Identification and Current Palaeobiological Understanding of "Keratosa"-Type Nonspicular Demosponge Fossils in Carbonates: With a New Example from the Lowermost Triassic, Armenia.

Structures similar to fossilized nonspicular demosponges have been reported in carbonates throughout the Phanerozoic and recently in rocks dating back to 890 Ma ago. Interpretation of these records is increasingly influential to our understanding of metazoans in multiple aspects, including their early evolution, the ecology in fossil reefs, and recovery after mass extinction events. Here, we propose six identification criteria of "Keratosa"-type nonspicular demosponge fossils based on the well-established taphonomical models and their biological characteristics.

The middle Cambrian Linyi Lagerstätte from the North China Craton: a new window on Cambrian evolutionary fauna.

The rapid appearance of major animal groups and complex marine communities during the Cambrian explosion is recorded in large part in Burgess Shale-type lagerstätten. However, the restricted temporal and spatial distribution of known lagerstätten continues to hinder the formation of a comprehensive perspective on Cambrian evolutionary faunas. Here we describe the Linyi Lagerstätte (ca.

Adaptive specialization of a unique sponge body from the Cambrian Qingjiang biota.

Sponge fossils from the Cambrian black shales have attracted attention from both palaeontologists and geochemists for many years in terms of their high diversity, beautiful preservation and perplexing adaptation to inhospitable living environments. However, the body shape of these sponges, which contributes to deciphering adaptive evolution, has not been scrutinized. New complete specimens of the hexactinellid sponge sp.

A triflate and alkynyl protected Ag nanocluster with a passivated surface.

A trifluoromethanesulfonate (OTf) and -butylacetylene ( BuC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C) co-protected silver nanocluster (NC), Ag( BuC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C)(CFSO) (Ag), was synthesized and characterized. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed its total structure. 43 Ag atoms are arranged into a three-concentric-shell Ag@Ag@Ag structure.

Radiomic signature: A novel magnetic resonance imaging-based prognostic biomarker in patients with skull base chordoma.

Background And Purpose: We used radiomic analysis to establish a radiomic signature based on anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences and explore its effectiveness as a novel prognostic biomarker for skull base chordoma (SBC).

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, radiomic analysis was performed using preoperative axial T FLAIR, T-weighted, and enhanced T FLAIR from a single hospital. The primary clinical endpoint was progression-free survival.

Effect of Ti on Microstructure and Properties of Tungsten Heavy Alloy Joint Brazed by CuAgTi Filler Metal.

In this paper, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to comprehensively analyze the microstructure and brazing performance of a CuAgTi filler metal with braze tungsten heavy alloys. The association of microstructure, wettability and shear strength of brazing joints was also investigated. With the addition of Ti, the Ti₃Cu₄ phase appeared in the microstructure of filler metal.

Migration and Transformation Characteristics of Niclosamide in a Soil-Plant System.

The molluscicide niclosamide is found in most of the wetlands of China. The migration and transformation pathways, and degradation kinetics of niclosamide in the plant-soil system was analyzed by with the use of potting experiment. Experimental results showed that degradation of niclosamide in rhizosphere soil fit the first-order kinetics, and microorganisms played an important role in the degradation of niclosamide.

Two Groups of Thellungiella salsuginea RAVs Exhibit Distinct Responses and Sensitivity to Salt and ABA in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

Containing both AP2 domain and B3 domain, RAV (Related to ABI3/VP1) transcription factors are involved in diverse functions in higher plants. A total of eight TsRAV genes were isolated from the genome of Thellungiella salsuginea and could be divided into two groups (A- and B-group) based on their sequence similarity. The mRNA abundance of all Thellungiella salsuginea TsRAVs followed a gradual decline during seed germination.

First report of fossil "keratose" demosponges in Phanerozoic carbonates: preservation and 3-D reconstruction.

Fossil record of Phanerozoic non-spicular sponges, beside of being important with respect to the lineage evolution per se, could provide valuable references for the investigation of Precambrian ancestral animal fossils. However, although modern phylogenomic studies resolve non-spicular demosponges as the sister group of the remaining spiculate demosponges, the fossil record of the former is extremely sparse or unexplored compared to that of the latter; the Middle Cambrian Vauxiidae Walcott 1920, is the only confirmed fossil taxon of non-spicular demosponges. Here, we describe carbonate materials from Devonian (Upper Givetian to Lower Frasnian) bioherms of northern France and Triassic (Anisian) microbialites of Poland that most likely represent fossil remnants of keratose demosponges.