Carbon isotopes in bulk carbonaceous chondrites

The chemical and physical processes involved in the formation of the solar system are examined. Primitive matter has been found on a microscopic scale in a variety of meteorites: fragments of small solar system bodies that were never part of a large planet. This primitive matter has, in most cases, been identified by the presence of anomalous abundances of some isotopes of the chemical elements. Of particular interest for carbon isotope studies are the primitive meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites. Using a selective oxidation technique to sort out the carbon contained in different chemical forms (graphite, carbonates, and organic matter), four carbonaceous chondrites are analyzed. The presence of the (13) C-rich component was confirmed and additional carbon components with different, but characteristic, isotopic signatures were resolved

Heterogeneities in the solar nebula

Oxygen isotopic compositions of the high-temperatue phases in carbonaceous chondrites define a mixing line with an O-16 rich component and show little superimposed chemical isotope fractionation. Within a single inclusion in Allende, variations of delta O-18 and delta O-17 of 39% are found. The ordinary chondrites are slightly displaced from the terrestrial fractionation trend, implying that at least 0.2% of the oxygen in terrestrial rocks was derived from the O-16 rich component

Energy radiation from intermediate to large magnitude earthquakes: implications for dynamic fault weakening

The amount of energy radiated from an earthquake can be measured using recent methods based on earthquake coda signals and spectral ratios. Such methods are not altered by either site or directivity effects, with the advantage of a greatly improved accuracy. Several studies of earthquake sequences based on the above measurements showed evidence of a breakdown in self-similarity in the moment to energy relation. Radiated energy can be also used as a gauge to estimate the average dynamic stress drop on the fault. Here we compute the dynamic stress drop, infer the co-seismic friction and estimate the co-seismic heating resulting from the frictional work during events from different main shock-aftershock earthquake sequences. We relate the dynamic friction to the maximum temperature rise estimated on the faults for each earthquake. Our results are strongly indicative that a thermally triggered dynamic frictional weakening is present, responsible for the breakdown in self-similarity. These observations from seismic data are compatible with recent laboratory evidence of thermal weakening in rock friction under seismic slip-rates, associated to various physical processes such as melting, decarbonation or dehydration

Classificational parameters for acapulcoites and lodranites: The cases of FRO 90011, EET 84302 and ALH A81187/84190

Acapulcoites and lodranites probably sample a common parent body, which has experienced a range of partial melting. We present classificational parameters which allow acapulcoites-lodranites to be distinguished from other groups of meteorites, as well as from each other. Petrography can complement oxygen isotopic compositions in separating these meteorites from other groups of stony-irons and primitive achondrites, while petrographic properties alone distinguish acapulcoites from lodranites. Acapulcoites differ from lodranites in having smaller grain sizes, abundant Fe, Ni-FeS as micron-sized veins and plagioclase which escaped melting. We have applied these criteria to three new members of the group. FRO 90011 is a typical lodranite; EET 84302 is intermediate in many properties between acapulcoites and lodranites; and ALH A81187/84190 are paired meteorites and are first low-FeO acapulcoites. These meteorites provide a wider spectrum of samples from the acapulcoite-lodranite parent body and suggests that this body may have had a complex structure

A Regional Ground Motion Excitation attenuation Model for the San Francisco Region

By using small-to-moderate-sized earthquakes located within ~200 km of San Francisco, we characterize the scaling of the ground motions for frequencies ranging between 0.25 and 20 Hz, obtaining results for geometric spreading, Q(f), and site parameters using the methods of Mayeda et al. (2005) and Malagnini et al. (2004). The results of the analysis show that, throughout the Bay Area, the average regional attenuation of the ground motion can be modeled with a bilinear geometric spreading function with a 30 km crossover distance, coupled to an anelastic function ! exp " #fr $Q( f ) % & ' ( ) * , where: Q(f)=180 f 0.42. A body-wave geometric spreading, g(r)= r -1.0, is used at short hypocentral distances (r < 30 km), whereas g(r)= r -0.6 fits the attenuation of the spectral amplitudes at hypocentral distances beyond the crossover. The frequency-dependent site effects at 12 of the Berkeley Digital Seismic Network (BDSN) stations were evaluated in an absolute sense using coda-derived source spectra. Our results show: i) the absolute site response for frequencies ranging between 0.3 Hz and 2.0 Hz correlate with independent estimates of the local magnitude residuals (dML) for each of the stations; ii) moment-magnitudes (MW) derived from our path and sitecorrected spectra are in excellent agreement with those independently derived using fullwaveform modeling as well as coda-derived source spectra; iii) we use our weak-motionbased relationships to predict motions region wide for the Loma Prieta earthquake, well above the maximum magnitude spanned by our data set, on a completely different set of stations. Results compare well with measurements taken at specific NEHRP site classes; iv) an empirical, magnitude-dependent scaling was necessary for the Brune stress parameter in order to match the large magnitude spectral accelerations and peak ground velocities with our weak-motion-based model

RNA splicing at human immunodeficiency virus type 1 3 ' splice site A2 is regulated by binding of hnRNP A/B proteins to an exonic splicing silencer element

The synthesis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mRNAs is a complex process by which more than 30 different mRNA species are produced by alternative splicing of a single primary RNA transcript. HIV-1 splice sites are used with significantly different efficiencies, resulting in different levels of mRNA species in infected cells. Splicing of Tat mRNA, which is present at relatively low levels in infected cells, is repressed by the presence of exonic splicing silencers (ESS) within the two tat coding exons (ESS2 and ESS3). These ESS elements contain the consensus sequence PyUAG. Here we show that the efficiency of splicing at 3 ' splice site A2, which is used to generate Vpr mRNA, is also regulated by the presence of an ESS (ESSV), which has sequence homology to ESS2 and ESS3. Mutagenesis of the three PyUAG motifs within ESSV increases splicing at splice site A2, resulting in increased Vpr mRNA levels and reduced skipping of the noncoding exon flanked by A2 and D3. The increase in Vpr mRNA levels and the reduced skipping also occur when splice site D3 is mutated toward the consensus sequence. By in vitro splicing assays, we show that ESSV represses splicing when placed downstream of a heterologous splice site. A1, A1(B), A2, and B1 hnRNPs preferentially bind to ESSV RNA compared to ESSV mutant RNA. Each of these proteins, when added back to HeLa cell nuclear extracts depleted of ESSV-binding factors, is able to restore splicing repression. The results suggest that coordinate repression of HIV-1 RNA splicing is mediated by members of the hnRNP A/B protein family

The CR chondrite clan

The (1) CR chondrites, (2) LEW 85332,(3) Acfer 182,(4) ALH 85085-like chondrites, and (5) Bencubbin-like chondritic breccias are five kinds of chondritic groups which have dramatically different petrographic characteristics, but have mineralogical, bulk chemical, and oxygen and nitrogen isotopic similarities that indicate they are closely related. They are all considered to be members of what we term the CR chondrite clan. Distinguishing characteristics of CR clan chondrites include : (a) reduced, Mg-rich mafic silicates, (b) hydrous matrix and/or dark inclusions (except for Bencubbin-like chondrites), (c) high modal abundances of FeNi metal, (d) FeNi metal having a solar Ni : Co ratio, (e) solar (CI) abundances of refractory and moderately volatile lithophiles, and highly depleted abundances of volatile lithophiles, (f) similar oxygen isotopic compositions of whole rocks, chondrules and matrices, which are on or near the CR mixing line, and (g) anomalously high ^N abundances. CR clan chondrites must have formed in the same local region of the nebula, from closely related reservoirs of materials. The coexistence of anhydrous chondrules with hydrous matrix (and dark inclusions) in the LEW 85332,Acfer 182,and ALH 85085-like chondrites, as well as the widely differing degrees of hydration within and between chondritic samples, implies that hydration of the components was not variable in a single locality, but took place at a variety of locales prior to final lithification of the CR clan chondrites

Risk and Protective Factors of Micronesian Youth in Hawai\u27i: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the risk and protective factors of Micronesian middle and high school students in Hawai\u27i. Forty one Micronesian youth participated in 9 focus groups that explored their experiences within their schools, families, and communities. The findings describe youths\u27 experiences of ecological stress beginning with their migration to Hawai\u27i, and the potential outcomes of this stress (e.g., fighting, gangs, and drug use). Cultural buffers, such as traditional practices and culturally specific prevention programs, were described as aspects that prevented adverse outcomes. Implications for prevention practice are discussed

Preliminary report on the Yamato-86032 lunar meteorite: III. Ages, noble gas isotopes, oxygen isotopes and chemical abundances

The isotope abundances of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, including ^Kr, the oxygen isotopic composition, and the concentrations of Na, K, Sc, Ti, Cr, Fe, Co, Y, Zr, La, Sm, Eu, Hf, Ta, and W were determined for the lunar meteorite Yamato-86032. Based on the radionuclide ^Kr we obtain a terrestrial age of 72000±30000 years, whereas the cosmic-ray exposure age is 10.6±0.6 Ma assuming exposure of the meteorite as a small object in space. Exposure to cosmic rays occurred at shallow shielding of about 40g/cm^2. The K-Ar gas retention ages of two separate splits are 3680±300 Ma and 3810±400 Ma, respectively. All ages agree with those for the lunar meteorites Y-82192 and Y-82193 recovered in the same area on the antarctic ice. The small amounts of trapped solar wind noble gases indicate that the Y-86032 material was exposed only briefly, some grains perhaps not at all, to the solar wind. The concentrations are similar to those of the Yamato-82 lunar meteorites. The oxygen isotopic composition is within the range of that for lunar rocks. The chemical composition of the samples from Y-86032,Y-82192,and Y-82193 is uniform for most major elements but not for all minor and trace elements, probably due to inhomogeneity of the source material. From the fact that the history of Y-86032 is the same as that of Y-82192/3 we conclude that these three rocks are pieces of the same meteorite fall