The early Pliocene Titiokura Formation: stratigraphy of a thick, mixed carbonate-siliciclastic shelf succession in Hawke's Bay Basin, New Zealand

This paper presents a systematic stratigraphic description of the architecture of the early Pliocene Titiokura Formation (emended) in the Te Waka and Maungaharuru Ranges of western Hawke's Bay, and presents a facies, sequence stratigraphic, and paleoenvironmental analysis of the sedimentary succession. The Titiokura Formation is of early Pliocene (Opoitian-Waipipian) age, and unconformably overlies Mokonui Formation, which is a regressive late Miocene and early Pliocene (Kapitean to early Opoitian) succession. In the Te Waka Range and the southern parts of the Maungaharuru Range, the Titiokura Formation comprises a single limestone sheet 20-50 m thick, with calcareous sandstone parts. In the vicinity of Taraponui Trig, and to the northeast, the results of 1:50 000 mapping show that the limestone gradually partitions into five members, which thicken markedly to the northeast to total thicknesses of c. 730 m, and concomitantly become dominated by siliciclastic sandstone. The members (all new) from lower to upper are: Naumai Member, Te Rangi Member, Taraponui Member, Bellbird Bush Member, and Opouahi Member. The lower four members are inferred to each comprise an obliquity-controlled 41 000 yr 6th order sequence, and the Opouahi Member at least two such sequences. The sequences typically have the following architectural elements from bottom to top: disconformable sequence boundary that formed as a transgressive surface of erosion; thin transgressive systems tracts (TSTs) with onlap and backlap shellbeds, or alternatively, a single compound shellbed; downlap surface; and very thick (70-200 m) highstand (HST) and regressive systems tracts (RST) composed of fine sandstone. The sequences in the Opouahi Member have cryptic TSTs, sandy siltstone to silty sandstone HSTs, and cross-bedded, differentially cemented, fine sandstone RSTs; a separate variant is an 11 m thick bioclastic limestone (grainstone and packstone) at the top of the member that crops out in the vicinity of Lake Opouahi. Lithostratigraphic correlations along the crest of the ranges suggest that the Titiokura Formation, and its correlatives to the south around Puketitiri, represent a shoreline-to-shelf linked depositional system. Carbonate production was focused around a rocky seascape as the system onlapped basement in the south, with dispersal and deposition of the comminuted carbonate on an inner shelf to the north, which was devoid of siliciclastic sediment input. The rates of both subsidence and siliciclastic sediment flux increased rapidly to the northeast of the carbonate "platform", with active progradation and offlap of the depositional system into more axial parts of Hawke's Bay Basin

Poly(lactic acid) polymer stars built from early generation dendritic polyols

A family of polymer stars has been prepared from early generation dendritic cores with four, six, and eight arms. Four dendritic cores were prepared from the sequential reaction of a multifunctional alcohol with a protected anhydride, followed by deprotection to afford two or three new alcohol functionalities per reactive site. These cores were used as initiators for the tin-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide and rac-lactide to afford isotactic and atactic degradable stars, respectively. Two series of stars were prepared for each monomer, either maintaining total molecular weight or number of monomer units per arm. The polymers were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, light-scattering gel-permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Our results support previous work that suggests that the length of the arms dictates thermal properties rather than the total molecular weight of the star. Little effect was noted between aromatic and aliphatic cores, presumably due to the flexibility of the rest of the core molecule. We have shown that early generation dendrimers can serve as excellent core structures for building core-first polymer stars via the ring-opening of cyclic esters

The ice-breaker effect: Singing mediates fast social bonding

It has been proposed that singing evolved to facilitate social cohesion. However, it remains unclear whether bonding arises out of properties intrinsic to singing or whether any social engagement can have a similar effect. Furthermore, previous research has used one-off singing sessions without exploring the emergence of social bonding over time. In this semi-naturalistic study, we followed newly formed singing and non-singing (crafts or creative writing) adult education classes over seven months. Participants rated their closeness to their group and their affect, and were given a proxy measure of endorphin release, before and after their class, at three timepoints (months 1, 3 and 7). We show that although singers and non-singers felt equally connected by timepoint 3, singers experienced much faster bonding: singers demonstrated a significantly greater increase in closeness at timepoint 1, but the more gradual increase shown by non-singers caught up over time. This represents the first evidence for an ‘ice-breaker effect’ of singing in promoting fast cohesion between unfamiliar individuals, which bypasses the need for personal knowledge of group members gained through prolonged interaction. We argue that singing may have evolved to quickly bond large human groups of relative strangers, potentially through encouraging willingness to coordinate by enhancing positive affect

Measuring psychological pain: psychometric analysis of the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale

Background: Suicide is a public health concern, with an estimated 1 million individuals dying each year worldwide. Individual psychological pain is believed to be a contributing motivating factor. Therefore, establishing a psychometrically sound tool to adequately measure psychological pain is important. The Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP) has been proposed; however, previous psychometric analysis on the OMMP has not yielded a consistent scale structure, and the internal consistency of the subscales has not met recommended values. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the OMMP in a diverse sample. Methods: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the 9-factor, 44-item OMMP was conducted on the full sample (n = 1151). Because model fit indices were not met, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on a random subset of the data (n = 576) to identify a more parsimonious structure. The EFA structure was then tested in a covariance model in the remaining subset of participants (n = 575). Multigroup invariance testing was subsequently performed to examine psychometric properties of the refined scale. Results: The CFA of the original 9-factor, 44-item OMMP did not meet recommended model fit recommendations. The EFA analysis results revealed a 3-factor, 9-item scale (i.e., OMMP-9). The covariance model of the OMMP-9 indicated further refinement was necessary. Multigroup invariance testing conducted on the final 3-factor, 8-item scale (i.e., OMMP-8) across mental health diagnoses, sex, injury status, age, activity level, and athlete classification met all criteria for invariance. Conclusions: The 9-factor, 44-item OMMP does not meet recommended measurement criteria and should not be recommended for use in research and clinical practice in its current form. The refined OMMP-8 may be a more viable option to use; however, more research should be completed prior to adoption

DNA binding and synapsis by the large C-terminal domain of ϕC31 integrase

The integrase (Int) from phage ϕC31 acts on the phage and host-attachment sites, attP and attB, to form an integrated prophage flanked by attL and attR. Excision (attL × attR recombination) is prevented, in the absence of accessory factors, by a putative coiled-coil motif in the C-terminal domain (CTD). Int has a serine recombinase N-terminal domain, required for synapsis of recombination substrates and catalysis. We show here that the coiled-coil motif mediates protein–protein interactions between CTDs, but only when bound to DNA. Although the histidine-tagged CTD (hCTD) was monomeric in solution, hCTD bound cooperatively to three of the recombination substrates (attB, attL and attR). Furthermore, when provided with attP and attB, hCTD brought these substrates together in a synaptic complex. Substitutions in the coiled-coil motif that greatly reduce Int integration activity, L460P and Y475H, prevented CTD–CTD interactions and led to defective DNA binding and no detectable DNA synapsis. A substitution, E449K, in full length Int confers the ability to perform excision in addition to integration as it has gained the ability to synapse attL × attR. hCTDE449K was similar to hCTD in DNA binding but unable to form the CTD synapse suggesting that the CTD synapse is not essential but could be part of the mechanism that controls directionality

Development of a Halotolerant Community in the St. Lucia Estuary (South Africa) during a Hypersaline Phase

Background: The St. Lucia Estuary, Africa’s largest estuarine lake, is currently experiencing unprecedented freshwater deprivation which has resulted in a northward gradient of drought effects, with hypersaline conditions in its northern lakes. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study documents the changes that occurred in the biotic communities at False Bay from May 2010 to June 2011, in order to better understand ecosystem functioning in hypersaline habitats. Few zooplankton taxa were able to withstand the harsh environmental conditions during 2010. These were the flatworm Macrostomum sp., the harpacticoid copepod Cletocamptus confluens, the cyclopoid copepod Apocyclops cf. dengizicus and the ciliate Fabrea cf. salina. In addition to their exceptional salinity tolerance, they were involved in a remarkably simple food web. In June 2009, a bloom of an orange-pigmented cyanobacterium (Cyanothece sp.) was recorded in False Bay and persisted uninterruptedly for 18 months. Stable isotope analysis suggests that this cyanobacterium was the main prey item of F. cf. salina. This ciliate was then consumed by A. cf. dengizicus, which in turn was presumably consumed by flamingos as they flocked in the area when the copepods attained swarming densities. On the shore, cyanobacteria mats contributed to a population explosion of the staphylinid beetle Bledius pilicollis. Although zooplankton disappeared once salinities exceeded 130, many taxa are capable of producing spores or resting cysts to bridge harsh periods. The hypersaline community was disrupted by heavy summer rains in 2011, which alleviated drought conditions and resulted in a sharp increase in zooplankton stock an

N-Cadherin Expression Level Distinguishes Reserved versus Primed States of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

SummaryOsteoblasts expressing the homophilic adhesion molecule N-cadherin form a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. Therefore, we examined how N-cadherin expression in HSCs relates to their function. We found that bone marrow (BM) cells highly expressing N-cadherin (N-cadherinhi) are not stem cells, being largely devoid of a Lineage−Sca1+cKit+ population and unable to reconstitute hematopoietic lineages in irradiated recipient mice. Instead, long-term HSCs form distinct populations expressing N-cadherin at intermediate (N-cadherinint) or low (N-cadherinlo) levels. The minority N-cadherinlo population can robustly reconstitute the hematopoietic system, express genes that may prime them to mobilize, and predominate among HSCs mobilized from BM to spleen. The larger N-cadherinint population performs poorly in reconstitution assays when freshly isolated but improves in response to overnight in vitro culture. Their expression profile and lower cell-cycle entry rate suggest N-cadherinint cells are being held in reserve. Thus, differential N-cadherin expression reflects functional distinctions between two HSC subpopulations

A characteristics framework for Semantic Information Systems Standards

Semantic Information Systems (IS) Standards play a critical role in the development of the networked economy. While their importance is undoubted by all stakeholders—such as businesses, policy makers, researchers, developers—the current state of research leaves a number of questions unaddressed. Terminological confusion exists around the notions of “business semantics”, “business-to-business interoperability”, and “interoperability standards” amongst others. And, moreover, a comprehensive understanding about the characteristics of Semantic IS Standards is missing. The paper addresses this gap in literature by developing a characteristics framework for Semantic IS Standards. Two case studies are used to check the applicability of the framework in a “real-life” context. The framework lays the foundation for future research in an important field of the IS discipline and supports practitioners in their efforts to analyze, compare, and evaluate Semantic IS Standard

A study of patent thickets

Report analysing whether entry of UK enterprises into patenting in a technology area is affected by patent thickets in the technology area