Laboratory observations of slow earthquakes and the spectrum of tectonic fault slip modes

Slow earthquakes represent an important conundrum in earthquake physics. While regular earthquakes are catastrophic events with rupture velocities governed by elastic wave speed, the processes that underlie slow fault slip phenomena, including recent discoveries of tremor, slow-slip and low-frequency earthquakes, are less understood. Theoretical models and sparse laboratory observations have provided insights, but the physics of slow fault rupture remain enigmatic. Here we report on laboratory observations that illuminate the mechanics of slow-slip phenomena. We show that a spectrum of slow-slip behaviours arises near the threshold between stable and unstable failure, and is governed by frictional dynamics via the interplay of fault frictional properties, effective normal stress and the elastic stiffness of the surrounding material. This generalizable frictional mechanism may act in concert with other hypothesized processes that damp dynamic ruptures, and is consistent with the broad range of geologic environments where slow earthquakes are observed

Diffraction dissociation in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 0.9 TeV, 2.76 TeV and 7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC

The relative rates of single- and double- diffractive processes were measured with the ALICE detector by studying properties of gaps in the pseudorapidity distribution of particles produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9 TeV, 2.76 TeV and 7 TeV. ALICE triggering efficiencies are determined for various classes of events, using a detector simulation validated with data on inclusive particle production. Cross-sections are determined using van der Meer scans to measure beam properties and obtain a measurement of the luminosity

Innate effector cells in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis

Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are distinct and complex processes requiring a finely tuned balance between stimulatory and inhibitory signals. During adulthood, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are activated at sites of tumor growth, tissue injury and remodeling, and chronic inflammation. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), angiopoietin (ANGPTs) and a multitude of additional signaling molecules play distinct roles in the modulation of angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis. VEGFs and ANGPTs activate specific tyrosine kinase receptor (e.g., VEGFR1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3 and TIE2 respectively), expressed on blood endothelial cells (angiogenesis) and lymphatic endothelial cells (lymphangiogenesis). Although tumor cells produce VEGFs and other proangiogenic mediators, tissue resident (e.g., macrophages, mast cells) and circulating immune cells (e.g., basophils, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils) are an important source of angiogenic/lymphangiogenic mediators in inflammation and in tumor microenvironment and at site of chronic inflammation. Certain immune cells can also release anti-angiogenic factors. Mast cells, basophils, neutrophils and presumably other immune cells are not only a source of angiogenic/lymphangiogenic molecules, but also their target. Cells of the immune system need consideration as major players and possible targets for therapeutic manipulation of angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis in chronic inflammatory disorders and tumors

Artichoke biorefinery: From food to advanced technological applications

A sequential extraction process has been designed for valorizing globe artichoke plant residues and waste (heads, leaves, stalks, and roots left in the field) by means of green extraction techniques according to a biorefinery approach. We investigated two cascading extractions based on microwave-assisted extractions (MAE) and green solvents (water and ethanol) that have been optimized for varying temperature, solvent and extraction time. In the first step, phenols were extracted with yields that ranged between 6.94 mg g−1 dw (in leaves) and 3.28 mg g−1 dw (in roots), and a phenols productivity of 175.74 kg Ha−1. In the second step, inulin was extracted with impressive yields (42% dw), higher than other conventional inulin sources, corresponding to an inulin productivity of 4883.58 kg Ha−1. The remaining residues were found to be valuable feedstocks both for bioenergy production and green manure (back to the field), closing the loop according to the Circular Economy paradigm

Endovascular Treatment of a Ruptured Pararenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease-2019: Suggestions and Case Report

The aim of this report is to discuss emergent repair for complex aortic diseases in patients affected by novel coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease-2019 [COVID-19]), describing a case of ruptured pararenal aortic aneurysm. An eighty-year-old man with COVID-19 was admitted for ruptured aneurysm of the pararenal aorta and hemorrhagic shock. Endovascular repair was chosen, and a proximal extension of the previous abdominal endograft was performed with parallel stents in the right renal artery and the superior mesenteric artery. Endovascular treatment and early anticoagulation are the key for success for vascular emergencies in patients with COVID-19, despite the risk of late endoleak

The role of deformation bands in dictating poromechanical properties of unconsolidated sand and sandstone

Cataclastic shear bands in sands and sandstones are typically stronger, stiffer, and exhibit lower permeability than the surrounding matrix, and therefore act as barriers to fluid flow. Previous work has quantified the reduction in permeability associated with these features; however, little is known about the role of shear band structure in controlling the way they impact permeability and elastic properties. Here, we report on a suite of laboratory measurements designed to measure the poromechanical properties for host material and natural shear bands, over effective stresses from 1–65 MPa. In order to investigate the role of host material properties in controlling poromechanical evolution with stress, we sampled shear bands from two well-studied sandstones representing structurally distinct end-members: a poorly cemented marine terrace sand from the footwall of the McKinleyville thrust fault in Humboldt County, California, and a strongly-cemented sandstone from the hanging wall of the Moab Fault in Moab, Utah. The permeability-porosity trends are similar for all samples, with permeability decreasing systematically with increasing effective stress and decreasing porosity. The permeability of the host material is consistently >1 order of magnitude greater than the shear bands for both localities. For the unconsolidated case, shear bands are less permeable and stiffer than the host material, whereas for the consolidated case, shear bands are slightly less permeable, and wave speeds are slower than in the host. We attribute the differences between the McKinleyville and Moab examples to changes in structure of the nearby host material that accompanied formation of the shear band