Stratigraphy and Ar/Ar geochronology of the Miocene lignite-bearing Tuncbilek-Domanic Basin, western Anatolia

The Tuncbilek-Domani Basin is one of the Neogene basins containing economic coal deposits in western Anatolia, Turkey. The basin fill represents fluvial to lacustrine sedimentary units which are interlayered with volcanic rocks with bimodal composition. In order to reveal the stratigraphy and the exact ages of the basin fill and coal deposits, and to explore the tectonic evolution of the basin, we present new field data and Ar/Ar age data from the volcanic units. The field studies and the age data indicate that the whole basin fills were deposited between similar to 23 and similar to 19 Ma (Aquitanian-Early Burdigalian) without any unconformity. Taking into account the ages of the coal-bearing sedimentary units in the other Neogene basins in the region, it is concluded that most of the economic coal deposits in the western Anatolia were formed during Aquitanian. The field studies also show that the deposition of the sedimentary units in the basin was controlled by the NE-SW-trending strike- to oblique-slip normal faults. In a regional scale, tectonic evolution of the Tuncbilek-Domanic Basin is linked to the differential stretching in the hanging wall of the southerly located, a crustal-scale low-angle detachment fault (the Simav detachment fault) that controlled the Early Miocene exhumation of the Menderes Extensional Core Complex

Tectono-stratigraphy of the Neogene basins in Western Turkey: Implications for tectonic evolution of the Aegean Extended Region

The western part of the Aegean region includes several Neogene basins containing volcano-sedimentary successions. The Neogene basins, located along the northern Menderes Extensional Metamorphic Complex (MEMC) were developed during the Miocene as supra-detachment basins. They contain two distinct volcano-sedimentary successions, separated by a regional unconformity. The basins located to the west of the MEMC were developed as strike-slip basins and contain volcanic and sedimentary units getting younger from NE to SW with no remarkable unconformity

Aquatic and terrestrial water voles: phylogeography and morphometrics

Water voles from the genus Arvicola display an amazing ecological versality, with aquatic and terrestrial populations. Their taxonomic status and evolutionary relationships has caused a long-standing dispute. Two aquatic (sapidus, amphibius) and one fossorial species (scherman) are currently described. We used mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene sequences to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among fossorial and aquatic water voles belonging to A. amphibius (formely terrestris) collected in various regions of Europe. We combined 147 new sequences collected mostly in France, Germany and Great Britain, with available datasets from the entire range to provide an up-to-date phylogeny of this species. Phylogenetic and network reconstructions retrieved 4 major lineages all containing fossorial and aquatic morphotypes, discarding the view of each ecotype corresponding to a distinct species. Morphometric analyses of skull shape were performed on a set of aquatic and fossorial populations documenting the main lineages. Fossorial and aquatic populations tend to display convergent morphological features related to their ecology, blurring a part of the phylogenetic signal. Different allometric trajectories related to the constraints of the aquatic vs. subterranean habitats may contribute to this morphological convergence

Morphometric and genetic structure of the edible dormouse (Glis glis): A consequence of forest fragmentation in Turkey

Past climatic fluctuations influenced forest habitats and impacted heavily the distribution of forest species, such as the edible dormouse, by changing the distribution and composition of forests themselves. Such effects may be valid for ongoing climate change as well. To improve our understanding of the edible dormouse's history and how it responded to changes in its environment, we investigated its variation across the understudied zone of Northern Turkey using two complementary markers of differentiation: the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for genetics, and size and shape of the first upper molar for phenotypic differences. Genetic and morphometric results were strongly discrepant. Genetic analyses evidenced an amazing homogeneity throughout the Eurasian range of the edible dormouse, whereas morphometrics pointed to a complex, step-wise differentiation along the Black Sea coast, the main signal being an opposition between Easternmost and Westernmost Turkish dormice. The genetic homogeneity suggests that this phenotypic differentiation is not the inheritance of glacial refuges, but the consequence of a more recent post-glacial isolation. The transition between the European and Asian groups is located eastwards from the Marmara straits, undermining its claimed role as an efficient barrier but stressing the importance of climatic and vegetational factors. A secondary differentiation between populations from the Central Black Sea coast and Easternmost regions was evidenced, attributed to a complex interplay of climatic, topographic, anthropogenic, and ecological factors. Turkey, at the crossroad of European and Asian species, heavily impacted by the current global change including climatic and anthropogenic factors, appears of importance for understanding the historical dynamics of differentiation and exchanges between populations that shaped the current distribution of Eurasian species and their future survival. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London

Complications of varicella in healthy children in Izmir, Turkey

WOS: 000229190200012PubMed ID: 15910454Background: The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the indications of hospital admissions and complications of varicella infection in immunologically healthy children. Methods: Between 1997 and 2001, patient records of children hospitalized due to varicella infection were reviewed. Incidence and clinical spectrum of complications and their distribution related to age and seasonal variations were analyzed. Results: A total of 178 immunocompetent children were hospitalized for varicella complications during the study period. This resulted in a crude incidence of 6.3/100 000 population at risk. All hospital admissions were due to accompanying complications. The majority of complications occurred in preschool-age children with a median age of 3 years. No gender predominance was found. The most frequent complications were infectious complications, which were observed in 79 children (44%). Superinfections of the skin were present in 24 patients. Pneumonia was observed in 59 children: 49 had bacterial, 10 had viral pneumonia. Pyogenic arthritis was seen in two children and one had concomitant osteomyelitis. Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci were recovered from two patients with invasive bacterial infections. A total of 68 (38%) neurologic complications were observed. Cerebellar ataxia was present in 24, encephalitis was present in 17. Infectious complications occurred more frequently in younger children (median age: 2 years), whereas neurologic complications occurred at an older age (median age: 6 years). Hematologic complications were seen in nine children. There was a seasonal distribution of complications with a peak in January. Conclusion: Complications of varicella requiring hospitalization in immunocompetent children are more frequent than previously thought

rsdmx: Tools for Reading SDMX Data and Metadata in R

Release notes: https://github.com/opensdmx/rsdmx/wiki/Change-History#05-10-