Multidetachment analogue models of fold reactivation in transpression : the NW Persian Gulf

Two deformation events have been documented in the NW Persian Gulf during the Late Cretaceous and the Late Cenozoic. The most distinctive feature in this part of the Persian Gulf is the reactivation of the Late Cretaceous NNE-SSW Arabian trending folds by NE-SW shortening during the Late Cenozoic Zagros orogeny. In general, if a set of folds with horizontal axes is shortened roughly parallel to its fold axis, a dome-basin fold interference pattern is produced. In the NW Persian Gulf, reactivation of some old folds occurred instead of a fold interference pattern. Reactivation may be influenced by the following factors: i) the presence of incompetent layers (i.e. evaporites), ii) a variable overburden, iii) basement faults, and iv) obliquity between the younger deformation shortening axis and fold axis. It is this last factor that we investigated by means of analogue modelling. The experimental apparatus is similar to that commonly used for experiments with brittle-ductile systems at the Laboratory of Experimental Tectonics of Géosciences Rennes. The model consisted of an alternation of ductile and brittle horizontal layers with a stratigraphy similar to the one found in the NW Persian Gulf. The model was deformed by two deformation events with an angle a between the two directions of shortening. After deformation, the resulting structure resembled a fold facing the static wall with internal thrust faults and detachment faults arranged into a geometry similar to a fish tail. In the second shortening event, the fold was reactivated without formation of an interference pattern. Moreover, the displacement on both the reactivated and newly formed faults varied between almost pure thrust faults for low a and oblique thrust faults with a strike-slip component for high a. The models suggest that the presence of incompetent layers plays an important role in fold reactivation and confirm that basement faults are not necessary

Evaluation of pre-clinical safety and toxicology of Althaea officinalis extracts as naturopathic medicine for common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The current study was done to investigate the preclinical safety and toxicology of Althaea officinalis extract as naturopathic medicine in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Specimens were treated with 0 (control), 2.5, 5 and 10 g of marshmallow extract for 45 days. Plasma biochemical parameters were measured after 15 and 45 days. Total protein, albumin and globulin levels (p0.05). During the experimental period, triglyceride levels noticeably decreased in fish fed with 2.5 g of A. officinalis extract (p<0.05). Although, administration of marshmallow extract up to 5 g per kg of feed did not show any side effect on fishes, the use of the A. officinalis extract (10 g) led to cytotoxicity and modifications in blood biochemical parameters of fish. Therefore, we recommend the use of the lower concentrations than 10 g A. officinalis extract in prospective clinical studies

Synthetic and living micropropellers for convection-enhanced nanoparticle transport

Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as an advantageous drug delivery platform for the treatment of various ailments including cancer and cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. However, their efficacy in shuttling materials to diseased tissue is hampered by a number of physiological barriers. One hurdle is transport out of the blood vessels, compounded by difficulties in subsequent penetration into the target tissue. Here, we report the use of two distinct micropropellers powered by rotating magnetic fields to increase diffusion-limited NP transport by enhancing local fluid convection. In the first approach, we used a single synthetic magnetic microrobot called an artificial bacterial flagellum (ABF), and in the second approach, we used swarms of magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) to create a directable “living ferrofluid” by exploiting ferrohydrodynamics. Both approaches enhance NP transport in a microfluidic model of blood extravasation and tissue penetration that consists of microchannels bordered by a collagen matrix.ISSN:2375-254

Thermal modelling of gas generation and retention in the Jurassic organic-rich intervals in the Darquain field, Abadan Plain, SW Iran

The petroleum system with Jurassic source rocks is an important part of the hydrocarbons discovered in the Middle East. Limited studies have been done on the Jurassic intervals in the 26,500 km2 Abadan Plain in south-west Iran, mainly due to the deep burial and a limited number of wells that reach the basal Jurassic successions. The goal of this study was to evaluate the Jurassic organic-rich intervals and shale gas play in the Darquain field using organic geochemistry, organic petrography, biomarker analysis, and basin modelling methods. This study showed that organic-rich zones present in the Jurassic intervals of Darquain field could be sources of conventional and unconventional gas reserves. The organic matter content of samples from the organic-rich zones corresponds to medium-to-high-sulphur kerogen Type II-S marine origin. The biomarker characteristics of organic-rich zones indicate carbonate source rocks that contain marine organic matter. The biomarker results also suggest a marine environment with reducing conditions for the source rocks. The constructed thermal model for four pseudo-wells indicates that, in the kitchen area of the Jurassic gas reserve, methane has been generated in the Sargelu and Neyriz source rocks from Early Cretaceous to recent times and the transformation ratio of organic matter is more than 97%. These organic-rich zones with high initial total organic carbon (TOC) are in the gas maturity stage [1.5–2.2% vitrinite reflectance in oil (Ro)] and could be good unconventional gas reserves and gas source rocks. The model also indicates that there is a huge quantity of retained gas within the Jurassic organic-rich intervals

Renal clearable catalytic gold nanoclusters for in vivo disease monitoring

Ultra-small gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have emerged as agile probes for in vivo imaging, as they exhibit exceptional tumour accumulation and efficient renal clearance properties. However, their intrinsic catalytic activity, which can enable increased detection sensitivity, has yet to be explored for in vivo sensing. By exploiting the peroxidase-mimicking activity of AuNCs and the precise nanometer size filtration of the kidney, we designed multifunctional protease nanosensors that respond to disease microenvironments to produce a direct colorimetric urinary readout of disease state in less than 1 h. We monitored the catalytic activity of AuNCs in collected urine of a mouse model of colorectal cancer where tumour-bearing mice showed a 13-fold increase in colorimetric signal compared to healthy mice. Nanosensors were eliminated completely through hepatic and renal excretion within 4 weeks after injection with no evidence of toxicity. We envision that this modular approach will enable rapid detection of a diverse range of diseases by exploiting their specific enzymatic signatures

The effect of metronidazole on reducing blood lipids: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Many studies have reported the effect of metronidazole on reducing blood lipids in different ways, but there is no comprehensive estimation about its effect. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of metronidazole on reducing blood lipid by meta-analysis method. Methods: This is a systematic review based on the reliable local and international websites including SID, Magiran, Iranmedex, ISI, Pubmed and Scopus. The keywords used for searching were metronidazole, blood lipid, cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and height density lipoprotein (HDL). All articles published until the end of March, 2015, about the effect of metronidazole on blood lipids reduction which met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Three independent reviewers checked studies for quality and eligibility and finally extracted the data. The collected data were analyzed by meta-analysis method (random effects model) and by means of Stata, ver. 11.1 (College Station, TX, USA) with a significance level of less than 5. Results: In 10 researches, 292 people had been studied and after taking metronidazole, the calculated amount of reduction in blood lipids was 11 (95 CI: 6-16) for cholesterol, 14 (95 CI: 4-24) for triglyceride and 8 (95 CI: 1-15) for low density lipoprotein (LDL) which was statistically significant (P= 0.001). The amount of increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) was also calculated to be 1 (95 CI: 1-2) which was not statistically significant (P= 0.08). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that, using metronidazole leads to decrease in the amount of cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein (LDL) but it seems that it has not any effect on the increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL). © 2016, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Multidetachment analogue models of fold reactivation in transpression : the NW Persian Gulf

Two deformation events have been documented in the NW Persian Gulf during the Late Cretaceous and the Late Cenozoic. The most distinctive feature in this part of the Persian Gulf is the reactivation of the Late Cretaceous NNE-SSW Arabian trending folds by NE-SW shortening during the Late Cenozoic Zagros orogeny. In general, if a set of folds with horizontal axes is shortened roughly parallel to its fold axis, a dome-basin fold interference pattern is produced. In the NW Persian Gulf, reactivation of some old folds occurred instead of a fold interference pattern. Reactivation may be influenced by the following factors: i) the presence of incompetent layers (i.e. evaporites), ii) a variable overburden, iii) basement faults, and iv) obliquity between the younger deformation shortening axis and fold axis. It is this last factor that we investigated by means of analogue modelling. The experimental apparatus is similar to that commonly used for experiments with brittle-ductile systems at the Laboratory of Experimental Tectonics of Géosciences Rennes. The model consisted of an alternation of ductile and brittle horizontal layers with a stratigraphy similar to the one found in the NW Persian Gulf. The model was deformed by two deformation events with an angle a between the two directions of shortening. After deformation, the resulting structure resembled a fold facing the static wall with internal thrust faults and detachment faults arranged into a geometry similar to a fish tail. In the second shortening event, the fold was reactivated without formation of an interference pattern. Moreover, the displacement on both the reactivated and newly formed faults varied between almost pure thrust faults for low a and oblique thrust faults with a strike-slip component for high a. The models suggest that the presence of incompetent layers plays an important role in fold reactivation and confirm that basement faults are not necessary