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This paper describes blistering of rhenium following 21 keV He-ion irradiation at temperatures between 300 K and 1200 K. Blistering starts at 300 K at a dose of 3×10 ions/cm. The most probable blister diameter varies from 4400 Å at 300 K to 10100 Å at 1200 K. The blister depth τ, the blister diameter φ and the blister height h show a distribution. From the observations one could derive the following relationships: h = 0.35φ; τ=3.43φ. The erosion yield E due to blistering is function of dose E =0.51 atoms/ion at 3×10 ions/cm, E =0.56 atoms/ion at 6×10 ions/cm and E =0.14 atoms/ion at 3×10 ions/cm. The sputtering yield S (21 keV) is estimated to be ∼0.1 atom/ion. The corresponding surface regression is 44Å at 3×10 ions/cm and 1323 Å at 9×10 ions/cm. Surface regression has therefore little influence on the observations at low doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

POPULATION dynamics and INSECTICIDES

TOXICITY testing and INSECTICIDES

NITROGEN fixation, CYANOBACTERIA, MARINE biology, and MICROBIOLOGY

REPRODUCTION and LONGEVITY

CYANOBACTERIA, NITROGEN fixation, and PHOTOSYNTHESIS

COWPEA, VIGNA, HEMIPTERA, INSECT development, CULTIVARS, DISEASE resistance of plants, and EFFECT of temperature on plants

The growth and development of Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stäl (Hemiptera: Coreidae) and Maruca testulalis Geyer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were studied under laboratory conditions using three cultivated Vigna varieties (IT84E-124, TVu 1890, MRx 10-85S) and one wild variety (TVNu 72) under a range of temperatures: 19°C, 22°C, 25°C, 28°C, 31°C, 34°C, 37°C, 40°C and 43°C. IT84E-124 served as the susceptible and TVNu 72 as the resistant control for both insects. Development time of C. tomentosicollis ranged between 7 days at 37°C to 26 days at 19°C, and decreased with increasing temperature up to an upper temperature threshold of 37°C. The lower temperature threshold for development of C. tomentosicollis was estimated from regression curves to be ca 18.5°C, while the upper threshold was between 34°C and 37°C, the point where nymphal survivorship started to decline. Although 19°C and 22°C gave 90% and 80% survival, respectively, the duration of development at these temperatures was almost twice that reported under field conditions. Adult weights followed an inverse relationship with temperature. Third instar larvae of M. testulalis, obtained after rearing on artificial diet for 7 days prior to feeding on the plants, began to pupate 3 days after infestation at 28, 31 and 34°C. However, adults were obtained only at 22°C and 28°C. Temperatures above 34°C were lethal to the larvae which dried out prior to pupating. The lower temperature threshold determined by regression for pupae was 15.6°-17.8°C on both IT84E-124 and MRx 10-85S. Upper temperature threshold was estimated to be between 28 and 34°C at which no adult emergence was obtained. Female pupae were larger than males and temperature did not appear to influence sex ratio. Thermal requirements, expressed in degree days (DD), increased with temperature for C. tomentosicollis up to 31°C on all varieties. Degree days for M. testulalis pupae were of a lower magnitude than those computed for C. tomentosicollis. Zusammenfassung Entwicklungsprofile zweier Schädlinge an resistenten und empfindlichen Vigna-Genotypen bei konstanten Temperaturen Es wurden Wachstum und Entwicklung von Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stäl (Hem., Coreidae) und Maruca testulalis Geyer (Lep., Pyralidae) unter Laborbedingungen bei Verwendung von 3 kultivierten Vigna-Varietäten (IT84E-124, TVu 1890, MRx 10-85S) und einer Wildwuchs-Varietät (TVNu 72) bei konstanten Temperaturen von 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40 und 43°C untersucht. IT84E-124 diente als empfindliche und TVNu 72 als resistente Kontrolle für die beiden Insekten. Die Entwicklungszeit von C. tomentosicollis betrug zwischen 7 Tagen bei 37°C bis 26 Tagen bei 19°C und nahm mit ansteigender Temperatur ab bis zur oberen Temperaturgrenze von 37°C. Die untere Temperaturgrenze ergab sich aus den Regressionskurven zu 18,5°C, die obere lag zwischen 34 und 37°C. Bei letzterer Temperatur begann die Überlebensfähigkeit der Nymphen zu sinken. Obgleich bei 19 und 27°C die Überlebensquoten noch bei 90% und 80% lagen, war die Entwicklungsdauer bei diesen Temperaturen doppelt so lang wie unter Freilandverhältnissen. Die Gewichte der Adulten folgten einer inversen Beziehung zur Temperatur. Die Drittlarven von M. testulalis, die aus der Zucht mit künstlicher Diät 7 Tage früher als bei normaler Pflanzenernährung gewonnen wurden, begannen mit der Verpuppung 3 Tage nach Beeinflussung durch Temperaturen zwischen 28 und 34°C. Jedoch wurden Adulte nur aus Zuchten bei 22 und 28°C gewonnen. Temperaturen über 34°C waren für die Larven letal; diese starben vor der Verpuppung ab. Die untere Temperaturgrenze lag (It. Regressionskurven) zwischen 15,6 und 17,8°C bei beiden Varietäten IT84E-124 und MRx 10-85S. Die obere Temperaturgrenze wurde zwischen 28 und 34°C ermittelt. Die weiblichen Puppen waren größer als die männlichen. Die Temperatur beeinflußte das Geschlechterverhältnis nicht. Die Temperaturbedingungen, ausgedrückt in Tages-Graden (degree days DD) nahmen mit ansteigender Temperatur für C. tomentosicollis bis zu 31°C auf allen Varietäten zu. Die DD-Werte für M. testulalis-Puppen waren geringer als jene von C. tomentosicollis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TESTING, QUALITY, ELECTRONICS, RELIABILITY in engineering, MATHEMATICAL optimization, and MAINTAINABILITY (Engineering)

A new technique for reliability and quality optimization of electronic components and assemblies, the so called in situ accelerated ageing technique with electrical testing, is presented. This technique is extremely useful for the building-in approach to quality and reliability. First, it can be used to optimize an electronic component or assembly with respect to its quality and reliability performance at a very early stage, i.e. at the design level, at the level of materials selection, and at the level of identifying production techniques and defining production parameters. The typical test time is of the order of 24 hours, which is sufficiently short to allow a design of experiments type approach to quality and reliability optimization. Furthermore, the technique is also very useful for obtaining a deeper understanding of the physico-chemical processes which lead to failure. A number of practical examples where the technique has been successfully applied are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INSECT host plants, SOYBEAN diseases & pests, COWPEA, COREIDAE, LEGUME diseases & pests, SEED pods, and INSECT food

Suitability of the pods of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill) as food for Clavigralla tomentosicollis was determined in the laboratory using development, food substitution and host switch experiments. On soybean pods, nymphs survived for 8 days and adults for 12 days; on cowpea, all nymphal instars developed into adults and lived for 80-100 days. Teneral adults that were switched from cowpea to soybean lost weight, while adults that were moved from soybean to cowpea gained weight with slight differences between the sexes. The shortest critical survival threshold (duration with at least 50% survival) of adults on cowpea was greater than the longest on soybean. The likelihood of C. tomentosicollis exploiting soybean as a trophic niche in areas of tropical Africa where production of this crop is on the increase and usually contiguous with cowpea production, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIOLOGICAL pest control agents and MODELING (Sculpture)

Canatoxin is a toxic protein isolated from the jackbean, Canavalia ensiformis. The toxin injected intraperitoneally is lethal for mice and rats, however, it is inactive if given orally. In this study, Mandura sexta (L.) (Lepidoptera), Schistocerca americana (Drury) (Orthoptera), Drosophila melanogaster (L.) (Diptera), Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera), Rhodnius prolixus (Stal) (Hemiptera), and Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera) were fed on canatoxin-containing diets. No effects were seen in M. sexta, S. anericana, D. melanogaster or A. aegypti. No traces of canatoxin were found in their feces, suggesting that the protein was digested completely by these insects, which characteristically have a trypsin-based digestion. In contrast, canatoxin was lethal for insects displaying cathepsin-based digestion. Thus, for C.maculatus, a diet containing 0.25% wt:wt canatoxin caused complete inhibition of larval growth. When R. prolixus were fed on canatoxin, 2effects were seen: impairment of water excretion and increased lethality 48--96 h after feeding. The lethal effect of canatoxin in R. prolixus was blocked partially or completely when the digestion of the toxin by R. prolixus midgut enzymes was impaired. The data showed thatcanatoxin is highly toxic when ingested by some species of insects but not affecting others, probably in correlation with the characteristics of the digestive process of the insect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLANTING and RICE

Monthly plantings of the rice variety Bouake 189 were made under lowland irrigated conditions, to obtain information on the phenological and seasonal occurrence of pests and diseases on the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) research farm near Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire. Regular sampling of insect pests and observations on rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) disease infection throughout the year provided information on the occurrence of RYMV and potential insect vectors. RYMV incidence and grain yields varied depending on planting date, and for a given planting date, varied from one year to another. There was no evidence that RYMV incidence increases in successive seasons under continuous cropping. There was no significant correlation between RYMV incidence and either rainfall or wind speed. Leaf feeding damage by the beetle vector of RYMV, Trichispa sericea Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and percentage RYMV infected plants were severe in the July and August plantings in 1993, but whereas T. sericea was not observed thereafter, RYMV spread continued. The white leafhoppers Cofana spectra (Distant) and C. unimaculata (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the green leafhoppers Nephotettix spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), the spittle bug Locris rubra F. (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), the diopsids Diopsis longicornis Macquart and D. apicalis Dalman (Diptera: Diopsidae), and the grasshopper Oxy hyla Stal (Orthoptera: Acridadae) were the most abundant of the insect pests and had distinct population peaks within a year. However, population abundances were not correlated with RYMV incidence. The variability of RYMV in time and space and the potential role of weeds as alternative hosts for RYMV are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PREDATION, REPRODUCTION, LONGEVITY, and ECOLOGY

Reproduction and longevity of Podisus restralis (Stil) (Heteroptera:Pentatomidae) females, fed at different intervals were studied in the 'Nucleo de Biotecnologia Aplicada A Agropecuaria' (BIOAGRO), of the'Universidade Federal de Vigosa' (UFV), in Viqosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, at 25 t 2 deg. C, 70 t 1096 R.H. and photophase of 12 hours. Females of P. rostralis were fed with Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larva, during 24 hours, every one, two, four, eight and16 days. An inverse linear effect was found between oviposition period, egg batches/female, total number and number of eggs per day with feeding interval. Daily fed females laid more eggs (199.6) while those fed every 16 days showed lowest number of eggs (45.3). Longevity ofP. rostralis was similar in all feeding intervals. Egg oviposition rate was reduced but females of this predator maintained its longevitywhich give then higher chances to maintain themselves in the ecosystem until occurs better conditions of preys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate whether different mammographic categories of interval cancer classified according to findings at the latest screening are associated with different distributions of prognostic factors or with different survival rates. The series consisted of all patients with invasive interval cancer detected from May 1978 to August 1995 (n = 544). The tumours were evaluated with regard to age, radiological category, interval between the latest screen and diagnosis and tumour characteristics at the time of diagnosis. We investigated possible relationships between the survival rate of patients with interval cancer and the interval between the latest screen and diagnosis, tumour characteristics and radiological category of the interval tumours. The study focused on comparison of patients with true interval and missed interval cancer. Women with mammographically occult tumours were younger than those in the other radiological categories. Comparisons of true interval cancers with overlooked or misinterpreted tumours showed equal distributions of age, tumour size, TNM stage and lymph node status. The overlooked or misinterpreted tumours showed significantly higher proportions of grade-I tumours (22 vs 11 %), tumours with low S-phase fraction (SPF; 44 vs 24 %) and oestrogen receptor (ER) positive tumours (72 vs 57 %). However, analyses of survival rates disclosed no clear differences between the two radiological categories. Radiological category and interval between the latest screen and diagnosis were not genuine predictors of the prognosis in patients with invasive interval breast cancer. No certain prognostic difference existed between true interval cancers and overlooked or misinterpreted interval breast cancers, despite higher proportions of grade-I tumours, ER positive tumours and tumours with low SPF in the latter group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NITROGEN fixation and OCEAN

Explores the ecological aspects of dinitrogen fixation in the world's oceans. Diversity of dinitrogen-fixing microorganisms; Major controls on rates of oceanic dinitrogen fixation; Significance of dinitrogen fixation for the global carbon cycle; Role of human activities in the alteration of oceanic dinitrogen fixation.

Striated craniofacial and limb muscles differ in their embryological origin, regulatory program during myogenesis, and innervation. In an attempt to explore the effects of these differences on the striated muscle phenotype in humans, the expression of myosin and myosin-associated thick filament proteins were studied at the single fiber level both in the human jaw-closing masseter muscle and in two limb muscles (biceps brachii and quadriceps femoris muscles). In the masseter, unique combinations of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) and myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C) isoforms were observed at the single fiber level. Compared to the limb muscles, the MyHC isoform expression was more complex in the masseter while the opposite was observed for MyBP-C. In limb muscles, a coordinated expression of three MyHC and three MyBP-C isoforms were observed, i.e., single fibers contained one or two MyHC isoforms, and up to three MyBP-C isoforms. Also, the relative content of the different MyBP-C isoforms correlated with the MyHC isoform expression. In the masseter, on the other hand, up to five different MyHC isoforms could be observed in the same fiber, but only one MyBP-C isoform was identified irrespective MyHC isoform expression. This MyBP-C isoform had a migration rate similar to the slow MyBP-C isoform in limb muscle fibers. In conclusion, a unique myofibrillar protein isoform expression was observed in the human masseter muscle fibers, suggesting significant differences in structural and functional properties between muscle fibers from human masseter and limb muscles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TONGUE, MORPHOLOGY, COMPARATIVE anatomy, MUSCLES, and MOUTH

The muscle fibre composition of three human intrinsic tongue muscles, the longitudinalis, verticalis and transversus, was investigated in four anterior to posterior regions of the tongue using morphological and enzyme- and immunohistochemical techniques. All three muscles typically contained type I, IIA and IM/IIC fibres. Type I fibres expressed slow myosin heavy chain (MyHC), type II fibres fast MyHC, mainly fast A MyHC, whereas type IM/IIC coexpressed slow and fast MyHCs. Type II fibres were in the majority (60%), but regional differences in proportion and diameter of fibre types were obvious. The anterior region of the tongue contained a predominance of relatively small type II fibres (71%), in contrast to the posterior region which instead showed a majority of larger type I and type IM/IIC fibres (66%). In general, the fibre diameter was larger in the posterior region. This muscle fibre composition of the tongue differs from those of limb, orofacial and masticatory muscles, probably reflecting genotypic as well as phenotypic functional specialization in oral function. The predominance of type II fibres and the regional differences in fibre composition, together with intricate muscle structure, suggest generally fast and flexible actions in positioning and shaping the tongue, during vital tasks such as mastication, swallowing, respiration and speech.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLANT chemical defenses, VIGNA, and COREIDAE

The effects of secondary metabolites in different Vigna species on the development of Clavigralla tomentosicollis were investigated in an artificial seed system using different fractions of crude pod extracts, while the orientation response of this pod-bug to volatile extracts was studied using a dual-choice olfactometer. Feeding on the neutral fraction extracts, in contrast to the basic and acidic fractions, resulted in significantly higher mortalities, longer total developmental time, and lower growth index of the insects in comparison with controls. All volatile extracts elicited an avoidance reaction by C. tomentosicollis, except the volatile from the susceptible genotype IT84S-2246 which generally attracted as many insects as controls. Extracts from wild Vigna species showed higher activity than those from their cultivated relatives. The present study which has established that most secondary metabolites in cowpea pods were localized in the neutral fraction of the crude extract, could facilitate experiments on the separation and characterization of the toxic factors involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ELECTRICAL steel, ELECTRICAL engineering materials, SILICON steel, STEEL, IRON, and STEEL alloys

The results of investigation of the relation between the grain size in the intermediate stages of manufacturing electrical steel and various physical characteristics are given. The investigations are carried out for the purpose of clarifying the possibility of using these characteristics for arranging nondestructive testing of the grain size in the process of steel manufacturing. The paper contains the results of tests performed with the use of the methods of measuring the leakage magnetic fields on the grain boundaries by means of yttrium iron garnet films employed for visualization of the magnetic fields, the Barkhausen effect, the ultrasonic and eddy-current methods, the electromagnetic-acoustic conversion (EMAC) method, and the use of the relation between the grain size and the value of the coercive force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COWPEA, LEGUMES, DEFOLIATION, PLANT canopies, SEED disinfection, EFFECT of temperature on plants, and PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of temperature

Pottedcowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., plants were used to determine the effects of defoliation and pod position relative to the leaf canopy on infestation and damage by the coreid pod-bugs Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål and Anoplocnemis curvipes (F.). Temperature measurements were taken within and outside the canopy to determine whether there was a correlation to seed damage. Seed damage decreased significantly with increasing defoliation in plants infested with C. tomentosicollis; an inverse trend was observed with A. curvipes. Temperatures within the canopy increased as the number of leaves decreased. As observed in the defoliation experiment, C. tomentosicollis and A. curvipes reacted differently in a free-choice situation between pods located outside or within the canopy. Significantly higher numbers of C. tomentosicollis concealed themselves within the canopy, where they caused more severe damage to seeds, in comparison with numbers and damage outside the canopy. These trends were reversed for A. curvipes. There was a significant negative correlation between percentage of seed damage and temperature with C. tomentosicollis, and a significant positive correlation with A. curvipes, both in defoliated plants and those with pods distributed outside and within the canopy. Overall, plants with less dense canopy, and long peduncles holding pods outside the canopy showed some resistance to C. tomentosicollis, which is the most damaging pod bug on cowpea. Because such cowpea plants harbor fewer C. tomentosicollis, they are likely to suffer less overall damage from infestation by the complex of pod bugs that occur concurrently in cowpea fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTERTIDAL ecology, SEDIMENTATION & deposition, POLYMERIC composites, DIATOMS, and ALGAE

The sediment-stabilizing effect of benthic diatoms was investigated in a laboratory setting. Axenic cultures of the benthic diatoms Nitzschia cf. brevissima and Cylindrotheca closterium were inoculated in Petri dishes containing sand and incubated under axenic conditions. By ensuring aseptic routines throughout the experiments, interference from other organisms occurring with diatoms in natural photothrophic biofilms was avoided. This allowed the examination of the role of benthic diatoms in sediment stabilization. Increases in the critical erosion shear stress of the sediment were observed in the presence of both diatom taxa relative to sterile sediment. However, N. cf. brevissima was more effective than C. closterium. Values of critical shear stress in the experimental system were in the same range as those observed in natural biofilms, which indicates that diatoms are important agents for biogenic stabilization. Extracellular carbohydrate contents in the microcosms were similar for both diatom species. However, in the presence of N cf. brevissima, extracellular carbohydrate correlated significantly to critical shear stress, explaining up to 80% of the variation, whereas this was not the case for C. closterium. Therefore, it was concluded that the quantity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) alone did not explain the biogenic stabilization. Observed adsorption of EPS to sediment particles depended on the relative amount of uronic acids in the exopolymers. Using fluorescently labeled lectins, confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that EPS secretion by N. cf. brevissima resulted in ordered three-dimensional matrix structures. It is suggested that the structuring of EPS plays an prominent role in the process of biostabilization, and that diatoms such as N. cf. brevissima are actively involved in producing the structure of EPS, whereas others such as C. closterium do not do so to the same extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BREAST cancer, CANCER in women, CANCER treatment, THERAPEUTICS, TAMOXIFEN, TUMOR growth, and ESTROGEN

Background: Subgroups of breast cancer that have an impaired response to endocrine treatment, despite hormone receptor positivily, are still poorly defined. Breast cancer can be subdivided according to standard pathological parameters including histological type, grade, and assessment of proliferation. These parameters are the net result of combinations of genetic alterations effecting tumour behaviour and could potentially reflect subtypes that respond differently to endocrine treatment. Aims: To investigate the usefulness of these parameters as predictors of the response to tamoxifen in premenopausal women with breast cancer. Materials/methods: Clinically established pathological parameters were assessed and related to the tamoxifen response in 500 available tumour specimens from 564 premenopausal patients with breast cancer randomised to either two years of tamoxifen or no treatment with 14 years of follow up. Proliferation was further evaluated by immunohistochemical Ki-67 expression. Results: Oestrogen receptor positive ductal carcinomas responded as expected to tamoxifen, whereas the difference in recurrence free survival between control and tamoxifen treated patients was less apparent in the relatively few lobular carcinomas. For histological grade, there was no obvious difference in treatment response between the groups. The relation between proliferation and tamoxifen response seemed to be more complex, with a clear response in tumours with high and low proliferation, whereas tumours with intermediate proliferation defined by Ki-67 responded more poorly. Conclusions: Clinically established pathology parameters seem to mirror the endocrine treatment response and could potentially be valuable in future treatment decisions for patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MALONDIALDEHYDE, PEROXIDATION, CRYOBIOLOGY, and ALCOHOLS (Chemical class)

Abstract: Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a widely used marker of oxidative lipid injury whose concentration varies in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Commonly, MDA is quantified as a strong light-absorbing and fluorescing adduct following reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA). However, plant tissues in particular contain many compounds that potentially interfere with this reaction and whose concentrations also vary according to the tissue type and stress conditions. As part of our studies into the stress responses of plant tissues, we were interested in developing a rapid, accurate, and robust protocol for MDA analysis using reverse-phased HPLC to avoid these problems with reaction specificity. We demonstrate that a partitioning step into n-butanol during sample preparation is essential and that gradient HPLC analysis is necessary to prevent sample carryover between injections. Furthermore, the starting composition of the mobile phase must be sufficiently hydrophobic to allow direct injection of the n-butanol extracts without peak splitting, tailing, and other artifacts. To minimize analysis times, we used a short, so-called “Rocket” HPLC column and high flow rates. The optimized HPLC separation has a turnaround time of 2.5min per sample. Butanolic extracts of MDA(TBA)2 were stable for at least 48h, and recoveries were linear between 0.38 and 7.5pmol MDA added. Importantly, this procedure proved to be compatible with existing extraction procedures for l-ascorbate and glutathione analysis in different plant species, allowing multiple “stress metabolite” analyses to be carried out on a single tissue extract. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CHAGAS' disease, RHODNIUS prolixus, RHODNIUS, CONENOSES, TRYPANOSOMIASIS, LIFE expectancy, LIFE spans, and LIFE (Biology)

Rhodnius prolixus Stål (Reduviidae: Rhodninii) is one of the most important vectors of Chagas disease. As a result of its medical importance, several life history studies have been carried out, but in general with a restricted demographical scope, without assessing the potential tradeoffs in the life history of this insect. In this study, individuals of R. prolixus were kept in two spatially different habitats and several fitness components were measured. The results show that life expectancy in adults is negatively correlated with gross fecundity, indicating a cost of reproduction. Life expectancy is shorter for males and longer for individuals of the same sex in the more complex habitat, where the fitness is lower compared with that of the simpler habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ANIMAL classification, ANIMAL species, IDENTIFICATION of animals, HEMIPTERA, and INSECTS

A male of Tettigonia vitripennis Germar--deposited in the recently rediscovered Germar Hemiptera collection, in the Ivan Franko National University (Ukraine)--is designated as the lectotype and assumed to be erroneously labeled as from Brazil. Homalodisca vitripennis is considered a senior synonym of Tettigonia coagulata syn. nov. and therefore should be used as the scientific name for the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a major vector of the bacterial Pierce's disease of grapes, phony peach disease, plum leaf scald, and oleander leaf scorch in southern United States and northern Mexico. The previously designated type species of Homalodisca Stål, Cicada triquetra F., was found to be mistaken by Stål for C. triangularis F., which is herein fixed as the new type species of this economically important genus. Propetes triquetra comb. nov., previously known only from an unknown locality in South America, is newly recorded from Brazil (Mato Grosso and Pará states). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AGRICULTURAL pests, INSECT anatomy, INSECT physiology, INSECT metamorphosis, INSECT development, and DEVELOPMENTAL biology

The five immature stages of Agonoscelis puberula Stål are described and illustrated; biological notes and a new host plant, Leonotis nepefifolia (L.) are also recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEEM, CERCOPIDAE, PLANT products, PESTICIDES, PLANT fibers, NYMPHS (Insects), PEST control, HOMOPTERA, and AGRICULTURAL chemicals

Copyright of Journal of Economic Entomology is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SALIVARY glands, DIGESTIVE enzymes, HEMIPTERA, PLANT parasites, and COWPEA

The salivary glands of the cowpea pod-sucking bugs Anoplocnemis curvipes (Fabricius), Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål, Clavigralla shadabi Dolling, Riptortus dentipes (Fabricius) and Mirperus jaculus (Thunberg) are described and illustrated. Extracts of the glands were assayed for the presence of proteinases, α-amylase, β-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The salivary glands consist of four-lobed principal glands and a tubular accessory gland, and they differ in shape and size among the different species except for the median lobe, which is more or less spherical. The sickle-shaped nature of the posterior lobe reported before for Riptortus linearis (Linnaeus) was also observed in R. dentipes, suggestive of a probable generic characteristic. Anoplocnemis curvipes has the biggest salivary gland, and it is followed by R. dentipes, M. jaculus, C. tomentosicollis and C. shadabi in descending order. Assays of the gland extracts revealed that the four digestive enzymes tested are present in the five coreoid species. Proteinases were preponderant (1.4-94.9 µg/ml), while amylases were detected in traces [(0.5-11.0) x 10-3 µg/ml]. Proteinases may be largely responsible for the feeding damage caused by the coreoid species and their concentration in the glands of the different species correlates well with their known capacity to inflict pod damage and yield reduction in cowpea. Fourth instar nymphs of the different species also had higher concentrations of the digestive enzymes compared with their respective adults; and this correlates with the known ability of the nymphs to cause greater pod damage and yield reduction than adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EXPERIMENTAL agriculture, PLANT extracts, COWPEA, CONTROL of agricultural pests & diseases, INSECT pests, and FRUIT

Field experiments were conducted under rain fed conditions in two seasons to test the effectiveness of seven different plant extract mixtures for management of Maruca vitrata (Fab.) and Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stal on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. The application of 10:10% w/w of peels of Citrus sinensis + Gmelina arborea leaf extracts, fruits of Capsicum annum + Eucalyptus citriodora leaf extracts, and peels of C. sinensis + Ocimum gratissimum leaf extracts were effective in reducing the incidences of M. vitrata and C.tomentosicollis on flowers and pods of cowpea, respectively. Grain yield was subsequently increased by 3.2 - 3.5× in plots treated with these extract mixtures compared with the control check. Although, the mixtures of peels of C. sinensis + Azadirachta indica leaf, fruits of C. annum + A. indica leaf, and peels of C. sinensis + Vernonia amygdelina leaf extracts were inferior to the extracts mixtures mentioned above in effecting reasonable control of the test insect pests, they were significantly superior to the control check in the two seasons of study. The mixtures of C. sinensis + G. arborea, C. annum + E. citriodora, and C. sinensis + O. gratissimum extracts could play an important role in crop pest management for small holder farms in tropical countries and none of the extract mixtures had any phytotoxic effect on the sprayed plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, COTTON diseases & pests, and STEREOCHEMISTRY

Research was conducted to evaluate the possibility that a plant bug damaging cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in south Texas is actually green mind, Creontiades dillutus Stål, which is the primary plant bug pest of cotton in Australia. Molecular comparisons targeting a fragment of the COl region of mitochondrial DNA were made on Creontiades specimens collected from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and specimens of green mind and brown mind, C. pacificus Stål, collected from Queensland, Australia. The emerging south Texas cotton pest is neither of the species tested from Australia; rather it is a closely related, possibly indigenous species. Further morphological systematics work is needed to identify the Creontiades species from Texas, and collection of additional specimens from several locations where it is known to occur is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ETHYLENE glycol, THERMODYNAMICS, HYDROGEN bonding, SUPRAMOLECULAR chemistry, SOLVENTS, and CHEMICAL reduction

Substitution of hydrogen bond directed supramolecular assemblies with ethylene glycol chains leads to a reduction in the association constant in apolar solvents, where the reduction of the association constant is dependent on the length of the aliphatic spacer connecting the hydrogen bonds and the ethylene glycol chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FLUID dynamics, EXCITON theory, ELECTRONIC excitation, NONLINEAR oscillations, and NONLINEAR theories

In the daily life and techniques people all time have interaction with continue media like air or water. In report motion of vibrator with constant air or water flow excitation is observed. In first part of report motion of a vibrator with constant air or water flow velocity excitation is investigated. The main idea is to find out optimal control law for variation of additional area of vibrating object within limits. For solution of the high-speed problem the maximum principle is used. It is shown that optimal control action is on bounds of area limits. Examples of synthesis real mechatronic systems are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIOCHEMISTRY, NITROGEN, NONMETALS, REVERSE transcriptase, and DNA polymerases

The marine filamentous nonheterocystous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Lyngbya aestuarii (F. K. Mert.) Liebman ex Gomont CCY 9616 was grown under diazotrophic and nondiazotrophic conditions and under an alternating 16:8 light:dark (L:D) regime. Nitrogenase activity appeared just before the onset of the dark period, reaching its maximum 1–2 h in the dark, subsequently decreasing to zero at the beginning of the following light period. Nitrogenase activity was only detected at low levels of O2 (5%) and when the culture was grown in the absence of combined nitrogen. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–PCR (RT-PCR) analysis of one of the structural genes encoding nitrogenase, nifK, showed that the highest levels of transcription preceded the maximum activity of nitrogenase by 2–4 h. nifK transcription was not completely abolished during the remaining time of the 24 h cycle. Even in the presence of nitrate, when nitrogenase activity was undetectable, nifK was still transcribed. The H2-uptake activity seemed to follow the nitrogenase, but the transcription of hupL (gene encoding the large subunit of uptake hydrogenase) preceded the nifK transcription. However, H2-uptake and hupL transcription occurred throughout the 24 h cycle as well as under nondiazotrophic conditions, albeit at much lower levels. The hoxH transcript levels (a structural gene coding for the bidirectional hydrogenase) were similar under diazotrophic or nondiazotrophic conditions but slightly higher during the dark period. All three enzymes investigated are involved in H2 metabolism. It is concluded that the uptake hydrogenase is mainly responsible for H2 uptake. Nevertheless, uptake hydrogenase and nitrogenase do not seem to be coregulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIOLOGICAL pest control, LANTANA camara, PREDICTION theory, BIOCLIMATOLOGY, SPATIAL variation, BIOLOGICAL mathematical modeling, and CHRYSOMELIDAE

Abstract: Understanding the effects of different types and quality of data on bioclimatic modeling predictions is vital to ascertaining the value of existing models, and to improving future models. Bioclimatic models were constructed using the CLIMEX program, using different data types – seasonal dynamics, geographic (overseas) distribution, and a combination of the two – for two biological control agents for the major weed Lantana camara L. in Australia. The models for one agent, Teleonemia scrupulosa Stål (Hemiptera: Tingidae) were based on a higher quality and quantity of data than the models for the other agent, Octotoma scabripennis Guérin-Méneville (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Predictions of the geographic distribution for Australia showed that T. scrupulosa models exhibited greater accuracy with a progressive improvement from seasonal dynamics data, to the model based on overseas distribution, and finally the model combining the two data types. In contrast, O. scabripennis models were of low accuracy, and showed no clear trends across the various model types. These case studies demonstrate the importance of high quality data for developing models, and of supplementing distributional data with species seasonal dynamics data wherever possible. Seasonal dynamics data allows the modeller to focus on the species response to climatic trends, while distributional data enables easier fitting of stress parameters by restricting the species envelope to the described distribution. It is apparent that CLIMEX models based on low quality seasonal dynamics data, together with a small quantity of distributional data, are of minimal value in predicting the spatial extent of species distribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

LYASES, PLANTHOPPERS, RICE, GENES, and XANTHOMONAS

A pre-infestation of the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera Horváth, conferred resistance to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae ( Xoo) in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) under both laboratory and field conditions. The infestation of another planthopper species, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stål, did not significantly reduce the incidence of bacterial blight symptoms. A large-scale screening using a rice DNA microarray and quantitative RT-PCR revealed that WBPH infestation caused the upregulation of more defence-related genes than did BPH infestation. Hydroperoxide lyase 2 ( OsHPL2), an enzyme for producing C6 volatiles, was upregulated by WBPH infestation, but not by BPH infestation. One C6 volatile, ( E)-2-hexenal, accumulated in rice after WBPH infestation, but not after BPH infestation. A direct application of ( E)-2-hexenal to a liquid culture of Xoo inhibited the growth of the bacterium. Furthermore, a vapour treatment of rice plants with ( E)-2-hexenal induced resistance to bacterial blight. OsHPL2-overexpressing transgenic rice plants exhibited increased resistance to bacterial blight. Based on these data, we conclude that OsHPL2 and its derived ( E)-2-hexenal play some role in WBPH-induced resistance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOSTS (Biology), STINKBUGS, TOMATOES, and VALLEYS

We investigated the effects of weed hosts on stink bug density and damage ( Euschistus conspersus Uhler and Thyanta pallidovirens Stal), and a nectar bearing plant on natural enemies of stink bugs in the Sacramento Valley of California. Stink bug density and fruit damage were evaluated in processing tomatoes adjacent to weedy and cultivated borders. The density of E. conspersus was significantly greater in tomatoes adjacent to weedy borders in July but not during August/September. Thyanta pallidovirens was less abundant overall (19%), but was found in significantly greater densities adjacent to cultivated borders in July but not in August/September. Mean percent fruit damage by stink bugs was greater adjacent to the weedy border than the cultivated border, but this difference was not significant. Stink bug egg parasitism and generalist predator density were evaluated in fresh market tomatoes adjacent to a sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima L.) border and an unplanted control border at three sites. Egg parasitism was significantly greater in the alyssum treatment for the 9–12 September sampling period. Jalysus wickhami VanDuzee (Hemiptera: Berytidae) density was significantly greater in the alyssum treatment in mid-June. No other significant differences in predator populations were detected. Results of these two studies show that habitat manipulations have the potential to reduce densities of E. conspersus in tomato, the first step in developing a farmscape management plan for stink bug control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COMPARTMENT syndrome, THERAPEUTICS, ANALYSIS of variance, CAPILLARIES, CHI-squared test, COMPUTER software, EXERCISE, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY, LEG, LONGITUDINAL method, MICROCIRCULATION, MUSCLES, RESEARCH funding, STRIATED muscle, T-test (Statistics), DATA analysis, CASE-control method, ANALYTICAL chemistry, PATHOLOGY, DONOR blood supply, and FASCIAE surgery

There is a paucity of data regarding the pathogenesis of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), its consequences for the muscles and the effects of treatment with fasciotomy. We analyzed biopsies from the tibialis anterior muscle, from nine patients, obtained during a decompressing fasciotomy and during follow-up 1 year later. Control biopsies were obtained from nine normal subjects. Muscle capillarity, fiber-type composition and fiber area were analyzed with enzyme- and immunohistochemistry and morphometry. At baseline, CECS patients had lower capillary density (273 vs 378 capillaries/mm, P=0.008), lower number of capillaries around muscle fibers (4.5 vs 5.7, P=0.004) and lower number of capillaries in relation to the muscle fiber area (1.1 vs 1.5, P=0.01) compared with normal controls. The fiber-type composition and fiber area did not differ, but focal signs of neuromuscular damage were observed in the CECS samples. At 1-year follow-up after fasciotomy, the fiber area and the number of fibers containing developmental myosin heavy chains were increased, but no enhancement of the capillary network was detected. Thus, morphologically, patients with CECS seemed to have reduced microcirculation capacity. Fasciotomy appeared to trigger a regenerative response in the muscle, however, without any increase in the capillary bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RHODNIUS, CONENOSES, CLASSIFICATION of insects, and SPECIES diversity

Tribe Rhodniini includes Rhodnius Stål and Psammolestes Bergroth. Enzymatic and molecular evidence suggest the tribe is monophyletic. Most species are wild, living in palms and bird nests. Traditionally both genera were considered related; nevertheless, molecular studies don't support the Rhodnius monophyly. The goal was to phylogenetically analyze morphometric variation in wing architecture in support of Rhodniini taxonomy and systematics. We photographed 524 wings of five representatives of Rhodniini: Psammolestes arthuri (Pinto) (n = 89), Rhodnius pictipes Stål (n = 21), R. robustus Larrousse (n = 24), R. prolixus Stål (n = 16), and R. neivai Lent (n = 22). As outgroups we studied four representatives of Triatomini: Eratyrus mucronatus Stål (n = 15), Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion) (n = 45), P. geniculatus (Latreille) (n = 183), and Triatoma maculata (Erichson) (n = 109). Landmark coordinate (x, y) configurations were registered and aligned by Generalized Procrustes Analysis. Covariance Analyses were implemented with proportions of re-classified groups and MANOVA. Then, wing shape variables (confidence intervals from relative warps) and centroid size were cladistically analysed. Statistical analyses of variance found not significant differences in wing isometric size (Kruskal-Wallis) among P. arthuri-R. neivai-R. pictipes; R. robustus-R. prolixus-T. maculata and between P. rufotuberculatus-P. geniculatus. The a posteriori re-classification was perfect in E. mucrunatus 100% and R. pictipes, followed by T. maculata 96%, R. neivai 95%, P arthuri 93.2%; R. prolixus 87.5%, P. geniculatus 87.4%, P. rufotuberculatus 84.4%, and R. robustus 76%. Cladistic analyses under parsimony selected two most parsimonious trees (L=4.461 IC=0.973 and IR=0.979), where the strict consensus showed a monophyletic group with Panstrongylus (rufotuberculatus + geniculatus) and Triatoma + Rhodniini (Rhodinus + Psammolestes), but internally it shows the paraphyly of Rhodnius regarding Psammolestes. The congruence between these results and previous molecular analyses in Rhodniini, reveal the phylogenetic information of our morphometric characters as support to systematic studies, allowing the combination of geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic methods for the first time in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights a study which examined the characteristics and phylogenetic relationships of the myrocheine stink bug genus Ennius Stål, with special reference to its species Ennius monteironis Distant. The bug's metathoracic scent auricle, female genitalia and male genitalia including inflated aedeagus were investigated. The Ennius species belonged to the Myrochea Stål subclade, under the Myrocheini Stål genus and Kyrtalus genera. The Ennius was found to be predominantly Ethiopian in distribution.

MICROBIAL mats, MICROBIAL aggregation, BIOMARKERS, GENE libraries, RECOMBINANT DNA, and MICROBIAL ecology

The diazotrophic community in microbial mats growing along the shore of the North Sea barrier island Schiermonnikoog (The Netherlands) was studied using microscopy, lipid biomarkers, stable carbon (δC) and nitrogen (δN) isotopes as well as by constructing and analyzing 16S rRNA gene libraries. Depending on their position on the littoral gradient, two types of mats were identified, which showed distinct differences regarding the structure, development and composition of the microbial community. Intertidal microbial mats showed a low species diversity with filamentous non-heterocystous Cyanobacteria providing the main mat structure. In contrast, supratidal microbial mats showed a distinct vertical zonation and a high degree of species diversity. Morphotypes of non-heterocystous Cyanobacteria were recognized as the main structural component in these mats. In addition, unicellular Cyanobacteria were frequently observed, whereas filamentous heterocystous Cyanobacteria occurred only in low numbers. Besides the apparent visual dominance of cyanobacterial morphotpyes, 16S rRNA gene libraries indicated that both microbial mat types also included members of the Proteobacteria and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group as well as diatoms. Bulk δN isotopes of the microbial mats ranged from +6.1‰ in the lower intertidal to −1.2‰ in the supratidal zone, indicating a shift from predominantly nitrate utilization to nitrogen fixation along the littoral gradient. This conclusion was supported by the presence of heterocyst glycolipids, representing lipid biomarkers for nitrogen-fixing heterocystous Cyanobacteria, in supratidal but not in intertidal microbial mats. The availability of combined nitrogen species might thus be a key factor in controlling and regulating the distribution of the diazotrophic microbial community of Schiermonnikoog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FOOD chains, PREDATORY animals, OXYOPIDAE, COTTON, POPULATION dynamics, and HERBIVORES

Food web studies often examine density and behaviourally mediated effects of predators on herbivores, but are less likely to assess the plant targeted by the herbivore. We conducted a study that incorporated four trophic levels examining the effect of two generalist predators (damsel bugs, Nabis kinbergii Reuter; and lynx spiders, Oxyopes molarius L. Koch) on damage to cotton bolls caused by green mirids ( Creontiades dilutus (Stål)). First we tested whether lynx spiders and damsel bugs could control mirid numbers and cotton boll damage in field cages. We found that in cages containing mirids and only lynx spiders, lynx spiders reduced both mirid numbers and boll damage. However, in cages which contained mirids and both predators (lynx spiders and damsel bugs) only mirid numbers were reduced. To explain the negative effect of damsel bugs on boll damage, we examined the interactions between lynx spiders, damsel bugs and mirids. We found that lynx spiders were better mirid predators than damsel bugs, and that lynx spiders attacked damsel bugs, but not vice versa. Behaviourally, mirids responded to increasing predator pressure regardless of whether the predators were lynx spiders or damsel bugs. However, damsel bugs seemed to alter the behaviour of lynx spiders because in their presence, a higher proportion of lynx spiders moved to the top of the plant, towards the damsel bugs but away from the bolls found lower on the plant. These results suggest that the most likely explanation for the increase in boll damage in the presence of damsel bugs was that lynx spiders moved to the top of the plant in the presence of damsel bugs, which then exposed the bolls lower down on the plant to mirid attack. This work emphasizes the importance of behaviourally mediated effects in food webs extending over four trophic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EXITIANUS, CORN diseases, LEAFHOPPERS, and INSECTS

"Corn stunt" caused by the mollicute Spiroplasma kunkelii (Whitcomb) is potentially one of the most severe diseases affecting the corn (Zea mays L.) crop in the Americas, and the leafhopper Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott) is considered its most important vector. However, other insects seen quite frequently in corn crops might well be its vectors in Argentina. To identify any leafhoppers species other than D. maidis that can transmit S. kunkelii, transmission assays were conducted, using individuals of Exitianus obscurinervis (Stål) collected in field and reared under controlled conditions. S. kunkelii was transmitted to corn plants by E. obscurirwrvis. The pathogen was transmitted to seven of the 11 plants, which showed characteristic corn stunt symptoms, and the presence of the pathogen was confirmed by DAS-ELISA. The presence of S. kunkelii in the E. obscurinervis individuals used in transmission experiments was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and electron microscopy. The current study shows the existence of a new experimental vector of S. kunkelii, the leafhopper E. obscurinervis, which acquired spiroplasmas from infected plants and inoculated it to healthy plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NOROVIRUSES, FOODBORNE diseases, TOMATOES, CUCUMBERS, VIRUS diseases, and PUBLIC health

Abstract: Foodborne viruses, especially noroviruses (NoV), are increasingly reported as the cause of foodborne outbreaks. NoV outbreaks have been reported linked to fresh soft red fruits and leafy greens. Belgium, Canada and France were the first countries to provide data about the prevalence of NoV on fresh produce. In total, 867 samples of leafy greens, 180 samples of fresh soft red fruits and 57 samples of other types of fresh produce (tomatoes, cucumber and fruit salads) were analyzed. Firstly, the NoV detection methodology, including virus and RNA extraction, real-time RT-PCR and quality controls were compared among the three countries. In addition, confirmation and genotyping of the NoV strains was attempted for a subset of NoV positive samples using conventional RT-PCR targeting an alternative region followed by sequencing. Analysis of the process control showed that 653, 179 and 18 samples of the leafy greens, soft red fruits and other fresh produce types were valid for analysis based on the recovery of the process control. NoV was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 28.2% (N=641), 33.3% (N=6) and 50% (N=6) of leafy greens tested in Canada, Belgium and France, respectively. Soft red fruits were found positive by real-time RT-PCR in 34.5% (N=29) and 6.7% (N=150) of the samples tested in Belgium and France, respectively. 55.5% (N=18) of the other fresh produce types, analyzed in Belgium, were found NoV positive by real-time RT-PCR. Conventional RT-PCR resulted in an amplicon of the expected size in 19.5% (52/266) of the NoV positive samples where this assay was attempted. Subsequent sequencing was only successful in 34.6% (18/52) of the suspected amplicons obtained by conventional RT-PCR. From this study, using the described methodology, NoV genomes were frequently detected in fresh produce however sequence confirmation was not successful for the majority of the samples tested. Infection or outbreaks were rarely or not known to be related to the NoV positive samples. With the increase in sensitivity of the detection methodology, there is an increasing concern about the interpretation of positive NoV results by real-time amplification. Strategies to confirm the results by real-time RT-PCR should be developed in analogy with the detection of microbial pathogens in foods. Detection might indicate contact with NoV in the fresh produce chain. Consequently, a potential risk for infection cannot be excluded but the actual risk from RT-PCR NoV positive produce is still unknown. Studies should be designed determining the probability of infection related to the presence or levels of NoV genomic copies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PARENTAL behavior in animals, BELOSTOMA, INSECT evolution, SEXUAL dimorphism in animals, MULTIVARIATE analysis, INSECT adaptation, and INSECTS

Current evidence suggests that sexual size dimorphism (SSD) reflects the male and female adaptation to their different reproductive roles. Belostoma and Lethocerus species, included in Belostomatidae, present different kinds of paternal care. Females of Belostoma Latreille species lay their eggs on the back of males. Males carry, aerate and protect the clutch until hatching, which is critical for offspring survival. Males of Lethocerus Mayr species exhibit some parental care behavior but do not carry the eggs. The genera are nearly related. We studied and compared the SSD patterns of B. oxyurum (Dufour), B. micantulum (Stål), B. elegans (Mayr), B. bifoveolatum Spinola, B. gestroi Montandon and Lethocerus annulipes (Herrich-Schäffer) by means of a multivariate approach to distinguish selection targets in different components of size. Morphometric analysis revealed that SSD patterns vary among traits and that the arrangements are similar in Belostoma species, showing a common trend under resembling selective mechanisms. The widespread SSD trend in insects is that all components of body size are biased towards females, generally related to a fecundity advantage, a pattern now also detected in L. annulipes. We found in Belostoma species that the male has relatively longer middle and hind legs. We propose that SSD in hind legs biased towards males is a selective response for paternal care; they denote a brood-adapted morphology. The middle leg enlargement may be an associated response to maintain effective locomotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONENOSES, PALM tree diseases & pests, TICK infestations, CHAGAS' disease, TRYPANOSOMA cruzi, and INFECTIOUS disease transmission

Copyright of EntomoBrasilis is the property of EntomoBrasilis and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

REOVIRUSES, CHINESE mitten crab, VIRION, and FRESHWATER crabs

A second type of freshwater crab reovirus has been isolated from Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, in China; we named it E. sinensis reovirus ( EsRV816). The negatively stained virion is a non-enveloped icosahedral particle, 60 ± 5 nm in diameter. Its genome is composed of 10 dsRNA linear pieces exhibiting an electrophoretic pattern of 5/3/2. The largest segment (RNA-1) was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence, corresponding to the RdRp of the virus, showed 26% identity with the RdRp of Operophtera brumata (L.) cypovirus 19 in the genus Cypovirus and 24% identity with RdRp of Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) reovirus in the genus Fijivirus. On the basis of its ultrastructure and physicochemical properties, this virus is quite different from other crab reoviruses, and particularly with another freshwater crab reovirus EsRV905, recently classified in a new genus Cardoreovirus. This virus ( EsRV816) possesses all the characters of the members of the reoviridae family and could represent a new genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STINKBUGS, DIAPAUSE, RICE diseases & pests, ANDROPOGON, PESTS, PLANT parasites, and REPRODUCTION

The rice stalk stink bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a major pest of rice crops throughout Latin America. We investigated the occurrence of diapause in T. limbativentris, as well as the role of West Indian foxtail, Andropogon bicornis L.(Poaceae), in its seasonal abundance and mortality. This plant grows spontaneously in grasslands from Mexico to Argentina, including at the edges of rice fields in southern Brazil. Tussocks of A. bicornis were collected in Eldorado do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil throughout one yr and examined to sample rice stalk stink bugs. We collected in 2,355 T. limbativentris adults from 208 tussocks, totalling 2,205 live and 150 dead individuals. Live insects were dissected to determine the reproductive stage and to assess the presence of the fat body. We describe the occurrence of imaginal diapause and the use of A. bicornis as a shelter for this rice pest. Overwintering lasted 7 mo; arrival at the refuge occurred in early autumn (late Mar); the permanence period began in Jun, and extended to the end of Sep. From Oct the population decreased gradually until total departure from the tussocks in Jan. Thus, here we highlight the role of A. bicornis as an hibernation site for T. limbativentris in southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIAGNOSIS of diabetes, KIDNEY disease diagnosis, LIVER, GENETIC polymorphisms, GENETICS, GENETIC mutation, and ANATOMY

Diabet. Med. 30, 114-117 (2013) Abstract Aims Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β ( HNF1B) mutations cause a syndrome of renal cysts and diabetes, with whole gene deletions accounting for approximately 50% of cases. The severity of the renal phenotype is variable, from enlarged cystic kidneys incompatible with life to normal renal development and function. We investigated the prevalence of HNF1B deletions in patients with diabetes but no known renal disease. Methods We tested 461 patients with familial diabetes diagnosed before 45 years, including 258 probands who met clinical criteria for maturity-onset diabetes of the young (two generations affected and at least one family member diagnosed under 25 years). A fluorescent polymerase chain reaction assay was used to analyse two intragenic polymorphic HNF1B markers and identify heterozygous patients who therefore did not have whole gene deletions. Those patients homozygous for both markers were then tested for an HNF1B deletion using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Results Heterozygous HNF1B intragenic polymorphisms were identified in 337/461 subjects. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis showed an HNF1B gene deletion in three of the remaining 124 probands, all of whom met the criteria for maturity-onset diabetes of the young. Testing of their relatives identified three additional deletion carriers and ultrasound scanning showed renal developmental abnormalities in three of these six patients. Conclusions We estimate that HNF1B mutations account for < 1% of cases of maturity-onset diabetes of the young. Although HNF1B mutations are a rare cause of diabetes in the absence of known renal disease, a genetic diagnosis of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome is important as it raises the possibility of subclinical renal disease and the 50% risk of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome in the patient's offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Give 'em structure: The presence of structuring elements in polymers that were functionalized with catalytic units resulted in a new class of enzyme mimics, which are only active in the folded state (see picture). The conformationally adaptive hydrophobic environment that surrounds the catalytic site allows the very efficient catalysis of an aldol reaction in water with Michaelis–Menten kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, COREIDAE, INSECT development, OPUNTIA, and FEROCACTUS

Narnia femorata Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae) is a leaffooted bug commonly found on Opuntia and Ferocactus cacti (Cactaceae) in southern New Mexico. Although general information has been published on the biology of this species, detailed studies are limited, particularly in America north of Mexico. Therefore, we conducted a study of this bug's life history in southern New Mexico from August 2010 to May 2012, reared the bug in the laboratory, and described the immature stages. Six prickly pear cactus plants, Opuntia phaeacantlut Engelmann, and four barrel cactus plants, Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelmann) Britton & Rose, were examined weekly to record numbers of the various life stages, adult sex ratios, and behavioral activities. Adults of this apparently bivoltine species overwintered in plant debris at the bases of their host plants. They emerged in late February to deposit eggs in rows along the underside of cactus spines. Nymphs were found from late February through late December. Nymphs of the first generation were most abundant April through June on and around developing flowers of O. phaeacantha. Those of the second generation were most abundant during August and September on maturing fruit of O. phaeacantha and developing flowers and maturing fruit of F. wislizeni. The bug also was reared from egg to adult under controlled laboratory conditions on fruit and pads of O. phaeacantha at 25 ± 0.01°C under a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. The incubation period averaged 12.70 d. The five stadia averaged 3.84, 11.00, 12.12, 17.06, and 22.94 d, respectively. Instars can be distinguished readily by differences in several morphological features in addition to body size and coloration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transfusiology & Haematology Today / Transfuze a Hematologie Dnes is the property of Czech Medical Association of JE Purkyne and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SEROTONIN transporters, SEROTONIN uptake inhibitors, POSITRON emission tomography, CEREBRAL cortex, SOCIAL psychology, and MEDICAL imaging systems

Objective: This study examined the long-term effects of fluoxetine administered to juvenile rhesus monkeys who, as young adults, were imaged with positron emission tomography for two serotonergic markers: serotonin transporter (SERT) and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor. An equal number of monkeys separated from their mothers at birth-an animal model of human childhood stress-were also studied. Method: At birth, 32 male rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to either maternal separation or normal rearing conditions. At age 2, half (N=8) of each group was randomly assigned to fluoxetine (3 mg/kg) or placebo for 1 year. To eliminate the confounding effects of residual drug in the brain, monkeys were scanned at least 1.5 years after drug discontinuation. Social interactions were assessed both during and after drug administration. Results: Fluoxetine persistently upregulated SERT, but not 5-HT1A receptors, in both the neocortex and the hippocampus. Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed that fluoxetine had a significant effect in the lateral temporal and cingulate cortices. In contrast, neither maternal separation by itself nor the rearing-by-drug interaction was significant for either marker. Fluoxetine had no significant effect on the behavioral measures. Conclusions: Fluoxetine administered to juvenile monkeys upregulates SERT into young adulthood. Implications regarding the efficacy or potential adverse effects of SSRIs in patients cannot be directly drawn from this study. Its purpose was to investigate effects of SSRIs on brain development in nonhuman primates using an experimental approach that randomly assigned long-term SSRI treatment or placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, HOST plants, RICE diseases & pests, ECHINOCHLOA, and REPRODUCTION

Obtaining eggs of Oebalus insularis Stal., for the multiplication of Telenomus podisi Ashmead depends on the quality of the food provided by diverse host plants. Therefore, the biological and reproductive performance of O. insularis on Oryza sativa L. and Echinochloa colona (L.) was determined at 28±2°C, 80 ± 5% of relative humidity and 12 hours photophase. The duration of the period of nymph eclosion until the emergence of the adult of O. insularis varied between 20,9 and 21,2 days, for O. sativa and E. colona, respectively. The longevity of the female and male of O. insularis was statistically similar on both host plants. The female longevity was higher than that shown by the male, varying between 15 and 12 days, respectively. The O. insularis female fed with E. colona presented a high number of eggs per batch, total number of eggs per female and the eclosion rate of nymphs was higher. The biological and reproductive parameters of this insect confirmed their adaptation to the alternative host E. colona, optimizing the production of eggs subjected to T. podisi parasitism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, ORYZA, PARASITOIDS, RICE, PLANTING, STINKBUGS, and PARASITES

The rice stem bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stal. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is one of the most important pests of rice crops, especially irrigated crops. Plant defence strategies against these bugs may involve the emission of chemical compounds, which are released following herbivore attacks, directly or indirectly harming pest performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of constitutive and herbivory-induced volatiles from rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) on the behavioural responses of T. limbativentris adults and egg parasitoids Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) and Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae). Plant volatiles were collected from undamaged plants of the rice cultivar IRGA 424 and from plants that suffered herbivory by five males or five females of T. limbativentris. Air-entrainment extracts were analysed by GC–flame ionization detector and GC–MS, and insect responses evaluated in a ‘Y’ olfactometer. T. limbativentris feeding damaged on rice plants induced the release of 16 volatiles compounds in a higher amounts compared to undamaged plants The main compounds induced were (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octen-1-ol, methyl salicylate and α-muurolene. Female bugs were significantly attracted to air-entrainment extracts containing volatiles from undamaged plants compared with air-entrainment extracts containing volatiles emitted from plants damaged by T. limbativentris, whereas males showed no preference. Telenomus podisi females were significantly attracted to volatiles from air-entrainment extracts of plants damaged by females, whereas T. basalis showed no preference. These results suggest that rice plants may be emitting defence compounds, which could be avoided by T. limbativentris females and also acted indirectly by attracting natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ESSENTIAL oils, REPELLENTS, STINKBUGS, HEMIPTERA, LEMONGRASS oil, SPEARMINT oil, and METHYL benzoate

The brown marmorated stink bug ( BMSB), Halyomorpha halys ( Stål), native to Northeastern Asia, is a serious invasive pest in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and France. Several common essential oils and their compositions were tested against BMSBs as potential repellents. All the tested individual essential oils and a ternary oil blend showed significant repellency to both BMSB nymphs and adults. Clove oil, lemongrass oil, spearmint oil, ylang-ylang oil, and the ternary oil mixture (clove, lemongrass and spearmint) almost completely blocked attraction of BMSBs to the stink bug attractant-baited traps; whereas wintergreen oil, geranium oil, pennyroyal oil and rosemary oil resulted in 60-85% trap catch reductions. Over 20 BMSB antennally active compounds were identified from SPME headspace samples of the eight repellent essential oils using GC- EAD and GC- MS techniques. Among the synthetic EAD-active compounds tested in the field, eugenol, l-carvone, p/l-menthone, pulegone, methyl salicylate, trans/ cis-citral, methyl benzoate and β-caryophyllene significantly reduced trap catches of BMSBs by 72-99%; these compounds are likely responsible for the repellency of their corresponding essential oils. Surprisingly, a synthetic mixture of the predacious spined soldier bug ( SSB) [ Podisus maculiventris (Say)] aggregation pheromone ( trans-2-hexenal, α-terpineol and benzyl alcohol) also showed a significant inhibition of BMSB response to its attractants. These repellent essential oils and their active compounds, as well as the synthetic SSB pheromone, are potentially useful as part of an efficient, environmentally sound semiochemical-based IPM programme to combat this serious invasive stink bug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ORGANOCATALYSIS, AMPHIPHILES, NAPHTHALIMIDES, STEREOSELECTIVE reactions, ALDOL condensation, and CYCLOHEXANONES

Here, a modular approach is reported to introduce a specific function into single-chain polymeric nanoparticles (SCPNs). Hereto, an amphiphilic polymer with pendant benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) units is mixed with a 'free' BTA that contains a functional group, either a fluorescent naphthalimide or a catalytically active l-proline. Taking advantage of hydrophobic interactions and self-recognition properties of the BTA units, the 'free' BTAs are captured into the interior of the SCPN in water as evidenced by fluorescence studies. To illustrate that function can be readily introduced using a modular approach, l-proline-based BTAs are incorporated to procure a catalytically active SCPN in water. The aldol reaction between p-nitrobenzaldehyde and cyclohexanone shows good conversions at low catalyst loadings and substrate concentrations, and high stereoselectivities are obtained ( de = 91% and ee = 98%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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BROOD parasitism, STINKBUGS, INTRODUCED insects, BIOLOGICAL control of insects, and INSECT body composition

Native to eastern Asia, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), has become a serious invasive pest in North America. Consequently, accurate assessment of parasitism rates under field conditions is critical for determining baseline parasitism rates of native egg parasitoids on BMSB, and for future evaluations of native or exotic parasitoid biological control release strategies and impacts. BMSB sentinel (laboratory-laid) egg masses have typically been used for this purpose, even though they could be providing misleading estimates of parasitoid activity. Accordingly, we compared the use of BMSB sentinel (laboratory-laid) and wild (naturally field-laid) egg masses in 2012 and 2013 to examine rates of parasitism and the parasitoid community composition of indigenous egg parasitoids in outdoor ornamental nurseries. Wild egg masses consistently had higher rates of parasitism than sentinel egg masses. In 2012, wild egg masses had a mean percent parasitism of 28.4% compared to 4.6% in sentinel egg masses, while in 2013 the difference between the two methods increased even further with a mean percent parasitism of 55.3% in wild egg masses compared to 0.8% in sentinel eggs. Furthermore, we found greater total numbers of parasitoids (889, 42) and greater species richness (seven, five), when using wild egg masses compared to sentinel egg masses, respectively. While sentinel egg masses provide a rapid and convenient way to assess the presence of natural enemies, our findings indicate that using sentinel egg masses could dramatically underestimate actual rates of parasitism and provide inaccurate estimates of parasitoid community composition. Future studies should address potential mechanisms underlying these patterns such as lack of certain host cues required by parasitoids in sentinel compared to wild egg masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CACAO diseases & pests, INSECT baits & repellents, INSECT pest control, KAOLIN, and HELOPELTIS

The use of particle film technology has not been documented previously to protect cacao (Theobroma cacao L.; Malvales: Malvaceae) against insect feeding. Laboratory assessment of the use of local kaolin against the cacao mirid bug, Helopeltis collaris Stal (Hemiptera: Miridae), revealed a highly positive and statistically significant repellence of this insect pest on kaolin-treated cacao pods. This result warrants follow up field studies to evaluate further the potential of kaolin clay to control cacao pests in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIOLOGICAL control of plant parasites, LEPIDOPTERA, ENTOMOPHAGOUS insects, PREDATORY insects, and HORTICULTURE

Pest suppression through biological control seeks to maximize the action of the pest's natural enemies with the goal of reducing pesticide use. We present a summary of published studies and original findings on several entomophagous species as biocontrol agents of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a key pest of tomato crops in Argentina, with the aim to select potential candidates for its management. Spontaneously occurring T. absoluta egg parasitism was lower than that inflicted by the larval parasitoids Dineulophus phthorimaeae (De Santis, 1983) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Pseudapanteles dignus (Muesebeck, 1938) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). These parasitoids exhibit important life history traits in laboratory conditions and produce relevant amounts of T. absoluta mortality in the field. Surveys carried out in Tucumán and Buenos Aires provinces, Argentina, revealed that D. phthorimaeae and P. dignus coexist in tomato and eggplant crops; T. absoluta- P. dignus interaction is also found on other non-cultivated solanaceous species present in horticultural farms. In addition, studies are currently under way to determine the predation ability of Zelus obscuridorsis (Stål, 1860) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) on both larvae and adults of the pest. Finally, we discuss the prospects for implementing experimental augmentative releases of P. dignus to control the pest, a candidate selected considering various positive biological traits and because of its simple mass production and manipulation compared with other antagonists of T. absoluta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SWEET corn, STINKBUGS, PEST control, POPULATION density, and CORN

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an Asian species that now dominates the stink bug complex in many cultivated crops throughout the mid-Atlantic United States. Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) is a preferred host of H. halys, and the bug can cause kernel injury on developing ears. Currently, there is limited information available on which plant growth stages are most sensitive to H. halys feeding or density of bugs required to cause yield and quality reductions on processing and fresh market sweet corn ears. In 2011 and 2012, sweet corn ears were infested at three different corn growth stages: silking (R1), blister (R2), and milk (R3) at densities of zero, one, three, and five H. halys adults per ear for 7d. At harvest, four yield measurements were assessed and ears were inspected for quality reductions. The greatest yield loss from H. halys occurred when infestations were initiated during early stages of ear development, and the greatest quality reductions (damaged kernels) occurred during later stages of ear development. A density of one H. halys per ear resulted in levels of kernel damage great enough to cause significant quality reductions. This study highlights the ability of H. halys to cause sub-stantial economic losses in both fresh market and processing sweet corn in a relatively short period of time at low population densities. Therefore, infestations by this insect in sweet corn must be considered when making pest management decisions in regions where it has become established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LANTANA camara, ORNAMENTAL plants, BIOSAFETY, QUARANTINE, ECOSYSTEM dynamics, NATURALIZATION, and WEEDS

The article presents a research focused on analyzing the status of ornamental plant lantana camara that grows in the urban areas and also discusses its implication on the biosafety and quarantine of the region. Various topics discussed in the research includes natural enemies of lantana, natural ecosystem of Botswana and impact of naturalization on weed removal.

PARASITOIDS, BROWN marmorated stink bug, PLANT parasites, INTRODUCED insects, LADYBUGS, STINKBUGS, and SPECIES distribution

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive species, originating from East Asia, which was accidentally introduced in some areas of North America and Europe, where severe damages to different vegetable crops and fruit plants were recorded. Several studies in different countries focused on the possibility to apply biological control by means of eggparasitoids. The main egg-parasitoids in the original area are unfortunately non-specific and thus the application of classical biological control is questionable. On the other hand, the possibility of using augmentative biological control by native egg-parasitoids able to exploit the new host is an interesting possibility in both Europe and the USA. In a preliminary assay, frozen egg masses of H. halys were exposed in the field in Central Italy. Results showed that some eggs were exploited by parasitoids belonging to the species Anastatus bifasciatus and Ooencyrtus telenomicida. Therefore, different native egg-parasitoids species widespread in Europe were tested in the laboratory in order to explore their ability to parasitize H. halys eggs. To this end, no-choice tests were carried out in climatic chambers (26°C, 70%RH, 16:8 L:D) in order to evaluate the parasitization potential of females collected in the wild. Conducted tests pointed out that A. bifasciatus and especially O. telenomicida may be potential candidates for the biological control of H. halys. In particular, O. telenomicida was able to parasitize the 35.56% of the exposed host eggs in the lab tests. New adults successfully emerged from the 22.92% of the eggs, and on the whole, this egg-parasitoid caused a significant hatching reduction of the H. halys eggs (more than 70%). Conversely, Telenomus chloropus and Ooencyrtus pityocampae were less promising species as biocontrol agents of this agricultural pest. Preliminary trials in pear orchards consisting of field releases of laboratory-reared specimens of O. telenomicida, one of the potential candidates for biological control, showed that this parasitoid is actually able to discover egg masses of H. halys (sentinel frozen egg masses) and to successfully parasitize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the sintering shop at OAO Ural'skaya Stal', industrial trials are conducted with a view to improving the pelletization by wetting the sintering batch with water-soluble organic surfactants. The use of surfactants improves the granulometric composition of the batch, its gas permeability, and hence the sintering efficiency. The use of surfactant is most effective with optimal wetting of the batch (7-8%), with consumption of the experimental binder at a rate of 1.2-1.6 L/h. (The surfactant concentration in aqueous solution is 0.3⎯0.4 mL/L.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed morphological redescriptions of cockroaches of the subfamily Epilamprinae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 from the New World based on the collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences are given. Poeciloderrhis verticalis (Burmeister, 1838), the type species of the genus Poeciloderrhis Stål, 1874; Phoraspis picta (Drury, 1782), the type species of the genus Phoraspis Serville, 1831; Epilampra mexicana Saussure, 1862 and E. sodalis Walker, 1868, the members of the ' mexicana' and ' sodalis' species-groups, respectively, are redescribed. Parapoeciloderrhis dilatatus Anisyutkin, gen. et sp. n. is described from Ecuador. The paper pays special attention to the structures of the male and female genitalia. The hypothetical relationships between the taxa studied are briefly considered. The possible synapomorphies of the group [ Poeciloderrhis, Epilampra, and Phoraspis] are considered. The genus Epilampra is possibly artificial and needs division into several genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHLAMYDIA, CHLAMYDIA infections, SEXUALLY transmitted diseases, CHLAMYDIA trachomatis, DIAGNOSIS of genitalia diseases, DIAGNOSIS of bacterial diseases, CHLAMYDIA infection diagnosis, SEXUALLY transmitted disease diagnosis, ANUS, BACTERIAL diseases, CERVIX uteri, DEMOGRAPHY, MULTIVARIATE analysis, POISSON distribution, RECTUM, URETHRA, VAGINA, LOGISTIC regression analysis, SOCIOECONOMIC factors, CROSS-sectional method, BACTERIURIA, and OROPHARYNX

Objectives: To evaluate and compare Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) diagnostic test practices of different sexually transmitted infection (STI) care providers in 16-29 year olds from one defined geographic Dutch region (280,000 inhabitants). Both number and proportion of positive CT tests (ie, test positivity) were assessed, and factors associated with these outcomes.Methods: Data on laboratory testing and diagnosis of urogenital, anorectal and oropharyngeal CT between 2006 and 2010 were retrieved from general practitioners (GPs), gynaecologists, an STI clinic and a population-based chlamydia screening programme. Multivariable regression analyses explored associations between age, sex, test year, socio-economic status (SES) and STI care provider and the outcomes being the number of tests and test positivity.Results: Overall, 22,831 tests were performed (1868 positive; 8.2%). Extragenital (ie, anorectal and oropharyngeal) tests accounted for 4% of all tests (7.5% positive) and were almost exclusively (99%) performed by the STI clinic. STI clinics tested most men (37.2% of all tested men), whereas GPs tested most women (29.9% of all tested women). GPs and STI clinics accounted for 73.3% (1326/1808) of urogenital CT diagnoses. In women, the number of tests increased with age, whereas test positivity decreased for all STI care providers. Lower SES was associated with higher test positivity in GP and gynaecology patients.Conclusions: STI clinics performed most CT tests in men, whereas GPs performed most CT tests in women. GPs and STI clinics accounted for the majority of positives. Extragenital CT testing is rarely performed outside the STI clinic and needs to be promoted, especially in men who have sex with men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BROWN marmorated stink bug, AGRICULTURAL ecology, POPULATION dynamics, PHYSIOLOGICAL control systems, and PARASITISM

Understanding native natural enemy impacts on the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), offers insight into the population dynamics of this invasive pest and the potential for biological control. This two-year study offers a broad-scale assessment of mortality factors affecting sentinel and naturally laid H. halys eggs in agroecosystems in the pest’s invaded range in eastern North America. Predation and parasitism rates varied among states and crops, but overall were low. Average maximum levels of biological control were estimated to be about 19% and 20% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Of the eggs destroyed by natural enemies, chewing predation was the most prevalent. Parasitism by native parasitoids was very low, with adult parasitoids emerging from <1% of eggs averaged across crops, locations, and years; an additional 2.8% of eggs contained partially developed parasitoids. Lower percentages of sentinel H. halys hatched in organically versus conventionally managed crops, and in most cases had higher percentages of predation. Parasitism of sentinel and naturally laid eggs of the native stink bugs Euschistus servus (Say) and Chinavia hilare (Say) averaged 49.3% (±8.6 SE) and 0.6% (±0.3), respectively, across locations and years. Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) was the most common parasitoid parasitizing E. servus and H. halys eggs, but rarely did >1 individual parasitoid emerge from a H. halys egg mass. Parasitism of H. halys eggs by a complex of parasitoids is an important population regulation factor in its native Asian range, but this study found that parasitoids native to eastern US agroecosystems do not provide that service in this introduced region. The greatest potential for biological control of H. halys may be via classical biological control by the Asian parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead), which has recently been detected in both the eastern and western US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STIMULANTS, LEAFHOPPERS, RICE diseases & pests, BIOLOGICAL assay, and METHANOL

A crude rice extract caused a higher probing response than did the control in the green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix nigropictus. Bioassay-guided separation led to the isolation of four active compounds, isoscoparin 2"-O-glucoside, isoscoparin 2"-O-(6"'-(E)-feruloyl)glucoside, isoscoparin 2"-O-(6"'-(E)-p-coumaroyl)glucoside, and isovitexin 2"-O-(6"'- (E)-feruloyl)glucoside from ODS 40% methanol in water faction. Each of the compounds, or any combination without one of the four compounds, caused weaker probing responses than the crude rice extract. The activity was recovered only when all the compounds were combined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

POLYMERASE chain reaction, BIOLOGICAL assay, STINKBUGS, PREDATORY animals, INTRODUCED organisms, and NONINDIGENOUS pests

BACKGROUND Early detection before establishment and identification of key predators are time-honored strategies towards effective eradication or control of invasive species. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is a recent exotic pest of several important crops in North America and Europe. Resulting widespread applications of insecticides have countered years of careful integrated pest management and are leading to the resurgence of other agricultural pests. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been used effectively to detect aquatic invasives. RESULTS We developed a real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for BMSB in a conserved region of the ribosomal DNA interspacer 1 (ITS1). We validated this assay on worldwide populations of BMSB and tested its specificity and sensitivity against other US Pentatomidae species and on guano of big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, which we confirmed is a BMSB predator in New Jersey. We also detected BMSB DNA after rapid (and inexpensive) HotSHOT DNA extractions of soiled paper from cages briefly holding BMSB, as well as from discarded exuviae. CONCLUSION Given the high sensitivity of our assay to BMSB environmental DNA (eDNA) in terrestrial samples, this tool should become a cost-effective approach for using eDNA to detect terrestrial invasive species and their key predators. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NONFICTION

Books reviewed in this issue L iterature and F ine A rts Martinsen, Deborah A., and Olga Maiorova, eds. Dostoevsky in Context. Marullo, Thomas Gaiton. Heroine Abuse: Dostoevsky's Netochka Nezvanova and the Poetics of Codependency. Salmond, Wendy, Wilfried Zeisler, and Russell E. Martin. Konstantin Makovsky: The Tsar's Painter in America and Paris. Gregory, Serge. Antosha and Levitasha: The Shared Lives and Art of Anton Chekhov and Isaac Levitan. Pickford, Henry W. Thinking with Tolstoy and Wittgenstein: Expression, Emotion, and Art. Wunsche, Isabel. The Organic School of the Russian Avant-Garde: Nature's Creative Principles. Weld, Sara Pankenier. Voiceless Vanguard: The Infantilist Aesthetic of the Russian Avant-Garde. Mitchell, Rebecca. Nietzsche's Orphans: Music, Metaphysics, and the Twilight of the Russian Empire. Bartlett, Rosamund, and Sarah Dadswell, eds. and trans. Victory over the Sun: The World's First Futurist Opera. Kukulin, Il'ia. Mashiny zashumevshego vremeni: Kak sovetskii montazh stal metodom neofitsial'noi kul'tury. Van Buskirk, Emily. Lydia Ginzburg's Prose: Reality in Search of Literature. Garipova, Nailya, and Juan José Torres Núñez, eds. Women in Nabokov's Life and Art. Blackwell, Stephen H., and Kurt Johnson, eds. Fine Lines: Vladimir Nabokov's Scientific Art. Skomp, Elizabeth A., and Benjamin M. Sutcliffe. Ludmila Ulitskaya and the Art of Tolerance. Cederlöf, Henriette. Alien Places in Late Soviet Science Fiction: The 'Unexpected Encounters' of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky as Novels and Films. Anderson, Richard. Russia. H istory Barnes, Ian. Restless Empire: A Historical Atlas of Russia. Soroka, Marina, and Charles A. Ruud. Becoming a Romanov: Grand Duchess Elena of Russia and Her World (1807-1873). Suny, Ronald Grigor. ' They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else': A History of the Armenian Genocide. Siegel, Jennifer. For Peace and Money: French and British Finance in the Service of Tsars and Commissars. Stoff, Laurie S. Russia's Sisters of Mercy and the Great War: More than Binding Men's Wounds. Smele, Jonathan D. The 'Russian' Civil Wars, 1916-1926: Ten Years That Shook the World. Dornik, Wolfram, et al., eds. The Emergence of Ukraine: Self-Determination, Occupation, and War in Ukraine, 1917-1922. Khalid, Adeeb. Making Uzbekistan: Nation, Empire, and Revolution in the Early USSR. Graham, Loren. Lysenko's Ghost: Epigenetics and Russia. Levin, Zeev. Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917-1939. Jordan, Pamela A. Stalin's Singing Spy: The Life and Exile of Nadezhda Plevitskaya. Whitewood, Peter. The Red Army and the Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Soviet Military. Horowitz, Brian, and Leonid Katsis, eds. Vladimir Jabotinsky's Story of My Life. Ellis, Frank. Barbarossa 1941. Harrison, Richard W. ed. and trans. Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-1943. Harrison, Richard W. ed. and trans. Prelude to Berlin: The Red Army's Offensive Operations in Poland and Eastern Germany, 1945. Fitzpatrick, Sheila. On Stalin's Team: The Years of Living Dangerously in Soviet Politics. Karlsson, Klas-Göran, Johan Stenfeldt, and Ulf Zander, eds. Perspectives on the Entangled History of Communism and Nazism: A Comnaz Analysis. Varga-Harris, Christine. Stories of House and Home: Soviet Apartment Life during the Khrushchev Years. Friedman, Jeremy. Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World. Lesourd, Françoise, ed. Les mutations religieuses en Russie: Conversions et sécularisation. Haslam, Jonathan. Near and Distant Neighbors: A New History of Soviet Intelligence. Pipes, Richard. Alexander Yakovlev: The Man Whose Ideas Delivered Russia from Communism. Weeks, Theodore R. Vilnius between Nations, 1795-2000. Luehrmann, Sonja. Religion in Secular Archives: Soviet Atheism and Historical Knowledge. Brumfield, William Craft. Architecture at the End of the Earth: Photographing the Russian North. S ocial S ciences, C ontemporary R ussia, and O ther Rogers, Douglas. The Depths of Russia: Oil, Power, and Culture after Socialism. Hedlund, Stefan. Putin's Energy Agenda: The Contradictions of Russia's Resource Wealth. Nalbandov, Robert. Not by Bread Alone: Russian Foreign Policy under Putin. Pacer, Valerie A. Russian Foreign Policy under Dmitry Medvedev, 2008-2012. Prina, Federica. National Minorities in Putin's Russia: Diversity and Assimilation. Soldatov, Andrei, and Irina Borogan. The Red Web: The Struggle between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries. Stanislav, Markus. Property, Predation and Protection: Piranha Capitalism in Russia and Ukraine. White, Stephen, and Valentina Feklyunina. Identities and Foreign Policies in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus: The Other Europes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SOYBEAN diseases & pests, BROWN marmorated stink bug, and STINKBUGS

Sampling soybean fields for the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), can be challenging. Both adults and nymphs have a "startle response" and drop to the ground with even the slightest disturbance. This behavior could reduce the effectiveness of the traditional sweep net and ground cloth sampling methods. In 2013 and 2014, in Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland, we evaluated a visual plant inspection method that consisted of counting the number of brown marmorated stink bug nymphs and adults seen on soybean plants in a 2-min inspection period while walking carefully between two rows. After a 30-min interval, which allowed the stink bugs to reposition in the canopy, the area was resampled using 15 sweeps with a 38-cm-diameter sweep net. In total, 76 soybean fields and 2,042 paired comparisons were used to determine a strong linear relationship between sampling methods (y = 0.984x + 0.4359, R2 = 0.6934, where y = brown marmorated stink bugs/2-min visual count and x = brown marmorated stink bugs/15 sweeps). An average visual count of 5.4 brown marmorated stink bugs in 2 min was estimated as being equivalent to the current economic threshold of 5 stink bugs per 15 sweeps. Visual inspection appears to be an effective method for assessing brown marmorated stink bug populations in soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RICE diseases & pests, NILAPARVATA lugens, LOCUS (Genetics), GENETIC markers in plants, and RICE breeding

Brown planthopper ( BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål ( Hemiptera: Delphacide), is a destructive insect pest of rice, Oryza sativa L. ( Poaceae), in rice-producing areas worldwide. Host plant resistance is a major aspect of managing this pest. In this study, a mapping population consisting of 150 F3 lines, derived from a cross of MR276 and Rathu Heenati, was used to detect and analyse quantitative trait loci ( QTLs) for the resistance to BPH. Composite Interval Mapping ( CIM) was used for QTL detection. In total 10 QTLs controlling BPH resistance were mapped on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12. Four QTLs - qBph-1-1, qBph-3-1, qBph-6-1, and qBph-7-1 - were mapped on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, and 7 in the standard seedbox screening test, explaining 41% of the phenotypic variance. Two QTLs, qBph-6-1 and qBph-9-1, were detected on chromosomes 6 and 9 in the honeydew test, accounting for 32% of the total phenotypic variance. Moreover, four QTLs - qBph-3-1, qBph-6-1, qBph-10-1, and qBph-12-1 - were identified on chromosomes 3, 6, 10, and 12 expressing antixenosis to BPH and explaining 41% of the phenotypic variance. QTL qBph-3-1 was located in the chromosomal region between markers RM231 and RM3872 on chromosome 3, and QTL qBph-6-1 was located in the region between RM588 and RM204 on chromosome 6, indicating that these regions have a major effect in controlling the resistance to BPH in the population studied. The molecular markers linked to QTLs that are identified will be useful in the development of varieties resistant to BPH. Our study contributes to the development of genetic material for breeding programmes and marker-assisted selection ( MAS) in rice to improve BPH resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BROWN marmorated stink bug, PODISUS, and INSECT pest control

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are an emerging threat to soybean and corn production in the midwestern United States. An invasive species, the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is spreading through the region. However, little is known about the complex of stink bug species associated with corn and soybean in the midwestern United States. In this region, particularly in the more northern states, stink bugs have historically caused only infrequent impacts to these crops. To prepare growers and agricultural professionals to contend with this new threat, we provide a review of stink bugs associated with soybean and corn in the midwestern United States. Descriptions and images of common stink bug species are provided as a diagnostic aid. The biologies and impacts of stink bugs to crops are discussed, with particular attention to differences among species. Based primarily on information from southern states, scouting, thresholds, and insecticide-based management of these pests are discussed. It is hoped that this review will provide stakeholders sufficient information for management of these pests, until more region-specific research can be performed on stink bugs in soybean and corn in the midwestern United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DOUBLE-stranded RNA, SAP (Plant), INSECT-plant relationships, INSECT pests, and GENE silencing

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated gene silencing, also known as RNA interference (RNAi), has been a breakthrough technology for functional genomic studies and represents a potential tool for the management of insect pests. Since the inception of RNAi numerous studies documented successful introduction of exogenously synthesized dsRNA or siRNA into an organism triggering highly efficient gene silencing through the degradation of endogenous RNA homologous to the presented siRNA. Managing hemipteran insect pests, especially Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is critical to food productivity. BMSB was recently introduced into North America where it is both an invasive agricultural pest of high value specialty, row, and staple crops, as well as an indoor nuisance pest. RNAi technology may serve as a viable tool to manage this voracious pest, but delivery of dsRNA to piercing-sucking insects has posed a tremendous challenge. Effective and practical use of RNAi as molecular biopesticides for biocontrol of insects like BMSB in the environment requires that dsRNAs be delivered in vivo through ingestion. Therefore, the key challenge for molecular biologists in developing insect-specific molecular biopesticides is to find effective and reliable methods for practical delivery of stable dsRNAs such as through oral ingestion. Here demonstrated is a reliable delivery system of effective insect-specific dsRNAs through oral feeding through a new delivery system to induce a significant decrease in expression of targeted genes such as JHAMT and Vg. This state-of-the-art delivery method overcomes environmental delivery challenges so that RNAi is induced through insect-specific dsRNAs orally delivered to hemipteran and other insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA and STINKBUGS

The Neotropical genus Lincus Stål, 1867 is frequently associated with the transmission of diseases to palms and coconut trees (Elaeis guineensis and Cocos nucifera) in commercial plantations in South America. Here we update the geographical distribution of 15 species of Lincus collected in E. guineensis and C. nucifera in the Neotropics. The geographical range of five species is expanded with new countries recorded for L. malevolus and L. styliger, and detailed geographic information is given for the first time for L. lobuliger and L. securiger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PHYLOGENY, MORPHOGENESIS, EVOLUTIONARY developmental biology, ORGANISMS, MICROBIAL ecology, and TAXONOMY

Robust phylogenetic hypotheses have become key for studies addressing the evolutionary biology and ecology of various groups of organisms. In the species-rich heteropteran superfamily Pentatomoidea, phylogenies at lower taxonomic levels are still scarce and mostly employ exclusively morphological data. In this study, we conducted a total evidence phylogeny focusing on the tribe Carpocorini (Pentatomidae), using morphological data and four DNA markers ( COI, Cytb, 16S and 28S rDNA; ∼2330 bp; 32 taxa) in order to investigate the relationships within Euschistus Dallas, one of the most speciose pentatomid genera, and between Euschistus and related genera. Our hypotheses generated by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference show that the current taxonomic composition and classification of Euschistus and allied genera are in need of revision. Euschistus was recovered as nonmonophyletic, with the subgenera forming four independent lineages: Euschistus ( Euschistus) and Euschistus ( Lycipta) Stål are sister groups; Euschistus ( Euschistomorphus) Jensen-Haarup is more closely related to Dichelops Spinola and Agroecus Dallas; and Mitripus Rolston is divided into two clades closely related to Sibaria Stål and Ladeaschistus Rolston. We chose not to change the classification of E. ( Euschistomorphus) until further data become available, and propose to split Euschistus into three genera with the exclusion of Euschistus ( Mitripus) and all of its species. Here we elevate Mitripus to genus rank to include M. acutus comb.n., M. convergens comb.n. and M. legionarius comb.n., and propose Adustonotus Bianchi gen.n. to include A. anticus comb.n., A. latus comb.n., A. tauricornis comb.n., A. grandis comb.n., A. hansi comb.n., A. paranticus comb.n., A. irroratus comb.n. and A. saramagoi comb.n. We also provide identification keys to the genera Adustonotus gen.n., Ladeaschistus, Mitripus n. rank and Sibaria, here defined as the Mitripus genus group, and to the species of Mitripus and Adustonotus gen.n. Our results provide insights into the current status of the classification of the Pentatomidae, suggesting the need for phylogenetic analyses at different taxonomic levels within stink bugs. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEISSERIA gonorrhoeae, SEXUALLY transmitted diseases, ANTIBIOTICS, CHLAMYDIA trachomatis, GYNECOLOGISTS, DIAGNOSIS, CHLAMYDIA infection diagnosis, GENITOURINARY disease diagnosis, GONORRHEA diagnosis, CLINICS, GENITOURINARY diseases, GONORRHEA, DISEASES in men, NEISSERIA, PHARYNGEAL diseases, PHYSICIANS, GENERAL practitioners, CROSS-sectional method, and RECTAL diseases

Background: Gonorrhoea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), can cause reproductive morbidity, is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics and is frequently asymptomatic, which shows the essential role of NG test practice. In this study we wanted to compare NG diagnostic testing procedures between different STI care providers serving a defined geographic Dutch region (280,000 inhabitants).Methods: Data on laboratory testing and diagnosis of urogenital and extragenital (i.e. anorectal and oropharyngeal) NG were retrieved from general practitioners (GPs), an STI clinic, and gynaecologists (2006-2010). Per provider, we assessed their contribution regarding the total number of tests performed and type of populations tested, the proportion of NG positives re-tested (3-12 months after treatment) and test-of-cure (TOC, within 3 months post treatment).Results: Overall, 17,702 NG tests (48.7% STI clinic, 38.2% GPs, 13.1% gynaecologists) were performed during 15,458 patient visits. From this total number of tests, 2257 (12.7%) were extragenital, of which 99.4% were performed by the STI clinic. Men were mostly tested at the STI clinic (71%) and women by their GP (43%). NG positivity per visit was 1.6%; GP 1.9% (n = 111), STI clinic 1.7% (n = 131) and gynaecology 0.2% (n = 5). NG positivity was associated with Chlamydia trachomatis positivity (OR: 2.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.46-2.92). Per anatomical location, the proportion of NG positives re-tested were: urogenital 20.3% (n = 36), anorectal 43.6% (n = 17) and oropharyngeal 57.1% (n = 20). NG positivity among re-tests was 16.9%. Proportions of NG positives with TOC by anatomical location were: urogenital 10.2% (n = 18), anorectal 17.9% (n = 7) and oropharyngeal 17.1% (n = 6).Conclusions: To achieve best practice in relation to NG testing, we recommend that: 1) GPs test at extragenital sites, especially men who have sex with men (MSM), 2) all care providers consider re-testing 3 to 12 months after NG diagnosis and 3) TOC is performed following oropharyngeal NG diagnosis in settings which provide services to higher-risk men and women (such as STI clinics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIGGS bosons, SCALAR field theory, SUPERSYMMETRY, STANDARD model (Nuclear physics), DARK matter, and MATHEMATICAL models

The goal of this report is to summarize the current situation and discuss possible search strategies for charged scalars, in non-supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model at the LHC. Such scalars appear in Multi-Higgs-Doublet models, in particular in the popular Two-Higgs-Doublet model, allowing for charged and additional neutral Higgs bosons. These models have the attractive property that electroweak precision observables are automatically in agreement with the Standard Model at the tree level. For the most popular version of this framework, Model II, a discovery of a charged Higgs boson remains challenging, since the parameter space is becoming very constrained, and the QCD background is very high. We also briefly comment on models with dark matter which constrain the corresponding charged scalars that occur in these models. The stakes of a possible discovery of an extended scalar sector are very high, and these searches should be pursued in all conceivable channels, at the LHC and at future colliders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BROWN marmorated stink bug, HEMIPTERA, INTRODUCED insects, INSECT pests, PHEROMONES, INSECT traps, INSECT population density, and ECONOMICS

Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive insect that causes severe economic damage to multiple agricultural commodities. Several monitoring tools, including pheromone and light-baited black pyramid traps, have been developed to monitor H. halys. Here, we evaluated the attractiveness of these traps baited with only light, only pheromone, or the combination in comparison with unbaited traps throughout the growing season in regions with high and low H. halys population densities. In regions with high population densities in the Mid-Atlantic, all traps baited with pheromone or lights performed better than control traps. During mid-season, traps containing lights captured more H. halys adults, whereas pheromone-baited traps captured greater numbers during the late season. In low density regions in the Pacific Northwest, traps with lights or pheromone captured more H. halys adults than control traps. In addition, we evaluated the influence of competing light sources associated with anthropogenic structures. When light traps were deployed next to these additional light sources, H. halys captures in pyramid traps baited with light were not significantly reduced. Overall, our results indicate that both light and pheromone traps can be used to detect H. halys activity in low and high density populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HEMIPTERA, STINKBUGS, INSECT behavior, BROWN marmorated stink bug, and INSECT traps

Light trapping is a common method for monitoring and capturing insects such as the invasive agricultural pest, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Efforts to develop more effective trapping methods for H. halys have led to research investigating the response of this insect to potentially exploitable stimuli. A behavioral study was conducted to examine the response of H. halys to various light stimuli. Seven intensities (0 [control: dark], 0.1, 10, 50, 75, 100, and 155 lx) of white light were tested. The most attractive intensity for H. halys was 75 lx for adult males and females. Nymphal instars 2 to 5, adult males, and adult females were also exposed to 75 lx white light. Adult males were significantly more attracted to the light than any other life stage. Adults were also exposed to green, orange, red, white, and yellow light. All colors tested were attractive to H. halys. White light was significantly more attractive than the other tested colors. The findings of this study suggest that the incorporation of a white light into H. halys traps may increase the number captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ARTHROPODA, ARBOREAL animals, SALTCEDAR, and LARVAE

Although biological control agents are imported without the constraints exerted by their native natural enemies, many native, generalist arthropod predators might use the new food source after release in the field. Predation by native arthropods is a potential obstacle to establishment of Diorhabda spp. as a biological control agent against saltcedar, Tamarix spp. Arboreal predaceous insects were surveyed at the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge to identify possible predators that could affect establishment of the northern tamarisk beetle, Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers), in Oklahoma. Results of the survey showed that 57% of the arthropods were represented by five insects, Zelus tetracanthus (Stål) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) (21%); several species of Chrysoperla (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) (11%); the insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) (10%); Collops quadrimaculatus (F.) Coleoptera: Melydridae) (8%); and the sevenspotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (6%), in saltcedar stands. No-choice feeding studies demonstrated that eggs and larvae of D. carinulata were accepted prey for larvae of Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) and sevenspotted lady beetle adults but not larvae. Northern tamarisk beetle larvae were accepted prey for Z. tetracanthus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZOOLOGICAL nomenclature, LEAFHOPPERS, PARROTFISHES, BURSA fabricii, and ANNOTATIONS

A synoptic, annotated catalogue is provided, documenting the long history of vacillated nomenclature usages between leafhopper family-group names Gyponidae Stål 1870c and Scaridae Amyot & Serville 1843a (nec Scaridae Rafinesque 1810b), between genus-group names Gypona Germar 1821a and Scaris Le Peletier & Serville 1828a (nec Scaris Chaudoir 1879), synonyms, and use of Docalidia ferruginea (Fabricius) in the literature for Iassus ferrugineus, beginning at the formation of each taxon and ending at the present. Authors' annotations, where applicable, follow each citation. A photograph of the lectotype of Iassus ferrugineus Fabricius (Coelidiinae) and a misidentified specimen (Gyponinae) by Germar are shown for comparative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MIRIDAE, ATMOSPHERIC temperature, MEDITERRANEAN flour moth, TOBACCO, and INSECT rearing

Effects of temperature (16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 ± 1 °C), host plant (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and factitious prey (eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller) on immature development of three recently found Neotropical mirids, Campyloneuropsis infumatus (Carvalho), Engytatus varians (Distant) and Macrolophus basicornis (Stal) were studied at RH 70 ± 10% and 12h photophase in climate cabinets. These mirids are being evaluated for biological control of the South American tomato borer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) and other pests on tomato. Survival of eggs of the three mirid species on tobacco was high (> 80%) at 16-28 °C, but lower (< 80%) at 32 °C. Development times decreased with increasing temperature from 16-28 °C. Nymphal survival was higher (84-96%) at 20, 24 and 28 °C than at 16 and 32 °C (46-83%). The sex ratio of C. infumatus was strongly female biased at all temperatures, whereas it was 1:1 for the other two species. The lower temperature thresholds for egg-adult development of C. infumatus, E. varians and M. basicornis were 9.4, 9.4 and 7.9 °C, and their thermal constants were 384.6, 384.6 and 476.2 DD, respectively. Temperatures between 24 to 28 °C are best for immature performance and for rearing of these mirids species. Eggs of the factitious host E. kuehniella provide adequate food for their mass production. Optimal temperatures for best mirid predator performance are similar to those for the pest T. absoluta, indicating good climate matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIODIVERSITY, VERTEBRATES, HABITATS, GLACIATION, and PLIOCENE Epoch

It is now rare to find a semi-aquatic organism group with which to vigorously test whether their diversification model and distribution pattern are closely related to the Cenozoic temperature variation. This hypothesis is explored for water striders of the genera Aquarius Schellenberg, Gerris Fabricius and Limnoporus Stål, which comprise a monophyletic clade with primarily Holarctic distribution. We sample almost 90% of the currently recognized Aquarius, Gerris and Limnoporus species. Five DNA fragments from 62 species are used to reconstruct a phylogram. Divergence time is estimated using Bayesian relaxed-clock method and three fossil calibrations. We investigate diversification dynamics, biogeography and ancestral state reconstruction by using maximum-likelihood, Bayesian and parsimony approaches. Our results showed that the crown of the three genera originated and underwent an initial diversification in Asia at 72 Ma (HPD: 59-86 Ma) in the Late Cretaceous, subsequently expanding into other regions via dispersal. The Bering Land Bridge was the major migration route between Eurasia and North America but was interrupted before the early Oligocene (34 Ma). Ancestors most likely used lentic habitats, and a minimum of two independent shifts to lotic habitats occurred in the initial diversification. Cenozoic temperature variation regulated the evolutionary history of Holarctic water striders of the genera Aquarius, Gerris and Limnoporus. Temperature warming during Stage I (52-66 Ma) was associated with the disappearance of shallow lentic habitats; this phenomenon forced certain lentic lineages to colonize new lotic habitats and promoted the diversification of lineages. Temperature cooling during Stage II (after 34 Ma) was associated with the fragmentation of water habitats of the 'mixed-mesophytic' belt, resulting in the extinction of historical taxa and influencing close lineages that shaped the present disjunct Eurasian-North American distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MIRIDAE, EGGS as food, PREDATORY animals, TEMPERATURE effect, and MEDITERRANEAN flour moth

Three Neotropical predators Campyloneuropsis infumatus (Carvalho), Engytatus varians (Distant) and Macrolophus basicornis (Stål) (Hemiptera: Miridae) are considered in Brazil as potential biological control agents of Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and other tomato pests. This study evaluated the effect of five constant temperatures (16, 20, 24, 28 and 32°C, all ±1°C) on the reproduction, population growth and longevity of these predatory mirids. Adults freshly emerged from nymphs reared at each temperature, were separated in couples and kept in 1.7 l glass pots with tobacco plant seedlings (Nicotiana tabacum L., cv. TNN) as oviposition substrate and ad libitum Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs as food. The shortest pre-oviposition and the longest oviposition periods were observed at 24°C and 28°C in all three mirid species. At 24°C all three species showed the highest daily and total fecundities. The population growth parameters represented by the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and the finite rate of increase (λ) were highest at 24°C and 28°C, and the net reproductive rate (R0) was highest at 24°C for all three species. Longevities of both males and females were longest at 24°C and 28°C in all three mirids. The size of tibia and adult weight in the three species were greatest at 20°C and 28°C, respectively. Differences in values for all above variables were small and often statistically non-significant for the three mirid species at the same temperature. Also, not a single significant difference was found for any of the growth parameters at each of the temperatures, including rm. The results indicate that temperatures in the range from 24-28°C are best for reproduction and population growth of C. infumatus, E. varians and M. basicornis. The factitious prey E. kuehniella is an excellent food source and tobacco plants provide a good rearing substrate for these mirids. The obtained results may assist in developing a mass rearing method for C. infumatus, E. varians and M. basicornis, in determining optimal timing and frequency of mirid releases in the crop, and in determining whether they are active at the temperature spectrum observed during tomato production in the field or greenhouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIODIVERSITY, GRASSHOPPER behavior, BIOMES, PHYLOGENY, and SPECIES distribution

Abstract: The open vegetation biomes, within the limits of the Chacoan subregion, occur along a diagonal in eastern South America covering a large range of environmental conditions. In order to contribute to the knowledge on the biodiversity of these open biomes, we analysed the phylogenetic relationships of the grasshopper genus Zoniopoda to the remaining South American Romaleinae, and examined the biogeographical patterns of diversification of the genus. The study is based on morphological and molecular (COI and H3) evidence, including 12 species of Zoniopoda and 17 species of four tribes of South American Romaleinae. We describe a new species of Zoniopoda, and test its taxonomic placement within the group. Results of our phylogenetic analyses recovered Zoniopoda as a monophyletic group with high support values. According to the dispersion–vicariance analysis, the ancestor of Zoniopoda may have been distributed in an area corresponding to the Chacoan and Cerrado provinces. A vicariant event, that could be explained by the uplift of the Brazilian Plateau and the subsidence of the Chaco, is hypothesized to have occurred splitting the ancestral distribution of Zoniopoda, resulting in the independent evolution of the Tarsata group within the Cerrado and the Iheringi group in the Chacoan subregion. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FCFB4C5D-1741-46F1-8E25-B37ED2B9D872. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work's aims were to identify both harmful and helpful insect species for safflower crop and to study their distribution along time in relation to plant phenological state. The insect species identified as harmful were: Uroleucon jaceae L., Capitophorus elaeagni, Frankliniella occidentalis P., Dichelops furcatus (F.), Athaumasthus haematicus (Stál), Nezara viridula (L.), Nysius simulans Stál, Edessa meditabunda (F.), Piezodorus guildinii (W.), Helicoverpa zea B., Epicauta adspersa K., Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), Chauliognathus scriptus (Germ.), Pantomorus auripes H. and Rachiplusia nu (G.). Regarding aphids, their highest density was observed at the beginning of November, when crop was in the state of branching, with invasion mainly of the upper third of plants: leaves, young shoots and flower heads. Among all harmful true bugs found in the crop, red bug - Athaumastus haematicus (Stál)- comprised the highest proportion and was detected before aphids attacks, when stem elongation of plants was just beginning. As for beneficial species, the six insects detected in sufflower crop were Hippodamia convergens G., Eriopis connexa G., Harmonia axyridis (P.), Nabis sp., Ophion sp. and Apis melifera L., besides various spider species. The coccinellids- Hippodamia convergens; Eriopis connexa and Harmonia axydiris performed as the main natural control agents at crop. KE [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ACIDS, ANTIBIOTICS, COMPARATIVE studies, DIAGNOSTIC errors, ESCHERICHIA coli, ESCHERICHIA coli diseases, KLEBSIELLA, RESEARCH methodology, MEDICAL cooperation, MICROBIAL sensitivity tests, RESEARCH, EVALUATION research, KLEBSIELLA infections, PHARMACODYNAMICS, and RESEARCH evaluation

Objectives: Fosfomycin susceptibility testing is complicated and prone to error. Before using fosfomycin widely in patients with serious infections, acquisition of WT distribution data and reliable susceptibility testing methods are crucial. In this study, the performance of five methods for fosfomycin testing in the routine laboratory against the reference method was evaluated.Methods: Ten laboratories collected up to 100 ESBL-producing isolates each (80 Escherichia coli and 20 Klebsiella pneumoniae). Isolates were tested using Etest, MIC test strip (MTS), Vitek2, Phoenix and disc diffusion. Agar dilution was performed as the reference method in a central laboratory. Epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs) were determined for each species and susceptibility and error rates were calculated.Results: In total, 775 E. coli and 201 K. pneumoniae isolates were tested by agar dilution. The ECOFF was 2 mg/L for E. coli and 64 mg/L for K. pneumoniae. Susceptibility rates based on the EUCAST breakpoint of ≤32 mg/L were 95.9% for E. coli and 87.6% for K. pneumoniae. Despite high categorical agreement rates for all methods, notably in E. coli, none of the alternative antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods performed satisfactorily. Due to poor detection of resistant isolates, very high error rates of 23.3% (Etest), 18.5% (MTS), 18.8% (Vitek2), 12.5% (Phoenix) and 12.9% (disc diffusion) for E. coli and 22.7% (Etest and MTS), 16.0% (Vitek2) and 12% (Phoenix) for K. pneumoniae were found. None of the methods adequately differentiated between WT and non-WT populations.Conclusions: Overall, it was concluded that none of the test methods is suitable as an alternative to agar dilution in the routine laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYELOFIBROSIS, JANUS kinases, HEMATOPOIETIC stem cell transplantation, MYELOSUPPRESSION, CLINICAL trials, THERAPEUTICS, DRUG therapy, COMPARATIVE studies, HETEROCYCLIC compounds, RESEARCH methodology, MEDICAL cooperation, GENETIC mutation, RESEARCH, RESEARCH funding, EVALUATION research, TREATMENT effectiveness, KAPLAN-Meier estimator, PROTEIN kinase inhibitors, and DIAGNOSIS

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a chronic yet progressive myeloid neoplasm in which only a minority of patients undergo curative therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, is the lone therapy approved for MF, offering a clear symptom and spleen benefit at the expense of treatment-related cytopenias. Pacritinib (PAC), a multi-kinase inhibitor with specificity for JAK2, FLT3, and IRAK1 but sparing JAK1, has demonstrated clinical activity in MF with minimal myelosuppression. Due to an FDA-mandated full clinical hold, the randomized phase 3 PERSIST trials were abruptly stopped and PAC was immediately discontinued for all patients. Thirty-three patients benefitting from PAC on clinical trial prior to the hold were allowed to resume therapy on an individual, compassionate-use basis. This study reports the detailed outcomes of 19 of these PAC retreatment patients with a median follow-up of 8 months. Despite a median platelet count of 49 × 109/L at restart of PAC, no significant change in hematologic profile was observed. Grade 3/4 adverse events of epistaxis (n = 1), asymptomatic QT prolongation (n = 1), and bradycardia (n = 1) occurred in three patients within the first 3 months of retreatment. One death due to catheter-associated sepsis occurred. The median time to discontinuation of PAC therapy on compassionate use for all 33 patients was 12.2 (95% CI 8.3-NR) months. PAC retreatment was associated with modest improvement in splenomegaly without progressive myelosuppression and supports the continued development of this agent for the treatment of MF second line to ruxolitinib or in the setting of treatment-limiting thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STINKBUGS, INSECT rearing, HOSTS (Biology), AGRICULTURAL pests, BIOLOGICAL pest control agents, and ENCYRTIDAE

The species Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is currently being considered as a candidate for augmentative biological control agent (BCA) against several pests, including Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Protocols for mass production of a BCA need fundamental information on its biological attributes. Here we tested a possible laboratory host for the rearing of O. telenomicida: the common bug Graphosoma lineatum L. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). At tested conditions, O. telenomicida biological parameters were: rm 0.154, offspring production 84.07 specimens/female, sex ratio (% females) 71%, juvenile development time about 16 days, population doubling time 4.52 days, emergence rate about 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TRISSOLCUS, BROWN marmorated stink bug, PARASITOIDS, SCELIONIDAE, and WASPS

Background A parasitoid wasp, Trissolcus solocis Johnson, was recorded parasitising eggs of the invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål), in the United States. This is the first record of this species parasitising eggs of H. halys. New information First record of Trissolcus solocis parasitising Halyomorpha halys eggs in the United States and first record of T. solocis in Alabama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MELIACEAE, HOST plants, HEMIPTERA, STINKBUGS, and INSECT antifeedants

Currently, the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is considered an agricultural and nuisance pest in Georgia. The invasive chinaberry tree, Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae), commonly grows in dense thickets along roadsides, and in woodlands adjacent to agricultural crops across the southeastern USA. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the potential of M. azedarach to serve as a host plant of H. halys by examining mortality and feeding of first and second instars on M. azedarach leaves vs. carrot (i.e., a control diet), and documenting presence of H. halys on M. azedarach in woodlands at 2 locations in Georgia where this stink bug has become established. Over all sampling dates and locations, the number of H. halys in chinaberry was very low (0.1 per tree), and only 3 late instars and 1 adult were observed feeding on M. azedarach at 1 field site late in the season. Percentage feeding by second instars of H. halys was lower for individuals given M. azedarach leaves vs. those provided with carrot, most likely indicating that compounds in M. azedarach have an antifeeding effect. In fact, mortality for second instars on M. azedarach leaves was very high, and thus we conclude that M. azedarach is an unsuitable host plant for H. halys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLANT phenology, STINKBUGS, SOYBEAN farming, SOYBEAN diseases & pests, and HEMIPTERA

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are an increasing threat to soybean (Fabales: Fabaceae) production in the North Central Region of the United States, which accounts for 80% of the country's total soybean production. Characterization of the stink bug community is essential for development of management programs for these pests. However, the composition of the stink bug community in the region is not well defined. This study aimed to address this gap with a 2-yr, 9-state survey. Specifically, we characterized the relative abundance, richness, and diversity of taxa in this community, and assessed phenological differences in abundance of herbivorous and predatory stink bugs. Overall, the stink bug community was dominated by Euschistus spp. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and Chinavia hilaris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Euschistus variolarius (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), C. hilaris and Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) were more abundant in the northwestern, southeastern and eastern parts, respectively, of the North Central Region of the United States. Economically significant infestations of herbivorous species occurred in fields in southern parts of the region. Species richness differed across states, while diversity was the same across the region. Herbivorous and predatory species were more abundant during later soybean growth stages. Our results represent the first regional characterization of the stink bug community in soybean fields and will be fundamental for the development of state- and region-specific management programs for these pests in the North Central Region of the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BROWN marmorated stink bug, STINKBUGS, HEMIPTERA, BIOLOGICAL control of insects, and BIOLOGICAL pest control

The Florida predatory stink bug, Euthyrhynchus floridanus L. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a generalist predator native to North America that feeds on a broad range of lepidopterous and heteropterous key pests in a great diversity of crops and non-crop situations. Feeding tests conducted in the laboratory to determine the most susceptible stage of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), to third nymphal instar, and male and female E. floridanus, indicated that this predator has great potential for biological control of H. halys nymphs and adult stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NILAPARVATA lugens, SINGLE nucleotide polymorphisms, LOCUS (Genetics), GENOTYPES, INSECT pests, and RICE

Rice is the most important staple food crop, and it feeds more than half of the world population. Brown planthopper (BPH) is a major insect pest of rice that causes 20–80% yield loss through direct and indirect damage. The identification and use of BPH resistance genes can efficiently manage BPH. A molecular marker-based genetic analysis of BPH resistance was carried out using 101 BC1F5 mapping population derived from a cross between a BPH-resistant indica variety Khazar and an elite BPH-susceptible line Huang–Huan–Zhan. The genetic analysis indicated the existence of Mendelian segregation for BPH resistance. A total of 702 high-quality polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, genotypic data, and precisely estimated BPH scores were used for molecular mapping, which resulted in the identification of the BPH38(t) locus on the long arm of chromosome 1 between SNP markers 693,369 and id 10,112,165 of 496.2 kb in size with LOD of 20.53 and phenotypic variation explained of 35.91%. A total of 71 candidate genes were predicted in the detected locus. Among these candidate genes, LOC_Os01g37260 was found to belong to the FBXL class of F-box protein possessing the LRR domain, which is reported to be involved in biotic stress resistance. Furthermore, background analysis and phenotypic selection resulted in the identification of introgression lines (ILs) possessing at least 90% recurrent parent genome recovery and showing superior performance for several agro-morphological traits. The BPH resistance locus and ILs identified in the present study will be useful in marker-assisted BPH resistance breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]