New stratigraphic data from the Lower Penninic between the Adula nappe and the Gotthard massif and consequences for the tectonics and the paleogeography of the Central Alps

New stratigraphic data along a profile from the Helvetic Gotthard Massif to the remnants of the North Penninic Basin in eastern Ticino and Graubunden are presented. The stratigraphic record together with existing geochemical and structural data, motivate a new interpretation of the fossil European distal margin. We introduce a new group of Triassic facies, the North-Penninic-Triassic (NPT), which is characterised by the Ladinian "dolomie bicolori". The NPT was located in-between the Briançonnais carbonate platform and the Helvetic lands. The observed horizontal transition, coupled with the stratigraphic superposition of an Helvetic Liassic on a Briaçonnais Triassic in the Luzzone-Terri nappe, links, prior to Jurassic rifting, the Briançonnais paleogeographic domain at the Helvetic Margin, south of the Gotthard. Our observations suggest that the Jurassic rifting separated the Briançonnais domain from the Helvetic margin by complex and protracted extension. The syn-rift stratigraphic record in the Adula nappe and surroundings suggests the presence of a diffuse rising area with only moderately subsiding basins above a thinned continental and proto-oceanic crust. Strong subsidence occurred in a second phase following protracted extension and the resulting delamination of the rising area. The stratigraphic coherency in the Adula's Mesozoic questions the idea of a lithospheric mélange in the eclogitic Adula nappe, which is more likely to be a coherent alpine tectonic unit. The structural and stratigraphic observations in the Piz Terri-Lunschania zone suggest the activity of syn-rift detachments. During the alpine collision these faults are reactivated (and inverted) and played a major role in allowing the Adula subduction, the "Penninic Thrust" above it and in creating the structural complexity of the Central Alps.

Record of Decision Council Bluffs Interstate System (I-29, I-80 and I-480) Improvements Project TIER 1 Environmental Impact Statement Council Bluffs, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska FHWA-IA- EIS-04-01F Project Number: IM-029-3(62)54—13-78 Submitted Pursuant to 42 USC 4332(2)(c) and 49 USC 303, October 2008

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approves the selection of the Reconstruction of All or Part of the Interstate (Construction Alternative) as the Preferred Alternative to provide improvements to the interstate system in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area, extending across the Missouri River on Interstate 80 to east of the Interstate 480 interchange in Omaha, Nebraska. The study considered long-term, broad-based transportation improvements along Interstate I-29 (I-29), I-80, and I-480, including approximately 18 mainline miles of interstate and 14 interchanges (3 system, 11 service), that would add capacity and correct functional issues along the mainline and interchanges and upgrade the I-80 Missouri River Crossing. FHWA also approves the decisions to provide full access between West Broadway and I-29, design the I-80/I-29 overlap section as a dual-divided freeway, and locating the new I-80 Missouri River Bridge north of the existing bridge. Improvements to the interstate system, once implemented, would bring the segments of I-80 and I-29 (see Figure 1) up to current engineering standards and accommodate future traffic needs. This Record of Decision (ROD) concludes Tier 1 of the Council Bluffs Interstate System (CBIS) Improvements Project. Tier 1 included an examination of the area’s transportation needs, a study of alternatives to satisfy them, and broad consideration of potential environmental and social impacts. The Tier 1 evaluation consisted of a sufficient level of engineering and environmental detail to assist decision makers in selecting a preferred transportation strategy. During Tier 1 a Draft EIS (FHWA-IA- EIS-04-01D) was developed which was approved by FHWA, Iowa DOT, and Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) in November 2004 with comments accepted through March 15, 2005. The Draft EIS summarized the alternatives that were considered to address the transportation needs around Council Bluffs; identified reconstruction of all or part of the interstate, the “Construction Alternative,” as the Preferred Alternative; identified three system-level decisions that needed to be made at the Tier 1 level; and invited comment on the issues. The Final EIS (FHWA-IA- EIS-04-01F) further documented the Construction Alternative as the Preferred Alternative and identified the recommended decisions for the three system level decisions that needed to be made in Tier 1. This ROD defines the Selected Alternative determined in the Tier 1 studies.

The 500 Ma-old Thyon metagranite: A new A-type granite occurrence in the western Penninic Alps (Wallis, Switzerland)

The Thyon metagranite is located in the frontal part of the Siviez-Mischabel Nappe, in the western Penninic Alps. It is intrusive in a polymetamorphic banded volcanic complex as leucocratic concordant sills with pseudoaplitic rims. A distinct metamorphic schistosity is defined by dark-green Fe-rich biotite. Abundant mesoperthites, chess-board albite and low microcline are presumably related to magmatic stages and/or greenschist-facies metamorphic retrogression. Major, trace element and REE geochemistry, zircon typology, Y and Nb-bearing accessory minerals such as fergusonite and euxenite, all point to a metaluminous to peraluminous alkaline A-type granite. High-precision U-Pb zircon dating yielded a sub-concordant age of 500 +3/-4 Ma. The Thyon metagranite is the third record of a Cambro-Ordovician alkaline magmatic activity in the Alps. As A-type granitic magmatism is common in post-orogenic to anorogenic extensional tectonic regime, the Thyon intrusion could mark the transition between the Cadomian and the Caledonian orogenies.

Consumer Advisory: Navigating the New Health Insurance Marketplace, September 2013

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Navigating the New Health Insurance Marketplace

Stable isotopes in lake Geneva carbonate sediments and molluscs: Review and new data

New isotopic results on bulk carbonate and mollusc (gastropods and bivalves) samples from Lake Geneva (Switzerland), spanning the period from the Oldest Dryas to the present day, are compared with pre-existing stable isotope data. According to preliminary calibration of modern samples, Lake Geneva endogenic calcite precipitates at or near oxygen isotopic equilibrium with ambient water, confirming the potential of this large lake to record paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. The onset of endogenic calcite precipitation at the beginning of the Allerod biozone is clearly indicated by the oxygen isotopic signature of bulk carbonate. A large change in delta(13)C values occurs during the Preboreal. This carbon shift is likely to be due to a change in bioproductivity and/or to a `'catchment effect'', the contribution of biogenic CO2 from the catchment area to the dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir of the lake water becoming significant only during the Preboreal. Gastropods are confirmed as valuable for studies of changes in paleotemperature and in paleowater isotopic composition, despite the presence of a vital effect. Mineralogical evidence indicates an increased detrital influence upon sedimentation since the Subboreal time period. On the other hand, stable isotope measurements of Subatlantic carbonate sediments show values comparable to those of pure endogenic calcite and of gastropods (taking into account the vital effect). This apparent disagreement still remains difficult to explain.

Deccan volcanism linked to the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary mass extinction: New evidence from ONGC wells in the Krishna-Godavari basin

A scientific challenge is to assess the role of Deccan volcanism in the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (KTB) mass extinction. Here we report on the stratigraphy and biologic effects of Deccan volcanism in eleven deep wells from the Krishna-Godavari (K-G) Basin, Andhra Pradesh, India. In these wells, two phases of Deccan volcanism record the world's largest and longest lava mega-flows interbedded in marine sediments in the K-G Basin about 1500 km from the main Deccan volcanic province. The main phase-2 eruptions (similar to 80% of total Deccan Traps) began in C29r and ended at or near the KTB, an interval that spans planktic foraminiferal zones CF1-CF2 and most of the nannofossil Micula prinsii zone, and is correlative with the rapid global warming and subsequent cooling near the end of the Maastrichtian. The mass extinction began in phase-2 preceding the first of four mega-flows. Planktic foraminifera suffered a 50% drop in species richness. Survivors suffered another 50% drop after the first mega-flow, leaving just 7 to 8 survivor species. No recovery occurred between the next three mega-flows and the mass extinction was complete with the last phase-2 mega-flow at the KTB. The mass extinction was likely the consequence of rapid and massive volcanic CO(2) and SO(2) gas emissions, leading to high continental weathering rates, global warming, cooling, acid rains, ocean acidification and a carbon crisis in the marine environment. Deccan volcanism phase-3 began in the early Danian near the C29R/C29n boundary correlative with the planktic foraminiferal zone P1a/P1b boundary and accounts for similar to 14% of the total volume of Deccan eruptions, including four of Earth's longest and largest mega-flows. No major faunal changes are observed in the intertrappeans of zone P1b, which suggests that environmental conditions remained tolerable, volcanic eruptions were less intense and/or separated by longer time intervals thus preventing runaway effects. Alternatively, early Danian assemblages evolved in adaptation to high-stress conditions in the aftermath of the mass extinction and therefore survived phase-3 volcanism. Full marine biotic recovery did not occur until after Deccan phase-3. These data suggest that the catastrophic effects of phase-2 Deccan volcanism upon the Cretaceous planktic foraminifera were a function of both the rapid and massive volcanic eruptions and the highly specialized faunal assemblages prone to extinction in a changing environment. Data from the K-G Basin indicates that Deccan phase-2 alone could have caused the KTB mass extinction and that impacts may have had secondary effects.

A new species of Austrofilius (Crustacea, Isopoda, Janiridae) from the Western Mediterranean

A new species of janiridean isopod, Austrofilius mediterraneus sp. nov., from the Columbretes Islands (Castellón de la Plana), Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula, is described, given it is the first record of the genus in the Northern Hemisphere. It is mainly distinguished from the other two species of the genus by the male pleopod 1, which is wider at the apex and with hooked lateral lobes, curved and nearly surpassing medial lobes. Furthermore, the female operculum shows only four distolateral setae. The rostrum of Austrofilius mediterraneus sp. nov. is extended into single frontolateral tips but is shorter than in A. furcatus Hodgson, 1910.

A composite stratigraphy for the Neoproterozoic Huqf Supergroup of Oman: integrating new litho-, chemo- and chronostratigraphic data of the Mirbat area, southern Oman

The Huqf Supergroup in Oman contains an exceptionally well-preserved and complete sedimentary record of the Middle to Late Neoproterozoic Era. Outcrops of the Huqf Supergroup in northern and central Oman are now well documented, but their correlation with a key succession in the Mirbat area of southern Oman, containing a sedimentary record of two Neoproterozoic glaciations, is poorly understood. Integration of lithostratigraphic, chemostratigraphic and new U-Pb detrital zircon data suggests that the Mirbat Group is best placed within the Cryogenian (c. 850-635 Ma) part of the Huqf Supergroup. The c. I km thick marine deposits of the Arkahawl and Marsham Formations of the Mirbat Group are thought to represent a stratigraphic interval between older Cryogenian and younger Cryogenian glaciations that is not preserved elsewhere in Oman. The bulk of detrital zircons in the Huqf Supergroup originate from Neoproterozoic parent rocks. However, older Mesoproterozoic, Palaeoproterozoic and even Archaean zircons can be recognized in the detrital population from the upper Mahara Group (Fiq Formation) and Nafun Group, suggesting the tapping of exotic sources, probably from the Arabian-Nubian Shield.

High-resolution ammonite and carbon isotope stratigraphy across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary at New York Canyon (Nevada)

The Triassic-Jurassic boundary is generally considered as one of the major extinctions in the history of Phanerozoic. The high-resolution ammonite correlations and carbon isotope marine record in the New York Canyon area allow to distinguish two negative carbon excursions across this boundary with different paleoenvironmental meanings. The Late Rhaetian negative excursion is related to the extinction and regressive phase. The Early Hettangian delta(13)C(org) negative excursion is associated with a major floristic turnover and major ammonite and radiolarian radiation. The end-Triassic extinction-Early Jurassic recovery is fully compatible with a volcanism-triggered crisis, probably related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The main environmental stress might have been generated by repeated release of SO(2) gas, heavy metals emissions, darkening, and subsequent cooling. This phase was followed by a major long-term CO(2) accumulation during the Early Hettangian with development of nutrient-rich marine waters favouring the recovery of productivity and deposition of black shales. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New stratigraphic data from the Lower Penninic between the Adula nappe and the Gotthard massif and consequences for the tectonics and the paleogeography of the Central Alps

New stratigraphic data along a profile from the Helvetic Gotthard massif to the remnants of the North Penninic basin in eastern Ticino and Graubunden are presented. The stratigraphic record together with existing geochemical and structural data, motivate a new interpretation of the fossil European distal margin. We introduce a new group of Triassic facies, the North-Penninic-Triassic (NPT), which is characterised by the Ladinian ``dolomie bicolori''. The NPT was located in-between the Brianconnais carbonate platform and the Helvetic lands. The observed horizontal transition, coupled with the stratigraphic superposition of a Helvetic Liassic on a Briaconnais Triassic in the Luzzone-Terri nappe, links, prior to Jurassic rifting, the Brianconnais paleogeographic domain at the Helvetic margin, south of the Gotthard. Our observations suggest that the Jurassic rifting separated the Brianconnais domain from the Helvetic margin by complex and protracted extension. The syn-rift stratigraphic record in the Adula nappe and surroundings suggests the presence of a diffuse rising area with only moderately subsiding basins above a thinned continental and proto-oceanic crust. Strong subsidence occurred in a second phase following protracted extension and the resulting delamination of the rising area. The stratigraphic coherency in the Adula's Mesozoic questions the idea of a lithospheric m lange in the eclogitic Adula nappe, which is more likely to be a coherent alpine tectonic unit. The structural and stratigraphic observations in the Piz Terri-Lunschania zone suggest the activity of syn-rift detachments. During the alpine collision these faults are reactivated (and inverted) and played a major role in allowing the Adula subduction, the ``Penninic Thrust'' above it and in creating the structural complexity of the Central Alps. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consumer Focus: These Chips and Good for You: New Credit and Debit Card Chips, April 2016

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: New Credit and Debit Card Chips

Schizophrenia: glutathione deficit as a new vulnerability factor for disconnectivity syndrome

(from the journal abstract) Schizophrenia, a major psychiatric disease, affects individuals in the centre of their personality. Its aetiology is not clearly established. In this review, we will present evidence that patients suffering of schizophrenia present a brain deficit in glutathione, a major endogenous redox regulator and antioxidant. We will also show that, in experimental models, a decrease in glutathione, particularly during development, induces morphological, electrophysiological and behavioural anomalies consistent with those observed in the disease. In the cerebrospinal fluid of drug-naive schizophrenics, glutathione level was decreased by 27% and its direct metabolite of glutathione by 16%. Glutathione level in prefrontal cortex of patients, measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, was 52% lower than in controls. Patients' fibroblasts reveal a decrease in mRNA levels of the two glutathione synthesising enzymes, glutamatecysteine ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) and glutathione synthetase. GCLM expression level in fibroblasts correlates negatively with symptoms severity. Glutathione is an important endogenous redox regulator and neuroactive substance. It is protecting cells from damage by reactive oxygen species generated, among others, by dopamine metabolism. A glutathione deficit-induced oxidative stress would lead to lipid peroxidation and micro-lesions at the level of dendritic spines, a synaptic damage responsible for abnormal nervous connections or structural disconnectivity. On the other hand, a glutathione deficit could also lead to a functional disconnectivity by depressing NMDA neurotransmission, in analogy to phencyclidine effects. Present experimental data are consistent with the proposed hypothesis: decreasing pharmacologically glutathione level in experimental models, with or without blocking dopamine (DA) uptake (GBR12909), induces morphological, electrophysiological and behavioural changes similar to those observed in patients. In summary, a deficit of glutathione and/or glutathione-related enzymes during early development would lead to both a functional and a structural disconnectivity, which could be at the basis of some perceptive, cognitive and behavioural troubles of the disease. It could constitute a major vulnerability factor for schizophrenia. Attempts to restore physiological glutathione functions could open new therapeutic avenues. This translational research, made possible by a close interaction between clinicians and neuroscientists, should also pave the way to the identification of biological markers for schizophrenia. In turn, they should allow early diagnostic and hopefully preventive intervention to this devastating disease. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved)

Population specific and up to date cardiovascular risk charts can be efficiently obtained with record linkage of routine and observational data.

BACKGROUND: Only few countries have cohorts enabling specific and up-to-date cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk estimation. Individual risk assessment based on study samples that differ too much from the target population could jeopardize the benefit of risk charts in general practice. Our aim was to provide up-to-date and valid CVD risk estimation for a Swiss population using a novel record linkage approach. METHODS: Anonymous record linkage was used to follow-up (for mortality, until 2008) 9,853 men and women aged 25-74 years who participated in the Swiss MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CVD) study of 1983-92. The linkage success was 97.8%, loss to follow-up 1990-2000 was 4.7%. Based on the ESC SCORE methodology (Weibull regression), we used age, sex, blood pressure, smoking, and cholesterol to generate three models. We compared the 1) original SCORE model with a 2) recalibrated and a 3) new model using the Brier score (BS) and cross-validation. RESULTS: Based on the cross-validated BS, the new model (BS = 14107×10(-6)) was somewhat more appropriate for risk estimation than the original (BS = 14190×10(-6)) and the recalibrated (BS = 14172×10(-6)) model. Particularly at younger age, derived absolute risks were consistently lower than those from the original and the recalibrated model which was mainly due to a smaller impact of total cholesterol. CONCLUSION: Using record linkage of observational and routine data is an efficient procedure to obtain valid and up-to-date CVD risk estimates for a specific population.

Annona squamosa, a new host of Ceratocystis fimbriata

Mango branch blight disease, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is endemic to the municipality of São Fidelis in northern Rio de Janeiro State. In addition to mango, C. fimbriata was found associated with sugar apple trees (Annona squamosa) showing symptoms of branch blight in São Fidelis. Sugar apple and mango isolates from the same region had the same morphology and showed similar ITS-rDNA sequences. These sequences were also similar to other Brazilian isolates of C. fimbriata sensu stricto. Cross inoculation of such isolates obtained from diseased sugar apple and mango resulted in diseased symptoms on both plant species. This is the first record of A. squamosa as a host for C. fimbriata.