Review of the New World genera of the Leafhopper Tribe Erythroneurini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocycbinae)

The genus-level classification of New World Erythroneurini is revised based on results of a phylogenetic analysis of 100 morphological characters. The 704 known species are placed into 18 genera. Erasmoneura Young and Eratoneura Young, previously treated as subgenera of Erythroneura Fitch, and Erythridula Young, most recently treated as a subgenus of Arboridia Zachvatkin, are elevated to generic status. Three species previously included in Erasmoneura are placed in a new genus, Rossmoneura (type species, Erythroneura tecta McAtee). The concept of Erythroneura is thereby narrowed to include only those species previously included in the nominotypical subgenus. New World species previously included in Zygina Fieber are not closely related to the European type species of that genus and are therefore placed in new genera. Neozygina, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura ceonothana Beamer, includes all species previously included in the ???ceonothana group???, and Zyginama, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura ritana Beamer, includes most species previously included in the ???ritana group??? of New World Zygina. Five additional new genera are described to include other previously described North American Erythroneurini: Hepzygina, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura milleri Beamer and also including E. aprica McAtee; Mexigina, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura oculata McAtee; Nelionidia, n. gen., based on type species N. pueblensis, n. sp., three additional new species, and Erythroneura amicis Ross; Neoimbecilla, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura kiperi Beamer and one new species; and Illinigina, n. gen., based on type species Erythroneura illinoiensis Gillette. Five new genera, based on previously undescribed species, are also recognized: Aztegina, n. gen, based on A. punctinota, n. sp., from Mexico; Amazygina, n. gen., based on type species A. decaspina, n. sp., and three additional new species from Ecuador; Hamagina, n. gen., based on type species H. spinigera, n. sp., and two additional new species from Peru and Ecuador; Napogina, n. gen., based on type species N. recta, n. sp., and one additional new species from Ecuador; Perugina, n. gen., based on type species P. denticula, n. sp., from Peru; and Spinigina, n. gen., based on type species S. hirsuta, n. sp., and an additional new species from Peru. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the New World Erythroneurini consist of three lineages resulting from separate invasions from the Old World.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Three new species of Neozygina Dietrich & Dmitriev (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) from Argentina, with a key to South American species

Three new species of Neozygina Dietrich & Dmitriev are described from Argentina, N. apicalis sp. nov., N. bifurcata sp. nov. and N. spinula sp. nov. Detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new species are provided, and a key to South American species of the genus is given.Fil: Catalano, María Inés. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Experimentales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Paradell, Susana. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Dietrich, Christopher H.. University of Illinois. Institute of Natural Resource Sustainabilit. Illinois Natural History Survey; Estados Unido

Three new species of Neozygina Dietrich & Dmitriev (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) from Argentina, with a key to South American species

Three new species of Neozygina Dietrich & Dmitriev are described from Argentina, N. apicalis sp. nov., N. bifurcata sp. nov. and N. spinula sp. nov. Detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new species are provided, and a key to South American species of the genus is given.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

New Baltic amber leafhoppers representing the oldest Aphrodinae and Megophthalminae (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae)

Three fossil leafhopper inclusions from Eocene Baltic amber, representing three new extinct genera and species, are described and illustrated. Eomegophthalmus lithuaniensis gen. et sp. nov. is tentatively placed in Megophthalminae, although it may represent the stem group from which Megophthalminae, Ulopinae, and Membracidae arose. Xestocephalites balticus gen. et sp. nov. and Brevaphrodella nigra gen. et sp. nov. are placed in Aphrodinae: Xestocephalini based on the structure of the head, leg chaetotaxy, and male genital capsule. These new genera and species represent the oldest known representatives of their respective subfamilies and the latter is the oldest known brachypterous adult leafhopper

Planting Food or Fuel: Developing an Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Role of Culture in Farmers’ Decisions to Grow Second-Generation Biofuel Feedstock Crops

Recent interest in biofuels as an alternative energy source has spurred considerable changes in agricultural practice worldwide. These changes will be more pronounced as second-generation biofuels, such as switch grass, gain prominence; this article examines the cultural factors associated with the decisions U.S. farmers face in targeting crops for fuel production instead of food. Through an interdisciplinary assessment of the dynamics of farmers' behavior, developed herein is a theoretical framework to analyze how farmers grapple with shifting expectations of their function.National Science Foundation EPS-0903806, KU-Transportation Research Institut

Black Hole Masses and Eddington Ratios at 0.3<z<4

We study the distribution of Eddington luminosity ratios, L_bol/L_edd, of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) discovered in the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey (AGES). We combine H-beta, MgII, and CIV line widths with continuum luminosities to estimate black hole (BH) masses in 407 AGNs, covering the redshift range z~0.3-4 and the bolometric luminosity range L_bol~10^45-10^47 erg/s. The sample consists of X-ray or mid-infrared (24 micron) point sources with optical magnitude R<=21.5 mag and optical emission line spectra characteristic of AGNs. For the range of luminosity and redshift probed by AGES, the distribution of estimated Eddington ratios is well described as log-normal with a peak at L_bol/L_edd ~ 1/4 and a dispersion of 0.3 dex. Since additional sources of scatter are minimal, this dispersion must account for contributions from the scatter between estimated and true BH mass and the scatter between estimated and true bolometric luminosity. Therefore, we conclude that: (1) neither of these sources of error can contribute more than \~0.3 dex rms; and (2) the true Eddington ratios of optically luminous AGNs are even more sharply peaked. Because the mass estimation errors must be smaller than ~0.3 dex, we can also investigate the distribution of Eddington ratios at fixed BH mass. We show for the first time that the distribution of Eddington ratios at fixed BH mass is peaked, and that the dearth of AGNs at a factor ~10 below Eddington is real and not an artifact of sample selection. These results provide strong evidence that supermassive BHs gain most of their mass while radiating close to the Eddington limit, and they suggest that the fueling rates in luminous AGNs are ultimately determined by BH self-regulation of the accretion flow rather than galactic scale dynamical disturbances.Comment: 34 pages including 12 figures. Incorporates referee's comments. Accepted for publication in Ap

Significance of Pelvic Fluid Observed during Ovarian Cancer Screening with Transvaginal Sonogram

The primary objective was to examine the role of pelvic fluid observed during transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) in identifying ovarian malignancy. A single-institution, observational study was conducted within the University of Kentucky Ovarian Cancer Screening trial from January 1987 to September 2019. We analyzed true-positive (TP), false-positive (FP), true-negative (TN), and false-negative (FN) groups for the presence of pelvic fluid during screening encounters. Measured outcomes were the presence and duration of fluid over successive screening encounters. Of the 48,925 women surveyed, 2001 (4.1%) had pelvic fluid present during a TVS exam. The odds ratio (OR) of detecting fluid in the comparison group (TN screen; OR = 1) significantly differed from that of the FP cases (benign pathology; OR: 13.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.1–19.8), the TP cases with a low malignant potential (LMP; OR: 28; 95% CI: 26.5–29.5), TP ovarian cancer cases (OR: 50.4; 95% CI: 27.2–93.2), and FN ovarian cancer cases (OR: 59.3; 95% CI: 19.7–178.1). The mean duration that pelvic fluid was present for women with TN screens was 2.2 ± 0.05 encounters, lasting 38.7 ± 1.3 months. In an asymptomatic screening population, free fluid identified in TVS exams was more associated with ovarian malignancy than in the control group or benign ovarian tumors. While pelvic free fluid may not solely discriminate malignancy from non-malignancy, it appears to be clinically relevant and warrants thoughtful consideration