Amphibious Seismic Survey Images Plate Interface at 1960 Chile Earthquake

The southern central Chilean margin at the site of the largest historically recorded earthquake in the Valdivia region, in 1960 (Mw = 9.5), is part of the 5000-km-long active subduction system whose geodynamic evolution is controversially debated and poorly understood. Covering the area between 36° and 40°S, the oceanic crust is segmented by prominent fracture zones. The offshore forearc and its onshore continuation show a complex image with segments of varying geophysical character, and several fault systems active during the past 24 m.y. In autumn 2001, the project SPOC was organized to study the Subduction Processes Off Chile, with a focus on the seismogenic coupling zone and the forearc. The acquired seismic data crossing the Chilean subduction system were gathered in a combined offshore-onshore survey and provide new insights into the lithospheric structure and evolution of active margins with insignificant frontal accretion

The Use of Spinning-Disk Confocal Microscopy for the Intravital Analysis of Platelet Dynamics in Response to Systemic and Local Inflammation

Platelets are central players in inflammation and are an important component of the innate immune response. The ability to visualize platelets within the live host is essential to understanding their role in these processes. Past approaches have involved adoptive transfer of labelled platelets, non-specific dyes, or the use of fluorescent antibodies to tag platelets in vivo. Often, these techniques result in either the activation of the platelet, or blockade of specific platelet receptors. In this report, we describe two new methods for intravital visualization of platelet biology, intravenous administration of labelled anti-CD49b, which labels all platelets, and CD41-YFP transgenic mice, in which a percentage of platelets express YFP. Both approaches label endogenous platelets and allow for their visualization using spinning-disk confocal fluorescent microscopy. Following LPS-induced inflammation, we were able to measure a significant increase in both the number and size of platelet aggregates observed within the vasculature of a number of different tissues. Real-time observation of these platelet aggregates reveals them to be large, dynamic structures that are continually expanding and sloughing-off into circulation. Using these techniques, we describe for the first time, platelet recruitment to, and behaviour within numerous tissues of the mouse, both under control conditions and following LPS induced inflammation

A Comparative Study of Three Sudoku Input Methods for Touch Displays

Sudoku is a popular recreational game which is claimed to have positive health effects. It can be played using paper or electronically using computers. Only very few studies have explored Sudoku interaction methods. We therefore designed a controlled within-groups experiment involving N = 18 participants to empirically compare three Sudoku interaction methods implemented in a popular Sudoku smartphone app. Our results show that the participants entered digits faster when they selected the location first, followed by selecting the input digit, compared to selecting the digit first followed by selecting the cell location. Participants also preferred selecting cell first over selecting input digit first. No effects of error rates were found

Easternmost Mediterranean evidence of the Zanclean flooding event and subsequent surface uplift: Adana Basin, southern Turkey

""\\"According to the literature, the Adana Basin, at the easternmost part of the Mediterranean. Basin in southern Turkey, records the Pliocene stage with shallow-marine to fluvial deposits.. Our micropalaeontological analysis of samples from the Adana Basin reveal Late Lago–Mare. biofacies with Paratethyan ostracod assemblages pertaining to the Loxocorniculina djafarovi. zone. Grey clays rich in planktonic foraminifera lie above the Lago–Mare deposits. Within the. grey clays, the continuous occurrence of the calcareous nannofossil Reticulofenestra zancleana. and the base of the Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus paracme points to an Early Zanclean age. (5.332–5.199 Ma). Both ostracod and benthic foraminifera indicate epibathyal and bathyal. environments. 87Sr\\\\\\\/86Sr measurements on planktonic and benthic foraminifera fall below the. mean global ocean value for the Early Zanclean, indicating potentially insufficient mixing of. low 87Sr\\\\\\\/86Sr Mediterranean brackish ‘Lago–Mare’ water with the global ocean in the earliest. Pliocene. We utilize the ages and palaeodepths of the marine sediments together with their modern. elevations to determine uplift rates of the Adana Basin of 0.06 to 0.13 mm a21 since 5.2–5.3 Ma. (total uplift of 350–650 m) from surface data, and 0.02–0.13 mm a21 since c. 1.8 Ma (total uplift. of 30–230 m) from subsurface data.. Supplementary material: Microphotographs of foraminifers, ostracods, and calcareous nannofossils,. plots of the calcareous nannofossil frequencies, occurrence of foraminifers and ostracods in. the study sections, results of Sr isotopic analysis, and a complete list of fossils are available at. www.geolsoc.org.uk\\\\\\\/SUP18535.\\""

URSEIS. Transecting the Uralide Orogen Database and state of the art

The Ural Mountains of central Russia separate the ancient core of Europe, the East European Craton, from the more easterly terranes of Siberia and Kazahkstan. Together with the Caledonian, Appalachian and Variscian orogenic belts, the Urals compose the Paleozoic framework of the old craton. Todays Mountains are largely a Tertiary feature. The Uralide orogen extends far eastwards, forming the basement of the Mesozoic hydrocarbon bearing formations of the West Siberian Basin. The 3000 km long mountain belt is a unique natural laboratory with many key features that are important for our understanding of Paleozoic collisional orogeny. Comparison of the Uralides with the other related Paleozoic orogens will provide new insight into the processes of pre-Mesozoic plate tectonics. The existing database indicates the Urals are remarkable for their preservation of a continental root, the orogen having apparently suffered less post-orogenic collapse than most other Paleozoic mountain belts. Nevertheless, extension must have contributed significantly to the preservation throughout the belt of some of the world's most complete ophiolites and island-arc volcanic suites (along with associated mineralizations), juxtaposed over very high-P blueschists and eclogites. Other Paleozoic orogens have been re-equilibrated to normal crustal thicknesses during late- to post-orogenic processes. Such mechanisms of uplift and extension are also demonstrated in young orogens (e.g. Himalaya, Alps). The existence or appearant preservation of a thickened crust beneath the Uralides represents a fundamental problem in the understanding of orogenic processes. The young history of the Urals, following extensive Mesozoic transgression and erosion, is of particular interest in view of the reportedly high (2mm/yr) uplift rates and widespread evidence of Tertiary (Recent?) tectonism. Historical seismicity is reported to be concentrated to the Middle Urals, apparently related to a compressional stress regime. Establishing the relationship of the crustal roots to deep structures in the subcrustal lithosphere and astenosphere and understanding the development of these major structures in time is fundamental for full interpretations of the dynamic evolution of the Urals. A wide range of new interdisciplinary investigations of the Uralide orogen are proposed here in the form of a collaborative European-American initiative, the scope of which has never been previously attempted for the continental lithosphere. Geoscientists from institutions all over Europe will work together with N.I.S. colleagues on key aspects of the mountain belt. COCORP-DEKORP type deep seismic reflection (CDP) profiles across the Southern Urals are a key experiment for relating shallow to deep structures. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RR 6134(95/01) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany); European Science Foundation (ESF), 67 - Strasbourg (France)DEGerman

Platelets contribute to postnatal occlusion of the ductus arteriosus.

The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a fetal shunt vessel between the pulmonary artery and the aorta that closes promptly after birth. Failure of postnatal DA closure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality particularly in preterm neonates. The events leading to DA closure are incompletely understood. Here we show that platelets have an essential role in DA closure. Using intravital microscopy of neonatal mice, we observed that platelets are recruited to the luminal aspect of the DA during closure. DA closure is impaired in neonates with malfunctioning platelet adhesion or aggregation or with defective platelet biogenesis. Defective DA closure resulted in a left-to-right shunt with increased pulmonary perfusion, pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular hypertrophy. Our findings indicate that platelets are crucial for DA closure by promoting thrombotic sealing of the constricted DA and by supporting luminal remodeling. A retrospective clinical study revealed that thrombocytopenia is an independent predictor for failure of DA closure in preterm human newborns, indicating that platelets are likely to contribute to DA closure in humans