bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comments on some of Britain’s oldest microfossils
Authors: Peat C. J.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. A critical re-appraisal of some reports of British Precambrian microfossils illustrates potential pitfalls in describing Precambrian microbiotas. The Ceinwen and Llanddwyn Spilitic Formation of the Gwna Group contains convincing filamentous microfossils, but a report of acanthomorph arcitarchs has not yet been confirmed. Although the Diabaig Formation of the Torridon Group is known to be abundantly fossiliferous, a report based on S.E.M. without thin section control is rejected. Chert pebbles from the Applecross Formation of the Torridon Group do not contain convincing microfossils. They are contaminated by fungi and contain abiogenic structures which resemble cells and tissues. Reports of diagnostic Middle Riphean microfossils from the Blackbrook Formation and the Maplewell Group of the Charnian and the Buxton Rock of the Longmyndian await confirmation.
Elenia, a new genus of acritarchs from the Cambrian-Ordovician deposits of the Russian platform
Authors: Volkova N. A.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. This work describes a new monotypic genus of acritarchs, Elenia, found in the Upper Cambrian and Tremadocian in the northwestern part of the Russian platform.
Stratigraphic and Structural Setting
Authors: El-Arnauti A. , Shelmani M.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. INTRODUCTIONThe material which forms the basis of this project was obtained from a number of wells in the study area in Cyrenaica, the northeastern part of Libya. The study area, which is located between latitudes 25° and 33°N and between longitudes 20° and 25° E, covers some 365,750 square kilometres (see Fig. 1). The area extends from the Egyptian border in the east to the eastern flank of the Sirte Basin in the west and is part of the stable Saharan Shield.Since Precambrian time several phases of epeirogenic movements have produced troughs, horst blocks or platforms which have in turn influenced the subsequent sedimentological history of the area. In the southern and southeastern part of the study area, the basement is unconformably overlain by a thick, partially marine Palaeozoic sequence which is in turn unconformably overlain by sediments of Jurassic or younger age. The basement in the central and southwestern parts of the area is unconformably overlain by non-marine clastics of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous age or by marine sediments of Late Cretaceous and Tertiary age. In the eastern and northeastern section the basement is overlain by a wedge of eastward thickening marine Palaeozoic rocks which are in turn unconformably overlain by marine sediments of Late Cretaceous and Tertiary age. In the most northerly part of the northeastern region of the study area, a thick paralic sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Early Cretaceous deposits is unconformably overlain by Late Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments.PALAEOZOICRocks of Cambro-Ordovician . . .
Early Carboniferous (Early Viséan – Serpukhovian) Palynomorphs
Authors: Clayton G. , Loboziak S.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Well preserved assemblages of Early Carboniferous miospores have been recovered from a number of wells including A1–NC92, A1–37, A1 A–84, B1–2, G1–82, B1–14 and J1–81A. In some cases the palynomorph assemblages are quantitatively sparse and frequently show evidence of reworking of Late Devonian forms. A series of readily indentifiable palynological events have been established from examination of Wells J1–81A, A1–NC92, A1–14, A1–37 and A1 A–84. The oldest miospore assemblage has been recognised in Well A1–37 in the interval 7914 to 8185 ft. and in the lowest part of Well A1–NC92 above 9623 ft. and is characterised by abundant Spelaeotriletes balteatus occurring together with S. owensi, Radiizonates genuinus and Vallatisporites agadesi. The assemblage is supplemented in the lower part of the interval by Spelaeotriletes pretiosus and Vallatisporites vallatus. This association is considered to be no older than Early Viséan. Assemblages containing Spelaeotriletes pretiosus and Vallatisporites vallatus from the Rhadames Basin in western Libya (Massa et al., 1980) were considered to be Tournaisian age but the abundance of Spelaeotriletes balteatus in the present samples strongly suggests an earliest Viséan age to be more probable. Tournaisian sediments probably occur in some of the wells but the poor state of preservation together with problems of reworking do not at the present time permit them to be positively identified palynologically.The second association which is recognised in Well A1–NC 92 in the interval 8900 to 9623 ft., in Well J1–81A . . .
The ontogeny of, and relationships between, Middle Miocene and Quaternary Orbulina (Foraminifera)
Authors: Desai Damini , Banner F. T.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The early, coiled stages of Orbulina suturalis and O.universa are described from both Middle Miocene (zones N9–N12) and Quaternary samples. The coiling mode of Orbulina is unique to that genus, and has remained unchanged (as have the spines characteristic of the coiled growth stage) since that genus and its species first evolved. Orbulina universa is monophyletic and its evolutionary history appears to provide an example of “punctuated equilibria” in the development of Cainozoic Globigerinacean development. “O. suturalis “, on the other hand, appears to be a name which has been applied both to the Middle Miocene species and to phylogenetically different forms of Quaternary age.
Carboniferous and Triassic conodonts from Syrian boreholes
Authors: Husri Samira , Austin Ronald L.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. A sparse but important collection of conodonts recovered from four boreholes in north-eastern and central Syria contains Neogondolella mombergensis, which is the first record of Triassic conodonts from Syria. The Carboniferous rocks are characterised by species of Gnathodus which indicate the presence of late Tournaisian to late Viséan strata.
Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Woo Dale Borehole, Derbyshire and the age of the Dinantian-Basement unconformity
Authors: Strank A. R. E.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Detailed micropalaeontological analysis of the Woo Dale Borehole shows that Dinantian strata of Holkerian and Arundian age lie unconformably on top of the pre-Carboniferous basement beds. The Chadian and Tournaisian are missing. The chronostratigraphy here recognised is compared with that proposed by Cope (1973) and the differences in the two interpretations explained in the light of recent palaeontological and Midlands regional research.
Unusually large Late Campanian – Early Maastrichtian foraminifera from the Southern North Sea Basin
Authors: Ball Kim C.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. A low diversity fauna of unusually large (individuals of two to three times the normal size) agglutinated and calcareous benthic foraminifera is recorded from the Late Campanian – Early Maastrichtian Chalk sequences of two boreholes (Shell 49/19.1 and Shell 49/20.2) in the Southern North Sea Basin. Associated planktonic species are extremely rare. This distinctive assemblage provides a useful local stratigraphical marker.
Two unusual new species of the ostracod genus Cytheropteron from the Late Cainozoic of the deep sea
Authors: Whatley Robin , Ayress Michael , Downing Sian
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Two new deep sea species of the genus Cytheropteron (C. branchium and C. pherozigzag spp. nov) are described. Both species occur in abyssal and bathyal Pliocene to Quaternary environments in the S. W. Pacific; the latter species has also been recovered from abyssal palaeodepths in the N.E. Atlantic and E. Indian Ocean in the Late Quaternary. Both species are unusual in possessing shallow yet prominent slit-like structures below and posteroventral to the alar process. Such structures are unknown in other species of the genus; their possible function is discussed.
Danian dinoflagellate zonation, the C-T boundary and the stratigraphical position of the fish clay in southern Scandinavia
Authors: Hultberg Stefan U.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Two Swedish borehole cores covering the Danian, and three Danish outcrop sections covering the Lower Danian, were analysed for dinoflagellates.This study suggests that the Swedish sections, in contrast to previous investigations, are the most complete sections across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Danish Embayment. As a consequence, the previously established biozonation can be modified to include one more basal Danian zonule.A detailed study of the dinoflagellates of the Fish Clay in Denmark suggests that this layer was formed in a low salinity environment in eastern Denmark and in a stable marine environment in western Denmark. In addition, the Fish Clay is shown to be biostratigraphically older in eastern Denmark than in western Denmark.
Archaeopyle variability in Early Cretaceous dinocysts of the partiform gonyaulacoid genus Druggidium Habib
Authors: Harding Ian C.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.) observation techniques have enabled paratabulation formulae to be elucidated (in both Kofoidian and Taylor-Evitt notation) for the partiform gonyaulacoid dinocyst genus Druggidium Habib. Archaeopyle variability within the species of this genus is highlighted, further emphasising the uncertainties concerning the taxonomic significance of archaeopyle type. The genus Druggidium is therefore emended, as is the species D. jubatum Duxbury. One new species, D. augustum, is described.
Pollen and spore events from the marine Tertiary of North Europe
Authors: Boulter M. C.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Results are presented of semi-quantitative palynological analyses from two cored boreholes. One is from the central North Sea (16/1-1) and penetrates sediments from the Middle Miocene to the Palaeocene. The other is from the Voring Plateau of the Norwegian Sea (D.S.D.P. Leg 38 site 338) and penetrates sediments from the Early Miocene to the Early Eocene. The results show a number of interesting palynological features and these are discussed in relation to other evidence. The most important of these are: 1, the small range of angiosperm pollen in the Palaeocene; 2, changes in the dinocyst:pollen ratio in Early Eocene sediments in both cores at about the time of an increase in Subtriporopollenites pollen; 3, the presence of triprojectate pollen in the Late Eocene and Middle Oligocene sediments of site 338 some of which may not be reworked; and 4, a clear difference between Neogene and Palaeogene pollen taxa.
Gruendelella, a new Carboniferous ostracod genus from the Namurian of the Cantabrian Mountains (N. Spain)
Authors: Sanchez De Posada L. C.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Etching limestones of Arnsbergian (Namurian A) age from the northern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains (N. Spain) has yielded a diverse ostracod fauna. One of the forms found is especially interesting as it represents a new genus ressembling in some aspects the family Rectonariidae. The new genus Gruendelella is described.
Aptian lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy (foraminifera) of block 49 in the southern North Sea (U.K. sector)
Authors: Crittenden Stephen
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Strata of Aptian age in block 49 of the southern North Sea (U.K.) are reviewed in terms of lithostratigraphy, wireline log character and foraminiferal fauna. In some boreholes, the basal part of the Middle Holland Shale Member is interpreted as Late Aptian in age while the Lower Holland Marl Member is interpreted as Late to Early Aptian in age. The foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Aptian strata in the designated reference borehole, 49/25-1, for the Dutch lithostratigraphical scheme in the U.K. southern North Sea is discussed briefly.
New genera and species of cytheracean Ostracoda from the S.W. Atlantic
Authors: Whatley Robin , Chadwick John , Coxill David , Toy Nicholas
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Five new genera of cytheracean Ostracoda are described from the S.W. Atlantic area. They are: Austrocytheridea and Papillosacythere, which belong to the Cytherideinae and Neocytherideinae respectively, and Austroaurila. Falklandia, and Meridionalicythere, which are all members of the Hemicytheridae.
The cyst-theca relationship of Protoperidinium americanum (Gran & Braarud) Balech
Authors: Lewis Jane , Dodge J. D.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The cyst-theca relationship of Protoperidinium americanum (Gran & Braarud) Balech was investigated using single cyst germination techniques. This Protoperidinium has an unusual theca with four intercalary plates (plate formula 4’, 4a, 7″, 4c, 7s, 5″’, 2″″). It has a distinctive brown capsulate cyst which has an apical archeopyle. The position of this species in the genus Protoperidinium is discussed. The distribution of the cyst on the west coast of Scotland is described.
The Omma-Manganji ostracod fauna (Plio-Pleistocene) of Japan and the zoogeography of circumpolar species
Authors: Cronin Thomas M. , Ikeya Noriyuki
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The Omma-Manganji fauna of Japan signifies a time during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene when arctic-subarctic species migrated far south of their present geographic range in response to oceanographic changes. Omma-Manganji deposits exposed on Hokkaido, northern Honshu, and Sado Islands yielded about 224 species of marine Ostracoda. At least 26 are circumpolar species known previously from Arctic seas off the British Isles, eastern North America, Scandinavia and Europe, comprising between 14 and 47% of the ostracod assemblage in eight of ten formations studied. The 26 circumpolar species and 21 other western Pacific cryophilic species are illustrated and their distribution in Japanese deposits is discussed.
Planktonic foraminifera from the Pliocene Coralline Crag of Suffolk, Eastern England
Authors: Jenkins D. G. , Curry D. , Funnell B. M. , Whittaker J. E.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Nine species of planktonic foraminifera have recently been identified from the Coralline Crag of Suffolk, Eastern England. Stratigraphically important species include Globorotalia puncticulata (Deshayes) and Neogloboquadrina atlantica (Berggren) whose joint ranges, based on evidence from the North Atlantic, indicate an age for the deposit of between c. 4.2 and 2.3 Ma; other published evidence suggests that it may not be younger than c. 3.4 Ma. The low planktonic foraminiferal species diversity is interpreted as being due to a combination of factors, including the shallow water nature of the Coralline Crag, which would preclude deeper water species of planktonic foraminifera, and the possibility that the source of the fauna was from relatively high latitudes of the North Atlantic via the northern entrance to the North Sea. The planktonic foraminifera recorded indicate that the water temperature of the sea was within the range 10–18°C.The Coralline Crag contains very rich Lusitanian faunas of gastropod and bivalve molluscs, bryozoans, ostracods and benthic foraminifera.
A revision of Brady’s 1869 study of the Ostracoda of Hong Kong
Authors: Whatley Robin , Quanhong Zhao
Published: July 2010

Abstract. This paper is a revision of Brady’s 1869 study of the Ostracoda of Hong Kong in ‘Les Fonds de la Mer’. In this he described the following nine new species: Cyrherella cingulata, Bairdia elegans, Bythocythere orientalis, Loxoconcha sinensis, L. hastata, Cytheridea impressa, Cythere cymba, C. euplectella and C. salebrosa. A detailed reappraisal of Brady’s original material which is deposited in the Hancock Museum, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques, Biarritz, France has revealed that the specimens of L. hastata are apparently lost. Holotypes and lectotypes have been designated by the authors for the other eight species. Those species which were subsequently recorded by Brady (1880) in the Challenger Report, such as C. cingulata, B. orientalis, L. sinensis and C. euplectella are demonstrated not to be conspecific with their original types first described in 1869. The following 10 species, Bythoceratina virgatella Hu, 1983 and B. cassidoidea Zhao, 1985; Cyprideis yehi Hu & Yeh, 1978, Sinocytheridea sinensis Hou. 1978, S. latiovata Hou & Chen, 1982, 5. lotjga Hou & Chen, 1982 and Eucytheridea sinobesani Hu, 1984: Cythereis subconvexa Kajiyama, 1913 and Aurila miii Ishizaki, 1968: Cythereis assimilis Kajiyama. 1913 are placed by the authors in the synonymies of Brady’s B. orientalis, C. impressa, C. cymba and C. salebrosa respectively.
A note on some type specimens of G. S. Brady’s South Sea island ostracods
Authors: Davis Peter S. , Horne David J.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Provisional registration numbers allocated to some type specimens of ostracods described by G. S. Brady from the SW Pacific are replaced with Hancock Museum Registration Numbers.
Late Miocene Ostracoda from NW Libya
Authors: El-Waer Ahmed A.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Nine ostracod species from the Late Miocene Al Khums Formation (exposed 2 km north of Qabilat ash Shurfah, NW Libya) are described and illustrated in this paper. Of these, four species, namely Cytherella libyaensis, Actinocythereis spinosa, Keijella africana and Neomonoceratina miocaenica, are new; one was established by Doruk (1980), one by Moyes (1965) and the other three species are left under open nomenclature. These species support the macrofossil, foraminiferal and other ostracod (Innocenti & Pertusati, 1984 and El-Waer, in press) evidence in suggesting a Late Miocene age.
Recent Bairdiinae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from the Solomon Islands
Authors: Titterton Rosemary , Whatley Robin
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The Bairdiinae of the littoral and inner shelf of the Solomon Islands are both abundant and diverse. A total of 21 species have been recovered of which 13 are described as new 2 further species are left in open nomenclature. The new genus Mydionobairdia is erected, based on Triebelina schyroconcha Maddocks, 1969. The new species are: Bairdoppilata paraalcyonicola, B. paracratericola, Neonesidea paragierloffi, N. vscripta, N.? crepidula, N.? rara, Paranesidea bipustulosa, P. corbita, P. equipunctata, P. petalona, P. stricta, P.? confusa and P.? paucipunctata. Some of the difficulties involved in distinguishing species of Neonesidea and Paranesidea are discussed.
On Pseudotaberina malabarica (Carter) (Foraminiferida)
Authors: Banner F. T. , Highton J.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Pseudotaberina Eames, 1971, has as its (originally designated) type species Orbitolites malabarica Carter, 1853. The taxonomic and nomenclatural history of P. malabarica is given, and the diagnoses of both the genus and the species are corrected and emended, following re-examination of the type and other relevant specimens. A lectotype is selected and, with syntypes, strict topotypes and other specimens, is used for redescription of the species. P. malabarica is believed to characterise Early to Middle Miocene marine, inner shelf carbonate sediments of Tethys.
Structure and comparative anatomy of the toothplate in the Buliminacea (Foraminiferida)
Authors: Revets Stefan A.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The toothplate is an important element of the apertural complex in the Buliminacea. Structurally speaking, it is a plate of inner lining, drawn out from under the apertural wall which descends into the lumen to contact the foramen. All the other apertural elements are bilamellar.The degree of morphological complexity of the toothplate varies with the taxon; this has consequences for the taxonomy of the group. The diversity of the toothplate morphology in Bulimina might be used to divide the genus. Buliminella has to be revised since it seems to contain at least three separate entities, one of which does not belong to the Buliminacea. Praeglobobulimina is distinct from Globobulimina, the latter having lost the toothplate. Buliminellita and Turrilina are close relatives of Buliminella. Buliminoides has to be removed from the Buliminacea, and should be considered incertae familiae. Praebulimina possesses the simplest toothplate of the taxa investigated.
The Foraminiferal assemblages across three middle Turonian marl bands and a note on their genesis
Authors: Leary P. N. , Wray D. S.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. the changes in the Foraminiferal assemblage across three Middle Turonian marl bands show a consistent pattern, with (a) very similar gross assemblage characteristics from the white chalk below and above the marls containing an approximately 60:40% planktonic:benthonic ratio, greater than 50% non-keeled morphotypes (within the planktonic assemblage) and with infaunal and epifaunal groups well represented but (b) from within the marls the assemblage is dominated by benthonics (30:70% p:b ratio), less than 20% non-keeled morphotypes (within the planktonic assemblage) and a benthonic assemblage dominated by the infaunal groups. Although there is evidence of some dissolution within the marls, with the pitting of the thinner test walls, we propose the changes in the assemblage are not due to large scale post mortem diagenetic process. But are most likely due to environmental changes within the chalk sea, possibly caused by the ephemeral introduction into the surface waters of volcanic ash.
Ostracods as palaeoenvironmental indicators in the Lower Carboniferous Yoredale Series of northern England
Authors: Masurel H.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The ostracod fauna and vertical changes in its composition were examined in a shale sequence of the 5-Yard Limestone cyclothem (Yoredale Series) at a locality in Bishopdale, N. Yorkshire. The ostracod tax a are mainly confined to three superfamilies: Kirkbyacea, Healdiacea and Bairdiacea. The co-occurrence of several relatively short-ranging species such as Kirkbya quadrata, Cribroconcha insculpta and Bairdiolites elevatus suggests a Late Brigantian age. Four new species are described: Cornigella posteroextensa, ? Eriella minima, Rectobairdia bavarica and Roundyella binoda.Fluctuations in influx of terrigenous mud and water turbulence, related to delta growth, appear to have been the main environmental parameters that controlled the ostracod distribution and abundance along a nearshore-offshore gradient. Three different ostracod assemblages are recognized. A Roundyella-Cribroconcha assemblage, dominated by kirkbyacean and healdiacean ostracods, represents a quiet, nearshore environment with a fairly high depositional rate of terrigenous mud. A Bairdia assemblage, higher in the section, is dominated by bairdiacean ostracods that lived in a more turbulent, relatively offshore environment with less input of terrigenous sediment. A third, intermediate assemblage consists of almost equal amounts of bairdiacean and kirkbyacean ostracods, and reflects a transition from the Bairdia to the Roundyella-Cribroconcha assemblage.
The “Cimpia Moment” (late Miocene, Romania) and the Pannonian-Pontian boundary, defined by ostracods
Authors: Olteanu Radu
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The boundary between the Pannonian and Pontian (late Miocene) of the Pannonian area is recognised on the basis of ostracod faunas. A comparison is made between the faunas of the Pannonian Basin and the Dacic-Euxine Basin. A transitional fauna with Pannonian elements, but a stronger Pontian component, is described from Cimpia (Romania). This indicates a more gradual transition between the two stages in the Pannonian Basin than in the Dacic-Euxine Basin, where there is a sharp faunal break indicating a period of non-deposition or erosion.
A case for subgenera in a foraminiferal classification
Authors: Jenkins D. Graham
Published: July 2010

Abstract. There has been a progression in palaeobiological classifications from the more primitive empirical “stamp collecting” stage where similar shapes were grouped together, to the more sophisticated phylogenetic classifications where supposed genetically related foraminiferal taxa are categorised together. But how do we know that certain extinct taxa were genetically related? This is a major problem where a number of factors interplay together: a belief in evolution, the experience of the operator and consequent recognition of phyletic lineages. In the study of Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera we are fortunate to have recognised a number of now well established lineages; also we have some data on amino-acids found in the tests of living species (King and Hare, 1972) which range back well into the Neogene. These latter data not only provide us with essential genetic information but they also give us confidence when dealing with the classification of extinct species.So how do we build this evolutionary knowledge into a classification? Clearly, genetically related species can be grouped together into subgenera, and related subgenera into broader genera. In their classification Loeblich and Tappan (1988) held a different view and decided not to use subgenera because (1) their usage produces an unwieldy classification, and (2) lineage concepts change when additional data are collected. If we follow their classification, then when you read about Globorotalia menardii, Globorotalia fohsi and Globorotalia hirsuta you could assume that they are closely related; this is not true. The three species have similar test morphologies but these have resulted from iterative. . .
Ontogenetic changes in the ostracod Cytherella cf. ovata Roemer, from the Cenomanian of Algeria
Authors: Majoran Stefan
Published: July 2010

Abstract. about 200 right valves of Cytherella cf. ovata Roemer, were selected from a single sample of Cenomanian age (northeastern Algeria). The material can be subdivided into two parallel ontogenetic series which were quantitatively investigated by linear regression and eigenshape analysis. The corresponding growth stages of the two series are differentiated by size, growth rate, and, to a lesser extent, by shape. The relationship between the two series are discussed mainly in terms of seasonal variation in the environment.
Global Change and the Biostratigraphy of North Atlantic Cainozoic deep water Ostracoda
Authors: Whatley Robin C. , Coles Graham P.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The biostratigraphical distribution of deep-sea (>1000m) Palaeocene to Recent benthonic Ostracoda, based on nannofossil NP and NN zones is presented. By excluding very rare species and those represented by juveniles, 184 species are used in constructing range tables from a total fauna for the interval of 230 species. The vertical distribution of these specimens clearly allows of the recognition of all the major stratigraphical units within the Cainozoic and is also sufficiently precise to distinguish most of the nannofossil zones. The principal criteria employed are the first and last appearances of taxa. While eminently possible to create a series of ostracod zones, it is argued that they are best employed in the recognition of particular levels within the existing nannofossil scheme. The interpretation of the range tables is complicated in places by large numbers of Lazarus taxa and also by the fact that many of the ‘originations’ actually record the arrival of immigrants from the Indo-Pacific.Graphs of both simple and cumulative species diversity, and of origination and extinction rates, are used to demonstrate major faunal events such as the first arrival in the area, during the Middle Eocene, of cosmopolitan deep-sea species, or the very marked, but stepped, Palaeogene-Neogene faunal turnover. The distribution patterns of the Ostracoda record such global changes as the formation of the psychrosphere and the inception of a marked thermocline but they do not, as other authors have suggested, indicate a dramatic faunal turnover at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. The more vigorous circulation patterns of the Oligocene, related to the opening of the Drake Passage, are reflected in enhanced ostracod diversity at that time. Elevated late Oligocene extinction rates may be correlated with cooling consequent upon the growth of polar ice. Similarly, Lower Miocene low levels of diversity may be associated with the closure of the Iberian Portal and the effective isolation of the Tethys. The deep-sea ostracods do not, for the most part, record such events as the mid-Pliocene warming nor Quaternary climatic fluctuations.
Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Planktonic Foraminifera and Palaeoceanography of the North Atlantic
Authors: Hooper Peter W. P. , Funnell Brian M. , Weaver Philip P. E.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Relative abundance variations of planktonic Foraminifera have been studied for the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene time interval of 7.0 to 3.5 Ma from three sites in the North East Atlantic; DSDP607 (41°N), DSDP609 (50°N) and DSDP611 (53°N), Particular attention has been given to the percentage of benthic Foraminifera of total (benthic + planktonic) Foraminifera as an index of dissolution by aggressive bottom waters, and to the percentage of dextral Neogloboquadrina pachyderma of total (dextral + sinistral) N. pachyderma as an index of “Sub-Polar” or warmer waters.Strong dissolution, probably associated with the northward penetration of aggressive Antarctic Bottom Water, is observed at two of the sites up to and during the initiation of the Messinian “Salinity Crisis” in the adjoining Mediterranean Sea at about 5.8 Ma. All three sites exhibit strong cyclic fluctuations of the percentage of dextral N. pachyderma during the Messinian “Salinity Crisis” interval, from approximately 5.8 Ma to 4.8 Ma. These are interpreted as indicating wide-ranging oscillations of a water mass boundary, analogous to the present-day Polar Front, in the North Atlantic during the “Salinity Crisis”. Following the re-filling of the Mediterranean with normal marine waters at about 4.8 Ma, the dextral form of N. pachyderma, which is more characteristic of warmer waters than the sinistral form, becomes the dominant form and shows less quantitative variation at all three sites throughout the Early Pliocene.
Benthic Foraminifera from Middle to Late Pleistocene, coastal upwelling sediments of ODP Hole 686B, Pacific Ocean, off Peru
Authors: Malmgren Kathryn A. , Funnell Brian M.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. Benthic Foraminifera from middle to late Pleistocene, (c. 600ka to 0ka), sediments of ODP Hole 686B, off Peru, show highest abundances and diversities during periods of cooler surface waters, (inferred from the Uk37 index), and enhanced upwelling, (inferred from the peridinacean/gonyaulacacean dinoflagellate cyst ratio). During the latest Pleistocene, (c. 160ka to 0ka), these periods are characterised by higher organic carbon contents in the bottom sediments, and occur during the odd-numbered, interglacial_18O stages. The benthic Foraminifera indicate deposition in 120 to 250 metres water depth for the earlier part of the record, (c. 600ka to c. 200ka), within the oxygen-minimum zone, with bottom water oxygen contents of <0.5 to 0.2 ml/l, (inferred from the dominance of Bolivinellina humilis). Deposition in water depths approaching those of the present day, (c. 450 metres), is indicated from c. 160ka onwards, with better oxygenated bottom water conditions, probably corresponding to the lower part of the oxygen-minimum zone.
The taxonomic position of Orthoplecta Brady, 1884 (Foraminiferida)
Authors: Revets Stefan A. , Whittaker John E.
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The type species of Orthoplecta, contrary to previous descriptions, possesses an Elongobula-like furrowed apertural face, with a distinct toothplate. Orthoplecta is reclassified in the Buliminacea in the family Orthoplectidae, herein raised to family status. The Orthoplectidae is redefined to include the genera Orthoplecta, Elongobula and Floresina. The occurrence in Orthoplecta of morphological features characteristic of both Floresina and Buliminoides raises questions concerning the evolution of these foraminifera.
Phenotypic variation in Gyroidinoides altiformis (Stewart & Stewart) and Gyroidinoides subangulatus (Plummer) (Foraminifera)
Authors: Barbieri Roberto
Published: July 2010

Abstract. The morphological variation of two benthic foraminiferal species, Gyroidinoides altiformis (Stewart & Stewart) and Gyroidinoides subangulatus (Plummer), are described from Late Neogene - Quaternary, and Palaeogene sequences from northern Italy and Greece. A number of morphotypes, two for each species, are thought to be ecophenotypes. The inferred ecological (bathymetric) conditioning derives from: 1) comparable shape variations occur in species of very different ages; 2) both species exhibit the same morphological changes as a result of a comparable environmental trend.
Programmable motion effects
Authors: Schmid Johannes , Sumner Robert W. , Bowles Huw , Gross Markus
Published: July 2010

Although animation is one of the most compelling aspects of computer graphics, the possibilities for depicting the movement that make dynamic scenes so exciting remain limited for both still images and animations. In our work, we experiment with motion depiction as a first-class entity within the rendering process. We extend the concept of a surface shader, which is evaluated on an infinitesimal portion of an object's surface at one instant in time, to that of a programmable motion effect, which is evaluated with global knowledge about all portions of an object's surface that pass in front of a pixel during an arbitrary long sequence of time. With this added information, our programmable motion effects can decide to color pixels long after (or long before) an object has passed in front of them. In order to compute the input required by the motion effects, we propose a 4D data structure that aggregates an object's movement into a single geometric representation by sampling an object's position at different time instances and connecting corresponding edges in two adjacent samples with a bilinear patch. We present example motion effects for various styles of speed lines, multiple stroboscopic images, temporal offsetting, and photorealistic and stylized blurring on both simple and production examples.
Gastric bypass surgery alters behavioral and neural taste functions for sweet taste in obese rats
Authors: Hajnal Andras , Kovacs Peter , Ahmed Tamer , Meirelles Katia , Lynch Christopher J. , Cooney Robert N.
Published: July 2010

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (GBS) is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity. GBS is a restrictive malabsorptive procedure, but many patients also report altered taste preferences. This study investigated the effects of GBS or a sham operation (SH) on body weight, glucose tolerance, and behavioral and neuronal taste functions in the obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats lacking CCK-1 receptors and lean controls (LETO). OLETF-GBS rats lost body weight (−26%) and demonstrated improved glucose tolerance. They also expressed a reduction in 24-h two-bottle preference for sucrose (0.3 and 1.0 M) and decreased 10-s lick responses for sucrose (0.3 through 1.5 M) compared with OLETF-SH or LETO-GBS. A similar effect was noted for other sweet compounds but not for salty, sour, or bitter tastants. In lean rats, GBS did not alter responses to any stimulus tested. Extracellular recordings from 170 taste-responsive neurons of the pontine parabrachial nucleus revealed a rightward shift in concentration responses to oral sucrose in obese compared with lean rats (OLETF-SH vs. LETO-SH): overall increased response magnitudes (above 0.9 M), and maximum responses occurring at higher concentrations (+0.46 M). These effects were reversed by GBS, and neural responses in OLETF-GBS were statistically not different from those in any LETO groups. These findings confirm obesity-related alterations in taste functions and demonstrate the ability of GBS to alleviate these impairments. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of GBS appear to be independent of CCK-1 receptor signaling. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms for reduced preferences for sweet taste could help in developing less invasive treatments for obesity.
Ileal interposition improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the obese Zucker rat
Authors: Culnan Derek M. , Albaugh Vance , Sun Mingjie , Lynch Christopher J. , Lang Charles H. , Cooney Robert N.
Published: July 2010

The hindgut hypothesis posits improvements in Type 2 diabetes after gastric bypass surgery are due to enhanced delivery of undigested nutrients to the ileum, which increase incretin production and insulin sensitivity. The present study investigates the effect of ileal interposition (IT), surgically relocating a segment of distal ileum to the proximal jejunum, on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and glucose transport in the obese Zucker rat. Two groups of obese Zucker rats were studied: IT and sham surgery ad libitum fed (controls). Changes in food intake, body weight and composition, glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and tissue glucose uptake, and insulin signaling as well as plasma concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide were measured. The IT procedure did not significantly alter food intake, body weight, or composition. Obese Zucker rats demonstrated improved glucose tolerance 3 wk after IT compared with the control group ( P < 0.05). Euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp and 1-[14C]-2-deoxyglucose tracer studies indicate that IT improves whole body glucose disposal, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and the ratio of phospho- to total Akt ( P < 0.01 vs. control) in striated muscle. After oral glucose, the plasma concentration of glucagon-like peptide-1 was increased, whereas GIP was decreased following IT. Enhanced nutrient delivery to the ileum after IT improves glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and muscle glucose uptake without altering food intake, body weight, or composition. These findings support the concept that anatomic and endocrine alterations in gut function play a role in the improvements in glucose homeostasis after the IT procedure.
Observations of time-based measures of flow-mediated dilation of forearm conduit arteries: implications for the accurate assessment of endothelial function
Authors: Liuni Andrew , Luca Mary Clare , Lisi Monica , Dragoni Saverio , di Stolfo Giuseppe , Mariani Justin A. , Uxa Amar , Gori Tommaso , Parker John D.
Published: July 2010

Endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is measured as the increase in diameter of a conduit artery in response to reactive hyperemia, assessed either at a fixed time point [usually 60-s post-cuff deflation (FMD60)] or as the maximal dilation during a 5-min continuous, ECG-gated, measurement (FMDmax-cont). Preliminary evidence suggests that the time between reactive hyperemia and peak dilation (time to FMDmax) may provide an additional index of endothelial health. We measured FMDmax-cont, FMD60, and time to FMDmax in 30 young healthy volunteers, 22 healthy middle-aged adults, 16 smokers, 23 patients with hypertension, 40 patients with coronary artery disease, and 22 patients with heart failure. As previously reported, FMDmax-cont was similar in healthy cohorts and was significantly blunted in smokers and all patient groups, whereas FMD60 was significantly blunted only in heart failure patients. There was a wide within-group variability between measures of time to FMDmax with no significant difference between normal and patient groups. Intra-arterial infusion of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω-monomethyl-l-arginine in eight healthy subjects resulted in a blunting of FMDmax-cont ( P < 0.001) and FMD60 ( P = 0.02) but not time to FMDmax. Both FMDmax-cont and FMD60 demonstrated good repeatability in 30 young healthy volunteers studied on two separate occasions ( P < 0.01 for both), whereas time to FMDmax varied widely between visits ( P = not significant). In conclusion, although time to FMDmax does not appear to be a useful adjunctive measure of endothelial health, the use of continuous diameter measurements provides important data in the study of endothelial function in healthy subjects and patients with cardiovascular disease.
Regulation of podocyte BKCachannels by synaptopodin, Rho, and actin microfilaments
Authors: Kim Eun Young , Suh Jae Mi , Chiu Yu-Hsin , Dryer Stuart E.
Published: July 2010

Mechanosensitive large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+channels encoded by the Slo1 gene (BKCachannels) are expressed in podocytes. Here we show that BKCachannels reciprocally coimmunoprecipitate with synaptopodin (Synpo) in mouse glomeruli, in mouse podocytes, and in a heterologous expression system (HEK293T cells) in which these proteins are transiently expressed. Synpo and Slo1 colocalize along the surface of the glomerular basement membrane in mouse glomeruli. Synpo interacts with BKCachannels at COOH-terminal domains that overlap with an actin-binding domain on the channel molecule that is necessary for trafficking of BKCachannels to the cell surface. Moreover, addition of exogenous β-actin to mouse podocyte lysates reduces BKCa-Synpo interactions. Coexpression of Synpo increases steady-state surface expression of BKCachannels in HEK293T cells. However, Synpo does not affect the stability of cell surface BKCachannels, suggesting a primary effect on the rate of forward trafficking, and Synpo coexpression does not affect BKCagating. Conversely, stable knockdown of Synpo expression in mouse podocyte cell lines reduces steady-state surface expression of BKCachannels but does not affect total expression of BKCachannels or their gating. The effects of Synpo on surface expression of BKCaare blocked by inhibition of Rho signaling in HEK293T cells and in podocytes. Functional cell surface BKCachannels in podocytes are also reduced by sustained (2 h) but not acute (15 min) depolymerization of actin with cytochalasin D. Synpo may regulate BKCachannels through its effects on actin dynamics and by modulating interactions between BKCachannels and regulatory proteins of the podocyte slit diaphragm.
Cardiovascular disease risk factors and blood pressure response during exercise in healthy children and adolescents: The European Youth Heart Study
Authors: Møller Niels C. , Grøntved Anders , Wedderkopp Niels , Ried-Larsen Mathias , Kristensen Peter L. , Andersen Lars B. , Froberg Karsten
Published: July 2010

Raised blood pressure (BP) response during exercise independently predicts future hypertension. Subjects with higher BP in childhood also have elevated BP later in life. Therefore, the factors related to the regulation of exercise BP in children needs to be well understood. We hypothesized that physiological cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors would influence BP response during exercise in children and adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study of 439 Danish third-grade children and 364 ninth-grade adolescents. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured with sphygmomanometer during a maximal aerobic fitness test. Examined CVD risk factors were high-density lipoprotein (HDL)- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride, homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and aerobic fitness. A random effect model was used to test the hypotheses. In boys, HOMA-IR score and BMI were positively related to SBP response during exercise (β = 1.03, P = 0.001, and β = 0.58, P = 0.017, respectively). The effects sizes of HOMA-IR score and BMI and the significance levels only changed slightly (β = 0.91, P = 0.004, and β = 0.43, P = 0.08, respectively) when the two variables were added in the same model. A significant positive association was observed between aerobic fitness and SBP response in girls (β = 3.13 and P = 0.002). HOMA-IR score and BMI were found to be positively related to the SBP response in male children and youth. At least partly, adiposity and insulin sensitivity seem to influence exercise SBP through different mechanisms. The positive relationship observed between aerobic fitness and SBP response in girls remains unexplainable for us, although post hoc analyses revealed that it was the case in the ninth graders only.
Study of the Effect of Grafted Antioxidant on the Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Copolymer Properties
Authors: Al-Ghonamy Abdulaziz Ibrahim , Barakat Mirham A.
Published: July 2010

The grafting of ADPEA onto natural rubber was executed with UV radiation. Benzoyl peroxide was used to initiate the free-radical grafting copolymerization. Natural rubber-graft-N-(4-aminodiphenylether) acrylamide (NR-g-ADPEA) was characterized with an IR technique. The paper aims interested to determine the crosslinking density by using the ultrasonic technique. The ultrasonic velocities of both longitudinal and shear waves were measured in thermoplastic discs of NBR vulcanizates as a function of aging time. Ultrasonic velocity measurements were taken at 2 MHz ultrasonic frequency using the pulse echo method. We studied the effect of aging on the mechanical properties, crosslinking density, and the swelling and extraction phenomena for acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer (NBR) vulcanizates, which contained the prepared NR-g-ADPEA and a commercial antioxidant,N-isopropyl--phenyl-p-phenylenediamine. The prepared antioxidant enhanced both the mechanical properties of the NBR vulcanizates and the permanence of the ingredients in these vulcanizates.
Spontaneous Growth in Growth Hormone Deficiency from Birth until 7 Years of Age: Development of Disease-Specific Growth Curves
Authors: Mayer M. , Schmitt K. , Kapelari K. , Frisch H. , Köstl G. , Voigt M.
Published: July 2010

Background: Little is known about spontaneous growth of growth hormone (GH)-deficient children during infancy and childhood. Methods: Retrospectively, we calculated disease-specific pretreatment percentiles for height, weight, BMI and growth velocity of 113 GH-deficient boys and 41 GH-deficient girls from birth until 7 years of age, by mean and standard deviation. Results: Infants with idiopathic GH deficiency (GHD) grow in disease-specific percentile channels. There is a significant difference in length and weight from birth onward compared to regional reference (p < 0.001). Boys’ birth length was 48.7 ± 2.9 cm (p < 0.001; –1.31 ± 1.11 SDS), birth weight was 3.09 ± 0.61 kg (p < 0.01; –0.92 ± 1.19 SDS), and BMI at birth was 12.9 ± 1.7. Girls’ birth length was 48.1 ± 3.4 cm (p < 0.05; –1.17 ± 1.51 SDS), birth weight was 2.92 ± 0.60 kg (p = 0.05; –1.08 ± 1.19 SDS), and BMI at birth was 12.6 ± 2.2. There was a continuous loss of growth velocity, despite a wide variance in the first years, so height deficit became more evident with increasing age. Conclusion: GHD is a congenital disease no matter when height deficit becomes clinically evident, because GH-deficient children grow in disease-specific percentile channels with a highly significantly reduced length and weight, which demonstrates that GH is essential for adequate growth in infancy and early childhood.
Use of Combined Liothyronine and Thyroxine Therapy for Consumptive Hypothyroidism Associated with Hepatic Haemangiomas in Infancy
Authors: Peters Catherine , Langham Shirley , Mullis Primus-E. , Dattani Mehul T.
Published: July 2010

Hepatic haemiangiomas in infancy are rare. An association with hypothyroidism has been previously reported and is believed to be secondary to the conversion of thyroxine (fT4) to biologically inactive reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) by type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (D3). We report a case that responded well to the combined use of liothyronine and thyroxine therapy.