Calcium Sulfate in Atacama Desert Basalt: A Possible Analog for Bright Material in Adirondack Basalt, Gusev Crater

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the driest deserts on Earth (< 2mm/y). The hyper-arid conditions allow extraordinary accumulations of sulfates, chlorides, and nitrates in Atacama soils. Examining salt accumulations in the Atacama may assist understanding salt accumulations on Mars. Recent work examining sulfate soils on basalt parent material observed white material in the interior vesicles of surface basalt. This is strikingly similar to the bright-white material present in veins and vesicles of the Adirondack basalt rocks at Gusev Crater which are presumed to consist of S, Cl, and/or Br. The abundance of soil gypsum/anhydrite in the area of the Atacama basalt suggested that the white material consisted of calcium sulfate (Ca-SO4) which was later confirmed by SEM/EDS analysis. This work examines the Ca-SO4 of Atacama basalt in an effort to provide insight into the possible nature of the bright material in the Adirondack basalt of Gusev Crater. The objectives of this work are to (i) discuss variations in Ca-SO4 crystal morphology in the vesicles and (ii) examine the Ca-SO4 interaction(s) with the basalt interior

Life in the Atacama — Year 2: Geologic reconnaissance through long-range roving and implications on the search for life

The Life in the Atacama-2004 project, which included geological, morphological, and mineralogical mapping through combined satellite, field-based, and microscopic perspectives and long-range roving, led to the localization of potential habitats

Searching for life with rovers: exploration methods and science results from the 2004 field campaign of the “Life in the Atacama” project and applications to future Mars Missions

LITA develops and field tests a long-range automated rover and a science payload to search for microbial life in the Atacama. The Atacama's evolution provides a unique training ground for designing and testing exploration strategies and life detection methods for the search for life on Mars

Local Commutativity and Causality in Interacting PP-wave String Field Theory

In this paper, we extend our previous study of causality and local commutativity of string fields in the pp-wave lightcone string field theory to include interaction. Contrary to the flat space case result of Lowe, Polchinski, Susskind, Thorlacius and Uglum, we found that the pp-wave interaction does not affect the local commutativity condition. Our results show that the pp-wave lightcone string field theory is not continuously connected with the flat space one. We also discuss the relation between the condition of local commutativity and causality. While the two notions are closely related in a point particle theory, their relation is less clear in string theory. We suggest that string local commutativity may be relevant for an operational defintion of causality using strings as probes.Comment: Latex, JHEP3.cls, 18 pages, no figures. v2: add comments about the UV-IR mixing effect displayed in our result. version to appear in JHE

Detecting new microRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes identifies miR-3085 as a human, chondrocyte-selective, microRNA

Objective: To use deep sequencing to identify novel microRNAs in human osteoarthritic cartilage which have a functional role in chondrocyte phenotype or function. Design: A small RNA library was prepared from human osteoarthritic primary chondrocytes using in-house adaptors and analysed by Illumina sequencing. Novel candidate microRNAs were validated by northern blot and qRT-PCR. Expression was measured in cartilage models. Targets of novel candidates were identified by microarray and computational analysis, validated using 3’-UTR-luciferase reporter plasmids. Protein levels were assessed by western blot and functional analysis by cell adhesion. Results: We identified 990 known microRNAs and 1621 potential novel microRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes, 60 of the latter were expressed in all samples assayed. MicroRNA-140-3p was the most highly expressed microRNA in osteoarthritic cartilage. Sixteen novel candidate microRNAs were analysed further, of which 6 remained after northern blot analysis. Three novel microRNAs were regulated across models of chondrogenesis, chondrocyte differentiation or cartilage injury. One sequence (novel #11), annotated in rodents as microRNA-3085-3p, was preferentially expressed in cartilage, dependent on chondrocyte differentiation and, in man, is located in an intron of the cartilage-expressed gene CRTAC-1. This microRNA was shown to target the ITGA5 gene directly (which encodes integrin alpha5) and inhibited adhesion to fibronectin (dependent on alpha5beta1 integrin). Conclusion: Deep sequencing has uncovered many potential microRNA candidates expressed in human cartilage. At least three of these show potential functional interest in cartilage homeostasis and osteoarthritis. Particularly, novel #11 (microRNA-3085-3p) which has been identified for the first time in man

Lepton flavor violation two-body decays of quarkoniums

In this paper we firstly study various model-independent bounds on lepton flavor violation (LFV) in processes of $J/\Psi$, $\Psi'$ and $\Upsilon$ two-body decays, then calculate their branch ratios % By using the constraints from other ways, we obtain %the indirect bounds of ${\rm Br} (J/\Psi,\Psi',\Upsilon \to ll')$ in models of the leptoquark, $R$ violating MSSM and topcolor assisted technicolor(TC2) models.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR

Standards of Practice in Acute Ischemic Stroke Intervention: International Recommendations

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Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

MALDI-TOF MS Enables the Rapid Identification of the Major Molecular Types within the Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii Species Complex

BACKGROUND: The Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii species complex comprises two sibling species that are divided into eight major molecular types, C. neoformans VNI to VNIV and C. gattii VGI to VGIV. These genotypes differ in host range, epidemiology, virulence, antifungal susceptibility and geographic distribution. The currently used phenotypic and molecular identification methods for the species/molecular types are time consuming and expensive. As Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) offers an effective alternative for the rapid identification of microorganisms, the objective of this study was to examine its potential for the identification of C. neoformans and C. gattii strains at the intra- and inter-species level. METHODOLOGY: Protein extracts obtained via the formic acid extraction method of 164 C. neoformans/C. gattii isolates, including four inter-species hybrids, were studied. RESULTS: The obtained mass spectra correctly identified 100% of all studied isolates, grouped each isolate according to the currently recognized species, C. neoformans and C. gattii, and detected potential hybrids. In addition, all isolates were clearly separated according to their major molecular type, generating greater spectral differences among the C. neoformans molecular types than the C. gattii molecular types, most likely reflecting a closer phylogenetic relationship between the latter. The number of colonies used and the incubation length did not affect the results. No spectra were obtained from intact yeast cells. An extended validated spectral library containing spectra of all eight major molecular types was established. CONCLUSIONS: MALDI-TOF MS is a rapid identification tool for the correct recognition of the two currently recognized human pathogenic Cryptococcus species and offers a simple method for the separation of the eight major molecular types and the detection of hybrid strains within this species complex in the clinical laboratory. The obtained mass spectra provide further evidence that the major molecular types warrant variety or even species status