Reassessing Mg/Ca temperature calibrations of <em>Neogloboquadrina pachyderma</em> (sinistral) using paired δ^44/40 and Mg/Ca measurements

The Mg/Ca temperature calibration of the polar to subpolar planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) (sinistral indicates left coiling) was refined by a multiproxy approach combining hydrographic temperature and salinity data with Mg/Ca, delta Ca-44/40, and delta O-18 values from Holocene Nordic seas core top samples. Reliable Mg/Ca-based temperature estimates are limited to foraminiferal tests that calcified in water masses with temperatures above similar to 3 degrees C at habitat depth. In these samples, Mg/Ca and delta Ca-44/40 values are positively correlated (Mg/Ca (mmol/mol) = 0.77 (+/- 0.22) x delta Ca-44/40 (parts per thousand SRM 915a) + 0.52 (+/- 0.12); n = 20, R-2 = 0.76). Both Mg/Ca- and delta Ca-44/40-derived temperatures projected onto their corresponding depth intervals reveal that the &quot;apparent'' calcification depth of N. pachyderma (sinistral) averaging the specimens' whole life cycle is bound to an isopycnal layer defined by water densities (sigma(t)) between 27.7 and 27.8. This implies that N. pachyderma (sinistral) prefers gradually deeper habitats with increasing sea surface temperatures, thus counterbalancing absolute temperature variations. Consequently, the total temperature range recorded in this foraminiferal species is restricted and only partly reflects environmental changes. On the basis of the new Mg/Ca, delta Ca-44/40, and delta O-18 multiproxy data set, we propose a linear Mg/Ca temperature relation for high-latitude N. pachyderma (sinistral): Mg/Ca (mmol/mol) = 0.13 (+/- 0.037) T (degrees C) + 0.35 (+/- 0.17); T &gt; 3 degrees C. In core top samples from polar waters with peak summer temperatures below similar to 3 degrees C, the temperature response in the Mg/Ca and delta Ca-44/40 proxy signal is inversed and poorly correlated. Both Mg/Ca- and delta Ca-44/40-derived temperature estimates pretend significantly higher calcification temperatures than maximum summer sea surface temperatures of these water masses

The mineralogical composition of calcium and calcium-magnesium carbonate pedofeatures of calcareous soils in the European prairie ecodivision in Hungary

Abstract There is little data on the mineralogy of carbonate pedofeatures in the calcareous soils in Hungary which belong to the European prairie ecodivision. The aim of the present study is to enrich these data. The mineralogical composition of the carbonate pedofeatures from characteristic profiles of the calcareous soils in Hungary was studied by X-ray diffractometry, thermal analysis, SEM combined with microanalysis, and stable isotope determination. Regarding carbonate minerals only aragonite, calcite (+ magnesian calcite) and dolomite (+proto-dolomite) were identified in carbonate grains, skeletons and pedofeatures. The values relating, respectively, to stable isotope compositions (C13, O18) of carbonates in chernozems and in salt-affected soils were in the same range as those for recent soils (latter data reported earlier). There were no considerable differences between the values for the carbonate nodules and tubules from the same horizons, nor were there significant variations between the values of the same pedofeatures from different horizons (BC-C) of the same profile. Thus it can be assumed that there were no considerable changes in conditions of formation. Tendencies were recognized in the changes of (i) carbonate mineral associations, (ii) the MgCO3 content of calcites, (iii) the corrected decomposition temperatures, and (iv) the activation energies of carbonate thermal decompositions among the various substance-regimes of soils. Differences were found in substance-regimes types of soils rather than in soil types

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Expert systems based on object model - an approach to deep knowledge systems

This paper discusses the need for deep knowledge systems, the concept of object model, a systematic modeling method and applications. The object model is useful to represent the knowledge about structures and behaviors, which are known as one of deep knowledge for representing complex structured objects. Rule-based systems, i.e., surface knowledge systems, are convenient to represent expertise, but their performance and flexibility are limited. Advanced knowledge-based expert systems to solve complex problems need to handle both types of knowledge. A way of combining rule-based reasoning and model-based reasoning is shown. The object model can be represented in an extended frame-based knowledge representation formalism by means of a combination of ISA and PART-OF relations. Knowledge engineering environment ZERO has been developed based on this concept and has been used for developing a variety of problem solving systems. Three applications are shown from different domains which are trouble shooting expert systems for electro-mechanical devices and for petroleum refinery plants and a knowledge-based program understander as an aid for novice programmers. The most important feature of the deep knowledge systems is that the knowledge should be shared by a variety of applications. The object model based knowledge representation schema may meet this requirement

Thermoregulatory responses during prolonged exercise in the heat are not affected by fluid temperatures ranging from 5 to 35°C

Japan Journal of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences612607 - 61