A New Genus and Species of Sapeornithidae from Lower Cretaceous in Western Liaoning, China

Sapeornithidae is a basal pygostylian family of Early Cretaceous primitive birds, in which only one genus and species, Sapeornis chaoyangensis, was reported before. This paper deals with a new genus and species of this family, Didactylornis jii gen. et sp. nov., which was unearthed from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. According to our phylogenetic analyses, both Didactylornis gen. nov. and Sapeornis form a sister group, which is basal to the clade formed by Confuciusornis and all the more derived birds, and more closely related to the short-tailed pygostylian birds than to the long-tailed avialian birds. The early history of pygostylian birds is poorly documented except for the studies of Confuciusornis and Sapeornis. The discovery ofDidactylornisjii gen. et sp. nov. adds the new material for the study on the early evolution of birds.     

2D Coupled 3D:A New Numerical Model for Dual - Structured - Aquifer System

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SEM Observation of the Wing Membrane of Beipiaopterus chenianus (Pterosauria)

The cross-section and surface structures of wing membranes from the ctenochasmatid pterosaur Beipiaopterus chenianus were observed through a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The results show that the wing membrane contains a high density of blood vessels, implying strong thermoregulatory function, similar to that of a bat wing membrane. This is the first comparison of the microstmctures of pterosaur wing membranes with those of the modem bat. It is inferred that a bat-like physiology exists, at least in relatively small pterosaurs suggesting that these pterosaurs were warm-blooded, active fliers.     

Land subsidence caused by groundwater exploitation in Suzhou City,China

Suzhou City, located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in southeastern Jiangsu Province, is one of the few cities in China which suffer from severe ground settlement. A research project was carried out to investigate this problem. Geological and hydrogeological studies show that there is a multi-layered aquifer system with three distinct, soft mud layers of marine and lagoonal origins. An examination of historical records of groundwater extraction, water levels, and ground settlement shows that the ground subsidence is associated with the continuously increasing groundwater extraction in the deep, confined aquifer. It is believed that the consolidation of the soft mud layers, especially the third layer which is thick and close to the main pumped aquifer, contributes to the ground settlement. A three-dimensional finite difference numerical model representing the multi-layered aquifer system was developed to study the ground settlement in response to groundwater extraction. By calibrating the model with both the measured groundwater level and ground settlement, the aquifer parameters were estimated. The model outputs fit reasonably well with the observed results, which indicates that the numerical model can reproduce the dynamic processes of both groundwater flow and soil consolidation. The hydraulic conductivity of the third mud layer near the center of the ground settlement has been reduced by over 30% in the last 14 years. The gradual deterioration in the hydraulic conductivity of the mud may have significant adverse effect on the sustainable groundwater resource of the deep confined aquifer, since the recharge from the shallow aquifers through the mud layer is the only source of water to the deep aquifer. An analysis of the spatial distributions of groundwater drawdown and ground settlement shows that the area with maximum drawdown is not necessarily the area with maximum ground settlement due to the occurrence of the soft mud layer. A simple reallocation in pumping rates on the basis of the spatial distribution of the thick mud layer could significantly reduce the ground settlement. Electronic Publication     

辽西中生代燕鸟化石新材料的补充研究

本文记述了一件产自辽宁锦州义县早白垩世九佛堂组燕鸟 (Yanornis)化石的新标本。研究标本不但自身保存非常精美 ,而且其嘴里还完整地保存了它捕获的最后一件猎物——吉南鱼 (Jinanichthys longi-cephalus)。该标本的研究 ,不仅对燕鸟的生存环境、生活习性、捕食类型等研究提供了直接的证据 ,而且对于探讨辽西热河生物群中脊椎动物的“集群死亡”的原因也具有重要的意义     

滞后补给权函数：降雨补给潜水滞后性处理方法

本文分析了当前数值模型中处理降雨入渗补给潜水方法中存在的问题,提出一种能刻画滞后补给且使用方便的方法－滞后补给权函数法。     

粗壮假碾磨齿兽的发现及其科学意义

本文简要回顾了蜀兽类哺乳动物的研究历史,论述了在哺乳动物牙齿演化和中生代陆相地层对比研究中的科学意义。粗壮假碾磨齿兽的发现有力地支持了哺乳动物中“三磨楔齿形臼齿趋同演化”的假设,并再一次以直接的化石证据表明内蒙古宁城道虎沟地区含蜀兽类化石地层的时代为中侏罗世。