Additions to the Checklist of Wisconsin Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Including the Adventive \u3ci\u3eHarpalus Rubripes\u3c/i\u3e (Duftschmid) Among Seven New State Records

Sixteen species are added to the checklist of Wisconsin Geadephaga. Of these, seven species are reported here as new to Wisconsin. Nine taxa from the list are affected by new information resulting in the removal of six names. The Eurasian beetle Harpalus rubripes was discovered as early as 2009 on annually surveyed beaches along Lake Michigan in southeastern Wisconsin. This discovery greatly extends the species distribution westward from its presence in northeastern North America where it was first recorded in 1981

An Annotated Checklist of Wisconsin Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

A survey of Carabidae in the state of Wisconsin, U.S.A. yielded 87 species new to the state and incorporated 34 species previously reported from the state but that were not included in an earlier catalogue, bringing the total number of species to 489 in an annotated checklist. Collection data are provided in full for the 87 species new to Wisconsin but are limited to county occurrences for 187 rare species previously known in the state. Recent changes in nomenclature pertinent to the Wisconsin fauna are cited

An Annotated Checklist of Wisconsin Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

A survey of Carabidae in the state of Wisconsin, U.S.A. yielded 87 species new to the state and incorporated 34 species previously reported from the state but that were not included in an earlier catalogue, bringing the total number of species to 489 in an annotated checklist. Collection data are provided in full for the 87 species new to Wisconsin but are limited to county occurrences for 187 rare species previously known in the state. Recent changes in nomenclature pertinent to the Wisconsin fauna are cited

The Impact of Dismissal of Non-Tenured Teachers on Principals in Tennessee.

The purpose of this study was to examine the issues that principals face in making the decision or recommendation to bring about the involuntary separation of non-tenured teachers. I was concerned with identifying the emotions, feelings, conflicts, and misgivings that principals experience during this process. Related concerns were identified. They included the issues of principals using professionally ethical ways to encourage or coach teachers to resign prior to dismissal, dealing with lame duck teachers between notification and the end of the school year, and writing positive letters of recommendation for teachers they have decided not to renew. These questions were addressed through questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 18 principals from the state of Tennessee who had made recommendations to involuntarily separate non-tenured teachers from their school systems. Several themes emerged from the data and the following conclusions were reached: (1) teachers were not recommended for renewal primarily as a result of concerns about discipline, inappropriate behavior, and professionalism; (2) principals were generally able to frame their decisions in context with their vision for the school; (3) directors of school systems were generally supportive of principals making personnel decisions; (4) personnel decisions frequently involved political considerations; (5) these decisions caused stress, anxiety, and emotional concerns for the principals; (6) the state model for teacher evaluation was generally considered as being inconsequential while making personnel decisions; (7) few problems were encountered from lame duck teachers; (8) principals frequently encouraged teachers to resign prior to taking formal action to not renew them; (9) positive or benign letters of recommendation were frequently written for teachers who were not rehired; (10) a shortage of teachers has resulted in the hiring of non-renewed teachers by other school systems

Strong Purifying Selection at Synonymous Sites in D. melanogaster

Synonymous sites are generally assumed to be subject to weak selective constraint. For this reason, they are often neglected as a possible source of important functional variation. We use site frequency spectra from deep population sequencing data to show that, contrary to this expectation, 22% of four-fold synonymous (4D) sites in D. melanogaster evolve under very strong selective constraint while few, if any, appear to be under weak constraint. Linking polymorphism with divergence data, we further find that the fraction of synonymous sites exposed to strong purifying selection is higher for those positions that show slower evolution on the Drosophila phylogeny. The function underlying the inferred strong constraint appears to be separate from splicing enhancers, nucleosome positioning, and the translational optimization generating canonical codon bias. The fraction of synonymous sites under strong constraint within a gene correlates well with gene expression, particularly in the mid-late embryo, pupae, and adult developmental stages. Genes enriched in strongly constrained synonymous sites tend to be particularly functionally important and are often involved in key developmental pathways. Given that the observed widespread constraint acting on synonymous sites is likely not limited to Drosophila, the role of synonymous sites in genetic disease and adaptation should be reevaluated

Ascertaining the Core Collapse Supernova Mechanism: An Emerging Picture?

Here we present the results from two sets of simulations, in two and three spatial dimensions. In two dimensions, the simulations include multifrequency flux-limited diffusion neutrino transport in the "ray-by-ray-plus" approximation, two-dimensional self gravity in the Newtonian limit, and nuclear burning through a 14-isotope alpha network. The three-dimensional simulations are model simulations constructed to reflect the post stellar core bounce conditions during neutrino shock reheating at the onset of explosion. They are hydrodynamics-only models that focus on critical aspects of the shock stability and dynamics and their impact on the supernova mechanism and explosion. In two dimensions, we obtain explosions (although in one case weak) for two progenitors (11 and 15 Solar mass models). Moreover, in both cases the explosion is initiated when the inner edge of the oxygen layer accretes through the shock. Thus, the shock is not revived while in the iron core, as previously discussed in the literature. The three-dimensional studies of the development of the stationary accretion shock instability (SASI) demonstrate the fundamentally new dynamics allowed when simulations are performed in three spatial dimensions. The predominant l=1 SASI mode gives way to a stable m=1 mode, which in turn has significant ramifications for the distribution of angular momentum in the region between the shock and proto-neutron star and, ultimately, for the spin of the remnant neutron star. Moreover, the three-dimensional simulations make clear, given the increased number of degrees of freedom, that two-dimensional models are severely limited by artificially imposed symmetries.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure