Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Scarabaeoidea

The 1042 species of Scarabaeoidea known to occur in Peru are listed with their taxonomic placement in families, subfamilies, and tribes

Citizen science breathes new life into participatory agricultural research : A review

Participatory research can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and scope of research processes, and foster social inclusion, empowerment and sustainability. Yet despite four decades of agricultural research institutions exploring and developing methods for participatory research, it has never become mainstream in the agricultural technology development cycle. Citizen science promises an innovative approach to participation in research, using the unique facilities of new digital technologies, but its potential in agricultural research participation has not been systematically probed. To this end, we conducted a critical literature review. We found that citizen science opens up four opportunities for creatively reshaping research: i) new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration, ii) rethinking configurations of socio-computational systems, iii) research on democratization of science more broadly, and iv) new accountabilities. Citizen science also brings a fresh perspective on the barriers to institutionalizing participation in the agricultural sciences. Specifically, we show how citizen science can reconfigure cost-motivation-accountability combinations using digital tools, open up a larger conceptual space of experimentation, and stimulate new collaborations. With appropriate and persistent institutional support and investment, citizen science can therefore have a lasting impact on how agricultural science engages with farming communities and wider society, and more fully realize the promises of participation

Diversity, host specialization, and geographic structure of filarial nematodes infecting Malagasy bats

We investigated filarial infection in Malagasy bats to gain insights into the diversity of these parasites and explore the factors shaping their distribution. Samples were obtained from 947 individual bats collected from 52 sites on Madagascar and representing 31 of the 44 species currently recognized on the island. Samples were screened for the presence of micro-and macro-parasites through both molecular and morphological approaches. Phylogenetic analyses showed that filarial diversity in Malagasy bats formed three main groups, the most common represented by Litomosa spp. infecting Miniopterus spp. (Miniopteridae); a second group infecting Pipistrellus cf. hesperidus (Vespertilionidae) embedded within the Litomosoides cluster, which is recognized herein for the first time from Madagascar; and a third group composed of lineages with no clear genetic relationship to both previously described filarial nematodes and found in M. griveaudi, Myotis goudoti, Neoromicia matroka (Vespertilionidae), Otomops madagascariensis (Molossidae), and Paratriaenops furculus (Hipposideridae). We further analyzed the infection rates and distribution pattern of Litomosa spp., which was the most diverse and prevalent filarial taxon in our sample. Filarial infection was disproportionally more common in males than females in Miniopterus spp., which might be explained by some aspect of roosting behavior of these cave-dwelling bats. We also found marked geographic structure in the three Litomosa clades, mainly linked to bioclimatic conditions rather than host-parasite associations. While this study demonstrates distinct patterns of filarial nematode infection in Malagasy bats and highlights potential drivers of associated geographic distributions, future work should focus on their alpha taxonomy and characterize arthropod vectors

Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers

Yersinia pestis, the bacterial causative agent of plague, remains an important threat to human health. Plague is a rodent-borne disease that has historically shown an outstanding ability to colonize and persist across different species, habitats, and environments while provoking sporadic cases, outbreaks, and deadly global epidemics among humans. Between September and November 2017, an outbreak of urban pneumonic plague was declared in Madagascar, which refocused the attention of the scientific community on this ancient human scourge. Given recent trends and plague’s resilience to control in the wild, its high fatality rate in humans without early treatment, and its capacity to disrupt social and healthcare systems, human plague should be considered as a neglected threat. A workshop was held in Paris in July 2018 to review current knowledge about plague and to identify the scientific research priorities to eradicate plague as a human threat. It was concluded that an urgent commitment is needed to develop and fund a strong research agenda aiming to fill the current knowledge gaps structured around 4 main axes: (i) an improved understanding of the ecological interactions among the reservoir, vector, pathogen, and environment; (ii) human and societal responses; (iii) improved diagnostic tools and case management; and (iv) vaccine development. These axes should be cross-cutting, translational, and focused on delivering context-specific strategies. Results of this research should feed a global control and prevention strategy within a “One Health” approach

Replicate Studies Separated by 40 Years Reveal Changes in the Altitudinal Stratification of Montane Passalid Beetle Species (Passalidae) in Mesoamerica

Two patterns are apparent in the altitudinal distribution of Neotropical passalid beetles: (a) species that occur only in lowland forest habitats but have broad geographic distributions, and (b) montane endemic species with relatively limited distributions. The transition zone between these distributions in upper Mesoamerica occurs, on average, at approximately 1500 m above sea level (a.s.l.). We studied the altitudinal stratification of passalid beetle communities living on two volcanoes in Guatemala (Atitlan and Santa Maria), revisiting a study conducted in 1981 by MacVean and Schuster. We collected passalid beetles at the same study sites and compared the community composition along the altitudinal gradient. We collected all but one of the species reported by MacVean and Schuster and found three additional species. We observed two key differences in the passalid communities observed in 1981 versus the present: (a) for the Atitlan site, the species’ turnover line from lowland to montane species shifted from 1600 to 1800 m a.s.l.; and (b) in both volcanoes, we collected passalid beetles well above 2700 m a.s.l., which was the upper limit at which they were found in 1981. Both observations are consistent with a shift of the passalid beetle community to higher elevations, perhaps in response to changes in local climate/habitat conditions, including increased temperatures and changes in forest composition

Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Scarabaeoidea

The 1042 species of Scarabaeoidea known to occur in Peru are listed with their taxonomic placement in families, subfamilies, and tribes

Place? Lugar? Sitio? Framing Place and Placemaking Through Latin American Contexts

In English speaking cultures, the term place refers to site‐specific qualities of attachment. Place, place-making, sense of place, are all terms derived from this central concept that have been taken up in various fields of research. Despite its widespread take‐up, the term place is anglo‐centric and culturally specific. In the UK, USA and Australia, the concept of place, and by extension placemaking is enshrined in legislation through statutory community engagement requirements. Yet in the Spanish language there is no direct translation of place‐words such as Lugar, Sitio, or Ambiente appear not to have the same connotations of attachment or the augmented perception and cultural importance of Englishs place. The aim of this chapter is to examine English and Spanish literature on place in conjunction with design projects (i.e. urban spaces) across a selection of Anglophone and Ibero‐American countries where thematic characteristics of place are exhibited. We intend to use Australia, Mexico and Spain, countries with which the authors have national connections to frame (i.e. encuadrar) and begin to understand their respective in‐country community based application(s). The framing/encuadrado of these terms (i.e. place/placemaking) is not done as a means to compare Western vs. Ibero‐American constructs of place and related terms; nor to identify where similarities and differences may or may not occur. Rather, this encuadrado is used as a means to present alternative constructs to these terms that may, more appropriately, be applied in Ibero‐American cultures and in the creation of positively perceived participatory urban contexts and settings

A qualitative needs assessment of human trafficking in Ethiopia: recommendations for a comprehensive, coordinated response

Abstract Background Human trafficking is a global human rights violation that has profound health, economic, and social impacts. There has been little investigation of service needs and response options for human trafficking survivors in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to understand the potential service needs and response options for human trafficking in Ethiopia from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Methods We conducted a qualitative needs assessment and used content analysis to analyze individual interviews with key stakeholder groups including service providers, academics, lawyers, and non-government organization (NGO) workers between the summer of 2015 – spring of 2016. Results In total, 17 individuals participated and content analysis elicited four overarching themes related to post-trafficking needs, including mental health considerations, barriers and facilitators to providing survivor services, survivor service needs, and comprehensive care models. Conclusions This qualitative needs assessment suggests that trafficking survivors may require professional and community services throughout their trafficking experiences, including medical care, economic and job opportunities, legal advocacy, and mental health services. Interventions should harness preexisting community strengths such as Ethiopia’s “social healing system,” health extension workers, and mobile technology. Future studies should explore tailored interventions and comprehensive models of care implemented within the pre-existing healthcare, social service, and community structures.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173716/1/12939_2020_Article_1154.pd

Lessons from Ten Cities

The Urban Design Laboratory - Fall 2010. Assignment 1: Re-Inhabiting the Urban Core - Lessons From Ten Cities - Two Weeks.Updated with edits per co-author Dr Richard Dagenhart, 11/23/2021This project focuses on the primary ingredient of urban form: the subdivision of urban territory into public and private domains (or public and private usage in some situations). Every project in existing urban cores - urban design, building or landscape - must understand the arrangement and dimension of lots, blocks and streets and their relationships to pre-existing ecological conditions, prior human occupation, previous interventions, political imprints and cultural desire. It is these relationships that irrigate this basic urban form with architecture and landscape potentials. Ideally at least one member of each team will have visited the selected city. The research must be accomplished quickly - realizing that the internet plus the library will have substantial information about each city. The documentation and analysis of each city will be presented in common format and graphics in three parts. First is the urban form in the city’s regional context, which may be geographic, topographic, ecological, political or some combination of those. This should reflect an understanding of the reasons for its location and its origins. Why was the city developed there in the first place? Second is the urban form itself, in three scales: 15K x 15k area of the urban core to show the primary urban form; a 7.5k x 7.5k area showing the urban core itself and its primary form characteristics, and a 1k x 1k area of blocks. The identical scales will allow visual comparisons among the five cities. Third will be a series of diagrams, illustrating the major design moves that created the distinctive urban form for each city. This might be understood as retroactive urban design - looking backward and then rebuilding them in sequence, based on your interpretation of the city's formal history. The conclusion of these diagrams will be a composite.Richard Dagenhar