Detection of West Nile virus-specific antibodies and nucleic acid in horses and mosquitoes, respectively, in Nuevo Leon State, northern Mexico, 2006-2007

Abstract. In the last 5 years, there has been only one reported human case of West Nile virus (WNV) disease in northern Mexico. To determine if the virus was still circulating in this region, equine and entomological surveillance for WNV was conducted in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico in 2006 and 2007. A total of 203 horses were serologically assayed for antibodies to WNV using an epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA). Seroprevalences for WNV in horses sampled in 2006 and 2007 were 26% and 45%, respectively. Mosquito collections in 2007 produced 7365 specimens representing 15 species. Culex mosquitoes were screened for WNV RNA and other genera (Mansonia, Anopheles, Aedes, Psorophora and Uranotaenia) were screened for flaviviruses using reversetranscription (RT)-PCR. Two pools consisting of Culex spp. mosquitoes contained WNV RNA. Molecular species identification revealed that neither pool included Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera:Culicidae) complex mosquitoes. No evidence of flaviviruses was found in the other mosquito genera examined. These data provide evidence that WNV is currently circulating in northern Mexico and that non-Cx. quinquefasciatus spp. mosquitoes may be participating in the WNV transmission cycle in this region

Distribution, diversity, and conservation of coral reefs and coral communities in the largest marine protected area of Pacific Panama (Coiba Island)

SUMMARY Sampling scale and lack of attention to taxa other than scleractinian corals have limited the capacity to protect coral reefs and coral communities in Pacific Panama. The distribution of coral habitats (live coral cover) and their species richness in the largest marine protected area of Panama, the Coiba National Park (270 125 ha), is described using quadrat transects and manta tows. The species richness of scleractinian corals and octocorals was lower in coral reefs than in coral communities, and a close relationship between richness and live coral cover was observed only in coral communities. The distribution of high live coral cover in coral communities overlapped with areas of high coral species richness. Average live coral cover in communities was 64%, compared to 28% in reefs, whereas algae cover was 30% and 49%, respectively. Twenty-two coral and 34 octocoral species were observed, many only now detected in Panama as endemic or new species. Analysis of satellite imagery showed 80% of terrestrial habitats were mostly primary forest, and coral reefs and coral communities covered 1700 ha, about 2% of marine habitats. Shallow marine environments (<20 m) had up to 60% calcareous red algae cover (rhodolite beds). Based on the distribution of live coral cover and species richness, three conservation units were identified as priority, with the southern and northernmost sides of the marine protected area as the most significant. These three areas encompass most of the rare and endemic species or populations, as well as species previously regarded as endangered

Diffractive Dissociation and Eikonalization in High Energy pp and p pˉ {\bar p} Collisions

We show that eikonal corrections imposed on diffraction dissociation processes calculated in the triple Regge limit, produce a radical change in the energy dependence of the predicted cross section. The induced correction is shown to be in general agreement with the new experimental data measured at the Tevatron.Comment: 11 pages LATEX, ( two figures not included obtainable from authors) (TAUP 2066-93 and FERMILAB PUB 93/ T

Differential effects of temperature change and human impact on European Late Quaternary mammalian extinctions

Abstract Species that inhabited Europe during the Late Quaternary were impacted by temperature changes and early humans, resulting in the disappearance of half of the European large mammals. However, quantifying the relative importance that each factor had in the extinction risk of species has been challenging, mostly due to the spatio-temporal biases of fossil records, which complicate the calibration of realistic and accurate ecological niche modeling. Here, we overcome this problem by using ecotypes, and not real species, to run our models. We created 40 ecotypes with different temperature requirements (mean temperature from À20°C to 25°C and temperature range from 10°C to 40°C) and used them to quantify the effect of climate change and human impact. Our results show that cold-adapted ecotypes would have been highly affected by past temperature changes in Europe, whereas temperate and warm-adapted ecotypes would have been positively affected by temperature change. Human impact affected all ecotypes negatively, and temperate ecotypes suffered the greatest impacts. Based on these results, the extinction of cold-adapted species like Mammuthus primigenius may be related to temperature change, while the extinction of temperate species, like Crocuta crocuta, may be related to human impact. Our results suggest that temperature change and human impact affected different ecotypes in distinct ways, and that the interaction of both impacts may have shaped species extinctions in Europe

Relationship between photosynthetic metabolism and cell cycle in a synchronized culture of the marine alga Cylindrotheca fusiformis (Bacillariophyceae)

The aim of this study was to characterize the variation and regulation of photosynthetic carbon metabolism in Cylindrotheca fusiformis during the cell cycle. The cells were synchronized using two cell cycle inhibitors: one for cells grown under light:dark cycles and one for growth in continuous light. We observed that the maximal photosynthetic capacity, P B m and ETR m were lowest just before cell division, when the percentage of cells in G2+M was maximal, and were highest after division, when the percentage of cells in G1 was maximal. These results clearly show that photosynthetic activity is related to the cell cycle. In addition, the role of different oxygen uptake processes was determined using 18 O 2 . We showed that light stimulated oxygen uptake, which increased with irradiance between 0 and 250 mmol photons m 7 2 s 7 1 . This variation was partly due to an increase of mitochondrial respiration, but mostly to a high Mehler activity. It seems that this increase was due to the Mehler reaction rather than photorespiration, because no increase of oxygen uptake was observed at low DIC (0.1 mM) concentration, which should have stimulated Rubisco oxygenase if there was diffusive CO 2 entry. The activity of the Mehler reaction was independent of the cell cycle and explained 50 -60% of the light stimulated oxygen uptake at irradiances equal to or exceeding the growth irradiance

Statistical properties of mechanically generated surface gravity waves: a laboratory experiment in a three-dimensional wave basin

A wave basin experiment has been performed in the MARINTEK laboratories, in one of the largest existing three-dimensional wave tanks in the world. The aim of the experiment is to investigate the effects of directional energy distribution on the statistical properties of surface gravity waves. Different degrees of directionality have been considered, starting from long-crested waves up to directional distributions with a spread of ±30 • at the spectral peak. Particular attention is given to the tails of the distribution function of the surface elevation, wave heights and wave crests. Comparison with a simplified model based on second-order theory is reported. The results show that for long-crested, steep and narrow-banded waves, the second-order theory underestimates the probability of occurrence of large waves. As directional effects are included, the departure from second-order theory becomes less accentuated and the surface elevation is characterized by weak deviations from Gaussian statistics

Initiation of ensemble data assimilation

A B S T R A C T The specification of the initial ensemble for ensemble data assimilation is addressed. The presented work examines the impact of ensemble initiation in the Maximum Likelihood Ensemble Filter (MLEF) framework, but is also applicable to other ensemble data assimilation algorithms. Two methods are considered: the first is based on the use of the KardarParisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation to form sparse random perturbations, followed by spatial smoothing to enforce desired correlation structure, while the second is based on the spatial smoothing of initially uncorrelated random perturbations. Data assimilation experiments are conducted using a global shallow-water model and simulated observations. The two proposed methods are compared to the commonly used method of uncorrelated random perturbations. The results indicate that the impact of the initial correlations in ensemble data assimilation is beneficial. The root-mean-square error rate of convergence of the data assimilation is improved, and the positive impact of initial correlations is notable throughout the data assimilation cycles. The sensitivity to the choice of the correlation length scale exists, although it is not very high. The implied computational savings and improvement of the results may be important in future realistic applications of ensemble data assimilation

Phylogeography of spruce beetles ( Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in North America

Abstract Tree-feeding insects that are widespread in north temperate regions are excellent models for studying how past glaciations have impacted differentiation and speciation. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and allele frequencies at nine microsatellite loci to examine genetic population structure across the current range of the spruce beetle ( Dendroctonus rufipennis ), an economically important insect in North America. Two major haplotype groups occur across northern North America, from Newfoundland to Alaska, on white spruce ( Picea glauca ), and a third distinctive haplotype group occurs throughout the Rocky Mountains on Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii ). The two mtDNA lineages found in northern populations are 3 -4% divergent from each other and from the lineages found in the Rocky Mountains. Analyses of microsatellite data also suggest the existence of major population groupings associated with different geographical regions. In the Pacific Northwest, concordant contact zones for genetically distinct populations of spruce beetles and their principal hosts appear to reflect recent secondary contact. Although we could detect no evidence of historical mtDNA gene flow between allopatric population groups, patterns of variation in the Pacific Northwest suggest recent hybridization and introgression. Together with the pollen record for spruce, they also suggest that beetles have spread from at least three glacial refugia. A minimum estimate of divergence time between the Rocky Mountain and northern populations was 1.7 Myr (million years), presumably reflecting the combined effects of isolation during multiple glacial cycles

Isospin Breaking in the Pion-Nucleon Coupling from QCD Sum Rules

We use QCD sum rules for the three point function of a pseudoscalar and two nucleonic currents in order to estimate the charge dependence of the pion nucleon coupling constant $g_{NN\pi}$ coming from isospin violation in the strong interaction. The effect can be attributed primarily to the difference of the quark condensates $$and$$. For the splitting $(g_{pp\pi_0} - g_{nn\pi_0}) / g_{NN\pi}$ we obtain an interval of $1.2 * 10^{-2}$ to $3.7 * 10^{-2}$, the uncertainties coming mainly from the input parameters. The charged pion nucleon coupling is found to be the average of $g_{pp\pi_0}$ and $g_{nn\pi_0}$. Electromagnetic effects are not included.Comment: 18 pages (REVTeX) + 2 figures (as PostScript), to be published in PRC, replaced with final version: inclusion of pi-eta mixing and N -> N* transition

Local Thermal and Chemical Equilibration and the Equation of State in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

Thermodynamical variables and their time evolution are studied for central relativistic heavy ion collisions from 10.7 to 160 AGeV in the microscopic Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics model (UrQMD). The UrQMD model exhibits drastic deviations from equilibrium during the early high density phase of the collision. Local thermal and chemical equilibration of the hadronic matter seems to be established only at later stages of the quasi- isentropic expansion in the central reaction cell with volume 125 fm$^{3}$. distributions at all collision energies for $t\geq 10 fm/c$ with a unique Baryon energy spectra in this cell are approximately reproduced by Boltzmann rapidly dropping temperature. At these times the equation of state has a simple form: $P \cong (0.12-0.15) \epsilon$. At 160 AGeV the strong deviation from chemical equilibrium is found for mesons, especially for pions, even at the late stage of the reaction. The final enhancement of pions is supported by experimental data.Comment: 17 Pages, LaTex, 8 eps figures. Talk given at SQM'98 conference, 20-24 July 1998, Padova, Italy, submitted to J. Phys.