Cenozoic potassic magmatism and uplift of the Western United States

The geochemistry and temporal evolution of small volume potassium-rich mafic volcanics within the non-extensional, uplifted central Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nevada have been studied in detail and a general model is proposed for non-extensional, uplift-related, magmatism within the Western Cordillera. The Oligo-Miocene potassic-ultrapotassic lamprophyres of the Navajo Volcanic Field, Colorado Plateau, and the late Miocene-Pliocene shoshonites of the San Joaquin- Kings Volcanic Field, Sierra Nevada, represent primary or near primary mantle-derived melts that have experienced limited crystal fractionation and/or crustal contamination. Yet despite this each suite of samples is characterised by a significant range of trace element and isotope ratios. The variation in LIL/HFS ratios (Ba/Nb=11-77) and isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr=0.7044-0.7071) of the Navajo lamprophyres are attributed to small degrees of melting of a compositionally and mineralogically heterogeneous lithospheric mantle source. By contrast a similar, though slightly more extreme, variation in trace element and isotope ratios of shoshonites from the Sierra Nevada (Ba/Nb=70-325,87Sr/86Sr=0.7050-0.7069) are attributed to mixing of magmas derived from incompatible element enriched lithospheric mantle and depleted asthenospheric mantle. Despite the differences in petrogenetic model for the magmatism within the each study area, the magmatic evolution of both the Colorado Plateau as a whole and the Sierra Nevada are similar. Initial magmatism within each province is dominated by a comparatively long history of incompatible element-enriched lithosphere-derived potassic magmatism. After a period of volcanic quiescence, lasting approximately 11 and 5Ma within the Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nevada respectively, the final, relatively short period of volcanism is characterised by compositions more typical of asthenosphere-derived magmas. New Ar-Ar agesf or the Navajo lamprophyresa nd existing K-Ar agesf or the Sierran shoshonites suggest that the onset of lithosphere-dominated magmatism within both the central Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nevada was coeval with the onset of major uplift during the late Cenozoic. The temporal evolution of magmatism and the degree of uplift, combined with geophysical and xenolith evidence, are consistent with a model in which uplift and preextensional magmatism of the Colorado plateau and Sierra Nevada resulted from the convective removal of the lower lithosphere. In the case of the Colorado Plateau convective thinning of the lithosphere is in response to its previous thickening during the Laramide orogeny whereas in the Sierra Nevada it is related to the cessation of subduction and the development of the San Andreas transform margin during the late Cenozoic. Uplift resulting from convective thinning of the lithosphere increases the gravitational potential of the orogen and the likelihood for later collapse and provides an explanation for the close temporal relationship of mafic mantle-derived magmatism, uplift and major crustal extension typical of the Western Cordillera of the United States

Resection planning in extratemporal epilepsy surgery using 3D multimodality imaging and intraoperative MRI

Surgical resection in non-lesional, extratemporal epilepsy, informed by stereoEEG recordings, is challenging. There are no clear borders of resection, and the surgeon is often operating in deep areas of the brain that are difficult to access. We present a technical note where 3D multimodality image integration in EpiNav(TM) is used to build a planned resection model, based on a previous intracranial EEG evaluation. Intraoperative MRI is then used to ensure a complete resection of the planned model. As stereoEEG becomes more common in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy, these tools will become increasingly important to facilitate targeted cortical resections

Modified Rib Sparing Direct Lateral Minimally Invasive Vertebrectomy for Treatment of Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression

Objective Metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a common complication of metastatic disease with neurological morbidity in the thoracic and upper lumbar spine. We describe a modified rib-sparing direct lateral minimally invasive (MIS) approach. for the purpose of vertebrectomy. This technique obviates the need for rib resection and chest drain, facilitating early mobilisation. This is especially applicable to a sub-group of patients who may not be well enough for an open approach. Method Technical note and retrospective case series in a single centre over a 5 year period. Results 14 patients were identified who underwent the MIS approach vertebrectomy for MSCC. 12/14 underwent posterior fixation, and 2 underwent vertebroplasty. 11/14 (79%) had less than 1L blood loss during the procedure. The mean duration of the procedure was 5 hours 51 minutes. 5/14 (36%) avoided high dependency unit (HDU) care, and the median duration of time spent in HDU was 1.5 days. The median length of stay in hospital was 16 days, and 4/14 (29%) were discharged within 1 week. There were 1/14 major complications requiring revision surgery. Conclusion A modified rib-sparing MIS approach for vertebrectomy is well tolerated in the treatment of MSCC and is associated with low blood loss and short hospital stays. This may be an option in patients who otherwise may not be considered for an anterior reconstruction

The nature of culture : an eight-grade model for the evolution and expansion of cultural capacities in hominins and other animals

Tracing the evolution of human culture through time is arguably one of the most controversial and complex scholarly endeavors, and a broad evolutionary analysis of how symbolic, linguistic, and cultural capacities emerged and developed in our species is lacking. Here we present a model that, in broad terms, aims to explain the evolution and portray the expansion of human cultural capacities (the EECC model), that can be used as a point of departure for further multidisciplinary discussion and more detailed investigation. The EECC model is designed to be flexible, and can be refined to accommodate future archaeological

Association between manganese superoxide dismutase promoter gene polymorphism and breast cancer survival

BACKGROUND: Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plays a critical role in the detoxification of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, constituting a major cellular defense mechanism against agents that induce oxidative stress. A genetic polymorphism in the mitochondrial targeting sequence of this gene has been associated with increased cancer risk and survival in breast cancer. This base pair transition (-9 T > C) leads to a valine to alanine amino acid change in the mitochondrial targeting sequence. A polymorphism has also been identified in the proximal region of the promoter (-102 C>T) that alters the recognition sequence of the AP-2 transcription factor, leading to a reduction in transcriptional activity. The aim of our study was to investigate possible associations of the -102 C>T polymorphism with overall and relapse-free breast cancer survival in a hospital-based case-only study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relationship between the MnSOD -102 C>T polymorphism and survival was examined in a cohort of 291 women who received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for incident breast cancer. The MnSOD -102 C>T genotype was determined using a TaqMan allele discrimination assay. Patient survival was evaluated according to the MnSOD genotype using Kaplan–Meier survival functions. Hazard ratios were calculated from adjusted Cox proportional hazards modeling. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: In an evaluation of all women, there was a borderline significant reduction in recurrence-free survival with either one or both variant alleles (CT + TT) when compared with patients with wild-type alleles (CC) (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–1.01). When the analysis was restricted to patients receiving radiation therapy, there was a significant reduction in relapse-free survival in women who were heterozygous for the MnSOD -102 genotype (relative risk, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.18–0.86). Similarly, when the homozygous and heterozygous variant genotypes were combined, there remained a significant reduction in relapse-free survival in this group (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.87). CONCLUSION: The MnSOD -102 variant allele appears to be associated with an improved recurrence-free survival in all patients, and more dramatically in subjects who received adjuvant radiation therapy

Bdelloid rotifers deploy horizontally acquired biosynthetic genes against a fungal pathogen

Coevolutionary antagonism generates relentless selection that can favour genetic exchange, including transfer of antibiotic synthesis and resistance genes among bacteria, and sexual recombination of disease resistance alleles in eukaryotes. We report an unusual link between biological conflict and DNA transfer in bdelloid rotifers, microscopic animals whose genomes show elevated levels of horizontal gene transfer from non-metazoan taxa. When rotifers were challenged with a fungal pathogen, horizontally acquired genes were over twice as likely to be upregulated as other genes — a stronger enrichment than observed for abiotic stressors. Among hundreds of upregulated genes, the most markedly overrepresented were clusters resembling bacterial polyketide and nonribosomal peptide synthetases that produce antibiotics. Upregulation of these clusters in a pathogen-resistant rotifer species was nearly ten times stronger than in a susceptible species. By acquiring, domesticating, and expressing non-metazoan biosynthetic pathways, bdelloids may have evolved to resist natural enemies using antimicrobial mechanisms absent from other animals

Incorporation by coordination and release of the iron chelator drug deferiprone from zinc-based metal–organic frameworks

A series of new zinc-based metal–organic framework materials has been prepared in which deferiprone is incorporated as a chelating ligand on infinite or tri-zinc secondary building units following deprotonation. Deferiprone is immediately released from the MOFs on treatments with 1 N hydrochloric acid or buffer, but slow release is observed in ethanoic acid

Resection planning in extratemporal epilepsy surgery using 3D multimodality imaging and intraoperative MRI

Surgical resection in non-lesional, extratemporal epilepsy, informed by stereoEEG recordings, is challenging. There are no clear borders of resection, and the surgeon is often operating in deep areas of the brain that are difficult to access. We present a technical note where 3D multimodality image integration in EpiNav(TM) is used to build a planned resection model, based on a previous intracranial EEG evaluation. Intraoperative MRI is then used to ensure a complete resection of the planned model. As stereoEEG becomes more common in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy, these tools will become increasingly important to facilitate targeted cortical resections

A fluorescent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor for cellular imaging

Fluorescence microscopy studies using 4-morpholinoscriptaid (4MS) demonstrated rapid cellular uptake of this scriptaid analogue into the cytoplasm but no nuclear penetration. As 4MS and scriptaid have the same in vitro activity against HDACs and KASUMI-1 cells; 4MS exemplifies a rational approach to subtly modify ‘profluorogenic’ substrates for intracellular studies

A high-coverage draft genome of the mycalesine butterfly <i>Bicyclus anynana</i>

The mycalesine butterfly Bicyclus anynana, the "Squinting bush brown," is a model organism in the study of lepidopteran ecology, development, and evolution. Here, we present a draft genome sequence for B. anynana to serve as a genomics resource for current and future studies of this important model species. Seven libraries with insert sizes ranging from 350 bp to 20 kb were constructed using DNA from an inbred female and sequenced using both Illumina and PacBio technology; 128 Gb of raw Illumina data was filtered to 124 Gb and assembled to a final size of 475 Mb (∼×260 assembly coverage). Contigs were scaffolded using mate-pair, transcriptome, and PacBio data into 10 800 sequences with an N50 of 638 kb (longest scaffold 5 Mb). The genome is comprised of 26% repetitive elements and encodes a total of 22 642 predicted protein-coding genes. Recovery of a BUSCO set of core metazoan genes was almost complete (98%). Overall, these metrics compare well with other recently published lepidopteran genomes. We report a high-quality draft genome sequence for Bicyclus anynana. The genome assembly and annotated gene models are available at LepBase (http://ensembl.lepbase.org/index.html)