NEW FOSSIL RECORDS OF PLEISTOCENE MARINE MOLLUSKS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Fossils of the gastropods Diodora patagonica, Zidona dufresnei, Olivancillaria carcellesi, Lamniconus lemniscatus carcellesi and the bivalve Arcinella brasiliana are registered for the first time from the outcrops of Chui Creek, on the coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul State, southernmost Brazil, together with other taxa previously known elsewhere. The specimens were collected in a shallow Pleistocene marine facies exposed at the base of the banks of the creek, in a fossil concentration possibly formed by storm events. The taxa described here live in shallow environments (with the exception of A. brasiliana and Z. dufresnei) with sandy bottoms (except for D. patagonica, T patagonica, B. odites, C. rhizophorae and A. brasiliana). The presence of L. lemniscatus carcellesi, found living today only in Uruguay and Argentina, indicates a wider distribution for this taxon during the late Pleistocene.

Nuculidae (Bivalvia) in the Cape Melville Formation, King George Island, Antarctica, with an overview of the bivalve fauna

Nuculid bivalves of the Cape Melville Formation (Early Miocene, King George Island) are reviewed. Ten bivalve taxa are listed from the formation in the families Nuculidae (two species), Sareptidae, Malletiidae, Limopsidae (two species), Limidae, Pectinidae, Hiatellidae, and Periplomatidae. The Nuculidae consist of two species of Leionucula Quenstedt, 1930. One of these, L. melvilleana n. sp., is described and the other consists of the two species named previously by Anelli et al. (2006), which are demonstrated to be synonymous and are assigned to the species Leionucula frigida (Anelli, Rocha-Campos, Santos, Perinotto & Quaglio 2006). This assemblage, dominated by protobranchs (89% of specimens), is a typical fauna of offshore soft substrates, with a few specimens transported from hard substrates nearby. The diversity of Nuculidae has decreased in the Antarctic region through the Cenozoic.

Two new genera, ten new species and new records of Amazonian Stygnidae Simon, 1879 (Opiliones: Laniatores)

As a result of recent expeditions to two mountains in the Amazon basin, Tapirapeco and Pico da Neblina, two new genera of Stygnidae, Imeri g. nov. (type species Imeri lomanhungae sp. nov.) and Jime g. nov. (type species Jime chifrudo sp. nov.), and ten new species are described: Auranus hehu sp. nov., Auranus tepui sp. nov., Imeri lomanhungae sp. nov.; Jime chifrudo sp. nov.; Stygnoplus ianomami sp. nov.; Stygnus magalhaesi sp. nov.; Stygnoplus neblina sp. nov.; Stygnoplus tapirapeco sp. nov.; Stygnus nogueirai sp. nov., Stygnus kuryi sp. nov.. Additionally, new distributional records in Amazonas (Brazil) are presented for Stygnidius guerinii Soerensen, 1932, Minax tetraspinosus Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997 and Protimesius longipalpis (Roewer, 1943). Keys for genera of Heterostygninae and Stygninae are provided.

Morphological records of oocyte maturation in the parthenogenetic tick Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae)

Oocyte maturation in the thelytokous parthenogenetic tick Amblyomma rotundatum was examined for the first time using light and scanning electron microscopy. The panoistic ovary lacks nurse and follicular cells and is a single continuous tubular structure forming a lumen delimited by the ovarian wall. Oocytes of tick species are usually classified according to cytoplasm appearance, the presence of germinal vesicle, the presence of yolk granules, and the chorion. However, for this species, we also use oocyte size as an auxiliary tool since most oocytes were in stages I-Ill and were histologically very similar. Oocytes were classified into five development stages, and specific characteristics were observed: mature oocytes with thin chorion, pedicel cells arranged forming an epithelium with two Or more oocytes attached by the same structure, and a large number of oocytes in the process of reabsorption. (C) 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Using Machine Learning Classifiers to Assist Healthcare-Related Decisions: Classification of Electronic Patient Records

Surveillance Levels (SLs) are categories for medical patients (used in Brazil) that represent different types of medical recommendations. SLs are defined according to risk factors and the medical and developmental history of patients. Each SL is associated with specific educational and clinical measures. The objective of the present paper was to verify computer-aided, automatic assignment of SLs. The present paper proposes a computer-aided approach for automatic recommendation of SLs. The approach is based on the classification of information from patient electronic records. For this purpose, a software architecture composed of three layers was developed. The architecture is formed by a classification layer that includes a linguistic module and machine learning classification modules. The classification layer allows for the use of different classification methods, including the use of preprocessed, normalized language data drawn from the linguistic module. We report the verification and validation of the software architecture in a Brazilian pediatric healthcare institution. The results indicate that selection of attributes can have a great effect on the performance of the system. Nonetheless, our automatic recommendation of surveillance level can still benefit from improvements in processing procedures when the linguistic module is applied prior to classification. Results from our efforts can be applied to different types of medical systems. The results of systems supported by the framework presented in this paper may be used by healthcare and governmental institutions to improve healthcare services in terms of establishing preventive measures and alerting authorities about the possibility of an epidemic.

Ecological aspects of the sandfly fauna (Diptera, Psychodidae) in an American cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic area under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Parana, Brazil

Introduction: An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Parana, Brazil. The ecological aspects of the phlebotomine fauna were investigated. Methods: Sandflies were sampled with automatic light traps from February 2004 to June 2006 at 25 sites in the urban and rural areas of Itambaraca, and in Porto Almeida and Sao Joaquim do Pontal. Results: A total of 3,187 sandflies of 15 species were captured. Nyssomyia neivai predominated (34.4%), followed by Pintomyia pessoai (32.6%), Migonemyia migonei (11.6%), Nyssomyia whitmani (8.8%), and Pintomyia fischeri (2.7%), all implicated in the transmission of Leishmania. Males predominated for Ny. neivai, and females for the other vector species, with significant statistical differences (p < 0.001). Nyssomyia neivai, Pi. pessoai, Ny. whitmani, Brumptomyia brumpti, Mg. migonei, and Pi. fischeri presented the highest values for the Standardized Species Abundance Index (SSAI). The highest frequencies and diversities were found in the preserved forest in Porto Almeida, followed by forests with degradation in Sao Joaquim do Pontal and Vila Rural. Conclusions: Sandflies were captured in all localities, with the five vectors predominating. Ny. neivai had its highest frequencies in nearby peridomestic environments and Pi. pessoai in areas of preserved forests. The highest SSAI values of Ny. neivai and Pi. pessoai reflect their wider dispersion and higher frequencies compared with other species, which seems to indicate that these two species may be transmitting leishmaniasis in the area.

Alien shrimps in evidence: new records of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 on the coast of So Paulo, southern Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae)

The occurrence of two alien alpheid shrimps of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 [in Leach 1813-1814], the Indo-West Pacific A. dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 and the Eastern Atlantic A. nitescens (Leach, 1813 [in Leach 1813-1814]), on the coast of the state of So Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The presence of A. dimorphus extends the range of this species in the western Atlantic farther to the south in Brazil, whereas A. nitescens is reported for the first time in the western Atlantic, representing the second alien alpheid species on this side of the Atlantic and the twenty-first decapod crustacean introduced in Brazil. We provide morphological accounts of the material examined and illustrate the most important diagnostic characters of both species. An overview of the possible mechanisms of their introduction on the coast of So Paulo is also provided.