scholarly journals Calcareous nannofossil assemblages of the Late Cretaceous Fiqa Formation, north Oman

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-54
Author(s):  
Zainab Al Rawahi ◽  
Tom Dunkley Jones
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Side Wall ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossil ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Taxonomic Description ◽  
Main Components

Abstract. This study presents the first detailed calcareous nannofossil assemblage data from the Late Cretaceous succession of the subsurface Aruma Basin, north Oman. The taxonomic description and documentation of assemblage composition are based on extensive quantitative analysis of ditch cuttings and side-wall samples from eight hydrocarbon exploration wells across north Oman. The samples studied from those wells cover the Coniacian to earliest Maastrichtian deep marine shales and marls of the subsurface Fiqa Formation. These fine-grained siliciclastic deposits often yield moderately to well-preserved nannofossil assemblages, especially in the Campanian intervals. Consequently, diverse assemblages have been recorded from the Fiqa Formation, with a total diversity of ∼200 species, including two new species, Staurolithites ormae sp. nov. and Chiastozygus fahudensis sp. nov., which are illustrated and described. Extensive imaging of this diversity is provided here, as are stratigraphic distributions of the main components from a key reference well in north Oman, W-4. Poorly described groups such as Staurolithites are closely investigated and their utility for stratigraphic applications is highlighted. Relative abundances of nannofossil taxa with strong palaeoenvironmental preferences have revealed new insights into the palaeo-productivity of the basin. High-fertility species like Discorhabdus ignotus, Biscutum constans and Zeugrhabdotus erectus show substantial variations in abundance throughout the Fiqa Formation, reflecting long-term shifts in the productivity conditions of the basin. This is supported by abundance patterns of Watznaueria barnesiae and Micula staurophora that show a broadly inverse correlation with the high-fertility species. The Fiqa Formation represents a key regional seal unit for the Cretaceous hydrocarbon reservoirs of Oman, as well as being a productive unit elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. Beyond the Aruma Basin of Oman, this study will provide a key reference point for future biostratigraphic or palaeoenvironmental analyses of the Late Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil assemblages across the Middle East and other southern Tethyan areas.

scholarly journals Morphometric changes in two Late Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil lineages support diversification fueled by long-term cooling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
mohammad javad razmjooei ◽  
Nicolas Thibault ◽  
Anoshiravan Kani
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossil ◽  
The Core ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Climatic Evolution ◽  
Biometric Measurements

Biometric measurements undertaken on two relevant taxa, Cribrosphaerella and Microrhabdulus, make the core of this chapter. The results of this paper allowed us to describe two new species of Microrhabdulus and suggest that the peculiar climatic evolution across the Campanian and Maastrichtian triggered a rise in diversity and size of nannofossils following both Cope’s and Bergmann’s rules and its possible effects on the morphometric changes of Cribrosphaerella and Microrhabdulus. In this study, the link between climate variability and diversification has been discussed, and two new species of Microrhabdulus are described.

scholarly journals Morphometric changes in two Late Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil lineages support diversification fueled by long-term cooling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
mohammad javad razmjooei ◽  
Nicolas Thibault ◽  
Anoshiravan Kani
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossil ◽  
The Core ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Climatic Evolution ◽  
Biometric Measurements

Biometric measurements undertaken on two relevant taxa, Cribrosphaerella and Microrhabdulus, make the core of this paper. The results of this paper allowed us to describe two new species of Microrhabdulus and suggest that the peculiar climatic evolution across the Campanian and Maastrichtian triggered a rise in diversity and size of nannofossils following both Cope’s and Bergmann’s rules and its possible effects on the morphometric changes of Cribrosphaerella and Microrhabdulus. In this study, the link between climate variability and diversification has been discussed, and two new species of Microrhabdulus are described.

ON-FARM FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS FOR NORTHLAND

1986 ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
J.S. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Financial Returns ◽  
Farm Forestry ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Financial Position ◽  
On Farm

Agroforests and woodlots offer Northland hill country farmers investment and diversification opportunities. Agroforests have less effect on the "whole farm" financial position than woodlots, especially where a progressive planting regime is adopted and where no further borrowing is required. Establishment and tending costs for agro-forests are lower, and returns come much sooner. The proven opportunity for continued grazing under trees established in this manner, apart from a short post-planting period, further enhances the agroforesty option. Even where there is reluctance on a farmer's part to plant trees on high fertility land, the expected financial returns from agroforests on low and medium fertility land will increase the overall long-term profitability and flexibility of the whole farming operation. Woodlots may be more appropriate on low fertility areas where weed reversion is likely. Joint ventures may be worth considering where farm finances are a limited factor. Keywords: On-farm forestry development, Northland hill country, agroforestry, woodlots, diversification, joint ventures, progressive planting regimes, grazing availability.

scholarly journals Domain randomization-enhanced deep learning models for bird detection

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Mao ◽  
Jun Kang Chow ◽  
Pin Siang Tan ◽  
Kuan-fu Liu ◽  
Jimmy Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Bird Detection ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAutomatic bird detection in ornithological analyses is limited by the accuracy of existing models, due to the lack of training data and the difficulties in extracting the fine-grained features required to distinguish bird species. Here we apply the domain randomization strategy to enhance the accuracy of the deep learning models in bird detection. Trained with virtual birds of sufficient variations in different environments, the model tends to focus on the fine-grained features of birds and achieves higher accuracies. Based on the 100 terabytes of 2-month continuous monitoring data of egrets, our results cover the findings using conventional manual observations, e.g., vertical stratification of egrets according to body size, and also open up opportunities of long-term bird surveys requiring intensive monitoring that is impractical using conventional methods, e.g., the weather influences on egrets, and the relationship of the migration schedules between the great egrets and little egrets.

scholarly journals Non-Local and Multi-Scale Mechanisms for Image Inpainting

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3281
Author(s):  
Xu He ◽  
Yong Yin
Keyword(s):  
Markov Random Fields ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Image Inpainting ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Relationship Of

Recently, deep learning-based techniques have shown great power in image inpainting especially dealing with squared holes. However, they fail to generate plausible results inside the missing regions for irregular and large holes as there is a lack of understanding between missing regions and existing counterparts. To overcome this limitation, we combine two non-local mechanisms including a contextual attention module (CAM) and an implicit diversified Markov random fields (ID-MRF) loss with a multi-scale architecture which uses several dense fusion blocks (DFB) based on the dense combination of dilated convolution to guide the generative network to restore discontinuous and continuous large masked areas. To prevent color discrepancies and grid-like artifacts, we apply the ID-MRF loss to improve the visual appearance by comparing similarities of long-distance feature patches. To further capture the long-term relationship of different regions in large missing regions, we introduce the CAM. Although CAM has the ability to create plausible results via reconstructing refined features, it depends on initial predicted results. Hence, we employ the DFB to obtain larger and more effective receptive fields, which benefits to predict more precise and fine-grained information for CAM. Extensive experiments on two widely-used datasets demonstrate that our proposed framework significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches both in quantity and quality.

scholarly journals Long-term Late Cretaceous oxygen- and carbon-isotope trends and planktonic foraminiferal turnover: A new record from the southern midlatitudes

2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1725-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Falzoni ◽  
Maria Rose Petrizzo ◽  
Leon J. Clarke ◽  
Kenneth G. MacLeod ◽  
Hugh C. Jenkyns
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
New Record ◽  
Oxygen And Carbon Isotope

Pituitary and gonadal responses to the long-term pulsatile administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone in fetal fetal sheep

1997 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
G B Thomas ◽  
A N Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Immediate Release ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Fetal Sheep ◽  
Pulsatile Administration

Abstract The fetal hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis reaches a peak in activity at mid-gestation and this is followed by a period of suppression which persists until the onset of puberty. The decline in gonadotrophic activity during late gestation is thought to reflect the maturation of central and peripheral feedback signals. In order to establish if sustained pituitary responsiveness is rate limiting to the reinstatement of reproductive function, we have examined the endocrine consequences of repeated pulsatile GnRH administration to male and fetal sheep during late gestation. Beginning on day 121 of gestation (term=145 days) chronically catheterized fetal sheep were given i.v. pulses of either 500 ng GnRH or saline every 2 h for 14 days. Pituitary and gonadal responses were assessed by measuring changes in plasma concentrations of LH, FSH, inhibin and testosterone (in male fetuses) in response to the first pulse of GnRH on day 1 and to the corresponding pulse on days 4, 7, 10 and 14. In response to the first pulse of GnRH there was an immediate release of LH, with the peak response being significantly (P<0·01) greater than on subsequent days. In male fetuses each pulse of LH was followed by a rise in plasma testosterone concentrations within 40–60 min. The amplitude of these testosterone responses increased significantly (P<0·01) after 9 days of treatment despite a decline in the plasma LH response. Basal FSH concentrations increased progressively (P<0·05) during pituitary stimulation with GnRH in both male and female fetuses. Immunoreactive inhibin concentrations were significantly (P<0·05) higher in males than in females, and there was a gradual increase throughout the experimental period irrespective of treatment. We observed no inverse correlation between inhibin and FSH concentrations. These data show that pulsatile administration of GnRH to fetal sheep during late gestation results in sustained re-activation of pituitary–gonadal function. The decline in fetal gonadotrophins, which is a characteristic feature of late gestation, is therefore likely to result from inadequate GnRH secretion from the fetal hypothalamus rather than an inhibition of pituitary function by peripheral feedback signals. Journal of Endocrinology (1997) 153, 385–391

scholarly journals The calcareous nannofossil <i>Prinsiosphaera</i> achieved rock-forming abundances in the latest Triassic of western Tethys: consequences for the δ<sup>13</sup>C of bulk carbonate

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 7989-8025 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Preto ◽  
C. Agnini ◽  
M. Rigo ◽  
M. Sprovieri ◽  
H. Westphal
Keyword(s):  
Global Ocean ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossils ◽  
Calcareous Nannofossil ◽  
Western Tethys ◽  
Carbonate Sedimentation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Calcareous Plankton ◽  
Inorganic Carbon Cycle

Abstract. The onset of pelagic biomineralization marked a milestone in the history of the long term inorganic carbon cycle: as soon as calcareous nannofossils became major limestone producers, the pH and supersaturation state of the global ocean were stabilized (the so-called Mid Mesozoic Revolution). But although it is known that calcareous nannofossils were abundant already by the end of the Triassic, no estimates exist on their contribution to hemipelagic carbonate sedimentation. With this work, we estimate the volume proportion of Prinsiosphaera, the dominant Late Triassic calcareous nannofossil, in hemipelagic and pelagic carbonates of western Tethys. The investigated Upper Triassic lime mudstones are composed essentially of microspar and tests of calcareous nannofossils, plus minor bioclasts. Prinsiosphaera became a significant component of lime mudstones since the late Norian, and was contributing up to ca. 60% of the carbonate by the late Rhaetian in periplatform environments with hemipelagic sedimentation. The increasing proportion of Prinsiosphaera in upper Rhaetian hemipelagic lime mudstones is paralleled by a increase of the δ13C of bulk carbonate. We interpreted this isotopic trend as related to the diagenesis of microspar, which incorporated respired organic carbon with a low δ13C when it formed during shallow burial. As the proportion of nannofossil tests increased, the contribution of microspar with low δ13C diminished, determining the isotopic trend. We suggest that a similar diagenetic effect may be observed in many Mesozoic limestones with a significant, but not yet dominant, proportion of calcareous plankton.

scholarly journals Innovation Motives in Family Firms: A Transgenerational View

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Diaz-Moriana ◽  
Eric Clinton ◽  
Nadine Kammerlander ◽  
G. T. Lumpkin ◽  
Justin B. Craig
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Data Collection Process ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Multigenerational Family ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Innovation Patterns

Drawing on the transgenerational entrepreneurship perspective, we employ a multiple case study approach to investigate why multigenerational family firms innovate. The data collection process drew upon five in-depth cases comprising 42 semistructured interviews, 25 participant observations, and several thousand pages of historical data dating from 1916 to 2017. We find patterns on how the firms’ long-term view—embracing both the past and the future—influences the innovation motives of these firms. Specifically, we identify three innovation patterns: conserving, persisting and legacy-building. We introduce a set of propositions and a framework linking long-term orientation dimensions to innovation motives and innovation outcomes. Our research thus contributes to a more fine-grained understanding of innovation behavior in family firms.

Interplay between tectonic inheritance and salt tectonics in the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Sahel basin (eastern Tunisia): implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wajdi Belkhiria ◽  
Haifa Boussiga ◽  
Imen Hamdi Nasr ◽  
Adnen Amiri ◽  
Mohamed Hédi Inoubli
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Gravity Data ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
Growth Strata ◽  
Tectonic Inheritance ◽  
Sedimentary Evolution ◽  
Structural Style ◽  
Half Graben

&lt;p&gt;The Sahel basin in eastern Tunisia has been subject for hydrocarbon exploration since the early fifties. Despite the presence of a working petroleum system in the area, most of the drilled wells were dry or encountered oil shows that failed to give commercial flow rates. A better understanding of the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Sahel basin is of great importance for future hydrocarbon prospectivity. In this contribution, we present integration of 2D seismic reflection profiles, exploration wells and new acquired gravity data. These subsurface data reveal that the Sahel basin developed as a passive margin during Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times and was later inverted during the Cenozoic Alpine orogeny. The occurrence of Triassic age evaporites and shales deposited during the Pangea breakup played a fundamental role in the structural style and tectono-sedimentary evolution of the study area. Seismic and gravity data revealed jointly important deep-seated extensional faults, almost along E-W and few along NNE&amp;#8211;SSW and NW-SE directions, delimiting horsts and grabens structures. These syn-rift extensional faults controlled deposition, facies distribution and thicknesses of the Jurassic and Early cretaceous series. Most of these inherited deep-seated normal and transform faults are ornamented by different types of salt-related structures. The first phase of salt rising was initiated mainly along these syn-extensional faults in the Late Jurassic forming salt domes and continued into the Early and Late Cretaceous leading to salt-related diapir structures. During this period, the salt diapirism was accompanied by the development of salt withdrawal minibasins, characterized important growth strata due the differential subsidence. These areas represent important immediate kitchen areas to the salt-related structures. The later Late Cretaceous - Cenozoic shortening phases induced preferential rejuvenation of the diapiric structures and led to the inversion of former graben/half-graben structures and ultimately to vertical salt welds along salt ridges. These salt structures represent key elements that remains largely undrilled in the Sahel basin. Our results improve the understanding of salt growth in eastern Tunisia and consequently greatly impact the hydrocarbon prospectivity in the area.&lt;/p&gt;

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