Fish otoliths from the Late Oligocene (Eger and Kiscell Formations) in the Eger area (northeastern Hungary)

Otoliths collected from the Late Oligocene of the Eger area revealed the presence of 52 teleost taxa from subtropical to warm temperate waters. Two successive faunas, which have only three species in common, are identified: the Kiscell Clay fauna, comprising 30 taxa, and the Eger Formation fauna, comprising 25 taxa. Although both belong to distinct stratigraphic horizons, the differences are entirely due to ecological factors. The Kiscell Clay provided an association of deepwater fishes, quantitatively very rich in otoliths of mesopelagic fishes, while the Eger association reflects a continental shelf fauna, in which three distinct assemblages corresponding to the progressive shallowing of the environment can be distinguished. The Late Oligocene teleost fauna from the Eger area shows a striking resemblance with the one from the Late Oligocene (Zone NP25) Saint-Etienne d'Orthe Clay in the Aquitaine Basin, SW France. Notwithstanding the geographic distance separating both areas, 12 of the 20 nominal species (60%) recorded from the Eger area are also known from Saint-Etienne d'Orthe. Species from both the Eger and the Kiscell Formations are found together in the Saint-Etienne-d'Orthe association. This can be explained by the depositional environment of the Saint-Etienne-d'Orthe Clay (deep neritic to uppermost slope), the depth of which was intermediate between that of the two Hungarian Formations. It confirms that the marked difference between the Kiscell and Eger otolith associations is ecologically conditioned. Another very important conclusion is that the Late Oligocene (nannoplankton Zones NP 24 and 25) ichthyofauna must have been quite homogeneous from the Paratethys to the Eastern Atlantic. In the neritic component of the fauna studied, the ambassids, sillaginids and leiognatids have an exclusively Indo-West-Pacific Recent distribution (except for some recent Mediterranean intruders through the Suez Canal). Among the deeper dwelling neritic taxa and oceanic fishes, 10 genera or families are not represented in the Recent Mediterranean fauna. This proves that in the Late Oligocene, even marginal deep dependences of this basin were inhabited by more typical oceanic faunas than today. All these data fit very well with the paleogeographic reconstruction of the Late Oligocene Mediterranean realm by RÖGL & STEININGER, which postulates a Paratethys without direct link with the North Sea Basin, but with an open connection with an Indo-Pacific-Atlantic seaway across the Mediterranean and a pronounced circum-equatorial current system. Six new species are introduced: Rhechias nagymarosyi, Opisthoproctus stellaris, Xenodermichthys senesi, "genus Gonostomatoideorum" aenigmaticus, Diaphus pristismetallis, "genus aff. Raniceps" coelorinchoides

Revision of the Middle Badenian fish otoliths from the Carpathian Foredeep in Moravia (Middle Miocene, Czech Republic)

Otoliths from the Middle Miocene of the Moravian Carpathian Foredeep revealed the presence of 84 nominal species of bony fishes, as well as 22 taxa identified in open nomenclature only. Two species, Ijimaia rara n. sp. and Coryphaenoides scrupus n. sp., are described as new. The otolith assemblage is quantitatively dominated by myctophids, but stomiiforms and macrourids are significantly represented as well. Bregmacerotids, gadids and trachichthyids are common, but only represented by a single species each. The genera Trachyscorpia, Serrivomer and Ijimaia document the first fossil records of these taxa and the genera Nansenia and Zenion are recorded for the first time in sediments of the Paratethys. A paleobathymetric analysis of the otolith assemblages indicates water depths greater than 400 m in the depressions of the Carpathian Foredeep in Moravia. The high frequency of otoliths of Gadiculus argenteus supports the onset of the cold phase of the Middle Miocene Climatic Transition during the Middle Badenian. The high proportion of Recent species (similar to 32%) in the otolith association of the entire Badenian of the Central Paratethys also documents the rise of modern fishes in the wider Mediterranean area since the early Middle Miocene

Tunable beam shaping with a phased array acousto-optic modulator

We demonstrate the generation of Bessel beams using an acousto-optic array based on a liquid filled cavity surrounded by a cylindrical multi-element ultrasound transducer array. Conversion of a Gaussian laser mode into a Bessel beam with tunable order and position is shown. Also higher-order Bessel beams up to the fourth order are successfully generated with experimental results very closely matching simulations

Stable optical trapping and sensitive characterization of nanostructures using standing- wave Raman tweezers

Optical manipulation and label-free characterization of nanoscale structures open up new possibilities for assembly and control of nanodevices and biomolecules. Optical tweezers integrated with Raman spectroscopy allows analyzing a single trapped particle, but is generally less effective for individual nanoparticles. The main challenge is the weak gradient force on nanoparticles that is insufficient to overcome the destabilizing effect of scattering force and Brownian motion. Here, we present standing-wave Raman tweezers for stable trapping and sensitive characterization of single isolated nanostructures with a low laser power by combining a standing-wave optical trap with confocal Raman spectroscopy. This scheme has stronger intensity gradients and balanced scattering forces, and thus can be used to analyze many nanoparticles that cannot be measured with single-beam Raman tweezers, including individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), graphene flakes, biological particles, SERS-active metal nanoparticles, and high-refractive semiconductor nanoparticles. This would enable sorting and characterization of specific SWCNTs and other nanoparticles based on their increased Raman fingerprints

Microarray analysis and scale-free gene networks identify candidate regulators in drought-stressed roots of loblolly pine (P. taeda L.)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Global transcriptional analysis of loblolly pine (<it>Pinus taeda </it>L.) is challenging due to limited molecular tools. PtGen2, a 26,496 feature cDNA microarray, was fabricated and used to assess drought-induced gene expression in loblolly pine propagule roots. Statistical analysis of differential expression and weighted gene correlation network analysis were used to identify drought-responsive genes and further characterize the molecular basis of drought tolerance in loblolly pine.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microarrays were used to interrogate root cDNA populations obtained from 12 genotype × treatment combinations (four genotypes, three watering regimes). Comparison of drought-stressed roots with roots from the control treatment identified 2445 genes displaying at least a 1.5-fold expression difference (false discovery rate = 0.01). Genes commonly associated with drought response in pine and other plant species, as well as a number of abiotic and biotic stress-related genes, were up-regulated in drought-stressed roots. Only 76 genes were identified as differentially expressed in drought-recovered roots, indicating that the transcript population can return to the pre-drought state within 48 hours. Gene correlation analysis predicts a scale-free network topology and identifies eleven co-expression modules that ranged in size from 34 to 938 members. Network topological parameters identified a number of central nodes (hubs) including those with significant homology (E-values ≤ 2 × 10^-30) to 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, zeatin O-glucosyltransferase, and ABA-responsive protein. Identified hubs also include genes that have been associated previously with osmotic stress, phytohormones, enzymes that detoxify reactive oxygen species, and several genes of unknown function.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PtGen2 was used to evaluate transcriptome responses in loblolly pine and was leveraged to identify 2445 differentially expressed genes responding to severe drought stress in roots. Many of the genes identified are known to be up-regulated in response to osmotic stress in pine and other plant species and encode proteins involved in both signal transduction and stress tolerance. Gene expression levels returned to control values within a 48-hour recovery period in all but 76 transcripts. Correlation network analysis indicates a scale-free network topology for the pine root transcriptome and identifies central nodes that may serve as drivers of drought-responsive transcriptome dynamics in the roots of loblolly pine.</p

Otolithes de poissons du Paléocanyon de Saubrigues (Chattien à Langhien), Aquitaine méridionale, France = Fish otolithes from the Saubrigues paleocanyon (Chattian to Langhian), Aquitaine, France

The main interest of the otoliths collected in the Palaeocanyon of Saubrigues lies in the fact that a succession of five fish faunas from a significantly deeper environment than other places in the Aquitaine Basin can be studied there, in the same geographic area and in a sedimentary environment that remains almost constant throughout the considered time interval. A total of 170 taxa among which 109 nominal species have been identified from sediments filling the paleocanyon. Eight species are new: Halosaurus orthensis, "genus Gonostomatidarum" hoffmani, Polyipnus latus, Vinciguerria angulosa, Vinciguerria brevis, Merluccius abreviatus, Peristedion jeanbegui and Parascombrops epigonoides. The succession of fish biota in the paleocanyon is characterized by a major faunal break at the Chattian-Aquitanian boundary. Nineteen (= 45 %) of the 42 Chattian species disappear, and among the 23 species that cross the boundary, seven also disappear before the beginning of the late Burdigalian. At the beginning of the Aquitanian, a major faunal renovation is observed: 16 species appear in the palaeocanyon, which represent 59 % of a total of 27 Aquitanian species. In the succeeding levels from Early Burdigalian till Langhian, a gradual appearance of the typical Miocene fauna is observed