A new specimen of Dicynodon traquairi (Newton) (Synapsida: Anomodontia) from the Late Permian (Tartarian) of northern Scotland

A recently discovered natural mould of a complete, almost undistorted, skull and lower jaw of a dicynodont (c. 237mmoverall length), in a block of Upper Permian sandstone (= Dicynodon Assemblage Zone: Hopeman Sandstone Formation) from Clashach Quarry, Hopeman, Morayshire, is described using novel techniques, including Computed Tomography scanning (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and rapid-prototype modelling. It is assigned to the taxon Dicynodon traquairi (Newton, 1893). When compared with Dicynodon lacerticeps Owen, 1845, it is distinguished principally by having the pineal opening sunk deeply between the diverging parietals, subparallel pterygoid rami narrowly separated, with no transverse flanges, and in addition, a deeply grooved lower jaw symphysis. The southern African fauna lived on river flats in a higher (southern) palaeolatitude than the possibly desert-dwelling Scottish species. The Hopeman Sandstone Formation is of the same age as the better-known Cutties Hillock Sandstone Formation, whose fauna is briefly discussed and reviewed

Sting-jet windstorms over the North Atlantic: climatology and contribution to extreme wind risk

Extratropical cyclones with damaging winds can have large socio-economic impacts when they make landfall. During the last decade, studies have identified a mesoscale transient jet, the sting jet, that descends from the tip of the hooked cloud head towards the top of the boundary layer in the dry intrusion region as a cause of strong surface winds, and especially gusts, in some cyclones. While many case studies have focused on the dynamics and characteristics of these jets, there have been few studies that assess the climatology of the associated cyclones and their importance for wind risk. Here we determine the climatological characteristics of North Atlantic cyclones in terms of the possibility that they had sting jets using a previously-published sting-jet precursor diagnostic applied to ERA-Interim data over 32 extended winter seasons from 1979–2012. Of the 5447 cyclones tracked, 32% had the precursor (42% in the 22% of cyclones that developed explosively). Precursor storms have a more southerly and zonal storm track than storms without the precursor and precursor storms tend to be more intense as defined by 850-hPa relative vorticity. This study also shows that precursor storms are the dominant cause of cyclone-related resolved strong wind events over the British Isles for 850-hPa windspeeds exceeding 30 ms−1. Hence, early detection of a sting jet storm could give advance warning of enhanced wind risk. However, over continental northwestern Europe, precusor cyclone-related windstorm events occur far less often

Update of Data for Estimating ESALs

This project involved updating processing traffic characteristics data using a series of quality control and analytical programs to produce an estimate of the following parameters of interest; 1) average daily traffic, 2) percent trucks, 3) percent trucks classified as heavy/coal, 4) axles per truck, 5) axles per heavy/coal truck, 6) ESALs per truck axle, 7) ESALs per heavy/coal truck axle, and 8) total ESALs. ESAL estimation parameters used WIM data collected during 2007, 2011, and 2012–2013 (representing 41 stations); and classification data collected in 2010, 2011 and 2012 (representing 1,669 stations). Computer programs used to process classification data, process weight data, and then combining output to calculate ESALs are contained in the three following programs; 1) CLASS SUMMARY – processes vehicle classification data and produces annual average number of vehicle types at each classification station, 2) LOADOMTR SUMMARY – processes truck weight data to produce axle load distributions by vehicle type, and 3) AGGCALC – processes output form LOADOMTR AND CLASS programs to produce ESAL-related parameters of interest. A flowchart which provides steps of processing data and calculating estimates of ESALs is included in Appendix A and computer code for each of these programs is included in Appendix B

Dinosaur tracks from the Kilmaluag Formation (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Score Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK

Tracks of a juvenile theropod dinosaur with footprint lengths of between 2 and 9 cm as well as adults of the same ichnospecies with footprints of about 15–25 cm in length were found in the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) Kilmaluag Formation of Score Bay, northwestern Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK. Two footprint sizes occur together on the same bedding plane in the central portion of Score Bay, both in situ and on loose blocks. Another horizon containing footprints above this was also identified. The footprints from the lowest horizon were produced in a desiccated silty mud that was covered with sand. A close association of both adults and juveniles with similar travel direction indicated by the footprints may suggest post-hatching care in theropod dinosaurs. Other footprints, produced on a rippled sandy substrate, have been found on the slightly higher bedding plane at this locality. Loose blocks found 130 m to the northeast in the central part of Score Bay have not been correlated with any in situ sediments, but were preserved in a similar manner to those from the higher bedding plane. These tracks represent the youngest dinosaur remains yet found in Scotland

Parity Doubling and the S Parameter Below the Conformal Window

We describe a lattice simulation of the masses and decay constants of the lowest-lying vector and axial resonances, and the electroweak S parameter, in an SU(3) gauge theory with $N_f = 2$ and 6 fermions in the fundamental representation. The spectrum becomes more parity doubled and the S parameter per electroweak doublet decreases when $N_f$ is increased from 2 to 6, motivating study of these trends as $N_f$ is increased further, toward the critical value for transition from confinement to infrared conformality.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; to be submitted to PR

Long-term drought sensitivity of trees in second-growth forests in a humid region

Classical field methods of reconstructing drought using tree rings in humid, temperate regions typically target old trees from drought-prone sites. This approach limits investigators to a handful of species and excludes large amounts of data that might be useful, especially for coverage gaps in large-scale networks. By sampling in more “typical” forests, network density and species diversity would increase in ways that could potentially improve reconstructions. Ten nonclassical tree-ring chronologies derived from randomly selected trees, trees from logged forests, or both were compared to more classical chronologies and an independent regional drought reconstruction to determine their usefulness for dendrohydroclimatic research. We find that nonclassical chronologies are significantly correlated to classical chronologies and reconstructed drought over the last 2–3 centuries. While nonclassical chronologies have spectral properties similar to those from classical dendroclimatic collections, they do lack spectral power at lower frequencies that are present in the drought reconstruction. Importantly, our results show that tree growth is strongly dependent on moisture availability, even for small, randomly selected trees in cut forests. These results indicate that there could be more data available in areas with few current tree-ring collections for studying climate history and that drought plays an important role in humid forests

An acoustic emission landslide early warning system for communities in low-income and middle-income countries

Early warning systems for slope instability are needed to alert users of accelerating slope deformation behaviour, enable evacuation of vulnerable people, and conduct timely repair and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Communities exposed to landslide risk in low- and middle-income countries seldom currently instrument and monitor slopes to provide a warning of instability because existing techniques are complex and prohibitively expensive. Research and field trials have demonstrated conclusively that acoustic emission (AE) monitoring can be an effective approach to detect accelerating slope movements and to subsequently communicate warnings to users. The objective of this study was to develop and assess a simple, robust, low-cost AE monitoring system to warn of incipient landslides, which can be widely deployed and operated by communities globally to help protect vulnerable people. This paper describes a novel AE measurement sensor that has been designed and developed with the cost constrained to a few hundred dollars (US). Results are presented from physical model experiments that demonstrate performance of the AE system in measuring accelerating deformation behaviour, with quantifiable relationships between AE and displacement rates. Exceedance of a pre-determined trigger level of AE can be used to communicate an alarm to users in order to alert them of a slope failure. Use of this EWS approach by communities worldwide would reduce the number of fatalities caused by landslides

Evidence that autosomal recessive spastic cerebral palsy-1 (CPSQ1) is caused by a missense variant in HPDL.

A subset of individuals diagnosed with cerebral palsy will have an underlying genetic diagnosis. Previously, a missense variant in GAD1 was described as a candidate mutation in a single family diagnosed with autosomal recessive spastic cerebral palsy-1 (CPSQ1; OMIM 603513). Following the ascertainment of a further branch of the CPSQ1 kindred, we found that the previously reported GAD1 variant did not segregate with the neurological disease phenotype in the recently ascertained branch of the kindred. Following genetic linkage studies to map autozygous regions and whole-exome sequencing, a missense variant (c.527 T > C; p. Leu176Pro, rs773333490) in the HPDL gene was detected and found to segregate with disease status in both branches of the kindred. HPDL encodes a 371-amino acid protein (4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Like) that localizes to mitochondria but whose function is uncertain. Recently, biallelic loss of function variants and missense substitution-causing variants in HPDL were reported to cause a childhood onset progressive spastic movement disorder with a variable presentation. These findings suggest that HPDL-related neurological disease may mimic spastic cerebral palsy and that GAD1 should not be included in diagnostic gene panels for inherited cerebral palsy.NIH