Fossils, molecules and embryos: new perspectives on the Cambrian explosion

The Cambrian explosion is named for the geologically sudden appearance of numerous metazoan body plans (many of living phyla) between about 530 and 520 million years ago, only 1.7% of the duration of the fossil record of animals. Earlier indications of metazoans are found in the Neoproterozic; minute trails suggesting bilaterian activity date from about 600 million years ago. Larger and more elaborate fossil burrows appear near 543 million years ago, the beginning of the Cambrian Period. Evidence of metazoan activity in both trace and body fossils then increased during the 13 million years leading to the explosion. All living phyla may have originated by the end of the explosion. Molecular divergences among lineages leading to phyla record speciation events that have been earlier than the origins of the new body plans, which can arise many tens of millions of years after an initial branching. Various attempts to date those branchings by using molecular clocks have disagreed widely. While the timing of the evolution of the developmental systems of living metazoan body plans is still uncertain, the distribution of Hox and other developmental control genes among metazoans indicates that an extensive patterning system was in place prior to the Cambrian. However, it is likely that much genomic repatterning occurred during the Early Cambrian, involving both key control genes and regulators within their downstream cascades, as novel body plans evolved.     

Recently Ratified and Proposed Cambrian Global Standard Stratotype-section and Points

This paper briefly summarizes an officially ratified Global Standard Stratotype-section and Point (GSSP) and a proposed GSSP for global stages of the Cambrian System. The Luoyixi section near Luoyixi town, Guzhang, northwestern Hunan is ratified as the boundary stratotype for the base of the global Guzhangian Stage, which is the upmost stage of an unnamed series termed provisionally as Cambrian Series 3. The GSSP position lies 121.3 m above the base of the Huaqiao Formation in the section, coinciding with the first appearance of the cosmopolitan agnostoid trilobite Lejopyge leavigata.The Duibian B section at Duibian village, Jiangshan, western Zhejiang, is proposed as the boundary stratotype for the base of the proposed global Jiangshanian Stage that is the second stage of the Furongian Series. The proposed GSSP position lies 108.12 m above the base of the Huayansi Formation in the section, coinciding with the first appearance of the cosmopolitan agnostoid trilobite Agnostotes orientalius. This horizon is also with the first appearance of the cosmopolitan polymerid trilobite lrvingella angustilimbata.     

赤峰红花沟清河镇动物群的特征及层位对比

总结了赤峰红花沟石头道村清河镇动物群化石特征，根据其中发现的梅树村动物群分子Microcornus（？），Coleoloides和Rugatotheca，结合国内外资料认为该区发现的清河镇动物群相当于梅树村阶第1～第3小壳化石组合，得出该区含化石的硅质大理岩层时代应归属早寒武世早期的结论．进而提出该区太古宇建平群小塔子沟组中包含有早寒武世地层．     

湘西──浙西晚寒武世三叶虫群落及古环境

中国南方寒武纪地层出露广泛，层序完整，具有不同的沉积类型和古生物群．研究区包括：湘西、湘中、赣西北、赣东北和浙西．这里寒武系相当发育，前人大多侧重于生物化石的鉴定和化石带的研究，对古环境的研究则很少．为此本文运用岩石学、沉积学、古生物学，特别是运用三叶虫群落的特点及变化进行综合分析，探讨本区古环境．并将赣东北、浙西晚寒武世三叶虫动物群作为重点研究区，自下而上分为3个化石群落．     

REE Enrichment in Early Cambrian Gezhongwu Formation Phosphorous Rock Series in Sanjia, Zhijin County, Guizhou Province, China

The phosphorus-bearing rock series at the bottomof the Cambrian Systemin Guizhou was characterizedby REE enrichment.Among REE,Yis most abun-dant,accounting for35%~40%of the total REE.Generally,the Y-group REEs account for45%~59%of the total amount;the contents of the Ce-groupREEs are slightly higher than those of the Y-groupREEs,accounting for54.4%.With the exception ofmonazite which is occasionally seen,no independentREE mineral has beenfound.The enrichment rates ofΣREE2O3and Y…     

试述中国寒武纪古生物地理分区

详细地叙述了中国寒武纪各不同的生物地理分区，并指出了各地区生物总貌、主要特征，以及与周围环境的关系，同时与国外类似地区进行了比较．文中主要以车武纪最繁盛的生物──三叶虫为例子，对其进行了形态功能分析，将我国寒武纪生物划分成若干生物群落和各级生物区系．     

On the Lower Cretaceous in Yixian County of Jinzhou City, Western Liaoning, China

Traditionally, the lacustrine deposits in Yixian County of Western Liaoning have been assigned to either "the Dakangpu Bed" of the Yixian Formation or the Jiufotang Formation. However,a 206pb/238U age of 126.47±0.87 Ma is newly obtained from the tuff sample (06051) of the lacustrine deposits in the Baitaigou fossil site of Potaizi village, Yixian County, indicating that the lacustrine deposits in Potaizi area are approximately equivalent to the Wumingshan volcanics of the Sihetun Bed of the Yixian Formation in Beipiao. From our new dating data have arisen some new problems: Where could we find the Jiufotang Formation in Yixian County? How widely distributed is the Jiufotang Formation in Western Liaoning? Could the traditionally named Jiufotang Formation somewhere in Western Liaoning be the synchronous deposits of other litho-units (e.g. the Yixian Formation) in different facies? Could some lacustrine deposits somewhere in Western Liaoning have been assigned to the Jiufotang Formation?     

Traits, consistency, and self-schemata: What do our methods measure?

Psychologists have responded to the inadequacies that W. Mischel (1968) noted in the trait approach to personality by exploring 2 other facets of personality, cross-situational consistency and self-schemata. It is argued that these newer approaches have yet to be clearly distinguished conceptually or empirically from the traditional model that they were designed to supplement or replace. In the present 2 studies, 362 undergraduates rated the extent to which 10 traits applied to them (overall level), their consistency on these traits (cross-situational consistency), and the importance of these traits to their view of themselves (self-schema). Correlational analyses showed that the measures of consistency and self-schema lacked discriminant validity from the measures of overall level. Specifically, their correlations with level were as high as their internal consistencies. It is concluded that the measurement models for cross-situational consistency and for self-schemata do not adequately reflect their theoretical counterparts. This failure undercuts the interpretations of recent research by H. Markus (see record 1977-27585-001), Markus et al (see record 1982-23588-001), and S. Bem (see record 1981-25685-001). (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Description and Phylogenetic Position of Dinosaur Eggshells from the Luanchuan Area of Western Henan Province, China

Here, we examine 145 dinosaur eggshells from a new fossil locality in the Qiupa Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of the Luanchuan area in western Henan Province, China. The eggshells display elongatoolithid macro- and microstructures, including ridges and nodes on the outer surface, two ultrastrncturai layers, and an undulatory boundary between the mammiilary and continuous layers.A phylogenic analysis shows that the Luanchuan eggshells belong to the ooclade Eiongatoolithidae.Within Elongatoolithidae, the thickness ratio of the mammillary layer to the entire eggshell, and the porosity of the Luanchuan eggshells are comparable to the oogenera Macroolithus and Elongatoolithus. There is no direct evidence for the taxonomic identity of the Luanchuan eggshells;however, they were likely laid by oviraptorids based on their phyiogenetic position and their similarities with known oviraptorid eggs.     

Men's development and psychotherapy: A psychoanalytic perspective.

Addresses the issue of men's defensive autonomy by considering research on women's growth and development (e.g., C. Gilligan, 1982). The balancing of autonomy and affiliation as proposed by H. Kohut (1971) and W. S. Pollack (1983) is suggested as a solution for the developmental dilemmas between being relationally connected vs self-stabilizing that can lead to emotional distress in men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of the diffusion couple to study phase equilibria in the Fe-Cr-S ternary system at 600 °C

The sulfidation of Fe-Cr alloys has a large financial significance for industries that use fossil fuels, such as the electric utility industry. Therefore, the sulfidation of a series of Fe-Cr alloys was studied at 600 °C using a solid-state diffusion couple technique. The diffusion couple technique combined Fe_0.95S powder and FeCr binary alloys together in a configuration that allowed for post-heat-treatment microanalysis using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The results showed that only two different diffusion couple microstructures formed in samples spanning the entire Fe-Cr binary range. The Fe-rich alloy diffusion couples contained a surface αFeCr layer and an internal sulfide precipitate layer that contained three different sulfide phases. The Cr-rich alloy diffusion couples also possessed an internal precipitate layer, as well as a thick, triplex interfacial scale. The ternary elemental diffusion was described using diffusion paths plotted on the 600 °C isothermal section of the Fe-Cr-S phase diagram. The results also showed that samples with less than 51 wt Pct Cr were more sulfidation resistant. The accuracy of the existing Fe-Cr-S 600 °C isothermal section was assessed, and it was determined that the τ phase field had a larger composition than previously published.     

Mathematics instruction in Korean primary schools: Structures, processes, and a linguistic analysis of questioning.

This article reports results of a collaborative study of mathematics instruction in 1st and 5th grades in 5 schools in Pusan, Korea. The purpose of this collaborative effort was to describe classroom structures and processes in mathematics lessons, using the instruments and methodology developed by Stigler and Stevenson for their studies in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States (H. W. Stevenson et al., 1987; J. W. Stigler, S. -Y. Lee, G. W. Lucker, & H. W. Stevenson, 1982). Classes in Korea were teacher centered and organized in the whole-class structure. Lessons were made up of sequences of highly organized, systematic patterns of instruction dominated by teacher questions that included higher level procedural and conceptual questions. Instructional sequences were followed by short periods of practice and evaluation. Systematic conceptual development of mathematical procedures characterized the lesson content. These observations have implications for educators on both sides of the Pacific interested in why Asian students perform so well on international tests of mathematical achievement compared with students in the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lesioning a connectionist model of visual search: Selective effects on distractor grouping.

Presents a connectionist model of visual search, Search via Recursive Rejection (SERR) by G. W. Humphreys and H. J. Muller (in press), in which search is determined by patterns of grouping between distractors and between simple form elements. The performance of SERR is examined after it is subject to various types of "lesion." Lesioning is produced either by increasing the internal noise on the activation functions governing the interactions between processing units or by eliminating processing units from different loci in SERR. Simulations demonstrate that (1) search processes can be disrupted by adding internal noise to search functions, (2) there can be selective effects on grouping processes, and (3) these selective effects can be associated with different types of lesion to different stages in SERR. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of H+ extracellular and intracellular buffering capacity on the activity Ca2+/H+ exchange in the lymphocyte plasma membrane

Formation of delta pH is registered when studying Ca2+ passive transport through lymphocytes' plasma membrane (PM). The pHi values strongly depended on pH0. Changes of pH0 lead to unidirectional changes of pHi and affect Ca2+ concentration in cytoplasm of the intact cells. The presence of Ca(2+)-channels antagonists does not affect this phenomenon. Ca2+/H+ exchange is supposed to exist in PM. It is also of great interest that cytoplasmic Ca2+ and H+ activities are some equal in physiological range. Besides, H(+)-buffering as well as Ca(2+)-buffering systems are present in the cell and have their maximal capacity about 7.2 in the intact cells. The spectrofluorimetric study of internal lymphocytes' H(+)-buffering capacity with titration technique using weak base, acid or other buffer addition has demonstrated maximal value of 9.0-1.1 mM depending on the substance to be added.     

Flexible waveguides for IR laser radiation and surgery applications

Flexible plastic waveguides were developed to deliver IR radiation, especially at 10.6 microns, which is the CO2 laser radiation wavelength. The waveguide is made from teflon tube with the inner wall coated with a metal layer and a dielectric overlayer. The internal diameter (ID) is 1.0 mm, length 1.0-1.2 m, and the distal tip decreases moderately to ID approximately 0.6 mm. The distal part on the last 10 centimeters is coated externally with a metal layer. Maximum power that can be delivered at the outlet is approximately 30 W and 10.6 x 10(3) W/cm2. This type of waveguide was used in several medical operations to evaluate its cutting characteristics and the resistances to heat reflection from the tissue while operating in orifices containing liquid substances.     

On cost effectiveness: A reply.

Replies to G. H. Roid's (see record 1982-26437-001) comments on an earlier article by the present author (PA, Vol 66:10977) which suggested a need for cost-benefit (CB) and cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses in mental heath evaluations. The present author agrees that CB and CE are not simplistic techniques and that there are many complexities and drawbacks to them. He does, however, stress one indirect advantage—that it forces a broad view of financial costs and benefits of mental health services. Outcomes such as reduced medical utilization, absenteeism, or being employed need to be traced and incorporated more routinely in research on the effectiveness of mental health services. In addition to Roid's suggestion for further research on the problems of CB/CE analyses, the present author notes the educational needs of psychologists to add these and other techniques of policy analysis to their methodological arsenal. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evolution and "evolutionary behavorism": Comment.

Comments on W. R. Woodward's (see record 1982-30310-001) article on the discovery of social behaviorism and social learning theory from 1870 through 1980. The article suggests that within several concepts that are related to social behaviorism and social learning theory, the same "discovery" has been made to account for an important part of behavioral variance. This involves a functional feedback model with internal variables and some kind of selection via symbolic processes that are termed "evolutionary." The present author raises concern for Woodward's use of the biological evolutionary theory in this context. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A preliminary study on transurethral electrovaporization of the prostate (TVP) using VaporTrode

(BACKGROUND): Surgical therapy for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (B.P.H.) has mainly depended upon Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TUR-P) using a cutting loop electrode. Recently, a new technique TVP was reported using the VaporTrode apparatus. We assessed the safety and efficacy of the VaporTrode in a preliminary study. (METHODS): Histological changes of the muscle and liver of pigs were examined after vaporization using the VaporTrode and a cutting loop electrode. First, histological changes were investigated following vaporization after one stroke at a slow hand speed. Next, histological changes were assessed following vaporization at fixed stroke speed in an experimental model. (RESULTS): At an electrical output of less than 275 W, the depth of the vaporized layer increased as the stroke speed became slower (4.0 cm/s-2.5 cm/s). When the electrical output was 300 W, the depth of vaporized layer increased even at a faster stroke speed (2.5 cm/s-3.0 cm/s.) The depth of the desiccated layer increased as the stroke speed became slower at any electrical output. However, when the stroke speed was 4.0 cm/s, the depth of this layer was less than 2.0 mm. With the cutting loop electrode, the depth of the desiccated layer increased at a higher electrical power, but the change was very small. (CONCLUSION): To achieve deep enough vaporized and desiccated layers safely, the VaporTrode should be used at a stroke speed slower than 3.0 cm/s and a high electrical power of about 275 W.     

Psychological interventions and research in the oncology setting: An integrative framework.

Within the context of treatment outcome research in the oncology setting, the authors propose a model that integrates the models of responsibility developed by P. Brickman et al (see record 1982-30315-001), W. T. Powers's (1973) control theory, and E. T. Higgins's (1989) self-discrepancy theory. This integrative approach is patient-centered in its attempt to base an assessment of the psychotherapy or other interventions on an understanding of the patients' self-reference states as they interact with the treatment being assessed and the disorder for which interventions were attempted. The authors highlight some of the ways in which a purely medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, can evoke the type of patient distress whose treatment falls within the domain of psychologists. Cancer patients' internal reference states need to be considered in the respective outcome research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Synthesis and turnover of the regularly arranged surface protein of Acinetobacter sp. relative to the other components of the cell envelope

The formation of the components of the cell envelope of Acinetobacter sp. 199A was investigated by measuring the incorporation of [3H]leucine into protein, [14C]galactose into lipopolysaccharide, 32P into phospholipid, and [3H]diaminopimelic acid into peptidoglycan. Whereas the lipopolysaccharide and intrinsic protein of the outer membrane were stable, some of the regularly arranged surface protein, the alpha-protein, was lost into the growth medium. Only newly synthesized alpha-protein was lost. The peptidoglycan of the murein layer was also labile. Selective inhibition of the formation of individual components of the cell envelope with penicillin, chloramphenicol, and bacitracin showed that incorporation of protein into the outer membrane required the simultaneous formation of complete lipopolysaccharide. The converse was not true: protein synthesis was not required for lipopolysaccharide incorporation. Formation of the outer membrane and the murein layer proceeded independently.