Modern Vertical Deformation above the Sumatran Subduction Zone: Paleogeodetic Insights from Coral Microatolls

Coral microatolls from the coast and outer-arc islands of Western Sumatra retain a stratigraphic and morphologic record of relative sea-level change, which is due in large part to vertical tectonic deformation above the Sumatran subduction zone. Low water levels, whose fluctuations produce measurable changes in coral morphology, limit the upward growth of the microatolls. Annual rings, derived from seasonal variations in coral density, serve as an internal chronometer of coral growth. The microatolls act as natural long-term tide gauges, recording sea-level variations on time scales of decades. Field observations and stratigraphic analysis of seven microatolls, five from the outer-arc islands and two from the mainland coast, indicate that the Mentawai Islands have been submerging at rates of 4–10 mm/yr over the last four or five decades, while the mainland has remained relatively stable. The presence of fossil microatolls up to several thousand years old in the intertidal zone indicates that little permanent vertical deformation has occurred over that time. Thus, most of the strain accumulated in the past few decades represents interseismic deformation that is recovered during earthquakes. Elastic dislocation models using these submergence data suggest that elastic strain is being accumulated in the interseismic period and that the subduction zone in this region is fully coupled

Health monitoring by functional indicators with the help of sensors at the phase of patient rehabilitation in today's conditions

Nowadays, people's need for fast and effective rehabilitation processes is growing significantly. Sensory devices are available for people with functional disabilities, which are used for rehabilitation to help a person's health and return to an appropriate standard of living. Scientists in the field of rehabilitation medicine are actively studying the method of remote monitoring of the physiological indicators of the human body. The last decade has been marked by the intensive development of research in the field of sensor devices. For example, mechanical, robotic systems and exoskeletons, which enable people with limited physical capabilities to move their bodies, occupy an important place among the technical means for restoring the condition of the human locomotor system. Despite the existence of various technical systems and means for rehabilitation after injuries and diseases of the spine and lower limbs, the latest modern exoskeletons of various types have not yet been used

No Small-talk in Paradise: why Elysium fails the Bechdel Test and why we should care

After a century of feminist activism, women are still marginalized in many areas of human activity throughout the Western world – and women are still marginalized in the outputs of the culturally powerful dream factory that is the Hollywood film industry. This is not a coincidence. The 'Bechdel Test' is a rule of thumb to determine the extent to which women are marginalised in a film or television text. Popularised by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985, it is not an academic theory but a joke of sorts that has become itself a meme of popular culture - and is arguably all the more powerful for that. To pass the test a film must feature at least two named female characters, who have a conversation with one another about something other than a man. While it does not grapple with qualitative issues of ideology and representation, it does have the virtue of simplicity. It is able to cut through the post-modern sophistry that can obscure some unpalatable truths about modern culture and the society that produces and consumes it, at a time when the number of speaking female characters in top grossing Hollywood films appears to be in decline, from an unedifying 2009 high of 33%(Smith, S 2013). I would arguing that the issue highlighted by the Bechdel test merit serious academic attention. In this paper, I will discuss some of these issues in relation to mainstream Hollywood film. In particular I will focus on the recent sci-fi blockbuster Elysium (Blomkamp 2013), arguing that the utilisation of its two female leads, and the pointed manner in which they are deprived of an opportunity to pass the Bechdel test, bring into focus some critical concerns about gender representations in 21st century Hollywood

Future of Space Travel

Space travel has rapidly developed over the last several decades. Once the domain of governments, space travel is now in the private sector. Currently, more than 625 people have signed up for sub-orbital space flights with Virgin Galactic. However, there still are significant barriers in making space travel a reality for the general public. This paper examines problems of conventional propulsion system. Building upon these analyses, several alternative propulsion sources are discussed as new solutions. Moreover, presentation was performed in front of general public and surveys were conducted to assess the perceived accessibility of space travel. Results indicated that study participants considered space travel to be more feasible when cost, safety, and convenience problems were resolved

Morphological diversity of microstructures occurring in selected recent bivalve shells and their ecological implications

Environmental adaptation of molluscs during evolution has led to form biomineral exoskeleton – shell. The main compound of their shells is calcium carbonate, which is represented by calcite and/or aragonite. The mineral part, together with the biopolymer matrix, forms many types of microstructures, which are differ in texture. Different types of internal shell microstructures are characteristic for some bivalve groups. Studied bivalve species (freshwater species – duck mussel (Anodonta anatina Linnaeus, 1758) and marine species – common cockle (Cerastoderma edule Linnaeus, 1758), lyrate Asiatic hard clam (Meretrix lyrata Sowerby II, 1851) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758)) from different locations and environmental conditions, show that the internal shell microstructure with the shell morphology and thickness have critical impact to the ability to survive in changing environment and also to the probability of surviving predator attack. Moreover, more detailed studies on molluscan structures might be responsible for create mechanically resistant nanomaterials

Morphology and development of the Cape Tribulation fringing reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

on the reef crest and most of the back reef ceased approximately5400 years before present, probably in response to increasing turbidity and water quality deterioration as fine sediments accumulated offshore and became resuspended during strong winds. Significant coral growth is now restricted to the subtidal fore reef but reef progradation has been minimal over the last 5000 years.The height of the reef crests relative to present day sea level and the absence of low magnesian calcite cements in the fringing reefs suggest that they have not been subjected to extensive subaerial exposure, with a maximum Holocene relative sea level of only 0.6 to 1.0 m above its present position being responsible for the height of the present algal covered reef crest. The fringing reefs can be divided into four lithologic assemblages: i) a fluvial gravel basement deposited as alluvial fans from the steeply sloping hinterland ii) a lower framestone unit iii) a detrital assemblage and iv) an upper framestone-bandstone unit

Oil-collecting bee Ctenoplectra cornuta.

14 p. : ill. ; 26 cm. "October 22, 2010."The mature oocyte, all five larval instars, and the pupa of Ctenoplectra cornuta Gribodo are described based upon specimens from Taiwan. Its mature larva though larger is compared with, and found similar to, that of the African Ctenoplectra armata Magretti, the only other larval ctenoplectrine studied to date. The egg index was similar to that of the African C. albolimbata Magretti. Although Ctenoplectra shares certain larval and pupal similarities with Tetrapedia (Tetrapediini), a broader study including representatives of all apine tribes needs to be considered for evaluating tribal relationships

Re-inhabiting the islands : senses of place in the poetry of Gary Snyder and Derek Walcott

Building on the castaway narratives in both Gary Snyder‘s and Derek Walcott‘s poetry, I use Yann Martel‘s novel Life of Pi as a contemporary analogue for reading Snyder‘s Pacific journeys, in Regarding Wave and Turtle Island, and the quests of Omeros’ fisherman protagonist, Achille. In chapter one, I read Snyder‘s Regarding Wave, analyzing how he revised place archetypes from rocks to waves in order to initiate a more balanced culture in harmony with natural rhythms. Regarding Wave demonstrates the poet‘s biocentric and historiographical critique of linearity and towers, and it embodies his thematic and poetic identification with ?flows and spirals? (Snyder, Regarding Wave 24) because these symbols express a coherent sense of place in an archipelago, on Suwanose-Jima and Turtle Island. I argue that he fused the knowledge of a balanced animal-human household on Suwanose-Jima in the Ryukyu archipelago with Mahayana Buddhism for a vision of life as a bioregional member of the ?great / earth / sangha? (Turtle Island 73), providing a spiritual context for environmentalism and an environmental context for American Buddhism. In chapter two, I read Derek Walcott‘s Omeros as a poetic fusion of the creole present of St. Lucia within the ?official? (Walcott ?Muse? 49) archetypes of Western literature, mainly but not limited to Graeco-Roman mythology. Rather than assimilate St. Lucian culture into European literary forms, the long poem transposes and fuses the region‘s cultures and traditions for something new. I compare the two poets in chapter three through the New World poetic lens that Walcott develops in ?The Muse of History,? arguing that Walcott and Snyder negotiate the challenges of postcolonial and environmental poetry by writing intensely self-reflexive works that evoke the search for a healed sense of place. They draw their energy from the bitterness of a broken contract with nature to attempt to name the world again for everyone, and the way that they construe everyone is through the concept of a bioregion emanating in concentric ecological circles from their home ranges. Since they deal with ocean currents and watersheds, these communities are consequently transnational and hybrid

Hard and soft anatomy in two genera of Dondersiidae (Mollusca, Aplacophora, Solenogastres)

Author Posting. © Marine Biological Laboratory, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Marine Biological Laboratory for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Biological Bulletin 222 (2012): 233-269.Phylogenetic relationships and identifications in the aplacophoran taxon Solenogastres (Neomeniomorpha) are in flux largely because descriptions of hard parts––sclerites, radulae, copulatory spicules––and body shape have often not been adequately illustrated or utilized. With easily recognizable and accessible hard parts, descriptions of Solenogastres are of greater use, not just to solenogaster taxonomists, but also to ecologists, paleontologists, and evolutionary biologists. Phylogenetic studies of Aplacophora, Mollusca, and the Lophotrochozoa as a whole, whether morphological or molecular, would be enhanced. As an example, morphologic characters, both isolated hard parts and internal anatomy, are provided for two genera in the Dondersiidae. Five species are described or redescribed and earlier descriptions corrected and enhanced. Three belong to Dondersia: D. festiva Hubrecht, D. incali (Scheltema), and D. namibiensis n. sp., the latter differentiated unambiguously from D. incali only by sclerites and copulatory spicules. Two species belong to Lyratoherpia: L. carinata Salvini-Plawen and L. californica (Heath). Notes are given for other species in Dondersiidae: L. bracteata Salvini-Plawen, Ichthyomenia ichthyodes (Pruvot), and Heathia porosa (Heath). D. indica Stork is synonymized with D. annulata. A cladistic morphological analysis was conducted to examine the utility of hard parts for reconstructing solenogaster phylogeny. Results indicate monophyly of Dondersia and Lyratoherpia as described here.Major funding was by a U. S. National Science Foundation grant (DEB-9521930) under the PEET program (Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy)