Annotated bibliography of the subclass Archosauria (Class : Reptilia) : Jan 1960 - Dec 1984

<p>The subclass Archosauria includes some of the most successful vertebrates to have evolved. Although traditionally viewed as 'cold-blooded' (= ectothermic) and therefore evolutionarily inferior to 'warm-blooded' (= endothermic) mammals and birds, data collected since the 1960s has resulted in significant re-evaluations and a complete reassessment of archosaur evolution, taxonomy, and inferred physiology and behaviour. Much of the relevant data emanates from the results of post WWII field work conducted in eastern Central Asia (particularly the Gobi Desert) by Russian, Polish and Mongolian palaeontologists. However, due to political, cultural and/or other reasons, there remained little scientific collaboration between them and western (particularly US) scientists until very recently. As a consequence, there developed a dichotomy in this field of archosaur research, not only between east and west, but also between Europe and the US. This thesis reviews the literature on archosaurs published world-wide from Jan 1960 - Dec 1984, with the emphasis on the important Central Asian/Gobi contributions, in order to evaluate the academic discussions that have arisen regarding archosaur evolution, physiology, behaviour, their relationship to the Aves, and the evolution of avian endothermy and flight.</p>

Annotated bibliography of the subclass Archosauria (Class : Reptilia) : Jan 1960 - Dec 1984

<p>The subclass Archosauria includes some of the most successful vertebrates to have evolved. Although traditionally viewed as 'cold-blooded' (= ectothermic) and therefore evolutionarily inferior to 'warm-blooded' (= endothermic) mammals and birds, data collected since the 1960s has resulted in significant re-evaluations and a complete reassessment of archosaur evolution, taxonomy, and inferred physiology and behaviour. Much of the relevant data emanates from the results of post WWII field work conducted in eastern Central Asia (particularly the Gobi Desert) by Russian, Polish and Mongolian palaeontologists. However, due to political, cultural and/or other reasons, there remained little scientific collaboration between them and western (particularly US) scientists until very recently. As a consequence, there developed a dichotomy in this field of archosaur research, not only between east and west, but also between Europe and the US. This thesis reviews the literature on archosaurs published world-wide from Jan 1960 - Dec 1984, with the emphasis on the important Central Asian/Gobi contributions, in order to evaluate the academic discussions that have arisen regarding archosaur evolution, physiology, behaviour, their relationship to the Aves, and the evolution of avian endothermy and flight.</p>

Theropod guild structure and the tyrannosaurid niche assimilation hypothesis: implications for predatory dinosaur macroecology and ontogeny in later Late Cretaceous Asiamerica

Well-sampled dinosaur communities from the Jurassic through the early Late Cretaceous show greater taxonomic diversity among larger (>50 kg) theropod taxa than communities of the Campano-Maastrichtian, particularly to those of eastern/central Asia and Laramidia. The large carnivore guilds in Asiamerican assemblages are monopolized by tyrannosaurids, with adult medium-sized (50–500 kg) predators rare or absent. In contrast, various clades of theropods are found to occupy these body sizes in earlier faunas, including early tyrannosauroids. Assemblages with “missing middle-sized” predators are not found to have correspondingly sparser diversity of potential prey species recorded in these same faunas. The “missing middle-sized” niches in the theropod guilds of Late Cretaceous Laramidia and Asia may have been assimilated by juvenile and subadults of tyrannosaurid species, functionally distinct from their adult ecomorphologies. It is speculated that if tyrannosaurids assimilated the niches previously occupied by mid-sized theropod predators, we would expect the evolution of distinct transitions in morphology and possibly the delay of the achievement of somatic maturity in species of this taxon.

How do multi-scale interactions affect extreme precipitation in eastern central Asia?

The variability of extreme precipitation in eastern Central Asia (ECA) during summer (June–August) and its corresponding mechanisms were investigated from a multi-scale synergy perspective. Extreme precipitation in ECA displayed a quasi-monopole increasing pattern with abrupt change since 2000/2001, which was likely dominated by increased high latitude North Atlantic SST anomalies as shown by diagnosed and numerical experiment results. Increased SST via adjusting the quasi-stationary wave train which related to the negative North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Atlantic/Western Russia pattern guided cyclonic anomaly in CA, deepened the Balkhash Lake trough and enhanced the moisture convergence in ECA. These anomalies also exhibited interdecadal enhancement after 2000. On the synoptic-scale, two synoptic transient wave trains correlated with extreme precipitation in ECA by amplifying the amplitude of the quasi-stationary waves and guiding transient eddies in ECA. The induced transient eddies and deepened Balkhash Lake trough strengthened positive meridional vorticity advection and local positive vorticity, which promoted ascending motions, and guided the southerly warm moisture in ECA especially after 2000. Meanwhile, additional meso-scale vortices were stimulated and strengthened near the Tianshan Mountain in front of the wave trough, which, together with the enhanced meridional circulation, further increased extreme precipitation in ECA.

BuddhistRoadPaper 5.5 “On the Office of Saṃgha Overseer in Dunhuang during the Period of Guiyijun Rule"

This essay focuses on the succession of important monks who occupied the prestigious post of saṃgha overseer (Chin. sengtong 僧統) in Dunhuang after the establishment of the Guiyijun regime (851–1036, Return-to-Allegiance Army, 歸義軍) in the territory from the second half of the 9th century until well into the 11th century. I look at the functions that were formally part of the jurisdiction and duty of the saṃgha overseers and, after that, at the lives of each of these monks. These are being examined against the data yielded by the primary sources, that is, the Dunhuang manuscripts. The overall purpose is to develop a sense of the institution of saṃgha overseer in Dunhuang and to arrive at a deeper appreciation of these monks as primary agents in the religious and political context of this minor kingdom located in Eastern Central Asia on the western-most border of the Chinese cultural space.

Moisture Sources Associated with Precipitation during Dry and Wet Seasons over Central Asia

Identifying the origin of moisture is a key process in revealing the formation mechanisms of precipitation, but the moisture sources for central Asia have not been well documented in previous studies. In this work, we employ the Lagrangian model FLEXPART over 2011–19 to address this question. Multiple observational products indicate that the times of dry and wet seasons are opposite for western and eastern central Asia bounded by 75°E. The wet season is November–April (NDJFMA) for western central Asia but May–October (MJJASO) for eastern central Asia, while the opposite is true for the dry season. The main moisture source regions for western central Asia are local regions (with a contribution of 49.11%), western Eurasia (21.47%), and western Asia (11.37%) during MJJASO and local regions (33.92%), western Asia (27.50%), and western Eurasia (17.60%) during NDJFMA. For eastern central Asia, moisture mainly originates from local regions (52.38%), western central Asia (25.22%), and northern Eurasia (9.26%) during MJJASO and western central Asia (30.86%), local regions (30.82%), western Asia (10.31%), and western Eurasia (10.26%) during NDJFMA. The differences in moisture sources between dry and wet seasons mainly occur in local regions and western Asia for western central Asia but in local regions for eastern central Asia. The moisture from northern Eurasia, western Eurasia, and western central Asia is transported into target regions by the westerly and southwesterly winds that are associated with a deep low trough over central Asia. Moisture is transported from western Asia by the anticyclone occurs over North Africa and western Asia in the lower and middle troposphere.