Rare-Earth Minerals in Martian Meteorite NWA 7034/7533: Evidence for Fluid-Rock Interaction in the Martian Crust

Monazite, chevkinite-perrierite and xenotime are common rare-earth minerals in terrestrial rocks and important repositories for the rare-earth-elements (REE). Liu and Ma [1-2] reported finding monazite, chevkinite-perrierite and xenotime in NWA 7034/7533, the ‘Black Beauty’ meteorite. Here, we provide a more detailed textural and compositional analysis of these minerals; our results suggest an origin via fluid-rock interaction

Pre-gestational stress reduces the ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT and the expression of 5-HT1A receptor and serotonin transporter in the brain of foetal rat

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many studies have found that stress before or during pregnancy is linked to an increased incidence of behavioural disorders in offspring. However, few studies have investigated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and the serotonergic system as a consequence of pregestational stress. In the present study, we investigated the effect of pre-gestational stress on HPA axis activity in maternal rats and their foetuses and examined whether changes in HPA axis activity of maternal rats produced functional changes in the serotonergic system in the brain of foetuses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used the behavioural tests to assess the model of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) in maternal rats. We found the activity in the open field and sucrose consumption was lower for rats with CUS than for the controls. Body weight but not brain weight was higher for control foetuses than those from the CUS group. Serum corticosterone and corticotrophin-releasing hormone levels were significantly higher for mothers with CUS before pregnancy and their foetuses than for the controls. Levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were higher in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of foetuses in the CUS group than in the controls, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were lower in the hippocampus in foetuses in the CUS group than in the control group. Levels of 5-HIAA in the hypothalamus did not differ between foetuses in the CUS group and in the control group. The ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT was significantly lower for foetuses in the CUS group than in the control group. Levels of 5-HT1A receptor were significantly lower in the foetal hippocampus in the CUS group than in the control group, with no significant difference in the hypothalamus. The levels of serotonin transporter (SERT) were lower in both the foetal hippocampus and foetal hypothalamus in the CUS group than in the control group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data demonstrate that pre-gestational stress alters HPA axis activity in maternal rats and their foetuses, which is associated with functional changes in 5-HT activity (5-HT, 5-HIAA and ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT), as well as the levels of the 5-HT1A receptor and SERT in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of foetuses.</p

Water, fluorine, and sulfur concentrations in the lunar mantle

The concentrations of volatile elements in the moon have important implications for the formation of the earth–moon system. There is currently a debate regarding the water content of the lunar mantle: Authors studying H_2O in lunar pyroclastic glass beads and in olivine-hosted melt inclusions in such pyroclastic samples and in plagioclase crystals in lunar highland anorthosites infer hundreds of ppm H_2O in the lunar mantle. In contrast, authors studying Zn/Fe ratios infer that the H_2O concentration in the lunar mantle is ≤1 ppm, and they argue that the glassy lunar basalts are a local anomaly. We contribute to a resolution of the debate by a broader examination of the concentrations of H_2O and other volatile components in olivine-hosted melt inclusions in a wider range of lunar mare basalts, including crystalline melt inclusions that are homogenized by melting in the laboratory. We find that F, Cl, and S concentrations in various lunar melt inclusions (including those in glassy lunar basalts) are similar to one another, and previously studied glassy lunar basalts are not a local anomaly in terms of these volatile concentrations. Furthermore, we estimate the pre-degassing H_2O/Ce, F/Nd, and S/Dy ratios of mare basaltic magmas to be at least 64, 4.0 and 100 respectively. These ratios are lower than those of primitive earth mantle by a factor of 3, 5, and 4 respectively. The depletion factors of these volatile elements relative to the earth's primitive mantle do not correlate strongly with volatility or bonding energy, and indeed they are roughly constant and similar to those of other volatile elements such as Li, Cs, Rb and K. This approximate constancy of volatile depletion in the moon relative to the earth can be explained by assuming that both the earth and the moon acquired volatiles from a similar source or by a similar mechanism but the earth was more efficient in acquiring the volatiles. We estimate the H_2O, F and S concentrations in the primitive lunar mantle source to be at least 110, 5.3, and 70 ppm, respectively – similar to or slightly lower than those in terrestrial MORB mantle

Rainfall Erosion Damage of Residual Soil Slope in Intermittently Frozen Area Based on Discrete Element Method

This study developed a discrete element simulation model based on the 2D particle flow code (PFC2D), of which the mesoscopic parameters were calibrated by the indoor experiments, to investigate the rainfall erosion damage of residual soil slope in the intermittently frozen area. It is to be noted that the runoff scouring action was simulated according to the equivalent rainfall method, the soil particles on the slope were given initial velocity, and the water absorption was considered by increasing the unit weight. The results indicated that the scouring action only caused superficial erosion with the main damage region at the foot, regardless of the FT effect. A splitting phenomenon was observed in the lower part of the steeper slope under the FT effect. Moreover, regardless of the FT effect, the gentler slope tended to incur spalling rather than a splitting phenomenon, where the soil particles slid along the structural plane with strong anti-scouring ability. Besides, the gentler slope maintained higher stability and shorter scouring time. Finally, the scouring velocity increased the erosion damage to a large extent

Clinical characteristics and follow-up of complex arrhythmias associated with RYR2 gene mutations in children

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of six cases of complex arrhythmias associated with RYR2 gene mutations in children.MethodA retrospective analysis was conducted on six children diagnosed with complex arrhythmias associated with RYR2 gene mutations. The study included an analysis of the age of onset, initial symptoms, electrocardiographic characteristics, genetic results, treatment course, and follow-up outcomes.ResultsAmong the six cases included in the study, there were four males and two females, with an average age of 3.5 ± 0.5 years. The average time from initial symptoms to diagnosis was 2.7 ± 1.3 years. The most common clinical manifestation was syncope, with exercise and emotions being the main triggers. All six children had de novo missense mutations in the RYR2 gene identified through whole-exome sequencing. In Holter electrocardiogram, atrial arrhythmias and sinoatrial node dysfunction were commonly observed in younger children. Four patients underwent exercise stress testing, with two experiencing bidirectional ventricular premature contractions and two experiencing bidirectional ventricular tachycardia and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Initial treatment involved oral propranolol or metoprolol. If arrhythmias persisted, flecainide or propafenone was added as adjunctive therapy. Two patients received permanent cardiac pacemaker treatment (single chamber ventricular pacemaker, VVI). All patients survived, with three experiencing occasional syncope during treatment. The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 37 months, with an average follow-up time of 24.3 ± 3.7 months.ConclusionComplex arrhythmias associated with RYR2 gene mutations in children can present with various clinical manifestations. Atrial arrhythmias combined with sinoatrial node dysfunction are commonly observed in younger children, and the combination of pharmacological therapy and cardiac pacemaker treatment yields favourable treatment outcomes

A Rapid Evaluation Method for Unsaturation of Camellia Oil Based on Raman Spectroscopy Technology

To evaluate the degree of unsaturation of different varieties of Camellia oil, it was necessary to establish a rapid evaluation method with a narrow iodine value range (iodine value difference less than 10). In this study, a rapid quantitative prediction model for iodine value of oil in high-resolution Raman spectroscopy based on linear regression and gradient descent method was established. The Raman signals (785 nm) about 39 group of Camellia oil samples and 10 group of commercially oils were firstly collected. Then, the intensity ratio of peaks of 1656 cm−1 and 1440 cm−1 (I1656/1440) were selected through smoothing algorithm least squares smoothing filter (Savitzky-Golay), polynomial fitting and deconvolution algorithm Lorentzian. A credible model was obtained through correlation analysis with the iodine value of corresponding oil samples. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the test set of the constructed quantitative model was >0.82, the mean square error (MSE) was <0.73 and the root mean square error (RMSE) was <0.85. This quantitative model of edible oil iodine value can accurately and efficiently predict the unsaturation degree of Camellia oil, etc

Sims Analysis of Water Abundance and Hydrogen Isotope in Lunar Highland Plagioclase

The detection of indigenous water in mare basaltic glass beads has challenged the view established since the Apollo era of a "dry" Moon. Since this discovery, measurements of water in lunar apatite, olivine-hosted melt inclusions, agglutinates, and nominally anhydrous minerals have confirmed that lunar igneous materials contain water, implying that some parts of lunar mantle may have as much water as Earth's upper mantle. The interpretation of hydrogen (H) isotopes in lunar samples, however, is controversial. The large variation of H isotope ratios in lunar apatite (delta Deuterium = -202 to +1010 per mille) has been taken as evidence that water in the lunar interior comes from the lunar mantle, solar wind protons, and/or comets. The very low deuterium/H ratios in lunar agglutinates indicate that solar wind protons have contributed to their hydrogen content. Conversely, H isotopes in lunar volcanic glass beads and olivine-hosted melt inclusions being similar to those of common terrestrial igneous rocks, suggest a common origin for water in both Earth and Moon. Lunar water could be inherited from carbonaceous chondrites, consistent with the model of late accretion of chondrite-type materials to the Moon as proposed by. One complication about the sources of lunar water, is that geologic processes (e.g., late accretion and magmatic degassing) may have modified the H isotope signatures of lunar materials. Recent FTIR analyses have shown that plagioclases in lunar ferroan anorthosite contain approximately 6 ppm H2O. So far, ferroan anorthosite is the only available lithology that is believed to be a primary product of the lunar magma ocean (LMO). A possible consequence is that the LMO could have contained up to approximately 320 ppm H2O. Here we examine the possible sources of water in the LMO through measurements of water abundances and H isotopes in plagioclase of two ferroan anorthosites and one troctolite from lunar highlands

A heterogeneous lunar interior for hydrogen isotopes as revealed by the lunar highlands samples

Knowing the amount and timing of water incorporation into the Moon has fundamental implications for our understanding of how the Earth–Moon system formed. Water has been detected in lunar samples but its abundance, distribution and origin are debated. To address these issues, we report water concentrations and hydrogen isotope ratios obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of plagioclase from ferroan anorthosites (FANs), the only available lithology thought to have crystallized directly from the lunar magma ocean (LMO). The measured water contents are consistent with previous results by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Combined with literature data, δD values of lunar igneous materials least-degassed at the time of their crystallization range from −280 to +310‰, the latter value being that of FAN 60015 corrected for cosmic ray exposure. We interpret these results as hydrogen isotopes being fractionated during degassing of molecular hydrogen (H_2) in the LMO, starting with the magmatic δD value of primordial water at the beginning of LMO being about −280‰, evolving to about +310‰ at the time of anorthite crystallization, i.e. during the formation of the primary lunar crust. The degassing of hydrogen in the LMO is consistent with those of other volatile elements. The wide range of δD values observed in lunar igneous rocks could be due to either various degrees of mixing of the different mantle end members, or from a range of mantle sources that were degassed to different degrees during magma evolution. Degassing of the LMO is a viable mechanism that resulted in a heterogeneous lunar interior for hydrogen isotopes