The Geochronology of the Plutonic and Metamorphic Rocks of New Zealand

Extensive Rubidium-Strontium age determinations on both mineral and total rock samples of the crystalline rocks of New Zealand, which almost solely crop out in the South Island, indicate widespread plutonic and metamorphic activity occurred during two periods, one about 100-118 million years ago and the other about 340-370 million years ago. The former results date the Rangitata Orogeny as Cretaceous. They associate extensive plutonic activity with this orogeny which uplifted and metamorphosed the rocks of the New Zealand Geosyncline, although no field association between the metamorphosed geosynclinal rocks and plutonic rocks has been found. The Cretaceous plutonic rocks occur to the west in the Foreland Province in Fiordland, Nelson, and Westland, geographically separated from the Geosynclinal Province. Because of this synchronous timing of plutonic and high pressure metamorphic activity in spatially separated belts, the Rangitata Orogeny in New Zealand is very similar to late Mesozoic orogenic activity in many other areas of the circum-Pacific margin (Miyashiro, 1961). The 340-370 million year rocks, both plutonic and metamorphic, have been found only in that part of the Foreland Province north of the Alpine Fault. There, they are concentrated along the west coast over a distance of 500 km, and appear scattered inland from the coast. Probably this activity marks the outstanding Phanerozoic stratigraphic gap in New Zealand which occurred after the Lower Devonian. A few crystalline rocks in the Foreland Province north of the Alpine Fault with measured ages intermediate between 340 and 120 million years have been found. Of these, those with more than one mineral examined give discordant results. All of these rocks are tentatively regarded as 340-370 million year old rocks that have been variously disturbed during the Rangitata Orogeny, 100-120 million years ago. In addition to these two periods, plutonic activity, dominantly basic and ultrabasic, but including the development of some rocks of intermediate and acidic composition, occurred along the margin of the Geosynclinal Province at its border with the Foreland Province during Permian times about 245 million years ago, and this activity possibly extended into the Mesozoic. Evidence from rubidium-strontium analyses of minerals and a total rock, and from uranium, thorium, and lead analyses of uniform euhedral zircons from a meta-igneous portion of the Charleston Gneiss, previously mapped as Precambrian, indicate that this rock is a 350-370 million year old plutonic rock metamorphosed 100 million yea rs ago during the Rangitata Orogeny. No crystalline rocks with primary Precambrian ages have been found in New Zealand. However, Pb207/Pb206 ages of 1360 million years and 1370 million years have been determined for rounded detrital zircons separated from each of two hornfels samples of one of New Zealand's olde st sedimentary units, the Greenland Series. These two samples were metamorphosed 345- 370 million years ago. They occur along the west coast, north of the Alpine Fault, at Waitaha River and Moeraki River, separated by 135 km. The Precambrian measured ages are most likely minimum ages for the oldest source area which provided the detrital zircons because the uranium, thorium and lead data are highly discordant. These results are of fundamental importance for the tectonic picture of the Southwest Pacific margin and demonstrate the existence of relatively old continental crust of some lateral extent in the neighborhood of New Zealand.</p

Relationship of Homocysteine level and Comorbidities in VA Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review

Introduction: Elevated serum homocysteine is known to be associated with endothelial dysfunction, which is seen in multiple chronic diseases which include, but is not limited to Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and cardiovascular disease. This necessitated our investigation into serum homocysteine levels in VA patients and their associated comorbid disorders. Our study aimed to investigate comorbidities associated with elevated homocysteine levels, defined by being greater than 15 micromole/liter. Methods: Informatics at the VA was used to obtain a list of 654 patients with homocysteine drawn during the period of the study (7/21/2009 through 12/31/2013) at the John D. Dingell VAMC. Subjects were adults over 18 years of age. Patient gender, BMI, vitals, vitamin supplementation, and associated comorbidities were retrospectively analyzed and documented in an Excel file. The data from the excel file were statistically analyzed using SPSS 25. For each comorbidity and patient characteristic, homocysteine levels were compared using Independent Samples Mann-Whitney U test. Results: After completing statistical analysis of comorbidities commonly found in our Veteran population, those with statistically significant elevated levels (P-value \u3c0.05) of homocysteine were found to be Hypertension (P-value 0.001), Chronic Kidney Disease (P-value \u3c0.001), Dementia (P-value 0.004), Alzheimer’s (P-value 0.018), Peripheral Vascular Disease (P-value 0.046), and male gender (P-value 0.037). Of note, psoriasis was not statistically significant (P-value 0.855). Conclusion: Elevated homocysteine levels are known to be pro-inflammatory, which likely plays a role in their elevation in hypertension, chronic kidney disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Peripheral Vascular Disease, necessitating a need to reduce homocysteine levels to improve patient outcomes

Dryland tree data for the Southwest region of Madagascar: alpha-level data can support policy decisions for conserving and restoring ecosystems of arid and semiarid regions

We present an eco-geographical dataset of the 355 tree species (1 56 genera, 55 families) found in the driest coastal portion of the spiny forest-thickets of southwestern Madagascar. This coastal strip harbors one of the richest and most endangered dryland tree floras in the world, both in terms of overall species diversity and of endemism. After describing the biophysical and socio-economic setting of this semiarid coastal region, we discuss this region’s diverse and rich tree flora in the context of the recent expansion of the protected area network in Madagascar and the growing engagement and commitment to ecological restoration. Our database, DTsMada (short for Desert Trees of Madagascar), is part of a larger ‘work-in-progress’, namely an eco-geographical database on desert and dryland trees of the world. DTsMada draws heavily on the Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar (MadCat) project, in which floristic, ecological and endemism parameters are compiled, together with available conservation status assessments based on IUCN Red List criteria. Both are projects within the plant systematics database, Tropicos®, developed at Missouri Botanical Garden and maintained on the Garden’s website. To highlight the need for greater study of the interactions between biological, bioclimatic, and anthropogenic determinants of current and potentially changing biogeographical patterns and community dynamics in the tree strata of vegetation in the study area, we consider four contrasting groups of native trees: Adansonia spp. (Malvaceae), Pachypodium spp. (Apocynaceae), Baudouinia spp. (Fabaceae), and all 1 1 species in the 4 genera of Didiereaceae in Madagascar. We discuss DTsMada as a prototype dataset of alpha level information vital for effective conservation, landscape planning, sustainable use and management, and ecological restoration of degraded arid and semiarid ecosystems, in Madagascar and elsewhere. RÉSUMÉNous présentons un ensemble de données éco-géographiques sur les 355 espèces d’arbres (1 56 genres, 55 familles) présentes dans les fourrés et forêts épineux de la frange côtière aride et semiaride du Sud-ouest de Madagascar. Cette région possède un des assemblages d’arbres de climat sec les plus riches (en termes de diversité spécifique et d’endémisme), et les plus menacés au monde. Après une description du cadre biophysique et de la situation socio-économique de cette région, nous présentons cette flore régionale dans le contexte de la récente expansion du réseau de des aires protégées de Madagascar et de l’engagement croissant dans le domaine de la restauration écologique. Notre base de données DTsMada (raccourci de «d Desert Trees - Madagascar d », en anglais) s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une base de données éco-géographique plus large que nous développons, regroupant les espèces d’arbres des régions arides et semiarides du monde entier, avec un accent particulier mis sur leur utilisation dans la conservation, gestion et restauration écologique. Nombre des informations présentées dans DTsMada proviennent du projet MadCat (Catalogue des plantes vasculaires de Madagascar) qui regroupe des données floristiques et écologiques, et les statuts d’endémisme et de conservation des espèces végétales, basés sur les critères de l’UICN. Ces deux projets font partie de la base de données taxonomique Tropicos®, du Jardin Botanique du Missouri. Pour souligner le besoin de disposer de plus d’études pour comprendre d : les interactions entre les facteurs biologiques, bioclimatiques et anthropiques qui affectent la biogéographie et les dynamiques des communautés dans les strates arborées de la végétation dans la région étudiée, qu’il s’agisse de la situation actuelle ou celle d’un futur qui sera éventuellement modifié, nous considérons quatre groupes bien différents d’espèces d’arbres indigènesd : Adansonia spp. (Malvaceae), Pachypodium spp. (Apocynaceae), Baudouinia spp. (Fabaceae) et les 1 1 espèces dans les 4 genres de la famille des Didiereaceae du Sud-ouest de Madagascar. Nous traitons DTsMada comme prototype d’une base de données de niveau alpha, vitales pour la conservation, la planification, le développement durable, la gestion et la restauration écologique des écosystèmes arides et semiarides de Madagascar et d’ailleurs

Filling gaps in seed germination and species selection: work in progress for dryland restoration in Argentina

Los practicantes de la restauración y rehabilitación ecológica (RRE) carecen de información completa sobre los tratamientos pregerminativos más efectivos para promover la germinación de plantas nativas de regiones áridas y semiáridas, y sobre la supervivencia y crecimiento de estas especies a campo. Aquí informamos resultados del enfoque “estrategias profesionales inteligentes” para evaluar la germinación de especies del Monte Austral, una región árida del sur de Argentina. Nuestros objetivos fueron probar una pequeña cantidad de tratamientos pregerminativos que son efectivos en otras regiones áridas y evaluar los resultados de germinación de 16 especies en comparación con la información existente sobre su desempeño a campo. Este enfoque demostró ser altamente efectivo dado que, de las 16 especies de arbustos evaluadas, 11 mostraron tasas de germinación adecuadas para RRE (es decir, más del 50%). Solo cuatro especies alcanzaron altas tasas de supervivencia y altos valores de cobertura vegetal en las plantaciones, y otras cuatro mostraron altas tasas de supervivencia, pero la cobertura vegetal fue baja o no se evaluó. Argumentamos que sería estratégico adoptar este modelo, que incluye obtener y comparar información sobre la germinación de semillas y el desempeño de las mismas especies a campo, para la selección de especies en RRE.Ecological restoration and rehabilitation (ERR) practitioners lack comprehensive information on the most effective seed dormancy alleviation treatments to enhance germination of native plants from arid and semiarid regions, as well as on survival and growth rates of these species in the field. In this paper we report on the results of a “professional intelligent tinkering” approach to assess seed germination of species from the Monte Austral, an arid region in southern Argentina. We aim to test a small number of seed dormancy alleviation treatments reported to be effective in other arid regions, and to assess germination results for 16 species against existing information on their performance in the field. This approach proved to be highly effective given that, out of the 16 shrub species evaluated, 11 showed germination rates suitable for ERR (i.e., over 50%). Only four species attained both high survival rates and plant cover values in outplantings, while four other species showed high survival rates but their plant cover values were low or not assessed. We argue that this approach, which involves obtaining and comparing data on seed germination rate with performance of the same species in the field, would be strategic for species selection in ERR.Fil: Rodriguez Araujo, María Emilia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ciencias del Ambiente y la Salud. Laboratorio de Rehabilitación y Restauración de Ecosistemas Áridos y Semiáridos Degradados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Confluencia; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Daniel Roberto. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ciencias del Ambiente y la Salud. Laboratorio de Rehabilitación y Restauración de Ecosistemas Áridos y Semiáridos Degradados; ArgentinaFil: Aronson, James. Missouri Botanical Garden; Estados Unidos. Ecohealth Network; Estados UnidosFil: Cross, Adam T.. Ecohealth Network; Estados Unidos. Curtin University; Australi

Collecting Diverse Microorganisms from Rover Spacecraft

. The Planetary Protection discipline at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory develops and implements procedures to prevent both forward and backward contamination between the Earth and solar system bodies. However, there will always be some microorganisms that will be resistant to the strictest of sterilization methods. In order understand the microorganisms found on spacecraft during assembly, and to rapidly identify them, a mass spectrometry approach was developed. As an experimental approach, a custom database was created for a subset of microorganisms in the Planetary Protection Archive. In order to make the database as accurate and efficient as possible, several different procedures have been developed on how to identify and classify each isolate within the database. Building upon previous research in the area, we designed a method characterizing revived isolates with known 16SrRNA gene sequence OTUs (Operational Taxonomy Units) to create MSPs (Mass Spectral Profiles) and RTCs (Real Time Classifications) using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectroscopy. We will use these profiles to enhance the Planetary Protection custom classification database, for immediate and future investigations. This work was carried out at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Administering the Token Test Senza Intonazioni Particolari: Does it Make Any Difference?

TB

MeSH indexing based on automatically generated summaries

BACKGROUND: MEDLINE citations are manually indexed at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) using as reference the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) controlled vocabulary. For this task, the human indexers read the full text of the article. Due to the growth of MEDLINE, the NLM Indexing Initiative explores indexing methodologies that can support the task of the indexers. Medical Text Indexer (MTI) is a tool developed by the NLM Indexing Initiative to provide MeSH indexing recommendations to indexers. Currently, the input to MTI is MEDLINE citations, title and abstract only. Previous work has shown that using full text as input to MTI increases recall, but decreases precision sharply. We propose using summaries generated automatically from the full text for the input to MTI to use in the task of suggesting MeSH headings to indexers. Summaries distill the most salient information from the full text, which might increase the coverage of automatic indexing approaches based on MEDLINE. We hypothesize that if the results were good enough, manual indexers could possibly use automatic summaries instead of the full texts, along with the recommendations of MTI, to speed up the process while maintaining high quality of indexing results. RESULTS: We have generated summaries of different lengths using two different summarizers, and evaluated the MTI indexing on the summaries using different algorithms: MTI, individual MTI components, and machine learning. The results are compared to those of full text articles and MEDLINE citations. Our results show that automatically generated summaries achieve similar recall but higher precision compared to full text articles. Compared to MEDLINE citations, summaries achieve higher recall but lower precision. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that automatic summaries produce better indexing than full text articles. Summaries produce similar recall to full text but much better precision, which seems to indicate that automatic summaries can efficiently capture the most important contents within the original articles. The combination of MEDLINE citations and automatically generated summaries could improve the recommendations suggested by MTI. On the other hand, indexing performance might be dependent on the MeSH heading being indexed. Summarization techniques could thus be considered as a feature selection algorithm that might have to be tuned individually for each MeSH heading