Morphological and histological description of small metoposaurids from Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, USA and the taxonomy of Apachesaurus

Metoposaurids are Late Triassic temnospondyls that are abundant components of freshwater deposi- tional settings. Although metoposaurids are represented by hundreds of specimens in collections around the world, the vast majority pertain to large-bodied, relatively mature individuals, and as a result, the early stages of ontogeny are still poorly characterised. Small-bodied metoposaurids from North America have traditionally been assigned to Apachesaurus gregorii, interpreted as a diminutive taxon, but this interpretation has not been rigorously tested. Here we provide a morphological description of two new small-bodied metoposaurid specimens from Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, USA. Both provide various anatomical details that improve our understanding of small-bodied metoposaurids and their taxonomic placement within Metoposauridae. Furthermore, we perform a histological analysis on associated intercentra of these specimens, which indicates that these are relatively immature individuals. These findings support the growing consensus that Apachesaurus is a juvenile metoposaurid, thereby providing additional data regarding the early stages of metoposaurid ontogeny and evidence of the persistence of large-bodied forms into the late Norian. Accordingly, these findings merit a reevaluation of the taxonomic validity and diagnosis of the taxon and of the previous interpretations of its paleobiology

Annotated bibliography of research conducted in the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, VA

This annotated bibliography of research conducted within the Reserves boundaries is a living document and updated periodically as new and past publications become available to the Reserve. It is designed to identify and provide an abstract/summary of research publications conducted within the four component sites of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Virginia system. Selected reference material is also available for Reserve relevant work conducted at multiple sites within the York River system. In order to help facilitate searches, the bibliography is categorized by Reserve components (Goodwin Islands, Catlett Islands, Taskinas Creek, and Sweet Hall Marsh) and by work conducted in Multiple Sites along the York River. In addition, each component is subcategorized into biological, geological, chemical and physical, and cultural and socioeconomic subject headings based on the primary focus of the publication. Publications are listed in alphabetical order by senior author under appropriate headings. Following the reference citation, an abstract or summary of the publication is provided

Redescription of Anaschisma (Temnospondyli: Metoposauridae) from the Late Triassic of Wyoming and the phylogeny of the Metoposauridae

Metoposaurids are non-marine temnospondyls that are among the most common constituents of Late Triassic deposits, but despite their abundance, the evolutionary relationships of the group are poorly resolved and have not been fully addressed with modern phylogenetic methods. The genus Anaschisma is one of a number of poorly resolved metoposaurid taxa and was erected to describe two species from the Popo Agie Formation (Carnian) in Wyoming: Anaschisma browni and Anaschisma brachygnatha. Since being named, the genus has been repeatedly synonymized and separated with other taxa in the context of broader revisions of the Metoposauridae. At present, Anaschisma is considered to be an indeterminate metoposaurid. Extensive descriptive work of metoposaurids since the erection of Anaschisma in 1905 and the last taxonomic review of the clade in 1993, including the naming of several new taxa and the reappraisal of several others, has generated a sufficiently detailed database through which to re-evaluate the taxonomy of the Metoposauridae as part of the analysis of phylogenetic relationships of Anaschisma. Here we reappraise and redescribe the holotypes of A. browni and A. brachygnatha to determine their taxonomic status and relationships in the context of an updated and revised metoposaurid phylogenetic framework. Anaschisma browni and Anaschisma brachygnatha are synonymized under the former species, as all previously listed diagnostic differences are compatible with intraspecific variation. Additionally, the well-known Koskinonodon perfectus is found to be a junior synonym of Anaschisma browni, which takes taxonomic precedence given its earlier description. Poor phylogenetic resolution of the Metoposauridae is likely the product of marked morphological conservatism within the clade and limited character sampling, although some patterns of regional clustering are apparent from the analysis

Common genomic features of Campylobacter jejuni subsp. doylei strains distinguish them from C. jejuni subsp. jejuni

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Campylobacter jejuni </it>has been divided into two subspecies: <it>C. jejuni </it>subsp. <it>jejuni </it>(<it>Cjj</it>) and <it>C. jejuni </it>subsp. <it>doylei </it>(<it>Cjd</it>). Nearly all of the <it>C. jejuni </it>strains isolated are <it>Cjj</it>; nevertheless, although <it>Cjd </it>strains are isolated infrequently, they differ from <it>Cjj </it>in two key aspects: they are obtained primarily from human clinical samples and are associated often with bacteremia, in addition to gastroenteritis. In this study, we utilized multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and a DNA microarray-based comparative genomic indexing (CGI) approach to examine the genomic diversity and gene content of <it>Cjd </it>strains.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A geographically diverse collection of eight <it>Cjd </it>strains was examined by MLST and determined to be phylogenetically distinct from <it>Cjj </it>strains. Microarray-based CGI approach also supported this. We were able to demonstrate that <it>Cjd </it>strains exhibited divergence from <it>Cjj </it>strains NCTC 11168 and RM1221 in many of the intraspecies hypervariable regions. Moreover, multiple metabolic, transport and virulence functions (e.g. cytolethal distending toxin) were shown to be absent in the <it>Cjd </it>strains examined.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data demonstrate that <it>Cjd </it>are phylogenetically distinct from <it>Cjj </it>strains. Using the CGI approach, we identified subsets of absent genes from amongst the <it>C. jejuni </it>genes that provide clues as to the potential evolutionary origin and unusual pathogenicity of <it>Cjd</it>.</p

Awaking the vacuum in relativistic stars

Void of any inherent structure in classical physics, the vacuum has revealed to be incredibly crowded with all sorts of processes in relativistic quantum physics. Yet, its direct effects are usually so subtle that its structure remains almost as evasive as in classical physics. Here, in contrast, we report on the discovery of a novel effect according to which the vacuum is compelled to play an unexpected central role in an astrophysical context. We show that the formation of relativistic stars may lead the vacuum energy density of a quantum field to an exponential growth. The vacuum-driven evolution which would then follow may lead to unexpected implications for astrophysics, while the observation of stable neutron-star configurations may teach us much on the field content of our Universe.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Cosmology with a long range repulsive force

We consider a class of cosmological models in which the universe is filled with a (non-electric) charge density that repels itself by means of a force carried by a vector boson with a tiny mass. When the vector's mass depends upon other fields, the repulsive interaction gives rise to an electromagnetic barrier which prevents these fields from driving the mass to zero. This can modify the cosmology dramatically. We present a very simple realization of this idea in which the vector's mass arises from a scalar field. The electromagnetic barrier prevents this field from rolling down its potential and thereby leads to accelerated expansion.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX (version accepted for publication in PRD). 3 new figures, extended discussion of observational consequence