Oxidation state of iron in hydrous phono-tephritic melts

The oxidation state of iron in hydrous ultrapotassic (phono-tephritic) melts coexisting with mixed H2O-CO2 fluids was experimentally studied at 1200 and 1250{degree sign}C and pressures from 50 to 500 MPa. The oxygen fugacity (fO2) varied from NNO-2.9 to NNO+2.6 in logfO2, relative to the Ni-NiO oxygen buffer (NNO), as imposed by external redox conditions in experimental vessels and internal variations in water activity from 0.05 to 1 inside the capsules. The iron redox state of the quenched melts was determined by colorimetric wet-chemical analysis. This analytical method was optimized to measure the Fe2+/ΣFe ratio of mg-sized samples within ±0.03 (2σ). The accuracy and precision was tested with international reference materials and with standards analyzed by other methods. The Fe2+/ΣFe ratio of the experimental glasses covered a range of 0.41 to 0.85. A small negative effect of dissolved water on Fe2+/ΣFe at given fO2 was found, consistent with the thermodynamic model of Moretti (2005). No effect of pressure and temperature on the redox state of iron was resolvable in the investigated P-T range. Compared to hydrous ferrobasaltic melts that were studied previously under similar conditions, systematically lower Fe2+/ΣFe ratios were found for the phono-tephritic melts, in particular at low oxygen fugacities. This effect is attributed to the much higher K2O contents of the phono-tephrite (7.5 compared to 0.3 wt%), but the difference in ΣFeO (7.8 wt% in the phono-tephrite and 12.9 wt% in the ferrobasalt) may have an influence as well. Comparison of the experimentally obtained relationship between logfO2 and Fe3+/Fe2+ for the studied hydrous ultrapotassic melts with commonly used empirical and thermodynamic models suggest that these models can be successfully applied to phono-tephritc melts, although such compositions were not implemented in the model calibrations. Furthermore, the new data can be used to improve the models with respect to the effects of compositional variables, such as H2O or K2O, on the redox state of iron in silicate melts

An Analysis of the Duties and Obligations of the International Legal Community to the Eradication of Poverty and Growth of Sustainable Development in Light of the Jus Cogens Nature of the Declaration of the Right to Development

This paper examines the copious problem of world poverty affecting half of the world’s population in the South and assesses the international legal obligations of the international legal community, viz., developed states, transnational corporations and the international financial institutions of the IMF, World Bank and WTO to the eradication of poverty and the growth of sustainable development, in view of the inviolability and peremptory nature of the Charter of the UN, and the international human rights provisions arising therefrom. To this extent, we examine the 1986 General Assembly Declaration on the Right to Development, along with the other International Bill of Human Rights, arguing that its normative and prescriptive value derived from the UN Charter, espouses a legal obligation to the international society to ensure each person has a right to the eradication of poverty and sustainable development by equitable national and international efforts. We then address the history of developing States as proof of inequitable and unjust developed States practices, and furthermore, using the examples of the actions by developed States, transnational corporations and the trade and financial laws of the international financial institutions, we argue that they violate the jus cogens of the Right to Development. In conclusion, we advocate the cancellation of debilitating third world debts, while espousing Good Governance at the National and International arenas as essential to true and equitable state growth, and ultimately, the focus of the Right to Development; the right to a good standard of living for all peoples

Oxidation state of iron in hydrous phono-tephritic melts

The oxidation state of iron in hydrous ultrapotassic (phono-tephritic) melts coexisting with mixed H2O-CO2 fluids was experimentally studied at 1200 and 1250{degree sign}C and pressures from 50 to 500 MPa. The oxygen fugacity (fO2) varied from NNO-2.9 to NNO+2.6 in logfO2, relative to the Ni-NiO oxygen buffer (NNO), as imposed by external redox conditions in experimental vessels and internal variations in water activity from 0.05 to 1 inside the capsules. The iron redox state of the quenched melts was determined by colorimetric wet-chemical analysis. This analytical method was optimized to measure the Fe2+/ΣFe ratio of mg-sized samples within ±0.03 (2σ). The accuracy and precision was tested with international reference materials and with standards analyzed by other methods. The Fe2+/ΣFe ratio of the experimental glasses covered a range of 0.41 to 0.85. A small negative effect of dissolved water on Fe2+/ΣFe at given fO2 was found, consistent with the thermodynamic model of Moretti (2005). No effect of pressure and temperature on the redox state of iron was resolvable in the investigated P-T range. Compared to hydrous ferrobasaltic melts that were studied previously under similar conditions, systematically lower Fe2+/ΣFe ratios were found for the phono-tephritic melts, in particular at low oxygen fugacities. This effect is attributed to the much higher K2O contents of the phono-tephrite (7.5 compared to 0.3 wt%), but the difference in ΣFeO (7.8 wt% in the phono-tephrite and 12.9 wt% in the ferrobasalt) may have an influence as well. Comparison of the experimentally obtained relationship between logfO2 and Fe3+/Fe2+ for the studied hydrous ultrapotassic melts with commonly used empirical and thermodynamic models suggest that these models can be successfully applied to phono-tephritc melts, although such compositions were not implemented in the model calibrations. Furthermore, the new data can be used to improve the models with respect to the effects of compositional variables, such as H2O or K2O, on the redox state of iron in silicate melts

3D multi-robot patrolling with a two-level coordination strategy

Teams of UGVs patrolling harsh and complex 3D environments can experience interference and spatial conflicts with one another. Neglecting the occurrence of these events crucially hinders both soundness and reliability of a patrolling process. This work presents a distributed multi-robot patrolling technique, which uses a two-level coordination strategy to minimize and explicitly manage the occurrence of conflicts and interference. The first level guides the agents to single out exclusive target nodes on a topological map. This target selection relies on a shared idleness representation and a coordination mechanism preventing topological conflicts. The second level hosts coordination strategies based on a metric representation of space and is supported by a 3D SLAM system. Here, each robot path planner negotiates spatial conflicts by applying a multi-robot traversability function. Continuous interactions between these two levels ensure coordination and conflicts resolution. Both simulations and real-world experiments are presented to validate the performances of the proposed patrolling strategy in 3D environments. Results show this is a promising solution for managing spatial conflicts and preventing deadlocks

β-Glucan is a major growth substrate for human gut bacteria related to Coprococcus eutactus

A clone encoding carboxymethyl cellulase activity was isolated during functional screening of a human gut metagenomic library using Lactococcus lactis MG1363 as heterologous host. The insert carried a glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) catalytic domain with sequence similarity to a gene from Coprococcus eutactus ART55/1. Genome surveys indicated a limited distribution of GH9 domains among dominant human colonic anaerobes. Genomes of C. eutactus-related strains harboured two GH9-encoding and four GH5-encoding genes, but the strains did not appear to degrade cellulose. Instead, they grew well on β-glucans and one of the strains also grew on galactomannan, galactan, glucomannan and starch. Coprococcus comes and Coprococcus catus strains did not harbour GH9 genes and were not able to grow on β-glucans. Gene expression and proteomic analysis of C. eutactus ART55/1 grown on cellobiose, β-glucan and lichenan revealed similar changes in expression in comparison to glucose. On β-glucan and lichenan only, one of the four GH5 genes was strongly upregulated. Growth on glucomannan led to a transcriptional response of many genes, in particular a strong upregulation of glycoside hydrolases involved in mannan degradation. Thus, β-glucans are a major growth substrate for species related to C. eutactus, with glucomannan and galactans alternative substrates for some strains

A participatory regional partnership approach to promote nutrition and physical activity through environmental and policy change in rural Missouri

BACKGROUND: Rural residents are less likely than urban and suburban residents to meet recommendations for nutrition and physical activity. Interventions at the environmental and policy level create environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. COMMUNITY CONTEXT: Healthier Missouri Communities (Healthier MO) is a community-based research project conducted by the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis with community partners from 12 counties in rural southeast Missouri. We created a regional partnership to leverage resources and enhance environmental and policy interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity in rural southeast Missouri. METHODS: Partners were engaged in a participatory action planning process that included prioritizing, implementing, and evaluating promising evidence-based interventions to promote nutrition and physical activity. Group interviews were conducted with Healthier MO community partners post intervention to evaluate resource sharing and sustainability efforts of the regional partnership. OUTCOME: Community partners identified the benefits and challenges of resource sharing within the regional partnership as well as the opportunities and threats to long-term partnership sustainability. The partners noted that the regional participatory process was difficult, but the benefits outweighed the challenges. INTERPRETATION: Regional rural partnerships may be an effective way to leverage relationships to increase the capacity of rural communities to implement environmental and policy interventions to promote nutrition and physical activity

Supporting University Students During the Pandemic: A Study on The Efficacy of a Mentalizing Online Group Counselling

Background: University counselling services assume a fundamental support function for students who are facing moments of crisis during their academic career. Such services often aim to reduce drop-out rates and achieve improvement in terms of psychological well-being. COVID-19 contagion containment measures have also had an impact on the psychological health of university students and their ability to cope with important developmental tasks. It has become necessary, therefore, to offer online counselling services which has become, however, the means of choice to support students during the university course in the pandemic era, as a complementary intervention to the traditional face-to-face approach. Methods: In a clinical and health psychology perspective, this study aims to analyze the efficacy of 13 online counselling groups involving 66 underachieving students, lagging with their studies. The intervention has adopted the methodology of the Narrative Mediation Path, which aims at promoting mentalization, academic engagement and psychological well-being in order to have an impact on students’ academic performance and prevent university dropouts. At the beginning and end of counselling the following measures were administered: a) Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, b) Psychological General Well-Being Index Short Form, c) Academic Performance Inventory, d) University Student Engagement Inventory, e) Group Climate Questionnaire. Results: The results showed that online counselling groups enabled an overall improvement in all the variables considered. Conclusion: Overall, the present study showed the efficacy of the online group counselling service in supporting students during the pandemic period and in coping with the difficulties encountered during the academic career

Transcriptome sequencing study implicates immune-related genes differentially expressed in schizophrenia: new data and a meta-analysis

We undertook an RNA sequencing (RNAseq)-based transcriptomic profiling study on lymphoblastoid cell lines of a European ancestry sample of 529 schizophrenia cases and 660 controls, and found 1058 genes to be differentially expressed by affection status. These differentially expressed genes were enriched for involvement in immunity, especially the 697 genes with higher expression in cases. Comparing the current RNAseq transcriptomic profiling to our previous findings in an array-based study of 268 schizophrenia cases and 446 controls showed a highly significant positive correlation over all genes. Fifteen (18%) of the 84 genes with significant (false discovery rateo0.05) expression differences between cases and controls in the previous study and analyzed here again were differentially expressed by affection status here at a genome-wide significance level (Bonferroni Po0.05 adjusted for 8141 analyzed genes in total, or Po ~ 6.1 × 10− 6), all with the same direction of effect, thus providing corroborative evidence despite each sample of fully independent subjects being studied by different technological approaches. Meta-analysis of the RNAseq and array data sets (797 cases and 1106 controls) showed 169 additional genes (besides those found in the primary RNAseq-based analysis) to be differentially expressed, and provided further evidence of immune gene enrichment. In addition to strengthening our previous array-based gene expression differences in schizophrenia cases versus controls and providing transcriptomic support for some genes implicated by other approaches for schizophrenia, our study detected new genes differentially expressed in schizophrenia. We highlight RNAseq-based differential expression of various genes involved in neurodevelopment and/or neuronal function, and discuss caveats of the approach