On the out of equilibrium order parameters in long-range spin-glases

We show that the dynamical order parameters can be reexpressed in terms of the distribution of the staggered auto-correlation and response functions. We calculate these distributions for the out of equilibrium dynamics of the Sherrington-Kirpatrick model at long times. The results suggest that the landscape this model visits at different long times in an out of equilibrium relaxation process is, in a sense, self-similar. Furthermore, there is a similarity between the landscape seen out of equilibrium at long times and the equilibrium landscape. The calculation is greatly simplified by making use of the superspace notation in the dynamical approach. This notation also highlights the rather mysterious formal connection between the dynamical and replica approaches.Comment: 25 pages, Univ. di Roma I preprint #1049 (we replaced the file by the RevTex file, figures available upon request

A new Early Triassic gastropod genus and the recovery of gastropods from the Permian-Triassic extinction

The common Early Triassic (Olenekian) gastropod Turbo rectecostatus from the upper Werfen Formation of the Alps is placed in the new genus Werfenella. Elimination of the wrong or outdated generic assignments of Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic gastropods to archetypical genera such as Turbo, Trochus, or Natica (all with Recent type species) represents an important step toward understanding the evolutionary history of the gastropods across the Permian/Triassic mass−extinction event. The first appearance of Werfenella in the Olenekian, as well as the origination of other groups of gastropods, suggests an early turnover in the aftermath of the end−Permian mass extinction event. The relatively large size of Werfenella (up to 35 mm) sheds doubt on assertions that all Early Triassic gastropods are microgastropods (Lilliput effect). The new genus is placed in the caenogastropod family Purpurinidae and represents its earliest occurrence. However, a placement of Werfenella in the Archaeogastropoda (Vetigastropoda) is also possible because it resembles the paraturbinid genus Chartronella. The characteristic Werfenella rectecostata–Natiria costata gastropod association from the Werfen Formation is not found in the approximately contemporaneous Sinbad Limestone of the Moenkopi Formation (Utah, USA) nor elsewhere outside Europe. This suggests that the similarities between Olenekian gastropod faunas from the Tethys and western North America are more limited than previously thought

Evolution and classification of Mesozoic mathildoid gastropods

About 150 Mesozoic (mostly Early and Middle Jurassic) species of the heterobranch superfamily Mathildoidea are classified into four families and 27 genera. Most taxa are assigned to the families Mathildidae, Gordenellidae, and Tofanellidae while the Triassic family Anoptychiidae holds only a single genus and is restricted to the Late Triassic. Mathilda janeti is designated as type species for the genus Promathildia. Earlier designations are invalid because they refer to species which were not originally included in the genus Promathildia. As a consequence, Promathildia is transferred from Mathildidae to Gordenellidae. The generic assignment of numerous mathildoid species is changed. The suggested classification represents an arrangement which is based on shell characters; it is not based on a cladistic phylogenetic analysis. However, a great number of fossil taxa can only be classified based on shell characters. A high mathildoid diversity has been recognized from the Late Triassic Cassian Formation. Many of these taxa are unknown form the Jurassic and probably became extinct during the end−Triassic mass extinction event. However, at least five genera (probably eight) survived the end−Triassic mass extinction event. Tricarilda, Jurilda, and Promathildia are rather conservative, long ranging groups of high Jurassic species diversity. They probably gave rise to the modern Mathildidae. One new genus is described: Angulathilda gen. nov

Language death and morphological decay: The case of Haysville East Franconian

Most studies of dying languages reveal that a moribund language undergoes structural decay before becoming extinct. In particular, such a language usually exhibits massive reduction in its morphological system as speakers cease to transmit the language fully to their children; later generations become less and less proficient in the language, and in the final stages of death, the language loses its power of expression. However, the East Franconian dialect spoken in Haysville, Indiana, deviates from this pattern. Although in the final stages of language death, Haysville East Franconian remains extremely similar to its base dialect in morphology and syntax. The present study investigates the morphological and syntactic systems of Haysville East Franconian and the East Franconian varieties spoken in the Bayreuth-Pegnitz area of Upper Franconia from which the Haysville settlers emigrated. The results of this investigation reveal that the verbal system of Haysville East Franconian has been especially resistant to change over the past 150 years: e.g., verbal paradigms, often subjected to severe reduction in language death, show few signs of leveling. The nominal system of Haysville East Franconian, too, though not as basilectal as the verbal system, exhibits virtually no decay. The present study examines the reasons for this conservative nature of the Haysville dialect and discusses the implications of its findings for future studies of dying languages

Palaeoecology of tropical marine invertebrate assemblages from the Late Triassic of Misurina, Dolomites, Italy

Two marine invertebrate fossil assemblages from the Late Triassic Cassian Formation (Dolomites, northern Italy) were examined to assess their diversity and palaeoecology. Surface and bulk samples from the localities Misurina Landslide and Lago Antorno were taken and analysed separately. Both benthic assemblages are relatively similar in taxonomic composition. Gastropods form the most abundant and diverse group, followed by bivalves. Disarticulated echinoderm ossicles are also common in the bulk sample from Misurina Landslide, but they are rare at Lago Antorno. The Misurina Landslide outcrop has yielded two echinoderm Palaeozoic holdovers, the ophiocistioid Linguaserra triassica and plates of putative proterocidarids, supporting the earlier hypothesis that such basins acted as refugia. The gastropod species Coelostylina conica, Prostylifer paludinaris, and Ampezzopleura hybridopsis are characteristic elements of both assemblages. The gastropod Jurilda elongata, however, is the most abundant species at Misurina Landslide, whereas juveniles of the gastropod species Dentineritaria neritina dominate the assemblage from Lago Antorno. Newly described gastropod taxa are Angulatella bizzarinii Nützel and Hausmann gen. et sp. nov., Bandellina compacta Nützel and Hausmann sp. nov., and Ampezzogyra angulata Nützel and Hausmann sp. nov. Fifty-seven invertebrate species were found in the bulk sample from Misurina Landslide and 26 species were recovered from the bulk sample from Lago Antorno. However, sample size from Lago Antorno was much smaller than that from Misurina. Diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson, Berger-Parker) show similar moderate diversities in both assemblages. Rarefaction curves and rank-abundance distributions also point to very similar diversities and ecological structures of the fossil assemblages. Both assemblages are autochthonous or parautochthonous, stemming from basinal, soft-bottom habitats. Their taxonomic composition differs significantly from that of other faunas known from the Cassian Formation. The tropical marine Cassian palaeoecosystem was highly complex and its diversity is still far from being fully explored