Yellow Supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): Putting Current Evolutionary Theory to the Test

The yellow supergiant content of nearby galaxies provides a critical test of massive star evolutionary theory. While these stars are the brightest in a galaxy, they are difficult to identify because a large number of foreground Milky Way stars have similar colors and magnitudes. We previously conducted a census of yellow supergiants within M31 and found that the evolutionary tracks predict a yellow supergiant duration an order of magnitude longer than we observed. Here we turn our attention to the SMC, where the metallicity is 10x lower than that of M31, which is important as metallicity strongly affects massive star evolution. The SMC's large radial velocity (~160 km/s) allows us to separate members from foreground stars. Observations of ~500 candidates yielded 176 near-certain SMC supergiants, 16 possible SMC supergiants, along with 306 foreground stars and provide good relative numbers of yellow supergiants down to 12Mo. Of the 176 near-certain SMC supergiants, the kinematics predicted by the Besancon model of the Milky Way suggest a foreground contamination of >4%. After placing the SMC supergiants on the H-R diagram and comparing our results to the Geneva evolutionary tracks, we find results similar to those of the M31 study: while the locations of the stars on the H-R diagram match the locations of evolutionary tracks well, the models over-predict the yellow supergiant lifetime by a factor of ten. Uncertainties about the mass-loss rates on the main-sequence thus cannot be the primary problem with the models.Comment: Accepted by the Ap

Stochastic population models hindcast population trajectory and breeding history of an endangered parrot

Understanding the population dynamics of endangered species is crucial to their conservation. Stochastic population models can be used to explore factors involved in population change, contributing to the understanding of a species’ population dynamics. Norfolk Island Green Parrots Cyanoramphus cookii have undergone significant population fluctuations in the last 50 years. Since 2013, most nestlings hatched in managed, predator-proofed nest sites have been individually marked. These nests have been considered the primary source of population growth. Yet, in 2021, most adult birds were unmarked, raising the question of whether unmarked parrots have been entering the population through undetected breeding in natural nests, and to what extent. We modelled Green Parrot population growth between 2013 and 2021 using stochastic population models in VORTEX to explore the potential dynamics involved in the observed population growth. Basic models involving breeding only in managed nests produced population estimates between 158 and 266, whereas more complex models that included breeding in unmanaged nests, and accounted for the large proportion of unmarked birds, produced population estimates between 360 and 1,041. We conclude that natural nests may have played a significant role in the population growth since 2013. If this is the case, broad-scale predator control may be largely responsible. Furthermore, our study shows how population models may be used to infer underlying demographic processes and inform conservation strategies, even in instances of data scarcity. Our method can be applied to other threatened species, and may prove particularly useful for small populations whose population dynamics remain unclear

Genetic diversity and inbreeding in an endangered island-dwelling parrot population following repeated population bottlenecks

Genetic diversity and population structure can have important implications for the management of threatened species. This is particularly true for small, isolated populations that have experienced significant declines or population bottlenecks. The Norfolk Island green parrot Cyanoramphus cookii is an endangered species at risk of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity due to its restricted range and the population bottlenecks experienced in recent decades. To assess the severity of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity in the population we analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for 157 unique genetic samples collected from nestlings and randomly captured adult birds between 2015 and 2022. We also assessed the population for genetic structure, calculated sex ratios, and looked for evidence of past population bottlenecks. Our analysis revealed that 17.83% of individuals sampled were highly inbred (F > 0.125), although expected heterozygosity (HE) did not significantly differ from observed heterozygosity (HO) and the average inbreeding coefficient was low. The estimated effective population size (Ne) was 43.8 and we found no evidence of genetic structure. Demographic simulations provided support for scenarios including multiple population bottlenecks, when compared to those with a single population bottleneck or no past bottlenecks. We discuss the implications of our findings for the future management of the species including any potential attempt to establish an insurance population via translocation. Our study highlights the importance of considering population genetics when determining appropriate management actions for threatened species and the need to assess non-model species on an individual basis

Distribution of Triatoma dimidiata sensu lato (Reduviidae: Triatominae) and risk factors associated with household invasion in Northern Belize, Central America

To date, Triatoma dimidiata sensu lato [Reduviidae: Triatominae (Latreille 1811)] remains the sole vector species associated with Chagas disease transmission reported from Belize. Human infection data are limited for Belize and the disease transmission dynamics have not been thoroughly investigated, yet the likelihood of autochthonous transmission is supported by the widespread collection of infected vectors from within local households. Here, we report updated infection rates of the vector population and infestation rates for villages in north and central Belize. Overall, 275 households were enrolled in an ongoing vector surveillance program. Of the 41 insects collected, 25 were PCR positive for T. cruzi, indicating an infection rate as high as 60%. To further characterize the epidemiological risk of human-vector contact, determinants of household invasion were modeled. Local households were surveyed and characterized with respect to over 25 key factors that may be associated with household infestation by T. dimidiata s.l. While final models were not strongly predictive with respect to the risk factors that were surveyed, likely due to the low number of collection observations, the presence of domestic/peri-domestic dogs, nearby light sources, and household structure materials could be the focus of continued risk assessments. In northern Belize, this vector survey lends support to T. dimidiata s.l. inhabiting sylvatic settings as opposed to the classical paradigm of domiciliated vector populations. This designation has strong implications for the local level of human exposure risk which can help guide vector surveillance and control resources

Multidecadal accumulation of anthropogenic and remineralized dissolved inorganic carbon along the Extended Ellett Line in the northeast Atlantic Ocean

Marine carbonate chemistry measurements have been carried out annually since 2009 during UK research cruises along the Extended Ellett Line (EEL), a hydrographic transect in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The EEL intersects several water masses that are key to the global thermohaline circulation, and therefore the cruises sample a region in which it is critical to monitor secular physical and biogeochemical changes. We have combined results from these EEL cruises with existing quality-controlled observational data syntheses to produce a hydrographic time series for the EEL from 1981 to 2013. This reveals multidecadal increases in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) throughout the water column, with a near-surface maximum rate of 1.80 ± 0.45 µmol kg−1 yr−1. Anthropogenic CO2 accumulation was assessed, using simultaneous changes in apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and total alkalinity (TA) as proxies for the biogeochemical processes that influence DIC. The stable carbon isotope composition of DIC (δ13CDIC) was also determined and used as an independent test of our method. We calculated a volume-integrated anthropogenic CO2 accumulation rate of 2.8 ± 0.4 mg C m−3 yr−1 along the EEL, which is about double the global mean. The anthropogenic CO2 component accounts for only 31 ± 6% of the total DIC increase. The remainder is derived from increased organic matter remineralization, which we attribute to the lateral redistribution of water masses that accompanies subpolar gyre contraction. Output from a general circulation ecosystem model demonstrates that spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the observations has not significantly biased our multidecadal rate of change calculations and indicates that the EEL observations have been tracking distal changes in the surrounding North Atlantic and Nordic Seas

Measurement of the branching fraction and CP content for the decay B(0) -> D(*+)D(*-)

This is the pre-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the links below. Copyright @ 2002 APS.We report a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B0→D*+D*- and of the CP-odd component of its final state using the BABAR detector. With data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.4  fb-1 collected at the Υ(4S) resonance during 1999–2000, we have reconstructed 38 candidate signal events in the mode B0→D*+D*- with an estimated background of 6.2±0.5 events. From these events, we determine the branching fraction to be B(B0→D*+D*-)=[8.3±1.6(stat)±1.2(syst)]×10-4. The measured CP-odd fraction of the final state is 0.22±0.18(stat)±0.03(syst).This work is supported by DOE and NSF (USA), NSERC (Canada), IHEP (China), CEA and CNRS-IN2P3 (France), BMBF (Germany), INFN (Italy), NFR (Norway), MIST (Russia), and PPARC (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the A.P. Sloan Foundation, Research Corporation, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Measurement of the B0-anti-B0-Oscillation Frequency with Inclusive Dilepton Events

The $B^0$-$\bar B^0$ oscillation frequency has been measured with a sample of 23 million \B\bar B pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we select events in which both B mesons decay semileptonically and use the charge of the leptons to identify the flavor of each B meson. A simultaneous fit to the decay time difference distributions for opposite- and same-sign dilepton events gives $\Delta m_d = 0.493 \pm 0.012{(stat)}\pm 0.009{(syst)}$ ps$^{-1}$.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physical Review Letter

A Study of Time-Dependent CP-Violating Asymmetries and Flavor Oscillations in Neutral B Decays at the Upsilon(4S)

We present a measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B meson decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The data sample consists of 29.7 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ recorded at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance and 3.9 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ off-resonance. One of the neutral B mesons, which are produced in pairs at the $\Upsilon(4S)$, is fully reconstructed in the CP decay modes $J/\psi K^0_S$, $\psi(2S) K^0_S$, $\chi_{c1} K^0_S$, $J/\psi K^{*0}$ ($K^{*0}\to K^0_S\pi^0$) and $J/\psi K^0_L$, or in flavor-eigenstate modes involving $D^{(*)}\pi/\rho/a_1$ and $J/\psi K^{*0}$ ($K^{*0}\to K^+\pi^-$). The flavor of the other neutral B meson is tagged at the time of its decay, mainly with the charge of identified leptons and kaons. The proper time elapsed between the decays is determined by measuring the distance between the decay vertices. A maximum-likelihood fit to this flavor eigenstate sample finds $\Delta m_d = 0.516\pm 0.016 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.010 {\rm (syst)} {\rm ps}^{-1}$. The value of the asymmetry amplitude $\sin2\beta$ is determined from a simultaneous maximum-likelihood fit to the time-difference distribution of the flavor-eigenstate sample and about 642 tagged $B^0$ decays in the CP-eigenstate modes. We find $\sin2\beta=0.59\pm 0.14 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.05 {\rm (syst)}$, demonstrating that CP violation exists in the neutral B meson system. (abridged)Comment: 58 pages, 35 figures, submitted to Physical Review