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

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

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

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

Family and Gender Values in China

Previous research has reported on structural changes in Chinese families. However, questions remain as to whether/how social change has influenced family and gender values and how this differs across generations, regions, and gender in China. Drawing on 2006 data from the China General Social Survey, we find that values pertaining to filial piety are traditional, whereas patrilineal and gender values are less traditional. Historic events/policies provide the context for how social change can shape differential generational, geographic, and gender perspectives. Our hypothesis that generation, region, and gender associations will differ across the various ideational domains is confirmed. We find significant interaction effects in how generation and geography differ by gender in patrilineal, filial piety, and gender values; and higher education erodes patrilineal and traditional gender values but enhances filial piety. Such findings indicate that family values should be understood in the specific sociocultural contexts governing Chinese families across time and place.</jats:p

Neuronal background of positioning of the posterior tentacles in the snail Helix pomatia

The location of cerebral neurons innervating the three recently described flexor muscles involved in the orientation of the posterior tentacles as well as their innervation patterns were investigated, applying parallel retrograde Co- and Ni-lysine as well as anterograde neurobiotin tracings via the olfactory and the peritentacular nerves. The neurons are clustered in eight groups in the cerebral ganglion and they send a common innervation pathway via the olfactory nerve to the flexor and the tegumental muscles as well as the tentacular retractor muscle and distinct pathways via the internal and the external peritentacular nerves to these muscles except the retractor muscle. The three anchoring points of the three flexor muscles at the base of the tentacle outline the directions of three force vectors generated by the contraction of the muscles along which they can pull or move the protracted tentacle which enable the protracted tentacle to bend around a basal pivot. In the light of earlier physiological and the present anatomical findings we suggest that the common innervation pathway to the muscles is required to the tentacle withdrawal mechanism whereas the distinct pathways serve first of all the bending of the protracted posterior tentacles during foraging

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

The TRAPPIST survey of southern transiting planets. I. Thirty eclipses of the ultra-short period planet WASP-43 b

We present twenty-three transit light curves and seven occultation light curves for the ultra-short period planet WASP-43 b, in addition to eight new measurements of the radial velocity of the star. Thanks to this extensive data set, we improve significantly the parameters of the system. Notably, the largely improved precision on the stellar density (2.41+-0.08 rho_sun) combined with constraining the age to be younger than a Hubble time allows us to break the degeneracy of the stellar solution mentioned in the discovery paper. The resulting stellar mass and size are 0.717+-0.025 M_sun and 0.667+-0.011 R_sun. Our deduced physical parameters for the planet are 2.034+-0.052 M_jup and 1.036+-0.019 R_jup. Taking into account its level of irradiation, the high density of the planet favors an old age and a massive core. Our deduced orbital eccentricity, 0.0035(-0.0025,+0.0060), is consistent with a fully circularized orbit. We detect the emission of the planet at 2.09 microns at better than 11-sigma, the deduced occultation depth being 1560+-140 ppm. Our detection of the occultation at 1.19 microns is marginal (790+-320 ppm) and more observations are needed to confirm it. We place a 3-sigma upper limit of 850 ppm on the depth of the occultation at ~0.9 microns. Together, these results strongly favor a poor redistribution of the heat to the night-side of the planet, and marginally favor a model with no day-side temperature inversion.Comment: 14 pages, 6 tables, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&