Isometric strength of the upper extremities in Czech men older than 18 years

The aim of this study was to compare isometric strength of the upper extremities in a sample of men from the Czech republic (n=638). Only the dominant upper limb was tested. The examined subjects were 18 years old or older. The measured values (in kilograms) were obtained via hand-held dynamometry testing (a digital hand-held dynamometer). The results of the hand-held dynamometry testing were compared across six age categories (18-29, 30-39, 40-49.... 70+ years). It was found that isometric strength of the dominant upper limb in men increases up to the age group 30-39 years and then declines. The highest average value (55.6 kg) was found in the age group 30-39 years, and expectably, the lowest values (34.4 kg) were documented in the age category 70+ years. The largest decline in isometric strength (-8.8 kg) was found between the age groups 60-69 years and 70+ years.

Tectonic evolution of the Proterozoic Itremo Group metasediments in central Madagascar

The major geologic units of the Itremo region in central Madagascar include: (1) upper amphibolite to granulite facies (higher grade) Precambrian rocks, mainly para- and orthogneisses, and migmatites; (2) the newly defined Itremo Nappes, a fold-and-thrust belt containing the Proterozoic Itremo Group sediments, metamorphosed at greenschist to lower amphibolite facies (lower grade) conditions: (3) Middle Neoproterozoic and Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian intrusives. The stratigraphic succession of the Itremo Group in the eastern part of the Itremo region is, from bottom to top: quartzites, metapelites, metacarbonates and metapelites overlain by metacarbonates. During D1 the Itremo Group sediments were detached from their continental substratum, deformed into a fold-and-thrust nappe (Itremo Nappes), and transported on top of higher grade rocks that are intruded by Middle Neoproterozoic (c. 797–780 Ma) granites and gabbros. A second phase of deformation shortening (D2) affected both the Itremo Sedimentary Nappes and structurally underlying higher-grade rocksunits, and formed large-scale N-S-trending F2 folds. S1 axial plane foliations in Itremo Group sediments are truncated by Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian granites (c. 570–540 Ma). The age of the formation of the Itremo Nappes is not well constrained: they formed in Neoproterozoic times between 780 and 570 Ma.

(Figure 2) Distribution of planktonic foraminifera in the upper Paleocene of DSDP Hole 93-605

Good faunal preservation in the upper part of the Planorotatites pseudomenardii Zone at Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 605, northwestern Atlantic, allows a biometric analysis of the upper Paleocene planktonic foraminiferal species Planorotatites pseudomenardii (Belli), a keeled species that probably developed from a middle Paleocene unkeeled Planorotalites form. Multivariate analysis shows a consistent separation of all Planorotatites specimens into two groups, which are differentiated by the presence or absence of a complete keel; other variables are only of minor importance. The keeled group coincides with P. pseudomenardii. We recognize only one unkeeled species, Planorotalites chapmani (Parr), with Planorotalites ehrenbergi (Bolli), Planorotalites imitata (Subbotina), Planorotalites planoconica (Subbotina), Planorotalites troelseni (Loeblich and Tappan), and Planorotalites hausbergensis (Gohrbrandt) as junior synonyms. P. chapmani ranges from the middle Paleocene to at least the top of the upper Paleocene. The morphology of P. pseudomenardii does not change significantly, and although the frequency of Planorotalites is variable, the proportion of P. pseudomenardii to all Planorotalites varies only slightly around 65% in the upper two-thirds of its range at Site 605. However, in the top 1.5 m of its range the proportion of P. pseudomenardii decreases; in the same section, all Planorotalites specimens show a reduction in the size of their tests, suggesting that a temporary change in environmental conditions led to the exit of P. pseudomenardii\ in Magnetozone C24R at Site 605-apparently higher than expected from current standard zonations. Unkeeled Planorotalites, in contrast to R. pseudomenardii, persisted and regained normal size. The entry of P. pseudomenardii at Site 605 cannot be described in the same detail because of low frequencies of Planorotalites specimens and an erratic distribution of P. pseudomenardii in the lower part of its range. Many of the washed residues of the samples from these sediments are dominated by radiolarians, and the poorly preserved foraminiferal faunas may have abundant benthics, indicating carbonate dissolution. The initially low frequencies of P pseudomenardii relative to the unkeeled Planorotalites show a strong negative correlation with the total amount of radiolarians per sample and could be the result of preferential preservation, as well as of the same environmental conditions that caused the abundance of radiolarians.

Characteristics of soil profiles from the Ouémé Upper Catchment (HVO), Térou, Benin

Soil degradation threatens agricultural production and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the coming decades, soil degradation, in particular soil erosion, will become worse through the expansion of agriculture into savannah and forest and changes in climate. This study aims to improve the understanding of how land use and climate change affect the hydrological cycle and soil erosion rates at the catchment scale. We used the semi-distributed, time-continuous erosion model SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) to quantify runoff processes and sheet and rill erosion in the Upper Ouémé River catchment (14500 km**2, Central Benin) for the period 1998-2005. We could then evaluate a range of land use and climate change scenarios with the SWAT model for the period 2001-2050 using spatial data from the land use model CLUE-S and the regional climate model REMO. Field investigations were performed to parameterise a soil map, to measure suspended sediment concentrations for model calibration and validation and to characterise erosion forms, degraded agricultural fields and soil conservation practices. Modelling results reveal current "hotspots" of soil erosion in the north-western, eastern and north-eastern parts of the Upper Ouémé catchment. As a consequence of rapid expansion of agricultural areas triggered by high population growth (partially caused by migration) and resulting increases in surface runoff and topsoil erosion, the mean sediment yield in the Upper Ouémé River outlet is expected to increase by 42 to 95% by 2025, depending on the land use scenario. In contrast, changes in climate variables led to decreases in sediment yield of 5 to 14% in 2001-2025 and 17 to 24% in 2026-2050. Combined scenarios showed the dominance of land use change leading to changes in mean sediment yield of -2 to +31% in 2001-2025. Scenario results vary considerably within the catchment. Current "hotspots" of soil erosion will aggravate, and a new "hotspot" will appear in the southern part of the catchment. Although only small parts of the Upper Ouémé catchment belong to the most degraded zones in the country, sustainable soil and plant management practices should be promoted in the entire catchment. The results of this study can support planning of soil conservation activities in Benin.

Analysis of water quality standards, Upper Sangamon Basin, Illinois /

Cover title.

Analysis of water quality : upper Kaskaskia River Basin, Illinois /

Bibliography: p. 31-1-31-4.

Mike Wallace and group, 23 October 1998

Sticker on back reads "9810-2305 / 23 October 1998 / UN Photo" - also inscribed in upper right corner "20"

High-Risk Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Skin Treated With Synchronous Carboplatin/Etoposide and Radiation: A Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group Study-TROG 96:07

Purpose: The effectiveness of synchronous carboplatin, etoposide, and radiation therapy was prospectively assessed in a group of patients with high-risk Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin. Patients and Methods: Patients were eligible if they had disease localized to the primary site and nodes, and were required to have at least one of the following high risk features: recurrence after initial therapy, involved nodes, primary tumor size greater than 1 cm, gross residual disease after surgery, or occult primary with nodes. Radiation was delivered to the primary site and nodes to a dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks and synchronous carboplatin (area under the curve, 4.5) and intravenous etoposide 80 mg/m(2) days 1 to 3 was given in weeks 1, 4, 7, and 10. The median age of the group was 67 (range, 43-86) years, and there were 39 males and 14 females. Involved nodes (stage II) were present in 33 cases (62%). The sites involved were head and neck (22 patients), occult primary (13 patients), upper limb (eight patients), lower limb (eight patients), and trunk (two patients). Results: Fifty-three patients were entered between 1996 and 2001. The median potential follow-up was 48 months. There were no treatment related deaths. The 3-year overall survival, locoregional control, and distant control were 76%, 75%, and 76%, respectively. Tumor site and the presence of nodes were factors that were predictive for local control and survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that the major factor influencing survival was the presence of nodes; however, this was not a significant factor in locoregional control. Conclusion: High levels of locoregional control and survival have been achieved with the addition of chemotherapy to radiation treatment for high-risk MCC of the skin. The role of chemoradiotherapy for high-risk MCC warrants further investigation. (C) 2003 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Patients with chronic neck pain demonstrate altered patterns of muscle activation during performance of a functional upper limb task

Study Design. Cross-sectional study. Objective. This study compared neck muscle activation patterns during and after a repetitive upper limb task between patients with idiopathic neck pain, whiplash-associated disorders, and controls. Summary of Background Data. Previous studies have identified altered motor control of the upper trapezius during functional tasks in patients with neck pain. Whether the cervical flexor muscles demonstrate altered motor control during functional activities is unknown. Methods. Electromyographic activity was recorded from the sternocleidomastoid, anterior scalenes, and upper trapezius muscles. Root mean square electromyographic amplitude was calculated during and on completion of a functional task. Results. A general trend was evident to suggest greatest electromyograph amplitude in the sternocleidomastoid, anterior scalenes, and left upper trapezius muscles for the whiplash-associated disorders group, followed by the idiopathic group, with lowest electromyographic amplitude recorded for the control group. A reverse effect was apparent for the right upper trapezius muscle. The level of perceived disability ( Neck Disability Index score) had a significant effect on the electromyographic amplitude recorded between neck pain patients. Conclusions. Patients with neck pain demonstrated greater activation of accessory neck muscles during a repetitive upper limb task compared to asymptomatic controls. Greater activation of the cervical muscles in patients with neck pain may represent an altered pattern of motor control to compensate for reduced activation of painful muscles. Greater perceived disability among patients with neck pain accounted for the greater electromyographic amplitude of the superficial cervical muscles during performance of the functional task.

Upper Devonian biostratigraphy of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southwest Spain Part One: Miospores

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), which forms part of the Variscan orogenic massif, is renowned for the magnitude and extent of its massive sulfide mineralization. The stratigraphic record of the IPB consists of Upper Palaeozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks. In ascending order, these comprise the thick Phyllite-Quartzite Group attributed to the Middle and Upper Devonian and characterized by shales and quartzites with conglomeratic and carbonate intercalations towards the top; the appreciably thinner Volcano-Sedimentary Complex, a heterogeneous uppermost Devonian-Mississippian unit embodying diverse volcanic, subvolcanic, and sedimentary rocks that host the massive sulfide deposits; and the shaly and sandy, turbiditic Culm Group (Carboniferous). This entire succession was folded and faulted during the Asturian phase of the Variscan Orogeny that gave rise to a thin-skinned type structure. The present study constitutes a detailed blostratigraphic investigation of palynologically productive samples representative of the Phyllite-Quartzite Group and the basal (anoxic) portion of the Volcano-Sedimentary Complex. These were collected from surface and mine exposures variously located in the Spanish part of the IPB; out of 282 samples processed, 117 proved to be productive palynologically. The aim of this project is to provide comprehensive palynostratigraphic data applicable to precise dating and correlation of the IPB's stratigraphic succession (i.e., of the two sampled lithostratigraphic units), which has hitherto been investigated biostratigraphically on a relatively localized basis. The results are incorporated in two successive parts. The first of these, i. e., the present paper, focuses on the systematic analysis of the terrestrial (miospore) component of the palynological assemblages. The second part, devoted to the marine, organic-walled microphytoplankton (acritarchs and prasinophytes), will evaluate the stratigraphic significance of the IPB palynofloras and their application to elucidating the geological history of the region. In the systematic-descriptive section, which occupies the bulk of this paper, 55 species of trilete miospores are described and are allocated among 34 genera, two of which (Cristicavatispora and Epigruspora) are newly instituted herein. The majority of the species are either positively identifiable or closely affiliable with previously named species. The nine newly established species are as follows: Camptozonotriletes confertus, Indotriradites diversispinosus, Cristicavatispora dispersa (type species), Epigruspora regularis (type species), Ancyrospora? implicata, Endosporites tuberosus, Rugospora explicata, Spelaeotriletes plicatus, and Teichertospora iberica.

Upper Devonian biostratigraphy of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southwest Spain Part Two: Organic-walled microphytoplankton

Upper Devonian rocks of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) in southwest Spain, comprising the Phyllite-Quartzite Group (PQ) and the lower part of the overlying Volcano-Sedimentary Complex (VSC), contain a diversity of terrestrial and marine palynomorphs (miospores and organic-walled microphytoplankton, respectively), which constitute the basis of this biostratigraphically oriented research project. Part One of the report has previously detailed the miospore content of the constituent 117 palyniferous samples. In the present paper (i.e., the concluding Part Two), the organic-walled microphytoplankton (acritarchs and prasinophyte phycomata) are systematically described and illustrated, and their occurrence in the study material is fully documented. The acritarchs are represented by 23 species (including one species complex) allocated among 14 genera (one of which, Dupliciradiatum, is newly established), together with a very rare and novel category (informally termed Gen. nov. A). The following new acritarch species are formally instituted: Dupliciradiatum crassum (type species), D. tenue, Histopalla languida, and Winwaloeusia repagulata. Five genera allied with the prasinophycean algae are identified; these accommodate a total of 15 species of which two - Cymatiosphaera tenuimembrana and Maranhites multioculus - are formally proposed as new. In addition, representatives of the prasinophyte genera Leiosphaeridia and Tasmanites are recorded but are not discriminated at species level. The microphytoplankton suite is clearly consonant, from previously published occurrences in other regions, with a Late Devonian dating. However, most of the species are known to be relatively long ranging through (and in some cases beyond) that epoch and hence are not amenable to detailed biozonal subdivision of the IPB succession. Moreover, the distribution of the species therein tends to be erratic in comparison with the more consistently occurring miospores, possibly due to stress factors induced by fluctuating conditions in the IPBs Upper Devonian marine environment. By contrast, the land-derived (miospore) assemblages are readily applicable in a blostratigraphic context: they can be correlated precisely with the Devonian miospore biozonation scheme for Western Europe. In those terms, the sampled PQ strata are assignable to the Diducites versabilis-Grandispora cornuta (VCo) Biozone of late Famennian age; while the samples from the anoxic sequence at the base of the VSC belong to the Retispora lepidophyta-Verrucosisporites nitidus (LN) Biozone (latest Famennian = latest Devonian). The biochronostratigraphic data, in conjunction with the findings from earlier IPB studies, imply two appreciable palynostratigraphic breaks within the PQ. These are representative, respectively, of the lower Frasnian-middle Famennian interval and of part of the Strunian/upper Famennian. Speculation currently remains as to whether the inferred gaps are more apparent than real; i.e., whether one or both represent actual hiatuses in IPB sedimentation or are simply a manifestation of hitherto unsampled and/or non-palyniferous PQ strata.

The sedimentology and diagenesis of the Pendleside limestone group in the Craven Basin of Northern England. Available in 2 volumes.

This thesis describes the stratigraphy, sedimentology and diagenesis of the Pendleside Limestone (Asbian age), a sequence of limestones, shales and dolostones in the Clitheroe area of N. W. England. Field study of 19 measured sections indicates that it was deposited in a rhythmically subsiding basin (Craven Basin) because of movements on the Mid-Craven Fault which was active in Dinantian times. The sequence is up to 190m thick and consists mostly of distal turbidite deposits which have been reworked at horizons when sediment accumulation built up to the wave base. The original depositional fabric and mineralogy of the Pendleside Limestone Group has been extensively modified by diagenetic processes including cementation, authi­genesis, dolomitization and silicification. These processes have been studied using a wide variety of laboratory techniques. The carbonate cements of the PendIeside Limestone consist predominantly of ferroan calcite and non-ferroan calcite with microdolomite incIusions. The former is probably a stable replacement of original-high-magnesian calcite. Cementation was accompanied by the formation of authigenic albite and quartz. Much of the upper part of the Pendleside Limestone has been extensively dolomitized and chertified. Several distinct zones of dolomitization are found which increase in thickness and intensity towards the top of the Pendleside Limestone Group. The dolostone horizons correspond to coarser-grained lithologies deposited during periods of shallow water sedimentation. The composition of the dolomites changes from ferroan dolomite in the lower part of the Group to non-ferroan dolomite in the upper part. The low strontium and sodium content of the dolostones in association with the other evidence suggests that the dolomitization was brought about in an open system by the mixing of marine and fresh water in phreatic lens which were established at periodic intervals. The dolomitization was closely associated with chertification although this was initiated by the dissolution of siliceous spicules which provided the necessary source of silica.

Fossil associations from the middle and upper Eocene strata of the Pamplona Basin and surrounding areas (Navarre, western Pyrenees)

Fossil associations from the middle and upper Eocene (Bartonian and Priabonian) sedimentary succession of the Pamplona Basin are described. This succession was accumulated in the western part of the South Pyrenean peripheral foreland basin and extends from deep-marine turbiditic (Ezkaba Sandstone Formation) to deltaic (Pamplona Marl, Ardanatz Sandstone and Ilundain Marl formations) and marginal marine deposits (Gendulain Formation). The micropalaeontological content is high. It is dominated by foraminifera, and common ostracods and other microfossils are also present. The fossil ichnoasssemblages include at least 23 ichnogenera and 28 ichnospecies indicative of Nereites, Cruziana, Glossifungites and ?Scoyenia-Mermia ichnofacies. Body macrofossils of 78 taxa corresponding to macroforaminifera, sponges, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms and vertebrates have been identified. Both the number of ichnotaxa and of species (e. g. bryozoans, molluscs and condrichthyans) may be considerably higher. Body fossil assemblages are comparable to those from the Eocene of the Nord Pyrenean area (Basque Coast), and also to those from the Eocene of the west-central and eastern part of South Pyrenean area (Aragon and Catalonia). At the European scale, the molluscs assemblages seem endemic from the Pyrenean area, although several Tethyan (Italy and Alps) and Northern elements (Paris basin and Normandy) have been recorded. Palaeontological data of studied sedimentary units fit well with the shallowing process that throughout the middle and late Eocene occurs in the area, according to the sedimentological and stratigraphical data.

Strontium isotopes and sedimentology of a marine Triassic succession (upper Ladinian) of the westernmost Tethys, Spain

Chemical Stratigraphy, or the study of the variation of chemical elements within sedimentary sequences, has gradually become an experienced tool in the research and correlation of global geologic events. In this paper 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios of the Triassic marine carbonates (Muschelkalk facies) of southeast Iberian Ranges, Iberian Peninsula, are presented and the representative Sr-isotopic curve constructed for the upper Ladinian interval. The studied stratigraphic succession is 102 meters thick, continuous, and well preserved. Previous paleontological data from macro and micro, ammonites, bivalves, foraminifera, conodonts and palynological assemblages, suggest a Fassanian-Longobardian age (Late Ladinian). Although diagenetic minerals are present in small amounts, the elemental data content of bulk carbonate samples, especially Sr contents, show a major variation that probably reflects palaeoenvironmental changes. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios curve shows a rise from 0.707649 near the base of the section to 0.707741 and then declines rapidly to 0.707624, with a final values rise up to 0.70787 in the upper part. The data up to meter 80 in the studied succession is broadly concurrent with 87Sr/86Sr ratios of sequences of similar age and complements these data. Moreover, the sequence stratigraphic framework and its key surfaces, which are difficult to be recognised just based in the facies analysis, are characterised by combining variations of the Ca, Mg, Mn, Sr and CaCO3 contents