Oscillators and relaxation phenomena in Pleistocene climate theory

Ice sheets appeared in the northern hemisphere around 3 million years ago and glacial-interglacial cycles have paced Earth's climate since then. Superimposed on these long glacial cycles comes an intricate pattern of millennial and sub-millennial variability, including Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events. There are numerous theories about theses oscillations. Here, we review a number of them in order to draw a parallel between climatic concepts and dynamical system concepts, including, in particular, the relaxation oscillator, excitability, slow-fast dynamics and homoclinic orbits. Namely, almost all theories of ice ages reviewed here feature a phenomenon of synchronisation between internal climate dynamics and the astronomical forcing. However, these theories differ in their bifurcation structure and this has an effect on the way the ice age phenomenon could grow 3 million years ago. All theories on rapid events reviewed here rely on the concept of a limit cycle in the ocean circulation, which may be excited by changes in the surface freshwater surface balance. The article also reviews basic effects of stochastic fluctuations on these models, including the phenomenon of phase dispersion, shortening of the limit cycle and stochastic resonance. It concludes with a more personal statement about the potential for inference with simple stochastic dynamical systems in palaeoclimate science. Keywords: palaeoclimates, dynamical systems, limit cycle, ice ages, Dansgaard-Oeschger eventsComment: Published in the Transactions of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Series A, Physical Mathematical and Engineering Sciences), as a contribution to the Proceedings of the workshop on Stochastic Methods in Climate Modelling, Newton Institute (23-27 August). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Series A, Physical Mathematical and Engineering Sciences), vol. 370, pp. xx-xx (2012); Source codes available on request to author and on http://www.uclouvain.be/ito

Thermal Phase Variations of WASP-12b: Defying Predictions

[Abridged] We report Warm Spitzer full-orbit phase observations of WASP-12b at 3.6 and 4.5 micron. We are able to measure the transit depths, eclipse depths, thermal and ellipsoidal phase variations at both wavelengths. The large amplitude phase variations, combined with the planet's previously-measured day-side spectral energy distribution, is indicative of non-zero Bond albedo and very poor day-night heat redistribution. The transit depths in the mid-infrared indicate that the atmospheric opacity is greater at 3.6 than at 4.5 micron, in disagreement with model predictions, irrespective of C/O ratio. The secondary eclipse depths are consistent with previous studies. We do not detect ellipsoidal variations at 3.6 micron, but our parameter uncertainties -estimated via prayer-bead Monte Carlo- keep this non-detection consistent with model predictions. At 4.5 micron, on the other hand, we detect ellipsoidal variations that are much stronger than predicted. If interpreted as a geometric effect due to the planet's elongated shape, these variations imply a 3:2 ratio for the planet's longest:shortest axes and a relatively bright day-night terminator. If we instead presume that the 4.5 micron ellipsoidal variations are due to uncorrected systematic noise and we fix the amplitude of the variations to zero, the best fit 4.5 micron transit depth becomes commensurate with the 3.6 micron depth, within the uncertainties. The relative transit depths are then consistent with a Solar composition and short scale height at the terminator. Assuming zero ellipsoidal variations also yields a much deeper 4.5 micron eclipse depth, consistent with a Solar composition and modest temperature inversion. We suggest future observations that could distinguish between these two scenarios.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, ApJ in press. Improved discussion of gravity brightenin

Disciplining the Sex Ratio:Exploring the Governmentality of Female Feticide in India

The ‘girl child’ has attracted a considerable amount of attention in India as an object of policy addressing gender discrimination. This article examines the field of campaigns seeking to address female foeticide and positions the public discourse on the ‘girl child’ and sex selective abortion in India within a broad cultural backdrop of son preference. The article argues that anti-female foeticide campaigns exist within a disciplinary domain of female foeticide which both generates a discourse of saving the ‘girl child’ and also shows attempts to utilise both incentives and punitive measures in carving out a female foeticide carceral space

Microabrasion in tooth enamel discoloration defects: three cases with long-term follow-ups

Superficial irregularities and certain intrinsic stains on the dental enamel surfaces can be resolved by enamel microabrasion, however, treatment for such defects need to be confined to the outermost regions of the enamel surface. Dental bleaching and resin-based composite repair are also often useful for certain situations for tooth color corrections. This article presented and discussed the indications and limitations of enamel microabrasion treatment. Three case reports treated by enamel microabrasion were also presented after 11, 20 and 23 years of follow-ups

z'-band Ground-Based Detection of the Secondary Eclipse of WASP-19b

We present the ground-based detection of the secondary eclipse of the transiting exoplanet WASP-19b. The observations were made in the Sloan z'-band using the ULTRACAM triple-beam CCD camera mounted on the NTT. The measurement shows a 0.088\pm0.019% eclipse depth, matching previous predictions based on H- and K-band measurements. We discuss in detail our approach to the removal of errors arising due to systematics in the data set, in addition to fitting a model transit to our data. This fit returns an eclipse centre, T0, of 2455578.7676 HJD, consistent with a circular orbit. Our measurement of the secondary eclipse depth is also compared to model atmospheres of WASP-19b, and is found to be consistent with previous measurements at longer wavelengths for the model atmospheres we investigated.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures. Published in the ApJ Supplement serie

Chromosome-level genome assembly for the Aldabra giant tortoise enables insights into the genetic health of a threatened population

The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is one of only two giant tortoise species left in the world. The species is endemic to Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles and is considered vulnerable due to its limited distribution and threats posed by climate change. Genomic resources for A. gigantea are lacking, hampering conservation efforts focused on both wild and ex-situ populations. A high-quality genome would also open avenues to investigate the genetic basis of the exceptionally long lifespan. Here, we produced the first chromosome-level de novo genome assembly of A. gigantea using PacBio High-Fidelity sequencing and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C). We produced a 2.37 Gbp assembly with a scaffold N50 of 148.6 Mbp and a resolution into 26 chromosomes. RNAseq-assisted gene model prediction identified 23,953 protein-coding genes and 1.1 Gbp of repetitive sequences. Synteny analyses among turtle genomes revealed high levels of chromosomal collinearity even among distantly related taxa. We also performed a low-coverage re-sequencing of 30 individuals from wild populations and two zoo individuals. Our genome-wide population structure analyses detected genetic population structure in the wild and identified the most likely origin of the zoo-housed individuals. The high-quality chromosome-level reference genome for A. gigantea is one of the most complete turtle genomes available. It is a powerful tool to assess the population structure in the wild population and reveal the geographic origins of ex-situ individuals relevant for genetic diversity management and rewilding efforts

On the Inference of Thermal Inversions in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres

Several studies in the recent past have inferred the existence of thermal inversions in some transiting hot Jupiter atmospheres. Given the limited data available, the inference of a thermal inversion depends critically on the chemical composition assumed for the atmosphere. In this study, we explore the degeneracies between thermal inversions and molecular abundances in four highly irradiated hot Jupiter atmospheres, day-side observations of which were previously reported to be consistent with thermal inversions based on Spitzer photometry. The four systems are: HD 209458b, HAT-P-7b, TrES-4, and TrES-2. For each system, we explore the model parameter space with ~ 10^6 models using a Markov chain Monte Carlo routine. Our results primarily suggest that a thorough exploration of the model parameter space is necessary to identify thermal inversions in hot Jupiter atmospheres. We find that existing observations of TrES-4 and TrES-2 can both be fit very precisely with models with and without thermal inversions, and with a wide range in chemical composition. On the other hand, observations of HD 209458b and HAT-P-7b are better fit with thermal inversions than without, as has been reported before. We do not see a correlation between irradiation levels and thermal inversions, given current data. Before JWST becomes available, near-IR observations from ground and with HST, along with existing Spitzer observations, can potentially resolve thermal inversions in some systems.Comment: 16 pages in emulate ApJ format, 6 figures, 3 tables (Accepted in ApJ

Stellar activity of planetary host star HD 189733

Extra-solar planet search programs require high-precision velocity measurements. They need to study how to disentangle radial-velocity variations due to Doppler motion from the noise induced by stellar activity. We monitored the active K2V star HD 189733 and its transiting planetary companion that has a 2.2-day orbital period. We used the high-resolution spectograph SOPHIE mounted on the 1.93-m telescope at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence to obtain 55 spectra of HD 189733 over nearly two months. We refined the HD 189733b orbit parameters and put limits on the eccentricity and on a long-term velocity gradient. After subtracting the orbital motion of the planet, we compared the variability of spectroscopic activity indices to the evolution of the radial-velocity residuals and the shape of spectral lines. The radial velocity, the spectral-line profile and the activity indices measured in HeI (5875.62 \AA), Halpha (6562.81 \AA) and the CaII H&K lines (3968.47 \AA and 3933.66 \AA, respectively) show a periodicity around the stellar rotation period and the correlations between them are consistent with a spotted stellar surface in rotation. We used such correlations to correct for the radial-velocity jitter due to stellar activity. This results in achieving high precision on the orbit parameters, with a semi-amplitude K = 200.56 \pm 0.88 m.s-1 and a derived planet mass of M_{P}=1.13 \pm 0.03 M$_{Jup}$.Comment: 9 pages, 2 tables, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A on 20/11/200

Dimensionality and dynamics in the behavior of C. elegans

A major challenge in analyzing animal behavior is to discover some underlying simplicity in complex motor actions. Here we show that the space of shapes adopted by the nematode C. elegans is surprisingly low dimensional, with just four dimensions accounting for 95% of the shape variance, and we partially reconstruct "equations of motion" for the dynamics in this space. These dynamics have multiple attractors, and we find that the worm visits these in a rapid and almost completely deterministic response to weak thermal stimuli. Stimulus-dependent correlations among the different modes suggest that one can generate more reliable behaviors by synchronizing stimuli to the state of the worm in shape space. We confirm this prediction, effectively "steering" the worm in real time.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, minor correction

Effects of the 1997-1999 El Niño and La Niña

Abstract Zooplankton abundance and euphausiid community composition were sampled seasonally (spring, summer, fall) within Monterey Bay, California, between 1997 and 1999. Measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), mixed layer depth, and upwelling indices provided concurrent data on physical oceanographic parameters. Both total zooplankton and krill abundance dramatically declined in the summer of 1997 coincident with a rapid increase in SST and mixed layer depth. Changes in euphausiid community composition occurred in concert with the decline in overall abundance. The relative abundance of the southern neritic Nyctiphanes simplex increased from August to November in 1997, the abundance of cold temperate Euphausia pacifica decreased significantly, and that of the northern neritic Thysanoessa spinifera declined dramatically. The sudden appearance of an adult cohort of N. simplex in July 1997 suggests that rapid poleward flow characteristic of coastally trapped Kelvin waves occurred between June and July of 1997. The persistent presence of warm temperate and subtropical taxa in samples collected between August 1997 and October 1998 indicates that this poleward flow continued in 1998. Zooplankton abundance, euphausiid community composition, and physical oceanographic parameters gradually returned to a more typical upwelling-dominated state in the spring and summer of 1998. E. pacifica and T. spinifera abundances gradually increased during the summer and fall of 1998, while N. simplex abundance abruptly declined in the spring of 1998. However, this recovery was confined to a narrow coastal band as a result of the onshore movement of the oceanic waters of the California Current. This was reflected by higher than normal numbers of the oceanic Nematoscelis difficilis within samples collected during the spring and summer of 1998. By the spring and summer of 1999, both zooplankton and euphausiid abundance had increased to the highest levels recorded during the 3-year study. Both E. pacifica and T. spinifera abundance increased relative to 1998 while N. simplex was completely absent in all samples. These changes reflected the cooler, highly productive environmental conditions associated with th