Correlations among stand ages and forest strata in mixed-oak forests of southeastern Ohio

Treesearch

P. Charles Goebel; David M. Hix

1997-01-01

Many models of landscape ecosystem development, as well as of forest stand dynamics, are based upon spatial and temporal changes in the species composition and structure of various forest strata. However, few document the interrelationships among forest strata, or the response of different strata to alterations of natural disturbance regimes. To examine how...

Post-stratified estimation: with-in strata and total sample size recommendations

Treesearch

James A. Westfall; Paul L. Patterson; John W. Coulston

2011-01-01

Post-stratification is used to reduce the variance of estimates of the mean. Because the stratification is not fixed in advance, within-strata sample sizes can be quite small. The survey statistics literature provides some guidance on minimum within-strata sample sizes; however, the recommendations and justifications are inconsistent and apply broadly for many...

Maxwell Strata and Cut Locus in the Sub-Riemannian Problem on the Engel Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardentov, Andrei A.; Sachkov, Yuri L.

2017-12-01

We consider the nilpotent left-invariant sub-Riemannian structure on the Engel group. This structure gives a fundamental local approximation of a generic rank 2 sub-Riemannian structure on a 4-manifold near a generic point (in particular, of the kinematic models of a car with a trailer). On the other hand, this is the simplest sub-Riemannian structure of step three. We describe the global structure of the cut locus (the set of points where geodesics lose their global optimality), the Maxwell set (the set of points that admit more than one minimizer), and the intersection of the cut locus with the caustic (the set of conjugate points along all geodesics). The group of symmetries of the cut locus is described: it is generated by a one-parameter group of dilations R+ and a discrete group of reflections Z2 × Z2 × Z2. The cut locus admits a stratification with 6 three-dimensional strata, 12 two-dimensional strata, and 2 one-dimensional strata. Three-dimensional strata of the cut locus are Maxwell strata of multiplicity 2 (for each point there are 2 minimizers). Two-dimensional strata of the cut locus consist of conjugate points. Finally, one-dimensional strata are Maxwell strata of infinite multiplicity, they consist of conjugate points as well. Projections of sub-Riemannian geodesics to the 2-dimensional plane of the distribution are Euler elasticae. For each point of the cut locus, we describe the Euler elasticae corresponding to minimizers coming to this point. Finally, we describe the structure of the optimal synthesis, i. e., the set of minimizers for each terminal point in the Engel group.

Aeromagnetic anomalies over faulted strata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grauch, V.J.S.; Hudson, Mark R.

2011-01-01

High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys are now an industry standard and they commonly detect anomalies that are attributed to faults within sedimentary basins. However, detailed studies identifying geologic sources of magnetic anomalies in sedimentary environments are rare in the literature. Opportunities to study these sources have come from well-exposed sedimentary basins of the Rio Grande rift in New Mexico and Colorado. High-resolution aeromagnetic data from these areas reveal numerous, curvilinear, low-amplitude (2–15 nT at 100-m terrain clearance) anomalies that consistently correspond to intrasedimentary normal faults (Figure 1). Detailed geophysical and rock-property studies provide evidence for the magnetic sources at several exposures of these faults in the central Rio Grande rift (summarized in Grauch and Hudson, 2007, and Hudson et al., 2008). A key result is that the aeromagnetic anomalies arise from the juxtaposition of magnetically differing strata at the faults as opposed to chemical processes acting at the fault zone. The studies also provide (1) guidelines for understanding and estimating the geophysical parameters controlling aeromagnetic anomalies at faulted strata (Grauch and Hudson), and (2) observations on key geologic factors that are favorable for developing similar sedimentary sources of aeromagnetic anomalies elsewhere (Hudson et al.).

Sensitive strata in Bootlegger Cove Formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Harold W.

1989-01-01

Sensitivity magnitudes are interpreted from remolded strength values in recent subsurface geologic, geotechnical, and geochemical data from the Bootlegger Cove Formation adjacent to the Turnagain Heights Landslide. The results show that strata composed of highly sensitive clays occur in both the middle and lower zones of the formation, and that between these strata the clays are generally of low-to-medium sensitivity. The most sensitive stratum is in the middle zone between two sand layers, and its sensitivity increases from both clay-sand interfaces to a maximum at the center of the stratum. The pore fluid chemistry of the highly sensitive materials differs from that in the materials of low to medium sensitivity only in their concentrations of organic carbon, chloride, bicarbonate, and sulfate. The total dissolved solids concentration is low, and the ratio of monovalent to divalent cations is very high throughout the middle and lower zones of the formation. Of the known causes of high and extremely high sensitivities, only organic and/or anionic dispersants are consistent with these findings.

Capture-recapture studies for multiple strata including non-markovian transitions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brownie, C.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Pollock, K.H.; Hestbeck, J.B.

1993-01-01

We consider capture-recapture studies where release and recapture data are available from each of a number of strata on every capture occasion. Strata may, for example, be geographic locations or physiological states. Movement of animals among strata occurs with unknown probabilities, and estimation of these unknown transition probabilities is the objective. We describe a computer routine for carrying out the analysis under a model that assumes Markovian transitions and under reduced parameter versions of this model. We also introduce models that relax the Markovian assumption and allow 'memory' to operate (i.e., allow dependence of the transition probabilities on the previous state). For these models, we sugg st an analysis based on a conditional likelihood approach. Methods are illustrated with data from a large study on Canada geese (Branta canadensis) banded in three geographic regions. The assumption of Markovian transitions is rejected convincingly for these data, emphasizing the importance of the more general models that allow memory.

Modelling of Longwall Mining-Induced Strata Permeability Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikary, D. P.; Guo, H.

2015-01-01

The field measurement of permeability within the strata affected by mining is a challenging and expensive task, thus such tests may not be carried out in large numbers to cover all the overburden strata and coal seams being affected by mining. However, numerical modelling in conjunction with a limited number of targeted field measurements can be used efficiently in assessing the impact of mining on a regional scale. This paper presents the results of underground packer testing undertaken at a mine site in New South Wales in Australia and numerical simulations conducted to assess the mining-induced strata permeability change. The underground packer test results indicated that the drivage of main headings (roadways) had induced a significant change in permeability into the solid coal barrier. Permeability increased by more than 50 times at a distance of 11.2-11.5 m from the roadway rib into the solid coal barrier. The tests conducted in the roof strata above the longwall goaf indicated more than 1,000-fold increase in permeability. The measured permeability values varied widely and strangely on a number of occasions; for example the test conducted from the main headings at the 8.2-8.5 m test section in the solid coal barrier showed a decline in permeability value as compared to that at the 11.2-11.5 m section contrary to the expectations. It is envisaged that a number of factors during the tests might have had affected the measured values of permeability: (a) swelling and smearing of the borehole, possibly lowering the permeability values; (b) packer bypass by larger fractures; (c) test section lying in small but intact (without fractures) rock segment, possibly resulting in lower permeability values; and (d) test section lying right at the extensive fractures, possibly measuring higher permeability values. Once the anomalous measurement data were discarded, the numerical model results could be seen to match the remaining field permeability measurement data

Sandstone units of the Lee Formation and related strata in eastern Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rice, Charles L.

1984-01-01

sandstone and conglomerate. The Dark Ridge and Hensley Members are mostly shale, siltstone, thin-bedded silty sandstone, and coal. The lower three of these members, the Pinnacle Overlook, Chadwell, and White Rocks Sandstone, are assigned to the Upper Mississippian Series because they intertongue with marine reddish or greenish shale and siltstone of the Pennington Formation or equivalent strata that contain a Late Mississippian fauna. The overlying quartzose sandstone members of the Lee commonly have coalified plant remains and impressions of plants and are Early to Middle Pennsylvanian in age; they are generally associated with terrestrial shale and siltstone containing coal beds and pinch out eastward into subgraywacke, siltstone, and shale. Although marine members commonly are bimodal, resultant transport directions for both marine and terrestrial members are southwesterly as determined by crossbedding. Thickness variations of the Middlesboro Member in the Cumberland overthrust sheet suggest that it represents tills of at least three major southwesterly trending paleovalleys. Thickness variations of the Bee Rock Sandstone Member east of Rocky Face fault and the combined Bee Rock and Naese Sandstone Members west of Rocky Face fault suggest that these members represent tills of at least two major southwesterly trending paleovalleys. East of Rocky Face fault, the Bee Rock is generally the uppermost member of the Lee; west of the fault, the overlying Naese is at the top. The Naese may range in age from Early to Middle Pennsylvanian and is partly or wholly equivalent to the Rockcastle Sandstone member of the Lee Formation in the area of the Pottsville Escarpment. The Mississippian-Pennsylvanian systemic boundary in the area of the Cumberland overthrust sheet in most places has been placed at an unconformity at the base of the Middlesboro Member; locally it is projected at the base of shales of the underlying Dark Ridge Member or equivalent strata in the Penningto

A Polymer Plugging Gel for the Fractured Strata and Its Application

PubMed Central

Fan, Xiangyu; Zhao, Pengfei; Zhang, Qiangui; Zhang, Ting; Zhu, Kui; Zhou, Chenghua

2018-01-01

Well leakage of fractured strata is a tricky problem while drilling. This unwieldy problem is usually caused by the poor formation of the cementing degree, the staggered-mesh of the fracture, and the low bearing capacity of the formation, which can also lead to a narrow and even unsafe window of drilling fluid density. For fractured strata, the normal plugging material has the disadvantages of unsuitable size and low strength, resulting in unsuccessful first time plugging and an increase in cost. Therefore, we developed a polymer plugging gel for the fractured strata, named XNGJ-3. XNGJ-3 is mainly made of an acrylamide monomer and is accompanied by the reactive monomers of carboxyl and hydroxyl as ingredients. XNGJ-3 has a low viscosity before gelling. At 80 °C it becomes gelled, and the gelling time was controlled within the required time of the practical application. These conditions are beneficial for making the plugging material enter the crossing fracture smoothly and occlude the fracture. XNGJ-3 also has a good deformability and can avoid being damaged during the process of fracture closure. The well leakage simulated experiment revealed that the bearing capacity of this material can reach 21 MPa and the inverse bearing capacity can reach 20 MPa. These strengths are more than twice that of common polymer plugging gels. Finally, three leaked wells in the fractured strata of the Sichuan Basin were used to verify the plugging effect of XNGJ-3. Compared with other common plugging materials, XNGJ-3 has the advantages of having a higher success rate of first time plugging, a lower economic cost, a shorter work time, and so forth, which indicate that this plugging material has a good engineering application value in dealing with well leakage of fractured strata. PMID:29883407

Selenium Concentrations in Middle Pennsylvanian Coal-Bearing Strata in the Central Appalachian Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neuzil, Sandra G.; Dulong, Frank T.; Cecil, C. Blaine; Fedorko, Nick; Renton, John J.; Bhumbla, D.K.

2007-01-01

Introduction This report provides the results of a reconnaissance-level investigation of selenium (Se) concentrations in Middle Pennsylvanian coal-bearing strata in the central Appalachian basin. Bryant and others (2002) reported enrichments of Se concentrations in streams draining areas disturbed by surface mining relative to Se concentrations in streams that drain undisturbed areas; the study was conducted without the benefit of data on Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata prior to anthropogenic disturbance. Thus, the present study was conducted to provide data on Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata prior to land disturbance. The principal objectives of this work are: 1) determine the stratigraphic and regional distribution of Se concentrations in coal-bearing strata, 2) provide reconnaissance-level information on relations, if any, between Se concentrations and lithology (rock-type), and 3) develop a cursory evaluation of the leachability of Se from disturbed strata. The results reported herein are derived from analyses of samples obtained from three widely-spaced cores that were collected from undisturbed rock within a region that has been subjected to extensive land disturbance principally by either coal mining or, to a lesser extent, highway construction. The focus was on low-organic-content lithologies, not coal, within the coal-bearing interval, as these lithologies most commonly make up the fill materials after coal mining or in road construction.

The Strata-l Experiment on Microgravity Regolith Segregation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fries, M.; Abell, P.; Brisset, J.; Britt, D.; Colwell, J.; Durda, D.; Dove, A.; Graham, L.; Hartzell, C.; John, K.;

Magnetostratigraphy of displaced Upper Cretaceous strata in southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, J. Gilbert; Bottjer, David J.; Lund, Steve P.

1985-09-01

A magnetostratigraphic study of Upper Cretaceous marine strata from the Santa Ana Mountains in southern California has identified a Campanian reversed magnetozone. This reversed interval, corresponding to marine magnetic anomaly 33 34 (Chron 33r) of Campanian age, can be correlated with a Campanian reversed magnetozone that has been reported from strata of the Great Valley Sequence in central California. The Late Cretaceous paleolatitude of the Santa Ana Mountains is estimated from this study to be 26.6°N. This is significantly different from the region's expected Cretaceous paleolatitude of 43.8°N as part of the North American stable craton, and indicates that this region (part of the Peninsular Ranges terrane) was 1900 km farther south in Cretaceous time relative to the stable craton. *Present address: Mobil Oil Corp., P.O. Box 900, Dallas, Texas 75221

Law of Strata Pressure Behavior in Shallow Coal Seam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jian; Liu, Leibin; Zheng, Zhiyang

2018-02-01

The law of strata pressure behavior in shallow coal seam is analyzed, according to the load data of Jinjie Coal Mine 31109 working face hydraulic supports. The first weighting distance of main roof is 80 m, and the periodic weighting distance of main roof is about 20 m. And according to the load data in the middle and both ends of the working face, the working resistance of hydraulic supports and the setting load are a bit small, so they couldn’t meet the needs of supporting roof. Then, the front abutment pressure of working face is analyzed by numerical simulation. It does not only explain the reason that the load is too big, but also explains the reason that the strata pressure behavior in shallow coal seam is serious. The length of undamaged main roof rock beam verifies the correctness of the periodic weighting distance.

A study of calcium intake and sources of calcium in adolescent boys and girls from two socioeconomic strata, in Pune, India.

PubMed

Sanwalka, Neha J; Khadilkar, Anuradha V; Mughal, M Zulf; Sayyad, Mehmood G; Khadilkar, Vaman V; Shirole, Shilpa C; Divate, Uma P; Bhandari, Dhanshari R

2010-01-01

Adequate intake of calcium is important for skeletal growth. Low calcium intake during childhood and adolescence may lead to decreased bone mass accrual thereby increasing the risk of osteoporotic fractures. Our aim was to study dietary calcium intake and sources of calcium in adolescents from lower and upper economic strata in Pune, India. We hypothesized that children from lower economic strata would have lower intakes of calcium, which would predominantly be derived from non-dairy sources. Two hundred male and female adolescents, from lower and upper economic stratum were studied. Semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate intakes of calcium, phosphorus, oxalic acid, phytin, energy and protein. The median calcium intake was significantly different in all four groups, with maximum intake in the upper economic strata boys (893 mg, 689-1295) and lowest intake in lower economic strata girls (506 mg, 380-674). The median calcium intake in lower economic strata boys was 767 mg (585-1043) and that in upper economic strata girls was 764 mg (541-959). The main source of calcium was dairy products in upper economic strata adolescents while it was dark green leafy vegetables in lower economic strata adolescents. The median calcium intake was much lower in lower economic strata than in the upper economic strata both in boys and girls. Girls from both groups had less access to dairy products as compared to boys. Measures need to be taken to rectify low calcium intake in lower economic strata adolescents and to address gender inequality in distribution of dairy products in India.

Clustering network layers with the strata multilayer stochastic block model.

PubMed

Stanley, Natalie; Shai, Saray; Taylor, Dane; Mucha, Peter J

2016-01-01

Multilayer networks are a useful data structure for simultaneously capturing multiple types of relationships between a set of nodes. In such networks, each relational definition gives rise to a layer. While each layer provides its own set of information, community structure across layers can be collectively utilized to discover and quantify underlying relational patterns between nodes. To concisely extract information from a multilayer network, we propose to identify and combine sets of layers with meaningful similarities in community structure. In this paper, we describe the "strata multilayer stochastic block model" (sMLSBM), a probabilistic model for multilayer community structure. The central extension of the model is that there exist groups of layers, called "strata", which are defined such that all layers in a given stratum have community structure described by a common stochastic block model (SBM). That is, layers in a stratum exhibit similar node-to-community assignments and SBM probability parameters. Fitting the sMLSBM to a multilayer network provides a joint clustering that yields node-to-community and layer-to-stratum assignments, which cooperatively aid one another during inference. We describe an algorithm for separating layers into their appropriate strata and an inference technique for estimating the SBM parameters for each stratum. We demonstrate our method using synthetic networks and a multilayer network inferred from data collected in the Human Microbiome Project.

Overpressure and hydrocarbon accumulations in Tertiary strata, Gulf Coast of Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Philip H.

2012-01-01

Many oil and gas reservoirs in Tertiary strata of southern Louisiana are located close to the interface between a sand-rich, normally pressured sequence and an underlying sand-poor, overpressured sequence. This association, recognized for many years by Gulf Coast explorationists, is revisited here because of its relevance to an assessment of undiscovered oil and gas potential in the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. The transition from normally pressured to highly overpressured sediments is documented by converting mud weights to pressure, plotting all pressure data from an individual field as a function of depth, and selecting a top and base of the pressure transition zone. Vertical extents of pressure transition zones in 34 fields across southern onshore Louisiana range from 300 to 9000 ft and are greatest in younger strata and in the larger fields. Display of pressure transition zones on geologic cross sections illustrates the relative independence of the depth of the pressure transition zone and geologic age. Comparison of the depth distribution of pressure transition zones with production intervals confirms previous findings that production intervals generally overlap the pressure transition zone in depth and that the median production depth lies above the base of the pressure transition zone in most fields. However, in 11 of 55 fields with deep drilling, substantial amounts of oil and gas have been produced from depths deeper than 2000 ft below the base of the pressure transition zone. Mud-weight data in 7 fields show that "local" pressure gradients range from 0.91 to 1.26 psi/ft below the base of the pressure transition zone. Pressure gradients are higher and computed effective stress gradients are negative in younger strata in coastal areas, indicating that a greater potential for fluid and sediment movement exists there than in older Tertiary strata.

Rational Use of Land Resource During the Implementation of Transportless System of Coal Strata Surface Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gvozdkova, T.; Tyulenev, M.; Zhironkin, S.; Trifonov, V. A.; Osipov, Yu M.

2017-01-01

Surface mining and open pits engineering affect the environment in a very negative way. Among other pollutions that open pits make during mineral deposits exploiting, particular problem is the landscape changing. Along with converting the land into pits, surface mining is connected with pilling dumps that occupy large ground. The article describes an analysis of transportless methods of several coal seams strata surface mining, applied for open pits of South Kuzbass coal enterprises (Western Siberia, Russia). To improve land-use management of open pit mining enterprises, the characteristics of transportless technological schemes for several coal seams strata surface mining are highlighted and observed. These characteristics help to systematize transportless open mining technologies using common criteria that characterize structure of the bottom part of a strata and internal dumping schemes. The schemes of transportless systems of coal strata surface mining implemented in South Kuzbass are given.

Detrital zircon geochronology of pre- and syncollisional strata, Acadian orogen, Maine Appalachians

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight C.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.

2017-01-01

The Central Maine Basin is the largest expanse of deep-marine, Upper Ordovician to Devonian metasedimentary rocks in the New England Appalachians, and is a key to the tectonics of the Acadian Orogeny. Detrital zircon ages are reported from two groups of strata: (1) the Quimby, Rangeley, Perry Mountain and Smalls Falls Formations, which were derived from inboard, northwesterly sources and are supposedly older; and (2) the Madrid, Carrabassett and Littleton Formations, which were derived from outboard, easterly sources and are supposedly younger. Deep-water deposition prevailed throughout, with the provenance shift inferred to mark the onset of foredeep deposition and orogeny. The detrital zircon age distribution of a composite of the inboard-derived units shows maxima at 988 and 429 Ma; a composite from the outboard-derived units shows maxima at 1324, 1141, 957, 628, and 437 Ma. The inboard-derived units have a greater proportion of zircons between 450 and 400 Ma. Three samples from the inboard-derived group have youngest age maxima that are significantly younger than the nominal depositional ages. The outboard-derived group does not share this problem. These results are consistent with the hypothesised provenance shift, but they signal potential problems with the established stratigraphy, structure, and (or) regional mapping. Shallow-marine deposits of the Silurian to Devonian Ripogenus Formation, from northwest of the Central Maine Basin, yielded detrital zircons featuring a single age maximum at 441 Ma. These zircons were likely derived from a nearby magmatic arc now concealed by younger strata. Detrital zircons from the Tarratine Formation, part of the Acadian foreland-basin succession in this strike belt, shows age maxima at 1615, 980 and 429 Ma. These results are consistent with three episodes of zircon recycling beginning with the deposition of inboard-derived strata of the Central Maine Basin, which were shed from post-Taconic highlands located to the

Baseline characteristics of different strata of astronaut corps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamm, Peggy B.; Pepper, L. J.

1993-01-01

The Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health (LSAH) is an epidemiological study designed to study the effects of the occupational exposures incurred by astronauts in health outcomes and changes in physiological variables. Between 1959 and 1991, 195 individuals were selected for the program. The medical standards for selection have remained essentially unchanged since the Mercury Program, but the range and stringency of these criteria have been modified. Demographic and physiological variables identified during the selection year are examined for various strata of the Astronaut Corps. Specifically, age, sex, race, education, usual occupation, military affiliation, medical history, family medical history, visual and hearing measurements, physical exam variables, and specific laboratory values are investigated. Differences are examined in astronauts for the following criteria: (1) were selected prior to 1970 (n = 73) versus those selected after 1970 (n = 122); (2) have flown multiple missions versus those who have flown less than two missions; (3) have walked in space versus all others; (4) have more than 500 hours of mission time versus all others; and (5) have gone to the Moon versus all others. Length of time served in the Astronaut Corps is examined for each of these strata.

High-resolution delineation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds in a dipping, fractured mudstone: Depth- and strata-dependent spatial variability from rock-core sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goode, Daniel J.; Imbrigiotta, Thomas E.; Lacombe, Pierre J.

2014-12-01

Synthesis of rock-core sampling and chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) analysis at five coreholes, with hydraulic and water-quality monitoring and a detailed hydrogeologic framework, was used to characterize the fine-scale distribution of CVOCs in dipping, fractured mudstones of the Lockatong Formation of Triassic age, of the Newark Basin in West Trenton, New Jersey. From these results, a refined conceptual model for more than 55 years of migration of CVOCs and depth- and strata-dependent rock-matrix contamination was developed. Industrial use of trichloroethene (TCE) at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) from 1953 to 1995 resulted in dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) TCE and dissolved TCE and related breakdown products, including other CVOCs, in underlying mudstones. Shallow highly weathered and fractured strata overlie unweathered, gently dipping, fractured strata that become progressively less fractured with depth. The unweathered lithology includes black highly fractured (fissile) carbon-rich strata, gray mildly fractured thinly layered (laminated) strata, and light-gray weakly fractured massive strata. CVOC concentrations in water samples pumped from the shallow weathered and highly fractured strata remain elevated near residual DNAPL TCE, but dilution by uncontaminated recharge, and other natural and engineered attenuation processes, have substantially reduced concentrations along flow paths removed from sources and residual DNAPL. CVOCs also were detected in most rock-core samples in source areas in shallow wells. In many locations, lower aqueous concentrations, compared to rock core concentrations, suggest that CVOCs are presently back-diffusing from the rock matrix. Below the weathered and highly fractured strata, and to depths of at least 50 meters (m), groundwater flow and contaminant transport is primarily in bedding-plane-oriented fractures in thin fissile high-carbon strata, and in fractured, laminated strata of the gently

High-resolution delineation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds in a dipping, fractured mudstone: depth- and strata-dependent spatial variability from rock-core sampling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goode, Daniel J.; Imbrigiotta, Thomas E.; Lacombe, Pierre J.

2014-01-01

Synthesis of rock-core sampling and chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) analysis at five coreholes, with hydraulic and water-quality monitoring and a detailed hydrogeologic framework, was used to characterize the fine-scale distribution of CVOCs in dipping, fractured mudstones of the Lockatong Formation of Triassic age, of the Newark Basin in West Trenton, New Jersey. From these results, a refined conceptual model for more than 55 years of migration of CVOCs and depth- and strata-dependent rock-matrix contamination was developed. Industrial use of trichloroethene (TCE) at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) from 1953 to 1995 resulted in dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) TCE and dissolved TCE and related breakdown products, including other CVOCs, in underlying mudstones. Shallow highly weathered and fractured strata overlie unweathered, gently dipping, fractured strata that become progressively less fractured with depth. The unweathered lithology includes black highly fractured (fissile) carbon-rich strata, gray mildly fractured thinly layered (laminated) strata, and light-gray weakly fractured massive strata. CVOC concentrations in water samples pumped from the shallow weathered and highly fractured strata remain elevated near residual DNAPL TCE, but dilution by uncontaminated recharge, and other natural and engineered attenuation processes, have substantially reduced concentrations along flow paths removed from sources and residual DNAPL. CVOCs also were detected in most rock-core samples in source areas in shallow wells. In many locations, lower aqueous concentrations, compared to rock core concentrations, suggest that CVOCs are presently back-diffusing from the rock matrix. Below the weathered and highly fractured strata, and to depths of at least 50 meters (m), groundwater flow and contaminant transport is primarily in bedding-plane-oriented fractures in thin fissile high-carbon strata, and in fractured, laminated strata of the gently

The Strata-1 Regolith Dynamics Experiment: Class 1E Science on ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fries, Marc; Graham, Lee; John, Kristen

2016-01-01

The Strata-1 experiment studies the evolution of small body regolith through long-duration exposure of simulant materials to the microgravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS). This study will record segregation and mechanical dynamics of regolith simulants in a microgravity and vibration environment similar to that experienced by regolith on small Solar System bodies. Strata-1 will help us understand regolith dynamics and will inform design and procedures for landing and setting anchors, safely sampling and moving material on asteroidal surfaces, processing large volumes of material for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) purposes, and, in general, predicting the behavior of large and small particles on disturbed asteroid surfaces. This experiment is providing new insights into small body surface evolution.

Undergraduates Discovering Folds in ''Flat'' Strata: An Unusual Undergraduate Geology Field Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abolins, Mark

2014-01-01

Undergraduates learned to measure, map, and interpret bedding plane attitudes during a semesterlong geology field methods course in a field area where strata dip less than 98. Despite the low dip of the strata, 2011 field course students discovered a half-kilometer-wide structural basin by using digital levels and Brunton pocket transits to…

Numerical study on the responses of groundwater and strata to pumping and recharge in a deep confined aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yang-Qing; Wang, Jian-Hua; Chen, Jin-Jian; Li, Ming-Guang

2017-05-01

Groundwater drawdown and strata settlements induced by dewatering in confined aquifers can be relieved by artificial recharge. In this study, numerical simulations of a field multi-well pumping-recharge test in a deep confined aquifer are conducted to analyze the responses of groundwater and strata to pumping and recharge. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed in a finite-difference software, which considers the fluid-mechanical interaction using the Biot consolidation theory. The predicted groundwater drawdown and ground settlements are compared to the measured data to confirm the validation of the numerical analysis of the pumping and recharge. Both numerical results and measured data indicate that the effect of recharge on controlling the groundwater drawdown and strata settlements correlates with the injection rate and well arrangements. Since the groundwater drawdown induced by pumping can be controlled by artificial recharge, soil compression can be relieved by reducing the changes of effective stress of the soils. Consequently, strata settlement induced by pumping can be relieved by artificial recharge and ground settlements can be eliminated if an appropriate injection rate and well arrangement are being determined. Moreover, the changes of the pore pressure and seepage force induced by pumping and recharge will also result in significant horizontal deformations in the strata near the recharge wells.

Numerical Modeling of Mechanical Behavior for Buried Steel Pipelines Crossing Subsidence Strata

PubMed Central

Han, C. J.

2015-01-01

This paper addresses the mechanical behavior of buried steel pipeline crossing subsidence strata. The investigation is based on numerical simulation of the nonlinear response of the pipeline-soil system through finite element method, considering large strain and displacement, inelastic material behavior of buried pipeline and the surrounding soil, as well as contact and friction on the pipeline-soil interface. Effects of key parameters on the mechanical behavior of buried pipeline were investigated, such as strata subsidence, diameter-thickness ratio, buried depth, internal pressure, friction coefficient and soil properties. The results show that the maximum strain appears on the outer transition subsidence section of the pipeline, and its cross section is concave shaped. With the increasing of strata subsidence and diameter-thickness ratio, the out of roundness, longitudinal strain and equivalent plastic strain increase gradually. With the buried depth increasing, the deflection, out of roundness and strain of the pipeline decrease. Internal pressure and friction coefficient have little effect on the deflection of buried pipeline. Out of roundness is reduced and the strain is increased gradually with the increasing of internal pressure. The physical properties of soil have a great influence on the mechanical properties of buried pipeline. The results from the present study can be used for the development of optimization design and preventive maintenance for buried steel pipelines. PMID:26103460

Identification of multiple magnetizations of the Ediacaran strata in South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Xianqing; Yang, Zhenyu; Tong, Yabo; Wang, Heng; Xu, Yingchao

2018-01-01

A suspected Silurian remagnetization of the Ediacaran strata of South China was proposed decades ago by many researchers, but, there has been no systematic study of its causes and mechanisms. In this study, we investigate the multiphase remagnetization processes that affected the Ediacaran strata and the possible mechanisms of these remagnetization events. We conducted detailed palaeomagnetic, rock magnetic and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of samples from the Ediacaran strata in the Jiulongwan (JLWE, JLWS), Qinglinkou (QLK) and Sanxiarenjia (SXRJ) sections in the Three Gorges Area, South China. After removal of a recent viscous remanent magnetization below 150 °C, an intermediate temperature component (ITC; Dg = 27.6°, Ig = 45.3°, N = 12 sites, kg = 184.3, α95 = 3.2° for JLWE; Dg = 22°, Ig = 45.3°, N = 11 sites, kg = 789.2, α95 = 1.6° for JLWS; and Dg = 25.5°, Ig = 52.5°, N = 6 sites, kg = 533.4, α95 = 2.9° for SXRJ) was removed below 300 °C which coincides with the Jurassic results from South China, suggesting a pervasive Jurassic remagnetization. In addition, a high temperature component (HTC; Ds = 84.8°, Is = 19.2°, N = 9 sites, ks = 35.5, α95 = 8.8° for JLWE; Ds = 74.1°, Is = 49.4°, N = 7 sites, ks = 218.9, α95 = 4.1° for JLWS; and Ds = 89.5°, Is = 30.7°, N = 8 sites, ks = 129.2, α95 = 4.9° for SXRJ) was isolated between 300 and 480-540 °C. Rock magnetic and SEM studies suggest that the ITC and HTC are carried by pyrrhotite and magnetite, respectively. SEM observations also demonstrate the occurrence of massive authigenic magnetite in cavities or cracks, mineralogical changes from pyrite to Fe oxides, and the reaction between gypsum and Fe oxides. Based on similarities to the Silurian poles of South China, together with the SEM observations, we suggest that the HTC from the JLWE and SXRJ sections is a Silurian age remagnetization. The oxidation of iron sulphides and thermochemical sulphate reduction induced by the

Preliminary numerical simulation for shallow strata stability of coral reef in South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Qinqin; Zhan, Wenhuan; Zhang, Jinchang

2017-04-01

Coral reefs are the geologic material and special rock and soil, which live in shallow water of the tropic ocean and are formed through biological and geological action. Since infrastructure construction is being increasingly developed on coral reefs during recent years, it is necessary to evaluate the shallow strata stability of coral reefs in the South China Sea. The paper is to study the borehole profiles for shallow strata of coral reefs in the South China Sea, especially in the hydrodynamic marine environment?, and to establish a geological model for numerical simulation with Geo-Studio software. Five drilling holes show a six-layer shallow structure of South China Sea, including filling layer, mid-coarse sand, coral sand gravel, fine sand, limestone debris and reef limestone. The shallow coral reef profile next to lagoon is similar to "layers cake", in which the right side close to the sea is analogous to "block cake". The simulation results show that coral reef stability depends on wave loads and earthquake strength, as well as the physical properties of coral reefs themselves. The safety factor of the outer reef is greater than 10.0 in the static condition, indicating that outer reefs are less affected by the wave and earthquake. However, the safety factor next to lagoon is ranging from 0.1 to 4.9. The main reason for the variations that the strata of coral reefs close to the sea are thick. For example, the thickness of reef limestone is more than 10 m and equivalent to the block. When the thickness of inside strata is less than 10 m, they show weak engineering geological characteristics. These findings can provide useful information for coral reef constructions in future. This work was funded by National Basic Research Program of China (contract: 2013CB956104) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (contract: 41376063).

Identification of coal seam strata from geophysical logs of borehole using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yegireddi, Satyanarayana; Uday Bhaskar, G.

2009-01-01

Different parameters obtained through well-logging geophysical sensors such as SP, resistivity, gamma-gamma, neutron, natural gamma and acoustic, help in identification of strata and estimation of the physical, electrical and acoustical properties of the subsurface lithology. Strong and conspicuous changes in some of the log parameters associated with any particular stratigraphy formation, are function of its composition, physical properties and help in classification. However some substrata show moderate values in respective log parameters and make difficult to identify or assess the type of strata, if we go by the standard variability ranges of any log parameters and visual inspection. The complexity increases further with more number of sensors involved. An attempt is made to identify the type of stratigraphy from borehole geophysical log data using a combined approach of neural networks and fuzzy logic, known as Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System. A model is built based on a few data sets (geophysical logs) of known stratigraphy of in coal areas of Kothagudem, Godavari basin and further the network model is used as test model to infer the lithology of a borehole from their geophysical logs, not used in simulation. The results are very encouraging and the model is able to decipher even thin cola seams and other strata from borehole geophysical logs. The model can be further modified to assess the physical properties of the strata, if the corresponding ground truth is made available for simulation.

An integrated geophysical study on the Mesozoic strata distribution and hydrocarbon potential in the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Weijian; Hao, Tianyao; Jiang, Weiwei; Xu, Ya; Zhao, Baimin; Jiang, Didi

2015-11-01

A series of drilling, dredge, and seismic investigations indicate that Mesozoic sediments exist in the South China Sea (SCS) which shows a bright prospect for oil and gas exploration. In order to study the distribution of Mesozoic strata and their residual thicknesses in the SCS, we carried out an integrated geophysical study based mainly on gravity data, gravity basement depth and distribution of residual Mesozoic thickness in the SCS were obtained using gravity inversion constrained with high-precision drilling and seismic data. In addition, the fine deep crustal structures and distribution characteristics of Mesozoic thicknesses of three typical profiles were obtained by gravity fitting inversion. Mesozoic strata in the SCS are mainly distributed in the south and north continental margins, and have been reformed by the later tectonic activities. They extend in NE-trending stripes are macro-controlled by the deep and large NE-trending faults, and cut by the NW-trending faults which were active in later times. The offset in NW direction of Mesozoic strata in Nansha area of the southern margin are more obvious as compared to the north margin. In the Pearl River Mouth Basin and Southwest Taiwan Basin of the north continental margin the Mesozoic sediments are continuously distributed with a relatively large thickness. In the Nansha area of the south margin the Mesozoic strata are discontinuous and their thicknesses vary considerably. According to the characteristics of Mesozoic thickness distribution and hydrocarbon potential analyses from drilling and other data, Dongsha Uplift-Chaoshan Depression, Southwest Taiwan Basin-Peikang Uplift and Liyue Bank have large thickness of the Mesozoic residual strata, have good hydrocarbon genesis capability and complete source-reservoir-cap combinations, show a bright prospect of Mesozoic oil/gas resources.

Modeling of multi-strata forest fire severity using Landsat TM data

Treesearch

Q. Meng; R.K. Meentemeyer

2011-01-01

Most of fire severity studies use field measures of composite burn index (CBI) to represent forest fire severity and fit the relationships between CBI and Landsat imagery derived differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) to predict and map fire severity at unsampled locations. However, less attention has been paid on the multi-strata forest fire severity, which...

Assessment of Aeolis Palus stratigraphic relationships based on bench-forming strata in the Kylie and the Kimberley regions of Gale crater, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Malin, Michael C.; Stack, Kathryn M.; Rubin, David M.

2018-07-01

The stratigraphic context of rock layers is a critical piece of information needed for accurate reconstruction of their geologic history. Although sedimentary rocks are widespread in Gale crater, efforts to deduce stratigraphic relationships of rocks were challenging early in the Mars Science Laboratory mission because vertical bedrock exposures were relatively rare along the first ∼3 km the rover traversed across Aeolis Palus. Potential insights into the three-dimensional configuration of rock layers were made once the rover passed Dingo Gap, especially in the informally-named Kylie and Kimberley regions. Here, the terrain exhibits low relief ( < 10 m) cliffs, some of which are continuous over lengths > 75 m. Curiosity Mastcam and Navcam images show that the cliffs are capped by resistant, bench-forming rock layers corresponding to two facies: a poorly sorted, weakly stratified pebble conglomerate, and a massive, dark-toned, vuggy sandstone. In places, the inclination of the topographic surface (northward ∼2° to 3°) is similar to the apparent dip of the underlying strata, suggesting the presence of dip slopes in an area inferred to be generally flat-lying, conformable rock units. Further, we assessed potential strata correlations via plane-fitting exercises and a regional comparison to other capping strata. We speculate that bench-forming strata in the study region could be part of a widespread package of draping strata (the Siccar Point group) that post-dates deposition and exhumation of the lower strata of Mount Sharp.

Outcrops, Fossils, Geophysical Logs, and Tectonic Interpretations of the Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation and Contiguous Strata in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E.A.; Cobban, W.A.; Tillman, R.W.

2010-01-01

In the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming and south-central Montana, the Frontier Formation of early Late Cretaceous age consists of siliciclastic, bentonitic, and carbonaceous beds that were deposited in marine, brackish-water, and continental environments. Most lithologic units are laterally discontinuous. The Frontier Formation conformably overlies the Mowry Shale and is conformably overlain by the Cody Shale. Molluscan fossils collected from outcrops of these formations and listed in this report are mainly of marine origin and of Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian ages. The lower and thicker part of the Frontier in the Bighorn Basin is of Cenomanian age and laterally equivalent to the Belle Fourche Member of the Frontier in central Wyoming. Near the west edge of the basin, these basal strata are disconformably overlain by middle Turonian beds that are the age equivalent of the Emigrant Gap Member of the Frontier in central Wyoming. The middle Turonian beds are disconformably overlain by lower Coniacian strata. Cenomanian strata along the south and east margins of the basin are disconformably overlain by upper Turonian beds in the upper part of the Frontier, as well as in the lower part of the Cody; these are, in turn, conformably overlain by lower Coniacian strata. Thicknesses and ages of Cenomanian strata in the Bighorn Basin and adjoining regions are evidence of regional differential erosion and the presence of an uplift during the early Turonian centered in northwestern Wyoming, west of the basin, probably associated with a eustatic event. The truncated Cenomanian strata were buried by lower middle Turonian beds during a marine transgression and possibly during regional subsidence and a eustatic rise. An uplift in the late middle Turonian, centered in north-central Wyoming and possibly associated with a eustatic fall, caused the erosion of lower middle Turonian beds in southern and eastern areas of the basin as well as in an adjoining region of north

Strata at Base of Mount Sharp

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-08

A view from the Kimberly formation on Mars taken by NASA Curiosity rover. The strata in the foreground dip towards the base of Mount Sharp, indicating the ancient depression that existed before the larger bulk of the mountain formed. The colors are adjusted so that rocks look approximately as they would if they were on Earth, to help geologists interpret the rocks. This "white balancing" to adjust for the lighting on Mars overly compensates for the absence of blue on Mars, making the sky appear light blue and sometimes giving dark, black rocks a blue cast. This image was taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on Curiosity on the 580th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Curiosity's Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, built the rover and manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19839

Some design issues of strata-matched non-randomized studies with survival outcomes.

PubMed

Mazumdar, Madhu; Tu, Donsheng; Zhou, Xi Kathy

2006-12-15

Non-randomized studies for the evaluation of a medical intervention are useful for quantitative hypothesis generation before the initiation of a randomized trial and also when randomized clinical trials are difficult to conduct. A strata-matched non-randomized design is often utilized where subjects treated by a test intervention are matched to a fixed number of subjects treated by a standard intervention within covariate based strata. In this paper, we consider the issue of sample size calculation for this design. Based on the asymptotic formula for the power of a stratified log-rank test, we derive a formula to calculate the minimum number of subjects in the test intervention group that is required to detect a given relative risk between the test and standard interventions. When this minimum number of subjects in the test intervention group is available, an equation is also derived to find the multiple that determines the number of subjects in the standard intervention group within each stratum. The methodology developed is applied to two illustrative examples in gastric cancer and sarcoma.

Clustering network layers with the strata multilayer stochastic block model

PubMed Central

Stanley, Natalie; Shai, Saray; Taylor, Dane; Mucha, Peter J.

2016-01-01

Multilayer networks are a useful data structure for simultaneously capturing multiple types of relationships between a set of nodes. In such networks, each relational definition gives rise to a layer. While each layer provides its own set of information, community structure across layers can be collectively utilized to discover and quantify underlying relational patterns between nodes. To concisely extract information from a multilayer network, we propose to identify and combine sets of layers with meaningful similarities in community structure. In this paper, we describe the “strata multilayer stochastic block model” (sMLSBM), a probabilistic model for multilayer community structure. The central extension of the model is that there exist groups of layers, called “strata”, which are defined such that all layers in a given stratum have community structure described by a common stochastic block model (SBM). That is, layers in a stratum exhibit similar node-to-community assignments and SBM probability parameters. Fitting the sMLSBM to a multilayer network provides a joint clustering that yields node-to-community and layer-to-stratum assignments, which cooperatively aid one another during inference. We describe an algorithm for separating layers into their appropriate strata and an inference technique for estimating the SBM parameters for each stratum. We demonstrate our method using synthetic networks and a multilayer network inferred from data collected in the Human Microbiome Project. PMID:28435844

76 FR 69295 - Strata Energy, Inc.; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

...: Strata Energy, Inc. (Ross In Situ Recovery Uranium Project) This proceeding involves a license... byproduct materials license at its Ross In Situ Recovery Uranium Project site located in Crook County... dated December 29, 1972, published in the Federal Register, 37 FR 28,710 (1972), and the Commission's...

A Jurassic Shock-Aftershock Earthquake Sequence Recorded by Small Clastic Pipes and Dikes within Dune Cross-Strata, Zion National Park, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loope, D. B.; Zlotnik, V. A.; Kettler, R. M.; Pederson, D. T.

2012-12-01

Eolian sandstones of south-central and southeast Utah contain large volumes of contorted cross-strata that have long been recognized as products of liquefaction caused by seismic shaking. Unlike most sites where Navajo Sandstone is exposed, in Zion National Park (southwestern Utah), the Navajo contains very, very few contorted strata. We have, however, mapped the distribution of more than 1,000 small-scale, vertical pipes and dikes in uncontorted cross-strata of the Navajo at two small study sites in Zion. Pipes are 2-5 cm in diameter and up to 3 m long; dikes are ~6 cm wide. Clusters of the water-escape structures lie directly above and below numerous, near-horizontal bounding surfaces. Dikes are restricted to the wind-ripple strata that lie above the bounding surfaces. Pipes are common both above and below the bounding surfaces. In map view, most pipes are arranged in lines. Near the bounding surfaces, pipes merge upward with shallow dikes trending parallel to the lines of pipes. Pipes formed in grainflows—homogeneous, well-sorted sand lacking cohesion. Dikes formed above the bounding surface, in more-cohesive, poorly sorted, wind-ripple strata. As liquefaction began, expansion of subsurface sand caused spreading within the unliquified (capping) beds near the land surface. Dikes intruded cracks in the wind-ripple strata, and pipes rose from the better-sorted sand to interdune surfaces, following trends of cracks. Because the wind-ripple strata had low cohesive strength, a depression formed around each rupture, and ejected sand built upward to a flat-topped surface rather than forming the cone of a classic sand volcano. In one 3 m2 portion of the map area, a cluster of about 20 pipes and dikes, many with truncated tops, record eight stratigraphically distinct seismic events. The large dunes that deposited the Navajo cross-strata likely moved ~1m/yr. When, in response to seismic shaking, a few liters of fluidized sand erupted onto the lowermost portion of the

Controls on architecture of Argentine limestone and associated strata in northeastern Kansas. A firstcut method for evaluating limestone aggregate durability using spectral scintillometry

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-10-01

Missourian strata were studied in eastern Kansas to evaluate the build-and-fill controls on strata deposited in association with high-amplitude glacioeustatic sea-level fluctuations. Results from this study show that creation of relief in high-freque...

Paleomagnetism and Magnetostratigraphy of Upper Permian to Lower Triassic (?) Beaufort Group Strata at Bethulie, Karoo Basin, Free State Province, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geissman, J. W.; Gastaldo, R. A.; Neveling, J.; Makubalo, S.

2017-12-01

A multifaceted approach to understand the timing of interpreted environmental changes during the Late Permian to possibly Early Triassic (?) time in the Beaufort Group strata of the Karoo Basin includes work to establish robust magnetic polarity records for sections previously interpreted to encompass end-Permian extinction events. Demonstrating the preservation of an early-acquired remanence (RM) in Karoo strata is required for a robust magnetostratigraphy. Yet, this is challenging due to thermochemical effects related to the Early Jurassic (ca. 183 Ma) Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP), and the NE to SW increase in burial diagenesis attending Cape Fold Belt tectonism. Documentation of a primary RM in these strata, which appears to be preserved in some areas, requires careful laboratory- and field-based assessment. We report data from 53 sites collected at the well-studied Bethulie section, Free State Province, in which several <2 m wide Karoo LIP dikes crop out. We obtained 7-10+ independent samples per individual horizon to assess ChRM uniformity. Strata well-removed from dikes yield both normal and reverse polarity ChRM. It is always the case that the first-removed RM is a NNW seeking, moderate to steep negative-inclination ChRM (normal polarity); NRM intensities are typically 1 to 5 mA/m. Sites BT15 and BT21, which are located in strata lying some 4 m below the often-cited "event bed" interval inferred to be the terrestrial expression of the Permian/Triassic boundary, is dominated by a well-defined reverse RM with a normal overprint RM unblocked below 400oC, implying elevated temperatures (i.e., 100 to 250oC+) for ca. 1 Ma (+/-). Contact tests are positive but complicated. Host strata collected in distances equal to or less than 1-2 dike widths from the intrusions have been thermally remagnetized and demonstrate high NRM intensities (> 50 mA/m). Collectively, we interpret these data to indicate that any ChRM, with the exception of those from host strata in

Variation in the immune responses against Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1 and apical membrane antigen-1 in children residing in the different epidemiological strata of malaria in Cameroon.

PubMed

Kwenti, Tebit Emmanuel; Moye, Adzemye Linus; Wiylanyuy, Adzemye Basil; Njunda, Longdoh Anna; Nkuo-Akenji, Theresa

2017-11-09

Studies to assess the immune responses against malaria in Cameroonian children are limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the immune responses against Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1 19 ) and apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) in children residing in the different epidemiological strata of malaria in Cameroon. In a cross-sectional survey performed between April and July 2015, 602 children between 2 and 15 years (mean ± SD = 5.7 ± 3.7), comprising 319 (53%) males were enrolled from five epidemiological strata of malaria in Cameroon including: the sudano-sahelian (SS) strata, the high inland plateau (HIP) strata, the south Cameroonian equatorial forest (SCEF) strata, the high western plateau (HWP) strata, and the coastal (C) strata. The children were screened for clinical malaria (defined by malaria parasitaemia ≥ 5000 parasites/µl plus axillary temperature ≥ 37.5 °C). Their antibody responses were measured against P. falciparum MSP-1 19 and AMA-1 vaccine candidate antigens using standard ELISA technique. A majority of the participants were IgG responders 72.1% (95% CI 68.3-75.6). The proportion of responders was higher in females (p = 0.002) and in children aged 10 years and above (p = 0.005). The proportion of responders was highest in Limbe (C strata) and lowest in Ngaoundere (HIP strata) (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the mean IgG antibody levels were higher in children aged 10 years and above (p < 0.0001) and in Limbe (p = 0.001). The IgG antibody levels against AMA-1 were higher in females (p = 0.028), meanwhile no gender disparity was observed with MSP-1. Furthermore the risk of clinical malaria (p < 0.0001) and the mean parasite density (p = 0.035) were higher in IgG non-responders. A high proportion of IgG responders was observed in this study, suggesting a high degree exposure of the target population to malaria parasites. The immune responses varied considerably across the different strata

Influence of overpressure on formation velocity evaluation of Neogene strata from the eastern Bengal Basin, Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahid, Khandaker M.; Uddin, Ashraf

2005-06-01

Interpretation of sonic log data of anticlinal structures from eastern Bangladesh reveals significant variations of acoustic velocity of subsurface strata. The amount of variation in velocity is 32% from Miocene to Pliocene stratigraphic units in Titas and Bakhrabad structure, whereas 21% in Rashidpur structure. Velocity fluctuations are influenced by the presence of gas-bearing horizons, with velocities of gas-producing strata 3-7% lower than laterally equivalent strata at similar depth. Average velocities of Miocene Boka Bil and Bhuban formations are, respectively, 2630 and 3480 m/s at Titas structure; 2820 and 3750 m/s at Bakhrabad; and 3430 and 3843 m/s at the Rashidpur structure. From the overall velocity-depth distribution for a common depth range of 915-3000 m, the Titas, Bakhrabad and Rashidpur structures show a gradual increase in velocity with depth. In contrast, the Sitakund anticline in SE Bangladesh reveals a decrease in velocity with depth from 3000 to 4000 m, probably due to the presence of overpressured mudrocks of the Bhuban Formation. Tectonic compression, associated with the Indo-Burmese plate convergence likely contributed the most toward formation of subsurface overpressure in the Sitakund structure situated in the Chittagong-Tripura Fold Belt of the eastern Bengal basin, Bangladesh.

Capture and Three Dimensional Projection of New South Wales Strata Plans in Landxml Format

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, B.; Foreman, A.

2017-10-01

New South Wales is embarking on a major reform program named Cadastre NSW. This reform aims to move to a single source of truth for the digital representation of cadastre. The current lack of a single source cadastre has hindered users from government and industry due to duplication of effort and misalignment between databases from different sources. For this reform to be successful, there are some challenges that need to be addressed. "Cadastre 2034 - Powering Land & Real Property" (2015) published by the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) identifies that current cadastres do not represent real property in three dimensions. In future vertical living lifestyles will create complex property scenarios that the Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB) will need to contend with. While the NSW DCDB currently holds over 3 million lots and 5 million features, one of its limitations is that it does not indicate land ownership above or below the ground surface. NSW Spatial Services is currently capturing survey plans into LandXML format. To prepare for the future, research is being undertaken to also capture multi-level Strata Plans through a modified recipe. During this research, multiple Strata Plans representing a range of ages and development types have been investigated and converted to LandXML. Since it is difficult to visualise the plans in a two dimensional format, quality control purposes require a method to display these plans in three dimensions. Overall investigations have provided Spatial Services with enough information to confirm that the capture and display of Strata Plans in the LandXML format is possible.

Lower Cretaceous bentonitic strata in southwestern Montana assigned to Vaughn Member of Mowry Shale (East) and of Blackleaf Formation (West)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tysdal, R.G.; Dyman, T.S.; Nichols, D.J.

1989-01-01

The Vaughn Member, newly assigned to the Mowry Shale in this report, comprises strata that crop out in the Greenhorn, Gravelly, Madison, and Gallatin ranges, and the Centennial and Beartooth mountains of southwestern Montana. Herein the member is correlated with the Vaughn Member of the Blackleaf Formation, which crops out to the west in the Lima Peaks area, Snowcrest Range, and Pioneer Mountains. Strata assigned to the Vaughn Member of the Blackleaf Formation in southwestern Montana exhibit the same contrasting relationships that exist in northwestern Montana. The Vaughn Member of the Mowry is late Albian in age, determined by bracketing with shallow water marine bivalves in the Muddy Sandstone below and palynomorphs in Mowry strata above. Palynomorphs from the Vaughn Member itself are typically mid-Cretaceous, but do not permit a more exact determination of age. -from Authors

On the palynomorph-based biozones in paleogene strata of rocky mountain basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, D.J.

2009-01-01

In a paper published in this journal, and in five previous papers published elsewhere, Lillegraven and McKenna (2008) criticize the research of Nichols and Ott (1978) and Nichols and Flores (2006). They attempt to cast doubt on the validity of the palynomorph-based biozones (the "P- zone" system) applied in strata of Paleocene age throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Their conclusions are without merit.

Aromatized arborane/fernane hydrocarbons as molecular indicators of floral changes in Upper Carboniferous/Lower Permian strata of the Saar-Nahe Basin, southwestern Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vliex, M.; Hagemann, H. W.; Püttmann, W.

1994-11-01

Thirty-seven coal samples of Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian age from three boreholes in the Saar-Nahe Basin, Germany, have been studied by organic geochemical and coal petrological methods. The investigations were aimed at the recognition of floral changes in the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian strata. The results show that compositional changes in the extracts are only partly caused by variations in coalification. Specific aromatic hydrocarbons appear in Upper Westphalian D coal seams and increase in concentration up to the Rotliegendes. The dominant compound has been identified by mass spectrometry and NMR-spectroscopy as 5-methyl-10-(4-methylpentyl)-des- A-25-norarbora(ferna)-5,7,9-triene (MATH) and always occurs associated with 25-norarbora(ferna)-5,7,9-triene. Both compounds are thought to originate from isoarborinol, fernene-3β-ol, or fernenes. The strongly acidic conditions during deposition of the coals might have induced the 4,5-cleavage combined with a methyl-shift in an arborane/fernane-type pentacyclic precursor yielding the MATH. Based on petrological investigations, palynomorphs related to early Gymnospermopsida such as Pteridospermales and Coniferophytes ( Cordaitales and Coniferales) increased in abundance in the strata beginning with the Upper Westphalian D concomitant with the above mentioned biomarkers. The results suggest the arborane/fernane derivatives originate from the plant communities producing these palynomorphs.

Resistivity imaging of strata and faults in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosain, A.; Steckler, M. S.; Akhter, S. H.

2015-12-01

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, the largest in the world, is subject to deformation by active tectonics and dynamic river systems. It lies near the juncture of the Indian, Eurasian and Burmese plates and is being overthrust by both the Shillong Massif and the Indo-Burman Ranges. There are multiple major and minor active faults in Bangladesh, many of which are buried by the sedimentation. For example, the Madhupur tract is a Pleistocene upland in the middle part of Bengal Basin. Whether it is a passive interfluve of the river system or a tilted and tectonically uplifted block has been debated for decades. The Tippera Surface, in Comilla at the eastern part of the basin, is composed of uplifted and oxidized Holocene strata and overlies buried anticlines of the Indo-Burman fold belt. Furthermore, the rivers are subject to migrations, avulsions and other changes in course. The last major avulsion of the Brahmaputra River was only ~200 years ago. During the sea level fall in the last glaciation the major rivers created large incised valleys. In much of the exposed uplands there was the development of a weathered clay surface. This now forms a clay layer separating the Pleistocene and Holocene strata in large parts of Bangladesh. We use electrical resistivity surveying and hand-drilled borehole lithological data to better understand the subsurface discontinuities and structures. The resistivity system consists of an 84 electrode array powered by 2 car batteries and is capable of imaging lithologies to ~100m depth, similar to the depths of the boreholes used to calibrate the data. We extend our previous work on the western margin of the Madhupur Tract with additional lines on the eastern flank of Madhupur. Resistivity lines along the exposed Lalmai anticline in Comilla image the now tilted Holocene-Pleistocene clay layer. Additional lines along the subsurface continuation of the anticline provide additional information on the subsurface lithologies associated with

Prehistory of Zodiac Dating: Three Strata of Upper Paleolithic Constellations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurshtein, Alex A.

A pattern of archaic proto-constellations is extracted from Aratus' "The Phaenomena" didactic poem list according to a size criterion elaborated earlier, and their symbolism is analyzed. As a result of this approach three celestial symbolical strata are discovered to be probably a reflection of the symbols for the Lower, the Middle and the Upper Worlds; the Under-World creatures have a water character, the Middle World ones are mostly anthropomorphic and flying beings are for the Upper World. The strata excerpted from Aratus' sky seems to be in agreement with the well-known Babylonian division into three god pathways for Ea (Enki), Anu and Enlil. There is a possibility of dating the pattern discovered because of precession's strong influence as far back as 16 thousand years, the result being supported by the comparison of different star group mean sizes. The archaic constellation pattern under consideration is a reasonable background of symbolical meanings for the first Zodiacal generation quartet (7.5 thousand years old) examined by the author previously. The enormous size of the Argo constellation (Ship of Argo and his Argonauts) as well as the large sizes of other southern constellations are explained as due to the existence of an accumulation zone near the South celestial pole. Some extra correlations between the reconstruction proposed and cultural data available are discussed. The paper is the second part of the investigation "On the Origin of the Zodiacal constellations" published in Vistas in Astronomy, vol.36, pp.171-190, 1993.

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of Cambrian to Triassic miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal strata of Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.

1998-01-01

One hundred and eighty two individual detrital zircon grains from Cambrian through Permian miogeoclinal strata, Ordovician eugeoclinal rocks, and Triassic post-orogenic sediments in northwestern Sonora have been analyzed. During Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, and Triassic time, most zircons accumulating along this part of the Cordilleran margin were shed from 1.40-1.45 and 1.62-1.78 Ga igneous rocks that are widespread in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zircons with ages of approximately 1.11 Ga are common in Cambrian strata and were apparently shed from granite bodies near the sample site. The sources of 225-280 Ma zircons in our Triassic sample are more problematic, as few igneous rocks of these ages are recognized in northwestern Mexico. Such sources may be present but unrecognized, or the grains could have been derived from igneous rocks of the appropriate ages to the northwest in the Mojave Desert region, to the east in Chihuahua and Coahuila, or to the south in accreted(?) arc-type terranes. Because the zircon grains in our Cambrian and Devonian to Triassic samples could have accumulated in proximity to basement rocks near their present position or in the Death Valley region of southern California, our data do not support or refute the existence of the Mojave-Sonora megashear. Ordovician strata of both miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal affinity are dominated by >1.77 Ga detrital zircons, which are considerably older than most basement rocks in the region. Zircon grains in the miogeoclinal sample were apparently derived from the Peace River arch area of northwestern Canada and transported southward by longshore currents. The eugeoclinal grains may also have come from the Peace River arch region, with southward transport by either sedimentary or tectonic processes, or they may have been shed from off-shelf slivers of continents (perhaps Antarctica?) removed from the Cordilleran margin during Neoproterozoic rifting. It is also possible that the

The geology and palynology of lower and Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Western Kentucky Coal Field

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eble, C.F.; Greb, S.F.; Williams, D.A.

2001-01-01

The Western Kentucky Coal Field is the southern tip of the Eastern Interior, or Illinois Basin. Pennsylvanian rocks in this area, which include conglomerate, sandstone, shale, limestone and coal, were deposited primarily in coastal-deltaic settings at a time when western Kentucky was located close to the equator. This paper discusses temporal changes in regional sedimentation patterns and coal-forming floras of Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Lower Pennsylvanian strata of the Caseyville Formation are characterized by paleovalley-filling sedimentation patterns and extabasinal quartz pebbles. Caseyville Formation coals are characterized thin and discontinuous and were strongly influenced by subsidence within underlying paleovalleys, and the dissected lower Pennsylvanian paleotopography. Caseyville coals are commonly dominated by Lycospora, but can also have variable palynofloras, which probably reflects variable edaphic conditions and edge effects within small, patchy paleomires. Tradewater Formation strata show increased marine influences and tidal-estuarine sedimentation, especially in the middle and upper parts. Coal beds in the lower part of the Tradewater typically are thin and discontinuous, although some economically important beds are present. Coals become thicker, more abundant and more laterally persistent towards the top of the formation. Palynologically, lower and middle Tradewater Formation coals are dominated by Lycospora, but begin to show increased amounts of tree fern spores. Middle and upper Tradewater coals are thicker and more continuous, and contain high percentages of tree fern spores. In addition, cordaite pollen is locally abundant in this interval. Carbondale and Shelburn (Desmoinesian) strata are much more laterally continuous, and occur within classic cyclothems that can be traced across the coal field. Cyclothems have long been interpreted as being eustatically driven, and glacio-eustacy controlled

Implications of diapir-derived detritus and gypsic paleosols in Lower Triassic strata near the Castle Valley salt wall, Paradox Basin, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, Timothy F.; Buck, Brenda J.

2006-10-01

Gypsum-bearing growth strata and sedimentary facies of the Moenkopi Formation on the crest and NE flank of the Castle Valley salt wall in the Paradox Basin record salt rise, evaporite exposure, and salt-withdrawal subsidence during the Early Triassic. Detrital gypsum and dolomite clasts derived from the middle Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation were deposited in strata within a few kilometers of the salt wall and indicate that salt rise rates roughly balanced sediment accumulation, resulting in long-term exposure of mobile evaporite. Deposition took place primarily in flood-basin or inland sabkha settings that alternated between shallow subaqueous and subaerial conditions in a hyperarid climate. Matrix-supported and clast-supported conglomerates with gypsum fragments represent debris-flow deposits and reworked debris-flow deposits, respectively, interbedded with flood-basin sandstone and siltstone during development of diapiric topography. Mudstone-rich flood-basin deposits with numerous stage I to III gypsic paleosols capped by eolian gypsum sand sheets accumulated during waning salt-withdrawal subsidence. Association of detrital gypsum, eolian gypsum, and gypsic paleosols suggests that the salt wall provided a common source for gypsum in the surrounding strata. This study documents a previously unrecognized salt weld with associated growth strata containing diapir-derived detritus and gypsic palesols that can be used to interpret halokinesis.

Upper Cretaceous and Lower Jurassic strata in shallow cores on the Chukchi Shelf, Arctic Alaska: Chapter C in Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, vol. 15

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, David W.; Craddock, William H.; Lease, Richard O.

2016-02-12

Shallow cores collected in the 1980s on the Chukchi Shelf of western Arctic Alaska sampled pre-Cenozoic strata whose presence, age, and character are poorly known across the region. Five cores from the Herald Arch foreland contain Cenomanian to Coniacian strata, as documented by biostratigraphy, geochronology, and thermochronology. Shallow seismic reflection data collected during the 1970s and 1980s show that these Upper Cretaceous strata are truncated near the seafloor by subtle angular unconformities, including the Paleogene mid-Brookian unconformity in one core and the Pliocene-Pleistocene unconformity in four cores. Sedimentary structures and lithofacies suggest that Upper Cretaceous strata were deposited in a low accommodation setting that ranged from low-lying coastal plain (nonmarine) to muddy, shallow-marine environments near shore. These observations, together with sparse evidence from the adjacent western North Slope, suggest that Upper Cretaceous strata likely were deposited across all of Arctic Alaska.A sixth core from the Herald Arch contains lower Toarcian marine strata, indicated by biostratigraphy, truncated by a Neogene or younger unconformity. These Lower Jurassic strata evidently were deposited south of the arch, buried structurally to high levels of thermal maturity during the Early Cretaceous, and uplifted on the Herald thrust-fault system during the mid to Late Cretaceous. These interpretations are based on regional stratigraphy and apatite fission-track data reported in a complementary report and are corroborated by the presence of recycled palynomorphs of Early Jurassic age and high thermal maturity found in Upper Cretaceous strata in two of the foreland cores. This dataset provides evidence that uplift and exhumation of the Herald thrust belt provided sediment to the foreland during the Late Cretaceous.

Barriers associated with frequency of leisure-time physical activity among Brazilian adults of different income strata.

PubMed

Silva, K S; Del Duca, G F; Garcia, L M T; da Silva, J A; Bertuol, C; de Oliveira, E S A; de Barros, M V G; Nahas, M V

2016-02-01

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of the main perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and their associations with the frequency of LTPA in a representative sample of industrial workers from Brazil (n = 47,477), according to their income strata (low income: ≤$US280, middle income: $US281-$US1400, and high income: ≥$US1401). Data were collected between 2006 and 2008 via questionnaires about the main perceived barrier to LTPA and the frequency of LTPA. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to evaluate differences among groups. There was a lower prevalence of regular practice of LTPA in the low- (15.8%) and middle-income strata (18.2%) than among the individuals of the high-income stratum (27.6%). A large proportion of workers who regularly participated in LTPA reported no barriers (low: 43.1%; middle: 46.8%; high: 51.6%). Additional obligations and fatigue were the two most common perceived barriers in all family income strata among participants who engaged in different frequencies of LTPA. The odds for all perceived barriers showed a positive trend related to frequency of LTPA (from regular to no LTPA), with higher values according to income. In summary, the ordering of the main perceived barriers to LTPA differed according to workers' income stratum and frequency of engaging in LTPA. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Shales and other argillaceous strata in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gonzales, S.; Johnson, K.S.

This report presents detailed geologic and hydrologic data that describe shales and other argillaceous rocks; data are from the open literature. These data are intended to be used in the future to aid in assessment of various strata and their potential for repository siting. No observations, conclusions, or recommendations are made by the authors of this report relative to the suitability of various argillaceous rocks for waste disposal. There are, however, other published reports that contain technical data and evaluative statements regarding the suitability of various argillaceous rocks for repository siting. Where appropriate, the authors of this report have referencedmore » this previously published literature and have summarized the technical data. 838 refs., 121 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Spatial Probability Distribution of Strata's Lithofacies and its Impacts on Land Subsidence in Huairou Emergency Water Resources Region of Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Gong, H.; Zhu, L.; Guo, L.; Gao, M.; Zhou, C.

2016-12-01

Continuous over-exploitation of groundwater causes dramatic drawdown, and leads to regional land subsidence in the Huairou Emergency Water Resources region, which is located in the up-middle part of the Chaobai river basin of Beijing. Owing to the spatial heterogeneity of strata's lithofacies of the alluvial fan, ground deformation has no significant positive correlation with groundwater drawdown, and one of the challenges ahead is to quantify the spatial distribution of strata's lithofacies. The transition probability geostatistics approach provides potential for characterizing the distribution of heterogeneous lithofacies in the subsurface. Combined the thickness of clay layer extracted from the simulation, with deformation field acquired from PS-InSAR technology, the influence of strata's lithofacies on land subsidence can be analyzed quantitatively. The strata's lithofacies derived from borehole data were generalized into four categories and their probability distribution in the observe space was mined by using the transition probability geostatistics, of which clay was the predominant compressible material. Geologically plausible realizations of lithofacies distribution were produced, accounting for complex heterogeneity in alluvial plain. At a particular probability level of more than 40 percent, the volume of clay defined was 55 percent of the total volume of strata's lithofacies. This level, equaling nearly the volume of compressible clay derived from the geostatistics, was thus chosen to represent the boundary between compressible and uncompressible material. The method incorporates statistical geological information, such as distribution proportions, average lengths and juxtaposition tendencies of geological types, mainly derived from borehole data and expert knowledge, into the Markov chain model of transition probability. Some similarities of patterns were indicated between the spatial distribution of deformation field and clay layer. In the area with

U-Pb and Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircons from Mesozoic strata of the Gravina belt, southeast Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokelson, Intan; Gehrels, George E.; Pecha, Mark; Giesler, Dominique; White, Chelsi; McClelland, William C.

2015-10-01

The Gravina belt consists of Upper Jurassic through Lower Cretaceous marine clastic strata and mafic-intermediate volcanic rocks that occur along the western flank of the Coast Mountains in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia. This report presents U-Pb ages and Hf isotope determinations of detrital zircons that have been recovered from samples collected from various stratigraphic levels and from along the length of the belt. The results support previous interpretations that strata in the western portion of the Gravina belt accumulated along the inboard margin of the Alexander-Wrangellia terrane and in a back-arc position with respect to the western Coast Mountains batholith. Our results are also consistent with previous suggestions that eastern strata accumulated along the western margin of the inboard Stikine, Yukon-Tanana, and Taku terranes and in a fore-arc position with respect to the eastern Coast Mountains batholith. The history of juxtaposition of western and eastern assemblages is obscured by subsequent plutonism, deformation, and metamorphism within the Coast Mountains orogen, but may have occurred along an Early Cretaceous sinistral transform system. Our results are inconsistent with models in which an east-facing subduction zone existed along the inboard margin of the Alexander-Wrangellia terrane during Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous time.

Inference of strata separation and gas emission paths in longwall overburden using continuous wavelet transform of well logs and geostatistical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karacan, C. Özgen; Olea, Ricardo A.

2014-06-01

Prediction of potential methane emission pathways from various sources into active mine workings or sealed gobs from longwall overburden is important for controlling methane and for improving mining safety. The aim of this paper is to infer strata separation intervals and thus gas emission pathways from standard well log data. The proposed technique was applied to well logs acquired through the Mary Lee/Blue Creek coal seam of the Upper Pottsville Formation in the Black Warrior Basin, Alabama, using well logs from a series of boreholes aligned along a nearly linear profile. For this purpose, continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of digitized gamma well logs was performed by using Mexican hat and Morlet, as the mother wavelets, to identify potential discontinuities in the signal. Pointwise Hölder exponents (PHE) of gamma logs were also computed using the generalized quadratic variations (GQV) method to identify the location and strength of singularities of well log signals as a complementary analysis. PHEs and wavelet coefficients were analyzed to find the locations of singularities along the logs. Using the well logs in this study, locations of predicted singularities were used as indicators in single normal equation simulation (SNESIM) to generate equi-probable realizations of potential strata separation intervals. Horizontal and vertical variograms of realizations were then analyzed and compared with those of indicator data and training image (TI) data using the Kruskal-Wallis test. A sum of squared differences was employed to select the most probable realization representing the locations of potential strata separations and methane flow paths. Results indicated that singularities located in well log signals reliably correlated with strata transitions or discontinuities within the strata. Geostatistical simulation of these discontinuities provided information about the location and extents of the continuous channels that may form during mining. If there is a gas

Study on Strata Behavior Regularity of 1301 Face in Thick Bedrock of Wei - qiang Coal Mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Shuancheng; Yao, Boyu

2017-09-01

In order to ensure the safe and efficient production of the thick bedrock face, the rule of the strata behavior of the thick bedrock face is discussed through the observation of the strata pressure of the 1301 first mining face in Wei qiang coal mine. The initial face is to press the average distance of 50.75m, the periodic weighting is to press the average distance of 12.1m; during the normal mining period, although the upper roof can not be broken at the same time, but the pressure step is basically the same; the working face for the first weighting and periodical weighting is more obvious to the change of pressure step change, when the pressure of the working face is coming, the stent force increased significantly, but there are still part of the stent work resistance exceeds the rated working resistance, low stability, still need to strengthen management.

Analysis of gob gas venthole production performances for strata gas control in longwall mining.

PubMed

Karacan, C Özgen

2015-10-01

Longwall mining of coal seams affects a large area of overburden by deforming it and creating stress-relief fractures, as well as bedding plane separations, as the mining face progresses. Stress-relief fractures and bedding plane separations are recognized as major pathways for gas migration from gas-bearing strata into sealed and active areas of the mines. In order for strata gas not to enter and inundate the ventilation system of a mine, gob gas ventholes (GGVs) can be used as a methane control measure. The aim of this paper is to analyze production performances of GGVs drilled over a longwall panel. These boreholes were drilled to control methane emissions from the Pratt group of coals due to stress-relief fracturing and bedding plane separations into a longwall mine operating in the Mary Lee/Blue Creek coal seam of the Upper Pottsville Formation in the Black Warrior Basin, Alabama. During the course of the study, Pratt coal's reservoir properties were integrated with production data of the GGVs. These data were analyzed by using material balance techniques to estimate radius of influence of GGVs, gas-in-place and coal pressures, as well as their variations during mining. The results show that the GGVs drilled to extract gas from the stress-relief zone of the Pratt coal interval is highly effective in removing gas from the Upper Pottsville Formation. The radii of influence of the GGVs were in the order of 330-380 m, exceeding the widths of the panels, due to bedding plane separations and stress relieved by fracturing. Material balance analyses indicated that the initial pressure of the Pratt coals, which was around 648 KPa when longwall mining started, decreased to approximately 150 KPa as the result of strata fracturing and production of released gas. Approximately 70% of the initial gas-in-place within the area of influence of the GGVs was captured during a period of one year.

Beetle assemblages from an Australian tropical rainforest show that the canopy and the ground strata contribute equally to biodiversity

PubMed Central

Stork, Nigel E; Grimbacher, Peter S

2006-01-01

There remains great uncertainty about how much tropical forest canopies contribute to global species richness estimates and the relative specialization of insect species to vertical zones. To investigate these issues, we conducted a four-year sampling program in lowland tropical rainforest in North Queensland, Australia. Beetles were sampled using a trap that combines Malaise and flight interception trap (FIT) functions. Pairs of this trap, one on the ground and a second suspended 15–20 m above in the canopy were located at five sites, spaced 50 m or more apart. These traps produced 29 986 beetles of 1473 species and 77 families. There were similar numbers of individuals (canopy 14 473; ground 15 513) and species (canopy 1158; ground 895) in each stratum, but significantly more rare species in the canopy (canopy 509; ground 283). Seventy two percent of the species (excluding rare species) were found in both strata. Using IndVal, we found 24 and 27% of the abundant species (n≥20 individuals) to be specialized to the canopy and the ground strata, respectively, and equivalent analyses at the family level showed figures of 30 and 22%, respectively. These results show that the canopy and the ground strata both provide important contributions to rainforest biodiversity. PMID:16822759

Population dynamics and within-plant distribution of the mite Calacarus flagelliseta (Acari: Eriophyidae) on papaya in Hawaii.

PubMed

Fournier, Valerie; Rosenheim, Jay A; Brodeur, Jacques; Johnson, Marshall W

2004-10-01

An important element in developing a management strategy for a new pest is the study of its seasonal dynamics and within-plant distribution. Here, we studied the mite Calacarus flagelliseta Fletchmann, De Moraes & Barbosa on papaya, Papaya carica L. (Caricaceae), in Hawaii to quantify 1) patterns of seasonal abundance, 2) its distribution across different vertical strata of the papaya canopy, and 3) shifts in its use of the upper versus the lower surfaces of papaya leaves. Nondestructive sampling conducted in two papaya plantings revealed that 1) populations of C. flagelliseta peak during the summer; 2) mites are most abundant in the middle and lower strata of the plant canopy, and least abundant on the youngest leaves found in the upper canopy; and 3) mites are found more predominantly on the upper leaf surfaces when overall population density peaks, suggesting that individuals move from the lower to the upper leaf surfaces when food resources on the lower leaf surface have been exploited by conspecifics. These results have significant implications for the development of sampling plans for C. flagelliseta in papaya.

Nonexplosive and explosive magma/wet-sediment interaction during emplacement of Eocene intrusions into Cretaceous to Eocene strata, Trans-Pecos igneous province, West Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Befus, K.S.; Hanson, R.E.; Miggins, D.P.; Breyer, J.A.; Busbey, A.B.

2009-01-01

Eocene intrusion of alkaline basaltic to trachyandesitic magmas into unlithified, Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to Eocene fluvial strata in part of the Trans-Pecos igneous province in West Texas produced an array of features recording both nonexplosive and explosive magma/wet-sediment interaction. Intrusive complexes with 40Ar/39Ar dates of ~ 47-46??Ma consist of coherent basalt, peperite, and disrupted sediment. Two of the complexes cutting Cretaceous strata contain masses of conglomerate derived from Eocene fluvial deposits that, at the onset of intrusive activity, would have been > 400-500??m above the present level of exposure. These intrusive complexes are inferred to be remnants of diatremes that fed maar volcanoes during an early stage of magmatism in this part of the Trans-Pecos province. Disrupted Cretaceous strata along diatreme margins record collapse of conduit walls during and after subsurface phreatomagmatic explosions. Eocene conglomerate slumped downward from higher levels during vent excavation. Coherent to pillowed basaltic intrusions emplaced at the close of explosive activity formed peperite within the conglomerate, within disrupted Cretaceous strata in the conduit walls, and within inferred remnants of the phreatomagmatic slurry that filled the vents during explosive volcanism. A younger series of intrusions with 40Ar/39Ar dates of ~ 42??Ma underwent nonexplosive interaction with Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene mud and sand. Dikes and sills show fluidal, billowed, quenched margins against the host strata, recording development of surface instabilities between magma and groundwater-rich sediment. Accentuation of billowed margins resulted in propagation of intrusive pillows into the adjacent sediment. More intense disruption and mingling of quenched magma with sediment locally produced fluidal and blocky peperite, but sufficient volumes of pore fluid were not heated rapidly enough to generate phreatomagmatic explosions. This work suggests that

Detrital zircon microtextures and U-PB geochronology of Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the distal North American Cordillera foreland basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finzel, E. S.

2017-07-01

Detrital zircon surface microtextures, geochronologic U-Pb data, and tectonic subsidence analysis from Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveal provenance variations in the distal portion of the Cordillera foreland basin in response to tectonic events along the outboard margin of western North America. During Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time, nonmarine strata record initially low rates of tectonic subsidence that facilitated widespread recycling of older foreland basin strata in eolian and fluvial systems that dispersed sediment to the northeast, with minimal sediment derived from the thrust belt. By middle Cretaceous time, marine inundation reflects increased subsidence rates coincident with a change to eastern sediment sources. Lowstand Albian fluvial systems in the Black Hills may have been linked to fluvial systems upstream in the midcontinent and downstream in the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. During latest Cretaceous time, tectonic uplift in the study area reflects dynamic processes related to Laramide low-angle subduction that, relative to other basins to the west, was more influential due to the greater distance from the thrust load. Provenance data from Maastrichtian and lower Paleocene strata indicate a change back to western sources that included the Idaho-Montana batholith and exhumed Belt Supergroup. This study provides a significant contribution to the growing database that is refining the tectonics and continental-scale sediment dispersal patterns in North America during Late Jurassic-early Paleocene time. In addition, it demonstrates the merit of using detrital zircon grain shape and surface microtextures to aid in provenance interpretations.

Distribution of concussion related symptoms after whiplash injury in risk strata.

PubMed

Kasch, Helge; Jensen, Troels S

2017-12-29

Background/aims The presence and severity of concussion related symptoms after acute whiplash injury are debatable. In this study we examine the distribution and development of the burden of concussion related symptoms in whiplash patients. Methods Consecutively 141 acute whiplash patients and 40 ankle injured controls were recruited from emergency units and were examined after 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 12 months obtaining neck/head VAS score, number-of-non-painful complaints, epidemiological, social, psychological data and neurological examination, active neck mobility, and furthermore muscle tenderness and pain response, strength and duration of neck muscles. Risk factors derived (reduced CROM, intense neckpain/headache, multiple non-pain complaints) were applied in a Risk Assessment Score and divided into 7 risk-strata (refer Kasch et al., Spine 2011). After 1 week and 6 months whiplash patients fulfilled the Rivermead Oxford Head Injury questionnaire (10 items, score from 0 = no change to 4 = very marked change, Danish Version, total score range from 0 to 40). Results 138 acute whiplash patients fulfilled the Rivermead Oxford Head Injury questionnaire after 1 week and 111 after 6 months. The distribution was markedly different in the risk strata, in stratum 7 the sum score was a factor 10 higher than stratum 1 after 1 week (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 1.4 × 10-7) and remained high 6 months after injury (p < 0.05). Conclusion Mild concussion symptoms do not necessarily reflect eventual concussion, but are found after injuries with no direct head trauma and amnesia e.g. whiplash injuries. The Risk Assessment Score fits nicely with the burden of concussion related symptoms after whiplash injury.

Integrated biostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic framework for Upper Cretaceous strata of the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mancini, E.A.; Puckett, T.M.; Tew, B.H.

1996-01-01

Upper Cretaceous (Santonian-Maastrichtian stages) strata of the eastern US Gulf Coastal Plain represent a relatively complete section of marine to nonmarine mixed siliciclastic and carbonate sediments. This section includes three depositional sequences which display characteristic systems tracts and distinct physical defining surfaces. The marine lithofacies are rich in calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifera which can be used for biostratigraphic zonation. Integration of this zonation with the lithostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of these strata results in a framework that can be used for local and regional intrabasin correlation and potentially for global interbasin correlation. Only the synchronous maximum flooding surfaces of these depositional sequences, however, have chronostratigraphic significance. The sequence boundaries and initial flooding surfaces are diachronous, and their use for correlation can produce conflicting results. The availability of high resolution biostratigraphy is critical for global correlation of depositional sequences. ?? 1996 Academic Press Limited.

Tools in the orbit space approach to the study of invariant functions: rational parametrization of strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sartori, G.; Valente, G.

2003-02-01

Functions which are equivariant or invariant under the transformations of a compact linear group G acting in a Euclidean space Bbb Rn, can profitably be studied as functions defined in the orbit space of the group. The orbit space is the union of a finite set of strata, which are semialgebraic manifolds formed by the G-orbits with the same orbit-type. In this paper, we provide a simple recipe to obtain rational parametrizations of the strata. Our results can be easily exploited, in many physical contexts where the study of equivariant or invariant functions is important, for instance in the determination of patterns of spontaneous symmetry breaking, in the analysis of phase spaces and structural phase transitions (Landau theory), in equivariant bifurcation theory, in crystal field theory and in most areas where use is made of symmetry-adapted functions. A physically significant example of utilization of the recipe is given, related to spontaneous polarization in chiral biaxial liquid crystals, where the advantages with respect to previous heuristic approaches are shown.

Integrated omics analyses of retrograde signaling mutant delineate interrelated stress-response strata.

PubMed

Bjornson, Marta; Balcke, Gerd Ulrich; Xiao, Yanmei; de Souza, Amancio; Wang, Jin-Zheng; Zhabinskaya, Dina; Tagkopoulos, Ilias; Tissier, Alain; Dehesh, Katayoon

2017-07-01

To maintain homeostasis in the face of intrinsic and extrinsic insults, cells have evolved elaborate quality control networks to resolve damage at multiple levels. Interorganellar communication is a key requirement for this maintenance, however the underlying mechanisms of this communication have remained an enigma. Here we integrate the outcome of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomics analyses of genotypes including ceh1, a mutant with constitutively elevated levels of both the stress-specific plastidial retrograde signaling metabolite methyl-erythritol cyclodiphosphate (MEcPP) and the defense hormone salicylic acid (SA), as well as the high MEcPP but SA deficient genotype ceh1/eds16, along with corresponding controls. Integration of multi-omic analyses enabled us to delineate the function of MEcPP from SA, and expose the compartmentalized role of this retrograde signaling metabolite in induction of distinct but interdependent signaling cascades instrumental in adaptive responses. Specifically, here we identify strata of MEcPP-sensitive stress-response cascades, among which we focus on selected pathways including organelle-specific regulation of jasmonate biosynthesis; simultaneous induction of synthesis and breakdown of SA; and MEcPP-mediated alteration of cellular redox status in particular glutathione redox balance. Collectively, these integrated multi-omic analyses provided a vehicle to gain an in-depth knowledge of genome-metabolism interactions, and to further probe the extent of these interactions and delineate their functional contributions. Through this approach we were able to pinpoint stress-mediated transcriptional and metabolic signatures and identify the downstream processes modulated by the independent or overlapping functions of MEcPP and SA in adaptive responses. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Review of Paleomagnetic Age Constraints of Mid-Continent Rift Strata, Upper Midwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houlihan, E.; Runkel, A.; Feinberg, J. M.; Cowan, C. A.; Titus, S.

2016-12-01

The Keweenawan Supergroup consists of 1.1 Ga volcanic units and overlying km-thick sedimentary succession that are associated with the Midcontinent Rift (MR), one of the most prominent geologic features in the Precambrian basement rocks of the North American craton (Morey and Green, 1982; Ojakangas et al., 2001; Ojakangas and Dickas, 2002). Recent studies targeting the sedimentary sequences of the rift highlight a longstanding problem that limits the impact of their results. The studies are based on data collected from a sedimentary package of the Keweenawan Supergroup that is very poorly constrained in age. Sedimentary strata low in the succession are constrained by dated intercalated volcanics, or mineralization ages, that indicate syn-rift filling commenced at about 1087 Ma as volcanism was waning (Davis and Paces, 1990). However, km-thick younger strata within the rift are constrained in maximum age only by virtue of overlying Cambrian fossil-bearing units (Morey and Ojakangas, 1982). Thus, the bulk of the MR sedimentary succession has a range in possible age of about 500 Ma, and potentially is in places as young as Middle Cambrian. Paleomagnetic methods may hold the most promise to date the MR sedimentary succession. Widespread paleomagnetic studies have been conducted on the igneous rocks of the rift, and several previous studies have used paleomagnetic techniques to date the sedimentary units as well (Dubois, 1962; Henry et al., 1976; Elmore and Van der Voo, 1978; Roy and Robertson, 1978; Halls and Palmer, 1981; Palmer et al., 1981; Watts, 1981; McCabe and Van der Voo, 1982; Diehl and Haig, 1994; Kulakov et al., 2013 and others). These authors generally considered the paleomagnetic signatures to be consistent with a Mesoproterozoic age for both the igneous and sedimentary rocks of the rift. Recently, however, authors have suggested that the uppermost sedimentary units are much younger in age, based on a combination of zircon and paleomagnetic analysis

A deliberate tracer experiment in Santa Monica Basin. [for ocean density strata diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ledwell, J. R.; Broecker, W. S.; Watson, A. J.

1986-01-01

A tracer technique was developed for measurements of diffusion across oceanic density strata using SF6 and perfluorodecalin (PFD) tracers in the Santa Monica Basin. Fifty days after injection, the tracers were found to have mixed along the isopycnal surface to nearly every part of the basin. The diapycnal spreading of the tracer distributions yielded an apparent eddy diffusivity of 0.33 + or - 0.08 sq cm/s at the ambient density gradient of 4.0 + or - 0.5 x 10 to the -9th g/cm to the 4th.

Spatial Distribution and Sampling Plans for Grapevine Plant Canopy-Inhabiting Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Nymphs.

PubMed

Rigamonti, Ivo E; Brambilla, Carla; Colleoni, Emanuele; Jermini, Mauro; Trivellone, Valeria; Baumgärtner, Johann

2016-04-01

The paper deals with the study of the spatial distribution and the design of sampling plans for estimating nymph densities of the grape leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball in vine plant canopies. In a reference vineyard sampled for model parameterization, leaf samples were repeatedly taken according to a multistage, stratified, random sampling procedure, and data were subjected to an ANOVA. There were no significant differences in density neither among the strata within the vineyard nor between the two strata with basal and apical leaves. The significant differences between densities on trunk and productive shoots led to the adoption of two-stage (leaves and plants) and three-stage (leaves, shoots, and plants) sampling plans for trunk shoots- and productive shoots-inhabiting individuals, respectively. The mean crowding to mean relationship used to analyze the nymphs spatial distribution revealed aggregated distributions. In both the enumerative and the sequential enumerative sampling plans, the number of leaves of trunk shoots, and of leaves and shoots of productive shoots, was kept constant while the number of plants varied. In additional vineyards data were collected and used to test the applicability of the distribution model and the sampling plans. The tests confirmed the applicability 1) of the mean crowding to mean regression model on the plant and leaf stages for representing trunk shoot-inhabiting distributions, and on the plant, shoot, and leaf stages for productive shoot-inhabiting nymphs, 2) of the enumerative sampling plan, and 3) of the sequential enumerative sampling plan. In general, sequential enumerative sampling was more cost efficient than enumerative sampling.

Detrital zircon U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double-dating of Upper Cretaceous-Cenozoic Zagros foreland basin strata in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, D. E.; Stockli, D. F.; Koshnaw, R. I.; Horton, B. K.; Tamar-Agha, M. Y.; Kendall, J. J.

2014-12-01

The NW Zagros orogen is the result of the multistage collisional history associated with Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian continents and final closure of Neotethys. Siliciclastic strata preserved within a ~400 km segment of the NW Zagros fold-thrust belt and foreland basin in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) provide a widespread record of exhumation and sedimentation. As a means of assessing NW Zagros foreland basin evolution and chronostratigraphy, we present coupled detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb and (U-Th)/He geo-thermochronometric data of Upper Cretaceous to Pliocene siliciclastic strata from the Duhok, Erbil, and Suleimaniyah provinces of IKR. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age analyses reveal that the foreland basin fill in IKR in general was dominantly derived from Pan-African/Arabian-Nubian, Peri-Gondwandan, Eurasian, and Cretaceous volcanic arc terrenes. However, the provenance of these strata varies systematically along strike and through time, with an overall increase in complexity upsection. DZ age distribution of Paleocene-Eocene strata is dominated by a ~95 Ma grain age population, likely sourced from the Late Cretaceous Hassanbag-Bitlis volcanic arc complex along the northern margin of Arabia. In contrast, DZ U-Pb age distributions of Neogene strata show a major contribution derived from various Eurasian (e.g., Iranian, Tauride, Pontide; ~45, 150, 300 Ma) and Pan-African (~550, 950 Ma) sources. The introduction of Eurasian DZ ages at the Paleogene-Neogene transition likely records the onset of Arabian-Eurasian collision. Along strike to the southeast, the DZ U-Pb spectra of Neogene strata show a decreased percentage of Pan-African, Peri-Gondwandan, Tauride, and Ordovician ages, coupled with a dramatic increase in 40-50 Ma DZ ages that correspond to Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic rocks in Iran. Combined with paleocurrent data, this suggests that Neogene sediments were transported longitudinally southeastward through an unbroken foreland basin

Raster Images of Geologic Maps of Middle Proterozoic Belt strata in parts of Benewah, Bonner, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Idaho and Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders Counties, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boleneus, David E.; Appelgate, Larry M.; Joseph, Nancy L.; Brandt, Theodore R.

2001-01-01

Geologic maps of the western part of the Belt Basin of western Montana and northern Idaho were converted into digital raster (TIFF image) format to facilitate their manipulation in geographic information systems. The 85-mile x 100-mile map area mostly contains rocks belonging to the lower and middle Belt Supergroup. The area is of interest as these Middle Proterozoic strata contain vein-type lead-zinc-silver deposits in the Coeur d?Alene Mining District in the St. Regis and Revett formations and strata-bound copper-silver deposits, such as the Troy mine, within the Revett Formation. The Prichard Formation is also prospective for strata-bound lead-zinc deposits because equivalent Belt strata in southern British Columbia, Canada host the Sullivan lead-zinc deposit. Map data converted to digital images include 13 geological maps at scales ranging from 1:48,000 to 1:12,000. Geologic map images produced from these maps by color scanning were registered to grid tick coverages in a Universal Transverse Mercator (North American Datum of 1927, zone 11) projection using ArcView Image Analysis. Geo-registering errors vary from 10 ft to 114 ft.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dubiel, Russell F.; Warwick, Peter D.; Swanson, Sharon; Burke, Lauri; Biewick, Laura; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Coleman, James L.; Cook, Troy A.; Dennen, Kris; Doolan, Colin A.; Enomoto, Catherine; Hackley, Paul C.; Karlsen, Alexander W.; Klett, Timothy R.; Kinney, Scott A.; Lewan, Michael D.; Merrill, Matt; Pearson, Krystal; Pearson, Ofori N.; Pitman, Janet K.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Rowan, Elizabeth L.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Valentine, Brett

2011-01-01

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 147.4 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, 2.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, and 2.96 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata in onshore lands and State waters of the Gulf Coast.

Evidence for long-term climate change in Upper Devonian strata of the central Appalachians

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brezinski, D.K.; Cecil, C.B.; Skema, V.W.; Kertis, C.A.

2009-01-01

precipitation that washed progressively higher amounts of terrestrial organic matter into the local marine environments. The late Famennian climate changes identified within the Appalachian basin strata have been recognizable globally, and appear to have had both positive and negative effects on the Earth's biota. Some marine groups exhibit sharp diversity drops or even extinction coincident with the maximum development of the late Famennian ice age. Conversely, terrestrial biota appears to have been more positively affected by the late Famennian increased wetness that accompanied this progressive climate change. Marked diversification and evolutionary innovation, which appear to coincide with this climatic deviation, can be recognized within terrestrial plant communities and early tetrapod amphibians. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural plays in Ellesmerian sequence and correlative strata of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Thomas E.; Potter, Christopher J.

2003-01-01

Reservoirs in deformed rocks of the Ellesmerian sequence in southern NPRA are assigned to two hydrocarbon plays, the Thrust-Belt play and the Ellesmerian Structural play. The two plays differ in that the Thrust-Belt play consists of reservoirs located in allochthonous strata in the frontal part of the Brooks Range fold-and-thrust belt, whereas those of the Ellesmerian Structural play are located in autochthonous or parautochthonous strata at deeper structural levels north of the Thrust-Belt play. Together, these structural plays are expected to contain about 3.5 TCF of gas but less than 6 million barrels of oil. These two plays are analyzed using a two-stage deformational model. The first stage of deformation occurred during the Neocomian, when distal strata of the Ellesmerian sequence were imbricated and assembled into deformational wedges emplaced northward onto regionally south-dipping authochon at 140-120 Ma. In the mid-Cretaceous following cessation of the deformation, the Colville basin, the foreland basin to the orogen, was filled with a thick clastic succession. During the second stage of deformation at about 60 Ma (early Tertiary), the combined older orogenic belt-foreland basin system was involved in another episode of north-vergent contractional deformation that deformed pre-existing stratigraphic and structurally trapped reservoir units, formed new structural traps, and caused significant amounts of uplift, although the amount of shortening was relatively small in comparison to the first episode of deformation. Hydrocarbon generation from source strata (Shublik Formation, Kingak Shale, and Otuk Formation) and migration into stratigraphic traps occurred primarily by sedimentary burial principally between 100-90 Ma, between the times of the two episodes of deformation. Subsequent burial caused deep stratigraphic traps to become overmature, cracking oil to gas, and some new generation to begin progressively higher in the section. Structural disruption of

Ground penetrating radar imaging of cap rock, caliche and carbonate strata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kruse, S.E.; Schneider, J.C.; Campagna, D.J.; Inman, J.A.; Hickey, T.D.

2000-01-01

Field experiments show ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be used to image shallow carbonate stratigraphy effectively in a variety of settings. In south Florida, the position and structure of cap rock cover on limestone can be an important control on surface water flow and vegetation, but larger scale outcrops (tens of meters) of cap rock are sparse. GPR mapping through south Florida prairie, cypress swamp and hardwood hammock resolves variations in thickness and structure of cap rock to ~3 m and holds the potential to test theories for cap rock-vegetation relationships. In other settings, carbonate strata are mapped to test models for the formation of local structural anomalies. A test of GPR imaging capabilities on an arid caliche (calcrete) horizon in southeastern Nevada shows depth penetration to ~2 m with resolution of the base of caliche. GPR profiling also succeeds in resolving more deeply buried (~5 m) limestone discontinuity surfaces that record subaerial exposure in south Florida. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.Field experiments show ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be used to image shallow carbonate stratigraphy effectively in a variety of settings. In south Florida, the position and structure of cap rock cover on limestone can be an important control on surface water flow and vegetation, but larger scale outcrops (tens of meters) of cap rock are sparse. GPR mapping through south Florida prairie, cypress swamp and hardwood hammock resolves variations in thickness and structure of cap rock to approx. 3 m and holds the potential to test theories for cap rock-vegetation relationships. In other settings, carbonate strata are mapped to test models for the formation of local structural anomalies. A test of GPR imaging capabilities on an arid caliche (calcrete) horizon in southeastern Nevada shows depth penetration to approx. 2 m with resolution of the base of caliche. GPR profiling also succeeds in resolving more deeply buried (approx. 5

Within-plant distribution of Aulacorthum solani (Hemiptera: Aphididae), on various greenhouse plants with implications for control.

PubMed

Jandricic, S E; Mattson, N S; Wraight, S P; Sanderson, J P

2014-04-01

Foxglove aphid, Aulacorthum solani (Kaltenbach) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), has recently undergone a status change from an occasional pest to a serious pest in greenhouses of North America and the United Kingdom. Little nonanecdotal information exists on the ecology of this insect in greenhouse crops. To help improve integrated pest management decisions for A. solani, the within-plant distribution of this pest was explored on a variety of common greenhouse plants in both the vegetative and flowering stage. This aphid generally was found on lower leaves of vegetative plants, but was found higher in the canopy on reproductive plants (on flowers, flower buds, or upper leaves). Aphid numbers were not consistently positively correlated with total leaf surface areas within plant strata across plant species. Thus, the observed differences in preferred feeding sites on vegetative versus flowering plants are possibly a response to differences in nutritional quality of the various host-plant tissues. Despite being anecdotally described as a "stem-feeding aphid," A. solani was rarely found feeding on stems at the population densities established in our tests, with the exception of racemes of scarlet sage (Salvia splendans). Although some previous reports suggested that A. solani prefers to feed on new growth of plants, our results indicate that mature leaves are preferred over growing tips and young leaves. The implications of the within-plant feeding preferences of A. solani populations with respect to both biological and chemical control are discussed.

The Alabama, U.S.A., seismic event and strata collapse of May 7, 1986

USGS Publications Warehouse

Long, L.T.; Copeland, C.W.

1989-01-01

On May 7, 1986, the residents of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, felt a seismic event of local magnitude 3.6 that occurred at the same time as a rock burst and roof collapse in an active longwall coal mine. Visual inspection of the seismograms reveals a deficiency in energy at frequencies above 20 Hz compared to tectonic earthquakes or surface blasts. The predominance of energy below 5 Hz may explain reports of body wave magnitudes (mb) greater than 4.2. Also, 1.0 Hz surface waves were more strongly excited than body waves and may explain local felt effects more typically associated with greater epicentral distances. All recorded first motions were dilatational. The concentration of stations in the northern hemisphere allows reverse motion on an east-trending near-vertical plane or strike-slip motion on northwest or southeast trending planes. The reverse focal mechanism is preferred, because the area of roof collapse and the area of active longwall mining are located between two east-striking loose vertical fracture zones. The characteristics of the seismic event suggest that it might have been sudden shear failure resulting from accumulated strain energy in overlying strata behind an active longwall. Although an alternate interpretation of the focal mechanism as an implosion or shear failure in the strata above previously mined out areas is also allowed by the first motion data, this alternate intepretation is not supported by geological data. ?? 1989 Birkha??user Verlag.

Plant traits determine forest flammability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zylstra, Philip; Bradstock, Ross

2016-04-01

Carbon and nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems are influenced by their inherent flammability - a property determined by the traits of the component plant species that form the fuel and influence the micro climate of a fire. In the absence of a model capable of explaining the complexity of such a system however, flammability is frequently represented by simple metrics such as surface fuel load. The implications of modelling fire - flammability feedbacks using surface fuel load were examined and compared to a biophysical, mechanistic model (Forest Flammability Model) that incorporates the influence of structural plant traits (e.g. crown shape and spacing) and leaf traits (e.g. thickness, dimensions and moisture). Fuels burn with values of combustibility modelled from leaf traits, transferring convective heat along vectors defined by flame angle and with plume temperatures that decrease with distance from the flame. Flames are re-calculated in one-second time-steps, with new leaves within the plant, neighbouring plants or higher strata ignited when the modelled time to ignition is reached, and other leaves extinguishing when their modelled flame duration is exceeded. The relative influence of surface fuels, vegetation structure and plant leaf traits were examined by comparing flame heights modelled using three treatments that successively added these components within the FFM. Validation was performed across a diverse range of eucalypt forests burnt under widely varying conditions during a forest fire in the Brindabella Ranges west of Canberra (ACT) in 2003. Flame heights ranged from 10 cm to more than 20 m, with an average of 4 m. When modelled from surface fuels alone, flame heights were on average 1.5m smaller than observed values, and were predicted within the error range 28% of the time. The addition of plant structure produced predicted flame heights that were on average 1.5m larger than observed, but were correct 53% of the time. The over-prediction in this

Supercritical strata in Lower Paleozoic fluvial rocks: a super critical link to upper flow regime processes and preservation in nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowe, David; Arnott, Bill

2015-04-01

Recent experimental work has much improved our understanding of the lithological attributes of open-channel supercritical flow deposits, namely those formed by antidunes, chutes-and-pools and cyclic steps. However their limited documentation in the ancient sedimentary record brings into question details about their geological preservation. Antidune, chute-and-pool and cyclic step deposits are well developed in sandy ephemeral fluvial deposits of the Upper Cambrian - Lower Ordovician Potsdam Group in the Ottawa Embayment of eastern North America. These high energy fluvial strata form dm- to a few m-thick units intercalated within thick, areally expansive successions of sheet sandstones consisting mostly of wind ripple and adhesion stratification with common deflation lags. Collectively these strata record deposition in a semi-arid environment in which rare, episodic high-energy fluvial events accounted for most of the influx of sediment from upland sources. Following deposition, however, extensive aeolian processes reworked the sediment pile, and hence modified profoundly the preserved stratigraphic record. Antidune deposits occur as 0.2 - 1.6 m thick cosets made up of 2 - 15 cm thick lenticular sets of low angle (≤ 20o) cross-stratified, medium- to coarse-grained sandstone bounded by low-angle (5 - 15o) concave-upward scours and, in many cases, capped by low angle (10 - 15o) convex-upwards symmetrical formsets. Chute-and-pool deposits form single sets, 5 - 55 cm thick and 0.6 - 6 m wide, with scoured bases and low to high angle (5 - 25o) sigmoidal cross-strata consisting of medium- to coarse-grained sandstone. Cyclic step deposits consist of trough cross-stratified sets, 20 cm - 1.6 m thick, 2.5 - 12 m long and 7 - 35 m wide, typically forming trains that laterally are erosively juxtaposed at regularly-spaced intervals. They are composed of medium- to coarse-grained sandstone with concave-up, moderate to high angle (15 - 35o) cross-strata with tangential bases

Self-rated stress is noncontributory to coronary artery disease in higher socioeconomic strata.

PubMed

Kermott, Cindy A; Cha, Stephen S; Hagen, Philip T; Behrenbeck, Thomas

2013-10-01

Stress and its attendant psychosocial and lifestyle variables have been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), yet the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) has not been addressed. The aim of this study is to determine if stress assessment is associated with CAD independent of SES, and is incremental to the Framingham Score. The study group consisted of 325 executive patients undergoing comprehensive health assessment. Stress was assessed utilizing the validated "Self-Rated Stress" (SRS) instrument. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) served to assess the degree of atherosclerosis, a CAD equivalent and risk assessment tool. The relationship between SRS and CAC was assessed, with adjustment by potential confounders. CAC was modeled by a variety of cut points (>0, ≥5, ≥100, ≥200) for the test of trend across stress levels per Mantel-Haenszel chi-square (1 df) with nonsignificant P values of 0.9960, 0.5242, 0.1692, 0.3233, respectively. A logistic regression model with SRS as a categorically ranked and continuous variable to predict binary outcome of calcification yielded P values of 0.2366 and 0.9644; this relationship, further adjusted by age, fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, and education, yielded no statistically significant association. No improvement of fit was observed for the established Framingham Score to CAC relation utilizing SRS. The study concluded that SRS did not play a role in early CAD when focusing on a population in higher socioeconomic strata, and SRS did not add predictive value beyond patient age or calculated Framingham risk. Future studies should focus on additional validated instruments of stress to differentiate between subtypes of stress for varying SES strata.

Hazardous geology zoning and influence factorsin the near-shore shallow strata and seabed surfaceof the modern Yellow River Delta, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, P.

2016-12-01

In this study, on the basis of 3,200 km shallow stratigraphic section and sidescan sonar data of the coastal area of the Yellow River Delta, we delineated and interpreted a total of seven types of typical hazardous geologies, including the hazardous geology in the shallow strata (buried ancient channel and strata disturbance) and hazardous geology in the seabed surface strata (pit, erosive residual body, sand patch, sand wave and scour channel). We selected eight parameters representing the development scale of the hazardous geology as the zoning indexes, including the number of hazardous geology types, pit depth, height of erosive residual body, length of scour channel, area of sand patch, length of sand wave, width of the buried ancient channel and depth of strata disturbance, and implemented the grid processing of the research area to calculate the arithmetic sum of the zoning indexes of each unit grid one by one. We then adopted the clustering analysis method to divide the near-shore waters of the Yellow River Delta into five hazardous geology areas, namely the serious erosion disaster area controlled by Diaokou lobe waves, hazardous geology area of multi-disasters under the combined action of the Shenxiangou lobe river wave flow, accumulation type hazardous geology area controlled by the current estuary river, hazardous geology area of single disaster in the deep water area and potential hazardous geology area of the Chengdao Oilfield. All four of the main factors affecting the development of hazardous geology, namely the diffusion and movement of sediment flux of the Yellow River water entering the sea, seabed stability, bottom sediment type and distribution, as well as the marine hydrodynamic characteristics, show significant regional differentiation characteristics and laws. These characteristics and laws are consistent with the above-mentioned zoning results, in which the distribution, scale and genetic mechanism of hazardous geology are considered

[Concept of living conditions or social strata?--which approach is more suitable for describing unhealthy living circumstances of mothers?].

PubMed

Sperlich, S; Geyer, S

2010-11-01

The aim of this study was to identify living conditions associated with elevated health risks for mothers. Following up the debate on appropriate characterisation of social structure in modern societies, two different approaches, namely the 'social strata concept' and the 'concept of living conditions', were considered. Of particular interest was the question if the concept of living conditions, which is based on a broader definition of social status, allowed a more precise description of health-related living circumstances. The study was based on clinical data from 6,094 inpatients in Mother-Child rehabilitation centres in Germany. Taking socioeconomic status, household characteristics and psychosocial stressors into account seven typical living conditions of mothers could be identified by cluster analysis. Social status was measured by the Winkler Index. A moderate health-related gradient of increasing health risks with decreasing social position could be found for psychological and bodily disabilities. The approach of living conditions revealed that two living circumstances of mothers could be identified as being related to extremely poor health. These are i) dissatisfied single mothers with high degrees of psychosocial distress and lack of social support, and ii) married mothers with conflicts within the family and self-perceived lack of appreciation. Different from these findings, a pronounced social gradient could be found for overweight and smoking. Here the concept of social strata revealed in part excessive risks compared to the concept of living conditions. Overall, the integration of further social determinants allowed a more detailed insight into health-related living conditions, which are not solely determined by socioeconomic position. A global answer about the adequacy of the 'social strata concept' versus 'concept of living conditions' for identifying unhealthy living conditions could not be given because the relevance of both conceptual frameworks

Testing the Mojave-Sonora megashear hypothesis: Evidence from Paleoproterozoic igneous rocks and deformed Mesozoic strata in Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amato, J.M.; Lawton, T.F.; Mauel, D.J.; Leggett, W.J.; Gonzalez-Leon, C. M.; Farmer, G.L.; Wooden, J.L.

2009-01-01

U-Pb ages and Nd isotope values of Proterozoic rocks in Sonora, Mexico, indicate the presence of Caborca-type basement, predicted to lie only south of the Mojave-Sonora mega-shear, 40 km north of the postulated megashear. Granitoids have U-Pb zircon ages of 1763-1737 Ma and 1076 Ma, with ??Nd(t) values from +1.4 to -4.3, typical of the Caborca block. Lower Jurassic strata near the Proterozoic rocks contain large granitic clasts with U-Pb ages and ??Nd(t) values indistinguishable from those of Caborcan basement. Caborca-type basement was thus present at this location north of the megashear by 190 Ma, the depositional age of the Jurassic strata. The Proterozoic rocks are interpreted as parautochthonous, exhumed and juxtaposed against the Mesozoic section by a reverse fault that formed a footwall shortcut across a Jurassic normal fault. Geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and structural geology are therefore inconsistent with Late Jurassic megashear displacement and require either that no major transcurrent structure is present in Sonora or that strike-slip displacement occurred prior to Early Jurassic time. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Risk analysis in cohort studies with heterogeneous strata. A global chi2-test for dose-response relationship, generalizing the Mantel-Haenszel procedure.

PubMed

Ahlborn, W; Tuz, H J; Uberla, K

1990-03-01

In cohort studies the Mantel-Haenszel estimator ORMH is computed from sample data and is used as a point estimator of relative risk. Test-based confidence intervals are estimated with the help of the asymptotic chi-squared distributed MH-statistic chi 2MHS. The Mantel-extension-chi-squared is used as a test statistic for a dose-response relationship. Both test statistics--the Mantel-Haenszel-chi as well as the Mantel-extension-chi--assume homogeneity of risk across strata, which is rarely present. Also an extended nonparametric statistic, proposed by Terpstra, which is based on the Mann-Whitney-statistics assumes homogeneity of risk across strata. We have earlier defined four risk measures RRkj (k = 1,2,...,4) in the population and considered their estimates and the corresponding asymptotic distributions. In order to overcome the homogeneity assumption we use the delta-method to get "test-based" confidence intervals. Because the four risk measures RRkj are presented as functions of four weights gik we give, consequently, the asymptotic variances of these risk estimators also as functions of the weights gik in a closed form. Approximations to these variances are given. For testing a dose-response relationship we propose a new class of chi 2(1)-distributed global measures Gk and the corresponding global chi 2-test. In contrast to the Mantel-extension-chi homogeneity of risk across strata must not be assumed. These global test statistics are of the Wald type for composite hypotheses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Uneven reductions in high school students' alcohol use from 2007 to 2012 by age, sex, and socioeconomic strata.

PubMed

Jackson, Nicki; Denny, Simon; Sheridan, Janie; Fleming, Terry; Clark, Terryann; Peiris-John, Roshini; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2017-01-01

Many Western countries have reported declines in adolescent alcohol use. This study examined changes in adolescent alcohol use in New Zealand between 2007 and 2012 and explored variations across sociodemographic strata. Data from 2 nationally representative, cross-sectional high school surveys conducted in 2007 (n = 7709) and 2012 (n = 7266) were examined. Changes in the prevalence of drinking in the past 4 weeks were examined among the total sample, as well as the frequency of drinking in the past 4 weeks and typical drinking-occasion quantity among drinkers. Only students residing in urban areas were included. Variation in changes was investigated across 4 demographic groups characterized by age (<16 years, ≥16 years) and sex. Interactions with household- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic position (SEP) identified any differential changes between socioeconomic strata. From 2007 to 2012, significantly fewer students consumed alcohol in the past 4 weeks. Interaction analyses demonstrated that, among young females (<16 years), declines were significantly greater among those of high household SEP when compared with those of low household SEP. Among drinkers, reductions in the frequency of drinking were found among all demographic groups and SEP strata. Interaction analyses revealed that only young males (<16 years) showed significantly reduced typical drinking-occasion quantities. Among young females, significant interactions revealed a shift towards increasing typical drinking-occasion quantities among those of low household and neighborhood SEP, whereas their more advantaged counterparts showed no significant change over time. Fewer drinking occasions characterized the major declines in adolescent drinking between 2007 and 2012. Whereas young males showed reductions in the typical quantity consumed, young females of low household and neighborhood SEP progressed towards higher typical quantities. To address the uneven distribution of alcohol-related harm

U-Pb Geochronology of non-marine Upper Triassic strata of the Colorado Plateau (western North America): implications for stratigraphic correlation and paleoenvironmental reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmussen, C.; Mundil, R.; Irmis, R. B.; Keller, C. B.; Giesler, D.; Gehrels, G. E.

2017-12-01

The Triassic is a critical period in Earth history that witnessed the origin of modern ecosystems and frequent climate fluctuations, as well as major environmental events such as flood basalt volcanism and bolide impacts. The Chinle Formation contains a primary non-marine archive for past ecosystems in North America due to its fossil richness and well-studied sedimentology. Moreover, within these highly fossiliferous strata, a biotic turnover has been reported that has been hypothesized to coincide with one or more of the aforementioned environmental events. Unfortunately, few radioisotopic ages have been published for the Late Triassic, limiting our ability for lithological and paleoenvironmental correlations. In addition, the superposition of the Chinle Formation remains illusive due to frequent lateral facies changes and discontinuous outcrops across the Colorado Plateau. The 520 m long core 1A of the Colorado Plateau Coring Project from Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP) (Arizona) provides, for the first time, a continuous section of these early Mesozoic sedimentary strata. Many of the sand- and siltstones from this continuous succession throughout most of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation contain euhedral zircons suitable for U-Pb analyses. We analyzed >300 crystals each from 10 samples using LA-ICPMS; these results indicated abundant Late Triassic crystals that appear to be closely associated with the depositional age of the host rock. We then selected the youngest grains from these samples to obtain precise CA-TIMS U-Pb single zircon ages in order to constrain the maximum depositional ages (using quantitative methods) of these formations. We are able to revise the proposed time scale (based on outcrop samples) for Upper Triassic strata at PFNP and evaluate whether the biotic turnover observed within the Sonsela Member of these strata coincides with the Manicouagan bolide impact event. This revised chronostratigraphic framework allows intercalibration

Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper Campanian strata (Neslen and Mount Garfield formations, Bluecastle Tongue of the Castlegate sandstone, and Mancos shale), Eastern Book cliffs, Colorado and Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirschbaum, Mark A.; Hettinger, Robert D.

2004-01-01

Facies and sequence-stratigraphic analysis identifies six high-resolution sequences within upper Campanian strata across about 120 miles of the Book Cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah. The six sequences are named after prominent sandstone units and include, in ascending order, upper Sego sequence, Neslen sequence, Corcoran sequence, Buck Canyon/lower Cozzette sequence, upper Cozzette sequence, and Cozzette/Rollins sequence. A seventh sequence, the Bluecastle sequence, is present in the extreme western part of the study area. Facies analysis documents deepening- and shallowing- upward successions, parasequence stacking patterns, downlap in subsurface cross sections, facies dislocations, basinward shifts in facies, and truncation of strata.All six sequences display major incision into shoreface deposits of the Sego Sandstone and sandstones of the Corcoran and Cozzette Members of the Mount Garfield Formation. The incised surfaces represent sequence-boundary unconformities that allowed bypass of sediment to lowstand shorelines that are either attached to the older highstand shorelines or are detached from the older highstand shorelines and located southeast of the main study area. The sequence boundary unconformities represent valley incisions that were cut during successive lowstands of relative sea level. The overlying valley-fill deposits generally consist of tidally influenced strata deposited during an overall base level rise. Transgressive surfaces can be traced or projected over, or locally into, estuarine deposits above and landward of their associated shoreface deposits. Maximum flooding surfaces can be traced or projected landward from offshore strata into, or above, coastal-plain deposits. With the exception of the Cozzette/Rollins sequence, the majority of coal-bearing coastal-plain strata was deposited before maximum flooding and is therefore within the transgressive systems tracts. Maximum flooding was followed by strong progradation of

Identification of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in coastal strata in the Otway Basin, Victoria, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frieling, Joost; Huurdeman, Emiel P.; Rem, Charlotte C. M.; Donders, Timme H.; Pross, Jörg; Bohaty, Steven M.; Holdgate, Guy R.; Gallagher, Stephen J.; McGowran, Brian; Bijl, Peter K.

2018-02-01

Detailed, stratigraphically well-constrained environmental reconstructions are available for Paleocene and Eocene strata at a range of sites in the southwest Pacific Ocean (New Zealand and East Tasman Plateau; ETP) and Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1356 in the south of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf (AAG). These reconstructions have revealed a large discrepancy between temperature proxy data and climate models in this region, suggesting a crucial error in model, proxy data or both. To resolve the origin of this discrepancy, detailed reconstructions are needed from both sides of the Tasmanian Gateway. Paleocene-Eocene sedimentary archives from the west of the Tasmanian Gateway have unfortunately remained scarce (only IODP Site U1356), and no well-dated successions are available for the northern sector of the AAG. Here we present new stratigraphic data for upper Paleocene and lower Eocene strata from the Otway Basin, southeast Australia, on the (north)west side of the Tasmanian Gateway. We analyzed sediments recovered from exploration drilling (Latrobe-1 drill core) and outcrop sampling (Point Margaret) and performed high-resolution carbon isotope geochemistry of bulk organic matter and dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) and pollen biostratigraphy on sediments from the regional lithostratigraphic units, including the Pebble Point Formation, Pember Mudstone and Dilwyn Formation. Pollen and dinocyst assemblages are assigned to previously established Australian pollen and dinocyst zonations and tied to available zonations for the SW Pacific. Based on our dinocyst stratigraphy and previously published planktic foraminifer biostratigraphy, the Pebble Point Formation at Point Margaret is dated to the latest Paleocene. The globally synchronous negative carbon isotope excursion that marks the Paleocene-Eocene boundary is identified within the top part of the Pember Mudstone in the Latrobe-1 borehole and at Point Margaret. However, the high abundances of the

Geoacoustic models of Coastal Bottom Strata at Jeongdongjin in the Korean continental margin of the East Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryang, Woo Hun; Han, Jooyoung

2017-04-01

Geoacoustic models provide submarine environmental data to predict sound transmission through submarine bottom layers of sedimentary strata and acoustic basement. This study reconstructed four geoacoustic models for sediments of 50 m thick at the Jeongdongjin area in the western continental margin of the East Sea. Bottom models were based on about 1100 line-km data of the high-resolution air-gun seismic and subbottom profiles (SBP) with sediment cores. The 4 piston cores were analyzed for reconstruction of the bottom and geoacoustic models in the study area, together with 2 long cores in the adjacent area. P-wave speed in the core sediment was measured by the pulse transmission technique, and the resonance frequency of piezoelectric transducers was maintained at 1 MHz. Measurements of 42 P-wave speeds and 41 attenuations were fulfilled in three core sediments. For actual modeling, the P-wave speeds of the models were compensated to in situ depth below the sea floor using the Hamilton method. These geoacoustic models of coastal bottom strata will be used for geoacoustic and underwater acoustic experiments reflecting vertical and lateral variability of geoacoustic properties in the Jeongdongjin area of the East Sea. Keywords: geoacosutic model, bottom model, P-wave speed, Jeongdongjin, East Sea Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the research grants from the Agency of Defense Development (UD140003DD and UE140033DD).

Response of Late Carboniferous and Early Permian Plant Communities to Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimichele, William A.; Pfefferkorn, Hermann W.; Gastaldo, Robert A.

Late Carboniferous and Early Permian strata record the transition from a cold interval in Earth history, characterized by the repeated periods of glaciation and deglaciation of the southern pole, to a warm-climate interval. Consequently, this time period is the best available analogue to the Recent in which to study patterns of vegetational response, both to glacial-interglacial oscillation and to the appearance of warm climate. Carboniferous wetland ecosystems were dominated by spore-producing plants and early gymnospermous seed plants. Global climate changes, largely drying, forced vegetational changes, resulting in a change to a seed plant-dominated world, beginning first at high latitudes during the Carboniferous, reaching the tropics near the Permo-Carboniferous boundary. For most of this time plant assemblages were very conservative in their composition. Change in the dominant vegetation was generally a rapid process, which suggests that environmental thresholds were crossed, and involved little mixing of elements from the wet and dry floras.

Hydraulic Testing of Silurian and Ordovician Strata at the Bruce Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beauheim, R. L.; Avis, J. D.; Chace, D. A.; Roberts, R. M.; Toll, N. J.

2009-05-01

Ontario Power Generation is proposing a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for the long-term management of its Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (L&ILW) within a Paleozoic-age sedimentary sequence beneath the Bruce Site near Tiverton, Ontario, Canada. The concept envisions that the DGR would be excavated at a depth of approximately 680 m within the Ordovician Cobourg Formation, a massive, dense, argillaceous limestone. A key attribute of the Bruce site is the extremely low permeabilities associated with the thick Ordovician carbonate and argillaceous bedrock formations that will host and enclose the DGR. Such rock mass permeabilities are thought sufficiently low to contribute toward or govern a diffusion-dominated transport regime. To support this concept, hydraulic testing was performed in 2008 and 2009 in two deep boreholes at the proposed repository site, DGR-3 and DGR-4. The hydraulic testing was performed using a straddle-packer tool with a 30.74-m test interval. Sequential tests were performed over the entire open lengths of the boreholes from the F Unit of the Silurian Salina Formation into the Ordovician Gull River Formation, a distance of approximately 635 m. The tests consisted primarily of pressure-pulse tests, with a few slug tests performed in several of the higher permeability Silurian units. The tests are analyzed using the nSIGHTS code, which allows the entire pressure history a test interval has experienced since it was penetrated by the drill bit to be included in the test simulation. nSIGHTS also allows the model fit to the test data to be optimized over an n-dimensional parameter space to ensure that the final solution represents a true global minimum rather than simply a local minimum. The test results show that the Ordovician-age strata above the Coboconk Formation (70+ m below the Cobourg) have average horizontal hydraulic conductivities of 1E-13 m/s or less. Coboconk and Gull River hydraulic conductivities are as high as 1E-11 m

Imaging and characterizing shallow sedimentary strata using teleseismic arrivals recorded on linear arrays: An example from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratt, T. L.

2017-12-01

Unconsolidated, near-surface sediments can influence the amplitudes and frequencies of ground shaking during earthquakes. Ideally these effects are accounted for when determining ground motion prediction equations and in hazard estimates summarized in seismic hazard maps. This study explores the use of teleseismic arrivals recorded on linear receiver arrays to estimate the seismic velocities, determine the frequencies of fundamental resonance peaks, and image the major reflectors in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) and Mississippi Embayment (ME) strata of the central and southeastern United States. These strata have thicknesses as great as 2 km near the coast in the study areas, but become thin and eventually pinch out landward. Spectral ratios relative to bedrock sites were computed from teleseismic arrivals recorded on linear arrays deployed across the sedimentary sequences. The large contrast in properties at the bedrock surface produces a strong fundamental resonance peak in the 0.2 to 4 Hz range. Contour maps of sediment thicknesses derived from drill hole data allow for the theoretical estimation of average velocities by matching the observed frequencies at which resonance peaks occur. The sloping bedrock surface allows for calculation of a depth-varying velocity profile, under the assumption that the velocities at each depth do not change laterally between stations. The spectral ratios can then be converted from frequency to depth, resulting in an image of the subsurface similar to that of a seismic reflection profile but with amplitudes being the spectral ratio caused by a reflector at that depth. The complete data set thus provides an average velocity function for the sedimentary sequence, the frequencies and amplitudes of the major resonance peaks, and a subsurface image of the major reflectors producing resonance peaks. The method is demonstrated using three major receiver arrays crossing the ACP and ME strata that originally were deployed for imaging

Migrated hydrocarbons in exposure of Maastrichtian nonmarine strata near Saddle Mountain, lower Cook Inlet, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

LePain, D.L.; Lillis, P.G.; Helmold, K.P.; Stanley, R.G.

2012-01-01

Magoon and others (1980) described an 83-meter- (272-foot-) thick succession of Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, and coal exposed on the south side of an unnamed drainage, approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) east of Saddle Mountain in lower Cook Inlet (figs. 1 and 2). The initial significance of this exposure was that it was the first reported occurrence of nonmarine rocks of this age in outcrop in lower Cook Inlet, which helped constrain the Late Cretaceous paleogeography of the area and provided important information on the composition of latest Mesozoic sandstones in the basin. The Saddle Mountain section is thought to be an outcrop analog for Upper Cretaceous nonmarine strata penetrated in the OCS Y-0097 #1 (Raven) well, located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the south–southeast in Federal waters (fig. 1). Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) drilled the Raven well in 1980 and encountered oil-stained rocks and moveable liquid hydrocarbons between the depths of 1,760 and 3,700 feet. Completion reports on file with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM; formerly Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and prior to 2010, U.S. Minerals Management Service) either show flow rates of zero or do not mention flow rates. A fluid analysis report on file with BOEM suggests that a wireline tool sampled some oil beneath a 2,010-foot diesel cushion during the fl ow test of the 3,145–3,175 foot interval, but the recorded fl ow rate was still zero (Kirk Sherwood, written commun., January 9, 2012). Further delineation and evaluation of the apparent accumulation was never performed and the well was plugged and abandoned. As part of a 5-year comprehensive evaluation of the geology and petroleum systems of the Cook Inlet forearc basin, the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys obtained a research permit from the National Park Service to access the relatively poorly understood �

SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of volcanic rocks, Belt Supergroup, western Montana: Evidence for rapid deposition of sedimentary strata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evans, K.V.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Obradovich, J.D.; Fanning, C.M.

2000-01-01

New sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon analyses from two tuffs and a felsic flow in the middle and upper Belt Supergroup of northwestern Montana significantly refine the age of sedimentation for this very thick (15-20 km) Middle Proterozoic stratigraphic sequence. In ascending stratigraphic order, the results are (1) 1454 ?? 9 Ma for a tuff in the upper part of the Helena Formation at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park; (2) 1443 ?? 7 Ma for a regionally restricted porphyritic rhyolite to quartz latite flow of the Purcell Lava in the Yaak River region; and (3) 1401 ?? 6 Ma for a tuff in the very thin transition zone between the Bonner Quartzite and Libby Formation, west of the town of Libby. Combining these ages with those previously published by other workers for ca. 1470-Ma sills in the lower Belt in Montana and Canada indicates that all but the uppermost Belt strata (about 1700 m) were deposited over a period of about 70 million years, considerably reducing the time span from longstanding estimates ranging from 250 to 600 million years. Calculated sediment accumulation rates between dated samples indicates rapid, but not unreasonable, values for early Belt strata, with decreasing rates through time. These ages also suggest the inadequacy of previously published paleomagnetic data to resolve Belt Supergroup chronology at an appropriate level of accuracy.

Comparative Sex Chromosome Genomics in Snakes: Differentiation, Evolutionary Strata, and Lack of Global Dosage Compensation

PubMed Central

Zektser, Yulia; Mahajan, Shivani; Bachtrog, Doris

2013-01-01

Snakes exhibit genetic sex determination, with female heterogametic sex chromosomes (ZZ males, ZW females). Extensive cytogenetic work has suggested that the level of sex chromosome heteromorphism varies among species, with Boidae having entirely homomorphic sex chromosomes, Viperidae having completely heteromorphic sex chromosomes, and Colubridae showing partial differentiation. Here, we take a genomic approach to compare sex chromosome differentiation in these three snake families. We identify homomorphic sex chromosomes in boas (Boidae), but completely heteromorphic sex chromosomes in both garter snakes (Colubridae) and pygmy rattlesnake (Viperidae). Detection of W-linked gametologs enables us to establish the presence of evolutionary strata on garter and pygmy rattlesnake sex chromosomes where recombination was abolished at different time points. Sequence analysis shows that all strata are shared between pygmy rattlesnake and garter snake, i.e., recombination was abolished between the sex chromosomes before the two lineages diverged. The sex-biased transmission of the Z and its hemizygosity in females can impact patterns of molecular evolution, and we show that rates of evolution for Z-linked genes are increased relative to their pseudoautosomal homologs, both at synonymous and amino acid sites (even after controlling for mutational biases). This demonstrates that mutation rates are male-biased in snakes (male-driven evolution), but also supports faster-Z evolution due to differential selective effects on the Z. Finally, we perform a transcriptome analysis in boa and pygmy rattlesnake to establish baseline levels of sex-biased expression in homomorphic sex chromosomes, and show that heteromorphic ZW chromosomes in rattlesnakes lack chromosome-wide dosage compensation. Our study provides the first full scale overview of the evolution of snake sex chromosomes at the genomic level, thus greatly expanding our knowledge of reptilian and vertebrate sex chromosomes

Correlation of aptian-albian carbon isotope excursions in continental strata of the cretaceous Foreland Basin, Eastern Utah, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ludvigson, Greg A.; Joeckel, R.M.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Gulbranson, E.L.; Rasbury, E.T.; Hunt, G.J.; Kirkland, J.I.; Madsen, S.

2010-01-01

Nodular carbonates ("calcretes") in continental foreland-basin strata of the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation (CMF) in eastern Utah yield ??13C and ??O records of changes in the exogenic carbon cycle related to oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), and terrestrial paleoclimate. Chemostratigraphic profiles of both forebulge and foredeep sections show two prominent positive ??13C excursions, each with a peak value of -3% VPDB, and having background ??13C values of about -6% VPDB. These excursions correlate with the global early Aptian (Ap7) and late Aptian-early Albian (Apl2-All) carbon isotope excursions. Aptian-Albian positive ??13C excursions in the CMF also correspond to 3-4 per mil increases in carbonate ??18O. These phenomena record local aridification events. The chemostratigraphic profile on the thinner forebulge section of the CMF is calibrated, for the first time, by a radiogenic U-Pb date of 119.4 ?? 2.6 Ma on a carbonate bed, and by detrital zircon U-Pb dates on two bounding sandstone units (maximum depositional ages of 146 Ma and 112 Ma). P??trographie observations and diagenetic analyses of micritic to microsparitic carbonates from nodules indicate palustrine origins and demonstrate that they crystallized in shallow early meteoric phreatic environments. Meteoric calcite lines derived from CMF carbonates have ??18O values ranging between -8.1 to -7.5%o VPDB, supporting an estimate of zonal mean groundwater ??18O of -6% VSMOW for an Aptian-Albian paleolatitude of 34?? N. Furthermore, our two chemostratigraphic profiles exhibit a generally proportionate thinning of correlative strata from the foredeep on to the forebulge, suggesting that there were consistently lower rates of accumulation on the forebulge during the Aptian-Albian. Identification of the global Aptian-Albian ??13C excursions in purely continental strata, as demonstrated in this paper, opens a new avenue of research by identifying specific stratigraphie intervals that record the terrestrial

Origin and Evolution of The Early- Silurian Land Vascular Plants: Evidence From Biomarkers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, R.

2016-12-01

Origin and early evolution of land vascular plants, is one of the most intriguing hotspots in the life science research. During the 1970s and 1980s,Pinnatiramosus qianensis was found in early-Silurian strata in guizhou of south China.43 years have passed. But so far, the biological characteristics and belonging of the age of this unique plant have been debated again and again, up in the air.Biomarkers have a good stability in the process of organic evolution, no more or less changed, so they have a special `function of mark'. While biomarkers can provide information about organic matter of hydrocarbon source rock (the source), the period of deposition and burial (diagenesis) environmental conditions, and many other aspects of information.This paper obtained the sedimentary environment, source of organic matter input and other relevant information, through extracting and analyzing biomarkers of the 26 samples in the late Ordovician to early Silurian strata in NorthGuizhou areas. According to the results, Pr/Ph of late Ordovician Meitan Fm-early Silurian Hanjiadian Fm is high.It manifests more pristane, characterized by reductive environment. At the bottom of the Hanjiadian Fm, Pr/Ph has a volatility.Some huge environmental changes may have taken place in the corresponding period. N-alkanes do not have parity advantage or has even carbon advantage slightly.The peak carbon is mainly in low carbon number.(C21 + C22)/(C28 + C29) is high.Aquatic organisms is a major source of organic matter during this period,C21-/C22+ is low.This may be caused by the relatively serious loss of light hydrocarbon during the separation of components. In the Hanjiadian Fm,information of C29/C27 sterane ratios and oleanane index showed a trend of rising at the same time, indicating that during this period, there was a gradual increase input in the number of higher plants.The stable carbon isotope of saturated hydrocarbon and aromatic hydrocarbon in the Hanjiadian Fm also gradually become

A review of Arbuckle Group strata in Kansas from a sedimentologic perspective: Insights for future research from past and recent studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franseen, E.K.

2000-01-01

Arbuckle Group and equivalent-age rocks (Cambrian and Lower Ordovician) represent an important record of sediment deposition in the history of the North American continent and they contain important accumulations of hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and base metal deposits. This is true for Kansas as well where Arbuckle strata account for approximately 40% of the volume of produced petroleum and known reserves. However, in comparison to their counterparts in other areas, such as the Ellenburger and Knox, Arbuckle rocks in Kansas remain relatively understudied, especially with respect to sedimentology and diagenesis. The Arbuckle is present in the subsurface in most of Kansas and is absent only in areas of northeastern and northwestern Kansas, and over ancient uplifts and buried Precambrian highs. Arbuckle rocks thicken from north to south and are up to 1,390 feet in the southeastern corner of Kansas. Arbuckle Group and equivalent-age rocks from Kansas and surrounding areas are similar, consisting of platform deposits dominated by ramp-type subtidal to peritidal carbonates (mostly dolomitized) which can be subdivided into cycles, less than 0.5 m to 40 m thick, based on facies type and depositional patterns. Recent studies from central Kansas show that major depositional facies consist of coarse-grained packstones/ grainstones, fine-grained packstones/wackestones/mudstones, stromatolites-thrombolites, intraclastic conglomerate and breccia, and shale. In addition, secondary features include dolomitization, breccia, fracture, and conglomerate related to early subaerial exposure and later karst, burial or structural processes, silicification, and local mineralization. Arbuckle and equivalent strata in the Midcontinent were affected by prolonged subaerial exposure that began immediately after Arbuckle deposition, forming the sub-Tippecanoe to sub-Absaroka unconformity. Favorable reservoir qualities generally are thought to be related directly to basement structural elements and

Solute concentrations influence microbial methanogenesis in coal-bearing strata of the Cherokee basin, USA

DOE PAGES

Kirk, Matthew F.; Wilson, Brien H.; Marquart, Kyle A.; ...

2015-11-18

In this study, microorganisms have contributed significantly to subsurface energy resources by converting organic matter in hydrocarbon reservoirs into methane, the main component of natural gas. In this study, we consider environmental controls on microbial populations in coal-bearing strata of the Cherokee basin, an unconventional natural gas resource in southeast Kansas, USA. Pennsylvanian-age strata in the basin contain numerous thin (0.4–1.1 m) coalbeds with marginal thermal maturities (0.5–0.7% R o) that are interbedded with shale and sandstone. We collected gas, water, and microbe samples from 16 commercial coalbed methane wells for geochemical and microbiological analysis. The water samples were Na–Clmore » type with total dissolved solids (TDS) content ranging from 34.9 to 91.3 g L –1. Gas dryness values [C 1/(C 2 + C 3)] averaged 2640 and carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of methane differed from those of carbon dioxide and water, respectively, by an average of 65 and 183‰. These values are thought to be consistent with gas that formed primarily by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Results from cultivation assays and taxonomic analysis of 16S rRNA genes agree with the geochemical results. Cultivable methanogens were present in every sample tested, methanogen sequences dominate the archaeal community in each sample (avg 91%), and few archaeal sequences (avg 4.2%) were classified within Methanosarcinales, an order of methanogens known to contain methylotrophic methanogens. Although hydrogenotrophs appear dominant, geochemical and microbial analyses both indicate that the proportion of methane generated by acetoclastic methanogens increases with the solute content of formation water, a trend that is contrary to existing conceptual models. Consistent with this trend, beta diversity analyses show that archaeal diversity significantly correlates with formation water solute content. In contrast, bacterial diversity more strongly correlates with

Preliminary vitrinite and bitumen reflectance, total organic carbon, and pyrolysis data for samples from Upper and Lower Cretaceous strata, Maverick Basin, south Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hackley, Paul C.; Dennen, Kristin O.; Gesserman, Rachel M.; Ridgley, Jennie L.

2009-01-01

The Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation, a regionally occurring limestone and shale interval of 500-600-ft maximum thickness (Rose, 1986), is being evaluated as part of an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in onshore Lower Cretaceous strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this report is to release preliminary vitrinite and bitumen reflectance, total organic carbon, and pyrolysis data for Pearsall Formation, Glen Rose Formation, Hosston Formation, Austin Group, and Eagle Ford Group samples from the Maverick Basin in south Texas in order to aid in the characterization of these strata in this area. The preliminary nature of this report and the data contained herein reflect that the assessment and characterization of these samples is a work currently in progress. Pearsall Formation subdivisions are, in ascending stratigraphic order, the Pine Island Shale, James Limestone, and Bexar Shale Members (Loucks, 2002). The Lower Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation is also part of the USGS Lower Cretaceous assessment and produces oil in the Maverick Basin (Loucks and Kerans, 2003). The Hosston Formation was assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources in 2006 (Dyman and Condon, 2006), but not in south Texas. The Upper Cretaceous Austin Group is being assessed as part of the USGS assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in the Upper Cretaceous strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico and, along with the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, is considered to be an important source rock in the Smackover-Austin-Eagleford Total Petroleum System (Condon and Dyman, 2006). Both the Austin Group and the Eagle Ford Group are present in the Maverick Basin in south Texas (Rose, 1986).

Association between food, physical activity, and social assistance environments and the body mass index of schoolchildren from different socioeconomic strata.

PubMed

Rossi, Camila Elizandra; Patrícia de Fragas, Hinnig; Corrêa, Elizabeth Nappi; das Neves, Janaina; de Vasconcelos, Francisco de Assis Guedes

2018-05-29

The aim of this article was to evaluate associations between body mass index (BMI) and use of and distance from subjects homes of elements of the food and physical activity environments and use of social assistance environment, in schoolchildren from 7 to 14 years living in Florianópolis (South Brazil), stratified by monthly family income. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 2152 schoolchildren. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to test for associations between BMI and the use of and distance from supermarkets, bakeries and farmers' markets; use of and distance from parks/playgrounds and football pitches; and use of health centers, Reference Centers for Social Assistance, instructional facilities, residents associations, religious groups and a Brazilian program for cash transfer. Overweight and obesity rates were 21.5 and 12.7%, respectively. Among schoolchildren from low-income families, living more than 11 min' walk from parks/playgrounds was associated with higher BMI (β = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.33-0.73). In the high-income strata, a longer distance from home to football pitches was associated with lower BMI (β = -0.49; 95% CI = -0.69; -0.29). Neither food nor social assistance environments were associated with BMI of schoolchildren, even when analyzed by income strata.

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Coleman, James; Hackley, Paul C.; Hayba, Daniel O.; Karlsen, Alexander W.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Swanson, Sharon M.; Kennan, Lorcan; Pindell, James; Rosen, Norman C.

2007-01-01

This report presents a review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2007 assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Geochemical, geologic, geophysical, thermal maturation, burial history, and paleontologic studies have been combined with regional cross sections and data from previous USGS petroleum assessments have helped to define the major petroleum systems and assessment units. Accumulations of both conventional oil and gas and continuous coal-bed gas within these petroleum systems have been digitally mapped and evaluated, and undiscovered resources have been assessed following USGS methodology.The primary source intervals for oil and gas in Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs are coal and shale rich in organic matter within the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) and Sparta Formation of the Claiborne Group (Eocene); in addition, Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks probably have contributed substantial petroleum to Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs.For the purposes of the assessment, Paleogene strata have divided into the following four stratigraphic study intervals: (1) Wilcox Group (including the Midway Group and the basal Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group; Paleocene-Eocene); (2) Claiborne Group (Eocene); (3) Jackson and Vicksburg Groups (Eocene-Oligocene); and (4) the Frio-Anahuac Formations (Oligocene). Recent discoveries of coal-bed gas in Paleocene strata confirm a new petroleum system that was not recognized in previous USGS assessments. In total, 26 conventional Paleogene assessment units are defined. In addition, four Cretaceous-Paleogene continuous (coal-bed gas) assessment units are included in this report. Initial results of the assessment will be released as USGS Fact Sheets (not available at the time of this writing).Comprehensive reports for each assessment unit are planned to be released via the internet and distributed on CD-ROMs within the next year.

Evidence for Mojave-Sonora megashear-Systematic left-lateral offset of Neoproterozoic to Lower Jurassic strata and facies, western United States and northwestern Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, John H.

2005-01-01

Major successions as well as individual units of Neoproterozoic to Lower Jurassic strata and facies appear to be systematically offset left laterally from eastern California and western Nevada in the western United States to Sonora, Mexico. This pattern is most evident in units such as the "Johnnie oolite," a 1- to 2-m-thick oolite of the Neoproterozoic Rainstorm Member of the Johnnie Formation in the western United States and of the Clemente Formation in Sonora. The pattern is also evident in the Lower Cambrian Zabriskie Quartzite of the western United States and the correlative Proveedora Quartzite in Sonora. Matching of isopach lines of the Zabriskie Quartzite and Proveedora Quartzite suggests ???700-800 km of left-lateral offset. The offset pattern is also apparent in the distribution of distinctive lithologic types, unconformities, and fossil assemblages in other rocks ranging in age from Neoproterozoic to Early Jurassic. In the western United States, the distribution of facies in Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata indicates that the Cordilleran miogeocline trends north-south. A north-south trend is also suggested in Sonora, and if so is compatible with offset of the miogeocline but not with the ideas that the miogeocline wrapped around the continental margin and trends east-west in Sonora. An imperfect stratigraphic match of supposed offset segments along the megashear is apparent. Some units, such as the "Johnnie oolite" and Zabriskie-Proveedora, show almost perfect correspondence, but other units are significantly different. The differences seem to indicate that the indigenous succession of the western United States and offset segments in Mexico were not precisely side by side before offset but were separated by an area-now buried, eroded, or destroyed-that contained strata of intermediate facies. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian Strata, U.S. Gulf Coast, Texas, 2018

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whidden, Katherine J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Paxton, Stanley T.; Kinney, Scott A.; Gianoutsos, Nicholas J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Burke, Lauri A.; Dubiel, Russell F.; French, Katherine L.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Haines, Seth S.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2018-06-22

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 8.5 billion barrels of oil and 66 trillion cubic feet of gas in continuous accumulations in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian strata in onshore lands of the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Texas.

USE OF EXPERT RATINGS AS SAMPLING STRATA FOR A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF A RARE POPULATION

PubMed Central

McCaffrey, Daniel; Perlman, Judith; Marshall, Grant N.; Hambarsoomians, Katrin

2010-01-01

We consider situations in which externally observable characteristics allow experts to quickly categorize individual households as likely or unlikely to contain a member of a rare target population. This classification can form the basis of disproportionate stratified sampling such that households classified as “unlikely” are sampled at a lower rate than those classified as “likely,” thereby reducing screening costs. Design weights account for this approach and allow unbiased estimates for the target population. We demonstrate that with sensitivity and specificity of expert classification at least 70%, and ideally at least 80%, our approach can economically increase effective sample size for a rare population. We develop heuristics for implementing this approach and demonstrate that sensitivity drives design effects and screening costs whereas specificity only drives the latter. We demonstrate that the potential gains from this approach increase as the target population becomes rarer. We further show that for most applications, unlikely strata should be sampled at 1/6 to ½ the rate of likely strata. This approach was applied to a survey of Cambodian immigrants in which the 82% of households rated “unlikely” were sampled at ¼ the rate as “likely” households, reducing screening from 9.4 to 4.0 approaches per complete. Sensitivity and specificity were 86% and 91% respectively. Weighted estimation had a design effect of 1.26 so screening costs per effective sample size were reduced 47%. We also note that in this instance, expert classification appeared to be uncorrelated with survey outcomes of interest among eligibles. PMID:20936050

Lithostratigraphic, conodont, and other faunal links between lower Paleozoic strata in northern and central Alaska and northeastern Russia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dumoulin, Julie A.; Harris, Anita G.; Gagiev, Mussa; Bradley, Dwight C.; Repetski, John E.

2002-01-01

Lower Paleozoic platform carbonate strata in northern Alaska (parts of the Arctic Alaska, York, and Seward terranes; herein called the North Alaska carbonate platform) and central Alaska (Farewell terrane) share distinctive lithologic and faunal features, and may have formed on a single continental fragment situated between Siberia and Laurentia. Sedimentary successions in northern and central Alaska overlie Late Proterozoic metamorphosed basement; contain Late Proterozoic ooid-rich dolostones, Middle Cambrian outer shelf deposits, and Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian shallow-water platform facies, and include fossils of both Siberian and Laurentian biotic provinces. The presence in the Alaskan terranes of Siberian forms not seen in wellstudied cratonal margin sequences of western Laurentia implies that the Alaskan rocks were not attached to Laurentia during the early Paleozoic.The Siberian cratonal succession includes Archean basement, Ordovician shallow-water siliciclastic rocks, and Upper Silurian–Devonian evaporites, none of which have counterparts in the Alaskan successions, and contains only a few of the Laurentian conodonts that occur in Alaska. Thus we conclude that the lower Paleozoic platform successions of northern and central Alaska were not part of the Siberian craton during their deposition, but may have formed on a crustal fragment rifted away from Siberia during the Late Proterozoic. The Alaskan strata have more similarities to coeval rocks in some peri-Siberian terranes of northeastern Russia (Kotelny, Chukotka, and Omulevka). Lithologic ties between northern Alaska, the Farewell terrane, and the peri-Siberian terranes diminish after the Middle Devonian, but Siberian afµnities in northern and central Alaskan biotas persist into the late Paleozoic.

Beryllium surface levels in a military ammunition plant.

PubMed

Sanderson, Wayne T; Leonard, Stephanie; Ott, Darrin; Fuortes, Laurence; Field, William

2008-07-01

This study evaluated the presence of beryllium surface contamination in a U.S. conventional munitions plant as an indicator of possible past beryllium airborne and skin exposure and used these measurements to classify job categories by potential level of exposure. Surface samples were collected from production and nonproduction areas of the plant and at regional industrial reference sites with no known history of beryllium use. Surface samples of premoistened wiping material were analyzed for beryllium mass content using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and results expressed as micrograms of beryllium per 100 square centimeters (micro g/100 cm(2)). Beryllium was detected in 87% of samples collected at the munitions plant and in 72% of the samples collected at regional reference sites. Two munitions plant samples from areas near sanders and grinders were above 3.0 micro g/100 cm(2) (U.S. Department of Energy surface contamination limit). The highest surface level found at the reference sites was 0.44 micro g/100 cm(2). Workers in areas where beryllium-containing alloy tools were sanded or ground, but not other work areas, may have been exposed to airborne beryllium concentrations above levels encountered in other industries where metal work is conducted. Surface sampling provided information useful for categorizing munitions plant jobs by level of past beryllium airborne and skin exposure and, subsequently, for identifying employees within exposure strata to be screened for beryllium sensitization.

Patterns of Gondwana plant colonisation anddiversification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, J. M.; Anderson, H. M.; Archangelsky, S.; Bamford, M.; Chandra, S.; Dettmann, M.; Hill, R.; McLoughlin, S.; Rösler, O.

Charting the broad patterns of vascular plant evolution for Gondwana againstthe major global environmental shifts and events is attempted here for the first time. This is based on the analysis of the major vascular plant-bearing formations of the southern continents (plus India) correlated against the standard geological time-scale. Australia, followed closely by South America, are shown to yield by far the most complete sequences of productive strata. Ten seminal turnover pulses in the unfolding evolutionary picture are identified and seen to be linked to continental drift, climate change and mass global extinctions. The rise of vascular plants along the tropical belt, for instance, followed closely after the end-Ordovician warming and extinction. Equally remarkable is that the Late Devonian extinction may have caused both the terrestrialisation of the vertebrates and the origin of the true gymnosperms. The end-Permian extinction, closure of Iapetus, together with warming, appears to have set in motion an unparalleled, explosive, gymnosperm radiation; whilst the Late Triassic extinction dramatically curtailed it. It is suggested that the latitudinal diversity gradient clearly recognised today, where species richness increases towards the tropics, may have been partly reversed during phases of Hot House climate. Evidence hints at this being particularly so at the heyday of the gymnosperms in the Late Triassic super-Hot House world. As for the origin of terrestrial, vascular, plant life, the angiosperms seem closely linked to a phase of marked shift from Ice House to Hot House. Insect and tetrapod evolutionary patterns are discussed in the context of the plants providing the base of the ever-changing ecosystems. Intimate co-evolution is often evident. This isn't always the case, for example the non-linkage between the dominant, giant, long-necked, herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs and the dramatic radiation of the flowering plants in the Mid Cretaceous.

Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjerrum, Christian J.; Dorsey, Rebecca J.

1995-08-01

An electronic supplement of this material may be obtained on a diskette or Anonymous FTP from KOSMOS.AGU.ORG. (LOGIN to AGU's FTP account using ANONYMOUS as the username and GUEST as the password. Go to the right directory by typing CD APEND. Type LS to see what files are available. Type GET and the name of the file to get it. Finally, type EXIT to leave the system.) (Paper 95TC01448, Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States, Christian J. Bjerrum and Rebecca J. Dorsey). Diskette may be ordered from American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N. W., Washington, DC 20009; $15.00. Payment must accompany order. A thick succession of Jurassic nonmarine and marine sedimentary rocks is exposed in a large area from northern Arizona to eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. These sediments accumulated in the Utah-Idaho trough, a deep elongate cratonal basin whose origin has recently been debated. Detailed stratigraphic analysis, subsidence analysis, and first-order flexural modeling of these deposits (this study) provide new insights into the timing and mechanisms of subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough. Lower and Middle Jurassic strata are divided into six unconformity-bounded sequences. In contrast to the overall uniform thickness of Lower Jurassic sequences (1 and 2), Middle Jurassic strata (sequences 3 through 6) consist of distinctly westward thickening sedimentary packages in which basal shallow marine deposits onlap eastward onto bounding unconformities. Basal strata of sequences 3 through 6 pass upward into widespread progradational continental deposits that are truncated progressively toward the east (cratonward) by the next unconformity. Decompacted total subsidence curves show that the rate of subsidence in most sections increased sharply at the end of sequence 2 time (J-2 unconformity; ˜170 Ma). This is interpreted to record the onset of Middle Jurassic deposition

Integrated palynology and sequence stratigraphy of the upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) strata, Rio Grande Embayment, Texas, using well, outcrop, and seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Salah El-Din Ragab

Numerous nomenclature problems surround the Campanian and Maastrichtian strata of the Rio Grande Embayment. Sellards et al. (1932) and Stephenson et al. (1942) placed the Upson Clay and San Miguel Formation in the Taylor Group (Campanian). These workers assigned the overlying Olmos Coal and the Escondido Formation to the Navarro Group (Maastrichtian). Pessagno (1969, p. 90--91) tentatively included the Upson Clay, the San Miguel Formation, the Olmos Coal, and the Escondido Formation in the Navarro Group, but noted that these strata are lithologically dissimilar to those of the type Navarro Group in Navarro County (northeast Texas). He (ibid, p. 91) suggested that "---Future workers should consider the possibility of excluding the entire sequence from the Navarro Group. It is perhaps more closely related to the Difunta Group of Mexico or deserves a group name of its own." Pessagno (1967; 1969, p. 91--92) utilized planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphic data to determine (1) that the Upson Clay and San Miguel Formation are assignable to the lower Maastrichtian and (2) that the Escondido Formation is assignable to the upper Maastrichtian. The present investigation attempts to build on the chronostratigraphic framework established by Pessagno (1967, 1969). Palynology is used for the first time in this report to generate biostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic, and paleoecological data for the Maastrichtian strata in the study area. New palynological data, integrated with existing planktonic foraminifera and megafossils, indicate that San Miguel Formation and Olmos Coal are of Maastrichtian age. Tying results with seismic data results in dating interpreted sequence boundaries to be within the time interval of 83 and 63 MA. Five seismic facies are delineated and a rate of sediment supply higher than the rate of subsidence during a prolonged progradational episode is suggested in the study area. Three-dimensional seismic data are interpreted in terms of the structure and

Rare earth element geochemistry of shallow carbonate outcropping strata in Saudi Arabia: Application for depositional environments prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eltom, Hassan A.; Abdullatif, Osman M.; Makkawi, Mohammed H.; Eltoum, Isam-Eldin A.

2017-03-01

The interpretation of depositional environments provides important information to understand facies distribution and geometry. The classical approach to interpret depositional environments principally relies on the analysis of lithofacies, biofacies and stratigraphic data, among others. An alternative method, based on geochemical data (chemical element data), is advantageous because it can simply, reproducibly and efficiently interpret and refine the interpretation of the depositional environment of carbonate strata. Here we geochemically analyze and statistically model carbonate samples (n = 156) from seven sections of the Arab-D reservoir outcrop analog of central Saudi Arabia, to determine whether the elemental signatures (major, trace and rare earth elements [REEs]) can be effectively used to predict depositional environments. We find that lithofacies associations of the studied outcrop (peritidal to open marine depositional environments) possess altered REE signatures, and that this trend increases stratigraphically from bottom-to-top, which corresponds to an upward shallowing of depositional environments. The relationship between REEs and major, minor and trace elements indicates that contamination by detrital materials is the principal source of REEs, whereas redox condition, marine and diagenetic processes have minimal impact on the relative distribution of REEs in the lithofacies. In a statistical model (factor analysis and logistic regression), REEs, major and trace elements cluster together and serve as markers to differentiate between peritidal and open marine facies and to differentiate between intertidal and subtidal lithofacies within the peritidal facies. The results indicate that statistical modelling of the elemental composition of carbonate strata can be used as a quantitative method to predict depositional environments and regional paleogeography. The significance of this study lies in offering new assessments of the relationships between

Tectonic evolution of the North Patagonian Andes (41°-44° S) through recognition of syntectonic strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echaurren, A.; Folguera, A.; Gianni, G.; Orts, D.; Tassara, A.; Encinas, A.; Giménez, M.; Valencia, V.

2016-05-01

The North Patagonian fold-thrust belt (41°-44° S) is characterized by a low topography, reduced crustal thickness and a broad lateral development determined by a broken foreland system in the retroarc zone. This particular structural system has not been fully addressed in terms of the age and mechanisms that built this orogenic segment. Here, new field and seismic evidence of syntectonic strata constrain the timing of the main deformational stages, evaluating the prevailing crustal regime for the different mountain domains through time. Growth strata and progressive unconformities, controlled by extensional or compressive structures, were recognized in volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the cordilleran to the extra-Andean domain. These data were used to construct a balanced cross section, whose deep structure was investigated through a thermomechanical model that characterizes the upper plate rheology. Our results indicate two main compressive stages, interrupted by an extensional relaxation period. The first contractional stage in the mid-Cretaceous inverted Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous half graben systems, reactivating the western Cañadón Asfalto rift border ~ 500 km away from the trench, at a time of arc foreland expansion. For this stage, available thermochronological data reveal forearc cooling episodes, and global tectonic reconstructions indicate mid-ocean ridge collisions against the western edge of an upper plate with rapid trenchward displacement. Widespread synextensional volcanism is recognized throughout the Paleogene during plate reorganization; retroarc Paleocene--Eocene flare up activity is interpreted as product of a slab rollback, and fore-to-retroarc Oligocene slab/asthenospheric derived products as an expression of enhanced extension. The second stage of mountain growth occurred in Miocene time associated with Nazca Plate subduction, reaching nearly the same amplitude than the first compressive stage. Extensional weakening of the upper plate

Stratigraphic and Paleomagnetic Comparisons of Mesoproterozoic Strata and Sills from the Belt Basin, NW Montana, USA, and NW Anabar Shield, Russia: Testing a Precambrian Plate Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, J. W.; Pavlov, V.; Veselovskiy, R.; Khudoley, A.

2008-12-01

Mesoproterozoic sedimentary strata and mafic sills overlie Archean and Paleoproterozoic basement rocks with profound unconformity in NW Montana and along the NW margin of the Anabar Shield in northern Siberia. The two localities plot adjacent to one another on a Precambrian plate reconstruction proposed by Sears and Price (2003) that places the NE margin of the Siberian craton against the SW margin of the North American craton. The plate reconstruction predicts that these strata occupied contiguous parts of an intracratonic basin prior to late Neoproterozoic breakup of Rodinia. Here we show that the Mesoproterozoic stratigraphic sequences, sedimentary structures, and lithologies of the NW Anabar margin closely match the Neihart, Chamberlain, and Newland formations of the Little Belt Mountains of Montana. They may predate opening of the Belt Supergroup rift basin at ca. 1500 Ma, when a major mafic magmatic episode occurred in both regions. Preliminary paleomagnetic data from the Siberian section will be compared with the Laurentian APWP to evaluate the reconstruction.

A Martian analog in Kansas: Comparing Martian strata with Permian acid saline lake deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benison, Kathleen C.

2006-05-01

An important result of the Mars Exploration Rover's (MER) mission has been the images of sedimentary structures and diagenetic features in the Burns Formation at Meridiani Planum. Bedding, cross-bedding, ripple marks, mud cracks, displacive evaporite crystal molds, and hematite concretions are contained in these Martian strata. Together, these features are evidence of past saline groundwater and ephemeral shallow surface waters on Mars. Geochemical analyses of these Martian outcrops have established the presence of sulfates, iron oxides, and jarosite, which strongly suggests that these waters were also acidic. The same assemblage of sedimentary structures and diagenetic features is found in the salt-bearing terrestrial red sandstones and shales of the middle Permian (ca. 270 Ma) Nippewalla Group of Kansas, which were deposited in and around acid saline ephemeral lakes. These striking sedimentological and mineralogical similarities make these Permian red beds and evaporites the best-known terrestrial analog for the Martian sedimentary rocks at Meridiani Planum.

Ecological regulation of black leaf streak disease driven by plant richness in banana agroecosystems.

PubMed

Poeydebat, Charlotte; Carval, Dominique; Tixier, Philippe; Daribo, Marie-Odette; De Lapeyre De Bellaire, Luc

2018-05-04

Black leaf streak disease (BLSD), caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, is an important threat to banana production. Although its control relies on costly and unsustainable use of fungicides, ecological regulation of BLSD linked to field-scale plant diversity has received little attention. We monitored banana phytometers in plots in banana-based fields where no fungicides were applied. Within each plot, we measured plant richness in three strata, canopy openness, necrotic leaf removal, Musa abundance and richness. We quantified ecological regulation of five BLSD parameters (inoculum sources, spore abundance, lesion density, incubation time, and the area under the disease progression curve) and identified, using structural equation modeling, the characteristics of the plant community and the mechanisms likely responsible for the regulation. Regulation occurred, but most effectively before lesion formation, and was mainly related to plant richness between 1.5 and 5m high. A barrier effect, rather than a dilution effect, more likely limited spore abundance. Our results support the hypothesis that the potential effects of plant richness on leaf-scale microclimate variability and on the diversity of epiphyllic microorganisms are involved in the regulation of incubation time and lesion density. Field-scale management of plant diversity may be a promising lever to foster ecological regulation of BLSD.

Reservoir characteristics of coal-shale sedimentary sequence in coal-bearing strata and their implications for the accumulation of unconventional gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yang; Zhu, Yanming; Liu, Yu; Chen, Shangbin

2018-04-01

Shale gas and coalbed methane (CBM) are both considered unconventional natural gas and are becoming increasingly important energy resources. In coal-bearing strata, coal and shale are vertically adjacent as coal and shale are continuously deposited. Research on the reservoir characteristics of coal-shale sedimentary sequences is important for CBM and coal-bearing shale gas exploration. In this study, a total of 71 samples were collected, including coal samples (total organic carbon (TOC) content >40%), carbonaceous shale samples (TOC content: 6%-10%), and shale samples (TOC content <6%). Combining techniques of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), x-ray diffraction, high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry, and methane adsorption, experiments were employed to characterize unconventional gas reservoirs in coal-bearing strata. The results indicate that in the coal-shale sedimentary sequence, the proportion of shale is the highest at 74% and that of carbonaceous shale and coal are 14% and 12%, respectively. The porosity of all measured samples demonstrates a good positive relationship with TOC content. Clay and quartz also have a great effect on the porosity of shale samples. According to the FE-SEM image technique, nanoscale pores in the organic matter of coal samples are much more developed compared with shale samples. For shales with low TOC, inorganic minerals provide more pores than organic matter. In addition, TOC content has a positive relationship with methane adsorption capacity, and the adsorption capacity of coal samples is more sensitive than the shale samples to temperature.

‘Teach a Man to Fish’: The Doctrine of Sustainability and Its Effects on Three Strata of Malawian Society

PubMed Central

Swidler, Ann; Watkins, Susan Cotts

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes the social impacts of the commitment to “sustainability” in donor-funded AIDS programs. Using survey, interview, and ethnographic data from rural Malawi, we examine how efforts to mobilize and empower local communities affect three strata of Malawian society: the villagers these programs are meant to help, the insecure local elites whose efforts directly link programs to their intended beneficiaries, and, more briefly, national elites who implement AIDS policies and programs. We describe indirect effects of sustainability on the experiences, identities, and aspirations of Malawians—effects that are much broader and deeper than the direct impacts of funding. PMID:20161458

Distribution of Iridium in Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Strata of the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, L. H.; Kyte, F. T.; Richoz, S.

2014-12-01

Samples from strata spanning the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in the classic sections at Kuhjoch and Kendlbach were studied by NAA to determine Ir levels, and the results compared to previously determined carbon isotope stratigraphy. Ir concentrations in the Kössen Formation are very low (< 10 pg/g), well below average crustal levels until the top of the formation, reaching levels of ~15 pg/g, in the T-bed at the top of the Eiberg Member. The Tiefengraben Member (Kendlbach Formation) is enriched in Ir in general relative to the strata below. The shift to higher levels is abrupt at the base of the member. Concentrations of 60 to 80 pg/g are typical through the entire thickness of the Schattwald Beds and into the gray Tiefengraben, peaking at 145 pg/g. Above 560 cm from the Tiefengraben base, concentrations decline gradually from 50 pg/g to ~30 pg/g. The analyses from the Kendlbach section compare well with those from Kuhjoch, with the same order of magnitude difference in Ir concentration between the Kössen and Kendlbach formations. The same range of Ir values (60 to 80 pg/g) is seen in the lower 200 cm of the Tiefengraben Member, with a significant decline seen above 220 cm. In both sections, the initial increase in Ir corresponds to the initial carbon isotope excursion, considered the peak extinction horizon, but otherwise there is no clear correlation to the C-isotope data. The positive shift to background δ13C values is not accompanied by any noticeable change in Ir, however. There do appear (at least visually) to be smaller parallel shifts in both δ13C and Ir, but the shifts are of smaller magnitude. The difference between the Ir concentration in the Kössen and Kendlbach formations levels has a strong lithologic control; levels are very low carbonate versus elevated levels in siliclastics, but variations within the Kendlbach Formation are independent of lithology. Although there is no obvious evidence of volcanic input in the sections studied, we consider

Pre-, syn-, and postcollisional stratigraphic framework and provenance of upper triassic-upper cretaceous strata in the northwestern talkeetna mountains, alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hampton, B.A.; Ridgway, K.D.; O'Neill, J. M.; Gehrels, G.E.; Schmidt, J.; Blodgett, R.B.

2007-01-01

Mesozoic strata of the northwestern Talkeetna Mountains are located in a regional suture zone between the allochthonous Wrangellia composite terrane and the former Mesozoic continental margin of North America (i.e., the Yukon-Tanana terrane). New geologic mapping, measured stratigraphic sections, and provenance data define a distinct three-part stratigraphy for these strata. The lowermost unit is greater than 290 m thick and consists of Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic mafic lavas, fossiliferous limestone, and a volcaniclastic unit that collectively we informally refer to as the Honolulu Pass formation. The uppermost 75 m of the Honolulu Pass formation represent a condensed stratigraphic interval that records limited sedimentation over a period of up to ca. 25 m.y. during Early Jurassic time. The contact between the Honolulu Pass formation and the overlying Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous clastic marine strata of the Kahiltna assemblage represents a ca. 20 m.y. depositional hiatus that spans the Middle Jurassic and part of Late Jurassic time. The Kahiltna assemblage may to be up to 3000 m thick and contains detrital zircons that have a robust U-Pb peak probability age of 119.2 Ma (i.e., minimum crystallization age/maximum depositional age). These data suggest that the upper age of the Kahiltna assemblage may be a minimum of 10-15 m.y. younger than the previously reported upper age of Valanginian. Sandstone composition (Q-43% F-30% L-27%-Lv-71% Lm-18% Ls-11%) and U-Pb detrital zircon ages suggest that the Kahiltna assemblage received igneous detritus mainly from the active Chisana arc, remnant Chitina and Talkeetna arcs, and Permian-Triassic plutons (Alexander terrane) of the Wrangellia composite terrane. Other sources of detritus for the Kahiltna assemblage were Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic plutons of the Taylor Mountains batholith and Devonian-Mississippian plutons; both of these source areas are part of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. The Kahiltna assemblage is overlain

A giant submarine slope failure on the insular slope north of Puerto Rico: A response of Arecibo basin strata to tectonic stress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwab, W.C.; Danforth, W.W.; Scanlon, K.M.

1990-06-01

An amphitheater-shaped scarp, approximately 55 km across in water depths from about 3,000 m to 6,700 m was imaged on the northern insular slope of Puerto Rico (southern slope of the Puerto Rico Trench) using the GLORIA side-scan sonar system. This scarp represents the removal of more than 1,500 m{sup 3} of Tertiary Arecibo basin strata. The head of the scarp coincides with the location of a fault zone observed on nearby seismic-reflection profiles. Interpretation of the GLORIA imagery, and a review of available bathymetric, geophysical, and stratigraphic data and tectonic-framework models suggest that the scarp formed as a consequencemore » of slope failure induced by tectonic oversteepening of the insular slope. The oversteepening may be a result of the most recent episode of convergence of the Caribbean and North American plates, which began approximately 4 million years ago. The Arecibo basin strata have been tilted approximately 4{degree} to the north and are apparently gravitationally unstable under the present seismic regime. The volume of material involved in this slope failure is comparable to the material displaced in tsunamogenic submarine landslides along the Peru Trench and Hawaiian Ridge. Therefore, if the slope failure north of Puerto Rico was catastrophic, it was large enough to have generated a tsunami that would have flooded the low ground of northern Puerto Rico.« less

Selenium and hazardous elements distribution in plant-soil-water system and human health risk assessment of Lower Cambrian, Southern Shaanxi, China.

PubMed

Du, Yajun; Luo, Kunli; Ni, Runxiang; Hussain, Rahib

2018-03-01

The natural selenium poisoning due to toxic Se levels in food chain had been observed in humans and animals in Lower Cambrian outcrop areas in Southern Shaanxi, China. To find out the distribution pattern of selenium and other hazardous elements in the plant, soil and water of Lower Cambrian in Southern Shaanxi, China, and their possible potential health risk, a total of 30 elements were analyzed and the health risk assessment of 18 elements was calculated. Results showed that the soil, plant and natural water of Lower Cambrian all had relatively high Se levels. In Lower Cambrian, the soil was enriched with Se, As, Ba, Cu, Mo, Ni, Zn, Ga, Cd and Cr (1.68 < I geo  < 4.48, I geo ; geo-accumulation index). In same plants, the contents of Se, Cd and Zn (except Cd in corn and rice, Zn in potato and corn) of Lower Cambrian were higher than that of the other strata. Ba and Ga in natural water were higher than that of the other strata, while K and Cs were opposite. The health risk assessment results showed that the people living in outcrop areas of Lower Cambrian had both high total non-carcinogenic risk of 18 elements (HI = 16.12, acceptable range: < 1) and carcinogenic risk of As (3.98E-04, acceptable range: 10 -6 -10 -4 ). High contents of Se, As, Mo and Tl of Lower Cambrian may pose a health risk to local people, and food intake was the major pathway. For minimizing potential health risk, the local inhabitants should use the mix-imported food with local growing foods.

Method, system and computer program product for monitoring and optimizing fluid extraction from geologic strata

DOEpatents

Medizade, Masoud [San Luis Obispo, CA; Ridgely, John Robert [Los Osos, CA

2009-12-15

An arrangement which utilizes an inexpensive flap valve/flow transducer combination and a simple local supervisory control system to monitor and/or control the operation of a positive displacement pump used to extract petroleum from geologic strata. The local supervisory control system controls the operation of an electric motor which drives a reciprocating positive displacement pump so as to maximize the volume of petroleum extracted from the well per pump stroke while minimizing electricity usage and pump-off situations. By reducing the electrical demand and pump-off (i.e., "pounding" or "fluid pound") occurrences, operating and maintenance costs should be reduced sufficiently to allow petroleum recovery from marginally productive petroleum fields. The local supervisory control system includes one or more applications to at least collect flow signal data generated during operation of the positive displacement pump. No flow, low flow and flow duration are easily evaluated using the flap valve/flow transducer arrangement.

Overview of the influence of syn-sedimentary tectonics and palaeo-fluvial systems on coal seam and sand body characteristics in the Westphalian C strata, Campine Basin, Belgium

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dreesen, Roland; Bossiroy, Dominique; Dusar, Michiel; Flores, R.M.; Verkaeren, Paul; Whateley, M. K. G.; Spears, D.A.

1995-01-01

The Westphalian C strata found in the northeastern part of the former Belgian coal district (Campine Basin), which is part of an extensive northwest European paralic coal basin, are considered. The thickness and lateral continuity of the Westphalian C coal seams vary considerably stratigraphically and areally. Sedimentological facies analysis of borehole cores indicates that the deposition of Westphalian C coal-bearing strata was controlled by fluvial depositional systems whose architectures were ruled by local subsidence rates. The local subsidence rates may be related to major faults, which were intermittently reactivated during deposition. Lateral changes in coal seam groups are also reflected by marked variations of their seismic signatures. Westphalian C fluvial depositional systems include moderate to low sinuosity braided and anastomosed river systems. Stable tectonic conditions on upthrown, fault-bounded platforms favoured deposition by braided rivers and the associated development of relatively thick, laterally continuous coal seams in raised mires. In contrast, rapidly subsiding downthrown fault blocks favoured aggradation, probably by anastomosed rivers and the development of relatively thin, highly discontinuous coal seams in topogenous mires.

A Simple Method for Principal Strata Effects When the Outcome Has Been Truncated Due to Death

PubMed Central

Chiba, Yasutaka; VanderWeele, Tyler J.

2011-01-01

In randomized trials with follow-up, outcomes such as quality of life may be undefined for individuals who die before the follow-up is complete. In such settings, restricting analysis to those who survive can give rise to biased outcome comparisons. An alternative approach is to consider the “principal strata effect” or “survivor average causal effect” (SACE), defined as the effect of treatment on the outcome among the subpopulation that would have survived under either treatment arm. The authors describe a very simple technique that can be used to assess the SACE. They give both a sensitivity analysis technique and conditions under which a crude comparison provides a conservative estimate of the SACE. The method is illustrated using data from the ARDSnet (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network) clinical trial comparing low-volume ventilation and traditional ventilation methods for individuals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. PMID:21354986

A simple method for principal strata effects when the outcome has been truncated due to death.

PubMed

Chiba, Yasutaka; VanderWeele, Tyler J

2011-04-01

In randomized trials with follow-up, outcomes such as quality of life may be undefined for individuals who die before the follow-up is complete. In such settings, restricting analysis to those who survive can give rise to biased outcome comparisons. An alternative approach is to consider the "principal strata effect" or "survivor average causal effect" (SACE), defined as the effect of treatment on the outcome among the subpopulation that would have survived under either treatment arm. The authors describe a very simple technique that can be used to assess the SACE. They give both a sensitivity analysis technique and conditions under which a crude comparison provides a conservative estimate of the SACE. The method is illustrated using data from the ARDSnet (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network) clinical trial comparing low-volume ventilation and traditional ventilation methods for individuals with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Vitamin D status of apparently healthy schoolgirls from two different socioeconomic strata in Delhi: relation to nutrition and lifestyle.

PubMed

Puri, Seema; Marwaha, Raman K; Agarwal, Neha; Tandon, Nikhil; Agarwal, Rashmi; Grewal, Khushi; Reddy, D H K; Singh, Satveer

2008-04-01

Forty to fifty per cent of skeletal mass, accumulated during childhood and adolescence, is influenced by sunlight exposure, physical activity, lifestyle, endocrine status, nutrition and gender. In view of scarce data on association of nutrition and lifestyle with hypovitaminosis D in Indian children and adolescents, an in-depth study on 3,127 apparently healthy Delhi schoolgirls (6-18 years) from the lower (LSES, n 1,477) and upper socioeconomic strata (USES, n 1650) was carried out. These girls were subjected to anthropometry and clinical examination for hypovitaminosis D. Girls randomly selected from the two strata (LSES, n 193; USES, n 211) underwent detailed lifestyle, dietary, biochemical and hormonal assessment. Clinical vitamin D deficiency was noted in 11.5 % girls (12.4 % LSES, 10.7 % USES). USES girls had significantly higher BMI than LSES counterparts. Prevalence of biochemical hypovitaminosis D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 50 nmol/l) was seen in 90.8 % of girls (89.6 % LSES, 91.9 % USES, NS). Mean intake of energy, protein, fat, Ca, vitamin D and milk/milk products was significantly higher in USES than LSES girls. Conversely, carbohydrate, fibre, phytate and cereal intakes were higher in LSES than USES girls. Physical activity and time spent outdoors was significantly higher in LSES girls (92.8 v. 64 %, P = 0.000). Significant correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and estimated sun exposure (r 0.185, P = 0.001) and percentage body surface area exposed (r 0.146, P = 0.004) suggests that these lifestyle-related factors may contribute significantly to the vitamin D status of the apparently healthy schoolgirls. Hence, in the absence of vitamin D fortification of foods, diet alone appears to have an insignificant role.

Sporomorphs from the Jackson Group (upper Eocene) and adjacent strata of Mississippi and western Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frederiksen, Norman O.

1980-01-01

This palynological study is based on 71 outcrop and core samples of the Jackson Group and adjacent strata from the type area of the group in western Mississippi and also from eastern Mississippi and western Alabama. The Jackson Group consists entirely of marine strata in the region of study. It includes the fossiliferous greensands of the Moodys Branch Formation at the base and the calcareous Yazoo Clay at the top. One hundred seventy-four sporomorph (spore and pollen) types are known from the Jackson Group and adjacent strata in the area of study; all but four of them were observed by the writer. The 174 types are assigned to 74 form genera, 37 modern genera, and 25 new species. Eleven species of pollen grains appear to have accurately determined restricted stratigraphic ranges within the sequence studied. Parsonsidites conspicuus Frederiksen and Ericipites aff. E. ericius (Potonie) Potonie have first occurrences (range bottoms) at the base of the Jackson Group. Aglaoreidia pristina Fowler has its first occurrence near the top of the Jackson. Eight species have last occurrences at or just below the top of the Jackson Group. These are Casuarinidites cf. C. granilabratus (Stanley) Srivastava, Chrysophyllum brevisulcatum (Frederiksen) n. comb., Cupanieidites orthoteichus Cookson and Pike, Symplocos gemroota n. sp., Nudopollis terminalis (Pflug and Thomson) Elsik, Sabal cf. S. granopollenites Rouse, Caprifoliipites tantulus n. sp., and Nypa echinata (Muller) n. comb. From the upper part of the Claiborne Group up through most of the Jackson, the dominant sporomorph types are Cupuliferdipollenites spp., Momipites coryloides Wodehouse, Cupuliferoidaepollenites liblarensis (Thomson) Potonie, Momipites micTofoveolatus (Stanley) Nichols, Quercoidites microhenricii (Potonie) Potonie, and Araliaceoipollenites granulatus (Potonie) n. comb. All these were probably produced by trees of the Juglandaceae and Fagaceae. Relative frequencies of each of these pollen types fluctuate

[Coverage of nutritional and health programs in the low income strata].

PubMed

Cruzat, M A; González, N; Mardones, F; Moenne, A M; Sánchez, H

1982-06-01

The extent and consequences of exclusion of low income strata from maternal and child health programs in Chile are analyzed using available data. Infant mortality has been shown by several studies to be closely associated with socioeconomic status in Chile. Babies of illiterate mothers showed the highest rate of mortality and the least improvement in rate between 1972-78. The effect of socioeconomic status on the mortality rate of infants in greatly influenced by birth weight; low birth weight infants of low income groups suffer significantly higher mortality than among higher income groups. Several national studies in Chile demonstrated a relationship between infant malnutrition and health program coverage. Infant malnutrition is greatest in groups benefiting least from health care. Based on the fact that 90.5% of births in 1980 were professionally attended, it is estimated that 9.5% of the low income population lacks access to health care. A recent survey showed that 9.9% of the population under 6 years, some 105,848 children, was not covered by the National Complementary Feeding Program. Another study showed that 12.3% of mothers had no prenatal medical attention prior to their most recent birth; mothers with little or no education, living in rural areas, and of high parity were most likely not to have received medical attention. Factors responsible for lack of access to health and nutrition programs appeared to include unsatisfactory relationships with the health workers, poor acceptability of foods offered, excessive distance and waiting times, and lack of interest or motivation on the part of the mothers.

Fatty acid profile in vertical strata of elephant grass subjected to intermittent stocking.

PubMed

Dias, Kamila M; Schmitt, Daniel; Rodolfo, Giselle R; Deschamps, Francisco C; Camargo, Guilherme N; Pereira, Raphael S; Sbrissia, André F

2017-01-01

The milk and meat from animals with a pasture-based diet have higher proportions of CLA and C18:3 and lower omega-6:omega-3 ratios than products from animals with diets based on corn silage and concentrate. However, most of the published studies have evaluated fatty acid profiles in temperate climate grasses and the literature with tropical grasses is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological and fatty acid compositions in the vertical strata of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) swards subjected to grazing heights (90 or 120 cm pre-grazing heights) and levels of defoliation (50% or 70% removal of the initial pre-grazing height). There were no interactions among pre-grazing height, the level of defoliation and grazing stratum. However, higher proportion of C18:3 (58% and 63%) was found in the 90-cm swards and in the half upper stratum. A higher proportion of C18:3 was associated with a higher leaf proportion and crude protein content. Thus, the upper stratum of sward or a grazing management scheme (e.g. first-last stocking) resulting in a higher proportion of leaves and crude protein both provide higher proportions of C18:3 to animals grazing in elephant grass swards.

Palaeoclimate evolution across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary in the Nanxiong Basin (SE China) recorded by red strata and its correlation with marine records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Mingming; Liu, Xiuming; Wang, Wenyan

2018-03-01

The climate during the Cretaceous Period represented one of the greenhouse states of Earth's history. Significant transformation of climate patterns and a mass extinction event characterised by the disappearance of dinosaurs occurred across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary. However, most records of this interval are derived from marine sediments. The continuous and well-exposed red strata of the Nanxiong Basin (SE China) provide ideal material to develop continental records. Considerable research into stratigraphic, palaeontological, chronologic, palaeoclimatic, and tectonic aspects has been carried out for the Datang profile, which is a type section of a non-marine Cretaceous-Palaeogene stratigraphic division in China. For this study, we reviewed previous work and found that (1) the existing chronological framework of the Datang profile is flawed; (2) precise palaeoclimatic reconstruction is lacking because of the limitations of sampling resolution (e.g. carbonate samples) and/or the lack of efficient proxies; and (3) comparisons of climate changes between marine and continental records are lacking. To resolve these problems, detailed field observations and sampling, as well as environmental magnetic and rare earth element (REE) measurements, were carried out. The results show that (1) more accurate ages of the Datang profile range from 72 to 62.8 Ma based on a combination of the most recently published radiometric, palaeontological, and palaeomagnetic ages; (2) there is considerable evidence of palaeosol generation, which indicates that the red strata formed in a long-term hot, oxidising environment that lacked underwater conditions; (3) haematite was the dominant magnetic mineral in the red strata, and the variation trend of magnetic susceptibility was consistent with the oxygen isotope records from deep-sea sediments, which indicates that the content of haematite was controlled by the global climate; and (4) the palaeoclimate changes from 72 to 62.8 Ma

Optimum strata boundaries and sample sizes in health surveys using auxiliary variables

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Using convenient stratification criteria such as geographical regions or other natural conditions like age, gender, etc., is not beneficial in order to maximize the precision of the estimates of variables of interest. Thus, one has to look for an efficient stratification design to divide the whole population into homogeneous strata that achieves higher precision in the estimation. In this paper, a procedure for determining Optimum Stratum Boundaries (OSB) and Optimum Sample Sizes (OSS) for each stratum of a variable of interest in health surveys is developed. The determination of OSB and OSS based on the study variable is not feasible in practice since the study variable is not available prior to the survey. Since many variables in health surveys are generally skewed, the proposed technique considers the readily-available auxiliary variables to determine the OSB and OSS. This stratification problem is formulated into a Mathematical Programming Problem (MPP) that seeks minimization of the variance of the estimated population parameter under Neyman allocation. It is then solved for the OSB by using a dynamic programming (DP) technique. A numerical example with a real data set of a population, aiming to estimate the Haemoglobin content in women in a national Iron Deficiency Anaemia survey, is presented to illustrate the procedure developed in this paper. Upon comparisons with other methods available in literature, results reveal that the proposed approach yields a substantial gain in efficiency over the other methods. A simulation study also reveals similar results. PMID:29621265

Optimum strata boundaries and sample sizes in health surveys using auxiliary variables.

PubMed

Reddy, Karuna Garan; Khan, Mohammad G M; Khan, Sabiha

2018-01-01

Using convenient stratification criteria such as geographical regions or other natural conditions like age, gender, etc., is not beneficial in order to maximize the precision of the estimates of variables of interest. Thus, one has to look for an efficient stratification design to divide the whole population into homogeneous strata that achieves higher precision in the estimation. In this paper, a procedure for determining Optimum Stratum Boundaries (OSB) and Optimum Sample Sizes (OSS) for each stratum of a variable of interest in health surveys is developed. The determination of OSB and OSS based on the study variable is not feasible in practice since the study variable is not available prior to the survey. Since many variables in health surveys are generally skewed, the proposed technique considers the readily-available auxiliary variables to determine the OSB and OSS. This stratification problem is formulated into a Mathematical Programming Problem (MPP) that seeks minimization of the variance of the estimated population parameter under Neyman allocation. It is then solved for the OSB by using a dynamic programming (DP) technique. A numerical example with a real data set of a population, aiming to estimate the Haemoglobin content in women in a national Iron Deficiency Anaemia survey, is presented to illustrate the procedure developed in this paper. Upon comparisons with other methods available in literature, results reveal that the proposed approach yields a substantial gain in efficiency over the other methods. A simulation study also reveals similar results.

A Case Study on the Strata Movement Mechanism and Surface Deformation Regulation in Chengchao Underground Iron Mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Guanwen; Chen, Congxin; Ma, Tianhui; Liu, Hongyuan; Tang, Chunan

2017-04-01

The regular pattern of surface deformation and the mechanism of underground strata movement, especially in iron mines constructed with the block caving method, have a great influence on infrastructure on the surface, so they are an important topic for research. Based on the engineering geology conditions and the surface deformation and fracture features in Chengchao Iron Mine, the mechanism of strata movement and the regular pattern of surface deformation in the footwall were studied by the geomechanical method, and the following conclusions can be drawn: I. The surface deformation process is divided into two stages over time, i.e., the chimney caving development stage and the post-chimney deformation stage. Currently, the surface deformation in Chengchao Iron Mine is at the post-chimney deformation stage. II. At the post-chimney deformation stage, the surface deformation and geological hazards in Chengchao Iron Mine are primarily controlled by the NWW-trending joints, with the phenomenon of toppling deformation and failure on the surface. Based on the surface deformation characteristics in Chengchao Iron Mine, the surface deformation area can be divided into the following four zones: the fracture extension zone, the fracture closure zone, the fracture formation zone and the deformation accumulation zone. The zones on the surface can be determined by the surface deformation characteristics. III. The cantilever beams near the chimney caving area, caused by the NWW-trending joints, have been subjected to toppling failure. This causes the different deformation and failure mechanisms in different locations of the deep rock mass. The deep rock can be divided into four zones, i.e., the fracture zone, fracture transition zone, deformation zone and undisturbed zone, according to the different deformation and failure mechanisms. The zones in the deep rock are the reason for the zones on the surface, so they can be determined by the zones on the surface. Through these

Use of Landsat Thematic Mapper images in regional correlation of syntectonic strata, Colorado river extensional corridor, California and Arizona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beratan, K. K.; Blom, R. G.; Crippen, R. E.; Nielson, J. E.

1990-01-01

Enhanced Landsat TM images were used in conjunction with field work to investigate the regional correlation of Miocene rocks in the Colorado River extensional corridor of California and Arizona. Based on field investigations, four sequences of sedimentary and volcanic strata could be recognized in the Mohave Mountains (Arizona) and the eastern Whipple Mountains (California), which display significantly different relative volumes and organization of lithologies. The four sequences were also found to have distinctive appearances on the TM image. The recognition criteria derived from field mapping and image interpretation in the Mohave Mountains and Whipple Mountains were applied to an adjacent area in which stratigraphic affinities were less well known. The results of subsequent field work confirmed the stratigraphic and structural relations suggested by the Tm image analysis.

Investigation of suspected gulls in the Jurassic limestone strata of the Cotswold Hills, Gloucestershire, England using electrical resistivity tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, A. J. M.; Uhlemann, S.; Pook, G. G.; Oxby, L.

2016-09-01

An electrical resistivity tomography survey has clearly indicated the presence of substantial vertical zones of contrasting material beneath a set of conspicuous linear surface hollows that cut across a spur forming part of the Cotswold Hills escarpment in Gloucestershire. These zones are compared with nearby quarry exposures and are inferred to be gulls - graben-like structures at least 80 m deep filled with collapsed blocks of bedrock with intervening air-filled spaces, lying within areas of relatively undisrupted gently dipping strata, and which under some circumstances would present a significant geohazard. Our results confirm the great potential of this non-invasive and rapid survey technique for investigating such phenomena, and provide an exemplar for comparison with surveys elsewhere, to assist identification of similar features.

Metals in Devonian kerogenous marine strata at Gibellini and Bisoni properties in southern Fish Creek Range, Eureka County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Desborough, George A.; Poole, F.G.; Hose, R.K.; Radtke, A.S.

1979-01-01

A kerogen-rich sequence of siliceous mudstone, siltstone, and chert as much as 60 m thick on ridge 7129 in the southern Fish Creek Range, referred to as Gibellini facies of the Woodruff Formation, has been evaluated on the surface and in drill holes principally for its potential resources of vanadium, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, and syncrude oil content. The strata are part of a strongly deformed allochthonous mass of eugeosynclinal Devonian marine rocks that overlie deformed allochthonous Mississippian siliceous rocks and relatively undeformed autochthonous Mississippian Antler flysch at this locality. The vanadium in fresh black rocks obtained from drill holes and fresh exposures in trenches and roadcuts occurs chiefly in organic matter. Concentrations of vanadium oxide (V2O5) in unoxidized samples range from 3,000 to 7,000 ppm. In oxidized and bleached rock that is prevalent at the surface, concentrations of vanadium oxide range from 6,000 to 8,000 ppm, suggesting a tendency toward enrichment due to surficial weathering and ground-water movement. Zinc occurs in sphalerite, and selenium occurs in organic matter; molybdenum appears to occur both in molybdenite and in organic matter. Concentrations of zinc in unoxidized rock range from 4,000 to 18,000 ppm, whereas in oxidized rock they range from 30 to 100 ppm, showing strong depletion due to weathering. Concentrations of selenium in unoxidized rock range from 30 to 200 ppm, whereas in oxidized rock they range from 200 to 400 ppm, indicating some enrichment upon weathering. Concentrations of molybdenum in unoxidized rock range from 70 to 960 ppm, whereas in oxidized rock they range from 30 to 80 ppm, indicating strong depletion upon weathering. Most fresh black rock is low-grade oil shale, and yields as much as 12 gallons/short ton of syncrude oil. Metahewettite is the principal vanadium mineral in the oxidized zone, but it also occurs sparsely as small nodules and fillings of microfractures in unweathered strata

Paleocurrents of the Middle-Upper Jurassic strata in the Paradox Basin, Colorado, inferred from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejembi, J. I.; Ferre, E. C.; Potter-McIntyre, S. L.

2017-12-01

The Middle-Upper Jurassic sedimentary strata in the southwestern Colorado Plateau recorded pervasive eolian to fluvio-lacustrine deposition in the Paradox Basin. While paleocurrents preserved in the Entrada Sandstone, an eolian deposition in the Middle Jurassic, has been well constrained and show a northwesterly to northeasterly migration of ergs from the south onto the Colorado Plateau, there is yet no clear resolution of the paleocurrents preserved in the Wanakah Formation and Tidwell Member of the Morrison Formation, both of which are important sedimentary sequences in the paleogeographic framework of the Colorado Plateau. New U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology of sandstones from these sequences suggests that an abrupt change in provenance occurred in the early Late Jurassic, with sediments largely sourced from eroding highlands in central Colorado. We measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of sediments in oriented sandstone samples from these three successive sequences; first, to determine the paleocurrents from the orientations of the AMS fabrics in order to delineate the source area and sediments dispersal pattern and second, to determine the depositional mechanisms of the sediments. Preliminary AMS data from two study sites show consistency and clustering of the AMS axes in all the sedimentary sequences. The orientations of the Kmin - Kint planes in the Entrada Sandstone sample point to a NNE-NNW paleocurrent directions, which is in agreement with earlier studies. The orientations of the Kmin - Kint planes in the Wanakah Formation and Tidwell Member samples show W-SW trending paleocurrent directions, corroborating our hypothesis of a shift in provenance to the eroding Ancestral Front Range Mountain, located northeast of the Paradox Basin, during the Late Jurassic. Isothermal remanence magnetization (IRM) of the samples indicate that the primary AMS carriers are detrital, syndepositional ferromagnetic minerals. Thus, we contend that AMS can

Burden of micronutrient deficiencies by socio-economic strata in children aged 6 months to 5 years in the Philippines.

PubMed

Wieser, Simon; Plessow, Rafael; Eichler, Klaus; Malek, Olivia; Capanzana, Mario V; Agdeppa, Imelda; Bruegger, Urs

2013-12-11

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals and constitute a huge public health problem. MNDs have severe health consequences and are particularly harmful during early childhood due to their impact on the physical and cognitive development. We estimate the costs of illness due to iron deficiency (IDA), vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and zinc deficiency (ZnD) in 2 age groups (6-23 and 24-59 months) of Filipino children by socio-economic strata in 2008. We build a health economic model simulating the consequences of MNDs in childhood over the entire lifetime. The model is based on a health survey and a nutrition survey carried out in 2008. The sample populations are first structured into 10 socio-economic strata (SES) and 2 age groups. Health consequences of MNDs are modelled based on information extracted from literature. Direct medical costs, production losses and intangible costs are computed and long term costs are discounted to present value. Total lifetime costs of IDA, VAD and ZnD amounted to direct medical costs of 30 million dollars, production losses of 618 million dollars and intangible costs of 122,138 disability adjusted life years (DALYs). These costs can be interpreted as the lifetime costs of a 1-year cohort affected by MNDs between the age of 6-59 months. Direct medical costs are dominated by costs due to ZnD (89% of total), production losses by losses in future lifetime (90% of total) and intangible costs by premature death (47% of total DALY losses) and losses in future lifetime (43%). Costs of MNDs differ considerably between SES as costs in the poorest third of the households are 5 times higher than in the wealthiest third. MNDs lead to substantial costs in 6-59-month-old children in the Philippines. Costs are highly concentrated in the lower SES and in children 6-23 months old. These results may have important implications for the design, evaluation and choice of the most effective and cost-effective policies aimed

Paleozoic strata of the Dyckman Mountain area, northeastern Medfra quadrangle, Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dumoulin, Julie A.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Harris, Anita G.

2000-01-01

Paleozoic rocks in the Dyckman Mountain area (northeastern Medfra quadrangle; Farewell terrane) include both shallowand deep-water lithologies deposited on and adjacent to a carbonate platform. Shallow-water strata, which were recognized by earlier workers but not previously studied in detail, consist of algal-laminated micrite and skeletal-peloidal wackestone, packstone, and lesser grainstone. These rocks are, at least in part, of Early and (or) Middle Devonian age but locally could be as old as Silurian; they accumulated in shallow subtidal to intertidal settings with periodically restricted water circulation. Deepwater facies, reported here for the first time, are thin, locally graded beds of micrite and calcisiltite and subordinate thick to massive beds of lime grainstone and conglomerate. Conodonts indicate an age of Silurian to Middle Devonian; the most tightly dated intervals are early Late Silurian (early to middle Ludlow). These strata formed as hemipelagic deposits, turbidites, and debris flows derived from shallow-water lithologies of the Nixon Fork subterrane. Rocks in the Dyckman Mountain area are part of a broader facies belt that is transitional between the Nixon Fork carbonate platform to the west and deeper water, basinal lithologies (Minchumina “terrane”) to the east. Transitional facies patterns are complex because of Paleozoic shifts in the position of the platform margin, Mesozoic shortening, and Late Cretaceous-Tertiary disruption by strike-slip faulting.

An evaluation of the carbon sequestration potential of the Cambro-Ordovician Strata of the Illinois and Michigan basins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leetaru, Hannes

2014-12-01

The studies summarized herein were conducted during 2009–2014 to investigate the utility of the Knox Group and St. Peter Sandstone deeply buried geologic strata for underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2), a practice called CO 2 sequestration (CCS). In the subsurface of the midwestern United States, the Knox and associated strata extend continuously over an area approaching 500,000 sq. km, about three times as large as the State of Illinois. Although parts of this region are underlain by the deeper Mt. Simon Sandstone, which has been proven by other Department of Energy-funded research as a resource for CCS, themore » Knox strata may be an additional CCS resource for some parts of the Midwest and may be the sole geologic storage (GS) resource for other parts. One group of studies assembles, analyzes, and presents regional-scale and point-scale geologic information that bears on the suitability of the geologic formations of the Knox for a CCS project. New geologic and geo-engineering information was developed through a small-scale test of CO 2 injection into a part of the Knox, conducted in western Kentucky. These studies and tests establish the expectation that, at least in some locations, geologic formations within the Knox will (a) accept a commercial-scale flow rate of CO 2 injected through a drilled well; (b) hold a commercial-scale mass of CO 2 (at least 30 million tons) that is injected over decades; and (c) seal the injected CO 2 within the injection formations for hundreds to thousands of years. In CCS literature, these three key CCS-related attributes are called injectivity, capacity, and containment. The regional-scale studies show that reservoir and seal properties adequate for commercial-scale CCS in a Knox reservoir are likely to extend generally throughout the Illinois and Michigan Basins. Information distinguishing less prospective subregions from more prospective fairways is included in this report. Another group of studies report the

Geophysical methods as mapping tools in a strata-bound gold deposit: Haile mine, South Carolina slate belt.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wynn, J.C.; Luce, R.W.

1984-01-01

The Haile mine is the largest gold producer in the eastern USA. It is postulated to be a strata-bound gold deposit formed by a fumarolic or hot-spring system in felsic tuffs of Cambrian(?) age. Two mineralized zones occur, each composed of a sericitic part overlain by a siliceous part. Au is concentrated in especially silicified horizons and in pyrite horizons in the siliceous part of each mineralized zone. The tuffs are metamorphosed to greenschist facies and intruded by diabase and other mafic dykes. Weathering is deep and the mineralized tuffs are partly covered by coastal-plain sediments. It is suggested that certain geophysical methods may be useful in mapping and exploring Haile-type deposits in the Carolina slate belt. Very low frequency electromagnetic resistivity surveys help define alteration and silicified zones. A magnetic survey found sharp highs that correlate with unexposed mafic and ultramafic dykes. Induced polarization proved useful in giving a two-dimensional view of the structure.-G.J.N.

Application of deterministic deconvolution of ground-penetrating radar data in a study of carbonate strata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xia, J.; Franseen, E.K.; Miller, R.D.; Weis, T.V.

2004-01-01

We successfully applied deterministic deconvolution to real ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data by using the source wavelet that was generated in and transmitted through air as the operator. The GPR data were collected with 400-MHz antennas on a bench adjacent to a cleanly exposed quarry face. The quarry site is characterized by horizontally bedded carbonate strata with shale partings. In order to provide groundtruth for this deconvolution approach, 23 conductive rods were drilled into the quarry face at key locations. The steel rods provided critical information for: (1) correlation between reflections on GPR data and geologic features exposed in the quarry face, (2) GPR resolution limits, (3) accuracy of velocities calculated from common midpoint data and (4) identifying any multiples. Comparing the results of deconvolved data with non-deconvolved data demonstrates the effectiveness of deterministic deconvolution in low dielectric-loss media for increased accuracy of velocity models (improved at least 10-15% in our study after deterministic deconvolution), increased vertical and horizontal resolution of specific geologic features and more accurate representation of geologic features as confirmed from detailed study of the adjacent quarry wall. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strata-1: An International Space Station Experiment into Fundamental Regolith Processes in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fries, M.; Abell, P.; Brisset, J.; Britt, D.; Colwell, J.; Durda, D.; Dove, A.; Graham, L.; Hartzell, C.; John, K.;

Composition and depositional environment of concretionary strata of early Cenomanian (early Late Cretaceous) age, Johnson County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E.A.; Gautier, Donald L.

2000-01-01

Unusual, concretion-bearing mudrocks of early Late Cretaceous age, which were deposited in an early Cenomanian epeiric sea, have been recognized at outcrops in eastern Wyoming and in adjoining areas of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado. In Johnson County, Wyo., on the western flank of the Powder River Basin, these strata are in the lower part of the Belle Fourche Member of the Frontier Formation. At a core hole in south-central Johnson County, they are informally named Unit 2. These strata are about 34 m (110 ft) thick and consist mainly of medium- to dark-gray, noncalcareous, silty shale and clayey or sandy siltstone; and light-gray to grayish-red bentonite. The shale and siltstone are either bioturbated or interlaminated; the laminae are discontinuous, parallel, and even or wavy. Several ichnogenera of deposit feeders are common in the unit but filter feeders are sparse. The unit also contains marine and continental palynomorphs and, near the top, a few arenaceous foraminifers. No invertebrate macrofossils have been found in these rocks. Unit 2 conformably overlies lower Cenomanian shale in the lowermost Belle Fourche Member, informally named Unit 3, and is conformably overlain by lower and middle Cenomanian shale, siltstone, and sandstone within the member, which are informally named Unit 1. The mineral and chemical composition of the three Cenomanian units is comparable and similar to that of shale and siltstone in the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale, except that these units contain more SiO2 and less CaO, carbonate carbon, and manganese. Silica is generally more abundant and CaO is generally less abundant in river water than in seawater. The composition of Unit 2 contrasts significantly with that of the underlying and overlying units. Unit 2 contains no pyrite and dolomite and much less sulfur than Units 1 and 3. Sulfate is generally less abundant in river water than in seawater. Unit 2 also includes sideritic and calcitic concretions, whereas Units

Field test of short-notice random inspections for inventory-change verification at a low-enriched-uranium fuel-fabrication plant: Preliminary summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fishbone, L.G.; Moussalli, G.; Naegele, G.

1994-04-01

An approach of short-notice random inspections (SNRIs) for inventory-change verification can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of international safeguards at natural or low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel fabrication plants. According to this approach, the plant operator declares the contents of nuclear material items before knowing if an inspection will occur to verify them. Additionally, items about which declarations are newly made should remain available for verification for an agreed time. This report details a six-month field test of the feasibility of such SNRIs which took place at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division. Westinghouse personnel made daily declarations aboutmore » both feed and product items, uranium hexafluoride cylinders and finished fuel assemblies, using a custom-designed computer ``mailbox``. Safeguards inspectors from the IAEA conducted eight SNRIs to verify these declarations. Items from both strata were verified during the SNRIs by means of nondestructive assay equipment. The field test demonstrated the feasibility and practicality of key elements of the SNRI approach for a large LEU fuel fabrication plant.« less

Late Oligocene-Early Miocene larger benthic foraminifera from the mixed siliciclastic-carbonate and reefal strata of Kharabeh Sanji stratigraphic section, NW Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseinzadeh, R.

2012-04-01

The marine Oligo-Miocene sediments of the Qom Formation at Kharabeh Sanji section west Uromieh consisting of mixed siliciclastic-carbonates changing to reefal strata were studied in detail to establish a high resolution biostratigraphic zonal scheme. Contineous distribution of larger benthic foraminifera (mainly miogypsinids) allowed us to correlate the identified taxa with the shallow benthic zonation (SBZ) already introduced for European sequences and to ascribe detailed age to the study section based on the determined biozones. The identified fauna include the genera Miogypsinodes, Miogypsina, Neorotalia, Nephrolepidina, Eulepidina and Spiroclypeus. The foraminifereal assemblage resemble to the fauna described from European basins characterizing the SBZ 23 to SBZ 25 zones representing a time interval from the Late Chattian to Burdigalian.

Health risk assessment of ochratoxin A for all age-sex strata in a market economy.

PubMed

Kuiper-Goodman, T; Hilts, C; Billiard, S M; Kiparissis, Y; Richard, I D K; Hayward, S

2010-02-01

In order to manage risk of ochratoxin A (OTA) in foods, we re-evaluated the tolerable daily intake (TDI), derived the negligible cancer risk intake (NCRI), and conducted a probabilistic risk assessment. A new approach was developed to derive 'usual' probabilistic exposure in the presence of highly variable occurrence data, such as encountered with low levels of OTA. Canadian occurrence data were used for various raw food commodities or finished foods and were combined with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) food consumption data, which included data on infants and young children. Both variability and uncertainty in input data were considered in the resulting exposure estimates for various age/sex strata. Most people were exposed to OTA on a daily basis. Mean adjusted exposures for all age-sex groups were generally below the NCRI of 4 ng OTA kg bw(-1), except for 1-4-year-olds as a result of their lower body weight. For children, the major contributors of OTA were wheat-based foods followed by oats, rice, and raisins. Beer, coffee, and wine also contributed to total OTA exposure in older individuals. Predicted exposure to OTA decreased when European Commission maximum limits were applied to the occurrence data. The impact on risk for regular eaters of specific commodities was also examined.

Atrial fibrillation incrementally increases dementia risk across all CHADS2 and CHA2DS2VASc strata in patients receiving long-term warfarin.

PubMed

Graves, Kevin G; May, Heidi T; Jacobs, Victoria; Bair, Tami L; Stevens, Scott M; Woller, Scott C; Crandall, Brian G; Cutler, Michael J; Day, John D; Mallender, Charles; Osborn, Jeffrey S; Peter Weiss, J; Jared Bunch, T

2017-06-01

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at higher risk for developing dementia. Warfarin is a common therapy for the prevention of thromboembolism in AF, valve replacement, and thrombosis patients. The extent to which AF itself increases dementia risk remains unknown. A total 6030 patients with no history of dementia and chronically anticoagulated with warfarin were studied. Warfarin management was provided through a Clinical Pharmacy Anticoagulation Service. Patients were stratified by warfarin indication of AF (n=3015) and non-AF (n=3015) and matched by propensity score (±0.01). Patients were stratified by the congestive heart failure, hypertension, age >75 years, diabetes, stroke (CHADS 2 ) score calculated at the time of warfarin initiation and followed for incident dementia. The average age of the AF cohort was 69.3±11.2 years, and 52.7% were male; average age of non-AF cohort was 69.3±10.9 years, and 51.5% were male. Increasing CHADS 2 score was associated with increased dementia incidence, P trend=.004. When stratified by warfarin indication, AF patients had an increased risk of dementia incidence. After multivariable adjustment, AF patients continued to display a significantly increased risk of dementia when compared with non-AF patients across all CHADS 2 scores strata. In patients receiving long-term warfarin therapy, dementia risk increased with increasing CHADS 2 scores. However, the presence of AF was associated with higher rates of dementia across all CHADS 2 score strata. These data suggest that AF contributes to the risk of dementia and that this risk is not solely attributable to anticoagulant use. Dementia may be an end manifestation of a systemic disease state, and AF likely contributes to its progression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strata-based forest fuel classification for wild fire hazard assessment using terrestrial LiDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yang; Zhu, Xuan; Yebra, Marta; Harris, Sarah; Tapper, Nigel

2016-10-01

Fuel structural characteristics affect fire behavior including fire intensity, spread rate, flame structure, and duration, therefore, quantifying forest fuel structure has significance in understanding fire behavior as well as providing information for fire management activities (e.g., planned burns, suppression, fuel hazard assessment, and fuel treatment). This paper presents a method of forest fuel strata classification with an integration between terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and geographic information system for automatically assessing forest fuel structural characteristics (e.g., fuel horizontal continuity and vertical arrangement). The accuracy of fuel description derived from terrestrial LiDAR scanning (TLS) data was assessed by field measured surface fuel depth and fuel percentage covers at distinct vertical layers. The comparison of TLS-derived depth and percentage cover at surface fuel layer with the field measurements produced root mean square error values of 1.1 cm and 5.4%, respectively. TLS-derived percentage cover explained 92% of the variation in percentage cover at all fuel layers of the entire dataset. The outcome indicated TLS-derived fuel characteristics are strongly consistent with field measured values. TLS can be used to efficiently and consistently classify forest vertical layers to provide more precise information for forest fuel hazard assessment and surface fuel load estimation in order to assist forest fuels management and fire-related operational activities. It can also be beneficial for mapping forest habitat, wildlife conservation, and ecosystem management.

Planning Beyond Tactics: Towards a Military Application of the Philosophy of Design in the Formulation of Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-22

mimicry etc.). But this is only true on the level of the strata – a parallelism between two strata such that a plant organization on one imitates...existing planning structure, but augments it, increasing the relevance of subordinate actions to both the desires of commanders and the environment they...acute observation, and a familiarity and ease with ambiguity. In every sense design is philosophy embracing ever- increasing complexity. Thinking

Health risk assessment of ochratoxin A for all age-sex strata in a market economy

PubMed Central

Kuiper-Goodman, T.; Hilts, C.; Billiard, S.M.; Kiparissis, Y.; Richard, I.D.K.; Hayward, S.

2009-01-01

In order to manage risk of ochratoxin A (OTA) in foods, we re-evaluated the tolerable daily intake (TDI), derived the negligible cancer risk intake (NCRI), and conducted a probabilistic risk assessment. A new approach was developed to derive ‘usual’ probabilistic exposure in the presence of highly variable occurrence data, such as encountered with low levels of OTA. Canadian occurrence data were used for various raw food commodities or finished foods and were combined with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) food consumption data, which included data on infants and young children. Both variability and uncertainty in input data were considered in the resulting exposure estimates for various age/sex strata. Most people were exposed to OTA on a daily basis. Mean adjusted exposures for all age-sex groups were generally below the NCRI of 4ng OTA kg bw−1, except for 1–4-year-olds as a result of their lower body weight. For children, the major contributors of OTA were wheat-based foods followed by oats, rice, and raisins. Beer, coffee, and wine also contributed to total OTA exposure in older individuals. Predicted exposure to OTA decreased when European Commission maximum limits were applied to the occurrence data. The impact on risk for regular eaters of specific commodities was also examined. PMID:20013446

Trace fossils in diatomaceous strata of Miocene Monterey Formation: their character and implications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Savdra, C.E.; Bottjer, D.J.

Younger parts of the Miocene Monterey Formation are commonly characterized by relatively unaltered diatomaceous strata. A common characteristic of these deposits is the preservation of varvelike lamination, indicative of deposition under anoxic or nearly anoxic conditions. Although laminated rock types are volumetrically dominant, bioturbated intervals are by no means rare, but little attention has been paid to the trace fossils themselves. Our study of trace fossils in the Monterey Formation demonstrated the significance of these biogenic structures in paleoenvironmental and paleoecologic analyses. In particular, trace fossils provide a means for detailed reconstruction of paleo-oxygenation conditions during Monterey deposition. Trace fossilsmore » in several Monterey sections exposed in central and southern California were examined in detail. At all localities, three major ichnofossil assemblages or ichnofacies were recognized: (1) Chondrites, (2) Planolites, and (3) Thalassinoides. The size and diversity of the three major ichnofacies and their lithologic associations suggest that the distribution of these facies is controlled primarily by the level of paleo-bottom water oxygenation. The Chondrites ichnofacies represents very low paleo-oxygen levels just above the anoxic threshold. The Planolites ichnofacies, with greater variety of larger burrow types, is indicative of slightly higher levels of oxygenation. Moderately to well-oxygenated conditions are suggested by the Thalassinoides ichnofacies. More detailed information on paleoenvironmental conditions can be gleaned by applying a refined trace-fossil tiering model. When used in detailed (centimeter-scale) vertical sequence analyses, this tiering model permits the translation of data on the composition, size parameters, and cross-cutting relationships of trace-fossil assemblages into relative paleo-oxygenation curves.« less

Strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-REE deposits of the Idaho Cobalt Belt: Multistage hydrothermal mineralization in a magmatic-related iron oxide copper-gold system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, John F.

2012-01-01

Mineralogical and geochemical studies of strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-rare-earth element (REE) deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt in east-central Idaho provide evidence of multistage epigenetic mineralization by magmatic-hydrothermal processes in an iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) system. Deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt comprise three types: (1) strata-bound sulfide lenses in the Blackbird district, which are cobaltite and, less commonly, chalcopyrite rich with locally abundant gold, native bismuth, bismuthinite, xenotime, allanite, monazite, and the Be-rich silicate gadolinite-(Y), with sparse uraninite, stannite, and Bi tellurides, in a gangue of quartz, chlorite, biotite, muscovite, garnet, tourmaline, chloritoid, and/or siderite, with locally abundant fluorapatite or magnetite; (2) discordant tourmalinized breccias in the Blackbird district that in places have concentrations of cobaltite, chalcopyrite, gold, and xenotime; and (3) strata-bound magnetite-rich lenses in the Iron Creek area, which contain cobaltiferous pyrite and locally sparse chalcopyrite or xenotime. Most sulfide-rich deposits in the Blackbird district are enclosed by strata-bound lenses composed mainly of Cl-rich Fe biotite; some deposits have quartz-rich envelopes.Whole-rock analyses of 48 Co- and/or Cu-rich samples show high concentrations of Au (up to 26.8 ppm), Bi (up to 9.16 wt %), Y (up to 0.83 wt %), ∑REEs (up to 2.56 wt %), Ni (up to 6,780 ppm), and Be (up to 1,180 ppm), with locally elevated U (up to 124 ppm) and Sn (up to 133 ppm); Zn and Pb contents are uniformly low (≤821 and ≤61 ppm, respectively). Varimax factor analysis of bulk compositions of these samples reveals geochemically distinct element groupings that reflect statistical associations of monazite, allanite, and xenotime; biotite and gold; detrital minerals; chalcopyrite and sparse stannite; quartz; and cobaltite with sparse selenides and tellurides. Significantly, Cu is statistically separate from Co and As

Environment vs. Plant Ontogeny: Arthropod Herbivory Patterns on European Beech Leaves along the Vertical Gradient of Temperate Forests in Central Germany

PubMed Central

Mantilla-Contreras, Jasmin

2018-01-01

Environmental and leaf trait effects on herbivory are supposed to vary among different feeding guilds. Herbivores also show variability in their preferences for plant ontogenetic stages. Along the vertical forest gradient, environmental conditions change, and trees represent juvenile and adult individuals in the understorey and canopy, respectively. This study was conducted in ten forests sites in Central Germany for the enrichment of canopy research in temperate forests. Arthropod herbivory of different feeding traces was surveyed on leaves of Fagus sylvatica Linnaeus (European beech; Fagaceae) in three strata. Effects of microclimate, leaf traits, and plant ontogenetic stage were analyzed as determining parameters for herbivory. The highest herbivory was caused by exophagous feeding traces. Herbivore attack levels varied along the vertical forest gradient for most feeding traces with distinct patterns. If differences of herbivory levels were present, they only occurred between juvenile and adult F. sylvatica individuals, but not between the lower and upper canopy. In contrast, differences of microclimate and important leaf traits were present between the lower and upper canopy. In conclusion, the plant ontogenetic stage had a stronger effect on herbivory than microclimate or leaf traits along the vertical forest gradient. PMID:29373542

Time Scale Optimization and the Hunt for Astronomical Cycles in Deep Time Strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyers, Stephen R.

2016-04-01

A valuable attribute of astrochronology is the direct link between chronometer and climate change, providing a remarkable opportunity to constrain the evolution of the surficial Earth System. Consequently, the hunt for astronomical cycles in strata has spurred the development of a rich conceptual framework for climatic/oceanographic change, and has allowed exploration of the geologic record with unprecedented temporal resolution. Accompanying these successes, however, has been a persistent skepticism about appropriate astrochronologic testing and circular reasoning: how does one reliably test for astronomical cycles in stratigraphic data, especially when time is poorly constrained? From this perspective, it would seem that the merits and promise of astrochronology (e.g., a geologic time scale measured in ≤400 kyr increments) also serves as its Achilles heel, if the confirmation of such short rhythms defies rigorous statistical testing. To address these statistical challenges in astrochronologic testing, a new approach has been developed that (1) explicitly evaluates time scale uncertainty, (2) is resilient to common problems associated with spectrum confidence level assessment and 'multiple testing', and (3) achieves high statistical power under a wide range of conditions (it can identify astronomical cycles when present in data). Designated TimeOpt (for "time scale optimization"; Meyers 2015), the method employs a probabilistic linear regression model framework to investigate amplitude modulation and frequency ratios (bundling) in stratigraphic data, while simultaneously determining the optimal time scale. This presentation will review the TimeOpt method, and demonstrate how the flexible statistical framework can be further extended to evaluate (and optimize upon) complex sedimentation rate models, enhancing the statistical power of the approach, and addressing the challenge of unsteady sedimentation. Meyers, S. R. (2015), The evaluation of eccentricity

Milankovitch Modulated Eocene Growth Strata From the Jaca Piggyback Basin, Spanish Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, D. J.; Hinnov, L. A.; Newton, M. L.; Kodama, K. P.

2005-12-01

rhythms in growth strata can be used to develop novel high resolution, long-term deformation histories.

Effect of a policy to reduce user fees on the rate of skilled birth attendance across socioeconomic strata in Burkina Faso

PubMed Central

Langlois, Étienne V; Karp, Igor; Serme, Jean De Dieu; Bicaba, Abel

2016-01-01

Background. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates are associated with underutilization of skilled birth attendance (SBA). In 2007, Burkina Faso introduced a subsidy scheme for SBA fees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Burkina Faso’s subsidy policy on SBA rate across socioeconomic status (SES) strata. Methods. We used a quasi-experimental design. The data sources were two representative surveys (n = 1408 and n = 1403) of women from Houndé and Ziniaré health districts of Burkina Faso, and a survey of health centres assessing structural quality of care. Multilevel Poisson regression models were used with robust variance estimators. We estimated adjusted rate ratios (RR) and rate differences (RD) as a function of time and SES. Results. For lowest-SES women, immediately upon the introduction of the subsidy policy, the rate of SBA was 45% higher (RR = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–1.77) than expected in the absence of subsidy introduction. The results indicated a sustained effect after introduction of the subsidy policy, based on RR estimate (95% CI) of 1.48 (1.21–1.81) at 2 years. For middle-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.28 (1.09–1.49) immediately after introduction of the subsidy policy and 1.30 (1.11–1.51) at 2 years, respectively. For highest-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.19 (1.02–1.38) immediately after subsidy introduction and 1.21 (1.06–1.38) at 2 years, respectively. The RD (95% CI) was 14% (3–24%) for lowest-SES women immediately after introduction of the policy, and the effect was sustained at 14% (4–25%) at 2 years. Conclusion. Our study suggests that the introduction of a user-fee subsidy in Burkina Faso resulted in increased rates of SBA across all SES strata. The increase was sustained over time and strongest among the poorest women. These findings have important implications for evidence-informed policymaking in Burkina Faso and other

Effect of a policy to reduce user fees on the rate of skilled birth attendance across socioeconomic strata in Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Langlois, Étienne V; Karp, Igor; Serme, Jean De Dieu; Bicaba, Abel

2016-05-01

In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates are associated with underutilization of skilled birth attendance (SBA). In 2007, Burkina Faso introduced a subsidy scheme for SBA fees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Burkina Faso's subsidy policy on SBA rate across socioeconomic status (SES) strata. We used a quasi-experimental design. The data sources were two representative surveys (n = 1408 and n = 1403) of women from Houndé and Ziniaré health districts of Burkina Faso, and a survey of health centres assessing structural quality of care. Multilevel Poisson regression models were used with robust variance estimators. We estimated adjusted rate ratios (RR) and rate differences (RD) as a function of time and SES. For lowest-SES women, immediately upon the introduction of the subsidy policy, the rate of SBA was 45% higher (RR = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-1.77) than expected in the absence of subsidy introduction. The results indicated a sustained effect after introduction of the subsidy policy, based on RR estimate (95% CI) of 1.48 (1.21-1.81) at 2 years. For middle-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.28 (1.09-1.49) immediately after introduction of the subsidy policy and 1.30 (1.11-1.51) at 2 years, respectively. For highest-SES women, the RR estimates were 1.19 (1.02-1.38) immediately after subsidy introduction and 1.21 (1.06-1.38) at 2 years, respectively. The RD (95% CI) was 14% (3-24%) for lowest-SES women immediately after introduction of the policy, and the effect was sustained at 14% (4-25%) at 2 years. Our study suggests that the introduction of a user-fee subsidy in Burkina Faso resulted in increased rates of SBA across all SES strata. The increase was sustained over time and strongest among the poorest women. These findings have important implications for evidence-informed policy making in Burkina Faso and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. © The Author 2015. Published by

Burden of micronutrient deficiencies by socio-economic strata in children aged 6 months to 5 years in the Philippines

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals and constitute a huge public health problem. MNDs have severe health consequences and are particularly harmful during early childhood due to their impact on the physical and cognitive development. We estimate the costs of illness due to iron deficiency (IDA), vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and zinc deficiency (ZnD) in 2 age groups (6–23 and 24–59 months) of Filipino children by socio-economic strata in 2008. Methods We build a health economic model simulating the consequences of MNDs in childhood over the entire lifetime. The model is based on a health survey and a nutrition survey carried out in 2008. The sample populations are first structured into 10 socio-economic strata (SES) and 2 age groups. Health consequences of MNDs are modelled based on information extracted from literature. Direct medical costs, production losses and intangible costs are computed and long term costs are discounted to present value. Results Total lifetime costs of IDA, VAD and ZnD amounted to direct medical costs of 30 million dollars, production losses of 618 million dollars and intangible costs of 122,138 disability adjusted life years (DALYs). These costs can be interpreted as the lifetime costs of a 1-year cohort affected by MNDs between the age of 6–59 months. Direct medical costs are dominated by costs due to ZnD (89% of total), production losses by losses in future lifetime (90% of total) and intangible costs by premature death (47% of total DALY losses) and losses in future lifetime (43%). Costs of MNDs differ considerably between SES as costs in the poorest third of the households are 5 times higher than in the wealthiest third. Conclusions MNDs lead to substantial costs in 6-59-month-old children in the Philippines. Costs are highly concentrated in the lower SES and in children 6–23 months old. These results may have important implications for the design, evaluation and choice of the

Detrital zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic to Middle Cambrian miogeoclinal and platformal strata: Northwest Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gross, E.L.; Stewart, John H.; Gehreis, G.E.

2000-01-01

Eighty-five detrital zircon grains from Mesoproterozoic and/or Neoproterozoic to Middle Cambrian sedimentary strata in northwest Sonora, Mexico, have been analyzed to determine source terranes and provide limiting depositional ages of the units. The zircon suites from the Mesoproterozoic and/or Neoproterozoic El Alamo Formation and El Aguila unit yield ages between 1.06 Ga and 2.67 Ga, with predominant ages of 1.1 to 1.2 Ga. Zircons from the Lower? and Middle Cambrian Bolsa Quartzite show age groups from 525 Ma to 1.63 Ga, with a dominant population of 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains. Grains older than 1.2 Ga in the samples were most likely derived from basement terranes and ???1.4 Ga granitic bodies of the southwest U.S. and northwest Mexico. It is also possible that the sediments were transported from the south, although source rocks of the appropriate age are not presently exposed south of the study area in northern Mexico. Three possibilities for the dominant 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains include derivation from: (I) exposures of the Grenville belt in southern North America, (2) local 1.1-1.2 Ga granite bodies, or (3) a southern source, such as the Oaxaca terrane, that was subsequently rifted away. Sampling of additional units in the western U.S. and northern Mexico may help resolve the ambiguity surrounding the source of the 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains.

Risk strata-based therapy and outcome in stage Ib-IIa carcinoma cervix: single-centre ten-year experience.

PubMed

Kundargi, Rajshekar S; Guruprasad, B; Rathod, Praveen Shankar; Shakuntala, Pn; Shobha, K; Pallavi, Vr; Uma Devi, K; Bafna, Ud

2013-01-01

To review the outcome of stage (Ib, IIa), cervical cancer patients were primarily treated with radical hysterectomy and risk-based postoperative therapy. Between January 2001 and December 2011, 601 cases underwent surgery followed by tailored therapy. Patients were classified into low risk (pelvic lymph node negative, tumour less than 4 cm, no evidence of lympho-vascular invasion, less than one-third of thickness of surgical stoma involved), intermediate risk (positive lympho-vascular space invasion, tumour size more than 4 cm, and deep invasion of cervical stroma), and high risk (pelvic lymph node involved, positive parametrial, or vaginal margins) groups. Postoperative adju-vant therapy in the form of radiotherapy alone to those with intermediate risk and chemo-radiotherapy to those with high risk was given to patients. The median follow-up was 60 months. The majority of patients had intermediate risk. The overall event-free survival (EFS) at five years was 74.37%, with EFS of 86.5% in those from the low-risk group, 73% in those from the intermediate-risk group, and 64% in those from the high-risk group. In conclusion, risk strata-based adjuvant postoperative therapy is able to provide a favourable outcome in patients with stage Ib-IIa cervical cancer with a nearly 11% improvement in survival compared with historical control.

A randomised trial of high and low pressure level settings on an adjustable ventriculoperitoneal shunt valve for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: results of the Dutch evaluation programme Strata shunt (DEPSS) trial.

PubMed

Delwel, Ernst J; de Jong, Dirk A; Dammers, Ruben; Kurt, Erkan; van den Brink, Wimar; Dirven, Clemens M F

2013-07-01

In treating idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) with a shunt there is always a risk of underdrainage or overdrainage. The hypothesis is tested whether patients treated using an adjustable valve preset at the highest opening pressure leads to comparable good clinical results with less subdural effusions than in a control group with an opening pressure preset at a low pressure level. A multicentre prospective randomised trial was performed on a total of 58 patients suspected of INPH. Thirty patients were assigned to (control) group 1 and received a Strata shunt (Medtronic, Goleta, USA) with the valve preset at a performance level (PL) of 1.0, while 28 patients were assigned to group 2 and received a Strata shunt with the valve preset at PL 2.5. In this group the PL was allowed to be lowered until improvement or radiological signs of overdrainage were met. Significantly more subdural effusions were observed in the improved patients of group 1. There was no statistically significant difference in improvement between both groups overall. On the basis of this multicentre prospective randomised trial it is to be recommended to treat patients with INPH with a shunt with an adjustable valve, preset at the highest opening pressure and lowered until clinical improvement or radiological signs of overdrainage occur although slower improvement and more shunt adjustments might be the consequence.

The tropic response of plant roots to oxygen: oxytropism in Pisum sativum L

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porterfield, D. M.; Musgrave, M. E.

1998-01-01

Plant roots are known to orient growth through the soil by gravitropism, hydrotropism, and thigmotropism. Recent observations of plant roots that developed in a microgravity environment in space suggested that plant roots may also orient their growth toward oxygen (oxytropism). Using garden pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Weibul's Apollo) and an agravitropic mutant (cv. Ageotropum), root oxytropism was studied in the controlled environment of a microrhizotron. A series of channels in the microrhizotron allowed establishment of an oxygen gradient of 0.8 mmol mol-1 mm-1. Curvature of seedling roots was determined prior to freezing the roots for subsequent spectrophotometric determinations of alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Oxytropic curvature was observed all along the gradient in both cultivars of pea. The normal gravitropic cultivar showed a maximal curvature of 45 degrees after 48 h, while the agravitropic mutant curved to 90 degrees. In each cultivar, the amount of curvature declined as the oxygen concentration decreased, and was linearly related to the root elongation rate. Since oxytropic curvature occurred in roots exposed to oxygen concentrations that were not low enough to induce the hypoxically responsive protein alcohol dehydrogenase, we suspect that the oxygen sensor associated with oxytropism does not control the induction of hypoxic metabolism. Our results indicate that oxygen can play a critical role in determining root orientation as well as impacting root metabolic status. Oxytropism allows roots to avoid oxygen-deprived soil strata and may also be the basis of an auto-avoidance mechanism, decreasing the competition between roots for water and nutrients as well as oxygen.

Paleogeography and Depositional Systems of Cretaceous-Oligocene Strata: Eastern Precordillera, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reat, Ellen J.; Fosdick, Julie C.

2016-04-01

New data from the Argentine Precordillera in the southern Central Andes document changes in depositional environment and sediment accumulation rates during Upper Cretaceous through Oligocene basin evolution, prior to the onset Miocene foredeep sedimentation. This work presents new sedimentology, detrital geochronology, and geologic mapping from a series of continental strata within this interval to resolve the timing of sedimentation, nature of depositional environments, and basin paleogeography at the nascent phase of Andean orogenic events, prior to the uplift and deformation of the Precordillera to the west. Five stratigraphic sections were measured across both limbs of the Huaco Anticline, detailing sedimentology of the terrestrial siliciclastic upper Patquía, Ciénaga del Río Huaco (CRH), Puesto la Flecha, Vallecito, and lower Cerro Morado formations. Paleocurrent data indicate a flow direction change from predominantly NE-SW in the upper Patquía and the lower CRH to SW-NE directed flow in the upper CRH, consistent with a large meandering river system and a potential rise in topography towards the west. This interpretation is further supported by pebble lag intervals and 1-3 meter scale trough cross-bedding in the CRH. The thinly laminated gypsum deposits and siltstones of the younger Puesto la Flecha Formation indicate an upsection transition into overbank and lacustrine sedimentation during semi-arid climatic conditions, before the onset of aeolian dune formation. New maximum depositional age results from detrital zircon U-Pb analysis indicate that the Puesto la Flecha Formation spans ~57 Myr (~92 to ~35 Ma) across a ~48 m thick interval without evidence for major erosion, indicating very low sedimentation rates. This time interval may represent distal foredeep or forebulge migration resultant from western lithospheric loading due to the onset of Andean deformation at this latitude. Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra also indicate shifts in sediment routing

Assessment of pore pressures and specific storage within sedimentary strata overlying underground mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timms, W.; David, K.; Barbour, L. S.

2016-12-01

Realistic values of specific storage (Ss) for groundwater systems are important to determine the spatial extent and timing of c pore pressure changes when the groundwater system is stressed. However, numerical groundwater models of underground excavations typically assume constant literature values of Ss. One part of our research program utilised high frequency pore pressure data to evaluate variability and changes in Ss within sedimentary strata overlying a longwall coal mine. Pore pressure data from a vertical series of 6 vibrating wire piezometers (50 to 278 m depth) recording at hourly intervals were compared with barometric pressure data over a period of several years, including data before and during mining. The site was located near the centre of a longwall panel that extracted 3 m of coal at a depth of 330 m. The data was processed to calculate loading efficiency and Ss values by multi-method analyses of barometric and earth tide responses. In situ Ss results varied over one to two orders of magnitude and indicated that Ss changed before and after excavation of underlying coal seams. The vertical leakage of groundwater within the constrained zone ( 10 to 150 m depth) was found to be limited, although some degree of vertical hydraulic connectivity was observed. Depressurization was evident in the fractured zone directly overlying the coal seam, and Ss changes at 250 m depth indicated this confined aquifer may have become unconfined. Our results demonstrate that high frequency pore pressure data can provide realistic Ss values. In situ Ss values were an order of magnitude lower than Ss measured by geomechnical tests of cores, and were significantly different to textbook values set in most local groundwater models. The timing and extent of groundwater level drawdown predicted by models may therefore be underestimated. We have shown, for the first time, that variability of Ss can be significant, and that these changes can provide important insights into how

Evaluation of hypotheses for right-lateral displacement of Neogene strata along the San Andreas Fault between Parkfield and Maricopa, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, Richard G.; Barron, John A.; Powell, Charles L.

2017-12-22

We used geological field studies and diatom biostratigraphy to test a published hypothesis that Neogene marine siliceous strata in the Maricopa and Parkfield areas, located on opposite sides of the San Andreas Fault, were formerly contiguous and then were displaced by about 80–130 kilometers (km) of right-lateral slip along the fault. In the Maricopa area on the northeast side of the San Andreas Fault, the upper Miocene Bitterwater Creek Shale consists of hard, siliceous shale with dolomitic concretions and turbidite sandstone interbeds. Diatom assemblages indicate that the Bitterwater Creek Shale was deposited about 8.0–6.7 million years before present (Ma) at the same time as the uppermost part of the Monterey Formation in parts of coastal California. In the Parkfield area on the southwest side of the San Andreas Fault, the upper Miocene Pancho Rico Formation consists of soft to indurated mudstone and siltstone and fossiliferous, bioturbated sandstone. Diatom assemblages from the Pancho Rico indicate deposition about 6.7–5.7 Ma (latest Miocene), younger than the Bitterwater Creek Shale and at about the same time as parts of the Sisquoc Formation and Purisima Formation in coastal California. Our results show that the Bitterwater Creek Shale and Pancho Rico Formation are lithologically unlike and of different ages and therefore do not constitute a cross-fault tie that can be used to estimate rightlateral displacement along the San Andreas Fault.In the Maricopa area northeast of the San Andreas Fault, the Bitterwater Creek Shale overlies conglomeratic fan-delta deposits of the upper Miocene Santa Margarita Formation, which in turn overlie siliceous shale of the Miocene Monterey Formation from which we obtained a diatom assemblage dated at about 10.0–9.3 Ma. Previous investigations noted that the Santa Margarita Formation in the Maricopa area contains granitic and metamorphic clasts derived from sources in the northern Gabilan Range, on the opposite side of

Petrography and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology of metasedimentary strata dredged from the Chukchi Borderland, Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brumley, K.; Miller, E. L.; Mayer, L. A.; Andronikov, A.; Wooden, J. L.; Dumitru, T. A.; Elliott, B.; Gehrels, G. E.; Mukasa, S. B.

2010-12-01

~1500 and 2800 Ma. The zircon age distributions of the Northwind Ridge rocks are similar to detrital zircon suites analyzed from pre-Mississippian strata penetrated by the Topogoruk well drill core, North Slope, Alaska, and to those of Devonian clastic strata from northwestern Svalbard (Petterson, 2009) and could provide a tie point between these two areas. A possible reconstruction would involve restoring the Chukchi Borderland and Alpha Ridge to the Lomonosov Ridge proximal to Svalbard. This solution is quite different from that proposed by Grantz et al (1998) based on fragments of undeformed Paleozoic platform carbonate breccias from piston cores taken along the central Northwind Ridge. In that model the Chukchi Borderland and Northern Alaska have a shared depositional history with Arctic Canada. A new model is needed to solve the complication of an undeformed carbonate sequence in the central Northwind Ridge, and the deformed syn-orogenic/arc deposits described here from the northern Chukchi Borderland.

Pressure changes and their effects on the Cerro Prieto geothermal field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bermejo M, F.J.; Navarro O, F.X.; Esquer P, C.A.

1981-01-01

Continuous extraction of the water-steam mixture at the field has been increasing to fulfill the steam requirements of the power plant. As a result, pressure declines have been observed in the producing strata in all of the wells, as well as in the geothermal reservoir as a whole. Anomalous behavior that has been observed in the wells' hydraulic columns in most cases is due to the interconnection of the various strata penetrated by the well. When this occurs, unbalanced hydraulic pressures cause the movement of fluids between the strata. As an example of this hydraulic imbalance causing the flow ofmore » fluids from an upper to a lower zone, well Nuevo Leon 1 where this effect occurs between regions 600 m apart was chosen.« less

Vegetation survey of PEN Branch wetlands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

A survey was conducted of vegetation along Pen Branch Creek at Savannah River Site (SRS) in support of K-Reactor restart. Plants were identified to species by overstory, understory, shrub, and groundcover strata. Abundance was also characterized and richness and diversity calculated. Based on woody species basal area, the Pen Branch delta was the most impacted, followed by the sections between the reactor and the delta. Species richness for shrub and groundcover strata were also lowest in the delta. No endangered plant species were found. Three upland pine areas were also sampled. In support of K Reactor restart, this report summarizesmore » a study of the wetland vegetation along Pen Branch. Reactor effluent enters Indian Grove Branch and then flows into Pen Branch and the Pen Branch Delta.« less

Vegetation survey of PEN Branch wetlands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-01-01

A survey was conducted of vegetation along Pen Branch Creek at Savannah River Site (SRS) in support of K-Reactor restart. Plants were identified to species by overstory, understory, shrub, and groundcover strata. Abundance was also characterized and richness and diversity calculated. Based on woody species basal area, the Pen Branch delta was the most impacted, followed by the sections between the reactor and the delta. Species richness for shrub and groundcover strata were also lowest in the delta. No endangered plant species were found. Three upland pine areas were also sampled. In support of K Reactor restart, this report summarizesmore » a study of the wetland vegetation along Pen Branch. Reactor effluent enters Indian Grove Branch and then flows into Pen Branch and the Pen Branch Delta.« less

Smartphone-Enabled Health Coach Intervention for People With Diabetes From a Modest Socioeconomic Strata Community: Single-Arm Longitudinal Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Lower socioeconomic strata (SES) populations have higher chronic disease risks. Smartphone-based interventions can support adoption of health behaviors that may, in turn, reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes-related complications, overcoming the obstacles that some patients may have with regular clinical contact (eg, shiftwork, travel difficulties, miscommunication). Objective The intent of the study was to develop and test a smartphone-assisted intervention that improves behavioral management of type 2 diabetes in an ethnically diverse, lower SES population within an urban community health setting. Methods This single-arm pilot study assessed a smartphone application developed with investigator assistance and delivered by health coaches. Participants were recruited from the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto and had minimal prior experience with smartphones. Results A total of 21 subjects consented and 19 participants completed the 6-month trial; 12 had baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels >7.0% and these subjects demonstrated a mean reduction of 0.43% (SD 0.63) (P<.05) with minimal changes in medication. Conclusions This project supported the feasibility of smartphone-based health coaching for individuals from lower SES with minimal prior smartphone experience. PMID:24907918

Smartphone-enabled health coach intervention for people with diabetes from a modest socioeconomic strata community: single-arm longitudinal feasibility study.

PubMed

Wayne, Noah; Ritvo, Paul

2014-06-06

Lower socioeconomic strata (SES) populations have higher chronic disease risks. Smartphone-based interventions can support adoption of health behaviors that may, in turn, reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes-related complications, overcoming the obstacles that some patients may have with regular clinical contact (eg, shiftwork, travel difficulties, miscommunication). The intent of the study was to develop and test a smartphone-assisted intervention that improves behavioral management of type 2 diabetes in an ethnically diverse, lower SES population within an urban community health setting. This single-arm pilot study assessed a smartphone application developed with investigator assistance and delivered by health coaches. Participants were recruited from the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto and had minimal prior experience with smartphones. A total of 21 subjects consented and 19 participants completed the 6-month trial; 12 had baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels >7.0% and these subjects demonstrated a mean reduction of 0.43% (SD 0.63) (P<.05) with minimal changes in medication. This project supported the feasibility of smartphone-based health coaching for individuals from lower SES with minimal prior smartphone experience.

40Ar/(39)Ar dating of Chemeron Formation strata encompassing the site of hominid KNM-BC 1, Tugen Hills, Kenya.

PubMed

Deino, Alan L; Hill, Andrew

2002-01-01

A fossil hominid temporal bone (KNM-BC 1) from surface exposures at Baringo Paleontological Research Project site BPRP#2 in the Chemeron Formation outcropping in a tributary drainage of the Kapthurin River west of Lake Baringo, Kenya has been attributed to Homo sp. indet. K-feldspar phenocrysts from lapilli tuffs bracketing the inferred fossiliferous horizon yield single-crystal(40)Ar/(39)Ar ages of 2.456+/-0.006 and 2.393+/-0.013 Ma. These age determinations are supported by stratigraphically consistent ages on higher tuff horizons and from nearby sections. In addition, new(40)Ar/(39)Ar ages on tuffaceous units near the base and top of the formation along the Kapthurin River yield 3.19+/-0.03 and 1.60+/-0.05 Ma respectively. The base of the formation along the Kapthurin River is thus approximately 0.5 Ma younger than the uppermost Chemeron Formation strata exposed at Tabarin, 23 km to the north-northwest. The upper half of the formation along the Kapthurin River was deposited at an average rate of approximately 11 cm/ka, compared to 21-23 cm/ka at Tabarin. Copyright 2002 Academic Press.

Leaiid conchostracans from the uppermost Permian strata of the Paraná Basin, Brazil: Chronostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira-Oliveira, Luis Gustavo; Rohn, Rosemarie

2010-03-01

Conchostracan fossils are abundant and relatively diversified in the Rio do Rasto Formation (Passa Dois Group, Paraná Basin, southern Brazil), but leaiids (' Leaia pruvosti' [Reed, F.R.C., 1929. Novos Phyllopodos Fósseis do Brasil. Boletim do Serviço Geológico e Mineralógico do Brasil 34, 2-16]) were previously found at only one locality of the formation in the northern Santa Catarina State. New specimens of the Family Leaiidae, collected from two outcrops in central Paraná State near the top of the formation, stimulated a revision of related taxa. Both the new and the previously known leaiids are herein assigned to Hemicycloleaia mitchelli [Etheridge Jr., R., 1892. On Leaia mitchelli Etheridge. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 7, 307-310] based on the presence of three carinae and subovate shape. This species was originally recorded in the upper Tatarian (Wuchiapingian, Late Permian) of Sydney Basin, eastern Australia and therefore corroborates the interpretation that the leaiid bearing strata of the Rio do Rasto Formation cannot be younger than Permian. H. mitchelli possibly was one of the most widespread, eurytopic and conservative Late Paleozoic conchostracans of Gondwana (although records from Africa, India and Antarctica must still be confirmed) and it was also found in the Tatarian of Russia. The sudden disappearance of leaiids after their apparent success is consistent with the hypothesis about the biotic crisis around the Permo-Triassic boundary.

Enhanced provenance interpretation using combined U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating of detrital zircon grains from lower Miocene strata, proximal Gulf of Mexico Basin, North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jie; Stockli, Daniel F.; Snedden, John W.

2017-10-01

Detrital zircon U-Pb analysis is an effective approach for investigating sediment provenance by relating crystallization age to potential crystalline source terranes. Studies of large passive margin basins, such as the Gulf of Mexico Basin, that have received sediment from multiple terranes with non-unique crystallization ages or sedimentary strata, benefit from additional constraints to better elucidate provenance interpretation. In this study, U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating analyses on single zircons from the lower Miocene sandstones in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin reveal a detailed history of sediment source evolution. U-Pb age data indicate that most zircon originated from five major crystalline provinces, including the Western Cordillera Arc (<250 Ma), the Appalachian-Ouachita orogen (500-260 Ma), the Grenville (1300-950 Ma) orogen, the Mid-Continent Granite-Rhyolite (1500-1300 Ma), and the Yavapai-Mazatzal (1800-1600 Ma) terranes as well as sparse Pan-African (700-500 Ma) and Canadian Shield (>1800 Ma) terranes. Zircon (U-Th)/He ages record tectonic cooling and exhumation in the U.S. since the Mesoproterozoic related to the Grenville to Laramide Orogenies. The combined crystallization and cooling information from single zircon double dating can differentiate volcanic and plutonic zircons. Importantly, the U-Pb-He double dating approach allows for the differentiation between multiple possible crystallization-age sources on the basis of their subsequent tectonic evolution. In particular, for Grenville zircons that are present in all of lower Miocene samples, four distinct zircon U-Pb-He age combinations are recognizable that can be traced back to four different possible sources. The integrated U-Pb and (U-Th)/He data eliminate some ambiguities and improves the provenance interpretation for the lower Miocene strata in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin and illustrate the applicability of this approach for other large-scale basins to reconstruct sediment

Sensitivity Analysis of Mechanical Parameters of Different Rock Layers to the Stability of Coal Roadway in Soft Rock Strata

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zeng-hui; Wang, Wei-ming; Gao, Xin; Yan, Ji-xing

2013-01-01

According to the geological characteristics of Xinjiang Ili mine in western area of China, a physical model of interstratified strata composed of soft rock and hard coal seam was established. Selecting the tunnel position, deformation modulus, and strength parameters of each layer as influencing factors, the sensitivity coefficient of roadway deformation to each parameter was firstly analyzed based on a Mohr-Columb strain softening model and nonlinear elastic-plastic finite element analysis. Then the effect laws of influencing factors which showed high sensitivity were further discussed. Finally, a regression model for the relationship between roadway displacements and multifactors was obtained by equivalent linear regression under multiple factors. The results show that the roadway deformation is highly sensitive to the depth of coal seam under the floor which should be considered in the layout of coal roadway; deformation modulus and strength of coal seam and floor have a great influence on the global stability of tunnel; on the contrary, roadway deformation is not sensitive to the mechanical parameters of soft roof; roadway deformation under random combinations of multi-factors can be deduced by the regression model. These conclusions provide theoretical significance to the arrangement and stability maintenance of coal roadway. PMID:24459447

Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease by the Framingham-REGICOR Equation in the High-Risk PREDIMED Cohort: Impact of the Mediterranean Diet Across Different Risk Strata.

PubMed

Amor, Antonio J; Serra-Mir, Mercè; Martínez-González, Miguel A; Corella, Dolores; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Fitó, Montserrat; Estruch, Ramón; Serra-Majem, Lluis; Arós, Fernando; Babio, Nancy; Ros, Emilio; Ortega, Emilio

2017-03-13

The usefulness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) predictive equations in different populations is debatable. We assessed the efficacy of the Framingham-REGICOR scale, validated for the Spanish population, to identify future CVD in participants, who were predefined as being at high-risk in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) study-a nutrition-intervention primary prevention trial-and the impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on CVD across risk categories. In a post hoc analysis, we assessed the CVD predictive value of baseline estimated risk in 5966 PREDIMED participants (aged 55-74 years, 57% women; 48% with type 2 diabetes mellitus). Major CVD events, the primary PREDIMED end point, were an aggregate of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Multivariate-adjusted Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios for major CVD events and effect modification from the Mediterranean diet intervention across risk strata (low, moderate, high, very high). The Framingham-REGICOR classification of PREDIMED participants was 25.1% low risk, 44.5% moderate risk, and 30.4% high or very high risk. During 6-year follow-up, 188 major CVD events occurred. Hazard ratios for major CVD events increased in parallel with estimated risk (2.68, 4.24, and 6.60 for moderate, high, and very high risk), particularly in men (7.60, 13.16, and 15.85, respectively, versus 2.16, 2.28, and 3.51, respectively, in women). Yet among those with low or moderate risk, 32.2% and 74.3% of major CVD events occurred in men and women, respectively. Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with CVD risk reduction regardless of risk strata ( P >0.4 for interaction). Incident CVD increased in parallel with estimated risk in the PREDIMED cohort, but most events occurred in non-high-risk categories, particularly in women. Until predictive tools are improved, promotion of the Mediterranean diet might be useful to reduce CVD independent of baseline risk. URL: http

Do conceptualisations of health differ across social strata? A concept mapping study among lay people

PubMed Central

Stronks, Karien; Hoeymans, Nancy; Haverkamp, Beatrijs; den Hertog, Frank R J; van Bon-Martens, Marja J H; Galenkamp, Henrike; Verweij, Marcel; van Oers, Hans A M

2018-01-01

Objectives The legitimacy of policies that aim at tackling socioeconomic inequalities in health can be challenged if they do not reflect the conceptualisations of health that are valued in all strata. Therefore, this study analyses how different socioeconomic groups formulate their own answers regarding: what does health mean to you? Design Concept mapping procedures were performed in three groups that differ in educational level. All procedures followed exactly the same design. Setting Area of the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Participants Lay persons with a lower, intermediate and higher educational level (±15/group). Results The concept maps for the three groups consisted of nine, eight and seven clusters each, respectively. Four clusters occurred in all groups: absence of disease/disabilities, health-related behaviours, social life, attitude towards life. The content of some of these differed between groups, for example, behaviours were interpreted as having opportunities to behave healthily in the lower education group, and in terms of their impact on health in the higher education group. Other clusters appeared to be specific for particular groups, such as autonomy (intermediate/higher education group). Finally, ranking ranged from a higher ranking of the positively formulated aspects in the higher education group (eg, lust for life) to that of the negatively formulated aspects in the lower education group (eg, having no chronic disease). Conclusion Our results provide indications to suggest that people in lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to show a conceptualisation of health that refers to (1) the absence of health threats (vs positive aspects), (2) a person within his/her circumstances (vs quality of own body/mind), (3) the value of functional (vs hedonistic) notions and (4) an accepting (vs active) attitude towards life. PMID:29674369

Origin of sulfide and phosphate deposits in Upper Proterozoic carbonate strata, Irece basin, Bahia, Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kyle, J.R.; Misi, A.

1991-03-01

Carbonate strata of the Una Group represent late Proterozoic platform sedimentation in the Irece basin of north-central Brazil. Stratabound sulfide- and phosphate-rich units occur within a 50-m thick tidal flat sequence of dolomitic limestone and cherty dolomite. Three types of primary phosphate concentrations are present: columnar stromatolitic, laminar stromatolitic, and intraclastic. Resedimented phosphate clasts and phosphatic units interbedded with non phosphatic dolomites suggest early diagenetic replacement of algal carbonate units. Local stratabound Zn-Pb-Ag sulfide concentrations at the Tres Irmas prospect occur within silty dolomite with shallow water sedimentary structures and local disturbed laminae, synsedimentary faults, and breccias. Sulfide minerals includemore » pyrite, sphalerite, galena, marcasite, jordanite, tetrahedrite, and covellite. Pyrite crystal aggregates commonly show bladed forms. Nodular aggregates of length-slow quartz are locally associated with sulfides. Sulfur isotope analyses indicate relatively uniform heavy {delta}{sup 34}S values. Barite shows a {delta}{sup 34}S range from +25.2 to +29.6{per thousand}, CDT. Pyrite and sphalerite representative of a variety of textural types have a {delta}{sup 34}S range of +20.2 to +22.6{per thousand}. Late Proterozoic evaporite sulfates show a wide range of {delta}{sup 34} S values from about +10 to +28{per thousand}. Thus, the {delta}{sup 34}S values for Irece barite could reflect original seawater sulfate values. However, the relatively heavy {delta}{sup 34}S values of the associated sulfides suggests that the original seawater sulfate was modified by bacterial sulfate reduction processes in shallow sea floor sediments. Textural and {delta}{sup 34}S evidence suggests that a later stage of metallic mineralization scavenged sulfur from preexisting sulfides or from direct reduction of evaporitic sulfate minerals.« less

Do conceptualisations of health differ across social strata? A concept mapping study among lay people.

PubMed

Stronks, Karien; Hoeymans, Nancy; Haverkamp, Beatrijs; den Hertog, Frank R J; van Bon-Martens, Marja J H; Galenkamp, Henrike; Verweij, Marcel; van Oers, Hans A M

2018-04-19

The legitimacy of policies that aim at tackling socioeconomic inequalities in health can be challenged if they do not reflect the conceptualisations of health that are valued in all strata. Therefore, this study analyses how different socioeconomic groups formulate their own answers regarding: what does health mean to you? Concept mapping procedures were performed in three groups that differ in educational level. All procedures followed exactly the same design. Area of the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Lay persons with a lower, intermediate and higher educational level (±15/group). The concept maps for the three groups consisted of nine, eight and seven clusters each, respectively. Four clusters occurred in all groups: absence of disease/disabilities, health-related behaviours, social life, attitude towards life. The content of some of these differed between groups, for example, behaviours were interpreted as having opportunities to behave healthily in the lower education group, and in terms of their impact on health in the higher education group. Other clusters appeared to be specific for particular groups, such as autonomy (intermediate/higher education group). Finally, ranking ranged from a higher ranking of the positively formulated aspects in the higher education group (eg, lust for life) to that of the negatively formulated aspects in the lower education group (eg, having no chronic disease). Our results provide indications to suggest that people in lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to show a conceptualisation of health that refers to (1) the absence of health threats (vs positive aspects), (2) a person within his/her circumstances (vs quality of own body/mind), (3) the value of functional (vs hedonistic) notions and (4) an accepting (vs active) attitude towards life. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly

Selenium speciation in Lower Cambrian Se-enriched strata in South China and its geological implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Haifeng; Wen, Hanjie; Hu, Ruizhong; Zhao, Hui

2011-12-01

To understand the impact of Selenium (Se) into the biogeochemical cycle and implications for palaeo-redox environment, a sequential extraction method was utilized for samples including black shales, cherts, a Ni-Mo-Se sulfide layer, K-bentonite and phosphorite from Lower Cambrian Se-enriched strata in southern China. Seven species (water-soluble, phosphate exchangeable, base-soluble, acetic acid-soluble, sulfide/selenide associated, residual Se) and different oxidation states (selenate Se(VI), selenite Se(IV), organic Se, Se (0) and mineral Se(-II)) were determinated in this study. We found that the Ni-Mo-Se sulfide layer contained a significantly greater amount of Se(-II) associated with sulfides/selenides than those in host black shales and cherts. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the degree of sulfidation of iron (DOS) and the percentage of the sulfide/selenide-associated Se(-II) was observed for samples, which suggests the proportion of sulfide/selenide-associated Se(-II) could serve as a proxy for palaeo-redox conditions. In addition, the higher percentage of Se(IV) in K-bentonite and phosphorite was found and possibly attributed to the adsorption of Se by clay minerals, iron hydroxide surfaces and organic particles. Based on the negative correlations between the percentage of Se(IV) and that of Se(-II) in samples, we propose that the K-bentonite has been altered under the acid oxic conditions, and the most of black shale (and cherts) and the Ni-Mo-Se sulfide layer formed under the anoxic and euxinic environments, respectively. Concerning Se accumulation in the Ni-Mo-Se sulfide layer, the major mechanism can be described by (1) biotic and abiotic adsorption and further dissimilatory reduction from oxidized Se(VI) and Se(IV) to Se(-II), through elemental Se, (2) contribution of hydrothermal fluid with mineral Se(-II).

Geologic Map of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary Strata and Coal Stratigraphy of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation, Rawlins-Little Snake River Area, South-Central Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hettinger, R.D.; Honey, J.G.; Ellis, M.S.; Barclay, C.S.V.; East, J.A.

2008-01-01

This report provides a map and detailed descriptions of geologic formations for a 1,250 square mile region in the Rawlins-Little Snake River coal field in the eastern part of the Washakie and Great Divide Basins of south-central Wyoming. Mapping of geologic formations and coal beds was conducted at a scale of 1:24,000 and compiled at a scale of 1:100,000. Emphasis was placed on coal-bearing strata of the China Butte and Overland Members of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation. Surface stratigraphic sections were measured and described and well logs were examined to determine the lateral continuity of individual coal beds; the coal-bed stratigraphy is shown on correlation diagrams. A structure contour and overburden map constructed on the uppermost coal bed in the China Butte Member is also provided.

Woody plant diversity and structure of shade-grown-coffee plantations in northern Chiapas, Mexico.

PubMed

Soto-Pinto, L; Romero-Alvarado, Y; Caballero-Nieto, J; Segura Warnholtz, G

2001-01-01

Shade-grown coffee is an agricultural system that contains some forest-like characteristics. However, structure and diversity are poorly known in shade coffee systems. In 61 coffee-growers' plots of Chiapas, Mexico, structural variables of shade vegetation and coffee yields were measured, recording species and their use. Coffee stands had five vegetation strata. Seventy seven woody species mostly used as wood were found (mean density 371.4 trees per hectare). Ninety percent were native species (40% of the local flora), the remaining were introduced species, mainly fruit trees/shrubs. Diametric distribution resembles that of a secondary forest. Principal Coordinates Analysis grouped plots in four classes by the presence of Inga, however the majority of plots are diverse. There was no difference in equitability among groups or coffee yields. Coffee yield was 835 g clean coffee per shrub, or ca. 1,668 kg ha-1. There is a significant role of shade-grown coffee as diversity refuge for woody plants and presumably associated fauna as well as an opportunity for shade-coffee growers to participate in the new biodiversity-friendly-coffee market.

Fluvial-Deltaic Strata as a High-Resolution Recorder of Fold Growth and Fault Slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, D. J.; Kodama, K. P.; Pazzaglia, F. P.

2008-12-01

Fluvial-deltaic systems characterize the depositional record of most wedge-top and foreland basins, where the synorogenic stratigraphy responds to interactions between sediment supply driven by tectonic uplift, climate modulated sea level change and erosion rate variability, and fold growth patterns driven by unsteady fault slip. We integrate kinematic models of fault-related folds with growth strata and fluvial terrace records to determine incremental rates of shortening, rock uplift, limb tilting, and fault slip with 104-105 year temporal resolution in the Pyrenees and Apennines. At Pico del Aguila anticline, a transverse dècollement fold along the south Pyrenean mountain front, formation-scale synorogenic deposition and clastic facies patterns in prodeltaic and slope facies reflect tectonic forcing of sediment supply, sea level variability controlling delta front position, and climate modulated changes in terrestrial runoff. Growth geometries record a pinned anticline and migrating syncline hinges during folding above the emerging Guarga thrust sheet. Lithologic and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) data series from the Eocene Arguis Fm. show cyclicity at Milankovitch frequencies allowing detailed reconstruction of unsteady fold growth. Multiple variations in limb tilting rates from <8° to 28°/my over 7my are attributed to unsteady fault slip along the roof ramp and basal dècollement. Along the northern Apennine mountain front, the age and geometry of strath terraces preserved across the Salsomaggiore anticline records the Pleistocene-Recent kinematics of the underlying fault-propagation fold as occurring with a fixed anticline hinge, a rolling syncline hinge, and along-strike variations in uplift and forelimb tilting. The uplifted intersection of terrace deposits documents syncline axial surface migration and underlying fault-tip propagation at a rate of ~1.4 cm/yr since the Middle Pleistocene. Because this record of fault slip coincides with the

Depositional environments and processes in Upper Cretaceous nonmarine and marine sediments, Ocean Point dinosaur locality, North Slope, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Phillips, R.L.

2003-01-01

A 178-m-thick stratigraphic section exposed along the lower Colville River in northern Alaska, near Ocean Point, represents the uppermost part of a 1500 m Upper Cretaceous stratigraphic section. Strata exposed at Ocean Point are assigned to the Prince Creek and Schrader Bluff formations. Three major depositional environments are identified consisting, in ascending order, of floodplain, interdistributary-bay, and shallow-marine shelf. Nonmarine strata, comprising the lower 140 m of this section, consist of fluvial distributaries, overbank sediments, tephra beds, organic-rich beds, and vertebrate remains. Tephras yield isotopic ages between 68 and 72.9 Ma, generally consistent with paleontologic ages of late Campanian-Maastrichtian determined from dinosaur remains, pollen, foraminifers, and ostracodes. Meandering low-energy rivers on a low-gradient, low-relief floodplain carried a suspended-sediment load. The rivers formed multistoried channel deposits (channels to 10 m deep) as well as solitary channel deposits (channels 2-5 m deep). Extensive overbank deposits resulting from episodic flooding formed fining-upward strata on the floodplain. The fining-upward strata are interbedded with tephra and beds of organic-rich sediment. Vertical-accretion deposits containing abundant roots indicate a sheet flood origin for many beds. Vertebrate and nonmarine invertebrate fossils along with plant debris were locally concentrated in the floodplain sediment. Deciduous conifers as well as abundant wetland plants, such as ferns, horsetails, and mosses, covered the coastal plain. Dinosaur skeletal remains have been found concentrated in floodplain sediments in organic-rich bone beds and as isolated bones in fluvial channel deposits in at least nine separate horizons within a 100-m-thick interval. Arenaceous foraminifers in some organic-rich beds and shallow fluvial distributaries indicate a lower coastal plain environment with marginal marine (bay) influence. Marginal marine strata

Health Surveys Using Mobile Phones in Developing Countries: Automated Active Strata Monitoring and Other Statistical Considerations for Improving Precision and Reducing Biases

PubMed Central

Blynn, Emily; Ahmed, Saifuddin; Gibson, Dustin; Pariyo, George; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-01-01

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), historically, household surveys have been carried out by face-to-face interviews to collect survey data related to risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The proliferation of mobile phone ownership and the access it provides in these countries offers a new opportunity to remotely conduct surveys with increased efficiency and reduced cost. However, the near-ubiquitous ownership of phones, high population mobility, and low cost require a re-examination of statistical recommendations for mobile phone surveys (MPS), especially when surveys are automated. As with landline surveys, random digit dialing remains the most appropriate approach to develop an ideal survey-sampling frame. Once the survey is complete, poststratification weights are generally applied to reduce estimate bias and to adjust for selectivity due to mobile ownership. Since weights increase design effects and reduce sampling efficiency, we introduce the concept of automated active strata monitoring to improve representativeness of the sample distribution to that of the source population. Although some statistical challenges remain, MPS represent a promising emerging means for population-level data collection in LMICs. PMID:28476726

Development of a Persistent Reactive Treatment Zone for Containment of Sources Located in Lower-Permeability Strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marble, J.; Carroll, K. C.; Brusseau, M. L.; Plaschke, M.; Brinker, F.

2013-12-01

Source zones located in relatively deep, low-permeability formations provide special challenges for remediation. Application of permeable reactive barriers, in-situ thermal, or electrokinetic methods would be expensive and generally impractical. In addition, the use of enhanced mass-removal approaches based on reagent injection (e.g., ISCO, enhanced-solubility reagents) is likely to be ineffective. One possible approach for such conditions is to create a persistent treatment zone for purposes of containment. This study examines the efficacy of this approach for containment and treatment of contaminants in a lower permeability zone using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) as the reactant. A localized 1,1-dichloroethene (DCE) source zone is present in a section of the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund Site. Characterization studies identified the source of DCE to be located in lower-permeability strata adjacent to the water table. Bench-scale studies were conducted using core material collected from boreholes drilled at the site to measure DCE concentrations and determine natural oxidant demand. The reactive zone was created by injecting ~1.7% KMnO4 solution into multiple wells screened within the lower-permeability unit. The site has been monitored for ~8 years to characterize the spatial distribution of DCE and permanganate. KMnO4 continues to persist at the site, demonstrating successful creation of a long-term reactive zone. Additionally, the footprint of the DCE contaminant plume in groundwater has decreased continuously with time. This project illustrates the application of ISCO as a reactive-treatment system for lower-permeability source zones, which appears to effectively mitigate persistent mass flux into groundwater.

Paleovegetation changes recorded by n-alkyl lipids bound in macromolecules of plant fossils and kerogens from the Cretaceous sediments in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyata, Y.; Sawada, K.; Nakamura, H.; Takashima, R.; Takahashi, M.

2014-12-01

Resistant macromolecules composing living plant tissues tend to be preserved through degradation and diagenesis, hence constituate major parts of sedimentary plant-derived organic matter (kerogen), and their monomer compositions vary widely among different plant taxa, organs and growth stages. Thus, analysis of such macromolecule may serve as new technique for paleobotanical evaluation distinctive from classical paleobotnical studies depends on morphological preservation of fossils. In the present study, we analyzed plant fossils and kerogens in sediments from the Cretaceous strata in Japan to examine chemotaxonomic characteristics of fossil macromolecules and to reconstruct paleovegetation change by kerogen analysis. The kerogens were separated from the powdered sediments of Cretaceous Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan. All kerogens have been confirmed to be mostly originated from land plant tissues by microscopic observation. Mummified angiosperm and gymnosperm fossil leaves were separated from carbonaceous sandstone of the Cretaceous Ashizawa Formation, Futaba Group. The kerogens and plant fossils were extracted with methanol and dichloromethane, and were subsequently refluxed under 110°C to remove free compounds completely. The residues are hydrolyzed by KOH/methanol under 110°C. These released compounds are analyzed by GC-MS. As main hydrolyzed products (ester-bound molecular units) from all kerogens, C10-C28 n-alkanoic acids and C10-C30 n-alkanols were detected. Recent studies on the hydrolysis products of plant tissues suggested the long chain (>C20) n-alkanols were predominantly abundant in deciduous broadleaved angiosperms. Correspondingly, the stratigraphic variation of the ratios of long chain (>C20) n-alkanols to fatty acids was concordant with the variation of angiosperm/gymnosperm ratios recorded by land plant-derived terpenoid biomarkers. In addition, we found that the long chain n-alkanols/fatty acids ratio in the angiosperm fossil leaf was

Large Carbonate Associated Sulfate isotopic variability between brachiopods, micrite, and other sedimentary components in Late Ordovician strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Present, Theodore M.; Paris, Guillaume; Burke, Andrea; Fischer, Woodward W.; Adkins, Jess F.

2015-12-01

Carbonate Associated Sulfate (CAS) is trace sulfate incorporated into carbonate minerals during their precipitation. Its sulfur isotopic composition is often assumed to track that of seawater sulfate and inform global carbon and oxygen budgets through Earth's history. However, many CAS sulfur isotope records based on bulk-rock samples are noisy. To determine the source of bulk-rock CAS variability, we extracted CAS from different internal sedimentary components micro-drilled from well-preserved Late Ordovician and early Silurian-age limestones from Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. Mixtures of these components, whose sulfur isotopic compositions vary by nearly 25‰, can explain the bulk-rock CAS range. Large isotopic variability of sedimentary micrite CAS (34S-depleted from seawater by up to 15‰) is consistent with pore fluid sulfide oxidation during early diagenesis. Specimens recrystallized during burial diagenesis have CAS 34S-enriched by up to 9‰ from Hirnantian seawater, consistent with microbial sulfate reduction in a confined aquifer. In contrast to the other variable components, brachiopods with well-preserved secondary-layer fibrous calcite-a phase independently known to be the best-preserved sedimentary component in these strata-have a more homogeneous isotopic composition. These specimens indicate that seawater sulfate remained close to about 25‰ (V-CDT) through Hirnantian (end-Ordovician) events, including glaciation, mass extinction, carbon isotope excursion, and pyrite-sulfur isotope excursion. The textural relationships between our samples and their CAS isotope ratios highlight the role of diagenetic biogeochemical processes in setting the isotopic composition of CAS.

Cenozoic Polarity Time Scale (CPTS) as the Tool of Dating and Correlation of the Cenozoic Strata in North-Eastern Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minyuk, P.

2004-12-01

About 70 sections of continental and marine sediments covering he age through Paleocene to Pleistocene have been studied in North-Eastern Russia. Zones of polarity were used to determine the age and regional correlation of the strata with different biostratigraphic characteristic. On the basis of relation of magnetic zones to the CPTS, the dating of the major paleoclimatic and stratigraphic boundaries of the region fixed in the local stratons, has been obtained. There are the following events: chrones 25-24r - warming of the climate (boundary layers between Paleocene and Eocene ); chrones 13r - the beginning of the Eocene-Oligocene climatic pessimum; the boundary of the chrones 6Cn-6Cr - the climatic pessimum at the boundary of the Paleogene and Neogene; chrones 5Br - the middle of the chrone 5Adn - the first climatic optimum of the Miocene (the boundary of the Lower and Middle Miocene); chrones 5r - the lower part of the chrone 5n - the second climatic optimum of the Miocene ( the boundary interval between Middle and Lower Miocene). According to the paleomagnetic data, the supposed boundaries of the Miocene and Pliocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene are considered to be problematic and are fixed in the unique

Paleogene strata of the Eastern Los Angeles basin, California: Paleogeography and constraints on neogene structural evolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCulloh, T.H.; Beyer, L.A.; Enrico, R.J.

2000-01-01

Post-Paleogene dextral slip of 8-9 km is demonstrated for the southeastern part of the Whittier fault zone in the eastern Los Angeles basin area of southern California. A linear axis of greatest thickness for the combined upper Paleocene and lower to lower-middle Eocene clastic formations intersects the fault zone and is offset by it to give the new measure. Fragmentary evidence hints that the Whittier structural zone may have exerted control on bathymetric-topographic relief and sedimentation even in latest Paleocene (ca. 54 Ma). A clear topographic influence was exerted by 20-17 Ma. Strike-slip and present deformational style is younger than ca. 8 Ma. Our Paleogene isopach map extends as far west as long 117??58'W and is a foundation for companion zonal maps of predominant lithology and depositional environments. Integration of new palynological data with published biostratigraphic results and both new and published lithologic and sedimentological interpretations support the zonal maps. Reconstruction of marine-nonmarine facies and fragmented basin margins yields a model for the northeastern corner of a Paleogene coastal basin. Palinspastic adjustment for the Neogene-Quaternary Whittier fault offset and a reasoned westerly extension of the northern edge of the basin model yield a reconstruction of Paleogene paleogeography-paleoceanography. Our reconstruction is based partly on the absence of both Paleocene and Eocene deposits beneath the unconformable base of the middle Miocene Topanga Group in a region nowhere less than 15 km wide between the Raymond-Sierra Madre-Cucamonga fault zone and the northern edge of the Paleocene basin. Thus, Paleogene strata of the Santa Monica Mountains could not have been offset from the northern extension of the Santa Ana Mountains by sinistral slip on those boundary faults. Structural rearrangements needed to accommodate the clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges from the early Miocene starting position are thereby

A Cultural Resources Survey of Steele, New Franklin, and Main Ditches, and National Register of Historic Places Significance Testing of Sites 2PM574, 575, 577, and 23PM578, Pemiscot County Missouri

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-15

last successional stage plant communities. Research using soils and plant communities to model prehistoric occupation in northeast Arkansas (Dekin et al...floods) since their formation. Levee/Swamp Ecotone This modeled macrobiotic coimmunity is what Lewis (1974:24-25) has called the Sweetgum-Elm-Cypress...especially cypress, would have been exploitable in this environment with land- based technology. 15 Included in these modeled strata are the different

Plant community classification for alpine vegetation on the Beaverhead National Forest, Montana

Treesearch

Stephen V. Cooper; Peter Lesica; Deborah Page-Dumroese

1997-01-01

Vegetation of the alpine zone of eight mountain ranges in southwestern Montana was classified using IWINSPAN, DECORAN, and STRATA-algorithms embedded within the U.S. Forest Service Northern Region's ECADS (ecological classification and description system) program. Quantitative estimates of vegetation and soil attributes were sampled from 138 plots. Vegetation...

Rediscovery of type locality of Turritella andersoni and its geologic age implications for Eocene strata in northeast Pacific

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Squires, R.L.

1988-03-01

Turritella andersoni is one of the most important index fossils from the early Eocene in the northeast Pacific region. Its geographic range is from Baja Sur, Mexico, to Victoria, British Columbia. Its holotype locality is in Urruttia Canyon, 26 km (16 mi) north of Coalinga, central California, but the exact topographic and stratigraphic positions of this locality have been a source of confusion and uncertainty for the past 76 years. The holotype locality has been rediscovered, based on consultation of museum records, original field notes of early workers, and field checking. Numerous specimens were found only in the upper partmore » of the Cerros Shale Member of the Lodo Formation in the center of Sec. 15, T18S, R14E, (1969, Joaquin Rocks, 7.5' quadrangle, California). The Cerros Shale Member is 26 m thick in this area. Microfossil samples were taken from greenish-gray siltstone in the immediate area of the holotype locality. Calcareous nannofossils (especially Discoaster lodoensis) from these strata indicate an early Eocene (CP10 Biozone) age, which would be equivalent to the provincial molluscan Capay Stage in the restricted sense of modern workers. Previously the molluscan stage of T. andersoni had been Meganos . (earliest Eocene) through Capay, because of the possibility that the holotype locality (when eventually rediscovered) might be of Meganos age. This present study negates the Meganos age possibility, and T. andersoni can now be shown to be confined to the Capay Stage. This age refinement will be a valuable asset to future biostratigraphic, paleogeographic, and paleobiogeographic work.« less

Impact of silica diagenesis on the porosity of fine-grained strata: An analysis of Cenozoic mudstones from the North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wrona, Thilo; Taylor, Kevin G.; Jackson, Christopher A.-L.; Huuse, Mads; Najorka, Jens; Pan, Indranil

2017-04-01

Silica diagenesis has the potential to drastically change the physical and fluid flow properties of its host strata and therefore plays a key role in the development of sedimentary basins. The specific processes involved in silica diagenesis are, however, still poorly explained by existing models. This knowledge gap is addressed by investigating the effect of silica diagenesis on the porosity of Cenozoic mudstones of the North Viking Graben, northern North Sea through a multiple linear regression analysis. First, we identify and quantify the mineralogy of these rocks by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Mineral contents and host rock porosity data inferred from wireline data of two exploration wells are then analyzed by multiple linear regressions. This robust statistical analysis reveals that biogenic opal-A is a significant control and authigenic opal-CT is a minor influence on the porosity of these rocks. These results suggest that the initial porosity of siliceous mudstones increases with biogenic opal-A production during deposition and that the porosity reduction during opal-A/CT transformation results from opal-A dissolution. These findings advance our understanding of compaction, dewatering, and lithification of siliceous sediments and rocks. Moreover, this study provides a recipe for the derivation of the key controls (e.g., composition) on a rock property (e.g., porosity) that can be applied to a variety of problems in rock physics.

Forest strata drive spatial structure of bacterial and archaeal communities and microbial methane cycling in neotropical bromeliad wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinson, Guntars; Brandt, Franziska; Conrad, Ralf

2016-04-01

Several thousands of tank bromeliads per hectare of neotropical forest create a unique wetland ecosystem that harbors diverse communities of archaea and bacteria and emit substantial amounts of methane. We studied spatial distribution of archaeal and bacterial communities, microbial methane cycling and their environmental drivers in tank bromeliad wetlands. We selected tank bromeliads of different species and functional types (terrestrial and canopy bromeliads) in a neotropical montane forest of Southern Ecuador and sampled the organic tank slurry. Archaeal and bacterial communities were characterized using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and Illumina MiSeq sequencing, respectively, and linked with physico-chemical tank-slurry properties. Additionally, we performed tank-slurry incubations to measure methane production potential, stable carbon isotope fractionation and pathway of methane formation. Archaeal and bacterial community composition in bromeliad wetlands was dominated by methanogens and by Alphaproteobacteria, respectively, and did not differ between species but between functional types. Hydrogenotrophic Methanomicrobiales were the dominant methanogens among all bromeliads but the relative abundance of aceticlastic Methanosaetaceae increased in terrestrial bromeliads. Complementary, hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was the dominant pathway of methane formation but the relative contribution of aceticlastic methanogenesis increased in terrestrial bromeliads and led to a concomitant increase in total methane production. Rhodospirillales were characteristic for canopy bromeliads, Planctomycetales and Actinomycetalis for terrestrial bromeliads. While nitrogen concentration and pH explained 32% of the archaeal community variability, 29% of the bacterial community variability was explained by nitrogen, acetate and propionate concentrations. Our study demonstrates that bromeliad functional types, associated with different forest strata

Health Surveys Using Mobile Phones in Developing Countries: Automated Active Strata Monitoring and Other Statistical Considerations for Improving Precision and Reducing Biases.

PubMed

Labrique, Alain; Blynn, Emily; Ahmed, Saifuddin; Gibson, Dustin; Pariyo, George; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-05-05

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), historically, household surveys have been carried out by face-to-face interviews to collect survey data related to risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The proliferation of mobile phone ownership and the access it provides in these countries offers a new opportunity to remotely conduct surveys with increased efficiency and reduced cost. However, the near-ubiquitous ownership of phones, high population mobility, and low cost require a re-examination of statistical recommendations for mobile phone surveys (MPS), especially when surveys are automated. As with landline surveys, random digit dialing remains the most appropriate approach to develop an ideal survey-sampling frame. Once the survey is complete, poststratification weights are generally applied to reduce estimate bias and to adjust for selectivity due to mobile ownership. Since weights increase design effects and reduce sampling efficiency, we introduce the concept of automated active strata monitoring to improve representativeness of the sample distribution to that of the source population. Although some statistical challenges remain, MPS represent a promising emerging means for population-level data collection in LMICs. ©Alain Labrique, Emily Blynn, Saifuddin Ahmed, Dustin Gibson, George Pariyo, Adnan A Hyder. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 05.05.2017.

Sulfur isotopes of host strata for Howards Pass (Yukon–Northwest Territories) Zn-Pb deposits implicate anaerobic oxidation of methane, not basin stagnation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Craig A.; Slack, John F.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Kelley, Karen Duttweiler; Falck, Hendrik

2018-01-01

A new sulfur isotope stratigraphic profile has been developed for Ordovician-Silurian mudstones that host the Howards Pass Zn-Pb deposits (Canada) in an attempt to reconcile the traditional model of a stagnant euxinic basin setting with new contradictory findings. Our analyses of pyrite confirm the up-section 34S enrichment reported previously, but additional observations show parallel depletion of carbonate 13C, an increase in organic carbon weight percent, and a change in pyrite morphology. Taken together, the data suggest that the 34S enrichment reflects a transition in the mechanism of pyrite formation during diagenesis, not isotopic evolution of a stagnant water mass. Low in the stratigraphic section, pyrite formed mainly in the sulfate reduction zone in association with organic matter–driven bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, starting just below the Zn-Pb mineralized horizon, pyrite formed increasingly within the sulfate-methane transition zone in association with anaerobic oxidation of methane. Our new insights on diagenesis have implications for (1) the setting of Zn-Pb ore formation, (2) the reliability of redox proxies involving metals, and (3) the source of ore sulfur for Howards Pass, and potentially for other stratiform Zn-Pb deposits contained in carbonaceous strata.

Was the Eocene Arctic a Source Area for Exotic Plants and Mammals? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eberle, J. J.; Harrington, G. J.; Fricke, H. C.; Humphrey, J.; Hackett, L.; Newbrey, M.; Hutchison, J. H.

2010-12-01

not found in correlative strata of either mid-latitude North America or Europe. Either the Arctic region is a source of some evolutionary novelty, or alternatively it recruited plants directly from Asia. In sum, although the Arctic was undoubtedly en route for terrestrial plants and animals dispersing across Holarctic continents during parts of the Paleogene, evidence from both the Eocene plant and vertebrate communities on Ellesmere Island indicates the Arctic must also be evaluated as a potential source area for exotic taxa.

Plant host finding by parasitic plants: a new perspective on plant to plant communication.

PubMed

Mescher, Mark C; Runyon, Justin B; De Moraes, Consuelo M

2006-11-01

Plants release airborne chemicals that can convey ecologically relevant information to other organisms. These plant volatiles are known to mediate a large array of, often complex, interactions between plants and insects. It has been suggested that plant volatiles may have similar importance in mediating interactions among plant species, but there are few well-documented examples of plant-to-plant communication via volatiles, and the ecological significance of such interactions has been much debated. To date, nearly all studies of volatile-mediated interactions among plant species have focused on the reception of herbivore-induced volatiles by neighboring plants. We recently documented volatile effects in another system, demonstrating that the parasitic plant Cuscuta pentagona uses volatile cues to locate its hosts. This finding may broaden the discussion regarding plant-to-plant communication, and suggests that new classes of volatile-meditated interactions among plant species await discovery.

Investigation on the Influence of Abutment Pressure on the Stability of Rock Bolt Reinforced Roof Strata Through Physical and Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Hongpu; Li, Jianzhong; Yang, Jinghe; Gao, Fuqiang

2017-02-01

In underground coal mining, high abutment loads caused by the extraction of coal can be a major contributor to many rock mechanic issues. In this paper, a large-scale physical modeling of a 2.6 × 2.0 × 1.0 m entry roof has been conducted to investigate the fundamentals of the fracture mechanics of entry roof strata subjected to high abutment loads. Two different types of roof, massive roof and laminated roof, are considered. Rock bolt system has been taken into consideration. A distinct element analyses based on the physical modeling conditions have been performed, and the results are compared with the physical results. The physical and numerical models suggest that under the condition of high abutment loads, the massive roof and the laminated roof fail in a similar pattern which is characterized as vertical tensile fracturing in the middle of the roof and inclined shear fracturing initiated at the roof and rib intersections and propagated deeper into the roof. Both the massive roof and the laminated roof collapse in a shear sliding mode shortly after shear fractures are observed from the roof surface. It is found that shear sliding is a combination of tensile cracking of intact rock and sliding on bedding planes and cross joints. Shear sliding occurs when the abutment load is much less than the compressive strength of roof.

Effect of plant trichomes on the vertical migration of Haemonchus contortus infective larvae on five tropical forages.

PubMed

Oliveira, Aruaque L F; Costa, Ciniro; Rodella, Roberto A; Silva, Bruna F; Amarante, Alessandro F T

2009-06-01

The influence of trichomes on vertical migration and survival of Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L3) on different forages was investigated. Four different forages showing different distributions of trichomes (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes, Andropogon gayanus, and Stylosanthes spp.), and one forage species without trichomes (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania), were used. Forages cut at the post-grazing height were contaminated with faeces containing L3. Samples of different grass strata (0-10, 10-20, >20 cm) and faeces were collected for L3 quantification once per week over four weeks. In all forages studied, the highest L3 recovery occurred seven days after contamination, with the lowest recovery on A. gayanus. In general, larvae were found on all forages' strata. However, most of the larvae were at the lower stratum. There was no influence of trichomes on migration and survival of H. contortus L3 on the forages.

Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, Brian F.; Halvorson, William Lee; Schmidt, Cecilia A.

2006-01-01

richness and environmental determinants of these patterns. For all groups except medium and large mammals, the low elevation stratum (<4,000 feet) contained the highest species richness, after accounting for differences in survey effort among strata. This is consistent with known patterns of species richness in the sky island mountain ranges. Using data on relative abundance for plants and birds, we were able to identify a number of distinct ecological communities, which were consistent with known patterns in the sky islands. Our review of species lists and park records reveals that the district has lost species, particularly plants and mammals, in the past few decades. Because of the district's close proximity to the rapidly growing city of Tucson, there are a number of development-related threats that could cause additional species loss or decline in abundance of some species. In particular, the increasing groundwater pumping near Rincon Creek, the most species-rich area in the park, is likely to impact the unique riparian vegetation and animals of that area. We discuss this and other demands on the ecological integrity of the district. We also recommend additional inventory, monitoring, and research studies.

Plant host finding by parasitic plants: A new perspective on plant to plant communication

Treesearch

Mark C. Mescher; Justin B. Runyon; Consuelo M. De Moraes

2006-01-01

Plants release airborne chemicals that can convey ecologically relevant information to other organisms. These plant volatiles are known to mediate a large array of, often complex, interactions between plants and insects. It has been suggested that plant volatiles may have similar importance in mediating interactions among plant species, but there are few well-...

Upward extension of the Nankai accretionary prism megasplay fault into slope basin strata. Insights from drilling at IODP Expedition 338 Site C0022

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabbri, O.; Oohashi, K.; Kanagawa, K.; Yamaguchi, A.

2013-12-01

), cores immediately from above this interval show three ca. 2 cm thick zones of claystone characterized by a marked planar fabric bearing faint striations raking at about 90°. Preliminary biostratigraphic dating in Hole C0022B indicate age reversals at 80.5, 137.5 and 145.5 mbsf, suggesting reverse offset bringing older strata over younger strata. Drilling at IODP Site C0022 confirms that a branch of the megasplay fault previously cored at Expedition 316 Site C0004 extends upwards and southeastwards. The core zone of this branch lies at about 100 mbsf and is about 1 m thick. The presence of weakly foliated claystone suggests aseismic motion immediately above the core zone. The lack of samples from the core zone prevents to determine whether motion was aseismic or not.

Effect of interleukin-6 polymorphism on risk of preterm birth within population strata: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wu, Wilfred; Clark, Erin A S; Stoddard, Gregory J; Watkins, W Scott; Esplin, M Sean; Manuck, Tracy A; Xing, Jinchuan; Varner, Michael W; Jorde, Lynn B

2013-04-25

Because of the role of inflammation in preterm birth (PTB), polymorphisms in and near the interleukin-6 gene (IL6) have been association study targets. Several previous studies have assessed the association between PTB and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs1800795, located in the IL6 gene promoter region. Their results have been inconsistent and SNP frequencies have varied strikingly among different populations. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis with subgroup analysis by population strata to: (1) reduce the confounding effect of population structure, (2) increase sample size and statistical power, and (3) elucidate the association between rs1800975 and PTB. We reviewed all published papers for PTB phenotype and SNP rs1800795 genotype. Maternal genotype and fetal genotype were analyzed separately and the analyses were stratified by population. The PTB phenotype was defined as gestational age (GA) < 37 weeks, but results from earlier GA were selected when available. All studies were compared by genotype (CC versus CG+GG), based on functional studies.For the maternal genotype analysis, 1,165 PTBs and 3,830 term controls were evaluated. Populations were stratified into women of European descent (for whom the most data were available) and women of heterogeneous origin or admixed populations. All ancestry was self-reported. Women of European descent had a summary odds ratio (OR) of 0.68, (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51 - 0.91), indicating that the CC genotype is protective against PTB. The result for non-European women was not statistically significant (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.59 - 1.75). For the fetal genotype analysis, four studies were included; there was no significant association with PTB (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.72 - 1.33). Sensitivity analysis showed that preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM) may be a confounding factor contributing to phenotype heterogeneity. IL6 SNP rs1800795 genotype CC is protective against PTB in women of European descent. It is

Plant stress signalling: understanding and exploiting plant-plant interactions.

PubMed

Pickett, J A; Rasmussen, H B; Woodcock, C M; Matthes, M; Napier, J A

2003-02-01

When plants are attacked by insects, volatile chemical signals can be released, not only from the damaged parts, but also systemically from other parts of the plant and this continues after cessation of feeding by the insect. These signals are perceived by olfactory sensory mechanisms in both the herbivorous insects and their parasites. Molecular structures involved can be characterized by means of electrophysiological assays, using the insect sensory system linked to chemical analysis. Evidence is mounting that such signals can also affect neighbouring intact plants, which initiate defence by the induction of further signalling systems, such as those that increase parasitoid foraging. Furthermore, insect electrophysiology can be used in the identification of plant compounds having effects on the plants themselves. It has been found recently that certain plants can release stress signals even when undamaged, and that these can cause defence responses in intact plants. These discoveries provide the basis for new crop protection strategies, that are either delivered by genetic modification of plants or by conventionally produced plants to which the signal is externally applied. Delivery can also be made by means of mixed seed strategies in which the provoking and recipient plants are grown together. Related signalling discoveries within the rhizosphere seem set to extend these approaches into new ways of controlling weeds, by exploiting the elusive potential of allelopathy, but through signalling rather than by direct physiological effects.

Dynamic Plant-Plant-Herbivore Interactions Govern Plant Growth-Defence Integration.

PubMed

de Vries, Jorad; Evers, Jochem B; Poelman, Erik H

2017-04-01

Plants downregulate their defences against insect herbivores upon impending competition for light. This has long been considered a resource trade-off, but recent advances in plant physiology and ecology suggest this mechanism is more complex. Here we propose that to understand why plants regulate and balance growth and defence, the complex dynamics in plant-plant competition and plant-herbivore interactions needs to be considered. Induced growth-defence responses affect plant competition and herbivore colonisation in space and time, which has consequences for the adaptive value of these responses. Assessing these complex interactions strongly benefits from advanced modelling tools that can model multitrophic interactions in space and time. Such an exercise will allow a critical re-evaluation why and how plants integrate defence and competition for light. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping multi-scale vascular plant richness in a forest landscape with integrated LiDAR and hyperspectral remote-sensing.

PubMed

Hakkenberg, C R; Zhu, K; Peet, R K; Song, C

2018-02-01

The central role of floristic diversity in maintaining habitat integrity and ecosystem function has propelled efforts to map and monitor its distribution across forest landscapes. While biodiversity studies have traditionally relied largely on ground-based observations, the immensity of the task of generating accurate, repeatable, and spatially-continuous data on biodiversity patterns at large scales has stimulated the development of remote-sensing methods for scaling up from field plot measurements. One such approach is through integrated LiDAR and hyperspectral remote-sensing. However, despite their efficiencies in cost and effort, LiDAR-hyperspectral sensors are still highly constrained in structurally- and taxonomically-heterogeneous forests - especially when species' cover is smaller than the image resolution, intertwined with neighboring taxa, or otherwise obscured by overlapping canopy strata. In light of these challenges, this study goes beyond the remote characterization of upper canopy diversity to instead model total vascular plant species richness in a continuous-cover North Carolina Piedmont forest landscape. We focus on two related, but parallel, tasks. First, we demonstrate an application of predictive biodiversity mapping, using nonparametric models trained with spatially-nested field plots and aerial LiDAR-hyperspectral data, to predict spatially-explicit landscape patterns in floristic diversity across seven spatial scales between 0.01-900 m 2 . Second, we employ bivariate parametric models to test the significance of individual, remotely-sensed predictors of plant richness to determine how parameter estimates vary with scale. Cross-validated results indicate that predictive models were able to account for 15-70% of variance in plant richness, with LiDAR-derived estimates of topography and forest structural complexity, as well as spectral variance in hyperspectral imagery explaining the largest portion of variance in diversity levels. Importantly

Lithosequence of soils and associated vegetation on subalpine range of the Wasatch Plateau, Utah.

Treesearch

James O. Klemmedson; Arthur R. Tiedemann

1998-01-01

On degraded subalpine range in Utah, the authors examined the role of soil and parent material nutrients and organic carbon (Corg) in the development of soil and plants on a transect across six strata that formed visible concentric alternating bands of high and low productivity. Relations for soil and parent material phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) were of particular...

[Plant hormones, plant growth regulators].

PubMed

Végvári, György; Vidéki, Edina

2014-06-29

Plants seem to be rather defenceless, they are unable to do motion, have no nervous system or immune system unlike animals. Besides this, plants do have hormones, though these substances are produced not in glands. In view of their complexity they lagged behind animals, however, plant organisms show large scale integration in their structure and function. In higher plants, such as in animals, the intercellular communication is fulfilled through chemical messengers. These specific compounds in plants are called phytohormones, or in a wide sense, bioregulators. Even a small quantity of these endogenous organic compounds are able to regulate the operation, growth and development of higher plants, and keep the connection between cells, tissues and synergy between organs. Since they do not have nervous and immume systems, phytohormones play essential role in plants' life.

Legacy effects of drought on plant-soil feedbacks and plant-plant interactions.

PubMed

Kaisermann, Aurore; de Vries, Franciska T; Griffiths, Robert I; Bardgett, Richard D

2017-09-01

Interactions between aboveground and belowground biota have the potential to modify ecosystem responses to climate change, yet little is known about how drought influences plant-soil feedbacks with respect to microbial mediation of plant community dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that drought modifies plant-soil feedback with consequences for plant competition. We measured net pairwise plant-soil feedbacks for two grassland plant species grown in monoculture and competition in soils that had or had not been subjected to a previous drought; these were then exposed to a subsequent drought. To investigate the mechanisms involved, we assessed treatment responses of soil microbial communities and nutrient availability. We found that previous drought had a legacy effect on bacterial and fungal community composition that decreased plant growth in conspecific soils and had knock-on effects for plant competitive interactions. Moreover, plant and microbial responses to subsequent drought were dependent on a legacy effect of the previous drought on plant-soil interactions. We show that drought has lasting effects on belowground communities with consequences for plant-soil feedbacks and plant-plant interactions. This suggests that drought, which is predicted to increase in frequency with climate change, may change soil functioning and plant community composition via the modification of plant-soil feedbacks. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Impact of the terminal Cretaceous event on plant–insect associations

PubMed Central

Labandeira, Conrad C.; Johnson, Kirk R.; Wilf, Peter

2002-01-01

Evidence for a major extinction of insect herbivores is provided by presence–absence data for 51 plant–insect associations on 13,441 fossil plant specimens, spanning the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in southwestern North Dakota. The most specialized associations, which were diverse and abundant during the latest Cretaceous, almost disappeared at the boundary and failed to recover in younger strata even while generalized associations regained their Cretaceous abundances. These results are consistent with a sudden ecological perturbation that precipitated a diversity bottleneck for insects and plants. PMID:11854501

Plants under stress by parasitic plants.

PubMed

Hegenauer, Volker; Körner, Max; Albert, Markus

2017-08-01

In addition to other biotic stresses, parasitic plants pose an additional threat to plants and cause crop losses, worldwide. Plant parasites directly connect to the vasculature of host plants thereby stealing water, nutrients, and carbohydrates consequently leading to tremendously reduced biomass and losses in seed yields of the infected host plants. Initial steps to understand the molecular resistance mechanisms and the successes in ancient and recent breeding efforts will provide fundamental knowledge to further generate crop plants that will resist attacks by plant parasites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seismic analysis of clinoform depositional sequences and shelf-margin trajectories in Lower Cretaceous (Albian) strata, Alaska North Slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, D.W.; Bird, K.J.; Schenk, C.J.

2009-01-01

Lower Cretaceous strata beneath the Alaska North Slope include clinoform depositional sequences that filled the western Colville foreland basin and overstepped the Beaufort rift shoulder. Analysis of Albian clinoform sequences with two-dimensional (2D) seismic data resulted in the recognition of seismic facies inferred to represent lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. These are stacked to produce shelf-margin trajectories that appear in low-resolution seismic data to alternate between aggradational and progradational. Higher-resolution seismic data reveal shelf-margin trajectories that are more complex, particularly in net-aggradational areas, where three patterns commonly are observed: (1) a negative (downward) step across the sequence boundary followed by mostly aggradation in the lowstand systems tract (LST), (2) a positive (upward) step across the sequence boundary followed by mostly progradation in the LST and (3) an upward backstep across a mass-failure d??collement. These different shelf-margin trajectories are interpreted as (1) fall of relative sea level below the shelf edge, (2) fall of relative sea level to above the shelf edge and (3) mass-failure removal of shelf-margin sediment. Lowstand shelf margins mapped using these criteria are oriented north-south in the foreland basin, indicating longitudinal filling from west to east. The shelf margins turn westward in the north, where the clinoform depositional system overstepped the rift shoulder, and turn eastward in the south, suggesting progradation of depositional systems from the ancestral Brooks Range into the foredeep. Lowstand shelf-margin orientations are consistently perpendicular to clinoform-foreset-dip directions. Although the Albian clinoform sequences of the Alaska North Slope are generally similar in stratal geometry to clinoform sequences elsewhere, they are significantly thicker. Clinoform-sequence thickness ranges from 600-1000 m in the north to 1700-2000 m in the south

Age and stratigraphic context of Pliopithecus and associated fauna from Miocene sedimentary strata at Damiao, Inner Mongolia, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaakinen, Anu; Abdul Aziz, Hayfaa; Passey, Benjamin H.; Zhang, Zhaoqun; Liu, Liping; Salminen, Johanna; Wang, Lihua; Krijgsman, Wout; Fortelius, Mikael

2015-03-01

Since the discovery of mammalian fossils in Central Inner Mongolia in the beginning of the 20th century, this area has produced a rich and diverse record of Miocene faunas. Nevertheless, the stratigraphy has remained poorly constrained owing to scattered faunal horizons and lack of continuous vertical exposures. Consequently, most age estimates of these Miocene sites are based on paleontological evidence alone, with very few sites having been dated independently. Our field investigations in Damiao, in Siziwang Qi, Inner Mongolia have yielded more than 30 new fossiliferous localities from three horizons, including a pliopithecid fauna. This study presents the litho-, bio- and magnetostratigraphy of the Damiao area and provides age estimates for the three fossil-bearing horizons. The sedimentary sequence is interpreted as the remains of a fluvial system comprising channels, subaerially exposed floodplains and floodbasin environments. The two local stratigraphic sections measured and sampled for paleomagnetic analysis coincide with species-rich vertebrate fossil localities. The paleomagnetic results and faunal evidence suggest a correlation of lowermost fossil horizon (DM16) producing relatively rich small mammal assemblage to the early Miocene chron C6Ar or C6An.1r, roughly in 20-21 Ma age range. The pliopithecid locality level (DM01) represents latest middle Miocene and has an age estimate of about 12.1 Ma while the youngest localities (DM02) with cervoids and abundant and diverse small mammal fauna represents the earliest late Miocene with an age estimate of about 11.6 Ma. Our magnetostratigraphic results confirm that the Damiao strata constitute one of the best sequences in Inner Mongolia with early, middle and late Miocene mammalian faunas in stratigraphic superposition. The results also provide constraints on the paleoenvironmental evolution and bioevents of the area. The occurrence of pliopithecid primates in the middle Miocene of Inner Mongolia suggests humid

Modelling leaf, plant and stand flammability for ecological and operational decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zylstra, Philip

2014-05-01

Numerous factors have been found to affect the flammability of individual leaves and plant parts; however the way in which these factors relate to whole plant flammability, fire behaviour and the overall risk imposed by fire is not straightforward. Similarly, although the structure of plant communities is known to affect the flammability of the stand, a quantified, broadly applicable link has proven difficult to establish and validate. These knowledge gaps have presented major obstacles to the integration into fire behaviour science of research into factors affecting plant flammability, physiology, species succession and structural change, so that the management of ecosystems for fire risk is largely uninformed by these fields. The Forest Flammability Model (Zylstra, 2011) is a process-driven, complex systems model developed specifically to address this disconnect. Flame dimensions and position are calculated as properties emerging from the capacity for convective heat to propagate flame between horizontally and vertically separated leaves, branches, plants and plant strata, and this capacity is determined dynamically from the ignitability, combustibility and sustainability of those objects, their spatial arrangement and a vector-based model of the plume temperature from each burning fuel. All flammability properties as well as the physics of flame dimensions, angle and temperature distributions and the vertical structure of wind within the plant array use published sub-models which can be replaced as further work is developed. This modular structure provides a platform for the immediate application of new work on any aspect of leaf flammability or fire physics. Initial validation of the model examined its qualitative predictions for trends in forest flammability as a function of time since fire. The positive feedback predicted for the subalpine forest examined constituted a 'risky prediction' by running counter to the expectations of the existing approach, however

Cosmogenic Nuclides 10Be-21Ne Burial Dating of Middle Miocene Sedimentary Formation of the Hongliu Valley in Southern Ningxia Basin: A Case of Isotopic Geochronology Study for the Cenozoic Sedimentary Strata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Y.; Zhang, H.; Wang, W.; Wu, Y.; Pang, J.; Zheng, D.; Li, D.

2015-12-01

Chronology studies for the Cenozoic sedimentary strata based on the magnetostratigraphy cannot afford the unique chronological sequences in the absence of absolute ages from biostratigraphy or volcanic ash chronology. In situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides provide a powerful tool for the sediment dating based on the time-dependent concentration ratio of two nuclides, which are produced in the same mineral but with different half-lives. Thereinto, 10Be-26Al is the most widely used nuclide pairs, of which the available dating range spans the Plio-Pleistocene. But the coupling of 10Be with the stable nuclide 21Ne would significantly improve the burial dating range up to the middle Miocene, which is promising in revolutionizing the chronology study for the Late Cenozoic terrestrial sedimentary sequences. We have applied 10Be-21Ne pair for dating the middle Miocene sediments of the Hongliu Valley in southern Ningxia basin. Two major features of the sediments are involved in our study: (1) sediments originated from the steady erosion of the source area, and (2) the burial depth of our sample after deposition is time dependent due to the gradual accumulation of sediments into basin. The post-burial nuclide production is estimated to be less than 3%, including the contribution by muon interactions, of the total nuclide concentrations measured in our sample. Our 10Be-21Ne analysis demonstrates the age of the burial sample is 12.4(+0.6/-0.4) Ma, and the erosion rate at the source area is 0.26±0.01 cm ka-1. The sample's burial age is consistent with the age constraint set by the Hongliugou Formation (16.7-5.4 Ma) which we collected the sample in. Vertebrate fossils of Platybelodon tongxinensis with an age between 12 and 15 Ma exhumated along with our sample further verifies the reliability of our dating results for the middle Miocene sediments.This study has shown the improved age range of cosmogenic-nuclide burial dating method by incorporating the stable nuclide 21Ne, and

A Major Unconformity Between Permian and Triassic Strata at Cape Kekurnoi, Alaska Peninsula: Old and New Observations on Stratigraphy and Hydrocarbon Potential

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blodgett, Robert B.; Sralla, Bryan

2008-01-01

A major angular unconformity separates carbonates and shales of the Upper Triassic Kamishak Formation from an underlying unnamed sequence of Permian agglomerate, volcaniclastic rocks (sandstone), and limestone near Puale Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. For the first time, we photographically document the angular unconformity in outcrop, as clearly exposed in a seacliff ~1.3 mi (2.1 km) west of Cape Kekurnoi in the Karluk C?4 and C?5 1:63,360-scale quadrangles. This unconformity is also documented by examination of core chips, ditch cuttings, and (or) open-hole electrical logs in two deep oil-and-gas-exploration wells (Humble Oil & Refining Co.?s Bear Creek No. 1 and Standard Oil Co. of California?s Grammer No. 1) drilled along the Alaska Peninsula southwest of Puale Bay. A third well (Richfield Oil Corp.?s Wide Bay Unit No. 1), south of and structurally on trend with the other two wells, probed deeply into the Paleozoic basement, but Triassic strata are absent, owing to either a major unconformity or a large fault. Here we briefly review current and newly acquired data on Permian and Triassic rocks of the Puale Bay-Becharof Lake-Wide Bay area on the basis of an examination of surface and subsurface materials. The resulting reinterpretation of the Permian and Triassic stratigraphy has important economic ramifications for oil and gas exploration on the Alaska Peninsula and in the Cook Inlet basin. We also present a history of petroleum exploration targeting Upper Triassic reservoirs in the region.

[Acumen function in leaves and its vertical distribution in a tropical rain forest of Costa Rica].

PubMed

Farji-Brener, Alejandro G; Valverde, Oscar; Paolini, Leonardo; de los Angeles La Torre, María; Quintero, Estela; Bonaccorso, Elisa; Arnedo, Luisa; Villalobos, Richard

2002-06-01

Water retention on the leaf surface can be maladaptive to the plant because it increases the colonization of epiphylls and interferes with the physiologic processes of the leaf, diminishing the photosynthetic capacity. To test if leaf driptips facilitate leaf drying after rainfall in a tropical rain forest of Costa Rica, we (1) experimentally measured the capacity to retain water on leaf surfaces of 30 plant species before and after driptip removal, and (2) analyzed the development of driptips along forest strata. We expected leaf driptips to be less developed in the upper strata due to the environmental conditions of the canopy (i.e., high solar radiation, strong winds and low relative humidity), which favor the natural drying of leaves. The presence of driptips increased 100% the water run off capacity of leaves in all the analyzed species. Also, the development of leaf driptips was smaller in canopy species than in understory species. Additionally, they became less developed in canopy species as trees increased in height. These results support the hypothesis that the adaptive role of driptips is to facilitate the drying of leaf surfaces.

Curvilinear Effects of Invasive Plants on Plant Diversity: Plant Community Invaded by Sphagneticola trilobata

PubMed Central

Zhai, De-Li; Chen, Si-Chong; Si, Chun-Can; Huang, Ping; Wang, Rui-Ping; Zhong, Qiong-Xin; Du, Dao-Lin

2014-01-01

The effects of invasive plants on the species diversity of plant communities are controversial, showing either a positive or negative linear relationship. Based on community data collected from forty 5 m×5 m plots invaded by Sphagneticola trilobata in eight cities across Hainan Island, China, we found S. trilobata decreased plant community diversity once its cover was beyond 10%. We demonstrated that the effects of invasive/native plants on the plant diversity of communities invaded by S. trilobata were curvilinear. These effects, which showed peaks under different degrees of vegetation cover, appeared not only for S. trilobata and all invasive plants, but also for all native plants. Invasive plants primarily had negative effects on plant diversity when they became abundant at a much lower cover level (less than 35%), compared with the native plants (over 60%). Thus, it is necessary to distinguish a range for assessing the effects of plants, especially invasive plants. Our results also confirmed that the invasion intensity of invasive alien plants increased with the intensity of local economic development. We highlight and further discuss the critical importance of curvilinear effects of biological invasion to provide ideas regarding the conservation of local biodiversity and the management of invasive plants. PMID:25426856

Curvilinear effects of invasive plants on plant diversity: plant community invaded by Sphagneticola trilobata.

PubMed

Qi, Shan-Shan; Dai, Zhi-Cong; Zhai, De-Li; Chen, Si-Chong; Si, Chun-Can; Huang, Ping; Wang, Rui-Ping; Zhong, Qiong-Xin; Du, Dao-Lin

2014-01-01

The effects of invasive plants on the species diversity of plant communities are controversial, showing either a positive or negative linear relationship. Based on community data collected from forty 5 m×5 m plots invaded by Sphagneticola trilobata in eight cities across Hainan Island, China, we found S. trilobata decreased plant community diversity once its cover was beyond 10%. We demonstrated that the effects of invasive/native plants on the plant diversity of communities invaded by S. trilobata were curvilinear. These effects, which showed peaks under different degrees of vegetation cover, appeared not only for S. trilobata and all invasive plants, but also for all native plants. Invasive plants primarily had negative effects on plant diversity when they became abundant at a much lower cover level (less than 35%), compared with the native plants (over 60%). Thus, it is necessary to distinguish a range for assessing the effects of plants, especially invasive plants. Our results also confirmed that the invasion intensity of invasive alien plants increased with the intensity of local economic development. We highlight and further discuss the critical importance of curvilinear effects of biological invasion to provide ideas regarding the conservation of local biodiversity and the management of invasive plants.

Plant-plant competition outcomes are modulated by plant effects on the soil bacterial community.

PubMed

Hortal, S; Lozano, Y M; Bastida, F; Armas, C; Moreno, J L; Garcia, C; Pugnaire, F I

2017-12-19

Competition is a key process that determines plant community structure and dynamics, often mediated by nutrients and water availability. However, the role of soil microorganisms on plant competition, and the links between above- and belowground processes, are not well understood. Here we show that the effects of interspecific plant competition on plant performance are mediated by feedbacks between plants and soil bacterial communities. Each plant species selects a singular community of soil microorganisms in its rhizosphere with a specific species composition, abundance and activity. When two plant species interact, the resulting soil bacterial community matches that of the most competitive plant species, suggesting strong competitive interactions between soil bacterial communities as well. We propose a novel mechanism by which changes in belowground bacterial communities promoted by the most competitive plant species influence plant performance and competition outcome. These findings emphasise the strong links between plant and soil communities, paving the way to a better understanding of plant community dynamics and the effects of soil bacterial communities on ecosystem functioning and services.

Global pattern of plant utilization across different organisms: Does plant apparency or plant phylogeny matter?

PubMed

Dai, Xiaohua; Zhang, Wei; Xu, Jiasheng; Duffy, Kevin J; Guo, Qingyun

2017-04-01

The present study is the first to consider human and nonhuman consumers together to reveal several general patterns of plant utilization. We provide evidence that at a global scale, plant apparency and phylogenetic isolation can be important predictors of plant utilization and consumer diversity. Using the number of species or genera or the distribution area of each plant family as the island "area" and the minimum phylogenetic distance to common plant families as the island "distance", we fitted presence-area relationships and presence-distance relationships with a binomial GLM (generalized linear model) with a logit link. The presence-absence of consumers among each plant family strongly depended on plant apparency (family size and distribution area); the diversity of consumers increased with plant apparency but decreased with phylogenetic isolation. When consumers extended their host breadth, unapparent plants became more likely to be used. Common uses occurred more often on common plants and their relatives, showing higher host phylogenetic clustering than uncommon uses. On the contrary, highly specialized uses might be related to the rarity of plant chemicals and were therefore very species-specific. In summary, our results provide a global illustration of plant-consumer combinations and reveal several general patterns of plant utilization across humans, insects and microbes. First, plant apparency and plant phylogenetic isolation generally govern plant utilization value, with uncommon and isolated plants suffering fewer parasites. Second, extension of the breadth of utilized hosts helps explain the presence of consumers on unapparent plants. Finally, the phylogenetic clustering structure of host plants is different between common uses and uncommon uses. The strength of such consistent plant utilization patterns across a diverse set of usage types suggests that the persistence and accumulation of consumer diversity and use value for plant species are

Apoplastic interactions between plants and plant root intruders.

PubMed

Mitsumasu, Kanako; Seto, Yoshiya; Yoshida, Satoko

2015-01-01

Numerous pathogenic or parasitic organisms attack plant roots to obtain nutrients, and the apoplast including the plant cell wall is where the plant cell meets such organisms. Root parasitic angiosperms and nematodes are two distinct types of plant root parasites but share some common features in their strategies for breaking into plant roots. Striga and Orobanche are obligate root parasitic angiosperms that cause devastating agricultural problems worldwide. Parasitic plants form an invasion organ called a haustorium, where plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are highly expressed. Plant-parasitic nematodes are another type of agriculturally important plant root parasite. These nematodes breach the plant cell walls by protruding a sclerotized stylet from which PCWDEs are secreted. Responding to such parasitic invasion, host plants activate their own defense responses against parasites. Endoparasitic nematodes secrete apoplastic effectors to modulate host immune responses and to facilitate the formation of a feeding site. Apoplastic communication between hosts and parasitic plants also contributes to their interaction. Parasitic plant germination stimulants, strigolactones, are recently identified apoplastic signals that are transmitted over long distances from biosynthetic sites to functioning sites. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the importance of apoplastic signals and cell walls for plant-parasite interactions.

The Use of Bryophytes as Indicators of Hydric Soils and Wetland Hydrology during Wetland Delineations in the United States

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

wetland delineations generally involves separating plants into layers or strata based on life form: tree, vine , shrub , and herb (USACE 1987). ERDC/CRREL...trunks, roots, and coarse woody debris in many wetland types, including floodplain forests (Muhle and LeBlanc 1975), cypress domes (Carr et al. 2006...depositing woody debris, rock, and sediments. Because many bryophytes exhibit strong preferences for a particular substrate, substrate diversity

Collision-induced tectonism along the northwestern margin of the Indian subcontinent as recorded in the Upper Paleocene to Middle Eocene strata of central Pakistan (Kirthar and Sulaiman Ranges)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Johnson, Edward A.; Khan, Intizar H.

1998-01-01

Outcrop data from the Upper Paleocene to Middle Eocene Ghazij Formation of central Pakistan provide information about the depositional environments, source areas, and paleogeographic and tectonic settings along the northwestern margin of the Indian subcontinent during the closing of the Tethys Ocean. In this region, in the lower part of the exposed stratigraphic sequence, are various marine carbonate-shelf deposits (Jurassic to Upper Paleocene). Overlying these strata is the Ghazij, which consists of marine mudstone (lower part), paralic sandstone and mudstone (middle part), and terrestrial mudstone and conglomerate (upper part). Petrographic examination of sandstone samples from the middle and upper parts reveals that rock fragments of the underlying carbonate-shelf deposits are dominant; also present are volcanic rock fragments and chromite grains. Paleocurrent measurements from the middle and upper parts suggest that source areas were located northwest of the study area. We postulate that the source areas were uplifted by the collision of the subcontinent with a landmass during the final stages of the closing of the Tethys Ocean. Middle Eocene carbonate-shelf deposits that overlie the Ghazij record a return to marine conditions prior to the Miocene to Pleistocene sediment influx denoting the main collision with Eurasia.

Atomic Energy Division plant capacity manual Savannah River Plant and Dana Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1960-05-01

This report is a summary of plant service capacities at the Savannah River Plant and the Dana Plant. The report is divided into different areas of the plants, and includes information on services such as process steam, clarified water, deionized water, electric distribution systems, electric generating capacity, filtered water, process water, river water, well water, etc.

Chemical signaling between plants and plant-pathogenic bacteria.

PubMed

Venturi, Vittorio; Fuqua, Clay

2013-01-01

Studies of chemical signaling between plants and bacteria in the past have been largely confined to two models: the rhizobial-legume symbiotic association and pathogenesis between agrobacteria and their host plants. Recent studies are beginning to provide evidence that many plant-associated bacteria undergo chemical signaling with the plant host via low-molecular-weight compounds. Plant-produced compounds interact with bacterial regulatory proteins that then affect gene expression. Similarly, bacterial quorum-sensing signals result in a range of functional responses in plants. This review attempts to highlight current knowledge in chemical signaling that takes place between pathogenic bacteria and plants. This chemical communication between plant and bacteria, also referred to as interkingdom signaling, will likely become a major research field in the future, as it allows the design of specific strategies to create plants that are resistant to plant pathogens.

Microstructure and significance of cordaitean reproductive organs from the lower Permian of Gansu, Northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zixi; Sun, Bainian; Sun, Fankai; Xiong, Conghui; Chen, Yingquan; Wang, Xuelian

2018-06-01

The Late Paleozoic strata are well exposed in Yongchang County, Gansu Province, Northwest China. The strata contain numerous plant fossils. Hence, Yongchang County is a good location to study Paleozoic plants and plate movement. Using well-preserved cordaitean cones and seeds from the lower Permian Taiyuan Formation of Yongchang County, two new species of fossil plants are described, one attributed to the new organ genus Hexianthus (H. shenii sp. nov.) and the other to the seed genus Samaropsis (S. shenii sp. nov.). The micro- and macro-scale features of the cones, including the epidermal features of the bracts and scales, are analyzed in the laboratory. Numerous cordaitean cones with helically arranged bracts and scales (H. shenii sp. nov.) present in the Taiyuan Formation of Yongchang County share similar characteristics with the cordaitean cones which are endemic to the Cathaysian flora. This suggests that the study region was characterized by the Cathaysian flora in the Cisuralian, similar to the Hexi Corridor to the south of the study region. Based on the study of fossil cuticles and their associated plants, the study region of Yongchang County probably had a warm and humid climate during the Cisuralian. In addition, according to the associations between different fossil plants from several localities in Gansu Province (from the Cathaysian flora in the lower Permian to the Cathaysian-Angaran mixed flora in the upper Permian), a possible boundary between the Cathaysian and Angaran floras in Gansu Province can be placed along the Hexi Corridor, which provides important information for the study of floral associations in Northwest China during the Late Paleozoic.

Apoplastic interactions between plants and plant root intruders

PubMed Central

Mitsumasu, Kanako; Seto, Yoshiya; Yoshida, Satoko

2015-01-01

Numerous pathogenic or parasitic organisms attack plant roots to obtain nutrients, and the apoplast including the plant cell wall is where the plant cell meets such organisms. Root parasitic angiosperms and nematodes are two distinct types of plant root parasites but share some common features in their strategies for breaking into plant roots. Striga and Orobanche are obligate root parasitic angiosperms that cause devastating agricultural problems worldwide. Parasitic plants form an invasion organ called a haustorium, where plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are highly expressed. Plant-parasitic nematodes are another type of agriculturally important plant root parasite. These nematodes breach the plant cell walls by protruding a sclerotized stylet from which PCWDEs are secreted. Responding to such parasitic invasion, host plants activate their own defense responses against parasites. Endoparasitic nematodes secrete apoplastic effectors to modulate host immune responses and to facilitate the formation of a feeding site. Apoplastic communication between hosts and parasitic plants also contributes to their interaction. Parasitic plant germination stimulants, strigolactones, are recently identified apoplastic signals that are transmitted over long distances from biosynthetic sites to functioning sites. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the importance of apoplastic signals and cell walls for plant–parasite interactions. PMID:26322059

Ecology of plant volatiles: taking a plant community perspective.

PubMed

Pierik, Ronald; Ballaré, Carlos L; Dicke, Marcel

2014-08-01

Although plants are sessile organisms, they can modulate their phenotype so as to cope with environmental stresses such as herbivore attack and competition with neighbouring plants. Plant-produced volatile compounds mediate various aspects of plant defence. The emission of volatiles has costs and benefits. Research on the role of plant volatiles in defence has focused primarily on the responses of individual plants. However, in nature, plants rarely occur as isolated individuals but are members of plant communities where they compete for resources and exchange information with other plants. In this review, we address the effects of neighbouring plants on plant volatile-mediated defences. We will outline the various roles of volatile compounds in the interactions between plants and other organisms, address the mechanisms of plant neighbour perception in plant communities, and discuss how neighbour detection and volatile signalling are interconnected. Finally, we will outline the most urgent questions to be addressed in the future. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pathogen Phytosensing: Plants to Report Plant Pathogens.

PubMed

Mazarei, Mitra; Teplova, Irina; Hajimorad, M Reza; Stewart, C Neal

2008-04-14

Real-time systems that provide evidence of pathogen contamination in crops can be an important new line of early defense in agricultural centers. Plants possess defense mechanisms to protect against pathogen attack. Inducible plant defense is controlled by signal transduction pathways, inducible promoters and cis-regulatory elements corresponding to key genes involved in defense, and pathogen-specific responses. Identified inducible promoters and cis-acting elements could be utilized in plant sentinels, or 'phytosensors', by fusing these to reporter genes to produce plants with altered phenotypes in response to the presence of pathogens. Here, we have employed cis-acting elements from promoter regions of pathogen inducible genes as well as those responsive to the plant defense signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene. Synthetic promoters were constructed by combining various regulatory elements supplemented with the enhancer elements from the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter to increase basal level of the GUS expression. The inducibility of each synthetic promoter was first assessed in transient expression assays using Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts and then examined for efficacy in stably transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants. Histochemical and fluorometric GUS expression analyses showed that both transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants responded to elicitor and phytohormone treatments with increased GUS expression when compared to untreated plants. Pathogen-inducible phytosensor studies were initiated by analyzing the sensitivity of the synthetic promoters against virus infection. Transgenic tobacco plants infected with Alfalfa mosaic virus showed an increase in GUS expression when compared to mock-inoculated control plants, whereas Tobacco mosaic virus infection caused no changes in GUS expression. Further research, using these transgenic plants against a range of different pathogens with the regulation of detectable

Pathogen Phytosensing: Plants to Report Plant Pathogens

PubMed Central

Mazarei, Mitra; Teplova, Irina; Hajimorad, M. Reza; Stewart, C. Neal

2008-01-01

Real-time systems that provide evidence of pathogen contamination in crops can be an important new line of early defense in agricultural centers. Plants possess defense mechanisms to protect against pathogen attack. Inducible plant defense is controlled by signal transduction pathways, inducible promoters and cis-regulatory elements corresponding to key genes involved in defense, and pathogen-specific responses. Identified inducible promoters and cis-acting elements could be utilized in plant sentinels, or ‘phytosensors’, by fusing these to reporter genes to produce plants with altered phenotypes in response to the presence of pathogens. Here, we have employed cis-acting elements from promoter regions of pathogen inducible genes as well as those responsive to the plant defense signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene. Synthetic promoters were constructed by combining various regulatory elements supplemented with the enhancer elements from the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter to increase basal level of the GUS expression. The inducibility of each synthetic promoter was first assessed in transient expression assays using Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts and then examined for efficacy in stably transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants. Histochemical and fluorometric GUS expression analyses showed that both transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants responded to elicitor and phytohormone treatments with increased GUS expression when compared to untreated plants. Pathogen-inducible phytosensor studies were initiated by analyzing the sensitivity of the synthetic promoters against virus infection. Transgenic tobacco plants infected with Alfalfa mosaic virus showed an increase in GUS expression when compared to mock-inoculated control plants, whereas Tobacco mosaic virus infection caused no changes in GUS expression. Further research, using these transgenic plants against a range of different pathogens with the regulation of detectable

Vision in Plants via Plant-Specific Ocelli?

PubMed

Baluška, Frantisek; Mancuso, Stefano

2016-09-01

Although plants are sessile organisms, almost all of their organs move in space and thus require plant-specific senses to find their proper place with respect to their neighbours. Here we discuss recent studies suggesting that plants are able to sense shapes and colours via plant-specific ocelli. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Upper Paleocene and lowermost Eocene angiosperm pollen biostratigraphy of the eastern Gulf Coast and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frederiksen, N.O.

1998-01-01

Strata comprising most of the upper Paleocene in eastern North America are divided into two new pollen zones, the Carya and Platycarya platycaryoides Interval Zones. Pollen data have proven to be important for correlations between Alabama-western Georgia and eastern Mississippi and between the eastern Gulf Coast and Virginia. Migration of tropical plant taxa from the Caribbean to the Gulf Coast began at least 4 m.y. before the end of the Paleocene. The Terminal Paleocene Extinction Event, accompanied by a distinct pulse of plant immigration from Europe, began several hundred thousand years before the end of the Paleocene.

Plant ecdysteroids: plant sterols with intriguing distributions, biological effects and relations to plant hormones.

PubMed

Tarkowská, Danuše; Strnad, Miroslav

2016-09-01

The present review summarises current knowledge of phytoecdysteroids' biosynthesis, distribution within plants, biological importance and relations to plant hormones. Plant ecdysteroids (phytoecdysteroids) are natural polyhydroxylated compounds that have a four-ringed skeleton, usually composed of either 27 carbon atoms or 28-29 carbon atoms (biosynthetically derived from cholesterol or other plant sterols, respectively). Their physiological roles in plants have not yet been confirmed and their occurrence is not universal. Nevertheless, they are present at high concentrations in various plant species, including commonly consumed vegetables, and have a broad spectrum of pharmacological and medicinal properties in mammals, including hepatoprotective and hypoglycaemic effects, and anabolic effects on skeletal muscle, without androgenic side-effects. Furthermore, phytoecdysteroids can enhance stress resistance by promoting vitality and enhancing physical performance; thus, they are considered adaptogens. This review summarises current knowledge of phytoecdysteroids' biosynthesis, distribution within plants, biological importance and relations to plant hormones.

PlantRGDB: A Database of Plant Retrocopied Genes.

PubMed

Wang, Yi

2017-01-01

RNA-based gene duplication, known as retrocopy, plays important roles in gene origination and genome evolution. The genomes of many plants have been sequenced, offering an opportunity to annotate and mine the retrocopies in plant genomes. However, comprehensive and unified annotation of retrocopies in these plants is still lacking. In this study I constructed the PlantRGDB (Plant Retrocopied Gene DataBase), the first database of plant retrocopies, to provide a putatively complete centralized list of retrocopies in plant genomes. The database is freely accessible at http://probes.pw.usda.gov/plantrgdb or http://aegilops.wheat.ucdavis.edu/plantrgdb. It currently integrates 49 plant species and 38,997 retrocopies along with characterization information. PlantRGDB provides a user-friendly web interface for searching, browsing and downloading the retrocopies in the database. PlantRGDB also offers graphical viewer-integrated sequence information for displaying the structure of each retrocopy. The attributes of the retrocopies of each species are reported using a browse function. In addition, useful tools, such as an advanced search and BLAST, are available to search the database more conveniently. In conclusion, the database will provide a web platform for obtaining valuable insight into the generation of retrocopies and will supplement research on gene duplication and genome evolution in plants. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Plant blindness and the implications for plant conservation.

PubMed

Balding, Mung; Williams, Kathryn J H

2016-12-01

Plant conservation initiatives lag behind and receive considerably less funding than animal conservation projects. We explored a potential reason for this bias: a tendency among humans to neither notice nor value plants in the environment. Experimental research and surveys have demonstrated higher preference for, superior recall of, and better visual detection of animals compared with plants. This bias has been attributed to perceptual factors such as lack of motion by plants and the tendency of plants to visually blend together but also to cultural factors such as a greater focus on animals in formal biological education. In contrast, ethnographic research reveals that many social groups have strong bonds with plants, including nonhierarchical kinship relationships. We argue that plant blindness is common, but not inevitable. If immersed in a plant-affiliated culture, the individual will experience language and practices that enhance capacity to detect, recall, and value plants, something less likely to occur in zoocentric societies. Therefore, conservation programs can contribute to reducing this bias. We considered strategies that might reduce this bias and encourage plant conservation behavior. Psychological research demonstrates that people are more likely to support conservation of species that have human-like characteristics and that support for conservation can be increased by encouraging people to practice empathy and anthropomorphism of nonhuman species. We argue that support for plant conservation may be garnered through strategies that promote identification and empathy with plants. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Plant toxicity, adaptive herbivory, and plant community dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feng, Z.; Liu, R.; DeAngelis, D.L.; Bryant, J.P.; Kielland, K.; Stuart, Chapin F.; Swihart, R.K.

2009-01-01

We model effects of interspecific plant competition, herbivory, and a plant's toxic defenses against herbivores on vegetation dynamics. The model predicts that, when a generalist herbivore feeds in the absence of plant toxins, adaptive foraging generally increases the probability of coexistence of plant species populations, because the herbivore switches more of its effort to whichever plant species is more common and accessible. In contrast, toxin-determined selective herbivory can drive plant succession toward dominance by the more toxic species, as previously documented in boreal forests and prairies. When the toxin concentrations in different plant species are similar, but species have different toxins with nonadditive effects, herbivores tend to diversify foraging efforts to avoid high intakes of any one toxin. This diversification leads the herbivore to focus more feeding on the less common plant species. Thus, uncommon plants may experience depensatory mortality from herbivory, reducing local species diversity. The depensatory effect of herbivory may inhibit the invasion of other plant species that are more palatable or have different toxins. These predictions were tested and confirmed in the Alaskan boreal forest. ?? 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

The iPlant collaborative: cyberinfrastructure for plant biology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The iPlant Collaborative (iPlant) is a United States National Science Foundation (NSF)funded project that aims to create an innovative, comprehensive, and foundational cyberinfrastructure in support of plant biology research (PSCIC, 2006). iPlant is developing cyberinfrastructure that uniquely enabl...

[Development of Plant Metabolomics and Medicinal Plant Genomics].

PubMed

Saito, Kazuki

2018-01-01

 A variety of chemicals produced by plants, often referred to as 'phytochemicals', have been used as medicines, food, fuels and industrial raw materials. Recent advances in the study of genomics and metabolomics in plant science have accelerated our understanding of the mechanisms, regulation and evolution of the biosynthesis of specialized plant products. We can now address such questions as how the metabolomic diversity of plants is originated at the levels of genome, and how we should apply this knowledge to drug discovery, industry and agriculture. Our research group has focused on metabolomics-based functional genomics over the last 15 years and we have developed a new research area called 'Phytochemical Genomics'. In this review, the development of a research platform for plant metabolomics is discussed first, to provide a better understanding of the chemical diversity of plants. Then, representative applications of metabolomics to functional genomics in a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, are described. The extension of integrated multi-omics analyses to non-model specialized plants, e.g., medicinal plants, is presented, including the identification of novel genes, metabolites and networks for the biosynthesis of flavonoids, alkaloids, sulfur-containing metabolites and terpenoids. Further, functional genomics studies on a variety of medicinal plants is presented. I also discuss future trends in pharmacognosy and related sciences.

76 FR 31171 - Importation of Plants for Planting; Establishing a Category of Plants for Planting Not Authorized...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

...We are amending the regulations to establish a new category of regulated articles in the regulations governing the importation of nursery stock, also known as plants for planting. This category will list taxa of plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis. If scientific evidence indicates that a taxon of plants for planting is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest, we will publish a notice that will announce our determination that the taxon is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest, cite the scientific evidence we considered in making this determination, and give the public an opportunity to comment on our determination. If we receive no comments that change our determination, the taxon will subsequently be added to the new category. We will allow any person to petition for a pest risk analysis to be conducted to consider whether to remove a taxon that has been added to the new category. After the pest risk analysis is completed, we will remove the taxon from the category and allow its importation subject to general requirements, allow its importation subject to specific restrictions, or prohibit its importation. We will consider applications for permits to import small quantities of germplasm from taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis, for experimental or scientific purposes under controlled conditions. This new category will allow us to take prompt action on evidence that the importation of a taxon of plants for planting poses a risk while continuing to allow for public participation in the process.

Petrophysical, Lithological and Mineralogical Characteristics of the Shale Strata of the Volga- Ural Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, Vladimir P.; Plotnikova, Irina N.; Pronin, Nikita V.; Nosova, Fidania F.; Pronina, Nailya R.

2014-05-01

The objects of the study are Upper Devonian carbonate rocks in the territory of South-Tatar arch and Melekess basin in the Volga- Urals region. We studied core material of Domanicoid facies from the sediments of Mendymski and Domanik horizons of middle substage of Frasnian stage of the Upper Devonian. Basic analytical research methods included the following: study of the composition, structural and textural features of the rocks, the structure of their voids, filter and reservoir properties and composition of the fluid. The complex research consisted of macroscopic description of the core material, optical microscopy analysis, radiographical analysis, thermal analysis, x-ray tomography, electron microscopy, gas-liquid chromatography, chromate-mass spectrometry, light hydrocarbons analysis using paraphase assay, adsorbed gases analysis, and thermal vacuum degassing method. In addition, we performed isotopic studies of hydrocarbons saturating shale rocks. Shale strata are mainly represented by carbonate-chert rocks. They consist mainly of calcite and quartz. The ratio of these rock-forming minerals varies widely - from 25 to 75 percent. Pyrite, muscovite, albite, and microcline are the most common inclusions. Calcareous and ferruginous dolomite (ankerite), as well as magnesian calcite are tracked down as secondary minerals. While performing the tests we found out that the walls of open fractures filled with oil are stacked by secondary dolomite, which should be considered as an indication moveable oil presence in the open-cut. Electron microscopy data indicate that all the studied samples have porosity - both carbonates and carbonate-siliceous rocks. Idiomorphism of the rock-forming grains and pores that are visible under a microscope bring us to that conclusion. The analysis of the images indicates that the type of reservoir is either porous or granular. The pores are distributed evenly in the volume of rock. Their size is very unstable and varies from 0.5 microns

Plant toxicity, adaptive herbivory, and plant community dynamics

Treesearch

Zhilan Feng; Rongsong Liu; Donald L. DeAngelis; John P. Bryant; Knut Kielland; F. Stuart Chapin; Robert K. Swihart

2009-01-01

We model effects of interspecific plant competition, herbivory, and a plant's toxic defenses against herbivores on vegetation dynamics. The model predicts that, when a generalist herbivore feeds in the absence of plant toxins, adaptive foraging generally increases the probability of coexistence of plant species populations, because the herbivore switches more of...

The iPlant Collaborative: Cyberinfrastructure for Plant Biology.

PubMed

Goff, Stephen A; Vaughn, Matthew; McKay, Sheldon; Lyons, Eric; Stapleton, Ann E; Gessler, Damian; Matasci, Naim; Wang, Liya; Hanlon, Matthew; Lenards, Andrew; Muir, Andy; Merchant, Nirav; Lowry, Sonya; Mock, Stephen; Helmke, Matthew; Kubach, Adam; Narro, Martha; Hopkins, Nicole; Micklos, David; Hilgert, Uwe; Gonzales, Michael; Jordan, Chris; Skidmore, Edwin; Dooley, Rion; Cazes, John; McLay, Robert; Lu, Zhenyuan; Pasternak, Shiran; Koesterke, Lars; Piel, William H; Grene, Ruth; Noutsos, Christos; Gendler, Karla; Feng, Xin; Tang, Chunlao; Lent, Monica; Kim, Seung-Jin; Kvilekval, Kristian; Manjunath, B S; Tannen, Val; Stamatakis, Alexandros; Sanderson, Michael; Welch, Stephen M; Cranston, Karen A; Soltis, Pamela; Soltis, Doug; O'Meara, Brian; Ane, Cecile; Brutnell, Tom; Kleibenstein, Daniel J; White, Jeffery W; Leebens-Mack, James; Donoghue, Michael J; Spalding, Edgar P; Vision, Todd J; Myers, Christopher R; Lowenthal, David; Enquist, Brian J; Boyle, Brad; Akoglu, Ali; Andrews, Greg; Ram, Sudha; Ware, Doreen; Stein, Lincoln; Stanzione, Dan

2011-01-01

The iPlant Collaborative (iPlant) is a United States National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project that aims to create an innovative, comprehensive, and foundational cyberinfrastructure in support of plant biology research (PSCIC, 2006). iPlant is developing cyberinfrastructure that uniquely enables scientists throughout the diverse fields that comprise plant biology to address Grand Challenges in new ways, to stimulate and facilitate cross-disciplinary research, to promote biology and computer science research interactions, and to train the next generation of scientists on the use of cyberinfrastructure in research and education. Meeting humanity's projected demands for agricultural and forest products and the expectation that natural ecosystems be managed sustainably will require synergies from the application of information technologies. The iPlant cyberinfrastructure design is based on an unprecedented period of research community input, and leverages developments in high-performance computing, data storage, and cyberinfrastructure for the physical sciences. iPlant is an open-source project with application programming interfaces that allow the community to extend the infrastructure to meet its needs. iPlant is sponsoring community-driven workshops addressing specific scientific questions via analysis tool integration and hypothesis testing. These workshops teach researchers how to add bioinformatics tools and/or datasets into the iPlant cyberinfrastructure enabling plant scientists to perform complex analyses on large datasets without the need to master the command-line or high-performance computational services.

The iPlant Collaborative: Cyberinfrastructure for Plant Biology

PubMed Central

Goff, Stephen A.; Vaughn, Matthew; McKay, Sheldon; Lyons, Eric; Stapleton, Ann E.; Gessler, Damian; Matasci, Naim; Wang, Liya; Hanlon, Matthew; Lenards, Andrew; Muir, Andy; Merchant, Nirav; Lowry, Sonya; Mock, Stephen; Helmke, Matthew; Kubach, Adam; Narro, Martha; Hopkins, Nicole; Micklos, David; Hilgert, Uwe; Gonzales, Michael; Jordan, Chris; Skidmore, Edwin; Dooley, Rion; Cazes, John; McLay, Robert; Lu, Zhenyuan; Pasternak, Shiran; Koesterke, Lars; Piel, William H.; Grene, Ruth; Noutsos, Christos; Gendler, Karla; Feng, Xin; Tang, Chunlao; Lent, Monica; Kim, Seung-Jin; Kvilekval, Kristian; Manjunath, B. S.; Tannen, Val; Stamatakis, Alexandros; Sanderson, Michael; Welch, Stephen M.; Cranston, Karen A.; Soltis, Pamela; Soltis, Doug; O'Meara, Brian; Ane, Cecile; Brutnell, Tom; Kleibenstein, Daniel J.; White, Jeffery W.; Leebens-Mack, James; Donoghue, Michael J.; Spalding, Edgar P.; Vision, Todd J.; Myers, Christopher R.; Lowenthal, David; Enquist, Brian J.; Boyle, Brad; Akoglu, Ali; Andrews, Greg; Ram, Sudha; Ware, Doreen; Stein, Lincoln; Stanzione, Dan

2011-01-01

The iPlant Collaborative (iPlant) is a United States National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project that aims to create an innovative, comprehensive, and foundational cyberinfrastructure in support of plant biology research (PSCIC, 2006). iPlant is developing cyberinfrastructure that uniquely enables scientists throughout the diverse fields that comprise plant biology to address Grand Challenges in new ways, to stimulate and facilitate cross-disciplinary research, to promote biology and computer science research interactions, and to train the next generation of scientists on the use of cyberinfrastructure in research and education. Meeting humanity's projected demands for agricultural and forest products and the expectation that natural ecosystems be managed sustainably will require synergies from the application of information technologies. The iPlant cyberinfrastructure design is based on an unprecedented period of research community input, and leverages developments in high-performance computing, data storage, and cyberinfrastructure for the physical sciences. iPlant is an open-source project with application programming interfaces that allow the community to extend the infrastructure to meet its needs. iPlant is sponsoring community-driven workshops addressing specific scientific questions via analysis tool integration and hypothesis testing. These workshops teach researchers how to add bioinformatics tools and/or datasets into the iPlant cyberinfrastructure enabling plant scientists to perform complex analyses on large datasets without the need to master the command-line or high-performance computational services. PMID:22645531

Plant rhabdoviruses.

PubMed

Redinbaugh, M G; Hogenhout, S A

2005-01-01

This chapter provides an overview of plant rhabdovirus structure and taxonomy, genome structure, protein function, and insect and plant infection. It is focused on recent research and unique aspects of rhabdovirus biology. Plant rhabdoviruses are transmitted by aphid, leafhopper or planthopper vectors, and the viruses replicate in both their insect and plant hosts. The two plant rhabdovirus genera, Nucleorhabdovirus and Cytorhabdovirus, can be distinguished on the basis of their intracellular site of morphogenesis in plant cells. All plant rhabdoviruses carry analogs of the five core genes: the nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix (M), glycoprotein (G) and large or polymerase (L). However, compared to vesiculoviruses that are composed of the five core genes, all plant rhabdoviruses encode more than these five genes, at least one of which is inserted between the P and M genes in the rhabdoviral genome. Interestingly, while these extra genes are not similar among plant rhabdoviruses, two encode proteins with similarity to the 30K superfamily of plant virus movement proteins. Analysis of nucleorhabdoviral protein sequences revealed nuclear localization signals for the N, P, M and L proteins, consistent with virus replication and morphogenesis of these viruses in the nucleus. Plant and insect factors that limit virus infection and transmission are discussed.

Aboveground mechanical stimuli affect belowground plant-plant communication.

PubMed

Elhakeem, Ali; Markovic, Dimitrije; Broberg, Anders; Anten, Niels P R; Ninkovic, Velemir

2018-01-01

Plants can detect the presence of their neighbours and modify their growth behaviour accordingly. But the extent to which this neighbour detection is mediated by abiotic stressors is not well known. In this study we tested the acclimation response of Zea mays L. seedlings through belowground interactions to the presence of their siblings exposed to brief mechano stimuli. Maize seedling simultaneously shared the growth solution of touched plants or they were transferred to the growth solution of previously touched plants. We tested the growth preferences of newly germinated seedlings toward the growth solution of touched (T_solution) or untouched plants (C_solution). The primary root of the newly germinated seedlings grew significantly less towards T_solution than to C_solution. Plants transferred to T_solution allocated more biomass to shoots and less to roots. While plants that simultaneously shared their growth solution with the touched plants produced more biomass. Results show that plant responses to neighbours can be modified by aboveground abiotic stress to those neighbours and suggest that these modifications are mediated by belowground interactions.

Role of plant hormones in plant defence responses.

PubMed

Bari, Rajendra; Jones, Jonathan D G

2009-03-01

Plant hormones play important roles in regulating developmental processes and signaling networks involved in plant responses to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. Significant progress has been made in identifying the key components and understanding the role of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonates (JA) and ethylene (ET) in plant responses to biotic stresses. Recent studies indicate that other hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), auxin, gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinin (CK), brassinosteroids (BR) and peptide hormones are also implicated in plant defence signaling pathways but their role in plant defence is less well studied. Here, we review recent advances made in understanding the role of these hormones in modulating plant defence responses against various diseases and pests.

Students' Ideas about Plants and Plant Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barman, Charles R.; Stein, Mary; McNair, Shannan; Barman, Natalie S.

2006-01-01

Because the National Science Education Standards (1996) outline specific things K-8 students should know about plants, and previous data indicated that elementary students had difficulty understanding some major ideas about plants and plant growth, the authors of this article thought it appropriate to initiate an investigation to determine the…

Application of plant impedance for diagnosing plant disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Huirong; Jiang, Xuesong; Zhu, Shengpan; Ying, Yibin

2006-10-01

Biological cells have components acting as electrical elements that maintain the health of the cell by regulation of the electrical charge content. Plant impedance is decided by the state of plant physiology and pathology. Plant physiology and pathology can be studies by measuring plant impedance. The effect of Cucumber Mosaic Virus red bean isolate (CMV-RB) on electrical resistance of tomato leaves was studied by the method of impedance measurement. It was found that the value of resistance of tomato leaves infected with CMV-RB was smaller than that in sound plant leaves. This decrease of impedances in leaf tissue was occurred with increased severity of disease. The decrease of resistance of tomato leaves infected with CMV-RB could be detected by electrical resistance detecting within 4 days after inoculation even though significant visible differences between the control and the infected plants were not noted, so that the technique for measurement of tomato leaf tissue impedance is a rapid, clever, simple method on diagnosis of plant disease.

Plants, plant pathogens, and microgravity--a deadly trio.

PubMed

Leach, J E; Ryba-White, M; Sun, Q; Wu, C J; Hilaire, E; Gartner, C; Nedukha, O; Kordyum, E; Keck, M; Leung, H; Guikema, J A

2001-06-01

Plants grown in spaceflight conditions are more susceptible to colonization by plant pathogens. The underlying causes for this enhanced susceptibility are not known. Possibly the formation of structural barriers and the activation of plant defense response components are impaired in spaceflight conditions. Either condition would result from altered gene expression of the plant. Because of the tools available, past studies focused on a few physiological responses or biochemical pathways. With recent advances in genomics research, new tools, including microarray technologies, are available to examine the global impact of growth in the spacecraft on the plant's gene expression profile. In ground-based studies, we have developed cDNA subtraction libraries of rice that are enriched for genes induced during pathogen infection and the defense response. Arrays of these genes are being used to dissect plant defense response pathways in a model system involving wild-type rice plants and lesion mimic mutants. The lesion mimic mutants are ideal experimental tools because they erratically develop defense response-like lesions in the absence of pathogens. The gene expression profiles from these ground-based studies will provide the molecular basis for understanding the biochemical and physiological impacts of spaceflight on plant growth, development and disease defense responses. This, in turn, will allow the development of strategies to manage plant disease for life in the space environment.

Plants, plant pathogens, and microgravity--a deadly trio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, J. E.; Ryba-White, M.; Sun, Q.; Wu, C. J.; Hilaire, E.; Gartner, C.; Nedukha, O.; Kordyum, E.; Keck, M.; Leung, H.;

Plants that attack plants: molecular elucidation of plant parasitism.

PubMed

Yoshida, Satoko; Shirasu, Ken

2012-12-01

Obligate parasitic plants in the family Orobanchaceae, such as Striga and Orobanche (including Phelipanche) spp., parasitize important crops and cause severe agricultural damage. Recent molecular studies have begun to reveal how these parasites have adapted to hosts in a parasitic lifecycle. The parasites detect nearby host roots and germinate by a mechanism that seems to have evolved from a conserved germination system found in non-parasites. The development of a specialized infecting organ called a haustorium is a unique feature of plant parasites and is triggered by host compounds and redox signals. Newly developed genomic and genetic resources will facilitate more rapid progress toward a molecular understanding of plant parasitism. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant maintenance and plant life extension issue, 2006

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agnihotri, Newal

The focus of the March-April issue is on plant maintenance and plant life extension. Major articles/reports in this issue include: Spent fuel: myths and facts, by Jeffrey S. Merrifield, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Critical pipe replacement procedure, by Geoff Gilmore, Climax Portable Machine Tools Inc.; Improving maintenance performance, by Larry Meyer and Joe Giuffre, DC Cook Nuclear Plant, American Electric Power; Equipment deficiency intolerance index, by Douglas F. Helms, Tennessee Valley Authority; Plant profile: I and C modernization at Dukovany, by Josef Rosol, CEZ Dukovany NPP, Czech Republic; and, Report: new plant activities.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, research scientists prepare the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) for planting of Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Orgenic plants: gene-manipulated plants compatible with organic farming.

PubMed

Ryffel, Gerhart U

2012-11-01

Based on recent advances in plant gene technology, I propose to develop a new category of GM plants, orgenic plants, that are compatible with organic farming. These orgenic plants do not contain herbicide resistance genes to avoid herbicide application in agriculture. Furthermore, they either contain genes that are naturally exchanged between species, or are sterile to avoid outcrossing if they received a transgene from a different species. These GM plants are likely to be acceptable to most skeptics of GM plants and facilitate the use of innovative new crops. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Plant traits related to nitrogen uptake influence plant-microbe competition.

PubMed

Moreau, Delphine; Pivato, Barbara; Bru, David; Busset, Hugues; Deau, Florence; Faivre, Céline; Matejicek, Annick; Strbik, Florence; Philippot, Laurent; Mougel, Christophe

2015-08-01

Plant species are important drivers of soil microbial communities. However, how plant functional traits are shaping these communities has received less attention though linking plant and microbial traits is crucial for better understanding plant-microbe interactions. Our objective was to determine how plant-microbe interactions were affected by plant traits. Specifically we analyzed how interactions between plant species and microbes involved in nitrogen cycling were affected by plant traits related to 'nitrogen nutrition in interaction with soil nitrogen availability. Eleven plant species, selected along an oligotrophic-nitrophilic gradient, were grown individually in a nitrogen-poor soil with two levels of nitrate availability. Plant traits for both carbon and nitrogen nutrition were measured and the genetic structure and abundance of rhizosphere. microbial communities, in particular the ammonia oxidizer and nitrate reducer guilds, were analyzed. The structure of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere differed significantly between plant species and these differences depended on nitrogen availability. The results suggest that the rate of nitrogen uptake per unit of root biomass and per day is a key plant trait, explaining why the effect of nitrogen availability on the structure of the bacterial community depends on the plant species. We also showed that the abundance of nitrate reducing bacteria always decreased with increasing nitrogen uptake per unit of root biomass per day, indicating that there was competition for nitrate between plants and nitrate reducing bacteria. This study demonstrates that nitrate-reducing microorganisms may be adversely affected by plants with a high nitrogen uptake rate. Our work puts forward the role of traits related to nitrogen in plant-microbe interactions, whereas carbon is commonly considered as the main driver. It also suggests that plant traits related to ecophysiological processes, such as nitrogen uptake rates, are more

An Automated and Continuous Plant Weight Measurement System for Plant Factory

PubMed Central

Chen, Wei-Tai; Yeh, Yu-Hui F.; Liu, Ting-Yu; Lin, Ta-Te

2016-01-01

In plant factories, plants are usually cultivated in nutrient solution under a controllable environment. Plant quality and growth are closely monitored and precisely controlled. For plant growth evaluation, plant weight is an important and commonly used indicator. Traditional plant weight measurements are destructive and laborious. In order to measure and record the plant weight during plant growth, an automated measurement system was designed and developed herein. The weight measurement system comprises a weight measurement device and an imaging system. The weight measurement device consists of a top disk, a bottom disk, a plant holder and a load cell. The load cell with a resolution of 0.1 g converts the plant weight on the plant holder disk to an analog electrical signal for a precise measurement. The top disk and bottom disk are designed to be durable for different plant sizes, so plant weight can be measured continuously throughout the whole growth period, without hindering plant growth. The results show that plant weights measured by the weight measurement device are highly correlated with the weights estimated by the stereo-vision imaging system; hence, plant weight can be measured by either method. The weight growth of selected vegetables growing in the National Taiwan University plant factory were monitored and measured using our automated plant growth weight measurement system. The experimental results demonstrate the functionality, stability and durability of this system. The information gathered by this weight system can be valuable and beneficial for hydroponic plants monitoring research and agricultural research applications. PMID:27066040

An Automated and Continuous Plant Weight Measurement System for Plant Factory.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Tai; Yeh, Yu-Hui F; Liu, Ting-Yu; Lin, Ta-Te

2016-01-01

In plant factories, plants are usually cultivated in nutrient solution under a controllable environment. Plant quality and growth are closely monitored and precisely controlled. For plant growth evaluation, plant weight is an important and commonly used indicator. Traditional plant weight measurements are destructive and laborious. In order to measure and record the plant weight during plant growth, an automated measurement system was designed and developed herein. The weight measurement system comprises a weight measurement device and an imaging system. The weight measurement device consists of a top disk, a bottom disk, a plant holder and a load cell. The load cell with a resolution of 0.1 g converts the plant weight on the plant holder disk to an analog electrical signal for a precise measurement. The top disk and bottom disk are designed to be durable for different plant sizes, so plant weight can be measured continuously throughout the whole growth period, without hindering plant growth. The results show that plant weights measured by the weight measurement device are highly correlated with the weights estimated by the stereo-vision imaging system; hence, plant weight can be measured by either method. The weight growth of selected vegetables growing in the National Taiwan University plant factory were monitored and measured using our automated plant growth weight measurement system. The experimental results demonstrate the functionality, stability and durability of this system. The information gathered by this weight system can be valuable and beneficial for hydroponic plants monitoring research and agricultural research applications.

7 CFR 302.2 - Movement of plants and plant products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Movement of plants and plant products. 302.2 Section 302.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOVEMENT OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS...

7 CFR 302.2 - Movement of plants and plant products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Movement of plants and plant products. 302.2 Section 302.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOVEMENT OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS...

7 CFR 302.2 - Movement of plants and plant products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Movement of plants and plant products. 302.2 Section 302.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOVEMENT OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS...

7 CFR 302.2 - Movement of plants and plant products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Movement of plants and plant products. 302.2 Section 302.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOVEMENT OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS...

7 CFR 302.2 - Movement of plants and plant products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Movement of plants and plant products. 302.2 Section 302.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOVEMENT OF PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS...

Plant-mycorrhizal interactions mediate plant community coexistence by altering resource demand.

PubMed

Jiang, Jiang; Moore, Jessica A M; Priyadarshi, Anupam; Classen, Aimée T

2017-01-01

As the diversity of plants increases in an ecosystem, so does resource competition for soil nutrients, a process that mycorrhizal fungi can mediate. The influence of mycorrhizal fungi on plant biodiversity likely depends on the strength of the symbiosis between the plant and fungi, the differential plant growth responses to mycorrhizal inoculation, and the transfer rate of nutrients from the fungus to plant. However, our current understanding of how nutrient-plant-mycorrhizal interactions influence plant coexistence is conceptual and thus lacks a unified quantitative framework. To quantify the conditions of plant coexistence mediated by mycorrhizal fungi, we developed a mechanistic resource competition model that explicitly included plant-mycorrhizal symbioses. We found that plant-mycorrhizal interactions shape plant coexistence patterns by creating a tradeoff in resource competition. Especially, a tradeoff in resource competition was caused by differential payback in the carbon resources that plants invested in the fungal symbiosis and/or by the stoichiometric constraints on plants that required additional, less-beneficial, resources to sustain growth. Our results suggested that resource availability and the variation in plant-mycorrhizal interactions act in concert to drive plant coexistence patterns. Applying our framework, future empirical studies should investigate plant-mycorrhizal interactions under multiple levels of resource availability. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Palynological correlation of Atokan and lower desmoinesian (Pennsylvanian) strata between the Illinois basin and the Forest City basin in Eastern Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peppers, R.A.; Brady, L.L.

2007-01-01

Palynological correlation is made between Atokan and lower Desmoinesian strata in the Illinois basin an the Forest City basin in eastern Kansas. Spore data from previous studies of coals in the Illinois basin and other coal basins are compared with data from spore assemblages in coal and carbonaceous shale bands in a core drilled in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Correlations are based on first and/or last occurrences of 31 species common to the Illinois basin and eastern Kansas and on significant increases or decreases in abundance of several of those taxa. The oldest coal, which is 26 ft (8 m) above the top of the Mississippian, is early Atokan (early Westphalian B) in age and is approximately equivalent to the Bell coal bed in the Illinois basin. The Riverton coal bed at the top of the studied interval in Kansas is early Desmoinesian (early Westphalian D) and correlates with about the Lewisport coal bed in the Illinois basin. Three coal beds near the base of the Pennsylvanian in three cores drilled in Cherokee County, Kansas, which were also studied, range in age from late Atokan to early Desmoinesian. As in other coal basins, Lycospora, borne by lycopod trees, greatly dominates the lower and middle Atokan spore assemblages in coals and shale, but spores from ferns, especially tree ferns, significantly increase in abundance in the upper Atokan and lower Desmoinesian. The pattern of change of dominance among Lycosporapellucida, L. granulata, and L, micropapillata in middle Atokan (Westphalian B-C transition) that has been demonstrated earlier in the Illinois basin and eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, also occurs in eastern Kansas. At least 10 species of spores, which appeared in the middle Atokan in other parts of the equatorial coal belt, also appeared at this time in eastern Kansas. Most of these species have their affinities with the ferns, which were adapted to drier habitats than lycopods. Thus, the climate may have become a little drier in the equatorial coal

Mannitol in Plants, Fungi, and Plant-Fungal Interactions.

PubMed

Patel, Takshay K; Williamson, John D

2016-06-01

Although the presence of mannitol in organisms as diverse as plants and fungi clearly suggests that this compound has important roles, our understanding of fungal mannitol metabolism and its interaction with mannitol metabolism in plants is far from complete. Despite recent inroads into understanding the importance of mannitol and its metabolic roles in salt, osmotic, and oxidative stress tolerance in plants and fungi, our current understanding of exactly how mannitol protects against reactive oxygen is also still incomplete. In this opinion, we propose a new model of the interface between mannitol metabolism in plants and fungi and how it impacts plant-pathogen interactions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant immunity: unravelling the complexity of plant responses to biotic stresses.

PubMed

Miller, Robert Neil Gerard; Costa Alves, Gabriel Sergio; Van Sluys, Marie-Anne

2017-03-01

Plants are constantly exposed to evolving pathogens and pests, with crop losses representing a considerable threat to global food security. As pathogen evolution can overcome disease resistance that is conferred by individual plant resistance genes, an enhanced understanding of the plant immune system is necessary for the long-term development of effective disease management strategies. Current research is rapidly advancing our understanding of the plant innate immune system, with this multidisciplinary subject area reflected in the content of the 18 papers in this Special Issue. Advances in specific areas of plant innate immunity are highlighted in this issue, with focus on molecular interactions occurring between plant hosts and viruses, bacteria, phytoplasmas, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes and insect pests. We provide a focus on research across multiple areas related to pathogen sensing and plant immune response. Topics covered are categorized as follows: binding proteins in plant immunity; cytokinin phytohormones in plant growth and immunity; plant-virus interactions; plant-phytoplasma interactions; plant-fungus interactions; plant-nematode interactions; plant immunity in Citrus; plant peptides and volatiles; and assimilate dynamics in source/sink metabolism. Although knowledge of the plant immune system remains incomplete, the considerable ongoing scientific progress into pathogen sensing and plant immune response mechanisms suggests far reaching implications for the development of durable disease resistance against pathogens and pests. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Designing the Perfect Plant: Activities to Investigate Plant Ecology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehnhoff, Erik; Woolbaugh, Walt; Rew, Lisa

2008-01-01

Plant ecology is an important subject that often receives little attention in middle school, as more time during science classes is devoted to plant biology. Therefore, the authors have developed a series of activities, including a card game--Designing the Perfect Plant--to introduce student's to plant ecology and the ecological trade offs…

Effects of plants and plant products on the testis

PubMed Central

D'Cruz, Shereen Cynthia; Vaithinathan, Selvaraju; Jubendradass, Rajamanickam; Mathur, Premendu Prakash

2010-01-01

For centuries, plants and plant-based products have been used as a valuable and safe natural source of medicines for treating various ailments. The therapeutic potential of most of these plants could be ascribed to their anticancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antispasmodic, analgesic and various other pharmacological properties. However, several commonly used plants have been reported to adversely affect male reproductive functions in wildlife and humans. The effects observed with most of the plant and plant-based products have been attributed to the antispermatogenic and/or antisteroidogenic properties of one or more active ingredients. This review discusses the detrimental effects of some of the commonly used plants on various target cells in the testis. A deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of these natural compounds could pave the way for developing therapeutic strategies against their toxicity. PMID:20562897

PlantDB – a versatile database for managing plant research

PubMed Central

Exner, Vivien; Hirsch-Hoffmann, Matthias; Gruissem, Wilhelm; Hennig, Lars

2008-01-01

Background Research in plant science laboratories often involves usage of many different species, cultivars, ecotypes, mutants, alleles or transgenic lines. This creates a great challenge to keep track of the identity of experimental plants and stored samples or seeds. Results Here, we describe PlantDB – a Microsoft® Office Access database – with a user-friendly front-end for managing information relevant for experimental plants. PlantDB can hold information about plants of different species, cultivars or genetic composition. Introduction of a concise identifier system allows easy generation of pedigree trees. In addition, all information about any experimental plant – from growth conditions and dates over extracted samples such as RNA to files containing images of the plants – can be linked unequivocally. Conclusion We have been using PlantDB for several years in our laboratory and found that it greatly facilitates access to relevant information. PMID:18182106

Plant-herbivore interactions mediated by plant toxicity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feng, Z.; Liu, R.; DeAngelis, D.L.

2008-01-01

We explore the impact of plant toxicity on the dynamics of a plant-herbivore interaction, such as that of a mammalian browser and its plant forage species, by studying a mathematical model that includes a toxin-determined functional response. In this functional response, the traditional Holling Type 2 response is modified to include the negative effect of toxin on herbivore growth, which can overwhelm the positive effect of biomass ingestion at sufficiently high plant toxicant concentrations. Two types of consumption decisions of the herbivore are considered. One of these (Case 1) incorporates the adaptation of the herbivore to control its rate of consumption of plant items when that is likely to lead to levels of toxicity that more than offset the marginal gain to the herbivore of consuming more plant biomass, while the other (Case 2) simply assumes that, although the herbivore's rate of ingestion of plant biomass is negatively affected by increasing ingestion of toxicant relative to the load it can safely deal with, the herbivore is not able to prevent detrimental or even lethal levels of toxicant intake. A primary result of this work is that these differences in behavior lead to dramatically different outcomes, summarized in bifurcation diagrams. In Case 2, a wide variety of dynamics may occur due to the interplay of Holling Type 2 dynamics and the effect of the plant toxicant. These dynamics include the occurrence of bistability, in which both a periodic solution and the herbivore-extinction equilibrium are attractors, as well the possibility of a homoclinic bifurcation. Whether the herbivore goes to extinction in the bistable case depends on initial conditions of herbivore and plant biomasses. For relatively low herbivore resource acquisition rates, the toxicant effect increases the likelihood of 'paradox of enrichment' type limit cycle oscillations, but at higher resource acquisition rates, the toxicant may decrease the likelihood of these cycles. ?? 2007

[Review on application of plant growth retardants in medicinal plants cultivation].

PubMed

Zhai, Yu-Yao; Guo, Bao-Lin; Cheng, Ming

2013-09-01

Plant growth retardants are widely used in cultivation of medicinal plant, but there is still lack of scientific guidance. In order to guide the use of plant growth retardants in medicinal plant cultivation efficiently and reasonably, this paper reviewed the mechanism, function characteristic, plant and soil residue of plant growth retardants, such as chlorocholine chloride, mepiquat chloride, paclobutrazol, unicnazle and succinic acid, and summarized the application of plant growth retardants in medicinal plants cultivation in recent years, with focus on the effect of growth and yield of the officinal organs and secondary metabolites.

Evolutionary responses of native plant species to invasive plants: a review.

PubMed

Oduor, Ayub M O

2013-12-01

Strong competition from invasive plant species often leads to declines in abundances and may, in certain cases, cause localized extinctions of native plant species. Nevertheless, studies have shown that certain populations of native plant species can co-exist with invasive plant species,suggesting the possibility of adaptive evolutionary responses of those populations to the invasive plants. Empirical inference of evolutionary responses of the native plant species to invasive plants has involved experiments comparing two conspecific groups of native plants for differences in expression of growth/reproductive traits: populations that have experienced competition from the invasive plant species (i.e. experienced natives) versus populations with no known history of interactions with the invasive plant species (i.e. naıve natives). Here, I employ a meta-analysis to obtain a general pattern of inferred evolutionary responses of native plant species from 53 such studies. In general, the experienced natives had significantly higher growth/reproductive performances than naıve natives, when grown with or without competition from invasive plants.While the current results indicate that certain populations of native plant species could potentially adapt evolutionarily to invasive plant species, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that probably underlie such evolutionary responses remain unexplored and should be the focus of future studies.

4. STEAM PLANT MARINE BOILERS WEST OF STEAM PLANT AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. STEAM PLANT MARINE BOILERS WEST OF STEAM PLANT AND SOUTH OF ORIGINAL STEAM PLANT BOILERS, FROM SOUTH. November 13, 1990 - Crosscut Steam Plant, North side Salt River near Mill Avenue & Washington Street, Tempe, Maricopa County, AZ

Plant Diversity Surpasses Plant Functional Groups and Plant Productivity as Driver of Soil Biota in the Long Term

PubMed Central

Eisenhauer, Nico; Milcu, Alexandru; Sabais, Alexander C. W.; Bessler, Holger; Brenner, Johanna; Engels, Christof; Klarner, Bernhard; Maraun, Mark; Partsch, Stephan; Roscher, Christiane; Schonert, Felix; Temperton, Vicky M.; Thomisch, Karolin; Weigelt, Alexandra; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Scheu, Stefan

2011-01-01

Background One of the most significant consequences of contemporary global change is the rapid decline of biodiversity in many ecosystems. Knowledge of the consequences of biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems is largely restricted to single ecosystem functions. Impacts of key plant functional groups on soil biota are considered to be more important than those of plant diversity; however, current knowledge mainly relies on short-term experiments. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied changes in the impacts of plant diversity and presence of key functional groups on soil biota by investigating the performance of soil microorganisms and soil fauna two, four and six years after the establishment of model grasslands. The results indicate that temporal changes of plant community effects depend on the trophic affiliation of soil animals: plant diversity effects on decomposers only occurred after six years, changed little in herbivores, but occurred in predators after two years. The results suggest that plant diversity, in terms of species and functional group richness, is the most important plant community property affecting soil biota, exceeding the relevance of plant above- and belowground productivity and the presence of key plant functional groups, i.e. grasses and legumes, with the relevance of the latter decreasing in time. Conclusions/Significance Plant diversity effects on biota are not only due to the presence of key plant functional groups or plant productivity highlighting the importance of diverse and high-quality plant derived resources, and supporting the validity of the singular hypothesis for soil biota. Our results demonstrate that in the long term plant diversity essentially drives the performance of soil biota questioning the paradigm that belowground communities are not affected by plant diversity and reinforcing the importance of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning. PMID:21249208

Unifying plant molecular data and plants.

PubMed

Jacobsen, N; Orgaard, M

1996-01-01

Located at a botanical department at an Agricultural University, our taxonomical and genetic research is mainly directed towards cultivated plants and their wild relatives. The investigations are usually under a common heading 'experimental taxonomy', and include basic systematics, cytogenetics, biodiversity, population dynamics, conservation and evolutionary questions correlating the wild species and the cultivated forms. Our point of initiation is the plants and questions/problems raised regarding these plants. Our way of approaching the problems is usually by applying different sets of data and testing them. Experimental taxonomy covers classical cytogenetics (chromosome counting and karyotyping) as well as molecular cytogenetic methods (RAPD, RFLP, in situ hybridization), and includes also chemical data on isoenzymes and anthocyanins. We have had good collaborations with other laboratories and found their expertise on the plants in question very helpful. The aim is always to unify various data on the same set of problems, in order to get a more complete understanding of the plants. At present the department is working on several, quite different plant genera, comprising herbs, aquatic plants, and trees. The methods vary, depending on the plants and the problems in question. Some of the current investigations concern the horticultural genera Lilium and Crocus, in which the main point of interest is the study of chromosome evolution using fluorescence in situ hybridization; preliminary investigations into the composition of anthocyanins in Crocus look very promising. In the tropical starch tuber crop Pachyrhizus (Fabaceae), molecular analyses of relationships between existing cultivars, landraces and wild material have been carried out. A genus which we, in cooperation with a number of other laboratories, have been working with for many years is Hordeum (Poaceae) with one cultivated species (barley) and 31 wild species. Here the main areas of investigation have

Plants and plant products with potential antipsoriatic activity--a review.

PubMed

Kaur, Arshdeep; Kumar, Suresh

2012-12-01

Psoriasis vulgaris is a hyper proliferative, autoimmune skin disorder affecting 1-3% of the world's population. The prescribed synthetic drugs for the treatment of psoriasis are associated with severe side effects, thus, researchers around the globe are searching for new, effective, and safer drugs from natural resources. The present review has been prepared with an objective to compile exhaustive literature on pharmacological reports on antipsoriatic plants, plant products, and formulations. An attempt has been made to incorporate chemical constituents (with structures) isolated from different plants responsible for antipsoriatic activity and their possible mechanism of actions in this review. The review has been compiled using references from major databases like Chemical Abstracts, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, PubMed, Scirus, Google scholar, Open J Gate, Scopus, Science Direct and Online Journals, and includes 127 references. A survey of literature revealed that extracts/fractions/isolates from 18 plants, 23 chemical constituents of plant origin and 40 plant-based formulations from various systems of medicine have been reported to possess antipsoriatic activity, and 37 antipsoriatic formulations containing plants have been patented. Preliminary antipsoriatic activity studies have been carried out on crude extracts of traditionally used and medicinally promising plants. Such plants need to be explored properly with a view to isolate antipsoriatic constituents, and to evaluate their possible mode of actions so that these plant drugs could be exploited properly as potential antipsoriatic drugs.

Plant food allergy: Influence of chemicals on plant allergens.

PubMed

Shahali, Youcef; Dadar, Maryam

2018-05-01

Plant-derived foods are the most common allergenic sources in adulthood. Owing to the rapidly increasing prevalence of plant food allergies in industrialized countries, the environmental factors are suspected to play a key role in development of allergic sensitization. The present article provides an overview of ways by which chemicals may influence the development and severity of allergic reactions to plant foods, with especial focus on plant allergens up-regulated under chemical stress. In plants, a substantial part of allergens have defense-related function and their expression is highly influenced by environmental stress and diseases. Pathogenesis-related proteins (PR) account for about 25% of plant food allergens and some are responsible for extensive cross-reactions between plant-derived foods, pollen and latex allergens. Chemicals released by anthropogenic sources such as agriculture, industrial activities and traffic-related air pollutants are potential drivers of the increasing sensitization to allergenic PRs by elevating their expression and by altering their immunogenicity through post-translational modifications. In addition, some orally-taken chemicals may act as immune adjuvants or directly trigger non-IgE mediated food allergy. Taken together, the current literature provides an overwhelming body of evidence supporting the fact that plant chemical exposure and chemicals in diet may enhance the allergenic properties of certain plant-derived foods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Native Plant and Microbial Contributions to a Negative Plant-Plant Interaction1[OA

PubMed Central

Bains, Gurdeep; Sampath Kumar, Amutha; Rudrappa, Thimmaraju; Alff, Emily; Hanson, Thomas E.; Bais, Harsh P.

2009-01-01

A number of hypotheses have been suggested to explain why invasive exotic plants dramatically increase their abundance upon transport to a new range. The novel weapons hypothesis argues that phytotoxins secreted by roots of an exotic plant are more effective against naïve resident competitors in the range being invaded. The common reed Phragmites australis has a diverse population structure including invasive populations that are noxious weeds in North America. P. australis exudes the common phenolic gallic acid, which restricts the growth of native plants. However, the pathway for free gallic acid production in soils colonized by P. australis requires further elucidation. Here, we show that exotic, invasive P. australis contain elevated levels of polymeric gallotannin relative to native, noninvasive P. australis. We hypothesized that polymeric gallotannin can be attacked by tannase, an enzymatic activity produced by native plant and microbial community members, to release gallic acid in the rhizosphere and exacerbate the noxiousness of P. australis. Native plants and microbes were found to produce high levels of tannase while invasive P. australis produced very little tannase. These results suggest that both invasive and native species participate in signaling events that initiate the execution of allelopathy potentially linking native plant and microbial biochemistry to the invasive traits of an exotic species. PMID:19776161

Eustatic and tectonic control of deposition of the lower and middle Pennsylvanian strata of the Central Appalachian Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chesnut, D.R.

1997-01-01

Stratigraphic analysis of Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian rocks of part of the Central Appalachian Basin reveals two orders of cycles and one overall trend in the vertical sequence of coal-bearing rocks. The smallest order cycle, the coal-clastic cycle, begins at the top of a major-resource coal bed and is composed of a vertical sequence of shale, siltstone, sandstone, seat rock, and overlying coal, which, in turn, is overlain by the next coal-clastic sequence. The average duration of the coal-clastic cycle has been calculated to be about 0.4 m.y. The major marine-transgression cycle is composed of five to seven coal-clastic cycles and is distinguished by the occurrence of widespread, relatively thick (generally thicker than 5 m) marine strata at its base. The duration of this cycle has been calculated to be about 2.5 m.y. The Breathitt coarsening-upward trend describes the general upward coarsening of the Middle Pennsylvanian part of the Breathitt Group. The Breathitt Group includes eight major marine-transgression cycles, and was deposited during a period of approximately 20 m.y. The average duration of coal-clastic cycles is of the same order of magnitude (105 year) as the Milankovitch orbital-eccentricity cycles, and matches the 0.4 m.y. second-order eccentricity cycle (Long Earth-Eccentricity cycle). These orbital periodicities are thought to modulate glacial stages and glacio-eustatic levels. The calculated periodicities of the coal-clastic cycles can be used as evidence for glacio-eustatic control of the coal-bearing rocks of the Appalachian Basin. The 2.5-m.y. periodicity of the major marine-transgression cycle does not match any known orbital or tectonic cycle; the cause of this cycle is unknown, but it might represent episodic thrusting in the orogen, propagation of intraplate stresses, or an unidentified orbital cycle. The Breathitt coarsening-upward trend is interpreted to represent the increasing intensity and proximity of the Alleghenian Orogeny

Comparison of three solid phase extraction sorbents for the isolation of THM precursors from manitoban surface waters.

PubMed

Goss, C D; Wiens, R; Gorczyca, B; Gough, K M

2017-02-01

Three prepackaged solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges: two modified styrene divinylbenzene, Bond Elut ENV and Bond Elut PPL (Varian), and one N-vinylpyrrolidone (Strata-X, Phenomenex), were assessed for isolation of THM precursors from three surface waters in Manitoba, Canada. The dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the La Salle River (LR), Lake Winnipegosis (LW) and the Waterhen River (WR) were fractionated into hydrophobic (HPO) and hydrophilic (HPI) parts. ENV isolated less DOM (LR = 46.6 ± 1.5%; LW = 36.2 ± 1.4%; WR = 28.6 ± 2.2%) compared to PPL (LR = 50.2 ± 4.4%; LW = 47.9 ± 2.2%; WR = 37.3 ± 2.8%) and Strata (LR = 46.4% ± 1.0; LW = 51.6 ± 0.3%; WR = 31.9 ± 3.9%). The HPO fraction isolated by each SPE was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrochemical imaging. The FTIR spectra confirmed the HPO fractions were typical of humic-material and largely resembled fulvic acids; however, the PPL and Strata HPO isolates contained slightly more polysaccharides. The THM formation potential (THMFP) confirmed that the HPO fraction formed more THMs than the HPI. The HPO fraction isolated using ENV was found to have the lowest THMFP of all three SPEs in each waterbody; however, the specific THMFP (μgTHM/mgDOM) results indicated that ENV isolated THM precursors more effectively, as the Strata and PPL isolated a greater amount of non-THM forming material. All three SPE showed significant potential for implementation at water treatment plants as a simple tool to monitor THM precursors in source waters, enabling operators to adapt processes to improve drinking water quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Considering Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Maura C.

1991-01-01

Examples from research that incorporate plants to illustrate biological principles are presented. Topics include dried pea shape, homeotic genes, gene transcription in plants that are touched or wounded, production of grasslands, seaweed defenses, migrating plants, camouflage, and family rivalry. (KR)

Aquatic Plant Control Research Program. Allelopathic Aquatic Plants for Aquatic Plant Management: A Feasibility Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-01

1978. " Ecotoxicology of aquatic plant communi- ties," Principles of Ecotoxicology , SCOPE Report 12, Chapter 11, pp 239-255. [Heavy metals, Pollutants...Phragmites communis and Equisetum limosum were cultivated . They found plant-plant influences depend on soil type. Typha latifolia, S. A2 lacustris, and

Plant fertilizer poisoning

MedlinePlus

Plant fertilizers and household plant foods are used to improve plant growth. Poisoning can occur if someone swallows these products. Plant fertilizers are mildly poisonous if small amounts are swallowed. ...

Making Plant-Support Structures From Waste Plant Fiber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrow, Robert C.; < oscjmocl. < attjew K/; {ertzbprm. A,amda; Ej (e. Cjad); Hunt, John

2006-01-01

Environmentally benign, biodegradable structures for supporting growing plants can be made in a process based on recycling of such waste plant fiber materials as wheat straw or of such derivative materials as paper and cardboard. Examples of structures that can be made in this way include plant plugs, pots, planter-lining mats, plant fences, and root and shoot barriers. No chemical binders are used in the process. First, the plant material is chopped into smaller particles. The particles are leached with water or steam to remove material that can inhibit plant growth, yielding a fibrous slurry. If the desired structures are plugs or sheets, then the slurry is formed into the desired shapes in a pulp molding subprocess. If the desired structures are root and shoot barriers, pots, or fences, then the slurry is compression-molded to the desired shapes in a heated press. The processed materials in these structures have properties similar to those of commercial pressboard, but unlike pressboard, these materials contain no additives. These structures have been found to withstand one growth cycle, even when wet

Plant maintenance and plant life extension issue, 2009

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agnihotri, Newal

The focus of the March-April issue is on plant maintenance and plant life extension. Major articles include the following: Application of modeling and simulation to nuclear power plants, by Berry Gibson, IBM, and Rolf Gibbels, Dassault Systems; Steam generators with tight manufacturing procedures, by Ei Kadokami, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; SG design based on operational experience and R and D, by Jun Tang, Babcock and Wilcox Canada; Confident to deliver reliable performance, by Bruce Bevilacqua, Westinghouse Nuclear; An evolutionary plant design, by Martin Parece, AREVA NP, Inc.; and, Designed for optimum production, by Danny Roderick, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Industry Innovationmore » articles include: Controlling alloy 600 degradation, by John Wilson, Exelon Nuclear Corporation; Condensate polishing innovation, by Lewis Crone, Dominion Millstone Power Station; Reducing deposits in steam generators, by the Electric Power Research Institute; and, Minimizing Radiological effluent releases, by the Electric Power Research Institute. The plant profile article is titled 2008 - a year of 'firsts' for AmerenUE's Callaway plant, by Rick Eastman, AmerenUE.« less

Chapter 15. Plant pathology and managing wildland plant disease systems

Treesearch

David L. Nelson

2004-01-01

Obtaining specific, reliable knowledge on plant diseases is essential in wildland shrub resource management. However, plant disease is one of the most neglected areas of wildland resources experimental research. This section is a discussion of plant pathology and how to use it in managing plant disease systems.

Breathe Plant, Breathe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, M.

2017-12-01

Some of the research that I have found is that plants with green oxygen produce the most oxygen.Green oxygen is the Some examples of plants like this are spouts (such as the sweet pea, buckwheat, and sunflower.) Some of the other plants are the snake plant and the areca plant. These three plants are most commonly used in households to produce more oxygen when needed. Looking at a few more websites I saw that the plants do not produce oxygen at night because they have no light to transfer within photosynthesis. Some other information that I got was that plants with thick leaves or have a lot of leaves on them produce more oxygen. Some examples of this are the peace lily and the bamboo palm. Since these plants have thick and big leaves they have more photosynthesis cells and can produce more oxygen.

Recognizing the Albian-Cenomanian (OAE1d) sequence boundary using plant carbon isotopes: Dakota Formation, Western Interior Basin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grocke, D.R.; Ludvigson, Greg A.; Witzke, B.L.; Robinson, S.A.; Joeckel, R.M.; Ufnar, David F.; Ravn, R.L.

2006-01-01

Analysis of bulk sedimentary organic matter and charcoal from an Albian-Cenomanian fluvial-estuarine succession (Dakota Formation) at Rose Creek Pit (RCP), Nebraska, reveals a negative excursion of ???3???, in late Albian strata. Overlying Cenomanian strata have ??13C values of -24???, to -23???, that are similar to pre-excursion values. The absence of an intervening positive excursion (as exists in marine records of the Albian-Cenomanian boundary) likely results from a depositional hiatus. The corresponding positive ??13C event and proposed depositional hiatus are concordant with a regionally identified sequence boundary in the Dakota Formation (D2), as well as a major regressive phase throughout the globe at the Albian-Cenomanian boundary. Data from RCP confirm suggestions that some positive carbon-isotope excursions in the geologic record are coincident with regressive sea-level phases. We estimate using isotopic correlation that the D2 sequence boundary at RCP was on the order of 0.5 m.y. in duration. Therefore, interpretations of isotopic events and associated environmental phenomena, such as oceanic anoxic events, in the shallow-marine and terrestrial record may be influenced by stratigraphic incompleteness. Further investigation of terrestrial ??13C records may be useful in recognizing and constraining sea-level changes in the geologic record. ?? 2006 Geological Society of America.

Hardwood planting

Treesearch

Richard M. Godman

1992-01-01

Hardwood planting used to be most common on private land. Now more and more hardwoods are being planted on public land. Not much hardwood planting research is going on but recent summaries of earlier trials allow us to give you the following guidelines.

Exotic plant species attack revegetation plants in post-coal mining areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusuf, Muhammad; Arisoesilaningsih, Endang

2017-11-01

This study aimed to explore some invasive exotic plant species that have the potential to disrupt the growth of revegetation plants in post-coal mining areas. This research was conducted in a revegetation area of PT, Amanah Anugerah Adi Mulia (A3M) Kintap site, South Borneo. Direct observation was carried out on some revegetation areas by observing the growth of revegetation plants disturbed by exotic plant species and the spread of exotic plant species. Based on observation, several invasive exotic plant species were identified including Mikania cordata, Centrosema pubescence, Calopogonium mucunoides, Mimosa pudica, Ageratum conyzoides, and Chromolaena odorata. These five plant species grew wild in the revegetation area and showed ability to disrupt the growth of other plants. In some tree species, such as Acacia mangium, Paraserianthes falcataria, M. cordata could inhibit the growth and even kill the trees through covering the tree canopy. So, the trees could not receive optimum sun light for photosynthesis processes. M. cordata was also observed to have the most widespread distribution. Several exotic plant species such as C. mucunoides, M. pudica, and A. conyzoides were observed to have deep root systems compared with plant species used for revegetation. This growth characteristic allowed exotic plant species to win the competition for nutrient absorption with other plant species.

Electronic plants

PubMed Central

Stavrinidou, Eleni; Gabrielsson, Roger; Gomez, Eliot; Crispin, Xavier; Nilsson, Ove; Simon, Daniel T.; Berggren, Magnus

2015-01-01

The roots, stems, leaves, and vascular circuitry of higher plants are responsible for conveying the chemical signals that regulate growth and functions. From a certain perspective, these features are analogous to the contacts, interconnections, devices, and wires of discrete and integrated electronic circuits. Although many attempts have been made to augment plant function with electroactive materials, plants’ “circuitry” has never been directly merged with electronics. We report analog and digital organic electronic circuits and devices manufactured in living plants. The four key components of a circuit have been achieved using the xylem, leaves, veins, and signals of the plant as the template and integral part of the circuit elements and functions. With integrated and distributed electronics in plants, one can envisage a range of applications including precision recording and regulation of physiology, energy harvesting from photosynthesis, and alternatives to genetic modification for plant optimization. PMID:26702448

Contrasting effects of invasive plants in plant-pollinator networks.

PubMed

Bartomeus, Ignasi; Vilà, Montserrat; Santamaría, Luís

2008-04-01

The structural organization of mutualism networks, typified by interspecific positive interactions, is important to maintain community diversity. However, there is little information available about the effect of introduced species on the structure of such networks. We compared uninvaded and invaded ecological communities, to examine how two species of invasive plants with large and showy flowers (Carpobrotus affine acinaciformis and Opuntia stricta) affect the structure of Mediterranean plant-pollinator networks. To attribute differences in pollination to the direct presence of the invasive species, areas were surveyed that contained similar native plant species cover, diversity and floral composition, with or without the invaders. Both invasive plant species received significantly more pollinator visits than any native species and invaders interacted strongly with pollinators. Overall, the pollinator community richness was similar in invaded and uninvaded plots, and only a few generalist pollinators visited invasive species exclusively. Invasive plants acted as pollination super generalists. The two species studied were visited by 43% and 31% of the total insect taxa in the community, respectively, suggesting they play a central role in the plant-pollinator networks. Carpobrotus and Opuntia had contrasting effects on pollinator visitation rates to native plants: Carpobrotus facilitated the visit of pollinators to native species, whereas Opuntia competed for pollinators with native species, increasing the nestedness of the plant-pollinator network. These results indicate that the introduction of a new species to a community can have important consequences for the structure of the plant-pollinator network.

Plants on Display

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawniczak, Stefanie; Gerber, D. Timothy; Beck, Judy

2004-01-01

Food, medicine, clothing--much of what people encounter every day comes from plants or plant products. However, plants often do not get as much attention in the K-12 curriculum as they deserve. Because of the essential role plants play in peoples lives, it is important to include standards-based plant units in the elementary science curriculum.…

Plant intentionality and the phenomenological framework of plant intelligence

PubMed Central

Marder, Michael

2012-01-01

This article aims to bridge phenomenology and the study of plant intelligence with the view to enriching both disciplines. Besides considering the world from the perspective of sessile organisms, it would be necessary, in keeping with the phenomenological framework, to rethink (1) the meaning of being-sessile and being-in-a-place; (2) the concepts of sentience and attention; (3) how aboveground and underground environments appear to plants; (4) the significance of modular development for our understanding of intelligence; and (5) the concept of communication within and between plants and plant tissues. What emerges from these discussions is the image of a mind embodied in plant life. PMID:22951403

Auxin crosstalk to plant immune networks: a plant-pathogen interaction perspective.

PubMed

Naseem, Muhammad; Srivastava, Mugdha; Tehseen, Muhammad; Ahmed, Nazeer

2015-01-01

The plant hormone auxin regulates a whole repertoire of plant growth and development. Many plant-associated microorganisms, by virtue of their auxin production capability, mediate phytostimulation effects on plants. Recent studies, however, demonstrate diverse mechanisms whereby plant pathogens manipulate auxin biosynthesis, signaling and transport pathways to promote host susceptibility. Auxin responses have been coupled to their antagonistic and synergistic interactions with salicylic acid and jasmonate mediated defenses, respectively. Here, we discuss that a better understanding of auxin crosstalk to plant immune networks would enable us to engineer crop plants with higher protection and low unintended yield losses.

Plant diversity and plant identity influence Fusarium communities in soil.

PubMed

LeBlanc, Nicholas; Kinkel, Linda; Kistler, H Corby

2017-01-01

Fusarium communities play important functional roles in soil and in plants as pathogens, endophytes, and saprotrophs. This study tests how rhizosphere Fusarium communities may vary with plant species, changes in the diversity of the surrounding plant community, and soil physiochemical characteristics. Fusarium communities in soil associated with the roots of two perennial prairie plant species maintained as monocultures or growing within polyculture plant communities were characterized using targeted metagenomics. Amplicon libraries targeting the RPB2 locus were generated from rhizosphere soil DNAs and sequenced using pyrosequencing. Sequences were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and assigned a taxonomy using the Evolutionary Placement Algorithm. Fusarium community composition was differentiated between monoculture and polyculture plant communities, and by plant species in monoculture, but not in polyculture. Taxonomic classification of the Fusarium OTUs showed a predominance of F. tricinctum and F. oxysporum as well of the presence of a clade previously only found in the Southern Hemisphere. Total Fusarium richness was not affected by changes in plant community richness or correlated with soil physiochemical characteristics. However, OTU richness within two predominant phylogenetic lineages within the genus was positively or negatively correlated with soil physiochemical characteristics among samples within each lineage. This work shows that plant species, plant community richness, and soil physiochemical characteristics may all influence the composition and richness of Fusarium communities in soil.

The subduction-accretion history of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean: Constraints from provenance and geochronology of the Mesozoic strata near Gaize, central Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shun; Ding, Lin; Guilmette, Carl; Fu, Jiajun; Xu, Qiang; Yue, Yahui; Henrique-Pinto, Renato

2017-04-01

The Mesozoic strata, within the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone in central Tibet, recorded critical information about the subduction-accretion processes of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean prior to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. This paper reports detailed field observations, petrographic descriptions, sandstone detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic analyses from an accretionary complex (preserved as Mugagangri Group) and the unconformably overlying Shamuluo Formation near Gaize. The youngest detrital zircon ages, together with other age constraints from literature, suggest that the Mugagangri Group was deposited during late Triassic-early Jurassic, while the Shamuluo Formation was deposited during late Jurassic-early Cretaceous. Based on the differences in lithology, age and provenance, the Mugagangri Group is subdivided into the upper, middle and lower subunits. These units are younging structurally downward/southward, consistent with models of progressive off-scrapping and accretion in a southward-facing subduction complex. The upper subunit, comprising mainly quartz-sandstone and siliceous mud/shale, was deposited in abyssal plain environment close to the Qiangtang passive margin during late Triassic, with sediments derived from the southern Qiangtang block. The middle and lower subunits comprise mainly lithic-quartz-sandstone and mud/shale, containing abundant ultramafic/ophiolitic fragments. The middle subunit, of late Triassic-early Jurassic age, records a transition in tectono-depositional setting from abyssal plain to trench-wedge basin, with sudden influx of sediments sourced from the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt and northern Qiangtang magmatic belt. The appearance of ultramafic/ophiolitic fragments in the middle subunit reflects the subduction initiation. The lower subunit was deposited in a trench-wedge basin during early Jurassic, with influx of Jurassic-aged zircons originating from the newly active southern Qiangtang magmatic arc. The lower subunit

Medicinal Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillipson, J. David

1997-01-01

Highlights the demand for medicinal plants as pharmaceuticals and the demand for health care treatments worldwide and the issues that arise from this. Discusses new drugs from plants, anticancer drugs, antiviral drugs, antimalarial drugs, herbal remedies, quality, safety, efficacy, and conservation of plants. Contains 30 references. (JRH)

PLANT WATER STATUS INFLUENCES OZONE SENSITIVITY OF BEAN PLANTS

EPA Science Inventory

Studies were conducted in a controlled environment chamber to determine the association between plant water status and ozone sensitivity. Bean plants were subjected to various water stress regimes for 4 to 10 days using a semipermeable membrane system which controlled plant water...

[Distribution of HCB discharged from a chemical plant in plants].

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Wang, Lin-Ling; Lu, Xiao-Hua; Yuan, Song-Hu; Liu, Xi-Xiang; Wang, Yue; Zhao, Qian; Mei, Ling-Fang

2009-04-15

The distribution characteristics of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in plant and rhizosphere soil in contamination conduit, a nearby river and a cropland were studied and the impact factors were also discussed. The results are summarized as follows: the range of the HCB concentration in plant and rhizosphere soil in investigation area were respectively from 4.45 microg x kg(-1) to 1,189.89 microg x kg(-1) (dw) and from 27.93 microg x kg(-1) to 3,480.71 microg x kg(-1) (dw). Higher enrichment of HCB in woodplant than herbs due to higher fat concentration in woodplant in the contamination conduit and the rich concentrtion factor of woodplant and herbs were 0.41-2.55 and 0.01-1.34. The range of HCB concentrations in plants in nearby croplands was significantly wide (4.45-333.1 microg x kg(-1)) while HCB concentrations in different parts of plant were various, e.g. HCB concentrations in fruit, root and shoot of taro were 318.77 microg x kg(-1), 281.02 microg x kg(-1) and 10.94 microg x kg(-1). There was a remarkable positive relation between the concentrations of HCB in plant and fat concentration of plant while no relativity between the concentrations of HCB in plant and those in ground soils in the contamination conduit and cropland. The concentration levels of HCB in plant and rhizosphere soil in river were dramatically decreased with increasing distance from contaminated conduit. There was a remarkable positive relation between the concentrations of HCB in plant and those in ground soils but no relation between concentrations of HCB in plant and fat concentration of plant in river. The distribution characteristics of HCB in plants were influenced by contaminated levels, fat concentration and Partition-transfer model.

Promoting Interest in Plant Biology with Biographies of Plant Hunters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daisey, Peggy

1996-01-01

Describes the use of biographical stories to promote student interest in plant biology. Discusses plant hunters of various time periods, including ancient, middle ages, renaissance, colonial Americas, and 18th and 19th centuries; women plant hunters of the 1800s and early 1900s; and modern plant hunters. Discusses classroom strategies for the…

Plant Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Hideo

Recently, much attention is paid on the plant factory, as it enable to grow plants stably under extraordinary climate condition such as high and/or low air temperature and less rain. Lots of questions such as decreasing investing cost, realizing stable plant production and developing new growing technique should be solved for making popular this growing system. However, I think that we can introduce a highly developed Japanese industrial now-how to plant factory system and can produce a business chance to the world market.

A widespread plant-fungal-bacterial symbiosis promotes plant biodiversity, plant nutrition and seedling recruitment

PubMed Central

van der Heijden, Marcel GA; Bruin, Susanne de; Luckerhoff, Ludo; van Logtestijn, Richard SP; Schlaeppi, Klaus

2016-01-01

Highly diverse microbial assemblages colonize plant roots. It is still poorly understood whether different members of this root microbiome act synergistically by supplying different services (for example, different limiting nutrients) to plants and plant communities. In order to test this, we manipulated the presence of two widespread plant root symbionts, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria in model grassland communities established in axenic microcosms. Here, we demonstrate that both symbionts complement each other resulting in increased plant diversity, enhanced seedling recruitment and improved nutrient acquisition compared with a single symbiont situation. Legume seedlings obtained up to 15-fold higher productivity if they formed an association with both symbionts, opposed to productivity they reached with only one symbiont. Our results reveal the importance of functional diversity of symbionts and demonstrate that different members of the root microbiome can complement each other in acquiring different limiting nutrients and in driving important ecosystem functions. PMID:26172208

A widespread plant-fungal-bacterial symbiosis promotes plant biodiversity, plant nutrition and seedling recruitment.

PubMed

van der Heijden, Marcel G A; de Bruin, Susanne; Luckerhoff, Ludo; van Logtestijn, Richard S P; Schlaeppi, Klaus

2016-02-01

Highly diverse microbial assemblages colonize plant roots. It is still poorly understood whether different members of this root microbiome act synergistically by supplying different services (for example, different limiting nutrients) to plants and plant communities. In order to test this, we manipulated the presence of two widespread plant root symbionts, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria in model grassland communities established in axenic microcosms. Here, we demonstrate that both symbionts complement each other resulting in increased plant diversity, enhanced seedling recruitment and improved nutrient acquisition compared with a single symbiont situation. Legume seedlings obtained up to 15-fold higher productivity if they formed an association with both symbionts, opposed to productivity they reached with only one symbiont. Our results reveal the importance of functional diversity of symbionts and demonstrate that different members of the root microbiome can complement each other in acquiring different limiting nutrients and in driving important ecosystem functions.

Lactoferrin-derived resistance against plant pathogens in transgenic plants.

PubMed

Lakshman, Dilip K; Natarajan, Savithiry; Mandal, Sudhamoy; Mitra, Amitava

2013-12-04

Lactoferrin (LF) is a ubiquitous cationic iron-binding milk glycoprotein that contributes to nutrition and exerts a broad-spectrum primary defense against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses in mammals. These qualities make lactoferrin protein and its antimicrobial motifs highly desirable candidates to be incorporated in plants to impart broad-based resistance against plant pathogens or to economically produce them in bulk quantities for pharmaceutical and nutritional purposes. This study introduced bovine LF (BLF) gene into tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum var. Xanthi), Arabidopsis ( A. thaliana ) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) via Agrobacterium -mediated plant transformation. Transgenic plants or detached leaves exhibited high levels of resistance against the damping-off causing fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani and the head blight causing fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum . LF also imparted resistance to tomato plants against a bacterial pathogen, Ralstonia solanacearum . Similarly, other researchers demonstrated expression of LF and LF-mediated high-quality resistance to several other aggressive fungal and bacterial plant pathogens in transgenic plants and against viral pathogens by foliar applications of LF or its derivatives. Taken together, these studies demonstrated the effectiveness of LF for improving crop quality and its biopharming potentials for pharmaceautical and nutritional applications.

Audubon Plant Study Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Audubon Society, New York, NY.

Included are an illustrated student reader, "The Story of Plants and Flowers," an adult leaders' guide, and a large wall chart picturing 37 wildflowers and describing 23 major plant families. The student reader presents these main topics: The Plant Kingdom, The Wonderful World of Plants, Plants Without Flowers, Flowering Plants, Plants Make Food…

Information and communication technology demands at work: the association with job strain, effort-reward imbalance and self-rated health in different socio-economic strata.

PubMed

Stadin, Magdalena; Nordin, Maria; Broström, Anders; Magnusson Hanson, Linda L; Westerlund, Hugo; Fransson, Eleonor I

2016-10-01

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is common in modern working life. ICT demands may give rise to experience of work-related stress. Knowledge about ICT demands in relation to other types of work-related stress and to self-rated health is limited. Consequently, the aim of this study was to examine the association between ICT demands and two types of work-related stress [job strain and effort-reward imbalance (ERI)] and to evaluate the association between these work-related stress measures and self-rated health, in general and in different SES strata. This study is based on cross-sectional data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health collected in 2014, from 14,873 gainfully employed people. ICT demands, job strain, ERI and self-rated health were analysed as the main measures. Sex, age, SES, lifestyle factors and BMI were used as covariates. ICT demands correlated significantly with the dimensions of the job strain and ERI models, especially with the demands (r = 0.42; p < 0.01) and effort (r = 0.51; p < 0.01) dimensions. ICT demands were associated with suboptimal self-rated health, also after adjustment for age, sex, SES, lifestyle and BMI (OR 1.49 [95 % CI 1.36-1.63]), but job strain (OR 1.93 [95 % CI 1.74-2.14) and ERI (OR 2.15 [95 % CI 1.95-2.35]) showed somewhat stronger associations with suboptimal self-rated health. ICT demands are common among people with intermediate and high SES and associated with job strain, ERI and suboptimal self-rated health. ICT demands should thus be acknowledged as a potential stressor of work-related stress in modern working life.

Linking Plant Nutritional Status to Plant-Microbe Interactions

PubMed Central

Carvalhais, Lilia C.; Dennis, Paul G.; Fan, Ben; Fedoseyenko, Dmitri; Kierul, Kinga; Becker, Anke; von Wiren, Nicolaus; Borriss, Rainer

2013-01-01

Plants have developed a wide-range of adaptations to overcome nutrient limitation, including changes to the quantity and composition of carbon-containing compounds released by roots. Root-associated bacteria are largely influenced by these compounds which can be perceived as signals or substrates. Here, we evaluate the effect of root exudates collected from maize plants grown under nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), iron (Fe) and potassium (K) deficiencies on the transcriptome of the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42. The largest shifts in gene expression patterns were observed in cells exposed to exudates from N-, followed by P-deficient plants. Exudates from N-deprived maize triggered a general stress response in FZB42 in the exponential growth phase, which was evidenced by the suppression of numerous genes involved in protein synthesis. Exudates from P-deficient plants induced bacterial genes involved in chemotaxis and motility whilst exudates released by Fe and K deficient plants did not cause dramatic changes in the bacterial transcriptome during exponential growth phase. Global transcriptional changes in bacteria elicited by nutrient deficient maize exudates were significantly correlated with concentrations of the amino acids aspartate, valine and glutamate in root exudates suggesting that transcriptional profiling of FZB42 associated with metabolomics of N, P, Fe and K-deficient maize root exudates is a powerful approach to better understand plant-microbe interactions under conditions of nutritional stress. PMID:23874669

Plant Growth Regulators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickell, Louis G.

1978-01-01

Describes the effect of "plant growth regulators" on plants, such as controlling the flowering, fruit development, plant size, and increasing crop yields. Provides a list of plant growth regulators which includes their chemical, common, and trade names, as well as their different use(s). (GA)

Steroid plant hormones: effects outside plant kingdom.

PubMed

Zhabinskii, Vladimir N; Khripach, Natalia B; Khripach, Vladimir A

2015-05-01

Brassinosteroids (BS) are the first group of steroid-hormonal compounds isolated from and acting in plants. Among numerous physiological effects of BS growth stimulation and adaptogenic activities are especially remarkable. In this review, we provide evidence that BS possess similar types of activity also beyond plant kingdom at concentrations comparable with those for plants. This finding allows looking at steroids from a new point of view: how common are the mechanisms of steroid bioregulation in different types of organisms from protozoa to higher animals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Dr. Oscar Monje, a research scientist, packs a growing substrate called arcillite in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Dr. Oscar Monje, a research scientist, pours a growing substrate called arcillite in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

[Intoxications with plants].

PubMed

Kupper, Jacqueline; Reichert, Cornelia

2009-05-01

Ingestions of plants rarely lead to life-threatening intoxications. Highly toxic plants, which can cause death, are monkshood (Aconitum sp.), yew (Taxus sp.) and autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Lethal ingestions of monkshood and yew are usually suicides, intoxications with autumn crocus are mostly accidental ingestions of the leaves mistaken for wild garlic (Allium ursinum). Severe intoxications can occur with plants of the nightshade family like deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), angel's trumpet (Datura suaveolens) or jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). These plants are ingested for their psychoactive effects. Ingestion of plant material by children most often only causes minor symptoms or no symptoms at all, as children usually do not eat great quantities of the plants. They are especially attracted by the colorful berries. There are plants with mostly cardiovascular effects like monkshood, yew and Digitalis sp. Some of the most dangerous plants belong to this group. Plants of the nightshade family cause an anticholinergic syndrome. With golden chain (Laburnum anagyroides), castor bean (Ricinus communis) and raw beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) we see severe gastrointestinal effects. Autumn crocus contains a cell toxin, colchicine, which leads to multiorgan failure. Different plants are irritative or even caustic to the skin. Treatment is usually symptomatic. Activated charcoal is administered within one hour after ingestion (1 g/kg). Endoscopic removal of plant material can be considered with ingestions of great quantities of highly toxic plants. Administration of repeated doses of charcoal (1-2 g/h every 2-4 hours) may be effective in case of oleander poisoning. There exist only two antidotes: Anti-digoxin Fab fragments can be used with cardenolide glycoside-containing plants (Digitalis sp., Oleander). Physostigmine is the antidote for severe anticholinergic symptoms of the CNS. Antibodies against colchicine, having been developed in France, are not available at

Ethylene insensitive plants

DOEpatents

Ecker, Joseph R [Carlsbad, CA; Nehring, Ramlah [La Jolla, CA; McGrath, Robert B [Philadelphia, PA

2007-05-22

Nucleic acid and polypeptide sequences are described which relate to an EIN6 gene, a gene involved in the plant ethylene response. Plant transformation vectors and transgenic plants are described which display an altered ethylene-dependent phenotype due to altered expression of EIN6 in transformed plants.

37. Photocopy of photograph. STEEL PLANT, OPEN HOUSE INSIDE PLANT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

37. Photocopy of photograph. STEEL PLANT, OPEN HOUSE INSIDE PLANT AT TIME OF ITS OPENING, 1910. (From the Bethlehem Steel Corporation Collection, Seattle, WA) - Irondale Iron & Steel Plant, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, WA

Machine vision extracted plant movement for early detection of plant water stress.

PubMed

Kacira, M; Ling, P P; Short, T H

2002-01-01

A methodology was established for early, non-contact, and quantitative detection of plant water stress with machine vision extracted plant features. Top-projected canopy area (TPCA) of the plants was extracted from plant images using image-processing techniques. Water stress induced plant movement was decoupled from plant diurnal movement and plant growth using coefficient of relative variation of TPCA (CRV[TPCA)] and was found to be an effective marker for water stress detection. Threshold value of CRV(TPCA) as an indicator of water stress was determined by a parametric approach. The effectiveness of the sensing technique was evaluated against the timing of stress detection by an operator. Results of this study suggested that plant water stress detection using projected canopy area based features of the plants was feasible.

Herbivore induced plant volatiles

PubMed Central

War, Abdul Rashid; Sharma, Hari Chand; Paulraj, Michael Gabriel; War, Mohd Yousf; Ignacimuthu, Savarimuthu

2011-01-01

Plants respond to herbivory through different defensive mechanisms. The induction of volatile emission is one of the important and immediate response of plants to herbivory. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are involved in plant communication with natural enemies of the insect herbivores, neighboring plants, and different parts of the damaged plant. Release of a wide variety of HIPVs in response to herbivore damage and their role in plant-plant, plant-carnivore and intraplant communications represents a new facet of the complex interactions among different trophic levels. HIPVs are released from leaves, flowers, and fruits into the atmosphere or into the soil from roots in response to herbivore attack. Moreover, HIPVs act as feeding and/or oviposition deterrents to insect pests. HIPVs also mediate the interactions between the plants and the microorganisms. This review presents an overview of HIPVs emitted by plants, their role in plant defense against herbivores and their implications for pest management. PMID:22105032

PlantCV v2: Image analysis software for high-throughput plant phenotyping

PubMed Central

Abbasi, Arash; Berry, Jeffrey C.; Callen, Steven T.; Chavez, Leonardo; Doust, Andrew N.; Feldman, Max J.; Gilbert, Kerrigan B.; Hodge, John G.; Hoyer, J. Steen; Lin, Andy; Liu, Suxing; Lizárraga, César; Lorence, Argelia; Miller, Michael; Platon, Eric; Tessman, Monica; Sax, Tony

2017-01-01

Systems for collecting image data in conjunction with computer vision techniques are a powerful tool for increasing the temporal resolution at which plant phenotypes can be measured non-destructively. Computational tools that are flexible and extendable are needed to address the diversity of plant phenotyping problems. We previously described the Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV) software package, which is an image processing toolkit for plant phenotyping analysis. The goal of the PlantCV project is to develop a set of modular, reusable, and repurposable tools for plant image analysis that are open-source and community-developed. Here we present the details and rationale for major developments in the second major release of PlantCV. In addition to overall improvements in the organization of the PlantCV project, new functionality includes a set of new image processing and normalization tools, support for analyzing images that include multiple plants, leaf segmentation, landmark identification tools for morphometrics, and modules for machine learning. PMID:29209576

PlantCV v2: Image analysis software for high-throughput plant phenotyping.

PubMed

Gehan, Malia A; Fahlgren, Noah; Abbasi, Arash; Berry, Jeffrey C; Callen, Steven T; Chavez, Leonardo; Doust, Andrew N; Feldman, Max J; Gilbert, Kerrigan B; Hodge, John G; Hoyer, J Steen; Lin, Andy; Liu, Suxing; Lizárraga, César; Lorence, Argelia; Miller, Michael; Platon, Eric; Tessman, Monica; Sax, Tony

2017-01-01

Systems for collecting image data in conjunction with computer vision techniques are a powerful tool for increasing the temporal resolution at which plant phenotypes can be measured non-destructively. Computational tools that are flexible and extendable are needed to address the diversity of plant phenotyping problems. We previously described the Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV) software package, which is an image processing toolkit for plant phenotyping analysis. The goal of the PlantCV project is to develop a set of modular, reusable, and repurposable tools for plant image analysis that are open-source and community-developed. Here we present the details and rationale for major developments in the second major release of PlantCV. In addition to overall improvements in the organization of the PlantCV project, new functionality includes a set of new image processing and normalization tools, support for analyzing images that include multiple plants, leaf segmentation, landmark identification tools for morphometrics, and modules for machine learning.

PlantCV v2: Image analysis software for high-throughput plant phenotyping

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gehan, Malia A.; Fahlgren, Noah; Abbasi, Arash

Systems for collecting image data in conjunction with computer vision techniques are a powerful tool for increasing the temporal resolution at which plant phenotypes can be measured non-destructively. Computational tools that are flexible and extendable are needed to address the diversity of plant phenotyping problems. We previously described the Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV) software package, which is an image processing toolkit for plant phenotyping analysis. The goal of the PlantCV project is to develop a set of modular, reusable, and repurposable tools for plant image analysis that are open-source and community-developed. Here in this paper we present the details andmore » rationale for major developments in the second major release of PlantCV. In addition to overall improvements in the organization of the PlantCV project, new functionality includes a set of new image processing and normalization tools, support for analyzing images that include multiple plants, leaf segmentation, landmark identification tools for morphometrics, and modules for machine learning.« less

PlantCV v2: Image analysis software for high-throughput plant phenotyping

DOE PAGES

Gehan, Malia A.; Fahlgren, Noah; Abbasi, Arash; ...

2017-12-01

Systems for collecting image data in conjunction with computer vision techniques are a powerful tool for increasing the temporal resolution at which plant phenotypes can be measured non-destructively. Computational tools that are flexible and extendable are needed to address the diversity of plant phenotyping problems. We previously described the Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV) software package, which is an image processing toolkit for plant phenotyping analysis. The goal of the PlantCV project is to develop a set of modular, reusable, and repurposable tools for plant image analysis that are open-source and community-developed. Here in this paper we present the details andmore » rationale for major developments in the second major release of PlantCV. In addition to overall improvements in the organization of the PlantCV project, new functionality includes a set of new image processing and normalization tools, support for analyzing images that include multiple plants, leaf segmentation, landmark identification tools for morphometrics, and modules for machine learning.« less

MIPSPlantsDB—plant database resource for integrative and comparative plant genome research

PubMed Central

Spannagl, Manuel; Noubibou, Octave; Haase, Dirk; Yang, Li; Gundlach, Heidrun; Hindemitt, Tobias; Klee, Kathrin; Haberer, Georg; Schoof, Heiko; Mayer, Klaus F. X.

2007-01-01

Genome-oriented plant research delivers rapidly increasing amount of plant genome data. Comprehensive and structured information resources are required to structure and communicate genome and associated analytical data for model organisms as well as for crops. The increase in available plant genomic data enables powerful comparative analysis and integrative approaches. PlantsDB aims to provide data and information resources for individual plant species and in addition to build a platform for integrative and comparative plant genome research. PlantsDB is constituted from genome databases for Arabidopsis, Medicago, Lotus, rice, maize and tomato. Complementary data resources for cis elements, repetive elements and extensive cross-species comparisons are implemented. The PlantsDB portal can be reached at . PMID:17202173

Stem parasitic plant Cuscuta australis (dodder) transfers herbivory-induced signals among plants.

PubMed

Hettenhausen, Christian; Li, Juan; Zhuang, Huifu; Sun, Huanhuan; Xu, Yuxing; Qi, Jinfeng; Zhang, Jingxiong; Lei, Yunting; Qin, Yan; Sun, Guiling; Wang, Lei; Baldwin, Ian T; Wu, Jianqiang

2017-08-08

Cuscuta spp. (i.e., dodders) are stem parasites that naturally graft to their host plants to extract water and nutrients; multiple adjacent hosts are often parasitized by one or more Cuscuta plants simultaneously, forming connected plant clusters. Metabolites, proteins, and mRNAs are known to be transferred from hosts to Cuscuta , and Cuscuta bridges even facilitate host-to-host virus movement. Whether Cuscuta bridges transmit ecologically meaningful signals remains unknown. Here we show that, when host plants are connected by Cuscuta bridges, systemic herbivory signals are transmitted from attacked plants to unattacked plants, as revealed by the large transcriptomic changes in the attacked local leaves, undamaged systemic leaves of the attacked plants, and leaves of unattacked but connected hosts. The interplant signaling is largely dependent on the jasmonic acid pathway of the damaged local plants, and can be found among conspecific or heterospecific hosts of different families. Importantly, herbivore attack of one host plant elevates defensive metabolites in the other systemic Cuscuta bridge-connected hosts, resulting in enhanced resistance against insects even in several consecutively Cuscuta -connected host plants over long distances (> 100 cm). By facilitating plant-to-plant signaling, Cuscuta provides an information-based means of countering the resource-based fitness costs to their hosts.

Stem parasitic plant Cuscuta australis (dodder) transfers herbivory-induced signals among plants

PubMed Central

Hettenhausen, Christian; Li, Juan; Zhuang, Huifu; Sun, Huanhuan; Xu, Yuxing; Qi, Jinfeng; Zhang, Jingxiong; Lei, Yunting; Qin, Yan; Sun, Guiling; Wang, Lei; Baldwin, Ian T.

2017-01-01

Cuscuta spp. (i.e., dodders) are stem parasites that naturally graft to their host plants to extract water and nutrients; multiple adjacent hosts are often parasitized by one or more Cuscuta plants simultaneously, forming connected plant clusters. Metabolites, proteins, and mRNAs are known to be transferred from hosts to Cuscuta, and Cuscuta bridges even facilitate host-to-host virus movement. Whether Cuscuta bridges transmit ecologically meaningful signals remains unknown. Here we show that, when host plants are connected by Cuscuta bridges, systemic herbivory signals are transmitted from attacked plants to unattacked plants, as revealed by the large transcriptomic changes in the attacked local leaves, undamaged systemic leaves of the attacked plants, and leaves of unattacked but connected hosts. The interplant signaling is largely dependent on the jasmonic acid pathway of the damaged local plants, and can be found among conspecific or heterospecific hosts of different families. Importantly, herbivore attack of one host plant elevates defensive metabolites in the other systemic Cuscuta bridge-connected hosts, resulting in enhanced resistance against insects even in several consecutively Cuscuta-connected host plants over long distances (> 100 cm). By facilitating plant-to-plant signaling, Cuscuta provides an information-based means of countering the resource-based fitness costs to their hosts. PMID:28739895

Host plant species determines symbiotic bacterial community mediating suppression of plant defenses.

PubMed

Chung, Seung Ho; Scully, Erin D; Peiffer, Michelle; Geib, Scott M; Rosa, Cristina; Hoover, Kelli; Felton, Gary W

2017-01-03

Herbivore associated bacteria are vital mediators of plant and insect interactions. Host plants play an important role in shaping the gut bacterial community of insects. Colorado potato beetles (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) use several Solanum plants as hosts in their natural environment. We previously showed that symbiotic gut bacteria from CPB larvae suppressed jasmonate (JA)-induced defenses in tomato. However, little is known about how changes in the bacterial community may be involved in the manipulation of induced defenses in wild and cultivated Solanum plants of CPB. Here, we examined suppression of JA-mediated defense in wild and cultivated hosts of CPB by chemical elicitors and their symbiotic bacteria. Furthermore, we investigated associations between the gut bacterial community and suppression of plant defenses using 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symbiotic bacteria decreased plant defenses in all Solanum hosts and there were different gut bacterial communities in CPB fed on different host plants. When larvae were reared on different hosts, defense suppression differed among host plants. These results demonstrate that host plants influence herbivore gut bacterial communities and consequently affect the herbivore's ability to manipulate JA-mediated plant defenses. Thus, the presence of symbiotic bacteria that suppress plant defenses might help CPB adapt to host plants.

Host plant species determines symbiotic bacterial community mediating suppression of plant defenses

PubMed Central

Chung, Seung Ho; Scully, Erin D.; Peiffer, Michelle; Geib, Scott M.; Rosa, Cristina; Hoover, Kelli; Felton, Gary W.

2017-01-01

Herbivore associated bacteria are vital mediators of plant and insect interactions. Host plants play an important role in shaping the gut bacterial community of insects. Colorado potato beetles (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) use several Solanum plants as hosts in their natural environment. We previously showed that symbiotic gut bacteria from CPB larvae suppressed jasmonate (JA)-induced defenses in tomato. However, little is known about how changes in the bacterial community may be involved in the manipulation of induced defenses in wild and cultivated Solanum plants of CPB. Here, we examined suppression of JA-mediated defense in wild and cultivated hosts of CPB by chemical elicitors and their symbiotic bacteria. Furthermore, we investigated associations between the gut bacterial community and suppression of plant defenses using 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symbiotic bacteria decreased plant defenses in all Solanum hosts and there were different gut bacterial communities in CPB fed on different host plants. When larvae were reared on different hosts, defense suppression differed among host plants. These results demonstrate that host plants influence herbivore gut bacterial communities and consequently affect the herbivore’s ability to manipulate JA-mediated plant defenses. Thus, the presence of symbiotic bacteria that suppress plant defenses might help CPB adapt to host plants. PMID:28045052

5. STEAM PLANT COOLING TOWER LOCATED WEST OF STEAM PLANT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. STEAM PLANT COOLING TOWER LOCATED WEST OF STEAM PLANT BUILDING, FROM SOUTH. SHOWS CURRENT LEVEL OF DISREPAIR. December 4, 1990 - Crosscut Steam Plant, North side Salt River near Mill Avenue & Washington Street, Tempe, Maricopa County, AZ

Plants. Environmental Education Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topeka Public Schools, KS.

The study of plants is often limited to studying plant structure with little emphasis on the vital role plants play in our natural system and the variety of ways man uses plants. This unit, designed for intermediate level elementary students, reviews basic plant structure, discusses roles of plants in nature's system, illustrates plant…

Thrips management program for plants for planting

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thrips Management includes sanitation, exclusion, chemical control and biological control. Sanitation. Remove weeds, old plant debris, and growing medium from within and around the greenhouse. Eliminate old stock plants as these are a source of thrips and viruses. Removing old flowers may reduce the...

Feeding damage to plants increases with plant size across 21 Brassicaceae species.

PubMed

Schlinkert, Hella; Westphal, Catrin; Clough, Yann; Ludwig, Martin; Kabouw, Patrick; Tscharntke, Teja

2015-10-01

Plant size is a major predictor of ecological functioning. We tested the hypothesis that feeding damage to plants increases with plant size, as the conspicuousness of large plants makes resource finding and colonisation easier. Further, large plants can be attractive to herbivores, as they offer greater amounts and ranges of resources and niches, but direct evidence from experiments testing size effects on feeding damage and consequently on plant fitness is so far missing. We established a common garden experiment with a plant size gradient (10-130 cm height) using 21 annual Brassicaceae species, and quantified plant size, biomass and number of all aboveground components (flowers, fruits, leaves, stems) and their proportional feeding damage. Plant reproductive fitness was measured using seed number, 1000 seed weight and total seed weight. Feeding damage to the different plant components increased with plant size or component biomass, with mean damage levels being approximately 30 % for flowers, 5 % for fruits and 1 % for leaves and stems. Feeding damage affected plant reproductive fitness depending on feeding damage type, with flower damage having the strongest effect, shown by greatly reduced seed number, 1000 seed weight and total seed weight. Finally, we found an overall negative effect of plant size on 1000 seed weight, but not on seed number and total seed weight. In conclusion, being conspicuous and attractive to herbivores causes greater flower damage leading to higher fitness costs for large plants, which might be partly counterbalanced by benefits such as enhanced competitive/compensatory abilities or more mutualistic pollinator visits.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, several varieties of Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, are being prepared for securing in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

3. PLANT 3 FLOWLINE DEPARTING PLANT 2. THIS SECTION OF ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. PLANT 3 FLOWLINE DEPARTING PLANT 2. THIS SECTION OF FLOWLINE WAS THE LAST REMAINING OF WOOD-STAVE CONSTRUCTION. ICE ON FLOWLINE DELINEATES LEAKS. VIEW TO SOUTH. - Bishop Creek Hydroelectric System, Plant 2, Bishop Creek, Bishop, Inyo County, CA

Effects of a chemical weapons incineration plant on red-tailed tropicbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schreiber, E.A.; Doherty, P.F.; Schenk, G.A.

2001-01-01

From 1990 to 2000, the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) incinerated part of the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons on Johnston Atoll, central Pacific Ocean, which also is a National Wildlife Refuge and home to approximately a half-million breeding seabirds. The effect on wildlife of incineration of these weapons is unknown. Using a multi-strata mark-recapture analysis, we investigated the effects of JACADS on reproductive success, survival, and movement probabilities of red-tailed tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda) nesting both downwind and upwind of the incineration site. We found no effect of chemical incineration on these tropicbird demographic parameters over the 8 years of our study. An additional 3 years of monitoring tropicbird demography will take place, post-incineration.

The Plant Ontology: A Tool for Plant Genomics.

PubMed

Cooper, Laurel; Jaiswal, Pankaj

2016-01-01

The use of controlled, structured vocabularies (ontologies) has become a critical tool for scientists in the post-genomic era of massive datasets. Adoption and integration of common vocabularies and annotation practices enables cross-species comparative analyses and increases data sharing and reusability. The Plant Ontology (PO; http://www.plantontology.org/ ) describes plant anatomy, morphology, and the stages of plant development, and offers a database of plant genomics annotations associated to the PO terms. The scope of the PO has grown from its original design covering only rice, maize, and Arabidopsis, and now includes terms to describe all green plants from angiosperms to green algae.This chapter introduces how the PO and other related ontologies are constructed and organized, including languages and software used for ontology development, and provides an overview of the key features. Detailed instructions illustrate how to search and browse the PO database and access the associated annotation data. Users are encouraged to provide input on the ontology through the online term request form and contribute datasets for integration in the PO database.

Plant Minders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Indoor plants are automatically watered by the Aqua Trends watering system. System draws water from building outlets or from pump/reservoir module and distributes it to the plants via a network of tubes and adjustable nozzles. Key element of system is electronic controller programmed to dispense water according to the needs of various plants in an installation. Adjustable nozzle meters out exactly right amount of water at proper time to the plant it's serving. More than 100 Aqua/Trends systems are in service in the USA, from a simple residential system to a large Mirage III system integrated to water all greenery in a large office or apartment building.

Plant-plant interactions in the restoration of Mediterranean drylands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdecantos, Alejandro; Fuentes, David; Smanis, Athanasios

2014-05-01

Plant-plant interactions are complex and dependent of both local abiotic features of the ecosystem and biotic relationships with other plants and animals. The net result of these interactions may be positive, negative or neutral resulting in facilitation, competition or neutralism, respectively (role of phylogeny). It has been proposed that competition is stronger between those individuals that share functional traits than between unrelated ones. The relative interaction effect of one plant on a neighbour may change in relation to resource availability - especially water in drylands. In addition, plants develop above and belowground biomass with time increasing the level and, eventually, changing the intensity and/or the direction of the interaction. In the framework of the restoration of degraded drylands, many studies have focused on the positive (nurse) effects of adult trees, shrubs and even grasses on artificially planted seedlings by improving the microclimate or providing protection against herbivores, but little is known about the interactions between seedlings of different life traits planted together under natural field conditions. In 2010 we established planting plots in two contrasted sites under semiarid Mediterranean climate and introduced one year old seedlings in different combinations of three species, two shrubs (Olea europaea and Pistacia lentiscus) and one grass (Stipa tenacissima). Half of the planting holes in each site were implemented with low-cost ecotechnological inputs to increase water availability by forcing runoff production and promoting deep infiltration (small plastic fabric + dry well). This resulted in four levels of abiotic stress. Biotic interactions were assessed by monitoring seedling survival and growth for three years after planting. The Relative Interaction Index (RII) of S. tenacissima on O. europaea was almost flat and close to 0 along the stress gradient since the beginning of the study suggesting limited interaction

Breathe Plant Breathe: A Study of CO2 conversion in plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, M.

2016-12-01

Some of the research that I have found is that plants with green oxygen produce the most oxygen.Green oxygen is the Some examples of plants like this are spouts (such as the sweet pea, buckwheat, and sunflower.) Some of the other plants are the snake plant and the areca plant. These three plants are most commonly used in households to produce more oxygen when needed. Looking at a few more websites I saw that the plants do not produce oxygen at night because they have no light to transfer within photosynthesis. Some other information that I got was that plants with thick leaves or have a lot of leaves on them produce more oxygen. Some examples of this are the peace lily and the bamboo palm. Since these plants have thick and big leaves they have more photosynthesis cells and can produce more oxygen. In conclusion, my hypothesis was supported. The plant that converted the most CO2 was the pothos. I learned that if you need house plants to help create oxygen, one of the best ones would be a pothos because of its fast conversion rate. As a result the plant that converted the most carbon dioxide into oxygen was the pothos. With an average start of 5259.6, and average finish of 1463, and an average change of 3796.6 The Fern had an: average change of: 5205, average start of: 6564.6, and an average finish of: 1500 The Aloe had an: average change of: 4409.2, average start of: 7707.6, and an average finish of: 3298.4 And the Panda had an: average change of: 4821.8 average start of: 6971.2, and an average finish of:2149

Minimising toxicity of cadmium in plants--role of plant growth regulators.

PubMed

Asgher, Mohd; Khan, M Iqbal R; Anjum, Naser A; Khan, Nafees A

2015-03-01

A range of man-made activities promote the enrichment of world-wide agricultural soils with a myriad of chemical pollutants including cadmium (Cd). Owing to its significant toxic consequences in plants, Cd has been one of extensively studied metals. However, sustainable strategies for minimising Cd impacts in plants have been little explored. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are known for their role in the regulation of numerous developmental processes. Among major PGRs, plant hormones (such as auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, ethylene and salicylic acid), nitric oxide (a gaseous signalling molecule), brassinosteroids (steroidal phytohormones) and polyamines (group of phytohormone-like aliphatic amine natural compounds with aliphatic nitrogen structure) have gained attention by agronomist and physiologist as a sustainable media to induce tolerance in abiotic-stressed plants. Considering recent literature, this paper: (a) overviews Cd status in soil and its toxicity in plants, (b) introduces major PGRs and overviews their signalling in Cd-exposed plants, (c) appraises mechanisms potentially involved in PGR-mediated enhanced plant tolerance to Cd and (d) highlights key aspects so far unexplored in the subject area.

PlantNATsDB: a comprehensive database of plant natural antisense transcripts.

PubMed

Chen, Dijun; Yuan, Chunhui; Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Zhao; Bai, Lin; Meng, Yijun; Chen, Ling-Ling; Chen, Ming

2012-01-01

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs), as one type of regulatory RNAs, occur prevalently in plant genomes and play significant roles in physiological and pathological processes. Although their important biological functions have been reported widely, a comprehensive database is lacking up to now. Consequently, we constructed a plant NAT database (PlantNATsDB) involving approximately 2 million NAT pairs in 69 plant species. GO annotation and high-throughput small RNA sequencing data currently available were integrated to investigate the biological function of NATs. PlantNATsDB provides various user-friendly web interfaces to facilitate the presentation of NATs and an integrated, graphical network browser to display the complex networks formed by different NATs. Moreover, a 'Gene Set Analysis' module based on GO annotation was designed to dig out the statistical significantly overrepresented GO categories from the specific NAT network. PlantNATsDB is currently the most comprehensive resource of NATs in the plant kingdom, which can serve as a reference database to investigate the regulatory function of NATs. The PlantNATsDB is freely available at http://bis.zju.edu.cn/pnatdb/.

Plant synthetic biology.

PubMed

Liu, Wusheng; Stewart, C Neal

2015-05-01

Plant synthetic biology is an emerging field that combines engineering principles with plant biology toward the design and production of new devices. This emerging field should play an important role in future agriculture for traditional crop improvement, but also in enabling novel bioproduction in plants. In this review we discuss the design cycles of synthetic biology as well as key engineering principles, genetic parts, and computational tools that can be utilized in plant synthetic biology. Some pioneering examples are offered as a demonstration of how synthetic biology can be used to modify plants for specific purposes. These include synthetic sensors, synthetic metabolic pathways, and synthetic genomes. We also speculate about the future of synthetic biology of plants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant Biodiversity. Plant Life in Action[TM]. Schlessinger Science Library. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

What organisms have adapted to life in environments ranging from the ocean floor to desert sands, from frigid the tundra to the deepest, darkest jungle? None other than plants! From microscopic algae to the largest trees, millions of plant species have evolved in every habitat on the planet. In Plant Biodiversity, learn how plants developed in the…

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Jeffrey Richards, at left, a project science coordinator with URS Federal Services, secures Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Jeffrey Richards, a project science coordinator with URS Federal Services, secures Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a research scientist prepares a fixative which will be used to secure Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, inside the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Seed Planting

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Jeffrey Richards, a project science coordinator with URS Federal Services, uses a fixative to secure Arabidopsis seeds, commonly known as thale cress, in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, May 9. The APH base will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on the company's ninth Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that is being used to conduct bioscience research on the space station. Cygnus will launch on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Launch is targeted for May 20, 2018.

Insect--plant adaptations.

PubMed

Southwood, T R

1984-01-01

The adaptation of insects to plants probably commenced in the early Permian period, though most current associations will be more recent. A major burst of adaptation must have followed the rise of the Angiosperms in the Cretaceous period, though some particular associations are as recent as this century. Living plants form a large proportion of the potential food in most habitats, though insects have had to overcome certain general hurdles to live and feed on them. Insects affect the reproduction and survival of plants, and thus the diversity of plant secondary chemicals may have evolved as a response. Where an insect species has a significant effect on a plant species that is its only host, coevolution may be envisaged. A spectacular example is provided by Heliconius butterflies and passion flower vines, studied by L.E. Gilbert and others. But such cases may be likened to 'vortices in the evolutionary stream': most plant species are influenced by a range of phytophagous insects so that selection will be for general defences--a situation termed diffuse coevolution. Evidence is presented on recent host-plant shifts to illustrate both the restrictions and the flexibility in current insect-plant associations.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a scientist inserts Apogee wheat seeds into the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). A growing substrate called arcillite was packed down in the base and coverings were secured on top of the base. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, scientists prepare Apogee wheat seeds for the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). A growing substrate called arcillite was packed down in the base and coverings were secured on top of the base. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, scientists are preparing the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). A growing substrate called arcillite has been packed down in the base and coverings are being secured to seal the base. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, scientists prepared the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). A growing substrate called arcillite was packed down in the base and coverings were secured on top of the base. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Dr. Oscar Monje, a research scientist, packs a growing substrate called arcillite in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seated at right is Susan Manning-Roach, a quality assurance specialist on the Engineering Services Contract. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

MIPS PlantsDB: a database framework for comparative plant genome research.

PubMed

Nussbaumer, Thomas; Martis, Mihaela M; Roessner, Stephan K; Pfeifer, Matthias; Bader, Kai C; Sharma, Sapna; Gundlach, Heidrun; Spannagl, Manuel

2013-01-01

The rapidly increasing amount of plant genome (sequence) data enables powerful comparative analyses and integrative approaches and also requires structured and comprehensive information resources. Databases are needed for both model and crop plant organisms and both intuitive search/browse views and comparative genomics tools should communicate the data to researchers and help them interpret it. MIPS PlantsDB (http://mips.helmholtz-muenchen.de/plant/genomes.jsp) was initially described in NAR in 2007 [Spannagl,M., Noubibou,O., Haase,D., Yang,L., Gundlach,H., Hindemitt, T., Klee,K., Haberer,G., Schoof,H. and Mayer,K.F. (2007) MIPSPlantsDB-plant database resource for integrative and comparative plant genome research. Nucleic Acids Res., 35, D834-D840] and was set up from the start to provide data and information resources for individual plant species as well as a framework for integrative and comparative plant genome research. PlantsDB comprises database instances for tomato, Medicago, Arabidopsis, Brachypodium, Sorghum, maize, rice, barley and wheat. Building up on that, state-of-the-art comparative genomics tools such as CrowsNest are integrated to visualize and investigate syntenic relationships between monocot genomes. Results from novel genome analysis strategies targeting the complex and repetitive genomes of triticeae species (wheat and barley) are provided and cross-linked with model species. The MIPS Repeat Element Database (mips-REdat) and Catalog (mips-REcat) as well as tight connections to other databases, e.g. via web services, are further important components of PlantsDB.

MIPS PlantsDB: a database framework for comparative plant genome research

PubMed Central

Nussbaumer, Thomas; Martis, Mihaela M.; Roessner, Stephan K.; Pfeifer, Matthias; Bader, Kai C.; Sharma, Sapna; Gundlach, Heidrun; Spannagl, Manuel

2013-01-01

The rapidly increasing amount of plant genome (sequence) data enables powerful comparative analyses and integrative approaches and also requires structured and comprehensive information resources. Databases are needed for both model and crop plant organisms and both intuitive search/browse views and comparative genomics tools should communicate the data to researchers and help them interpret it. MIPS PlantsDB (http://mips.helmholtz-muenchen.de/plant/genomes.jsp) was initially described in NAR in 2007 [Spannagl,M., Noubibou,O., Haase,D., Yang,L., Gundlach,H., Hindemitt, T., Klee,K., Haberer,G., Schoof,H. and Mayer,K.F. (2007) MIPSPlantsDB–plant database resource for integrative and comparative plant genome research. Nucleic Acids Res., 35, D834–D840] and was set up from the start to provide data and information resources for individual plant species as well as a framework for integrative and comparative plant genome research. PlantsDB comprises database instances for tomato, Medicago, Arabidopsis, Brachypodium, Sorghum, maize, rice, barley and wheat. Building up on that, state-of-the-art comparative genomics tools such as CrowsNest are integrated to visualize and investigate syntenic relationships between monocot genomes. Results from novel genome analysis strategies targeting the complex and repetitive genomes of triticeae species (wheat and barley) are provided and cross-linked with model species. The MIPS Repeat Element Database (mips-REdat) and Catalog (mips-REcat) as well as tight connections to other databases, e.g. via web services, are further important components of PlantsDB. PMID:23203886

PlantPAN 2.0: an update of plant promoter analysis navigator for reconstructing transcriptional regulatory networks in plants.

PubMed

Chow, Chi-Nga; Zheng, Han-Qin; Wu, Nai-Yun; Chien, Chia-Hung; Huang, Hsien-Da; Lee, Tzong-Yi; Chiang-Hsieh, Yi-Fan; Hou, Ping-Fu; Yang, Tien-Yi; Chang, Wen-Chi

2016-01-04

Transcription factors (TFs) are sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins acting as critical regulators of gene expression. The Plant Promoter Analysis Navigator (PlantPAN; http://PlantPAN2.itps.ncku.edu.tw) provides an informative resource for detecting transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), corresponding TFs, and other important regulatory elements (CpG islands and tandem repeats) in a promoter or a set of plant promoters. Additionally, TFBSs, CpG islands, and tandem repeats in the conserve regions between similar gene promoters are also identified. The current PlantPAN release (version 2.0) contains 16 960 TFs and 1143 TF binding site matrices among 76 plant species. In addition to updating of the annotation information, adding experimentally verified TF matrices, and making improvements in the visualization of transcriptional regulatory networks, several new features and functions are incorporated. These features include: (i) comprehensive curation of TF information (response conditions, target genes, and sequence logos of binding motifs, etc.), (ii) co-expression profiles of TFs and their target genes under various conditions, (iii) protein-protein interactions among TFs and their co-factors, (iv) TF-target networks, and (v) downstream promoter elements. Furthermore, a dynamic transcriptional regulatory network under various conditions is provided in PlantPAN 2.0. The PlantPAN 2.0 is a systematic platform for plant promoter analysis and reconstructing transcriptional regulatory networks. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Morphological Plant Modeling: Unleashing Geometric and Topological Potential within the Plant Sciences

PubMed Central

Bucksch, Alexander; Atta-Boateng, Acheampong; Azihou, Akomian F.; Battogtokh, Dorjsuren; Baumgartner, Aly; Binder, Brad M.; Braybrook, Siobhan A.; Chang, Cynthia; Coneva, Viktoirya; DeWitt, Thomas J.; Fletcher, Alexander G.; Gehan, Malia A.; Diaz-Martinez, Diego Hernan; Hong, Lilan; Iyer-Pascuzzi, Anjali S.; Klein, Laura L.; Leiboff, Samuel; Li, Mao; Lynch, Jonathan P.; Maizel, Alexis; Maloof, Julin N.; Markelz, R. J. Cody; Martinez, Ciera C.; Miller, Laura A.; Mio, Washington; Palubicki, Wojtek; Poorter, Hendrik; Pradal, Christophe; Price, Charles A.; Puttonen, Eetu; Reese, John B.; Rellán-Álvarez, Rubén; Spalding, Edgar P.; Sparks, Erin E.; Topp, Christopher N.; Williams, Joseph H.; Chitwood, Daniel H.

2017-01-01

The geometries and topologies of leaves, flowers, roots, shoots, and their arrangements have fascinated plant biologists and mathematicians alike. As such, plant morphology is inherently mathematical in that it describes plant form and architecture with geometrical and topological techniques. Gaining an understanding of how to modify plant morphology, through molecular biology and breeding, aided by a mathematical perspective, is critical to improving agriculture, and the monitoring of ecosystems is vital to modeling a future with fewer natural resources. In this white paper, we begin with an overview in quantifying the form of plants and mathematical models of patterning in plants. We then explore the fundamental challenges that remain unanswered concerning plant morphology, from the barriers preventing the prediction of phenotype from genotype to modeling the movement of leaves in air streams. We end with a discussion concerning the education of plant morphology synthesizing biological and mathematical approaches and ways to facilitate research advances through outreach, cross-disciplinary training, and open science. Unleashing the potential of geometric and topological approaches in the plant sciences promises to transform our understanding of both plants and mathematics. PMID:28659934

One plant, two plants, three plants, four: does soil carbon respond to diversifying by one plant more? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grandy, S.

2013-12-01

Plant diversity is known to strongly influence aboveground ecosystem functions, but our understanding of its effects on belowground carbon (C) cycling has not kept pace. We know in broad terms that the belowground implications of reducing plant diversity include changes in soil nutrient cycling and biological communities, but remain uncertain about the specific links between plant diversity, soil microbial communities, and soil C cycling. Our knowledge gap is especially wide in agricultural systems, which comprise ~50% of the contiguous U.S. and differ from non-managed systems because diversity: (1) occurs primarily over time (i.e. crop rotations) rather than in space (i.e. inter-cropping); (2) exists as one of multiple management factors that potentially regulates soil C dynamics; and (3) is almost always low, with the addition or subtraction of a single plant species often representing a substantial change in diversity. I have been addressing the uncertain relationships between agricultural plant diversity and soil C cycling with a multi-tiered approach that includes a global meta-analysis, site-specific field manipulations, and intensive laboratory analyses. The meta-analysis using 122 studies shows that compared to single-crop monocultures, rotations increased soil microbial biomass C by 20.7% and microbial biomass N by 26.1% as well as total soil C and N. In a complimentary field study at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station LTER Cropping Biodiversity Gradient Experiment we examined microbial communities, C cycling processes, and trace gas emissions in five rotation sequences varying in complexity from continuous corn monoculture to a five crop three-year rotation. Finding striking differences between monocultures and systems with more complex plant communities, these results confirm our meta-analysis, and highlight the strong effects of diversifying plant communities in agricultural systems. A complimentary lab study examining decomposition processes in

Reassessing apoptosis in plants.

PubMed

Dickman, Martin; Williams, Brett; Li, Yurong; de Figueiredo, Paul; Wolpert, Thomas

2017-10-01

Cell death can be driven by a genetically programmed signalling pathway known as programmed cell death (PCD). In plants, PCD occurs during development as well as in response to environmental and biotic stimuli. Our understanding of PCD regulation in plants has advanced significantly over the past two decades; however, the molecular machinery responsible for driving the system remains elusive. Thus, whether conserved PCD regulatory mechanisms include plant apoptosis remains enigmatic. Animal apoptotic regulators, including Bcl-2 family members, have not been identified in plants but expression of such regulators can trigger or suppress plant PCD. Moreover, plants exhibit nearly all of the biochemical and morphological features of apoptosis. One difference between plant and animal PCD is the absence of phagocytosis in plants. Evidence is emerging that the vacuole may be key to removal of unwanted plant cells, and may carry out functions that are analogous to animal phagocytosis. Here, we provide context for the argument that apoptotic-like cell death occurs in plants.

[Plant-infecting reoviruses].

PubMed

Sasaya, Takahide

2014-01-01

The family Reoviridae separates two subfamilies and consists of 15 genera. Fourteen viruses in three genera (Phytoreovirus, Oryzavirus, and Fijivirus) infect plants. The outbreaks of the plant-infecting reoviruses cause sometime the serious yield loss of rice and maize, and are a menace to safe and efficient food production in the Southeast Asia.　The plant-infecting reoviruses are double-shelled icosahedral particles, from 50 to 80nm in diameter, and include from 10 to 12 segmented double-stranded genomic RNAs depending on the viruses. These viruses are transmitted in a persistent manner by the vector insects and replicated in both plants and in their vectors. This review provides a brief overview of the plant-infecting reoviruses and their recent research progresses including the strategy for viral controls using transgenic rice plants.

Poinsettia plant exposure

MedlinePlus

Christmas flower poisoning; Lobster plant poisoning; Painted leaf poisoning ... Leaves, stem, sap of the poinsettia plant ... Poinsettia plant exposure can affect many parts of the body. EYES (IF DIRECT CONTACT OCCURS) Burning Redness STOMACH AND ...

Evaluating plant and plant oil repellency against the sweetpotato whitefly

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci is a major insect pest of vegetables world-wide. We evaluated the effect of commercial plant oils – garlic oil, hot pepper wax, and mustard oil against B. tabaci. Cucumber plants served as the control. Additional treatments included no plants or oil (clear ai...

Air pollution impedes plant-to-plant communication, but what is the signal?

PubMed

Blande, James D; Li, Tao; Holopainen, Jarmo K

2011-07-01

Since the first reports that undamaged plants gain defensive benefits following exposure to damaged neighbors, the idea that plants may signal to each other has attracted much interest. There has also been substantial debate concerning the ecological significance of the process and the evolutionary drivers. Part of this debate has centered on the distance over which signaling between plants occurs in nature. In a recent study we showed that an ozone concentration of 80 ppb, commonly encountered in nature, significantly reduces the distance over which plant-plant signaling occurs in lima bean. We went on to show that degradation of herbivore-induced plant volatiles by ozone is the likely mechanism for this. The key question remaining from our work was that if ozone is degrading the signal in transit between plants, which chemicals are responsible for transmitting the signal in purer air? Here we present the results of a small scale experiment testing the role of the two most significant herbivore-induced terpenes and discuss our results in terms of other reported functions for these chemicals in plant-plant signaling.

Not all GMOs are crop plants: non-plant GMO applications in agriculture.

PubMed

Hokanson, K E; Dawson, W O; Handler, A M; Schetelig, M F; St Leger, R J

2014-12-01

Since tools of modern biotechnology have become available, the most commonly applied and often discussed genetically modified organisms are genetically modified crop plants, although genetic engineering is also being used successfully in organisms other than plants, including bacteria, fungi, insects, and viruses. Many of these organisms, as with crop plants, are being engineered for applications in agriculture, to control plant insect pests or diseases. This paper reviews the genetically modified non-plant organisms that have been the subject of permit approvals for environmental release by the United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service since the US began regulating genetically modified organisms. This is an indication of the breadth and progress of research in the area of non-plant genetically modified organisms. This review includes three examples of promising research on non-plant genetically modified organisms for application in agriculture: (1) insects for insect pest control using improved vector systems; (2) fungal pathogens of insects to control insect pests; and (3) virus for use as transient-expression vectors for disease control in plants.

A Unified Theory for Plants and Plant Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Orvin E.

1998-04-01

The wave theory provides for quantization of plant structure. If one measures many spacings between plant structures it becomes apparent that certain spacings repeat from plant to plant. These spacings are associated with certain discrete frequencies associated with plant operation. When a branch grows it extend by one or more of discrete half wavelengths associated with permitted frequencies. If conditions are optimum it grows by the larger permitted half wavelengths. The angle that the branch makes with the vertical also determines the length because vertical wave velocities are in general larger than horizontal wave velocities as mentioned in the previous abstract. It also appears that cell dimensions are determined by permitted wavelengths. In conifer fiber cells it appears that there is an exact ratio between the average reciprocals of vertical lengths and horizontal reciprocal averages with a value of 1.50 in the data taken so far. Similar ratios for external structure spacings include 1.50, 1.25, 1.33, 1.66, 3.0, These ratios appear to represent ratios of vertical to horizontal velocities (Wagner 1996). See the Wagner web page.

PLANT DERMATITIS: ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

PubMed Central

Goon, Anthony Teik Jin; Goh, Chee Leok

2011-01-01

Occupational and recreational plant exposure on the skin is fairly common. Plant products and extracts are commonly used and found extensively in the environment. Adverse reactions to plants and their products are also fairly common. However, making the diagnosis of contact dermatitis from plants and plant extracts is not always simple and straightforward. Phytodermatitis refers to inflammation of the skin caused by a plant. The clinical patterns may be allergic phytodermatitis, photophytodermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, pharmacological injury, and mechanical injury. In this article, we will focus mainly on allergy contact dermatitis from plants or allergic phytodermatitis occurring in Asia. PMID:22345775

Alien plant invasions and native plant extinctions: a six-threshold framework

PubMed Central

Downey, Paul O.; Richardson, David M.

2016-01-01

Biological invasions are widely acknowledged as a major threat to global biodiversity. Species from all major taxonomic groups have become invasive. The range of impacts of invasive taxa and the overall magnitude of the threat is increasing. Plants comprise the biggest and best-studied group of invasive species. There is a growing debate; however, regarding the nature of the alien plant threat—in particular whether the outcome is likely to be the widespread extinction of native plant species. The debate has raised questions on whether the threat posed by invasive plants to native plants has been overstated. We provide a conceptual framework to guide discussion on this topic, in which the threat posed by invasive plants is considered in the context of a progression from no impact through to extinction. We define six thresholds along the ‘extinction trajectory’, global extinction being the final threshold. Although there are no documented examples of either ‘in the wild’ (Threshold 5) or global extinctions (Threshold 6) of native plants that are attributable solely to plant invasions, there is evidence that native plants have crossed or breached other thresholds along the extinction trajectory due to the impacts associated with plant invasions. Several factors may be masking where native species are on the trajectory; these include a lack of appropriate data to accurately map the position of species on the trajectory, the timeframe required to definitively state that extinctions have occurred and management interventions. Such interventions, focussing mainly on Thresholds 1–3 (a declining population through to the local extinction of a population), are likely to alter the extinction trajectory of some species. The critical issue for conservation managers is the trend, because interventions must be implemented before extinctions occur. Thus the lack of evidence for extinctions attributable to plant invasions does not mean we should disregard the broader

Waterfowl conservation in the US Prairie Pothole Region: confronting the complexities of climate change.

PubMed

Niemuth, Neal D; Fleming, Kathleen K; Reynolds, Ronald E

2014-01-01

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is the most important waterfowl production area in North America. However, waterfowl populations there are predicted to decline because of climate-related drying of wetlands. Consequently, changes in the geographic focus of PPR waterfowl conservation have been recommended, which could have long-lasting and costly impacts. We used a 40-year dataset of pond counts collected in the PPR to test hypotheses about climate-related drying. We assessed May (1974-2013) and July (1974-2003) pond numbers in 20 waterfowl survey strata to determine if trends in pond numbers were consistent with predictions of drying. We also assessed trends in precipitation and temperature for the 20 strata and developed models describing May pond numbers from 1974 through 2010 as a function of precipitation, temperature, the previous year's pond numbers, and location. None of the 20 strata showed significant declines in May pond numbers, although seven strata showed increases over time. July pond numbers declined significantly in one stratum, and increased in seven strata. An index to hydroperiod showed significant increasing trends in three strata, and no strata had decreasing trends. Precipitation increased significantly in two strata and decreased in two from 1974 to 2010; no strata showed significant changes in temperature. The best linear model described pond numbers within all strata as a function of precipitation, temperature, the previous year's pond numbers, and the latitude and longitude of the stratum, and explained 62% of annual variation in pond numbers. We hypothesize that direct effects of climate change on prairie pothole wetlands and waterfowl may be overshadowed by indirect effects such as intensified land use and increased pressure to drain wetlands. We recommend that an adaptive, data-driven approach be used to resolve uncertainties regarding direct and indirect effects of climate change on prairie wetlands and waterfowl, and guide future

Geology of an Ordovician stratiform base-metal deposit in the Long Canyon Area, Blaine County, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Otto, B.R.; Zieg, G.A.

2003-01-01

In the Long Canyon area, Blaine County, Idaho, a strati-form base-metal-bearing gossan is exposed within a complexly folded and faulted sequence of Ordovician strata. The gossan horizon in graptolitic mudrock suggests preservation of bedded sulfides that were deposited by an Ordovician subaqueous hydrothermal system. Abrupt thickness changes and geochemi-cal zoning in the metal-bearing strata suggest that the gossan is near the source of the hydrothermal system. Ordovician sedimentary rocks at Long Canyon represent a coarsening-upward section that was deposited below wave base in a submarine depositional environment. The lowest exposed rocks represent deposition in a starved, euxinic basin and over-lying strata represent a prograding clastic wedge of terrigenous and calcareous detritus. The metalliferous strata are between these two types of strata. Strata at Long Canyon have been deformed by two periods of thrust faulting, at least three periods of normal faulting, and two periods of folding. Tertiary extensional faulting formed five subhorizontal structural plates. These low-angle fault-bounded plates truncate Sevier-age and possibly Antler-age thrust faults. The presence of gossan-bearing strata in the four upper plates suggests that there was only minor, although locally complex, stratigraphic displacement and rotation. The lack of correlative strata in the lowest plate suggests the displacement was greater than 2000 ft. The metalliferous strata were exposed to surface weathering, oxidation, and erosion prior to and during deposition of the Eocene Challis Volcanic Group. The orientations of erosional canyons formed during this early period of exposure were related to the orientations of Sevier-age thrust faults, and stream-channel gravel was deposited in the canyons. During this and subsequent intervals of exposure, sulfidic strata were oxi-dized to a minimum depth of 700 ft.

Plant Sex Determination.

PubMed

Pannell, John R

2017-03-06

Sex determination is as important for the fitness of plants as it is for animals, but its mechanisms appear to vary much more among plants than among animals, and the expression of gender in plants differs in important respects from that in most animals. In this Minireview, I provide an overview of the broad variety of ways in which plants determine sex. I suggest that several important peculiarities of plant sex determination can be understood by recognising that: plants show an alternation of generations between sporophytic and gametophytic phases (either of which may take control of sex determination); plants are modular in structure and lack a germ line (allowing for a quantitative expression of gender that is not common in animals); and separate sexes in plants have ultimately evolved from hermaphroditic ancestors. Most theorising about sex determination in plants has focused on dioecious species, but we have much to learn from monecious or hermaphroditic species, where sex is determined at the level of modules, tissues or cells. Because of the fundamental modularity of plant development and potentially important evolutionary links between monoecy and dioecy, it may be useful to relax the distinction often made between 'developmental sex determination' (which underpins the development of male versus female flowers in monoecious species) and 'genetic sex determination' (which underpins the separation of males and females in dioecious species, often mediated by a genetic polymorphism and sex chromosomes). I also argue for relaxing the distinction between sex determination involving a genetic polymorphism and that involving responses to environmental or hormonal cues, because non-genetic cues might easily be converted into genetic switches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspects of Plant Intelligence

PubMed Central

TREWAVAS, ANTHONY

2003-01-01

Intelligence is not a term commonly used when plants are discussed. However, I believe that this is an omission based not on a true assessment of the ability of plants to compute complex aspects of their environment, but solely a reflection of a sessile lifestyle. This article, which is admittedly controversial, attempts to raise many issues that surround this area. To commence use of the term intelligence with regard to plant behaviour will lead to a better understanding of the complexity of plant signal transduction and the discrimination and sensitivity with which plants construct images of their environment, and raises critical questions concerning how plants compute responses at the whole‐plant level. Approaches to investigating learning and memory in plants will also be considered. PMID:12740212

Exotic plant species invade hot spots of native plant diversity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, T.J.; Binkley, Dan; Chong, G.W.; Kalkhan, M.A.; Schell, L.D.; Bull, K.A.; Otsuki, Yuka; Newman, G.; Bashkin, Michael A.; Son, Y.

1999-01-01

Some theories and experimental studies suggest that areas of low plant species richness may be invaded more easily than areas of high plant species richness. We gathered nested-scale vegetation data on plant species richness, foliar cover, and frequency from 200 1-m2 subplots (20 1000-m2 modified-Whittaker plots) in the Colorado Rockies (USA), and 160 1-m2 subplots (16 1000-m2 plots) in the Central Grasslands in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota (USA) to test the generality of this paradigm.At the 1-m2 scale, the paradigm was supported in four prairie types in the Central Grasslands, where exotic species richness declined with increasing plant species richness and cover. At the 1-m2 scale, five forest and meadow vegetation types in the Colorado Rockies contradicted the paradigm; exotic species richness increased with native-plant species richness and foliar cover. At the 1000-m2 plot scale (among vegetation types), 83% of the variance in exotic species richness in the Central Grasslands was explained by the total percentage of nitrogen in the soil and the cover of native plant species. In the Colorado Rockies, 69% of the variance in exotic species richness in 1000-m2 plots was explained by the number of native plant species and the total percentage of soil carbon.At landscape and biome scales, exotic species primarily invaded areas of high species richness in the four Central Grasslands sites and in the five Colorado Rockies vegetation types. For the nine vegetation types in both biomes, exotic species cover was positively correlated with mean foliar cover, mean soil percentage N, and the total number of exotic species. These patterns of invasibility depend on spatial scale, biome and vegetation type, spatial autocorrelation effects, availability of resources, and species-specific responses to grazing and other disturbances. We conclude that: (1) sites high in herbaceous foliar cover and soil fertility, and hot spots of plant diversity (and

The microbiome of medicinal plants: diversity and importance for plant growth, quality and health.

PubMed

Köberl, Martina; Schmidt, Ruth; Ramadan, Elshahat M; Bauer, Rudolf; Berg, Gabriele

2013-12-20

Past medicinal plant research primarily focused on bioactive phytochemicals, however, the focus is currently shifting due to the recognition that a significant number of phytotherapeutic compounds are actually produced by associated microbes or through interaction with their host. Medicinal plants provide an enormous bioresource of potential use in modern medicine and agriculture, yet their microbiome is largely unknown. The objective of this review is (i) to introduce novel insights into the plant microbiome with a focus on medicinal plants, (ii) to provide details about plant- and microbe-derived ingredients of medicinal plants, and (iii) to discuss possibilities for plant growth promotion and plant protection for commercial cultivation of medicinal plants. In addition, we also present a case study performed both to analyse the microbiome of three medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla L., Calendula officinalis L., and Solanum distichum Schumach. and Thonn.) cultivated on organically managed Egyptian desert farm and to develop biological control strategies. The soil microbiome of the desert ecosystem was comprised of a high abundance of Gram-positive bacteria of prime importance for pathogen suppression under arid soil conditions. For all three plants, we observed a clearly plant-specific selection of the microbes as well as highly specific diazotrophic communities that overall identify plant species as important drivers in structural and functional diversity. Lastly, native Bacillus spec. div. strains were able to promote plant growth and elevate the plants' flavonoid production. These results underline the numerous links between the plant-associated microbiome and the plant metabolome.

Chemical Mowing: Effect of Plant Growth Retardants on Plant Roots

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

nature of the turf. The retardation effects of mefluidide in this case ( field -treated) are consistent with other researchers (Nielsen and Wakefield...CONTRACT REPORT EL-91-1 CHEMICAL MOWING: EFFECT OF PLANT Of 5,’’ ’,i em GROWTH RETARDANTS ON PLANT ROOTS AD-A2 4 0 88 byI/l!ll//I, I/ll/lil/l///l/o.P...Chemical Mowing: Effect of Plant Growth Retardants on Plant Roots 6. AUTHOR(S) DACW39-88-C-0043 0. P. Vadhwa DACW39-88-C-0043-P 00002 7. PERFORMING

Plant-Pollinator Coextinctions and the Loss of Plant Functional and Phylogenetic Diversity

PubMed Central

Vieira, Marcos Costa; Cianciaruso, Marcus Vinicius; Almeida-Neto, Mário

2013-01-01

Plant-pollinator coextinctions are likely to become more frequent as habitat alteration and climate change continue to threaten pollinators. The consequences of the resulting collapse of plant communities will depend partly on how quickly plant functional and phylogenetic diversity decline following pollinator extinctions. We investigated the functional and phylogenetic consequences of pollinator extinctions by simulating coextinctions in seven plant-pollinator networks coupled with independent data on plant phylogeny and functional traits. Declines in plant functional diversity were slower than expected under a scenario of random extinctions, while phylogenetic diversity often decreased faster than expected by chance. Our results show that plant functional diversity was relatively robust to plant-pollinator coextinctions, despite the underlying rapid loss of evolutionary history. Thus, our study suggests the possibility of uncoupled responses of functional and phylogenetic diversity to species coextinctions, highlighting the importance of considering both dimensions of biodiversity explicitly in ecological studies and when planning for the conservation of species and interactions. PMID:24312281

Woody plants and woody plant management: ecology, safety, environmental impact

Treesearch

James H. Miller

2001-01-01

Wise and effective woody plant management is an increasing necessity for many land uses and conservation practices, especially on forests and rangelands where native or exotic plants are affecting productivity, access, or critical habitat. Tools and approaches for managing woody plants have been under concerted development for the past 50 years, integrating mechanical...

The Essence of "Plantness."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darley, W. Marshall

1990-01-01

Major differences between plants and animals are presented. Discussed are autotrophs and heterotrophs, plant growth and development, gas exchange, the evolution of plants, ecosystem components, the alleged inferiority of plants, and fungi. (CW)

Beginning Plant Biotechnology Laboratories Using Fast Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mike

This set of 16 laboratory activities is designed to illustrate the life cycle of Brassicae plants from seeds in pots to pods in 40 days. At certain points along the production cycle of the central core of labs, there are related lateral labs to provide additional learning opportunities employing this family of plants, referred to as "fast…

[Psychoactive plant species--actual list of plants prohibited in Poland].

PubMed

Simonienko, Katarzyna; Waszkiewicz, Napoleon; Szulc, Agata

2013-01-01

According to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction (20-th of March, 2009, Dz. U. Nr 63 poz. 520.) the list of federally prohibited plants in Poland was expanded to include 16 new species. Until that time the only illegal plant materials were cannabis, papaver, coca and most of their products. The actual list of herbal narcotics includes species which significantly influence on the central nervous system work but which are rarely described in the national literature. The plants usually come from distant places, where--among primeval cultures--are used for ritual purposes. In our civilization the plants are usually used experimentally, recreationally or to gain particular narcotic effects. The results of the consumption vary: they can be specific or less typical, imitate other substances intake, mental disorders or different pathological states. The plant active substances can interact with other medicaments, be toxic to internal organs, cause serious threat to health or even death. This article describes the sixteen plant species, which are now prohibited in Poland, their biochemical ingredients and their influence on the human organism.

TRANSGENIC PLANT CONTAINMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The new technology using plant genetics to produce chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and therapeuitics in a wide array of new plant forms requires sufficient testing to ensure that these new plant introductions are benign in the environment. A recent effort to provide necessary guidan...

Waste isolation pilot plant (WIPP) borehole plugging program description

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christensen, C.L.; Hunter, T.O.

1979-08-01

The tests and experiments described attempt to provide a mix of borehole (with limited access) and in-mine (with relatively unlimited access) environments in which assessment of the various issues involved can be undertaken. The Bell Canyon Test provides the opportunity to instrument and analyze a plug in a high pressure region. The Shallow Hole Test permits application of best techniques for plugging and then access to both the top and bottom of the plug for further analysis. The Diagnostic Test Hole permits recovery of bench scale size samples for analysis and establishes an in-borehole laboratory in which to conduct testingmore » and analysis in all strata from the surface into the salt horizon. The additional in mine experiments provide the opportunity to investigate in more detail specific effects on plugs in the salt region and allows evaluation of instrumentation systems.« less

Hydrogen isotopic compositions of organic compounds in plants reflect the plant's carbon metabolism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cormier, M. A.; Kahmen, A.; Werner, R. A.

2015-12-01

The main factors controlling δ2H of plant organic compounds are generally assumed to be the plant's source water and the evaporative deuterium enrichment of leaf water. Hydrogen isotope analyses of plant compounds from sediments or tree rings are therefore mainly applied to assess hydrological conditions at different spatial and temporal scales. However, the biochemical hydrogen isotope fractionation occurring during biosynthesis of plant organic compounds (ɛbio) also accounts for a large part of the variability observed in the δ2H values. Nevertheless, only few studies have directly addressed the physiological basis of this variability and even fewer studies have thus explored possible applications of hydrogen isotope variability in plant organic compounds for plant physiological research. Here we show two datasets indicating that the plant's carbon metabolism can have a substantial influence on δ2H values of n-alkanes and cellulose. First, we performed a controlled experiment where we forced plants into heterotrophic and autotrophic C-metabolism by growing them under four different light treatments. Second, we assessed the δ2H values of different parasitic heterotrophic plants and their autotrophic host plants. Our two datasets show a systematic shift in ɛbio of up to 80 ‰ depending on the plant's carbon metabolism (heterotrophic or autotrophic). Differences in n-alkane and cellulose δ2H values in plants with autotrophic vs. heterotrophic metabolisms can be explained by different NADPH pools that are used by the plants to build their compounds either with assimilates that originate directly from photosynthesis or from stored carbohydrates. Our results have significant implications for the calibration and interpretation of geological records. More importantly, as the δ2H values reflect the plant's carbon metabolism involved during the tissue formation, our findings highlight the potential of δ2H values as new tool for studying plant and ecosystem carbon

Plant Habitat

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-12

iss055e001961 (March 12, 2018) --- Astronaut Norishige Kanai, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, holds dwarf wheat plants grown inside the Plant Habitat growth chamber located in Japan's Kibo laboratory module.

Competition overwhelms the positive plant-soil feedback generated by an invasive plant.

PubMed

Crawford, Kerri M; Knight, Tiffany M

2017-01-01

Invasive plant species can modify soils in a way that benefits their fitness more than the fitness of native species. However, it is unclear how competition among plant species alters the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks. We tested how community context altered plant-soil feedback between the non-native invasive forb Lespedeza cuneata and nine co-occurring native prairie species. In a series of greenhouse experiments, we grew plants individually and in communities with soils that differed in soil origin (invaded or uninvaded by L. cuneata) and in soils that were live vs. sterilized. In the absence of competition, L. cuneata produced over 60% more biomass in invaded than uninvaded soils, while native species performance was unaffected. The absence of a soil origin effect in sterile soil suggests that the positive plant-soil feedback was caused by differences in the soil biota. However, in the presence of competition, the positive effect of soil origin on L. cuneata growth disappeared. These results suggest that L. cuneata may benefit from positive plant-soil feedback when establishing populations in disturbed landscapes with few interspecific competitors, but does not support the hypothesis that plant-soil feedbacks influence competitive outcomes between L. cuneata and native plant species. These results highlight the importance of considering whether competition influences the outcome of interactions between plants and soils.

Plant foods and plant-based diets: protective against childhood obesity?

PubMed

Newby, P K

2009-05-01

The objective of this article is to review the epidemiologic literature examining the role of plant foods and plant-based diets in the prevention of childhood obesity. Available data suggest a protective effect of ready-to-eat cereal on risk of obesity, although prospective studies are still needed. Studies on fruit and vegetables; grains other than cereal; high-protein foods, including beans, legumes, and soy; fiber; and plant-based dietary patterns are inconsistent or generally null. The evidence base is limited, and most studies are fraught with methodologic limitations, including cross-sectional design, inadequate adjustment for potential confounders, and lack of consideration of reporting errors, stage of growth, and genetic influences. Well-designed prospective studies are needed. The lack of evidence showing an association between plant-based diets and childhood obesity does not mean that such diets should not be encouraged. Plant foods are highlighted in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and children do not meet the current recommendations for most plant foods. Although the advice to consume a plant-based, low-energy-dense diet is sound, ethical questions arise concerning the relatively high price of these diets in the United States and the way in which such diets are perceived in other parts of the world. Reducing the burden of childhood obesity, eliminating health disparities, and preventing the further spread of the disease around the globe will require not only policy interventions to ensure that plant foods are affordable and accessible to children of all income levels but also awareness of sociocultural norms that affect consumption.

THE USE OF PLANTS TO PROTECT PLANTS AND FOOD AGAINST FUNGAL PATHOGENS: A REVIEW

PubMed Central

Shuping, D.S.S.; Eloff, J.N.

2017-01-01

Background: Plant fungal pathogens play a crucial role in the profitability, quality and quantity of plant production. These phytopathogens are persistent in avoiding plant defences causing diseases and quality losses around the world that amount to billions of US dollars annually. To control the scourge of plant fungal diseases, farmers have used fungicides to manage the damage of plant pathogenic fungi. Drawbacks such as development of resistance and environmental toxicity associated with these chemicals have motivated researchers and cultivators to investigate other possibilities. Materials and Methods: Several databases were accessed to determine work done on protecting plants against plant fungal pathogens with plant extracts using search terms “plant fungal pathogen”, “plant extracts” and “phytopathogens”. Proposals are made on the best extractants and bioassay techniques to be used. Results: In addition to chemical fungicides, biological agents have been used to deal with plant fungal diseases. There are many examples where plant extracts or plant derived compounds have been used as commercial deterrents of fungi on a large scale in agricultural and horticultural setups. One advantage of this approach is that plant extracts usually contain more than one antifungal compound. Consequently the development of resistance of pathogens may be lower if the different compounds affect a different metabolic process. Plants cultivated using plants extracts may also be marketed as organically produced. Many papers have been published on effective antimicrobial compounds present in plant extracts focusing on applications in human health. More research is required to develop suitable, sustainable, effective, cheaper botanical products that can be used to help overcome the scourge of plant fungal diseases. Conclusions: Scientists who have worked only on using plants to control human and animal fungal pathogens should consider the advantages of focusing on plant

THE USE OF PLANTS TO PROTECT PLANTS AND FOOD AGAINST FUNGAL PATHOGENS: A REVIEW.

PubMed

Shuping, D S S; Eloff, J N

2017-01-01

Plant fungal pathogens play a crucial role in the profitability, quality and quantity of plant production. These phytopathogens are persistent in avoiding plant defences causing diseases and quality losses around the world that amount to billions of US dollars annually. To control the scourge of plant fungal diseases, farmers have used fungicides to manage the damage of plant pathogenic fungi. Drawbacks such as development of resistance and environmental toxicity associated with these chemicals have motivated researchers and cultivators to investigate other possibilities. Several databases were accessed to determine work done on protecting plants against plant fungal pathogens with plant extracts using search terms "plant fungal pathogen", "plant extracts" and "phytopathogens". Proposals are made on the best extractants and bioassay techniques to be used. In addition to chemical fungicides, biological agents have been used to deal with plant fungal diseases. There are many examples where plant extracts or plant derived compounds have been used as commercial deterrents of fungi on a large scale in agricultural and horticultural setups. One advantage of this approach is that plant extracts usually contain more than one antifungal compound. Consequently the development of resistance of pathogens may be lower if the different compounds affect a different metabolic process. Plants cultivated using plants extracts may also be marketed as organically produced. Many papers have been published on effective antimicrobial compounds present in plant extracts focusing on applications in human health. More research is required to develop suitable, sustainable, effective, cheaper botanical products that can be used to help overcome the scourge of plant fungal diseases. Scientists who have worked only on using plants to control human and animal fungal pathogens should consider the advantages of focusing on plant fungal pathogens. This approach could not only potentially increase

All about Plant Adaptation. Plant Life for Children[TM]. Schlessinger Science Library. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

Plants can survive in even the harshest of environments, from the freezing Arctic to the arid desert. In All About Plant Adaptation, join young plant lovers as they uncover some of the amazing ways that plants have adapted over millions of years enabling them to survive almost anywhere on Earth. Discover how some plants living in cold, arctic…

Distinguishing succulent plants from crop and woody plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gausman, H. W.; Escobar, D. E.; Everitt, J. H.; Richardson, A. J.; Rodriguez, R. R.

1978-01-01

We compared laboratory spectrophotometrically measured leaf reflectances of six succulents (peperomia, possum-grape, prickly pear, spiderwort, Texas tuberose, wolfberry) with those of four nonsucculents (cenizo, honey mesquite, cotton, sugarcane) for plant species discrimination. Succulents (average leaf water content of 92.2 percent) could be distinguished from nonsucculents (average leaf water content of 71.2 percent) within the near-infrared water absorption waveband (1.35 to 2.5 microns). This was substantiated by field spectrophotometric reflectances of plant canopies. Sensor bands encompassing either the 1.6- or 2.2-wavelengths may be useful to distinguish succulent from nonsucculent plant species.

40 CFR 174.25 - Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant. 174.25 Section 174.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS Exemptions...

40 CFR 174.25 - Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant. 174.25 Section 174.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS Exemptions...

40 CFR 174.25 - Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant. 174.25 Section 174.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS Exemptions...

40 CFR 174.25 - Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant. 174.25 Section 174.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS Exemptions...

40 CFR 174.25 - Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Plant-incorporated protectant from sexually compatible plant. 174.25 Section 174.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS Exemptions...

Patterns and Environmental Determinants of Medicinal Plant : Vascular Plant Ratios in Xinjiang, Northwest China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Bengang; Xiao, Peigen; Qi, Yaodong; Zhang, Zhao; Liu, Haitao; Li, Xiaojin; Wang, Guoping; Terwei, André

2016-01-01

With both a full collection of native vascular plant distributions and a full checklist of source plants of the Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), the Uygur Medicine (UM), and the Kazak Medicine (KM) for the Xinjiang region, we defined medicinal plant: vascular plant ratios (simplified as medicinal plant ratios hereafter) as the value of medicinal plant richness divided by vascular plant richness. We aimed to find whether the ratios are constant or change in different environments, which environmental variables determine medicinal plant ratios, and whether the ratios are more influenced by human or by natural environments. Finally, suggestions for medicinal plant conservation were addressed. We found that (1) medicinal plant ratios were not constant, and they were high in the Tarim Basin which was largely covered by desert, while they were relatively low in mountainous areas, especially in the Tianshan Mountains where the general species richness was high; (2) medicinal plant ratios were not significantly influenced by human activities, indicated by human population density distributions, but they were highly correlated with plant species richness and climate, i.e. ratios decreased with plant species richness and MAP, and were related quadratically with MAT; (3) CMM ratio and UM ratio were more influenced by plant richness than by climate, while KM ratio was more influenced by climate. We concluded that the percentages of plants used as medicines were not influenced by distances from human settlements, but were determined by species richness or climate. We suggest that (1), in general, the medicinal plant ratio could be a complementary indicator for medicinal plant conservation planning and (2), for the region of Xinjiang, not only high diversity areas, but also some extreme environments should be considered as compensation for a better protection of medicinal plants. PMID:27391239

Patterns and Environmental Determinants of Medicinal Plant : Vascular Plant Ratios in Xinjiang, Northwest China.

PubMed

Li, Liping; Zhang, Bengang; Xiao, Peigen; Qi, Yaodong; Zhang, Zhao; Liu, Haitao; Li, Xiaojin; Wang, Guoping; Terwei, André

2016-01-01

With both a full collection of native vascular plant distributions and a full checklist of source plants of the Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), the Uygur Medicine (UM), and the Kazak Medicine (KM) for the Xinjiang region, we defined medicinal plant: vascular plant ratios (simplified as medicinal plant ratios hereafter) as the value of medicinal plant richness divided by vascular plant richness. We aimed to find whether the ratios are constant or change in different environments, which environmental variables determine medicinal plant ratios, and whether the ratios are more influenced by human or by natural environments. Finally, suggestions for medicinal plant conservation were addressed. We found that (1) medicinal plant ratios were not constant, and they were high in the Tarim Basin which was largely covered by desert, while they were relatively low in mountainous areas, especially in the Tianshan Mountains where the general species richness was high; (2) medicinal plant ratios were not significantly influenced by human activities, indicated by human population density distributions, but they were highly correlated with plant species richness and climate, i.e. ratios decreased with plant species richness and MAP, and were related quadratically with MAT; (3) CMM ratio and UM ratio were more influenced by plant richness than by climate, while KM ratio was more influenced by climate. We concluded that the percentages of plants used as medicines were not influenced by distances from human settlements, but were determined by species richness or climate. We suggest that (1), in general, the medicinal plant ratio could be a complementary indicator for medicinal plant conservation planning and (2), for the region of Xinjiang, not only high diversity areas, but also some extreme environments should be considered as compensation for a better protection of medicinal plants.

Plant anesthesia supports similarities between animals and plants

PubMed Central

Grémiaux, Alexandre; Yokawa, Ken; Mancuso, Stefano; Baluška, František

2014-01-01

The French scientist Claude Bernard (1813–1878) is famous for his discoveries in physiology and for introducing rigorous experimental methods to medicine and biology. One of his major technical innovations was the use of chemicals in order to disrupt normal physiological function to test hypotheses. But less known is his conviction that the physiological functions of all living organisms rely on the same underlying principles. He hypothesized that similarly to animals, plants are also able to sense changes in their environment. He called this ability “sensitivity.” In order to test his ideas, he performed anesthesia on plants and the results of these experiments were presented in 1878 in “Leçonssur les phénomènes de la vie communs aux animaux et aux végétaux.”1 The phenomena described by Claude Bernard more than a century ago are not fully understood yet. Here, we present a short overview of anesthetic effects in animals and we discuss how anesthesia affects plant movements, seed germination, and photosynthesis. Surprisingly, these phenomena may have ecological relevance, since stressed plants generate anesthetics such as ethylene and ether. Finally, we discuss Claude Bernard's interpretations and conclusions in the perspective of modern plant sciences. PMID:24476640

Plant immunity: towards an integrated view of plant-pathogen interactions.

PubMed

Dodds, Peter N; Rathjen, John P

2010-08-01

Plants are engaged in a continuous co-evolutionary struggle for dominance with their pathogens. The outcomes of these interactions are of particular importance to human activities, as they can have dramatic effects on agricultural systems. The recent convergence of molecular studies of plant immunity and pathogen infection strategies is revealing an integrated picture of the plant-pathogen interaction from the perspective of both organisms. Plants have an amazing capacity to recognize pathogens through strategies involving both conserved and variable pathogen elicitors, and pathogens manipulate the defence response through secretion of virulence effector molecules. These insights suggest novel biotechnological approaches to crop protection.

All about Caring for Plants. Plant Life for Children[TM]. Schlessinger Science Library. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

What do plants require in order to survive? In All About Caring for Plants, join young plant enthusiasts as they investigate what plants need to grow from seedlings to healthy adult plants. Discover the basic necessities of a variety of plants, including sunlight, water, appropriate temperature and proper nutrients. Learn how to provide the proper…

Utilizing ERTS imagery to detect plant diseases and nutrient deficiencies, soil types and soil moisture levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, W. L.; Sewell, J. I.; Hilty, J. W.; Rennie, J. C. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery may be used to delineate soil associations. It does have the capacity to divide soils into groups such that their land use and management would be similar. It offers definite potential for making grass flood-plain, wetland, river shoreline, and land use change surveys. Production of volume strata and forest type from the two usable bands of ERTS-1 imagery were of questionable value. No imagery was received for evaluation during the time of year when maine dwarf mosaic virus and southern corn leaf blight were active.

78 FR 79636 - Restructuring of Regulations on the Importation of Plants for Planting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-31

...We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule that would restructure the regulations governing the importation of plants for planting. We are requesting comments on our proposed framework for integrated pest risk management measures for plants for planting. We are especially interested in: The differences commenters perceive between International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 36 and the North American Plant Protection Organization's Regional Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 24, and reasons to prefer one over the other as a basis for such measures; and how to address the risk posed when plant brokers purchase and move plants for planting after they leave their place of production and before they are exported to the United States. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments on these topics.

Does chemical aposematic (warning) signaling occur between host plants and their potential parasitic plants?

PubMed

Lev-Yadun, Simcha

2013-07-01

Aposematism (warning) signaling is a common defensive mechanism toward predatory or herbivorous animals, i.e., interactions between different trophic levels. I propose that it should be considered at least as a working hypothesis that chemical aposematism operates between certain host plants and their plant predators, parasitic plants, and that although they are also plants, they belong to a higher trophic level. Specific host plant genotypes emit known repelling chemical signals toward parasitic plants, which reduce the level of, slow the directional parasite growth (attack) toward the signaling hosts, or even cause parasitic plants to grow away from them in response to these chemicals. Chemical host aposematism toward parasitic plants may be a common but overlooked defense from parasitic plants.

New plant releases from the USDA-NRCS Aberdeen, Idaho, Plant Materials Center

Treesearch

L. St. John; P. Blaker

2001-01-01

The Plant Materials Center at Aberdeen, Idaho, is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. The purpose of the Plant Materials Center is to evaluate and release plant materials for conservation use and to develop and transfer new technology for the establishment and management of plants. The Center serves portions...

Poisonous Plants

MedlinePlus

... Publications and Products Programs Contact NIOSH NIOSH POISONOUS PLANTS Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Photo courtesy ... U.S. Department of Agriculture Many native and exotic plants are poisonous to humans when ingested or if ...

Plant and root endophyte assembly history: interactive effects on native and exotic plants.

PubMed

Sikes, Benjamin A; Hawkes, Christine V; Fukami, Tadashi

2016-02-01

Differences in the arrival timing of plants and soil biota may result in different plant communities through priority effects, potentially affecting the success of native vs. exotic plants, but experimental evidence is largely lacking. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate whether the assembly history of plants and fungal root endophytes could interact to influence plant emergence and biomass. We introduced a grass species and eight fungal species from one of three land-use types (undisturbed, disturbed, or pasture sites in a Florida scrubland) in factorial combinations. We then introduced all plants and fungi from the other land-use types 2 weeks later. Plant emergence was monitored for 6 months, and final plant biomass and fungal species composition assessed. The emergence and growth of the exotic Melinis repens and the native Schizacharyium niveum were affected negatively when introduced early with their "home" fungi, but early introduction of a different plant species or fungi from a different site type eliminated these negative effects, providing evidence for interactive priority effects. Interactive effects of plant and fungal arrival history may be an overlooked determinant of plant community structure and may provide an effective management tool to inhibit biological invasion and aid ecosystem restoration.

Involvement of plant endogenous ABA in Bacillus megaterium PGPR activity in tomato plants.

PubMed

Porcel, Rosa; Zamarreño, Ángel María; García-Mina, José María; Aroca, Ricardo

2014-01-25

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are naturally occurring soil bacteria which benefit plants by improving plant productivity and immunity. The mechanisms involved in these processes include the regulation of plant hormone levels such as ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA). The aim of the present study was to determine whether the activity of Bacillus megaterium PGPR is affected by the endogenous ABA content of the host plant. The ABA-deficient tomato mutants flacca and sitiens and their near-isogenic wild-type parental lines were used. Growth, stomatal conductance, shoot hormone concentration, competition assay for colonization of tomato root tips, and root expression of plant genes expected to be modulated by ABA and PGPR were examined. Contrary to the wild-type plants in which PGPR stimulated growth rates, PGPR caused growth inhibition in ABA-deficient mutant plants. PGPR also triggered an over accumulation of ethylene in ABA-deficient plants which correlated with a higher expression of the pathogenesis-related gene Sl-PR1b. Positive correlation between over-accumulation of ethylene and a higher expression of Sl-PR1b in ABA-deficient mutant plants could indicate that maintenance of normal plant endogenous ABA content may be essential for the growth promoting action of B. megaterium by keeping low levels of ethylene production.

The microbiome of medicinal plants: diversity and importance for plant growth, quality and health

PubMed Central

Köberl, Martina; Schmidt, Ruth; Ramadan, Elshahat M.; Bauer, Rudolf; Berg, Gabriele

2013-01-01

Past medicinal plant research primarily focused on bioactive phytochemicals, however, the focus is currently shifting due to the recognition that a significant number of phytotherapeutic compounds are actually produced by associated microbes or through interaction with their host. Medicinal plants provide an enormous bioresource of potential use in modern medicine and agriculture, yet their microbiome is largely unknown. The objective of this review is (i) to introduce novel insights into the plant microbiome with a focus on medicinal plants, (ii) to provide details about plant- and microbe-derived ingredients of medicinal plants, and (iii) to discuss possibilities for plant growth promotion and plant protection for commercial cultivation of medicinal plants. In addition, we also present a case study performed both to analyse the microbiome of three medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla L., Calendula officinalis L., and Solanum distichum Schumach. and Thonn.) cultivated on organically managed Egyptian desert farm and to develop biological control strategies. The soil microbiome of the desert ecosystem was comprised of a high abundance of Gram-positive bacteria of prime importance for pathogen suppression under arid soil conditions. For all three plants, we observed a clearly plant-specific selection of the microbes as well as highly specific diazotrophic communities that overall identify plant species as important drivers in structural and functional diversity. Lastly, native Bacillus spec. div. strains were able to promote plant growth and elevate the plants’ flavonoid production. These results underline the numerous links between the plant-associated microbiome and the plant metabolome. PMID:24391634

Plants: Novel Developmental Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Robert B.

1988-01-01

Describes the diversity of plants. Outlines novel developmental and complex genetic processes that are specific to plants. Identifies approaches that can be used to solve problems in plant biology. Cites the advantages of using higher plants for experimental systems. (RT)

Plant or Animal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Frank; Matthews, Catherine E.

1996-01-01

Presents activities that use marine organisms with plant-like appearances to help students build classification skills and illustrate some of the less obvious differences between plants and animals. Compares mechanisms by which sessile plants and animals deal with common problems such as obtaining energy, defending themselves, successfully…

Alien plant invasions and native plant extinctions: a six-threshold framework.

PubMed

Downey, Paul O; Richardson, David M

2016-01-01

Biological invasions are widely acknowledged as a major threat to global biodiversity. Species from all major taxonomic groups have become invasive. The range of impacts of invasive taxa and the overall magnitude of the threat is increasing. Plants comprise the biggest and best-studied group of invasive species. There is a growing debate; however, regarding the nature of the alien plant threat-in particular whether the outcome is likely to be the widespread extinction of native plant species. The debate has raised questions on whether the threat posed by invasive plants to native plants has been overstated. We provide a conceptual framework to guide discussion on this topic, in which the threat posed by invasive plants is considered in the context of a progression from no impact through to extinction. We define six thresholds along the 'extinction trajectory', global extinction being the final threshold. Although there are no documented examples of either 'in the wild' (Threshold 5) or global extinctions (Threshold 6) of native plants that are attributable solely to plant invasions, there is evidence that native plants have crossed or breached other thresholds along the extinction trajectory due to the impacts associated with plant invasions. Several factors may be masking where native species are on the trajectory; these include a lack of appropriate data to accurately map the position of species on the trajectory, the timeframe required to definitively state that extinctions have occurred and management interventions. Such interventions, focussing mainly on Thresholds 1-3 (a declining population through to the local extinction of a population), are likely to alter the extinction trajectory of some species. The critical issue for conservation managers is the trend, because interventions must be implemented before extinctions occur. Thus the lack of evidence for extinctions attributable to plant invasions does not mean we should disregard the broader threat

Variable plant spacing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bledsoe, Jim; Weiss, Lee

1988-01-01

The goal of this project was to develop a system for varying the spacings between soybean plants as they grow to maximize the number of plants grown in a given volume. The project was studied to aid in the development of NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). The resulting design consists of plant trays which are three dimensional trapezoids arranged into circles in a compact geometrical configuration. These circles are stacked together in back to back pairs to form a long cylinder. In each growth tray, plants will be housed in individual containers containing a nutrient delivery system and a plant support mechanism. Between the containers, a half trellis has been designed to space the plants for maximum space efficiency. The design allows for localized seeding and harvesting mechanisms due to the chambers' geometrical configuration. In addition, the components have been designed for ease of cleaning and minimal maintenance. Next semester, the individual components will be constructed and tested to determine the success of the design.

On-plant selection and genetic analysis of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) behavioral traits: plant abandonment versus plant establishment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although some studies have investigated how insect behavior could influence resistance evolution to transgenic plants, none have determined if behavioral traits respond to selection pressure and how they may be inherited. We investigated plant establishment and plant abandonment traits for the Euro...

Do invasive alien plants benefit more from global environmental change than native plants?

PubMed

Liu, Yanjie; Oduor, Ayub M O; Zhang, Zhen; Manea, Anthony; Tooth, Ifeanna M; Leishman, Michelle R; Xu, Xingliang; van Kleunen, Mark

2017-08-01

Invasive alien plant species threaten native biodiversity, disrupt ecosystem functions and can cause large economic damage. Plant invasions have been predicted to further increase under ongoing global environmental change. Numerous case studies have compared the performance of invasive and native plant species in response to global environmental change components (i.e. changes in mean levels of precipitation, temperature, atmospheric CO 2 concentration or nitrogen deposition). Individually, these studies usually involve low numbers of species and therefore the results cannot be generalized. Therefore, we performed a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis to assess whether there is a general pattern of differences in invasive and native plant performance under each component of global environmental change. We compiled a database of studies that reported performance measures for 74 invasive alien plant species and 117 native plant species in response to one of the above-mentioned global environmental change components. We found that elevated temperature and CO 2 enrichment increased the performance of invasive alien plants more strongly than was the case for native plants. Invasive alien plants tended to also have a slightly stronger positive response to increased N deposition and increased precipitation than native plants, but these differences were not significant (N deposition: P = 0.051; increased precipitation: P = 0.679). Invasive alien plants tended to have a slightly stronger negative response to decreased precipitation than native plants, although this difference was also not significant (P = 0.060). So while drought could potentially reduce plant invasion, increases in the four other components of global environmental change considered, particularly global warming and atmospheric CO 2 enrichment, may further increase the spread of invasive plants in the future. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plants and men in space - A new field in plant physiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andre, M.; Macelroy, R. D.

1990-01-01

Results are presented on a comparison of nutritional values of and human psychological responses to algae and of higher plants considered for growth as food on long-term missions in space, together with the technological complexities of growing these plants. The comparison shows the advantages of higher plants, with results suggesting that a high level of material recycling can be obtained. It is noted that the issue of space gravity may be not a major problem for plants because of the possibility that phototropism can provide an alternative sense of direction. Problems of waste recycling can be solved in association with plant cultivation, and a high degree of autonomy of food production can be obtained.

Plant polyadenylation factors: conservation and variety in the polyadenylation complex in plants.

PubMed

Hunt, Arthur G; Xing, Denghui; Li, Qingshun Q

2012-11-20

Polyadenylation, an essential step in eukaryotic gene expression, requires both cis-elements and a plethora of trans-acting polyadenylation factors. The polyadenylation factors are largely conserved across mammals and fungi. The conservation seems also extended to plants based on the analyses of Arabidopsis polyadenylation factors. To extend this observation, we systemically identified the orthologs of yeast and human polyadenylation factors from 10 plant species chosen based on both the availability of their genome sequences and their positions in the evolutionary tree, which render them representatives of different plant lineages. The evolutionary trajectories revealed several interesting features of plant polyadenylation factors. First, the number of genes encoding plant polyadenylation factors was clearly increased from "lower" to "higher" plants. Second, the gene expansion in higher plants was biased to some polyadenylation factors, particularly those involved in RNA binding. Finally, while there are clear commonalities, the differences in the polyadenylation apparatus were obvious across different species, suggesting an ongoing process of evolutionary change. These features lead to a model in which the plant polyadenylation complex consists of a conserved core, which is rather rigid in terms of evolutionary conservation, and a panoply of peripheral subunits, which are less conserved and associated with the core in various combinations, forming a collection of somewhat distinct complex assemblies. The multiple forms of plant polyadenylation complex, together with the diversified polyA signals may explain the intensive alternative polyadenylation (APA) and its regulatory role in biological functions of higher plants.

78 FR 9851 - Importation of Plants for Planting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-12

... phytosanitary certificate of inspection, to make it consistent with the definition provided in ``Subpart--Fruits... inspection is, generally, greater for plants for planting than it is for fruits and vegetables, and often... the importation of seed of certain fruits, vegetables, and herbs into the United States. Section 361.2...

Fullerene C60 for enhancing phytoremediation of urea plant wastewater by timber plants.

PubMed

Yavari, Sara; Malakahmad, Amirhossein; Sapari, Nasiman B; Yavari, Saba

2018-04-01

Phytoremediation has been applied as a promising and cost-effective technique for removing nutrient pollutants from wastewater. In this study, the effect of fullerene C60 was assessed on enhancing the phytoremediation efficiency of teak plants over a period of 1 month. Teak plants were supplied with fullerene C60 (0, 25, or 50 mg L -1 ) and fed daily with two types of urea plant wastewater (with and without adding optimum ratio of phosphorus and potassium). The required volume of wastewater by the teak plants, nitrogen removal percentage, plant growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves, leaf surface area, and dry biomass), and nutrient content was recorded throughout the study. The results showed that addition of 25 mg L -1 fullerene C60 to urea plant wastewater could increase water uptake and nitrogen recovery of the teak plants. Plant growth and nutrient contents of teak plants were also increased in the presence of 25 mg L -1 fullerene C60. However, addition of 50 mg L -1 fullerene C60 to the wastewater decreased the values for water uptake and nitrogen recovery. The findings indicated that addition of proper amount of fullerene C60 to the teak-based remediation system can increase the efficiency of the plants for nitrogen removal.

Plant-to-plant communication triggered by systemin primes anti-herbivore resistance in tomato.

PubMed

Coppola, Mariangela; Cascone, Pasquale; Madonna, Valentina; Di Lelio, Ilaria; Esposito, Francesco; Avitabile, Concetta; Romanelli, Alessandra; Guerrieri, Emilio; Vitiello, Alessia; Pennacchio, Francesco; Rao, Rosa; Corrado, Giandomenico

2017-11-14

Plants actively respond to herbivory by inducing various defense mechanisms in both damaged (locally) and non-damaged tissues (systemically). In addition, it is currently widely accepted that plant-to-plant communication allows specific neighbors to be warned of likely incoming stress (defense priming). Systemin is a plant peptide hormone promoting the systemic response to herbivory in tomato. This 18-aa peptide is also able to induce the release of bioactive Volatile Organic Compounds, thus also promoting the interaction between the tomato and the third trophic level (e.g. predators and parasitoids of insect pests). In this work, using a combination of gene expression (RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR), behavioral and chemical approaches, we demonstrate that systemin triggers metabolic changes of the plant that are capable of inducing a primed state in neighboring unchallenged plants. At the molecular level, the primed state is mainly associated with an elevated transcription of pattern -recognition receptors, signaling enzymes and transcription factors. Compared to naïve plants, systemin-primed plants were significantly more resistant to herbivorous pests, more attractive to parasitoids and showed an increased response to wounding. Small peptides are nowadays considered fundamental signaling molecules in many plant processes and this work extends the range of downstream effects of this class of molecules to intraspecific plant-to-plant communication.

Plant fatty acid hydroxylases

DOEpatents

Somerville, Chris; Broun, Pierre; van de Loo, Frank

2001-01-01

This invention relates to plant fatty acyl hydroxylases. Methods to use conserved amino acid or nucleotide sequences to obtain plant fatty acyl hydroxylases are described. Also described is the use of cDNA clones encoding a plant hydroxylase to produce a family of hydroxylated fatty acids in transgenic plants. In addition, the use of genes encoding fatty acid hydroxylases or desaturases to alter the level of lipid fatty acid unsaturation in transgenic plants is described.

Community-level plant-soil feedbacks explain landscape distribution of native and non-native plants.

PubMed

Kulmatiski, Andrew

2018-02-01

Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) have gained attention for their potential role in explaining plant growth and invasion. While promising, most PSF research has measured plant monoculture growth on different soils in short-term, greenhouse experiments. Here, five soil types were conditioned by growing one native species, three non-native species, or a mixed plant community in different plots in a common-garden experiment. After 4 years, plants were removed and one native and one non-native plant community were planted into replicate plots of each soil type. After three additional years, the percentage cover of each of the three target species in each community was measured. These data were used to parameterize a plant community growth model. Model predictions were compared to native and non-native abundance on the landscape. Native community cover was lowest on soil conditioned by the dominant non-native, Centaurea diffusa , and non-native community cover was lowest on soil cultivated by the dominant native, Pseudoroegneria spicata . Consistent with plant growth on the landscape, the plant growth model predicted that the positive PSFs observed in the common-garden experiment would result in two distinct communities on the landscape: a native plant community on native soils and a non-native plant community on non-native soils. In contrast, when PSF effects were removed, the model predicted that non-native plants would dominate all soils, which was not consistent with plant growth on the landscape. Results provide an example where PSF effects were large enough to change the rank-order abundance of native and non-native plant communities and to explain plant distributions on the landscape. The positive PSFs that contributed to this effect reflected the ability of the two dominant plant species to suppress each other's growth. Results suggest that plant dominance, at least in this system, reflects the ability of a species to suppress the growth of dominant competitors

Kenyan medicinal plants used as antivenin: a comparison of plant usage

PubMed Central

Owuor, Bethwell O; Kisangau, Daniel P

2006-01-01

The success of snake bite healers is vaguely understood in Kenya, partly due to their unknown materia medica and occult-mystical nature of their practice. A comparison is made of plants used in snake bite treatments by two culturally distinct African groups (the Kamba and Luo). Thirty two plants used for snakebite treatment are documented. The majority of the antidotes are prepared from freshly collected plant material – frequently leaves. Though knowledge of snake bite conditions etiological perceptions of the ethnic groups is similar, field ethnobotanical data suggests that plant species used by the two ethnic groups are independently derived. Antivenin medicinal plants effectively illustrate the cultural context of medicine. Randomness or the use of a variety of species in different families appears to be a feature of traditional snake bite treatments. A high degree of informant consensus for the species was observed. The study indicates rural Kenya inhabitants rely on medicinal plants for healthcare. PMID:16451723

Root features related to plant growth and nutrient removal of 35 wetland plants.

PubMed

Lai, Wen-Ling; Wang, Shu-Qiang; Peng, Chang-Lian; Chen, Zhang-He

2011-07-01

Morphological, structural, and eco-physiological features of roots, nutrient removal, and correlation between the indices were comparatively studied for 35 emergent wetland plants in small-scale wetlands for further investigation into the hypothesis of two types of wetland plant roots (Chen et al., 2004). Significant differences in root morphological, structural, and eco-physiological features were found among the 35 species. They were divided into two types: fibrous-root plants and thick-root plants. The fibrous-root plants had most or all roots of diameter (D) ≤ 1 mm. Roots of D > 1 mm also had many fine and long lateral roots of D ≤ 1 mm. The roots of these plants were long and had a thin epidermis and a low degree of lignification. The roots of the thick-root plants were almost all thicker than 1 mm, and generally had no further fine lateral roots. The roots were short, smooth, and fleshy, and had a thick epidermis. Root porosity of the fibrous-root plants was higher than that of the thick-root plants (p = 0.001). The aerenchyma of the fibrous-root plants was composed of large cavities which were formed from many small cavities, and distributed radially between the exodermis and vascular tissues. The aerenchyma of the thick-root plants had a large number of small cavities which were distributed in the mediopellis. The fibrous-root plants had a significantly larger root biomass of D ≤ 1 mm, of 1 mm < D < 3 mm, above-ground biomass, total biomass, and longer root system, but shorter root longevity than those of the thick-root plants (p = 0.003, 0.018, 0.020, 0.032, 0.042, 0.001). The fibrous-root plants also had significantly higher radial oxygen loss (ROL), root activity, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and removal rates of total nitrogen and total phosphorus than the thick-root plants (p = 0.001, 0.008, 0.010, 0.004, 0.020, 0.002). The results indicate that significantly different root morphological and structural features existed among different

An updated list of the plants associated with plant-parasitic Aphelenchoides (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) and its implications for plant-parasitism within this genus.

PubMed

Sánchez-Monge, Alcides; Flores, Lorena; Salazar, Luis; Hockland, Sue; Bert, Wim

2015-09-08

Few Aphelenchoides spp. are facultative plant-parasites (foliar and bulb nematodes); three of them are well known in agricultural systems, namely Aphelenchoides besseyi, A. fragariae and A. ritzemabosi. Ten other plant-parasitic species, A. arachidis, A. bicaudatus, A. blastophthorus, A. dalianensis, A. ensete, A. nechaleos, A. paranechaleos, A. saprophilus, A. sphaerocephalus and A. subtenuis, have been reported from a limited number of plant species. We compiled a new database of the associated plants for these thirteen species, a comprehensive list that includes 1104 reports from 126 botanical families. A. besseyi, A. fragariae and A. ritzemabosi represent 94% of the reports, circa 83% and 16% of the total reports correspond to flowering plants and ferns, respectively, with three records on conifers and two from other botanical groups also listed. Most plant-parasitic Aphelenchoides show a remarkably broad diversity of associated plants. Most species appear to have no specific plant hosts (i.e. are generalists). The broad host ranges of these species and absence of more intimate interactions with the associated plants highlights the primitive mode of parasitism in Aphelenchoides species, making them potentially interesting in the study of the evolution of plant parasitism. Even though the compiled list of associated plants is long, it probably only represents a fraction of the potential range. The complete compilation has been uploaded to http://nematodes.myspecies.info/.

Advanced Plant Habitat - Packing and Planting Seeds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-15

Dr. Oscar Monje, (far right) a research scientist, packs a growing substrate called arcillite in the science carrier, or base, of the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) inside a laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assisting him is Jeffrey Richards, project science coordinator with SGT on the Engineering Services Contract (ESC). Seated in the foreground is Susan Manning-Roach, a quality assurance specialist, also with ESC. Developed by NASA and ORBITEC of Madison, Wisconsin, the APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It is a fully automated plant growth facility that will be used to conduct bioscience research on the International Space Station. The APH will be delivered to the space station aboard future Commercial Resupply Services missions.

Plant Phenotyping using Probabilistic Topic Models: Uncovering the Hyperspectral Language of Plants

PubMed Central

Wahabzada, Mirwaes; Mahlein, Anne-Katrin; Bauckhage, Christian; Steiner, Ulrike; Oerke, Erich-Christian; Kersting, Kristian

2016-01-01

Modern phenotyping and plant disease detection methods, based on optical sensors and information technology, provide promising approaches to plant research and precision farming. In particular, hyperspectral imaging have been found to reveal physiological and structural characteristics in plants and to allow for tracking physiological dynamics due to environmental effects. In this work, we present an approach to plant phenotyping that integrates non-invasive sensors, computer vision, as well as data mining techniques and allows for monitoring how plants respond to stress. To uncover latent hyperspectral characteristics of diseased plants reliably and in an easy-to-understand way, we “wordify” the hyperspectral images, i.e., we turn the images into a corpus of text documents. Then, we apply probabilistic topic models, a well-established natural language processing technique that identifies content and topics of documents. Based on recent regularized topic models, we demonstrate that one can track automatically the development of three foliar diseases of barley. We also present a visualization of the topics that provides plant scientists an intuitive tool for hyperspectral imaging. In short, our analysis and visualization of characteristic topics found during symptom development and disease progress reveal the hyperspectral language of plant diseases. PMID:26957018

Plants get sick too!

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although many people may never have given consideration to plant health, plants can suffer from a wide range of diseases. These plant diseases are caused by micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The audience will be introduced to short case studies of several plant diseases that m...

Plant Immunity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plants are faced with defending themselves against a multitude of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, etc. Immunity is multi-layered and complex. Plants can induce defenses when they recognize small peptides, proteins or double-stranded RNA associated with pathogens. Recognitio...

The relationship between adiposity-associated inflammation and coronary artery and abdominal aortic calcium differs by strata of central adiposity: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

PubMed

Hughes-Austin, Jan M; Wassel, Christina L; Jiménez, Jessica; Criqui, Michael H; Ix, Joachim H; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J; Budoff, Matthew J; Jenny, Nancy S; Allison, Matthew A

2014-08-01

Adipokines regulate metabolic processes linked to coronary artery (CAC) and abdominal aorta calcification (AAC). Because adipokine and other adiposity-associated inflammatory marker (AAIM) secretions differ between visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, we hypothesized that central adiposity modifies associations between AAIMs and CAC and AAC. We evaluated 1878 MESA participants with complete measures of AAIMs, anthropometry, CAC, and AAC. Associations of AAIMs with CAC and AAC prevalence and severity were analyzed per standard deviation of predictors (SD) using log binomial and linear regression models. The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was dichotomized at median WHR values based on sex/ethnicity. CAC and AAC prevalence were defined as any calcium (Agatston score >0). Severity was defined as ln (Agatston score). Analyses examined interactions with WHR and were adjusted for traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. Each SD higher interleukin-6 (IL-6), fibrinogen and CRP was associated with 5% higher CAC prevalence; and each SD higher IL-6 and fibrinogen was associated with 4% higher AAC prevalence. Associations of IL-6 and fibrinogen with CAC severity, but not CAC prevalence, were significantly different among WHR strata. Median-and-above WHR: each SD higher IL-6 was associated with 24.8% higher CAC severity. Below-median WHR: no association (p interaction =0.012). Median-and-above WHR: each SD higher fibrinogen was associated with 19.6% higher CAC severity. Below-median WHR: no association (p interaction =0.034). Adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were not associated with CAC or AAC prevalence or severity. These results support findings that adiposity-associated inflammation is associated with arterial calcification, and further add that central adiposity may modify this association. © The Author(s) 2014.

PIRLS 2011 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: PIRLS 2011 Sampling Stratification Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foy, Pierre, Ed.; Drucker, Kathleen T., Ed.

2013-01-01

This supplement contains documentation on the explicit and implicit stratification variables included in the PIRLS 2011 data files. The explicit strata are smaller sampling frames, created from the national sampling frames, from which national samples of schools were drawn. The implicit strata are nested within the explicit strata, and were used…

TIMSS 2011 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: TIMSS 2011 Sampling Stratification Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foy, Pierre, Ed.; Arora, Alka, Ed.; Stanco, Gabrielle M., Ed.

2013-01-01

This supplement contains documentation on the explicit and implicit stratification variables included in the TIMSS 2011 data files. The explicit strata are smaller sampling frames, created from the national sampling frames, from which national samples of schools were drawn. The implicit strata are nested within the explicit strata, and were used…

PGSB PlantsDB: updates to the database framework for comparative plant genome research.

PubMed

Spannagl, Manuel; Nussbaumer, Thomas; Bader, Kai C; Martis, Mihaela M; Seidel, Michael; Kugler, Karl G; Gundlach, Heidrun; Mayer, Klaus F X

2016-01-04

PGSB (Plant Genome and Systems Biology: formerly MIPS) PlantsDB (http://pgsb.helmholtz-muenchen.de/plant/index.jsp) is a database framework for the comparative analysis and visualization of plant genome data. The resource has been updated with new data sets and types as well as specialized tools and interfaces to address user demands for intuitive access to complex plant genome data. In its latest incarnation, we have re-worked both the layout and navigation structure and implemented new keyword search options and a new BLAST sequence search functionality. Actively involved in corresponding sequencing consortia, PlantsDB has dedicated special efforts to the integration and visualization of complex triticeae genome data, especially for barley, wheat and rye. We enhanced CrowsNest, a tool to visualize syntenic relationships between genomes, with data from the wheat sub-genome progenitor Aegilops tauschii and added functionality to the PGSB RNASeqExpressionBrowser. GenomeZipper results were integrated for the genomes of barley, rye, wheat and perennial ryegrass and interactive access is granted through PlantsDB interfaces. Data exchange and cross-linking between PlantsDB and other plant genome databases is stimulated by the transPLANT project (http://transplantdb.eu/). © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Correlates of previous couples’ HIV counseling and testing uptake among married individuals in three HIV prevalence strata in Rakai, Uganda

PubMed Central

Matovu, Joseph K. B.; Todd, Jim; Wanyenze, Rhoda K.; Wabwire-Mangen, Fred; Serwadda, David

2015-01-01

Background Studies show that uptake of couples’ HIV counseling and testing (couples’ HCT) can be affected by individual, relationship, and socioeconomic factors. However, while couples’ HCT uptake can also be affected by background HIV prevalence and awareness of the existence of couples’ HCT services, this is yet to be documented. We explored the correlates of previous couples’ HCT uptake among married individuals in a rural Ugandan district with differing HIV prevalence levels. Design This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 2,135 married individuals resident in the three HIV prevalence strata (low HIV prevalence: 9.7–11.2%; middle HIV prevalence: 11.4–16.4%; and high HIV prevalence: 20.5–43%) in Rakai district, southwestern Uganda, between November 2013 and February 2014. Data were collected on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics, including previous receipt of couples’ HCT. HIV testing data were obtained from the Rakai Community Cohort Study. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify correlates that are independently associated with previous receipt of couples’ HCT. Data analysis was conducted using STATA (statistical software, version 11.2). Results Of the 2,135 married individuals enrolled, the majority (n=1,783, 83.5%) had been married for five or more years while (n=1,460, 66%) were in the first-order of marriage. Ever receipt of HCT was almost universal (n=2,020, 95%); of those ever tested, (n=846, 41.9%) reported that they had ever received couples’ HCT. There was no significant difference in previous receipt of couples’ HCT between low (n=309, 43.9%), middle (n=295, 41.7%), and high (n=242, 39.7%) HIV prevalence settings (p=0.61). Marital order was not significantly associated with previous receipt of couples’ HCT. However, marital duration [five or more years vis-à-vis 1–2 years: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.06; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.04–1.08] and awareness about

Correlates of previous couples' HIV counseling and testing uptake among married individuals in three HIV prevalence strata in Rakai, Uganda.

PubMed

Matovu, Joseph K B; Todd, Jim; Wanyenze, Rhoda K; Wabwire-Mangen, Fred; Serwadda, David

2015-01-01

Studies show that uptake of couples' HIV counseling and testing (couples' HCT) can be affected by individual, relationship, and socioeconomic factors. However, while couples' HCT uptake can also be affected by background HIV prevalence and awareness of the existence of couples' HCT services, this is yet to be documented. We explored the correlates of previous couples' HCT uptake among married individuals in a rural Ugandan district with differing HIV prevalence levels. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 2,135 married individuals resident in the three HIV prevalence strata (low HIV prevalence: 9.7-11.2%; middle HIV prevalence: 11.4-16.4%; and high HIV prevalence: 20.5-43%) in Rakai district, southwestern Uganda, between November 2013 and February 2014. Data were collected on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics, including previous receipt of couples' HCT. HIV testing data were obtained from the Rakai Community Cohort Study. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify correlates that are independently associated with previous receipt of couples' HCT. Data analysis was conducted using STATA (statistical software, version 11.2). Of the 2,135 married individuals enrolled, the majority (n=1,783, 83.5%) had been married for five or more years while (n=1,460, 66%) were in the first-order of marriage. Ever receipt of HCT was almost universal (n=2,020, 95%); of those ever tested, (n=846, 41.9%) reported that they had ever received couples' HCT. There was no significant difference in previous receipt of couples' HCT between low (n=309, 43.9%), middle (n=295, 41.7%), and high (n=242, 39.7%) HIV prevalence settings (p=0.61). Marital order was not significantly associated with previous receipt of couples' HCT. However, marital duration [five or more years vis-à-vis 1-2 years: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.06; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.04-1.08] and awareness about the existence of couples' HCT services within the Rakai

Plant Biology Science Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hershey, David R.

This book contains science projects about seed plants that deal with plant physiology, plant ecology, and plant agriculture. Each of the projects includes a step-by-step experiment followed by suggestions for further investigations. Chapters include: (1) "Bean Seed Imbibition"; (2) "Germination Percentages of Different Types of Seeds"; (3)…

Temporal interactions of plant - insect - predator after infection of bacterial pathogen on rice plants.

PubMed

Sun, Ze; Liu, Zhuang; Zhou, Wen; Jin, Huanan; Liu, Hao; Zhou, Aiming; Zhang, Aijun; Wang, Man-Qun

2016-05-17

Pathogenic infection on plants may affect interactions of host-plants with their herbivores, as well as the herbivores with their predators. In this study, the effects of infection by pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which causes a vascular disease in rice, on rice plants and consequent interactions with a rice herbivore, brown rice planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, and its major predator, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, were investigated. The results showed that the rice plants exhibited increased resistance to BPH only at 3 d post-inoculation of Xoo, while the Xoo infection did not affect the development and fecundity of BPH. BPH exhibited a higher preference to Xoo infected rice plants, whereas C. lividipennis preferred the Xoo infected rice plants after BPH fed, but preferred healthy rice plants without BPH fed. Volatile organic compounds emitted from Xoo rice were significantly higher than those from healthy rice plants, Xoo infection on BPH fed plants caused rice plants to emit more the herbivore-induced plant volatiles, while all of these changes correlated to the temporal dimension. These results demonstrated that Xoo infection significantly influenced the interactions of rice plants with two non-vectors, BPH and its predator, although these effects exhibited in a temporal pattern after infection.

Plant growth and gas balance in a plant and mushroom cultivation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitaya, Y.; Tani, A.; Kiyota, M.; Aiga, I.

1994-11-01

In order to obtain basic data for construction of a plant cultivation system incorporating a mushroom cultivation subsystem in the CELSS, plant growth and atmospheric CO2 balance in the system were investigated. The plant growth was promoted by a high level of CO2 which resulted from the respiration of the mushroom mycelium in the system. The atmospheric CO2 concentration inside the system changed significantly due to the slight change in the net photosynthetic rate of plants and/or the respiration rate of the mushroom when the plant cultivation system combined directly with the mushroom cultivation subsystem.

111. DETAIL OF NORTH PLANT RAILROAD SPUR, WITH ASSEMBLY PLANT/WAREHOUSE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey