Adjustable mount for electro-optic transducers in an evacuated cryogenic system

The invention is an adjustable mount for positioning an electro-optic transducer in an evacuated cryogenic environment. Electro-optic transducers are used in this manner as high sensitivity detectors of gas emission lines of spectroscopic analysis. The mount is made up of an adjusting mechanism and a transducer mount. The adjusting mechanism provided five degrees of freedom, linear adjustments and angular adjustments. The mount allows the use of an internal lens to focus energy on the transducer element thereby improving the efficiency of the detection device. Further, the transducer mount, although attached to the adjusting mechanism, is isolated thermally such that a cryogenic environment can be maintained at the transducer while the adjusting mechanism remains at room temperature. Radiation shields also are incorporated to further reduce heat flow to the transducer location

Physical limitations on quantum nonlocality in the detection of gamma photons emitted from positron/electron annihilation

Recent experimental measurements of the time interval between detection of the two photons emitted in positron/electron annihilation have indicated that collapse of the spatial part of the photon's wavefunction, due to detection of the other photon, does not occur. Although quantum nonlocality actually occurs in photons produced through parametric down-conversion, the recent experiments give strong evidence against measurement-induced instantaneous spatial-localization of high-energy gamma photons. A new quantum-mechanical analysis of the EPR problem is presented which may help to explain the observed differences between photons produced through parametric down-conversion and photons produced through positron/electron annihilation. The results are found to concur with the recent experiments involving gamma photons.Comment: accepted for publication, Phys. Rev.

Diel patterns of movement reveal temporal strategies during dispersal

Movement is a key part of life for many animals. However, a number of temporal constraints, from changes in light and temperature to varying risks of predation, limit not only where animals can move, but also when. Such constraints are likely to be most pronounced when animals must make large displacements, as is the case when individuals disperse. However, little is known about how dispersers overcome temporal constraints on movement, despite significant implications for the success of dispersal. We outline a general framework for identifying the strategies animals use to achieve large displacements in the face of constraints on when and how to move, which we predict should follow one of three patterns: increasing their movements during those times when they typically move more, uniformly across the day, or when they previously moved least. Using high-resolution GPS tracking of dispersing and resident vulturine guineafowl, Acryllium vulturinum, we show that dispersers expressed the greatest increases in movement at the same times of day that they moved most prior to dispersing. Our results suggest that individuals face the same ecological constraints during dispersal as they do in daily life and achieve large displacements by maximizing movement when conditions are most favourable.publishe

De Novo assembly of a high-quality reference genome for the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris)

Copyright © 2020 Mason et al. The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a small songbird that exhibits remarkable geographic variation in appearance and habitat across an expansive distribution. While E. alpestris has been the focus of many ecological and evolutionary studies, we still lack a highly contiguous genome assembly for the Horned Lark and related taxa (Alaudidae). Here, we present CLO_EAlp_1.0, a highly contiguous assembly for E. alpestris generated from a blood sample of a wild, male bird captured in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense of Colombia. By combining short-insert and mate-pair libraries with the ALLPATHS-LG genome assembly pipeline, we generated a 1.04 Gb assembly comprised of 2713 scaffolds, with a largest scaffold size of 31.81 Mb, a scaffold N50 of 9.42 Mb, and a scaffold L50 of 30. These scaffolds were assembled from 23685 contigs, with a largest contig size of 1.69 Mb, a contig N50 of 193.81 kb, and a contig L50 of 1429. Our assembly pipeline also produced a single mitochondrial DNA contig of 14.00 kb. After polishing the genome, we identified 94.5% of single-copy gene orthologs from an Aves data set and 97.7% of single-copy gene orthologs from a vertebrata data set, which further demonstrates the high quality of our assembly. We anticipate that this genomic resource will be useful to the broader ornithological community and those interested in studying the evolutionary history and ecological interactions of larks, which comprise a widespread, yet understudied lineage of songbirds

Hidden endemism, deep polyphyly, and repeated dispersal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Diversification of the White-collared Seedeater complex (Thraupidae: Sporophila torqueola)

© 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Phenotypic and genetic variation are present in all species, but lineages differ in how variation is partitioned among populations. Examining phenotypic clustering and genetic structure within a phylogeographic framework can clarify which biological processes have contributed to extant biodiversity in a given lineage. Here, we investigate genetic and phenotypic variation among populations and subspecies within a Neotropical songbird complex, the White-collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) of Central America and Mexico. We combine measurements of morphology and plumage patterning with thousands of nuclear loci derived from ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and mitochondrial DNA to evaluate population differentiation. We find deep levels of molecular divergence between two S. torqueola lineages that are phenotypically diagnosable: One corresponds to S. t. torqueola along the Pacific coast of Mexico, and the other includes S. t. morelleti and S. t. sharpei from the Gulf Coast of Mexico and Central America. Surprisingly, these two lineages are strongly differentiated in both nuclear and mitochondrial markers, and each is more closely related to other Sporophila species than to one another. We infer low levels of gene flow between these two groups based on demographic models, suggesting multiple independent evolutionary lineages within S. torqueola have been obscured by coarse-scale similarity in plumage patterning. These findings improve our understanding of the biogeographic history of this lineage, which includes multiple dispersal events out of South America and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into Mesoamerica. Finally, the phenotypic and genetic distinctiveness of the range-restricted S. t. torqueola highlights the Pacific Coast of Mexico as an important region of endemism and conservation priority

Perceived Effectiveness of Virtual Mentoring and Coaching on Teachers of English Language Learner's Pedagogical Practices During COVID-19

This mixed-method study aimed to determine teachers' perceptions of Project Massive Open Online Professional Individualized Learning (MOOPIL) Virtual Professional Development and the role it played in their pedagogical practices as they transitioned from face-to-face to online instruction during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied a mixed-method approach to understand the experiences of educators engaged in virtual professional development, virtual mentoring and coaching, and an online learning community during a global pandemic in the Spring of 2020. Participants reported various ways Project MOOPIL impacted their experiences as educators. Teachers' personal experiences in online learning through Project MOOPIL provided insight into the comparable experiences of students who were immersed in online education as well. Teachers reported a successful transfer of knowledge from this experience to their new distance learning domains that not only catered to the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in their classes but to native English speakers as well. Furthermore, through their participation in VPLCs and engagement in Project MOOPIL VMC, participants demonstrated the ability to access and benefit from virtual collaborative support even when life got challenging. In this study, we examined virtual professional development intersectionality, distance learning, and the needs of emergent English speakers

Perceived Effectiveness of Virtual Mentoring and Coaching on Teachers’ of ELL’s Pedagogical Practices During COVID19

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine teachers' perceptions of Project Massive Open Online Professional Individualized Learning (MOOPIL) Virtual Professional Development and the role it played in their pedagogical practices as they transitioned from face-to-face to online instruction during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied a mixed method approach to understand the experiences of educators engaged in virtual professional development, virtual mentoring and coaching, and an online learning community during a global pandemic in the Spring of 2020. Participants reported various ways Project MOOPIL impacted their experiences as educators. Teachers’ personal experiences in online learning through Project MOOPIL provided insight into the comparable experiences of students who were immersed in online education as well. Teachers reported a successful transfer of knowledge from this experience to their new distance learning domains that not only catered to the needs of ELs in their classes but to native English speakers as well. Furthermore, through their participation in VPLCs and engagement in Project MOOPIL VMC, participants demonstrated the ability to access and benefit from virtual collaborative support even when life got challenging. In this study, we examined virtual professional development intersectionality, distance learning, and the needs of emergent English speakers. &nbsp

Perceived Effectiveness of Virtual Mentoring and Coaching on Teachers’ of ELL’s Pedagogical Practices During COVID19

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine teachers' perceptions of Project Massive Open Online Professional Individualized Learning (MOOPIL) Virtual Professional Development and the role it played in their pedagogical practices as they transitioned from face-to-face to online instruction during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied a mixed method approach to understand the experiences of educators engaged in virtual professional development, virtual mentoring and coaching, and an online learning community during a global pandemic in the Spring of 2020. Participants reported various ways Project MOOPIL impacted their experiences as educators. Teachers’ personal experiences in online learning through Project MOOPIL provided insight into the comparable experiences of students who were immersed in online education as well. Teachers reported a successful transfer of knowledge from this experience to their new distance learning domains that not only catered to the needs of ELs in their classes but to native English speakers as well. Furthermore, through their participation in VPLCs and engagement in Project MOOPIL VMC, participants demonstrated the ability to access and benefit from virtual collaborative support even when life got challenging. In this study, we examined virtual professional development intersectionality, distance learning, and the needs of emergent English speakers. &nbsp