Delivery of Dark Material to Vesta via Carbonaceous Chondritic Impacts

NASA's Dawn spacecraft observations of asteroid (4) Vesta reveal a surface with the highest albedo and color variation of any asteroid we have observed so far. Terrains rich in low albedo dark material (DM) have been identified using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) 0.75 {\mu}m filter images in several geologic settings: associated with impact craters (in the ejecta blanket material and/or on the crater walls and rims); as flow-like deposits or rays commonly associated with topographic highs; and as dark spots (likely secondary impacts) nearby impact craters. This DM could be a relic of ancient volcanic activity or exogenic in origin. We report that the majority of the spectra of DM are similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites mixed with materials indigenous to Vesta. Using high-resolution seven color images we compared DM color properties (albedo, band depth) with laboratory measurements of possible analog materials. Band depth and albedo of DM are identical to those of carbonaceous chondrite xenolith-rich howardite Mt. Pratt (PRA) 04401. Laboratory mixtures of Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite and basaltic eucrite Millbillillie also show band depth and albedo affinity to DM. Modeling of carbonaceous chondrite abundance in DM (1-6 vol%) is consistent with howardite meteorites. We find no evidence for large-scale volcanism (exposed dikes/pyroclastic falls) as the source of DM. Our modeling efforts using impact crater scaling laws and numerical models of ejecta reaccretion suggest the delivery and emplacement of this DM on Vesta during the formation of the ~400 km Veneneia basin by a low-velocity (<2 km/sec) carbonaceous impactor. This discovery is important because it strengthens the long-held idea that primitive bodies are the source of carbon and probably volatiles in the early Solar System.Comment: Icarus (Accepted) Pages: 58 Figures: 15 Tables:

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Fundamental Rebirth of the Idea “Nature” in Yokoi Shonan

はじめに　一 東アジアの中世的「天」　二 日本の支配的近代思惟胎生での「天」　三 小楠における「天」　おわり

Physician's appraisal vs documented signs and symptoms in the interpretation of food challenge tests:The EuroPrevall birth cohort

Background. Blinded food challenges are considered the current gold standard for the diagnosis of food allergies. We used data from a pan-European multicentre project to assess differences between study centres, aiming to identify the impact of subjective aspects for the interpretation of oral food challenges. Methods: Nine study centres of the EuroPrevall birth cohort study on food allergy recruited 12,049 newborns and followed them for up to 30 months in regular intervals. Intensive training was conducted and every centre visited to ensure similar handling of the protocols. Suspected food allergy was clinically evaluated by double-blind, placebocontrolled food challenges using a nine dose escalation protocol. The primary challenge outcomes based on physician’s appraisal were compared to documented signs and symptoms. Results: Of 839 challenges conducted, study centres confirmed food allergy in 15.6% to 53.6% of locally conducted challenges. Centres reported 0 to 16 positive placebo challenges. Worsening of eczema was the most common sign when challenged with placebo. Agreement between documented objective signs and the challenge outcome assigned by the physician was heterogeneous, with Cohen’s kappa spanning from 0.42 to 0.84. Conclusions: These differences suggest that the comparison of food challenge outcomes between centres is difficult despite common protocols and training. We recommend detailed symptom assessment and documentation as well as objective sign-based challenge outcome algorithms to assur

Characterization of Signal That Directs C-Tail–anchored Proteins to Mammalian Mitochondrial Outer Membrane

We analyzed the signal that directs the outer membrane protein with the C-terminal transmembrane segment (TMS) to mammalian mitochondria by using yeast Tom5 as a model and green fluorescent protein as a reporter. Deletions or mutations were systematically introduced into the TMS or the flanking regions and their intracellular localization in COS-7 cells was examined using confocal microscopy and cell fractionation. 1) Three basic amino acid residues within the C-terminal five-residue segment (C-segment) contained the information required for mitochondrial-targeting. Reduction of the net positive charge in this segment decreased mitochondrial specificity, and the mutants were distributed throughout the intracellular membranes. 2) Elongation of the TMS interfered with the function of the C-segment and the mutants were delivered to the intracellular membranes. 3) Separation of the TMS and C-segment by linker insertion severely impaired mitochondrial targeting function, leading to mislocalization to the cytoplasm. 4) Mutations or small deletions in the region of the TMS flanking the C-segment also impaired the mitochondrial targeting. Therefore, the moderate length of the TMS, the positive charges in the C-segment, and the distance between or context of the TMS and C-segment are critical for the targeting signal. The structural characteristics of the signal thus defined were also confirmed with mammalian C-tail–anchored protein OMP25

The Dawn Framing Camera

The Framing Camera (FC) is the German contribution to the Dawn mission. The camera will map 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres through a clear filter and 7 band-pass filters covering the wavelengths from the visible to the near-IR. The camera will allow the determination of the physical parameters of the asteroids, the reconstruction of their global shape as well as local topography and surface geomorphology, and provide information on composition via surface reflectance characteristics. The camera will also serve for orbit navigation. The resolution of the Framing Camera will be up to 12 m per pixel in low altitude mapping orbit at Vesta (62 m per pixel at Ceres), at an angular resolution of 93.7 �¼radâ��pxâ��1. The instrument uses a reclosable front door to protect the optical system and a filter-wheel mechanism to select the band-pass for observation. The detector data is read out and processed by a data processing unit. A power converter unit supplies all required power rails for operation and thermal maintenance. For redundancy reasons, two identical cameras were provided, both located side by side on the +Z-deck of the spacecraft. Each camera has a mass of 5.5 kg