On the computation of the difference Galois groups of order three equations

In this paper we consider the problem of computing the difference Galois groups of order three equations for a large class of difference operators including the shift operator (Case S), the $q$-difference operator (Case Q), the Mahler operator (Case M) and the elliptic case (Case E). We show that the general problem can be reduced to several ancillary problems. We prove criteria to detect the irreducible and imprimitive Galois groups. Finally, we give a sufficient condition of differential transcendence of solutions of order three difference equations. We also compute the difference Galois group of an equation suggested by Wadim Zudilin

Modeling episodic fluid-release events in the ductile carbonates of the Glarus thrust

The exposed Glarus thrust displays midcrustal deformation with tens of kilometers of displacement on an ultrathin layer, the principal slip zone (PSZ). Geological observations indicate that this structure resulted from repeated stick-slip events in the presence of highly overpressured fluids. Here we show that the major characteristics of the Glarus thrust movement (localization, periodicity, and evidence of pressurized fluids) can be reconciled by the coupling of two processes, namely, shear heating and fluid release by carbonate decomposition. During this coupling, slow ductile creep deformation raises the temperature through shear heating and ultimately activates the chemical decomposition of carbonates. The subsequent release of highly overpressurized fluids forms and lubricates the PSZ, allowing a ductile fault to move tens of kilometers on millimeter-thick bands in episodic stick-slip events. This model identifies carbonate decomposition as a key process for motion on the Glarus thrust and explains the source of overpressured fluids accessing the PSZ

Creep Fractures in the Mantle and their role for Deep Fluid Transfer

When hot and ductile rocks fail they do so with an astonishing variety. Observations from crustal deformation show that when the fluid content is low (less than a few per cent) they form the cores of anastomosing mylonitic shear zones, which feature strong gradients in grain size towards their metamorphic fluid rich centre (Fusseis et al., 2009). In circumstances where the fluid/melt content is high they form macroscopically visible ductile fractures (Weinberg and Regenauer-Lieb, 2010) which allow melt transfer into the shallower crust forming the feeder zone of granites. We show here that all of the above phenomena are new types of instabilities well known from high temperature deformation of ceramics, i.e. materials that otherwise show brittle cleavage at cold laboratory conditions. The new failure modes boil down to a series of microscopic processes, where upon increasing temperature and decreasing applied stress failure modes transition from brittle cleavage to transgranular and intergranular “creep fractures”, summarized by Ashby’s classical deformation mechanism maps (Ghandi and Ashby, 1979). Although Material Scientists are well aware of these creep enhanced fracture modes we have been lacking concise evidence in the laboratory and field proving the existence of these failure transitions. As creep fracture processes are happening on relatively slow geodynamic time scales they have been argued to provide the critical mechanism linking plate tectonic processes and deep fluid transfer processes (Regenauer-Lieb, 1999). In these considerations fluids are viewed as creating their own pathways through facilitating shear localization by creep fractures, rather than being a passive constituent simply following brittle fractures that are generated inside a shear zone caused by other localization mechanisms. Recently, the missing laboratory (Rybacki et al., 2008) and field evidence for creep fractures have been found (Fusseis et al., 2009). Ghost images of both creep fractures and brittle fractures can also be seen in OH diffusion profiles on grain boundaries (Sommer et al., 2008) and fully embedded intragranular cracks in mantle xenoliths (Sommer et al., 2012). In order to illustrate the fundamental implications for deep fluid transfer we extend classical solutions of material sciences to geodynamic conditions and incorporate melting reactions into the numerical formulation. We will show the implications to a number of applied field studies

Did Saturn's rings form during the Late Heavy Bombardment ?

The origin of Saturn\' s massive ring system is still unknown. Two popular scenarios - the tidal splitting of passing comets and the collisional destruction of a satellite - rely on a high cometary flux in the past. In the present paper we attempt to quantify the cometary flux during the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) to assess the likelihood of both scenarios. Our analysis relies on the so-called Nice model of the origin of the LHB (Tsiganis et al., 2005; Morbidelli et al., 2005; Gomes et al., 2005) and on the size distribution of the primordial trans-Neptunian planetesimals constrained in Charnoz & Morbidelli (2007). We find that the cometary flux on Saturn during the LHB was so high that both scenarios for the formation of Saturn rings are viable in principle. However, a more detailed study shows that the comet tidal disruption scenario implies that all four giant planets should have comparable ring systems whereas the destroyed satellite scenario would work only for Saturn, and perhaps Jupiter. This is because in Saturn\'s system, the synchronous orbit is interior to the Roche Limit, which is a necessary condition for maintaining a satellite in the Roche zone up to the time of the LHB. We also discuss the apparent elimination of silicates from the ring parent body implied by the purity of the ice in Saturn \' s rings. The LHB has also strong implications for the survival of the Saturnian satellites: all satellites smaller than Mimas would have been destroyed during the LHB, whereas Enceladus would have had from 40% to 70% chance of survival depending on the disruption model. In conclusion, these results suggest that the LHB is the sweet moment for the formation of a massive ring system around Saturn.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ICARUS. New version with figures included in the tex

MODULATION OF HEPATIC CYP2A1, CYP2C11, AND CYP3A9 EXPRESSION IN ADULT RATS BY NEONATAL ADMINISTRATION OF TAMOXIFEN

This paper is available online at http://www.dmd.org ABSTRACT: To examine the effect of neonatal administration of tamoxifen on adult expression of hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes and steroid 5␣-reductase, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected s.c. with tamoxifen (20 g) or peanut oil (control) once daily at days 1 to 5 of age and sacrificed at 3 months of age. Neonatal tamoxifen treatment did not affect b.wt. or liver weight of adult male and female rats, but decreased testicular weight by approximately 40% in adult male rats. Neonatal administration of tamoxifen decreased hepatic microsomal testosterone 6␤-and 7␣-hydroxylase activities in adult female rats whereas it did not alter steroid 5␣-reductase activity. The same treatment increased testosterone 7␣-hydroxylase activity, but did not affect testosterone 6␤-hydroxylase or steroid 5␣-reductase activity in adult male rats. Immunoblot analysis indicated that neonatal tamoxifen treatment decreased CYP2C11 protein level by 26% and increased CYP2A1 protein content by 2.6-fold in adult male rats, whereas it had no effect on CYP3A or CYP2B protein expression. The reduction in the CYP3A-mediated testosterone 6␤-hydroxylase activity in adult female rats was accompanied by a decrease in CYP3A9 mRNA expression. Analysis of serum hormone levels indicated that neonatal exposure to tamoxifen resulted in a decrease in serum 17␤-estradiol concentration in adult female rats, whereas it did not alter serum testosterone concentration in adult male rats. In summary, treatment of neonatal rats with tamoxifen produced a longlasting effect on hepatic CYP2A1, CYP2C11, and CYP3A9 expression in addition to testicular weight and serum 17␤-estradiol concentration

ROR2 blockade as a therapy for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is characterized by the loss of the articular cartilage, bone remodeling, pain, and disability. No pharmacological intervention can currently halt progression of osteoarthritis. Here, we show that blocking receptor tyrosine kinase–like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2) improves cartilage integrity and pain in osteoarthritis models by inhibiting yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling. ROR2 was up-regulated in the cartilage in response to inflammatory cytokines and mechanical stress. The main ligand for ROR2, WNT5A, and the targets YAP and connective tissue growth factor were up-regulated in osteoarthritis in humans. In vitro, ROR2 overexpression inhibited chondrocytic differentiation. Conversely, ROR2 blockade triggered chondrogenic differentiation of C3H10T1/2 cells and suppressed the expression of the cartilage-degrading enzymes a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)–4 and ADAMTS-5. The chondrogenic effect of ROR2 blockade in the cartilage was independent of WNT signaling and was mediated by down-regulation of YAP signaling. ROR2 signaling induced G protein and Rho-dependent nuclear accumulation of YAP, and YAP inhibition was required but not sufficient for ROR2 blockade–induced chondrogenesis. ROR2 silencing protected mice from instability-induced osteoarthritis with improved structural outcomes, sustained pain relief, and without apparent side effects or organ toxicity. Last, ROR2 silencing in human articular chondrocytes transplanted in nude mice led to the formation of cartilage organoids with more and better differentiated extracellular matrix, suggesting that the anabolic effect of ROR2 blockade is conserved in humans. Thus, ROR2 blockade is efficacious and well tolerated in preclinical animal models of osteoarthritis

Effect of food concentration and type of diet on Acartia survival and naupliar development

We have performed life table experiments to investigate the effects of different food types and concentrations on the larval development and survival up to adulthood of Acartia tonsa. The food species offered comprised a wide taxonomic spectrum: the pigmented flagellates Isochrysis galbana, Emiliania huxleyi, Rhodomonas sp., Prorocentrum minimum, the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, grown on medium offering enriched macronutrient concentrations and the ciliate Euplotes sp. initially cultured on Rhodomonas. For the ciliate species, also the functional response was studied. In order to avoid limitation by mineral nutrients, food algae have been taken from the exponential growth phase of the nutrient replete cultures. The suitability of Rhodomonas as a food source throughout the entire life cycle was not a surprise. However, in contrast to much of the recent literature about the inadequacy or even toxicity of diatoms, we found that also Thalassiosira could support Acartia-development through the entire life cycle. On the other hand, Acartia could not complete its life cycle when fed with the other food items, Prorocentrum having adverse effects even when mixed with Rhodomonas and Thalassiosira. Isochrysis well supported naupliar survival and development, but was insufficient to support further development until reproduction. With Emiliania and Euplotes, nauplii died off before most of them could reach the first copepodite stages. Acartia-nauplii showed a behavioral preference for Euplotes-feeding over diatom feeding, but nevertheless Euplotes was an insufficient diet to complete development beyond the naupliar stages

Evidence for the formation of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko through gravitational collapse of a bound clump of pebbles

The processes that led to the formation of the planetary bodies in the Solar System are still not fully understood. Using the results obtained with the comprehensive suite of instruments on-board ESA’s Rosetta mission, we present evidence that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko likely formed through the gentle gravitational collapse of a bound clump of mm-sized dust aggregates (“pebbles”), intermixed with microscopic ice particles. This formation scenario leads to a cometary make-up that is simultaneously compatible with the global porosity, homogeneity, tensile strength, thermal inertia, vertical temperature profiles, sizes and porosities of emitted dust, and the steep increase in water-vapour production rate with decreasing heliocentric distance, measured by the instruments on-board the Rosetta spacecraft and the Philae lander. Our findings suggest that the pebbles observed to be abundant in protoplanetary discs around young stars provide the building material for comets and other minor bodies

The Influence of Bioactive Oxylipins from Marine Diatoms on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development

Diatoms are one of the main primary producers in aquatic ecosystems and occupy a vital link in the transfer of photosynthetically-fixed carbon through aquatic food webs. Diatoms produce an array of biologically-active metabolites, many of which have been attributed as a form of chemical defence and may offer potential as candidate marine drugs. Of considerable interest are molecules belonging to the oxylipin family which are broadly disruptive to reproductive and developmental processes. The range of reproductive impacts includes; oocyte maturation; sperm motility; fertilization; embryogenesis and larval competence. Much of the observed bioactivity may be ascribed to disruption of intracellular calcium signalling, induction of cytoskeletal instability and promotion of apoptotic pathways. From an ecological perspective, the primary interest in diatom-oxylipins is in relation to the potential impact on energy flow in planktonic systems whereby the reproductive success of copepods (the main grazers of diatoms) is compromised. Much data exists providing evidence for and against diatom reproductive effects; however detailed knowledge of the physiological and molecular processes involved remains poor. This paper provides a review of the current state of knowledge of the mechanistic impacts of diatom-oxylipins on marine invertebrate reproduction and development