Molecular phylogeny of the freshwater prawn genus Macrobrachium (Decapoda, Palaemonidae), with emphasis on the relationships among selected American species

The genus Macrobrachium Bate, 1868 is one of the best examples of widespread crustacean genera distributed globally throughout tropical and subtropical waters. Previous investigators have noted the systematic complexity of the group, and have suggested rearrangements within the family Palaemonidae. Our phylogenetic analysis of new mitochondrial DNA sequences of 58 species of Macrobrachium distributed mainly in America support the hypothesis of monophyly of this genus, if Cryphiops Dana, 1852 is accepted as a generic synonym. We concluded that the independent evolution of different types of life cycle (abbreviated larval development-ALD and extended larval development-ELD) must have occurred more than once in the history of the group. Similarly, we also concluded that the current type species of the genus, Macrobrachium americanum Bate, 1868, should not be considered valid, as previously proposed. The synonymy of two members of the `olfersi` species complex (M. birai Lobao, Melo&Fernandes, 1986 and M. holthuisi Genofre&Lobao, 1978) with M. olfersi (Wiegmann, 1836) was confirmed. Similar results were found in comparing M. petronioi Melo, Lobao&Fernandes, 1986 and M. potiuna (Muller, 1880), in which the genetic divergence placed M. petronioi within the level of intraspecific variation of M. potiuna. The taxonomic status of the genus Cryphiops, as well as theories on the origin of Macrobrachium, is also called into question.

Relationships between pet ownership and health: Asking questions and passing criticisms

The literature examining purported relationships between ownership of companion animals and health is extremely heterogeneous. While much of the descriptive literature tends to support benefits of animal companionship, large scale, controlled research yields inconsistent and even contradictory findings on several issues, including associations with cardiovascular disease, mood and wellbeing. In an analysis of a large longitudinal data-set from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a prospective study of a nationally representative sample of more than 12,000 older women, difficulties with disentangling the effects of powerful demographic variables and age-related factors from the specific effects of pet ownership became apparent. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses demonstrated that associations between mental and physical health and pet ownership as well as changes in pet ownership over time were weak and inconsistent compared to the large effects of living arrangements and other demographic variables. As sociodemographic variables relate strongly to both health and opportunities for pet ownership, this high level of confounding means it is unlikely that the impact of the specific variable of pet ownership on health can be ascertained from such studies. Rather, well-designed experimental studies, wherein the majority of such confounding variables can be held constant or at least somewhat controlled, are needed.

Mitochondrial genome data alone are not enough to unambiguously resolve the relationships of Entognatha, Insecta and Crustacea sensu lato (Arthropoda)

An analysis of the relationships of the major arthropod groups Was undertaken using mitochondrial genome data to examine the hypotheses that Hexapoda is polyphyletic and that Collembola is more closely related to branchiopod crustaceans than insects. We sought to examine the sensitivity of this relationship to outgroup choice, data treatment. gene choice and optimality criteria used in the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genome data. Additionally we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of ail archaeognathan, Nesomachilis australica. to improve taxon selection in the apterygote insects, a group poorly represented in previous mitochondrial phylogenies. The sister group of the Collembola was rarely resolved in our analyses with a significant level of support. The use of different outgroups (myriapods, nematodes, or annelids + mollusks) resulted in many different placements of Collembola. The way in which the dataset was coded for analysis (DNA, DNA with the exclusion of third codon position and as amino acids) also had marked affects on tree topology. We found that nodal Support was spread evenly throughout the 13 mitochondrial genes and the exclusion of genes resulted in significantly less resolution in the inferred trees. Optimality criteria had a much lesser effect on topology than the preceding factors; parsimony and Bayesian trees for a given data set and treatment were quite similar. We therefore conclude that the relationships of the extant arthropod groups as inferred by mitochondrial genomes are highly vulnerable to outgroup choice, data treatment and gene choice, and no consistent alternative hypothesis of Collembola's relationships is supported. Pending the resolution of these identified problems with the application of mitogenomic data to basal arthropod relationships, it is difficult to justify the rejection of hexapod monophyly, which is well supported on morphological grounds. (c) The Willi Hennig Society 2004.

Intergeneric phylogenetic relationships in catfishes of the Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with the description of Fonchiiloricaria nanodon: a new genus and species from Peru

Recent investigations in the upper Rio Huallaga in Peru revealed the presence of an intriguing species of the Loricariinae. To characterize and place this species within the evolutionary tree of the subfamily, a molecular phylogeny of this group was inferred based on the 12S and 16S mitochondrial genes and the nuclear gene F-reticulon4. The phylogeny indicated that this distinctive species was a member of the subtribe Loricariina. Given its phylogenetic placement, and its unusual morphology, this species is described as a new genus and new species of Loricariinae: Fonchiiloricaria nanodon. This new taxon is diagnosed by usually possessing one to three premaxillary teeth that are greatly reduced; lips with globular papillae on the surface; the distal margin of lower lip bearing short, triangular filaments; the premaxilla greatly reduced; the abdomen completely covered by plates, with the plates between lateral abdominal plates small and rhombic; a caudal fin with 14 rays; the orbital notch absent; five lateral series of plates; dorsal-fin spinelet absent; preanal plate present, large and solid, and of irregular, polygonal shape, the caudal peduncle becoming more compressed posteriorly for the last seven to 10 plates. (C) 2011 The Authors Journal of Fish Biology (C) 2011 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Constituents of glandular trichomes of Tithonia diversifolia: Relationships to herbivory and antifeedant activity

The herbivory activity of the bordered patch larvae (Chlosyne lacinia, Lepidoptera) on leaves of a Brazilian population of Tithonia diversifolia and the antifeedant potential of its leaf rinse extract were investigated. The caterpillars fed only on the adaxial face, where the density of glandular trichomes is very low, and avoided the abaxial face, which contains high levels of trichomes. Deterrent activity against the larvae was observed in leaf discs treated with leaf rinse extract at concentrations of 1-5% of fresh leaf weight. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated that sesquiterpene lactones are the main constituents of the glandular trichomes. Dichloromethane rinse extracts of the leaves and inflorescences were chemically investigated, and 16 compounds were isolated and identified: 14 sesquiterpene lactones, a flavonoid and a diterpenoid. In this study, five sesquiterpene lactones are described for the first time in the genus, including two lactones, one of which has an unusual seco-guaianolide skeleton. Our findings indicate that the caterpillars avoid the sesquiterpene-lactone-rich glandular trichomes, and provide evidence for the antifeedant activity of the dichloromethane leaf rinse extract. In addition, a study of the seasonal variation of the main constituents from the leaf surface throughout a year demonstrated that a very low qualitative but a very high quantitative variation occurs. The highest level of the main metabolite tagitinin C was observed between September and October and the lowest was from March to June, the later corresponding to the period of highest infestation by the larvae. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Species richness, abundance, and body size relationships from a neotropical chironomid assemblage: Looking for patterns

We investigated two of the most studied relationships in the macroecological research program (species richness vs. body size and abundance vs. body size) of a local chironomid assemblage from southeastern Brazil. Although numerous Studies have examined these relationships, few have investigated how they vary at different temporal scales. We used data from a forested stream to document and examine these patterns at monthly intervals. Both the species body size distribution and the abundance-body size relationship varied temporally. In some months the body size distribution was skewed to the right. whereas in others it approached normality. We Found both linear relationships (with different values of slopes). and a polygonal pattern in the abundance-body size relationship. This temporal variation was not related to environmental variables. Our results suggest that body size relationships are temporally instable properties of this chironomid assemblage. (C) 2007 Gesellschaft fur Okologie. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Re-dating mid-Holocene betelnut (Areca catechu L.) and other plant use at Dongan, Papua New Guinea

Direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating of anaerobically preserved plant remains from the Dongan site in New Guinea, combined with assessment of preservation condition, confirms earlier doubts about the antiquity of betel-nut (Areca catechu L.) found at the site. A possible sago leaf fragment is also identified as a modem contaminant. The mid-Holocene age of other fruit and nut remains is verified using these methods. The utility of AMS dating in combination with detailed archaeobotanical assessment is demonstrated, thus improving chronometric hygiene and with it knowledge of past plant use in Oceania.

Dating the dreaming? Creation of myths and rituals for mounds along the northern Australian coastline

Shell mounds ceased to be built in many parts of coastal northern Australia about 800-600 years ago. They are the subject of stories told by Aboriginal people and some have been incorporated in ritual and political activities during the last 150 ears. These understandings emerged only after termination of the economic and environmental system that created them, 800-600 years ago, in a number of widely separated coastal regions, Modern stories and treatments of these mounds by Aboriginal people concern modern or near-modern practices. Modern views of the mounds, their mythological and ritual associations, may be explained by reference to the socioeconomic transitions seen in the archaeological record; but the recent cultural, social and symbolic statements about these places cannot inform us of the process or ideology concerned with the formation of the mounds. Many Aboriginal communities over the last half a millennium actively,formed understandings of new landscapes and systems of land use. Attempts to impose historic ideologies and cosmologies on earlier times fail to acknowledge the magnitude and rate of economic and ideological change on the tropical coastline of Australia.

The systematics and biology of the south African gall-inducing scale insect, Calycicoccus merwei brain (Hemiptera : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

The scale insect genus Calycicoccus Brain has a single described species, C. merwei Brain, which is endemic to southeastern South Africa. Females of C. merwei induce small, mostly conical galls on the foliage of their host tree, Apodytes dimidiata E. Meyer ex Arn. (Icacinaceae), which has a wider, mostly coastal distribution, than that currently known for the scale insect. Calycicoccus has been placed in the family Eriococcidae and may be related to the South American genus Aculeococcus Lepage. No other native eriococcid species have been described so far in South Africa, although the family is diverse in other Gondwanan regions. This paper summarizes the biology of C. merwei, redescribes the adult female, describes the adult male, the second-instar female and the first-instar nymphs for the first time, and reconsiders the phylogenetic relationships of the genus. The adult female is shown to have unusual abdominal segmentation, in that segment I is present both dorsally and ventrally, but a segment is absent ventrally on the middle abdomen. First-instar nymphs are sexually dimorphic; males have a larger and relatively narrower body, larger mouthparts, longer antennae and legs, and more thoracic dorsal setae compared with females. Molecular data from nuclear small-subunit ribosomal DNA (18S) and elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1a) show C. merwei to have no close relatives among the Eriococcidae sampled to date. Instead, the Calycicoccus lineage is part of a polytomy near the base of the Eriococcidae. Molecular dating of the node suggests that the Calycicoccus lineage diverged from other eriococcids more than 100 Mya. These data support the placement of Calycicoccus as the only genus in the subfamily Calycicoccinae Brain.

Phylogenetic relationships and uncertain taxonomy of Pedomicrobium species

The phylogenetic relationships among the species of the genus Pedomicrobium were studied by comparing their 16S rRNA sequences, The Pedomicrobium species form a coherent phylogenetic cluster within the genera of the hyphal budding bacteria in the alpha-Proteobacteria. The sequences of two strains of Pedomicrobium australicum were obtained from DNAs extracted from nonviable freeze-dried cells, which are the only source of material available, and were found to be almost identical (level of similarity, 99.9%), Overall, the Pedomicrobium species are closely related, with sequence similarities ranging from 96.2 to 99.9%, Pedomicrobium manganicum is phylogenetically the most distantly related species and exhibits the lowest similarity (96.2%) with Pedomicrobium americanum, Australian isolate Pedomicrobium sp, strain ACM 3067, P, americanum, and P, australicum are all very highly related, with similarities greater than 99%, Pedomicrobium sp, strain ACM 3067 is most closely related to P, australicum (level of similarity, 99.6%) and P, americanum (99.4%), These manganese-oxidizing species are more closely related to the iron-oxidizing species Pedomicrobium ferrugineum than to the other manganese-oxidizing species, P, manganicum. Taxonomic uncertainties resulting from the loss of the type culture of P, australicum are discussed.

Predicting relationships between speed and accuracy of targetting movements is important

While explaining a large proportion of any variance, accounts of the speed and accuracy of targetting movements use techniques (e.g., log transforms) that typically reduce variability before ''explaining'' the data. Therefore the predictive power of such accounts are important. We consider whether Plamondon's model can account for kinematics of targetting movements of clinical populations.

Self-Esteem, Confidence, and Relationships in Brazilian Men with Erectile Dysfunction Receiving Sildenafil Citrate: A Randomized, Parallel-Group, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Brazil

Psychosocial manifestations of erectile dysfunction (ED) differ across cultures. Understanding the treatment response to ED medications within cultural groups can aid in resource allocation and in developing treatment strategies. Evaluate the effect of sildenafil treatment on self-esteem, confidence, and sexual relationship satisfaction in Brazilian men with ED. The Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire, a validated, 14-question instrument developed to specifically address self-esteem and relationship issues within the context of ED. Men aged 18 years or older with a clinical diagnosis of ED (<= 21 on the Sexual Health Inventory for Men) and in a stable relationship with a partner during the study were eligible. The primary end point was a change from baseline in the self-esteem subscale of the SEAR questionnaire. Thirteen Brazilian sites participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of sildenafil treatment for ED. Patients were randomized to receive either 50 mg of sildenafil (adjustable to 25 mg or 100 mg based on patient response) or matching placebo approximately 1 hour before anticipated sexual activity but not more than once a day. At the end of double-blind treatment, 63 and 66 patients in the placebo and sildenafil groups, respectively, from 13 Brazilian sites were assessed for efficacy. Brazilian patients receiving sildenafil had significantly greater improvements in their scores on the SEAR self-esteem subscale (42.9 [95% confidence interval 35.7-50.0]) compared with placebo (21.1 [95% confidence interval 13.7-28.6]; P < 0.0001). Effect sizes ranged from 0.91 to 1.25 for individual SEAR components. The psychosocial parameters in Brazilian men with ED assessed by the SEAR questionnaire showed significant improvements in self-esteem, confidence, and relationships after treatment with sildenafil. Glina S, Damiao R, Abdo C, Afif-Abdo J, Tseng L-J, and Stecher V. Self-esteem, confidence, and relationships in Brazilian men with erectile dysfunction receiving sildenafil citrate: A randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Brazil. J Sex Med 2009;6:268-275.