Hyperparasitism by helminths: new records of cestodes and nematodes in proteocephalid cestodes from South American siluriform fishes

Proteocephalid cestode hyperparasite are reported from numerous proteocephalids occurring in pimelodid fishes in different regions of Brazil. In addition, three specimens of a nematode hyperparasite are reported from the proteocephalid cestode Choanoscolex abscissus from the pimelodid fish Pseudoplatystoma corruscans in Brazil. Previous records of cestode and nematode hyperparasite of cestode are listed, and the possible identities of the Brazilian records are discussed.

Three new species of neotropical Sarcophagidae (Diptera)

Three new species of Neotropical Sarcophagidae are described. Miltogrammatinae: Oebalia costarica sp. n (Costa Rica) and Senotainia trifida sp. n. (Chile), of which the latter is the first representative of the subfamily with a tripartite phallotreme. Sarcophaginae: Johnsonia woodorum sp. n. (Costa Rica, Panama).

A New Test of the Real Interest Rate Parity Hypothesis: Bounds Approach and Structural Breaks

We test the real interest rate parity hypothesis using data for the G7 countries over the period 1970-2008. Our contribution is two-fold. First, we utilize the ARDL bounds approach of Pesaran et al. (2001) which allows us to overcome uncertainty about the order of integration of real interest rates. Second, we test for structural breaks in the underlying relationship using the multiple structural breaks test of Bai and Perron (1998, 2003). Our results indicate significant parameter instability and suggest that, despite the advances in economic and financial integration, real interest rate parity has not fully recovered from a breakdown in the 1980s.

Chirality in the new generation of antidepressants: stereoselective analysis of the enantiomers of mirtazapine, N-demethylmirtazapine, and 8-hydroxymirtazapine by LC-MS.

Mirtazapine is an antidepressant that acts specifically on noradrenergic and sertonergic receptors. A LC-MS method was developed that allows the simultaneous analysis of the R-(-)- and S-(+)-enantiomers of mirtazapine (MIR), demethylmirtazapine (DMIR), and 8-hydroxymirtazapine (8-OH-MIR) in plasma of MIR-treated patients. The method involves a 3-step liquid-liquid extraction, an HPLC separation on a Chirobiotic V column, and MS detection in electrospray mode. The limit of quantification (LOQ) for all enantiomers was 0.5 ng/mL, and the intra- and interday CVs were within 3.3% to 11.7% (concentration ranges 5-50 ng/mL). A method is also presented for the quantitative analysis of glucuroconjugated MIR and 8-OH-MIR. S-(+)-8-OH-MIR is present in plasma mainly as its glucuronide. Preliminary data suggest that in all patients, except in those comedicated with CYP2D6 inhibitors such as fluoxetine and thioridazine, R-(-)-MIR concentrations were higher than those of S-(+)MIR. Moreover, fluvoxamine seems also to inhibit the metabolism of MIR. Therefore, this method seems to be suitable for the stereoselective assay of MIR and its metabolites in plasma of patients comedicated with MIR and other drugs for routine and research purposes.

A new species of Stylogaster from Brazil (Diptera: Conipidae)

A new species of Stylogaster is described from Roraima, Brazil. It belongs to the neglecta-group of species.

A new species of Dasybasis Macquart from NW of Argentina (Tabanidae, Diptera, Insecta)

Female and male of Dasybasis diaguita n. sp. from high area of NW of Argentina is described and illustrated.

Two new species of Crawfordia Pierce from South America, (Strepsiptera: Stylopidae)

Several stylopized specimens were found among the Hymenoptera collection of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A paper by Kogan & Oliveira (1966) described the parasites of Polybia represented among those specimens. I describe herein the first neotropical species of the genus Crawfordia parasitizing species of Psaenithia (Andrenidae, Panurgini). The presence of vestigial thoracic segmentation of the female cephalothorax is a peculiar trait of this genus of Strepsiptera. Triungulinids are described in detail for the first time in this genus.

Two new species of Euphumosia from Papua New Guinea (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Two new species of the calliphorid blow flies are described from Papua New Guinea under the names of Euphumosia lopesi and E. robertsi. Body coloration and mesonotal pattern are characteristic and differ from those of the closely allied species, E. evittata Togerson & James, 1967.

A New Model Of Trend Inflation

This paper introduces a new model of trend (or underlying) inflation. In contrast to many earlier approaches, which allow for trend inflation to evolve according to a random walk, ours is a bounded model which ensures that trend inflation is constrained to lie in an interval. The bounds of this interval can either be fixed or estimated from the data. Our model also allows for a time-varying degree of persistence in the transitory component of inflation. The bounds placed on trend inflation mean that standard econometric methods for estimating linear Gaussian state space models cannot be used and we develop a posterior simulation algorithm for estimating the bounded trend inflation model. In an empirical exercise with CPI inflation we find the model to work well, yielding more sensible measures of trend inflation and forecasting better than popular alternatives such as the unobserved components stochastic volatility model.

A new species of Boettcheria (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) from the Dominican Republic

Boettcheria solo sp. n. from the Dominican Republic is described and it is argued that its most probable sister group is B. parkeri Aldrich, 1916 from Jamaica. Boettcheria Parker, 1914 is briefly diagnosed and a list of included species is provided.

A new species of Johnstonimyia Lopes from Vanuatu (New Hebrides) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)

A new species of the genus Johnstonimyia Lopes, namely J. lopesi, is described and illustrated.

A new species of Amphisbaena from the state of Amazonas, Brasil (Reptilia, Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae)

Amphisbaena hugoi, sp. n., from the site of the Balbina hydroelectric dam, in the state of Amazonas (01º53'S, 59º28'W), is sufficiently characterized by having (one specimen known): 4 preanal pores; 225 body annuli; 36 tail annuli, with autotomy constriction on the 13th annulus, 16 dorsal and 18 ventral segments to a midbody annulus; body color patter a brown back and a white belly, clearly demarcated, anteriorly at the level of the lateral sulcus, posteriorly one and then two scales below it, with a thin light line on the lateral sulcus, a white cap on the head, dorsally extending onto the neck; autotomy annulus ventrally brown-colored.

Descriptions of three new species of Muscidae in China (Diptera: Muscidae)

Three new species of Muscida - Caricea acerca, Phaonia yinggeensis and Helina capaciflava - from China are described.

Lopesohylemya, a new genus of Anthomyiidae (Diptera) from Qinghai, China

An anthomyiid new genus Lopesohylemya with its type species L. qinghaiensis sp. n. from Qinghai, China, is described and figured. It is closely related to Eustalomyia histrio group, which is transferred to present new genus from Eustalomyia, it is suggested by the authors.

A New Index of Financial Conditions

We use factor augmented vector autoregressive models with time-varying coefficients to construct a financial conditions index. The time-variation in the parameters allows for the weights attached to each financial variable in the index to evolve over time. Furthermore, we develop methods for dynamic model averaging or selection which allow the financial variables entering into the FCI to change over time. We discuss why such extensions of the existing literature are important and show them to be so in an empirical application involving a wide range of financial variables.