Stable oxygen isotope record of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the southern North Sea Basin: positioning the Oi-1 event

Preliminary stable oxygen isotope data are presented from the southern North Sea Basin successions, ranging from the Lutetian to Rupelian. Analyses were performed on fish otoliths, nuculid bivalves and benthic foraminifera and are presented as bulk delta(18)O values relative to a well established regional sequence stratigraphic framework. The most significant positive shift in delta(18)O values clearly falls at the top of the regionally recognised Bassevelde 3 sequence, which base corresponds to the Eocene-Oligocene GSSP boundary. The here documented delta(18)O shift is closely associated with the base of the traditional Rupelian unit-stratotype and is tentatively correlated to the globally recognised Oi-1 event

Re-assessment of the new geological map of Belgium: earliest Oligocene dinoflagellate cyst-based ages in the Leuven area (sheet 24 Aarschot)

The dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages of two samples from a temporary outcrop in the vicinity of Haacht (Leuven) have been analysed. The co-occurrence of Areosphaeridium diktyoplokum, Cerebrocysta bartonensis, Glaphyrocysta semitecta, Rombodinium perforatum and Thalassiphora reticulata allows correlation with the North Sea Oligocene-1 zone. As a consequence, the considered unit has a latest Eocene to earliest Oligocene age, equivalent to the age of the marine Tongrian. Comparison of the studied area with the recent 1:50 000 geological map (sheet 24 Aarschot) shows that the current lithostratigraphic interpretation of the analysed section, i.e. the Middle Eocene Maldegem Formation, can no longer be uphold

The impact of lipid content, cooking and reheating on volatile compounds found in narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorous commerson)

Effects of four cooking methods (microwave cooking, grilling, steaming and shallow fat frying) and reheating by microwave on volatile profile in S. commerson were evaluated. Thirty compounds were identified in GC-MS analysis of raw samples. The number of volatile compounds had increased to 36, 46, 45 and 45 compounds in microwave cooked, grilled, steamed and shallow fat fried samples, respectively. Total concentrations of volatile had increased from 72.80 to 111.06, 74.25, 112.19 and 92.37 μg/kg, respectively. The concentration and new flavor compounds were increased by chill-reheating, due to the fast oxidation. The concentration of alcohol and aldehydes increased significantly (P<0.05). The hexanal amount also increased in all samples and indicated a marked development of warmed-over flavor. Quantitative and qualitative (P<0.05) differences were observed in volatile compounds between raw and cooked samples

Disused Paleogene regional stages from Belgium: Montian, Heersian, Landenian, Paniselian, Bruxellian, Laekenian, Ledian, Wemmelian and Tongrian

An overview of nine disused Paleogene regional stages from Belgium is presented. Some of these regional chronostratigraphic units were already brought into use in the nineteenth century, but are nowadays considered ill defined and of no use in the light of the modern stratigraphic concepts. An overview of their definition and history is given, together with the argumentation for the abandonment of each unit and its present status. The disused chronostratigraphic units belong to the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene series

Entanglement of photons in their dual wave-particle nature

Wave-particle duality is the most fundamental description of the nature of a quantum object, which behaves like a classical particle or wave depending on the measurement apparatus. On the other hand, entanglement represents nonclassical correlations of composite quantum systems, being also a key resource in quantum information. Despite the very recent observations of wave-particle superposition and entanglement, whether these two fundamental traits of quantum mechanics can emerge simultaneously remains an open issue. Here we introduce and experimentally realize a scheme that deterministically generates entanglement between the wave and particle states of two photons. The elementary tool allowing this achievement is a scalable single-photon setup which can be in principle extended to generate multiphoton wave-particle entanglement. Our study reveals that photons can be entangled in their dual wave-particle behavior and opens the way to potential applications in quantum information protocols exploiting the wave-particle degrees of freedom to encode qubits

Stillbirth and intrauterine fetal death:role of routine histopathological placental findings to determine cause of death

OBJECTIVES: Placental abnormalities are a common cause of death in stillbirth, ranking second only to unexplained deaths, though there is wide variation in the proportion attributed to placental disease. In clinical practice, interpretation of the significance of placental findings is difficult, since many placental features in stillbirths overlap with those in live births. Our aim was to examine objectively classified placental findings from a series of > 1000 autopsies following intrauterine death in order to evaluate the role of placental histological examination in determining the cause of death. METHODS: As part of a larger study evaluating several aspects of autopsy findings in intrauterine death, a dedicated database was used to collate antenatal and postmortem examination details for all cases examined between 2005 and 2013 at two tertiary specialist centers in London, UK. Histological findings for placentas were evaluated in relation to the final cause of death. RESULTS: Among 1064 intrauterine deaths, 946 (89%) cases had the placenta submitted for examination as part of the autopsy. Of these, 307 (32%) cases had the cause of death assigned to abnormalities of the placenta, cord or membranes. Around one third of stillbirths (≥ 24 weeks) had some isolated placental histological abnormality identified, many of uncertain significance, a significantly greater proportion than in cases of second-trimester intrauterine fetal demise (P < 0.0001). The cause of death was ascending infection in 176/946 (19%) cases, peaking at 22 weeks' gestation, with significantly more black mothers having ascending infection compared with other ethnicities (P < 0.0001). Maternal vascular malperfusion was the largest category of placental abnormalities in stillbirth, with peak prevalence in the early third trimester. There were 18 (2%) cases with specific histological abnormalities, including chronic histiocytic intervillositis and massive perivillous fibrin deposition. CONCLUSIONS: Placental pathologies represent the largest category of cause of intrauterine death. Placental histological examination is the single most useful component of the autopsy process in this clinical setting. A minority of cases are associated with specific placental pathologies, often with high recurrence rates, that can be diagnosed only on microscopic examination of the placenta. Many deaths remain unexplained, although placental histological lesions may be present which are of uncertain significance. A rigorous, systematic approach to placental pathology research and classification may yield better understanding of the significance of placental findings and reduce the rate of unexplained intrauterine deaths

Structures of the Apo and FAD-Bound Forms of 2-Hydroxybiphenyl 3-monooxygenase (HbpA) Locate Activity Hotspots Identified by Using Directed Evolution

The FAD-dependent monooxygenase HbpA from Pseudomonas azelaica HBP1 catalyses the hydroxylation of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP) to 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl (23DHBP). HbpA has been used extensively as a model for studying flavoprotein hydroxylases under process conditions, and has also been subjected to directed-evolution experiments that altered its catalytic properties. The structure of HbpA has been determined in its apo and FAD-complex forms to resolutions of 2.76 and 2.03 Å, respectively. Comparisons of the HbpA structure with those of homologues, in conjunction with a model of the reaction product in the active site, reveal His48 as the most likely acid/base residue to be involved in the hydroxylation mechanism. Mutation of His48 to Ala resulted in an inactive enzyme. The structures of HbpA also provide evidence that mutants achieved by directed evolution that altered activity are comparatively remote from the substrate-binding site