The where and how of faults, fluids and permeability: insights from fault stepovers, scaling properties and gold mineralisation

Fault stepovers are features where the main trace of a fault steps from one segment to the next in either an underlapping or overlapping manner. Stepovers exert a critical influence on crustal permeability and are known to control phenomena such as the migration of hydrocarbons and the location of geothermal fields. In the Kalgoorlie-Ora Banda greenstone district, Western Australia, we demonstrate a spatial association between stepovers and gold deposits. It is shown that although underlapping stepover geometries are typically rare in fault systems, they are anomalously associated with gold deposits. Further, the along-strike and across-strike dimensions of both underlapping and overlapping fault stepovers fit, to a first-order approximation, the same self-similar trend. Boundary element modelling of Coulomb failure stress changes is used to explain these observations in terms of damage generated by rupture events on the bounding fault segments and associated aftershock sequences. Our models indicate that a larger region of damage and permeability enhancement is created around underlapping stepovers than around overlapping stepovers. By taking into account both the enhancement and decay of permeability during the seismic cycle, it is estimated that a 5 Moz goldfield could feasibly form in 1–16 earthquake-aftershock sequences, potentially representing durations of just 10–8000 years. The existence of supergiant gold deposits is evidence that crustal permeability attains transiently high values on the order of 10−12 m2. It should be expected that transient and time-integrated permeability values have a distinct three-dimensional structure in continental crust due to stepover-related channels

Lead sulfide scaling in multiphase systems and co-precipitation in the presence of calcium carbonate

Undesirable precipitation of sulfide scales during hydrocarbon production, typically in sour, high temperature and high pressure systems, adds an additional level of complexity to both predicting and controlling of inorganic mineral deposition. The fundamental mechanism promoting nucleation and deposition of extremely insoluble mineral scale species such as lead sulfide (PbS) in liquid-liquid systems follows spontaneous nucleation of metal sulfide nanoparticles, and their assembly at oil-water interfaces, before oil droplets impact on surfaces leading to nanoparticle transfer and deposition. Conversely, common mineral scales such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3) possesses a higher degree of solubility, generally resulting in heterogeneous crystallization directly upon surfaces. Co-precipitation of sulfide and carbonate species is frequently encountered during production, yet the literature addressing the topic is scarce. This is the first study assessing the influence of a light oil phase on PbS–CaCO3 co-precipitation behavior. This study showed that the depositional behavior of PbS nanoparticles precipitated in a simple liquid-liquid system can be accurately predicted, based on particle wettability, oil to water ratio and the surface energy and wettability of the contact surface where nanoparticle accumulation occurs. Analysis of co-precipitation between PbS and CaCO3 highlighted differences in the precipitation mechanism between the two minerals. PbS agglomerates assembled at the oil-water interface acting as seeding points for the nucleation and growth of calcite, resulting in a strongly adsorbed PbS/CaCO3 complex that resulted in significant deposition on hydrophilic surfaces

A Murine Oral-Exposure Model for Nano- and Micro-Particulates: Demonstrating Human Relevance with Food-Grade Titanium Dioxide.

Human exposure to persistent, nonbiological nanoparticles and microparticles via the oral route is continuous and large scale (1012 -1013 particles per day per adult in Europe). Whether this matters or not is unknown but confirmed health risks with airborne particle exposure warns against complacency. Murine models of oral exposure will help to identify risk but, to date, lack validation or relevance to humans. This work addresses that gap. It reports i) on a murine diet, modified with differing concentrations of the common dietary particle, food grade titanium dioxide (fgTiO2 ), an additive of polydisperse form that contains micro- and nano-particles, ii) that these diets deliver particles to basal cells of intestinal lymphoid follicles, exactly as is reported as a "normal occurrence" in humans, iii) that confocal reflectance microscopy is the method of analytical choice to determine this, and iv) that food intake, weight gain, and Peyer's patch immune cell profiles, up to 18 weeks of feeding, do not differ between fgTiO2 -fed groups or controls. These findings afford a human-relevant and validated oral dosing protocol for fgTiO2 risk assessment as well as provide a generalized platform for application to oral exposure studies with nano- and micro-particles.The research was mainly carried out at the Riddet Institute through its Centre of Research Excellence funding which has been awarded to the Riddet Institute by the New Zealand government. Additional funding was provided by AgResearch, MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (formerly MRC Human Nutrition Research, Grant number U105960399) and Nutrigenomics New Zealand, a collaboration between AgResearch, Plant and Food Research, and The University of Auckland (primarily supported by funding from the Ministry for Science and Innovation contract C11X1009). SR was supported by doctoral scholarships from Massey University and AgResearch

CAR+ and CAR− T cells share a differentiation trajectory into an NK-like subset after CD19 CAR T cell infusion in patients with B cell malignancies

Abstract Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is effective in treating B cell malignancies, but factors influencing the persistence of functional CAR+ T cells, such as product composition, patients’ lymphodepletion, and immune reconstitution, are not well understood. To shed light on this issue, here we conduct a single-cell multi-omics analysis of transcriptional, clonal, and phenotypic profiles from pre- to 1-month post-infusion of CAR+ and CAR− T cells from patients from a CARTELL study (ACTRN12617001579381) who received a donor-derived 4-1BB CAR product targeting CD19. Following infusion, CAR+ T cells and CAR− T cells shows similar differentiation profiles with clonally expanded populations across heterogeneous phenotypes, demonstrating clonal lineages and phenotypic plasticity. We validate these findings in 31 patients with large B cell lymphoma treated with CD19 CAR T therapy. For these patients, we identify using longitudinal mass-cytometry data an association between NK-like subsets and clinical outcomes at 6 months with both CAR+ and CAR− T cells. These results suggest that non-CAR-derived signals can provide information about patients’ immune recovery and be used as correlate of clinically relevant parameters

Lectures on art,

Preface signed: J.H.M.I. Poole, R.S. The Egyptian tomb and the future state.--II. Richmond, W.B. Monumental painting.--III. Poynter, E.J. Some remarks on ancient decorative art.--IV. Micklethwaite, J.T. English parish churches.--V. Morris, W. The history of pattern designing.--VI. Morris, W. The lesser arts of life.Mode of access: Internet