香港回归十年大事记

1997年7月1日香港回归,中华人民共和国香港特别行政区政府成立1998年香港安全度过亚洲金融危机1998年抵抗禽流感1997年5月香港的一名儿童死于流感继发的肺炎,分离出的病毒经鉴定为H5N1毒株,这是人类感染禽流感病毒的首次报道。到1998年1月     

卷首语

这一次,大概不是闹着玩的了。禽流感从今年以来在亚洲卷土重来,从东南亚国家开始爆发,遭受感染以及因控制疫情而遭扑杀的禽类数以千万计。今年5月,我国青海湖发生大量候鸟死亡,数量超过6000只,并经确认罪魁祸首正是最令专家担忧有可能在未来通过变异、形成人传人大流行病的禽流感病毒:高致病性H5N1。8月间,俄罗斯境内已有几十处地方也出现疫情。欧洲国家担心,随着候鸟迁徙季节的到来,疫情也将持续向西扩散。     

文化史视野下的中国灾荒研究刍议

<正>2013年春天,在"非典"爆发十年之后,又一场被视为现代"瘟疫"的H7N9高致病性禽流感席卷中国大地,自3月底在上海出现首例人感染该病的病例后,同样的病例陆续在全国东中部地区多个省份被发现并报道,截至当年5月23日,内地共确诊该病病例137例,其中死亡37例(http://health.sohu.com/s2013/qlg/。2013年11月28日采集)。由于现代生物科技强大的发现和检测病毒的能力、政府的高度重视以及媒体持续集中的宣传报道,使得仍处于散发状态的禽流感一时甚嚣尘上,引     

浅谈趣味拉丁之斗牛舞教学的实践与研究

正一、什么是斗牛舞斗牛舞从外文音译过来叫帕索多波累,我们习惯于叫它为斗牛舞。斗牛舞起源于西班牙。斗牛舞的舞蹈动作是模仿西班牙斗牛士的动作,它的音乐是用西班牙风格的进行曲来伴奏。它的音乐和舞蹈都是表达斗牛场上紧张和激奋的情绪。二、如何实施斗牛舞教学1.加强学习,夯实理论基础。斗牛舞的音乐是2/4拍,一小节两拍,重音在第一拍上,舞蹈是从音乐小节的第一拍上开始起步的。斗牛舞的舞步是一拍一步,它的舞步型有四步     

新发现的公元13世纪中期大蒙古帝国银币

正2007年9月,甘肃省陇西市建筑工地上发现一破损的陶罐窖藏,内含大量银币和少量金银器件①。窖藏主要有近400枚背面打有戳记的大朝通宝铸造银钱(译注:大朝通宝为蒙古入主中原前铸钱,有铜,银两种,存世稀少),除此尚有:1."宝"字为简化字体的减径"大朝通宝"铸造银钱5-6枚。其中2枚背面有戳记。2.具有蒙哥可汗徽记和回鹘(式)蒙(古)文-阿拉伯文双语币文的伊斯兰型打制银     

The first fossil avian egg from Brazil

Marsola, J.C.A., Grellet-Tinner, G., Montefeltro, F.C., Sayão, J.M., Hsiou, A.S. & Langer, M.C., 2014. The first fossil avian egg from Brazil. Alcheringa 38, 563–567. ISSN 0311-5518.

In contrast to the rich record of eggs from non-avian dinosaurs, complete eggs attributable to Mesozoic birds are relatively scarce. Nevertheless, several well-preserved specimens have been discovered over the last three decades revealing functional and phylogenetic characters that shed light on the breeding strategies of extinct birds. Here we report the first fossil avian egg from Brazil, which was discovered in Upper Cretaceous strata of São Paulo in the southeastern part of the country. The taxonomic identity and structural features of the biomineralized tissues were determined using a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Wave Dispersion Energy analyses and Computed Tomography. These show that the 125.5-μm-thick shell of the 31.4?×?19.5?mm egg incorporates three structural layers of similar thickness with both prismatic and aprismatic boundaries. Close similarity between the Brazilian bird egg and those of enantiornithines from the Upper Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Río Colorado Subgroup) of Argentina advocates affinity with basal Ornithothoraces. Furthermore, coherency of their depositional contexts might imply a compatible preference for breeding and nesting environments.

Júlio Cesar de A. Marsola [juliomarsola@gmail.com], Annie Schmaltz Hsiou [anniehsiou@ffclrp.usp.br] and Max C. Langer [mclanger@ffclrp.usp.br], Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, 14040-901, Brazil. Gerald Grellet-Tinner [locarnolugano@gmail.com], Centro Regional de Investigaciones La Rioja—Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, 5301 Anillaco, Argentina; Orcas Island Museum, PO Box 134, 181 North Beach Road, Eastsound, WA 98245. Felipe C. Montefeltro [felipecmontefeltro@gmail.com], Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Avenida 24A 1515, Rio Claro, São Paulo State, 13506-900, Brazil. Juliana M. Sayão [jmsayao@gmail.com], Laboratório de Diversidade do Nordeste, Núcleo de Biologia, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Rua do Alto do Reservatório s/n, Bela Vista, Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco state, 52050-480, Brazil. Received 18.12.2013; revised 30.4.2014; accepted 18.5.2014.     

Cretaceous avian remains from Patagonia shed new light on the early radiation of birds

The anatomy of a new articulated enantiornithine bird skeleton from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia clearly indicates a capacity for powered flight, approaching that of modern birds. Enantiornithines possess some of the synapomorphies of the Ornithurae, although they retain plesiomorphic states for many other characters, mainly in the hind limb. Such a mosaic character combination suggests a sister-group relationship between Enantiornithes and Ornithurae. Derived features of the pectoral girdle are here considered as diagnostic for a major avian clade, the Ornithopectae, comprising all known birds other than Archaeopteryx. The combination of derived and primitive traits in the fore and hind limbs and their girdles in early ornithopectines reflects mosaic evolution, with flight-related modifications of the fore limb and pectoral girdle preceding those in the hind limb and pelvic girdle.     

Molecular and morphological analyses of avian eggshell excavated from a late thirteenth century earth oven

Using ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from eggshell of the extinct moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) we determined the species composition and number of eggs found in a late thirteenth century earth oven feature at Wairau Bar (South Island, New Zealand) – one of New Zealand’s most significant archaeological sites. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA signatures confirmed this oven feature contained fragments of at least 31 moa eggs, representing three moa genera: Emeus; Euryapteryx; Dinornis. We demonstrate through the genetic identification of 127 moa eggshell fragments that thickness is an unreliable character for species assignment. We also present a protocol for assessing the preservation likelihood of DNA in burnt eggshell. This is useful because eggshell fragments found in archaeological contexts have often been thermally modified, and heat significantly increases DNA fragmentation. Eggshell is widely used in radiocarbon dating and stable isotope research, this study showcases how aDNA can also add to our knowledge of eggshell in both archaeological and palaeoecological contexts.     

A chicken on every pot: curious avian ceramic vessels on the Gulf Coast

ABSTRACT

In a recent examination of bird effigy vessels from the north-central coast of the Gulf of Mexico, one remarkable species identified appears to be Gallus gallus domesticus, or the chicken. Examples of small ceramic rooster heads sporting dramatic, single combs and short beaks may be indirect evidence of contact between native coastal peoples and Spanish explorers in the early decades of the AD 1500s. The particular socio-cultural conditions that would have made possible the introduction of these decidedly non-native birds into the repertoire of Native American potters in the protohistoric era are explored.     

Toronto's Health Department in action: influenza in 1918 and SARS in 2003

This article compares the Toronto Health Department's role in controlling the 1918 influenza epidemic with its activities during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and concludes that local health departments are the foundation for successful disease containment, provided that there is effective coordination, communication, and capacity. In 1918, Toronto's MOH Charles Hastings was the acknowledged leader of efforts to contain the disease, care for the sick, and develop an effective vaccine, because neither a federal health department nor an international body like WHO existed. During the SARS outbreak, Hastings's successor, Sheela Basrur, discovered that nearly a decade of underfunding and new policy foci such as health promotion had left the department vulnerable when faced with a potential epidemic. Lack of cooperation by provincial and federal authorities added further difficulties to the challenge of organizing contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation for suspected and probable cases and providing information and reassurance to the multi-ethnic population. With growing concern about a flu pandemic, the lessons of the past provide a foundation for future communicable disease control activities.     

Bone damage patterns found in the avian prey remains of crested caracara Caracara plancus (Aves,Falconiformes)

The following paper presents the results of the analysis of the avian prey bones found in uneaten remains of crested caracara (Caracara plancus, Aves, Falconiformes) from La Pampa province, Argentina. Anatomical parts representation and taphonomic modifications were evaluated and compared to results of the evaluation of bone remains recovered from crested caracara’s pellets and to previous studies of other diurnal birds of prey. The results suggest a preferential consumption of some body parts of avian prey, as evidenced in the high frequency of wing elements in the uneaten prey remains. This analysis helps to support interpretative data concerning the origins of avian remains in the zooarchaeological and paleontological record, and contributes to the knowledge of a common predator found throughout diverse environments in South America.