Lasiosiphon rigidus, a new species from the Tankwa Karoo and two new combinations in the genus for South Africa

Thymelaeaceae are well represented in southern Africa, with ± 190 species in nine genera (Bredenkamp & Beyers 2000; Beaumont et al. 2009). Preliminary phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and plastid DNA sequences (Van der Bank et al. 2002; Beaumont et al. 2009) indicate the need for substantial revision in the generic circumscriptions in subfamily Thymelaeoideae.Web of Scienc

Two new species of Trachyandra sect. Liriothamnus (Xanthorrhoeaceae, Asphodeloideae) from the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa

Trachyandra eriocarpa and T. bulbosa are two new species from Northern and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. They are placed in T. sect. Liriothamnus based on their wiry roots, the cataphylls not forming membranous collars, and the remains of the outer leaves forming a fibrous collar. Trachyandra eriocarpa from the Great Winterberg in Eastern Cape is recognised by its unusual, villous ovary and capsules; and T. bulbosa from north of Springbok in Northern Cape by the irregular, bulbous rhizome, microscopically puberulous leaves and maculate tepals.Web of Scienc

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness: Creatine Kinase as a Marker for Tissue Damage (Pgf(2a) Metabolite).

Twenty college age males participated in a weight-lifting experiment, 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 70% 1RM for the squat, to examine the time courses between creatine phosphokinase (CPK), prostaglandin F(,2) alpha metabolite (PGF(,2a) met) and ratings of perceived soreness (RPS). Both groups, aspirin (n = 10) and placebo (n = 10), received medication (3g/day) for four consecutive days, starting 1 day prior to workout. Ratings of soreness and blood samples were taken pre- and immediately post-exercise, and at 24 h intervals for 3 days after exercise. There was no significant difference (p \u3c 0.05) between the groups for CPK and RPS across time, but the prostaglandins were significantly different (p \u3c 0.01) at all time intervals between groups. Changes seen across time were quadratic for all variables. The 24 h prostaglandin level was significantly higher (p \u3c 0.05) than the pre-, post-exercise and 72 h levels, but not significantly different from the 48 h level. Ratings of soreness were not significantly different (p \u3c 0.05) at the 24 and 48 h intervals, but both were significantly higher than at all other time intervals. The mean CPK levels at 24 and 48 h were not significantly different (p \u3c 0.05), but the 24 h CPK level was significantly higher (p \u3c 0.05) from the other time intervals. There was a significant correlation (p \u3c 0.01) between the time courses of CPK and RPS. It was concluded that CPK can be used as a marker for tissue damage and that prostaglandins did not influence the subjects\u27 perception of muscle soreness or the release or uptake of CPK

Analysis of the ground accelerations radiated by the 1980 Livermore valley earthquakes for directivity and dynamic source characteristics

ABSTRACT The strong motion accelerograph recordings of the 24 January 1980 main shock and the 27 January 1980 aftershock of the Livermore Valley earthquake sequence are analyzed for systematic variations with azimuth or station location. The variation of the peak accelerations with epicentral azimuth is apparently reversed for the two events: the main shock accelerations are larger to the south, and the aftershock accelerations are larger to the northwest. We eliminate the site effects by forming the ratio of the peak accelerations recorded at the same station, after correcting for the epicentral distance. This analysis indicates that source direcUvity caused a total variation of a factor of 10 in the peak accelerations. Comparison of this variation with the spatia ! extent of the aftershock sequences suggests that the strong directivity in the radiated accelerations is the result of unilateral ruptures in both events. The accelerograms recorded at 10 stations within 35 km of the events were digitized to analyze the azimuthal variation of the rms acceleration, the peak velocity, and the radiated energy flux. The variation of rms acceleration correlates almost exactly with the variation of the peak accelerations. This correlation is analyzed using both deterministic and stochastic models for the acceleration waveforms. The peak velocities, corrected for epicentral distance, vary with azimuth by a factor of 5 for both events, while the radiated energy flux varies by a factor of 30 for the main shock and 15 for the aftershock. The peak velocities are strongly correlated with the radiated energy flux. The radiated seismic energies are estimated to be 2.6 ± 0.9 x 102° dyne-cm for the main shock and 1.5 ± 0.3 x 1020 dyne-cm for the aftershock

A SIMPLIFICATION IN THE CALCULATION OF MOTIONS NEAR A PROPAGATING DISLOCATION

ABSTRACT From Haskell's (1969) integral representations for the near-field displacements due to a propagating strike-slip and dip-slip dislocation, a solution is obtained for a dislocation "line source" by an analytic integration in the direction of the fault propagation. This reduces the numerical integration from a surface integral required for the usual evaluation of the near-field motion, to a one-dimensional integration over the fault width. Since the dislocation function modeled here is a Heaviside step function, these results may be extended to any arbitrary source time-function by convolving these displacements with the time derivative of the desired source function

Average body-wave radiation coefficients

ABSTRACT Averages of P-and S-wave radiation patterns over all azimuths and various ranges of takeoff angles (corresponding to observations at teleseismic, regional, and near distances) have been computed for use in seismological applications requiring average radiation coefficients. Various fault orientations and averages of the squared, absolute, and logarithmic radiation patterns have been considered. Effective radiation patterns combining high-frequency direct and surfacereflected waves from shallow faults have also been derived and used in the computation of average radiation coefficients at teleseismic distances. In most cases, the radiation coefficients are within a factor of 1.6 of the commonly used values of 0.52 and 0.63 for the rms of P-and S-wave radiation patterns, respectively, averaged over the whole focal sphere. The main exceptions to this conclusion are the coefficients for P waves at teleseismic distances from vertical strike-slip faults, which are at least a factor of 2.8 smaller than the commonly used value

Felicia douglasii (Asteraceae-Astereae), a distinctive new species from the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

Felicia Cass. (Asteraceae) is the largest of the African members of tribe Astereae, and comprises ±90 species from southern and tropical Africa to Arabia. As currently circumscribed, it is rather weakly diagnosed by the herbaceous or shrubby habit, mostly radiate capitula with epaleate receptacle, ± concolorous rays, mostly bisexual disc florets, and eglandular cypselas with several scabrid or barbellate pappus bristles (Grau, 1973; Herman et al., 2000; Manning and Goldblatt, 2012)

Molecular and morphological analysis of subfamily Alooideae (Asphodelaceae) and the inclusion of chortolirion in aloe

Asphodelaceae subfam. Alooideae (Asparagales) currently comprises five genera, four of which are endemic to southern Africa. Despite their importance in commercial horticulture the evolutionary relationships among the genera are still incompletely understood. This study examines phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily using an expanded molecular sequence dataset from three plastid regions (matK, rbcLa, trnH-psbA) and the first subunit of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1). Sequence data were analysed using maximum parsimony and Bayesian statistics, and selected morphological traits were mapped onto the molecular phylogeny. Haworthia is confirmed as being polyphyletic, comprising three main clades that largely correlate with current subgeneric circumscriptions. Astroloba and Gasteria are evidently each monophyletic and sister respectively to Astroloba and H. subg. Robustipedunculares. Chortolirion is shown to be deeply nested within Aloe and is formally included in that genus. Aloe itself is clearly polyphyletic, with the dwarf species A. aristata allied to Haworthia subg. Robustipedunculares. The taxonomic implications of these findings are examined but branch support at critical lower nodes is insufficient at this stage to justify implementing major taxonomic changes

Preliminary Report on the 22 December 2003, M 6.5 San Simeon, California Earthquake

The Mw 6.5 San Simeon earthquake struck the central California coast on 22 December 2003 at 19:15:56 UTC (11:15:56 am local time.) The epicenter was located 11 km northeast of the town of San Simeon, and 39 km west-northwest of Paso Robles (Figure 1), as reported by the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN, the California region of the Advanced National Seismic System [ANSS]). The mainshock nucleated at 35.702°N, 121.108°W and a depth of 7.1 km, and the rupture propagated unilaterally to the southeast. The strong directivity of the rupture resulted in a concentration of damage and aftershock..

Triggered Surface Slips in the Salton Trough Associated with the 1999 Hector Mine, California, Earthquake

Surface fracturing occurred along the southern San Andreas, Superstition Hills, and Imperial faults in association with the 16 October 1999 (Mw 7.1) Hector Mine earthquake, making this at least the eighth time in the past 31 years that a regional earthquake has triggered slip along faults in the Salton Trough. Fractures associated with the event formed discontinuous breaks over a 39-km-long stretch of the San Andreas fault, from the Mecca Hills southeastward to Salt Creek and Durmid Hill, a distance from the epicenter of 107 to 139 km. Sense of slip was right lateral; only locally was there a minor (∼1 mm) vertical component of slip. Dextral slip ranged from 1 to 13 mm. Maximum slip values in 1999 and earlier triggered slips are most common in the central Mecca Hills. Field evidence indicates a transient opening as the Hector Mine seismic waves passed the southern San Andreas fault. Comparison of nearby strong-motion records indicates several periods of relative opening with passage of the Hector Mine seismic wave—a similar process may have contributed to the field evidence of a transient opening. Slip on the Superstition Hills fault extended at least 9 km, at a distance from the Hector Mine epicenter of about 188 to 196 km. This length of slip is a minimum value, because we saw fresh surface breakage extending farther northwest than our measurement sites. Sense of slip was right lateral; locally there was a minor (∼1 mm) vertical component of slip. Dextral slip ranged from 1 to 18 mm, with the largest amounts found distributed (or skewed) away from the Hector Mine earthquake source. Slip triggered on the Superstition Hills fault commonly is skewed away from the earthquake source, most notably in 1968, 1979, and 1999. Surface slip on the Imperial fault and within the Imperial Valley extended about 22 km, representing a distance from the Hector Mine epicenter of about 204 to 226 km. Sense of slip dominantly was right lateral; the right-lateral component of slip ranged from 1 to 19 mm. Locally there was a minor (∼1–2 mm) vertical component of slip; larger proportions of vertical slip (up to 10 mm) occurred in Mesquite basin, where scarps indicate long-term oblique-slip motion for this part of the Imperial fault. Slip triggered on the Imperial fault appears randomly distributed relative to location along the fault and source direction. Multiple surface slips, both primary and triggered slip, indicate that slip repeatedly is small at locations of structural complexity