New Host-plant Records For Neotropical Agromyzids (diptera: Agromyzidae) From Asteraceae Flower Heads

Agromyzidae is a large and cosmopolitan fly family with approximately 2,500 known species. Here we present 22 new records of agromyzid-host plant associations. Plants were sampled from 2002 to 2005 in São Paulo state, Brazil. A total of eight agromyzid species were reared from 18 Asteraceae host species. The genus Melanagromyza Hendel was the commonest. This is the first detailed study reporting associations between non-leafmining Agromyzidae and their host plants in Brazil.3719799Almeida, A.M., C.R. Fonsceca, P.I. Prado, M. Almeida Neto, S. Diniz, U. Kubota, M.R. Braun, R.L.G. Raimundo, L.A. Anjos, T.G. Mendonça, S.M. Futada & T.M. Lewinsohn. 2005. Diversidade e ocorrência de Asteraceae em cerrados de São Paulo. Biota Neotrop. 5: http://www.biotaneotropica. org.br/v5n2/pt/abstract?article+BN00105022005 . ISSN 1676-0603Andersen, A., Sjursen, H., Rafoss, T., Biodiversity of Agromizydae (Diptera) and biologically and conventionally grown spring barley and grass field (2004) Biol. Agric. Hortic, 22, pp. 143-155Benavent-Corai, J., Martinez, M., Jimenez Peydró, R., Catalogue of the host-plants of the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) (2005) Boll. Zool. Agrar. Bachic. Serie II, 37, pp. 1-97Bremer, K., (1994) Asteraceae: Cladistics and classification, , Timber Press, Portland, 752pChen, X., Lang, F., Xu, Z., He, J., Ma, Y., The occurrence of leafminers and their parasitoids on vegetables and weeds in Hangzhou area, Southeast China (2003) BioControl, 48, pp. 515-527Eiten, G., Cerrado vegetation of Brazil (1972) Bot. Rev, 38, pp. 201-341Fonseca, C.R., Prado, P.I., Almeida Neto, M., Kubota, U., Lewinsohn, T.M., Flower heads, herbivores, and their parasitoids: Food web structure along a fertility gradient (2005) Ecol. Entomol, 30, pp. 36-46Gagné, R.J., (1994) The gall midges of the Neotropical region, , Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, 352pLewinsohn, T.M. 1991. Insects in flower heads of Asteraceae in southeast Brazil: a case study on tropical species richness, p.525-560. In P.W. Price, T.M. Lewinsohn, G.W. Fernandes & W.W. Benson (eds.). Plant-animal interactions: Evolutionary ecology in tropical and temperate regions. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 639pLewinsohn, T.M., Novotny, V., Basset, Y., Insects on plants: Diversity of herbivore assemblages revisited (2005) Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst, 36, pp. 597-620Schuster, D.J., Gilreath, J.P., Wharton, R.A., Seymour, P.R., Agromyzidae (Diptera) leafminers and their parasitoids in weeds associated with potato in Florida (1991) Environ. Entomol, 20, pp. 720-723Spencer, K.A., Notes on the Neotropical Agromyzidae (Diptera) (1966) Pap. Avulsos Zool, 19, pp. 142-150Spencer, K.A., The Agromyzidae of Canada and Alaska (1969) Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can, 64, pp. 1-311Spencer, K.A. 1973a. Agromyzidae (Diptera) of economic importance. Dr. W. Junk B. V. The Hague, Serie Entomologica, 418pSpencer, K.A., The Agromyzidae (Diptera) of Venezuela. Rev. Fac. Agrom (1973), pp. 5-107. , Mar. VIIISpencer, K.A., (1990) Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae, , Diptera, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 444pSpencer, K.A. 1996. Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog - Web Version. URL: http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/agromyzidae.html. Accessed in 12/09/2006Spencer, K.A. & C.E. Stegmaier. 1973. Arthropods of Florida (EUA) and neighboring land areas, v. 7. Agromyzidae of Florida (USA) with a Supplement on Species from the Caribbean. Fla. Dep. Agri. Cons. Serv., Gainesville, 205pSpencer, K.A. & G.C. Steyskal. 1986. Manual of the Agromyzidae (Diptera) of the United States. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook. n. 638. Washington, U.S.ASpencer, K.A., Martinez, M., Etienne, J., Les Agromyzidae (Diptera) de Guadeloupe. (1992) Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr, 28, pp. 251-302Zwölfer, H. 1988. Species richness, species packing, and evolution in insect-plant systems, p.301-319. In E.D. Schulze & H. Zwölfer (eds.), Potentials and limitations of ecosystem analysis. Springer-Verlag. Berlin, 435

dAMUSE : a new tool for denoising and blind source separation

In this work a generalized version of AMUSE, called dAMUSE is proposed. The main modification consists in embedding the observed mixed signals in a high-dimensional feature space of delayed coordinates. With the embedded signals a matrix pencil is formed and its generalized eigendecomposition is computed similar to the algorithm AMUSE. We show that in this case the uncorrelated output signals are filtered versions of the unknown source signals. Further, denoising the data can be achieved conveniently in parallel with the signal separation. Numerical simulations using artificially mixed signals are presented to show the performance of the method. Further results of a heart rate variability (HRV) study are discussed showing that the output signals are related with LF (low frequency) and HF (high frequency) fluctuations. Finally, an application to separate artifacts from 2D NOESY NMR spectra and to denoise the reconstructed artefact-free spectra is presented also.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Miniaturizing the laparoscope: Current applications of micro‐ and minilaparoscopy

Technological advancements have enabled miniaturization of the endoscope without significant compromise to either diagnostic or operative abilities. With a complement of instruments < 5 mm in diameter, newer minimally invasive techniques have been developed to decrease the pain and trauma associated with surgical procedures. These advancements involve additional options for peritoneal access as well as facilitating diagnostic evaluation of the pelvis. Although the robustness and durability of the smaller instruments is an area of concern, a thorough understanding of the clinical advantages and disadvantages has the potential to improve patient outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135513/1/ijgo94.pd

Potential of constructed wetlands for removal of antibiotics from saline aquaculture effluents

This work aimed to evaluate the potential of constructed wetlands (CWs) for removal of antibiotics (enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline) and antibiotic resistant bacteria from saline aquaculture wastewaters. Removal of other contaminants (nutrients, organic matter and metals) and toxicity reduction and the influence of antibiotics with these processes were evaluated. Thus, nine CWs microcosms, divided into three treatments, were assembled and used to treat wastewater (doped or not with the selected antibiotics) between October and December of 2015. Each week treated wastewater was removed and new wastewater (doped or not) was introduced in CWs. Results showed > 99% of each antibiotic was removed in CWs. After three weeks of adaptation, removal percentages > 95% were also obtained for total bacteria and for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Nutrients, organic matter and metal removal percentages in CWs treated wastewater were identical in the absence and in the presence of each antibiotic. Toxicity in treated wastewaters was significantly lower than in initial wastewaters, independently of antibiotics presence. Results showed CWs have a high efficiency for removing enrofloxacin or oxytetracycline as well as antibiotic resistant bacteria from saline aquaculture wastewaters. CWs can also remove other contaminants independently of drug presence, making the aquaculture wastewater possible to be reutilized and/or recirculated. © 2016 by the authors.This research was partially supported by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the program PT2020 and by the structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR—Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources, reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, namely within the Research Lines ECOSERVICES (Assessing the environmental quality, vulnerability and risks for the sustainable management of the NW coast natural resources and ecosystem services in a changing world) and INSEAFOOD (Innovation and Valorisation of Seafood Products: Meeting Local Challenges and Opportunities) within the R&D Institution CIIMAR (Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research), supported by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Propranolol resolution using enantioselective biphasic systems

The commercialization of chiral drugs is an increasing concern in the pharmacological field since the differences in the pharmacological activities of enantiomers may result in serious problems in the treatment of diseases using racemates. The resolution of chiral drugs is important for the development of safer and more active pharmaceuticals. This work aims to develop an enantioseparation platform for the resolution of propranolol (R/S-PRP) resorting to esters of tartaric acid and chiral ionic liquids (CILs) as chiral selectors in biphasic systems. More specifically, the efficiency of enantioselective liquid–liquid extraction (ELLE) systems, both aqueous and non-aqueous biphasic systems, are here studied, aiming to do a direct comparison between these two types of systems for the resolution of R/S-PRP. Studies were carried to evaluate the proper phase forming components of ELLE, R/S-PRP:chiral selector ratio, the potential of CIL over esters of tartaric acid, and the most suitable alkyl chain length for the esters of tartaric acid. It was found that the selected organic phase formers of ELLE, 1,2-dichloroethane and ethyl acetate, greatly impact the potential of the enantiorecognition of the system. The most efficient biphasic system identified was composed of 1,2-dichloroethane- water, and dipentyl-L-tartrate and boric acid as chiral selectors, with a enantioselectivity of 2.54. This system was further employed for the resolution of R/S-PRP in centrifugal partition chromatography, to assess its scalability potential, being shown that it was possible to increase the purity of R-PRP from 59% to 75%.publishe

Biological invasion of Corythucha ciliata in green urban spaces in Portugal: a niche modeling approach using maximum entropy

Corythucha ciliata (Hemiptera: Tingidae) é um inseto nativo da América do Norte que foi introduzido na Europa, pela Itália, em 1964. Desde então tem se expandido por toda a Europa, desconhecendo-se a data de chegada e a sua área de distribuição em Portugal. Esta importante praga invasora alimenta-se na face inferior das folhas de plátano, uma das mais importantes árvores ornamentais nos espaços verdes urbanos em Portugal, causando senescência prematura e eventualmente morte, em casos de infestações severas consecutivas. A modelação de nicho está se tornando uma ferramenta cada vez mais importante na gestão de invasões biológicas, tanto antes como depois da introdução do organismo invasor. Neste estudo, o software MaxEnt (máxima entropia) foi usado na modelação da distribuição invasiva potencial de Corythucha ciliata em Portugal, a partir de um conjunto de variáveis ambientais e de dados de presença do inseto, obtidos a partir da observação de folhas de plátanos amostrados por todo o país. De acordo com o melhor modelo gerado pelo MaxEnt, as áreas de maior adequabilidade potencial à invasão de Corythucha ciliata encontram-se no norte de Portugal apresentando o sul e as regiões de maior altitude do norte e centro adequabilidade reduzida ou nula. Observações laboratoriais da biologia de Corythucha ciliata aliadas aos registos de ausência em várias localidades do sul de Portugal e ocorrência predominante na metade norte de Espanha suportam o modelo desenvolvido. Porém, a validação do modelo requer futuras prospecções nas áreas de reduzida adequabilidade e onde a praga se encontrava virtualmente ausente no momento em que foi realizada a amostragem. Os modelos de adequabilidade podem ser usados como ferramenta auxiliar na tomada de decisão no que concerne à gestão dos espaços verdes

Infrared behaviour of the pressure in g\phi^3 theory in 6 dimensions

In an earlier paper Almeida and Frenkel considered the calculation of the pressure in g\phi^3 theory in 6 dimensions via the Schwinger--Dyson equation. They found, under certain approximations, that a finite result ensues in the infrared limit. We find this conclusion to remain true with certain variations of these approximations, suggesting the finiteness of the result to be fairly robust.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, uses revtex

Escapes of non-native fish from flooded aquaculture facilities: the case of Paranapanema River, southern Brazil

Non-native species are a major driver of biodiversity loss. Aquaculture activities play a key role in introductions, including the escape of fishes from fish farm facilities. Here, the impact of flooding due to El Niño rains in 2015/2016 in the Lower and Middle Paranapanema River basin, southern Brazil, was investigated by evaluating fish escapes from 12 fish farms. The flooding resulted in the escape of approximately 1.14 million fishes into the river, encompassing 21 species and three hybrids. Non-native species were the most abundant escapees, especially Oreochormis niloticus and Coptodon rendalli (96% of all fish). Only seven native fishes were in the escapee fauna, comprising 1% of all fish. Large floods, coupled with inadequate biosecurity, thus resulted in considerable inputs of non-native fish into this already invaded system

Damage threshold of CuCrFeTiV high entropy alloys for nuclear fusion reactors

A CuCrFeTiV high entropy alloy was prepared and irradiated with swift heavy ions in order to check its adequacy for use as a thermal barrier in future nuclear fusion reactors. The alloy was prepared from the elemental powders by ball milling, followed by consolidation by spark plasma sintering at 1178 K and 65 MPa. The samples were then irradiated at room temperature with 300 keV Ar+ ions with fluences in the 3 × 1015 to 3 × 1018 Ar+/cm2 range to mimic neutron-induced damage accumulation during a duty cycle of a fusion reactor. Structural changes were investigated by X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy, both coupled with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. Surface irradiation damage was detected for high fluences (3 × 1018 Ar+/cm2) with formation of blisters of up to 1 μm in diameter. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of intergranular cavities only in the sample irradiated with 3 × 1018 Ar+/cm2, while all irradiation experiments produced intragranular nanometric-sized bubbles with increased density for higher Ar+ fluence. The Williamson-Hall method revealed a decrease in the average crystallite size and an increase in residual strain with increasing fluence, consistent with the formation of Ar+ bubbles at the irradiated surface.publishedVersio

Parasitoides autóctones associados a Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu: principais espécies e taxas de parasitismo

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio