and
genes are involved in DNA double-strand break repair and related to breast cancer. Shift work is associated with biological clock alterations and with a higher risk of breast cancer. The aim of ...this study was to investigate the variability of expression of
genes through the day in healthy subjects and to measure
expression levels in shift workers. The study was approached in two ways. First, we examined diurnal variation of
and
genes in lymphocytes of 15 volunteers over a 24-hour period. Second, we measured the expression of these genes in lymphocytes from a group of shift and daytime workers. The change in 24-hour expression levels of
and
genes was statistically significant, decreasing from the peak at midday to the lowest level at midnight. Lower levels for both genes were found in shift workers compared to daytime workers. Diurnal variability of
and
expression suggests a relation of DNA double-strand break repair system with biological clock. Lower levels of
and
found in shift workers may be one of the potential factors related to the higher risk of breast cancer.
The in situ differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique has been applied to investigate the solidification paths of a basaltic liquid. The starting glass was heated up to 1300°C, kept at this ...superliquidus temperature for 2 h and cooled at rates (ΔT/Δt) of 7, 60, 180, 1000, and 1800°C/h, down to 800 and 600°C. Glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization temperature (Tx_HR) and melting temperature (Tm) were measured by in situ DSC spectra on heating. Tx measured along the cooling paths (Tx_CR) shows exothermic peaks that change from a single symmetric shape (7 and 60°C/h) to multi-component patterns (180, 1000, and 1800°C/h). The recovered products characterized by field emission gun source of the scanning electron microscopy and electron probe micro-analyzer-wavelength dispersive spectrometers show a phase assemblage of spinel (sp), clinopyroxene (cpx), melilite (mel), plagioclase (plg), and glass. Moreover, crystal size distributions (CSDs) and growth rates (Gmax and GCSD) were also determined. The crystal content slightly increases from 7 to 1800°C/h. Faceted sp are present in all the run products with an amount always <2 area%. Cpx increases from 7 to 1800°C/h, changing its texture from almost faceted to dendritic between 60 and 180°C/h. The area% of mel follows an asymmetric Gaussian trend, while plg nucleates only at 7°C/h with a content <2 area%. The coupling of DSC and SEM outcomes indicate that sp nucleate first, followed by cpx and mel (and/or plg). The increment of ΔT/Δt causes an increase of the CSD slope (m) and crystal population density per size (n0), as well as a decrease of the crystal size, for both cpx and sp. The log-linear CSD segments with different slopes at 7 and 60°C/h suggest multiple nucleation events and crystal growth by coarsening. Gmax and GCSD for cpx and sp directly measured on the actual crystallization time by DSC spectra, both increase with the increasing of ΔT/Δt. The onset temperature of crystallization (Txi) decreases as ΔT/Δt increases, following an exponential trend that defines the uppermost portion of a time-transformation-temperature-like curve. This analytical model allows us to quantitatively model the kinetic crystallization paths of dry basalts.
Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) are the most abundant eruptive tholeiitic products on Earth. Many experiments have been performed to investigate the solidification of basalts but under limited ...thermal ranges of cooling (ΔTc) and cooling rates (ΔT/Δt). We analyze the experimental charges solidified from previous studies: the BIR1A basalt from USGS was solidified using ΔT/Δt of 1, 7, 60, 180, 1800 and 9000 °C/h, in the ΔTc between 1300 and 800 °C, at atmospheric conditions. The previous studies allowed determining the glass-forming ability (GFA) of sub-alkaline silicate liquids, but do not give information on their textures. Here, we quantify the evolution of sizes, shapes, number of crystals per area (#/A), CSDs and growth rates (Gs) of plg (plagioclase), cpx (clinopyroxene) and sp. (spinel). Textures were investigated by image analysis on thousands of crystals and are one of the most complete datasets ever obtained from laboratory studies: they reflect rapid, intermediate and sluggish cooled parts of MORB from liquidus to solidus.
Faceted plg grows only at ΔT/Δt ≤ 60 °C/h, while cpx and sp. became dendritic at ΔT/Δt between 60 and 180 °C/h. As ΔT/Δt increase, crystal size ranges decrease from 1000 to 10 μm at 1 °C/h to 100–1 at 60 °C/h μm for plg, from 400 to 8 μm at 1 °C/h to 25–0.5 μm at 1800 °C/h μm for cpx, and from 90 to 6 μm at 1 °C/h to 6–0.5 at 1800 °C/h μm, for sp. The #/A increases with increasing ΔT/Δt, except for cpx between 60 and 180 °C/h. As ΔT/Δt increases, CSDs of plg, cpx and sp increase their slopes (m) and population densities per size (n0), reduce the size ranges and tend to be log-linear. At low ΔT/Δt, CSDs are composed of several log-linear segments, which slopes are related to different pulses of crystal nucleation, and subsequent growth by coarsening.
The CSDs parameters (slope, m, and nucleation density per size, n0) linearly scale each other and both are highly correlated with ΔT/Δt. Maximum (Gmax) and average (GCSD) growth rates are computed respectively by averaged major axis (Lmax) of the five longest crystals and by the m of CSDs. Both the Gs are a function of experimental time (t) and increase with the increasing of ΔT/Δt, changing up to two orders of magnitude. The Gmax of cpx is correlated with m and n0 and can be used in natural MORB to retrieve either ΔT/Δt and Gmax. The plg and cpx crystals with sizes between 0.1 and 1 mm are abundant in the experimental charges obtained at low ΔT/Δt. In volcanic rocks, these crystal sizes are generally considered representative of intra-telluric conditions (phenocrysts and microphenocrysts). Our data demonstrate that crystals with mm-sizes may also grow in syn-to-post-depositional conditions. The continuous evolution of textures in response to ΔT/Δt variations implies that kinetic effects can fully capture the solidification of MORBs. As a result, the widely accepted assumption that phenocrysts represent the products of evolution processes in volcanic conduits or magma reservoirs could be not valid for some basaltic lavas.
The crystal-chemical variations of spinels grown as a function of cooling rate (Δ
/Δ
) were analyzed via X-ray electron-microprobe (EPMA) maps. Maps were collected serially by using a fixed distance. ...Spinels solidified from a tholeiitic MOR basaltic liquid (B
) cooled at cooling rates (Δ
/Δ
) of 1, 7, 60, and 180 °C/h, between 1300 and 800 °C and at ambient
and
. As Δ
/Δ
increases, the amount of spinel is invariably <5 area% and its size decreases. Compared to the previous data set collected by common single and selected EPMA analytical points (112 analyses), the kinetic effects induced by Δ
/Δ
are here quantitatively captured by a large number of analyses (2052).
The TiO
, Al
, MgO, and FeO
show large compositional variations at low cooling rates (from 1 to 60 °C/h), and only the average TiO
concentration shows a well-defined trend as a function of Δ
/Δ
. However, calculated average cation amounts (apfu) unveil quantitative kinetic effects. When Δ
/Δ
increases (from 1 to 180 °C/h), only Ti
shows a linear decreasing trend, whereas the other major Al
, Fe
, Fe
, and Mg
cations alone are scattered. Conversely, the sums of trivalent (Al
+Fe
) and divalent (Mg
+Fe
) cations quantitatively capture the effect of the Δ
/Δ
. These new outcomes could be the base of novel geospeedometers with significant implications in volcanology, geophysics, and material sciences in regard to silicate melt rheology on Earth. They should be extended to high-pressure, hydrated, and low oxygen fugacity conditions. Furthermore, the analytical approach used here to capture kinetic effects on spinel growth and compositions can be also applied to other crystalline phases grown from silicate liquids.
In this study we present the compositional changes of clinopyroxene (cpx), plagioclase (plg), spinel (sp), and glass experimentally solidified from an Icelandic MORB melt. The starting material was ...cooled at Patm and fO2 of air, in the thermal range of cooling (ΔTc) between 1300 °C (superliquidus) to 800 °C (solidus) with rates (ΔT/Δt) of 1, 7, 60, 180, 1800, and 9000 °C/h. The run products obtained at 1, 7 and 60 °C/h are holocrystalline, whilst between 60 and 180 °C/h plg disappears, and texture of cpx + sp. shifts from faceted to dendritic.
As cooling rate increases, we observe that Fe2O3 decreases and Al2O3 increases in sp. and Al2O3 + Fe2O3 increase and CaO + MgO decrease in cpx. These measured variations mirror changes induced by cooling rate in cation (atoms per formula unit, a.p.f.u.) and molecular abundances of these two crystalline phases. Plg composition shows clear linear trends versus cooling rate. The chemistry of sp., cpx and, to a minor extent, plg solidified from this basaltic liquid is thus strictly related to the cooling rate condition and is similar to those observed in previous investigations on alkaline and evolved basaltic systems. In particular, cpx is the only mineral phase profusely present at all the cooling rates, showing the greatest chemical variations in terms of oxides, cations, and components. The intra-crystalline glass (≤ 50 μm from crystal rims) obtained at 180–1800 °C/h shows compositional variations related to the surrounding crystal growth, evidencing strong supersaturation phenomena (such as dendritic texture) due to the establishment of a diffusion-controlled growth regime. Chemical attributes of mineral phases are also quantitatively related with the maximum (Gmax) and average (GCSD) growth rates of sp., cpx, and plg.
When compared with the starting melt composition, the chemistry of cpx suggests the attainment of near-equilibrium crystallization conditions at cooling rate ≤ 60 °C/h, whereas disequilibrium effects are found at cooling rate > 60 °C/h. In contrast, plg is in disequilibrium with the initial melt chemistry in all experiments. By using thermometric models, the calculated crystallization of plg takes place at temperatures much lower than those of cpx, when the crystal content is high and the diffusion of cations in the melt is slow due to the higher (residual) melt viscosity. Under such conditions and due to the effect of cooling, the system cannot return to homogeneous concentrations and, consequently, plg more effectively records the disequilibrium partitioning of cations between the growing crystal surface.
The data-set reported here captures the entire (superliquidus to solidus) and intrinsic (heterogeneous site-free silicate liquid) solidification behavior from an actual MORB melt from very rapid to extremely sluggish cooling rate. Finally, all analytical relationships found in this work enable careful reconstruction of the solidification conditions of MORB melts, providing novel geo-speedometers for them at high fO2.
•Dynamic solidification of a MORB liquid from 1 to 9000 °C/h.•Sp, cpx, and plg chemical changes as a function of cooling rate.•(Dis)equilibrium kinetics of crystallization provides geospeedometers.•Order of mineral segregation.•Crystal-chemical and textural variations are quantitatively related.
Four sites in the western sector of Lipari Island with still active hydrothermal activity are here considered. The petrography (mesoscopic observations and XRPD) and geochemistry (major, minor and ...trace elements chemistry) of ten representative and extremely altered volcanic rocks were characterized. Two types of parageneses of altered rocks are discriminable, one rich in silicate phases (opal/cristobalite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, alunite and hematite) and one in sulphates (gypsum, plus minor amounts of anhydrite or bassanite). The altered silicate-rich rocks are rich in SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and H2O, and depleted in CaO, MgO, K2O and Na2O, while the sulphate-rich ones are extremely enriched in CaO and SO4 in comparison with local unaltered volcanic rocks. The content of many incompatible elements is similar in altered silicate-rich rocks and lower in sulphate-rich ones with respect to the pristine volcanic rocks; conversely, almost all REEs are markedly enriched in silicate-rich rocks and heavy REEs are enriched in sulphate-rich altered rocks compared to unaltered volcanic rocks.
Reaction path modelling of basaltic andesite dissolution in local steam condensate predicts the production of amorphous-silica, anhydrite, goethite, and kaolinite (or smectites and saponites) as stable secondary minerals and alunite, jarosite, and jurbanite as ephemeral minerals. Considering possible post-depositional reactions and admitting that the presence of two distinct parageneses is apparent, since gypsum is prone to form large crystals, it can be concluded that there is an excellent agreement between the alteration minerals occurring in nature and those predicted by geochemical modelling. Consequently, the modelled process is the main responsible for the production of the advanced argillic alteration assemblage of “Cave di Caolino” on Lipari Island. Since rock alteration is sustained by the H2SO4 solution produced by hydrothermal steam condensation, there is no need to invoke the involvement of SO2-HCl-HF-bearing magmatic fluids, in line with the absence of fluoride minerals.
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•Reaction path modelling was applied to reconstruct the advanced argillitic alteration occurring at “Cava di Caolino” site.•Two main type of altered rocks were recognized at “Cava di Caolino” site: SiO2-rich samples and CaSO4–rich ones.•A detailed mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical characterization provided useful information to validate the results of geochemical modelling.•The recognized alteration mineral assemblage is due to the interaction of basaltic andesite rock and acidic steam condensate produced by condensation of a geothermal vapour.
The Geomorphological Field Camp 2014 in the Castel di Sangro-Scontrone area is the result of geological and geomorphological teaching field work activities carried out in Central Italy by a group of ...23 students attending the Structural Geomorphology and Applied Geomorphology courses (Master's Degree in Geological Science and Technology of the Università degli Studi 'G. d'Annunzio' Chieti-Pescara, Italy, Department of Engineering and Geology). The Field Camp 2014 was organized in May 2014, following regular classes held during the fall term. General activities for the field camp were developed over four main stages: (1) preliminary analysis of the regional geological and geomorphological setting of the area; (2) preliminary activities for the analysis of the local area (orography, hydrography and photogeology investigations, and geographical information system processing); (3) field work, focused on the analysis of a specific issue concerning structural geomorphology or applied geomorphology (e.g. landscape evolution, river channel change, landslide distribution, and flood hazard); and (4) post-field work production of the map. Finally, the fundamental role of field work in the analysis of landscape and in land management was outlined: indeed, the overall field camp enhanced the crucial role of field-based learning for young geomorphologists in order to acquire a strong sensitivity to geomorphological processes and landscape evolution.
Assistive devices could promote independent living and support the active and healthy aging of an older population; however, several factors can badly influence the long-term use of new technologies. ...In this context, this paper presents a two-step methodology called “pre-validation” that aims to identify the factors that can bias the use of new services, thus minimizing the risk of an unsuccessful longer trial. The proposed pre-validation methodology is composed of two main phases that aim to assess the usability and the reliability of the technology assessed in a laboratory environment and the usability, acceptability, user experience, and reliability of the technology in real environments. The tested services include the socialization scenario, in which older adults are better connected to the community via technological solutions (i.e., socialization applications), and the monitoring scenario, which allows for the introduction of timely interventions (technologies involved include environmental monitoring sensors, a telepresence robot, wearable sensors, and a personalized dashboard). The obtained results underline an acceptable usability level (average System Usability Scale score > 65) for the tested technologies (i.e., socialization applications and a telepresence robot). Phase Two also underlines the good acceptability, user experience, and usability of the tested services. The statistical analysis underlines a correlation between the stress related to the use of technology, digital skills, and intention of use, among other factors. Qualitative feedback also remarks on a correlation between older adults with low digital skills and an anxiety about using technology. Positive correlation indexes were highlighted between the trust and usability scores. Eventually, future long-term trials with assistive technology should rely on motivated caregivers, be founded on a strong recruitment process, and should reassure older adults—especially the ones with low digital literacy—about the use of technology by proposing personalized training and mentoring, if necessary, to increase the trust.
Over the past years, the development of innovative smart wound dressings is revolutionizing wound care management and research. Specifically, in the treatment of diabetic foot wounds, ...three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted patches may enable personalized medicine therapies. In the present work, a methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) bioink is employed to manufacture 3D printed patches to deliver small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) obtained from human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-sEVs). The production of sEVs is maximized culturing MSCs in bioreactor. A series of in vitro analyses are carried out to demonstrate the influence of MSC-sEVs on functions of dermal fibroblasts and endothelial cells, which are the primary functional cells in skin repair process. Results demonstrate that both cell populations are able to internalize MSC-sEVs and that the exposure to sEVs stimulates proliferation and migration. In vivo experiments in a well-established diabetic mouse model of pressure ulcer confirm the regenerative properties of MSC-sEVs. The MeHA patch enhances the effectiveness of sEVs by enabling controlled release of MSC-sEVs over 7 days, which improve wound epithelialization, angiogenesis and innervation. The overall findings highlight that MSC-sEVs loading in 3D printed biomaterials represents a powerful technique, which can improve the translational potential of parental stem cell in terms of regulatory and economic impact.
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