Low-volume application by mist-blower compared with conventional compression sprayer treatment of houses with residual pyrethroid to control the malaria vector Anopheles albimanus in Mexico

Abstract. Village-scale trials were carried out in southern Mexico to compare the efficacy of indoor-spraying of the pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin applied either as low-volume (LV) aqueous emulsion or as wettable-powder (WP) aqueous suspension for residual control of the principal coastal malaria vector Anopheles albimanus. Three indoor spray rounds were conducted at 3-month intervals using back-pack mist-blowers to apply lambda-cyhalothrin 12.5 mg a.i./m² by LV, whereas the WP was applied by conventional compression sprayer at a mean rate of 26.5 mg a.i./m².
Both treatments caused mosquito mortality indoors and outdoors (collected inside house curtains) as a result of contact with treated surfaces before and after feeding, but had no significant impact on overall population density of An. albimanus resting indoors or assessed by human bait collections. Contact bioassays showed that WP and LV treatments with lambda-cyhalothrin were effective for 12–20 weeks (>75% mortality) without causing excito-repellency.
Compared to the WP treatment (8 houses/man/day), LV treatment (25 houses/man/day) was more than 3 times quicker per house, potentially saving 68% of labour costs. This is offset, however, by the much lower unit price of a compression sprayer (e.g. Hudson 'X-pert' at US120) than a mist-blower (e.g. 'Super Jolly' at US350), and higher running costs for LV applications. It was calculated, therefore, that LV becomes more economical than WP after 18.8 treatments/100 houses/10 men at equivalent rates of application, or after 7.6 spray rounds with half-rate LV applications.     

Molecular Characterization of a Cytoplasmic Dynein from Dictyostelium

Cytoplasmic dynein is a high molecular weight, microtubule-based mechanochemical ATPase that is believed to provide motive force for a number of intracellular motilities, including transport of membrane-bound organelles. Cytoplasmic dynein also localizes to the mitotic spindles of some organisms and to the kinetochore regions of some condensed chromosomes, where it may play an active role in spindle assembly, spindle position, and/or chromosome movement during cell division. Despite active research efforts from a number of laboratories, little detail is yet available about dynein-based cellular activities. This paper describes our efforts to characterize cytoplasmic dynein from Dictyostelium and to use this protist as a molecular genetic factory to probe structure-function relationships of this molecule.     

Impression Cytology In Patients With Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca

Impression cytology is a simple and painless procedure that allows the collection of the superficial layers of the conjunctival epithelium. Each sample is assigned a grade of epithelial metaplasia, and goblet cell density is calculated in each one. We have studied the superior and temporal bulbar conjuctiva of dry eyes and have compared it with that of normal controls. In normal and dry eyes we find a statistically significant difference both in goblet cell density and grade of metaplasia, between superior and temporal bulbar conjunctiva. the differences in grade of metaplasia and goblet cell density between normal and dry eyes are significant in the superior conjunctiva, but in the temporal conjunctiva we only find significant differences in grade of metaplasia.     

Eimeria tenella: Incomplete Excystation in the Presence of EDTA in a Taurodeoxycholate-Based Medium

ABSTRACT. Normally, sporozoites of Eimeria tenella are efficiently excysted in vitro with trypsin and bile salts. However, a one hour treatment at °40C with a chelator-supplemented excystation medium (purified trypsin and chymotrypsin, taurodeoxycholate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in buffered saline) produced incomplete excystation. The treatment removed the sporocyst plug and left an opened sporocyst containing motile sporozoites, but the release of sporozoites was greatly reduced (<12% release). Some of the sporozoites extended a portion of their anterior end through the sporocyst opening then retracted it into the sporocyst. Sporozoites were released when magnesium was added to the chelator-supplemented medium. Manganese was less effective and calcium was ineffective in producing release. Also, sporozoites were released when the incompletely excysted sporocysts were transferred to buffered saline with albumin and this became the basis for a new assay. The assay demonstrated that ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid reduced release in the presence of taurodeoxycholate but not in its absence. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic chelators were tested in the assay. Ethylene-dioxy diethylene-dinitrilotetraacetic acid and 8-hydroxyquinoline were inactive. The chelator 1,10-phenanthroline did not require bile salt to reduce release. The inhibitory effects by phenanthroline were eliminated in the presence of magnesium or manganese, while calcium had no effect. Thus, although certain chelators can inhibit release, a consistent correlation between chelation and inhibition of release has not been established. The application of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid with taurodeoxycholate as a reversible inhibitor of release is discussed.     

Preservation of Solanum pimpinellifolium genomic fragments in recombinant genotypes improved the fruit quality of tomato

Five recombinant inbred lines obtained from the F₂ generation of an interspecific cross between cultivar, Caimanta (Cai, Solanum lycopersicum) and wild accession, LA722 (P, S. pimpinellifolium) were crossed to obtain the second cycle hybrids (SCH). Eleven fruit quality traits were assessed in evaluating phenotypic variability among genotypes P, Cai, F₁ (Cai × P), five RILs, and 10 SCH. One of the five recombinant inbred lines and three SCH had higher values than P, as the best genotype for shelf life. Sequence-related amplified polymorphism was used as the molecular method for detecting polymorphism among these 18 genotypes. The percentage of polymorphism in RILs and SCH was 61% and 66% respectively. Moreover, some bands detected in P were present in SCH. Several multivariate analyses were performed to find agreement between the phenotypic variability observed for fruit quality traits and the polymorphism obtained from sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers. A general Procrustes analysis estimated that there was a consensus proportion of 75% between phenotypic and molecular data. There was considerable preservation of some bands from the wild genotype, which could increase the variability in fruit quality traits in populations where the genetic diversity is limited.     

Phylogenetic interpretation of ontogenetic change: sorting out the actual and artefactual in an empirical case study of centrarchid fishes

Hypothesized relationships between ontogenetic and phylogenetic change in morphological characters were empirically tested in centrarchid fishes by comparing observed patterns of character development with patterns of character evolution as inferred from a representative phylogenetic hypothesis. This phylogeny was based on 56–61 morphological characters that were polarized by outgroup comparison. Through these comparisons, evolutionary changes in character ontogeny were categorized in one of eight classes (terminal addition, terminal deletion, terminal substitution, non-terminal addition, non-terminal deletion, non-terminal substitution, ontogenetic reversal and substitution). The relative frequencies of each of these classes provided an empirical basis from which assumptions underlying hypothesized relationships between ontogeny and phylogeny were tested. In order to test hypothesized relationships between ontogeny and phylogeny that involve assumptions about the relative frequencies of terminal change (e.g. the use of ontogeny as a homology criterion), two additional phylogenies were generated in which terminal addition and terminal deletion were maximized and minimized for all characters. Character state change interpreted from these phylogenies thus represents the maxima and minima of the frequency range of terminal addition and terminal deletion for the 8.7 × 10³⁶ trees possible for centrarchids. It was found for these data that terminal change accounts for c. 75% of the character state change. This suggests either that early ontogeny is conserved in evolution or that interpretation and classification of evolutionary changes in ontogeny is biased in part by the way that characters are recognized, delimited and coded. It was found that ontogenetic interpretation is influenced by two levels of homology decision: an initial decision involving delimitation of the character (the ontogenetic sequence), and the subsequent recognition of homologous components of developmental sequences. Recognition of phylogenetic homology among individual components of developmental sequences is necessary for interpretation of evolutionary changes in ontogeny as either terminal or non-terminal. If development is the primary criterion applied in recognizing individual homologies among parts of ontogenetic sequences, the only possible interpretation of phylogenetic differences is that of terminal change. If homologies of the components cannot be ascertained, recognition of the homology of the developmental sequence as a whole will result in the interpretation of evolutionary differences as substitutions. Particularly when the objective of a study is to discover how ontogeny has evolved, criteria in addition to ontogeny must be used to recognize homology. Interpretation is also dependent upon delimitation within an ontogenetic sequence. This is in part a function of the way that an investigator ‘sees’ and codes characters. Binary and multistate characters influence interpretation differently and predictably. The use of ontogeny for determining phylogenetic polarity as previously proposed rests on the assumptions that ancestral ontogenies are conserved and that character evolution occurs predominantly through terminal addition. It was found for these data that terminal addition may comprise a maximum of 51.9% of the total character state change. It is concluded that the ontogenetic criterion is not a reliable indicator of phylogenetic polarity. Process and pattern data are collected simultaneously by those engaged in comparative morphological studies of development. The set of alternative explanatory processes is limited in the process of observing development. These form necessary starting points for the research of developmental biologists. Separating ‘empirical’ results from interpretational influences requires awareness of potential biases in the course of character selection, coding and interpretation. Consideration of the interpretational problems involved in identifying and classifying phylogenetic changes in ontogeny leads to a re-evaluation of the purpose, usefulness and information conveyed by the current classification system. It is recommended that alternative classification schemes be pursued.