bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional deficits among patients with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Weston Andrea , Barton Cynthia , Lesselyong Julia , Yaffe Kristine
Published: November 2011

Background

Diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) include no significant functional decline, but recent studies have suggested that subtle deficits often exist. It is not known whether these differ by MCI type. We investigated the level and type of functional impairment among patients with MCI.

Methods

We studied 498 patients, evaluated at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers of California between 2006 and 2009, who had multidisciplinary evaluations by experts, including neurologic examination and neuropsychological testing. Patients were diagnosed with MCI and subtype was determined using cognitive domain scores. In a cross‐sectional descriptive study, we examined whether functional impairment differed by MCI subtype, using the Blessed Roth Dementia Rating Scale (range: 0–17, higher scores indicating more impairment).

Results

Among the participants, the mean age was 75.4 years, 50.7% were women, and 81.7% were white. Patients with amnestic‐ (n = 392, 78.7%) and nonamnestic‐type (n = 106, 21.3%) MCI had similar total Blessed Roth Dementia Rating Scale (1.6 and 1.5, respectively; P = .84) and Mini‐Mental State Examination (26.5 and 26.7, respectively; P = .60) scores. Patients with amnestic MCI were more likely to have difficulty in remembering lists and recalling recent events (P < .05 for both) and less likely to have difficulty in eating and with continence (P = .01 for both), as compared with those with nonamnestic MCI.

Conclusions

Despite the MCI diagnostic criteria suggesting no functional impairment, our results indicate that patients with MCI experience mild functional deficits that vary according to the type of MCI.
Videoconference diagnosis and management of Choctaw Indian dementia patients
Authors: Weiner Myron F. , Rossetti Heidi C. , Harrah Kasia
Published: November 2011

Background

This study reports a 5‐year experience using videoconference (VC) technology in diagnosing and treating adult members of the Choctaw Nation with symptoms or complaints of cognitive impairment.

Methods

Patients were given the option of a VC session or a face‐to‐face evaluation in the clinic. Before their VC session, patients underwent neuropsychological testing, Clinical Dementia Rating, Geriatric Depression Scale and Neuropsychiatric Inventory, brain computed tomography, and routine blood tests. Physical observations made by VC included eyesight, hearing, facial expression, gait and station, coordination, tremor, rapid alternating movements, psychomotor activity, and motor tests of executive function. Cogwheeling and rigidity were tested by our on‐site nurse, who also obtained vital signs as indicated.

Results

Between January 2005 and March 2010, there were 47 clinics, 171 visits, and 85 unique patients. There were 52 new evaluations and 119 follow‐up visits. The number of visits ranged from one to eight and the length of follow‐up from 1 month to 4.5 years. The no‐show rate for all VC sessions in 2009 was 3%, and only two subjects in 5 years refused further VC visits.

Conclusion

Once cultural barriers are dealt with, VC‐based diagnosis and treatment of adults with cognitive disorders who live in remote areas is feasible and well accepted by patients and families.
Effect of human cerebrospinal fluid sampling frequency on amyloid‐β levels
Authors: Li Jinhe , Llano Daniel A. , Ellis Teresa , LeBlond David , Bhathena Anahita , Jhee Stanford S. , Ereshefsky Larry , Lenz Robert , Waring Jeffrey F.
Published: November 2011

Background

β‐amyloid peptide (Aβ) is associated with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Emerging evidence indicates that Aβ levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may serve as an early clinical biomarker for evaluating pharmacological activity of new drug candidates targeting Aβ production or Aβ clearance. Therefore, it is critical to understand whether intrasubject levels of CSF Aβ are consistent between sampling intervals to determine whether Aβ can be used as a pharmacodynamic biomarker for drug candidates. Previous studies have produced seemingly conflicting observations for the intrasubject stability of CSF Aβ levels; we attempt to reconcile these conflicting observations.

Methods

The current study examined the Aβ levels in CSF collected with various sampling frequencies from three clinical studies conducted in healthy young or elderly subjects at the same investigative site for the purpose of designing future studies.

Results

The results suggest that CSF sampling frequency and/or sampling volume contributes to intrasubject variability in CSF Aβ levels, and that lowering the CSF sampling frequency may help minimize this effect.

Conclusion

These results will help guide clinical trial design for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
A numerical study of an inline oscillating cylinder in a free stream
Authors: Leontini Justin S. , Lo Jacono David , Thompson Mark C.
Published: November 2011

Simulations of a cylinder undergoing externally controlled sinusoidal oscillations in the free stream direction have been performed. The frequency of oscillation was kept equal to the vortex shedding frequency from a fixed cylinder, while the amplitude of oscillation was varied, and the response of the flow measured. With varying amplitude, a rich series of dynamic responses was recorded. With increasing amplitude, these states included wakes similar to the Kármán vortex street, quasiperiodic oscillations interleaved with regions of synchronized periodicity (periodic on multiple oscillation cycles), a period-doubled state and chaotic oscillations. It is hypothesized that, for low to moderate amplitudes, the wake dynamics are controlled by vortex shedding at a global frequency, modified by the oscillation. This vortex shedding is frequency modulated by the driven oscillation and amplitude modulated by vortex interaction. Data are presented to support this hypothesis.
EMPOWERMENT IN FAMILY PLANNING AS VIEWED BY IRANIAN WOMEN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
Authors: KOHAN SHAHNAZ , SIMBAR MASOUMEH , TALEGHANI FARIBA
Published: November 2011

Women carry the primary responsibility for family planning in most parts of the world, and should be afforded the power of decision-making and control over their fertility. This study seeks to gain insight into Iranian women's perception of the meaning of empowerment in family planning. Using a qualitative study, seven focus group discussions and five individual interviews were conducted with 35 married Iranian women of reproductive age. The data were analysed using a conventional content analysis approach, in which themes and categories were explored to reveal women's experiences of empowerment in family planning. The results demonstrated four main categories: control over fertility plan, participative family planning, maintaining health and access to optimal family planning services. They viewed knowledge of family planning and autonomy of decision-making in fertility issues as essential elements for control of their fertility plan. Participants felt more empowered when joint family planning decisions were made with their partners in an atmosphere of agreement. Therefore, family planning policymakers should plan services with new approaches that focus on women's health and empowerment.
THE IMPACT OF THE STOPPING RULE ON SEX RATIO OF LAST BIRTHS IN VIETNAM
Authors: PHAM BANG NGUYEN , ADAIR TIMOTHY , HILL PETER S. , RAO CHALAPATI
Published: November 2011

This study examines the hypothesis that the stopping rule – a traditional postnatal sex selection method where couples decide to cease childbearing once they bear a son – plays a role in high sex ratio of last births (SRLB). The study develops a theoretical framework to demonstrate the operation of the stopping rule in a context of son preference. This framework was used to demonstrate the impact of the stopping rule on the SRLB in Vietnam, using data from the Population Change Survey 2006. The SRLB of Vietnam was high at the level of 130 in the period 1970–2006, and particularly in the period 1986–1995, when sex-selective abortion was not available. Women were 21% more likely to stop childbearing after a male birth compared with a female birth. The SRLB was highest at parity 2 (138.7), particularly in rural areas (153.5), and extremely high (181.9) when the previous birth was female. Given the declining fertility, the stopping rule has a potential synergistic effect with sex-selective abortion to accentuate a trend of one-son families in the population.
DESIRE FOR SONS AND SUBSEQUENT FERTILITY IN RURAL INDIA. A 20-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Authors: VLASSOFF CAROL
Published: November 2011

This paper compares the desired fertility of rural Indian women in 1987 with their actual fertility in 2007. Seventy-one respondents who stated definite fertility intentions and had fewer children than desired in 1987 were re-interviewed 20 years later, as part of a larger study. The results indicated that these women had fewer children than intended and stopped childbearing once they reached, or approximated, their desired number of sons. The majority had been sterilized, indicating broad acceptance of lower fertility among rural women and the success of India's family planning efforts, although the practice of sex determination seems also to have played a role. These findings echo those of an earlier longitudinal study of reproductive intentions and outcomes in the same community, demonstrating the persistence of son preference in determining reproductive behaviour, even in the context of low overall fertility. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy and programme implications of the study's findings.
Visceral obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and cancer
Authors: Doyle Suzanne L. , Donohoe Claire L. , Lysaght Joanne , Reynolds John V.
Published: November 2011

This paper presents emerging evidence linking visceral adiposity and the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) with carcinogenesis. The link between obesity and cancer has been clearly identified in a multitude of robust epidemiological studies. Research is now focusing on the role of visceral adipose tissue in carcinogenesis; as it is recognised as an important metabolic tissue that secretes factors that systemically alter the immunological, metabolic and endocrine milieu. Excess visceral adipose tissue gives rise to a state of chronic systemic inflammation with associated insulin resistance and dysmetabolism, collectively known as the MetSyn. Prospective cohort studies have shown associations between visceral adiposity, the MetSyn and increased risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, visceral adiposity and the MetSyn have been associated with increased tumour progression and reduced survival. The mechanisms by which visceral adiposity and the MetSyn are thought to promote tumorigenesis are manifold. These include alterations in adipokine secretion and cell signalling pathways. In addition, hyperinsulinaemia, subsequent insulin resistance and stimulation of the insulin-like growth factor-1 axis have all been linked with visceral adiposity and promote tumour progression. Furthermore, the abundance of inflammatory cells in visceral adipose tissue, including macrophages and T-cells, create systemic inflammation and a pro-tumorigenic environment. It is clear from current research that excess visceral adiposity and associated dysmetabolism play a central role in the pathogenesis of certain cancer types. Further research is required to elucidate the exact mechanisms at play and identify potential targets for intervention.
Development of farmed fish: a nutritionally necessary alternative to meat
Authors: Sargent J. R. , Tacon A. G. J.
Published: November 2011

The projected stagnation in the catch from global fisheries and the continuing expansion of aquaculture is considered against the background that fishmeal and fish oil are major feed stocks for farmed salmon and trout, and also for marine fish. The dietary requirement of these farmed fish for high-quality protein, rich in essential amino acids, can be met by sources other than fishmeal. However, the highly-polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) present in high concentrations in fish oil are essential dietary constituents for marine fish and highly-desirable dietary constituents for salmonids. Currently, there is no feasible alternative source to fish oil for these nutrients in fish feeds. Vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) can partially substitute for 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 in salmonid and marinefish feeds. However, this is nutritionally undesirable for human nutrition because the healthpromoting effects of fish-derived 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 reflect a very high intake of 18:2n-6 relative to linolenic acid (18:3n-3) in Western diets. If partial replacement of fish oils in fish feeds with vegetable oils becomes necessary in future, it is argued that 18:3n-3-rich oils, such as linseed oil, are the oils of choice because they are much more acceptable lrom a human nutritional perspective, especially given the innate ability of freshwater fish, including salmonids, to convert dietary 18:3n-3 to 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. In the meantime, a more judicious use of increasinglyexpensive fish oil in aquaculture is recommended. High priorities in the future development of aquaculture are considered to be genetic improvement of farmed fish stocks with enhanced abilities to convert C18 to C20 and C22n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, enhanced development of primary production of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 by single-cell marine organisms, and continuing development of new species.
Contact Anosov flows and the Fourier–Bros–Iagolnitzer transform
Authors: TSUJII MASATO
Published: November 2011

This paper is about spectral properties of transfer operators for contact Anosov flows. The main result gives the essential spectral radii of the transfer operators acting on an appropriate function space exactly and improves the previous result in Tsujii [Quasi-compactness of transfer operators for contact Anosov flows. Nonlinearity23 (2010), 1495–1545]. Also, we provide a simplified proof by using the so-called Fourier–Bros–Iagolnitzer (FBI) (or Bargmann) transform.
Possible sources of clastic sediment in the Late Proterozoic Torridon Group, from geochemical mass balance
Authors: Stewart A. D.
Published: November 2011

Equations are derived which link the content of relatively insoluble components Si, Al, Fe and K in source rock and derived alluvial sediment. The equations also involve the ratio of specific suspended load to dissolved loadand specific bed load to suspended load (Tb/Ts) for the rivers which deposited the sediments. These ratios are generally unknown, but by analogy with modern rivers are taken to occupy the rangesand 0 ≦Tb/Ts≦1. This is sufficient to put close limits on the possible composition of the source rock. The equations suggest that clastic sediment forming the Late Proterozoic Torridon Group of Scotland was derived from sediments or metasediments, rather than fromaverageupper continental crust, granitoids or gneisses like those presently exposed nearby.
Ontogeny of the trilobiteOlenus wahlenbergiWestergård, 1922 from the upper Cambrian Alum Shales of Andrarum, Skåne, Sweden
Authors: Clarkson Euan N. K. , Taylor Cecilia M.
Published: November 2011

The upper Cambrian trilobiteOlenus wahlenbergiWestergård, 1922 occurs abun- dantly in stinkstone concretions in the Alum Shales at Andrarum, in Skåne, southern Sweden (Olenus/Homagnostus obesusZone). All growth stages from anaprotaspis onwards are represented, though the early stages are comparatively uncommon and complete specimens are rare. Fine details of structure are preserved, suitable for scanning electron microscopic study.

The protaspis has five axial rings, which in the adult become divided transversely and reduced to three, and the preglabellar field expands markedly in the holaspis. The librigena broadens during development and the eye, with its widely separated lenses is retained on the librigena throughout meraspid development. The visual surface dehisces during ecdysis from the early holaspid onwards, due to emplacement of the ocular suture. The hypostome apparently changes from a conterminant to a natant condition in the early holaspis, which is consistent with the growth of the preglabellar field at this stage. The transitory pygidium has a slightly serrated margin throughout development, but becomes entire when all thoracic segments have been liberated.

Cuticular sculpture changes dramatically throughout ontogeny. Large (Type A) tubercles appear on the fixigena in early meraspides; these become prominent and coalesce by the end of meraspid development. They are abruptly replaced by smaller (Type B) tubercles in the early holaspid, which link to form a rough network in mature specimens. Comparable Type A tubercles in early meraspid librigenae give rise to a strong polygonal caecal sculpture in holaspids, while a radial sculpture on the broadening anterior border develops independently. The significance of these cuticular changes remains obscure. A median occipital organ is described for the first time in the Olenidae.
Processes of sedimentation in Gollum Channel, Porcupine Seabight: submersible observations and sediment analyses
Authors: Tudhope Alexander W. , Scoffin Terence P.
Published: November 2011

Manned submersible dives were conducted in the submarine canyon channel system of Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic Ocean. Visual observations were made, and sediment samples collected and analysed to elucidate the nature of the sedimentary regime. In the upper part of the canyon (480-940 m water depth) sediments consisted of a mixture of terrigenous quartz rich silts and sands, skeletal carbonate of benthonic and planktonic origin and minor clay minerals and authigenic dolomite. There were localised Lophelia pertusa coral thickets on both the flanks and floor of the canyon. Sedimentary structures and physical measurements revealed there to be active transport of sediments in the canyon down to a depth of at least 940 m, effected by (?tidal) reversing currents and bioturbation. In these parts of the canyon, deposits around glacial dropstones and coral thickets indicate that there has been a maximum of 0-1 m of net sediment accumulation since the last glacial period. At 3000 m water depth, in the channel system, the sediments were fine calcareous ooze with a drape (up to 0-3 m thick) of flocculant phytoplankton detritus. At these depths, there was no evidence for present-day sediment resuspension by currents.
Middle Ordovician olenid trilobites (TriarthrusGreen andPorterfieldiaCooper) from Jämtland, central Sweden
Authors: Månsson Kristina
Published: November 2011

Triarthrinid trilobites are described from the Middle Ordovician Andersön Shale and Örån Shale of Jämtland, central Sweden. The faunas include at least five species, belonging to two genera,PorterfieldiaCooper 1953 andTriarthrusGreen 1832.Porterfieldiais represented by a single species,Porterfieldia humilis(Hadding 1913), while at least four species belong toTriarthrus: T. frejiThorslund, 1940,T. jemtlandicusLinnarsson, 1875,T. latissimusnom. nov. andT. linnarssoniThorslund, 1940. P.humilisis found only in the lower Andersön Shale, equivalent to theHustedograptus teretiusculusZone.T. freji, T. jemtlandicusandT. latissimusoccur frequently in the upper part of the Anderson Shale, which comprises theNemagraptus gracilisZone, and probably also the lower part of theDiplograptus multidensZone.T. linnarssonioccurs throughout the Örån Shale (mainlyDicranograptus clinganiZone).T. jemtlandicusandT.aff.linnarssoniare also sporadically present in the lower and middle parts of the Oran Shale. Almost all growth stages ofT. latissimus, from the anaprotaspid stage and onwards, are represented and the ontogeny is described. The early stages are, however, comparatively uncommon.
The Bail Hill Volcanic Group: alkaline within-plate volcanism during Ordovician sedimentation in the Southern Uplands, Scotland
Authors: Phillips E. R. , Smith R. A. , Floyd J. D.
Published: November 2011

The Bail Hill Volcanic Group (Caradoc) represents the largest, single volcanic complex exposed within the Ordovician turbidite succession of the Northern Belt in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The group comprises a heterogeneous sequence of submarine lavas, volcaniclastic and intrusive rocks (up to 2 km thick), and crops out in a small area (c. 4 km2) around Bail Hill, north of Sanquhar. The Cat Cleuch Formation (older) is dominated by a sequence of autobrecciated basaltic lavas which contain large, zoned diopsidic clinopyroxene. The overlying Peat Rig Formation comprises a more mixed sequence of plagioclase-amphibole-phyric lavas, volcaniclastic rocks and contemporaneous volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks. The Cat Cleuch and lower part of the Peat Rig formations are cut by a vent breccia, the Bught Craig vent breccia, which formed part of the feeder to the upper part of the Peat Rig Formation. The Bail Hill volcanic rocks are alkaline in character, ranging from alkali basalt to trachyandesite in composition, possessing trace element characteristics and enrichment patterns typical of oceanic within-plate basalts. The Bail Hill Volcanic Group, although geochemically distinct, forms part of a mixed assemblage of tholeiitic and alkaline withinplate lavas within the Southern Uplands which are of broadly similar age, some of which are intercalated within the greywacke sandstone sequence. This assemblage clearly indicates that a period of extension and within-plate volcanism occurred during the early stages of the development of the Southern Uplands sedimentary basin.
A redescription of the Carboniferous arachnid Plesiosiro madeleyi Pocock, 1911 (Arachnida: Haptopoda)
Authors: Dunlop Jason A.
Published: November 2011

Plesiosiro madeleyi Pocock, 1911, the monotypic representative of the fossil order Haptopoda Pocock, 1911 from the British Middle Coal Measures (Upper Carboniferous, Westphalian B) of Coseley, Staffordshire, is redescribed. A specimen from Sparth Bottoms, Lancashire is not a Plesiosiro and is referred to Arthropoda incertae sedis. Plesiosiro was probably a predator, having tooth-like projections on the femora for prey capture, and shows adaptations of the limbs for crawling in narrow spaces. The uncertain nature of the chelicerae, eyes and respiratory organs makes resolving the phylogenetic position of Plesiosiro difficult, though Haptopoda deserves its status as a separate order. Plesiosiro resembles both cythophthalmid and trogulid opilionids. Its broad prosoma–opisthosoma junction could be interpreted as a synapomorphy for Plesiosiro + Opiliones, but this character is not unique to these orders. Alternatively, Plesiosiro has a large, ventral opisthosomal sclerite. This is interpreted here as a genital operculum, a synapomorphy for Tetrapulmonata, and Plesiosiro is tentatively referred to this clade. Based on the synapomorphies of a divided sternum and subdivided telotarsi a relationship of the form: (Plesiosiro (Amblypygi (Thelyphonida + Schizomida))) is proposed.
A new large lamniform shark from the uppermost Gearle Siltstone (Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous) of Western Australia
Authors: Siverson Mikael
Published: November 2011

An association of 100 teeth and 15 vertebrae from a large, lamniform shark, is described from the uppermost part of the Gearle Siltstone in the Giralia Anticline, Southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The material represents a new genus and species: Cardabiodon ricki. The taxon is referred to the new family Cardabiodontidae on the basis of its dental formula and uniquely oversized lower lateroposterior teeth. Other characteristic features include a strong dignathic heterodonty and the presence of four anterior and approximately 14 lateroposterior toothfiles in both the upper and lower jaw. The size of the recovered vertebral centra indicates that the shark measured at least 5 m in total length. The species had a wide but possibly patchy distribution with additional occurrences in England and Kazakstan, where it is present in strata of Cenomanian age. Cardabiodon shares several key dental characters with Parotodus, known from Oligocene–Pliocene deposits. The latter taxon was previously grouped with the ‘mega-toothed’ sharks of the genera Otodus and Carcharocles, but is here reassigned to the Cardabiodontidae.

The nominal species Cretalamna woodwardi from the middle or late Cenomanian of southern England, is designated as the type species of the new genus Dwardius. The coeval nominal species Pseudoisurus tomosus from the Saratov region in Russia, is based on material that almost certainly includes C. ricki and/or D. woodwardi. Designation of a lectotype for P. tomosus and its proper documentation would probably allow either C. ricki or D. woodwardi to be synonomised with the older name P. tomosus. There is, however, a strong possibility that the syntypes of P. tomosus are lost. Until they are found, redescribed and compared carefully with the type material of C. ricki and D. woodwardi, P. tomosus is a name of doubtful application and therefore referred to as a women dubium
Late Miocene marine fossil-rich, rock-fall, avalanche, mud-flow and debris-flow deposits adjoining and near the western margin of the Tawhero Basin, outer forearc North Island, New Zealand
Authors: Neef G.
Published: November 2011

A late Miocene marine, massive fossil-rich, rock-fall/avalanche deposit, >42 m thick (base unexposed) and mud-flow and debris-flow deposits, commonly 0.2–4 m thick, are present adjoining and near to either margin of a 12 km long segment of the NE-trending Waihoki Fault/fault zone, near Pongaroa, North Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand. The Waihoki Fault/fault zone lies in the outboard part of the onland part of the forearc. It forms the western margin of the Tawhero Basin, a forearc basin overlying a subducting Pacific plate, during 6.6–25 Ma. The basin had a partly dextral transpression history (especially in the Late Miocene) but the amount of dextral displacement along the Waihoki Fault/fault zone is unknown. It is likely that lightly indurated fossil-rich, rock-fall, mud-flow and debris-flow deposits were derived from the tops of fault slivers that were pushed upwards along the Waihoki Fault/fault zone during dextral faulting to reach the neritic zone.
Exceptional REE-enrichment in apatite during the low pressure fractional crystallisation of alkali olivine basalt; an example from the British Tertiary Igneous Province
Authors: Preston R.J. , Hole M.J. , Still J.
Published: November 2011

The Cnoc Rhaonastil dolerite boss on Islay, NW Scotland represents a body of alkali-olivine basalt magma which differentiated at low pressure and in situ, from dolerite through teschenite to minor nepheline-syenite. The syenites occur as isolated pods and pegmatitic schlieren within the leucodolerite, and have an exotic mineralogy including Zr-aegirine, Zr-arfvedsonite, Ca-catapleiite, zirconolite and aenigmatite. Fluor-apatite occurs as an accessory phase in the dolerite, but becomes more abundant within the teschenite and syenites. Total REE contents within apatites in the dolerites are typically low (σREE = 0·57–3·21 wt.% oxide), the highest REE contents occurring in irregular, deuterically altered rims and internal patches. The REE-enriched rims also have slightly elevated SiO2 contents at 0·81–0·95 wt.%, suggesting that the substitution scheme Ca2++P5+ ⇔ REE3++Si4+ was operating. These apatites have up to 0·08 wt.% Cl and 3·7 wt.% F, with most being almost pure end-member fluor-apatite. The majority of the teschenite apatites show the least REE-enrichment (σREE = 0·27–0·45 wt.%), coupled with low Na (<0·12 wt.%) and low SiO2 (<0·39 wt.%) contents. However, within the syenites two distinct populations of apatite exist. The first, most common, variety consists of unzoned, low-REE apatites (max. 3·1 wt.% σREE, again in irregular rims and patches), whereas the second variety is often complexly zoned, and has variably enriched zones up to a maximum σREE content of 42 wt.%; this is by far the most REE-enriched natural fluor-apatite so far reported from the British Isles. The REE-enriched zones are often less than 3 μm wide, and have Na content up to 5·4 wt.% Na2O, implying that the substitution scheme Na+ + REE3+⇔2Ca2+ dominated over the more typical scheme involving Si4+ which operated in the dolerites and teschenite. Other zones are either variably enriched in Y (up 2·1 wt.% Y2O3) or Th (up to 0·85 wt.% ThO2). However, there is no correlation between Y and REE contents, suggesting that crystallographic factors were involved in apatite Y and REE partitioning. The REE-rich apatites have very low Cl content (<0·04 wt.%), but high F concentrations (<2·8 wt.%). It is believed that these strongly enriched apatites crystallised under disequilibrium conditions from isolated, variably REE-enriched domains, within the fluid-rich residual syenitic magma. These domains may have been generated by the prior crystallisation of monazite, Ca-catapleiite or zirconolite, which can be found as small inclusions within albite and interstitial analcime. The dynamic process of slumping of the denser teschenite back into the leucodolerite crystal mush is believed to have played an important role in the release of deuteric fluids and the concentration of residual magmas.
Dionidid and raphiophorid trilobites from the middle Ordovician (Viruan Series) of Jämtland, central Sweden
Authors: Månsson Kristina
Published: November 2011

Dionidid and raphiophorid trilobites are described from the middle Ordovician (Viruan Series) of Jämtland, central Sweden. The family Dionididae is represented by one genus,DionideBarrande, 1847, and the family Raphiophoridae by five genera,AmpyxDalman, 1827,AmpyxellaDean, 1960,AmpyxoidesWhittington, 1965,CnemidopygeWhittard, 1955 andLonchodomasAngelin, 1854. Seven species are described and discussed. Three of these are new:Dionide jemtlandicasp. nov.,Ampyxoides minorsp. nov. andLonchodomas striolatussp. nov.. The majority of the trilobites described are from the Andersön Shale, equivalent to theH. teretiusculus, N. gracilisand lowermostD. multidensZones (upper Llanvirn and lower Caradoc), and the Örån Shale, equivalent to the lowerD. dinganiand the uppermostD. multidensZones (middle Caradoc). Meraspid and early holaspid material ofD. jemtlandicais described.
Geochronological evidence for phased volcanic activity in Fife and Caithness necks, Scotland
Authors: Macintyre R. M. , Cliff R. A. , Chapman N. A.
Published: November 2011

In an attempt to establish a chronology for volcanic neck emplacement and so elucidate petrogenesis, isotopic studies have been carried out on various cumulate inclusions, blocks and megacrysts which occur chiefly in association with tuffs infilling several Scottish vents. K-Ar ages of 13 samples of low-pressure cumulate minerals (biotite, hornblende and pyroxene) from necks in East Fife indicate crystallisation at shallow depth at 314 Ma. U-Pb analyses of zircons are concordant at 318 Ma suggesting they are also members of this suite and their formation is penecontemporaneous with the Namurian volcanic activity which is welldocumented stratigraphically. By 295 Ma crystallisation of anorthoclase megacrysts had been completed, perhaps from the fractionated residuum. An eruption from considerable depth (within the stability field of garnet precipitation) then broke through to the surface bearing high-pressure megacrysts. This penetrated and disrupted the early cumulates carrying them to the surface and producing the diverse vent assemblages. K-Ar dating of basanites suggest that the Duncansby Ness neck in Caithness was emplaced around 270 Ma in the early Permian. For two Fife necks the balance of evidence favours an age of 290 Ma (Stephanian) for this final explosive activity associated with vent formation.
Stratigraphy of a flysch succession: the Ordovician of W Nithsdale, SW Scotland
Authors: Floyd James D.
Published: November 2011

A thick Ordovician marine flysch succession including greywackes, conglomer- ates, siltstones and shales occurs in West Nithsdale in the Northern belt of the Southern Uplands. Five new formations of Caradoc and ?Ashgill age are defined based mainly on petrographical and lithological evidence. The proposed correlation with areas up to 80 km distant to the SW, emphasises the persistent nature of the greywacke formations in the Southern Uplands when traced along strike. It is demonstrated that the main inliers of black shale in the Northern belt cannot be simple anticlines but are closely associated with large strike faults. The position of the investigated flysch succession in the accretionary prism model for the development of the Southern Uplands during the evolution of the Caledonides is indicated and its significance assessed.
Palaeodrainage of the southern margin of the Caledonian mountain chain in the northern British Isles
Authors: Simon J. B. , Bluck B. J.
Published: November 2011

Lower Old Red Sandstone drainage of the Caledonian mountain chain in the northern British Isles converged in the region of the present North Channel between Scotland and Ireland. Calculations of possible catchment area of this drainage network suggest a major river systemc. 530 km in length comparable to parts of the present day drainage network of the Himalayas. Evidence from the Lower Old Red Sandstone sedimentary assemblages in Northern Ireland and Scotland indicates that tributaries flowed NE and SW parallel to the Caledonian mountain front. These tributaries joined a trunk stream which flowed southward from present western Scotland through the southern part of the present Inner Hebrides region, and on through the region of the present North Channel and terminated in the contemporaneous Devonian sea. The coastline of this sea stretched E-W across southern Britain.

The essential drainage system established in Lower Old Red Sandstone times became re- established in Upper Old Red Sandstone times, but with a channel network with palaeoflow to the NE in Scotland. This probably joined a southerly flowing trunk stream in the North Sea region, possibly parallel with the western Scotland-Irish Sea drainage.
Review of the trilobites from the Middle Ordovician Barr Group, Girvan district, Scotland
Authors: Tripp R. P.
Published: November 2011

Collections from the Barr Group (late Llanvirn to early Caradoc) of the Girvan district are described and occurrences of all trilobites from both the Barr and Albany groups are listed and their frequencies recorded. The close relationships with North American faunas are emphasised, and three Girvan and North American species are considered synonymous. One new species is described,Bevanopsis phyllisae. Pandaspinapygais considered a junior subjective synonym ofAcanthoparypha. The possibility thatAlwynulusmay be an aberrant staurocephalid is discussed.

Growth stages of several genera are illustrated; some show unexpectedly large differences in size and morphology in comparison with North American silicified species at the same general stage of development.
The diamond deposits of the Mandala basin, SE Guinea, West Africa
Authors: Sutherland Donald G.
Published: November 2011

The Mandala drainage basin lies in the central part of the West African craton immediately to the south of the regional watershed. There has been frequent kimberlite dyke intrusion in the basin. The kimberlites range in grade from apparently barren to having a high diamond content. The presence of other undiscovered kimberlites can be inferred from the distribution, chemistry and abundance of kimberlite satellite minerals and variations in diamond size and character. Secondary diamond deposits are widespread with the main concentrations in the present and former Mandala valley bottoms. Tributaries have lower diamond contents. There are systematic variations in the alluvial diamond characteristics which can be explained in terms of diamond sources as well as transport of the diamonds away from those sources. The occurrence of the secondary diamond deposits is explained by the form and distribution of the primary sources, the nature of the drainage network and the long-term evolution of the drainage basin. Since the Pliocene or Early Pleistocene the Mandala has been rejuvenated with incision of the main channel by up to 26 m. This incision has led to flushing of the tributaries and storage of sediment, including diamonds, in the principal channel.
Comment on: ‘The structure and petrogenesis of the Trallval and Ruinsival areas of the Rhum ultrabasic pluton’ by J. A. Volker and B. G. J. Upton
Authors: Bédard J. H. , Sparks R. S. J.
Published: November 2011

Volker and Upton (VU) have provided an excellent contribution to the study of the Rhum complex, providing substantial amounts of descriptive material and new observationsto allow the discussion to rise above mere opinion. VU disagree with two of our (Bédard et al. 1988) principal conclusions about the genesis of the Eastern Layered Series. We argue in the following comment that, on the contrary, their data support and complement our conclusions.
Numerical taxonomy of Encrinurinae (Trilobita): additional species from China and elsewhere
Authors: Temple J. T. , Hong-ji Wu
Published: November 2011

The numerical taxonomic analysis of encrinurine trilobites by Temple and Tripp (1979) is extended to 28 described Chinese species, 35 other Chinese samples, and 13 non-Chinese species, in addition to 56 species analysed previously. The 132 entities are coded for 34 cranidial and pygidial attributes, and are ordinated on the eigenvectors of the interattribute correlation matrix for 32 attributes. Chinese material falls into four clusters informally compared withCoronocephalus, Kailia, EncrinuroidesandEncrinurus. TheEncrinurus-like Chinese species occur mainly in Northern China and have links with non-Chinese species.
Cretaceous foraminiferal morphogroup distribution patterns, palaeocommunities and trophic structures: a case study from the Sergipe Basin, Brazil
Authors: Koutsoukos Eduardo A. M. , Hart Malcolm B.
Published: November 2011

Foraminiferal studies have been used in palaeo-environmental reconstructions of the marine Cretaceous succession (upper Aptian to Maastrichtian) of the Sergipe Basin, in northeastern Brazil. The foraminiferal assemblages show broadly three types of response to changes in environment: (1) variations in morphotypes of the taxa present; (2) changes in specific and generic diversity; and (3) changes in relative abundance.

Twelve palaeocommunities, characterised by the relative dominance of the major foraminiferal groups, can be recognised in the succession. Their palaeoenvironmental distribution is proposed as a model with reference to the Sergipe Cretaceous sequence.

An intimate relationship is inferred among foraminiferal association distribution patterns, trophic structures (community feeding strategy, dwelling habits, substrate niche patterns) and water-mass conditions (depth-related in part). It is suggested that the distribution patterns may be a direct response of the functional adaptive morphology of the foraminiferal tests to individual characteristics of behavioural structure (preferential dwelling microhabitat and trophic strategy versus environment). The approach is a simple, yet very powerful tool, for the interpretation of foraminiferal palaeocommunities and palaeoceanographic research. It may also permit interpretation of palaeocommunity strategies in terms of adaptation rate and selection response (i.e. “r-selection” versus “k-selection”) to variable environmental conditions.
The Torridonian Stac Fada Member: a discussion
Authors: Stewart A. D.
Published: November 2011

Sanders and Johnston (1989) have recently suggested that the Stac Fada Member is a fluidised peperite rather than a volcanic mudflow as thought by Lawson (1972) and the writer (1988). I agree that the volcanic mudflow hypothesis is flawed, but give reasons below for thinking that the new hypothesis is also untenable.
Agnostid trilobites from the Lower Ordovician of southern Sweden
Authors: Ahlberg Per
Published: November 2011

Agnostid trilobites are described from the Lower Ordovician (Oelandian Series) of Öland, Östergötland, Västergötland and Närke, southern Sweden. In addition, a few agnostids are described from the Ceratopyge Limestone (upper Tremadoc) of Scania (Skåne), the southernmost province of Sweden. 24 species (of whichGalbagnostus nericiensisis new), assigned to four genera, are described or discussed. Species ofGeragnostusandArthrorhachisdominate numerically. Also recorded locally are species ofGalbagnostusandLeiagnostus. Most species have a markedly restricted vertical distribution, and many species appear to have a sufficiently short range to be of value in stage- and zone-level correlation. Agnostids are represented almost throughout the Lower Ordovician of southern Sweden, but they have not been recorded from the Tremadocian “Dictyonema” and Ceratopyge Shales, nor from the upper Holen Limestone (upper Kundan Stage). In the Ordovician of Baltoscandia, agnostids are largely restricted to the Central Baltoscandian Confacies Belt; they are very rare or absent in the adjacent belts to the east and in the graptolitic shales of the Scanian Confacies Belt.
Ashgill greywackes in the Southern Uplands of Scotland: an extension of the Ordovician succession in the Northern Belt
Authors: Floyd J. D. , Rushton A. W. A.
Published: November 2011

In the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the youngest greywackes along the SE margin of the Northern Belt are shown to be of Ashgill age. Mudstones interbedded with the dominantly quartzose greywackes of the Shinnel Formation have yielded Dicellograptus anceps, indicating the anceps Biozone. In addition, the newly-defined mafic-rich Glenlee Formation, lying to the SE of the Shinnel Formation in the New Galloway-Moniaive area, has yielded fossils of the pacificus Subzone, the upper subzone of the anceps Biozone. Since the oldest greywackes of the Central Belt, separated from the Northern Belt by the Orlock Bridge Fault, are now confirmed as of basal Silurian acuminatus Biozone age, the stratigraphical break across the Orlock Bridge Fault is greatly reduced, lending support to the ‘single terrane’ model for the Southern Uplands.
Taphonomy of plant fossils from the Viséan of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland
Authors: Brown R. E. , Scott A. C. , Jones T. P.
Published: November 2011

The Viséan sequence at East Kirkton contains abundant plant fossils which show a wide range of preservation states. Most of the plant fragments are allochthonous, but stigmarian rootlets are foundin situat the top of the sequence and form mats near the base, where they are preserved in cherts. Axes have commonly been reworked within tuffs at the base. The majority of the plants are preserved as fragmentary compressions, although mineral replacement of the organic matter has occurred in some places. A number of woody axes which have been permineralised by phases of calcite and silica are found in the limestone and tuffs of the sequence. These axes often show complex mineralisation patterns and can occur at the centre of stromatolitic nodules. Some are well preserved and appear to have been permineralised rapidly whereas others show evidence of decay prior to calcite growth or degradation after stromatolite developed. Fusain (fossil charcoal) is abundant in the sequence, in addition to fusain transition fossils caused by partial charring, which suggests the occurrence of palaeowildfires in the area. The plant fossils have been assigned to a number of categories (some of which are new), based on their varied preservation states.
Plant deposition in modern volcanic environments
Authors: Burnham Robyn J.
Published: November 2011

Volcanic eruptions and their deposits provide paleobiologists with an array of depositional environments in which to investigate the conditions in which exceptionally preserved flora and fauna are preserved. Studies of vegetation patterns before and after eruptions have shown that tropical vegetation makes a very rapid recovery at the vegetational level (proportion of devastated land covered). The recolonisation of the rare elements of a diversified flora, however, is slow, and so is the rebound of floristic richness, assembled over centuries from surrounding patches of vegetation and from in situ speciation.

Two major volcanic events that occurred in the past 15 years were studied in an attempt to understand the processes and complex patterns of plant deposition in volcanic landscapes. Both volcanoes gave rise to terrestrial, andesitic, explosive eruptions that gave little warning of their absolute magnitude or duration. In both eruptions, sediment-dammed lakes were formed in which a large quantity of plant material was trapped. In both instances, forests were killed and both standing and fallen trunks record the composition of the pre-eruption flora. The vegetation present in the vicinity of the volcanoes was, in the case of Mount St Helens (Washington, U.S.A.), dense coniferous forest living in a cool temperate climate and, in the case of El Chichón (Chiapas, Mexico), remnants of paratropical rainforest alternating with patches of agricultural land.

Litter layers are present under the tephra at both volcanic sites, yet the pattern of deposition and quality of the plant material differs dramatically between the two, in part because of differences in the types of eruptions and in part because of the nature of the plants available for burial. One of the most significant styles of burial, unexpected in the air-fall ash deposits, is the presence of more than one eruptive layer generated by eruptions only hours apart. These separate eruption layers have different lithological characteristics and the plant deposits buried in the different layers are different in taxonomic composition. Significantly, leaves in the upland volcanic-ash deposits are preserved thus far for 10 years, even in the tropical settings where root growth might be expected to have obliterated all signs of depositional stratigraphy. These impressions and compressions have a high likelihood of entering the fossil record and provide an excellent example of upland deposition and preservation.
Elasmobranch fishes from the Viséan of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland
Authors: Paton Roberta L.
Published: November 2011

Thirteen fragments of fossil elasmobranchs can be identified with certainty from East Kirkton. Those collected in situ range from Units 32 to 37. The remains appear to come from two different families of sharks: spines which show features typical of the Lower Carboniferous hybodont Tristychius arcuatus Agassiz; teeth from a xenacanth which fall within the size range of those found in the Lower Carboniferous xenacanth Diplodoselache woodi Dick. Both these genera are found in other Oil-Shale assemblages in the Lothians. These rare shark fossils reinforce the evidence that the East Kirkton Limestone was fresh water in origin.
The aïstopod amphibian from the Viséan of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland
Authors: Milner Angela C.
Published: November 2011

One of the rarest tetrapods in the East Kirkton fauna is an aïstopod represented by very fragmentary material of five individuals. It is described as a new species of the genusOphiderpetonwhich is redefined and restricted to broad-snouted forms with large, robust teeth from the late Viséan and early Westphalian. Later Westphalian species are referred to the genusOestocephalus.
Eldeceeon rolfei, a new reptiliomorph from the Viséan of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland
Authors: Smithson T. R.
Published: November 2011

Eldeceeon rolfei gen. et sp. nov. a primitive anthracosaur from the Brigantian of East Kirkton, Scotland, is described. Uniquely among non-mammalian tetrapods, its ribs are restricted to the anterior half of the presacral column. Eldeceeon lacks the diagnostic features of the two suborders of anthracosaur, the Anthracosauroideae and Seymouriamorpha, and may represent their sister group.