The most widespread ant and its new relative: A revision of the genus Paratrechina

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25-Oct-2013

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Contact: John S. LaPolla
jlapolla@towson.edu
410-704-3121
Pensoft Publishers

Long considered to be one of the most species-rich ant genera, latest research has stripped the ant genus Paratrechina down to a single species- Paratrechina longicornis. This particular ant is one of the most widely distributed, found in nearly every tropical and subtropical location on the planet due to accidental human transport, and is considered one of the world's worst invasive ant species. A recent review of the genus in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research announces the discovery of a second species P. zanjensis, which presents a step forward into determining the native range of P. longicornis.

Native to Africa, and so far found only in miombo woodlands, the new species P. zanjensis is potentially specialized to this habitat. Miombo is the Swahili word for the Brachystegia genus of trees which are an important tree species within miombo woodlands. The specific name of this new species zanjensis is derived from the ancient Arabic name for the stretch of East African coast that encompasses parts of modern day Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania, where the species is found.

"Given the economic and ecological impacts of Paratrechina longicornis, discovering a close relative may provide us with insights into the biology of one of the world's worst invasive ant species. For instance, now that we know another species exist within the genus, comparative studies can begin to perhaps understand the attributes that make P. longicornis such a good biological invader," says Dr. John S. LaPolla of Towson University, USA.

Unlike its new relative, the long known P. longicornis, exhibits remarkable adaptability and is spread virtually worldwide through human activity and movement. The species is found almost in every urban center in the tropics as well as in greenhouses and other manmade structures in cool temperature climates. The remarkable ability of this ant to survive even in extremely human changed environment also makes it a well-known pest in tropical climates, commonly called crazy ant due to its erratic movements.

Due to this wide distribution and easy adaptation of P. longicornis the determination of its native range has proved a challenge to biologists. The current revision suggests that the species originates in Asia, as previously considered, however further investigation is needed to confirm this thesis.

"Given the available distribution information on P. longicornis, we conclude that P. longicornis remains most likely native to southeastern Asia, and that the discovery of a new species native to Africa makes Paratrechina yet another example of an ant genus that possesses an Afro-Asian distribution.", explains Dr. John S. LaPolla.

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Original Source:

LaPolla JS, Hawkes PG, Fisher JN (2013) Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 35: 71. doi: 10.3897/JHR.35.5628

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

25-Oct-2013

[


| E-mail

]


Share

Contact: John S. LaPolla
jlapolla@towson.edu
410-704-3121
Pensoft Publishers

Long considered to be one of the most species-rich ant genera, latest research has stripped the ant genus Paratrechina down to a single species- Paratrechina longicornis. This particular ant is one of the most widely distributed, found in nearly every tropical and subtropical location on the planet due to accidental human transport, and is considered one of the world's worst invasive ant species. A recent review of the genus in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research announces the discovery of a second species P. zanjensis, which presents a step forward into determining the native range of P. longicornis.

Native to Africa, and so far found only in miombo woodlands, the new species P. zanjensis is potentially specialized to this habitat. Miombo is the Swahili word for the Brachystegia genus of trees which are an important tree species within miombo woodlands. The specific name of this new species zanjensis is derived from the ancient Arabic name for the stretch of East African coast that encompasses parts of modern day Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania, where the species is found.

"Given the economic and ecological impacts of Paratrechina longicornis, discovering a close relative may provide us with insights into the biology of one of the world's worst invasive ant species. For instance, now that we know another species exist within the genus, comparative studies can begin to perhaps understand the attributes that make P. longicornis such a good biological invader," says Dr. John S. LaPolla of Towson University, USA.

Unlike its new relative, the long known P. longicornis, exhibits remarkable adaptability and is spread virtually worldwide through human activity and movement. The species is found almost in every urban center in the tropics as well as in greenhouses and other manmade structures in cool temperature climates. The remarkable ability of this ant to survive even in extremely human changed environment also makes it a well-known pest in tropical climates, commonly called crazy ant due to its erratic movements.

Due to this wide distribution and easy adaptation of P. longicornis the determination of its native range has proved a challenge to biologists. The current revision suggests that the species originates in Asia, as previously considered, however further investigation is needed to confirm this thesis.

"Given the available distribution information on P. longicornis, we conclude that P. longicornis remains most likely native to southeastern Asia, and that the discovery of a new species native to Africa makes Paratrechina yet another example of an ant genus that possesses an Afro-Asian distribution.", explains Dr. John S. LaPolla.

###

Original Source:

LaPolla JS, Hawkes PG, Fisher JN (2013) Taxonomic review of the ant genus Paratrechina, with a description of a new species from Africa. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 35: 71. doi: 10.3897/JHR.35.5628

---

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| E-mail


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/pp-tmw102513.php
Tags: yosemite national park   oakland raiders   Nate Burleson   Richard Sherman   harry potter  

U.S. wholesale inventories rise more than expected

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. wholesale inventories rose more than expected in August, suggesting that restocking was less of a drag on economic growth on the eve of a fiscal battle in Washington than analysts had thought.

The Commerce Department said on Friday wholesale inventories rose 0.5 percent in August, the biggest increase since January. The government also said inventories rose more than initially estimated in July.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent annual pace in the April-June period, and most analysts expect a significant slowdown in the third quarter. A government shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of people out of work for weeks this month is expected to make the fourth quarter even weaker.

Economists expect the pace of inventory accumulation to slow a bit in the July-September quarter after consumer spending moderated in the previous quarter.

Wholesale inventories in August were boosted by increases in stocks of professional equipment and autos.

Sales at wholesalers increased 0.6 percent, beating economists' expectations.

At August's sales pace it would take 1.17 months to clear shelves. The inventories/sales ratio was unchanged from July.

(This story is refiled to correct reference to timing of government shutdown)

(Reporting by Timothy Ahmann; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-wholesale-inventories-rise-more-expected-140251445--business.html
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YouTube Network Maker Studios Introduces Its Platform For Managing Videos And Engaging With Fans

Over the past several years, Maker Studios has turned its talent-focused media haven for YouTube stars into a huge business, attracting tens of thousands of channels to its network, which in turn have attracted hundreds of millions of subscribers and billions of views per month.

One thing Maker doesn’t usually talk about is the technology that’s running things behind the scenes. Well, that’s changed, as the company is finally taking the wraps off its technology platform, called Maker Max, allowing creators to better manage their video libraries and engage with viewers.

Adding a technology to its network is a relatively new phenomenon for Maker, which had virtually no engineering staff to speak of just two years ago. Until then, it was mostly focused on helping its creators build their audiences through more traditional means — through collaboration and by aiding them in creating higher-quality productions.

But it became obvious that the company could do a lot more, so it brought on CTO Ryan Lissack in early 2012 to begin building out the framework for what would eventually become Maker Max. Along the way, Maker has hired about 45 personnel as part of its tech team, and that number continues to grow.

So what did it actually build? Maker Max is designed to be a one-stop shop for all the information Maker creators might need to grow their audiences. It provides a dashboard with analytics to show all their views, subscribers, revenue, and social engagement that has happened around their videos.

Connect your YouTube channels, as well as your Facebook page and Twitter account, for instance, and you can instantly see all of the mentions on social networks right alongside your views. For creators, doing this provides some actionable insights into how they can better engage with fans.

The dashboard also has a place for those in the Maker network to chat with each other in forums — which allows them to share best practices and encourages collaboration between them. There’s also a support system built in to provide answers to common questions and connect creators with Maker’s support specialists. Finally, there’s a referral program built in, through which creators can suggest other talent to join the Maker network.

“We have access to an enormous amount of data, and we spend a lot of time looking at data in a variety of ways,” Lissack told me. The goal is to use that data as a sort of business intelligence and apply it to a content creation paradigm that has in the past been more focused on talent.

Of course, Maker isn’t alone in touting its backend management platform. Each of the multichannel networks is trying to differentiate itself, either through content-specific vertical focus or through technology that it can offer to maximize viewership and increase engagement with viewers and subscribers.

The competitor that most often talks about its technology is probably Fullscreen, which has its own tools for video management, collaboration, and engaging with fans. It’s called the Fullscreen Creator Platform, and was formally announced over the summer.

Oh hey check out this video I did with Maker Studios over the summer:

YouTube Network Maker Studios Introduces Its Platform For Managing Videos And Engaging With Fans

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FvljdOEvThE/
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Vatican's US donors get access for a $500 pittance

VATICAN CITY (AP) — They entered the Sistine Chapel in tuxedoes and gowns, the clacking of high heels on marble competing with the Latin chants of a choir filling the frescoed hall.

The donors to the Vatican Museums got serious VIP treatment during their recent visit to Rome: lectures on museum restoration projects, catered dinners in museum galleries, a vespers service in the Sistine Chapel celebrated by papal prefect Monsignor Georg Gaenswein — and even a one-on-one with Pope Francis himself.

Such access comes with a price, but it's not as high as you might think.

For starters, all it takes is $500 a year to join the Patrons of the Vatican Museums, the fundraising organization that hosted last week's extravaganza. The events marking the Patrons' 30th anniversary did cost significantly more — $1,900 a head for the entire five days of Vatican pampering — but even that price seems a relative bargain given that a single New York fundraiser, without pope or music under Michelangelo, might run $1,000 a head or more.

"Are you kidding? You can't buy your way into this," marveled Ronald Poe as he sipped pink bubbly in the Gallery of Maps after the Sistine Chapel vespers Saturday night.

In fact, you can.

There are currently about 2,500 patrons and each year the Vatican can count on about $5 million from them — averaging $2,000 a head — with gifts added to revenue from the annual membership fee, said the Rev. Mark Haydu, the program director and priest of the Legion of Christ, a religious order known for its fundraising prowess. Most of the patrons hail from the U.S., where the program began after a traveling exhibit of Vatican treasures caught the attention of some art-loving philanthropists.

Over the years, their generosity has funded, among other things, the restoration of the Sistine Chapel and three of the four Raphael Rooms in the Apostolic Palace— a point raised by Pope Francis when he greeted each of the 350-plus patrons and family members who gathered on Saturday in the palace for a private audience.

"Over the past three decades, the patrons have made an outstanding contribution to the restoration of numerous treasures of art preserved in the Vatican collections and to the broader religious, artistic and culture mission of the museums," he said. "For this I thank you most heartily."

Each year the Vatican Museums offers up a "wish list" of the works that need attention in hopes of finding a local chapter or individual patron to adopt the project.

The 2014 wish book includes cleaning an 18th century silk embroidered Manchurian dress (10,000 euros/$13,800); sponsoring an outside archaeologist to work on the necropolis dig underneath the Vatican's parking lot (40,000 euros) and buying new display cases for the Egyptian Museum (930,000 euros).

During the anniversary week in Rome, patrons were treated to demonstrations by laboratory restorers about their craft, dinners in Museum galleries and a rare question-and-answer session with a top official in the Secretariat of State about the Vatican's reform and relations with the media.

Basic membership, though, has its priceless privileges: Patrons can jump the line at the Vatican Museums and go straight to the Sistine Chapel before anyone gets in in the morning. They can get private tours of off-limit galleries and restoration labs, special access to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican gardens. They get priority seating at the pope's weekly general audience and have an "in" to score coveted tickets to Midnight Mass.

Patrons aren't necessarily Catholic, but they tend to be art buffs eager for behind-the-scenes access that membership provides.

"We saw an ad in a travel magazine about the benefits of being a patron," said Esther Milsted, an attorney from Hoboken, New Jersey. She and her husband Mark Villamar wanted to see the Pauline Chapel inside the Apostolic Palace, which is not normally open to the public. They got in after joining and have since taken advantage of membership to visit restoration labs and participate in the anniversary festivities.

"It's a good deal — and tax deductible," Villamar said.

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Patrons are at www.vatican-patrons.org

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-25-Vatican%20VIPs/id-86f9c548d09140708f4c16284b8e7932
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Newtown Residents Demolish A School, And Violent Memories

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is shown last Dec. 14, when a gunman killed 20 children and six adults. The building is now being destroyed; a new school will be built on the site.

Julio Cortez/AP

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is shown last Dec. 14, when a gunman killed 20 children and six adults. The building is now being destroyed; a new school will be built on the site.

Julio Cortez/AP

Demolition has begun at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman killed 20 students and six adults last December. Bricks will be pulverized, steel melted down, and a new school built at the same location.

Allison Hornak attended Sandy Hook Elementary School as a kid. After college, she returned home to Newtown, Conn., and opened an art gallery that's within walking distance of where the mass killing took place.

Hornak says she has a lot of fond memories of Sandy Hook — like a teacher who let her chew gum in class, and the pathways through the school.

"The hallways all ran into one another and just formed this big loop," Hornak says. "And when you were walking through, you'd see the inner courtyard and watching the seasons change in that courtyard...really stands out to me."

Since the shooting, residents have found themselves wrestling with a very personal question — what to do with a place that created so many fond memories, and one horrific one.

"It's where we bring up our kids. It's where our own family story plays out," says John Woodall, a local psychiatrist. "So, to have this building be the site of this horror cuts right to the core of people's identities."

After the Dec. 14, 2012 mass murder, Woodall counseled people in Newtown. For those parents and teachers, returning was not an option.

"They don't want to go back, and vehemently so. For some, it was just too overwhelming to go into that space again without becoming unhinged," he says. "You can't ask people to bear something that is, for them, unbearable."

After many public hearings and a town-wide referendum, residents voted to accept $50 million in state money to raze the building and construct a new school at the same site.

Demolition began this month, though none of it is visible from the street. Security is tight — outside and in.

Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra says all workers at Sandy Hook must sign confidentiality agreements that "essentially says that those workers will take no photographs, they'll remove no items, that they won't be discussing the process on social media."

Building materials will be processed on-site to ensure they don't pop up for sale. The town is also working to change the route parents use to drive into the new school, which Llodra says is an emotional "trigger point."

In June, people gathered in Newtown, Conn., to remember the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

In June, people gathered in Newtown, Conn., to remember the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

"For many people, the last experience that families and teachers and kids had was running down that driveway to escape what they thought was imminent danger — and it truly was danger," says Llodra.

As the one-year anniversary approaches, people in Newtown are seeing symbols of moving on everywhere — even in the new sidewalk installed that was installed outside Allison Hornak's art gallery in downtown Sandy Hook.

"People don't want to come here anymore — for a little bit, at least," says Hornak. "And yet, the town is making this effort to invite people ... back in, to walk through. I just thought that was really great. And I'm happy that they put that in. It's small, but kind of really symbolic."

The goal is to have the school razed by the first anniversary of the shooting, Dec. 14, though no town-wide event will happen to mark the anniversary.

Instead, Patricia Llodra says she hopes residents use the day to "pledge an act of kindness to one another."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/25/240242673/newtown-residents-demolish-a-school-and-violent-memories?ft=1&f=1013
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Cash-strapped Madagascar needs budget support back: Finance Minister

By Richard Lough and Alain Iloniaina

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar will need foreign donors to resume budgetary support within three months of the election of a new president or meeting spending needs will be difficult, its finance minister said on the eve of the country's first vote since a 2009 coup.

The cash-starved government had revised down its 2013 GDP growth forecast because multiple delays to Friday's poll had prolonged a crisis that has battered investor confidence and badly damaged the economy, Lantoniaina Rasoloelison told Reuters.

External financing made up 40 percent of the Indian Ocean island's budget until donors withdrew aid when rebel troops stormed the presidential palace a stone's throw from the Finance Ministry and former disc jockey Andry Rajoelina seized power.

The ballot is likely to go to a second round run-off due in December, meaning the next president should be in office by January. Rasoloelison said the 2014 budget was only an interim step and would require additional funding within three months.

"If not, it is going to be very difficult to manage the economy," he said in an interview. "The state cannot run on this budget." Madagascar's fiscal year runs January to December.

Rasoloelison took over the top job at the Treasury last month after his predecessor opted to run for president.

A smooth election, the minister said, would remove the political uncertainty deterring foreign firms from exploiting Madagascar's oil and mineral reserves and kick-start private sector growth that stalled during the near five-year crisis.

Rasoloelison said the nickel- and vanilla-producing island's economy will grow an estimated 3 percent in 2014 from around 2 percent this year - below the previously forecast 2.8 percent.

"(That) was based on an election in May," he said, referring to the initial election date. "No-one will invest in a period of flux. For 2014, the outlook is much clearer."

DWINDLING RESERVES

Not all 7.8 million voters in Madagascar, which lies off Africa and is famed for its exotic wildlife, share his optimism.

There are fears the outcome of the vote which counts 33 candidates might be disputed, plunging the world's fourth largest island into yet more chaos.

Even at 3 percent, growth would be anaemic for a country boasting deposits of oil, nickel, cobalt, gold and chrome and whose economic growth topped 7 percent in the year before Rajoelina's ouster of former President Marc Ravalomanana.

Deprived of budget support and faced with dwindling tax revenues since the economy shrank in 2009, the government has slashed spending. The World Bank estimates committed spending this year as 10.3 percent of GDP against 18.7 percent in 2008.

It has focused on keeping government running, paying the salaries of civil servants and soldiers as well as keeping the local currency stable and inflation at bay.

Rasoloelison said inflation was seen rising to 6.2 percent in 2014. "This year we project 5.2 percent due to the slowdown in economic growth. There are no imports, there is no demand."

Haleh Bridi, the World Bank's representative, told Reuters Madagascar was in dire financial straits.

"We believe they are at rock bottom, that if the elections don't happen and things don't start falling back into place they may even have difficulty holding the place together as their finances are in a very difficult situation right now," Bridi said.

Asked if the Treasury was broke, Rasoloelison said: "There is no problem to see through the year. The situation is delicate but under control."

Foreign reserves had fallen to below two months cover, he said, adding that this was no cause for concern.

• Politics & Government
• Budget, Tax & Economy
• Madagascar

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cash-strapped-madagascar-needs-budget-support-back-finance-144345726--business.html
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iPhone 5c internals and Apple A6 gallery

An in-depth look at the iPhone 5c and the A6: from components to chipsets to comparing it to the A7

We've already given you a look at the inside of the iPhone 5s and the A7 chipset so we figured we'd give them iPhone 5c the same treatment. For the most part, a lot of the components are the same as the iPhone 5c's predecessor, the iPhone 5. However, there are some subtle differences on both the inside and on the logic board itself. Let's take a closer look!

• Just as with the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 5c's flash for the rear camera is now located on the volume/mute cable assembly instead of the actual rear facing camera
• The front facing camera assembly is held down with some tape which means you'll need to use caution when removing the rear shield or replacing the front facing FaceTime camera
• The Home button assembly for the most part remains the same but the contact points where it meets the dock assembly have been revised slightly
• Most interconnector cables are gone, a welcome change since they broke so easily. This is also the case with the iPhone 5s

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Ybjo-CPVF2A/story01.htm
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