Pre-Devonian stratigraphy and structure of the Prion Beach-Rocky Boat Inlet-Osmiridium Beach coastal section, southern Tasmania

The pre-Devonian stratigraphy of the Prion Beach to Surprise Bay area is composed of four stratigraphic units. The oldest is a (?) Precambrian, slightly metamorphosed, massive dolomite. This is in part the source area for three overlying units of the Denison Group (Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician). The Tyler Creek Beds are highly serpentinitic conglomerate, sandstone and siltstone. The Point Vivian Formation is a sequence of dolomitic siltstone and matrix rich polymictic conglomerates with a wide range of depositional features including channels, graded bedding and slump structures. It was probably deposited in a slope environment. The overlying Wierah Formation (Denison Group) is composed of quartz-rich pebbly sandstones and quartz arenites which formed in a high energy environment possibly above wave base. Two shear zones cut across this stratigraphy producing transposed layers and boudins. At least one of these shear zones was active during sedimentation and forms the western limit of the Point Vivian Formation in this area

A note on the reported occurrence of steeply-dipping Tertiary beds on Osmiridium Beach, southern Tasmania

The steeply dipping beds at Osmiridi um Beach, southern Tasmania, earlier identified as Tertiary are structurally and stratigraphically continuous with l:he ?Cambrian Pt Vivian Formation. The carbonaceous layers, used to support a Tertiary age, cut across the bedding and postdate some faults in the formation

Striations on minor faults and the structure of the Parmeener Super-group near Hobart, Tasmania

Fault striations were measured on 104 minor faults within the Parmeener Super-group near Hobart. The fault striations probably reflect the complex movement history on adjacent large faults. Sophisticated numerical modelling of the regional stress systems which produced these striations indicated at least two phases of faulting. The earlier phase was probably due to compression from the NNW in the Mesozoic and produced strike slip faults striking 1000 and 1700C. The later phase of faulting was caused by extension towards the ENE in the Early to Middle Tertiary and reactivated most of the early phase faults striking 1700 , as normal dip slip faults. A small number of fault striations could not be attributed to either of these events

Sex-biased parental care and sexual size dimorphism in a provisioning arthropod

The diverse selection pressures driving the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) have long been debated. While the balance between fecundity selection and sexual selection has received much attention, explanations based on sex-specific ecology have proven harder to test. In ectotherms, females are typically larger than males, and this is frequently thought to be because size constrains female fecundity more than it constrains male mating success. However, SSD could additionally reflect maternal care strategies. Under this hypothesis, females are relatively larger where reproduction requires greater maximum maternal effort – for example where mothers transport heavy provisions to nests. To test this hypothesis we focussed on digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Ammophilini), a relatively homogeneous group in which only females provision offspring. In some species, a single large prey item, up to 10 times the mother’s weight, must be carried to each burrow on foot; other species provide many small prey, each flown individually to the nest. We found more pronounced female-biased SSD in species where females carry single, heavy prey. More generally, SSD was negatively correlated with numbers of prey provided per offspring. Females provisioning multiple small items had longer wings and thoraxes, probably because smaller prey are carried in flight. Despite much theorising, few empirical studies have tested how sex-biased parental care can affect SSD. Our study reveals that such costs can be associated with the evolution of dimorphism, and this should be investigated in other clades where parental care costs differ between sexes and species

Migration experiences, employment status and psychological distress among Somali immigrants: a mixed-method international study

Background: The discourse about mental health problems among migrants and refugees tends to focus on adverse pre-migration experiences; there is less investigation of the environmental conditions in which refugee migrants live, and the contrasts between these situations in different countries. This cross-national study of two samples of Somali refugees living in London (UK) and Minneapolis, Minnesota, (USA) helps to fill a gap in the literature, and is unusual in being able to compare information collected in the same way in two cities in different countries. Methods: There were two parts to the study, focus groups to gather in-depth qualitative data and a survey of health status and quantifiable demographic and material factors. Three of the focus groups involved nineteen Somali professionals and five groups included twenty-eight lay Somalis who were living in London and Minneapolis. The quantitative survey was done with 189 Somali respondents, also living in London and Minneapolis. We used the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to assess ICD-10 and Results: The overall qualitative and quantitative results suggested that challenges to masculinity, thwarted aspirations, devalued refugee identity, unemployment, legal uncertainties and longer duration of stay in the host country account for poor psychological well-being and psychiatric disorders among this group. Conclusion: The use of a mixed-methods approach in this international study was essential since the quantitative and qualitative data provide different layers and depth of meaning and complement each other to provide a fuller picture of complex and multi-faceted life situations of refugees and asylum seekers. The comparison between the UK and US suggests that greater flexibility of access to labour markets for this refugee group might help to promote opportunities for better integration and mental well-being