Petrogenesis and geochronology of the Arkasani Granophyre and felsic Dalma volcanic rocks : implications for the evolution of the Proterozoic North Singhbhum Mobile Belt, east India

The North Singhbhum Mobile Belt (NSMB) is a 200 km long, curved Proterozoic fold– thrust belt that skirts the northern margin of the Archean Singhbhum Craton of NE India. The Singhbhum Shear Zone (SSZ) developed between the Dhanjori and Chaibasa formations near the southern margin of the NSMB and represents an important Cu-U-P metallotect. A SHRIMP U–Pb zircon date of 1861±6 Ma, obtained for the syn- to post-kinematic Arkasani Granophyre that has intruded the SSZ, provides a minimum age for the prolonged tectonic activity and mineralization along the SSZ and for the time of closure of the Chaibasa and Dhanjori sub-basins. The Dalma Volcanic Belt, a submarine rift-related bimodal mafic-felsic volcanic suite, forms the spine of the NSMB. A SHRIMP U–Pb zircon igneous crystallization date of 1631±6 Ma was obtained for an unfoliated felsic volcanic rock from the base of the Dalma volcanic sequence. These new findings suggest that the different sub-basins in the NSMB evolved diachronously under contrasting tectonic environments and were juxtaposed during a later orogenic movement.http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayBackIssues?jid=GEO2015-11-30hb201

A first-principles study of oxygen vacancy pinning of domain walls in PbTiO3

We have investigated the interaction of oxygen vacancies and 180-degree domain walls in tetragonal PbTiO3 using density-functional theory. Our calculations indicate that the vacancies do have a lower formation energy in the domain wall than in the bulk, thereby confirming the tendency of these defects to migrate to, and pin, the domain walls. The pinning energies are reported for each of the three possible orientations of the original Ti-O-Ti bonds, and attempts to model the results with simple continuum models are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, with 3 postscript figures embedded. Uses REVTEX and epsf macros. Also available at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~dhv/preprints/lh_dw/index.htm

Moving from concept to control; use of phages for Campylobacter reduction

Poultry are a major source of Campylobacter with the organism having no impact on the bird. Irrespective of this situation, the important single source of campylobacteriosis is considered to be broiler meat (European Food Safety Authority 2016). The reported number of cases of campylobacteriosis in Australia in 2015 was 22,573 (Communicable Disease Intelligence 2019). Studies have suggested that a reduction in Campylobacter levels by greater than 2-log10 units would contribute to the reduction of the public health risk by more than 90% (European Food Safety Authority 2011). Overseas models have suggested that bacteriophage treatment has the greatest potential of all known/potential methods to reduce Campylobacter levels in the live chicken (Havelaar et al. 2007). Campylobacter naturally colonises the chicken gut, where it can reach high numbers and potentially contaminate the marketed product. A low number of organisms can cause human illness. This study is exploring a biocontrol option using bacteriophages (phages) to reduce Campylobacter numbers in chickens. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill the target bacteria. These specific, Campylobacter-killing phages occur naturally in farm chickens, where they are already in a ‘predator–prey relationship’ with Campylobacter. The aim of this study is to better the outcome of this natural phenomenon. The study builds upon data from previous studies to progress the option of using Campylobacter bacteriophages to control Campylobacter levels in poultry. The report is targeted at the Australian Poultry Industry, those with a role of food-safety at an industry level and also have a regulatory role

Prognostic impact of low muscle mass and low muscle density in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Low muscle mass (LMM) and low muscle density (LMD) are increasingly recognized as prognostic factors for survival in different malignancies. This study determined the association of LMM and LMD with survival in DLBCL (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) patients. CT-based measurement of muscle was performed in 164 DLBCL patients prior to chemo-immunotherapy. Z-scores adjusted for gender, age, and body mass index were derived from a healthy reference population. LMM or LMD were defined as a Z-score below −1 and were related to OS and PFS. The co-existence of both LMM and LMD was observed in 13% of the DLBCL patients and was significantly associated with shorter OS and PFS. Also, these patients more often did not complete the planned treatment. The combination of LMM and LMD is an independent prognosti

Adolescent Victim Types Across the Popularity Status Hierarchy: Differences in Internalizing Symptoms

Previous studies have called attention to the fact that popular youth are not immune to peer victimization, suggesting there is heterogeneity in the popularity of victims. Yet, no study to date has determined whether victims with different levels of popularity status can be identified using person-oriented analysis. Such analysis is critically needed to confirm the existence of popular victims. Further, there remains a paucity of research on internalizing indices of such popular victims, especially compared to other victim and non-victim groups. To address this gap in the research literature, the current study used latent profile analysis to identify subgroups of victims based on victimization (self- and peer-report) and popularity (peer-report). This study sought to verify the existence of popular victims and to compare victim subgroups on loneliness and self-esteem. Participants were 804 Dutch adolescents (50.2% boys, Mage = 13.65 years, ranging from 11.29 to 16.75 years). The results revealed six subgroups, including a group of popular self-identified victims. Popular self-identified victims were generally less lonely than other victims, but had higher loneliness and lower self-esteem than non-victims. Implications are discussed for understanding the victimization experiences of high-status youth

The influence of body composition on the systemic exposure of paclitaxel in esophageal cancer patients

Changes in body composition are associated with chemotherapy-related toxicities and effectiveness of treatment. It is hypothesized that the pharmacokinetics (PK) of chemotherapeutics may depend on body composition. The effects of body composition on the variability of paclitaxel PK were studied in patients with esophageal cancer. Skeletal muscle index (SMI), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and skeletal muscle density (SMD) were measured at the third lumbar vertebra on computed tomography (CT) scans performed before treatment. Paclitaxel PK data were collected from a prospective study performed between May 2004 and January 2014. Non-linear mixed-effects modeling was used to fit paclitaxel PK profiles and evaluate the covariates body surface area (BSA), SMI, VAT, and SMD using a significance threshold of p < 0.001. Paclitaxel was administered to 184 patients in a dose range of 50 to 175 mg/m2 . Median BSA was 1.98 m2 (range of 1.4 to 2.8 m2 ). SMI, VAT, and SMD were not superior to BSA in predicting paclitaxel PK. The additive value of SMI, VAT, and SMD to BSA was also negligible. We did not find evidence that paclitaxel dosing could be further optimized by correcting for SMI, VAT, or SMD

Cardiotoxicity during long-term trastuzumab use in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: who needs cardiac monitoring?

Purpose: Patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) usually receive many years of trastuzumab treatment. It is unknown whether these patients require continuous left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) monitoring. We studied a real-world cohort to identify risk factors for cardiotoxicity to select patients in whom LVEF monitoring could be omitted. Methods: We included patients with HER2-positive MBC who received > 1 cycle of trastuzumab-based therapy in eight Dutch hospitals between 2000 and 2014. Cardiotoxicity was defined as LVEF 10%-points and was categorized into non-severe cardiotoxicity (LVEF 40–50%) and severe cardiotoxicity (LVEF 60% and no cardiotoxicity during prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment, the cumulative incidence of severe cardiotoxicity was 3.1% after 4 years of trastuzumab. Despite continuing trastuzumab, LVEF decline was reversible in 56% of patients with non-severe cardiotoxicity and in 33% with severe cardiotoxicity. Conclusions: Serial cardiac monitoring can be safely omitted in non-smoking patients with baseline LVEF > 60% and without cardiotoxicity during prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment