大兴安岭南段中生代火山-侵入杂岩带的双层叠置构造体制兼论滇中武定、易门碳酸质火山岩年代、来源及矿库与找矿研究

These are two parts included in this report. In the first part, the zonation of the complexes in its series, lithofacies, the depth of magma source and chambers is discussed in detailed for the first time based on the new data of petrol-chemistry, isotopes, tectono-magma activity of Mesozoic volcano-plutonic complexes in the southern Great Hinggan Mts. Then, the genetic model of the zonality, double overlapped layer system, is proposed. The main conclusions are presented as follows: The Mesozoic volcanic-plutonic complexes in the southern Great Hinggan were formed by four stages of magma activity on the base of the subduction system formed in late Paleozoic. The Mesozoic magmatic activity began in Meso-Jurassic Epoch, flourished in late Jurassic Epoch, and declined in early Cretaceous Epoch. The complexes consist dominantly of acidic rocks with substantial intermediate rocks and a few mefic ones include the series of calc alkaline, high potassium calc alkaline, shoshonite, and a few alkaline. Most of those rocks are characterized by high potassium. The volcano-plutonic complexes is characterized by zonality, and can be divided mainly into there zones. The west zone, located in northwestern side of gneiss zone in Great Xinggan mountains, are dominated of high potassium basalts and basaltic andesite. The middle zone lies on the southeast side of the Proterozoic gneiss zone, and its southeast margin is along Huangganliang, Wushijiazi, and Baitazi. It composed of dominatly calc-alkaline, high potassium calc-alkaline rocks, deep granite and extrusive rhyolite. The east zone, occurring along Kesheketong Qi-Balinyou Qi-Balinzuo Qi, is dominated of shoshonite. In generally, southeastward from the Proterozoic gneiss zone, the Mesozoic plutons show the zones-mica granitites zone, hornblende-mica granitite zone, mica-hornblende granitite zone; the volcanic rocks also display the zones of calc alkaline-high potassium calc alkaline and shoshonites. In the same space, the late Paleozoic plutons also display the same zonality, which zones are combined of binary granite, granodiorite, quartz diorite and diorite southeast wards from the gneiss. Meso-Jurassic Epoch granite plutons almost distribute in the middle zone on the whole. Whereas late Jurassic Epoch volcanic rocks distribute in the west and east zone. This distribution of the volcano-plutonic complexes reveals that the middle zone was uplifted more intensively then the other zones in Meso-Jurassic and late Jurassic Epoches. Whole rock Rb-Sr isochron ages of the high potassium calc-alkaline volcanic rocks in the west zone, the calc-alkaline and high potassium calc-alkaline granite the middle zone, shoshonite in the east zone are 136Ma, 175Ma and 154Ma, respectively. The alkaline rocks close to the shoshonite zone is 143Ma and 126Ma. The isochron ages are comparable well with the K-Ar ages of the rocks obtained previously by other researchers. The compositions of Sr ans Nd isotopes suggest that the source of Mesozoic volcanic-plutonic complexes in Great Hinggan Mts. is mostly Paleo-Asia oceanic volcanic-sedimentary rocks, which probably was mixed by antiquated gneiss. The tectonic setting for Mesozoic magmatism was subductive continental margin. But this it was not directly formed by present west Pacific subduction. It actully was the re-working of the Paleozoic subduction system( which was formed during the Paleo-Asia ocean shortening) controlled by west Pacific subduction. For this reason, Although Great Hinggan Mts. is far away from west Pacific subduction zone, its volcanic arc still occurred echoing to the volcanic activities of east China, it, but the variation trend of potassium content in volcano-plutonic complexes of Great Hinggan is just reverse to ones of west Pacific. The primitive magmas occurred in the southern Great Hinggan Mts. Include high-potassium calc-alkaline basalt, high potassium calc-alkaline rhyolite, high potassium rhyolite, non-Eu negative anomaly trachy-rhyolite et al. Therefore, all of primitive magmas are either mafic or acid, and most of intermediate rocks occurring in the area are the products of Mesozoic acid magma contaminated by the Paleozoic volcanic- sedimentary rocks. The depth of those primitive magma sources and chambers gradually increase from northwest to southeast. This suggests that Paleozoic subduction still controlled the Mesozoic magmatism. In summary, the lithosphere tectonic system of the southern Great Hinggan Mts. controlling Mesozoic magmatism is a double overlapped layer system developing from Paleozoic subduction system. For this reason, the depth of crust of the southern Great Hinggan Mts. is thicker than that of its two sides, and consequently it causes regional negative gravity abnormity. The second part of this report shows the prolongation of the research work carried on in my doctor's period. Author presents new data about Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions and ages, geochamical features, genesis mineralogy and ore deposit geology of the volcanic rocks in Kunyang rift. On the base of the substantial work, author presents a prospect of copper bearing magnetite ore deposit. The most important conclusions are as follows: 1. It is proved that all of these carbonatites controlled by a ringing structure system in Wuding-Lufeng basin in the central Yunnan were formed in the Mesoproterozoic period. Two stages could be identified as follows: in the first stage, carbonatitic volcanic rocks, such as lavas(Sm-Nd, 1685Ma), basaltic porphyrite dykes(Sm-Nd, 1645Ma), pyroclastic rocks and volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks, formed in the outer ring; in the second stage, carbonatitic breccias and dykes(Rb-Sr, 1048 Ma) did in the middle ring. The metamorphic age of the carbonatitic lavas (Rb-Sr, 893 Ma) in the outer ring was determined. The magma of carbonatitic volcanic rocks derived mainly form enriched mantle whose basement is depleted mantle that had been metasomated by mantle fluid and contaminated by Archaean lower crust. Carbonatitic spheres were discovered in ore bearing layers in Lishi copper mining in Yimen recently, which formed in calcite carbonatitic magma extrusion. This discovery indicates that the formation of copper ore deposit genesis relates to carbonatitic volcanic activity. The iron and copper ore deposits occurring in carbonatitic volcanic- sedimentary rocks in Kunyang rift results from carbonatitic magmatism. Author calls this kind of ore deposits as subaqueous carbonatitic iron-copper deposit. The magnetic anomaly area in the north of Lishi copper mining in Yimen was a depression more lower than its circumference. Iron and copper ores occurrig on the margin of the magnetic anomaly are volcanic hydrothermal deposit. The magnetic body causing the magnetic anomaly must be magnetite ore. Because the anomaly area is wide, it can be sure that there is a large insidious ore deposit embedding there.

浑善达克沙地的光释光测年研究

Eolian deposits are important for paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions in arid and semi-arid regions. In China active sand dunes mainly occur in the northwest inland basins ,whereas deserts dominated by semi-stabilized sand dunes are mainly distributed in the northeastern semi-arid and sub-humid regions. Recent studies indicate that prompt desertification in northeastern China has been serious.Thus northeastern China is one of the key sites on which to study the history of past environmental changes. However, previous studies focused mainly on big scale environmental changes, whereas changes in the environment during the Holocene have not been well studied. This research uses optically stimulated luminescence to date fossil sand dunes in Hunshandake desert in order to offer the accurate time scale to reconstruct the history of eolian activity in the region. Furthermore,we compare this region with other deserts in northern China.The main conclusions is following: Active dune formation in northeastern China lasted from the Last Glacial Maximum to about 10 000aB.P. It has also been shown that the warm climate of the Holocene was interrupted by a cold/dry dune-forming episode at about 2 800-1 800aB.R. The Holocene Optimum occurred between 10 000-2 800aB.R, and a later warm/humid dune stabilization phase lasted from at least 1 900-1 500aB.R. The youngest age on the uppermost soil unit in Hunshandake desert yielded an age of 90aB.P.,on which the younger sand deposits,and the youngest age on the sand in Hulun Buir desert is 40aB.R. The mean annual precipitation of these regions is up to 450 mm. But these deserts locate in middle latitudes regions, where the climate is sub-humid, semi-arid continental monsoon.Under present climatic conditions, there should be no active sand dunes in northeastern China. So the appearance of active sand in northeastern China is not due to natural factors,but to extensive land reclamation and cultivation.

利用宽频带台阵资料研究华北地区地壳及上地幔间断面结构

Intense tectonic renovation has occurred in the eastern continent of china since Mesozoic, as evidenced by the high heat flow, widespread magma extrusion and volcanic activities, and development of large sedimentary basins. To explain the cause and mechanism for the tectonic process in this period, some researchers have put forward various models, such as mantle plume, subduction of the Pacific slab, Yangtze Block-North China Block collision, etc. Their seismological evidence, however, is still scarce..During the period from 2000 to 2003, large temporary seismic arrays were established in North China by the Institute of the Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Total 129 portable seismic stations were linearly emplaced across the western and eastern boundaries of the Bohai Bay Basin, and accumulated a large amount of high-quality data. Moreover, abundant data were also collected at the capital digital seismic network established in the ninth five-year period of national economic and social development. These provide an unprecedented opportunity for us to study the deep structure and associated geodynamic mechanism of lithospheric processes in North China using seismological techniques.Seismology is a kind of observation-based science. The development of seismic observations greatly promotes the improvement of seismologic theory and methodology. At the beginning of this thesis, I review the history of seismic observation progress, and present some routine processing techniques used in the array seismology. I also introduce two popular seismic imaging methods (receiver function method and seismic tomography).Receiver function method has been widely used to study the crustal and upper mantle structures, and many relevant research results have been published. In this thesis I elaborate the theory of this method, including the basic concept of receiver functions and the methodology for data pre-processing, stacking and migration. I also address some problems often encountered in practical applications of receiver function imaging.By using the teleseismic data collected at the temporary seismic arrays in North China, in particular, the traveltime information of P-to-S conversion and multiple reverberations of the Moho discontinuity, I obtain the distributions of the crustal thickness and the poisson ratio at the northwest boundary area of the Bohai Bay Basin and discuss the geological implications of the results.Through detailed intestigations on the crustal structural feature around the middle part of the Tanlu fault, considerable disparity in poisson ratios is found in the western and eastern sides of the Tanlu fault. Moreover, an obvious Moho offset is coincidently observed at the same surface location. A reasonable density model for the Tanlu fault area is also derived by simulating the observed gravity variations. Both receiver function study and gravity anomaly modeling suggest that the crustal difference between the western and eastern sides of the Tanlu fault is mainly resulted from their different compositions.With common conversion point imaging of receiver functions, I estimate the depths of the upper and lower boundaries of the mantle transition zone, i.e., the 410 and 660 km discontinuities, beneath most part of the North China continent The thickness of the transition zone (TTZ) in the study area is calculated by subtracting the depth of .410 km discontinuity from that of the 660km discontinuity. The resultant TTZ is 10-15 km larger in the east than in the west of the study area. Phase transitions at the 410 km and the 660 km discontinuities are known to have different Clapeyron slopes. Therefore, the TTZ is sensitive to the temperature changes in the transition zone. Previous studies have shown that the TTZ would be smaller in the mantle plume areas and become larger when the remnants of subducted slabs are present The hypothesis of mantle plume cannot give a reasonable interpretation to the observed TTZ beneath North China, Instead, the receiver function imaging results favor a dynamic model that correlates the thermal structure of the mantle transition zone and associated upper mantle dynamics of North China to the Pacific plate subduction process.

阿尔泰南缘泥盆纪变火山岩的地球化学研究

新疆阿尔泰南缘泥盆纪的构造背景一直存在争论。而且，该地区系统的地球化学工作还很薄弱。对阿尔泰南缘克朗和麦兹盆地内的斜长角闪岩和变流纹岩进行的系统的岩石学和地球化学研究，为阿尔泰南缘泥盆纪的构造背景和地壳演化提供了重要证据。获得的主要结论有： （1）斜长角闪岩的原岩为拉斑玄武岩。克朗盆地样品相对于N-MORB表现为“隆起型”曲线形式，而麦兹盆地样品相对于N-MORB表现为富集大离子亲石元素和轻稀土元素，而亏损高场强元素。另外，克朗盆地样品具有较高的εNd(t)值（+6.4～+7.4），而麦兹盆地样品则具有偏低的、较宽泛的εNd(t)值（+1.7～+7.3）。地球化学和Nd同位素组成表明，麦兹盆地部分样品可能受到了不同程度的陆壳物质混染。克朗盆地地幔源区表现为亏损上地幔和富集地幔组分的相互作用，而麦兹盆地的地幔源区为受俯冲板片流体/熔体交代的地幔楔。研究表明斜长角闪岩的原岩可能形成于具有陆壳基底的岛弧/弧后盆地环境。 （2）克朗和麦兹盆地的变流纹岩具有高SiO2、较高（Na2O+K2O）、低TiO2和CaO含量，属于亚碱性系列。稀土元素配分模式表现为富集轻稀土元素、Eu负异常强烈。变流纹岩的微量元素蛛网图曲线形式类似于智利岛弧花岗岩。在相关判别图上，它们落入火山弧花岗岩区。变流纹岩的εNd(t)值为-2.9～+1.3，它们的两阶段Nd模式年龄（TDM2）为1.04～1.38Ga。其成因与中元古地壳熔融有关，同时有一定量年轻地壳物质的参与。这些结果显示，变流纹岩形成于发育俯冲带的陆缘火山弧环境。 （3）根据本次研究结果并综合区域地质资料和前人研究成果，提出了阿尔泰南缘泥盆纪的构造岩浆模式。

The journal of the Bishop of Montreal the Church Missionary Society's North-west America Mission. To which is added, by the secretaries, an appendix, giving an account of the formation of the mission, and its progress to the present time.

http://www.archive.org/details/bishopofmontreal00mounuoft

A history of Indian missions on the Pacific coast : Oregon, Washington and Idaho / by Myron Eells ; with an introduction by G.H. Atkinson.

http://www.archive.org/details/missionspacific00eellrich

On the Indian trail : stories of missionary work among the Cree and Saulteaux Indians / by Egerton R. Young.

http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/ItemRecord/30577 View document online

Indian missions on the north Pacific coast.

http://www.archive.org/details/indianmissionson00tororich

Monitoring the vegetation start of season (SOS) across the island of Ireland using the MERIS global vegetation index

The aim of this study was to develop a methodology, based on satellite remote sensing, to estimate the vegetation Start of Season (SOS) across the whole island of Ireland on an annual basis. This growing body of research is known as Land Surface Phenology (LSP) monitoring. The SOS was estimated for each year from a 7-year time series of 10-day composited, 1.2 km reduced resolution MERIS Global Vegetation Index (MGVI) data from 2003 to 2009, using the time series analysis software, TIMESAT. The selection of a 10-day composite period was guided by in-situ observations of leaf unfolding and cloud cover at representative point locations on the island. The MGVI time series was smoothed and the SOS metric extracted at a point corresponding to 20% of the seasonal MGVI amplitude. The SOS metric was extracted on a per pixel basis and gridded for national scale coverage. There were consistent spatial patterns in the SOS grids which were replicated on an annual basis and were qualitatively linked to variation in landcover. Analysis revealed that three statistically separable groups of CORINE Land Cover (CLC) classes could be derived from differences in the SOS, namely agricultural and forest land cover types, peat bogs, and natural and semi-natural vegetation types. These groups demonstrated that managed vegetation, e.g. pastures has a significantly earlier SOS than in unmanaged vegetation e.g. natural grasslands. There was also interannual spatio-temporal variability in the SOS. Such variability was highlighted in a series of anomaly grids showing variation from the 7-year mean SOS. An initial climate analysis indicated that an anomalously cold winter and spring in 2005/2006, linked to a negative North Atlantic Oscillation index value, delayed the 2006 SOS countrywide, while in other years the SOS anomalies showed more complex variation. A correlation study using air temperature as a climate variable revealed the spatial complexity of the air temperature-SOS relationship across the Republic of Ireland as the timing of maximum correlation varied from November to April depending on location. The SOS was found to occur earlier due to warmer winters in the Southeast while it was later with warmer winters in the Northwest. The inverse pattern emerged in the spatial patterns of the spring correlates. This contrasting pattern would appear to be linked to vegetation management as arable cropping is typically practiced in the southeast while there is mixed agriculture and mostly pastures to the west. Therefore, land use as well as air temperature appears to be an important determinant of national scale patterns in the SOS. The TIMESAT tool formed a crucial component of the estimation of SOS across the country in all seven years as it minimised the negative impact of noise and data dropouts in the MGVI time series by applying a smoothing algorithm. The extracted SOS metric was sensitive to temporal and spatial variation in land surface vegetation seasonality while the spatial patterns in the gridded SOS estimates aligned with those in landcover type. The methodology can be extended for a longer time series of FAPAR as MERIS will be replaced by the ESA Sentinel mission in 2013, while the availability of full resolution (300m) MERIS FAPAR and equivalent sensor products holds the possibility of monitoring finer scale seasonality variation. This study has shown the utility of the SOS metric as an indicator of spatiotemporal variability in vegetation phenology, as well as a correlate of other environmental variables such as air temperature. However, the satellite-based method is not seen as a replacement of ground-based observations, but rather as a complementary approach to studying vegetation phenology at the national scale. In future, the method can be extended to extract other metrics of the seasonal cycle in order to gain a more comprehensive view of seasonal vegetation development.

An evaluation of orogenic kinematic evolution utilizing crystalline and magnetic anisotropy in granitoids

The Silurian-Devonian Galway Granite Complex (GGC ~425-380Ma) is defined here as a suite of granitoid plutons that comprise the Main Galway Granite Batholith and the Earlier Plutons. The Main Batholith is a composite of the Carna Pluton in the west and the Kilkieran Pluton in the east and extends from Galway City ~130km to the west. The Earlier Plutons are spatially, temporally and structurally distinct, situated northwest of the Main Batholith and include the Roundstone, Omey, Inis and Letterfrack Plutons. The majority of isotopic and structural data currently available pertain to the Kilkieran Pluton, several tectonic models have already been devised for this part of the complex. These relate emplacement of the Kilkieran Pluton to extension across a large east-west Caledonian lineament, i.e. the Skird Rocks Fault, during late Caledonian transtension. No chronological data have been published that directly and accurately date the emplacement of the Carna Pluton or any of the Earlier Plutons. There is also a lack of data pertaining to the internal structure of these intrusions. Accordingly, no previous study has established the mechanisms of emplacement for the Earlier Plutons and only limited work is available for the Carna Pluton. As a consequense of this, constituents of the GGC have not previously been placed in a context relative to each other or to regional scale Silurio-Devonian kinematics. The current work focuses on the Omey, Roundstone and Carna Plutons. Here, results of detailed field and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibiliy (AMS) fabric studies are presented. This work is complemented by geological mapping that focuses on fault dynamics and contact relationships. Interpretation of AMS data is aided by rock magnetic experiment data and petrographic microstructural evaluations of representative samples. A new geological map of the the Omey Pluton demonstrates that this intrusion has a defined roof and base which are gently inclined parallel to the fold hinge of the Connemara Antiform. AMS and petrographic data show the intrusion is cross cut by NNW-SSE shear zones that extend into the country rock. These pre-date and were active during magma emplacement. It is proposed that the Omey pluton was emplaced as a discordant phacolith. Pre-existing subvertical D5 faults in the host rock were reactived during emplacement, due to regional sinistral transpression, and served as centralised ascent conduits. A central portion of the Roundstone Pluton was mapped in detail for the first time. Two facies are identified, G1 forms the majority of the pluton and coeval G2 sheets cross cut G1 at the core of the pluton. NNW-SSE D5 faults mapped in the country rock extend across the pluton. These share a geometrical relationship with the distribution of submagmatic strain in the pluton and parallel the majoity of mapped subvertical G2 dykes. These data indicate that magma ascent was controlled by NNW-SSE conduits that are inherently related to those identifed in the Omey Pluton. It is proposed that the Roundstone Pluton is a punched laccolith, the symmetry and structure of which was controlled by pre-exising host rock structures and regional sinistral transpressive stress which presided during emplacement. Field relationships show the long axis of the Carna Pluton lies parallel to mulitple NNW-SSE shear zones. These are represented on a regional scale by the Clifden-Mace Fault which cross cuts the core of this intrusion. AMS and petrographic data show concentric emplacement fabrics were tectonically overprinted as magma cooled from the magmatic state due to this faulting. It is proposed that the Clifden-Mace Fault system was active during ascent and emplacement of the magma and that pluton inflation only terminated as this controlling structure went into compression due to the onset of regional transtension. U-Pb zircon laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data has been compiled from four sample sites. New geochronological data from the Roundstone Pluton (RD1 = ± 3.2Ma) represent the oldest age determination obtained from any member of the GGC and demonstrates that this pluton predates the Carna Pluton by ~10Ma and probably intruded synchronously with the Omey Pluton (~422.5 ± 1.7Ma). Chronological data from the Carna Pluton (CN2 = 412.9 ± 2.5Ma; CN3 = 409.8 ± 7.2Ma; CN4 = 409.6 ± 3.6Ma) represent the first precise magma crystallisation age for this intrusion. This work shows this pluton is 10Ma older than the Kilkieran Pluton and that the supply of magma into the Carna Pluton had terminated by ~409Ma. Chronological, magnetic and field data have been utilised to evaluate the kinematic evolution of the Caledonides of western Ireland throughout the construction of the GGC. It is proposed that the GGC was constructed during four distinct episodes. The style of emplacement and the conduits used for magma transport to the site of emplacement was dependent on the orientation of local structures relative to the regional ambiant stress field. This philosophy is used to critically evaluate and progress existing hypotheses on the transition from regional transpression to regional transtension at the end of the Caledonian Orogeny.

Relative growth of the limbs and trunk in sifakas: heterochronic, ecological, and functional considerations.

Limb, trunk, and body weight measurements were obtained for growth series of Milne-Edwards's diademed sifaka, Propithecus diadema edwardsi, and the golden-crowned sifaka, Propithecus tattersalli. Similar measures were obtained also for primarily adults of two subspecies of the western sifaka: Propithecus verreauxi coquereli, Coquerel's sifaka, and Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi, Verreaux's sifaka. Ontogenetic series for the larger-bodied P. d. edwardsi and the smaller-bodied P. tattersalli were compared to evaluate whether species-level differences in body proportions result from the differential extension of common patterns of relative growth. In bivariate plots, both subspecies of P. verreauxi were included to examine whether these taxa also lie along a growth trajectory common to all sifakas. Analyses of the data indicate that postcranial proportions for sifakas are ontogenetically scaled, much as demonstrated previously with cranial dimensions for all three species (Ravosa, 1992). As such, P. d. edwardsi apparently develops larger overall size primarily by growing at a faster rate, but not for a longer duration of time, than P. tattersalli and P. verreauxi; this is similar to results based on cranial data. A consideration of Malagasy lemur ecology suggests that regional differences in forage quality and resource availability have strongly influenced the evolutionary development of body-size variation in sifakas. On one hand, the rainforest environment of P. d. edwardsi imposes greater selective pressures for larger body size than the dry-forest environment of P. tattersalli and P. v. coquereli, or the semi-arid climate of P. v. verreauxi. On the other hand, as progressively smaller-bodied adult sifakas are located in the east, west, and northwest, this apparently supports suggestions that adult body size is set by dry-season constraints on food quality and distribution (i.e., smaller taxa are located in more seasonal habitats such as the west and northeast). Moreover, the fact that body-size differentiation occurs primarily via differences in growth rate is also due apparently to differences in resource seasonality (and juvenile mortality risk in turn) between the eastern rainforest and the more temperate northeast and west. Most scaling coefficients for both arm and leg growth range from slight negative allometry to slight positive allometry. Given the low intermembral index for sifakas, which is also an adaptation for propulsive hindlimb-dominated jumping, this suggests that differences in adult limb proportions are largely set prenatally rather than being achieved via higher rates of postnatal hindlimb growth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Final Report of the Phase III Archaeological Investigations at the Dr. Upton Scott House (18AP18), Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1998-1999

In the summers of 1998 and 1999, the Archaeology in Annapolis project carried out archaeological investigation at the eighteenth century Dr. Upton Scott House site (18AP18)located at 4 Shipwright Street in the historic district of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The Upton Scott House is significant as one of only a few Georgian houses with remnants of its original plantation-inspired landscape still visible (Graham 1998:147). Investigation was completed in agreement with the owners of the historic property, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Christian, who were interested in determining the condition and arrangement of Dr. Upton Scott’s well-documented pleasure gardens. Betty Cosans’ 1972 Archaeological Feasibility Report, the first real archaeological study of the Upton Scott House site, guided the research design and recovery efforts. Cosans determined that testing and survey in the back and side yards of the Scott property would yield important information on the use and history of the property, including that of Scott’s famous gardens. Excavation units and trenches were placed within three separate areas of backyard activity on the site which included Area One: extant brick stables in the southwest of the property; Area Two: the brick foundations of a small outbuilding located in the northwest area of the site; and Area Three: the area of Scott’s formal gardens. The research design included an interest in recovering evidence of African-American spiritual practice and domestic life at the site. Also of significant importance was an analysis of Scott’s garden beds, concerning the order and layout. Also sought was an understanding of the change in perception and use of the backyard by the various owners of the property.

Cryptococcus gattii VGIII isolates causing infections in HIV/AIDS patients in Southern California: identification of the local environmental source as arboreal.

Ongoing Cryptococcus gattii outbreaks in the Western United States and Canada illustrate the impact of environmental reservoirs and both clonal and recombining propagation in driving emergence and expansion of microbial pathogens. C. gattii comprises four distinct molecular types: VGI, VGII, VGIII, and VGIV, with no evidence of nuclear genetic exchange, indicating these represent distinct species. C. gattii VGII isolates are causing the Pacific Northwest outbreak, whereas VGIII isolates frequently infect HIV/AIDS patients in Southern California. VGI, VGII, and VGIII have been isolated from patients and animals in the Western US, suggesting these molecular types occur in the environment. However, only two environmental isolates of C. gattii have ever been reported from California: CBS7750 (VGII) and WM161 (VGIII). The incongruence of frequent clinical presence and uncommon environmental isolation suggests an unknown C. gattii reservoir in California. Here we report frequent isolation of C. gattii VGIII MATα and MATa isolates and infrequent isolation of VGI MATα from environmental sources in Southern California. VGIII isolates were obtained from soil debris associated with tree species not previously reported as hosts from sites near residences of infected patients. These isolates are fertile under laboratory conditions, produce abundant spores, and are part of both locally and more distantly recombining populations. MLST and whole genome sequence analysis provide compelling evidence that these environmental isolates are the source of human infections. Isolates displayed wide-ranging virulence in macrophage and animal models. When clinical and environmental isolates with indistinguishable MLST profiles were compared, environmental isolates were less virulent. Taken together, our studies reveal an environmental source and risk of C. gattii to HIV/AIDS patients with implications for the >1,000,000 cryptococcal infections occurring annually for which the causative isolate is rarely assigned species status. Thus, the C. gattii global health burden could be more substantial than currently appreciated.

La desertificación y su control en los valles del noroeste argentino

p.185-193

An overview of the literature concerning the oceanography of the eastern North Atlantic region

An overview of the main oceanographic features of the eastern North Atlantic boundary, with emphasis toward the upper layers, is presented. The principal features discussed are: water mass boundaries; forcing by wind, density and tides; topographic features and effects; fronts; upwelling and downwelling; poleward flows; coastal currents; eddies. The occurrence and spatial and seasonal variability of these features is described in five regional sections: Celtic Sea and western English Channel; Bay of Biscay; western Iberia; Gulf of Cadiz; northwest Africa. This paper is intended to provide a base of physical oceanographic knowledge in support of research in fisheries, biological and chemical oceanography, and marine biology.