Myxobolus khaliji n. sp., a new myxosporean, is described from the intestinal wall of the double bar seabream Acanthopagrus bifasciatus, collected from the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It is characterized by the presence of ellipsoidal or round plasmodia of 2-4 mm in diameter. Mature spores were subspherical to elliptical in the frontal view, with a slightly pointed anterior end and a bluntly rounded posterior end, and measured 8.1 ± 0.4 (7.2-9.5) μm long, 6.3 ± 0.6 (5.1-7.4) μm wide, and 9.2 ± 0.7 (8.3-10.2) thick. Spore valves are relatively thin, sometimes with a prominent thick caudal appendage. Two equal elliptical polar capsules were situated in the plane of the suture line at the anterior end of the spores and occupied above half of the spore length. Polar capsules measured 5.5 ± 0.7 (4.1-6.1) μm long and 3.2 ± 0.2 (2.1-4.2) μm wide. Polar filaments, wound in three to four coils, were situated perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the polar capsules. Combining the morphological characteristics, host specificity and geographical distribution, tissue tropism, and the molecular analysis of the partial sequence of the SSU ribosomal DNA gene, it was concluded that M. khaliji n. sp. was distinct from all previously described Myxobolus species. Phylogenetic analysis placed the present Myxobolus species in a marine Henneguya clade, which is a sister group of marine Myxobolus species. This is the first Myxobolus species with Henneguya-like spores from the marine environment to be found in the Saudi Arabian coasts of the Arabian Gulf.

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronological, elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic data from Early Cretaceous mafic dykes in North Dabie orogenic belt elucidate a change of Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in eastern China. The dykes are predominantly dolerite with the major mineral assemblage clinopyroxene þ hornblende þ plagioclase and yield a SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 111.6 AE 5.3 Ma. They have a narrow range of SiO 2 from 46.16% to 49.78%, and relative low concentrations of K 2 O (1.07À2.62%), Na 2 O (2.45À3.54%), Al 2 O 3 (13.04À14.07%), and P 2 O 5 (0.42À0.55%) but relatively high concentration of MgO (5.94-6.61%) with Mg # 52-54. All the samples are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Ba, Th) and high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ti). ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i ratios from 0.704 to 0.705, e Nd values from 3.36 to 4.33 and mantle-depletion Nd model ages (T 2DM ) in the range 0.56-0.64 Ga indicate that the magma of the Baiyashan mafic dykes was derived from a young depleted mantle source. This finding is different from previous research on mafic dykes in the age range 120-138 Ma that revealed enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE, high initial Sr isotopic ratios and negative e Nd , value which represents an old enriched mantle source. Ours is the first report of the existence of Early Cretaceous depleted mantle in eastern China and it implies that changing of enriched mantle to depleted mantle occurred at ca. 112 Ma, associated with back-arc extension which resulted from the subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate towards the Asian Continent.

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By analysing the energy flow in a piezoelectric generator, it was revealed that the mechanical factor, electromechanical coupling coefficient and dielectric loss of the generator have significant influence on its energy conversion efficiency. Based on this analysis, aluminium nitrate (AlN) thin films deposited on stainless steel (SUS) were selected to substitute lead titanate zirconate thin films deposited on single-crystal Si for fabricating miniature devices. These thin films were prepared with an electron cyclotron resonance sputtering system. The influences of the surface modification (polishing or coating a Pt/Ti thin layer) of SUS substrates on c-axis orientation, piezoelectric coefficient and effective coupling coefficient of AlN thin films were investigated.