Increasing knowledge of biodiversity on the Orphan Seamount: a new species of Tedania (Tedaniopsis) Dendy, 1924

A new Tedania species (Porifera) was collect using remotely operated vehicles during the Canadian mission HUD2010-029 and the British RRS Discovery Cruise DY081, on the Orphan Seamount near the Orphan Knoll, northwest Atlantic, between 2999.88 and 3450.4 m depth. Orphan Knoll is an isolated, drowned continental fragment 550 km northeast Newfoundland in the Labrador Sea. This region is biologically rich and complex and in 2007, the regional fisheries management organization operating in the area regulated that no vessel shall engage in bottom-contact fishing activities until reviewed in 2020 with a review slated at the end of this year. Members of the genus Tedania are uncommon in the temperate northern hemisphere with only six species known previously: Tedania (Tedania) anhelans; Tedania (Tedania) pilarriosae; Tedania (Tedania) suctoria; Tedania (Tedania) urgorrii; Tedania (Tedaniopsis) gurjanovae; and Tedania (Tedaniopsis) phacellina. The particular features of the new sponge we describe are the very peculiar external morphology which is tree-like with dichotomous branching—a morphology not previously described in this subgenus; and the combination of spicules found: long styles, the typical tornotes of the subgenus and two sizes of onychaetes. Additional information is provided on other species of Tedaniopsis described from the Atlantic Ocean. Based on the characteristics reported, we propose a new species, Tedania (Tedaniopsis) rappi sp. nov. in honor of Prof. Hans Tore Rapp (1972–2020), University of Bergen, Norway, a renowned sponge taxonomist and coordinator of the Horizon 2020 SponGES project. The holotype of T. (T.) phacellina Topsent, 1912 from the Azores, the only other northern Atlantic species in the subgenus Tedaniopsis, was reviewed for comparison.Postprin

Detecting ancient life: Investigating the nature and origin of possible stromatolites and associated calcite from a one billion year old lake

Putative stromatolites and associated carbonate minerals in 1.1 Ga Stoer Group lacustrine sedimentary rocks were analysed to deduce their likely origins. Potential stromatolite examples included finely laminated and sometimes wrinkled carbonate-siliciclastic rocks of the Clachtoll Formation at Clachtoll and Bay of Stoer, and laminated limestone domes of the Poll a’Mhuilt Member (Bay of Stoer Formation) from Enard Bay. Petrography shows that the lamination and wrinkling of Clachtoll Formation specimens can most logically be explained by abiotic siliclastic sedimentary processes, namely rippling and soft-sediment deformation probably related to de-watering. Electron backscatter diffraction shows that the carbonate in these laminated Clachtoll Formation specimens was calcite, and petrography combined with clumped isotope palaeothermometry indicates it was likely to be part syn-depositional and part burial diagenetic in origin. The laminated domes of the Poll a’Mhuilt Member are shown to comprise clasts of limestone interlayered with clay, quartz, Na-rich feldspars and micas. Cathodoluminescence revealed the limestone clasts to be composite and built of sub-grains that must have been derived from an earlier, potentially Palaeoproterozoic, carbonate unit. Support for this hypothesis comes from clumped isotope palaeotemperature measurements that indicate the limestone clasts were precipitated or recrystallized under higher temperature conditions than the burial diagenetic calcite found in the Clachtoll Formation. Raman spectra of an organic carbon particle within a laminated dome of the Poll a’Mhuilt Member at Enard Bay are consistent with the organic carbon having been re-worked from the ∼2 Ga Loch Maree Group, and we speculate that this might also be true of the calcite. Microbial fossils are well known from elsewhere in the Stoer Group, but no conclusive examples were found within the thin-sections examined herein. No conclusive evidence was found to suggest that any of the examined putative stromatolites were biogenic, leading to the conclusion that they are best considered stromatolite-like sedimentary rocks (pseudostromatolites)

Detecting ancient life : Investigating the nature and origin of possible stromatolites and associated calcite from a one billion year old lake

ATB acknowledges the hospitality of the North West Highlands Geopark in July 2017. DW acknowledges funding from the Australian Research Council via the Future Fellowship scheme (FT 140100321).Peer reviewedPostprin

Contrasting microfossil preservation and lake chemistries within the 1200–1000 Ma Torridonian Supergroup of NW Scotland

We acknowledge the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility at the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, a facility funded by the University, State and Commonwealth Governments. DW acknowledges funding from the European Commission and the Australian Research Council. This is publication number 838 from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems.Publisher PD

Boundaries and Bridges: the influence of James Cooksey Culwick on the development of the teaching and learning of music in nineteenth century Ireland

James Cooksey Culwick (1845-1907) was born in England. Trained as chorister and organist in Lichfield Cathedral, he moved to Ireland at twenty- one and remained until his death in 1907. Although his reputation as scholar, musician and teacher was acknowledged widely during his lifetime - he received an honorary doctorate from University of Dublin (1893) - little is known about the contribution he made to music education. This paper addresses this gap in the literature and argues that it was Culwick's singular achievement to pay attention to music pedagogy at secondary level, by recognizing that music could be seen as a serious career option for girls, and by providing resources for teachers which emphasised the development of an 'art-feeling' in pupils of all abilities. In addition, he considered Irish music as an art which had significance as music first, and Irish music second, and advocated a 'laudable tolerance' for opposing views on matters of cultural identity to Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century

Dressings and securement devices to prevent complications for peripheral arterial catheters

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the effectiveness of dressings and securement devices for peripheral arterial catheters

Advanced remote condition monitoring of railway infrastructure and rolling stock

The rail network is an integral part of the modern transport system. Railway transportation accommodates the mobility of both passengers and goods cost-effectively and in an environmentally friendly way at large scale. Thus, the contribution of railway transportation to the global economy, sustainable growth and mitigation of climate change effects is profound. Rail operations have become more intense, with traffic density continuously increasing. At the same time rolling stock speed and axle loads have also increased. This has led to strong interest in re-evaluating the fundamentals of the way rail infrastructure and rolling stock are currently inspected and maintained. Recent attention has focused on the development of advanced remote condition monitoring techniques for the assessment of the structural integrity of critical rail infrastructure and rolling stock components. The widespread implementation of effective and proven remote condition monitoring technologies can result in the meaningful reduction of the demand for conventional time-consuming and costly inspection methodologies, helping increase the availability and hence capacity factor of the rail network. This paper presents the most recent developments and results obtained from the experimental work carried out by the authors on remote condition monitoring of rail infrastructure and rolling stock components using acoustic emission and vibration analysis techniques under laboratory and field conditions

Status of the National Synchrotron Light Source upgrade

The demands for real-time control, data acquisition and display from accelerators of the National Synchrotron Light Source have exceeded the capabilities of the computer control system designed in 1978. In January 1985, a workshop on control systems was held at Brookhaven, one of the purposes of which was to provide impetus and design goals for an upgrade of the NSLS control system. The resulting design is described and its status reported