Caudal pneumaticity and pneumatic hiatuses in the sauropod dinosaurs Giraffatitan and Apatosaurus

Skeletal pneumaticity is found in the presacral vertebrae of most sauropod dinosaurs, but pneumaticity is much less common in the vertebrae of the tail. We describe previously unrecognized pneumatic fossae in the mid-caudal vertebrae of specimens of Giraffatitan and Apatosaurus. In both taxa, the most distal pneumatic vertebrae are separated from other pneumatic vertebrae by sequences of three to seven apneumatic vertebrae. Caudal pneumaticity is not prominent in most individuals of either of these taxa, and its unpredictable development means that it may be more widespread than previously recognised within Sauropoda and elsewhere in Saurischia. The erratic patterns of caudal pneumatization in Giraffatitan and Apatosaurus, including the pneumatic hiatuses, show that pneumatic diverticula were more broadly distributed in the bodies of the living animals than are their traces in the skeleton. Together with recently published evidence of cryptic diverticula--those that leave few or no skeletal traces--in basal sauropodomorphs and in pterosaurs, this is further evidence that pneumatic diverticula were widespread in ornithodirans, both across phylogeny and throughout anatomy

Why sauropods had long necks; and why giraffes have short necks

The necks of the sauropod dinosaurs reached 15 m in length: six times longer than that of the world record giraffe and five times longer than those of all other terrestrial animals. Several anatomical features enabled this extreme elongation, including: absolutely large body size and quadrupedal stance providing a stable platform for a long neck; a small, light head that did not orally process food; cervical vertebrae that were both numerous and individually elongate; an efficient air-sac-based respiratory system; and distinctive cervical architecture. Relevant features of sauropod cervical vertebrae include: pneumatic chambers that enabled the bone to be positioned in a mechanically efficient way within the envelope; and muscular attachments of varying importance to the neural spines, epipophyses and cervical ribs. Other long-necked tetrapods lacked important features of sauropods, preventing the evolution of longer necks: for example, giraffes have relatively small torsos and large, heavy heads, share the usual mammalian constraint of only seven cervical vertebrae, and lack an air-sac system and pneumatic bones. Among non-sauropods, their saurischian relatives the theropod dinosaurs seem to have been best placed to evolve long necks, and indeed they probably surpassed those of giraffes. But 150 million years of evolution did not suffice for them to exceed a relatively modest 2.5 m.Comment: 39 pages, 11 figures, 3 table

Study of mud banks of the Kerala coast a retrospect

The mud banks, an unique feature of the Kerala coast during the southwest monsoon where the surf ridden nearshore waters over restricted areas become highly adjacent due to certain physicochemical factors have been under investigation for more than a century. These areas play an important role in the socio-economics of the coastal fisher folk during the poverty stricken southwest monsoon period. Considering the importance of mud banks from the fishing point of view, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Cochin has been monitoring the phenomenon and carried out a multidisciplinary exclusive study during 1971-72, on the various physicochemical aspects in respect of origin, maintenance, shifting, dissipation, ecology and fisheries of the mud banks, especially that of Alleppey area. The study brought to light a good amount of new information on this curious phenomenon. The present article is a review of the studies conducted by the CMFRl

Large scale flow around turbulent spots

Numerical simulations of a model of plane Couette flow focusing on its in-plane spatio-temporal properties are used to study the dynamics of turbulent spots.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Sponges Collected during the Third Indian Antarctic Research Expedition with Description of Isodictya Echinata Sp. Novo

Six species of sponges collected from the Antarctic Sea off Queen Maud Land (69°54'S and 12°49' E) during the Third Indian Antarctic Research Expedition (December, 1983 to March, 1984) are described with suitable illustrations. Of the six species, three are referable to the Class Demospongiae Soli as and the others to the Class Hexactinellida Schmidt. One species of the Class Demospongiae, Isodictya echinata is described here as new to science

Primnoisis Spicata (Hickson) (Order Gorgonacea Lmx. Family Isididae Lmx.) From the Antarctic Sea

Primnoisis spicata (Hickson), collected from the Antarctic sea (69° 54'S and 12°49'E) during the Third Indian Antarctic Research Expedition is described and illustrated. This species was first recorded from Me Murdo Bay and is here' reported from another locality, which considerably widens its distribution in the Antarctic Ocean

Interpersonal affect and host country national support of expatriates: An investigation in China

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role played by host country nationals’ (HCNs) collectivism and the interpersonal affect they develop toward expatriate colleagues, in determining the degree to which Chinese HCNs would be willing to offer role information and social support to expatriates from India and the USA. While empirical studies examining HCN willingness to offer role information and social support have begun to emerge in the expatriate literature, only a couple of studies have included interpersonal affect as a key determinant. Given that interpersonal affect is a key determinant of individuals’ reactions to others, but also a complex construct, the findings confirm the need for organizations to examine how this impacts performance and co-worker interactions in the workplace

Managing human resource management tensions in project-based organisations: evidence from Bangalore

The article analyses the methods used by a large Indian software company to manage HRM tensions with arising from its activities as a project based organisation. These measures are found to be only partially successful

Cytological studies on Piper barberi- a rare species endemic to Western Ghats

Piper barberi, a rare species of Piper from Western Ghats, is having a somatic chromosome -number of 2n = 52. The meiosis is normal, pollen fertility is high. &nbsp