NOTES on THE BIOLOGY and BEHAVIOUR of THE JEWEL WASP, AMPULEX COMPRESSA (FABRICIUS, 1781) (HYMENOPTERA; AMPULICIDAE), IN THE LABORATORY, INCLUDING FIRST RECORD of GREGARIOUS REPRODUCTION

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The larval morphology and nest habits of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) rogenhoferi Kohl 1884 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of different temperatures on the life history of Evania appendigaster L. (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae), a solitary oothecal parasitoid of Periplaneta americana L. (Dictyoptera: Blattidae)

The influence of temperatures on the life parameters of the solitary oothecal parasitoid Evania appendigaster, was investigated in the laboratory. Parasitized oothecae of Periplaneta americana were left to develop under seven constant temperatures: 15, 17, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 degrees C. At the end, we found that: (i) E. appendigaster was able to complete development within the temperature range of 17-34 degrees C; (ii) mean adult longevity decreased as temperature increased, with the temperature of 40 degrees C being fatal in a matter of hours; (iii) males lived longer than females between 15 and 30 degrees C; (iv) adult emergence rate was the highest at 25 degrees C, and (v) no wasps emerged at 15 or 40 degrees C. Non-emerged oothecae contained either unhatched eggs or dead larvae. We determined the theoretical lower developmental threshold and thermal constant for the complete development as 12.9 degrees C and 584.8 day-degrees for males, and 13.1 degrees C and 588.2 day-degrees for females, respectively. A good balance between faster development, maximum adult longevity and good egg viability was obtained between 25-30 degrees C, and that would be the best temperature range for rearing E. appendigaster. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The preimaginal stages of the ensign wasp Evania appendigaster (Hymenoptera, Evaniidae), a cockroach egg predator

Evania appendigaster is a cosmopolitan wasp that deposits eggs in the oothecae of some species of cockroaches; its larvae then consume the cockroach eggs and embryos. It is a candidate for the biological control of cockroaches, but little is known about its basic biology. Here we describe the external morphology of all immature stages of E. appendigaster and compare them with the larvae of related species. The life cycle of E. appendigaster includes three larval instars, each with 13 body segments. Their mouthparts were generally reduced, except for the mandibles, which were always sclerotized and toothed, and were especially robust in second-instar larvae. Antennal and mouthpart sensilla were basiconic and difficult to observe. Larvae of E. appendigaster are similar in form to other described evaniid larvae, but quite different from the two available descriptions of larvae of gasteruptiid and aulacid wasps. Further descriptions of evaniid larvae will be useful in determining how widespread this morphology is within the family, and in understanding phylogenetic relationships within Hymenoptera.

Morphological Notes on the Worker and Queen Larvae of the Thief Ant Solenopsis helena (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Brazil

Young and mature larvae of queen and workers of the thief ant, Solenopsis helena, are herein described for the first time. Specimens were treated and described by usual methods of light and scanning electron microscopy. Many of the observed characteristics confirmed traits of the thief ant larva, reinforcing the assumption that they are a distinct group from fire ants. The larva of S. helena can be recognized from other close species by details of the mouthparts, but seem extensively similar to Solenopsis molesta. These findings are useful for taxonomic studies and phylogenetic inferences.

External Morphology of the Immatures of Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The immatures of Polybia paulista Ihering were described using light and scanning electron microscopy and the results are compared with previous descriptions within the same or related wasps. This study is based on 2 whole nests collected in the municipality of Rio Claro, São Paulo, in Brazil. We have detected the existence of 5 larval instars. The main morphological alterations over development occur in the relative size of structures, yet certain structures appear with subsequent instars and become more evident later in development: increasing density in the number of body spines and papillae; the appearance of body setae in fifth-instar larvae; opening of spiracles upon second-instar larvae; 2 body shapes in fifth-instar larvae; the appearance of a lateral tooth on the mandibles of fourth instar; presence of spines on the maxillae of fifth-instar larvae; altered shape of galea and palps upon third-instar larvae from a cluster of sensilla to a conical elevation; and the appearance of spines on postmentum upon fourth-instar larvae. This way, the present study presents a detailed description of the immatures of P. paulista, and we hope the presented information can be useful to morphological, taxonomic, and phylogenetic studies.

DNA extraction from hair shafts of wild Brazilian felids and canids

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Processos difusivos generalizados

We investigate several diffusion equations which extend the usual one by considering the presence of nonlinear terms or a memory effect on the diffusive term. We also considered a spatial time dependent diffusion coefficient. For these equations we have obtained a new classes of solutions and studied the connection of them with the anomalous diffusion process. We start by considering a nonlinear diffusion equation with a spatial time dependent diffusion coefficient. The solutions obtained for this case generalize the usual one and can be expressed in terms of the q-exponential and q-logarithm functions present in the generalized thermostatistics context (Tsallis formalism). After, a nonlinear external force is considered. For this case the solutions can be also expressed in terms of the q-exponential and q-logarithm functions. However, by a suitable choice of the nonlinear external force, we may have an exponential behavior, suggesting a connection with standard thermostatistics. This fact reveals that these solutions may present an anomalous relaxation process and then, reach an equilibrium state of the kind Boltzmann- Gibbs. Next, we investigate a nonmarkovian linear diffusion equation that presents a kernel leading to the anomalous diffusive process. Particularly, our first choice leads to both a the usual behavior and anomalous behavior obtained through a fractionalderivative equation. The results obtained, within this context, correspond to a change in the waiting-time distribution for jumps in the formalism of random walks. These modifications had direct influence in the solutions, that turned out to be expressed in terms of the Mittag-Leffler or H of Fox functions. In this way, the second moment associated to these distributions led to an anomalous spread of the distribution, in contrast to the usual situation where one finds a linear increase with time

Two-colour photocurrent detection technique for coherent control of a single InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot

We present a two-colour photocurrent detection method for coherent control of a single InGaAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot. A pulse shaping technique provides a high degree of control over picosecond optical pulses. Rabi rotations on the exciton to biexciton transition are presented, and fine structure beating is detected via time-resolved measurements. (c) 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Towards coherent optical control of a single hole spin: Rabi rotation of a trion conditional on the spin state of the hole

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Fast optical preparation, control, and readout of a single quantum dot spin

We propose and demonstrate the sequential initialization, optical control, and readout of a single spin trapped in a semiconductor quantum dot. Hole spin preparation is achieved through ionization of a resonantly excited electron-hole pair. Optical control is observed as a coherent Rabi rotation between the hole and charged-exciton states, which is conditional on the initial hole spin state. The spin-selective creation of the charged exciton provides a photocurrent readout of the hole spin state.

On the Generalized Mittag-Leffler Function and its Application in a Fractional Telegraph Equation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Produção e composição bromatológica de forrageiras em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária em diferentes épocas de semeadura

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de matéria seca e a composição bromatológica de forrageiras em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária, em diferentes datas de semeadura. Foi usado delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 4x3, com quatro forrageiras - braquiária, Urochloa brizantha; capim-moa, Setaria italica; milheto, Pennisetum glaucum; e sorgo forrageiro, Sorghum bicolor - semeadas em três datas nas estações inverno/primavera e verão/outono, em sucessão à soja. O milheto e o sorgo forrageiro produziram maior quantidade de matéria seca em todas as datas de semeadura, nas duas estações de cultivo e, ao contrário da braquiária e do capim-moa, não diminuíram o teor de nutrientes digestíveis totais no inverno/primavera. Os teores de proteína bruta reduziram com o avanço das datas de semeadura no inverno/primavera e aumentaram no verão/outono, exceto para braquiária e milheto. O sorgo apresentou os menores teores de fibras em detergente neutro nas segunda e terceira datas de semeadura no inverno/primavera, e na primeira data de semeadura no verão/outono. Nas segunda e terceiras datas do inverno/primavera, o sorgo apresentou menor teor de fibras em detergente ácido. Quanto aos constituintes da parede celular, apenas os teores de hemicelulose não se alteram nas forrageiras em virtude das datas de semeadura, em ambas as estações.

Molecular detection of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in road-killed wild animals

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infections have been little studied in wild and/or domestic animals, which may represent an important indicator of the presence of the pathogen in nature. Road-killed wild animals have been used for surveillance of vectors of zoonotic pathogens and may offer new opportunities for eco-epidemiological studies of paracoccidiodomycosis (PCM). The presence of P. brasiliensis infection was evaluated by Nested-PCR in tissue samples collected from 19 road-killed animals; 3 Cavia aperea (guinea pig), 5 Cerdocyon thous (crab-eating-fox), 1 Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo), 1 Dasypus septemcinctus (seven-banded armadillo), 2 Didelphis albiventris (white-eared opossum), 1 Eira barbara (tayra), 2 Gallictis vittata (grison), 2 Procyon cancrivorus (raccoon) and 2 Sphiggurus spinosus (porcupine). Specific P. brasiliensis amplicons were detected in (a) several organs of the two armadillos and one guinea pig, (b) the lung and liver of the porcupine, and (c) the lungs of raccoons and grisons. P. brasiliensis infection in wild animals from endemic areas might be more common than initially postulated. Molecular techniques can be used for detecting new hosts and mapping 'hot spot' areas of PCM.

SYSTEMATICS, TAPHONOMY, and PALEOECOLOGY of HOMALONOTID TRILOBITES (PHACOPIDA) FROM THE PONTA GROSSA FORMATION (DEVONIAN), PARANA BASIN, BRAZIL

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)