Eruption style and crystal size distributions: Crystallization of groundmass nanolites in the 2011 Shinmoedake eruption

Crystallization of groundmass minerals may record the physicochemical conditions of magmatic processes upon eruption and is thus a topic of interdisciplinary research in the disciplines of mineralogy, petrology, and volcanology. Recent studies have reported that the groundmass crystals of some volcanic rocks exhibit a break in their crystal size distribution (CSD) slopes that range from a few micrometers to hundreds of nanometers. The crystals consisting of the finer parts of the break were defined as nanolites. In this study, we report the presence of nanometer-scale crystals down to 1 nm in the pyroclasts of the 2011 eruption of Shinmoedake, the Kirishima volcano group, based on field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We discovered a gap (hiatus) from ~100 to ~30 nm in the size distribution of pyroxene in a dense juvenile fragment of a vulcanian explosion. The pyroxene crystals ~20–30 nm on a diameter were ferroaugite (C2/c), while those a few hundred nanometers in width had a composite structure consisting of the domains of orthopyroxene (Pbca), augite (C2/c), and sub-calcic augite (C2/c). In high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM images of the same sample, bright spots ~1–2 nm in diameter were recognized with a gap in size from ~10–20 nm titanomagnetite (Fd, 3m). They are presumed to have Fe-rich compositions, although their phases were too small to be determined. In addition, we found that crystals smaller than a few tens of nanometers for pyroxene and 100 nm for plagioclase did not exist or their number densities were too low for accurate determination. This indicates that there are practical minimum sizes of the crystals. These observations show that nucleation of the nanoscale crystals almost paused (froze) in the late stage of groundmass crystallization, possibly due to a decrease in undercooling, increase in interfacial free energy, and decrease in diffusivity in a dehydrated melt, whereas crystal growth was mostly continuous. In this paper, we introduce the novel term “ultrananolite, ” to refer to crystals smaller than 30 nm in diameter, and redefine “nanolite” simply as those 30 nm to 1 μm in width, complementing the size interval of crystals in volcanic groundmass smaller than microlites (1–30 μm). In the transient nucleation process, the presence of subcritical size clusters is required. The observed ultrananolite-sized particles might partly include subcritical clusters. The difference in the slope of CSDs, presence of gaps in size distribution, and minimum crystal size among the eruption styles of the 2011 Shinmoedake eruption may be interpreted by considering the difference in magma residence time and fragmentation pressure in the shallow conduit, and possibly the rewelding process in the crater

Three-dimensional imaging of crack growth in L chondrites after high-velocity impact experiments

Small asteroids such as Itokawa are covered with an unconsolidated regolith layer of centimeter-sized or smaller particles. There are two plausible formation mechanisms for regolith layers on a sub-kilometer-sized asteroid: (i) fragments produced by thermal fatigue by day-night temperature cycles on the asteroid surface and (ii) impact fragment. Previous studies suggest that thermal fatigue induces crack growth along the boundary surface of the mineral grain while impact phenomena may induce crack growth regardless of the boundary surface of the mineral grain. Therefore, it is possible that the crack growth within a mineral grain (and/or a chondrule) differs depending on the crack formation mechanism, be it thermal fatigue or an impact. In order to investigate how mineral grains and chondrules are affected by impact-induced crack growth, we fired spherical alumina projectiles (diameter ~1 mm) into 9 mm side length cubic targets of L chondrites at a nominal impact velocity of 2.0 km/s. Before and after the six successful impact experiments, the cracks within mineral grains and chondrules in the respective targets are examined using X-ray microtomography at a resolution with the voxel size of 9.0 μm. The results show that most cracks within chondrules and troilite (FeS) grow regardless of the boundary surfaces of the grains while most cracks within ductile Fe-Ni metal grow along the boundary surfaces of the grains. This may indicate that crack growth is largely affected by the strength of mineral grains (and/or chondrules). From the experimental results and the fact that the shapes of polymineralic and monomineralic particles from Itokawa are similar, we conclude that the Itokawa particles have not been produced by thermal fatigue but instead are likely to be impact fragments, as described in previous papers (Tsuchiyama et al., 2011, 2014; Michikami et al., 2018)

The Effect of the Experiences in the Forest Kindergarten on the Motor Ability and Academic Ability of Schoolchildren from the Forest Kindergarten: Focusing on the Long-Term Effect

本研究は，森の中で遊びを中心とした保育を行っている森の幼稚園（広島大学附属幼稚園）の卒園児に対して知力・体力等の調査を行い，幼児期に森の保育環境で過ごすことの長期的な育ちの効果を探ることを目的とした。方法は，卒園児のうち2016年現在，東広島市内に在住している小学校１～６年生172名の保護者に対して，小学校で行われている新体力テスト（８種目）とNRT 標準学力検査の結果を質問紙で問い，そのデータをまとめた。結果は，体力・運動能力では，卒園児の方が全国調査における一般的な子どもたちと比べて高く，卒園児の体力・運動能力は長期的な影響を及ぼしており，持続性を持っていると考えられた。NRT 標準学力検査では，国語と算数の両教科において卒園児の方が全国平均よりも得点が有意に高いことが明らかとなり，検証には至らなかったが，幼児期に森で過ごす体験が学びに影響を与えた可能性は否定できない。これらのことから，森の幼稚園の保育と保育環境は，卒園児の体力や運動能力そして学力に，少なくとも６年間はポジティブな影響を与えていることが示唆された。This study examined the motor ability and the academic ability of schoolchildren who had graduated from the forest kindergarten. One hundred and seventy two primary school children's parents were asked to answer the questionnaire about the children's score of the physical performance test and the achievement test which they took in their school. The result showed that children from the forest kindergarten in average achieved higher score in some of the items of physical test and that all of the subjects of achievement test. This suggests that the experiences in the forest kindergarten affect children's motor ability and cognitive ability positively and the effect lasts long at least for six years

Investigation by Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Biomarker Candidates for Aging in the Hair Cortex

BACKGROUND: Human hair is one of the essential components that define appearance and is a useful source of samples for non-invasive biomonitoring. We describe a novel application of imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) of hair biomolecules for advanced molecular characterization and a better understanding of hair aging. As a cosmetic and biomedical application, molecules whose levels in hair altered with aging were comprehensively investigated. METHODS: Human hair was collected from 15 young (20±5 years old) and 15 older (50±5 years old) volunteers. Matrix-free laser desorption/ionization IMS was used to visualize molecular distribution in the hair sections. Hair-specific ions displaying a significant difference in the intensities between the 2 age groups were extracted as candidate markers for aging. Tissue localization of the molecules and alterations in their levels in the cortex and medulla in the young and old groups were determined. RESULTS: Among the 31 molecules detected specifically in hair sections, 2--one at m/z 153.00, tentatively assigned to be dihydrouracil, and the other at m/z 207.04, identified to be 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DHMA)--exhibited a higher signal intensity in the young group than in the old, and 1 molecule at m/z 164.00, presumed to be O-phosphoethanolamine, displayed a higher intensity in the old group. Among the 3, putative O-phosphoethanolamine showed a cortex-specific distribution. The 3 molecules in cortex presented the same pattern of alteration in signal intensity with aging, whereas those in medulla did not exhibit significant alteration. CONCLUSION: Three molecules whose levels in hair altered with age were extracted. While they are all possible markers for aging, putative dihydrouracil and DHMA, are also suspected to play a role in maintaining hair properties and could be targets for cosmetic supplementation. Mapping of ion localization in hair by IMS is a powerful method to extract biomolecules in specified regions and determine their tissue distribution

Smaller Hippocampal Volume and Degraded Peripheral Hearing Among Japanese Community Dwellers

A growing body of literature has demonstrated that dementia and hearing loss are interrelated. Recent interest in dementia research has expanded to brain imaging analyses with auditory function. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between hearing ability, which was assessed using pure-tone audiometry, and the volume of brain regions, specifically the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, Heschl’s gyrus, and total gray matter, using Freesurfer software and T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging. The data for 2082 samples (age range = 40–89 years) were extracted from a population-based cohort of community dwellers. Hearing-impaired individuals showed significantly smaller hippocampal volumes compared with their non-hearing-impaired counterparts for all auditory frequency ranges. In addition, a correlational analysis showed a significant dose-response relationship for hearing ability and hippocampal volume after adjusting for potential confounding factors so that the more degraded the peripheral hearing was, the smaller the hippocampal volume was. This association was consistent through the auditory frequency range. The volume of the entorhinal cortex, right Heschl’s gyrus and total gray matter did not correlate with hearing level at any frequency. The volume of the left Heschl’s gyrus showed a significant relationship with the hearing levels for some auditory frequencies. The current results suggested that the presence of hearing loss after middle age could be a modifier of hippocampal atrophy

Carbonate ions in high-SiO2 rhyolite observed in fluid-melt equilibrium experiments

We carried out equilibrium experiments of the CO2-H2O-rhyolite system at 0.1–1.5 GPa and 850 and 1200∞C to examine the solubility and speciation of CO2 in high-SiO2 rhyolite (SiO2 > 76 wt%). We observed that both CO2 molecules (CO2mol) and carbonate anions (CO3 2–) are dissolved in the quenched rhyolitic glasses based on infrared spectroscopy. This result contrasts with the general understanding that high-SiO2 rhyolitic melt dissolves CO2mol only. The concentrations of CO2mol and CO3 2– were 199–9200 ppm and 58–2100 ppm, respectively, as quantified based on the Beer-Lambert’s law and newly determined extinction coefficients of 1192 ± 130 L·cm–1·mol–1 and 91 ± 28 L·cm–1·mol–1 for CO2mol and CO3 2–, respectively. The water content ranged from 2.6 to 6.1 wt%. Using the thermodynamic analysis, we calculated the partial molar volume of CO2mol to be VCO mol melt 2 = 24.9 ± 2.0 cm3/mol and enthalpy of dissolution to be DslnH = –22.2 ± 6.3 kJ/mol. Changes in volume and enthalpy upon the formation reaction of CO3 2– were calculated to be DrV = –8.6 ± 0.9 cm3/ mol and DrH = +1.1 ± 4.4 kJ/mol, respectively