Regional geochemistry of the Karoo igneous province

The extrusive and intrusive rocks of the Karoo Igneous Province are dominantly of basaltic or rhyolitic (sensu lato) composition. There are, however, a considerable variety of other rock types within the province including picritic basalts, nephelinites, shoshonites, latites, andesites and dacites. This paper deals with the geochemistry of the Karoo igneous province

Preliminary geochemical data for dolerite dykes and sills of the southern part of the Etendeka Igneous Province

Over the last 15 years systematic geochemical and petrological investigation of the igneous rocks of the Early Cretaceous - Late Jurassic Etendeka Igneous Province of northwestern Namibia have focused on the tholeiitic basaltic lavas and interbedded silicic volcanic rocks and the large central subvolcanic complexes of Brandberg, Erongo, Oken­yenya, Messum, Doros and Cape Cross. Previously these rocks were grouped into the Karoo Volcanic Province of South Africa, but in view of the distinct age difference between the igneous rocks of the Etendeka region and Karoo rocks occurring elsewhere in southern Africa , we propose to regard them as constituting a separate Etendeka Igneous Province which exhibits a close lithological, geochemical and temporal correlation with the Parana Flood Basalt Province of South America

MORB-related dolerites associated with the final phases of Karoo flood basalt volcanism in southern Africa.

The Rooi Rand dyke swarm is approximately 200km long and up to 20km wide. It crops out in the southern portion of the Lebombo monocline where the dykes intrude basalts of the Sabie River Basalt Formation which is the major basaltic unit in the eastern portion of the Karoo volcanic succession. The Horingbaai dolerites form thin dykes and sills which intrude the base of the Etendeka lava pile (considered part of the Karoo Volcanics, but correlated with the Serra Geral Formation of Brazil) along the coast of Namibia. Both the Rooi Rand and Horingbaai magma types are similar in composition to enriched MORB and are compositionally distinct from most of the Karoo-basalts they intrude

Evolution of the continental lithosphere: evidence from volcanics and xenoliths in southern Africa

The geology of southern Africa offers a rare opportunity to study the evolution of a segment of continental lithosphere because its rocks range in age from 3.6 Ga to recent, and over the last 200 Ma both the upper mantle and the crust have been sampled by Karoo and Tertiary volcanism and as xenoliths in kimberlite pipes

Distribution and petrogenesis of the basic rocks of the Etendeka Formation of northwestern Namibia

The igneous rocks which comprise the Etendeka Formation in northwestern Namibia cover an area of 78 000 km² and consist dominantly of interbedded basalts and quartz latites, with minor latites. They are spatially associated with, and intruded by, two suites of dolerites. The rocks of the Etendeka Formation are included in the Karoo Igneous Province but differ from most other Karoo volcanics with respect to their younger age (Cretaceous) and aspects of their mineralogy and geochemistry

Strontium isotope characterization of Karoo volcanic rocks

Karoo volcanics of both mafic and felsic composition cover large areas of southern Africa, and are characterized by considerable ranges in their initial 87Sr/86Sr (i.e. Ro) ratios. Mafic volcanics from the eastern and western continental margins show the greatest range in Ro ratios, i.e. Lebombo-Nuanetsi area: 0.7035-0.7134 and Etendeka: 0.7030-0.7135 respectively. In the Central Karoo area the mafic rocks show a smaller spread of ratios: 0.7046-0.7094

Teacher as learner: a personal reflection on a short course for South African university educators

Higher education is understood to play a critical role in ongoing processes of social transformation in post-apartheid South Africa through the production of graduates who are critical and engaged citizens. A key challenge is that institutions of higher education are themselves implicated in reproducing the very hierarchies they hope to transform. In this paper, I reflect critically on my experiences of a course aimed at transforming teaching through transforming teachers. In this paper, I foreground my own positionality as a white female educator as I draw on feminist theorising to reflect on my experiences as a learner in the Community, Self and Identity course. I suggest that we need to teach in ways that are more cognisant of the complexities of the constraints on personal freedom in the past if we are to contribute to the development of social justice in the future.IS

Micro-Raman study of crichtonite group minerals enclosed into mantle garnet

We report the first comprehensive micro-Raman study of crichtonite group minerals (CGM) as inclusions in pyropic garnet grains from peridotite and pyroxenite mantle xenoliths of the Yakutian kimberlites as well as in garnet xenocrysts from the Aldan shield lamprophyres (Russia). The CGM form (i) morphologically oriented needles, lamellae, and short prisms and (ii) optically unoriented subhedral to euhedral grains, either single or intergrown with other minerals. We considered common mantle-derived CGM species (like loveringite, lindsleyite, and their analogues), with Ca, Ba, or Sr dominating in the dodecahedral A site and Zr or Fe in the octahedral B site. The Raman bands at the region of 600–830 cm−1 are indicative of CGM and their crystal-chemical distinction, although the intensity and shape of the bands appear to be dependent on laser beam power and wavelength. The factor-group analysis based on the loveringite crystal structure showed the octahedral and tetrahedral cation groups with 18f and 6c Wyckoff positions, namely, dominantly TiO6 and to a lower extent CrO6, MgO4, and FeO4 groups, to be the major contributors to the Raman spectral features. The ionic groups with dodecahedral (M0) and octahedral (M1) coordination are inactive for Raman scattering while active in infrared absorption. A number of observed Raman modes in the CGM spectra are several times lower than that predicted by the factor group analysis. The noticed broadening of modes in the CGM Raman spectra may result from a combining of bands at the narrow frequency shift regions. Solid solution behavior, luminescence, and partial metamictization of the CGM may exert additional influence on the Raman band shape. The Raman spectral features showed CGM to be accurately identified and distinguished from other Ti-, Fe-, Cr-, and Zr-containing oxides (e.g., ilmenite or those of spinel and magnetoplumbite groups) occurring as accessory mantle minerals. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy published by John Wiley & Sons LtdRussian Science Foundation, RSF: 18‐77‐10062Council on grants of the President of the Russian FederationThis study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant 18‐77‐10062). The equipment of the Ural Center for Shared Use «Modern Nanotechnology», Ural Federal University, and the Analytical Center for Multi‐elemental and Isotope Research, IGM, was used. Sampling was supported by the Russian Federation state assignment project of IGM. We are grateful to Nikolai V. Sobolev for Samples O‐173, O‐39, and O‐264. Vladimir N. Korolyuk, Elena N. Nigmatulina (IGM), and Allan Patchen (UT) are highly appreciated for the help with EMP analyses. We express our sincere thanks to F. Nestola and an anonymous reviewer for their thorough reviews and helpful suggestions, and to C. Marshall for regardful editorial handling of the manuscript on every stage of its revision

Anti-Neuroinflammatory effects of the extract of Achillea fragrantissima

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The neuroinflammatory process plays a central role in the initiation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and involves the activation of brain microglial cells. During the neuroinflammatory process, microglial cells release proinflammatory mediators such as cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). In the present study, extracts from 66 different desert plants were tested for their effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - induced production of NO by primary microglial cells. The extract of <it>Achillea fragrantissima </it>(<it>Af</it>)<it/>, which is a desert plant that has been used for many years in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, was the most efficient extract, and was further studied for additional anti-neuroinflammatory effects in these cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, the ethanolic extract prepared from <it>Af </it>was tested for its anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated primary cultures of brain microglial cells. The levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) secreted by the cells were determined by reverse transcriptase-PCR and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. NO levels secreted by the activate cells were measured using Griess reagent, ROS levels were measured by 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA), MMP-9 activity was measured using gel zymography, and the protein levels of the proinflammatory enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were measured by Western blot analysis. Cell viability was assessed using Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the media conditioned by the cells or by the crystal violet cell staining.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have found that out of the 66 desert plants tested, the extract of <it>Af </it>was the most efficient extract and inhibited ~70% of the NO produced by the LPS-activated microglial cells, without affecting cell viability. In addition, this extract inhibited the LPS - elicited expression of the proinflammatory mediators IL-1β, TNFα, MMP-9, COX-2 and iNOS in these cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Thus, phytochemicals present in the <it>Af </it>extract could be beneficial in preventing/treating neurodegenerative diseases in which neuroinflammation is part of the pathophysiology.</p

Multistage and transmission-blocking targeted antimalarials discovered from the open-source MMV Pandemic Response Box

Chemical matter is needed to target the divergent biology associated with the different life cycle stages of Plasmodium. Here, we report the parallel de novo screening of the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pandemic Response Box against Plasmodium asexual and liver stage parasites, stage IV/V gametocytes, gametes, oocysts and as endectocides. Unique chemotypes were identified with both multistage activity or stage-specific activity, including structurally diverse gametocyte-targeted compounds with potent transmission-blocking activity, such as the JmjC inhibitor ML324 and the antitubercular clinical candidate SQ109. Mechanistic investigations prove that ML324 prevents histone demethylation, resulting in aberrant gene expression and death in gametocytes. Moreover, the selection of parasites resistant to SQ109 implicates the druggable V-type H+-ATPase for the reduced sensitivity. Our data therefore provides an expansive dataset of compounds that could be redirected for antimalarial development and also point towards proteins that can be targeted in multiple parasite life cycle stages.Supplementary Data 1: Data of the supra-hexagonal plot in Figure 2ASupplementary Data 2: Complete dataset of all MMV PRB compounds’ activity on Plasmodium life cycle stagesSupplementary Data 3: Full SMFA dataset to support Figure 5CSupplementary Data 4: Transcriptome analysis of MMV1580488 (ML324) treated parasites to support Figure 6C.The Medicines for Malaria Venture and South African Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). This project was in part supported by the South African Medical Research Council with funds received from the South African Department of Science and Innovation, in partnership with the Medicines for Malaria Venture; and the DST/NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative Grant; and CSIR Parliamentary Grant funding as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Australian NHMRC (APP1072217).http://www.nature.com/ncommshj2021BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant PathologyUP Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC