Age constraints for the mineralization of the metamorphosed Kutemajärvi gold deposit using the single-grain U-Pb dating method of accessory minerals

The metamorphosed Kutemajärvi gold deposit is located near the town of Orivesi, at the eastern flank of the Tampere Schist Belt, which constitutes part of the Svecofennian domain of southern Finland, and it is hosted in the volcanic rocks of the Koskuenjärvi formation. Previous isotopic studies have mainly focused on the igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Tampere Schist Belt and only a few of them have presented ages for the area of Kutemajärvi. This study aims to shed light on the timing of mineralization by employing the single-grain U-Pb dating method of monazite and zircon, in order to evaluate the relationship between the ore and its host rocks. Based on the results from the SEM mineral identification, monazite grains are divided into metamorphic and hydrothermal grains. In the case of zircon grains, a third magmatic type has been identified. Results from U-Pb dating of single monazite and zircon grains are well constrained and document four distinct stages of geodynamic evolution in the region. Ages older than 1.91 Ga represent detrital material transported during the stage of rifting that led to the opening of the Tampere basin. Subsequent subduction resulted in active volcanism which is expressed with the extrusion of the Koskuenjärvi formation at 1904 Ma. At the late stages of subduction or at the outset of the collision stage, the subvolcanic Pukala porphyry intruded into the volcanic sequence of the Tampere Schist Belt at 1890 Ma, which provides the maximum mineralization age. Release of hydrothermal fluids, due to the crystallization of the Pukala intrusion caused pervasive hydrothermal alteration of the Kutemajärvi host rocks and deposition of epithermal gold and other elements. However, the participation of hydrothermal fluids, released by high-temperature metamorphism of the lower crust, cannot be ruled out. Ages between 1890‒1878 Ma record the syn-collision stage, during which the deposit, the Pukala intrusion and its adjoining rocks were deformed and metamorphosed at greenschist to lower-amphibolite facies. The majority of ages fall within the 1880‒1878 Ma time-interval, characterizing the metamorphic peak that marks the culmination of the Svecofennian orogeny and provides a minimum age of the mineralization. This major orogenic event is partly overlapped by the collision of the Central Svecofennian Arc Complex with the Southern Svecofennian Arc Complex that transpired at 1880‒1860 Ma, as indicated by ample age data. Monazite and zircon also yield lower ages (<1860 Ma), which record retrograde metamorphic and subordinate cooling events, and resonate recurring tectonothermal activity, associated with the syn- and post-collisional magmatism of Southern Svecofennia and the emplacement of rapakivi intrusions in southern Finland. Single-grain U-Pb dating of monazite and zircon from polished thin sections, in tandem with collation of the obtained ages with earlier published data, establishes a spatial and temporal framework with respect to the tectonometamorphic evolution of the Kutemajärvi gold deposit and the Tampere Schist Belt. Precise temporal constraints substantiate the intricate geological history of the area and can be used to discriminate magmatic, metamorphic and hydrothermal events, with a view to breaking ground on the exploration of other epithermal deposits in the metamorphic terranes of southern Finland

Evaluating New Approaches of Intervention in Reading Difficulties in Students with Dyslexia: The ilearnRW Software Application

The aim of this paper is to increase knowledge and understanding on how the implementation of language content through specialized software, such as the “Integrated Intelligent Learning Environment for Reading and Writing-iLearnRW”, can enhance learning during intervention procedures to enhance reading skills for children with dyslexia.The iLearnRW software is a newly designed tool that makes use of innovative technology and provides individualized intervention through games that incorporate learning activities, addressing those language areas that are most challenging for children with dyslexia in a highly entertaining and motivating way. Individualized intervention is provided through an underlying user profile, which incorporates these language features and is constantly updated as the child uses the software playing games, presenting language material selected based on his difficulties and recording his progress. A group of 78 students (52 male, 26 female) diagnosed with dyslexia, aged between 9 and 11 years old, was assessed for phonological, morphological and vocabulary skills. The students logged in the iLearnRW software on a mean of 14.18 days over a six-month intervention. After the 6-month intervention, the students were assessed once again on the same skills so as to establish the tool’s effectiveness.The results’ analysis revealed the following: (i) there was a strong constructional linkage between the profile entries of the sample, the language content of the tasks of the screening test as well of the games and its effectiveness in the students’ performance; (ii) the students who received specific guidance by their teachers, obtained higher success rates in most of the games than the students without any guidance, and (iii) the quantity of the language content and the time playing were not correlated with the students’ performance in the software’s games. Keywords: Digital technology, assistive computer software, dyslexia, learning environmen

Ταξινομικός Προσδιορισμός της Τουρώλιας Πανίδας της Κερασιάς, Ευβοίας

Η ανωμειοκαινική απολιθωματοφόρος θέση της Κερασιάς βρίσκεται στη βορειοδυτική Εύβοια, κοντά στο ομώνυμο χωριό. Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία μελετήθηκε υλικό που προέρχεται από το σύνολο των ανασκαφών που έχουν διεξαχθεί στην περιοχή και αποτελείται από οστά σχεδόν όλων των μεγάλων οικογενειών θηλαστικών που περιλαμβάνονται στις τουρώλιες πανίδες της Βαλκανο-Ιρανικής Επαρχίας. Τα περισσοδάκτυλα (Equidae, Rhinocerotidae, Chalicotheriidae) και τα αρτιοδάκτυλα (Suidae, Giraffidae, Bovidae) έχουν τη μεγαλύτερη συχνότητα στο υλικό, αλλά σημαντική είναι και η παρουσία των προβοσκιδωτών. Επίσης, βρέθηκαν σπόνδυλοι πτηνού και σαρκοφάγου που συγκαταλέγονται στα πολύ σπάνια ευρήματα της περιοχής. Στη θέση της Κερασιάς έχουν αναγνωριστεί δύο απολιθωματοφόροι ορίζοντες, ένας κατώτερος που περιλαμβάνει τις θέσεις Κ2, Κ3 και Κ4 και ένας ανώτερος που περιλαμβάνει τις θέσεις K1 και Κ6. Από αυτές, οι πιο πλούσιες είναι οι K1 και K4, από τις οποίες προέρχεται και το μεγαλύτερο μέρος του υλικού. Το παλαιοπεριβάλλον χαρακτηρίζεται ως mosaic savanna-woodland, αλλά η κατανομή των ειδών στους δύο ορίζοντες υποδεικνύει μετάβαση σε πιο δασώδεις συνθήκες από τον κατώτερο προς τον ανώτερο ορίζοντα.The Late Miocene fossiliferous site of Kerassia is located in northwestern Euboea, near the homonymous village. In the current undergraduate thesis material from all the excavations that have taken place in the area was studied. The material consists of bones from almost all the great mammal families that are included in the Turolian faunas of the Balkan-Iranian Province. Perissodactyla (Equidae, Rhinocerotidae, Chalicotheriidae) and artiodactyla (Suidae, Giraffidae, Bovidae) are the most common in the fauna of Kerassia, but the presence of proboscidea is important as well. Moreover, vertebrae of aves and carnivora were found, which are considered very rare findings in the fauna. In the locality of Kerassia, two fossiliferous layers have been recognized. The lower layer includes the sites K2, K3 and K4, while the upper layer includes the sites K1 and K6. The palaeoenvironment is characterized as mosaic savanna-woodland, but the species distribution in the two layers indicates a transition into more forested conditions from the lower to the upper layer

Modeling and Simulation Tools for Fog Computing—A Comprehensive Survey from a Cost Perspective

Fog computing is an emerging and evolving technology, which bridges the cloud with the network edges, allowing computing to work in a decentralized manner. As such, it introduces a number of complex issues to the research community and the industry alike. Both of them have to deal with many open challenges including architecture standardization, resource management and placement, service management, Quality of Service (QoS), communication, participation, to name a few. In this work, we provide a comprehensive literature review along two axes&mdash;modeling with an emphasis in the proposed fog computing architectures and simulation which investigates the simulation tools which can be used to develop and evaluate novel fog-related ideas

Serum Proteome Signatures of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinated Healthcare Workers in Greece Associated with Their Prior Infection Status

Over the course of the pandemic, proteomics, being in the frontline of anti-COVID-19 research, has massively contributed to the investigation of molecular pathogenic properties of the virus. However, data on the proteome on anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals remain scarce. This study aimed to identify the serum proteome characteristics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals who had previously contracted the virus and comparatively assess them against those of virus-naïve vaccine recipients. Blood samples of n = 252 individuals, out of whom n = 35 had been previously infected, were collected in the “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Thessaloniki, from 4 January 2021 to 31 August 2021. All participants received the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech). A label-free quantitative proteomics LC-MS/MS approach was undertaken, and the identified proteins were analyzed using the GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes) databases as well as processed by bioinformatics tools. Titers of total RBD-specific IgGs against SARS-CoV-2 were also determined using the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay. A total of 47 proteins were significantly differentially expressed, the majority of which were down-regulated in sera of previously infected patients compared to virus-naïve controls. Several pathways were affected supporting the crucial role of the humoral immune response in the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection provided by COVID-19 vaccination. Overall, our comprehensive proteome profiling analysis contributes novel knowledge of the mechanisms of immune response induced by anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and identified protein signatures reflecting the immune status of vaccine recipients

A Prospective Validation Study of the Functional Bedside Aspiration Screen with Endoscopy: Is It Clinically Applicable in Acute Stroke?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of the novel Functional Bedside Aspiration Screen (FBAS) to predict aspiration risk in acute stroke and to guide initial therapy needs. We conducted a prospective validation study of the FBAS 10-point scale in 101 acute ischemic stroke patients. Outcome measures were compared with the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) via the Flexible Endoscopic Swallowing Study. Correlations with the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) and the Therapy Requirement Scale (TRS) were analyzed. We observed a 65.8% sensitivity and 70.2% specificity (p = 0.004) for predicting penetration risk (for PAS score ≥ 3) and a 73% sensitivity and 62% specificity for predicting aspiration risk (PAS score ≥ 6). For patients with a modified ranking scale 0–2 (n = 44) on admission, the predictive measurements of the FBAS yielded sensitivity and specificity values of 66.7% and 88.6% (p = 0.011). A significant negative correlation was found with PAS measurements, whereas a positive correlation was observed regarding FOIS. Significantly lower FBAS scores were observed in patients with high requirements for therapeutic interventions and dietary modification. FBAS may be regarded as an alternative time-efficient clinical support tool in settings in which instrumentation is not directly accessible. Further studies including a larger cohort of acute stroke patients with more severe neurological deficits are necessary

Vitamin D Alleviates Anxiety and Depression in Elderly People with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Study

Older people are prone to frailness, present poor adherence to pharmacotherapy, and often have adverse drug effects. Therefore, it is important to develop effective and safe interventions to mitigate the burden of anxiety and depression disorders in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the anxiety and depression status of elderly people with prediabetes. Participants were randomly assigned a weekly dose of vitamin D3 of 25,000 IU (n = 45, mean age 73.10 &plusmn; 7.16 years) or nothing (n = 45, mean age 74.03 &plusmn; 7.64 years), in addition to suggested lifestyle measures. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory subscales (STAI-T and STAI-S) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate anxiety and depression levels, respectively, at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A total of 92.68% of the participants in the vitamin D group and 97.14% of the controls exhibited vitamin D deficiency (&lt;20 ng/mL) at baseline. Mean STAI-T scores were lower in supplemented individuals than in the control group at 6 (38.02 &plusmn; 9.03 vs. 43.91 &plusmn; 7.18, p = 0.003) and 12 months (32.35 &plusmn; 7.77 vs. 44.97 &plusmn; 7.78, p &lt; 0.001). The same pattern was evident for STAI-S scores at 6 (37.11 &plusmn; 7.88 vs. 43.20 &plusmn; 9.33, p = 0.003) and 12 months (32.59 &plusmn; 6.45 vs. 44.60 &plusmn; 9.53, p &lt; 0.001). Supplemented participants demonstrated lower mean PHQ-9 scores compared to controls at 6 (15.69 &plusmn; 6.15 vs. 19.77 &plusmn; 8.96, p = 0.021) and 12 months (13.52 &plusmn; 5.01 vs. 20.20 &plusmn; 8.67, p &lt; 0.001). Participants with deficiency and insufficiency at baseline experienced equal benefits of supplementation in terms of anxiety and depression scores. In conclusion, in a high-risk population, a weekly vitamin D supplementation scheme was effective in alleviating anxiety and depression symptoms. More studies are needed to elucidate the relevant mechanisms