Fluid-mediated transition from dynamic rupturing to aseismic slip at the base of the seismogenic continental crust

Chemo-mechanical fluid-rock interactions are critical in controlling the frictional-viscous transition in the continental crust and the competition between seismic and aseismic deformation in fault zones. In this study, we provide quantitative constraints on the timing and magnitude of weakening, and associated changes in slip rates, due to fluid-rock interactions at the base of the seismogenic continental crust. Integrating field, microstructural analyses, and micromechanical modelling we constrain the microstructural and mechanical evolution of phyllosilicate-rich, carbonate-bearing brittle-ductile faults/shear zones developed in the Rieserferner granitoid pluton (Eastern Alps). Here, transient overpressure of (H2O + CO2)-rich fluids triggered dynamic rupturing in the strong host rock (>100 MPa), and promoted the development of weak phyllonites through long-term fluid-mediated feldspar-to-mica reactions. These phyllosilicate-rich fault rocks accommodated frictional-viscous aseismic creep at very low differential stresses (<10 MPa) and near-lithostatic fluid pressure conditions. Microscale vein networks overprinting the phyllonite indicate cyclical embrittlement related to increased creep rates (up to 10−7 s−1) that occurred over a timeframe of days to months and potentially related to slow earthquakes (slip rates of 10−8 m/s). These findings offer new constraints on the development and seismogenic potential of phyllosilicate-rich fault zones and on the effect of fluid chemistry on fault zone rheology. Fluid-mediated fault weakening can occur in rather short time (months-to-years) comparable to the interseismic period, progressively promoting long-term, viscous aseismic creep on a previously strong fault zone developed by dynamic rupturing. The combined effect of strain localization, the low permeability of the phyllonitic cores, as well as of fluid chemistry evolution and CO2-enrichment, may lead to the development of brittle-frictional instabilities during transient accelerated-creep events. Therefore, the fluid-mediated microstructural evolution of phyllosilicate-rich fault rocks controls their seismogenic behaviour, potentially leading to accelerated creep, slow earthquakes and slow slip on otherwise aseismically creeping faults

Gypsum cave notches and their palaeoenvironmental significance: A combined morphometric study using terrestrial laser scanning, traditional cave mapping, and geomorphological observations

Terrestrial laser scanning has shown to be a very powerful method for the study and monitoring of caves. The high density of acquired points allows geostatistical methods to be used in the elaboration of large datasets on different depositional and erosional morphologies on cave walls, roof and floor. Here we describe a multidis ciplinary morphometric study on cave wall morphologies and sediments in a multi-level gypsum cave system in the northern Apennines (Italy) with the objective of finding the direction of water flow that created these passages over hundred thousand years ago. The analysis of the traditional cave map (in long profile) suggests an overall, albeit very low, north-west inclination of the cave passages. However, other definitive indicators of flow direction, such as scallops, are absent which restricts the verification of this interpretation. The laser scannerderived 3D point clouds of the cave wall notches of the main level have been analysed using different methods to verify the paleocurrent direction. However, statistical analyses of the point cloud data have yielded inconclusive results, even if most flow-related morphologies appear to be gently sloping towards north-west, where the present main cave entrance is found. Imbrication of fluvial sediments prevalently indicates the same direction. While no single method provided conclusive results on its own, the collective evidence strongly suggests an ESE to WNW paleocurrent flow, confirming the ancient resurgence nature of the cave gallery

Transcriptional modulation in Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis following exposure to four pharmaceuticals widely distributed in coastal areas

Ecotoxicological risk and the mode of action of human drugs on non-target marine animals remain unclear, keeping a gap of knowledge on risks related to ecosystem disruption and chemical contamination of food chains. Understanding these impacts is critical to developing proper waste management practices and regulatory frameworks to prevent long-term environmental and human health problems. This study investigates the impacts of Gemfibrozil, Metformin, Ramipril, and Venlafaxine, individually and combined on Mytilus galloprovincialis over 30 days and assesses persistent effects post-recovery using RNA-seq and 16S rRNA microbiota profiling. All pharmaceuticals caused few changes in the microbiota while gene expression analyses highlighted drug-specific alterations. Gemfibrozil exposure led to alterations in lipid and fatty acid metabolism, suggesting a similar mode of action to that observed in target species. Metformin significantly impacted the mussels’ energy metabolism, with disruptions in specific genes and pathways potentially related to glucose uptake and insulin signaling. Metformin was also the treatment leading to the most significant changes in predicted functional profiles of the microbiota, suggesting that it may influence the microbiota’s potential to interact with host glucose metabolism. Ramipril exposure resulted in the up-regulation of stress response and cell cycle regulation pathways and Venlafaxine induced changes in serotonin and synapse pathways, indicating potential similarities in mechanisms of action with target species. Mixture of the four pharmaceuticals severely impacted mussel physiology, including impairment of oxidative phosphorylation and compensatory activation of several pathways involved in energy metabolism. Despite recovery after depuration, changes in stress and energy related metabolism pathways suggests potential persistent effects from combined pharmaceutical exposure. Notably, the up-regulation of mTOR1 signaling in all treatments after 30 days underscores its key role in coordinating bivalve stress responses. The Transcriptomic Hazard Index (THI) calculated for each treatment indicates major/severe hazards after exposure that decreased to slight/moderate hazards after depuration

Development and validation of countertransference feeling and behavior awareness measures in an Italian and American clinician sample

Objective: Countertransference (CT) has been shown to interfere with therapy goals, and its management is crucial to desired treatment outcomes. As a first step, a clinician's awareness of their covert and overt CT reactions is critical to successfully managing CT. Research on CT awareness is scarce, however, mainly because of difficulties in empirically investigating and measuring this construct. In this study, we sought to develop and validate two instruments: one to measure CT feelings and one to measure CT behaviors. Method: We developed the Countertransference Feelings Awareness Measure and the Countertransference Behavior Awareness Measure, both composed of 12 items comprising 3 dimensions: dominant, hostile and distant. A sample of 245 Italian and 110 American clinicians participated in the research. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the factor structure of the measures. Reliability and invariance analyses were conducted for both measures and both samples. Results: Factorial structure, reliability, and configural invariance across nationalities of both measures were confirmed. Conclusion: These tools should prove useful for future research, supervision, theoretical advances, and clinical application, allowing a deeper understanding of how clinicians' awareness of different elements of their CT experience impacts the outcome of therapy.

Buona fede e comportamenti apparentemente irrazionali

L’articolo indaga il ruolo della buona fede contrattuale all’interno dei diversi modelli giuseconomici. Da una originaria esclusione, dovuta sia agli strumenti tipici dell’analisi economica sia alla mentalità intrinseca del common lawyer, si assiste ad una sua “rivalutazione” non solo grazie alla sua associazione con la reasonableness, ma anche in virtù delle nuove scoperte nel campo delle neuroscienze e dell’economia comportamentale

DOPAC as a modulator of α-Synuclein and E46K interactions with membrane: Insights into binding dynamics

α-Synuclein (Syn) is an intrinsically disordered protein, abundant in presynaptic neurons. It is a constituent of the Lewis Body inclusions as amyloid fibrils, in Parkinson's disease patients. It populates an ensemble of conformations and floats between the free random coil and the membrane-bound α-helical species. E46K is a pathogenic mutant of Syn able to accelerate the formation of fibrils. The lysine in position 46 affects several protein structural properties including its interaction with membranes. We have shown that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), a dopamine metabolite, hampers Syn to form fibrils, interfering with the aggregation process and alters the interaction of the protein and its aggregates with membranes. To understand the mechanism of such alteration, we studied the interplay between Syn and E46K, lipid membranes and DOPAC. The ability of DOPAC to displace the proteins bound to membrane was also tested. Our findings provided a dynamic model of interaction able to explain the different effects of DOPAC on lipid binding properties of Syn and E46K, shedding light on the conformational changes induced by the catechol, which may destabilize the protein interactions with membranes. Understanding these mechanisms could have implications for therapeutic strategies targeting Syn aggregation and membrane interactions in neurodegenerative diseases

Synergistic Integration of a Ru(bda)-Based Catalyst in a Covalent Organic Framework for Enhanced PhotocatalyticWater Oxidation

To address the urgent need for sustainable energy processes, there is agrowing demand for multifunctional materials that mimic naturalphotosynthetic enzyme functions, specifically light-harvesting, efficientphotoinduced charge separation, and integration of molecularly definedcatalysts, synergistically interacting within these structures. Herein, thesuccessful synthesis of an innovative Covalent Organic Framework(COF-TFPT-IsoQ) constructed from optically active triazine (TFPT) andisoquinoline units (IsoQ) as building blocks is reported. Post-syntheticincorporation of a Ru(bda)-based water oxidation catalyst (WOC) is achievedthrough the IsoQ moieties acting as coordinating sites. Leveraging thesynthetic flexibility of the designed COF architecture featuring binding siteson its pore walls, various Ru@COF-TFPT-IsoQ systems at different Ru:COFratios are synthesized and tested in the photoinduced (λ > 400 nm) oxygenevolution reaction (OER) under sacrificial conditions. All synthesizedRu@COF-TFPT-IsoQ systems demonstrate efficiency in the photocatalyticOER, with the highest turnover number (TON) of 9.1 observed for the systemwhere the Ru-based WOC is incorporated every fourth COF-TFPT-IsoQ unitcell. This work provides valuable insights into the structural integration andcatalytic behavior of Ru-based complexes within COF architectures,highlighting the potential of Ru@COF-TFPT-IsoQ as a robust, efficient, andsynthetically flexible multifunctional material for light-induced water oxidationcatalysis

Weak pairwise justifiability as a common root of Arrow’s and the Gibbard–Satterthwaite theorems

We introduce a novel principle that we call weak pairwise justifiability, which applies to a large class of collective choice rules, including the social choice functions and the social welfare functions about which the Gibbard–Satterthwaite theorem and Arrow’s impossibility theorem are predicated, respectively. We prove that, under appropriate qualifications, our principle is a common root for these two classical results, when applied to rules defined over the full domain of weak preference orders (also for stric

Disease-free survival as surrogate for overall survival in esophageal cancer: An individual patient data meta-analysis of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy

Background: The use of surrogate endpoints may expedite the reporting of study outcomes of clinical trials. The validity of disease-free survival (DFS) as a surrogate for overall survival (OS) in the neoadjuvant treatment of esophageal (E) or gastroesophageal junctional (GEJ) carcinomas remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate DFS as a surrogate end-point for OS in E/GEJ using the meta-analytical approach DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: individual patient data from an international meta-analysis on operable locally advanced E/GEJ, which including randomized trials comparing at least two of the neo-adjuvant treatment strategies: upfront surgery (S), chemotherapy followed by surgery (CS), and/or chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (CRS). Main outcomes and measures: Individual (Kendall's tau) and trial-level (R2) correlations between DFS and OS were estimated using a Clayton copula. Results: DFS and OS data were available for a total of 4518 pts: 2222 pts included in CS vs S, 1908 pts in CRS vs S, and 388 in CS vs CRS comparisons. 3440 patients had a DFS event and 3303 patients died. Kendall's tau was 0.73 [95 % CI 0.71 - 0.75] and R2 trial-level correlation was 0.95 [0.84 - 0.99] for CS vs S, Kendall's tau was 0.76 [0.74 - 0.77] and R2 was 0.96 [0.87 - 0.99] for CRS vs S, Kendall's tau was 0.87 [0.78 - 0.92] and R2 was 0.93 [0.43 - 1] for CRS vs CS. In a multistate model, the median time in the recurrence state was shorter in older vs more recent trials: mean time of 10.8 [10.2 - 11.4] vs 16.5 months [15.4-17.6]. Conclusions and relevance: DFS is a validated surrogate endpoint for OS in trials evaluating neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in E/GEJ. DFS may be more useful as an endpoint when delays between recurrences and death become larger