Sthreepura cave at Kiriwanagama, south central Sri Lanka: A network cave in saprolite and proterozoic quartzite

Sthreepura Cave at Kiriwanagama consists of an upper level of cavities in quartzite formed by arenization and a lower level developed in a saprolite formed from the weathering of gneiss sandwiched between two layers of quartzite. The lower level cave is not like most arenization and phantom rock caves as the walls are composed of saprolite, not exhumed unweathered rock. The cave is not a soil pipe as it is not in soil, lacks the characteristic features of soil pipes and has formed directly below, not above an aquiclude. Sthreepura Cave at Kiriwanagama is a network cave in saprolite. Speleogenesis in the lower level began with the development of joint-guided tubes in the saprolite directly below the upper layer of quartzite, probably under phreatic conditions. Later erosion under vadose conditions removed the saprolite to produce a network of passages with a rectangular profile. Widening of the passages ultimately caused ceiling failure producing breakdown chambers, but fallen slabs of quartzite armoured the walls of the Main Passage of the cave protecting them from undercutting.Key words: Sri Lanka, gneiss, network cave, saprolite, arenization.Jama Sthreepura pri Kiriwanagami, južni del osrednje Šri Lanke: Mreža rovov v saprolitu in proterozojskem kvarcituJamo St hreepura pri Kiriwanagami sestavljata gornji nivo arenizacijskih votlin v kvarcitu ter spodnji nivo v saprolitu, ki je nastal s preperevanjem gnajsa med plastmi kvarcita. Tudi stene rovov spodnjega nivoja so iz saprolita, kar kaže na drugačen razvoj od znanih arenizacijskih in fantomskih jam. Jama nima lastnosti preperinskih cevi in je v nasprotju s temi nastala neposredno pod (in ne nad) akvikludom. Jama Sthreepura pri Kiriwanagami predstavlja mrežo kanalov nastalih v saprofitu.. Speleogeneza se je začela z razvojem cevi vzdolž razpok v saprolitu, neposredno pod gornjo plastjo kvarcita, verjetno v freatičnih pogojih. Kasnejša erozija v vadozni coni je saprolit odstranila in tako ustvarila mrežo rovov pravokotnega profila. Širjenje rovov je privedlo do rušenja stropa in nastanka podornih dvoran. V glavnem rovu so padli bloki kvarcita zaščitili stene in preprečili nadaljnje spodkopavanje v glavnem rovu jame.Ključne beside: Šri Lanka, gnajs, mreža rovov, saprolit, arenizacija

Sulfate and Phosphate Speleothems at Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, Australia

Sulfate and phosphate deposits at Jenolan Caves occur in a variety of forms and compositions including crusts, ‘flowers’ and fibrous masses of gypsum (selenite), and clusters of boss-like speleothems (potatoes) of ardealite (calcium sulphate, phosphate hydrate) with associated gypsum. This boss-like morphology of ardealite does not appear to have been previously described in the literature and this is the first report of ardealite in New South Wales. Gypsum var. selenite occurs in close association with pyrite-bearing palaeokarst, while the ardealite gypsum association appears to relate to deposits of mineralised bat guano. Isotope studies confirm that the two gypsum suites have separate sources of sulfur, one from the weathering of pyrite (-1.4 to +4.9 δ34S) for gypsum (selenite) and the other from alteration of bat guano (+11.4 to +12.9 δ34S) for the ardealite and gypsum crusts

Sulfate and Phosphate Speleothems at Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, Australia

Sulfate and phosphate deposits at Jenolan Caves occur in a variety of forms and compositions including crusts, ‘flowers’ and fibrous masses of gypsum (selenite), and clusters of boss-like speleothems (potatoes) of ardealite (calcium sulphate, phosphate hydrate) with associated gypsum. This boss-like morphology of ardealite does not appear to have been previously described in the literature and this is the first report of ardealite in New South Wales. Gypsum var. selenite occurs in close association with pyrite-bearing palaeokarst, while the ardealite gypsum association appears to relate to deposits of mineralised bat guano. Isotope studies confirm that the two gypsum suites have separate sources of sulfur, one from the weathering of pyrite (-1.4 to +4.9 δ34S) for gypsum (selenite) and the other from alteration of bat guano (+11.4 to +12.9 δ34S) for the ardealite and gypsum crusts

Caves and karst-like features in Proterozoic gneiss and Cambrian granite, southern and central Sri Lanka: An introduction

There has been little study of the geology and geomorphologyof the caves and karst-like features developed in the Proterozoicgneiss and Cambrian granite of Sri Lanka. This lack of studyis surprising given that caves and rockshelters in these rockscontain significant archaeological and cultural sites. Caves andkarren, both mimicking those developed in carbonate rocks,have formed both in gneiss, which is the dominant rock type ofthe Proterozoic crust of the island and in granite. In addition tooverhangs, boulder caves, soil pipes and tectonic caves, tunnelcaves, arch caves and block breakdown caves of significant sizeare developed in siliceous rocks in Sri Lanka. While metamorphoseddolomites are interfoliated within the gneissic suite,simple removal of carbonate by solution from within the surroundingrock cannot account for all or most of the speleogenesisobserved. While spalling and breakdown are responsiblefor cave enlargement cave initiation is probably due to eitherphreatic solution of silicates and/or phantom rock processes.Speleothems and cave minerals including silicates, phosphates,gypsum, carbonates and niter are found in the caves. Activesilicate speleothems are not restricted to joints and fissures andsuggest that solution of silicates is currently occurring withinthe body of the rock in the vadose zone. While guano is thelikely source of the phosphate, sulfate and nitrate, the sourceof the calcium in the carbonates remains unclear. Caves in theintrusive and metamorphic rocks of Sri Lanka are enigmatic.They are unexpectedly similar in appearance to their carbonatekarst counterparts. Continuing research will allow them tohold a mirror to our understanding of speleogenesis, mineralizationand sedimentation in carbonate karst caves

Simulation of greenhouse gases following land-use change to bioenergy crops using the ECOSSE model : a comparison between site measurements and model predictions

This work contributes to the ELUM (Ecosystem Land Use Modelling & Soil Carbon GHG Flux Trial) project, which was commissioned and funded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI). We acknowledge the E-OBS data set from the EU-FP6 project ENSEMBLES (http://ensembles-eu.metoffice.com) and the data providers in the ECA&D project (http://www.ecad.eu).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Lagerstätte from Australia provides insight into the nature of Miocene mesic ecosystems

Reduced precipitation in the Miocene triggered the geographic contraction of rainforest ecosystems around the world. In Australia, this change was particularly pronounced; mesic rainforest ecosystems that once dominated the landscape transformed into the shrublands, grasslands, and deserts of today. A lack of well-preserved fossils has made it difficult to understand the nature of Australian ecosystems before the aridification. Here, we report on an exceptionally well-preserved rainforest biota from New South Wales, Australia. This Konservat-Lagerstätte hosts a rich diversity of microfossils, plants, insects, spiders, and vertebrate remains preserved in goethite. We document evidence for several species interactions including predation, parasitism, and pollination. The fossils are indicative of an oxbow lake in a mesic rainforest and suggest that rainforest distributions have shifted since the Miocene. The variety of fossils preserved, together with high fidelity of preservation, allows for unprecedented insights into the mesic ecosystems that dominated Australia during the Miocene

Genome architecture enables local adaptation of Atlantic cod despite high connectivity

Adaptation to local conditions is a fundamental process in evolution; however, mechanisms maintaining local adaptation despite high gene flow are still poorly understood. Marine ecosystems provide a wide array of diverse habitats that frequently promote ecological adaptation even in species characterized by strong levels of gene flow. As one example, populations of the marine fish Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are highly connected due to immense dispersal capabilities but nevertheless show local adaptation in several key traits. By combining population genomic analyses based on 12K single nucleotide polymorphisms with larval dispersal patterns inferred using a biophysical ocean model, we show that Atlantic cod individuals residing in sheltered estuarine habitats of Scandinavian fjords mainly belong to offshore oceanic populations with considerable connectivity between these diverse ecosystems. Nevertheless, we also find evidence for discrete fjord populations that are genetically differentiated from offshore populations, indicative of local adaptation, the degree of which appears to be influenced by connectivity. Analyses of the genomic architecture reveal a significant overrepresentation of a large ~5 Mb chromosomal rearrangement in fjord cod, previously proposed to comprise genes critical for the survival at low salinities. This suggests that despite considerable connectivity with offshore populations, local adaptation to fjord environments may be enabled by suppression of recombination in the rearranged region. Our study provides new insights into the potential of local adaptation in high gene flow species within fine geographical scales and highlights the importance of genome architecture in analyses of ecological adaptation

Spatial Modeling of Vesicle Transport and the Cytoskeleton: The Challenge of Hitting the Right Road

The membrane trafficking machinery provides a transport and sorting system for many cellular proteins. We propose a mechanistic agent-based computer simulation to integrate and test the hypothesis of vesicle transport embedded into a detailed model cell. The method tracks both the number and location of the vesicles. Thus both the stochastic properties due to the low numbers and the spatial aspects are preserved. The underlying molecular interactions that control the vesicle actions are included in a multi-scale manner based on the model of Heinrich and Rapoport (2005). By adding motor proteins we can improve the recycling process of SNAREs and model cell polarization. Our model also predicts that coat molecules should have a high turnover at the compartment membranes, while the turnover of motor proteins has to be slow. The modular structure of the underlying model keeps it tractable despite the overall complexity of the vesicle system. We apply our model to receptor-mediated endocytosis and show how a polarized cytoskeleton structure leads to polarized distributions in the plasma membrane both of SNAREs and the Ste2p receptor in yeast. In addition, we can couple signal transduction and membrane trafficking steps in one simulation, which enables analyzing the effect of receptor-mediated endocytosis on signaling

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.