Notes on a new mealybug (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) pest in Florida and the Caribbean : the papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink

Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink, here called the papaya mealybug, was first detected in the United States in Hollywood, Florida in 1998. By the end of 1998 it was found in four localities in the state and has since spread to nine localities in five counties. This mealybug appears to have moved through the Caribbean area since its 1994 detection in the Dominican Republic. The pest is reported to cause serious damage to tropical fruit, especially papaya, and has been detected most frequently, in Florida, on hibiscus. It is now known from Antigua, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts, St. Martin, and the US Virgin Islands. Hosts include: Acacia sp.(Luguminosae), Acalypha sp.(Euphorbiaceae), Ambrosia cumanensis (Compositae), Annona squamosa (Annonaceae), Carica papaya (Caricaceae), Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaccea), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Euphorbiaceae), Hibiscus sp. (Euphorbiaceae), Ipomoea sp. (Convolvulaceae), Manihot chloristica (Euphorbiaceae), Manihot esculenta (Euphorbiaceae), Mimosa pigra (Lugiminosae), Parthenium hysterophorus (Compositae), Persea americana (Lauraceae), Plumeria sp. (Apocynaceae), Sida sp. (Malvaceae), Solanum melongena (Solanaceae). The species is believed to be native to Mexico andlor Central America

Dynamic of a lacustrine sedimentary system during late rifting at the Cretaceous‐Palaeocene transition: Example of the Yacoraite Formation, Salta Basin, Argentina

The architecture of lacustrine systems is the result of the complex interaction between tectonics, climate and environmental parameters, and constitute the main forcing parameters on the lake dynamics. Field analogue studies have been performed to better assess such interactions, and their impact on the facies distribution and the stratigraphic architecture of lacustrine systems. The Yacoraite Formation (Late Cretaceous/Early Palaeocene), deposited during the sag phase of the Salta rift basin in Argentina, is exposed in world-class outcrops that allowed the dynamics of this lacustrine system to be studied through facies analysis and stratigraphic evolution. On the scale of the Alemania-Met\ue1n-El Rey Basin, the Yacoraite Formation is organized with a siliciclastic-dominated margin to the west, and a carbonate-dominated margin to the east. The Yacoraite can be subdivided into four main \u2018mid-term\u2019 sequences and further subdivided into \u2018short-term\u2019 sequences recording high frequency climate fluctuations. Furthermore, the depositional profiles and identified system tracts have been grouped into two end-members at basin scale: (a) a balanced \u2018perennial\u2019 depositional system for the lower part of the Yacoraite Formation and (b) a highly alternating \u2018ephemeral\u2019 depositional system for the upper part of the Yacoraite Formation. The transition from a perennial system to an ephemeral system indicates a change in the sedimentary dynamics of the basin, which was probably linked with the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary that induced a temporary shutdown of carbonate production and an increase in siliciclastic supply

The learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with chronic health conditions

Chronic health conditions (CHC) in New Zealand adolescents are on the rise as medical advances continue. Exact numbers of the student population ranges from approximately 17% (Adolescent Health Research Group, 2008) to as high as 37% (Ministry of Health, 2008a). Pasifika and Māori youth are especially hard hit by the increase in numbers of CHCs in New Zealand. Young people with a CHC face additional challenges in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains their healthy peers do not. Prior research shows CHCs can negatively affect learning. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 1995), generally used in nursing and psychological research, and focused on the learning experiences of New Zealand secondary school students with a CHC. It emphasized and gave voice to these students’ experiences that affected their learning. Data were collected from 24 participants in seven secondary schools in a major New Zealand city, through semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups. Despite a wide range of CHCs and ages represented within the overall cohort of students, they shared many commonalities. Participants considered themselves no different from their peers in school, even as they discussed the different effects and difficulties of their respective CHCs, such as the impact of pain or inability to concentrate. They considered school important and did not want to miss class due to either a CHC or its treatment. The physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impacts of CHCs make learning challenging, especially when students encounter skepticism and teachers with insufficient knowledge of CHCs to meet their learning needs. This lack of understanding or knowledge regarding CHCs and how they impact the student caused additional strain but these young people retained their interest in school, regardless of school decile or ethnicity. Students took responsibility for their learning and attributed learning success to their efforts and coping strategies with strong support given by parents. Teachers or others within the school who knew about the CHC were seen as helpful and understanding; protective factors which contributed to their learning. New and career educators and policy makers in New Zealand need additional instruction in New Zealand on the impact of CHCs on learning as well as greater encouragement of communication between parents and schools regarding health to help these adolescents in their education