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Repetitive DNA sequences are useful targets for chromosomal fluorescence in situ hybridization. We analyzed recent genome assemblies of Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus to identify tandem repeats with a unique genomic localization. Based on these findings, we designed and validated sets of oligonucleotide probes for each species targeting at least 1 locus per chromosome. These probes yielded reliable fluorescent signals in different tissues and can easily be combined with the immunolocalization of cellular proteins. Synthesis and labeling of these probes are highly cost-effective and require no hands-on labor. The methods presented here can be easily applied in other model and nonmodel organisms with a sequenced genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a conceptualisation of the origin and historical sequencing of the ramped platform pyramids at Cochasquí Archaeological Park, Ecuador, and is intended to stimulate further interdisciplinary research in the fields of archaeology, ethnohistory, ethnoastronomy and archaeoastronomy. Through analysing ethnohistorical sources on indigenous agricultural practices in the Andes, a hypothesis is developed as to the purpose for which these ramped pyramids were built, and why these ramps most likely are not remnants of the construction phase. The pyramids at Cochasquí demonstrate that a high level of social organisation and agricultural knowledge was already flourishing in pre-Inca societies in Ecuador. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on more than twenty years of research and long-term in-depth field experience in the Neotropics, this article argues for an indigenous methodology for predicting the arrival of hurricanes in the Caribbean. The archaeological site under study is Anse à la Gourde on Guadeloupe (French West Indies), here discussed in conjunction with a theoretical underpinning in Indigenous Amazonian cosmologies and ethnoastronomy. The conceptualisation for this study goes back to an experience that the author had during archaeological field school in 1995, and it is through a paradigm-shifting "dwelling perspective" that the author has been able to make sense of his original perceptions. During the further development of this innovative hypothesis on hurricane prediction by the Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus emerged an alternative hypothesis for a momentous dividing moment in Caribbean archaeology, namely the end of the Saladoid around AD 800. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tityus curupi n. sp., belonging to the bolivianus complex, is described from the biogeographically distinct area of Paraje Tres Cerros in north-eastern Argentina. We also present a molecular species delimitation analysis between Tityus curupi n. sp. and its sister species Tityus uruguayensis Borelli 1901 to confirm species integrity. Furthermore, a cytogenetic analysis is presented for these two species which contain different multivalent associations in meiosis, as a consequence of chromosome rearrangements, and the highest chromosome numbers in the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dated molecular phylogeny of the southernmost American species of the family Buthidae, based on two nuclear and two mitochondrial genes, is presented. Based on this study, analyzed species of the subgenus Tityus (Archaeotityus) are neither sister to the remaining species of the genus Tityus , nor are they closely related to the New World microbuthids with decreasing neobothriotaxy. Analyzed species of the subgenus Tityus do not form a monophyletic group. Based on ancestral area estimation analyses, known geoclimatic events of the region and comparisons to the diversification processes of other epigean groups from the area, a generalized hypothesis about the patterns of historical colonization processes of the family Buthidae in southern South America is presented. Furthermore, for the first time, a Paleogene-African ingression route for the colonization of America by the family Buthidae is proposed as a plausible hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the past 20 years, Amazonian archaeology conceptualized new perspectives on past tropical forest cultures due to a deepening engagement of archaeologists with local indigenous communities. In a recent article, Tim Murray reviewed the maturing relationship between archaeologists and indigenous people over the past 25 years, wherein he mainly addressed the decolonization of archaeology in Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Examples from South America will enhance Murray's argument, particularly the ongoing integration of indigenous knowledge and archaeological practices in Amazonia, whereby both knowledge and knowledge production are shared. This article elaborates on deep-historical research, situated along a continuum of participation and collaboration in the Upper Maroni Basin (French Guiana and Suriname, northern Amazonia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brachistosternus Pocock 1893 is the most diverse genus of the scorpion family Bothriuridae. Only four species of the genus have been cytogenetically analyzed so far. We report herein the cytogenetic analysis of Brachistosternus alienus Lönnberg 1898 from Comallo (Río Negro province, Argentina). This species is widely distributed in the Monte phytogeographic province, located in central and northern Argentine Patagonia. Meiotic cells of B. alienus from Comallo show 23 homomorphic achiasmatic bivalents. The karyotype of this species contains scarce AT-rich regions that may be associated with the heterochromatin of centromeric regions. Giacomozzi (1977) reports n = 14 for B. alienus from Chubut province. Unfortunately, it is not presently possible to determine if those specimens correspond to B. alienus or to a sympatric species, Brachistosternus angustimanus Ojanguren-Affilastro & Roig-Alsina 2001. These different chromosome numbers of the two populations analyzed may reflect the occurrence of a chromosomal polytypism in B. alienus, or they may characterize different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the residence of Irish author James Joyce in Trieste, Italy. Structure of the house; Outline of the landlord tenant contract signed by Joyce's brother Stanislaus; Description of the living quarters; Works accomplished by Joyce in the house; Details of the sitting room where Joyce held lessons for scholars.

Triatomine vectors transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease in humans. Transmission to humans typically occurs when contaminated triatomine feces come in contact with the bite site or mucosal membranes. In the Southern Cone of South America, where the highest burden of disease exists, Triatoma infestans is the principal vector for T. cruzi. Recent studies of other vector-borne illnesses have shown that arthropod microbiota influences the ability of infectious agents to colonize the insect vector and transmit to the human host. This has garnered attention as a potential control strategy against T. cruzi, as vector control is the main tool of Chagas disease prevention. Here we characterized the microbiota in T. infestans feces of both wild-caught and laboratory-reared insects and examined the relationship between microbial composition and T. cruzi infection using highly sensitive high-throughput sequencing technology to sequence the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene on the MiSeq Illumina platform. We collected 59 wild (9 with T. cruzi infection) and 10 lab-reared T. infestans (4 with T. cruzi infection) from the endemic area of Arequipa, Perú. Wild T. infestans had greater hindgut bacterial diversity than laboratory-reared bugs. Microbiota of lab insects comprised a subset of those identified in their wild counterparts, with 96 of the total 124 genera also observed in laboratory-reared insects. Among wild insects, variation in bacterial composition was observed, but time and location of collection and development stage did not explain this variation. T. cruzi infection in lab insects did not affect α- or β-diversity; however, we did find that the β-diversity of wild insects differed if they were infected with T. cruzi and identified 10 specific taxa that had significantly different relative abundances in infected vs. uninfected wild T. infestans (Bosea, Mesorhizobium, Dietzia, and Cupriavidus were underrepresented in infected bugs; Sporosarcina, an unclassified genus of Porphyromonadaceae, Nestenrenkonia, Alkalibacterium, Peptoniphilus, Marinilactibacillus were overrepresented in infected bugs). Our findings suggest that T. cruzi infection is associated with the microbiota of T. infestans and that inferring the microbiota of wild T. infestans may not be possible through sampling of T. infestans reared in the insectary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]