Platinum-group element signatures in the North Atlantic Igneous Province: Implications for mantle controls on metal budgets during continental breakup

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) is a large igneous province (LIP) that includes a series of lava suites erupted from the earliest manifestations of the (proto)-Icelandic plume, through continental rifting and ultimate ocean opening. The lavas of one of these sub-provinces, the British Palaeogene Igneous Province (BPIP), were some of the first lavas to be erupted in the NAIP and overlie a thick crustal basement and sedimentary succession with abundant S-rich mudrocks. We present the first platinum-group element (PGE) and Au analyses of BPIP flood basalts from the main lava fields of the Isle of Mull and Morvern and the Isle of Skye, in addition to a suite of shallow crustal dolerite volcanic plugs on Mull, and other minor lavas suites. BPIP lavas display both Ssaturated and S-undersaturated trends which, coupled with elevated PGE abundances (NMORB), suggest that the BPIP is one of the most prospective areas of the NAIP to host Ni–Cu–PGE–(Au) mineralisation in conduit systems. Platinum-group element, Au and chalcophile element abundances in lavas from West and East Greenland, and Iceland, are directly comparable to BPIP lavas, but the relative abundances of Pt and Pd vary systematically between lavas suites of different ages. The oldest lavas (BPIP and West Greenland) have a broadly chondritic Pt/Pd ratio (~1.9). Lavas from East Greenland have a lower Pt/Pd ratio (~0.8) and the youngest lavas from Iceland have the lowest Pt/Pd ratio of the NAIP (~0.4). Hence, Pt/Pd ratio of otherwise equivalent flood basalt lavas varies temporally across the NAIP and appears to be coincident with the changing geodynamic environment of the (proto)-Icelandic plume through time. We assess the possible causes for such systematic Pt/Pd variation in light of mantle plume and lithospheric controls, and suggest that this reflects a change in the availability of lithospheric mantle Pt-rich sulphides for entrainment in ascending plume magmas. Hence the precious metal systematics and potential prospectivity of a LIP may be affected by contamination of plume-derived magmas by subcontinent.HSRH acknowledges the financial support of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for funding this work (studentship NE/ J50029X/1) and open access publication

An atypical presentation of a common infection.

Case Report: A six-year-old girl presented with a one year history of painless, non-purulent conjunctivitis of her left eye which had been treated on two occasions with topical antibiotics with no effect

Sulphide sinking in magma conduits: Evidence from mafic–ultramafic plugs on Rum and the wider North Atlantic Igneous Province

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Ni–Cu–PGE (platinum group element) sulphide mineralization is commonly found in magmatic conduit systems. In many cases the trigger for formation of an immiscible sulphide liquid involves assimilation of S-bearing crustal rocks. Conceptually, the fluid dynamics of sulphide liquid droplets within such conduits is essentially a balance between gravitational sinking and upwards entrainment. Thus, crustal contamination signatures may be present in sulphides preserved both up- and down-flow from the point of interaction with the contaminant. We examine a suite of ultramafic volcanic plugs on the Isle of Rum, Scotland, to decipher controls on sulphide accumulation in near-surface magma conduits intruded into a variable sedimentary stratigraphy. The whole-rock compositions of the plugs broadly overlap with the compositions of ultramafic units within the Rum Layered Complex, although subtle differences between each plug highlight their individuality. Interstitial base metal sulphide minerals occur in all ultramafic plugs on Rum. Sulphide minerals have magmatic δ34S (ranging from –1·3 to +2·1‰) and S/Se ratios (mean = 2299), and demonstrate that the conduit magmas were already S-saturated. However, two plugs in NW Rum contain substantially coarser (sometimes net-textured) sulphides with unusually light δ34S (–14·7 to +0·3‰) and elevated S/Se ratios (mean = 4457), not represented by the immediate host-rocks. Based on the Hebrides Basin sedimentary stratigraphy, it is likely that the volcanic con duits would have intruded through a package of Jurassic mudrocks with characteristically light δ34S (–33·8 to –14·7‰). We propose that a secondary crustal S contamination event took place at a level above that currently exposed, and that these sulphides sank back to their present position. Modelling suggests that upon the cessation of active magma transport, sulphide liquids could have sunk back through the conduit over a distance of several hundreds of metres, over a period of a few days. This sulphide ‘withdrawal’ process may be observed in other vertical or steeply inclined magma conduits globally; for example, in the macrodykes of East Greenland. Sulphide liquid sinking within a non-active conduit or during magma ‘suck-back’ may help to explain crustal S-isotopic compositions in magma conduits that appear to lack appropriate lithologies to support this contamination, either locally or deeper in the system.Sulphur isotope analyses were funded by NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities grant, IP-1356-1112. H.S.R.H. acknowledges the financial support of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for her PhD studentship (NE/J50029X) and funding of open access publication. This is a contribution to the TeaSe (Te and Se Cycling and Supply) research consortium supported by NERC award NE/M011615/1 to Cardiff University and the University of Leicester

The geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic du Chef dyke swarm, Québec, Canada

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The du Chef dyke swarm in southern Québec, Canada is composed of numerous northeast trending, greenschist-amphibolite facies, gabbronoritic dykes that crop out either side of the Grenville Front. The age of the du Chef swarm (2408 ± 3 Ga) has led previous authors to suggest a genetic link between the du Chef dykes and coeval swarms (including the Ringvassøy, Scourie, Widgemooltha and Sebanga) preserved on other Archean cratons. These now disparate dyke swarms are proposed to have formed in response to mantle plume-induced continental breakup during the early Proterozoic. This work represents the first geochemical study of the du Chef dykes and shows that the swarm evolved through fractional crystallisation of a tholeiitic parent magma that remained largely uncontaminated during its residence in, and ascent through, the crust. We also show that the primary magma for the du Chef swarm was derived through partial melting of an enriched region of the mantle, with a similar trace element composition to the modern-day HIMU reservoir and that the magma produced was significantly hotter than the ambient mantle at the time. We contend that the du Chef dykes are the product of early Proterozoic mantle plume magmatism and may help pinpoint an ancient hotspot centre that initiated continental break up along the margin of the Superior Craton at ∼2.4 Ga. Other dyke swarms proposed to be genetically linked with the du Chef dykes record a distinctly different petrogenetic history to that of the du Chef dykes, as evidenced by their more volcanic arc-like geochemical signature. These contrasting geochemical signatures in supposedly cogenetic continental tholeiitic rocks may be evidence of early Proterozoic mantle heterogeneity sampled by the rising du Chef mantle plume.This study forms part of a Ph.D. dissertation undertaken by T.J.R.C. at the University of Cardiff, United Kingdom. A. Okrugin's assistance in the field is acknowledged. J. Strongman, J. Fletcher and J. Pett are thanked for their permission of use of the petrographic equipment at Petrolab Ltd. L. Badham, A. Oldroyd, L. Woolley and P. Fisher are thanked for their help in preparation and analysis of samples. This is publication number 38 of the Large Igneous Provinces, Supercontinent Reconstruction, Resource Exploration Project (www.supercontinent.org)

Bundap Marram Durn Durn: Engagement with Aboriginal women experiencing comorbid chronic physical and mental health conditions

OBJECTIVE: To explore antecedents of health service engagement and experience among urban Aboriginal people with comorbid physical and mental health conditions. METHODS: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with Aboriginal people who had comorbid health conditions and were accessing Aboriginal and/or mainstream services. RESULTS: Nineteen participants, all women, were recruited. Participants' personal histories and prior experience of health services affected effective service utilisation. Participants' service experiences were characterised by long waiting times in the public health system and high healthcare staff turnover. Trusted professionals were able to act as brokers to other clinically and culturally competent practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: Many urban Aboriginal women attended health services with multiple comorbid conditions including chronic disease and mental health issues. Several barriers and enablers were identified concerning the capacity of services to engage and effectively manage Aboriginal patients' condition

Interoception, Contemplative Practice, and Health

AcceptedArticleCopyright: © 2015 Farb, Daubenmier, Price, Gard, Kerr, Dunn, KLein, Paulus and Mehling.This Document is Protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. it is reproduced with permission.Interoception can be broadly defined as the sense of signals originating within the body. As such, interoception is critical for our sense of embodiment, motivation and well-being. And yet, despite its importance, interoception remains poorly understood within modern science. This paper reviews interdisciplinary perspectives on interoception, with the goal of presenting a unified perspective from diverse fields such as neuroscience, clinical practice, and contemplative studies. It is hoped that this integrative effort will advance our understanding of how interoception determines well-being, and identify the central challenges to such understanding. To this end, we introduce an expanded taxonomy of interoceptive processes, arguing that many of these processes can be understood through an emerging predictive coding model for mind-body integration. The model, which describes the tension between expected and felt body sensation, parallels contemplative theories, and implicates interoception in a variety of affective and psychosomatic disorders. We conclude that maladaptive construal of bodily sensations may lie at the heart of many contemporary maladies, and that contemplative practices may attenuate these interpretative biases, restoring a person’s sense of presence and agency in the world

CDK-dependent nuclear localization of B-Cyclin Clb1 promotes FEAR activation during meiosis I in budding yeast

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) are master regulators of the cell cycle in eukaryotes. CDK activity is regulated by the presence, post-translational modification and spatial localization of its regulatory subunit cyclin. In budding yeast, the B-cyclin Clb1 is phosphorylated and localizes to the nucleus during meiosis I. However the functional significance of Clb1's phosphorylation and nuclear localization and their mutual dependency is unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that meiosis-specific phosphorylation of Clb1 requires its import to the nucleus but not vice versa. While Clb1 phosphorylation is dependent on activity of both CDK and polo-like kinase Cdc5, its nuclear localization requires CDK but not Cdc5 activity. Furthermore we show that increased nuclear localization of Clb1 during meiosis enhances activation of FEAR (Cdc Fourteen Early Anaphase Release) pathway. We discuss the significance of our results in relation to regulation of exit from meiosis I

Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation

The lower limb of the Atlantic overturning circulation is resupplied by the sinking of dense Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) that forms via intense air–sea–ice interactions next to Antarctica, especially in the Weddell Sea. In the last three decades, AABW has warmed, freshened and declined in volume across the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere, suggesting an ongoing major reorganization of oceanic overturning. However, the future contributions of AABW to the Atlantic overturning circulation are unclear. Here, using observations of AABW in the Scotia Sea, the most direct pathway from the Weddell Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, we show a recent cessation in the decline of the AABW supply to the Atlantic overturning circulation. The strongest decline was observed in the volume of the densest layers in the AABW throughflow from the early 1990s to 2014; since then, it has stabilized and partially recovered. We link these changes to variability in the densest classes of abyssal waters upstream. Our findings indicate that the previously observed decline in the supply of dense water to the Atlantic Ocean abyss may be stabilizing or reversing and thus call for a reassessment of Antarctic influences on overturning circulation, sea level, planetary-scale heat distribution and global climate

The ATP-Binding Cassette Proteins of the Deep-Branching Protozoan Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

The ATP binding cassette (ABC) proteins are a family of membrane transporters and regulatory proteins responsible for diverse and critical cellular process in all organisms. To date, there has been no attempt to investigate this class of proteins in the infectious parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. We have utilized a combination of bioinformatics, gene sequence analysis, gene expression and confocal microscopy to investigate the ABC proteins of T. vaginalis. We demonstrate that, uniquely among eukaryotes, T. vaginalis possesses no intact full-length ABC transporters and has undergone a dramatic expansion of some ABC protein sub-families. Furthermore, we provide preliminary evidence that T. vaginalis is able to read through in-frame stop codons to express ABC transporter components from gene pairs in a head-to-tail orientation. Finally, with confocal microscopy we demonstrate the expression and endoplasmic reticulum localization of a number of T. vaginalis ABC transporters