We describe a 30-year-old pregnant woman with undiagnosed weakness who delivered a severely weak neonate. Subsequent workup of the mother revealed myasthenia gravis with muscle-specific kinase antibodies. The infant responded to intravenous immunoglobulin and symptoms normalized. He was presumed to have an anti-muscle-specific kinase-mediated transient neonatal myasthenia gravis.

The effect of acute and chronic cold exposure on heart rate (HR) and neuronal function in crayfish <i>Procambarus clarkii</i> and prawns <i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i> was addressed. This is particularly important since prawn farms of this species are used for aquaculture in varied climates world wide. The success of <i>P. clarkii</i> as an invasive species throughout the world may in part be due to their ability to acclimate to cold and warm habitats. A set of experiments was devised to address the physiological abilities of these species in managing rapid changes to cold environments as well as their ability to respond to sensory stimuli by using behavior and a bioindex of HR. Prawns died within 2 hrs when moved from 21℃ to 5℃. Crayfish reduced their HR but survived for at least a week with this rapid change. Changes in temperature of 5℃ each week resulted in death of the prawns when 10℃ was reached. Some died at 16℃ and some lasted at 10℃ for 1 day before dying. Crayfish remained responsive to sensory stimuli and survived with either rapid or slow changes in temperature from 21℃ to 5℃. Primary sensory neurons were rapidly inhibited in prawns with an acute change to 5℃, where as in crayfish the activity was reduced but not completely inhibited. An induced sensory-CNS-motor circuit elicited activity at neuromuscular junctions in prawns and crayfish at 21℃ but with acute changes to 5℃only in crayfish was the circuit functionally intact. The ability to survive rapid environmental temperature changes will impact survival and in time the distribution of a species. The significance of these findings is that they may account, in part, for the wide ecological distribution of <i>P. clarkii</i> as compared to <i>M. rosenbergii</i>. The invasiveness of organisms, as for <i>P. clarkii</i>, is likely linked to the physiological robustness to acute and chronic temperature changes of habitats

The design of a portable light trap for adult Culicoides spp. is given.Light traps were required to sample small areas in a mangrove swamp for adult Culicoides spp. Various commercial designs were investigated, but problems were encountered with cost, size (portability), source of power (operation), effectiveness, and theft when left overnight. Therefore inexpensive traps, (cost and operation), were constructed to our own design (Fig. 1).The top of the trap consisted of an inverted metal food plate, 24 cm in diam., which acted as a protective hood and encased a plastic battery pack. A removable metal brace, with attached rivetted lamp socket and connecting wires supported the pack beneath the plate. A transparent plastic container, 14 cm in diaa.(400 mL), was suspended underneath by detachable metal clips.The battery pack, containing 3 'D' size alkaline dry cells (1 SV) in series, was inserted between the plate and metal brace, bolted into place, and wires from the socket connected to the terminals. A 3.2 V lamp (General Electric No. 42) was secured in the socket just enough to hold it in place. The plastic container was hooked beneath the plate and filled to about two-thirds capacity with 80% ethyl alcohol. The trap became operational by tightening the lamp until electrical connection was made. The 3 cells gave maximum illumination for 1 night (about 12 h). Adult Culicoides, and other small flying insects, flew about the lamp and were captured (drowned) when contact was made with the alcohol. The purpose of the traps was to indicate the spatial distribution of adult Culicoides in the swamp. Seven different species of Culicoides (both sexes) were taken by trapping over successive periods in various habitats. Although the traps were not constructed to capture large numbers (hence the lack of a fan), 1 trap in 1 night yielded 383 adult Culicoides. Metal brace SockelLamp (3 2VI

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