Small Mounds Research Articles

A NEW ANGUIMORPH LIZARD FROM THE LOWER MIOCENE OF NORTH‐WEST BOHEMIA, CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract: The cranial remains of a new Lower Miocene anguimorph, Merkurosaurus ornatus gen. et sp. nov., are described from north‐west Bohemia (Czech Republic). The animal is morphologically very similar to the Recent Shinisaurus crocodilurus, but it differs in several ways. The distinctive features of Merkurosaurus are: the nasal process of premaxilla is long and slender with a bilaterally constricted shaft and bilaterally broadened dorsal portion; the dorsal portion of the nasal process divides into three processes of which the median one is the longest; the ornamented surface of the parietal is subdivided into five pustule‐like mounds on both right and left sides, with one further mound around the posterior and lateral margins of the parietal foramen. A close phylogenetic affinity to the anguimorph genera Shinisaurus, Bahndwivici, Dalinghosaurus and Carusia, and partially to Xenosaurus, is indicated by characters such as: frontal fused with deep cristae cranii; lateral border of frontals strongly constricted between orbits; double interorbital row of large mounds diverge posteriorly along orbital margin; sculptured postorbital ramus of jugal; small mounds on frontal and parietal with ornamented vermiculate structures; and parietal foramen within parietal but close to anterior margin. Merkurosaurus is the only taxon of this affinity known from the Cenozoic of Eurasia.

An Alternate View of Complexity at Tall-E Bakun A

This paper reviews the evidence for complexity at the small mound site of Tall-e Bakun A. Alizadeh has identified the village as a manufacturing centre controlled by an élite group. This argument was based on the sealings, prestige goods, distinctive architecture and segregation of areas found at the site. It is suggested here, however, that these data are also consistent with a largely undifferentiated society. An alternate model is offered, in which the community was structured in a series of extended family households.

Effect of Subureteral Injection of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDS) in Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux

Subureteral injection of bulking agents is an accepted, less invasive, treatment of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in children. We evaluated the efficacy of an endoscopic subureteral polydimethylsiloxane (MacroplastiqueR) injection with primary VUR in children. A total of 21patients (31 renal units), aged between 2 and 15 years were included in this study. The vesicoureteral reflux was grade I in 5, grade II in 7, grade III in 9, grade IV in 7 and grade V in 3 renal units. PDS was injected submucosally under the ureteric orifice, converting the opening to allow the elevation of the mucosa, so that the orifices lay on the summit of a small mound, which assumed an elevated crescent appearance by the end of the procedure. The patients were followed up from 6 to 24 months (mean 18.5 months) with voiding cystourethrography. Overall, the reflux was corrected in 26 of the renal units (83.8%) in one injection. The correction rates, according to the reflux grade, were 100, 100, 88.8, 71.4, 66.7% for grades I to V, respectively. There were no associated postoperative complications. The mean hospital stay and operation time were 2.7 days (2∼4 days) and 17.5 minutes (12∼25 minutes), respectively. In conclusion, for low grade reflux, subureteral PDS injection therapy could be a primary treatment for VUR in children because it is simple, less invasive, decreased hospital stay and showes a high success rate.

Modeling scattering from azimuthally symmetric bathymetric features using wavefield superposition

In this paper, an approach for modeling the scattering from azimuthally symmetric bathymetric features is described. These features are useful models for small mounds and indentations on the seafloor at high frequencies and seamounts, shoals, and basins at low frequencies. A bathymetric feature can be considered as a compact closed region, with the same sound speed and density as one of the surrounding media. Using this approach, a number of numerical methods appropriate for a partially buried target or facet problem can be applied. This paper considers the use of wavefield superposition and because of the azimuthal symmetry, the three-dimensional solution to the scattering problem can be expressed as a Fourier sum of solutions to a set of two-dimensional scattering problems. In the case where the surrounding two half spaces have only a density contrast, a semianalytic coupled mode solution is derived. This provides a benchmark solution to scattering from a class of penetrable hemispherical bosses or indentations. The details and problems of the numerical implementation of the wavefield superposition method are described. Example computations using the method for a simple scattering feature on a seabed are presented for a wide band of frequencies.

High heat flow anomalies on an old oceanic plate observed seaward of the Japan Trench

Thirty-three new measurements on the seaward slope and outer rise of the Japan Trench along a parallel of 38°45′N revealed the existence of high heat flow anomalies on the subducting Pacific plate, where the seafloor age is about 135 m.y.. The most prominent anomaly with the highest value of 114 mW/m2 is associated with a small mound on the outer rise, which was reported to be a kind of mud volcano. On the seaward slope of the trench, heat flow is variable: high (70–90 mW/m2) at some locations and normal for the seafloor age (about 50 mW/m2) at others. The spatial variation of heat flow may be related to development of normal faults and horst/graben structures due to bending of the Pacific plate before subduction, with fluid flow along the fault zones enhancing the vertical heat transfer. Possible heat sources of the high heat flow anomalies are intra-plate volcanism in the last several million years like that discovered recently on the Pacific plate east of the Japan Trench.

Flame treatment of low-density polyethylene: Surface chemistry across the length scales

The relationship between surface chemistry and morphology of flame treated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was studied by various characterization techniques across different length scales. The chemical composition of the surface was determined on the micrometer scale by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as with time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), while surface wettability was obtained through contact angle (CA) measurements on the millimeter scale. The surface concentration of hydroxyl, carbonyl and carboxyl groups, as a function of the “number” of the flame treatment passes (which is proportional to the treatment time) was obtained. Moreover, a correlation was found with chemical composition and polarity, emphasizing the role of oxygen-containing functional groups introduced during the treatment. Carboxyl functional groups were specifically identified by fluorescent labeling and the results were compared with the ToF-SIMS data. In addition, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to evaluate changes in surface topography and roughness on the nanometer to micrometer length scales. After flame treatment, water-soluble low molecular weight oxidized materials (LMWOM), which were generated as products of oxidation and chain scission of the LDPE surface, agglomerated into small topographical mounds that were visible in the AFM micrographs. After rinsing the flame treated samples with water and ethanol, bead-like nodular surface structures were observed. The ionization state of flame treated LDPE surfaces was monitored by chemical force microscopy (CFM). The effective surface p K a values of carboxylic acid (–COOH) obtained by AFM were revealed by chemical force titration curves and the effective surface p K a values were found to be around 6.

Influence of alpine plants growing on steep slopes on sediment trapping and transport by runoff

Understanding the interactions between soil and the organisms that are conducive to decreasing sediment runoff is a great concern on high-elevation ski trails. Intense rainfalls on steep slopes combined with soil formed on gypsum result in recurrent erosion. This study was conducted in the northern French Alps to determine the abilities of species: (1) to make mounds and (2) to trap sediment and thereby to control erosion at the slope scale. We also investigated relevant above-ground plant characteristics related to those abilities. Sediment runoff or deposition was investigated at small and large spatial scales. We assessed whether hoof prints in soil reflect sediment runoff at the slope scale by trapping sediment. Populations of plants growing on two slope angles (25° and 35°) and three vegetation cover densities (15%, 35%, 60%) were surveyed. An experiment was also conducted to measure the sediment deposit upslope of target species and over three months during the autumn. Small mounds were found upslope of the plant and sediment deposit measurements showed that they resulted from a sedimentation process. Nevertheless the species differed in their capacity to make mounds. Sesleria caerulea and Festuca alpina had the highest amount of sediment deposition over the experimental period. Among the plant characteristics, plant length was positively correlated with mound area, while the roundness index of the canopy was negatively correlated with mound height. Mound formation was also positively related to the number of tillers or shoots. Sediment accumulation in cow hoof prints was linked to runoff that occurred at the slope scale. Low deposition in hoof prints means low sediment runoff or a large deposition on mounds, due to the increase in vegetation cover. All the findings stressed that understanding the processes in action at larger scales requires studying processes at smaller scales.

Geomorphological features in the Gavkhoni playa lake, Se Esfahan, Iran

Common features on the sand flat are gypsiferous marl mounds, gypsum interlayers, thin efflorescent salt crust, puffy surface and tufa. The first four features suggest periodic flooding and desiccation. Bi-carbonate-rich springs probably built small tufa mounds. Hard porous surface pitted by small holes with a few centimeters wide and deep is remarkable morphology on the mud flat/saline mud flat. This results from flooding, desiccation and evaporation of capillary brines and rapid and differential rising of the sedimentary surface. Polygonal halite crusts, halite pressure ridges and efflorescent cauliflowers (popcorn) are common features on the salt pan. They suggest volume reduction caused by either thermal contraction or desiccation and pumping of subsurface brine and subsequent evaporation along the cracks between the polygons.

Once in a Lifetime: the Date of the Wayland's Smithy Long Barrow

Twenty-three radiocarbon results are now available from the Wayland's Smithy long barrow, and are presented within an interpretive Bayesian statistical framework. Four alternative archaeological interpretations of the sequence are considered, each with a separate Bayesian model, though only two are presented in detail. The differences are based on different readings of the sequence of Wayland's Smithy II. In our preferred interpretation of the sequence, the primary mortuary structure was some kind of lidded wooden box, accessible for deposition over a period of time, and then closed by the mound of Wayland's Smithy I; Wayland's Smithy II was a unitary construction, with transepted chambers, secondary kerb and secondary ditches all constructed together. In the Bayesian model for this interpretation, deposition began in the earlier thirty-sixth century cal. bc, and probably lasted for a generation. A gap of probably 40–100 years ensued, before the first small mound was constructed in 3520–3470 cal. bc. After another gap, probably of only 1–35 years, the second phase of the monument was probably constructed in the middle to later part of the thirty-fifth century cal. bc (3460–3400 cal. bc), and its use probably extended to the middle decades of the thirty-fourth century cal. bc. Results are discussed in relation to the local setting, the nature of mortuary rites and the creation of tradition.

An Achaemenid « Palace » at Qarajamirli (Azerbaijan) Preliminary Report on the Excavations in 2006

AbstractExcavations on a small mound near the village Qarajamirli in western Azerbaijan provided remains of a monumental building, as well as quite a number of fragments of limestone column bases. The symmetrical ground plan of the building, the architectural sculpture and the pottery found on the floor closely follow Persian models from the Achaemenid era. Similar structures are known from Sary Tepe (Azerbaijan) and Gumbati (Georgia). These, as well as the building in Qarajamirli, can be interpreted as the residences of Persian officials, who left this area when the Achaemenid Empire collapsed. The painted pottery from the following period, when some peasants or herdsmen occasionally lived there, so far finds parallels only in Eastern Georgia.

Changes in coral-reef structure through the Miocene in the Mediterranean province: Adaptive versus environmental influence

Well-documented Mediterranean examples of Miocene carbonate platforms, with complete exposures from shallow-water to basinal facies, provide evidence for temporal changes in reef-building capacity of zooxanthellate corals. In pre–late Tortonian platforms, small coralgal patches and mounds occur from platform top to the toe of slope, but they did not build to sea level. In contrast, barrier reefs with unequivocal reef-crest structures that reached sea level are documented in late Tortonian–early Messinian platforms. We suggest that a change in both calcification rates and bathymetric zonation was the result of coevolution of corals and Symbiodinium zooxanthellae, coeval to global cooling and, at least at a regional scale, a geochemical change that supported widespread aragonite precipitation through the late Miocene.

The History of Archaeological Investigations at The Jamestown Mound Site (41SM54), An Archaeological Conservancy Preserve in Smith County, Texas

The Jamestown Mound site (41SM54) is an Archaeological Conservancy (TAC) preserve in northern Smith Country, Texas in the northeastern part of the state. The Jamestown site is one of the largest Caddo mound centers in East Texas, with seven recorded mounds and an associated village area of unknown extent and internal complexity. It is also one of the four premier mound centers in the Sabine River basin, the other three being Hudnall-Pirtle (41RK4), a TAC preserve, Pine Tree Mounds (41HS15), also a TAC preserve as of 2006, and Boxed Springs (41UR30), and was obviously an important civic and ceremonial center for the prehistoric Caddo peoples that lived there and in surrounding communities. Unfortunately, at the present time very little is known about the archaeological record preserved at the Jamestown site, or the exact locations of several of the smaller mounds on the preserve. Here, I summarize the history of archaeological research at the Jamestown site. This article is intended to be a companion piece to the report to be submitted to the TAC on the results of on-going remote sensing activities at the Jamestown preserve. The Jamestown preserve covers approximately 18 acres of pasture divided into two tracts by a north-south running fence. It is a large prehistoric Caddo mound center, with multiple mounds, roughly arranged in a circular pattern, with an open area (or plaza) between the mounds. The largest mound (Md. A) (measuring ca. 43 m in diameter and 4 m in height, is situated in the southwestern side of the circle of mounds. Mounds B-E (15-20 m in diameter and 40 cm-1 m in height) are probably mounds built over houses with a clay floor and a clay cap. The exact locations of Mounds D and E within the TAC preserve are not currently known. Md. A is known to have two levels of burned structural remains in the upper mound fill.

"Don't You Mean 'Slaves,' Not 'Servants'?": Literary and Institutional Texts for an Interdisciplinary Classroom

representations: One of the things that virtually all the students referred to in their reflections was that when the slave quarters were finally demolished, many of the remnant stones were used for foundational stones of the first university buildings con Texts of Our Institutional Lives 171 structed in the 1890s. This image was so troubling that it imprinted itself upon almost every exam essay. Students suggested that plaques commemorating these stones be placed on those buildings. One student even suggested taking similar-looking stones and stra tegically piling them in small mounds around campus as a quiet sort of commemorative art installation, accompanied with no signage at all?echoing the ways in which the slaves themselves were both omnipresent and ignored. As he noted to justify his pro posal, the first line of Property runs, It never ends. The final story of this class is still to come. I hope to tactfully and persuasively assemble many of my students' suggestions and present them to our administration in order to improve community awareness of our history. I doubt the university will be ready to take on many of the more challenging, controversial, or outlandish pro posals the students had, such as constructing a massive Colonial Williamsburg-style reconstruction with hundreds of interpreters and freestanding visitors' centers and exhibit space or, more pointedly, placing markers all over campus reminding visitors that this is where enslaved people once worked, lived, and died. On the other hand, I can see some of the ideas being taken on and the mere fact that they are being made gives me hope for my university and my students. By looking at a variety of texts, and including the university itself as a site for textual interrogation, I hope I broadened not merely my students' knowledge of representations of slavery, but of representation itself.

Stenkast

Stenkast

Twenty year responses of white spruce to mechanical site preparation and early chemical release in the boreal region of northeastern British Columbia

The effects of six mechanical site preparation treatments, two stock-type treatments, and early chemical release on survival and growth of planted white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were studied in the BWBSmw1 biogeoclimatic zone of northeastern British Columbia. After 20 years, spruce height and diameter were larger in all mounding treatments than in the control. Early results suggested better spruce performance on large than small mounds, but after 20 years, growth was equally good on small mounds as on mounds with 20 cm mineral capping. Spruce planted on hinge positions in the Bräcke patch and blade scarification treatments did not survive or grow well. Early chemical release improved spruce growth equally as well as the mounding treatments. Twenty year spruce survival averaged 71% in the 14 and 20 cm mound treatments, 60% in the early chemical release treatment, and ≤35% in the Bräcke patch and blade scarification treatments. A large stock type was also planted in untreated ground and, after 20 years, had similar survival and growth as the standard stock type. Differences in survival had a large effect on basal area at age 20 years. Trend analysis showed that treatments diverged into two distinct groups with regard to spruce size during the 20 year span of the study.

Colony site choice of blue‐tailed bee‐eaters: influences of soil, vegetation, and water quality

All bee‐eaters (Family Meropidae) are cavity nesters, excavating terrestrial burrows in sites ranging from flat ground, to small mounds of soil, steep earthen banks seen in road clearings, eroded cliff faces, and river gorges. However, very little is known concerning the environmental factors that influence nest site selection in bee‐eaters. We addressed abiotic and biotic issues associated with colony site choice in blue‐tailed bee‐eaters (Merops philippinus) nesting on Kinmen Island, off mainland China, from 2000 to 2002. About 89% of the colonies were located on slopes with soils of sandy loam and the other 11% on sandy clay loam. No colony was found on clay loam, which covered 20% of the island. The sandy loam and sandy clay loam had lower soil pressure, density and moisture, which, presumably, were easier for bee‐eaters to excavate and provided better drainage and ventilation for nest cavities. Bee‐eaters avoided placing nest cavities in areas with dense vegetation and abandoned colony sites when they became overgrown. Vegetation would impede excavation and decrease the detectability of predators. Bee‐eaters may prefer colony sites near water bodies showing water chemistries indicative of more biological productivity, especially in relation to the diversity and abundance of their major prey, dragonflies.

Microtopography and Plant-Cover Controls on Nitrogen Dynamics in Hummock Tundra Ecosystems in Siberia

Earth hummocks constitute the most common surface structures of Arctic regions. In hummock tundra ecosystems, small mounds of earth alternate with depressions, the so-called interhummock areas. This study aimed at elucidating how differences in microtopography and associated variations in abiotic and biotic factors control biogeochemical cycles in hummock tundra soils. We assessed N pools and N transformation rates in hummocks and interhummock areas in the southern tundra subzone and along a soil-moisture gradient in the typical tundra subzone of the Taymyr Peninsula, Siberia, Russia. On a regional scale, N pools and transformation rates were positively related to latitude and therefore to temperature. Generally, wetter or waterlogged soil conditions tended to decrease gross mineralization rates and soil microbial N at least in interhummock areas. In contrast, at small spatial scales, soil microclimatic conditions were not the main determinant of the observed nitrogen cycling pattern. We found higher N pools and N gross mineralization rates at interhummock areas (wetter and cooler) compared to the hummocks (warmer and drier). The observed differences in N cycling between microsites of hummock tundra may be the consequence of different plant-cover and variable substrate inputs resulting from differences in microrelief.

Development of Poly(propylene) Surface Topography During Corona Treatment

AbstractSummary: Atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact‐angle measurements, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) were used to characterize biaxially oriented poly(propylene) (PP) films modified by exposure to a corona discharge. Surface analysis was performed on PP films modified at various corona energies to explore the changes in surface topography, wettability, and oxidation state resulting from the corona treatment. Even at low corona energies, water‐soluble low‐molecular‐weight oxidized materials (LMWOM) are formed. These LMWOM products agglomerate into small topographical mounds that are visible in the AFM images. For the detection of LMWOM on corona‐treated surfaces, AFM appears to be at least as sensitive as contact‐angle measurements or ESCA. A major advantage of AFM relative to the other surface analytical techniques used to confirm the presence of the LMWOM is that no washing of the surface with water is required in conjunction with the AFM analysis.magnified image

SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON APPLICATION OF GENERALIZED MOMVABLE COORDINATE SYTEM TO DENSITY MIXING CURRENTS

Applicability of some numerical schemes in generalized curvilinear coordinate forms on a density current is examined focusing on the conservation and numerical diffusion. Various models with different spatial schemes for convective terms, grid fineness, turbulence models and methods of pressure calculation are applied to the mixing of two fluids with different density in a simple rectangular domain (Flat Model), a rectangular domain with a small mound (Mound Model) and a trapezoidal domain with steep bed slope (Slope Model). The numerical results show that the un-conservative spatial schemes yield significant error in total salinity and grid fineness affects not only the vertical density profile but also the phase velocity of density wave. A simple modification is also proposed in order to suppress unreasonable current in a stable stratified flow over a steep bed slope.

Role of pelletization in mineralization of fine-grained coastal sediments

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 291:23-33 (2005) - doi:10.3354/meps291023 Role of pelletization in mineralization of fine-grained coastal sediments Christian Wild1,3,*, Hans Røy1, Markus Huettel1,2 1Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany2Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4320, USA3Present address: Ocean Sciences Section, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Comission, UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75015 Paris, France *Email: c.wild@lrz.uni-muenchen.de ABSTRACT: This study investigates how pellet deposition caused by the head-down deposit feeding polychaete Heteromastus filiformis enhances sediment surface layer permeability and thereby the degradation of organic matter contained in that layer. The permeability of pellet accumulations on the sediment surface was 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of the non-pelletized sediment surface, which also had a 30% lower porosity. Freshly deposited organic-rich pellets initially consumed approximately 10 times more O2 than an equivalent volume of the ambient, oxic, surface sediment. As a consequence of the deposition of the relatively large (400 to 500 µm) grain-like pellets in small mounds, topographical structures are generated on the originally rather flat surface, which cause advective pore water flow through the pellet mounds as soon as the latter are exposed to boundary layer flows. At a flow velocity of 70 mm s–1 at 5 mm above the sediment, pore water flow velocity through pellet accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 mm s–1, transporting oxygenated water to the pellets. Incubation experiments in flow-through columns showed that the O2 consumption of pellet accumulations increases by approximately 100 µmol (g dry mass)–1 d–1 when the flow rate is increased from 10 to 20 ml h–1. A faster degradation of reduced organic C and N contained in the fecal pellets was observed under the influence of flow (70% of C and 68% of N degraded) compared to stagnancy (44% of C and 40% of N degraded) in a 3 wk flume incubation. Degradation of organic C and N in the surrounding, flat, surface sediment, which was not flushed by water flow, was not detectable during the same time period. We conclude that pelletization enhances organic matter turnover in fine-grained deposits through generation of a high secondary permeability of the sediment surface layer that permits advective pore water exchange, enhancing mineralization of the deposited organic-rich pellets. KEY WORDS: Heteromastus filiformis · Fecal pellets · Permeability · Advective flow · Oxygen profiles · Organic matter degradation Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 291. Online publication date: April 28, 2005 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2005 Inter-Research.