Taxonomy of the Simulium perflavum species-group (Diptera: Simuliidae) : with description of a new species from Brazil

The larva, pupa, male, and female of Simulium trombetense n. sp. are described and illustrated. This species was collected in the Brazilian Amazon region in the states of Amapa, Amazonas, Para, and Roraima near the edges ofthe crystalline basement-rock formation ofthe Pre-Cambrian Guiana Shield. Keys for larvae, pupae, males, and females of species in the Simulium perflauum Species-Group are presented, as well as new observations on adult, pupal, and larval characters. Evidence is given to support the species status of S. maroniense Floch and Abonnenc, previously considered synonymous with S. rorotaense Floch and Abonnenc

Citation Statistics

This is a report about the use and misuse of citation data in the assessment of scientific research. The idea that research assessment must be done using ``simple and objective'' methods is increasingly prevalent today. The ``simple and objective'' methods are broadly interpreted as bibliometrics, that is, citation data and the statistics derived from them. There is a belief that citation statistics are inherently more accurate because they substitute simple numbers for complex judgments, and hence overcome the possible subjectivity of peer review. But this belief is unfounded.Comment: This paper commented in: [arXiv:0910.3532], [arXiv:0910.3537], [arXiv:0910.3543], [arXiv:0910.3546]. Rejoinder in [arXiv:0910.3548]. Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-STS285 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Rejoinder: Citation Statistics

Rejoinder to "Citation Statistics" [arXiv:0910.3529]Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-STS285REJ the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Fair Use Challenges in Academic and Research Libraries

Summarizes findings from a survey of librarians on the application of fair use in copyright practice to fulfill libraries' missions of teaching and learning support, scholarship support preservation, exhibition, and public outreach

Is Circumcision Legal?

An important, divisive, and unanswered question of American law - and indeed of international law - is whether it is legal to circumcise healthy boys. American medical association and experts assert that circumcision is a common, safe, and relatively painlesss procedure with many medical benefits that exceed the risks. They argue that insurance should pay for it. Some religious organizations argue that circumcision is a sacred religious ritual. In any event, proponents claim that parents have a general and religious right to make the circumcision decision. They can point to the fact that no physician has ever been held liable by an American court for a properly performed circumcision. Legal scholars, foreign medical associations, intactivist organizations, and increasing numbers of men claim the opposite, namely that circumcision is painful, risky, harmful, irreversible surgery that benefits few men, if any. These opponents of circumcision argue that, in any event, boys have a right to be left genitally intact, like girls under federal law, and to make the circumcision decision for themselves as adults. These opponents of circumcision can point to a June 2012 decision by a court in Cologne, Germany, which held that nontherapeutic circumcision for religious reasons is criminal assault. The German court reasoned that circumcision causes grievous bodily harm, and that boys have a fundamental right to genital integrity that supersedes their parents\u27 religious rights. Thus, a battle is unfolding in courts and legislatures as to the legality of circumcision. Amidst all of the divisiveness and hyperbole, we need to ask, what are the relevant facts, legal issues, and what is the applicable law