The occurrence and preservation of diatoms in the Palaeogene of the North Sea Basin

The often widespread occurrence of diatoms in the marine sediments of the North Sea Palaeogene has long been recognised. They occur in abundance through a number of intervals where calcareous microfossils are absent (due to palaeoenvironmental conditions and subsequent dissolution). However, poor preservation has previously impeded the taxonomic identification of these diatom assemblages, with most specimens occurring as pyritised inner moulds (steinkerns). This study has involved the first detailed description of these assemblages, which was achieved through the use of electron microscopy combined with comparisons with well-preserved specimens, and a survey of original species descriptions held in the Natural History Museum. These techniques have enabled the identification of a total of 79 species, 40 of which have not previously been formally described in pyritised form. Material analysed in this study (including samples from exploration wells and coeval onshore sections around the North Sea Basin) has led to the recognition of a number of diatom events which broadly form three major assemblages through the North Sea Palaeocene sequence. The lowermost is the most diverse, occurring within the volcaniclastic Sele and Balder formations and their onshore equivalents around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary interval. The relationship of abundant diatomaceous deposits to vulcanicity during this interval is discussed, together with other factors (including increased nutrient levels) encouraging the proliferation of diatoms. A later, less diverse assemblage in the mid Eocene includes more cosmopolitan species; above this is a distinctive Oligocene to mid Miocene assemblage. The state of preservation of diatom assemblages varies markedly around the North Sea Basin; this has been discussed and microprobe analyses conducted. A number of taxonomic revisions of previously published species (both pyritised and non-pyritised) have also been carried out, including translations of descriptions into English (and their emendment where necessary). A new genus, Cylindrospira (consisting of two species, C. simsi and C. homanni) is described which has no living representatives, but has features found in both extinct and extant genera. It is palaeoenvironmentally significant, occurring in a brackish facies of the Fur Formation diatomite, age-equivalent to one of the main diatomaceous intervals in the North Sea. Prior to this study, only fully marine diatoms had been documented from the Paleocene. Existing microfossil zonation schemes for the North Sea Palaeogene have been refined, by integrating diatom events with those of stratigraphically well-defined fossil groups such as foraminifera and silicoflagellates. This has ebabled their correlation with other sections, and an improved understanding of palaeocirculation changes through the North Sea Palaeogene

Species of the diatom taxa <i>Aulacodiscus</i> and <i>Trinacria</i> with biostratigraphic utility in Palaeogene and Neogene North Sea sediments

Species of Aulacodiscus and Trinacria, two important marine diatom genera with biostratigraphic utility in offshore North Sea exploration and onshore correlation, are identified, described and emended and the North Sea microfaunal zonation scheme is revised accordingly. Occurring mainly as pyritised diatom moulds or steinkerns, detailed scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of several specimens, formerly in open nomenclature, has allowed the correct taxonomic identification of pyritised morphologies found to belong to the genus Aulacodiscus, including A. allorgei, A. heterostictus, A. insignis, A. singilewskyanus, A. subexcavatus and A. suspectus. The important marker species Trinacria regina is emended. SEM studies, using specimens preserved in pyrite and original silica, have shed further light on the varying forms and frustule morphology of Trinacria regina so that valves and frustules formerly thought to represent separate species are now found to be grouped within this taxon; SEM studies have shown that many of these variations represent different valves within a chain, whilst others may signify ecophenotypic variants. Emendments are therefore made to clarify the taxonomic status of different variants within T. regina, important in the Palaeocene–Eocene boundary interval onshore and offshore such as the Sele and Balder formations and the Fur Formation diatomite of Jutland, Denmark. Species of taxa formerly in open nomenclature are now assigned to Aulacodiscus insignis, which are important offshore markers in offshore late Oligocene to early Miocene sediments in northwest Europe.</p

Translation of a Diabetes Remission Service into Australian Primary Care: Findings from the Evaluation of DiRECT-Australia

Background. The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study demonstrated that an intensive and structured weight management program in UK primary care resulted in high rates of diabetes remission in adults with recent onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was aimed at evaluating the translation of the DiRECT intervention into an Australian primary care setting. Methods. All patients enrolled in the DiRECT-Australia Type 2 Diabetes Remission Service in a region of Sydney (Macarthur region, South Western Sydney, Australia) were included. Eligible participants were aged 20–70 years, noninsulin treated, with T2DM of ≤6 years’ duration, and body mass index BMI≥27 kg/m2. Total diet replacement of 825-853 kcal/day using meal replacements was implemented for 12 weeks, followed by an ongoing structured program until 52 weeks, with regular follow-up with a general practitioner, dietitian, and/or practice nurse. Results. Of 39 recruited participants, 32 (82.1%) and 27 (69.2%) completed 12 weeks and 52 weeks of the structured program, respectively. Decrease in weight by -12.0 kg (95% CI: -9.6, -14.4; p&lt;0.001) and -9.1 kg (95% CI: -5.2, -12.9; p&lt;0.001) and decrease in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) by -1.1% (95% CI: -0.6, -1.6; p&lt;0.001) and -0.6% (95% CI: -0.1, -1.1; p=0.013) were observed at 12 and 52 weeks, respectively. At the end of 12 and 52 weeks, 93.8% (30/32) and 55.6% (15/27) of those with follow-up data met the criteria for diabetes remission, respectively. Quality of life and wellbeing scores increased over the course of 12 weeks, remaining significantly higher at 52 weeks. Participants reported they would be willing to pay A$92.50 (95$75.80, A$109.30) per fortnight for the low-calorie meal replacement shakes. Conclusions. These findings support the feasibility of a structured diabetes remission service in an Australian primary care setting to achieve improvements in glycaemia, weight, and quality of life and wellbeing, and suggest a substantial willingness to pay for diet replacement products among participants

Cold spells in the Nordic Seas during the early Eocene Greenhouse

Abstract The early Eocene (c. 56 - 48 million years ago) experienced some of the highest global temperatures in Earth’s history since the Mesozoic, with no polar ice. Reports of contradictory ice-rafted erratics and cold water glendonites in the higher latitudes have been largely dismissed due to ambiguity of the significance of these purported cold-climate indicators. Here we apply clumped isotope paleothermometry to a traditionally qualitative abiotic proxy, glendonite calcite, to generate quantitative temperature estimates for northern mid-latitude bottom waters. Our data show that the glendonites of the Danish Basin formed in waters below 5 °C, at water depths of &lt;300 m. Such near-freezing temperatures have not previously been reconstructed from proxy data for anywhere on the early Eocene Earth, and these data therefore suggest that regionalised cool episodes punctuated the background warmth of the early Eocene, likely linked to eruptive phases of the North Atlantic Igneous Province.</jats:p

Public contracts and thein economic consequences in the practice

Bachelor thesis titled "Public contracts and their economic consequences in the practice" is created by czech and foreign literature and professional websites. Meaning of thesis is description of processes of public contracts, their sorting, issues and evaluation of concrete cases of public contacts, that they are realized in Hradec Králové Region during 2013 and 2015. At the same time they are summarized means, how i tis possible to prevent possible corruption in all process of public contracts. They proceed from own research, that it applies experiences and the very practice throughout the process of public contracts, that they are gained from managers, managing directors and organisations, that they are owned by self-government in the Czech republic. All these findings affect terms from multiple disciplines for example in law, economics, statistics, regional science and sociology

Marketingové a personální procesy ve školní jídelně.

Obsahem práce by mělo být seznámení čtenáře s provozem školního stravovacího zařízení jako samostatného právního subjektu, které musí kromě jiného řešit především oblasti personální a marketingové proto, aby obstálo v konkurenčním prostředí

Design of a 4H-SiC RESURF n-LDMOS Transistor for High Voltage Integrated Circuits

In this work, a lateral 4H-SiC n-LDMOS transistor, based on the principle of a reduced surface field due to charge compensation, is investigated by numerical simulations, in order to find adequate fabrication parameters for a lightly doped p-type epitaxial layer in combination with a higher doped channel region. The purpose of this work is the integration into an existing technology for a 10 V 4H-SiC-CMOS process. The simulations predict in a blocking voltage of 1.3 kV in combination with an On-resistance of 17 mΩcm2 for a device with a RESURF structure (REduced SURface Field) with a total implanted Al concentration of 6∙1016 cm-3 and a depth of 1 μm, a field plate of 5 μm and a drift region of 20 μm. The threshold voltage varies from 5 V to 10 V, depending on the thickness of the gate oxide (50 nm to 100 nm)

Reconstitution of functional integrin αIIbβ3 and its activation in plasma membrane-mimetic lipid environments.

The study of the platelet receptor integrin αIIbβ3 in a membrane-mimetic environment without interfering signalling pathways is crucial to understand protein structure and dynamics. Our understanding of this receptor and its sequential activation steps has been tremendously progressing using structural and reconstitution approaches in model membranes, such as liposomes or supported-lipid bilayers. For most αIIbβ3 reconstitution approaches, saturated short-chain lipids have been used, which is not reflecting the native platelet cell membrane composition. We report here on the reconstitution of label-free full-length αIIbβ3 in liposomes containing cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and unsaturated phosphatidylcholine mimicking the plasma membrane that formed supported-lipid bilayers for quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) experiments. We demonstrate the relevance of the lipid environment and its resulting physicochemical properties on integrin reconstitution efficiency and its conformational dynamics. We present here an approach to investigate αIIbβ3 in a biomimetic membrane system as a useful platform do dissect disease-relevant integrin mutations and effects on ligand binding in a lipid-specific context, which might be applicable for drug screening