Cranial pneumatization and auditory perceptions of the oviraptorid dinosaur <Emphasis Type="Italic">Conchoraptor gracilis</Emphasis> (Theropoda,Maniraptora) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia

The distribution of air-filled structures in the craniofacial and neurocranial bones of the oviraptorid ZPAL MgD-I/95, discovered at the Hermiin Tsav locality, Mongolia, is restored. Based on the complete obliteration of most of the cranial sutures, the specimen is identified as an adult individual of Conchoraptor gracilis Barsbold 1986. Except for the orbitosphenoids and epipterygoids, the preserved bones of the neurocranium are hollow. Three types of tympanic recess are present in Conchoraptor, a characteristic shared with troodontids, dromaeosaurids, and avian theropods. The contralateral middle ear cavities are interconnected by the supraencephalic pathway that passes through the dorsal tympanic recesses, the posterodorsal prootic sinuses and the parietal sinus. The spatial arrangements of the middle ear cavity and a derived neurocranial pneumatic system in Conchoraptor indicate enhancements of acoustic perception in the lower-frequency registers and of auditory directionality. We further speculate that this improvement of binaural hearing could be explained as an adaptation required for accurate detection of prey and/or predators under conditions of low illumination. The other potentially pneumatic structures of the Conchoraptor cranium include (1) recessus-like irregularities on the dorsal surface of the nasal and frontal bones (a putative oviraptorid synapomorphy; pos); (2) a subotic recess; (3) a sub-condylar recess; and (4) a posterior condylar recess (pos). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Evaluation of ecological risk,source, and spatial distribution of some heavy metals in marine sediments in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea region,Turkey

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, the concentration levels of heavy metals such as Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, and Pb in sediment samples collected from 16 sampling...     

Shewanella spp. from wastewater treatment plant-affected environment: isolation and characterization

Bacteria from the genus Shewanella are inhabitants of marine and freshwater ecosystems, recognized fish spoilage bacteria, but less known as fish disease agents. Shewanella spp. isolated from fish living in waters close to effluents of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were not previously characterized. We have tested Shewanella isolates from WWTP-affected waters and related fish. Genotypic characterization identified most strains as S. baltica and S. oneidensis. In order to investigate the sensibility and accuracy of their MALDI-TOF MS identification, they were grown on two culture media enriched by various NaCl concentrations, incubated at different temperatures and duration. We analyzed their antimicrobial susceptibility on a panel of antimicrobial drugs and capacity for biofilm production. With a view to demonstrate their capacity to produce fatty acids, we assessed the impact of different culture media on their lipid profile. We performed zebrafish embryotoxicity tests to simulate the environmental infection of the earliest life stages in S. baltica-contaminated waters. The best MALDI-TOF MS identification scores were for strains cultivated on TSA for 24 h at 22 °C and with supplementation of 1.5% NaCl. Less than 17% of isolates demonstrated antimicrobial resistance. Most isolates were weak biofilm producers. Strain-to-strain variation of MIC and MBC was low. The major fatty acids were C15:0, C16:0, C16:1, C17:1, and iC15:0. Exposure of Danio rerio to different S. baltica concentrations induced severe effects on zebrafish development: decreased heartbeat rate, locomotor activity, and melanin pigmentation. S. baltica passed through chorionic pores of zebrafish.

     

Efficiency of waste management in municipalities and the importance of waste separation

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The European Union emphasises the need to sever the link between economic growth, resource consumption and waste production and has set targets to...     

Heavy metal accumulation in algae and sediments of the Black Sea coast of Turkey

The paper reports heavy metal accumulation in algae collected at four stations and in sediments at three stations on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The metals analysed are Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Sb and Zn. The metal content of algae increased generally (with some exceptions) from 1991 till 1993 in ?ile and Sinop. In the sediments Sb in ?ile, As in Riva, Fe, Zn in Sinop are high. According to these findings the metal pollution increased in Turkish area of the Black Sea during the years investigated.     

水泥厂废旧除尘布袋焚烧灰作水泥混合材试验

为探索水泥厂化纤布袋焚烧灰和玻纤布袋焚烧灰用作水泥混合材的可行性,将两种废旧布袋焚烧灰分别按10%、20%、30%、40%与熟料、石膏进行配比制成水泥.通过对各试样进行物理检验,研究了两种布袋焚烧灰的掺量对水泥性能的影响.试验结果表明,两种布袋焚烧灰作水泥混合材活性试验的R28分别为91.0%和80.6%,高于活性混合材R28为65%的判定指标,由此可认为此两种布袋焚烧灰具有较高的活性,可单独用作水泥混合材;两种布袋焚烧灰在掺量低于20%时,水泥强度达到甚至超过同龄期S号参照水泥;两种布袋焚烧灰在掺量小于40%的范围内,除掺加30%玻纤布袋灰的样品外,其余试样的水泥安定性、凝结时间和水泥强度等性能指标均满足42.5R强度等级水泥要求.     

The Environmental Capacity Approach to the Control of Marine Pollution: The Case of Copper in the Krka River Estuary

Changes in soil pH, soil heavy metal forms, and the metabolic diversity of microbial communities were examined in soil samples collected in 1-mm increments from barley roots in soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) using a rhizobox system. Concentrations of exchangeable Cd and Zn increased near the roots owing to a decrease in soil pH. Conversely, the concentration of inorganically bound Cd and Zn decreased near the roots. Despite having the highest concentration of the most toxic exchangeable metals, the rhizosphere also had the highest bacterial and fungal metabolic activity and diversity when assessed using BIOLOG plates. Therefore, the promoting effects of root exudates on microbial activity could outweigh the adverse effects of Cd and Zn on microorganisms in the rhizosphere.     

油菜菌核病菌(Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)与细菌间的基因水平转移

油菜菌核病（Sclerotinia sclerotiorum）是油菜生产上最重要的病害之一,其致病性可能来源于基因水平转移（Horizontal gene transfer,HGT）.为认识其致病原理和寻找新的真菌抑制剂的靶点,首先通过BLASTp发现其基因XM₀01585458.1编码蛋白XP₀01585508.1与细菌比对结果中出现低E值3.23e-109和高SCORE值436,暗示存在HGT现象;进一步通过系统进化树的建立,发现该蛋白在进化分枝上更接近于细菌中由Streptomyces sp.C的NZ_CM000832.1基因编码的蛋白ZP₀7291173;同时核苷酸组成分析也发现该基因与油菜菌核病菌基因组的碱基组成有较大差别,GC含量提高了14.95%.这些结果证明了XM₀01585458.1的确存在基因水平转移事件.结构分析和COG蛋白功能分类显示该HGT序列编码蛋白XP₀01585508.1具有FA58C₃（Coagulation factors 5/8 type C domain）、Kelch repeat type 1、Galactose-binding domain-like、Galactose oxidase/kelch,beta-propeller等保守结构域,应为一个膜蛋白并参与多糖代谢,推测该水平转移基因与S.sclerotiorum在侵染植物时进行细胞壁水解和致病性有关.     

Uncertainty analysis in the nuclear industry: Analytical unavailability modelling incorporating ageing of safety components

There is a growing interest in analyzing the possibility for current nuclear power plants operation extension. In that sense, life management programs, considering safety components ageing, are being developed and employed. On the other side, the large uncertainties of the ageing parameters as well as the uncertainties associated with most of the reliability data collections are widely acknowledged.This paper deals with uncertainty analysis associated with specific ageing rates database. The analysis is conducted using an analytical unavailability model applied for a selected safety system in a nuclear power plant. The most important problem is the immense uncertainty associated to the component ageing data sets as well as the lack of the very data in general, which would correspond to the more detailed modelling of ageing.New probability distributions, encompassing the ageing rates available in the considered data set, are suggested. The obtained results indicate the extent to which the uncertainty of the considered ageing data set, given the inherently assigned probability distribution, influences the performed unavailability calculations. Additionally, comparative analysis regarding the insights gained out of the application of the suggested probability distributions is conducted.