Low genetic diversity in Polish populations of sibling ant species: Lasius niger (L.) and Lasius platythorax Seifert (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

We present preliminary data on mitochondrial DNA diversity within and among populations of the ants Lasius niger and Lasius platythorax in Poland. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial DNA markers: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) confirms the species status of L. niger and L. platythorax. Intraspecific variability is low in both species, which might be a result of severe bottlenecks and rapid postglacial expansion into Central Europe

Galaxies Probing Galaxies at High Resolution: Co-Rotating Gas Associated with a Milky Way Analog at z=0.4

We present results on gas flows in the halo of a Milky Way-like galaxy at z=0.413 based on high-resolution spectroscopy of a background galaxy. This is the first study of circumgalactic gas at high spectral resolution towards an extended background source (i.e., a galaxy rather than a quasar). Using longslit spectroscopy of the foreground galaxy, we observe spatially extended H alpha emission with circular rotation velocity v=270 km/s. Using echelle spectroscopy of the background galaxy, we detect Mg II and Fe II absorption lines at impact parameter rho=27 kpc that are blueshifted from systemic in the sense of the foreground galaxy's rotation. The strongest absorber EW(2796) = 0.90 A has an estimated column density (N_H>10^19 cm-2) and line-of-sight velocity dispersion (sigma=17 km/s) that are consistent with the observed properties of extended H I disks in the local universe. Our analysis of the rotation curve also suggests that this r=30 kpc gaseous disk is warped with respect to the stellar disk. In addition, we detect two weak Mg II absorbers in the halo with small velocity dispersions (sigma<10 km/s). While the exact geometry is unclear, one component is consistent with an extraplanar gas cloud near the disk-halo interface that is co-rotating with the disk, and the other is consistent with a tidal feature similar to the Magellanic Stream. We can place lower limits on the cloud sizes (l>0.4 kpc) for these absorbers given the extended nature of the background source. We discuss the implications of these results for models of the geometry and kinematics of gas in the circumgalactic medium.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, submitted to ApJ, comments welcom

Kick stability in groups and dynamical systems

We consider a general construction of ``kicked systems''. Let G be a group of measure preserving transformations of a probability space. Given its one-parameter/cyclic subgroup (the flow), and any sequence of elements (the kicks) we define the kicked dynamics on the space by alternately flowing with given period, then applying a kick. Our main finding is the following stability phenomenon: the kicked system often inherits recurrence properties of the original flow. We present three main examples. 1) G is the torus. We show that for generic linear flows, and any sequence of kicks, the trajectories of the kicked system are uniformly distributed for almost all periods. 2) G is a discrete subgroup of PSL(2,R) acting on the unit tangent bundle of a Riemann surface. The flow is generated by a single element of G, and we take any bounded sequence of elements of G as our kicks. We prove that the kicked system is mixing for all sufficiently large periods if and only if the generator is of infinite order and is not conjugate to its inverse in G. 3) G is the group of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of a closed symplectic manifold. We assume that the flow is rapidly growing in the sense of Hofer's norm, and the kicks are bounded. We prove that for a positive proportion of the periods the kicked system inherits a kind of energy conservation law and is thus superrecurrent. We use tools of geometric group theory and symplectic topology.Comment: Latex, 40 pages, revised versio

The Cleft Care UK study. Part 4:perceptual speech outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To describe the perceptual speech outcomes from the Cleft Care UK (CCUK) study and compare them to the 1998 Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) audit. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: A cross-sectional study of 248 children born with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate, between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2007 who underwent speech assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Centre-based specialist speech and language therapists (SLT) took speech audio–video recordings according to nationally agreed guidelines. Two independent listeners undertook the perceptual analysis using the CAPS-A Audit tool. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were tested. RESULTS: For each speech parameter of intelligibility/distinctiveness, hypernasality, palatal/palatalization, backed to velar/uvular, glottal, weak and nasalized consonants, and nasal realizations, there was strong evidence that speech outcomes were better in the CCUK children compared to CSAG children. The parameters which did not show improvement were nasal emission, nasal turbulence, hyponasality and lateral/lateralization. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that centralization of cleft care into high volume centres has resulted in improvements in UK speech outcomes in five-year-olds with unilateral cleft lip and palate. This may be associated with the development of a specialized workforce. Nevertheless, there still remains a group of children with significant difficulties at school entry

Impact of Six Genetic Modifications of Corn on Feed Cost and the Consumption of Traditional Feed Ingredients

There is excitement about the potential profit and economic development opportunities from genetic modifications of grain. This excitement is manifested in huge industry consolidations through buyouts, joint ventures, and mergers of chemical, seed and agribusiness companies. State and federal government agencies and private organizations have developed programs to encourage and facilitate the production, handling, processing, and marketing of genetically modified grains. Huge investments are being allocated to research and development of new commodities and specialty grains. A large share of these research and development funds are being invested in modifying com because of the large amount of com produced in the United States and its diversity of uses. About 80 percent of the U.S. corn crop is used in animal feeds domestically and abroad; therefore, genetic modifications of com for animal feed are believed to have major profit and development potential

The Excitation of Extended Red Emission: New Constraints on its Carrier From HST Observations of NGC 7023

The carrier of the dust-associated photoluminescence process causing the extended red emission (ERE) in many dusty interstellar environments remains unidentified. Several competing models are more or less able to match the observed broad, unstructured ERE band. We now constrain the character of the ERE carrier further by determining the wavelengths of the radiation that initiates the ERE. Using the imaging capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope, we have resolved the width of narrow ERE filaments appearing on the surfaces of externally illuminated molecular clouds in the bright reflection nebula NGC 7023 and compared them with the depth of penetration of radiation of known wavelengths into the same cloud surfaces. We identify photons with wavelengths shortward of 118 nm as the source of ERE initiation, not to be confused with ERE excitation, however. There are strong indications from the well-studied ERE in the Red Rectangle nebula and in the high-|b| Galactic cirrus that the photon flux with wavelengths shortward of 118 nm is too small to actually excite the observed ERE, even with 100% quantum efficiency. We conclude, therefore, that ERE excitation results from a two-step process. While none of the previously proposed ERE models can match these new constraints, we note that under interstellar conditions most polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules are ionized to the di-cation stage by photons with E > 10.5 eV and that the electronic energy level structure of PAH di-cations is consistent with fluorescence in the wavelength band of the ERE. Therefore, PAH di-cations deserve further study as potential carriers of the ERE. (abridged)Comment: Accepted for Publication in the Ap