No V-Fe-Zn isotopic variation in basalts from the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption

The Earth’s mantle is chemically heterogeneous in space and time, which is often reflected by variable isotopic compositions of mantle derived basalts. Basalts from the first 40 days of the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, display systematic temporal variations in the ratios of incompatible elements alongside resolvable variations in Sr, Nd and Pb radiogenic isotopes. These variations reflect progressive influx of magma derived from melting of a deeper, more enriched and potentially lithologically distinct source. We use this eruptive time series to conduct the first combined V-Fe-Zn isotope study, exploring the sensitivity of the combined isotopic approach, with particular focus on fingerprinting source lithological heterogeneity. We find no analytically resolvable change in V (δ51VAA between −0.95 ± 0.09 ‰ 2 s.d. and −0.86 ± 0.07 ‰ 2 s.d.), Fe (δ56FeIRMM-524 between +0.047 ± 0.042 ‰ 2 s.d. and +0.094 ± 0.049 ‰ 2 s.d.) and Zn (δ66ZnAA-ETH between −0.042 ± 0.003 ‰ 2 s.d. and +0.013 ± 0.027 ‰ 2 s.d.) isotopic compositions. The lack of variability in V-Fe-Zn isotopes, despite the evolving trace element and radiogenic isotope ratios, suggests there is no significant contribution of melts from a lithologically distinct (pyroxenite) mantle component under the Reykjanes Peninsula

Grain Size and Texture of Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films Synthesized by Cosputtering Binary Sulfides and Annealing: Effects of Processing Conditions and Sodium

We investigate the synthesis of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) polycrystalline thin films using cosputtering from binary sulfide targets followed by annealing in sulfur vapor at 500 {\deg}C to 650 {\deg}C. The films are the kesterite CZTS phase as indicated by x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and optical absorption measurements. The films exhibit (112) fiber texture and preferred low-angle and Sigma3 grain boundary populations which have been demonstrated to reduce recombination in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CdTe films. The grain growth kinetics are investigated as functions of temperature and the addition of Na. Significantly, lateral grain sizes above 1 um are demonstrated for samples grown on Na-free glass,demonstrating the feasibility for CZTS growth on substrates other than soda lime glass

Immunological stress responses in nematodes

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN024672 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Precise and accurate 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os measurements by multi-collector plasma ionisation mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Part 1, solution analyses

We present new high precision Os isotope data obtained by solution-mode MC-ICP-MS for 4 different Os isotope reference materials and compare the data to that obtained by the N-TIMS method. Mass fractionation effects for MC-ICP-MS are evaluated and we demonstrate excellent adherence to the exponential law. An improved and robust method for the derivation of interfering element isotope ratios is presented and evaluated via analysis of solutions with widely varying interfering element/analyte ratios. We show experiments that illustrate the extent of memory with a conventional solution introduction system and establish a protocol that reduces washout time and memory effects to the same level as those common for other elements typically analysed at high precision by MC-ICP-MS. Data for 4 Os Reference material solutions show excellent agreement between MC-ICP-MS and N-TIMS for all Os isotope ratios except 186Os/188Os and 184Os/188Os which are consistently lower by 100 ppm and 3–5‰ respectively for MC-ICP-MS. These differences are highly unlikely to arise from problems relating to Faraday cup or amplifier efficiency variations, residual mass fractionation effects or inaccuracies in the applied W interference corrections on 186Os and 184Os for MC-ICP-MS analyses. These issues require further investigation if the Pt–Os system is to find routine application as a geochemical tracer

Precise and accurate 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os measurements by Multi-Collector Plasma Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) part I: solutionanalyses.

We present new high precision Os isotope data obtained by solution-mode MC-ICPMS for 4 different Os isotope standards and compare the data to that obtained by the N-TIMS method. Mass fractionation effects for MC-ICPMS are evaluated and we demonstrate excellent adherence to the exponential law. An improved and robust method for the derivation of interfering element isotope ratios is presented and evaluated via analysis of solutions with widely varying interfering element/analyte ratios. We show experiments that illustrate the extent of memory with a conventional solution introduction system and establish a protocol that reduces washout time and memory effects to the same level as those common for other elements typically analysed at high precision by MC-ICPMS. Data for standard solutions show excellent agreement between MC-ICPMS and N-TIMS for all Os isotope ratios except 186Os/188Os and 184Os/188Os which are consistently lower by ~100 ppm and 3-5 ‰ respectively for MC-ICPMS. These differences are highly unlikely to arise from problems relating to Faraday cup efficiency variations, residual mass fractionation effects or inaccuracies in the applied W interference corrections on 186Os and 184Os for MC-ICPMS analyses. These issues require further investigation if the Pt-Os system is to find routine application as a geochemical tracer

Enhancing Solid State LiDAR mapping with a 2d spinning LiDAR in urban scenario slam on ground vehicles

Solid-State LiDAR (SSL) takes an increasing share of the LiDAR market. Compared with traditional spinning LiDAR, SSLs are more compact, energy-efficient and cost-effective. Generally, the current study of SSL mapping is limited to adapting existing SLAM algorithms to an SSL sensor. However, compared with spinning LiDARs, SSLs are different in terms of their irregular scan patterns and limited FOV. Directly applying existing SLAM approaches on them often increase the instability of a mapping process. This study proposes a systematic design, which consists of a dual-LiDAR mapping system and a three DOF interpolated six DOF odometry. For dual-LiDAR mapping, this work uses a 2D LiDAR to enhance a 3D SSL performance on a ground vehicle platform. The proposed system takes a 2D LiDAR to preprocess the scanning field into a number of feature sections according to the curvatures on the 2D fraction. Subsequently, this section information is passed to 3D SSL for direction feature selection. Additionally, this work proposes an odometry interpolation method which uses both LiDARs to generate two separated odometries. The proposed odometry interpolation method selectively determines the appropriate odometry information to update the system state under challenging conditions. Experiments are conducted in different scenarios. The results proves that the proposed approach is able to utilise 12 times more corner features from the environment than the comparied method, thus results in a demonstrable improvement in its absolute position error

Characterization of a sea bream (Sparus aurata) thyroid hormone receptor-ß clone expressed during embryonic and larval development

A clone encoding thyroid hormone receptor-b (TR-b) was isolated from a sea bream (Sparus aurata) ovary cDNA library. Sea bream (sb)TR-b is closely related to its counterparts from other vertebrates and, like them, preferentially binds T3 rather than T4. However, the putative sbTR-b protein contains a nine-amino-acid insert that is also present in the corresponding proteins from flounder and salmon but absent in TR-bs from zebrafish and terrestrial vertebrates. Semiquantitative RT–PCR analysis showed that sbTR-b transcripts begin to accumulate during gastrulation and increase markedly in quantity up to the period around hatch (ca. 40 h postfertilization) before declining slightly. In adult tissues, TR-b mRNA was present in approximately equal quantities in heart, intestine, brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, liver, and gill. The significance of the relatively strong expression of TR-b during sea bream embryogenesis is discussed