Assessing the volcanic hazard for Rome. 40Ar/39Ar and In-SAR constraints on the most recent eruptive activity and present-day uplift at Colli Albani Volcanic District

We present new 40Ar/39Ar data which allow us to refine the recurrence time for the most recent eruptive activity occurred at Colli Albani Volcanic District (CAVD) and constrain its geographic area. Time elapsed since the last eruption (36 kyr) overruns the recurrence time (31 kyr) in the last 100 kyr. New interferometric synthetic aperture radar data, covering the years 1993–2010, reveal ongoing inflation with maximum uplift rates (>2 mm/yr) in the area hosting the most recent (<200 ka) vents, suggesting that the observed uplift might be caused by magma injection within the youngest plumbing system. Finally, we frame the present deformation within the structural pattern of the area of Rome, characterized by 50 m of regional uplift since 200 ka and by geologic evidence for a recent (<2000 years) switch of the local stress-field, highlighting that the precursors of a new phase of volcanic activity are likely occurring at the CAVD

Valence State Partitioning of Cr and V Between Pyroxene - Melt: Estimates of Oxygen Fugacity for Martian Basalt QUE 94201

Several studies, using different oxybarometers, have suggested that the variation of fO2 in martian basalts spans about 3 log units from approx. IW-1 to IW+2. The relatively oxidized basalts (e.g., pyroxene-phyric Shergotty) are enriched in incompatible elements, while the relatively reduced basalts (e.g., olivine-phyric Y980459) are depleted in incompatible elements. A popular interpretation of the above observations is that the martian mantle contains two reservoirs; 1) oxidized and enriched, and 2) reduced and depleted. The basalts are thus thought to represent mixing between these two reservoirs. Recently, Shearer et al. determined the fO2 of primitive olivine-phyric basalt Y980459 to be IW+0.9 using the partitioning of V between olivine and melt. In applying this technique to other basalts, Shearer et al. concluded that the martian mantle shergottite source was depleted and varied only slightly in fO2 (IW to IW+1). Thus the more oxidized, enriched basalts had assimilated a crustal component on their path to the martian surface. In this study we attempt to address the above debate on martian mantle fO2 using the partitioning of Cr and V into pyroxene in pyroxene-phyric basalt QUE 94201

Genetic analysis of multiple synchronous lesions of the colon adenoma–carcinoma sequence

The colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence represents a well-known paradigm for the sequential development of cancer driven by the accumulation of genomic defects. Although the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence is well investigated, studies about tumours of different dignity co-existent in the same patient are seldom. In order to address the distribution of genetic alterations in different lesions of the same patient, we coincidently investigated carcinomas, adenomas and aberrant crypt foci in patients with sporadic colon cancer. By utilizing polymerase chain reaction, single-strand conformation polymorphism, heteroduplex-analysis, restriction fragment length polymorphism, protein truncation test and sequencing techniques we looked for mutations and microsatellite instability of APC, H- ras, K- ras, p53, DCC and the DNA repair genes hMLH1/hMSH2. In accordance with the suggested adenoma–carcinoma sequence of the colon, four patients reflected the progressive accumulation of genetic defects in synchronously appearing tumours during carcinogenesis. However, two patients with non-hereditary malignomas presented different genetic instabilities in different but synchronously appearing tumours suggesting non-clonal growth under almost identical conditions of the environment. Thus, sporadically manifesting multiple lesions of the colon were not necessarily driven by similar genetic mechanisms. Premalignant lesions may transform into malignant tumours starting from different types of genetic instability, which indicates independent and simultaneous tumorigenesis within the same organ. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

In Situ Thermal Imagery of Antarctic Meteorites and Their Stability on the Ice Surface

The mechanisms behind Antarctic meteorite concentrations remain enigmatic nearly 5 decades after the first recoveries, and much of the research in this direction has been based on anedcotal evidence. While these observations suggest many plausible processes that help explain Antarctic meteorite concentrations, the relative importance of these various processes (which can result in either an increase or decrease of specimens) is a critical component of any more robust model of how these concentrations form. During the 2016-2017 field season of the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites program we aquired in situ thermal imagery of meteorites specimens that provide semi-quantitative assesment of the relative temperature of these specimens and the ice. These provide insight into one hypothesized loss mechanism, the downward thermal tunnelling of meteorites warmed in the sun

Lrp4 Regulates Initiation of Ureteric Budding and Is Crucial for Kidney Formation – A Mouse Model for Cenani-Lenz Syndrome

Background: Development of the kidney is initiated when the ureteric bud (UB) branches from the Wolffian duct and invades the overlying metanephric mesenchyme (MM) triggering the mesenchymal/epithelial interactions that are the basis of organ formation. Multiple signaling pathways must be integrated to ensure proper timing and location of the ureteric bud formation. Methods and Principal Findings: We have used gene targeting to create an Lrp4 null mouse line. The mutation results in early embryonic lethality with a subpenetrant phenotype of kidney agenesis. Ureteric budding is delayed with a failure to stimulate the metanephric mesenchyme in a timely manner, resulting in failure of cellular differentiation and resulting absence of kidney formation in the mouse as well as comparable malformations in humans with Cenani-Lenz syndrome. Conclusion: Lrp4 is a multi-functional receptor implicated in the regulation of several molecular pathways, including Wnt and Bmp signaling. Lrp4 2/2 mice show a delay in ureteric bud formation that results in unilateral or bilateral kidney agenesis. These data indicate that Lrp4 is a critical regulator of UB branching and lack of Lrp4 results in congenital kidne

Wnt4 is essential to normal mammalian lung development

AbstractWnt signaling is essential to many events during organogenesis, including the development of the mammalian lung. The Wnt family member Wnt4 has been shown to be required for the development of kidney, gonads, thymus, mammary and pituitary glands. Here, we show that Wnt4 is critical for proper morphogenesis and growth of the respiratory system. Using in situ hybridization in mouse embryos, we identify a previously uncharacterized site of Wnt4 expression in the anterior trunk mesoderm. This expression domain initiates as early as E8.25 in the mesoderm abutting the tracheoesophageal endoderm, between the fusing dorsal aortae and the heart. Analysis of Wnt4−/− embryos reveals severe lung hypoplasia and tracheal abnormalities; however, aortic fusion and esophageal development are unaffected. We find decreased cell proliferation in Wnt4−/− lung buds, particularly in tip domains. In addition, we observe reduction of the important lung growth factors Fgf9, Fgf10, Sox9 and Wnt2 in the lung bud during early stages of organogenesis, as well as decreased tracheal expression of the progenitor factor Sox9. Together, these data reveal a previously unknown role for the secreted protein Wnt4 in respiratory system development

Feedback control of arm movements using Neuro-Muscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) combined with a lockable, passive exoskeleton for gravity compensation.

Within the European project MUNDUS, an assistive framework was developed for the support of arm and hand functions during daily life activities in severely impaired people. This contribution aims at designing a feedback control system for Neuro-Muscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) to enable reaching functions in people with no residual voluntary control of the arm and shoulder due to high level spinal cord injury. NMES is applied to the deltoids and the biceps muscles and integrated with a three degrees of freedom (DoFs) passive exoskeleton, which partially compensates gravitational forces and allows to lock each DOE The user is able to choose the target hand position and to trigger actions using an eyetracker system. The target position is selected by using the eyetracker and determined by a marker-based tracking system using Microsoft Kinect. A central controller, i.e., a finite state machine, issues a sequence of basic movement commands to the real-time arm controller. The NMES control algorithm sequentially controls each joint angle while locking the other DoFs. Daily activities, such as drinking, brushing hair, pushing an alarm button, etc., can be supported by the system. The robust and easily tunable control approach was evaluated with five healthy subjects during a drinking task. Subjects were asked to remain passive and to allow NMES to induce the movements. In all of them, the controller was able to perform the task, and a mean hand positioning error of less than five centimeters was achieved. The average total time duration for moving the hand from a rest position to a drinking cup, for moving the cup to the mouth and back, and for finally returning the arm to the rest position was 71 s

Ionic and electronic properties of the topological insulator Bi2_2Te2_2Se investigated using β\beta-detected nuclear magnetic relaxation and resonance of 8^8Li

We report measurements on the high temperature ionic and low temperature electronic properties of the 3D topological insulator Bi$_2$Te$_2$Se using ion-implanted $^8$Li $\beta$-detected nuclear magnetic relaxation and resonance. With implantation energies in the range 5-28 keV, the probes penetrate beyond the expected range of the topological surface state, but are still within 250 nm of the surface. At temperatures above ~150 K, spin-lattice relaxation measurements reveal isolated $^8$Li$^{+}$ diffusion with an activation energy $E_{A} = 0.185(8)$ eV and attempt frequency $\tau_{0}^{-1} = 8(3) \times 10^{11}$ s$^{-1}$ for atomic site-to-site hopping. At lower temperature, we find a linear Korringa-like relaxation mechanism with a field dependent slope and intercept, which is accompanied by an anomalous field dependence to the resonance shift. We suggest that these may be related to a strong contribution from orbital currents or the magnetic freezeout of charge carriers in this heavily compensated semiconductor, but that conventional theories are unable to account for the extent of the field dependence. Conventional NMR of the stable host nuclei may help elucidate their origin.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.