Preliminary observations from the use of US-Soviet Joint Seismic Program data to model upper mantle triplications beneath Asia

New short-period waveform data from the US-Soviet Joint Seismic Program (JSP) make possible investigations of Asian upper mantle structure. the goal of this paper is to explore the potential use of the newly available JSP data to gain a qualitative view of upper mantle structure beneath Asia, and to facilitate more detailed future detailed future upper mantle studies. In a reconnaissance approach, waveform upper mantle studies. In a reconnaissance approach, waveform predictions from upper mantle P-wave velocity models of previous studies are compared to the JSP data to investigate regional differences in the central Asian upper mantle. Data coverage brackets the upper mantle triplications with excellent multi-source-to-stations sections. the abundance of data for controlled source-receiver geometries and the impulsive nature of the arrivals enable us to stack seismograms to improve signal-to-noise ratio. Arrivals from the 400 and 670 km discontinuities are apparent in the data and are compared to predictions of the mantle models. the principal result is that, for the regions studied, paths through cratonic regions of Asia are compatible with shield-type models, while paths through highly deformed regions of Asia are compatible with models derived for tectonically active regions, suggesting large lateral variations beneath the Eurasian continent. Use of the JSP data in a comparative approach is fast and simple, and proves effective in obtaining a first-order understanding of the Asian upper mantle. This result also presents the potential for qualitative studies elsewhere with digital portable stations

Modeling two-dimensional structure at the core-mantle boundary

Recent studies of SKS waveform modeling emphasize the strong variation of seismic properties at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and the need for two-dimensional and three-dimensional waveform modeling capabilities. In particular, the bifurcation of SKS into SP _dKS and SKP _dS near 110° shows strong regional variations. The first of these phases has a P wave diffraction along the bottom of the mantle near the source, while the latter phase occurs at the receiver end. Generalized ray theory proves effective in generating theoretical seismograms in this type of problem because each of these diffractions is associated with a particular transmission coefficient: T_(sp) which transmits shear waves into primary waves when crossing the CMB and T_(sp) which transmits the primary waves back into shear waves at the receiver end. Each region can then be isolated and have its separate fine structure, sharp or gradational. Two classes of boundaries are explored: the CMB as a simple, sharp interface and the CMB with a very low velocity transition layer (10% slower than reference models). The two diffractions produced by these structures have diagnostic arrival times and wave shapes and when combined with the geometric SKS produce distinct waveform characteristics not easily generated by other means. Since the ray paths associated with these three phases are virtually identical in the mantle and only differ along a short sample of CMB and in the one-dimensional fluid core, we can isolate the small localized CMB region sampled. Thus the waveform character of the extended SKS in the range of 105° to 120° becomes an excellent CMB probe which we demonstrate on a small sample of observations from the Fiji-Tonga region as recorded in North America

Time Domain Regional Discriminants

The time and frequency domains are equivalent displays of seismic trace, information, though some qualities of the signal are more easily observed in one domain than the other. The relative frequency excitation of Lg, for instance, is most easily viewed in the frequency domain, but such waveform qualities as the sequence in which pulses arrive in the wave train or the sharpness of pulse onset are most easily studied in the time domain (Murphy and Bennett, 1982, Blandford, 1981). Because of the tremendous complexity of high frequency regional data, most attempts at using it for discrimination purposes have involved analysis of the frequency content of the various arrivals either through transforming selected windows or through multiple bandpass filtering. We report here on our initial attempts to explore the alternative and to discriminate events using those waveform characteristics most easily observed in the time domain. A second advantage of time domain analysis approaches is that they permit a deeper insight into the physical processes creating a seismic signal's character. For this reason, they can be more e3silv used to evaluate the transportabilty of a discriminant to varying geophysical and tectonic regimes. This is an especially important feature in the development of regional discriminants. The most prominent and successful spectral regional discriminants have been empirically developed. This means that they must be redeveloped and reverified in each new area. As we shall show in the following, through rigorous time domain analysis such features as regional depth phases can be identified and used to discriminate. Discriminants based on such simple physical features as source depth should be transportable anywhere. In work recently completed under the treaty verification program, we have proved that such time domain discriminants do exist. In analyzing a test discrimination data set from the western U. S., we have discovered that the onset of P_n is always very similar for explosions and that few earthquakes have this unique waveform character. This information can be constructed into a simple discrimination scheme by testing the correlation of observed P_n waveform onsets with average waveforms observed from explosions. High correlations indicate explosions and low correlations earthquakes. We have also discovered that the regional phase P_g is actually composed of a sequence of sub-arrivals which correspond to successively higher orders of reverberation in the crust. In realistic crust models, the depth phases play an important role in the waveshapes of these sub-arrivals. By selecting an appropriate frequency band to analyze, we have been able to accurately model this type of data from explosions in the western United States. Over the very relevant regional distance ranges of 200 to 600 km, it appears that a discrimination procedure very similar to the one which is known to work for P_n will also be effective for P_g. We are investigating whether similar discriminants can be constructed based on the phases S_n and S_g in areas where those phases are prominent arrivals

Time Domain Regional Discriminants

The time and frequency domains are equivalent displays of seismic trace, information, though some qualities of the signal are more easily observed in one domain than the other. The relative frequency excitation of Lg, for instance, is most easily viewed in the frequency domain, but such waveform qualities as the sequence in which pulses arrive in the wave train or the sharpness of pulse onset are most easily studied in the time domain (Murphy and Bennett, 1982, Blandford, 1981). Because of the tremendous complexity of high frequency regional data, most attempts at using it for discrimination purposes have involved analysis of the frequency content of the various arrivals either through transforming selected windows or through multiple bandpass filtering. We report here on our initial attempts to explore the alternative and to discriminate events using those waveform characteristics most easily observed in the time domain. A second advantage of time domain analysis approaches is that they permit a deeper insight into the physical processes creating a seismic signal's character. For this reason, they can be more e3silv used to evaluate the transportabilty of a discriminant to varying geophysical and tectonic regimes. This is an especially important feature in the development of regional discriminants. The most prominent and successful spectral regional discriminants have been empirically developed. This means that they must be redeveloped and reverified in each new area. As we shall show in the following, through rigorous time domain analysis such features as regional depth phases can be identified and used to discriminate. Discriminants based on such simple physical features as source depth should be transportable anywhere. In work recently completed under the treaty verification program, we have proved that such time domain discriminants do exist. In analyzing a test discrimination data set from the western U. S., we have discovered that the onset of P_n is always very similar for explosions and that few earthquakes have this unique waveform character. This information can be constructed into a simple discrimination scheme by testing the correlation of observed P_n waveform onsets with average waveforms observed from explosions. High correlations indicate explosions and low correlations earthquakes. We have also discovered that the regional phase P_g is actually composed of a sequence of sub-arrivals which correspond to successively higher orders of reverberation in the crust. In realistic crust models, the depth phases play an important role in the waveshapes of these sub-arrivals. By selecting an appropriate frequency band to analyze, we have been able to accurately model this type of data from explosions in the western United States. Over the very relevant regional distance ranges of 200 to 600 km, it appears that a discrimination procedure very similar to the one which is known to work for P_n will also be effective for P_g. We are investigating whether similar discriminants can be constructed based on the phases S_n and S_g in areas where those phases are prominent arrivals

Markers of bone turnover for the management of patients with bone metastases from prostate cancer

Although increased bone formation is a prominent feature of patients with osteosclerotic metastases from prostate cancer, there is also some evidence for increased bone resorption. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical utility of new bone resorption markers to that of bone formation in patients with bone metastases from prostate cancer before and after bisphosphonate treatment. Thirty-nine patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis, nine patients with prostate cancer without bone metastases, nine patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 355 healthy age-matched men were included. Urinary non-isomerized (α CTX) and β isomerized (β CTX) type I collagen C-telopeptides (CTX) and a new assay for serum CTX were used to assess bone resorption. Bone formation was determined by serum osteocalcin, serum total (T-ALP) and bone (BAP) alkaline phosphatase and serum type I collagen C-terminal propeptide (PICP). Fourteen patients with bone metastases were also evaluated 15 days after a single injection of the bisphosphonate pamidronate (120 mg). Levels of all bone formation and bone resorption markers were significantly (P< 0.006–0.0001) higher in patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis than in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, patients with prostate cancer without bone metastases and healthy controls. In patients with bone metastases the median was increased by 67% for serum osteocalcin, 128% for T-ALP, 138% for BAP, 79% for PICP, 220% for urinary α CTX, 149% for urinary β CTX and 214% for serum CTX. After bisphosphonate treatment all three resorption markers significantly decreased by an average of 65% (P = 0.001), 71% (P = 0.0010) and 61% (P = 0.0015) for urinary α CTX, urinary β CTX and serum CTX, respectively, whereas no significant change was observed for any bone formation markers. Patients with prostate cancer and bone metastases exhibit a marked increase in bone resorption, which decreases within a few days of treatment with pamidronate. These findings suggest that these new resorption markers may be useful for the management of these patients. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Preliminary observations from the use of US-Soviet Joint Seismic Program data to model upper mantle triplications beneath Asia

New short-period waveform data from the US-Soviet Joint Seismic Program (JSP) make possible investigations of Asian upper mantle structure. the goal of this paper is to explore the potential use of the newly available JSP data to gain a qualitative view of upper mantle structure beneath Asia, and to facilitate more detailed future detailed future upper mantle studies. In a reconnaissance approach, waveform upper mantle studies. In a reconnaissance approach, waveform predictions from upper mantle P-wave velocity models of previous studies are compared to the JSP data to investigate regional differences in the central Asian upper mantle. Data coverage brackets the upper mantle triplications with excellent multi-source-to-stations sections. the abundance of data for controlled source-receiver geometries and the impulsive nature of the arrivals enable us to stack seismograms to improve signal-to-noise ratio. Arrivals from the 400 and 670 km discontinuities are apparent in the data and are compared to predictions of the mantle models. the principal result is that, for the regions studied, paths through cratonic regions of Asia are compatible with shield-type models, while paths through highly deformed regions of Asia are compatible with models derived for tectonically active regions, suggesting large lateral variations beneath the Eurasian continent. Use of the JSP data in a comparative approach is fast and simple, and proves effective in obtaining a first-order understanding of the Asian upper mantle. This result also presents the potential for qualitative studies elsewhere with digital portable stations

The Location and Source Parameters of the Lompoc, California, Earthquake of 4 November 1927

In this paper, we address the relocation, magnitudes, and the style of faulting of the Lompoc earthquake from a sparse assortment of teleseismic and regional seismograms. The highest quality teleseismic waveform data come from a station at De Bilt (Netherlands) that remains in operation. Thus, recordings of numerous modern events in central coastal California (i.e., the 1969 Santa Lucia Banks, 1983 Coalinga, 1978 Santa Barbara, and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes) have been used for comparison with the 1927 records. Location constraints for the Lompoc event were established from the De Bilt recording by comparing S-P and SSS-S waveform matches against the above master events to avoid the effect of unknown clock errors on locations that use absolute times. These same seismograms were modeled to estimate the depth, faulting parameters, and source strength. A similar approach using observational comparisons and numerical modeling was applied to the regional waveform data obtained from the stations at Berkeley, Tucson, and Pasadena. Our results indicate a north-northwesterly striking reverse event located about 40 km west of Point Conception, which is in excellent agreement with the recent tsunami modeling results by Satake and Somerville (1992). This location is 25 km south of that proposed by Hanks (1979) and well within his error bars. We obtain a body-wave moment of 1 × 10^(26) dyne-cm, a trapezoidal time history of (2, 2, 2) sec. and a source depth of 10 km. The weak beginning of the Pnl wavetrain at Berkeley indicates some source complexity, which is characteristic of many large events. The fault parameters are strike = N20°W, dip = 66°NE, and rake = 95°. Most seismicity catalogs report a M_s = 7.3 for this event, after Gutenberg and Richter (1956), but this was a long-period body-wave magnitude and not a surface-wave result. Their original worksheets indicate a smaller Ms = 7.0. The body waves of the Loma Prieta event (M_s = 7.1) appear distinctly larger than those of the Lompoc event at De Bilt, in agreement with our lower estimate of source strength

Vertebral anti-fracture efficacy of strontium ranelate according to pre-treatment bone turnover

Osteoporotic post-menopausal women patients in two randomised trials comparing the anti-fracture efficacy of strontium ranelate with placebo were separated into tertiles according to their baseline levels of biochemical markers of bone formation and resorption. The vertebral anti-fracture efficacy of strontium ranelate was shown to be independent of baseline bone turnover levels. INTRODUCTION: Bone turnover (BTO) levels vary among women at risk of osteoporotic fracture. Strontium ranelate is an anti-osteoporotic treatment increasing bone formation and reducing bone resorption. It was hypothesised that its anti-fracture efficacy would be independent of baseline BTO levels. METHODS: Post-menopausal women with osteoporosis from two pooled studies were stratified in tertiles according to baseline levels of two BTO markers: bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP, n = 4995) and serum C-telopeptide cross-links (sCTX, n = 4891). Vertebral fracture risk was assessed over 3 years with strontium ranelate 2 g/day or placebo. RESULTS: In the placebo group, relative risk of vertebral fractures increased with BTO tertiles by 32% and 24% for patients in the highest tertile for b-ALP and CTX, respectively, compared to those in the lowest tertile. In the strontium ranelate group, incidences of vertebral fracture did not differ significantly across BTO tertiles. Significant reductions in vertebral fractures with strontium ranelate were seen in all tertiles of both markers, with relative risk reductions of 31% to 47% relative to placebo. Risk reduction did not differ among tertiles (b-ALP: p = 0.513; sCTX: p = 0.290). CONCLUSION: The vertebral anti-fracture efficacy of strontium ranelate was independent of baseline BTO levels. Strontium ranelate offers clinical benefits to women across a wide range of metabolic states

The ESR1 (6q25) locus is associated with calcaneal ultrasound parameters and radial volumetric bone mineral density in European men

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Purpose:&lt;/b&gt; Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 6q25, which incorporates the oestrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1), as a quantitative trait locus for areal bone mineral density (BMD(a)) of the hip and lumbar spine. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of this locus on other bone health outcomes; calcaneal ultrasound (QUS) parameters, radial peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) parameters and markers of bone turnover in a population sample of European men.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the 6q25 locus were genotyped in men aged 40-79 years from 7 European countries, participating in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). The associations between SNPs and measured bone parameters were tested under an additive genetic model adjusting for centre using linear regression.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; 2468 men, mean (SD) aged 59.9 (11.1) years had QUS measurements performed and bone turnover marker levels measured. A subset of 628 men had DXA and pQCT measurements. Multiple independent SNPs showed significant associations with BMD using all three measurement techniques. Most notably, rs1999805 was associated with a 0.10 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.16; p = 0.0001) lower estimated BMD at the calcaneus, a 0.14 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.24; p = 0.004) lower total hip BMD(a), a 0.12 SD (95%CI 0.02, 0.23; p = 0.026) lower lumbar spine BMD(a) and a 0.18 SD (95%CI 0.06, 0.29; p = 0.003) lower trabecular BMD at the distal radius for each copy of the minor allele. There was no association with serum levels of bone turnover markers and a single SNP which was associated with cortical density was also associated with cortical BMC and thickness.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/b&gt; Our data replicate previous associations found between SNPs in the 6q25 locus and BMD(a) at the hip and extend these data to include associations with calcaneal ultrasound parameters and radial volumetric BMD.&lt;/p&gt