Refined model of incremental emplacement based on structural evidence from the granodioritic Newry igneous complex, Northern Ireland

Although many intrusions are now known to have been incrementally emplaced, the mechanisms through which this takes place are generally poorly understood. The Newry igneous complex was incrementally emplaced within the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford terrane of Northern Ireland during late Caledonian sinistral transtension. This study uses a variety of new and existing data and techniques to provide a fuller and firmer understanding of incremental emplacement than has previously been available, addressing both deep-crustal processes and those operating within the emplacement site. Host-rock orientations suggest that some of the accommodation space for the Newry igneous complex was generated due to pull-apart tectonics operating within the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford terrane. Local host-rock deflections, concentric igneous foliations, and concentric linear anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS)fabrics show that inflation due to magma overpressure also generated significant space. Strong AMS fabrics close to the boundaries of some magma pulses in turn suggest that inflation was accomplished by injection of individual magma pulses and was thus incremental. The dome-like orientations of mineral foliations within plutons and the truncation of steep local host-rock tracts by the Newry igneous complex imply that the complex consists of four laccolithic bodies. On a larger scale, it is suggested that the deep-seated Argyll and Newry lineaments represent faults that allowed magma generated at depth to ascend to the crustal level of the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford tract boundaries. It is also inferred that sinistral movement along the Argyll and Newry lineaments may have produced the releasing bend within the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford terrane. Higher in the crust, reduced confining pressure resulted in tectonic opening along this releasing bend. This local stress field induced horizontal magma flow and emplacement of the Newry igneous complex as laccolithic bodies. This study suggests that simplistic emplacement models should largely be abandoned in favor of holistic models incorporating the multiple interdependent processes operating during magma ascent and emplacement

Short-pulse, extreme-ultraviolet continuum emission from a table-top laser plasma light source

We have observed extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) “line-free” continuum emission from laser plasmas of high atomic number elements using targets irradiated with 248 nm laser pulses of 7 ps duration at a power density of ∼ 1013 W/cm2. Using both dispersive spectroscopy and streak camera detection, the spectral and temporal evolution of XUV continuum emission for several target atomic numbers has been measured on a time scale with an upper limit of several hundred picoseconds limited by amplified spontaneous emission

Adherence to Antiretroviral Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: A Substudy Cohort within a Clinical Trial of Serodiscordant Couples in East Africa

Background: Randomized clinical trials of oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention have widely divergent efficacy estimates, ranging from 0% to 75%. These discrepancies are likely due to differences in adherence. To our knowledge, no studies to date have examined the impact of improving adherence through monitoring and/or intervention, which may increase PrEP efficacy, or reported on objective behavioral measures of adherence, which can inform PrEP effectiveness and implementation. Methods and Findings: Within the Partners PrEP Study (a randomized placebo-controlled trial of oral tenofovir and emtricitabine/tenofovir among HIV-uninfected members of serodiscordant couples in Kenya and Uganda), we collected objective measures of PrEP adherence using unannounced home-based pill counts and electronic pill bottle monitoring. Participants received individual and couples-based adherence counseling at PrEP initiation and throughout the study; counseling was intensified if unannounced pill count adherence fell to 80% adherence. Study limitations include potential shortcomings of the adherence measures and use of a convenience sample within the substudy cohort. Conclusions: The high PrEP adherence achieved in the setting of active adherence monitoring and counseling support was associated with a high degree of protection from HIV acquisition by the HIV-uninfected partner in heterosexual serodiscordant couples. Low PrEP adherence was associated with sexual behavior, alcohol use, younger age, and length of PrEP use. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summar

Zonation of the Newry Igneous Complex, Northern Ireland, based on geochemical and geophysical data

The Late Caledonian Newry Igneous Complex (NIC), Northern Ireland, comprises three largely granodioritic plutons, together with an intermediate–ultramafic body at its northeastern end. New whole-rock geochemical data, petrological classifications, and published data, including recent Tellus aeromagnetic and radiometric results, have been used to establish 15 distinct zones across the four bodies of the NIC. These become broadly younger to the southwest of the complex and toward the centres of individual plutons. In places, zones are defined by both current compositional data (geochemistry and petrology) and Tellus results. This is particularly clear at the eastern edge of the NIC, where a thorium-elevated airborne radiometric signature occurs alongside distinct concentrations of various elements from geochemistry. However, in the northeastern-most pluton of the NIC, a prominent ring-shaped aeromagnetic anomaly occurs independent of any observed surface compositional variation, and thus the zones in this area are defined by aeromagnetic data only. The origins of this and other aeromagnetic anomalies are as yet undetermined, although in places, these closely correspond to facies at the surface. The derived zonation for the NIC supports incremental emplacement of the complex as separate, distinct magma pulses. Each pulse is thought to have originated from the same fractionally crystallising source that periodically underwent mixing with more basic magma

The Sources of Inflammatory Mediators in the Lung after Silica Exposure

The expression of 10 genes implicated in regulation of the inflammatory processes in the lung was studied after exposure of alveolar macrophages (AMs) to silica in vitro or in vivo. Exposure of AMs to silica in vitro up-regulated the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of three genes [interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2)] without a concomitant increase in the protein levels. AMs isolated after intratracheal instillation of silica up-regulated mRNA levels of four additional genes [granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IL-1β, IL-10, and inducible nitric oxide synthase]. IL-6, MCP-1, and MIP-2 protein levels were elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Fibroblasts under basal culture conditions express much higher levels of IL-6 and GM-CSF compared with AMs. Coculture of AMs and alveolar type II cells, or coculture of AMs and lung fibroblasts, in contact cultures or Transwell chambers, revealed no synergistic effect. Therefore, such interaction does not explain the effects seen in vivo. Identification of the intercellular communication in vivo is still unresolved. However, fibroblasts appear to be an important source of inflammatory mediators in the lung

Toxicity of Mineral Dusts and a Proposed Mechanism for the Pathogenesis of Particle-Induced Lung Diseases

Humans will set foot on the moon again. The lunar surface has been bombarded for 4 billion years by micrometeoroids and cosmic radiation, creating a layer of fine dust having a potentially reactive particle surface. To investigate the impact of surface reactivity (SR) on the toxicity of particles, and in particular, lunar dust (LD), we ground 2 Apollo 14 LD samples to increase their SR and compare their toxicity with those of unground LD, TiO2 and quartz. Intratracheally instilled at 0, 1, 2.5, or 7.5 mg/rat, all dusts caused dose-dependent increases in pulmonary lesions, and enhancement of biomarkers of toxicity assessed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF). The toxicity of LD was greater than that of TiO2 but less than that of quartz. Three LDs differed 14-fold in SR but were equally toxic; quartz had the lowest SR but was most toxic. These results show no correlation between particle SR and toxicity. Often pulmonary toxicity of a dust can be attributed to oxidative stress (OS). We further observed dose-dependent and dustcytotoxicity- dependent increases in neutrophils. The oxidative content per BALF cell was also directly proportional to both the dose and cytotoxicity of the dusts. Because neutrophils are short-lived and release of oxidative contents after they die could initiate and promote a spectrum of lesions, we postulate a general mechanism for the pathogenesis of particle-induced diseases in the lung that involves chiefly neutrophils, the source of persistent endogenous OS. This mechanism explains why one dust (e.g., quartz or nanoparticles) is more toxic than another (e.g., micrometer-sized TiO2), why dust-induced lesions progress with time, and why lung cancer occurs in rats but not in mice and hamsters exposed to the same duration and concentration of dust

Characteristics of HIV-1 Serodiscordant Couples Enrolled in a Clinical Trial of Antiretroviral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV-1 Prevention

Stable heterosexual HIV-1 serodiscordant couples in Africa have high HIV-1 transmission rates and are a critical population for evaluation of new HIV-1 prevention strategies. The Partners PrEP Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of tenofovir and emtricitabine-tenofovir pre-exposure prophylaxis to decrease HIV-1 acquisition within heterosexual HIV-1 serodiscordant couples. We describe the trial design and characteristics of the study cohort.HIV-1 serodiscordant couples, in which the HIV-1 infected partner did not meet national guidelines for initiation of antiretroviral therapy, were enrolled at 9 research sites in Kenya and Uganda. The HIV-1 susceptible partner was randomized to daily oral tenofovir, emtricitabine-tenofovir, or matching placebo with monthly follow-up for 24-36 months.From July 2008 to November 2010, 7920 HIV-1 serodiscordant couples were screened and 4758 enrolled. For 62% (2966/4758) of enrolled couples, the HIV-1 susceptible partner was male. Median age was 33 years for HIV-1 susceptible and HIV-1 infected partners [IQR (28-40) and (26-39) respectively]. Most couples (98%) were married, with a median duration of partnership of 7.0 years (IQR 3.0-14.0) and recent knowledge of their serodiscordant status [median 0.4 years (IQR 0.1-2.0)]. During the month prior to enrollment, couples reported a median of 4 sex acts (IQR 2-8); 27% reported unprotected sex and 14% of male and 1% of female HIV-1 susceptible partners reported sex with outside partners. Among HIV-1 infected partners, the median plasma HIV-1 level was 3.94 log(10) copies/mL (IQR 3.31-4.53) and median CD4 count was 496 cells/µL (IQR 375-662); the majority (64%) had WHO stage 1 HIV-1 disease.Couples at high risk of HIV-1 transmission were rapidly recruited into the Partners PrEP Study, the largest efficacy trial of oral PrEP. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00557245)