A SURVEY OF THE FOREST INSECTS OF PUERTO RICO PART I

The first part of the work consists of an annotated list of the insects affecting the trees. The host trees are mentioned by their scientific names in alpahabetical order, and the insects are listed under each species of tree. Directly under the name of each tree, the family to which it belongs is cited, followed by notes on distribution, uses or economic importance and common names of the tree species. Then the insects are listed or recorded, following more or less this sequence: insects affecting the flowers, fruits or seeds, twigs, branches, trunk and roots. Often, species attacking the decayed wood or resting on the tree will be mentioned at the end of each 565 tree discussed. Only the insects affecting the trees are recorded, that is, such records as "on the leaves", or "collected on the fruit", "on the trunk", etc., are not taken in consideration in this work. The parasitic forms are only mentioned when the specific host is known, otherwise parasites and predators just resting on leaves or other parts of the trees are not listed. This Survey is based on the insect population studies on 245 tree species, belonging to 169 genera. In the annotated list some trees only show two or three insects records while others might show thirty, forty or more records

NEW LOCALITY AND HOST PLANT RECORDS FOR TWO SPECIES OF NASUTITERMES (ISOPTERA: TERMITIDAE)

NEW LOCALITY AND HOST PLANT RECORDS FOR TWO SPECIES OF NASUTITERMES (ISOPTERA: TERMITIDAE

Osteotomía correctiva de una deformación de la extremidad posterior de un pato doméstico (Anas spp.)

Este artículo describe las condiciones de manejo, la técnica quirúrgica de osteotomía y el uso de un fijador externo tipo II para corregir una deformación de la extremidad posterior de un pato doméstico de 4 meses debida a una posible causa nutricional.

Corrosion evaluation and prevention of reactor materials to contain thermochemical material for thermal energy storage

Thermochemical materials (TCM) can be used for seasonal heat storage, storing high amounts of thermal energy coming from the sun in summer and releasing it in winter, when heating for houses is needed. One promising TCM for building comfort applications is the Na2S/water pair due to its high energy density and appropriate reaction temperature that can be achieved by a solar collector. Nonetheless, Na2S reacts with oxygen and is corrosive to metals, especially with those used to build up heat exchangers or reactors that contain the TCM. Therefore, corrosion tests in a self-developed experimental setup under vacuum conditions, 13 mbar, between Na2S·9H2O/5H2O and two reactor metals - copper and stainless steel 316 - have been performed. Since copper is corroded and is highly used for thermochemical reactors, two promising coatings, Halar and electroless nickel, have been applied. Furthermore, aluminium has also been tested coated with these coatings. Halar is a potential candidate to protect both copper and aluminium heat exchangers/reactor that may contain Na2S/H2O pair for thermochemical energy storage. Stainless steel 316 is also corrosion resistant to the selected TCM

Inconsistent MHC class II association in Beagles experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum

The clinical outcome of Leishmania infantum infection in dogs varies from subclinical infection to severe disease. Researchers attribute this variability in clinical manifestations to the ability of the immune response to limit pathogen multiplication and dissemination, which is, in part, likely determined by the immune response genes. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that MHC class II genes are associated with disease outcome of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagles. Dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II haplotypes were characterised by sequence-based typing of Beagle dogs experimentally infected with L. infantum during vaccine challenge studies. Variability of response to infection was determined by clinical score, serology and quantification of L. infantum DNA in the bone marrow over the study period. Dogs showed limited DLA diversity and the DLA profiles of dogs recruited for the different vaccine challenge studies differed. There were variable responses to infection, despite the apparent restriction in genetic diversity. One haplotype DLA-DRB1*001:02–DQA1*001:01–DQB1*002:01 was associated with increased anti-Leishmania antibodies in one infection model, but no DLA associations were found in other groups or with parasite load or clinical score. Examination of this particular DLA haplotype in a larger number of dogs is required to confirm whether an association exists with the immune or clinical responses to L. infantum infection

Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS) for energy saving in buildings: A review

This review paper organizes and summarizes the literature on Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS) when used as passive tool for energy savings in buildings. First, with the information obtained in the reviewed literature some key aspects to consider when working with VGS are clarified, such as the classification systems, the climate influence, the plant species used and the different operating mechanisms. Then, the main conclusions of this literature, sorted by construction system (Green Walls or Green Façades) and climatic situation, are summarized. In general, it can be concluded that VGS provide great potential in reducing energy consumption in buildings, especially in the cooling periods. However, a lack of data on operation during the heating period as well as during the whole year has been found. On the other hand, results show that the investigations of VGS are not equally distributed around the world, being basically concentrated in Europe and Asia. Moreover, the review concludes that some aspects must be studied in depth, such as which species are the most suitable for each climate, influence on energy savings of the façade orientation, foliage thickness, presence of air layers, and finally, substrate layer composition and thickness in the case of green walls.The work was partially funded by the Spanish Government (ENE2011-28269-C03-01 and ENE2011-28269-C03-02) and from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme(FP7/2007– 2013) under Grant agreement no.PIRSES-GA-2013–610692 (INNOSTORAGE)