The topographic evolution of the Tibetan Region as revealed by palaeontology

The Tibetan Plateau was built through a succession of Gondwanan terranes colliding with Asia during the Mesozoic. These accretions produced a complex Paleogene topography of several predominantly east–west trending mountain ranges separated by deep valleys. Despite this piecemeal assembly and resultant complex relief, Tibet has traditionally been thought of as a coherent entity rising as one unit. This has led to the widely used phrase ‘the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau’, which is a false concept borne of simplistic modelling and confounds understanding the complex interactions between topography climate and biodiversity. Here, using the rich palaeontological record of the Tibetan region, we review what is known about the past topography of the Tibetan region using a combination of quantitative isotope and fossil palaeoaltimetric proxies, and present a new synthesis of the orography of Tibet throughout the Paleogene. We show why ‘the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau’ never occurred, and quantify a new pattern of topographic and landscape evolution that contributed to the development of today’s extraordinary Asian biodiversity

Die Umgestaltung des Praktischen Jahres im Modellstudiengang MaReCuM an der Medizinischen Fakultät Mannheim: das Quartal Ambulante Medizin

Introduction: To reflect the ever-growing importance of outpatient care in medical education, MaReCuM - a reformed curriculum, also referred to as a model study programme - was introduced at the Medical Faculty Mannheim in 2006. It divided the final year of medical study into quarters and added a mandatory quarter dedicated to ambulatory medicine. This project report presents our experiences, the costs and the evaluation results connected with making specific changes to the final year of undergraduate medical study.Project description: The final-year quarter in ambulatory medicine, taught at the Medical Faculty's outpatient teaching placements, allows final-year medical students to gather practical experience in one of four elective areas in outpatient care. The parallel coursework encompasses interactive case presentations and practical reviews. Relevant curricular content on ambulatory medicine is then tested in the oral/practical section of the M3 medical examination.Results: Students are very satisfied with the academic quality of the final-year quarter in ambulatory medicine. Restructuring the final year, generating the concept and recruiting teaching placements at outpatient facilities required additional full-time positions in the beginning.Discussion: The processes of reforming MaReCuM have not only contributed to a stronger recognition of ambulatory medicine in the final year and in the clinical phase of study, but have also enabled broader opportunities for focussing individual choices during medical education. A high caliber of academics in the quarter in ambulatory medicine can be achieved with a calculable amount of organisational effort.Conclusion: Anchoring a curriculum on ambulatory medicine in medical education is possible through restructuring the final year and is received positively by students. The success of MaReCuM demonstrates the feasibility of the recommendations made by the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat).Einleitung: Um den steigenden Stellenwert der ambulanten Patientenversorgung in der medizinischen Ausbildung abzubilden, wurde an der Medizinischen Fakultät Mannheim im Jahr 2006 ein Modellstudiengang eingeführt, dessen Kern in der Quartalisierung des Praktischen Jahres (PJ) und der Einführung eines Wahlpflichtquartals Ambulante Medizin besteht. Unser Projektbericht stellt die Erfahrungen sowie die Kosten und die Evaluationsergebnisse der Umsetzung der Änderungen im Praktischen Jahr dar. Projektbeschreibung: Das PJ-Quartal Ambulante Medizin in ambulanten Lehreinrichtungen der Fakultät vermittelt PJ-Studierenden Praxiserfahrung in einem von vier wählbaren ambulanten Bereichen. Der begleitende Unterricht umfasst interaktive Fall-Referate und Praxis-Repetitorien. Die Inhalte des Quartals Ambulante Medizin werden im mündlich-praktischen Teil des M3-Examens geprüft.Ergebnisse: Die Studierenden sind mit der Qualität der Ausbildung im PJ-Quartal Ambulante Medizin sehr zufrieden. Die Umstrukturierung des PJ, die Erstellung des Konzepts und die Akquise der ambulanten Lehrplätze erforderte zumindest initial zusätzliche Vollkostenstellen.Diskussion: Die Reformprozesse im Modellstudiengang haben sowohl zu einer verstärkten Anerkennung der ambulanten Medizin im Praktischen Jahr und im klinischen Studium als auch zu einer erweiterten Neigungsorientierung im Studium beigetragen. Eine hohe Ausbildungsqualität im Quartal Ambulante Medizin kann mit einem kalkulierbaren organisatorischen Aufwand erreicht werden. Schlussfolgerung: Eine Verankerung ambulanter Inhalte im Medizinstudium ist durch eine Umgestaltung des PJ möglich und wird von den Studierenden positiv bewertet. Die erfolgreiche Anwendung des Modellstudiengangs belegt die Machbarkeit der Empfehlungen des Wissenschaftsrats

Paleomagnetic evidence for clockwise rotation and tilting in the eastern Tethyan Himalaya (SE Tibet): Implications for the Miocene tectonic evolution of the NE Himalaya

Crustal movement around and away from the Namche Barwa syntaxis is indicated in the Asian velocity field inferred from GPS data and Quaternary fault slip rates. Nevertheless, there is a limited field-based control on the rotational history of the north-eastern Himalayan arc. Exploring the poly-phase nature of deformation, within the Cretaceous diorite dykes and their host-rock (Triassic flysch), in the eastern Tethyan Himalaya (90°-92°E), combined with new remote sensing data and existing thermo-geochronological data, allow us to unravel the kinematic relationship between paleomagnetic remanence vectors and the deformation phases. Decay at 325°C in high temperature susceptibility curves and in the thermal demagnetization of the SIRM indicate that the characteristic remanent magnetization in the Cretaceous diorite dykes is carried by pyrrhotite. The pyrrhotite component unblocks at 280-350°C, revealing normal and reverse polarities. It is of post-folding origin with a mean remanence direction of 019°/28° and 001°/20° in the eastern (Qonggyai valley) and western (Nagarze) part of the sampling area, respectively. The ~. 22. Ma K-Ar age of the last metamorphic event support that the remanence is post-Eohimalayan folding and likely of thermoremanent or thermo-chemical origin. Comparison of the declination with respect to the Early-Miocene reference direction, yields a trend from no apparent rotation in the west to 20° clockwise rotation in the east with respect to the stable Indian plate. This result can be kinematically related to the Middle to Late-Miocene strain partitioning between far-field southeast extrusion of SE Tibet and near-field strike-slip faulting and E-W extension. Furthermore the observed pattern of tilting around horizontal axis may reflect concealed North Himalayan domin