First North American species of the European genus Archaemegaptilus from the Upper Carboniferous Pottsville Formation of northern Alabama (Palaeodictyoptera: Archaemegaptilidae)

A new palaeodictyopteran (Palaeodictyopterida: Palaeodictyoptera) taxon is described based on a nearly complete hind wing found in the Pottsville Formation (Upper Carboniferous) of Bibb County, Alabama.  Archaemegaptilus blakelyi Beckemeyer & Engel, new species, is the sixth insect genus and species described from the Pottsville of Alabama and the second palaeodictyopteran from those deposits.  It is the third valid species assigned to the family Archaemegaptilidae.  Previously known species are A. kiefferi Meunier, from the Commentry of France and A. schloesseri Brauckmann et al., from the Hagen-Vorhalle of Germany

Upper Carboniferous Insects from the Pottsville Formation of Northern Alabama (Insecta: Ephemeropterida, Palaeodictyopterida, Odonatoptera)

New Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian, Westphalian A) insects are described from localities in the Pottsville Formation of northern Alabama (including the Union Chapel Mine). Five species are recorded in five palaeopterous orders and comprising five genera (four new to Science). New taxa proposed are: Anniedarwinia alabamensis new genus and species (Ephemeropterida: Syntonopterodea: Syntonopteridae); Pharciphyzelus lacefieldi new genus and species (Palaeodictyopterida: Palaeodictyoptera: Homoiopteridae), Camptodiapha atkinsoni new genus and species (Palaeodictyopterida: Diaphanopterodea: Namurodiaphidae); Agaeoleptoptera uniotempla new genus and species (Palaeodictyopterida: Megasecoptera: Ancopteridae); and Oligotypus tuscaloosae new species (Odonatoptera: Protodonata: Paralogidae). Each taxon is described, figured, and compared with close relatives in Carboniferous and Permian deposits. Camptodiapha new genus extends the geographical range of the family Namurodiaphidae into the Carboniferous of North America. The diagnosis of the family Ancopteridae is expanded to accommodate Agaeoleptoptera new genus rather than propose another monogeneric family. The distribution of Ancopteridae is extended geographically into North America and temporally into the Upper Carboniferous. A key to the genera of ancopterids is provided

Statistical analysis of simple repeats in the human genome

The human genome contains repetitive DNA at different level of sequence length, number and dispersion. Highly repetitive DNA is particularly rich in homo-- and di--nucleotide repeats, while middle repetitive DNA is rich of families of interspersed, mobile elements hundreds of base pairs (bp) long, among which the Alu families. A link between homo- and di-polymeric tracts and mobile elements has been recently highlighted. In particular, the mobility of Alu repeats, which form 10% of the human genome, has been correlated with the length of poly(A) tracts located at one end of the Alu. These tracts have a rigid and non-bendable structure and have an inhibitory effect on nucleosomes, which normally compact the DNA. We performed a statistical analysis of the genome-wide distribution of lengths and inter--tract separations of poly(X) and poly(XY) tracts in the human genome. Our study shows that in humans the length distributions of these sequences reflect the dynamics of their expansion and DNA replication. By means of general tools from linguistics, we show that the latter play the role of highly-significant content-bearing terms in the DNA text. Furthermore, we find that such tracts are positioned in a non-random fashion, with an apparent periodicity of 150 bases. This allows us to extend the link between repetitive, highly mobile elements such as Alus and low-complexity words in human DNA. More precisely, we show that Alus are sources of poly(X) tracts, which in turn affect in a subtle way the combination and diversification of gene expression and the fixation of multigene families

Pomeron physics: an update

Key issues in pomeron physics include whether the hard and soft pomerons are distinct objects, and whether the hard pomeron is already present in amplitudes at $Q^2=0$. It is urgent to learn how to combine perturbative and nonperturbative concepts, and to construct a sound theory of perturbative evolution at small $x$. Other questions are whether screening corrections are small, and gap survival probabilities large. Finally, do diffractive processes present a good way to discover the Higgs?Comment: 12 pages, 23 figures embedded with epsf Summary talk at Diffraction2000, Calabria, September 200

Development and Validation of the Learning Disabilities Needs Assessment Tool (LDNAT), a HoNOS-based needs assessment tool for use with people with intellectual disability

Background: In meeting the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) who access health services, a brief, holistic assessment of need is useful. This study outlines the development and testing of the Learning Disabilities Needs Assessment Tool (LDNAT), a tool intended for this purpose. Method: An existing mental health (MH) tool was extended by a multidisciplinary group of ID practitioners. Additional scales were drafted to capture needs across six ID treatment domains that the group identified. LDNAT ratings were analysed for the following: item redundancy, relevance, construct validity and internal consistency (n =1692); test–retest reliability (n = 27); and concurrent validity (n =160). Results: All LDNAT scales were deemed clinically relevant with little redundancy apparent. Principal component analysis indicated three components (developmental needs, challenging behaviour, MH and well-being). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach alpha 0.80). Individual item test–retest reliability was substantial-near perfect for 20 scales and slight-fair for three scales. Overall reliability was near perfect (intra-class correlation =0.91). There were significant associations with five of six conditionspecific measures, i.e. the Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale (general ability/disability), Threshold Assessment Grid (risk), Behaviour Problems Inventory for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities-Short Form (challenging behaviour) Social Communication Questionnaire (autism) and a bespoke physical health questionnaire. Additionally, the statistically significant correlations between these tools and the LDNAT components made sense clinically. There were no statistically significant correlations with the Psychiatric Assessment Schedules for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (a measure of MH symptoms in people with ID). Conclusions: The LDNAT had clinically utility when rating the needs of people with ID prior to condition-specific assessment(s). Analyses of internal and external validity were promising. Further evaluation of its sensitivity to changes in needs is now required

The Habitable Zone Planet Finder: A Proposed High Resolution NIR Spectrograph for the Hobby Eberly Telescope to Discover Low Mass Exoplanets around M Dwarfs

The Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HZPF) is a proposed instrument for the 10m class Hobby Eberly telescope that will be capable of discovering low mass planets around M dwarfs. HZPF will be fiber-fed, provide a spectral resolution R~ 50,000 and cover the wavelength range 0.9-1.65{\mu}m, the Y, J and H NIR bands where most of the flux is emitted by mid-late type M stars, and where most of the radial velocity information is concentrated. Enclosed in a chilled vacuum vessel with active temperature control, fiber scrambling and mechanical agitation, HZPF is designed to achieve a radial velocity precision < 3m/s, with a desire to obtain <1m/s for the brightest targets. This instrument will enable a study of the properties of low mass planets around M dwarfs; discover planets in the habitable zones around these stars, as well serve as an essential radial velocity confirmation tool for astrometric and transit detections around late M dwarfs. Radial velocity observation in the near-infrared (NIR) will also enable a search for close in planets around young active stars, complementing the search space enabled by upcoming high-contrast imaging instruments like GPI, SPHERE and PALM3K. Tests with a prototype Pathfinder instrument have already demonstrated the ability to recover radial velocities at 7-10 m/s precision from integrated sunlight and ~15-20 m/s precision on stellar observations at the HET. These tests have also demonstrated the ability to work in the NIR Y and J bands with an un-cooled instrument. We will also discuss lessons learned about calibration and performance from our tests and how they impact the overall design of the HZPF.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Proc. SPIE 2010 Vol. 773

Coordinated community structure among trees, fungi and invertebrate groups in Amazonian rainforests

Little is known regarding how trophic interactions shape community assembly in tropical forests. Here we assess multi-taxonomic community assembly rules using a rare standardized coordinated inventory comprising exhaustive surveys of five highly-diverse taxonomic groups exerting key ecological functions: trees, fungi, earthworms, ants and spiders. We sampled 36 1.9-ha plots from four remote locations in French Guiana including precise soil measurements, and we tested whether species turnover was coordinated among groups across geographic and edaphic gradients. All species group pairs exhibited significant compositional associations that were independent from soil conditions. For some of the pairs, associations were also partly explained by soil properties, especially soil phosphorus availability. Our study provides evidence for coordinated turnover among taxonomic groups beyond simple relationships with environmental factors, thereby refining our understanding regarding the nature of interactions occurring among these ecologically important groups

Synchronous beta rhythms of frontoparietal networks support only behaviorally relevant representations

Categorization has been associated with distributed networks of the primate brain, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Although category-selective spiking in PFC and PPC has been established, the frequency-dependent dynamic interactions of frontoparietal networks are largely unexplored. We trained monkeys to perform a delayed-match-to-spatial-category task while recording spikes and local field potentials from the PFC and PPC with multiple electrodes. We found category-selective beta- and delta-band synchrony between and within the areas. However, in addition to the categories, delta synchrony and spiking activity also reflected irrelevant stimulus dimensions. By contrast, beta synchrony only conveyed information about the task-relevant categories. Further, category-selective PFC neurons were synchronized with PPC beta oscillations, while neurons that carried irrelevant information were not. These results suggest that long-range beta-band synchrony could act as a filter that only supports neural representations of the variables relevant to the task at hand.National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (4R01MH065252)Prop. 63 the Mental Health Services ActUniversity of California, Davis. Behavioral Health Center of Excellenc