662 research outputs found
Pt, Au, Pd and Ru Partitioning Between Mineral and Silicate Melts: The Role of Metal Nanonuggets
The partition coefficients of Pt and other Pt Group Elements (PGE) between metal and silicate D(sub Metal-Silicate) and also between silicate minerals and silicate melts D(sub Metal-Silicate) are among the most challenging coefficients to obtain precisely. The PGE are highly siderophile elements (HSE) with D(sub Metal-Silicate) >10(exp 3) due to the fact that their concentrations in silicates are very low (ppb to ppt range). Therefore, the analytical difficulty is increased by the possible presence of HSE-rich-nuggets in reduced silicate melts during experiments). These tiny HSE nuggets complicate the interpretation of measured HSE concentrations. If the HSE micro-nuggets are just sample artifacts, then their contributions should be removed before calculations of the final concentration. On the other hand, if they are produced during the quench, then they should be included in the analysis. We still don't understand the mechanism of nugget formation well. Are they formed during the quench by precipitation from precursor species dissolved homogeneously in the melts, or are they precipitated in situ at high temperature due to oversaturation? As these elements are important tracers of early planetary processes such as core formation, it is important to take up this analytical and experimental challenge. In the case of the Earth for example, chondritic relative abundances of the HSE in some mantle xenoliths have led to the concept of the "late veneer" as a source of volatiles (such as water) and siderophiles in the silicate Earth. Silicate crystal/liquid fractionation is responsible for most, if not all, the HSE variation in the martian meteorite suites (SNC) and Pt is the element least affected by these fractionations. Therefore, in terms of reconstructing mantle HSE abundances for Mars, Pt becomes a very important player. In the present study, we have performed high temperature experiments under various redox conditions in order to determine the abundances of Pt, Au, Ru and Pd in minerals (olivine and diopside) and in silicate melts, but also to characterize the sizes, density and chemistry of HSE nuggets when present in the samples
Clocking the Lyme Spirochete
In order to clear the body of infecting spirochetes, phagocytic cells must be able to get hold of them. In real-time phase-contrast videomicroscopy we were able to measure the speed of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the Lyme spirochete, moving back and forth across a platelet to which it was tethered. Its mean crossing speed was 1,636 µm/min (N = 28), maximum, 2800 µm/min (N = 3). This is the fastest speed recorded for a spirochete, and upward of two orders of magnitude above the speed of a human neutrophil, the fastest cell in the body. This alacrity and its interpretation, in an organism with bidirectional motor capacity, may well contribute to difficulties in spirochete clearance by the host
Fiber-Flux Diffusion Density for White Matter Tracts Analysis: Application to Mild Anomalies Localization in Contact Sports Players
We present the concept of fiber-flux density for locally quantifying white
matter (WM) fiber bundles. By combining scalar diffusivity measures (e.g.,
fractional anisotropy) with fiber-flux measurements, we define new local
descriptors called Fiber-Flux Diffusion Density (FFDD) vectors. Applying each
descriptor throughout fiber bundles allows along-tract coupling of a specific
diffusion measure with geometrical properties, such as fiber orientation and
coherence. A key step in the proposed framework is the construction of an FFDD
dissimilarity measure for sub-voxel alignment of fiber bundles, based on the
fast marching method (FMM). The obtained aligned WM tract-profiles enable
meaningful inter-subject comparisons and group-wise statistical analysis. We
demonstrate our method using two different datasets of contact sports players.
Along-tract pairwise comparison as well as group-wise analysis, with respect to
non-player healthy controls, reveal significant and spatially-consistent FFDD
anomalies. Comparing our method with along-tract FA analysis shows improved
sensitivity to subtle structural anomalies in football players over standard FA
measurements
Four Butterflies: End of Life Stories of Transition and Transformation
In this article, the author discusses her experiences as an Artist In Residence in the
Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center. Emphasis is placed on the ways in which end of life images and
narratives often unfold in the fragile yet powerful space where conceptions of aesthetics and
spirituality intersect with critical issues in the medical humanities. Drawing on four vivid
case studies, the author examines the ways in which end of life narratives shed valuable light on
conceptions of the subtlety of human embodiment; issues of violation, sorrow, and forgiveness;
the mystical dimensions of traditional cultural beliefs; and the capacity for perceiving the
natural world as a living symbol of grace. In so doing, she explores how the themes of transition
and transformation become invested with meaningful existential and symbolic dimensions in
artworks that give voice and presence to some of the most vulnerable, and often invisible,
members of our societyďľ—people at the end of life
Xq27 FRAXA locus is a strong candidate for dyslexia: evidence from a genome-wide scan in French families.
Dyslexia is a frequent neurodevelopmental
learning disorder. To date, nine susceptibility loci have
been identified, one of them being DYX9, located in Xq27.
We performed the first French SNP linkage study followed
by candidate gene investigation in dyslexia by studying 12
multiplex families (58 subjects) with at least two children
affected, according to categorical restrictive criteria for
phenotype definition. Significant results emerged on
Xq27.3 within DYX9. The maximum multipoint LOD
score reached 3,884 between rs12558359 and rs454992.
Within this region, seven candidate genes were investigated
for mutations in exonic sequences (CXORF1,
CXORF51, SLITRK2, FMR1, FMR2, ASFMR1, FMR1NB),
all having a role during brain development. We further
looked for 50
UTR trinucleotide repeats in FMR1 and FMR2
genes. No mutation or polymorphism co-segregating with
dyslexia was found. This finding in French families with
Dyslexia showed significant linkage on Xq27.3 enclosing
FRAXA, and consequently confirmed the DYX9 region as
a robust susceptibility locus. We reduced the previously
described interval from 6.8 (DXS1227–DXS8091) to 4 Mb
also disclosing a higher LOD score
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