贵州思南奥陶纪末至志留纪初大息场组的笔石

贵州思南奥陶纪末至志留纪初大息场组的笔石研究结果表明,大息场组共产出笔石6属7种:Styracograptus chiai(Mu,1949),Normalograptus mirnyensis(Obut and Sobolevskaya,1967),Normalograptus ajjeri(Legrand,1977),Metaclimacograptus hughesi(Nicholson,1869),Avitograptus avitus(Davies,1929),Atavograptus atavus(Jones,1909)和Korenograptus laciniosus(Churkin and Carter,1970)。自下而上可识别出相当Dicellograptus complexus带、Akidograptus ascensus带和Cystograptus vesiculosus-Coronograptus cyphus带的3个含笔石地层带。虽然大息场组的笔石动物群分异度较低,但全都是上扬子区奥陶-志留系之交的常见属种,除S.chiai(Mu)之外,其它都是全球广布的物种。     

川西汉源-荥经地区下奥陶统大乘寺组的笔石

对川西汉源-荥经地区CYD2井下奥陶统弗洛阶大乘寺组的笔石进行研究,结果表明Baltograptus deflexus笔石带在这一覆盖区发育良好。CYD2井的该带笔石动物群共含2属5种。根据下垂对笔石类的始端发育型式,修正前人对波罗的笔石属(Baltograptus)和巅峰笔石属(Corymbograptus)内一些种的归属,并对CYD2井的5种笔石进行描述。可能受制于钻心标本的限制,该地区的Baltograptus deflexus带笔石动物群分异度较低。川西汉源-荥经-峨眉山地区的大乘寺组与上覆二叠系梁山组呈假整合接触,表明该地区长期遭受沉积间断和剥蚀作用,B.deflexus带的确定,指示了这一长期剥蚀作用的最大深度。     

A new specimen of Orthosuchus stormbergi (Nash 1968) and a review of the distribution of Southern African Lower Jurassic crocodylomorphs

Orthosuchus stormbergi (Nash 1968) is a rare member of the Lower Jurassic crocodylomorph fauna of Southern Africa. Here we report on a new specimen, consisting of a nearly complete dentary bone, and a previously collected specimen that can confidently be referred to this taxon. The dentary presents several features of utility for generic-level identification of Southern African crocodylomorphs, and furthermore the anatomy of this specimen allows for a modest revision of the generic diagnosis. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to reassess differences in dentary morphology between basal South African crocodylomorphs with the intention of refining taxonomic identification. Finally, we review the stratigraphic provenance of all of Southern Africa’s known crocodylomorph taxa, and show that most are confined to the uppermost Elliot Formation. Protosuchus, Litargosuchus, Notochampsa, and Orthosuchus have first appearance data in uppermost Elliot Formation. Only Notochampsa has a confirmed last appearance datum in the Lower Clarens Formation. These findings have implications with regards to the true position of the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary, and paleoenvironmental pressures acting on the Crocodylomorpha over the boundary of the Upper Elliot and Lower Clarens Formations.     

贵阳孟关早三叠世安顺组的两个新遗迹属

记述２个新遗迹属──Ｂｉｃｏｎｃａｖｉｃｈｎｕｓ和Ｆａｓｃｉａｒｉｃｈｎｕｓ，并讨论了它们的形成方式和形成环境。化石产于贵阳市南约２０ｋｍ的孟关附近的下三叠统安顺组上部。     

Nature and mode of action of NAD and ATP dephosphorylating enzyme from Aspergillus terreus DSM 826

NAD and ATP were dephosphorylated by Aspergillus terreus extracts optimally at pH 8 and 40 °C. The data obtained indicate that one phosphohydrolase was involved in the cleavage of all the phosphate linkages of these two energy-carrying molecules, and also indicate that this enzyme can be classified as a non-specific alkaline phosphatase. This is based on the following criteria: during fractionation of the enzymes of the extracts, using Sephadex G-200 column chromatography, the recorded elution diagram showed only one phosphohydrolase activity peak and this peak was the same with NAD, ATP, inorganic pyrophosphate and phenyl phosphate as substrates; the activity profiles with these four substrates were similar; and these four substrates were hydrolyzed at almost constant relative rates. Moreover, the activities of the pooled fractions with these different substrates responded similarly on changing some experimental conditions, such as addition of fluoride to the reaction mixtures or exposing the enzyme preparation to temperatures above 40 °C. Chromatographic detection of the intermediates and the products formed during the progression of NAD and ATP dephosphorylation by the most purified fraction of this enzyme was found to be consistent with the following mode of its action: This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Callistoe vincei, a new Proborhyaenidae (Borhyaenoidea, Metatheria, Mammalia) from the Early Eocene of Argentina

Callistoe vincei nov. gen., nov. sp. is a new South American carnivorous marsupial (Proborhyaenidae, Borhyaenoidea) from Salta Province (Argentina). It is preliminarily described and its phylogenetic relationships with other borhyaenoids are analyzed. The holotype is a complete skull with almost complete postcranial skeleton (missing the pelvis and the tail). It is from the Lumbrera Formation (Early Eocene of northwestern Argentina). It represents the most complete proborhyaenid specimen ever discovered and one of the best-preserved borhyaenoid. In the present paper we analyze the major cranial and dental features, the essential elements to compare C. vincei to Arminiheringia auceta, a Casamayoran proborhyaenid of Patagonia. C. vincei is smaller, much more gracile; its skull is narrower; its lower canines are not procumbent; the metacrista of M3 is U-shaped; the postmetacrista of M4 is present and the mandibular symphysis is shorter. This new material allows reconsideration of some dental traits proposed to diagnose the Proborhyaenidae such as the number of incisors and the open-rooted canines.     

Hironoia fusiformis gen. et sp. nov.; a cornalean fruit from the Kamikitaba locality (Upper Cretaceous,Lower Coniacian) in northeastern Japan

The application of sieving techniques to bulk samples from the Ashizawa Formation, Futaba Group (Lower Coniacian) of northeastern Honshu, Japan, has yielded well-preserved mesofossil assemblages comparable with those recently described from eastern North America, Europe, and central Asia. Among the most abundant and distinctive components of these assemblages are fusiform fruits that are assigned here to a new genus and species, Hironoia fusiformis gen. et sp. nov. The fruits developed from an epigynous ovary with three to four locules. Each locule bears one seed and has a distinctive dorsal germination valve. These features of the fruit, along with the adnate calyx, indicate an affinity to extant Cornales and specifically the Cornaceae sensu lato. The recognition of an unequivocal cornalean fruit in the Early Coniacian–Early Santonian of Japan provides the earliest record of this group in the fossil record. It also establishes a minimum age for the early divergence of the asterid clade, a major group of living angiosperms comprising more than a third of all species of extant flowering plants. Electronic Publication     

Sensitive liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection for the determination of estradiol 3- and 17-glucuronides in rat and human liver microsomal incubations: formation kinetics

We have developed a sensitive and specific HPLC-fluorescence assay for the determination of estradiol-3-glucuronide and estradiol-17-glucuronide in human and rat liver microsomal incubations. The method utilizes a mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile and 50 mM ammonium phosphate buffer (35:65, v/v) that is pumped though a phenyl column at 1 ml/min; the run time is less than 15 min. Calibration curves for both metabolites were linear over the range 20-4000 pmol. The intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were <6%. In both rat and human liver microsomes, the formation of estradiol-3-glucuronide displayed atypical kinetics (consistent with activation), while estradiol-17-glucuronide formation was consistent with classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Overall, the assay described is a sensitive and reproducible method for the determination of estradiol glucuronides in liver microsomal preparations.     

Oldest known non-marine diatoms (Aulacoseira) from the uppermost Cretaceous Deccan Intertrappean beds and Lameta Formation of India

Non-marine diatoms occur in the Deccan Intertrappean beds (Upper Cretaceous) of Mohgaon-Kalan, Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh and Pisdura, Lameta Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Maharashtra, India. This represents the oldest record of non-marine diatoms yet reported and the oldest from the Indian subcontinent. The diatoms were recovered from thin sections of chert and dinosaur coprolites by random fracturing. Solitary forms are the most common but colonial filaments up to five cells were also observed. Based on the morphological characters, the diatoms are identified as Aulacoseira Thwaites. The Lower Cretaceous marine diatom genus Archepyrgus Gersonde and Harwood also resembles Aulacoseira in general morphological characters and it seems that Aulacoseira evolved from Archepyrgus and migrated to the non-marine realm.