Isolated deep earthquakes beneath the North Island of New Zealand

Seismicity shallows towards the south along the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi margin, deep and intermediate seismicity being absent altogether in the South Island of New Zealand. Beneath the Taranaki region of the North Island the maximum depth of the main seismicity is 250 km, but very rare events occur directly below at 600 km. These could be associated with a detached slab or a vertical, aseismic continuation of the subducted Pacific Plate. Six small events that occurred in the 1990s were recorded extensively by digital instruments of the New Zealand National Network (NZNN) and temporary deployments. We relocate these events by a joint hypocentre determination (JHD) method and find their focal mechanisms using first motions and relative amplitudes of P and S arrivals. The earthquakes relocate to a remarkably uniform depth of 603 +/- 3 kmrelative error (+/- 10 km absolute error) in a line 30- km long orientated 40 NE, roughly parallel to the strike of the intermediate- depth seismicity. The only consistent component of the focal mechanisms is the tension axis: all lie close to horizontal and tend to align with the line of hypocentres. We interpret this deep seismic zone as a detached sliver of plate lying horizontally with the same orientation as the main subducted plate above. Volume change caused by a phase change controlled by the pressure at 600 km and temperature in the sliver produces a pattern of strain that places the sliver under tension along its lengt

Botulinum toxin type A in the prophylactic treatment of chronic tension-type headache: A multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study

We studied the safety and efficacy of 0 U, 50 U, 100 U, 150 U (five sites), 86 Usub and 100 Usub (three sites) botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA; BOTOX); Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) for the prophylaxis of chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Three hundred patients (62.3% female; mean age 42.6 years) enrolled. For the primary endpoint, the mean change from baseline in the number of TTH-free days per month, there was no statistically significant difference between placebo and four BoNTA groups, but a significant difference favouring placebo vs. BoNTA 150 was observed (4.5 vs. 2.8 tension headache-free days/month; P = 0.007). All treatment groups improved at day 60. Although efficacy was not demonstrated for the primary endpoint, at day 90, more patients in three BoNTA groups had \u3eor=50% decrease in tension headache days than did placebo (

The macro-and micro-fossil record of the Cambrian priapulid Ottoia

The stem-group priapulid Ottoia Walcott, 1911, is the most abundant worm in the mid-Cambrian Burgess Shale, but has not been unambiguously demonstrated elsewhere. High-resolution electron and optical microscopy of macroscopic Burgess Shale specimens reveals the detailed anatomy of its robust hooks, spines and pharyngeal teeth, establishing the presence of two species: Ottoia prolifica Walcott, 1911, and Ottoia tricuspida sp. nov. Direct comparison of these sclerotized elements with a suite of shale-hosted mid-to-late Cambrian microfossils extends the range of ottoiid priapulids throughout the middle to upper Cambrian strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Ottoiid priapulids represented an important component of Cambrian ecosystems: they occur in a range of lithologies and thrived in shallow water as well as in the deep-water setting of the Burgess Shale. A wider survey of Burgess Shale macrofossils reveals specific characters that diagnose priapulid sclerites more generally, establishing the affinity of a wide range of Small Carbonaceous Fossils and demonstrating the prominent role of priapulids in Cambrian seas

Stress Field Interactions Between Overlapping Shield Volcanoes : Borehole Breakout Evidence From the Island of Hawai'i, USA

Acknowledgments: This PTA2 borehole investigation was funded by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and by VMAPP (Volcanic Margin Petroleum Prospectivity) project (VBPR/DougalEARTH/TGS) in collaboration with the Humu'ula Groundwater Research Project. D. A. J. and S. P. are partly funded through a Norwegian Research Council Centres of Excellence project (project number 223272, CEED). We thank Marco Groh for the logging operations. We thank two anonymous reviewers for the comments and suggestions. We are particularly grateful to the Associate Editor Mike Poland for his valuable comments and his critical review that greatly improved the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Small shelly fossils and carbon isotopes from the early Cambrian (Stage 3-4) Mural Formation of western Laurentia

The extraordinary window of phosphatised and phosphatic Small Shelly Fossils (SSFs) during the early and middle Cambrian is an important testament to the radiation of biomineralising metazoans. While SSF are well known from most Cambrian palaeocontinents during this time interval, western Laurentia has relatively few SSF faunas. Here we describe a diverse SSF fauna from the early Cambrian (Stage 3-4) Mural Formation at three localities in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, complemented by carbon isotope measurements to aid in a potential future bio-chemostratigraphic framework. The fauna expands the recorded SSF assemblage diversity in western Laurentia and includes several brachiopods, four bradoriids, three chancelloriids, two hyoliths, a tommotiid and a helcionellid mollusc as well as echinoderm ossicles and specimens of Microdictyon, Volborthella and Hyolithellus. New taxa include the tommotiid genus Canadiella gen. nov., the new bradoriid species Hipponicharion perforata sp. nov. and Pseudobeyrichona taurata sp. nov. Compared to contemporaneous faunas from western Laurentia, the fauna is relatively diverse, particularly in taxa with originally phosphatic shells, which appear to be associated with archaeocyathid buildups. This suggests that the generally low faunal diversity in western Laurentia may be at least partly a consequence of poor sampling of suitable archaeocyathan reef environments. In addition, the tommotiid Canadiella filigrana appears to be of biostratigraphic significance in Cambrian Stage 3 strata of western Laurentia and the unexpected high diversity of bradoriid arthropods in the fauna also suggests that this group may prove useful for biostratigraphic resolution in the region

Dynamic Mechanisms of Cell Rigidity Sensing: Insights from a Computational Model of Actomyosin Networks

Cells modulate themselves in response to the surrounding environment like substrate elasticity, exhibiting structural reorganization driven by the contractility of cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is the scaffolding structure of eukaryotic cells, playing a central role in many mechanical and biological functions. It is composed of a network of actins, actin cross-linking proteins (ACPs), and molecular motors. The motors generate contractile forces by sliding couples of actin filaments in a polar fashion, and the contractile response of the cytoskeleton network is known to be modulated also by external stimuli, such as substrate stiffness. This implies an important role of actomyosin contractility in the cell mechano-sensing. However, how cells sense matrix stiffness via the contractility remains an open question. Here, we present a 3-D Brownian dynamics computational model of a cross-linked actin network including the dynamics of molecular motors and ACPs. The mechano-sensing properties of this active network are investigated by evaluating contraction and stress in response to different substrate stiffness. Results demonstrate two mechanisms that act to limit internal stress: (i) In stiff substrates, motors walk until they exert their maximum force, leading to a plateau stress that is independent of substrate stiffness, whereas (ii) in soft substrates, motors walk until they become blocked by other motors or ACPs, leading to submaximal stress levels. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the role of molecular motors in the contraction and rigidity sensing of cells

Early Geometrical Thinking in the Environment of Patterns, Mosaics and Isometries

This book discusses the learning and teaching of geometry, with a special focus on kindergarten and primary education. It examines important new trends and developments in research and practice, and emphasizes theoretical, empirical and developmental issues. Further, it discusses various topics, including curriculum studies and implementation, spatial abilities and geometric reasoning, as well as the psychological roots of geometrical thinking and teacher preparation in geometry education. It considers these issues from historical, epistemological, cognitive semiotic and educational points of view in the context of students' difficulties and the design of teaching and curricula

Isometric handgrip as an adjunct for blood pressure control: a primer for clinicians

Considered a global health crisis by the World Health Organization, hypertension (HTN) is the leading risk factor for death and disability. The majority of treated patients do not attain evidence-based clinical targets, which increases the risk of potentially fatal complications. HTN is the most common chronic condition seen in primary care; thus, implementing therapies that lower and maintain BP to within-target ranges is of tremendous public health importance. Isometric handgrip (IHG) training is a simple intervention endorsed by the American Heart Association as a potential adjuvant BP-lowering treatment. With larger reductions noted in HTN patients, IHG training may be especially beneficial for those who (a) have difficulties continuing or increasing drug-based treatment; (b) are unable to attain BP control despite optimal treatment; (c) have pre-HTN or low-risk stage I mild HTN; and (d) wish to avoid medications or have less pill burden. IHG training is not routinely prescribed in clinical practice. To shift this paradigm, we focus on (1) the challenges of current HTN management strategies; (2) the effect of IHG training; (3) IHG prescription; (4) characterizing the population for whom it works best; (5) clinical relevance; and (6) important next steps to foster broader implementation by clinical practitioners

Craniectomy for Malignant Cerebral Infarction: Prevalence and Outcomes in US Hospitals

Randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of craniectomy for the treatment of malignant cerebral edema following ischemic stroke. We sought to determine the prevalence and outcomes related to this by using a national database.Patient discharges with ischemic stroke as the primary diagnosis undergoing craniectomy were queried from the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999 to 2008. A subpopulation of patients was identified that underwent thrombolysis. Two primary end points were examined: in-hospital mortality and discharge to home/routine care. To facilitate interpretations, adjusted prevalence was calculated from the overall prevalence and two age-specific logistic regression models. The predictive margin was then generated using a multivariate logistic regression model to estimate the probability of in-hospital mortality after adjustment for admission type, admission source, length of stay, total hospital charges, chronic comorbidities, and medical complications.After excluding 71,996 patients with the diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage and posterior intracranial circulation occlusion, we identified 4,248,955 adult hospitalizations with ischemic stroke as a primary diagnosis. The estimated rates of hospitalizations in craniectomy per 10,000 hospitalizations with ischemic stroke increased from 3.9 in 1999-2000 to 14.46 in 2007-2008 (p for linear trend<0.001). Patients 60+ years of age had in-hospital mortality of 44% while the 18-59 year old group was found to be 24% (p = 0.14). Outcomes were comparable if recombinant tissue plasminogen activator had been administered.Craniectomy is being increasingly performed for malignant cerebral edema following large territory cerebral ischemia. We suspect that the increase in the annual incidence of DC for malignant cerebral edema is directly related to the expanding collection of evidence in randomized trials that the operation is efficacious when performed in the correct patient population. In hospital mortality is high for all patients undergoing this procedure