CW frequency doubling of 1029 nm radiation Using single pass bulk and waveguide PPLN crystals

Following various works on second harmonic process using periodically poled Lithium Niobate crystals (PPLN), we report on the performances comparison between commercial bulk and waveguide crystals at 1029 nm. We use a continuous wave (CW) amplified Yb doped single fibre laser delivering up to 500mW in single mode regime. In case of bulk crystal we generate 4 mW using 400 mW IR power. The use of waveguide crystal leads to an increase of the harmonic power up to 33mW with input IR power limited to 200mW. Nevertheless, this impressive efficiency was affected by the long term degradation of the non-linear waveguide crystal

Synoptic revision of the Silurian fauna from the Pentland Hills, Scotland described by Lamont (1978)

Archibald Lamont (1907-1985) sampled the North Esk Inlier Silurian fauna for almost 30 years. He had amassed a substantial fauna that has been, in part, bequeathed to the National Museums Scotland after his death. Unfortunately, the descriptions of the faunas in his last opus were careless and the illustrations were uninformative. Nonetheless, these highlight the singularity and diversity of the Silurian invertebrate faunas in the North Esk Inlier. The taxa erected by Lamont are reviewed, discussed and properly illustrated, at least for those specimens that have been found in the collections of National Museums Scotland. An attempt has also been made to give more precision on the localities and horizons, based on the information in Lamont’s article and on the various labels accompanying the specimens in storage

The brachiopod faunas from the Fezouata Shale (Lower Ordovician; Tremadocian–Floian) of the Zagora area, Anti‐Atlas, Morocco: evidence for a biodiversity hub in Gondwana

Since the early 2000s, the discovery of fossils and their collection from the Fezouata Shale has accelerated; enabling us to understand the faunas more thoroughly. The brachiopod fauna has not been investigated for the past 50 years, and we present here the results of our recent studies. From the material (c. 350 samples), 30 species were identified and assigned to 23 genera. Among these, one new genus (Tinzoulinorthis) and four new species (Wosekella maghribi, Rafanoglossa inversa, Orbithele tazagurta, Lacunites punctum) are erected; one taxon is recognized at the family level. The fauna described from the upper Tremadocian horizons is more diverse than those in the Floian. The former is characterized by a high γ-diversity, although at the horizon level the α-diversity is low to medium. This fauna is typical of high-energy, shallow-water, unstable environmental conditions, in which long-lived communities were prevented from developing into climax communities, and the succession of opportunists were regularly smothered in situ and killed by storm deposits. Multivariate analyses of the faunas indicate that the Tremadocian fauna, characterized by many endemic taxa, has closer affinities with faunas from peri-Gondwanan terranes, in particular Bohemia. The Tremadocian Fezouata fauna is very rich in taxon first occurrences, which, coupled with a high γ-diversity, suggest that it may have been a diversity hub. In contrast, the Floian Fezouata fauna not only shows stronger connections with Bohemia and the Montagne Noire, it also has links with the South Urals and Baltica, reflecting the changing Early Ordovician palaeogeography

New Linguliformean Brachiopods from the Lower Tremadocian (Ordovician) of The Brabant Massif, Belgium, with comments on contemporaneoux faunas from the Stavelot-Venn Massif

Lower Ordovician brachiopod macrofaunas in Belgium (Avalonia) are seldom collected and studied due to the poor preservation of material. Here we describe a new fauna of linguliformean brachiopods from the Chevlipont Formation (lower Tremadocian) in the Brabant Massif. The fauna is of low diversity (at least three species belonging to Rosobolus?, Thysanotos, and Broeggeria have been identified) and is dominated by B. cf. salteri (Holl). Low diversity linguliformean brachiopod assemblages in a peri-Gondwanan terrane are characteristic of the lowermost Ordovician. Such assemblages are rooted in the Cambrian indicating that their geographic distribution during the early Ordovician was controlled by the radiation and dispersion of lineages surviving through the latest Cambrian-earliest Tremadocian linguliformean brachiopods taxonomic crisis. In addition we figure for the first time and comment on contemporaneous brachiopod faunas from the Stavelot-Venn Massif in SE Belgium. Finally, we present new graptolite data that enable a more precise constraint on the age for the Solwaster Member of the Jalhay Formation in the Stavelot-Venn Massif.IGCP 73

New fossil assemblages from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Biota

The Fezouata Biota (Morocco) is a unique Early Ordovician fossil assemblage. The discovery of this biota revolutionized our understanding of Earth’s early animal diversifications—the Cambrian Explosion and the Ordovician Radiation—by suggesting an evolutionary continuum between both events. Herein, we describe Taichoute, a new fossil locality from the Fezouata Shale. This locality extends the temporal distribution of fossil preservation from this formation into the upper Floian, while also expanding the range of depositional environments to more distal parts of the shelf. In Taichoute, most animals were transported by density flows, unlike the in-situ preservation of animals recovered in previously investigated Fezouata sites. Taichoute is dominated by three-dimensionally preserved, and heavily sclerotized fragments of large euarthropods—possibly representing nektobenthic/nektic bivalved taxa and/or hurdiid radiodonts. Resolving whether this dominance reflects a legitimate aspect of the original ecosystem or a preservational bias requires an in-depth assessment of the environmental conditions at this site. Nevertheless, Taichoute provides novel preservational and palaeontological insights during a key evolutionary transition in the history of life on Earth

Form and function within a phylogenetic framework: Locomotory habits of extant predators and some Miocene Sparassodonta (Metatheria)

In this study, we analysed locomotory habits in extant predators and Sparassodonta species through geometric morphometric techniques and discriminant analyses of the distal humerus in anterior view, proximal ulna in lateral view, and tibia in proximal view. We included a wide sample of extant predators, and considered the phylogenetic and allometric structure in the data sets. We also included some Sparassodonta, a group of carnivorous metatherians that inhabited South America during the Cenozoic, and inferred their locomotory habits. Results suggest the presence of a close relationship between shape and locomotory habits, even after removing the shape component explained by phylogeny in the three postcranial elements. Terrestrial habits were inferred for Arctodictis sinclairi, Borhyaena tuberata, 'Lycopsis' longirostrus, and Thylacosmilus atrox. Some degree of cursoriality was highlighted in B. tuberata and T. atrox, and climbing abilities in 'L.' longirostrus, and to a lesser degree in B. tuberata. Scansorial habits were inferred for Cladosictis patagonica, Sipalocyon gracilis, Prothylacynus patagonicus, and Pseudonotictis pusillus, and in the case of C. patagonica, some digging ability was also tentatively inferred. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London.Fil: Ercoli, Marcos Darío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Prevosti, Francisco Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata; Argentin

Epidemiology of surgery associated acute kidney injury (EPIS-AKI): a prospective international observational multi-center clinical study

Purpose: The incidence, patient features, risk factors and outcomes of surgery-associated postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) across different countries and health care systems is unclear. Methods: We conducted an international prospective, observational, multi-center study in 30 countries in patients undergoing major surgery (> 2-h duration and postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) or high dependency unit admission). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of PO-AKI within 72 h of surgery defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Secondary endpoints included PO-AKI severity and duration, use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality, and ICU and hospital length of stay. Results: We studied 10,568 patients and 1945 (18.4%) developed PO-AKI (1236 (63.5%) KDIGO stage 1500 (25.7%) KDIGO stage 2209 (10.7%) KDIGO stage 3). In 33.8% PO-AKI was persistent, and 170/1945 (8.7%) of patients with PO-AKI received RRT in the ICU. Patients with PO-AKI had greater ICU (6.3% vs. 0.7%) and hospital (8.6% vs. 1.4%) mortality, and longer ICU (median 2 (Q1-Q3, 1-3) days vs. 3 (Q1-Q3, 1-6) days) and hospital length of stay (median 14 (Q1-Q3, 9-24) days vs. 10 (Q1-Q3, 7-17) days). Risk factors for PO-AKI included older age, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease), type, duration and urgency of surgery as well as intraoperative vasopressors, and aminoglycosides administration. Conclusion: In a comprehensive multinational study, approximately one in five patients develop PO-AKI after major surgery. Increasing severity of PO-AKI is associated with a progressive increase in adverse outcomes. Our findings indicate that PO-AKI represents a significant burden for health care worldwide

Late Ordovician brachiopod faunas from Pomeroy, Northern Ireland: a palaeoenvironmental synthesis

Comparisons of the Caradoc assemblages with North American biofacies indicate that the Bardahessiagh Formation was deposited during a transgressive regime, which peaked with the presence of a typical Sericoidea association (member (II)). These diverse and exceptionally preserved faunas lived below the storm-wave base. The assemblages also contained a shallower water brachiopod component typical of transition zone environments or above, which may have been transported during periods of instability. A deep-water regime (BAs 4 to 4-5) through the Rawtheyan occurs with the deposition of the Killey Bridge Formation, which yielded a diverse brachiopod fauna including Bimuria, Chonetoidea and Christiania. The Rawtheyan assemblage also contains a shallower water component. Representatives of the deep-water Proboscisambon assemblage occur in middle parts of the Tirnaskea Formation. This distinctive low-diversity assemblage yields small, thin-shelled brachiopods including Dedzetina, Sericoidea, Protozyga and Proboscisambon. The upper parts of the Tirnaskea Formation yielded the low diversity, shallow water (BA 3) Hirnantia fauna, which is characterised by the presence of Eostropheodonta, which is a key form of the fauna, Dysprosorthis and the absence of Hirnantia. As a whole the changing brachiopod biofacies monitor environmental fluctuations, on part of the Laurentian margin, driven mainly by eustatic and tectonic event