Trace fossils of an amalgamated storm-bed succession from the Jurassic of the Kachchh Basin,India:The significance of time-averaging in ichnology

The uppermost part of the Upper Bathonian Sponge Limestone member, Patcham Formation, of the Jhura Dome of Kachchh Mainland is a thickening-and shallowing-upward succession topped by medium-to thick-bedded hummocky cross-stratified grainstones deposited by storm waves. Occasionally, thin, commonly lenticular, intraclastic-bioclastic silty marl intercalations between the grainstones are highly bioturbated, in contrast to the grainstones, in which, for the most part, trace fossils occur scattered. Large exposures of bedding planes of the grainstones allow the detailed investigation of ichnological features, whereas the high density of traces in the soft marls precludes the identification of any ichnotaxa. Eighteen ichnotaxa have been recorded including Ophiomorpha, Thalassinoides, Taenidium, Gyrophyllites, Chondrites, Dactyloidites, Teichichnus, Bolonia, and Ancorichnus. Except for Ophiomorpha nodosa and Thalassinoides, which generally indicate moderate to high energy conditions and are the dwelling burrows of suspension-feeding to omnivorous crustaceans, the ichnotaxa represent a deposit-feeding behaviour of their producers and thus are characteristic of low-energy environments. The trace fossils form three ichnoassemblages characterized by(1) Ophiomorpha nodosa and Thalassinoides suevicus,(2)?Thalassinoides isp. A, Taenidium, and Bolonia lata,and(3) Ancorichnus. The dominance of traces of deposit-feeders in rocks indicative of high-energy events is counterintuitive and points to their non-contemporaneity. The sediments were deposited during brief highenergy events, whereas the trace fossils were produced when, after waning of storms low-energy conditions prevailed. This time-averaging is particularly pronounced in trace fossils that extend vertically downwards and may reach strata deposited under distinctly different conditions. Thus, environmental interpretations based on trace fossils should refer to colonisation surfaces rather than to the sediment surrounding the trace fossils. In the latter case, interpretations may be erroneous, especially when erosion subsequently destroyed sedimentary evidence of their original environment.     

Biochemical alterations in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc: glutathione reductase as a target

The aim of this study was to investigate biochemical changes in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc chloride (10, 30 and 100 microM) for a period of 48 h. Zinc exposure caused a concentration-dependent reduction in glutathione reductase (GR) activity in gills, liver and brain. Gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) was reduced when animals were exposed to the highest concentration of 100 microM zinc. The phosphorylation of p38(MAPK) increased in the brain of fish exposed to zinc 100 microM, while phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) remained unchanged. Expression of proteins HSP60 and HSP70 were not affected by zinc exposure. Considering the significant concentration-dependent inhibition of GR in all tissues analyzed, this enzyme could be a potential biomarker of exposure to zinc, which has to be confirmed.     

Differentiated payments for environmental services schemes: Amethodology proposal

Payment schemes for environmental services face serious budget constraints in Mexico. Payments are equally distributed among forest owners, and the governmental agencies that make payments to beneficiaries do not evaluate the amount of environmental services produced by forested areas. This lack of evaluation could lead to economic and environmental deficiencies that restrict the possible benefits of such programmes. In general, these programmes do not achieve their conservation objectives, and local beneficiaries are not involved in the design or application of these programmes. Similarly, the Payments for Hydrological Environmental Services (PHES) programme of the State of Mexico, Mexico, makes equal payments to beneficiaries of forested areas considering tree density. The objective of the present work was to create a methodology for determining differentiated payments schemes for hydrological environmental services, prioritising areas that contribute the most to groundwater recharge and promote the participation of society. In the Nevado de Toluca Natural Protected Area, the environmental criteria of forest type, tree density and aquifer overexploitation as well as social participation were considered in a multi-criteria analysis implemented in a Geographic Information System. A methodology was developed to determine differentiated payments based on specific forest characteristics that influence the potential capacity of forests to recharge groundwater reserves in addition to the level of social participation. In particular, social participation is key as it could ensure the viability of PHES programmes as conservation alternatives in forested areas with high groundwater recharge potential.     

Application of soft computing techniques for shallow foundation reliability in geotechnical engineering

This research focuses on the application of three soft computing techniques including Minimax Probability Machine Regression(MPMR),Particle Swarm Optimization based Artificial Neural Network(ANN-PSO)and Particle Swarm Optimization based Adaptive Network Fuzzy Inference System(ANFIS-PSO)to study the shallow foundation reliability based on settlement criteria.Soil is a heterogeneous medium and the involvement of its attributes for geotechnical behaviour in soil-foundation system makes the prediction of settlement of shallow a complex engineering problem.This study explores the feasibility of soft computing techniques against the deterministic approach.The settlement of shallow foundation depends on the parametersγ(unit weight),e0(void ratio)and CC(compression index).These soil parameters are taken as input variables while the settlement of shallow foundation as output.To assess the performance of models,different performance indices i.e.RMSE,VAF,R^2,Bias Factor,MAPE,LMI,U(95),RSR,NS,RPD,etc.were used.From the analysis of results,it was found that MPMR model outperformed PSO-ANFIS and PSO-ANN.Therefore,MPMR can be used as a reliable soft computing technique for non-linear problems for settlement of shallow foundations on soils.     

Influence of the upper mixed layer depth on Langmuir turbulence characteristics

The upper mixed layer depth (h) has a significant seasonal variation in the real ocean and the low-order statistics of Langmuir turbulence are dramatically influenced by the upper mixed layer depth.To explore the influence of the upper mixed layer depth on Langmuir turbulence under the condition of the wind and wave equilibrium,the changes of Langmuir turbulence characteristics with the idealized variation of the upper mixed layer depth from very shallow (h=5 m) to deep enough (h=40 m) are studi...     

太平洋东北部水合物脊现代甲烷渗漏区有孔虫记录甲烷的碳同位素证据

俄勒冈州外海水合物脊现代甲烷渗漏区的发现,为研究甲烷对活体有孔虫生态和地球化学方面的影响提供了机会。2002年在水合物脊南部高点获取一批岩心。样品经保存和染色后用来测定Uvigerina peregrina、Cibicidoidesmckannai和Globobuliminaauriculata3个底栖有孔虫属种的活体（经染色）和死体的碳同位素（δ13C）组成。有孔虫样经光学显微镜和扫描电镜检查,未发现有成岩作用或自生碳酸盐沉淀作用的迹象。渗漏区活底栖有孔虫单体记录的乎δ13C值在-0．4％--21．2％0之间,说明受高浓度甲烷碳同位素的影响。渗漏区底栖有孔虫护C平均值（由单体样品计算）范围在-1．28％--5．64％0之间,而背景区（没有甲烷渗漏）的介于-0．81％--0．85％之间。为了解环境因素对底栖有孔虫δ13C值的影响,对细菌席和蛤床两种截然不同的甲烷渗漏环境的底栖有孔虫进行研究。细菌席区的有孔虫单体比蛤床区的具有更负的δ13C值。我们解释这种差异是食物来源或共生细菌对底栖有孔虫δ13C值影响的结果,通过溶解无机碳（DIC）作用于底栖有孔虫,使其δ13C值负偏移。对比活体和死体底栖有孔虫的δ13C值,并未发现统计上的差异。这说明自生碳酸盐沉淀作用未在观测到的同位素组成中起主导作用。然而,少量极度亏损δ13C（〈-12％）的死体底栖有孔虫确实显示了自生碳酸盐岩沉积对有孔虫δ13C值影响的潜在证据。     

大洋中脊热液活动与轴部岩浆房的分布、深度以及熔融程度之间的关系

热液活动,特别是高温流体释放,通常与轴部存在岩浆房（AMC）有关,然而这种关系尚未得到系统的验证。通过对6个区域性较长（长度在170—560km之间）的洋脊段进行连续的AMC以及热液羽流调查,就有可能定量比较热液活动的分布、强度与AMC范围、深度以及在部分站位岩浆熔融程度之间的关系。这六个区域性洋脊的扩张速率在55—145mm／a之间,共包含20个次级的洋脊段。在洋脊段尺度上（除去受到热点影响的加勒帕戈斯扩张中心）,热液羽流的发生率随着AMC的发生率（AMCr,r^2=0．64）增加而线性增加。对所研究的6个区域性洋脊段而言,热液羽流的发生率随着AMC的深度减小而增加（AMCZ,r^2=0．66）。在次级洋脊段尺度上,热液羽流的发生率与AMCr（r^2=0．12）以及AMCz（r^2=0．25）相关性很差。最后在亚段尺度上,或者在局部尺度上（0．75km长的区间内）,热液羽流的强度随着AMCz的变浅而增强（r^2=0．85）。羽流强度越强的区间也就越接近它们的海底来源,其中68±13％直接位于AMC之上。这种分布与现在已知的40个高温喷口场中至少有37个位于AMC之上的分布相似。现在的数据能够允许我们验证AMC与热液活动相互之间关系的假设。尽管现存的数据很少,不支持如下假设：熔融富集的岩浆透镜体优先发育强烈的、持续周期长的热液喷发。同时,在任何洋脊段也未能为如下提议找到证据：在段尺度上,热液冷却的增加可以在局部亚段上降低AMCz。在慢速洋脊,岩浆房存在的证据相当稀少,然而这些数据却与那些具有更快扩张速率洋脊的数据相一致。对所有扩张速率洋脊的观察结果表明,几乎所有的高温热液场均与岩浆或者推断的岩浆有关;而“热岩”或者非岩浆热源不足以引起高温热液喷发。     

Methodology for the diagnostics of soil polygenesis on the basis of macro- and micromorphological studies

A methodology for studying soil polygenesis and lithological homogeneity of soil profiles is suggested. This methodology is particularly important for mountain soils, where the lithological heterogeneity of the soil profiles created by denudation and accumulation processes is often observed. The methodology includes several stages： （a） the study of the lithological homogeneity/ heterogeneity of soil profiles by field and laboratory methods, （b） the stage-by-stage macro-, meso-, micro-, and submicromorphological analyses of soil profiles with additional use of the methods of neighboring sciences, and （e） the subdivision of soil features into the groups of recent and inherited （relict） features. In the latter group, the subgroups of lithorelict features inherited from the parent material and pedorelict features inherited from the previous stages of soil formation can be distinguished. Two major models of soil polygenesis are suggested. Simple models describe the soils, in which new features appear due to the changes in the environmental conditions in the course of soil evolution. Complex models describe the soils, in which such changes are combined with deposition of new portions of sediments onto the soil surface with the development of buried soil horizons （the synlithogenie pedogenesis）. The models of continuous and discontinuous synlithogenic pedogenesis can be further distinguished. It is argued that the micromorphological method applied to the studies on soil mierofabrics, microforms of soil humus, soil porosity, coatings, and various pedo- and lithorelict features yields valuable information on polygenetic soils.