A review of Piasites Seyrig (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with description of seven new species

The taxonomic limits of the Malagasy genus Piasites Seyrig are reviewed. The genus is redescribed and compared to other similar taxa, especially the Afrotropical Bozakites Seyrig. The type species, P. carinatus Seyrig, is redescribed; its extensive colour variation is described and discussed. Seven new species are described and illustrated: P. lineatus, P. nigricollis, P. orbitalis, P. perinetensis, P. politus, P. quasimodus and P. seyrigi. An identification key to the species is presented.Most of this work was accomplished during a scientific visit by the first author to the MNHN funded by the University of Alicante, Spain (Programa Propio para el fomento de la I+D+i de la Universidad de Alicante 2021, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Ref. ACIE21-03)

New species of Nesolinoceras Ashmead.

16 pages : color illustrations, map ; 26 cm.The generic limits of Nesolinoceras Ashmead are redefined. The genus is characterized by the supraclypeal and supraantennal areas covered by distinct, uniformly spaced striae; antenna without white band; foretibia distinctly swollen, fusiform; forewing with extensive fuscous bands; areolet large, pentagonal, longer than wide, distinctly convergent; spiracle of first metasomal tergite placed at midlength; and ventral valve of ovipositor apically dilated and overlapping dorsal valve as a lobe. The type species, N. ornatipennis (Cresson) is redescribed, illustrated, and newly recorded from the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. A new species, N. laluzbrillante, sp. nov., is described from the Dominican Republic. It is diagnosed mainly by having mesopleuron, propodeum, and metasoma extensively marked with blackish and whitish stripes and spots; clypeus in front view with base almost as wide as apex; central ocellus about as large as lateral ones; epicnemial carina short, reaching only 0.4 of length to subalar ridge; and areolet crossveins 2r-m and 3r-m distinctly convergent, but far from meeting on anterior apex of areolet. Previously thought to be restricted to Cuba, Nesolinoceras seems to be relatively widespread in the Caribbean Islands

Local influences of geothermal anomalies on permafrost distribution in an active volcanic island (Deception Island, Antarctica)

This study aims at understanding the spatial distribution and characteristics of the frozen and unfrozen terrain in an alluvial fan on Deception Island, which is an active strato-volcano located in the Bransfield Strait (South Shetland Islands) with recent eruptions in 1967, 1969 and 1970. The alluvial fan is dominated by debris-flow, run-off and rock fall processes and permafrost occurs in several parts in the vicinity of anomalous geothermal heat flux. The aim is to assess the ways volcanic activity controls permafrost development and associated geomorphic dynamics using shallow subsurface, surface and air temperature measurements as well as thaw depth and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys.Results show a temperature increase with depth in the lower part of the fan reaching 13 °C at 0.80 m depth, without the presence of permafrost. The shallow borehole located at this site showed a stable thermal stratification all year-round, with only the upper 0.20 m reacting to meteorological forcing. In the upper part of the alluvial fan and debris cones, c. 100 m from the coast, frozen ground is present at c. 0.70 m depth. There, the shallow borehole shows a good coupling with air temperatures and the thermal regime favours the presence of permafrost. ERT shows the lowest resistivity values in the lower part of the alluvial fan and a highly resistivity zone in the upper sector of the fan and in the debris cones. These large variations in resistivity mark the presence of a saline water wedge from the sea into the fan, reaching frozen ground conditions about 100 m inland. It can be shown that the volcano-hydrothermal activity only inhibits frost development very locally, with frozen ground conditions occurring about 100 m away

Assessment of "social" and "economic" sustainability in peri-urban territories: A proposal of methodological framework and its application to Lisbon Metropolitan Area

Carried out within the framework of the multidisciplinary research project PERIURBAN (Peri-urban areas faced with the challenges of sustainability: developing scenarios for Lisbon Metropolitan Area) this article aims to propose, discuss and implement criteria for assessing the sustainability of peri-metropolitan territories at the social and economic level, starting from its application to the specific case of 5 parishes in Lisbon Metropolitan area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Differential regulation of PGC-1α expression in rat liver and skeletal muscle in response to voluntary running

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The beneficial actions of exercise training on lipid, glucose and energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity appear to be in part mediated by PGC-1α. Previous studies have shown that spontaneously exercised rats show at rest enhanced responsiveness to exogenous insulin, lower plasma insulin levels and increased skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. This study was initiated to examine the functional interaction between exercise-induced modulation of skeletal muscle and liver PGC-1α protein expression, whole body insulin sensitivity, and circulating FFA levels as a measure of whole body fatty acid (lipid) metabolism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two groups of male Wistar rats (2 Mo of age, 188.82 ± 2.77 g BW) were used in this study. One group consisted of control rats placed in standard laboratory cages. Exercising rats were housed individually in cages equipped with running wheels and allowed to run at their own pace for 5 weeks. At the end of exercise training, insulin sensitivity was evaluated by comparing steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) concentrations at constant plasma insulin levels attained during the continuous infusion of glucose and insulin to each experimental group. Subsequently, soleus and plantaris muscle and liver samples were collected and quantified for PGC-1α protein expression by Western blotting. Collected blood samples were analyzed for glucose, insulin and FFA concentrations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Rats housed in the exercise wheel cages demonstrated almost linear increases in running activity with advancing time reaching to maximum value around 4 weeks. On an average, the rats ran a mean (Mean ± SE) of 4.102 ± 0.747 km/day and consumed significantly more food as compared to sedentary controls (<it>P </it>< 0.001) in order to meet their increased caloric requirement. Mean plasma insulin (<it>P </it>< 0.001) and FFA (<it>P </it>< 0.006) concentrations were lower in the exercise-trained rats as compared to sedentary controls. Mean steady state plasma insulin (SSPI) and glucose (SSPG) concentrations were not significantly different in sedentary control rats as compared to exercise-trained animals. Plantaris PGC-1α protein expression increased significantly from a 1.11 ± 0.12 in the sedentary rats to 1.74 ± 0.09 in exercising rats (<it>P </it>< 0.001). However, exercise had no effect on PGC-1α protein content in either soleus muscle or liver tissue. These results indicate that exercise training selectively up regulates the PGC-1α protein expression in high-oxidative fast skeletal muscle type such as plantaris muscle.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that PGC-1α most likely plays a restricted role in exercise-mediated improvements in insulin resistance (sensitivity) and lowering of circulating FFA levels.</p

Identification of the spatial and temporal dynamics for estimating soybean crop area from MODIS images in the Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The objective of this study was to define a method for estimating soybean crop area in the Northern Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil). Overall, six different remote sensing methods were proposed based on spectral-temporal profile and minimum and maximum values of NDVI/MODIS related to the stages of sowing, maximum development and harvesting of soybean areas. The resulting estimates were compared to official crop area data provided by the Brazilian government, using statistical analysis and the fuzzy similarity method. The performance of each method depended on information such as crop size, type of crop management, and sowing/harvesting dates. Regression coefficients of determination and fuzzy agreement values were above 0.8 and 0.45, respectively, for all methods. For operational monitoring of soybean crop area, the empirical threshold applied to the image difference with inclusion of harvest image method was the most effective, producing estimates that matched closely the official data. For spatial analysis the application of multitemporal images classification method is recommended that generated a map of better quality. The efficiency of these methods should be evaluated in the areas of soybean expansion in the state

Avaliação preliminar de famílias de F2:3 de feijão-caupi com de inflorescência composta.

O feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) é uma leguminosa com destaque comercial devido ao seu curto ciclo para maturidade e por ser uma importante fonte de carboidratos e proteínas. Atualmente, devido a utilização da cultura em lavouras que empregam alta tecnologia tem sido dada maior atenção à arquitetura da planta, visando a facilidade do cultivo mecanizado e a obtenção de um maior potencial genético produtivo. A inflorescência composta mostra-se bastante promissora para o melhoramento do feijão-caupi, uma vez que aumenta o número de vagens por pedúnculo e por planta, característica que constitui importante componente de produção. Desse modo, este trabalho teve como objetivo a avaliação preliminar de famílias F2:3 de feijão-caupi portadoras de inflorescência composta quanto a maturidade e a produção. Foram avaliados o ciclo e a produtividade de 460 famílias F2:3 em um experimento em delineamento de blocos aumentados. As famílias foram distribuídas em 10 blocos, sendo cada conjunto constituído de 46 famílias e duas testemunhas. Das 460 famílias F2:3 somente 343 foram incluídas na análise de variância. Não houve diferença entre famílias para nenhum dos caracteres avaliados. Entretanto, houve diferença entre famílias e testemunhas. Do total de famílias, 4,0% e 7,8% apresentaram-se, para floração e maturidade, respectivamente, mais precoces que a testemunha mais precoce e 25,6% das famílias apresentaram produtividade por parcela superior a testemunha mais produtiva.CONAC 2012. Disponível em: http://www.conac2012.org/resumos/pdf/182a.pdf. Acesso em: 02 ago. 2013

Effect Biomarkers of the Widespread Antimicrobial Triclosan in a Marine Model Diatom

The present-day COVID-19 pandemic has led to the increasing daily use of antimicrobials worldwide. Triclosan is a manmade disinfectant chemical used in several consumer healthcare products, and thus frequently detected in surface waters. In the present work, we aimed to evaluate the effect of triclosan on diatom cell photophysiology, fatty acid profiles, and oxidative stress biomarkers, using the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a model organism. Several photochemical effects were observed, such as the lower ability of the photosystems to efficiently trap light energy. A severe depletion of fucoxanthin under triclosan application was also evident, pointing to potential use of carotenoid as reactive oxygen species scavengers. It was also observed an evident favouring of the peroxidase activity to detriment of the SOD activity, indicating that superoxide anion is not efficiently metabolized. High triclosan exposure induced high cellular energy allocation, directly linked with an increase in the energy assigned to vital functions, enabling cells to maintain the growth rates upon triclosan exposure. Oxidative stress traits were found to be the most efficient biomarkers as promising tools for triclosan ecotoxicological assessments. Overall, the increasing use of triclosan will lead to significant effects on the diatom photochemical and oxidative stress levels, compromising key roles of diatoms in the marine system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio