bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Oral History of Evaluation
Authors: Tranquist Joakim
Published: August 2015

In the vast evaluation literature, there are numerous accounts describing the emergence of the field of evaluation. However, texts on evaluation history often describe how structural conditions for conducting evaluation have changed over time, often from an American perspective. Inspired by the Oral History Team, the purpose of this article is to provide an oral history description of the professional development of a person who has contributed to the emergence of evaluation in Sweden. The article concerns Evert Vedung, undoubtedly Sweden’s most well-known evaluation researcher. Vedung is intellectually distinct from many other prominent evaluation researchers, given his background in political science. He believes that evaluation is closely connected to representative democracy, which affects his view on what value criteria are to be used in evaluation. This article presents an edited conversation with Evert Vedung on his research trajectory. The article aims to describe how serendipities have shaped Vedung’s professional development.
Effects of two concentrations of topical tropicamide on the Schirmer tear test in clinically normal cats
Authors: Selk Ghaffari Masoud , Javadzadeh Reza , Rajaei Seyed Mehdi
Published: August 2015

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical tropicamide at two concentrations (0.5% and 1.0%) on the Schirmer tear test (STT) results in clinically normal cats.

Methods

Twenty-four adult domestic shorthair cats were randomly assigned to three groups. In all three groups, ophthalmic solutions were instilled in a randomly selected eye and the opposite eye served as the control. In groups 1, 2 and 3 one drop of 0.5% tropicamide, 1.0% tropicamide and distilled water was used, respectively. Tear production in both eyes was tested 30 and 60 mins after instillation in all three groups.

Results

Baseline mean ± SEM STT values for the treated eyes in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 13.37 ± 2.91 mm/min, 10.87 ± 1.39 mm/min and 11.37 ± 1.65 mm/min, respectively. Thirty minutes after the drug instillation in the treated eye, mean ± SEM STT values in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 4.87 ± 3.05 mm/min, 2.00 ± 0.84 mm/min and 11.25 ± 1.81 mm/min, respectively. The mean ± SEM STT levels of the treated eye after 60 mins were 3.75 ± 1.87 mm/min, 0.5 ± 0.37 mm/min and 11.42 ± 1.78 mm/min in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Conclusions and relevance

Use of 0.5% topical tropicamide, instead of 1.0% tropicamide, as a mydriatic agent, can be recommended in cats. Tear production measurement should be performed prior to the administration of tropicamide, regardless of the concentration of this drug.
Digitization of Electrocardiogram From Telemetry Prior to In-hospital Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Attin Mina , Wang Lu , Soroushmehr S. M. Reza , Lin Chii-Dean , Lemus Hector , Spadafore Maxwell , Najarian Kayvan
Published: August 2015

Background:

Analyzing telemetry electrocardiogram (ECG) data over an extended period is often time-consuming because digital records are not widely available at hospitals. Investigating trends and patterns in the ECG data could lead to establishing predictors that would shorten response time to in-hospital cardiac arrest (I-HCA). This study was conducted to validate a novel method of digitizing paper ECG tracings from telemetry systems in order to facilitate the use of heart rate as a diagnostic feature prior to I-HCA.

Methods:

This multicenter study used telemetry to investigate full-disclosure ECG papers of 44 cardiovascular patients obtained within 1 hr of I-HCA with initial rhythms of pulseless electrical activity and asystole. Digital ECGs were available for seven of these patients. An algorithm to digitize the full-disclosure ECG papers was developed using the shortest path method. The heart rate was measured manually (averaging R-R intervals) for ECG papers and automatically for digitized and digital ECGs.

Results:

Significant correlations were found between manual and automated measurements of digitized ECGs ( p < .001) and between digitized and digital ECGs ( p < .001). Bland–Altman methods showed bias = .001 s, SD = .0276 s, lower and upper 95% limits of agreement for digitized and digital ECGs = .055 and −.053 s, and percentage error = 0.22%. Root mean square (rms), percentage rms difference, and signal to noise ratio values were in acceptable ranges.

Conclusion:

The digitization method was validated. Digitized ECG provides an efficient and accurate way of measuring heart rate over an extended period of time.
Psoriasis as an Independent Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Lai Yi Chun , Yew Yik Weng
Published: August 2015

Background:

Psoriasis is known to be associated with metabolic syndrome, a well-established risk factor for ischemic heart disease and stroke. Emerging evidence indicates that psoriasis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Objective:

To evaluate whether psoriasis is independently associated with myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic heart disease (MI, angina pectoris, or coronary heart disease), and stroke, we conducted a cross-sectional study using the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database.

Methods:

Data on clinical history of psoriasis, MI, angina pectoris, coronary heart disease, and stroke from the questionnaire as well as laboratory parameters on serum lipid and uric acid levels in the cycle years 2003-2006 and 2009-2012 were analyzed. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression modelling was performed with the aforementioned cardiovascular events or stroke as the dependent variables and with risk factors such as age, gender, ethnic group, current smoking status, alcohol consumption, metabolic syndrome, hyperuricemia, and psoriasis as independent variables.

Results:

There were 520 cases of psoriasis, and 108 of them had metabolic syndrome (20.8%). Well-established cardiovascular risk factors such as age, gender, ethnic group, smoking, alcohol consumption, metabolic syndrome, and hyperuricemia were also found to have significant associations with MI and ischemic heart disease (all P values <.001). Psoriatic patients were at significantly higher risks of developing MI (odds ratio [OR] 2.24; 95% CI: 1.27-3.95; P = .005) and ischemic heart disease (OR 1.90; 95% CI: 1.18-3.05; P = .008), but not stroke (OR 1.01; 95% CI: 0.48-2.16; P = .744), after adjustment was made for major cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusion:

This study provides epidemiological evidence that psoriasis may be independently associated with the development of MI and ischemic heart disease. Physicians should be cognizant of any underlying cardiovascular risk factors, especially among psoriatic patients with metabolic syndrome, and manage them according to national guidelines.
Association between transcription factor 7-like 2 rs7903146 polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis
Authors: Ding Yuzhi , Hu Zizhong , Yuan Songtao , Xie Ping , Liu Qinghuai
Published: August 2015

As one of the vascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, the incidence of diabetes retinopathy is greatly increasing worldwide. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the pathologies. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between transcription factor 7-like 2 polymorphism (rs7903146) and type 2 diabetic retinopathy. Published literature from PubMed, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were retrieved. Pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to estimate the strength of the association. Eight studies including 6422 participants were included in the final meta-analysis. Our analysis provides substantial evidence that the rs7903146 variant is significantly associated with the risk of diabetic retinopathy in Caucasian populations while not in East Asian populations. The variant of rs7903146 appeared more likely to be a promising genetic biomarker of diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians.
Sustaining a Pediatric Injury Prevention Program Through Educational Curriculum Dissemination
Authors: Vayssier Nicole , Solomon Rachele , Severyn Josette , Hurley Erin , Greenberg Jayne , Hotz Gillian
Published: August 2015

Objective. To examine the process of implementing, disseminating, and sustaining a pediatric pedestrian safety program in Miami-Dade County Public Schools as well as its utilization by education practitioners. Method. A review of the programmatic phases, grant funding, publications, partnerships, curriculum completion data, teacher trainings, and 31 WalkSafe Curriculum Dissemination Surveys. Results. The program has maintained partnerships with the school district, trauma centers, and other important stakeholders since the program’s inception while grant funding has enabled the development, growth, and continuation of the program. Survey responses indicated the curriculum is easy to use and age-appropriate for learning, as well as identified sustainable measures for the future. Conclusion. A multicomponent approach is essential for piloting, implementing, and sustaining an evidence-based pedestrian safety program in South Florida’s public schools. Sustainable partnerships, policy through school board support, continued grant funding, community involvement, and evolving with the needs of schools and their communities are vital to sustaining program presence in the community.
Resveratrol attenuates renal injury and fibrosis by inhibiting transforming growth factor-β pathway on matrix metalloproteinase 7
Authors: Xiao Zhou , Chen Chen , Meng Ting , Zhang Wenzheng , Zhou Qiaoling
Published: August 2015

Renal injury has a strong relationship to the subsequent development of renal fibrosis. In developing renal fibrosis, tubular epithelial cells in the kidney underwent epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) was reported to reduce E-cadherin and induce EMT by up-regulation of β-catenin/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) signaling. In this research, we tried to evaluate the role of resveratrol (RSV) on EMT process in renal injury and fibrosis. Human tubular epithelial cell HK-2 cells were treated with aristolochic acid (AAs) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) to induce EMT with or without the administration of RSV. The inhibitory role of RSV on EMT in renal injury and fibrosis was determined by Western blotting, real-time PCR, and immunofluorescence staining. The EMT repressing role of RSV was also evaluated in vivo by renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) models. The underlying mechanism was investigated by shRNA interfering MMP7 and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression. The results indicated that RSV reversed human kidney 2 (HK-2) cell EMT, renal I/R injury, and renal fibrosis. MMP7 inhibition was responsible for RSV-induced EMT repression. SIRT1 was up-regulated by RSV inhibited TGF-β pathway on MMP7 via deacetylating Smad4. In conclusion, RSV attenuated renal injury and fibrosis by inhibiting EMT process which was attributed to the fact that the up-regulated SIRT1 by RSV deacetylated Smad4 and inhibited MMP7 expression.
Partial Aneurysmectomy of Venous Aneurysms in Arteriovenous Dialysis Fistulas
Authors: Piccolo C. , Madden N. , Famularo M. , Domer G. , Mannella W.
Published: August 2015

Upper extremity native arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) continue to be the standard of care for hemodialysis patient’s access. Although autogenous fistulas are superior to catheters and synthetic grafts, they are not without their own complications. One complication is venous aneurysms that can lead to skin erosion, bleeding, and site loss. Although traditionally repaired with ligation, interposition grafts, or stent placement, in this article, we discuss our experience with aneurysmorrhaphy utilizing a thoracoabdominal (TA) stapler. Thirteen aneurysms were treated with the TA stapler at a single, nonuniversity hospital for all patients from 2012 to 2014. The average aneurysm diameter was 3.6 cm, and the average fistula age was 57.9 months. There were no bleeding complications or recurrences. The primary patency was 80% at 6 months, with a primary assisted patency of 90% during the same time frame. Aneurysmorrhaphy with the TA stapler appears to be a safe and viable option for the treatment of venous aneurysms associated with AVFs.
Impact of Lysine-Fortified Wheat Flour on Morbidity and Immunologic Variables among Members of Rural Families in Northwest Syria
Authors: Ghosh Shibani , Pellett Peter L. , Aw-Hassan Aden , Mouneime Youssef , Smriga Miro , Scrimshaw Nevin S.
Published: August 2015

Background

Previous studies have shown an effect of lysine fortification on nutrition and immunity of poor men, women, and children consuming a predominantly wheat-based diet.

Objective

To examine the lysine value of diets and the effect of lysine fortification on functional protein status, anthropometry, and morbidity of men, women, and children in rural Syria.

Methods

At baseline of a two-phase study using 7-day household food intake inventories ( n = 98), nutrient availabilities per adult male equivalent were estimated. In the intervention phase, a 16-week double-blind trial, households ( n = 106) were randomly assigned to control and lysine groups. Hematologic and anthropometric data were collected from men ( n = 69; 31 control, 38 lysine), women ( n = 99; 51 control, 48 lysine), and children ( n = 69; 37 control, 32 lysine) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks. Total CD3 T lymphocytes as well as T lymphocytes bearing the receptors CD4, CD8, and CD56, IgM, IgG, IgA, complement C3, C-reactive protein, serum albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, retinol-binding protein, hemoglobin, and hepatitis B surface antigen were determined. Health status and flour usage were monitored. Paired- and independent-sample t-tests and chi-square tests were performed.

Results

Mean nutrient availability per adult equivalent was 2,650 ± 806 kcal, 70.1 ± 26.4 g protein, 65 ± 14% cereal protein, and 41.9 ± 0.8 mg lysine per gram of protein. Complement C3 was significantly higher in men receiving lysine than in controls ( p < .05). Among women, there were significant differences between the control and lysine groups in diarrhea period prevalence (total number of diarrheal episodes during the period of intervention divided by the total number of observations), (20 in the control group, 6 in the lysine group; p = .014), the mean number of days ill (0.4 ± 0.7, control, 0.14 ± 0.4, lysine, p = 0.03), and the number of diarrheal episodes per person per year (1.39 in the control group, 0.47 in the lysine group). No other significant differences between the lysine and the control groups were observed.

Conclusions

Lysine fortification of wheat flour demonstrated a positive effect on diarrheal morbidity in women. The effect could be attributed to an improvement in protein utilization but possibly also to a direct effect of lysine in gastrointestinal tract. Studies in populations with higher diarrheal prevalence and significant dietary lysine deficiency are needed to determine whether the reported effects on diarrheal prevalence are replicable and whether they are pharmacological or nutritional. It would be particularly desirable to study the effect of lysine on diarrhea in preschool children, who have much higher morbidity and mortality rates from this disease than school-age children or adults.
Seasonality, Household Food Security, and Nutritional Status in Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Authors: Hillbruner Chris , Egan Rebecca
Published: August 2015

Background

The influence of seasonality on food security and nutritional status is widely accepted. However, research has typically focused on rural households and has not explored the specific mechanisms underlying seasonal effects.

Objective

To investigate the role of seasonality in determining the food security and nutritional status of low-income urban households and to isolate specific pathways through which seasonality has its impact.

Methods

Secondary panel data from CARE/IFPRI were utilized. Three rounds of data were collected from approximately 600 households in low-income areas of Dinajpur, Bangladesh, from 2002 through 2003, twice during the monsoon season and once in the dry season. Household-level surveys collected data on income and expenditure, employment, urban agriculture, health, and assets. Height and weight measurements were taken from children between the ages of 6 and 72 months. Paired t-tests and logistic fixed-effects modeling were then used to explore the role of seasonality.

Results

The prevalence rates of food insecurity, wasting, and inadequate growth were all significantly higher during the monsoon season as compared with the dry season. Dietary diversity and lost work due to the weather were identified as specific pathways through which season affected household food security. However, mechanisms hypothesized to contribute to seasonal declines in nutritional status, such as child illness, were not found to be significant.

Conclusions

Season had a significant effect on both food security and nutritional status in Dinajpur, with households consistently worse off during the monsoon season. Initiatives to promote food market development, support employment during the hunger season, and prevent seasonal declines in nutritional status should be implemented.
If Only More Such Stories Could Have Been Told: Ways of Remembering Resistance
Authors: Leebaw Bronwyn
Published: August 2015

This article considers how greater attention to the memory of resistance might alter the parameters of contemporary efforts to reckon with systematic abuse. I take the Eichmann Trial, which featured numerous testimonies on resistance, as a point of departure for considering the implications of distinctive ways of remembering resistance. The article begins by examining how narratives of heroic resistance were integrated into the trial, and considers the responses of two prominent commentators: Hannah Arendt and Haim Gouri. Arendt’s comments offer insight into how exemplary resistance informs the recovering of judgment and agency as responses to complicity, whereas Gouri’s account underscores the role of “unheroic”and anti-heroic testimony in addressing the limitations of exemplars.
Inflated granularity: Spatial “Big Data” and geodemographics
Authors: Dalton Craig M , Thatcher Jim
Published: August 2015

Data analytics, particularly the current rhetoric around “Big Data”, tend to be presented as new and innovative, emerging ahistorically to revolutionize modern life. In this article, we situate one branch of Big Data analytics, spatial Big Data, through a historical predecessor, geodemographic analysis, to help develop a critical approach to current data analytics. Spatial Big Data promises an epistemic break in marketing, a leap from targeting geodemographic areas to targeting individuals. Yet it inherits characteristics and problems from geodemographics, including a justification through the market, and a process of commodification through the black-boxing of technology. As researchers develop sustained critiques of data analytics and its effects on everyday life, we must so with a grounding in the cultural and historical contexts from which data technologies emerged. This article and others (Barnes and Wilson, 2014) develop a historically situated, critical approach to spatial Big Data. This history illustrates connections to the critical issues of surveillance, redlining, and the production of consumer subjects and geographies. The shared histories and structural logics of spatial Big Data and geodemographics create the space for a continued critique of data analyses’ role in society.
Regional Filmmaking After Jia Zhangke
Authors: Yang Mei
Published: August 2015

This article examines Ying Liang’s films to illustrate Chinese independent filmmakers’ growing propensity for representing regional space through innovative cinematic techniques. As one of the most conspicuous directors onstage in the 2000s, Ying Liang rekindles independent regional film following the legacy of Jia Zhangke’s hometown trilogy. Varying shooting angles and camera positions, his exemplar work of formalistic experimentation, The Other Half ( Ling yiban, 2006), presents space as a pivot of relations, within which the position of self and the situation of the local are intertwined. In line with Doreen Massey’s proposition for a spatial turn in theoretical conceptions, I argue that Ying Liang’s exploration of relational cinematic space, between on-screen and offscreen, from selfhood to nation, continues to challenge the legitimacy of the foretold metanarrative of national progression in which the countryside and inland cities belong to a bygone time that ought to be replaced in a forward-looking timeline. The explosive endings characteristic of Ying’s film oeuvre, in which all the imminent calamities happening to the region and its inhabitants eventually break out, belie the promise of a bright future told by the state and underline the symbolic violence endured by the local.
Dichotic Listening Can Improve Perceived Clarity of Music in Cochlear Implant Users
Authors: Vannson Nicolas , Innes-Brown Hamish , Marozeau Jeremy
Published: August 2015

Musical enjoyment for cochlear implant (CI) recipients is often reported to be unsatisfactory. Our goal was to determine whether the musical experience of postlingually deafened adult CI recipients could be enriched by presenting the bass and treble clef parts of short polyphonic piano pieces separately to each ear (dichotic). Dichotic presentation should artificially enhance the lateralization cues of each part and help the listeners to better segregate them and thus provide greater clarity. We also hypothesized that perception of the intended emotion of the pieces and their overall enjoyment would be enhanced in the dichotic mode compared with the monophonic (both parts in the same ear) and the diotic mode (both parts in both ears). Twenty-eight piano pieces specifically composed to induce sad or happy emotions were selected. The tempo of the pieces, which ranged from lento to presto covaried with the intended emotion (from sad to happy). Thirty participants (11 normal-hearing listeners, 11 bimodal CI and hearing-aid users, and 8 bilaterally implanted CI users) participated in this study. Participants were asked to rate the perceived clarity, the intended emotion, and their preference of each piece in different listening modes. Results indicated that dichotic presentation produced small significant improvements in subjective ratings based on perceived clarity. We also found that preference and clarity ratings were significantly higher for pieces with fast tempi compared with slow tempi. However, no significant differences between diotic and dichotic presentation were found for the participants’ preference ratings, or their judgments of intended emotion.
Medicines Compliance and Reimbursement Level in Portugal
Authors: Constantino Portela Maria da Conceição , Campos Fernandes Adalberto
Published: August 2015

During a severe financial crisis, it is a priority to use scientific evidence to identify factors that enable therapeutic compliance by patients. This study aimed to evaluate a possible association between the number of patients who attended a medical appointment and had medicine prescribed and the number of these same patients who purchased the prescribed medicine and whether the level of reimbursement was a deciding factor. We perform a correlation analysis at primary care centers in Portugal, between 2010 and 2012 (n = 96). We found a moderate to high positive association, which is statistical significant, between the number of the patients with medicines dispensing and medicines reimbursement levels. The correlation coefficient varies from .5 to .63 ( P < .01). The compliance increases along with the increase in the reimbursement levels.
Experiential Learning Through Participatory Action Research in Public Health Supports Community-Based Training of Future Health Professionals
Authors: Marriott Lisa K. , Lipus Adam C. , Choate Laurie , Smith Jamie , Coppola Leigh , Cameron William E. , Shannon Jackilen
Published: August 2015

Engaging community members in research can help cultivate effective partnerships while providing experiential training and continuing education opportunities. Several studies have involved communities in this way, though many have been small in the scale of community involvement or have included little detail of the institutional review board process by which community members became approved researchers in the study. This article presents findings on an evaluation of the training procedures and experiences of 703 first-time community-based volunteer researchers who were recruited in their communities and trained on-site to enroll research participants, collect data, and provide individualized consultation of results at travelling health education and research fairs. Open-ended registration prompts and postfair surveys assessed volunteers’ reasons for participating, comfort with their volunteer experiences, and attitudes toward the biomedical research process. An open-ended survey assessed two key community partners’ perspectives about their organizations’ involvement with supporting the research throughout the process. Volunteers reported their experience to be a unique training opportunity, citing its ability to help them engage with their community, advance research, and obtain additional experience in their health field of interest, particularly nursing, allied health, and medicine-related careers. Community partners cited that their community’s participation as volunteer researchers served as a tool to educate the larger community about research, which enabled other research projects to gain acceptance. Together, these results demonstrate that using volunteer researchers can strengthen community research partnerships while providing valuable training experience in public health research for current and aspiring health personnel.
Formation rules of single phase solid solution in high entropy alloys
Authors: Jiang L. , Lu Y.P. , Jiang H. , Wang T.M. , Wei B.N. , Cao Z.Q. , Li T.J.
Published: August 2015

A new empirical rule to form single phase solid solution structured high entropy alloys was proposed by integrating three dependent parameters, i.e. atomic size difference δ, mixing enthalpy Δ Hmix and valence electron concentration VEC. It was found that the single phase face centred cubic solid solution will form if δ < 4.27, − 7.27 kJ mol− 1 < Δ Hmix < 4 kJ mol− 1 and VEC>8, while the single phase body centred cubic solid solution will form in the case of δ < 4.27, − 7.27 kJ mol− 1 < Δ Hmix < 4 kJ mol− 1 and VEC < 6.87. This empirical rule was verified by typical high entropy alloys that have been reported.
Flamite, (Ca,Na,K)2(Si,P)O4, a new mineral from ultrahightemperature combustion metamorphic rocks, Hatrurim Basin, Negev Desert, Israel
Authors: Sokol E. V. , Seryotkin Y. V. , Kokh S. N. , Vapnik Ye. , Nigmatulina E. N. , Goryainov S. V. , Belogub E. V. , Sharygin V. V.
Published: August 2015

Flamite (Ca,Na,K)2(Si,P)O4 (P63; a = 43.3726(18), c = 6.8270(4) Å; V = 11122.2(9) Å3), a natural analogue of the P,Na,K-doped high-temperature α-Ca2SiO4 modification, is a new mineral from Ca- and Al-rich paralava, an ultrahigh-temperature combustion metamorphic melt rock. The type locality is situated in the southern Hatrurim Basin, the Negev Desert, Israel. Flamite occurs as regular lamellar intergrowths with partially hydrated larnite, together with rock-forming gehlenite, rankinite and Ti-rich andradite, minor ferrian perovskite, magnesioferrite, hematite, and retrograde ettringite and calcium silicate hydrates. The mineral is greyish to yellowish, transparent with a vitreous lustre, non-fluorescent under ultraviolet light and shows no parting or cleavage; Mohs hardness is 5–5½; calculated density is 3.264 g cm–3. The empirical formula of holotype flamite (mean of 21 analyses) is (Ca1.82Na0.09K0.06(Mg,Fe,Sr,Ba)0.02)Σ1.99(Si0.82P0.18)Σ1.00O4. The strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are [d, Å (Iobs)]: 2.713(100), 2.765(44), 2.759(42), 1.762(32), 2.518(29), 2.402(23), 2.897(19), 1.967(18), 2.220(15), 1.813(15). The strongest bands in the Raman spectrum are 170, 260, 520, 538, 850, 863, 885, 952 and 1003 cm–1.
Gatedalite, Zr(Mn2+2Mn3+4)SiO12, a new mineral species of the braunite group from Långban, Sweden
Authors: Hålenius Ulf , Bosi Ferdinando
Published: August 2015

Gatedalite, Zr(Mn22+Mn43+)SiO12, is a new mineral of the braunite group. It is found in hausmannite-impregnated skarn together with jacobsite, Mn-bearing calcite, tephroite, Mn-bearing phlogopite, långbanite, pinakiolite and oxyplumboroméite at the Långban Mn-Fe oxide deposit, Värmland, central Sweden. The mineral occurs as very rare, small (≤60 μm), grey, submetallic, irregularly rounded anhedral grains. Gatedalite has a calculated density of 4.783 g/cm3. It is opaque and weakly anisotropic with reflectivity in air varying between 17.1 and 20.8% in the visible spectral range. Gatedalite is tetragonal, space groupI41/acd, with the unit-cell parametersa= 9.4668(6) Å,c= 18.8701(14) Å,V= 1691.1(2) Å3andZ= 8. The crystal structure was refined to anR1 index of 5.09% using 1339 unique reflections collected with MoKαX-ray radiation. The five strongest powder X-ray diffraction lines [din Å, (I), (hkl)] are: 2.730(100)(224), 2.367(12)(040), 1.6735(12)(440), 1.6707(29)(048) and 1.4267(16)(264). Electron microprobe analyses in combination with single-crystal structure refinement resulted in the empirical formula: (Zr0.494+Mn0.402+Mg0.07Ca0.02Zn0.01Ce0.013+)Σ1.00(Mn4.443+Fe0.593+Mn0.572+Mg0.41Al0.01)Σ6.02Si0.99O12. Gatedalite is a member of the braunite group (general formula AB6SiO12). It is related to braunite (Mn2+Mn63+SiO12) through the net cation exchange (Zr4++ Mn2+) → 2Mn3+, which results from the substitutions Zr4+→ Mn2+at the 8-fold coordinated site (Ain the general formula) coupled with a 2Mn2+→ 2Mn3+substitution at the 6-fold coordinated sites (Bin the general formula).
Manganese incorporation in synthetic hercynite
Authors: Bromiley G. D. , Gatta G. D. , Stokes T.
Published: August 2015

Manganese incorporation in synthetic hercynite, and partitioning between hercynite and silicate melt synthesized at 1.0 GPa, 1250°C, and at an fO2 buffered by Fe–FeO, has been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray structure refinement. Spectra indicate the presence of both Mn2+ and Mn3+ (and possibly also Mn4+) in synthetic hercynite and partitioning of Mn2+ into the melt phase, and Mn3+ into hercynite, respectively, under run conditions. X-ray refinement is consistent with partial disorder of Fe and Al across tetrahedral and octahedral sites. A higher than expected degree of Fe-Al disorder in the Mn-bearing hercynite can be explained by preferential incorporation of Mn2+ onto the tetrahedral site, and indicates that Fe-Al disorder in pure, stoichiometric hercynite cannot necessarily be used to determine closure temperatures in natural spinel. However, partitioning of Mn2+ and Mn3+ between melt and hercynite suggests that Mn incorporation in hercynite could be used as a measure of fO2 conditions in magmas during spinel crystallization.
Barrydawsonite-(Y), Na1.5CaY0.5Si3O9H: a new pyroxenoid of the pectolite–serandite group
Authors: Mitchell R. H. , Welch M. D. , Kampf A. R. , Chakhmouradian A. K. , Spratt J.
Published: August 2015

The new pyroxenoid barrydawsonite-(Y) occurs at the Merlot Claim, North Red Wine Pluton, Labrador, Canada (62°32'38.54'' W; 54°08'1.37'' N). The host rock is a metamorphosed eudialyte syenite consisting of eudialyte, potassic arfvedsonite, jadeitic aegirine, nepheline, albite and potassium feldspar with accessory Y-bearing pectolite, britholite and steenstrupine. Barrydawsonite-(Y) crystals commonly have discrete thin rims of Y-bearing pectolite. The average empirical formula (based on nine anions p.f.u.) is Na1.54Ca0.74Mn0.15Fe0.07Y0.38Nd0.01Sm0.01Gd0.02Tb0.01Dy0.04Ho0.01Er0.02Yb0.01Si3.00O9H. The simplified formula is Na1.5Y0.5CaSi3O9H. Barrydawsonite-(Y) is related to pectolite by the substitution ½[NaM3+Ca–2] (M3+= Y,REE), and is exceptional in being the only member of the pectolite group that has the structure of the monoclinicM2abcpolytype. The crystal structure has been determined in monoclinic space groupP21/a: a= 15.5026(2),b= 7.0233(1),c= 6.9769(1) Å, β = 95.149(1)°,V= 756.58(2) Å3(Z= 4). Final agreement indices areR1= 0.038,wR2= 0.068, Goof = 1.136. The asymmetric unit of barrydawsonite-(Y) has three metal sites:M(1) = Ca,M(2) = Na0.5(Y,REE)0.5,M(3) = Na.M(1) andM(2) are octahedrally-coordinated sites, whereasM(3) is [8]-coordinated as in pectolite and serandite. The structural formula for the empirical composition isM(3)Na1.00M(2)(Na0.50Y0.38REE0.13)Σ=1.01M(1)(Na0.04Ca0.74Mn0.152+Fe0.072+)Σ=1.00Si3O9H. There is excellent agreement between the refined site-scattering values and those calculated based upon the structural formula.

Barrydawsonite-(Y) is biaxial (+) with α = 1.612(1), β = 1.617(1), γ = 1.630(1) (white light) and 2V = 63(1)°. The five strongest peaks in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs(Å),Iobs%, (hkl)]: [2.905, 100, (023)], [3.094, 30, (210,211,121,202)], [1.7613, 29, (127,323,040)], [3.272, 27, (202,104)], [1.7016, 27, (140,227,325)].
Bobcookite, NaAl(UO2)2(SO4)4·18H2O and wetherillite, Na2Mg(UO2)2(SO4)4·18H2O, two new uranyl sulfate minerals from the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA
Authors: Kampf Anthony R. , Plášil Jakub , Kasatkin Anatoly V. , Marty Joe
Published: August 2015

The new minerals bobcookite (IMA 2014-030), NaAl(UO2)2(SO4)4·18H2O and wetherillite (IMA 2014-044), Na2Mg(UO2)2(SO4)4·18H2O, were found in the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA, where they occur together as secondary alteration phases in association with boyleite, chalcanthite, dietrichite, gypsum, hexahydrite, johannite, pickeringite and rozenite.

Bobcookite descriptive details: lime green to greenish-yellow massive veins and columnar crystals; transparent; vitreous lustre; bright greenish-white fluorescence; pale greenish yellow streak; hardness (Mohs) 2½; brittle; conchoidal fracture; no cleavage; moderately hygroscopic; easily soluble in cold H2O; densitycalc= 2.669 g cm–3. Optically, biaxial (–), α = 1.501(1), β = 1.523(1), γ = 1.536(1) (white light); 2Vmeas.= 78(1)°; 2Vcalc.= 74°; dispersionr<v, moderate. Pleochroism:Xcolourless,Yvery pale yellow-green,Zpale yellow-green;X<Y<Z. EDS analyses yielded the empirical formula Na0.97Al1.09(U1.02O2)2(S0.98O4)4(H2O)18. Bobcookite is triclinic,P1,a= 7.7912(2),b= 10.5491(3),c= 11.2451(8) Å , α = 68.961(5), β = 70.909(5), γ = 87.139(6)°,V= 812.79(8) Å3andZ= 1. The structure (R1= 1.65% for 3580Fo> 4σF) contains [(UO2)(SO4)2(H2O)] chains linked by NaO4(H2O)2octahedra to form layers. Hydrogen bonds to insular Al(H2O)6 octahedra and isolated H2O groups hold the structure together. The mineral is named for Dr Robert (Bob) B. Cook of Auburn University, Alabama, USA.

Wetherillite descriptive details: pale greenish-yellow blades; transparent; vitreous lustre; white streak; hardness (Mohs) 2; brittle; two cleavages, {101} perfect and {010} fair; conchoidal or curved fracture; easily soluble in cold H2O; densitycalc= 2.626 g cm–3. Optically, biaxial (+), α = 1.498(1), β = 1.508(1), γ = 1.519(1) (white light); 2Vmeas.= 88(1)°, 2Vcalc.= 87.9°; dispersion isr<v, distinct; optical orientation:Z=b,X∧a= 54° in obtuse β; pleochroism:Xcolourless,Ypale yellow-green,Zpale yellow-green;X<Y≈Z. EDS analyses yielded the empirical formula Na1.98(Mg0.58Zn0.24Cu0.11Fe0.092+)Σ1.02(U1.04O2)2(S0.98O4)4(H2O)18. Wetherillite is monoclinic,P21/c,a= 20.367(1),b= 6.8329(1),c= 12.903(3) Å, β = 107.879(10)°,V= 1709.0(5) Å3andZ= 2. The structure (R1= 1.39% for 3625Fo> 4σF) contains [(UO2)(SO4)2(H2O)] sheets parallel to {100}. Edge-sharing chains of Na(H2O)5O polyhedra link adjacent uranyl sulfate sheets forming a weakly bonded three-layer sandwich. The sandwich layers are linked to one another by hydrogen bonds through insular Mg(H2O)6octahedra and isolated H2O groups. The mineral is named for John Wetherill (1866–1944) and George W. Wetherill (1925–2006).
Low-crystallinity products of trace-metal precipitation in neutralized pit-lake waters without ferric and aluminous adsorbent: Geochemical modelling and mineralogical analysis
Authors: Sánchez-España Javier , Yusta Iñaki
Published: August 2015

The removal of dissolved trace metals during neutralization of acid mine drainage has usually been described and modelled as a progressive, pH-dependent sorption onto standard ferric or aluminous adsorbent. In the absence of adsorbent mineral surfaces, trace metals tend to form amorphous to low-crystallinity compounds which are often difficult to characterize. Here, we study the behaviour of the more soluble metals (Cu2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cd2+) in the absence of ferric and aluminous adsorbent by neutralization experiments with waters from two acidic pit lakes. The objectives of our study were to identify the mineral products formed by trace-metal precipitation and the pH ranges at which these metals are removed from the solutions. Both geochemical modelling and detailed mineralogical and chemical analyses (XRD, SEM, TEM, XRF, ICP-AES) were undertaken to characterize the products. The schwertmannite and hydrobasaluminite colloids formed in the initial neutralization stages were removed from the waters at pH 3.5 and 5.1, respectively. These two minerals had previously adsorbed the Cr3+and Pb2+initially present in the solutions. The Cu precipitates were amorphous to X-rays, though chemical and modelling data suggest that Cu probably precipitated as a precursor of brochantite (Cu4(SO4)(OH)6·2H2O) at pH >6.0, together with minor quantities of other Cu hydroxysulfates (langite, antlerite) and Cu(OH)2. At higher pH, other divalent metals (Zn2+, Mn2+) precipitated as silicates, carbonates and/or (possibly) minor oxides and (oxy)hydroxides. The high concentration of aqueous SiO2in the solutions allowed Zn to precipitate as willemite (Zn2SiO4) at pH >7.0. Similarly, the presence of inorganic carbon (originally as CO2(aq.)) greatly influenced the nature of the corresponding precipitate of Mn. This metal was initially present as Mn2+and experienced a partly oxidative precipitation forming, in combination with Mg2+, the hydroxyl carbonate desautelsite (Mg6Mn2(CO3)(OH)16·4H2O) at pH 9.0–10.0. The formation of Mn3+/Mn4+oxides and hydroxides (hausmannite, manganite, birnessite) could not be demonstrated, although geochemical calculations support their subordinate formation. Other metallic cations such as Co2+, Ni2+and Cd2+did not form discrete mineral phases but were totally removed by sorption onto and/or incorporation into the cited Zn and Mn compounds. The discrepancies between theoretical and demonstrated mineralogy and the significance of these minerals for future pit-lake remediation initiatives are discussed.
Rare sulfides enriched in K, Tl and Pb from the Noril'sk and Salmagorsky complexes, Russia: new data and implications
Authors: Barkov Andrei Y. , Martin Robert F. , Cabri Louis J.
Published: August 2015

New results (compositional data and reflectance values) are reported for some rare sulfides enriched in K, Tl and Pb, which are related to djerfisherite, thalfenisite, bartonite, a “Cl-bearing bartonite”, or chlorbartonite, and also for shadlunite, from the Noril'sk and Salmagorsky complexes, Russia. Our observations and comparisons with relevant data in the literature imply that: (1) bartonite is probably a S-dominant (or Cl-free) analogue of djerfisherite; and a “Cl-bearing bartonite” and chlorbartonite are probably compositional variants of the djerfisherite–bartonite series. (2) The most probable formulae of bartonite and djerfisherite are (K,Me2+)6(Fe,Cu,Ni)25–xS26(S,Cl) and (K,Me2+)6(Fe,Cu,Ni)25–xS26(Cl,S), where 0 ≤ x ≤ 5, respectively. (3) Two independent substitution mechanisms probably operate in the natural series. A coupled substitution [Me2+ + S2– ↔ K+ + Cl–] is reflected by an observed deficit in K, accompanied by the incorporation of Me2+(Pb, Fe, or Ni) in the K site. Another mechanism is inferred to be [2Fe3+ + 〈 ↔ 3Fe2+], which assumes the existence of vacancy-type defects at the Me site. Thus, the second mechanism could possibly control the existing variations of Σ(Fe, Cu, Ni) in the range of ∼21 to 25 a.p.f.u., documented in djerfisherite- and bartonite-type minerals. The minerals analysed from Noril'sk, which are free of Cl and related to bartonite and to a Tl-dominant analogue of bartonite (unnamed species), probably crystallized from microvolumes of late fluid rich in K and Tl, under conditions of relatively low oxygen fugacity in the environment. Uniform contentss of Fe and Cu, observed in coexisting phases of normal (Cl-bearing) djerfisherite and bartonite (or Cl-free analogue of djerfisherite) at Salmagorsky imply that they reached equilibrium with regard to the distribution of these elements during crystallization. These phases probably formed as a result of fluctuations in the ratios of sulfur and chlorine fugacity in a fluid at a postmagmatic hydrothermal stage.
A numerical study of 3D elastic time-lapse full-waveform inversion using multicomponent seismic data
Authors: Raknes Espen Birger , Arntsen Børge
Published: August 2015

A common assumption in wave-propagation problems is that the subsurface is approximately an acoustic medium. Under this assumption, important wave phenomena such as S-waves are not included. Due to the increase in computational power in recent years, the acoustic assumption may be left behind and replaced by the more physically correct elastic assumption. Time-lapse seismic data contain information about changes in the subsurface due to the production of hydrocarbons or injection of [Formula: see text]. Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is an inverse method that can be used to quantify these time-lapse changes in the subsurface. Using a 3D isotropic elastic implementation of the FWI method, we studied two strategies for performing time-lapse FWI. We used synthetic ocean-bottom multicomponent seismic time-lapse data to estimate changes in the P- and S-wave velocity models. A sensitivity analysis in which the sensitivities with respect to the magnitude and physical size of the time-lapse anomalies and the noise level in the data was performed. The strategy focusing on explaining the data differences between the baseline and monitor data sets provided fewer artifacts in the inverted elastic models than the strategy that tried to explain the full monitor data set, and it was therefore preferable. The data-difference strategy depends on good repeatability in the time-lapse data sets and sufficient convergence of the inversion of the baseline data set.
Palinspastic restoration of an exhumed deepwater system: A workflow to improve paleogeographic reconstructions
Authors: Spikings Allan L. , Hodgson David M. , Paton Douglas A. , Spychala Yvonne T.
Published: August 2015

The Permian Laingsburg depocenter, Karoo Basin, South Africa, is the focus of sedimentological and stratigraphic research as an exhumed analog for offshore hydrocarbon reservoirs in deepwater basins. Thin-skinned thrust tectonics during the Permo-Triassic Cape Orogeny result in postdepositional deformation of the Permian basin fill. Regional-scale cross sections reveal two structural domains: a southern domain in the Laingsburg depocenter comprising 8–11-km wavelength north-verging fault-propagation folding, driven by buried low-angle ([Formula: see text]) reverse faults that coalesce at depth as part of a megadetachment below the Lower Paleozoic Cape Supergroup; and a northern domain to the north of the Laingsburg depocenter of short-wavelength, low-amplitude, asymmetrical folding facilitated by a detachment within the Permian Ecca Group. Five detailed structural cross sections permit the palinspastic restoration, and a calculation of the amount of shortening, across a [Formula: see text] area in the Laingsburg depocenter. Average shortening across the study area is −16.9% (5.8 km), and it decreases south to north. Shortening estimates from the Upper Ecca Group increase from 4.3 km near Matjiesfontein in the west to 10.4 km near Prince Albert in the east. Three-dimensional restorations of stratigraphic surfaces are consistent with these figures (−17%), and they allow paleogeographic and isopach thickness maps to be resorted to their configuration at the time of deposition. Structural restoration can be routinely used in outcrop studies to improve the accuracy of dimensions (e.g., volumetrics) and reconstructions (e.g., sediment dispersal patterns) derived from ancient sedimentary systems. The workflow presented here will add value to exhumed basin analogs by presenting prekinematic configurations at the frontal margins of fold-thrust belts.
Seismic screening of rock stiffness and fluid softening using rock-physics attributes
Authors: Avseth Per , Veggeland Tor
Published: August 2015

We have developed a methodology to create easy-to-implement rock-physics attributes that can be used to screen for reservoir sandstones and hydrocarbon pore fill from seismic inversion data. Most seismic attributes are based on the empirical relationships between reservoir properties and seismic observables. We have honored the physical properties of the rocks by defining attributes that complied with calibrated rock-physics models. These attributes included the fluid saturation sensitive curved pseudo-elastic impedance (CPEI) and the rock stiffness/lithology attribute pseudo-elastic impedance for lithology (PEIL). We found that the CPEI attribute correlated nicely with saturation and resistivity, whereas the PEIL attribute in practice was a scaled version of the shear modulus and correlated nicely with porosity. We determined the use of these attributes on well log and seismic inversion data from the Norwegian Sea, and we successfully screened out reservoir rocks filled with either water or hydrocarbons.
Preventive effects of a fractioned polysaccharide from a traditional Chinese herbal medical formula (Yu Ping Feng San) on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis
Authors: Wang Jia-jia , Li Jun , Shi Lei , Lv Xiong-wen , Cheng Wen-ming , Chen Ying-ying
Published: August 2015

Objectives

The study was to investigate the prevention effects and possible mechanism of Yu Ping Feng San fractioned polysaccharide (YPF-P) on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

Methods

YPF-P was prepared from root of Astragalus membranaceus, rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephaia and root of Raidix saposhnikoviae, and compared with polysaccharide from root of Astragalus membranaceus (AP). Hepatic fibrosis was induced by subcutaneous injection with carbon tetrachloride twice weekly for 12 weeks in Sprague–Dawley rats. YPF-P, AP and colchicine were administered intragastrically daily to carbon tetrachloride-treated rats. Histopathological changes of the liver and hepatic stellate cells were evaluated by Masson staining and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Markers of fibrosis were determined by radioimmunoassay, biochemistry assay and ELISA. The mRNA expressions of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), procollagen I and collagen III were detected by RT-PCR.

Key findings

YPF-P dose-dependently alleviated the degree of liver fibrosis and inhibited hepatic stellate cell transformation into myofibroblast-like cells, markedly reduced the elevated levels of hyaluronic acid, laminin, type IV collagen, type III procollagen, hydroxyproline and transforming growth factor beta-1, suppressed procollagen I, collagen III and TIMP-1 expression, and improved the TIMP-1/MMP-13 ratio. MMP-13 expression was only promoted moderately by YPF-P. Compared with AP, YPF-P showed more potency on most markers except laminin, type IV collagen and MMP-13 mRNA.

Conclusions

YPF-P prevented the progress of rat liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride and had a more potent preventative effect. The preventative effect may be associated with the ability of YPF-P to inhibit the synthesis of matrix collagen and balance the TIMP/MMP system.