 87.5% (112/128) of the clinically suspected ATL patients, while the traditional methods demonstrated the following percentages of positivity: 62.8% (49/78) for the Montenegro skin test, 61.8% (47/76) for direct investigation, and 19.3% (22/114) for in vitro culture. The molecular method was able to confirm the disease in samples considered negative or inconclusive by traditional laboratory methods, contributing to the final clinical diagnosis and therapy of ATL in this hospital. Thus, we strongly recommend the inclusion of kDNA-PCR amplification as an alternative diagnostic method for ATL, suggesting a new algorithm routine to be followed to help the diagnosis and treatment of ATL in IIER.