Characterization of microbial and chemical composition of shuttle wet waste with permanent gas and volatile organic compound analyses.

Solid-waste treatment in space for Advanced Life Support, ALS, applications requires that the material can be safely processed and stored in a confined environment. Many solid-wastes are not stable because they are wet (40-90% moisture) and contain levels of soluble organic compounds that can contribute to the growth of undesirable microorganisms with concomitant production of noxious odors. In the absence of integrated Advanced Life Support systems on orbit, permanent gas, trace volatile organic and microbiological analyses were performed on crew refuse returned from the volume F "wet" trash of three consecutive Shuttle missions (STS-105, 109, and 110). These analyses were designed to characterize the short-term biological stability of the material and assess potential crew risks resulting from microbial decay processes during storage. Waste samples were collected post-orbiter landing and sorted into packaging material, food waste, toilet waste, and bulk liquid fractions deposited during flight in the volume F container. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial loads were determined in each fraction by cultivation on R2A and by acridine orange direct count (AODC). Dry and ash weights were performed to determine both water and organic content of the materials. Experiments to determine the aerobic and anaerobic biostability of refuse stored for varying periods of time were performed by on-line monitoring of CO2 and laboratory analysis for production of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Volatile organic compounds and permanent gases were analyzed using EPA Method TO15 by USEPA et al. [EPA Method TO15, The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air using SUMMA, Passivated Canister Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis,1999] with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography with selective detectors. These baseline measures of waste stream content, labile organics, and microbial load in the volume F Shuttle trash provide data for waste subsystem analysis and atmospheric management within the ALS Project.

Ectoparasitic insects of bats in British Columbia, Canada.

One species of parasitic bug (Hemiptera : Cimicidae), 3 species of fleas (Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllidae), and 2 species of parasitic flies (Diptera : Nycteribiidae) were collected from 9 species of bats (Chiroptera : Vespertilionidae) in southern interior and northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Female bats that return daily to maternity roosts were more frequently infested with both cimicids and ischnopsyllids than were male bats. Some differences in ectoparasite infestation can be attributed to differences in roosting behavior of the host. New national records for 2 parasite species, and 8 new host records are established for Canada.

Clinorotation affects morphology and ethylene production in soybean seedlings.

The microgravity environment of spaceflight influences growth, morphology and metabolism in etiolated germinating soybean. To determine if clinorotation will similarly impact these processes, we conducted ground-based studies in conjunction with two space experiment opportunities. Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seeds were planted within BRIC (Biological Research In Canister) canisters and grown for seven days at 20 degrees C under clinorotation (1 rpm) conditions or in a stationary upright mode. Gas samples were taken daily and plants were harvested after seven days for measurement of growth and morphology. Compared to the stationary upright controls, plants exposed to clinorotation exhibited increased root length (125% greater) and fresh weight (42% greater), whereas shoot length and fresh weight decreased by 33% and 16% respectively. Plants grown under clinorotation produced twice as much ethylene as the stationary controls. Seedlings treated with triiodo benzoic acid (TIBA), an auxin transport inhibitor, under clinorotation produced 50% less ethylene than the untreated control subjected to the same gravity treatment, whereas a treatment with 2,4-D increased ethylene by five-fold in the clinorotated plants. These data suggest that slow clinorotation influences biomass partitioning and ethylene production in etiolated soybean plants.

Ethylene production by plants in a closed environment.

Ethylene production by 20-m2 stands of wheat, soybean, lettuce and potato was monitored throughout growth and development in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Biomass Production Chamber. Chamber ethylene concentrations rose during periods of rapid growth for all four species, reaching 120 parts per billion (ppb) for wheat, 60 ppb for soybean, and 40 to 50 ppb for lettuce and potato. Following this, ethylene concentrations declined during seed fill and maturation (wheat and soybean), or remained relatively constant (potato). Lettuce plants were harvested during rapid growth and peak ethylene production. The highest ethylene production rates (unadjusted for chamber leakage) ranged from 0.04 to 0.06 ml m-2 day-1 during rapid growth of lettuce and wheat stands, or approximately 0.8 to 1.1 nl g-1 fresh weight h-1. Results suggest that ethylene production by plants is a normal event coupled to periods of rapid metabolic activity, and that ethylene removal or control measures should be considered for growing crops in a tightly closed CELSS.

Spiroplasmas in the Tabanidae.

Spiroplasmas were observed in seven species of the family Tabanidae (horse flies and deer flies). This is the fifth family of the order Diptera now known to harbor spiroplasmas. Noncultivable spiroplasmas were seen in the hemolymph of three species of the genus Tabanus, and cultivable forms were isolated from the guts of six species in three genera. Isolates from T. calens and T. sulcifrons were serologically similar and closely related to a spiroplasma in the lampyrid beetle, Ellychnia corrusca. These three isolates represent a new serogroup. Isolates from Hybomitra lasiophthalma were related to Group IV strains, while those from T. nigrovittatus and Chrysops sp. both represented new serogroups. At least some tabanids probably acquire spiroplasmas from contaminated flower surfaces. The possibility of vertebrate reservoirs for some tabanid spiroplasmas remains an open question.

Notas y claves preliminares de los jejenes neotropicales pertenecientes a los grupos Simulium amazonicum y S. sanguineum (Diptera: Simuliidae) incluyendo los vectores de Onchocerca volvunus y Mansonella ozzardi. / Preliminary key of new tropical Diptera pertaining to the groups Simulium amazonicum and S. sanguineum (Diptera: Simuliidae including the vectors of Onchocerca volvulus and Manzonella ozzardi

Los autores estudiaron ocho especies de jejenes de importancia medica pertenecientes a los grupos Simulium amazonicum y S. sanguineum obtenidos en Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Guyana y Venezuela. Se acompana una clave preliminar para identificar algunos miembros del grupo y se proporciona algunos datos referentes a la taxonomia y biologia de la mayor parte de las especies estudiadas. Cuatro jejenes han sido incriminados en la transmision de la oncocercosis y/o la mansonelliasis

Estudio del complejo Simulium amazonicum-sanguineum en Venezuela. Descripcion de tres nuevas especies. / Study of the complex simulium amazonicum-sanguineum in Venezuela. Description of 3 new species

Los autores describen e ilustran tres nuevas especies de jejenes de importancia medica pertenecientes al complejo amazonicum -sanguineum criados a partir de pupas y colectados en los estados Aragua y Bolivar (Venezuela). Ellas son: Simulium pseudoamazonicum sp. n Simulium pseudosanguineum sp. n. y Simulium venezuelense sp. n. Las dos primeras tienen pupas con organos respiratorios formados por tres filamentos a cada lado y la tercera posee cuatro filamentos. Todas las hembras descritas presentan el torax negro con dos bandas longitudinales plateadas que se inician en el borde anterior y se difunden en la depresion prescutelar

Pictorial keys to the main species and species groups within the Simulium damnosum Theobald complex occurring in West Africa (Diptera: Simuliidae).

The purpose of this paper is to provide a relatively simple means for recognizing the six main vector species or species groups of the Simulium damnosum Theobald complex that can be distinguished primarily to assist non-specialists, technicians and field personnel who have to handle many specimens in a relatively short period of time.

A case of bilateral gynandromorphism in Simulioum soubrense Vajime and Dunbar (Diptera: Simuliidae).

A bilateral gynandromorph of Simulium soubrense Vajime and Dunbar, one of the vector species of the S. damnosum Theobald complex, is described as part of a continuing study of the morphology and taxonomy of the West African vectors of onchocerciasis.