Seismic slip on an upper-plate normal fault during a large subduction megathrust rupture

Quantification of stress accumulation and release during subduction zone seismic cycles requires an understanding of the distribution of fault slip during earthquakes. Reconstructions of slip are typically constrained to a single, known fault plane. Yet, slip has been shown to occur on multiple faults within the subducting plate1 owing to stress triggering2, resulting in phenomena such as earthquake doublets3. However, rapid stress triggering from the plate interface to faults in the overriding plate has not been documented. Here we analyse seismic data from the magnitude 7.1 Araucania earthquake that occurred in the Chilean subduction zone in 2011. We find that the earthquake, which was reported as a single event in global moment tensor solutions4, 5, was instead composed of two ruptures on two separate faults. Within 12?s a thrust earthquake on the plate interface triggered a second large rupture on a normal fault 30?km away in the overriding plate. This configuration of partitioned rupture is consistent with normal-faulting mechanisms in the ensuing aftershock sequence. We conclude that plate interface rupture can trigger almost instantaneous slip in the overriding plate of a subduction zone. This shallow upper-plate rupture may be masked from teleseismic data, posing a challenge for real-time tsunami warning systems

Genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with susceptibility to herpes zoster.

Herpes zoster, commonly referred to as shingles, is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). VZV initially manifests as chicken pox, most commonly in childhood, can remain asymptomatically latent in nerve tissues for many years and often re-emerges as shingles. Although reactivation may be related to immune suppression, aging and female sex, most inter-individual variability in re-emergence risk has not been explained to date. We performed a genome-wide association analyses in 22,981 participants (2280 shingles cases) from the electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network. Using Cox survival and logistic regression, we identified a genomic region in the combined and European ancestry groups that has an age of onset effect reaching genome-wide significance (P>1.0 × 10(-8)). This region tags the non-coding gene HCP5 (HLA Complex P5) in the major histocompatibility complex. This gene is an endogenous retrovirus and likely influences viral activity through regulatory functions. Variants in this genetic region are known to be associated with delay in development of AIDS in people infected by HIV. Our study provides further suggestion that this region may have a critical role in viral suppression and could potentially harbor a clinically actionable variant for the shingles vaccine

Are uranium-contaminated soil and irrigation water a risk for human vegetable consumers? A study case with Solanum tuberosum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Lactuca sativa L.

The knowledge of uranium concentration, in the products entering the human diet is of extreme importance because of their chemical hazard to health. Controlled field experiments with potatoes, beans and lettuce (Solanum tuberosum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Lactuca sativa L.) were carried out in a contaminated soil used by local farmers located near a closed Portuguese uranium mine (Cunha Baixa, Mangualde). The soil with high average uranium levels (64–252 mg/kg) was divided in two plots, and irrigated with non-contaminated and uranium-contaminated water (\20 and [900 lg/L). Uranium maximum average concentration in the edible vegetables parts (mg/kg fresh weight) ranged in the following order: lettuce (234 lg/kg)[green bean (30 lg/kg)[potatoes without peel (4 lg/kg). Although uranium in soil, irrigation water and vegetables was high, the assessment of the health risk based on hazard quotient indicates that consumption of these vegetables does not represent potential adverse (no carcinogenic) effects for a local inhabitant during lifetime

A bayesian inference framework for gamma-ray burst afterglow properties

In the field of multi-messenger astronomy, Bayesian inference is commonly adopted to compare the compatibility of models given the observed data. However, to describe a physical system like neutron star mergers and their associated gamma-ray burst (GRB) events, usually more than ten physical parameters are incorporated in the model. With such a complex model, likelihood evaluation for each Monte Carlo sampling point becomes a massive task and requires a significant amount of computational power. In this work, we perform quick parameter estimation on simulated GRB X-ray light curves using an interpolated physical GRB model. This is achieved by generating a grid of GRB afterglow light curves across the parameter space and replacing the likelihood with a simple interpolation function in the high-dimensional grid that stores all light curves. This framework, compared to the original method, leads to a ∼90× speedup per likelihood estimation. It will allow us to explore different jet models and enable fast model comparison in the future

MRI in multiple myeloma : a pictorial review of diagnostic and post-treatment findings

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used in the diagnostic work-up of patients with multiple myeloma. Since 2014, MRI findings are included in the new diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Myeloma Working Group. Patients with smouldering myeloma presenting with more than one unequivocal focal lesion in the bone marrow on MRI are considered having symptomatic myeloma requiring treatment, regardless of the presence of lytic bone lesions. However, bone marrow evaluation with MRI offers more than only morphological information regarding the detection of focal lesions in patients with MM. The overall performance of MRI is enhanced by applying dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion weighted imaging sequences, providing additional functional information on bone marrow vascularization and cellularity. This pictorial review provides an overview of the most important imaging findings in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smouldering myeloma and multiple myeloma, by performing a 'total' MRI investigation with implications for the diagnosis, staging and response assessment. Main message aEuro cent Conventional MRI diagnoses multiple myeloma by assessing the infiltration pattern. aEuro cent Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI diagnoses multiple myeloma by assessing vascularization and perfusion. aEuro cent Diffusion weighted imaging evaluates bone marrow composition and cellularity in multiple myeloma. aEuro cent Combined morphological and functional MRI provides optimal bone marrow assessment for staging. aEuro cent Combined morphological and functional MRI is of considerable value in treatment follow-up

Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling

For gravitational wave (GW) detected neutron star mergers, one of the leading candidates for electromagnetic (EM) counterparts is the afterglow from an ultra-relativistic jet. Where this afterglow is observed, it will likely be viewed off-axis, such as the afterglow following GW170817/GRB 170817A. The temporal behaviour of an off-axis observed GRB afterglow can be used to reveal the lateral jet structure, and statistical model fits can put constraints on the various model free-parameters. Amongst these parameters is the inclination of the system to the line of sight. Along with the GW detection, the afterglow modelling provides the best constraint on the inclination to the line-of-sight and can improve the estimates of cosmological parameters, for example, the Hubble constant, from GW-EM events. However, modelling of the afterglow depends on the assumed jet structure and—often overlooked—the effects of lateral spreading. Here we show how the inclusion of lateral spreading in the afterglow models can affect the estimated inclination of GW-EM events

Characterisation of a divergent progenitor cell sub-populations in human osteoarthritic cartilage: the role of telomere erosion and replicative senescence

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that articular cartilage harbours a viable pool ofprogenitor cells and interest has focussed on their role during development and disease. Analysis ofprogenitor numbers using fluorescence-activated sorting techniques has resulted in wide-rangingestimates, which may be the result of context-dependent expression of cell surface markers. Wehave used a colony-forming assay to reliably determine chondroprogenitor numbers in normal andosteoarthritic cartilage where we observed a 2-fold increase in diseased tissue (P < 0.0001). Intriguingly,cell kinetic analysis of clonal isolates derived from single and multiple donors of osteoarthritic cartilagerevealed the presence of a divergent progenitor subpopulation characterised by an early senescentphenotype. Divergent sub-populations displayed increased senescence-associated β–galactosidaseactivity, lower average telomere lengths but retained the capacity to undergo multi-lineagedifferentiation. Osteoarthritis is an age-related disease and cellular senescence is predicted to be asignificant component of the pathological process. This study shows that although early senescenceis an inherent property of a subset of activated progenitors, there is also a pool of progenitors withextended viability and regenerative potential residing within osteoarthritic cartilage

Cyclo-oxygenase inhibition reduces tumour growth and metastasis in an orthotopic model of breast cancer

The effect of selective and non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibition on tumour growth and metastasis in an orthotopic model of breast cancer was investigated. 4T1 mammary adenocarcinoma cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of female BALB/c mice. When tumours reached a mean tumour diameter of 8.4±0.4 mm, mice were randomised into three groups (n=6 per group) and received daily intraperitoneal injections of the selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor, SC-236, the non selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, Indomethacin, or drug vehicle. Tumour diameter was recorded on alternate days. From 8 days after initiation of treatment, tumour diameter in animals treated with either SC-236 or indomethacin was significantly reduced relative to controls. Both primary tumour weight and the number of lung metastases were significantly reduced in the SC-236 and indomethacin treated mice. Microvessel density was reduced and tumor cell apoptosis increased in the primary tumour of mice treated with either the selective or non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor. In vitro, cyclo-oxygenase inhibition decreased vascular endothelial growth factor production and increased apoptosis of tumour cells. Our results suggest that cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors will be of value in the treatment of both primary and metastatic breast cancer

Strong interface-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene on WS2

Interfacial interactions allow the electronic properties of graphene to be modified, as recently demonstrated by the appearance of satellite Dirac cones in the band structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates. Ongoing research strives to explore interfacial interactions in a broader class of materials in order to engineer targeted electronic properties. Here we show that at an interface with a tungsten disulfide (WS2) substrate, the strength of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in graphene is very strongly enhanced. The induced SOI leads to a pronounced low-temperature weak anti-localization (WAL) effect, from which we determine the spin-relaxation time. We find that spin-relaxation time in graphene is two-to-three orders of magnitude smaller on WS2 than on SiO2 or hBN, and that it is comparable to the intervalley scattering time. To interpret our findings we have performed first-principle electronic structure calculations, which both confirm that carriers in graphene-on-WS2 experience a strong SOI and allow us to extract a spin-dependent low-energy effective Hamiltonian. Our analysis further shows that the use of WS2 substrates opens a possible new route to access topological states of matter in graphene-based systems.Comment: Originally submitted version in compliance with editorial guidelines. Final version with expanded discussion of the relation between theory and experiments to be published in Nature Communication