Late mesozoic to neogene radiolarian biostratigraphy and palaeoceanography in the Caribbean and East pacific region

^Raduolarians constitute a good tool for contributing to the biostratigraphy of accreted terranes and in deep-sea sediment sequences. The use of radiolarians is also proven to be valuable as a palaeoceanographic indicator. The present study evaluates radiolarians in three different geological settings, in order to better constrain the age of the sites and to try to understand their palaeoenvironmental situation at different periods, particularly in the Caribbean-Central America area. On the Jarabacoa Block, in Central Dominican Republic, a hundred meters of siliceous mudstones (Pedro Brand section in the Tireo Group) was dated as Turonian- Coniancian in age using radiolarians. A 40Ar-39Ar whole rock age of 75.1±1.1 Ma (Campanian), obtained in a basalt dyke crosscutting the radiolarian bearing rocks, a consistent minimum age for the pelagic-hemipelagic Pedro Brand section. The Jarabacoa Block is considered as the most complete outcrop section of Pacific ocean crust overlain by a first Aptian-Albian phase of Caribbean Large Igneous Province-type activity (CLIP), followed by the development of a Cenomanian-Santonian intraoceanic arc, which is in turn overlain by a late Campanian-Maastrichtian CLIP-phase. The Tireo Group records an episode of pelagic to hemi-pelagic and intermediate to acidic arc-derived sedimentation, previous to the youngest magmatic phase of the CLIP. Thus, the section of Pedro Brand has been interpreted in this study as being part of the intraoceanic arc. In northern Venezuela, a greenish radiolarite section from Siquisique Ophiolite (basalts, gabbros and some associated cherts) in Guaparo Creek has been studied. In previous studies, the Ophiolite unit (Petacas Creek section) has been dated as Bajocian-Bathonian, based on ammonites present in interpillow sediments from basalt blocks. New dating of the present study concluded in an Aptian?-Albian-Cenomanian age for the Guaparo creek section (middle Cretaceous), based on radiolarian assemblage associated to basalts-gabbros rocks of the unit. Previous plagioclase 40Ar-39Ar ages from the Siquisuique Ophiolite may be slightly younger (94-90 Ma.) and may, therefore, represent younger dykes that intruded onto a well-developed sheeted dyke complex of the Siquisique. The geochemistry of these rocks and the palaeotectonic reconstruction of the Caribbean area during this period suggest that these rocks were derived from a mid-ocean ridge with an influence of deep mantle plume. The Siquisique Ophiolite most probably represents a fragment of the proto-Caribbean basin. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 344 drilled a transect across the convergent margin off Costa Rica. Two sites of this expedition were chosen for radiolarian biostratigraphy and palaeoceanographic studies. Both sites (U1381C and U1414A) are located in the incoming Cocos plate, in the eastern Equatorial Pacific. The succession of U1381C yields a Middle Miocene to Pleistocene age, and presents an important hiatus of approximately 10 Ma. The core of U1414A exposes a continuous sequence that deposited during Late Miocene to Pleistocene (radiolarian zones RN6-RN16). The ages were assigned based on radiolarians and correlated with nannofossil zonation and tephra 40Ar-39Ar datation. With those results, and considering the northward movement of the Cocos plate motion (about 7 cm/year), deduction is made that the sites U1381C and U1414A were initially deposited during the Miocene, several hundreds of kilometres from the current location, slightly south of the Equator. This suggests that the faunas of these sites have been subjected to different currents, first influenced by the cold tongue of the South Equatorial Current and followed by the warm Equatorial Countercurrent. At last, coastal upwelling influenced faunas of the Pleistocene. -- Les radiolaires sont considérés comme un outil utile à la biostratigraphie des terrains accrétés et des sédiments profonds. Leur utilité est aussi prouvée comme étant remarquable au niveau des reconstructions paléocéanographiques. La présente étude évalue l'importance et la présence des radiolaires de trois localités géologiquement différentes d'Amérique Centrale-Caraïbes, dans le but d'améliorer les model d'âges et de mieux comprendre la situation paléoenvironnementale à travers le temps. Dans le Bloque de Jarabacoa, au centre de la République Dominicaine, une section de cent mètres (section de Pedro Brand, Groupe de Tireo) a été datée comme faisant partie du Turonien-Santonien, en utilisant les radiolaires. Une datation 40Ar-39Ar sur roche totale de 75±1.1 Ma (Campanien) a été obtenu pour vin dyke traversant les sédiments riches en radiolaires, en cohérence avec l'âge minimum accordé à la section de Pedro Brand. Aux Caraïbes, le Bloque de Jarabacoa est considéré comme l'affleurement le plus complet présentant une succession de croûte océanique d'origine Pacifique recouverte d'une première phase d'activité volcanique de type CLIP (Caribbean Large Igneous Province) d'âge Aptien- Albien, de dépôts d'arc volcanique intra-océanique d'âge Cénomanien-Santonien, puis d'une seconde phase de type CLIP d'âge Campanien-Maastrichtien. Le Groupe de Tireo enregistre un épisode de dépôt pélagiques-hémipélagiques et d'arc volcanique, antérieur à la plus jeune phase de type CLIP. Cette étude place donc la formation de la section de Pedro Brand au moment du développement de l'arc intra-océanique. A Guaparo Creek (nord du Vénézuela), une section de radiolarite verdâtre faisant partie des ophiolites de Siquisique (basaltes, gabbros, cherts) a été étudiée. Dans des études précédentes, sur la localité de Petacas Creek, l'unité ophiolitique a été daté d'âge Bajocien- Bathonien (Jurassique) sur la base d'ammonites trouvées dans des sédiments intercalés entre des laves en coussins. Les nouvelles datations de notre étude, basées sur des assemblages à radiolaires de l'unité à basaltes-gabbros, donnent un âge Aptien?-Albien-Cénomanien (Crétacé moyen). Les âges de l'Ophiolite de Siquisique, précédement calculés par la méthode sur plagioclases, pourraient être légèrement plus jeune (94-90 Ma) et donc représenter des intrusions plus récentes de dykes dans le complexe filonien déjà bien dévelopé. La géochimie de ces roches magmatiques, ainsi que les reconstructions paléotectoniques de la zone Caraïbes durant cette période, suggèrent que ces formations sont dérivées d'une ride médio-océanique associée à l'influence d'un panache mantellique. L'ophiolite de Siquisique représente très probablement un fragment du bassin de proto¬Caraïbe. L'expédition 344 du programme IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) a eu lieu dans l'optique de forer et dresser une coupe de la marge convergente au large du Costa Rica. Deux sites de cette expédition ont été choisis pour les besoins des études de biostratigraphie et de reconstruction paléocéanographique. Ces deux sites (U1381C et U1414A) sont situés sur la plaque subductante de Cocos, dans la zone Pacifique est-équatoriale. La carotte U1381C expose une séquence s'étalant du Miocène moyen au Pléistocène, et présente un important hiatus d'environ 10 Ma. La carotte U1414A expose une séquence continue s'étalant du Miocène tardif au Pléistocène (zone à radiolaires RN6-RN16). Les âges ont été assignés sur la base des radiolaires et corrélés avec les zones à nanofossiles et les datations 40Ar-39Ar sur téphras. Avec ces résultats, et en considérant le mouvement nord de la plaque de Cocos (environ 7 cm/an), déduction est faite que les deux sites étaient initialement situés, au cours du Miocène, à plusieurs centaines de kilomètres de leur location actuelle, au sud de l'équateur. Cela suggère que les faunes de ces sites ont été sujettes à différents courants; premièrement influencées par la langue froide du SEC (South Equatorial Current), puis par les eaux chaudes du ECC (Equatorial Countercurrent). Pour terminer, les remontées d'eau côtières ont influencées les faunes Pléistocène.

Competence needs of global middle management

Tutkielman tavoitteena oli tarkastella henkilöstöjohdon ja linjajohdon näkemyksiä kansainvälisissä tehtävissä toimivan keskijohdon osaamistarpeista suurissa suomalaisissa vientiyrityksissä. Teemahaastatteluja tehtiin 12:ssa Suomen tärkeimpien vientialojen suurimmista yrityksistä. Kansainvälisissä tehtävissä toimivan keskijohdon osaamistarpeiden, kategorioihin jaoteltuna, nähtiin olevan: - - Tieto ja ymmärtäminen: asiakkaan liiketoiminta ja tarpeet, oma tuote ja prosessit, globaali toimintaympäristö, alaisten osaamistarpeet- - Asioiden ja ihmisten johtaminen: muutoksen johtaminen, asiakkuuksien hallinta, ajan hallinta, motivointi, monikulttuurisen tiimin johtaminen- - Vuorovaikutus: kielitaito, suhteiden luominen, viestin kohdentaminen- - Henkilökohtaiset ominaisuudet ja motivaatio: joustavuus, kulttuurinen herkkyys, epävarmuuden sietokyky, oppimishalu, erilaisuuden kunnioitus- - Tehtäväkohtainen osaaminen: kansainvälinen markkinointi, talous, myyntitaidot, tekninen asiantuntemus.

Magnetoestratigrafía de las sucesiones del Mioceno medio y superior del Vallés occidental (Depresión del Vallés-Penedés, NE España): Implicaciones biocronológicas y cronoestratigráficas.

The magnetostratigraphic analysis of the middle to late Miocene continental deposits from the Valles-Penedes basin, combined with its well-documented fossil mammal record, provides a well-resoluted chronology for the upper basin infill. It is based on the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic cross-correlation of 18 sections throughout the alluvial and transitional/shallow marine sequences in the Western Valles area. The biostratigraphic framework consists of 24 mammal localities of upper Aragonian and Vallesian age. Correlation of the studied sections to the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS) is based on the distinctive pattern of local magnetozones, as well as the radiometric age of the late Vallesian fauna from the Bicorp Basin (9.6 + 0.3 Ma) and the known relationship of the late Vallesian assemblages with marine beds belonging to the planktonic forarninifera N16 zone. It has led to an absolute dating of the fauna1 events and a precise chronostratigraphy of the Vallesian marnrnal stage in its type area. The Hipparion First Appearance Datum (FAD) defines the lower Vallesian boundary and is dated at 11.1 Ma, at the base of chron C5r. ln. It is in good agreement with radiometric ages from the early Hipparion bearing sites in the Vienna Basin (1 1.1 * 0.5 Ma) and the classic Howenegg locality in Germany (10.8 * 0.3 Ma). It also agrees with the age of the turkish localities of Yailacilar (1 1.6 + 0.25 Ma) and Yenieskihisar-2 (1 1.1 * 0.2 Ma) with absence of Hipparion. Al1 these support the isochrony of the dispersa1 of Hipparion throughout the Mediterranean region. A possible isochrony at a larger geographical scale (Old World, Mesogea) must await more reliable ages of the Hipparion FAD in Asia and Africa. The Cricetulodon FAD that defines the MN9a/MN9b boundary occurs at the middle part of C5n. Assuming an on average constant sedimentation rate, this datum has an age of approximately 10.4 Ma. The earlyllate Vallesian boundary is marked by one of the most distinct fauna1 events of the late Neogene: the dispersa1 of the muridae Progonomys into Europe and North Africa, which coincides with an important macromarnmal turnover. The first extensive appearance of Progonomys in Europe (MN9íMN10 boundary) is dated at 9.7 Ma (C4Ar3r), showing a remarkable diachrony with the Himalayan region. F9i d lly, the FAD of Rotundomys bressnnus occurs in the upper part of C4Ar.ln (9.2-9.3 Ma). The Vallesian spans 2.4 Myr, from 11.1 Ma (CSr.ln) to 8.7 Ma (C4An), and correlates to the early Tortonian.

Buried in the Middle but Guilty: Intronic Mutations in the TCIRG1 Gene Cause Human Autosomal Recessive Osteopetrosis.

Autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (ARO) is a rare genetic bone disease with genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity, sometimes translating into delayed diagnosis and treatment. In particular, cases of intermediate severity often constitute a diagnostic challenge and represent good candidates for exome sequencing. Here, we describe the tortuous path to identification of the molecular defect in two siblings, in which osteopetrosis diagnosed in early childhood followed a milder course, allowing them to reach the adult age in relatively good conditions with no specific therapy. No clearly pathogenic mutation was identified either with standard amplification and resequencing protocols or with exome sequencing analysis. While evaluating the possible impact of a 3'UTR variant on the TCIRG1 expression, we found a novel single nucleotide change buried in the middle of intron 15 of the TCIRG1 gene, about 150 nucleotides away from the closest canonical splice site. By sequencing a number of independent cDNA clones covering exons 14 to 17, we demonstrated that this mutation reduced splicing efficiency but did not completely abrogate the production of the normal transcript. Prompted by this finding, we sequenced the same genomic region in 33 patients from our unresolved ARO cohort and found three additional novel single nucleotide changes in a similar location and with a predicted disruptive effect on splicing, further confirmed in one of them at the transcript level. Overall, we identified an intronic region in TCIRG1 that seems to be particularly prone to splicing mutations, allowing the production of a small amount of protein sufficient to reduce the severity of the phenotype usually associated with TCIRG1 defects. On this basis, we would recommend including TCIRG1 not only in the molecular work-up of severe infantile osteopetrosis but also in intermediate cases and carefully evaluating the possible effects of intronic changes. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Association of car ownership and physical activity across the spectrum of human development : Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS).

BACKGROUND: Variations in physical activity (PA) across nations may be driven by socioeconomic position. As national incomes increase, car ownership becomes within reach of more individuals. This report characterizes associations between car ownership and PA in African-origin populations across 5 sites at different levels of economic development and with different transportation infrastructures: US, Seychelles, Jamaica, South Africa, and Ghana. METHODS: Twenty-five hundred adults, ages 25-45, were enrolled in the study. A total of 2,101 subjects had valid accelerometer-based PA measures (reported as average daily duration of moderate to vigorous PA, MVPA) and complete socioeconomic information. Our primary exposure of interest was whether the household owned a car. We adjusted for socioeconomic position using household income and ownership of common goods. RESULTS: Overall, PA levels did not vary largely between sites, with highest levels in South Africa, lowest in the US. Across all sites, greater PA was consistently associated with male gender, fewer years of education, manual occupations, lower income, and owning fewer material goods. We found heterogeneity across sites in car ownership: after adjustment for confounders, car owners in the US had 24.3 fewer minutes of MVPA compared to non-car owners in the US (20.7 vs. 45.1 minutes/day of MVPA); in the non-US sites, car-owners had an average of 9.7 fewer minutes of MVPA than non-car owners (24.9 vs. 34.6 minutes/day of MVPA). CONCLUSIONS: PA levels are similar across all study sites except Jamaica, despite very different levels of socioeconomic development. Not owning a car in the US is associated with especially high levels of MVPA. As car ownership becomes prevalent in the developing world, strategies to promote alternative forms of active transit may become important.

Screening for cardiovascular disease risk and subsequent management in low and middle income countries : challenges and opportunities

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), mainly heart attack and stroke, is the leading cause of premature mortality in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Identifying and managing individuals at high risk of CVD is an important strategy to prevent and control CVD, in addition to multisectoral population-based interventions to reduce CVD risk factors in the entire population. Methods: We describe key public health considerations in identifying and managing individuals at high risk of CVD in LMICs. Results: A main objective of any strategy to identify individuals at high CVD risk is to maximize the number of CVD events averted while minimizing the numbers of individuals needing treatment. Scores estimating the total risk of CVD (e.g. ten-year risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD) are available for LMICs, and are based on the main CVD risk factors (history of CVD, age, sex, tobacco use, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and diabetes status). Opportunistic screening of CVD risk factors enables identification of persons with high CVD risk, but this strategy can be widely applied in low resource settings only if cost effective interventions are used (e.g. the WHO Package of Essential NCD interventions for primary health care in low resource settings package) and if treatment (generally for years) can be sustained, including continued availability of affordable medications and funding mechanisms that allow people to purchase medications without impoverishing them (e.g. universal access to health care). This also emphasises the need to re-orient health systems in LMICs towards chronic diseases management.

Attitudes and burden in relatives of patients with schizophrenia in a middle income country

BACKGROUND: Most studies of family attitudes and burden have been conducted in developed countries. Thus it is important to test the generalizability of this research in other contexts where social conditions and extended family involvement may be different. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the attitudes of caregivers and the burden they experience in such a context, namely Arica, a town located in the northernmost region of Chile, close to the border with Peru and Bolivia. METHODS: We assessed attitudes towards schizophrenia (including affective, cognitive and behavioural components) and burden (including subjective distress, rejection and competence) in 41 main caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, all of whom were users of Public Mental Health Services in Arica. RESULTS: Attitude measures differed significantly according to socio-demographic variables, with parents (mainly mothers) exhibiting a more negative attitude towards the environment than the rest of the family (t = 4.04; p = 0.000).This was also the case for caregivers with a low educational level (t = 3.27; p < 0.003), for the oldest caregivers (r = 0.546; p = 0.000) and for those who had spent more time with the patient (r = 0.377; p = 0.015). Although attitudes had significant association with burden, their explanatory power was modest (R2 = .104, F = 4,55; p = .039). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to finding developed countries, the current study revealed a positive and significant relationship between the attitudes of caregivers and their burden. These findings emphasize the need to support the families of patients with schizophrenia in this social context.

Prevalence of sleep apnoea syndrome in the middle to old age general population.

On the basis of a large populationbased sample who underwent full polysomnography at home (HypnoLaus cohort), we recently reported that 49·7% of men and 23·4% of women aged 40 years or older had an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 15 events per h or more1 according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) 2013 scoring criteria. When excessive daytime sleepiness (ie, Epworth score >10 [maximum score 24]) was included in the definition with an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 5 events per h or more, the prevalence was 12·5% in men and 5·9% in women. This high prevalence of sleep disordered breathing reinforced the idea that the treatment decision should not only be based the apnoeahypopnoea index, but should also take into account associated symptoms and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. After this Article was published, several readers contacted us to ask for the prevalence of sleep apnoea syndrome in our sample according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3) criteria. These criteria include either the presence of an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 5 events per h or more associated with obstructive sleep apnoearelated symptoms or cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities, or an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 15 events per h or more (figure).

Imaging evaluation of middle ear cholesteatoma: iconographic essay

Middle ear cholesteatoma is a relevant and relatively common disease that may have severe consequences. In the present pictorial essay, the authors have selected illustrative examples of multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging depicting the main presentations of cholesteatomas, and describing their characteristics, locations, and major complications.

Ideal Body Size as a Mediator for the Gender-Specific Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Body Mass Index: Evidence From an Upper-Middle-Income Country in the African Region.

While obesity continues to rise globally, the associations between body size, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) seem to vary in different populations, and little is known on the contribution of perceived ideal body size in the social disparity of obesity in African countries. We examined the gender and socioeconomic patterns of body mass index (BMI) and perceived ideal body size in the Seychelles, a middle-income small island state in the African region. We also assessed the potential role of perceived ideal body size as a mediator for the gender-specific association between SES and BMI. A population-based survey of 1,240 adults aged 25 to 64 years conducted in December 2013. Participants' BMI was calculated based on measured weight and height; ideal body size was assessed using a nine-silhouette instrument. Three SES indicators were considered: income, education, and occupation. BMI and perceived ideal body size were both higher among men of higher versus lower SES (p< .001) but lower among women of higher versus lower SES (p< .001), irrespective of the SES indicator used. Multivariate analysis showed a strong and direct association between perceived ideal body size and BMI in both men and women (p< .001) and was consistent with a potential mediating role of perceived ideal body size in the gender-specific associations between SES and BMI. Our study emphasizes the importance of gender and socioeconomic differences in BMI and ideal body size and suggests that public health interventions that promote perception of healthy weight could help mitigate SES-related disparities in BMI.

Her onginþ seo boc: On the loss and retention of grammatical gender in Early Middle English

Tutkielma käsittelee kieliopillisen suvun säilymistä myöhäisessä muinaisenglannissa (Late Old English) ja varhaiskeskienglannissa (Early Middle English). Tutkielman tavoitteena on päätellä, kuinka kieliopillinen suku säilyy kolmessa muinaisenglannin/varhaiskeskienglannin aikakautta edustavassa tekstissä. Lähdeaineisto on valittu edustamaan aikaa (1150-1225), jolloin kieliopillisen suvun on sanottu kadonneen englannin kielestä. Lähdeaineisto myös edustaa kahta eri tekstilajia, ja tarjoaa siten aineistoa niiden väliseen vertailuun. Aineistosta on analysoitu nominien päätteitä, demonstratiivipronomineja sekä anaforisia persoonapronomineja, joissa substantiivien kieliopillinen suku näkyy. Osa anaforisista viittauksista on selitettävissä personifikaatiolla, jolloin elottomiin objekteihin tai käsitteisiin on liitetty inhimillistäviä piirteitä. Tutkimuksen perusteella kieliopillinen suku säilyy vielä joissakin muodoissa 1200- luvulle saakka. Merkittävää on aineistossa esiintyvä runsas vaihtelu ja pyhimyselämänkertojen ja lääketieteellisen tekstin väliset erot.

Leaving the Dark ages with AMIGA

We present an Analytic Model of Intergalactic-medium and GAlaxy (AMIGA) evolution since the dark ages. AMIGA is in the spirit of the popular semi-analytic models of galaxy formation, although it does not use halo merger trees but interpolates halo properties in grids that are progressively built. This strategy is less memory-demanding and allows one to start modeling at sufficiently high redshifts and low halo masses to have trivial boundary conditions. The number of free parameters is minimized by making a causal connection between physical processes usually treated as independent of each other, which leads to more reliable predictions. However, the strongest points of AMIGA are the following: (1) the inclusion of molecular cooling and metal-poor, population III (Pop III) stars with the most dramatic feedback and (2) accurate follow up of the temperature and volume filling factor of neutral, singly ionized, and doubly ionized regions, taking into account the distinct halo mass functions in those environments. We find the following general results. Massive Pop III stars determine the intergalactic medium metallicity and temperature, and the growth of spheroids and disks is self-regulated by that of massive black holes (MBHs) developed from the remnants of those stars. However, the properties of normal galaxies and active galactic nuclei appear to be quite insensitive to Pop III star properties due to the much higher yield of ordinary stars compared to Pop III stars and the dramatic growth of MBHs when normal galaxies begin to develop, which cause the memory loss of the initial conditions.

Relationships and estimates of longitudinal growth stress in Eucalyptus dunnii at different ages

The objective of this study was to obtain estimates of longitudinal growth stresses in standing trees of the Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden at eight, thirteen, fifteen and nineteen years of age and to determine their relationships with wood characteristics. The longitudinal growth stresses were indirectly measured by the "CIRAD-Forêt" method and estimated from both the dynamic modulus of elasticity and the modulus of elasticity in tension parallel to the grain. The longitudinal residual strain (LRS) and the estimates of the longitudinal growth stresses tended to increase with the age of the material. The LRS correlated positively and significantly with all the growth stresses estimates. The largestes magnitudes were at 13, 15 and 19 years of age. The basic density presented high, positive and significant correlations with the dynamic modulus of elasticity, estimated in the longitudinal direction, for wood saturated and at 12% moisture content, for all the ages assessed. All the growth stresses estimates presented high, positive and significant correlations between themselves.