Pre-Variscan Ba Enrichment in Rocks Adjacent to the Sardic Unconformity (SW Sardinia, Italy)

Abstract Rocks from the Cabitza and Monte Argentu Fms, adjacent to the Sardic Unconformity (SU), are characterized by anomalously high concentrations of Ba. Very high Ba contents had been previously observed only in the late Variscan mineralization of the "Quartzite" horizon. This horizon is located between the Gonnesa and the Portixeddu Fms, in a reduced sequence due to the complete erosion of the Cabitza and Monte Argentu Fms. High Ba contents, with six values exceeding 1000 ppm, up to 4363 ppm, indicate that even in its early tectonic movements, before the Late Variscan mineralizing event, the SU acted as a major pathway for the circulation of Ba-rich fluids. Ba contents significantly decrease with the distance from the SU, with local maxima in correspondence of more heterogeneous and frequent permeable layers

Early Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Fixation of Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures With a Percutaneous Angle Stable Device.

The Minimally Invasive Reduction and Osteosynthesis System(®) (MIROS) is a percutaneous angle stable device for the treatment of fractures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of an early minimally invasive osteosynthesis with the MIROS device. A total of 40 consecutive patients were treated for an intra-articular fracture of the calcaneus. We evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes after treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures with the MIROS hardware. Soft tissue damage was noted. The patients completed the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society survey at 12 and 24 months and underwent radiologic evaluations. A statistically significant association between the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score and type of soft tissue lesion. A Sanders type II, III, and IV fracture was found in 15, 20, and 15 of 50 fractures, respectively. Postoperatively, restoration of the posterior facet was reached in 13 of 15, 18 of 20, and 11 of 15 with a type II, III, and IV fracture, respectively. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society scale mean score was 85 at the final follow-up visit. No significant association was found between the score and the preoperative variables (p > .09), although patients with bilateral fractures had a significantly lower score. The MIROS device for early treatment of intra-articular calcaneus fractures resulted in excellent clinic and radiologic results. The standardized technique we have reported, with the elastic wires acting as a girder for the fractured and displace subtalar joint and the collapsed lateral calcaneal wall, has permitted early weightbearing with positive stimuli for the bone healing. The drainage effect of the percutaneous wires likely prevented compartment syndrome when applied within the first hours after the trauma.The Minimally Invasive Reduction and Osteosynthesis System® (MIROS) is a percutaneous angle stable device for the treatment of fractures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of an early minimally invasive osteosynthesis with the MIROS device. A total of 40 consecutive patients were treated for an intra-articular fracture of the calcaneus. We evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes after treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures with the MIROS hardware. Soft tissue damage was noted. The patients completed the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society survey at 12 and 24 months and underwent radiologic evaluations. A statistically significant association between the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score and type of soft tissue lesion. A Sanders type II, III, and IV fracture was found in 15, 20, and 15 of 50 fractures, respectively. Postoperatively, restoration of the posterior facet was reached in 13 of 15, 18

The 2008–2010 subsidence of Dallol Volcano on the spreading Erta Ale Ridge. InSAR observations and source models

In this work, we study the subsidence of Dallol, an explosive crater and hydrothermal area along the spreading Erta Ale ridge of Afar (Ethiopia). No volcanic products exist at the surface. However, a diking episode in 2004, accompanied by dike-induced faulting, indicates that Dallol is an active volcanic area. The 2004 diking episode was followed by quiescence until subsidence started in 2008. We use InSAR to measure the deformation, and inverse, thermoelastic and poroelastic modelling to understand the possible causes of the subsidence. Analysis of InSAR data from 2004–2010 shows that subsidence, centered at Dallol, initiated in October 2008, and continued at least until February 2010 at an approximately regular rate of up to 10 cm/year. The inversion of InSAR average velocities finds that the source causing the subsidence is shallow (depth between 0.5 and 1.5 km), located under Dallol and with a volume decrease between 0.63 and 0.26 106 km3/year. The most likely explanation for the subsidence of Dallol volcano is a combination of outgassing (depressurization), cooling and contraction of the roof of a shallow crustal magma chamber or of the hydrothermal system

A Novel Intermolecular Potential to Describe the Interaction Between the Azide Anion and Carbon Nanotubes

47 P.International audienceIn this contribution we propose a novel and accurate intermolecular potential that can be used for the simulation of the azide anion confined inside carbon nanotubes of arbitrary size. The peculiarity of our approach is to include an explicit term, modeling the induction attractive contributions from the negatively charged azide ion, that can be generalized to other ions confined in carbon nanotubes of different size and length. Through a series of accurate DLPNO-CCSD(T) calculations, we show that this potential reproduces the ab initio interaction energy to within a few kcal/mol. The potential is implemented in a molecular dynamics program, with which we carried out illustrative simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. At last, the guidelines provided by this investigation can be applied to build up force fields for many neutral/ionic molecular species confined within carbon nanotubes; a crucial requirement to carry out molecular dynamics simulations under a variety of conditions

Role of Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Detection of Residual Barrett's Esophagus after Radiofrequency Ablation

Endoscopic endoluminal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a novel and promising modality for Barrett's esophagus (BE) treatment. Actually the only surveillance method after the ablation treatment is random biopsies throughout the whole treated area. Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a new endoscopic imaging tool that permits high-resolution microscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract. The technology has garnered increasing attention because of its ability to provide real-time “optical” biopsy specimens, with a very high sensitivity and specificity. This paper summarize the potential application of CLE in the surveillance of the reepithelialization of BE, after endoscopic RFA

N-acetyl-cysteine, a drug that enhances the endogenous activation of group-II metabotropic glutamate receptors, inhibits nociceptive transmission in humans.

Emerging research seeking novel analgesic drugs focuses on agents targeting group-II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu2 and mGlu3 receptors). N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) enhances the endogenous activation of mGlu2/3 receptors by activating the glial glutamate:cystine membrane exchanger. Here, we examined whether NAC inhibits nociceptive responses in humans and animals. We tested the effect of oral NAC (1.2 g) on thermal-pain thresholds and laser-evoked potentials in 10 healthy volunteers, according to a crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, and the effect of NAC (100 mg/kg, i.p.) on the tail-flick response evoked by radiant heat stimulation in mice.In healthy subjects, NAC treatment left thermal-pain thresholds unchanged, but significantly reduced pain ratings to laser stimuli and amplitudes of laser-evoked potentials. NAC induced significantly greater changes in these measures than placebo. In the tail-flick test, NAC strongly reduced the nocifensive reflex response to radiant heat. The action of NAC was abolished by the preferential mGlu2/3 receptor antagonist, LY341495 (1 mg/kg, i.p.).Our findings show for the first time that NAC inhibits nociceptive transmission in humans, and does the same in mice by activating mGlu2/3 receptors. These data lay the groundwork for investigating the therapeutic potential of NAC in patients with chronic pain

Distributed Gaussian orbitals for molecular calculations: application to simple systems

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