CALCAREOUS ALGAE FROM THE LOWER OLIGOCENE GORNJI GRAD BEDS OF NORTHERN SLOVENIA

This paper presents the first systematic account of calcareous algae from the limestones of the Lower Oligocene Gornji Grad beds of northern Slovenia. These bioclastic limestones are dominated by different coralline algal assemblages as well as corals, large and small benthic foraminifera as well as bivalves. The taxonomy and growth-forms of eleven species of seven non-geniculate coralline algal genera are described: Lithoporella, Neogoniolithon, Spongites, Lithothamnion, Mesophyllum, Sporolithon, Subterraniphyllum,. Additionally, the genera Polystrata (Peyssonneliaceae) Halimeda (Halimedaceae), and Cymopolia (Dasycladaceae) are present. The taxonomic interpretation of fossil coralline material in a manner consistent with generic and specific concepts currently in use for Recent material is, at present, difficult. In the absence of comparative studies on type material, only limited comparisons are possible, and in most cases definitive taxonomic conclusions cannot be reached. Most of the species designations are thus made following and open nomenclature, pending the rigorous taxonomic revision of historically established, fossil coralline algal species. The present study reveals a considerable variation of growth-form morphologies at both genus and species levels. This demonstrates the difficulties in using this feature as a diagnostic character in the identification of fossil coralline red algal taxa.&nbsp

The Hilbert space operator formalism within dynamical reduction models

Unlike standard quantum mechanics, dynamical reduction models assign no particular a priori status to `measurement processes', `apparata', and `observables', nor self-adjoint operators and positive operator valued measures enter the postulates defining these models. In this paper, we show why and how the Hilbert-space operator formalism, which standard quantum mechanics postulates, can be derived from the fundamental evolution equation of dynamical reduction models. Far from having any special ontological meaning, we show that within the dynamical reduction context the operator formalism is just a compact and convenient way to express the statistical properties of the outcomes of experiments.Comment: 25 pages, RevTeX. Changes made and two figures adde

A mixed latent class Markov approach for estimating labour market mobility with multiple indicators and retrospective interrogation

Measurement errors can induce bias in the estimation of transitions, leading to erroneous conclusions about labour market dynamics. Traditional literature on gross flows estimation is based on the assumption that measurement errors are uncorrelated over time. This assumption is not realistic in many contexts, because of survey design and data collection strategies. In this work, we use a model-based approach to correct observed gross flows from classification errors with latent class Markov models. We refer to data collected with the Italian Continuous Labour Force Survey, which is cross-sectional, quarterly, with a 2-2-2 rotating design. The questionnaire allows us to use multiple indicators of labour force conditions for each quarter: two collected in the first interview, and a third collected one year later. Our approach provides a method to estimate labour market mobility, taking into account correlated errors and the rotating design of the survey. The best-fitting model is a mixed latent class Markov model with covariates affecting latent transitions and correlated errors among indicators; the mixture components are of mover-stayer type. The better fit of the mixture specification is due to more accurately estimated latent transitions

BOOK REVIEW. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Serie A, 113 (2011), dedicated to the 60th birthday of Werner E. Piller.

This volume is a collection of papers dedicated to Werner E. Piller (Vienna, 27 th May, 1951) by some of his colleagues on the occasion of his 60 th birthday. The papers deal with some of the many facets of Piller's research fields, investigations that may help to show a more complete general picture of the Earth history The book comprises 24 papers, by a total of 54 authors (see the web page at http://www.nhmwien.ac.at/verlag/wissenschaftliche_publikationen/annalen_serie_a/113_2011). The introduction of F.F. Steininger is an excellent summary to the Piller's academic life spent so far in Vienna and Graz (Austria). The papers focus on Piller's main Earth Science research fields, ranging from systematics and facies analysis, through stratigraphy and biostratigraphy, to ecology and palaeoecology. Most of the papers deals with facies (siliciclastic, carbonates, pelagic and shallow water sediments) and Recent and fossil biotic assemblages (in reference order: dinoflagellates, cold-water corals, coralline red algae, calcareous sponges, gastropods, bryozoans, brachiopods, water strides, turtles, mammals, dasycladalean green algae, marine ostracods, ophiuroids). Those researchers, who work in the above-mentioned fields, certainly know and often use results obtained by Werner Piller. However, those who know him personally, recognizing his important contribution to Earth Sciences, enjoy marvellous features of his extraordinary personality

The quantum theory of measurement within dynamical reduction models

We analyze in mathematical detail, within the framework of the QMUPL model of spontaneous wave function collapse, the von Neumann measurement scheme for the measurement of a 1/2 spin particle. We prove that, according to the equation of the model: i) throughout the whole measurement process, the pointer of the measuring device is always perfectly well localized in space; ii) the probabilities for the possible outcomes are distributed in agreement with the Born probability rule; iii) at the end of the measurement the state of the microscopic system has collapsed to the eigenstate corresponding to the measured eigenvalue. This analysis shows rigorously how dynamical reduction models provide a consistent solution to the measurement problem of quantum mechanics.Comment: 24 pages, RevTeX. Minor changes mad

CRUSTOSE CORALLINE ALGAL PAVEMENTS FROM LATE EOCENE COLLI BERICI OF NORTHERN ITALY

The Eocene from the Prealpine region records the first phase of the crustose coralline algae flourishing in the Cenozoic. These algae are very frequent in the Marne di Priabona Formation (Late Eocene). This palaeoecological research involves ourcrop at Barbarano Vicentino(Vicenza) in the Colli Berici which is well known for its Paleogene stratigraphy. The coralline unit consists of a floatstone bank 6 m thick with rhodoliths and laminar crusts; it lies between macroforaminifer dominated limestone (Middle Eocene) and coral-algal  massive limestone (earliest Oligocene). Lithothamnion, Sporolithon,  Mesophyllum, and some Lithoporella and Spongites have been recognized. Bryozoans, large foraminifera, bivalves, echinoids, serpulids, benthic and rare planktic forams also occur. The large  foraminifera are represented  by Nummulites, Discocyclina, Operculina, Asterocyclina, Spiroclypeus, Gypsina, Pellatispira, Biplanispira.The coralline association is dominated by Lithothamnion. A lower and an upper facies have been recognized. Small rhodoliths made up of thin crusts  around a large core,  or several encrusting stages characterise the lower part of the unit; big rhodoliths (4-10 cm in size) with a complex inner structure  and several thin delicate laminar crusts occur in the upper part; groups of laminar crusts, parallel to the depositional surface, are frequent too. Bioclastic lenses rich in large foraminifera and bryozoans, without rhodoliths, occur in the lower part of the unit. The Priabonian algal community built a "Crustose Pavement" on the open shelf (shallow circalittoral) below the wave base at 50-100 m in depth, occasionally influenced by storms. The morphology of the thalli suggests a decrease in hydrodynamic energy or an increase in depth from the bottom to the top of the unit

Distributed SPS Algorithms for Non-Asymptotic Confidence Region Evaluation

In this paper, the distributed computation of confidence regions for parameter estimation is considered. Some information diffusion strategies are proposed and compared in terms of the required number of data exchanges to get the corresponding region. The effects of algorithms truncation is also addressed. As support for the theoretical part, numerical results are presented

Origin and resedimentation of rhodoliths in the Late Paleocene flysch of the Polish Outer Carpathians

This study analyses the rhodolith-bearing deposits in the largest and most rhodolith-rich outcrop of the Polish Outer Carpathian flysch, located in the Silesian Nappe, at the village of Melsztyn. The rhodoliths and sparse associated biota occur as resedimented components in a deep-marine succession of siliciclastic conglomerates and coarse-grained sandstones, deposited by high-density turbidity currents and debris flows. The sediment was derived from a fan-delta system located at the southern margin of the Silesian flysch basin. Stratigraphic data indicate that the succession represents the Upper Istebna Sandstone deposited during the Late Paleocene. The rhodoliths are composed mostly of coralline red algae with seven genera and eight species representing the family Sporolithaceae and the subfamilies Mastophoroideae and Melobesioideae. Rhodoliths show sub-spheroidal and sub-ellipsoidal shapes with encrusting, warty and lumpy growth forms. Lumpy growth forms show massive inner arrangements, whereas the encrusting growth forms are usually made of thin thalli and show more loosely packed inner arrangements. The rhodoliths grew on a moderately mobile siliciclastic substrate in a shallow-marine environment with a low net sedimentation rate. It is inferred that the growth of rhodoliths was favored during a relative sea-level rise. During the subsequent sea-level fall, the rhodoliths and associated siliciclastic deposits were resedimented by gravity flows into the deep-sea setting. The analyzed deposits, like other Paleocene–Eocene deposits of the Polish Outer Carpathians, provide no evidence of coeval widespread shallow-marine carbonate sedimentation along the margins of the Outer Carpathian flysch basins

A life cycle assessment framework for large-scale changes in material circularity

Increasing material circularity is high on the agenda of the European Union in order to decouple environmental impacts and economic growth. While life cycle assessment (LCA) is useful for quantifying the associated environmental impacts, consistent LCA modeling of the large-scale changes arising from policy targets addressing material circularity (i.e., recycled content and recycling rate) is challenging. In response to this, we propose an assessment framework addressing key steps in LCA, namely, goal definition, functional unit, baseline versus alternative scenario definition, and modeling of system responses. Regulatory and economic aspects (e.g., trends in consumption patterns, market responses, market saturation, and legislative side-policies affecting waste management) are emphasized as critical for the identification of potential system responses and for supporting regulatory interventions required to reach the intended environmental benefits. The framework is recommended for LCA studies focusing on system-wide consequences where allocation between product life cycles is not relevant; however, the framework can be adapted to include allocation. The application of the framework was illustrated by an example of implementing a policy target for 2025 of 70% recycled content in PET trays in EU27+1. It was demonstrated that neglecting large-scale market responses and saturation lead to an overestimation of the environmental benefits from the policy target and that supplementary initiatives are required to achieve the full benefits at system level

Time-resolved optical spectrometer based on a monolithic array of high-precision TDCs and SPADs

We present a compact time-resolved spectrometer suitable for optical spectroscopy from 400 nm to 1 μm wavelengths. The detector consists of a monolithic array of 16 high-precision Time-to-Digital Converters (TDC) and Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD). The instrument has 10 ps resolution and reaches 70 ps (FWHM) timing precision over a 160 ns full-scale range with a Differential Non-Linearity (DNL) better than 1.5 % LSB. The core of the spectrometer is the application-specific integrated chip composed of 16 pixels with 250 μm pitch, containing a 20 μm diameter SPAD and an independent TDC each, fabricated in a 0.35 μm CMOS technology. In front of this array a monochromator is used to focus different wavelengths into different pixels. The spectrometer has been used for fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy: 5 nm spectral resolution over an 80 nm bandwidth is achieved. Lifetime spectroscopy of Nile blue is demonstrated