Habitat Use, Phenology, And Gregariousness Of The Neotropical Psocopteran Cerastipsocus Sivorii (psocoptera: Psocidae)

A field account of the behavior and ecology of the gregarious and corticolous psocopteran Cerastipsocus sivorii is presented. The study was conducted from February to November 2003 on the campus of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. There was a strong positive correlation between the relative abundance of host tree species and their respective frequency of occupation by C. sivorii, suggesting that trees were used according to their availability in the study site. The phenology of C. sivorii is seasonal, with nymphs peaking in May and October, and teneral adults peaking in February, June, and October. The factors determining the variation in population density in psocopterans are poorly understood, but our data show that climatic variables, such as rainfall and temperature do not influence the phenology of C. sivorii. The individuals of C. sivorii remain together through the entire nymphal phase, resting, moving on the tree surface (mainly on bark, but occasionally on leaf petioles) and grazing in groups. Teneral adults within an aggregation usually dispersed a few days after molting. Nearly 50% of the aggregations had up to 90 individuals, but large groups presenting 240 individuals or more were also frequent, comprising 10% of all aggregations found in the field. When a moving aggregation encountered another one, they occasionally either interchanged individuals or merged into a single large group. More rarely, large aggregations divided into two groups. We suggest that gregariousness in C. sivorii is a behavioral strategy that confers protection against predation and reduces body water loss.493197214Baz, A., Observations on the biology and ecology of Psocoptera found in different kinds of leaf litter in East-Central Spain (1991) Pedobiologia, 35, pp. 89-100Baz, A., Phenology and crypsis as possible determinants of habitat selection in populations of Hemineura bigoti from central Spain (Psocoptera: Elipsocidae) (1992) Entomologia Generalis, 17, pp. 293-298Baz, A., Diversidad y abundancia de los psocópteros frondícolas y corticícolas en el sistema Ibérico Meridional (España Central) (1995) Annales de la Societé Entomologique de France, 31, pp. 71-83Broadhead, E., Psocid fauna of larch trees in Northern England - an ecological study of mixed species population exploiting a common resource (1958) Journal of Animal Ecology, 27, pp. 217-263Broadhead, E., Wapshere, A.J., Mesopsocus populations on larch in England -the distribution and dynamics of two closely-related coexisting species of Psocoptera sharing the same food resource (1966) Ecological Monographs, 36, pp. 326-388Chivers, D.P., Kiesecker, J.M., Anderson, M.T., Wildy, E.L., Blaustein, A.R., Avoidance response of a terrestrial salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) to chemical alarm cues (1996) Journal of Chemical Ecology, 22, pp. 1709-1716Daly, H.V., Doyen, J.T., Purcell, A.H., (1998) Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, , 2nd ed. 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Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a biomarker in bipolar disorder: a meta-analysis of 52 studies

Background The neurotrophic hypothesis postulates that mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with a lower expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, its role in peripheral blood as a biomarker of disease activity and of stage for BD, transcending pathophysiology, is still disputed. In the last few years an increasing number of clinical studies assessing BDNF in serum and plasma have been published. Therefore, it is now possible to analyse the association between BDNF levels and the severity of affective symptoms in BD as well as the effects of acute drug treatment of mood episodes on BDNF levels. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies on serum and plasma BDNF levels in bipolar disorder. Results Through a series of meta-analyses including a total of 52 studies with 6,481 participants, we show that, compared to healthy controls, peripheral BDNF levels are reduced to the same extent in manic (Hedges' g = −0.57, P = 0.010) and depressive (Hedges' g = −0.93, P = 0.001) episodes, while BDNF levels are not significantly altered in euthymia. In meta-regression analyses, BDNF levels additionally negatively correlate with the severity of both manic and depressive symptoms. We found no evidence for a significant impact of illness duration on BDNF levels. In addition, in plasma, but not serum, peripheral BDNF levels increase after the successful treatment of an acute mania episode, but not of a depressive one. Conclusions In summary, our data suggest that peripheral BDNF levels, more clearly in plasma than in serum, is a potential biomarker of disease activity in BD, but not a biomarker of stage. We suggest that peripheral BDNF may, in future, be used as a part of a blood protein composite measure to assess disease activity in BD

Avaliação da presença de coliformes, bolores e leveduras em amostras de mel orgânico de abelhas africanizadas das ilhas do alto rio Paraná.

O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido para caracterizar a microbiota do mel produzido nas ilhas Floresta e Laranjeira do alto rio Paraná, na região de Porto Brasílio, Paraná (PR). O mel foi coletado diretamente das melgueiras das colônias avaliadas, em três apiários distribuídos nas ilhas Floresta e Laranjeira. O período de coleta das amostras de mel foi de novembro de 2005 a fevereiro de 2006, perfazendo o total de 24 amostras de mel orgânico produzido por abelhas Apis mellifera africanizadas. Seguindo o método das normas internacionais da Compendium of Methods for the Microbiology Examination of Foods, os parâmetros analisados foram: presença de coliformes a 35°C e 45°C e quantificação de bolores e leveduras. Verificou-se que todas as amostras apresentaram-se em conformidade com o Regulamento Técnico MERCOSUL de Identidade e Qualidade do Mel (MERCOSUL/GMC/RES no 15/94). As amostras analisadas indicaram excelente qualidade microbiológica para o mel orgânico

Extreme Ultra-Violet Spectroscopy of the Lower Solar Atmosphere During Solar Flares

The extreme ultraviolet portion of the solar spectrum contains a wealth of diagnostic tools for probing the lower solar atmosphere in response to an injection of energy, particularly during the impulsive phase of solar flares. These include temperature and density sensitive line ratios, Doppler shifted emission lines and nonthermal broadening, abundance measurements, differential emission measure profiles, and continuum temperatures and energetics, among others. In this paper I shall review some of the advances made in recent years using these techniques, focusing primarily on studies that have utilized data from Hinode/EIS and SDO/EVE, while also providing some historical background and a summary of future spectroscopic instrumentation.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Solar Physics as part of the Topical Issue on Solar and Stellar Flare