The facies architecture of large igneous provinces: an integrated geological and geophysical approach to the characterisation of volcanic successions in 3-D

Quantifying the facies architecture of flood volcanic provinces is important as it can be used to understand the physical volcanology and rock property variations throughout the igneous succession. This is very important to the petroleum industry exploration efforts in volcanic rifted margins as volcanic successions commonly mask geophysical images of sub-volcanic petroleum plays. This problem is known as the 'sub-basalt imaging problem' and is caused by factors including the geometrical heterogeneities and elastic velocity and density contrasts through the volcanic pile. The study of facies architecture is broken down into a series of orders of scale. These scales reflect a systematic approach to the characterisation of the facies architecture, from a centimetre through to kilometre-scale, and incorporates 3D modelling of a range of data types for constructing the 3D structure of the flood volcanic successions. A system for the characterisation of lava flow scale facies is presented termed the 'intrafacies scheme'. This may be used to assess and interpret the geological facies heterogeneities present on a 'micro-scale' and link the interpretations to geophysical rock properties. The scheme is applied to outcrop-scale case studies in the Talisker Bay area of the Skye Lava Field on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. On a lava field scale of study ('meso-scale'), the geometrical relationships of several flood basalt provinces are studied, focusing on the Skye Lava Field. This is studied in ID through to 3D, revealing that the lava field may be divided into architectural sequences based on lava flow facies interpretations. The facies evolve upwards through the volcanic succession from geometrically complex thin, olivine-basaltic compound-braided lava flow facies towards the base, to simple, thick basaltic-andesite tabular lava flows. The lower lavas are interpreted to have formed on the gently dipping flanks of a shield volcano. The observations and understanding of flood volcanics on a lava field scale of observation and the facies forming the building blocks of lava fields are used to interpret the GFA-99 2D seismic data from the Faeroe-Shetland Basin. The interpretation is developed into 3D and thicknesses of the Faeroes Lava Group are calculated. The complete study of facies from intrafacies through to basin-scale interpretations reveal that flood volcanic successions contain substantial geometrical and rock property heterogeneities, and that these can be characterised in the 3D modelling environment into geologically realistic geophysical flood basalt facies architectural models

Nonlinear projection filter with parallel algorithm and parallel sensors

Over the past few decades, the computational power has been increasing rapidly. With advances of the parallel computation architectures it provides new opportu- nities for solving the optimal estimation problem in real- time. In addition, sensor miniaturization technology enables us to acquire multiple measurements at low cost. Kolmogorov’s forward equation is the governing equation of the nonlinear estimation problem. The nonlinear projection filter presented in the late 90’s is an almost exact solution of the nonlinear estimation problem, which solves the governing equation us- ing Galerkin’s method. The filter requires high-dimensional integration in several steps and the complexity of the filter increases exponentially with the dimension of systems. The current parallel computation speed with the usage of many sensors at the same time make it feasible to implement the filter efficiently for practical systems with some mild dimension sizes. On-line or off-line multi-dimensional integration is to be performed over the parallel computation using the Monte- Carlo integration method and random samples for the state update are obtained more efficiently based on the multiple sensor measurements. A few simplifications of the filter are also derived to reduce the computational cost. The methods are verified with two numerical examples and one experimental example

The phenomenology of pareidolia in healthy subjects and patients with left- or right-hemispheric stroke

Pareidolia are perceptions of recognizable images or meaningful patterns where none exist. In recent years, this phenomenon has been increasingly studied in healthy subjects and patients with neurological or psychiatric diseases. The current study examined pareidolia production in a group of 53 stroke patients and 82 neurologically healthy controls who performed a natural images task. We found a significant reduction of absolute pareidolia production in left- and right-hemispheric stroke patients, with right-hemispheric patients producing overall fewest pareidolic output. Responses were categorized into 28 distinct categories, with ‘Animal’, ‘Human’, ‘Face’, and ‘Body parts' being the most common, accounting for 72% of all pareidolia. Regarding the percentages of the different categories of pareidolia, we found a significant reduction for the percentage of “Body parts” pareidolia in the left-hemispheric patient group as compared to the control group, while the percentage of this pareidolia type was not significantly reduced in right-hemispheric patients compared to healthy controls. These results support the hypothesis that pareidolia production may be influenced by local-global visual processing with the left hemisphere being involved in local and detailed analytical visual processing to a greater extent. As such, a lesion to the right hemisphere, that is believed to be critical for global visual processing, might explain the overall fewest pareidolic output produced by the right-hemispheric patients

Effectiveness of a web-based self-help tool to reduce problem gambling: A randomized controlled trial

Background and AimsProblem gambling constitutes a public health concern associated with psychopathological comorbidity, substance use, and financial difficulties. Most individuals with gambling problems avoid counseling services due to perceived stigma and their preference for self-reliance. Treatment accessibility could be improved through web-based interventions.MethodsWe recruited 360 individuals with gambling problems and randomized them to a web-based intervention (n = 185) or an active control group consisting of a self-help manual for problem gambling (n = 175). The primary outcome was the number of days of gambling in the last 30 days. Secondary outcomes included money spent in the last 30 days, time gambling in the last 7 days, gambling-related problems, consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, and psychopathological comorbidity measured at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up.ResultsThe primary outcome decreased significantly for both groups, with no significant difference between the groups. There were significant group × time interactions according to the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (F = 8.83, p <0 .001), the Problem Gambling Severity Index (F = 3.54, p = 0.030), for cigarettes smoked in the last 7 days (F = 26.68, p < 0.001), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (F = 19.41, p <0 .001), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (F = 41.09, p <0 .001) favoring the intervention group. We experienced an overall high dropout rate (76%).ConclusionsWin Back Control seems to be an effective low-threshold treatment option for individuals with gambling problems that might otherwise be unapproachable for outpatient treatment services. Nevertheless, the high dropout rate should be considered when interpreting the study results, as they may have introduced a degree of variability

An exploratory randomised controlled trial of a premises-level intervention to reduce alcohol-related harm including violence in the United Kingdom

&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; To assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of a licensed premises intervention to reduce severe intoxication and disorder; to establish effect sizes and identify appropriate approaches to the development and maintenance of a rigorous research design and intervention implementation.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Methods&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; An exploratory two-armed parallel randomised controlled trial with a nested process evaluation. An audit of risk factors and a tailored action plan for high risk premises, with three month follow up audit and feedback. Thirty-two premises that had experienced at least one assault in the year prior to the intervention were recruited, match paired and randomly allocated to control or intervention group. Police violence data and data from a street survey of study premises’ customers, including measures of breath alcohol concentration and surveyor rated customer intoxication, were used to assess effect sizes for a future definitive trial. A nested process evaluation explored implementation barriers and the fidelity of the intervention with key stakeholders and senior staff in intervention premises using semi-structured interviews.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; The process evaluation indicated implementation barriers and low fidelity, with a reluctance to implement the intervention and to submit to a formal risk audit. Power calculations suggest the intervention effect on violence and subjective intoxication would be raised to significance with a study size of 517 premises.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; It is methodologically feasible to conduct randomised controlled trials where licensed premises are the unit of allocation. However, lack of enthusiasm in senior premises staff indicates the need for intervention enforcement, rather than voluntary agreements, and on-going strategies to promote sustainability

Small-molecule-mediated OGG1 inhibition attenuates pulmonary inflammation and lung fibrosis in a murine lung fibrosis model

Interstitial lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are caused by persistent micro-injuries to alveolar epithelial tissues accompanied by aberrant repair processes. IPF is currently treated with pirfenidone and nintedanib, compounds which slow the rate of disease progression but fail to target underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The DNA repair protein 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1) has significant roles in the modulation of inflammation and metabolic syndromes. Currently, no pharmaceutical solutions targeting OGG1 have been utilized in the treatment of IPF. In this study we show Ogg1-targeting siRNA mitigates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in male mice, highlighting OGG1 as a tractable target in lung fibrosis. The small molecule OGG1 inhibitor, TH5487, decreases myofibroblast transition and associated pro-fibrotic gene expressions in fibroblast cells. In addition, TH5487 decreases levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, inflammatory cell infiltration, and lung remodeling in a murine model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis conducted in male C57BL6/J mice. OGG1 and SMAD7 interact to induce fibroblast proliferation and differentiation and display roles in fibrotic murine and IPF patient lung tissue. Taken together, these data suggest that TH5487 is a potentially clinically relevant treatment for IPF but further study in human trials is required

The "lessons" of the Australian "heroin shortage"

Heroin use causes considerable harm to individual users including dependence, fatal and nonfatal overdose, mental health problems, and blood borne virus transmission. It also adversely affects the community through drug dealing, property crime and reduced public amenity. During the mid to late 1990s in Australia the prevalence of heroin use increased as reflected in steeply rising overdose deaths. In January 2001, there were reports of an unpredicted and unprecedented reduction in heroin supply with an abrupt onset in all Australian jurisdictions. The shortage was most marked in New South Wales, the State with the largest heroin market, which saw increases in price, dramatic decreases in purity at the street level, and reductions in the ease with which injecting drug users reported being able to obtain the drug. The abrupt onset of the shortage and a subsequent dramatic reduction in overdose deaths prompted national debate about the causes of the shortage and later international debate about the policy significance of what has come to be called the "Australian heroin shortage". In this paper we summarise insights from four years' research into the causes, consequences and policy implications of the "heroin shortage"

Pattern-Dependent Response Modulations in Motion-Sensitive Visual Interneurons—A Model Study

Even if a stimulus pattern moves at a constant velocity across the receptive field of motion-sensitive neurons, such as lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs) of flies, the response amplitude modulates over time. The amplitude of these response modulations is related to local pattern properties of the moving retinal image. On the one hand, pattern-dependent response modulations have previously been interpreted as 'pattern-noise', because they deteriorate the neuron's ability to provide unambiguous velocity information. On the other hand, these modulations might also provide the system with valuable information about the textural properties of the environment. We analyzed the influence of the size and shape of receptive fields by simulations of four versions of LPTC models consisting of arrays of elementary motion detectors of the correlation type (EMDs). These models have previously been suggested to account for many aspects of LPTC response properties. Pattern-dependent response modulations decrease with an increasing number of EMDs included in the receptive field of the LPTC models, since spatial changes within the visual field are smoothed out by the summation of spatially displaced EMD responses. This effect depends on the shape of the receptive field, being the more pronounced - for a given total size - the more elongated the receptive field is along the direction of motion. Large elongated receptive fields improve the quality of velocity signals. However, if motion signals need to be localized the velocity coding is only poor but the signal provides – potentially useful – local pattern information. These modelling results suggest that motion vision by correlation type movement detectors is subject to uncertainty: you cannot obtain both an unambiguous and a localized velocity signal from the output of a single cell. Hence, the size and shape of receptive fields of motion sensitive neurons should be matched to their potential computational task

The Giant Lavas of Kalkarindji: rubbly pāhoehoe lava in an ancient continental flood basalt province

The Kalkarindji continental flood basalt province of northern Australia erupted in the mid Cambrian (c. 511-505 Ma). It now consists of scattered basaltic lava fields, the most extensive being the Antrim Plateau Volcanics (APV) - a semi-continuous outcrop (c. 50,000 km2) reaching a maximum thickness of 1.1 km. Cropping out predominately in the SW of the APV, close to the top of the basalt succession, lies the Blackfella Rockhole Member (BRM). Originally described as ‘basaltic agglomerate’ the BRM has, in recent years, been assumed to be explosive tephra of phreatomagmatic origin, thus providing a potent vehicle for volatile release to the upper atmosphere. Our detailed field investigations reveal that this basaltic agglomerate is, in reality, giant rubble collections (15 - 20 m thick) forming the upper crusts of rubbly pāhoehoe lava units 25 - 40 m thick; covering 18,000 - 72,000 km2 and an estimated volume of 1,500 - 19,200 km3. These flows, rheologically but not chemically, distinct from the majority of Kalkarindji lavas, indicate a fundamental change in eruption dynamics. A low volatile content, induced high amounts of pre-eruptive degassing causing super-cooling and an increase in crystal nucleation and viscosity. A more viscous lava and a consistently faster rate of effusion (analogous to that of Laki, Iceland) created the flow dynamics necessary to disturb the lava crust to the extent seen in the BRM. Volatile release is estimated at 1.65 x 104 - 2.11 x 105 Tg total CO2 at a rate of 867 Tg a- 1 and 9.07 x 103 - 1.16 x 105 Tg SO2 at 476.50 Tg a- 1. These masses accounted for 0.5% of Cambrian atmospheric conditions whilst limiting factors reduced the effect of volatile delivery to the atmosphere, thus any potential global impact caused by these flows alone was minimal