24 research outputs found

    Hidden secrets of deformation: Impact-induced compaction within a CV chondrite

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    The CV3 Allende is one of the most extensively studied meteorites in worldwide collections. It is currently classified as S1—essentially unshocked—using the classification scheme of Stöffler et al. (1991), however recent modelling suggests the low porosity observed in Allende indicates the body should have undergone compaction-related deformation. In this study, we detail previously undetected evidence of impact through use of Electron Backscatter Diffraction mapping to identify deformation microstructures in chondrules, AOAs and matrix grains. Our results demonstrate that forsterite-rich chondrules commonly preserve crystal-plastic microstructures (particularly at their margins); that low-angle boundaries in deformed matrix grains of olivine have a preferred orientation; and that disparities in deformation occur between chondrules, surrounding and non-adjacent matrix grains. We find heterogeneous compaction effects present throughout the matrix, consistent with a highly porous initial material. Given the spatial distribution of these crystal-plastic deformation microstructures, we suggest that this is evidence that Allende has undergone impact-induced compaction from an initially heterogeneous and porous parent body. We suggest that current shock classifications (Stöffler et al., 1991) relying upon data from chondrule interiors do not constrain the complete shock history of a sample

    Elevations in gonadotrophin concentrations and milt volumes as a result of spawning behavior in the goldfish

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    In many male mammals and birds, exposure to sexual stimuli results in acute elevations of circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T); a similar phenomemon has now been observed in the male goldfish (Carassius auratus). Mature males placed with either a receptive female or stimulus pairs of spawning goldfish had gonadotrophin (GtH) concentrations and expressible milt (sperm) volumes that were significantly greater than those of males kept in all-male groups. This stimulatory effect lasted from 20 min to at least 2 hr for GtH (20°) and from ≀ 1 hr to ≄ 24 hr for milt (14°). When males were separated from the spawning pair by either a solid or perforated clear partition, no elevations of GtH or milt levels occurred. In contrast, these values increased in males placed in contact with a spawning pair, even when that pair contained no female, but a male induced to perform female sexual behavior by treatment with prostaglandin. These results suggest that, in goldfish, access to a spawning situation is necessary for rapid elevations in GtH and milt. Furthermore, it appears that the males must be sexually active in order for these physiological changes to occur, as males that failed to engage in courtship behavior with a spawning pair had GtH and milt values not different from isolated fish. This suggests that male sexual behavior and elevations in milt and GtH are concurrent events that share a common activation pathway in the brain. The increase in milt may be due to both neurally and hormonally mediated events that ensure milt availability for imminent spawning activity
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