A Geophysical Investigation Of The Northeastern Rim Of The St. Martin Impact Structure, Manitoba, Canada.

The St. Martin impact structure is a 40 Km diameter structure located in Manitoba, Canada lies in featureless, glaciated terrain lacking any surface expression of an impact structure. The age of the structure has been re-determined to range between 224.3 Ma to 241.4 Ma which nullified a previous hypothesis suggesting this impact was part of a multiple impact event. Within the proposed structural boundary two outcrops of Archean granite are present. The first outcrop is located in what has been identified as the central peak of the impact structure. The second outcrop lies along the northeastern boundary and is known locally as Big Rock. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship of Big Rock, if any, to the impact event and to constrain a more accurate diameter of the structure. To accomplish this I conducted two geophysical surveys and used selected data from a previous survey. The two methods I conducted were: a magnetic survey and seismic reflection profiling. Selected data from a previous gravity survey was used to supplement survey results. The magnetic survey was conducted using the total field G-856 Memory-Mag proton precession magnetometer which measures local or regional field strength. The seismic reflection survey was conducted using three Geometrics Geode exploration seismographs. Due to the complexity of seismic data processing I retained an outside seismic data processing company. Previous gravity anomaly data were acquired using a LaCoste and Romberg Model G gravimeter. The results of this geophysical investigation reveal a shallowing of granitic basement rock with exposure near Big Rock. However, a suggested listric fault near Big Rock was not identified via seismic reflection profiling, but was suggested by both the gravity and magnetic surveys. Listric faults that are genetically related to impact structures are also indicative of the structure\u27s outer boundary and therefore can confirm that the St. Martin impact structure is indeed 40 Km in diameter

A Geophysical Investigation of the Northeastern Rim of the St. Martin Impact Structure, Manitoba, Canada

The St. Martin impact structure is a 40 Km diameter structure located in Manitoba, Canada lies in featureless, glaciated terrain lacking any surface expression of an impact structure. The age of the structure has been re-determined to range between 224.3 Ma to 241.4 Ma which nullified a previous hypothesis suggesting this impact was part of a multiple impact event. Within the proposed structural boundary two outcrops of Archean granite are present. The first outcrop is located in what has been identified as the central peak of the impact structure. The second outcrop lies along the northeastern boundary and is known locally as Big Rock. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship of Big Rock, if any, to the impact event and to constrain a more accurate diameter of the structure. To accomplish this I conducted two geophysical surveys and used selected data from a previous survey. The two methods I conducted were: a magnetic survey and seismic reflection profiling. Selected data from a previous gravity survey was used to supplement survey results. The magnetic survey was conducted using the total field G- 856 Memory-Mag proton precession magnetometer which measures local or regional field strength. The seismic reflection survey was conducted using three Geometrics Geode exploration seismographs. Due to the complexity of seismic data processing I retained an outside seismic data processing company. Previous gravity anomaly data were acquired using a LaCoste and Romberg Model G gravimeter. The results of this geophysical investigation reveal a shallowing of granitic basement rock with exposure near Big Rock. However, a suggested listric fault near Big Rock was not identified via seismic reflection profiling, but was suggested by both the gravity and magnetic surveys. Listric faults that are genetically related to impact structures are also indicative of the structure’s outer boundary and therefore can confirm that the St. Martin impact structure is indeed 40 Km in diameter

Oligosaccharide Binding Proteins from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis Reveal a Preference for Host Glycans

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) is a common member of the infant intestinal microbiota, and it has been characterized by its foraging capacity for human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). Its genome sequence revealed an overabundance of the Family 1 of solute binding proteins (F1SBPs), part of ABC transporters and associated with the import of oligosaccharides. In this study we have used the Mammalian Glycan Array to determine the specific affinities of these proteins. This was correlated with binding protein expression induced by different prebiotics including HMO. Half of the F1SBPs in B. infantis were determined to bind mammalian oligosaccharides. Their affinities included different blood group structures and mucin oligosaccharides. Related to HMO, other proteins were specific for oligomers of lacto-N-biose (LNB) and polylactosamines with different degrees of fucosylation. Growth on HMO induced the expression of specific binding proteins that import HMO isomers, but also bind blood group and mucin oligosaccharides, suggesting coregulated transport mechanisms. The prebiotic inulin induced other family 1 binding proteins with affinity for intestinal glycans. Most of the host glycan F1SBPs in B. infantis do not have homologs in other bifidobacteria. Finally, some of these proteins were found to be adherent to intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. In conclusion, this study represents further evidence for the particular adaptations of B. infantis to the infant gut environment, and helps to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in this process

Postimpact alteration of sedimentary breccias in the ICDP-USGS Eyreville A and B cores with comparison to the Cape Charles core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA

In this study, we extend the knowledge of postimpact alteration processes through an investigation of mineralogy and petrology of 24 samples from the Exmore Formation and sedimentary megablock intervals in the Eyreville borehole within the Chesapeake Bay impact structure and comparisons to similar studies of cored intervals of the Cape Charles borehole. The bulk mineralogical studies reveal quartz, feldspars (microcline and albite), muscovite, smectite-vermiculite clays, and kaolinite with variable quantities of pyrite, zeolites, calcite, and chlorite. X-ray diffraction analysis of the clay (\u3c2 μm) fraction of samples indicates that the clays are dominated by expandable clays with lesser quantities of illite, kaolinite, glauconite, and mixed- layered clays. The expandable clays include smectite, vermiculite, and smectite-vermiculite intergrade varieties; illite interlayering is minimal (generally, \u3c10% illite layers). Thin section and scanning electron microscope petrography in the Exmore breccia show evidence for extensive authigenic expandable clay in the matrix and dispersed pyrite lepispheres and fine calcite rhombs. Grain alteration includes feldspar dissolution and albitization, glauconite recrystallization, and dissolution and expandable-clay replacement of micas. Taken together, the results indicate that low-temperature alteration (maximum temperatures 60-80 °C) is prevalent in the sedimentary clast-rich intervals in the Eyreville cores, and the maximum effects are observed between 600 and 970 m depth. In comparison, the Exmore Formation from the Cape Charles borehole, 8 km to the southwest and overlying the central peak of the inner crater, shows more advanced authigenesis with Fe-rich chlorite, common quartz overgrowths, and mixed-layered illite-smectite clay with as much as 20% interlayered illite. A low-temperature hydrothermal mineral assemblage is documented in suevite and crystalline-clast breccia at depths of 725-820 m in the Cape Charles borehole. The fine-grained clastic target material and contained seawater are argued to have limited initial target melting and initial crater-floor temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure to an even greater degree than that of other marine craters targeted in consolidated sedimentary substrates. Subsequent hydrothermal circulation was confined to the central uplift and neighboring fractured zones, whereas alteration in the overlying sedimentary breccias involved conductive heat flow, reaction with hypersaline pore fluids, and minor fluid flow into more porous, permeable sedimentary blocks adjacent to the central uplift. © 2009 The Geological Society of America

Correlation between fracture toughness and microstructure of seeded silicon nitride ceramics

Microstructure development and fracture toughness of Si3N4 composites were studied in the presence of seeds and Al2O3 + Y2O3 as sintering aids. The elongated beta-Si3N4 seeds were introduced into two different alpha-Si3N4 matrix powders; one was the ultra fine powder matrix and the other was the coarse powder matrix. The amount of seeds varied from 0 to 6 wt%. The grain growth inhibition and the mechanism of toughening were discussed and correlated with microstructure. The maximum fracture toughness of 9.0 MPa m(1/2) was obtained for ultra fine powder with 5 wt% seeds hot pressed at 1,700 degrees C for 6 h

Analysis on the risk factors for organ damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A cross-sectional single-center experience

© 2019 by Associação Paulista de Medicina. All Rights Reserved. BACKGROUND: Organ damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occurs as a consequence of the disease itself, the therapy applied and the accompanying conditions and complications. Organ damage predicts further organ damage and is associated with an increased risk of death. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the degree of irreversible organ changes in SLE patients, using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index (SDI); to establish correlations between organ damage and disease activity, quality of life, intensity of fatigue and serological factors; and to ascertain the risk factors for organ damage. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional single-center study conducted at the Institute for Treatment and Rehabilitation “Niška Banja”, Niš, Serbia. METHODS: 83 patients with SLE were enrolled: 58 patients formed the group with organ damage (SDI ≥ 1), and 25 patients without organ damage served as controls (SDI = 0). RESULTS: Organ damage correlated with age (P = 0.002), disease duration (P = 0.015), disease activity (grade 1, P = 0.014; and grade 2, P = 0.007), poor quality of life, severe fatigue (P = 0.047) and treatment with azathioprine (P = 0.037). The following factors were protective: use of hydroxychloroquine (P = 0.048) and higher scores obtained for the physical (P = 0.011), mental (P = 0.022) and general health (P = 0.008) domains. CONCLUSION: It is very important to evaluate risk factors for organ damage in the body, including physicians’ overall assessment, to try to positively influence better treatment outcomes

Further investigation of the repetitive failure in an aircraft engine cylinder head - mechanical properties of Aluminum alloy 242.0

© Bai et al. 2020 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Aluminum alloys are widely used in military and aviation industry due to their properties such as low density and high strength. During the aircraft operation there are mechanical failures of various structural components caused by numerous mechanisms such as corrosion, material defects, high cycle fatigue and the like. One of the frequent mechanical failures on air-cooled piston engines is the cylinder head cracking. This paper is the continuation a comprehensive research of the Lycoming IO-360-B1F aircraft cylinder head failure. The failure of this type has already occurred during flight and about 50 failures like this have been registered from around the world, some of them with a fatal outcome and therefore require detailed research. The paper consists of machining of the tested specimens and their testing at many different locations and in many different laboratories throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia. This paper is based on a research that includes the experimental analysis of mechanical properties of Aluminum alloy 242.0 which is a constituent material of the cylinder head of the Lycoming IO-360-B1F aircraft engine on which a crack appeared. Based on chemical, metallographic, static and dynamic experimental tests of the material properties, Aluminum alloy 242.0 static and fatigue properties were obtained, S-N curve was formed and endurance limit was determined. Results of numerical simulations of experiments, confirmed by experimental results, were performed to make numerical procedures reliable due to further research. The results of the research are planned to be implemented in numerical modeling of the cylinder assembly stress-strain state under workload and in further numerical research of Lycoming IO-360-B1F cylinder assembly integrity assessment

Garlic Derived Diallyl Trisulfide in Experimental Metabolic Syndrome: Metabolic Effects and Cardioprotective Role

This study aimed to examine the effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS), the most potent polysulfide derived from garlic, on metabolic syndrome and myocardial function in rats with metabolic syndrome (MetS). For that purpose, we used 36 male Wistar albino rats divided into control rats, rats with MetS and MetS rats treated with 40 mg/kg of DATS every second day for 3 weeks. In the first part, we studied the impact of DATS on MetS control and found that DATS significantly raised H2S, decreased homocysteine and glucose levels and enhanced lipid and antioxidative, while reducing prooxidative parameters. Additionally, this polysulfide improved cardiac function. In the second part, we investigated the impact of DATS on ex vivo induced ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) heart injury and found that DATS consumption significantly improved cardiodynamic parameters and prevented oxidative and histo-architectural variation in the heart. In addition, DATS significantly increased relative gene expression of eNOS, SOD-1 and -2, Bcl-2 and decreased relative gene expression of NF-κB, IL-17A, Bax, and caspases-3 and -9. Taken together, the data show that DATS can effectively mitigate MetS and have protective effects against ex vivo induced myocardial I/R injury in MetS rat

Mutational and clinico-pathological analysis of papillary thyroid carcinoma in Serbia

Molecular pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is largely associated with mutational changes in the BRAF, RAS family and RET genes. Our aim was to assess clinico-pathological and prognostic correlations of these PTC-specific gene alterations, with a particular emphasis on the BRAF mutation, in a group of 266 Serbian PTC patients, for the first time. The reference center-based retrospective cohort included 201 (75.6%) females and 65 (24.4%) males aged 48.0 +/- 16.1 years (8-83 years old, range) diagnosed and treated for PTC during 1993-2008. Follow-up period was 53.1 +/- 41.6 months (7-187 months, range). BRAF and RAS mutations were determined by direct sequencing of genomic DNA. RET/PTC rearrangements were analyzed by RT-PCR/Southern blotting. Genetic alterations were detected in 150/266 tumors (56.4%). One tumor displayed two genetic alterations. The BRAF(V600E) was found in 84/266 (31.6%) cases, RAS mutations in 11/266(4.1%) and RET/PTC in 55/266(20.7%; 42/266 (15.8%)RET/PTC1 and 13/266 (4.9%)RET/PTC3). On multivariate analysis BRAF(V600E) was associated with the classical papillary morphology (P = 0.05), the higher pT category (P = 0.05) and advanced clinical stage (P = 0.03). In a proportional hazard model, BRAF(V600E) did not appear to be an independent risk factor for the faster recurrence (P = 0.784). We conclude that under the extensive thyroid surgery and limited application of radioiodine ablation BRAF(V600E) may not be an indicator of poorer disease-free survival during the short to middle follow-up period. However, it has a potential to contribute to patients stratification into high- and low-risk groups

DES-Amyloidoses “Amyloidoses through the looking-glass”: A knowledgebase developed for exploring and linking information related to human amyloid-related diseases

More than 30 types of amyloids are linked to close to 50 diseases in humans, the most prominent being Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is brain-related local amyloidosis, while another amyloidosis, such as AA amyloidosis, tends to be more systemic. Therefore, we need to know more about the biological entities’ influencing these amyloidosis processes. However, there is currently no support system developed specifically to handle this extraordinarily complex and demanding task. To acquire a systematic view of amyloidosis and how this may be relevant to the brain and other organs, we needed a means to explore "amyloid network systems" that may underly processes that leads to an amyloid-related disease. In this regard, we developed the DES-Amyloidoses knowledgebase (KB) to obtain fast and relevant information regarding the biological network related to amyloid proteins/peptides and amyloid-related diseases. This KB contains information obtained through text and data mining of available scientific literature and other public repositories. The information compiled into the DES-Amyloidoses system based on 19 topic-specific dictionaries resulted in 796,409 associations between terms from these dictionaries. Users can explore this information through various options, including enriched concepts, enriched pairs, and semantic similarity. We show the usefulness of the KB using an example focused on inflammasome-amyloid associations. To our knowledge, this is the only KB dedicated to human amyloid-related diseases derived primarily through literature text mining and complemented by data mining that provides a novel way of exploring information relevant to amyloidoses