Earthquakes as Precursors of Ductile Shear Zones in the Dry and Strong Lower Crust

The rheology and the conditions for viscous flow of the dry granulite facies lower crust are still poorly understood. Viscous shearing in the dry and strong lower crust commonly localizes in pseudotachylyte veins, but the deformation mechanisms responsible for the weakening and viscous shear localization in pseudotachylytes are yet to be explored. We investigated examples of pristine and mylonitized pseudotachylytes in anorthosites from Nusfjord (Lofoten, Norway). Mutual overprinting relationships indicate that pristine and mylonitized pseudotachylytes are coeval and resulted from the cyclical interplay between brittle and viscous deformation. The stable mineral assemblage in the mylonitized pseudotachylytes consists of plagioclase, amphibole, clinopyroxene, quartz, biotite,6garnet6K-feldspar. Amphibole-plagioclase geothermobarometry and thermodynamic modeling indicate that pristine and mylonitized pseudotachylytes formed at 650\u20137508C and 0.7\u20130.8 GPa. Thermodynamic modeling indicates that a limited amount of H2O infiltration (0.20\u20130.40 wt. %) was necessary to stabilize the mineral assemblage in the mylonite. Diffusion creep is identified as the main deformation mechanisms in the mylonitized pseudotachylytes based on the lack of crystallographic preferred orientation in plagioclase, the high degree of phase mixing, and the synkinematic nucleation of amphiboles in dilatant sites. Extrapolation of flow laws to natural conditions indicates that mylonitized pseudotachylytes are up to 3 orders of magnitude weaker than anorthosites deforming by dislocation creep, thus highlighting the fundamental role of lower crustal earthquakes as agents of weakening in strong granulites

Gametocytes: insights gained during a decade of molecular monitoring

In vertebrate hosts, malaria parasites produce specialized male and female sexual stages (gametocytes). Soon after being taken up by a mosquito, gametocytes rapidly produce gametes and, once mated, they infect their vector and can be transmitted to new hosts. Despite being the parasite stages that were first identified (over a century ago), gametocytes have remained elusive, and basic questions remain concerning their biology. However, the postgenomic era has substantiated information on the specialized molecular machinery of gametocytogenesis and expedited the development of molecular tools to detect and quantify gametocytes. The application of such highly sensitive and specific tools has opened up novel approaches and provided new insights into gametocyte biology. Here, we review the discoveries made during the past decade, highlight unanswered questions and suggest new directions

Microsatellite Genotyping of Plasmodium vivax Isolates from Pregnant Women in Four Malaria Endemic Countries

Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed human parasite and the main cause of human malaria outside the African continent. However, the knowledge about the genetic variability of P. vivax is limited when compared to the information available for P. falciparum. We present the results of a study aimed at characterizing the genetic structure of P. vivax populations obtained from pregnant women from different malaria endemic settings. Between June 2008 and October 2011 nearly 2000 pregnant women were recruited during routine antenatal care at each site and followed up until delivery. A capillary blood sample from the study participants was collected for genotyping at different time points. Seven P. vivax microsatellite markers were used for genotypic characterization on a total of 229 P. vivax isolates obtained from Brazil, Colombia, India and Papua New Guinea. In each population, the number of alleles per locus, the expected heterozygosity and the levels of multilocus linkage disequilibrium were assessed. The extent of genetic differentiation among populations was also estimated. Six microsatellite loci on 137 P. falciparum isolates from three countries were screened for comparison. The mean value of expected heterozygosity per country ranged from 0.839 to 0.874 for P. vivax and from 0.578 to 0.758 for P. falciparum. P. vivax populations were more diverse than those of P. falciparum. In some of the studied countries, the diversity of P. vivax population was very high compared to the respective level of endemicity. The level of inter-population differentiation was moderate to high in all P. vivax and P. falciparum populations studied

Out of the Ashes: Remembrance and Reconstruction in Catholic Shanxi, 1900-Present

LEWI Conference Paper, Hong Kong 201

Naturally Acquired Binding-Inhibitory Antibodies to Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein in Pregnant Women Are Associated with Higher Birth Weight in a Multicenter Study

A vaccine to eliminate malaria would need a multi-stage and multi-species composition to achieve robust protection, but the lack of knowledge about antigen targets and mechanisms of protection precludes the development of fully efficacious malaria vaccines, especially for Plasmodium vivax (Pv). Pregnant women constitute a risk population who would greatly benefit from a vaccine preventing the adverse events of Plasmodium infection during gestation. We hypothesized that functional immune responses against putative targets of naturally acquired immunity to malaria and vaccine candidates will be associated with protection against malaria infection and/or poor outcomes during pregnancy. We measured (i) IgG responses to a large panel of Pv and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) antigens, (ii) the capacity of anti-Pv ligand Duffy binding protein (PvDBP) antibodies to inhibit binding to Duffy antigen, and (iii) cellular immune responses to two Pv antigens, in a subset of 1,056 pregnant women from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, India, and Papua New Guinea (PNG). There were significant intraspecies and interspecies correlations for most antibody responses (e.g., PfMSP119 versus PfAMA1, Spearman's rho = 0.81). Women from PNG and Colombia had the highest levels of IgG overall. Submicroscopic infections seemed sufficient to boost antibody responses in Guatemala but not antigen-specific cellular responses in PNG. Brazil had the highest percentage of Duffy binding inhibition (p-values versus Colombia: 0.040; Guatemala: 0.047; India: 0.003, and PNG: 0.153) despite having low anti-PvDBP IgG levels. Almost all antibodies had a positive association with present infection, and coinfection with the other species increased this association. Anti-PvDBP, anti-PfMSP1, and anti-PfAMA1 IgG levels at recruitment were positively associated with infection at delivery (p-values: 0.010, 0.003, and 0.023, respectively), suggesting that they are markers of malaria exposure. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Pv-infected women presented fewer CD8+IFN-gamma+ T cells and secreted more G-CSF and IL-4 independently of the stimulus used in vitro. Functional anti-PvDBP levels at recruitment had a positive association with birth weight (difference per doubling antibody levels: 45 g, p-value: 0.046). Thus, naturally acquired binding-inhibitory antibodies to PvDBP might confer protection against poor outcomes of Pv malaria in pregnancy

Composição do meio de cultura afeta produção de proteína recombinante de carrapato rhipicephalus microplus expressa em escherichia coli / composition of the medium culture affects recombinant protein production of the rhipicephalus microplus expressed in escherichia coli.

Introdução: Bactérias tais como Escherichia coli são frequentemente cultivadas a alta densidade para a produção de biomoléculas para estudo em laboratório. Para conseguir isso, as células podem ser incubadas em meios extremamente ricos que aumentam o rendimento total da célula. Nestes meios de cultura, as bactérias podem ter distintos perfis metabólicos. Objetivo: Analisarrendimento de cepas de E. coli incubadas em meio de cultura Luria- Bertani (LB), 2X Extrato de Levedura-Triptona (YT) e TerrificBroth(TB). Metodologia: As culturas de Cepas de Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), C41(DE3) e C43(DE3), foram iniciadas pela transferência de cepas diretamente do lote congelado em glicerol a 20% em meio de LB, 2X YT e TB utilizandopré-inóculo de 3mL, adicionado ampicilina 100?g/mL, a 37ºC por 16h e com agitação de 200rpm

A Randomized Open-Label Trial of Artesunate- Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine with or without Primaquine for Elimination of Sub-Microscopic P. falciparum Parasitaemia and Gametocyte Carriage in Eastern Sudan

In areas of seasonal malaria transmission, treatment of asymptomatic carriers of malaria parasites, whose parasitaemia persists at low densities throughout the dry season, could be a useful strategy for malaria control. We carried out a randomized trial to compare two drug regimens for clearance of parasitaemia in order to identify the optimum regimen for use in mass drug administration in the dry season.A two-arm open-label randomized controlled trial was conducted during the dry season in an area of distinct seasonal malaria in two villages in Gedarif State in eastern Sudan. Participants were asymptomatic adults and children aged over 6 months, with low-density P. falciparum infection detected by PCR. Participants were randomized to receive artesunate/sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP) combination for three days with or without a dose of primaquine (PQ) on the fourth day. Parasitaemia detected by PCR on days 3, 7 and 14 after the start of treatment and gametocytes detected by RT-PCR on days 7 and 14 were then recorded. 104 individuals who had low density parasitaemia at screening were randomized and treated during the dry season. On day 7, 8.3% were positive by PCR in the AS+SP+PQ group and 6.5% in the AS+SP group (risk difference 1.8%, 95%CI -10.3% to +13.8%). At enrolment, 12% (12/100) were carrying gametocytes. This was reduced to 6.4% and 4.4% by day 14 (Risk difference 1.9% (95%CI -9.3% to +13.2%) in AS+SP+PQ and AS+SP groups, respectively.Addition of primaquine to artemisinin combination treatment did not improve elimination of parasitaemia and prevention of gametocyte carriage in carriers with low-density parasitaemia in the dry season.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00330902

Modeling the impact of melt on seismic properties during mountain building

Initiation of partial melting in the mid/lower crust causes a decrease in P-wave and S-wave velocities; recent studies imply that the relationship between these velocities and melt is not simple. We have developed a modelling approach to assess the combined impact of various melt and solid phase properties on seismic velocities and anisotropy. The modelling is based on crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) data measured from migmatite samples, allowing quantification of the variation of seismic velocities with varying melt volumes, shapes, orientations, and matrix anisotropy. The results show non-linear behaviour of seismic properties as a result of the interaction of all of these physical properties, which in turn depend on lithology, stress regime, strain rate, pre-existing rock fabrics, and pressure-temperature conditions. This non-linear behaviour is evident when applied to a suite of samples from a traverse across a migmatitic shear zone in the Seiland Igneous Province, Northern Norway. Critically, changes in solid phase composition and CPO, and melt shape and orientation with respect to the wave propagation direction can result in huge variations in the same seismic property even if the melt fraction remains the same. A comparison with surface wave interpretations from tectonically active regions highlights the issues in current models used to predict melt percentages or partially molten regions. Interpretation of seismic data to infer melt percentages or extent of melting should, therefore, always be underpinned by robust modelling of the underlying geological parameters combined with examination of multiple seismic properties in order to reduce uncertainty of the interpretation

Earthquake nucleation in the lower crust by local stress amplification

Deep intracontinental earthquakes are poorly understood, despite their potential to cause significant destruction. Although lower crustal strength is currently a topic of debate, dry lower continental crust may be strong under high-grade conditions. Such strength could enable earthquake slip at high differential stress within a predominantly viscous regime, but requires further documentation in nature. Here, we analyse geological observations of seismic structures in exhumed lower crustal rocks. A granulite facies shear zone network dissects an anorthosite intrusion in Lofoten, northern Norway, and separates relatively undeformed, microcracked blocks of anorthosite. In these blocks, pristine pseudotachylytes decorate fault sets that link adjacent or intersecting shear zones. These fossil seismogenic faults are rarely >15 m in length, yet record single-event displacements of tens of centimetres, a slip/length ratio that implies >1 GPa stress drops. These pseudotachylytes represent direct identification of earthquake nucleation as a transient consequence of ongoing, localised aseismic creep

Case study #4 : Strait of Sicily - Malta : Western Mediterreanean

The definition of spatial limits for the Strait of Sicily - Malta Case Study have been elaborated considering needs and priorities emerged from the Initial Assessment, as well as existing knowledge on: (i) maritime uses and economic domains; (ii) ecological features; (iii) legal jurisdictions and borders and (iv) transboundary issues. The definition of the case study area’s spatial limits constitute boundaries for the purpose to foster a proper analysis on human uses, ecological processes, synergies and conflicts, governance continuity, and define recommendations to establish appropriated strategies and plans. The boundaries have been drawn according to the scope of the project (e.g. to support the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in EU Member States with a concrete cross-border initiative) and the activities to be developed therefore on one hand they are representative of local conditions and policies and, on the other, they take in account potential transboundary and cross-border issues of MSP. The SIMWESTMED case study for Malta is focused on the Malta-Sicily marine waters, bordering the south of Sicily and the north of the Maltese Islands and including part of the continental shelves of Italy and Malta.Grant Agreement: EASME/EMFF/2015/1.2.1.3/02/SI2.742101peer-reviewe