A New Specimen of Autroraptor cabazai Novas, Pol. Canale, Porfiri and Calvo, 2008 (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Unenlagiidae) from the Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Río Negro, Argentina

There were considerable differences in Late Cretaceous faunas of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, although the differences were breaking down during Campanian and Maastrichtian times with the appearance of hadrosaurids in Antarctica and South America, and titanosaurids in North America. However, theropods continued to be separated into northern and southern faunas until paravians were discovered in the Southern Hemisphere (Novas and Puerta, 1997; Forster et al. 1998; Calvo et al. 2004; Makovicky et al. 2005; Novas and Pol, 2005; Novas et al. 2008). During the 2008 field season, a joint expedition to the Bajo de Santa Rosa (Río Negro, Argentina) recovered a second, slightly smaller specimen of Austroraptor cabazai Novas, Pol, Canale, Porfiri and Calvo, 2008 (Novas et al. 2008; Paulina Carabajal et al., 2009). The specimen was identified on the basis of the morphology of the humerus, metatarsal III and pedal phalanx IV-2 (originally identified as IV-1 in the holotype, MML 195). Although the skeleton is incomplete, it preserves bones (radius, ulna, and elements of the metacarpus, metatarsus and pes) that were not recovered with the holotype of this large dromaeosaurid. The description of this second specimen is intended to complement the description of the holotype (Novas et al., 2008), adding information about the limb morphology, particularly the forelimb and foot of this dinosaur.Fil: Currie, Philip J.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Paulina Carabajal, Ariana. Provincia del Neuquen. Municipalidad de Plaza Huincul. Museo "carmen Funes"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

A Hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Kanguk Formation of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, Canada, and Its Ecological and Geographical Implications

A hadrosaurid vertebra was recovered during a palynological survey of the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation in the eastern Canadian Arctic. This vertebra represents the farthest north record of any non-avian dinosaur to date. Although highly abraded, the fossil nonetheless represents an interesting biogeographic data point. During the Campanian, when this vertebra was deposited, the eastern Canadian Arctic was likely isolated both from western North America by the Western Interior Seaway and from more southern regions of eastern North America by the Hudson Seaway. This fossil suggests that large-bodied hadrosaurid dinosaurs may have inhabited a large polar insular landmass during the Late Cretaceous, where they would have lived year-round, unable to migrate to more southern regions during winters. It is possible that the resident herbivorous dinosaurs could have fed on non-deciduous conifers, as well as other woody twigs and stems, during the long, dark winter months when most deciduous plant species had lost their leaves.La vertèbre d’un hadrosauridé a été retrouvée pendant l’étude palynologique de la formation Kanguk remontant au Crétacé supérieur, dans l’est de l’Arctique canadien. Il s’agit de la vertèbre appartenant à un dinosaure non avien qui a été recueillie la plus au nord jusqu’à maintenant. Même si ce fossile est fortement abrasé, il n’en reste pas moins qu’il représente un point de donnée biogéographique intéressant. Pendant le Campanien, lorsque cette vertèbre a été déposée, l’est de l’Arctique canadien était vraisemblablement isolé de l’ouest de l’Amérique du Nord par la mer intérieure occidentale, et des régions plus au sud de l’est de l’Amérique du Nord par le bras de mer Hudson. Ce fossile suggère que de gros dinosaures hadrosauridés auraient pu habiter une grande masse terrestre insulaire polaire pendant le Crétacé tardif, où ils auraient évolué à l’année, étant incapables de migrer vers les régions plus au sud pendant l’hiver. Il est possible que les dinosaures herbivores résidents se soient nourris de conifères non décidus ainsi que d’autres tiges ou brindilles ligneuses pendant les longs mois sombres de l’hiver, lorsque la plupart des espèces végétales décidues avaient perdu leurs feuilles.

Attitudes towards the use and acceptance of eHealth technologies : a case study of older adults living with chronic pain and implications for rural healthcare

Acknowledgements The research described here is supported by the award made by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub; award reference: EP/G066051/1. MC’s time writing the paper is funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) under Theme 8 ‘Vibrant Rural Communities’ of the Food, Land and People Programme (2011–2016). MC is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen. The input of other members of the TOPS research team, Alastair Mort, Fiona Williams, Sophie Corbett, Phil Wilson and Paul MacNamee who contributed to be wider study and discussed preliminary findings reported here with the authors of the paper is acknowledged. We acknowledge the feedback on earlier versions of this paper provided by members of the Trans-Atlantic Rural Research Network, especially Stefanie Doebler and Carmen Hubbard. We also thank Deb Roberts for her comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

'X' Marks the Spot: Transferring Dig Site Coordinates from Maps to Google Earth

Dinosaur Provincial Park has been a popular site for palaeontological digs for many years. Over time, the many quarries and bone beds uncovered have had their locations marked on large paper topography maps. Unfortunately, many dig sites have been lost due to poor documentation. Some sites have been abandoned for years. The high erosion levels of the park (2 – 4 mm yearly) continually both destroys dig sites and uncovers new fossils. To help recover old, unused dig sites, the coordinates of the sites marked on the old paper maps were uploaded to Google Earth Pro for easy access. Unfortunately, the points had to first be transferred to clear mylar maps, because the original paper maps lacked longitude and latitude measurements. This was accomplished by matching the topography when the scale of the maps differed, and by overlaying the clear maps on the paper maps when they did not. The distance of each point from a line of longitude or latitude was found using a ruler (each mm measured on the map representing 10 m in the park) and used to calculate their coordinates. After the coordinates were found, they were recorded in a Google SpreadSheet. Once this was completed for all 462 points, they were uploaded to Google Earth Pro. The purpose of this project was to provide more easily accessible records of dig sites and prevent further record loss as the old paper maps age and their condition deteriorates. The massive paper maps are unwieldy and impractical to use in the field, and something more compact is needed. Google Earth is easily accessed on a computer or cell phone, and the points will not be lost due to physical damage, degradation, or misplacement of the records. In addition, it takes up far less space in digital form, and thus is better for field work than the original maps

Gow’s Typology of Scotland’s Islands : Technical notes

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pB264, a small, mobilizable, temperature sensitive plasmid from Rhodococcus

BACKGROUND: Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Rhodococcus have shown an extraordinary capacity for metabolizing recalcitrant organic compounds. One hindrance to the full exploitation of Rhodococcus is the dearth of genetic tools available for strain manipulation. To address this issue, we sought to develop a plasmid-based system for genetic manipulation of a variety of Rhodococcus strains. RESULTS: We isolated and sequenced pB264, a 4,970 bp cryptic plasmid from Rhodococcus sp. B264-1 with features of a theta-type replication mechanism. pB264 was nearly identical to pKA22, a previously sequenced but uncharacterized cryptic plasmid. Derivatives of pB264 replicate in a diverse range of Rhodococcus species, showing that this plasmid does not bear the same host range restrictions that have been exhibited by other theta replicating plasmids. Replication or maintenance of pB264 is inhibited at 37°C, making pB264 useful as a suicide vector for genetic manipulation of Rhodococcus. A series of deletions revealed that ca. 1.3 kb from pB264 was sufficient to support replication and stable inheritance of the plasmid. This region includes two open reading frames that encode functions (RepAB) that can support replication of pB264 derivatives in trans. Rhodococcus sp. B264-1 will mobilize pB264 into other Rhodococcus species via conjugation, making it possible to genetically modify bacterial strains that are otherwise difficult to transform. The cis-acting element (oriT) required for conjugal transfer of pB264 resides within a ca. 0.7 kb region that is distinct from the regions responsible for replication. CONCLUSION: Shuttle vectors derived from pB264 will be useful for genetic studies and strain improvement in Rhodococcus, and will also be useful for studying the processes of theta replication and conjugal transfer among actinomycetes

An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina

A new carcharodontosaurid taxon, Lajasvenator ascheriae gen. et sp. nov. is described. The new taxon is based on two specimens: MLL-PV-Pv-005 is a partial skeleton represented by a portion of the snout, partially articulated presacral vertebral series, four articulated caudal vertebra and fragments of the pelvic girdle; MLL-PV-Pv-007 includes the anterior ends of both dentaries, a quadratojugal, and fragments of cervical vertebrae, ribs and a possible tarsal bone. Lajasvenator is unique in having anterior projections on cervical prezygapophyses, lip-like crests on the lateral surfaces of cervical postzygapophyses, and bilobed anterior processes on cervical ribs. Lajasvenator material was collected from the terrestrial sandstones of the Valanginian Mulichinco Formation. It is the oldest carcharodontosaurid record from South America. This medium sized theropod was found associated with remains of the dicraeosaurid sauropod Pilmatueia, indeterminate diplodocid remains, and a yet unidentified iguanodontian-like ornithopod.Fil: Coria, Rodolfo Anibal. Provincia del Neuquén. Municipalidad de Plaza Huincul. Museo "Carmen Funes"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Currie, Philip J.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Ortega Coloma, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia; EspañaFil: Baiano, Mattia Antonio. Provincia del Neuquén. Municipalidad de Plaza Huincul. Museo "Carmen Funes"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; Argentin

A partial oviraptorosaur skeleton suggests low caenagnathid diversity in the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia

The Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert of Mongolia has produced one of the most abundant and diverse oviraptorosaur records globally. However, the caenagnathid component of this fauna remains poorly known. Two caenagnathid taxa are currently recognized from the Nemegt Formation: Elmisaurus rarus and Nomingia gobiensis. Because these taxa are known from mostly non-overlapping material, there are concerns that they could represent the same animal. A partial, weathered caenagnathid skeleton discovered adjacent to the holotype quarry of Nomingia gobiensis is referable to Elmisaurus rarus, revealing more of the morphology of the cranium, mandible, pectoral girdle, and pubis. Despite metatarsals clearly exhibiting autapomorphies of Elmisaurus rarus, overlapping elements are identical to those of Nomingia gobiensis, and add to a growing body of evidence that these taxa represent a single morphotype. In the absence of any positive evidence for two caenagnathid taxa in the Nemegt Formation, Nomingia gobiensis is best regarded as a junior synonym of Elmisaurus rarus. Low caenagnathid diversity in the Nemegt Formation may reflect broader coexistence patterns with other oviraptorosaur families, particularly oviraptorids. In contrast to North America, competition with the exceptionally diverse oviraptorids may have restricted caenagnathids to marginal roles in Late Cretaceous Asian ecosystems