ALBERT

Beschreibung: The Athabasca Basin hosts world class uranium deposits, such as the McArthur River deposit. This paper presents the occurrence of aluminum phosphate-sulfate (APS) minerals in the metasedimentary rocks along the P2 fault, the main ore-hosting fault of the McArthur River deposit. It compares the APS minerals along the P2 fault with those outside the fault, examined in this study, and those from other deposits of the Athabasca Basin and from other Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic basins worldwide. APS minerals are common along the P2 fault but rare outside of the P2 fault zone in the basement and along the unconformity between the Athabasca sandstones and the basement. The APS minerals along the P2 fault occur with sudoite (± illite, magnesiofoitite) and are zoned with Sr-, Ca-, and S-rich cores (solid solution between svanbergite, crandallite, and goyazite) and LREE- and P-rich rims (close to florencite composition). APS minerals in the Bleached Zone (altered rocks along the unconformity consisting predominantly of kaolin and illite) are Sr-, Ca-, and S-rich (high svanbergite component) and occur with kaolin. APS minerals in the Red-Green Zone (mingled red hematitic and green chloritic basement rocks below the Bleached Zone) occur with sudoite and clinochlore. They contain relict cores of LREE- and As-rich arsenoflorencite-(Ce) and rims of svanbergite-goyazite-crandallite solid solution. The occurrence of svanbergite-crandallite-goyazite along the unconformity suggests their formation by relatively oxidizing fluids during diagenesis of the overlying sandstones. The relict cores of arsenoflorencite-(Ce) in the Red-Green Zone are interpreted to be the product of paleo-weathering before the deposition of the Athabasca sandstones. Florencitic APS minerals are found along the entire studied strike length (7 km) of the P2 fault, including the ore zone and non-mineralized areas, but are absent outside the fault zone. The florencitic APS minerals contain low SO 4 2– in the ore zone, suggesting relatively reducing conditions during their crystallization. Zoned APS minerals (with svanbergitic cores and florencitic rims) proximal to ore contain elevated U (up to 16 ppm). These features suggest that diagenetic, oxidizing, and uranium-bearing fluids traveled along the P2 fault and became relatively reduced, especially within the ore zone. It also suggests florencitic APS minerals are contemporaneous with uranium mineralization. The restricted occurrence of florencitic APS mineral along the P2 fault in the basement suggests their use in identifying fertile basement structures associated with uranium mineralization.

Beschreibung: Rock-forming serpentine minerals form flat, cylindrical, and corrugated crystal microstructures, which reflect energetically efficient layering of alternate tetrahedral and octahedral sheets. Serpentinization of peridotite involves internal buffering of the pore fluid, reduction of oxygen fugacity, and partial oxidation of Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ . Sluggish MgFe diffusion in olivine causes precipitation of magnetite and release of H 2 . The tectonic environment of the serpentinization process dictates the abundance of fluid-mobile elements in serpentinites. Similar enrichment patterns of fluid-mobile elements in mantle-wedge serpentinites and arc magmas suggest a linkage between the dehydration of serpentinite and arc magmatism.

Beschreibung: Serpentinites are rocks consisting mostly of the serpentine-group minerals chrysotile, lizardite and antigorite. They are formed by the hydration of olivine-rich ultramafic rocks and they contain up to ~13 wt% H 2 O. They have long been used by many cultures as building and carving stones. Serp entinites play essential roles in numerous geological settings. They act as a lubricant along plate boundaries during aseismic creep and contribute to the geochemical cycle of subduction zones. In the mantle, they are a reservoir of water and fluid-mobile elements. Serpentinites can produce nickel ore where weathered, and they can sequester CO 2 where carbonated. They may have provided an environment for the abiotic generation of amino acids on the early Earth and other planets, potentially leading to the development of life.

Beschreibung: The erythrocytes of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) demonstrate an increased inward movement of sodium ions, an alteration which has been proposed as the primary defect leading to cell destruction. Parachloromercuriphenylsulfonate (PCMBS), an agent reacting with sulfhydryl groups of the membrane, increases the cation permeability of normal red cells, but does so to a much lesser extent in the HS red cells. On the other hand, pronase that is specific for amino groups of the membrane increases cation permeability and decreases anion permeability equally in normal and HS red cells. It may be postulated that a decreased number of sulfhydryl sites or a mutation of proteins in the PCMBS-sensitive cation channels of the HS cell membrane result in this hyposensitivity to PCMBS.

Beschreibung: Administration of human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) to mice with cyclophosphamide (CPA)-induced neutropenia for 4 consecutive days from the day after the CPA dosing (100 mg/kg) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the peripheral blood neutrophil count 6 hours after the final hG-CSF injection. Within the hG-CSF dose range of 0.1 to 10 micrograms per mouse per day, there was a strong linear relationship (r greater than .9) between the logarithm of the dose and the peripheral blood neutrophil count in the treated mice. Using the same hG-CSF preparation, 38 experiments indicated that the regression lines are highly reproducible. Such an association never occurred with intact mice, and 100 mg/kg of CPA induced the highest response to hG- CSF. This linear relationship between the two variables allows us to determine the biologic potency of a test hG-CSF preparation relative to a reference standard using a parallel line assay, with a coefficient of precision of around .2. When assayed by this bioassay procedure, which we have termed CPA-mouse assay, natural hG-CSF and recombinant hG-CSF (produced by Chinese hamster ovary cells) were nearly equipotent in specific biologic activity. These results confirm the CPA-mouse assay as an especially useful assay method for quantifying the in vivo activity of hG-CSF.

Beschreibung: The erythrocytes of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) demonstrate an increased inward movement of sodium ions, an alteration which has been proposed as the primary defect leading to cell destruction. Parachloromercuriphenylsulfonate (PCMBS), an agent reacting with sulfhydryl groups of the membrane, increases the cation permeability of normal red cells, but does so to a much lesser extent in the HS red cells. On the other hand, pronase that is specific for amino groups of the membrane increases cation permeability and decreases anion permeability equally in normal and HS red cells. It may be postulated that a decreased number of sulfhydryl sites or a mutation of proteins in the PCMBS-sensitive cation channels of the HS cell membrane result in this hyposensitivity to PCMBS.

Beschreibung: Administration of human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) to mice with cyclophosphamide (CPA)-induced neutropenia for 4 consecutive days from the day after the CPA dosing (100 mg/kg) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the peripheral blood neutrophil count 6 hours after the final hG-CSF injection. Within the hG-CSF dose range of 0.1 to 10 micrograms per mouse per day, there was a strong linear relationship (r greater than .9) between the logarithm of the dose and the peripheral blood neutrophil count in the treated mice. Using the same hG-CSF preparation, 38 experiments indicated that the regression lines are highly reproducible. Such an association never occurred with intact mice, and 100 mg/kg of CPA induced the highest response to hG- CSF. This linear relationship between the two variables allows us to determine the biologic potency of a test hG-CSF preparation relative to a reference standard using a parallel line assay, with a coefficient of precision of around .2. When assayed by this bioassay procedure, which we have termed CPA-mouse assay, natural hG-CSF and recombinant hG-CSF (produced by Chinese hamster ovary cells) were nearly equipotent in specific biologic activity. These results confirm the CPA-mouse assay as an especially useful assay method for quantifying the in vivo activity of hG-CSF.

Beschreibung: This paper explores multi-instrument space-borne observations in order to validate physical concepts of Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) in relation to major seismic events. In this study we apply already validated observation to identify atmospheric and ionospheric precursors associated with some of recent most destructive earthquakes: M8.6 of March 25, 2005 and M8.5 September 15, 2007 in Sumatra, and M7.9 May 12, 2008 in Wenchuan, China. New investigations are also presented concerning these three earthquakes and for the M7.3 March 2008 in the Xinjiang-Xizang border region, China (the Yutian earthquake). It concerns the ionospheric density, the Global Ionospheric Maps (GIM) of the Total Electron Content (TEC), the Thermal Infra-Red (TIR) anomalies, and the Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) data. It is shown that all these anomalies are identified as short-term precursors, which can be explained by the LAIC concept proposed by Pulinets and Ouzounov (2011).

Beschreibung: Results of study of anomaly behavior of amplitudes, phase velocities and gradients of ULF electromagnetic disturbances (F = 0.002 – 0.5 Hz) before and during a seismic active period are presented. Investigations were carried out in Japan (Izu and Chiba peninsulas) by two groups of magnetic stations spaced apart at a distance ~ 140 km. Every group (magnetic gradientometer) consists of three 3-component high sensitive magnetic stations arranged in a triangle and spaced apart at distance 4–7 km. Kakioka magnetic station (〉200 km to the North from Izu) was used as a reference point. Available data (only night-time intervals 00:00–07:00 LT) were preliminary filtrated by narrow pass-band filters (16 frequency bands – periods T = 2–512 s). The amplitude, gradient and phase velocity values and probabilities of directions of gradient and phase velocity vectors were constructed for the every frequency band. Apparent resistivities of the Earth’s crust in the every frequency band were calculated using the phase velocity values. It was found that Z component amplitudes of the ULF magnetic disturbances increased at Izu peninsula 2–4 weeks before the seismic active period and 2–4 days before the strongest seismic shocks (M 〉 6). Ratio of Z component amplitudes of Kamo (Izu) and Kakioka data (Zk/Zkk) increased during 2–4 weeks before the seismic activity start (27 June 2000) and reached a maximum just before a moment of the strongest seismic shock (EQ with M = 6.4). The gradient and the phase velocity values had an anomaly behavior during the same 2–4 weeks before the start of seismic active period. The gradient vectors of the total horizontal component of the ULF magnetic pulsations were probably directed to the regions with increased conductivity. New additional direction of the gradient vectors appeared 2–3 weeks before the seismic activity start – the direction to the seismic active area which appeared due to a magma rising.

Beschreibung: ULF emission data at Lunping (epicentral distance, 120 km) have been analysed for the Chi-Chi earthquake (with magnitude 7.6 and depth of 11 km) in Taiwan which occurred on 21 September 1999. Simple intensity analyses have not yielded any significant results but we have found, based on the analysis of polarization (the ratio of vertical magnetic field component Z to the horizontal component G), that the polarization (Z/G) showed a significant enhancement for two months before the earthquake. This kind of temporal evolution of polarization seems to be very similar to previous results, so that it is highly likely that this phenomenon may be associated with the Chi-Chi earthquake. Also, the comparison of the results of polarization analyses, by changing the signal threshold, has given us an approximate intensity of the seismogenic emission of the order of the monthly mean value.