Savage Jaguars,King Cats,and Ghostly Tigres: Affective Logics and Predatory Natures in Twentieth-Century American Nature Writing

The emerging subfield of historical animal geography provides an opportunity to trace the origins and evolutions of how affective logics framing the conservation of an animal species are co-constituted through embodied interaction between humans and nonhumans, revealing the dynamic ways in which charismatic species are imagined into and out of positions of priority within conservation agendas. This article takes an interest in the shifting perception of predatory species in the environmental conservation movement in the United States, looking to the appearance of jaguars (Panthera onca) in the work of prominent U.S. nature writers Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Thompson Seton, and Aldo Leopold in the early- to mid-twentieth century. These human–jaguar entanglements reveal a period marked by dynamic changes in the ways in which interspecies encounters were constituted in place; a layering on of affective logics that reveal the complicated origins, practices, and potentialities at the outset of the modern conservation movement. The resulting narratives and images of predatory nature were taken up into dynamic assemblages of jaguar-ness, influencing the formation of new logics that framed public perceptions of predatory natures and provoking a reconsideration of long-held attitudes and policies toward these species.     

HiRISE views enigmatic deposits in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars

HiRISE images together with other recent orbital data from Mars define new characteristics of enigmatic Hesperian-aged deposits in Sirenum Fossae that are mostly 100-200 m thick, drape kilometers of relief, and often display generally low relief surfaces. New characteristics of the deposits, previously mapped as the “Electris deposits,” include local detection of meter-scale beds that show truncating relationships, a generally light-toned nature, and a variably blocky, weakly indurated appearance. Boulders shed by erosion of the deposits are readily broken down and contribute little to talus. Thermal inertia values for the deposits are ∼200 J m⁻² K⁻¹ s^−1/2 and they may incorporate hydrated minerals derived from weathering of basalt. The deposits do not contain anomalous amounts of water or water ice. Deflation may dominate degradation of the deposits over time and points to an inventory of fine-grained sediment. Together with constraints imposed by the regional setting on formation processes, these newly resolved characteristics are most consistent with an eolian origin as a loess-like deposit comprised of redistributed and somewhat altered volcanic ash. Constituent sediments may be derived from airfall ash deposits in the Tharsis region. An origin directly related to airfall ash or similar volcanic materials is less probable and emplacement by alluvial/fluvial, impact, lacustrine, or relict polar processes is even less likely.     

Shear modulus, heat capacity, viscosity and structural relaxation time of Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2 and Na2O–Fe2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 melts

The configurational heat capacity, shear modulus and shear viscosity of a series of Na₂O–Fe₂O₃–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ melts have been determined as a function of composition. A change in composition dependence of each of the physical properties is observed as Na₂O/(Na₂O + Al₂O₃) is decreased, and the peralkaline melts become peraluminous and a new charge-balanced Al-structure appears in the melts. Of special interest are the frequency dependent (1 mHz–1 Hz) measurements of the shear modulus. These forced oscillation measurements determine the lifetimes of Si–O bonds and Na–O bonds in the melt. The lifetime of the Al–O bonds could not, however, be resolved from the mechanical spectrum. Therefore, it appears that the lifetime of Al–O bonds in these melts is similar to that of Si–O bonds with the Al–O relaxation peak being subsumed by the Si–O relaxation peak. The appearance of a new Al-structure in the peraluminous melts also cannot be resolved from the mechanical spectra, although a change in elastic shear modulus is determined as a function of composition. The structural shear-relaxation time of some of these melts is not that which is predicted by the Maxwell equation, but up to 1.5 orders of magnitude faster. Although the configurational heat capacity, density and shear modulus of the melts show a change in trend as a function of composition at the boundary between peralkaline and peraluminous, the deviation in relaxation time from the Maxwell equation occurs in the peralkaline regime. The measured relaxation times for both the very peralkaline melts and the peraluminous melts are identical with the calculated Maxwell relaxation time. As the Maxwell equation was created to describe the timescale of flow of a mono-structure material, a deviation from the prediction would indicate that the structure of the melt is too complex to be described by this simple flow equation. One possibility is that Al-rich channels form and then disappear with decreasing Si/Al, and that the flow is dominated by the lifetime of Si–O bonds in the Al-poor peralkaline melts, and by the lifetime of Al–O bonds in the relatively Si-poor peralkaline and peraluminous melts with a complex flow mechanism occurring in the mid-compositions. This anomalous deviation from the calculated relaxation time appears to be independent of the change in structure expected to occur at the peralkaline/peraluminous boundary due to the lack of charge-balancing cations for the Al-tetrahedra.     

Late Eocene–Pliocene basin evolution in the Eastern Cordillera of northwestern Argentina (25°–26°S): regional implications for Andean orogenic wedge development

Important aspects of the Andean foreland basin in Argentina remain poorly constrained, such as the effect of deformation on deposition, in which foreland basin depozones Cenozoic sedimentary units were deposited, how sediment sources and drainages evolved in response to tectonics, and the thickness of sediment accumulation. Zircon U‐Pb geochronological data from Eocene–Pliocene sedimentary strata in the Eastern Cordillera of northwestern Argentina (Pucará–Angastaco and La Viña areas) provide an Eocene (ca. 38 Ma) maximum depositional age for the Quebrada de los Colorados Formation. Sedimentological and provenance data reveal a basin history that is best explained within the context of an evolving foreland basin system affected by inherited palaeotopography. The Quebrada de los Colorados Formation represents deposition in the distal to proximal foredeep depozone. Development of an angular unconformity at ca. 14 Ma and the coarse‐grained, proximal character of the overlying Angastaco Formation (lower to upper Miocene) suggest deposition in a wedge‐top depozone. Axial drainage during deposition of the Palo Pintado Formation (upper Miocene) suggests a fluvial‐lacustrine intramontane setting. By ca. 4 Ma, during deposition of the San Felipe Formation, the Angastaco area had become structurally isolated by the uplift of the Sierra de los Colorados Range to the east. Overall, the Eastern Cordillera sedimentary record is consistent with a continuous foreland basin system that migrated through the region from late Eocene through middle Miocene time. By middle Miocene time, the region lay within the topographically complex wedge‐top depozone, influenced by thick‐skinned deformation and re‐activation of Cretaceous rift structures. The association of the Eocene Quebrada del los Colorados Formation with a foredeep depozone implies that more distal foreland deposits should be represented by pre‐Eocene strata (Santa Barbara Subgroup) within the region.     

Mid-Holocene Hydrologic Model of the Shingobee Watershed, Minnesota

A hydrologic model of the Shingobee Watershed in north-central Minnesota was developed to reconstruct mid-Holocene paleo-lake levels for Williams Lake, a surface-water body located in the southern portion of the watershed. Hydrologic parameters for the model were first estimated in a calibration exercise using a 9-yr historical record (1990–1998) of climatic and hydrologic stresses. The model reproduced observed temporal and spatial trends in surface/groundwater levels across the watershed. Mid-Holocene aquifer and lake levels were then reconstructed using two paleoclimatic data sets: CCM1 atmospheric general circulation model output and pollen-transfer functions using sediment core data from Williams Lake.Calculated paleo-lake levels based on pollen-derived paleoclimatic reconstructions indicated a 3.5-m drop in simulated lake levels and were in good agreement with the position of mid-Holocene beach sands observed in a Williams Lake sediment core transect. However, calculated paleolake levels based on CCM1 climate forcing produced only a 0.05-m drop in lake levels. We found that decreases in winter precipitation rather than temperature increases had the largest effect on simulated mid-Holocene lake levels. The study illustrates how watershed models can be used to critically evaluate paleoclimatic reconstructions by integrating geologic, climatic, limnologic, and hydrogeologic data sets.     

Effect of Various Materials in Multilevel Samplers on Monitoring Commonly Occurring Agrichemicals in Ground Water

Studies have shown that materials, such us polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE), rigid polyvinyl chloride (rigid PVC). flexible polyvinyl chloride (flexible PVC), stainless steel (SS). low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), have the potential to influence certain analyte concentrations in ground water samples. The effects of HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS on aqueous concentrations of nitrate-N, atrazine, deethylatrazine (DEA), and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) were evaluated in a field study A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate sorption of atrazine DEA, DIA, cyanazine, alachlor, metolachlor, and butachlor to PTFE, HDPE, and SS materials. Butachlor is rarely use in the United States, but was included because of its expected high sorptivity. No significant differences between HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS were determined for any of the analytes tested in the field study. In the laboratory study, sorption of DIA to PTFE and SS was significant at 2.6 × 10⁻⁵ and 4.1 × 10⁻⁵μg/m² respectively. Sorption of DIAA to HDPE was not significantly > 0 sorption of all other compounds to HDPE, PTFE, and SS were also not significantly >0. Results of the two studies indicate that for these analytes (relatively polar or ionized compounds), representative ground water samples are not dependent on the materials used for multilevel sampler construction. When considering these compounds, it appears that the least expensive materials (HDPE, rigid PVC, and LDPE) are good choices for the construction of ground water monitoring wells.     

多元PCR在黑鲍(Haliotis rubra)微卫星遗传研究中的应用

根据D03等11个微卫星引物单位点PCR扩增时优化的扩增条件(退火温度、MgCl2等)和11个微卫星引物所带有的荧光颜色、等位基因大小变异范围及反应的灵敏度，可将11个微卫星引物分成A组(D03、G04、B04和H08)、B组(A09、H11、A08和G01)和C组(CmrHrl．24、CmrHr2．30和CmrHr2．23)进行多元PCR扩增，结果显示各组内位点之间的分离清晰，这表明多元PCR可以大大提高微卫星检测仪器的使用效率和提高实验效果，在微卫星研究中是一种快速便捷的方法。     

Relating the reproductive toxicity of five ingested metals in calanoid copepods with sulfur affinity

The sublethal toxicity of dietary Ag, Cd, Hg, Mn, and Zn to marine copepods, measured as depressed egg production, was evaluated as a function of ambient metal concentrations and metal concentrations in copepod tissues. All metals were toxic following 4-h feedings on metal-contaminated phytoplankton food, but there was a four order of magnitude difference between the inhibitory concentration in copepod tissues of the most toxic (2.4 nmol g(-1) dry wt. for Hg) and least toxic (13.4 micromol g(-1) dry wt. for Mn) metals. Metal concentrations in copepods that elicited a toxic response were about 3 times higher than background concentrations for Ag and 9 times higher for Hg, about 2 times higher for Cd, two orders of magnitude higher for Mn, and only 5% higher for Zn. Copepods exposed to lower concentrations of Zn for longer periods (1 week), resulting in tissue Zn concentrations similar to those in the short-term exposures, were not affected, suggesting that copepods were capable of adjusting to slowly increasing Zn by sequestration of this metal. Toxic metal concentrations in copepod tissues were directly proportional (r2 = 0.85) to the affinity of the metals for sulfur, as indicated by the solubility products of the metal sulfides. This relationship, together with protein analysis of eggs, published recently, suggests that metals affect egg production by binding to enzymes involved with vitellogenesis.     

Authors' reply

Published geochemical data for a large number of minettes of variable degrees of silica saturation indicate that mafic minettes, regardless of association, are direct mantle products. Felsic minettes may also be direct mantle products or may form by crystal fractionation and/or contamination of mafic minette magma, but it appears impossible to form either mafic or felsic minettes by crustal contamination of basaltic magma.     

African environmental and climatic changes and the general atmospheric circulation in late pleistocene and holocene

The paper describes the environmental and climatic changes which took place in Africa from the late Pleistocene through the Holocene and the general atmospheric circulation patterns which likely correspond to them. Three major periods are considered: (1) a period of aridity and dune building c. 20,000-12,000 B.P. in which the Sahara advanced considerably southward; (2) a moist, lacustrine period c. 10,000-8,000 B.P.; and (3) a second moist, lacustrine period toward c. 6,500-4,500 B.P. in which the entire Sahara desert contracted considerably. The prevailing atmospheric circulation patterns are theorized on the basis of corresponding changes of surface boundary conditions-primarily changing thermal character—and known dynamic behavior of the atmosphere.