New records of ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Malta

Recently some Maltese Hymenoptera were donated to the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) and some other material was sent to the Natural History Museum in London (BMNH) for identification by the second author. Amongst these specimens were six ichneumon wasp species new to the fauna of Malta. Ichneumonidae taxonomy and nomenclature follow Yu et al. (2012), and host records were traced through this resource. Identifications were based on keys provided by Szépligeti (1905), Schmiedeknecht (1909), Bajári (1960), Townes et al. (1965), Bajári & Móczár (1969), Townes (1969; 1970a; 1970b; 1971), Horstmann (1976), Gauld & Mitchell (1977), Fitton et al. (1988), Wahl (1993), and Tolkanitz (2007). The voucher specimens are deposited in the Hymenoptera Collection of HNHM, Budapest, Hungary (those indicated by a HNHM id. number below), and some duplicate specimens in D. Mifsud’s private insect collection (CDM) in Malta.peer-reviewe

Syrphophilus bizonarius (Gravenhorst, 1829) (Hymenoptera) - new to Malta, with a revised check-list of the Ichneumonidae of the Maltese Islands

The Ichneumonidae is a species rich family with 36,179 valid species recorded by yu & horStmAnn (1997). Ichneumonids utilise a diverse array of insects and arachnids as their hosts and play an essential role in the normal functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. They have also been used successfully as biocontrol agents (GuPtA, 1991).peer-reviewe

Data from 617 healthy participants performing the Iowa gambling task: a "many labs" collaboration

This data pool (N = 617) comes from 10 independent studies assessing performance of healthy participants (i.e., no known neurological impairments) on the Iowa gambling task (IGT) - a task measuring decision making under uncertainty in an experimental context. Participants completed a computerized version of the IGT consisting of 95 - 150 trials. The data consist of the choices of each participant on each trial, and the resulting rewards and losses. The data are stored as .rdata, .csv, and .txt files, and can be reused to (1) analyze IGT performance of healthy participants; (2) create a "super control group"; or (3) facilitate model-comparison efforts

Review on Multi-Scale Models of Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation

Electrolyte reduction products form the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) on negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. Even though this process practically stabilizes the electrode-electrolyte interface, it results in continued capacity-fade limiting lifetime and safety of lithium-ion batteries. Recent atomistic and continuum theories give new insights into the growth of structures and the transport of ions in the SEI. The diffusion of neutral radicals has emerged as a prominent candidate for the long-term growth mechanism, because it predicts the observed potential dependence of SEI growth.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

The ZEUS Forward Plug Calorimeter with Lead-Scintillator Plates and WLS Fiber Readout

A Forward Plug Calorimeter (FPC) for the ZEUS detector at HERA has been built as a shashlik lead-scintillator calorimeter with wave length shifter fiber readout. Before installation it was tested and calibrated using the X5 test beam facility of the SPS accelerator at CERN. Electron, muon and pion beams in the momentum range of 10 to 100 GeV/c were used. Results of these measurements are presented as well as a calibration monitoring system based on a $^{60}$Co source.Comment: 38 pages (Latex); 26 figures (ps

Aggregation of chemotactic organisms in a differential flow

We study the effect of advection on the aggregation and pattern formation in chemotactic systems described by Keller-Segel type models. The evolution of small perturbations is studied analytically in the linear regime complemented by numerical simulations. We show that a uniform differential flow can significantly alter the spatial structure and dynamics of the chemotactic system. The flow leads to the formation of anisotropic aggregates that move following the direction of the flow, even when the chemotactic organisms are not directly advected by the flow. Sufficiently strong advection can stop the aggregation and coarsening process that is then restricted to the direction perpendicular to the flow

The effect of temperature on generic stable periodic structures in the parameter space of dissipative relativistic standard map

In this work, we have characterized changes in the dynamics of a two-dimensional relativistic standard map in the presence of dissipation and specially when it is submitted to thermal effects modeled by a Gaussian noise reservoir. By the addition of thermal noise in the dissipative relativistic standard map (DRSM) it is possible to suppress typical stable periodic structures (SPSs) embedded in the chaotic domains of parameter space for large enough temperature strengths. Smaller SPSs are first affected by thermal effects, starting from their borders, as a function of temperature. To estimate the necessary temperature strength capable to destroy those SPSs we use the largest Lyapunov exponent to obtain the critical temperature ($T_C$) diagrams. For critical temperatures the chaotic behavior takes place with the suppression of periodic motion, although, the temperature strengths considered in this work are not so large to convert the deterministic features of the underlying system into a stochastic ones.Comment: 8 pages and 7 figures, accepted to publication in EPJ

A carbonate-banded iron formation transition in the Early Protorezoicum of South Africa

Seven new and two resurveyed stratigraphic sections through the important carbonate-BIF transition in Griqualand West are presented and compared with six published sections. Lateral correlation within this zone is attempted but the variability was found to be too great for meaningful subdivision. Substantial lithological irregularity is the only unifying character of this zone, for which the new name Finsch Member (Formation) is proposed. Vertical and lateral lithological variations as well as chemical changes across this zone are discussed with reference to environmental aspects. Local and regional considerations lead to the conclusion that fresh water-sea water mixing occurred in a shallowing basin