First report of the palm borer <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paysandisia archon</Emphasis> (Burmeister 1880) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) in Cyprus

In October 2008 an insect palm borer was found for the first time on the island of Cyprus, in the Paphos district, on palms of Chamaerops humilis and Washingtonia filifera. By December 2008 the species was found on isolated palm plants of Phoenix roebelenii. The species was identified as the palm borer Paysandisia archon (Burmeister 1880) at the Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia. Infested palm trunks and leaves were bored by the Paysandisia larvae. Bored trunk and crown were covered with plugs of debris.     

Origin of broodstock and effects on the deformities of gilthead sea bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sparus aurata</Emphasis> L. 1758) in a Mediterranean commercial hatchery

The use of broodstock of different origin as a method to improve fry production performance and consequently to minimize deformities was examined at industrial scale in a commercial gilthead sea bream hatchery. The outcome of fry production from three different broodstock groups (BA: broodfish (Mediterranean) with multiannual hatchery presence, BB: selected offspring originating from the BA group, and BC: broodfish of Atlantic origin) was investigated in the same rearing conditions and feeding protocol. Performance factors assessed were the survival and weaning of the larvae; the mortality rates from the “weaning until the end of the hatchery stage” of the larvae/fry; the percentage of fry without swim bladder; the percentage of fry with skeletal deformities and the feed conversion ratio. In all factors, no statistical differences among the experimental groups were detected. However, due to early rejection of the deformed individuals, benefits are expected from the decrease of the supplied amount of food and the reduced labor cost.     

Tenacibaculosis induction in the Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) and studies of Tenacibaculum maritimum survival against host mucus and plasma

Tenacibaculum maritimum, the aetiological agent for marine tenacibaculosis, is one of the most significant pathogens that threaten Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup), aquaculture. Because no immersion challenge with T. maritimum has been reported previously for this flatfish species, this study aimed to optimize bacterial yields as well as to establish a challenge model for tenacibaculosis induction. Several approaches were performed to optimize bacterial culture conditions, including treatment with non‐ionic surfactants, detergents, cellulase hydrolysis and strong shaking. A prolonged bath challenge was performed for 24 h under two different temperatures, 16 and 23 °C. Moreover, mucus and plasma bactericidal activities against T. maritimum were also assessed. Culturing bacteria with strong shaking and continuous shaking provided suitable culture conditions to obtain higher bacterial yields without aggregation and fluctuation, contrary to most other treatments that showed a huge amount of bacterial aggregates. A prolonged bath method for 24 h, without skin or gill scarification, was considered suitable for disease induction with high mortality rates. Moreover, data regarding mucus and plasma bactericidal activities suggested that there is a lack of host innate immune response against T. maritimum or that this particular pathogen presents evading strategies against Senegalese sole.     

Immune responses and gut morphology in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) fed dietary probiotic supplementation and following exposure to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a dietary multi‐species probiotic on growth, gut morphology and immune parameters in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis). Fish were fed with two experimental diets, a control diet and the same diet supplemented with the probiotic for 72 days. A sub‐lethal bath challenge with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida was performed after the growth trial. Intestine and blood samples were collected to study gut structure and plasmatic immune parameters. No significant differences were found in growth performance. The analysis of gut morphology showed a significant increase in intestinal villi height of Senegalese sole fed the probiotic. Regarding circulating leucocytes, dietary probiotic supplementation increased thrombocytes levels whereas a decrease in the proportion of lymphocytes was observed. No significant differences were observed in humoural immune parameters. Bath challenge differentially affected leucocyte counts and increased peroxidase activity. This study presents the possibility of using dietary probiotic supplementation to increase Senegalese sole welfare since gut morphology was positively affected. Although the immune response after a bacterial challenge was not modulated by dietary treatment, further studies would be instrumental to unravel eventual dietary benefits on immune mechanisms.     

Observations by the international tsunami survey team in Sri Lanka

In response to the 26 December 2004 tsunami, a survey team of scientists was dispatched to Sri Lanka. Measurements made by the team show that the tsunami elevation and runup ranged from 5 to 12 meters. Eyewitnesses report that up to three separate waves attacked the coast, with the second or third generally the largest. Our conclusion stresses the importance of education: Residents with a basic knowledge of tsunamis, as well as an understanding of how environmental modifications will affect overland flow, are paramount to saving lives and minimizing tsunami destruction.     

Magnetic response of metamaterials at 100 terahertz

An array of single nonmagnetic metallic split rings can be used to implement a magnetic resonance, which arises from an inductor-capacitor circuit (LC) resonance, at 100-terahertz frequency. The excitation of the LC resonance in the normal-incidence geometry used in our experiments occurs through the coupling of the electric field of the incident light to the capacitance. The measured optical spectra of the nanofabricated gold structures come very close to the theoretical expectations. Additional numerical simulations show that our structures exhibit a frequency range with negative permeability for a beam configuration in which the magnetic field couples to the LC resonance. Together with an electric response that has negative permittivity, this can lead to materials with a negative index of refraction.     

Effect of phosphorus concentration of the nutrient solution on the volatile constituents of leaves and bracts of Origanum dictamnus

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and bracts of hydroponically cultivated Origanum dictamnus were analyzed by GC-MS techniques. Three different concentrations of phosphorus (5, 30, and 60 mg/L) in the nutrient solution were used for the cultivation, using the nutrient film technique (NFT). A total of 46 different compounds were identified and significant differences (qualitative and quantitative) were observed between the samples. Carvacrol and p-cymene were identified as the main compounds in all samples analyzed, whereas thymoquinone was found in higher percentage in the leaves than in bracts. The essential oils were tested for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The oils obtained from the bracts were found to be more active. The results obtained from GC-MS analyses were submitted to chemometric analysis.     

Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector

We present a draft sequence of the genome of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector for yellow fever and dengue fever, which at approximately 1376 million base pairs is about 5 times the size of the genome of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Nearly 50% of the Ae. aegypti genome consists of transposable elements. These contribute to a factor of approximately 4 to 6 increase in average gene length and in sizes of intergenic regions relative to An. gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster. Nonetheless, chromosomal synteny is generally maintained among all three insects, although conservation of orthologous gene order is higher (by a factor of approximately 2) between the mosquito species than between either of them and the fruit fly. An increase in genes encoding odorant binding, cytochrome P450, and cuticle domains relative to An. gambiae suggests that members of these protein families underpin some of the biological differences between the two mosquito species.     

Simultaneous negative phase and group velocity of light in a metamaterial

We investigated the propagation of femtosecond laser pulses through a metamaterial that has a negative index of refraction for wavelengths around 1.5 micrometers. From the interference fringes of a Michelson interferometer with and without the sample, we directly inferred the phase time delay. From the pulse-envelope shift, we determined the group time delay. In a spectral region, phase and group velocity are negative simultaneously. This means that both the carrier wave and the pulse envelope peak of the output pulse appear at the rear side of the sample before their input pulse counterparts have entered the front side of the sample.