Ductile strain rate measurements document long-term strain localization in the continental crust

cited By 24Quantification of strain localization in the continental lithosphere is hindered by the lack of reliable deformation rate measurements in the deep crust. Quartz-strain-rate-metry (QSR) is a convenient tool for performing such measurements once calibrated. We achieve this calibration by identifying the best piezometer-rheological law pairs that yield a strain rate in agreement with that measured on the same outcrop by a more direct method taken as a reference. When applied to two major continental strike-slip shear zones, the Ailao Shan-Red River (ASRR; southwest China) and the Karakorum (northwest India), the calibrated QSR highlights across-strike strain rate variations, from <1 × 10-15 s-1 in zones where strain is weak, to >1 × 10-13 s-1 in zones where it is localized. Strain rates integrated across the shear zones imply fast fault slip rates on the order of 1.1 cm yr-1 (Karakorum) and 4 cm yr-1 (ASRR), proving strong strain localization in these strike-slip continental shear zones. © 2013 Geological Society of America

Uncertainties in the estimation of low frequency noise level extracted from noise spectral density measurements

International audienceIt is well known that measurement uncertainty of noise spectral density is related to the time length of observation. With FFT spectrum analyzers, the measurement error can be reduced by averaging Navg measurements. Standard error is then reduced by the square root of Navg. This paper deals with the error introduced when one wants to extract from the noise spectral density measurement the 1/f level, white noise level and lorentzian parameters. In that purpose, different estimation techniques from different groups are compared and discussed

Uncertainties in the estimation of low frequency noise level extracted from noise spectral density measurements

International audienceIt is well known that measurement uncertainty of noise spectral density is related to the time length of observation. With FFT spectrum analyzers, the measurement error can be reduced by averaging Navg measurements. Standard error is then reduced by the square root of Navg. This paper deals with the error introduced when one wants to extract from the noise spectral density measurement the 1/f level, white noise level and lorentzian parameters. In that purpose, different estimation techniques from different groups are compared and discussed

Cardiovascular safety of rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma B-type and/or mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitors: A mixed approach combining a meta-analysis and a pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis.

The risk of cardiovascular adverse events from rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma B-type (BRAF) and mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors is not fully characterized. To evaluate the cardiovascular adverse events risks related to BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials and in the real-life setting. We used two approaches. First, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials reporting the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events for BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors in cancer patients. Second, we performed a disproportionality analysis, using age- and sex-adjusted reporting odds ratios (arORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from the World Health Organization's pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase®) of anticancer drug-associated reports, to investigate real-life data. MEK inhibitors increased the risk of ejection fraction decrease (odds ratio [OR] 3.35, 95% CI 1.58-7.07), peripheral oedema (OR 2.87 95% CI 1.93-4.27) and syncope (OR 6.71, 95% CI 3.00-14.99) compared with placebo in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials. BRAF and MEK inhibitor combination therapy further increased the risk of ejection fraction decrease. In the disproportionality analysis, we found over-reporting of ejection fraction decrease (arOR 8.42, 95% CI 7.03-10.09), peripheral oedema (arOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17-1.66), syncope (arOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.22-1.99), torsade de pointes/QT prolongation (arOR 6.13, 95% CI 5.04-7.47) and supraventricular arrhythmias (arOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.21-1.85) for BRAF and MEK inhibitors. BRAF and MEK inhibitors were not associated with hypertension in either approach. In conclusion, MEK inhibitors increase the risk of ejection fraction decrease, peripheral oedema and syncope in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials. Real-life data confirm these findings, and suggested additional risks of torsade de pointes/QT prolongation and supraventricular arrhythmias with BRAF/MEK inhibitors

Seismic stratigraphic subdivision of the Triassic succession in the Central North Sea; integrating seismic reflection and well data

<p>The Triassic sedimentary succession in the Central North Sea has been investigated to establish a broader understanding of the Triassic Period, from the combined interpretation of seismic reflection data and well data. The Triassic succession has been subdivided into four seismic units, where unit boundaries are characterized by regional seismic amplitude anomalies, reflecting changes in gross sedimentary facies or rock properties. A successful correlation between sedimentary facies, interpreted within the well sections and distinct seismic reflection patterns, allowed a thorough mapping of the gross palaeoenvironment throughout the Triassic. The method presented of subdividing a continental sedimentary succession into seismic units should be applicable elsewhere in other basins. The main source area during the Triassic was Scandinavia to the north, and sediment transportation was mainly along north–south- and NE–SW-trending lineaments, which are at present located onshore southern Norway, and in the Åsta Graben and the Varnes Graben offshore. An uplifted Skagerrak Graben area acted as source area in the Early and early Middle Triassic, with sediment dispersal to the south and SW. High relief existed for a longer period in western Scandinavia than in eastern Scandinavia, which supports an asymmetric shape of the Scandinavian mountains during the Triassic. Accommodation space in the Early Triassic was mainly controlled by the relief inherited from a Late Carboniferous–Permian rift phase. Although thermally induced regional subsidence continued in the Middle and Late Triassic, creation of local accommodation space was mainly limited to halokinesis, including redistribution and withdrawal of salt from the subsurface. The Upper Triassic succession is eroded across the western and central parts of the study area, although the Upper Triassic unit is preserved in synforms adjacent to salt structures. In the western part of the study area, dry, playa conditions prevailed during the Early Triassic, although fluvial systems supplied long-transported sandy detritus southeastwards in the late Early Triassic. More sandy detritus was transported into the sedimentary basin in the Middle and Late Triassic, concurrently with a gradually wetter climate. </p