Helium and carbon isotopes in thermal waters of the Jalisco block, Mexico

The Jalisco block is a geologically and tectonically complex part of western Mexico. It is considered a distinct crustal unit bounded toward the mainland by rifting and toward the Pacific ocean by the SW section of the Mid-America trench, a contact between the subducting Rivera plate and the continent. On the basis of chemical, helium, and carbon isotopic analyses of 37 groups of thermal springs widely distributed over the Jalisco block, several major tectonic environments can be distinguished. The highest R= 3He/4He ratios with R/Ra (Ra being the atmospheric 3He/4He ratio) approaching MORB values were observed along the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and within the Colima volcanic complex. For springs in the inner part of the block and close to the Pacific coast, including submarine springs at Punta de Mita, typical values were much lower, with R/Ra down to 0.4. A negative correlation between 3He/4He and δ13C of CO2 is suggested to be the result of coupling between radiogenic He and CO2 formed by oxidation of organic-rich sediments. C/3He ratios vary from ~109 for TMVB, typical for volatiles released from the mantle, to > 1011 thus suggesting a substantial addition of carbon from the crust

Peroral Cholangioscopy in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Biliary Strictures

Objective: To determine the role of and indications for peroral cholangioscopy using the SpyGlass system in the differential diagnosis of biliary tract lesions and in case of biliary strictures, based on the literature data analysis and our own experience.Materials and methods: Peroral cholangioscopy is mainly used for the differential diagnosis of biliary tract lesions. During peroral cholangioscopy, we carefully consider gross signs of damage to the bile duct mucosa: abnormal capillary vascular pattern, granulation tissue and other types of proliferation, palpatory characteristics of the wall. Morphology should also be verified during image-guided intraductal forceps biopsy.Results: Peroral endoscopy of the biliary tract significantly increases the effectiveness of differential diagnosis between various types of biliary strictures.Direct examination of the bile duct mucosa with optical forceps biopsy and morphological verification increases the sensitivity and specificity of stricture type determination up to 83.3%–96% and 90.9%–99%, respectively. The diagnostic value of peroral cholangioscopy in the diagnosis of malignant and benign biliary tract lesions exceeds the effectiveness of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, even with fluoroscopy-guided verification of ducts.Conclusions: Peroral cholangioscopy with its enormous potential plays an important role in management of patients with various diseases of the bilio-pancreatoduodenal area, including biliary strictures. We formulated key indications for peroral cholangioscopy based on the literature data analysis and our own experience with this technique in patients with bile duct pathology, including nondifferentiated biliary strictures

First volatile inventory for Gorely volcano, Kamchatka

We report here the very first assessment of volatile flux emissions from Gorely, an actively degassing volcano in Kamchatka. Using a variety of in situ and remote sensing techniques, we determined the bulk plume concentrations of major volatiles (H2O 93.5%, CO2, 2.6%, SO2 2.2%, HCl 1.1%, HF 0.3%, H2 0.2%) and trace-halogens (Br, I), therefore estimating a total gas release of 11,000 tons\ub7day 121 during September 2011, at which time the target was non-eruptively degassing at 900\ub0C. Gorely is a typical arc emitter, contributing 0.3% and 1.6% of the total global fluxes from arc volcanism for CO2 and HCl, respectively. We show that Gorely's volcanic gas (H2O/SO2 43, CO2/SO2 1.2, HCl/SO2 0.5) is a representative mean end-member for arc magmatism in the north-west Pacific region. On this basis we derive new constraints for the abundances and origins of volatiles in the subduction-modified mantle source which feeds magmatism in Kamchatka

Effect of aluminium on redox-homeostasis of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)

Common buckwheat is a significant culture in Ukraine, whose importance for food security has increased in recent decades. An important biological feature of buckwheat is the ability of the crop to grow on poor and especially acidic soils. Common buckwheat was sown in Ukraine on the area of 125,000 ha in 2020, mainly in the central part of the country and in the soil-climatic zone Polesie in the north of the country. At the same time, the area under buckwheat cultivation has been steadily decreasing in the last decade, which is due to the low profitability of cultivation on mainly acidic soils. The research was conducted in the field conditions during 2012–2018 in Kiev region, as well as in laboratory conditions. ICP analysis and biochemical methods were used. Yield of buckwheat on light soils of low fertility depends largely on the level of acidity of the soil. On acidic sod-podzolic soils with loam substrate, the aluminum content of the layer is 20–40 cm higher, compared to a layer of 0–20 cm. This is probably one of the reasons why, when the concentration of aluminum in the soil profile is increased, the root system is located mainly in the upper layer of soil with a lower content of aluminum. In this case, the study of the mechanisms of resistance to the action of aluminum on acidic soils is an important component of the cost-effectiveness of crop production in the region. In acidic soils with pH < 5.0, phytotoxic aluminum (Al3+) rapidly inhibits root growth and afterwards negatively affects water and nutrient uptake in plants. Acquiring phytotoxic capacities, in this connection Al ions affect a wide range of cellular and molecular processes, with a consequent reduction in plant growth. In most plant species, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production can also be induced by Al toxicity leading to oxidative damage of biomolecules and biological membranes. We have detected an accumulation of Al ions in leaf tissues of treatment plants after 10 days of exposure. Tissues of F. esculentum roots contained 155.4% of control level of Al and tissues of F. esculentum leaves – 186.2% of control level of Al ions. Significant intensification of O2•– generation in roots and leaf tissues as a reaction to Al addition to nutrient solution was detected. Increase in antioxidant enzymes activities and non fixed products of lipids peroxidation was characterized as a biochemical defense reaction of F. esculentum over the 10 days of exposure to Al (50 μM). Thus, the results show that the action of 50 μM of Al ions activated antioxidant enzymes – SOD and CAT and decreased oxidative processes, thus promotes pro/antioxidant balance of common buckwheat. These mechanisms of redox homeostasis can be triggers of morphological changes in buckwheat plants, which lead to increased crop resistance when growing on acidic soils with high aluminum content. Thus, the resistance of culture to acid soils may be associated with the possibility of increased accumulation of aluminum in the plant’s tissues, as well as in changes in redox homeostasis with subsequent morphological changes, and primarily the formation of the root system in the top layer of soil with a reduced content of aluminum

Major and trace element geochemistry of El Chichón volcano-hydrothermal system (Chiapas, México) in 2006-2007: implications for future geochemical monitoring

Isotopic, major and trace element composition studies for the crater lake, the Soap Pool and thermal springs at El Chichón volcano in November 2006-October 2007 confirm the complex relationship between annual rainfall distribution and crater lake volume and chemistry. In 2001, 2004 and 2007 high volume high-Cl lake may be related to reactivation of high discharge (>10 kg/s) saline near-neutral water from the Soap Pool boiling springs into the lake, a few months (~January) after the end of the rainy season (June-October). The peak lake volume occurred in March 2007 (~6 x 105 m3). Agua Tibia 2 thermal springs discharge near the foot of the SW dome but their chemistry suggests a lower temperature regime, an enhanced water-rock interaction and basement contribution (evaporites and carbonates), anhydrite leaching from the 1982 pyroclastic deposits, rather than dome activity. New suggestions of crater lake seepage are evidenced by the Agua Caliente thermal springs. Existing models on the “crater lake-Soap Pool spring” and the deep hydrothermal system are discussed. Chemical changes in the deep geothermal aquifer feeding the thermal springs may predict dome rise. Future volcanic surveillance should focus on spring chemistry variations, as well as crater lake monitoring

Энергосберегающие схемы в технологиях производства продуктов, гранулированных кристаллизацией капель расплавов

Schemes of energy saving by utilization of phase transformation heat in processes of granulation and capsulation by crystallization of melts drops were suggested and analyzed. The positive effects of energy saving due to introduction of heat pumps into the technological scheme were estimated. The calculations were made for granulation and capsulation of ammonium nitrate, carbamide, KNO3, NaOH, KOH, sulfur, and slag of phosphorus furnaces and blast-furnaces.Предложены и проанализированы схемы энергосбережения утилизацией теплоты фазового превращения в процессах гранулирования и капсулирования кристаллизацией капель исходных расплавов. Оценены положительные эффекты энергосбережения за счет введения в технологическую схему тепловых насосов. Расчеты приведены применительно к процессам гранулирования и капсулирования аммиачной селитры, карбамида, KNO3, NaOH, KOH, серы, шлаков фосфорных и доменных печей

Major and trace element geochemistry of El Chichón volcano-hydrothermal system (Chiapas, Mexico) in 2006-2007: implications for future geochemical monitoring

We report a detailed study of isotopic, major and trace element composition in the crater lake, Soap Pool and thermal springs at El Chichón volcano for the period November 2006-October 2007. After two decades of studying the crater lake, it is possible to confirm the complex relationship between the annual rainfall distribution and the crater lake volume and chemistry: during three years (2001, 2004 and 2007) a large volume high-Cl lake can be related to the reactivation of high discharge (>10 kg/s) of saline near-neutral water from the Soap Pool boiling springs towards the lake, only a few months (~January) after the end of the rainy season (June-October). The highest lake volume ever observed occurred in March 2007 (~6x105 m3). Despite the fact that the Agua Tibia 2 thermal springs discharge at the foot of the SW dome, their chemistry indicates a lower temperature regime, an enhanced water-rock interaction and basement contribution (evaporites and carbonates), and anhydrite leaching from the 1982 pyroclastic deposits, rather than dome activity. New suggestions on crater lake seepage are evidenced by the Agua Caliente thermal springs. Existing models on the “crater lake-Soap Pool spring” and the deep hydrothermal system are justified and detailed. We believe that chemical changes in the deep geothermal aquifer feeding the thermal springs will anticipate dome rise. Future volcanic surveillance should focus on the changes in spring chemistry, besides crater lake monitoring

Near-Infrared Variability of Low Mass Stars in IC 1396A and Tr 37

We have monitored nearly a square degree in IC 1396A/Tr 37 over 21 epochs extending over 2014 - 2016 for sources variable in the JHK bands. In our data, 65 +\- 8 % of previously identified cluster members show variations, compared with < 0.3% of field stars. We identify 119 members of Tr 37 on the basis of variability, forming an unbiased sample down to the brown dwarf regime. The K-band luminosity function in Tr 37 is similar to that of IC 348 but shifted to somewhat brighter values, implying that the K- and M-type members of Tr 37 are younger than those in IC 348. We introduce methods to classify the causes of variability, based on behavior in the color-color and color-magnitude diagrams. Accretion hot spots cause larger variations at J than at K with substantial scatter in the diagrams; there are at least a dozen, with the most active resembling EXors. Eleven sources are probably dominated by intervention of dust clumps in their circumstellar disks with color behavior indicating the presence of grains larger than for interstellar dust, presumably due to grain growth in their disks. Thirteen sources have larger variations at K than at J or H. For 11 of them, the temperature fitted to the variable component is very close to 2000K, suggesting that the changes in output are caused by turbulence at the inner rim of the circumstellar disk exposing previously protected populations of grains.Comment: accepted by Ap

Enrichment of colloidal solutions by nanoparticles in underwater spark discharge

The underwater spark discharge between manganese granules was studied. Optical emission spectroscopy meth-ods were used for diagnostics of such discharge plasma. The colloidal solution with manganese nanoparticles was produced by this discharge. The biological applications of this colloid were analyzed. The mechanism of metallic nanoparticle action and their transformation at interacting with biological objects were studied in Alternaria alternata culture.Исследовали подводный искровой разряд между гранулами марганца. Для диагностики такой разрядной плазмы использовали методы оптической эмиссионной спектроскопии. Этот разряд использовался для приготовления коллоидного раствора с наночастицами марганца. Проанализированы биологические применения такого коллоида. Механизм воздействия наночастиц металла и их трансформация при взаимодействии с биологическими объектами изучались на культуре Alternaria alternata.Досліджували підводний іскровий розряд між гранулами марганцю. Для діагностики такої розрядної плазми використовували методи оптичної емісійної спектроскопії. Цей розряд використовували для приготування колоїдного розчину з наночастинками марганцю. Проаналізовані біологічні застосування цього колоїду. Механізм дії наночастинок металу та їх трансформація при взаємодії з біологічними об'єктами вивчалися на культурі Alternaria alternata

Laparoscopic Fertility-Sparing Surgery for Early Ovarian Malignancies

The demand for fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) has increased in the last decade due to increased maternal age, increased incidence of ovarian malignancies in younger patients, and technical advances in surgery. Data on oncological safety and fertility outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer after laparoscopic FSS are sparse, but some retrospective studies have shown that open FSS may be offered to selected patients. We assessed the role of minimally invasive FSS in comparison with radical surgery (RS) in terms of oncological safety and reproductive outcomes after FSS in this multicenter study. Eighty patients with FIGO stage I/II ovarian cancer treated with laparoscopic FSS or RS between 01/2000 and 10/2018 at the participating centers (comprehensive gynecological cancer centers with minimally invasive surgical expertise) were included in this retrospective analysis of prospectively kept data. Case–control (n = 40 each) matching according to the FIGO stage was performed. Progression-free survival [150 (3–150) and 150 (5–150) months; p = 0.61] and overall survival [36 (3–150) and 50 (1–275) months; p = 0.65] did not differ between the FSS and RS groups. Eight (25.8%) women became pregnant after FSS, resulting in seven (22.5%) deliveries; three (37.5%) patients conceived after in vitro fertilization, and five (62.5%) conceived spontaneously. Laparoscopic FSS seems to be applicable and oncologically safe for patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, with adequate fertility outcomes