Paleobiology of titanosaurs: reproduction, development, histology, pneumaticity, locomotion and neuroanatomy from the South American fossil record

Fil: García, Rodolfo A.. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. Museo Provincial Carlos Ameghino. Cipolletti; ArgentinaFil: Salgado, Leonardo. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. General Roca. Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Mariela. Inibioma-Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Bariloche. Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Cerda, Ignacio A.. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología. Museo Provincial Carlos Ameghino. Cipolletti; ArgentinaFil: Carabajal, Ariana Paulina. Museo Carmen Funes. Plaza Huincul. Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Otero, Alejandro. Museo de La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Coria, Rodolfo A.. Instituto de Paleobiología y Geología. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Fiorelli, Lucas E.. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica. Anillaco. La Rioja; Argentin

Reassessing the effect of colour on attitude and behavioural intentions in promotional activities: The moderating role of mood and involvement

The present research examines the effect of background colour on attitude and behavioural intentions in various promotional activities taking into consideration the moderating role of mood and involvement. Three experiments reflecting different promotional activities (window display, consumer trade show, guerrilla marketing) were conducted for this purpose. Overall, findings indicate that cool background colours, in contrast to warm colours, induce more positive attitudes and behavioural intentions mainly in positive mood, and low involvement conditions. Implications are also discussed

At the root of the early penguin neck: a study of the only two cervicodorsal spines recovered from the Eocene of Antarctica

The spinal column of early Antarctic penguins is poorly known, mainly due to the scarcity of articulated vertebrae in the fossil record. One of the most interesting segments of this part of the skeleton is the transitional series located at the root of the neck. Here, two such cervicodorsal series, comprising reinterpreted known material and a new specimen from the Eocene of Seymour Island (Antarctic Peninsula), were investigated and contrasted with those of modern penguins and some fossil bones. The new specimen is smaller than the counterpart elements in recent king penguins, whereas the second series belonged to a large-bodied penguin from the genus Palaeeudyptes. It had been assigned by earlier researchers to P. gunnari (a species of “giant” penguins) and a Bayesian analysis—a Bayes factor approach based on size of an associated tarsometatarsus—strongly supported such an assignment. Morphological and functional studies revealed that mobility within the aforementioned segment probably did not differ substantially between extant and studied fossil penguins. There were, however, intriguing morphological differences between the smaller fossil specimen and the comparative material related to the condition of the lateral excavation in the first cervicodorsal vertebra and the extremely small size of the intervertebral foramen located just prior to the first “true” thoracic vertebra. The former feature could have resulted from discrepancy in severity of external pneumatization. Both fossils provided valuable insights into the morphology and functioning of the axial skeleton in early penguins

A technique for atmospheric measurements of stable carbon isotope ratios of isoprene, methacrolein, and methyl vinyl ketone

A technique was developed to measure stable carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C) of light volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as isoprene, methacrolein (MACR) and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) using gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GCC-IRMS). An automated sampling and cryofocussing system allowed for the extraction of VOCs from air samples of up to 140 L of air collected over 3 h, and the subsequent 13C/12C analysis of the VOCs by GCC-IRMS. Chromatography using selective transfer between two columns was used to improve the separation for selected compounds, increasing peak resolution and attaining less noisy baselines. Still, some target compounds could not be completely separated from co-eluting peaks. To reduce the bias of isotope ratio determinations, which can result from incomplete peak resolution, a peak-fitting procedure has been developed. In cases of overlapping peaks or substantial baseline drift, this peak fitting allows more accurate determination of isotope ratios than conventional integration schemes. Comparisons between off-line IRMS measurements and a peak-evaluation procedure using a prepared VOC gas-phase standard show that isotope ratios derived from large (>1 ng of carbon per peak) and well-resolved peaks have a reproducibility of ±0.3‰. With smaller masses in the range of 0.1–1 ng of carbon, reproducibility decreased to ±(0.5–0.8)‰. For a 140 L sample of air, such small masses of carbon correspond to mixing ratios in the low pptV range. The developed measurement technique was applied to a small set of ambient air samples taken during hot, sunny periods from late May to early August, 2005, at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, a semi-rural area. The range of δ13C values determined for isoprene, benzene, and toluene are consistent with those reported in the literature. GCC-IRMS results of δ13C for ambient samples of isoprene, MACR, and MVK, measured at mixing ratios of 15–280 pptV, are presented and discussed

Fuzzy Clusterwise Generalized Structured Component Analysis

generalized structured component analysis, fuzzy clustering, respondent heterogeneity, alternating least squares, latent curve models, alcohol use,