975 research outputs found
Secular variations of magma source compositions in the North Patagonian batholith from the Jurassic to Tertiary: Was mélange melting involved?
This study of Sr-Nd initial isotopic ratios of plutons from the North Patago nian batholith (Argentina and Chile) revealed that a secular evolution spanning
180 m.y., from the Jurassic to Neogene, can be established in terms of magma
sources, which in turn are correlated with changes in the tectonic regime. The
provenance and composition of end-member components in the source of mag mas are represented by the Sr-Nd initial isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd)
of the plutonic rocks. Our results support the interpretation that source compo sition was determined by incorporation of varied crustal materials and trench
sediments via subduction erosion and sediment subduction into a subduction
channel mélange. Subsequent melting of subducted mélanges at mantle depths
and eventual reaction with the ultramafic mantle are proposed as the main causes
of batholith magma generation, which was favored during periods of fast conver gence and high obliquity between the involved plates. We propose that a parental
diorite (= andesite) precursor arrived at the lower arc crust, where it underwent
fractionation to yield the silicic melts (granodiorites and granites) that formed
the batholiths. The diorite precursor could have been in turn fractionated from
a more mafic melt of basaltic andesite composition, which was formed within
the mantle by complete reaction of the bulk mélanges and the peridotite. Our
proposal follows model predictions on the formation of mélange diapirs that
carry fertile subducted materials into hot regions of the suprasubduction mantle
wedge, where mafic parental magmas of batholiths originate. This model not
only accounts for the secular geochemical variations of Andean batholiths, but it
also avoids a fundamental paradox of the classical basalt model: the absence of
ultramafic cumulates in the lower arc crust and in the continental crust in general
In vitro calcification of chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes
Bone is composed of two phases. The organic phase is made of collagen fibrils assembled in broad fibers acting as a template for mineralization. The mineral phase comprises hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals grown between and inside the collagen fibers. We have developed a biomimetic material using functionalized carbon nanotubes as scaffold to initiate in vitro mineralization. Biomimetic formation of HAP was performed on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) which have been grafted with carboxylic groups. Two types of nanotubes, HiPco(R) and Carbon Solutions(R), were oxidized via various acidic processes, leading to five different groups of carboxylated nanotubes, fully characterized by physical methods (thermogravimetric analysis, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). All samples were dispersed in ultra-pure water and incubated for 2weeks in a synthetic body fluid, in order to induce the calcification of the SWCNTs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis studies showed that Ca(2+) and PO(4)(3-) ions were deposited as round-shaped nodules (calcospherites) on the carboxylated SWCNTs. Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies confirmed the HAP formation, and image analysis made on SEM pictures showed that calcospherites and carboxylated SWCNTs were packed together. The size of calcospherites thus obtained in vitro from the HiPco(R) series was close to that issued from calcospherites observed in vivo. Functionalization of SWCNTs with carboxylic groups confers the capacity to induce calcification similar to woven bone
Comparison of Bond Character in Hydrocarbons and Fullerenes
We present a comparison of the bond polarizabilities for carbon-carbon bonds
in hydrocarbons and fullerenes, using two different models for the fullerene
Raman spectrum and the results of Raman measurements on ethane and ethylene. We
find that the polarizabilities for single bonds in fullerenes and hydrocarbons
compare well, while the double bonds in fullerenes have greater polarizability
than in ethylene.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, uses RevTeX. (To appear in Phys. Rev. B.
Regular Expression Subtyping for XML Query and Update Languages
XML database query languages such as XQuery employ regular expression types
with structural subtyping. Subtyping systems typically have two presentations,
which should be equivalent: a declarative version in which the subsumption rule
may be used anywhere, and an algorithmic version in which the use of
subsumption is limited in order to make typechecking syntax-directed and
decidable. However, the XQuery standard type system circumvents this issue by
using imprecise typing rules for iteration constructs and defining only
algorithmic typechecking, and another extant proposal provides more precise
types for iteration constructs but ignores subtyping. In this paper, we
consider a core XQuery-like language with a subsumption rule and prove the
completeness of algorithmic typechecking; this is straightforward for XQuery
proper but requires some care in the presence of more precise iteration typing
disciplines. We extend this result to an XML update language we have introduced
in earlier work.Comment: ESOP 2008. Companion technical report with proof
Microwave heating as a novel route for obtaining carbon precursors from anthracene oil
This work describes a novel route for the preparation of pitches by oxidative polymerization of an industrial anthracene oil (AO) in a microwave semi-pilot equipment consisting in a multimode applicator having a 2.45 GHz magnetron with variable microwave power. The experimental five variables of microwave heating of AO air-blowing range between 320-380 ˚C (temperature), 0.2 - 3.9 ˚C min-1 (heating rate), 1.5 - 5 h (soaking time), 16 – 20.5 % (air/AO ratio ) and 200 – 1500 g (initial weight). Their effect on the overall microwave air-blowing process is evaluated by means of a statistical analysis. A detailed characterization of the pitches has been carried out in terms of ultimate analysis, softening point, solubility parameters (toluene insolubles (TI) and quinoline insolubles (QI)) and thermogravimetric analysis. The experiments were also carried out by using conventional heating for comparative purposes. The detailed study of the electric energy consumption of the overall microwave treatment allows estimating a significant electric energy saving of about 20 % when compared to conventional heating thus representing an excellent result in the production of carbon precursors
Unquenched large orbital magnetic moment in NiO
Magnetic properties of NiO are investigated by incorporating the spin-orbit
interaction in the LSDA+U scheme. It is found that the large part of orbital
moment remains unquenched in NiO. The orbital moment contributes about mu_L =
0.29 mu_B to the total magnetic moment of M = 1.93 mu_B, as leads to the
orbital-to-spin angular momentum ratio of L/S = 0.36. The theoretical values
are in good agreement with recent magnetic X-ray scattering measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Monitoring Actives Volcanoes by Using of Envisat and Ers Data: First Results of the Eurorisk-Preview Project
In the framework of the Eurorisk-Preview project,
funded by the European Union, a task is dedicated to the
assessment, prevention and management of volcanic
risk. We are developing a multidisciplinary approach,
integrating the geophysical prospecting at local scale
and large scale remote sensing data. To achieve this
task, two volcanic test sites have been identified: Mt.
Etna, in Sicily (Italy), and Tenerife, in Canary Islands
(Spain). We investigate the surface deformation and the
volcanic emission in the atmosphere by using SAR
series and multispectral data, requested in the ESA
Category 1 (n. 3560). For Mt. Etna data from historical
to recent eruptions (1992 – 2006) has been analysed
while for Tenerife archived SAR data from 1992 to
2005 has been analysed, individuating anomaly ground
deformations in Pico de Teide and surrounding areas as
suggested by GPS campaigns
What the Web Has Done for Scientific Data – and What It Hasn’t
The web, together with database technology, has radically changed the way scientific research is conducted. Scientists now have access to an unprecedented quantity and range of data, and the speed and ease of communication of all forms of scientific data has increased hugely. This change has come at a price. Web and database technology no longer support some of the desirable properties of paper publication, and it has introduced new problems in maintaining the scientific record. This brief paper is an examination of some of these issues
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