Provenance of and Age of Granitoid and Sandstone Clasts in Conglomerates of the Paleocene to Upper Cretaceous Yakutat Group, Russell Fjord, Alaska

The Paleocene to Upper Cretaceous Yakutat Group consists of a flysch facies. A conglomerate occurs in two places in Russell Fjord, and the composition and age of clasts bears on tectonic reconstructions. One site (#23) occurs in what is mapped as flysch and one in the mélange (#25), but the conglomerates are essentially identical. They contain clasts of sandstone, greenstone, limestone, marble, chert, and plutonic rocks that are clast supported, and interbedded with sandstones that contain coalified plant fragments. The maximum depositional age (MDA) of the U/Pb-dated zircons from the sandstone is 65.9 ± 1.8 Ma and 65.6 ± 2.2 Ma for the two samples, indicating deposition was Maastrichtian or younger. Grain-age distributions for these two samples yield populations at 69-74 Ma, 92-94 Ma,157-183 Ma, 1365 Ma, and 1710 Ma. The Jurassic population, which is subordinate, may be resolved into component populations at 154 Ma and 182 Ma. Clasts of sandstones and plutonic rocks were dated and analyzed. A well-rounded sandstone clast from the conglomerate at site #25 was dated and has an MDA of 71.7 ± 2.4 Ma, and the overall grain-age distribution is identical to sandstone elsewhere in the mélange. The similarity in MDAs and lithology of the sandstone clast and host mélange sandstone suggests that parts of the mélange may have been reworked. Three plutonic clasts from site #23 were analyzed for geochemistry in addition to two plutonic samples from tectonic slices (knockers) in the mélange. Based upon the geochemistry, the clasts are granite, trondhjemite, and tonalite, and both knockers are tonalite, and all plot as volcanic arc granites on discrimination diagrams. Two clasts and both knockers were U/Pb zircon dated. One clast has a date of 167.2 ± 2.3 Ma and the other has two zircon populations with modes at 156.2 ± 2.7 Ma and 179.5 ± 2.6 Ma. The bimodal age distribution is unexplained, but might be due to lead loss, mixing magma, or contamination. The granitic knockers are tectonic slices that have U/Pb dates of 174.9 ± 2.0 Ma and 173.8 ± 2.1 Ma. ?Hf(t) values on the 167 Ma clast and 175 Ma knocker range from +10.0 to +14.3 and +9.8 to +12.0, respectively. Thus, these data suggest that the source region for the granitoid clast and knocker are isotopically homogenous and juvenile. Potential provenances include the Jurassic Bonanza and Talkeetna arcs on Vancouver Island and Wrangellia, respectively. Geochemistry analysis on the plutonic rocks also show a correlation to fragments of similar lithology and age in the Western Mélange Belt (WA)

Notes and Comments: Covenants of Habitability in Short Term Leases

Covenants of habitability are not new to leases of short duration, but their acceptance has not yet been universally recognized. The author suggests that such covenants are both desirable and necessary

Notes and Comments: Covenants of Habitability in Short Term Leases

Covenants of habitability are not new to leases of short duration, but their acceptance has not yet been universally recognized. The author suggests that such covenants are both desirable and necessary

Defining historical earthquake rupture parameters and proposed slip distributions through tsunami modeling in south-central Chile

Reliable tsunami early warning forecasts rely on accurate initial modeling conditions and interpretations of subduction zone behavior in a multi-century perspective. GPS and seismologic data were introduced this past century to study rupture dynamics in detail, however limited information is known about ruptures that pre-date the 20th century. I propose a methodology that uses statistics to better understand these pre-20th century ruptures. This methodology applies the historical and geologic tsunami record as a means to select a suite of tsunami simulations from earthquake source solutions. I chose south-central Chile (46°S to 30°S) to test this new methodology; it has an extensive earthquake historical record at 47 different coastal sites, some of which date to the 16th century. Between 1570 and 1960, this region experienced at least 17 tsunamigenic earthquakes. In addition to evaluating possible source solutions for these earthquakes, my methodology also allows the test of whether subducted fracture zones, like the Mocha fracture zone (MFZ) in south-central Chile, controls rupture propagation (as previously hypothesized). For this research, I used GeoClaw, a numerical tsunami modeling code, to simulate 423 forward-modeled Mw 8.7 - 9.5 earthquake scenarios with stochastic, variable slip distributions. I used Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) to identify significant earthquake parameters (Mw and slip location) of 17 events by statistically selecting source models that had similar simulated wave heights to known observations in the historic and geologic record. For example, I concluded from AIC that the 1960 event was a Mw 9.3 rupture with high slip concentration (~ 30 m) at ~ 39-40ºS, and the 1730 event was a Mw 9.3 rupture with shallow maximum slip at ~ 36ºS; both solutions support the MFZ hypothesis. The AIC results generally agree with previously estimated magnitudes within the literature and were validated by using root mean square error RMSE values. I produced high resolution maps at three coastal sites with well-known tsunami observations for further refinement of potential rupture scenarios. Defining historical rupture characteristics gives insight regarding temporal and spatial variabilities of locking zones. This information may be useful for predicting future near-field tsunami wave heights for particularly vulnerable coastal regions

Vote choice and support for diverse candidates on the Boston City Council At-Large

The last two decades have marked major milestones in the diversity of the leaders of Boston’s city government. The first Black female member of the City Council, Ayanna Pressley, was elected in 2009. Michelle Wu became the first Asian-American woman to serve on the City Council after the 2013 municipal election, and it’s first female or non-White mayor in 2022. Boston elected its first Latina member to the City Council, Julia Mejia, in 2019. Each of these women served on the City Council as one of the four at-large members, which are elected citywide rather than from individual districts. At-large elections have been controversial, and scholarly work finds that this electoral structure disadvantages minority candidates, underrepresents minority voters, and reduces opportunities for candidates of color to win office. How has Boston broken this norm? Using local election results and census data, I estimate a regression model for vote choice by racial and ethnic background and find that Boston voters have shifted to support a more diverse and proportionate City Council At-Large

Innovative Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

In the field of regenerative medicine, biomaterials play a crucial role since they may serve as a support (scaffold) to promote cell growth and differentiation in order to promote the healing of tissue lesion. The aim of this chapter will be to analyze the properties of more recent biomaterials suitable for tissue engineering strategies, to end to define better and innovative materials for scaffold production. To this purpose, we will analyze the main materials (natural and synthetic) and their characteristics, such as biocompatibility, bioactivity, and biodegradation, and it will be discussed how their chemical-physical properties (surface morphology, porosity, stiffness, and mechanical strength) could affect the interaction with cells and living system. Moreover, the chapter will be focused on methods of extraction or production of biomaterial suitable for scaffolds

Metabolically healthy polycystic ovary syndrome (MH-PCOS) and metabolically unhealthy polycystic ovary syndrome (MU-PCOS): a comparative analysis of four simple methods useful for metabolic assessment.

study question:Is it possible to distinguish metabolically healthy polycystic ovary syndrome (MH-PCOS) from metabolically un-healthy PCOS (MU-PCOS) by simple diagnostic tools such as body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio (WHR), at-risk category suggestedby Androgen Excess Society (AES) and visceral adiposity index (VAI)?summary answer:VAI could be an easy and useful tool in clinical practice and in population studies for assessment of MU-PCOS.what is known already:VAI is a good indicator of insulin sensitivity and cardiometabolic risk in oligo-ovulatory women withPCOS.study design, size, duration:We conducted a cross-sectional study of 232 women with PCOS in a university hospital setting.participants/materials, setting, methods:Anthropometric, hormonal and metabolic parameters were evaluated. Anoral glucose tolerance test measured areas under the curve (AUC) for insulin (AUC2h insulin) and for glucose (AUC2h glucose). Homeostasismodel assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR), the Matsuda index of insulin sensitivity (ISI), the oral dispositional index (DIo) and VAIwere determined.main results and the role of chance:The prevalence of MU-PCOS according to the different criteria was: BMI, 56.0%;WHR, 18.1%; at-risk criteria of AES, 72.0% and VAI, 34.5%. The likelihood that a woman would exhibit MU-PCOS (except when diagnosedby the WHR criterion) showed a significant positive association with high HOMA2-IR [BMI criterion: (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% confidenceinterval (CI): 1.43–2.41); risk criteria of AES (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.36–2.56); VAI criterion (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.17–1.80)] and a significantnegative association with low ISI Matsuda [BMI criterion: (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.72–0.91); risk criteria of AES (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.69–0.89);VAI criterion (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.71–0.94)]. Only MU-PCOS according to the VAI criterion showed a significant association with low DIo(OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.75–0.96); these women also showed a significant association with low luteal progesterone levels (OR: 0.97; 95% CI:0.95–0.99).limitations, reasons for caution:The analysis is limited by the lack of a gold standard definition of metabolic health thatwould have allowed the execution of a receiver operator characteristic analysis of the four proposed criteria.wider implications of the findings:The results will facilitate the early recognition of cardiometabolic risk in women withPCOS before they develop overt metabolic syndrome

Reactive crystallisation process for magnesium recovery from concentrated brines

Seawater brines, generated either by natural or anthropic processes, often cause significant environmental issues related to their disposal. A clear example is the case of brines from desalination plants, which can have severe environmental impacts on the receiving water body. On the other side, brines can represent a rich and appealing source of raw materials, especially when they are very concentrated, as it happens with bitterns (i.e. exhausted brines) produced in saltworks. In particular, magnesium concentration can reach values up to 30-40 kg/m3 of brine, which is 20-30 times that of typical seawater. An experimental campaign has been carried out in the present work for assessing the potentials for magnesium recovery from concentrated brines. Real brines were collected from the final basins of the saltworks operating in the district of Trapani (Sicily - Italy). Experiments were performed both in a semi-batch and in a continuous 5 litre crystalliser operating by a reactive precipitation process. NaOH solutions were adopted as standard alkaline reactant in order to assess the influence of all operating parameters and reactor configuration on the recovery efficiency and purity of the Mg(OH)2 powder produced. Results have highlighted a very promising strategy for the recovery of Mg from concentrated brines, which could be scaled-up and applied to a number of different scenarios, including existing saltworks and newly designed integrated cycles for Zero Liquid Discharge desalination

Evaluation of a Cell-Free Collagen Type I-Based Scaffold for Articular Cartilage Regeneration in an Orthotopic Rat Model.

The management of chondral defects represents a big challenge because of the limited self-healing capacity of cartilage. Many approaches in this field obtained partial satisfactory results. Cartilage tissue engineering, combining innovative scaffolds and stem cells from different sources, emerges as a promising strategy for cartilage regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of a cell-free collagen I-based scaffold to promote cartilaginous repair after orthotopic implantation in vivo. Articular cartilage lesions (ACL) were created at the femoropatellar groove in rat knees and cell free collagen I-based scaffolds (S) were then implanted into right knee defect for the ACL-S group. No scaffold was implanted for the ACL group. At 4-, 8- and 16-weeks post-transplantation, degrees of cartilage repair were evaluated by morphological, histochemical and gene expression analyses. Histological analysis shows the formation of fibrous tissue, at 4-weeks replaced by a tissue resembling the calcified one at 16-weeks in the ACL group. In the ACL-S group, progressive replacement of the scaffold with the newly formed cartilage-like tissue is shown, as confirmed by Alcian Blue staining. Immunohistochemical and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses display the expression of typical cartilage markers, such as collagen type I and II (ColI and ColII), Aggrecan and Sox9. The results of this study display that the collagen I-based scaffold is highly biocompatible and able to recruit host cells from the surrounding joint tissues to promote cartilaginous repair of articular defects, suggesting its use as a potential approach for cartilage tissue regeneration

COLORECTAL CANCER IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM AN ONGOING CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Background and Aim:Understanding the risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) is crucial to the development of effective strategies for its prevention. meta-analysis and epidemiological studies have already shown that type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with an increased risk of CRC and have provided data to support a positive relationship between these diseases. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 741 consecutive caucasian patients with type 2 DM who underewnt colonoscopic screening cof CRC and followed in our tertiary referrral center in 200-208 for incidence of CRC. Patients were stratified based on gender, age, body mass index (MBI), alchool and NSAIDS assumption, family history for cancer blood glycated hemoglobin levels, hypertension, hypertrigliceridemia, age at diabetes onset and duration, treatment with insulin or other hypoglicemic drugs. A total of 257 consecutive control patients were selected from a cohort of patients followed as outpatients for thyroid diseases. Results: At a median follow-up of 132,5 months (range 33,3-175,7) 56 cases of cancer (prevalence 7,56%) occurred; among these, 14 cases of CRC were reported (prevalence 18,8%) among the diabetic patients, while only one case (prevalence 0,004%) occurred in the control group, although this difference is not statistically significant (chi-square 2,9, P=0,08). Median duration of DM to CRC diagnosis was 156 months (range 1-768). At the univariate analysis older age (p=0,001), and diabetes duration (p=0,001) were related to higher risk of cancer, while metformin seems to be protective towards cancer (p=0,058). in the subset of patients with CRC, older age (p=0,001) and diabetes duration (p=0,001) were related to higher risk of CRC, such as treatment with sulphonylureas (p=0,01). Conclusions: Our preliminbar data show that the prevalence of CRC in the cohort of patients with type 2 DM was higher compared to that from our control group, and to that from the National Tumor Register up 2010 (0,5%). Furthermore we could interestingly hypotize that sulphonylureas may play a role in CRC carcinogenesis altering the physiological insulin secretion