Preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru

A preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru is presented. Within Cerambycidae, we record five subfamilies, 55 tribes, 345 genera and subgenera, and 714 species. Within Disteniidae, we record one tribe, six genera, and 11 species. We also record one subfamily, one tribe, one genus, and two species within Vesperidae. Four new country records are recorded: one species in the tribe Anacolini (Cerambycidae: Prioninae): Cycloprionus flavus Tippmann, 1953; and three species in the tribe Onciderini (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae): Cacostola simplex (Pascoe, 1859); Marensis simplex (Bates, 1865); Trachysomus cavigibba Martins, 1975. In addition, 161 species recorded are known only from Peru

A new species of Eclipta Bates, 1873 from Brazil (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in honor of the late Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins de Souza

A new species of Eclipta Bates, 1873 from Brazil (São Paulo), E. birai, is described and illustrated. A tribute to the late Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins de Souza is provided

Estudio de alternativas para el desarrollo de un sistema híbrido en un receptor solar de un Disco Stirling

En este trabajo se analiza la posibilidad de aplicación de nuevas tecnologías de apoyoenergético en un sistema de generación eléctrica termosolar tipo disco‐Stirling, con el fin deevaluar las soluciones consistentes en tecnologías de hibridación, como paliativo a lavariabilidad del recurso solar. En primer lugar, se evalua el beneficio real de instalar un sistemade apoyo auxiliar híbrido sobre un disco‐Stirling convencional. La siguiente fase del proyectoconsiste en llevar a cabo el diseño conceptual del sistema híbrido. Con este fin, habrá derealizarse una definición básica en un principio, y ajustada y precisa en fases posteriores, decada uno de los componentes necesarios para la instalación de un novedoso sistema decombustión sobre un equipo disco‐ Stirling. Destacar que no existen experiencias previas quepueden servir de guía en este proceso, ya que a día de hoy, no se ha encontrado una solucióntécnica viable para los problemas que presenta la integración de un sistema híbrido en elcabezal receptor de un disco‐Stirling. Por lo tanto, aquí reside el principal potencial deinnovación sobre la tecnología de generación termosolar disco‐Stirling, buscándose con eneste proyecto abrir una nueva línea de investigación para la mejora del funcionamiento actualde estos equipos de generación termoeléctrica

Holocene alluvial sequence in the val de zaragoza (Los Monegros) in the palaeoenvironmental context of the ebro basin (Ne Spain)

Flat-bottomed valleys formed by Holocene fills are the most characteristic landforms in the center of the Ebro basin. This paper analyzes, within a regional framework, a small fluvial basin located in the north of the Alcubierre Range. Three Holocene morphosedimentary units (H1-H3) and a sub-functional level (H4) are identified. These units are representative of the regional geomorphological evolutionary process in the Ebro basin. New chronological insights on climate and landscape management are provided by a study of the Bastarás weir, a construction made for water flow management during the Little Ice Age (LIA). The integration of Val de Zaragoza radiocarbon datings into the regional framework enables the authors to identify the main formation stages, as well as the influence of climatic and human factors on its evolution. The intensification of human pressure in the territory is reflected in a progressive increase in sediment accumulation rates in the valleys, peaking during Roman times and the Little Ice Age. Los valles de fondo plano formados por rellenos holocenos constituyen los paisajes más característicos del sector central de la cuenca del Ebro. En este trabajo se analiza una pequeña cuenca fluvial localizada en el norte de la Sierra de Alcubierre, en la que se han identificado tres unidades morfosedimentarias holocenas (H1-H3) y un nivel subfuncional (H4), que son representativos de la evolución geomorfológica regional de la Cuenca del Ebro. Uno de los aspectos más relevantes del valle lo constituye el azud de Bastarás, construcción realizada durante la Pequeña Edad del Hielo para el aprovechamiento del agua, que aporta nuevos datos cronológicos sobre dicha época y acerca de la gestión del territorio. La integración de las dataciones radiocarbónicas obtenidas en la Val de Zaragoza en un marco regional ha permitido precisar las principales etapas de formación de los valles de fondo plano, así como la importancia de los factores climáticos y humanos en su evolución. La intensificación de la presión humana sobre el territorio queda reflejada en un progresivo aumento en las tasas de acumulación de sedimentos en los valles, alcanzando sus picos máximos en Época Romana y en la Pequeña Edad del Hielo

Impacto del volcanismo y glaciarismo holocénicos en el poblamiento humano de la cordillera sur de Mendoza (Argentina): Una perspectiva geoarqueológica

A prolonged period of decreased human occupation has been proposed for Mendoza Province, provoked by conditions of increasing aridity during the mid-Holocene. It has also been suggested that the systematic human peopling of the high-altitude Andean environments started ca. 2000-1500 years BP, because of a process of economic intensification in lowland areas with higher availability of resources. In this paper, we present the results of a project designed to assess the role of volcanic activity and glacial advances as the main cause for archaeological discontinuities recorded in the archaeological record of the high Andes. This study covers a latitudinal range between 35°-37°S. We present geochemical and chronological results for tephras recorded in archaeological and geological sites, attempting to define the volcanic sources and their impact on the landscape. The analysis includes a geoarchaeological study of the Valenzuela River, which shows the magnitude of the volcanic activity in the Planchón-Peteroa complex, as well as the extent of Holocene glacial processes. The results presented allow suggesting alternative explanation for the temporal sequences of the archaeological record, inasmuch as highlighting the contribution of geoarchaeology

Post-tectonic landscape evolution in NE Iberia using staircase terraces: Combined effects of uplift and climate

© 2017 Elsevier B.V.River incision into bedrock resulting from the combined effects of tectonic uplift and climate governs long-term regional landscape evolution. We determined spatial and temporal patterns of post-orogenic stream incision from a sequence of well-preserved staircase terraces developed over the last 1 Ma in the Central Pyrenees and its southern foreland Ebro basin (NE Spain). Extensive remnants of ten vertically separated terraces (Qt1 to Qt10, from oldest to youngest) were mapped along 170 km of the Cinca River valley, transverse to the Pyrenean mountain belt. Multiple outcrops appear in the upper reach of the valley (Ainsa sector, 50 km from headwaters) as well as in the lower reach (Albalate sector, 125 km from headwaters). Fluvial incision into bedrock was calculated using (i) differentially corrected GPS measurements of the altitude of straths and (ii) numerical dating of alluvial sediments from the lower terraces (Qt5 to Qt9) by Optically Stimulated Luminescence, previously reported by Lewis et al. (2009), and supplemented with new dates for the upper terraces (Qt1, Qt2 and Qt3) based on paleomagnetism and supported by soil development. Considering altitude differences and the elapsed time between successive well preserved terrace couples (Qt3–Qt7, Qt7–Qt9 and Qt9-Active channel), mean bedrock incision rates ranged from 0.76 to 0.38 m ka− 1, at the upper reach of the valley (Ainsa section), and from 0.61 to 0.20 m ka− 1, at the lower reach (Albalate section). River incision along the valley produced vertically separated, near-parallel longitudinal terrace profiles evidencing a rapid near-uniform regional uplift as response to (i) the tectonic lithospheric thickening in NE Iberia and (ii) the erosional download rebound related to the Ebro basin exorheism. Moreover, a subtle upstream divergence of strath profiles may have been a consequence of an increase in uplift rate toward the head of the valley. Additionally, incision rates changed over time as indicate results from the lower reach (Albalate section); the maximum rate was 1.48 m ka− 1 between Qt7 (61 ka) and Qt8 (47 ka), and the minimum rate was 0.11 m ka− 1 between Qt3 (401 ka) and Qt5 (178 ka). The highest incision rates were produced after the Marine Isotope Stage 4 most likely in response to (i) an increased snowmelt discharge during the subsequent deglaciation related to the last maximum advance of glaciers in the southern Pyrenees, and (ii) a limited width of the valley after Qt7 formation, resulting from the deactivation of the westward river migration. Therefore, incision rates over the last 1 Ma in the Cinca River valley were basically controlled by near-uniform bedrock uplift, in the context of climate variability. The results reported in this study represent significant data on fluvial incision in NE Iberia, and provide an assessment of the regional post-tectonic landscape evolution

Structure des grands bassins glaciaires dans le nord de la péninsule ibérique: comparaison entre les vallées d'Andorre (Pyrénées orientales), du Gállego (Pyrénées centrales) et du Trueba (Chaîne Cantabrique).

Les grandes vallées glaciaires de la Péninsule Ibérique sont situées dans la chaîne pyrénéo-cantabrique, principalement dans le bassin de l'Èbre. Ainsi, les vallées d'Andorre, de la Noguera Pallaresa et de la haute vallée du Gállego, dans les Pyrénées, ont eu des appareils glaciaires longs de 42, 50 et 40 km respectivement. Dans les vallées du Sil (bassin du Miño) et du Trueba, dans la Chaîne Cantabrique, ils atteignaient 42 et 16,5 km (Serrano-Cañadas, 1996 ; Gómez-Ortiz et al., 2001 ; Turu & Peña, 2006a et b ; Redondo-Vega et al., 2006). L'une des caractéristiques géomorphologiques de la plupart de ces vallées est l'existence d'une dépression morphologique du substratum dans les parties moyennes et terminales, interprétée comme la conséquence de l'érosion glaciaire. Dans tous les cas, on observe une architecture litho-stratigraphique commune (Vilaplana & Casas, 1983 ; Bordonau et al., 1989 ; Bordonau, 1992 ; Turu et al., 2002) représentée par trois unités géoélectriques : une unité inférieure très épaisse, avec des résistivités électriques basses (70 - 200 Ohms par mètre), qui traduit la présence de matériaux fins considérés comme d'origine lacustre ; une unité intermédiaire, moins épaisse, avec des valeurs de résistivité plus élevées (400 - 800 Ohms par mètre), pouvant être interprétée comme un système fluvio-deltaïque pro-glaciaire et une unité géoélectrique supérieure, avec des valeurs de résistivité très variables (100 - 1500 Ohms par mètre), constituée de sédiments alluviaux subactuels. La comparaison des données de type géophysique et géomécanique (sismique à réfraction et essais pressiométriques) montre que l'unité intermédiaire, considérée comme d'origine fluvio-deltaïque, présente des valeurs de vitesse sismique anormalement élevées, ainsi que de hautes valeurs de consolidation. Cette observation effectuée pour la première fois dans la vallée d'Andorre (Turu, 2000) montre des remarquables corrélations entre les hautes vitesses sismiques et les valeurs élevées de consolidation, ainsi que la très nette corrélation entre les hautes valeurs de consolidation et les tills sous-glaciaires. Elle permet d'interpréter l'unité intermédiaire comme essentiellement glaciaire et de remettre en question le modèle simple d'une séquence de comblement lacustre et deltaïque proposé jusqu´à maintenant

Multi-genome identification and characterization of chlamydiae-specific type III secretion substrates: the Inc proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Chlamydiae </it>are obligate intracellular bacteria that multiply in a vacuolar compartment, the inclusion. Several chlamydial proteins containing a bilobal hydrophobic domain are translocated by a type III secretion (TTS) mechanism into the inclusion membrane. They form the family of Inc proteins, which is specific to this phylum. Based on their localization, Inc proteins likely play important roles in the interactions between the microbe and the host. In this paper we sought to identify and analyze, using bioinformatics tools, all putative Inc proteins in published chlamydial genomes, including an environmental species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Inc proteins contain at least one bilobal hydrophobic domain made of two transmembrane helices separated by a loop of less than 30 amino acids. Using bioinformatics tools we identified 537 putative Inc proteins across seven chlamydial proteomes. The amino-terminal segment of the putative Inc proteins was recognized as a functional TTS signal in 90% of the <it>C. trachomatis </it>and <it>C. pneumoniae </it>sequences tested, validating the data obtained <it>in silico</it>. We identified a <it>macro </it>domain in several putative Inc proteins, and observed that Inc proteins are enriched in segments predicted to form coiled coils. A surprisingly large proportion of the putative Inc proteins are not constitutively translocated to the inclusion membrane in culture conditions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The Inc proteins represent 7 to 10% of each proteome and show a great degree of sequence diversity between species. The abundance of segments with a high probability for coiled coil conformation in Inc proteins support the hypothesis that they interact with host proteins. While the large majority of Inc proteins possess a functional TTS signal, less than half may be constitutively translocated to the inclusion surface in some species. This suggests the novel finding that translocation of Inc proteins may be regulated by as-yet undetermined mechanisms.</p