Auchmerina (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), a psyllid genus in Brazil, associated with Inga spp. (Fabaceae)

Distributional records in Brazil are provided for two psyllid species, Auchmerina limbatipennis Enderlein, documented for the states of Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, and A. tuthilli Klimaszewski, for Paraná and Santa Catarina. Host plants for these species are reported for the first time. A. limbatipennis develops on Inga laurina and I. marginata (Fabaceae), and it displays a dimorphism (presence or absence of a distal dark band on the forewing), that is not sexual nor seasonal. A.tuthilli probably develops on Inga spp. As well. For the first time, the immatures of Auchmerina are described.

Impact of different metal artifact reduction techniques on attenuation correction in 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations

Objective: To evaluate the impact of different metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithms on Hounsfield unit (HU) and standardized uptake values (SUV) in a phantom setting and verify these results in patients with metallic implants undergoing oncological PET/CT examinations. Methods and materials: In this prospective study, PET-CT examinations of 28 oncological patients (14 female, 14 male, mean age 69.5 ± 15.2y) with 38 different metal implants were included. CT datasets were reconstructed using standard weighted filtered back projection (WFBP) without MAR, MAR in image space (MARIS) and iterative MAR (iMAR, hip algorithm). The three datasets were used for PET attenuation correction. SUV and HU measurements were performed at the site of the most prominent bright and dark band artifacts. Differences between HU and SUV values across the different reconstructions were compared using paired t-tests. Bonferroni correction was used to prevent alpha-error accumulation (p < 0.017). Results: For bright band artifacts, MARIS led to a non-significant mean decrease of 12.0% (345 ± 315 HU) in comparison with WFBP (391 ± 293 HU), whereas iMAR led to a significant decrease of 68.3% (125 ± 185 HU, p < 0.017). For SUVmean, MARIS showed no significant effect in comparison with WFBP (WFBP: 0.99 ± 0.40, MARIS: 0.96 ± 0.39), while iMAR led to a significant decrease of 11.1% (0.88 ± 0.35, p < 0.017). Similar results were observed for dark band artifacts. Conclusion: iMAR significantly reduces artifacts caused by metal implants in CT and thus leads to a significant change of SUV measurements in bright and dark band artifacts compared with WFBP and MARIS, thus probably improving PET quantification. Advances in knowledge: The present work indicates that MAR algorithms such as iMAR algorithm in integrated PET/CT scanners are useful to improve CT image quality as well as PET quantification in the evaluation of tracer uptake adjacent to large metal implants. A detailed analysis of oncological patients with various large metal implants using different MAR algorithms in PET/CT has not been conducted yet.

The tadpole of the hylid frog Scinax belloni (Anura: Hylidae)

Scinax perpusillus group is composed by11 species. Only Scinax arduous, Scinax littoreus, Scinax. meloi, S. perpusillus, S. tupinamba, and S. v-signatus, have its tadpole described. Herein we described the tadpole of Scinax belloni and its internal oral features. Tadpoles of S. belloni were collected in bromeliads at the Parque Estadual do Forno Grande, municipality of Castelo, Espírito Santo, southeastern. Two tadpoles were reared to froglets in order to allow specific identification. The morphology of S. belloni tadpoles resemble the other known larvae in many aspects such as oval body in dorsal view, coloration, rounded snout in dorsal view, dorsolateral eyes, anteroventral mouth and labial tooth row formula 2(2)/3. In fact, at first sight, all known tadpoles are very similar from each other. Nevertheless, they do can be distinguished by some characters as the shape of lower jaw; number of row of labial papillae; the size of the fins; height of tail and the body; whether musculature of tail reaches its tip and if tail ends rounded or pointed. S. belloni tadpoles are readily differentiated from the other known Scinax gr. perpusillus species tadpoles by the presence of a dark band that goes along the dorsal and ventral fin. The internal oral morphology of S. belloni is also described.

A new species of Copionodon lacking a free orbital rim (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)

ABSTRACT A new species of the copionodontine genus Copionodon is described from the upper reaches of a tributary to the rio Paraguaçu in the Diamantina Plateau, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil. This species represents the northernmost occurrence of the subfamily yet known. The new species can be readily recognized by its large eye without a free orbital rim. Other characters such as the entirely cartilaginous second hypobranchial, and the uniformly broad irregular midlateral dark band further diagnose the new taxon. Its particular combination of characters is superficially intermediate between Copionodon and Glaphyropoma. Detailed analysis, however, indicates that it forms a monophyletic group with species of Copionodon and therefore it should be included in that genus.

Clear-air lidar dark band

This paper illustrates measurements carried out by the Raman lidar BASIL in the frame of the HD(CP)2 Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE), revealing the presence of a clear-air dark band phenomenon (i.e. a minimum in lidar backscatter echoes) in the upper portion of the convective boundary layer. The phenomenon is clearly distinguishable in the lidar backscatter echoes at 532 and 1064 nm, as well as in the particle depolarisation data. This phenomenon is attributed to the presence of lignite aerosol particles advected from the surrounding open pit mines in the vicinity of the measuring site. The paper provides evidence of the phenomenon and illustrates possible interpretations for its occurrence.

Clear-air lidar dark band

This paper illustrates measurements carried out by the Raman lidar BASIL in the frame of HOPE, revealing the presence of a clear-air dark band phenomenon (i.e. the appearance of a minimum in lidar backscatter echoes) in the upper portion of the convective boundary layer. The phenomenon is clearly distinguishable in the lidar backscatter echoes at 1064 nm. This phenomenon is attributed to the presence of lignite aerosol particles advected from the surrounding open pit mines in the vicinity of the measuring site.