The mid-infrared spectrum of the transiting exoplanet HD 209458b

We report the spectroscopic detection of mid-infrared emission from the transiting exoplanet HD 209458b. Using archive data taken with the Spitzer/IRS instrument, we have determined the spectrum of HD 209458b between 7.46 and 15.25 microns. We have used two independent methods to determine the planet spectrum, one differential in wavelength and one absolute, and find the results are in good agreement. Over much of this spectral range, the planet spectrum is consistent with featureless thermal emission. Between 7.5 and 8.5 microns, we find evidence for an unidentified spectral feature. If this spectral modulation is due to absorption, it implies that the dayside vertical temperature profile of the planetary atmosphere is not entirely isothermal. Using the IRS data, we have determined the broad-band eclipse depth to be 0.00315 +/- 0.000315, implying significant redistribution of heat from the dayside to the nightside. This work required development of improved methods for Spitzer/IRS data calibration that increase the achievable absolute calibration precision and dynamic range for observations of bright point sources.Comment: 35 pages, 12 figures, revised version accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Social Exchange and the Maintenance of Order in Status-Stratified Systems

This paper examines the role of social exchange in the construction of microorder within status-differentiated relations. How order is constructed and maintained in the context of social inequality is a classic sociological problem. We use a serendipitous finding from a recent experiment as a stimulus for theorizing an important feature of this larger problem of order. The finding is that, in an experiment where African-American females negotiated with white males, the white males received much larger payoffs than the African-American females. Yet, despite substantial power and profit differentiation advantaging white males, both individuals reported positive feelings (pleasure/satisfaction and interest/excitement) to the same degree, which contradicts most research on emotional responses to power. We argue that these similar emotional responses, in the context of substantial payoff inequalities, are due to parallel, joint effects of (a) status processes that create and legitimate initial profit differences and (b) exchange processes that make salient a relationship between the actors during repeated exchange. This explanation integrates notions of status value, referential structure, and legitimacy from status theories with notions of relational cohesion and shared responsibility from exchange theories. Broadly, the paper proposes some ways to productively interweave ideas from status and exchange theories to explain the emergence or maintenance of enduring social inequalities

The Theory of Relational Cohesion: Review of a Research Program

In this paper we analyze and review the theory of relational cohesion and attendant program of research. Since the early 1990s, the theory has evolved to answer a number of basic questions regarding cohesion and commitment in social exchange relations. Drawing from the sociology of emotion and modem theories of social identity, the theory asserts that joint activity in the form of frequent exchange unleashes positive emotions and perceptions of relational cohesion. In turn, relational cohesion is predicted to be the primary cause of commitment behavior in a range of situations. Here we outline the theory of relational cohesion, tracing its development through the present day, and summarize the corpus of empirical evidence for the theory’s claims. We conclude by looking ahead to future projects and discussing some of the more general issues informed by our work

Occurrence of the parasitic dinoflagellate Oodinium cyprinodontum Lawler, 1967 in North Carolina.

The parasitic dinoflagellate Oodinium cyprinodontum Lawler, 1967 is reported for the first time from Cyprinodontidae from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Incidence and intensity of infestation data are given. Fundulus majalis (Walbaum) appears to be the primary host

Personality Types and Self-Reported Eating Habits

People with different personality types lead very different lifestyles; these personality types also affect the eating habits of an individual. Poor eating habits can lead to a myriad of health problems, including obesity and diabetes, while healthy eating habits can promote longevity. An associated problem is inaccurate reporting of eating habits by research participants and medical patients. While many studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between eating disorders and personality types, very few, if any, have examined the effects of personality types on actual eating habits as well as perceived eating habits. The proposed study will test for associations between personality traits and eating habits and inaccuracy in self-reported eating habits. Using the five factor personality model, participants will be given a questionnaire to assess the personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Participants will then be given two more questionnaires to determine their actual eating habits and their perceived eating habits. The actual eating habits will be determined using the Self Reported Habit Index, a rigorous eating habit assessment that that can accurately determine the habits of an individual. Participants’ perceived eating habits will be assessed using a questionnaire designed specifically for this study that will assess their general view of the healthiness of their own eating habits. Participants will be gathered via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Through analysis of this data, conclusions will be drawn about the susceptibility of various personality traits to detrimental eating habits. Additionally, the discord between perceived and actual eating habits will be determined to provide insight into the attitudes of individuals regarding their own eating habits. This information will equip medical professionals and dieticians with knowledge about how to best accommodate patients with poor eating habits and provide them with top-notch treatment

Studies on Amyloodinium ocellatum (Dinoflagellata) in Mississippi Sound: Natural and Experimental Hosts

Four species of parasitic dinoflagellates have been found to occur naturally on the gills and fins of Mississippi Sound fishes: Amyloodinium ocellatum (Brown 1931) Brown and Hovasse 1946, Oodinium cyprinodontum Lawler 1967, and two undescribed species. Sixteen of 43 species of fishes examined had natural gill infections of A. ocellatum. Seventy-one of 79 species of fishes exposed to A. ocellatum dinospores were susceptible, and succumbed, to the dinoflagellate. Eight did not die even though exposed to numerous dinospores. The most common signs in an infested fish were spasmodic gasping and uncoordinated movements. Trophonts of A. ocellatum were found on the gills, skin, fins, eyes, pseudobranchs, membranes of the branchial cavity and around the teeth; and in the lateral line pits, nasal passages, esophagus, and intestine of experimentally infected fishes. The dinoflagellate causes extensive mortalities of fishes held under closed-system mariculture conditions

Sauromalus hispidus

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science