Naturaliste plateau: constraints on the timing and evolution of the Kerguelen Large Igneous Province and its role in Gondwana breakup

Volcanism associated with the Kerguelen Large Igneous Province is found scattered in southwestern Australia (the ca 136 to ca 130 Ma Bunbury Basalts, and ca 124 Ma Wallaby Plateau), India (ca 118 Ma Rajmahal Traps and Cona Basalts), and Tibet (the ca 132 Ma Comei Basalts), but apart from the ∼70 000 km2 Wallaby Plateau, these examples are spatially and volumetrically minor. Here, we report dredge, geochronological and geochemical results from the ∼90 000 km2 Naturaliste Plateau, located ∼170 to ∼500 km southwest of Australia. Dredged lavas and intrusive rocks range from mafic to felsic compositions, and prior geophysical analyses indicate these units comprise much of the plateau substrate. 40Ar/39Ar plagioclase ages from mafic units and U–Pb zircon ages from silicic rocks indicate magmatic emplacement from 130.6 ± 1.2 to 129.4 ± 1.3 Ma for mafic rocks and 131.8 ± 3.9 to 128.2 ± 2.3 Ma for silicic rocks (2σ). These Cretaceous Naturaliste magmas incorporated a significant component of continental crust, with relatively high 87Sr/86Sr (up to 0.78), high 207Pb/204 Pb ratios (15.5–15.6), low 143Nd/144Nd (0.511–0.512) and primitive-mantle normalised Th/Nb of 11.3 and La/Nb of 3.97. These geochemical results are consistent with the plateau being underlain by continental basement, as indicated by prior interpretations of seismic and gravity data, corroborated by dredging of Mesoproterozoic granites and gneisses on the southern plateau flank. The Cretaceous Naturaliste Plateau igneous rocks have signatures indicative of extraction from a depleted mantle, with trace-element and isotopic values that overlap with Kerguelen Plateau lavas reflect crustal contamination. Our chemical and geochronological results therefore show the Naturaliste Plateau contains evidence of an extensive igneous event representing some of the earliest voluminous Kerguelen hotspot magmas. Prior work reports that contemporaneous correlative volcanic sequences underlie the nearby Mentelle Basin, and the Enderby Basin and Princess Elizabeth Trough in the Antarctic. When combined, the igneous rocks in the Naturaliste, Mentelle, Wallaby, Enderby, Princess Elizabeth, Bunbury and Comei-Cona areas form a 136–124 Ma Large Igneous Province covering >244 000 km2

Una Visión General del Sistema Financiero Colombiano

Desde finales de los 80 el sistema financiero colombiano ha experimentado cambios sensibles. En efecto, la liberalización financiera, el fortalecimiento de la regulación prudencial, la conversión de un número importante de sociedades en establecimientos de crédito, el aumento en los requisitos de capital, etc. han determinado un cambio de perfil en el sistema. Adicionalmente, en el pasado reciente las autoridades han tomado medidas en cuanto a la estructura de los encajes, aumentos en los requisitos de capital, el acceso al crédito externo, etc. que afectan de manera importante a las entidades financieras. A raíz de estas medidas ha surgido un debate acerca del tipo de sistema financiero que resulta más deseable para Colombia. La discusión es de vital importancia puesto que la estructura de encajes, las formas de intervención del Banco de la República en los mercados cambiario y monetario, la supervisión y todo el aparato regulatorio deben ser consistentes con el tipo de sistema que se desee. Con el fin de contribuir al debate, en este documento se presenta una breve descripción del estado actual del sistema financiero y su evolución reciente, se plantea una reflexión normativa acerca del tipo de sistema financiero que puede resultar más deseable y, finalmente,se presentan algunas recomendaciones.

Coset Space Dimensional Reduction and Wilson Flux Breaking of Ten-Dimensional N=1, E(8) Gauge Theory

We consider a N=1 supersymmetric E(8) gauge theory, defined in ten dimensions and we determine all four-dimensional gauge theories resulting from the generalized dimensional reduction a la Forgacs-Manton over coset spaces, followed by a subsequent application of the Wilson flux spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism. Our investigation is constrained only by the requirements that (i) the dimensional reduction leads to the potentially phenomenologically interesting, anomaly free, four-dimensional E(6), SO(10) and SU(5) GUTs and (ii) the Wilson flux mechanism makes use only of the freely acting discrete symmetries of all possible six-dimensional coset spaces.Comment: 45 pages, 2 figures, 10 tables, uses xy.sty, longtable.sty, ltxtable.sty, (a shorter version will be published in Eur. Phys. J. C

A model for a large investor trading at market indifference prices. I: single-period case

We develop a single-period model for a large economic agent who trades with market makers at their utility indifference prices. A key role is played by a pair of conjugate saddle functions associated with the description of Pareto optimal allocations in terms of the utility function of a representative market maker.Comment: Shorten from 69 to 30 pages due to referees' requests; a part of the previous version has been moved to "The stochastic field of aggregate utilities and its saddle conjugate", arXiv:1310.728

The Biochemical and Cellular Basis for Nutraceutical Strategies to Attenuate Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease

Future therapeutic intervention that could effectively decelerate the rate of degeneration within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) could add years of mobility and reduce morbidity associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Neurodegenerative decline associated with PD is distinguished by extensive damage to SNc dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons and decay of the striatal tract. While genetic mutations or environmental toxins can precipitate pathology, progressive degenerative succession involves a gradual decline in DA neurotransmission/synaptic uptake, impaired oxidative glucose consumption, a rise in striatal lactate and chronic inflammation. Nutraceuticals play a fundamental role in energy metabolism and signaling transduction pathways that control neurotransmission and inflammation. However, the use of nutritional supplements to slow the progression of PD has met with considerable challenge and has thus far proven unsuccessful. This review re-examines precipitating factors and insults involved in PD and how nutraceuticals can affect each of these biological targets. Discussed are disease dynamics (Sections 1 and 2) and natural substances, vitamins and minerals that could impact disease processes (Section 3). Topics include nutritional influences on α-synuclein aggregation, ubiquitin proteasome function, mTOR signaling/lysosomal-autophagy, energy failure, faulty catecholamine trafficking, DA oxidation, synthesis of toxic DA-quinones, o-semiquinones, benzothiazolines, hyperhomocyseinemia, methylation, inflammation and irreversible oxidation of neuromelanin. In summary, it is clear that future research will be required to consider the multi-faceted nature of this disease and re-examine how and why the use of nutritional multi-vitamin-mineral and plant-based combinations could be used to slow the progression of PD, if possible