Ostracoda during the early Aptian (early Cretaceous) greenhouse period on the Isle of Wight, England

The earliest Aptian marine transgression of the Lower Cretaceous across southern England resulted in the collapse of the generally freshwater Barremian environment and the initiation of marine mileux. Salinities passed from fresh-oligohaline to meso- and pliohaline, reaching fully marine conditions during the obsoletum Subzone (P. fissicostus Zone). Newly formed environmental niches were rapidly occupied by ostracod associations. In the Isle of Wight, freshwater Cypridea-rich assemblages in the lower Shepherd's Chine Member (Vectis Formation) were gradually replaced by faunas dominated by Sternbergella cornigera, Mantelliana mantelli and Theriosynoecum fittoni. Marine taxa recorded from the Atherfield Clay Formation migrated predominantly from the Paris Basin and include Asciocythere albae, Schuleridea derooi, Neocythere gottisi, N. bordeti, Cythereis geometrica, Cytheropteron stchepinskyi and Protocythere croutesensis

The stratigraphical distribution of Mid-Cretaceous foraminifera near Ventor, Isle of Wight

Ventnor No. 2 Borehole, located near Ventnor, Isle of Wight, penetrated the basal part of the Chalk Group and the Selborne Group before terminating in the upper part of the Lower Greensand Group (Sandrock Formation). The borehole was examined for Foraminifera, and although they were not seen in the Sandrock Formation and Monks Bay Sandstone Formation, the remainder of the borehole yielded moderately low diversity assemblages dominated by agglutinated species. Foraminiferal zones 3–6 (H dentatus to M. fallax/M. rostratum macrofaunal zones) were identified in the Gault Formation and zones 6 (lower) to 6a (M. fallax/M. rostratum to A. briacensis macrofaunal zones) were identified in the Upper Greensand Formation. Assemblages from the overlying West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation were used to identify foraminiferal zones BGS1-BGS3 (M. mantelli and M. dixoni macrofaunal zones)

Calcareous microfossils from laminated clay in an M1 cutting near Enderby Grange, Leicestershire

Laminated clay, which on field evidence was considered to be of Pleistocene age, contained marine and brackish marine microfossils reworked from the Triassic-lower Jurassic, Upper Cretaceous and Quaternary. Fresh water ostracods or diatoms were no observe

Chalk biostratigraphy of the Wells-next-the-Sea district (1:50k Sheet 130) based on foraminifera

Samples from eleven sites in northern Norfolk extend from the latest Cenomanian and Turonian on the western margin of the Wells-next-the-Sea sheet, to the Campanian on the eastern Margin of the sheet. Foraminiferal zones (from which their macrofaunal equivalents can be inferred) can be assigned to most samples examined. Although certain key fossils in the Southern Chalk Province are missing, correlation is possible for most samples

Microfossils from two samples of London Clay from the Harlow District (50K sheet 240)

Two samples of London Clay Formation were examined for their microfaunal content with a view to determine their biostratigraphical position. That from Roxwell (TL 657000 880000) contained foraminifera consistent with zones B, C and basal D. The sample from Hollingson Quarry (TL 453000 126000) was decalcified, but contained common diatoms preserved as pyrite indicative of Zone A to mid B

The application of microfaunas in the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the Quaternary succession at Afton Lodge

Twenty one samples from Afton Lodge were examined for calcareous microfossils (Foraminifera and Ostracoda). The near absence of planktonic forms suggests that there was no or only poor access to open oceanic environments, however, cold, fully marine conditions prevailed during sediment accumulation and at times the influence of very shallow and estuarine conditions were observed. Water depth was shallow, although minor variations may be suggested

Foraminifera from the Chalk south of Salisbury

This report outlines the biostratigraphical result obtained from samples from south of Salisbury. Foraminiferal zones BGS18 to BGS20, characteristic of the Portsdown, Culver and Newhaven chalk formations, were identified

Micropalaeontology reveals the source of building materials for a defensive earthwork (English Civil War?) at Wallingford Castle, Oxfordshire

Microfossils recovered from sediment used to construct a putative English Civil War defensive bastion at Wallingford Castle, south Oxfordshire, provide a biostratigraphical age of Cretaceous (earliest Cenomanian) basal M. mantelli Biozone. The rock used in the buttress – which may have housed a gun emplacement – can thus be tracked to the Glauconitic Marl Member, base of the West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation. A supply of this rock is available on the castle site or to the east of the River Thames near Crowmarsh Gifford. Microfossils provide a unique means to provenance construction materials used at the Wallingford site. While serendipity may have been the chief cause for use of the Glauconitic Marl, when compacted, it forms a strong, almost ‘road base’-like foundation that was clearly of use for constructing defensive works. Indeed, use of the Glauconitic Marl was widespread in the area for agricultural purposes and its properties may have been well-known locally

Preliminary Sunyaev Zel'dovich Observations of Galaxy Clusters with OCRA-p

We present 30 GHz Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SZ) observations of a sample of four galaxy clusters with a prototype of the One Centimetre Receiver Array (OCRA-p) which is mounted on the Torun 32-m telescope. The clusters (Cl0016+16, MS0451.6-0305, MS1054.4-0321 and Abell 2218) are popular SZ targets and serve as commissioning observations. All four are detected with clear significance (4-6 sigma) and values for the central temperature decrements are in good agreement with measurements reported in the literature. We believe that systematic effects are successfully suppressed by our observing strategy. The relatively short integration times required to obtain these results demonstrate the power of OCRA-p and its successors for future SZ studies.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by MNRAS, online earl

Influence of addition of plasmin or mastitic milk to cheesemilk on quality of smear-ripened cheese

peer-reviewedSmear-ripened cheese varieties are characterised by the growth of a smear culture, containing predominantly Brevibacterium linens, on the cheese surface during ripening. In such cheese, considerable zonal differences in biochemistry of ripening exist, due to moisture loss from, and growth and metabolic activity of smear microflora at, the cheese surface. In this study, the effects of adding exogenous plasmin or small amounts of mastitic milk to good quality milk on the quality of smear-ripened cheese made subsequently was examined. Addition of plasmin did not influence cheese composition immediately after manufacture, but slightly decreased the rate of moisture loss during cheese ripening. Plasmin activity decreased during the early stages of ripening, but subsequently increased towards the end of ripening, perhaps due to changing pH conditions in the cheese. Addition of plasmin increased rates of primary proteolysis in cheese, as measured by levels of pH 4.6- soluble N and urea-PAGE, although production of later products of proteolysis appeared less affected. Addition ofmastitic milk had largely similar effects to addition of exogenous plasmin, which may reflect a high content of plasmin or plasminogen activators in such milk. Overall, changes in milk quality and enzymology appear to influence the quality of smear-ripened cheese