Stress field rotation or block rotation: An example from the Lake Mead fault system

The Coulomb criterion, as applied by Anderson (1951), has been widely used as the basis for inferring paleostresses from in situ fault slip data, assuming that faults are optimally oriented relative to the tectonic stress direction. Consequently if stress direction is fixed during deformation so must be the faults. Freund (1974) has shown that faults, when arranged in sets, must generally rotate as they slip. Nur et al., (1986) showed how sufficiently large rotations require the development of new sets of faults which are more favorably oriented to the principal direction of stress. This leads to the appearance of multiple fault sets in which older faults are offset by younger ones, both having the same sense of slip. Consequently correct paleostress analysis must include the possible effect of fault and material rotation, in addition to stress field rotation. The combined effects of stress field rotation and material rotation were investigated in the Lake Meade Fault System (LMFS) especially in the Hoover Dam area. Fault inversion results imply an apparent 60 degrees clockwise (CW) rotation of the stress field since mid-Miocene time. In contrast structural data from the rest of the Great Basin suggest only a 30 degrees CW stress field rotation. By incorporating paleomagnetic and seismic evidence, the 30 degrees discrepancy can be neatly resolved. Based on paleomagnetic declination anomalies, it is inferred that slip on NW trending right lateral faults caused a local 30 degrees counter-clockwise (CCW) rotation of blocks and faults in the Lake Mead area. Consequently the inferred 60 degrees CW rotation of the stress field in the LMFS consists of an actual 30 degrees CW rotation of the stress field (as for the entire Great Basin) plus a local 30 degrees CCW material rotation of the LMFS fault blocks

Enhanced transmission through a subwavelength aperture using metamaterials

We report an enhanced transmission through a single circular subwavelength aperture that is incorporated with a split ring resonator (SRR) at the microwave regime. Transmission enhancement factors as high as 530 were observed in the experiments when the SRR was located in front of the aperture in order to efficiently couple the electric field component of the incident electromagnetic wave at SRR's electrical resonance frequency. The experimental results were supported by numerical analyses. The physical origin of the transmission enhancement phenomenon was discussed by examining the induced surface currents on the structures

STRUCTURAL HETEROGENEITIES AND PALEO FLUID FLOW IN AN ANALOG SANDSTONE RESERVOIR 2001-2004

Fractures and faults are brittle structural heterogeneities that can act both as conduits and barriers with respect to fluid flow in rock. This range in the hydraulic effects of fractures and faults greatly complicates the challenges faced by geoscientists working on important problems: from groundwater aquifer and hydrocarbon reservoir management, to subsurface contaminant fate and transport, to underground nuclear waste isolation, to the subsurface sequestration of CO2 produced during fossil-fuel combustion. The research performed under DOE grant DE-FG03-94ER14462 aimed to address these challenges by laying a solid foundation, based on detailed geological mapping, laboratory experiments, and physical process modeling, on which to build our interpretive and predictive capabilities regarding the structure, patterns, and fluid flow properties of fractures and faults in sandstone reservoirs. The material in this final technical report focuses on the period of the investigation from July 1, 2001 to October 31, 2004. The Aztec Sandstone at the Valley of Fire, Nevada, provides an unusually rich natural laboratory in which exposures of joints, shear deformation bands, compaction bands and faults at scales ranging from centimeters to kilometers can be studied in an analog for sandstone aquifers and reservoirs. The suite of structures there has been documented and studied in detail using a combination of low-altitude aerial photography, outcrop-scale mapping and advanced computational analysis. In addition, chemical alteration patterns indicative of multiple paleo fluid flow events have been mapped at outcrop, local and regional scales. The Valley of Fire region has experienced multiple episodes of fluid flow and this is readily evident in the vibrant patterns of chemical alteration from which the Valley of Fire derives its name. We have successfully integrated detailed field and petrographic observation and analysis, process-based mechanical modeling, and numerical simulation of fluid flow to study a typical sandstone aquifer/reservoir at a variety of scales. We have produced many tools and insights which can be applied to active subsurface flow systems and practical problems of pressing global importance

Assessment of atrial electromechanical delay and left atrial mechanical functions in chronic kidney disease

Article HistoryReceived Accepted 01 / 05 / 201618 / 05 / 2016The risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) development was revealed to be increased in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Elongation of the time of atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) is a famous typical of the atrium. AEMD is a risk factor for AF development and it could be associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of our study is to examine mechanical functions of the left atrium (LA) and AEMD times in ESRD. A total of 86 participant, 46 with ESRD and 40 as the control group, were included in the study. The demographical and laboratory information were documented. Echocardiographic dimensions were achieved in all patients. Left atrial mechanical functions and AEMD durations were calculated. Demographic and laboratory characteristics of the groups were similar except the mean diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, creatinine, glucose, uric acid, calcium and potassium levels. The echocardiographic assessment exposed that the ventricular septal thickness (12.7±1.5 vs. 10.4±1.5, p<0.001), posterior wall thickness (12.6±1.6 vs. 10.1±1.9, p<0.001), LA dimension (40.9±5.3 vs.34.6±2.6, p<0.001) and diastolic parameters decreased in the ESRD group when compared to the control group; also, LA volumes, mechanical functions, inter atrial EMD (33.2±9.1 vs. 22.7±7.7, p<0.001), intraright-EMD (18.5±7.7 vs. 13.2±6.4, p=0.001) and intra-left-EMD (18.5±7.7 vs. 13.7±5.7, p=0.002) were also different between groups. (p<0.005) The correlation analysis showed that serum ferritin levels were correlated with AEMD. We found deteriorated LA functions and elongation in the times of AEMD in the ESRD group compared with the control group. Additionally, we found positive correlation between ferritin levels and AEMD. This result show that AEMD might be used to predict the risk of development of AF in patients with ESRD. © 2016 OMUArticle HistoryReceived Accepted 01 / 05 / 201618 / 05 / 2016The risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) development was revealed to be increased in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Elongation of the time of atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) is a famous typical of the atrium. AEMD is a risk factor for AF development and it could be associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of our study is to examine mechanical functions of the left atrium (LA) and AEMD times in ESRD. A total of 86 participant, 46 with ESRD and 40 as the control group, were included in the study. The demographical and laboratory information were documented. Echocardiographic dimensions were achieved in all patients. Left atrial mechanical functions and AEMD durations were calculated. Demographic and laboratory characteristics of the groups were similar except the mean diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, creatinine, glucose, uric acid, calcium and potassium levels. The echocardiographic assessment exposed that the ventricular septal thickness (12.7±1.5 vs. 10.4±1.5, p<0.001), posterior wall thickness (12.6±1.6 vs. 10.1±1.9, p<0.001), LA dimension (40.9±5.3 vs.34.6±2.6, p<0.001) and diastolic parameters decreased in the ESRD group when compared to the control group; also, LA volumes, mechanical functions, inter atrial EMD (33.2±9.1 vs. 22.7±7.7, p<0.001), intraright-EMD (18.5±7.7 vs. 13.2±6.4, p=0.001) and intra-left-EMD (18.5±7.7 vs. 13.7±5.7, p=0.002) were also different between groups. (p<0.005) The correlation analysis showed that serum ferritin levels were correlated with AEMD. We found deteriorated LA functions and elongation in the times of AEMD in the ESRD group compared with the control group. Additionally, we found positive correlation between ferritin levels and AEMD. This result show that AEMD might be used to predict the risk of development of AF in patients with ESRD. © 2016 OM

Effect of monoamine oxidase B A644G variant on nicotine dependence and/or schizophrenia risk

Objectives: Schizophrenia (Sch) is a severe and chronic mental illness. Smoking prevalence is higher in patients with Sch than general population. We aimed to investigate the effects of MAOB gene A644G variant on nicotine dependence (ND) and Sch+ND risk in Turkish population and to evaluate by bioinformatic analysis. Methods: Present study included 161 individuals with ND, 223 patients with Sch+ND, and 96 non-smoker controls. MAOB A644G variant was analyzed using PCR-RFLP method. As the MAOB gene is located on the X chromosome, each gender was analysed separately. Results: The total distributions of AA, AG and GG genotypes of MAOB gene A644G were 44.7%, 22.4% and 32.9% in the ND group, 45.3%, 25.1% and 29.6% in the Sch+ND group and, 44.8, 22.9% and 32.3% in non-smoker controls. No significant differences were observed between groups for the MAOB A644G genotype and allele frequencies when female group compared to male group (p &gt; 0.05). Examination of disease associations of SNPs from each miRNA gene region in GWAS databases yielded results for aging, bipolar disorder, autoimmune, and neurological diseases. Discussion: Our results indicate that the MAOB gene A644G variant is not associated with ND and/or Sch susceptibility in the Turkish population

XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to both nicotine dependence and/or schizophrenia

Background: Oxidative stress induced DNA damage has been assumed to contribute to the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia (Sch). Smoking prevalence was more common in patients with Sch. The X-ray repair cross-complementation group 4 (XRCC4) gene plays an important role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism has a relationship both in nicotine dependence (ND) and Sch+ND risk. Methods: One hundred and four patients with Sch+ND, 133 subjects with ND only and 70 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism was analyzed using PCR-RFLP assay. Results: The frequency of XRCC4 rs6869366 GG genotype was more common in the ND and Sch+ND group than controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). XRCC4 rs6869366 TT genotype was lower in both ND and Sch+ND group compared to controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Also, XRCC4 rs6869366 G allele was higher in Sch+ND group than controls (p = 0.001) while XRCC4 rs6869366 T allele was lower in ND group than healthy controls (p=0.001). XRCC4 rs6869366 GT genotype was lower in ND group than control group (p = 0.003). Discussion: These results suggested that the XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism G related genotype/allele was associated with susceptibility to both ND and Sch+ND in a Turkish population

Relative bioavailability study of a generic effervescent tablet formulation of dexketoprofen and thiocolchicoside versus the originator 25 mg film coated tablet (dexketoprofen) and 8 mg capsule (thiocolchicoside)

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles and the relative bioavailability of dexketoprofen and thiocolchicoside of the test preparation (dexketoprofen / thiocolchicoside 25 mg / 8 mg effervescent tablet) in comparison with the reference preparations (Keral 25 mg film coated tablet, containing dexketoprofen trometamol equivalent to 25 mg dexketoprofen (Menarini International Operations Luxembourg S.A.) (R1) and Muscoril 8 mg capsule, containing 8 mg thiocolchicoside (Sanofi Aventis İlaçları Ltd. Şti.) (R2) under fasting conditions. Methods: 25 healthy male subjects were enrolled in the study. Volunteers were hospitalised from the evening before drug administration (Day 0) until after the 24-hour blood sampling time on Day 2. Results: 24 subjects completed the study. Relative bioavailability (AUCT/AUCR1) of dexketoprofen from the test preparation was 100.99 %; (AUCT/AUCR2) of 3-O-glucuronide of thiocolchicoside (aglycone) from the test preparation was 100.47 %; (Cmax,T/Cmax,R1) of dexketoprofen from the test preparation was 122.59 %; (Cmax,T/Cmax,R2) of 3-O-glucuronide of thiocolchicoside (aglycone) from the test preparation was 111.43 %. Conclusions: The relative bioavailability AUCT /AUCR of the test preparation compared with both reference preparations is comparable, as shown by the geometric mean ratios of 100.59 % (dexketoprofen) and of 98.20 % (3-O-glucuronide of thiocolchicoside (aglycone)

Drying colloidal systems: laboratory models for a wide range of applications

The drying of complex fluids provides a powerful insight into phenomena that take place on time and length scales not normally accessible. An important feature of complex fluids, colloidal dispersions and polymer solutions is their high sensitivity to weak external actions. Thus, the drying of complex fluids involves a large number of physical and chemical processes. The scope of this review is the capacity to tune such systems to reproduce and explore specific properties in a physics laboratory. A wide variety of systems are presented, ranging from functional coatings, food science, cosmetology, medical diagnostics and forensics to geophysics and art

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries