224 research outputs found
Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) larvae in Fennoscandia with description of Cotesia autumnatae Shaw, sp. n.
The microgastrine subset of hymenopteran parasitoids of the geometrid Epirrita
autumnata is investigated in Fennoscandia. Ecology, including population dynamics,
of the moth has been intensively studied in northern and mountainous
Finland, Norway and Sweden. Recently supported hypotheses about the causes
of its cyclic population dynamics stress the role of parasitoids, while the
parasitoid complex with some 15 species is insufficiently known. The complex
includes four solitarymicrogastrine species, Protapanteles anchisiades (Nixon),
P. immunis (Wesmael), Cotesia salebrosa (Marshall) and C. autumnatae Shaw,
sp. n. Here, we provide detailed figures for the latter, which is morphologically
close to C. jucunda (Marshall), and describe the species as new to science. We
also providemore general habitus figures of the other three species, as well as an
identification key for the four species, aiming to aid recognition of these species
by ecologists dealingwithmicrogastrine parasitoids of E. autumnata and their alternative
geometrid hosts
Monitoring of radionuclides in the vicinities of Finnish nuclear power plants in 1997 and 1998
Monitoring of radionuclides in the vicinities of Finnish nuclear power plants in 1995 and 1996
HST Fine Guidance Sensor Astrometric Parallaxes for Three Dwarf Novae: SS Aurigae, SS Cygni, and U Geminorum
We report astrometric parallaxes for three well known dwarf novae obtained
using the Fine Guidance Sensors on the Hubble Space Telescope. We found a
parallax for SS Aurigae of Pi = 5.00 +/- 0.64 mas, for SS Cygni we found Pi =
6.02 +/- 0.46 mas, and for U Geminorum we obtained Pi = 10.37 +/- 0.50 mas.
These represent the first true trigonometric parallaxes of any dwarf novae. We
briefly compare these results with previous distance estimates. This program
demonstrates that with a very modest amount of HST observing time, the Fine
Guidance Sensors can deliver parallaxes of unrivaled precision.Comment: 15 pages, 2 Table
Optical Observations of the Binary Pulsar System PSR B1718-19: Implications for Tidal Circularization
We report on Keck and Hubble Space Telescope optical observations of the
eclipsing binary pulsar system PSR B1718-19, in the direction of the globular
cluster NGC 6342. These reveal a faint star (; Vega
system) within the pulsar's 0\farcs5 radius positional error circle. This may
be the companion. If it is a main-sequence star in the cluster, it has radius
\rcomp\simeq0.3 \rsun, temperature \teff\simeq3600 K, and mass
\mcomp\simeq0.3 \msun. In many formation models, however, the pulsar (spun up
by accretion or newly formed) and its companion are initially in an eccentric
orbit. If so, for tidal circularization to have produced the present-day highly
circular orbit, a large stellar radius is required, i.e., the star must be
bloated. Using constraints on the radius and temperature from the Roche and
Hayashi limits, we infer from our observations that \rcomp\simlt0.44 \rsun
and \teff\simgt3300 K. Even for the largest radii, the required efficiency of
tidal dissipation is larger than expected for some prescriptions.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, aas4pp2.sty. Accepted for publication in Ap
Enhanced threat of tick-borne infections within cities? Assessing public health risks due to ticks in urban green spaces in Helsinki, Finland
Most tick-related studies in Europe have been conducted in nonurban areas, but ticks and tick-borne pathogens also occur in urban green spaces. From a public health perspective, risks regarding tick-borne infections should be studied in these urban areas, where contacts between infected ticks and humans may be more frequent than elsewhere, due to high human activity. We examined the risk of encountering an infected tick in urban green spaces in Helsinki, Finland. We collected ticks at nine sites throughout Helsinki, recorded the prevalence of several pathogens and identified areas with a high potential for contacts between infected ticks and humans. Moreover, we explored the relationship between the density ofBorrelia burgdorferisensu lato-infected ticks and locally diagnosed cases of borreliosis and compared the potential for human-tick encounters in Helsinki to those in nonurban areas in south-western Finland. During 34.8 km of cloth dragging, 2,417Ixodes ricinuswere caught (402 adults, 1,399 nymphs and 616 larvae). From analysed nymphs, we found 11 distinct tick-borne pathogens, with 31.5% of nymphs carrying at least one pathogen. Tick activity was highest in August and September, leading to the density of nymphs infected withB. burgdorferis.l., and concurrently infection risk, to also be highest during this time. Nymph densities varied between the sampling sites, with obvious implications to spatial variation in infection risk. While ticks and tick-borne pathogens were found in both Helsinki and nonurban areas in south-western Finland, the estimates of human activity were generally higher in urban green spaces, leading to a higher potential for human-tick contacts therein. The presence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens and high local human activity in urban green spaces suggest that they form potential foci regarding the acquisition of tick-borne infections. Risk areas within cities should be identified and knowledge regarding urban ticks increased
New white dwarfs in the Hyades --Results from kinematic and photometric studies
On the basis of the PPMXL catalogue (R\"oser, Demleitner & Schilbach, 2010)
we searched for white dwarfs that are also member candidates of the Hyades in a
region up to 40 pc from the cluster centre. We use the proper motions from
PPMXL in the convergent point method to determine probable kinematic members.
We cross-match the kinematic candidates with catalogues containing white dwarfs
and, finally, check the kinematic with the photometric distances for
consistency. We find the 10 classical white dwarfs in the Hyades and determine
their individual kinematic distances. Additionally, we identified 17 new
probable (former) Hyades white dwarfs, i.e. white dwarfs co-moving with the
bulk space motion of the Hyades cluster. At present, none of them can be
excluded from membership on the basis of the measured radial velocities. For
another 10 objects, the kinematic and the photometric distances are discordant
which rates them as probable non-members. Among the probable members, five
white dwarfs are in binary systems, three are known, two are new. There is good
indication for an empirical magnitude-distance (from centre) relation, such
that the dimmer white dwarfs are farther away from the cluster centre than the
brighter ones. Our sample is getting incomplete close behind the centre of the
cluster. Follow-up observations are encouraged to independently confirm the
predicted radial velocities and the distances of the candidates.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Astronomy & Astrophysics (accepted
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